SW Radio Africa News Stories for 02 July 2010
By Alex Bell
02 July 2010
Top executives from the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) are being investigated for fraud, to the tune of an estimated US$15 million.
Gibson Boston Siziba, a senior auditor with the NRZ, on Thursday filed a police report that implicated the state-owned rail firm’s finance director Patrick Bondayi and former police commander Frank Msutu, who is NRZ senior manager for security operations.
According to the police report, Bondayi allegedly worked with other officials in the finance department to misappropriate funds by over-invoicing of spare parts. Bondayi was reportedly suspended three months ago to facilitate investigations when details of the alleged fraud surfaced.
It’s understood that the money is being held in offshore accounts, with police indicating that the US$15 million could be “the tip of the iceberg”, according to the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper.
Msutu is also being investigated in a separate case for allegedly failing to act on cases of fraud that were reported to him. According to an initial police report, Msutu was alerted of the fraudulent activities involving senior managers at the parastatal but he allegedly “sat” on the cases.
“Sometime in April 2010, the now accused was handed over a case of serious fraud by the audit department of the National Railways of Zimbabwe to investigate and bring to book the accused (Bondayi),” reads the police record.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 02 July 2010
By Alex Bell
02 July 2010
Yet another South African farmer in Zimbabwe, meant to be protected by a bilateral investment protection agreement, has been evicted from his farm, following his unlawful arrest and detention on Thursday.
Mike Odendaal has faced worsening intimidation on his Chipinge property by land invaders, who last month took over his Wolwedraai farm and barred him from entering the property. His home has been vandalised, his property has been looted and his workers have all been forced to flee. Odendaal was eventually forced to seek the intervention of the courts and was last week granted a High Court order giving him the right to remain on the farm.
Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) Vice President, Charles Taffs, told SW Radio Africa on Friday that Odendaal was only allowed to return to the property on Wednesday to collect some personal belongings, mainly furniture. But he was promptly arrested the next day on allegations of occupying the farm “illegally” despite the court order, which also ordered the land invaders to leave. Odendaal was eventually released without charge after the intervention of South African Embassy officials, but remains barred from entering the farm.
At least 18 farmers, all with court protection, have been targeted by land invaders in recent weeks, with the CFU saying ZANU PF’s Didymus Mutasa is directly responsible for the intensified onslaught. Mutasa last month ordered a group of villagers in Chipinge, who are illegally occupying a coffee plantation, to ignore a court ruling ordering them to vacate the land. The Chipinge Magistrates Court had ordered that the 300 who had moved on to the property should vacate the estate because it was not gazetted for resettlement under Robert Mugabe’s land ‘reform’ programme. But Mutasa ordered the villagers to disregard this legal ruling, and in the weeks that followed, other court orders were also snubbed by land invaders.
“The situation has become almost laughable,” Taffs said. “The police are compromised, the courts are compromised. It’s out of control and we’re all at the mercy of a handful of politicians who are taking what they want.”
Odendaal is also one of a number of South African farmers in Zimbabwe who have been caught up in the wave of farm attacks by land invaders in recent weeks, despite an agreement between the two countries that is meant to protect South African owned land. The Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) was signed by both countries last year, but has only recently been ratified. But legally the BIPPA will only come into force 30 days after both countries have notified each other that they have fulfilled their “respective constitutional requirements for entry into force.” The exchange of notifications has not yet taken place, so the BIPPA is not yet in force.
South African civil rights imitative AfriForum has threatened legal action against its government for refusing to aid its citizens in Zimbabwe. The group’s legal team had last month written a letter to the South African Department of Trade and Industry demanding intervention on behalf of South African farmers. That letter was ignored.
AfriForum’s CEO Kallie Kriel told SW Radio Africa on Friday that the government’s refusal to help the farmers is a “disgrace.” He explained that court papers will be ready next week, which will ask the court to force the government to honour its responsibility to protect its citizens in Zimbabwe.
“The government’s only reaction has been to invite Robert Mugabe to watch the FIFA World Cup,” Kriel said. “We could have expected some stronger action from the government towards the man who is responsible for the violations facing our citizens.”
The ongoing farm attacks and the government’s refusal to honour various BIPPAs with different countries, means Zimbabwe remains devoid of meaningful investment, and even critical aid is now under threat. Germany’s government said on Friday that it will cut off aid to Zimbabwe unless land invaders are removed from a farm owned by a German national. Germany said, in a protest note to the Zimbabwe foreign ministry, that the occupation of the property owned by German investor Heinrich von Pezold, violates an investment agreement between the two countries. The note said Germany “will not be in a position to support a government which tolerates the blunt theft” of the land where houses, equipment and US$120,000 worth of corn, the staple food, had been looted.
The note issued by the German Embassy explained that an armed mob stormed the estate last month and held two farm managers hostage in their homes. Police arrived later but “did not endeavour to end the hostage taking. Property rights should be dealt with in court and not by applying raw violence,” it said. The German government called on the authorities to end the occupation of the property, and said that the situation had created large financial losses for von Pezold, the largest German investor in Zimbabwe.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 02 July 2010
By Lance Guma
02 July 2010
Harare Magistrate Donald Ndirowei on Friday succumbed to state pressure and denied bail to diamond abuse investigator Farai Maguwu. The director of the Centre for Research and Development has been locked up in remand prison for nearly 4 weeks, while police and prosecutors play cat and mouse games to prolong his detention. Mugabe’s regime accuses him of publishing ‘false’ reports on human rights abuses committed at the diamond mines in Marange.
The magistrate accepted what has been described as frivolous claims from the investigating officer Detective Inspector Henry Sostein Dowa, that he needed more time to investigate the matter. Dowa claims he tried, but failed to meet ‘key witness’ Abbey Chikane, the Kimberly Process monitor accused of reporting Maguwu to the police. Defence lawyers are adamant Dowa lied that he had gone to South Africa to meet Chikane, because the KP monitor was actually attending a meeting in Israel at the time.
The lawyers were also able to show that Dowa does not even have a passport and they had called his Zimbabwean mobile phone number during the time he claimed he was in South Africa. Each time the phone rang and Dowa deliberately cut the line. Dowa in his defence claimed he received assistance from the South African police to travel there without documentation.
Another excuse thrown up by the police was their claim that they had engaged INTERPOL (the international police organization) to investigate the whereabouts and identity of people who allegedly corresponded with Maguwu. These "extraterritorial investigations" needed time, they argued.
Beatrice Mtetwa, one of Maguwu’s lawyers, is said to be already working on an appeal. ‘The general basis is that the ruling is removed from the evidence led in court and the unchallenged testimony by Farai, the contradictory and self-destructive testimony by Dowa and the fact that no proof of any pending relevant investigation was tendered,’ the lawyers will argue.
Another member of the defence team, Tinoziva Bere, said; ‘We have reached a stage where the state gets all it asks of the court and the accused suffers in jail. We have also reached a stage where it matters not what the arguments or evidence reveal, the stakes are so high, nothing matters. It is disappointing but not discouraging. As long as nothing kills him, one day they will have to watch him walk free.’
Bere was particularly damning about what he called the silence of the two MDC parties, in the coalition government with ZANU PF. ‘It is just sad that by joining a government, some people who used to care about human rights and were victims themselves have now forgotten that people are more important than balancing a budget with ‘blood diamonds.’
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 02 July 2010
By Lance Guma
02 July 2010
Just a week after being sworn in as co-Home Affairs Minister in the MDC-T cabinet reshuffle, Theresa Makone has got herself into a compromising situation by trying to assist another minister get his son released from police cells. It is alleged that Makone and Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa went to Mbare, Matapi and Stodart police stations in Harare to demand the release of Mutasa’s son Martin.
Forty-seven year old Martin Mutasa, notorious ZANU PF activist Themba Mliswa and George Marere were all arrested on Monday after trying to seize shareholding worth US$1 million from a company owned by white businessman Paul Westwood. The trio threatened Westwood to cooperate, claiming they had authority from Mugabe and Indigenization Minister Saviour Kasukuwere to take over 50 percent of his Noshio Investments Limited.
While human rights activist Farai Maguwu is fast approaching 4 weeks in remand prison over cooked up charges, Makone appeared to prefer spending her energy trying to help secure the release of the son of a ZANU PF Minister. Police officers complained that both ministers had tried to ‘intimidate’ them into releasing Martin. Although Martin and his colleagues were granted US$400 bail each, the state invoked the notorious Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to keep them locked up for another 7 days.
The embarrassing incident will do little to assure people who expressed misgivings about Makone landing the job as co-Home Affairs Minister. Much has been made of her close friendship to Jocelyn Chiwenga, the wife of army general Constantine Chiwenga. In 2007 Makone told the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper that Jocelyn was her ‘long-standing friend’. Many will remember that Chiwenga’s husband, apart from being a member of the murderous Joint Operations Command, vowed never to salute Morgan Tsvangirai if he ever won presidential elections.
Meanwhile political commentators have said the incident involving Minister Mutasa’s son points to heavy factional fighting within ZANU PF’s. Themba Mliswa, one of those arrested with Martin this week, has accused police commissioner Augustine Chihuri of being the most corrupt person in the country. Mliswa is a nephew to Mutasa and the fissure lines are there for all to see. It’s believed different factions control different arms of state security like the CIO, police, army and prisons. Theresa Makone involving herself in these factional fights does not send a good message on behalf of the MDC-T.
Efforts to get comment from Makone were in vain as Newsreel was told cabinet ministers from the MDC-T were in South Africa, for a workshop.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 02 July 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
2 July 2010
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa was detained for almost three hours at Germany’s Munich airport on Thursday, when he was on his way to attend the European Union-Zimbabwe talks in Brussels, Belgium.
Chinamasa was part of a three-member ministerial delegation that flew to Brussels via Germany. The other two are head of delegation Energy Minister, Elton Mangoma and International Cooperation Minister, Priscilla Mishairabwi-Mushonga.
The duo had to delay their departure to Brussels waiting for Chinamasa to be cleared by Germany authorities to proceed to Belgium. A source in Brussels told SW Radio Africa that immigration officials in Munich were not expecting Chinamasa to pass through the city, following a glitch with the route their plane took.
Initially the three ministers were expected to change planes in Frankfurt after flying from Johannesburg. Authorities in Frankfurt knew of Chinamasa’s arrival and he had already been cleared to proceed to Brussels. The Justice Minister is on a travel ban of EU countries and needed a special dispensation from the EU to travel to Brussels.
Zimbabwe and the EU began talks on Friday to try to revive relations, strained for the past decade over Robert Mugabe’s controversial rule and blotted human rights record.
The talks were initially planned for April but were cancelled because the delegation could not fly out of Harare because of the Icelandic volcanic eruption that spewed ash across European skies, forcing cancellation of flights.
Relations between Brussels and Harare took a hit following the holding of the violence-marred presidential poll, ‘won’ by Mugabe in 2002. The EU and its Western allies condemned the election as a fraud and imposed visa and financial sanctions against Mugabe and his top allies in ZANU PF and in the military.
ZANU PF hope to use the talks with the EU to push for lifting of these targeted sanctions on the ruling elite, but analysts do not see Brussels scrapping these punitive measures, until calls for more political and democratic reforms in Zimbabwe are heeded.
The EU has consistently said that it was not appropriate yet for sanctions to be removed, saying the pace of reforms was too slow. Analysts told us the Zimbabwe delegation will find it hard to push for the removal of sanctions when Mugabe and ZANU PF were hindering progress by failing to implement issues already agreed upon in the Global Political Agreement.
Mugabe has complicated the situation by persistently dragging his heels on issues already resolved. When inter-party negotiators to the GPA concluded their talks on April 3, they submitted a detailed document titled ‘implementation matrix’ to their principals.
A source told us the document outlines issues which negotiators agreed upon and recommends how the issues should be implemented.
Negotiators in the talks included Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche for ZANU PF, Tendai Biti and Mangoma for the MDC-T, and Welshman Ncube and Misihairabwi-Mushonga for the MDC-M.
It is believed negotiators from the three parties have also raised concerns at the slow pace to implement issues they agreed upon. They insist that had the principals acted, the process would have significantly moved forward and enhanced chances of the EU looking positively at the request by ZANU PF to lift targeted sanctions.
Human rights lawyer Dewa Mavhinga urged the unity government to commit to human rights reforms saying the power-sharing pact provides a framework for change, but commitment to its implementation is lacking.
‘The issue of sanctions is more of a rhetorical exercise rather than something of substance. The failure to introduce reforms of the police, army and security forces, or address impunity are real obstacles that need to be addressed urgently,’ Mavhinga said.
He said the government must give as much attention to securing human rights reforms as they are to seeking the removal of targeted sanctions.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 02 July 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
2 July 2010
Constitutional outreach meetings are continuing throughout the country amid reports more women are attending the public gatherings than men, according to the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition.
There are reports that participants have complained that some of the talking points are ‘too technical.’ This was prompted by an outreach team’s failure to adequately explain the term ‘independent commissions’ to participants in Chirumanzi in the Midlands province.
The Crisis Coalition said in a statement that in some parts of the Midlands attendance was poor, as most residents were seen roaming around the business centres drinking and going about their business. Women have also shown greater interest in taking part in the outreach programs than men.
COPAC has been blamed by observers for failing an adequate publicity campaign for the program. Violence and intimidation has also led to people boycotting the exercise in the volatile provinces of Mashonaland and Manicaland.
Several civil society organizations that were monitoring the outreach exercise this week released reports chronicling incidents of violence in most of the northern provinces of the country.
In Mashonaland East at Chipepo Secondary School there was a heated debate about the transitional mechanism.
‘Some of the participants were of the opinion that the president should hold on to power for the three months after elections until he hands over power to the winning candidate. Others suggested that if the president loses power he should leave office immediately after election results are released,’ the Crisis Coalition said.
The outreach exercise was in the danger of being suspended by government following logistical challenges, especially getting equipment and personnel to the provinces. But Douglas Mwonzora, co-chairperson of COPAC, told us on Thursday most of the problems besetting the program had been dealt with, despite reports that an extra $3 million was urgently needed.
The discussion on Hot Seat this week is about the recent cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. To what extent were the axed MDC ministers underperforming & were the new ministers' promotions based on patronage & elitism? How can the MDC deliver change, whoever they put in as ministers, if they have no real power? Violet’s guests are Pedzisai Ruhanya, programmes manager for the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and political analyst professor John Makumbe. Find out why Makumbe supports the reshuffle and why Ruhanya believes it’s a bad move by the MDC leader, who is promoting people like the new co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone based on 'patronage' and not competence.
……………
On Callback Tererai talks to activist Patson Muzuwa about immigration issues affecting Zimbabweans in the U.K. Patson talks about Efa Kamfedwele, who was due to be deported to Malawi on Thursday, even though it is clear she is a Zimbabwean who used a Malawian passport to escape political violence. Tererai also speaks to student Grant Tabvurei, who is the spokesperson for Zinasu, and says there have been arrests at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo. Students have also been arrested at several teachers’ colleges as ZANU-PF attempts to destabilise the students’ movement. Grant said he was deeply concerned because the president of Zinasu had a meeting with Prime Minister Tsvangirai, who showed a lack of knowledge about the issues affecting students in Zimbabwe.
……………
In Cathy Buckles Letter From Zimbabwe she writes; "Outside a supermarket a street kid approached with a little square of cardboard in his hand on which was written the price of the medicine he had been prescribed for a chest infection. 'Highly vulnerable' is the phrase that we were hearing three days into the two month long constitutional outreach programme. Highly vulnerable is a phrase equally applicable to everyday life here".
Constitution
Outreach: News Round-Up, 29 June 2 July
(If
pictures have been included with this mailing, you need to be connected to see
them. Subscription information is provided at the end of this message.)
Sokwanele - Enough is Enough -
Zimbabwe
PROMOTING
NON-VIOLENT PRINCIPLES TO ACHIEVE DEMOCRACY
Constitution Outreach: News Round-Up, 29
June – 2 July
Sokwanele : 2 July 2010
This
is our third mailing providing extracts of news items focussing on the
constitution outreach process. There is more news of chaoes and partisan
interference in the process, but this week's final mailing ends with two
articles appearing on the same day in the state-controlled media that target
the NGO sector. The Herald
goes so far as to rather ironically suggest that NGOs "want to influence
people to reject the new constitution". To review previous news items, or
follow updates daily, please visit the Constitution Resource
page on the Sokwanele website.
29 June 2010 - cont
Abducted MDC activists found detained in Marondera
Three
MDC activists abducted by state security agents last week, and whose
whereabouts were briefly unknown for days, have now been found, detained at
Marondera central police station. The three were abducted last week in Chief
Svosve’s area, by a group of armed men driving a white double-cab CAM truck.
The MDC said the three were targeted because they had been instrumental in
mobilizing party supporters in Marondera East to participate in the
constitutional outreach meetings [...] In an effort to justify the persecution,
police are now claiming the three activists assaulted Arthur Ngoma, a ZANU PF
activist in the area. No further details of the incident were available. SW
Radio Africa understands the activists are now being asked to US$20 fines in
order to secure their release. [Via
SW Radio Africa]
Journalists not allowed to interview participants or report on
meeting content
A
new controversy arose Tuesday as committee members said journalists will be
admitted to meetings being held to collect views on the new constitution - but
won’t be allowed to interview participants or report on meeting content. VOA
Studio 7 correspondent Irwin Chifera reported that the ZANU-PF co-chairman of
the select committee argued that reporting the views of participants could
influence those in areas not yet reached by the process. But Zimbabwe Union of
Journalists President Foster Dongozi said journalists would report
professionally on the meetings, and that the committee was unreasonably
restricting the free flow of information. [Via
VOA]
MPs break from Copac as parly meets briefly
MPs
will tomorrow take a short break from the chaotic constitution-making process
to report to Parliament for the House of Assembly adjournment on Wednesday
[...] Among the orders of the day on Wednesday’s Order Paper are the adjourned
debate on the second reading on the Public Order and Security Amendment Bill
that MDC-T Chief Whip, Innocent Gonese, wants modified to facilitate freedom of
association and assembly for Zimbabweans: “Since we are currently working on
constitutional outreach programmes, we will make an assessment to see if people
are ready to debate. Obviously because of the outreach programmes, it would not
be feasible to wind up debate on the second reading before other people have
debated,” said Gonese. [Via
NewsDay]
5 out of 1200 contribute at Makonde outreach meeting
At
Sikosana Primary School, Makonde District, only 5 out of the 12000 attendees contributed
to the outreach discussions. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition say that there was no
debate at the meetings, and that those who contributed referred to position
papers that had been distributed by their parties “with the rest of the
participants merely acting as cheerleaders”. The coalition also report that the
District Administrator for Marondera Rural District was driving around in an
unmarked white pick-up instructing people on what they should say before the
COPAC meetings started in different wards. [Via
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition - Press Release]
Integrity of outreach under spotlight
This
NewsDay article
focuses on the shambolic progress on the constitution outreach programme. It
includes a quote from Rugare Gumbo, the Zanu PF spokesperson, who said the
outreach programme was going on “very” well. “As far as we are concerned the
constitution—making process is going on well. We have not received any reports
on intimidation and violence. Everything is going on course [...] The reports
we are getting is that things are well and on course.” [Via NewsDay]
Coordinator of troubled Zimbabwe constitutional outreach to be
sacked - sources
Political
sources close to Zimbabwe’s troubled constitutional outreach process said the
national coordinator of the select parliamentary committee in charge of the
exercise, Peter Kunjeku, is to be relieved of his duties. Select parliamentary
committee officials declined to comment whether Kunjeku will be sacked for poor
management of the process. But sources said his removal will become official at
a Wednesday meeting of the panel. Reached by VOA for comment COPAC Co-Chairman
Douglas Mwonzora refused to confirm Kunjeku will be fired. But he said the
committee was concerned about the competency of the staff running the exercise,
plagued since last week by confusion over meeting schedules and logistical
hurdles including technology and funding [Via
VOA News]
COPAC to limit access to schedule of meetings, sources allege
In
a move that could scuttle civil society attempts to monitor the Constitutional
Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) outreach meetings and limit citizens’ access to
information, sources within COPAC allege that plans are underway to discontinue
the publication of meeting schedules in newspapers as from the 9th of July
2010. According to a source based at the COPAC headquarters in Harare, the
Parliamentary Committee is contemplating distributing the schedules from
provincial centers instead of publishing the information in national newspapers
for unspecified reasons. Fears are rife that the imminent decision could be an
attempt by COPAC to limit observation of the process which kicked off to a
chaotic start on the 23rd of June 2010. The news of this pending move comes
barely one week after a monitoring team at Sikhombingo Secondary School in
Lower Gweru in the Midlands province was barred from observing an outreach
meeting on the 24th of June 2010 and the arrest of three monit ors in
Manicaland on the 25th of June during a COPAC outreach meeting. The Coalition
demands an open and transparent process that guarantees full citizen
participation during the public consultation phase [Via Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition - Press release].
30 June 2010
CIO ‘speaking’ on behalf of ZANU PF at constitution meetings
The
MDC-T’s deputy organizing secretary, Morgan Komichi, on Wednesday claimed CIO
operatives were now speaking on behalf of ZANU PF during constitutional
outreach programs countrywide. “ZANU PF as a party doesn’t exist anymore. It is
increasingly becoming clear from the exercise that they don’t have the people
to articulate their views on the new constitution. The daily reports that I’m
getting across the country say that the CIO’s are now their voices during
consultative meetings,’ Komichi said. Komichi reiterated that ZANU PF is once
again hiring it’s ‘thugs and killers’, who caused havoc during the 2008
presidential run-off, to do their dirty work. He said these people were making
it impossible for ordinary Zimbabweans to participate freely in the outreach,
as they were issuing threats and intimidating MDC supporters. “What kind of a
political party can rely on state security organs, known killers and thugs, to
push their policies on a new constitution? If t hey had support, as they claim,
why don’t they let the people speak for themselves? Because they don’t have any
support anymore they resort to sending security agents to try and influence the
process [...] The whole world can come and witness what ZANU PF is up to.
They’re manipulating the process. It is now clear that ZANU PF politicians and
the ordinary people of Zimbabwe have diametrically opposed interests in
constitution making [Via SW
Radio Africa].
Fear shadows Zimbabwe’s constitution forums
This
article highlights one way in which fear dogs the constitution-making process:
“In Bindura, local resident Gibbs Matenyu immediately spotted problems in the
crowd of 100: three state intelligence agents, three plainclothes police and an
undercover policeman. “This is a small town. We all know each other. Most of
these people have been bussed in from the resettlement areas,” he said,
referring to militants from Mugabe’s ZANU (PF) party who took over white-owned
farms starting in 2000. People responded to questions on an eight-page list
about whether they wanted a presidency with wide powers or not, the virtues of
a single versus bicameral parliament and who they believed should appoint
judges. In Bindura, the same four or five people spoke while everyone else
watched in silence. The polite tone at the beginning turned strident as they
argued with the moderators and against changing the constitution, which now
grants Mugabe absolute power. Human rights organisations have warned that
ZANU(PF), particularly in rural areas, had a strategy to make sure that people
who attend the Operation Chimhumhumhu meetings play dumb. Ordinary people have
been threatened with retribution if they do not stay quiet, the groups say.” [Via EarthTimes]
Teacher in Bubi being harrassed by Zanu PF ‘war veterans’
A
teacher in Bubi district also Matebeleland North province, Philani Dube was
harassed by self-styled war veterans and Zanu PF members in the area for
holding private discussions on the Constitution-making process at his home. The
Zanu PF supporters led by one J.B Nkomo have since written a letter to the
school headmistress instructing her to dismiss Dube from the school claiming
that he is an MDC member [Via
The MDC Today].
Scrap war veterans Act — villagers
Villagers
in the Sitezi area of Gwanda have called for the scrapping of the war veterans’
Act and the setting up of a new body to look into the pathetic state of the
former liberation fighters [...] Giving views to Copac facilitators and
rapporteurs, the villagers said to include the former freedom fighters in the
constitution gave them preferential treatment ahead of other groups in society.
They said this could lead to abuse of the privilege accorded to them as
ex-freedom fighters. “We don’t want the special interests of war veterans
included in the constitution,” said one villager. This makes them feel they are
more important and special than other citizens of this country [...] We all
made contributions to the liberation war. My feeling is that the $50 000
gratuities they got from government was enough recognition of the role they
played in the liberation of this country.” [Via
NewsDay]
Morgan Tsvangirai calls for a constitution that upholds
non-judgemental tolerance
Morgan
Tsvangiria reflects on the Jairos Jiri’s legacy in his latest newsletter: “It
is fitting that as our nation embarks on the constitutional outreach programme,
we bear in mind that Jairos Jiri’s philosophy was based upon the principles of
charity, patience and non-judgmental tolerance. It is important that we strive
to ensure that these same principles are embodied in our new Constitution. The
importance of non-judgmental tolerance cannot be over-emphasised. While the
dark decade that we have recently endured can be analysed and attributed to a
number of causes, the ultimate cause of the suffering, persecution and poverty
that marred the past ten years was intolerance. Our new Constitution must
ensure that in Zimbabwe there is no longer room for such negative attitudes
towards the right of others to live, worship and support according to their own
dreams and desires” [Via
Prime Minister's Newsletter - 30 June 2010]
Security personnel thwarted in Masvingo
Writers
for the Prime Minister’s Newsletter report on thwarted efforts by security
personel to be involved in the constitution-making process in Masvingo: “This
newsletter witnessed an incident in Masvingo last week in which some
politicians attempted to secure accreditation for “security” personnel who did
not appear on the COPAC list. There was general objection from the rest of the
accredited personnels. Zaka Central Member of Parliament, Harrison Mudzuri
intervened by saying no such accreditation should take place to the pleasure of
the audience.” [Via Prime
Minister's Newsletter - 30 June 2010]
Tsvangirai urges Zimbabweans for input in drafting new
constitution
Zimbabwe
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday encouraged all Zimbabweans to
participate in the ongoing public consultations on a proposed new constitution
to ensure the process reflected their wishes. “It is essential that we all
speak out on the issues we want included in the constitution and not be
intimidated by those who wish to influence the final constitution,” Tsvangirai
said [...] Mugabe has insisted new polls should be held, most probably next
year, whether or not there is a new constitution — while Tsvangirai has said
elections must be preceded by a new and democratic constitution [Via The Zimbabwe Mail].
Copac, threat to inclusive Govt?
The
state-controlled Herald publishes
a lengthy ‘opinion’ which is loaded with classic Zanu PF propaganda campaigning
heavily against the MDC parties and provding a platform for Zanu PF arguments:
“This writer [Goodson Nguni] submits that for all the machinations of the
Western countries, the MDC formations and all negative forces fighting land
reform, it is the constitution outreach programme and attempt to write a new
constitution that will finally bring down the inclusive Government”. His
opinion infers that the constitution-making process is designed to ‘reverse the
land reform process’; achieve objectives that the MDC parties ‘failed to get
through democratic elections’; return Zimbabwe to a ‘Zimbabwe-Rhodesia’; allow
a person to lead the country “who will not uphold the ethos of the armed
struggle”; provid citizenship to “children and grandchildren of whites who
emigrated” or citizenship rights based on “giving the vote to whites in the
Diaspora”. All of these things, he says, “Zanu PF members will never accept”.
His thesis is essentially a veiled threat: “The constitution outreach programme
is the end game and if the MDC-T cannot achieve victory then instruction from
Britain will be given to pull out or break the inclusive Government. It will be
last straw.” [Via The Herald
- state controlled media]
CHRA: Bad environment for constitutional outreach
The
residents of Marondera are complaining that the prevailing political
environment is not conducive for a people driven constitution making process as
there is still a lot of intimidation among the grassroots communities. The
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has received reports from
Marondera to the effect that some of the outreach meetings that were conducted
within the past week were being monitored by State agents; a situation that
negatively affected the participation of residents at the meetings. It has also
been reported that the police are attending the meetings in plain clothes and
this has raised eyebrows among residents who wonder why the police would not
want to be recognised by wearing their official uniforms. The attendances at
some of the meetings have actually become low as some residents fear
victimisation after the meetings. Reports from some village Headmen in
Marondera Rural who requested anonymity have also revealed that residents who
are active in the opposition party have been threatened with unspecified
actions if they attend or participate at the outreach meetings. The meetings
that have been conducted so far have also witnessed a huge number of the old
aged while the youths have been conspicuous by their absence. Some of the
meetings in the area have actually witnessed less than 50 people due to
residents’ reluctance to participate for fear of victimisation [Combined Harare Residents Association,
via SW Radio Africa].
1 July 2010
Villagers ‘coached’ to back Kariba draft
THE
issue of gay rights has taken centre stage in the constitution outreach
programme with Zanu PF reportedly telling villagers in Mashonaland West that
any constitutional provisions outside what is in the controversial Kariba draft
will promote same sex marriages and homosexuality. Villagers in President
Robert Mugabe’s rural home in Zvimba, 110km west of Harare, and neighbouring
Chitomborwizi in Makonde district now strongly believe that those calling for a
people-driven constitution, who are opposed to the Kariba draft, want to
include the issue of gay rights in the new constitution. Zanu PF, the villagers
allege, is using homosexuality, something which they know people - particularly
those in rural areas - are strongly opposed to, to make sure that they parrot
what is in the Kariba draft. Villagers claimed that Zanu PF campaigned for the
Kariba draft, written by the three political parties in the inclusive
government, during meetings prior to the constitu tion outreach programme.
Villagers in Chief Chirau’s area, also known as Kawondera village in Zvimba,
say that they were addressed by soldiers three weeks ago, who told them that
they should demand a constitution with an executive president who has
far-reaching powers to appoint without any consultation. The villagers refused
to be named for fear of being victimised for adopting what might be perceived
as “anti-Zanu PF” positions on the constitution [Via The Zimbabwe Independent]
Devolution and its benefits for Zim
The
Zimbabwe Indepependent publishes an article written by Methuseli Moyo (the
spokesman for Zapu) discussing devolution: “Virtually every party claims to
support devolution. Strangely, the main parties, namely Zanu-PF, MDC, MDC-T and
Zapu, seem to mean different things by ‘devolution of power’. This could be due
to lack of understanding of what devolution really is, or the usual pretence
and lack of sincerity by politicians. It is clear Zanu PF and MDC-T’s version
of devolution as enunciated by their officials and in press reports, is
basically not devolution, but some sort of decentralisation or deconcentration
of power. Zapu and MDC’s versions of devolution are in my view meaningful,
comprehensive, clear and sincere. The only commonality across the various party
positions on systems of governance is that after 130 years of a unitary,
centralised state, now is the time to decentralise” [Via The Zimbabwe Independent]
Zimbabwe’s Constitution-Making Committee Looking for US$3
Million Supplementary Budget
Two
weeks into Zimbabwe’s constitutional revision public consultation process, the
parliamentary select committee in charge of the operation is seeking US$3
million in supplementary funding for equipment and travel expenses from the
government and the United Nations Development Fund, sources said Thursday.
Select Committee Co-Chairman Douglas Mwonzora told VOA that following a meeting
with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara about problems in the outreach
process, the three governing parties were expected to meet to try to resolve
them, especially that of political intimidation violence which has cropped up
in certain areas [...] Branches of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement
for Democratic Change formation outside Zimbabwe will be launching
constitutional revision outreach programs in the next few days despite short
funding. Maxwell Shumba, chairman of the MDC executive committee for the United
States, said outreach programs are shortly to begin th ere as well as in
Ireland, Britain and South Africa [Via
VOA News]
Parliament on hold as MPs chase constitution cash
ZimDaily
reports that MPs will not be returning to attend parliament, and suggests the
decision is motivated by financial gain: “With a reported US$25 a day on offer,
the MPs who had earlier made a huge fuss, demanding US$75 day, have voted with
their feet to stay in the field despite the House being set to resume on
Wednesday. The 65-day programme has been beset with problems and today the
co-chairmen of Copac are set to meet as problems mount for the project. There
are reports of outreach officers being kicked out of hotels, widespread hunger
and a general poor attitude by MPs who went into this purely for the money.
Each MP is set to get over US1 600 for the period, which represents a small
fortune in a country where civil servants are getting US$165 a month.
Confirming that the MPs will not be returning from the field, the Clerk of
Parliament Austin Zvoma said he was not expecting anything to happen at
Parliament this week [Via
ZimDaily].
Flawed publicity and partisan members
Mashonaland
Central - Approximately 66 people attended the meeting with the low attendance
attributed to the fact that farm workers preferred working in the fields
instead of attending the meetings. Approximately 15 people, mostly men
participated while the women sat silently. The monitoring team observed that
participants exhibited ignorance of constitutional matters resulting in them
calling for the use of the current constitution. The publicity of these
meetings remains flawed with a member of COPAC in Mashonaland Central
highlighting that there is use of District Administrators, who in most
instances are partisan while no publicity posters are being put up. Ideally,
communication should also be transmitted through chiefs and councilors. The
monitoring team acknowledged the presence of the police who are in civilian
attire. Participants reported that a white Nissan wolf is moving around the
area misleading people about the dates and venues of the meetings [Via Crisi s in Zimbabwe Coalition -
Press Release].
Heated debate on transition mechanism
Mashonaland
East - At Chipepo Secondary School in Ward 4 in Marondera the attendance was
about 200 with the majority of participants being women. There was a heated
debate pertaining to the issue of Transitional Mechanism. Some of the
participants were of the opinion that the president should hold on to power for
the three months after elections until he hands over power to the winning
candidate with others suggesting that if the President loses power he should
leave office immediately after election results are released. The meeting
started at exactly 1100 and it ended at around 1400hrs [Via Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition -
Press Release].
Government orders outreach program to go ahead as planned
The
inclusive government has agreed the troubled constitutional making process,
which faced numerous administrative problems in its first couple of weeks, will
go ahead as scheduled [...] Douglas Mwonzora, the co- chairperson for the
Constitution and Parliamentary Commission (COPAC), told SW Radio Africa on
Thursday that two crucial meetings were held over the last two days to deal
with issues. “Our first meeting was on Tuesday with the management committee of
COPAC. We were able to report to them the problems the program was facing
ranging from the unreasonable demands for payment of cash upfront by hotels. We
told them of the troubles trying to access resources from the UNDP and the
various cases of violence and intimidation, especially in Mashonaland West and
Central provinces,’ Mwonzora said. In the end the management committee,
comprising six inter-party negotiators to the GPA, agreed that the programme
should go ahead. The MDC-T MP said as for the violence and intimidation all
parties took a common position that they condemn in the strongest terms anyone
engaging in violence. He said cases of violence will be reported and
investigated by the police. Over the last ten years police have consistently
turned a blind eye to ZANU PF perpetrators of violence, so it will be difficult
to believe that it will be any different this time [Via SW Radio Africa].
Candid Comment: Muzzling the press will boomerang on Copac
The
Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac)’s order barring journalists from
reporting on official proceedings of the outreach programme threatens to return
Zimbabwe to the dark days of muzzling the media. Copac’s fears that news
reports on official proceedings would influence the content of the planned new
constitution ring hollow. The outreach programme is one of the most critical
processes in the constitution- making project. Public views gathered from this
process are expected to form the core content of this country’s new governance
charter. Conducting such an important process under the cover of darkness would
be criminal and further dents Zimbabweans’ waning trust in Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe’s union [...] Much of the chaos
affecting the outreach programme could have been avoided if Copac had taken the
media and civil society’s warnings more seriously. But then these politicians
don’t learn. Muzzling the press will not chang e the reality that this process
has been hijacked for political expediency and that horse-trading between Zanu
PF and the two MDC factions is inevitable [Via
The Zimbabwe Independent].
Constitution-making off to false start
Copac’s
decision this week to stop journalists from reporting on the public’s
contributions during official outreach hearings has reinforced suspicion that
the coalition government could manipulate the constitution-making process.
Journalists’ unions say Copac’s decision to muzzle the media smells of an
attempt by coalition government partners to forge a deal that could result in a
negotiated settlement of cornered politicians. Zimbabwe Journalists for Human
Rights (ZJHR), a grouping of scribes formed to fight for reporters’ rights and
security at the height of the State’s often violent onslaught on the media,
described the move to silence the media as “repressive and typical of agents of
political parties hell-bent on excluding the media from its activities to
escape public scrutiny and accountability”. Dumisani Muleya, ZJHR spokesman,
said his group viewed the ongoing constitution-making process as worse than any
of the previous efforts the country has had in the past. “ We demand that Copac
operates in an open and transparent manner. This actually highlights the grave
concerns we have been having about this flawed and opaque constitution-making
process. It is an opaque body driven by narrow and partisan party political
interests as opposed to the public interest,” said Muleya [Via The Zimbabwe Independent].
Talking points too technical
Chirumanzu
District - Participants complained that the talking points are too technical
for example the team leaders failed to adequately explain the term,
‘Independent Commissions’. The Convenor monitors noted that the attendance was
poor as most residents were seen roaming around the business centre drinking
and going about their business. The poor attendance was also attributed to poor
publicity by COPAC. The monitors asked three people who had not attended the
meeting and were informed that they did not know anything about it [Via Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition -
Press Release].
2 July 2010
NGOs’ violence claims dismissed
The
Parliamentary Select Committee has dismissed reports by some non-governmental
organisations that the constitutional outreach programme has been marred by
violence and intimidation. Some sections of the media have claimed that
outreach monitors were assaulted in Mashonaland Central. “The general
atmosphere has been conducive and meetings have been held in an environment of
peace. No incidences of violence have been recorded. We are seeing national
healing in the process, with members of different political parties sitting
together and speaking their minds out,” said Copac co-chairperson Cde
Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF) at a Press conference yesterday. He also
said there were no people called “outreach monitors” — a term some NGO workers
have been using to describe themselves. “The problem I have is identifying an
outreach monitor. We did not accredit outreach monitors; they have no
relationship with us.” MDC representative Mr Ga ule added: “We do not have any
monitors, why should it be monitored?” Cde Mangwana castigated some NGOs’
attempts to derail the programme for their selfish reasons. “The level of
polarisation has led some people to form organisations that survive on lies.
They will continue to perpetuate those lies. However, those who continue to
perpetuate those lies will eat humble pie in the fullness of time,” he said. Mr
Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T), another co-chairperson, said they would soon start
accreditation of genuine individuals and organisations to observe the outreach
[Via The Herald - state
controlled media]
NGOs accused of meddling in Copac outreach programme
Non-governmental
organisations, among them the Zimbabwe Election Support Network and Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition, are allegedly meddling in the constitution outreach
programme. This has raised fears that they want to influence people to reject
the new constitution. The co-team leader for the Midlands outreach team, Cde
Joram Gumbo, told Chronicle in an interview yesterday that the smooth running of
the outreach programme was being threatened by NGOs who were “invading” areas
to be covered by the Copac teams in advance. He said the NGOs, especially ZESN
and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, were getting into centres for meetings
ahead of the Copac teams uninvited, thereby inducing fear in the participants.
“They are being dropped by their cars all over the areas that we are to cover
ahead of us. These NGOs’ presence is intimidating people. They will be taking
down some notes and people feel intimidated and they have since expressed their
concern ove r this to us,” said Cde Gumbo. “At one such meeting in Chief
Sogwala on Thursday last week, the people there demanded that the NGOs be
thrown out of the meeting but we told them that we can’t do that as these
people were Zimbabweans with a right to be anywhere they so wished.” Cde Gumbo
said the NGOs appear to have an ulterior motive in their actions as they have
ignored Copac’s outreach teams to wait for their turn to air their views. “They
have interpreted any attempt to keep a distance from the Copac meetings as
intimidation. They hinted to us that they could influence people to vote ‘No’
and reject the new constitution, if ever they are kept away from the outreach
work [Via The Chronicle -
state controlled media]
Constitutional football kicks off
Robert Mugabe could be president of Zimbabwe until he is 97 years old if he has
his way in the country’s protracted struggle for a new constitution. A 10-month
delay in launching the constitution-making process ended last week after
Mugabe, who has ruled for 30 years, gave the Constitutional Parliamentary
Committee (Copac) the green light to go to the people for their input on a new
deal. But observers fear that the chances of reaching an agreement on a new constitution
are being threatened by political party politicking and a lack of funding to
consult the people meaningfully. And, with elections due next year, violence
also poses a threat to the constitutional moves. Since 1979 the country’s
supreme law has been the Lancaster House agreement. Now the 90-day survey is
meant to canvas the views of everyone in all Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces. But the
process has become the latest battlefield for control of the country. “It’s not
a coincidence that all the negotiators of the different parties in the unity
government are represented in the management committee that oversees Copac, as
there are real agendas being pushed there,” a senior government source close to
Copac said [Via The Mail and
Guardian].
We have a fundamental right to freedom of
expression!
How to subscribe or unsubscribe : Please
forward this newsletter to anyone who might be interested.
1. If you have access to the internet, you can
subscribe/unsubscribe automatically by visiting
www.sokwanele.com
. This is the quickest
method so please choose this option if you can.
2. If you do not have access to the Internet you can email us at
newsletter@sokwanele.com with the word 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' as the
subject. Please allow a little time for subscriptions that are managed
manually.
3. You can also automatically unsubscribe yourself by following the
URL below. (Please do not follow this link if this email was forwarded to you
by someone else). If the link does not work, make sure that you have copied the
entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic
unsubscribe mechanism.
http://www.sokwanele.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/public_list/
Sokwanele information :
Email us at : newsletter@sokwanele.com
Visit our blog: This is Zimbabwe
Send an e-card! www.sokwanele.com/sendcard/
Privacy and editorial policy :
The privacy of our subscribers is respected. We will not share our
subscriber list with third parties.
Sokwanele does not endorse the editorial policy of any source or
website except its own. It retains copyright on its own articles, which may be
reproduced or distributed or cited from, but may not be materially altered in
any way. Please acknowledge Sokwanele as the source of the information when
using one of our articles.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 2, 2010
Germany’s
government says it will cut off aid to Zimbabwe unless illegal and
violent occupiers leave a farm in eastern
Zimbabwe
owned by a German citizen.
In a
letter sent Friday to Zimbabwe’s Foreign Ministry, Germany noted that the
occupation of the property
violated a
decade-old investment agreement between the countries. Last year, Germany gave
$50 million to Zimbabwe.
by Patricia Mpofu
Saturday 03 July 2010
PRESIDENT
MUGABE . . . blames Western sanctions for Zimbabwe's spectacular failure
HARARE –
Reengagement talks between Zimbabwe and the European Union opened in Brussels
on Friday but no major breakthrough was expected as ongoing farm invasions by
President Robert Mugabe’s supporters blighted Harare’s chances of winning a
sanctions reprieve for the ageing leader and members of his cabal.
Zimbabwean
ministers Elton Mangoma, Patrick Chinamasa and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga,
travelled to the Belgian capital last Thursday for the talks after getting an
invitation from the EU last month.
“The
meeting is confirmed and will take place in Brussels in presence of the EU High
Representative/Vice President of the Commission Cathy Ashton and the
Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs,” EU spokesperson Catherine Ray
said via email from the Belgian capital.
Mugabe’s
ZANU PF is hoping to use talks with the EU to push for lifting of the sanctions
although observers ruled out the possibility of Brussels scrapping the punitive
measures until its calls for more political and democratic reforms in Zimbabwe
are heeded.
Working
against Mugabe’s favour was last month’s invasion of three farms in the eastern
Manicaland region which are owned by a German national.
The
Germany embassy to Harare last Wednesday issued a note verbale to the
Zimbabwean government expressing displeasure at Harare’s “tolerance” of the
occupation of Makandi Tea Estate and Coffee (Pvt) Limited, Border Timbers
Limited and Forrester Estate Private Limited by one of Mugabe’s supporters.
One of
Mugabe’s supporters only identified as Mr Muzite, led a mob of 20 armed and
drunken men that violently occupied the properties on June 18.
All the
properties are owned by a German citizen, Heinrich von Pezold, and are covered
by an investment protection agreement signed by Zimbabwe and Germany in 1995
but which came into force in 2000.
The Harare
government has refused to act against the illegal occupants who claim they were
allocated the properties under Mugabe’s controversial land reform programme.
Germany
threatened to withdraw aid to Zimbabwe in protest at what its embassy said was
Harare’s “tolerance” for theft of private property.
In a
second protest letter to Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi in three
weeks, the German embassy urged the Zimbabwean government to urgently intervene
and stop the illegal occupation of the three plantations.
“The
Zimbabwean government should be aware of the German government’s support for
Zimbabwe’s development which in 2009 alone amounted to over US$50 million...
However, it will not be in a position to support a government which tolerates
the blunt theft of German nationals’ property in Zimbabwe,” read part of the
protest letter.
Relations
between Harare and Brussels took a hit following the holding of a
violence-marred presidential poll won by Mugabe in 2002.
The EU and
its Western allies condemned the election as a fraud and imposed visa and
financial sanctions against the Zimbabwean leader and his top allies in ZANU PF
and in the military. – ZimOnline.
by Own Correspondent
Friday 02 July 2010
HARARE –
Amnesty International has warned of a surge in political violence in Zimbabwe
as President Robert Mugabe’s supporters intensify a campaign to cow opponents
during an ongoing exercise to gather public views on a new constitution.
The
London-based group said three human rights monitors were captured and beaten
with logs by ZANU PF supporters last Sunday in the latest incident since public
consultation on the new Zimbabwean constitution began on June 16.
The
monitors work for the Independent Constitution Monitoring Project (ICMP), which
is jointly run by non-governmental organizations Zimbabwe Election Support
Network, Zimbabwe Peace Project and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
They were
allegedly taken by ZANU PF supporters to a farm in Mashonaland West’s Makonde
district on June 27 and beaten with logs.
One of
them sustained injuries to his eardrum while the other two suffered head
injuries.
"This
intimidation and harassment of activists undermines Zimbabwe's efforts to form
a new constitution with public consultation and it is also a worrying reminder
of the organised violence that took place in 2008," said Erwin van der
Borght, Amnesty International’s Africa director.
Zimbabwe's
constitution-making process was part of the agreement signed by Mugabe and
former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in September 2008 following six
months of violence that followed the country's disputed presidential election.
The
consultation process is designed to garner feedback on the constitution through
a series of outreach meetings with local communities.
Following
a long delay due to squabbling within the unity government, the consultation
finally began two weeks ago but activists monitoring the process have been
targeted.
The
beating of the three activists followed the arrest of another team of monitors
in the eastern border town of Mutare on June 24.
They were
charged with practicing journalism without accreditation and released on $20
bail each.
Another
activist in Mutare, Eddy Ziyera, the provincial coordinator of the ICMP, was
allegedly detained for several hours and released without charge on June 25
after bringing food for the three activists in detention.
by Own Correspondent
Friday 02 July 2010
HARARE --
The Confederation of Industries of Zimbabwe (CZI) has urged the government
to allow private investors to operate some of its power stations to help boost
electricity generation and end power cuts hampering manufacturing sector
production.
"There
is an urgent need by government to cause for existing power generation
facilities to be concessioned out somehow in order to increase generation capacity,"
CZI president Joseph Kanyekanye said on Tuesday.
"Concessions
should be done in the next two months. Industry needs at least 18 hours of
uninterrupted power supply without this the country is unlikely to see any
improvement," Kanyekanye said.
The CZI
boss said factories were sometimes going for as long as three days with
production because there was no power, a situation he said could derail efforts
to revive the manufacturing sector that is battling to emerge from a decade of
unprecedented decline that saw many industries either drastically scaling down
operations or closing shop altogether.
Zimbabwe
requires at least 2 000MW for domestic and industrial consumption, but the
country is currently generating around 1 100MW.
A further
Zimbabwe 150MW is imported from Mozambique, and another 125MW from Zambia in a
bid to ease power shortages.
ZESA’s
inability over the years to boost generation capacity at its ageing power
stations and a critical shortage of foreign currency to import adequate
electricity from neighbouring countries has left Zimbabwe grappling with severe
power shortages.
The wholly
government-owned energy firm says cash-rich foreign investors remain reluctant
to provide funding badly needed to boost power generation because of
uncertainty about the country’s future political and economic direction.
Zimbabwe’s
coalition government that came into office last year has brought a degree of
stability to the country’s political situation but the future remains
uncertain.
Incessant
squabbling between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
has left political analysts wondering about the Harare coalition government’s
long-term viability while most potential investors appear to have adopted a
wait and see attitude before they can consider making any significant
investments in the country. -- ZimOnline.
Zimbabwe Independent
Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:41
ZIMBABWEAN
banks are trading on shaky ground amid growing fears of a further rise in
systemic vulnerabilities in the fragile sector and a lack of implementation of
risk containment measures urgently needed to avert a crisis.
Documents
obtained from bankers by the Zimbabwe Independent this week show that while the
banking sector slightly recovered after the restoration of macro-economic
stability last year, it however still faces serious troubles that pose a threat
to its viability.
The
documents show that 10 out of 25 banking institutions recorded losses during
the first quarter ended March 31. The losses were for the most part caused by
high non-interest expenses — mainly salaries, employment benefits and general
administration expenses. Many banks are currently saddled with unsustainably
high costs against a background of low income generation capacity.
As a
result of those problems, banks such as CFX, Kingdom, MBCA and even Barclays
have adopted cost-cutting measures — including retrenchment of staff and
rationalisation of branches — to reduce costs and ensure survival.
A number
of banking groups such as Kingdom Financial Holdings, MBCA Holdings, Interfin
Holdings and CBZ Holdings have consolidated their operations or are in the
process of doing so via proposed mergers, disposal of non-core assets and
divisionalisation of subsidiaries.
Although
banks like CBZ, CABS and Standard Chartered recorded profits in excess of US$1
million during the first quarter, a number of banks also posted losses and are
in dire straits.
Zimbabwe
has 15 commercial banks, five merchant banks (the registration of NDH Merchant
Bank was cancelled following voluntary surrender of its licence on June 9),
four building societies and one savings bank. There are 16 asset management
companies and 95 micro-finance institutions.
Due to
financial problems, banks have been struggling to meet their capital adequacy
requirements even if the central bank had given them a phased plan for
September 30 last year to pay half the amount and March 31 to meet the fully
prescribed capital levels. As at May 31, 15 out of 25 banking institutions had
complied with paid-up capital requirements which are US$12,5 million for
commercial banks and US$10 million for merchant banks and building societies.
At least 10 banks failed to pay up.
Following
its recent visit to Harare to discuss Finance minister Tendai Biti’s draft
mid-year budget statement (mid-term fiscal policy review), the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) said insolvent banks should be closed if they could not be
rescued.
The IMF
also said vulnerable banks should be put under heightened supervisory scrutiny
and be required to resolve their capital adequacy or liquidity problems through
prompt corrective action plans. It said monitoring of systemic risks stemming
form rising interbank exposures needed to be stepped up. Banks that fail to
meet their obligations must be closed, it said.
“Those
banks that remain undercapitalised after appropriate notice should be closed without
delay,” the IMF wrote to Biti on June 9.
An IMF
mission visited Harare from June 2-10 to review recent economic developments
and assist the government in the preparation of the mid-year budget statement.
The IMF
said despite last year’s economic recovery, high-frequency indicators now
suggested the economy was slowing down and financial vulnerabilities were
intensifying. It said monthly exports, credit money and government revenues
suggested the economy was decelerating, while the banking sector
vulnerabilities were growing due to lower liquidity and severe
undercapitalisation of banks, especially the weak and smaller ones. The IMF
said there must be efforts to rescue troubled banks without using public funds,
but those beyond redemption must be closed.
However,
Biti told the Independent this week that his ministry was working with the
Reserve Bank to prevent bank closures.
“We are
working closely with the Reserve to ensure no bank will be shut down. The banking
sector is very fragile, but we have got a duty to make sure no bank is closed,”
he said.
Zimbabwe
suffered a series of bank failures mostly in 2004 due to a liquidity crisis
triggered by the economic meltdown, hyperinflation and mismanagement.
Currently,
many banks are struggling for survival due to various problems dogging them in
the market. Some of the problems facing the banking sector include liquidity
constraints, volatility of deposits, cash-based transactions due to lack of
alternative means of payment, high overhead costs against a background of low
income generation capacity, lack of lines of credit and the failure of the
central bank to act as a lender of last resort due to bankruptcy.
Liquidity
problems are mainly caused by poor export performance and lack of international
capital inflows. Lack of lines of credit and donor support also compound the
problem.
The
Reserve Bank’s inability to offer lender-of-last-resort facilities has
exacerbated the liquidity crisis in the economy and the banking sector in
particular. As a result of this, there is no active inter-bank market where
banks, which have no acceptable collateral instruments, can borrow to cover
their liquidity gaps.
Documents
show that the current banking sector deposits profile largely comprises
short-term transitory deposits, mainly driven by salary adjustments. At May 31
demand deposits constituted the bulk of the total deposit bases, while savings
and wholesale deposits were slightly lower.
“In view
of the volatile nature of deposits, banks have taken a cautious approach to
lending as reflected by the ratio of loans to deposits which sat at 58,10% as
at June 11 compared to international norms of over 70%,” documents show.
“The
predominance of short-term deposits has, among other factors, constrained the
banking sector’s potential to provide effective financial intermediation of the
productive sectors of the economy.”
Bankers
with an optimistic disposition and a feel-good approach say the banking sector
remains “safe and sound” despite current problems. They observe that the
multi-currency regime helped promote financial intermediation. Deposits with
banks tripled between March and December last year. Banks’ loan portfolios grew
six-fold, although from a very low base. Strong credit growth supported the
nascent economic recovery, but it also contributed to a widening current
account deficit and rising vulnerabilities in the banking system.
Analysts
are, however, still seriously concerned that the current macro-economic environment
characterised by poor liquidity, low savings and volatile deposits poses a grim
threat to the survival of banks.
Dumisani
Muleya
Zimbabwe Independent
Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:33
Bulawayo
police are investigating a £10 million fraud case at the National Railways of
Zimbabwe (NRZ) involving some of the rail firm’s senior executives in what
could showcase the free-for-all situation at parastatals.
Gibson
Boston Siziba, a senior auditor with the NRZ yesterday filed a police report
implicating the state-owned rail firm’s finance director Patrick Bondayi and
former police commander Frank Msutu, who is NRZ senior manager for security
operations.
According
to the police report (IR 4737/10), Bondayi allegedly worked in cahoots with
other yet to be named officials in the finance department to misappropriate
funds through over-invoicing of spare parts. Bondayi was suspended three months
ago to facilitate investigations when details of the alleged heist surfaced.
Police and
NRZ auditors are now keen to trace the whereabouts of the money, with
indications that the funds could be held in offshore accounts. Police also
believe the £10 million could just be the tip of the iceberg, and are launching
a wider investigation.
Police
spokesperson, Inspector Mandla Moyo, confirmed that officers at Bulawayo
Central Police Station were handling the case.
“I can
confirm that a report was made to the Bulawayo Central Police station where an
official at the NRZ allegedly misappropriated funds amounting to over £10
million. Already, investigations are underway. That is all I can say at the
moment,” Moyo said.
A separate
case was reported on Msutu’s alleged failure to act on cases of fraud reported
to him. According to initial report 4738/10, Msutu was alerted of the
fraudulent activities involving senior managers at the parastatal but he
allegedly sat on the cases.
“Sometime
in April 2010, the now accused was handed over a case of serious fraud by the
audit department of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to investigate and
bring to book the accused (Bondayi),” reads the police record.
“The
accused failed dismally to do anything in his capacity as security officer,
even bringing the matter to the police for further investigations. (As a result
of his actions) The accused defeated the
course of
justice. The accused had no right to defeat the course of justice or protect
the accused for fraud involving 10 million pounds.”
NRZ
sources said the audit team descended on the parastatal three weeks ago and has
been combing the company’s books following reports of massive plunder.
A number
of senior managers could soon be arrested as police act on the results of the
audit report, NRZ sources said.
Efforts to
get a comment from the NRZ general manager, Mike Karakadzai proved fruitless
yesterday.
NRZ, once
a carrier of choice for low-budget travellers, is facing collapse because of
alleged mismanagement and poor revenue generation.
Nkululeko
Sibanda
Zimbabwe Independent
Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:03
SO, Elton
Mangoma will head the delegation that is due to resume talks in Brussels on
normalising relations with the European Union. The Herald disclosed on Monday
that Mangoma would head the delegation because Foreign minister Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi, who is reengagement committee chair, “had other commitments”.
In fact,
Muckraker reported several weeks ago (April 30) that Mangoma and not
Mumbengegwi would head the delegation. Mumbengegwi would stand little chance of
securing concessions from the EU, we argued. But the Herald kept insisting that
Mumbengegwi would lead the delegation to Brussels.
On June 15
(not “last week” as reported by the Herald on Monday) Mumbengegwi questioned
the seriousness of the EU negotiators because they had been slow in replying to
Zimbabwe’s request for a firm date on resuming talks.
“They are just
playing games with the lives of the people of Zimbabwe,” Mumbengegwi declared
after meeting Portugal’s deputy Foreign Affairs minister in Harare.
Zimbabwe’s
Foreign Affairs secretary Joey Bimha said this week Mumbengegwi would soon
convene a meeting of the Zimbabwe negotiating team to agree on “positions”
ahead of the Brussels talks.
They are
agreed on the need to lift sanctions, it was reported. This is despite the fact
that kidnappings and arrests of MDC and civic activists continue, the state
media is manipulated to reflect Zanu PF’s redundant political claims, Posa and
Aippa remain on the statute books and are used to thwart freedom of assembly
and speech, and intimidation of people hoping to give their views to the
constitution outreach process has been widely reported.
So who is
“playing games” with the people of Zimbabwe? The EU delegation (embassy) in
Harare has obviously not been sufficiently robust in pointing out to the EU
Commission in Brussels that many of the key GPA terms have not been adhered to
by Mumbengegwi’s party. There appears to be an over-anxiety on reopening talks
when there has been no fundamental change in outlook by President Mugabe and
his inner circle. What information for instance has been communicated on the
role of JOC in running the country? And should the EU agree to reopen talks
when diamond-trade monitors like Farai Maguwu are held in detention for
allegedly exposing human rights abuses? He was not able to access his lawyers
or medical care at one point, reports suggest. And what happened to the land
audit?
Mangoma
and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, who is also a member of the reengagement
committee, are serving no useful purpose by going to Brussels empty-handed. And
why do they think lifting sanctions is a compelling national issue? Do you ever
hear people on the streets going around saying “sanctions must be lifted
because they are hurting the country”? Only Zanu PF ministers and their captive
newspapers say that. Everybody knows who is “hurting the country”.
One small
example of the abuse of the public media will suffice. On Sunday the Sunday
Mail declared that the people of Zimbabwe were “outraged” that Zimbabwe had not
been cleared to trade in diamonds at the Tel Aviv meeting because the West had
“ganged up” against it.
The
diamonds would have helped Zimbabwe “bust the racist sanctions once and for
all”, the paper claimed. That’s why the West is running scared.
“Once the
sanctions are dismantled the regime change agenda will be left in tatters with
Zanu PF firmly in the driving seat.”
So that’s
who the diamond trade will benefit is it? All is clear now. The diamonds will
be used to shore up Zanu PF’s waning support — to put it once again in the
“driving seat”.
And who on
earth said the people of Zimbabwe were “outraged” by the Tel Aviv outcome? The
people of Zimbabwe decisively repudiated Zanu PF at the last poll. The last
thing they want to see are diamonds used to benefit the former ruling party and
its corrupt system of patronage.
The Sunday
Mail talks about the West panicking because “Zimbabwe is about to bust their
evil sanctions”.
It is
amazing that Zanu PF wants to isolate the county further by “busting” the
Kimberley Process. What will the EU say to that we wonder? And we noted the bit
about Tendai Biti.
What does
he know about the mining and processing of diamonds, the Sunday Mail asked
scornfully?
While it
may be the case that Zanu PF ministers generally know very little about
anything, we concede that the one thing they know a great deal about is
extraction. Ask Obert Mpofu!
It was
useful to have the US embassy’s response to official claims that Congressman
Donald Payne had never been barred from entering the country. He had been to
Zimbabwe at least four times, unhindered, Nathaniel Manheru claimed last
Saturday.
He was
never barred from entering the country as Hillary Clinton recently stated.
“Manheru
claimed in his column that Congressman Payne had visited Zimbabwe four times in
the past year,” the US embassy said in a letter to the editor of the Herald.
“In fact he visited twice. More significantly Manheru claimed that Mr Payne did
not see President Mugabe on his last visit because he was in a hurry and could
not wait for a meeting with the president.”
‘This is
not true,” the embassy said. “Ten days before the Congressman’s visit the
embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested a meeting with the
president and noted that Mr Payne would be arriving in Harare the night of
April 7 and departing midday on April 9. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
representatives met Mr Payne at the airport on his arrival and stated they
would be in contact with the Office of the President to arrange a meeting the
following day. Embassy officials kept Mr Payne’s schedule flexible to
accommodate a meeting with the president.
“For
whatever reason the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unable to arrange a
meeting, a priority of Mr Payne, on either April 8 or April 9.”
The
embassy pointed out that there had been a similar episode when Congressman
Gregory Meeks led a six-member delegation to Zimbabwe in September. On that
occasion Mugabe only agreed to meet the delegation when they were preparing to
leave. Because of a tight schedule the Congressmen were only able to meet with
the president for a short while.
The next
day the Herald accused the Congressmen of unsuccessfully attempting to avoid
meeting with Mugabe!
“The
ministry subsequently by way of a diplomatic note stated to the embassy that
the article in the Herald did not reflect either the ministry’s or the
government’s interpretation of the visit.”
Sounds
like a repudiation to us!
Muckraker
was amused by a piece in the Sunday Mail by features editor Lovemore Chikova
which contained the following: “Observers said Mr Gutu finally got rewarded for
singing praises to the MDC-T leader in his long and boring newspaper articles.”
So here is
a Sunday Mail editor commenting on “long and boring newspaper articles” when on
the facing page there is Tafataona Mahoso occupying whole forests of pulp to
send a message to “the racist cartel trying to scuttle the Kimberley Process
against Chiadzwa diamonds”.
And who
does Mahoso speak for apart from a coterie of Zanu PF reactionaries with their
fingers in the diamond pie?
Shouldn’t
he be writing about conflicts of interest in the media?
Zimbabweans
had press plurality to thank after Obert Mpofu attempted to hoodwink everybody
into believing Zimbabwe’s Chiadzwa diamonds had been cleared by the KP
intersessional meeting in Tel Aviv last week.
Mpofu told
ZBC Zimbabwe had received support from other African countries which had
overwhelmed attempts by the United States and its allies who were bent on
tarnishing its image.
But
NewsDay was quick to inform Zimbabweans of the correct position. The KP meeting
ended in deadlock and the Chiadzwa diamonds will have to wait a little longer
before they are allowed to enter the export market.
What Mpofu
didn’t tell us was that West African countries attending the meeting were
firmly behind the US and its allies in condemning human rights abuses at
Chiadzwa.
And Mpofu
should be reminded that we are living in a global village where a press
statement released in Tel Aviv announcing that the KP meeting had reached
deadlock can reach the NewsDay newsroom within minutes.
While he
was busy misinforming Zimbabweans on television news, the Tel Aviv statement
was already doing the rounds on the Internet.
Tough luck
Obert, you were caught off-side. Not even the Herald published your daft claims
until Wednesday.
Mpofu must
ensure the country complies with KP requirements and stops the persecution of
Farai Maguwu instead of launching relentless tirades against international
NGOs such as Global Witness and the Partnership Africa Canada. Apart from the
Sunday Mail does anybody believe the dubious claim that they had tried to bribe
Mpofu?
Thanks to
the ANC Youth League member Lehlogonolo Masoga we were able to have more
insight into the conduct of Julius Malema and his leadership qualities.
Details of
Malema’s “shocking abuse of power” are contained in a founding affidavit from
Masoga, former Youth League Limpopo chairman.
Malema is
facing a court challenge for having broken the law when he allegedly instructed
police to use “violent” force against members of his organisation in his home
province of Limpopo.
Who else
do we remember unleashing the police to attack and disrupt even the quietest of
demonstrations? And, interestingly, Malema’s deputy Andile Lungisa appear to be
gunning for his throne.
Lungisa
will testify against Malema in what appears the clearest sign yet that he will
take the battle to Malema at the Young Lions’ elective conference next year.
It seems
it doesn’t just rain for Malema but it pours.
While
England’s football stars Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard tried their best to
salvage their battered reputations against Germany on Sunday, staff at their
Rustenburg hotel were rifling through the players’ designer label closets,
helping themselves to briefs and boxers and a selection of other items, the
Star reports.
Whereas
the hordes of English supporters refused to see the writing on the wall for
their team, the cleaners at the state-of-the-art Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace,
where the team were based, seemed to see their opportunity.
They
collected nearly R80 000 worth of clothes, personal belongings and R5 530
in cash.
“They
started on June 21 and
stole
things until June 25,” said North West police Colonel Junior Metsi. Police have
been asked not to reveal the names of the players who had goods stolen,
but the Star was reliably informed that items were stolen from virtually
every member of the squad.
It seems
the English team started missing their jocks only after four days, with a case
of theft opened with the police last Saturday.
In less
than 24 hours, Thulane Fortunate Mongake, 26, Ernest Zimisile Klaas, 28, Thapelo
Joseph Senne, 21, Basimane Levy Njielane, 34, and Catherine Motsilanyane, 28,
were arrested, tried and sentenced to three years or a fine of R6 000 in the
Tlhabane World Cup court which fast-tracks World Cup-related offences.
All the
stolen items were recovered, among them a gold World Cup winners’ medal. We
can’t think who in the England team that could have belonged to!
Zimbabwe Independent
Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:00
LAST week
government announced that it was effecting amendments to the
economically-destructive Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Regulations.
Presumably, it was motivated to do so by the extensive, vociferous and very authoritative
reactions to the disastrous enactment of those regulations in January, and
responsive to the flood of representations and submissions made by most sectors
of Zimbabwean society, by potential foreign investors, and by well-intentioned
and very concerned elements of the international community.
It was
probably also in reluctant recognition of the devastating consequences of those
regulations on the economy in general, and in particular its deterrent impact
on greatly needed investment (both foreign and domestic), access to
international lines of credit, and the very depressed levels of business
confidence.
Regrettably,
the announcement was not only, to a major extent, a non-event, but in a major
respect it compounded the negative circumstances created by the initial
promulgation of the regulations. Partially on the positive side, the
announcement stated that:
The
reference to businesses having to “cede” a controlling interest to indigenous
persons is to be amended by the substitution of “dispose of” for “cede”.
The intent is to dispel the perception that the transfer of shares would be
free of consideration. However, if the ambiguity and associated doubts
and concerns were to be wholly set aside, the substitutory provision for “cede”
should have been “dispose of at fair value”.
Fourteen
economic sectoral boards are to be established to consider enterprise
applications for exemption from the mandatory 51% equity disposal, the
share transfer to be to a lesser extent, and for the period within which
enterprises are to comply being extended beyond the promulgated five-year
period.
Negatively,
the announcement did not include details of the composition of such boards, or
comprehensive details of the exemption criteria that would apply (save for some
very generalised criteria), and the extent of the intended powers of the
boards, save for fulfilling an advisory role to the Ministry of Indigenisation
and Economic Empowerment. Therefore, although commerce and industry, and
businesses in other economic sectors, can be marginally reassured that an
obligation to divest of 51% of their enterprises control is not necessarily
absolute, nevertheless a continuing aura of uncertainty exists. For many,
all that has been created is a perception that the establishment of the boards
will be nothing but the usual creation of “jobs for the boys”.
Negatives
in the announcement included:
lGovernment
is to pursue alternative methods of funding the National Indigenisation and
Economic Fund. Regrettably, however, if statements by the fund’s chairman
have any substance, it is still planned to impose a levy upon businesses (as if
they are not already over-taxed!). Such a levy would be iniquitous in the
extreme for, to all intents and purposes, it has the effect that private
enterprise will be funding the acquisition of its shares by third
parties. In effect, that will be disguised expropriation or theft.
lThe
announcement also preshadowed that in instances where shares are offered to the
workers of a business, but the offer is not for whatsoever reason accepted,
then such shares must be disposed of if they represent at least 28% of share
capital to the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Fund.
This is a tragic requirement, for government should be disinvesting from its
array of over 70 parastatals and other governmental bodies, and not indirectly
increasing its portfolio.
lThe worst
element of the announcement, however, was the statement that despite the intent
that in selected instances, on the advice of the Sectoral Boards, government
will allow the levels of indigenisation of and economic empowerment in certain
businesses to be less than the prescribed 51%, this does not mean that
government and the indigenous population will not “take” 100% of businesses in
the future.
This
ill-considered, implied threat can only intensify the concerns of potential
foreign investors, and be a big deterrent to their investing in Zimbabwe.
It is of similar concern, and as great a deterrent, to non-indigenous domestic
investors and has widely refuelled thoughts on the part of some existing
Zimbabwean businesses that they can best protect themselves by now closing-down
their businesses, sell off their assets (in part to purchasers in neighbouring
countries), and externalise the proceeds.
It is
inevitable that one must ponder whether making such an unjustifiable threat of
future total expropriation of some businesses was not motivated by some
governmental determination to bring about and hasten the total destruction of
the Zimbabwean economy, and the intensification of extreme poverty for the
majority of the already economically oppressed Zimbabwean population.
That which
was not contained in the announcement must provoke as great concern as does
much that was said. In particular, it was abysmal, on the part of
government, that it did not foreshadow amendments to the Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment Act to remove all actual, and implied, racism
therein. Racism is barred by Zimbabwe’s present constitution (and
undoubtedly that too will be an element of the new constitution that will
ultimately emanate from the current Copac exercise), but it being barred does
not appear to preclude some governmental extremists and bigots pursuing it
relentlessly.
The other
deplorable omission from government’s announcement was any reference to the
legislation not being an authorisation for workers, and activists, to demand
transfer of business control to them. Ever since the promulgation of the
regulations in February, radicals amongst worker representatives have
vociferously and threateningly been demanding that there be immediate transfer
of shares to workers. These radicals have been strongly supported by
diverse activists, such as the Affirmative Action Group and the Zimbabwe
Federation of Trade Unions, and groups of war veterans, as well as by some of
the more extremist in the political environment.
These
demands are destroying the few remaining dredges of business confidence, which
is a prerequisite for business viability and for new investment. They are
major contributants to the reluctance of foreign financiers to provide lines of
credit critically needed by Zimbabwe’s financial sector, and for advances by
that sector to commerce and industry, mining, tourism and agriculture.
The bottom
line of the announcement is that, yet again (and as is more often that not the
norm) government is giving little, and creating fears that much will be
taken. As a result, the economy and the Zimbabwean populace will suffer
even more.
By Eric
Bloch
Zimbabwe Independent
Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:26
THE
Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Walter Mzembi, is embroiled in a potential
conflict of interest case after a bus firm he owns scooped a contract to be the
official carrier of the Brazilian soccer team that visited Zimbabwe in June.
Mzembi,
the main organiser of the friendly match for which the government and corporate
partners paid US$750 000 for Brazil’s appearance fee, managed to get his
company involved in the action, leaving Pathfinder Luxury Coaches which had
initially won the job out in the cold.
After
getting the job to transport the Samba Boys Pathfinder had already begun
marketing themselves as the “wheels behind the Samba Boys”.
Mzembi
confirmed that he owned Munandi Travel and Tours in a telephone interview on
Wednesday. He became abusive when asked whether he had played a role as chief
organiser of the match in securing a contract for his firm.
“Is it a
crime to own buses? My buses are used for the public service. You are the same
people writing bad things about me which are being published by online news
sites. Why are you tarnishing my image?” fumed Mzembi. He did not pick up
subsequent calls or return a request for an interview on the matter.
A
Pathfinder official, Fungai Makoni, refused to comment saying the matter was
“too political”.
It was not
possible by yesterday to ascertain how much Munandi was paid.
Acting
Zifa CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze said the transport deal was sealed between his boss
Henrietta Rushwaya and Mzembi.
Mashingaidze
said: “It was Rushwaya who was in charge and no-one knows about the Brazil
match. Even the board was not aware of it.”
Zifa board
member responsible for finance, Elliot Kasu, said he knew nothing about financial
or contractual details of the Brazil match, and referred the Zimbabwe
Independent to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, which falls under Mzembi’s
ministry.
The ZTA in
turn referred questions on the matter back to Zifa.
According
to a match staging agreement between Zifa and Kentaro AG, a Swiss company
acting as the Brazilian team agents, Zifa was responsible for handling the
Samba boys’ ground transportation.
Ashley
Marimo
Zimbabwe Independent
Thursday, 01 July 2010 19:45
PROFESSOR
Ben Cousins (“Time to ditch the ‘disaster’ scenarios,” Mail & Guardian, May
21) may well be correct that the stereotypical portrayal of land reform in
Zimbabwe as a “total failure” is unhelpful. Yet his challenge to this crude
media representation of what has happened on Zimbabwe’s farms is in danger of
reinforcing a false binary of good versus bad land reform.
An
appreciation of the potential of peasant agricultural production in Zimbabwe is
not new. The communal sector’s success in this regard was, after all, one of
the reasons white Rhodesia prohibited peasant access to urban markets in the
1930s.
But was
the chaotic and violent land reform that Zanu PF presided over really intended
to rectify the inequalities manifest 20 years after independence? What was
really possible in the context of the violent power play of the ruling party,
having lost the constitutional referendum in 2000, and following the shock
election results shortly after that? What have been the consequences for
Zimbabwe as a nation? Can the end results justify the means? Do the relative
“success” stories that Cousins alludes to provide a robust basis for
replication and progress? Have the foundations for a new way in Zimbabwe’s
agricultural sector been laid?
The real
situation, as Cousins points out, is much more complex. But it is not only
about the “complex new realities that farmers, government officials, political
parties and other players are grappling with”. Indeed, Cousins’
representations of the variables affecting land reform raise significant
questions he chooses not to engage with.
The
empirical evidence of what has transpired on Zimbabwe’s farms is acutely
limited, and the consequences remain highly contested. This is why the MDC
pushed for and secured agreement in the global political agreement for a land
audit, something Zanu PF opposed and still resists 16 months later. One can
speculate that this is not only about hiding the fact that many farms were
handed out to party bigwigs and supporters, but also because it will also
expose the detail of Zanu PF’s lines of patronage in the land programme,
providing a clearer picture of exactly who got what and who was excluded. A
meaningful audit will also help us to cut through the emotive propaganda of
those who believe Armageddon has arrived, or that we are on the road to the
Promised Land.
The land
reform process must also be reviewed in relation to the violence, destruction
and abuse (as well as related culpabilities) that accompanied it. This is
relatively well documented. The violence poisoned the foundations of this “new
beginning”. It remains to be seen whether defenders of violent land reform can
move beyond a rudimentary, self-serving and manipulative anti-imperialist
justification. Some commentators on Zimbabwe’s farm sector (such as Sam Moyo
and Paris Yeros) continue to justify these violations as collateral damage in
the quest for broader structural “advances” necessary to break old farming
relations of minority white control of prime agricultural land. The Masvingo
study of 400 households, to which Cousins refers, may provide insight into how
some beneficiaries of land reform have fared, but it is not a representative
sample. He admits as much by pointing to the different situations on the
“high-potential” farms in Mashonaland, where hundreds of thousands of farm
workers were brutally displaced and then disenfranchised. To what extent,
therefore, does the Masvingo study capture the dynamics and power relations
around restructuring of land as an asset of economic production and political
power?
The
Masvingo study is certainly intriguing and we await its publication with
interest and a hope that it will shed more light on the research methodologies
employed. For example, we need to know how access to the new farmers was
secured (and with whose permission), what questions were asked, not only about
crop production and the emergence of “novel commodity chains”, but also how
they came to be on the farms, plus issues of patronage, political connectivity,
loyalty, attitudes towards ownership, security of tenure, and so forth.
Cousins
says the Masvingo research shows the land programme has reduced gross racial
and class inequalities, yet he fails to explain how the new patterns of land
usage relate to political and related economic power structures and
dependencies that have evolved and mutated around Zanu PF’s threadbare
nationalist project. What have been the costs to the majority, for the relative
few to benefit?
Cousins’
analysis misses the historical and political dimensions of land reform. Without
a clear sense of land tenure and title, it is fair to ask: To what extent is
this constituency’s future dependent on demonstrating particular loyalties, or
at the very least not questioning them?
Cousins is
correct to promote an empirically based assessment of land reform, but such an
assessment must also grapple with the recent historical origins of violence,
power, politics and displacement, and not just a selective engagement with
colonial dispossession. We must examine how the reform process has broken down
some power structures, yet generated and reproduced other elite and
marginalised constituencies. We must examine how land reform has promoted or
undermined democratic forms of management and administration through a
bifurcated state, in which the threat of militarisation around the land issue
remains ever-present. We must examine how land control continues to be wielded
by Zanu PF as a political tool, especially since large parts of the rural areas
turned against Zanu PF in the 2008 elections.
The
suggestion that the new forms of agricultural production that have emerged in
the wake of land reform could form the basis of a new model of agricultural
production in Zimbabwe needs to be critically examined. Further studies of the
generally richer agricultural areas in Mashonaland, where there is anecdotal
evidence of sharp production decline, are needed.
Cousins
should be supported in his call for a challenge to the “myths generated by the
stereotypical views”; let’s just make sure it’s not a selective, self-serving
exercise.
By Piers
Pigou
Piers
Pigou is a senior associate at the International Centre for Transitional
Justice in South Africa. — M&G.