US sanctions regime toothless officials admit Dumisani
Muleya WHILE the European Union (EU) is still squabbling over the renewal
of sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his associates, it has
emerged the United States - despite public threats - has not yet imposed
similar measures against Harare.
High-level diplomatic sources said
the US has so far only managed to ban Mugabe and his associates from entering
its territory. But it declines to name those targeted.
"Despite a
torrent of rhetoric from the US and its claims to have imposed similar
restrictions as those taken by the EU, there are in fact no US sanctions in
force," a diplomatic source said.
"Every few months or so, the US
claims to be re-evaluating its sanctions policy with the goal of tightening
the financial stranglehold around Mugabe and his party but this is strictly
hot air."
Sources said if Washington had imposed sanctions, this
would have been done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
and the names of institutions and individuals affected would have been
published.
Those targeted would also become "special designated
nationals" and would be listed with the Office of Foreign Asset Control at
the Treasury Department.
US embassy spokesman in Harare Bruce Wharton
this week admitted that his country had not imposed sanctions on
Zimbabwe.
"We have not imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean officials," he
said. "The only thing we have got in place are visa restrictions on a
relatively small number of Zimbabweans."
US President George Bush
made a proclamation of visa restrictions on March 4 last year.
The
clarification of the US position came as the EU on Wednesday failed for the
third time in two weeks to agree on the renewal of sanctions, which expire on
February 18.
Despite the fact all countries within the 15-member bloc
are generally agreed on sanctions, a row which erupted a few weeks ago over
Mugabe's expected travel to the France/Africa summit in Paris on February 19
has been affecting the sanctions rollover debate.
Heated Testimony Erupts in Tsvangirai Trial Tendai
Maphosa Harare 07 Feb 2003, 00:05 UTC
The defense has begun
cross-examination of the state's star witness in the treason trial of
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Two top officials of his
Movement for Democratic Change party are also being tried. Testimony was
heated on the fourth day of the trial in Harare.
There was drama in the
court as a prosecution witness argued with the defense attorney.
The
attorney, George Bizos, accused the witness of taking $7 million from the
Zambian government in a grain deal, but not delivering the grain.
The witness, Ari Ben Menashe, who says he is a former Israeli
intelligence agent, accused the lawyer of introducing matters that had no
bearing on the trial. The judge ruled the lawyer was asking what he called
rightful questions and Mr. Menashe had to answer them.
Then, Mr.
Menashe repeatedly interrupted Mr. Bizos' questions and would not answer with
a simple yes or no. At one point Mr. Menashe shouted at Mr. Bizos and was
told by the judge to address the bench instead of looking at the
attorney.
Clashes between the two men followed the conclusion of a key
part of the prosecution's case. Both sides agreed to view only selected
sections of a videotape showing Mr. Menashe meeting with the main defendant,
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
After viewing of the videotape,
the state prosecutor asked Mr. Menashe to summarize the purpose of the
meeting. He said the opposition had asked his political consultancy firm,
Dickens and Madson, to help with the assassination of President Robert Mugabe
and the staging of a military coup.
Under cross-examination, Mr. Bizos
pressed Mr. Menashe on the use of the word "eliminate" on the videotape. At
one point, Mr. Menashe said English is not his first language, but he said he
understood that in the context it was used during the meeting, it referred to
the murder of the president.
Mr. Tsvangirai and his co-defendants
have denied plotting to assassinate President Mugabe.
Before court
adjourned, the defense presented documents that it says are very relevant to
the case and should form the core of Mr. Bizos' cross-examination when it
resumes Friday.
Reuters
Zimbabwe Court Told Witness Made Up Treason Plot
Feb.
6 - By Cris Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) - A defense lawyer in the treason
trial of Zimbabwe's opposition leader Thursday accused the key prosecution
witness of setting up the case and taking $1 million from the
government.
Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai and
two senior party officials face a possible death penalty if convicted of
plotting to kill President Robert Mugabe. The MDC officials all say they are
innocent.
Tsvangirai's chief defense lawyer attacked key prosecution
witness Ari Ben-Menashe, a Canadian-based political consultant who had said
he video-taped Tsvangirai discussing Mugabe's assassination and seeking help
to stage a coup.
Advocate George Bizos alleged he was an unreliable
witness with a history of defrauding southern African governments and
questioned Ben-Menashe about business deals. In particular, Bizos asked about
a commodity brokerage which he alleged had taken millions of dollars from
Zambia but failed to supply its government with promised grain.
Bizos
said Ben-Menashe had taken $100,000 from the MDC but failed to deliver the
promised political consultancy.
Ben-Menashe had also taken about $1
million from the Zimbabwe government, Bizos said, but he did not
elaborate.
Ben-Menashe said his business problems were "not as simple as
that" and objected to the fraud allegations.
"We intend proving that
he is a fraudster," said Bizos.
A furious Ben-Menashe interrupted him,
shaking his head and saying: "I really resent that word (fraudster). We are
not on trial here, and I have not been convicted of any fraud."
Bizos
said Ben-Menashe had deliberately lied to Tsvangirai that the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency and the U.S. government were involved in his consultancy,
and he was refusing to disclose the identity of a man he said posed as an
American agent during his video-taped meeting with Tsvangirai.
Responding
to suggestions by Bizos that he repeatedly used the word "eliminate" during
the taped conversation in order to trap Tsvangirai, Ben-Menashe responded:
"Usually we are honest people but if we see murderers we call them
out."
Earlier, Ben-Menashe told the court Tsvangirai had agreed Mugabe
should be "terminated" within 10 days of the meeting held in Montreal,
Canada. A video recording of the meeting is crucial to the prosecution's
case.
Ben-Menashe said his company alerted Canadian, Zimbabwean and
U.S. authorities to the plot after meeting Tsvangirai twice and arranged a
third meeting to gather videotaped evidence. He says he had no intention
of killing anyone.
The defense team says the video was deliberately
altered.
Tsvangirai lost to Mugabe in an election three months after the
Montreal meeting. Britain and other Western countries accuse Mugabe of
rigging the polls.
Made boasts of farm grabs Loughty Dube THE head of
South Africa's largest farmers' organisation, Agri-SA, has revealed that
Agriculture minister Joseph Made bragged to a visiting group of officials and
farmers that Zimbabwean politicians had acquired highly productive farms
under the land reform programme.
Press reports from South Africa last
week quoted Agri-SA president Japie Grobler as saying Made boasted to the
visiting farmers that Zimbabwean politicians received
farms.
"While we were alone with minister Made, he bragged about the
fact that politicians had received farms," Grobler was quoted as saying
from Johannesburg after a three-day visit to Zimbabwe.
Grobler and
other Agri-SA and National African Farmers' Union representatives accompanied
South African Agriculture and Land Affairs minister Thoko Didiza on a visit
to assess the Zimbabwe government's ongoing controversial land
reforms.
Grobler said Made had told them that all the officials
around the table had received farms, adding that they were not working on
Mondays or Fridays because they would be on their farms. Efforts to contact
Made on the matter proved fruitless by the time of going to
press.
The government has in the past refuted allegations that its
senior officials are involved in the land grab of prime farms throughout the
country.
"At least they (politicians) are being productive," Made had
said, according to Grobler.
The Freedom Front leader Pieter
Mulder, who was also part of the team, was quoted accusing Didiza of making a
propaganda visit to Zimbabwe.
Grobler claimed their discussions with
farmers were inhibited by the presence of officials. In some instances where
they met farmers, government representatives answered questions on the
farmers' behalf "like a ventriloquist", he said.
"We had the
feeling that no one was allowed to speak freely and that included the
Commercial Farmers' Union, whose members were being terrorised and beaten
up," said Grobler.
Several senior government officials are currently
embroiled in wrangles with white commercial farmers who are still resisting
the forced acquisition of their farms.
Agri-SA executive director
Hans van der Merwe, also on the tour, said the beneficiaries of the land
reform programme did not gain sustainable profitability and about 350 000
farm workers were refugees in their own country. Van der Merwe said the land
reform programme in Zimbabwe was not driven by a wish to enhance economic
growth or ensure equality or food security.
"It is a tool to gain
and secure control in Zimbabwe. We cannot believe we've seen a turning-point
in Zimbabwe where things will start improving," Van der Merwe said in
response to official claims.
He differed with Didiza on the amount of
crop yields the country would realise from this year's harvest. Didiza told
reporters that Zimbabwe's maize yield estimates would be 1,1 million tonnes
while Agri-SA said only 75 000 tonnes of maize was
expected.
Agri-SA called on the South African government to speak out
against the lack of legality in the Zimbabwe regime's seizures and the
"fraudulent practices" involved.
"The government should make it
clear that if its Zimbabwean counterpart continued with its corrupt
practices, it should not expect any support or life-line from South Africa,"
Van der Merwe said.
DIDYMUS
Mutasa, the MP for Makoni North, says thousands of villagers in his
constituency were facing serious problems in obtaining identity documents due
to the unavailability of transport to ferry them to Rusape.
In an
interview on Tuesday, Mutasa said the failure by his constituents to obtain
birth and deaths certificates was causing untold problems to families who
were experiencing difficulties each time they sought official
services.
"Identity documents are essential," he said. "Everyone
has a right to those documents. Makoni North is one of the biggest
constituencies in Manicaland.
"Due to the prevailing fuel
crisis, the burden on villagers here is unbearable. There is no transport to
take them to Rusape to obtain their registration documents."
Mutasa who is Zanu PF's secretary for external affairs in the politburo, said
villagers from places like Chikore, Tanda, Chiendambuya, Mayo and Tsikada,
travelled very long distances to Rusape, which cost about $600 a
trip.
"We have said before that a sub-office for the
Registrar-General has to be established at Mayo, which is central to all
villagers," he said.
"We have made a request to the
Registrar-General's Office in Rusape and they have promised to look into this
issue this year."
Mutasa said villagers seeking to obtain identity
documents normally travel to Rusape a day earlier and put up at the main bus
terminus at Vengere in order to be at the government offices on
time.
"There are about two buses which pass through the
constituency to Nyanga," he said. "They are not consistent."
THE police in Mutare yesterday said touts
risk being arrested if they continue harassing passengers at the Sakubva long
distance bus terminus.
Francis Mubvuta, the officer in charge of
traffic police, Mutare district, said: "The touts are committing an offence
daily and should be on guard as the police will be out in full force after
them.
"It is an offence that attracts a fine of up to $3
000,"
The warning comes at a time when the Mutare City Council has
also stepped up efforts to remove touts from the long distance bus
terminus.
The passengers, mostly from rural areas, and traders have
in the past called on the police to evict the touts.
The touts
verbally abuse passengers and force them to board buses against their
choice. The touts have been accused of harassing rural traders who
bring fresh farm produce for sale in the city, and robbing them of their
money and goods.
Augustine Chikwanha, a councillor for Ward
Three in Sakubva, told a recent community services, housing, health and
education committee meeting that touts were disregarding the law and
continued to operate illegally at the terminus.
"Those touts are
charging rural traders and other travellers exorbitant fees for loading and
offloading their luggage," Chikwanha said.
He said people no longer
felt protected because of the prevalence of harassment by the touts at the
terminus.
Touts at the terminus charge between $1 000 and $1 500 to
load or offload a 50 kilogramme bag of maize, wheat, sorghum or
millet.
Chikwanha said most passengers would seek assistance from
the touts after failing to get help from loaders and conductors of the
respective bus companies. "Bus operators are abandoning passengers
leaving them at the mercy of the touts," Chikwanha said.
The
leaders of two Cricket World Cup host countries, Zimbabwe and Kenya, have not
been invited to the competition's opening ceremony in Newlands, Cape
Town.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is not expected to be at the
opening ceremony on Saturday despite his country playing tournament co-host
along with South Africa and Kenya.
The International Cricket Council
revealed on Wednesday they had invited neither Mugabe nor Kenya's Mwai Kibaki
to Saturday's spectacle.
The news comes as the World Cup technical
committee sits to consider the England and Wales Cricket Board's request to
reschedule its match against Zimbabwe from Harare to South Africa. If the
request is rejected, England will forfeit the match, a move that would leave
them with only a slim chance of reaching the next round.
'Mr
Mugabe will not be coming' Both England and Zimbabwe have the right to appeal
against whatever the technical committee decides, through one of three judges
from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
The committee is made up of ICC
chief executive Malcolm Speed, World Cup executive director Ali Bacher, ICC
commercial manager Campbell Jamieson, ex-South African umpire Brian Basson,
former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar and ex-West Indies pace bowler Michael
Holding.
On Wednesday night 4 500 volunteers and some of South Africa's
finest musicians went through their paces in a series of colourful
displays reflecting the country's rich natural and cultural
heritage.
Bacher described the show as "breath-taking, brilliant and a
credit to our country".
It is an international sporting tradition for
the heads of states of all host countries to be present at official openings.
The presidents of Japan and South Korea shared a stage at last year's soccer
world cup.
'Enjoy the display of excellence by the finest
cricketers from across the globe' But the ICC admitted on Wednesday that
they were not expecting Mugabe or Kibaki on Saturday.
ICC spokesperson
Bongu Masisi said they "had not gone out of their way to invite foreign
dignitaries".
Mbeki's spokesperson, Bheki Khumalo, said their office had
not been informed of any visiting dignitaries and if Mugabe had been invited
Mbeki "would have known by now".
A woman at the Zimbabwean embassy
confirmed Mugabe had not been invited to either the ceremony or the opening
game. "Mr Mugabe will not be coming," she said, before abruptly terminating
the phone call.
Mugabe's absence will save the South African government
potential embarrassment during the trial of opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai in Harare and rumbling discontent in London and Canberra about
Zimbabwe's role in the tournament.
On Wednesday the South African
cabinet called on all South Africans to "welcome our guests with open arms,
assist them where necessary and ensure that, together with them, we enjoy the
display of excellence by the finest cricketers from across the globe".
Britain's hostility is undermining
efforts to end the country's crisis
George Shire Friday February 7,
2003 The Guardian
The International Cricket Council has now visited
Zimbabwe twice and concluded it is safe to play there. And yet many in
Britain - from cricketers to government ministers - still want the matches
moved to South Africa. If they can't justify this on safety grounds, then
they plead political disapproval or humanitarian concern. But behind these
calls lies a campaign by the British government to bring about the
international isolation of Zimbabwe. The use of coercive diplomacy to secure
sanctions on the Zimbabwean government has stymied Zimbabwe's efforts to seek
its own way out of its economic and political crisis - so much so that
Britain is now the main obstacle to progress.
The so-called "smart
sanctions" have had a direct impact on black-owned businesses while leaving
white-owned companies to continue as usual. The British government has
manipulated the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to withdraw loans
to Zimbabwe; by doing so, it has crippled the economy. Furthermore, the
relentless British media assault on Zimbabwe has helped scare away
investors.
Any solution to Zimbabwe's problems must be based on restoring
the economy, so how can Britain claim that such policies will help? The
only justification would be that it seeks political change as a precondition
for economic aid. Leaving aside the neo-colonial implications, this approach
is based on a gross misrepresentation of Zimbabwe's political
situation.
Contrary to hostile western media reporting - and its often
racist overtones - there is no total breakdown of the rule of law; nor is
there a record of extreme human rights violations or the degree of
violence routinely claimed. I condemn all the forms of political violence
that have come to dominate Zimbabwean political culture. But, with around 150
deaths reported by human rights groups since 2000, it is simply not at a
level that could justify this response. What's more, the western media fail
to report violence perpetrated against Zanu (PF) supporters by Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) activists, such as Leo Jeke, stabbed to death because
he refused to remove his Zanu (PF) T-shirt.
Much of the violence
directed at MDC supporters has been carried out by people who see themselves
as fighting those who control their economic life. They are often people with
a profound rage against those they accuse of killing their families during
the liberation war, and of betraying them in the struggle for land
distribution. These people have concluded that the MDC is supported and
financed by white supremacist organisations, transnational corporations and
western governments. Yet the media ignore these underlying causes of violence
and focuses on demonising a government that
supports redistribution.
Thus the Commonwealth Observer Group's report
of the Zimbabwean presidential election last year enjoyed wide coverage,
despite the fact that it was one of only two critical reports out of 15.
Public opinion in Zimbabwe, Africa and the global south sees Britain as being
at the centre of Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis. The British
government, because of the legacy of colonialism, must face up to its
obligations to provide funds for land reform, and for the compensation of
white farmers, as agreed during the Lancaster House talks in 1980.
The
claim that seven million people are facing starvation in Zimbabwe because of
the land resettlement programme is rejected by an overwhelming majority of
Zimbabweans, the 53 nations that make up the African Union and a majority of
the Non-Aligned Movement. The food crisis is not confined to Zimbabwe alone.
It has gripped Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia and now creeping
into Botswana. There is also no evidence of any institutional attempt to
divert distribution of food. But food aid from the rich countries has been
only a fraction of that supplied a decade ago during the country's last food
crisis.
There is growing evidence that the political situation in
Zimbabwe is improving. The fast-track land acquisition programme has been
completed; law and order has returned on the farms; the laws governing land
acquisition have been rationalised. A successful pullout of Zimbabwe troops
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has also been achieved. There is
an outspoken independent press and opposition and I suspect the current
trial of Morgan Tsvangirai will show the judicial system in much better shape
than expected.
If the British government really wants to promote
democracy in Zimbabwe, it needs to recognise the progress that has been made
and stop treating the country as a pariah. And it needs to make itself part
of the solution to the land problem, without which the Zimbabwean people will
not be able to prosper.
ˇ George Shire is an academic working for the
Open University and a Zimbabwe liberation war veteran.
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe January 27th - February 2nd 2003 Weekly
update 2003-4
CONTENTS
1. GENERAL COMMENT 2. INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS 3. RIGHTS ABUSES
1. General comment
The
government has found willing tools in the public media in its efforts
to misinform the public and the international community that it
has successfully wound up its controversial land reform programme. So
concerned was the public media with their effort to endorse
government's reforms that The Herald (25/01) distorted the comments of
Japanese ambassador, Tsuneshige Iiyama in an attempt to fit them into
this perception. The Herald reported Iiyama as having said, "Japan is
against calls by MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.to isolate Zimbabwe." "No
country can exist in isolation and we don't think there is any reason for the
international community to focus its attention on Zimbabwe", the paper quoted
him as saying. It also reported Mr Iiyama as having said, "it was now clear
that the land reform programme, which sought to correct historical injustice,
had come to an end." However, in a letter written to The Herald, and whose
excerpts were published in The Zimbabwe Independent (31/01), Iiyama denied
criticizing Mr. Tsvangirai by name or saying there was no reason for the
international community to focus its attention on Zimbabwe: " I never uttered
a single word about Mr. Tsvangirai during my talk with Professor Moyo, nor
did I mention Tsvangirai to the mass media following this meeting." He
also denied that he had accepted that the land reform programme had come to
an end, but instead stated that "there are still alleged land invasion cases
and there are still continuing irregularities on the ground and that if these
allegations are true, then the government should take measures to arrest
these irregularities". These distortions follow hard on the heels of another
misrepresentation in The Herald of remarks made by UN special envoy James
Morris on the land issue. MMPZ deplores this latest attempt to distort the
comments of diplomatic representatives in its efforts to seek credibility for
government programmes. These attempts to portray a false impression of
the international community's perspective of land reform are a violation
of basic ethical journalistic practice. MMPZ is concerned that such
malpractice is ignored by a government that appears to be determined to
silence the voices of foreign and private media journalists. For example,
five foreigners visiting Zvishavane were arrested and later deported on
suspicion that they were "undercover journalists", despite the fact that a
magistrates' court found there were no charges to answer. This arbitrary act
of repression preceded the arrest in Bulawayo of three other journalists
under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) who
were part of a Press team accompanying the UN's James Morris. The law
requires journalists to be accredited by the government-appointed Media and
Information Commission (MIC). Only later was it established that the three
were indeed accredited to the MIC and were subsequently released. Given the
complaints outlined by the UN and Japanese envoys, MMPZ requests MIC to
explain why The Herald apparently escapes any scrutiny under AIPPA while
government, using the same law, persecutes independent journalists going
about their lawful duties.
2. International
relations
Zimbabwe's strained relations with the international community
dominated the media once again. While the public media exposed, and indeed
celebrated differences within the EU on how to deal with Zimbabwe, the
private media appeared reluctant to examine the issue fully and interpret the
divisions in the EU over its policies on Zimbabwe. The Herald (28/01)
opened the week with Sanctions Deadlock, which reported: " The British
government's international campaign to vilify and isolate Zimbabwe further
disintegrated yesterday after the UK failed to influence the European Union
to extend sanctions against Harare". The Chronicle (28/01) carried a similar
article. ZTV & 3FM (28/01, morning bulletins) picked up the story and
presented the EU split as having affected relations between Europe and
Africa. It stated: ". All that the Brussels meeting could achieve were sharp
exchanges which left Europe's relations with Africa badly tainted." It
was, however, left unexplained how the relations between the two continents
were tainted. Instead, 3FM (28/01, 6am) latched on to reports that the
EU/African summit scheduled for Lisbon was in doubt because of the Zimbabwean
issue, to support its claims that Zimbabwe's strained relations with the
international community had taken a wider inter-continental dimension. It
gave the impression that the impending cancellation of the meeting would only
be a result of African pressure on the EU. It stated: "The EU and African
leaders summit scheduled for April in Portugal might not take place if
Zimbabwe does not participate". However, the station obscured the other
side of the story, that the Lisbon meeting could be aborted because some
European countries had threatened to boycott it if Zimbabwe was invited. This
was raised in The Zimbabwe Independent (31/01). In fact, in its efforts to
present Zimbabwe as having the ear of a sympathetic Africa, ZBC (31/01, 6pm)
exploited South African Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane's visit to
Zimbabwe. ZTV (31/01, 6pm), in particular, tried to lead Ndungane into making
statements that were in tandem with its editorial stance, as illustrated by
excerpts of an interview below. Reuben Barwe (RB): "How long will you be
in the country to really get a feel of what is happening?" Njongonkulu
Ndungane (NN): "Actually that is not our mission, its not on our agenda. Our
agenda was to pay a pastoral visit to the President and listen to him in
terms of what are the real issues in this country" RB: "And the picture
painted by the media, do you think it is a rational picture?" NN: "I do
not know. I cannot comment on that, all I am saying is that we've had a
wonderful reception." Despite this attempt to solicit a supportive political
statement from Ndungane, Barwe misled ZTV's 8pm bulletin audience into
suggesting that the archbishop was satisfied with the situation in
Zimbabwe. ".After discussions with President Mugabe, Ndungane said he is a
satisfied man", Barwe said unashamedly adding, "This comes after the media
report, especially the South African one painted a bad picture about events
in Zimbabwe." He then made reference to Archbishop Desmond Tutu's
criticism of Zimbabwe, to give the impression that unlike Tutu, Ndungane was
more sympathetic to Zimbabwe and satisfied with the situation. On the
contrary, Ndungane said (ZTV, 31/01, 8pm) there was need to "to address some
of the fundamental problems in terms of the relationship with the British
government". However, the public media's excitement over Zimbabwe's
diplomatic 'breakthrough' was eloquently captured in The Manica Post (31/01),
Zimbabwe' s series of triumphs telling. The article chronicled the
"successes" scored by President Mugabe's government. Its columnist, Gabriel
Manyati, simplistically viewed Jacques Chirac's invitation of President
Mugabe to France as tantamount "to saying yes to land reforms". Indeed,
the public media continued to claim that government's controversial land
reform programme was a success, thereby narrowly giving the impression that
the Zimbabwean crisis had come to an end. For example, in its article, White
farmers assured of getting land, juxtaposed with its headline story on
divisions within the EU over Zimbabwe, The Herald (28/01) sought to give the
impression that government was committed to its 'one-farmer-one-farm policy'.
The article then blamed the impasse between government and the CFU on some of
the farmers, who "went ahead to feed the international community with false
information about the ongoing land reform programme". To give the chaotic
land reform programme international legitimacy, The Herald and Chronicle
(27/01) reported that "Scotland at the weekend committed itself to a radical
overhaul of land ownership" which some land owners described as similar to
"President Mugabe's land grab in Zimbabwe". Their interpretation of the
Scottish land reform as synonymous with Zimbabwe 's own experience was
demonstrated in articles such as Zim's agrarian revolution contagious-
Scottish Bill proves land is vital resource the world over, The Herald
(30/01) and Chronicle (30/01) comment, You can't stop the revolution, which
observed: "Zimbabwe's land reforms. have been an eye opener to the world
community". Even the South African Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza's visit
to Zimbabwe was contrived to mean that Zimbabwe was a model for other
countries' agrarian reforms, ZBC (30/01, 8pm) and The Herald (31/01). The
Herald reported that Didiza and some members of her delegation
were "impressed by the work of the new farmers" and that some South
African commercial farmers "remained behind for a few days to tour some of
the areas". A picture of two alleged South African farmers inspecting a
soya bean field in Bindura accompanied the story. While the public media
presented the meeting between government and the CFU as demonstrating
government's commitment to end the country's crisis, The Financial Gazette
(30/01), Govt woos white farmers with land promises, on the other hand, was
wary of government's sincerity in this overture. It stated: "Cosmetic
assurances and friendly chats will not work if the farmers are to come back
to the farms because they have a lot to do in rebuilding their infrastructure
and accessing finance from banks." In an attempt to downplay the impact of
the EU's indecision on Zimbabwe, the paper quoted Ross Herbert of the South
African Institute of International Affairs, among other analysts, as saying:
" .if the EU lifts sanctions against Harare. that development would not be
followed by a flood of people coming to bail out Zimbabwe with cash or
food." Earlier, in its report on the EU's division on Zimbabwe, The Daily
News (28/01) diverted attention from the easing of international pressure
on Zimbabwe by seeking comment from sources who largely criticized France
for inviting President Mugabe. Meanwhile, The Financial Gazette reported
on the United States' bid to exert more pressure on government officials by
freezing their bank accounts and seizing their assets in that country, as
"they have reached a point where punitive action in the form of economic
sanctions on the leadership is now being considered". The article confused
its readers as it failed to clearly differentiate between targeted travel and
personal sanctions and broader economic sanctions. For example, it quoted
unnamed analysts as having said the US move "would amount to full-blown
sanctions against Zimbabwe and could precipitate the collapse of the
country's already unstable economy". There was no explanation on how punitive
measures against selected ZANU PF officials would hurt the national
economy. This kind of observation perpetuates the misleading interpretation
of targeted sanctions peddled by the public media. The Daily News (29/01)
also reported that the US had advised its citizens to consider leaving
the country "as the political and economic situation in the country continues
to deteriorate". The Herald of the same day quoted authorities in the
tourism sector dismissing the travel warnings "as nothing new". As if to
further reinforce the private media's notion that more pressure was being
exerted on Zimbabwe, The Daily Mirror (28/01), The Daily News (29/01), and
The Zimbabwe Independent (31/01) quoted Australia's High
Commissioner Jonathan Brown attacking the Zimbabwean government. He was
quoted as saying: "Since that election (March 2002 presidential poll) we have
seen the government of Zimbabwe tighten its grip on its people, further
denying their freedom of speech and association and their protection under
the law without discrimination". Besides SW Radio Africa (23/01), no other
media gave a comprehensive explanation on why countries such as France are
suddenly abandoning the commonly held EU position on Zimbabwe and embracing
the country.
3. Rights abuse - Journalists' arrests
The ongoing
human rights violations continued to hog the limelight in the media with
focus being on the harassment of media practitioners, opposition supporters
and civic groups under the cover of the repressive AIPPA and the Public Order
and Security Act (POSA). Most of the reports on rights abuses appeared in the
private media, which carried about 37 (76%) out of 49 reports in the media.
The stories included incidents and follow-up reports. The private Press
had about 22 stories, with The Daily News carrying 15 of these. On the other
hand ZIMPAPERS had five reports. The trend was similar in the broadcast
media. The privately owned SW Radio Africa carried about 15 stories from
January 27th to January 30th, while ZBC 's 3FM and ZTV had three and four
reports respectively. At the beginning of the week, The Daily News (27/01)
followed up The Sunday Mail (26/01) report that five foreigners working for
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and three locals, including a Daily News
journalist, were under "house arrest" at a hotel in Zvishavane for allegedly
working as journalists without proper accreditation. The Daily News, using
a Reuters interview, quoted police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena denying that
the five were arrested but insisted that they were foreign journalists, who
"could be on some clandestine mission". That evening, ZTV (27/01, 8pm) also
broadcast a police statement echoing Bvudzijena's comments. However, both The
Daily News and ZBC (27/01) failed to get comment from LWF on the
issue. Conversely, SW Radio Africa (28/01) accorded space to the
organization. The LWF said the five foreigners, arrested under AIPPA, were in
the country to tour projects of the foundation in preparation for LWF's 10th
summit to be held in Canada. Dr Norgle of the LWF said "65 million people
throughout the world" received the story and it would be difficult for LWF to
"rebuild that positive image that it is struggling to maintain on behalf of
Zimbabwe." Subsequently, ZBC (ZTV, 29/01, 8pm & 3FM, 29/01, 8pm)
announced that the five had been released "following a chamber hearing before
a Zvishavane magistrate who ruled that there was no convincing evidence
against them". The report added that they were however deported. The
police were quoted as having said "the five were deported by
immigration officials who found their conduct inconsistent with their
visa applications.", but it failed to explain what these inconsistencies
were. The following day, The Herald also reported that the five had been
deported for "working illegally in the country", despite the fact that
no incriminating evidence was found against them. No effort was made to
examine why the accused were deported when the courts had found them
innocent. In another related case, SW Radio Africa (28/01), the Chronicle
(29/01) The Daily News and The Financial Gazette (30/01) reported that a
Daily News photographer and two foreign journalists were summarily detained
in Bulawayo for going about their duties. However, the media differed in
details about the incident. While SW Radio Africa, The Daily News and The
Financial Gazette reported that two foreign journalists and a local one were
arrested for taking pictures of the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) silos in
Bulawayo, the Chronicle masked the identity of the place by reporting that
only two foreign journalists were detained for "taking pictures in restricted
areas in the city". Also, the Chronicle reported the issue in isolation,
while the private media tried to link the incident with the Zvishavane
case. All media however, concurred that the journalists were later
released without charge after the police discovered that they were part of
the Press team that accompanied James Morris of the World Food
Programme. The Daily News (31/01) also reported that its reporters were
allegedly barred by state security agents from covering President Mugabe's
address to the chiefs in Bulawayo. MMPZ condemns the barring of
journalists during the conduct of their duty as this hinders the free flow of
information, which constitutes a vital cog in democratic
society. Meanwhile, The Herald, The Daily News, The Daily Mirror and The
Financial Gazette (30/01) reported that police broke up a meeting called by
Harare executive mayor Elias Mudzuri to address residents on problems
affecting the city. While The Herald and The Daily Mirror quoted the
police as saying the meeting was not sanctioned by the police as required
under POSA, The Daily News reported that the police had earlier approved the
meeting, a point that was also noted on ZTV (29/01, 8pm). The Financial
Gazette, The Daily News (30/01) and The Zimbabwe Independent quoted Mudzuri
as criticizing the police for selectively applying the rule of law. He was
quoted as saying while the police were quick to suppress his meetings they
were reluctant to deal with ZANU PF activists in Kuwadzana, who were
illegally camped on council premises from where they allegedly harassed
members of the opposition. As if to prove these claims, that same day, The
Daily News, 30 abducted, tortured by police- MDC, quoted the MDC alleging
that ZANU PF youths and armed policemen were beating up people who were
breaching an "unofficial curfew" they had imposed in the
suburb. Allegations of torture of opposition members by state security agents
were even corroborated in The Herald (28/01) comment, Torture is wrong,
useless. The article condemned the use of torture to elicit information by
the police. It observed: "First class intelligence officers and first
class police do not resort to torture. They obtain their information or
their evidence with their brains, not their hands." However, the comment
lost its way when it suggested that the police could deny suspects food to
get information. The editorial also lost its bearings towards the end when it
seemed to suggest that opposition members "arrested for kidnapping and
torturing members of other parties" deserved the kind of treatment they
received from the police. It stated: "We don't expect them to cry foul when
the tables are turned against them." Ends
The MEDIA UPDATE was
produced and circulated by the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe,15 Duthie
Avenue, Alexandra Park, Harare, Tel/fax: 263 4 703702, E-mail: monitors@mmpz.org.zw; monitors@mweb.co.zw
Feel free to
write to MMPZ. We may not able to respond to everything but we will look at
each message. For previous MMPZ reports, and more information about the
Project, please visit our website at http://www.mmpz.org.zw
No agreement reached with govt - CFU Staff
writers THE government has gone full throttle in its efforts to persuade the
world it has brokered a home-grown solution to its blighted land reform
programme by appearing to offer displaced commercial farmers an olive
branch.
But Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) president Colin Cloete has
described the government's position as inflexible and
insincere.
Cloete, who led the delegation that recently met
Agriculture minister Joseph Made, has dismissed reports of any
breakthrough.
"I wish to place on record that no agreement or binding
commitment has been reached as a result of our discussions thus far," Cloete
told the Zimbabwe Independent this week.
The much-touted pledge by
the CFU to back land reform by releasing farming equipment worth $30 billion
and providing skills to newly-resettled farmers has turned out to be
premature.
Made and Information minister Jonathan Moyo have been
leading the so-called dialogue between the CFU and the government. The two
met the CFU leadership on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday hoping to secure the
farmers' signature on a memorandum of understanding
(MOU).
Highly-placed sources said farmers would not sign the
government-drafted document because it had too many discrepancies and did not
address issues on the ground.
"The MOU is silent on how government
intends to raise the money it is pledging for compensation, acquiring of
equipment and hiring of skilled farmers," sources said.
"The
current budget does not make such a provision, therefore we will
be short-changed."
Commercial farmers who lost their land and
equipment during the controversial land reform exercise require at least $50
billion in compensation. The agricultural budget for the 2002/2003 financial
year is $40 billion, of which only $10 million has been budgeted for
compensation. Cloete said the issue of making farmers apply for land as
proposed by the government was difficult to implement.
"The
government says it is its policy to downsize farms and that no farmers would
be left without land. We are still waiting for that to happen as it has not
been discussed in the meetings," said Cloete.
"It will be very
difficult to compel farmers to apply for land. It is very costly in terms of
relocation and we hope farmers will be allowed to continue farming where they
have been all along."
Cloete said the government had not yet
implemented its one-farmer one-farm policy despite assurances.
The
series of meetings have centred on the issue of compensation, with farmers
demanding that government should compensate them for both improvements on the
farms and moveable assets lost in the chaotic land-grabbing
exercise.
The cash-strapped government has managed to compensate only
126 farmers out of the over 3 000 who were displaced at the peak of the land
seizures. Even the 126 farmers did not get the full amounts due to
them.
The farmers have set up a Compensation Committee with a view to
recovering the billions of dollars they are owed by government.
A
member of the committee, Davison Gerry, said the situation was
worrying.
He said individual farmers had offered land for resettlement to
government on the understanding that they would retain a small portion but
were still invaded and forced off their properties.
He said it was
not feasible for farmers to apply for land as the government was postponing
decisions.
"The government must allow farmers to continue where they
were. They must implement the one-farmer one-farm policy. If farmers are
allocated a plot somewhere else it means they have to start afresh and that
is not attractive to many. It is not reasonable at all," said Gerry.
Govt turns to Iran for fuel Dumisani
Muleya ZIMBABWE has extended its increasingly desperate search for fuel to
Iran where it hopes to secure supplies to ease a shortage threatening to sink
the economy.
Fuel industry sources yesterday said government has
been negotiating for the past two weeks with Iranian authorities to secure
fuel to supplement negligible deliveries currently trickling into the
country.
Energy and Power Development minister Amos Midzi yesterday
would neither confirm nor deny the ongoing discussions.
"I can't
confirm that now," he said. "Call me next week and I will have a position on
that."
Efforts to get comment from the Iranian embassy in Harare were
unsuccessful.
Fuel supplies from Libya and Kuwait - which together
used to meet over 80% of the country's needs - have virtually dried up over
non-payment.
To bridge the gaping deficit, government has been
hunting for fuel wherever it can be found. The search has seen Zimbabwe
approaching war-wrecked countries like Angola and Sudan.
However,
none of these countries have expressed an interest in doing business with
Harare because it does not pay. Even Libya, which has been posturing as
Zimbabwe's staunch political ally, has not been prepared to continue
delivering fuel to such a bad debtor.
Official sources have confirmed
that Libya first suspended all deliveries of petroleum products to Zimbabwe
with immediate effect after government failed to settle a debt of US$42,95
million by the June 22 deadline. This marked the beginning of the collapse of
the US$360 million fuel deal government had signed with Tamoil Trading
Ltd.
Government sources said former Finance minister Simba Makoni
actually warned cabinet on June 26 last year that the country was heading for
crunching fuel shortages because of non-payment and lack of foreign
currency.
"The country has no usable foreign exchange reserves,"
Makoni reportedly told cabinet. "This has adversely affected the country's
capacity to procure critical imports such as drugs, electricity, raw
materials and fuel. This has been compounded by the need to import edible
grain."
Zimbabwe has been battling with the current fuel crisis since
1999. Initial official claims to explain the shortages were that commercial
farmers were hoarding the commodity to sabotage the ruling Zanu PF's congress
that year. Later President Mugabe alleged, without producing evidence, that
the British were hijacking tankers destined for Zimbabwe on the high
seas.
Couple killed in cold blood as lawlessness
mounts Taurai Dzengerere AN elderly retired white couple were brutally
murdered at their home in Karoi on Wednesday afternoon.
Wim and Freda
Potemans were attacked at around 1600hrs. It is suspected sharp objects were
used in the fatal attack.
A neighbour told the Zimbabwe Independent a
friend bringing the couple food found them bleeding profusely inside the
house.
"Freda (63) had already died by the time the friend arrived at
the house," he said. "Vim was still breathing but died as the ambulance crew
tried to resuscitate him."
He said the victims also had marks on
their necks show-ing signs of strangulation. The house had been
looted.
"The house was looted and two suitcases full of the couple's
belongings were found at the scene of the attack," sources
said.
Wim Potemans was a retired mechanic who used to work for Karoi
Motors and had been retired for the past two years. Police in Chinhoyi
confirmed the case and said investigations were underway.
In
another sign of growing law-lessness, George Kanasu, a soldier and reported
accomplice of intelligence agent Joseph Mwale, is said to have fired a shot
at Roy Bennett's farm workers in Chimanimani on
Wednesday night.
The MDC said Kanasu arrived at the workers'
compound and went to every hut intimidating MDC supporters. When he got to
the gate, he forced the youths who were wearing MDC T-shirts to remove
them.
"The workers resisted and Kanasu fired one shot. He however
missed hitting anybody.
"He later left the farm in the dark," says
the statement. "We cannot understand how a soldier would move out of a camp
armed with a gun without the knowledge of the officer-in-charge at the
camp."
Kanasu is based at 3 Brigade in Mutare and Mwale is a CIO
agent who is alleged to have murdered MDC activist Tichaona Chiminya in
Buhera in 2000. Mwale is also understood to have mobilised people to invade
Bennett's farm.
Paul Themba Nyathi, the MDC's secretary for
information and publicity, said the rule of law should be applied regardless
of the political affiliations of the offender.
"This is the only
basis upon which a Zimbabwe with a solid future can be built," he
said.
Mbeki, Obasanjo talks centre on Zim crisis Dumisani
Muleya THE Zimbabwe crisis is expected to loom large in today's crucial
talks between South African President Thabo Mbeki and his Nigerian
counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo in Pretoria.
Official sources said Mbeki
and Obasanjo are scheduled to meet this morning at Union Buildings ahead of
the Commonwealth troika meeting on Zimbabwe at the same venue in
March.
"Their talks will be dominated by the Zimbabwe issue," a
source said. "They will discuss how to prevent Harare's full ban from the
Commonwealth."
Zimbabwe was suspended from Commonwealth councils for
a year on March 19 last year for blatant vote-rigging. But the troika
comprising Mbeki, Obasanjo and Australian Prime Minister John Howard failed
to agree on further measures in Abuja in September.
Obasanjo is
expected to arrive at Waterkloof airbase in Pretoria this morning on a
two-day state visit.
Apart from the Zimbabwe emergency, other issues
on the agenda include the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad),
Iraq, the current cricket row over Zimbabwe, and bilateral
issues.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss peace and
security issues in Africa, in particular such conflict flash points as
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast.
After
the meeting, Mbeki and Obasanjo will address a press conference
around midday.
Obasanjo flies to Harare on Saturday evening for
talks with President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe and Obasanjo's talks
are also likely to centre on the Commonwealth troika meeting. The opposition
Movement for Democratic Change has written to the Nigerian leader urging him
to avoid an impression of collaboration.
Zimbabwe, which was given a
six-month grace period in Abuja to address issues such as land, the rule of
law, elections, and the political crisis, has been assiduously pretending to
be doing so.
Government has apparently been feeding the South
Africans, who recently dispatched several ministers to Harare, with
carefully-packaged claims claiming the situation has improved.
The
official line is that land reform has been completed, repressive media laws
are being amended, the citizenship issue for immigrants from the region has
been addressed and Zimbabwe has since withdrawn in full from the DRC. Other
issues being cited entail talks with farmers and the economic blueprint
between government, business and labour.
Political scientist Brian
Raftopoulos said despite the seemingly cosmetic changes promised by Zimbabwe,
Mugabe's government had not abandoned its repressive
policies.
"Mbeki wants to present to the world a picture of a
reformed Zimbabwe," said Raftopoulos. "But Mugabe has not abandoned his
repressive policies."
Mbeki, who met Mugabe during the African Union
extraordinary summit in Addis Ababa this week, seems to have swallowed the
official line.
His claims after meeting British Prime Minister Tony
Blair at Chequers over the weekend that Harare would soon carry out
legislative reforms suggested he has bought the whole package.
Zim to run out of food next month Augustine
Mukaro ZIMBABWE could run out of food as early as next month when the
United Nations' humanitarian assistance programme ends unless
alternative arrangements are quickly made.
In a UN Humanitarian
Situation Report prepared after visiting Zimbabwe, UN special envoy James
Morris said countries in the region urgently needed to establish new sources
of food as the World Food Programme (WFP) "pipeline" would end in the next
month.
This is likely to have serious consequences for Zimbabwe -
already facing a grain deficit - as donors shy away and government fails to
raise the foreign currency required for imports. Neighbouring countries like
Zambia, Morris pointed out, were better situated because of advanced land
preparation.
"The WFP pipeline is going to increase food imports from
40 000 tonnes in January to 50 000 tonnes in February and possibly 70/80 000
tonnes in March," Morris said.
"However, pledges to the WFP will
last only up to end-March/ early-April, so new commitments are urgently
needed."
The UN humanitarian assistance programme, which started last
year, has managed to prevent widespread starvation in rural Zimbabwe,
especially in Masvingo, Matabeleland North and South, parts of the Midlands
and Mashonaland Central. While the WFP only managed to mobilise resources
to purchase 160 000 tonnes of food for Zimbabwe against a target of 705
000 tonnes for a nine-month period up to March this year, what little it
did collect has been evenly distributed and prevented a worst-case
scenario.
But that now looms again as funding from traditional donors
has slowed down as humanitarian assistance is now also required in North
Korea and the Horn of Africa.
Zimbabwe's government has only
managed to import a third of the country's needs due to foreign currency
shortages, poor planning and logistical handicaps. Land seizures have
prevented commercial production on the scale needed.
As of
December, government had imported a paltry 685 784 tonnes of maize when the
country requires 1,9 million tonnes to bridge the 2002/03
seasons.
The UN report, released this week, said the food situation
in Zimbabwe was not likely to improve even after the start of the 2003
marketing season in the next two months.
"Government of Zimbabwe
pro-jects an estimated maize production of 571 000 tonnes for the 2002/3
season of which only 56 000 tonnes is expected to flow to the Grain Marketing
Board (GMB)," the report said.
"The estimates mean that the country
will have a 1,09 million-tonne deficit for the 2003/4 marketing
year."
Zimbabwe has an annual requirement of 1,9 million tonnes of
maize to feed the close to 12 million population, about 62% of whom are
understood to be in need of food aid as at the beginning of the year. The
required tonnages do not include the 500 000 tonnes for the strategic grain
reserve.
The WFP and its implementing partners plan to mill and
distribute around 80 000 tonnes of maize by mid-March. A total of 35 000
tonnes of milled maize has benefited over 6,7 million hunger-stricken people
through the country.
Around 7,2 million people have been surviving on
food handouts either from the donor community or government since last
year.
THE High Court trial of
Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai and two others
yesterday caught fire after three days of relative torpor when defence
attorneys cross-examined star prosecution witness
Ari Ben-Menashe.
Advocate George Bizos, who is leading the defence
team, grilled Ben-Menashe until he sweated as the trial entered its fourth
day.
For two days this week the court heard lengthy poor-quality
video-tape evidence. But yesterday there was a change of
pace.
Ben-Menashe - who on Wed-nesday added a fresh claim that the
MDC agreed to a 10-day timetable to kill Mugabe with the assistance of the
United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - constantly wiped sweat
from his brow.
Bizos accused Ben-Menashe of being a "fraudster" and
of spinning "untruths". He said his reputation for dishonesty and fraudulent
behaviour had actually put his credibility on trial. The Zambian US$6 million
maize scam in which Ben-Menashe was implicated was cited.
"There
is a similarity between the fraud we say was committed against the MDC and
its office bearers, and other frauds committed by the witness (Ben-Menashe)
and his companies, by interfering in high-profile political matters, getting
money, and then turning the tables against the people to whom the fraudulent
representation were made," said Bizos.
Tsvangirai, MDC
secretary-general Welshman Ncube, and agriculture spokesman Renson Gasela are
facing allegations of plotting to assassinate President Mugabe and overthrow
his government. The three deny the charges.
Ben-Menashe on several
occasions failed to answer questions and resorted to vitriol. Presiding judge
Justice Paddington Garwe had to intervene three times to rein-in Ben-Menashe
who engaged in a shouting match with Bizos.
"These people are so
stupid they did not check on my background before they engaged me,"
Ben-Menashe said. Confronted with questions he had difficulty answering, he
took out his frustration on Bizos. But Justice Garwe, who is also judge
president, admonished him.
"Mr Ben-Menashe, can you please address
the court and stop addressing Mr Bizos," he directed.
Ben-Menashe
advertised his admiration for Mugabe's leadership and policies.
"I
believe in the land reform," he said. "I always refer to Mugabe as President
Mugabe."
Bizos pointed out that Ben-Menashe tried to lead Tsvangirai
into the assassination trap by insisting on using the word
"elimination".
"In the video you used the word eliminate 10 times.
This you did to trap Mr Tsvangirai," said Bizos.
Asked what he
understood "eliminate" to mean, Ben-Menashe replied: "This isn't an English
lesson."
"Tsvangirai thought he owned Zimbabwe. This person who wants
to be Zimbabwe's next president doesn't understand the word eliminate," said
an angry Ben-Menashe.
Bizos pointed out that where the word
appeared in Ben-Menashe's contract with the Zimbabwe government it meant the
elimination of certain policies. - Staff Writers/AFP.