Zvakwana
Newsletter #35 - Mixed signals
June 26, 2003
Borrowdale Road, Harare
Mixed signals
Zimbabweans are caught between direct
action and roll over and die responses to the illegitimate regime. Where are
YOU at?
Zvakwana is set to launch campaign directed at corrupt and thug
police stations
One
Zvakwana activist witnessed a terrible beating being given to a man in a Harare
police station recently. This is just one report that is indicating that police
stations are becoming places to be afraid of rather than where we can got to for
protection or justice. It is another sad deterioration of our moral and
institutional infrastructure in Zimbabwe. We reject and say very loudly
Zvakwana! to police brutality in any form along with any kind of kangaroo
justice system. The police are riding above their powers and abusing their
positions. Zvakwana has been verifying the information presented and is
committed to targeting these officers in charge of brutal police stations. If
you have witnessed any corruption or abuse of power by policemen/women in your
area send us the details. Enough is Enough.
Zimbabwe
Election Support Network (ZESN) criticises the postponement of urban council
elections
The
Zimbabwe Election Support Network is wholly against the idea, which came from
the Urban Councils' Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) to postpone the urban council
elections. As ZESN, we feel that this idea defeats the purpose of democracy in
our country. The urban council elections were due to be held in August this year
and according to the terms of the Urban Councils' Act the local elections are
supposed to be held after every four years. ZESN also calls all involved
stakeholders in elections to advocate for one electoral independent body that
oversees all elections and do away with the idea of councils in this instance
funding for their own elections. Every election in Zimbabwe is equally important
and funds should be made available for each and every election without failure.
We feel that postponing these elections might give bad precedence taking into
consideration that the most urban councillors were elected four years ago and
belong to the ruling ZANU PF. Whilst in terms of section 103(k) of the Urban
Councils' Act, the minister has powers top postpone the elections for one year
in order to enable proper administration of the process as ZESN we recommend
that the minister should not postpone these elections as this will be perceived
as if it is a political gimmick by the ruling party to extend the terms of
office for their councillors. Reflecting back to the year 2000 parliamentary
elections and the subsequent by-lections, the MDC won most of the urban
elections and it is most likely that the same might happen in the urban council
elections. We re-emphasise again our call for an independent electoral
body in Zimbabwe.
Received from ZESN
It's our money, and yet we can't get it
Zvakwana activists have been
moving around witnessing the shocking queues outside all the banks and building
societies. It has become apparent that these institutions that have a lot of
power are yet again taking advantage of the poor person in the street. Our money
is in the bank or building society and yet we cannot get to it to feed our
families and pay our ever increasing bills. And sometimes when we can get our
hands on some notes they are these small ones so that we need plastic bags to
carry bundles from here to there. Instead of working on behalf of the people
that keep them in business the money houses are sitting back and smiling fatly
while our money is used by them to earn interest thereby keeping their
management in golf afternoons and expensive lunches. Zvakwana! Sokwanele! Enough
is Enough! It is time for these money banks to lobby the government in
negotiation to fix this situation. Or they can be more forthright and close
their doors completely in a unified action to bring pressure on the mugabe
regime to rectify failed monetary policies. As it is we cannot get any service
out of the banks and societies anyway so if they go on strike to obtain an
objective then people will be understanding.
10 million
dollars bail, should Tsvangirai have stayed in jail?
This is an interesting submission recently received from a Zvakwana
subscriber in Mutare:
It is clear that Morgan was imprisoned under unjust laws and circumstances.
Sooner or later he would have had to be tried for the ridiculous charges made
against him by zanu pf. It might have had a resounding effect if Morgan had not
applied for bail citing these reasons and thereby showing personally that he
would not be party to an unjust legal process. Whilst it is true to say that
incarceration is a difficult event to endure, the continued unjust imprisonment
of Morgan could have been used to great effect by the MDC and regional and
international sympathisers.
Postage stamps theme proposals
Zimpost is inviting members of the
public (you!) to submit proposals for the Year 2004 postage stamp programme. As
they say in their advert a postage stamp is a special instrument of
communication for a country's image abroad. 
They
say that FIVE themes will be selected for 2004 and that they want themes that
will promote Zimbabwe's identity. So Zvakwana asks you to email your suggestions
to commercial@zimpost.co.zw before they
decide again to pretend that everything is rosy and going on fine under the
mugabe regime. These five themes may include (to be relevant to our current
situation) torture, hunger, corruption, poverty and dictators.
The
hammer comes down - Zvakwana sends their apologies
9TH June
2003
Before you
jump to conclusions it's a pity that you didn't check the facts. TWA has fully
supported ALL proposed stay a ways. During this last week our advertising
programe had been prearranged.
My wife and I were in South
Africa where we endeavored to change our advertisement by the telephone. This
was not successful. On Tues the 3rd June 2003 I requested our office staff to
telephone all businesses associated with our sales as will as known buyers that
our sale advertised to take place on the Thursday the 5th June 2003 would be
postponed to Thursday the 12th June 2003. Our Auction Sale direction signs were
put in place on Wed 4th to notify the public that this sale had been postponed.
Our offices remained SHUT for the whole week, although some office staff came in
to do personal correspondence. No doubt your comments were with good intentions.
We now suggest that you direct your comments to all companies that advertise in
the Government Herald and Sunday News. We cancelled our account with them two
years ago. In view of your hurtful and incorrect assumptions as to where our
loyalties are I request your immediate apology to us and to be relayed to any
others that you have misinformed about TWA.
TIM WOTTON
TIM WOTTON
AUCTIONEERS PVT LTD
You are
the weakest link: GOODBYE
This graphic shows only 2
people putting their hands up and shouting OBJECTION! In order to restore the
rule of law and justice in Zimbabwe, we all have to collectively refuse to
engage in any way with the illegitimate mugabe regime.
If you don't speak out or participate, you are part of the problem. Become
part of the solution.
- Delay your tax payments
- Refuse to renew your listener's licence
- Don't buy the state controlled press or advertise in it
- Take down presidential portraits
- Boycott known zanu pf businesses
- Boycott stores, cafes, restaurants and businesses that refuse to engage in
collective pro-democracy actions and campaigns
- Support stayaways
- Write letters to the paper
- Attend pro-democracy meetings
- Volunteer your time and energies to pro-democracy causes
- Help your local church congregations to air and discuss issues like bad
governance and violence
- Make democracy a reality in your home
- Be the change you want to see in Zimbabwe
If not you, who?
If not now, when?
Armchair
politicians put yourself in the hot seat
Problem: Youth supporting either MDC or zanu pf require payment for
engaging in any activism campaigns. Is buying support a bad thing? Is
volunteerism dead in Zimbabwe? Is volunteering only a luxury that is possible in
a stable functioning country? Is working for a better Zimbabwe payment in
itself? How does a political party deal with giving financial rewards to people
for their involvement in the struggle for democracy. If the MDC fails to pay
them do they then just work for the highest bidder. We are living in a harsh
economic climate where people are just scratching a living and getting by on
very little.
Solution:
Over to you, email your views news@zvakwana.org
Think of this as an online "newspaper out of the box"
where everyone can contribute. If you are interested in writing with us, sharing
your talent and voice, contact us news@zvakwana.org
Counter at left: number of times that mugabe has dyed
his hair.
Help us grow Zvakwana's circulation. Forward this newsletter on to your
colleagues and friends.
Join Zvakwana via our
website at www.zvakwana.org or write to us at news@zvakwana.org with "Subscribe" as the
subject line.
Zvakwana,
Sokwanele, Enough is Enough!
Hi!
Huh, what? Which Queen -
the one in Through the looking glass. thats what its like here
now.
Last time I wrote about how
great Harare is. Well, that was from the cushioned view of Borrowdale. This
week I was in the main stream.
Most of Harare had no
electricity yesterday morning. There were people milling about all over the
place. I saw for myself what is happening with the money. I saw the wads of $10
notes - no, not a typing error - ten dollars, to do the shopping. or 50s. Even
100s. There is a new problem with this - cashiers tills just arent that big,
you can't fit the money in. We asked the cashier what she was going to do at
Christmas - she just shook her head and said she would run away.
We spent $26 000 on a meal
for two, calamari, chips and one drink. The overalls which cost 275 000 at
Christmas are now 445 000. The man said it wouldnt be such a shock if I shopped
there more often. Clive bought loads of bears, and the packer called him
"skokiaan". I think it was a term of endearment.
There really is a fuel
shortage - on Wednesday morning the streets looked like Sunday. Even the big
4x4s are off the streets. You see a few BMers.....still going fast. And just
to bring the madness to heart, they have banned the carrying of fuel in
containers. I mean, you are allowed to bring in 500 litres duty free from SA,
but you can't carry containers. You are not allowed to hold money, but you cant
get money for wages from the bank. If you cash a cheque with your friendly
supermarket, they charge you 8% - this week.
The queen would say "off
with his head"
The reality is when a
middle aged couple have no fuel, he is a vet and he doesnt have customers. She
sells advertising, and telephone book entries for a govt organisation - she cant
do her job because they cant give her fuel, and they cant give her a price list
for 6 months hence. So she's not earning, neither is he. What are people
supposed to do?
And through it all the
farmers continue to get evicted - we heard a man at lunch phoning about moving
his irrigation equipment. We went to see a businessman who does seeds - his
farm is evicted for Her Ladyship - he has these huge pumps sitting in his
warehouse. I keep seeing them every time I close my eyes. In another
warehouse, piping for 350 acres, in a country with no wheat for flour, and very
little planted for this season. He is quite fired up, he and 5 others planted
10500 acres to wheat in Oz in 5 weeks - themselves. Dont let them think the
white farmers sit and do nothing. His farm here will not grow seed this year,
maybe not ever again. And you hear about more farmers being kicked off all the
time. Its best fun when they've ploughed for this season, but at least its
before the seed beds are planted this year - not so many free seedlings this
time around.
I hear the Hon Pre's is off
to Libya again, hope he doesnt promise beef this year, the country is closed
down to foot and mouth. And the South African dairyman came up here to tell us
to "Get big or get out".. ooh I am glad I don't go to the Dairy meetings, there
is only so much I can keep quiet on, in spite of all my best
resolutions.
I passed another tipped
fuel lorry as well, thats three in two weeks, well thats not going to help the
situation.
And of all things, its
raining again. Freezing cold, and raining - is this training for NZ, or
what?
Cheers, A
JAG Security Update June 26,
2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
72
year old Farm Manager and family beaten by Mugabe's Youth Brigade.
On
Monday afternoon 23rd June, 2003 on Chitsanza Farm, Harare South, 72
year old
Farm Manager Ronnie Saul (displaced from his own farm in January
2002) was
asked by three youths to open his security gate in order discuss
"important
business". He did so and was immediately ambushed by six others
who were in
hiding nearby. That was the beginning of five hours of
torture. Mr. Saul's
hands and feet were tied up and he was slapped and
kicked by the group of
militia, which had grown in number to 38. His hair
was tied with rubber in
tight knots all over his head and he was doused
with water and a hosepipe
placed under his shirt with the water running.
His shoulders and arms are
badly bruised.
His wife Norma (70) was in the kitchen and prevented from
leaving by other
militia who were emptying her deep freeze and pantry. Norma
managed to
make a phone call to her son JAMIE (39) when the phone was
snatched from
her by a militia who instructed JAMIE to send an ambulance
urgently as
"your Mother is very ill". JAMIE called the MARS ambulance
(which on
arrival at the farm was turned away) and then raced out to the farm
to his
parents. On his arrival there JAMIE was subjected to even worse
treatment.
His hands and feet were tied with bark rope and wire. The rope
was so
tight his hands turned blue. He was made to kneel on the ground while
he
was beaten with chains, sticks and whips made from fan belts. His left
knee
was beaten with a burning log from a fire. A youth delivered a karate
chop
to his neck and smashed him in the face. He sustained a broken
nose,
lacerations above the eyes, severe bruising to his torso and chest
and
burns on his leg. While JAMIE was being beaten his Dad RONNIE tried
to
rugby tackle one of the youths and his Mother NORMA threw herself over
her
son in an attempt to protect him. As a result NORMA sustained a
cracked
thumb and severe bruising to both her arms. Their ordeal ended at
about
9.30pm when they were "allowed" to leave and seek a place of safety
and
medical attention.
The courage of RONNIE, NORMA and JAMIE in
trying to defend their lives
against a mob of unruly violent militia is yet
again another example of the
awesome spirit of the Zimbabweans. Is this
about Land, one may ask? No,
it is the ongoing retribution and campaign of
violence being meted out
against the ordinary men, women and children of
Zimbabwe. This madness
will end and the instigators and perpetrators will be
held accountable for
their crimes against humanity.
(Photographs of
the victims are available on
request).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
JAG TEAM
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
JAG
Hotlines:
(011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need advice,
(011)
205 374
(011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us -
(091) 317 264
(011) 207 860 we're here to help!
(011) 431 068
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE PR COMMUNIQUÉ - June 26, 2003
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESIDENT
RD MILLAR : 43rd ZTA CONGRESS : 18TH JUNE 2003
Mr Albert Kamulaga,
President of International Tobacco Growers'
Association, Hon. Ministers,
Members of Parliament, Members of the
Diplomatic Corps, Councillors,
Delegates, Ladies & Gentlemen;
Welcome to the 43rd Congress of the
Zimbabwe Tobacco Association, and it is
an honour to present to you my annual
report.
The outgoing President of Zimbabwe Tobacco Association last year
spoke of
how the single biggest constraint to producing another crop large
enough to
attract world players must be the land re-distribution program.
Regrettably
Zimbabwe will only produce a Flue-Cured crop of around 85 million
kilograms
or a similar size to what the country produced in 1981 and 1982.
The fact
that it is as much as 85 million kilogrammes is nothing short of a
miracle
and I would like to thank all those Zimbabweans who helped produce
this
crop.
When the country produced 168 million kilogrammes last year
the
Association's members accounted for 87% of the crop. Looking at
this
year's crop of 85 million kilogrammes, the Association's members will
still
account for 72%.
In the last year unfortunately decisions
affecting the Industry have been
partisan, nepotistic and corrupt which has
led to a further decline of
Tobacco as those farmers who could grow diversify
into other commodities.
People making decisions on the Industry, are more
content with their own
individual agendas, rather than Tobacco on the
National Agenda. The
Tobacco Growers Trust, where David Sandeman represents
the ZTA whose
members produce 72% of the crop, but is out voted by 1 to 6 as
individual
agendas and allocation rule supreme.
The National Burley
crop is less than 5 million kilograms and yet they have
50% of the board
members.
I do not wish to dwell on the issue because it will be discussed
in
Resolutions later, but when my members can not be allocated inputs and
have
to join other Associations to access the inputs is iniquitous to say
the
least. The original idea to allow growers to access currency to
source
inputs was far-sighted and commendable, but unfortunately the plot has
been
lost in greed and corruption. Attempting to regain growers'
confidence
will only be achieved when the grower is given individual
recognition of
his allocation and allowed to order through a supplier of his
choice. I
sincerely hope that the Industry does not have to decline further
for the
authorities to take steps to intervene.
VIABILITY
The
Tobacco rate for Tobacco sold across the auction Floors is interlinked
with
inputs for grower viability. In announcing the 800:1 Tobacco rate the
RBZ
assured the Industry that it will be reviewed quarterly and this should
have
been last month. Whilst the farmer has the asset of cured tobacco,
like any
other businessman he will be reluctant to exchange it for one
third of its
true value and end up financially ruined. The Tobacco rate
must be
competitive because Tobacco cannot sustain the subsidy to the
nation as
production dwindles.
The fact that the RBZ has to take adverts in the
local press informing
growers of the illegality of the sale of Tobacco to the
informal sector
proves that the rate is incorrect. Growers are sourcing
fuel, fertilizer,
chemicals and spares at $2 500 : 1 and are expected to sell
their product
at 800 : 1.
The simple maths is that Tobacco on the
informal market at US$1,20/kg is
the equivalent of Z$3000/kg, while US$2,20
at the floors is Z$1 760/kg.
It is imperative that the rate is reviewed
regularly and realistically to
stop the informal sale of Tobacco and generate
the confidence that the
grower requires to re-invest in another
crop.
SEED SALES
Up until the 16th June, approximately 48,685
kilogrammes of seed has been
sold compared 82,3 kilogrammes last year. Of
this 48,685 kilogrammes 323
farmers purchased seed of which only 258 are
growing this year. It is
highly likely that the 65 farmers who are not
growing this year have bought
seed to be resold in the region which means
only approximately 39
kilogrammes has been purchased for planting in
Zimbabwe. The irrigated
crop is now irretrievably lost or down by 40-50%.
The Industry has
approximately 6 weeks left in order to ensure adequate
dryland beds. Ladies
& gentlemen we are only talking seedbeds which does
not automatically
translate into transplanting in the lands, and further
measures of
confidence building will have to be realized to ensure that the
national
crop is stabilized or rising after this year's small crop. Tobacco
is an
18-month crop and the 2004 crop will be decided in the next 6 weeks and
not
in November when the first rains arrive. I would like to make an appeal
to
growers who are able to grow, to grow the same or bigger seedbed area
in
order to help those who have not been able to do seedbeds.
TOBACCO
INDUSTRY & MARKETING BOARD (TIMB)
The current term of the Board of
the TIMB expired in October. Although the
Board still sits and deliberates I
believe it is heavily divided on
Contract growing. From informal reports
growers are told there will be
Contract growing next year, but until some
definitive proposals are put on
the table no-one will be prepared to finance
a crop if they do not have
direct access to it.
While on marketing,
David Sandeman recently attended a Regional ITGA
meeting in Kenya, where
direct marketing was discussed. With your
permission I intend to allow him
to brief delegates on this meeting later
today, but it is essential that the
Industry is fully aware of the impact
of new marketing arrangements. With
this in mind I intend to send a
delegation to both Zambia and South Africa to
study the various marketing
arrangements. Price negotiations will become a
crucial factor for members
if changes are made to the current
legislation.
In world terms it is highly disconcerting that the growers
in Brazil and
Argentina are probably in the most viable Tobacco years of
their lives,
whereas in Africa the growers are faced with viability
problems.
Traditionally supply and demand curves never stopped at
Continental
Boundaries, and I wonder if this is caused by manufacturers in
trying to
push farmers towards other marketing methods.
TOBACCO
INDUSTRY ADVISORY COUNCIL (TIAC)
My predecessor Kobus Joubert spoke on
the formation of the TIAC last year
in that "it must be welcomed and if the
council can in any way ensure
continuity of tobacco production it would do a
great service to Zimbabwe.
The council must focus on smoothing out tobacco
matters, not create
stumbling blocks in an already over-regulated
Industry."
Unfortunately the Council rarely has a quorum at meetings and
has not been
as effective as the Industry would have
anticipated.
TOBACCO RESEARCH BOARD (TRB)
The Board and staff have
done an excellent job under very trying
conditions. While acknowledging that
the escalating costs of research can
not be sustained by a smaller tobacco
crop and that it must be more
Commercial, the 500% rise in the cost of
Tobacco seed is horrific. Tobacco
growers have funded the development of the
TRB to probably the finest
Tobacco Research Institute in the world and are
treated with arbitrary
distain and no consultation on seed price increases
which they have funded
the development of! I hope growers are consulted on
any further increases.
BLACKFORDBY TOBACCO INSTITUTE (BAI)
Sadly
BAI will not have an intake this year due to insufficient numbers
of
qualified applicants. The withdrawal of the CFU has left the
Association
holding a very heavy bucket of commitments to BAI. While we all
recognize
the value of BAI especially in the future, some form of
rationalization
must take place to tide us through these difficult times. I
would like to
pay tribute to Peter MacSporran who chaired BAI for the last 8
years.
Peter bullied Commodities, charmed donors and gave his all to BAI.
His
infectious sense of humour inspired many around him and hopefully he
will
return to Zimbabwe, but on behalf of everyone in agriculture I
sincerely
thank him for a magnificent job at BAI. Peter Richards, an
equally
impressive replacement, has taken over as Chairman of BAI.
ZTA
HOUSE
With the general decline of the crop, the ZTA building has not
gone
unscathed. The building has had several resignations and retirements,
none
of whom have been replaced. The staff compliment has been reduced
to
almost half. Chris Molam who was CEO for the last 11 years retired
in
March. Chris worked tirelessly for all Tobacco growers and
was
instrumental with Ray Mawerera in putting Zimbabwe's case forward to
the
FCTC in Geneva. Chris' dedication and professionalism to the Industry
and
especially to farmers and their problems was always unwavering.
On
the 18th February the Association held an Extraordinary General Meeting
to
effect changes to the constitution due to the fact that some
traditional
districts are no longer producing. Council was to be made up of
Regional
Councillors with 4 from Mashonaland West, 2 Mashonaland East, 2
Mashonaland
Central and 2 from Manicaland representing large scale
growers.
Changes also included the election of all 8 small-scale
councillors, who
were previously appointed, and they will elect 4 of their
number to the
main council.
I was delighted with the support that the
Association received from members
to effect the changes and this new council
will take effect from after
congress today.
A special world of thanks
to Oliver Gawe and Munasa Musasa who organized
and officiated at all the
elections throughout the Tobacco growing
Districts.
Corner Properties
sold 50% of its stake in TSL to Closefin Investments,
which is a Consortium
of local business leaders. A shareholders agreement
incorporating
pre-emptive rights and other mutually beneficial provisions
is in place to
protect the interests of both parties.
The Consortium believe they have
the ability to influence events in some
areas which will lead to an increase
in production of Tobacco. As
shareholders of TSL, this is the area in which
they believe they have the
biggest role to play.
Closefin wanted ZTA
as a partner to help revitalize the Industry and they
believe ZTA's
experience in the Industry and its relationship with growers
is vital to the
success of a growing scheme.
Having sold the shares our investment income
is obviously reduced forcing
further reviews of ZTA expenditure, but changes
at ZTA will be a small
price to pay for an enhanced national crop, and I
welcome our new partners
to the Industry.
The Association's seedbed
pack scheme and tillage program were the largest
and most successful yet
accomplished for the Small Scale grower.
Unfortunately due to the fuel
shortage no tillage program has taken place
this year. High yielding tobacco
is dependant on early land preparation
and I don't think the damage will be
only to this sector.
The Association has for the last 3 years run the
biggest reafforestation
programme in the country. Rural schools are
contracted to produce
seedlings which are available to all tobacco growers in
December/January.
It is essential that this programme is improved and
expanded and made a
priority for anyone thinking of starting
Tobacco.
The sourcing of all inputs has been problematic and none more so
than coal
and diesel. In June 2002 coal could be purchased at $14 500/ton at
Mt.
Hampden. By March due to the demise of the NRZ the price had rocketed
to
$85 000/ton or a 500% increase.
The proliferation of registered
coal merchants has also affected growers.
Coal is never at a set price, but
basically what the user is prepared to
pay for it. Rail transported coal is
often sold as road hauled and
unfortunately the farmer is always the loser.
While a product is short
the supplier can take advantage of the customer, and
competition is vital
in this sector to improve the service to all coal
users.
For the 2003/2004 crop, growers at best will have to road haul
from
Bulawayo or unfortunately from Wankie. Hopefully Sengwa Mine will
be
re-opened in the national interest, but this still equates to a road
trip
to Bulawayo.
Traditionally all chemicals used on Tobacco have
been thoroughly tested by
the TRB for residues and effectiveness before being
registered. It
concerns me that some chemicals are being sold to growers on
the pretext of
prior registrations through various back doors, and I urge all
growers to
deal with reputable companies because a cheap chemical might in
the long
run cost you your crop.
The frustration of growers phoning in
desperate for inputs, when none are
supposedly available, will undoubtedly
lead to changes in the Production
department. The Presidential Group feel
strongly that some form of
commercialisation must take place to try and help
members.
In the next month with deliberation in Council, we intend to
re-shape this
department to meet the needs of growers to the
future.
The ALB has worked tirelessly in trying to sort out the
Agricultural wages
and yet the Ministry has not gazetted the new wage
structure. The
political problems between various Unions and government
cannot be an
excuse for not giving workers the comfort they require and
hopefully this
situation will be rectified in the near future.
THE
FUTURE
What of the future.
Tobacco, I feel will be grown primarily
by farmers who have grown it
before. The new farmers this year have not
produced a significant Tobacco
crop due to:-
1) Tobacco being an
18-month crop and they have concentrated on traditional
crops where they get
a return in 6 months.
2) The high cost of production and poor viability
is certainly not
attractive to first time entrants.
Current growers
not only have the difficulty of input shortages, but are
being crippled by
the destruction of the Tobacco infrastructure. In
Council reports between
March and May +-$135 million worth of electrical
switchgear has been stolen.
This does not include barn roofs and doors
which are continually being
destroyed. While these national assets are
being stripped with no
intervention by the authorities then any increase in
crop size will be
impossible.
While on crop size, if Tobacco destruction dates are not
going to be kept
then the viral threat of Bushy Top to next year's crop will
be huge. I
would like to urge all growers to police their neighbour to try
and
eliminate this threat.
It is vital that the Zimbabwe crop size is
stabilized and allowed to
increase from that stable platform, whatever that
figure may be.
International manufacturers of cigarettes need confidence in
Zimbabwe in
order for Zimbabwean Tobacco to remain in their blends. Once
removed from
the blend it will be extremely difficult to be re-incorporated.
Zimbabwe
has the infrastructure to produce the International
manufacturers'
requirements and it is regrettable that some of this
production is being
redistributed throughout the region. It is essential
that we regain the
manufacturers' confidence and stop this regional
expansion.
The cost of production for next year is on average 500% up on
last year.
By October when the majority of the crop is planted this figure
could well
be up to between 900-1000%.
Financing the 2004 crop will
stretch lending authorities to the maximum and
this is why it is vital that
decisions on Contract growing are made
urgently.
The government has
always allowed the productive sector to be sheltered
from the high rates of
interest, but in the last year the transparency and
access to these
facilities has been cloudy at best, and have not been
available to growers as
financial institutions prefer to lend their own
money at market
rates.
Financing the 2004 crop must be made a priority for everyone
involved in
the Industry, and must be finalized in the next 2 months to
generate grower
confidence to ensure the national crop size does not shrink
further.
THANKS
In conclusion, Ladies & Gentlemen, I could not
do this job without the
magnificent support structure that is in place. To
the numerous
businessmen who make the time to help and advise us, even when
we don't
want to listen, I sincerely thank you.
The staff in ZTA must
be acknowledged for their wonderful support and
service in very trying
circumstances. Unfortunately we cannot manufacture
diesel or coal in 24
hours and take the blunt end of farmers' patience.
In particular John
Anagnostopoulos, Roland Keth, Oliver Gawe and Rodney
Ambrose as Heads of
Department have been magnificent. Councillors and the
members of Corner
Properties have been unwavering and tireless in their
efforts to help serve
the growers.
To Stuart Reid, the Hon Treasurer, who retires today owing
to the fact he
is no longer growing, I thank you. Your practical advice and
concern was
always the first sounding board for the PG.
To David
Sandeman, my sincere thanks for your steadiness, loyalty and
good
sense.
To Wayne Parham, my thanks for your energy, enthusiasm and
practicality. I
am indeed very fortunate to have the caliber of Vice
Presidents that I do
have, particularly during the Closefin negotiations. To
Nicola and Liz my
thanks to you for the wonderful support you and all
Councillor wives give
their husbands.
Finally, my wife Pookie &
family, their unwavering support and loyalty are
truly amazing. Their
understanding of my schedule certainly makes my life
easier although for them
it is never easy. Their support and loyalty is
pivotal in being able to do
this job at all.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I thank-you.
18/6/03
JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject
line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
1 Refers to Open Letters Forum No. 103 dated 20 June 2003:
This letter
shows a pretty good assessment as to where things are right now
in Zimbabwe.
However the suggestions as what practical actions to take now
are somewhat
vague and fluffy, and therefore unfortunately of reduced
value.
We
know what The Game is and what they are up to. So a definite,
intelligent,
calm well thought out practical plan of action (agreed by all)
is urgently
required.
But who is prepared to stand up to co-ordinate and direct
it?
Poor leadership. Short sighted, self-serving and non-visionary. That
has
always been the problem in Zimbabwe (on all sides).
Lets face it -
the Party has been a lot more effective than the remaining
98% of the
population who have switched off their brains in "helpless
victim" mode for
the last 23 years. The results are
everywhere.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
2: Ben Norton
Time 2/45 a.m. Here I am sitting in front of my computer
with a nice cup of
tea, having just read Koko's letter again. Letter no 1 in
Justice letter
forum 102 18/06/2003.
This is almost a nightly ritual
for me now. Can't sleep, get up, make tea,
think about my old farm, my game,
my cattle, my pastures, my old staff who
are starving, and the wonderfully
happy life I had in Zimbabwe, "the
blemished pearl of
Africa."
Sometimes I just sit and think, and sometimes I sit and through
this
wonderful machine that does all the spelling for me and talk to my
old
friends. Some who are still in Zim, and the rest all over the world,
and
sometimes I tell them a joke in the hope that it will help them smile
a
little.
When I read Koko's letter I want to cry because I agree with
him, as I am
sure many others do. It is just something that we have not been
able to
face up to, or been able to come to grips with yet, but I am afraid
that
time has run out and there are some things we have to think about
very
seriously before next planting season.
To those of the farming
family who are still on the land, as I have said
before, and say again, it is
time to come clean. It is time to put our
cards in front of our leaders and
fellow family members. To those still
farming the land I would expect your
leaders to be the CFU, and to the ex
farmers like me JAG are doing a good
job.
There are many reasons why there are still some of us on the land,
and I
think we should have a close look at those reasons
There are
some still on the land who have not been listed, and have no
knowledge as to
why they have not been listed, although I expect there are
some who know very
well why they have not been listed, God forgive them.
The majority of
those still active on the land have been listed but have no
squatters, and
there are some who have squatters but have come to some
agreement with them
and are pressing on. There are some who have no
agreement but may have handed
a bit of lolly to a big noise and are hoping
the axe will not fall, and there
are some who are actively helping the
squatters with land prep, grazing,
water etc, or in other words sharing
their farm with the squatters and hoping
for a miracle which will give them
back their whole farm, and they feel that
they are fully justified in doing
this, and it is to them that I make an
urgent appeal to please think of the
future and before planting put your case
before your leaders, come clean
and get it on record, and heed the advice of
those leaders, otherwise you
may have problems later on.
Let us show
Koko that this is no circus, and that we all have the welfare
of Zimbabwe as
our goal, and that with the right leadership will act
accordingly. Time is
not on our side. We must get our act together and
confound our
critics.
A few words about those who sometimes have been termed
freeloaders. Let us
face facts -there is nobody who has left his farm
voluntarily. There are
some who may have accepted much less than they should
have realised, but
that is a business deal. The majority who are no longer on
the land have
been forced off. Some have suffered considerable hardships in
trying to
remain on their farms. Some, God bless them, and may their
sacrifice not
have been in vain, have died in defying the enemy.
Some
who stayed on their farms, without farming, which they had hacked out
of
virgin bush, and which they could not bear to abandon to the
wanton
destruction of government thugs called Green bombers, were
forcefully
removed and spent a time behind bars, for defying government
orders.
I defy anybody who watched me being evicted call me a free
loader.
A few words about those who have left their farms. Those who are
young
enough have moved to another country to try and earn a living for
their
family. There are those who are too old to be gainfully employed as I
have
been told by friends who have through necessity tried to find employment
as
house sitters, that as soon as it is known that they are in their
seventies
they have just been turned away. There are those who are living in
Harare,
not having a very easy life, and there are those who have followed
their
children to the four corners of the earth, but the letters I get back
are
heart rending, but in all of them you feel that there is still a bit
of
hope, and that one day they may return to their old homes, but to them
I
can only say that commercial farming as we knew it is something of
the
past. It is history. We can only hope that something evolves that will
keep
Zim afloat, but without a lot of help from the outside world Zimbabwe
will
become one of the poorest nations in the world. The people are there
the
spirit is not yet broken, but will somebody please help undo what
Britain
has done, and help us return to responsible government.
May
God Bless us all and show us the way
forward.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
3:
RE: FARMERS WIVES LADIES DAY.
I would like to thank, Lynda
Hart, Kevin Ricquebourg, Ingrid Landman,
Debbie Jeans, Beatrice Mwerudzai,
Wikus Botha and Kerry Kay, for the
wonderful "Farmers Wives Ladies Day", it
was inspirational and gave so many
of us the motivation we were looking
for.
Thanks again,
With love Vonda
Jelliman
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
4: Alex Hangartner
Tobacco Growers Disbursement Scheme
Dear
Sir,
A tobacco grower's re-imbursement scheme has been established by the
TSL,
TSF and ZTA. Paid-up members of ZTA for the period 1992 - 2002 are
eligible
to apply by filling out a written application form obtainable from
the
contact below. Details of the amount a grower is eligible for, the
products
the amount can be redeemed in (Diesel, Fertilizer, Chemicals,
other
products) are available by sending an email.
The scheme has a
stated deadline for receipt of all handwritten application
forms at the TSL
of 30 SEPTEMBER 2003.
Contact details for Reimbursement
Scheme:
Geraldine McLaughlan
Tobacco Sales Limited
PO Box
66043
Kopje
Harare
tel 04-754 666
fax 04-754 766
email scheme@tsl.co.zw
It is in the interest
of everyone to notify all interested parties as soon
as possible for
applications to be made before the September deadline set
by the scheme's
originators.
The question remains, why were the years prior to 1992 for
all monies paid
by ZTA members and tobacco growers not included in this
re-imbursement
scheme?
Yours faithfully
Alex
Hangartner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
ZIMBABWE: GM maize by-products dumped
IRINnews Africa, Thu 26 Jun
2003
© Save the Children
Cattle farmers say
screenings could be used as stock feed
JOHANNESBURG, - The World
Food Programme (WFP) in Zimbabwe on Thursday
confirmed it had destroyed
tonnes of milled genetically modified (GM) maize
screenings in compliance
with government regulations.
Screenings are a by-product of maize,
generated during the milling
process.
WFP's spokesman, Luis
Clemens, told IRIN: "In accordance with a
request from the government, the
screenings were transported and disposed of
in disused mine
shafts."
But according to the Zimbabwean Financial Gazette, local
cattle
farmers were disappointed at the government order, arguing that the
GM
residue could well serve as stockfeed.
The newspaper noted
that the refusal by the government to allow
farmers to use the screenings
came at a time when the price of stock feed
had gone up by 40
percent.
"Although it is still unclear why the authorities would
prevent the
screenings to be used to feed livestock, there has been concern
that cattle
fed on GM leftovers may not be as attractive for export," an
official at
National Food Limited (NFL) told IRIN.
Last year NFL
was contracted to mill 13,000 mt of GM maize to feed
some 7 million
Zimbabweans.
Mail and Guardian
Zimbabwe musician tells of torture
Pretoria
26 June 2003 14:57
A Zimbabwean musician who claims
to have been tortured by police in his
country broke down in tears at a
demonstration in Pretoria on Thursday as he
recounted his
ordeal.
Charles Matorera told a protest organised by Amnesty
International SA
against state cruelty how he was kidnapped in Harare on
March 14 by police
and armed men in black suits.
He claimed he was
targeted for recording music denouncing the political
situation in his
country. "As we were driving, they asked me why I was
singing about
Zimbabwean President Robert) Mugabe. They described him as
a
god."
Matorera said he was driven at gunpoint to an undisclosed
place and locked
in a dark room, where he was repeatedly kicked and hit. His
assailants
wanted information about a mass stayaway planned by the opposition
for a few
days later.
After the beatings, he was ordered to remove his
clothing.
"What they did to me then was not as painful as what they said
to me."
He said he was made fun of and called a "white puppet". He said
his
torturers were smoking dagga.
"What really scared me was what I
saw. It was clear I wasn't the first
person to be held there. There was blood
on the floor and the walls."
Matorera said he was woken up several times
during the night by men pouring
cold water over him. In the morning, he was
beaten again.
After losing consciousness, he awoke in a moving car. He
feigned an
epileptic fit, and ran away when the vehicle stopped. Matorera
said he
walked for about a day before he encountered passers-by who gave him
money
for transport to South Africa. He is now staying in a
Johannesburg
safe-house.
The musician started sobbing uncontrollably
after pulling up his shirt to
show his scars. A candle was lit and a moment
of silence observed for
victims of torture around the world.
Jabulani
Mkwanazi, chairman of the South African branches of the Zimbabwean
opposition
Movement for Democratic Change, told the meeting that 48 people
died at the
hands of his country's government in 2001.
He said there were also 329
kidnappings or disappearances, 992 cases of
unlawful arrest or detention, and
2 245 people who claimed to have been
tortured.
He urged the South
African government to publicly condemn such human rights
abuses.
The
protest called on the United Nations to put pressure on all countries
where
torture was still taking place.
A memorandum to this effect was presented
to a representative of the UN's
South African office in Pretoria by about 100
protesters carrying posters
reading: "Stop torture", and "Down with
Mugabe".
Other speakers at the event urged South Africa to pass laws
enabling it to
arrest and prosecute foreign visitors suspected of committing
torture.
They also called on the African Union to ensure that
perpetrators of human
rights abuses were brought to book. - Sapa
IOL
Zimbabwe brands America's Powell a sellout
June 26 2003
at 01:39PM
By Cris Chinaka
Harare - Zimbabwe's information
minister has denounced United States
Secretary of State Colin Powell as a
sellout for urging southern Africa to
increase pressure on President Robert
Mugabe to hand over power to a
transitional government.
In an opinion
piece in Tuesday's New York Times less than two weeks ahead of
President
George Bush's first trip to Africa, Powell - an African-American -
called for
more pressure on Mugabe from Zimbabwe's neighbours.
"Nobody in ZANU-PF
(the ruling party) will ever join Powell and his kind in
selling out. The use
of lies and deception by Powell and Bush has not worked
in Iraq where he
wanted to mix it with oil," Thursday's official Herald
newspaper quoted
minister Jonathan Moyo as saying.
The paper branded Powell a "crude
international outlaw".
"ZANU-PF yesterday said it was unfortunate that
Powell, who should be
balanced as a diplomat and soldier, was willing and
ready to utter blatant
falsehoods that reduce him to an ordinary liar
proffering ludicrous
scenarios which make him a crude international outlaw,"
the paper said.
Zimbabwe is facing a severe economic crisis that critics
blame on government
mismanagement, Mugabe's seizures of white-owned farms for
black resettlement
and his alleged rigging of his re-election last
year.
Neighbouring states led by South Africa favour diplomacy to
resolve
Zimbabwe's woes, but Washington and London have openly criticised
Mugabe and
called for a transition unity government with the opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change.
The US has taken a hard line against
Mugabe since the presidential
elections, trying to isolate his government
internationally. Bush, who will
visit Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda
and Nigeria from July 7-12,
has said Mugabe is not a legitimate
leader.
The Harare government says Bush's stance is unjustified, driven
by racism
and by Washington's natural support for Zimbabwe's former colonial
power
Britain in fighting Mugabe over his seizures of white farms.
Sunday Times (SA)
State closes case in Zimbabwe treason
trial
Thursday June 26, 2003 16:04 - (SA)
HARARE - State
lawyers today closed their case in the marathon treason trial
of opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai and two senior party officials, while
defence
lawyers said they would apply to have the charges dismissed.
The close of
the state's case, which claims Tsvangirai and his two
co-accused in the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party plotted to kill
President Robert
Mugabe, comes four months after the trial began.
One of the lawyers
defending the MDC trio, Chris Andersen, told the court
that the defence team
would be applying to have the three discharged,
because he said the state had
not proved its case against them.
"It is our intention to make an
application to have the three accused
persons discharged," Andersen said
before Judge Paddington Garwe.
Garwe postponed the matter to July 7, when
he said the court would deal with
the application for
discharge.
Earlier the court heard the last of the state's 11 witnesses
testify. Edward
Chinhoyi, a technician with the state-run Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation
(ZBC), had been called to give his views on the
video tape that is said to
incriminate Tsvangirai in a plot to "eliminate"
Mugabe.
The tape was made on December 4, 2001, three months ahead of a
disputed
presidential election that pitted Tsvangirai against Mugabe, and
which
Mugabe won.
It was made using hidden surveillance cameras in the
offices of Canada-based
political consultant Ari Ben Menashe, whom the MDC
say they approached to do
promotional work for them in North
America.
On the tape, which Ben Menashe gave to the Zimbabwe authorities,
Tsvangirai
is alleged to have requested for the consultant's help in
"eliminating"
Mugabe and organising a coup to topple his
government.
MDC Secretary General Welshman Ncube and senior party
official Renson Gasela
were also said to be part of the plot. If convicted
all three could face the
death penalty.
Chinhoyi, an expert in video
recording and editing, testified that the
picture on the tape was "hazy",
making it difficult to tell who was
speaking.
But he said in his view
it had not been tampered with after its initial
recording.
Defence
lawyer Andersen argued that the poor picture was "intended", and
that the
tape may have been expertly edited as part of what the defence
claims was "a
trapping exercise" by the government to sideline Tsvangirai
ahead of the 2002
poll.
"A poor picture could not be made by mistake," he said.
The
three MDC officials deny the charges against them, and say they were
the
victims of a government set-up.
AFP
MSNBC
Zimbabwe opposition pins hopes on Bush Africa visit
By Cris
Chinaka
HARARE, June 26 — Zimbabwe's main opposition leader said on
Thursday he
hoped a visit by George W. Bush to Africa would add more pressure
on
President Robert Mugabe to agree to talks to resolve the country's
political
crisis.
''For the Zimbabwean agenda it is very important
to welcome President
Bush's presence in the region. Zimbabwe is again part of
the international
radar because of his presence,'' Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) leader
Morgan Tsvangirai told Reuters in an interview.
''We expect, of course, political and diplomatic pressure to apply
and...we
will do everything in our power to make sure that a clear road map
to peace
in Zimbabwe is presented to the American government during the
visit,'' he
said.
The U.S. president is due to visit Senegal, South Africa,
Botswana,
Uganda and Nigeria in his first trip to Africa from July 7-12 and
Zimbabwe
is sure to figure in his talks.
Tsvangirai, whose MDC
poses the most potent challenge to Mugabe's
23-year grip on power, has
launched a legal challenge to his victory in
presidential elections last
year.
Tsvangirai himself is facing two trials on separate counts
of
treason.
The United States and several Western countries,
including former
colonial power, Britain, condemned Mugabe's election victory
as flawed.
PRESSURE OR DIPLOMACY
In an opinion piece in
Tuesday's New York Times, U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell, an
African-American, urged Zimbabwe's neighbours to
pressure Mugabe to hand over
power to a transitional government.
Neighbouring states, led by South
Africa, however, favour diplomacy
as the way to resolve Zimbabwe's
woes.
Powell's remarks drew a rebuke from one of Mugabe's
government
ministers, who denounced Powell for what he said was ''selling
out.''
''Nobody in ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe's ruling party) will ever join
Powell
and his kind in selling out. The use of lies and deception by Powell
and
Bush has not worked in Iraq where he wanted to mix it with oil,''
Thursday's
official Herald newspaper quoted Information Minister Jonathan
Moyo as
saying.
In a fresh difference of opinion between Washington
and Paris, French
Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday spoke
out against
interference in Zimbabwe after meeting South African President
Thabo Mbeki
in Cape Town.
Villepin said the international community
should support diplomatic
efforts such as the meeting of heads of state of
South Africa, Malawi and
Nigeria over the Zimbabwe crisis.
France
and the United States were most recently at odds over the war
in
Iraq.
Villepin also hit out at sanctions in an apparent swipe at
the
European Union's visa ban, arms embargo, and assets freeze targeted
at
Mugabe and his senior officials.
The MDC accuses Mugabe of
mismanaging the economy as the country
suffers from chronic food and fuel
shortages, and inflation at 300 percent,
one of the highest rates in the
world.
Mugabe insists he won last year's election fairly and
denies
mismanaging the country. He says the economy has been sabotaged by
local and
international opponents in retaliation for his much-criticised
seizure of
white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks.
(Additional reporting by Gershwin Wanneburg in Cape Town and Cris
Chinaka in
Harare)
The White House
Statement by the President
June 26,
2003
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
United Nations International Day
in Support of Victims of Torture
Today, on the United Nations
International Day in Support of Victims of
Torture, the United States
declares its strong solidarity with torture
victims across the world. Torture
anywhere is an affront to human dignity
everywhere. We are committed to
building a world where human rights are
respected and protected by the rule
of law.
Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The
Convention Against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment,
ratified by the
United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984,
forbids
governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental
pain or
suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture
continues to
be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel
methods match
their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating,
burning, rape, and
electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes
use to terrorize
their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be
tolerated by a world
committed to justice.
Notorious human rights
abusers, including, among others, Burma, Cuba, North
Korea, Iran, and
Zimbabwe, have long sought to shield their abuses from the
eyes of the world
by staging elaborate deceptions and denying access to
international human
rights monitors. Until recently, Saddam Hussein used
similar means to hide
the crimes of his regime. With Iraq's liberation, the
world is only now
learning the enormity of the dictator's three decades of
victimization of the
Iraqi people. Across the country, evidence of Baathist
atrocities is
mounting, including scores of mass graves containing the
remains of thousands
of men, women, and children and torture chambers hidden
inside palaces and
ministries. The most compelling evidence of all lies in
the stories told by
torture survivors, who are recounting a vast array of
sadistic acts
perpetrated against the innocent. Their testimony reminds us
of their great
courage in outlasting one of history's most brutal regimes,
and it reminds us
that similar cruelties are taking place behind the closed
doors of other
prison states.
The United States is committed to the world-wide
elimination of torture and
we are leading this fight by example. I call on
all governments to join with
the United States and the community of
law-abiding nations in prohibiting,
investigating, and prosecuting all acts
of torture and in undertaking to
prevent other cruel and unusual punishment.
I call on all nations to speak
out against torture in all its forms and to
make ending torture an essential
part of their diplomacy. I further urge
governments to join America and
others in supporting torture victims'
treatment centers, contributing to the
UN Fund for the Victims of Torture,
and supporting the efforts of
non-governmental organizations to end torture
and assist its victims.
No people, no matter where they reside, should
have to live in fear of their
own government. Nowhere should the midnight
knock foreshadow a nightmare of
state-commissioned crime. The suffering of
torture victims must end, and the
United States calls on all governments to
assume this great mission.
The Nation, Malawi
Report shows Sadc abusing human rights
by Aubrey Mchulu, 26 June 2003 - 18:25:07
Worldwide human rights
watchdog Amnesty International (AI) 2003 report
has revealed serious
politically-based human rights abuses in Southern
Africa Development
Community (Sadc) countries, including Malawi, as well as
developed
democracies of the United Kingdom and United States of America.
In its
311-page report covering 151 countries, AI observes that in
general terms
draconian measures by both democratic and autocratic
governments to intrude
into people’s lives, to detain suspects without trial
and to deport people
with no regard to their fate, weakened respect for
international
law.
AI secretary general Irene Khan said in her message under the
theme
‘Security for whom?: A human rights response’ that real security will
remain
illusory, especially for the poor, so long as police, courts and
state
institutions in many countries remain corrupt.
Khan also notes
that new resources are being directed to security
police and
“counter-terrorism” agencies while the United Nations’ human
rights machinery
has been “grossly underfunded” for years.
“A more secure world demands
a paradigm shift in the concept of
security, a shift that recognises that
insecurity and violence are best
tackled by effective, accountable states
which uphold, not violate, human
rights,” she said.
In its
assessment of Malawi, AI says political tensions increased
ahead of the 2004
general elections and that police failed to investigate
several instances of
political violence perpetrated by the ruling UDF
supporters against the
opposition.
AI also reported state repression of freedom of expression
and
assembly escalated in Malawi.
“In response to continuing public
protest, President Bakili Muluzi
issued a directive in May [2002] which
banned all public demonstrations for
or against a third term of office,”
observed AI, adding that the directive
was later reversed by the High Court
as unconstitutional and an infringement
on freedom of assembly and
association.
In Malawi’s neighbour, Mozambique, AI said human rights
violations by
the police include torture, ill-treatment of at least two
civilians and
extrajudicial executions were reported and recorded.
AI also observed that efforts to improve the Mozambican
police’s
professionalism were undermined by continued failure of authorities
to bring
perpetrators of human rights violations to justice.
On
Namibia, another Sadc member state, AI said human rights violations
in the
past year included arbitrary arrest and torture by police officers
while
security forces were also responsible for extrajudicial executions in
the
Caprivi Region of civilians suspected to have been collaborating with
the
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita).
Deaths in
custody in suspicious circumstances, torture and excessive
use of force by
police; resurgence of political violence which led to deaths
and injuries and
levels of reported rape of women and girls remained high in
South Africa but,
according to AI, “only few of those responsible were
brought to
justice”.
In Tanzania, AI reported that prison conditions were harsh
such that
in one incident, 17 inmates died in custody while 100 death
sentences were
commuted although the courts continue to pass death
sentences.
Tanzanian authorities also blocked two demonstration in 2002
with
police shooting at, beating and arresting demonstrators. Five were
also
charged with sedition “for expressing their opinions”.
Zambia
experienced increasing “widespread human rights violations” by
the police and
persistent state harassment and intimidation of those
perceived to be
critical of the government, including independent
journalists, according to
AI.
Zimbabwe’s rights violations included at least 58 political
killings
and widespread torture and ill-treatment throughout the
country.
Mature democracies of the UK and USA were not spared
either.
According to the AI report, serious human rights violations
took place
in the context of the United Kingdom’s authorities’ response to
the
September 11, 2001 attacks in the USA and that detention conditions in
some
facilities were inhuman and degrading.
“Many of those detained
under ‘anti-terrorism’ legislation or on the
basis of extradition warrants
were held in inhuman or degrading conditions
in high security prisons,”
observes the report.
Reuters
26 Jun 2003 14:48:14 GMT
Zimbabwe opposition
lawyers seek treason
discharge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
By
Stella Mapenzauswa
HARARE, June 26 (Reuters) - Defence lawyers in the
treason trial of Zimbabwe
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on
Thursday they would ask the
court for a discharge, saying the state had not
presented enough evidence to
make a case.
Tsvangirai and two senior
members of his Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) could face the death
sentence if convicted of the charges, which stem
from an alleged plot to
assassinate President Robert Mugabe last year. All
have pleaded not
guilty.
Defence lawyer Chris Anderson told the court he did not believe a
prima
facie case against the three men had been made. The High Court judge
said he
would hear arguments on the discharge motion from both sides on July
7.
Tsvangirai faces an additional treason charge in connection with
mass
anti-Mugabe protests which his followers mounted earlier this month
and
which the government said constituted an attempted coup d'etat. He
is
currently free on bail.
In the assassination trial, the state's
case against the three rests mainly
on a grainy, partly inaudible videotape
of a meeting in Montreal between
Tsvangirai and Canadian-based political
consultant Ari Ben-Menashe during
which the prosecution alleges Mugabe's
"elimination" was discussed.
On Wednesday, state witness Edward Chinhoyi,
technical and communications
manager at state broadcaster ZBC, said he had
found no evidence of picture
interference when police called him in to view
the video.
But under cross-examination on Thursday, Chinhoyi conceded
that experts in
the field could digitally substitute the sound component of a
video tape
with different audio material.
"Technology has made it
possible that this can be done," Chinhoyi said.
Ben-Menashe has admitted
he taped the meeting using surveillance cameras
solely to get evidence for
the government -- with which he consequently
signed a political lobbying
contract. But he denies entrapping Tsvangirai.
The MDC leader has mounted
a court challenge to Mugabe's victory in a 2002
presidential election which
the opposition and Western governments condemned
as fraudulent.