http://www.ft.com/
July 9, 2013
4:53 pm
By
Tony Hawkins in Harare and Andrew England in Johannesburg
After weeks of
wrangling over the date of Zimbabwe’s presidential elections,
parties have
finally started to campaign amid lingering concern over ghost
voters,
electoral reforms and how the country will finance the polls.
“We are
faced with an election without reforms and against a leopard that
has
remained faithful to its spots,” said Morgan Tsvangirai, prime minister
and
leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, as he launched his
campaign on
Sunday. His criticism was aimed at Robert Mugabe, the veteran
president and
his Zanu-PF party, both of whom have been in power since
independence in
1980.
The July 31 election is seen as an important test of whether
the country can
move forward on a more stable path, and in doing so attract
desperately
needed investment, or whether it will return to the violence and
chaos that
has characterised other polls over the past decade.
At
Sunday’s launch, Mr Tsvangirai said he was going into the election – his
third against Mr Mugabe – with a “heavy heart” after he failed in his
attempts to get the election date put back until further reforms were
implemented.
Mr Mugabe, 89, who still garners support from many Zanu-PF
supporters
because of his credentials as a veteran liberation fighter and
his longevity
at the helm, used his presidential powers to bypass parliament
last month
and set the poll date for the end of this
month.
Opposition parties, as well as the Southern African Development
Community, a
regional body, argued that more time was needed to prepare
logistically for
the vote and ensure reforms were implemented to enable a
fairer election to
take place.
But the Constitutional Court stuck to the
date, setting the scene for
another election whose credibility is being
questioned before the first
ballot is cast. “What we have witnessed in the
past few weeks is a concerted
effort designed to rob the election of
legitimacy,” Mr Tsvangirai said,
while also championing his party’s chance
of victory.
The Research and Advocacy Unit, a non-government agency, said
that, as of
June 1, 5.87m voters were registered, of whom “well over one
million” were
either dead or had left the country, which has a population of
about 14
million. It also estimated that almost 2m potential voters under 30
years
had not registered.
The figures are deemed important because Mr
Tsvangirai is seen as more
likely to appeal to younger voters, while Zanu-PF
has been widely accused of
vote rigging at previous elections and some are
concerned that it will seek
to take advantage of “ghost voters”. Voter
registration is set to close on
Wednesday. “The ground is not level,” said
Trevor Maisiri, a senior analyst
with the International Crisis Group. The
extent of voter manipulation makes
an MDC victory implausible, he
said.
The last election in 2008 was characterised by violence and
allegations of
rigging and intimidation against Zanu-PF. Mr Mugabe lost the
first round of
that presidential poll, garnering 43 per cent of the vote to
Mr Tsvangirai’s
48 per cent. But a run-off was aborted primarily because of
election-related
violence blamed on Zanu-PF.
A measure of stability
was restored after the MDC agreed to join Zanu-PF in
a unity government in
February 2009. The economy, which had been in a state
of collapse for almost
a decade, was also boosted when Zimbabwe adopted the
US dollar as its
currency.
But the unity government has largely been dysfunctional with Mr
Mugabe
continuing to dominate the political stage, while the MDC has been
criticised for not using its position in the administration to effect more
change.
A new constitution was adopted earlier this year, but other
reforms related
to the elections have not been pushed through. And while the
economy
initially rebounded from a perilously low base, its recovery has
been
fragile and the government has remained strapped for cash.
The
administration needs $132m to fund the vote and, on Monday, Tendai Biti,
the
finance minister and a senior member of the MDC, said he had “frozen”
government spending to pay for the process. “We are not paying ministers, we
are not paying service providers . . . we can only afford to pay salaries,”
he said.
Mr Mugabe, meanwhile, has given conflicting comments on
whether Zimbabwe
will retain the US dollar as its currency. Its introduction
was important in
countering hyperinflation as the economy fell into chaos
after Zanu-PF
implemented a land reform programme and the country became a
pariah.
In recent days, he has twice gone off message, calling on Friday
for a
return to the Zimbabwean dollar. He backtracked 24 hours later, saying
this
would not happen immediately and adding that the next local currency
would
be backed by the country’s “huge” gold deposits. This suggestion was
dismissed as “undiluted rubbish” by Mr Biti, finance minister.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
SW Radio
Africa
9 July 2013
Zimbabweans have come out in large numbers in the
past few days to register
to vote before the registration period closes at
the end of business
Tuesday, ahead of the crucial elections in three weeks’
time.
Last week Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede said more than 400,000
new voters
had registered for the elections since the mobile registration
exercise
kicked off on June 10th.
The new registrants brought to
about 6.1 million the total number of
registered voters, and the figure is
set to increase once the RG adds up the
number of voters who registered in
the last week.
The mandatory 30-day registration was however marred by
Mudede’s decision to
cut down the number of ward level voter registration
days from 30 to 3,
citing financial constraints. Existing voters also used
the exercise to
inspect the voters’ roll to verify if they are still
registered in their
wards.
Abel Chikomo, the Executive Director of
the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum,
told SW Radio Africa that a number of
people have been disenfranchised by
Mudede’s unilateral initiative to cut
down the number of days for the
exercise.
Observers and other
political parties have accused Mudede’s office of poor
planning and poor
organization for the shambolic way the voter registration
exercise was
carried out.
‘Very many people have come to register in their wards, but
have been hugely
disappointed because of the long queues and the slow
process of the
exercise,’ said Chikomo.
As such, the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission is now under pressure to extend
the registration
deadline by a few more days.
‘We have thousands of people who have tried
to utilise the remaining period
to be registered as voters but have failed.
ZEC is aware of this and it is
in their interest now as an independent body
to make the right call,’
Chikomo added.
A journalist with The Mirror in
Masvingo, Leopold Munhende, was arrested by
police on Tuesday while taking
photographs of the voter registration process
at the Registrar General’s
offices in the town.
The arrest comes at a time when thousands of people
are making a last minute
dash to register before the lapse of the deadline.
MISA Zimbabwe, a media
watchdog, said Munhende was arrested in the morning
and taken to the central
police station where he was allegedly charged with
being a public nuisance.
Meanwhile, in Bulawayo, thousands more failed to
register on the last day,
blaming officials manning the centres for their
predicaments. Our
correspondent Lionel Saungweme told us many new and young
voters complained
that they couldn’t register and that would mean they would
not be able to
vote for the people they want as their next leaders.
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
Blessing
Zulu
09.07.2013
WASHINGTON DC — Zimbabwe’s constitutionally mandated
30-day mobile voter
registration exercise ended Tuesday amid complaints by
voters in Harare and
other cities of a deliberate ploy by officials from the
Registrar General’s
Office of frustrating and forcing many to abandon the
registration.
Officials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and
the Registrar
General’s Office were dispatched to the country’s 1,958 wards
to register
eligible voters on the June 10 ahead of the July 31
election.
Residents in most cities who spoke to VOA Studio 7 and also
took to Facebook
have raised an outcry at the slow pace with which the ZEC
and officials in
the RG’s Office were carrying out the registration
process.
Most registration centers in Harare were conspicuous by the long
queues of
frustrated residents who spent close to eight hours waiting to be
served.
ZEC chairperson, Rita Makarau said the general voter registration
exercise
ends Wednesday and those who fail to register by the end of the day
will not
be allowed to participate in this year’s election.
Zimbabwe
Election Support Network director Rindai Chipfunde Vava said lack
of funds
and publicity must have hampered the registration process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, July 10, 1:24
AM
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s finance ministry said it needs to
resolve a
shortfall of about $85 million needed for crucial national
elections just
three weeks away, as a month-long chaotic voter registration
effort drew to
a close Tuesday.
Tendai Biti, the outspoken finance
minister, described preparations for the
July 31 polls as “a
nightmare.”
“We don’t have money for these elections, and everyone knows
it. It’s a
horror movie except that you are not watching the movie, you are
part of
it,” Biti said late Monday.
The elections are the first to
be held since the violent 2008 polls forced
President Robert Mugabe to join
into a coalition government with longtime
opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai, a bitter political nemesis. Mugabe has
ruled Zimbabwe since
independence in 1980.
On Tuesday, Mugabe’s office said it was cancelling
cabinet meetings until
the vote so that ministers can campaign for the
election.
Tsvangirai, 61, began intense campaigning in the remote
northeast Tuesday.
Mugabe, 89, has not announced his own campaign schedule
but his Vice
President Joice Mujuru, 58, has begun a series of rallies for
their ZANU-PF
party.
Mugabe’s opponents maintained he had acted alone
without consulting
coalition leaders in a ploy to favor his party. Mugabe
said he was following
the instructions of a Constitutional Court ruling
earlier this month.
Tsvangirai had argued that the July 31 date did not
allow enough time for
the needed democratic reforms to take place, and that
the rushed election
did not provide the conditions necessary for a free and
fair vote. He later
said he was accepting the date with sadness and
reluctance but was confident
of a victory over Mugabe.
National
elections in Zimbabwe are routinely held over two days with ballots
cast at
up to 9,000 polling stations across the country, slightly larger
than
Germany. The commission says tens of thousands of voters who have since
died
have been removed from the lists.
The U.S.-based Robert F. Kennedy Center
for Justice and Human Rights said in
its latest report on Zimbabwe the close
approach of the vote has ramped up
political tensions in the country. It
said opponents of Mugabe are facing
“an atmosphere of intimidation,” curbs
on free expression and political
activities and the suppression of easily
accessible voter registration and
voter education.
“This behavior is
unacceptable and represents clear breaches of domestic and
international
law,” said Santiago Canton, head of the center’s rights group.
Leaders of
the 15-nation regional bloc known as the Southern African
Development
Community, or SADC, had also called on Mugabe and the judiciary
he controls
to delay the crucial elections.
Mugabe, launching his party’s manifesto
on Friday, had also threatened to
withdraw from SADC, the regional bloc he
helped found, saying its chief
mediator on Zimbabwe, South African President
Jacob Zuma, and his colleagues
had pushed for delaying the
polls.
Biti, the finance minister, said he has had to “freeze” payments
to
government departments and only meet public service salaries to try to
find
the money for this month’s vote.
“The whole thing is an
absolute, undiluted dog’s breakfast,” Biti said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By
Violet Gonda
SW Radio Africa
9 July 2013
MDC-T Youth Chairman
Solomon Madzore filed an urgent application in the
Constitutional Court on
Monday to have the notorious insult law – Section 33
of the Criminal Code –
struck off as unconstitutional, in a landmark case
that will determine
whether or not an individual has a right to say whatever
they want about the
presidency.
Scores of Zimbabweans have been arrested under this provision
that makes it
a crime to say anything that would cause the President to be
‘hated or
ridiculed.’
Madzore recently spent two weeks in detention
in May after he was arrested
for allegedly calling 89 year old President
Robert Mugabe a “limping donkey”
who should be put out to pasture.
He
claims that the insult law violates three constitutional rights – the
right
to campaign, the right to hold and communicate opinions, and freedom
of
expression.
Arrests always increase during electoral periods and the
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights say they have attended to at least 63
criminal prosecutions
since 2010 for insulting Mugabe.
Some of those
arrested in the last three years include lawyers. There are
many more
individuals who have not been represented by the group and have
been
arrested and charged using this controversial insult law.
Madzore, who is
the MDC-T candidate for Dzivarasekwa, says the section stops
him from
campaigning properly and wants the ConCourt to make a determination
before
general elections set for July 31st.
His lawyer, Tawanda Zhuwarara, told
SW Radio Africa that his client is
approaching the courts to vindicate his
constitutionally entrenched rights.
“As it stands Madzore cannot campaign
freely and say exactly what he wants
to say or his views upon the president,
because of this unusual old and
archaic provision within our criminal
code.”
“The provision that has motivated this application has no place in
a
constitutional democracy. It is couched in such wide and indiscriminate
terms that it clearly cannot stand constitutional scrutiny. Clearly this
case is important and requires the Constitutional Court’s urgent attention.”
Zhuwarara added.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By
Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
9 July 2013
Over 50 foreign observer
missions have been invited to monitor Zimbabwe’s
July 31st elections,
including known ZANU PF allies and friends who endorsed
the flawed run-off
election in 2008.
The Foreign Affairs ministry, headed by ZANU PF’s
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi,
has selected which foreign observer teams are
welcome in Zimbabwe during the
coming polls. According to a list of from the
Ministry, those invited
include regional and sub-regional groups like
COMESA, SADC and the African
Union (AU).
Individual countries from
the SADC region and other African countries have
also been invited,
including Algeria, Kenya and Uganda. South Africa will
also be monitoring,
sending 120 observers as part of the SADC mission.
From Asia, the
countries invited include China, India, Indonesia, Iran, and
Malaysia, while
from the Americas, invitations have gone out to Brazil,
Jamaica, Venezuela,
Nicaragua and Cuba.
Britain, the European Union (EU) and the United
States are among the
countries excluded, as was the case during the 2008
elections. From Europe,
some individual countries have been invited, and
those are Russia, Belarus
and Serbia.
Mumbengegwi has previously
insisted that any country that still maintains
targeted, restrictive
‘sanctions’ against the Mugabe regime will not be
allowed to monitor the
vote.
The ZANU PF minister has also extended an invite to the USA based
‘December
12 Movement’, an African-American organisation that openly
endorsed the 2008
run-off poll as an “expression of the will of the people
of Zimbabwe.” This
was despite the sham poll having a single candidate,
Mugabe, and the serious
violence that preceded that vote which saw Morgan
Tsvangirai withdraw from
the contest.
Few countries moved to isolate
Mugabe as an illegitimate President, and even
SADC attempted to gloss over
the illegality of the process by drafting a
unity deal between ZANU PF and
the MDC.
The invited observer missions still need to receive
accreditation from the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
According
to civil society groups ZEC is heavily influenced by ZANU PF and
this could
likely cause a problem when accrediting groups.
Thabani Nyoni, the
spokesperson for the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said
the process of
inviting observers is all about control, with ZANU PF wanting
to “screen and
influence ZEC’s decision on who observes and who doesn’t.”
“It’s not a
birthday party where you invite your friends; it is a process
where you
bring in all those so you have a proper assessment of your
processes. But
you must realise there is an attempt to manage perceptions by
courting
favours and cherry picking,” Nyoni said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Nomalanga Moyo
SW Radio
Africa
9 July 2013
In a move that is set to confuse voters,
individuals who lost their bid to
stand as MDC-T candidates in the July 31st
elections have been given the
go-ahead to use the party’s logo, with slight
modifications.
The MDC-T party last week lodged an appeal at the
Electoral Court after
disgruntled contestants who failed to make it past the
primary elections
opted to stand as independents, citing irregularities
during the internal
selection process.
Through the appeal, the MDC-T
had hoped to stop all those vying for the
House of Assembly and local
authority seats from using the logo that, the
party argues, is a duplication
of its own.
The difference between the disputed logo and that of the
party (pictured
above) is said to be that the face of the independent
candidate will be
positioned inside a slightly slanting open palm.
Everything else is similar,
with some even using MDC-T leader Morgan
Tsvangirai’s face on their campaign
posters.
MDC-T officials have
said those who have refused to withdraw from standing
either as independents
or have misrepresented themselves as the party’s
choice, have expelled
themselves from the party.
This follows allegations that nine former
Chitungwiza councillors
successfully filed their papers at the Nomination
Court after forging a
senior official’s signature.
But the
Independents, who have since formed an interim structure to direct
their
operations under the banner of Independent Candidates Coalition, said
they
were not perturbed by press reports that they had been fired from the
party.
Speaking to SW Radio Africa just after their meeting held in
Gweru Tuesday,
former Magwegwe MP, Felix Mafa, said talk about their
“so-called dismissal
was illegal.”
“We are still members of the
MDC-T. No-one has communicated with us
officially about that or summoned us
to any hearing. So we are forging ahead
with our preparations for elections
and to campaign for our party leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, who hasn’t indicated
that he doesn’t need our vote,” Mafa
said.
Mafa said they were still
waiting for Tsvangirai to address their grievances
“so that those who were
imposed can step aside to enable the rightful
winners to represent the
party.
“At today’s meeting, we were mapping out a strategy to direct our
operations
as independents. Our common grievance is that the so-called
primaries were
pre-determined and a circus,” he said.
Asked about the
modified logo, Mafa said no-one had a monopoly on the
symbol: “The MDC logo
just like the name is part of the people’s project. In
the past we have had
ZAPU PF, PF ZAPU, ZANU PF, and ZANU NDONGA so there is
nothing new
there.”
Mafa dismissed fears that their use of MDC-T logo would cause
confusion on
polling day and lead to vote splitting, with party supporters
mistakenly
casting their votes for the independents.
“But why would
people be confused by that, when the presence of MDC-T,
MDC-M, MDC, MDC-99
hasn’t caused any confusion? The MDC is a revolutionary
people’s project
which can’t be owned by anyone. A 10% difference in the
logos or names is
still a difference.
“If people are worried about any confusion arising,
they should educate
their supporters. In any case there is a symbol, a
picture and a name and
how can that possibly be confusing, Mafa
added.
The Gweru meeting was attended by 20 prospective MPs and 10 local
government
hopefuls, with Aaron Chinhara elected as chairperson of the
group, Prince
Dube secretary, Tedius Chimombe organising secretary and Hope
Zuda
treasurer.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
09/07/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
SOUTH Africa-based businessman, Mutumwa Mawere,
has announced that he is
backing MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the
presidency in elections
scheduled for the end of this month.
In a
statement Tuesday, Mawere said: “Like many voters, I have watched the
performance of the inclusive government and if there was any doubt about who
is the problem, the proclamation of the nomination and election dates has
fortified my belief that Zimbabwe needs a new face to inspire
hope.
“The promise of hope and change needs real flesh and brand
ambassadors and
although President Mugabe is an honest, principled and
courageous man, it
cannot be said that his re-election will bring the kind
of change that the
people of Zimbabwe need and deserve.”
The
announcement comes as a new boost for the MDC-T leader after he
confirmed an
alliance with Simba Makoni’s Mavambo Kusile party as well as
Zanu
Ndonga.
Mawere recently regained his Zimbabwean citizenship after
successfully
challenging, at the Constitutional Court, registrar general
(RG) Tobaiwa
Mudede’s insistence that dual citizenship remained illegal even
under the
country’s new constitution.
The RG had told Mawere to first
renounce his South African citizenship
before he could apply for Zimbabwean
national registration documents.
Said Mawere: “What I know today is that
were it not for the determination
and courage of people like Tsvangirai, I
would not be a beneficiary of dual
citizenship for the prohibition of dual
citizenship was sanctioned by Zanu
PF and continues to be enforced even
after the enactment of amendment number
20 of the
Constitution.
“Tsvangirai has met challenge after challenge, and there is
no doubt that he
has grown as a leader (who) should be equal to the myriad
of challenges that
the economy faces.
“I have chosen a different lens
to consider my choice on 31 July 2013 not as
a member of any party but as a
new citizen informed by what the country
needs at this critical juncture in
its history and development.
Zimbabweans will vote on July 31 to choose a
successor to the coalition
government between Tsvangirai and President
Robert Mugabe which came into
office after violent but disputed polls in
2008.
Mawere said the country needed a new beginning and dismissed Mugabe
and his
Zanu PF party as people hamstrung by a worldview mired in the
past.
“Although President Mugabe is an honest, principled and
courageous man, it
cannot be said that his re-election will bring the kind
of change that the
people of Zimbabwe need and deserve,” he
said.
“Zanu PF has retreated to gutter politics, running a campaign on
partisan
division, racial warfare, and class antagonism (and) President
Mugabe’s
policies and worldview are deeply mired in the
past.
“Zimbabwe is economically battered and continues to drift without a
defined
flight path and destination and President Mugabe cannot escape
culpability
notwithstanding the fact that it will be wrong to attribute all
the failure
solely to him.”
Mawere, whose SMM Holdings was
expropriated by the government over
allegations the group was indebted to
various state entities, said he
expects nothing in return from Tsvangirai
for his endorsement.
“Tsvangirai must be rest assured that he does not
need to repay me for my
vote. It is a free vote, albeit, I had to pay
lawyers to assert it,” he
said.
“I am eternally grateful to all who
voted for the adoption of the new
constitution without which I would not be
able to vote.”
He also dismissed as inaccurate reports linking him to a new
political party
the United Movement for Democracy (“UMD”) which is said to
have tried to
nominate him to run for the presidency.
He urged those
behind the move to follow his lead and support Tsvangirai
instead.
“Indeed, my name has been linked with a new party, United
Movement for
Democracy (“UMD”), creating the perception that my quest for
citizenship was
purely motivated by a desire for political relevance and
power,” he said.
“The truth is that I am not a member of the party and
could not have been
even if I wanted. I was a non-resident alien in terms
of the laws of
Zimbabwe and, therefore, to any rational person it would have
been
ridiculous for me to head a party in a country in which I am considered
a
foreigner.
“By declaring my choice for the office of the President,
I do hope that the
people who purport to support me can take a cue on what
to do on the
Election Day.
“Given the limited time available, I
intend to meet all the people who have
chosen to join UMD also to be
independent that they should follow my
example.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
FUNGI KWARAMBA • 9 JULY 2013 12:11PM
HARARE -
Soldiers and police officers — who in 2008 voted under the watchful
eye of
their commanders — will on Sunday and Monday exercise their
democratic right
to vote freely after electoral authorities removed polling
stations from
barracks and police stations.
Rita Makarau, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(Zec) chairperson said observers
are welcome to monitor the special voting
for the uniformed forces which
will take place on July 14 and 15, two weeks
before the crunch polls set for
July 31.
As of Monday, Zec, the
commission in charge of electoral processes in the
country, had received 87
000 applications from the police, the army and the
Zimbabwe Prison
Services.
The Zec boss said 60 000 police officers applied for special
voting.
Co-Home Affairs minister Teresa Makone has said the force does
not have more
than 40 000 officers.
Appearing before Parliament
earlier in February ahead of a referendum,
Innocent Matibiri, police deputy
commissioner-general (operations),
disclosed that the force was going to
recruit 10 000 officers in order to
complement the 40 000 police
officers.
“Our polling stations are not going to be in barracks,” said
Makarau. “Some
are at schools or at community halls but no polling station
is within a
barrack.”
As the country hurtles towards the crucial
elections, Zec has already
established 209 special polling stations.
Processing of applications for
special voting is underway.
In the
2008 poll, members of the uniformed forces complained that they were
forced
to vote under supervision from their superiors at army camps or
police
stations.
Police chief Augustine Chihuri has been at the forefront of
resisting the
changes, writing to co-Home Affairs ministers, Kembo Mohadi
and Makone on
July 26 last year protesting against the agreed electoral
reforms.
But despite fierce resistance, Zec has forged ahead, designing a
new voting
system for armed forces that seeks to secure their
vote.
The new requirements are in line with amendments made to the
Electoral Act,
which have attracted angry denunciations from top commanders.
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
July 9, 2013 in News
THE Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (Zec) on Tuesday re-assured political
parties that
there would not be rigging through the controversial special
voting system,
amidst widespread belief that the ballots would be tampered
with.
Hazel Ndebele/ Carlos Vieira
At a meeting with political
parties in Harare, Zec chairperson Justice Rita
Makarau said the electoral
body had put in place mechanisms that would
ensure that the ballots after
special voting would not be tampered with.
Special voting taking place
this weekend on July 14 and July 15 is a system
under which persons, who
would be unable to vote on polling day on July 31
because they will be
performing other duties, vote in advance.
Political parties raised
concerns of vote rigging through that system, but
Makarau assured them they
had put in place a system that safeguarded against
ballot
tampering.
To safeguard against abuse of the special voting facility, Zec
said each
individual wanting to be regarded as a special voter had to
produce a
certificate from the chief elections officer or commanding officer
of a
disciplined force stating that the applicant will be deployed to carry
out
duties on the election day away from the ward in which they are
registered
as a voter.
She said the names of those people who vote
this weekend would be crossed
out of the ward-based voters roll.
“The
ballots are transported from polling stations to the chief elections
officer
and thereafter to the ward in tamper-proof envelops that will be
sealed in
the presence of election agents who are entitled to sign on the
seal,” she
said.
Makarau also said political party agents are entitled to be present
when the
tamper-proof envelopes are opened.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
JEFFREY MUVUNDUSI • 9 JULY 2013
8:43AM
BULAWAYO - Political analysts in Bulawayo say a recent spate in
forging
alliances amongst political parties was a sign of thriving
democracy.
Those who decided so should not be condemned as it was their
democratic
right, they said.
Last week the MDC led by Welshman Ncube
and Zapu led by Dumiso Dabengwa
forged an alliance to cement their electoral
position in the forthcoming
crunch polls.
This happened after the MDC
led by Morgan Tsvangirai had signed a deal for
an electoral pact with
MavaMbo/Dawn/Kusile (MKD) leader Simba Makoni and
Reketai Sengwayo of Zanu
Ndonga.
Many people had anticipated a grand coalition where major
political parties
could have united to contest Zanu PF’s enduring hegemony
spanning 33 years.
But the parties apparently could not agree on a
plethora of issues hinged on
principles and ideologies.
With a
surprise alliance coming from the country’s southern region where
Zapu and
MDC decided to join forces, much has been said labelling the two as
regionalists bent on dividing votes to deny Tsvangirai a possible outright
election victory.
But political analysts defended the new
development.
Political analyst Dumisani Nkomo told the Daily News that
political
alliances were in fact a positive development in the Zimbabwean
political
landscape.
“Alliances are very important at this stage. It
shows that as a nation we
are going somewhere. Of course what has been an
ideal situation was to have
a broader political alliance that would face
Zanu PF in the forthcoming
elections,” Nkomo said.
“It would however,
been unfair to say the new alliance is improper and built
on regional basis.
All political parties have a right to choose who to align
with no matter how
small. It is basically a win-win scenario which is good
in a
democracy.
“There must not be a big brother mentality as to who should be
joined and
who should join.
“It is important that now we are going to
see a situation whereby in areas
like Matabeleland where Zapu supporters
could have voted for Zanu PF, so
this time they have a better option,” he
explained.
With regards to Zanu PF’s culture of violence, Nkomo said this
time around
the ex-majority party was using “a smarter way whereby they are
using the
brain in such places as rigging using voter registration and the
voters’
roll among other things.”
Political analyst Dumisani Mpofu
described the MDC-Zapu alliance as
critical.
“The MDC-Zapu alliance
is a critical one especially in Matabeleland where
there is usually serious
voter apathy, a situation that has been working
very well for Zanu PF. This
alliance is likely to reduce that voter apathy
and increase the appetite for
voting hence the panic by Zanu PF.”
Mpofu said while a bigger voter
turnout is now anticipated in the region,
the big question remaining is who
will they vote for in the face of numerous
political parties.
Mpofu
criticised those who believe MDC and Zapu could have joined Tsvangirai
rather than forming their own separate alliance.
“Of course there are
those who think Zapu and MDC should have included
mainstream MDC. In my
view, that is unfair. I oppose those who think Zapu
and MDC alliance will
not work. If the two parties saw themselves in terms
of programming and
future strategic thinking being similar, they did the
right move,” he
said.
“Politics is not about promoting one person against another, but it
is about
establishing a sustainable democratic future. Democracy without
pluralism is
not democracy.”
Mpofu also said both alliances Zapu-MDC
and the MDC-Mavambo and Zanu Ndonga
were formed on regional basis.
He
said alliances benefited Zimbabwean politics as they are likely to
minimise
violence. In the past Zanu PF has unleashed violence on political
opponents
to subvert democracy.
“Alliances reduce tension in those areas where they
have been formed.
“Zanu PF is known for using tension between so-called
opposition political
parties to promote political violence so that in the
end the parties bear
the blame for provocation, not Zanu PF. In this case
Zanu PF has been thrown
in a tight corner,” said
Mpofu.
Plumtree-based political analyst Thomas Sithole believes there is
nothing
wrong with political parties forming alliances.
“It only
serves to indicate that at least some political parties share
similar
principles. You cannot blame them.
“Basically it is everyone’s right to
form a party or get into a coalition
which shows how democratic as a country
we can be,” Sithole said.
However, he bemoaned lack of unity amongst
political parties.
“It is quite sad that Zanu PF has been in power for
over three decades and
at a time when political parties could be seen
forging a united front we see
lack of interest or rather wider disagreements
between political parties.
“I think parties could have learnt from the
2008 scenario where an absence
of a united front gave Zanu PF a life line,”
he added.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
09/07/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
MUNYARADZI Kereke’s open defiance of Zanu PF after
refusing to withdraw as
the party’s candidate in Masvingo is threatening to
damage the party’s
fragile unity ahead of elections on July
31.
President Robert Mugabe made a plea to his party to unite as he
launched his
campaign last Friday.
Firing the slogan ‘Bhora
Mugedhi/Ibhola Egedini’, Mugabe warned Zanu PF
against divisive tendencies
which could shear votes from his party ahead of
the watershed
election.
But several losing Zanu PF candidates, as well as some whose
CVs were
rejected, have opted to run as independents while Kereke – who was
said not
to have met the party’s five-year membership criteria – filed
papers as a
party candidate in Bikita West.
The wealthy businessman,
who owns a medical centre in Harare and is a former
adviser to central bank
governor Gideon Gono, was rejected by the party but
somehow ended up on the
ballot paper and won convincingly in the internal
Zanu PF vote.
He
submitted his name during the nomination court sitting on June 28, along
with Zanu PF’s preferred candidate, Elias Musakwa. Both were registered as
the party’s candidates.
Zanu PF subsequently asked the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (ZEC) to
expunge Kereke’s name, but the request came to
grief when ZEC chairperson
Rita Makarau, on July 4, advised the party that
this could not be done
without Kereke’s consent – which had been
denied.
Zanu PF sources say Kereke is backed by a faction led by Defence
Minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa, who sees the election as an opportunity to
outmuscle his
rival Joice Mujuru in the race to succeed Mugabe.
“They
[Mnangagwa faction] have advised Kereke to stay put at a great risk to
the
party. Kereke also has backing from senior army people in Masvingo
province
and the party is walking on egg shells because acting against him
could
cause new fissures,” one politburo member told New
Zimbabwe.com.
Elsewhere, the party also faces challenges of a different
kind – party
loyalists who have opted to stand as independents after losing
or being
refused a run in the primaries.
The party had 12 candidates
who filed their papers as independent candidates
after losing in the primary
elections or being barred from contesting
although most of them have since
withdrawn their candidature.
Only Jonathan Samukange (Mudzi South),
Nokuthula Matsikenyere (Chimanimani
West), Daniel Garwe (Murehwa North) and
Marian Chombo (Zvimba North) have
not pulled out.
Samkange, thought
to be a Mnangagwa ally, is refusing to stand down in Mudzi
South where he
filed papers to stand as an independent against Zanu PF’s
Eric
Navaya.
Samkange, who was refused permission to stand in the primaries,
says Navaya
played “judge and jury” by rejecting his papers in his role as
the party’s
district chairman.
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
Loirdham
Moyo
09.07.2013
MUTARE — Manicaland provincial administrator Fungai
Mbetsa says while
Zimbabwe is highly rated in literacy levels, the country’s
education sector
needs to be revamped.
Citing the sorry state of most
schools in the province, Mbetsa on Tuesday
said more money needs to be
invested in the sector if the country is to
remain at the top of other
African nations in terms of education.
Mbetsa said the quality of
education in the country is being compromised by
poor infrastructure and the
unavailability of relevant text books and
teaching materials.
He said
close to 40 schools in Buhera district, Manicaland province, remain
unregistered, adding about a dozen more in Makoni district are in dire need
of assistance.
He said more should be done to channel funds from the
education transition
to help poor schools, particularly in the rural
areas,
Mbetsa made the comments while handing over a new technology
centre at
Sakubva Library in Mutare. He called on local authorities to forge
partnerships with corporate organisations to improve learning centres and
facilities in their areas.
The provincial administrator said
communities should also invest in the
education of their children. He said
companies and organizations should
emulate Old Mutual Private Limited, which
sponsored the construction of the
technology centre.
He said the
centre would go a long way towards providing quality education
and access to
the internet and new media technologies to the community.
Old Mutual
chief executive officer Charles Mangosho promised the company
will continue
to plough back into communities in the country to help nurture
future
leaders who are knowledgeable, not only about the country, but the
global
village that has become the world today.
Simon Mashababe, standing in for
town clerk Obert Muzawazi, said the city of
Mutare is grateful to Old Mutual
for the technology centre, adding the local
authority will do all it can to
ensure it is well maintained and that many
benefit from it.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
08/07/2013 00:00:00
by
Staff Reporter
ZANU PF administration secretary Didymus Mutasa
has vowed to sue MDC-T
secretary general Tendai Biti for allegedly
“accusing” him of causing the
fire death of a 12-year old Headlands boy in
February this year.
A seething Mutasa vowed Monday to take the MDC-T
secretary general and
Finance Minister to the cleaners over public
statements linking him to
Christpower Maisiri’s gruesome death.
The
boy died after fire gutted a hut in which he was sleeping with his
siblings.
Four of the other children escaped the blaze but Christpowers was
burnt to
death after the roof caved in.
“I'm going to sue Biti for his reckless
statements that I murdered
Christpower Maisiri. I want Biti to tell me where
he was when I was
committing the crime. He must tell me all that,” charged
Mutasa.
“I will sue him for a lot of money and if he fails to pay I will
attach his
house!”
Christpower was son to MDC-T aspiring legislator,
Sherperd Maisiri, who is
also the party’s deputy organising secretary for
Headlands district.
The boy’s tragic death sparked a huge row between the
coalition parties
after the MDC-T claimed Zanu PF was responsible for the
arson attack.
The MDC-T singled out Mutasa - the current MP for the area
- for blame,
accusing him or ordering an attack on Maisiri’s home.
“We
told Didymus Mutasa (Zanu PF minister and local MP) that he is behind
the
murder of this boy,” Biti told mourners during the boy’s funeral.
“If he
thought we were hiding under the cover of cabinet privilege, we are
now
saying it in public - Mutasa you killed this boy! If you think we are
lying
take us to court for defamation.”
Zanu PF dismissed the allegations as
“baseless, offensive and malicious”.
Police later said the fire was caused by
the explosion of tobacco chemicals
and ammonium nitrate fertiliser which was
in the house, adding they did not
suspect any foul play.
http://www.zimdiaspora.com/
MONDAY, 08 JULY 2013 02:45 STAFF
REPORTER NEWS
Twelve people were killed while nine others were
seriously injured in two
separate accidents which occurred almost at the
same spot along the
Gweru-Mvuma Road on Saturday and Sunday, police
confirmed yesterday. Police
spokesperson, for Midlands Province Inspector
Emmanuel Mahoko said in the
first accident which occurred at the 65km peg,
on Saturday at about 11am, an
overloaded Toyota Granvia burst its rear tyre
and overturned killing five
people on the spot.
He said three other
people in the vehicle which had 13 passengers on board,
were pronounced dead
upon arrival at Gweru Provincial Hospital.
"Today (Sunday) at about 7am,
an Isuzu KB 300 which was travelling towards
Gweru veered off the road two
kilometres away from the Saturday accident
spot and overturned killing four
people on the spot.
"The Isuzu truck had eight passengers on board," he
said.
Insp Mahoko said four people including the driver in the Isuzu
truck were
injured and rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital.Insp Mahoko said
police were
still withholding names of the twelve people killed in the two
accidents as
their next of keen were yet to be advised.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
TENDAI KAMHUNGIRA • 9 JULY 2013 8:58AM
HARARE –
Controversial businessman John Arnold Bredenkamp was recently
detained over
a $4,2 million fraud and externalisation charge.
The tycoon, who has
instituted legal proceedings against the British
government for placing him
on a travel and asset ban targeting President
Robert Mugabe’s inner circle,
appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court
last week after a complaint by
local trader Yakub Ibrahim Mohammed.
With the Breco Group owner appearing
before Don Ndirowei, Bredenkamp was
released on a $2 000 bail and his High
Court trial set for September 9.
For long, considered one of Britain and
Europe’s richest men, the
73-year-old Zimbabwean businessman and ex-rugby
player was indicted after
allegedly acquiring a loan from Mohammed about 12
years ago, and which he
has failed to repay or make good on.
While
Mohammed had provided the foreign cash component of the loan from
proceeds
of his Sahawi International (Private) Limited cigarette trading
business in
South Africa, Bredenkamp — famous for his helicopter shuttles in
Harare -
had promised to pay back the loan after disposing off his
Kababankola Mining
Company in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, after selling the
controversial diamond mine in 2006 — once
co-owned with another local tycoon
Billy Rautenbach — the former Prince
Edward School student failed to pay
back the cash.
According to the agreement between the two businessmen,
the loan was to
attract a six percent interest per year, capitalised on a
monthly
basis and Bredenkamp also stands accused of obtaining this money
without the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s exchange control approvals.
In
the same court papers, it was said that Mohammed imported cigarettes into
the country under a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority bond at Bak Storage and upon
selling them within the southern African region he got substantial amounts
of forex.
At the time, the country was still using the Zimbabwean
dollar.
In the meantime, Bredenkamp has recently filed a lawsuit against
the British
government after discovering that the London administration was
behind a
decision to blacklist him for allegedly propping up Mugabe’s
government.
Although the controversial tycoon had been on a European
Union (EU)and
western embargo, he has since been removed from the list
following a review
of the smart sanctions in February 2012.
In his
anti-sanctions court action, the ex-arms dealer and Rhodesian
sanctions-buster said in 2009 that the EU measures were “devastating for his
personal and professional reputation” and was based on “exceptionally
generalised” evidence.
And he is now challenging the lawfulness of
the government’s decision to
freeze his assets and impose a travel ban on
him to Europe between2009 and
2012.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
SYDNEY SAIZE • 9 JULY 2013
8:33AM
MUTARE – Dorothy Mabika, Zanu PF Manicaland provincial chairlady,
has been
acquitted of stock theft charges and obstruction or defeating the
course of
justice.
Mutare magistrate Sekesai Chiundura delivered the
ruling with at least four
defence witnesses still to give their evidence on
the case.
The magistrate dismissed the case and discharged the former
Zanu
PFchairperson of the women’s league and acting chairperson, stressing
there
was no case.
This comes after the same court also acquitted
Mabika’s co-accused Mike
Madiro over the same charge last
month.
Mabika said the legal battle has been costly to her and the family
and
immediate relatives and friends.
“I am happy that the case has
been thrown away and matter has been put to
rest though it has been a
stressing period of my life,” said Mabika.
“I still feel this case should
never have been to the court but rather it
would have been proper for our
seniors in the party to simply inform me that
certain positions were to be
filled by their preferred candidates,” said
Mabika, who still up to now
believes the arrest and prosecution was
politically-motivated by senior Zanu
PF officials in Manicaland Province.
“There was no need to fight each
other in the first place in Zanu PF because
we are one family and we need to
fight one common enemy not amongst
ourselves. Up to now, I still feel hurt
as we wasted time and money over
nothing.
“It was not good, fair and
necessary to accuse me of a theft that never was
in order to remove me from
my position, it was just an inhuman thing to do,”
she said.
Mabika
faced one count of stock theft involving six dairy bull calves she
received
from Chipinge-based commercial dairy farmer Dawid Jourbert as a
donation to
Zanu PF.
The State alleged Mabika converted the calves to her own use by
claiming
they had died of lack of supplementary feeding and a shortage of
milk.
Mabika was also accused of obstruction or defeating the course of
justice.
It is alleged when police investigations commenced, Mabika
instructed Zanu
PF employees at the provincial office to make insertions to
the effect that
on December14, 2012 the issue of the cattle had been
discussed, cover for
the alleged offence.
Tinofara Hove, who
represented Mabika in the matter said he was happy with
Monday’s court
ruling.
“I am glad that the State made the decision it made and found my
client not
guilty and acquitted her and this brings to an end this very,
very long
trial,” said Hove.
Christine Nyamaropa appeared for the
State.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
STAFF WRITER • 9 JULY 2013
8:28AM
HARARE – The European Union (EU) has pledged over $200 million to
Zimbabwe
for health, agricultural-based economic development, governance and
institutional building.
The fund was formally launched on Monday
under the second phase of the
programming exercise for the 11th European
Development Fund (EDF) following
the identification of sectors of
cooperation between the EU and Zimbabwe.
An indicative allocation between
187 and 234 million Euros (equivalent to
$243 and $304 million) will be
dedicated to programmes in these identified
sectors.
“Within the
framework of EU re-engagement with all parties in the Government
of National
Unity (GNU), the EU Council decided on 23 July2012 to suspend
the measures
that did not permit to cooperate with the Government of
Zimbabwe,” said EU
ambassador Aldo Dell’Ariccia.
“This has allowed the EU to work directly
with the GNU to develop new
assistance programmes. We have already agreed
with the Government the
sectors on which EU’s development cooperation should
focus. We are now
starting to discuss which should be the priorities within
each of these
sectors.”
The launching event was co-chaired by the
national authorising officer,
Willard L. Manungo, who is also the secretary
for Finance, and by Dell’Ariccia.
The programming process will result in
formulation of a National Indicative
Plan (NIP) jointly agreed by the EU and
the government of Zimbabwe by the
October 30, which will contain the main
programmes to be implemented under
the 11th EDF.
“The government of
Zimbabwe acknowledges and appreciates the support that
the EU continues to
provide towards the achievement of the objectives of
poverty eradication and
sustainable development in Zimbabwe. We are
committed to the programming
exercise of the 11thEuropean Development Fund
(EDF),” Manungo
said.
“The 11th EDF is informed by the national development priorities.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4_kl9lUoBw
It has not been
our wish to publicise the distressing situation that has
been ongoing at
bally Vaughan for the last three months but we have been
forced to respond
to the statement put out by Gordon and Deborah Putterill.
On the 1st July
2013 several animals were due to be translocated from Bally
Vaughan to the
Twala trust with valid NP movement permits, veterinary
permits and officials
including a senior ZNSPCA inspector and a parks ranger
(NP Scout).
The
animals being moved had been rescued during our tenancy at Bally Vaughan
and
we hold all the necessary permits for these animals.
The movement of the
animals had been set for Monday, 1st July 2013 as the
vets who were moving
the animals would not be available for the next two
weeks.
It is
important to note that the police presence was requested by us and
facilitated by the ZNSPCA.
Sarah, Vin, members of staff, several vets,
members of the public (including
foreign tourists) were locked into the
sanctuary and the entrance barricaded
by Deborah and Gordon Putterill.
A
ZNSPCA representative was locked out of the sanctuary by the Putterills
and
ZNSPCA has since put out a statement to this effect.
Chief Chikwaka was
invited by us to see the lions being moved to their new
home. He has been
instrumental in coordinating our free mobile veterinary
clinics, and
supports our conservation work.
Deborah Putterill performed a search of two
vehicles belonging to members of
the public without their permission, the
small animals ready for
translocation in cages were in these vehicles and
traumatised by the ensuing
commotion.
Deborah Putterill threatened to
have both Sarah and a member of the public,
Di Fynn, arrested for
theft.
3 serval cats had already been tranquilised prior to being
moved.
The animals were eventually returned to their enclosures after being
in
translocation cages for several hours while the Putterills vacillated as
to
whether or not the animals could go.
It is necessary to ask the
question that if: a) the Putterills only concern
is for the welfare of the
animals and: b) if the animals being moved were
covered by a court order
preventing their movement, why did Gordon Putterill
then offer to sell four
of our rescue lions to us which he said would
facilitate immediate
translocation of the animals.
These lions do not belong to the Putterills and
they are certainly not for
sale. We consider them to be a part of our animal
family and do not regard
them as bargaining chips.
These four lions were
rescued last year in such an appalling state of
neglect that it was doubtful
that they would survive. With dedicated care
and overwhelming public
support, these lions have been successfully
rehabilitated. It is impossible
to comprehend why the Putterills would
believe they can lay claim to these
lions or to any other animal rescued by
ourselves. (For example if you lease
a space to store your goods you are not
obliged to leave your goods behind
when your lease expires and certainly not
before your lease
expires.)
Sadly a marmoset that was waiting for translocation has since died,
the body
has been taken to the Wildlife Unit for a post mortem.
With
regard to ownership of the animals we were operating a sanctuary on the
land
owner’s property not operating their sanctuary (otherwise why would we
be
paying rent?) and further, no animals being taken to Twala were on the
property before we leased it. Nor have the Putterills contributed to the
cost of rescues and the Putterills have not been involved in the rescue and
rehabilitation of any animal during our tenancy. This makes their claim on
Monday that they own all the animals on the property incorrect.
Our lease
expires in October 2014. We had hoped to remain at BV until then,
whilst
making the necessary arrangements to move our rescue and
rehabilitation
project to the Twala Trust. In the meantime we are still
paying rent.
The
Putterills have filed an eviction order against us despite our current
lease
and the Judgment will be handed out tomorrow, Friday 5th July 2013 in
Murehwa court. If the Putterills bid to evict us is successful, we will have
48hrs to evacuate the property without our animals.
We are moving because
the owner, Kathy McIntosh attempted to double our rent
within a 48hour
notice, a move that we opposed. We were then informed that
our lease would
not be renewed again. The owner and her relatives can
therefore hardly claim
to be surprised that we are relocating.
We would like to point out that
Mwanga lodge, run by the Putterills has
benefitted from our hard work and
dedication to the animals that we have
rescued. Their clients visit the
sanctuary for a nominal fee of $2 per head
to view animals rescued,
rehabilitated and cared for at our expense, and the
children on Mwanga Lodge
school outings pay 50c. Even this nominal amount
has not been paid to us for
several months.
It is very sad that our time at BV is ending on this note. We
hope that the
relevant authorities will allow us to move our animals to the
Twala trust so
that we can continue our welfare work and continue to give
the quality of
life to the animals that they so deserve.
The rescue and
rehabilitation of so many animals over the 8 years that we
have been at
Bally Vaughan has been made possible by the wonderful support
of our friends
and sponsors. We would like to thank you all and we look
forward to seeing
you at Twala.
It all started with primary
elections when some candidates garnered more votes than voters. Cardboard boxes
and bond paper replaced ballots. In the process, votes multiplied as if they
were roosters laying eggs. This self-indulgent deceit continued all the way to
the “grand launch”.
Taking this deception a notch up,
was state media. They told us “hundreds of thousands” of supporters attended
ZANU PF election launch. Such bizarre exaggeration is not only desperate but
stupid. Not long ago, we were a nation of trillions and quintillions. We know
our numbers very well.
Ominously, Dr Casino, the
architect of infinite numbers, better known as Gonomics, received some accolades
at the poorly attended launch. Sensing gross embarrassment, Webster Shamu had to
re-jig the program several times while trying to bus and kombi more people into
the venue so that Gushungo would not find more empty places than human beings.
Nevertheless, even those who constantly need the services of Asian-based eye
specialists saw that something was terribly wrong.
Despite Shamu’s concerted effort,
by the time the master arrived, the venue still did not have any number
comparable to what was seen on January 27 1980 when liberators were welcomed
home. Not even 10,000. A far cry from what MDC pulled just a few weeks ago, in
the very same venue. Then came the mix-up of dates and names by the key speaker.
Quite understandable given that elders, at such an advanced age, often confuse
names even of their own children. It won’t be surprising if Chatunga and
Tsvangirai were sometimes used interchangeably in the first family. What more of
Tsvarai! It is just one product of advanced age never to be laughed at.
Elevating sycophancy and
numerical lunacy to another level, the same journalists reported that the MDC
launch was held in a 5,000 seater venue, referring to Rudhaka stadium. There was
no further qualification of the statement. In their shallow minds, they think
Zimbabweans are so gullible as to blindly conclude that ZANU PF attracted
hundreds of thousands while MDC only managed a paltry 5,000 or less.
Unfortunately for them, everybody knows that Marondera was painted red on
Sunday.
Gone are the days when state
media was the sole source of information (or is it disinformation). One can’t
help but feel sorry for the few journalists who still have a semblance of
conscience but have to endure the pain of writing untruths everyday. They
couldn’t even show any photo from Rudhaka.
By way of simple extrapolation;
if a stadium seats 5,000 people, the same stadium gets filled to capacity with
thousands sitting on the pitch while multitudes follow the proceedings on their
feet with several perched on trees, poles and on top of buses, what figure might
this be? Pleasing the master with blue lies is not only disrespectful but
malicious. Ooops, I almost said treasonous!
Dichotomy of agenda is now a lot
clearer from the two manifestos. MDC-T lucidly articulated their vision for the
future, broken down into long and short-term strategies. A 100-day plan anchored
by a five-year strategy demonstrates a party ready to govern. Rural
transformation and employment creation as well as institutional transformation
are at the epicentre of the program.
Conversely, ZANU PF proved that
they are indeed a party of the past when they remained stuck in the rhetoric of
land reform as if they are oblivious to the fact that land is a finite resource.
If anything, most of the ordinary beneficiaries were dumped onto non-arable land
only fit for game with “chefs” taking the best lots. Probably their vision is to
turn us into a nation of hunters! Instead of the master using the launch to
swing votes, he squandered the opportunity attacking Sadc and “an ordinary
street woman” – another typical example of old age.
Meanwhile, Arthur Mutambara is
advised that Nyagura has prepared the contract. Tich Masaya is ready with
induction and onboarding material. Start date is 1st August 2013.
Dzinonzi “Poltiks” – RIP Dr Mzee.
Moses Chamboko writes in his personal capacity. He can be
contacted at chambokom@gmail.com
http://takura-zhangazha.blogspot.co.uk/
Tuesday,
9 July 2013
By Takura Zhangazha*
The two main political
parties in Zimbabwe have launched their manifestos
for the harmonized
elections scheduled for July 31 2013. Other parties will
most certainly do
the same, though with less pomp and ceremony. Given that
there will be a lot
of insistence on which manifesto is better, please see
below some brief
pointers as to some criteria on how to read these much
vaunted
documents.
1. Incumbency: All of our major parties have the
fault/strength of having
served in the outgoing inclusive government. One of
them for more years than
others but all the same, their manifestos cannot be
read as though they are
all completely new to government. In essence the
manifestos must be read on
the basis of all incumbent parties' performance
in the outgoing government,
acknowledgements (if any) of their mistakes and
a realistic assessment of
what they claim to have been their
successes.
2. A complete/holistic reading: Party manifestos, much
like a
constitution cannot make good sense in isolated parts. They must be
sequential and each part must reflect the stated ideological framework that
the party in question espouses. Nitpicking sections that affect ones social
or class grouping may provide a feel good moment but either way the
manifesto will be meaningless without its wholesome parts.
3.
Realistic vs Ridiculous Propositions: In election periods most
parties vying
for office make the most ridiculous of proposals. Assess them
against the
political and economic realities that you know to be faced by
the country
and its citizens. As the perennial election joke goes, some
parties may
promise to build bridges where there are no rivers.
4. Devil in the
detail: Party manifestos tend to gloss over the
details of what they
identify as the problem or how they quantify the
solution (eg unemployment
figures and projected solution timeframes). If you
have time, cross check
the figures and qualitative assertions in the
manifestos. If you don’t have
time, take it all with a tablespoon of salt.
5. Cross-check local
government proposals: Most parties talk big in
their manifestos and this
normally means they concentrate on central or
national power. They tend to
skim over local government. A party’s
democratic ethos is generally shown by
how seriously it takes lower levels
of government that have an immediate
impact on people’s lives (water,
health, education, transport et al). If a
manifesto does not talk to these
issues with relative seriousness, think
about it.
6. Cross check proposed policy on media and freedom of
expression:
Most party manifestos will talk about their commitment to the
rule of law,
human rights and the separation of powers. They will however be
muted on
committing to freedom of expression, access to information and
media
freedom. Their approach tends to want to retain control of the media
and
leave what they say about the latter as ambiguous as possible. The more
ambiguous the proposals the more likely they intend to curtail freedom of
expression.
7. Watch out for tokenism and mimicry: Party
manifestos tend to be
characterised by a lot of tokenism and 'copying and
pasting'. Paying lip
service to much quoted phrases without substantiating
them on paper. E.g.
The ‘market re-capitalization’, ‘public-private
partnerships’, ‘foreign
direct investment’ ‘job creation’ ‘gender equality’
‘youth empowerment’.
These are normally written out of context and as though
they have been
copied out of a World Bank handbook.
8. Mark out
immediate deliverables: Each party tends to promise quick
deliverables upon
assuming power. Mark these out and hold them to account on
their first day
in office. Even if you did not vote for them.
9. Be time conscious:
Whichever party’s manifesto best impresses you,
be mindful of the fact that
it will potentially be in charge of Zimbabwe for
the next five years. So if
you have doubts, think about the impact of those
doubts on the country. The
elections are both about 31 July 2013 and also
about 31 July
2018.
10. Take note of all that was omitted: It is also not always
whats in the
manifesto that is important. What might be missing/omitted will
perhaps be
the most significant indicator of the party’s intentions.
Good
luck in reading the manifestos (if you have time)
Takura Zhangazha writes
here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
