http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Andrew Moyo Friday 05
June 2009
HARARE - Zimbabweans regard the judiciary and
police service as unreliable
and corrupt with some officers allegedly
accepting bribes to influence the
outcome of court cases, the local chapter
of world corruption watchdog
Transparency International said
Thursday.
Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) said a study of cases
reported to
its advocacy and legal advice centre (ALAC) showed that out of
312 suspected
cases of corruption reported to the centre by members of the
public in the
month of May, 38 percent were against the police.
The
group, which began last April recording complaints or reports of
corruption
from members of the public and compiling monthly reports, said a
significant
percentage of complaints were against members of the judiciary.
The TIZ
did not give figures or give the specific level of the judiciary
accused of
accepting bribes. It also did not indicate which ranks or levels
of the
police were mainly accused of corruption.
"Thirty eight percent of the
complaints received were against the police.
There is a 13 percent increase
from last month's rating figures when
complaints against police represented
25 percent of all ALAC complaints,"
the TIZ said.
"Concealing
evidence after receiving some "incentives" or "personal
benefits" to defeat
the course of justice have been the most common forms
of corruption
complaints relating to the police force," the group said.
On the
judiciary TIZ said: -"Bribery within the judiciary is the major
complaint
received from the public. The public allege that the parties..
bribe
judicial officials to ensure favourable verdicts and to avoid
conviction
altogether. The public have indicated that because of this, they
have lost
confidence in the justice delivery system."
It was not possible to get an
immediate reaction from both Chief Justice
Godfrey Chidyausiku and Judge
President Rita Makarau on the damaging charges
leveled against the bench by
the TIZ.
But Attorney General Johannes Tomana vehemently rejected claims
the justice
delivery system was corrupt and questioned the authority of TIZ
to make such
claims against the country's judiciary.
Tomana said:
"What authority does TIZ have to investigate corruption? There
is a whole
institution with the statutory authority (Anti Corruption
Commission) to do
so.
"They cannot just shame people by saying things they cannot prove.
Their
powers we do not know, their authority we do not know. Why do they not
take
the report to the Anti Corruption Commission or just bring it to
us?"
However the TIZ said in its report that also contains statistics of
cases of
suspected corruption in other sectors including the private sector
that
poverty wages paid the entire civil service had left many in the
police,
judiciary and other branches of government severely exposed to
corruption -
a point once raised by Makarau two years ago.
In a
speech to mark the opening of the first term of the High Court in 2007,
Makarau criticised President Robert Mugabe's government for undermining the
judiciary by starving it of resources and reducing it to "begging for its
sustenance".
She admitted receiving reports of "support staff in the
courts engaging in
corrupt practices" which she said was inexcusable but
understandable because
the paltry salaries paid support staff were not
commensurate with their
place in the administration of justice.
The
TIZ said because of poor salaries across the civil service where every
worker regardless of rank, position or qualification is earning US$100 per
month many public servants particularly those in sitting on procurement
committees of government departments were engaging in corrupt activities to
sustain their low incomes.
"The public continue to complain about
bribery and corrupt concealing of
personal interests, amounting to non
disclosure of conflict of interest in
some transactions by those who
constitute procurement committees," the group
said.
The private
sector, where salaries have also dwindled with the contracting
economy, was
also experiencing high levels of corruption, with 13. 9 percent
of reports
filed by members of the public linked to the private business.
The TIZ
said it had forwarded some of the suspected cases of corruption to
relevant
state bodies for investigation but did not indicate whether follow
ups had
been done to establish authorities had actually probed the cases
referred to
them. ZimOnline.
http://www.radiovop.com
CHIREDZI, June 5 2009 -
Top army officials and war veterans are said
to be involved in farm wrangles
here as the fight for farms heats up in
Zimbabwe.
Colonel Naboth Manyau who is embroiled in a land dispute with one
resettled
war veteran Willie Lazio Chiremba over a 22 hectare plot, said he
had made
numerous reports to the responsible authorities to intervene but
nothing had
materialized yet.
"Manyau came with an offer letter dated
November 2008 but when I told
him that I had not been served with a
withdrawal letter he brought one and
that is when he started destroying my
ridges," stated Chiremba.
A letter was served to the District
Lands Officer Jacob Chimwoto from
the Provincial Lands Officer instructing
that Manyau be given another piece
of land. Chiremba is hindered from
continuing with operations on the land
despite assurance by Chimwoto to go
and work on it.
In a related development Bonface Matibiri who
was issued a 33.5ha plot
at Farm 38 sub-division of Hippo Valley in November
2001 estates is facing a
similar problem from Colonel Matema who claims
ownership of the land.
Col Matema is alleged to have brought an
offer letter 22 September
2008 which Gamuchirai, wife to Bonface, rejected
since she had not been
served with a withdrawal letter.
"I
told the colonel that I had not been given the withdrawal letter
therefore
my offer letter is still valid. On April 29 this year Matema came
with a
withdrawal letter signed by the current Minister of Lands Dr Hebert
Murerwa
but I am not satisfied since the scanned document may be a bogus
one,"said
Matibiri.
Matema is alleged to have victimized the workers
working for Matibiri
and has since employed his own who are cutting the
sugarcane. "Last year I
failed to harvest the cane due to the poor returns
since it was being bought
with Zimbabwean dollars and there was a carry over
of 20ha which Matema is
cutting down," alleged Matibiri.
http://www.voanews.com
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
04 June
2009
The formation of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change led
by Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Thursday that three party activists
in
Banket, Mashonaland West province, were detained this week by state
agents
and pressured to become state witnesses.
MDC sources said
Terry Musona, Lloyd Tarumbwa and Fani Tembo were forcibly
taken from their
homes on Tuesday by law enforcement or state security
officers.
The
three were among the scores of MDC and human rights activists arrested
late
last year and eventually charged with plotting to unseat President
Robert
Mugabe. Most prominent among such prisoners was Zimbabwe Peace
Project
Director Jestina Mukoko, who was abducted from her home in Norton
and turned
up in police hands a month later.
MDC sources said the three were taken
to the office of the attorney general
in Harare where they were ordered to
testify against other party activists
facing trial next week.
The
three were released Wednesday after being warned of serious consequences
if
they failed to follow the instructions they had been given, the MDC
said.
Reached for comment, Attorney General Johannes Tomana declined to
comment,
saying the matter was before the courts.
Lawyer Chris Mhike,
representing the three MDC activists, told reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that an urgent application
has been filed in
Harare High Court asking the bench to prevent the state
from calling them as
witnesses.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Patricia Mpofu
Friday 05 June 2009
HARARE - Two top Swedish officials, in
the country to assess the political
situation following the formation of the
inclusive government, yesterday
held high level talks with senior government
officials, among them Finance
Minister Tendai Biti.
Jan Knutsson, the
director general of international development cooperation
in the Swedish
Ministry for Foreign Affairs, arrived in Harare on Wednesday
accompanied by
that country's head of southern Africa, Pereric Högberg.
"We are half way
through our visit," said Knutsson. "We have met several
government
officials. Our visit is also related to the forthcoming Swedish
presidency
of the European Union which starts on 1 July 2009," he said.
Sweden has
promised to work during its presidency to improve relations
between Zimbabwe
and the EU.
The delegation is expected to hold deliberations with Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai today who is scheduled to visit the Swedish
capital, Stockholm in
mid-June.
Sweden's Ambassador to Harare, Sten
Rylander, told ZimOnline that apart from
meeting Finance Minister Biti, the
two-member delegation held talks with
Economic Planning Minister Elton
Mangoma, Constitutional Affairs Minister
Eric Matinenga and Foreign Affairs
Deputy Minister Mike Bimha.
"The delegation is here to assess the
political situation and the fact that
the Prime Minister is coming to
Sweden. Tomorrow (Friday) they will be
meeting the Prime Minister," said
Rylander.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai is due to visit several European
countries
including Sweden before proceeding to the United States as he
tries to drum
up support for the troubled government which has put out a
begging bowl for
US$8,2 billion.
Rylander added: "They (delegation)
is assessing if things are moving in the
right direction and that the
implementation of the global political
agreement is moving as expected. We
commend the government for the progress
it is making on the economic front
but we are not happy with the slow pace
of the media reforms. We are worried
that it is taking too long. We hope
media reform will come very soon," he
said.
Since March, Harare has had a number of Western countries coming to
assess
the situation in the southern African country and its humanitarian
needs,
although none have undertaken to provide cash badly needed to rebuild
Zimbabwe's shattered economy. - ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Nokuthula Sibanda
Friday 05 June 2009
HARARE - One of the three main leaders of
Zimbabwe's unity government has
urged the country to abandon President
Robert Mugabe's much vaunted "Look
East" policy and instead adopt a more
embracing foreign policy and
strengthen relations with the rest of the
world.
"We are burying the misguided notion of 'Look East' policy,"
Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara announced at the launch on Wednesday
of the
government report on Public Private Partnership for Economic
Development in
Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has since 2000 promoted an
aggressive "Look East" policy premised
on the need to find new trading
partners and markets after traditional
investors from Western nations turned
against Harare in protest over Mugabe's
human rights abuses, repression
against political opponents and violent
land-grab
programme.
Mutambara said Zimbabwe should abandoned the policy because
the inclusive
government - formed in February between Mugabe's ZANU PF party
and the two
MDC formations led by him and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai -
was
struggling to raise funding to revive the country's economy and needed
to
take advantage of opportunities from all quarters.
"How can we
look East when the East is looking West. We must look everywhere
for
opportunities. We are sick and tired of paralysis thinking, look East,
look
West, look at yourself. This is a paradigm shift we are talking
about."
Mugabe's "Look East" policy specifically targeted investors from
Muslim and
Asian nations and in exchange Zimbabwe promised minerals -
including
diamonds and gold - and prime land to the investors, resulting in
Harare
penning several agreements mainly with China, Russia and
Iran.
But critics say there have been little results because the policy
failed to
attract serious and meaningful investments to shore up Zimbabwe's
struggling
economy chiefly because the crisis-hit nation had failed to meet
its side of
the deal. - ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=17429
June 5, 2009
By Raymond
Maingire
HARARE - Pressure is mounting on local mobile telephone service
providers
and government's TelOne company to slash their excessive tariffs
to match
those being charged in other countries in the region.
The
government has also ordered TelOne to rationalise its bills and clear
distortions that were partly caused by the concurrent use of the local
dollar and the US dollar before the adoption of the multi-currency regime
early this year.
Because of this, most clients have been confronted
with huge monthly bills
of up to $1 000.
Information Communication
Technology (ICT) Minister, Nelson Chamisa said
Thursday his ministry had
barred TelOne from terminating the services of any
defaulting clients until
the matter was resolved.
"We are in the process of trying to investigate
and interrogate the billing
system being used by TelOne," Chamisa told a
media briefing Thursday, "We
have been detecting very disturbing
trends.
"In that process, TelOne has been advised not to disconnect
services until
cabinet has made a determination on the
matter."
According to Chamisa, cabinet will this month convene to
consider proposals
on a new tariff regime by the service providers in time
for the beginning of
the new billing circle next month.
"On the 1st
of July, we are expecting a new tariff regime to be announced by
the
regulator, POTRAZ," he said.
"There is no doubt that it is going to be
reviewed downwards because of the
desire to conform to the decision by
cabinet that all tariffs are supposed
to be on average in terms of the
comparison to the regional tariffs that are
being levied.
"Right now
we seem to be on the higher end in terms of pricing that we have
been
levying."
Chamisa said the tariffs would not be reviewed in retrospect
although
outstanding bills would be "rationalised to make sure the bills
respect the
challenges that we have been going through.
"We are going
to resolve the issue of billing separately, away from the
tariffs so that
beginning July, it would now be an issue of tariffs," said
Chamisa.
"There have been other artificial elements because of the
changes in
currency.
"There was mischievous conversion from the
Zimbabwe dollar to the US dollar.
The billing, the 'tariffing' are all
distorted."
Zimbabwe still has the most expensive pricing regime in the
region.
Mobile phone service providers are charging 25 cents per minute
including
taxes when a subscriber is making a local call from one cell phone
to
another while seven cents is being charged when the call is from a
landline
to another landline.
A call from a landline to a cell phone
costs 19 cents.
Chamisa said the government was in the process of
considering applications
by new players from outside to set up base in
Zimbabwe. This, he said, would
enhance the quality of services through
competition.
He, however, said the government would try not to compromise
the viability
of local service providers who have been servicing the country
during the
volatile hyper-inflationary environment.
"We will be
careful not to undermine the rehabilitating capacity of the
existing players
who have really been with us for a long time," he said.
"We are emerging
from very difficult circumstances with these operators who
have been with us
through thick and thin."
Chamisa said the decision to invite new players
would largely be determined
by the ability of existing players to service
the whole country including
the rural areas.
"If the existing
operators fall beyond that kind of window we have given, we
need to go to
the other operators who are already being considered for
services."
Currently, slightly over two million Zimbabweans own cell
phones.
According to Chamisa, Econet was leading the pack with a
subscriber base of
1, 2 million which it intended to increase to 2, 5
million by next year.
Telecel has since increased its subscriber base to
350 000, up from 250 000
in the past four months. NetOne has 460 000
subscribers and is in the
process of expanding its patronage.
Email: jag@mango.zw : justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
JAG
Hotlines: +263 (011) 610 073, +263 (04) 799410. If you are in
trouble or
need advice, please don't hesitate to contact us - we're here
to
help!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
the name of
Greed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
the name of Greed
Yet another Zimbabwean icon has succumbed to Land
Reform. Dodhill Farm, a
name synonymous for decades with fruit saplings,
plants and seedlings has
quietly disappeared from the spluttering Zimbabwe
farming sector. For the
owners Simon and Sarah-Jane Keevil and their three
young children the end
was anything but quiet. Abel Kunonga and the Offer
Letter holder,
Nyasha Chikafu, first appeared on Dodhill on 5 November 2008
and
mercilessly hounded the Keevils to their eviction. Despite numerous
court
orders in the Keevil's favour from the Zimbabwean High Court,
police
intervention was swift and uncompromising only when the farm
workers
prevented Abel Kunonga and the accompanying youth from stealing fuel.
The
farm workers were arrested and jailed for a week. As with all
offer
letter holders Abel Kunonga and Nyasha Chikafu insisted Dodhill
was
'their farm' and the Keevils were invading on their property.
The
workers and locals in the nearby vicinity spontaneously rose up in
support of
the Keevils against the claimants but to no avail. The
previously down-sized
nursery, tobacco and citrus farm, highly productive
under the Keevils, is now
in the hands of the brother of the Chegutu
Lands Officer. Mr Clever Kunonga
himself faces numerous contempt of
court charges regarding his attempt to
take over Reydon farm in his
personal capacity in the Chegutu area. Simon
Keevil removed his tobacco
which was in the grading process but left pumps
and over 5km of drip line
for an orange crop soon due to ripen. It didn't
take long for the
desperate message on his cell phone to appear, "We must
meet so you can
tell me how to work the farm".
The story is familiar,
frustrating and heart-breaking but rather than
abating has only escalated in
the last four months. A highly
publicised task force team led by Deputy Prime
Minister Mutambara only
resulted that same day in crackdowns and intensified
harassments of the
farmers and their workers. Another less publicised
delegation to the same
area organized by Zanu PF stalwart Minister Murerwa
led to a new wave of
offer letters for miniscule plots on the few remaining
unallocated
sections of white-owned farms they visited that day. Practically
every
white farmer without exception in the Chegutu area is either
facing
prosecution for continued farming operations or is currently dealing
with
government sanctioned invasions and harassment. This situation
is
widespread throughout the rest of Zimbabwe.
Put into perspective,
while ministers on both sides of the new Unity
Government are bleating about
'kick-starting' the collapsed economy and
wandering about with cupped hands
to any country who seems a likely
candidate, Zimbabweans with a right mindset
but wrong colour are
systematically being annihilated along with all those
dependant on their
industry. Of necessity, in a highly antagonistic
enviroment, besieged
farmers have moved from large-scale row-cropping to
intensive,
consolidated projects which are mostly labour intensive.
In
Chegutu alone Dodhill Farm (Keevil) - tobacco, oranges and
horticulture -
during grading and packing seasons count over 130
employees claimed by Nyasha
Chikafu; Stockdale Farm (Etheredge) -
oranges, 300 employees, claimed by Edna
Mudzongwe; Mount Carmel
(Campbell) - mangoes, export linens and field crops,
200 employees,
claimed by Nathan Shamuyarira; De Rus Farm (Cremer) - export
flowers and
local market produce, 300 employees year round, claimed by Dr
Arikana
Chihombori; Wakefield Farm (Bartholomew) - tobacco, oranges
and
mangoes, 400 employees.
On only these five farms, not to mention
the other besieged farms in
Zimbabwe, well over one thousand three hundred
people receive a regular
income, food package benefits and are able to
support and educate a large
number of dependants. On ony these five farms
over five thousand
Zimbabweans will suffer the knock-on effects of their
evictons. Many of
these workers are urban dwellers and the economic effects
of their
income is palpable and its potential loss devastating. The world's
purse
strings are being tugged ostensibly to alleviate the dire situation
of
ordinary Zimbabweans in a country citing over 90% unemployment,
while
just last week another one hundred and thirty Zimbabweans have been
added
to these statistics. While the world and Africa dithers and talks is
it
any wonder that on four of these five farms the farm workers
themselves
have assumed the most aggressive stance against the claimants and
their
paid muscle-men? They face the harsh reality of unemployment and
will
live with the indignity of handouts known as 'Aid'. Whilst these
people
are crying "No More!" no-one who matters is listening.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Patricia Mpofu Friday
05 June 2009
HARARE - A Zimbabwean High Court judge has
postponed to Friday an
application by four journalists seeking to nullify a
ministerial order
requiring reporters to be accredited to cover a regional
summit taking place
in the country.
Justice Bharat Patel on Thursday
postponed the hearing after state lawyers
asked for time to consult their
superiors.
"We are coming back tomorrow at noon," lawyer Selby Hwacha who
is
representing the four freelance journalists - Stanley Gama, Valentine
Maponga, Stanley Kwenda and Jealous Mawarire - told reporters.
"It
should not take us time because this is a straight forward case," Hwacha
added.
The journalists filed an urgent application on Wednesday
requesting the High
Court to declare the order that they be accredited or
registered with the
Media and Information Commission (MIC) illegal because
the commission no
longer exists at law.
They say they are not able to
cover the summit because they do not have the
"valid MIC accreditation
cards" demanded by the ministry and have cited
Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai as one of the respondents - setting him up
on collision course
with pro-President Robert Mugabe hardliners at the
information ministry who
favour keeping the media shackled.
Tsvangirai said about two weeks ago
that journalists needed not worry about
accreditation to carry out their
work because since last year there have
some legal changes that have made
the MIC invalid.
He is cited as one of the respondents because as PM he
is responsible for
the executive arm of the government, including the proper
implementation of
both law and policy.
The journalists argue that the
MIC was abolished in January 2008 after
amendments to the dreaded Access to
Information and Privacy Act (AIPPA) and
therefore the body was a nullity
with no legal power to require any
journalist to be accredited with it to
cover the COMESA summit or any news
event.
The amendments to APPIA
replaced the MIC with a new Zimbabwe Media
Commission (ZMC).
A
constitutional amendment agreed by Zimbabwe's three main political parties
during power-sharing talks last year and enacted on February 19 provided for
the formation of the ZMC and Parliament has begun the process to establish
the body. - ZimOnline
http://www.radiovop.com
MASVINGO, June 5 2009 - Zimbabwe African
People's Union (ZAPU) has
embarked on a massive recruitment exercise in
Masvingo.
The move threatens political ambitions of
former Finance Minister and
Zanu PF member Simba Makoni as most of the
people from his political project
Mavambo have ditched him in pursuit of new
political positions in the ZAPU
party which has its roots in
Matabeleland.
Makoni came a distant third in the elections to
choose a President
last March.
The recruitment drivers of
the ZAPU party which is a revival of the
old ZAPU headed by the late Vice
President Joshua Nkomo before independence
in 1980, are Tichaona Sithole who
had an eye on Gutu East parliamentary seat
and McDonald Muswere who was
vying for the position of senator in
Zvishavane-Shurugwi constituencies
under Mavambo in the last harmonised
elections.
"We are not
going to leave any stone unturned when it comes to
reviving our party. We
are very sure that people will rush to support our
cause because it is only
us who can deliver. It is disappointing that MDC
and ZANU PF have formed an
inclusive government which we are sure not
work...," said Sithole who is an
interim national executive member.
However, major Kudzai Mbudzi
who was in the fore front campaigning for
Makoni described the move as naïve
and regrettable. He said he would rather
wait for a modern party which has
new ideologies and ideas best suited for
the people in the modern
world.
"I do not subscribe to what these guys are doing because
I believe we
must wait for a new party rather than going back to the 1950s.
It is my
understanding that very few people who got lost together with
Dumiso
Dabengwa are going for ZAPU but we are waiting for a party which we
are
forming very soon. After the weekend I promise you that we shall have a
party which will have an alliance with MDC formations," said
Mbudzi.
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Eddie Cross
04 June
2009
Eddie Cross suggests that Zanu-PF's power and authority is
beginning to ebb
away
In an estuary the turn of the tide happens
every day - when it happens it is
difficult to see at first but soon the
water starts to run, slowly at first
and then like a flood, sweeping all in
front of it and even tempering the
incoming waves. Are we seeing the first
signs in Zimbabwe?
I think Zanu PF now knows that they made some poor
choices when they
manipulated the final outcome of the GPA and tried to
protect their position
in the country. MDC ended up with all the Ministries
that are concerned with
the delivery of the basic needs of ordinary people,
health, education,
water, sanitation, roads and basic welfare and food
requirements. Zanu
concentrated on what they saw as controlling the
political process - media
and information, the security services, the
Reserve Bank, the Justice
system, foreign affairs and land.
Many of
those choices now look like poison chalices. They know now that they
will be
forced to allow reform of the media - that is just a matter of time
and
already the media is changing. Their control of the security services
without the money to satisfy their need for a liveable wage and decent
living and working conditions as well as new toys to play with, is like
being tossed a hot coin. This past week the security chiefs gathered to
consider what to do with their increasingly restive forces.
The
Reserve Bank Governor might still be in his office on the top of that
glass
and concrete tower, but underneath him are empty vaults and few staff.
What
staff he still has wonder how they are going to be paid at the month
end. It
is rumoured that Gono offered to retire - in return for US$10
million. Cheap
at any price in my view but he was given no choice by the
State President -
'you stay where you are!' MDC attacks on the post were met
with a barrage of
statements by all sorts of people saying that if
necessary, they would
'fight' to defend that empty building.
Why they are defending the
position of Gono is no mystery, he know all the
secrets, who took what and
when and where the stuff is held. He has all the
bank account numbers and if
he was loose on the streets he would be
dangerous to all of the
beneficiaries.
Even the control of Foreign Affairs is proving an
embarrassment. While Mr.
Mugabe has no choice as to where he can or cannot
go and who will receive
him, the Prime Minister takes off on Saturday and
his itinerary looks like a
trip through the pages of who is who! Starting
with Obama and Merkel, going
on to Brown and then the leadership the Nordic
States, the Netherlands and
France. The Foreign Minister - well it was not
even clear that he was going
to get a visa! If he does, you bet he will get
little else except permission
to carry the Prime Ministers
bag.
Diplomats, almost universally, give little significance to the
Foreign
Minister, they simply circumvent him and deal direct with the people
they
regard as being democrats.
Since Zanu PF destroyed the economy,
tax receipts have fallen to less than
half of what we need to run the
country. The rest has to come from the
international community - and that
group is dominated by the very countries
that are demanding change. So when
they release resources they make pretty
sure they are not being co-opted by
the remaining elements of the old
regime. They spend their money in those
areas where the MDC happens to be in
charge - health services, education,
services and essential food supplies.
This means that in many instances
the MDC is delivering and the people know
it. The transformation of the
economy is clearly the result of MDC efforts -
after all we have now
ring-fenced and neutralised Gono who was the sole prop
of the previous
regime.
It's not hard to see the continued failures of Zanu PF - they
control
agriculture and land policy - and both are in a complete shambles.
They
declared their intention to restore production of basic foods and other
agricultural products only to lose what was left of the winter cereals
industry. Little wheat and barley has been planted. Now they might lose what
is left of the tobacco industry and if that happens then the vast
infrastructure that once supported the third largest exporter of tobacco in
the world will simple disappear along with tens of thousands of jobs.
Everyone will know who was responsible for that.
As far as land
reform is concerned the Courts are about to rule that
everything Zanu PF
have done since 1998 has been illegal. The thousands of
people they have
turned off their land in an illegal orgy of theft and
pillage are going to
be granted full compensation by the Courts and they are
then going to have
to worry about paying the bills that will ensue. Anyway,
the people they
allowed to loot the industry have proved to be totally
incompetent when it
comes to making the assets they stole, productive.
The reality is that
the centre of their whole political programme over the
past decade is
disintegrating. They said they were taking the land to
rectify an historical
wrong and to restore the rights of the indigenous
population, only to
compound the injustice and to disable two thirds of the
total population.
Our surveys told us 10 years ago that land reform was low
on the list of the
priorities of the ordinary Zimbabwean. That has not
changed and the huge
investment that Zanu has made in this issue has created
a political landmine
that now lies in their path to survival.
Zanu tried to keep us out of any
transitional administration - they have
failed. They have done everything
that they can to try to evict us and put
us back on the street - they have
failed. They are trying to show that we do
not have any real power in this
new administration only to discover that
their own weakness is thereby
exposed for all to see. They are being
gradually forced to actually live up
to the deal they were forced to accept
and sign in September last year, as
that process unfolds, enforced by the
region and South Africa, so they will
appreciate, like the hard men in South
Africa after 1990, that this tide is
not reversible and leads in only one
direction.
Eddie Cross is MP for
Bulawayo South and the MDC's Policy Coordinator. This
article first appeared
on his website www.eddiecross.africanherd.com
Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM - No..zw with "For
Open Letter
Forum" in the subject line.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
The Tide Turns
2. J.L. Robinson
3. Clintons Response
4. A
Loyal Zimbabwean
5. As agriculture slides further into anarchy
......
6. Dear JAG and everyone else who reads these
letters,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
The Tide Turns
In an estuary the turn of the tide happens every day -
when it
happens it is difficult to see at first but soon the water starts to
run,
slowly at first and then like a flood, sweeping all in front of it
and
even tempering the incoming waves. Are we seeing the first signs
in
Zimbabwe?
I think Zanu PF now knows that they made some poor
choices when they
manipulated the final outcome of the GPA and tried to
protect their
position in the country. MDC ended up with all the Ministries
that are
concerned with the delivery of the basic needs of ordinary
people,
health, education, water, sanitation, roads and basic welfare and
food
requirements. Zanu concentrated on what they saw as controlling
the
political process - media and information, the security services,
the
Reserve Bank, the Justice system, foreign affairs and land.
Many of those
choices now look like poison chalices. They know now that
they will be forced
to allow reform of the media - that is just a
matter of time and already the
media is changing. Their control of the
security services without the money
to satisfy their need for a liveable
wage and decent living and working
conditions as well as new toys to play
with, is like being tossed a hot coin.
This past week the security chiefs
gathered to consider what to do with their
increasingly restive forces.
The Reserve Bank Governor might still be in
his office on the top of that
glass and concrete tower, but underneath him
are empty vaults and few
staff.
What staff he still has wonder how
they are going to be paid at the month
end. It is rumoured that Gono offered
to retire - in return for
US$10 million. Cheap at any price in my view but he
was given no choice
by the State President - "you stay where you are!" MDC
attacks on the
post were met with a barrage of statements by all sorts of
people saying
that if necessary, they would "fight" to defend that empty
building.
Why they are defending the position of Gono is no mystery, he
know all
the secrets, who took what and when and where the stuff is held. He
has
all the bank account numbers and if he was loose on the streets he
would
be dangerous to all of the beneficiaries.
Even the control of
Foreign Affairs is proving an embarrassment. While
Mr. Mugabe has no choice
as to where he can or cannot go and who will
receive him, the Prime Minister
takes off on Saturday and his itinerary
looks like a trip through the pages
of who is who! Starting with Obama
and Merkel, going on to Brown and then the
leadership the Nordic States,
the Netherlands and France. The Foreign
Minister - well it was not
even clear that he was going to get a visa! If he
does, you bet he will
get little else except permission to carry the Prime
Ministers bag.
Diplomats, almost universally, give little significance to
the Foreign
Minister, they simply circumvent him and deal direct with the
people they
regard as being democrats.
Since Zanu PF destroyed the
economy, tax receipts have fallen to less
than half of what we need to run
the country. The rest has to come from
the international community - and that
group is dominated by the
very countries that are demanding change. So when
they release resources
they make pretty sure they are not being co-opted by
the remaining
elements of the old regime. They spend their money in those
areas where
the MDC happens to be in charge - health services,
education,
services and essential food supplies.
This means that in
many instances the MDC is delivering and the people
know it. The
transformation of the economy is clearly the result of MDC
efforts - after
all we have now ring-fenced and neutralised Gono
who was the sole prop of the
previous regime.
It's not hard to see the continued failures of Zanu PF -
they
control agriculture and land policy - and both are in a
complete
shambles. They declared their intention to restore production of
basic
foods and other agricultural products only to lose what was left of
the
winter cereals industry. Little wheat and barley has been planted.
Now
they might lose what is left of the tobacco industry and if that
happens
then the vast infrastructure that once supported the third
largest
exporter of tobacco in the world will simple disappear along with
tens of
thousands of jobs.
Everyone will know who was responsible for
that.
As far as land reform is concerned the Courts are about to rule
that
everything Zanu PF have done since 1998 has been illegal. The
thousands
of people they have turned off their land in an illegal orgy of
theft and
pillage are going to be granted full compensation by the Courts and
they
are then going to have to worry about paying the bills that will
ensue.
Anyway, the people they allowed to loot the industry have proved to
be
totally incompetent when it comes to making the assets they
stole,
productive.
The reality is that the centre of their whole
political programme over
the past decade is disintegrating. They said they
were taking the land to
rectify an historical wrong and to restore the rights
of the indigenous
population, only to compound the injustice and to disable
two thirds of
the total population. Our surveys told us 10 years ago that
land reform
was low on the list of the priorities of the ordinary Zimbabwean.
That
has not changed and the huge investment that Zanu has made in this
issue
has created a political landmine that now lies in their path to
survival.
Zanu tried to keep us out of any transitional administration -
they
have failed. They have done everything that they can to try to evict
us
and put us back on the street - they have failed. They are trying
to
show that we do not have any real power in this new administration
only to
discover that their own weakness is thereby exposed for all to
see. They are
being gradually forced to actually live up to the deal they
were forced to
accept and sign in September last year, as that process
unfolds, enforced by
the region and South Africa, so they will
appreciate, like the hard men in
South Africa after 1990, that this tide
is not reversible and leads in only
one direction.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 4th June
2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.
Dear JAG,
When General Brook went to France to command the BEF - he
realized that
in effect, there could be no plan on that occasion. He called
Churchill
and informed him accordingly. Churchill protested over the fact
that he
had given the French a commitment. Brook never wavered -he told
Churchill
that there was "no military reason" to remain in France but
that
he was under Churchill's orders. Churchill then realized that
the BEF in the
form of 250 000 men was at stake - and in fact the whole
war. Later, Brook
informed Churchill that who ever won the battle for
North Africa would
probably win the whole war. Again Churchill listened.
Rommel explained
exactly the same plan to Hitler. Hitler decided that he
was a genius not
Rommel. John Robertson appears to be a General Brook -
an Economic General
Brook - he pointed out years ago that what Zanu was
doing with property
rights and the banking system would destroy the
country. The Campbell case in
Windhoek is to legally tie the SADC GNU to
the SADC legal process. It would
appear that Mr. Biti and Mr. Coltart -
both "legal beagles" - need to think
about Churchill in the
context of Zimbabwe's Economic General Robertson. We
have seen the
genius of Bloch and Gono and can easily match it to the Petain
of the
past - simply "Nazi or Zanu MGS" ("Mujiba Genius Syndrome.") Now
Zimbabwe
needs some economic and political leadership - and a plan. Can the
GNU
listen to the General - or do they now have GSI (Genius Syndrome
Infection?)
J.L.
Robinson
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.
Dear Jag
Clintons Response
1. CONFLICT IN AGRICULTURE IN ZIMBABWE
- Ben Freeth
Mr Freeth thanks for an Enlightening response.
2. Born
and bred and on a Zim (Green mamba) passport
The English have a saying, if a
dog is born in a stable it does not make
it a horse
3. Misconception
from Clinton
I agree I do have a large amount of misinformation but
unfortunately the
misconception is on your part and it is hard to believe
that you say "We
therefore ALL descend from NOAH." when that was the very
thing used from
the bible to divide man and the basis for apartied.
To
make my earlier letter simpler what is happening to the whites is
a
holocaust, the colour of your skin is your star of David, History
repeating
itself, learn from the past and exit Africa's Germany.
C l i
n t o
n
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.
Dear JAG,
Congratulations to the majority of our Government of National
Unity for
the good work they are doing in saving our beloved and beautiful
Country
from the brink of total anarchy and chaos.
Unfortunately
however there is a small group of individuals working as
hard as they can to
destroy this Country completely, mainly by trying to
undermine and destroy
our hard working legally elected Government. As far
as I am concerned these
people are simply selfish, greedy common thieves
and bandits.
A
typical example is this despicable woman who has in addition to trying
to
destroy our Government, completely in the open, for the whole of
Zimbabwe and
the World to see, stolen part of our (all Zimbabwean's) last
little vestiges
of our ability to earn much needed foreign currency,
which actually belongs
to the whole Country, thanks to the hard work of a
few people working for the
betterment of Zimbabwe.
Surely the likes of her and her gangster friends
should be indicted for
treason! According to the Oxford dictionary, treason
means "violation by
subject of allegiance to sovereign or to chief authority
of State".
A lot of the people who are involved in these acts of treason
are
actually high ranking officials. They should know better and should,
in
fact, be setting an example. Even some Members in charge of some
police
stations are heavily involved in this treason plot. One tends to
wonder
if the unilaterally appointed Attorney General is not himself
very
heavily involved in this plot of treason. His actions and
public
statements certainly point that way.
Because of the damage this
handful of bandits are trying so hard to do to
our Country and Government,
surely they should be brought to book.
Perhaps this subject should come
up for discussion in Parliament with
proposals of how this very serious
matter should be dealt.
If we allow this situation to continue we have no
hope of attracting
International recognition or help and in addition we look
a bunch of
total idiots.
A Loyal
Zimbabwean
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear
JAG,
Just thought I would mention my recent observations - as
agriculture
slides further into anarchy, and any rule of law is totally
disregarded,
there seems to be cartels on the ground going around mopping up
what land
they can, to grow tobacco this season. If these cartels are allowed
to
lease land from the "new owners" why are the legitimate owners
not
allowed to go back and farm? I see the role of the individual
commercial
farmer being diminished, and being replaced by corporates. Does
this mean
that the end game for us, is compensation and not the chance to
farm
again? Just a thought........
Kind
regards,
Bruce.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.
Dear JAG and everyone else who reads these letters,
I LOVE this country.
I am so pleased it's never entered my head to
leave.
The beautiful
blue, blue skies day after day after day. The stars at
night, which are the
most beautiful thing in this whole universe.
Millions of Americans have never
ever seen a star! The best weather in
the WORLD.
It is so exciting
here. I've heard that in Oz everything goes tick tock
tick tock tick tock
tick tock tick tock constantly day in and day out
month after month,
forever. Here you don't know if you will walk outside
your door and find
civil war is raging. You don't know when you might
have to grab those
important documents and run for your life. You have
no idea when your farm
or business might be taken or when your house
might be smashed or trashed.
And you never know when you can sell
something for 100 times the price you
bought it for!
And what CHARACTERS we have living here. In the old days -
Ed Hull, the
Drysdales and Roy Bennett to name a few. These days, Scott Bean,
Roy
Ormerod, BJ Meikle.
There's always something to laugh at. Where
else do you see someone
asleep in a wheel-barrow?
The people are so
friendly!! Look at the Black population that walk the
streets. Do they moan
and grumble? They surely must have a lot to whinge
about! They are always
friendly, respectful and chatty. Us Zimbabweans
CARE for each other. What
an amazing community we have.
I love it here, love it, love it and always
have. Thank YOU everyone for
making this the wonderful place it is with the
most tremendous people.
And thank You, Lord, for the gift of this beautiful
country.
You may think that I might have no reason to complain. But my
1st husband
was killed by terrorists, my oldest daughter killed in a car
crash and my
2nd husband killed in a road accident. I also lost my farm just
after
that and with it, my entire income and my home. Yes, I have
suffered.
Maybe you think I don't know what it's like to be split up from
my
family. I have no husband, my one son is in UK, my other in Oz, and
my
daughter in Zambia. All 25 of my first cousins, who were all close to
me
are all scattered round the whole world. Not one lives here. So when
I
get a flat tyre, I have to change it myself, and let me tell you, a
4x4
wheel is HEAVY!!
Kathy Hull.