http://news.radiovop.com
24/07/2010 09:04:00
Harare,
July 24, 2010 - Police on Friday arrested John Ziyera, one of the
monitors
shadowing the chaotic constitution making exercise despite
assurance by
Constitution Select Committee (OPAC) leaders to spare them from
harassment
and arrest.
Ziyera, who is a Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Zimbabwe
Election
Support Network and Zimbabwe Peace Project Independent
Constitutional
Monitoring Project (ZZZICOMP) monitor was arrested and
detained at Dumba
Business Center, Mutasa North Constituency where he had
been monitoring a
constitution making outreach meeting.
In a
statement Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights whose lawyers reacted to
Ziyera's arrest said the monitor was allegedly apprehended after the
participants in a meeting at Dumba Business Centre tried to physically
attack him as he was regarded as a foreigner in their area.
Although
Ziyera identified himself as a ZZZICOMP monitor to David Chimhini,
one of
the COPAC team leaders, the legislator allegedly proceeded to hand
him over
to the police under unclear circumstances.
"Ziyera was then detained by
the police from 15:00hours and was subsequently
transferred to Mutare Law
and Order Section after three hours. When
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
(ZLHR) lawyers, Blessing Nyamaropa and
Roselyn Hanzi attended at the police
station they were advised that no
charges had been levelled against the
ZZZICOMP monitor. The police
continued to detain Ziyera even after the
lawyers produced his accreditation
card that had been issued by COPAC," ZLHR
in a statement.
The rights group said a police officer advised them at
the police station
that the senior police officers at Mutare police station
were consulting and
verifying with senior police officers in Harare on the
way forward.
Ziyera was released into the custody of his lawyers after
being detained for
almost five hours, on condition that he appears at the
Mutare Law and Order
Section at 08:00 hours on 24 July, 2010.
http://www.zimdiaspora.com
Sunday,
25 July 2010 23:04 Editor
MEDIA STATEMENT
From
Zimbabwe Diaspora Focus Group Coalition(ZDFG)
(London, 25nd July 2010).
Zimbabwe's co-Deputy Prime Minister Professor
Arthur Mutambara has
challenged the Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom to
help create a prosperous
Zimbabwe "from wherever" they are and not feel
pressurised to "come
home."
Prof Mutambara was addressing Zimbabweans in London at a meeting
organised
by the Zimbabwe Diaspora Focus Group (ZDFG), a coalition of UK
based
Zimbabwean organisations Saturday July 24th.
Prof Mutambara said,
Zimbabwe's coalition government was a rare opportunity
for Zimbabweans to
work together and create conditions for free and fair
elections and a
culture of "constitutionalism" where the rule of law and the
constitution
are respected by Government.
Prof Mutambara told the meeting that Zimbabweans
need to: "Take the Zimbabwe
agenda personally.
"Think outside the box and
question conventional wisdom.
"Success speaks louder than words.
"You will
never be respected as a person until Zimbabwe has done well as a
country."
When asked whether Zimbabwe was now a safe destination for
returnees, Prof
Mutambara acknowledged that although the principals of the
Global political
Agreement (GPA) were working well together there were still
problems
"happening under our watch." He said: "We have not allowed peace
and
tranquillity among our grassroots. There is still conflict and
unnecessary
competition."
He also said: "The 3 parties in Government are being too active
in the
constitution making process. The 3 parties are not Zimbabwe. There
are other
parties like ZAPU that need to be part of the dialogue."
He
argued that the GPA was viewed as a necessity by AU, SADC and South
Africa,
all of whose positions, "we must respect."
Prof Mutambara alluded to
challenges in the coalition and cited that there
were still three
outstanding issues in the GPA that needed tackling and that
the means of
violence are still under the control of "our partners" in
Government.
"It
would be travesty if you all came home tomorrow. You do not need to be
in
Zimbabwe to make a contribution to the struggle.
"The only way we will build
brand Zimbabwe is if some of you stay in the
Diaspora where you can access
knowledge, resources and networks that we
need," he said.
Prof Mutambara
gave examples of other countries which benefitted from their
nationals who
initiated development projects and facilitated investment
while in the
Diaspora.
"In order for this to work, we need to advocate for those
Zimbabweans who
are in the Diaspora to be allowed to work, so that they can
be empowered
enough to assist Zimbabwe," Prof Mutambara said.
On the
constitution, Prof Mutambara said: We must allow dual citizenship and
allow
voting rights for those in the Diaspora."
Mutambara said devolution was a
global best practice and would make sure
that communities are involved in
how they are governed and how resources in
their area are
utilised.
"Devolution is not a Matabeleland idea, but a national idea. It
will benefit
people in Dotito, in Marange with their diamonds and Hwange
with coal.
"We must stop shooting down good ideas because of where they come
from," he
said. On sanctions, Prof Mutambara said: "We agreed in the GPA
that we will
all work to get the sanctions removed. They are not helping
us.
"We will not be able to deliver on the economy as long as some people in
Government and companies are on sanctions. How do we attract investment in a
country where the head of state in under sanctions?"
He invited
Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to shift their mindset from ownership
to
delivery and "collectivise your resources" and take the opportunities in
the
reconstruction of Zimbabwe.
"Zimbabwe is like a giant in a ditch. The
Diaspora must be part of the
definition of a viable framework and
destination in tourism, trade, human
capital, governance and
culture.
"You do not have to come home. We will work with you from where-ever
you
are," Prof Mutambara said.
Issued by the Zimbabwe Diaspora Focus
Group Coalition (ZDFG) Secretariat, in
London.
Chair: Lucia
Dube
Background on ZDFG
The ZDFG is a coalition of UK based Zimbabwean
organisations formed on the
19th February 2010 at Ilford, London. It seeks
to offer Zimbabweans a
platform to work collaboratively and in a coordinated
way, on issues that
affect their stay in the UK and sharing ideas on
contributing to making
Zimbabwe a better place.
The Focus Group is
responsible for improving the outcomes and well-being of
Zimbabweans in the
UK and beyond. The Coalition builds on the accountability
of member
organizations to those they serve, and to the community through
their
governance structures.
Among other things, the ZDFG was set-up to help
facilitate discussions
between HMG, the Zimbabwean Diaspora in the UK and
the Government of
Zimbabwe on policy issues. The ZDFG engages Her Majesty's
Government through
quarterly meetings on issues of mutual interest. Thorough
consultations are
done by the ZDFG before the meetings to ensure that what
is presented to HMG
is reflective of the genuine voice of Zimbabweans living
in the UK.
To achieve effectiveness, the ZDFG is organised according to
various
Portfolios. New member organisations are encouraged to identify and
join the
portfolio that best suits its main constitutional
objectives.
Seminars and consultative conferences, and action plans are
organised
according to portfolios as follows:
1. Organisations for
those in the UK - Lead - ZDDI (Alex Magaisa)
2. Charities for benefit of
those in Zim Lead - ZCA (Lucia Dube)
3. Youth - Lead - Positive Youth
(Shirley Michaels)
4. Women - Lead - Zimbabwe Women Network (Silva
Hove)
5. Business Community - Lead - ZG Club (Kevin Pawadyira)
6.
Human Rights - Lead - MAGGEMM (Mpho Ncube)
7. Faith and Religious Groups
- Lead - CZCLUK (Qobo Mayisa)
8. Arts & Culture - Lead - Ngonyama
(Million Songanga Moyo)
9. Immigration & Asylum - Lead - Zimbabwe
Association (Patson Muzuwa)
10. Think Tanks, Researchers & Academics
- Lead - Beacon Mbiba/Esinath
Ndiweni
11. Media - Lead - AZJ in UK
(Clayton Peel)
Ends
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Radio VOP
Sunday, 25 July 2010
12:20
Harare - Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku will on Wednesday
preside over
an appeal filed by Attorney General Johannes Tomana challenging
the
acquittal of Movement for Democratic Change Treasurer Roy Bennett
(pictured).
Bennett's lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa and Chris Mutangadura, a
chief law officer
in the AG's Office who confirmed to Radio VOP that the
State's appeal
seeking to nullify the acquittal of the former Chimanimani
legislator will
be heard in Chidyausiku's chambers on Wednesday.
Bennett,
who had been on trial since last year on charges of plotting to
overthrow
President Robert Mugabe's previous administration was acquitted in
May by
High Court Judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu.
Justice Bhunu ruled that the state
failed to prove a prima facie case
against Bennett during his high profile
trial. Bennett is Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai's pick for deputy
agriculture minister in the shacky
transitional unity government.
The
former legislator was arrested in February 2009, shortly before he was
to be
sworn in, over terror charges stemming from accusations that he had
funded a
plot to topple President Mugabe four years ago.
http://www.iol.co.za
July 25 2010 at 11:16AM
By
Eleanor Momberg
Former president Thabo Mbeki has been honoured by the
Addis Ababa University
in Ethiopia for his role in African
leadership.
Mbeki was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by
university
president Professor Andrias Eshete, who said Mbeki had worked
tirelessly to
not only bring about democracy in South Africa, but also to
troubled parts
of the continent, among them Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Burundi,
the Democratic
Republic of Congo, the Comores and Sudan.
"These and
other efforts to advance peace and democracy are an integral part
of your
noble vision for Africa's regeneration, which informed your pivotal
role in
the transformation of the Organisation of African Unity to the
African Union
and in the making of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development," said
Eshete.
Accepting the award, Mbeki said: "We should ask ourselves the
question - can
Africa achieve her renaissance if she is not inspired by a
common African
patriotism that would enable us to outgrow our petty
nationalisms, to defeat
those who prey on the African masses for their
personal benefit, to
eradicate the poverty that dehumanises millions, to
achieve the dignity that
is our due as equal members of the human family
(and) to realise Albert
Luthuli's vision when he spoke of Africa 'making a
distinctive contribution
to human progress and human relationships with a
peculiar new African
flavour enriched by the diversity of cultures she
enjoys'?"
* This article was originally published on page 4
of Sunday Independent
on July 25, 2010
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Own Correspondent Saturday 24 July
2010
HARARE - The British government has pledged to continue
supporting reforms
in Zimbabwe, saying the troubled southern African
country's future remains
overshadowed by rule of law abuses and economic
difficulties.
Speaking after meeting Zimbabwe's Education Minister David
Coltart in London
earlier this week, UK Foreign Office Minister Lord Howell
praised the
limited progress made so far by Harare's coalition government in
improving
living standards for long-suffering Zimbabweans but said the
country was far
from improving its human rights and economic track
record.
"He assured Minister Coltart of the UK's continuing assistance to
help
bolster reform and achieve their aims of a stable, democratic and
prosperous
Zimbabwe," the British Foreign Office said in a
statement.
Coltart was in London last week at the invitation of the
Council for
Education in the Commonwealth and the Link Community Development
Trust which
organised a conference on challenges faced by Zimbabwe's
education sector.
The UK and other Western powers have withheld budgetary
support for Zimbabwe's
17-month-old coalition government until there is
evidence of "concrete
progress" in implementing political
reforms.
The Western nations have demanded full implementation of a
power-sharing
agreement between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai as a condition for resumption of budgetary support for
Zimbabwe.
Implementation of the agreement has been marred by bickering
between Mugabe's
ZANU PF party and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
led by Tsvangirai
over appointment of key regime officials and the pace of
political reforms.
Relations between Britain and Zimbabwe soured after
London and its Western
allies imposed visa and financial sanctions on Mugabe
and his top
lieutenants as punishment for violating human rights, stealing
elections and
failure to uphold the rule of law.
Mugabe denies the
charges and instead accuses Britain of reneging on
promises to fund land
reform in Zimbabwe and charges that London and its
Western allies have
funded his opponents in a bid to oust him from power as
punishment for
seizing white land for redistribution to blacks.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Own Correspondent Saturday 24 July
2010
HARARE -- Zimbabwe's ambassador to Russia, Phelekezela Mphoko,
has been
named as the country's top diplomat to South Africa replacing,
Simon Khaya
Moyo.
Mphoko was named alongside other new appointees to
EU and the UN office in
Geneva.
Moyo, who is the chairman of Mugabe's
ZANU PF party, is now expected to be
full time at the party's headquarters
in Harare.
The ambassadorial post in Pretoria - one of the most senior
given Zimbabwe's
close ties with South Africa -- had caused rifts within the
power sharing
government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai.
MDC officials had been jostling for the post in
Pretoria were they were
hoping to influence President Jacob Zuma's policy
towards Harare.
Zuma is the Southern African Development Community's
official mediator in
Zimbabwe.
According to the government gazette
published on Friday, James Manzou will
now take up the ambassadorial post at
UN office in Geneva, while Mary
Mubaiwa will become Zimbabwe's
representative in Italy and Steven Chiketa
will now be the heard of the
mission to Sweden.
Under a 2008 political agreement that gave birth to
the Harare unity
government, Mugabe is required to consult Tsvangirai before
making senior
appointments such as those of ambassador.
But the
veteran leader, who still wields all his old wide-ranging powers
despite
formation of the unity government, has in the past unilaterally
appointed
key allies to strategic government posts.
It was not immediately clear on
Friday whether Tsvangirai had been consulted
and was in agreement with the
latest appointments.
Previous unilateral appointments by Mugabe of the
country's attorney general
and central bank chief are at the center of
wrangle between the President
and the Prime Minister that Zuma has been
trying to resolve since last
year. -- ZimOnline.
http://www.iol.co.za
July 25 2010 at 09:31AM
By Godfrey
Marawanyika
Harare - Thandiwe Ncube cannot conceal her pain and
bitterness when she
speaks about her husband's murder nine years ago by
suspected militant
backers of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
"My
husband had no hands, they cut off his arms. They were by the side of
his
body when we went to collect it," the 45-year-old said.
Her husband John
was killed at a base set up by Mugabe supporters during the
2000
parliamentary elections. His death certificate says he died of
"multiple
injuries."
His crime: supporting Mugabe's strongest opponent, Morgan
Tsvangirai, now
prime minister in a power-sharing government formed last
year to ease
political tensions and fix an economy ravaged by years of
hyperinflation.
Left to fend for her family of four as a widow, Ncube
says a national
healing programme launched by the power-sharing government
means nothing for
her.
"It doesn't help me in anything," Ncube told
AFP, adding that her husband's
alleged killers are still free, even boasting
about the crime.
"If somebody kills and comes back boasting, he is the
boss. There can be no
healing without arresting those responsible. They must
be arrested and put
into jail then we can talk about national
healing."
The unity government has appointed an organ of "national
healing" to
exorcise the country of the ogre of violence.
Sekai
Holland, one of the ministers heading the organ, said it will ask
victims to
testify in hopes of creating a spirit of reconciliation and
preventing a
descent into full-fledged conflict.
"If this national healing fails, it
may lead to civil crisis," she told AFP.
"Political violence is embodied
in our in our operational culture of
politics, but this has to be
addressed.
"People fight for power. The aspect of violence is something
that we as
Zimbabweans must deplore. We must sit down and learn to talk
peace."
The body has so far met with churches, rights groups and
traditional chiefs.
But in May a meeting to encourage victims of violence
to testify was
disrupted by Mugabe supporters.
"President Mugabe and
Tsvangirai should say sorry publicly. Maybe it will
work, but as far as I
know, this national healing will open a can of worms
for both sides," said
James Mutemi, who helped disrupt the meeting.
Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) says more than 300 of its
supporters were killed and
thousands displaced in the run-up to the
presidential run-off election in
2008. Tsvangirai withdrew citing the
violence.
In turn, ZANU-PF
accused MDC supporters of torching houses of Mugabe
supporters. Rights
groups say the vast majority of the victims have been
Tsvangirai
supporters.
Analysts say the national healing programme is futile because
it is led by
politicians responsible for the violence.
"Zimbabwe is
not quite ready for national healing," Gordon Chavunduka, a
sociologist at
the University of Zimbabwe told AFP.
"The problem is that the exercise is
being driven by politicians, yet this
was supposed to be done by ordinary
people."
Chavunduka, who is also traditional healer, said apart from the
national
healing programme, perpetrators of violence should approach
families of
victims for compensation and rituals to appease the spirits of
the dead.
"If you kill a person, the spirit of that person will follow
you. It will
bring bad luck to you and everyone else in your family either
immediately or
for generations to come."
In an address to open a new
session of parliament on Tuesday, Mugabe urged
Zimbabweans to promote the
reconciliation process - even as rights groups
reported new cases of
violence.
Heal Zimbabwe Trust, which helps survivors of violence, said a
man who lost
two sons in a 2008 attack had received death threats for
"commemorating the
death of traitors" with a memorial service for the
victims.
In a recent editorial, the privately owned NewsDay doubted the
exercise
would achieve reconciliation.
"The known perpetrators of
violence expect the organ to protect them," the
daily said.
"They
want a blanket amnesty. They want they handiwork of violence concealed
and
forgotten. There is no real consensus on how to achieve national
healing,
but that does not discount the fact that national healing is key to
taking
this country forward." - Sapa-AFP
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by Staff Reporter
Saturday, 24 July 2010
23:18
HARARE - Zimbabwe's troubled process to draw a new constitution is
in danger
of collapsing amid revelations that support staff involved in a
crucial
exercise to gather views from the public have threatened to down
tools over
poor working conditions. (Pictured: What the people want - The
exercise to
gather public views on the new charter is in danger of
collapsing over
non-payment of staff)
Disgruntled backroom staff,
comprising mostly drivers and technicians, are
said to be unhappy about
alleged favouritism by the parliamentary committee
overseeing the drafting
of Zimbabwe's new supreme law.
They accused the Constitutional
Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) of
favouring team leaders and rapporteurs
while allegedly leaving the
ancillary staff to "fend for
themselves".
COPAC chairmen could not be reached for comment on the
matter but one of the
co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora
Drivers and
technicians who spoke to The Zimbabwean On Sunday last week said
they are
not being paid on time and that when the money finally comes it
usually does
not cover full board.
They alleged that they have been thrown out of
hotels or have had meals
withdrawn because the money they are getting from
COPAC is not enough to
cover accommodation and meals at most
hotels.
Several members of the Mashonaland West outreach team were
evicted from the
Orange Groove Motel and Chinhoyi Caves Hotel for non
payment last Monday.
They were later offered a makeshift home at a Roman
Catholic Church in the
area.
The ancillary staff is currently getting
US$15 a day to cover accommodation,
lunch and dinner.
The daily
accommodation rate for the cheapest hotels is US$20 while the more
expensive
establishments are charging between US$50 and US$100 a night.
The nature
of the outreach exercise however requires that members of the
various teams
stay at one place to ensure smooth coordination of activities.
"In some
cases, we have had to use our own money to buy food but we,have
never been
reimbursed despite bringing this to the attention of our team
leaders," a
driver said last week.
Another member of the support staff for the COPAC
team based in the Midlands
said the consensus among most junior members of
the outreach team in the
area was that they should down tools unless action
is taken to address their
grievances.
"Something has to be done to
address the situation. Otherwise the team
leaders and rapporteurs will end
up also taking over the duties we are
currently carrying out," a technician
said.
The outreach programme has already been rocked by allegations of
intimidation of members of the public by militias aligned to President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF).
Zanu (PF) wants the country to adopt a
draft constitution agreed by
negotiators from the three main parties in
2007, which seeks to retain
Mugabe's executive powers. - Additional
reporting SW Radio.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by Staff Reporter
Saturday,
24 July 2010 19:15
HARARE - The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said it
needed at least a
year to clean up the existing voters' roll, adding to the
intrigue
surrounding the holding of the country's next general
elections.
In a development that effectively throws into disarray plans
by President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF) to call for elections in 2011, ZEC
commissioner
Bessie Nhandara said last week that the process of cleaning up
the current
discredited roll would involve voter registration and education
exercises.
"At the moment dead people are still appearing on the voters
roll. We will
need about 12 months to clear out the old voters roll,"
Nhandara said during
a meeting between ZEC commissioners and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
last week.
Zanu (PF) said last week that there was
"no reason" for Zimbabwe not to hold
elections in 2011, citing sharp
political differences the partners in the
country's coalition
government.
Mugabe, 86, was forced into a power-sharing pact with his
long-time rival
Tsvangirai more than a year ago after a crisis over a 2008
national election
that local and foreign observers say was marred by
violence and
vote-rigging.
In public, both Zanu (PF) and Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC-T) have been telling their party
structures to stay ready for
elections, but privately their officials say
the polls are at least two
years away.
In a statement posted on its
website last week, headlined "Elections
inevitable", Zanu (PF) said there
are serious political differences in the
fragile coalition and Zimbabwe
should go for elections when the government's
two-year mandate ends next
year.
But Nhandara said ZEC was financially ill-equipped to deliver a
new
voters' roll before the next polls.
"We are facing challenges
because we don't have the tools for the job," she
said.
Compounding
ZEC's challenges was the decision by Zimbabwe's main political
parties to
replace the ward-based voters' roll with one that lists
prospective voters
according to specific polling stations.
The proposed electoral reforms,
agreed to by President Robert Mugabe's
Zanu (PF) and the rival MDC formations
led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara,
seek to do away with
the present ward-based voters' roll and introduce
polling
station-specific voters' rolls.
If effected into the Electoral
Law, the reforms would mean voters
would only be allowed to vote at the
polling stations where their
names appear on the roll. The current system
allows registered voters
to cast their ballot at any of several polling
stations dotted around
a constituency made up of a number of
wards.
Observers say sufficient resources should be provided to
ensure
success of any re-registration and education exercise to
be
necessitated by the switch from ward-based to polling
station-specific
rolls.
The exercise must be carried out by ZEC with
the support of an
independent secretariat.
Sprucing up the voters roll
is one of the contentious issues among the
three parties involved in
Zimbabwe's fragile coalition government.
A local pressure group last year
described the existing roll as being
in shambles and called for its complete
overhaul before the next
general election to eliminate cases of multiple
entries and weed out
ghost voters.
An audit of the existing voters'
roll conducted by pressure group
Sokwanele unearthed several anomalies in the
current roll maintained
by the Registrar General's Office.
These
included a surprisingly large number of people aged 100 and above.
The
audit identified names of 74 021 voters aged above 100 on the roll
used in
last year's harmonised parliamentary and presidential
elections.
There
were also 82 456 people registered who are aged between 90 and 10
years old
http://news.radiovop.com
23/07/2010 10:29:00
Harare,
July, 23, 2010 - Government has expressed concern with the delay in
completing investigations into allegations that some Warriors players,
coaches and Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) officials were involved in
throwing away matches during the national team's tour of Asia in the past
few years.
The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), an arm of the
government has
expressed impatience with the delay amid allegations that
some top Zifa
officials are frustrating investigations.
After the
allegations were thrown into the public last month, the new Zifa
board led
by Cuthbert Dube appointed a three member board headed by
Vice-president
Ndumiso Gumede to probe the scam which was allegedly
orchestrated by members
of Asian betting syndicates.
The other members of the investigating
committee are board member in charge
of competitions Benedict Moyo and
Methembe Ndlovu, the board member for
development.
Allegations are
that some players, coaches and Zifa officials were paid huge
sums of money
to throw away matches.
At some of the matches, the Warriors would travel
without the permission of
the Sport Commission as is the
norm.
Reports say that goalkeepers would play as strikers while infield
players
would play in goal in all matches they were supposed to lose on the
instructions of the betting syndicates.
The probe team was supposed
to hand over their report to the Sports
Commission by July 8.
Radio
VOP understands that the Sports Commission has written to Zifa
demanding the
release of the report.
Sports Commission director general Charles
Nhemachena is said to have
impressed upon Zifa to quicken their
investigations.
It is understood that the investigating team has so far
quizzed former Zifa
president Wellington Nyatanga and former vice president
Tendai Madzorera who
was the Zifa board member in charge of all national
teams during the time of
the scam.
Zifa chief executive officer,
Henrietta Rushwaya, suspended Zifa programmes
manager Jonathan Musavengana
and Warriors and CAPS United goalkeeper Edmore
Sibanda were also questioned
by the team.
Former national team coach Sunday Marimo was also
questioned.
http://news.radiovop.com
23/07/2010
10:33:00
Mutare, July 23, 2010 - Chris Mushowe, Manicaland governor
and Resident
Minister wants proceeds from the sale of the controversial
diamonds from
Chiadzwa to be ploughed back and develop Manicaland Province,
which he said
was lagging behind on infrastructural and socio-economic
development.
Mushowe said he was putting together a consolidated plan to
ensure
Manicaland benefitted substantially from the diamond
resource.
"Manicaland is the custodian of the Chiadzwa diamonds and
should be the
first to benefit from the sale of these gems," Mushowe told
provincial heads
of government departments in Mutare.
"There can
never be any justification other than having those gems make a
difference
here. Can Manicaland leave it to other parts of the country to
benefit from
its own resources ahead of it?"
Mushowe said the people of Manicaland
Province should collectively lobby o
ensure they substantially benefit from
the mineral resources in the region
that also includes gold.
"No, we
should collectively lobby and advocate for infrastructural,
socio-economic
development of this region," Mushowe said.
"Manicaland should benefit
from the exploitation of its diamonds and gold.
That is the benefit this
region should accrue from its proximity and
association with the land
endowed with natural resources."
He said as soon as the diamond sales
started Mutare should become the best
developed city in the
country.
"As soon as we start selling the diamonds, we want to see a
transformation
of Mutare into the best town in Zimbabwe," said
Mushohwe.
Mushowe's comments come amid allegations Zanu (PF) politicians
and their
connections were looting diamonds from Chiadzwa in a well knitted
syndicate
involving the military.
Individuals in President Mugabe's
government such as mines minister Obert
Mpofu have come under public
scrutiny after they reportedly went on a
property buying spree.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by The Daily
Catalyst.
Friday, 23 July 2010 17:41
HARARE -- Their eyes tell a story
of a traumatic past, a past long gone but
never forgotten. Scotching
reminders of the pain and humiliation suffered
remain; fatherless children,
sexually transmitted diseases and seclusion by
their own families.
(Pictured: Gender activist Luta Shaba helped rape
survivors to set up
Trust)
This is the heart wrenching reality of thousands of Zimbabwean
women who
faced the wrath of Zanu (PF) youths and some members of the
military at the
height of political violence in Zimbabwe. These women were
sexually abused,
some raped in the full glare of their offspring while
others had guns and
blunt sticks shoved up their private parts.
Mrs
Munengami, one of the rape surviors recounted to Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition. how a youth militia stormed their home one night two years ago
and how one of the youths proceded to rape in from her son.
"He went
ahead to ask, 'sei wakashamira mutengesi?' (Why are you dressed in
skimpy
clothes for a sellout?). He walked towards me and lifted my
nightdress
before raping me once in front of my nine month old son," she
said.
Very few of these women are like Mrs. Munengami who has
recounted her story
over and over again and has courageously spoken out on
the abuses. The
culmination of her courage and determination was exhibited
on July 14 when
she, together with 44 other survivors of politically
motivated rape launched
the Doors of Hope Development Trust at the Harare
International Conference
Centre (HICC).
The objective of the Trust is
to assist rape victims (especially politically
motivated rape and victims of
all forms of sexual abuse) to develop their
own potential to handle post
traumatic events of rape or sexual abuse.
Speaking at the launch, Mrs.
Munengami appealed to well wishers to assist
the Trust with support and
funds so that they can change the lives of rape
survivors. "One of the
objectives of the Trust is to lobby government and
other responsible
authorities to avail and implement policies that
accommodate victims and
survivors of politically motivated rape".
She also highlighted the need
to promote healthy living for victims through
treatment, counselling and
education on issues relevant to them.
Mrs. Munengami, together with Ms.
Mary Pamire, also a survivor of rape
narrated the challenges they
encountered that inspired them to form the
organisation. In 2009, the two
took it upon themselves and located other
women who had also been raped and
formed Doors of Hope.
Mrs. Munengami acknowledged individuals and
organisations that assisted them
including gender activist Luta Shaba and
the Research and Advocacy Unit
(RAU).
The trust has a total of 45
women all of whom are rape survivors who are now
faced with many challenges
including high costs of seeking medical treatment
for ailments such as
HIV/AIDS and STI and for prenatal care for women who
unfortunately fell
pregnant due to rape. Rape is economically, physically
and socially
devastating.
Since the colonial era, grave human rights abuses have been
committed
including rape yet many people have turned a blind eye on the
plight of rape
victims.
According to a report by the Zimbabwe Women
Lawyers Association (ZWLA), in
2002 alone, close to 1,000 women were held in
youth militia camps in cases
of forced concubinage which is a form of
politically motivated rape.
Perpetrators of such crimes remain free while
the lives of survivors have
been shattered.
The coalition commends
the bold step taken by these women and calls upon the
inclusive government
to take concrete steps towards bringing perpetrators of
politically
motivated violence, including rape to book and to assist the
survivors of
such.
HARARE-From breadbasket of Africa to African basket case - that's Zimbabwe.
A country rooted in agriculture that now must import maize and wheat, 7 million of its people targeted for assistance this year by the World Food Program.
At least 85 per cent of the population is unemployed, 49 per cent malnourished according to WFP figures, with 83 per cent living on less than $2 a day.
Zimbabwe: Once the regional model of an African country functioning at maximum capacity; for the past decade in utter economic collapse, wracked by multi-trillion per cent inflation until the Zimbabwe dollar was shelved for U.S. currency last year.
The government blames a nation's misery on international sanctions and chronic droughts.
The world blames Zimbabwe's woes on President Robert Mugabe, his Zanu-PF thugocracy, endemic corruption and the catastrophe of land redistribution.
Out of some 6,000 large white-owned commercial farms in 2000, less than 300 remain, with half of those facing eviction orders, 80 seized in the year since a unity government was brokered between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change. That indicates very little has actually changed, even with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai installed as prime minister.
"Reform?" says Deon Theron, posing the word as a rhetorical question and simultaneously sneering. "Reforming from productive to unproductive, more like it."
Theron is president of Zimbabwe's ever-shrinking Commercial Farmers Union, which essentially represents Zimbabwe's ever-shrinking constituency of white farmers. Since land resettlement legislation in 2000 - taking back for black rural farmers, allegedly, what the white colonizers had staked unilaterally in centuries past - the country has been in economic free fall, unable to feed itself, arable property lying fallow, mud-hut dwellers working tiny plots and selling their produce by the side of the road where formerly massive crop yields were sold to foreign markets.
"It's been devastating," says Theron, 56, himself among the white commercial farmers - raising dairy and beef cattle - divested of property without compensation, living now on his mother's farm, though the elderly woman has also been ordered off her land, despite a High Court ruling that she is the legal owner.
The narrative of white owners driven off their farms by invaders, often violently by youth militia mobs - police looking the other way because they refuse to intervene in anything "political" - has been well-documented since 2000. Yet it's the far more numerous black farm workers who've suffered most as their jobs disappeared, the land usurpers - primarily government and "parastatal" officials, Zimbabwe's cronies - hopelessly inexperienced at commercial farming.
It's dispiriting to drive across this country's highways, looking upon mile after mile of disused land, the Rhodes grass waist-high where once neat furrows of crops were cultivated.
"Mugabe's policies have destroyed the symbiotic relationship between commercial farmers and small scale farmers," explains Theron. "They claim to be empowering black citizens but only a small handful of individuals have benefited, Mugabe and his friends."
Just look at the figures:
Between 2000 and 2008, production of maize declined 79 per cent, wheat 90 per cent, soya beans 66 per cent, citrus 50 per cent, fresh produce 61 per cent, dairy 59 per cent, beef 67 per cent, coffee 92 per cent, tea 40 per cent. Only tobacco, a major foreign currency generator, has rebounded markedly in the last year from a nearly 80 per cent decline.
Theron's personal story shares all the hallmarks of Mugabe's assault on white land owners. Three farms Theron bought after Rhodesia/Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 - none of it inherited - have been seized, with all of the equipment. "They attacked us. They beat up my employees. They slept in my bed, ate my food, drank my beer. They poisoned my dogs and they almost killed me."
Because he refused to vacate his mother's farm, Theron was charged and convicted in an absurd kangaroo court trial where the first magistrate had himself taken over a white-owned farm, the second scolded Theron to "face the music for your illegal occupation of the land" and the third refused to allow the defence to present any evidence or call witnesses.
Theron is appealing the six-month sentence handed down two days before Zimbabwe's last national elections.
"They were desperate for a conviction to show that they were standing up for the rights of black farmers. But very few ordinary people have been given any land."
Further, Theron adds, urban Zimbabweans graduating from college have no wish to farm; they don't want to work with their hands, would prefer to sit in front of computers and do technology.
"Listen, I'm not opposed to land redistribution. We all know the colonial history of this country. But what happening isn't land reform. It's thuggery.
"There has to be some respect for the rule of law. There has to be restitution and respect for property rights. There has to be an independent judiciary. We don't have any of that right now."
There have been small glimpses of progress. The Southern African Development Community, representing regional countries, has ruled in favour of ousted farmers in land ownership disputes and is threatening action against Zimbabwe for refusing to recognize its decisions. Zimbabwe's High Court has likewise rendered verdicts acknowledging rightful ownership of property. South Africa's ambassador intervened successfully on behalf of its nationals who were tossed off farm they owned here. The German embassy this month forced Zimbabwe to back off its eviction of a huge farming enterprise owned by a German citizen, threatening to withhold $50 million in humanitarian assistance.
Theron estimates it would cost upwards of $12 billion to compensate white farmers evicted from their property. "The government doesn't have that kind of money."
Zimbabwe's prolonged economic derangement and the resultant collapse of the country's social infrastructure has been entirely self-afflicted. The government is in staggering debt yet continues to discourage the foreign investment acutely needed to get off its knees. Recent legislation now requires that large foreign-owned companies sell a majority share interest to indigenous Zimbabweans, described as "formerly disadvantaged". That kind of unfriendly investment climate has put Zimbabwe - which pulled out of the Commonwealth in 2003 - on the wrong side of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
The international community also has watched with dismay as Mugabe has thwarted key provisions of the Global Political Agreement that forced power sharing on Zanu-PF - promises to conduct a thorough land audit, to reorganize security forces, to appoint MDC governors and to end arbitrary detentions of political opponents and activists.
Meanwhile, farm seizures continue unabated.
Zimbabwe cannot possibly begin to heal itself as long as the agriculture sector remains in such colossal disarray.
Yet Theron, among others, is hopeful.
"We can still turn this around. Look at the way we stopped the runaway inflation, when all the shops were empty, no food on the shelves. The people did that, by refusing to use Zimbabwe dollars anymore and that forced the government to change their policy.
"I believe we can get back on our feet again pretty quickly, with some decent governance. The agriculture industry will come back. This has always been an agriculture-driven economy - agriculture and foreign investment."
Salvation might be just a heartbeat away - Mugabe's heartbeat. He's 86-years-old. And he's almost single-handedly holding the widely discredited Zanu-PF together.
"He still has a great deal of respect throughout Africa," says Theron. "He's stood up against all the odds. Absolutely, he's a great patriot. But nobody else in the party has that kind of immunity.
"His death will change everything."
Then, Theron offers a sheepish smile.
"I am a Zimbabwean. If you're going to remain in this country, you've got to be an optimist."