The ZIMBABWE Situation
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Teachers
to strike when schools open next week
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai Karimakwenda
05
January, 2012
The two main bodies representing Zimbabwe’s teachers have
both decided to go
on strike as the first term of school begins next week.
The issue, as
always, is government’s failure to meet the teachers’ demands
for salaries
that are in line with the basic minimum required to
survive.
Both the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and the
Zimbabwe
Teachers Association (ZIMTA), in a rare cooperation, have said
their members
will not report for duty when schools open next week unless
there is a firm
commitment by government to meet their
demands.
Teachers are paid an average of $250 to $320, when a minimum
$502 per month
is required for a family of four. The teachers are also
demanding transport
and housing allowances. Many are forced to engage in
other business
activities during school hours in order to support their
families.
The teachers’ were further angered recently when
parliamentarians got
together and demanded allowances owed to them by
government, and received
them. Teachers say this shows there is money in the
government coffers for
the MPs own allowances, yet teachers are being
ignored.
Several promises by government to better their salaries have not
been
fulfilled and this time the teachers say they will not end the strike
unless
government shows a firm commitment to meet their demands.
Last
year Robert Mugabe met with civil servants’ representatives and
promised to
double their salaries, using money earned from the sale of
diamonds. This
never happened.
ZANU PF claimed it was Finance Minister Tendai Biti who
was refusing to
increase the salaries, but Biti insists the money from
diamonds is not
making it into the treasury and government is
broke.
PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said the decision to
strike would
not be reversed “We know that government has money and we have
been watching
them,” Majongwe is quoted as saying.
Prison
officers victimized for ‘reading’ Tsvangirai’s newsletter
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona
Sibanda
5 January 2012
Nine senior Zimbabwe Prison Service officers
based in Rusape have been
placed on forced transfer, as ‘punishment’ for
allegedly reading Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s newsletter.
The
only senior officer to survive the chop is the officer-in-charge,
Superintendent Phillip Zimondi. He was away attending an administrative
course of senior prison officers in Vumba when the incident
happened.
A retired ZPS officer, who asked not to be identified for fear
of
victimization, told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that some of the senior
officers placed on transfer attended the same course with Zimondi but were
unfortunate to be branded pro-MDC. All the nine officers affected were
housed in the living quarters of the prison complex.
We can reveal
that Chief Prison Officer Manatsa is to be transferred to
Chikurubi,
Principal Prison Officer Mungate is to be sent to Bindura, while
Senior
Prison officers Mazhangara and Mafara are going to Gwanda and Mazowe.
Prison
officer Chemhere is making a short journey to Nyazura, while officer
Guri is
going to Chipinge.
Two more senior officers, Chapo and Sachikonye, have
been moved but we could
not verify where they have been transferred to. The
problem for the officers
started back in November last year when a wife to
one of them was seen by
some CIO officers, handing over a copy of
Tsvangirai’s newsletter to Guri
outside the prison complex. The woman in
question is married to SPO Mafara.
Apparently the CIO offices in Rusape
are opposite the prison complex. The
state security agents immediately took
Guri and Mrs Mafara into custody. She
was tortured for three days, according
to the retired ZPS officer.
‘While Guri was only interrogated for close
to nine hours, Mafara’s wife was
held for three days where she endured
endless torture. Guri told his
interrogators that as a trained journalist,
he saw no reason why he couldn’t
read the newsletter to keep himself up to
date with events,’ the ex-ZPS
officer said.
He continued: ‘What made
things worse for the Mafara’s was that after a
house search by the CIO’s
they found an MDC t-shirt that belonged to a
relative. I think when she was
further tortured she was forced to implicate
some officers in MDC
activities.’
We were able to contact some of the officers, who confirmed
the transfers
but said no disciplinary hearings were conducted to warrant
such drastic
action from the prison bosses.
They told us they are
being victimized for something they didn’t do and said
the same would not
have happened to well known ZANU PF zealots working for
the ZPS.
‘A
quick check of the top hierarchy of the prison service in all the
provinces
will tell you that all the senior officers support ZANU PF openly.
The
moment you are suspected to belong to MDC, you are straight away
suspended,
fired or transferred.
Crackdown
on MDC
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Bridget Mananavire, Staff Writer
Thursday, 05 January 2012
13:31
HARARE - A crackdown on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s
supporters has
followed the bombing of Zanu PF offices in Gweru, prompting
the MDC to
charge that authorities are using the incident to decimate the
party ahead
of polls.
Police in Gweru arrested three MDC activists
yesterday on accusations of
involvement in the bombing of Zanu PF offices in
the city.
The MDC denies responsibility and says the bombing is an inside
Zanu PF job.
About 30 heavily armed police pounced on the unsuspecting
activists around
0300 hours and dragged them into custody, according to
senior MDC officials.
They were yet to access lawyers by the time of
going to print last night.
MDC MP for Mkoba Amos Chibaya confirmed the
arrests.
“Police raided my house at three in the morning looking for one
of the guys,
who is my cousin, thinking he was at my house. They continued
their raid and
arrested three of our activists,” said Chibaya.
The
crackdown signals the start of a string of attacks on people non-aligned
to
Zanu PF.
Police drove 80 priests of the Anglican Church of the Province
of Central
Africa (CPCA) from Peterhouse Girls College near Marondera on
Tuesday using
harsh security law, the Public Order and Security
Act.
The priests were on a prayer meeting. CPCA has been in property
wrangles
with Zanu PF loyalist, Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, whom the church says
enjoys
police protection.
Observers fear the arrests of the MDC
activists will weaken the strength of
joint rallies proposed by leaders of
the three political parties in the
Government of National Unity (GNU)
scheduled for next month in a bid to urge
their supporters to refrain from
violence and promote political tolerance.
Police yesterday denied the
arrested three MDC activists, Douglass Tsuro,
28, Wonder Marange, 40, and
Silus Mutendeudzwa, 41, access to their lawyer,
Reginald Chidawanyika for
the whole day. It was unclear by last night what
charges the trio would
face.
“The only briefing I got was that they were suspects in the bombing
of Zanu
PF offices but I have not had access to them,” said
Chidawanyika.
He said the only concrete information he had was that his
clients were under
interrogation at the station.
No-one was injured
when the Zanu PF offices were bombed on December 27 last
year, but that has
not stopped the party from blaming the MDC.
Frequent arrests of MDC
officials and supporters have attracted widespread
criticism of the police
by churches, civil society groups and other
political parties for alleged
selective application of the law.
In October last year, MDC headquarters,
Harvest House, was attacked but no
arrests have been made relating to the
bombings to date.
MDC secretary general Tendai Biti’s Chisipite house was
also bombed in June
last year but no arrests were made with police saying
nothing had come out
of the investigations on the bombing.
Chibaya
said: “The arrest of the three is nonsensical because these guys
were not in
Gweru at the time of the bombing.
“It is an instruction from Zanu PF.
What would one want from an empty
office?
“This is a cover up of Zanu
PF’s internal fighting. The factions within the
party are battling as they
are about to get into a restructuring process,”
he said.
“The bombing
is clearly an inside job,” said Chibaya.
MDC Midlands provincial
chairperson Lilian Timveos said the police
accusations were baseless because
they had not carried any investigations.
“It is unfair that everything
that happens against Zanu PF is said to have
been done by MDC. The police
should do their job and investigate the matter,
not go around arresting MDC
activists like they are doing,” she said.
Police
raid house of Mkoba legislator
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
VOA 21 hours 13 minutes
ago
GWERU - Police in Gweru on Wednesday raided the house of
Mkoba legislator
Amos Chibaya of the MDC wing led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai in
connection with the bombings last month of a ZANU-PF office in
the Midlands
capital.
Chibaya was absent when the raid took place,
and police went on to arrest
three people they found in his house. Sources
said the three were being held
at Gweru Central Police Station and were
being denied access to their
attorney, Reginald Chidavanyika.
Chibaya
told the VOA that he had nothing to do with the bombing as he was
out of
Gweru when it took place.
Declaring his innocence, he said he would
return to Gweru without fear,
adding the bombings may be an inside job
considering the factionalism
currently shaking ZANU-PF.
MDC-T
yesterday claimed Zanu PF was aware of people behind the alleged
bombing of
its Gweru offices and was now looking for scapegoats, the NewsDay
reported
today.
Meanwhile, MDC-T's deputy spokesperson Thabitha Khumalo said
"Zanu-PF knows
that the party that controls government institutions that
keep guns and
bombs is their party."
"If it was us we will all be
behind bars by now," Khumalo said.
"They bombed themselves and are now
looking for scapegoats.
"They should go to those institutions that they
control and ask who was
behind the bombing.
"We do not believe in
violence, there is no benefit in our party bombing
Zanu PF.
"This is
an indirect way of terrorising people ahead of elections," she
said.
The three-storey building where the offices are located in
Gweru's Central
Business District also houses the Central Intelligence
Organisation,
police's Criminal Investigations Department and several
private
organisations. Meanwhile, police yesterday said they were yet to
find any
leads into the alleged bombing.
Midlands' provincial police
spokesperson Inspector Patrick Chademana said
there were no developments in
the case so far.
"There are no new leads at the moment," Chademana
said.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo also said they were waiting for
briefings
from the police on the outcome of the
investigations.
"There are no new developments. We do not have any
suspects except obviously
opposition parties. We are waiting for the police
update," he said.
The bombing occurred amid calls for peace by President
Robert Mugabe (Zanu
PF), Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and
Welshman Ncube of MDC.
Last month, the three leaders held an anti-
violence indaba in Harare amid
cheers, pomp and fanfare.
However,
those sceptical of the move described it as a charade to hoodwink
Zimbabweans into believing leaders of the dysfunctional inclusive government
had kissed and made up.
The Ncube-led MDC yesterday said it abhorred
any acts of violence and urged
the police to get to the bottom of the
matter.
Party national spokesperson Nhlanhla Dube yesterday said: "We
hope the
police will work swiftly and account for the perpetrators.
Kasukuwere
exposed as violent political gangster
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
05 January
2012
Youth and Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has been
anything but a
‘saviour’ for Mount Darwin South, where he is an MP. A
dossier supplied to
SW Radio Africa exposes him as a violent thug who from
2000 to 2008 beat up
opposition activists using an iron bar, while hunting
them down using
militia gangs.
Kasukuwere led and sponsored the
terror gangs that operated mainly in the
Mashonaland Central province. On
the 5th May 2008 for example he organized
and ferried (using his lorry) a
group of over 300 youths to Chaona, Mazowe.
The youths beat up perceived
opposition supporters, killing 6 and injuring
dozens.
Those killed
included Tapiwa Meda, Alex Chiriseri, Joseph Madzuramhende,
David Tachiwa
Mapuranga, Patson Madzuramhende and Joseph Jemedze. The youths
were wearing
Kasukuwere’s campaign t-shirts and were assisted by uniformed
soldiers under
the command of Major Cairo Mhandu.
Eight days later the same mob led by
Kasukuwere went on another rampage,
killing MDC-T supporters Fischer
Chitese, Bright Mafuriro and Sairiro
Kamufuto. On the 19th May the group
struck again, killing activist Phanuel
Mubaira.
Unlike many of his
colleagues who simply directed the violence, Kasukuwere
actually took
part.
On the 25th March 2000 Kasukuwere, then still a ZANU PF candidate
for Mount
Darwin Constituency, organised a 200 strong gang of youths and war
vets at
Madondo Hotel. Armed with a list of addresses of known MDC-T
supporters they
went door to door beating up their targets.
After
this raid many victims showed wounds and bruises on the face and all
over
the body. Assisting Kasukuwere in launching these raids was a war vet
known
as Jacob Juma. The next month in April the gang plotted to kill an MDC
chairman in Mount Darwin known as Taurai from the Nembire ward.
Under
the cover of darkness, Kasukuwere’s youths went to Taurai’s homestead,
surrounded it and set it on fire. Taurai tried to escape but fell into the
hands of the waiting arsonists who used an axe to hack him all over the
body. Although left him for dead he was saved by a neighbour who took him to
hospital.
On the same day Kasukuwere led a large group of youths he
had ferried into
Mount Darwin from Chitungwiza and directed them to attack
another MDC
chairman known as Tawanda, who was badly beaten and had to be
rushed to
hospital.
Not satisfied with beating Tawanda up, the
following day Kasukuwere’s gang
destroyed Tawanda’s home and burnt his car
to ashes. Although the matter was
reported to the police, officers at the
camp said they could not do anything
because Kasukuwere was
involved.
On the 13th April 2000 a group of 300 MDC supporters tried to
hold a rally
in Mt Darwin. Kasukuwere ordered the police to mount roadblocks
and turn
back everyone attending. The defiant MDC supporters fought their
way through
the roadblock of police who were being helped by hundreds of
ZANU PF youths
and war vets.
Having gone through the first roadblock
and the tear gas fired by police,
the MDC supporters ran into a second
ambush, this time mounted by Kasukuwere
and a gang of CIO operatives. Four
pick-up trucks and a maroon Mercedes
belonging to Kasukuwere blocked the
road. The CIO’s, including Kusukuwere,
pulled out their pistols and began
assaulting people while police officers
looked on.
A testimony from
one activist called Albert said: “Kasukuwere took an iron
bar and began
hitting my windscreen. He broke through the window and then
the bar hit me
on the face and when I got out of the car he hit me in the
eye. I have now
lost an eye. He then went to the next car and with the
others they were
hitting them. The windscreens and all the lights were
broken.”
Kasukuwere was said to be determined to attack the MDC
candidate for
Bindura, but an army helicopter arrived at the scene. Some MDC
supporters
ran into the hills but not before one of them was assaulted with
an axe and
later had stitches in the head.
But sometimes even the
best laid plans go wrong and ironically the army
ordered everyone at the
scene to lie down on the road, and that included
Kasukuwere.
Despite
protestations by Kasukuwere that he was the ZANU PF candidate, the
soldiers
disarmed him and beat him up. Some 80 MDC supporters were also
injured in
the attack. According to the testimony given the soldiers ordered
Kasukuwere
to be locked up at the police station in Bindura, but he was set
free when
his identity had been verified.
A number of reports credit Kasukuwere
with setting up ZANU PF torture bases
in Mashonaland Central in the run up
to the 2000 parliamentary elections. He
initially funded 28 youth militias
who lived in a building owned by his
campaign manager Terry Marodza. Showing
how the violent streak runs in the
family was the fact that the gang was
also partly sponsored by his sister,
Sarah Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere is
also nicknamed ‘Paraquat’ for encouraging his mobs to rub the
poisonous
herbicide into the torture wounds of MDC activists. This makes it
almost
impossible for the wounds to ever heal and causes enormous suffering,
and
many deaths long after the attack.
Despite claims that Kasukuwere was
fired from the CIO over corruption
allegations we understand he actually
still has an office at the CIO
headquarters at Chaminuka Building. What he
does there remains a mystery.
What we know is that even with a coalition
government in place he is still
directing ZANU PF violence.
In
February 2011 he was fingered as the man behind the mob that engulfed
Harare
in chaos. He hosted a meeting at his house where a plan was hatched
to send
party youths onto the streets to demand ‘empowerment’. With the help
of a
police escort they went on the rampage, looting and pillaging downtown
Harare.
SW Radio Africa has also exposed how despite being used as
the ‘poster boy’
for ZANU PF’s so-called indigenisation drive the same
Minister has helped
himself to nine farms. This is despite claims by
Mugabe’s regime that they
seized white owned land to give to landless
blacks.
Confidential documents sent to SW Radio Africa show Kasukuwere
owns part of
Pimento Farm in Mashonaland Central, South Bamboo Creek in
Shamva,
Cornucopia Farm Orchard, 500 hectares of Harmony Farm in Mazowe,
Bretton
Farm, Allan Grange Farm, Auchenburg Farm, Bamboo Creek Farm and
Bourne Farm.
Pimento was seized from white farmer Oliver Newton, South
Bamboo Creek from
farmers N. Richardson and R. Morkel, while Kasukuwere
reportedly seized the
Cornucopia Farm Orchard from Interfresh in 2006. His
brother Donald
Kasukuwere also helped himself to two farms, Usaka in Mazowe,
Mashonaland
Central and Sangokwe North in Mwenezi.
In addition to the
farms Kasukuwere is also involved in oil procurement and
distribution. He
owns ComOil (Pvt) Ltd and also the United Touring Company
(UTC) which has
been so run down it is in serious financial difficulties.
Additionally he
has substantial shareholdings in Genesis Bank and Interfresh
(Pvt)
Ltd.
In 2009 he was accused of trying to block fresh investment in the
energy
sector to force companies like BP and Shell to sell their assets to
his oil
company, ComOil.
In government Kasukuwere has run his
ministry like a mafia organization. He
illegally smuggled more than 11,000
youth militia onto the civil service
payroll and deployed them countrywide,
to intimidate opposition activists.
In a single day, on the 26th May
2008, his ministry hired 6,861 youth
militias. This was just a few weeks
away from the bloody one man
presidential run-off in June 2008.
Minister
Mohadi in wrangle over Beitbridge farm
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai Karimakwenda
05
January, 2012
Despite being extremely wealthy and a Minister who is
supposed to stand for
law and order, co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi
is reportedly involved
in a legal battle to take over another farm in
Beitbridge, with allegations
the row has turned into physical assaults and
threats from Mohadi and his
family.
Reports said a war vet in the
Beitbridge area, Given Mbedzi, alleges that
Minister Mohadi and his family
are trying to forcefully remove him from a
farm that he legally owns in the
Beitbridge area.
According to NewsDay newspaper, Mbedzi claims the
property was allocated to
him in 2003 and has produced an offer letter to
prove it. But Mohadi has his
own letter, signed six years later, naming his
son Campbell as the rightful
owner.
On Saturday Mohadi is alleged to
have threatened Mbedzi and his mother with
unspecified action if they did
not leave. On the same day his son Campbell
allegedly assaulted Mbedzi’s
elderly mother and deflated the tyres on their
rented
vehicle.
Several members of Mbedzi’s family were later arrested for
allegedly
tampering with locks Mohadi had put on some structures at the
farm. It is
believed the arrest was facilitated by Mohadi and his wife
Tambudzani, who
is a Senator in Beitbridge. The case is currently in the
courts.
This case highlights the additional problems created by Robert
Mugabe’s land
grab, which has not only destroyed the country’s food
production but has
created a problem for generations to come, as individuals
fight over parcels
of stolen land.
Most observers say there is a
clear tendency among politicians in Zimbabwe
to pursue personal wealth at
the expense of any service to the people.
Infighting is rife within
political parties, including the MDC formations,
over opportunities for
financial gain.
Former journalist Thabo Kunene told SW Radio Africa that
ZANU PF politicians
have amassed great wealth in Zimbabwe. He named Vice
President John Nkomo,
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu and Local Government
Minister Ignatius Chombo as
just a few of the examples.
Speaking on
the Crisis Analysis programme, Kunene said these men were all
very poor
before independence and have used their position in politics to
pursue
financial gain, forgetting those who struggled with them during the
liberation war.
Kunene pointed to the fact that MDC politicians have
also been chasing
personal wealth since they joined the coalition
government. “Some of the
MDC-T legislators have tasted power, have become
corrupt and amassed a lot
of wealth within a very short period of time,”
Kunene explained.
SW Radio Africa’s Bulawayo correspondent, Lionel
Saungweme, agreed. He
quoted businessman Phillip Chiyangwa, who once said:
“If you want to become
rich join ZANU PF” and said some MDC legislators are
displaying the same
greedy behavior.
“There used to be a tribal setup
where one tribe was accused of dominating
the other. But now politicians,
even here in Matabeleland, have become very
rich because they belong to ZANU
PF,” Saungweme said. He added that Mohadi
was also implicated in cattle
rustling and the theft of copper cables from a
phone company.
Mohadi,
as a co-Minister for Home Affairs, is expected to set an example as
a law
abiding citizen. But over the years he has drawn attention to himself
for
nothing more than corruption and abuse of the rule of the law.
Zanu-PF, MDC head to ANC
bash
http://mg.co.za/
RAY NDLOVU BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE - Jan 05 2012
14:43
Zimbabwe's main political parties have sent representatives
to South Africa
to attend the centenary celebrations of the African National
Congress (ANC)
that kicks off on Friday.
President Robert Mugabe's
Zanu-PF delegation will be led by Simon Khaya
Moyo, the party's national
chairperson, while Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T) delegation will be led
by Lovemore Moyo, the
speaker of Parliament.
Conflicting reports surround Mugabe's attendance
at the ANC bash as he is
currently on annual leave until February 1. His
spokesperson, George
Charamba said his boss was away and would only be back
at work at the end of
month, and was on holiday in Malaysia with his
family.
But a Zanu-PF insider said the 87-year-old leader would make it
for the ANC
festivities and would be in South Africa on Saturday. Pressed
for a comment
on the matter surrounding Mugabe's attendance, Rugare Gumbo,
the Zanu-PF
spokesperson said, "I am in a meeting, I can't comment and I
don't know what
time I will be finished here."
However, official
information from the ANC suggests that Mugabe is part of
the 46 heads of
state billed to attend and had accepted an invite to attend
the weekend
festivities in Bloemfontein, Free State.
Mugabe's attendance of the ANC
bash, although on leave, may well be a show
of camaraderie after ANC
secretary general, Gwede Mantashe, attended
Zanu-PF's conference held in
Bulawayo last December and endorsed Mugabe's
presidential
candidacy.
At the Bulawayo conference, Mantashe offered to help Zanu-PF
come up with
"strategies" to win elections expected this year. The ANC
enjoys historical
ties with Zanu-PF dating back to the days of the
liberation struggle in the
1960s and has used this to defend its
relationship with Mugabe and Zanu-PF.
Meanwhile, the smaller MDC group
led by Welshman Ncube will not be attending
the ANC bash as it did not
receive an invitation from the President Jacob
Zuma-led
ANC.
Priscilla Mushonga-Misihairabwi, the party's secretary general said
this
week: "We did not get an invite, how then can we just send a delegation
and
pitch up with no invitation? We are not attending the ANC
celebrations."
The snubbing of Ncube's MDC at the ANC celebrations
may prove to be a
setback in its bid to gain footing in the eyes of the
electorate as an
influential political party to be reckoned with, after
constantly being
marginalised by Zanu-PF and the MDC-T.
Ncube and
Zuma are in-laws, through the marriage of Ncube's son Wesley to
Gugu Zuma.
MDC
gets ANC celebrations invite
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Thursday,
05 January 2012 14:23
HARARE - South Africa’s ruling African National
Congress (ANC) party has
extended an invitation to the mainstream MDC party
to attend its 100th
Anniversary celebrations.
The move is seen as an
attempt to mend relations with the former opposition
party and restore its
neutrality in dealing with the Zimbabwean political
issue following a boob
by the ANC’s secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe who
offered to help Zanu PF
win elections.
This is despite that his party is playing mediator to the
country’s
political crisis. Mantashe made the offer while giving his
solidarity speech
at last month’s Zanu PF conference.
Douglas
Mwonzora, the MDC spokesperson confirmed that his party had received
an
invitation to attend the ANC celebrations.
Lovemore Moyo, the party’s
chairman, is expected to attend the celebrations
on behalf of the
party.
“The ANC did invite us as the MDC to its 100 year anniversary. We
will be
represented by the national chairman there,” Mwonzora
said.
He added: “We take the invitation as a realisation that the MDC is
no longer
a small party in the Zimbabwean government as well as
politics.
“They have realised that the MDC is indeed a factor they cannot
ignore and
have seen it fit to make that point clear by extending this
invitation to
us.”
It was not immediately clear whether Zanu PF had
also received the
invitation as party spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo repeatedly
said he was “in a
serious meeting.”
Welshman Ncube, the leader of the
other MDC party and his secretary-general,
Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga,
said their party had not yet received an
invitation to the celebrations to
be attended by over 100 000 people from
around the world.
“We are yet
to receive that invitation,” said Ncube.
Misihairambwi-Mushonga said:
“They have not invited us yet.”
Zanu PF has been on the receiving end in
general elections since 2000,
losing significantly to the MDC in rural and
urban constituencies.
Mantashe said his part would offer a hand to ensure
that it regain its
slipping control on national politics.
However,
the statements attracted a lot of reactions as analysts concluded
that
Mantashe had let the cat out of the bag on the ANC’s treatment and
disdain
of the MDC.
The analysts also pointed out that Mantashe’s statements were
bound to
create fissures between itself and the political parties in
Zimbabwe where
it had played a midwifery role in the country’s politics,
leading to the
signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in September
2008.
In the past, MDC has exchanged bitter words with the then ANC
leader and
South Africa president Thabo Mbeki accusing him of taking sides
with
President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party in his mediating role
Mugabe’s
party says ANC is inefficient
http://www.nation.co.ke/
By KITSEPILE NYATHI NATION
Correspondent
Posted Thursday, January 5 2012 at 17:40
HARARE,
Thursday
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF has launched an
uncharacteristic
attack on South Africa’s ruling African National Congress
accusing it of
failing Africa with its approach to the Democratic Republic
of Congo and
Libya conflicts.
The rebuke came on the eve of the ANC’s
centenary celebrations in South
Africa’s city of Bloemfontein this weekend,
which are expected to attract
over 40 Heads of State and thousands of
people.
Zanu PF’s secretary of administration Mr Didymus Mutasa told
state radio on
Thursday that the ANC had failed to provide leadership as
Africa’s oldest
liberation movement.
“We realise that there are
elements keen to divide us and infiltrate the
region and cause mayhem,” he
said. “It is important, therefore for us to
cement that unity as liberation
movements so that we will react together.
“We were hoping the ANC were
going to join us with Namibia in the DRC
conflict. We also hope there are
many things the ANC can do to achieve the
true liberation of
Africa.”
President Mugabe and former South African President Nelson
Mandela had a
major fallout in 1998 after Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola sent
troops to
defend late DRC President Laurent Kabila who was under siege from
rebels.
The Zimbabwean strongman had used his role as chairman of the
Southern
African Development Community’s peace and security organ to
intervene but
the move was challenged by Mr Mandela.
South Africa
refused to deploy any troops and this led to several clashes
between the two
leaders.
President Mugabe has also repeatedly attacked South Africa for
supporting a
United Nations resolution that paved the way for NATO’s
intervention in
Libya.
Relentless NATO bombings led to the demise of
long serving Libyan ruler
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi last year.
Zanu PF
and the ANC had uneasy relations since the war for liberation in
both
Zimbabwe and South Africa with President Mugabe preferring to work with
South Africa’s other liberation movement, the Pan African
Congress.
ANC shared trenches with late Zimbabwe Vice President Joshua
Nkomo’s PF
Zapu, which pulled out of a unity accord with Zanu PF in
2009.
Despite the criticism, President Mugabe is expected to join other
Heads of
State at the celebrations that end on Sunday.
The ANC was
formed at a church in Bloemfontein on January 8, 1912 by diverse
groups to
fight apartheid.
Zim
in Libyan NTC climbdown
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Chengetai Zvauya and Xolisani Ncube
Thursday,
05 January 2012 14:28
HARARE - Zimbabwe has made a major climbdown on
its diplomatic row with
Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC), which,
as rebels, killed one of
President Robert Mugabe remaining allies — Muammar
Gaddafi last October.
Well-placed sources from both Libya and Zimbabwe’s
ministry of foreign
affairs have told the Daily News that lines of
communication have since been
opened as Harare softens its hard-line stance.
Zimbabwe is one of the
African countries yet to officially recognise the
NTC.
The ministry of foreign affairs in September expelled three Libyan
diplomats
who had joined the NTC after Gaddafi had fled
Tripoli.
Ambassador Taher Elmaghari and his two deputies were given 72
hours to leave
Harare by Foreign Affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi in
September last
year after they abandoned Gaddafi for the NTC.
All of
the expelled diplomats are set to return to Harare and represent
their
country once talks are complete, sources said.
Diplomatic sources within
the Libyan Embassy told the Daily News that the
NTC government in Tripoli
had begun deploying envoys worldwide following
their expulsion by various
host governments for supporting the NTC instead
of Gaddafi during the
uprising in Libya.
“We were informed by our parent government that it is
going to be deploying
diplomats here in Zimbabwe and it is mostly likely
that Ambassador Taher
Elmagrahi and the other diplomats that were expelled
will return.
“The NTC is redeploying these diplomats for the sake of
diplomatic
continuity,” said the source.
Zimbabwe had earlier vowed
not to support the NTC saying it was an
instrument of the West meant at
exploiting Libya’s oil.
Sources say the situation has changed as
deliberations to open diplomatic
relations are now in motion.
This
development comes as the NTC has dispatched a diplomatic envoy Ebrahim
Sheriff to open diplomatic relations with southern Africa
countries.
Sheriff yesterday met with South African President Jacob Zuma
in a bid to
open ties and get assistance on peace building in the troubled
north African
country.
Mac Maharaj, Zuma’s spokesperson, yesterday
confirmed that his boss met with
Sheriff.
He told the Daily News that
Sheriff was sent by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the NTC
chairman to reopen
relations which were frozen during the uprisings.
“They also discussed on
assistance from us on how to re-engage with the
region and other African
countries. President Zuma expressed desire to
assist and he pledged to visit
Libya when the time permits,” Maharaj added.
“We will however, be guided by
the African Union,” said Maharaj.
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi could not be
reached for comment. But sources within
his ministry confirmed to the Daily
News that lines of communication have
been opened between Harare and
Tripoli.
“We are now talking with the NTC and hopes are high that we will
soon have
formal relations,” said the foreign affairs
source.
Zimbabwe ordered the Libyan envoys to leave the country after
they
celebrated Gaddafi’s downfall by lowering his flag and burning his
portrait
before hoisting the NTC flag at their embassy in
September.
The diplomats had to travel by road through the Plumtree
border post to
Botswana where they caught a flight to Cairo before
proceeding to Tripoli by
road.
Elbarat and Elmagrahi have since
joined the foreign affairs department of
the NTC government.
Zimbabwe's
"female rapists," accused of semen harvesting, strike again
http://www.globalpost.com
Zimbabwe
police fear that gangs of female rapists "are on the prowl again,"
sexually
assaulting and collecting sperm from male hitchhikers for
ritualistic
purposes.
Erin Conway-Smith January 5, 2012 10:13
Zimbabwe police
have confirmed that two men were sexually assaulted over the
Christmas and
New Year holidays, the latest alleged attacks on male
hitchhikers by
women.
Now Zimbabweans fear the country's "notorious" gangs of female
rapists "are
on the prowl again," according to the New Zimbabwe
website.
Scores of sex attacks blamed on “twisted sperm-harvesting
syndicates” have
been reported around the country in the past two
years.
In a typical attack, male hitchhikers are offered a lift at night,
and then
are drugged and forced to have sex at knifepoint or gunpoint with
their
female attackers before being dumped at roadside, according to
reports.
In one case, a man said he was threatened with a snake before
being raped.
In November, three women made headlines after 31 used
condoms, some of which
contained sperm, were found in their car in what
Zimbabwean media described
as a semen-harvesting ritual.
Rosemary
Chakwizira, 24, Sophie Nhokwara, 26, and Netsai Nhokwara, 24, from
the town
of Gweru, were charged with 17 counts of aggravated indecent
assault.
The women, who have since been attacked by mobs, reportedly
told police that
they are prostitutes and had been too busy to dispose of
the condoms. They
are scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 26.
Rumors
abound in Zimbabwe as to the reasons for harvesting semen.
One expert
said that sperm is associated with new life and regeneration, and
can help
improve your luck. Another report said semen is used as a facial
cream and
hair conditioner.
The Standard, a Sunday newspaper in Zimbabwe, reported
that condoms full of
semen are "selling like hot cakes" in neighboring South
Africa.
In one of the latest incidents on Christmas Day, a 25-year-old
man was
reportedly offered transport by two women. He was forced at
knifepoint to
have unprotected sex with the pair, before being thrown out of
the vehicle
late at night, the New Zimbabwe said.
The other recent
incident was a similar story, but the man was threatened
with a pistol
instead of a knife.
Zimbabwe's police chief Augustine Chihuri has warned
that female rapists
will be "professionally dealt with accordingly without
fear or favor."
"Let me warn all social miscreants who are soiling the
country's social
fabric, cultural norms and values by perpetrating
abominable and weird
activities of women sexually molesting men, sometimes
at gunpoint, to stop
the practices forthwith," he said.
Zim's
Largest Emerald Mine Shutdown
http://www.radiovop.com/
Mberengwa,January ,05, 2012 -
Zimbabwe’s largest emerald mine Sandawana in
Mberengwa district, Midlands
province, has shut down after 46 years in
operation, as the government
claims the emerald produced there is no longer
of commercial
value.
When contacted Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC)
chairman
Godwills Masimirembwa confirmed: “We have closed that mine , we
acquired it
from British Channel Islands mining company in 2006, but we have
now
discovered the emeralds from there are no longer of commercial
value.”
“...we have abandoned Sandawana because very soon will embark on
a multi-
million dollar exploitation project of vast deposits of iron ore
which we
discovered just few kilometres from Sandawana mining
site.”
When Radio VOP visited Sandawana Mine this week it witnessed that,
the once
thriving emerald mine now resembled a ghost town with all main
gates locked
up and only 15 security guards manning the mining
site.
“Since the government took over this mine all has not been well,
many people
lost their jobs and were evicted from mining company houses. As
you can see,
there is no more Sandawana Mine to talk about. It is now a
ghost town
because of poor management and looting by the previous
government,” said a
headman from a village adjacent to Sandawana Mine.
Possible
election could dampen Zimbabwe growth outlook-AfDB
http://af.reuters.com/
Thu Jan 5, 2012 10:29am
GMT
* Spectre of poll violence, indigenisation of firms unnerve
investors
* Power-sharing govt has overseen recovery
* Govt sees
2012 GDP growth at 9.4 pct v 9.3 pct in 2011
By Nelson
Banya
HARARE, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's projected economic growth in
2012
depends on a stable political environment which could be undermined if
a
contentious general election takes place, the African Development Bank
(AfDB) said in a monthly review released on Thursday.
Finance
Minister Tendai Biti expects the economy to expand by a further 9.4
percent
in 2012 from a forecast 9.3 percent last year, mainly on the back of
a
rebound in agriculture and mining. Inflation is projected to average 5
percent this year.
The southern African country has been on a
recovery path since 2009 when
long-time ruler President Robert Mugabe agreed
to share power with his
rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, after
disputed 2008 polls and in a
bid to reverse a decade-long economic
slump.
The AfDB said while international commodity prices would be key to
Zimbabwe's economic growth prospects, internal policy decisions, such as
Mugabe's drive to give control of foreign owned firms to locals, could hurt
the economy.
"The on-going implementation of the indigenisation and
economic empowerment
laws and the expected national elections in 2012
continue to weaken external
investor confidence," the AfDB said in its
review of Zimbabwe's economy.
"The achievement of the 2012 projections is
therefore subject to a stable
political and economic environment ... and
continued firming of the
international commodity prices or increase in
output."
Analysts say the empowerment laws, mainly targeting
foreign-owned mines and
banks, are holding back investment into the country
and restraining economic
growth.
Mugabe has however vowed to press on
with the policy, which he argues is
necessary to address imbalances created
by colonialism. Critics have
dismissed the policy as a political ploy to
harness support ahead of
elections.
The veteran ruler, in power since
independence from Britain in 1980, wants
elections this year to end a
fragile three-year power-sharing government he
has frequently described as
dysfunctional.
However, Tsvangirai and regional leaders who brokered the
power-sharing deal
insist fresh elections can only be held after the
adoption of a new
constitution as well as broad electoral and media
reforms.
A referendum on a proposed new constitution is expected sometime
this year
after a long-drawn-out process of drafting the charter which has
suffered
countless delays due to lack of funding and constant wrangling
between the
coalition partners.
WOZA: Williams and Mahlangu apply for Trial discharge
Press statement On
behalf of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
WOZA leaders Jennifer Williams
and Magodonga Mahlangu appeared before
Magistrate, Mr. Goodluck Sangweni at
Tredgold Regional Court facing
Kidnapping and Theft charges. The Trial
resumes on 16 January 2012.
The Defence Lawyer Kossam Ncube made an
application for the two to be
discharged on both counts at the close of the
state case. He argues that the
state had failed to establish a prima facie
case against the two accused. He
cited inconsistencies and contradictions
between the witness statements to
court and to the police and how the
witnesses also contradicted each other.
He dealt with both counts separately
outlining the inconsistencies. One
glaring inconsistency being Emma Mabena
statement to police wherein
according to the statement she was pushed and
pulled into the vehicle but in
her evidence to the court she said no one had
forced her or threatened her
in anyway.
The defence lawyer also said
the prosecution had gone on a fishing
expedition and that a reasonable court
could not convict the accused.
“Your worship to note that all 3 state
witnesses disowned their statements
that they gave to the police indicating
that they did not tell the police
particular aspects of their statements and
in some cases there seemed to be
additions to their statements which
witnesses clearly denied having given to
the police. Clearly that raises a
lot of eyebrows on the part of the state
case where it would seem the police
could have made additions to their
statements or changed statements for
unknown reasons. A case in point that
Emma Mabena said she never told the
police that she was forced into the
vehicle and that no one ever threatened
to assault her or take her somewhere
and she would never come back.
”
State prosecutor Mr Goodwill Katenaire requested a 45 minute break and
then
opposed the application in submissions that were often made in the
format of
a witness of the events rather than a prosecutor. He seemed to be
determined
to enter his own evidence into the case and left people in the
court
wondering where he had been when witnesses had made their statements.
His
desperation to obtain a conviction was evident as he manufactured his
own
accusations against the accused that there had been no verbal or written
evidence by any witness in any of the court hearings. He accused Jennifer
Williams of introducing her 2 colleagues as police officers when no witness
had ever made this accusation. He justified this by saying that the
‘demeanour’ of the accused lent itself to the belief that they were police
officers. Mr Katenaire also manufactured evidence on behalf of Emma Mabhena
saying that she refused on several occasions to accompany the accused to
Nketa to the home of Bokani Nleya.
In court evidence witnesses
clearly stated that none of the accused had ever
identified the other 2
ladies in the vehicle. Emma Mabhena in her evidence
said she thought to
herself the other unidentified people could be police as
she had been told
by her daughter in law that Williams and her colleagues
were looking for
stolen goods and decided that something was seriously wrong
so she should
accompany the accused. She further testified going to the
neighbours to
inform them that she was going out for awhile.
The Magistrate will give
his ruling on the application for discharge at
close of state case on 16
January 2012.
Kariba
opens spillway gates
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Everson Mushava, Staff Writer
Thursday, 05 January
2012 14:00
HARARE - Water Resources Development and Management
Minister Samuel Sipepa
Nkomo says people have been given enough notice and
precautionary measures
are in place for any disaster emanating from the
opening of spillway gates
at Kariba Dam.
The gates were opened on
January 3 and will remain open until the water
levels subside to maintain
the lake levels within operating range, according
to the Zambezi Water
Authority (ZWA).
Nkomo said according to the protocol signed between
Zimbabwe and Mozambique
on good management of international waters, all the
parties will be
communicated with before the gates are opened to ensure
safety of people.
“The protocol requires that we notify each other of
when gates are opened to
allow preparations. People living along the river
will be moved from low
lying areas until the risk is perceived low,” Nkomo
said.
He said a lot of water will be released and the country will be on
high
alert.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management said
they have already
alerted all areas under their jurisdiction that will
likely be affected by
the gate opening.
“The areas most likely to be
affected are Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore North
Safari,” said Caroline
Washayamoyo, Parks public relations manager, adding
that they had already
set rescue strategies in the event of disasters.
“The Authority has made
provisions for quick evacuation such as fuel and
boats as contingency
measures in the event of disaster,” Washayamoyo said.
Opening of gates at
the Kariba Dam is normally done annually when the water
levels have gone
beyond the lake’s operating capacity.
This year, with more rains expected
between now and March, the Zambezi River
Authority says the Zambezi
catchment has already received above normal
rainfall which has maintained
high lake levels.
The ZWA said it will continue monitoring the situation
and take “appropriate
measures when necessary”.
Microcredit
Aggravates 'January Disease'
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106372
By Ignatius Banda
BULAWAYO, Jan 5,
2012 (IPS) - Thomas Dlakama has experienced what he calls
"January disease"
all his working life. This phenomenon afflicts millions in
Zimbabwe, and its
symptoms include an empty purse, rising blood pressure
among irascible
breadwinners, and a general inexplicable hope of manna from
heaven.
It strikes during the first month of the year, and for
Dlakama, it has
become an unwelcome ritual where his finances are depleted
after the festive
season and he has to start thinking about his children’s
school fees, his
own budget as a poorly paid civil servant, bills and
everything in between.
January "is a terrible time of the year, and it
has become a tradition for
me to start borrowing money soon after New Year’s
Day," Dlakama says about
January disease and his lifelong relationship with
microfinance.
He is one of many poorly paid workers who find themselves
making a beeline
to microfinance institutions in Bulawayo, where workers
such as civil
servants make up the bulk of clients despite concerns about
poor regulation,
which has bred unscrupulous microlenders.
"The
money-lenders are taking advantage of our poverty by demanding
ridiculous
interest rates," Dlakama complained.
Microfinance institutions charge
interest rates of between 30 and 40
percent, while backyard money-lenders
who do not demand collateral can
charge up to 50 percent
interest.
Microfinance saw a resurgence after Zimbabwe suspended the use
of its
currency as legal tender in 2009 – the Zimbabwe dollar was replaced
by
foreign currencies like the euro, the U.S. dollar, the pound, the South
African rand, and the Zambian kwacha – to put an end to
hyperinflation.
Low salaries force Dlakama and other workers to seek out
microloans to
cushion themselves against economic hardships.
But
despite being promoted by both government and development agencies as a
critical player in developing countries where millions have poor incomes,
the microfinance sector in Zimbabwe has been criticised for creating debt
traps for the poor by charging high interest rates.
Microfinance
institutions (MFIs) issue their loans according to the monthly
salary of the
client. And in a country where there are glaring disparities
between incomes
and the cost of the consumer food basket, they have become
fertile ground
for bogus operators to thrive, analysts here say.
The Consumer Council of
Zimbabwe (CCZ) says an average family of six
requires more than 500 U.S.
dollars per month to meet basic needs, including
utility bills, while the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) reports
that some of its members
earn as little as 100 dollars per month.
Civil servants such as teachers,
who have become the prime clients of MFIs,
which target them because of
their steady salaries, earn a little over 300
dollars per month.
"I
know January disease too well," says Jennifer Darirai, a secondary school
teacher.
"I have four kids all of whom attend boarding school, and
with my salary I
cannot afford to meet all these obligations and have to
turn to microfinance
lenders, but rather reluctantly. What can I do?" she
told IPS.
It is this desperation that has led to the sprouting of MFIs
across the
country. And while the Ministry of Finance noted that there were
37 legally
registered microfinance institutions in late 2010, industry
officials say
the number could well be into the hundreds, as many are
operating from
backyard offices without licences.
Microfinance policy
is governed under the Financial Laws Amendment Act,
which requires that non-
banking financial institutions be registered.
"There are too many
microfinance organisations sprouting up and taking
advantage of people’s
poverty; what we need is stricter monitoring," said
Garfield Murombedzi, a
senior microfinance adviser with a local bank.
"We are seeing it too
often - people coming to seek bank loans to pay off
debts elsewhere.
Something is obviously wrong somewhere," Murombedzi said.
"But we still
cannot keep track, as even operators whose licences expired
continue to do
business as usual, while at the same time others are
operating without
bothering with registration," he added.
Since the country’s independence
in 1980, microfinance has been viewed as a
source of easy money, and has
failed to shake off criticism that it has
forced low-income earners into
perpetual debt.
Sam Dube, who runs a microfinance institution in
Bulawayo, says calls for
stricter monitoring are justified, but that they
present the operations of
the entire industry as "profiteering."
"We
understand concerns being raised by some people, but I believe this has
largely been because of unscrupulous lenders," Dube said.
"Some of us
are qualified bankers and know the industry regulations well.
But these
people who are giving us a bad name and charging exorbitant
interest rates,
taking people’s property without justification, are
operating outside our
mandate," Dube said.
"We are a properly regulated industry, but like any
other, you are bound to
find con artists among us," he told IPS.
The
Zimbabwe Association of Microfinance Institutions says members who flout
regulations risk being deregistered.
But Murombedzi said
cash-strapped people often fail to check whether or not
these institutions
are registered or are charging the recommended interest
rates.
"I
think that is the issue that is important here: many sectors in Zimbabwe
are
demanding self-regulation, but people flout their own rules; surely a
higher
authority must move in," Murombedzi said, referring to the poor
monitoring
of microfinance.
The Ministry of Finance has in the past warned against
unregistered
financial institutions, with some banks even being shut down at
the peak of
the country’s economic chaos in 2008. But with poor incomes
existing
side-by-side with poor monitoring mechanisms, unscrupulous
microfinance
institutions are likely to be around for a long time to come.
Concern
raised over price increases
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
By Staff Reporter 30 minutes
ago
HARARE - The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has raised
concern over the
upward change in prices recorded in the consumer basket
over the past year.
Between January and December 2011, prices of basic
commodities in the
monthly basket for an average family of six in the low
income group, went up
from US$509,17 to US$545,35.
The highest price
increases were recorded between August and October
following duty
re-instatement on some commodities as well as electricity
tariff
hikes.
In an interview with the media, CCZ Executive Director, Ms
Rosemary
Siyachitema said the US$36 annual price increase is quite
significant
considering that workers’ incomes have been depressed all year
due to low
salary increments.
Ms Siyachitema highlighted that the
consumer council is hoping for price
stability in 2012 and an increase in
industrial productivity as well as
improved service delivery by water and
electricity providers who performed
poorly last year.
Meanwhile, the
CCZ’s average monthly basket for a family of six recorded a
decline between
November and December, going down from US$546,34 to US$535.
Zimra set
new rules for cross border travellers
http://nehandaradio.com
January 5, 2012 1:49
pm
By Lovemore Chikova
HARARE- Cross border travellers
are, with immediate effect, now required to
declare their goods to the
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority at least three hours
before arrival at the port
of entry.
Zimra set new rules for cross border travellers
Zimra set
new rules for cross border travellers
The goods will be declared through
bus and airline operators who will relay
the information to Zimra, including
the profile of the passengers on board.
Zimra director for legal and
corporate affairs Ms Florence Jambwa yesterday
said the new rules also
affect haulage truck operators who are required to
inform Zimra of the goods
they carry before arrival.
Owners of private vehicles pulling trailers
with a combined carrying
capacity of more than five tonnes will be required
to do the same. This also
applies to omnibuses with a carrying capacity of
eight passengers or more.
Omnibus operators were, in the past, not obliged
to submit passenger
manifests.
Ms Jambwa said the regulations will
give Zimra time to risk profile goods
and passengers. “The new system is in
line with international best practices
in trade facilitation and risk
management as it allows identification of low
and high risk cargo and
passengers to facilitate expeditious clearance
process,” said Ms
Jambwa.
“It is expected, therefore, to improve Zimra’s operations by
ensuring
efficient use of scarce resources.” Ms Jambwa said the passengers
will still
be required to physically declare their goods to Zimra on arrival
at the
port of entry. “The advance passenger and cargo manifest system does
not
take away the obligation by passengers to properly declare their goods,”
she
said.
“The main focus of the system is to risk profile and allow
Zimra to speedily
validate declarations made because of the advance
information. Therefore,
passengers on a bus will continue to make
individual declarations by
completing the declaration form (Form 47) where
they will itemise the goods
they will be carrying and the value of such
goods.”
Ms Jambwa said the new system will enable Zimra to target risky
cargo and
avoid low risk ones. She said the rules were part of ongoing
efforts to
improve convenience to crossborder travellers. “The new system
will enhance
facilitation of trade and travel by expediting the clearing
process,” Ms
Jambwa said.
“In the past, this information was
submitted on arrival at the port of entry
and at the time of clearance of
goods.” Zimra on Sunday published e-mails at
all ports of entry that the
transport operators will use to convey the
information. It said the e-mails
will be used temporarily, while the e-cargo
manifest is being rolled
out.
The operators would send information specifically to the port of
entry that
they will be using. “All local transporters will have to be
registered with
Zimra for them to submit the manifest through the ASYCUDA
system,” said Ms
Jambwa.
Asycuda (Automated System for Customs Data)
is a computerised system
designed by the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development to
administer customs clearance. Zimra recently rolled out
the latest Asycuda
version, an Internet-based system that allows importers
and clearing agents
to electronically submit bills of entry declarations and
supporting
documents.
The system can be accessed anywhere in the
world provided that one is
registered with Zimra. In the 2012 National
Budget statement, Finance
Minister Tendai Biti proposed the amendment of the
legislation to allow
operators to declare the goods and passengers they
carry three hours before
arrival.
In the past, a pilot of an aircraft
arriving in Zimbabwe was obliged to make
a report to the officer on duty
within three hours after landing or “with
such further time as the
Commissioner may allow”. The legislation stipulated
that the pilot would
provide information pertaining to saleable goods on
board, the list of
passengers and crew manifests of the goods on board only
if required to do
so.
“The three hour notification period after landing does not allow the
Commissioner enough time to risk profile passengers and goods and also at
the same time allow for speedy clearance of low risk passengers,” Minister
Biti said while presenting the budget in Parliament.
“Furthermore,
crossborder bus and commercial haulage operators will also be
required
submit to the Commissioner passenger, crew and cargo manifests in
advance,
before arrival at ports of entry.”
But the new rules are likely to irk
passengers who will be searched on
arrival at the port of entry despite
pre-declaring goods.
Zim
growth target in limbo
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Business Writer
Thursday, 05 January 2012
11:04
HARARE - Attainment of Zimbabwe’s 9,4 percent economic growth
target in 2012
is premised on a stable political and economic environment
and adherence to
the government cash-budgeting system, the African
Development Bank (AfDB)
says.
“The ongoing implementation of the
indigenisation and economic empowerment
laws and the expected national
elections in 2012 continue to weaken external
investor confidence,” the AfDB
said in its December, 2011, Zimbabwe Economic
Review.
The regional
bank argued that achievement of the country’s economic targets
is hinged on
steady supply of electricity and water as well as continued
firming of the
international commodity prices or increasing production
volumes.
Power woes are however, likely to persist as government is
yet to secure
investment to bankroll its $2,5 billion five-year plan to
expand and
rehabilitate Hwange and Kariba power stations.
Government
allocated 20 percent of the total budget, $800 million, for
capital
expenditure and this remains inadequate compared to infrastructure
funding
requirements and spending targets projected under the Medium Term
Plan.
Energy and water and sanitation were allocated 1,2 percent and
2,8 percent
of the $800 million, respectively, despite the challenges faced
by these key
sectors’ infrastructure.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe is still
marred by liquidity constraints since
inception of a multiple currency
regime in 2009 after a decade- long of
economic stagnation.
AfDB said
the weak depositor confidence in the formal banking sector and low
average
incomes, overall assessment of risk among other factors, explain the
persisting liquidity shortages.
In addition, limited external lines
of credit due to perceived country risk
and the huge debt and arrears have
compounded the liquidity shortages. To
ease the liquidity challenges,
Finance Minister Tendai Biti allocated $100
million to the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe in his 2012 budget to perform its
function as lender of the last
resort and to relieve the currently limited
inter-bank lending.
“This
amount is, however too small to ease the prevailing liquidity
shortages
(and) there is need for measures to restore bank depositor
confidence in the
formal banking sector to harness cash that is circulating
outside the formal
banking sector into the formal banking sector,” AfDB
added.
Zimbabwe,
believed to account for more than 25 percent of the world’s
diamond deposits
and currently the third largest diamond producer in the
world, expects to
turn a corner from diamond proceeds which are currently
estimated to
contribute $600 million to the fiscus in the current year.
Diamond
players at Marange released 500 000 carats of diamonds into the
global
market in the end December last year.
The world’s largest diamond trade
network Rapaport recently announced that
Zimbabwe has the capacity to
produce between 15 and 20 million carats of
diamonds annually.
The
Marange diamonds, in spite being certified by the Kimberly Process,
however
face international resistance from critical global diamond players
like the
European Union, Rapaport as well as the United States government
who argue
the gems are being used to further human rights abuses and tyranny
in
Zimbabwe.
Q&A: Zimbabwe's 'Cold War, Which Is a
Racial War'
January 05, 2012
Photo: Reuters
Zimbabwean farmers attend a meeting of white commercial
farmers in the capital Harare, 2010 (file
photo).
Zimbabwe’s
long-running land controversy continues to undermine the economy, as many of 200
or so remaining white farmers battle to stay on their land. The farmers say they
are expecting renewed attacks later this month. Economists say Zimbabwe’s
economy, dependent on agricultural exports, was wrecked by President Robert
Mugabe’s post-2000 land grab when he and his ZANU-PF party supporters took
thousands of productive white-owned farms, mostly from members of the Commercial
Farmers Union, or CFU. VOA's Peta Thornycroft asks Professor Mandi Rukuni, a
leading African academic on land issues and international consultant to
organizations like the World Bank, about the background to Zimbabwe’s land
question.
How long there have been land struggles in Zimbabwe and
what has caused them?
I was old enough in [the] mid-50’s when
[Prime Minister] Garfield Todd’s government ... set up a select committee in
parliament which came up with a brilliant, practical solution, [which was],
"okay, there is plenty of European land which was not settled." They designated
that land as special areas where people of any race could apply for land. This
is exactly what triggered the formation of the Rhodesia Front. It was
established to protest giving away European land back to Africans, and also the
attempts by Garfield Todd to change all the racial laws in education, etc. And
in 1962 the Rhodesia Front contested the whites-only election and won. And this
is exactly what led to the radicalization of the [black] nationalist
movement.
The black nationalist movement included ZANU-PF, which
unseated Prime Minister Ian Smith’s Rhodesia Front government in the country’s
first fully-democratic elections in 1980. Twenty years later, ZANU-PF suffered
its first defeat at the polls by the Movement for Democratic Change party in a
referendum. Almost immediately ZANU-PF began chasing white farmers off their
land. Tens of thousands of poor Zimbabweans also were given small pieces of land
for the first time. How he would you characterize ZANU-PF's actions since
2000?
In my own reading of history, ZANU-PF today is settling
old scores. [It] was not reconciliation in 1980, it was a truce between the new
Rhodesian Front in the form of the CFU and ZANU-PF. It was a truce to say, "Ok,
we may tolerate each other," but that window of opportunity was never used to
resolve the issue. So when the white farmers started supporting any opposition
to [the] ZANU-PF government, the truce was out. To me, it is really a cold war
between those two formidable forces and each was waiting for the other and to
outdo the other.
In the end it boiled down to, "O.K., we will smash you
white farmers because you have broken the truce." And for the white farmers I
think it was, "O.K., we have the backing of the Western world and the backing of
our kith and kin over there, so we will smash you back." So that part of history
to me is still being played out, but that to me is the cold war. The rest of
what we report on every day as democracy, good governance and human rights, blah
blah... is for me something that is just a facade [masking] the cold war, which
is a racial war. Until this is openly discussed outside the realm of politics,
it is going to be difficult to resolve.
Would compensation for
dispossessed white farmers resolve the ongoing battle between ZANU-PF and white
farmers?
Actually, when it comes to compensation for
dispossessed white farmers, there is no real dispute in a legal sense. The law
says they will be compensated for improvements only. But the government has
limited capacity.
Would emerging black farmers benefit in any way
if compensation is paid to dispossessed white farmers, such as being able to
legally lease their land?
The government wishes for it to be a
fully tradeable lease, so the pressure is on the ministry of lands and the
attorney-general to adjust the lease so it is fully tradeable. The government
wants a tradeable lease that is bankable."
Would any benefit
accrue to the national purse from legal, tradeable leases?
When,
eventually, government offers a tradeable 99-year lease to the new owner, I
expect that there will be some tax of some kind. I can’t see it happening
without that kind of transaction.
A peaceful resolution to the farmland
issue would help stabilize Zimbabwe politically, and likely generate new
investment and revenue to strengthen the economy. The economy, while stronger
than it was in the hyper-inflationary environment of 2007, remains shaky, and is
not helped by fears of new violence whenever the next elections are
held.
As much a
Black thing as it is White
http://www.news24.com
05 January 2012,
14:52
NEWS24.com
Inequality and social injustice
-- is as much a Black thing as it is White
In present day South
Africa, and Zimbabwe for instance, it is blindingly
obvious that there is
widespread inclination to imagine that all the ills of
the
dispossessed/disadvantaged masses is explicable as a product of an
imported
White culture of inequality, with racism as its most pernicious
form.
So it is instinctively imagined that, but for this
import by White
imperialists/colonialists, we would not really have a
problem of inequality.
In the result there is a huge tendency to see Black
leaders as our saviours
and reject White leaders as disqualified. Typically
we are inflicted with
articles such as - “This great black hope is
inaudible without white” by an
otherwise very good journalist/editor
Phylicia Oppelt. The whole point of
the article is to discredit Lindiwe
Mazibuko, as a political leader, simply
because she is in association with a
White led political party.
Oppelt is not being deliberately
dishonest or racist. The problem is founded
in her imagination. She imagines
that what she is putting down is fair
comment and this is because, like so
many, she imagines that the culture of
inequality is a “White thing”,
imported by Whites. In the result Whites are
substantively and perceptually
disqualified from leading anybody to true
freedom, let alone the
disadvantaged Black majority. So it is all too easy
for her to even rate
Julius “Whites are thieves” Malema as preferable to
Mazibuko because,
according to Oppelt, there are no White links in his
stance and
message.
So we really need to dispassionately examine the
proposition that the
concept/culture of inequality is a product of White
mentality? Is it?
In my book “The Other – without fear, favour or
prejudice” I relate how my
Black grandmother, an Ndebele woman of the
abeZansi class, accepted very few
of the other ethnic groups, White or
Black, as her equal. Her behaviour was
normal. That is the point. Her
attitude and behaviour was perfectly normal
for the times she was living in.
That is an undeniable fact and cannot be
gainsaid or wished
away.
My grandmother was an Ndebele of the Mzilikazi clan.
Mzilikazi, as is known,
fled from Shaka Zulu and migrated to what is now
Zimbabwe. Mzilikazi and his
people took the prevailing Zulu culture with
them. Equality was not part of
the culture.
So this whole
region was steeped in inequality; inequality of the most
pernicious
proportions. In South Africa Shaka’s kingdom was founded on and
kept
dominant in terms of a most brutal pogrom known as
mfecane.
Mfecane is used primarily to refer to the period when
Mzilikazi, a king of
the Matabele, dominated the Transvaal. During his
reign, roughly from 1826
to 1836, he ordered widespread killings and
devastation to remove all
opposition. He reorganized the territory to
establish the new Ndebele order.
The death toll has never been
satisfactorily determined, but the whole
region became nearly
depopulated.
In addition the Zulu nation was defined and
structured as unequal with the
abeZansi class being ‘royalty”. The people
were divided into three main
sections: the Abezansi [who were the
aristocrats], the Abenhla [middle
class] and the Amaholi comprising folk who
had been captured in raids on
other tribes. The Amaholi or Holi were
practically in the position of
bondsmen and rarely allowed to possess
cattle.
In Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) all other tribes were raided,
robbed and quite
brutally subjugated to the rule and dominance of the newly
arrived Ndebele
from South Africa. So the Whites were not the first
colonizers. Neither were
they the first to import the culture of
inequality.
It is a reality that the culture of inequality was
something of an
international pandemic internationally. From earliest time
man was
preoccupied with invading, raiding and subjugating his fellow men,
all over
the world. Alexander even got the name “Alexander The Great” for
indulging
in such thoroughly objectionable conduct. It is unnecessary to
burden this
post with the innumerable other examples such as the exploits of
Genghis
Khan.
What is far more pertinent is to point out that
the concept/culture of
equality was just about nowhere to be found in this
world be it China,
Britain (aristocracy), Russia, India (untouchables) or
anywhere else. A
“classless society” was never part of the ordinary approach
of humanity
throughout its existence. So Shaka and the Zulus, and Mzilikazi
and the
Ndebeles were simply part of an international norm that was no more
“White”
than it was any other complexion!
So where does all
this lead us to? What is its significance? To answer these
question we need
to imagine one more thing. What would have been the norm
had the White man
not arrived? Do we imagine that we would all have been
living as equals in a
classless society?
Now be honest. The truth shall set you
free.
And the truth is that whether it be Jacob Zuma, Helen Zille
or anyone else,
each has equal potential to be a good or a bad leader. Their
race or
ethnicity really has nothing to do with it!
Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust
The Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust was established in July 2001 to
provide support for the beleaguered agricultural community in Zimbabwe which
has taken such a large amount of unnecessary physical and mental abuse from
the self-styled ‘war veterans’ and the unconstitutional actions of their own
Government.
Please read the attachments. Zawt letter and ZAWT snapshot
Free Zimbabwe Global Protest
WHAT: Free
Zimbabwe Global Protest
WHERE: At All
South African Embassies, Consulate Missions and Union Buildings
WHEN: Saturday,
January 21, 2012
TIME:
10:00AM
This is an
appeal to all Zimbabweans and Friends of Zimbabwe wherever they may dwell to
heed the call for a worldwide mass protest at the Embassies, Consulate Missions
and the Union Buildings of the Republic of South Africa on Saturday, January 21,
2012. The protests will be held simultaneously to gain media leverage and attain
maximum coverage. We will hand over petitions of our demands to the authorities
at these targeted institutions. These protest demonstrations will continue on a
monthly basis until the South African facilitators to the GPA heed our demands.
Reasons for
Targeting South African Embassies, Consulates and Union Buildings
·
South Africa,
through its former President Thabo Mbeki, was the chief architect of the GPA and
the coalition government.
·
As the Southern
Africa Development Community (SADC) appointed mediator, SA is responsible for
ensuring that the GPA is implemented to the letter and spirit of its
intent.
·
South Africa,
with the support of China and Russia blocked UN Security Council action on the
Zimbabwe crisis/
·
South Africa has
always maintained to the world that the Zimbabwean crisis is an African problem
that requires African solutions, so we want to hold them true to their
word.
·
South Africa as
the dominant power in Africa has the political and economic muscle to get Robert
Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU-PF) to respect the wishes
of the Zimbabwean people which were demonstrated through the overwhelming
support of the MDC in the 2008 elections.
·
South Africa
itself was a beneficiary of global protests that resulted in the demise of
apartheid and ushered in a new democratic era.
·
By virtue of
being Zimbabwe's neighbor, and considering the number of Zimbabwean refugees in
SA, it is commonsensical that SA has a strong national interest in finding a
lasting solution to the Zimbabwean crisis.
The Major
Protest Issues
1.
The
deterioration of the GPA agreement - The refusal by ZANU- PF to implement the
GPA in letter and spirit.
2.
Rising political
tension in the country - increasing cases of violence as ZANU-PF forces its
election campaign ideology on the people.
3.
Total disrespect
of the Prime Minister's office by the police - the security apparatus is now
above the law, disruption of MDC rallies.
4.
Continued
incarceration of MDC members - including party youth leader Solomon
Madzore.
5.
Grand theft of
the Marange diamond proceeds which should be used to benefit the country at
large and not diverted to maintain Mugabe’s party in power
6.
The disruptive
Indigenization Act - discourages foreign investment and benefits the
elite.
7.
Security Sector
Reforms - Repeal of the Public Order and Security Act and bringing to justice
members of the security forces who do not respect the rule of law.
8.
Media Reforms –
Repeal the Access to Information and Privacy Protection Act (AIPPA) and opening
up of the airwaves. Condemn the partisan issuance of two broadcasting licenses
to ZANU- PF affiliates.
9.
Electoral Act
reforms – remove all language and articles that give undue power to ZANU- PF
functionaries.
10. A New and Clean
Voters' Roll – Dismissal of the current ZANU-PF aligned Register-General Tobaiwa
Mudede and the dissolution of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and
appointment of a new independent body.
11. The Election
Roadmap - the role of international observers six months before and after
elections. We also demand a peacekeeping force during the same
period.
12. Dual Citizenship
in the new Constitution.
13. The Diaspora
Vote – more than 5 million Zimbabweans in the Diaspora constitute a substantial
portion of the electorate and should be allowed to vote.
14. Deportation of
Zimbabwe nationals from South Africa - this is inhumane based on the conditions
in Zimbabwe.
Den Moyo
Tel: (571)221-3858
Email: denmoyo@comcast.net
Call for Applications: Fellowships for Threatened Scholars
Fellowships for Threatened Scholars |
January
2012 |
| |
Fellowship
Announcement: Applications due February 3, 2012 Apply Now
The Institute of
International Education's (IIE) Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) is pleased to announce
a call for applications for threatened scholars whose lives or work are
endangered in their home countries. Fellowships support temporary academic
positions at safe universities, colleges and other research institutions
anywhere in the world.
Who can
apply: Professors, researchers and public
intellectuals from any country, field or discipline may apply. Please refer
eligible candidates and forward this announcement to any academic colleagues who
may be interested.
- Qualifying applicants are currently facing or have recently fled from direct
and immediate threats.
- Preference is given to scholars with a Ph.D. or other highest degree in
their field and who have extensive teaching or research experience at a
university, college or other institution of higher learning.
- We strongly encourage applications from female scholars and
under-represented groups.
Students or professionals seeking
funding to pursue academic studies or training are not
eligible.
To
apply: Please download the application materials from: www.scholarrescuefund.org/pages/for-scholars.php
To nominate a
threatened scholar: SRF accepts referrals and applications from
third-party nominators who know of a threatened scholar's need for assistance.
Please contact SRF@iie.org for
details.
To host a SRF scholar:
Please visit: www.scholarrescuefund.org/pages/for-hosts.php
Contact SRF@iie.org for questions.
How The Scholar Rescue Fund Works: Fellowships support visiting academic positions for up to one
calendar year. Awards of up to US $25,000 are issued with individual health
insurance coverage and professional development assistance. Fellowships are disbursed through dedicated host academic
institutions, which provide direct support and a safe haven for
scholar-grantees. In most cases, hosts are asked to match the SRF fellowship
award by providing partial salary/stipend support and/or housing, material
support for research/publications, and other in-kind assistance.
For a
decision by early March, please submit application materials by February 3,
2012.
Please note that applications are accepted at any time and can be
considered on an emergency basis.
Visit
www.scholarrescuefund.org for more
details.
| |
Ministerial appraisals: When the most experienced become the worst
performers
End of year ministerial appraisals by two independent newspapers made
interesting reading. While some ratings sounded correct, others were
seemingly way out of sync with general sentiment. In future, it might be a
good idea to consult far and wide before circulating these ratings if they
are to be taken seriously. Ostensibly resorting to views of an anonymous
“Review Board” smacks of shenanigans.
Subjectivity and inadequacy of
process aside, the most outstanding aspect
was that younger ministers
generally performed way better than their most
experienced counterparts. Of
course, spoiling this generalisation was none
other than Saviour Kasukuwere
who competed with most of career ministers for
the bottom position. That
this dismal performer belongs to a known party
does not come as a surprise
at all.
One other observation that came out of the appraisals is that it is
probably
time to start thinking seriously about merging, phasing out or
disbanding
some of the ministries. In a country where there is an ICT
ministry as well
as one for Higher Education, one wonders why we need
another full ministry
for Science and Technology. The “T” in ICT actually
stands for “Technology”
while the science function could be a small
department under Higher
Education or another ministry. The same applies to
the Women’s Affairs
ministry. This can easily be a department under the
ministry of Public
Service and Social Welfare or any other. That the
ministers responsible for
these two portfolios which are perfect candidates
for a downgrade are said
to have performed dismally, may not be a mere
coincidence.
It appears some ministers don’t even fully understand their
mandate.
Consequently, a very good number of them are now part-time
ministers with
full-time benefits which include luxurious vehicles and
multiple farms.
A few who might still be willing to perform may be
incapacitated by a lack
of political will or unavailability of financial
resources. Not because of
sanctions or Biti but because of misappropriation,
mismanagement and
looting, a case in point being Chiadzwa. Given the
prevailing economic
climate which is tough by any measure, can somebody
please explain what the
ministry of Housing and Social Amenities is meant to
deliver? Wasn’t this
ministry a direct product of the Tsholotsho fiasco,
cunningly designed to
appease but keep in check the godfather of Dinyane? In
the military, it
would be the equivalence of the commissioners’ pool. I
would suggest that
this be appended as a department to the Local Government
ministry, assuming
it hasn’t served its purpose.
The so-called Review
Board either neglected or is unaware of the existence
of deputy ministers.
Why didn’t we hear anything about these leaders? Giving
the example of only
one ministry, one would have been forgiven for thinking
that at Justice,
Chinamasa was the deputy while visible, energetic and
focused Obert Gutu was
the full minister. We only heard of Chinamasa when it
was time for the
perpetual negotiations or a moment for the SMM saga. Such
is the kind of
ministers we have!
In parliament, Settlement Chikwinya and Edward
Chindori-Chininga were
outstanding. These two MPs ensured that the august
house was not reduced to
a napping room. Chikwinya reminded us of the good
old days of Lazarus
Nzarayebani, Sydney Malunga or Hebert Ushewokunze by
fearlessly introducing
crucial motions such as dismissal of Austin Zvoma as
well as reformation of
the security sector. Of course, we did not see a
return to the days of the
firebrand trio of Eddison Zvobgo, Edgar Tekere and
Byron Hove but it was a
step in the right direction. On the other hand,
Chindori-Chininga
demonstrated that portfolio committees were created for a
reason when he
presided over the SMM hearings. For this, I’ve no doubt he
did not receive a
Christmas card nor chocolate fish from Patrick
Chinamasa.
While there is no doubt that Henry Madzorera, David Coltart and
Walter
Mzembi were indeed a cut above the rest, the typically low rating
given to
Tendai Biti raises some questions. By clipping Dr. Casino’s long
wings, the
finance minister brought back some semblance of sanity into the
two critical
spheres of fiscal and monetary policy management. It is
primarily this bold
move coupled with dollarization that became the anchor
of economic
stabilisation. From that stabilisation, critical sectors such
as health,
education and tourism were revived. Tendai Biti’s low rating is
malicious
or at least misplaced. Some of you will recall that the Finance
Ministry was
once run like “a funeral parlour” to use Gushungo’s diction
when he chided
Murerwa at some forum in Botswana. In less than three years,
that has now
been turned around. We no longer have a president or central
bank governor
doubling up as finance minister.
As for Goche, unlike
Hebert Ushewokunze who once earned the title “Minister
of Air Zimbabwe”,
courtesy of Byron Hove, this career minister proved that
Air Zimbabwe does
not need a minister or should be transferred to a
different ministry
altogether. If I had my way, I would donate it to Tourism
if ICT is too
distant.
Now that he has set the bar so high despite his youthfulness, our
expectation for 2012 is that Nelson “Supersonic” Chamisa will make common
but useful documents such as passport forms downloadable online while
internet banking is embraced by all financial institutions including POSB.
Every child who passes through our education system should be able to
differentiate between a mouse and a keyboard in addition to having other
basic skills such as use of the internet and MS Office. Zimbabweans should
not queue to pay utility bills when this can be done at the click of a mouse
or on iPhone. Pay days should not be synonymous with long queues at banks
when people can use plastic money for most transactions. This will propel us
into the global family of technology.
May those rated the worst
performers lift their game in 2012, retire, resign
or be relieved of their
duties before Easter! Let Zimbabwe move forward.
Moses Chamboko
chambokom@gmail.com