http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
10
January 2012
At the start of the new school term on Tuesday most teachers
ignored the
strike call by their unions, the Progressive Teachers Union of
Zimbabwe
(PTUZ) and Zimbabwe Teachers Union (ZIMTA).
Last week, both
the PTUZ and ZIMTA, in a rare cooperation, said their
members would not
report for duty when schools opened, unless there was a
firm commitment by
government to meet their demands.
Teachers are paid between $250 and
$320, when a minimum $502 per month is
required for a family of four. The
teachers are also demanding transport and
housing allowances.
Our
correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us divisions within the two teachers’
unions may have led to members ignoring the call and reporting to their
schools as normal.
Reports were filtering through that the teachers
might convene a meeting
with their unions this week and thereby disrupt some
lessons.
‘I was told there are divisions within the PTUZ. Some members
were
questioning the idea of going on strike when there is still an
opportunity
to engage government for further talks, while ZIMTA has not even
sent out
circulars to its members about the strike,’ Muchemwa
said.
He continued: ‘Last week ZIMTA and the PTUZ issued a joint
statement calling
for a strike but now it seems like both unions are pulling
in different
directions.’
On Monday PTUZ President Takavafirei Zhou
blasted the unity government for
its response to their intended action. Zhou
said the government was not
worried and was ‘prevaricating and being
arrogant’.
He explained that the call by his union for a strike should
have been taken
as a national crisis and he cited government’s failure to
convene a cabinet
meeting to discuss the issue, as an indication they did
not care.
http://mg.co.za/
RAY NDLOVU BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE - Jan 10 2012
09:06
Zimbabwe's minister of education, David Coltart, says he is
"powerless" to
stop a strike by the country's civil servants, as teachers
press for higher
salaries of $540 -- more than double their current $250
paycheck -- in a
fresh sign of trouble that threatens to rattle Zimbabwe's
fragile unity
government.
"We have done what we can and everything is
on track -- exam papers are
being marked, dates for opening of schools have
been set long ago, secondary
school textbooks are being delivered
countrywide, but of course all of that
will mean little if teachers go on
strike," Coltart said on Monday. "But
that is something beyond our
control."
Schools in Zimbabwe are set to open on Tuesday this week, but
uncertainty is
growing over whether teachers will report to work as salary
negotiations
between the teacher's representative body, the Apex Council and
government
will only take place this Wednesday.
The Apex Council
encompasses the Progressive Teacher's Union of Zimbabwe,
Public Service
Association, the Teacher's Union of Zimbabwe (TUZ) and
Zimbabwe Teachers'
Union.
Already, the Apex Council has threatened "drastic action" should
their
demands not be met. On the back of the new demand for higher salaries,
the
country's civil servants are seething over the recent awarding of $15
000
payouts to each of the country's 211 members of Parliament. Teachers'
unions
said the payouts exposed the government's "insincerity" in dealing
with
repeated calls from the public service to address their material
position.
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association's chief executive, Sifiso
Ndlovu said:
"Government should not underestimate the anger that is latent
in the civil
service, their insincerity and insensitivity just shows that
all the salary
negotiations we have been holding are not
genuine."
"It's one promise after the other," agreed TUZ leader Manuel
Nyawo.
'Someone' affords to pay $15 000 each to just 211 people, but those
who
matter in a government are useless to 'him' and they continue to wallow
in
poverty."
But as Zimbabwe steps into the new year, observers say
the threat of a civil
servants' strike could be a crucial indicator of what
lies ahead for the
unity government, which enters its third year next
month.
In an interview with the Mail & Guardian, Tony Hawkins, an
economics
professor at the University of Zimbabwe said: "The civil servants
are
already making noise over salaries and this is a crucial indicator that
jobs
and money will remain the biggest challenge for the government this
year."
Zimbabwe reportedly has nearly 75 000 "ghost workers" in its civil
service.
Hawkins said: "With the prospect of elections being held this
year, no one
in the unity government has the guts to take on a hugely
unpopular decision
to cut down on the civil service workforce, so we are
likely to see a
prolonged bloated wage bill."
Previous overtures to
quell anger among civil servants with promises of
salary increases financed
by the country's Marange diamonds also seem
unlikely to work this time, as
the country's Marange diamonds face growing
resistance on the international
market.
The United States, watchdogs Global Witness, Rapaport and diamond
miners De
Beers have all tightened the screws on the country's Marange
diamonds,
boycotting its so-called "'blood diamonds", and further shrinking
the
available diamond market in which Zimbabwe can sell and earn projected
annual earnings of $2-billion.
This year, diamonds are expected to
chip in with $600-million, while the
economic growth rate has been set at
9.4% by Finance Minister Tendai Biti.
Economic analysts say a 6% growth rate
is more realistic as the high risk of
a global economic recession
looms.
Meanwhile, the African Development Bank has also warned that the
combination
of elections being pushed for by Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the
indigenisation programme were likely to affect Zimbabwe's economic recovery
prospects.
"The ongoing implementation of the indigenisation and
economic empowerment
laws and the expected national elections in 2012
continue to weaken external
investor confidence".
It added: "The
achievement of the 2012 projections is therefore subject to a
stable
political and economic environment ... and continued firming of the
international commodity prices or increase in output."
http://www.radiovop.com
Karoi, January 10, 2012 -
Teachers continue to remain a "politically
suspicious group" after they were
sidelined from the controversial
Presidential Input Scheme being manned by
the Grain Marketing Board here.
Chaos and confusion has gripped the
uneven distribution of farm inputs since
last week when the programme was
launched with allegations of abuse by
senior Zanu (PF) officials including
Hurungwe East MP Sarah Mahoka who is
alleged to have "looted" over 50 tonnes
of fertilizer during the weekend.
However Mahoka has denied the
allegations saying she got the inputs on
behalf of her
constituency.
The input scheme is being viewed by some Zanu (PF)
supporters as a campaign
tool by President Robert Mugabe ahead of possible
elections this year.
On Tuesday morning teachers who were among hordes of
people who had thronged
GMB depot were suprised that other civil servants
got the inputs.
A Karoi GMB official a Mr Wareka addressed the
disgruntled crowds:"We have
allocated inputs to different ministries
including Health, Justice, Defence,
Agriculture among others where you will
get your share."
Wareka failed to explain why the Ministry of Education
had been left out
before being booed by the angry crowds keen to receive
their share of
inputs. He said he will consult his superiors over the
issue.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou
denounced
the selective approach. "It is a pity that politicians are
discriminating
...it’s against the constitution, the supreme law of the
country. He said
his union may take a legal course if those affected
approach their offices.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona
Sibanda
10 January 2012
ZANU PF leader Robert Mugabe cut short his
leave in the Far East to rush
back to Harare and meet the Equatorial Guinea
President, Teodoro Obiang
Nguema.
Obiang was on his way back home
when he stopped over in Harare from South
Africa where he had attended the
ruling African National Congress’ centenary
celebrations in
Bloemfontein.
While in South Africa Obiang met with President Zuma, who
is also the SADC
mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis. Obiang is currently the
chairman of the
African Union (AU).
Our Harare correspondent Simon
Muchemwa said the meeting between Zuma and
Obiang may have centered on
proposals to discuss plans for the special
Zimbabwe summit, on the sidelines
of an AU summit due at the end of this
month.
Last week SADC
executive secretary Tomaz Salamao told the Daily News that
dates for a
summit on Zimbabwe would be agreed at the AU summit in Addis
Ababa, due to
run from 21-28 January.
An analyst told us Mugabe rarely cuts short his
holidays to attend a meeting
with a fellow Head of State when an acting
President was on standby.
‘It is obvious the meeting, which lasted almost
six hours, also looked at
how both SADC and AU might help resolve the never
ending crisis in Zimbabwe.
Obiang met Zuma and the two exchanged notes on
Zimbabwe and it was important
for him to relay whatever message he got from
the South African President to
Mugabe personally,’ the analyst
said.
If this is the case then Mugabe is once again completely ignoring
the fact
that there is a unity government, as MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai
was
clearly not involved in these discussions.
Bilateral relations
between Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe were strengthened
in 2004 when
Zimbabwean state security agents arrested British mercenary
Simon Mann and
69 others, who were on their way to join a coup attempt
against Obiang in
the oil-rich West African country.
The two leaders have also ruled their
countries with an iron first for more
than 30 years each. Obiang took power
in Equatorial Guinea in a 1979 coup,
while Mugabe is Africa’s
third-longest-serving leader, having ruled Zimbabwe
since 1980.
http://www.globalpost.com
2012 1 10
NAIROBI, Kenya — Two of Africa's leading
pariahs held a surprise
get-together this week when Equatorial-Guinea's
Teodoro Obiang Nguema
stopped by Zimbabwe to meet with Robert
Mugabe.
Both men have ruled with an iron fist for decades but their
friendship was
sealed when Zimbabwe scuppered a coup attempt against Obiang
and arrested
the mastermind, Simon Mann, a former SAS soldier.
"Our
countries enjoy strong links, which are deeply rooted much more after
Zimbabwe assisted in foiling an attempted coup in our country in 2004 and
that brought us closer," Obiang told reporters after the
meeting.
Mugabe, 87, who is believed to suffering from ill health, made
no public
statement.
Read more on GlobalPost: Mugabe's plans for
early elections meet obstacles
Equatorial-Guinea is oil-rich but its
people remain dirt poor while the
president, his family and close associates
live in luxury.
Obiang overthrew his own uncle in 1979 and has ruled ever
since.
Lately he has been trying to clean-up his image: he is the current
chair of
the African Union and his country is about to co-host a continental
football
team but an attempt to sponsor a UNESCO prize to be named in his
honor was
derailed by human rights activists.
A visit to Mugabe will
hardly help his cause.
http://www.radiovop.com/
By Ngoni Chanakira Harare, January 10,
2012 - The Minister of Indigenisation
and Economic Empowerment, Saviour
Kasukuwere will soon meet with local
foreign owned commercial banks to tell
them about their new indigenisation
levels and requirements, Radio VOP can
exclusively reveal.
In an exclusive interview, Godfrey Sigobodhla,
Director, Indigenisation and
Empowerment in his ministry said: "Yes, we will
soon set the indigenisation
levels for all foreign owned commercial banks
operating in Zimbabwe.
"As you know we have already met with the mining
industry and the
manufacturing sector and their levels have already been
set.
"The level for all mining companies is US$1 million annual turnover
and for
manufacturing it is US$100 000. However, we will soon set new levels
for
commercial banks. I know the figure but I cannot tell you right now
otherwise I will let the cat out of the bag."
He said these figures
were being confused on the market because some were
saying US$1 million
turnover was the requirement for indigenisation.
"This is not true
because the general figure right now is US$500 000 and not
US$1 million as
is going around."
The three foreign owned commercial banks operating in
Zimbabwe right now are
Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe Limited (Barclays),
Standard Chartered Bank of
Zimbabwe Limited (Stanchart) and Standard Bank of
Zimbabwe Limited (Stanbic
Bank).
"There is no reversing this issue,"
Sigobodhla said in the exclusive
interview."It is tight on the mining sector
because they are using our land
and are benefiting tremendously in Zimbabwe
right now."
The economy has been on a free fall for the past 10 years and
the new levels
are meant to even the playing field he said.
"There is
no going back and we are serious but are very patient about this,"
he
said.
"It should benefit everyone even the Indian delegation that is gathered
here
in Harare today."
http://www.news24.com/
2012-01-10 12:32
Harare - A push by
veteran President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party for
elections before the end
of the year has raised fears among Zimbabweans of a
spike in political
violence that could derail a two-year economic recovery.
Tensions are
already high over the drafting of a new constitution that major
political
parties must agree on before any parliamentary and presidential
polls.
Mugabe's advancing years - he turns 88 in February - are
causing additional
concerns, not least among Zanu-PF followers who fear that
question marks
over his ability to do the job after 32 years in power may
cost it in any
election.
That said, Mugabe's main political rival,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai,
is facing lurid allegations about his
private life that have damaged his
reputation as leader of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).
Inter-party violence
Finance Minister
Tendai Biti is budgeting for economic growth of 9.4% this
year from 9.3% in
2011, but a fierce contest between Mugabe's Zanu-PF party
and the MDC could
torpedo that.
Analysts say Mugabe is pressing for polls a year ahead of
schedule because
of his failing health.
He and Tsvangirai, who were
forced into a unity government after violent and
disputed polls in 2008,
convened a peace summit in November to defuse
escalating tensions after
clashes between their supporters.
Tsvangirai, who is 18 years younger
than Mugabe, believes he will win any
free and fair poll, after Zanu-PF
intimidation forced him to drop out of a
presidential runoff against Mugabe
in June 2008.
The acid test for the anti-violence campaign is likely to
come closer to the
election date, when Zanu-PF tends to mobilise its forces
in the form of
independence war veterans and youth brigades known as "green
bombers".
What to Watch:
- A rise in inter-party violence as the
drive for elections picks up steam.
- Public response to calls for joint
peace rallies planned by Zanu-PF and
the MDC.
- Investors shelving or
slowing down on their plans due to jitters over
election violence or fear of
instability.
Mugabe succession
Zanu-PF's annual conference in
December endorsed Mugabe as its candidate in
the next presidential poll, but
analysts say he will face a tough battle
convincing voters to extend his
rule.
Although Zanu-PF officials rally behind Mugabe in public, in
private many
want him to retire and pass the baton to a younger heir due to
fears his age
may cost the party victory.
The pressure has
intensified since reports, based on a June 2008 US
diplomatic cable released
by WikiLeaks, that Mugabe is suffering from
prostate cancer.
The
death of retired general Solomon Mujuru in a fire in August has also
changed
the party dynamics. Reports say Mujuru, husband of Vice President
Joice
Mujuru, was pressing Mugabe to step down and that his Zanu-PF faction
had
courted the MDC.
What to watch:
- Mugabe trying to heal party
rifts or anoint a successor.
- How Mujuru's camp regroups, and how
Zanu-PF rivals position themselves for
power after
Mugabe.
Tsvangirai
Local media reports in the past year said
Tsvangirai has made two women
pregnant and tried to pay them off. He has so
far not denied the charges.
The allegations have provided fodder for his
enemies and led some to
question his leadership credentials.
What to
watch:
- MDC rifts caused by the controversies
Mining and local
ownership
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere says
mining firms have mostly met deadlines for submitting plans
on how to
transfer a 51 percent stake in their operations to
locals.
Some foreign mines with operations in Zimbabwe include Impala
Platinum,
Aquarius and Rio Tinto , while British banks Barclays and Standard
Chartered
Bank operate locally.
The heavily criticised law is aimed
mainly at mining firms and banks
operating in a resource-rich state that has
become an economic basket case.
Analysts say it is more likely the
cash-strapped government wants to wring
concessions from miners such as more
cash or mineral rights. This explains
why the government is negotiating with
individual companies, the analysts
say.
In addition, the government
unveiled a $4bn budget for 2012, which included
an increase in gold and
platinum royalties for gold, and banked on $600m in
diamond
revenues.
What to watch:
- Details of deals struck between
government and miners.
- What the government will do to non-complying
companies.
Constitution
Mugabe and Tsvangirai's parties are
quarrelling over drafting of a new
constitution, with Zanu-PF accusing the
MDC of trying to smuggle in a law
recognising homosexuals and giving
unfettered voting rights to Zimbabweans
living abroad.
The final
charter is likely to be a compromise between Zanu-PF and MDC, who
both lack
the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to pass the new
supreme law on
their own.
A referendum on a draft not backed by either party would
likely trigger
violence.
Many Zimbabweans want the charter to
strengthen the role of parliament,
curtail presidential powers and guarantee
civil, political and media
liberties.
What to watch:
- Zanu-PF
reaction to prolonged delays in charter's crafting
- Reuters
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Everson Mushava, Staff Writer
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
13:00
HARARE - Election talk by Zanu PF is fast turning out to be
nothing but a
hoax as the party’s growing clamour for an early election is
not being
complemented by any noticeable preparations by the faction riddled
party on
the ground.
Previous periods leading to elections have often
been characterised by
active political campaigns by the former ruling party,
fund raising and
fierce fights in primary elections. Zanu PF structures on
the ground are all
but dead.
But so far, there are no indications
that Zanu PF is readying itself for
elections, a status quo that confirms
that the party is not prepared for the
polls despite President Robert
Mugabe’s call for an election this year.
Recently Mugabe, who was
declared the party’s presidential candidate at last
month’s party congress
in Bulawayo, said elections would be held this year
with or without a new
constitution. But he did not specify how parliamentary
candidates would be
selected, when they would start and the criteria to be
used.
This is
despite strong indications by Sadc chairperson, Angolan president
Eduardo
Dos Santos at the last summit held in Luanda, that he will not let
Zimbabwe
go for elections without proper electoral conditions. That position
was also
buttressed by Sadc appointed mediator to the Zimbabwean crisis
Jacob Zuma
who, through his facilitation team, has said he will not let the
country
drift back into the political chaos of 2008.
Despite the amplified
grandstanding, it has turned out that the former
ruling party is the least
prepared party for the watershed polls.
As reported in the past by the
Daily News, Zanu PF is reeling from
factionalism, failure by the party’s
commissariat department to organise
primary elections on the grassroots
level as many of its constituents are
resisting several attempts to impose
candidates.
Rugare Gumbo, the Zanu PF spokesperson, was evasive yesterday
when asked
about his party’s level of preparedness, a development which
added weight to
indications that Zanu PF is not serious about
elections.
“We will tell you when the time comes,” was all that Gumbo
could say.
Party insiders have warned that the decision by Mugabe to
force an early
poll could backfire as many legislators and ministers were
against such a
move instead preferring to see through their Parliamentary
term.
They are reportedly mulling a revolt against the 87 year –old
former
guerrilla leader.
Under the plot by the legislators, Mugabe
could face a similar fate to the
one he faced in March 2008 presidential
elections when he lost to MDC
president Morgan Tsvangirai while his MPs won
in the same areas in a plot
now famously known as “bhora musango” (kick the
ball off the field). In the
plot the Zanu PF MPs solicited for votes from
the electorate while urging
voters not to vote for Mugabe.
Mugabe
tasted his first political defeat to MDC leader in 2008 and he has
since
attributed the defeat to sabotage by his MPs, among other reasons.
In a
similar fashion, MPs are throwing spanners on the proposed elections
which
will prematurely end their terms.
This time, its “operation gara pauri
ipapo” (stay where you are), an
operation in defiance of the party’s
procedure of conducting primary
elections before the general
election.
“If Mugabe remains President, then we all should remain MPs and
no primaries
should be conducted in constituencies. If Mugabe is
unchallenged, the same
should happen to legislators,” said the MPs
recently.
The offensive will appear as a slap in the face for Mugabe yet
again as he
tries to win probably his last term in office.
Mugabe was
forced into a Sadc initiated marriage of convenience in February
2009 with
the two MDC formations, one led by Tsvangirai and the other by
Arthur
Mutambara after a disputed presidential runoff in 2008.
Tsvangirai, who
won the first round of the elections with a less margin than
the required to
take over the country’s presidency pulled out of the second
round citing
widespread violence against his supporters by state security
agents and Zanu
PF activists.
But with the election talk heightening, Zanu PF has found
itself engulfed in
a fire of factionalism. Two factions, one allegedly led
by Vice President
Joice Mujuru and the other one by defence minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa, are
reportedly battling it out to take over the mantle
from Mugabe.
“Operation Gara pauri ipapo,” is set to scuttle hopes for
new party
aspirants and fuelling the feud in the party, according to an
insider.
“The truth is we (Zanu PF) do not want elections now. It’s just
political
grandstanding,” said the MP adding that Zanu PF was uncomfortable
challenging Tsvangirai with Mugabe as the leader of the party.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
VENERANDA LANGA 11 hours 44
minutes ago
The call by war veterans for the Constitution Select
Committee (Copac) to
abandon the drafting of the new charter is another
indication Zanu PF is not
comfortable with serious reforms before elections,
analysts have said.
President Robert Mugabe is insisting on fresh polls
despite fears the new
constitution would not be ready.
The experts
drafting the new charter – Botswana High Court judge Moses
Chinhengo,
University of Zimbabwe law lecturer Brian Crozier and prominent
lawyer
Priscilla Madzonga – are expected to resume work this week after
another
disruption.
Zanu PF members in the constitution-drafting technical team,
Godwills
Masimirembwa and Jacob Mudenda, caused a storm last month after
they claimed
the drafters were not doing their work properly.
This
was followed by the leaking of the first four chapters of the draft
constitution by State-owned media.
Jabulani Sibanda, the war
veterans’ leader, last week used the leaked draft
to call for an end to the
constitution-making process claiming people’s
views had been
distorted.
Sibanda claims some of the views that had been distorted
included those on
homosexuality, property rights, war veterans, citizenship
and the death
penalty.
Zanu PF-aligned political analyst Jonathan
Kadzura claimed there were many
flaws in the draft, with one of them being
the alleged sidelining of local
languages in favour of English as the
language of record.
“I do not see why Shona should even be superior to
Kalanga or other
languages,” he said.
“Languages are equal and,
therefore, it becomes unfair for a constitution
not to protect people’s
languages.
“It means it does not protect people’s culture.”
He said
the draft constitution also sought to downplay the significance of
war
veterans.
But other analysts said Zanu PF was never interested in a new
constitution
and could be causing the disturbances to destroy prospects of a
free and
fair election.
“It is not surprising that people like
Sibanda are now saying we should go
for elections without a new constitution
because from the outset, it was
clear that Zanu PF was not interested in the
new constitution,” said
Harare-based analyst Blessing Vava.
“Zanu PF
did everything possible to frustrate the constitution-making
process using
violence, intimidation and at times tampering with the views
collected
during the outreach process.”
He said the former sole ruling party, which
led a failed constitution-making
exercise in 2000, was not comfortable with
reforms that would harm its
electoral chances.
“They know that any
reforms will lead to a free and fair election, which
they are scared of
given their well-documented history of rigging elections
and using the
flawed Lancaster House Constitution in their favour,” Vava
said.
He
said Zanu PF’s strategy would be to disrupt the constitution-making
process
until President Mugabe carries out his threats to unilaterally end
the
lifespan of the inclusive government.
Nkosilathi Emmanuel Moyo, a
Kwekwe-based analyst, said the
constitution-making process had become a
victim of electioneering
politicians.
“The challenge we face in the
constitution-making process is that
politicians are fighting for their own
survival and interests,” he said.
“It is unwise for Sibanda to advise
President Mugabe to dissolve Parliament
and call for elections without a new
constitution, especially since it is
one of the outstanding issues in the
Global Political Agreement (GPA).”
According to the GPA, a new
constitution and a raft of security as well as
electoral reforms are
necessary before a fresh poll could be held in
Zimbabwe.
Moyo said
the Zanu PF activists were not being sincere in claiming that they
were
defending the wishes of the people.
“Zanu PF should only come out clean
and say openly that the drafters are not
doing their wish and not hide by
referring to wishes of the people,” he
said.
“The party is also using
the issue of homosexuality as a campaign tool
against the
MDC-T.
“That is why they have an interest on the issue of property rights
because
they want all natural resources in Zimbabwe under their
hands.”
Gilbert Kagodora, a political analyst, said Zanu PF was only
interested in
maintaining the status quo, not defending people’s
views.
“Zanu PF would like the status quo to remain so they use the media
and
security sectors to campaign for them during elections,” he said. A
referendum on the new constitution is expected later this year before
elections are held. - NewsDay.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
by 20 hours 24 minutes ago
A power struggle between
three ZANU PF officials in Chimanimani has caused
the local parliamentary
constituency office to be shut down by the sitting
MP Samuel Undenge, even
though it is does not belong to ZANU PF.
Parliament pays for the
maintenance of constituency offices around the
country, in order for people
to bring their grievances and to keep them
informed about legislative and
development issues, as well as government
activities.
But according
to local activist Peter Chogura, the office was locked on
January 3rd. He
explained that two ZANU PF chefs, the infamous Jane Knight
and white farmer
Joshua Sacco, are gunning for MP Undenge’s seat and the
power struggle has
turned nasty.
Mai Knight is a former provincial chairperson for ZANU PF
who was suspended
over allegations that she misused funds. She was also
removed from her post
as the local district chair for
Chimanimani.
During past elections Knight allegedly directed violence
against MDC
supporters.
Sacco is a white farmer known to be a staunch
ZANU PF supporter. He was
recently promoted to the national youth
structures, allegedly a reward for
his hard work promoting violence against
MDC members. Sacco was also part of
a ZANU PF delegation that pushed the
party’s agenda at a SADC summit in
South Africa last year.
Chogura
said the current MP for Chimani East, Undenge, accused his assistant
Tendai
Mandeya of defecting to Sacco’s side and campaigning for him in the
district. Mandeya was also accused of extorting money from businesses in the
area and using the office for illegal activity.
“Undenge received
information that Mandeya was bribed by Sacco, and is now
telling people to
vote for Sacco in the next election,” Chogura said.
“But this is not a
party office or a personal office and should not be used
for their own
political infighting,” he added.
Chogura said Chimani residents are angry
and frustrated but there is nothing
they can do. They only hope the
infighting works to their advantage by
dividing votes and returning the
constituency to the MDC.
Zanu -PF has been engulfed in bitter internal
in-fighting amid reports that
party rival loyalists are attacking each other
and on two weeks ago they
bombed party's provincial offices in Gweru,
shattering window panes amid on
the back of escalating tensions threatening
the future existence of the
embattled party.
In the Bikita, the Zanu
PF District Coordinating Committee (DCC) warring
factions resulted in the
opening of two parallel party offices at Nyika
Growth Point.
Serious
in-house fighting within Zanu-PF have now trickled into the party’s
grassroots structures, particularly at District level as party loyalists
engage each other in sporadic direct deadly attacks as they fight for the
control of the party take a dramatic twist.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
10
January 2012
The state owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation
(ZMDC) has taken
over management of the diamond mining joint venture
Sino-Zimbabwe in
Chiadzwa, after the Chinese investors pulled out in May
last year.
Sino-Zimbabwe was among five companies controversially
licensed to operate
in Chiadzwa. But the company, a joint venture between
ZMDC and Chinese
investors, ran into problems when the Chinese alleged that
the concession
had no meaningful diamond resources to operate a viable
mine.
During a trip by Mugabe to the area last year, the Chinese
complained that
the diamonds “are not viable for economic mining” and that
the “diamond
quality in the area is poor.” The Chinese asked to be given
another claim
but Mugabe told them to continue mining the claim until they
had finished
what was there.
The Chinese investors eventually left
and the company was forced to lay off
its workers before it later closed
down. Operations have now resumed after
the ZMDC took full control of the
venture. ZMDC chairman Godwills
Masimirembwa says he is confident the claim
allocated to them was rich in
diamonds.
Masimirembwa claimed the
venture failed because: “They were looking strictly
for alluvial diamonds
yet the concession has conglomerates. These are
diamonds embedded in rocks
and mining them requires a lot of capital.” He
said they were in the process
of moving equipment on site in preparation for
full scale
mining.
Questions were immediately raised about the size and quality of
the diamond
deposits in the Marange area. SW Radio Africa spoke to Farai
Maguwu from the
Centre for Research and Development, which has been
documenting human rights
abuses in the Marange area.
“Not enough
exploration has been done by the Zimbabwe government that’s why
the Kimberly
Process Certification Scheme asked the government to carry out
an
aero-magnetic survey to asses the value of the deposit,” Maguwu
said.
Maguwu added that other independent assessments had put the value
of the
deposits at US$800 billion, representing almost 25 percent of
worldwide
deposits. He said after that assessment more diamond deposits had
been found
in Charleswood Estate in Chimanimani. “It is very clear what we
know is less
than what is actually there because more deposits are being
discovered,” he
said.
Asked what he made of the role of the ZMDC,
Maguwu said the parastatal had
‘structural and governance issues’ which need
to be resolved. “The
institution is manipulated by politicians and this is
why we have always had
a problem of money not being remitted to the Treasury
timeously and in terms
of the required transparency and accountability,” he
added.
Meanwhile the discovery of gold outside the city of Kwekwe and the
subsequent gold rush has resulted in the arrest of dozens of panners. Also
arrested was a policeman who was accused of loitering in the area with the
intention of gold panning. Many police sent to protect the area have decided
to join the panners.
The general lawlessness that has characterised
Zimbabwe over the last 12
years came into sharp focus after ZANU PF
officials muscled in on the
discovery and declared that only loyal party
supporters could mine there.
ZANU PF held a rally, attended by hundreds of
panners, and announced they
had taken over.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Godfrey Mtimba
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
14:39
MASVINGO - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party in
Masvingo has
accused their Zanu PF counterparts of hijacking the
distribution of food aid
by humanitarian organisations in the
province.
The MDC said Zanu PF denies their members access to food
relief in the
province which is perennially hit by droughts.
MDC
Provincial spokesperson, Harrison Mudzuri said he has received reports
from
most districts of the province that their supporters and villagers
suspected
to be MDC sympathisers were being sidelined in the distribution of
free food
aid form Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
“We have been receiving
disturbing reports from the rural parts of the
province that our supporters
are being denied food aid by Zanu PF officials
who have since high-jacked
the distribution of food aid from NGO’s at a time
when most rural folks are
facing starvation due to food insecurity,” said
Mudzuri.
The MDC
official alleges that Zanu PF is using its councillors and
traditional
leaders to sideline villagers in food lists that are used when
distributing
food in districts like Gutu, Bikita, Chiredzi, Zaka, Chivi and
Mwenezi that
were hard hit by drought after receiving low rainfall during
the last
agricultural season.
The MDC says it is planning to take up the issue
with the GPA principals.
“We are disturbed, worried and concerned that
Zanu PF is still using its old
tactics of punishing our supporters by
denying them access to food aid,”
Mudzuri said.
But Zanu PF dismissed
the allegations instead accusing MDC of receiving
preferential treatment
from the aid organisations.
“How can that happen, everybody knows that
NGO’s are foot soldiers of the
British, Americans and other western
countries that are fighting our party.
“The organisations you are talking
about are actually here to help MDC
campaign using food aid and how then can
we be accused of denying their
supporters food. It is actually them who are
distributing food to their
supporters shunning ours together with their NGO
friends,” said Zanu PF
provincial chairman, Lovemore Matuke.
http://www.radiovop.com
Charity Mukwambo, Bulawayo,
January 10 2012- The Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation (ZBC) in Bulawayo
owes several creditors, a development which
has resulted in one of the
company’s truck impounded by the messenger of
court in the city centre last
week.
Sources at the state broadcaster told Radio VOP that the company‘s
truck, a
Chinese CAM was impounded following the attachment of the company’s
vehicles
at its Montrose studio last year.
“Most of the company’s
fleet has been attached because of debts. One of the
people who is suing the
company is an employee who is owed money by the
company,” said a source at
the company who refused to be named for fear of
victimisation.
According to investigations carried out by Radio VOP
all the company
vehicles including those used by journalists to cover
stories have now been
stripped of their ZBC logos and stickers so that they
cannot be identified
by messenger of court officials.
A Radio VOP
news crew on Monday spotted a ZBC news vehicle at a function in
the city
without a logo.
“All the vehicles have been removed their logos. The
trick is to make it
impossible for the messenger of court officials to
distinguish between the
company’s vehicles and that of staff members.” said
another source.
Radio VOP failed to get a comment from Nonceba Mnkandla,
ZBC Montrose
manager.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Pindai Dube
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
12:00
BULAWAYO - There was chaos at Nkayi Growth Point in
Matabeleland North
Province last week on Wednesday when a group of heavily
armed police
officers in riot gear allegedly went on the rampage beating up
residents.
This, according to a top MDC official, was done randomly in
revenge, after
their colleague was assaulted at a birthday
party.
More than 20 people were injured and admitted at Nkayi Hospital
after the
police beatings, while some did not get treatment in time as
police were
refusing to give reports.
Former Nkayi legislator,
Abedinico Bhebhe who is also the mainstream MDC
deputy national organising
secretary confirmed the development.
“Nkayi resembled a war zone, riot
police went around beating up everybody in
sight, after one stubborn and
arrogant junior police officer was assaulted
at a birthday party. Several
people were injured and some did not get
treatment as police were refusing
to give them reports to get treatment at
hospital”
Bhebhe added:
“Nkayi police have now become law unto themselves and it’s
high time they
should be stopped.”
Last week Nkayi police defied a magistrate court
order and disrupted an MDC
rally at Komayanga Business Centre.
On
Thursday, Nkayi magistrate Nduna Masuku had given the green light to
mainstream MDC to go ahead with their provincial rally and more than 500
party supporters had gathered at the venue but police disrupted
it.
MDC Matabeleland North Provincial chairman Sengezo Tshabangu said:
“Police
came in a full truck load and started beating up party supporters
forcing
them to disperse saying they don’t take orders from the courts but
from
their commanders.”
When contacted for comment yesterday,
Matabeleland North provincial police
spokesperson Sergeant Eglon Nkala said:
“I am not at work, so I don’t know
about those cases.”
Nkayi district
is now regarded as a “hot spot” for the two MDC formations
and human rights
activists as police have blocked several meetings in recent
months.
Two weeks ago, police in the district raided the homestead of
Deputy Foreign
Affairs Minister and Robson Makula of the smaller MDC faction
after banning
the party's two rallies which were scheduled to take place in
the district.
In October, Nkayi police also disrupted Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
rally at Nesigwe Business Centre despite a High Court
order allowing the
rally to go ahead.
After the disruption of his
rally, an angry Tsvangirai said he did not need
police clearances to hold
meetings because he has the same powers as
President Robert Mugabe whose
rallies are allowed by the same security
agents without clearance.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
10/01/2012 00:00:00
by Godfrey
Marawanyika I Bloomberg
ZIMBABWE planted 247,000 hectares of maize
from November to January, down
from 379,993 hectares in same period a year
earlier as a result of late
rains, the Agricultural Extension Services
said.
The country’s farmers planted 130,944 hectares of sorghum and other
small
grains, compared with 136,131 hectares, the government organisation,
known
as Agritex, said in a crop report handed out in Harare, the
capital.
“It looks like this year is going to be a bad year, in terms of
crop
output,” Seiso Moyo, the deputy agriculture minister, said in a phone
interview from his office in Harare.
“We will inform government at
the end of this month or early next month on
what needs to be done, but
indications are that it will not be a good year.”
The United Nations said
December 9 it was seeking $268 million to help feed
as many as 1.45 million
people in the country this year.
“The humanitarian situation has improved
over the past couple of years,”
Alain Noudéhou, UN humanitarian coordinator
in Zimbabwe, said last month.
“However, challenges still exist such as
food insecurity affecting a million
people, waterborne disease outbreaks in
parts of the country and mass
deportations of thousands of Zimbabweans from
neighboring countries.”
Cotton planting also decreased from last season.
A total of 45,000 hectares
were planted, compared with 107,727 hectares last
season.
Farmers planted soybeans on 5,079 hectares compared with 13,674
hectares,
and tobacco on 39,393 hectares compared with 43,545 hectares.
http://ipsnews.net
By Busani Bafana
VICTORIA FALLS, Jan 10, 2012
(IPS) - Picking spots for cattle to graze could
reverse desertification and
even do its bit to retard climate change, new
experiments in Zimbabwe have
shown. It’s what is coming to be called the
Brown Revolution.
Planned
grazing of livestock is helping restore formally degraded lands
close to
Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls world heritage site. It is a miracle that
ecologist Allan Savory of the Savory Institute calls the brown revolution –
and at the least it could reverse the declining fortunes of agriculture in
Zimbabwe.
The U.S.-based Savory Institute and its partner
organisation, the Africa
Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM), have
regenerated land, wildlife and
water on land that was turning into a desert
after livestock numbers
increased by 400 percent on their 2,900-hectare
ranch in the Dimbangombe
area, 36 km from the town of Victoria Falls. The
land healing miracle is
thanks to a practice known as holistic
management.
Holistic management, a result of more than 50 years of
research and
development spanning four continents, has increased land
productivity and
water availability and improved livelihoods of communities
in Zimbabwe
through planned livestock grazing.
"Livestock are the one
of the best tools available to science to address
desertification on a large
scale," Savory told IPS. "If you do not address
desertification, you cannot
address climate change."
With a wide understanding of the holistic
approach and a quick response from
government, Zimbabwe can devise a land
and agriculture policy settling
millions of people on restored land and
ensuring the country's return to its
former agricultural
fortunes.
"Holistic management is more than just the holistic planned
grazing - it
involves a framework for such things as complex policy
formation," Savory
said.
"Agriculture is causing climate change as
much as or possibly more than
coal, oil and gas, and unless we address
agriculture we cannot address
climate change. We can say without any fear of
informed contradiction that
without using the holistic framework we cannot
address some of the most
significant parts of the climate change problem,"
he added.
Savory admitted that he never liked cattle. He said he used to
be a
"fanatical environmentalist" demanding that farmers get rid of cattle,
based
on his university training and prevailing beliefs. But decades later,
he
recognises that livestock are the only tool that, if managed properly,
can
change the direction of desertification, biodiversity loss and climate
change globally.
"By using livestock to mimic the vast herds that
used to roam our planet,
before humans began replacing them and their role
with fire, we are healing
the soils and allowing them once more to capture
and store vast amounts of
both water and carbon – leading to reduced
droughts and floods and beginning
to seriously address climate change," said
Savory, a former wildlife
biologist and founder of the ACHM.
Savory
blames desertification not on the proverbial scapegoat - overstocking
of
cattle, sheep and goats - but on the way they are managed. Under holistic
planned grazing, livestock are grazed in an area for a maximum of three days
and not returned to the same piece of land for at least nine
months.
In the process, they use their hooves to break up the hard ground
and
increase soil cover with dung and trampled litter, allowing for better
rainfall absorption and carbon retention in the soil. The temporary
compaction also facilitates seed to soil contact for better seed
germination.
With adequate animal numbers, holistic planned grazing
also eliminates the
need for grassland burning, because annually dying grass
parts do not turn
grey and stale, necessitating the use of fire to ensure
new growth. Fires
throughout Africa’s grasslands are contributing more to
climate change than
the use of fossil fuels in some countries.
"The
miracle of this approach is that for the first time in history we are
dealing with both the cause of the available rainfall becoming less
effective (desertification) and with our inability to deal with social,
environmental and economic complexity in normal decision-making," Savory
said.
While it is fashionable to plant trees to address
desertification and
climate change, Savory warns that trees cannot store
excess carbon from soil
destruction, fires and fossil fuels - but the
world's largely ignored vast
grassland soils can do so, safely. This is
because every season that grass
plants are grazed, they leave dead roots in
the soil, adding to soil organic
matter.
Savory points to the miracle
of holistic management in Zimbabwe on the land
within the pilot site at the
ACHM.
"Because we have greatly increased livestock properly managed to
mimic
nature, we now have waist-high grasses where we used to stand on bare
ground. We have brought the river back to life, and it is now home to water
lilies, fish and more."
As a result of the practice there has been an
improved water flow, spanning
a wider distance than before, he said. "There
is a permanent, year-round
higher amount of water than we have known to
exist in the past."
The miracle, Savory says, was achieved at negligible
cost – "where billions
of dollars spent on technological interventions and
reducing livestock have
failed repeatedly and always will."
Today
holistic management is practiced by tens of thousands of people in
many
countries and contexts. Up to 12 million hectares of land are under the
practice globally.
Savory said some people have started taking notice
finally, simply because
obvious success in the end prevails over criticism
of the idea. He said
naysayers, some of whom published countless papers and
books 'proving' that
the approach does not work, were now returning to
holistic management.
This acceptance by academics has drawn international
recognition for ACHM.
The Savory Institute has teamed with the Capital
Institute, creating a
division called Grasslands, which invests in
deteriorating land within the
U.S. to begin restoring large areas using
properly managed livestock for a
high return to investors.
The Office
of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) within the United States
Agency for
International Development (USAID) has provided 4.8 million
dollars for ACHM
and the Savory Institute to scale up education and training
programmes in
the southern Africa region.
The work of ACHM and SI has interested NGOs
and pastoralists throughout
Africa. There are ongoing successful operations
in Namibia, Botswana and
Kenya.
The Savory Institute is collaborating
with Kenyans to establish a learning
site similar to ACHM to serve the Horn
of Africa.
Researcher and livestock specialist Prof. Ntombizakhe Mpofu
told IPS that
the holistic management approach is enabling farmers to manage
their
livestock to increase productivity while healing the land. And she
explained
that through the teaching at ACHM, villagers are now increasing
crop yields
by as much as five times using livestock properly managed for
field
preparation in place of ploughing and fertilising.
Dr. Mike
Peel, a rangeland ecologist with the Agricultural Research Council
in South
Africa, is monitoring and gathering data on land under holistic
management
over a five- year period to convince academics that its results
are
verifiable and not anecdotal.
OFDA has agreed to fund the research
because of the need for additional data
to convince governments of the need
for change. The Zimbabwe government has
formed a permanent committee of the
heads of appropriate government
departments to work with ACHM to promote
holistic management in the country.
The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) 2008 publication "Africa:
Atlas of Our Changing
Environment" cited the erosion of agricultural land
and deforestation among
the most serious of Zimbabwe’s environmental
problems. Savory points out
that short-term answers lead only to decreasing
livestock, cultural genocide
for pastoral people and tree planting, while
desertification
increases.
Developed as a result of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro, the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is
a unique instrument
that has brought global attention to land degradation.
The Convention is now
working closely with the Savory Institute to see if
new thinking on land
restoration can be introduced at the Rio + 20
conference to be held in June
in Brazil.
"Our most significant
non-renewable geo-resource is fertile land and soil,"
UNCCD executive
secretary Luc Gnacadja told the UNCCD COP 10 in Changwon,
South Korea in
October 2011.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
09/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
ZAMBIA’S Tourism Minister took a bungee jump on the Victoria
Falls Bridge on
Monday in a bid to reassure tourists, days after a rope
snapped and sent a
22-year-old Australian woman plunging into the Zambezi
River.
Given Lubinda took the extraordinary step after Erin Langworthy’s
“miraculous” survival of the 111 meter plunge on New Year’s Eve became
headline news around the world.
Lubinda said after his jump that bungee
jumping remained a “viable
operation.”
“I myself will be engaging the
operator on how we can make this exciting
tourism event become totally
incident-free,” he said.
Langworthy’s ill-fated jump was organised by
Safari Par Excellence, one of
the area’s leading tour operators.
An
advert on the company’s website promoting the jumps says: “Challenge the
limits of the mind and test the edge of fear by leaping off the impressive
bridge.”
Promotional materials tout the bungee jump as having a “100%
safety record.”
On Monday, Safari Par Excellence confirmed that a full
investigation had
been launched. The rope which snapped had been sent to
South Africa for
expert analysis.
Company boss Mike Davies said the
accident was a “one-off”, adding: “There
has been over 150,000 people
jumping over the last 17 years without
incident. So we are confident in
it.”
Davies said experts had also been brought in at the site on the
Victoria
Falls Bridge on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia to look into
how
safety can be improved.
“We have replaced all the equipment, all the
ropes and the elastics in the
meantime,” he added.
Thrill-seeking
backpacker Langworthy, 22, escaped with only scrapes after a
botched bungee
jump sent her plunging 111 meters into the Zambezi River.
An amateur
video captures her leap from the bridge amid cheers of “Erin!”
Just as her
cord begins to rebound, it snaps. People on the bridge can only
watch as her
tiny form floated downriver. “Oh my God, who’s going to do
something,” said
one, just as Langworthy and her long, trailing rope enters
a set of
rapids.
Moments after hitting the water “I felt liked I had been slapped
all over,”
Langworthy told Australia’s Channel 9. Her feet still bound by
the rope,
Langworthy was forced to swim against the current and make for the
Zimbabwean side of the river.
At one point, she recounted, she needed to
dive down and free the rope after
it became caught on rocks and
debris.
Quick action by Zimbabwean police officers who raced by staircase
to the
bottom of the gorge has been credited for Langworthy’s miraculous
survival.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
China is set to donate $14 million worth
of food aid to Zimbabwe revealed
the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Xin
Shunkang.
10.01.1206:14pm
by Yeukai Moyo
The donation is part
of government strides to ease the eminent food crisis
facing country’s
populace.
According to statistics from the World Food Program (WFP)
indicated that
more than 1 million Zimbabweans are said to be in need of
food aid between
now and March 2012 following the continuous dry spell that
has been
affecting the national produce.
WFP revealed that it is
facing a $42 m funding shortfall for food aid it
planned to provide to
vulnerable households in Zimbabwe. Though the Chinese
donation will not
solve the food crisis, it will buy time for the government
to secure a
permanent solution to the hunger stricken communities.
“Already, 14
million worth of food aid has been allocated to assist your
country. In
fact, shipment is on the way to come to your country, as I
speak,” said Amb
Shunkang without distinguishing part of the consignments.
The Chinese Amb
popularly known as Chakanaka Chakanaka further revealed that
they are
working on improving the country’s rural water sanitation.
“We are going
to donate 200 boreholes to remote villages here (Zimbabwe) for
you to have
clean and safe water.
“We have already donated two schools and planning
to handover two more
schools in the next two years to your government,” he
said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese are set to hand over a hospital and
agricultural
centre soon. They have also pledged to assist Zimbabwe co-host
the 2013
International Conference of Tourism in Victoria Falls
http://www.dnaindia.com
Published: Tuesday, Jan 10,
2012, 18:48 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: IANS
India has mooted a
$100 million line of credit (LoC) for improving health
infrastructure in
Zimbabwe, saying that Indian public sector undertakings
(PSUs) would assist
in reducing the infrastructural deficit and contribute
to the African
nation's economic development.
"India would assist Zimbabwe in reducing
its infrastructural deficit. Indian
PSUs like IRCON, RITES and WAPCOS which
had earlier also executed
infrastructure projects in Zimbabwe could
participate in executing fresh
projects," said Indian Commerce Minister
Anand Sharma in a meeting with
Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti at
Harare on Monday, an official
release said in Delhi on Tuesday.
"A
team from India would be visiting Harare next week to discuss the
proposal
for LOC of $100 million for strengthening of health
infrastructure," Sharma
added.
The two ministers also agreed to speed up the execution of the
Pan-African
e-Network project.
Sharma also expressed concern over
Zimbabwe's Indigenization and Economic
Empowerment Act, as it could deter
further investments by Indian companies
in Zimbabwe and also urged on the
need for simplifying the process for issue
of business visas to Indian
businessmen.
"It was suggested that a one-year multiple entry visa could
be issued to
encourage potential Indian investors visiting Zimbabwe," the
statement said,
citing Sharma.
Sharma also said that Indo-Zimbabwe
ties would get further strengthened
through the setting up of a rural
technology park and a food testing
laboratory in Zimbabwe by
India.
This was one of the commitments made by India during the
India-Africa Forum
Summit held at Addis Ababa in May 2011.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai Karimakwenda
10
January, 2012
Zimbabwe’s leading timber producer, Border Timbers, is
reportedly struggling
to cope with ongoing invasions by groups of “settlers”
who are not only
destroying the soil but are ignoring bilateral investment
protection
agreements, intended to protect the German owners.
The
police have made no arrests and management is afraid to anger the
illegal
settlers, who are alleged to be mostly ZANU PF supporters. SW Radio
Africa
spoke to managing director Doug Dell who denied reports of recent
invasions.
“We have no idea how that got into the press. There have been no
new
invasions,” Dell insisted.
But a villager in the Chimanimani area said
there are new invaders “nearly
every week”. Speaking in Shona he said
manager Dell fears for his life and
his job, and is trying to maintain good
relations with the settlers.
The villager also described how the settlers
are planting crops, especially
maize, on very steep land in the mountainous
terrain. “Unoto rime wakamira,
wakatarisa gomo,” (you actually till the land
standing up, facing the hill.)
Environmentalists have warned how
dangerous this is because the soil washes
away when it rains since it is
loosened. Soil has been washed away in many
parts of Zimbabwe where trees
have been cut for firewood, killing any hope
of food production for future
generations. Once soil has gone, it never
comes back.
On their
website Border Timbers claim that in all their operations they are
guided by
an “Environmental Management Policy” that ensures minimal damage
to the
environment, a practice that is clearly now beyond their ability to
enforce.
Border Timbers is owned by the German von Pezold family, who
initiated two
legal cases against the Zimbabwean government back in 2010,
after gangs of
ZANU-PF invaded and occupied their land for three
weeks.
The armed gangs looted over $1 million worth of crops and the
government
only ordered them to leave after Germany threatened to withhold
aid to
Zimbabwe. The two countries signed a bilateral investment promotion
and
protection agreement (BIPPA) which is supposed to protect property owned
by
German citizens.
Last month two lodges on the Hippo Valley Estates
in the Lowveld were
illegally invaded by war vets and ZANU PF supporters
have occupied council
owned buildings in Harare and other urban
areas.
The few remaining white commercial farmers are under constant
threat and
this all characterises the ongoing lawlessness that the coalition
government
has failed to bring to an end.
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/
88
hippos, 45 buffaloes, 30 elephants and two kudos found dead in Mana
Pools
national park
Tests confirm hippos were killed by anthrax
By
Stewart Maclean
Last updated at 11:48 AM on 10th January
2012
More than 165 wild animals including 88 hippopotamuses have died
amid an
outbreak of anthrax in Zimbabwe.
The hippos were found dead
alongside 45 buffaloes, 30 elephants and two
kudos in the country's northern
Mana Pools national park.
Zimbabwean Parks and Wildlife Management
Authority spokeswoman Caroline
Washaya-Moyo told the state-owned Herald
newspaper that tests had proved the
hippos were killed by
anthrax.
She added that the cause of death for the other animals had not
yet been
confirmed but said early signs suggested they had also fallen
victim to the
infectious disease.
Ms Washaya-Moyo said she feared the
outbreak could spread to other wildlife
in the protected reserve, which lies
around the lower Zambezi River.
She said: 'Our office has confirmed the
anthrax outbreak following the death
of the animals in Mana
Pools.
'The Authority engaged the vet offices who later collected samples
from
hippos for lab testing.
'The lab test confirmed that 88
hippopotamus died of anthrax.'
Officials are today conducting further
tests on the affected animals, which
are all believed to have died in the
last few weeks.
Government veterinary officer Chris Foggin said a team of
specialists had
visited the area and were burning the carcasses of the dead
animals in an
attempt to prevent the infection from spreading.
He
told the Herald: 'A number of animals have died, but we have visited the
area and we sealed it off and we are burning the carcasses to prevent any
further spread, an action well considered now that the lab reports confirmed
anthrax as the culprit.'
Mana Pools is one of Zimbabwe's most famous
national parks.
The World Heritage site is a wetlands conservation area
formed around four
natural lake pools along the Zambezi.
It is home
to the country's largest concentration of hippos as well as other
wildlife
including lions, buffalo and leopards.
Visitors to the area can stay in
unfenced luxury accommodation or campsites,
allowing them the opportunity to
spot game from close up.
Anthrax is a highly infectious disease that
affects mainly hoofed animals
and cattle.
It is picked up by mammals
which come into contact with bacteria formed into
spores, which sometimes
lay dormant for decades before becoming active.
Although the disease is
not generally passed directly from one animal to
another, a creature can
pick up the spores if it comes into contact with the
corpse of another which
has been killed by the infection.
The condition's highly infectious state
has resulted in anthrax being used
as a biological weapon against humans,
who are also vulnerable to illness or
death if infected.
The crisis
in Zimbabwe is the second reported anthrax outbreak among African
game
animals in recent years.
In July 2010, the government of Uganda confirmed
82 hippos were among at
least 90 animals which had been killed by the
disease.
Officials there said the affected creatures came into contact
with anthrax
spores after drinking water from an infected river in the
country's Queen
Elizabeth National Park.
www.kubatana.net
There have been an increasing number of Rabies infection in the
stray dog
population in Harare – more than 10 cases from most areas of
Harare –
Greystone Park, Mandara, Chisipite, Highlands, Greendale,
Umwinsidale,
Borrowdale, Pomona,Alex Park and Haig Park. These have mainly
been rabid
dogs, but also horses, a zebra, squirrel, bat and a
duiker.
Rabies is an acute viral encephalitis, characterized by altered
behaviour,
aggressiveness, progressive paralysis and death. It occurs in all
animals,
including horses, wildlife and of course in humans. It is spread by
a bite
from (or even contact with saliva from) an infected animal. Once
clinical
signs develop, there is no cure.
However, animals and people
can be protected from infection by vaccination.
People do not need regular
vaccinations if their animals are vaccinated;
however if they come into
contact with an infected or rabid animal,
vaccinations are essential as soon
as possible.
In Zimbabwe, all dogs by law must be vaccinated against
Rabies, starting at
three months of age, then one year and thereafter every
three years. Cats
are vaccinated every year. The veterinary profession
encourages the public
to act responsibly, making sure your pets are
adequately vaccinated so that
you, your family and neighbours are not at
risk.
Stray dogs are often picked up by members of the public and taken
into SPCA
or local veterinary clinics. These people are at risk of getting
infected if
the stray is sick with Rabies so extreme caution is needed. If a
dog is seen
behaving strangely, it is better to call SPCA (04-576357;
04-581347; 0712
211 900) or VAWZ (0774 168 218) to collect it than
intervene. Once a
diagnosis of Rabies is made by the Government Veterinary
Department,
everyone who has been in contact with that dog is contacted so
that they can
go for a course of rabies vaccinations.
Zimbabwe
Veterinary Association
http://www.guardian.co.uk
Finance minister introduces law after
discovering that poverty has driven
people to buy secondhand underwear at
flea markets
David Smith in Johannesburg
guardian.co.uk, Monday 9 January 2012 16.51 GMT
What man would buy
his wife secondhand underwear? The question, attributed
to a government
minister, has reportedly led to a ban on the import or sale
of used knickers
in Zimbabwe, a country that has suffered indignities
enough.
The
importation of "articles of second-hand undergarments of any type, form
or
description, whether purchased, donated or procured in any other manner",
is
now forbidden, according to statutory instrument 150 of 2011.
This is one
lost freedom not being blamed on President Robert Mugabe.
Instead, the
measure is apparently the brainchild of finance minister Tendai
Biti of the
rival Movement for Democratic Change. Biti was shocked to
discover many
Zimbabweans bought used underwear from flea markets or stalls.
"I am told
we are now even importing women's underwear in this country," he
was quoted
saying recently. "How does that happen? If you are a husband and
you see
your wife buying underwear from the flea market, you would have
failed."
The minister added: "If I was your in-law, I would take my
daughter and urge
you to first put your house in order if you still want her
back."
Zimbabwe has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world,
estimated
at more than 90%. Poverty has driven many to buy secondhand
underwear from
markets which are supplied with used stock or donations from
the west.
The ban was introduced in a government shakeup which became
effective on 30
December, NewsDay said. It has reportedly triggered protests
from traders
who say it will push them out of business.
But there are
hopes the change will help protect Zimbabwe's struggling
domestic textiles
industry. Local media also suggested that it would improve
public hygiene
and self-esteem.
In an editorial, NewsDay argued: "One of the best laws
that our country has
put in place in recent years is the total ban on the
importation of
secondhand underwear.
"Wearing used underwear is most
dehumanising and no government worth its
salt should allow its citizens to
be abused to this extent. It is a fact
that our flea markets receive bales
of clothing, some of which is
exclusively used underwear, some of which is
soiled. What nation have we
become that knowingly subjects its people to
humiliation and disease? It is
inconceivable for a country to open its
borders for the importation of used
underwear – to allow our women to wear
undergarments that other women in
other countries have used and
discarded."
Under the new legislation the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority will
charge 40%
duty and 15% VAT on all underwear imports and apply a US$3 levy
on every
kilogram of underwear entering the country.
Zimbabwe is not
the first African country to enforce legislation to outlaw
the sale of used
underwear. Ghana's government officially banned the
practice in 1994 but
started enforcing the law last year following concerns
about a health
hazard.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff Writer
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
13:43
HARARE - Munyaradzi Gwisai’s trial was yesterday postponed due
to magistrate
Kudakwashe Jarabini’s absence.
Gwisai, 43, is
jointly charged with Antonater Choto, 36, Tatenda
Mombeyarara, 29, Edson
Chakuma, 38, Hopewell Gumbo, 32 and Welcome Zimuto,
25.
The six were
initially facing treason charges before the state later settled
for a lesser
charge of conniving to incite public violence.
The case will proceed on
Monday next week.
Prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba alleges the group used
Egyptian and Tunisian
revolution video footages showing how leaders in the
two countries were
removed from power, to mobilise the people to revolt
against the government.
Prosecutor Nyazamba alleges the six convened a
meeting at Zimbabwe Labour
Centre in Harare, where they connived to disturb
peace in the country on
February 19 last year.
One witness, Rinos
Chari has so far testified in the case while Jonathan
Shoko the second
witness is still being cross-examined by the activists’
lawyer Alec
Muchadehama.
The trial of the six began on September 14, last year after
being postponed
on numerous occasions for various reasons.
Chari told
the court that he was severely assaulted by police as an
accomplice before
he was turned into a witness, while Shoko who claims to be
an undercover
police officer told the court he was part of a meeting leading
to the
activists’ arrest.
Muchadehama has since unmasked Shoko as Central
Intelligence Officer (CIO)
operative who has disguised his real identity in
court.
Muchadehama told the court that Shoko’s real name is Rodwell
Chitiyo.
He told the court that Shoko is known with 13 different names
and that he is
a member of the CIO.
On November 7, during cross
examination, Muchadehama produced photographs
showing Shoko’s resemblance
since the time he was in High School at St Faith’s
Mission in Rusape and an
extraction of his Facebook picture.
Shoko denied attending St Faith’s
Mission and knowledge of the person who
was on the pictures.
Despite
his identity denials, Muchadehama did not stop with his battle to
prove
Shoko was not the witness’ name and that he was not a police officer
but
instead a CIO “operative”.
He went on to produce copies of Chitiyo’s
identity card, passport and birth
certificate.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Business Writer/Reuters
Tuesday, 10
January 2012 10:12
HARARE - Investments owned by the Libyan
government in Zimbabwe might be
under threat from a planned review by the
National Transitional Council
(NTC).
Zimbabwe currently has strained
relations with the NTC following the
deportation of Libyan envoy Taher
Elmagrahi after his defection to the
council.
Mustafa Abdul Jalil,
chairman of the NTC, speaking to international media
said his government
evaluated assets held by the country around the world.
“There are some
countries where investment will increase and others where
projects will
stop. We have a general view to review all investments in the
Arab world,
the African continent and elsewhere,” Mustafa Abdul Jalil said.
“There
are investments that are worthy of developing and there may be
investments
that would be better for the Libyan people for them to be
closed,” he
said.
Investments likely to be affected include a 14 percent stake in a
listed
financial services group and hospitality group Rainbow Tourism Group
(RTG)
among others.
Some of Libya’s major investments in Africa are
managed by the $65-billion
Libyan Investment Authority (Lia) through a $5
billion fund known as Libyan
African Investment Portfolio (Lap).
The
African fund investments includes Lap Green Network, a telecom company
operating in six African countries, which officials said made losses due to
UN sanctions.
The Lia has conducted a sweeping probe of its
investments over the past few
months and made recommendations to the new
Libyan government.
Under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya invested its oil wealth
mostly in Europe but it
also made major investments in Africa, the Middle
East, North Africa and the
United States.
Its acting chief executive
told Reuters in November the cash-heavy fund
would be used to finance
reconstruction efforts, but gave no indication
about whether its strategic
holdings in Africa and Europe would be sold.
Among Lia’s assets are
stakes in Italian bank Unicredit, British publisher
Pearson and Juventus
Football Club in Italy.
Much of the Libya’s foreign assets are in cash,
bonds and equities.
Its former Central Bank governor said in August the
country’s foreign
currency reserves were about $168 billion.
The UN
Security Council’s lifted sanctions on the Libyan Central
Bank last month
and a subsidiary giving the country’s new rulers immediate
access to cash
needed for salaries, payment for former rebels and
reconstruction efforts.
http://www.voanews.com
09 January
2012
Gordon Chavhunduka, president of the Zimbabwe Traditional
Healers
Association, commented that the erosion of the rule of law in the
country
has brought a rise in such cases
Obert Pepukai |
Washington
Hundreds of residents of Mucheke high density suburb of
Masvingo, Zimbabwe,
took to the streets on Monday to protest what they
charge is inaction by
police in the face of several disappearances of
children that they fear are
connected to ritual murders.
Police said
that although children have gone missing they have found no
bodies or body
parts to warrant the "ritual murder" fears expressed by local
residents.
But residents are afraid the police are either being
bribed not to
investigate or fear the criminal underworld they allege has
seized the
children for ritual purposes.
Locally a female child who
disappeared from a Mucheke home on Christmas Day
was found a few days later
not far from the home, apparently scalded to
death.
In Harare a
missing child's remains were found months after he was murdered,
shocking
many who had been involved in a fruitless search for him.
"We are tired
of the police inaction," said one resident who asked not to be
named. "We
want the police to protect us and the children on our streets,
period."
Traditional Chief Richman Rangwani of Mhondoro-Ngezi said
full
investigations are required to address such suspicions, avoiding
unnecessary
panic
Gordon Chavhunduka, president of the Zimbabwe
Traditional Healers
Association, commented that the erosion of the rule of
law in Zimbabwe has
brought a rise in such cases around the country, and
that only democracy can
provide a solution.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
By Fortune Tazvida 5 hours 42
minutes ago
Former Information Minister and Zanu PF ‘strategist’
Jonathan Moyo has been
accused of planting a false story in the state owned
media that claimed
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had bribed editors from
three independent
newspapers not to write stories about his supposed
marriage to Locadia
Karimatsenga Tembo.
Last Wednesday evening the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) claimed
the PM bribed editors from
the Daily News, NewsDay and Zimbabwe Independent
to write positive stories
on his political and personal life. This would be
done by “turning a blind
eye on his transgressions while magnifying those of
his
critics.”
Daily News editor Stanley Gama responded with a stinging
article that blamed
Moyo for the article. “It is a shame that a few
individuals at The Herald
allow themselves to be used by some uncouth
politician and gay gangster
masquerading as a political strategist for Zanu
PF,” Gama wrote in clear
reference to Moyo.
“I know the story was
manufactured by this gangster politician, whose
mission is nothing except to
get rid of President Robert Mugabe. He has
tried it many times and later
became desperate and even engaged Americans to
help him but so far he has
failed all because he is a fool,” Gama added.
Moyo has often faced
accusations he is gay. The MDC-T legislator for
Chimanimani West, Lynnette
Karenyi, spent the entire Christmas period in
remand prison after she was
arrested by police in Mutare for allegedly
branding President Robert Mugabe
‘a gay who sleeps around with Jonathan
Moyo.’
Moyo was also sucked
into a huge scandal involving the former Director
General of the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Alum Mpofu. Moyo
recruited Mpofu into the
position but the ZBC boss left in a huff after it
was alleged he was having
an affair with Moyo. Moyo’s affair with Mpofu
allegedly started in 1999 when
Moyo was at the University of Witwatersrand
in South Africa.
Several
male journalists who worked for the state media during Moyo’s reign
also
alleged that they had to resist his sexual advances. Worse still Moyo
crafted and pushed through the notorious Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) which was used to shut down several
independent newspapers.
A 2004 incident in South Africa also exposed
Moyo as a wife beater. Police
were called to his hotel in Johannesburg,
after his wife bolted from their
room crying and frantically waving to hotel
staff to call in the cops.
Nehanda Radio.com
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
10/01/2012 00:00:00
by Godwills Masimiremwa and
Jacob Mudenda
DOUGLAS Mwonzora (MDC-T) claimed last week that legal
opinion on the drafts
of the first four chapters of the new constitution –
prepared for Zanu PF’s
Paul Mangwana – was leaked by these
writers.
Mwonzora, the MDC-T’s co-chair of the Constitutional
Parliamentary Committee
(COPAC), made these serious, malicious and unfounded
allegations on New
Zimbabwe.com and in the Financial Gazette of January
5.
We have no appetite to get into a dogfight with Mwonzora regarding his
unfounded allegations against us. However, suffice to say that we did not
leak any material to the press and we challenge him to produce evidence to
support his claims.
The two above-mentioned publications are our
evidence that Mwonzora has
leaked COPAC issues to the press without the
consent of his fellow
co-chairpersons. We will not, once again, get into
hair splitting arguments
on how COPAC’s internal procedures must function
but we would want to get
into the main issues which are of public
interests.
Debate must focus on the content of the drafts of the first
four chapters of
the new constitution as published by COPAC, the drafters’
notes and our
legal opinion. For completeness of this debate, and in
fairness to readers,
and to enable informed discussion, we avail the four
chapters so far drafted
and our critique as fully displayed on this link:
http://talkzimbabwe.com/?p=2337.
Mwonzora's
reply read on its own without juxtaposing it against the four
chapters so
far drafted and our critique makes no sense. In fact, Mwonzora
avoided
commenting on the real and substantive issues of the Constitution
that we
raised.
His comments on constitutional issues are restricted to our
comment on
minorities. He says nothing about the drafters providing for gay
and lesbian
rights, abolishing the death penalty, expanding the definition
of
citizenship by birth to include citizenship by descent, and then allowing
dual citizenship for Zimbabweans who acquire citizenship by birth. Clearly,
this provision on citizenship is meant to allow descendants of our former
colonisers who are not citizens of Zimbabwe but of other countries to also
automatically assume the citizenship of our country.
Mwonzora does
not say anything about the drafters making only English, Shona
and Ndebele
the only official languages, with English only being the
language of record,
relegating other languages' recognition to the pleasure
of
Parliament.
He says nothing about the drafters only according war
veterans respect, but
not providing for their welfare and affirmative action
to improve their
economic situation after having suffered deprivation during
the years they
sacrificed their lives for the liberation of our
country.
It is clear from Mwonzora's reply that the drafters were not
given the
National Report which he chooses to call the National Statistical
Report.
The documents that were availed to the drafters, according to
Mwonzora, are
the Agreed Constitutional Issues and the Constitutional
Framework. The
Agreed Constitutional issues and the Framework can hardly
constitute
instructions to the drafters. These are bare bones without the
flesh.
Mwonzora wants to avoid the issue of frequency because he does not
want the
constitution to be based on the preponderant views of the people.
He wants
to use the bare bones to then fill in the flesh using his own
values rather
than the values of the people. Thus, if Mwonzora is correct
about the
documents availed to the drafters, it is not surprising that the
four
chapters are not premised on the values of the Zimbabwean
masses.
It would be interesting to know from Mwonzora, is it COPAC which
instructed
the drafters to abolish the death penalty; to provide for
homosexuality; to
provide only for English, Shona and Ndebele as the
official languages, with
English being the only language of record? Is it
COPAC which instructed the
drafters to expand the meaning of citizenship by
birth to include
citizenship by descent and thereafter allow dual
citizenship for the now
combined two categories of citizens? Is it COPAC
which instructed the
drafters to provide just for respect for war veterans
and avoid providing
for their welfare and affirmative action in their
favour?
Some questions which were posed to Zimbabweans during outreach
required
direct scoring. For example, people were asked whether they wanted
dual
citizenship or not. Surely, the preponderant answer is the one that
must be
contained in the constitution, and in this case the people rejected
dual
citizenship.
Some questions required qualitative answers so that
even if a certain
question got a low frequency, its relevance and importance
in the
constitution would require that it be included in the constitution.
This
would achieve the inclusivity as contemplated by article VI of the
Global
Political Agreement which is an appendix to Amendment No. 19 to the
Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Critically, what one discerns from
Mwonzora's reply is that he does not want
the people of Zimbabwe's values to
be the imperative in the drafting
process. He wants the bare bones and then
to import the values from
elsewhere. This is contrary to the provisions of
article VI of the Global
Political Agreement which enjoins "the Zimbabwean
people to make a
constitution by themselves and for themselves".
On
the issue of the National Report which records the views of the people of
Zimbabwe, the simple and honorable thing for COPAC to do is to publish it
before drafting commences.
COPAC has been advertising in the media
that it heard the people of Zimbabwe
and is now drafting the constitution
using what they said. Instead of
spending money telling the people what it
heard, why does it not just
publish the report so that the people can see
for themselves that indeed
COPAC heard them? This is the transparency that
Mwonzora is strenuously
fighting against for the obvious reason that it will
expose the four
chapters so far drafted as not being based on the views of
the people.
If the National Report is not yet ready, how is COPAC able to
instruct the
drafters? Surely, the drafting instructions should be on the
basis of a
completed report on the views of the people proffered on the
different
thematic topics.
But what we do know is that the National
Report is ready and we as members
of the Technical Team have made reference
to it during the course of our
work. Indeed, our terms of reference enjoined
us to use the National Report.
Those in the Zanu PF Technical Committee have
insisted and shall continue to
insist that frequencies are critical in
determining the values that the
people of Zimbabwe want recorded, promoted
and protected by the
constitution. Failure to use them essentially means the
drafters will be
left to draft the constitution underpinned by their own
value systems which
may not coincide with those of Zimbabweans as is clear
from a reading of the
four chapters they have so far drafted.
Godwills
Masimirembwa and Jacob Mudenda are members of the Zanu PF technical team.
The writers can be contacted on e-mail: godwills@zils.co.zw
