Government principals meet with Zuma

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
17 March 2010

South African President Jacob Zuma kick-started his three day visit to
Zimbabwe on Wednesday by holding talks with the coalition government's
feuding leaders.

Zuma, the regional mediator tasked with breaking the political deadlock in
Zimbabwe, held one-on-one talks with Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai on Wednesday morning. A break for lunch was followed by joint
talks with all the leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara. The details of the meetings have not been disclosed, but the
principals to the unity government both expressed satisfaction with progress
made.

Emerging from around two hours of talks held in Harare, Mugabe told
journalists gathered that the discussions were going 'very well'. He added:
"We are very happy. There are no controversies." Tsvangirai echoed the
sentiments and said the talks were 'going very well'.

Zuma's visit comes as negotiations between the political parties in the
fragile coalition have remained deadlocked over outstanding issues of the
Global Political Agreement (GPA). The parties have been in fruitless talks
since last November, and have previously required regional intervention to
keep channels of negotiation open. But headway has been repeatedly blocked
by ZANU PF's refusal to respect the GPA. The party has instead vowed not to
give the MDC, its 'partner' in the government, any concessions until
international targeted sanctions have been removed.

These 'shopping' sanctions have been extended by both America and the
European Union, and most recently Switzerland, all citing a lack of progress
in implementing the GPA. The sanctions issue is now at the centre of the
current deadlock between the parties in government, and it is Zuma who is
now expected to somehow break this impasse.

Political analyst Professor John Makumbe said on Wednesday it was too
premature for there to be hope that Zuma can make any headway, explaining
that the South African President has already shown his allegiance to Mugabe.
Zuma has been actively campaigning on Mugabe's behalf for the sanctions to
be dropped, in a move that has left observers angry. Zuma, who took over as
mediator from former South African President Thabo Mbeki late last year, is
under pressure at home to take a firmer hand with Mugabe than his
predecessor. Mbeki's policy of 'quiet diplomacy' towards Mugabe was a
disaster for Zimbabwe, as the country spectacularly collapsed right under
Mbeki's nose. It was therefore hoped that Zuma would take a tougher stance
with Mugabe, who he used to criticise before coming into power in South
Africa.

Professor Makumbe told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that there is widespread
disappointment that Zuma has instead "been acting like Mugabe's pageboy, and
singing Mugabe's hymns from Mugabe's hymnbook." Makumbe added that Zuma will
only apply pressure to Tsvangirai during this current round of talks, and
not on Mugabe as many had hoped.

"I think Zuma will be rapping Tsvangirai on the knuckles for not doing more
to have the sanctions removed," Makumbe explained, adding: "Zuma should be
pushing for the full implementation of the GPA, but that means pushing
Mugabe and that won't happen."

 

Zimbabwe leaders pleased with progress of talks with Zuma

http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Mar 17, 2010, 15:53 GMT

Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai expressed satisfaction Wednesday with the progress made in talks
mediated by South African President Jacob Zuma and aimed at salvaging their
unity government.

Emerging from around two hours of talks with Zuma at a luxury hotel in
Harare, Mugabe said: 'We've started a discussion which is going on very
well.'

'We are very happy. There are no controversies,' said the 86-year-old
strongman.

Former opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Tsvangirai
also said the talks were 'going very well'.

Zuma, who is mediating on behalf of the 15-nation Southern African
Development Community, first held one-on-one talks with the two rivals in a
bid to resolve a dispute over the implementation of reforms that has slowed
the country's economic turnaround.

Since Zimbabwe's power-sharing government was inaugurated in February last
year, fundamental differences have jammed the implementation of an agreement
that calls for reforms of repressive laws, the setting up of commissions to
ensure a free press, democratic elections and human rights, and the drafting
of a new, people-driven constitution.

During the course of the last month, Mugabe has been accused of aggravating
tensions by unilaterally passing laws that force white companies to cede
majority shares in their companies to black Zimbabweans, and by stripping
some of Tsvangirai's ministers of their authority.

The new indigenization laws, if implemented, would see several South African
mining companies have to relinquish control of their assets.

The leaders have a 27-item list of 'outstanding issues,' including Mugabe's
appointment, without consultation, of his cronies as attorney-general and
central bank governor.

Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, for its part, accuses Tsvangirai of failing to
persuade Western governments to lift targeted sanctions against Mugabe and
other members of the Zanu-PF elite. The restrictions imposed by the European
Union and the United States include asset freezes and travel bans.

Justice minister and Zanu-PF negotiator Patrick Chinamasa was quoted
Wednesday as saying that negotiators from the three parties would have to
settle their differences by next weekend. A progress report would then be
sent to Zuma.

It is not clear whether the deadline came from Zuma himself.

Zuma, who took over as mediator from former South African President Thabo
Mbeki late last year, is under pressure at home to take a firmer hand with
Mugabe than his predecessor.

Zuma has so far been reluctant to criticize Mugabe openly. And in meetings
with Western leaders, he has been more vocal in support of Mugabe's campaign
to lift sanctions than the need for further human rights reforms.
 

Concern over upsurge of political violence in rural areas

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
17 March 2010

A leading Zimbabwe Human Rights lawyer on Wednesday called for urgent
regional action to save the country from sliding back into chaos, amid
growing fears of a major upsurge in violence and tension in the rural areas.

Dewa Mavhinga told us the escalation of violence in the country should be
one of the central issues and themes discussed by President Jacob Zuma of
South Africa and the three principals to the Global Political Agreement.

'The reason why this issue should be on the agenda is because the resurgence
of state sponsored violence across the country has not changed despite the
formation of the inclusive government. There is so much evidence that the
country has not moved beyond the old days of ZANU PF's use of violence to
intimidate voters,' Mavhinga said.

MDC's deputy national organizing secretary, Morgan Komichi, confirmed that
ZANU PF violence was increasing as the former ruling party goes about
shoring up its support ahead of elections. These are expected to take place
either once a new constitution has been agreed or, as Mugabe has said,
whether there is a new constitution or not.

'What is happening is that ZANU-PF is rolling out its machinery of violence
in order to intimidate the population ahead of the constitution
making-process; it is a constitutional battle,' Komichi said.

Political violence has become ZANU PF's modus operandi against perceived
opponents, especially during election periods. Analysts believe that
violence in the country would come to a stop if Mugabe told his supporters
to refrain from it. Although Mugabe is on record acknowledging the existence
of political violence, he has always stopped short of blaming it on his own
supporters.

'Mugabe's calls last year for people to observe peace and promote ideals of
national healing and reconciliation were disingenuous because his supporters
have not stopped the mayhem in rural areas,' Mavhinga said, adding that
Zimbabwe cannot afford another violence ridden, non credible election.

'The country cannot also afford to limp on like this without resolving the
political crisis in a sustainable way. The only way out is for SADC and Zuma
as the mediator to ensure that they put in place sufficient reforms and a
credible electoral system that can ensure there is no violence in any future
election in the country,' Mavhinga said.

 

Intimidation stepped up

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by Tony Saxon
Wednesday, 17 March 2010 10:43

BUHERA - Violence and intimidation against MDC activists has continued here,
as Zanu (PF) steps up its efforts to force villagers to support the infamous
Kariba Draft.

Terrified villagers told The Zimbabwean that Zanu (PF) militia and notorious
war veterans were reportedly abducting, severely beating and torturing them.
"They are targeting teachers and the working class who they say are
educating the people about the constitution making process. They believe
that they are explaining the bad part of the Kariba Draft to the rest of
villagers who do not understand the (constitution) process," said a teacher
in the area.
The torture is believed to be held at the notorious Mutiusinazita torture
base.
The MDC spokesman for the Manicaland constituency, Pishai Muchauraya, told
The Zimbabwean that the MDC torture victims had been unable to receive
medical care or be transported to hospital because most of the party's
vehicles are in the hands of the police who confiscated them during the
turbulent period following the sham March 29, 2008 elections.
Muchauraya added that hundreds of MDC supporters around the country were yet
to receive medical care for election-period injuries, due to lack of
transport and other problems.
Muchauraya confirmed that war veterans were still carrying out a violent
campaign against MDC supporters in the Manicaland province.
"Buhera South is the worst affected area as groups under the leadership of
Joseph Chinotimba are terrorizing the area and brutalizing our supporters."
A traditional leader who requested anonymity said: "They are now moving
door-to-door threatening villagers with death if they do not support the
Kariba Draft. As leaders we have been warned with unspecified action if the
Kariba Draft fails to sail through. But I want to make this very clear and
urge my people to speak their mind because this is the time to make the
Zimbabwe they want."
"We now know what we want as people of Zimbabwe. We are not going to be
forced to do things against our wishes. The March 2008 election should be a
measuring point that Zanu (PF) is no longer popular within the electorate.
People are no longer willing to listen to what Zanu PF says," said a
villager only identified as Hamadziripi.
Meanwhile, as the war veterans and militia continue their reign of terror,
people are beginning to starve to death. In Makoni South the villagers are
now appealing for humanitarian aid.

Uproar in Parliament as MDC-T presents violence report

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by John Chimunhu
Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:13

HARARE - ZANU PF MPs stormed out of the House of Assembly on Tuesday after
the MDC-T presented a sensational report detailing the atrocities committed
by President Robert Mugabe's party during the run-up to the aborted June
2008 repeat election.

However, the walkout led by ZANU PF chief whip Joram Gumbo did not halt the
business of the House and debate continued in the absence of members of
Mugabe's minority party.
ZANU PF MPs sat in stunned silence as MDC-T chief whip Innocent Gonese read
the party's report of the violence allegedly committed by Mugabe supporters
with the assistance of members of the security forces in 2008.
Gonese also presented a 'roll of honour' in memory of 278 murdered MDC-T
activists, one of whom was forced to drink poison before he was axed to
death.
Gonese said his motion, which ZANU PF has repeatedly tried to block claiming
it violated the Global Political Agreement, was aimed at creating a
Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the killings and numerous
other abuses.
He said the purpose was not revenge but to form a basis for 'transitional
justice, reparations and compensation' for the victims.
The report, only parts of which have been published, indicates that the
violence was much worse than previously thought or documented by human
rights groups.
"If my colleagues from ZANU PF not guilty of these things then they must
support this motion," Gonese said.
MDC-T's Tabitha Khumalo gave a historical background to political violence
in Zimbabwe, dating back to the Gukurahundi era of the 1980s.
However, when Joram Gumbo stood up to debate the motion, he said he wanted
to draw the house back to 1896, which drew jeers from MDC-T MPs. Speaker
Lovemore Moyo, who is also MDC-T chairman said Gumbo should ignore the
heckling, but Gumbo led his colleagues in the walkout, which appeared
pre-planned.
debate then continued.

CIO Operative Harasses Zimbabwe Journalist

http://news.radiovop.com

17/03/2010 12:48:00

Masvingo, March 17, 2010 - An overzealous operative working for President
Robert Mugabe's feared state spy agency, the Central Intelligence
Organisation in Masvingo has threatened to eliminate a journalist working
for an independent national weekly as he openly bragged that he once forced
former Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) legislator Job Sikhala to drink
some urine during a torture session.

Nick Maunze, who is a middle ranking officer in the CIO based at the
Masvingo district office this week threatened veteran journalist Godfrey
Mutimba, with serious unspecified action,  after accusing him of peddling
falsehoods in the weekly Standard newspaper, where he is a correspondent.

Maunze is said to have openly told Mutimba in his face that he had vast
experience in administering torture after 'fixing the hell out of Sikhala.
He bragged that he was one of the security agents who tortured Sikhala, the
former St Marys' legislator when he was arrested by state agents a couple of
years ago.

After his release from  police custody years ago, Sikhala was later to
narrate the inhuman torture that he underwent while in the hands of state
agents including being hit on his private parts in a revelation that shocked
the nation as it exposed the way of life behind President Mugabe's secret
torture chambers.

Maunze, who also runs a supermarket chain at Yeukai business centre in
Masvingo told Mutimba: "You must be careful young man, very very careful
because I will reduce you to nothing and fix you and  I mean I will fix you.
I do not care what your papers write about me, they are useless and will not
change anything. What I need to tell you and your other reporters is that
you should know that  I have dealt with even bigger fish which had thick
heads."

''For your own information, I am the one who forced Sikhala(Job) to drink
urine when he was arrested and it is not hard for me at all to deal with an
even smaller fish and useless reporters like you, what will you do to
me?,''charged Maunze.

Mutimba said: '' I only fear God and I believe that God has a plan for each
one of us. I am only a simple journalist who survives by writing stories and
I will not change my profession to satisfy the egoes of other people, never
ever.'

Maunze's track-record is littered with controversy, as he was suspended from
work three years ago after his superior caught him red-handed grabbing a
fellow workmate by the collar while the two were on night duty.

Prior to that he had also been cautioned after he was implicated in the
murder of an MDC-T activist in Chivi.

A senior freelance journalist, Stanley Kwenda, recently fled to South Africa
after he was threatened with death by a senior police officer, Chief
Superintendent Chrispen Makedenge, after he wrote a story about the
mysterious death of his wife in a local paper

The story alleged that Makedenge's late wife's relatives had demanded a note
that she allegedly left before committing suicide.

Makedenge has been associated over the years with the arrest of opposition
politicians, journalists and human rights activists.

He allegedly masterminded the abduction of dozens of MDC and human rights
activists who included a couple with its two year old child.

The abductees, who include prominent human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko
were seized from different places in Harare and surrounding towns on
allegations of attempting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe's government
through banditry, sabotage and terrorism, a charge they deny.

Some of his victims are now nursing permanent injuries as a result of weeks
of torture while in secret captivity.

On Tuesday Makedenge splashed advertisements in the local paper describing
the loss of his wife as "very painful" in a development seen by critics as
meant to camouflage his alleged involvement in the death of his wife.

Makedenge's wife Antoinette allegedly committed suicide last year following
endless disputes with the police chief.

"It has been a year since you answered God's call. The loss and pain of
stays in our hearts forever. How we wish you could be with us in our joyous
and trying moments. Continue interceding for your lovely 2 daughters and
grand daughter. God will grant us the strength and comfort we need to work
through this very painful loss and betray the eyes of our detractors and
continue with the plans which we had for the good of the family and the
name," read part of a message placed in the sate-run Herald newspaper by
Makedenge inviting relatives and friends to a church service held in memory
of his wife on Tuesday.
 

Assist diamond probe or face jail: Minister told

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Clara Smith Wednesday 17 March 2010

HARARE - Attorney General (AG) Johannes Tomana has told Mines Minister Obert
Mpofu and his top officials that they could be sent to jail for refusal to
appear before a parliamentary committee probing operations at Chiadzwa
diamond field in eastern Zimbabwe, sources told ZimOnline on Tuesday.

The sources, who spoke on condition they were not named, told ZimOnline that
Tomana on Monday this week told mines permanent secretary Thankful Musukutwa
that all ministry officials should appear before Parliament's portfolio
committee on mines and energy when called upon to do so.

Tomana told Musukutwa that officials who defied orders to come for hearings
could be charged with contempt of Parliament and could be jailed if found
guilty, according to our sources.

"The AG's office told them that parliamentary rules required them to
co-operate with the investigation and that Parliament had the power to take
legal action, including sending them to jail if they refused to cooperate,"
said a source, who is a senior official at the AG's office.

The sources said Tomana's advice to the ministry was in response to a
request by Musukutwa for a letter from the AG to tell Parliament that Mpofu
and his senior officials could not give evidence before the House's
committee until the courts rule on an application regarding ownership of the
Chiadzwa or Marange diamond claims.

Musukutwa, according to sources, told Tomana that he was seeking the letter
on behalf of Mpofu.  But Tomana would not be swayed, duly advising Musukutwa
to attend committee hearings when asked to do so and also telling him to
forward the same message to his boss.

"The AG actually used his own example, saying he was summoned by Parliament
this year and complied because there is no way one can dodge Parliament
without facing the consequences," said another source.

Musukutwa subsequently appeared before the parliamentary committee yesterday
but requested that he be heard in camera, a request granted by the committee
and journalists were barred from the proceedings.

Tomana was not available for comment on the matter yesterday while Mpofu
refused to take questions from ZimOnline saying that since the matter was
before Parliament and the courts it was -- in his opinion - sub judice and
not appropriate for him to discuss it with the press.

Committee chairman Edward Chindori Chininga also declined to answer
questions yesterday but indicated that his committee was expecting Mpofu to
appear before it today.

Meanwhile our sources at the AG's department and at Parliament say Mpofu and
Musukutwa had wanted to use the letter they had sought from Tomana to
justify their refusal to cooperate with the parliamentary committee as well
as the decision by Canadile Miners and Mbada Investments -- the two firms
licensed to mine the Chiadzwa stones -- to snub the committee.

Canadile and Mbada on Monday declined to appear before the parliamentary
committee saying they were acting on advice from the ministry of mines.

Musukutwa was the author of a letter issued by the ministry of mines
supporting Canadile and Mbada's refusal to cooperate with the parliamentary
investigation. A Canadile official handed the letter to the committee on
Monday.

But Musukutwa, according to sources who attended his "in camera" hearing,
yesterday sought to lay the blame on Mpofu when asked by legislators to
explain how Mbada and Canadile were licenced to operate at Chiadzwa diamonds
without following proper procedures.

"He basically threw the matter back to Mpofu.  He confirmed that the
licences were unprocedurally awarded in that they did not go through the
normal process," said one parliamentarian, who we cannot name because he was
not authorised to disclose details of Musukutwa's appearance before the
committee.

Mbada and Canadile are two are joint venture companies between state-owned
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and some South African
investors formed as part of measures to bring mining of diamonds at Chiadzwa
in line with standards stipulated by world diamond industry watchdog, the
Kimberley Process (KP).

The correct procedure was that the ZMDC would shortlist potential private
investors to form partnerships with as well as candidates to sit on the
boards of the joint ventures representing government interests.

The shortlists would be submitted to the Cabinet committee on investment for
approval. But Musukutwa told the parliamentary committee that Mpofu breached
the rules when he recommended to the ZMDC the private investors it was to
enter into partnerships with as well as the people who were to sit on the
joint-venture boards to represent the government.

"Musukutwa confirmed that it was wrong for the minister to recommend to ZMDC
both the private investors and the directors (to represent the government),"
our source said.

Chiadzwa is one of the world's most controversial diamond fields with
reports that soldiers sent to guard the claims after the government took
over the field in October 2006 from British-based Africa Consolidated
Resources that owned the deposits committed gross human rights abuses
against illegal miners who had descended on the field.

Human rights groups have been pushing for a ban on Zimbabwean diamonds but
last November, the country escaped a KP ban with the global body giving
Harare a June 2010 deadline to make reforms to comply with its regulations.

However Mbada and Canadile brought in to ensure mining standards at Chiadzwa
meet KP requirements have attracted more controversy amid revelations that
some members of the two firms were once illegal drug and diamond dealers in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone.

Some Mbada and Canadile members are also known to have close links to
Zimbabwe's military establishment that is accused of stealing millions of
dollars worth of diamonds from Chiadzwa and offloading them onto the foreign
black market for precious stones. -- ZimOnline

MDC supporter's house burnt down

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by John Chimunhu
Wednesday, 17 March 2010 07:47

HARARE - A Movement for Democratic Change supporter's house was last week
burnt down by a Zanu (PF) gang as renewed violence against Zimbabwe's
majority party intensifies, the party reported on Tuesday.

The party newspaper, The Changing Times pictured the arson victim, Sarudzai
Taodzera in front of her gutted house.
The front-page report headlined 'Violence flares up again' was published
just hours before South African President and SADC facilitator to the
inter-party dialogue was due in Harare for make-or-break talks involving the
three signatories of a 2008 power-sharing deal involving President Robert
Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara.
The Times said Tsvangirai had been told during a countrywide tour of a
resurgence of violence across the country, including a resurgence of torture
bases set up with the assistance of rogue members of the police.
The Premier was furious that Mugabe's party could so blatantly violate the
terms of the Global Political Agreement which is now threatened by the
ageing dictator's refusal to implement its key provisions, the subject of
Zuma's visit.
Arson victim Taodzera told The Times that the attack took place last
Thursday night but police at Kadzere station had not done anything about it
despite the attackers having been identified.
Taodzera said she lost household property, although no-one was injured as
the house was unoccupied when the attack took place.
Finance Minister and GPA negotiator Tendai Biti visited the home on Sunday
and condemned the attack.

HIV waiting lists extensive

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by Tony Saxon
Wednesday, 17 March 2010 10:31

MUTARE - Mutare health officials are struggling to cope with the growing
waiting lists of people in need of HIV treatment, and the few doctors
available to prescribe the drugs.

"We have between 200 and 300 people on the waiting list for antiretroviral
(ARV) drugs and we can only cater for few people. We fear it might take up
to a year before a patient is put on ARV drug therapy," said an official
from Mutare Provincial hospital in an interview with The Zimbabwean.
More than 320 000 people in Zimbabwe are in need of ARV treatment. Of the
1.7 million living with HIV only about 150 000 are obtaining the medication
from the public health sector.
The health official noted that Zimbabweans, who cross the border in search
of better economic opportunities in Mozambique, are returning to Mutare
hospitals and clinics for treatment, as they are unable to easily access
ARVs in Mozambique.
"They come for diagnosis when they are in such bad shape that we are forced
at times to allow them to jump the queue for anti-retrovirals," said the
official.
Ruramai Chikodzore, 30, decided to avoid the long waiting list in Mutare by
enrolling for free ARV treatment in rural Chigodora, about 20 km south of
the city last year.
The process was relatively simple and there was no queue, but he has
recently been finding in difficult to get the drugs from Zimunya rural
clinic.
"The clinic staff said they had run out of drugs, so I have to buy from
nurses here for US$50. I cannot raise such money. So I am dying slowly,"
said Chikodzore.
Zimbabwe is among the countries worst affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic,
with an estimated 3000 people dying weekly from AIDS related illness
according to the National AIDS Council.
A health expert Dr Martin Mushore said: "A severe shortage of food that has
affected Zimbabweans for the past decade and the collapse of the health
sector have only helped exacerbate the HIV and AIDS pandemic."
He added that the collapse of the health sector along with that of the
public education system reflected the decayed state of Zimbabwe's key
infrastructure and institutions after years of acute recession.

Typhoid spreads in Zimbabwe

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za

Eyewitness News | 5 Hours Ago

Zimbabwean officials say typhoid is spreading in the country.

A hundred and sixty cases have been confirmed in one township alone and the
authorities have stepped in to order medical tests for anyone handling food
for the public.

Last week there were 40 suspected cases in Harare's eastern Mabvuku
township.

Now the city's Director of Health Services said 160 people had been treated
for typhoid.

Thirty seven typhoid patients are being treated in the Beatrice Road
Infectious Diseases Hospital which was overwhelmed by cholera patients
during last year's epidemic.

The authorities believe the typhoid came in from a neighbouring country but
will not say which one.

'Succession clique a bunch of sellouts'

http://www.zicora.com

Posted By Own Staff Thursday, 18 March 2010 01:19

SUCCESSION crusaders within Zanu PF have been labelled sellouts and
criminals bent on dividing the party.War veterans chairman Jabulani Sibanda
told journalists at Bulawayo Press Club on Friday that talks on who would
succeed Robert Mugabe was a clear sign of confusion by power hungry members.

"If there are people in Zanu PF who are running a programme of succession,
they are dangerous to the revolution and party.  That person is an enemy not
only of Zanu PF but Africa .

"Those people are sellouts, succession is done through the constitution and
it is clear how leaders are elected."

"Any person who takes another path outside congress, that's unconstitutional
and criminals," he said.

However, he did not name Zanu PF members who were pushing the succession
issue. Turning to the state of the war veterans, Sibanda refused to say
whether he would stand for re-election in the up-coming congress.

Said Sibanda. "Will I stand or not, I never stepped down."

He later said that within war veterans, campaigning for posts was not
encouraged.

"It would be irresponsible for me to narrate (my) achievements, infact I don't
achieve we achieve. Achievements are known by people in the association,"
said Sibanda.

Last week, President Mugabe, who is also the patron of war veterans, called
for an end to the infighting within the liberation fighters
association.Joseph Chinotimba has claimed the chairmanship of the
association from Sibanda.But five of the 10 provinces have said they still
recognise Sibanda's chairmanship.

During the chaotic land distribution, Sibanda said war veterans were in the
forefront and claimed 20 percent but now they had to benefit through the
indigenisation programme on the mines.

"One of the resolutions of the congress will be on mines, come up with
strategies on how war veterans will benefit from mines around."

Sibanda claimed that the only benefit that the Hwange community got from the
abundant coal is Tuberculosis and other diseases.

 

Mugabe encourages takeovers

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by Joel Mhizha
Wednesday, 17 March 2010 12:46

ZVIMBA - President Robert Mugabe has incited youths to invade foreign-owned
companies and mines.

President Mugabe, who was addressing students at the re-launch of Kutama
Association on Saturday, said the youths should have a stake in the foreign
owned mines and companies.
"I don't admire a young man who wants to be a manager for the rest of his
life. He must be thinking all the times that he must be also the owner of
that company not just manager. Some will say you will make us lose our jobs,
but if we are going to lose
jobs because of that let that be. Let our young people create the jobs,"
said President Mugabe.
He said like the land reform embarked by the country in 2000 the
controversial Empowerment Act was aimed at controlling the country's
resources.
"I know that a lot will say Mugabe is doing his own thing he started from
land and now is in the mining sector, if the minerals are ours I am not
ashamed because this is what God gave us and we must protect our resources
and make them more productive if they are raw and more meaningful in terms
of them being utilized in developing our people," he added.
The controversial Empowerment Act has been viewed by analysts as a
discouraging factor for investment. The act has also created tension in the
coalition government with parties forming transitional government differing
in their views of the law.
MDC says the Empowerment Act should be revised to so that it won't scare
away investors, while Zanu (PF) said that it was an answer to the sanctions
which were imposed by the west.

Mugabe planning massive violence on MDC after World Cup - Report

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe/4809.html

17 March, 2010 08:53:00

HARARE - Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF) has started recruiting youths for
training in sophisticated murder and torture techniques for a massive
campaign of violence against the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) soon
after the World Cup, a report said.

Investigations by The Zimbabwean have revealed that the vicious campaign of
terror is expected to roll into motion in July, soon after the soccer World
Cup ends in South Africa and the media spotlight shifts elsewhere.

High-level sources within both Zanu (PF) and MDC-T as well as the security
services said the purpose of this horrific plan, if it succeeds, was to
plunge the country into total anarchy, making it impossible to continue with
the drafting of a new constitution.

The fall-back plan agreed by the parties in the Global Political Agreement
(GPA) - an immediate election if a new constitution can not be agreed upon -
will also be rendered sterile, ensuring Mugabe's continued reign.

Among the areas targeted for attack is Masvingo Province, a flash-point of
violence for many years. After years of killings by Zanu (PF), in which
no-one significant has been arrested or called to account, tensions are very
high in the province, making it fertile ground for the planned terror
campaign.

Volatile Mwenezi

The new round of killings is expected to start in Mwenezi district, a
dangerous and volatile enclave where the local Member of Parliament,
Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, who was recently elevated to the Zanu (PF) politburo
has been whipping up emotions.
He has accused Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of being an 'enemy of the
state' over the issue of Western targeted sanctions. Violence, poverty,
drought and unemployment have combined to produce a lethal mix of
frustration and desperation among the youth in the area, witnessed
first-hand by this reporter at the weekend.

Masvingo Central Member of Parliament, Tongai Matutu, told The Zimbabwean
that a planning meeting about the attacks had been held in Mwenezi recently.

"The meeting in Mwenezi Ward 13 involved members of the Central Intelligence
Organization (CIO), war veterans and general Zanu (PF) supporters. They
intend to recruit youths for training in torture and bloodshed. What we are
going to experience is anarchy worse than that seen in the 2008 run-off
(election campaign)," Matutu said.

He added: "Threats of violence are increasing by the day. There seems to be
a wider plan by Zanu (PF) to destabilize Zimbabwe after the World Cup. There
are plans to make constitution-making impossible. They want to create no-go
areas."
Matutu, a respected lawyer and close associate of the premier said Zanu (PF)
had gone into election mode in the region but the party had run out of ideas
on how to win public support, hence the resort to violence.

Illegal weapons

"Zanu (PF) has run out of any bankable programmes. They failed to convince
people that sanctions are hurting them, so they are now planning for
violence. This violence should be stopped by any means necessary because
violence breeds illegitimacy. As a party we have an obligation to protect
our supporters, especially in the rural areas because most of our
constituencies are rural," Matutu said.

He said he was personally targeted.

"I'm considered a threat but I don't hold any guns. These are threats which
I've learned to live with."

Working under-cover, The Zimbabwean was able to confirm the violent plans
with war veterans and members of the security services. In one encounter, we
witnessed a member of the secret service supplying a handful of bullets to a
youth militiaman and joking, "Here are sweets for the children." We also
discovered that the area is awash with illegal weapons.

Government Payroll

On Sunday, this reporter attended a meeting in Higher Education minister and
Zanu (PF) Politburo member Stan Mudenge's Masvingo North constituency.
During an informal meeting, a war veteran who is also a member of the CIO
told the local leadership that MDC-T supporters should be excluded from
donors' food lists currently being compiled and should be denied farming
inputs that are belatedly being distributed. The veteran started the meeting
by scolding the local leadership for allowing MDC-T supporters access to the
inputs in previous rounds.

"How could you allow MDC-T 'sellouts' to get fertilizer? Do you have enough
for yourselves? If that is the case give the fertilizer to me. I know what
to do with it," fumed the war veteran. The villagers apologised profusely
before he set out the new terms of aid for them.

Masvingo province suffered some of the worst political violence of the 2008
run-off campaign, which forced Tsvangirai to pull out of the race, leaving
Mugabe to claim victory as the sole candidate. Bombings, shootings, grenade
attacks, gruesome torture, rape and mutilations left scores dead and injured
while many others fled their homes.

The new youth recruitment drive is expected to be funded by the state. A
recent parliamentary report confirmed that there were 10 000 illegally
recruited members of the Zanu (PF) youth militia on the government payroll.
(The Zimbabwean)

ZAPU: Zim crisis requires all stakeholders

PRESS STATEMENT
March 16, 2010
TIME FOR ALL PLAYERS IN THE ZIMBABWEAN CRISIS

(London, 16th March 2010) On behalf of all suffering Zimbabweans who seek
genuine peace, freedom and respect for human rights, we the Europe province
of the first party to fight for these issues in Zimbabwe, welcome the three
(3) day visit by South African President Jacob Zuma to "facilitate removal
of obstacles.".
In attempts to resolve the issues between ZANU and the MDC, we believe that
it is now time for the parties to the 15th September 2008 Global Political
Agreement (GPA) to admit that they have failed Zimbabweans. Because of their
selfish motives, the parties have failed to implement their agreement. They
have not achieved the set objectives or even to adhere to their declared
commitment as provided by Article II (2) of the GPA that:
"The Parties hereby declare and agree to work together to create a genuine,
viable, permanent, sustainable and nationally acceptable solution to the
Zimbabwean situation . with the aims of resolving once and for all the
current political and economic situations ."

It has been more than a year since the MDC - ZANU PF unity government came
to power, but Zimbabweans continue to echo President Zuma's predecessor
Thabo Mbeki's words: "When will the day come that our dignity will be fully
restored, when the purposes of our lives will no longer be merely to survive
until the sun rises tomorrow." The parties have failed to implement an
acceptable solution to the Zimbabwean crisis.
It is clear that the real obstacle to progress in Zimbabwe is both MDC and
ZANU PF who believe that it is only they and nobody else that have a right
to rule Zimbabwe or have a say in how the current crisis can be resolved.
This is clear form the GPA, which was agreed without any consultation with
Zimbabweans, the civil society or other political parties.

We encourage His Excellency, President Zuma to recall the words of Winston
Churchill who once said: "However beautiful the strategy, you should
occasionally look at the results."
There is no evidence that the GNU is working or delivering for the people of
Zimbabwe. Farm invasions, persecutions, torture and closure of media and
democratic space continues. Opposition parties and increasingly civil
society are excluded from participation. The MDC has joined hands with ZANU
PF in abusing power, corruption and even defending injustices. There is fear
of including others. The GPA parties are even conniving and refusing to hold
by-elections in vacant constituencies for fear that ZAPU will win these
by-elections and create a political headache for them.

Former RSA President Nelson Mandela observed "failure of leadership" in
Zimbabwe some two years ago. Not surprisingly, the GPA parties appear to
have no clue how to run the country because the lives of ordinary people
continue to deteriorate, the constitution making process is continuously
pushed back to avoid new elections, civil servants have started strikes
because of unfulfilled promises and the GNU is hampered by continuous
bickering on positions of power, pending issues and costly negotiations.

We now appeal to President Zuma and SADC to reconsider the myth that the
Zimbabwean solution lies in the GPA or the two MDC factions and ZANU PF
exclusively. ZAPU has a bigger constituency and has answers and credible
solutions to the crisis. So do other political players and civil society.

The GPA parties appear to lack the seriousness of resolving the real
problems and the betterment of lives of Zimbabweans, who on a daily basis
join the track to Zimbabwe's neighbours and mostly to South Africa.
The GPA parties appear to only want to advance their selfish political ends.
More stakeholders must be invited to the roundtable to work out a credible
way forward for Zimbabwe.
.Ends

Issued by
Zenzo Ncube
Secretary Marketing & Communication
ZAPU (Europe Province)

Call for elections, premature

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
CALL FOR ELECTIONS, PREMATURE

Zimbabwe's two main political parties, ZANU PF led by President Robert
Mugabe and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Prime Minister,
Morgan Tsvangirai have highlighted that they are ready for elections with
President Mugabe stating that the country would go to the polls in February
2011 when the lifespan of the inclusive government comes to an end, with or
without a new constitution. The two principles are calling for elections yet
reality on the ground reveals that the administrative framework and
contextual environment necessary for holding democratic, free and fair
elections, is highly compromised owing to failure by the inclusive
government to implement democratic reforms. Some of the issues prejudicing
the holding of democratic elections are; the skewed voter's roll, lack of
independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the Delimitation
Commission, the existence of repressive laws and the volatile political
environment.
The administration of Zimbabwe's elections is done by ZEC, the office of the
Registrar General and the Delimitation Commission. Instead of operating
independently and safeguarding the vote of citizens, these institutions
remain politically compromised owing to their composition. The Registrar
General's office, responsible for updating the voter's roll and conducting
voter registration, has proved its incompetence as evidenced by multiple
entries in the voter's roll and existence of ghost voters. A research
conducted by the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) revealed that there are
134 202 voters above the age of 90 registered in Zimbabwe. In countries with
an aging population like Japan, this could be deemed normal but in a country
like Zimbabwe ravaged by the AIDS pandemic, acute poverty and life
expectancy of 34 and 37 for females and males respectively, this statistic
is misleading. Evidently, there are ghost voters in the database who have
been used over the years as an instrument to rig elections.

Without a proper audit of the voter's roll, delimitation of constituency
boarders cannot be determined as it is determined by the number of voters in
each area. During the 2008 elections, farms were marked as constituencies
while some people in Harare North constituency used communal proof of
residence although they were not resident in those areas.

In 2008, it took ZEC one month to release all the Presidential and
Parliamentary results despite the fact that in past elections, results would
be released within two days after polls close. It is widely believed that
during the one month period, the electoral commission was doctoring results
to avoid a clear opposition win. The impartiality of the offices which run
elections in Zimbabwe is largely influenced by the appointment process which
is done by the incumbent President, who is also a candidate in the
elections. This means that whatever decisions reached are influenced by the
President.

Contrary to expectations from a broad church of Zimbabweans that the
political environment would improve following the birth of an inclusive
government, little change has been experienced due to failure to conduct
institutional and legislative reform. Reformation of state institutions
accused of fanning violence in the run up to the June 2008 Presidential
election run-off has not taken place with cases of state sponsored violence
re-emerging mostly in rural areas. There have been reports of uniformed
forces in Chegutu, Masvingo, Matebeland North, Matebeleland South and
Manicaland campaigning for the controversial Kariba draft and threatening
MDC supporters with assault. The late Masipula Sithole in a research
conducted after the 2000 elections noted that ZANU PF had won because of the
'margin of terror' as opposed to the 'margin of error'. The same happened
with the June 27 Presidential run-off election and could happen if the
country goes to the polls in 2011 without destroying the infrastructure of
violence.

Legislative reform, which was supposed to be at the top of the inclusive
government's agenda, is still far from being carried out. Repressive laws
including the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) which mandates people to
acquire police clearances for meetings and the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) which limits the freedom to access
information remain an impediment to democratic reforms in the country. POSA
was used during the March 2008 campaign period to disallow the MDC, from
holding rallies. The police have, over the past months intensified the use
of this draconian piece of legislation by arresting MDC supporters who
conduct meetings without clearances thereby negating their freedoms of
association and expression.
One of the most notorious pieces of legislation, the Presidential Power's
Temporary Measures Act, gives the President power to make executive
decisions without consulting Parliament. In the March 2008 elections, the
act was used to allow police officers to assist the differently-abled in
voting despite amendments made to the Electoral Act by the MDC and ZANU PF.
The same law could be used to further amend the Electoral Act to suite ZANU
PF ultimately leading to compromised election results.

The public media particularly The Herald and the state broadcaster, Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Cooperation (ZBC) ideally owned by the people of Zimbabwe have
been used as a ZANU PF propaganda tools, elevating the party's top officials
and denigrating other political players and critics of the government.
Despite making assurances that the public media would be used in a
non-partisan manner, nothing has improved more than one year after the
consummation of the inclusive government.

The importance of a new constitution during Zimbabwe's transitional phase
cannot be underestimated. Over a period of 28 years, a record 18 amendments
were made to the constitution, before the 19th amendment which legalised the
inclusive government. These amendments were made, not to improve its content
but to create an omnipotent President, answerable to only himself. The
flawed constitution coupled with a Presidential Powers Act gives the
President power over any processes which take place in Zimbabwe including
the elections. The need for a new, democratic constitution before the
elections is premised on the need to create an enabling environment with
regards to the administration of the elections and the reformation of key
state institutions which are used to dictate Zimbabwe's political course.

To call for elections when very little has changed in the administrative and
political environment is tantamount to robbing the people of Zimbabwe of
their right to choose their leaders in a conducive environment. Before the
inclusive government begins contemplating elections, they should put in
place measures to ensure that the country transits to democracy ultimately
resulting in more transparent elections. Zimbabweans are a people devastated
by years of political turmoil under a ruthless regime and yearning for
change. There is thus need for the government to reform key state
institutions, repeal repressive laws and put an end to politically motivated
violence before the holding of fresh elections.

Time to scrap Zim’s unity deal and have a supervised election

http://www.businessday.co.za

ALLISTER SPARKS
Published: 2010/03/17 09:09:27 AM

Whatever President Zuma may have gained for our country during his state
visit to Britain, the sad thing is he failed to seize the one opportunity he
had to transform his international image completely -- which was to come out
strongly with a decisive new policy to resolve the protracted mess in
Zimbabwe. To show that he is not just a continuation of Thabo Mbeki on this
morally definitive issue.

Instead he tried to persuade British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to scrap
what he called the European Union's "sanctions against Zimbabwe." This was
dumbfounding. He must have known it was a non-starter.

There are no sanctions against Zimbabwe. There are only targeted sanctions
against 200 individuals and nine companies known to be the prime villains
who have looted the land and its resources, impoverished the people and
committed crimes against humanirty. The sanctions have declared those
individuals persona non grata and frozen their assets in the countries
applying them.

There is no way Brown or any other EU leader was going to condone those
despicable crimes, in effect revoke Europe's labelling of them as immoral
and unacceptable, when President Robert Mugabe and his cohorts have done
nothing to deserve such a reprieve. Their crimes are ongoing.

Zuma's plea for the lifting of that condemnation was not just futile, it was
egregious, for it made him look like an obsequious supporter of the Mugabe
regime, just as Mbeki was, to the detriment of our moral standing in the
world.

In fact by perpetuating the myth that the EU is applying sanctions against
the Zimbabwe nation, and that that, not Mugabe’s misrule, is what is
responsible for the misery of its people, makes Zuma -- and thus South
Africa – a collaborator.

Why Zuma has done this is beyond understanding. There is no pressure on him
from within the ANC or its alliance partners to take this collaborationist
line. The factions that brought him to power at Polokwane were all critical
of Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy," Cosatu particularly after having been crudely
humiliated by Mugabe's henchmen when they tried to visit their unionist
comrades in Zimbabwe.

If Zuma thought he could sweeten Mugabe by going in to bat for him in
London, then he is even more naive than Mbeki. Mugabe is an inveterate hawk
who eats softies for breakfast.

The pity is that Zuma had a great opportunity in London to change South
Africa's image on this issue which has done us so much harm internationally.
He should have made it clear that the Mbeki era of effeteness is over and
that South Africa -- the only country capable of ending the drawn-out mess
in Zimbabwe -- is now ready to become more assertive in trying to do so.

How? First by recognising that the unity government is not working and that
the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which Mbeki negotiated is effectively
dead.

It started out reasonably well. Schools and hospitals opened, civil servants
got paid and returned to work and the scrapping of the Zimbabwe dollar
brought goods back to empty shop shelves. There was also a brief moment when
there was even a drop in human rights abuses.

But it was not long before the hard-liners of Mugabe's ZANU-PF, especially
the security chiefs, reasserted themselves and refused to implement some of
the unity government’s decisions and the changes specified in the GPA.

More than a year after the signing of the unity accord, only 12% of the 34
items in the GPA have been implemented.

Meanwhile, with all the instruments of state force still in Mugabe's hands,
the land invasions continue, members of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are continuously harassed and arrested,
the youth militia roam the countryside intimidating opposition supporters,
and the process of drafting a new democratic constitution can't get started.

Frustrated by all this, the MDC briefly suspended participation in the unity
government last year, bringing the Southern African Development Community
(SADC), who are supposed to be the guarantors of the GPA, back to arbitrate.
This produced a brief respite, but now things are slipping again.

One of the factors driving the deterioration is that ZANU-PF leaders, who
were beginning to feel the pinch of the shrinking economy, have suddenly
struck it rich again thanks to a fabulous new alluvial diamond field at
Maranga, in the eastern highlands near the Mozambique border, yielding an
estimated US$ 2-billion a year.

This bonanza should be helping Zimbabwe's economic recovery and the lives of
its struggling people, but it is not, because the operation is outside the
control of the unity government and is being run by a cabal that includes
senior political and military figures. With this new wealth pouring into the
pockets of ZANU-PF's corps d'elite, their sense of power and impunity has
burgeoned anew.

This has prompted new outrages. Three weeks ago ZANU-PF suddenly revived an
"Indigenisation Act” passed by a pre-unity ZANU-PF Parliament back in 2007
but never activated, which requires all companies with a capital value of
more than US$ 500,000 to hand over 51% of their equity to "the people" -- 
meaning ZANU-PF's elitists – and to do so within 45 days or face five years
imprisonment.

The belated activation was announced by proclamation without reference to
the unity Cabinet or Parliament. It has frozen business and investment in
the country.

In another act of complete contempt for the GPA, Mugabe on March 5
unilaterally stripped four Ministers of the two MDC factions of their powers
and handed those powers to his own ZANU-PF Ministers.

That is why it’s time for South Africa, as the leading power in SADC, to
say, "Enough!" If President Zuma has any political balls at all, he should
tell Mugabe so during his visit to Harare this week.

He should tell him the GPA is obviously not working, that it is clear Mugabe
is determined not to allow it to work, and that the South African Government
is therefore going to call on SADC, as guarantor of the deal, to declare it
to have been irretrievably violated and so nullified -- and to demand the
holding of an early election so that a new government with a genuine public
mandate can take over.

This election should be supervised -- not just observed -- by a large team
of electoral specialists from the SADC countries, especially South Africa.
Moreover it should not be run on the basis of Zimbabwe's hopelessly
defective voters' roll but by letting all adult citizens vote as has been
done with the first elections of all newly independent countries in Africa.

Zuma should tell Mugabe, too, that if he and his ZANU-PF cohorts refuse to
accept such a process, South Africa will press for Zimbabwe's membership of
SADC to be suspended, and for any regime that might be unilaterally
installed not to be recognised by SADC and the African Union. The country
would then be isolated.

Only South Africa has the influence and power to do this. If necessary we
could do it unilaterally. It's time we acted on behalf of the people of
Zimbabwe and the whole region, to say nothing of our own image as a nation
whose internationally assisted rebirth surely imposes a moral obligation on
us.

But don’t hold your breath. Decisiveness is not Zuma’s strong suit on any
issue.

No election possible without major reform

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
17 March 2010

There are growing concerns over the holding of elections next year, as
announced recently by both the leaders of ZANU PF and the MDC-T. Robert
Mugabe even went further saying 'elections will be held next year with or
without a new constitution'.

Many sections of Zimbabwean society are very apprehensive about holding
fresh elections in the current environment.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has warned that it's too early to call for
elections as the inclusive government has failed to conduct institutional
and legislative reform. The group said this is contrary to widespread
expectations that the birth of the coalition government would improve the
political environment.

In the UK, a Zimbabwean pressure group has said it is impossible to hold
proper elections without real security, and it is going to launch a petition
to the United Nations Security Council to try to ensure that free and fair
elections are held.

The petition by the Zimbabwe Vigil says: 'We call on the Security Council to
ensure that the next elections in Zimbabwe are free and fair. We look to the
United Nations to supervise the electoral process and the handover of power
to a new government and believe peace-keeping troops will need to be in
place before, during and after the polling.'

Although violence has decreased since the power sharing government was
formed over a year ago, reports from the MDC-T and rights bodies show that
politically motivated violence does continue in various parts of the
country, especially the rural areas.

The Crisis Coalition said in a statement that it is unfortunate that the two
principals, Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, are calling for elections, yet the
reality on the ground shows that the environment necessary for holding
democratic elections is highly compromised, due to the lack of any real
reforms in the country.

"Some of the issues prejudicing the holding of democratic elections are; the
skewed voter's roll, lack of independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission and the Delimitation Commission, the existence of repressive laws
and the volatile political environment," said the pressure group.

The Coalition said uniformed forces in Chegutu, Masvingo, Matabeleland
North, Matabeleland South and Manicaland were campaigning for the
controversial Kariba draft and threatening MDC supporters with assault and
warned political disturbances will escalate 'if the country goes to the
polls in 2011 without destroying the infrastructure of violence'.

In Mudzi, Mashonaland East, villagers criticise the new government of
failing them as ZANU PF youths continue to raid their homes and steal their
livestock.

Hundreds of MDC supporters were killed in the last election, while tens of
thousands were displaced after ZANU PF embarked on an orgy of retribution
violence following the volatile and controversial elections, which resulted
in the rival political parties forming a power sharing government.

But since the formation of the government Mugabe has failed to implement
most of the issues that he had signed up to do. He has also continued to
make unilateral decisions, clearly showing he has no intention of sharing
power. His only concern appears to be the removal of targeted sanctions oh
him and his cronies, imposed by western countries.

A clear indication of the main problem greeted South African President Jacob
Zuma, when he arrived in Harare on Tuesday as the regional mediator of the
crisis. He was not only greeted by Mugabe and Tsvangirai at the airport, but
also by scores of ZANU PF supporters who chanted anti Tsvangirai songs, in
full view of the leaders. The flagrant lack of respect by those in ZANU PF
was all too apparent.

 

City of Harare embarks on a water disconnection spree

Letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Prime Minister,

After a brave, harrowing and tearful account of a victim's experience of
being raped you asked: "How do you confront a dictator using democratic
means?" With due respect, Prime Minister, it is not by dining with the
dictator every Monday while crimes are committed against your supporters.
Nor do you confront a dictator by proclaiming that he is part of the
solution when he is, and always has been, part of the problem. Nor do you
confront a dictator by undemocratically handing power to him. After nearly a
decade of struggle, the Zimbabwean people elected you as their President,
not as a powerless Prime Minister. Yet, it was you and your party that
negotiated and handed back power to the dictator and the loser of the March
2008 presidential elections. This was not only a betrayal of the democratic
principles that you espouse, but you had no mandate from the people to do
so.

Nor, Prime Minister, do you confront a dictator by following his lead on
pernicious and racist policies. Instead of supporting an international court's
ruling to which Zimbabwe is bound by treaty and international law, you have
supported the dictator's unlawful and 'irreversible' land policies.  Nor can
you pretend that you did not mean that sanctions on ZANU(PF) individuals
should be lifted just because you used the words 'restrictive measures'.  It
now seems that you are no longer confronting the dictator's imposition of an
indigenisation policy that will end any chance of investment to create
desperately needed jobs.  If the truth be told, Prime Minister, you have not
confronted the dictator using democratic or any other means. You have
trusted him, colluded with him, and appeased him. In doing so you have - as
one commentator put it - gambled your political credibility to the hilt.

You have also sent him the very signals by which he manipulates you.
Whenever you tell the dictator that you will never abandon the GPA, you
strengthen his resolve to repudiate it. Whenever you tell the dictator that
past crimes should be forgiven and forgotten, it emboldens him to act with
greater impunity. Even as you preach healing and tolerance to the dictator
over dinner, he prepares for arrests, violence and intimidation against your
supporters in the run-up to elections.

We therefore call upon you to focus all your strength and energy on ensuring
that Zimbabweans can vote in peace, and in the knowledge that every vote
counts.  Democracy and justice will only prevail when we start concentrating
our minds on what really matters: providing security to remove any and every
threat of election violence; tightening the electoral process to prevent
rigging; and ensuring the peaceful handover of power. As the coercive power
of the state remains firmly in the grip of the dictator, the imperative is
to build a powerful coalition of political and diplomatic forces that will
deny him victory through violence.

The tears of anguish of a single woman - or indeed those of thousands of
your compatriots who have been tortured, raped and murdered - cries out, not
for rhetorical answers, but for a leadership that demands democracy and
justice. The hope of millions of Zimbabweans to live in dignity and freedom,
Prime Minister, lies in your courage and leadership to confront the
dictator. You must not fail them.

Dale Doré

ZCTF Report - March 2010

Democracy Struggles On In Zimbabwe

http://www1.voanews.com

Editorial

President Robert Mugabe stripped authority from several cabinet ministries
led by members of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Zimbabwe's fragile transition government suffered another blow recently when
President Robert Mugabe stripped authority from several cabinet ministries
led by members of the Movement for Democratic Change.

The move, a clear violation of the spirit of the agreement Mugabe signed in
2008 to create the transitional government and end the country's
long-running political crisis, demonstrates yet again Mugabe's refusal to
share power despite demands for change.

Democracy and its grounding in government checks and balances are not
entirely dead in the Southern Africa nation, however. Glimmers of life for
representative government are seen in Zimbabwe's Parliament, which in recent
weeks has shown a healthy independence from the nation's tradition of
one-party rule.

Lawmakers are adding the final touches to a law reforming the nation's
central bank, which under Mugabe's long rule adopted policies that ruined
the nation's economy. They, along with the Prime Minister and leading
members of the MDC, are balking at a Mugabe plan to require all large
businesses to have majority black Zimbabwean ownership, a move that will
frighten away badly needed foreign investment.

The election of the nation's first opposition Speaker of Parliament since
independence has been upheld by the courts. And its Committee on Mines has
begun an investigation into government activities in the controversial
Marange diamond fields, where security forces have been found to be abusing
miners and 300,000 carets of diamonds held by the Mines Ministry briefly
went missing. The MDC has demanded all mining in Marange be halted until the
parliamentary probe is completed and the government has a plan to develop
the valuable resource for the national, not private, good.

The United States had hoped for as much from Mugabe after he signed the
Global Political Agreement in   September 2008 and agreed to the
transitional government in February 2009. The transitional government must
operate as he himself agreed to, but for now it appears it is up to
Parliament and civil society to foster democracy and respect for the rule of
law and human rights.