BBC
Monday, 3 February, 2003, 18:11
GMT
Zimbabwe mulls 'devaluation'
Curbs on black market money trading have failed
Zimbabwe's government is believed to be drawing up measures
to tackle the country's chaotic foreign currency trading arrangements and regain
control of the exchange rate.
The plan amounts to a de facto devaluation, according to Professor Tony
Hawkins of the University of Zimbabwe's Graduate School of Management, who has
seen some of the documents.
President Robert Mugabe has previously opposed any move towards devaluation
as a solution to Zimbabwe's economic turmoil, which is threatening about half
its 14 million people with starvation.
Zimbabwe's leading firms have been campaigning for change, as they are forced
to pay black market rates for foreign currency needed to buy supplies but must
change export earnings at the official rate.
Three-tier system
The latest plan proposes to maintain the "hugely overvalued" official
exchange rate of 55 Zimbabwe dollars to one US dollar, but to create two other
rates for key groups of exporters, said Professor Hawkins.
Mining firms would use a rate of 1,350 Zimbabwe dollars to $1, similar to the
current black market rate.
For other exporters, the rate would be $1 to 800 Zimbabwe dollars. Tobacco
exporters are likely to be come under this exchange rate band.
Rumours of the plan have been circulating in the Zimbabwe press for several
days.
'Not viable'
Zimbabwe's leading nickel miner, Bindura, said on 31 January that the foreign
exchange regime was threatening the company's viability.
The Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines (ZCM) demanded government intervention in
January, warning that conserving foreign currency at the expense of the export
sector was harmful to the economy.
"The export sector is simply not viable at $1 to 55 Zimbabwe dollars. Some
level of government support...will be required in order to restore export
viability," said ZCM.
U-turn
Zimbabwe's government tried in November 2002 to stamp out the black market in
foreign currency by closing all bureau de change.
The latest proposals are "an attempt to formalise (the parallel market) and
legalise it", said Professor Hawkins. The scheme's complexity is "a reflection
of desperation", he added.
Zimbabwe is in the grip of its worst economic crisis since the end of white
rule 22 years ago.
Unemployment is at 70%, while inflation tops 100% though the real rate is
probably much higher due to the black market which is outside the government's
price controls.
BBC
Thursday, 18 July, 2002, 13:52 GMT 14:52
UK
Zimbabwe's judges remain defiant
The courts have frequently ruled against
Mugabe
 |
|
|
|
By Joseph Winter
BBC News Online |
 |
|
If critics and supporters of President Robert
Mugabe can agree on one thing, it is that the judiciary has become one of the
strongest checks on, or bastions of opposition to, his government.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has 57 seats in
parliament but they have no power.
|
Anti-government judgements |
1990s: Econet allowed to set up mobile phone
network
2000: Land reform programme declared illegal
September 2000: ZBC monopoly declared illegal
January 2001: Presidential ban on election challenges
declared illegal
15 July 2002: Journalist acquitted in media test
case
17 July: Justice minister sentenced to three months in
jail
|
Foreign governments have
imposed sanctions following Mr Mugabe's controversial re-election in March but
little has changed in Zimbabwe.
But the judges continue to rule against the government - most recently
sentencing a cabinet minister to three months in jail for contempt of court and
clearing United States journalist, Andrew Meldrum, of "publishing falsehoods" in
a high-profile test of a tough new media law.
A dozen other journalists have been charged under the Freedom of Information
and Right to Privacy Act but the legal precedent now favours the journalists.
The authorities tried to get round the ruling by immediately issuing a
deportation order against Mr Meldrum but another court has ruled that he can
remain in the country, while he appeals.
'Politicised'
The government does not take kindly to such independence of thought and
action and has forced seven judges to resign.
Zimbabwe's most senior lawyer was also arrested after being accused of trying
to organise violent protests against the government.
Zimbabwe's most senior lawyer was
arrested |
Sternford Moyo, President of the Law Society, vehemently denies working with
the British High Commission and the MDC to unseat Mr Mugabe.
One Harare-based lawyer told BBC News Online that relations between the
government and the judiciary are getting worse.
"Politicians want to politicise everything - especially when they lose
cases," she said.
The government became really angry when judges ordered the police to remove
its supporters who had occupied hundreds of white-owned farms during the
campaign for the June 2000 parliamentary elections.
Some of those judges were white and the government condemned them as racist.
Government sympathisers
One of the leading war veterans, Joseph Chinotimba, who had spearheaded the
violent land occupations, visited the then Chief Justice, Anthony Gubbay, and
threatened him.
He opted for safety and agreed to resign.
War veteran Chinotimba met Chief Justice
Gubbay |
Those named to replace the
departing judges have been seen as government sympathisers.
The new Chief Justice, Godfrey Chidyausiku, served as a deputy minister in
one of Mr Mugabe's previous governments.
The new judges have already ruled that the government's land redistribution
programme is legal - in stark contrast to a ruling by the previous Supreme
Court.
In the controversial ruling, four new judges backed the government, while the
one survivor from the previous court dissented.
But other judges continue to defy government insults and intimidation.
Daily News
Government opts for sectoral devaluation
2/3/2003 10:43:41 AM (GMT +2)
By Colleen Gwari Business
Reporter
President Mugabe's government is reportedly opting for
sectoral
devaluation despite vigorously attacking proponents of devaluation,
among
them the former Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr
Simba
Makoni.
In a move described as devaluation of the Zimbabwe
dollar through the
back door, the government has among other proposals from
business agreed in
principle to a staggered devaluation.
The
move would see key sectors to the economy, such as manufacturing
and mining,
getting favourable rates of up to $800 to the United States
dollar once the
much talked about blue print is released.
Reports reaching The
Daily News indicate that devaluation of the local
currency is top on the list
of demands business has proposed to government.
While government,
guided by political implications resisted a once-off
massive devaluation,
sources said pressure from business saw the politicians
swallowing their
pride.
As a result, government provisionally gave the nod to a
gradual
devaluation of the dollar that would see the local currency trading
at over
$1 500 to the greenback by the second quarter of the
year.
Business has through relevant ministries expressed
dissatisfaction at
the new exchange control regulations that compel exporters
to surrender 50
percent of their foreign currency earnings to the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe.
Players in the tourism and mining industries
called upon government to
review the new policy framework as a matter of
urgency to save the sectors
from imminent collapse.
Earlier in a
telephone interview, Zimbabwe Sun Hotels managing
director and chief
executive Shingi Munyeza said the regulations were
unfavourable and
negatively affecting business.
He said tour operators and transfer
companies who relied on foreign
tourists for business would close down
anytime if no immediate intervention
strategies were sought.
In
an address to Parliament, President Mugabe launched a scathing
attack on
advocates of devaluation, notably Makoni, saying they were enemies
of the
State.
Consequently, Makoni was eventually thrown out of government
when a
new "war cabinet" was announced last year.
He lost his
job giving way to Herbert Murerwa, a recycled Finance
Minister who introduced
among other disastrous policies, the exchange
control regulations and further
widened price controls to cover almost all
products with the exception of
beer and cigarettes.
Zimbabwe's business leaders have also demanded
the review of price
controls saying they are a threat to the survival of
industry.
The business community castigated controls on prices of
end products
because the move does not take into account the cost of
production.
Spearheading the negotiations, the Confederation of
Zimbabwe
Industries proposed that a new price monitoring strategy supported
by a
legal framework be endorsed.
On fuel, the captains of
industry and commerce urged government to
embrace a two-tier system where the
National Oil Company of Zimbabwe would
be limited to importing fuel at
subsidised prices for the key sectors of the
economy while other private
players in the oil sector would import fuel at
market rates for sale to the
motoring public.
Daily News
Train disaster toll rises to 50
2/3/2003
10:35:23 AM (GMT +2)
From Sandra Mujokoro in
Bulawayo
FIFTY people died and 64 others were injured when a
passenger train
they were travelling in was involved in a head-on collision
with a goods
train carrying petrol at Dete along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls
railway line
on Saturday morning.
A statement by the National
Railways of Zimbabwe yesterday (NRZ) said:
"Information received so far
indicates that 50 people have died and 64
others were injured."
The initial death toll had been reported as 42 on Sunday morning, but
the
figure rose after more bodies were recovered in what is probably the
worst
disaster in the history of the NRZ.
By late yesterday, rescue
workers were still trying to retrieve more
bodies trapped in the
wreckage.
Some of the bodies were recovered from the mangled,
burnt-out wreckage
yesterday.
The passenger train was going to
Victoria Falls and the goods train
was Bulawayo-bound. The accident occurred
about 300 kilometres from
Bulawayo.
According to Press reports,
55 people were admitted at the Wankie
Colliery Hospital, and one at St
Patrick's Hospital by yesterday afternoon.
The police said the accident
was caused by human error.
A signals controller allegedly cleared
the two trains to pass a single
lane section of the railway track at the same
time.
The condition of the injured in the two hospitals could not
be
ascertained as hospital authorities in Wankie said they had been
instructed
not to speak to the media.
The police in Hwange
referred all questions to the police
spokesperson, Senior Assistant
Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, who, true to
his routine, declined to give
details to The Daily News.
However, a police officer in
Bvudzijena's office said they had
positively identified the bodies of the two
drivers.
"Investigations are still continuing, but so far we have
positively
identified the two drivers and seven other people who were
carrying identity
documents," he said.
About 10 of the bodies were
burnt beyond recognition.
Thirty-four passengers were treated and
discharged at the Dete clinic,
20 were treated and discharged at the Wankie
Colliery Hospital, and another
three at St Patrick's.
The
accident has resulted in the closure of the Bulawayo-Victoria
Falls railway
line until tomorrow.
In October last year, a train derailed near
Hwange, severely injuring
27 people, after hitting an elephant.
In October 2000, 16 people died and 20 others were injured when a
goods train
bound for Bulawayo from Hwange was involved in a similar
collision with a
passenger train going in the opposite direction.
In another
incident on Saturday, railway officials had to close the
line between
Bulawayo and the capital, Harare, after a train derailed but no
one was
injured.
Posted on Mon, Feb. 03, 2003
Death toll up to 46 in Zimbabwe's worst train
crash; signal man arrested and alcohol tested
By Angus Shaw
ASSOCIATED
PRESS
HARARE, Zimbabwe - The death toll in the head-on collision
between a packed passenger train and a freight train in northwestern Zimbabwe
rose to 46, police said Sunday.
A railway worker who might have given a
wrong signal was arrested and tested for alcohol, media reports
said.
Rudo Muchemenyi of the western Matabeleand province police
department told state television four more bodies were retrieved from the
wreckage Sunday.
Police had reported 42 people killed in the crash
Saturday and 64 injured, many seriously. All the dead were found in the charred
wreckage that was gutted by fire.
Only 11 of the dead have been
positively identified, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp. said in its nightly
news
The transport ministry blamed the crash on human error. State
television reported the signals on that stretch of rail line -- the busiest in
the country -- had been reported faulty since November. It said the state
railroad company, troubled by shortages of equipment, also reported outages of
electrically powered signals across the country, forcing some signalers to
revert to handing written information cards to train crews on their scheduled
stops.
About 1,100 people traveling on the passenger train were headed
for the resort town of Victoria Falls.
Both locomotive crews died
instantly when the trains collided on a curve in the track near the coal mining
center of Hwange, about 190 miles from the western city of Bulawayo.
At
the time of the accident, the freight train was at full throttle, while the
passenger train was picking up speed after a recent stop, the state Sunday Mail
reported.
The newspaper said a trackside signal official was arrested and
his blood alcohol level was tested. The results of the test were not immediately
known.
Normally one of the trains would have been diverted to a siding
while the other continued on the single track line. Hwange is the railway center
for Zimbabwe's largest coal mine.
Fire destroyed 11 of the economy-class
passenger cars -- most of them old, paneled and fitted with wood -- leaving some
of the dead burned beyond recognition, media reported.
The Sunday Mail,
reporting from the scene, said rescue workers feared more bodies were still
trapped beneath the twisted wreckage.
It reported that an unspecified
number of foreign tourists were aboard the train but that all escaped
unhurt.
Police said it was believed some passengers were carrying cans of
gasoline on the train, state television reported. Acute shortages of fuel have
led to black marketeering and hoarding of fuel in jerry cans.
The
southbound freight train was carrying flammable liquid.
Passenger trains
in Zimbabwe have become increasingly crowded in recent months as acute fuel
shortages forced many commuter buses, taxis and private cars off the
roads.
Muchemenyi, the police official, said passengers headed for Zambia
on the main line to Zimbabwe's northern neighbor and mineral-rich Congo, often
carry fuel from Bulawayo for resale across the border at large
profits.
Zimbabwe's government fixes gasoline prices, so the cost is
about a tenth of that in neighboring countries.
Saturday's crash forced
the closure of the rail line between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls.
A crash
in the same area in 2000 killed 16 people and one in 1983 killed 37 people. A
train derailed near Hwange last year after hitting an elephant, injuring 22
people.
Zimbabwe's economic crisis and its devastating shortage of hard
currency have made it nearly impossible for the state railroad company to import
spare parts and maintenance equipment for its locomotives and freight
cars.
Officials at the Hwange coal mine have said that coal was piling up
because there were not enough working freight cars to pick it up. The government
has commandeered some of the working trains for use in distributing emergency
food aid in the country, which is facing a food crisis that threatens half the
population with starvation.
Tsvangirai's Trial Begins Amid Division in Zanu PF
Business Day
(Johannesburg)
February 3, 2003
Posted to the web February 3,
2003
Johannesburg
ZIMBABWEAN opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
and two senior party
colleagues go on trial this morning on allegations of
plotting to
assassinate President Robert Mugabe, amid growing signs of
disharmony within
Zanu (PF).
Tsvangirai, together with MDC
secretary-general Welshman Ncube and the
party's shadow agriculture minister
Renson Gasela, face the death penalty if
convicted of treason on the basis of
a videocassette purportedly showing him
discussing Mugabe's assassination
with consultants in Canada.
Following the unusual recent criticism of
Mugabe's government by defence
forces commander, Gen Vitalis Zvinavashe, it
has emerged that two retired
senior military men told Mugabe a fortnight ago
to resolve the country's
biting economic crisis urgently, and to come out
clearly over his retirement
plans and the issue of his
successor.
Former army commander, retired Gen Solomon Mujuru and former
Air Force head,
Josiah Tungamirai, apparently put the country's worsening
political and
economic crisis squarely on the shoulders of Mugabe and other
senior Zanu
(PF) officials, including vice-presidents Joseph Msika and Simon
Muzenda.
A well-placed source said yesterday Mugabe had indicated to the
two men that
he was happy to leave as long as Zanu (PF) members agreed on his
successor.
It is widely accepted that Mujuru and Tungamirai are against
Mugabe's
personal choice as successor Emmerson Mnangagwa the speaker of
parliament
and third-in-line in the ruling party hierarchy. Efforts to get
comment from
Mugabe's office last night were futile.
In the week
ahead, diplomatic activity over Zimbabwe will take on a new
intensity. At his
weekend meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
President Thabo Mbeki
is believed to have hinted at impending positive
developments in Harare.
Mbeki said he did not believe the sanctions against
Mugabe's government in
Zimbabwe were working.
The Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe last year from
its decisionmaking
councils for a year after presidential poll that monitors
say were rigged.
And while Zimbabwe is not the focus of today's African
Union summit in
Ethopia, the gathering could provide an opportunity for talks
on the
resolution of the crisis.
Amnesty International
Zimbabwe: Tony Blair must ask for commitment from
Thabo Mbeki
Amnesty International is calling on British Prime Minister
Tony Blair
to ask for South African President Thabo Mbeki's commitment in
bringing
pressure to bear on the situation in Zimbabwe.
The two
leaders are due to meet on Saturday 1 February at Chequers.
Amnesty
International believes that Thabo Mbeki is well-placed to raise
concerns over
human rights violations and repression with Robert Mugabe on
his
return.
"Pressure needs to be applied to President Mugabe of
Zimbabwe in order
to end the harassment, arrest and torture of those who
peacefully oppose the
regime" said Stephen Bowen, Campaigns Director, Amnesty
International.
"For too long now the police have been involved in
violent repression
? the same police who will be responsible for order at the
cricket world
cup."
Amnesty International would like the Prime
Minister to highlight three
key demands:
a.. The end of the
political misuse of the police by the Zimbabwe
regime;
b..
Peaceful freedom of expression and right of assembly to
be
recognised;
c.. The legitimate activities of human rights
activists and
journalists to be safeguarded.
Background
In a mission to Zimbabwe earlier in January, Amnesty
International
found that the level of fear among human rights activists has
never been
greater, and called for the international community to redouble
its efforts
to protect human rights in Zimbabwe.
Incidents
recorded by Amnesty International include:
a.. On 22 January the
Amani Trust, a human rights organisation which
works with victims of torture,
received threats to fire-bomb its offices.
The organisation had already
suspended most of its activities in Zimbabwe
because of fears for the safety
of its employees.
b.. On 20 January Pauline Mpariwa, Member of
Parliament (MP) for the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for
Mufakose, Harare, was
arrested and held for two days before being released
without charge.
c.. Previously, on 15 January Job Sikhala, MDC MP for
St Mary's,
also in Harare, Gabriel Shumba, a legal officer with the Zimbabwe
Human
Rights NGO Forum, Charles Mutama, Bishop Shumba and T. Magaya were
arrested
by the police. Medical evidence presented in court on 17 January
indicated
that the five men had been beaten on the soles of their feet and
tortured
with electricity.
d.. On 11 January Elias Mudzuri, the
mayor of Harare and a member of
the MDC was arrested together with 21
councillors and municipal workers for
allegedly addressing a political
meeting without clearance from the relevant
authorities.
MSNBC
Zimbabwe bars foreign reporters from treason trial
HARARE,
Feb. 3 - Zimbabwean police barred foreign and independent
journalists from
the treason trial of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai,
which was due to
open on Monday.
Police told independent and foreign correspondents
that the courtroom
was full, leading to arguments as reporters sought to
clarify the reason for
their exclusion.
Only journalists from the
official Herald newspaper and the state
broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation, were able to enter the High
Court building in Harare.
Tsvangirai, who leads the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC),
faces a possible death sentence if convicted of plotting to kill
President
Robert Mugabe last year. He denies the charge.
MDC Secretary General
Welshman Ncube, who along with the party's
Secretary for Agriculture Renson
Gasela, also faces the treason charge, told
Reuters defence lawyers had asked
the judge to rule on admitting the media
and other observers.
He
said by telephone that while officials said the courtroom was
full, ''there
is nobody in the public gallery.'' The court had adjourned
while the judge
considers the defence request.
Zimbabwe is facing its worst political
and economic crisis since
independence from Britain in 1980. It is struggling
with record
unemployment, and severe food shortages now threaten about half
of its 14
million people with starvation.
MSNBC
Britain agreed Mugabe invite to Paris - Le Monde
PARIS, Feb.
3 - The Paris daily Le Monde said on Monday that France and
Britain had
agreed on inviting Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to an
African summit in
Paris but Britain did not defend it when it sparked a
controversy.
Britain agreed to the invitation at the Copenhagen European Union
summit in
December and the two countries' foreign ministers confirmed it in
a deal by
which France would agree to an extension of sanctions against
Zimbabwe, Le
Monde said.
It printed a copy of a French diplomatic cable dated
January 7
stating Dominique de Villepin and Jack Straw agreed that day to
find a
solution that would resolve the issues of the Mugabe invitation,
sanctions
and an EU-Africa summit in Lisbon.
French officials said
the two ministers had agreed to find a solution
but this did not mean they
had struck a deal.
''We understand this issue may pose some problems
for some of our
partners, but we also know there are possible solutions we
intend to explore
with our partners,'' a French Foreign Ministry spokesman
said.
The Foreign Office in London had no immediate
reaction.
Le Monde's Africa expert Stephen Smith, who wrote the story,
accused
Straw and British Prime Minister Tony Blair of not standing up for
their
deal once it became known.
''When Mugabe's invitation to
Paris was revealed in the British press
and then confirmed by France on
January 23, Tony Blair and Jack Straw did
not have the courage to acknowledge
what was not anything new for them,'' he
wrote.
Smith said the
issue should not cloud a bilateral summit between
Blair and French President
Jacques Chirac in Le Touquet in northern France
on Tuesday as ''the two men
already agreed on this subject at the EU summit
in Copenhagen on December
12-13.''
''But, under pressure from public opinion, the
Conservative
opposition and also activists from its own ranks, the British
government did
not stand up for the deal it made with French
authorities.''
France's decision to invite Mugabe to a summit of
African leaders in
Paris caused an uproar in Britain and several other EU
countries when it
became known late in January.
It led to a row in
Brussels last week and the EU failed to renew the
sanctions, including a
travel ban, imposed on Zimbabwe leaders last year
over alleged election
rigging.
Le Monde quoted a source in Chirac's Elysee Palace saying
that Blair
was aware in advance of the invitation to Mugabe that France
extended on
December 20.
On January 7, the two foreign ministers
agreed that Britain would
support the invitation and France -- which believes
in principle that
sanctions have little effect -- would vote ''in exchange''
for a
continuation of the EU sanctions.
They also agreed on a
compromise for an EU-African summit due in
Lisbon in April, under which
Mugabe would not attend but be represented by
his foreign minister, Le Monde
added.
Portugal said last Thursday the Lisbon summit could be delayed
for
several months if a row over Mugabe's attendance was not resolved.
The Economist
Zimbabwe in the dock
Feb 3rd 2003
From The
Economist Global Agenda
The trial of Zimbabwe's main opposition
leader over a supposed plot to kill
President Robert Mugabe may serve to
remind the world of his regime's abuses
AP
AS THE trial for alleged treason began on
February 3rd of Morgan Tsvangirai,
the leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition
group, Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC), baton-wielding police stopped
diplomats and journalists (other
than those from state-run media) from
entering the courthouse to witness the
hearing. However, Mr Tsvangirai's
lawyers quickly won a ruling from the
judge that the independent observers be
admitted. The MDC leader and the two
senior party officials standing trial
alongside him deny charges that they
plotted to assassinate President Robert
Mugabe, as they are supposed to have
admitted in a videotape that forms a key
part of the prosecution case. If
found guilty, they face being
hanged.
Perhaps the heavy-handed attempts to keep the trial hidden
from the outside
world were due to a belated realisation that it will give Mr
Tsvangirai a
platform from which to criticise the Zimbabwean government's
human-rights
abuses, just as the foreign press (most of which Mr Mugabe
banned from the
country last year) is about to arrive to cover a
controversial series of
World Cup cricket matches. Despite the opposition of
England's players, the
International Cricket Council has insisted that their
match against Zimbabwe
go ahead in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, on
February 13th. Mr Mugabe
could do without more bad press at the moment, given
that the European Union
will shortly decide whether to maintain the sanctions
imposed on his regime
last year, and the Commonwealth will consider whether
to restore Zimbabwe's
membership, suspended last March, or to expel
it.
Britain, the former colonial ruler of Zimbabwe, is angry that
France has
invited Mr Mugabe to a Euro-African summit later this month, and
that Portug
al has invited him to another gathering in April. Tony Blair,
Britain's
prime minister, will meet France's President Jacques Chirac for
wide-ranging
talks on Tuesday February 4th. A compromise deal is said to be
under
discussion, in which Mr Blair would accept Mr Mugabe's presence at the
Paris
summit in return for France's backing for a renewal of the EU
sanctions
against him.
The authorities' case against Mr Tsvangirai
and his colleagues rests mainly
on a blurry videotape, secretly recorded by a
Canadian public-relations firm
run by Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli
secret agent, which was working for
the Mugabe government. The tape was
recorded a few months before last March'
s violent and, it is widely
believed, rigged elections, which Mr Mugabe
"won". The tape purports to show
Mr Tsvangirai discussing a possible plot
to kill the president, though
experts say it appears to have been edited so
as to incriminate
him.
Mr Tsvangirai has a strong defence team, including George Bizos,
a South
African lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela when the apartheid
government put
him on trial in 1963-64. Persuading the judge to admit foreign
diplomats and
media is a coup for the defence, but it has already suffered a
setback,
failing to convince a British businessman to go to Zimbabwe and
give
evidence it hopes could clear the defendants. In an interview with
the
London Daily Telegraph last year, Rupert Johnson, a commodity broker,
said
he had been present at all three meetings that Mr Tsvangirai and
his
colleagues had with Mr Ben-Menashe, and that the question of
assassinating
Mr Mugabe had never been raised. Now, however, Mr Johnson is
refusing to
give evidence. He will not say why.
The trial comes as
Mr Mugabe's 23-year grip on power is looking shakier than
ever. About half of
the country's 13m people are facing starvation as
agricultural output
collapses due to the government's land "reform"
programme, in which white
farmers have been driven off the land with threats
of violence, with the aim
of redistributing it to blacks. Last month, Mr
Tsvangirai said that the
commander of the armed forces, General Vitalis
Zvinavashe, and the speaker of
the country's parliament had sent envoys to
propose a deal in which Mr Mugabe
would go into exile and the MDC would be
invited into a power-sharing
government.
Mr Mugabe later denied the existence of the deal and
insisted he would stay
in office. Nevertheless, in recent days Mr Zvinavashe
has publicly distanced
himself from his political boss, telling a local
newspaper that the
authorities "must admit there is a crisis" and calling for
a broad-based
national taskforce to deal with the economic meltdown. Whatever
the outcome
of his opponent's treason trial, it may soon be Mr Mugabe who
feels the
noose tightening.
Business Day
AgriSA differs with minister on land reform in
Zimbabwe
Union
claims that political patronage action wreaks irreparable damage'
Agriculture
Correspondent
SA FARMERS contradicted Agriculture and Land Affairs
Minister Thoko Didiza's
optimistic views on Zimbabwe's land-reform process
after both visited the
country last week.
The mainly white commercial
farming union, AgriSA, said Zimbabwe's land
reform process was used to
"secure political patronage" and that it had done
"irreparable damage" to
agricultural production in the country.
AgriSA and representatives of the
National African Farmers Union accompanied
Didiza on a two-day visit as part
of the binational commission between the
two governments. The farming unions
returned to SA a day after Didiza,
allowing them to have independent
discussions with commercial and newly
resettled farmers.
Didiza said
last week that the Zimbabwean government had admitted to some
"administrative
errors" in its land-reform programme, but that the prospects
for agricultural
production were promising. Administrative errors
acknowledged by Zimbabwe
included more than one beneficiary allocated the
same piece of land and white
farmers losing all land in the case where more
than one farm was
owned.
AgriSA painted a bleak picture of Zimbabwe's chaotic land reform
process,
which "could not be ascribed to a few administrative
errors".
The Zimbabwean government had assured Didiza that this year's
maize crop was
heading towards 1,1-million tons.
However, the three
farming unions in Zimbabwe informed AgriSA that the
commercial sector would
produce only 75000 tons of maize, compared with a
long-term average
production of 600000 tons.
Production from small-scale maize farming,
which usually yielded about
500000 tons of maize, was likely to be cut
because of drought in the region.
The lower maize production was
insufficient to feed the nation, which
required between 1,5-million to
1,8-million tons of maize.
Wheat production had also dropped to 170000
tons from a long-term average
production of 300000 tons.
The
commercial beef herd in Zimbabwe had dropped drastically from
1,2-million to
200000, with many animals being slaughtered because of
foot-and-mouth
disease, which is not being adequately controlled in
the
country.
AgriSA said it was impossible for Didiza to have had a
"balanced picture"
from her quick tour of Zimbabwe because "discussions were
inhibited" by
government officials.
"When interviewed in the presence
of government representatives,
beneficiaries sketched a rosy picture of their
agricultural achievements.
Quite clearly it was orchestrated. When probed on
the practices and costs,
they could not convince," said the executive
director of AgriSA, Hans van
der Merwe.
AgriSA president Japie Grobler
said that Zimbabwean Agriculture Minister
Joseph Made had "bragged" about
politicians being allocated farms and that
the ruling party would continue to
"indigenise" other sectors of the economy
as it had done with the
agricultural sector.
Where are the heroes? (letter) Hi there
The other day while the honorable president was enjoying the comforts of the
Rainbow hotel in Bulawayo, the police had cordoned off the streets so no one
could drive up to the entrance. I noticed the usual road blocks that are such a
nuisance on the edge of town, were missing. Obviously all looking after the
bread winner. One coloured chap took exception to all this at the nearby garage.
He had his music on full ball. The cops told him to switch it off. He replied
something to the effect that he wanted to play his music just as the president
could play his. Well they took the keys and he was whisked off and whether his
head was put in a bucket or he got the water treatment who knows. Another day in
Zimbabwe and a bit of news picked up in a 5 hour long fuel queue. One chap said
he hasd spent a week stranded in Vic Falls. People are using scrap metal, stones
and even toilet seats to book places in the queues for when they come back.
Bread queues are so common as to be normal . Even old whites can be seen at
Hillside shops, the richest area of Bulawayo waiting for that precious loaf.
Blacks now sleep outside the Hillside Spar waiting for the morning bread
delivery. One thing we comrades in suffering ask is where are the heroes. If war
vets are heroes then why not rescue Zimbabwe or are they all fakes.
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 11:17 AM
Subject: [BSAPHistory] Mugabe at Police Depot Pass Out : October
1980
Dear former Colleagues
I've been away from the group for some time, it's good to be back.
I've come across some interesting info while researching two new BSAP
History publications.
I'll let the following do the talking.
=========
The Outpost October 1980
"Enforce the law humanely, but without fear or favour.
"
=========
THE PRIME MINISTER REVIEWS SEVEN PASS-OUT SQUADS
AT MORRIS DEPOT,
Salisbury, on 22 October, 1980, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, the Hon: R. G.
Mugabe, reviewed graduating Recruit Patrol Officer Squads 9, 10, 11 and 12/80,
Recruit Woman Patrol Officer Squad 2/80 and Recruit Constable Squads 11 and
12/80 at one of the largest police pass-out parades to take place in
Salisbury.
A total of 91 patrol officers, 22 women patrol officers and 39
constables had successfully completed their training to earn the praise of Mr
Mugabe who was accompanied by Commissioner P. K. Allum and many senior officers
of the Zimbabwe Republic Police
The text of the Prime Minister's speech
was as follows:
"Without doubt many of you before me now will eventually become senior
officers in the Force. One of the main tasks that faces my Government today is
the restoration and maintenance of public order. In this country the
responsibility to maintenance of law and order is vested in the Zimbabwe
Republic Police. Therefore a very heavy onus rests on you and your colleagues in
the Force.
"Your basic training is now completed but, as is the case in
every other sphere, you will have much to learn about the profession which you
have entered. The manner in which you carry out your duties will be crucial to
the success of my Government in governing the country. You will be expected to
protect the people of Zimbabwe from wrong-doers and to see that their property
is safeguarded. But you will find that you cannot do this effectively unless you
have good relations with members of the public. This is something you must bear
in mind at all times, whether on or off duty.
People must took up to you
and respect you and as being honest, impartial upholders of the law. Therefore
you must be fair and just in dealing with people and not use any violence unless
it is absolutely essential. The golden rule must be to use minimum force at all
times. You must not be too quick to resort to firearms or tear gas. You must
respect the rights of the individual and remember that whatever you, as an
individual policeman, may do will reflect upon the Polite Force
generally.
In order to carry out your duties properly it is essential
that you show yourselves to be impartial. Therefore you must not allow personal
prejudices or party politics to influence your actions. You must be not be seen
to be biased in favour of any person, group of persons or association and must
enforce the law humanely but without fear or favour.
For its part, my Government will ensure that stem action is taken against
those who attempt to interfere with the police in the carrying out of their
duties. I appeal to members of the public who become aware of offences that have
been committed to report directly to the Police. On your side, however, you will
have to show that you deserve this backing by Government. You must ensure that
you conduct yourself in such a manner as to gain the respect and confidence of
the people.
I should like to congratulate you and especially those of you
who have just received certificates as being the best recruits in your squads,
on the successful completion of your training. Your turn-out is exemplary and
your drill has been of a very, high standard. I am sure that your families and
friends who are here this morning are proud of you.
I wish you all well
for the future and may your contribution to our non-racial society be an
unselfish one as guardians of the peace."
============
Footnote :
Mugabe's opening words ""Without doubt many of you before me now will
eventually become senior officers in the Force" were prophetic indeed because
almost 22 years later (to June 2001 when the 6000+ nominal roll of the BSAP was
correct), no less than 25 members of the (85 members in 4 squads) mentioned
were still in 'Still Serving.'
Current Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri,
Regimental No. 111352, attested in the BSAP on 19.06.1980 and appears to have
been a member of Squad 11/80. No less than nine of his squad mates were still
serving as at June 2001.
Chihuri's recent utterances regarding the rule of law in Zimbabwe; his
confiscation of a legally-held commercial farm in Shamwa for personal benefit
(see below from 'Justice For Agriculture in Zimbabwe release of "1000 Land
Recipients" document of 2.9.02), and his tear gassing, torture and detainment
without trial of opposition MP's and suspected supporters is somewhat at adds
with the assuring words of his reviewing officer in 1980.
Is it somewhat Machiavellian of me to ask the question "Did Mugabe and the
'war veteran' Chihuri know who could count on whom, way back, when Zimbabwe was
barely a few months old? Is there a connection between them that is more than
coincidental?
===========
Commercial Farm, recipient - JAG 2 September 2002
Chihuri Augustine
War Veteran
Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner
Farm: Woodlands A
Owner: Pat Butler
Shamva
Mash Central
A beneficiary of War Veteran compensation $ 138 645, 04 for Toe dermititus
of left and right feet.
Awarded a 20% on claim.
See report of the Commission of enquiry into the compensation of the War
Victims compensation Act chap 11.16 May 1998
PRESS RELEASE
A group of ex Zimbabwean farmers is about to make a big name for themselves
in the International music scene.
Having lived through two and half years of extreme hardship and now finding
themselves in a position where they can no longer involve themselves in their
chosen careers a couple of them have got together and written a couple of very
catchy songs.
The CD inlay reads as follows
"A few of us ex Zimbabwean Farmers were sitting in the pub in Harare,
commiserating over our losses and thinking about new careers. There were no
cola’s so we were drinking Brandy and Limejuice. The more we had the merrier we
got. Then the singing started, and we came up with these little songs. Then we
had to give ourselves a name. We thought about Bobgobblers, The Fired Farmers
and Clodhoppers, but the marketing company insisted on "The Corn Crunchers" –
sounds like a foot cream"
The two songs on the CD are extremely amusing and are correctly marketed just
days before the launch of the cricket world cup, as both have a cricket
theme.
Considering the enormous stress that farmers in Zimbabwe have had to face
over the least few years, probably the most astounding thing about the product
is that these farmers or should we say "Corn Crunchers" have managed to maintain
their senses of humor.
The CD is being distributed by SMD and should be in retail outlets by Friday.
It really deserves a tremendous amount of support, not only here in South
Africa, but worldwide. The message it sends is excellent value for money.
For Marketing information contact info@asp-central.co.za
Sunday Times, Johannesburg, Sunday 2 Feb
2003
Zimerick competition
This week
saw no fewer than 84 entries to the Hogarth Zimerick competition. This week's
finalists are:
From Bob Gillies, Springs
Old Bob
has a passion for shopping
At Harrods there's simply no stopping
When he
grabs Zim's reserves
He's convinced he deserves
The cake and the cream
and the topping
From Brian Lucas, Port Elizabeth
Once we were friends with the Brits
But Tony now has us in fits
Even Maggie was fine
After Wilson's decline
But New Labour is really
the pits!
From Steve Kirsten, Wellington
Mugabe has those who'll defend
His actions right up to the end
It's Zanu of course
Approving this force
The rest of us can't
comprehend
This is your last week to have a crack
at the 10 Zim dollars prize. Send your entry to "Hogarth Zimerick
Competition" by e-mail or fax to the address on the letters page. (Fax: 011
7884990, or e-mail stletters@sundaytimes.co.za,
marked "Hogarth Zimerick Competition".