http://www.bbc.co.uk
13 February 2013
Zimbabwe's key referendum
on a new constitution has been "tentatively" set
for 16 March, government
minister Eric Matinenga has said.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said
the referendum would herald a major
step towards democratic reform, AFP news
agency reports.
It would be followed by elections, expected to be
contested by Mr Tsvangirai
and President Robert Mugabe.
The date was
announced as the election chief resigned, citing ill health.
The
88-year-old Mr Mugabe has been in power since independence in
1980.
Details of the new constitution, agreed by Mr Mugabe and Mr
Tsvangirai, have
not been officially released.
But it is believed
that it sets a limit of two terms for future presidents.
'By hook or by
crook'
Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai are expected to urge voters to approve
the
constitution, opening the way for elections to be held under the new
rules.
The election would herald the end of the shaky coalition the two
leaders
formed after the disputed 2008 election, when Mr Tsvangirai - the
leader of
the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - boycotted a run-off
after
claiming he had been robbed of victory during the first
round.
Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party was also accused of unleashing violence
against
MDC supporters, an allegation it denied.
The two parties then
formed a coalition government under pressure from
regional
leaders.
"I can confirm 16 March is the tentative referendum date," said
Mr
Matinenga, the constitutional affairs minister, an MDC
member.
"I've indicated that maybe there's a need to rethink so that at
least we
have two days of voting for the referendum," he added, in a
briefing to
journalists in the capital, Harare.
Sources say the
general elections are expected to be held between 15 and 30
July.
Mr
Tsvangirai told AFP he would fight to ensure that "no-one is
disenfranchised
by hook or by crook" in the elections.
"If Mugabe's position that we need
a free and fair election is a ruse, then
he would have cheated me," he is
quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, election commission chief Simpson
Mutambanengwe, who was expected
to organise the votes this year, has
resigned, said Justice Minister Patrick
Chinamasa of Zanu-PF.
"The
resignation is on the grounds of health," Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald
newspaper quotes Mr Chinamasa as saying
MDC Secretary-General and
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said his decision was
regrettable.
"The
judge is a man of good standing," he said.
A replacement for Mr
Mutambanengwe, a retired judge who was appointed after
the disputed 2008
poll, would be chosen after discussions involving the
coalition partners, Mr
Chinamasa said.
Zimbabwe's crash-strapped government has also repeatedly
said it does not
have enough money to hold the votes.
"We are looking
for the money," Mr Tsvangirai told AFP.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
13/02/2013 00:00:00
by
Reuters
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday he
expected presidential and
parliamentary elections to be held in July after a
nationwide vote on a new
constitution next month.
Addressing a human
rights forum on the new constitution, Tsvangirai said the
power-sharing
government which was formed after disputed polls in 2008 would
seek a fresh
election in July.
When asked when the elections would be held, Tsvangirai
simply said "July".
There was no immediate comment from Zanu PF on whether
the timetable given
by Tsvangirai had been agreed with President Robert
Mugabe, the 88-year-old
political veteran who has ruled the country since
independence from Britain
in 1980.
But for months, Mugabe has said he
wants fresh polls by mid-year before the
country hosts a global conference
on tourism, which analysts say Harare
wants to use to rebrand itself after
years of isolation.
Before Tsvangirai's comments at the human rights
forum, Constitutional
Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga told reporters the
power-sharing government
had set March 16 as the tentative date for the
referendum on the
constitution.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti, worried
that there might not be enough money
for the vote on the constitution and
the general election, has approached
donors for help.
By law, the
next elections are due when the current presidential and
parliamentary terms
expire at the end of June although there has been
speculation Zanu PF and
the MDC could extend it while working on more
political reforms.
The
last polls were marred by violence and allegations of vote-rigging,
blamed
mostly on Mugabe's war veteran supporters and Zanu PF youths.
http://mg.co.za/
13 FEB 2013 20:33 - AFP
Zimbabweans will vote on a
new draft Constitution – a key reform ahead of
new presidential polls that
should end the power-sharing deal.
Morgan Tsvangirai pulled Zimbabwe
from chaos by forming a unity government
with President Robert Mugabe, and
still struggles to guide the country
toward democracy from within his narrow
corridors of power.
The new presidential polls in July 2013 may just see
him become only the
second president since the country's independence in
1981.
Tsvangirai, the founder of the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), emerged
in the late 1990s as a powerful political force when he
headed the country's
largest labour federation, spearheading national
strikes against Mugabe's
economic policies.
After years in the
opposition, he stood poised to claim the presidency in
2008 elections, but
abandoned the run-off against Mugabe to stem a wave of
violence that killed
more than 200 of his supporters.
At the time, hyperinflation had pushed
the economy into freefall, more than
half the nation needed food aid, and a
cholera epidemic was swirling.
Unity government
Under intense regional
pressure, Tsvangirai and Mugabe formed a unity
government in February 2009,
with the MDC taking over most ministries
dealing with the economy, while
Mugabe's ZANU-PF retained the security
forces and the
mines.
Tsvangirai became Prime Minister under Mugabe.
The result
has been a rocky coalition, with the two rivals often steering
the country
in opposite directions, especially when it comes to implementing
the
democratic reforms required under their unity pact.
"The progress that
has been secured so far has been far from satisfactory,
especially on
political reforms," Tsvangirai said in 2011.
"However, you will agree
with me that there has been notable progress ever
since the consumation of
this government, and that progress is in the social
sectors."
Struggle
Zimbabwe's economy has stirred back to life.
Food supplies are more reliable
and once-shuttered hospitals are back
open.
But Tsvangirai battles to exert his influence. His supporters, even
his
ministers, still suffer routine arrests and harassment.
His
personal scandals – two very public divorces – have dented his
popularity.
Tsvangirai claims to have been the target of four
assassination attempts,
including one in 1997 when he said assailants tried
to throw him out of his
office window.
Despite the violence directed
at him and his party, the 60-year-old has used
his persuasive speaking
skills to keep his supporters focused on non-violent
activism for "a new
Zimbabwe."
Disagreements
"I have done my part to promote
reconciliation in this country. Even after
winning the election, I have
compromised for the sake of Zimbabwe," he once
told a rally.
But four
years after formation the unity government has been hampered by
disagreements over key economic policies and the slow progress of human
rights reforms.
He grew up in the eastern district of Buhera, and was
forced by poverty to
leave school early and earn a living to enable his
younger siblings to get
an education.
Unlike most of Zimbabwe's
politicians, Tsvangirai did not take part in the
Chimurenga liberation war
against white colonial rule.
Background
Born in Gutu, south of the
capital Harare, he was the eldest of nine
children and the son of a
bricklayer. He was 28 when Zimbabwe won
independence from Britain in 1980.
Tsvangirai's rise to power came with
intense personal loss.
Just
three weeks after taking office, his first wife Susan died in a car
crash
that also left him in hospital.
He has been detained twice for his
political activism and was twice cleared
of treason charges.
In March
2007, he was among dozens of opposition activists who were
assaulted as they
tried to stage an anti-government rally, suffering head
injuries.
"Yes, they brutalised my flesh. But they will never break
my spirit. I will
soldier on until Zimbabwe is free," he said in a message
from his hospital
bed. – AFP
http://www.iol.co.za/
February 13 2013 at 09:06pm
By Andrew
Beatty
Harare, Zimbabwe - Veteran strongman Robert Mugabe once said,
apparently in
jest, that he would rule Zimbabwe until he turned
100.
If Zimbabweans vote for a new constitution on March 16, he will not
get the
chance, but he may yet come very close.
Wednesday's unveiling
of dates for a constitutional referendum and July
elections set Mugabe up
for another decade in power. The new basic law would
allow Zimbabwe's
president to run for the office again, and at two terms of
five years each
he could stay on as president until 2023, when he would be
99.
But he
first faces another battle in his long, controversial and frequently
bloody
32 years in power.
Mugabe, who turns 89 this month, is Africa's oldest
ruler and is eyeing
reelection in July polls that should end an uneasy unity
government with his
rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
Ahead of the vote Mugabe
has been shoring up his hero status among the party
faithful with hardline
policies that have coloured his rule.
He recently championed a
controversial law which forces foreign-owned firms
to cede their majority
shares to local people, and earlier drove thousands
of white commercial
farmers off their land.
The former teacher is known for his long-winded
political speeches,
punctuated with stinging criticism of his opponents,
particularly Western
countries.
His road to the top office has been
marred with bloodshed.
In June 2008, he was re-elected to a sixth term
after entering a
presidential runoff uncontested.
Tsvangirai withdrew
from the race citing state-sponsored violence against
his supporters,
including torture and killings.
The two later formed an uneasy
power-sharing government.
Born on February 21, 1924, at Kutama Mission
northwest of the capital
Harare, Mugabe was described as a studious child
and a loner.
He qualified as a teacher at the age of 17.
An
intellectual who initially embraced Marxism, he took his first steps in
politics after enrolling at Fort Hare University in South
Africa.
There he met many of southern Africa's future black nationalist
leaders.
He then resumed teaching, moving to Northern Rhodesia (now
Zambia) and later
Ghana - whose founder president Kwame Nkrumah profoundly
influenced the
young intellectual.
As a member of various nationalist
parties that were banned by the
white-minority government, Mugabe was
detained with other nationalist
leaders in 1964 and spent the next 10 years
in prison camps or jail.
But he used his incarceration to gather three
degrees, including a law
degree from London, through correspondence
courses.
He also consolidated his position in the Zimbabwe African
National Union in
that period and emerged from prison in November 1974 as
ZANU-PF leader. He
then left for Mozambique, from where his banned party
conducted a guerrilla
war.
Economic sanctions and war forced
Rhodesian leader Ian Smith to negotiate.
After that ZANU, which drew most
of its support from the ethnic Shona
majority, swept to power in the 1980
election.
Mugabe also crushed dissent among the minority Ndebele people
with his North
Korean-trained Fifth Brigade in a campaign that killed an
estimated 20,000
suspected “dissidents”.
In 2000 he launched
controversial land reforms, driving out white farmers
and seizing their
land. Some white farmers were accused of joining forces
with his Western
foes in a campaign to topple him using the opposition as a
front.
The
implementation of land reform laws saw productive commercial farms
redistributed to his cronies, army veterans and family members.
The
chaotic process plunged the former regional breadbasket into a
decade-long
crisis, with most rural dwellers relying on food handouts.
Under pressure
to end the crushing economic decline, which reduced the
exchange rate to
nothing and caused inflation to gallop to over 230 million
percent, Mugabe
entered into an agreement with Tsvangirai to form a unity
government.
But four years on, the unity government has been hampered
by disagreements
over key economic policies and the slow progress of human
rights reforms. -
Sapa-AFP
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
14:02
HARARE - Zimbabwe's Principals have given the Cabinet taskforce a June
29
deadline to align the new draft constitution with existing laws, a
co-chairperson of a body writing the new constitution has
said.
Co-chairperson of the Constitution Select Committee (Copac),
Priscilla
Misihairabwi-Mushonga, told a briefing meeting with stakeholders
on the
Zimbabwe constitution-making process in Johannesburg last Friday that
the
process has moved a gear up after endorsement of the draft constitution
by
Parliament on February 6.
“Now there is a committee of seven
tasked with ensuring that implementation
of the draft constitution is done,”
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said, referring to
Patrick Chinamasa, Tendai Biti,
Eric Matinenga and three Copac co-chairs
Douglas Mwonzora, Paul Mangwana and
Edward Mkhosi as well as herself.
“This has to be done before June 29,
because that is the last day of seating
of the 7th Parliament,” he
said.
Zimbabweans will vote next month to approve, or reject the draft
constitution — a potentially pivotal moment for the southern African nation
that underwent a violent and disputed election in 2008 and, more recently,
has seen rapprochement between rivals.
President Robert Mugabe is
expected to announce a referendum date on the
draft.
The proposed
constitution is being taken countrywide, with all parties
campaigning for a
YES vote after four years of haggling.
Even opposition parties seem to
have resigned themselves to the fact that
they cannot successfully
de-campaign the draft.
Opposition Zapu led by Dumiso Dabengwa said its
National Executive Committee
(Nec) meeting held on February 9, after
consultations and internal debate,
resolved to vote a qualified YES in the
forthcoming referendum.
“Many of our party’s key expectations have not
been met and we believe that
goes for those of many stakeholders, but we
firmly believe that in order not
to start from the beginning in fighting for
a truly people-centred
Constitution for Zimbabwe we should give this draft a
qualified YES vote in
the forthcoming referendum,” said Strike Mkandla,
secretary general of Zapu.
Meanwhile, Misihairabwi-Mushonga told the
Joburg indaba, organised by the
Open Society Institute of Southern Africa
that Zanu PF was trying to dampen
the gains to weaken and divide
pro-democracy forces.
“Zanu PF is now sending signals that even with a
new constitution, people
can still be cheated,” warned
Misihairambwi-Mushonga.
“The draft constitution is a step forward as it
largely enshrines women’s
rights. It has a commission on peace and
reconciliation to deal with post
conflict matters, executive terms limits.
The new constitution deals with
security sector excesses by providing a
clear transparency and
accountability framework. Devolution is also provided
for in the new
charter,” she said.
“We don’t get everything in a
Constitution but it provides a framework for
an open, transparent society
and Bill of Rights.”
Critics see the ongoing process as an undemocratic
grab of power by the
Principals who hijacked the constitution-making process
from Parliament to
negotiate their own deal and then whipping MPs to pass
without vigorous
debate and scrutiny.
The grab has engendered sharp
opposition within civil society, with the
pro-democracy National
Constitutional Assembly ruling it invalid, and
campaigning for a NO
vote.
NCA leader Lovemore Madhuku told the Joburg indaba that the initial
problems
of the polity in Zimbabwe were not a result of the
Constitution.
“The first problem in Zimbabwe is the absence of a culture
to adhere to the
Constitution,” Madhuku said. “When the NCA was founded, the
idea was to
challenge the flawed process.
“The idea of people driven
was not to define a way but to anchor the process
on openness and
inclusivity. Through campaigning NO, we are promoting
openness and
plurality.”
Misihairambwi-Mushonga, who is also the minister of Regional
Integration,
said it was important for people to read the draft constitution
in the
context of the negotiations which resulted in its writing, and warned
the
actions by the NCA were divisive and said Madhuku and his troops needed
to
make a strategic decision for the sake of the people of
Zimbabwe.
“Prof. Madhuku, do you understand the damage that you are
causing to the
broader cause through the NO vote campaign?” she
queried.
The secretary general of the smaller MDC said if pro-democracy
forces did
not “pull up their socks”, or remained divided, it would provide
a
“priceless gift — like manna — for those in Zanu PF who are bent on
reversing the gains realised during the transitional period.”
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Violet
Gonda
13 February 2013
Police on Wednesday violently broke up a
peaceful demonstration by the Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and briefly
detained eight activists outside
Parliament building in Harare.
WOZA
leader Jenni Williams sent SW Radio Africa a text message saying: “8
terribly beaten and tear gassed, me, Magodonga (Mahlangu) and 6
others.”
Our correspondent Lionel Saungweme witnessed the police using
‘sjamboks’ as
the WOZA women were being bundled into a police car.
He
said 50 women had taken to the streets, protesting against the draft
constitution that is set to be put before a referendum on March
16th.
Some of the fliers distributed by the pressure group read: “The
final draft
constitution is as a result of negotiations behind closed doors
and a deal
that suits the principals and the political parties in the
inclusive
government.”
“Therefore this draft may not survive the test
of time because it was
written for a current political climate and not for
the future generation. A
constitution is supposed to be written by the
people because they should
determine how they want to be governed. It is
their role to give the rule to
the rulers!”
Dr. Tarisai Mutangi from
the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights went to
assist the activists at Harare
Central Police Station. He said they were
released without charge after
being held for a couple of hours.
He confirmed that the women sustained
injuries and that he had left them at
the charge office where they were
filing a complaint against the police for
the assault.
Meanwhile,
co-Home Affairs Minister Teresa Makone held a press conference in
Harare
where she revealed that some ministers had expressed concern during
Tuesday’s cabinet meeting over police brutality.
She said police
should first investigate, rather than arresting to
investigate.
Makone said cabinet discussed the unwarranted arrested
by police of innocent
citizens during the Zimbabwe Peace Project offices
raid, and the arrest of
ordinary people in Lupane, Matabeleland North who
had gone for voter
registration.
Although the co-home affairs
minister is in charge of the police, she
admitted that she does not have the
power to make the police respect the
constitution or the rule of law.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
13 February
2013
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson, Justice Simpson
Mutambanengwe, has resigned just months before the country holds crucial
harmonized elections.
The Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick
Chinamasa confirmed to the
state media on Tuesday that Mutambanengwe
resigned on health grounds.
Mutambanengwe, a London-trained lawyer, was
appointed as ZEC chairperson on
31st March 2010. But a Harare based lawyer
said since his appointment the
former Judge of the High Court has never been
in charge of ZEC, leaving that
role to Joyce Kazembe, the deputy
chair.
‘He has been a captain of a plane who was never in charge of the
cockpit. It
was only the first officer (Kazembe) who has been in charge
since 2010,’ the
lawyer said.
Senator Obert Gutu, the deputy Minister
of Justice and Legal Affairs, said
the former Judge’s resignation is ‘one of
the saddest pieces of news’ he’d
heard.
Gutu, who only knew of the
resignation from reading the state controlled
Herald, told SW Radio Africa
on Wednesday: ‘It is the timing of the
resignation that has taken me by
surprise. The telltale signs of
Mutambanengwe being not fully in charge of
ZEC were there for all to see.’
He added that anyone taking over from the
former judge will have to be an
individual with a legal
background.
This requirement rules out Kazembe, who holds a Bachelor of
Administration
degree from the University of Zimbabwe. There are accusations
that Kazembe
and most members of the ZEC secretariat are too pro-ZANU
PF.
Gutu explained that for anyone to be appointed chair of ZEC, they
should be
a qualified lawyer with at least 7 years experience in legal
matters.
Already several names are being touted around as replacements
for
Mutambanengwe. These include former Supreme Court Judge Wilson Sandura
and
current ZEC commissioners, Professor Geoff Feltoe and Theophilus
Gambe.
Feltoe is a world renowned criminologist having spent 40 years
teaching law,
mainly at the University of Zimbabwe. Gambe is a senior legal
counsel of the
High Court of Zimbabwe, and a senior partner in the law firm
Gambe and
Partners.
Commenting on the sudden resignation, Hopewell
Gumbo, a Harare based social
and economic justice activist, said
Mutambanengwe had had health problems
for some time. He added: ‘His decision
to resign when important assignments
are around the corner is a bit
worrying. The fear is that he will be
replaced by a partisan person worse,
before the new constitution comes into
effect. What is more worrying is the
developing trend of high profile
resignations, after the Human Right
Commission chairperson resigned recently’.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
13 February
2013
Residents in Bikita have raised concern that sub chiefs in the area
are
diverting critical food aid to ZANU PF supporters only, and threatening
anyone who dares to report it.
A resident, speaking on condition of
anonymity, told SW Radio Africa that
food aid provided by international
charity organisations, specifically for
vulnerable people, was being handed
over to sub chiefs.
“These are organisations like Care international, the
Red Cross, and they
provide food for the elderly and for orphans,” the
resident said.
He explained that local representatives of the
organisations, who distribute
the food, are being threatened by the sub
chiefs who force them to handover
the aid packages. These representatives do
not report that the food aid is
not going to its intended recipients,
because of fear of possible
retribution by the sub chiefs.
“I’m sure
that Care and the other groups don’t know because the
representatives are
scared to report what is happening,” the resident said.
It’s understood
that the sub chiefs are distributing the food aid to ZANU PF
supporters and
keeping much of it for themselves.
“The problem is we can’t report it. We
thought we could get a group together
and report it, but people are scared
they will be known and expelled from
the district,” the resident
said.
The Red Cross told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that, “we presently
do not
have any running programmes in the area.”
“The only assistance
we gave to Bikita district was in form on non-food
relief items (tents,
blankets, kitchen sets and black polythene) in view of
the storm disasters
and flooding that affected most areas around Zimbabwe
early this year. We
have it on good record that those relief items reached
the intended
beneficiaries as informed by our assessments thanks to our
volunteer
structures that guarantee us presence in every area. Our name must
certainly
have been erroneously dragged into the matter,” the Red Cross said
in an
emailed response to questions.
Care International was also approached to
respond, but they requested more
information before making a comment.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 13:30
HARARE -
Over 2 000 convicts are roaming the streets as their appeals are
still to be
heard owing to shortages of personnel and recording equipment,
Judicial
Service Commission (JSC) deputy secretary Rex Shana has said.
The
criminals are enjoying freedom after being granted bail pending
appeal.
Speaking to reporters at the High Court yesterday, Shana said
there were a
lot of procedures that were to be taken for an appeal to be
heard and the
process was expensive, especially for ordinary
people.
He said each copy from the record costs a dollar to be
transcribed and an
applicant has to make seven duplicates of each
copy.
“The transcription takes a lot of time because they (transcribing
personnel)
are dealing with thousands of records.
“We have got a
limited establishment which we cannot expand because of a
freeze on the
posts,” said Shana.
He said because of the tiny pool of transcribing
personnel, delays in the
hearing of appeals were inevitable.
Shana
said the shortage of personnel, coupled with resource constraints were
the
factors that created a major setback on appeals.
He further said the
courts in the country were using old recording machines,
which gave
transcribing personnel a torrid time when typing since some tapes
are
inaudible at times.
“There is no single company in Zimbabwe that deals
with the machines. We
have to import them,” he said.
Shana told
reporters that they had received seven digital recording machines
from
United Nations Development Programme in 2008, but these had not helped
to
alleviate the backlog.
Currently there is approximately 2 000 pending
appeals that are to be heard,
filed from the Magistrates’ Courts to the High
Court.
The Supreme Court also has 122 appeals to deal with emanating from
the High
Court, Shana said. - Tendai Kamhungira
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Blessing
Zulu
12.02.2013
WASHINGTON — Zanu-PF chairman Simon Khaya Moyo is
accusing the United States
and other western governments of using local
non-governmental organizations
to interfere in Zimbabwe’s internal
politics.
Mr. Moyo made the remarks in a meeting with U.S ambassador
Bruce Wharton and
Swiss ambassador Luciano Lavazzari.
The three met
at Zanu-PF headqurters in Harare on Tuesday. In response, the
U.S said it is
only interested in supporting national development.
Human rights groups
accuse the police of clamping down on civil society
organizations and
democracy campaingers ahead of the constitutional
referendum and general
elections expected later this year.
President Robert Mugabe is yet to
proclaim the dates for the referendum and
general elections.
Police
say they are only working to ensure peace as Moyo accused NGOs of
tarnishing
the image of the country and instigating violence.
Despite the
accusations, American ambassador Wharton said the meeting with
Zanu-PF was
cordial, though acknowledging that there were disagreements.
When
asked about the NGO agenda, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition cordinatior
MacDonald Lewanika dismissed suggestions that they are interfereing in the
nation’s politics.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 14:24
BULAWAYO -
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF has scoffed at the “NO” vote
campaign
being spearheaded by pro-democracy group National Constitutional
Assembly
(NCA).
Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial chairperson Killian Sibanda told
journalists at
the Bulawayo Press Club at the weekend that NCA chairman
Lovemore Madhuku is
just a bitter man who is wasting his time.
He
claimed the constitutional law expert will never succeed with his “Vote
NO”
campaign against the Constitutional Select Committee’s (Copac) draft
constitution.
“Madhuku is just a bitter man because he was not
involved in the drafting of
the new constitution. That is why he is talking
about a Vote “NO” campaign,”
Sibanda said.
“But we know that won’t
succeed and he is just wasting his time. This is a
people-driven
constitution where all political parties were involved and the
process is
moving smoothly. So, Madhuku is just wasting time.”
The draft
constitution sailed through Parliament last week. Madhuku has
threatened to
roll out a door-to-door “Vote No” campaign. The draft
constitution is due to
be put to a referendum next month.
Madhuku did not rule out the
possibility of the NCA combining forces with
other civic organisations and
student unions during the campaigns.
The NCA boss said politicians spent
four years and squandered over US$45
million to produce a draft constitution
that was not good for the country
but for themselves.
The Zanu PF
Bulawayo chairperson also defended war veterans’ leader Jabulani
Sibanda’s
campaigns in the rural areas saying they were peaceful.
“There is nothing
wrong being done by Jabulani, he is campaigning for the
party (Zanu PF) and
it is a lie that he is causing violence,” Sibanda said.
“Even if he wants
to start campaigning for Zanu PF in Bulawayo, we will give
him the go
ahead.”
The war veterans’ leader is currently in Mashonaland East where
he is
holding rallies with villagers campaigning for Zanu PF.
Last
year, he was in rural Masvingo. The two MDCs have accused the war
veterans’
leader of causing violence during his campaigns in the rural
areas. - Pindai
Dube
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
13
February 2013
The failures of the four year old unity government, to
honour and implement
key issues in the Global Political Agreement (GPA), are
hampering Zimbabwe’s
recovery.
This is according to a group of civil
society organisations that have been
monitoring the government’s
implementation of the GPA, since the coalition
was formed in February 2009.
The Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM)
on Wednesday marked the four
year anniversary of the government by stating
the milestone “is marred only
by the failure to fulfil the commitments laden
in the letter and spirit of
the GPA.”
“Whilst the agreement was far from perfect, being dogged by a
secretive and
exclusive negotiation process, it nevertheless contained
useful provisions
meant to address the critical areas of governance vital
for the attainment
of an open and democratic society,” the CISOMM report
said.
The group said that key provisions in the GPA, like those to do
with the
rule of law, the National Healing Programme, a land audit and
others “remain
dormant; unimplemented and forgotten.” The group said it is
“hardly
surprising” that the failure to implement the GPA has been coupled
with
wider problems. This includes “the outbreak of water-borne diseases
such as
typhoid and dysentery, the deterioration of maternal care in
hospitals,
shortage of anti-retroviral drugs, general lack of improvement in
service
delivery, lawlessness and continued impunity evidenced by the
perpetuity of
human rights violations.”
“These ills, whilst tragic,
are manageable and should never be beyond a
measure of control. They are
symptomatic of a broader failure of political
will to implement the
provisions of the GPA,” the report said.
CISOMM spokesperson Dzimbabwe
Chimbga told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that
the unity government “has not
delivered,” adding that it is highly unlikely
the reforms promised in the
GPA “will ever happen.”
“Realistically we don’t expect there will be the
full implementation of the
GPA provisions before elections (expected this
year). It took four years to
reach this point and I don’t think
realistically in a few months all these
provisions will be implemented,”
Chimbga said.
CISOMM meanwhile lauded the few “positive developments”
that have been seen
under the GPA, including economic stability and
“relative peace that was
brought by the inclusive government.” They also
said a positive step was
that “two more radio stations were licensed and
more media houses were
licensed, signalling progress, albeit limited, in
getting more players on
the airwaves.” This is despite the radio stations
that received licences
being strongly linked to the ZANU PF aligned state
media.
“As CISOMM organisations however, we state that it cannot be
sufficient to
celebrate the licensing of two radio stations when there is
still only one
electronic broadcaster which has an inherent bias towards one
political
party. It cannot be enough to laud the creation of a Human Rights
Commission
that still awaits resources to efficiently carry out its
operations. Where
no substantive reforms have been made to our Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission
and other institutions whose functions are to ensure a
peaceful, credible,
free and fair election whose outcome is respected, it is
not possible to
have full confidence as a referendum and national polls
approach,” CISOMM
said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By
Nomalanga Moyo
13 February 2013
Hundreds of Zimbabweans are expected
to gather at the National Art Gallery
in Harare tomorrow, as the global
campaign to end violence against women and
girls comes to a
climax.
The event is being coordinated by Her Zimbabwe, as part of the
One Billion
Rising global initiative, which aims to get at least one billion
supporters
worldwide to rise up collectively to highlight the plight of
women.
It is estimated that of the 3.5 billion women in the world, at
least one
billion will suffer some form of physical violence in their lives.
The
initiative pays tribute to these women and hopes to involve anyone who
cares, to do something on Valentine’s Day.
Tabitha Khumalo, the MDC-T
MP for Bulawayo East, hailed the efforts by Her
Zimbabwe and called on all
Zimbabweans to support Thursdays event. She also
called on Zimbabweans not
to forget the plight of those men who are victims
of physical
abuse.
She told SW Radio Africa Wednesday that while a lot is being done
by civil
society and the government, what is needed is a change of mindset
among
Zimbabweans so that we address the root cause, rather than the
symptoms, of
gender violence.
Meanwhile, it is expected that people
from 172 countries worldwide will rise
up in common purpose tomorrow and,
through music, dance and other activities
demand an end to the violence. The
event organized by Her Zimbabwe takes
place between noon and 2pm.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Nomalanga Moyo
13
February 2013
The on-going trial of the MDC-T activists accused of
murdering police
officer Petros Mutedza in May 2011, failed to kick-off
Wednesday after the
state asked for a two-week
postponement.
According to defence lawyer Charles Kwaramba, the
prosecutor asked the court
for more time to obtain clearance from the Cuban
government to allow the
doctor who carried out the post-mortem to testify.
The Cuban doctor is
understood to be in Zimbabwe.
A bail application for
the five activists who are still in custody was
opposed by prosecutor Edmore
Nyazamba.
The five are Last Maengahama, Tungamirai Madzokere, Rebecca
Mafukeni, Yvonne
Musarurwa and Simon Mapanzure. Some of the activists have
spent almost 21
months in remand prison.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu
reserved judgement on the bail application until
February 20th.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 14:24
HARARE -
A housing project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation(B&MGF)
stopped by Chipangano, a Harare-based terror group, is
back on track after
mayor Muchadeyi Masunda vowed to tackle the group.
The project was meant
to help poor families living in dilapidated structures
in Mbare but was put
on hold after Chipangano thugs violently disrupted
construction.
Chipangano, which is believed to have links with Zanu
PF, was demanding a
share of the $5 million being pumped into the
project.
“We are tying up loose ends with the B&MGF of a $20 million
housing loan
facility for members of the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s
Federation (ZHPF) and
Dialogue on Shelter (DoS) to build low-cost houses for
themselves throughout
greater Harare,” said Masunda.
“We will go back
to Mbare, in spite of Chipangano’s retrogressive
machinations, to carry out
an enumeration exercise at the 58 blocks of flats
with a view to
establishing precisely as to ‘who is who’ there and how many
people need
assistance with accommodation,” he said.
The city council, through the
project, will audit the hostels to establish
the lease-holders of the close
to 5 500 apartments.
An estimated 56 000 people reside in the dilapidated
structures that are
ranked as part of Harare’s 37 slum
settlements.
The apartments, originally built for migrant bachelor
workers around 1940,
now houses big families.
Despite Chipangano’s
opposition to the project, Local Government, Rural and
Urban Development
minister Ignatius Chombo supports the rehabilitation
programme.
He
has been quoted in the media as saying the hostels needed attention or
should be demolished altogether.
Council, through the public private
partnership (PPC) concept, is targeting
thorough decamping of the hostels
and housing excess people in new
apartments to be constructed under the
B&MGF project.
The rundown Tagarika Flats in the same suburb are an
example of structures
which will be affected.
“We have established a
tremendous rapport with the private sector in terms
of translating the
much-vaunted PPP in concrete results on the ground.
“For example Old
Mutual/CABS $15 million housing facility in Budiriro and
$40 million which
Old Mutual has put on the table as seed money towards the
establishment of
the National Housing Fund,” said Masunda.
Masunda said the B&MGF
funded project, which targets 486 housing units in
Dzivaresekwa, is on
track. - Wendy Muperi
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 13:39
HARARE -
A senior government official has ordered Non-Governmental
Organisations
(NGOs) operating in Murewa to submit monthly reports to the
district
administrator (DA)’s office.
Phylis Mbwada, the assistant DA for Murewa,
accused humanitarian groups of
snubbing the DA’s office.
Even NGOs
which are currently not running any activities on the ground
should submit
reports, she said.
Speaking at the commissioning of a project to assist
orphans and vulnerable
children in the district, Mbwada said development
projects were welcome “but
should be done properly”.
The project is
funded by the Japanese Embassy in partnership with local
grassroots NGO,
Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ).
“We have been
encountering problems with CCDZ due to their failure to attend
meetings. We
therefore command respect and transparency from the
coordinators of this
organisation.
“CCDZ must nurture good relations with both government
departments and local
leaders that include the village heads. We would like
to remind the
organisation to be apolitical,” she said.
Mbwada said
CCDZ was not the only organisation she was having problems
with.
“Although we appreciate all of the CCDZ’s efforts to develop this
community,
we would like to urge the coordinators of CCDZ to report all
their
operations to the District Administrator’s office, social services
department, Murehwa District Council and other line ministries like the
livestock production department in case of poultry and DDF in case of
drilling boreholes,” she said.
CCDZ also took the platform to warn
politicians to stay away from the group’s
projects, saying some politicians
would want to get mileage out of the
projects ahead of election
time.
The project by the Japanese and CCDZ caters for the health and
economic
needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and
Aids.
Beneficiaries get a nutrition garden, a borehole and a fowl run.
The
Japanese embassy said it has so far contributed $49 000 towards the
project. - Bridget Mananavire
http://www.timeslive.co.za
Sapa | 13 February, 2013
15:31
Zimbabwe police said Wednesday they had briefly detained seven
"extremely
rude" French tourists in the resort town of Victoria
Falls.
The group -- aged between 55 and 66 -- were detained for sneaking
into a
game park and refusing to stump up the $15 entry fee.
"They
were extremely rude and they even tried to drive off from the police
station, but we managed to arrest them," Jairos Chiona, police chief
superintendent in Victoria Falls, told AFP.
"They refused to pay to
watch game at Zambezi national park," he said,
adding that they were
released after paying a $20 fine.
Chiona said the group used an illegal
cross-border entry from Botswana and
were apprehended by game
rangers.
Victoria Falls is a popular tourist resort with the world
renowned waterfall
and several game parks which have the big five --
elephants, lions,
buffaloes, rhinoceros and leopard.
http://www.bdlive.co.za
BY TAWANDA KAROMBO AND ALLAN
SECCOMBE, FEBRUARY 13 2013
ZIMBABWEAN Mines Minister Obert Mpofu says he
has seized land from Impala
Platinum’s Zimplats subsidiary — but Implats
says it has not been informed
of this.
Last month, Implats and
Zimbabwean Indigenisation Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere signed a conditional,
nonbinding term sheet for an R8.3bn deal to
transfer 20% of Zimplats to
employee and community trusts and 31% to a
state-run National Indigenisation
and Economic Empowerment Fund. The
conditions are to be finalised by
June.
Zimplats holds a special mining lease over two areas in Zimbabwe
totalling
48,535ha in extent.
Mr Mpofu said on Tuesday that the state
had "repossessed" 27,948ha of land
from Zimplats, which is listed in
Australia and is 87% owned by Implats. Mr
Mpofu said the land had been
seized "with immediate effect " and offered to
other
investors.
"Zimbabwe has not realised significant value from the platinum
sector beyond
the traditional statutory payments. We can no longer continue
having our
minerals refined outside the country," he said.
"You can
only compensate for land that has been bought. The ground belongs
to
Zimbabwe and there cannot be talks of compensation when the land belongs
to
you."
Implats said it had not been notified of an intention to seize its
land, nor
told about it on Tuesday.
"We are unaware of it and we are
trying to get clarification, but with no
joy," Implats spokesman Bob Gilmour
said on Tuesday.
Implats is releasing financial results on Thursday,
which makes it difficult
for its executives to fly to Harare for an audience
with Mr Mpofu.
Zimbabwean economist David Mupamhadzi, who is also a
consultant to the
ministry of economic planning, said on Tuesday that it was
"critical for
government officials to ensure that there is policy
consistency and
coherence in order to attract much-needed foreign direct
investment".
It is not clear whether the land seized contains mineral
resources or
whether it formed part of Zimplats’ expansion plans. The
company surrendered
51-million ounces of unmined platinum to the Zimbabwean
government in 2006
to secure empowerment credits, but did not receive
recognition for this.
The term sheet stipulates the Zimbabwean government
must pay $153m for those
resources.
Mr Mpofu on Tuesday also
instructed platinum miners in Zimbabwe — which
include Zimplats, Anglo
American Platinum and Aquarius Platinum — to
establish a platinum refinery
in the country instead of sending material to
South Africa.
"The
ministry has decided that beyond two years, it will stop processing
exports
for semi-processed platinum products. This is expected to give way
for
companies to begin channelling resources towards value addition through
establishing a PGM (platinum group metals) refinery in the country," he
said.
Implats CEO Terence Goodlace said last month that Zimplats
would increase
production from 180,000oz to 270,000oz of platinum by
2015.
Zimplats would consider building a refinery in Zimbabwe after
platinum
production in the country topped 500,000oz a year, he
said.
Analysts Johnson Matthey estimated that Zimbabwe produced 360,000oz
of
platinum last year.
Zimplats has spent $30m on a feasibility study
for a refinery in Zimbabwe.
The plant would cost at least
$2bn.
Structuring deals for a shared refinery is complicated, and
Zimbabwe may not
have sufficient electricity to support such a
plant.
Mr Mupamhadzi said it was wrong for the Zimbabwean government to
interfere
with the operations of platinum mining companies by ordering them
to set up
a refinery. The government should let the companies make their own
decisions
on the basis of economies of scale of operations, he said. "The
government
must not interfere with operations of companies. The government
should be
there to provide regulatory environment, not to give instructions
in terms
of how companies should operate," he said.
On Monday, a
Zimbabwean high court judge ordered two MPs and senior
officials of
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party to vacate a gold mine
they had
illegally occupied.
Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi and Zanu (PF) MP
Irvine Dzingai and two of
the party’s district officials in Masvingo invaded
the Renco gold mine,
owned by Zimbabwe-listed RioZim.
RioZim applied
to the high court to regain control and management of
operations at the
mine.
In his judgment, Justice Hlekani Mwayera said: "In the guise of
resolving
labour disputes at the mine, the three used their political
influence and
pretended to be urging the workers to go back to
work."
The judge said it was "clear that their intentions were to take
over the
mine", and that the takeover bid "displayed a high level of
lawlessness" as
the Zanu (PF) officials "acted as if there are no labour
laws" in the
country.
"You are ordered to vacate the mine within 24
hours. The deputy sheriff is
on standby and if necessary and under
authorisation the Zimbabwe Republic
Police will assist," he
said.
Everson Samkange, who represented Mr Mzembi, Mr Dzingai and the two
other
Zanu (PF) officials, said his clients would appeal.
Zimbabwean
economist Tony Hawkins said the invasion raised questions about
the rule of
law. "RioZim is a local and indigenous company," he said.
With Reuters,
Bloomberg
(AFP) – 4 hours
ago
HARARE — Zimbabwe expects tobacco revenue to increase by 16 percent this
year as new landowning black farmers turn to the valuable export crop, an
industry official said on Wednesday.
"We are expecting the total
deliveries to reach 170 million kilograms or
more and earnings of around
$600 million," Monica Chinamasa, chairperson of
the Tobacco Industry and
Marketing Board told AFP.
That would be up from just over 140 million kilos
last year, worth around
$517 million, according to the board.
Zimbabwe
was once the world's biggest tobacco exporter, with sales
accounting for 30
percent of exports.
But the seizure of white-owned farms by Robert Mugabe's
government resulted
in a steep drop off in production.
The number of
registered tobacco growers has almost doubled in the last year
to
66,000.
More than 80 percent of the new tobacco farmers are beneficiaries of
President Robert Mugabe's land reforms, she said.
The Zimbabwean
government has urged banks to support fledgling tobacco
farmers, who have no
access to bank loans because they do not have
collateral.
"Most of these
farmers are using meagre resources to start production and I
believe if the
financial services sector were to open up we would see this
sector develop,"
Kasukuwere said.
Production has been rising since 2009, though it remains off
a peak in 2000
of 236 million kilos.
Production fell to a low point of 56
million kilos in 2006, the weakest
performance since independence from
Britain in 1980.
The sudden collapse of commercial farming caused by the land
reforms sent
Zimbabwe's already wobbly economy into a tailspin, leading to
world-record
hyperinflation.
After the government abolished the Zimbabwe
dollar and made the US dollar
its currency of reference, farm production
stabilised and began ticking
upward.
Tobacco remains Zimbabwe's biggest
agricultural export, though mining has
overtaken farming as the main foreign
currency earner.
http://www.railjournal.com
Written by John Batwell
THE
Zimbabwe government says it is negotiating a build, operate, transfer
(BOT)
deal with an unidentified South African company to rehabilitate the
rail
network at an estimated cost of $US 340m.
The work will involve track
relaying, refurbishing signalling equipment and
the purchase of new
locomotives.
The government is keen to attract private investment in National
Railways of
Zimbabwe (NRZ) which has large debts and is in a very rundown
condition
following years of political turmoil and international sanctions.
The
initiative follows the government's failed attempt to borrow around $US
400m
to help recapitalise NRZ.
The Zimbabwe government also says it
has now secured the funds needed to pay
for 14 locomotives on order from
CSR, China. So far, a deposit of 10% has
been paid towards the total cost of
$US 29m. CSR had threatened to seek
another buyer for the locomotives, but
Zimbabwe's transport and
infrastructure minister, Mr Nicholas Goche, says
the locomotives will be
delivered soon without revealing the source of funds
to pay for them.
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Irwin
Chifera
12.02.2013
The President’s Office is now handling negotiations
with Indian
conglomerate, Essar Africa Holdings, to implement a 2010 deal
giving Essar a
majority stake in the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company
(ZiscoSteel).
ZiscoSteel board chairman Nyasha Makuvise said the matter
was taken over by
the executive after Industry Minister Welshman Ncube and
Mines Minister
Obert Mpofu seemed unable to agree on the way
forward.
Speaking before the parliamentary industry and commerce
committee in Harare
on Tuesday, Makuvise said the President’s Office set up
a committee to
spearhead efforts to conclude the deal following a cabinet
directive to
implement the deal with Essar last December,.
Makuvise
was accompanied by ZiscoSteel chief executive Alois Gowo, who said
he and
other ZiscoSteel heads are not primarily involved in the ongoing
efforts but
are only consulted to provide information about the company from
time to
time.
But the two said following their meeting with the ministerial
committee two
weeks ago, they are optimistic that operations at ZiscoSteel
might soon
resume. They could not give an exact date, however, saying they
are not
involved in the details of the implementation.
Makuvise told
parliament that a speedy implementation of the deal would help
the country
in many ways and improve the plight of over 3,500 workers.
The two said
they are doing everything they can to ensure that workers
receive at least a
bit of money but noted that the company cannot afford to
meet the regular
payroll when no production is taking place.
The government signed a
$750 million deal with Essar to revive ZiscoSteel
but implementing the deal
is on hold over differences between the industry
and commerce and mines
ministries over its terms, including access to iron
ore reserves.
Mr.
Mpofu wanted to revisit the terms of the deal because Essar was to pay
only
$750 million for iron ore reserves he said are worth more than $30
billion.
But in December last year cabinet said the deal should stand as it
is.
In response Tuesday, members of the parliamentary industry
committee said
they are concerned at continued delays in finalizing the deal
and questioned
why ZiscoSteel board members and managers are not on the
implementing
committee.
Essar Aftrica Holdings bought a 53 percent
stake in the defunct parastatal
and changed the company's name to New
Zimbabwe Steel Limited.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
Staff Reporter
19 hours 52 minutes ago
HARARE - One of the biggest
challenges that have faced the inclusive
government since 2009 is the policy
discord as manifested in the infamous
Zanu PF sponsored Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment Act (IEEA),
President Tsvangirai has said.
He said
the somewhat aggressive and clumsy implementation of IEEA has
created the
impression that investors are an unwanted lot in Zimbabwe and
that indeed
has been the heaviest impediment to investment in the country.
The tragedy is
that Zanu PF wants to project itself as uncompromising in
defending the
masses even if it means fighting business and bringing the
economy down.
Unfortunately, this stance has become hostile to foreign
investors.
“The challenges we faced largely arose from policy discord
especially around
indigenisation. It would appear the Government was split
with Zanu PF going
with its so called indigenisation plan which scared away
investors.
“The policy discord affected investor confidence in the
country because of
the manner in which indigenisation was implemented. It
created so much
discord,” the President said.
Tsvangirai further
pointed out that there was need for the country to
prioritise its economic
programmes for the benefit of the majority of people
of Zimbabwe.
“We
hope the nation will be able to set the real priorities when we come to
economic empowerment which we all subscribe to.” Tsvangirai said.
He
explained that IEEA as advanced by Zanu PF was discordant and out of sync
with global economic standards and this presented a serious threat to
domestic and foreign investment.
Tsvangirai bemoaned the policy discord
created by Zanu PF as manifest in the
manner in which the indigenisation
programme was being implemented.
He said the manner in which the
programme was being run was subject to
manipulation theft and corruption by
a few Zanu PF fat cats and their
cronies and this was bound to affect
investor confidence.
“One of the biggest challenges that faced the inclusive
government is to do
with policy discord as manifested in the infamous
Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment Act (IEEA) which is sponsored by
Zanu PF.
“The somewhat aggressive and clumsy implementation of the IEEA,
since 2010
has created the impression that investors are an unwanted lot in
Zimbabwe
and that indeed has been the heaviest impediment to investment in
the
country” president Tsvangirai said.
The President further noted
that Zanu PF wanted to project its self as the
champion of the people’s
cause and was even risking the economic well being
of the nation and the
people they purported to serve by killing existing
industry as well as
scaring away those that want to come and do business
here and create
employment
“The tragedy is that Zanu PF wants to project itself as
uncompromising in
defending the masses even if it means fighting business.
Unfortunately this
stance has become hostile to foreign investors,” he
said.
President Tsvangirai further singled out the selective application
of the
law as scaring away investors. He said the selective application of
the law
impacted negatively on the tenets on rule of law.
“In the MDC we
have always not been happy about the selective application of
the law
mirrored by the Glen View activists’ arrests and denial of bail to
some of
them.
The perception that there is selective application of the law does not
bode
well for a government that is crying to instil a sense of rule of law,”
President Tsvangirai said.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
13/02/2013 00:00:00
by Gilbert
Nyambabvu
BELGIUM is pressing the European Union (EU) to remove
sanctions against
companies operating at Marange in a development that has
riled human rights
groups which claimdiamond money could beused to fund
election violence .
Industry watchdog, the Kimberly Process, lifted
restrictions on global trade
in Marange gems last year, but the United
States and the EU maintained
sanctions against companies partnering the
State-run Zimbabwe Mining
Development Corporation (ZMDC) at
Marange.
The ZMDC runs five joint venture operations in the area and only
Anjin
Investments, a joint venture with the Chinese, is not subject to the
sanctions.
ZMDC produced 8 million carats of gems last year,
generating about $685
million in exports. Officials however say the country
could have realised
more from its diamonds but for the US and EU
sanctions.
Belgium, a major diamond trading centre, this week broke ranks
with other EU
countries and called for sanctions against ZMDC to be lifted
arguing the
restrictions reduced the amount of money filtering down to
ordinary
Zimbabweans.
The move has drawn fire from human rights
organisations who accused the
country of taking a self-serving position
aimed at promoting its key diamond
industry at Antwerp.
Said the
US-based Global Witness group Tuesday: “Global Witness’
investigations point
to a serious risk that diamond revenues could be used
to fund violence in
this year’s election.
“The Belgian government is claiming concern for the
Zimbabwean people;
however its true interests are closer to home in the
diamond markets of
Antwerp.
“EU members seeking to promote democracy
and stability in Zimbabwe should
avoid a ménage-à-trois with Belgium and its
diamond dealers this Valentine’s
day.”
The EU is set to review
sanctions against Zimbabwe next Monday with
diplomats expecting another
partial relaxation of the measures to reward
progress made in the country’s
constitutional reforms.
EU officials in Harare have however, indicated
that a full lifting of the
sanctions would depend on the successful holding
free and fair elections
later this year.
Global Witness insisted that
restrictions against ZMDC should be maintained
and demanded the addition of
Anjin Investments to the embargo.
“Relaxing measures against Zimbabwe’s
diamond sector now could mean a
serious cash injection for security forces
with a track record of voter
intimidation and violence, just months before
the 2013 election,” said the
groups’ diamonds campaigner Emily
Armistead.
“The EU should hold a steady course, and restrict trade with
diamond mining
operations in Marange until free and fair elections have
taken place.”
Finance Minister Tendai Biti, who has led charges that
diamond revenues were
likely being diverted from the coalition government,
has since conceded that
the sanctions had not been
helpful.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s call follows increasing concern over the
global supply
of diamonds amid reports of huge declines in production at
leading miners
such as De Beers as well as other companies in Canada and
Russia.
Gem processors in India recently said they would be looking at
Zimbabwe to
help plug the gap in global supplies.
"As the rough diamond
production at the world's leading mines is on the
decline, Zimbabwe is the
only hope for Indian diamantaires. It is only
Surat, which has the skill to
cut and polish the Zimbabwe stones,” industry
analyst, Aniruddha Lidbide,
told an Indian publication recently.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
13:20
HARARE - A storm is brewing in Mashonaland East’s Chikomba District
where
farmers and villagers accuse a local headman of milking them through
unjustifiable cattle fines.
Villagers say headman Oscar Munengwa
Ranga under chief Neshangwe is forcing
them to pay $5 per family for evading
cattle tax yet police are also
collecting $10 for the same tax evasion
offence.
Farmers are supposed to pay a cattle levy of $1 per cow every
year to the
veterinary department but many of them have been unable to pay
for years
owing to a punishing economic downturn.
They are now being
forced to pay the fines to the headman and police.
Ranga confirmed that
he fined several villagers but defended his actions
saying it was his
responsibility to bring offenders to book.
“People have been evading
livestock tax for some time, cheating on the
number of livestock they own.
So it is my duty to correct that,” he told the
Daily News.
“I
however, believe those I charge should not be fined again by the police,
but
pay up at the veterinary office,” said Ranga.
However, officer commanding
Chikomba District Lameck Tsoka accused Ranga of
acting outside the
law.
Tsoka, a police chief superintendent, said only the police force and
relevant government departments have the mandate to punish
defaulters.
“We are having problems with traditional leaders who do not
understand their
roles in terms of the law, especially those below the level
of chiefs. They
end up acting outside the law as in this case because they
are not supposed
to be charging anyone as it is only the police that has the
mandate to make
defaulters pay fines,” said Tsoka.
Villagers are
seething with anger over what they described as daylight
robbery.
Norman Marufu, of Mutomba village, told the Daily News at
the weekend that
despite the fact that Ranga had received cash from over 100
families in the
area as fines, police were still confiscating stock
cards.
“The chief is asking us to pay fines yet the police are doing the
same. We
wonder whether government is benefitting because we are never given
receipts
for the fines by the chief yet the police fines are receipted,”
said Marufu.
Some villagers are now openly defying Ranga, opting to pay
at the police
station. - Mugove Tafirenyika
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
13.02.13
by Farai Bango
Election
monitoring agents and politicians have given mixed reactions to the
suggestion, made at a recent media workshop on election reporting, to use
closed-circuit television during polling to curb possible
rigging.
“There is need to use new technology to curb rigging,
especially during
counting of the ballot papers at polling stations,” said
the official.
“We have heard a lot of reports before whereby ballot
papers are imported
into polling stations or some votes disappear. CCTVs
will reduce the chances
of rigging as everything will be captured and no one
can import or remove
ballot papers,” he added.
CCTV are video cameras
used for surveillance in areas that may need
monitoring. They may operate
continuously or only as required to monitor a
particular
event.
Zimbabwe Election Support Network Director Rindai Chipfunde said
she was not
aware of any country which applied the CCTV system during polls.
Besides,
she said, installing it in over 10,000 polling stations in Zimbabwe
would be
a mammoth task.
“The idea may be more suitable to monitor
and observe the counting and
transportation of ballot papers as we have
heard reports of counters
sleeping over ballot papers in previous
elections,” she added.
Deputy, spokesperson for the MDC led by Welshman
Ncube, Kurauone Chihwayi,
said the use of CCTVs was a brilliant idea but
could be abused to intimidate
voters.
“Zanu (PF) is likely to abuse
the CCTV to instill fear in the electorate.
They have a history of
intimidating rural voters using black and white
television sets,” he said,
adding that people did not have confidence in
institutions such as ZEC,
which he accused of being stuffed with state
intelligence
agents.
“The militarisation of the Zimbabwe Election Commission
secretariat remains
an issue of major concern,” he said. “CCTVs could be a
brilliant idea in a
country where there is high level of tolerance, voter
secrecy, trust and
respect of the electoral process but very difficult to
use in Zimbabwe.”
MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora said CCTVs were
not a good way of
monitoring and election as they could scare away
voters.
“What we need are mechanisms that can be used to safeguard a free
and fair
election such as national and international monitors and observers
who can
ensure a properly driven electoral process,” he
said.
Mwonzora implored ZEC Secretariat to conduct itself in a
professional manner
and make sure it does not become Partisan. “ZEC must
avoid uttering
political statements and show by action that they are not
partisan,” he
said.
Mavambo Kusile Dawn spokesperson, Silver Bhebe,
said: “The most important
thing is to have a paradigm shift to respect the
voting processes and avoid
unnecessary actions that discredit
elections.”
ZAPU spokesperson, Mark Mbayiwa said: “There has been a lot
of rigging in
this country, so if the counting and transportation of ballot
papers and
boxes are captured on film then it may deter that.”
ZEC
Chief Executive Officer Lovemore Sekeramayi refused to comment.
http://www.chathamhouse.org/
Tuesday 12 February 2013
by Knox Chitiyo,
Associate Fellow, Africa Programme
2013 is an important and fraught year
for Zimbabwe and also for UK-Zimbabwe
relations.
This month, after
years of inter-party consultation, negotiations and
bickering, the Zimbabwe
Constitution Parliamentary Committee (COPAC)
presented a much revised draft
constitution to parliament for review. If
accepted, the draft constitution
will be put to a referendum in March or
April, and elections will follow
thereafter. Some of the provisions of the
draft constitution are, and may
remain contentious, and the four-year
constitutional process has not been
without its critics. But there is a
general feeling that, despite its flaws,
the post- 2009 constitutional and
electoral process has been about moving
the country forward.
This sense of progress contrasts with a proposed UK
House of Commons Early
Day Motion (EDM) on the Viscount Massacres in the
former Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe). The motion, which has been moved by six MPs,
notes that 12
February marked the 34th anniversary of the shooting down of
two Air
Rhodesia Viscount Flights by members of the Zimbabwe People's
Revolutionary
Army (ZIPRA) in which 107 people died. Some of the survivors
of the crash
were subsequently murdered on the ground by bayoneting and
shooting.
For the motion to be formally debated in the House of Commons,
it needs to
have signatory support from a majority of MPs. Although this is
unlikely,
the proposed motion is ill-advised, for many
reasons.
Firstly, although there is no denying that the shooting down of
civilian
aircraft and subsequent murder of the crash survivors was a brutal
act, it
has to be remembered that every side - guerrillas and the Rhodesian
forces -
committed atrocities in Zimbabwe's Liberation War. The murder by
Rhodesian
forces (who included some British and American personnel) in
refugee camps
in Zambia, Mozambique and other countries is still fresh in
the minds of
many. The EDM, if passed, would reignite the psychological
wounds of a war
which although ended in 1979, still haunts Zimbabwe
today.
Just as importantly, the motion would almost certainly have a
disastrous
effect on UK-Zimbabwe relations. Since 2009, and despite
occasional public
spats and lingering issues, both countries have worked
hard to re-engage and
normalize the acrimonious 2000-08 period. Although the
EDM is not a UK
government brief, it is likely to be perceived by many in
Zimbabwe as
representing or echoing official UK government policy or
sentiment. The
timing of the EDM adds fuel to the fire: the EU is due to
debate Zimbabwe
sanctions this week and with the forthcoming referendum and
elections in
Zimbabwe, there is a real risk that the motion could become a
major irritant
in UK-Zimbabwe relations.
The motion also gives the
impression of a racial agenda and reinforces the
idea of a white vs black/
'them and us' paradigm on Zimbabwe. This is not
and should not be the case,
but in politics, perception is everything.
Indeed, many white Zimbabweans
have expressed their anger about the EDM,
pointing out that it unfairly and
inaccurately puts them in the same box as
die-hard Rhodesians who are locked
into a radicalized past.
Lastly, the EDM could potentially set a
precedent, pointing towards a future
partisan spate of 'atrocity
commemorations' not just between UK and
Zimbabwe, but wider afield between
the UK and its former colonies. This
could have implications for the
Commonwealth and its standing as a
collegiate and post-racial,
forward-looking association of equals. Numerous
individuals or groups, using
the UK precedent, could stake their claim for
massacre commemorations. These
could be well intentioned and deeply felt;
but anything which appears to be
sectarian could cut across attempts at
nation-building and international
diplomacy.
With regard to Zimbabwe, no one would seek to deny the pain of
those who
lost friends and family in the Viscount shootings; just as we
cannot ignore
the trauma of those who survived and lost loved ones
throughout the
Liberation War. But if we are to acknowledge history and not
re-live it,
then there must be a better, more inclusive and more
re-conciliatory way
than this EDM.
Thousands of Early day motions are
submitted every year for debate in the UK
parliament. Many are frivolous and
never see the light of day; others are
serious and achieve cross-party
support. For the sake of Zimbabwe and for
UK-Zimbabwe relations, it is to be
hoped that the EDM proponents will
rethink and consult with Zimbabweans. If
we want to look to the future and
not be hostage to the past, it is clear
that this time around there is much
that UK parliamentarians can learn from
their counterparts in Zimbabwe.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
13.02.13
by Dr Admos
Chimhowu
Fast Track Land Reform is fast becoming an interesting area of
intellectual
and policy exchange as more empirical evidence of its outcomes
emerges. The
most recent event, aptly titled Land Reform in Zimbabwe
Revisited: A
Qualified Success?, took place at Chatham House at the end of
January. The
event focused on the evidence emerging from the new book
Zimbabwe Takes Back
its Land (Kumarian Press) written by Joe Hanlon, Teresa
Smart and Jeanette
Manjengwa.
Even on a cold winter evening
in London the event had all the elements of
intrigue that have come to be
associated with this issue. There was a
capacity audience, a highly
polarised debate and even a small, spirited but
peaceful protest mounted by
Zim Vigil outside.
Sir Malcom Rifkind MP was the discussant. Many may not
know that he lived
and worked in then Rhodesia in the late 1960s and wrote a
very insightful
MSc thesis on the Politics of Land. His views on the book
were very
carefully calibrated - recognising the rich historical analysis
and the
candidly presented empirical evidence. He focused on his own
recollection of
the polarised discourse in the Rhodesia parliament in the
1960s and also
reflected on the post-independence dynamics. Addressing
directly the now
infamous 5th November 1997 Clare Short letter (about the
British Government
not taking responsibility to fund land reforms), Sir
Malcom maintained the
official UK government line that this should not be a
British responsibility
but one for Zimbabwe to prioritise.
Teresa
Smart and Jeanette Manjengwa gave insights into the key findings of
the
book, arguing that notwithstanding all the criticisms of Fast Track,
there
is evidence that many smallholders who got land are using it to better
themselves. Much of the discussion on the new book focused on its findings
and it was clear that the polarisation that has characterised the land
reform discourse continues. Some of the early evidence soon after 2000
pointed to a decline in production and productivity but more recent findings
are showing a need to relook at what is happening on the land.
The
publication in 2010 of Zimbabwe’s Land Reform: Myths and Realities
marked a
turning point in what has become a highly polarised discourse on
the FTLR in
Zimbabwe. This book was not only a marker of a new
counter-narrative,
seeking to challenge a generally accepted view that Fast
Track Land Reform
had been an unmitigated disaster, but it also sought to
introduce some
academic rigour into what had become a politicised lay and
professional
media discourse.
Adding new evidence, Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land
supports this new
narrative. It argues that FTLR in Zimbabwe has worked well
for some, but
could work better for more people with additional support.
There is evidence
of beneficiaries investing in and using land to improve
their lives. This
should not have been a surprise, because we know from past
experiences of
self resettlement that eventually people use the land to
better themselves
with or without state or other support.
At the
Chatham House meeting there was a wide-ranging discussion, including
on how
the FTLR empowered women; lessons from Zimbabwe for South Africa; the
need
for support services for the beneficiaries; the need for more analysis
of
those who lost out; issues of employment and labour on the FTLR farms and
patterns of emerging social differentiation on the farms. Others raised the
contradictions between FTLR as being a success in tobacco production, while
the country is still appealing for food aid. There were also challenges from
the Commercial Farmers Union representatives who had flown in for the
meeting on some of the figures used in the book.
As evidence
accumulates that the FTLR was not an unmitigated disaster, there
are, in my
view, some new dilemmas to address. There are:
1 How can key actors begin
to recognise and accept this growing body of
evidence without being seen to
endorse the methods used to achieve asset
transfer? With South Africa facing
similar challenges, any suggestion that
massive dispossession undertaken at
speed can produce good results in the
long term would create problems for
some interest groups. But then is
dismissing FTLR as an unmitigated disaster
still tenable in the face of
growing and credible evidence? We know that
land reform can work to create
the basis for long-term development (e.g.
from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
and China), but what conditions need to be
put in place now?
2 If it is accepted that the FTLR has worked to improve
some (not all)
people’s lives should it therefore not be accepted and
supported (with all
its history and faults)? This is particularly important
for donors whose
next question would be how to engage with the beneficiaries
without being
seen as endorsing the process through which these outcomes
were achieved. It
seems to me that this dilemma can be resolved if the legal
issues that
remain unresolved are addressed- especially the issue of
compensation. This
is for the GoZ to work through and can potentially unlock
further support
for the FTLR beneficiaries.
3 With elections looming
in Zimbabwe the various political groups also have
a crucial dilemma.
Accepting that FTLR has worked for some and is beginning
to yield results
hands over political advantage to those who led or allowed
this to happen.
Rejecting the evidence though begins to sound insincere. It
seems to me that
this one will only be resolved after the elections! – Dr
Admos Chimhowu is a
Zimbabwean scholar working at the University of
Manchester. First published
by zimbabweland.
