By KITSEPILE NYATHI NATION
CORRESPONDENT Posted Wednesday, June 6 2012 at 20:17
HARARE,
Wednesday
Fears are mounting that Zimbabwe’s military will seize power in
the event of President Robert Mugabe’s death or electoral defeat.
A
top army general on Wednesday said they would not allow anyone who does not
share the ideals of the veteran ruler’s Zanu PF party to lead the
country.
“As the military, we do not only believe, but act in defence
of these values and we will not respect any leader who does not respect the
revolution,” Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) chief of staff Major General Trust
Mugoba said.
“We will not even allow them to go into office because they
do not represent the ideology we fought for. “As the military establishment,
we have an ideology that is represented in the mission of Zanu
PF.”
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai believes that such statements are
aimed at him and is worried about a repeat of the violence that marred the
2008 elections.
President Mugabe who turned 88 in February and is
rumoured to be battling ill health wants elections this year.
The
army was blamed for the deadly violence that marred the previous elections
where over a hundred supporters of Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) were killed.
On Tuesday the former trade unionist told civil
society that the army had lowered its recruitment requirements to recruit
Zanu PF aligned militias ahead of the elections.
He threatened to
pull out of the elections if the generals did not stop interfering in
politics. “We know why this is being done. It is being done to undermine
free and fair elections.
“It’s not an election, it’s a war and we will
not be part of that war. They will go it alone,” Mr Tsvangirai
said.
“They (generals) are serving members and we would hope their
fundamental principle is to uphold the constitution and serve the people of
Zimbabwe.’’
The issue of security sector institutions
being partisan in favour of ZANU PF has raised its ugly head again, as the
main political parties struggle to negotiate a roadmap towards a peaceful
election.
Addressing mourners at the funeral of the late
Lieutenant-Colonel Thabani Khumalo, Major General Trust Mugoba reportedly
said that military ideology is best represented in ZANU PF’s
mission.
The comments come just weeks after another senior army chef,
Major General Martin Chedondo, said that military officials should be
allowed to participate in the country’s political activities.
In a
statement, the MDC-T said: “Mugoba’s statement raises serious doubts on the
professionalism of the army, more so, when it comes from a general who is
supposed to lead by example.
The party called for “immediate security
sector reforms”, saying this would guarantee the secrecy of the vote and
ensure the security of the voter in the next election.
The MDC-T
parliamentary chief whip Innocent Gonese told SW Radio Africa that the
military chiefs belong in the barracks and the camps, and those who want to
participate in politics should take off their uniforms and join the
political arena.
“Our greatest concern though is that we have a
situation where we are not sure whether there will be a transfer of power
after the election or whether the military will interfere and ignore the
results. That is a serious concern,” Gonese explained.
He added that
the MDC-T will continue to push for key reforms agreed to in the GPA ahead
of the elections, but said it is unfortunate that there is no mechanism to
force implementation by the parties.
The acting Police Commissioner,
Augustine Chihuri, and other military chiefs have in the past made similar
public comments, declaring loyalty to ZANU PF and at times insulting MDC-T
President Morgan Tsvangirai.
The police force has also clearly shown
through their actions that they have unspoken instructions not to arrest
ZANU PF thugs who perpetrate violence. Victims of ZANU PF violence who
report the incidents to the police almost always end up being arrested
instead.
Another example of the police’s partisan behaviour was seen
following the death of MDC-T chairman for ward 1 Mudzi North, Cephas Magura,
who was killed by a ZANU PF mob last week. Police officials had ignored
pleas for help from people at the rally raided by the ZANU PF gang, and also
stood by as the mob assaulted innocent rally goers.
Gonese said it is
the top officials in the army, police and intelligence units who are
partisan, and not most of the junior officers who are given
orders.
“The decision whether to participate in the elections under
these conditions will have to be made by the appropriate body, and that is
the MDC-T National Council,” Gonese said.
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says
he will confront President Robert Mugabe over continued threats by senior
security officers that they will not respect any election outcome that does
not retain the 88-year-old leader's Zanu PF party in power.
Civic
group representatives who met Tsvangirai on Tuesday to discuss electoral
reforms, the state of the unity government and the constitution-making
process, also expressed serious concern at remarks by Zimbabwe National Army
Major General Trust Mugoba that the military establishment backs Zanu
PF.
Speaking at the funeral parade of Lieutenant-Colonel Thabani Khumalo
at Imbizo Barracks in Bulawayo Tuesday, Major Mugoba said the army will
fight with their blood any leader whose policies are different from Mugabe's
party.
At the just-ended Southern Africa Development Community summit
in Luanda, Angola, Mr. Tsvangirai also told regional leaders that he is
disturbed by the “unconstitutional and treasonous” statements being made by
service chiefs that they will not respect the constitution and any election
outcome that does not favor his rival, Mugabe.
Organizing Secretary
Nelson Chamisa of Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC formation told VOA that the meeting
with civic groups discussed many issues concerning the country.
Zanu
PF and the Movement for Democratic Change Formation formation of Trade
Minister Welshman Ncube snubbed Tsvangirai's meeting.
National
Constitution Assembly information officer Blessing Vava said civic groups
are concerned by the constitution-making process which he says is ignoring
the people's views.
Political analyst Pedzisayi Ruhanya, a PHD candidate
at Westminster University in London, commented that regional leaders must
rein in Zimbabwe’s securocrats to ensure continued stability in the southern
African region.
The
MDC is seriously concerned by the partisan statement made by Major General
Trust Mugoba in support of Zanu PF and condemns such utterances in the
strongest terms.
In his remarks at a funeral parade for the late
Lieutenant-Colonel Thabani Khumalo at Imbizo Barracks he said the military
establishment has an ideology represented in the mission of Zanu
PF.
The Party is concerned that senior army officials are taking every
public gathering as an opportunity to announce their allegiance to Zanu PF.
Mugoba’s statement raises serious doubts on the professionalism of the army,
more so, when it comes from a general who is supposed to lead by
example.
What is worrying is that the State security agents seem to be
undeterred by UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navanethem Pillay and SADC’s
call to stop politically-motivated violence and restore the rule of
law.
Only Last month, another senior army officer, Major General Martin
Chedondo called on army personnel to actively participate in national
politics contrary to the laws of the country.
Therefore, the MDC
calls for the immediate security sector reforms so as to guarantee the
secrecy of the vote in the next election. Reforms will ensure security of
the vote and the voter.
The people’s struggle for real change –
Let’s finish!!!
Harare, June 06, 2012 - The
European Union delegation in Zimbabwe on Tuesday denounced violence that
caused the death by stoning of a supporter of the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC)led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party within two weeks
after the visit of the UN rights chief Navi Pillay.
Cephas Magura, an
MDC supporter, was murdered in cold blood last week after clashes between
MDC and Zanu (PF) supporters at Chimukoko business centre in Mudzi
Mashonaland East province, in full view of police officers who were deployed
to monitor meetings carried out by the two main political parties.
"The
European Union Delegation deplores that politically motivated violence
flared once again in Zimbabwe soon after the visit of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, and after repeated appeals from the Inclusive
Government Principals to put an end to such acts," the EU delegation in
Zimbabwe said.
"Reports indicate that the rally was properly
authorised but was disrupted violently by a parallel demonstration by Zanu
(PF) militants, without the Zimbabwe Republican Police being able or willing
to stop them. It is worrying to note reports indicating that Zanu (PF) local
politicians and the MP for the area were present at the
events."
The EU delegation said it is encouraging to note the
condemnation for these criminal acts that came from across the political
spectrum. Both Zanu (PF) and MDC formations, in their Joint Monitoring
Implementation Committee meetings, condemned the killing of
Magura.
"We welcome the mobilisation of the JOMIC Provincial committee
and the arrest of six accused perpetrators. The EU Delegation looks forward
to urgent action by the police authorities and the Attorney General's office
to bring the alleged perpetrators and their instigators to justice, in order
to give a clear and unequivocal message that political violence is totally
unacceptable in Zimbabwe," the EU said.
The EU also said it welcomed
the recent SADC Summit Communiqué on Zimbabwe, which urged the political
parties in the government of national unity to implement the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) and the roadmap to peaceful and credible
elections.
The EU delegation said their statement is also being supported
or associated by embassies of Norway, Canada and Australia.
Harare, June 6, 2012 –
Zimbabwe’s civil society groups have asked the United Nations to set up a
permanent human rights office in Zimbabwe to monitor violence.
At a
joint press briefing in Harare Wednesday, the voluntary groups accused the
state of backtracking on its promises to observe human rights following last
week's murder of Cephas Magura, an MDC-T Ward chairperson for Mudzi North,
during clashes with Zanu (PF) supporters.
“We urge the UN to maintain
a permanent presence ...watching over the protection of human rights...,"
noted a statement that was delivered by Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
executive director Abel Chikomo.
National Constitutional Assembly
chairman, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, described Magura’s killing as "very
shocking".
“That incident is an indication that the instruments of
violence are still in place and we have to work to ensure that they are
dismantled.”
The civic society also said the security sector must be
reformed.
Image from the front cover of a new Solidarity Peace
Trust report, Perils and Pitfalls‐ Migrants and Deportation in
SA
By Alex
Bell
06 June
2012
Concern has been
raised this week over ongoing abuses documented during the deportation of
foreigners in South Africa, with rights groups warning that the practice is
doing more harm than good.
The Solidarity
Peace Trust and the refugee rights group PASSOP on Tuesday released a new
report, titled: “Perils and Pitfalls – Migrants and Deportation in South
Africa.” The report details the discrepancies between the legal requirements
around deportation of migrants and the anomalies in its practical application.
An accompanying video has also been released, with testimonies from many
Zimbabweans and other foreigners in South Africa about the treatment they face
there.
The two groups
said that it is clear from the findings of the report that South Africa is
falling short of its “lofty legal standards in the manner that the various
government agencies are dealing with this huge challenge.” The groups warned
that “the overall picture of abuse, corruption, lack of capacity, and the
neglect of the rule of law in this area is a cause of great
concern.”
The report details
how the deportation issue is a particular challenge regarding Zimbabwe, “with
Zimbabweans making up the largest number of migrants in South Africa in the
context of the crisis that has engulfed that country for over a
decade.”
“The hope that the
SADC mediated Global Political Agreement would provide the basis for a long-term
stabilisation in the country is yet to be fulfilled, and South African
leadership in this process remains critical,” the Solidarity Peace Trust and
PASSOP said.
Their report
states that this process has placed increasing pressure on South Africa, and as
a result, deportation has become an instrument to deter migration, to the
detriment of South Africa’s own international and domestic legal
obligations.
Professor Brian
Raftopolous, one of the key authors of the report, told SW Radio Africa on
Monday that South Africa is not abiding by its own legal requirements,
explaining how the report found “an array of inconsistencies, violations and
abuses.”
This includes an
“alarming trend of disregard for law,” in terms of the verification/screening
process of so called illegal immigrants. The report warns that this process is
not transparent and has a dangerous effect on the sentiment towards foreign
nationals in South Africa.
The report also
says that the corruption and harassment during the arrest of foreigners “also
appear to be occurring on a national scale,” while the detention stage in the
deportation process was “littered with abuse, neglect and failure to respect the
rule of law.”
Professor
Raftopolous explained that abuses, including child abuse, beatings and
intimidation, are an ongoing problem in the deportation practice. He added that
these findings show that deportations “are a short term solution that doesn’t
work.”
He explained that
because of South Africa’s commitments to helping solve the crisis in Zimbabwe,
the deportation practise should be suspended immediately.
“We want South
Africa to treat Zimbabweans and other foreigners not only as citizens of other
countries, but as human beings,” Raftopolous said.
The
massive migration out of Zimbabwe, the largest in the region’s history, was
more tragic even than the political violence during recent elections, senior
Zimbabwe scholar, Brian Raftopoulos believes.
Raftopoulos, Director of
Research and Advocacy in the Solidarity Peace Trust, addressed media and
civil rights organisations in Johannesburg on Tuesday on migrants and
deportations of African asylum seekers. He praised SADC for remaining
constant in its mission to achieve a solution to the never-ending,
exhausting political crisis in Zimbabwe.
“The displacement of people as a
result of the destruction of livelihoods within Zimbabwe has seen this
massive movement of Zimbabweans out of their country into the region and
elsewhere in the world.”
He said this migration of nearly 15 percent of
Zimbabwe’s population had placed “great pressure” on countries hosting
Zimbabweans.
Last week SADC’s Zimbabwe mediation team, led by President
Jacob Zuma, resisted pressure from President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF
party at a summit in Angola to allow elections this year without a new
constitution.
Raftopoulos said the new constitution was the “heart” of
the multi party Global Political Agreement, or GPA, which ushered in an
inclusive government more than three years ago.
Despite many
obstacles SADC has remained consistent in its demands that Zimbabwe must
have a new constitution ahead of its next elections, Raftopoulos
said.
"They (Zanu PF) were hoping they could … bully SADC ... They told a
lot of political lies about not needing a new constitution.”
Zanu PF
has consistently delayed the tortuous process of drawing up a new
constitution and tried to abort the first draft of the new charter weeks
before the SADC summit.
“One of the advantages of the GPA (mediated
by former president Thabo Mbeki after violent elections won by the Movement
for Democratic Change in 2008) was that it forced Mugabe and Zanu PF into a
broader accountability structure which included SADC…and helped keep
Zimbabwe from slipping into the abyss.”
“Zanu PF has had a monopoly
of power for so long and that insertion into a broader accountability was a
huge step for Zimbabwe.”
Raftopoulos said one of the remaining sticking
points still under negotiation for a new constitution was devolution of
power which Zanu PF was resisting as the central government, via purchasing
and tenders favourable to Zanu PF leaders, helped keep the party powerful
despite its loss of popular support.
“Its strength lies within the
state… so keeping control of those patronage networks at a central level is
absolutely essential to Zanu PF’s future as a party.”
South Africa
has deported more than 1.4 million “illegals” at a cost of R1.8 billion
between between 2003 and 2008 when xenophobic violence erupted according to
Braam Hanekom, South African refugee rights activist. “As of April 2012, the
refugee appeals board was backlogged by more than 166 000 asylum
applications waiting to be reviewed.”
He said present trends were that
more than 90 percent of applications for refugee status had been turned
down.
Solidarity Peace Trust and Hanekom’s People against Suffering,
Oppression and Poverty, PASSOP, released a joint report on Tuesday, “Perils
and pitfalls: Migrants and deportation in South Africa” .
Hanekom
said at present many Zimbabwean and other undocumented African asylum
seekers were being hunted down by the police and that deportations were not
only unaffordable but could spark another round of xenophobic
violence.
Raftopoulos warned that the implementation of South
Africa’s legal framework for asylum seekers needed urgent reform. -
Independent Foreign Service
Eric Matinenga, the Minister of
Constitutional Affairs and a prominent MDC-T member, is disillusioned with
goings-on in his party and the Government of National Unity. He said the
power sharing deal agreed to was not working and urged political parties to
form a coalition to dislodge Zanu (PF) from power. 06.06.1201:05pm by
Tapiwa Zivira
In an exclusive interview with The Zimbabwean, he said the
on-going power struggles between Zanu (PF) and the MDC-T, and within the
parties themselves, were the largest impediment to economic and democratic
reforms.
“As much as we would have liked to see the GNU moving the
country forward in terms of these reforms, the Zanu (PF) side has
unfortunately dwelt on power and control,” said Matinenga.
The
distribution of power in the unity government is heavily inclined towards
Zanu (PF), which still controls the army and the police and national
intelligence, he said. Acute disagreements characterise the operations of
the various ministries, parastatals and other departments.
“Zanu (PF)
are the movers and shakers in the GNU and they have been doing whatever they
want,’’ added Matinenga. He is angered by the recent decision by the
Attorney General, Johannes Tomana, to halt the prosecution of MPs accused of
swindling the Constituency Development Fund, saying it was a move by the AG
to protect members of Mugabe’s party.
Matinenga, who is also the Member
of Parliament for Buhera West, expressed disappointment with internal fights
in the MDC-T and urged the party to put its house in order.
“The MDC
calls itself a party of excellence and I wish they could walk the talk. I am
not happy at what I have seen and I would like the party to give itself a
new beginning,” he said in reference to divisions within the party.
MDC-T
has of late been rocked by infighting as members jostle for power. The
national leadership had to intervene when violence broke out in Mashonaland
East province recently. It was blamed on vote buying by some of its
members.
Matinenga will leave politics at the next election and he has
already announced that he will go back to his legal profession where he is
an advocate. The candid politician acknowledged that party president, Morgan
Tsvangirai, wielded little power in the GNU, but expressed optimism that he
could make a good leader given the chance to rule.
Even though
Tsvangarai wields executive powers in the current administration, he has
played second fiddle to President Robert Mugabe, who “won” the one-horse
2008 rerun, which was internationally condemned.
Service chiefs have
repeatedly refused to salute Tsvangirai and Mugabe has made numerous key
appointments without consulting him, flouting the Global Political Agreement
of 2008 that defines the roadmap to democratic transformation.
Asked
about what he thought of the persistent criticism of Tsvangirai’s leadership
qualities, Matinenga said his boss had not been able to exercise his
authority fully.
“It will be unfair for me to judge him (Tsvangirai)
because he has not been given the full opportunity to affect decisions in
the unity government,’’ said Matinenga, who remains upbeat that his boss is
capable of winning a free and fair election.
Tsvangirai has been
heavily criticised for making costly decisions and failing to turn around
Zimbabwe’s economic fortunes after entering into the coalition with Zanu
(PF) and Welshman Ncube’s smaller MDC formation.
On President Robert
Mugabe’s continued failure to address the burning succession issue in Zanu
(PF), Matinenga said it showed that the veteran ruler did not care about the
party – but only about his own selfish gains.
“With respect, if he
(Mugabe) was a capable leader or if he cared about the party, he would have
put in place measures to ensure a smooth succession debate. But it seems he
just wants to die in office and he does not care about what happens
thereafter,” said Matinenga.
A South African civil rights leader this week blamed
Zimbabwe’s stuttering push for full-fledged democracy on extreme
polarisation.
by Staff
Reporter
Despite the
formation of a national unity government three years ago,Zimbabwean political
parties are still pulling in different directions and Gcina Mahlasela, a member
of the National Education Health and Allied Workers, said this was undermining
the push for democracy and economic prosperity in the country.
“Zimbabweans need
unity to identify who the enemy is because this mistrust of each other is not
taking them anywhere,” said Mahlasela.
He was speaking
during a recent briefing on the constitutional reformprocess in Zimbabwe,
organised by the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum inJohannesburg.
“During the
apartheid era, South Africans knew who their enemy was and directed their
efforts towards defeating that enemy, but Zimbabweans do not have the same
spirit”.
“They need to
consolidatetheir effort towards the constitutional reform exercise, then hold
elections that will restore democracy,” he added.
His comments came
after Jessie Majome, the Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, who is
also a member of the Constitutional Select Committee, highlighted the
difficulties that Copac faced while trying to open Zimbabwe’s
constitution.
Majome said what
came out of the charter was a compromise between Zanu (PF),MDC-T and the smaller
MDC faction led by Welshman Ncube.
Dewa Mavhinga,
Regional Coordinator of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said Zimbabweans did know
what they were fighting against.
“The enemy is the
Zanu (PF) system of governance, which has corrupted society and corrupted the
people,” said Mavhinga.”
People have been
subjected to fear by a system that rejects democracy and submits to kleptocracy,
a system that does not question leadership and has laws created to suppress the
people. Mugabe has continued to use the same template (inherited from colonial
times) to suppress Zimbabweans, but people know that they need to smash the Zanu
(PF) system and start afresh.”
Tell us about it
What do you think?
Is our lack of progress down to an inability to work together on a common goal?
Email: editor@thezimbabwean.co.uk
In 2009 Roy Bennett was arrested and accused of plotting
against Mugabe
By Lance
Guma 06 June 2012
Exiled MDC-T
Treasurer General Roy Bennett says he will go back to Zimbabwe and campaign for
his party, but only if conditions for free and fair elections have been created.
Bennett was a guest on SW Radio Africa’s Question Time programme and tackled
several questions raised by listeners.
In May 2010
Bennett was acquitted by Justice Chinembiri Bhunu of trumped up terrorism,
banditry and insurgency charges. The same judge however filed a law suit
claiming Bennett defamed him in an online interview were he allegedly said the
judge was biased.
With no confidence
in the judiciary, Bennett left the country to embark on a global advocacy
campaign for his party.
“I understand
there are two arrest warrants. One is for contempt of court, the other is for
perjury. It’s about the Generals running the country and repressing people they
feel are a threat to them. Anybody who is effective is targeted. Politics is
about grassroots support, constituencies and people’s votes,” he
said.
Bennett said the
persecution of MDC-T Youth Assembly chairman Solomon Madzore was an example of
his point. Madzore has been in custody for over eight months facing what the
party believe are discredited allegations he was part of a group that allegedly
killed a policeman. The trial only began this week Monday.
Bennett believes
Madzore and many like him are paying the price of being brave and effective in
what they do, saying: “He is more damaging to them (ZANU PF) outside prison than
sitting in a cell in Harare.”
In his own case
Bennett believes ZANU PF will never forgive him because, as a former party
member, he ‘delivered’ the entire ZANU PF structure in Chimanimani to the MDC
when the party was formed in 1999. Bennett says he will stand as an MP in
Chimanimani if people there still want him.
In the interview
broadcast Wednesday evening Bennett also commented on the downgrading of MDC-T
structures in the Diaspora, his reaction to former ZANU PF MP Tracy Mutinhiri
joining the MDC-T and the way forward for the GNU among other
issues.
HARARE – Robert Mugabe’s Spokesperson George Charamba says
Zimbabweans should move fast and prepare for elections as time is fast
running out on the election calendar.
In an interview with the State
media in Harare today Charamba said the expected visit by SADC appointed
facilitator, President Jacob Zuma which was ordered by the regional body as
a matter of urgency, is aimed at helping principals in the Global Political
Agreement iron out sticking points so that Zimbabweans can go for
elections.
Charamba said at the just ended SADC Troika Summit in Luanda,
all the three principals in the GPA acknowledged that elections have to come
soon as the life of parliament expires in March next year while that of the
President expires three months later.
On the constitution making
process, Charamba said SADC leaders expressed impatience at the slow pace of
the process and called on those involved to quickly conclude it.
“The
inclusive government itself has hit a phase of dysfunctionality where
development and other programmes such as funding for agricultural production
are not moving, thereby causing unnecessary shortages,” said
Charamba.
Charamba explained that there are clear differences of opinion
on certain issues which some parties want included in the draft which might
result in the rejection of the proposed new constitution.
If the
current parliament expires in March before elections are held, Zimbabwe will
face a constitutional crisis as even the Robert Mugabe does not have the
mandate to extend the legislature’s lifespan.
A recent report commissioned by MDC-T
treasurer, Roy Bennett, emphasises the need for the Zimbabwean security and
defence apparatus to have constitutionally-defined limits on
power. 06.06.1212:00pm by Steve Eldon Kerr
The drafters
hope the report will prompt Zimbabweans to debate the proper role of the
defence, police, and intelligence services coming out of three decades of
single party rule in which the security services were often used as the
ruling party’s militia.
Speaking to The Zimbabwean, Bennett said security
sector reform was at the centre of the struggle. “I’m trying to put
something on the table that will encourage discussion of what the security
sector could look like in the future. I want people to ask the question:
What is the best way to professionalise the armed forces?” Bennett
said.
The report stresses that a new constitution must delineate a clear
hierarchy in each security service, and that the civilian executive must be
supreme.
“In determining the respective functions of the civilian heads
and military commanders, a fundamental democratic principle is in view:
elected civilians formulate defence and security policy within the bounds of
the constitution and relevant legislation – and appointed civilian and
military personnel implement this policy,” the report
says.
Significant powers should be granted to Parliament in order to
assert democratic control over the security services, including legislative
powers, the power to set the budget, and powers of recall and review. The
specifics will be decided by an official review that will take place once a
new, democratic government is elected. “I’m certainly not an expert in
defence finance or the technicalities of security sector reform, so the ‘new
look’ Parliament in the future will be charged with putting together the
official review committee – and these experts will do a democratic review on
behalf of the people,” said Bennett.
The constitution will also
provide for a Defence and Security Inspectorate, headed by an
Inspector-General, giving Parliament indirect powers of prosecution. The
head will be an independent official who is appointed, and can be dismissed
at any time, by a two-thirds majority of Parliament.
“As members and
servants of society, security services personnel cannot operate above the
law; they are to be subject to it,” the report says. “Such control is vital
because the security services have a substantial history of, and capacity
for, organised violence.”
The Inspectorate can withhold information from
the public if they deem it “in the national security interest” subject to
judicial appeal. The report also outlines plans to inculcate an apolitical
security ethic, based on international standards of officership, among
security service personnel.
It advises the Cabinet to seek advice from
Zimbabwean and international experts to oversee the design and
implementation of an education programme aimed at depoliticising the
security services and teaching respect for human rights.
Security
services personnel will be allowed to vote, but cannot be card-carrying
members of political parties, join trade unions, or attend political
meetings in uniform unless on official duty.
The report recognises that
the programme “will have no value if misconduct is in any way sanctioned or
tolerated by the military or civilian authorities,” and personnel shall be
entitled to refuse to execute any order that constitutes an offence under
law.
Bennett was clear that professional soldiers – those unaligned with
political parties – from the current services would be part of the
reforms.
“We’re only going to include professional people and career
soldiers who haven’t taken on a political objective, or who haven’t used
their position in the military to protect themselves. If you’re doing that
sort of thing you’re not a professional soldier,” Bennett
said.
Zimbabwe is urged to cooperate with the SADC and adhere to all
international treaties it is a signatory to.
Although the report
focuses on the security services, the writers argue that “a democratic
government will recognise that the greatest threats to the Zimbabwean people
are not external but internal: socio-economic problems like poverty,
unemployment, poor education, the lack of housing and the absence of
adequate social services, as well as growing levels of crime and
violence.”
The committee for the official review will be formed
within 30 days of a new government taking office, and will not be
arbitrarily vindictive – past political affiliations, tribe, or race will
not disqualify members of the security services from serving a new
Zimbabwe.
As Bennett put it: “those who are using repression, force, and
fear to suppress the population will not take part in the reforms.”
When David
Coltart took over as Zimbabwe's minister of education, only 2 percent of schools
were open.
Zimbabwean opposition
leader David Coltart, left, meets with President Robert Mugabe, right.
(Reuters).
Last week, I sat
down with David Coltart in the Cato Institute's new library in Washington, DC,
to talk about Zimbabwe. I had not seen Coltart in three years and I was eager to
find out what was the political and economic situation in his country since the
2008 power-sharing agreement that, among other things, made him into the only
white member of Zimbabwe's cabinet.
Coltart was in
town lobbying for the removal of targeted sanctions on Robert Mugabe and his
inner circle. While Coltart, a human rights lawyer, is a vocal opponent of Mugabe -- and a member of the
rival political party -- he says he believes that the sanctions cause the
country more harm than good and provide the autocrat with a convenient
scapegoat. Dressed in a suit that has clearly seen better days and sipping a
real coke (no ice!), Coltart opened up about his love for his country and hopes
for a better future.
What was the
state of education in Zimbabwe when you became the minister of education in
February 2009?
In 2008, we only
had 28 full teaching days. When I took office in February 2009, 98 percent of
all schools were shut and 90,000 teachers were on strike. Exams from the
previous year were still unmarked. There was no money for education in the
government's budget, and textbook-to-pupil ratio was 15-to-one. My department
was not computerized and our data collection system had collapsed. Basically,
the education system was in an extreme crisis.
What have you
accomplished since taking over and what are the most pressing challenges
remaining?
First, I
established an open-door policy and a rapport with teachers' unions, which the
previous minister ignored and treated with suspicion. I allowed parents to pay
performance incentives to teachers whose salaries were a mere $100 per month
back then. Those policies resulted in teachers returning to work and today the
teacher attendance rate is excellent. I set up an education transition fund that
allowed the USA, UK, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands,
Japan, Australia, and New Zealand to bypass Zimbabwe's government and help to
finance our education system directly. I also managed to break a domestic
textbook publishing cartel -- three Zimbabwean companies that colluded to make
windfall profits. I authorized UNICEF [the United Nations Children's Fund] to
hold an international tender and the cost of books came down to 70 cents from
five dollars. Textbook ratio fell to 1-to-1 and is now the best in Africa.
The review of the
national curriculum remains a problem. Last reform of the curriculum was in
1986. It is clearly very outdated, but some in ZANU-PF [Zimbabwe African
National Union -- Patriotic Front, the ruling party] are being obstructionist,
because they fear the introduction of civic education and a more objective,
non-partisan history syllabus. Another problem is that teachers are still paid
only half [$400] of what their South African counterparts earn. We also worry
about the physical security of the teachers. Teachers are held in high regard --
especially in the rural areas -- where the ZANU-PF has traditionally been
relatively strong. Teachers are usually victimized during elections, because
people vote in schools and teachers are viewed as sympathetic to the opposition.
My worry is that in case of renewed violence, teachers will be targeted and
leave again.
The Movement
for Democratic Change, a Zimbabwean political party of which you are a member,
has been in a power-sharing agreement with Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF since
September 2008. How has the relationship between the two parties evolved over
the last three years?
It started as very
tense and distrustful. Later it has evolved into a more functional relationship,
not quite cordial, but functional. There is some close cooperation between the
MDC and more moderate elements within the ZANU-PF. There has even been the
occasional support in the cabinet and parliament for policies proposed by the
MDC.
Considering
that the ZANU-PF has retained control over the police, military and the Ministry
of Information, what has been done to increase political freedom -- including
freedom of information, speech, and assembly -- in Zimbabwe?
The media laws
have been relaxed. Two independent newspapers -- The Daily Newsand
Newsday -- are operating freely and doing well. Unfortunately, there has
been little liberalization when it comes to the broadcast media, such as the
radio and TV, which remain under ZANU-PF control. Internet is uncensored and
widely available, but it is relatively expensive. Freedom to protest is limited
by the Public Order and Security Act.
How were the
events of the Arab spring perceived in Zimbabwe? What do you think are the
prospects for political awakening in Africa in general or Zimbabwe in
particular?
The Arab Spring
was met by a mixed set of emotions. The ZANU-PF was horrified and tried to clamp
down on videos of protests in North Africa, and responded by arresting anyone
who suggested that similar protests would be a good idea in the Zimbabwean
context. The civil society proved remarkably unresponsive. A lot of people are
tired of the struggle. Let us also not forget that much of the human capital --
our best and brightest -- have left Zimbabwe and live abroad.
Do you expect
the next parliamentary and presidential elections, which are to be held next
year, to be peaceful, free, and fair?
I don't expect
them to be completely peaceful or totally fair, but I am hopeful that they will
be much freer than last time. There is potential that they will be the best
elections so far. The legal environment has improved. We will have better
election laws this time around. Also, one of the key benefits of being in the
same room with our opponents for three years is that they treat us with
diminished hostility.
Some analysts
predict that the power-sharing agreement will continue after the elections. Is
that a likely scenario?
It is certainly a
possibility. One scenario that I can envisage is collaboration between the
moderate wing of the ZANU-PF and the MDC. The benefit of this arrangement would
be to pacify the military and prevent a coup d'etat [by forces loyal to Mugabe]
after an expected MDC win. That would benefit the MDC, while allow the moderates
within ZANU-PF to have a stake in the future.
What can the
international community do to help in a peaceful transfer of power from the
ZANU-PF to the MDC?
I think that the
West should be more proactive. Some countries have largely disengaged from
Zimbabwe and that has played into the hands of the hardliners in the ZANU-PF. If
the Western countries reengage, ordinary Zimbabweans will be more confident that
the process of democratization will go on and succeed in the end. Ordinary
Zimbabweans will see that there are tangible benefits to an alliance with the
West and to democracy. Moderates in the ZANU-PF also need to be reengaged --
they have the power to keep the military in their barracks.
Having shrunk
40 percent following Robert Mugabe's expropriation of commercial farmers,
Zimbabwe's economy is growing again. What are the main drivers of growth?
The main drivers
of growth are primarily mining (platinum, gold, and diamonds), tourism, and
aspects of agriculture (tobacco and cotton). Industry has also picked up, but
industrial capacity utilization is still very low.
Some economists
believe that growth is driven by extractive industries, while the rest of the
economy -- such as manufacturing -- suffers due to the lack of the rule of law,
indigenization policies, etc. Zimbabwe remains one of the least economically
free countries in the world. What, if anything, is the government doing to
improve the business environment?
This is a highly
controversial area, because of a fundamental disagreement between the two
parties. The ZANU-PF is pushing for indigenization -- or redistribution of 51
percent of shares in businesses to African hands. Ostensibly, this measure is to
benefit ordinary Zimbabweans, but in reality it will only benefit senior ZANU-PF
leaders. There is, consequently, a lot of hostile rhetoric that deters domestic
and foreign investment. The MDC recognizes the need for empowerment of ordinary
Zimbabweans, but also the need for a good business environment, including low
tariffs and low taxes. We want to move beyond relying on extractive industries
and "grow the cake." As the cake grows, more Zimbabweans will benefit. The
ZANU-PF wants to redistribute the current cake, especially to its cronies. The
ZANU-PF is not ignorant of the requirements of competing in a global economy,
but they are self-interested and greedy. They see indigenization as electorally
popular and they like a discretionary business environment that allows them to
collect rents and bribes.
What is the
role of the Chinese in the Zimbabwean economy and also in terms of propping up
Robert Mugabe?
The Chinese role
in the economy is increasing. China is a source of cheap imports: clothes and
food. That is not a bad thing per se, but our business environment is so bad
that it does not allow our domestic firms to compete with the Chinese. They have
received huge infrastructure contracts -- like rebuilding the Victoria Falls
Airport -- and contracts to build roads. Most of the work is performed by the
Chinese, not Zimbabweans. The Chinese are also heavily involved in the mining
sector, especially in the mining of diamonds. There is precious little
transparency and we see almost no revenue from the diamond mines. Where is all
that money going? Is it going to the military or to ZANU-PF? I fear that may be
the case. The Chinese are also constructing a huge military intelligence
training center worth some $70 million for the ZANU-PF- controlled Ministry of
Defense. So, there is plenty to be concerned about.
Tens of
thousands of highly educated people have left Zimbabwe, but many would like to
return to their homeland one day. What would you say to them, regarding their
current and future prospects for making a decent living?
At present, it is
very difficult to attract Zimbabweans back to Zimbabwe. We have very few jobs
for professional and skilled people. We need them, but we cannot promise much to
them at present. They have to come home with their eyes wide open. Much will
depend on the outcome of the next election. Zimbabweans abroad must perceive
changes in Zimbabwe as fundamental and irreversible. But without the return of
these skilled Zimbabweans, future economic growth will be
stunted.
Zimbabweans
like to say "We make a plan," which underlines their resolve in the face of
crises. What is the general morale of the country these days, since
hyperinflation has been tamed? Do people feel like the worst is behind them, or
is there a widespread cynicism regarding people's ability to pursue their
livelihoods?
It is a mix.
People's lives have improved. We now have a currency (the U.S. dollar) that
retains its value, and shops and pharmacies are full. Development indicators are
improving. But many Zimbabweans fear that the hardliners in the military will
take the country back to 2008. There is also a growing cynicism over politicians
of all stripes, including some in the MDC. People see a huge difference in
wealth between the political class and the rest, and they do not like it. The
challenge for the MDC is to show people that it will fundamentally change
politics in Zimbabwe. People do not want to see a change of faces at the top
with no change in their lifestyles.
THE United States, Canada and other western nations have
failed in a bid to redefine “conflict diamonds” which would have given them
greater scope to block Zimbabwe’s diamonds, reports said
Thursday.
The Kimberley Process, which is currently chaired by the United
States, is meeting in Washington DC from June 4 to 7 for its annual meeting
to discuss the mining and trading of conflict diamonds.
On the table
were plans by western countries and their NGOs to reform the KP
certification scheme to address human rights violations.
But the
proposal “hit a brick wall as the idea was rejected by African and Asian
members during closed-door discussions by the Working Group on Reform”,
according to Sunday Mail editor, Brezhnev Malaba, who is with the Zimbabwe
delegation in Washington DC.
Malaba said KP member countries had been
sent a questionnaire in advance of the meeting exploring whether the
definition of conflict diamonds must be broadened to encompass “human
rights” issues, and 75 percent of the respondents had shot down the
proposal.
With resolutions of the KP deliberations not set to be
published until Friday, the Zimbabwe delegation was confident the motion had
been defeated.
One African delegate said: “During the Working Group on
Reform, attempts by the US to go into the merits or de-merits of changing
the definition of conflict diamonds was totally resisted.
“The whole
motion was shot down on account of its defective methodology. If the recent
survey clearly showed that more than 75 percent of the members were against
redefinition, on what basis was the US trying to force the matter
through?”
The Kimberley Process, founded in 2003, groups the diamond
industry, rights groups and 75 countries to certify rough diamonds as
"conflict-free" to assure purchasers they are not funding violence. It was
born after wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia that were fuelled by "blood
diamonds."
The KP originally banned diamonds from Marange after the army
moved in to drive out thousands of diamond hunters amid claims of human
rights abuses.
But subsequent monitoring missions by the KP have revealed
no rights abuses. But even then, the United States, Canada and their allies
continue to ban Zimbabwe diamonds and the flow of cash to the companies
doing mining which President Robert Mugabe says is a deliberate plot to
scuttle Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
In February, rights group
Global Witness, which quit the KP, cited fears that Mugabe loyalists were
using diamond revenue as an "off-budget cash cow" instead of rebuilding the
shattered economy.
It also said unspecified amounts of Zimbabwe's diamond
earnings were being stashed away in tax-free havens and could be used to
finance violence and intimidation in upcoming elections.
But this
stance is not supported by Zimbabwe’s finance minister Tendai Biti who wrote
a letter to the United States treasury last December pleading for the
removal of a ban on Marange diamonds.
“Zimbabwe is a poor fragile economy
and therefore it must be allowed to sell and benefit from its resources,”
Biti said. “In my budget, there are capital projects of US$600 million which
are totally dependent on diamond revenues.”
Witnesses give conflicting accounts as Glen View murder trial enters 3rd
day
Wednesday, 06 June 2012
The High Court trial of the 29 MDC
members who are facing fabricated charges of murdering a police officer in
Glen View, Harare in May last year entered its third day today with the
State’s first two witnesses taking the stand.
However, the two witnesses
gave conflicting statements during cross examination by both the State and
defence lawyers on how the police officer, Petros Mutedza died at Glen View
3 shopping centre.
The State has lined up 20 witnesses to give evidence.
The matter is being heard before Justice Chinembiri Bhunu.
The first
witness, Clever Chipiya, a Glen View 3 resident said Mutedza died after
being hit with a stone on the left side of his head. However, he did not
see who threw the stone. He said the stones were coming from different
directions on the day Mutedza died just outside Munyarari
Bar.
Chipiya said when the incident took place, the shopping centre was
teeming with vendors, shoppers, beer drinkers and pool players as it was
month-end. He said he did not recognise any of the 29 MDC accused members of
being involved in the throwing of the stones.
“The police officer was
struck by a stone which came from nowhere and he fell down,” said Chipiya
who was standing some 60 metres from where Mutedza was hit.
Chipiya
said he assisted in rendering first aid to Mutedza before he was ferried to
Harare hospital where he was pronounced dead.
However, another State
witness, Joshua Daka who is a Glen View resident and a police officer had a
different version. He said Mutedza collapsed along 11th Street, which is
near the residential houses and not close to Munyarari Bar.
Daka said
he was standing further from Chipiya but he saw Mutedza coming out of
Munyarari Bar running and stones were coming from different directions but
he claimed that he only managed to see people wearing white t-shirts as
among those who were throwing the stones.
He said the deceased ran to
a truck parked along 11th Street and when he attempted to open the vehicle’s
passenger’s door; the vehicle sped off at high speed and Mutedza fell down
heavily on the tarmac.
Daka claims that he ran to assist Mutedza and he
took him to a car washer’s bay at the shopping centre before other police
officers came and tried to render first aid on the police officer before
they took him to Harare hospital.
The trial continues at 2pm
today.
The people’s struggle for real change – Let’s finish
it!!!
A state witness on Wednesday testified that he
saw police inspector, Petros Mutedza darting out of a pub in Glen View 3
followed by a mob hurling stones at him moments before he was fatally
injured.
Mutedza died on 29th May last year from injuries sustained when
a mob at Glen View 3 shopping centre attacked him and his colleagues. The
police officers had been sent to Glen View to investigate an alleged MDC-T
meeting.
Wednesday’s testimony by Joshua Daka, in the trial of 29 MDC-T
members accused of murdering Mutedza corroborates a statement by the party
that the cop was fatally assaulted by patrons at Munyaradzi Bar who were
discussing football.
Giving evidence during the third day of the
trial, Daka, a Glen View resident told the court that stones that struck
Mutedza came from different directions. But he could not positively identify
the perpetrators.
He claimed what he saw were people wearing white
t-shirts among those who were throwing the stones. Daka is one of 20
witnesses who will give evidence before High court Judge, Justice Chinembiri
Bhunu.
The first witness to take to the stand was Clever Chipiya, another
Glen View resident who said Mutedza died after being hit with a stone on the
left side of his head but did not see who threw it. He was standing about 60
metres from him when he was hit by a stone that felled him to the
ground.
Like Daka, Chipiya said the stones were coming from different
directions on the day Mutedza was injured outside Munyaradzi Bar. Chipiya
testified that during the melee, the Glen View 3 shopping centre was teeming
with vendors, shoppers, beer drinkers and pool players as it was end of the
month.
He also said he did not recognise any of the 29 MDC-T members
accused of being involved in the throwing of the stones. A senior MDC-T
official told SW Radio Africa that what came out of the court on Wednesday
vindicates their party as they’ve always insisted they had no rally or
meeting in Glen View on the particular day.
“It is clear that what
sparked the events on that fateful day happened inside the Bar. It is also
indisputable that Mutedza was seen running for dear life from the bar,
meaning there was an altercation between him and the patrons,” the MDC-T
official said.
The official added: “It is also highly unlikely a
political party would hold a meeting or rally in a pub, which is a highly
politicised venue were you have people who hold divergent views and some who
are politically non-aligned”
HARARE – Robert Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba has
read the riot act to Zanu-PF loyalists who were issued with licences to
operate private radio and television stations by urging them uphold and
guard jealously the country’s independence and to observe the country’s
cultural and moral values.
Charamba was speaking soon after touring
Zimpapers Talk Radio in Harare this Wednesday morning.
The
privately-owned radio station which is situated in Harare, is set to
take-off on the 25th of this month.
A tour of the premises by the
Permanent Secretary accompanied by Zimpapers Chairman, Justin Mutasa; Herald
Editor-in-Chief, Pikirayi Deketeke; Zimpapers Board Chairman, Dr Paul
Chimedza and some senior managers, showed that state of the art equipment
has been procured and set up in the studios while several employees have
been recruited to pioneer the project.
In his address, Charamba called on
the broadcasters to observe the highest ethics and to contribute positively
to nation building.
He called on them to use their knowledge and skills
to ensure that the project is viable.
Zimpapers Talk Radio was
awarded an operating licence last year, alongside another party loyalist
radio and TV personality, Supa Mandiwanzira’s AB Communications.
The
party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai MDC-T insists they will not
enter into any election without the media reforms that were agreed to by the
Principals, as they are the key to a free and fair election.
The MDC-T
says the Principals had not agreed to reconstitute the boards of the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Mass Media Trust and the
Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ).
Mugabe’s spokesman Geroge
Charamba is one of the hardliners within ZANU PF who are resisting to
change
The MDC-T insists, Media reform is one of the requirements for the
attainment of a free, fair and unquestionable election and in his address to
SADC leaders last Friday in Luanda, Prime Minister high-lighted the
intransigency by Zanu-PF, particulary Informatio and Publicity Minister
Webster Shamu.
Zimpapers’ Talk Radio station has started conducting a trial run by
playing pre-recorded music and promos on its FM band.
The station is
one of two that was controversially issued licenses to compete with the sole
government-owned broadcaster loyal to Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF
party.
Analysts said the new stations were not fairly chosen because the
licensing decisions were made by officials appointed by the information
ministry controlled by Mugabe’s party.
Zimpapers are the publishers
of the main pro-Mugabe daily, The Herald. The second channel, ZiFM, is
controlled by Supa Mandiwanzira, a black empowerment campaigner. Others
accuse him of being a stalwart of ZANU PF.
SW Radio Africa’s Harare
correspondent Simon Muchemwa reported that the trial-run started a few days
ago, with anticipation that the station will be officially launched on the
18th June.
“For now, it’s just pre-recorded music with promos calling on
advertisers to link up with the station. This is going to be their uphill
struggle, looking for advertisers because independent radio stations survive
solely on revenue from advertisements,” Muchemwa said.
A former
journalist, Lenox Mhlanga went on Facebook to tell friends he was listening
to “Talk Radio’s test signal beaming non-stop music.”
“I wish it would
remain that way because we all know that when they start talking, that’s
when the bull**** starts hitting the fan,” Mhlanga said.
While Talk Radio
will begin broadcasting in the next two weeks, it is believed AB
Communications will open ZiFM Radio in the next few months. The two stations
will be the first private radio stations in Zimbabwe, which has no
independent radio television stations. Several radio stations such as SW
Radio Africa broadcast into Zimbabwe via shortwave, but do not operate from
the country.
THE Zimbabwe National Road Administration Authority (ZINARA)
has with immediate effect cancelled the vehicle licensing disc deadline
which had been extended to the 30th of June and says motorists who have not
complied risk having their vehicles impounded.
Motorists who failed
to licence their vehicles before the deadline and have up to now not yet
acquired the discs will with immediate effect face arrest following the
announcement by ZINARA that the deadline extension which was announced last
week has been cancelled.
ZINARA Communications Manager, Mr Augustine Moyo
said the decision was made jointly with the ZRP Traffic Section after the
realisation that motorists had fallen into their comfort zones and had
forgotten about licensing their vehicles.
He said soon after the
announcement of the deadline extension last week, the number of motorists
who were buying their vehicle licence discs dwindled.
“People are not
organised and we are taking the issue of licensing seriously. The deadline
has been scrapped with immediate effect and anyone found on the wrong side
of the law will be arrested,” said Mr Moyo.
Mr Moyo has reiterated that
the new vehicle licence discs are computerised, adding that ZINARA is
working with the police to acquire machines which will be able to scan the
barcodes and detect counterfeit discs.
Meanwhile, motorists had no kind
words for ZINARA, which they described as disorganised and
confused.
“ZINARA is playing with us. Why want to cause confusion amongst
motorists? What we now believe is that they flip-flopped on licencing
deadlines in order to trap us and then rake more from fines than just settle
for licence fees,” said Cosmas Moyo, a commuter omnibus operator from
Harare’s Glenview suburb.
“This is confusion of the worst kind.
We are now wondering whether this ZINARA is operating in our best interest.
An professional organisation will never do that as it will just stick to its
proposed dates,” said Clive Muzingi from Chitungwiza.
“They would
rather shut up than to announce certain dates without making up their minds.
We are not happy with how this ZINARA is changing goal posts,” said another
commuter omnibus operator, Joseph Mufundisi from Chitungwiza.
The
initial deadline for compliance was the 31st of May, but ZINARA last week
announced the extension of the deadline to the 30th of June, giving
motorists a lifeline.
However, with ZINARA making a last
minute U-turn, motorists feel short changed and tricked into relaxing so
that they can be caught on the wrong side of the law.
Residents of St Mary’s have resorted to
relieving themselves innearby bushes as the sewage system buckles under a
rapidly growing population. 06.06.1211:05am by Staff
Reporter
“We have resorted to these inhumane methods of relieving
ourselves since our sewage system is not working. We have been living like
this for the past three years,” said a local woman.
With blocked
sewers, residents are concerned that they their health and hygiene is being
compromised. Children play in the streets where raw sewage from broken sewer
pipes has spilled over.
“It is by God’s grace that our children have not
contracted diseases since they are always playing close to the sewage,” said
another local.
A vendor at Huruyadzo Shopping Centre said that a
supermarket which used to operate at the business point was forced to shut
down after raw sewage flowed into the shop.
The residents accuse
Chitungwiza municipality of doing nothing to rectify the problem, despite
repeated complaints.
“The municipality knows about our plight and every
time we go to complain, they make empty promises. In fact, they have told us
to construct our own Blair toilets,” said Chitindo.
The Zimbabwean
could not get a comment from the local councillor, but an official from
Chitungwiza municipality said St Mary’s was one of the oldest and poorest
suburbs, whose sewer system was overwhelmed by a fast growing
population.
“The sewer pipes were installed many decades ago and we
are failing to replace them because there is no money. Residents are not
paying their bills and we have since applied for financial assistance from
our parent ministry, the Ministry of Local Government (and Urban
Development). However, we have not heard from them,” he said.
Reseachers have completed a study into the
effectiveness of using Moringa Oleifera, commonly known as the drumstick or
horseradish tree, to purify water. 06.06.1211:18am by Wallace
Mawire
MoringaOleifera can be used to reduce the fluoride levels in
water. MoringaOleifera can be used to reduce the fluoride levels in
water.
The research is an initiative of Zimbabwe by Environment Africa, a
leading environment and sustainable development organisation which has been
working with scientists from the National University of Science and
Technology based in Bulawayo.
According to Barney Mawire, EA Zimbabwe
Country Manager, the Moringa Water Purification Research Project was
successfully completed and a report has been presented to donors. It is also
awaiting presentation to the Ministry of Health and Child
Welfare.
The research project was conducted in the Mudzi, Chivi and Binga
districts. In addition to Nust, EA is also collaborating with the National
Institute of Health Research.
“The results also revealed that Moringa
seed powder is very effective in reducing fluoride levels in water,” said
Mawire.
However, he said the results were still preliminary and would be
treated as such until the government endorsed them.
Zimbabwe’s power supply is hoped to
improve following a partnership the country entered into with Zambia to
develop the electricity generation capacity of the Batoka
gorge. 06.06.1203:30pm by Sofia Mapuranga
The project,
already captured in the Southern African Development Community (Sadc)
Infrastructure Investment prospectus, will see the country exploring means
to develop the Batoka gorge for the production of energy.
The project
involves the construction of a dam and a hydro power plant on the Zambezi
River.
The potential capacity of the site is 1 600 MW to be shared
equally between Zambia and Zimbabwe Addressing delegates on Tuesday at the
official opening of the fifth River Basins Organisations workshop being held
in Harare under the theme “Monitoring the implementation of the Sadc
Protocol on shared watercourses”, the Minister of Water Resources
Management, Sam Sipepa Nkomo said there was need for a systematic and
consistent implementation of the convention.
“It is in this light
that in partnership with the Republic of Zambia, we are exploring means to
develop the Batoka gorge. Water plays a major role in energy production in
Zimbabwe,” said Nkomo.
“In SADC, we have the necessary instruments and
institutions to foster integrated water resources management at the river
basin level,” he added.
Nkomo said the speedy implementation of the
agreed action points was critical because water remained a critical
component of the development agenda in the region.
“The onus is on
water authorities to ensure that the water sector is managed efficiently and
in line with international best practices,” he said.
Zimbabwe has over
the years suffered poor power supplies because of limited local generation
capacity, lack of funds to import adequate electricity and a scaling down of
provisions from the region.
He said the establishment of sufficient
institutional development for trans-boundary waters had the capacity to
enhance cooperation between countries and could boost regional
socio-economic development and integration.
“Trans-boundary waters
can make a contribution towards regional peace if the institutional capacity
exists to manage them cooperatively for the benefit of all basin states,” he
said.
The Sadc Director of Infrastructure and Services, Remigious
Makumbe, said water was a key pillar of the economy, adding that there was
need to scale up its availability to ensure food security in the
region.
“Water is the engine for economic growth and many of our member
states continue to face the challenge of access to water supply and
sanitation,” he said.
He added: “It is important for SADC countries
to build strategic water infrastructure that will increase land under
irrigation to ensure the availability of water and guarantee food security
in the region.”
The fifth RBOs workshop aims to build a consensus on Sadc
strategies to support the efforts of member states in the establishment of
institutional development.
It is also seeking to strengthen and
develop RBOs and other joint trans-boundary water resources management
mechanisms in the region.
Zimbabweans in UK protest at Zambian President’s visit – 6th June 2012
Outside Marlborough
House Outside
Zambian High Commission
Zimbabweans
exiled in the UK staged two demonstrations on Wednesday against the visit to
London of President Michael Sata of Zambia who is a guest at Jubilee
celebrations for the Queen.
Zimbabwe
Vigil Co-ordinator Dumi Tutani said ‘Sata is an unashamed supporter of Mugabe.
His parroting “Pamberi ne Zanu PF (Forward with Zanu PF)” at last week’s SADC
meeting was disgraceful.’
He was
referring to a meeting of the Southern African Development Community in the
Angolan capital Luanda which rejected Mugabe’s demand for early elections before
reforms are made in accordance with the political agreement with the former
opposition MDC in 2008.
The first
demonstration took place at Marlborough House where the Queen attended a lunch
for Commonwealth leaders. The demonstrators carried posters reading:
‘Zimbabweans protest at Zambian President’s support for Mugabe’, ‘Broom or
bust’, ‘Sata loves Mugabe’, Sata – no interference in Zimbabwe’, ‘No to Mugabe,
No to Sata’ and ‘No Satasfaction’.
The
demonstrators then went on the Zambian High Commission to deliver the following
letter for President Sata:
‘Dear President
Sata
The Zimbabwe Vigil deplores
your interference in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe.
Your
repeated expression of support for Zanu PF and your slanderous denigration of
the MDC make us wonder whether you are in the pocket of Robert
Mugabe.
We hear
that your parroting of “Pamberi ne Zanu PF (Forward with Zanu PF)” at last
week’s SADC meeting even embarrassed Zanu PF (see: Fireworks at Angola
Summit – http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/jun3a_2012.html).
We are
confident that your opinions do not reflect those of the vast majority of our
brothers and sisters in Zambia for whom we have great
respect.
We are
surprised that you have seen fit to come to London considering the negative
comments you have made about this country which gave you sanctuary as a platform
sweeper at Victoria Station. We have presented the High Commission with a new
broom to hand on to you so that you can resume a profession for which you seem
better equipped than your current one.
The
Zimbabwe Vigil has been protesting outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London for
the past 10 years in protest at human rights abuses at home which have forced us
into exile (see: www.zimvigil.co.uk).’
Zambian
diplomats refused to accept the letter which was attached to our gift of a broom
and a bag of gems. So we posted the letter in a letterbox outside.
The Zambians
asked why we were demonstrating outside their High Commission and they were
asked in return why their President was supporting Mugabe.
Josephine
Zhuga said ‘How many presidents have you had since 1980? We have only had
Mugabe’.
Another
demonstrator, Cephas Maswoswa, who performed an impromptu dance with the broom
while sweeping the High Commission steps, said ‘Why are we in exile? Why are
there no human rights in Zimbabwe?’
Others who
engaged the Zambians, apart from Vigil co-ordinators Dumi and Rose Benton,
included Louisa Musaerenge, Ellen Gonyora and Kelvin Kamupira.
Zimbabwe Vigil
Co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe
Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to
protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which
started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and
fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
The Zimbabwean Conundrum: A Critical Test for SADC
By Clifford Chitupa
Mashiri, 6th June 2012.
When ECOWAS swiftly and effectively intervened in
the Ivory Coast crisis, analysts said SADC leaders should have turned green
with envy, in view of the ongoing problem in Zimbabwe.
In a brilliant
editor’s memo titled, “SADC can’t hold a candle to ECOWAS’ Independent
30/12/10, Constantine Chimakure wrote:
“ECOWAS is doing what SADC should
have done in Zimbabwe in 2008 when President Robert Mugabe and Zanu-pf stole
elections in March and June through a combination of manipulation and
violence.”
“Our regional bloc has neither teeth nor bark. It has not only
failed Zimbabweans, but has also failed to act decisively in Madagascar and
Swaziland where authoritarian rule and dictatorship have been
institutionalised,” said Chimakure.
Two years later we still share
Chimakure’s ‘frustration’ at SADC’s failure to decisively and firmly deal
with the Zimbabwe crisis which indeed remains “a keg of gunpowder” if key
democratic reforms are not implemented before elections are held by June
2013.
A major cause for concern is the frequency with which the Zimbabwe
military is dabbling in politics, threatening a coup but getting away with
“murder” so to speak.
As recent as Monday, June 4, one was left
wondering why SADC has not issued a stern warning when ZNA Chief of Staff
(Administration) Major General Trust Mugoba reiterated what his colleagues
have said before that the army will not respect what the state-owned Herald
called “puppets.”
“As the military, we do not only believe, but act in
defence of these values (gains of the liberation struggle) and we will not
respect any leader who does not respect the revolution. “We will not even
allow them to go into office because they do not represent the ideology we
fought for. As the military establishment, we have an ideology that is
represented in the mission of Zanu-PF,” Mugoba said.
What SADC should
know is that even the 37-year old Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) was once labelled ‘impotent’ for believing in a policy of
non-intervention until the 1990s when it formed the West African Peace
Keeping Force (ECOMOG) to halt the carnage that was ravaging
Liberia.
Ever since then, ECOWAS has not only imposed sanctions on
wayward member states but also sent troops to restore order such as in
Guinea Bissau.
In the case of the Mali crisis, an ECOWAS emergency summit
on 2 April demonstrated that ECOWAS was not babysitting coup leaders by
imposing severe financial and diplomatic sanctions on the country in an
effort to restore constitutional rule after soldiers seized
power.
Although the decision to deploy troops has raised a huge debate,
ECOWAS froze Mali’s national assets, banned it from using its neighbour’s
seaports and cut-off currency flow to Mali which uses the regional CFA
franc. It also imposed travel bans on the Mali military junta and froze
their personal assets.
If only SADC emulated ECOWAS since the Ivory
Coast crisis, Zimbabwe would arguably be marking the 2nd anniversary of
peaceful democratic elections since 2008 by now.
To show leadership,
ECOWAS slapped sanctions on Guinea Bissau junta end of April aimed at
restoring constitutional rule. It imposed targeted sanctions on the military
junta and diplomatic, economic and financial sanctions against Guinea Bissau
which took effect on 30 April 2012.
Nobody is suggesting that ECOWAS
waved a magic wand and all problems got resolved. Only a fool would say
that.
It is worth noting that a UN Security Council delegation recently
said the "diplomatic solutions" initiated by ECOWAS to restore
constitutional order in Mali had "failed."
However, ECOWAS has shown
decisive political will unmatched by SADC leaders in dealing with the
Zimbabwe crisis.
Nevertheless, it has not all been doom and gloom for
SADC, as last week the regional body put its foot down on Mugabe’s plans to
rush the country into elections without key reforms including a new
constitution. That caught the Zanu-pf regime by surprise.
Ideally,
SADC should go beyond that ‘game changer’ in Angola, and draw-up tough
measures including diplomatic, financial and trade sanctions on Zimbabwe if
the election roadmap continues to gather dust by 1st December
2012.
In the event of Zimbabwe defaulting on the election roadmap,
SADC should act decisively like ECOWAS did by flexing its economic and
diplomatic muscles.
Last week in Luanda, SADC proved that it can make a
difference if it wants to, despite Mugabe’s high powered delegations and
propaganda machinery claiming that Zimbabwe would not be on the summit’s
agenda.
In the end, the regime was left nursing a wounded ego. As a
face-saving device, its spin doctors resorted to misrepresenting the summit
resolutions and even demanding the facilitator President Zuma to make an
urgent visit to Zimbabwe. To do what?
For the next twelve months, the
Zimbabwean conundrum will be a critical test for SADC.
Clifford
Chitupa Mashiri is reading for a higher degree in International Relations
and is due to commence a full time study for a PhD focusing on Forced
Migration at the London South Bank University in September. zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
Bill Watch 24/2012 of 5th June [House of Assembly resumes]
BILL WATCH 23/2012
[5th June 2012]
The House of Assembly is meeting today, Tuesday 5th
June
The Senate remains adjourned until Tuesday 12th
June
Outcome of SADC
Summit Luanda, 1st June: Work for Parliament
The
1st
June
Luanda SADC Summit communiqué said:
“6.9
On Zimbabwe, Summit commended stakeholders for their commitment, cooperation and
efforts towards the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and
urged the parties to the GPA to finalise the constitution-making process
and subject it to a referendum thereafter.
6.10
Summit also urged the parties to the GPA, assisted by His Excellency Jacob G
Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa and SADC Facilitator of the
Zimbabwe Political Dialogue, to develop an implementation mechanism and to
set out time frames for the full implementation of the Roadmap to
Elections.
6.11
Summit further commended the Facilitator for his efforts towards the realisation
of full implementation of GPA.”[Full communiqué and Roadmap available from veritas@mango.zw]
Parliament
Running out of Time
Parliament
has a vital role to play in relation to both constitution and Roadmap.The constitution must be discussed in
Parliament before the Referendum, and after the Referendum it has to be gazetted as a Bill
and passed by a two-thirds majority in both Houses.For the full implementation of the Roadmap to
Elections, several key reform Bills must be
passed.So far the current Parliament
has passed very little necessary reform legislation – not even the Human Rights
Commission Bill or the Electoral Amendment Bill, both of which took a long time
to get through Cabinet because of inter-party arguments on content, and are now
taking a long time in Parliament.
According
to the 2012 Sitting Calendar, Parliamentary time for the rest of 2012 is limited
– 30 sittings for the House of Assembly, 24 for the Senate. [Before
the current session ends there are 9 sittings in June for the House, and 6 for
the Senate.The next session – the fifth
and final session of the Seventh Parliament – is due to open on 17th July, and,
apart from opening day and Budget day, there are 21 House sittings and 18 Senate
sittings planned before the end of November. There are no sittings planned in
December.]Parliamentary
attention will also have to be focused on the 2013 Budget in November.
The
sitting calendar for next year is not yet out. But the present Parliament has to end by 28th
June 2013, as explained in Bill Watch 23/2012 of 31st May.[Some
sections of the press have perpetuated the wrong notion that Parliament ends in
March 2013, but the correct date is 28th June.The President was reported as saying “March” in Luanda, but in a later TV
interview said “March or June”.]
New Mining Fees and 5 Other SIs to be
Repealed
Adverse
reports from the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] were adopted by the
Senate
on 28th March on five statutory instruments the PLC considered to be
inconsistent with the Constitution and therefore null and void.[Statutory instruments may be gazetted
without prior PLC vetting but must be examined after gazetting and a report on
their constitutionality made to the Senate.]The SIs in question were:
The
reports were presented by PLC chairman
Hon Shepherd Mushonga and adopted by the Senate without much debate.Interestingly, none of the responsible
Ministers were present to defend any of the SIs or ask for time to argue against
the reports.
Effect of adoption of adverse reportsNeither the presentation of
an adverse report, nor its adoption by the Senate, itself invalidates the
statutory instrument concerned.But
repeal or amendment may follow, because under the Constitution [section 40B(1)(c)], if the Senate
adopts a PLC adverse report on a statutory instrument, the statutory instrument,
or the offending provisions in it, must be repealed by the President by notice
in the Gazette – unless within the next 21 “sitting days” either
·the House of Assembly resolves that it must not be repealed,
or
·the authority responsible for the statutory instrument repeals or
amends it in a way that, in the PLC’s opinion, removes the inconsistency with
the Constitution.
Definition of “sitting day”The definition of “sitting
day” is important: “any
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that is not a public holiday, whether
or not the House concerned actually sits” [Constitution, section 113 as read
with Standing Orders].
21
sitting days have expiredThe Senate adopted the adverse reports the
day before the beginning of the six-week Parliamentary Easter recess.The House of Assembly adjourned the next day
without considering the adverse reports.But the 21 sitting day countdown continued and duly expired in early May,
well before the House of Assembly resumed sitting after the long recess.As a result it is now too late for the House
of Assembly to pass resolutions preserving the statutory instruments from the
repeal or partial repeal required by the Constitution.
President
must now repeal/amend the SIsThe Clerk of Parliament must now report the
matter to the President, and on receipt of the report the President must
promptly [“shall forthwith”] by
notice in the Gazette, repeal the statutory instruments or offending provisions
in them, as appropriate [Constitution,
Schedule 4, paragraph 8].
Status
of the SIs pending action by PresidentMeanwhile the statutory instruments concerned
continue in existence until the President gazettes the necessary notices – or
until they are declared null and void by a court.[Note:
The courts are not obliged to reach the same conclusions as the PLC on
constitutional validity, ultra vires or other legal issues.]
Further Adverse Reports in the Pipeline on Six March
SIs
The President of the Senate announced on 16th May that the PLC had
given a non-adverse report on all but six of the statutory instruments gazetted
during March.The six other statutory
instruments, on which adverse reports are therefore expected to be announced
when the Senate resumes on 12th May, are:
The
four sets of Incorporated Areas By-laws all fix new rents and charges for the
incorporated areas [former townships] of the local authorities
concerned.
Coming
up in the House of Assembly
Bills
Two key reform Bills are on the Order Paper:
·Zimbabwe
Human Rights Commission Bill
– for the Committee Stage [amendments to the Bill have been tabled by the
Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs to take account of objections raised by
the PLC in its conditional non-adverse report]
·Electoral
Amendment Bill
– for consideration of the PLC’s adverse report, which will be presented by the
PLC chairman Hon Shepherd Mushonga.If
the report is adopted, either wholly or partly, the Bill will have to be amended
to remove the inconsistencies with the Constitution identified by the House.
Other
Bills
that may come up are:
·National
Incomes and Pricing Commission Amendment Bill
– for the Second Reading speech by the Minister of Industry and
Commerce
·Older
Persons Bill
– for the Second Reading speech by the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare,
following the PLC’s non-adverse report.
·Proposed
Private Member’s Bill to repeal section 121(3) of Criminal Procedure and
Evidence Act
– for continuation of debate on Hon Gonese’s motion requesting leave to
introduce this Bill.[It remains to be seen whether there will be
progress, given the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development’s
application to the Supreme Court for a ruling on his argument that Private
Member’s Bills cannot be brought up while the GPA continues in force.]
Motions
The
only new motion is a condolence motion on the death of Hon Betty Chikava, the MP
for Mount Darwin.Other items on the
Order Paper are for continuation of debates already started.
Question
Time – Wednesday
Questions
without notice will take up the first hour on Wednesday afternoon. The next hour is set aside for written
questions with notice; 40 await responses from Ministers, several of them dating
back to October last year.More recent
questions include two for the Minister of Finance, on the Reserve Bank’s
apparent continued involvement in “quasi-fiscal”
mining operations, and on delays in the appointment of a substantive
Commissioner-General for the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority; one for the Minister of
Media, Information and Publicity on why the Broadcasting Authority Board has not
been regularised; and one for the Minister of Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment
on whether small-scale Chinese- and Nigerian-owned industries are sub ject
toindigenisation.
Government Gazette 25th May to 1st June
Acts or Bills gazetted:None
Statutory Instruments
Suspension of NSSA SI 145/2011 re pension contributions and
benefitsSI 97/2012, gazetted on 28th
May but backdated to 1st January, suspends until further notice the new
contribution rates and pension benefits that were gazetted in SI
145/2011.
Collective bargaining agreementsLeather and Shoe, Sports
Equipment, Animal Skin Processing, Taxidermy, Leather Goods;, Travel Goods
manufacturing undertaking [SI 92/2012]; Electronics, Communications and Allied industry [SI
94/2012]; Textile industry [SI 95/2012, correcting errors in SI 77/2012]
Local authority rents and charges by-lawsChipinge Town Council
[SI 93/2012]
Other local authority by-lawsNew Mberengwa Rural District
Council by-laws control land use and conservation [SI 99/2012] and
fishing.
Prisoners’ diet scheduleSI 96/2012 [replacing the
schedule gazetted in SI 149/2011]
Civil aviation securitySI 98/2012 amends numerous
definitions in the principal regulations gazetted in SI
207/2006.
General Notices
Resettlement areas placed under ChiefsGN 175/2012 declares an area
of resettlement land in Insiza district to be under the authority of Chief
Jahana in terms of section 29 of the Traditional Leaders Act.GN 176/2012 makes a similar declaration for
resettlement land in the Hwedza district placed under the authority of Chief
Nyahuye Wasvosve.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information
supplied
