VOA
Zimbabwe Government Increases Wages Seven Weeks Before Election By
Peta
Thornycroft
Harare
14 February
2005
The Zimbabwe government has increased wages of the civil
service by between
200 and 300 percent, just seven weeks before a general
election on March 31.
Economists say the pay and pension increases will
further increase the rate
of inflation.
Last week the Zimbabwe
Reserve Bank acknowledged that inflation was no
longer decreasing, and there
was a small rise in January.
Last year, inflation dropped month by month
from an annual rate of more than
600 percent to 132 percent by year
end.
The Reserve Bank predicted it would be able to bring inflation to
double
figures by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe
government has given civil servants, including
members of the security
forces, massive pay hikes. Among those to receive
pay increases are
traditional chiefs, many of whom have also been given
pick-up trucks for the
first time.
Several thousand people who may have supported liberation war
efforts more
than 25 years ago are also destined to receive a one-time
gratuity according
to official documents. Registered veterans of the same
war are also set to
have the value of their monthly pension and benefits
doubled, according to
reports in the state-controlled
press.
Agricultural subsidies are still being negotiated at the central
bank, but
farmers groups say that they will be the highest ever because of
rising
costs of material and low prices for Zimbabwe's main export crops
tobacco
and cotton.
Zimbabwe's foreign currency reserves are at an
all time low and only about
10 percent of demand for hard currency was met
at last Thursday's auctions
at the central bank. According to importers, the
black-market rate for US
dollars is rising every day and is now at least 60
percent higher than the
official rate quoted by the central bank.
An
economist at an international accounting company who asked not to be
named
says the central bank's latest inflation figure was too low by several
percentage points. He said even though Zimbabwe's economy declined last year
it had become more stable. He said the latest inflation figures and
government pay increases mean the rate of decline is now
unpredictable.
Last month, the central bank predicted an economic
recovery and a growth
rate of three to five percent for 2005.
SABC
|
|
Almost 1 500 farms have been taken to
date |
February 14,
2005, 17:00
The Zimbabwean government says the land distribution
programme has been successful even though opposition parties say it is flawed
and everything has been damaged. After almost five years of land grab, the
government says the process will continue and that the exercise will have no
position. However, the emphasis will be on new farmers to be
productive.
Five years ago, the Zimbabwean government ordered white farms
to be given to war veterans. This apparently to appease war veterans who were
turning against the government. To date, almost 1 500 farms have been taken. The
government believes it was the right decision. "We will support the new farmer
...we give them input ... and emphasis will be on quality production," said John
Nkomo, the chairperson of the ruling Zanu(PF).
However, not every veteran
has made it. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says land is not an
emotional asset, but an economic one. The organisation says it supports
structural adjustments with land being the prime base. However, the party says,
the manner in which Zanu(PF) carried it out was inappropriate. "They have
already damaged everything. What we want to see is the equitable land
distribution," said Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader.
Land owned by
foreign nationals is also targeted. The Mashonaland East governor says if the
people want that land he will have no alternative but to comply. At stake is
land owned by some German companies. "Three quarters of that land must be given
to the indigenous people and a quarter to the German. I make no apology about
that," says Ephraim Masawi, the governor.
Under the new arrangements no
individual will own land. Everyone will have land under the 99-year leasehold
agreement.
Concern over election observers delay
[ This report does not necessarily
reflect the views of the United Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 14 Feb 2005
(IRIN) - The government of Zimbabwe says it will
reduce the number of local
election monitors and bar teams from the European
Union (EU) from observing
the parliamentary poll scheduled for 31 March.
Patrick Chinamasa, the
justice, legal and parliamentary affairs minister,
told IRIN there was a
need to reduce the number of observers to avoid
"chaos", and alleged that
observer teams from the EU had tried to
destabilise the country in the
past.
"We have to limit the number of observers because we do not want a
situation
where 100 people come to disturb the polling process on the
pretext of
observing it," Chinamasa said, adding that the country was in the
process of
sending invitations for election observer missions to Southern
African
Development Community (SADC) countries and members of the African
Union
(AU).
Foreign affairs spokesperson Pavelyn Musaka was quoted by
news agencies as
saying that Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and
Finland were among
the countries that "should not bother" sending teams to
Zimbabwe.
Political commentators and opposition politicians have warned
that the
exclusion of some foreign teams, as well as reducing the number of
local
observers, only served to increase concern regarding the electoral
process
in Zimbabwe.
Daniel Molokele, a Johannesburg-based Zimbabwean
political analyst, accused
the government of barring some observer teams so
it could hide
irregularities in the electoral system.
"Preparations
for the elections have been done under grossly unfair laws
that curtail the
freedoms of the people. Therefore, the need for impartial
election observer
teams should be emphasized, as a way of keeping a check on
the conduct of
the poll. However, the exclusion of some local and EU teams
undermines an
election whose outcome is already dubious," said Molokele.
He said the
impartiality of the selected teams was doubtful. "They will most
likely
invite teams from the African Union and the Pacific countries because
most
of them are sympathetic to the ZANU-PF government. There is also a high
possibility that local observer teams will [consist] of government
sympathisers," he said.
Molokela accused the government of deliberate
tardiness in issuing
invitations to observer missions, to prevent them from
making an accurate
assessment of conditions in the country in the run-up to
elections.
"Election observers should be in Zimbabwe by now, but the
government is
deliberately delaying their invitations and arrival, so that
they may not
see what has been done wrongly. SADC is not doing enough to
push Zimbabwe to
comply with the regional electoral guidelines, which should
be guiding the
preparations right now," he alleged.
So far only South
Africa has announced its readiness to deploy a
parliamentary team to observe
the elections. President Thabo Mbeki this week
called for the urgent
deployment of an SADC team that would have the
authority to intervene, in
order to create a climate conducive to free and
fair elections in
Zimbabwe.
South Africa has voiced its disquiet over the Zimbabwe
government's delays
in granting permission to a team of lawyers and a troika
of SADC leaders -
South African President Thabo Mbeki, Lesotho Prime
Minister Pakalitha
Mosisili and outgoing Namibian President Sam Nujoma -
which should have
visited the country last month to check on its compliance
with regional
electoral guidelines.
"Zimbabwe has not cleared the
teams and we are getting concerned," an
official from the ministry of
foreign affairs was quoted as saying in the
Business Day newspaper on
Monday.
This weekend South Africa's tripartite alliance partners, the
ruling African
National Congress, the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU) and
the South African Communist Party, stressed the need for
observers to be
deployed in Zimbabwe at the earliest opportunity.
The
partners agreed to send observer teams from the Southern African Trade
Union
Coordinating Council with the SADC observer team. However, political
analysts said it was highly unlikely that members of COSATU, which Zimbabwe
maintains has a political agenda, would be allowed in as part of the
regional labour body's team.
WOZA activists demand violence-free polls
[ This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 14
Feb 2005 (IRIN) - Bearing placards proclaiming, "The power
of love can
conquer the love of power", a group of activists from Women of
Zimbabwe
Arise (WOZA) marched through the streets of the capital, Harare, on
St
Valentine's Day to demand democratic and violence-free elections in
March.
"About 150 to 200 women participated in the protest and
distributed red
roses and St Valentine's Day cards until we were dispersed
by the traffic
policemen," Magodonga Mahlangu, a WOZA member, told
IRIN.
Since its formation in 2003, WOZA has taken to the streets every St
Valentine's Day to protest against rights abuses in the country.
Late
Monday, WOZA was still trying to ascertain whether any of their members
had
been arrested. At least 53 WOZA members were arrested while holding a
'pre-St Valentine's Day' march in Bulawayo last Saturday, according to Jenni
Williams, the organisation's national coordinator.
[ENDS]
Daily News online edition
MDC sets date for poll campaign
launch
Date: 14-Feb, 2005
HARARE - The MDC has
provisionally set February 20 and Masvingo as the
venue for the official
launch of their campaign for the 31 March
parliamentary
elections.
Authoritative sources within the MDC said because of
dwindling
resources, the party had decided to cut short the span of its
campaign,
which had originally been set to commence on February
13.
"We decided we could not afford a long campaign which we
could not
sustain until election day. We then decided to have a short, slick
campaign
for about four weeks before the election, which we can sustain and
which we
believe will make an impact," the sources said.
Zanu PF launched its campaign last Friday, with President Robert
Mugabe
declaring that the forthcoming poll would be an anti-Blair election.
Mugabe's campaign appears to focus on the issue of land, the purported
economic turn-around and the usual anti-Blair and anti-West
rhetoric.
The MDC campaign will coincide with the introduction
of the party's
120 candidates and the provision of an information kit
comprising
candidates' profiles and the party's manifesto, whose key issues
are
freedom, human rights, education and jobs.
But the
sources said with a proper audit of the resources, the launch
could be moved
back further until after 20 February. They said Masvingo was
a tentative
venue which could be changed, following the violent disputes in
the province
last week that arose over the party's primary polls.
It is
feared that the glamour of the MDC's launch could be spoiled by
demonstrations by a faction loyal to Silas Mangono, the sitting Masvingo
Central MP, who lost the right to represent the party in trying to retain
his seat.
The controversial primaries were conducted by the
party's president,
Morgan Tsvangirai.
Xinhua
France pledges to support Zimbabwe in fight against
HIV/AIDS
www.chinaview.cn
2005-02-15 02:15:05
HARARE, Feb. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- France
would continue to support
Zimbabwe's development, especially in the fight
against HIV/AIDS which is
claiming an estimated 3,000 lives each week, said
a French diplomat on
Monday.
Speaking to journalists after
meeting with Vice President Joyce
Mujuru, the French ambassador to Zimbabwe,
Michel Raimbaud, said his country
would continue supporting Zimbabwe to
fight the pandemic.
"We are working with Zimbabwe to fight the
mother-to-child
transmission of HIV/AIDS," Raimbaud said.
He said France would help Zimbabwe access more anti-retroviral
drugs for
HIV-positive people.
The Global Fund on HIV, Tuberculosis and
Malaria, which is
administered by the United States, has denied Zimbabwe's
access to the
funds, saying the country does not have the capacity to
administer the
money.
However, Zimbabwean Health and Child
Welfare Minister David
Parirenyatwa said last year that Zimbabwe was being
denied the funds on
political grounds as it has the administrative capacity
to handle the
finances.
Zimbabwe has one of the largest
number of HIV/AIDS cases in the
world with an infection rate of 24.6 percent
and more than 800, 000 children
orphaned by the pandemic.
Relations between Zimbabwe and western countries, particularly the
United
States and Britain, soured when the government embarked on the land
reform
program in 2000 to rectify colonial imbalances.
The government
acquired farms from former white commercial farmers
and parceled it to
land-starved indigenous people. Before the exercise,
about 80 percent of the
country's prime land was in the hands of about 4,000
white commercial
farmers while the majority blacks were cramped on
unproductive
land.
As a result of his stance on fair allocation of land,
President
Robert Mugabe has been vilified by western countries and the
country was
subjected to unofficial sanctions which have seen most donor
organizations
cutting off financial aid. Enditem
International Journalists' Network
Media groups slam African
Union
Feb 14, 2005
The African Union is
neglecting press freedom on several fronts, according
to journalists' groups
monitoring its policies.
The intergovernmental organization recently
announced that it would hold its
2006 summit in Gambia - a decision that
drew criticism from journalists and
press freedom advocates. Meanwhile,
several journalists' groups are calling
for a revision of some African Union
standards from which a free press was
conspicuously absent.
In
Gambia, President Yahya Jammeh is facing scrutiny for his hostility
toward
Gambia's journalists. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had
asked
the African Union to publicly condemn the murder of Gambian journalist
Deyda
Hydara, a vocal critic of the Jammeh's government. Instead, the
governments
meeting in Nigeria at the end of January announced that Gambia
would host
next year's summit. So far, the African Union has not issued any
formal
statement on the matter.
For more information on the Hydara case, see the
IJNet News Archive:
http://www.ijnet.org/FE_Article/newsarticle.asp?UILang=1&CId=263782.
Meanwhile,
a coalition of media associations has sent a letter to UN
Secretary General
Kofi Annan regarding a set of African Union guidelines.
The union's New
Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) wrote the
standards as a
mechanism to review development among the member countries.
Press freedom
was not included.
The letter says that the omission essentially gives
certain governments -
such as those in Gambia, Ethiopia, Somalia and
Zimbabwe - license to repress
the media. It says that there is a direct
correlation between the increase
in arrests and prosecutions of African
journalists and the lax NEPAD
standards. The letter also praises Kenya and
Ghana for reviewing and
improving repressive media laws.
The groups
that signed the letter were the World Press Freedom Committee,
the Media
Institute of Southern Africa, the International Press Institute,
the
International Association of Broadcasting, and the Inter American Press
Association.
IOL
Zambia making the most of tourism boom
February 14 2005
at 12:11PM
By Shapi Shacida
The number of tourists
visiting Zambia has quadrupled since foreigners
began to shun neighbouring
Zimbabwe four years ago, boosting revenues to
R918 million last year,
officials said this week.
"There is a tourism boom in Zambia, which
is partly because of the
problems Zimbabwe is facing with the international
community," a senior
Treasury official said at an African tourism conference
in Lusaka.
"Tourists prefer to visit Zambia compared with Zimbabwe
now," he
added.
Zambian Tourism Minister Patrick Kalifungwa
told the conference that
tourism was one of the Southern African nation's
three top growth sectors.
Zimbabwe used to be one of the region's
main tourist destinations, but
its hotels and game reserves are now
struggling to attract foreigners from
outside the continent.
Zimbabwe launched a controversial land reform programme in 2000,
seizing
white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to landless blacks.
That helped spark its worst political and economic crisis since
independence
in 1980, as agricultural output contracted sharply and Western
donors halted
credit lines.
Kalifungwa said Zambia had embarked on a vigorous
marketing campaign
to attract tourists and hoped to receive one million
visitors a year by
2010.
A total of 610 109 tourists visited
Zambia last year, compared with
about 160 000 four years ago.
Zambia's economy is expected to grow by six percent this year,
compared with
4,6 percent in 2004, spurred also by expansion in agriculture
and
mining.
Good rains and farm reforms have helped Zambian agriculture
and the
country is keen to cash in on its potential for offering safari
holidays for
foreign tourists.
Official estimates are not
available, but based on Zambia's gross
domestic product data, tourism now
accounts for nearly four percent of the
economy.
Most of
Zambia's roughly 10 million people still live in abject
poverty and the
country is battling a raging HIV and Aids pandemic that is
killing off much
of its workforce.
One of the main tourist attractions in Zambia -
also accessible from
Zimbabwe - are the Victoria Falls, listed by the UN as
one of the world's
seven wonders.
Thousands of tourists also
visit Livingstone town, 500km south of
Lusaka, to see the spot which
Scottish explorer David Livingstone visited
nearly 150 years ago. -
Reuters
February 14 , 2005
~~~ Newsletter 055
~~~
Stir it up
Life
is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't
complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your
thoughts, put your vision to reality.
~ Bob Marley
Nowhere fast
Lying in your bed and on a
Saturday night
You're sweatin' buckets and it's not even hot
But your
brain has got the message
And it's sending it out
To every nerve and every
muscle you've got
You've got so many dreams
That you don't know where to
put 'em
So you'd better turn a few of 'em loose
Your body's got a feeling
that it's starting to rust
You'd better rev it up and put it to use
- Jim
Steinman
Zvakwana to rusting bodies - make 31 March 2005 A Day of Election
Action!
Panguva yeChimurenga chechipiri, takarwa hondo
yekuti munhu wese awane mukana wekuvhota. Takarwira rusununguko nekuzvitonga
kuzere. We fought for freedom, independence and ‘one person one vote.’ But we
are still waiting! Nhasi tava muna2005 – tichakangomirira! Tinoziva kuti sarudzo
inouya yakatobiwa kare tisati tatanga kuvhota! The upcoming election has already
been spoiled because of the unfair electoral conditions. But that does not mean
to say that we shouldn’t be actively engaged in working for a better Zimbabwe.
You are not going to help matters if you just sit at home on Election Day 31st
March. It is high time that we remember that individuals can, and do make a
difference especially when they unite under banners of love, peace and justice.
Hundreds of Zimbabweans have written to Zvakwana over the last months saying
that this general election should not take place. There is no point in voting
because the ruling party just steals your vote. But if we all stay at home and
silently accept defeat then we will be allowing the regime to walk all over us.
There is so much you can do to protest this flawed election and to make your
voice heard.
You can:
- Spoil your paper: this is an ACTIVE way of saying
that you believe that the electoral process is cockeye. By spoiling your paper
you will not legitimise an illegitimate election. This is a strategy that can be
used by supporters of both political parties. There are many zanu pf supporters
who wish to see their leaders engage in productive and respectful governance.
Spoiling your paper rejects the notion that you are powerless and that sitting
at home on Election Day is the only thing you can do. To spoil your paper you
can scribble all over your ballot ticket with messages like WE WANT JOBS or and
you can tick every box instead of just one. NCA please take note of this
strategy as a way of expressing your rejection of the election.
- Enda unovhota (go and vote): Enda unovhotera
mumiriri waunofunga kuti achamiririra zvido zvenyu munharaunda. Sarudza munhu
waunoziva kuti anoita zvakanaka kwete kungofungidzira! Go and vote for whichever
political candidate you feel will best represent your constituency. Make an
informed decision based upon past performance.
- Actively observe: go and join voting
queues in solidarity. We know that many thousands of Zimbabweans, especially the
youth, have been systematically disenfranchised. But that doesn’t mean you
should just sit at home. Get UP, go to the polling queues and see for yourself
what is going on. Share these observations with election observers and civil
society organisations like Zimbabwe Election Support Network (info@zesn.org.zw).
Which one of these choices
do you think you will follow? Write to us at news@zvakwana.org
Did you know . . .
There is a pressure group in
the US called NOTA. NOTA stands for “none of the above”. They believe that all
ballot papers should have another option on them permitting voters to choose
None of the Above. If “None” captured the most votes, a new election would have
to be held, with all the defeated candidates disqualified from running. NOTA
have gotten support for this idea from various stakeholders in the US including
The Wall Street Journal and Ralph Nader. You can find out some more by visiting
www.nota.org
Madhuku speaks out his mind
At a recent public
meeting in Ha Ha Harare put on by the energetic Crisis Coalition there was lots
of vibrant talk. And by the way the hall was indeed very full. Zvakwana sends a
big pom pom to those citizens who are motivated enough to go out and be a part
of the social and political discourse. Lovemore Madhuku from the National
Constitutional Assembly was very direct about certain things namely the
opposition party. Madhuku said that if the MDC loses and they fail to show
leadership after the election then "we will write the MDC off". Zvakwana is
pleased to read the recent NCA statement in which they reject the forthcoming
general election saying that they do not want to legitimise it in any way.
However, we are asking them directly as to how they will make their words more
than just empty statements and we look forward to seeing a vibrant campaign come
out of "Talkmore" Madhuku.
Munhu
akazvimirira muparamende haafuriri vanhu kuti varwe
nokuti iye anomiririra
zvido zvemunhu wese. MuIndependent
haapesanise vanhu munyika asi
anotovabatanidza.
- Margaret Dongo
Iti
kwanyanu, Simuka! - Taura zvaunofunga!
Hey! Do you want a
free Buddie card so that you can Speak OUT with others about ways to work for
justice and peace in Zimbabwe? Then send us your address and we will post you
one. You’ve got a friend in Zvakwana! Ikodzero yako kufunga, kuverenga, kunzwa
nokutaura zvose zvaunoda! Muno muZimbabwe kodzero iyi iri kubviswa nevatongi.
Kuvharwa kwakaitwa mamwe mapepanhau nekurambidzwa kweimwe TV kana dzimwe
nhepfenyuro kunoita kuti titadze kunzwa dzimwe pfungwa dzakasiyana-siyana.
Mazuva ano kukwira kwaita mitengo yeposvo nedzinhare zvavakuita kuti tisawane
mukana wekutaura nemhuri, hama kana shamwari parunhare sakare nokuti mitengo
yacho yakakwidzwa zvikuru! Takafunga kukupai marecharge cards aya kuti mutaure
nevamwe zvese zvamunoda. Kana musina serura ipai vaya vanadzo. Shandisai card
iri kufonera kuradio muchitaurawo zviri kutsi kwemoyo yenyu kana zvichemo zvenyu
zvikuru panguva yekufonera kuradio muchinzvika neruzhinji rweZimbabwe paSFM
pa09-473730/474126 kana paPower FM pa054-20071. Munogonawo kufonera mp, minister
kana councillor kuti atsanangudze zvamusinganzwisisi munharaunda menyu.
Tauriranai chokwadi chiri mumoyo nepfungwa dzenyu. Taura! Ikodzero yako!
news@zvakwana.org or visit www.zvakwana.org
Political choices
Tractors of terror
After reading an article on
the 25th January in the Daily Herald reporting a meeting between Massey Ferguson
and Minister Made regarding the supply of agricultural equipment to farmers in
Zimbabwe it crossed my mind that the equipment was intended for use on the
illegally settled farms. With this thought in mind I emailed Massey Ferguson –
you can also write in protest!
--Charles, Harare
Email Steve Wood at
Massey Ferguson: SteveWood@uk.agcocorp.com
MDC: where’s the strategy?
At Zvakwana we are
sick and tired of hearing these two phrases that seem to be the weak bone of the
opposition party: "damned if we do, damned if we don’t"; "caught between a rock
and a hard place". There were many strategies for the MDC to adopt. Instead,
they have shown a clear lack of leadership in putting these different strategies
to their benefactors and their grassroots supporters. The MDC had the
opportunity to boycott the general election of 2005 citing that the electoral
conditions were very far from fair. They also had the option to organise a
massive stay away as a collective protest on voting day to give a clear
indication of rejecting a flawed election. Then, by the way, they also had the
chance to launch a spoiled ballot campaign as another way to say Enough! to
manipulated elections. Instead, one way or another, they have decided to
participate saying that Zimbabweans want to express their desire to change our
country's fortunes through the ballot box. This means that the MDC must not only
produce a very good election campaign to get masses of unregistered and
apathetic people out to vote, they must also have an impactful backup plan to
protest what will be a stolen election and to inspire Zimbabweans out of the
depression that may engulf people during that time. It is obvious that the MDC
likes a challenge! And now we are reading Welshman Ncube saying that the
opposition party will "reserve the right" to take "corrective measures" if the
conditions on the ground do not improve (as if they will!). Haven't the MDC
figured out yet that so very few of us have any rights at all under this regime.
Are we hearing yet another empty threat from the MDC? They seem to be as
confused as ever.
Recommended listening
Hugh Masekela: “Change”.
Featured on the Zvakwana Get UP Stand UP CD.
While we’re on music – are you a talented wannabe
DJ?
Zvakwana is starting a very exciting radio project and we
need YOU! Do any Zvakwana subscribers out there have any radio/sound experience
with kool DJ tones that will encourage our listeners to Get UP? If you think you
fit the post please write to us today at news@zvakwana.org - we are offering some
good rewards.
Coming home the other day, I
was stopped by a police officer on the side of the road. He said he wanted my
chitupa and my registration. For? My Bicycle! Wofungeiko?! When I said I didn’t
have, he told me I should go and register my bike at any police station. He said
repeatedly that this was for my own good as in case the bicycle got pinched then
it would be easier to retrieve. I haven’t yet been to the registering place as I
have been busy at work but I wonder when I do go, what will it cost? Is there
really some way that registering bicycles helps them get retrieved from the
tsotsis and street kids who nab them? Or is it just one more fund raising
gimmick?
--Vimbai, Zvakwana subscriber
Elections aren’t a game
If you want to be in it to
win then you should make an informed choice when you go to the polls. Don’t make
a quick pick. Find out more about your MP – hold him/her
accountable.
Looking back
The 2005 Elections are approaching
fast. MPs have already decided that they do not want to carry on in
parliamentary sessions, and have adjourned. Many of the MPs who have been at
home in Parliament these past five years may not be going back. Reviewing on the
past five years what do you think of your MP? Was your MP active in your
constituency? Did she or he deliver on the promises that were made during the
campaign? It can be said that one should vote for the politician who offers the
fewest promises – that way you won’t be disappointed. Give marks out of 10 for
your MP's performance - we want to hear from you! How does your MP rate? Let us
know by emailing news@zvakwana.org
Fact is stranger than fiction
When minister of
[in]justice patrick chinamasa was speaking about the possibilities of
Zimbabweans voting outside the country, he said:
"Even assuming that the
Constitution had allowed Zimbabweans who are not resident in the country to
vote, how would such registration of Zimbabweans in such countries take place
when both the political and public service leadership is banned to travel in
those countries? How would ZANU PF be able to canvas for support of Zimbabweans
in the Diaspora when its political leadership suffers from a travel ban in those
countries? I believe that the political playing has to be level. As it is, it is
uneven to the advantage of the MDC both locally and
internationally."
The Hansard, the transcript
of Parliamentary debate and discussion, is full of quotations like this. If this
is the level of thinking of the so-called ministers, why do we allow them to be
paid, much less stay in office! You can let chinamasa know what you think of his
statement, and wish him a happy retirement by contacting him on:
Work: P/Bag
7704 Causeway, Harare (777054 or 774620-7)
Home: Honeybear Lane, Borrowdale
(860006)
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Celebrate Valentines Day safely!
Get UP! refuse to pay for your refuse
collections
If our rubbish isn’t collected then why keep on
sending our hard earned burials to companies that can’t cope up. Perhaps it is
time to think of other methods of cleaning up after ourselves. Everywhere we
look these days there is stinking litter gathering in very big piles. Both
Leppard (letter writer to the ZimInd) and the Editor were recently talking about
how we are being swindled from our cash with no services provided. And then
during a dead bc call in programme someone suggested that we all dump our
rubbish at town hall. This way the city government would be forced to deal with
it because of the stench and vermin. And if they still ignored it, at least it
would not be causing a hazard for our families and neighbours Do you have some
other suggestions to offer to solve this problem? news@zvakwana.org
Thank you!
Tinotenda zvikuru, siyabonga
kakhulu, many thanks to all the applicants who responded to the Zvakwana
vacancies announcement. Only the short-listed candidates have been contacted.
But that doesn't mean we cant keep getting UP and standing UP together. All
applicants should keep checking the post for additional activist materials to
distribute kwesekwese.
Truth is tough. It will not
break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you may kick it about all day like a
football, and it will be round and full at evening. The truth about Zimbabwe is
that we are in a bloody mess, Gono and others can lie all they want but we are
doomed. No amount of sendekera nor ivhu is going to change that! The only
solution left is that the entire ZPF be put in jails for the next twenty-five
years!
--Mampofu
Mwana weupfu!
Wanna be amused?
Click here for a slideshow of
the Bush Administration’s confusion.
http://www.markfiore.com/animation/corrections.swf
Our
hands are tied, our mouths are taped
Our hands are
tied, our mouths are taped
our hands are tied, our mouths are taped
but
nobody can bind our spirit
and we’re not imprisoned when our thoughts are
free
we all have an inner fortress which gets stronger and stronger
when
we’re fighting for a cause
he who walks
high can never be a slave
no one can rule us, if we refuse to be
ruled
this is our
promise
given in the darkness before dawn
that dreams of freedom will
never die
Produced by
Saqib and Jay-B in cooperation with Outlandish.
The lyrics were written by
the Danish architect Poul Henningsen (1894-1967) in 1940 during the German
occupation of Denmark.
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Zvakwana, Sokwanele, Enough!!
Make sure you SPEAK OUT - keep discussion alive, keep information
flowing.
Please remember Zvakwana
welcomes feedback, ideas and support for actions.