His post as finance minister could be a poisoned
chalice
By Grant Ferrett in Harare
Simba Makoni is the most popular figure in a deeply unpopular government.
Appointed in July following the country's bloodiest and most divisive general
election campaign since independence two decades ago, he's widely liked and
respected.
Friends and critics alike agree that he's
extremely clever and has a reputation for integrity.
The puzzle is why he accepted the almost impossible job of finance minister
at a time when the economy is collapsing and shows every sign of getting worse.
Rise - and fall
By the standards of the ruling party, Zanu-PF, Simba Makoni has reached high
office at a relatively young age.
Compared with President Mugabe and his two vice presidents, all of whom are
in their late 70s, Mr Makoni is a youngster at just 50.
While the party old-guard were fighting
the liberation war in the 1970s, Simba Makoni was studying chemistry in Britain,
gaining a BSc and a PhD.
But as well as being a student, he went on to represent Zanu in Europe.
He clearly made an impression.
When the first post-independence government was formed, Simba Makoni was
appointed deputy minister of agriculture. He was 30.
Over the next four years he served as minister of energy and of youth before
abruptly leaving government.
"He was too hot to handle," says one long-time associate.
"He was too clever and too young for the older members of the party.
"They wanted him out of the way."
High profile
Mr Makoni was down but far from out.
He became Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community,
(SADC), a job which he says required "a fine balance between high principles and
pragmatism".
As, in effect, the most senior civil servant in the organisation at a time
when regional and world attention was focused on ending apartheid in South
Africa, Mr Makoni gained a great deal of international experience and exposure.
"He learnt a great deal," says one colleague.
"He returned to Zimbabwe a far sharper and more polished performer."
Return to the fold
President Mugabe's decision to appoint him as minister of finance was
welcomed on all sides, but it carried risks for both men.
In giving a very senior post to someone of such obvious popularity and
relative youth, Mr Mugabe has invited unfavourable comparisons.
A recent opinion poll suggested that
Simba Makoni was the most serious challenger to Mr Mugabe's leadership among
ordinary Zanu-PF members.
Among fellow party politicians he's regarded with a mixture of respect and
mistrust.
"He's very good, very committed to the party and the country," says former
Information Minister, Chen Chimutengwende.
But when asked whether he is presidential material, Mr Chimutengwende and
other senior party figures refuse to comment.
Dangers of office
The danger for Mr Makoni in accepting President Mugabe's offer is that some
of undoubted hostility felt towards the government, particularly in Zimbabwe's
towns and cities, will be directed towards him.
"There's a dangerous myth that this country can be saved by Simba Makoni,"
says opposition spokesman, Learnmore Jongwe.
"He's nothing to write home about.
"His fundamental weakness is that he has no political base.
"He was appointed by President Mugabe, and therefore he'll always be grateful
to him for that.
"He's part of the system of patronage."
And why did Mr Makoni accept the job?
"Simple," says a business colleague and ardent Makoni admirer.
"To get to the top. He is a politician through and through."
Zimbabwe police accused of mass torture
BBC: Wednesday, 10
January, 2001, 16:28 GMT
By Grant Ferrett in Harare
Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, says it
is taking legal action against the police after more than 50 of its supporters
were tortured by police officers in the south-eastern town of Bikita, which is
due to hold a by-election this weekend.
The party says they were beaten with rifle butts and burnt with cigarettes
over the course of several days, before being abandoned in a remote part of a
game reserve which is home to animals such as lions and elephants.
The opposition won the constituency from the government during parliamentary
elections last June.
And this latest by-election is proving to be every bit as violent as one held
in November and last year's general election.
Campaign 'with lions'
Heavily-armed police have mounted roadblocks throughout the remote rural
constituency of Bikita West following the murder two weeks ago of a member of
the ruling Zanu-PF party.
More than 100 opposition supporters have
been arrested, and the opposition say more than half of them were tortured.
After five days of interrogation and beatings, 13 were driven late at night
by the police into the middle of Gonarezhou national park.
They say they were ordered at gunpoint to walk into the game reserve, with
the police remarking "if you're so keen to campaign, you can start with the
lions".
All escaped unharmed.
A police spokesman said the reports were being investigated but suggested
they were unlikely to be true.
The ruling party has accused the opposition of initiating the violence and
insists that its campaign has been peaceful.
Bid to
reverse decree on polls delays hearing of MDC petitions
DAILY NEWS: 1/10/01 8:02:23 AM (GMT
+2)
Court Reporter
HARARE lawyer, Beatrice
Mtetwa, the co-ordinator of election petitions filed by the MDC on the results
of 40 constituencies in the June parliamentary election, said the petitions
could not begin yesterday as originally planned.
She said this was because
of pending litigation seeking to reverse President Mugabe's decree on the
petitions.
The High Court had set 8 January to hear the petitions. A month
ago, the government gazetted the Electoral Act (Modification) (No 3)
Notice
2000 (Regulations) cancelling all electoral petitions filed mainly by the MDC in
the High Court.
The petitions challenged the results of 40 constituencies.
Only one Zanu PF candidate - for the Seke North constituency - disputed the
results.
Said Mtetwa: "It is certain that the High Court hearings will not
proceed until the Supreme Court has ruled on the applications pending before
it."
Mugabe's decree was widely condemned by the legal fraternity and a
number of civic organisations who said it violated the rights of the losing
candidates as enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
Subsequently, the MDC launched a constitutional challenge in the Supreme
Court contesting the Presidential decree.
Last week, the full Bench of the
Supreme Court ruled that the constitutional matter be heard on 19 January
instead of 31 January, as the State had requested in its initial application for
a postponement of the hearing.
The State applied for a postponement arguing
that it needed time to hire a South African advocate, alleging that all local
senior advocates had been hired by the MDC.
The MDC wants Mugabe's decree
set aside on the grounds that it is unconstitutional and unlawful. It wants the
hearings on election petitions to go ahead, insisting that there were various
electoral flaws in the poll, which saw the opposition party winning 57 seats,
while Zanu PF won 62 seats.
Zanu retained its traditional Chipinge South
seat.
Innocent Chagonda, another lawyer representing the MDC in the
petitions, yesterday said lawyers would not stop challenging the
constitutionality of Mugabe's decree to ensure that the petitions are heard
before an impartial and competent court.
Said Chagonda: "We will certainly
proceed with the election petitions.
Nothing will stop us from saying that
some of the election results were voidable."
Zimbabwe police allegedly trucked 13 opposition supporters into a nature reserve
teeming with lions and other wild animals and forced them at gunpoint to run
into the bush.
The 13 members of the Movement for Democratic Change, most
from the youth wing, "were meant to be fed to the lions" in the Gonarezhou
nature park, on the Mozambique border, about 250 miles from Harare, says
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
The opposition supporters, dumped in
the bush in groups of twos and threes at intervals of several miles, survived
the ordeal by whistling and shouting to find each other along a dirt road, says
Mr Tsvangirai.
A civilian truck picked them up in the
morning.
"These people were thrown into the jungle and left to be killed"
by lions, elephants and buffalo that roam Zimbabwe's second largest wild life
sanctuary, he says.
The park is normally accessible only to tourist
vehicles guarded by armed rangers.
One of the opposition activists,
Garikai Chinyama, 30, says police loaded their rifles and forced them at
gunpoint to run into the bush.
He says one police officer said: "You like
to campaign, now start campaigning to lions and all the wild
animals."
Police officials have made no comment.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) continued to campaign this
weekend
in Bikita West, in preparation for the Parliamentary by-elections
next
weekend.
The entire party has focused on this critical seat, and Members
of
Parliament and MDC Executive Members have spent much of the past two
weeks
in the area. Sunday 7 January saw the culmination of much of that
effort.
On Sunday, a massive contingent of MDC leaders and members went to
Bikita
West in a show of support and solidarity with the residents
there.
The President lead the rest of the MDC leadership, including the
Vice
President, Secretary General, National Treasurer and National Chairman
in
addressing a series of two agendaed and two non-agendaed rallies
across
the constituency, at Pamushana, Nyika and Bikita Minerals. In addition
to
the top five of the party, ten Members of Parliament and four members
of
the National Executive were also present. The group canvassed
the
constituency in 12 vehicles filled with MDC members from Bikita
and
Harare. There were police roadblocks across the constituency, and
there
was a heavy police presence at the rallies themselves.
Several
times during the day, the MDC observed Chenjerai Hunzvi (MP
Chikomba) and
truck-fulls of Zanu PF supporters. Each time, these people
passed
threateningly. Early in the day, Hunzvi cornered one MDC vehicle,
carrying
youths and security personel. Hunzvi ordered his supporters to
attack the MDC
vehicles, forcing its occupants to flee on foot up the
mountains. They only
rejoined the group in the afternoon, after the first
rally.
The
psychological damage done by Zanu PF's campaign of violence was
evident from
people's behaviour. They were timid about showing their
support for the MDC
openly, and even during the rallies some were shy to
move forwards and
demonstrate their full support. The MDC members there,
though, did not feel
threatened by the residents, making it all the more
apparent that the
violence has been brought in with Hunzvi, Gezi,
Chinotimba and the other Zanu
PF leaders who have taken over the
constituency.
This was underscored
by the several sightings of Hunzvi, driving across
the constituency with two
truckloads of youths, following journalists and
MDC vehicles as they carried
on campaigning. Zanu PF's intimidation
campaign is undeniable; its evidence
is the eyes of the people at Bikita.
The MDC is confident however that,
despite this fear, they will retain the
seat which has been theirs since
June.
13 of the MDC youths held by police in Bikita West for their
alleged
engagement in political violence were released yesterday. The
authorities
said they had no case to answer.
Instead of being
released, they were badly beaten and were then driven by
police and CID
officials in a police Defender to the Gonarezhou area near
the Mozambique
boarder, and were abandoned in that wildlife-heavy area.
Fortunately for
the group, they were spotted by a sympathetic MDC member
driving from the
border to Chiredzi. He ferried the youths to a safer
place where they waited.
The driver then proceeded to Chiredzi, where he
notified the Chiredzi MDC
district committee. The committee arranged two
trucks to collect the youths.
Eleven were found where they had been left,
and there are reports that the
other two have now been found also.
For more details please contact Alex
on 011 610 607.
Eide Javachava, who works as the messenger/receptionist for MDC
Executive
Member Eliot Pfebve was abducted yesterday afternoon by three men
as he
left his Harare office for lunch. He was approached by one man
from
behind. The man grabbed Javachava's arm roughly and said he wanted
to
speak with him. The harshness of the grip made him resist, but
when
another man approached from the front and showed his CIO
identification,
he knew better than to struggle. The men led him into a Mazda
twincab
without registration plates, where he recognised a man who had been
to the
office several times since October to speak with Pfebve, but who
had
always come when Pfebve was out. The men covered Javachava's eyes with
a
red cloth so that he could not follow the route.
After driving with
Javachava for about fifteen minutes, the group stopped
the car and lead
Javachava into a basement, where they proceeded to
question him. They asked
about his relationship with Pfebve, and pressed
him for more details about
the MDC leader.
Pfebve has earned the ire of President Robert Mugabe and
the ruling party
for his involvement with the MDC. He was the MDC candidate
for Bindura in
the Parliamentary Elections last June. In addition, Pfebve
joined three
other Zimbabweans in a legal action against Mugabe, suing him in
a United
States court for damages done in political violence between the
February
referendum and the June Parliamentary elections.
The group
beat and harassed Jachavacha, urging him to tell them details
about Pfebve
and his recent visit to the United States. Also, they told
him "there is a
place for Pfebve in Zanu PF. He must leave the MDC." The
urged Javachava to
stay away from Pfebve, and not to get in the way of the
CIO operatives who
had targeted Pfebve.
After holding Javachava for 19 hours, the group
released him at 7:50 this
morning. Javachava was sore after the assault but
determined not to turn
his back on Pfebve or the MDC.
On the attack,
Pfebve said
"Any information they could have gotten from Javachava is
immaterial. He
could not have told them anything they didn't already know, as
I have been
under their surveillance for the past six months or more. It is
clear that
one objective of this abduction was intimidation. The CIO seeks
to
intimidate those close to me so that they will lose heart and abandon
me.
I have no doubt that I am their ultimate target is to terminate me, and
so
they seek to isolate me so that it will be easier to eliminate me. It is
a
struggle, of course, but I and my colleagues are determined to carry
on
even in the face of this intimidation."
Javachava and Pfebve have
both filed reports with the police, IR numbers
010835 and 010842
respectively.
Poaching & WIldlife Conservation in Zimbabwe
Pretoria Birds E-group
The Lowveld Wild Dog Project, Save Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe.
Whilst
war veterans continue to occupy certain sectors of the Conservancy disrupting
activities and poaching indiscriminately, the wild dog project continues. This
report covers activities up to October 2000.
With the end of the denning season and the start of the lowveld summer
tracking wild dogs has become something of an endurance exercise.
The dogs
are once again utilising their entire ranges moving up to 30km in a single
day/night. The trackers spend five days at a time following and monitoring any
one pack and when one considers that these distances are covered by bicycle, on
dirt roads and in high 30-40C temperatures, it really is a feat worthy of
Olympic gold. The vehicle has been used mainly to get visual sightings once the
trackers have located the dogs.
Since the Maverick pack left their last den site they have been covering
vast distances in their wanderings. Many frustrating hours were spent looking
for the dogs in all their old haunts only to find they had extended their range
significantly to cover an area of approximately 1000 square kilometres. Sadly,
this area includes some heavily poached ranches and three dogs have vanished
lately, presumably to snares.
The Jacana pack remained at the den site for the majority of September and
continued to provide brilliant and reliable viewing. The three pups became
quite ‘tame’, finding our vehicle a source of endless curiosity. One pup in
particular (No. 2 due to a distinct ‘2’ marking on his shoulder) was incredibly
bold and had no inhibitions when it came to investigating strange objects in his
playground.
The long-suffering Bote pack has continued to suffer casualties at the
hands of poachers. Since the last report we have lost a further three dogs to
snares. The dog that lost its ear to a snare disappeared shortly after the last
report (most likely died due to infection). An adult colour collared female was
found with a snare around her neck on the 2nd September.
Unfortunately the
dart gun was not readily available and she was found dead two days later. A
further dog was found carrying a snare around its neck on the 5th October but by
the time we arrived with the dart gun the dog had left the pack and was found
dead on the 18th. On a brighter note, I was fortunate enough to witness the
collared dog from this pack kill a young impala ram right in front of the
vehicle. We watched the hunt from beginning to end and all I can say is that I
now have doubts about the cheetah being the fastest land animal!!
The Turgwe pack remains as elusive as ever. Tracking them is an uphill
battle and sightings are few and far between. They are more wary of humans and
vehicles than other packs and this may be the reason for their ongoing survival
on one of the most heavily poached areas on the conservancy.
I am pleased to announce that the phantom laptop computer has finally
arrived. The printer will hopefully be arriving some time in December along
with other essentials to complete my mobile office. My new email address is as
follows:
lwdp@mweb.co.zw. 5 collars, a GPS
and a new dart gun are next on my goodies list!
Patrick Aust, Co-ordinator,
Lowveld Wild Dog Project Note: Any assistance with the above mentioned equipment
will be gratefully received. Please contact Patrick direct on his new e-mail
address.
Angola Pitta’s in Zambia.
After several years of successful ‘pitta
hunting’ in Zimbabwe, we were anxious to find new sites for what must rate as
one of Africa’s “most wanted” birds. This has been brought about by a
combination of fuel shortages and the uncertain political situation in
Zimbabwe.
In late November 2000 we visited several destinations in Zambia, keeping an
eye out for suitable habitat for the Pitta as part of our travels. The Lower
Zambezi National Park was one of these, and a few days after our return to
Harare, we were delighted to receive an e-mail from Ian Salisbury, manager of
Kulefu Safari Camp, who had just seen a Pitta close to Jeki airstrip.
The
first sighting was by his staff members a few days earlier, and then, on the
28th November, Ian and several colleagues found another bird. Some time was
spent looking for signs of a nest, and unfortunately a dead pitta was found
lying on a low branch about 10 m from the road. Ian suspected that it had been
killed by a Genet. Let’s hope that the other bird remains in the area and finds
a mate.
The final destination on our visit to Zambia was Kapani Lodge in the South
Luangwa National Park. Within minutes we were told about a pitta that had been
seen in the lodge gardens (overlooking the Luangwa River) a few days prior to
our arrival. We were naturally delighted to hear a pitta call from the dense
vegetation along a tributary of the Luangwa River on one of our early morning
excursions into the park. We were reluctant to investigate further due to a
combination of thick vegetation and the presence of both lions and elephant in
the area. However the Kapani guides will be keeping a careful eye out for this
bird over the next few months.
South Luangwa is well known for its high population of large carnivores,
but some of the lesser known ‘specials’ here include Thornicroft’s Giraffe (a
very attractive sub-species of the common Giraffe), Cookson’s Wildebeest and the
Yellow Baboon. A visit to this wonderful wildlife destination is a ‘must ‘ on
every safari-goers list.
Derek & Sarah Solomon, On Safari
International.
Chiawa Camp, Zambia.
This delightful camp located on the edge of the
Lower Zambezi National Park has had some exceptional wildlife sightings in
recent months. In one of these a lioness was seen diving underwater to kill a
swimming porcupine from underneath to avoid the formidable quills of this
species. Another amazing sighting was a centipede that caught and consumed a
tree frog that was much larger than itself. A leading Zambian entomologist has
never heard of such an occurrence. This area had exceptional lion and leopard
sightings during
2000.
Kiambi Safari Zambia.
Kiambi Safari have recently opened three luxury
tented camps on the Lower Zambezi River. Kiambi Lodge is located at the
confluence of the Zambezi and Kafue Rivers and makes an ideal start point for
visitors flying into Lusaka or Kariba and travelling by road to the Lower
Zambezi. Pick-ups are available from both airports. Activities at Kiambi
include fishing and boat trips on the river.
Access to the next two camps is by boat (or by direct charter flight from
Lusaka). Kuibo Lodge is built on the banks of the Zambezi and activities focus
mainly on the river. Game viewing along the river is excellent with wonderful
opportunities to see large numbers of Elephant coming down to drink or bathe in
the river. It must be one of the best places in the world to observe Hippo
behaviour, with pods of varying size occurring along the river every 500-700
metres. The riverine habitat around the lodge is a birdwatchers paradise.
Narina Trogon, Yellow-spotted Nicator, African Broadbill, Crested Guineafowl,
Bat Hawk and Red-throated Twinspot are some of the highlights. But the ‘big
tick’ for this area is the Pel’s Fishing Owl that regularly hunts from the
Tamarind tree that dominates the entertainment area overlooking the river.
Kuibo is located in the game management area on the edge of the National
Park. Canoeing and fishing are two exciting activities on offer here.
The third camp, Kulefu, is located well downstream in the heart of the
Lower Zambezi National Park. This is wildest Africa at its best. The area is
domin ated by huge groves of Apple-ring Acacia’s or Ana Trees (Faidherbia
albida)
with wonderful views of the Zambezi a short walk away. Lion and
Leopard are very common in this area as are large numbers of Elephant, huge
herds of Buffalo and a host of other mammals. Wild Dogs are a special feature
of the area (see more below). This is another wonderful area for birding with
species such as Western Banded Snake Eagle, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Red-necked
Falcon and huge numbers of waterbirds as some of the highlights. As mentioned
earlier, the Angola Pitta has recently been seen here.
Other species to look
out for in the thickets around Jeki airstrip are Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah
and Golden-backed Pytilia, while Shelley’s Sunbird is something to look for when
the mistletoe on the Apple-leaf Acacias is flowering.
African Wild Dog Conservation, Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia.
It
is thought that Zambia may contain one of the last remaining viable populations
of Wild Dog in Africa, yet there has been no published study of the Zambian Wild
Dog population. Recently Australian biologist, Kellie Leigh, has taken on this
project, the main objective to identify the main threats to Wild Dog populations
in the Lower Zambezi National Park and surrounding areas. Once completed she
will be in a position to recommend appropriate management techniques.
Information on the genetic background of the local population will also
contribute to Wild Dog conservation as a whole, and may in the long term enable
re-introduction of Wild Dogs into previously populated areas.
The dogs denned very close to Kulefu Lodge (mentioned above) in mid
2000, and we are planning to take various groups to this area during the
next denning season. Our guests will have the unique opportunity of meeting
Kellie and going into the field with her during these visits. For more
information on this contact us on
osi@internet.co.zw Derek Solomon, On Safari
International, Harare Islands in Africa.
The owners of Impalila Island Lodge,
located on an island of the same name at the junction of the Zambezi and Chobe
Rivers, have recently opened a stunning new luxury safari lodge on the Kwando
River in north-eastern Namibia. Susuwe Island Lodge is in a concession that
includes riverine forest, savanna, wetlands and the ancient Kalahari woodlands.
The lodge has been developed as a joint venture partnership with the local
Mayuni Conservancy.
The Kwando River is a permanent water source which nourishes delicate
ecosystems, and the area is home to a wide variety of animal life.
Protection
is required from the indiscriminate utilisation of the natural resource base in
order for the balance to be maintained. Conservation projects such as the
development of an Anti-Poaching Unit have already been initiated. A long-term
project is also underway in the area, the primary object of which is the
involvement of the local communities in these conservation initiatives, and the
Manyuni Conservancy has been sited as one of the pilot conservancy
projects.
The game movement in the area has been under pressure in past times, but
with the elimination of the fences between Botswana and Namibia, game is
starting to move freely through this corridor. Recently Elephant have moved
through the area in vast numbers, and apparently this was a ‘migration’ route in
previous years, with these groups coming up from northern Botswana into
Namibia. It appears that the Kwando River and its surrounding floodplains are a
major attraction. Staff at Susuwe will carefully monitor these movements over
the next few years.
Horseshoe Bend on the island is a major breeding ground for the Southern
Carmine Bee-eater, and thousands of these spectacular birds used the riverbanks
for this purpose between September and November 2000.
Lion and Leopard are
prevalent in the area, and the first guests to the lodge spotted Wild Dog during
their stay.
For more information on the lodge contact us on
osi@internet.co.zw P.S. Susuwe Island
Lodge is our chosen destination for the total solar eclipse on 21 June
2000.
Crab Plovers in Mozambique.
This little known shorebird is restricted
mainly to the Mozambique coastline, north of Maputo. It is a regular visitor to
the Bazaruto archipelago off the coastal town of Vilanculos. In June 1999 we
visited Benguerra Island and were lucky enough to see two flocks of Crab Plovers
on San Sebastian, an hours boat trip from Benguerra Island. In October
2000
we took a large group of birders to Benguerra and once again made the boat trip
to San Sebastian. After a fairly long search we found a flock of 60 Crab
Plovers standing quietly on the shoreline.
The summer shorebirds on Benguerra are superb, and during our October visit
some of the unusual species we saw included Terek Sandpiper, Mongolian Plover,
Sand Plover and Grey Plover as well as Lesser Black-backed Gull.
In June 1999
we added European Oystercatcher and Bar-tailed Godwit to our list.
Some of
the birds on the island itself include Green Coucal and Olive Bee-eater (both
common), Natal Robin, Tree Pipit (summer only), Purple-banded Sunbird and Yellow
Weaver. We have plans for another trip, this time in November 2001. Details
will be released in the next newsletter.
Derek Solomon, On Safari
International, Harare To subscribe, e-mail us at
osi@internet.co.zw with the message
'Subscribe Newsletter'.
If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, e-mail us at
osi@internet.co.zw with the message
'Unsubscribe Newsletter'.
ON SAFARI INTERNATIONAL, PO Box GD 840, Greendale, Harare, Zimbabwe Tel
487703 Tel/Fax 486869 E-mail:
osi@internet.co.zw Website:
www.osi.co.zw ON SAFARI INTERNATIONAL The
Special Interest Safari Professionals P O Box GD840 Greendale Tel: (263-4)
487703 Harare Tel/Fax: (263-4) 486869 Zimbabwe e-mail:
osi@internet.co.zw Visit our web site at:
www.osi.co.zw