http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 17 March, 2012
20:11
Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) this
week showed
strong signs that it will not give in to President Robert Mugabe
and
Zanu-PF's demands for new elections.
Zanu-PF had hoped that the
tough-talk on elections would force the MDC-T to
step up to the challenge by
dropping its insistence on political reforms.
Instead, the MDC-T listed its
pre-conditions before it agrees to polls.
These include a reining-in of
political violence and intimidation; the
completion of the
constitution-making process, and insistence that military
personnel must not
be involved in the election process.
The MDC-T, eager not to repeat the
debacle of the 2008 presidential
election, has also leaned on the Southern
African Development Community's
(SADC) proposed roadmap for free elections
as its benchmark before polls.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T spokesman,
said: "The position of Prime Minister
Tsvangirai and the MDC regarding
elections is well known. Any future
elections must produce a leadership that
is an undoubted manifestation of
the will of the people. In other words, it
must be a product of the free
expression of the people's will. The gist of
what the prime minister has
been saying is that calling for an election
without levelling the playing
field is a recipe for
disaster."
Zanu-PF hawks, however, have refused to recognise the MDC-T's
demands and
dismissed the list as wishful thinking. They said Zanu-PF had
made more than
enough concessions to warrant free and fair
polls.
Observers said the MDC-T's insistence on the SADC's roadmap was to
ensure
that the party would have the regional body step in to act as the
referee in
the event that the results are disputed again.
Critics
argue that SADC's soft approach in dealing with Mugabe had seen the
regional
body give him legitimacy in 2008 when it was clear the polls had
not been
free and fair. Expectations are high that SA President Jacob Zuma,
who heads
the SADC mediation effort, will not accept a contested election.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 18 March, 2012 00:28
President
Robert Mugabe's demand for elections this year faces rejection,
not only
from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), but from
members
of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) - the
guarantors of the
Government of National Unity (GNU).
The GNU is perceived as having
provided a critical lifeline to Mugabe's
political survival after his shock
defeat in 2008. Observers, however, point
out that the rejection by SADC is
not outright, as the 88-year-old Mugabe
still enjoys some regional
support.
Although Mugabe may be the oldest leader in the region, a crop
of political
"newcomers" have shown a willingness to speak out against his
belligerence
and are reluctant to treat him with kids' gloves.
This
week, the Sunday Times look at SADC's faces of opposition and candour
to
Mugabe over the past three years.
South African President Jacob
Zuma
From the onset, Zuma has taken the fight to Mugabe and his party
Zanu-PF, a
somewhat unusual approach, as Zanu-PF has for a long time
flaunted its
"sovereignty" as a defence against interference and was also
spoilt by
former SA president Thabo Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy"
policy.
Where Zuma has been unable to personally read the riot act to
Mugabe and
Zanu-PF, his international relations advisor, Lindiwe Zulu, has
taken over
and ruffled the feathers in Zanu-PF's stock.
So prickly is
the attitude towards Zulu in Zanu-PF that she is often
referred to as "that
woman" - with Mugabe showing his dislike of her last
month in an interview
on his birthday with state-owned media.
Mugabe said last month: "We can
reject President Zuma at the appropriate
time, we have always maintained
that we are not forced to accept his
mediation, but that is not something
that we want to do. We want to reach an
understanding with
him."
Zuma's stance is thought to have fuelled the tough stance taken by
the SADC
against Mugabe in Zambia last year.
Ironically, while
Mugabe's relations with Zuma have broken down , SA's
ruling ANC party enjoys
strong historical ties with Zanu-PF. At the party's
congress in December,
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe pledged to help
Zanu-PF win the next
election - as the liberation movement parties had a
vested interest in
keeping their grip on power .
The ANC also invited Zanu-PF to its
centenary celebrations in January.
Observers, however, said the romance
between the two liberation parties was
marginal, given that SA has borne the
brunt of Zimbabwe's political crisis
for more than 10 years, with the number
of Zimbabweans living in SA
estimated at 1.5-million, and they say it is in
Zuma's interests to resolve
this issue.
Botswana's President Ian
Khama
Khama "shocked" the regional body in April 2008 when he assumed
power from
his predecessor, Festus Mogae, by speaking out against Zimbabwe's
sham 2008
presidential election. The former army commander refused to
recognise
Mugabe's presidency, in what was the beginning of a lot of
tough-talking
from Khama.
His outspokeness earned him a "no nonsense"
reputation on the continent.
Botswana has distanced itself from the
autocratic regimes of Sudan's Omar Al
Bashir, and slain Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi. Zuma's trip to Botswana and
Namibia earlier this month was
seen to underscore the attempts to rally
support for more pressure to be
piled on Mugabe ahead of an SADC summit next
month.
Zuma's office has
however maintained that the state visits, "were to promote
an African
agenda".
The acrimony between Mugabe and Khama was underpinned by
allegations in late
2008 by the former that Khama was allowing the MDC to
train its activists
there, with the intention of overthrowing Mugabe's
regime. Botswana and SA
signed an agreement in 2008 to help resolve the
political crisis in
Zimbabwe, following the disputed presidential
elections.
Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba
Namibia and
Zimbabwe have always enjoyed good relations. But an offensive
from Pretoria
to court Windhoek on the Zimbabwean political crisis is likely
to make a
stronger impression on Pohamba than keeping cordial relations with
Mugabe.
After all, Namibia has a vested interest in supporting SA's
tough stance on
Zimbabwe, given its economic reliance and ties to the
regional powerhouse.
Last August, Mugabe sent Defence Minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa to Namibia in
an attempt to bolster his waning support among the
regional leaders. Details
of that meeting were sketchy, but diplomatic
sources say Namibia asked
Zimbabwe to implement necessary political
reforms.
The change of heart may show Namibia's admiration and long-time
friendship
with Mugabe has fizzled out, giving way to a new political order,
which is
hinged on political reform and fair governance.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Sunday Times reporters | 18 March, 2012
00:28
Zimbabwe's role as a potential conduit for military equipment
destined for
Iran is likely to come under the spotlight as international
agencies probe
claims that bribes were solicited in South Africa for
sanctions-busting
deals with the Persian Gulf state.
This week,
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met Emmerson Mnangagwa, the
Zimbabwe
Defence Minister, in Tehran and pledged to strengthen relations in
defiance
of international sanctions against both countries.
Separately, Iranian
Defence Minister Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi met
Mnangagwa, and pledged
to "reinvigorate Zimbabwe's defence power", according
to Fars News
Agency.
This comes days after Gugu Mtshali, the girlfriend of South
African Deputy
President Kgalema Motlanthe, was implicated in soliciting a
R104-million
"bribe" to obtain government support for a company that tried
to clinch a
R2-billion sanctions-busting deal with Iran.
Last week,
the South African edition of the Sunday Times revealed that
Mtshali and
associates of Motlanthe, including former De Beers executive
Raisaka
Masebelanga, met delegates of Cape Town-based 360 Aviation at a
Bryanston,
Johannesburg restaurant to discuss "buying" government support
for the deal
on February 17 last year.
Barry Oberholzer, managing director of 360
Aviation, said: "We believe we
were being asked [for] a bribe ... in
exchange for [government] support."
This week Motlanthe asked South African
public protector Thuli Madonsela to
probe the allegations, as he and Mtshali
were "firmly of the view that they
have committed no wrongdoing of any
kind".
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe told the parliament's defence
committee the
government's National Conventional Arms Control Committee
(NCACC) was
probing 360 Aviation and other alleged
sanctions-busters.
"We have already started investigations against the
companies mentioned and
individuals mentioned. We will report back to NCACC
should we find any
contravention of the National Conventional Arms Control
Act," director
Vanessa du Toit is reported to have said.
This may yet
implicate Zimbabwean companies in the transfer of US-made
equipment with
dual civilian and military use to Iran.
South Africa is a signatory to a
number of United Nations resolutions,
including a 2010 resolution that says
all states "shall prevent the direct
or indirect supply, sale or transfer to
Iran" of any tanks, combat vehicles,
attack helicopters or "related
material, including spare parts".
While Zimbabwe was not part of the
Security Council that voted on that
resolution, it remains a member of the
United Nations obliged to implement
the resolutions.
Allegations, as
yet unconfirmed, suggest helicopters with potential military
application may
have been transported from South Africa through Zimbabwe en
route to
Tehran.
Last week's revelations threaten to blow the lid on how other
companies,
besides 360 Aviation, helped ship equipment with potential
military use to
Iran.
Oberholzer confirmed that 360 Aviation had been
instrumental in supplying
Iran with a Bell helicopter, spare parts and three
airliners via South
Africa through an ingenious sanctions-busting scheme -
but the company
needed top-level political support to pull off a new
deal.
However, Motlanthe denied that he had any knowledge of his
partner's
involvement with 360 Aviation.
The deputy president's
spokesman, Thabo Masebe, said: "He has at no stage
discussed such a matter
with any person, including the South African
Department of Trade and
Industry. The deputy president did not meet with 360
Aviation in the manner
suggested or at all."
However, 360 Aviation co-founder Marcel Oberholzer
told the Sunday Times
that he had in fact met Motlanthe in June 2011 with
Masebelanga, although
they had not discussed the deal.
The plan,
which ultimately collapsed, would have seen a front company - set
up by 360
Aviation - win a five-year contract, worth at least R450-million a
year, to
supply US-made Bell helicopters and parts to the National Iranian
Oil
Company.
Crucially, aviation experts say, many Bell spare parts can be
used in
Iranian attack helicopters, potentially bolstering Iranian military
firepower. The new deal would also have led to South Africa violating its UN
Security Council obligation - the 2010 resolution prohibited member states
from supplying military-related products.
Through access to
recordings and confidential documents and interviews with
three sources
directly involved in the deal, the Sunday Times has
established
that:
Mtshali was at the Bryanston meeting at which Masebelanga solicited
a
R10-million "bribe" and a R94-million profit share to obtain "support for
the deal" from the government;
Motlanthe's associates obtained a
letter signed by Riaan le Roux, the
Department of Trade and Industry's
acting deputy director-general; and
Mtshali planned to fly to Iran with
Masebelanga and another close associate
of Motlanthe, former Land Bank
executive Herman Moeketsi, to clinch the
deal.
In written responses,
Mtshali said she had "never attended a formal meeting"
with 360 Aviation.
After being sent the recording on which her voice can be
heard, she refused
to comment further.
But the Sunday Times has learnt that she privately
admitted being
"introduced" to Barry Oberholzer.
These revelations of
how Motlanthe's romantic partner was involved in a bid
to "sell" government
support come as Barry Oberholzer spoke about his role
in setting up the
scheme, and how US intelligence had sought his assistance
in nailing Iran
sanctions-busting schemes.
Barry Oberholzer said the purpose of the
Bryanston meeting was to secure a
support letter for the Iran deal from
Motlanthe, through his associates:
"This was primarily for political
protection from prosecution and assistance
at a high level in
Iran."
His explanation is supported by a recording of the meeting, which
leaves no
doubt that the discussion - held in Mtshali's presence - was about
how to
"buy" government support for a lucrative sanctions-busting
opportunity.
The price: an up-front R10-million "consultancy fee" and
shares worth about
R94-million.
Masebelanga clearly spells out his
ethos of government support for sale, the
R10-million fee to get the ball
rolling. "There is nothing for mahala," he
said.
In the recording,
North West businessman Joe Mboweni says he works "on
instructions from
mama", who is understood to be Mtshali, and adds that he
is "obviously"
interested in discussing the profit share. To which Mtshali
is heard saying:
"Joe will be instructing." Mboweni adds: "When you are a
politician you are
not just political, you must also look at the commercial
side."
Attempts to reach Mboweni this week were
unsuccessful.
When the Sunday Times confronted Masebelanga with the
agreement, he said: "I
regret it" and that it was "a bit inappropriate,
unfortunate".
Later, however, he sent a written response, saying the
contract he had
signed was "doctored beyond belief", as it did not include
the full
intentions of the parties. This is contradicted by his business
partner
Moeketsi, who confirmed that he had obtained the support letter from
the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and was expecting R5-million for
doing so.
Mtshali said she had "no knowledge of the letter from the
DTI" and "has not
been party to any agreement with 360 Aviation". The
Department of Trade and
Industry said it would consider launching a probe.
http://www.iol.co.za
March 18 2012 at 04:26pm
Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, are running up huge
unpaid
electricity bills on their many farms seized from white people, while
ordinary Zimbabweans endure constant power cuts.
The Mugabes owe
nearly R3 million for power delivered by the Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply
Authority (Zesa).
It has not cut them off although tens of thousands of
poor Zimbabweans have
had their electricity cut for non-payment of
bills.
Grace Mugabe grabbed a high-quality dairy farm about 30km west of
Harare.
She installed the latest and most expensive equipment for her
poorly managed
milk production, which used to supply Swiss company Nestlé.
At one time the
milk her farm was producing was found to be slightly “off”
despite her
modern equipment, the best in Zimbabwe, supplied to her by SA
importers of
European dairy products.
This week, Energy Minister
Elton Mangoma, of the Movement for Democratic
Change, claimed that the
increasing power cuts were being caused by
Mozambique cutting off
electricity from Hydro Cahora Bassa, although this
was denied in
Maputo.
Mangoma has been on a revenue collection campaign to try to bring
in money
from tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who have stopped paying their
power
bills.
According to the Daily News in Harare, the Mugabes owe
money for power to
their farms in Mazowe and a clutch of farms he took north
of Harare.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told parliament this week
that he had paid
about R40 000 to Zesa for power at his house in
Harare.
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, a Zanu-PF hardliner, owes
Zesa more
than R1 million for power to his farms and homes, as does one of
Mugabe’s
closest aides, Didymus Mutasa.
The Daily News says Central
Intelligence Organisation boss Happyton
Bonyongwe, armed forces boss General
Constantine Chiwenga and other top
Zanu-PF hardliners also owe Zesa
millions.
Police chief Augustine Chihuri owes nearly R1 million for power
delivered to
the prime farm he took for himself soon after land invasions
began in 2000.
The former Zanu-PF administration left Zesa in a shocking
state, unable to
pay for power imports from SA and in debt to Mozambique and
the Democratic
Republic of Congo. One of its main power sources, the Hwange
power station
in western Zimbabwe, was operating at below half of its
capacity.
All but a few of the elite and those living near hospitals
endure up to 18
hours a day without power and many farmers cure their
tobacco crop using
generators, which hugely increases production
costs.
Mugabe’s home about 20km north of Harare is maintained and funded
with
taxpayers’ money. – Peta Thornycroft from the Independent Foreign
Service
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Taurai Mangudhla, Business Writer
Sunday, 18
March 2012 12:20
HARARE - State-owned power utility Zesa Holdings
should dissolve its board
of directors for failing to collect $500 million
tariff arrears from
consumers, Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries
president Joseph Kanyekanye
said yesterday.
He told the Daily News on
Sunday the directors’ failure to cause management
to perform one of the
company’s key mandate was a sign of incompetence,
which threatened
industry’s performance as a result of erratic power supply.
“The problem
with Zesa Holdings is that some people were not paying their
bills
deliberately while some cannot afford the money, but we should never
have a
situation where we have people not paying for their consumption
because we
won’t go forward,” he said.
“Addressing debt collection is what needs to
be done now so government
should look at a situation where it dissolves the
whole board and appoint
people who have a no-nonsense approach because a
company can’t have its
debtors’ book continuing to balloon in the face of
such liquidity
challenges,” added Kanyekanye, who is also Allied Timbers
chief executive.
In its defence, the state-owned power utility last month
said it had failed
to collect overdue bills because the charges were out of
the reach of
consumers because of liquidity challenges and a general poor
remuneration
across the job market.
While creating a pool of
prepaying customers is a solution, Kanyekanye said,
the government should
allow private players to import their electricity
directly from suppliers to
diffuse the potential threat caused by the
company’s debts to regional power
producers.
“I have also said Zesa Holdings should be abolished because of
its cost
structure which goes up to $40 million a year. It’s an albatross to
the
consumer and we should do away with it and maintain productive units
only.”
Industry and Commerce minister Welshman Ncube also said the
problems at Zesa
Holdings were a result of mismanagement.
“The
problems lies with the leadership of Zesa Holdings, how does one
accumulate
a $50 000 bill and they are not switched off,” he said.
“If people don’t
pay then they should be switched off before it gets to that
amount,” added
the minister.
“Sadly, industry is the worst casualty because
load-shedding can be managed
at domestic level through use of gas, solar and
other energy alternatives,
but for an industry to use diesel powered
generators it will cost them a lot
and make their business
uncompetitive.”
President Robert Mugabe and his allies in both government
and Zanu PF are
top the list of defaulters.
Mugabe’s bill, which
amounted to $350 000 as at December 31 last year, was
less than that of
Manicaland governor Chris Mushowe and Central Intelligence
Organistion boss
Happyton Bonyongwe who owe the power company $367 606,07
and $350 989,48
respectively.
http://in.news.yahoo.com
IANS India Private
LimitedBy Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private
Limited – 3 hours
ago
New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Indian companies were Sunday
invited to invest in
various sectors in Zimbabwe, including infrastructure
development, mining
and diamond cutting and polishing.
"I invite the
Indian business community to look at various opportunities in
Zimbabwe
including infrastructure development, communications (sector),
mining and
tourism," Zimbabwean Vice President Joice Mujuru said in her
address to the
eighth India-Africa Project Partnership Summit being held
here March
18-20.
"I especially call upon Indian companies in diamond cutting and
polishing to
come to Zimbabwe. My country is estimated to have nearly 25
percent of the
worlds diamond reserves."
According to Mujuru, the
business communities from both sides should
identify opportunities that can
be taken forward for deepening of economic
relations.
"I call upon
the business communities from both the sides to identify
opportunities that
can be utilised for furthering economic collaboration
between our countries
as well as using the excellent political relations
that we have," she
said.
Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma called the
deepening
of ties between both the sides as a defining partnership of the
21st
century.
"Within a decade three of the worlds five major
economies will be from Asia,
namely India, China and Japan. That's where the
partnership between India
and Africa becomes a defining one for the 21st
century world," Sharma said
in his address.
"It can bring about
transformation at a much faster pace when we share our
developmental
experiences. This can only be done through institution
building between both
the sides."
Sharma added that due to the ethical practices followed by
Indian companies,
they are a preferred choice for many African
markets.
Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the
Export-Import Bank of India, the conclave is themed as "Creating
possibilities: delivering value" and is expected to cover a wide area
ranging from leveraging the Indian model for Africa's growth to funding the
growth and partnerships to harness the human potential.
Over 250
projects worth around $30 billion in sectors such as agriculture,
communications and pharmaceuticals will also be on the table at the
conclave.
The organisers said that the conclave will provide the
Indian side an
opportunity to explore new avenues for scaling up two-way
trade from the
current $50 billion to $70 billion in the next two
years.
About 1,100 delegates are attending the event including political
leaders,
government representatives, business heads, bankers and development
specialists from 36 African countries.
More than 30 ministers from
different sub-Saharan countries are also in
attendance at the conclave. A
group of 28 young Members of Parliament from
12 countries are also
participating.
"There will be sessions covering business opportunities in
sectors such as
pharmaceuticals, information and communication technologies
and
agriculture," said a CII statement.
While Zimbabwe is the focus
country, the Central African Republic is the
guest country at the
event.
Since 2005, the annual conclave has been serving as a platform for
Indian
and African government agencies and corporates to forge long-term
project
partnerships.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
HENDRICKS CHIZHANJE | 18 March, 2012
00:28
Zimbabwe's state-owned cellphone operator, NetOne, has hauled
central bank
governor Gideon Gono to court, demanding that he pays more than
$800000 in
outstanding bills.
NetOne is demanding payment of
$805996.26 - which the company claims was
incurred over a period of two
years.
In a summons filed at the High Court in Harare, the telecoms
provider's
lawyers, Coghlan Welsh and Guest, charge that Gono incurred the
bill between
January 2009 and September last year.
According to a
schedule compiled by NetOne and attached to the summons, the
central bank
governor last serviced his debt in August last year when he
paid
$50.
In November 2009, Gono paid $200000 and $100000 in September the
following
year while in February and June last year he only paid $4 towards
his debt.
However, Gono, through his lawyers TH Chitapi and Associates,
has challenged
NetOne and is contesting the charges levelled against him by
the Reward
Kangai-led cell phone operator.
The CBZ boss has asked
NetOne to supply him with an itemised bill showing
the identity of the
cellphone lines which accrued the charges.
Gono has also queried how
NetOne levied foreign currency-denominated tariffs
for its
services.
"If the figures are in US dollars, does plaintiff (NetOne) aver
that it
billed for its services in such currency? If the figures are in Zim
dollars
how did plaintiff convert the amounts from Z$ to US$?
"In
particular what exchange rate was used? Is it the plaintiff's case that
outstanding bills for services provided prior to the introduction and use of
multi-currencies are claimable in US$ as opposed to the currency in force at
the time of the billing," reads part of Gono's response to the summons, seen
by the Sunday Times this week.
Besides NetOne, Econet is also
increasingly turning to the courts to recover
money owed by individuals,
companies and foreign embassies, who despite
demands being made, have failed
to settle their debts.
Most of the debts were incurred at the height of
the country's economic
crisis.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Lloyd Mbiba, Staff Writer
Sunday, 18 March 2012
11:51
HARARE - The loss making Grain Marketing Board (GMB), is being
run by
incompetent people who have contributed to its inability to sustain
itself
on commercial activities, an audit report has
revealed.
The audit report sent to the Comptroller and Auditor
General for the year
2010 on GMB by Ruzengwe and Company (chartered
accountants) has helped shed
light on how the $136 million debt-saddled
parastatal is being mismanaged.
The Forensic findings of the audit
revealed that the GMB board was occupied
by incompetent people who were
running the institution to a halt.
“Some of the Board’s key decision
making positions are occupied by officials
of questionable competency. Top
management is taking no remedial action to
ensure that all board officials
in the finance section are performing to
expectations. ……The finance
department lacks supervision and control and
there is no timely presentation
of reports to board of directors.
Incomplete, inaccurate financial reports
are produced and presented,” the
report read.
GMB board consists of
chairperson Charles Chikaura, Basilio Sandamu (vice
chairperson), George
Magosvongwe, Sheunesu Mpepereki, Ntombana Regina Gata,
Ellen Gwaradzimba,
Gift Kallisto Machengete, Ephraim Mugugu and Simon
Masanga.
The GMB
wage bill is two times more than the revenue generated and the
management
had no plan in place to address this anomaly, the report further
sated.
“The board’s wage bill is of $10 185 548 (for the year
2009/2010) is more
than twice the revenue generated from commercial
activities ($4 079 980),
making it clearly impossible for the board to
sustain itself on the revenue
from commercial activities,” reads the
report.
“The Board’s plans to contain the losses are not convincing as
continuation
of the current commercial activities at the current operational
levels will
lead to more losses being incurred,” the report
warned.
The report noted that there was no evidence to suggest that
market surveys
were carried out before production of mealie meal by Centra
(Private)
Limited, a contractor for the toll milling of GMB’s refined mealie
meal.
Furthermore, there is poor credit control by head office, the audit
revealed. The head office is tasked with credit control according to the GMB
credit policy.
However, a $37 00 debt incurred by Mutema Brothers
supermarkets from the
Masvingo depot was not reflecting in the head office
nor was the debt
settled as of 2nd July 2010.
The Zimbabwe National
Army Head Quarters 3 in Mutare twice bought mealie
meal form GMB valued at
$12 000 on credits and this never reflected in the
head office nor was the
money paid back.
The audit also discovered that the project appraisal
tools were absent or
weak.
“There was no evidence to suggest that
adequate project tools were in place
to help assess the profitability of
commercial activities which were being
undertaken by the board.
“The
board had no information for analytical procedures such as financial
reporting on specific operations/activities like milling and bakery
operations,” the audit report said.
The report said the GMB board had
a penchant of making inappropriate
decisions as evidenced by Centra
(private) limited toll milling contract
which was rewarded without proper
considerations.
The auditors said the board’s contract overlooked legal
recourse in the
event of breach of contract and the board only found out
after production
commenced that the contractor had lied and was a competitor
involved in the
roller meal production.
The auditors noted that there
was a management deficiency especially in the
financial sector as they
failed to update financial records for the current
period on the pretext
that the board had outstanding audit backlog.
GMB has been torpedoed by
malaises as there have been reports of losses,
debts and maize going
bad.
The parastatal general manager Albert Mandizha, while appearing
before
Parliament last month said GMB owes $110 million to 12 different
companies
in Zambia, Malawi and South Africa who sold maize to Zimbabwe in
2007 and
2008 when there was grain shortage.
The parastatal has lost
55 000 tonnes of maize grain worth about $16 million
due to poor storage at
its 44 depots and silos countrywide.
Senior government officials
including cabinet ministers are accused of
having stolen
government-subsidised inputs, including fertilisers meant to
benefit farmers
amid reports the GMB had failed to account for grain
reserves at its
depots.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Lloyd Mbiba, Staff Writer
Sunday, 18
March 2012 12:14
HARARE - Zimbabwe should embrace the reform agenda
to get rid of bad laws
such as the Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (Aippa), a
former top government lawyer has said.
Former
Attorney General (AG), Andrew Chigovera said the act’s wording is a
misnomer
as the act actually hinders access to information.
“Aippa is a window
show, on the surface it looks like it is guaranteeing
access, while deep
down it is embedded with clauses that provide for the
deprivation of
information,” Chigovera said.
Aippa was passed into law in 2002, and has
been employed to stifle the media
and harass journalists.
Chigovera,
who also served as a Commissioner with the African Commission on
Human and
Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), castigated the provisions of Aippa saying
they were
never intended to provide access to information.
He further noted that
the provisions were not in line with international
standards and best
practice.
The former AG said Aippa contravenes the requirement that any
limitations to
freedom of expression must be reasonably justifiable in a
democratic
society.
“Despite Zimbabwe being a signatory to many human
rights conventions that
enshrine Freedom of Expression (Foe), the nation
remains a closed society.
Zimbabwe is paying lip service to the abuse of
freedom of expression yet it
is one of the countries to ratify the
conventions,” he said.
Chigovera added that the country needs to embrace
the reform agenda saying
freedom of expression was the life-blood of a
democratic society.
He also went on to say Aippa was promulgated to
hinder freedom of expression
than protect it.
“Aippa has watered down
the right to know. It was never intended to provide
access to information
but to prohibit it. The right to access to information
can never be over
emphasised because it is the cornerstone of every
democracy. The law takes
more than what it gives and as such we need a
reform agenda in the country,”
Chigovera said.
He added: “In the new constitution laws such as Aippa and
Posa should never
see the light because media freedom is
critical.”
Aippa has been used to shut down at least four newspapers,
including the
Daily News which has been re-launched.
Aippa provides
for statutory regulation of the media.
The wording of the act in general
is vague and thus it is open to abuse.
Section 9(4) of Aippa gives the
head of a public body the authority to
refuse access to information if it is
in the public interest to do so.
The Act is not clear on what public
interest means or entails. As a result —
a wide variety of circumstances may
be described as being in the public
interest in a bid to prevent access to
information.
When the draconian law was passed, the then Media and
Information Commission
(MIC) led by Tafataona Mahoso embarked on a crusade
to silence independent
newspapers.
Four newspapers, including the
Daily News and Daily News On Sunday were
shutdown by armed police in
September 2003 following a Supreme Court ruling
which said they were
operating outside Aippa after the two titles refused to
register with the
MIC.
The two papers had all its equipment including computers seized by
police
who up to this day, eight years on, have kept them at a
prison.
Other papers that were shutdown by the MIC include the Tribune
and the
Weekly Times.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Richard Chidza
Sunday, 18 March
2012 12:25
HARARE - State-owned National Oil Company of Zimbabwe
(Noczim), could lose
its headquarters in central Harare if the messenger of
court enforces a High
court order.
The High Court has okayed the
attachment of Noczim’s Harare headquarters to
settle retrenchment packages
for former managers of the State oil importer.
The five former managers
are owed a total of just over $1 million. Rogers
Matsikidze of Matsikidze
and Mucheche law firm, who is representing the
managers, said he was happy
with the writ of execution.
“We are happy with how the case has moved and
now wait for the attachment of
property that has equivalent value to the
owed money,” Matsikidze told the
Daily News on Sunday.
“The kind of
property we are looking for are things like Noczim House, cars
and computers
but we should begin with immovable assets first which I doubt
would be
sufficient.”
During the unbundling exercise, some employees, including
those in
managerial positions lost their jobs or were transferred.
A
formula for the retrenchment and transfer exercises was then agreed after
negotiations between the board and employees which was then communicated to
the parent ministry of Energy and Power Development.
On February 14,
2011, Noczim wrote to the secretary for Transport requesting
for funding for
the retrenchment packages with a view of paying the affected
employees.
The documents show that the applicants in the case; Tendai
Mangezi, the then
director corporate services is owed — according to the
documents — almost
$220 000; finance director Isaac Mhaka is owed $240 000;
marketing and
distribution director Krispen Mashange $215 000, procurement
director Clever
Maodzwa $220 000 and human resources director Netsai
Masiyanise $190 000.
They were all retrenched.
The owed monies were
for notice pay, severance packages, service pay,
stabilisation, distribution
pay, cash-in-lieu of school fees, holiday
allowance, purchase price of
vehicle and a laptop valued at zero, according
to court papers.
The
Noczim board chairperson wrote to the ministry of Labour and Social
Services
on April 20, 2011 requesting for approval of retrenchment packages
for 14
managerial employees.
Nine managerial employees were then paid but the
packages for the applicants
were withheld without their consent or that of
the Retrenchment Board. The
applicants made an application to the ministry
of Labour for conciliation
after failing to find an amicable solution with
Noczim.
The matter was heard by a labour officer identified only as G
Kwaramba and
then referred to compulsory arbitration.
An arbitration
hearing in May 2011 was attended by the applicants, but
Noczim officials
failed to attend and gave no reasons or apology.
An interim order was
granted for the claimants to submit their claim in full
and for the
respondent Noczim to respond to the claims but still the
parastatal did not
respond.
In a timid response that has since been dismissed by the High
Court, Noczim
with the support of Energy minister Elton Mangoma accused the
five former
directors of embezzling $13 million.
In signed affidavits
Mangoma and Noczim said a forensic audit unearthed
massive abuse of funds,
an accusation strenuously denied by the accused.
“None of our clients has
been charged with any theft of any sort and we have
not seen the audit
report,” Matsikidze, who is representing the directors,
said.
“If
ever they have lost the money and are sure our clients have stolen that
kind
of money which we doubt very much then why don’t they make it a
criminal
case. We will be waiting.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Sunday, 18 March 2012
12:28
HARARE - Law enforcement agencies throughout the country have
set up
“excessive” police checkpoints and “saturation” patrols in what they
claim
is a move meant to keep un-roadworthy vehicles off the
roads.
The police checkpoints have generated controversy amid arguments
that the
excessive roadblocks violate citizens' rights against unreasonable
inspections.
The Daily News on Sunday heard that Cabinet on Tuesday
considered a proposal
to prohibit state police from setting up excessive
checkpoints and
abolishing spot fines, again citing possible violations of
citizens’ civil
rights.
Police on the one hand argue that roadblocks
do improve public safety.
They add that checkpoints do not violate civil
rights because there are
strict guidelines that govern what police may and
may not do in connection
with the checkpoints.
“We want to challenge
the operators, they should be honest with the
commuting public than seek
solace in the numbers of the commuting public to
say police are harassing us
when it is them who have inadequate papers,”
Harare police spokesman James
Sabau said.
“That’s our war. As long as they continue operating without
proper papers on
the road, we need to ensure that they are pulled off the
road.
“The only way we can ensure that they are off the road is by
ensuring that
they are ticketed for each and every offence and by so doing
they have two
options, either to take their kombi off the road or regularise
their papers.
“That’s our only war, so that the commuting public is
carried by vehicles
that are roadworthy, that have passenger insurance,”
Sabau told the Daily
News On Sunday.
He said the majority of vehicles
on the roads did not have requisite papers,
and the drivers have no
licences.
The current debate follows the discussion as to whether it is a
good thing
for kombi drivers to spread the word through short message
service (sms) on
cell phones that checkpoints are in place at a particular
time and place.
The roadblocks have provoked protest action by kombi
operators, who grounded
their vehicles two weeks ago protesting “police
corruption.”
The crisis has been provoked by accusations that officers
manning roadblocks
were frustrating operators by increasing the amount of
money they used to
pay by repeat ticketing.
Nixon Gasura, a kombi
operator, says the spot fines vary from one roadblock
to the
next.
“If one is off route, for instance, one is charged $15.
“At
another roadblock they are charged $20,” he said.
But Sabau said road
users had recourse to use police channels if they have
been wrongly
ticketed.
“We have reporting structures where we have the
officer-in-charge, go to his
superior and say I do not understand this
fine.
“He made me to pay this fine and I don’t think I should pay it. You
will be
reimbursed your money.
“If you have paid a fine that is not
stipulated in the schedules you will be
reimbursed.
“That’s your
right,” Sabau said.
Gasura said: “We want to work with the police, we
want fewer roadblocks.
“Vehicles without the necessary papers must be
held accountable. But let’s
not look for problems where there is none so as
to meet targets.”
The debate was said to have taken centre stage in
Cabinet on Tuesday,
according to Finance minister Tendai Biti.
Asked
at a news conference what government was doing about the excessive
roadblocks, Biti retorted: “The issue of roadblocks and so forth; I am not
the minister of Home Affairs.
“But I can assure you that Cabinet
spent over an hour discussing roadblocks
on Tuesday.
“Cabinet is not
happy about frequent roadblocks.”
Like many Zimbabweans, Biti alleged the
roadblocks were now a money-spinning
venture for the police
force.
“There are 18 roadblocks between Harare and Bulawayo, nine
roadblocks
between Harare and Marondera.
“There are seven roadblocks
in the Highlands- Chisipite area.
“Just to give you one example, there is
a roadblock at the corner of
Ridgeway and Enterprise, a few kilometres at
the corner of Enterprise and
Acturus there is another
roadblock.
“Roadblocks have become ATMs for certain members of our
society and cabinet
expressed very great regret.
“I presume the two
co-ministers will issue a statement but I think as
government we can’t
accept the harassment of our people.”
Co-Home Affairs minister Kembo
Mohadi on Wednesday told Parliament that
government was moving to scrap the
spot fines.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), we debated thoroughly in Cabinet
whether there is any
merit in spot fines or whether people must be given
tickets and go to pay at
a nearest police station or court,” he said, adding
government was working
on a new policy that will abolish spot fines and
replace them with a new
penalty system.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chris Goko, Bridget Mananavire and Everson
Mushava
Sunday, 18 March 2012 11:58
HARARE - Thousands of farmers,
pensioners and war veterans could have been
swindled of millions by a
“bogus” college called the Zimbabwe Institute of
Technicians and Artisans
(ZITA), investigations by the Daily News on Sunday
have
revealed.
While a school representative Tafadzwa Gomwe declined to
comment on the
Harare-based college’s operations and alleged scam, ZITA has
been “docking”
as much as $55 per month from desperate communal farmers and
pensioners’
bank accounts under the guise of educating their failed
children, and
unemployed school-leavers.
In particular, the college
has been targeting “villagers” with People’s Own
Savings Bank (POSB)
accounts and where it earns a potential $4,6 million a
year under the
scheme.
The irregular deals, which came to light when an elderly
Manicaland couple
Kenneth and Romana Chendambuya tackled their bank over
missing monies, also
shows ZITA has been deducting people’s money without
power of attorneys on
the docked accounts.
As things stand, the
state-run POSB has launched an investigation into how
“the ZITA debit
orders” were effected and the missing funds reimbursed,
especially in the
case of the Headlands-based folk.
Admore Kandlela, the bank’s chief
executive, on Friday confirmed the
development and promised a comprehensive
report, and feedback on Monday.
Apart from pensioners and ex-freedom
fighters, quite a number of small-scale
tobacco farmers have also been
“defrauded” by this shadowy college after it
docked their accounts at
numerous Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board
(TIMB)-affiliated auction
floors.
According to enrolment forms from the school, the Andrew
Matibiri-led
institution is directly linked to ZITA, as it is listed as one
of the
institutions — if not major beneficiaries — of the stop order
arrangements.
However, the TIMB boss was unreachable for comment
yesterday and to
specifically explain his organisation’s relationship with
the bogus school.
Although a Higher Education and Examination Council
registration certificate
was hung in the college’s Willowvale reception, an
official at the Zimbabwe
Council for Higher Education maintained that ZITA
was unregistered with the
tertiary education schools regulator.
With
a reported 7 000 students, ZITA can easily make $3 million a year — if
one
calculates its potential earnings using the $35 monthly administrative
fee
quoted on the forms and 50 percent of student complement — and up to $5
million using the top-end debit figure of $55 per month.
In terms of
how the “enterprising” college got hooked to the rural dwellers,
the Daily
News on Sunday was told that the school’s marketing personnel was
holding
village road-shows around the country and, naturally, hard-pressed
parents
were receptive to the idea of improving their children’s
livelihoods.
In the meantime, the Chendambuyas “raised a stink” after
their accounts were
docked $35 in December and January this year, but the
amount inexplicably
rose or jumped to $55 in February.
ZITA’s ploy or
justification, meanwhile, is a “disclaimer” — in very small
print — that it
could unilaterally increase tuition fees for its students.
To add salt to
injury, the school’s field workers allegedly gathered the
villagers’ account
details or numbers before inserting them on the
“prospective” students’
enrolment forms.
In the Chendambuyas’ case, for instance, the team not
only used their
Gokwe-based granddaughter Sheila’s name, but used one of the
resident
children to sign off the forms, which were later used to cream off
the money
at POSB.
Some elderly farmers also said they were surprised
to find themselves as
“students” when their tobacco earnings were halved and
garnished to the tune
of $480.
While the December 09 papers indicate
that the “diesel and petrol motor
mechanics” classes would start in April
this year, some visits by this paper
to the school’s town and industrial
area offices produced serious
inconsistencies about when exactly lessons
were starting.
At ZITA’s Willowvale office – where a Daily News On Sunday
crew posed as
prospective clients — a receptionist said orientation was
earmarked for
April 2, while another team to its Nelson Mandela Avenue
office was told
that lessons had long started. However, further
investigations have
indicated that “pupils” are only given modules to study
at home.
Meanwhile, the Dartford Road premises looked dingy, deserted and
dirty to
accommodate its “huge number” of students.
Gomwe insisted
late yesterday that we sent him written questions, which
would only be
attended to next week.
http://af.reuters.com
Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:16pm
GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe has
ordered foreign mining firms to deposit
their export earnings with local
banks, state media reported on Sunday, the
latest government move to exert
pressure on miners as it tries to address
the dollar crunch afflicting its
economy.
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu told the Sunday Mail that cabinet
last week had
decided to tell mining companies to bring back earnings from
their Zimbabwe
operations which were deposited in offshore
accounts.
"We have been liberal. It does not make sense that mining
companies are
operating in the country and keeping money in offshore
accounts," Mpofu told
the Mail.
"An order has been issued and they
should all bring the money back into the
country because the economy is now
dollarised."
Zimbabwe's unity government has managed to stabilise the
economy, which grew
by 9.3 percent in 2011 and is set to grow by a further
9.4 percent this year
according to official figures, but the country is
battling an acute dollar
shortage.
Zimbabwe adopted the use of
foreign currencies, mostly the U.S. dollar and
South African rand in 2009,
after its own unit was destroyed by
hyperinflation that reached 500 billion
percent in December 2008.
Foreign miners operating in the country have
also come under increasing
pressure from the Zimbabwean government to turn
majority shareholdings over
to local black businesses under the country's
controversial empowerment law.
Last week, Impala Platinum, the world's
second-biggest platinum producer,
bowed to pressure and said it would
surrender a 51 percent stake in its
Zimplats unit to local black
investors.
The world's largest platinum producer, Anglo American
Platinum, and Rio
Tinto, which runs a diamond mine, are some of the major
international firms
operating in
Zimbabwe.
SHUTDOWN
Long-ruling President Robert Mugabe, who was
forced to share power with his
rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai three
years ago after disputed
elections, is championing the empowerment drive,
which has sharply divided
the coalition government.
Tsvangirai has
said the empowerment crusade is undermining the recovery of
an economy whose
decline by as much as 50 percent between 2000 and 2008 is
blamed on Mugabe's
policies such as seizure of white-owned commercial farms
to resettle
landless blacks.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti last week warned the
government faces a
shutdown if projected diamond revenues do not
materialise.
The government expects $600 million revenue from diamonds to
bolster its $4
billion 2012 budget.
http://www.iol.co.za
March 18 2012 at
01:37pm
While Zimbabwe’s South African-owned platinum giant
Zimplats has reluctantly
agreed to transfer 51 percent of its assets to new
indigenous Zimbabwean
owners, the deal will probably cost the Zimbabwean
government far more than
Zanu-PF’s Indigenisation Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere expected when he
threatened to nationalise the company to force
it to sell.
Independent Newspapers established the shares would have been
made available
at Friday’s discounted market price of US$350 million (about
R2.7 billion)
if the Zimbabwe government bought them then. This is unlikely
and the price
could rise in years to come when the new majority owners will
have to pay
for the shares.
Zimplats sold platinum-rich land to the
government several years ago at a
concessionary price, which was never paid
for. It has only been sporadically
prospected by a few small Russian and
Chinese companies.
When negotiations for Zimplats to transfer a majority
shareholding to the
Zimbabwean government began last year, Kasukuwere did
not accept this land
as a credit towards the requirement of 51 percent
indigenous ownership.
He claimed the only value of the land was the
metals underground which
belonged to the people of Zimbabwe.
After
Tuesday’s negotiations, Zimplats said although it would honour the
deal, it
would insist on market value of about $150m for the land which the
Zimbabwe
government had not yet paid for.
Other debts due to Zimplats were
calculated as part of the 51 percent, such
as the $34 million which Zimbabwe
Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono took
from the company during
hyperinflation a few years ago before the government
abandoned the Zimbabwe
dollar in favour of the US dollar.
Insiders in the mining industry
believe Kasukuwere will “react angrily, up
the anti and accuse Zimplats
outgoing chief executive David Brown of
reneging, backtracking and time
wasting”, when he realises what he
eventually has to pay for 51 percent of
Zimplats.
Kasukuwere was not available for comment. He had said earlier
if he didn’t
get 51 percent of Zimplats for indigenous ownership he would
nationalise
Zimplats altogether.
Zimplats is the country’s largest
minerals earner and employer, with six
thousand workers.
Industry
sources say Kasukuwere will not be able to find the skilled
personnel or
cash resources to keep the mine operating if he nationalised
it. – Peta
Thornycroft from the Independent Foreign Service
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, March 18, 2012- The row between
Gideon Gono, the Central Bank
governor and his former advisor, Munyaradzi
Kereke, has taken a malevolent
twist after Gono allegedly unleashed hit-men
to trail and attack Kereke.
Kereke is now pleading for protection from
the courts for what he says are
threats on his life. In court papers, the
former advisor alleged Gono had
also recently sent two armed men to threaten
Kereke.
The threats on Kereke, seen as the tipping point to the raging
row, appear
to be attempts to muzzle him after he made startling disclosures
that Gono
stole millions from the RBZ for his own personal gain.
This
week Gono allegedly unleashed another two hit-men to trail and threaten
Kereke.
The alleged hitmen, George Nyauye and Philip Dendere, both
employed by the
Reserve Bank in the security division, were arrested while
in the process of
brutally attacking Kereke’s personal driver, Privilege
Maturure.
The brutal attack took place at Kereke’s medical centre in
Harare’s Mt
Pleasant suburb.
The alleged hit-men caused a stir which
left onlookers stunned.
This was after the two alleged hit men had
trailed Kereke throughout the
day, and later followed him to his medical
centre where they allegedly
caused a stir attacking his driver.
The
driver is recovering at a local hospital in Harare.
He sustained severe
injuries, according to medical reports filed at the
courts.
The
assailants, however, failed to lay their hands on Kereke because the
police
arrived at the scene and caught them in the act.
The assailants appeared
in court last Wednesday, charged with assault and
the trial is scheduled to
open on the 7th of April.
The two were back in court las Friday to answer
to separate charges of
trailing and threatening the former RBZ advisor,
Kereke.
The trial date for this second case has been pencilled for the
10th of
April.
In submissions Kereke is pleading for protection from
the courts for what he
says are growing threats to his life from
Gono.
Kereke’s troubles seem to stem from the startling revelations he
made
recently accusing Gono of stealing millions of greenbacks for his own
use
from the central bank.
Kereke also dropped a bombshell by
disclosing that he wrote assignments,
thesis and examinations that earned
Gono a doctoral degree in strategic
management.
Gono has not
responded to the damning allegations despite being accorded the
opportunity
to do so by the local media.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, March 18, 2012 -
THE high density and suburb, in the capital city,
Harare, is Zimbabwe's
riskiest suburb, a National Survey has revealed.
The risks include, among
other things, cholera, typhoid, dysentry, HIV/Aids
and general dirt in the
high density suburb.
The National Survey was conducted by Jekoniya
Chitereka, a Demographer and
Tendai Chikumba, an Urban Planner.
The
two are from the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Department.
The study was
commissioned by the Joint Initiative for Urban Zimbabwe (JI)
and was meant
to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature,
frequency and
intensity of hazards and risks in urban environments in
Zimbabwe, using the
risk equation.
The equation is a basic tool which looks at how exposure
to risk is
minimised through improved community or individual capacity to
respond to
and withstand disaster situations.
"Mbare high density
suburb was found to have the highest number of hazards
and assess risks in
their areas," the survey concluded.
It stood at three on the risk
analysis scale, one being the least.
"Mbare (Harare), Njube (Bulawayo)
and Mambo (Gweru) residents were found to
be highly vulnerable to both
environmental (Water and air pollution) and
epidemiological (cholera),
dysentry, HIV/Aids) hazards," the survey said.
"Incidences of
hydrological hazards such as flooding were found in
demarcated pockets of
residential areas such as Mbare, Mambo and Mutapa in
Gweru," it
said.
"Political unrest and displacements were also reported in Mbare,
Sakubva in
Mutare, and Gweru."
The study said routine assessment of
urban hazards and risks should be an
integral component in urban planning
and management in Zimbabwe.
"The strengthening of the DRR role of local
authorities working with other
relevant key stakeholders and mainstreaming
of DRR can be achieved through
the conscious efforts to address hazards and
risks faced by urban
communities with recourse to the national disaster risk
reduction (DRR)
framework," the national survey concluded.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 18 March, 2012 00:28
President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has vowed to push ahead with
elections this
year - with or without a new constitution - a move that has
drawn
condemnation from South Africa, the leading negotiator in Zimbabwe's
political crisis.
Despite the latest salvo, Mugabe is unlikely to
flinch at the concerns
expressed by the southern African neighbour or at
other concerns over
inadequate finances, an uneven political environment and
the likelihood of
violence flaring up preventing a free and fair poll from
being staged.
Instead, the 88-year-old strongman may dig in deep with his
allies in the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) as he pushes to
stage an
end-game election.
He remains firmly in charge in Zimbabwe,
while the "winds of change" have
slowly blown across the region in the past
decade.
The Sunday Times this week takes a look at Mugabe's perceived
allies in the
region, who may step out of the SADC ranks to support him,
either out of
admiration for the former wartime hero or to cement rule in
their own
countries.
Observers say should Mugabe succeed in dividing
the SADC's position on
Zimbabwe, it will be the free pass that he needs to
stage an election - with
little fear of outright isolation and condemnation
over its outcome.
Zambian President Michael Sata
Sata leads the
pack of Mugabe's allies in the region. In February he openly
endorsed Mugabe
as leader and broke with SADC ranks over when elections
should be held in
the country.
To date, Sata is the only regional head of state who has met
Mugabe for
private discussions this year. Political speculation is rampant
that Mugabe
courted Sata's support for a snap election at the Livingstone
meeting.
Interestingly, the opposition MDC has been roundly criticised by
Sata for
being a "stooge and puppet of the West"- in a rant similar to
Mugabe's
tirade against the MDC.
While Sata's sway within the
regional body is untested as he has only been
in power for six months, he
has provided the first strong hint that the SADC
may not longer have a
unanimous position on Zimbabwe.
The view of a hardliner SADC stance was
sparked by a Livingstone summit in
March last year, which rebuked Mugabe
over his belligerence against the MDC
and was hailed by observers as
evidence of the success of SA President Jacob
Zuma's mediation
efforts.
It seems that Sata's support of Mugabe is largely driven by
personal
admiration of him, with Sata's Patriotic Front party revealing at
last
year's December conference that it had got its name from the PF acronym
in
Zanu-PF.
DRC President Joseph Kabila
Mugabe has a strong
relationship with the DRC spanning back into the 1990s,
when he sent troops
to take part in the DRC war. Allegations are that the
Zimbabwe army then
received concessions in gold and diamond mines for their
participation in
helping to fight to defend the slain former leader, Laurent
Kabila.
The younger Kabila, Joseph, after assuming power, has kept
the strong
allegiance with the 88-year-old Mugabe.
The DRC capital,
Kinshasa, last year was the centre from which Zimbabwe
received the green
light to sell its Marange diamonds - despite vehement
opposition from the
West.
The spirit of camaraderie has continued, with Mugabe attending
Kabila's
inauguration ceremony this year, despite violence erupting in DRC
over the
hotly contested elections.
Likewise, the DRC has refrained
from commenting on Zimbabwe's political
crisis and has maintained that the
country should be left to solve its own
problems.
Swaziland King
Mswati
The monarch in Swaziland is under the spotlight, made no less easy
by its
huge debt, high HIV/Aids rate, poverty, deteriorating political
freedom and
the lavish lifestyles of its rulers.
Popular approaches
have been to draw comparisons between Zimbabwe and
Swaziland. The
similarities between Mugabe and Mswati show that the ties
that bind the two
leaders are stronger than the differences that separate
the two
countries.
Authoritarian rule, strong military and police support have
been key
features of the two leaders' style of leadership.
Mswati's
support of Mugabe may well be in his favour to stave off pressure
to
institute more reforms in his embattled kingdom, where South Africa has
already shown signs of pushing for reforms and attached these as
pre-conditions to a R2-billion economic bailout package.
Malawian
President Bingu Wa Mutharika
Mutharika's rule has increasingly turned
despotic in recent months, with
crackdowns against the opposition,
journalists and civic society.
While the situation has deteriorated in
Malawi, Mutharika's salvation is
that the SADC has not insisted on any
reforms and instead has kept its eye
on Zimbabwe.
It is in
Mutharika's favour to have the Zimbabwe crisis prolonged for as
long as
possible. It is likely that, with the deterioration in the political
situation in most SADC countries since the March 2011 Livingstone summit,
Mugabe may remonstrate with the leaders in line with the biblical admonition
"let he who has no sin cast the first stone" as his defence for staging
disputed polls.
The Vigil was asked what we thought
of the criticism of the UK government for (as SW Radio Africa put it) ‘appearing
to support Robert Mugabe’s regime through a multi-million pound gap year
placement scheme’. This followed comments by Dr Peter Slowe, founder of the
Projects Abroad organization, which sends British volunteers to help in
developing countries during their gap between school and university.
Dr Slowe said the UK ‘should not be
paying for young people to go to Zimbabwe. It’s dangerous for the people
involved and it also gives direct support to Robert Mugabe’s brutal and corrupt
dictatorship (see: UK slammed for ‘supporting’
Mugabe regime with gap year scheme - http://www.swradioafrica.com/2012/03/15/uk-slammed-for-supporting-mugabe-regime-with-gap-year-scheme/).
Well, this is the
Vigil’s view as given to a journalist who asked us: ‘The Department for
International Development, with its bloated budget, is now the tail wagging the
Foreign Office dog. Pie in the sky thinking is making DFID a laughing stock.
What Zimbabweans need is aid going to opponents of Mugabe to secure peaceful
change envisaged by the Global Political Agreement, for instance by countering
Zanu PF propaganda which capitalizes on aid projects like this. The MDC’s
Treasurer General, Roy Bennett, said in a speech in London last November ‘it is
a false economy to pour billions into aid over an extended period when a
fraction of those resources could be used to deliver change in a fraction of the
time’. He went on to say ‘the groups capable of confronting authoritarian
regimes must be directly funded and resourced’. The Vigil supports this
view.’
The Vigil has become
increasingly sceptical as the UK and the West in general pump billions of
dollars of aid into Zimbabwe with no return: not only no political progress but
no acknowledgement from the Mugabe mafia and no let up in their anti-Western
hate speech. We fear this policy has in fact enabled the regime to unload
responsibility for funding health, education and development needs to the
despised West, freeing them to pursue their own
enrichment.
We haven’t spent 10
years, week after week, facing winter after winter, and rain – as we had today –
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy without working out that a criminal mafia is in
control of Zimbabwe and is quite unable to relinquish power – for fear of
prosecution if nothing else. But we object that they are effectively protected
by the West’s lickspittle diplomacy.
We hope our
neighbours know by now that the lawless Mugabe mafia is a threat to them. We
trust this informs President Zuma’s much-trailed ‘showdown’ meeting with Mugabe
in Harare. Vigil supporters were urged to again join the diaspora protest
outside the South African High Commission on Wednesday 21st March to
put pressure on South Africa to get Mugabe to honour the GPA. The Vigil drums
will be there. See Events and Notices for details.
Other
points
·
More detentions:
Nancy Makawa was detained when she went to sign in at Bournemouth Police Station
and is now at Yarlswood Immigration Removal Centre. She is a good supporter of
the Vigil and we are doing what we can to help and will keep everyone informed.
We were sorry to hear that a second deportation order has been served on David
Moyo for Tuesday. More details as available.
·
Our Swazi friends
were with us again today and said how energized they felt by coming to the
Vigil. A passer-by stopped for a long time to listen to our singing. He said we
should record it.
·
If you
read our last diary about Mugabe’s use of rape as a political weapon you might
be interested in an interview with Stephen Lewis of the group AIDS Free World on
SW Radio Africa (podcast of Diaspora Diaries
13.03.12 – http://www.swradioafrica.com/podcasts/wordpress/?p=14158).
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE
RECORD: 56 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
Third 21st
Movement Free Zimbabwe Global Protest organized by the MDC
diaspora. Wednesday 21st March. Meet at the Zimbabwe Embassy
at 1 pm. Protesters will move to the South African High Commission at 2.30 pm.
For more information contact: Khama
Matambanadzo 07939318315, Washington Ali 07786646071, Clemence Munyukwi
07830707959.
·
Next Swaziland
Vigil. Saturday
24th March from 10 am – 1 pm. Venue: Swazi High Commission, 20
Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB. Please support our Swazi friends. Nearest
stations: St James’s Park and Victoria.
·
Zimbabwe Action
Forum. Saturday
7th April from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first
floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. Directions: The Strand is the same
road as the Vigil. From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction
away from Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side
of the Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The
entrance is marked by a big sign high above and a sign for its famous Indian
restaurant at street level. It's next to a newsagent. Nearest underground:
Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn.
·
Two Gentlemen of
Verona Shona Production at the Globe
Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. Dates /
Times: Wednesday 9
May, 2.30pm. Thursday 10 May, 7.30pm. Tickets £5 - £35 (700 £5 tickets
available) from 020 7401 9919 and www.shakespearesglobe.com. A two-man
Zimbabwean riot of love, friendship and betrayal. From Verona to Milan, via
Harare and Bulawayo, two great friends, Valentine and Proteus, vie for the love
of the same woman. In a triumphantly energetic ‘township’ style, Denton Chikura
and Tonderai Munyevu slip into all of the play’s fifteen characters – from
amorous suitors to sullen daughters, depressed servants and even a dog – in this
new, specially commissioned translation.
·
Zimbabwe Vigil
Highlights 2011 can be viewed on this
link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/363-vigil-highlights-2011.
Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2011 Highlights
page.
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other
website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the
views and opinions of ROHR.
·
ZBN
News. The Vigil
management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
·
The Zim Vigil
band
(Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) has launched its theme song ‘Vigil Yedu (our
Vigil)’ to raise awareness through music. To download this single, visit: www.imusicafrica.com and to watch the video
check: http://ourvigil.notlong.com. To watch other
Zim Vigil band protest songs, check: http://Shungurudza.notlong.com and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com.
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.
