Mugabe in Ethiopia for AU Summit

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

News Editor 2 hours 17 minutes ago

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - President Robert Mugabe has arrived in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, where he will attend the 18th summit of the African Union

The summit which begins tomorrow (Saturday) comes after the Arab spring and
efforts by the West to control resource rich countries by effecting regime
change in Africa.

Mugabe will be among other heads of state and government who will be looking
at ways of warding off efforts by the West to control Africa’s resources.

The summit will also see the election of a new chairperson for the AU
Commission where the incumbent Jean Ping will battle it out with South
Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

There will also be elections to choose other commissioners of the AU
Commission.

SADC Chairperson, South African President, Jacob Zuma is expected to brief
the AU on progress made in Zimbabwe on the issue of elections.

Zanu PF has reiterated that elections will be held this year with or without
the new constitution, while MDC formations are not in favour of the idea.

Economic fortunes of Africa will also be topical during the summit.

Mugabe was seen off at the Harare International Airport by Vice President
Joice Mujuru, cabinet ministers, senior government officials and service
chiefs.

Meanwhile, Joice Mujuru is the Acting President.

AU urged to show strong leadership on Zimbabwe crisis

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
27 January 2012

A strong delegation of civic and non-governmental organisations is in the
Ethiopian capital to turn up the pressure on the African Union (AU) not to
lose its focus on the crisis in Zimbabwe.

The pro-democracy activists begun arriving ahead of the AU summit scheduled
to begin in Addis Ababa on Sunday. Zimbabwe will be represented by Robert
Mugabe.

Dewa Mavhinga, regional coordinator of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition told
SW Radio Africa from the Ethiopian capital that the onus was on the
continental body to push for SADC backed political and electoral reforms in
the country.
“The Global Political Agreement (GPA) remains in danger,” he said on Friday.
“The African Union must understand that it cannot put off decisions needed
to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe.”
He added: “Our message to the AU leadership is that they should not fold
back their hands and let the crisis in Zimbabwe cascade into further
turmoil. We want the AU to maintain pressure on politicians in Zimbabwe to
meet their obligations and implement fully the GPA.”

Tomaz Salomao, the SADC executive secretary met with the Zimbabwe groups and
reiterated that the regional bloc’s position on free and fair elections has
not changed.

“He was clear that the SADC position of insisting on critical reforms has
not changed and will not change. Salomao said there is need for a number of
meetings in Zimbabwe to decide and assess electoral conditions before they
could be any elections in Zimbabwe,” Mavhinga said.

Asked to comment on remarks by Zambian President Michael Sata that sought to
undermine their work in Zimbabwe, Mavhinga said it would be premature for
them to condemn outright what he said.

The sharp tongued Zambian leader criticised the MDC-T leader Morgan
Tsvangirai as ‘a Western stooge’ and indicated that reforms in Zimbabwe were
not necessary.

“It gives us civics an opportunity to engage Sata and his administration. He’s
new and we need to sit down with him and senior members of his party to
explain the position in Zimbabwe, and explain also why we are demanding
reforms,” Mavhinga said.

He added: “We know that Sata having come to power through democratic
elections, and peaceful transfer of power, he would really understand that
position and support it.”

Air Zimbabwe Summon Engineers to Fix Mugabe's Plane

http://www.radiovop.com/

Harare, January 27, 2012-Zimbabwe’s ailing state-run airline, Air Zimbabwe
last Tuesday summoned some engineers, who have been on a work boycott to fix
a long-haul aircraft to ferry President Robert Mugabe to Ethiopia.

Air Zimbabwe workers have been on a work boycott aimed at pressing
management to pay them their salaries which they last received seven months
ago.

Informed sources told Radio VOP that Air Zimbabwe dangled $200 for each of
the 25 engineers to entice them to carry out some maintenance work on the
airline’s Boeing 767-200 plane which Mugabe charters for his local, regional
and international jaunts.

Mugabe travelled to Addis Ababa for an African Union summit on Friday.
Sources said out of 120 engineers, Air Zimbabwe selectively chose 25
engineers to carry out an “A check”, which is an aircraft maintenance check
on Mugabe’s plane.

The “A check” is a periodic inspection that is done on an aircraft after
500-800 flight hours.

The 25 engineers were paid $200 each for the services which they provided.
However, their monthly salaries together with other employees remain unpaid
for seven months running.

Informed sources said the selective rewarding of engineers had torched a
storm as some workers felt neglected.

“They are alleging unfair labour practices,” said the sources.

Air Zimbabwe is now resorting to charming its engineers with a pledge to
instantly reward them for labour services provided so as to entice them to
report for duty.

Early this month, Air Zimbabwe only resumed operating domestic flights it
had suspended after alluring some of its engineers with instant compensation
of $200 each for their labour services to fix one of its defective aircraft.

The national airline had cancelled domestic flights to Bulawayo, the country’s
second largest city and to the resort town of Victoria Falls after one of
the airline’s only operational aircraft developed an engine fault which
could not be fixed because engineers were not reporting for duty.

Air Zimbabwe workers particularly pilots have resorted to staging wild cat
strikes to compel management to pay them their salaries.

The work boycott has resulted in the grounding of the airline’s planes.

Besides workers’ mutiny, Air Zimbabwe is also battling to pay creditors,
purchase fuel and service domestic, regional and international routes.

Police on high alert

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Wonai Masvingise and Bridget Mananavire
Friday, 27 January 2012 10:17

HARARE - Heavily armed police officers were deployed in Harare’s central
business district yesterday amid fears that striking civil servants might
stage demonstrations.

Civil servants rejected a paltry seven percent salary increment offered by
government, which would have seen each employee getting an increment of $84.

The least paid civil servant is earning $253 and they are agitating for the
least paid to be remunerated in accordance with the country’s Poverty Datum
Line (PDL) which currently sits at $546.

The much-feared Support Unit (black boots) and anti-riot police were seen
patrolling the city centre in their trucks, with some milling around Samora
Machel Avenue yesterday morning seemingly in anticipation of any
disturbances.

One riot police officer pointed towards a crowd going about its business
which included some Daily News reporters and charged, “Ko apa, parikuitwa
nezveyi apa? (What’s going on here?)” he asked, pointing his baton stick at
a group of terrified shoppers queuing outside a bank along Samora Machel
Avenue.

Harare police spokesperson James Sabau told the Daily News that there was
nothing unusual about the deployment.

“Police presence should be welcome anyway. People should get used to seeing
them in town,” he said.

Clad in black gear, bullet proof vests, teargas canisters, guns and baton
sticks; police were on high alert, ready to pounce.

Civil servants have been on a five-day industrial action which started on
Monday this week. The strike ended briefly on Wednesday to pave way for
dialogue.

But talks collapsed after government tabled a paltry offer, with union
leaders announcing a continuation yesterday until the authorities
substantially raise their salaries. Civil servants umbrella body Apex
council president Tendai Chikowore said although they were disappointed by
the small offer from government, they had not planned to stage any
demonstrations.

“We did not plan to have demonstrations. We are still implementing our
five-day strike plan ending tomorrow (today); teachers are staying at home
until then,” Chikowore said.

Soldiers Chase Teachers From Schools

http://www.radiovop.com/

MASVINGO, January 27, 2012 – A new twist to the on-going strike by civil
servants has surprised teachers here as soldiers from 4.1 battalion were
deployed in schools surrounding Masvingo town and threatened to beat anyone
who continue with their work.

Some schools had managed to persuade teachers to go to work on Wednesday and
Thursday but the headmasters’ joy did not last long as soldiers ambushed
them and ordered teachers to go home.

A visibly frightened teacher from Victoria High School said he was teaching
when a group of soldiers arrived in their uniforms and asked why they were
teaching. He said they did not listen to any explanation.

“They just told us to go home since everyone was expected to be on strike.
Although we were not beaten, it was surprising and frightening that soldiers
would come to tell us to go home,” said the teacher who requested anonymity.

From Victoria High School, soldiers visited Ndarama, Masvingo Christian and
Mucheke High School. They found business as usual at Mucheke High and they
called all the teachers before threatening unspecified action were they to
continue with lectures.

Although the Provincial Education Director (PED) Clara Dube needed to make
investigations before giving a comment, teachers and students who spoke to
VOP said they were still in shock.

“I did not receive any complain, I always prefer to investigating before
commenting,” said Dube.

It is not common to see soldiers and other uniformed forces advocating for
an industrial action.

“Our teachers unions were persuading us to go for a strike but because of
the incentives that we get from parents, we feel we owe these students money
if we don’t teach them. It was however, shocking to see those who used to
beat us to return to work coming to force us to do the opposite, I can’t
believe it,” said another teacher.

Civil servants are currently having negotiations with the government so that
the minimum salary be pegged above the poverty datum line.

Amnesty urges Zim to halt abuses

http://www.iol.co.za/

January 27 2012 at 02:26pm

Harare - Amnesty International on Friday called on Zimbabwean authorities to
refrain from manipulating the country's laws to harass human rights
activists and opponents of veteran President Robert Mugabe.

“The continuation of human rights violations against critics of President
Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party cast doubt on whether the country will be able
to hold an election free from violence and human rights abuses similar to
the 2008 second round of the presidential election,” the group said in a
statement.

Amnesty urged Mugabe to “rein in elements in the security forces who seek to
undermine the (government of national unity) by ordering arbitrary arrests
and unlawful detention of his perceived opponents.”

Mugabe formed a powersharing government with Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai in 2009 to avoid a tip into full-fledged conflict in the
aftermath of a presidential run-off which Tsvangirai boycotted in protest at
deadly attacks on his supporters.

Despite the unity government, rights activists are frequently arrested or
harassed in the course of their work.

“The government should unconditionally drop all the charges against people
arrested solely for their work as human rights defenders or for their
association with political parties of their choice,” Amnesty said.

The statement came after a court placed three activists from local media
advocacy group Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe on remand on charges of
undermining or insulting Mugabe.

In another case this week, a court acquitted Joel Hita of the Zimbabwe Human
Rights Association who had been charged under a security law for a holding a
photo exhibit on the 2008 polls.

Activists Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu of Women of Zimbabwe Arise
face charges of kidnapping a witness to a September protest that was
violently dispersed by police.

Two booksellers were detained last weekend for selling copies of
Tsvangirai's biography. - Sapa-AFP

ZANU PF violence intensifies in Mbare

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tererai Karimakwenda
19 January, 2012

A legislator from the MDC-T, who was forced by ZANU PF thugs to abandon his
shop in Harare, has spoken out about intensifying violence in Mbare and the
“disappointing” lack of action by government.

Morgan Femai, the MDC-T Harare Province Chairperson, also blasted the police
for allowing ZANU PF thugs to conduct daily meetings, where they force
vendors to pay one dollar each or give up some of their goods. Beatings are
reportedly common at these illegal meetings.

Femai explained that violent thugs moved into his shop in Mbare four months
ago and forced him out eventually. He said they are conducting illegal
activities there and collecting rent for the premises.

“I already reported this to police and JOMIC (Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee) and they have done nothing about it,” Femai said,
adding: “They tell my customers don’t give money to a British. Do I look
British?”

JOMIC includes members from all political parties in the coalition
government and is meant to oversee the implementation of Global Political
Agreement (GPA). Creating a peaceful environment to conduct free and fair
elections tops their list of priorities. The group however has been
criticised for not fulfilling its mandate and for being unable to hold ZANU
PF accountable to its refusal to honour the GPA.

Femai said politically motivated violence has intensified in Mbare and there
have been no press reports about it. According to the MDC official, Mbare
gangs are operating with total impunity.

“There is a candidate who wants to stand for ZANU PF in Mbare and he is the
reason for this violence. They believe if you beat people then they will
vote for you,” the legislator said.

The level of fear in Mbare became clear when Femai refused to name the thugs
that took over his shop, saying this would make him vulnerable.
“You know what happens, when you name them they come and want to know why,”
Femai said.

The continuing violence meanwhile flies in the face of last year’s calls by
the principals in the unity government for an end to politically motivated
assaults. However, there is a general consensus that Robert Mugabe and ZANU
PF can end violence if they truly wanted to, by ordering the arrests of all
perpetrators and warning any future offenders.

Army up his sleeve: Mugabe’s military strongmen likely to stay

http://mg.co.za

RAY NDLOVU HARARE, ZIMBABWE - Jan 27 2012 02:12

A strong indication that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will
unilaterally ­reappoint key military allies when their contracts expire at
the end of the month has fanned fresh dispute in the country's troubled
unity government.

The two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) parties led by Morgan
Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube have now threatened to fight Mugabe "legally
and politically" in a bid to block the reappointments, which observers
believe will strengthen Mugabe's position ahead of elections expected this
year.

The terms of office of Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine
Chiwenga and Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri expire at the end of this
month. Coming to an end in February are the terms of office for the prisons
services commissioner, retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi, air force
commander Air Marshal Perence Shiri and Zimbabwe National Army commander
Lieutenant General Philip Sibanda.

Although Mugabe is on leave, his spokesperson, George Charamba, has warned
the MDC to back off. "That is a no-go area. When the president sees it fit
he will extend the terms of office of Chihuri and Chiwenga. It's not a
matter for the global political agreement. After all, the security sector
has one commander-in-chief, not one-and-a-half. It is just one and the
defence forces are not subject to interparty negotiations.

"When we get to security-sector reform and they tamper with that area, then
the global political agreement goes up in smoke. That is one matter where
nothing will change."

Since last year the two MDC formations have been pushing for a raft of
security-sector reforms meant to rein in the military, which has assumed the
de facto role of kingmaker in the country's politics.

Support for Mugabe by the military's top brass was manifest in the flawed
June 2008 presidential run-off election when the military launched a violent
crackdown against voters under "Operation Mavhotera Papi?" (Where did you
vote?)

Furthermore, the pledge by the military chiefs not to support "any leader
without liberation credentials" is also regarded as a central plank in the
87-year-old Mugabe's continued grip on power.

Ncube, president of the smaller MDC, said: "We have repeatedly made our
position clear regarding these people. They must go because we want fresh
people who are impartial and professional. We want people who will bring a
fresh breath in our institutions so that they regain the confidence of the
people."

The two MDC formations further allege that the military runs a "parallel
government", headed by Chiwenga, which works directly to undermine the
operations of the unity government.

Douglas Mwonzora, the Tsvangirai-led MDC party spokesperson, said: "We will
not just ... let Mugabe do what he wants. We will do all things possible to
have that matter resolved. Those people have overstayed their welcome. We
want a renewal in the security sector. We have professionals in the military
who definitely would fit in those positions."

Chiwenga took over as army commander in 2005 after the retirement of late
army commander Vitalis Zvinavashe. In recent years he has styled himself as
the leader of the hardliners in the military and Zanu-PF opposed to giving
ground to the MDC and democratic reforms.

Chiwenga reputedly has presidential ambitions and may seize power in a bid
to break the deadlock in Zanu-PF's succession race that has pitted Deputy
President Joice Mujuru and Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa against each
other.

Chihuri has taken a more visible role in the partisan support of Mugabe and
Zanu-PF. He has served as police head since 1993 and has had his contract
renewed by Mugabe 13 times since 1997.

Zimbabwe must hold fresh polls by March 2013: Tsvangirai

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

HARARE — Zimbabwe will have to hold fresh elections by March next year to
replace the uneasy power sharing government with President Robert Mugabe,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Friday.

New polls, which Mugabe is pushing for in 2012, "could be this year, it
could be early next year" Tsvangirai told AFP in an interview.

But Zimbabweans would have to cast ballots before parliament's term expired,
he said.

"We have a deadline, March 2013 is the end of this parliament so we have to
go to an election. We have to go to an election between now and March 2013."

Mugabe has called for polls this year to replace the unity pact created
after deadly 2008 poll violence, which allowed Zimbabwe to claw itself out
of economic and political crisis.

Tsvangirai however, wants long-delayed reforms in place first.

"You can't have an election under conditions in which there is no
credibility," he said.

Under Zimbabwe's unity accord, a new constitution must be approved by
referendum before a new general elections, but a date for the referendum has
yet to be set.

"We can't talk of elections when we have not even adopted the constitution,
we have not even gone to the referendum," said Tsvangirai.

In power since 1980, Mugabe said in December that the unity government had
"overstayed its welcome", calling the power sharing deal "undemocratic and
illegitimate."

The pair set up joint rule in 2009, agreeing to implement a regionally
brokered pact which put Zimbabwe on the path to recovery after a decade-long
downturn.

But the partnership has been hampered by a stand-off over the filling of key
positions and failure to reform electoral laws, which Tsvangirai described
as "frustrating".

"There are areas that have been agreed and have not been implemented," he
said.

"We have to make sure that things are implemented for the conditions for
elections to be free and fair."

Mujuru’s remains may be exhumed

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
27 January 2012

The remains of retired General Solomon Mujuru may be exhumed to allow for an
independent examination by a foreign based pathologist, his family hinted on
Friday.

Family lawyer Thakor Kewada has filed a court application to allow a
pathologist to travel to Zimbabwe, to examine all the evidence gathered
after Mujuru suspiciously died in a farmhouse inferno.

Kewada told Magistrate Walter Chikwanha, who is presiding over the ongoing
inquest into Mujuru’s death, that this re-examination request was inspired
by past experiences, where results from more than one pathologist ‘usually
differed.’

The investigating officer Chief Superintendent Crispen Makedenge told the
inquest this week that a DNA test had established that the remains found in
the farm house where Mujuru died were a 99, 9% match to the deceased. The
DNA tests were matched against some blood samples extracted from one of
Mujuru’s daughters, Kumbirai Rungano and some flesh taken from the charred
remains found in the farm house.

But the General’s family, especially his elder brother, Joel has long argued
why the veteran liberation war hero was laid to rest before DNA tests
results had come out. The DNA tests were availed three weeks after Mujuru’s
burial at the national Heroes acre in August last year.

SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa said on Friday that if an
independent pathologist’s report comes out different, there was a strong
case the remains of the ZANLA commander would be exhumed.

“Kewada requested from the magistrate that their application be granted as
doctor has been identified and he is prepared to come and examine all the
evidence,” Muchemwa said, adding the magistrate will make his ruling on the
application next Monday.

Meanwhile Chief Superintendent Makedenge concluded his testimony by ruling
out foul play into the death Mujuru.

“We have got no tangible evidence to suspect any foul play and police have
found nothing to suggest the late Mujuru could have been assassinated,”
Makedenge said.

He added: “No one came with any evidence that would have suggested any foul
play. That was the case even from the reports that we got from ZESA, Fire
Brigade and forensic science laboratory.”

Commenting about the 17 firearms recovered among the debris in
Mujuru’s burnt house, ballistics expert Detective Inspector Admire
Mutizwa, said all but one gun were “commercial weapons”, which can be
owned by none military persons for hunting purposes.

Mutizwa, the 29th witness in the high profile inquest, said among the
17 weapons, an AK47 assault rifle belonged to the army. He further told the
court that 6kg of ammunition were also recovered in Mujuru’s house, with all
the bullets having exploded due to intense heat.

He spoke of having examined each and every bullet and establishing
that none had been fired from a weapon.

Makedenge Rules Out Foul Play As Family Hints on Possible Exhumation

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, January 27, 2012 - Police Chief Superintendent Chrispen Makedenge,
the investigating officer (IO) into the mysterious death of the late retired
army commander Solomon Mujuru, has ruled out any foul play into his demise,
at a time the Mujuru family has hinted at his possible exhumation to allow
an independent examination by a foreign pathologist.

“We have got no tangible evidence to suspect any foul play,” Makedenge told
court on Friday while summing up his testimony.

Makedenge, who is Deputy Officer Commanding Harare's CID Law and Order
division, said police had found nothing to suggest the late Mujuru could
have been assassinated.

“No one came with any evidence that would have suggested any foul play. That
was the case even from the reports that we got from ZESA, Fire Brigade and
forensic science laboratory,” he said.

As IO,  Makedenge co-ordinated all the evidence - both ordinary and expert.

His assertions were in sharp contrast with those of the late Mujuru family,
whose lawyer has formally applied to be allowed to invite a South African
pathologist, Dr Perumal.

Asked to justify this, family lawyer Thekor Kewada said this was inspired by
past experiences where results from more than one pathologist usually
differ.

“We respectfully request that the application be granted,” said Kewada, “The
doctor has been identified and he is prepared to come. Whether this means
the body must be exhumed to facilitate this examination, we are prepared for
it.”

Presiding magistrate, Walter Chikwana will on Monday rule on the
application.

Commenting about the 17 firearms recovered among the debris in Mujuru’s
burnt house, ballistics expert Detective Inspector Admire Mutizwa, said all
but one gun were “commercial weapons”, which can be owned by none military
persons for hunting purposes.

Mutizwa, the 29th witness in the high profile inquest, said among the 17
weapons, an AK47 assault rifle belonged to the army.

He further told court 6kg of ammunition were also recovered inMujuru’s
house, with all the bullets having exploded due to intense heat.

He spoke of having examined each and every bullet and establishing that none
had been fired from a weapon.

Kumbirai Rungano Mujuru, first born daughter to the late Mujuru, told court
she did not recall much about the circumstances that immediately followed
the discovery of his father's remains as she was ‘hysterically emotional’ to
notice any small  details at the scene.

However, it emerged in court; Mujuru was buried before forensic examinations
could establish he was indeed the one who died in the inferno.

This was after Makedenge, the IO, told court the DNA test, which came days
after, had established the remains were 99,9 percent positive.

The last witness of the day, the 31st since the inquest started, was Dr
Edward Fusire, a medical doctor employed by the police, who only  told court
he was asked by the IO to extract blood samples from Mujuru’s daughter,
Kumbirai for DNA.

The case resumes Monday where more witnesses are set to testify.

17 Burnt Firearms Discovered at Mujuru’s House: Makedenge

http://www.radiovop.com/

Harare, January 27, 2012 - A Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA)
official, who is part of a team of experts who examined the late Retired
Army General Solomon Mujuru’s Beatrice farm house, has dismissed any
possibility of an electrical fault having ignited the inferno that reduced
Mujuru’s body to ashes.

Douglas Chiradza Makungu, who is customer service officer at a ZESA station
in Beatrice, told a Harare magistrates' court Thursday during Mujuru’s
ongoing inquest that when he conducted an inspection at the late Mujuru’s
house, he discovered that the pipes through which electrical cables run had
not been damaged by the fire.

“The wiring in the house was in iron pipes,” he said

“In cases of a fault occurring inside such a pipe, the pipe should also have
been burnt or grazed a bit. But we observed the pipes had not suffered such
damage.”

Makungu went further to say further investigations that included
interviewing the late Mujuru’s house maid showed that there was not high
currency carrying appliances that the deceased could have used during the
fateful night, dispelling any thoughts the fire could have been caused by a
ZESA fault.

“ZESA’s responsibility only goes up to the electrical meter in so far as
serving the customer is concerned. My conclusion is that the electricity
cables were actually burnt by the fire,” said Makungu.

Mukungu is a Beatrice resident who told the court he had also been
acquainted to the late army commander.

He said he was later joined in the investigations by other ZESA officials
who also expressed the same opinions the fire had been started by an
external component.

His evidence tallies with the one given by the Fire Brigade Wednesday, that
the fire that killed Mujuru was a result of arson.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Chrispen Makedenge, the investigating
officer into the death of Mujuru produced an assortment of 17 burnt firearms
in court which he said police discovered in Mujuru’s burnt house.

Makedenge, who is Deputy Commanding Harare CID’s Law and Order division,
said two of the firearms, among them an AK rifle had been discovered in the
late Mujuru’s bedroom, the rest having been taken from his burnt gun
cabinet.

He did not tell the court what use the firearms were.

Makedenge narrated to the court how police and a pathologist cut off flesh
from Mujuru's body, collected blood samples from his younger brother to go
and conduct a DNA test that would confirm he was the one burnt in the fire.

The inquest continues today during which Makedenge shall continue from where
he left. So far 28 witnesses out of 42 have testified.

Zim wildlife facing poaching ‘horror story’

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
27 January 2012

Zimbabwe’s wildlife is facing another destructive year, with poaching on the
rise, land being destroyed and no government support for conservation
efforts.

Elephants, rhinos and hundreds of other animals are at risk and
conservationists in the country have warned of a potential ‘disaster’.
Johnny Rodrigues, the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
(ZCTF) described the situation as a “horror story.”

“We’ve got serious problems,” Rodrigues told SW Radio Africa on Friday.
“Animals are being poached, poisoned, threatened. And there is no law and
order to even think of stopping the situation.”

Rodriques explained how waterholes have been poisoned, land invaders have
been involved in poaching and trees are being chopped down for firewood,
placing the animals at risk. He said that this month alone, at least four
rhinos have been killed, while recently 88 hippos, 45 buffaloes, 30
elephants and 2 kudus were found dead in Mana Pools National Park. Tests
confirmed that the hippos died of anthrax but the cause of death of the
other animals has not yet been confirmed.

“We also have ongoing destruction in the Chiredzi River Conservancy which is
a massive threat to the animals. Of the 70 elephants that were there, there
are now only 44,” Rodrigues said.

Last year, about US$150 000 worth of international conservation aid was
split between six countries, specifically for elephant conservation efforts
in Africa. This money, from a Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) fund, was handed to Botswana, Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa during a meeting last month
in South Africa. But Rodrigues explained that Zimbabwe did not even
participate in that meeting.

“Conservation is not being supported. The authorities don’t seem to care,
and the animals are the ones being punished. Everything is under threat,”
Rodrigues said.

The ZCTF Chair continued that the return of law and order is the only answer
to the serious issues facing conservation efforts, saying that without it,
no one is safe to even protest what is happening.

“In a normal country, where there is law and order, people can demonstrate
and demand that something happens. You can’t do that here,” Rodriques said.

You can support the work of the ZCTF and follow their updates on the
situation by ‘Liking’ their Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ZCTF-Zimbabwe-Conservation-Task-Force/246013052094585

You can also visit their website http://www.zctfofficialsite.org/

Biti to stagger civil service, pension payments dates

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Friday, 27 January 2012 12:31

HARARE - Finance minister Tendai Biti will be staggering the civil service
and pension payment dates over a period of at least four business days
between payments.

The latest move attests to the crippling foreign exchange shortages
blighting the troubled coalition government. The new pay dates, to be
announced soon, will come into force next month.

“We will review the four monthly civil service and pension payment dates to
allow for a time lag of at least four business days between payments,” Biti
told a news conference Wednesday.

“At the moment, you have a crowding out effect in that government pay days
are crowded out and concentrated in a short time space. That doesn’t give
time to the system to breathe and recover before payment of one transaction
and another huge transaction. And we hope to implement this in February
2012.”

The troubled unity government, battling a crushing liquidity crunch, also
announced a cocktail of measures to support orderly transactions within the
financial system. Biti said from now onwards, banks will also be staggering
payments of high-value transactions, in order to allow them sufficient time
to plan for such transactions.

“We will be introducing a system of Notice Periods for high-value
transactions, in order to give banks adequate time to prepare for the
processing of budget payments,” he said.

“Notice periods will be related to the value of the transactions, up to a
maximum of seven working days.”

The Daily News heard that festive season expenditure pressures clogged the
financial institutions and caused logjams in the RTGS system because of
economy-wide high volumes of high-value transactions, compounded by payments
for civil servants salaries and bonuses towards the end of December 2011.

“Just on salaries and bonuses alone we had to fork out the sum $300 million
in November and December alone which is a colossal amount, as a result there
were delays and temporary suspensions on RTGS payments,” Biti said.

He said this had adversely impacted on the processing of budget payments for
government projects and related payments.

To augment cash allocated in the 2012 national budget and bolster liquidity
in the money market, Biti announced that treasury will be withdrawing $110
million from Zimbabwe’s General Special Drawing Rights Allocation Account at
the IMF, money allocated in 2009 under a $250 billion global agreement to
strengthen the reserves of all 186 IMF member states in the wake of the
global financial crisis.

Zimbabwe says it wants $10 billion in foreign aid to reconstruct the
country, struggling with rundown infrastructure, toxic politics and
unemployment of over 90 percent.

But Western nations have withheld aid over policy differences with veteran
President Robert Mugabe, and have been ambivalent to release cash without
concrete signs of political and economic reform under a unity government he
formed with rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now Prime Minister.

The aid that has flown in has mainly been humanitarian.

Copac completes draft

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Bridget Mananavire, Staff Writer
Friday, 27 January 2012 10:19

HARARE - The Constitution Select Committee (Copac) has completed the initial
drafting of 18 chapters of the Constitution.

Copac announced the completion of the first stage of drafting amid a barrage
of criticism from Zanu PF and war veterans that they were deliberately
prolonging the process in a bid to delay elections.

Copac officials were also attacked for allegedly deliberately delaying to
allow themselves access to more allowances.

The process began in 2009, with an outreach programme in 2010 where
Zimbabweans’ views were gleaned.

Those views are now being incorporated into a draft charter expected to be
put to public scrutiny at a forthcoming Second all-stakeholders conference.

In a statement, Copac said drafters have completed a preliminary proposed
draft of 18 chapters “based on the issues that were agreed upon.”

“In doing their work, the drafters were guided by the drafting instructions
given to them by the Select Committee,” the select committee statement said.

“They used the constitutional issues distilled from the national report
which contains submissions for the new draft that came from the people
during the outreach phase.

“Discussions on the first four chapters are nearly complete, and the
following two weeks will be characterised by intense work where the Select
Committee shall discuss the rest of the chapters submitted by the drafters
on January 23.”

Copac said decisions on issues on which consensus has not been reached is
also expected to be taken during that time.

Copac chairpersons earlier told a press briefing that four chapters that had
been leaked to the state media was “work in progress” that had misled people
on issues covered.

Copac officials said they were pushing to complete the whole drafting stage
by the end of this month.

After the drafting, the Second all-stakeholders conference will follow
affording an opportunity to the public to comment on the issues before the
draft is submitted to Parliament. From Parliament, the draft will be put to
a referendum.

A tense atmosphere engulfed the last press briefing after a group of war
veterans took turns to spit venom at Copac co-chairpersons alleging the
process was now a money-spinning exercise for them.

Zanu PF co-chair Paul Mangwana dismissed claims that Copac is a money making
venture for the select committee as alleged by the war veterans saying they
are pushing for the drafting to be finished by the end of this month.

Zimbabwe’s war veterans have been calling for Copac to be disbanded
ostensibly because “it had betrayed the views of the people of Zimbabwe.”

Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators (Ziliwaco) had earlier threatened
Copac with legal action, citing a number of irregularities in the drafting
of the new constitution.

Parties fight over citizenship

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/

Friday, 27 January 2012 13:23

Staff Reporter

A STORM is brewing between ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC-T) over the issue of dual citizenship as the constitution-making
exercise enters a defining stage.
If ZANU-PF’s bid to outlaw dual citizenship carries the day, it will hit the
hardest locals domiciled outside Zimbabwe’s borders who were forced to leave
at the height of the country’s economic and political upheavals.
Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) co-chairperson, Douglas
Mwonzora, who is also the MDC-T spokesperson, confirmed differences over the
matter.
“There is no convergence, no agreement on that issue. The MDC’s position is
that citizenship ought to be by registration and by descent. Dual
citizenship ought to be allowed”, said Mwonzora.
Paul Mangwana, another COPAC co-chairperson, said during the outreach
process, the majority of Zimbabweans said no to dual citizenship, and that
is the position that should be adopted.
“Seven out of the country’s 10 provinces said they want mono-citizenship.
When you see me having problems with people, they would be talking about
issues that did not come from the people”, said Mangwana.
Last week, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said it remains greatly
concerned about shortcomings in the constitutional-making process and the
continued failure to embrace minimum measures that would allow the exercise
to have popular ownership and confidence.
According to the Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative (CRAI); which is
dedicated to ending statelessness and the arbitrary denial of citizenship in
Africa, Zimbabwe is one of the countries on the continent said to be
practicing denationalisation, which campaigners described as was a  severe
human rights abuse, entrenched because of political party interests.
“Although the African Charter prohibits discrimination based on distinctions
‘such as race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or
any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other
status’, governments regularly ignore this policy and discriminate groups
based on many of these attributes”, said CRAI.
CRAI is currently lobbying African governments to adopt a treaty to
establish principles and rules to eliminate arbitrariness and discrimination
in the proof, acquisition, enjoyment, and loss of citizenship on the
continent.
“Denationalisation can be executed for many reasons – groups can be denied
legal nationality due to their ethnicity, citizenship can be taken away due
to party affiliation, and individuals can be rendered stateless for any
perceived threat against the state”, observed CRAI.

Land grabs move to Harare

http://mg.co.za

JASON MOYO  HARARE, ZIMBABWE - Jan 27 2012 09:48

Just past one of Harare's wealthiest northern suburbs, the road empties
quickly into the squalor. On one side of the road in the Hatcliff area a
Zanu-PF flag flies over a makeshift home, one of hundreds being illegally
built by the party's supporters on land that had been set aside for a new
suburb.

There are shades of the farm invasions that started in 2000 -- when landless
villagers invaded thousands of farms across the country -- but this time the
white farmer has been replaced by land developers and the landless villagers
by housing cooperatives backed by Zanu-PF.

Amid rising controversy over the urban land invasions, the government
announced this week that it was drafting the military into a new committee
that would investigate the illegal allocation of housing stands in Harare
"in a bid to curb corruption and ensure that the land is developed".

The role of the military in the housing controversy will unsettle Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, which holds the
urban constituencies that Zanu-PF is now taking over using its land barons
and thousands of desperate homeseekers.

A Zanu-PF membership card makes you part of one of numerous "housing
co-operatives", which are run by the party's kingpins looking to gain
political clout and make a profit. In Hatcliff hundreds of homeseekers have
paid subscriptions to the Harare North Housing Union, run by Justin
Zvandasara, who is campaigning to be the Zanu-PF MP for the area.

Zanu-PF has little support in urban areas, but it has been using the hunger
for urban land to parcel out pieces of land on the outskirts of Harare and
other cities as a way to claw its way into the urban areas.

It is a strategy that has worked before. In a previous election the
government shifted constituency boundaries in an area on the southern verges
of Harare to include new settlements controlled by Zanu-PF. Scared of being
driven off the land, voters in those settlements voted Zanu-PF, giving
President Robert Mugabe his only constituency in Harare. Now Zanu-PF looks
to be expanding that strategy, allowing what it calls "co-operatives" to
occupy land set aside for new property developments.

More than 1 000 settlers have occupied plots of land here, each paying up to
$1 000 to the co-operative. The co-operative has parcelled out stands of
about 300m2 each and settlers pay $55 a month to stay. The money they pay,
they have been told, is to "service the stands".

Council laws state houses should be built only after the water supply and
sewerage systems are in place. In addition, the city planner must approve
plans and authorise construction of any housing.

But hundreds of makeshift homes are going up. There are no roads and
residents have dug shallow wells for water right next to pit latrines.

Portia Manangazira, disease control officer in the ministry of health, said
such settlements were contributing to outbreaks of typhoid in parts of
Harare. "According to the Public Health Act, tap water is the only
acceptable source of drinking water in urban areas," she said.

But, just as was the case on the farms, Zanu-PF said the squatters are not
going anywhere.

The invaded Hatcliff property belongs to Nyasha Chikwinya, a Zanu-PF
official herself. She wants the invaders out but she has had to tread
carefully.

"As a mother and grandmother, I have a heart. Some have begged me to spare
them from evictions," Chikwinya said. She explained that she would negotiate
with leaders of the co-operative.

The high court has ordered the settlers off the property. Dismissing pleas
to spare residents who have already built homes on the land, the court ruled
that the "mere fact that the respondents have since unlawfully erected
structures on someone's land without her consent cannot sanitise or legalise
their unlawful authority".

Zimbabwe Aims To Induce Private Funding of $2.6B Roads Plan

http://enr.construction.com

01/27/2012
By Shem Oirere

Despite facing international economic sanctions and $10 billion in national
debt, the government of Zimbabwe is seeking private financing for a
$2.6-billion plan aimed at rehabilitating an estimated 40% of the country’s
80,000-kilometer road network.

The government’s plan calls for $985.9 million in improvements to primary,
secondary and tertiary road networks, $924 million for widening to two lanes
existing one-way trunk roads and $715 million of urban road rehabilitation.

Zimbabwe’s treasury department has allocated $94.5 million in the current
financial year toward the rehabilitation. However, the government has yet to
release an implementation plan or bidding schedule for the road program.

“Given the limited support from state resources, the bulk of the financing
for the road rehabilitation program will necessitate the participation of
private capital through [public-private partnerships] and joint-venture
initiatives,” Finance Minister Tendai Biti said in early January.

Zimbabwe officials are in talks with the Development Bank of South Africa
(DBSA) and the African Development Bank (ADB) about possible financing. DBSA
reportedly has approved $206 million toward the rehabilitation of an 801-km
main road linking Zimbabwe to Botswana. ADB, meanwhile, has committed to
funding a study of some of the roads earmarked for rehabilitation.

Public-private partnerships will be used for the widening of the one-way
roads, while rehabilitation and maintenance of other roads will be funded
from the national budget as well as revenue collected by the Zimbabwe
National Road Authority from vehicle license fees. More critically, the
country added, in 2009, 22 toll gates to some major roads, with each
generating an estimated $1.3 million per month, the Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority reports.

To attract private-sector financing, Minister Biti said Zimbabwe will
establish an autonomous road authority that will be managed under a
public-private partnership that will plan road development, maintenance and
rehabilitation. Further, the country is seeking to implement a more open and
competitive bidding process as opposed to the current one, which is tightly
controlled and influenced by government.

Simon Mann appeals against Zimbabwe gun conviction over Equatorial Guinea plot

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Simon Mann, the Old Etonian mercenary behind a failed coup d'état in
Equatorial Guinea, is appealing against his conviction for buying weapons
for the plot in Zimbabwe.

By Peta Thornycroft and Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg

11:38PM GMT 26 Jan 2012

Mr Mann was arrested in Zimbabwe in 2004 together with 69 other mercenaries
when his Boeing 727 landed in Harare with $180,000 on board to pay for the
arms cache.

At trial, he was convicted of two counts of buying and selling weaponry, and
sentenced to seven years imprisonment in Harare.

He was released after three, and sent to Equatorial Guinea where he was
jailed for another year before being pardoned by the dictator he had sought
to overthrow, Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

On Thursday, it emerged that Mr Mann, who is now back in the UK and has
written a book about his experiences, is seeking to have his conviction in
Zimbabwe overturned.

Eveson Samkange, one of a team of Zimbabwean lawyers acting on behalf of Mr
Mann, said his client wanted to clear his name so he could travel. He said
that they had been granted leave to appeal the conviction following a
hearing in the High Court on Wednesday.

"Mr Mann's case in the High Court is an effort for him to get a clean record
and have his conviction set aside," he told The Daily Telegraph.

"His application to have (the appeal) transferred to the Supreme Court was
granted."

In court papers, Mr Mann, a former a Scots Guards and SAS officer, said that
when he arrived in Harare, he was representing South African firm Military
Technical Service, which had a deal with the Zimbabwean authorities to buy
weapons.

He said that since MTS had a firearms license, "the contact of purchase and
sale aforesaid was above board and legitimate in all the circumstances".

He explained that his lawyers had not initially appealed his conviction
because they were negotiating with the cash-strapped Zimbabwean government
to hand over the plane, and the $180,000, in return for Mr Mann's release
back to London.

"At first the government indicated it wanted the plane and that it would
release Simon Mann in exchange for it," Mr Samkange said.

"But that came to nothing in the end and I don't know who in government was
involved at that time."

Instead, Robert Mugabe's government extradited Mr Mann to Equatorial Guinea
in what many interpreted as a handover in return for oil from the
resource-rich West African nation.

The plane, a Boeing 727, is thought to be still on the tarmac at Manyame Air
Base, a high-security military instalment next to Harare International
Airport. Mr Samkange said several attempts by the Zimbabwean government to
have its ownership transferred from Mr Mann's name have failed.

He said that since the Zimbabwean government reneged on its deal, Mr Mann
should be allowed to appeal his conviction – and take back possession of his
plane and money.

Health crisis unfolds

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw

Friday, 27 January 2012 13:21

Staff Reporter

A HEATH crisis is slowly emerging in Zimbabwe amid fears of a humanitarian
disaster as the typhoid outbreak takes root; four years after the cholera
epidemic claimed more than 4 000 lives.

According to a Parliamentary report on health, the government is not paying
much attention to the health sector, leaving donors to do most of the work.
Legislators said the country’s over reliance on donors for drugs was
unsustainable and could give rise to a national crisis should they decide to
withdraw immediately.
At high risk are HIV and Aids patients. Over 600 000 people on
Anti-Retroviral drugs are getting their supplies from donor-funded agencies.
The report added that much emphasis was being put on curative methods and
not preventive initiatives to pre-empt outbreaks.
“We were pleasantly surprised that about 98 percent of the drugs in this
country are donor funded and only two percent are provided for in the
budget,” said the Health Committee report.
“We also noticed that most of that funding is going for curative services,
notwithstanding that there is an old adage that ‘prevention is better that
cure’. The recommended level of funding is about 16-20 percent for
preventive medicine that will ensure that we do not have outbreaks of
typhoid, cholera and other diseases.”
This week, the  City of Harare’s director of health services, Prosper
Chonzi, said 1 700 typhoid cases had been reported in the capital city, 600
of them in the high density suburbs.
Members of Parliament said there was poor management at  medical stores run
by the government.
The State-run National Pharm-aceutical Company of Zimbabwe was said to be
struggling after the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare consumed almost
all the drugs from the national pharmacy worth about US$3,65 million without
any payment at a time when the institution is crying out for
recapitalisation.
Piles and piles of disused assets were said to be lying idle at hospitals,
clinics and district offices, among others. It was recmmended that these
assets be sold to raise revenue for the government or that they be handed to
legislators for refurbishment through the Constituency Development Fund.
“Our mortuaries in the main hospitals are in a sorry state, when we visited
some of these mortuaries, we discovered that the bodies were decomposing,”
lawmakers added in the report.

Mass graves found at police training camp

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

POLICE have uncovered mass graves at one of their training centers
previously used for national youth service, reports the NewZimbabwe website.
27.01.1211:57am
by Lunga Sibanda

The disclosure was made to Matabeleland North governor Thokozile Mathuthu by
police chiefs while she was attending a pass-out parade at the Ntabazinduna
Police Training Depot, 32km north east of Bulawayo, on Thursday.

Superintendent Ben Chabata, the second in command at the training centre,
asked the governor for resources to help identify who lies in the graves. He
did not say when the discovery was made.

Superintendent Chabata said they had identified two mass graves, which they
had fenced off, but said police had no idea how many people were buried
there. Police also had no means of determining how old the graves were.

“After the discovery of the graves, and in an effort to build relations with
the local community, we invited the local chief to come and view the place
after we fenced it off,” Sup. Chataba said.

“It is our wish as the Zimbabwe Republic Police to identify who lies in
these graves and resources permitting we can put name tags on the graves.”

The ZRP opened the training centre in 2004, taking over the site from the
Ministry of Youth Development which was using it as a base for a
controversial national youth service programme.

The youth service programme was condemned by opposition parties and human
rights groups who accused President Robert Mugabe’s government of
brainwashing youths, training them in torture and then unleashing them to
brutalise opponents during election campaigns.

Appearing slightly shaken, governor Mathuthu ordered the district
administrator, Ennety Sithole, to chair a meeting between the police,
traditional leaders and medical experts to work out a programme of exhuming
and identifying the remains.

She told Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri: “I am very grateful to you
and your local commanders for fencing these graves off, and providing shade.
That shows an appreciation for our culture and respect for the dead.”

The Matabeleland region has hundreds of mass graves from the
post-independence military crackdown by President Robert Mugabe, ostensibly
to flush out a dozen armed dissident supporters of ZAPU leader, Joshua
Nkomo.

Human rights groups say a special army unit called the 5 Brigade, trained by
North Korea and reporting directly to Mugabe, indiscriminately killed
civilians between 1983 and 1987, leaving more than 20,000 people dead and
thousands more wounded or displaced.

In October last year, authorities at a school in Lupane reported finding a
large grave with up to 60 skeletal remains of people feared killed during
the crackdown known as Gukurahundi.

Shocked pupils saw bones sticking out of the ground when a football pitch
caved in. The school was used by the 5 Brigade as a detention centre during
its reign of terror.

The MDC Today – Issue 289