www.zimeye.org
Published: June 16, 2010
By Lionel Saungweme
Bulawayo(ZimEye) ZANU-PF youths have seized the Zambezia, Canberra and Capri Buildings in Bulawayo’s Central Business District.
Zambesia and Canberra flats stand between Leopold Takawira and Sixth Avenue along Fort Street, while the Capri is at the corner of George Silundika Street and Eleventh Avenue. Unconfirmed information at hand suggests that the Zambesia and Canberra belong to Mr. Laloo, a Zvishavane based Zimbabwean of Indian origin. The Capri (Capri Pizzeriae Restorante Italiano), which houses a bar and a restaurant under the Pizzaghetti brand name, was destroyed in a fire accident some fifteen years ago. It is owned by the Di Palma family, who are of Italian origin, having lived in Zimbabwe since World War II.
At the start of the invasion ZANU-PF youths, seen in the picture, put on an intimidating and confrontational presence at the entrance of Zambesia Building. Boasting loudly of their takeover, one of the “Third Chimurenga” activists identified only as Maqhawe said, “Sesayithatha indawo, sanikwa imvumo nguKasukuwere! (We have seized this property after permission was granted by Kasukuwere!)”.
They further boasted saying their invasions enjoyed the backing of Vice President, Joice Mujuru.
Another ZANU-PF militant went on to say, “Abanengi bethu baswela umhlabathi ngesikathi kuthathelwa amabhunu. Umama uMujuru usevumile ukuthi sithathe izakhiwo (Many of us lost out on the land grab. So Mrs. Mujuru has approved that we seize buildings instead)”.
A source mentioned that an official of the Affirmative Action Group (AAG), a radical cluster of businessmen and black empowerment crusaders, met the “Third Chimurenga” campaigners. Their deliberations have not as yet been disclosed to the media. The AAG, which seeks to grab a lion’s stake in white owned companies and all unoccupied properties, including those with absentee owners, is widely perceived to be notoriously sympathetic to ZANU-PF.
Some vendors and foreign currency dealers, who ply their trade outside the Zambesia and Canberra, confirmed that Mr. Laloo lets out the ground floor of the structure. They say he has gradually been refurbishing the upper floors over many years. Most of the costly fittings and building material have been acquired from South Africa. For this reason, renovations are carrying on at a slow pace. Similarly, it has been difficult to revive the Capri’s eatery project, because replacing the important infrastructure is expensive.
Continuing takeovers of white owned properties and companies was further bolstered by President Robert Mugabe, who recently and unilaterally enacted the contentious Indigenous Empowerment Bill.
Recently, while addressing a business and mining forum at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo (JMN) Polytechnic College in Gwanda on 23 May 2010, ZANU-PF fanatic and Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Mr. Saviour Kasukuwere, said, “I have always said the easiest route is to ‘indigenise’”. Worse still, Mugabe has to date not retracted or shown any remorse for his, “You must instill fear into the heart of the white men”, statement.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)
By Privilege Musvanhiri
for ZimEye.org
Published: June 18, 2010
Comment
Harare (ZimEye) Progress in the Zimbabwe-European Union (EU) dialogue is dependent on the commitment of Harare to fully implement the Global Political Agreement signed between President Mugabe and his two arch rivals.
EU head of delegation to Harare Ambassador Xavier Marchal told journalists in Harare on Wednesday.
“The normalization process is not based on benchmarks from the EU but based on proper decisions of the government of Zimbabwe to establish and implement the GPA, and I think this is not an easy process. Everything is based on the successful implementation of the GPA and not the EU’s side.
“There have been ups and downs in the process. We must not look at the downs but look at the ups and continue to work together and discuss the issues at stake,” he said.
Ambassador Marchal could not shed light on the resumption of the dialogue which has parked a year after its initiation.
The EU resumed talks to improve relations with Zimbabwe in June 2009 following the visit to Brussels by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and a ministerial team from the inclusive government.
A sour relationship has existed between Harare and the European block with the later putting sanctions on President Mugabe’s administration for human rights violations and economic mismanagement.
Harare has in turn accused EU for imposing illegal sanctions which it says has caused suffering of the ordinary people.
Despite the brush between the two, EU has continued to support Zimbabwe through humanitarian assistance notably in the health sector.
The European Commission (EC) through the EU on Wednesday unveiled a 17, 5 million Euro (USD21 million) package to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare.
The 17, 5 million package include 24 multipurpose vehicles to be distributed to marginalized districts experiencing high maternal mortality rates owing to the lack of transport and communication.
Some of the funding is going towards provision of medical supplies, training of midwives, environmental health assistants and the prevention and control of disease outbreaks such as measles and cholera.
EU head of delegation to Zimbabwe Xavier Marchal hands over oneof the 24 multipurpose vehicles to Health Minister Dr Henry Madzorera
Ambassador Marchal said EC’s allocation is a result of a short term strategy adopted in agreement with Harare to address urgent needs of the Zimbabwean population in the transitory period of the inclusive government.
“This support is a part of the EC’s short term strategy for Zimbabwe that was developed following the visit of Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his inclusive delegation consisting of Ministers from the three GPA parties to Brussels in June 2009,” Marchal said.
Marchal added that the strategy includes humanitarian interventions tailored to support the reform process and the Zimbabwean population.
In his acceptance speech, Minister of Health Dr Henry Madzorere said transport and telecommunications were identified as the critical elements affecting the health sector particularly in marginalized areas hence the donation is mostly likely to change the situation.
“Poor ambulance services to ferry patients to bigger health facilities was identified as a major contribution to high maternal mortality ratio in a recent study.
I am certain that these multipurpose vehicles will make a significant dent in the maternal mortality ratio in the receiving districts through an enhanced supervisory outreach services and transportation of patients, particularly for emergency obstetric care,” Dr Madzorera said.
A prolonged economy collapse had severely affected the health sector until 2009 where a number of highly qualified personnel left the country in search of better prospects.
Zimbabwe has been experiencing the worst cholera, typhoid and measles epidemics since 2008 owing to an ailing health sector that could not cope with disease outbreaks (Zimbabwe, ZimEye)
VOA news
The German Embassy in Harare sent a
letter expressing its concerns to Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi after
being informed of plans to seize a farm in Chipinge owned by German national
Heinrich Von Pezold
Patience
Rusere | Washington18 June 2010
Farms in
the Chipinge district of Zimbabwe's Manicaland province owned by German
nationals have been taken over despite a warning from the German Embassy that
such invasions by militants under the country's decade-old land reform program
could jeopardize assistance from Bonn, sources said Friday.
The
embassy sent the letter to Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi after being
informed of plans to seize the farm owned by German national Heinrich Von
Pezold. The embassy said an invasion of the farm would constitute a violation
of an investment protection and promotion agreement between the two countries.
Sources
said the farm was invaded Thursday. Neither the embassy nor Von Pezold could be
reached for comment.
Trevor
Gifford, a former president of the Commercial Farmers Union, whose own farm in
Chipinge has been seized, said such farm takeovers surged following a statement
by Minister of State Didymus Mutasa saying that those considering a farm
takeover should not worry about having a court order in hand to do so.
Gifford said
farm seizures are in violation of bilateral agreements with a number of
countries.
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.
To subscribe/unsubscribe to the JAG mailing list, please
email:
jag@mango.zw with
subject line "subscribe" or "unsubscribe".
=================================================
1. Letter from
Philip Barclay
2. LAKAS/ JAG
TRUST/BUSINESS COMMUNITY
3. Willie Robinson
- Ben Freeth
=================================================
1. Letter from
Philip Barclay
Hello Jag
Thank you for including my message. I appreciate it! If
you ever happen to see a copy of my book, you will see that it includes a
discussion of the very important research carried out by JAG and GAPWUZ
concerning the fate of farm workers evicted from their homes. This material is
provoking a good deal of interest from readers, as it should.
With best wishes for your work,
Philip Barclay
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. LAKAS -
Marketing Campaign Introduction Letter
A proposed joint venture Community Service Project
Dear Jag
Lakas Management invites your company to participate in a
unique marketing opportunity, whilst fulfilling a corporate social
responsibility, to the benefit of the local community. We believe that the usual forms of
advertising such as bill boards, adverts in newspapers and flyers are
overloaded, to the extent that many punters overlook them.
The roads in Zimbabwe and in fact the whole southern
region, are littered with potholes causing damage to vehicles, accidents, are a
safety risk and irritatingly slow the traffic. Lakas locally produces a cold mix
pothole repair mixture, branded Easi-Tar, which has been successfully used in
Zimbabwe for several years. Our mixture has been tested and passed by Geostrada
of South Africa, whose job it is to test the quality of the tar used on high
ways within the region.
With this topical subject in mind, we introduce you to a
brand new marketing concept, whereby Lakas will repair potholes for you and
your company gets the recognition it
deserves. If you purchase a minimum of 1 ton of tar for US$460.00
including VAT, we will repair the potholes on a road of your choice for free. 1
ton will repair approximately 30m2 of potholes at 20mm thick. Included in this
cost, Lakas will ensure that for a period of one month, your company name
appears on a specially designed page within the large JAG (Justice for
Agriculture) email adverts. Your company will also appear in the Lakas pothole
report twice within the month, in the Zim Trader which is distributed inside
magazines such as You, Mens Health, FHM etc, which are sold in Zimbabwe. If the
potholes are repaired at a single central point, we will give you a sign for a
period of one month that all passers by can visually see and recognise that
your company has repaired the roads in the area. Obviously an added benefit to
this campaign is that you are repairing the roads for the benefit of your own
vehicles and staff. Your company is advertising whilst providing a very
necessary service to the community at large and more specifically to your own
customers. The Harare Municipality have been consulted with regards to this
concept and whilst they should be highly commended for their recent efforts,
pothole repair will continue to be a problem in the future, as is the case
world wide. For more information please feel free to contact me my telephone,
or cell 0912 380
695 or email haulage@lakas.co.zw.
Yours Faithfully
W.M.Lawrence
Director
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Willie Robinson
- Ben Freeth
Dear Jag
Her Majesty the Queen has noticed the eccentric people's
hero from Chegutu that Colin Cloete and David Hasluck dismissed, for "not
faithfully enunciating Zanu policy".
I think the partners in the GNU need to think about this
little cameo - in case they get carried away with their own importance of
implementing the GPA, which is actually illegal by their own SADC Tribunal.
They can all tootle around the soccer matches blowing their own vuvuzelas of
self importance but the results of their own efforts need to be measured in
real terms.
The story remains a good one "Dismissed CFU
Executive Officer gets MBE".
Zanu still have their own awards system - MBF and YBF -
"My Bloody Farm"
and "Your Bloody Farm", and it is still
ongoing.
Congratulations to Ben from the MBF Club.
=================================================
All letters published on the open Letter Forum are the
views and opinions of the submitters, and do not represent the official
viewpoint of Justice for Agriculture.
Xinhuanet.com
English.news.cn 2010-06-19
01:34:31
By Gretinah Machingura
HARARE,
June 18 (Xinhua) -- The National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe said on Friday
Zimbabwe's stone sculpture on exhibition at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo has
particularly proved popular among Chinese visitors.
Assistant
curator Thomas Pasirai who recently went to Shanghai as an expert to help set
up Zimbabwe's exhibition in the African pavilion, told Xinhua in an interview
that the Chinese were fascinated by Zimbabwe's stone works.
"The
Zimbabwean pavilion is fantastic and the Chinese are very excited about our
pavilion to the extent that we have got some Chinese who are being photographed
with some of the life-size stone works while others get excited to the extent
of kissing the works," Pasirai said.
He said
Zimbabwe was in a unique position in that it was one of the few countries that
produce stone sculpture different from other African countries.
"Other
African countries do wood work and other materials but with us it is that stone
sculpture which is particularly exciting the Chinese," he said.
The
National Art Gallery shipped about 80 pieces of stone carvings that are on
display at the Shanghai Expo. These were sourced from various artists and
different studios in the country, Pasirai said.
Other
products being marketed include basketry, wooden drums and stools.
Organizations
such as the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Zimbabwe
Tourism Authority are also exhibiting.
"By
the end of this month we will be having exhibitions like trophies and stuffed
animals," he said.
Pasirai
said Zimbabwe's pavilion was exceptionally designed according to the Great
Zimbabwe, the amazing ancient ruins from which Zimbabwe derive its name. The
ruins, in scripted in 1986 as the UNESCO World Heritage site, is among
Zimbabwe's great tourist attractions.
The other
side of the pavilion shows the mighty Victoria Falls while the other shows
pictures of flora and fauna and the different projects being undertaken in
Zimbabwe to improve the lives of communities, Pasirai said.
He said
Zimbabwe was highlighting these projects in keeping with the theme of the Expo,
which is "Better City, Better Life" from where Zimbabwe has adapted
its theme "Transforming our Communities for A better Life".
"We
are doing this to enable the Chinese to understand us more. We want them to
understand that Zimbabwe is a beautiful nation where they can enjoy the flora
and fauna."
Zimbabwe
is sharing exhibition space with other African countries in the African
pavilion where it is neighbors with Zambia and Uganda.
There is
also a selling bazaar where exhibitors from different African countries are
selling their wares.
Pasirai
commended China for the excellent way it had created the Expo, noting that
China's design culture was very advanced.
China's
promotion of the green environment and the general hygiene on the streets also
caught Pasirai's eye who hoped Zimbabweans will emulate some of the hygienic
standards in the Asian country.
"The
Chinese do have a culture of management of waste from an individual perspective
and I hope our people will learn from them, "he said.
Zimbabwe
will send about 60 small and medium enterprises to exhibit at the Expo which
started in May and ends in October this year. The entrepreneurs will go in
batches of 10 per month.
More than
200 countries and up to 80 million visitors are expected to descend on Shanghai
for the six-month exposition, and Zimbabwe will get a chance on August 11- a
national day set for it- to showcase its economic, tourism and business
potential to the world.
Each
participating country will have a day set aside for it to market itself to the
outside world.
Apart from
marketing various products, Zimbabwe has said it will take the Expo as an image
building opportunity after years of negative publicity from the Western media.
VOAnews
House member Albert Mhlanga of Pumula,
Bulawayo, said he found on a recent visit to rural areas in the Matabeleland
region that villagers are not aware that they have a right to comment on the
new constitution
Gibbs Dube | Washington18 June 2010
Despite
news coverage and official statements on Zimbabwe's constitutional public
outreach process, which is set to begin on Wednesday, some rural dwellers still
know little about the consultation process and believe discussions of the new
constitution are only for the political elite, a Matabeleland lawmaker said
Friday.
Albert
Mhlanga, House member for Pumula, a constituency of the Matabeleland capital of
Bulawayo, said he found on a recent visit to rural areas that villagers are not
aware that they can comment on the new constitution.
Mhlanga
said it is tragic that people in Bambadzi, Ndolwane and other areas know little
about the process.
The
legislator told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube that Parliament's select
committee on constitutional revision must take action to make sure villagers
are informed so a people-oriented constitution will emerge.
VOA news
State prosecutor Phyllis Zvenyika on
Thursday invoked Section 121 to block an order granted by Harare magistrate Don
Ndirowei allowing Ellen Chadehama to attend a workshop on non-violent conflict
at Tufts University near Boston
Blessing Zulu | Washington18 June 2010
Zimbabwean
Attorney General Johannes Tomana is under fire from human rights defenders who
charge that he has abused his powers in invoking Section 121 of the Criminal
Procedures Act this week to prevent a member of the Gays and Lesbians of
Zimbabwe who is facing trial from traveling to the United States.
State
prosecutor Phyllis Zvenyika on Thursday invoked Section 121 to block an
order granted by Harare magistrate Don Ndirowei allowing Ellen Chadehama to
attend a workshop on non-violent conflict at Tufts University near Boston.
Chadehama is scheduled to go on trial in July on charges of possessing drugs
and pornographic material.
Attorney
David Hofisi, representing Chadehama, says the AG's s office is infringing on
the rights of his client.
Chadehama
and another GALZ staff member were granted bail late last month but must report
twice a week to the Central Investigations Department drugs section at Harare
Central Police Station as a condition of bail.
Besides
surrendering their passports with the clerk of court, Chadehama and Zvenyika
have also been barred from traveling more than 40 kilometers from Harare
without authorization from the investigating officer.
VOA news
State Enterprises Minister Joel Gabuza
said investors interested in state-controlled enterprises lined up for
privatization should be prepared to take over their debts
Gibbs Dube | Washington18 June 2010
Zimbabwean
business sources say most of the state enterprises the government has slated
for privatization are heavily indebted and laying off workers, adding that
potential investors in companies like Air Zimbabwe fear they will assume the
debts as part of an acquisition then lose control to senior ZANU-PF officials.
They said
investors want legislation in place that will protect them from political
interference. Many Zimbabwean parastatals are run by retired army officers with
ties to the state security apparatus.
State
Enterprises Minister Joel Gabuza told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube that
investors interested in national companies lined up for privatization should be
prepared to take over their debts. "This should be part of the package if
ever an investor is interested in these enterprises," Gabuza said.
Air
Zimbabwe is moving to lay off more than 400 workers to trim a monthly operating
deficit of some US$2 million.
Other
parastatals like Cold Storage Company, National Oil Company of Zimbabwe, the
Grain Marketing Board have not paid workers for eight months or more and have
multi-million dollar debts to creditors, sources said.
Zimbabwe Information Centre Inc
PO Box K824, HAYMARKET NSW 1240
www.zic.com.au
Media Release
June 20, 2010,
US Congress mulls new approach on
Zimbabwe
A
draft Bill before the US Congress would sharply increase US support for
democratic change, electoral progress and national reconciliation efforts in
Zimbabwe, boost funds to youth employment programs, education, clean water and
agriculture. It allows for debt relief and debt cancellation. At the same time
it would maintain ‘smart sanctions’ against listed ZANU-PF leaders, and support
efforts to stop the trade in blood diamonds from Zimbabwe.
The
draft Bill is titled “Zimbabwe Renewal Act of 2010”. It reflects strenuous
debate in both the Democratic and Republic Parties, influenced by the Black
Caucus and determined efforts by Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister, and Tendai
Biti, Finance Minister, both from the Movement for Democratic Change in
Zimbabwe. It is a shift from strong scepticism about the Global Political
Agreement of September 2008 and the subsequent Transitional Inclusive
Government of February 2009, to a positive engagement with the GPA to have it
fully implemented.
This
is a big shift from an earlier draft of the Bill.
The
draft Bill includes a ‘Sense of Congress’ which reflects this more
sophisticated thinking – it now sees the GPA and Transitional Inclusive
Government as positive while noting the determined efforts of ‘some members of
ZANU-PF’ to undermine and obstruct it, noting the ongoing political violence
against the democratic movement, at least 3 million refugees in South Africa,
unemployment at 90 per cent, the high drop out rate of youth from education,
and that about 29,000 youth are engaged in violent ZANU-PF youth militias.
The
draft Bill pointedly notes that acquittal from a treason charge of MDC
Treasurer Roy Bennett by the High Court on May 10, but the Attorney-General’s
decision to appeal on May 12, and that the US national Democratic Institute
awarded its Democracy Award to Morgan Tsvangirai that month.
Based
on this new assessment, the draft Bill would shift government policy to
“support a transition to democratic and economic recovery in Zimbabwe that
reflects the new political conditions and opportunities created by the Global
Political Agreement”.
It
calls for the full implementation of the GPA and the unconditional release of
all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and commits to help end
human rights abuses and violence against civilians by the security forces of
Zimbabwe and hold those engaged in those abuses accountable.
It
maintains the ‘targeted sanctions’ against individuals who continue to
undermine the democratic processes, and will review sanctions to reflect
changing conditions on the ground.
The
US would press for full compliance with the Kimberley Process diamond
certification scheme. This would address an urgent need to stop brutal murders
in the Chiadzwa field and constrain illicit revenues to the ZANU-PF militias.
At the same time, it gives high priority to youth employment and education
programs to give youth an alternative to the ZANU-PF militias as a asource of
livelihood.
The
draft Bill would also “support credible efforts to conduct a comprehensive,
transparent, and non-partisan land audit as a critical step toward establishing
accountability and security of tenure”.
For further comment: Peter
Murphy 0418 312 301
Coordinator
SEARCH Foundation
Level 3, 110 Kippax St,
Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Ph: +61 2 9211 4164; Fax: +61 2 9211 1407
ABN 63 050 096 976
promoting democracy, social justice and environmental
sustainability
This email is provided by the SEARCH Foundation as an
information service. Any views expressed are those of the author/s, and not
necessarily those of the SEARCH Foundation.
This email is intended for the recipient only. The
information (including all attachments) contained in this message may
contain confidential or privileged material. If you are not the intended
recipient, you must not reproduce or distribute any part of this email,
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The Standard
| |
|
|
| Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:25 |
|
South Africa has been denying entry to thousands of Zimbabweans using the TTDs that were introduced in April amid reports that the Registrar General’s Office had not properly communicated the new developments to the neighbouring country. However, Zimbabweans were still able to travel to other neighbouring
countries such as Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique using the same
document.
|
Dear Family and Friends,
Its taken eleven years, cost thousands of lives, driven a third of our population out of the country and left a destroyed economy, but we have finally got back to where we were in 1999.
The outreach programme to consult the people about what they want in a new constitution is about to begin. Once again, eleven years later, the
voiceless have a voice.
What a time it's been, these eleven years, since last we aired our views about the principles we want to guide our lives. Its a time we will never forget and yet a time we would rather not remember.
For those of us who have managed to stay in the country during the eleven years since we last tried to rewrite our constitution, there is a distinct feeling of exhaustion in the air. There is hope too, but it is tempered with scepticism and fears of interference. The question on most people's lips is: will our wishes be respected this time round or will they be tampered with, at the last minute, by the highest of the high, the way they were in 1999.
For a third of our population (at least four million people) who have been forced to try and survive outside the country for the last decade, one of the burning issues is undoubtedly going to be that of dual citizenship. Four million people who have lived as strangers in strange lands, worked all hours of the day and night doing menial jobs that no one else would do and sent every penny that they have earned back to Zimbabwe in order to keep their extended families alive. If and when these four million people come home, they will not want to give up their foreign passports and so they will be classed as aliens when they come home. They will no longer be allowed to vote and will have that ugly word 'Alien' typed onto their Zimbabwean ID cards.
A word which is defined as meaning unfriendly, unacceptable, unfamiliar, repugnant.
Multiple hundreds of thousands of people inside Zimbabwe have already had the Alien badge hung around their necks this last few years.
People who were born, raised and educated here; people who have lived, worked and paid taxes here all their lives; people who have homes and businesses here; people who have invested here - all are known as aliens if their parents were not born in Zimbabwe and if they are not prepared to forfeit the birthright of their parents. The prohibition of dual citizenship in Zimbabwe affects people of all skin colours and races, regardless of where their parents originally came from including countries right next door like Zambia, Malawi or South Africa or further afield from Europe, Asia or America.
Undoubtedly citizenship will be a talking point in the constitutional outreach. Citizen, after all, means: "a member of a state, either native or naturalized," it does not mean a member of a political party.
I end this week on a note of congratulations to Ben Freeth awarded an MBE For services to the farming community in Zimbabwe . Thank you Ben, for giving a voice to so many and for so many sacrifices.
Until next week, thanks for reading. love Cathy
Copyright cathy buckle 19th June 2010. www.cathybuckle.com
By _
for ZimEye.org
Published:
June 19, 2010
FORMER South African president Thabo Mbeki says he is confident
Zimbabwe’s tenuous unity administration will survive despite the constant
bickering between President Robert Mugabe and his coalition partners.
Prior to being recalled from office by his African National Congress
(ANC) party, Mbeki helped facilitate negotiations between President Mugabe and
bitter rival Morgan Tsvangirai after the inconclusive 2008 general elections.
The talks culminated in the formation of the coalition government with
Mugabe remaining president while Tsvangirai became prime minister.
But Mbeki has faced accusations of facilitating “an imperfect
arrangement” that enabled president Mugabe to retain near-total control of the
country and gave him time to oversee the revival of his Zanu PF party after the
electoral setback of March 2008.
However in an Interview with the National Public Radio (NPR) in the
United States, Mbeki said the Global Political Agreement (GPA) was drafted by
the Zimbabwean political parties without any outside input.
Thabo Mbeki
“It (the GPA) actually was drafted from page one to page last by the
Zimbabweans themselves. It’s them. They wrote this thing. They debated it among
themselves …And then they said, okay, we’ve agreed on this, let’s draft it.
It’s a Zimbabwe agreement,” Mbeki said.
Yet the coalition government
continues to be buffeted by various challenges.
Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party accuses Mugabe of flagrantly disregarding the
“letter and spirit” of the agreement by making key government appointments
without consulting his partners. The party also wants “outstanding issues” in
the implementation of the GPA addressed.
But Mugabe has ruled out any further concessions until sanctions imposed
by the West are removed. He claims the MDC called for the imposition of the
sanctions.
The three parties have since referred their dispute to Mbeki’s
successor, Jacob Zuma after dialogue over these issues stalled.
Still, Mbeki says he is confident
that the coalition administration will survive despite the evident tensions.
“They (the parties) have no choice about it. They came to that agreement
because they could see that this was the only out for the country.
“I am quite confident that that
government will survive. It will work together,” the former South African
leader said.
He also said regional leaders had “spent many years persuading” the MDC
and Zanu PF to work together and insisted that any solutions to the country’s
problems should come from Zimbabweans themselves. (newzimbabwe)
The Standard
Saturday, 19 June 2010 19:09
FORMER
Finance Minister and losing 2008 presidential candidate Simba Makoni has
accused the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) of refusing to air an
interview he recorded with Supa Mandiwanzira because he was critical of the
inclusive government.
Makoni,
who leads the Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) party, was interviewed by Mandiwanzira
for his programme Talking Business towards the end of last year and the
interview has still not been aired almost seven months later.
A recording
of the 30 minute interview done at Mandiwanzira’s Mighty Movies was made
available to The Standard last week.
In the
interview Mandiwanzira made an undertaking to Makoni that the programme would
be “definitely aired.”
Makoni
told Mandiwanzira that the unity government formed between President Robert
Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had failed dismally because it did not
have any tangible policies of its own.
He said
the little success the coalition was claiming credit for was a result of the
dollarisation of the economy, which was forced on the reluctant government by
desperate Zimbabweans.
The
economy had been dollarised by 2007 and last year acting Finance Minister
Patrick Chinamasa only formalised it, he said.
Makoni
also spoke about why he left Zanu PF to challenge Mugabe in the presidential
polls. He said his former colleagues were not interested in his advice.
The former
Southern African Development Community executive secretary was being touted as
one of Mugabe’s potential successors before deserting Zanu PF.
Mandiwanzira
was not answering his phone yesterday. Tarzen Mandizvidza, the ZBC general
manager responsible for news and current affairs said he was not are that
Makoni’s programme had been barred.
“Supa is
an independent producer and we are not responsible for his output,” he said.
Mandiwanzira
said he wouldn’t know if Makoni’s programme had been aired because ZBC handles
a lot of programmes.
“But there
is no reason why it should not be aired,” he said. “Everyone is coming out on
television.”
Makoni
said such blackouts were harming his party.
“We have
not been very visible as a party because our media has not been covering our
activities,” said Makoni.
“We find
our messages being covered more by foreign channels and media such as VOP than
local outlets.
Last year,
ZBC suspended three senior journalists after reports were leaked that the CEO
Happison Muchechetere had ordered a news black of MDC-T ministers until they
ended their boycott of the government.
MDC-T had
“disengaged” from government citing Mugabe’s reluctance to fully implement the
Global Political Agreement.
BY OUR
STAFF
The Standard
Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:33
ZANU PF is
coaching its supporters to call for the entrenchment of President Robert
Mugabe’s executive powers at the same time scrapping the post of Prime Minister
in the new constitution, The Standard can reveal.
The
outreach to gather the views of Zimbabweans ahead of the drafting of a new
constitution begins tomorrow with the deployment of consultation teams.
The
principals in the unity government — President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara — on Wednesday
pledged to ensure that Zimbabweans freely expressed themselves during the
three-month exercise.
But the
existence of a document, which points out the “Zanu PF answers” to be given in
response to the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac) talking points,
has cast fresh doubts about the long-delayed process.
A crew
from The Standard yesterday attended a Zanu PF rally in Chitungwiza where the
document titled Zimbabwe Constitution Consultation Process 2010: Defining,
Promoting, Defending Popular Power, Sovereignty, Freedom, Justice, Unity and
Peace was being distributed.
The
supporters were put in groups of 10 and asked to contribute R1 each to
photocopy the voluminous document produced by the Zanu PF constitution-making
working group.
The
majority of those who attended said they were vendors at the Makoni Flea Market
and had been told that if they failed to answer the questions properly during
the outreach programme they would lose their stalls.
One of the
questions reflects the raging tussle for power between Mugabe and Tsvangirai:
“Do we need an executive President or Prime Minister?”
The Zanu
PF supporters are supposed to say, “We need an executive president and no Prime
Minister or any sharing of executive powers between the president and anyone
else as this results in an endless unproductive contest for power that results
in a weak state in which neo-colonialism thrives.”
Zanu PF
has told its supporters to tell the Copac teams that they want the president to
remain commander-in-chief of the defence forces, head of cabinet, the judiciary
and the legislature.
If the
party has its way in the new constitution, Mugabe could contest two more
elections after the enactment of the new supreme law.
The Zanu
PF answer to the Copac question on the number of terms a president should serve
would be a “maximum of two terms of the same length as the life of parliament
and effective after the entry into force of a constitution with this
limitation.”
The
answers are also set to spark controversy around the issue of who qualifies to
be called an indigenous Zimbabwean. Zanu PF says it must only be blacks.
Paul
Mangwana, the Zanu PF co-chairman of Copac refused to comment on the matter
saying he could not speak on behalf of the party.
“I cannot
comment because I don’t know what you are talking about; I have never been to
Chitungwiza and I don’t even know if such a document exists,” he said.
Zanu PF
spokesman Rugare Gumbo could not be reached for comment. Douglas Mwonzora, the
Copac co-chairperson from MDC-T condemned the Zanu PF tactics.
“As Copac
we are opposed to political parties or organisations telling Zimbabweans what
to say, he said. “Each political party or group is free to campaign for
constitutional positions as long as in doing so they do not force people.”
Copac is
supposed to deliver a new constitution by April 2011 leading to fresh elections
next year.
The former
sole ruling party fought a losing battle in trying to convince Zimbabweans to
adopt the so-called Kariba Draft constitution that would have left Mugabe’s
powers intact.
Mugabe,
Tsvangirai and Mutambara in 2008 signed the Global Political Agreement which
was introduced into the current Lancaster House constitution as Amendment 19 to
ensure the president shares his executive powers with the PM.
However,
the inclusive government has lurched from one crisis to another because critics
say Mugabe is not willing to share his powers with Tsvangirai.
BY SANDRA
MANDIZVIDZA
The Standard
Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:22
THE
constitution outreach programme roars into life tomorrow amid a myriad of
concerns from the civil society.
Civic
organisations last week castigated the committee spearheading the
constitution-making process, the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee
(Copac), for being disorganised.
Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) yesterday said Copac’s lack of preparedness was shown
by the committee’s failure to come up with substantive agreements on key issues
in a meeting held at parliament on Friday.
“The
meeting was characterised by a lot of disagreements which resulted in many of
those who attended walking out of the meeting,” CZC said.
“The
disagreements stem from the accreditation of teams and transport arrangements
which the select committee is failing to solve amicably.”
The
National Association of Non Governmental Organisations (Nango) complained that
Copac had not properly communicated dates for the outreach meeting points,
which might prejudice the majority of Zimbabweans.
“This will
negatively impact on the level of attendance by the people of Zimbabwe as such
information should have been published at least a month in advance to
facilitate planning and attendance,” Nango said.
But Copac
co-chair Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) dismissed the concerns saying they were ready
to roll out the outreach.
“We have
not received complaints from the people in the areas concerned,” Mwonzora said
in an interview yesterday. “Every time, it is a person in Harare who complains
on behalf of a person in Marange and I think it is high time we all allowed the
people concerned to complain for themselves.
“Let me
also add that these complaints which come through the media are just but
armchair complaints.”
Mwonzora
said Copac had now put all the logistics in place with the Central Mechanical
and Engineering Department (CMED), expected to hand over the vehicles to be
used in the outreach phase tomorrow.
“In their
report to us, CMED said they had managed to source all the required 265
vehicles and we are now waiting for the handover on Monday (tomorrow),” he
said.
“Teams
will be accredited at their respective provincial centres on the same day and
Tuesday has been set aside for the induction of teams, which induction will
entail familiarising the teams with the various documents to be used in the
process.”
He said
the teams will be familiarised with the talking points, the methodology, the
set down procedure and the code of conduct of the consultation meetings.
“On the
participation of instigators of violence, let me acknowledge that we did
receive some objections regarding Brigadier General (Douglas) Nyikayaramba and
we removed him on the basis that he was a serving member of the army,” Mwonzora
said.
“It is
possible there are still some of these people in the teams but we do not know
them because that has not been brought to us.
“But
again, we are unable as Copac to interfere with choices of political parties;
we cannot prescribe who should represent who.”
He
published meeting points for the first week in the press and also through the
various stakeholders; Copac will on Tuesday publish a comprehensive list of all
other meeting points.
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
Zimbabwe Independent
Bernard Mpofu
17 June 2010
GOVERNMENT
has aborted a wildlife trade deal with the secretive Democratic Peoples
Republic of Korea (DPRK) amid widespread condemnation from pressure groups, the
Zimbabwe Independent has learnt.
Sources
close to the development said the planned shipment of US$23 000 worth of
wildlife to the DPRK in a deal conservationists termed President Robert
Mugabe's "Noah's Ark". It has been blocked after local and
international natural resources campaigners criticised the destined living
conditions of the animals at Pyongyang Zoo.
Pressure
groups had protested against the deal saying the Asian country did not have a
secure habitat for the game after the Parks and Wildlife Authority made public
its intention to export the animals to Pyongyang.
North
Korea had ordered several species, including elephant, giraffe, jackal, zebra,
catfish, civet, blue monkey and spotted hyena.
Parks and
Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Caroline Washaya-Moyo, yesterday could not
confirm or deny the cancellation of the deal.
"We
are not in a position to issue a statement as of now," she said.
But
sources said the deal fell through after scientists sent to Hwange National
Park concluded that the animals would not be able to adjust to new conditions.
The
sources said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now been tasked with formally
informing the DPRK of Zimbabwe's decision to cancel the deal.
Apart from
the DPRK deal, the wildlife authority said it was considering applications from
five other countries willing to buy Zimbabwe's wildlife.
Johnny
Rodrigues, chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce, a local natural
resources watchdog, said the animals would have succumbed to DPRK conditions
had the deal gone ahead.
"These
animals belong to Zimbabweans. North Korea has a low track record of looking
after animals and we can't have our animals living in cages," Rodrigues
said. "We should be working on a plan to improve our tourism and we have
such a plan. We cannot export the beauty of our country to other countries.
What will future generations have if we export our heritage?"
Conservationists
also say Zimbabwe cannot export game at a time when poaching is rampant.
A report
released in February by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species claimed the involvement of Zimbabwean security forces in the killing of
200 rhinos in the past two years.
The Zimbabwean
Written by Staff Reporter
Friday, 18 June 2010 10:25
HARARE –
Canada has condemned the harassment of human rights activists in Zimbabwe and
called on Harare’s governing coalition to implement remaining aspects of a 2008
power-sharing pact.
Foreign
Minister Lawrence Cannon said Canada was concerned about “setbacks” in the
implementation of the global political agreement (GPA) that led to the
formation of a coalition government by President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara.
“We are
still deeply concerned about reports of harassment of and violence against
Zimbabwean civil society leaders and we call on the Government of Zimbabwe to
ensure the protection of civil and political rights of all Zimbabweans,” Cannon
said in a statement last week.
His
comments came in the wake of the arrest of prominent anti-blood diamonds activist
Farai Maguwu and senior officials of Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party as well as a
crackdown on human rights defenders conducting meetings to raise awareness on
the drafting of a new constitution.
Maguwu is
facing charges of publishing information prejudicial to the state after he told
an official of the diamond industry watchdog
Kimberley
Process of ongoing human rights abuses at the controversial Marange fields in
eastern Zimbabwe.
His
Mutare-based Centre for Research and Development has documented human rights
abuses carried out by state security agents against local people in the Marange
diamond fields, and has frequently made this information available to Kimberley
Process participant governments and working groups.
More than
200 informal diamond panners have been killed in eastern Zimbabwe since 2008 by
units of the Zimbabwean army and police, which have also been intimately
involved in the illicit exploitation and smuggling of diamonds from Marange.
Cannon
called on Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara to implement the outstanding GPA
issues to safeguard their 21-month coalition
government
which has been rocked by disagreements over key appointments and policy
direction.
The Zimbabwean
Written by The Editor
Friday, 18 June 2010 11:27
To the
many victims of political violence scattered across the country, the widows and
orphans of Gukurahundi, it must have been the ultimate insult, to hear the
leader of the party in whose name they were victimised and their loved ones
murdered lecturing them about peace and tolerance. (Pictured: Robert Mugabe)
Speaking
at the launch of the constitutional outreach programme last week, President
Robert Mugabe urged Zimbabweans to embrace tolerance and shun violence during
the exercise to consult the public on the drafting of the new governance
charter. These were his words: “Let there be no hindrance to people airing
their views. The people have that right. Please no quarrelling, no violence or
conflict. Why should there be conflict on these matters?”
Well, the
devil could as well takeover the pulpit and preach the holy gospel to the
world! Perhaps there is a need to remind Mugabe of this important fact, just in
case he has suddenly become a victim of selective amnesia: the enemies of peace
answer to your call sir. The 5th Brigade did not just wake up one morning
slaughtering innocent civilians in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.
They were merely following orders. Or prove us wrong Mr President.
The people
who murdered MDC activists Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika during the
run-up to the 2000 parliamentary elections were acting in the name of Mugabe
and Zanu (PF). The war veterans, youth militia and state security forces have
waged violence and terror at every major election since 1999 to secure victory
for none other than Mugabe and Zanu (PF). In fact as an investment, violence
has paid off handsomely for Mugabe. It is to violence that Mugabe owes his
extended stay at State House despite the verdict of the people on March 29,
2008.
We agree that
Mugabe might have meant well with his lecture on non-violence last Wednesday.
We agree, too, that despite all the blood shed in his name, Mugabe has probably
never sent out anyone with orders to assault, rape, torture or kill his
political opponents. But we wish to remind the President and his defenders of
this old proverb which says: he who is able to forbid an action, and forbids it
not, virtually commands it.
Surely,
the Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces, as the cheerleaders love to call him these days, need not go around
begging people to stop committing violence. Mugabe should simply forbid
violence or shut up -- and await his comeuppance which as sure as day follows
night is coming.
The Standard
Saturday, 19 June 2010 18:44
Politically,
we have witnessed coups, civil wars, electoral fraud, violence and an increased
emergence of dictatorships. Economically; even though Africa’s GDP is expected
to grow from 5,5-6% in 2010, there are millions of people living in extreme
poverty and as it stands there is a chance that Africa is going to miss the
Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people living on less than
US$1 a day. Africa is still struggling to cope with the burden of HIV/Aids pandemic
which in developed countries is no longer regarded as a killer disease yet in
Africa millions die every year.
These are
manifestations at a macrocosmic level. We know that we can blame the West for
colonialism, we can blame the US for destabilising Africa through its
regime-change policies that claimed the lives of people like Patrice Lumumba
and plunged DR Congo into the crisis it is today. Indeed, we can blame whites
for apartheid and colonialism that has left many of our people marginalised but
the question we ought to ask ourselves is: Assuming that colonialism had not
taken place, would we as a people been any different today?
Let us
take Ethiopia as an example. Save for five years under Mussolini, Ethiopia was
largely uncolonised. Under Haile Selassie, the distribution of wealth was
skewed towards the ruling elite, the landowners and elements of the clergy. The
plight of the peasants is well documented. Upon the deposition of the emperor,
the Dergu adopted Marxism and communism as their working ideology. Hundreds of
thousands were killed due to red terror, forced deportations, or from using
hunger as a weapon. Despite the egalitarian rhetoric of the Dergu, high-ranking
government officials retained privileged economic positions. Even today under
Meles Zenawi government officials and a few high-ranking professionals control
the country’s mode of production.
There are
many people who give colonialism as an excuse for Africas failure to thrive.
Here is a country that has never been fully colonised, a country that had
African rulers from time immemorial — a typical African country that we
fantasise about in our excuses. Why is it that we still find oppression and
suppression of voices in such a country? Why are Ethiopians amongst the poorest
in the world? Why isn’t there such camaraderie as that punctuates our rhetoric
when we speak of WE AFRICANS?
We give
excuses that we had limited access to basic education thus our failure to
engage in meaningful economic activity largely due to colonialism and apartheid.
Let us look at a country like Zimbabwe which has the highest literacy rate in
Africa of 92%. If educating an African was such a factor why do we find such
levels of poverty and oppression in Zimbabwe? Why don’t we see Africans in
Zimbabwe sitting down in true African spirit to discuss amongst them how to
lift each other out of poverty?
Is it
really that WE AFRICANS are victims of history or we have inherent
characteristics that predispose us to poverty?
We as
Africans lack the drive for scientific adventure, neither are we inclined
towards innovativeness. Have we ever asked ourselves why it is almost
everyone’s dream to be a medical doctor? It is because of job security. We are
more worried about failing to get employment than our ability to be our own
employers. No one wishes to study natural sciences like Physics in Zimbabwe
because all of us are afraid of ending up as secondary school teachers
somewhere in the deserted lands of Dzaramba. None of us ever think that we
could be the Isaac Newtons of our time.
In
contrast, the level of research in the field of sciences in Asia and the West
is so advanced to the extent that we sometimes feel that they major on minor
issues. What we fail to realise is that we are the ones who drive these
researches as we are the ones who end up buying finished products from them
feeding their inventors with royalties from patents.
Maybe this
also has to do with our lack of vision and our acute inclination towards
consumerism-without-production. How many of us look into the future and plan
for it? We seek instant rewards without investment. It is our expectation that
one can miraculously wake up with a bank account pregnant with money without
working for it.
These few
thoughts are by no means exhaustive. It is my hope that we can build upon the
rich history that we have; use it as a pool of knowledge that can inspire us
into a more successful people without marginalising each other. Africa can do
better with less rhetoric and more action!
By Freeman
Chari
THE Registrar-General’s
Office will in the next two weeks introduce a new travel document after South
African authorities refused to accept the recently introduced Temporary
Travelling Documents (TTDs), it has been revealed.