Zim Online
Wednesday 10 January
2007
JOHANNESBURG - The cash-strapped Zimbabwe government
will fork out hundreds
of thousands of US dollars to pay Pakistani military
experts who have
arrived in Harare to help train and equip the army, which
has been weakened
by mass resignations of experienced
officers.
Safdara Hayat, the first secretary at the Pakistani embassy in
Harare,
confirmed the arrival of the first four senior military experts from
the
Asian country in an interview with ZimOnline yesterday. He said they
were
all seconded to the Airforce of Zimbabwe (AFZ).
President Robert
Mugabe's government routinely sends AFZ helicopter gunships
flying above
cities to scare anti-government protesters away from the
streets.
The
Pakistani experts have arrived in the country at a time when the nation
faces growing threats of strike actions by long-suffering workers. The
government fears these strikes might escalate into a bigger social unrest
problem.
The government has been heavily recruiting to replace army
and police
officers, deserting in droves to find better paying jobs in
neighbouring
countries and beyond.
Reports from Pakistan suggest that
more military experts are on their way to
Zimbabwe.
While Hayat
professed ignorance at the exact amounts the Pakistani officers
would be
paid, he nonetheless confirmed that the Zimbabwe government would
be
responsible for paying their salaries.
Pakistani's Daily Times newspaper
earlier reported that the experts had been
deployed only after Pakistani
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz approved a revised
agreement which offered
improved conditions of service for experts seconded
to the Zimbabwean army
and air force.
The newspaper said that Pakistani officers from the rank
of captain to
brigadier and those of equivalent ranks in the Pakistani armed
forces would,
on their deputation to Zimbabwe, get monthly salaries in the
range of US$1
500 to US$3 300 and other allowances and privileges such as
free
accommodation and medical cover.
The report said that the
monthly salary of troops in lower ranks would be
from US$615 to $712
excluding other allowances and privileges.
The amounts are a far cry from
the poor salaries paid to Zimbabwean military
and police personnel
especially those in the lower tiers of the security
forces.
For
example, Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri says in a confidential
memo
shown to ZimOnline this week that at least 10 percent of the country's
26
000 police officers would leave the force within the first quarter of the
year because of poor pay.
Junior soldiers are also said to be leaving
the army in their hundreds, a
development that should certainly be worrying
to Mugabe's government which
has in recent years heavily relied on the
security forces to keep public
discontent in check in the face of worsening
food shortages and economic
hardships.
But the main opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party yesterday
strongly condemned the
Harare administration's deal with Pakistani, saying
it was all part of
Mugabe's attempts to keep power at any and whatever cost.
Nelson Chamisa,
who is spokesman of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC, said:
"Their
pre-occupation is to defend power at all costs at the expense of the
livelihoods of their people.
"There is no justification whatsoever to
be importing gunmen instead of
grain or importing ammunition and bombs
instead of fuel. This rogue regime
ought to be isolated and we don't
understand why Pakistan is doing this."
The experts will stay in Zimbabwe
for at least two years though their
tenures can be extended under the
military pact.
Safdara said Pakistan had a long history of co-operating
with Zimbabwe and
there was nothing unusual with the military deal. "In fact
there is nothing
new about it. Its only that is has been renewed," he said.
- ZimOnline
Zim Online
Wednesday 10 January 2007
HARARE
- A mining firm operated by top allies of President Robert Mugabe has
written to the World Diamond Council (WDC) rejecting allegations it was
smuggling diamonds including "blood diamonds" from the Congo into South
Africa for sale on the international market.
River Ranch Diamond
Mines, partly owned by Solomon Mujuru - a former
commander of Zimbabwe's
army and husband of the country's Vice-President
Joice Mujuru - accused the
council of acting on the basis of "false rumour"
and bias against the
firm.
Besides Mujuru, shareholders in River Ranch include Tirivanhu
Mudariki, a
prominent member of Mugabe's ruling ZANU PF party and four
others listed as
A Aujan (Chairman), K Abdallah, G Kantsouris, and M
Mulla.
In a letter of protest to WDC chairman and chief executive officer
Eli
Izhakoff, the diamond firm said it was concerned by the council's
decision
to advise diamond importing countries to shun stones from Zimbabwe
because
they included smuggled and blood diamonds.
"You obviously
have accepted as true rumours that rough diamonds from our
kimberlite mine
are being smuggled illegally into South Africa for official
export with the
validation of a Kimberley Process Certificate and that our
diamonds are
being mixed with production from the DRC (Democratic Republic
of the
Congo)," the Zimbabwean company said in a letter dated December 29,
2006.
According to River Ranch, "rumours" that it was smuggling
diamonds into
South Africa were being spread by a rival firm that had it had
beaten to win
the right to mine diamond deposits near Beitbridge on
Zimbabwe's border with
South Africa.
The Zimbabwean firm said while
it was producing diamonds at its Beitbridge
mine, it had not yet begun
exporting the stones, adding that once sells
begin they would be done
through the Minerals Marketing Corporation of
Zimbabwe, the only body
permitted by law to trade in gold and diamonds.
River Ranch said it did
not have access to diamonds from the DRC as alleged
by the WDC's Izhakoff .
"You are condemning us on the basis of false rumours
without making any
attempt to discover the true position. Your actions are
very surprising and
disturbing," it said.
It was not possible to immediately get comment on
the matter from Izhakoff's
offices in New York.
But the WDC chairman
wrote to the incoming chair of the Kimberley Process,
Korel Kovanda,
sometime last month expressing concern about the diamond rush
in Zimbabwe as
well as alerting the organisation of the alleged smuggling of
diamonds to
South Africa by River Ranch.
In the letter widely circulated in Zimbabwe
and abroad, the WDC chairman
added that the organisation was aware the
Zimbabwean firm was mixing the
rough diamonds with "blood diamonds" from the
DRC.
Apart from diamonds produced from Beitbridge, Zimbabwe has
discovered
another lucrative diamond field in its eastern Maranage district
but mining
has been haphazard, with reports a lot of diamonds produced from
this new
field were being sold to black market traders some from as far
afield as
Israel.
Harare has since last month arrested more than 18
000 people in an on-going
crackdown against illegal diamond and gold miners
and traders. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Wednesday 10 January
2007
BULAWAYO - President Robert Mugabe's government has
deployed feared state
security agents at all Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
branches countrywide
to avert a looming strike over unpaid bonuses,
ZimOnline has learnt.
Workers at the RBZ are said to have last week
threatened to go on strike
after the central bank failed to honour promises
last December to award the
workers bonuses ranging between Z$390 000 and
$470 000 per employee.
But the government, fearing a work boycott at the
central bank would
paralyse the financial sector and the economy at large,
last Friday
dispatched Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agents to
intimidate
workers to drop plans for a strike.
"They (CIO) told us
that the consequences of striking would be dire, and
most workers are not
taking such threats lightly, considering the brutal
nature of the
intelligence operatives," said a worker at the RBZ branch in
Bulawayo.
State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, in charge of the
CIO, could not be
reached for comment on the matter while RBZ human
resources manager Michael
Zengeni refused to take questions on the matter
when contacted by ZimOnline.
"I am sorry I cannot discuss that matter
with you. In any case you need to
talk to the governor himself. He is the
only person who can discuss such
matters," said Zengeni. Gono is away on
holiday in Asia.
Zimbabwe has been rocked by strikes by state doctors and
and energy sector
workers demanding more pay to cushion them against an
economic crisis now in
its eighth year and showing no signs of
abetting.
And analysts predict more strikes in the coming months by
workers both in
the public and private sector as economic and living
conditions worsen on
the back of the free-fall of the Zimbabwe dollar
against major currencies.
Zimbabwe has since 1999 been grappling with an
agonising economic meltdown,
critics blame on repression and mismanagement
by Mugabe, a charge the
veteran leader denies. ZimOnline
Zim Online
Wednesday 10 January
2007
BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe human rights groups
on Tuesday condemned the police for
refusing to accept blame for the fatal
shooting of a 25-year old man in
Bulawayo by a senior police officer on New
Year's eve.
Artwell Magagada was accidentally shot in the head on
December 31 whilst
coming from work by the police officer who was trying to
control revelers in
the city.
Magagada died last Friday at Mater Dei
Hospital in Bulawayo.
A family spokesman who spoke to ZimOnline yesterday
said senior police
officials who visited the family last weekend refused to
accept
responsibility for the death of Magagada because the officer who shot
him
was off-duty.
The police officer has since been identified as
Superintendent Milos Moyo.
National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)
chairman Lovemore Madhuku condemned
the killing of Magagada saying it
indicated that Zimbabwe had been reduced
to a "police state."
"We
really condemn the action of the police and we are going to take further
action against the violation of the human rights by the police. It shows
that this country has become a police state and this is unacceptable," said
Madhuku.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) chairman Otto Saki
said his
organisation had already talked to the family to help it take the
case to
court.
"How could a senior police officer who is off duty
open fire without due
regard to the safety of civilians? We have already
talked to the family and
some of our lawyers are going to represent and
assist them to take the
matter further in the courts," said
Saki.
ZimRights chairman Kucaca Phulu said the decision by the police not
to
accept responsibility for the death was "ridiculous."
"The police
officer was doing an act of policing when he shot Magagada and
whether he
was on duty or off duty is an internal police arrangement. The
public knows
that he is a policeman," Phulu said.
Sources within the police said
Magagada is the third person to be gunned
down by the same police officer,
who is regarded in police circles as
trigger-happy, in four
years.
According to the sources Moyo was in fact banned from handling
firearms
after he shot a demonstrator in Bulawayo in 2005. He had been
transferred to
Bulawayo after shooting another man in Harare in 2004, the
sources said.
"He is not allowed to carry any type of firearm because he
is trigger happy.
He was transferred to this city (Bulawayo) in 2004, after
fatally shooting a
tout in Harare during the same year," said a
source.
Moyo is yet to be punished for the shootings but police spokesman
Oliver
Mandipaka said the police authorities were investigating the
trigger-happy
cop over the shooting of Magagada.
Mandipaka however
refused to comment on allegations that Moyo had killed two
other people or
that he was in 2005 banned from handling firearms because he
was deemed
trigger-happy. - ZimOnline
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
09 January
2007
While many families in Zimbabwe are having trouble
finding the money to pay
soaring school fees, some teachers are having
trouble reaching their new
assignments.
The Progressive Teachers
Union of Zimbabwe said some teachers deployed far
from their home areas
could not reach their schools because they lacked the
bus fare.
The
union said others are refusing to go to remote areas, which they
consider to
be a form of exile as their low salaries will not allow them to
visit their
families.
The government has announced a 300% increase in in wages for
civil servants,
but teachers are demanding an 800% increase in salary plus a
1,500% rise in
transport allowances and a 1,000% boost in their housing
allowances.
PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri
of VOA's
Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that his union is consulting with parents so
that
teachers and families can speak with one voice on the economic
pressures
bearing down on schools.
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
09 January
2007
The Harare government is said to be concerned that the
recent wave of
strikes could spread to the army and police. Security sources
said members
of the army and police are unhappy with their poor remuneration
and with
their working conditions.
A statement issued by the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change faction
of Morgan Tsvangirai said
army troops and police officers are already on a
go-slow.
Sources in
the Zimbabwean security apparatus said senior army officers had
sought a
tenfold pay increase while the government has promised a 300% rise.
The
sources said the two institutions have been drained recently by numerous
resignations.
Web news agency ZimOnline said Home Affairs Minister
Kembo Mohadi confirmed
the high rate of attrition from the uniformed forces.
Defense Minister
Sydney Sekeremayi could not be reached for comment on the
developments or
the report.
Army sources said junior officers are
most affected as the government has
extended farming loans, equipment and
luxury cars to top officials to ensure
their loyalty.
State hospital
doctors and power utility workers have gone on strike in
recent days to
enforce their demands for major pay increases to account for
hyperinflation.
Researcher Chris Maroleng of the Institute For
Security Studies in Pretoria,
South Africa, told reporter Blessing Zulu of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe
that not even the Zimbabwean security forces are
immune to the severe
economic crisis.
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
09 January
2007
Economists and analysts are urging Harare to revise
the 99-year farm leases
it began to issue in November, saying a clause that
lets it revoke the
leases on short notice will make it hard for farmers to
secure loans from
banks using a lease as collateral.
President Mugabe
has urged commercial banks to write loans to resettled
farmers but financial
institutions continue to see such loans as too risky.
Resettled farmers
including some senior government officials have not repaid
loans to state
institutions including the Central Bank and Agri-Bank.
Banking sources said
the experience of Barclays-Fincor, Zimbank-Syfrets and
the African Banking
Corporation, which made loans totaling $37 billion
dollars to the Kondozi
collective farming project in Odzi, Manicalanad
Province, has discouraged
further such lending.
The horticultural concern was invaded and seized in
2004 by senior officials
with help from the army, and the banks lost their
money despite court
rulings in their favor - the orders were ignored and
farm equipment was
allegedly looted by senior officials. The Kondozi
operation used to turn
over UZ$15 million a year before its
seizure.
Political analyst Ernest Mudzengi of the National Constitutional
Assembly
said Harare could find it hard to redraft the leases as land policy
has
become a matter of political expediency rather than a rational approach
to
reviving the agricultural sector.
Economist Eric Bloch told report
Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that banks do not have
confidence in the collateral value of the
leases as drafted.
VOA
By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
09 January
2007
Zimbabwe Health Minister David Parirenyatwa met Tuesday with
hospital
consulting doctors to seek a solution to a continuing strike by
junior and
senior residents, but medical sources said the meeting did not
yield any
immediate results.
Dr. Parirenyatwa was said to have
insisted that the striking medical
officers go back to work while the
government considers their mainly
economic grievances.
The minister
could not be reached for confirmation of the meeting and its
outcome. But
junior doctors said they were encouraged by the involvement of
consulting
doctors, who were instrumental in resolving a similar strike in
July of last
year.
But the junior residents ruled out going back to work before their
demands
had been addressed. They said the consultants meeting with Dr.
Parirenyatwa
took up issues including salaries, housing, transport and
on-call allowances
The junior doctors say present compensation levels are
inadequate in the
country's hyperinflationary environment. The residents
currently earn
Z$56,000 a month, some US$18 at the parallel market exchange
rate, and under
the official poverty line.
For perspective on the
dispute, reporter Carole Gombakomba turned to Dr
Douglas Gwatidzo, chairman
of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human
Rights, who said the
government needs to address such issues urgently to
save lives.
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
09 January 2007
The situation at Zimbabwe 's
hospitals has continued to deteriorate as the
authorities take their time
responding to demands made by the country's
striking junior doctors. There
have been reports that senior doctors and
nurses had joined in the strike
action, but president of the Hospital
Doctors Association Dr. Kudakwashe
Nyamutukwa told us Tuesday that this was
not correct. He said consultants
and nurses were still working at all main
hospitals. But the nurses at Mpilo
Hospital in Bulawayo were contemplating
going on strike because they could
no longer afford the basic transportation
costs.
Nyamutukwa also
confirmed reports that the doctors would not return to work
until their
demands were met. They are demanding an increase in salary from
Z$56,000 to
Z$5 million as of January, 2007. They also want better working
conditions.
Nyamutukwa revealed that senior doctors were conducting the
negotiations
with government. He said they met the health minister Dr David
Parirenyatwa
on Tuesday and outlined their demands. There was no immediate
response from
the minister or any indication of what government was
considering. Another
meeting was scheduled for next Monday.
Meanwhile our sources in Bulawayo
report that the situation at state
hospitals is so bad that even mortuary
attendants now want to walk off the
job. Patients admitted to Mpilo Hospital
are being taken home by relatives.
And student nurses believed to be running
the hospital are taking
instructions from soldiers brought in from Imbizo
Military Barracks. State
run hospitals have been operating without doctors
for nearly 4 weeks since
junior doctors first announced they were resorting
to industrial action. And
the health minister has made no public or private
statements outlining
government's intended plan of action.
Asked why
such a huge increase all at once, Nyamutukwa said: "If you recall
doctors
have been going on strike year in year out because of the same
grievances.
So going on strike now what it simply shows is that none of the
grievances
was resolved. So that's why there is this big jump, and I wouldn't
say it is
a big jump as well. We are actually comparing ourselves with what
regional
doctors are getting because down in South Africa junior doctors are
earning
12,000 rands to about 15,000 rands which is equivalent to 5 million
Zim
dollars. We are not asking for something that is ridiculous."
According
to South Africa 's Mail and Guardian newspaper, state radio said
patients
are being turned away without treatment at the main hospitals in
Harare and
in Bulawayo .
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Lance
Guma
09 January 2007
With several strikes having rocked Zimbabwe
already, the Public Service
Commission has made moves to appease restless
civil servants by offering a
total 1050 percent salary increments broken
down roughly into 300 percent
increments every 4 months. Our correspondent
Simon Muchemwa however reports
that these increments will do little to
appease disgruntled civil servants
some of whom are already deserting the
service. If implemented the new
structures will mean a net salary of Z$210
000 per month including housing
and transport allowances. This remains below
the poverty datum line now over
Z$245 000.
To demonstrate the
disaffection amongst members of the civil service
Muchemwa reports that 9
immigration officials transferred from Harare to
Beitbridge on a two week
'operation' have since jumped the border themselves
into neighbouring South
Africa. Senior immigration officials are said to
have been left dumbfounded
when they sent transportation to move their
officials back to Harare only to
be told they were no longer at their posts.
According to Muchemwa another
example of the crisis is that out of an
initial 58 laboratory technicians at
Harare Hospital only 3 remain. The rest
have left for greener
pastures.
Several teachers interviewed by our correspondent said they
would wait to
see how the increments announced will be implemented. There is
consensus
however that if implemented in a staggered fashion, any increases
will be
wiped out by inflation. Already junior doctors and workers from the
Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) have gone on strike demanding
better
salaries and working conditions. Any strike by the civil service
could have
damaging consequences for the country's
economy.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Tichaona Sibanda
9
January 2007
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority is alleged to have
used video
footage and photographs to identify most of the workers it
suspended on
Monday for allegedly downing tools last week. President of the
Zimbabwe
Electricity and Energy Workers' Union, Angeline Chitambo, said they
know the
power utility's management sent people with video and stills
cameras to get
footage of workers who had gathered outside the Zesa head
office for a
briefing.
Zesa Holdings general manager for corporate
communications James Maridadi
confirmed to the Herald the 135 workers were
suspended for participating in
the illegal job action that affected their
operations last week. But
Chitambo argued that the grouping was not a strike
but a gathering of
workers who needed to be updated on the position of the
collective
bargaining, which had apparently ended in a stalemate between
management and
the workers' union.
'As far as we are concerned, this
is more of a victimisation exercise
because no worker participated in the
so-called strike. We know they had
cameras and they filmed the workers and
that this is the footage they are
using to identify the so-called culprits,'
Chitambo said. The workers' union
has since written a letter to management
advising them to withdraw the
suspensions. Chitambo added that her union was
well versed with the
legalities and procedures involved when calling for a
strike and that last
week's event was 'in no way near a strike'.
The
general-secretary of the Zesa Technical Employees Association Thomas
Masvingwe denied that some disgruntled workers expressed their anger towards
management by disconnecting power supplies to some consumers in the city
centre, bringing some businesses to a halt.
Those suspended Monday
stand accused of allegedly switching off electricity
in parts of Harare's
central business district during last week's stand-off.
Masvingwe blamed the
utility's antiquated equipment for the lose of power in
the capital last
week. He said the cascading power outages in Harare and
rest of the country
underscores what energy experts have been warning about
for years that the
system will eventually go at any time.
Masvingwe added that years of
neglected investment in the vast and
antiquated network that moves
electricity around the country, combined with
steadily growing power needs,
have left the nation's electricity grid
vulnerable to
disruptions.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
The Raw Story
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Tuesday January 9,
2007
Harare- Zimbabwe's main power company has suspended 135 workers
without pay
after they switched off power to parts of Harare last week to
press for
higher wages, news reports said Tuesday. Shops, offices and food
outlets in
central Harare went for at least three hours without power
Thursday after
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority workers switched off
the power to
press for a 1,150-per-cent wage hike.
Utility spokesman
James Maridadi told the state-controlled Herald newspaper
that the workers
would be suspended until investigations into their conduct
were completed.
He also described last week's strike as illegal.
The power utility, which
is struggling to remain viable in Zimbabwe's
hyperinflationary environment,
has, meanwhile, awarded workers a
144-per-cent pay hike staggered over three
months, the Herald said.
But the authority's workers described the hike
as a pittance in a country
where inflation is well above 1,000 per cent, the
report said.
Management was not prepared to give in to their
demands.
© 2006 dpa German Press Agency
The Herald
(Harare)
January 9, 2007
Posted to the web January 9,
2007
Bulawayo Bureau
Harare
Some schools in the country have
been losing teachers who are leaving for
neighbouring countries in search of
greener pastures ahead of the first term
which begins today.
A survey
showed most teachers were migrating to Swaziland, Namibia, South
Africa and
Botswana, where they are offered better salaries.
However, in South
Africa a number of them take up menial jobs as the
neighbouring country also
has a number of teachers' colleges, which are
churning out qualified
personnel annually.
South African schools are reportedly not offering
jobs to diploma and
certificate holders unlike those in Swaziland and
Namibia.
Most schools in the Matabeleland provinces have in the past few
weeks been
flighting advertisements in national newspapers for teaching
posts.
The advertisements were for science and commercial subjects which
include
biology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, mathematics, computer
science and
accounts.
Some of the schools that have indicated that
they urgently require teachers
are Minda, Usher, Manama, Embakwe, Gwanda and
Elite High Schools.
At Gloag High School in Bubi District, sources said
there was only one
A-Level science teacher.
"Teachers are leaving the
country for the Diaspora where they get better
salaries compared to what
they are getting here," said a teacher based in
Bulawayo.
Another
teacher at a school in Bulawayo said his counterparts were leaving
the
country because they were not happy with the salaries they were
earning.
Last year teachers were earning a basic salary of $23 000 per
month and
indications were that the Government would increase the
salaries.
President Mugabe has also assured that the Government would
review teachers'
salaries.
Despite the anticipated salary increase,
some teachers complained that the
money would still be low compared to that
earned by those who were working
in the neighbouring country.
"Even
if we are awarded 300 percent, it is still not enough. I heard that
teachers
in Botswana are earning between P4 000 and P5 000 which when
converted at
today's rate would translate to more than $1,6 million on the
parallel
market.
"You can see that it is still far from the money the Government
is intending
to pay us," said another teacher who asked not to be
named.
Contacted for comment, the Minister of Education, Sport and
Culture, Cde
Aeneas Chigwedere, said it was premature to judge whether
schools were
facing a shortage of teachers.
"We can only get to know
the number of teachers who left by the end of next
week.
"All I can
say is that schools open tomorrow (today) and we can't tell the
exact
position on teachers, just give us time," he said.
The country has been
hit by an exodus of skilled manpower as they seek
higher salaries in the
region and overseas.
Besides the education sector, some of the sectors
that are facing a shortage
of staff due to migration include health and
engineering.
Most workers are earning salaries far below the poverty
datum line that is
pegged at $270 000.
The Zimbabwean
It is all too easy to slide into despondency, doubt and disenchantment
at
the prospects for change in Zimbabwe. But to listen to Jenni Williams,
coordinator of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, (WOZA) is to be put to shame for
ever entertaining such thoughts.
Williams was speaking to a
London MDC branch meeting in central London. WOZA
defies easy, neat
description. It is not a political party. It seeks change
not by force of
arms but by the force of non-violent example. It seeks to
empower rather
than seize power - by forcing a change of heart on the part
of individuals.
This is no soft option. Such a course entails serious risks.
At its outset,
sceptics gave the movement three months. That was four years
ago. WOZA
remains unbowed despite the government's efforts to (literally)
stamp it
out.
Towards the end of 2006 it was time to take stock - notably
the problem of
numbers. Why weren't hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans
taking to the
streets? The non-violent expression of people power will one
day remove the
regime. But what will motivate the people to do so? By
widespread
consultation countrywide with over 10,000 Zimbabweans, WOZA set
out to find
out. The result was the People's Charter - a distillation of the
aspirations
and demands of rank and file Zimbabweans.
The
Charter's launch in Bulawayo on 29 November 2006 was met with a
particularly
brutal instance of police violence, with over sixty to seventy
injuries
sustained. Nonetheless external scrutiny ensures her own and her
comrades'
survival. Letters and phone calls from sympathisers to police
stations where
the women are held provide a salutary reminder to police
officers that the
outside world knows and cares about what happens inside
their holding cells.
And one day there will be a calling to account.
The objective in
2007 will be to find political leaders ready to stand up
and deliver the
Charter. These may not necessarily be prominent
personalities in the public
eye - they may emerge from the ranks of the
political 'nobodies'. As
Williams reminded her audience: 'No one owns
freedom, but everyone enjoys
it.'
The Zimbabwean
Zimbabweans are living in a
state of fear and uncertainty. They suffer
discrimination in all its forms
and are unable to earn a living. Levels of
poverty are high; unemployment is
at 82% and inflation at four figures.
Non-existent service delivery also
makes life difficult. Access to
education, housing and other basic needs is
now only for the rich. The
HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has created thousands of
orphans and child-headed
households, is a social catastrophe compounded by a
failed healthcare system
and little or no access to ARVs. Further loss of
valuable human resources is
happening due to people leaving the country in
large numbers. People have
been unsuccessful at holding their government
accountable due to a raft of
repressive laws and shrinking freedom of
expression/media space. Corruption
at all levels of government and the
politicisation of all aspects of society
has led to chaos and
disorganization in every sector.
WHAT IS OUR MISSION
Women
and men of WOZA will initiate a non-violent campaign. Our aim is to
mobilise
Zimbabweans to demand social justice from their leaders. The time
has come
to put the past behind us and start building a better tomorrow. We
will hold
existing leaders accountable and mobilise people to the movement
to demand
leaders who will deliver all aspects of social justice and a
genuinely
people-driven constitution.
WOZA CONSULTING ON SOCIAL
JUSTICE
Since January 2006, WOZA has carried out consultations on social
justice
across the country. In 284 meetings, almost 10,000 rural and urban
people
told us what they want in a new Zimbabwe. We wrote down what they
said and
the result is the People's Charter.
This is the
Charter below. We want to know what you think about it. Please
read it with
your family, friends and community and let us know if you agree
with what is
written. If you do, please sign your support for the Charter
and the
possibilities it could bring.
THIS CHARTER WAS WRITTEN BY THE
PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.
AND PEOPLE MUST DEMAND IT. UNITED WE CAN MAKE IT
A REALITY.
Let us know what you think about the Charter by
writing to us at WOZA/MOZA,
P.O. Box FM 701, Famona, Bulawayo or emailing us
at wozazimbabwe@yahoo.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DREAMING
OF A NEW ZIMBABWE
THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER
Zimbabweans, united and
resolute, announce:
That after 26 years of independence, the freedoms and
equal opportunities we
were promised have not been
fulfilled;
The dreams we had of a good life - of dignity, comfort
and security - have
become nightmares. Zimbabweans must dream once again and
turn their dreams
into a living reality.
We must keep in
mind, however, that we deserve better and we must not be
afraid to believe
that we have the right to a brighter future and we have
the right to
contribute to building it.
And therefore, we, the people of
Zimbabwe, women, men and children, of all
races, tribes and religions, come
together with respect for each other and
as equals to adopt this Charter,
knowing that united we can deliver its
possibilities;
And we
undertake to work together with strength, courage and hope, until all
Zimbabweans can live in a genuinely democratic country in peace and with
dignity.
We shall all be Free and Equal
All Zimbabweans
shall be equal, regardless of gender, physical ability,
colour, national
origin or tribe. Women's and children's rights shall be
promoted and
protected;
We shall be educated about the rights and freedoms guaranteed
to us by our
Constitution and by international law, both regional and
universal; and
shall enjoy them freely;
We shall be free to meet,
organise and speak our minds without fear or
intimidation.
People
Participating in Governance
People shall be informed of and encouraged to
participate fully in all
aspects of how the country is managed and run,
fully exercising their rights
as citizens;
Any person born in
Zimbabwe shall be allowed to become a citizen of the
country. Birth
certificates, national identity documents and passports shall
be easily
available for all citizens;
People shall be free to choose the leaders
they want, without fear and
intimidation. Leaders at all levels shall be
chosen through free and fair
elections, without rigging;
Women must
also be encouraged to take up leadership positions to ensure
gender
balance;
There shall be an independent electoral supervisory commission
to oversee
the conduct of elections and elections shall be monitored by
neutral
observers, both local and international;
People shall be free
to belong to the political party of their choice and
shall not be
discriminated against because of the party they support;
All other arms
of government, especially civil servants, police and army,
shall be
non-partisan and shall effectively serve the interests of the
people.
The Leaders We Want
All leaders shall be responsible,
care for the people they serve and take
their issues and problems to heart,
taking action to develop their
communities;
Leaders at all levels
shall respect all people equally, listen to their
concerns, consult them
when making decisions and feedback to them;
Leaders shall understand that
they will be held accountable and accept that
the people who elected them
have the right to criticise policy;
Leaders at all levels shall publicly
renounce corruption and nepotism;
Traditional leaders (chiefs and
headmen) shall not be chosen by politicians
but by traditional methods. They
shall be non-partisan and stay in the
communities they serve, rather than
sit in Parliament.
Justice in the Law
There shall be a new
constitution - written by the people of Zimbabwe for
the people of
Zimbabwe;
All unjust laws that deny basic freedoms shall be
repealed;
There shall be rule of law and no single person will be above
the law of the
land and everyone shall have equal access to fair and just
treatment under
the legal system. Law breakers will be pursued, prosecuted
and punished
without regard to their political affiliation;
The
judiciary shall be independent and non-partisan, committed to upholding
the
law and promoting a culture of justice;
Prisoners shall be treated with
dignity, kept in humane conditions and given
access to rehabilitation.
Juveniles will not be treated as adults by the
police, the courts or the
prisons.
This Land is our Land
The Land Redistribution Programme
needs to start again and land be
distributed fairly to any Zimbabwean - of
any colour or gender - who will
use it properly for the benefit of the
country;
There shall be respect for property rights;
Farmers shall
be helped with loans and inputs, so that they can develop the
land
productively;
Farmers shall receive a fair price for their produce and
shall be allowed to
trade freely.
Wealth and
Prosperity
Government shall make every effort to bring development,
infrastructure and
prosperity to all parts of the country, both rural and
urban, equally;
Government shall encourage investment in commerce and
industry that shall
create employment and promote prosperity for all
Zimbabweans;
Government shall make every effort to control inflation by
promoting
production;
Zimbabweans require a transparent and fair
system of taxation with feedback
on how their taxes have been
spent;
Government shall genuinely act to stamp out corruption and not let
it
continue to destroy our economy;
Real currency shall return and
our money shall have real value once again.
The Right to Earn a
Living
All people shall have the right to earn a living so that they can be
dignified and do not need to rely on handouts to survive;
There shall
be enough employment, with decent working conditions and a
liveable wage;
equal pay for equal work.
There shall be access to resources to start
self-help projects, especially
for youth and widows;
People should
also be allowed to trade; licenses and stands shall be fairly
distributed.
Good Living
There will be enough food for
everyone;
All basic commodities shall be available and affordable. If
necessary, there
shall be price controls to make sure that everyone has
access to them;
Every person shall have access to decent, affordable
housing. Rents shall be
lowered and there shall be respect for property
rights;
All areas, both urban and rural, shall have affordable access to
the
services necessary for safe, healthy living - clean water, proper
sewerage
and sanitation systems and refuse collection;
All areas,
both urban and rural, shall have affordable, regular access to
electricity;
There shall be a regular, affordable public transport
system that provides
adequate coverage of all areas of Zimbabwe. The elderly
should be allowed
free local travel;
The vulnerable in our society
shall be protected; the elderly, widows,
people living with HIV/AIDS,
orphans and the disabled shall be properly
cared for by the
state;
All people shall have the right to rest, sports and
recreation.
Educating the Nation
Every child shall have equal
access to an education without any form of
discrimination. Those who cannot
afford it shall have access to financial
assistance;
Primary
education shall be free and secondary education affordable as we
were
promised in 1980;
All students shall have a good quality education, taught in
classrooms with
enough resources - books, desks and equipment.
There
shall be enough qualified teachers committed to educating the next
generation. We must respect their contribution enough to give them a living
wage.
We Want to be Healthy
There shall be adequate access to
good healthcare, which shall be affordable
for all
Zimbabweans;
Hospitals and clinics shall have enough medicines and
equipment;
Those living with HIV/AIDS shall have adequate access to
Anti-Retroviral
medication; those who cannot afford to pay shall be given
the medicine and,
if necessary, food aid for free;
The elderly shall
not have to pay for medical treatment or medicines.
There shall be enough
qualified medical staff committed to treating people
with dignity and care.
We must respect their contribution enough to give
them a living
wage.
People shall be allowed to die with dignity; burial charges must be
affordable.
Access to Information
There shall be independent
radio stations, newspapers and television
stations that shall provide
accurate, independent information;
News reporting shall be balanced,
unbiased and all political parties shall
receive equal
coverage.
Righting the Wrongs
There should be a meaningful apology
made by those responsible for
Gukurahundi and a truthful explanation of why
it happened;
Survivors of Gukurahundi and family members of the
'disappeared' should
receive compensation;
The pots taken from the
Njelele shrine in Matobo, Matabeleland, must be
returned and the desecration
reversed with a full apology.
Those affected by Murambatsvina should
receive the housing that they were
promised; they should also receive
compensation;
Leaders who have looted our wealth through corruption
should be brought to
justice.
Respect for Culture
All people
shall have equal right to use their own language and to observe
their own
culture and customs;
Zimbabweans, especially the youth, should be taught
their own and other
traditions, so that there can be respect for all
different cultures.
Peace and Friendship
Zimbabweans are by nature
friendly people - we must once again extend a hand
of friendship to our
neighbours, regionally and internationally, so that
they can help us rebuild
our beloved Zimbabwe.
LET ALL THOSE WHO LOVE ZIMBABWE JOIN HANDS
TO TURN OUR DREAM OF SOCIAL
JUSTICE INTO A REALITY.
Yahoo News
Tue Jan 9, 5:54 AM ET
HARARE (AFP) - A splinter faction of
Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic
Change has called for a reconciliation
within the opposition party's ranks
if it wants to challenge President
Robert Mugabe's grip on power.
Arthur Mutambara, leader of an MDC
rump which broke away from veteran
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
larger faction in late 2005, said that
it was time for the two sides to bury
their differences and stop their
infighting.
"The two MDC formations
have neither monopoly of political wisdom, nor the
immutable right to
represent the people of Zimbabwe," Mutambara said in a
statement "Setting
The Agenda for 2007" on Tuesday.
"In 2007 they must quickly resolve and
achieve a framework of effective
cooperation and if they do not accomplish
this as a matter of urgency,
people of Zimbabwe must reject them completely
and develop other
alternatives."
Once posing the most serious
challenge to Mugabe's 27-year stranglehold on
power, the MDC is a now a
shadow of its former self as a result of the
feuding.
Mutambara and
several other senior MDC figures split from Tsvangirai in
November 2005 in
protest at a decision to boycott elections to the upper
house of
parliament.
The main beneficiary of the fallout has been 82-year-old
Mugabe, who remains
unchallenged despite the prevailing economic crisis
which has seen inflation
soar to beyond 1,000 percent and unemployment touch
the 80 percent mark.
Mutambara said the MDC should be ashamed of how it
had lost its focus.
"Shame on us. In 2007 things have to be drastically
different. We have to
quickly put the opposition house in order," he
said.
"Only then can we be relevant and effective in the democratisation
of our
country. In 2007, we will take the struggle to the streets, villages
and
jails of Zimbabwe."
IOL
January 09 2007 at 02:30PM
By Godfrey Marawanyika
Harare - An attempt to heal the rift within the ranks of Zimbabwe's
opposition failed on Tuesday when the Movement for Democratic Change's
leader rejected an olive branch offered by the head of a breakaway
faction.
Arthur Mutambara, leader of an MDC rump which broke away
from veteran
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in late 2005, said in a New
Year's
message to supporters that it was time for the two sides to bury
their
differences if they wanted to challenge President Robert Mugabe's grip
on
power.
"The two MDC formations have neither monopoly of
political wisdom, nor
the immutable right to represent the people of
Zimbabwe," Mutambara said in
a statement "Setting The Agenda for
2007".
"In 2007 they must quickly resolve and achieve a
framework of
effective cooperation and if they do not accomplish this as a
matter of
urgency, people of Zimbabwe must reject them completely and
develop other
alternatives."
However, Mutambara's call for
reconciliation was quickly shot down by
Tsvangirai's camp.
"Mutambara is part of the problem in this country, yet he talks of
unity,"
said Tsvangirai's faction spokesperson Nelson Chamisa. "His call for
unity
is flawed and misplaced."
Once posing the most serious challenge to
Mugabe's 27-year
stranglehold on power, the MDC is a now a shadow of its
former self as a
result of the feuding.
Mutambara and several
other senior MDC figures split from Tsvangirai
in November 2005 to protest a
decision to boycott elections to the upper
house of parliament. Twenty-one
of the party's 41 MPs have remained loyal to
Tsvangirai while the others are
now supporters of Mutambara.
The main beneficiary of the fallout
has been 82-year-old Mugabe, who
remains unchallenged despite the prevailing
economic crisis which has seen
inflation soar to beyond 1 000 percent and
unemployment touch the 80 percent
mark.
Mugabe is now even
pushing to extend his rule until 2010 after gaining
provisional approval at
his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic
Front (Zanu-PF)'s
congress last month to delay presidential elections for
two
years.
Mutambara said the MDC should be ashamed of how it had lost
its focus
and had to not only end its bickering but reach out to new
supporters.
"Shame on us. In 2007 things have to be drastically
different. We have
to quickly put the opposition house in order," he
said.
"Even if the reunification of the two MDC formations is
achieved it is
not enough to dislodge Zanu-PF. We have to grow the
democratic forces beyond
the traditional MDC support base.
"This should be done by attracting reform-minded pepole with Zanu-PF
and
other political parties who are not currently active in politics."
In the late 1990s Tsvangirai, then leader of the main labour union,
led mass
protests that threatened to bring the country to its knees.
But his
influence has since waned and he has been conspicuous by his
absence from
more recent anti-government strikes, which have instead been
largely led by
unionists.
Although both factions took part in talks last month to
discuss how to
prevent Mugabe extending his tenure, Mutambara did not appear
alongside
Tsvangirai during a press conference at the end of their
discusssions.
Chamisa said that it would be wrong for observers to
dwell on the
state of the opposition.
"The crisis of this
country is not a crisis of opposition politics.
The crisis is because of the
leadership in the country," he said. - Sapa-AFP
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By a
Correspondent
UK Parliament
House of Lords
Monday, 8
January 2007
Zimbabwe
Lord Blaker asked Her Majesty's
Government:
Whether they expect the European Union targeted measures against
Zimbabwe to
be continued when they expire in February 2007.
Baroness
Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, the Government expect that targeted
measures
against Zimbabwe will be renewed in February. Since their rollover
last
February, the situation in the country has only worsened: peaceful
demonstrations have been violently disrupted, the economy continues to be
grossly mismanaged and the opposition and independent media remain
suppressed. Until democracy, the rule of law and full human rights are
restored in Zimbabwe, it is right that Mugabe and his regime should continue
to be isolated by the international community.
Lord Blaker: My Lords,
can the Minister say whether there is any substance
in media reports of the
past few weeks that a number of European Union
countries, particularly
Portugal and France, are in favour of abandoning the
sanctions? Have not the
people of Zimbabwe shown enormous courage in the
past few weeks in
demonstrating peacefully on the streets against the Mugabe
regime? They have
suffered from being thrown into prison cells and having
their legs broken
and have been beaten up.
Is it not also true that other countries have
subscribed to the sanctions
against Mugabe which the European Union has
adopted? Does that not mean that
if sanctions were to be abandoned, we would
be letting down both those
countries and the people of Zimbabwe with whom we
should have solidarity?
The European Union would be letting itself down by
spoiling its own
reputation and authority in the wider
world.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, the Government
wholeheartedly agree
that we must maintain solidarity with the brave people
of Zimbabwe.
Regarding the weakening of the European Union position, I
maintain that the
EU stands firmly in agreement on the crisis in Zimbabwe.
We fully expect the
ban to be renewed in February. Other countries, as the
noble Lord rightly
says, impose sanctions; but from our perspective as
members of the European
Union, it is particularly important to maintain the
solidarity of the
European Union as a whole.
Lord Kinnock: My Lords,
will my noble friend confirm the importance of
sustaining the established
and consistent policy, both of Her Majesty's
Government and the European
Union, on targeted measures against the Mugabe
regime? Will she and her
ministerial colleagues try to ensure that there is
no breach of established
policy under any EU presidency? Is my noble friend
aware that if, for
instance, Mugabe were to go to Portugal for the EU-Africa
conference in the
second half of this year, it would hold up the EU policy
to derision and
give his regime an unwarranted propaganda victory? That
would hugely dismay
and demoralise the courageous members of the Movement
for Democratic Change,
who are trying to secure peaceful change in their
country. Consistency is
essential; consistency from the whole Union is
vital.
Baroness Royall
of Blaisdon: My Lords, the Government agree that we
absolutely must maintain
the targeted measures that have been agreed and
will continue to be agreed.
There must be no breach of established policy.
My noble friend is right to
say that consistency is essential.
Lord Avebury: My Lords, will the
Government propose to the German presidency
that additional measures be
taken to inform African leaders and the public
in African states,
particularly in SADC, that there never have been European
Union sanctions
against Zimbabwe, but that there are sanctions against 126
named individuals
whose policies are to undermine human rights, freedoms and
the rule of law?
Has the Minister seen the remarks attributed to ex-Minister
Jonathan Moyo
last week on radio SW Africa, when he said that even Zanu-PF
leaders are
beginning,
"to ask fundamental questions about the state of the economy,
the state of
the country, and . the state of their party"?
Is it not
therefore time to strengthen the restrictions on the ability of
those people
to travel out of the country or to secrete in foreign banks the
assets that
they have stolen from their people?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My
Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely right to
say that when talking of
sanctions we are talking of a travel ban, not of
economic sanctions. We will
certainly make that clear to our colleagues in
the African Union. Indeed,
the travel ban has been strengthened four times
since 2002, to include
others who have supported the Government of Zimbabwe's
efforts to suppress
the people. As the noble Lord said, nothing has changed
and the situation,
as Jonathan Moyo pointed out, is worse. We will discuss
with our European
partners how the renewed common position should reflect
this.
Baroness D'Souza: My Lords, can the Minister suggest any ways
in which
Zimbabwean civil society organisations, particularly those in this
country,
might play a role in helping to sustain or maintain the European
Union
sanctions against Zimbabwe?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My
Lords, as the noble Baroness will be aware,
the Government are absolutely
firm regarding other Governments who will, I
am confident, sign up to the
renewed travel ban. If they are perceived to
be, as it were, a bit wobbly
then perhaps partner civil society
organisations in other member states
could lobby their own Governments to
ensure that they do indeed remain
firm.
Baroness Park of Monmouth: My Lords, the need for support from
civil society
is an important dimension. In a letter to EU Commissioners
before Christmas,
John Monks, general secretary of the European Trade Union
Confederation, and
Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Trade
Union Confederation,
wrote:
"It would send completely the wrong
signal if the EU backed down on
sanctions now".
They went on to point out
that whether the sanctions should be revoked or
renewed ought to be
determined by measuring Zimbabwe's progress toward the
benchmark originally
set by the EU under the EU-ACP Cotonou convention. Will
Her Majesty's
Government ensure, as I hope they will, that these
representations by the
international trade union movement are circulated to
all members of the
Council of Ministers and that we ensure proper
consideration is given to
their concern?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, the Government
welcome the strong
statement by John Monks and Guy Ryder on behalf of the
International Trade
Union Confederation. I see no problem in ensuring that
each member state
receives a copy to ensure that they remain firm on the
issue of sanctions.
Baroness Whitaker: My Lords, in view of the fact that
the EU sends the lion's
share of the international community's $250 million
aid to Zimbabwe, most of
which goes on emergency feeding programmes, would
it not be irresponsible to
expect the people of the EU to continue to
provide aid at that level and yet
lift restrictions on those who engineered
the disasters that that aid is
meant to respond to? Will my noble friend and
the other members of the
Government remind our more reluctant EU allies of
the huge amount of
humanitarian aid needed as a result of the Zimbabwean
regime's wanton
destruction of housing, industry and
agriculture?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Yes, my Lords, it would indeed
be irresponsible
if the European Union were to renege on its sanctions now.
I am confident
that it will not, but I am sure that Her Majesty's Government
will continue
to make the very strong case in favour of sanctions. In
respect of aid being
given to Zimbabwe, of course we must maintain that aid,
but it should be
balanced by sanctions, and we must ensure that the people
of Zimbabwe are
not harmed in any way.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: My
Lords, will the noble Baroness ensure that in
discussions with our European
Union colleagues the depredations of the
regime are not lost sight of, not
least the reduction in life expectancy in
Zimbabwe, especially among women,
and the levels of child mortality and
malnutrition in the country? Will she
ensure that the remarks of the
Archbishop of Bulawayo, who spoke to Members
of both Houses just before
Christmas, are drawn to their attention? He said
that while the regime
continues its depredations against the people of
Zimbabwe then the targeted
restrictions should continue.
Baroness
Royall of Blaisdon: Yes, my Lords, it is indeed deplorable that
life
expectancy in Zimbabwe is the lowest in the world at present. I believe
it
is 34 years for women and 37 years for men, which is quite extraordinary.
It
is incumbent on us in the European Union to make those abominable facts
known to the widest possible community and to ensure that sanctions are
maintained. We keep repeating that in our discussions with our European
partners.
Baroness Williams of Crosby: My Lords, will Her Majesty's
Government ensure
that those who have been involved in political activity in
Zimbabwe will not
be returned or deported to Zimbabwe if they are very
likely to be persecuted
by the Government of Zimbabwe? Does she recognise
the extraordinary courage
that many of those men and women have shown and
how unfortunate it would be
for our appearance in the world if we were to
deport people who had been
involved in that way in the battle for
democracy?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, I certainly pay tribute
to the
extraordinary courage of those men and women. Of course, the UK must
be
allowed to operate a robust and fair asylum system, but it must be fair,
and
we strive to ensure that our asylum system is fair in every way. I am
sure
that all noble Lords agree that it is right that we provide protection
to
those in genuine fear of persecution.
Lord Elton: My Lords, under
the sanctions as they have operated in the past,
we have become accustomed
to hearing of people on the stop list being in
other European countries and
their presence being explained by the fact that
they are attending some
exempt conference or other. When the sanctions are
rolled over, can the
Minister undertake that the Government will attempt to
close as many of the
loopholes as possible, to prevent the ludicrous
situation suggested by the
noble Lord, Lord Kinnock, just a moment ago,
developing?
Baroness
Royall of Blaisdon: Yes, my Lords, I can ensure that the Government
will do
their utmost to ensure that the loopholes are minimised. It is
extraordinary
that such loopholes exist, but they do. The EU Zimbabwe travel
ban contains
standard exemptions that enable travel to the EU by banned
Zimbabweans in a
few, narrowly defined cases. We do our utmost to ensure
that they are
narrowly defined, because to see people such as Grace Mugabe
stomping up and
down the streets of the Côte d'Azur is an affront to
humanity.
Lord
Howell of Guildford: My Lords, is it not clear from this valuable
discussion
that, while we must be consistent and keep up the pressure, the
so-called
targeted sanctions are not very effective in hitting the right
target? It
appears on the contrary that, while the ruling tyranny in
Zimbabwe is
maintaining its position and even strengthening it, more women
and children
are dying, there is more starvation, more and more other
horrors and
atrocities are being committed, the country's economy is less
than half the
size it was a few years ago, and a great deal of suffering is
going on? As
we renew pressure on Zimbabwe, should we not look at the other,
shadow
sanctions which are hurting the poorest people, particularly the
withholding
of some loans from international institutions and development
banks and
other investment? Should we not try to refocus the whole of our
operation
vis-à-vis Zimbabwe in ways which hit the criminals who are ruling
the
country and do not hit the poor people who are starving in very large
numbers and longing for greater help, as the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker,
and the noble Lord, Lord Alton, rightly identified?
Baroness Royall
of Blaisdon: My Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely right
that the sanctions
must hit the regime and not the poor people of Zimbabwe,
who have to suffer
continual atrocities. However, the EU sanctions put real
pressure on the
regime. They ensure that Mugabe remains isolated-hence his
attempts to seek
financial lifelines from China and Iran to buy time. It is
important to
point out that the targeted sanctions have the support of the
democratic
opposition and the NGO community in Zimbabwe. Mugabe and his
regime detest
the restrictions on their movement. Therefore, they can be
only a good
thing. However, I hear what the noble Lord says, and I shall
take back his
comments to the Foreign Office.
Reuters
Tue Jan 9, 2007 2:45
PM GMT
HARARE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe named their provisional squad
of 30 for
the 2007 World Cup on Tuesday:
Squad:
Prosper Utseya,
Gary Brent, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Tendai
Chisoro, Charles
Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Keith Dabengwa, Terrence Duffin,
Trevor Garwe, Ryan
Higgins, Tinashe Hove, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa
Kamungozi, Friday Kasteni,
Blessing Mahwire, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton
Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri,
Tinotenda Mawoyo, Christopher Mpofu,
Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Tawanda Mupariwa,
Mluleki Nkala, Edward Rainsford, Piet
Rinke, Vusumuzi Sibanda, Gregory
Strydom, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams.
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By Sandra Nyaira
LONDON - THE British
government has dismissed media reports that there are
divisions within the
European Union over targeted sanctions imposed against
President Robert
Mugabe and his senior lieutenants following the disputed
2002 presidential
elections.
Responding to questions in the House of Lords yesterday,
Baroness Royall of
Blaisdon said there was need for the EU and its partners
to maintain
solidarity with the brave people of Zimbabwe, adding it would be
irresponsible if the EU was to renege on the sanctions at this
point.
"Regarding the weakening of the European Union position, I
maintain that the
EU stands firmly in agreement on the crisis in Zimbabwe,"
she said. "We
fully expect the ban to be renewed in February. Other
countries, as the
noble Lord rightly says, impose sanctions; but from our
perspective as
members of the European Union, it is particularly important
to maintain the
solidarity of the European Union as a whole."
She was
responding to a question posed by Lord Blaker who wanted to know
whether the
British government expected the EU's targeted measures against
Zimbabwe to
be continued when they expire in February.
"It would indeed be
irresponsible if the European Union were to renege on
its sanctions now. I
am confident that it will not, but I am sure that Her
Majesty's Government
will continue to make the very strong case in favour of
sanctions," said the
Baroness.
Baroness Royall said her government expected the targeted
measures against
126 senior Zanu PF and government officials to be
renewed.
Lord Howell of Guildford, however, said while there was need for
consistency
in applying the targeted measures "the so-called targeted
sanctions are not
very effective in hitting the right target".
"It
appears on the contrary that while the ruling tyranny in Zimbabwe is
maintaining its position and even strengthening it, more women and children
are dying, there is more starvation, more and more other horrors and
atrocities are being committed, the country's economy is less than half the
size it was a few years ago, and a great deal of suffering is going on," he
said.
"As we renew pressure on Zimbabwe, should we not look at the
other, shadow
sanctions which are hurting the poorest people, particularly
the withholding
of some loans from international institutions and
development banks and
other investment? Should we not try to refocus the
whole of our operation
vis-à-vis Zimbabwe in ways which hit the criminals
who are ruling the
country and do not hit the poor people who are starving
in very large
numbers and longing for greater help, as the noble Baroness,
Lady Whitaker,
and the noble Lord, Lord Alton, rightly
identified?"
Baroness Royall said her government was sure the sanctions
were not hurting
the ordinary people but would take his concerns back to the
Foreign Office.
"Since their rollover last February, the situation in the
country has only
worsened: peaceful demonstrations have been violently
disrupted, the economy
continues to be grossly mismanaged and the opposition
and independent media
remain suppressed," said the Baroness. "Until
democracy, the rule of law and
full human rights are restored in Zimbabwe,
it is right that Mugabe and his
regime should continue to be isolated by the
international community."
Lord Kinnock said there was need for
consistency within the EU countries in
how they dealt with the Zimbabwe
government. He said for instance, if
President Mugabe were to go to Portugal
for the EU-Africa conference in the
second half of this year, "it would hold
up the EU policy to derision and
give his regime an unwarranted propaganda
victory. That would hugely dismay
and demoralise the courageous members of
the Movement for Democratic Change,
who are trying to secure peaceful change
in their country. Consistency is
essential; consistency from the whole Union
is vital".
Quoting remarks made by Mugabe's former spin doctor, Jonathan
Moyo, who
recently said senior government ministers and officials were
beginning "to
ask fundamental questions about the state of the economy, the
state of the
country, and . the state of their party", Lord Avebury said it
was time to
strengthen restrictions against Mugabe and his senior party and
government
officials and to "secrete in foreign banks the assets that they
have stolen
from their people".
He also argued there was need to
inform African leaders and the public in
African states, particularly in
SADC, that there never have been EU
sanctions against Zimbabwe, but that
there are sanctions against 126 named
individuals whose policies are to
undermine human rights, freedoms and the
rule of law.
Baroness
Whitaker asked her colleague Baroness Royall to ensure the British
government reminded "our more reluctant EU allies of the huge amount of
humanitarian aid needed as a result of the Zimbabwean regime's wanton
destruction of housing, industry and agriculture".
"In respect of aid
being given to Zimbabwe, of course we must maintain that
aid, but it should
be balanced by sanctions, and we must ensure that the
people of Zimbabwe are
not harmed in any way," Baroness Royall said.
Lord Alton of Liverpool
said the British government must ensure that in
discussions with its EU
colleagues the depredations of the Zimbabwe
government are not lost sight of
while some members wanted loopholes that
allow Zanu PF officials to pass
through Europe to be plugged "because to see
people such as Grace Mugabe
stomping up and down the streets of the Côte d'Azur
is an affront to
humanity".
zimbabwejournalists.com
By
Washington Katema
ZIMBABWE is experiencing educational crisis of
unprecedented propositions in
higher education. Since 1997, the academic
atmosphere in the country has
become worse as compared to the times of
colonialism.
In 1979 budgetary allocation to the education sector was 37%
of the total
national expenditure, while today the percentage is far less.
The government
of Mr. Robert Mugabe has consciously refused to accord
education its
rightful place in our overall developmental
plan.
Yearly budgetary allocation to the sector has been most satanic and
cruel.
Our passionate plea to the government advising them to start spending
at
least 26 % of the budget on education, as required by UNESCO has fallen
on
the deaf ears of the power - drunk and blood - thirst leaders who spend
most
of their time blaming everyone except themselves.
They blame
history, circumstances and imagined enemies for the total
collapse of our
education system, once the beacon and envy of Africa. . The
natural
consequences of this is that the already over stretched facilities
are
further endangered.
A review of pertinent data shows that Zimbabwe is
facing a sharp decline in
public expenditure on higher education,
deteriorating teaching conditions,
decaying educational facilities and
infrastructures, perpetual student
unrest , erosion of university autonomy,
a shortage of experienced and well
trained professors, lack of academic
freedoms, and an increasing rate of
unemployment among university
graduates.
One of the most critical problems challenging higher education
in Zimbabwe
is the rapid decline in public expenditure on education relative
to rapid
increase in enrolments at higher educational level and mushrooming
of many
state Universities. Instead of maintaining and improving the
conditions at
already existing universities, the populist government of Mr.
Mugabe
continues to build more institutions. The decrease in governmental
expenditure on education has caused strained relations between the state and
the public consumers of education. Unlike the educational funding system in
the industrialized countries, education has traditionally been the financial
responsibility of the Zimbabwean Government like in most African countries.
Unfortunately due to gross economic mismanagement and to a lesser extend
demographic pressures over the last decade; the government is now turning
aggressively to already poverty stricken parents to bear the heavy burden of
the astronomical costs of education.
To further compound this,
government's policies and stance on sensitive
issues germane to positive
growth of the sector are detrimental to that
goal. Directly or indirectly
from some or all of the foregoing, Zimbabwe has
the world's highest rate of
college drop out outside war zone. The
preliminary results of the research
conducted by Zimbabwe National Students
Union (ZINASU) in 2006 shows that
more than 31.5 % of students were forced
out of school due to the
astronomical fees being charged in the tertiary
institutions.
The
government has this year increased both tuition and accommodation fees
in
all tertiary institutions this year. If the University of Zimbabwe
Council
meeting held on 12 December 2006 is anything to go by then an
already
poverty striken intelligentsia of this land will be paying $ZW 300
000 (US$
1 200) in accommodation fees only, up from $ZW 24 000 and they are
still
waiting for the ministry to approve a staggering $ZW 550 000 being the
tuition fees, up from $ZW 12 000. Students from the School of Mines in
Bulawayo are expected to pay over $ZW 537 500 beside the fact that they will
be going on attachment.
What will become of students who are not
going for attachment given that
they will have to pay for accommodation and
catering services? In all
polytechnic colleges the students will be paying
$ZW 115 000 being tuition
fees and $ZW 200 000 for hostel facilities. The
teachers colleges are
expected to part away with $ZW 120 000 being money for
tuition and $ZW 300
000 for hostel facilities. The agricultural college
students will have to
pay $ZW 250 000 in total.
What boggles the mind
of all and sundry is the levels of mediocrity
insulated at the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe. The students are questioning the
rationality or lack of it of
having the Reserve Bank Governor, a one Gideon
Gono ordering the world's
fastest car, a Mercedes Benz Brasbus E V12 Biturbo
at an earth shattering
cost of US$ 365 000, when converted to the real
market rate it amounts to
$ZW 1 017 000 000, money which can pay for grade
one up to grade seven
pupils in 6 out of 10 provinces in Zimbabwe for 2
years or more.
The
students must notice that after having weighed down by years of
recklessness, looting, care free attitude, amnesia, corruption and madness,
must now reclaim their rightful place in the struggle for a revolutionary
transformation of our society to a democracy, were the respect for and
protection of academic freedom is prioritized. Some students have argued
that Mugabe and his cronies are not moved by the deteriorating standards in
tertiary institutions because they did most of their degrees in prison.
Former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela observed that education is
the most powerful weapon for development and it goes without saying students
constitute the largest reservoir of technocrats in Zimbabwe development
milieu, providing highly trained manpower in many sectors.
Lack of
comprehensive and sustainable educational policy is a major factor
in the
shortage of manpower, especially trained lecturers in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is
facing an acute shortage of a wide range of professionals,
particularly in
the areas of effective policy analysis, policy formulation,
policy
implementation, research and development, engineering, technology,
medicine,
teaching, agriculture and many other specialized areas of
development
process. Our economy is in doldrums and as a culmination many
professional
are leaving this country for green pastures.
Writing on the ZINASU
website www.zinasu.org in his end of year
statement
the ZINASU president, Comrade Promise Mkwananzi promised the
nation that the
students will turn the corner in 2007. He warned that
students being the
major stakeholder in the Zimbabwean body politic will
take it upon
themselves to save the education and the nation at large from
further abuse
in the hands of the ruling or ruining party. While advising in
strong terms,
Mkwananzi told the nation that if a government rebels against
students, the
students will rebel back and if the government becomes
anti-students, the
students will become anti-government. The onus is now
with us all the
pro-democracy forces to support the students as they move to
erode the
authoritarian regime in Zimbabwe.
Little by little, Freedom
will come
Aluta Continua; Victoria Acerta
Long live
ZINASU
Long live Zimbabwe
Katema is the Zinasu
co-ordinator.
The Herald
(Harare)
ANALYSIS
January 9, 2007
Posted to the web January 9,
2007
Kamurai Mudzingwa
Harare
TWO facts are indisputable:
education is a basic human right, and the
levying of school fees raises
controversy in poor societies.
Schools may act as barriers in
encompassing the socio-economic diversity in
society by exclusion through
fees. But the central question some people are
asking is: should schools be
killed to embrace diversity or should there be
some mechanism to ensure that
schools survive and that children can attend
them?
The
Government, parents, schools and society need to embrace realism in
order to
achieve the intricate balance that ensures the survival of schools
and
uninterrupted attendance by children.
The current debate on fees has had
ugly effects with parents and the
Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture
up against schools for hiking fees.
But the recent Zanu-PF People's
Conference exposed one important aspect in
the education sector: the
deteriorating infrastructure in schools.
This prompted President Mugabe
to ask why schools are left to deteriorate to
unprecedented
levels.
One of the sad and embarrassing scenarios is the situation where
schools and
the parent ministry take each other to court over fee
increases.
And it is also not healthy when the ministry makes decisions
that it later
on reverses.
For instance in 2004 the ministry refused
to approve high fee increases only
to rescind the decision and backdate the
school fee increases to ensure
viability of the schools.
There is
also one important facet to education called standards, schools
should
maintain both academic and infrastructure standards.
One headmaster at a
Methodist Church-run school was quoted in the media
saying: "It is obvious
that parents want the best out of their kids and they
will be bitter if
schools compromise on the standards."
An official at an elite school in
Marondera also said: "We recruit a certain
number of specialised teachers
whom we pay from our coffers. They are
specialists in teaching computer
lessons, foreign languages such as French,
sporting disciplines like tennis,
cricket and hockey among other things."
Such schools will obviously need
to raise enough money to maintain standards
in academic and sporting
disciplines including the maintenance of standard
facilities.
One
headmaster at a Government primary school in Chitungwiza said some of
the
school fees and levies parents pay are meaningless.
"You will find for
instance that a child pays fees that cannot even buy a
receipt book. This
makes life difficult for the school. We cannot even
repair a broken door
handle because we won't have the money to do so."
The Herald (September 8
2006) noted the dilemma schools face in this
inflationary
environment:
"Most non-Government schools, mission and trust schools in
the main, were
caught flat footed by the unexpected surge in inflation in
the last half of
last year (2005) and had to push fees up significantly in
the first term of
this year (2006) to maintain services.
Some schools
have resorted to other means to ensure that they circumvent the
ministry in
raising money to their satisfaction. These include "forced
donations" in
cash or kind. It is not surprising that parents are
"requested" to donate
large amounts of cash or building materials.
Many schools have resorted
to the infamous "top up" system where they
request parents to top up their
children's fees during mid-term.
This system was lambasted by a
headmaster quoted in the Daily Mirror in
January last year, as he defended
plans to hike fees beyond the then
ministry-stipulated 150
percent:
"We are trying to avoid a situation where food runs out in mid
term and we
will be forced to send children back to their homes for top-ups.
This
occurred last year (2005) and some parents have not cleared their
arrears.
One SDA official also added his voice to the school fees
debate.
"We are supposed to oversee the development of schools but we
cannot do this
when there is no money. This leads to the deterioration of
school
infrastructure. We are the people on the ground and we know the
realistic
needs of the schools that we are supposed to run. We also need to
pay
ancillary staff from levies paid by parents."
Mrs Faith Chimusasa
of Chitungwiza said: "We appreciate that as parents, we
need to be protected
from unreasonable fee hikes but we should also take
note of the development
of schools. The Government always talks about doing
away with hot-seating
but this is unachievable if parents are not
realistically involved in the
construction of schools."
But the Minister of Education, Sport and
Culture Cde Aeneas Chigwedere made
a correct analysis of the complication
engendered by parents: "What is most
disappointing is that parents
themselves dodge meetings or go where the wind
blows, and yet turn around
and complain that 'things are not fair."' (The
Sunday Mail January 7
2006)
Where levies are discussed many parents do not attend but later
turn against
schools and accuse them of hiking fees and levies, putting the
ministry
under unnecessary pressure.
Some commentators have accused
the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture
of pegging fees whose focus
does not include development and maintenance of
existing
structures.
They cite the Education Amendment Act that bars schools from
raising fees
above the consumer price index. Day scholars at boarding
schools who do not
take meals at the school are required to pay not more
than 30 percent of the
fees/levies paid by boarders while those who take
meals at the schools are
not supposed to pay more than 40
percent.
The question then is how about development and maintenance of
school
infrastructure? How much does stationery cost?
Inflation is a
reality in Zimbabwe. In September last year, the ministry
ordered schools to
calculate fees based on the inflation figures of the
previous term. How
realistic is this?
So while it is important to protect parents against
unreasonable fee hikes,
it is also vital to ensure that schools remain
viable. Our educational
standards are the envy of many in the world and we
should not let them fall.
Some parents have even suggested that fees be
paid in instalments. The
inflation that is affecting parents also affects
schools.
A compromise has to be reached for the prevailing cold war
between the
ministry of education and schools is not healthy for the
educational sector.
The Herald
(Harare)
January 9, 2007
Posted to the web January 9,
2007
Marondera Bureau
Harare
THE Civil Protection Unit has
moved in to avert an imminent health disaster
in Marondera by providing
water bowsers for all schools and public
institutions.
Marondera has
been experiencing water problems since the beginning of the
year when the
municipality introduced water rationing.
The local authority issued a
public notice late last year informing
residents that council would be
implementing a "water demand management
programme" until further notice.
Residents have been enduring daily water
cuts from 5am to 7pm.
It has
since emerged that Marondera Municipality has run out of water
treatment
chemicals owing to financial constraints and the local authority
was also
yet to pay workers their December salaries.
Residents of the town have
rapped the council for inefficiency, as they have
not yet received their
December water bills, yet the local authority expects
to raise revenue. Town
clerk Mr Josiah Musuwo admitted last week that the
council was experiencing
a problem of water treatment chemicals whose prices
have
soared.
Marondera Provincial Hospital has been seriously affected by the
water
crisis as council has failed to provide water to the institution since
December 31 last year.
Mashonaland East Provincial medical director
Dr Simukai Zizhou admitted that
the town was in a crisis.
"We are
worried that this has happened during the onset of heavy rains and
opening
of schools, which we hope will not be closed down because of the
crisis, "
said Dr Zizhou.
He, however, conceded that if the CPU and the local
authority failed to
provide enough water bowsers they would have no option
but to close down all
schools and colleges in the town.
Dr Zizhou
also expressed concern at the quality of tap water being supplied
by the
council from Rufaro Dam.
Residents of Marondera have turned to rain water
for salvation as they can
not use their toilets during the day Women with
babies have also been
severely affected, as they need to wash nappies
frequently.
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By Chenjerai Chitsaru
THE new president was preparing
for his first inauguration ever; this was
2008, The Year of the Pangolin.
Zimbabwe had become so close to China it had
decided to name its years
according to the Chinese calendar.
So, every year was named after an
animal; there was, inevitably, The Year of
the Gurwe - which nobody had the
heart to change to the English translation.
There was also Umnyaka weMpisi
which again nobody had the temerity to
translate into English.
It was
much easier to change Gore ReGonzo - The Year of the Rat. People were
getting slowly used to the changes; the new president hoped, fervently, that
his most revolutionary change, now about to reach fruition, would not
trigger a revolt among the people.
"Where is the svikiro?" the
president asked impatiently. "He should have
been here hours ago. Do we know
where he is now?" A senior CIO officer,
clearing his throat softly and
adjusting his tie elegantly, bowed stiffly
towards the president, before
responding in a clear, respectful voice with:
"Your Excellency, our last
report on him puts his location, after midnight,
at Mereki's.in the tight
embrace of a very young, voluptuous maiden. They
were said to be.if you will
pardon the expression, Your
Excellency .canoodling most
seriously."
"Good heavens, man! Are you sure this was our man? His
background, I
thought, included being a direct descendant of Mbuya Nehanda,
the original
Nehanda Nyakasikana."
Again, the man in the darkest
glasses in the world, tall, distinguished, and
wearing the latest Pierre
Cardin designer suit, cleared his throat
delicately.
"Your Excellency,
someone misled us grievously. Nehanda was never married.
Neither, as far as
we can establish, did she engage in any hanky-panky with
anyone of the
opposite sex.."
"You are not suggesting, are you, that this most revered
heroine of the
First Chimurenga might have been a. lesbian?" There was a
horrified tone in
the president's voice. His eyes, behind the thick lenses
of his designer
spectacles, were saucer-like as they bulged, almost out of
their sockets.
The CIO man chuckled mirthfully. "No, sir. Perish the
thought.Your
Excellency. It's just that I believe the svikiro was
recommenced by someone
who is turning to be one of your most implacable
enemies."
"But the svikiro was recommended by the politburo,
collectively. How could
this one man, my so-called implacable enemy, bribe
the others to go along
with his heinous, nefarious scheme?"
"He runs
a secret foreign currency racket, sir." The new president sighed,
woefully,
sitting down in an easy chair, seemingly exhausted, even before he
had taken
up the new job.
"What about that young man suggested by my wife?" he
asked.
"Oh, him, sir? Don't you remember that he was said to have been a
descendant
of Mai Chaza who, in the 1950s, was a celebrated faith healer who
ran Guta
raJehovah?"
"Well?"
"Strictly speaking, he is not a svikiro,
sir.a genuine spirit medium. He is
actually a defrocked Roman Catholic
priest, Your Excellency.and was never
related to Mai Chaza
either.".
"But wasn't he defrocked because he had come out of the
closet.and revealed
that he was a spirit medium.like that Zambian
man.Emmanuel Milingo?"
"No, sir," said the CIO man, cool as ice. "He was
defrocked because he
seduced the Mother Superior of a convent."
"How old
was she.?"
"Why would that be relevant, Your Excellency?"
"Well." the
president started, rather sheepishly, "I always thought that by
the time
such people became mother superiors, they would be past.?
"Past being
seduced, sir? Well, don't you believe it, Sir. Why, I know of."
The
president waved his hands irritably, dismissively "Please, not now. We
must
have a svikiro in State House. As you know, the party decided that we
have
been negligent in that department, hence our utter failure to develop
this
country, to end poverty. Although we have recognized our herbalists,
our
traditional healers, the n'angas and sangomas, we have not recognized
the
svikiros, as we did during the Second Chimurenga.as they were recognised
during the First Chimurenga."
"But, Your Excellency, wasn't there a
valid argument against this proposal?
Someone pointed out that the Second
Chimurenga did not succeed, in spite of
the presence of many svikiros,
including our celebrated heroine, Nehanda
Nyakasikana?"
"Yes,..but
what about the Second Chimurenga?.Didn't it succeed because we
had the help
of so many spirit mediums?"
The CIO man shifted his considerable weight from
one foot to the other, as
if hesitating before speaking. "Your Excellency,
don't you remember one of
the politburo members reminding you that, as far
as he knew, there were no
spirit mediums at the Lancaster House talks in
London?"
The president stood up slowly, looking considerably older than
his
50-something years. "My immediate predecessor told me that it would
have
been injudicious. The height of impropriety, for our delegation to have
a
spirit medium present during our talks with the British and all those
other
people. They would have thought us rather primitive."
"But
didn't King Arthur of the Round Table have Merlin, sir, the magician?
Well,
the svikiro is a sort of magician too." After the president had given
him a
steely, hostile look of presidential rebuke, he changed tack. "Are you
suggesting, Your Excellency, that the spirit medium was present, but was not
visible to the naked eye?" asked the CIO man, his voice quaking with naked
fear.
"Do you know what my predecessor told me when I asked him that
same
question?"
"No, sir," said the CIO man, his voice now a hoarse
squeak.
"'You believe in God? You can believe in the svikiro for the same
reason.' I
had no answer to that, honestly."
The president turned
suddenly to the CIO man. "Did you hear that noise, that
racket? Of a car
coming to a screeching halt outside? Check it. That could
be the delinquent
svikiro, arriving from his shenanigans at Mereki last
night. I want to see
him right away."
With that, he stormed out of the room, his fists
clenched, his jaw set, his
chest thrust out like the cockerel, the symbol of
the party. Even the CIO
man quivered, at the sudden transformation in the
man's demeanour.
The CIO man waited for the visitor, preparing himself to
unload a tirade of
extreme obscenities on the man. He had always secretly
desired to watch a
man cringe before him, begging him to spare his life, to
forgive him.
A rather quiet, unassuming man, looking dapper in a
double-breasted,
pinstripe suit walked into the room, his eyes glancing
casually around the
room.
"Are you the svikiro the president has been
waiting for, you scoundrel,
you.."
"Hey, just hold it right there.Who the
hell do you think you are? The
president himself, or his stand-in, perhaps
when there are rumours of a plot
to kill him?" Then he let out a guffaw,
displaying a set of teeth so even,
so bright and clean, the CIO man closed
his own mouth in shame.
"You are not the svikiro the president has been
waiting for?"
"Of course, I am. The only trouble is that I gave that up years
ago. My
people, who had turned me into a svikiro, told me it was time to let
go, to
abandon the svikiro thing, because they had chosen my eldest son as
my
successor."
"Your accent? You sound just like Perry Mason.remember
him, the great
lawyer?" The CIO man was fawning, to his own utter disgust,
as he stood in
dumb-founded awe, before this stranger.
"Yes. People
keep telling me that. Now, where is the president?"
The CIO man hurried off
to another room. After a while, he came back, with
the president in tow.
"Please, introduce yourself to the president, sir." he
announced, with a
triumphant note in his voice.
The man greeted the president politely,
then asked if he could sit down. The
three of them sat down. The man's
introduction of himself was brief: he gave
his name as Tamburike Habanyama.
During it all, the president and the CIO
man exchanged glances of
incredulity.
"You are a Harvard-trained lawyer?" asked the president. The
man nodded.
"Your son is now the svikiro? You are not a descendant of Mbuya
Nehanda? You
originally hail from Manicaland? You count among your
antecedents a man who
was notorious for incinerating his enemies with bolts
of lightning? But our
party insists that we have a svikiro in State House.to
ensure the president
is forewarned of any crisis."
"I can do that. I
have a Master's in international political intrigue, I
mean international
relations."
The two men were silent, as if lost for words. Then the CIO man
turned to
the president. "May I ask him a question, sir?"
"Be my guest. I
have run out."
The CIO man turned to Tamburike Hamanyama, relishing the
moment: "Were you
at Mereki's last night, sir?"
"Me? No. I was at the
Crown Plaza, dining with the Czech ambassador. Why do
you ask?"
"It's
okay. That must have been your son, then."
"As a matter of fact, he was
there. He came home rather late, with a girl he
introduced as a former
fellow student." The man turned to the president,
earnestly. "Your
Excellency, there is a lot of deception in our politics.
Why don't you
introduce me to the politburo as the very first svikoro in
State House,, and
leave it at that. They will know you are on to them. They
will respect you
after that, recognising that you are as crafty, cunning as
they
are."
"Why, thank you, Mr Hamanyama. You have saved me from making an utter
fool
of myself."
The CIO man beamed at them both. "I think this is the
beginning of a
beautiful friendship, Your Excellency."
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By Andrew M Manyevere
THE Zanu PF conferences which
have always come up as endorsement to
President Robert Mugabe's imaginative
campaigns to stay in power, have
thrown one more stone, through alliances in
tyranny, to win him a term to
2010 while in power. No doubt he may go on and
when 2010 comes about, and
God giving him another span of few years, he may
dream walking to claim life
presidency.
It is realistic to surmise
that Mugabe is not alone in this claim for ruler
ship to 2010 and beyond.
President Mugabe no longer controls the country
affairs, and behind him is a
strong group of those who enjoy seeing Zimbabwe
suffer because of their
selfish ambition which supersedes national values.
This should be beyond the
obvious, beyond nationalism and patriotism and
finds its place in the realm
of Power Corruption.
The so-called Zanu-PF party provincial meetings
never meet with the people
to gather views. They command people on what to
say, admonishing any
rejection to tore the party line with harsh punitive
punishment. The rural
folks are tormented with fear threats which are always
followed with one or
two illustrations of punishment upon those chosen as
enemies in the village.
These alleged enemies are beaten publicly, tortured
and in the presence of
police who watch helpless, also afraid that they may
loose their jobs if not
life; if detected to be in sympathy with the
masses.
The report on the Mutare Provincial Zanu-Pf meeting concludes
with a shape
contrast of two emerging camps; that of Mujuru the former army
commander and
that of Mnangagwa Emmerson the author of the military joint
command for
Zimbabwe united army in the early 1980s. Why would a man
divorced from
succession by his leader be seen to be powerfully contesting
for leadership
if he is without support from people? Which people would
support Mnangagwa
for all the ugly claims people purports he has done in the
past? Yet too, a
question can be asked on what wrong done by who, which was
not done by any
other before, who is in the Zanu-Pf camp today?
There
is a too simplistic answer to issues that are developing in our
politics,
possibly developed to avoid real issues and cultured from the
school of
Zanu-Pf; nursed by the west. An attempt to employ statistical
analogue of
any divisions in the Zanu-Pf beleaguered party always rest on
comparing
strength contest between the Karanga and any other tribes as seen
then to be
a threat on any other tribe's future in Zimbabwe politics. It
becomes a very
unfortunate scenario, because from it, is the serious absence
of admission
on who plays what role in the game of politics of detraction in
order for
people to miss real issues.
Mugabe wants to establish lasting power
control, with a probability to have
his son walk into ruler ship, even long
after he is gone, through a mentored
stooge; Joyce Mujuru; being first
contender among others. The position is
that Zimbabweans within Zanu-Pf are
loosing faith in Mugabe if not having
lost it already, but are bound
together by fear of punishment and the shame
of losing their control over
financial benefits that derive from supporting
Mugabe.
Like in every
country, Zimbabweans have differences now and then, but the
greater concern
is the love of money, its easy access from the coffers of
Mugabe Zanu-Pf
machinery; to bribe for control. Those who are in authority
through favours
from His Excellency President Mugabe offices cannot resign
from power, in
order to shift for those who sincerely want people redeemed
from poverty,
hunger and lack of freedom.
Mathematical table on simple power control
suggests that those who are
cronies to Mugabe are less than 20% of the
population, and because they
control money, army, police and secret
intelligence; they manipulate
information and its use to best advantage in
order to sell the brutality of
Zanu-Pf on its citizens as
justifiable.
A slogan goes popular among Zanu-Pf followers that if you
want to remain in
Zanu-Pf and still be alive, do not criticize Mugabe
openly. The statement
implies that you can criticize Mugabe secretly and not
openly. This culture
extends its theory from the propaganda that Mugabe is
loved by many; hence
the silence and contentment by Zimbabweans. Yet there
remains only one
person from outside Zimbabwe, who manages to go into
Zimbabwe and come out
with evidence of poverty and suffering; the British MP
who initially
reported on the early signs on operations clean dirty of May
2005.
The realization, though, that it takes a Briton to successfully
launch an
attack on Mugabe and succeed internationally, dampens the spirit
of blacks
who assume some hegemony on information monopoly by the west, to
fight
against oppression selectively. When Zimbabweans come out in campaign
against ills done by Mugabe, few listen or even attend to their voice of
pain; until you go through their chain of command. It leads to more
questions on who can be listened at in the world and does the world care
really?
No doubt it appears the world is run from New York, not at
the UN office but
from the Whitehouse. What a truth that even though
Americans deny that as
posturing by enemies of democracy, it is true. When
American Congressmen
visited Sudan then Sudan became an issue both at the UN
and news circles.
When America threw its weight behind the Afghanistan and
Iraq (oil or no
oil), the world media covers, yet these are just issues that
face many
citizens of less developed countries.
There are
alternatives to issues of Africa and the world, no doubt. If
Africa learns
to become a big power block through sheer togetherness in
times of crisis
against her citizens irrespective of from country or leader,
and deal with
those problems world wide, Africa will develop fast. If Africa
takes the
issue of Human rights serious and threatens poor leadership who
fail to
implement sound Human rights, the world will be shaken and the
political
balance will be in favour of Africa's future.
For a start, Africa is
getting richer and richer even though fuller
exploitation of its riches is
undermined by intra political fights sponsored
from capital cities of the
world big economies. Every dictator in the world
is holding the west by the
balls because the west is loosing its diplomatic
strength to bargain as its
military power faces competition form rivalry
powers claimed as communistic
and not terrorist bound.
Our problems in Africa are imported, starting
with our over dependence on
aid than on our human resources training which
we keep throwing out through
poor governance policies. Our leadership is
stooges of either the west or
communism and tyranny is a baby of these
systems at war with each other.
Africa is the battle ground.
All
dictators are special orators against imperialism and western control.
Their
story starts from a premise of truth and then runs thin on false
propaganda
to maintain power. When that runs out they use force and
violence, which is
almost becoming the second nature to Africa politics, and
other less
developing nations. These tyrants' enemy number one is always the
west when
the obvious is that they constitute their own number one enemy in
themselves, through avarice for wealth and power.
At their Zanu Pf
conference in Goromonzi in Zimbabwe, the west received its
best share of
attack from President Robert Mugabe. The peasants no longer
believe in
Mugabe story but, as usual, they have no voice. The emerging
leadership is
entangled in power struggle for images and mirages of power
they have not
yet had, but wish to possess and control. They viciously
responded to the
money power game and confuse the peasants and a simple
worker on what is
wrong against what is right. The confusion is true because
when trust runs
narrow between leadership and ordinary people in the
struggle, genuine
struggle is berried; and only signs of a struggle are
sensed emerging but
never taking off.
Education or the lack of it, does not have any part in
the greedy state of
those who have no love of their countries as in people
and their life. What
remains obviously lacking, but insidiously undermined
by western
intelligence, is the vulnerability of a poverty stricken
leadership working
with a hungry people. Strong language against poverty is
emerging and it
threatens the west so they have to take control of the flow
of the
outbursts. No one but the west will be hurt most if the "lets share
theory"
comes to fruition, because it will disadvantage the well to do
first.
In a nutshell but at a limited scale this is the theory that
threatens
Zimbabwe struggle for freedom from tyranny within. The elite who
are created
falsely from the greedy of Mugabe's tyrannical system, now wants
to make
belief of its permanence by killing the initiative and will power of
the
poor through the building of a defeatist attitude. Whereas history will
show
unequalled bravery among the traditions of the black people, Africa as
a
whole, today it is the opposite.
Those with corrupt riches use it
to manipulate elections, intimidate honesty
and brutally oppose any attempt
by the poor to start a revolution, because
it will disadvantage them. This
false notion of hope does not live beyond
tomorrow; all oppressive systems
have paid heavily for their miscalculated
misdeeds. Tyrants are beginning to
pay the prize for taking manipulation of
people to their advantage and
benefit.
Unfortunately there is no much learning from history by those
leading
tyrannical regimes except as they are wiped out and replaced by a
democracy,
do we begin to see change. Zimbabwe cannot be an exception
because of the
intransigence of the Mugabe blind ambition to rule for ever,
which has not
been successful anywhere.
The danger of a middle class
in Zimbabwe who may have tendencies of
inclining towards tyranny cannot be
underestimated much as it should be
guarded against jealously with inner
education. The MDC had been a fortunate
development coming from among the
lower strata of society even though
chances of a stronger will to corruption
could be easily introduced through
the love to enviable tools of corruption
by the elite who claim guidance to
the cause.
The need though for
change, and of a shift between unity talks and facing
the true colours of
the people enemy within, pauses a greater threat to the
ultimate success of
a "quiet" revolution on Zanu-Pf. The request by some
Zanu-pf members to work
with the opposition to change the proposed Zanu-Pf
2010 time date for
country elections is a good open sign of alliances which
will do away with
the person of President Robert Mugabe. Those who have
always taken Mugabe as
a good blanket cover in their politics beyond the
obvious will fight hard to
maintain a presence for Mugabe, hence the danger
of Zanu-Pf planting more
insurgence within the opposition to offer more
loose change as bribery
against the forcefully planting of plans to the
removal of Mugabe before
2010.
The alternative is too hard to swallow, and gustily to stomach, and
that is
when the hard core in the struggle against tyrants emerge to take
over
government by ideological force (negotiations) but fail, it will see a
nasty
ruthlessness from those who opposed tyranny from within. If on another
hand
the struggle is successful, unless there is a strong rule of law and
those
respecting it, many of those who participated in the evils of the
accumulation of wealth tendency may pay for it through loss of
life.
Man's political memory is not only very short, when in comfort and
in
control, but truly selfish and greedy. History shows too many of such
scenarios when governments are overthrown by force, and force and violence
keeps breeding another brand of force and violence, given different names at
every stage of negative progress. Hopefully, being mature politically and
civilized aught to take us beyond the obvious and should beg for a concerted
effort to for national alliances that force for a democratic overthrow of
tyrannical tendencies, first from within individuals and lastly from
enunciating policy that favours justice and rule of law.
We should
never look at Zanu-Pf's problems as obvious, they are beyond the
obvious,
they need a careful study, comprehension and systematic uproot from
the stem
and roots of individuals as from society as a whole. Without an in
depth
study group of honesty and apolitical patriots, failure to take
deduction of
the obvious in Zanu-pf may haunt any government that takes over
from
Zanu-pf, as there is need for the beyond the obvious analysis to issues
of
greedy, avarice in government and control of the country's political
affairs.