Suspended Zanu PF provincial chairperson Mike Madiro filing his papers before Retired Colonel Masabeya. Madiro will be standing as an independent candidate.
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
29.06.2013
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack
Obama has called on President Robert
Mugabe’s government to stop “harassing”
its citizens and implement reforms
ahead of elections expected later this
year.
Speaking Saturday at a joint press conference with South African
President
Jacob Zuma in Pretoria, Obama said Harare has an opportunity to
move to a
new phase where, “Zimbabwe can finally achieve all its
promise.”
But, he said, that requires free and fair elections and for
those currently
in power in Zimbabwe to recognize that the interests of all
the people are
served over the self-interest of individual
leaders.
“As the president mentioned we discussed the situation in
Zimbabwe and
President Zuma has played an important role in the region’s
mediation
efforts. We agreed that the harassment of citizens and groups
needs to stop
and reforms need to move forward so the people of Zimbabwe can
cast their
votes in elections that are fair and free and
credible.”
Obama, who’s on a three-day visit to South Africa as part of a
week-long
visit to the continent, also emphasized the need for term limits
for
presidents.
Responding to a question from the press on the
situation in Zimbabwe, he
said the southern African country used to be one
of the wealthiest countries
on the continent, but that bad governance led to
economic disaster. He
thanked Zuma for mediating in Harare, saying this has
given the country an
opportunity to start afresh.
For his part Zuma
thanked President Obama for relaxing sanctions on Harare
saying this has
allowed the economy to rebound.
“Mr. President, we are encouraged by the
relaxation of sanctions on Zimbabwe
by the U.S. government and urge further
steps in this regard as it will
strengthen the economy of Zimbabwe,” said
Zuma.
Obama said he agreed with Zuma that Zimbabweans should be allowed
to cast
their votes freely and that the polls be fair and
credible.
Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo dismissed Obama’s statement
saying only
Zimbabweans had the right to chart their destiny.
“Who’s
Obama? He’s the President of America. They can do that in American
but we
have a different situation in Africa,” said Gumbo. “Those who are in
power
know exactly what their people want like President Mugabe knows what
the
people of Zimbabwe want.”
He added: “We do not think it is right Heads of
State of other countries to
try and dictate what is happening in other
States. As far as we are
concerned President Mugabe has been consistent in
establishing true African
empowerment which irks many in the
West.”
MDC Tsvangirai spokesman Douglas Mwonzora concurred with Obama
saying it was
time President Mugabe left office after 33 years in
power.
“President Mugabe has overstayed his welcome. He has seen five
South African
presidents from Botha, De Klerk, then Mandela, Mbeki and
Zuma,” said
Mwonzora. “But he still remains as the only president here in
Zimbabwe.”
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Johannesburg Saturday
afternoon, Obama
announced the Washington Fellowship for young African
leaders, a new
flagship program of the President’s Young African Leaders
Initiative, known
as YALI.
Beginning next year, the program will
bring more than 500 young African
leaders to the United States each year for
leadership training and
mentoring. It will also create unique opportunities
in Africa for fellows
to use their new skills to propel economic growth and
prosperity, and
strengthen democratic institutions.
Earlier in the
day, Obama met with the family of ailing former South African
President
Nelson Mandela. In a written statement, the president said he
hopes that
Mandela “draws peace and comfort from the time that he is
spending with
loved ones,” and he said Mandela’s legacy is one that “we must
all honor in
our own lives.”
The president said out of respect for the family, he
would not seek to see
or meet Mandela himself, who is said to be in critical
condition at a
hospital in Pretoria.
Obama flies on to Tanzania
Monday. Over his 3-day visit to that east African
nation Obama will meet
with President Jakaya Kikwete, and attend a
roundtable with African and
American business leaders.
http://www.zimeye.org/
By Chrispen
Dube
Published: June 29, 2013
Businessman Mutumwa Mawere was
yesterday barred from entering the race for
the presidential
post.
Only the following were given the nod at the nomination court for
the 2013
presidential race last night: Dabengwa Dumiso of ZAPU, Mugabe
Robert of ZANU
PF, Mukwazhe Munodei Kisinoti of ZDP, Ncube Welshman of MDC,
Tsvangirayi
Morgan of MDC T, according to the order recorded by the
court.
The court closed at 12midnite and saw many travel from far and
wide to
register for their candidacy for the upcoming elections.
But
presidential hopeful Mutumwa Mawere of the recently formed Zimbabwe
Movement
for Democracy had his papers rejected for undisclosed reasons.
Mawere’s
party was formed at the end of 2012 and he was recently appointed
leader.
Other candidates for the presidential horns were Mr Langton
Towungana
(Independent), Mr Gibbs Paul Gotora of the Zimbabwe Organised Open
Party,
Anslem Karimupfumbi of Rusununguko United People’s Party, Mr Joseph
Bushu
Makamba of Free Zimbabwe Congress and Reverend Gerald Mubaira of
Multiracial
Christian Democrats, who also had their papers
rejected.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chief elections officer Mr
Lovemore
Sekeramayi then announced that the presidential poll shall proceed
since
there are contenders for the presidential horns. “Since more than one
candidate has been duly nominated for the office of the President, a poll
shall take place on Wednesday 31st of July in accordance with section 110 of
the Electoral Act as read with Proclamation Number 2 of 2013,” he
said.
President Mugabe’s papers were filed by Defence Minister and
Zanu-PF
secretary for legal affairs Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, while Mr
Tsvangirai had
his lodged by Dr Alex Magaisa who was accompanied by the
party’s
secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti and organising secretary Mr Nelson
Chamisa.
Mr Mukwazhe personally filed in his papers, while Dr Dabengwa’s were
filed
by his deputy Ms Emilia Mukaratirwa.
Speaking to journalists
after filing President Mugabe’s papers, Mnangagwa
said: “We have come to the
end of the inclusive Government and we of Zanu-PF
are confident we will have
a landslide victory with our President Mugabe
because of progressive
policies we have put across to our people,” he said.
Meanwhile Mavambo
Kusile Dawn leader Simba Makoni decided not to turn up for
nomination papers
after announcing he is now backing Morgan Tsvangirai.
“I am happy to
advise the nation that the National Management Committee
(NMC) of MKD
resolved on Tuesday June 25, 2013 not to field a presidential
candidate, in
the forthcoming elections… we took this decision in order to
pave the way
for agreement on a single presidential candidate for all those
yearning for
change in national leadership at the highest level…. I am
fully-committed to
back the one candidate who is chosen by the grand
coalition,” Makoni said.
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
Dubbed “Feya-Feya,” a loose
translation from the word “fair,” the campaign
was launched in Bulawayo
Thursday evening by representatives from 50 civic
groups.
Sithandekile Mhlanga
28.06.2013
WASHINGTON —
Civic groups Friday staged a roadshow in Bulawayo under a new
campaign
strategy to promote free and fair elections in the country.
Dubbed
“Feya-Feya,” a loose translation from the word “fair,” the campaign
was
launched in Bulawayo on Thursday evening by representatives of 50 civic
groups drawn from all the country’s 12 provinces.
Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition spokesman Thabani Nyoni said the campaign "is
unique as it
involves many civic groups, seeks a national and international
audience, is
apolitical, and promotes peace through arts."
Nyoni said many activities
have been lined-up for the campaign throughout
the country, including a
similar roadshow in Harare on Sunday.
MUTARE – Disgruntled Zanu PF and MDC-T cadres in Manicaland took their rebellion to the Nomination Court which sat yesterday and filed their nomination papers to stand as sovereign candidates – amid indications that such moves have the propensity to split the vote in favour of the party with a single nominee.
Suspended Zanu PF provincial chairperson Mike Madiro filing his papers before Retired Colonel Masabeya. Madiro will be standing as an independent candidate.
Another surprise was that former finance minister Dr Simba Makoni , who on Thursday announced his withdrawal from the presidential race to support of MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai, filled his nomination papers to contest in Makoni Central under the ticket of his Mavambo/Dawn/Kusile.
The former Zanu PF politburo member and founder president of MDK Makoni’s first aim at Makoni Central was in 2008 – but thwarted by the now embattled Zanu PF politburo member and Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa, who then parceled it to Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa who later lost it the late MDC-T MP John Nyamande.
Makoni hails from the Rugoyi area, which is the heartbeat of his Nyati. Makoni, whose papers were filed by MDK official Mr George Hukuimwe, will square against Chinamasa and incarcerated MDC-T official Patrick Sagandira.
Chinamasa scored another victory after ZEC provincial head Retired Colonel Moffat Masabeya refused to entertain a desperate request by Mutasa and his trounced side-kick Basil Nyabadza to interdict the electoral body from accepting Chinamasa’s nomination papers because they were disputing results of the intra-party poll he won.
Dorothy Mabika retrieves her papers from her purse for submission while Manicaland Governor Chris Mushowe plays with his phone.
As Nehanda Radio revealed Thursday Women Affairs director Christopher Chingosho, whom Zanu PF politburo barred from contesting its geriatric and beleaguered national secretary for administration Mutasa stung the party by filing his papers to stand in Headlands.
Mutasa, an infamous and notorious merchant of violence, was left wetting his pants as for decades, the self-taunting godfather of Manicaland, has never been challenged and his word was unquestioned.
Anyone in the province who wanted to ascend to power had to get his blessings ever since his predecessor Maurice Nyagumbo died in 1989.
Chingosho, who was escorted by hordes of fed-up war veterans furiously vowed that the era of imposition of and god-fatherism was over, left Mutasa knee-weak as he is the only member of the Zanu PF presidium who was contested after national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo and Vice President Joice Mujuru sailed through without rebellion.
The war veterans vowed to tussle Mutasa because “he did not emerge through credible party primaries or by consensus.”
The bhora musango protagonists were offended by party’s preference for Mutasa, who they regard “as a perennial non-performer; bad and corrupt leader.”
Chingosho’s supporters, who hold key positions and wield strong influence throughout the constituency, ruled out Mutasa’s chances, arguing that Zanu PF will only taste power in the constituency if it fields a candidate that emerges through an open and transparent party primary election.
MDC-T candidate for Headlands David Tekeshe
Chingosho’s entry has buoyed the prospects of victory for MDC-T’s candidate David Tekeshe, who was seen shaking hands and embracing other Zanu PF rebels including suspended Zanu PF Manicaland chairman Mike Madiro, who is standing as an sovereign candidate in the orphaned Mutare North and his deputy Dorothy Mabika, who is standing in Chipinge Central, where her mother and incumbent legislator Alice Chitima lost fraudulent Zanu PF primaries to Raymond Machingura.
This shows that the rebellion was well orchestrated to frustrate Mutasa by his nemesis’ Oppah Muchinguri, former CIO supremo Shadreck Chipanga and Chinamasa, who nicodemously wines and dine with the trio and is entangled in a bitter war against Mutasa over the control of Manicaland.
Muchinguri, Chipanga and Chinamasa have tilted the fulcrum of power in Manicaland to their corner and have calculatively used Chingosho’s rebelion to mute Mutasa. Madiro and Mabika, who were recently acquitted of stock-theft charges pressed by Mutasa, the former had unkind words for Mutasa.
“He is too old. Zanu PF has no future with such people. Apera mudhara uye. Tarisai muone kudhonha kwaari kuita. He is gone and finished ende rwendo runo tinopedzerana, anobata chitsvuku,” said Madiro, hinting at the possibility of a grand coalition to de-campaign the clean-shaven but vicious politician in Headlands.
Chris Chingosho (Zanu PF) and Former Daily News editor Geoff Nyarota both file their nomination papers to stand as independent candidates. Chingosho was barred from challenging Didymus Mutasa while Nyarota failed to get the necessary votes in MDC-T primary elections.
Former Daily News and Manica Post Editor Geoff Nyarota broke ranks with the MDC-T after filing his nomination papers to stand as an independent candidate in Makoni South, setting the stage for a brutal second round bout against incumbent MDC-T MP Pishai Muchauraya and Zanu PF’s Manditawepi Chimene.
Chimene almost found herself in the same predicament had it not been Central Intelligence Operatives’ who swiftly reacted to intercept and dissuade Nathaniel Punish Mhiripiri from lodging his papers.
Another MDC-T influential and civil society official Regai Tsunga also defied the party’s elections principles and lodged his papers to stand as an independent candidate in Mutasa South – where he will come head-to-head against former Mutare Mayor Misheck Kagurabadza, who he was barred from contesting on the grounds that he organized a golf tourney in honour of President Mugabe and Irene Zindi of Zanu PF.
No electricity: Giles Mutsekwa and Arnold Tsunga from the MDC-T both file their papers with the nomination court
In Chikanga-Dangamvura constituency, the MDC-T had twin candidates Giles Mutsekwa and lawyer Anold Tsunga.
http://www.eturbonews.com/
Jun 28,
2013
Zimbabwe plans to aggressively promote its tourism to Chinese tourists,
relax visa restrictions, and boost air connectivity to grab a bigger share
of the world's largest outbound tourist market, the country's tourism chief
said.
The country boasts one of the world's most spectacular
waterfalls – the
Victoria Falls, but a decade of economic stagnation has
taken its toll on
tourism, leaving a huge market potential relatively
untapped.
However, in an interview with a Chinese news agency Zimbabwe
Tourism
Authority (ZTA) chief executive Karikoga Kaseke said the country has
"waken
up from the sleep" to catch up with a previously-set ambitious vision
to
receive 50,000 Chinese tourists annually by 2015.
That would mean
a roughly ten times rise from the less than 5,000 Chinese
tourists to visit
Zimbabwe in 2012, according to the official figures.
"China has given us
the proved destination status, but we have not taken
advantages of that
approval," Kaseke said. "That vision now proves to be a
nightmare. But a
nightmare is what we have when we are sleeping. "
Overall, nearly 1.8
million tourists visited Zimbabwe in 2012, but more than
70 percent were
nationals from neighbouring countries, according to a latest
released
government tourism report.
Tourism revenue last year was about US$749
million, thanks to big spenders
like Chinese, Japanese, and Western tourists
who make up roughly 10 percent
of the total tourist arrivals, the report
says.
According to the ZTA's first quarter report, the number of Chinese
tourists
grew an impressive 165 percent from a year ago to 3,714 in the
first three
months, making China surpass Japan to become Zimbabwe's top
tourism source
market in Asia.
Although the entire Asian market
accounted for only 3 percent of the total
tourist arrivals, the report says
the market will keep growing and the trend
is commendable "considering that
China is the world's top tourism outbound
and spending
market."
Statistics show there were 22.6 million Chinese tourists went
abroad in the
first quarter of 2013 with the swelling middle class beginning
to set their
eyes on the African continent.
But distance and safety
concerns are holding off the Chinese tourists to
Africa. For those who did
venture to sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya and South
Africa remain the top
choices. Mauritius and Seychelles are most likely to
follow as the two
peaceful Indian Ocean island states adopt visa free
policies towards Chinese
tourists.
Kaseke said Zimbabwe is more than happy to grant China a
Category A (visa
free) status but because the visa regime applies
reciprocally a change of
the visa regime needs to be agreed upon by the both
countries.
But he said ZTA is piloting an E-VISA platform for China that
allows
tourists to apply for a visa online and shortens the process to three
working days.
Private airline
Kaseke, formerly head of
Zimbabwe's aviation authority, also disclosed that
he and other investors
will launch a private airline in August which would
also fly to
China.
"Besides daily Harare-Victoria Falls route, Royal Zimbabwe
Airlines will fly
to China's Guangzhou via Singapore three times a week,"
Kaseke said.
The state-owned Air Zimbabwe used to fly to Beijing and
Guangzhou, but a
debt crisis that embroiled the airline forced it to abandon
all
international routes in early 2012.
Although the airline resumed
flights to Johannesburg and plans to resume
flights to London, there is no
immediate plan to resume flights to China.
The ZTA report indicates that
the grounding of Air Zimbabwe's international
flights had a direct impact on
the sharp decline of Asian tourists,
especially from China, in
2012.
Royal Zimbabwe Airlines, once it takes off, will become the
country's first
private airline and breaks Air Zimbabwe's monopoly, a bold
step by the
industry’s regulatory authority.
Kaseke did not disclose
details of the investment.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of
Transport Munesu Munodawafa confirmed
that Royal Zimbabwe Airlines had
applied for a permit to fly to China and
that his ministry had granted them
the approval.
"Yes, they have indicated the routes which they want to fly
to. One of the
routes is to China," Munodawafa said.
But he said the
airline should go back to the ministry and notify it of its
readiness to
fly, after which the ministry would write to authorities of the
intended
destination, a process Munodawafa says "won't take too long."
It remains
to be seen whether the private airline can thrive.
Tourism Minister,
Walter Mzembi, recently told a media briefing that most of
the foreign
tourists to the continent arrive by air.
"No matter how big is our
continent, only three or four African national
carriers are viable," Mzembi
said, adding that given the importance of air
transport to tourism, the
viability issue of the African airlines urgently
needs to be addressed.
http://www.herald.co.zw/
Saturday, 29 June 2013 02:03
Victoria Falls
Bureau
A TEAM of technical experts from the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) is in Victoria Falls to conduct a final inspection of
the country’s preparations ahead of the general assembly in August. Zimbabwe
and Zambia would co-host the 20th session of the
UNWTO general
assembly starting on 24 August and ending on 29 August. The
technical team,
headed by UNWTO relations and services executive director,
Mr Zoltan
Somogyi, regional director for Africa, Mr Osumane Diane and Mr
Munir Rates,
chief of conferences arrived in the resort town yesterday from
Livingstone,
Zambia, where they were conducting a similar inspection.
They were met by
the Deputy Chief Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Justine
Mupamhanga, permanent
secretaries for Transport, Communication and
Infrastructure Development,
Public Works, Tourism and Hospitality Industry,
Mr Munesu Munodawafa,
Engineer George Mlilo and Ms Margaret
Mukahanana-Sangarwe and other senior
Government officials.
The team went on to inspect facilities including
the venue for the official
opening ceremony, Elephant Hills Hotel and
Resort.
In an interview, Mr Mupamhanga said the inspectors were impressed
with
Zimbabwe’s state of preparedness. “Let me emphasise that the UNWTO team
is
impressed with the progress on the ground,” said Mr Mupamhanga.
http://mg.co.za/
28 JUN 2013 00:00LIONEL FAULL, WONGAI
ZHANGAZHA
A major fundraiser for Barack Obama has been schmoozing
senior Zanu-PF
figures in the hope of winning business deals from the
Zimbabwe government.
A major Chicago fundraiser for United States
President Barack Obama has been
schmoozing senior Zanu-PF figures, including
President Robert Mugabe, in the
hope of winning business deals from the
Zimbabwe government.
In return, amaBhungane understands, senior
Zimbabwean security force members
have been looking to the fundraiser,
real-estate tycoon Elzie Higginbottom,
to help the country to wriggle off
the hook of targeted US sanctions.
Internal Zanu-PF documents seen by
amaBhungane suggest that the Zimbabwean
military was keen to enter into
negotiations with Higginbottom to form a
joint-venture diamond mining
company in 2011.
Higginbottom's vast property portfolio has been
“conservatively" valued at
$200-million by the Chicago Tribune. Campaign
finance records indicate that
he and his wife contributed $400 000 to
Obama's campaign war chest between
2008 and 2012 and donated generously to
both Obama inaugurations.
Higginbottom's largesse has catapulted him into
a super-category of party
political funders in the US popularly referred to
as “bundlers" (see
“Support in bundles").
Zimbabwe security forces
apparently saw the participation of Americans in
the Chiadzwa diamond fields
near Marange as key to avoiding further action
by a “hostile" US government
to restrict the Zimbabwe diamond trade.
The security forces also hoped
that a delegation of Chicago businessmen led
by Higginbottom would lean on
key members of the Obama administration to
reverse, or ease, US sanctions
against senior Zanu-PF figures.
The sanctions, administered by the US
treasury's Office of Foreign Asset
Control (Ofac), prohibit US citizens from
engaging in “any transactions with
any person, entity or organisation" on a
list of “specially designated
nationals".
Mugabe meeting
Senior
Zanu-PF figures on the list that Higginbottom is known to have met
since
2011 include President Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF chairman Simon Khaya
Moyo.
Although no evidence has come to light that Higginbottom has
sealed business
deals with Mugabe or Moyo directly, he is skating on thin
ice.
Ofac broadly prohibits “exports [direct and indirect], imports
[direct and
indirect], trade brokering, financing and facilitation, as well
as most
financial transactions".
“Attempts to evade or avoid these
sanctions are also prohibited," it states.
Higginbottom confirmed this
week that his company had “been seeking business
opportunities in Zimbabwe
for several years".
“Our agenda has consistently and solely been related
to business. We have no
political agenda," he said.
But documented
attempts by Higginbottom's team to negotiate a diamond-mining
joint venture
with a business team from the Zimbabwe ministry of defence
rings alarm
bells. Evidence gathered by civil rights groups and journalists
in recent
years suggests that the military has perpetrated human rights
abuses in the
Marange diamond fields, and that senior military figures have
imposed
themselves as silent shareholders in diamond mining companies.
Concerns
have been raised – most recently in a damning report by both
Zanu-PF and
Movement for Democratic Change MPs on the parliamentary
portfolio committee
on mines and energy – that these diamond companies remit
only a fraction of
their revenue as taxes to the government.
Parallel state
There are
suspicions that diamond revenue is being used to fund a parallel
state
presided over by securocrats and anti-reformers, and possibly to
finance
another violent Zanu-PF election campaign ahead of general elections
planned
for this year.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition director McDonald Lewanika
told amaBhungane
that “the money from diamonds is being turned into black
money to serve dark
political purposes".
Higginbottom distanced
himself from diamonds this week: “We are no longer
pursuing any diamond
interests," he said. “The Zimbabwe state diamond
entities engaged in the
diamond trade are sanctioned and thus we have
eliminated this area from our
potential ventures. We are and will remain in
full compliance with US policy
and laws."
However, a source said Higginbottom still retained the
services of a
geologist in Zimbabwe, but Higginbottom said “our geologist is
looking into
other possibilities".
Another source connected with
military leaders in Zimbabwe said: “I have
been told that they
[Higginbottom] were also interested in exploring the
recently discovered
diamonds in the Bikita area, near Devure in Masvingo
Province. They made it
clear that they were not interested in politics, but
that they were
remaining behind while the Chinese and Russians were moving
forward."
Higginbottom was exploring a wide range of other business
opportunities in
Zimbabwe in 2011, including agriculture, tourism and real
estate.
“I would be very surprised if someone like Higginbottom, with the
kind of
money he has and the ambitious investments he proposes, can be in
Zimbabwe
for three or four years without having to transact with senior
Zanu-PF
government, security and intelligence officials subject to
sanctions," said
a long-time security and intelligence source working for
the Movement for
Democratic Change.
US reaction
A spokesperson for
the US embassy in Harare, Sharon Hudson-Dean, declined to
comment on
Higginbottom's business interests in Zimbabwe, but said:
“Compliance with US
laws is non-negotiable for anyone engaging in or
investing in any business
covered by those laws."
Moyo said that he could not comment on
Higginbottom's activities in Zimbabwe
as the party's primary election
results were about to be released and “I do
not want to be diverted at
all".
Multiple sources in Zimbabwe have confirmed that Higginbottom
actively
continues to pursue business opportunities, and that the government
is keen
to do business with him.
Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said:
“We have a 1 200ha park in Victoria
Falls which is open to investors and,
since Higginbottom is a property
mogul, I am sure if we packaged it
properly, they would be very interested.
We have also had discussions with
him about starting an airline. But they
are just
discussions."
Higginbottom's business dealings with Zimbabwe have been
inextricably
entwined with politics from the beginning, and he has
associated himself
with the major thawing of US-Zimbabwe relations this
year.
He first met Mugabe on the sidelines of the United Nations general
assembly
in New York in 2011, and sponsored a Doing Business in Zimbabwe Day
in
Washington, DC.
He then led a delegation of Chicago businesspeople
to Zimbabwe in November
2011, where he met Mugabe again.
Disgraced
former US congressman Mel Reynolds, who assumed the mantle of
Higginbottom's
spokesperson during that trip, told Zimbabwe state media that
“mining,
housing, insurance, farming, banking, medical and other" deals were
under
discussion.
Praise
In a wide-ranging interview with the state-owned
Sunday Mail, Reynolds
praised Mugabe as “one of the last lions of Africa
that brought freedom to
the people of this great continent".
He
concluded with a statement: “I personally believe that sanctions should
have
never been imposed in the first place. I also believe that Zimbabwe can
move
forward despite sanctions."
Reynolds's position was also noted by
Zimbabwean security forces in internal
documents seen by the
M&G.
Higginbottom distanced himself from the claims attributed to him
in Zimbabwe
in November 2011, saying that they were made in his name without
his
approval.
“We can assume no responsibility for comments he
[Reynolds] made in Zimbabwe
or elsewhere about his political/professional
affiliations. Nor did we
approve any representations he may have made about
our objectives that were
not true," said Higginbottom.
Reynolds could
not be reached for comment.
Attempted mediation
Higginbottom also
accompanied civil rights activist Jesse Louis Jackson on a
quasi-diplomatic
visit to Zimbabwe in May this year, following the state
department-sponsored
visit to the country by former US ambassador to the UN,
Andrew Young, in
April.
Jackson hosted a breakfast meeting at the high-end Meikles hotel
in Harare
to discuss mediating in the land-compensation dispute between the
Zimbabwe
government and the Commercial Farmers Union.
The union's
president, Charles Taffs, confirmed being introduced to
Higginbottom at the
meeting and recalled being keenly questioned by him
about “investment
protection and property rights".
Taffs said he knew nothing about
Higginbottom's planned forays into the
Zimbabwean farming, tourism and
real-estate sectors, but commented: “We
welcome equal partnerships coming in
to attract foreign investment, but want
a situation where the rule of law,
property rights and human rights are
respected.
“If there are
investments coming in through the back door for personal gain,
that's not a
solution, that's just going to prolong the agony of this
country."
Support in bundles
There are limits to how
much money a single person can directly contribute
to federal political
candidates in the United States, but there is no limit
on how much people
can “bundle", said Michael Beckel, a reporter who
monitors bundling for the
US Centre for Public Integrity,
“‘Bundling' is the term given to the
process of asking friends, relatives or
business associates to make a
contribution to a candidate," said Beckel.
“The bottom line is this:
Bundlers are elite fundraisers. They can enjoy
access to policy makers and
decision makers that ordinary citizens do not
have.
“They can have
the ear of a candidate, or the ear of the president. And
having the ear of
the president can be a powerful thing." – Lionel Faull
Lionel is
a reporter at the Mail & Guardian Centre for Investigative
Journalism,
Amabhungane.
http://www.cathybuckle.com/
June 29, 2013, 11:31 am
Dear Family and
Friends,
It has become almost impossible to keep up with the so called
‘election
roadmap’ in Zimbabwe as every day the tangled web gets ever more
complicated. Every day the deadlines, dates and rules change as
complications pile on top of each other. At the time of writing we still
don’t
have an election date. We don’t know if the second round of voter
registration will be extended after the barrage of criticisms about
unacceptable delays which in some cases have even led to riot police having
to be called. We don’t understand how parliament can close before it has
aligned the Public Order and Security Act or the Electoral Act in accordance
with prior agreements. We are now a country without a parliament and without
an election date. Everyone’s concerned about how long we’ll be in this state
of limbo and who’s running the country while we are?
At the time of
writing we still don’t know what’s going to happen to the
multiple thousands
of Zimbabweans who took up citizenship of other countries
after they’d been
disenfranchised and classed as ‘aliens’ in the last
decade. The new
constitutional court has just ruled that anyone born in
Zimbabwe is
automatically a citizen and can also hold citizenship of another
country.
The Court ruled that dual citizens are entitled to have the ‘alien’
status
on their ID’s changed to citizen status and can be re-admitted to the
voters
roll. But how can this be effected, we ask, when the ruling has come
just
days before voter registration closes. There’s not enough time now for
dual
citizens, many of whom may be working outside of the country, to get
into
the mayhem of registration office queues to change their ID’s and get
back
on the voters roll.
Meanwhile a little light came on across the border
regarding Zimbabwe’s land
seizures. The SADC Tribunal Watch said recent
developments had taken place
in the legal campaign “to ensure that Zimbabwe
is unable to escape its
international-law obligations” in relation to land
seizures. The South
African Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal by the
Zimbabwe government
against an earlier ruling authorizing the attachment of
Zimbabwe government
property in execution of awards by the SADC Tribunal.
The Chief Justice
said : “Lawful judgments are not to be evaded with
impunity by any State or
person in the global village.”
To hear the
phrases: “international-law obligations,” and “judgements are
not to be
evaded,” brings tears to our eyes and restores faith and hope. For
thirteen
years there’s been no relief for the thousands of people who had
their farms
seized without compensation in Zanu PF’s land reform programme.
Contrary to
the usual parroted excuses for what went on, most of us who had
our farms
seized weren’t colonialists who came and grabbed land in the 1940’s,
50’s
and 60’s, we bought our farms legally on the open market in Zimbabwe
after
Independence, paying taxes and levies to the same government who later
evicted us to gain political mileage.
And so with at least one
glimmer of sanity, we turn back to our own messy
little tangled web looking
for an end, or a beginning. Until next time,
thanks for reading, love cathy
