ZimRights takes ZEC to court over referendum

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

McDonald Lewanika

By Tichaona Sibanda
13 march 2013

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has stuck to its guns and refused to accredit ZimRights to observe this Saturday’s referendum.

This is despite a directive issued by the principals to the GPA, following their meeting on Tuesday, that the commission had no right to refuse anyone the opportunity to observe the vote on Saturday.

On Tuesday ZimRights sent the commission a letter of appeal, but was turned down on the grounds that they have a pending court case related to issues to do with elections.

This latest development forced ZimRights to ask its lawyers to file an urgent High Court application challenging ZEC’s refusal to accredit them.

ZEC’s decision to ban ZimRights from the referendum led to the Crisis Coalition, with about 300 affiliate member groups, threatening to withdraw from ‘the observation process’ if they didn’t reverse this stance by late Wednesday.

Mcdonald Lewanika, the director for the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, told SW Radio Africa that they ‘still stand’ with their threat to boycott the referendum if ZEC does not reconsider their position.

Lewanika said during Wednesday’s observer briefing, ZEC commissioner Geoff Feltoe stressed that other civil society organizations that had been turned down would now be allowed to observe, but not ZimRights.

‘We noticed a claw back on ZEC’s earlier position….instead of blanketing everyone we are noticing ZimRights is the only institution left alone. While we appreciate the claw back we wait to see the court action as we stand solidly behind ZimRights,’ Lewanika said.

Lewanika stressed that they will give the electoral body until the end of Wednesday to change their minds.

‘We gave ZEC until the end of Wednesday, so after that we will make our position clear. Even the Principals agreed that ZEC must not prohibit local civil society organisations and NGOs from accreditation on the basis that they are facing investigations, charges or prosecution by the police,’ Lewanika said.

When President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met on Tuesday, they pledged that the referendum process would be as transparent as possible and insisted that no local persons would be banned from accreditation on the basis that they’re under investigation.

In January, ZimRights director Okay Machisa was arrested by the police and charged with conducting illegal voter registration and fraud, an allegation Zimrights denies. The legal case is still pending, which is the excuse that ZEC is using to stop them from being observers at the referendum.

• See Letter from government to CSOs about accreditation concerns

NCA loses Supreme Court appeal challenging referendum date

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Nomalanga Moyo
13 March 2013

The Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by the National Constitutional
Assembly seeking to have the referendum date extended by at least two
months.

The NCA took their case to the superior court after the High Court dismissed
their application seeking to delay the constitutional referendum scheduled
for Saturday.

The constitutional lobby group was arguing that the referendum date,
announced by President Mugabe on February 15th, was too soon for citizens to
study and understand the draft constitution.

High Court judge Justice George Chiweshe, who infamously set aside results
of the 2008 presidential election, had ruled against the NCA on the grounds
that the president’s decision could not be reviewed by the courts.

In a two-part judgement the Supreme Court Wednesday agreed with the NCA
challenge, and ruled that the president can be questioned by citizens in the
courts.

But Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku dismissed part of the NCA appeal in
which the group was asking for the postponement of the referendum from March
16th to a later date.

Justice Chidyausiku and five other judges unanimously agreed that the time
set out by the president was adequate.

A spokesman for the group said they did not agree with the ruling and
believed that “the four weeks given was not enough”.

In a statement, the NCA said the group was dismayed by this ruling but
remained “unshaken”.

“We are working flat out in the remaining two days to mobilise as many
Zimbabweans as possible to come out in their numbers and vote no in the
referendum,” the NCA said in a statement released soon after the ruling.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa, NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa said he was
confident that the majority of Zimbabweans will reject the draft on
Saturday.

Chivasa said: “There is no way Zimbabweans would accept a constitution they
have not even seen. However, the NCA will accept the decision should the
majority vote yes for the draft charter on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, the NCA announced that one of its activists had been arrested for
sticking up ‘Take Charge’ posters in Harare’s Machipisa Shopping Centre.

Prince Masukusa was reportedly arrested on Monday and was still being
detained at Machipisa Police Station on Wednesday.

The NCA said it condemned the continued harassment of its “members as we
approach the referendum, which casts doubt over the credibility of the
referendum.

“We note that the police are acting in a partisan manner as they are not
subjecting those campaigning for the yes vote to such harassment,” read the
statement.

Zimbabwe won’t ease poll ban

http://www.iol.co.za

March 13 2013 at 07:44pm
By Angus Shaw

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's official election body said Wednesday it will
not back down on its ban preventing a leading human rights group from
monitoring a referendum Saturday on a new constitution.

Zimbabwe Human Rights Association is facing charges related to alleged
electoral offenses and will not be cleared to observe the referendum, said
the election commission's acting head Joyce Kazembe. Officials with the
group, also known as ZimRights, have been accused of the illegal possession
of voter registration forms and fraud in obtaining them. The group denies
any wrongdoing.

Most independent civic groups say they will boycott vote monitoring Saturday
if any activists are barred access to observe polling.

Police loyal to President Robert Mugabe have intensified raids and arrests
targeting activist groups in recent weeks and have seized from offices
documents and equipment, including cheap radio receivers that can tune in to
stations not controlled by Mugabe's local broadcasting monopoly.

Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba said the government was investigating
what he called the recent illegal importation of the cheap radio receivers,
according to Wednesday reports from the state Herald newspaper, run by
Mugabe loyalists. Charamba said the devices were imported with the
assistance of diplomats he did not identify. The hand-cranked radios, also
capable of sending data on 3G mobile phone networks, are British made.

Charamba said the foreign ministry in Harare planned to summon the head of
the embassy concerned but did not elaborate.

“We are also investigating whether it has such a mandate within its terms of
reference to engage in such work,” Charamba said, according to The Herald.

British officials said Ambassador Deborah Bronnert was not summoned to
Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengwegwi's office by late Wednesday.

The Herald alleged the radios were distributed to Western-backed rights and
pro-democracy groups plotting for “regime change” against Mugabe's party.
Mugabe led the nation to independence from Britain in 1980 but was forced by
regional leaders to join a coalition government with the former opposition
leader, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, after the last violent and
disputed elections in 2008.

Western nations have imposed banking, business and travel restrictions on
Mugabe and his party leaders, alleging their involvement in a decade of
human rights violations and political repression.

Charamba described the radios as a gadget designed to subvert electoral
processes and its importers had “a sinister intention to suggest to the
world that the government of Zimbabwe is so absurd as to stop the
distribution of radios” at election time.

Outlining concerns about the device, The Herald said U.S. movie actor Tom
Hanks was a goodwill ambassador for the British firm making it and
attributed to him remarks that had the technology been available in the Cold
War it could have ended Soviet repression and “brought the Soviet Union to
its knees” long before its eventual collapse.

After independence in 1980, Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party maintained close
ties with Soviet leaders.

The Herald claimed Hanks lent his name to supporting the radios without
batteries, costing about $30, after he said he “immediately saw the impact
it could have on the impoverished people in Africa and the world.” - Sapa-AP

Makarau to be sworn in as ZEC head after referendum

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
13 March 2013

The leaders of the unity government have agreed that Supreme Court Judge
Rita Makarau will be sworn in as the head of the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, after the referendum.

This was announced by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at a press conference
in Harare on Tuesday. Speaking on behalf of the government principals,
Tsvangirai said they had agreed that “it would be improper to have a
temporary Chairperson for such a key institution as ZEC and that
constitutionally, a substantive chairperson enjoys security of tenure which
an acting chairperson does not have.”

“Security of tenure of the Chairperson and Commissioners is critical to the
independence of ZEC. The principals expect Justice Makarau to be sworn in
soon after the referendum subject to the completion of the procedural
requirements under the Constitution,” a statement by Tsvangirai said.

He went on to tell journalists at the press conference that that acting ZEC
chairperson Joyce Kazembe was not qualified to run the electoral body.

“Let me say this: The vice-chairperson (Kazembe) will not be chairperson of
ZEC when we go for elections,” he said, adding: “We need a qualified judge
to run elections. She is not qualified to be in that position.”

The Prime Minister gave no more details about the decision, which is being
described as an illegal and unconstitutional move. According to the
parliamentary watchdog series Bill Watch, the appointment of the ZEC chair
can only be finalised when both the Judicial Service Commission and the
Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders have been consulted.

Political analyst Clifford Mashiri also questioned if the rules, stipulated
by the constitution, had actually been followed in terms of choosing the ZEC
chair. He said it was “preposterous” that the MDC has allowed ZANU PF to
choose a judge “that is know to have ZANU PF sympathies,” to head such an
important body.

“Morgan Tsvangirai is just giving in to Robert Mugabe’s demands,” Mashiri
said.

The Prime Minister also announced Tuesday that the Observers Accreditation
Committee (OAC) which is responsible for the accreditation of observers at
both the referendum and the election must be “re-configured.” He said this
needs to done to create “equitable political representation to ensure the
political ground is fair and level for all contestants.”

Tsvangirai gave no details about when this ‘reconfiguration’ will happen,
despite the referendum now being just three days away.

Analyst Mashiri said on Wednesday that if the unity government was in any
way committed to carrying out a successful referendum, the process would be
postponed until the issues raised by Tsvangirai have been dealt with.

“The government does not seem interested in this referendum. They only want
it rubberstamped so they can have elections. They are trivialising and that
is very worrying,” Mashiri said.

Govt invites UN team to assess financial needs for elections

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
13 March 2013

The government has invited the United Nations to send its team to Harare to
assess the country’s financial needs to fund the forthcoming elections, most
likely to be held in July this year.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti said that following discussions and
consultations between government ministries, President Mugabe had agreed
that they should send out an invitation to the UN to help with funding for
the poll.

‘The intervention of the UN and international bodies is critical to fund the
general election,’ said Biti, who admitted Zimbabwe had no capacity to fund
the elections using its own resources.

The government initially wrote to the UN in February, requesting funding for
the referendum and elections. But the continental body wrote back stating it
was late to help with funds for Saturday’s vote.

However, for elections, the UN sent back detailed terms of reference, which
the government has been studying for weeks. The UN said any form of
assistance must be preceded by a formal request from the Member State.

In providing electoral assistance, the UN manual book on providing funding
for a general election is clear that the assessment team has to meet all
stakeholders before a decision can be made.

SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that no other strings have been
attached by the UN for funding, except to allow the assessment team to have
direct contact with political parties, ZEC, civil society and law
enforcement agencies.

‘This visit and engagement allow the UN to determine whether it can provide
the assistance requested, to suggest options, to identify the most
appropriate implementing agency and to provide useful information to the
Government as to how and when such assistance could be provided,’ a source
said.

Election cash hunt targets Econet, Telecel

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

12/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

THE government has increased licence fees for mobile phone companies by 80
percent to US$180 million in a decision that may be linked to the country's
scramble to raise funding for elections expected later this year.

“The Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure will, from 30
June 2013, issue new 15-year licences under the Converged Licensing
Framework at a fee of US$180 million,” Finance Minister Tendai Biti told
reporters in Harare early this week.

The decision will immediately hit Econet Wireless and Telecel Zimbabwe whose
licences are said to be due for renewal in June while the state-run NetOne
has another year before it must pay the increased fee.

According to the Herald newspaper, Biti said the licensing revenue “would be
leveraged in support of some of the financial requirements of both
referendum and election programmes”.

Zimbabweans are set to vote on a draft new constitution this Saturday while
elections to choose a substantive government are expected later in the year.

While funding for the constitutional referendum has been raised locally, the
government has appealed for international support with the general
elections.

“As far as elections are concerned there is a real challenge. Things are
excruciatingly tight,” Biti said last weekend. “The support of the
international community is critical.”

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai added Tuesday: “While acknowledging the
tremendous efforts being made towards raising financial resources to fund
the referendum and the elections, the (GPA) principals appreciate that
domestic resources will not be enough and it is necessary to seek external
support through the UNDP.

“After further discussions on the UNDP’s terms of reference, the Ministers
of Finance and Justice have been mandated to communicate with the UNDP with
a view to kick-starting the process.

“We therefore expect a Needs Assessment Mission to visit the country soon
after the referendum because time is of the essence.”

Zim police raids instil fear ahead of poll

http://www.iol.co.za

March 13 2013 at 11:35am

Zimbabwean police watch members of Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party leave the
venue where the country's main opposition was to hold its main pre-election
rally on June 22, 2008, in Harare.
Harare - Zimbabwe rights activists say they are suffering under a police
crackdown designed to be an ominous warning ahead of a constitutional
referendum this week and elections later in the year.

Since late in 2012 President Robert Mugabe's police force has detained staff
from prominent civil groups and raided offices of election and human rights
monitors.

Violence has not hit the levels seen during the bloody 2008 election, which
saw as many as 200 people killed and many more disappeared, arrested or
tortured.

Nor has it reached the levels of 2005's “Operation Murambatsvina” or “drive
out the trash,” which left an estimated 700 000 people homeless.

But rights groups believe they could be seeing a precursor of worse to come.

“Their intention is to intimidate civic society,” Mcdonald Lewanika,
executive director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition told AFP.

“This is a clear calculated move to target certain civic society
organisations to intimidate rights activists.”

Police have justified the crackdown saying their targets were civic
organisations they tagged “a serious security threat.”

But Zimbabwe-watchers say that the arrest of top rights activist Jestina
Mukoko in particular Mugabe's Zanu-PF intended to send a clear message.

Last week she was charged with a litany of offences, including operating an
unregistered organisation, smuggling radios into the country and
broadcasting without a licence.

“It is not by coincidence that Jestina has been targeted, everyone knows
what happened to her when she was abducted and tortured,” said Lewanika.

“The police are acting as an extension of Zanu-PF.”

Mukoko was previously arrested in 2008 and detained at an undisclosed
location before being taken to the notorious Chikurubi prison, a
maximum-security centre outside Harare.

Her lawyers claimed state agents severely tortured her and forced her to
confess to banditry and treason.

She was charged in 2009 with plotting to overthrow Mugabe, but the charges
were later dismissed.

What has shocked rights groups about the latest crackdown is that it has
come under a government in which Mugabe shares power with pro-democracy
leader, now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Political analyst Clever Bere blames Tsvangirai for not putting enough
pressure on Mugabe to halt the harassment.

“The issue of police targeting pro-democracy has not started today, this has
happened during the course of the unity government,” Bere said.

“The MDC should have done more, particularly when the inclusive government
started,” he said. “They have a minister of home affairs and above all a
Prime Minister of government.”

“If they had acted enough, this persecution of civic society would not have
lasted to this day.”

Lovemore Madhuku, chairperson of the pro-democracy group the National
Constitutional Assembly insists the problems run beyond the government, and
speak to state for Zimbabwean democracy.

“This shows the nature of our society that people allow police to arrest
people for distributing radios, it shows the failure of our society,”
Madhuku said.

“Our problems go deeper than the blame on politicians, people are not
protesting to say what is happening is wrong.”

The current raids, he added, are the “reality of what is happening. These
are not signs of what will happen.”

“What more does one want to see.” - AFP

Anti corruption body barred from legal searches

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
13 March 2013

The constitutionally mandated anti-corruption watchdog was this week barred
from carrying out two separate legal searches, in a move that has been
described as ‘scandalous’.

The Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission was granted search warrants by the
High Court on Monday, allowing it to search the premises of the Zimbabwe
Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), and the National Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB).

On Monday and Tuesday, attempts were made by the Commission to search the
NIEEB offices in Harare, but those attempts were blocked by armed men who
barred the investigators access to the premises.

The Commission’s offices were then reportedly stormed by armed police on
Tuesday, who blocked a team of investigators from carrying out the ZMDC
raid.

According to the NewsDay newspaper, the police action blocking the ZMDC
probe was a result of an urgent call made by the ZMDC chairman Godwills
Masimirembwa to Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri.

The police have denied this is the case, but NewsDay quoted Masimirembwa as
saying that he made the call because the Commission team was supposed to be
accompanied by the police. Masimirembwa also said ZMDC lawyers would be
challenging the legality of the High Court warrant on the grounds that it
was not issued by the proper authority.

The NIEEB is also set to contest the Commission’s warrant, which was granted
by the High Court after a Magistrates Court dismissed it.

The NIEEB has been implicated in massive corruption, made public by the
Daily News newspaper, which last month uncovered serious flaws in the nearly
$1 billion Zimplats indigenisation deal. Daily News journalist Gift Phiri,
who has been investigating the NIEEB activities, said the attempts to bar
the anti-corruption probe were “scandalous.”

“I don’t understand why they are stonewalling the investigation. It seems
like there is some kind of cover up happening,” Phiri told SW Radio Africa.

He added that this makes the situation more suspicious than it was “because
these actions don’t paint a good picture in terms of transparency.”

Zanu PF aspiring councillor wounded in petrol-bomb attack

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 11:14
HARARE - An aspiring Manicaland councillor in President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu
PF is battling for life at Rusape Hospital after surviving a petrol bomb
attack in a suspected politically-motivated case, police have confirmed.

National police spokesperson Charity Charamba said police are investigating
a case in which William Chapepa is alleged to have been petrol-bombed by
unknown people on Monday night and sustained burns on his thighs.

“We have received a case in which Cde William Chapepa, a Zanu PF aspiring
candidate in Makoni West, ward 1, was attacked by unknown people,” Charamba
told a news conference yesterday.

“According to information given to the police, Chapepa woke up around 2am
after hearing explosive sounds only to find a flame of fire besides his car.
When he tried to check what it was, he discovered that it was a petrol
bomb.”

Charamba said police were probing the attack.

The reported petrol bomb comes barely a month after a schoolboy, Christpower
Maisiri whose father Shepherd is an MDC aspiring MP in the nearby
constituency died in a fertiliser and chemical inferno, according to
police. - Xolisani Ncube

US Statement on the alleged petrol bombing of the home of ZANU-PF official William Chapepa

NCA activist arrested for sticking up ‘Take Charge’ posters

http://www.sokwanele.com/

AUTHOR:SOKWANELEDATE:MAR 13, 2013

National Constitutional Assembly activist Prince Masukusa was on Monday 11
March 2013, arrested for sticking up NCA ‘Take Charge’ posters at Machipisa
Shopping Centre.

The NCA is urging the people of Zimbabwe to vote no at the referendum.

Masukusa is currently in detention at Machipisa Police Station.

The NCA condemns the continued harassment of members as we approach the
referendum, which cast doubt over the credibility of the referendum.

We note that the police are acting in a partisan manner as they are not
subjecting those campaigning for the yes vote to such harassment.

We urge our supporters to remain vigilant in the wake of such cowardice acts
by members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

No amount of intimidation, threats or arrests will cow this revolutionary
movement into submission. We remain steadfast and resilient in our campaign
for a genuine people driven constitution.

Our Lawyers are attending to the matter.

Mugabe takes on Zimbabwe's Generation X

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

Reuters | 13 March, 2013 10:13

It could be a scene from any African mobile phone ad: flanked by two
mohawked teenagers and shuffling stiffly to a pulsing hip-hop beat, an old
man puts a phone to his ear and addresses a young lady with an awkward
"What's up?"

But the ageing, suited star of "Getting Connected" is Zimbabwean president
Robert Mugabe and the message is political not commercial: the veteran
leader is making a big pitch for the youngsters who have little time for his
long speeches.

However desperate it may look - Mugabe is an 89-year-old social conservative
who prefers choral arias to hip-hop - the video is a sign of the importance
given to the generation of Zimbabweans born after the liberation struggle.

This year, for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980, more
than half the 13 million population are 'Born Frees', offspring of the
nation that emerged from the shackles of white-minority rule in the
then-Rhodesia. The median age is 33, according to the National Statistics
Office.

An election due this year, with youth and technology loosely pitted against
history and conservatism, will serve as an important barometer of whether
Africa is moving on from an era in which anti-colonialism holds sway over
its politics.

It also has important lessons for South Africa's ruling African National
Congress, which faces its own demographic day of reckoning in a decade,
having only won its struggle against the white-minority apartheid government
in 1994.

On paper, Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's 61-year-old rival, appears better
placed to tap into a social group desperate for jobs and leadership change
to mend a limping economy.

A 2000-2008 economic crisis blamed largely on Mugabe's policies forced a
quarter of Zimbaweans to leave the country. HIV/AIDS and malnutrition are
among factors contributing to life expectancy that is below the sub-Sahara
average - 50 versus 54, according to the World Bank.

"The future lies in dumping this grandfatherly generation that came to power
before many of us were born," said 27-year-old engineering graduate Mthulisi
Mpofu, warming himself by a fire in a thatched hut near the second city of
Bulawayo.

"They are old and tired and have nothing to offer us. If the youth does the
right thing, I don't see how we are not going to have a new government, new
policies and jobs."

Frustration

However, Mugabe's liberation generation ZANU-PF party is fighting hard and -
in the absence of any reliable opinion polls - the outcome of a general
election is hard to predict.

Mpofu is one of over 150 000 high school and college graduates joining the
job market annually, the product of huge investment by Mugabe in education
after 1980 that is now coming up against one of the world's highest
unemployment rates.

On average, just 20 000 graduates will manage to find a formal job each
year; the rest will join the 80 percent of workers sitting idle and
frustrated - an affront to a nation that claims one of Africa's highest
literacy rates.

But it is far from given that the potentially huge numbers of disenchanted
youngsters will come out to oppose Mugabe as he seeks to extend his 33 years
in power.

A million or more are estimated to be working - in most cases illegally - in
South Africa and will either be unable to return home to register or
reluctant to risk signing up at embassies and consulates in Zimbabwe's
neighbour.

As a result, local rights groups working to promote a free and fair vote
after three violent and disputed elections estimate that only 20 percent of
those on the current voters' roll are under 35.

In Harare and Bulawayo, potential new voters are being turned off by the
bureaucracy of a registration process that requires them to present a
national identity card and utility bill under a family name proving
residence at a given address.

"This whole system is designed to frustrate people," said Lawrence Fakazi,
23, who queued for two hours with friends in Harare before giving up after
being shunted from one office to another. "We are not going to bother
again."

In the countryside the system is even more onerous, requiring a testimonial
from a village head to confirm a new voter's address, a step that raises
suspicions ZANU-PF officials are blocking supporters of Tsvangirai's MDC.

The end result is widespread youth apathy.

"Although we are the biggest victim of bad governance, the truth is our
generation is also not committed to politics in the same manner that the old
generation is," Mpofu said.

Generation x-1G

The MDC has also fallen short of its promises, failing to set up youth
voters' clubs promised three years ago apparently for fear of exposing its
plans and ideas to rivals.

Shifting the blame, MDC officials say ZANU-PF is at fault for making the
registration process deliberately clunky, especially for a generation hooked
on Facebook and Twitter.

"ZANU-PF is working to stifle the registration to avoid being overrun at the
elections," spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said. "Zimbabwe is going through both
a political and generation change in these elections."

Instead, the push to mobilise voters is falling to rights groups trying to
energise people with text messages, radio jingles and website ads, riding on
a doubling in the use of new media and social media since the last elections
in 2008.

Latest government figures show that 90 percent of Zimbabwe's 13 million
people now use mobile phones and Internet users have more than doubled to
4.5 million people in the past year.

Typical of the trend is a coalition of 10 pro-democracy youth groups called
X-1G (www.x1g.org) asking first-time voters to be the "political game
changers".

"We are a non-partisan organisation but our view is that the young now
constitute a majority of the population and must assume some big
responsibility in how the country is governed," X-1G activist Tawanda
Chimhini said.

Fighting back

ZANU-PF is not standing idle. It has been offering cheap business start-up
loans of $20,000 to youth groups and promising opportunities in foreign
firms forced to sell 51 percent of their shares to locals under a black
economic empowerment push.

Spearheading the drive is the young and tech-savvy ZANU-PF minister Saviour
Kasukuwere, nicknamed Tyson for his combative style. For most young
Zimbabweans, Kasukuwere's creaseless visage and gleaming smile stand out
starkly against a ZANU-PF gerontocracy in which even Mugabe has confessed to
feeling lonely because so many of his comrades have died.

Young voters are generally unimpressed by ZANU-PF's fondness for 1970s
liberation war history lessons, recalling instead hyperinflation of 500
billion percent, food shortages and 4,000 dead from cholera at the nadir of
the economic crisis in 2008.

"Nothing is given, but I think the party that is able to motivate its
supporters and to win the new young voters stands to win the elections,"
said Eldred Masunungure, a University of Zimbabwe political science
professor.

Fuel price hike will raise inflation

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Nomalanga Moyo
13 March 2013

Finance Minister Tendai Biti has increased the price of fuel, in a desperate
bid to raise money for the upcoming elections.

The price hike was announced on Monday and has already sparked an outcry
from Zimbabweans worried about the extra financial burden this will add to
their already tight purses.

Through his state of the economy report, Biti said government had increased
excise duty on fuel by at least 20 percent, and suppliers have already
indicated they will be passing this on to consumers.

Industry players said they will be increasing the price of fuel by 5 cents.
Currently, fuel prices are pegged at $1.50 to $1.55 per litre for petrol and
$1.38 to $1.40 per litre for diesel.

Most Zimbabweans rely on public transport to make their journeys, and the
fuel price increase is set to drive up the cost of other commodities.

“Poor people will not be able to buy fuel for their vehicles. How are the
people going to afford, 90% of the people are not working,” a pensioner told
a daily newspaper.

Commuter transport operators who spoke to the press said the increase would
eat into their profits, and cited the demands for bribes by traffic police
and council officials as an added burden.

Quoting the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe’s February report, the Daily News
wrote that persistent fuel price hikes have led to an increase in the cost
of living from $560 to $570, based on an urban family of six.

Economic analyst Tony Hawkins said the price hike is likely to raise
Zimbabwe’s inflation, which is currently at 3%, by at least two percentage
points.

Hawkins said the announcement wasn’t surprising considering that government
revenue is under pressure, with expenditure rising particularly ahead of
elections.

He said he does not believe the hike was necessitated by just the need to
raise money for the polls but because revenue is generally low and
government had to do something.

“There was not much Biti could do as we are already quite a high tax
country, be it personal income tax, sales tax or company tax.

“So government had to look at easy and relatively inexpensive ways of
raising money and the fuel tax is one of those,” Hawkins added.

Bekithemba Mhlanga, also an economic analyst, agreed that Biti’s
announcement will certainly raise inflation, although not by much.

Biti said although government has been able to raise funding for the
immediate needs of the referendum to the tune of $31.5 million, allowances
for polling agents are yet to be guaranteed.

On Monday, the government indicated that it had raised $40 million by
selling a “voluntary bond” to Old Mutual Plc’s local unit and NSSA for
Saturday’s referendum.

The government has also indicated that it will be re-engaging the
international community through the United Nations Development Programme to
help fund the general elections.

Biti said government increased excise duty on fuel because Zimbabwe had the
cheapest prices in southern Africa, adding that “it has also been
unavoidable that government seeks recourse from the ordinary taxpayer.”

Biti faces fuel price hike backlash

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

12/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

THE government's move to raise excise duty on fuel has outraged ordinary
Zimbabweans with analysts warning that the decision would adversely impact
business and, likely, undermine prospects for sustained economic recovery.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti this week confirmed excise duty on fuel would
go up by between 20% and 25% as the cash-strapped coalition administration
battles to raise cash to fund key activities, including elections later this
year.

“One of the measures that we are going to implement with immediate effect is
that we are going to raise excise duty on diesel and petrol,” Biti said
while presenting his monthly economic review.

“We are going to raise excise duty of diesel to $0,25 from $0,20 and $0,30
from $0,25 for petrol. It has been unavoidable that government seeks
recourse from the ordinary tax payer, hence, excise duty on diesel and
petrol is being reviewed upwards.”

And faced with prospect of consequent increasse in the prices of basic goods
and services, ordinary Zimbabweans slammed Biti’s decision saying it would
worsen the plight of the struggling poor.

“Poor people will not be able to fuel for their vehicles. How are the people
going to afford. Ninety percent of the people are not working,” a pensioner
told Newsday.

A commuter omnibus operator added: “The commuters will also not be able to
pay the $1 that we will be demanding for a single trip. This means our
families in the end will suffer.”

Economic commentator told state radio: “(The increase) will translate to
more burdens on the general public as transport costs will also go up and
the industries will be greatly affected as production costs will be
unsustainable.”

Businessman Supa Mandiwanzira added: “This move is dangerous as it will
affect the consumer, considering that most of the products and services will
also increase and it will have huge bearing on the country’s inflation
figures.”

However, Biti insisted that the country would still meet its inflation
targets adding local fuel price would remain among the cheapest in the
region despite the duty review.

“Zimbabwean fuel is by far the (cheapest) in the region,” he said.
“South Africa increased its fuel last week by 80 cents so the cost of fuel
in South Africa is almost one and half to Zimbabwe, so there will be no
inflation effect at all.

“We are actually the lowest in the region that is why you see tankers from
Zambia coming into purchase fuel (here) so there is no inflation effect at
all.”

Villagers threatened with eviction

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

13.03.13

by Nelson Sibanda

Resettled villagers in the Chitora area of Ward 1 in Shurugwi North are set
to lose their farmland and livelihoods over their political affiliation. The
area is home to hundreds of people given the relatively fertile farmland by
the government. However, according to sources, MDC members have been
threatened with eviction by their rivals in Zanu (PF).

MDC-T Vice Organising Secretary for Shurugwi North, Hardy Ngazimbi, told The
Zimbabwean that party members were threatened by Zanu (PF) youths that they
would lose their farmland if they held party meetings in Ward 1. “My office
received reports that Zanu (PF) youths in the company of Headman Fanuel
Kubvoruno warned MDC-T members against holding political rallies in the area
as it was their territory,” said Ngazimbi. He said they had taken up the
issue with JOMIC for redress and were awaiting feedback. Ngazimbi said MDC-T
members Edson Manyowa and Causemore Machazani were ordered to appear before
acting chief Nhema early this week for a disciplinary hearing in connection
with their MDC-T politics.

Machazani confirmed the disciplinary hearing and threats to be evicted from
the land for being MDC. Nhema, however, denied knowledge of the hearing. “As
a chief there is no way I can punish my subjects for exercising their
freedom of choice, association and expression,” he said.

Nhema said political parties should be allowed hold rallies without
interference from anyone. The acting chief is brother to Francis Nhema, a
senior Zanu (PF) official and sitting MP for Shurugwi.

Murder trial opens seven years later

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 10:55
HARARE - The trial of seven Hurungwe men accused of killing a suspected
cattle rustler has opened at the High Court, seven years after the incident
allegedly took place.

Temba Kasenga, Last Maponga, Masamba Kasenga, Verengai Mutanga, Lazarus
Chaparira, Oden Nziradzemhuka and Standani Mangokwani are facing murder
charges after they allegedly killed Givemore Murengwa in February 2006.

They all denied the charges when the trial opened on Monday before High
Court judge Felistas Chatukuta.
They told the court that although they were present when the incident took
place, they did not participate in assaulting Murengwa.

The court heard how a beast belonging to Getrude Gono of Ziome Village in
Hurungwe went missing seven years ago.

According to court papers, Gono made a police report.

In the report, she implicated Tinashe Mupepeti and Givemore and Bradwell
Murengwa as prime suspects.

Following the accusations, the court heard the seven men apprehended
Givemore and took turns to assault him until he bled from the nose and
mouth.

They allegedly took Givemore to the police station, but Mangokwani continued
assaulting him with a stick along the way.

Upon arrival at the police station, the court heard, Murengwa was assaulted
by Emmanuel Manyukwa who is still at large, using a baton stick.

Murengwa died soon after his release from police cells. A post mortem
revealed the death was due to multiple bruises and head injuries. - Tendai
Kamhungira

Zanu PF officials in court for public violence

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

13.03.13

by Gladys Ncube

Three Zanu PF members appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate John Masimba
(today),Tuesday on charges of assaulting fellow party members at their party’s
Bulawayo Provincial offices on Sunday.

Noah Gatsi, Ashley Shorai Mashungu and Robert Ncube who are in the Zanu PF
Bulawayo provincial structures are facing charges of causing public violence
under Section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Allegation against Gatsi,Mashungu and Ncube are that they went on rampage on
Sunday at the Bulawayo provincial headquarters, Davies Hall during a
provincial meeting using chairs and other weapons to assault other party
members demanding the resignation of provincial chairman Killian Sibanda
whom they accuse of corruption and dictatorship. They alleged did this in
the presents of national chairperson, Simon Khaya-Moyo and other senior
party officials.

The trio’s lawyer Charles Moyo immediately applied for bail but prosecutor
Jeremiah Mutsindikwa opposed to bail saying the country was approaching a
volatile period in terms of political activities where cases of violence
were likely to escalate and the nation wants peaceful elections.

There has been an increase in cases of infighting within Zanu PF in the past
recent weeks as factionalism hit the President Robert Mugabe led party
countrywide. Last week another Zanu PF official Themba Mliswa and seven
other party members were arrested in Hurungwe East after they attacked their
party legislator for the area Sarah Mahoka while she was addressing a
meeting at Zimonja Business Centre in Zvipani. Mahoka was admitted to
Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital after the attack.Mliswa and his seven a
accomplices’ were denied bail by Chinhoyi Magistrate Felix Mawadze and the
matter is now on trial.

ZESA in court, owes US$19 million in salaries

http://nehandaradio.com/

on March 13, 2013 at 5:02 pm

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) was last week dragged to
the Harare magistrates’ court on allegations of owing its workers US$19
million which is said to have accumulated from between January 1 and
September 30 last year.

Protesters vent their anger with power utility Zesa
Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union (ZEWU) alleges that ZESA failed to observe the
employees right to fair labour practices.

ZESA which is being represented by Garikai Churu (35) the legal advisor and
corporate secretary, was arraigned before Harare magistrate Anita Tshuma
charged with contravening section 6 (1) (a) of the labour act chapter 28:02.

ZEWU is arguing that the money accrued after an agreement between the
workers and ZESA. State led by prosecutor Oscar Madhume alleges that from
January 1 2012 at a time unknown to the state, a collective bargaining
agreement for the Zimbabwe Energy Industry was gazetted.

It is said that ZESA was to pay its employees the prescribed wages and
salaries which was effective as from January 1. ZESA is however said to have
never paid the money and the total value in question is US$18 897 848 which
was accrued for more than 7000 workers until the month of September.

Indigenisation fight spills into the courts

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

12/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

THE National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) has
approached the High Court in a bid to block the Anti-corruption Commission
from searching its offices and seizing documents as part of a probe into
empowerment deals reached with foreign mining firms.

The anti-graft body is investigating allegations of corruption and gross
irregularities in the country’s indigenisation programme which has divided
the coalition government and led to public spats between the central bank
and the Empowerment Ministry.

Foreign companies are now required by law to transfer ownership and control
of at least 51 percent of their Zimbabwe operations to locals and compliance
deals have since been reached with mining companies such as the South
Africa-based platinum producers, Implats and Anglo Platinum.

However, some of the deals have come under fire over allegations they may be
financially detrimental to the country while the ZIEEB raised eyebrows after
demanding that Implats and Anglo Platinum pay a Harare firm millions of
dollars for advisory services provided to the board.

The anti-corruption commission on Monday obtained warrants from the High
Court to seize documents from Mines Miniter Obert Mpofu, Empowerment
Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Transport Minister Nicholas Goche.

Tsungai Tongogara, the commission’s general manager, said the body wanted to
search the three ministers’ offices for documents which “would assist in the
investigation of the alleged corrupt deals”.

But the NIEEB has also approached the court with an urgent application
seeking to block the graft commission from searching its offices.

In his application, NIEEB chief executive, Wilson Gwatiringa, stated: “Quite
clearly the search warrant (Obtained by the anti-corruption commission) is
fatally defective, unlawful and of no force and effect.

“It must be stated that the (Commission) has never bothered to request the
targeted documents from applicant, which documents, as a matter of irony,
are already in the public domain given the near hysterical prominence given
to a certain transaction executed by the applicant in the local media.

“There is every reason to suspect that (the Commission’s) actions are driven
by certain considerations other than those motivated by a genuine and lawful
intention to investigate a matter of obvious public concern.”

The NIEEB handed Implats’ local subsidiary, Zimplats, a US$17 million bill
for advisory services provided by Harare firm, Brainworks Capital, and
demanded another US$3 million from Anglo Platinum for work related to the
company’s Unki Mine.

However, both Implats and Anglo refused to pay the money arguing that
Brainworks had been contracted by and provided its services to the NIEEB and
the government.

“Brainworks Capital was not contracted by Unki as its advisors. Neither was
the scope of works to be carried out nor fees to be charged agreed upfront,”
Unki’s chief financial officer Collin Chibafa told the NIEEB.

Zimplats also stated: “Neither Implats nor Zimplats was involved in any way
in engaging Brainworks Capital to act as advisors of NIEEB/the government of
Zimbabwe or were we privy to the contractual arrangements relating to
Brainworks Capital’s fees and Zimplats.

“As such both Implats and the board of Zimplats believe that the issue of
Brainworks Capital’s fees should therefore be settled between NIEEB and
Brainworks Capital.”

The NIEEB has yet to respond but Zanu PF politburo member, Jonathan Moyo,
who has defended the indigenisation deals, insisted that the tax-payer would
not be responsible Brainworks’ bills.

“The suggestion that the dispute over the payment of the US$17 million means
that taxpayers will foot the bill is a far-fetched falsehood because the
worst case scenario is clearly that the shareholders of an indigenised
Zimplats will foot the bill, failure of which Brainworks will have to bite
the dust,” Moyo wrote in a recent newspaper article.

The indigenisation programme, a key election campaign platform for Zanu PF
has divided the country’s coalition government with the Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party warning it would reverse the deals if it
wins the next polls.

Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has also been involved in public
spats over the programme with central bank governor Gideon Gono who urges
caution over forcing foreign banks to comply with the legislation and has
argued against the current equity-based empowerment approach.

UK embassy accused of 'subversion' in Zimbabwe radio row

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

12/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE on Tuesday fell short of accusing Britain of smuggling thousands of
small radios into the country, which were being distributed “illegally” in
rural areas – President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party says in order to aid
its rivals in elections due this year.

Without naming the foreign mission responsible, Mugabe’s spokesman George
Charamba said the Foreign Affairs Ministry was exploring “the complicity of
this embassy”, adding: “Soon people will be summoned.”

Mugabe’s Zanu PF party maintains a tight grip on the airwaves. So-called
“pirate” radio stations broadcasting from England, the United States and the
Netherlands are regularly jammed.

Zanu PF fears the radios – known as Life-Players – could be used to “subvert
the country’s electoral processes”.
It is believed the radios – which have seen dozens of NGO activists
arrested – are manufactured by a United Kingdom-based company, Lifeline
Energy.

The wind-up and solar-powered radios have an audio storage capacity of 64
gigabytes and can receive FM, AM and Show Wave signals.

If Zimbabwe carries through its threat to summon Britain’s ambassador, this
would mark a significant escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Relations have been frayed since Mugabe’s government embarked on land
reforms in 2000 which targeted farms owned by descendents of British
colonialists.

Charamba added in a statement: “We are investigating to see whether this was
consistent with the provisions of the Vienna Convention. We are also keen to
understand the interests of that embassy by bringing that consignment using
its diplomatic status.

“We are also investigating the institutions which received those radios for
distribution countrywide. We are also trying to establish their registration
status. We are also investigating whether they have such mandate within
their terms of reference to engage in such work.”

The Zanu PF side of the ruling coalition recently came under fire from the
MDC factions and NGOs for instigating a police clampdown on the groups
distributing the radios.

But Charamba says laws have been broken. Electronic shops selling radios
must also sign-up buyers for a mandatory listener’s licence, which the
government says was not being done by the NGOs.

Said Charamba: “There are fundamental questions that come into play. How
were they (radios) imported? Who is holding the dealer’s licence? Who
shipped the radios into Zimbabwe? How did they make it through our borders
and which border points were used? Who was the clearing agent and what was
the purpose?

“There was a sinister intention to suggest to the world that the government
of Zimbabwe is so absurd as stopping distribution of radios. There are many
radio-dealers in this country and who go about their business unimpeded.
Radio penetration in this country is the highest on the continent and that
has been achieved without this monastery gadgetry.

“It is not about radios but a specific gadget that has been produced against
the tenets of the Global Political Agreement and subverting the electoral
processes apart from undermining our laws.”

No comment was immediately available from the UK embassy in Harare last
night.

NRZ chief pleads with train drivers to end strike

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

12/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

A STRIKE by train drivers entered a second day on Tuesday with disruptions
to two passenger rail services between Harare and Shamva, and Harare and
Lions Den.

Several freight services were also cancelled, officials said.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) just about coped with the industrial
action as auxiliary staff kept some services working.

About 400 NRZ staff including train drivers and engineers are on strike,
demanding unpaid allowances and salaries dating back eight months. The total
salaries bill is said to top US$30 million.

NRZ general manager Retired Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai said the strike
would further hurt the company’s recovery efforts which are already hampered
by huge debts and obsolete equipment.

“This parastatal depends on moving people and goods to generate revenue, but
if the drivers decide to strike, how else can we be able to generate cash to
pay them. This course of action will instead worsen our plight,” Karakadzai
said.

In Bulawayo, about 50 striking workers met at their Mpopoma offices
demanding “a meaningful response from the management.” In Gweru about 25
workers spent the day sitting on benches used by commuters at the main
railway station.

Railway Association of Enginemen secretary general Wilmore Muzah said they
would continue with the strike until management addressed their grievances.

“These people take us for granted and they left us with no choice but to
resort to the last course of action to make our grievances heard,” said
Muzah.

Battle for the R G Mugabe fashion label

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

By Brian HungweBBC News, Zimbabwe

Continue reading the main story

Zimbabwe - New Era?

• Test of optimism
• Wikileaks woe for Mugabe
• Return to Harare
• Torture camp discovered

People with the signature R G Mugabe emblazoned over their fronts or atop a stylish beret can be seen proudly walking around Zimbabwe's capital - a city that is usually a hotbed of anti-Mugabe feeling.

Over the last three years, Zimbabwe's 89-year-old leader has become an unlikely fashion icon for the designer label House of Gushungo.

"This is the most valuable T-shirt I can wear," 28-year-old Liberty Mangwiro, resplendent in his black R G Mugabe top, tells me as he walks to his car in a smart business district of Harare.

"It represents the man who stands for what he believes in Africa."

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

The Mugabe fashion craze is a desperate attempt by his brand managers to catch the young voters”

Luke TamborinyokaMorgan Tsvangirai spokesman

But the firm behind the label is now at the centre of a dispute with President Robert Mugabe's own party, Zanu-PF, as the country heads towards Saturday's referendum on a new constitution and elections expected in July.

The party wants to make money from what it sees as a profitable scheme and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa is trying to patent the R G Mugabe signature.

"It's an intellectual property which we have to maintain. We have allowed every Jack and Jill to do what they like about the whole thing," Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo tells the BBC, while President Mugabe in a suit and tie looks down on him from a portrait on his office wall.

"The main reason why the brand is so popular is that he is a highly intellectual leader," he says.

"But we want to control it to make sure whoever is going to use it will have to pay something. So we are going to restrict it as a party," he says.

Mugabe 'overwhelmed'

Sales have been slowly growing for Yedu Nesu, the company behind the House of Gushungo, though it is reluctant to discuss profits made so far.

T-shirts, costing between $10 (£6.50) and $15, umbrellas, berets and even sports clothes bearing the liberation leader's signature sold out at a stall in Gweru during the Zanu-PF conference in December.

Zanu-PF may see the label as a way to woo younger urban voters

Away from Zanu-PF events though, it is hard to find anywhere to buy the products as the company does not have an official outlet, although it says it is moving soon to a shop in central Harare.

Continue reading the main story The story behind Mugabe

• Led 1970s fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia
• Governed Zimbabwe since 1980
• Accused of ruining Zimbabwe's economy by seizing white-owned farms
• Says he is fighting for rights of black Zimbabweans against Western imperialism
• Usually seen wearing a jacket and tie
• Started wearing colourful election clothes emblazoned with his image in 2000s
• Denies reports he has cancer

• Robert Mugabe: The survivor

Its most recent accessory is a cap with 1924 - the year of Mr Mugabe's birth - imprinted on it, which was released in time for the president's birthday celebrations last month.

Justin Matenda, Yedu Nesu's chief executive, says the Zanu-PF leader himself gave the blessing for the signature branding when asked - and has no shares in the venture.

"He was overwhelmed," said the 29-year-old businessman, who heads a three-man team.

They design and market the products and outsource the manufacturing.

"Yedu Nesu has the sole rights to market, distribute and manufacture the brand… the Robert Mugabe regalia," he said.

"The president does not want to make money," said Mr Matenda, explaining that the understanding was that once the fashion company began to make a profit, some of it would go a humanitarian cause.

Zanu-PF may see the label as a way to woo urban young trendy voters as it traditionally garners most of its support in rural areas.

Metropolitan hubs are the heartlands for the Movement for Democratic Change, whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai is set to challenge Mr Mugabe once more in this year's presidential election.

Robert Mugabe, born in 1924, recently celebrated his 89th birthday

Appealing to voters born after independence in 1980, when Mr Mugabe came to power, and who did not experience life under white-minority rule, is a challenge for Zanu-PF.

At the moment it is mainly middle-aged people who can be spotted in Harare sporting the R G Mugabe clothes line.

Mr Tsvangirai's spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka told the BBC that: "The Mugabe fashion craze is a desperate attempt by his brand managers to catch the young voters.

"It's an attempt to seduce the young, first-time voters who are believed to be almost a million - a very big number considering Zimbabwe's voting population."

But he said he did not think the designer clothes would make any difference to the way people vote.

"No amount of fashion labels will save him in the next election."

Versace, Polo... Mugabe?

Youth appeal is also the goal for House of Gushungo.

Saint Mahaka, the label's designer, gives an insight into their strategy.

"The young guys are into fashion. They talk about label, label, label... he [Mugabe] is already a brand himself.

"We decided, there is Versace, there is Polo, there is Tommy Hilfiger, people are putting on these labels, but don't know who they are and what the story is.

"We know President Mugabe's story, we know who he is.

"And those who resonate with his story and what he stands for - there is something only for the older guys but for the young guys as well."

Robert Mugabe is usually seen without a jacket and tie

Moses Donsa-Nkomo, who teaches intellectual property law at the University of Zimbabwe, says Yedu Nesu may risk a political backlash if it attempts to register the brand without permission from Zanu-PF.

The House of Gushungo team says their business is driven by a desire to ensure Mr Mugabe's legacy, not by avarice.

While many people accuse Mr Mugabe of wrecking what was once one of Africa's most diversified economies, his supporters argue that he is standing up for the rights of black Zimbabweans against the powers of colonialism - and the designer clothes are part of that battle.

"We all came from families that went through the liberation struggle," says Mr Matenda.

"Our upbringing has been mentored by the concept and principles of empowerment and upholding the ideals of black Zimbabweans," he said.

"We are just there to propel his identity, to maintain his legacy."