Mail and Guardian
Percy
Zvomuya and Lloyd Gedye | Johannesburg, South Africa
12
July 2007 11:59
In a damning 59-page catalogue of policy
advice to the
Zimbabwean government, Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono
spells out his
repeated attempts to persuade the government to change course
and save the
country from imminent economic collapse and ruin. The Mail
& Guardian is in
possession of the document.
Zimbabwe
is heading for a meltdown as top state officials,
businesses and the Reserve
Bank clash over the economic crisis gripping the
former breadbasket of the
subcontinent.
Gono has slammed the government for not taking
his advice to do
away with price controls. He claims he has called
repeatedly for foreign
investments to be protected and for property rights
to be upheld, but his
advice has fallen on deaf ears.
His
disgruntlement comes at a time when government policies are
becoming
increasingly incoherent following the arrest of business executives
for
defying government orders to lower prices.
An analyst who
does not want to be named says Zanu-PF currently
has no clue about how to
resolve these issues.
"You are dealing with a regime that is
reacting in an irrational
manner," says the analyst. "He [Gono] is the
person tasked with resolving
these issues for the government and he is
finding it impossible to do his
job."
In a letter, of
which the M&G has a copy, to Minister without
Portfolio Elliot Manyika,
who is tasked with enforcing price controls, Gono
complains that a raft of
advice he has given the government in the past
three years has not been
heeded.
"It is our strongest conviction that only through a
holistic
framework can we stabilise prices, without inducing shortages in
the
market," he writes.
Gono's shopping list of measures
to be taken to stabilise the
economy ranges from agriculture to tackling
corruption. He has called on the
government to:
...
stop land invasions and the criminality that has affected
conservancies,
including poaching and cutting down trees;
b.. protect
private property;
c.. rationalise external trade tariffs to
enhance producer
viability;
d.. exercise restraint in
setting prices;
e.. respect existing and future investment
protection
agreements;
f.. privatise key
parastatals;
g.. engage business in a social
contract;
h.. stamp out corruption;
i.. provide subsidies for actual production as opposed to
pre-production
free handouts; and
j.. build an environment free of
disruptive policy
inconsistencies and enhance the viability of
business.
The invasions, Gono asserts, have led to "land
degradation, loss
of potential foreign currency earnings, erosion of
confidence and lack of
security [thus] scaring
investors".
On government plans to force foreign companies to
cede 51%
stakes to locals, Gono calls for transparency in the
"indigenisation and
empowerment programmes" as they have created anxiety
among potential and
existing investors.
Gono criticises
ministries for living beyond their means. This
has fuelled "money supply
growth and inflation". He bemoans the growth of
money supply that is not
matched by productive economic activity and has
spurred
inflation.
To generate foreign currency, which has been in
short supply
since the land invasions began, Gono suggests that bonds be
issued. He notes
the response has been lukewarm because of "perceived
country risk". His
attempts to encourage "Zimbabweans in the diaspora" to
invest in local
companies and property have not been
successful.
The "social contract" that was meant to control
the spiking of
prices is stillborn and "prices continue to increase because
of a lack of
commitment" from labour, business and the
government.
Read Gono's advice
(PDF)
... Intro and part
one
... Part
two
... Part
three
... Part
four
Sidelined
Zimbabwean
economist John Robertson says that the very
structured social contract that
Gono is trying to put in place has been
thrown out by the
government.
"He has been sidelined in this process," says
Robertson. "The
Zimbabwean government has short-circuited the whole process
by imposing
retroactive price controls, a much harsher
approach."
He says the price controls are a failure and are
causing food
and fuel shortages, which have led to a massive transport
crisis, with many
Zimbabweans unable to get to work.
"Retailers have been forced to reduce prices and, at these new
prices, they
cannot afford to restock," he says. The government is hoping
that the
Zimbabwean population will buy its version of events that taints
retailers
as the exploiters and that the price cuts are what they
deserve.
The analyst says that already retailers are refusing
to accept
the Zimbabwean dollar and this is sure to lead to economic
collapse.
"Government is printing huge amounts of money. It
is in
circulation and there is nowhere for it to go," says
Robertson.
Michael Spicer, head of Business Leadership South
Africa, says
it is quite clear that the Zimbabwean economy is in a state of
free-fall.
"It is self-evident that the price cuts are completely untenable
and
unsustainable."
It is imperative that politicians,
civil society and business
from within Zimbabwe and the greater southern
African region come together
to rebuild the Zimbabwean economy and society,
says Spicer.
Robertson says the hope is that someone with the
courage and
organisational capacity to offer leadership will come forward.
Perhaps
Gono's criticism of the government should be viewed in the context
of his
political future.
"I think he might be looking out
for his future; he might
believe he is one of the contenders for a top job
when change comes," says
Robertson. "He is probably working on his monetary
policy statement due in
the course of this month, but I am sure, at this
stage, he wouldn't know
what to put in it."
Another
analyst, who wants to remain anonymous, agrees that Gono
may be looking out
for his political future.
Mining, corruption,
nationalisation
Gono points out in his letter that corruption
remains rife and
it is "adversely affecting economic
activity".
The central bank urges the government to realign
mining
legislation, including speeding up diamond mining regulation. This is
to
ensure the optimal use of the country's mineral resources, but
"uncertainties about the amendments to the mining legislation negatively
affect investor confidence".
Similarly, he urges the
regime to institute greater surveillance
at the mines, where smuggling of
gold and other minerals is prevalent.
In a direct challenge
to Mugabe's strategy on nationalisation
and unfettered state support, Gono
calls for the privatisation of the
country's parastatals and the removal of
subsidies, to reduce the budget
deficit. Parastatals "remain a major drain
on the fiscus".
His pleas to insurance and pension funds to
support the
country's ailing construction industry have not been heeded. As
a result the
"construction industry is declining".
The
backbone of the economy has been agriculture, which has
suffered the most
since the land invasions in 2000. His attempts to get
banks to give loans to
newly resettled farmers have not been heeded, as
banks keep their distance
"due to risk factors".
The bank's intervention in providing
funds for buying goods,
marketing and tillage programmes, have not been able
to shake up the
"lethargy" in agriculture.
Land invasions
have disrupted attempts to revive farming
activities. Gono urges the
government to place a moratorium on further
invasions.
Challenging Gono's remarks, a top government official is
reported to have
said that technocrats have failed to make politicians
understand their
"demagoguery", which cannot be a substitute for policy.
The
rebellion in Zanu-PF might well have started. As a Mugabe
appointee and
friend, Gono's move could well be interpreted as a step
towards a different
political future.
Arrested businesspeople
... Willard Zireva: chief executive of OK Zimbabwe
...
Michael Fowler: Innscor chief executive
... Zed Koudounaris:
Innscor non-executive director
... Gavin Sainsbury: Colcom
chief executive
... Norita Adams: a sales executive at
Colcom
... Tambudzayi Dakwa: pork shop manager at
Colcom
... Misheck Ndlovu: a wholesale manager at
Colcom
... Robinur Parlou: a general manager at Spar
Athenitis
... Joseph Masango: a store manager at
Spar
... Adam Esats: group finance director at Edgars and
Express
... Charles Janga: operations manager at Harare
Edgars Stores
... Larry Mukombwe: operations manager at Power
Sales
... Archlas Ringirirai: a director at
Jaggers
... Garrith Lumsden of Buchu
Butchery
... Kuda Mufukari: a senior depot manager at
National Foods
... Bervin Nyandoro: a manager at Little
Harods Fife Avenue
... Vladmir Branchev: a West Oils
director
... Phineas Mhike: a sales manager of Goldline
Motors
... Zedias Chinjiva: a manager at City Lane
Motors
... Stobber Brilliat: a director at Union Avenue Car
Sales
... Trymore Simango: a director at Top Wheel Car
Market
... Leroy Murape: a director at Motorview
Trading
SW Radio Africa
(London)
12 July 2007
Posted to the web 12 July 2007
Tererai
Karimakwenda
The government's price monitoring task forces are
reported to be forcing
many businesses to reduce their prices beyond the
levels stipulated by the
new law published last Friday. Shops around the
country lost billions on
Thursday as the price monitors allowed mobs of
shoppers to empty the shelves
within hours, buying products at prices made
up on the spot. Public
transport is also in crisis. According to the state
press police in Harare
impounded 49 commuter omnibuses and arrested their
drivers for overcharging.
They are being held at Mbare police station. Our
sources in Bulawayo said
minibus operators went on a wildcat strike Thursday
protesting the reduced
fares which they say do not cover their costs for
fuel and parts.
Even the state run ZUPCO buses are reported to have
stopped operations.
The state run newspapers reported that at least 1
768 business people have
been arrested countrywide and 1 328 companies have
appeared in court since
the government ordered price reductions two weeks
ago. They have been
ordered to pay fines ranging from Z$70 million to Z$100
million. The
deepening crisis has raised fears in South Africa, where the
umbrella labour
and business unions expressed deep concern for the people in
Zimbabwe and
the threat to South African businesses.
A South African
owned Makro super store in Bulawayo was looted Thursday
after a price task
force reduced the price of goods by two thirds. Bulawayo
businessman Eddie
Cross told us the team arrived at 10am and reduced the
price of televisions,
refrigerators, books, beans and other imported goods
by two thirds. But
imported goods are not subject to the government price
controls. There were
near riots as shoppers grabbed what they could. By 3:00
pm the shelves were
empty. Cross said he spoke to some staff members who
told him they had lost
billions of dollars and will not be able to restock.
The Makro store in
Harare shut their doors Wednesday but were forced to
reopen Thursday and
sources say they had ridiculously low prices dictated to
them. The queues
stretched for miles down the road, and like their sister
store in Bulawayo,
they were wiped out and lost billions. The Herald
reported that the chief
executive of OK Zimbabwe, Willard Zireva, has also
been arrested and faces
41 charges for 'overpricing' at two of their retail
supermarkets. This means
three executives of South African companies have
been arrested so
far.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the Business
Unity
South Africa (BUSA) released separate statements expressing deep
concern at
the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe and the threat it poses
to South
African owned businesses. BUSA plans to send a mission to Harare to
investigate the role South African business could play to help end the
crisis.
The South African government has been remarkably
silent.
VOA
By
Blessing Zulu,Jonga Kandemiiri and Carole Gombakomba
Washington
12 July 2007
Divisions were said to be
emerging Thursday within the Zimbabwean government
over its scorched-earth
offensive against high prices, even as stage agents
enforcing price cuts
extended operations to rural areas and impounded
commuter
omnibuses.
Government sources said Trade Minister Obert Mpofu, directing
the operation,
was at loggerheads with Labor Minister Nicholas Goche, who
argued that price
monitoring should be carried out under the Tripartite
Negotiating Forum
which he chairs. The forum brings together government,
business and labor
representatives.
Legal experts, meanwhile, said
Mpofu had violated the Incomes Act barring
members of Parliament from
setting prices. The office of the attorney
general was also feuding with
Home Affairs Ministry, complaining that the
charges which police have
brought against business people were murky, in
some cases refusing to
prosecute.
Ruling party sources said parliamentarians of the ruling
ZANU-PF party
challenged Mpofu to explain the logic of the price-rollback
operation,
citing mounting shortages of staple foods and complaining that
lawmakers had
never been consulted.
Consumers say they are running
out of food and that replenishing stocks is
difficult as they rise early in
the morning or buy at exorbitant prices on
the black
market.
Economist Godfrey Kanyenze, representative of the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade
Unions in the three-way economic forum and on the Price
and Incomes
Commission created in recent months, told reporter Blessing Zulu
that labor
as well as business have become confused by conflicting positions
within the
government.
While politicians wrangled, police pursued the
price crackdown, impounding
scores of buses in Harare and Bulawayo whose
operators were alleged to have
overcharged. Operators in response grounded
their fleets - leaving commuters
stranded.
Police extended the blitz
against hyperinflation to rural areas, leading to
hoarding of basic items in
the countryside and the closure of many small
shops.
State agents
raided branches of large retailer Makro in Bulawayo and Harare,
causing
pandemonium as customers rushed to buy goods reduced in price by
50%.
A Makro manager in Bulawayo, speaking on condition that he not
be named,
said the police riot squad had to be called in to prevent a
serious
disturbance.
Correspondent Safari Njema reported from Harare
that as the government
tightened controls, residents encountered problems
due to market chaos and
uncertainty.
In a related development, the
National Association of Non-Governmental
Organizations said it had received
reports that the government raided
warehouses belonging to two member
organizations that were accused of
hoarding.
Industry Minister Obert
Mpofu had earlier charged that NGOs were hoarding
food so they could
distribute it at election time in an effort to topple the
government.
Sources close to the developments said that authorities
raided a Care
International warehouse in Masvingo and a World Vision
warehouse in Harare,
seizing food.
However, Care Country Director
Stephen Vaughan said the organization's
facilities had not been raided and
that such actions were unnecessary
because Care operated in a transparent
and nonpartisan manner regardless of
the election schedule.
A World
Vision official declined to comment on the government accusation of
hoarding.
Sources said NGOs are afraid to speak out for fear Harare
will revoke their
licenses to operate, preventing them from carrying out
food distribution and
other activities.
Spokesman Fambai Ngirande of
the National Association of Non-Governmental
Organizations told reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri that the government allegations
and actions were intended
to curtail the operations of NGO's distributing
food.
The seeming
irrationality of the state offensive against high prices has led
to the
proliferation of theories on why Harare has in effect crippled the
economy.
One is that the blitz is meant to divert public attention
from the
forthcoming national elections. Proponents of this theory note that
the war
on high prices coincided with the beginning in late June of voter
registration which runs through August 17.
The Zimbabwe Election
Support Network noted that registration is a yearly
event, but takes on
greater importance with local, general and presidential
elections
looming.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition National Coordinator Jacob Mafume
told reporter
Carole Gombakomba that his organization is worried about the
impact of the
government's single-minded price-cutting campaign on the
country's electoral
process.
Zimbabwe Election Support Network Vice
Chairwoman Irene Petras said most
people are dedicating many of their
waking hours to the search for food and
other essential items such as fuel
at a time when it is critical that they
register to vote.
SW
Radio Africa (London)
12 July 2007
Posted to the web 12 July
2007
Violet Gonda
"It was a night without much moonlight and
they walked through. It was like
the sound of cattle moving through the
grass. You couldn't see the other
people but to your left and to your right
across the distance in the silence
of the night you could hear people moving
through the bush and it was like
the sound of a herd of cattle moving
through the grass." This was a
Zimbabwean refugee describing the movement of
desperate people to
neighboring South Africa this week.
Experts say
between two and three thousand people are crossing the border
every night,
as a result of the price cuts crisis that began a couple of
weeks ago.
Although the influx of Zimbabweans has been growing steadily over
the last
few years, South Africa has seen a marked jump in recent weeks.
In
the past many of the people who fled the country were political refugees
but
observers say now it's almost entirely economic refugees. Hunger,
combined
with years of difficulties, has finally pushed people over the
edge.
Journalist Geoff Hill said: "Whereas people used to cross just
by the Beit
Bridge area, people are now going across the entire length of
the South
Africa border with Zimbabwe - which is almost 200km - and they are
using the
whole river to come into South Africa."
Hill added: "To
show concern for that there was a huge South Africa police
conference in
Messina today."
South Africa Home Affairs officers and border police
working the Limpopo
River district also told reporters on Thursday that the
flow of economic and
political refugees crossing South Africa's northern
border has become "a
tsunami."
Questions are now being raised as to
whether or not South Africa has the
capacity to deal with the
ever-increasing flood of refugees crossing the
Limpopo River. Crime is said
to have also risen at Beit Bridge, a situation
that is now affecting the
security and integrity of the border post. Geoff
Hill said: "But there is no
sign of the government (SA) or SADC breaking
ranks or speaking out on
Zimbabwe, despite this crisis every night of 2 000
to 3 000 people
continues, across the Limpopo River."
Meanwhile, most of the major
supermarkets in Zimbabwe are empty, causing
serious food shortages. While
long queues of people searching for food and
fuel have resurfaced, others
prefer to cross the crocodile-infested Limpopo
River in search of food - and
hope.
Zim Online
Friday 13 July 2007
By
Hendricks Chizhanje
HARARE - Zimbabwean police on Thursday said they had
arrested more than 2
000 company executives and owners in a two-week old
crackdown against
business that fail to comply with a directive by President
Robert Mugabe to
slash prices by 50 percent.
Police spokesman Oliver
Mandipaka said 100 public transport operators were
also arrested and their
vehicles impounded for overcharging, in a campaign
Mugabe has defended as
necessary to stop rouge businesses from unjustifiably
hiking prices in a bid
to ferment anger among the majority so they can
revolt against his
government.
"Its over 2 000 people who have been arrested so far," said
Mandipaka,
adding that some of the business executives had been released
after paying
admission of guilty fines while scores of others were still in
police
custody.
Most of the public transport operators were released
and their vehicles
returned also after paying fines, he
said.
Zimbabwe's long running economic crisis took a turn for the worst
last month
after the government ordered manufacturers and retailers to slash
prices by
50 percent, in a desperate attempt to stem runaway inflation,
which at more
than 4 500 percent is the highest in the
world.
Soldiers and police have raided several shops in Harare and
Bulawayo to
force owners to lower prices and yesterday extended the price
crackdown to
rural areas, in a campaign the main opposition said was being
orchestrated
by Mugabe's securocrats in a desperate attempt to appease
voters ahead of
elections next year.
Secretary general of the main
wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party, Tendai
Biti, said in a statement that the Joint Military
Command - a bureau of
powerful military, police and intelligence commanders
that has backed
Mugabe's controversial rule - was behind the crackdown on
business.
"The assault of retailers is not the sporadic, unplanned
action of a
desperate tyrant. (It is) a grand scheme, carefully engineered
by the
military generals running and controlling the country through the
Joint
Operations Command (JOC)," said Biti, adding that the government was
in
election mode and would do anything to retain power.
"This regime
is a militarised Vampire State, whose sole aim is the continued
reproduction
of power - and power alone. In pursuing this quest, it will use
legal and
extra-legal means. Put simply, this regime will burn the house if
that is a
precondition for sustaining power," he said.
State Security Minister
Didymus Mutasa, who chairs the JOC, was not
immediately available to respond
to Biti's claims.
Zimbabwe holds joint presidential and parliamentary
elections next year
which some analysts say Mugabe and his government could
lose, citing a
severe economic meltdown most blame on mismanagement by the
state and that
has brought untold hardships on the
electorate.
Analysts say the government's latest effort to keep a lid on
prices was
meant to pacify angry workers ahead of next year's polls but
would come at a
heavy cost as this could force companies to shut down and
could bring
Zimbabwe's severely weakened economy to a complete halt. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 13 July 2007
By Edith
Kaseke
HARARE - When word reached Abigail Chakohwa that prices of
electrical
appliances and basic commodities had been slashed at a major
Harare
wholesaler, she quickly left her office, jumped into her car and
drove off
only to join hundreds of other consumers who had already jammed
the premises
of the business.
"I was unlucky because when I arrived
most of the products had been bought,"
Chakohwa, an accounts officer at a
Harare commercial bank, said moments
after having hustled in a long queue to
no avail.
Chakohwa was referring to a trip to Makro wholesalers, owned by
South Africa's
Massmart, which on Thursday was forced by a government
taskforce on prices
to slash prices by 50 percent, including prices of
imported electrical
goods.
Zimbabwe has in the past two weeks been
slowly grinding to a halt as workers
spend more of their time in long queues
in search of bargains after
President Robert Mugabe's government ordered a
price freeze and directed
businesses to cut prices by half two weeks
ago.
Uniformed military and police officers have joined the buying frenzy
and are
normally seen at the front of long winding queues at a time they are
supposed to be on duty.
More than 1 760 business executives and
managers have to date been arrested,
with many being fined by the courts for
ignoring the government price
freeze.
But economic and political
analysts said while the price bonanza was a
welcome relief to a majority of
long suffering consumers used to daily price
increases, this would further
drive Zimbabwe's battered economy into the
ground as industry would not be
able to operate within tight profit margins
in a hyperinflationary
environment.
The analysts warned that thousands of workers were setting
aside more time
to bargain hunt for cheap commodities, which would hit
production levels and
take a toll on an economy that has continued to shrink
since 1999.
"Certainly a lot of time is being wasted as workers seek
commodities which
are now being sold at give away prices and this will have
a bearing on the
overall performance of the economy," John Robertson, a
Harare-based economic
consultant said.
Mugabe has warned businesses
to stop "this nonsense of escalating prices",
accusing them of seeking to
topple his government through arbitrary
increases he says are meant to
ferment anger among the majority so they
could revolt against his
government.
Main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, while accusing
Mugabe of seeking
votes in next year's general parliamentary and
presidential elections from
hard-pressed urbanites through the
communist-style price controls, has
described the price rollback programme
as a "short honeymoon".
Already manufacturers have scaled back on
production while supermarket
shelves are running empty despite threats by
Mugabe to seize and nationalise
their operations if they stopped producing,
raising the spectre of more job
cuts in an economy where 8 out of 10 people
do not hold a formal job.
Zimbabwe's economy is teetering on the brink of
collapse with inflation
soaring to nearly 5 000 percent while acute
shortages of foreign currency,
food and fuel bite even more.
"With
this latest adventure Mugabe has just managed to grind the country to
a
halt," John Makumbe, a University of Zimbabwe political scientist told
ZimOnline. "It is a tragedy which I am sure will have an unhappy ending as
the economy is being sacrificed for political gain."
There have been
ugly scenes outside supermarkets and even clothing shops
that have slashed
prices as shoppers try to take advantage of the price
cuts.
Signs
such as "Closed for Price Reduction" have drawn the attention of many
people, some who have formed groups to trawl shops for bargains and by the
time the shops open, they would be jammed by hundreds of
people.
Yesterday, riot police were called in at Makro when about 400
people laid
siege at the company's premises after word circulated that
electrical
appliances such as televisions, which were selling for $30
million were
reduced to only $10 million.
The shop, on the east of
Harare city centre, was forced to close at midday
over fears of looting by
an increasingly restless crowd.
"No one is working anymore because people
are always looking for something
cheap to buy," Chakohwa told ZimOnline as
most businesses recorded huge
sales, albeit at half price.
The
"discovery" of basic commodities like sugar, cooking oil, chicken meat
selling at half prices has resulted in long winding queues and at times
caused chaotic scenes as shoppers stampede to stock up, fearing that once
current stocks are exhausted, there will be massive shortages.
Long
petrol queues which formed after the government reduced prices by half
have
disappeared after petrol stations exhausted their stocks but the
commodity
is available on the black market at nearly 10 times the set price
of $60 000
per litre.
The fuel shortages and a reduction in public transport fares
has forced
commuter bus operators off the road, leaving thousands of workers
stranded
with some resorting to walking to and from work.
Mugabe, who
has in the past said he did not know of anyone who would have
ruled Zimbabwe
better than him, says the price controls are meant to restore
sanity in the
economy and officials see this as a panacea to stem galloping
inflation. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 13 July 2007
By Tsungai
Murandu
HARARE - Zimbabwe's rule of law record is worse than that of
war-ravaged
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan, according to a
new World
Bank report on governance released this week.
The report
titled, Governance Matters 2007: Worldwide Governance Indicators
1996-2006,
also showed that Zimbabwe - currently still to come to terms with
the
effects of a government swoop on prices - fares badly in terms of the
regulatory environment where it is again ranked lower than DRC, Sudan as
well as even Iraq.
The World Bank researchers tracked movements in
six key governance
indicators in 212 countries during the past 10
years.
Countries were ranked according to their performance in the areas
of
accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory
quality, rule of law and control of corruption.
The rule of law in
Zimbabwe was found to be better than only 1.4 percent of
the 212 countries
surveyed, slightly lower than the DRC, which was ranked
higher than 1.9
percent of the countries.
The report ranked Sudan higher than 6.7 percent
of the countries. Both DRC
and Sudan have had or are in the middle of armed
conflicts.
Zimbabwe's regulatory environment was marginally better than
that of
Somalia, a country synonymous with war and anarchy.
Harare's
quality of regulation was better than 1.5 percent of the other
countries
surveyed while Somalia's environment was placed higher than just
0.5 percent
of the countries.
Even then, Zimbabwe and Somalia only scored higher than
the other countries
by virtue of the fact that no data was available for
countries such as
Kosovo, Monaco, Nauru, Niue, Palau and San
Marino.
The World Bank report coincides with an ill-conceived Zimbabwe
government
onslaught on prices, which is threatening to decimate the
country's
remaining industrial base.
Grappling with record inflation
of more than 4 500 percent, President Robert
Mugabe has during the past two
weeks ordered manufacturers and service
providers to slash prices and
charges by half.
The move has worsened Zimbabwe's already tainted
economic environment,
triggering panic buying and forcing factories to
operate at a loss. Fuel
queues have resurfaced since last Friday's order to
reduce prices.
More than 1 000 businesspersons have been arrested in the
swoop, with Mugabe
threatening to seize and nationalise businesses that do
not comply with the
order to lower prices and charges.
Economists and
government opponents have described the decision as a
desperate gimmick to
curry favour with the electorate ahead of elections
next year but which
could bring Zimbabwe's weakened economy to its knees in
a couple of weeks as
companies close amid shortages of basic commodities.
The World Bank
reported an overall improvement in governance and fighting
corruption
throughout the world over the past decade.
Significant improvements in
governance over the past decade occurred in
countries such as Angola,
Indonesia, Liberia, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone,
Tanzania and
Tajikistan.
"Over the same period there were significant declines in
governance in
countries such as Cote d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe and Venezuela," the
report said.
The Zimbabwe government was found by the World Bank
researchers to have a
casual approach in terms of controlling corrupt
activities.
The country was ranked the seventh country with the worst
corruption control
environment in the world after North Korea, Equatorial
Guinea, Afghanistan,
Haiti, DRC and Iraq.
Several corruption cases
have gone unpunished during the past seven years,
particularly those
involving top Zimbabwean ruling party and government
officials.
The
more recent cases involved senior officials accused of smuggling
precious
minerals out of the country and others found to have violated
government
rules on farm ownership.
Mugabe has not acted on the findings of an audit
on his controversial land
reform programme, which reported that some of his
lieutenants had acquired
up to six farms each in open violation of the
government's one-man-one-farm
policy. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 13 July 2007
By Nigel
Hangarume
HARARE - Zimbabwe's privately owned newspapers have slashed
their cover
prices by 50 percent after the government threatened to revoke
their
licences, ZimOnline has learnt.
The weekly Financial Gazette on
Thursday cut its cover price from Z$80 000
to $40 000 in line with a
government's directive issued to businesses last
month to reduce prices
prices by 50 percent.
Sources at the Zimbabwe Independent said the
newspaper will be sold for Z$40
000 today after management complied with the
order to halve its cover price.
The Standard newspaper which is published
on Sundays, will also halve its
cover price, said the source.
The
three privately owned newspapers had last week defied the government
directive to roll back prices to 18 June levels and instead hiked their
cover prices citing a rise in printing costs.
State-controlled
newspapers were the first to comply with the government
directive
immediately after the decree was made.
The government's Media and
Information Commission (MIC) this week threatened
to withdraw the
newspapers' licences forcing the three papers to comply with
the
order.
The MIC has over the past four years shut down four newspapers
including the
biggest selling Daily News for allegedly failing to comply
with the country's
tough media laws.
"We all know what has happened
to The Daily News, there's no point in
tempting the government because we
know what they are capable of doing," a
senior official at the Financial
Gazette said yesterday.
"The MIC told us the government directive on
prices included us as well," he
added. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 13 July 2007
By
Tendai Biti
HARARE - The on-going blitz on retail outlets and the arrest
of retailers is
yet another sad chapter in the intriguing and farcical
expression of Robert
Mugabe's rule.
During the burials of the late
army Brigadier-General Armstrong Gunda and
Retired Major-General Gideon
Lifa, Mugabe and Vice-President Joseph Msika
directed, from the graveside,
the physical enforcement of price reduction
measures that are being executed
by the army, the police, militias and war
veterans.
In his graveyard
speech at Gunda's funeral, Mugabe spoke in the following
terms: "Let
everybody who is in business take note. This is now going to be
a rough
game. We own the resources. We are the owners of this economy. We
will seize
these companies. We will nationalise them. We will no longer
stand for their
dirty tricks."
Pursuant to this statement, there has been a massive
crackdown on shops,
supermarkets and retail outlets as well as the arrest of
retailers.
Furthermore, to legitimise this "thugocracy", the Minister of
Industry and
International Trade gazetted new price control regulations on
Friday, 6 July
2007, that proscribe any price increase from the base date of
18 June 2007.
The immediate net result of the above banditry has been the
closure of many
shops and the disappearance of essential food items from
retail outlets. In
addition, many manufacturers have simply shut shop and
further, there has
been a disinvestment from Zimbabwe as witnessed by the
slump in the price of
stock on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
These
moves, coming two weeks after the gazetting of the Indigenisation and
Empowerment Bill, will further heighten the serious economic crisis
arresting the country.
Contrary to the views of many, the assault of
retailers is not the sporadic,
unplanned action of a desperate
tyrant.
In our view, the chaos that is being created and replayed in
Zimbabwe every
day is a grand scheme, carefully engineered by the military
generals running
and controlling the country through the Joint Operations
Command (JOC).
This regime is a militarised Vampire State, whose sole aim
is the continued
reproduction of power - and power alone. In pursuing this
quest, it will use
legal and extra-legal means.
Put simply, this
regime will burn the house if that is a precondition for
sustaining
power.
The regime's actions caricature and reproduce the key components
of
totalitarian regimes e.g. Germany in the Third Reich, Zaire under Mobutu
Sese Seko, Togo under Eyadema, Malawi under Hastings Kamuzu Banda and
Somalia under Siad Barre.
This trait manifests itself through the
obliteration of any value systems,
any objectivity, any bureaucratic
predictability and the use of force,
coercion, immorality and corruption as
major tools of arbitrary governance.
All this madness is always hidden
beneath an avalanche of morbid populism
and infinite nationalism.
Sovereignty becomes the sycophantic high note of
this discordant
chaos.
It was the same organised anarchy that led the Vampire State to
the
Gukurahundi genocide that resulted in the brutal murder of 20 000
innocent
people between 1982 and 1987 in the Midlands and Matabeleland
provinces.
It was the same driving urge that resulted in the violence
that was
unleashed on the people of Zimbabwe in the name of land reform
between 2000
and 2004.
This resulted in over 300 MDC supporters being
killed and over one million
farm workers were displaced.
The same
madness and energy have been directed at the Zimbabwean economy.
Between
2000 and 2007, the ZANU PF government has systematically raped this
once-decent economy with the result that there has been the total collapse
of any macro-economic decency and a virtual death of the supply side of the
economy.
The net result is that Zimbabwe is operating at less than 25
percent of
normal productive capacity, a country where gross domestic
savings are less
than 2 percent of GDP and where gross domestic investment
is dwindling, a
country where the budget deficit exceeds the budget itself,
a country whose
economy is in its tenth year of negative growth
rates.
Yet despite this chaos, the gap between the rich and the poor has
widened
and corruption, clientelism, kleptocracy and rent-seeking activities
have
become the order of the day.
The same organised chaos reached
its watermark during Operation
Murambatsvina that was unleashed on
Zimbabweans from 19 May 2005, which
Clean-Up operation displaced over one
million people who became internal
refugees.
A small-scale
Murambatsvina is taking place at the University of Zimbabwe
where hundreds
of students have been expelled from their halls of residence
in this
brutally cold winter.
Thus, the attack on retail outlets is not a
surprise at all, particularly
given the election that is due in 2008. The
hustlers and gangsters at the
RBZ headquarters and at Munhumutapa are now in
an election mode and have
increased the decibel levels of fear in
preparation of yet another stolen
election.
All sectors are under
threat; students, the church, judges, lawyers, civil
society and the
opposition. As we write, over 20 MDC activists arrested in
March are still
in custody for no apparent reason.
These include Glen View MP Paul
Madzore, his brother Solomon, Kudakwashe
Matibiri, Phillip Mabika, Dennis
Murira, Morgan Komichi, Friday Muleya,
Ishmael Kauzani, Better Chakururama,
Peter Chikwati, Arthur Mhizha, Phillip
Katsande, Amos Musekiwa, Edmore
Manyofa and Kenneth Nhemachena, among
others, are still languishing in
prison and being denied bail by a complicit
and compromised
judiciary.
The important lesson from the assault on business is that for
so many years,
it has been a complicit partner with ZANU PF in the process
of disempowering
Zimbabweans. Business has tried to bribe ZANU PF by
donating millions of
dollars at ZANU PF functions.
It had remained
deaf and indifferent to the calls for change by the MDC.
No one is safe
in a train being driven by a madman.
One is reminded of the words of
Reverend Martin Niemoller way bank in 1945:
"First they came for the
Communists and I didn't speak up because I was not
a communist. When they
came for the Jews, I didn't speak up because I was
not a Jew. When they came
for the Catholics, I didn't speak up because I was
a Protestant. Then they
came for me and by that time there was no one left
to speak."
In our
view, dictatorship and totalitarianism are an artificial construct
that does
not last. This false construct has begun disintegrating. Four
issues
predicate that we are in the last stages of the demise of the regime.
If
this were a game of chess, then this would be the endgame dominated by
passed pawns and marauding rooks.
The first critical issue is the
economy. While Robert Mugabe can bash and
imprison Morgan Tsvangirai and
others, he cannot bash and imprison the
economy. Official inflation figures
of 4 500 percent are indicative and
reflective of a corrosive failure to
rein in inflation.
Unleashing thugs and militias will not work. Nowhere
in the world has an
economy been run by ginya (force). Ginyanomics (the use
of force) do not
work. Ask the rulers of the former Eastern bloc.
The
second factor is a population that is ready for change. The average age
in
Zimbabwe is 25 years. Anyone who is 25 today was born in an 'independent'
Zimbabwe and his or her key concerns are job security and economic
production.
Unlike other generations, that person is not prisoner to
the ideological and
suffocating dictates of the national liberation war. Put
simply, there has
been a generational transformation of the country's
geopolitics.
The effect of this transformation is the occupation of space
by a restive
population that sees Mugabe and everything he represents as the
past and
everything Morgan Tsvangirai and the opposition represent as the
future. It
is a pure and simple manachian reality.
The third issue is
the regional and African perspective of the Zimbabwean
crisis. That
perspective is now more enlightened and decisive. Before 11
March 2007, many
believed that the crisis in Zimbabwe was an extension of
the national
question, a struggle between black and white or between a
colonial power and
its former colony.
Mugabe and his cronies thus sold and projected
themselves as Pan African
heroes in an anti-capital, anti-global and
anti-neo liberal crusade. 11
March debunked this myth when the battered head
of Morgan Tsvangirai and the
discoloured lumps on Grace Kwinje's skin
captured the brutal expression of
the regime.
The regime has lost its
last remaining moral face in SADC and the African
continent. It has to rely
on expensive propaganda quislings such as Baffour
Ankomah of the New African
magazine.
Fourthly, is the existence of a powerful but little understood
opposition.
That appears disintegrated and disunited but is otherwise. It
has the
capacity and numbers to win a free and fair election.
The
corollary of a strong opposition is a weak ruling party, ZANU PF.
Mugabe has
collapsed the State into ZANU PF. The State has become ZANU PF
and
vice-versa.
However, it is a party that is torn by acerbic and profane
divisions. At
least 11 persons are vying to succeed Mugabe. The conflict,
rivalry and
friction in the ZANU PF camps have totally paralyzed ZANU PF and
the State.
ZANU PF and the government have become prisoner to the mirage of
succession
politics.
The next few months are thus critical for civil
society, the church,
students, the opposition and the business community in
Zimbabwe. There will
be further violence, assaults and deaths.
It is
critical for SADC and Africa to be aware of the dynamics that are
playing
out in this country and to act as an insurance and watchdog in these
dark
dying days.
As for ZANU PF, the end is nigh. A caring government can
never succeed in
terrorising all sectors of the economy. In any contest with
the people,
dictators have always come second best. Mugabe cannot be an
exception.
* Hon Tendai Biti, is the secretary-general of the Morgan
Tsvangirai-led MDC
Zim Online
Friday 13 July 2007
By
Nigel Hangarume
HARARE - The trial of former Zimbabwe Test batsman Mark
Vermeulen on arson
charges has been postponed indefinitely as his lawyers
and the state
continue deliberations on the case.
A hearing had been
set for Wednesday.
"The case was supposed to be heard (on Wednesday), but
nothing happened
because there are some negotiations taking place between
us, the state and
other people," defence lawyer Eric Matinenga said. "Maybe
within two weeks
there will be something out of this."
Matinenga
could not elaborate on the negotiations.
The 29-year-old Vermeulen could
be jailed for up to 25 years if he is
convicted of burning down the Zimbabwe
Cricket Academy and trying to set the
union's boardroom on
fire.
Vermeulen has admitted committing the crime but pleaded not guilty
on
grounds of mental instability.
Doctors who examined the player
diagnosed that he suffered from clinical
"temporal lobe
epilepsy".
Under Section 32 of the Mental Health Act, the
Attorney-General's Office
retains judgment if the accused has been certified
mentally ill and not
responsible for his conduct when the offence was
committed.
Last month, the defence team, Zimbabwe Cricket representatives
and Harare
Area public prosecutor Tawanda Zvakare agreed to engage in
deliberations on
the case and make recommendations to the AG's
Office.
Vermeulen's lawyers had requested an out-of-court settlement with
Zimbabwe
Cricket, pleading their client's mental instability when he
committed the
crime.
Zimbabwe Cricket lawyer Wilson Manase last month
said they would accept
Vermeulen's offer to repair the damages
unconditionally, but still wanted
"justice to prevail".
Manase could
not be reached for comment whether Zimbabwe Cricket had changed
its position
or not.
Vermeulen has a history of violent behaviour and
depression.
Last September he was banned in England for 10 years after
throwing a ball
at spectators during a league match in Central Lancashire.
The ban was
reduced to three years on appeal.
In 1996 Vermeulen was
banned from representing his school Prince Edward for
uprooting his stumps
after getting a poor lbw decision.
He was also sent back from Zimbabwe's
tour of England in 2003 for
misconduct. Vermeulen has played eight Test
matches for Zimbabwe, his last
coming in 2004. - ZimOnline
Reuters
Thu 12 Jul 2007,
21:17 GMT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department Thursday
warned U.S.
citizens of the risks of going to Zimbabwe where
"state-sponsored violence"
and a government crackdown have raised security
concerns.
"American citizens in Zimbabwe should minimize travel within
the country and
to the extent practicable, avoid public places and
gatherings," the State
Department said in a public announcement.
"In
light of the current circumstances, U.S. citizens are advised to
consider
the risks before traveling to Zimbabwe at this time," it added.
Visitors
should also be prepared for food shortages caused by sharp price
cuts which
had led to panic buying.
Faced with inflation of 4,500 percent,
Zimbabwe's government ordered
businesses last month to roll back and freeze
prices of break, milk, cooking
oil and other key consumer items after a
sharp increase in their prices.
The move pushed the economically blighted
southern African nation closer to
breaking point and resulted in a crackdown
against businesses that have
failed to heed the measures.
"In
response to growing public protests against deteriorating conditions,
the
Zimbabwe government continues to authorize its security forces to
suppress
all dissent by whatever means deemed necessary," the State
Department
said.
It accused political leaders "at the highest levels" -- a reference
to
President Robert Mugabe -- of condoning the use of violence by security
forces against anyone seen as an opponent of the government.
Of
particular concern was the use of youth militia known as "Green Bombers"
who
committed the worst offenses and were often under the influence of
drugs,
the statement said.
"While heavily populated urban areas remain the focal
point for the
government's crackdown, the U.S. Embassy has received reports
of
indiscriminate state-sponsored violence in rural areas, including
tourist,
hunting and safari areas," said the announcement.
VOA
By Patience Rusere
Washington
12 July
2007
Riot police on Thursday evicted more than 100
University of Zimbabwe
students from residences outside the schools's main
campus in the Harare
suburb of Mount Pleasant, following the eviction of
several thousand
students on Monday.
Students said police wielding
batons gave student doctors at Parirenyatwa
Hospital and Mount Royale just
30 minutes to vacate their rooms. Social
welfare students housed in downtown
Harare were also evicted.
In response to the evictions this week, student
leaders met officials in the
Ministry of Higher Education - though without
obtaining satisfaction - and
diplomats at the South African, Tanzanian and
Ghanaian embassies to Harare.\
The student leaders demanded that a
supplementary fee of Z$1 million be
canceled, that students to be allowed to
return to their residence halls,
and that exams set to begin on Monday be
postponed due to the turbulence on
campus.
University of Zimbabwe
officials could not immediately be reached for
comment.
Zimbabwe
National Students Union spokesman Zwelithini Viki told reporter
Patience
Rusere that his organization will fight the evictions by every
means
possible.
Cato Institute
News Release
July 12, 2007
Media Contact: (202)
789-5200
Steve Hanke's proposal to link the Zimbabwean dollar to South
African rand
"on the table" in Southern Africa.
WASHINGTON -- The
Southern African Development Community (SADC) is preparing
to rescue the
Zimbabwean economy by extending the rand's Common Monetary
Area into
Zimbabwe, press reports from the region indicate.
The SADC plan closely
follows the proposal made by Cato Institute Senior
Fellow and Professor of
Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University Steve
Hanke, who has advocated
the creation of a currency board that would end
Zimbabwe's spiraling
inflation.
"[The board] should issue Zimbabwean dollars that would be
fully backed by
and convertible into rand at a fixed rate. The currency
board should be
initially capitalized by South Africa. In addition, the rand
should be
allowed to circulate legally in Zimbabwe," Hanke, one of the
world's leading
currency experts, argued in Forbes magazine on June 4,
2007.
Tomaz Salamao, the SADC's executive secretary, has reportedly
drafted a
similar proposal that would top up Zimbabwe's depleted foreign
reserves with
South African currency and allow Zimbabwe to join the rand
monetary area
whose current members include South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho
and Swaziland.
In exchange for South African support, Mugabe's government
would commit
itself to far-reaching political and economic
reforms.
Zimbabwean inflation has been estimated at 5,000 percent per
annum and the
Zimbabwean dollar trades at a rate of Z$250,000 to US$1.
Zimbabwe's economic
meltdown, of which inflation is but one symptom, is a
direct result of the
wrong-headed expropriation of commercial farms that
vastly diminished tax
revenues and led the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to print
more money to finance
the growing gap in the budget.
According to the
South African press, the price of South Africa's help will
be Mugabe's
commitment to economic and political reforms that must include
free and fair
elections next year.
Afrique en ligne
Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe, gunning
for a new five-year term, Thursday won unanimous endorsement
to stand in
next year's general elections from his ruling party's
parliamentarians.
His candidature has stirred controversy, with
calls growing within and
outside the ruling ZANU-PF for the 83-year old
leader to quit and allow
someone with fresh ideas to take over
power.
Mugabe is personally accused of ruining Zimbabwe's once
strong economy
with forced seizures of prime farmlands from white farmers in
the last seven
years.
The farm seizures, meant to allow for the
resettlement of landless
peasants, have resulted in food shortages and
closure of businesses, which
processed farm produce.
The
resultant economic impact pushed inflation to current levels of
over 4,500
percent and caused widespread job losses.
It was against this
background that Mugabe's plans to run for another
five-year term next year
had met strong resistance in the ruling party.
But at a caucus
meeting Thursday, ruling party MPs endorsed Mugabe's
candidature for the
presidential poll, expected to be held in March 2008.
"We have
today sat as a caucus and endorsed the candidature of his
Excellence Comrade
Mugabe for the 2008 elections as we come to the end of
the second session of
the Sixth Parliament," said Joram Gumbo, ZANU-PF
parliamentary chief
whip.
"We find it prudent to make our voice as MPs that we fully
support the
candidature of President Mugabe," he added.
Mugabe
has been in power since Zimbabwe gained independence from
Britain in 1980
after the Lancaster House Talks.
Harare - 12/07/2007
Please send any job opportunities for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG
Job Opportunities; jag@mango.zw or justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 14 June 2007)
Receptionist wanted
Must be young,
innovative, and computer literate. Excel spreadsheets a must.
Good
telephone manners needed. Msasa area.
e-mail cv's to info@fourseasonsfoods.co.zw or fax
486168
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 14 June 2007)
Nursery School Teacher
Fairly newly
established nursery school in Chisipite looking for a qualified
nursery
school teacher to teach pre-school year. Looking for somebody who
is not
likely to be leaving country in near future and mature and
professional by
nature. Attractive salary on offer and lovely environment
to work
in.
Please contact Kerry-Ann on 0912
754226.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 14 June 2007)
Secretarial/Management Position
. . . to
commence soonest . . .
UK based business needing a competent &
efficient, self-motivated,
dedicated, responsible mature person of high
integrity to manage their
office in Zimbabwe.
Required of
you:-
A. Excellent Computer Skills in -
- MSOutlook emails
- File Management
- MSWord
- Internet
B. Good in
MSExcel
C. Company Registration procedures:
- working knowledge
of
Knowledge of LINUX an added advantage
Located in
Avondale.
Remuneration paid from UK
Assessments being conducted
by
Thomas Vallance ACIArb
Executive Director
PARADiGM
Trust(Pvt)Ltd
Trust Executives & Administrators
Para-Legal Advisory
Services
POBox HG750, Highlands.
Tels: (B) 04-304 482, (M) 011-617 161,
0912-227 473
Emails: [paradigm@zol.co.zw],
[paradigm@mango.zw]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 14 June 2007)
Safari Camp
We are looking for a mature
person or couple to run our small 12 bed
safari camp. This position would be
ideal for a mature couple or man from a
farming background.
Essential
are staff management skills as well as able to speak shona. Love
of wildlife
and wilderness areas. Ideal candidates will have some animal
husbandry skills
in particular in relation to horses. The camp is situated
2 hours from
Harare. There is no zesa but then again there is none in
Harare! Good
communication skills and like people also a requirement! Some
handy man
skills an advantage. Excellent package for right person/s.
Please
contact 091 2256434 or email riding@vardensafaris.com delay
in
our replying via email may be experienced due to dial up/phone
problems.
VARDEN SAFARIS, RIDING SAFARIS - MAVURADONHA MOUNTAINS
PO
BOX BW 1714 ^Ö BORROWDALE, HARARE - ZIMBABWE
PH/FAX: HARARE OFFICE (263) 4
861766
JANINE CELL: (263) 91 256 434
BASE CAMP CELL: (263) 91 252
163
email: riding@vardensafaris.com, www.vardensafaris.com
WE OPERATE
IN A MALARIA FREE AREA.
WE AIM TO REPLY TO ALL EMAIL MESSAGES WITHIN 24
HOURS - IF YOU HAVE NOT
HEARD FROM US AND ARE EXPECTING A REPLY PLEASE RESEND
YOUR EMAIL
ZIMBABWE - POSITIVELY
GOOD!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 21 June)
FINANCIAL MANAGER (ACCOUNTANT OR SENIOR
BOOKKEEPER)
^Ő EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL WITH SOUND KNOWLEDGE OF COMPUTERIZED
ACCOUNTING
PRACTICES TO BALANCE SHEET.
^Ő INCUMBENT TO HEAD A DEPARTMENT
OF 3 SUBORDINATES IN A LONG ESTABLISHED
FAMILY BUSINESS IN GRANITESIDE
HARARE
TELEPHONE ^Ö GLYNIS 751704/6 OR CELL 011 630164
EMAIL : auctions@yoafrica.co
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 28 June)
Gardener required:
Can anyone recommend a
reliable, experienced gardener? We would prefer
a mature person who can work
without much supervision. In return a good
salary is offered along with
excellent accommodation
Please phone 011 614
233
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 28 June 2007)
OXFORD IT
Phone - 309855 - 60,
3099274
cv@oxfordit.co.zw , ronald@oxfordit.co.zw
BOOKKEEPERS
-M/Only and full day positions with very good remuneration.
PA's -
M/Only or full day - always looking for experienced ladies.
Engineer
- Experience on Intel / AMD based Servers and server equipment,
knowledge of
Windows 2000/2003 Server and UNIX an advantage and 5 years
experience
minimum. Urgent.
System Administrator - Installation linux and windows
servers, Internet
onsite Linux, Windows support, windows VOIP servers and
support, software
support, VPN, network support, computer hardware
installation and support
maybe, ISP background added advantage. Attractive
package
IBM Hardware - IBM i and or p series and x series midrange
servers, at
least two years experience, BSc/HND in Electrical
Engineering/Computer
Science or City & Guilds T4/T5 or
equivalent
Senior Software Developer - SQL Server, Crystal Reports, VB6
& VB.Net for
financial applications. Need to be a team player with good
communication
skills. This is a demanding position with appropriate rewards.
Attractive
package
Web Hosting - At least three years experience
working as a Web developer.
Graphic Designer - Flash, Adobe, Macromedia,
HTML, Photoshop, Developing
graphics on the
web.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 28 June)
Secretary/PA required (preferably a displaced farmer^Ňs
wife)
An opportunity has arisen at the JAG Trust for a
secretarial/personal
assistant to the CEO. The successful applicant must be
punctual, reliable,
able to use initiative, meet deadlines, engage in a high
degree of public
relation skills and able to work as part of a team and
independently. JAG
is a small office but a fun and challenging environment
to work in, although
can be stressful at times.
Skills
required:
- Typing
- - Minute Taking
- Diary Management for
CEO
- Knowledge of all Microsoft Office Programs
- Good PR skills
A
competitive, inflation proofed remuneration package is offered plus a
fuel
allowance.
Interested applicants should contact the JAG Office on
04-799410 and furnish
a written application with cv via email (justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
and
jag@mango.zw) for the attention of the
Trust^Ňs
CEO.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 28 June)
TOBACCO MANAGER REQUIRED URGENTLY
We urgently
require the services of a Tobacco Manager who will be
responsible for the
production of a 90 ha crop. The farm is situated in
Zimbabwe.The successful
applicant will be:* Honest; * Energetic; * Hard
working and in good health; *
Dependable; and Competent and experienced in
tobacco
production.
Please revert to: agrijoe@hms.co.zw with copies of current C.V
and
references and await follow up from this
end.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 5 July 2007)
Oxford IT has number of new positions that have come up
in our books, There
is:-
Extensive travel - Excellent pay
.Exposure to
International organisation
The turnaround time is very short, please act fast
and email your cv to
ronald@oxfordit.co.zw or call on 309855
/ 60
We are looking for cvs in:
ELECTRICAL: A relevant Apprenticeship
(minimum 2 ˝ years) with a registered
Electrical Company; A Trade Test
Certificate issued by The Department of
Labour.
At least 3 years
experience in the field of Electrical. Equivalent of an IE
(Installation
Electrician). Be in possession of Wiring Regulations or
Installation Rules. (
His Licence would cover 0 - 1000 volts AC.)
PLUMBING: A relevant
Apprenticeship (minimum 2 ˝ years) with a registered
Plumbing Company; A
Trade Test Certificate issued by The Department of
Labour. The ability to do
all types of domestic plumbing and the odd
commercial installation. The
ability to troubleshoot blockages. Knowledge of
the different types of piping
used and their various applications.
REEFER/A.C: A relevant Apprenticeship
(minimum 2 ˝ years) with a registered
Refrigeration/Air Conditioning Company.
A Trade Test Certificate issued by
The Department of Labour. At least 2 years
experience in the repair of
Carrier Transicold; Daikin; Thermo King and York
Reefers. Knowledge on how
to correctly wire and fault find Distribution
Boards.
MECHANIC: A relevant Apprenticeship (minimum 2 ˝ years) with a
registered
Auto Dealer. A Trade Test Certificate issued by The Department of
Labour. At
least 3 years experience as a Petrol/Diesel Mechanic. Fully
conversant with
Injector Pump Timing, Spill Timing, engine overhauls and
braking systems.
Must have diagnostic skills with regard to computerized
systems. Must have
knowledge of Mercedes Benz, Iveco and M.A.N. Truck
Tractors.
WELDER/FABRICATOR: A relevant Apprenticeship (minimum 2 ˝ years)
with a
registered Welding/Fabricating Company. A Trade Test Certificate
issued by
The Department of Labour. At least 3 years experience in Arc
Welding and Gas
Welding methods. The ability to fabricate ducting and metal
containers.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT: A relevant Certification with a reputable
Kitchen
Equipment Supplier/Repair Company. At least 3 years experience as a
Kitchen
Equipment Technician. Extensive experience on Berthos; Henny Penny;
Black &
White Coffee Machines; Kitchen Refrigeration; Cofrimel;
Techfrigo; Frymaster
and Zanussi.
Knowledge in the repair of Laundry
Equipment; Knowledge in the repair of Gas
Appliances.
GENERATORS: A
relevant Apprenticeship (minimum 2 ˝ years) with a registered
Generator/
Heavy Equipment Plant Company. A Trade Test Certificate issued by
The
Department of Labour. At least 3 years experience on Caterpillar; FG
Wilson
and Iveco generators. (60 kva - 2500 kva.) Must have extensive
knowledge on
all aspects of the electronics systems of the generator. Able
to troubleshoot
fault codes.
Phone - 309855 - 60, 3099274 - cv@oxfordit.co.zw , ronald@oxfordit.co.zw
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 5 July 2007)
Business for Sale - South West
Queensland
Lucrative service station for sale $AU 300 000.00 - potential
for a business
migrant to Australia.
Listed on the internet at www.eldersre.com.au. internet id no
serv4454
If you want to ask more questions about the business please
contact kerry at
sunnyholt2@bigpond.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
(Ad
inserted 12 July 2007)
ENGINEERING MANAGER - Swaziland
A large
progressive farming estate in Swaziland has a vacancy for an
Engineering
Manager.
THE JOB
Reporting to the Estate Manager the successful
applicant will be responsible
for the management of all the engineering
functions on the estate including
vehicle, machinery, pump, electrical and
building maintenance as well as
monitoring capital projects.
He will
be responsible for the maintenance of all aspects of the
Occupational Health
and Safety Act and the Company's adherence to the
National and international
standards.
THE PERSON
The ideal candidate will be suitably qualified
with at least 5 years
experience in a senior management position. He will
have had at least 15
years work experience covering all aspects of the job.
Computer skills are
also essential.
THE PACKAGE OFFERED
-A highly
competitive negotiable salary
-Free housing lights and water
-Assistance
with children's education
-Generous leave
-Assistance with Medical
Aid
-Group Life Insurance
-Vehicle Scheme
Interested persons should
send their applications in writing to
STUMAC RECRUITING - PO Box 177,
White River, 1240, RSA or email to
mac28@telkomsa.net giving full details of
themselves.
Closing Date 31st July
2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
EMPLOYMENT
REQUIRED
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 7 June 2007)
Accounting Services
Outsource your payrolls.
For confidential payrolls produced on FDS system.
Accounting services
offered to Final accounts.
Contact : Jenny at tiger1@mweb.co.zw or
011400754.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 7 June 2007)
Secretarial / Administration/ Reception
I am
a mature man looking for Secretarial / Administration/ Reception with
10
years of experience.
Computer literate, good communication skills with
all segments of Zimbabwe
and foreign societies. Hard working. I will
consider full or part time
engagement in any field. Well travelled having
worked in almost every
sector in the industries.
Please contact me on
492 590 (Work) 0912339 438 Cell or e-mail me at:
tengarnetts@yahoo.com - Tendai Karinda
Mr
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 21 June 2007)
Coffee Shop Part-Time in August
Returning
to Harare in August looking for a part time job in a coffee shop,
restaurant,
B & B in fact anything that's fun and can keep me busy for 3-4
days a
week. Can do most things. Please contact Merle Grant phone 00 267
7211296
or email shell@it.bw
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 28 June 2007)
Mature Secretary/PA/Administrator
Available
ASAP
Reliable
Able to Work without supervision
Can run an executive
office
Computer literate
Phone 0912 425468 or E-mail: julietjokomo@yahoo.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
(Ad
inserted 28 July 2007)
PA/Secretary
Looking for a PA/Secretary
position.
Skills include:
Microsoft Office Word, Excel Basic,
Internet & Email, Power point
Computer literate, good communication
skills.
Debtors Clerk
Overseeing Sales Representatives.
Basic
secretarial and reception duties
Reconciling the cash book with cash sales of
the previous day
bookings
Supervise the day to day running of company
houseboats and other
Administrative and office duties.
C.V available
on request.
Please contact Chere 011631546 or
499410
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw