Bvute vows to revive Air Zimbabwe

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

23/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

NEWLY appointed Air Zimbabwe board chairman, Ozias Bvute, has vowed to
turnaround the airline which teeters on the brink of collapse, weighed down
by a host of operational problems, including huge debts and an ageing fleet.

The banker and former Zimbabwe Cricket managing director was confirmed as
the new Air Zimbabwe board chairman by Transport Minister Nicholas Goche on
Friday.

“The board is going to lead and supervise an institution that is limping but
we hope they will slowly enhance operations of the airline,” Goche said.

“Plans are afoot that the airline increases its operations despite limited
financial resources. “The fact we do not have finances does not mean the
airline should not fly.

“We hope the airline will resume domestic operations. We have plans to
resume flights on the Victoria Falls-Johannesburg route and I have no doubt
they are up to the task.”

Bvute said his new team was committed to reviving an airline that is
currently only offering a limited domestic service having been forced to
pull out of international routes after restive creditors seized its aircraft
in South Africa and the United Kingdom.

“We are up to the challenge and we look forward to working with the
management to ensure the national airline becomes a national pride,” he
said.

“We are going to give it our best shot and will find all means necessary
such that we do our utmost best.”
Transport ministry permanent secretary, Munesu Munodawafa, recently told
Parliament that Air Zimbabwe’s debt had increased to US$188 million from
about US$140 million last year as the company defaults on payments and also
picks up new bills from service providers.

Munodawafa said at least US$30 million of the debt was foreign obligations
which needed to be paid for Air Zimbabwe tom resume international flights
after pulling out on the London route in December 2011 when creditors seized
its aircraft.

“In order for the airline to resume operations in earnest, it would be ideal
that the external debt be serviced first in order to have access to regional
and international routes,” said Munodawafa.

“Last year, we received US$8,5 million from Treasury that we used to pay
part of our regional external debt, hence we have been able to resume the
flights to destinations like Johannesburg in South Africa.”

Acting chief executive officer Innocent Mavhunga also said most of the
airline’s fleet had recently been grounded over safety concerns with most of
the planes feared to be too old to fly.

Air Zimbabwe operates two Boeing aircraft, a B737-200 ER and a B737-200 Adv,
servicing domestic and one regional route while the three MA-60 turbo props
acquired from China in 2005 are understood to have long been taken out of
service.

Munodawafa also said the huge debts and ageing fleet had made it difficult
to bring strategic investment into Air Zimbabwe.
“The other problem with potential investors is that there is a mismatch
between the Air Zimbabwe fleet and its staff complement,” he said.

“The fleet is old and now expensive to run; while there have been travel
warnings against Zimbabwe by the West. As it stands, the size and value of
Air Zimbabwe would make it difficult for a strategic partner to re-coup
investment.”

The government has since leased two Airbus aircraft to add to the fleet and
management said these would be used on regional routes beginning April this
year.

“It costs US$410,000 a month to lease the two planes (but they) are not yet
flying as we have not fully registered them with the Civil Aviation
Authority of Zimbabwe,” Mavhunga said.

Dry weekend for Harare

http://www.herald.co.zw

Saturday, 23 February 2013 00:00

Evelene Taadira Herald Reporter

All Harare suburbs will be without water this weekend following the shut
down of Morton Jaffray Water Works and Warren Control Pump Station for
repairs that was announced yesterday. City authorities said

the shutdown would affect the whole city and water supplies would be
expected to return to normal after the weekend.

Harare City Council said in a statement that the shutdown was a result of
repairs of leakages on the transmission mains from Morton Jaffray to Warren
Control Pump Station and maintenance of the pumping plant at Warren Control.

It is estimated that 60 percent of council’s treated water is being lost
through leakages, thereby leading to extreme water shortages in the city and
disease outbreaks.

ZEC to print 12 million ballot papers

http://www.herald.co.zw

Friday, 22 February 2013 16:42

ZEC acting chairperson-commissioner Joyce Kazembe explains the ballot paper
design and form that is to be used for the referendum in Harare today

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission will print 12 million ballots for the
Constitution referendum to be held on March 16. ZEC presented copies of the
ballot paper to stakeholders and members of the public for inspection at
their offices in Harare thsi afternoon.

Over 9 000 polling stations are also going to be used during the referendum.
Acting ZEC chairperson Mrs Joyce Kazembe said the decision to print 12
million ballots was brought about by the manner in which the referendum is
going to be conducted.

She however allayed fears that there could be manipulation of the vote.
'We had wanted to use the voters' roll to run the referendum to ensure
control but we were told that we should stick to what the law says.

"As you know the Referendum Act says anyone with a national identity card
and over 18 is allowed to vote so we decided that 12 million ballots would
ensure that ballots do not run out during elections.

She said since people would be allowed to vote anywhere in the country, ZEC
had also decided to increase teh number of ballots normally allocated to a
polling station to cater for any increases that might occur.

Women Urged to Vote Yes in Zimbabwe Constitution Referendum

http://www.voazimbabwe.com

The discussion was held in honour of Rosa Parks, who was a key figure in the
movement to secure civil rights for African Americans

Sithandekile Mhlanga
22.02.2013

WASHINGTON — Women activists are urging Zimbabweans to vote “yes” in the
upcoming constitutional referendum as a means of unlocking the political
deadlock in the country, ending the economic crisis and promoting the rights
of women.

The activists, who were speaking in Harare at an event organized by the
United States Embassy in the capital city to commemorate Black History
Month, called for a yes vote to the draft constitution.

Former liberation war fighter and one of the first women to form a political
party in Zimbabwe, Margaret Dongo, said Zimbabweans should unite and end
what she called the four-year political stalemate that exists in the
country.

Chairperson of the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, Netsai Mushonga, said her
organisation was lobbying women to vote yes for the constitution because for
the first time since independence the draft constitution promotes the rights
of women.

Mushonga said the draft charter includes certain provisions for women that
have not appeared in previous drafts or the Lancaster Constitution.

The discussion was held in honour of Rosa Parks, a black American woman who
was a key figure in the movement to secure civil rights for African
Americans.

Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, as was the
law in the U-S state of Alabama at the time. Her arrest sparked a successful
bus boycott and other non-violent actions that changed laws across the
American south in the 1950s and 60s.

Zimbabwe’s referendum is set for March 16 and national elections are then
expected later in the year.

In the draft charter, fundamental human rights and freedoms are detailed in
part 2 of Chapter 4 of the document. Specifically, Section 58, titled
“Freedom of assembly and association” states: “Every person has the right to
freedom of assembly and association, and the right not to assemble or
associate with others.”

The document further states: “No person may be compelled to belong to an
association or to attend a meeting or gathering.”

As a number of civil society organizations in Zimbabwe are being challenged
by the police for holding public meetings the police say are illegal, Effie
Dlela-Ncube, chairman of the National Association of Non-Governmental
Organizations (NANGO), said this provision of the draft constitution should
protect the rights of civil society groups and others whose meetings are
broken up.

For details, check out the full draft constitution or our constitution at a
glance. Both documents can be downloaded from our website,
www.voazimbabwe.com. Here is the link:
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/info/constitutional-referendum-2013/3768.html

Manicaland Governor Mushowe fingered in food aid politicisation

http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/manicaland-governor-mushowe-fingered-food-aid-politicisation/23022013

FEB 23, 2013

Via CiZC mailing: The Manicaland Governor and aspiring Zanu-PF MP for
Marange, Mutare West Constituency, Chris Mushowe, has been allegedly
fingered in a scandal involving politicization of food aid.

According to Chiadzwa Community Development Trust (CCDT), the government
mining corporate investor Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC)
donated 137 tonnes of mealie-meal on February 8, 2013, which reportedly did
not reach deserving beneficiaries.

Apart from the mealie-meal, the donation included 260 tonnes of fertilizer
and 60 bicycles.

The Crisis Report Team spoke to Mrs. Melanie Chiponda of Marange, the
pro-ject coordinator for CCDT, a local non-governmental organisation, who
con-firmed the scandal.

It has not yet been confirmed that Mushowe was not acting under instruction,
as ZMDC has been accused of not remitting diamond money from Marange to
government coffers.

According to Finance Minister Tendai Biti, Government coffers were reported
to be having as little as US$ 217 as bank balance.

The government mining investor ZMDC is suspected to be sponsoring ZANU-PF’s
patronage projects, including the Presidential Inputs Scheme.

“The biggest mystery however is the whereabouts of 160 tonnes of fertiliser
and 62 tonnes of mealie meal donated by ZMDC.

“The community only received 80 tonnes of fertiliser out of 260 tonnes and
75 tonnes of mealie meal out of 137 tonnes donated,” said Chiponda.

In a suspected case of discrimination and politicization of food hand outs,
it is alleged Mushowe gave the acting Chief Marange’s Ward 10, 15
extra-tonnes of mealie-meal in a bid to patronize the traditional leader and
his subjects for votes.

Mushowe lost his bid to represent Marange, Mutare West Constituency, in the
House of Assembly in the last harmonized elections in 2008 and is reportedly
seeking a comeback in the forthcoming elections expected in 2013.

Queried over the uneven distribution, Mushowe is said to have cynically
directed the unhappy Marange folks to sitting MDC-T MP Hon. Mudiwa for the
area, who beat him in the last elections in 2008.

Mushowe could not be reached for comment.

The ZMDC owns a stake in Marange diamond mining activities, and is also
involved in the mining of other minerals such as gold and emerald and was
established by an Act of Parliament No. 31 of 1982, to engage in mining
ventures on behalf of the government.

Chiponda pleaded with the Government to investigate the alleged “mystery” of
the whereabouts of the missing 160 tonnes of fertilizer and 62 tonnes of
mealie meal donated by ZMDC.

The aid was reportedly earmarked to benefit 12 wards in Marange and each
ward was supposed to receive about 11, 4 tonnes of mealie meal and 21, 5
tonnes of fertilizer, but received just 5 tonnes of each commodity.

“The mining of diamonds in Marange affected everyone and not a single
political party, thus when donations are given to the community they should
benefit everyone,” complained Chiponda.

According to the latest Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC)
report 15 percent (209,364 households) in Manicaland are dire need of urgent
food aid.

Pressure mounts on Tsvangirai

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

Staff Reporter 4 hours 20 minutes ago

PRESSURE is mounting on the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) to get
its act together ahead of polls slated for July this year after latest
findings by a local research institute put the labour-backed party behind
ZANU-PF in the race to win the next plebiscite.
The Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI), chaired by University of Zimbabwe
political scientist Eldred Masunungure, is the latest in a string of
respected pollsters to paint a sombre picture over the likelihood of the
MDC-T causing an upset against ZANU-PF at the next polls after Freedom House
and Afrobarometer predicted the same last year.
According to the results of the MPOI survey that analysed the voting
patterns in the country’s 10 provinces last November, if elections were held
soon, ZANU-PF would get 33 percent of the vote, MDC-T would get 32 percent
and the MDC led by Industry and Commerce Minister, Welshman Ncube would get
one percent of the vote.
The other political parties, ZAPU led by Dumiso Dabengwa,
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn led by Simba Makoni and the smaller MDC formation led by
Arthur Mutambara, would not get any meaningful votes.
Stephen Ndoma, the MPOI principal researcher, said the survey results
suggest that the forthcoming parliamentary elections would be a closely
fought battle between ZANU-PF and the MDC-T.
Thirty-three percent of the respondents said they would vote for a ZANU-PF
candidate, while 32 percent indicated they would vote for an MDC-T
candidate.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T spokesperson, however said there was no need for
alarm over the recent MPOI findings, as the gap between ZANU-PF and MDC-T
was minute.
“The difference between the number of MDC-T and ZANU-PF supporters is not
significant and we are encouraged by those results. We are winning these
upcoming elections; there are no two ways about it,” said Mwonzora.
He indicated that an additional 20 percent of the respondents had refused to
declare their political allegiance, and could well turn out to be MDC-T
supporters who did not want to declare their voting patterns.
The disgruntlement in the MDC-T over the conduct of primary elections,
alleged in-fighting and Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai’s
flip-flopping over policy issues and the love scandals that have dogged him
in the past year are seen as the reasons behind the party’s dip in political
fortunes.
Hardliners in the MDC-T also believe PM Tsvangirai has become too
comfortable with President Robert Mugabe in the coalition government, hence
his concessions on a host of other major issues such as agreeing to tinker
with the Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee’s constitutional draft,
the unilateral pronouncement of the date for the referendum as well as this
week’s appointment of ZANU-PF stalwart, Jacob Mudeda, to replace Reginald
Austin as the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission.
Supporters of the Ncube-led MDC said the MPOI findings were a severe
indictment against the party which has been criss-crossing the length and
breadth of the three Matabeleland provinces each week, in an attempt to
bolster its support base.
Political analyst, Dumisani Nkomo, said the findings had their own
limitations as expected with any survey.
“One needs to look at the patterns of support in terms of the geographical
space and in terms of where the different political parties are strong. The
margin of error may be large depending on those variables and factors”, said
Nkomo.
Nhlanhla Dube, the MDC national spokesperson, dismissed the findings as
unreliable and said his party would continue its mobilisation programmes
ahead of the harmonised polls in July.
“In a democracy anyone is allowed to publish anything to their desire and we
protect their right to do that but their results are not anywhere close to
reflecting the truth on the ground,” said Dube.
The MDC this week hardened its stance against rumours of a possible alliance
with the MDC-T, saying it would not repeat the 2008 attempt at an election
pact.
“History shows that we have tried this route before. History also records
that we went on a limb in attempting to find common ground with the MDC-T in
2008. History further remembers that we came out of that attempt the worse
for wear, hence to us that was a lesson well learnt”, it said in a
statement.
The MDC-T, born out of the labour unions and student unions in 1999, has
been unsuccessful in its attempt to dislodge President Mugabe from power,
narrowly winning in the first round of voting in the March 2008 harmonised
Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The MDC-T pulled out of the June run-off in the same year, on grounds that
200 of its supporters had been killed by ZANU-PF supporters.
Political observers say the slide in the MDC-T’s fortune came with the party’s
involvement in the unity government formed in February 2009.
Its weaknesses were greatly exposed, as several of its Members of Parliament
were fingered in corruption allegations over embezzlement of the US$50 000
payouts under the Constituency Development Funds.
Furthermore, the jury has been out on the inability of the MDC-T to slam the
brakes on ZANU-PF’s belligerence, reflected by President Mugabe’s continued
unilateral appointment of key individuals into the structures of the State.
The premier’s personal sex life which spilled over into the public arena
last year, saw him lose critical moral standing from women rights groups and
civic society campaigners with murmurs of a push for the MDC-T strongman to
resign after the infamous revelations of his chaotic love life. - Fingaz

ZANU-PF scoffs at Khama

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

Ray Ndlovu 4 hours 23 minutes ago

ZANU-PF has dismissed suggestions by Botswana President, Ian Khama that the
country’s next election would not be free and fair and could be marked by an
outbreak of violence and intimidation perpetrated by the party’s agent
provocateurs.
In an interview with a South African newspaper last week, Khama said, “All I
can say right now is that I hope there will be a credible election in
Zimbabwe.…The reason I say ‘hope’ is because all the people who were
involved in the brutality and intimidation that took place back then are
still there today. I have not seen any evidence that they have changed their
attitude towards trying to ensure that ZANU-PF will emerge victorious.”
“So I think that they are still capable of trying to engage in intimidation,
deploying the security services to bring that about …telling the people in
the security services how they should vote. The potential for that is still
there,” he added.
Khama remains President Robert Mugabe’s fiercest critic in the Southern
African Development Community and shot to notoriety when in the first weeks
of his presidency in April 2008, he condemned ZANU-PF for its bloody
campaign against opposition supporters.
In turn, President Mugabe’s lieutenants in ZANU-PF claimed that Khama was
sponsoring and training Movement for Democratic Change members linked to
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to topple the incumbent, heightening
diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.
Until now, ZANU-PF has been unable to substantiate its claims against the
Khama administration of seeking a regime change agenda in Zimbabwe.
Rugare Gumbo, the ZANU-PF national spokesperson this week said: “It is his
(Khama) opinion and he is entitled to it. Albeit, the situation on the
ground reflects a much more different situation as the people of Zimbabwe
are enlightened about what they want. We have seen this through the setting
of the date for (a constitutional)referendum on March 16, an indication that
the people of Zimbabwe are united and want a free and fair election”.
He added: “The harmonised elections will be done in a peaceful manner, we
have seen all the principals in the unity government persistently making
calls for peace and that is a welcome development as we move to shun
violence and intimidation”.
Political commentator, Trevor Maisiri, said Khama’s statements reflected the
conventional way of looking at Zimbabwe during elections.
He said there was nothing on the ground that seems to indicate that all
possible reforms would be complete before an election is held in June or
July.
“His (Khama) take is very much based on observing the slow pace of reforms
and the lack of political will on implementing reforms. However, unless
there is urgency and political will in implementing the pre-requisite
reforms before the supposed July election, there are likely to be loopholes
in the electoral process,” said Maisiri.
On Tuesday, police continued with their spate of raids against
non-governmental organisations and stormed the Zimbabwe Election Support
Network (ZESN) offices in Belgravia, Harare.
The raid on ZESN has worried political observers who view police
intimidation as a precursor of violence against non-governmental
organisations ahead of the elections.
Police in recent weeks have also raided the Zimbabwe Peace Project and
ZimRights offices on grounds of looking for undisclosed documents. - Fingaz

SA court confirms chopper sale interdict

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

23/02/2013 00:00:00
by SAPA

AN interim court order to stop the proposed delivery of South Africa's fleet
of Alouette III helicopters to the Zimbabwean Air Force was confirmed in the
North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the National Conventional Arms
Control Committee (NCACC) and the Secretary of Defence did not oppose the
granting of a final interdict.

The interdict will stand pending the finalisation of civil rights group
AfriForum's application to review the Sandf’s decision to donate its entire
fleet of unwanted Alouette III helicopters and spares to Zimbabwe. The
review application will be heard in the High Court on 27 March.

In terms of the court order the defence minister was given until 28 February
to deliver a full record of the decision making process to the court.

AfriForum's legal representative Willie Spies said the battle to stop human
rights atrocities in Zimbabwe would continue.
The Alouette helicopters were in service in the SA Air Force for over 40
years but became obsolete with the arrival of a fleet of Italian-made
helicopters procured as part of the controversial arms deal.

The helicopters were used in the Bush War by the then SA Air Force in "hot
pursuit operations".
The former Rhodesian Defence Force also used Alouette helicopters during the
Rhodesian war against Zanla and Zipra forces and the helicopters have been
used in combat by the Zimbabwean Air Force (ZDF) since independence.

Zimbabwe could however not obtain new helicopters or maintain its fleet
because of an arms embargo by France, where the helicopters are
manufactured.

Members of the opposition have expressed concern that the donation of the
helicopters would send out a message that the South African government
condoned the use of force by the ZDF to return President Robert Mugabe to
power in the upcoming elections later this year.

AfriForum maintained in court papers the Sandf was not legally empowered to
make such a decision and that they did not comply with mandatory and
material procedures and conditions prescribed by the National Conventional
Arms Control Act.

The organisation's Kallie Kriel alleged in an affidavit the decision was
materially influenced by an error in law, was taken arbitrarily and
capriciously, was unreasonable and should have been reconsidered in view of
changed circumstances and new developments.

Kriel said AfriForum was "stunned" when information relating to the deal was
received and had no doubt that a rational decision could not have been taken
in terms of prevailing legislation.

"We believe that a transaction in terms of which helicopters and spares
which would surely be used a part of political struggle, and where the
probability exists that human rights of people may be violated, cannot be in
accordance with the policy of government in respect of arms control to
ensure the implementation of legitimate, effective and a transparent control
process," he said.

Mutambara raps banks over EcoCash

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

23/02/2013 00:00:00
by Business Reporter

DEPUTY Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara has slammed banks pressing
for the regulation of Econet Wireless’ mobile banking facility, EcoCash, and
insisted that the government would not stand in the way of business
innovation.

Speaking at an Information communication technology conference, the deputy
premier said the government would not be dragged into purely “innovative”
dispute and challenged the banks to offer counter services instead of
seeking to have the Econet Wireless facility banned.

“In fact in this country EcoCash from Econet is going to be the biggest
bank. When you combine EcoCash and TN Bank they are the biggest bank. I have
seen Stanbic has also come in but some of the banks are trying to use us to
fight EcoCash on their behalf. No we are sorry we cannot do that; we won’t
do that,” he said.

“You cannot fight technology, you have to catch up, and you have to develop
a competing technology. So those banks are saying - why don’t you penalise
EcoCash, they are getting into banking? - that is called disintermediation
where you are getting in there to take the banking function, the payment
function of the banks. We are saying to the banks develop competing products
to EcoCash not to use laws to fight against technology.”

With subscribers said to number more than two million and handling as much
as US$100 million in urban-rural transactions, EcoCash has created waves on
the local market, drawing the ire of traditional banks which have been
pressing authorities to de-register or regulate the platform arguing it is
taking over their banking functions.

Whilst mobile banking is relatively new in the country, exorbitant bank
charges and meagre interest on deposits have seen the EcoCash facility
becoming popular with the transacting public.

In his monetary policy statement Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono said the
central bank will continue to monitor the new development to ensure
compliance with the country’s banking regulations.

But the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe, a body representing banks, has
demanded more stringent action against the platform which also piggybacks on
the Econet Wireless, the country’s largest mobile telecoms company in terms
of subscriber numbers and earnings.

Early this week former BAZ President and Managing director with FBC bank
John Mushayavanhu claimed the platform was excluding other banks, an
allegation denied by EcoCash manager Darlington Mandivenga.

“That is simply not true. We have agreements with most of the banks and we
are currently carrying out physical connections with most of them,” he said.

“We as Econet initiated the process and we are very keen to get it
completed, but it cannot be rushed because it involves accessing bank
accounts. Right now I am expecting three major banks to go live within 10
days, because we are almost complete.”

Mandivenga claimed that CABS was “the only institution which has been
actively trying to fight the EcoCash service” in a bid to protect an
alternative platform with rival mobile phone firm Telecel Zimbabwe.

“As you know, CABS has been working with Zimswitch to launch a service
called Textacash. Since their own customer base is very small compared to
the Econet subscriber base of eight million, they want us to open up our
system, so that they can simply spam any of our customers with text
messages,” he said.

Mandivenga also said the integration deals had been reached between EcoCash
and most banks adding the company expects all banking institutions to be
integrated with the service by the end of March.

"(With integration, customers) can move money their account, and send it to
someone in Zimbabwe even at midnight from China; it is that flexible," he
said.

Windies crush Zimbabwe in first ODI

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

Respectable outing ... Craig Ervine gets the ball past Darren Bravo

23/02/2013 00:00:00 by AFP

West Indies 337 for 4 (Charles 130, Darren Bravo 100*, Powell 79) beatZimbabwe 181 for 9 (Waller 51, Narine 3-28) by 156 runs

JOHNSON Charles blazed a second consecutive century and Darren Bravo made a maiden limited overs ton as the West Indies routed Zimbabwe by 156 runs to win the first one-day international on Friday.

Man of the match Charles hammered 130 and Bravo finished on an even, unbeaten 100 to lead the home side to an imposing 337 for four after being put in by Zimbabwe skipper Brendan Taylor.

While there was nothing like the capacity crowd that would have been hoped for on a day declared a national holiday by the newly-elected government of the island, the fans who turned up on a sunny Caribbean day stayed in a celebratory mood throughout.

The visitors were limited to just 181 for nine in reply, home spinner Sunil Narine leading the bowling effort with three for 28.

Just the sixth West Indian to compile consecutive one-day centuries, Charles, who closed off the series in Australia less than two weeks ago with a maiden hundred, picked up from where he left off, his innings occupying 113 deliveries and decorated with 12 fours and four sixes.

He gave the home side the ideal start in an opening partnership of 168 with Kieran Powell, who contributed 79 before falling to medium-fast bowler Chris Mpofu in the 29th over.

"I like to play my strokes, but my role is to give the team a good start," said Charles. "I must also acknowledge Powell's role in helping us to hit our targets at the start and setting it up for the others to follow."

After a comparatively slow start, Bravo got into his stride by the time he reached the 40s, accelerating following the dismissal of the opening batsman in the 39th over -- near the end of the batting power-play -- to completely dominate the rest of the batting effort.

Andre Russell, promoted up the order, and skipper Dwayne Bravo, leading the team instead of the rested Darren Sammy, fell cheaply.

But Ramnaresh Sarwan did what was required at the end, feeding the younger Bravo most of the strike to allow the classy left-hander to reach a maiden ODI hundred.

"We built pressure and then released it by bowling a boundary ball," admitted Taylor. "Our fielding was fairly sloppy, but we pulled it back a little towards the end when it looked as if they might have gotten up to 350-370."

Faced with such a formidable target, Zimbabwe went off-course from the outset in slipping to 34 for four by the 11th over, although their first casualty could have been avoided had the lbw verdict against Vusi Sibanda been referred to the television umpire as replays showed Kemar Roach's delivery to be missing leg-stump.

If the fast bowler was fortunate to claim that early scalp, there was no questioning his brilliance in the field when a diving effort at long-on accounted for Zimbabwe's other experienced top-order batsman, Hamilton Masakadza, off Narine.

Malcolm Waller (51) and Craig Ervine (41) gave the tourists a modicum of respectability, although the West Indian intensity had noticeably slackened with the match firmly in their grasp after the bowlers' opening burst.

The second and third game in the series take place at the same venue on Sunday and Tuesday.

From Zimbabwe, With Faith

http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/171453/from-zimbabwe-with-faith/

February 19, 2013, 5:00am

By Dave Goldiner

Modreck Maeresera

Modreck Zvakavapano Maeresera comes from the southern African nation of Zimbabwe with a message of shared faith.

A leader of the Lemba group that claims ancient Jewish ancestry, Maeresera is on a monthlong tour of the U.S., meeting with Jewish communal leaders and giving lectures about his community.

“We are all joined together by our faith,” said Maeresera, 38, a married father of two. “That is what joins us together.”

He is hoping to build awareness about the 100,000-strong community and raise funds for a synagogue in Zimbabwe’s rural district of Mberengwa.

After appearances in New York (at the 92nd Street Y), Chicago and Texas, he will speak on Wednesday, February 20 along with Florida International University professor Tudor Parfitt at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU in Miami Beach.

The tour was organized with help from Kulanu, a group that supports isolated Jewish communities worldwide.

“We are told of our history by our oral tradition, which is handed down from generation to generation,” Maeresera said.

Scattered across six separate districts in Zimbabwe’s vast rural hinterland, the Lemba maintains kashrut dietary rules and celebrates Shabbat. They were forced to abandon newborn circumcision and instead circumcise boys at age 8, a symbolic nod to the eight-day rule that Jews worldwide observe.

Others in Zimbabwe — an overwhelmingly Christian nation of 14 million — are keenly aware of their faith and mostly respect it.

“They call us maJuda, which means the Jews,” he said.

The Lemba have also escaped the wrath of Zimbabwe’s authoritarian ruler, President Robert G. Mugabe, who is accused of using political violence to stay in power during a 32-year reign. Mugabe is himself a Roman Catholic, which also puts him in a small minority among Zimbabwe’s mostly Anglican, Methodist and Pentacostal churchgoers — and may have taught him the value of religious tolerance.

Maeresera names prominent members of both the ruling ZANU-PF and former opposition Movement for Democratic Change party that are Lembas. (The two parties have ruled together in a shaky unity government since 2010. They are now expected to face off in another election in July).

“We have not been targeted at all as a group,” he said. “Individuals may have suffered, yes, but not as a group.”

They have not been lucky enough to escape the effects of Zimbabwe’s economic collapse, which has turned one of Africa’s rising stars into a basket case plagued by massive unemployment and soaring hyperinflation. Things have stabilized in recent years since the country adopted the U.S. dollar as the official currency and embarked on a halting program of economic and political reforms.

“Like all Zimbabweans, we have been effected,” said Maeresera, who works as an admissions officer for a university in Malaysia.

The Lemba are one of a number of African groups that believe themselves to be descended from ancient Jews of Israel. According to their oral history, the Lemba’s ancestors left the Holy Land first for Yemen and then East Africa about 1,500 years ago. From there, they found their way down the coast to Mozambique, then inland to Zimbabwe.

The group was once based around the Great Zimbabwe, a towering complex in the province of Masvingo that is one of the most important historic ruins in sub-Saharan Africa.

Maeresera says his ancestors were known as masons and were contracted by tribal kings to build the complex centuries ago. The Lemba are now scattered in several different provinces of Zimbabwe. They speak other main languages in Zimbabwe including Shona and Ndebele and English. Like other African many have also moved to the main cities of Harare and Bulawayo in search of work or a better life.

They hold an annual convention in Harare and hope to eventually build synagogues in each of the six districts and one in the capital.

Up until fairly recently, Lembas were almost completely isolated from the wider Jewish world. Few knew that Jews existed outside of Israel, which they knew from the Bible and from their own oral tradition.

Zimbabwe also has a small community of white Jews, many of them immigrants from neighboring South Africa.

But Maeresera says the country’s sole remaining synagogue, in the leafy Harare suburb of Milton Park, is all but shuttered and does not have enough members to form a minyan.

The Lemba have also forged links with other African Jews, including a community of converts to Judaism in Uganda and another group in Nigeria. While in New York, he met with a member of the Ethiopian Jewish community.

One place where the Lemba have not been welcomed with open arms is Israel, which does not consider them to be bona fide Jews. Maeresera and a delegation of Lembas visited Israel, but no members of the community have sought to settle there permanently.

“They are not yet accepting us as Jews,” he said.

Constitution Watch 7/2013 of 22nd February [COPAC Summary of Draft Constitution]

Constitution Watch 7/2013 of 22nd February [COPAC Summary of Draft Constitution]

CONSTITUTION WATCH 7/2013

[22nd February 2013]

The COPAC Summary of the Draft Constitution

Attached is the official COPAC summary of the Draft Constitution

[Veritas has had permission to distribute it]

COPAC will be distributing this summary throughout the country and this summary rather than the draft will be the basis of the outreach meetings to familiarise voters with the contents of the draft.

Please note this is not a Veritas summary

COPAC’s publicity campaign starts on Monday 25th February and will run for two weeks.

20 000 printed copies per province of this summary will be distributed by COPAC teams.

10 000 copies of the COPAC draft will also be distributed in each province.

Translations:

· The summary will also be made available in all indigenous languages and in Braille.

· The complete draft will be available in two main indigenous languages, chiShona and siNdebele.

Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal responsibility for information supplied

Bill Watch - Parliamentary Committees Series 5/2013 of 23rd February [Committee Meetings 25 February to 1st March]