The ZIMBABWE Situation Our thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe
- may peace, truth and justice prevail.
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      Hunger gnaws as villagers wait for maize that never comes

      1/15/2003 1:10:38 PM (GMT +2)


      By Ntungamili Nkomo and Precious Shumba

      NO words can best describe the debilitating effects of food shortages
and the hopelessness that have hit rural Zimbabwe than those of Josphat
Madzamba, a leader of a pentecostal church in rural Headlands. Church halls
are either empty or congregations have shrunk.


      "There is nothing now for the people. When I pay my home visits to
members of my congregation and other members of the community, they confess
to still being Christians. But they make it clear that they can no longer
attend church services due to hunger. There is nothing I can do," he says.
Madzamba, 52, says the food shortages have become so acute that it was now
difficult to try to spread the Word of God.

      Villagers in the Chiendambuya area in rural Headlands are going
without sadza and are surviving on vegetables, due to the critical shortages
of maize. The villagers say they are uncertain about their future as their
children now have to do with the little food available, which threatens them
with malnutrition.
      The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that nearly six million
Zimbabweans are in need of food assistance until March this year.

      Luis Clemens, WFP spokesperson says 630 metric tonnes of maize have so
far been distributed to 50 000 people in nine wards in Makoni North since
early January.
      The remaining 60 000 villagers in another nine wards are expected to
receive food relief by the end of this month. Madzamba says several
villagers he has visited narrate harrowing hunger-related ordeals which vary
in nature and magnitude, depending on the size of their families. "We see
and read a lot of media reports claiming there is plenty of food in the
country," he said.
      "There are severe food shortages here which have the potential to kill
vulnerable members of the community."

      He said during previous food shortages caused by drought, maize was
available to members of the community in a transparent and impartial manner.
That changed when allocation and distribution was reposed in the hands of
the National Youth Service members and the army. The green-uniformed
national youth training service graduands who have become a law unto
themselves determine who should receive the food largess or buy the grain
from the marketing depots.

      Madzamba says people spent several days and nights camped at the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) depot at Chiendambuya business centre but
ill-treatment by the youths forced a large number to return home
empty-handed. The villagers last received food aid from the GMB at the end
of November, before stocks reportedly ran out. Zimbabwe's food distribution
exercise has been tainted by greed and corruption among government officials
and overzealous Zanu PF party functionaries, leading to near-riots in
Bulawayo and Chitungwiza recently.
      Julius Kamwendo, 41, a villager, said the food distribution exercise
by the State was heavily weighed against those suspected of supporting the
MDC. It favoured known supporters of Zanu PF.

      Kamwendo said he had failed to secure maize despite his ill-health and
constant pleas to the youths and GMB officials. "I had not eaten sadza since
mid-November until 5 December when the WFP came to our rescue," he said. "My
wife had to fend for the family, doing part-time jobs in exchange for
maize-meal. She continues to do various chores but it's draining her energy.
We hope the WFP assistance will continue until we are able to feed
ourselves." Didymus Mutasa, the MP for Makoni North, under which
Chiendambuya falls, said he could not comment on the hunger facing the
villagers.

      He declined to give reasons. Villagers most seriously affected are in
drought-prone Mayo, Nyagadzi, Tanda and Chikore areas. Godwin Manyara, 38,
of Sherenje village, said the food crisis looked far from being over as
their maize crop was wilting due to a prolonged dry weather. Across the
country in southwestern Zimbabwe the food situation has deteriorated rapidly
in most parts of Bulilima District following a setback in distribution by
World Vision. The organisation which distributes food aid in the Beitbridge
area was forced to suspend operations in late October after running out of
supplies.

      Moses Mzila, the MP for Bulilimamangwe, says villagers have resorted
to eating wild roots which they survived on before the introduction of food
aid in the area a few months ago. "A crisis of unimaginable proportions is
unfolding in that area, and if steps to arrest the situation are not taken
immediately, lives could be lost," he said. He implored the international
community to rescue the villagers from the clutches of hunger which he said
had reached frightening levels.

      "The situation is very desperate, and I am appealing to the
international community to consider people's lives and ignore the current
political and diplomatic row, and deal with this humanitarian crisis," he
said. Zimbabwe is embroiled in a diplomatic row with the Western countries,
particularly the EU, Britain and the US over its abuse of human rights and
lack of good governance.
      Mzila said the Plumtree area was among the worst hit by food shortages
in the country, accusing the government of neglecting the area.

      He said the government should complement efforts by the NGOs to assist
people with food. World Vision last week said food distribution would resume
"very soon" as the humanitarian organisation had replenished supplies.
Vongai Makamure, the World Vision information officer, said distribution had
resumed, although Mzila said he was in the area this week, and no food had
been distributed. He said: "What the World Vision did was to add more names
on their list of beneficiaries, but up to date no food has been distributed,
and the level of expectation is very high as everyone is waiting for the
food."

      Mzila said he visited a number of health centres and established that
there was also a critical shortage of drugs, and that the incidence of
malnutrition was very high. "The government should supply hospitals with
anti-retroviral drugs because Aids is taking its toll," he said. Nurses at
Ndiweni and Tshitshi clinics confirmed the rising rate of malnutrition and
related diseases, but would not give statistics, referring all requests for
data to the district medical officer at Plumtree District hospital.

      "Yes, it's true the situation is extremely pathetic, but I would
rather have you speak to the district medical officer at Plumtree," said a
Ndiweni clinic official. A Tshitshi clinic employee who identified himself
only by his surname, Ndlovu, said the hunger situation was a "serious
 crisis", and that there were malnourished patients in the clinic. At
Madlambudzi, the head of the clinic, a Mr Ngwenya, said his latest records
reflected a nine percent increase of malnutrition.
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Daily News

      Zanu PF must discuss exit plan for Mugabe

      1/15/2003 1:25:26 PM (GMT +2)



      BY 2006, President Mugabe will be 82 years. He will then have been in
charge of this country for 26 years.

      This will not be a spectacular record by international standards -
Fidel Castro will have been in charge of Cuba for 44 years.

      Whether Cuba will by then have progressed into a democracy is another
matter.
      The chances are that the island state may still be one of few
countries in the world to remain communist, along with North Korea and
China.

      To expect Castro to transform his country into a full-fledged
democracy by 2006 would be to expect a near-miracle, unless another
revolution occurs, with the same impact as Castro's march from the Sierra
Maestra mountains in 1959.

      As for Zimbabwe under Mugabe in 2006, there is no telling what it will
be: an economically vibrant, full-fledged democracy under a political party
more comfortable with totalitarian rule than with democracy?

      Or a country with an economy finally mortgaged hand and foot to Libya?
Or perhaps a country with a thriving economy because the government finally
swallowed its pride and engaged the international community in political and
economic dialogue? These are all questions Zimbabweans are entitled to
debate wherever they are. It is their inalienable right to discuss the
future of their country under the leadership of a man who will be 82 years
old by 2006, but has, as of the beginning of 2003, plunged the country into
near-penury.

      If Mugabe's record had been one of having dragged the country out of
poverty, given the people three full meals a day, brought them a health
delivery system which could mitigate the ravages of HIV/Aids and stabilised
the life expectancy, people would not need to debate his future.

      Indeed, people would not urge Zanu PF, the party he has led since
1975, to work out an exit plan for him before 2006.Zanu PF may find it
unpleasant, as the two party chiefs said on Monday in response to a rehash
of the "exit package" story in a Sunday paper, for people to speculate on
this subject.

      But it is one the party would be urged to debate seriously if it is to
regain the credibility and popularity it has lost over the years.

      There are Zanu PF politicians who will not come out and say it in the
open, because it would be politically incorrect to do so, but they, along
with ordinary citizens reeling from the food shortages created largely by
Mugabe's politics, are secretly convinced he ought to step down - certainly
before 2006.

      Zanu PF itself is no longer the party of the 1980s, when it did not
have to bash people's heads to force them to vote for it. Certainly, by the
parliamentary election of 2000, the party had been reduced to using terror
to win votes.

      Clearly, such political methods can only lead to polarisation and more
violence from the opposition.

      There would be nothing shameful in Zanu PF admitting that, at some
level and at some point, an exit plan was discussed for Mugabe. The man is
mortal and has not enjoyed the best health recently. Zanu PF ought to see
things beyond its own political survival, although this would be asking too
much for a party which has been in power for so long.

      But strictly on the basis of the country's economic and political
future, the party must accept that it has run out of ideas and steam.

      In its earlier days, it would not have lost 57 seats to a
nine-month-old opposition party.

      That was a signal that Zanu PF was now a party of the past, led by a
man happiest when he is remembering the past.

      By 2006, at 82 years of age, he will be even more comfortable with his
memories of the past.

      By then, he should not be at the helm of a young country with a young
population
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MUGABE DENIES PLAN TO RETIRE EARLY, LEAVE ZIMBABWE

Geoff Hill
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

-----------------------------------------------------------

  JOHANNESBURG — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe sought yesterday to end talk that he was considering early retirement, telling a skeptical nation that it would be "foolhardy" for him to step down just months after a fiercely contested election.
But talk of a secret deal reverberated in his capital, Harare, where opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told news organizations during the weekend that he had been approached by the president's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party about participating in a post-Mugabe government.
Speaking in Zambia, where he attended a ceremony to honor former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, Mr. Mugabe said, "It would be absolutely counterrevolutionary and foolhardy for me to step down" at this time.
He insisted that exile was not an option, saying, "I fought for Zimbabwe, and when I die I will be buried in Zimbabwe, nowhere else."
The remarks failed to quiet the speculation in Harare, where political scientist Brian Raftopoulos of Harare University described the reports of a deal as "a glimmer of hope."
"My own view is the offer could not have been made without Mugabe's knowledge, and it is the beginning of a process," he told the Associated Press.
If Mr. Mugabe holds on to the presidency, some of his critics say, it may be too dangerous for him to stay in Zimbabwe because of the large number of people who have been mistreated under his 23-year rule.
It is more likely, they say, that Mr. Mugabe would take his estimated fortune of up to $100 million and seek a comfortable exile in Malaysia — where much of his money is said to be deposited — or some other sympathetic country such as Libya, Cuba or North Korea.
The president's security concerns are illustrated by the nearly mile-long motorcade that accompanies him when he travels several times a year to his hometown of Zvimba, about 50 miles northeast of Harare.
Armed motorcyclists lead the way, and troop-carrying vehicles flank the president's customized Mercedes Benz S600 Pullman, armor-plated by the German company Cloer International to the highest specifications.
The vehicle arrived in Zimbabwe in April along with armored trucks for the motorcade plus a Mercedes for each of Mr. Mugabe's two vice presidents, all at a total price of more than $4 million.
"It's not just Zvimba; he can't stay in Zimbabwe," said Patricia Katsande, a mother of three who in September had to flee the town of Karoi, 100 miles north of Harare.
Mr. Mugabe's militia beat her and broke her 9-year-old son's leg because she and her family had not attended a meeting of the ZANU-PF two miles from their home.
Such violence had intensified since Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change emerged in 2000 as a serious challenger to the president's rule.
"My story is one of thousands, hundreds of thousands," Mrs. Katsande said at the family's new home, a single room in one of the black commuter suburbs near Johannesburg.
"I am a widow, and they beat me and hit my son with an iron bar when he tried to protect me. And all for the crime of not attending a meeting. I will never forgive them for that, not Mr. Mugabe, not one of his thugs. They must be tried when Mr. Mugabe loses power, or the people will kill them."
Not everyone believes Mr. Mugabe would be at risk in his hometown.
"People talk, but no one would take any action against the old man," said James Chikerema, 77, a pioneer of Zimbabwe's independence struggle who now believes Mr. Mugabe has lost the confidence of the people.
"If he wanted to retire, he could go to Zvimba or even stay in town and mingle with people while he does his shopping," he said by telephone from Harare. "He could live like any other person."
Mr. Mugabe does not live like the average Zimbabwean. While the people line up for gas, bread and cooking oil, he and his wife, known as Comrade Grace, 38, have their groceries flown in from London.
The London Financial Times estimated in February that Mr. Mugabe could own foreign assets, including cash and property, worth as much as $100 million, some of which came from mineral concessions in Congo.
The United States, Canada, Britain, the European Union and Australia have acted to freeze any assets Mr. Mugabe and his ministers may own in those countries. While some senior members of ZANU-PF have had their accounts blocked, Mr. Mugabe is said to keep his money in Malaysia.
Mr. Mugabe is a regular visitor to South Africa, but Jay Jay Sibanda, who heads a lobby group of black Zimbabwean exiles, said it would be difficult for him to settle here.
"Have you ever noticed that Mr. Mugabe and his ministers don't advertise their trips to South Africa?" he asked. "That is because they fear their own people who now live here."
Mr. Sibanda said his group would not condone vigilante action against Mr. Mugabe or his ministers.
Still, he said, "People are hurting. Many have been forced to flee Zimbabwe under traumatic circumstances. A lot have been tortured and, in truth, I think it would be hard for anyone to guarantee Mr. Mugabe's safety in South Africa.
"If a future government supplied him with armed protection, he might be safer in Zvimba."

-----------------------------------------------------------
The Washington Times
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Urgent Alert

Published by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
15th January 2003

Concern for Welfare of Sikhala and Shumba

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is concerned about the welfare of St Mary’s MP Job Sikhala and NGO Human Rights Forum research lawyer Gabriel Shumba.

Police went to the home of Job Sikhala early on Tuesday morning, and arrested four of his family members on spurious allegations. The four were released yesterday on bail.

When the police came to his home, Sikhala reportedly left the scene, as he is aware from personal experience of the tendency of police to act brutally towards detainees.

Gabriel Shumba had gone to St Mary’s constituency yesterday to visit Sikhala and offer him counsel. After the two met, both Sikhala and Shumba were subsequently arrested and detained at St Mary’s Police Station. Shumba phoned a work colleague at midnight on Wednesday morning confirming that he and Sikhala were being held at St Mary’s. Shumba also reported that the police had confiscated his files and indicated that they were likely to be moved from St Mary’s Police Station.

The two were subsequently moved to Mbare. Shumba is being held at Matapi Police Station, while Sikhala is at Mbare Police Station. As of 11:30 this morning, no charges have been filed against either of the two. Police report that they do not have the transport to take the two to Harare Law and Order Section.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is deeply concerned for the welfare of these two individuals and urges the police to release them immediately.

Members of the public are urged to phone:

Mbare Police Station on 706401/5 and
Matapi Police Station on 706881/2

to express their concern for the welfare of these two individuals and to demand that they be released.

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JAG Open Letter Forum No. 16 - 15th January 2003

---------------------------------------------------------------

There are two letters today - the first is a missing persons report, which
is obviously quite urgent. If you desire photographs of the missing
persons, please contact us, and we can forward them to you electronically.
The second letter details the judgement of the court case against Mugabe
in New York - some positive information that shows at least some people
are on the side of justice out there.

Letter 1: Dave and Jen Riley
KENNETH AND HILARY ALLANSON MISSING

KEN; 1,8 m, gray hair, blue eyes, approx.; 70kgs, age; 60 & enjoys Fishing &
Golf.
HILARY: 1,5m, past shoulder length brown hair, hazel eyes, and approx.;
45kgs, age; 54
(pictures available on request)

Ken & Hilary have been missing since approx. 8,00pm Wednesday 8th January
2003 and were last seen leaving their home in Marlborough, Harare, Zimbabwe
by motor vehicle believed to have been accompanied by 2 other people.
(Descriptions not available).

Anyone with any information are asked to please contact;
Dave +263 11608677
            +263 4 481562
            email; dave_jen@zol.co.zw
Colin +263 4 494530
(All information will be treated in confidence).

Please pass this message on for the sake of the Family.
God Bless and thank you.
The Family.

***********************************************

LETTER 2: HAMISH HUME


US District Court Judge Marrero has released a final judgment in the human
rights lawsuit against ZANU-PF. It adopts almost the entirety of the
recommended damage award submitted by Magistrate Judge Francis, and imposes
a final judgment against ZANU of $71,250,453 -- consisting of compensatory
damages of $20,250,453, and punitive damages of $51,000,000.

As with his other published decisions in this case, Judge Marrero has
released a very substantial opinion along with the judgment. His opinion
analyzes in depth the extent to which Zimbabwean law is relevant to this
case, specifying with direct references the particular provisions of
Zimbabwean law and the Zimbabwean Constitution that were violated by
ZANU-PF's actions. He also recounts in some detail the horrific crimes
committed against the plaintiffs in this case by ZANU-PF operatives, and
adopted generally the Magistrate's finding that during the run-up to the
2000 elections "ZANU-PF systematically hounded its political opponents
through repeated acts of terror and violence."

This judgment is now final and enforceable. The rules allow private parties
30 days, and the Government 60 days, to file any notice of an appeal.

Hamish PM Hume
Cooper & Kirk
1500 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
 --------------------------------------------------------------
To submit letters for the forum, please send emails to
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw entitled "Open Letter Forum".

The views aired in this forum do not necessarily represent the official
viewpoint of Justice for Agriculture.

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JAG COMMUNIQUE January 14, 2003

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mugabe Must Not Be Granted Amnesty

A story published recently in the Times in London revealed that a secret
deal brokered between Zanu (PF) and the MDC would allow for Mugabe to
leave quietly, whilst granting him immunity from prosecution for his
actions. This was naturally denied by official Zanu (PF) structures,
causing the usual confusion as to the veracity of any situation that is
commonly experienced by those of us buried beneath the propaganda
treadmill. Whether this plan is true or not, it is a matter of some
concern that any such deal should be sought. It is completely
unjustifiable and wantonly immoral to allow the actions of a leader such
as Robert Mugabe to pass unprosecuted. Furthermore, to say that this will
remove Mugabe from the seat of power and therefore pave the way for reform
and reconciliation is dangerously naïve.

Joseph Msika, as Vice President would fill the role of presidency over the
interim period leading to a referendum, although in all probability
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Speaker for Parliament, would make a concerted bid
to replace Mugabe in the Zanu (PF) hierarchy. It is certain that neither
of these two are likely to implement a drastic reform programme. Rather,
the collective sigh of relief uttered by the nation once Robert Mugabe has
left would allow the same policies to be implemented for a period without
drawing comment, consequently worsening the situation.

But the issue of succession is not the real problem at hand. Rather, it is
the question of accountability. Africa is rife with corruption, a societal
ill that stifles trade, inflates bureaucracies, and effectively presents
an insurmountable obstacle to the improvement of life for those not privy
to a place on the gravy train. This arises largely from the reality that
few are ever held accountable for their actions - those few with whom the
law eventually catches up can usually find some way to buy or bargain
their way out of severe repercussions or retirbution. In Zimbabwe this is
even more the case; innumerable corruption scandals have come to light
over the course of the last ten years, and in all but a few cases, the
culprits were not only not imprisoned, they were maintained in their
positions of power.

The principles of justice are overturned in such a system, and this
inevitably leads to societal decay. We have all been witness to this
disintegration over the last few years. There has been a steady and
worrying atrophy of the rule of law, with uniformed forces and
governmental bodies not only condoning the violence, but in many
documented cases both abetting and perpetrating violence. The law has been
applied selectively and wantonly, leading to a state of barely-contained
anarchy in many areas (and utter anarchy in such places as the commercial
farms). Arrests are often politically-linked, and even some high court
judges are apparently jumping onto the gravy train. A good example is
Justice Ben Hlatshwayo, who has taken over a farm in the Banket area,
despite the fact that there is no section 8 order on the farm, and in
violation of a high court ruling preventing him from doing so. If high
court judges put no stock in high court rulings, then it is hardly
surprising that nobody else does.

Mugabe's amnesties, declared to allow for "reconciliation" after the
atrocities of the Gukurahundi and the electoral violence, carry the overt
message that he wants to let bygones be bygones. However, the reality is
that he is effectively merely exonerating those who have caused harm and
pain to tens or hundreds of others, and caused the state of violence that
allowed him to maintain his position. In South Africa a Truth and
Reconciliation Commission was carried out to allow those who were injured
and wronged during apartheid to at least tell the world of the horrors
they had been through. Telling one's story is a vital first step in the
healing process, and without this airing people are often unable to
overcome the trauma of events. Effectively, Mugabe has robbed thousands of
Zimbabweans of a chance to heal, and what is more, instilled in them a
fear that if they do report human rights violations, they will be further
victimised.

Clearly, without accountability, society cannot operate effectively. The
entire concept of justice, and of an equal society, is based on the
premise that people are responsible for the consequences of their actions.
It is true, as Tsvangirai pointed out last week, that many members of the
armed forces were merely carrying out orders as is their duty. However, we
do not agree that they can therefore be entirely absolved of any
responsibility. Certainly, those who gave the orders are responsible in
some manner, but any person is required in society to morally assess the
consequences of his actions, and to act accordingly. Thus, those people
who carry out systematic torture at the behest of state organs are no less
morally reprehensible than the men who gave the orders, and should be
answerable as such. They should not be granted a blanket amnesty, but
rather each case should be prosecuted and judged on its merits, and
justice should take its course.

How much more so should this be the case for the leader of a nation that
has suffered terribly under his rule? Mugabe could be forgiven from making
some "difficult but necessary" decisions, since the position of ruler of a
nation inevitably carries the onus of responsibility for hard decisions.
However, it is undeniably the case that Mugabe's decisions through the
course of his career have been more than questionable, and most especially
in latter years. When he leaves his office, Mugabe MUST be brought to book
for these actions, because if he is exonerated, the entire basis of
societal justice will have been overturned. If Mugabe is granted an
amnesty for his actions, then what hope do any of the thousands of people,
whose homes and lives have been violently sundered as a result of their
moral standpoint, position or political beliefs, have of ever seeing
justice done for them? And if no justice is meted out, then what prevents
anyone from taking what they desire at the point of a gun? We will no
longer have a police force, but a mob of armed gangsters carrying out the
will of men who are safely ensconced from the dread realities of life on
the ground. And the man in the street will have to live in fear, every
day, of having what is rightly his taken from him by force.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE JAG TEAM

JAG Hotlines:
(011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need advice,
    (011) 205 374
       (011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us -
       (091) 317 264
    (011)207 860 we're here to help!
(011) 431 068


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CFU REPORT 15 JANUARY 2003 

Members of both the Legal and Accounting communities have expressed concern to me that many of their farming clients are not keeping in touch with them, particularly when they leave the country. This could mean farmers losing cases by default.
 
Would you please stress to your members the importance of letting their lawyers and accountants know their present addresses and how they can communicate with them.
 
Regards
Anthony Swire-Thompson
Chairman
Farm Families Trust.
 
 
  • TRANSPORT MANAGER
        A leading private security contractor is seeking the services of a mechanically minded Transport Manager to run a         large workshop comprising of both panel-beating and mechanical repairs of heavy and light diesel and petrol motor         vehicles and motorcycles.
        Applicants need not be qualified motor mechanics but must have sound man-management and administrative                 qualities.
        Applications, including a current resume must be forwarded for the attention of The Regional Manager (Transport         Manager Applications) P.O. Box ST 130, Southerton, Harare.
        AE13
 
  • Grazing urgently wanted for a minimum of 2 months with dipping facilities for 126 spring cows and their calves.  Telephone : 011 210 028.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER:
Unless specifically stated that this is a Commercial Farmers' Union communiqué, or that it is being issued or forwarded to you by the sender in an official CFU capacity, the opinions contained therein are private.  Private messages also include those sent on behalf of any organisation not directly affiliated to the Union.  The CFU does not accept any legal responsibility for private messages and opinions held by the sender and transmitted over its local area network to other CFU network users and/or to external addressees.
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Update on Arrests
Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe
7pm 15th January 2003

The three members of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) – Executive Director Barnabas Mangodza, Advocacy and Information Officer Jameson Gadzirai, and Chairperson of the Membership Committee Joseph Rose – who were arrested on 14th January 2003 in Kuwadzana have been released.

The police could not find any charges against them in violation of POSA. However each of the three was required to pay an admission of guilt fee of “action likely to cause a breach of peace.” The three report that they were beaten by youth militia members while in the Kuwadzana constituency between 6pm – 8pm last night. They were beaten before the police arrested them.

The three had gone to Kuwadzana for a meeting with the Chairperson of the Kuwadzana Residents Association. They were to discuss the voter registration exercise in light of the pending by-election in that constituency.

They have gone to the Avenues Clinic for treatment and to report their injuries.

The arrest is yet another example of the repressive politics of this regime, and its attempts to undermine the legitimate activities of civic organisations. Both CHRA and the Crisis Coalition will continue to fight for the rights of Zimbabweans to develop a democratic system of government and will resist all attempts by the Zanu PF regime to subvert this process. In accordance with this position, the Crisis Coalition demands:
-          An end to the regime’s intimidation of the Harare Mayor
-          An end to attempts to undermine the elected officials of local government

In another case, St Mary’s MP Job Sikhala and NGO Human Rights Forum Lawyer Gabriel Shumba are still in police custody. Their lawyers believe that they are being held at Harare Central Police Station but they have not been allowed to see the two.

An urgent Court Application will be heard at 8:30 pm tonight at the High Court in front of Justice Paradza.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition condemns these arrests and demands the immediate release of Shumba and Sikhala.

For more information:
Tel/Fax: +263-(0)4-747810
Email: crisis-zim@transparency.org.zw

Visit the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition fact sheet at:
http://www.kubatana.net/html/sectors/cri001.asp

CHRA staff arrested whilst meeting with residents in Kuwadzana
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
January 15, 2003

CHRA’s Chief Executive Officer Farai Barnabas Mangodza, Information Officer Jameson Gadzirayi, Executive Committee Member Joseph Rose and Kuwadzana resident, Richard Mudekwe were arrested by police on Tuesday night in Kuwadzana where they were meeting with residents to discuss the forthcoming parliamentary by-election and ways in which CHRA can contribute to the holding of a free and fair election.

They spent the night in detention at Warren Park Police Station. Acting Chairperson Mike Davies, CHRA’s lawyer and a member of CHRA tried to speak with them but were denied access by the ZRP. We did manage to get some food to them and saw them from a distance. Their faces were swollen and they were walking with some difficulty; it appears that they may have been assaulted.

We have consequently learnt that they have been transferred to Central Police Station in Harare (1.15pm Wednesday) and handed over to Law and Order Section. We have instructed our lawyers to apply to the High Court for their release but it is unlikely that they will be freed before tomorrow. We understand that they will be charged under POSA.

This is part of the ongoing attempt by the regime to silence civic activists working for democracy in Harare and Zimbabwe. Mayor Mudzuri has been threatened with re-arrest since his release on Monday.

We will update as the situation develops but call on all residents to be prepared to protest this assault upon our freedom and our hard-won local democracy.

For more information:
Tel: 091-249430
Email: chraadvo@ecoweb.co.zw, chra@ecoweb.co.zw
Visit the CHRA fact sheet at:
http://www.kubatana.net/html/sectors/com002.asp

Combined Harare Residents' Association (CHRA) staff detained
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
1pm January 15, 2003

Three members of the Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA):

  • Executive Director Barnabas Mangodza,
  • Advocacy and Information Officer Jameson Gadzirai, and
  • Chairperson of the Membership Committee Joseph Rose

were arrested on 14 January 2003 for violating POSA – holding an assembly without permission.

The three had gone to Kuwadzana for a meeting with the Chairperson of the Kuwadzana Residents Association. They were to discuss the voter registration exercise in light of the pending by-election in that constituency. The three CHRA staff members were picked up by Kuwadzana Police and later taken to Warren Park Police Station.

Today at approximately 1 pm they were transferred to Harare Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police Station.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition condemns this arrest, and demands the immediate release of the individuals concerned. The arrest is yet another example of the repressive politics of this regime, and its attempts to undermine the legitimate activities of civic organisations. Both CHRA and the Crisis Coalition will continue to fight for the rights of Zimbabweans, to develop a democratic system of local government, and will resist all attempts by the Zanu PF regime to subvert this process. In accordance with this position, the Crisis Coalition demands:

  • The immediate release of its Coalition members;
  • An end to the regime’s intimidation of the Harare Mayor;
  • An end to attempts to undermine the elected officials of local government.
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Daily News

Leader Page

      Church's silence is unacceptable

      1/15/2003 1:27:33 PM (GMT +2)


      By Tanonoka J. Whande

      The mainstream churches in Zimbabwe are a particular disappointment to
me. They behave in the same way our government does. They do not seem to
carry genuine love and concern nor do they appear to have the necessary
comforting interest in the welfare and well-being of their flock.

      A reader in your 26 November, 2002 issue is greatly disturbed by the
"apathy shown by our church leaders". And yet I have never seen a time when
many Zimbabweans have been so willing, so eager and so honest in their
desire to humbly submit themselves before the Almighty!

      Can religious leaders succeed in reaching out and keeping the
attention of the people when they let chaos reign within the churches? Where
is the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and what is it doing? For instance, why
are the Catholic bishops and clergy not coming out in public support of
Archbishop Pius Ncube of Matabeleland? They leave him to fight alone for
human rights and freedom.

      I read The Financial Gazette of 22-27 November, 2002 to find that only
"seven church leaders from in and around Matabeleland" signed a letter in
support of Ncube. Very commendable. They even spoke to the Press!

      But of the seven clergymen, two were Anglican, one each from the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ and a
Baptist. Not one from the Catholic Church, my church. What about the
embattled Father Patrick Kelly in Manicaland? No support even from those who
sent him there. Am I to believe the men of the cloth are so scared of the
Central Intelligence Organisation and the bogus war veterans that they throw
down their Bibles and run while a fellow preacher is being hurt?

      And yet they adopt names of dead saints - saints who in their lifetime
showed resilience in the face of adversity and feared no man except God. And
do I need to talk about the Anglicans and their divine find-of-the-century
Nolbert Kunonga?

      The churches are always trying to reach out and keep the same people
that the politicians are courting. But when the party faithful murder, rape,
maim or beat us up, why do the church leaders remain silent? Do they expect
us to come to church to worship with swollen and protruding eyeballs?

      How do the churches expect their flock to turn the other cheek when
they are dead? What do priests, bishops and pastors say to victims of
political violence when they visit them in hospital? Or do they? And what do
they say to the President when they have an audience with him? Have church
leaders even bothered to meet the President on these issues?

      The silence of our churches is as painful and intolerable as it is
baffling. I am enviously reminded of the tireless synergy of Desmond Tutu
and Allan Boesak, not to mention other South African clergy.

      After delivering their homilies, they would leave the pulpits and
mobilise the people; they accompanied the people out onto the streets to
demand rights and freedom for the oppressed.

      They did this because they wanted to clear the path for their pastoral
work. Where South Africa had the outgoing Nelson Mandela, we have the
curmudgeon Mugabe whose pretentious monomania with land has destroyed a
nation; where they had the inexorable Desmond Tutu, we have the Nolbert
Kunonga who unbelievably uses parish funds to ask the courts to legally bar
parishioners from attending church services. We are lost and leaderless,
folks. The bishops are not coming to get us, nor are they bringing the Word.
They are in the studio. A new gospel starlet is being discovered. We just
have to try to find our own way back home.

      Some of us are hurting. We are hurting for a few words of spiritual
encouragement. But the churches are now just too preoccupied with the making
of expensive music videos. On television we see exquisitely dressed gospel
singers in elaborate costumes, fancy hairstyles and biting enough wet
lipstick to paint a small cathedral swaying all over the screen. They are
there on the screens every day with some clad in leather tights from boots
to cap.

      And after placating the arid Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation with
the videos, these church people head for an international conference centre
and ask believers to fork out $1 500 each to watch them perform for the
Lord!

      And no, I am not looking for something good, entertaining and free,
but is God now only for the middle class? What about those at Mai Musodzi,
Gutu Mpandawana and Nkayi? I eagerly await shows from Ivy Kombo, Charles
Charamba and Elias Musakwa in Malipate.

      After these shows, I will then ask for a lift from them so I can
attend their next day's show at Siachiloba in Binga. This is a very crucial
time for us in Zimbabwe and the absence and coyness of the Church, coupled
with the attitude and behaviour of the worshippers, is a painful indicator
of misplaced national and spiritual priorities.

      The churches should come out of hibernation to confront and deal
publicly with the problems people are facing and employ the same gusto and
resources as they use on the music front. I am waiting for you to join the
crusade you lead. And will not join the misguided party loyalists who shout
"Chave Chimurenga!" every time someone urinates into the drinking well!

      There is no doubt that we hunger for the Word; we are desperate to be
noticed by our Lord and that is why we make the effort to go to church. That
is why we spend money on those gospel cassettes and CDs. They help to lift
our spirits and for that I am thankful.

      But what I want most is that our shepherds lead us with religious
courage. I want them to give us the spiritual sanctuary that will make it
easier for us to carry our burdens so we can actually be able to turn the
other cheek when the monsters come home.

      Church leaders, please stand up. Your flock is scattering. You are not
only deacons, but beacons.
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Daily News

      Transport blues dog Harare commuters

      1/15/2003 1:22:34 PM (GMT +2)


      Staff Reporter

      THE acute shortage of transport persisted in Harare yesterday as most
urban commuters in the city's high-density suburbs spent nearly four hours
in queues in the morning.

      Thousands of commuters reported late for work after getting transport
into the city much later than usual.

      Desperate commuters lined the streets in most high-density suburbs
waiting for the few commuter omnibuses that remain on the roads, against the
background of a biting fuel crunch and lack of foreign currency to buy
worn-out spare parts.

      Commuters interviewed said they believed the transport crisis was
compounded by the schools' opening which resulted in some buses being hired
by schools to ferry pupils to their schools.

      For the past two months, there have been fuel shortages that have
forced many transport operators to pull out of several routes. Daily,
motorists queue for fuel at service stations where deliveries are
unscheduled and soon run out when the meagre supplies are delivered.

      Edward Makama, 32, of Glen View, said he joined a queue at about
7.30am but had still not found transport into the city by 11am. He then
decided to absent himself from work for the day.

      "There is nothing l can do," he said. "It's reasonable to be late for
work by one or two hours. It becomes unreasonable if you get to work three
or four hours late."

      In a snap survey yesterday morning, The Daily News found thousands of
commuters in Glen View, Machipisa in Highfield, Glen Norah, Chitungwiza,
Budiriro, Mufakose, and several other locations, walking into the city.
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Daily News

      Retired soldier launches new party

      1/15/2003 1:19:01 PM (GMT +2)


      Staff Reporter

      Michael Nyakutsikwa, a retired soldier, yesterday announced he was
launching a new political party, the Progressive People's Democratic Party
(PPDP), which he said would work with the government.

      Nyakutsikwa, who invited several journalists to the launch, was alone
at the Press conference at a Harare hotel to announce the formation of the
new party. He said his party colleagues had not attended the launch because
of fear but he failed to explain what they were afraid of, since the
conference was sanctioned by the police.

      Nyakutsikwa, 38, of Rusape, said his party would work in tandem with
the embattled Zanu PF-led government that has driven the country's economy
to a virtual collapse.

      "We think the system will work better if we are working together,"
Nyakutsikwa said. "We will try to source food and fuel but we will be
working with the government."

      The retired soldier, who seemed unable to enunciate his party's
vision, told journalists that their immediate action would be to confer
motivation awards to artists, such as the honorary awards conferred on
Chimurenga music guru Thomas Mapfumo.

      He said the awards would be along the lines of the Kora Awards held in
South Africa.

      He said his party was funded by donors, but refused to name them.
Nyakutsikwa said: "PPDP's commitment is to create and maintain a special
Zimbabwe with a sense of excellence, with national identity, pride,
self-worth, self-confidence and self-determination in a free, peaceful,
safe, democratic and sovereign country."

      Nyakutsikwa said his party would contest parliamentary and
presidential elections.
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Daily News

      War vets urge colleagues not to supervise fuel queues

      1/15/2003 1:16:35 PM (GMT +2)


      From Our Correspondent in Mutare

      ex-combatants in Mutare are supervising the sale of fuel to desperate
motorists, a move roundly criticised as improper and illegal by motorists
and the Manicaland leadership of the war veterans' movement yesterday.

      Ben Moyo, a war veteran activist in Mutare, was yesterday in total
control at one point at Blue Star Motors Service Station, as he supervised
queues and dictated how much fuel each motorist was entitled to buy.

      Moyo told The Daily News: "War veterans, in liaison with the National
Oil Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim), agreed to work together to ensure that
there is order at fuel stations and that people do not fill containers. We'
re here to maintain order and fairness."

      Noczim, the scandal-ridden parastatal, is the major fuel procurement
and distribution firm in the country.

      Moyo's actions, however, were dismissed as misguided by Robert Gumbo,
the chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association
in Manicaland, who said none of the association's members were mandated to
man fuel outlets.

      Gumbo said: "That is illegal." He spoke from Harare where he said he
was attending to war veterans' business. He said it was the duty of the
police to move in where there was disorder.

      "We are not trained as policemen, but as soldiers," he said. Gumbo
suggested that management at the affected service stations should contact
the police in case there were disturbances at the outlets.

      "We have not been given any instructions to do this by anyone," said
Gumbo. "We would be requested by the responsible authorities if the need
arose for our assistance." Stanislous Chikukwa, a member of the association'
s national executive, said he was unaware that ex-combatants were
supervising queues at service stations.

      Supervisors at three other filling stations in Mutare reported the
presence of people claiming to be war veterans, although they said they did
not interfere with the operations of the stations.

      Esau Mupfumi, the regional president of the Affirmative Action Group,
said: "Such a practice is against business ethics. The police or an
appointed task force should do that job."

      On Sunday, Moyo is reported to have demanded that workers at Blue Star
Service Station stop selling fuel, alleging motorists were draining petrol
from their vehicles into containers after being served and then rejoining
the same queue. Sales resumed only after supervisors promised to probe the
practice.

      Moyo said: "As war veterans, we can't stand aside when there is chaos
at the pumps, especially when everyone knows we are the ruling party."
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Daily News

      Mudzuri gets death threat

      1/15/2003 1:20:12 PM (GMT +2)


      Municipal Reporter

      ELIAS Mudzuri says a suspected State security agent has warned him he
could get killed if he continues to hold consultative meetings with Harare
residents and ratepayers.

      Mudzuri, the Executive Mayor, told journalists yesterday he was taken
into a separate room from his colleagues at Harare Central Police Station
where the unidentified man threatened he would be killed.

      Mudzuri vowed the death threat would not deter him from holding the
meetings.

      Yesterday, Wayne Bvudzijena, the police spokesman, declined to
comment.

      "I was taken to a room where a man who refused to identify himself
asked me who I thought I was," Mudzuri said. "He warned me they had orders
to do anything necessary to contain me if I did not stop the meetings.

      "I am scared for my life. They can do anything to me and nothing will
happen to them."

      In a statement on Mudzuri's ordeal, Christian Ude, the Lord Mayor of
Harare's German twin city, Munich, said a mayor could only do a good job if
he communicated with the residents.

      "In Germany it is prescribed by law the mayors have to invite people
to a residents' meeting at least once a year," he said.

      "It is incomprehensible for us that Mudzuri and his councillors should
be deprived of the right to meet with residents. This flies in the face of
all democratic principles and must be considered harassment and disruption
of my colleague's work."

      Mick Davies, the acting chairman of the Combined Harare Residents
Association, said: "We did not fight for three years to uphold the
constitutional right to elect our own representatives only to see this right
arbitrarily withdrawn by a minister of an illegitimate government."

      Mudzuri and 20 others were arrested in Mabvuku on Saturday for
allegedly holding a political meeting. His arrest came amid alleged
interference by Ignatius Chombo, the Minister of Local Government, Public
Works and National Housing, in MDC-dominated councils. Cuthbert Rwazemba,
the council spokesman arrested together with the mayor, confirmed Mudzuri
was taken away from the others as they waited for their release.

      The alleged death threat came after a second order by High Court judge
Justice Benjamin Paradza on Monday, for the police to release the council
group. The police, Rwazemba said, detained them for a further one and a half
hours after their lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa served them with Paradza's second
order. They only released them after she threatened to return to the judge,
he said.

      Mudzuri said his doctor had given him five-days' sick leave because he
suffered from hypertension. He attacked the police's heavy-handedness,
accusing the officer commanding crime, Harare province, Brighton Mudzamiri,
of ordering his officers to manhandle him.

      Mudzamiri could not be reached for comment. "Mudzamiri said he did not
know me and was working on orders from the top," Mudzuri said. "It is a pity
because he is an Officer Commanding of the city where I am the first citizen
and he doesn't bother to know me when his job is to protect citizens.

      "While we might want cricketers and foreigners to visit the city next
month, I am now questioning this, given that we might have dirty water by
the end of the month and that even the city father can be arrested.

      "What would happen if a cricketer or an ordinary person was caught on
the wrong side of the law?"
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Daily News

      NRZ enginemen warn of looming rail disaster

      1/15/2003 1:18:16 PM (GMT +2)


      From Chris Gande in Bulawayo

      National Railways of Zimbabwe enginemen in Bulawayo have warned of a
looming major rail disaster if the commuter trains continue to be crammed
with passengers well beyond their regulated capacity.

      As the fuel situation in Bulawayo continues to deteriorate and fewer
commuter omnibuses are on the roads, hundreds of commuters are using the
so-called Freedom Train to and from work. Last week, railway authorities at
the Bulawayo main station, through the station's public address system,
ordered hundreds of passengers to disembark from the train before it could
leave.

      The train only took off after nearly half the passengers had
disembarked. An engineman said: "Something should be done urgently because
we might find ourselves with a disaster on our hands because of the
overloading of passengers in the commuter trains."

      He said the overloading could result in the coaches disengaging their
coupling mechanism or derailing.

      The overloading is virtually the same in Harare as commuters turn to
the cheaper passenger trains.

      The Harare trains service the Mufakose, Ruwa and Dzivaresekwa routes
twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. A visit to Harare's main
station showed passengers jostling and shoving to board the passenger train
which took off with standing passengers.

      Although the NRZ could not be immediately reached for comment, sources
at the parastatal said there was a serious shortage of coaches and
locomotives. Two commuter trains ply the Luveve and Emganwini routes from
the main station in Bulawayo in the mornings and evenings.

      Commuters yesterday called on the government and the NRZ to increase
the number of commuter trains. "This is the time for the government to show
that it has the interest of the people at heart by increasing the number of
commuter trains," said Emily Ndlovu, a passenger.

      When the commuter trains were launched last year, amid pomp and
fanfare, government critics said the project was a Zanu PF gimmick aimed at
boosting the party's dwindling support in Harare and Bulawayo. The ailing
Zimbabwe United Passenger Company, which was part of the arrangement with
the NRZ, has stopped transporting passengers from pick-up points because it
was incurring heavy losses.

      Public transport is slowly grinding to a halt because of the
persistent fuel shortages, the worst since independence.

      Despite police checks, the few commuter omnibuses available have
doubled their fares. Instead of the stipulated $70 fare the operators are
charging as much as $500. The commuter trains charge only $30 for now.
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Daily News

      Sikhala in hiding

      1/15/2003 1:15:37 PM (GMT +2)


      By Precious Shumba

      JOB SIKHALA, the St Mary's Member of Parliament, yesterday went into
hiding after 12 policemen in riot gear raided his house in the constituency
and arrested four relatives.

      The opposition MDC MP escaped during the raid and remains in hiding as
he waits for the return of his lawyer, Advocate Charles Selemani, who is in
Masvingo.

      Selemani is attending to a case in which Sikhala's father, Samuel, was
arrested by the police for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a man
suspected to have stolen a solar panel from the Sikhala home at Masema in
Masvingo.

      Samuel Sikhala and three other accused were yesterday each granted $3
000 bail on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and assault with intent
to cause grievous bodily harm.

      Masvingo magistrate Sunsley Zisengwe ordered a thorough investigation
into allegations of police brutality against the three. This was after
Selemani told the court that his clients had been severely assaulted by the
police and denied food for three days after their arrest.

      The four, who were not asked to plead, are alleged to have kidnapped
fellow villagers on 7 January this year.

      Meanwhile, asked why he was in hiding if he was innocent, Sikhala said
the police had a record of torturing members of the opposition and civic
leaders once they were arrested in the absence of their lawyers.

      "The police have tortured and will continue to do that," he said. "I
would not want to risk my life at their hands. They will hide me from
Selemani once I go to see them alone."

      The MP has on several occasions been arrested by the police and
brought to court, where all charges have either been dropped or he has been
acquitted.

      In 2001, Sikhala was arrested in Bikita, along with three other MDC
members, for allegedly inciting public violence. But prosecutor Clemence
Dhuvai-Sixpence withdrew the charges before plea in March 2002.

      Last August, Sikhala was acquitted of breaching a section of the Posts
and Telecommunications Act by allegedly using abusive language in
threatening Jonathan Moyo, the Minister of State for Information and
Publicity.

      Early last November, Sikhala was again arrested together with Zengeza
MP Tafadzwa Musekiwa for alleged abuse of the Parliamentary Vehicle
Procurement Scheme. Magistrate Caroline-Ann Chigumira dismissed the charges.
Yesterday, Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, the police spokesman,
refused to say why the police were after Sikhala.

      The four relatives who were arrested at his home were taken to Harare
Central Police Station's law and order section, where they were interrogated
and released without charge.

      Three of them were identified as Taurai Magaya, Innocent Kanjedzana,
and Farai Gudo, Sikhala's brother-in-law, who is a student at Seke Teachers'
College. Selemani confirmed by telephone from Masvingo that Sikhala's house
had been raided by the police, but he was not sure why.

      Sikhala said the police arrived at his house at about 4am and banged
on his gate, demanding that he come out. "The riot police had no search
warrant, but they were heavily armed," Sikhala said.

      "Unfortunately for them, they failed to gain entry. I escaped before
they did anything dangerous to me.

      "I am now living at different houses in my constituency. My crime is
unknown. I am told they want to arrest me for allegedly inciting violence in
my home area in Masvingo.

      "I deny those claims and I will not be intimidated."
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Real world intrudes on refuge of the cricket field

         Huw Richards International Herald Tribune
     January 15, 2003



LONDON Nobody ever called cricket a simple game. Its complexity, subtlety
and distinctive rhythms are essential parts of its appeal. Yet still it
retains elements vital to the appeal of any and every sport. In a
complicated world it offers us the simplicities of winning and losing, us
against them.
.
There is a sense of refuge from the outside world, potentially creating the
illusion that it can be shut out permanently. Players, armed with the
single-minded focus of the highly committed, are particularly vulnerable to
this illusion. Let them get on with the game, leaving complexities to other
people.
.
This is one reason, perhaps, why sport is so uncomfortable when external
reality invades its world and demands difficult political and moral
decisions.
.
In the past, sports governing bodies were wont to make the self-serving,
self-deluding assertion that ''sports and politics do not mix.''
.
Most have become more sophisticated, in their public reasoning at least. In
declining to strike a moral and political stance over the problems of
Zimbabwe, where England will play a cricket World Cup match on Feb. 13, the
England and Wales Cricket Board invoked called in aid another of modern life
's pervading complications: commerce and contracts.
.
England always was going to be the focus for protests over Zimbabwe's role
as co-host, staging six out of the 54 matches, with South Africa and Kenya
for the World Cup. Britain is Zimbabwe's former colonial master, retaining
close ties. Its government is a frequent target for the complaints of
Zimbabwe's aged autocrat, Robert Mugabe.
.
Zimbabwe's troubles have a high profile in the British media, often in terms
that give some substance to Mugabe's allegations of racism. Speaking in
Oxford late last year, Geoffrey Nyarota, Zimbabwe's leading independent
editor, bemoaned the almost exclusive emphasis in some British papers on the
problems of the white minority.
.
Among the most striking developments in the British debate about whether
England should play Zimbabwe has been the strident pro-boycott stance of
newspapers on the right and commentators previously committed, at least when
South African apartheid was under attack, to the ''sport and politics don't
mix'' mantra.
.
Opposition to playing in Zimbabwe, however, spreads across the British
political spectrum. Demonstrators whose invasion of Lord's Cricket Ground
upstaged Tuesday's announcement that England would fulfill the fixture were
led by Peter Tatchell, a veteran leftist and gay-rights campaigner.
.
Britain's Labour government, like its Conservative opposition and Australia'
s center-right government, has repeatedly made it clear that it thinks its
team should not go. A democracy cannot ban teams from traveling, as British
governments were reminded well into the 1980s as rugby union insisted on
maintaining links with apartheid South Africa.
.
The proposal by the Australian prime minister, John Howard, for a ''one out,
all out'' boycott by participating nations was never a serious possibility.
Pakistan, which will also play in Zimbabwe, has no interest in encouraging
action against undesirable governments. India and England rarely agree on
cricket politics. South Africa is anxious neither to upset a neighboring
government nor destabilize a tournament of which it is the major host.
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Zimbabwe: Food Security Deteriorating



UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

January 15, 2003
Posted to the web January 15, 2003

Johannesburg

The food security situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated in all parts of the
country, according to the latest multi-agency vulnerability assessment
conducted in December.

Numbers in need of food aid through March 2003 have increased from 6.7
million to 7.2 million (850,000 urban, 929,000 current and former commercial
farm workers, and 5.4 million rural people), and the national food deficit
could be expected to reach 222,068 mt, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator's
Humanitarian Situation Report said this week.

The vulnerability assessment established that distribution of Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) imports at the community level "is inconsistent with
imports reported at the national level. It was noted that at sub-national
level, availability of a wide range of basic commodities continues to be
limited," the report said. Forty percent of communities visited reported
that cereals were "not or rarely" available from the GMB and/or market.

The government officially reported the purchase of 1.18 million mt of maize
during February to December 2002. Of this total, 700,000 mt was said to have
been imported and 480,000 mt was still to come.

The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to reach more than four million people
in 49 districts during January 2003. Reaching this target would depend "very
largely on the timely arrival of food shipments", the humanitarian report
said. It added that WFP indicated that the "current importation process of
relief food is cumbersome and time-consuming. There is a significant need to
streamline the process for the issuance of import permits for relief food."
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Australia Hits Back At ANC Youth League



Business Day (Johannesburg)

January 15, 2003
Posted to the web January 15, 2003

Pule Molebeledi, Political Editor
Johannesburg

Representative denies accusations

THE Australian high commissioner in Pretoria has hit back at the African
National Congress (ANC) Youth League's polemic on Zimbabwe, branding it
"ignorant, (and) an abusive rant unworthy of circulation in (a) great
political movement like the ANC".

The representative, Ian Wilcock, was responding after the leaking of a
12-page document written by the league's president, Malusi Gigaba, accusing
Australia and Britain, the "white section of the Commonwealth", of employing
"sickening hypocrisy" in their dealings with Zimbabwe.

The document, which accuses the two countries of demanding a regime change
in Zimbabwe because of a threat to white property rights, is interpreted as
laying the ground for the March meeting of the Commonwealth troika.

The meeting will be made up of the presidents of SA, Nigeria and Australia,
who will be expected to review Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth.

Gigaba confirmed the document's existence, but was disappointed that it was
leaked. He said its intention was to spark debate within ANC structures and
to develop an understanding of the Zimbabwean crisis.

Wilcock denied Australia was hypocritical and inconsistent in dealing with
Pakistan, which was under military rule until recently.

He said: "Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth just like Zimbabwe,
and that suspension still remains in force. It was considered by the
Commonwealth ministerial action group in November last year, and it was
decided to maintain (the country's) suspension, so where is the
inconsistency there?"

Wilcock said it was "unfortunate" to describe some members of the
Commonwealth in racial terms because the body was a proudly multiracial
organisation.

On accusations that Australia's actions were prompted by the fact that their
"kith-and-kin" were affected in SA's neighbour, Wilcock said the country had
been a vigorous supporter of the liberation of Zimbabwe from white minority
rule and a vigorous supporter of the democratic process. "It remains a
supporter of those democratic processes."

Britain, which has accused the ruling Zanu (PF) of undemocratic practices,
is on record as saying that Zimbabwe's woes stem from bad economic policy
decisions and poor governance and not the land-reform programme.

Democratic Alliance national chairman Joe Seremane said Gigaba's polemic,
"which is consistent with President Thabo Mbeki's attack on the white
Commonwealth" in the ANC website last March, displayed "gross ignorance of
foreign affairs".

He said: "(The party) is so blinded by its own highly racialised world view
that it cannot see the human rights abuses, the disregard for the rule of
law and the destruction of democracy in Zimbabwe at the hands of the ruling
regime."
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LEST WE FORGET...

From The Archives 1:

Sunday Times (SA) 2 September 2001

Mugabe man's plush SA mansion

Zimbabwe government's chief spin-doctor has a 'safe house' in a fancy
Johannesburg suburb as his country spirals deeper into crisis.

By Simpiwe Piliso

Zimbabwe's chief political spin-doctor, Jonathan Moyo, owns a palatial
home worth R1-million in a plush Johannesburg suburb. And while the
Zimbabwe government forcefully removes farmers from their land to
resettle landless peasants, Moyo's six-bedroomed home in exclusive
Saxonwold stands empty.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change this week described
President Robert Mugabe's Minister of Information as a "hypocrite" for
owning the expensive house.

Moyo has launched scathing attacks on the media, the courts and the
opposition in a country plunged into crisis.

But while Zimbabwe's economy collapses, Moyo's got a safe investment
in his home in Saxonwold, home to some of SA's best-known
personalties.

[The] ...residence features six bedrooms, a large modern granite
kitchen, a swimming pool, double garage, an office, Oregon pine floors
and underfloor heating. Most of the home is hidden behind a high wall
topped with an electric fence.

This week, his wife Betsy, spoke fondly of the home - though her
husband earlier denied to the Sunday Times that he owned the property.
While on holiday in Johannesburg this week, she said: "It is a
wonderful place and my six-year-old misses the house. But we have no
present plans to sell . . . we will be keeping it." The couple had
attempted to put the house on the market at the beginning of the
year - but kept it after they could not get their asking price.

Zimbabwean opposition leaders were this week outraged that Moyo owns a
home across the border. Welshman Ncube, the general secretary of the
MDC, said: "All we can say is that Moyo has demonstrated that he is
one of the biggest hypocrites . . . owning a luxurious home in South
Africa that he can run to when everything in Zimbabwe falls apart."
Morgan Tsvangirai, president of the MDC, said: "All those people who
claim to be patriotic are not patriotic at all . . . this shows a very
split and divided personality and demonstrates underlying
insecurities."

Moyo this week denied that he owned the Saxonwold property. "There is
no evidence whatsoever that I own a house there . . . the trust does
not link me as an owner. I used to live there two years ago . . . the
house is owned by a trust and I am not a trust." He added: "The trust
is a children's trust and they are not going to talk . . . and even if
I owned that house, I would not be interested in talking. I don't
think it makes sense for people to be talking about their properties,"
Moyo said.


From The Archives 2:

Sunday Times (SA) 2 July 2000

Wits acts against Mugabe's spin doctor

Celean Jacobson

The University of the Witwatersrand is taking action against Professor
Jonathan Moyo - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's chief election
spin doctor - over an alleged breach of his employment contract. It is
claimed that while he was in Zimbabwe, acting as spokesman for Zanu-PF
during the election campaign, Moyo should have been in Johannesburg,
working for the university.

Moyo has been described in South Africa as a visionary political
scientist and a brilliant scholar. But now Moyo is in hot water with
Wits over his research project on the renewal of political leadership
in Africa.

This week, Zimbabwe's state-owned Sunday Mail reported that death
threats and hate mail had been posted from the university to Moyo's
family in Johannesburg. Moyo said that there was an attempt to force
Wits to remove its support for his South African residence permit and
suggested that it may be the result of the influence of the Democratic
Party at the university. The newspaper said Wits had given Moyo until
July 7 [2000] to return to work or to provide an acceptable
explanation for his absence.

The deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Leila Patel, confirmed that the
university had instituted action against Moyo, who was appointed on a
two-year contract as a research fellow in the department of political
studies about a year ago. "We have reason to believe he has not
fulfilled the terms of the contract," she said. Patel said the
university was waiting for a response to a letter they had sent him
but would not comment further.

Moyo sparked controversy in Zimbabwe when he insisted that foreign
observers had lied about the attendance at Mugabe's rallies. He
suggested, for example, that the reported 3 500 ZanuPF supporters who
attended a Bulawayo rally addressed by the president were actually 70
000 - even though the stadium can only accommodate 20 000 people. His
shift to become Zanu-PF spin doctor has been dramatic: only a year
ago, he was arguing that the president lived in "cloudcuckoo-land".

Moyo, who predicted the demise of Zanu-PF and the rise of opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai, at the time wrote in a Zimbabwean newspaper:
"President Mugabe's uncanny propensity to shoot himself in the foot
has now become a national problem that needs urgent containment."

But Professor Tom Lodge, head of Wits's department of political
studies, has defended Moyo, calling him a "talented scholar". He would
be "pleased" if Moyo continued with his post at Wits. Lodge said the
university was trying to clarify whether Moyo was working for ZanuPF
full-time while also being a university staff member. If he is, there
may be grounds for disciplinary action. If Moyo was working parttime
for Zanu-PF then he should have obtained clearance for the work he has
been doing in Zimbabwe. "Moyo may be responsible for breaching Wits's
internal regulations but he may have been unaware that he was doing
anything wrong," Lodge said. He said it was "disturbing" if Moyo was
receiving death threats but that it was "conceivable that some
ill-natured people" might use the public post office on the campus to
send him hate mail. The university's dealings with Moyo remained
"cordial" but Lodge admitted that he had not been in contact with Moyo
for a while. "He's been very busy," Lodge said.

Moyo, known in Harare as the "Sheraton Professor" because of the time
he spends at the upmarket hotel, called the concerns about his absence
from the university a "misunderstanding". He would not discuss what
was a private contract between himself and the university, he said.
"It would be unprofessional to discuss and try and resolve this in the
media when there is ample opportunity to deal with it in the expected
framework. I have every reason to be confident that the university
will be fair," he said.


From The Archives 3:

Sunday Times (SA) 3 February 2002

Mugabe henchman and the missing millions

Focus on Zimbabwe

Moyo accused of taking money from Ford Foundation, Wits University and
Mbeki's brother's company

By Jessica Bezuidenhout and Mzilikazi wa Afrika

Jonathan Moyo, the man who this week pushed through Zimbabwe's
Draconian media law, is accused of absconding with millions of rands.
Moyo, who is Robert Mugabe's minister of information, is alleged to
have used some of the money to buy a luxury home in Saxonwold,
Johannesburg. He also owes R100 000 to the TV production company
Endemol in South Africa, headed by President Thabo Mbeki's brother,
Moeletsi. Mbeki said yesterday his company wanted its money. "One of
the things we are considering is to come together with the other
people he owes money to and to attach Moyo's Johannesburg house and
sell it to get our money," he said.

Moyo is also facing legal action from the University of the
Witwatersrand for allegedly absconding with part of a R100-million
research grant. And he is being sued by the US aid agency the Ford
Foundation over an alleged illegal transfer of R1-million from its
Kenyan office to a trust in South Africa. Money from the trust,
Talunoza, was allegedly used to buy the Saxonwold house, on Englewold
Drive.

The Sunday Times tried twice yesterday to get comment from Moyo on the
missing millions. Both times he said: "I do not speak to the apartheid
press," and slammed down the phone.

Moyo was condemned internationally on Thursday when he bulldozed
through Parliament a set of tough new laws aimed at muzzling the press
ahead of next month's presidential elections.

The man who has made it law for journalists to abide by a set of
apartheid-styled rules now finds himself on the wrong side of the law
in South Africa, with allegations of fraud, misappropriation of funds
and bad debts hanging over his head. Endemol advanced Moyo money to
pay for the airfares of a group of Americans who were to help him
produce a documentary on Pan-Africanism, called Generations. Endemol's
managing director, Chantal Sturkenboom, said the programme never
materialised and Moyo, who gave the company a written undertaking to
repay the money, had not done so to date.

Meanwhile, Wits University has consulted lawyers about a claim against
Moyo, who received money for a research project, "The Future of the
African Elite", while a visiting lecturer at the institution in 1998.
It was allegedly never completed. Moyo resigned from the university to
take up his ministerial position in Zimbabwe. Wits registrar Derek
Swenner said the money related to unaccounted-for expenditure incurred
by Moyo while he was supposed to be conducting research for the
university in East Africa. "He told the university that he was
conducting research, but instead we found out that he was in Zimbabwe
running Robert Mugabe's election campaign. When we asked Mr Moyo to
explain how the money was spent, he chose to resign. The case is
unresolved and currently with lawyers."

And in Nairobi, Kenya, Moyo is being sued over R1-million in donor
funds allegedly illegally transferred to a trust in South Africa. Moyo
is one of five people being sued by the US aid agency. The Ford
Foundation's New York vice-president of communications, Alex Wilde,
confirmed on Friday that court documents before the Nairobi High Court
say that Moyo illegally transferred $88 000 to the trust account in
South Africa. He was programme officer for the foundation in Nairobi
at the time. "We can confirm that the court documents state the money
was transferred into a trust called Talunoza in South Africa." Wilde
said a property in Saxonwold was owned by the same Talunoza Trust.
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Good morning, Shane has asked me to forward another epistle as his computer is still not operational. This is an un-abridged  follow up to last weeks report.
 
Enough is Enough
 
It is essential that the true nature of our countries situation is passed to all concerned parties including those who wish to visit our country for sporting purposes. Is our situation any different to that of apartheid or Germany in 1939? A simple question - Can you, the ICC support this kind of regime and feign indifference.  And once you have played,  will you be happy to have participated in a country devoid of basic human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
 
Whilst Visiting Cricketers Safety, Food and Fuel is assured, the Peoples Safety and Security is Not 
 
To Quote :-  "WE CALL upon the International Cricket Council to come to Zimbabwe, meet the people, join them in the queues, hear their stories and discover that the outward calm is superficial for deep down in themselves they are angry but also cowed by the fear of tear gas, bullets, instant arrest, victimisation, torture, famine…"
 
The following account is just another example of continuing oppression, denial of human rights and access to a non partisan police force being experienced in Zimbabwe.
 
Would Journalists please note that Shane Kidd has indicated that whilst stated facts may be used, should anyone wish to run the full story to please contact him direct.Or in this instance myself
 
Mike Lander
 
FOLLOW UP REPORT FROM THE SLEEPY MOUNTAIN VILLAGE  OF CHIMANIMANI IN THE EAST OF ZIMBABWE
 
The surreal process of the Chimanimani police investigation technique begins to unfold and dazzles us with wonder. On Thursday afternoon I drive into the club to find Chagugudza there, talking to one of the staff. I tell him that the only staff member there, was the night watchman, a fact that I deliberately left out of my statement, because he actually helped to defend Mike against the attackers and can identify one or two, hence he’s a soft target and easy to intimidate. Hence I haven’t identified him in my statement. This is at 4pm.

At 8.00pm at night, a pick up truck with 8 people drives into the club. The night watchmen, thinking its some one looking for accommodation, approaches and is immediately surrounded by the 8, who start to slap him around, accusing him of being an MDC supporter. They then try and abduct him but he runs for his life and escapes.

Chagugudza insist that the assault is a random crime. I’m telling him that its Mpofu CIO and the warvets from Nyhode Junction. The Nyhode warvets are Rob and Josh Sacco’s merry band of thugs and bodyguards. Obviously they are back trying to curry favor with the local govt. after having a fallout with ZANU (PF) last year. Mwale’s brother was the head bodyguard until he took the phrase “politics makes strange bed fellows” literary with josh’s wife. This is the same crowd that is responsible for wrecking the office on Monday and was chased off Roy’s farm when they tried to invade on Tuesday.

When I go up to the police station on Friday to report the attempted abduction of the security guard on Thursday night I’m told that the investigating officer, Constable Chirere is down in Machongwe probably providing the warvets with an alibi. For those of you who think I’m being overly cynical read on. No one will take a statement or charge from me ref the attempted abduction of the club security guard.

 On Friday evening we all go to the club to make a point. Whilst we are there Johan Styen phones from Outward Bound to tell us that one of the OBZ instructors returned from the village bearing a threat for him from a plainclothes policeman. They were warned that police were after Johan and Agnes (both present Wednesday night) and if they talked or got involved, they would be seriously hurt.

Mike returned and gave his statement to the police on Saturday. One of the attackers he described matches the description of Langton Dhliwayo.  I had a run in with him on Monday while he was attacking the MDC office. He should be easy to identify he’s the one walking with his legs wide apart and very slowwlyyy. Mike managed to grab him by the testicles and give them a good yank. One can only hope that he is no longer in a position to pollute the gene pool.

It is now Monday and as far as I’m aware the police have interviewed none of the witnesses except Mr. Gratwicke, perhaps I’m maligning them unfairly, it is possible to construe the 3 attempts at intimidation of witnesses as official police interviews.

I have just received independent confirmation of the identity of 2 of the Nyhode warvets who attacked Mike. Langton Dhliwayo otherwise known as Manzou, he’s the leader of the Nyhode Junction warvets. Pattson Mapunga, or Party, and we suspect one more called Mupodyi. They were all present at the wrecking of the MDC office on Monday and chased of the farm on Tuesday. They have been bragging about their attack on Mr. Gratwicke on Wednesday night at Nyhode Junction. Have the police interviewed any of these people? No don’t be silly. I handed the all this additional info to the police on Monday as yet they have failed to comment. Please God when I grow up let me be a Zimbabwean Police Spokesman That huge salary and you never have to speak to any one.

Can any one who still thinks I’m being cynical Chagugudza and the rest of the asylum inmates and that this is all coincidental please raise their hands?
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