zimbabwejournalists.com
By a Correspondent
LONDON -
AIR ZIMBABWE'S Saturday flight from London to Harare has been
cancelled as
the national carrier struggles with failing aircraft. Staff
were busy
calling passengers yesterday to avoid incurring huge costs of
having to put
them up in hotels if they turned up at Gatwick Airport, from
where the
airline operates.
"I have just received a call from Air Zimbabwe
and I was told that the
flight has been cancelled," one distraught passenger
told
zimbabwejournalists.com. "Sometimes you want to remain patriotic but
then in
the process you keep on being impeded. I'm beginning to get tired of
all
this really."
Airline staff were also said to be busy
trying to secure seats for
some of their passengers on other flights run by
companies such as British
Airways.
Meanwhile the airline
announced in Harare it has temporarily grounded
two of the three new planes
sourced from China.
The MA60 planes are said to have developed
mechanical faults. David
Mwenga, the airline's spokesperson said the two
planes would be back in the
air once spare parts have been secured either
from the United States of
America or Canada.
It is not clear
how long it will take for the national carrier to
procure the spare parts.
Air Zimbabwe, whose standards have been nose-diving
over the past few years,
has lately been experiencing problems with its
aircraft resulting in flight
cancellations, especially on the Harare-London
route, leaving hundreds of
passengers stranded. Already spare parts were
being sourced to allow the
servicing of the plane that serves the lucrative
London-Harare
route.
"The maintenance work that is required necessitated that we
purchase
spare parts from various sources from the United States and that we
consult
with Pratt & Whitney of Canada, the manufacturers of the
engines, as one
area that needed maintenance is the aircraft fuel nozzles,"
Mwenga is quoted
in the state-controlled Herald newspaper as
saying.
"The majority of spares have since arrived while a few more
are
expected today. When all the requisite spare parts have arrived, the
rest of
the maintenance work should take our engineers a few hours to
complete and
we expect the two air-crafts to be back into service by
tomorrow."
Air Zimbabwe has had to combine domestic flights to
Bulawayo and
Victoria Falls to be serviced by the remaining MA60, while
regional flights
would be plied by the airline's Boeing
737.
An employee who spoke on condition of anonymity said
mismanagement at
the national airline was the major reason for the crippling
crisis at Air
Zimbabwe. "Management need to understand that an aeroplane
makes money when
it is in the air and not on the ground. The London-Harare
route is so
lucrative but where is the money being generated from there
going, it is not
being ploughed back into improving the service. It will be
a sad day if one
of these good days we are going to wake up without a
national airline to
talk about like our colleagues in other African
countries."
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington, DC
16 June
2006
A research institute in Pretoria said South African
President Thabo Mbeki's
policy of "quiet diplomacy" in Zimbabwe had
contributed to that country's
economic collapse.
The report by the
South African Institute of International Affairs said
warmer relations
between South Africa and Zimbabwe since Mr. Mbeki took
office in 2000, his
tolerant approach to Harare policies, and inaction by
other Southern African
Development Community member nations, had discouraged
firmer action by SADC
and the African Union while blocking censure motions
tabled in the United
Nations.
"Apart from complicity with some of the other SADC countries in
keeping the
Zimbabwe issue off the agenda at successive SADC and AU
meetings, the South
African government has actively supported Zimbabwe in
blocking motions of
censure against Zimbabwe in international forums, most
notably the U.N.
Human Rights Commission," said the report, entitled "A
Nation in Turmoil:
The Experience of South African Firms Doing Business in
Zimbabwe."
The report also faults Pretoria's endorsement of the results
of Zimbabwean
elections that have been challenged by the opposition as
tainted by violence
or fraud.
The report said Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono has become
what it called a "de facto prime
minister," while his central bank has
engaged in business activities that
should be left to the private sector,
such as change bureaus.
The
report noted, however, that longstanding business ties between South
Africa
and Zimbabwe "have not been severed by the current economic problems,
although many companies have preferred to 'ringfence' their Zimbabwe
operations by keeping financials separate from [overall operations] as a way
of riding out the storm."
And, "Despite the deterioration of the
economic situation, many people
believe Zimbabwe is still a better and
easier place in which to do business
than many other African countries,
because of its strong business sector and
relatively good infrastructure,"
the report states.However, it also notes
that companies have found that
Harare's "erratic and often extreme policy
decisions" complicate planning,
while "government interference in the
economy is a constant
threat."
Policy recommendations in the report included: a change in
political
leadership; restoration of the rule of law; the reinstatement of
property
rights; making policy more predictable; re-evaluating foreign
exchange
policy; shifting spending priorities to address national, rather
than ruling
party, needs; significantly reducing public deficits; making
policies more
conducive to foreign investment; and restructuring the Reserve
Bank to make
it more autonomous while addressing concerns Gono is so
powerful in the
marketplace "that he is on the verge of becoming both player
and referee."
Reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe spoke
with report
author Dianna Games, executive director of publishing and
research firm
Africa @ Work and managing editor of the institute's South
African Journal
of International Affairs.
Governor Gideon Gono
responded briefly to the criticisms in the report.
The Herald (Harare)
June 16,
2006
Posted to the web June 16, 2006
Thupeyo
Muleya
Beitbridge
GOVERNMENT has released $500 billion towards the
development of Beitbridge
town into a fully-fledged medium city, a Cabinet
minister has said.
In an interview soon after touring development
projects at the country's
busiest border post, Local Government, Public
Works and Urban Development
Minister, Cde Ignatius Chombo, said the funds
were part of the $3 trillion
allocated to his ministry for development
projects in various parts of the
country.
Cde Chombo said the
remainder of the funds would be released soon.
He said civil works were
expected to be completed by the end of this year,
adding that the money will
be used for the construction of 300 residential
houses, a new Government
complex and the upgrading of sewer and water
reticulation
systems.
Under the development programme, 64 garden flats, a modern
filling station,
stadium and aerodrome will be constructed.
"We have
since released $500 billion of the $3 trillion allocation and we
are happy
with the progress being made on the ground so far. Most projects
are at an
advanced stage. Everyone is doing his part fairly well and if we
continue
working with that pace we might complete the programme earlier than
expected", the Minister said.
Cde Chombo said that so far a 10-member
committee has been appointed to
spearhead and stir the development
project.
The committee was chaired by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
(Zimra) regional
controller at Beitbridge, Mr Peter Dube and comprised other
civil servants.
He added that Beitbridge was the busiest port of entry in
sub-Saharan Africa
and it was the face of Zimbabwe hence the need to give it
a facelift and
rehabilitate some of its infrastructure.
The minister
also added that a commission will be appointed soon to run the
affairs of
Beitbridge town on an interim basis.
He said the selection has been done
and was still working on a few
logistical issues.
Cde Chombo said the
Government would continue mobilising resources aimed at
completing the
programme earlier than expected.
The Herald
(Harare)
June 16, 2006
Posted to the web June 16, 2006
Victoria
Muringayi
Harare
GOLD output for the first four months of this year,
recording a decline of
24,7 percent, according to statistics released by the
Chamber of Mines.
In January gold earnings amounted to $1,7 trillion from
a volume of 1 067
kilogrammes.
The February figures were $1,5
trillion and 857 kilogrammes respectively.
In March the production figure
rose marginally to 863,5 kilogrammes valued
at $1,6 trillion but went down
to 820.1 kilogrammes the following month.
Coal deliveries for the first
three months of the year declined from a total
mass of 235 666 tonnes in
January to 188 959 tonnes in March.
Platinum production has increased
since the beginning of the year, from 370
kilogrammes in January to 402 kg
valued at $1,2 trillion in April.
However, the general the decline in
mineral deliveries has been attributed
to low capacity utilisation and
shortages of spare parts by those at the
production level.
The mining
sector is considered to be one of the economy's strategic
sectors,
contributing at least 30 percent of the gross domestic product
(GDP) and
more than 40 percent of export receipts.
Sean
Williams lured back by Zimbabwe
Cricinfo staff
June
17, 2006
Sean Williams has made a dramatic u-turn and agreed to
play for
Zimbabwe against Bangladesh next month after being personally lured
back by
Zimbabwe coach Kevin Curran.
Williams, who is
playing club cricket for Clara Vale in the
Northumberland First Division in
Newcastle, has agreed to return home to
play against Bangladesh and then
return to England to fulfil his contractual
agreement until the end of the
season.
The move has infuriated his father Colin who is opposed to
his son
playing under the current Zimbabwe Cricket regime under Peter
Chingoka.
"Curran phoned me and asked me to play in the one-day
games against
Bangladesh," Williams said. "I am definitely coming home next
month to play.
I am being given a hard time by my father over that decision
- as usual -
but will play anyway because, I have made my decision, I want
to play and
try and make a name for myself and hopefully it works
out."
Clara Vale have agreed to release Williams for the duration
of
Bangladesh matches as Zimbabwe Cricket are paying for his
flights.
The 19-year-old Williams, who bats in the middle order and
bowls
left-arm spin, turned down a contract offer from Zimbabwe Cricket in
March
as he sought a career abroad. When he left two weeks ago, he even
hinted
that he was going to try and qualify to play for another country
other than
Zimbabwe. It seems the prospect of playing at the World Cup lured
Williams
to have a change of mind.
His father Colin is angry
that his son has decided to come back and
play. The senior Williams has
always been critical of the ZC leadership and
came close to pulling his son
out of Zimbabwe team for the Under-19 World
Cup held in Sri Lanka in
February this year.
Curran is understood to have approached a
number of players who have
turned their backs on Zimbabwe in recent times
with the view of bolstering
his squad ahead of the Champions Trophy set for
India in October and next
year's World Cup in the Caribbean.
Curran is reportedly in England to meet with a number of former
players who
prematurely retired from international cricket in protest
against the
Chingoka-led administration. His targets are believed to include
former
Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu, allrounder Gavin Ewing, and former
Zimbabwe
U-19 allrounder Colin De Grandhomme.
Zimbabwe host Bangladesh in
five ODIs at the end of next month.
© Cricinfo
16 June 2006
PRESS STATEMENT
On 9 June 2006, the third term of the Makwavarara Commission
expired. The
failure of the mugabe regime to re-appoint the commission or to
hold
municipal elections means that there is no authority (legitimate
or
otherwise) running the affairs of Harare. The Supreme Court ruled in
2002
that such commissions are clearly intended as stopgap measures to
administer
an urban area in the absence of a functioning elected council.
They are not
meant to be used to deny citizens their democratic
rights.
Harare is the second-largest public enterprise in Zimbabwe. It
has revenues
in excess of 30 billion dollars a day, income generated from
rates and
charges illegally levied by an illegal authority. Where is that
money going?
We have had no audited accounts for several years now so we have
no way of
knowing how much money has been stolen. However the blatant theft
of our
resources by Makwavarara was recently exposed when she obtained a
house at
a fraction of its true value. She was not fired and prosecuted but
merely
asked to pay a bit more. It is clear that Chombo will protect his
servant
for as long as she is useful to him. Makwavarara has headed a
commission
that has held power for 18 months or three terms during which she
has
presided over brutal repressive attacks upon our people, the destruction
of
the informal sector, the demolition of a large percentage of our
city's
housing stock, the blatant abuse of municipal resources for personal
gain
and no doubt many other crimes that will only be revealed when Harare
and
Zimbabwe return to the rule of law and these thieves are
prosecuted.
The regime's disregard for the law comes as no surprise to
the Combined
Harare Residents Association which has been battling to
overcome the
lawlessness prevailing at Town House since June 2005 when the
commission's
term of office was illegally extended for six months. The High
Court in its
wisdom refused to protect the interests of residents and address
the issue.
We therefore will only approach the courts, not in the pursuit of
justice,
but to create a record for the future and to demonstrate the failure
of the
judiciary to protect citizens from a rapacious executive.
CHRA
remains committed to the rule of law but it is clear that we have
now
exhausted all conventional remedies. We therefore believe that there is
no
option left but to engage in civil disobedience and mass action. As
the
first step, we therefore call upon our members and all residents of
Harare
to boycott Municipal rates, charges and facilities whenever possible
to deny
financial resources to the thieves who occupy Town House and their
political
masters who enjoy the fruits of your money everyday while our city
falls
apart. Refuse to pay any rates or other charges. Report any attempts
at
intimidation by municipal officials or others to CHRA at 011 612 860 or
at
the CHRA office at 103 Daventry House.
We also call upon residents
to engage in dialogue with their neighbours and
friends to engage in other
acts of protest to send a clear message to the
regime that this is our city
and we will no longer tolerate their abuse of
our rights and their theft of
our money and resources. If you refuse is not
collected, dump it at the
District Office. If your water is cut off by
officials acting under illegal
orders, contact CHRA for advice.
Liberate yourselves from fear!
No
Taxation Without Representation!
Refuse to fund your own
oppression!
Are you a citizen of the Republic or just a docile subject of
his majesty?
Subjects are victims but citizens are survivors.
Be a
citizen. Say NO to Commissions! NO to dictatorship! NO to thieves!
Say
YES to Democracy! YES to Freedom! YES to
Accountability!
-ENDS-
The Combined Harare Residents Association
(CHRA) is a membership-based
organisation bringing together residents of
Harare in a collective effort to
defend the interests of residents and to
promote democracy, accountability
and transparency in Local Government.. For
more information contact the
Information Officer on 011612860 or visit our
website at www.chra.co.zw or
our office
at 103 Daventry House, South Ave, Harare.
June 17,
2006,
By ANDnetwork .com
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
has vowed to continue fighting inflation
until it comes down to manageable
levels.
Reserve Bank of Zimbawe (RBZ) Governor, Gideon Gono, says
the central
bank will implement wide-ranging measures to reign-in inflation,
now at 1
193,5 %.
"We are determined to make sure that by end
of next year inflation
will be in the lower double digit levels," he
said.
"We will unleash all measures necessary to ensure that we reign
in
inflation."
The Governor was addressing participants
attending the 45 th annual
congress of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association in
the capital.
He said a dramatic change in the inflation outlook was
only expected
in the medium to long-term and reiterated the need for unity
in the fight
against the scourge.
"Bringing inflation down does not
require a singular effort but
requires all of us to play our part. The
economy is a sum total of our
individual activities wherever we are," the
governor said.
Zimbabwe's inflation is one of the highest in
the world and has played
havoc with the country's economy, which used to be
rated among the best in
the southern African region.
Meanwhile,
Gono announced that the central bank would re-introduce
Foreign Currency
Accounts (FCAs) for tobacco farmers starting in the 2006-07
season to
enhance the viability of growers.
"There are structural issues being
addressed and we will reinstate the
FCA scheme in the next season," he
said.
The foreign currency retention scheme was scrapped two
years ago with
the RBZ opting to give farmers support prices and early
delivery bonuses.
Gono could, however, not reveal the proportions of
the retention
scheme saying it was still premature to disclose
them.
"The retention proportions will be sufficient enough to be able
to
cushion you from all the vagaries of exchange rate distortions," he told
farmers.
He said the central bank wanted to see in the near future,
the
operation of market forces for the economy to fully recover, adding that
critical sectors such as tobacco needed to be left to take charge of their
destiny.
Tobacco is one of the country's top foreign currency
earners.
The Daily Mirror-Zimbabwe
The Herald (Harare)
June 16,
2006
Posted to the web June 16, 2006
Harare
ZUPCO has acquired
five super luxury buses from First Automobile Works,
making a total of 55
buses so far obtained from China, a development that is
expected to ease
transport problems in the country.
The luxury buses that have toilets
inside, tea making machines, reclining
seats, audio and visual equipment
were already on their way to South Africa
from China by ship and were
expected to arrive in the country in three weeks
time.
Replenishing
of the Zupco fleet comes as the transport utility company
signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Harare yesterday with FAW,
which was
awarded a tender to supply 300 buses about two years ago.
The agreement
seeks to give more convenience and affordability in the
delivery and payment
of 245 buses from the 300 buses Zupco had contracted
the firm to
provide.
Secretary for Finance, Mr Willard Manungo, acting secretary for
Local
Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Cde Joseph
Mhakayakora,
Zupco board chairman Professor Charles Nherera represented
Zimbabwe while
FAW president Mr Zhu Yan Feng, and other senior company
officials
represented the Chinese company.
Under the agreement, Zupco
could place an order for a specified number of
buses in advance which would
in turn be manufactured and shipped to South
Africa before payment was
made.
Mr Zhu said his company enjoyed a cordial relationship with Zupco
and did
not hesitate to sign the agreement, as it would consolidate their
relationship.
Speaking during the brief signing ceremony, Professor
Nherera said the
presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Finance
and other
officials as principal signatories to the agreement demonstrated
Government
commitment to the relationship that existed between Zimbabwe and
China. He
said the company had already started marketing the coming five new
buses and
people were anticipating their coming.
Prof Nherera said of
the five, two buses would ply the Harare-Johannesburg
route, while the other
two would ply the Bulawayo -Johannesburg route and
one would ply the
Harare-Victoria Falls route.
"By doing this, we would be promoting the
Zimbabwe tourism industry and that
would also help us in generating foreign
currency, which we need to procure
more buses," he said.
"Our aim is
to satisfy our market and to do this we need not less than 1 500
buses to be
on the road yet currently we only have 400 buses. We will
acquire more buses
and service more routes especially in the rural areas."
He said the money
used to buy the buses was part of the profit Zupco made
last
year.
The Zupco boss said they would purchase 15 more luxury coaches from
the 245
outstanding buses from China.
BBC
Wen Jiabao, China's
prime minister, has arrived in Africa for a tour
of seven states aimed at
boosting economic links and securing raw material
supplies.
He flew
into Egypt at the start of the trip which will also take him
to Ghana, South
Africa and four other countries.
Deals for oil, copper, timber and
other resources are expected to be
discussed. Chinese manufacturers are also
seeking new markets,
correspondents say.
Trade between China
and Africa rose to $40bn (£22bn) last year.
That total has
quadrupled in the last five years.
Mr Wen will also visit
Congo-Brazzaville, Angola, Tanzania and Uganda
during his
visit.
His trip comes at a time of growing Chinese interest in the
continent.
But critics in the United States and Europe say Beijing
is blocking
international efforts to put pressure on what they call
oppressive regimes
in Sudan and Zimbabwe because of its desire for economic
deals.
The Herald (Harare)
June 16,
2006
Posted to the web June 16, 2006
Harare
Farmers should
concentrate on production without any fear of being removed
from the farms
as the Government will not allow disruptions, the Deputy
Minister of
Agriculture Cde Sylvester Nguni said yesterday.
Those who produce crops
on farms earmarked for resettlement, he said, should
be allowed to harvest
before a new farmer moves in.
Addressing farmers at the Zimbabwe Tobacco
Association's 46th annual
congress in Harare, Cde Nguni said cases of farm
disruptions had dropped
since last year.
He said the Government
wanted to see an end to farm disruptions.
Because of the land reform
programme, land now belonged to the State and the
issue was no longer of
owning land but making it productive.
Cde Nguni said Zimbabweans with
their determination, skills and resources
had access to land for productive
purposes.
There has been uncertainty over land ownership, as some farmers
felt offer
letters alone were not enough to ensure security.
"Leases
may take long but the Government will have other means to ensure
farmers
have confidence on the farms for them to make long term plans," Cde
Nguni
said.
The deputy minister admitted inflation had affected the tobacco
industry and
that exporters should be cushioned against
hyperinflation.
The minister pointed out that there was need to look at
infrastructure
rehabilitation as another way of ensuring production of
quality leaf.
Infrastructure at some tobacco farms had either
deteriorated or was
vandalised but the ministry was looking at ways of
improving.
While mechanisation remained an important aspect of
agriculture, the
shortage of machinery and equipment posed a major obstacle
to production.
"Specific sizes of land require a farmer to have machinery
rather than
depend on ox-drawn ploughs.
"There is need for the
Government to set aside funds to replace, service and
purchase tractors,"
said Cde Nguni, who also invited farmers to monthly
meetings to discuss
industry problems.
Outgoing ZTA president, Mr James de la Fargue, said
the future of the
tobacco industry depended on the sector's realism and
ability to restore
grower confidence, markets and grower concerns.
Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango.zw with "For Open Letter Forum" in the
subject
line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
1
Dear JAG
Deepest condolences from all the ex Zimbos living in
Malawi. Wrex Tarr will
be remembered for years to come. He kept people's
spirits up in times of
difficulty in
Zimbabwe.....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
2
Dear JAG
Natalie a small Black/White Fox Terrier female went
missing in Arundel Park
area, Knowles Close, Norfolk Road area. Very lovely
companion. Please phone
011 207058, 499100, 301670.
Thank
you,
John
Caine
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
3
ZNSPCA
PVO38/69
ZIMBABWE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION
OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
156 Enterprise RD P.O.Box CH55 Chisipite.
Harare
Tel: 497885/497574
BLUE CROSS, Zimbabwe's ultra endurance
event. 500 kilometre, cycle, run or
walk
Visit our website www.bluecross.co.zw
THURS 15 JUNE
2006
MISSING
GOLDEN LABRADOR CROSS, 8 YRS FEMALE, ANSWERS TO THE
NAME NEL. Went missing
from no: 7 Honey Bear Lane, in the Borrowdale/
Helensvale area approx 7 days
ago( 7- 10 July )
If found please
contact:
RUSSELL ASHLEY-COOPER
Email: matair@mweb.co.zw
Cell: 011 213
172
tel: 861128
or contact:
ZNSPCA HQ: 497885 or 497574
156
Enterprise Rd Chisipite
Harare SPCA 572152 or
576356/7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions of
the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice
for
Agriculture.