http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
18 February, 2011
Charges for electricity have gone up
again for struggling Zimbabweans, this
time by a shocking 30 percent. A
report in the state run Herald newspaper
said the Zimbabwe Electricity
Regulatory Commission (ZERC) had approved the
30 percent increase in
domestic electricity tariffs, with effect from
February 1st,
2011.
According to The Herald the increase means families that were
paying $30 a
month will now have to pay about $40. New rates for businesses
have not yet
been announced.
ZERC spokesperson, Peter Mufunda, said
in a statement Wednesday that the
increases were meant to help ZESA “recover
operating costs” because ZESA
Holdings was owed about $450 million last
year. He also explained that the
charges needed to reflect their
costs.
But Simbarashe Moyo, chairperson of the Combined Harare Residents
Assocoation (CHRA), said they were deeply concerned by such a large increase
because families were already struggling to pay their monthly bills, before
the increase. He blasted ZESA for increasing charges at a time when people
were going without power for days. “It is no longer load shedding. It is
simply power cut-off,” said Moyo.
He explained that a commission
tasked with studying ZESA’s handling of
electricity in the country recently
recommended that tariffs be lowered.
“But we were shocked to hear there was
a 30 percent increase instead.”
CHRA is planning to mobilize their
members ‘to fight’ the increase in ZESA
charges. Moyo said CHRA is also
concerned about the deforestation that will
increase as even more people cut
down trees for firewood. The group also
fears that prices for other goods
will soon go up, as businesses are forced
to pay more for their
electricity.
ZESA has for some time been disconnecting power from those
who do not pay.
The issue raised such tensions in Bulawayo last year that
ZESA engineers
were attacked by residents in the high density
areas.
The Minister of Energy and Power Development, Elton Mangoma, said
a ‘smart
metering’ system would start next month, where families are billed
only for
the electricity used, instead of estimating usage.
But
unfortunately this will not help the many families whose income can
barely
cover their rent.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai Karimakwenda
18
February, 2011
South African President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team is
due to travel to
Harare next week, to meet with representatives from
Zimbabwe’s three main
political parties. Zuma’s international advisor,
Lindiwe Zulu confirmed the
trip, saying the parties had given her “people to
work with”.
She explained that her team would meet with the parties
separately, and
collectively, to draw up a framework and discuss what is to
be included in
the roadmap for elections.
Zulu told SW Radio Africa
that President Zuma was aware of the recent
political violence that has
increased tension between the parties and he had
made it clear it was
unacceptable at any time, regardless of elections.
Asked if Zuma had been
briefed about the partisan approach and involvement
of the police in the
violence, she said the parties would brief her team
next week.
Zuma
and SADC have been largely criticized for being too soft on Robert
Mugabe
and ZANU PF. As the guarantors of the GPA they took no action after
Mugabe
violated the agreement by making unilateral appointments of key
officials
and refusing to swear in Roy Bennett of the MDC-T, as deputy
agricultural
minister.
Many key issues need to be resolved before elections can be
held in
Zimbabwe. The voters roll is in shambles and there is still no
independent
electronic media in the country. There has been no programme of
national
healing and reconciliation and political violence by ZANU PF has
continued.
Zulu would not indicate whether president Zuma believed it
possible to hold
elections this year, as Robert Mugabe has said he wants.
“The facilitation
team will not be discussing a time frame and the issue of
a date for
elections is not on the agenda,” said Zulu.
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai this week said the MDC-T would boycott a
rushed election
this year and would not participate in any polls while the
violence
persisted.
http://www.radiovop.com/
18/02/2011
11:06:00
Harare, February 18, 2011 – President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai are due to meet next Monday for showdown
talks on
violence, ghost workers and the issue of civil servants
salaries.
The meeting will depend on whether Mugabe will return home as
expected on
Sunday after being rushed to Singapore to have “his eyes
operated on”
according to his spokesperson George
Charamba.
Diplomatic sources however insist that Mugabe is having serious
problems
with prostate cancer and due to his advanced age, there are reports
that it
is becoming increasingly difficult to treat him.
Mugabe and
Tsvangirai met two weeks ago over the issue of violence being
perpetrated
across the country by what the Zimbabwe Prime Minister says are
hired Zanu
(PF) thugs.
At the meeting Mugabe is said to have pointed out that he was
not aware that
his Zanu (PF) youths were responsible for the violence that
affected Harare.
The co-minister of home affairs Theresa Makone was
tasked with compiling the
violence report which will be tabled when Mugabe
and Tsvangirai meet.
A top government official close to the Prime
Minister told Radio VOP in
Harare Thursday that the talks will once again
see Tsvangirai confronting
Mugabe over several issues.
“The regular
Monday meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai will be explosive
given the
issues that have come up since they last met. Mugabe will be
presented with
the violence report that blames his party and he will have to
stop it
otherwise the MDC will seek ways of defending themselves.
“Secondly, both
will have to find a solution to the issue of civil servants
salaries after
Mugabe went public politicking about the issue when he knew
very well that
there was no money to pay them. From, nowhere Mugabe
announced that civil
servants will be paid money raised from diamond sales
but treasury has
received nothing.
“The President and the Prime Minister will also have to
discuss the civil
servants audit which has unearthed 75 000 ghost workers
who were employed at
the behest of Zanu (PF). All those issues need to be
addressed. For the
civil servants to get more money, the 75 000 ghost
workers have to be
removed but Mugabe will not easily allow that because all
of them are Zanu
PF youths and supporters,” said top source.
Mugabe
and Tsvangirai have been at loggerheads for the past two years
although they
are working together in the shaky inclusive government which
they were
forced into by the African Union (AU) and the Southern African
Development
Community (SADC) following disputed elections in 2008.
Last week
Tsvangirai blamed Mugabe for the violence and looting spree that
has been
rocking Harare for the past three weeks.
Meanwhile Tsvangirai has ruled
out an election this year saying that he
would not participate in any
election if President Robert Mugabe
unilaterally calls for
one.
Tsvangirai said if Mugabe acts unilaterally, he would not bless such
a move.
Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party are attempting to force an
election in
Zimbabwe in August but Tsvangirai told a business delegation on
Thursday he
would not participate in no such election until a Southern
African
Development Community (SADC) roadmap towards an election has been
completed.
The roadmap towards elections includes the completion of the
constitution
making process, the implementation of various commissions such
as the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, and the freeing of the media
space.
“For me and for my party and for the people of Zimbabwe, it’s not
just about
holding an election but its about free and fair conditions for
that
election. It is also about ensuring that the outcome of that election
is not
contested like in 2008 for whatever reason. This means that we have
to make
sure that the constitution making process is completed. At the
moment they
are busy compiling the data from the outreach process which we
have
criticised because of the violence and the interference with the
process but
we need it because it is a step in the right
direction."
Tsvangirai said according to the parliamentary committee that
spearheaded
the constitution making process, COPAC, the referendum may be
held in August
or September. It then means that after that, according to the
law, the
President and I must agree on an election date.
“However you
know the people we are dealing with. They are very
unpredictable but should
Mugabe proceed to announce an election without my
agreement then we will not
support that because it will mean that we will
have a contested outcome. We
do not want a contested outcome because we want
a legitimate end to this
transition. The other aspect is that it is no
longer in our hands. The
roadmap to our election is a matter that the SADC
Facilitator, President
Zuma is seized with. We hope that he will be
convening a SADC Troika to
propose a roadmap towards our election. Once that
roadmap, its benchmarks
and milestones are acceptable then all parties must
commit themselves to
that process. That means we would have the support of
SADC and the
international community,” said Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai’s MDC fears
bloodbath if elections were to be held this year.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Chris Goko and Reagan
Mashavave
Friday, 18 February 2011 16:28
HARARE - President Robert
Mugabe says he will petition the security
apparatus to tackle the smart
sanctions imposed on his inner circle by
the European Union (EU) and other
western countries.
Speaking on ZBC’s Talking Business programme on
Thursday, Mugabe not only
railed at his opponents, but also hinted on how he
wanted “subversive
elements” in the inclusive government – Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
and Finance Minister Tendai Biti – treated for helping the
west in shackling
Zanu PF functionaries.
“And the question arises for
how long we go on side by side with people who
are subversive elements to
the nationhood of Zimbabwe. We have our own fora,
the security fora and I
think some of these things are going to be raised at
those fora,” the ageing
leader said, in remarks seen as inferring the
notorious Joint Operations
Command (JOC).
JOC has been replaced by the National Security Council
(NSC) following
formation of the inclusive government.
Mugabe’s
statements, accompanied by a vow that the West’s regime change
agenda would
not succeed, also comes as the country’s partisan
Attorney-General Johannes
Tomana has announced plans for a commission of
inquiry into the sanctions
issue, with a view of preferring sedition charges
on local proponents of the
punitive measures.
The EU, led by Britain, imposed an asset freeze and
travel ban on Mugabe,
and more than 250 of his close ruling elite about a
decade ago for
transgressing human, and individual freedoms. Early this
week, the 27-member
bloc renewed the embargo but removed 35 names from the
travel ban list.
However, Zanu PF’s retaliatory strategies, including a
seizure of up to 90
percent of shares in western–backed companies under its
anti–sanctions fund
and a vain plan to garner two million signatures
denouncing the
restrictions, are aimed at blackmailing western businesses to
pressure their
governments to drop the sanctions and invoke fears of an
all–out attack on
opponents ahead of elections.
While the NSC had its
maiden meeting this year to tackle endemic political
violence blamed on Zanu
PF, it is not clear what Mugabe’s motivation is in
taking up the matter with
this multi–party organ ushered in by the Global
Political Agreement in
2009.
Over the years, Mugabe has always used JOC, dominated by his
service chiefs
and lackeys, to cower opponents into line.
On the
other hand, his sanctions rhetoric and possible actions have been
interpreted as an escalation of a propaganda war against the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) ahead of foreseen polls this year.
In
essence, Zanu PF’s campaign tactic has not only been to portray
Tsvangirai
and the MDC formations as stooges of the west, but also project
them as a
lot guilty of effecting treasonous measures or policies increasing
socio–economic hardships in Zimbabwe.
In the meantime, Mugabe in his
selfish drive for power - where several of
his henchmen have said Zimbabwe
will hold elections this year with or
without a new constitution – has
even disregarded organised business and one
of his deputies Joice Mujuru’s
prudent advice that the country must scrap
the anguished election idea.
http://www.radiovop.com
18/02/2011
10:57:00
Masvingo February 18, 2011 – President Robert Mugabe
disappointed his Zanu
(PF) supporters here when he failed to turn up at
Mucheke Stadium to launch
an anti sanctions campaign as previously scheduled
on Thursday.
Although top provincial executive party members were
informed that the
octogenarian leader was no longer able to make up for the
intended star
rally due to ill health, some overzealous youth from different
parts of
district had woken up early in the morning forcing people to go to
Mucheke
stadium.
“Why did he promise in the first place? We are
greatly disappointed by what
these guys did. Instead of notifying us to stop
calling people to the
stadium, they just ignored us. We woke up early to
mobilise people to go to
the stadium as per instruction only to find out
that Mugabe was no longer
coming.
“Up to now we don’t know why the
meeting was cancelled but it is us whom
they use when they want to have
people in the stadium. If they still need
our support, then they must think
twice and never repeat this blunder,” said
one of the youths identified as
Achiford Toperesu.
“Why were we rehearsing when they knew he (Mugabe) was
not coming? We are
not fools, they must not waste our time,” said another
youth.
A RadioVOP correspondent saw hundreds of Zanu (PF) women’s league
members
who had gone to Mucheke stadium returning home after discovering
that the
gates at the stadium were locked. The women complained that their
time ‘was
wasted’.
Masvingo Zanu PF provincial chairman Lovemore
Matuke said true Zanu (PF)
cadres were aware that Mugabe was no longer
coming.
“There was no confusion as you might think, our true cadres got
the word
yesterday (Wednesday afternoon) I don’t know why you say some youth
were
complaining,” said Matuke.
Mugabe, one of the continent’s
longest serving leaders, turns 87 on February
21. He was supposed to launch
the anti sanctions petition to be signed by
over 2 million party
supporters.
“Acting president John Nkomo was said to be the one coming,
but intelligence
sources said the anti-sanctions petition launch was proved
to be a task too
big for him,” a senior government official told Radio VOP.
http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/
Eyewitness News | 3 Hours
Ago
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s poor health is reportedly
holding up
government business in the country.
Mugabe was still in
Singapore where he was receiving a check-up after a
cataract operation in
December. The big question on everyone’s lips in
Zimbabwe was whether he
would be back for his birthday on Monday.
The 87-year-old left Harare for
Singapore last Friday. His spokesperson said
he was going for a routine
check-up after his operation.
His absence resulted in the cancellation of
a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, as
Morgan Tsvangirai was not allowed to chair
it.
Reports said government insiders were getting anxious. One minister
told the
Zimbabwe Independent that nobody knows what is going
on.
Meanwhile, Mugabe critics are asking why he went to Singapore for his
operation when both Zimbabwe and South Africa had very gifted eye
specialists.
http://www.voanews.com/
Tobacco
Industry and Marketing Board executives said at least 60 percent of
the crop
will be sold under contract with the remainder going on the block
in auction
sales
Gibbs Dube | Washington 17 February 2011
Zimbabwe’s
2011 tobacco-selling season has started in Harare amid hopes that
sales will
exceed the projected output of 170 million kilograms.
Tobacco Industry
and Marketing Board executives said at least 60 percent of
the crop will be
sold under contract with the remainder going on the block
in auction
sales.
The executives said they expect the average tobacco price to be
more than
US$3 per kilogram and that it will remain firm until the end of
the selling
season. The average tobacco price last year was
US$228.
The industry executives said tobacco output was boosted by
favorable rains
and funding from Chinese sources which allowed an increase
in hectares
planted.
Output has steadily risen from 58 million kilos
in 2009 to 123 million
kilograms last year amid political and economic
stabilization and the
adoption of a hard currency regime.
Economist
John Robertson cautioned however that despite such gains, Zimbabwe
has far
to go to reclaim production levels seen in the late 1990s.
“Some of the
sellers are coming to the tobacco floors early this year but I
think they
are concerned that the prices might fall later in the season,”
said
Robertson.
More than 60,000 farmers registered with the marketing board
this year, up
from 52,000 in 2010. Sources noted concern chronic power
outages might
compromise crop quality.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
18 February
2011
The arrest and detention of the MDC-T MP for Nyanga North, Douglas
Mwonzora,
has sparked an angry reaction from his party who say it is
politically
motivated.
His court case and that of the other 24 MDC
supporters arrested on Monday
was set to begin at 2pm in Nyanga. But by 6pm
the 24 activists and Mwonzora
were still to appear before the
magistrate.
Mwonzora was arrested outside Parliament on Tuesday for
allegedly
instigating violence during a constituency feedback meeting last
Saturday.
He denies the charges and has instead accused his ZANU PF
opponent, Hurbert
Nyanhongo, of sending his militia to storm his
rally.
Following a standoff between the ZANU PF militia and the MDC
activists, 24
villagers from Mwonzora’s constituency were picked up from
their homes by
ZANU youths and handed over to the police.
The MDC
spokesman for Manicaland province, Pishai Muchauraya, told us on
Friday that
the arrest and delay in bringing Mwonzora to court has shown
ZANU PF was
hell bent on destroying him, because of his boldness in
challenging the
‘rotten’ system of governance in Robert Mugabe’s party.
‘Mwonzora has
jealously guarded the constitution making process against
manipulation by
ZANU PF and for that he has now become a marked man,’
Muchauraya
said.
He added that such harassment should not be allowed in an inclusive
government and questioned why senior police and military officers have been
assigned to deal with the case.
‘There is a senior assistant
commissioner who has travelled from Harare to
be in Nyanga to lead the case.
This shows there is something sinister about
his arrest and continued
detention,’ Muchauraya added.
Muchauraya, who is the MP for Makoni South,
also told the police to stop
‘chasing shadows’ and concentrate on the
business of non-partisan policing,
warning that members of the MDC-T would
not succumb to harassment and
intimidation.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
18 February
2011
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has come under attack this week by the
state
media, after announcing he was ordering a probe into the missing
millions
from diamond sales.
Biti said on Tuesday that over US$100
million generated from recent diamond
sales has not been accounted for and
that an official investigation would be
launched. But on Thursday the Herald
newspaper said the Minister “does not
have the authority” to order such a
probe, also accusing him of lying about
the missing money.
The
Herald’s report quoted unnamed government ‘officials’ who said Biti was
“over-stepping his bounds,” and acting like a “super minister.” This
‘official’ also told the Herald that Biti “knows very well that the diamond
money is there.” The Herald went on to quote the same ‘official’, who
accused Biti of ‘stalling’ on rolling out increased wages for civil servants
to “create the impression that the money for an increment was not there.”
The newspaper reported that this was part of an MDC-T election campaign, and
that Biti was blocking Robert Mugabe from using the diamond dividends to
increase state employee wages.
Civil servants have been at
loggerheads with the government over low wages,
and Biti has insisted that
the government does not have the extra money to
significantly increase their
salaries. This forms part of the reason for the
investigation into the
missing diamond money, because the revenue is vital
for the government to
rebuild the country.
Robert Mugabe last month said he would pay civil
servants their desired
wages by using the diamond wealth and the Herald is
now reporting that Biti
is ordering a probe to prevent this
happening.
Biti was unavailable for comment on Friday, but former
diplomat and
political commentator Clifford Mashiri told SW Radio Africa
that the Finance
Minister is being “blackmailed” by ZANU PF over the civil
servants wage
debate. He said ZANU PF “is trying to discredit Biti for
political reasons.”
“Biti as Finance Minister needs to ensure the diamond
sales are transparent
and that the money entering and leaving the state
coffers is done in a
transparent and accountable way. It is well within his
power to order an
audit to ensure this,” Mashiri said.
Mashiri said
there was no good reason for the Herald to be criticising the
finance
minister in this regard, and agreed that this was a result of panic
that an
audit will uncover ZANU PF involvement in the missing diamond money.
He also
added that if the Herald is contradicting Biti’s claims that the
money is
missing, they should immediately report where the money actually
is.
Biti’s announcement of an impending investigation came the day
before
Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said that Zimbabwe will
proceed
with plans to take majority stakes in foreign-owned diamond mines at
the
Chiadzwa diamond fields.
"Cabinet will meet next week Tuesday to
decide on action to take on
foreign-owned companies that fail to meet
requirements to cede majority
ownership to locals," Kasukuwere told the
Reuters news agency.
Kasukuwere however said that a Chinese firm, Anjin which
owns one of the
Chiadzwa mines, will be exempt from this takeover. He said:
"We have
companies that are already on the ground and have agreed to partner
with us.
We will respect the conditions offered to such
companies."
Commentators said this week that this clearly shows how
Kasukuwere’s claims
of indigenisation have nothing to do with real
empowerment, if certain
foreign owned firms are exempt. The head of the
Chinese firm that finances
Anjin is reportedly a known friend of top ZANU PF
cronies and recently
received a military welcome from General Constantine
Chiwenga. According to
human rights group, Partnership Africa Canada, this
same Chinese firm also
has a history of dealing with despotic regimes,
including business interests
in Myanmar.
http://www.radiovop.com
18/02/2011 11:02:00
Harare, February
18, 2011 – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will this
weekend embark on a
tour of Matabeleland South where he will meet
traditional leaders and hold
rallies amid reports that he is laying the
ground for elections in case they
are held this year.
With the emergence of Zapu in Matabeleland,
Tsvangirai is said to be taking
no chances and is determined to ensure that
his Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) gains more ground in the region
which has traditionally
supported his party.
Tsvangirai’s
spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka confirmed that his boss will be
in
Matabeleland at the weekend.
“He will be travelling to Mat South to meet
traditional leaders and hold a
number of rallies. It’s not that he is
campaigning but it’s his routine to
meet the people. He is always with the
people and that is why he will be in
Matabeleland. From there, he will go to
every province,” said Tamborinyoka.
Tsvangirai is also said to be keen to
meet MDC leaders in Matabeleland South
to ensure that they do not fight for
positions in the party ahead of the
congress which is due in May. There has
been serious jostling for positions
in the party as it emerges that the
organising secretary Elias Mudzuri is
facing defeat.
Radio VOP
understands that Mudzuri has become unpopular with virtually all
the
provinces and is said to be leaning on Tsvangirai to save
him.
“Matabeleland is a key region in terms of votes for Tsvangirai and
he has to
go there on a regular basis to remind the people that he has not
forgotten
them. At MDC we feel that the Matabeleland vote is key and that is
why the
President has to attend to the needs of the people
there.
“There have also been reports of infighting among the people in
Matabeleland
over posts ahead of the congress and the President will also
deal with that
issue. During the 2008 elections we were divided in the
Midlands and it was
costly as the late Patrick Kombayi fielded his own MDC
candidates.
“We also lost about 10 seats in the Midlands because if you
add the votes in
each constituency where we had two candidates, we could
have easily won,”
said a top MDC official.
http://www.radiovop.com
18/02/2011 10:58:00
Bulawayo, February 18 2011 - Thabitha
Khumalo, one the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T) representative in
the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee (JOMIC), said the
committee has been rendered
useless because there are no laws to implement
its resolutions.
JOMIC is a principal body formed in January 2009 between
three political
parties namely Zanu (PF), MDC-T, the smaller faction of the
MDC in the
coalition government to deal with the issues of compliance and
monitoring of
the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The parties agreed to
channel all
complaints, grievances, concerns and issues relating to
compliance with the
GPA through JOMIC.
Addressing members of the
civic society at a meeting organised here by the
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights (ZLHR) on Thursday evening, Khumalo said
JOMIC was just a toothless
dog and no one respects it.
“I really agree with people who call our
committee a toothless dog because
we have no powers. We need laws which give
us authority as JOMIC to punish a
party which would have undermined the
GPA.
“We have been writing letters to political parties and to some
government
Ministries to comply with our resolutions which we made as JOMIC
but they
just throw them away, because they know we can’t do anything,” said
Khumalo.
Khumalo also said some people even chase JOMIC members away from
their
offices and they can not do anything.
Last week JOMIC said it
will set up a 24 hour political violence hotline as
it moves to curb rising
incidences of political violence in Harare and its
surrounding
areas.
The meeting was also attended by Zanu (PF)’s Harare chairperson
Amos Midzi,
MDC-T‘s provincial chairman Morgan Femai and Chris Monera of
MDC.
Khumalo said JOMIC will next week on Monday meet and brief the South
African
mediation team on political violence in the country.
http://www.financialgazette.co.zw
Friday, 18 February 2011 13:33
Councillors
refuse to appear before disciplinary panel
Clemence Manyukwe, Political
Editor
LOCAL Government, Urban and Rural Development Min-ister,
Ignatius Chombo, is
under pressure after suspended Harare councillors
refused to appear before
his disciplinary panel citing conflict of interest
and new graft allegations
against him, in a week other city fathers
countrywide have threatened court
action over the matter. Last December,
Chombo, who is also ZANU-PF’s
politburo member, suspended the chairperson of
a Harare council special
investigating committee, Warship Du-mba, and
committee member, Casper
Takura, on allegations of gross mismanagement of
council funds.
This was months after they had released a report that alleging
the minister
had entered into corrupt land deals with the previous city
fathers.
The minister followed the suspension by issuing summons to Dumba and
Takura
to appear before an investigating panel, but the two have since
declined —
through a letter addressed to the minister — citing conflict of
interest.
They also allege that their suspensions were effected after they
had
unearthed more graft allegations against the minister, which they were
about
to table before council in December last year.
On Tuesday, the
Elected Councillors Association of Zimbabwe (ECAZ) chipped
in with a
petition to Chombo, saying the organisation is deeply concerned
with the
manner in which the minister reacted to charges against him.
The association
demanded that the minister should re-instate all councillors
that he has
suspended so far and appoint an independent panel to deal with
their cases,
in place of his alleged subordinates who have handled some of
the
cases.
“In the event that you do not take this seriously, we shall be left
with no
option except to approach the High Court through our lawyers and
have all
your decisions nullified and payments reversed for the benefit of
rate-payers.
“We also seek to engage the principals with our documentary
evidence to the
effect that you deprived residents of land that could have
accommodated at
least 42 000 families on the housing list,” said the
association in a letter
copied to the offices of the President and Prime
Minister; the Parliamentary
Committee on Local Govern-ment and graft
watchdog, Transparency
International among others.
“We strongly believe
that dishonesty and corruption by any individual or
company destroys and
compromises service delivery.”
In separate letters dated January 24 and
February 4 addressed to Chombo
notifying him of the need to appoint an
independent panel of financial
experts, or better still professional
auditors to deal with allegations
against him and Takura, Dumba told the
minister that their suspension two
months ago appear to be a ploy to
pre-empt new graft charges the committee
had une-arthed against
him.
Dumba also expressed concern that the minister had not responded to
demands
of setting up an independent panel, a development that he alleged
raises
fears that the investigation is not aimed at upholding the principles
of
natural justice, but a window dressing exercise to effect a
pre-determined
decision.
“Before your letter of suspension, the committee
which I chair had completed
yet another land scam in which you fraudulently
sold council land to Mr
Chimeri without you having title to. In the same
report you converted
rentals into purchase price on a suspected forged lease
agreement. By so
doing we feel your letters of suspensions were a ploy to
stop such an
investigation although it is unfortunate that we had already
completed the
exercise. In the last report, the committee discovered that
you acquired a
capital Gain Clearance Certificate with neither the agreement
of sale nor
the title deeds of the said property,” wrote Dumba to
Chombo.
He charged that he was surprised that the minister was prepared to
blow more
than US$40 000 as payments to members of the panel to settle a
matter that
he alleges resulted in residents being prejudiced
US$600.
Although the minister could not immediately be reached for comment,
he has
previously told The Financial Gazette that even though he accepted to
work
with MDC-T councillors after their party defeated ZANU-PF in urban
council
elections, they have a political axe to grind against him and as
such they
continue framing him.
The minister added that in his work, he
has always abided by the Urban
Councils Act that he described as his
Bible.
“We must not play hide-and-seek on matters that are national.
“But
again I do not expect the MDC-T to like me because I trounced their
candidate in Zvimba during the elections,” said Chombo.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
18
February
Twenty four percent of adults living in urban centres are now
using the
internet, according to the latest Zimbabwe All Media Products and
Services
Survey (ZAMPS). The figure represents a 2 percent increase in the
last 3
months alone.
Most people are accessing the internet from
internet cafes, some have access
at their work places and at home, and
around 2 percent are using mobile
broadband. The power of new social
networking tools like Facebook also came
to the fore, with the research
showing this website to be the most popular
among Zimbabweans. Around 83
percent of internet users go online at least
once a week or more.
The
survey showed that overall there has been a nine per cent growth in
readership of all newspapers. The recently set up NewsDay for example
captured 23 percent of the market share. The Zimbabwean and its sister
paper, the Zimbabwean on Sunday (surveyed as one paper), achieved a seven
per cent market penetration. The survey recorded readership and not
newspaper purchases.
The ZAMPS survey also exposed how ZANU PF
propaganda is backfiring
spectacularly. Viewership of the ZANU PF controlled
Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation TV channels slumped significantly. For
example only 24 percent
of the population now watches ZBC TV, down from 38
percent in 2008. And
listenership of the state owned radio channels slumped
to a new low.
As expected the survey showed the tremendous growth in the
use of mobile
phones. The number of people using mobiles in the urban
centres increased to
86 percent, up from 82 percent. This is good news as it
will allow a growing
uptake of mobile broadband, providing increased access
to alternative news
and information via the internet.
As the protests
in Egypt and Tunisia have shown, the internet is crucial for
people living
under oppressive regimes. With Facebook already the most
popular site,
networking of activists can only be made easier.
http://www.radiovop.com
18/02/2011
11:01:00
Harare - At President Robert Mugabe's age any ailment is
bound to attract a
lot of worry. He is in the octogenarian league, the
Nelson Mandela club if
you like. This is a club of people generally
considered to be enjoying the
twilight zone of life. For Mugabe, it is
actually a blessing as his
country's life expectancy is conservatively put
at below 40.
Going by these statistics President Robert Mugabe who turns
87 next week has
had a full circle of life. Any ailment at his age should
surely elicit an
emotional feeling of worry among the citizens of
Zimbabwe.
For the first time, an official government statement has been
issued
concerning the health of the Head of State. For years Mugabe’s health
has
remained a closely guarded secret but last Sunday his spokesperson
George
Charamba felt compelled to update the nation for the first time on
the state
of his health. Whether this a genuine act of being duty bound is
another
matter but the fact that he did so for the first time is surely
quite
revealing as it comes barely a few weeks after the international media
jerked the world to the news that the veteran leader was apparently not in
the best health condition.
Charamba told a local state owned weekly
newspaper that Mugabe had gone to
Singapore for a medical review after
undergoing a cataract operation there
last month. This was despite the fact
that Mugabe had dismissed reports of
the surgery as “naked lies.”
A
cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects sight, normally
in older people, and can lead to blindness.
The state of health of a
head of state anywhere in the world is a subject of
public interest. During
the United States presidential election campaign,
John McCain fainted and
his credentials as a possible future president was
brought in the
spotlight.
In Nigeria the country was in 2009 left guessing on what
exactly was
afflicting their late President Umaru Yar'Adua's. For long he
made
unexplained trips between Lagos and Saudi Arabia for “medical review.”
At
one point he came back home at midnight in a hospital
bed.
Nigerians were left asking what the president suffering from and who
was in
charge of the country’s affairs. The concerns were based on whether
the
President was suffering from a life threatening condition that makes it
impossible for him to discharge his official duties effectively as his wife
rather than he was handling government communication between him and his
ministers.
These are probably the same questions that many
Zimbabweans are asking
themselves right now.
President Mugabe has
been to the Far East twice in a space of about a month
for “medical review.”
Government business has been stalled as the cabinet
met only once since
business resumed in 2011. Mugabe chairs cabinet and
although one of his vice
presidents can do the job, cabinet business usually
comes to a halt whenever
he is not around.
His health has for long been a closely guarded secret
but his ailments have
been quite telling in recent times. His age is clearly
forcing his physical
being to give in although he remains largely in charge
of his mental
faculties. Last year pictures of him struggling to negotiate
stairs at an
African Union (AU) Summit in Uganda set tongues
wagging.
In previous years such pictures have also been a common feature
in
international news. In 2008 he was captured struggling to climb up steep
slopes at Gideon Gono’s Norton Farm. On that occasion he needed a helping
hand from Swaziland’s King Mswati. Again at a rally in Shamva in 2008, a
picture of his swollen right leg also created debate among
Zimbabweans.
If Zimbabweans had their way they would have asked Mugabe to
now step aside
for the sake of his own health.
Mugabe is an avid
sports person who takes a 30 minute jog every morning to
keep fit and plays
a bit of tennis. It
is also believed that he eats selectively, taking largely
a variety of
traditional foods and Chinese tea. He rarely eats at public
gatherings and
on occasions that he does he is usually seen taking moderated
sips of fruit
juices.
In most parts of the world the health of a
sitting president is not an easy
subject to unravel. In most of the cases
they just die in power. In the
United States Woodrow Wilson was
incapacitated for 280 days and during that
time his wife communicated to
government officials from his bedside. Dwight
Eisen-hower was incapacitated
for 143 days by his first heart attack and
later suffered a stroke. Ronald
Reagan was incapacitated for 20 hours while
undergoing surgery after
suffering a gunshot wound in 1981.
There is a feeling among Zimbabweans
that Mugabe’s health should be public
knowledge because the nation’s fate is
in his hands. However for some it’s
much embarrassing that the president is
being flown thousands of miles to
the Far East for treatment when there are
many specialists around like
renowned eye surgeon, Dr Solomon Guramatunhu.
http://en.rsf.org
Reporters without
Borders
Published on Friday 18
February 2011.
Robert Mugabe will turn 87 on 21 February. Appointed
prime minister in 1980,
he stepped up to presidential throne seven years
later. Since then no one
has been able to get him to step down. Independent
Zimbabwe, the former
Southern Rhodesia, has been subject to his dictate for
24 years. And
journalists have had to behave themselves!
“The old
man,” as he is known in Harare, is expected to celebrate his
birthday with
the usually pomp. While his people go hungry, he gorges
himself. There are
few reasons for partying in Zimbabwe. Hyperinflation,
food shortages,
unemployment, a devastating AIDS epidemic. The time when
Zimbabwe was
southern Africa’s breadbasket is long gone. No matter. Monday
is his
birthday. Like a boy, that’s all he can think about right now.
While the
state-owned press just talks about the president’s birthday,
independent
newspapers continue to be gagged. They try to cover human rights
issues and
the country’s economic and social situation, but they are exposed
to serious
reprisals.
Repressive legislation, state control of public media,
harassment of the
privately-owned press, physical attacks on freelance
photographers,
arbitrary arrests, illegal detention, systematic persecution
of human rights
activists and heavy-handed interrogation by the Central
Intelligence
Organization – these are the ingredients of censorship and
suppression of
free speech in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe is one of the world’s
oldest heads of state, on a par with Saudi
Arabia’s King Abdullah bin
Abdelaziz Al Saud and Singaporean President
Sellapan Ramanathan, two other
champions of press freedom.
Not everyone is living so comfortably at 87.
Take the example of 87-year-old
Chinese activist and journalist Sun Shucai.
A refugee in Bangkok since
November 2006, registered with UNHCR, in
possession of a documenting saying
he had requested UN protection, he was
nonetheless arrested by the Thai
authorities last December and has been in
an immigration detention centre
ever since.
Happy Birthday, Mr.
Predator. You caused your country to plummet in the
press freedom index our
organization publishes every year and now it is in
the bottom third. Thanks
to the money your First Lady makes from diamond
trafficking and the fortune
you have stolen from the people, no one doubts
that your party will be a
lavish one. Meanwhile, your people will have to
grit their
teeth.
http://www.learnshona.com
The following is
part of a series of Shona lessons provided by http://www.learnshona.com. The
audio versions are available at learnshona.com. Please note that learnShona.com courses are
designed to teach you by listening and repeating the words, as this is similar
to the highly effective and proven Pimsleur technique. As such, it will be more difficult, and much
slower, to grasp by reading alone. We recommend downloading the audio course to
listen and repeat.
We welcome your
feedback and hope that you find this useful.
http://www.learnshona.com
This week’s lesson is about discussing family.
The read (listen) and repeat formula is designed to increase your intuitive understanding of Shona sentence structures.
Comparatives/Superlatives relating to Family and Age
Young younger - mudiki, mudiki pane…….
Younger brother - hanzvadzi diki
Younger sister - munin’ina (for a female)
I have one younger brother and two younger sisters - ndine hanzvadzi diki imwe
nevanin’ina vaviri
Old, older - mukuru ,mukuru pane…..
Older brother - hanzvadzi huru
Older sister - mukoma(for a female)
I have one older brother and two older sisters - ndine hanzvadzi huru imwe
nevakoma vaviri
Youngest - mudiki pane vose
I am the youngest - ndiri mudiki pane vose
She is the youngest - iye ndiye mudiki pane vose
Oldest - mukuru pane vose
I am the oldest - ini ndini mukuru pane vose
Older than - mukuru kuna
My sister is older than me - mukoma wangu mukuru kwandiri
Years makore
She is two years older than me - mukuru kwandiri nemakore maviri
I am one year older than him - ndiri mukuru kwaari negore rimwe.
Possessives
Their -avo
Names (plural) - mazita
What are their names - mazita avo ndivanaani?
My young brother’s name is - Tendai Hanzvadzi yangu diki inonzi Tendai
His name is Tendai Zita - rake ndiTendai
My older brother’s name is Dan - Hanzvadzi yangu huru inonzi Dan
My younger sister’s name is Sekai - Munin’ina wangu anonzi Sekai
My older sister’s name is Maria - Mukoma wangu anonzi Maria
Likes/Dislikes (Zvaunoda/Zvausingadi)
Food - zvokudya
To like - kufarira
What is your favorite food? (The food that you like is what?) - Unofarira kudya chii?
My favorite food (The food that l like )is - zvokudya zvandinofarira i…….
Drink - zvinwiwa
What’s your favorite drink? - Unofarira kunwa chii?
What’s her favorite drink? - Anofarira kunwa chii?
What do you not like - Chii chausingafariri?
Languages (Mitauro)
Shona - Chishona
Ndebele - ChiNdevere
English - ChiRungu
French - ChiFrench
Spanish - ChiSpanish
To Speak (Kutaura)
I speak - Ndinotaura
I speak English and French well - Ndinotaura ChiRungu neChiFrench
zvakanaka
You speak Shona - very well Unotaura Chishona zvakanaka chaizvo
He/she speaks - Anotaura
You speak - Unotaura
We speak - Tinotaura
They speak - Vanotaura