http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Own Correspondent Tuesday 23 March
2010
HARARE – A special parliamentary committee investigating
operations at
Zimbabwe’s controversial Marange diamond field has summonsed
directors of
two firms mining the deposits to appear before it today or face
possible
arrest.
A senior member of Parliament’s portfolio committee
on mines told ZimOnline
that summonses were last Friday issued to the
directors of Mbada Investments
and Canadile Miners, the joint-venture firms
formed last year by state-owned
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation
(ZMDC) and some South African
investors to mine the Marange field that is
also known as Chiadzwa.
The decision to issue summonses – which sources
say were “hand delivered by
the police” – follows the company directors’
repeated failure to appear
before the committee.
"We took legal
action and issued summons to be hand delivered by the police
to the chairmen
and directors of Mbada and Canadile to appear before the
committee on
Tuesday (today),” said our source, who declined to be named
because he was
not authorised to discuss the matter with the Press.
“Failure (to appear)
would result in Parliament’s legal committee taking
steps to arrest (the
company directors) and sentence them to prison,” the
committee member
said.
Parliament has powers to send to jail anyone found guilty of
violating the
House’s rules and regulations.
The directors of Mbada
and Canadile have over the past four weeks dodged
appearing before the
parliamentary committee at one time suggesting that
they could not give
evidence before the committee until the courts rule on
an application
regarding ownership of the Marange claims.
Mbada and Canadile have also
indicated that their refusal to appear before
the committee is on advice
from the Ministry of Mines and Mining
Development.
The state media
reported on Sunday that Mbada and Canadile have written to
parliamentary
clerk Austin Zvoma requesting postponement of their appearance
before the
committee until the courts conclude an application by
British-based Africa
Consolidated Resources (ACR) challenging the two firms’
rights to exploit
the Marange claims.
ACR owns legal title to the diamond claims but was
controversially forced
off Marange by the government about four years
ago.
Our source said the parliamentary committee will insist that the
directors
appear before it because the matters it wants to discuss with the
company
officials are not related to the ACR court case.
The
parliamentary committee among other things wants to establish why and
who
licenced Mbada and Canadile to exploit the Marange deposits without
following proper procedures.
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has admitted
that his department did not follow
proper procedure when it allowed the two
firms to work the Marange claims
but said it was because the government was
in urgent need of cash from the
diamonds.
Mbada and Canadile were
brought to Marange in a bid to bring operations at
the notorious field in
line with standards stipulated by world diamond
industry watchdog, the
Kimberley Process (KP).
However, the two companies’ operations in the
field are shrouded in
controversy, amid revelations that some members of the
boards of the two
firms were once illegal drug and diamond dealers in the
Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone.
Some of the
directors of the two firms are also known to have close ties
with Zimbabwe’s
military establishment that is accused of stealing millions
of dollars worth
of diamonds from Marange and offloading them onto the
foreign black market
for precious stones.
Marange 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 ACR 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. – ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Lizwe Sebatha Tuesday 23 March
2010
BULAWAYO - Government has partnered Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) to
re-launch food-for-work programmes, days after a
United Nations (UN) agency
urged Harare to start food relief efforts to
avert starvation due to massive
crop failure, a Cabinet minister
said.
A joint government and United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organisation
(FAO) crop assessment report released recently urged government
to resume
food supplies to areas facing poor harvests because of erratic
rains.
Crops in most parts of the country, especially in Matabeleland
South,
Midlands and Manicaland were a complete write-off following a
prolonged dry
spell between November and January, leaving villagers staring
starvation.
For example, the hunger-prone Matabeleland South province is
estimated to
require at least 9 000 tonnes of food aid per month to avert
starvation
after most crops in the region failed.
Agriculture
Mechanisation Minister Joseph Made told ZimOnline on Sunday that
the
government has partnered with NGOs to re-launch food-for-work programmes
to
ease the impact of food shortages.
"The government has since partnered
with the NGOs operating in the country
to provide food to areas that had
massive crop failure on a food-for-work
basis," said Made, adding; "The NGOs
are working with the local government
authorities to ensure the smooth flow
of the programme."
Made said the Finance Ministry has also released
US$3.5 million to the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) to allow it to buy grain
as well as set up the 500
000-metric-tonne strategic grain reserve to
mitigate any food deficits.
Zimbabwe has grappled with severe food
shortages over the past decade after
President Robert Mugabe disrupted the
key agriculture sector through his
chaotic and often violent land reform
programme.
The farm seizures reduced agricultural production by 60
percent resulting in
most Zimbabweans depending on food handouts from
international food relief
agencies.
But Mugabe denies that his land
reforms - that he says were necessary to
ensure blacks also had access to
arable land that they were denied by
previous white-led governments -
triggered the food shortages blaming the
crisis on drought and economic
sabotage by his Western enemies that he says
crippled the economy's capacity
to produce key inputs such as seed and
fertilizers. - ZimOnline
http://www1.voanews.com
Sources said Affirmative Action members in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's
second-largest city, refused when asked to identify private companies that
could be obliged to cede up to 51 percent of their shares to indigenous
blacks
Gibbs Dube & Sandra Nyaira | Washington 22 March
2010
Zimbabwe's move to put a controlling interest in large firms
into black
hands is dividing the Affirmative Action Group, its largest black
empowerment organization.
Sources said Affirmative Action members in
Bulawayo, the country's
second-largest city, refused to identify private
companies which could be
obliged to cede up to 51 percent of their shares to
indigenous blacks.
Sources in the Affirmative Action Group and the
Zimbabwe National Chamber of
Commerce said some Harare-based business people
asked Bulawayo contacts to
identify local private companies that could be
targeted for indigenization.
"Our members in Harare have been positioning
themselves to take over some
companies in the city but we have refused to
give them any names of
companies targeted for indigenization because the
same people who have
benefited in the past want to start grabbing these
firms for their own
benefit," said one source.
The sources said the
refusal by the Bulawayo branch of the organization to
provide information to
members in Harare has caused serious tension in the
group.
Affirmative Action Group leaders were tight-lipped over the
issue. But
founding member and former president Matson Hlalo told VOA Studio
7 reporter
Gibbs Dube that Bulawayo members of the group don't want to be
part of a
process they see as predatory.
"The indigenization process
is being hijacked by rich people who want to
amass wealth at the expense of
members of the public," said Hlalo.
But AAG founding president Philip
Chiyangwa dismissed claims by the Bulawayo
chapter of the organization that
indigenization has only benefited a handful
of people, including himself.
March 22, 2010
Defence Minister Mnangagwa's assertions not consistent with published and unchallenged facts
By Our Correspondent
HARARE - Defence Minister Emmerson Mngangagwa has told Parliament the previous regime of President Robert Mugabe never used the army for political purposes.
Mnangagwa said if there were soldiers who participated in violent election campaigns they did so when they were not on duty.
The minister, who is also Zanu-PF secretary for legal affairs, made the remarks in Parliament while responding to questions posed by Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) legislators Tongai Matutu (Masvingo Urban) and Douglas Mwonzora (Nyanga North).
Mwonzora wanted Mnangagwa to state the government's policy on the deployment of army personnel for political campaigns.
Matutu asked Mnangagwa to explain the presence of the army personnel in rural areas.
The MP said the soldiers have been threatening villagers since June 2008.
"I would like to assure Honourable Matutu that his information is not formal," responded Mnangagwa. "There has never been any formal deployment of soldiers in the manner stated.
"It is true, ten percent of the army at one time is on leave and when they go on leave, they stay in the provinces they come from and are not on duty.
"I thank the Honourable Member for asking this question because it gives an opportunity to clarify the misunderstanding. In relation to the particular point raised, there is no policy by the government of Zimbabwe to use the army for political activities.
"They have a mandate to defend the country from threat only and not engage in political campaigns, not at all."
In May 2008, the United Nations (UN) Country Team in Zimbabwe issued a statement saying soldiers were involved in election violence that engulfed the nation in the run-up to the controversial presidential run-off held on June 27 of the same year.
The presidential election re-run was occasioned by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai victory in the presidential election held on March 29. However, he failed to garner the more than 50 percent of votes required for him to assume presidency.
Contrary to Mnangagwa assertions in Parliament, on April 8, 2008, the Zimbabwe Times published details of disclosures by highly placed sources in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who revealed to the website that a total of 200 senior serving officers had been deployed to participate in an exercise to drum up support for President Robert Mugabe ahead of an anticipated run-off presidential election.
Accompanying the story was the full list of top-ranking military personnel deployed throughout mostly rural Zimbabwe to spearhead the campaign by the security forces on behalf of President Mugabe.
The run-off election, which was boycotted by Mugabe's challenger, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, was held on June 27. The Zimbabwe Times article was never challenged by either the government of the military.
The website revealed that the deployed senior officers would command "troops", comprising war veterans and Zanu-PF militants, including the ruthless so-called Green Bombers. Already violent campaigns had been launched in parts of Masvingo and Matabeleland North, it was reported.
The military sources informed The Zimbabwe Times that the teams were being deployed on that very day, Tuesday, April 8, 2008, to campaign for President Mugabe under the guise of war veterans. With the exception of two, all the deployed officers were senior serving officers of the armed services.
It was reported by the website that Zimbabwe National Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Phillip V Sibanda would command the operation with the assistance of Maj. Gen. Nick Dube, while General Constantine Chiwenga would be the overall commander of the operation.
He would be assisted by Maj. Gen Last Mugova and Col. S. Mudambo.
The military sources had revealed the full list of deployed officers to The Zimbabwe Times, together with an explanatory footnote that "most annoyed and frustrated members of the security forces have made this list available.
"It needs the widest possible exposure to show the world to what depth the military regime are prepared to sink in their unachievable task of somehow keeping Mugabe in power."
The full list of participants in the military exercise was as follows:
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=28183
March 22, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - A South African company has joined the queue to
sue the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) over its failure to settle a $1,3
million debt for
the supply of seed five years ago.
Harare lawyer
Tembinkosi Magwaliba confirmed that a judgment was now awaited
in the
matter.
"I can confirm that I am representing Advance Seed South Africa
in this
case," said Magwaliba. "Judgment in the matter will be delivered any
day
from now."
The central bank's assets are currently being
auctioned countrywide in a bid
to recover a $2 million debt owed to a local
company-Farmtec Spares and
Implements - for the supply of
tractors.
Over the weekend another Harare lawyer Innocent Chagonda said
he had
obtained a High Court order for the attachment of central bank assets
for a
$4 million debt owed to Seed Co.
Central Bank chief Gideon Gono
launched the so-called farm mechanization
programme that saw thousands of
mainly Zanu-PF supporters, including service
chiefs, receiving inputs such
as tractors, combine harvesters, planters,
generators, scotch-carts, boom
sprayers, motorbikes and ploughs among
implements for free.
But
following the replacement of the Zimbabwe dollar with multiple foreign
currencies, Gono has found the bank's situation untenable and in February
issued a statement that it was high time the beneficiaries of the implements
paid back.
"Having gone for over 30 months post-commencement of the
programme, it is
now time farmers, beginning the 2010 harvests, start to pay
for the
equipment they received," Gono said in the
statement.
"Beneficiaries under the Farm Mechanisation Programme will,
therefore, be
receiving detailed statements and invoices, along with the
payment
modalities which will be delivered to each farm gate."
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=28179
March 22, 2010
By Owen
Chikari
MASVINGO - War veterans and Zanu-PF supporters have resolved to
set up bases
throughout the country to campaign for the adoption of the
Kariba Draft
Constitution amid fears of an eruption of violence.
The
outreach programme of the constitutional reform process, which will
involve
the gathering of people's views to be included in the document, is
set to
start early next month.
The process was delayed because of differences
among the political parties
in the country's fragile inclusive
government.
At a meeting held at the Chiefs Hall in Mucheke on Monday,
so-called war
veterans and Zanu-PF youths resolved to launch what they
described as a
serious campaign reminiscent of pre-election campaigning in
order to push
for the adoption of the Kariba Draft.
President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has been pushing for the adoption of
the Kariba
Draft, put together in the town of Kariba by his party and the
MDC parties
three years ago.
The mainstream MDC, led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, is now opposed
to the draft cobbled together by politicians
without consultation of the
public.
But Zanu-PF is sticking to the
draft, apparently because it leaves Mugabe's
powers intact. And the party
has signalled it would pull all stops,
including setting up campaign bases
to ensure adoption of the draft.
"We have agreed that the constitutional
reform process is just similar to an
election," said Isaiah Muzenda Masvingo
provincial war veterans chairman,
"and as war veterans and party youths we
are going to dig deeper into our
bags of tricks so that we push our party's
agenda.
"The establishment of bases in the countryside has been helpful
to us during
election time and therefore we are definitely going to
re-employ it. The
idea is not to beat up people but to teach
people."
Zanu-PF youths at the meeting said that they would ensure that
the party's
position was understood.
"We will just campaign for the
party's position the same way we have done
during election times," said one
of the youths at the meeting
The meeting was attended by members of
Zanu-PF's central committee and
politburo.
There are strong fears
that violence will erupt during the outreach
programme as political parties
within the inclusive government push for
their positions.
War
veterans and Zanu-PF youths, infamously known as the Green Bombers, have
played a part in sustaining Mugabe's rule through violent campaigns,
particularly in the rural areas.
The army and state security agents
have also been accused of violence,
intimidation and
abductions.
During the run-up to the June 27 presidential election runoff
in 2008, the
mainstream MDC claimed that over 500 of its supporters were
killed by Mugabe's
supporters and agents.
Campaign bases similar to
those established during the liberation struggle
were set up in the
countryside where political opponents were tortured and
harassed.
However, a co-chairperson of the parliamentary select
committee, Paul
Mangwana, on Monday said they would not entertain violence
during the
outreach programme.
Mangwana, who is the legislator for
Chivi Central, representing Zanu-PF,
said: "We will not entertain violence
during the constitution reform
process.
"Political parties are free
to canvass for support but not to beat or
victimise people."
http://www1.voanews.com/
Mr. Tsvangirai told ministers and legislators that Cabinet
members had
complained the House was subjecting them to 'unnecessary
scrutiny and
inquiry,' while the lawmakers said ministers failed to show up
or were
unresponsive
Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington 22 March
2010
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai moved Monday to
defuse simmering
tensions between ministers and legislators clashing over
supposed rudeness
and unresponsiveness in parliamentary question
time.
Political sources said some ZANU-PF ministers asked the prime
minister to
rein in house members they charge have been asking rude
questions. Minister
of Mines Obert Mpofu in particular has objected to
accusations from members
that he has acted less than transparently in his
handling of the Marange
diamond field.
Mr. Tsvangirai told ministers
and legislators that Cabinet members had
complained that the House was
subjecting them to "unnecessary scrutiny and
inquiry." On the other hand, he
said, legislators said ministers have either
not shown up or been
unresponsive to questions.
Sources said Mpofu lashed out at legislators
Monday for summoning his
permanent secretary to testify about the
government's joint ventures with
private companies that are developing the
Marange field, but about which
little is known - not even the names of their
directors.
But Clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma told Mpofu that lawmakers
had not
exceeded their powers and did not need his permission to put such
questions.
Tsvangirai spokesman James Maridadi told VOA Studio 7 reporter
Ntungamili
Nkomo that Mr. Tsvangirai urged the lawmakers and ministers to
bury the
hatchet and to focus on rebuilding the country.
"There is a
feeling among ministers that they are being harassed by the
backbenchers
when asked to come and appear before parliamentary portfolio
committees,"
Maridadi said.
"Legislators also complain that ministers disrespect them
by not coming to
parliament when asked to do so. The prime minister was
therefore telling
them to work together for the good of the country," he
said.
http://news.radiovop.com
22/03/2010 19:08:00
Harare, March 23, 2010
- Top Zanu PF officials, including government
ministers are reportedly
plotting the ouster of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
(RBZ) governor Gideon Gono
for opposing the controversial Indigenisation and
empowerment
law.
Radio VOP has it on good authority that a group of ministers who are
not
happy with Gono's recent statements sharply contradicting the policies
of
President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF resolved at the weekend to push Mugabe
to
fire the central bank boss.
They also resolved to approach their
politburo to give the green light to
negotiators in the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) to agree to the removal
of Gono as RBZ governor.
In
an interview with the weekly Financial Gazette last week, Gono blasted
the
indigenisation law claiming that it was a conduit for well connected
people
to invade and destroy firms.
As exclusively revealed by Radio VOP three
weeks ago, Gono believes that the
indeginisation law is being sponsored and
promoted by greedy people who are
out to loot profitable companies and banks
and advised them to start their
own companies and banks where they will own
100 percent.
He said the end result would be that there will be no
production in the
companies the same way some people invaded productive land
during land
reform and now they are failing to produce anything. Gono
further argued
that the controversial indeginisation law scares away much
needed foreign
investors.
But Gono's views are said to have been met
with anger by some Zanu PF
officials who are now baying for his
blood.
"Gono has gone too far this time around because he is speaking the
language
you hear from the MDC. A few years ago, Gono tarnished our image
saying we
were not producing on the acquired land, and he attacked
government for
price controls but now he has really gone over the top, " a
top Zanu PF
official told Radio VOP.
"Zanu PF is crying out for total
empowerment yet people like Gono go out in
the public to attack the
indeginisation law which is being supported by the
President himself. Who is
he to go against Zanu PF policies? If he wants to
be MDC then he must say so
in public and he can go.
"It is against this background that senior
officials from the party will
approach the President to persuade him to fire
Gono because his agenda now
is dubious. We cannot allow him to be the head
of the central bank yet he is
working against us. This indigenisation law is
irreversible whether Gono
likes it or not."
Mugabe has openly come
out in the open supporting the indeginisation law
although indications are
that after resistance from the MDC and influential
people like Gono, the law
will have to be revised drastically.
But Mugabe does not usually take
lightly to lone voices of reason among his
appointees who criticise his
policies in public and is known to deal
ruthlessly with such people. At one
point Simba Makoni, while he was Finance
Minister tried to devalue the
Zimbabwe dollar but was described by Mugabe as
a saboteur and
resigned.
He was also forced out of Zanu PF after it was established that
he wanted to
challenge Mugabe for the presidency.
While Gono was said
to be out of office when Radio VOP tried to contact him
on Monday, his close
aide said while Gono was aware of maneuvers against him
from top Zanu PF
officials, he remains unmoved.
"Governor Gono has always said he will not
stay a day long if asked to go. I
mean, he is earning USD$100 a month but
has a vast business empire in
farming, financial services and other vast
businesses. He is now the third
largest producer of chicken in the country
after Irvines and Crest Breeders
and slaughters up to 100 000 birds a week.
He would surely be happy
concentrate on his empire.
"The governor has
resolved only to speak to the media when necessary or when
his territory is
under threat or if it involves national interests. He also
believes that a
lot of his advice to government and politicians have not
been taken
including the issue of price controls which ended with
supermarkets running
on empty shelves.
"The governor is still complaining that due to the
empty shops he was forced
to introduce Baccosi which made some companies
survive but was also a major
source of inflation. The governor is still
opposed to this controversial
indigenisation laws as they will ruin the
economy if not carefully handled.
"Governor Gono is against land reform
like empowerment programmes because he
thinks land issues are different to
industrial issues. He will protect the
financial sector from vultures
circulating around foreign banks and wants
locals to apply for licences to
allow for 100 percent ownership than allow
for disruptions at existing banks
that are still in a fragile state," said
the top RBZ source.
http://www.zimdaily.com/beta/news271338.html
By TONGAI MUDIWA
Published:
Tuesday March 23, 2010
ZIMBABWE - HARARE - With signs increasing that the
so-called third
Chimurenga is unravelling dramatically, President Robert
Mugabe last weekend
attacked new farmers again for taking land when they
knew they could not
farm.
ZimDaily understand this time Mugabe chose
a function at his alma mater
Kutama College in his home village of Zvimba to
make the revelation.
"We took land from the whites, and now you go back
to them? If you cannot
farm why did you take the land?" fumed
Mugabe.
His anger stems form revelations that numbers of white farmers
have been
reengaged by "comrades" as "farm managers."
This is the
second time in a fortnight that Mugabe has indicated that he is
feeling the
pressure of a poorly planned programme gone wrong.
Two weeks ago, he
labelled new farmer "primitive" for failing to make use of
abundant water
resources and relying solely on rain for commercial farming.
"Mugabe is
feeling the strain of a programme that is collapsing in his face.
Since
Gideon Gono stopped printing worthless Zimdollars and giving huge
gifts of
equipment, fuel and fertiliser to farmers who simply sold the on,
the land
reform programme has gone into fifth reverse gear," said a Zanu PF
insider.
"The new Finance Minister Tendai Biti says the country needs
farmers who
treat farming as a business and this has knocked many off their
feet. They
were used to getting things for nothing and getting subsidised
for doing
nothing all year," he added.
White farmers have been coming
back and late last year Mashonaland Central
Governor Martin Dinha revealed
that his office had processed application for
land allocation for more than
10 white farmers as Zimbabwe was a "united
country."
Surprisingly,
this week, the zealous Governor was fingering chiefs in his
province for
leasing out farms to white farmers.
"We will continue registering our
support for Cde Mugabe. We will die with
Cde Mugabe rather than leave our
land to be taken away by the former white
farmers," he said.
In
Mashonaland East, a court has hear that the governor there, Aeneas
Chigwedere and Land reform Minister Herbert Murerwa have advised a white
farmer to stay put on his farm because they are reassessing land reform.
http://www.ipsnews.net
By Ignatius
Banda
BULAWAYO, Mar 22, 2010 (IPS) - When there are water cuts in
Bulawayo, the
plants in 59-year-old Ntombizodwa Makati's vegetable garden
are still
watered - but she and her family go thirsty.
Small scale
farmers in Bulawayo are able to use recycled waste water for
their crops as
lack of adequate rainfall affects the region, thanks to the
local city
council's programme. But there are no programmes in place to
provide
drinking water for households in the area. Makati is one of many
urban
residents living in poor suburbs, in a city of two million people, who
face
constant and prolonged water shortages.
World Water Day is on Mar. 22,
which United Nations-Water has given the
theme of water quality "Clean Water
for a Healthy World". But water quality
still remains an issue in Bulawayo.
The city has long cited lack of
resources as the stumbling block toward
providing water for domestic use.
Makati complains that while she is able
to water her vegetable garden at her
home in Mabutweni, a high-density
suburb, using waste water provided by the
city council, there still remain
no alternative water sources for domestic
use.
Along with her fellow
residents, Makati has been forced to resort to unsafe
open water sources for
domestic use when the taps run dry - something that
happens on a regular
basis.
"It is increasingly frustrating having to go without water and
without
getting any warning from the municipality," Makati said.
"We
are extremely (lucky) when the rain falls because then we can harvest
the
rain water which we find clean and can use in our kitchens," she
said.
However, the poor rains that have hit the drought-prone parts of
Zimbabwe's
southern region means there is little Makati can fall back on as
an
alternative water source.
What has exacerbated the crisis for
Makati and many others is that she still
has to boil the unsafe drinking
water, but electricity power cuts have
virtually made this impossible. The
inability to purify the water places
many at risk of contracting cholera.
Memories of the 2008 cholera outbreak
still remain fresh on the minds of
locals.
The Bulawayo City Council has for years promoted the use of what
it calls
"reclaimed water" where waste water from sewer treatment plants is
used for
farming and urban agriculture projects. But such initiatives are
yet to
extend to domestic water use.
This, according to city
officials, is largely because a lack of funds has
stalled projects such as
the drawing of water from the Zambezi River.
"We are still facing
financial problems that have made harnessing ground
water and improving
water quality and also water quantity difficult," says
council spokesperson
Nesisa Mpofu.
Water quality remains an issue in Bulawayo with residents
complaining that
water from household taps sometimes looks like river water,
with a murky
brown appearance that clearly indicates it has not been
chemically treated.
Bulawayo mayor Thaba Moyo acknowledged the criticism
of the water quality,
especially to poor suburbs where the majority of the
city's residents, like
Makati, reside. "We really have to strive to give our
residents clean
water," Moyo told a recent council meeting.
The
United Nations Children's Fund has since responded by giving the city
water
treatment chemicals as part of efforts to improve water quality.
At the
height of the 2008 cholera outbreak, which the World Health
Organisation
says claimed over 6,000 lives, the Bulawayo City Council
provided water
treatment tablets to households. But this programme stopped
after donor
agencies saw the decline of cholera cases, Mpofu said.
Water Resources
and Infrastructure Development Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo has
lamented that
the city's water problems will take long to be solved, citing
a poor budget
vote for his ministry. The ministry was allocated a little
over 100 million
dollars for the 2009/2010 budget, but Nkomo says the
building of the Zambezi
water pipeline will need more than 1.2 billion
dollars.
The politics
of water have stalked the council for years, with city
officials citing lack
of commitment by the then government of President
Robert Mugabe.
With
the continued poor rains, which experts say have been worsened by the
effects of climate change, the aims of World Water Day seem far off from be
being realised, water rights activist Susan Mbambo said.
"There have
not been any tangible efforts to harness alternative water
sources for
domestic use, but farmers have been receiving help because the
water they
use is cheap to recycle but still cannot be used for domestic
use," said
Mbambo who works closely with the Bulawayo Progressive Residents
Association.
"The city council cites lack of adequate budgetary
support from central
government to fix water problems and this has meant
residents turn to
sources like burst water pipes to scoop water for home
use," Mbambo said.
Early this year, the city council cited financial
setbacks as the reason for
failing to service about 77 boreholes at
Nyamayendlovu, a local township.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Mar 22, 2010 11:08 PM | By
The Editor, The Times Newspaper
The Times Editorial: It is vital that
President Jacob Zuma and the other
regional leaders strive to build on the
momentum achieved by Zuma's
important visit to Harare last
week.
Zuma, the Southern African Development Community's chief
negotiator on
Zimbabwe, appears to be on the point of breaking the political
log jam that
has all but scuttled that country's fledgling unity
government.
By all accounts, Zuma took a far tougher line than his
predecessor, Thabo
Mbeki, in dealing with the recalcitrant Robert Mugabe and
his ruling
Zanu-PF.
After some significant horse trading, it now
appears that Mugabe has agreed,
in principle, to overturn the appointment of
two of his cronies to the
powerful positions of Reserve Bank governor and
attorney-general, long a
major bone of contention with the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change.
In return, the MDC will have to give up on
appointing farmer Roy Bennett -
for years a thorn in Mugabe's side - as
deputy agriculture minister,
although terror charges against Bennett will be
dropped.
The political rivals have been given a tight deadline - next
Wednesday - to
put flesh on these and other deadlock-breaking resolutions
mediated by Zuma
and his team. These include the equal allocation, between
the rival parties
in the coalition, of the provincial governorships and
lobbying by all
parties against international sanctions targeting Mugabe and
his acolytes.
This is solid progress, and could go a long way towards
resuscitating the
one-year-old unity government.
If the momentum is
maintained, it could lead to genuine multiparty
elections - monitored by
independent observers and run by a credible
election commission - next
year.
Zuma and the SADC owe it to all Zimbabweans to keep up the
pressure.
The plight of Anglicans in Harare raises questions of responsibility, says Sebastian Bakare
Locked out: the Bishop of Harare, the Rt Revd Chad Gandiya
USPG |
Since my retirement from being caretaker Bishop of Harare, I have had time to reflect about the most extraordinary and shocking situation that the diocese has been plunged into for the past two-and-a-half years. There are two issues, among others, to which I would like to draw particular attention: first, the lack of Christian solidarity with the persecuted Anglicans in Harare diocese; and, second, the fact that this persecution still continues, despite numerous assurances by high-ranking government officials that it would be brought to an end immediately (News, 12 March). Our parishioners have regularly been blocked by police from entering church properties. In many instances, police have arrested worshippers and thrown them into cells for one or sometimes several nights. They have seriously injured some. Last weekend, for example, there were running battles at many churches in Harare. Riot police used tear gas, and again arrested several people, among them the Dean of Harare, the Very Revd Farai Mutamiri, and a priest from the cathedral, the Revd Phineas Fundira. Meanwhile, another priest went into hiding. Christians confess the universality of our faith (this is catholicity). As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12.26: "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together." Paul is writing this letter at a time when Christians were persecuted, reminding them that the local church in Corinth was representing the universal Church. So their persecution automatically affected fellow-Christians beyond their immediate community. This leaves no room for indifference whenever members of the Church universal are suffering persecution or any other adversity. My experience as caretaker Bishop tells me that this passage has not been taken seriously by fellow-Christian leaders who belong to other denominations in Zimbabwe. This became obvious when I approached them for the use of their church buildings on behalf of our congregations who were (and still are) not allowed to use their own churches. I did so under the assumption that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, only to realise that our brother- and sisterhood does not go beyond our denominational boundaries. Only one responded positively. The persecution that Anglicans in Harare have experienced is unparalleled in the history of Zimbabwe. Yet, to my knowledge, no single church leader here has spoken up when our members have been beaten up and put in police cells. My assumption is that they fear persecution themselves - not by Mr Kunonga, the former Bishop of Harare, but by the police. This lack of courage is not new. Church history the world over has many examples of churches that chose to identify themselves with the powers that be rather than speak up against injustice. We have to remind each other that the powers of this world come and go, but the Church universal remains. It is in this context that the Church will be judged by future generations. On the other hand, many individual non-Anglican Christians have approached me, assuring me of their sympathy and prayers for the Anglican Church. Some have asked the same question about why other denominations in Zimbabwe have been silent on such a glaring example of injustice, perpetrated against ordinary members of one Church, whose only "crime" is to worship. All this is happening in defiance of a court ruling only two weeks ago, that churches have to be shared between followers of Mr Kunonga and of the Church of the Province of Central Africa. This ruling, like many others in the past, has been disregarded by police. There are significant questions about who is behind it all; who can disregard the high court judgment. One cannot help assuming that this persecution is also linked with the commonly held, and incorrect, view that the Anglican Church is a colonial Church - some are still calling it the "Church of England". All the main denominations in Zimbabwe have their roots outside the country. Their missionaries also worked hand-in-glove with the colonial government. On the positive side, all these denominations, Anglicans included, pioneered education and health services, among other things, to the benefit of all up to today. It needs to be made very clear that the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe today is a member of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, which comprises four countries, and is autonomous. Zimbabweans need to understand that the Archbishop of Canterbury is not a pope with central authority, but the spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. This means that he has no jurisdiction over the church provinces in other parts of the world. The question remains whether the wrangle caused by Mr Kunonga has been taken as a welcome opportunity to vent political anger on the so-called colonial Church. The inability to stop this persecution leaves no doubt that there is more to it than meets the eye. I am appealing to the other Churches in Zimbabwe to take their Christian solidarity seriously, and to the political leadership to do everything in its power to stop the persecution, and to reinforce freedom of worship (which is guaranteed by our national constitution). Dr Sebastian Bakare was caretaker Bishop of Harare from November 2007 to July 2009. He is a former Bishop of Manicaland. |