http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
25/03/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi
has been
airlifted from strife-torn Mali after soldiers ousted the country’s
leader
last Thursday.
Mumbengegwi, who flew to Mali on Monday last
week for an African Union peace
and security meeting to discuss a rebellion
in the north of the country, was
airlifted out of Bamako together with his
Kenyan counterpart, Moses
Wetangula.
Zimbabwe’s ambassador to nearby
Senegal Trudy Stevenson told New
Zimbabwe.com on Sunday that Mumbengegwi had
been flown to Lagos, Nigeria,
after Kenya sent in a chartered plane to
rescue dozens of diplomats with
permission from the new military
authority.
Stevenson said: “We expect him here today and he will most likely
leave on a
Kenyan Airways flight to Harare on Monday.
“He called from
Lagos and he is fine.”
The United Nations sent in a plane to rescue
diplomats on Friday night and
it quickly filled up, forcing Kenya to charter
a plane to rescue its
minister and half a dozen aides.
The Kenyans agreed
to extract Mumbengegwi and two aides in the airlift.
Soldiers on Thursday
– furious that their civilian government didn't do more
to equip them in
their fight with a Tuareg separatist army led by ex-Libyan
recruits in
northern Mali – took control of the capital, Bamako.
The fate of Mali's
overthrown President Amadou Toumani Touré was unclear.
The new
government, led by low-ranking officers, has cancelled next month's
election. De facto leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo told state television he would
allow elections "as soon as national unity and the integrity of our
territory is re-established." There was no timetable given.
As part
of security measures, flights were grounded, borders closed and a
curfew
imposed which had left the foreign ministers and their aides marooned
in a
Bamako hotel.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
25/03/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
FIFTEEN people were killed and 28 injured on Sunday after a
bus veered off
the road and overturned at an accident black spot in Nyanga,
eastern
Zimbabwe.
Twelve people died on the spot while three others
died upon admission at
Regina Coeli Mission Hospital, said Manicaland police
spokesman Assistant
Inspector Enock Chishiri.
The accident happened
at the exact spot of Zimbabwe’s worst road accident:
the Nyanga Bus Disaster
in which 80 school children and seven adults
perished in August
1991.
Just as in the 1991 accident, police believe Sunday’s accident was
caused by
the driver losing control of the bus and overshooting a sharp bend
near the
village of Troutbeck.
Speed was a factor in 1991 with
revelations that minutes before the crash
some terrified pupils pleaded with
the driver to stop and let them walk the
remaining 20 miles to their
school.
Chishiri told the ZBC: “We are still investigating and
interviewing
survivors, hopefully the picture of what happened will become
much clearer.”
Police said the bus had been travelling from Nyanga to
Nyamaropa, a journey
which would have taken the passengers through a
treacherous section of road
through the mountains with cliff edges on the
sides.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, March 25,
2012 –United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray has
condemned the
conviction of former Movement for Democratic Change legislator
for
Highfields Munyaradzi Gwisai and five others saying it shows the
selective
application of the law in the country.
“Not specifically commenting on a
particular case, having a judiciary system
which is equitably applied to all
citizens is healthy for democracy and
development and vice versa,” US
Ambassador Charles Ray told Radio VOP in an
exclusive interview at the
weekend in Harare.
The six were on Wednesday slapped with a fine of
US$500 each plus 420 hours
of performing community service by a Harare
magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini.
Gwisai and five others were convicted for
watching a video showing the
Tunisia style of protests which the state
alleges they were planning to
incite the overthrow of the current
government.
Selective application of the law in Zimbabwe is an issue
which forced MDC to
push for reforms in the judiciary and the security
sector, claiming that its
members continue to be persecuted.
But Zanu
PF which stands accused of persecuting MDC members and citizens who
have
different views from its ideologies is resisting reforming the
judiciary and
the security sector.
Pressure groups and civil society have also bemoaned
the selective
application of the law.
At a press conference
immediately after the conviction of the six, leaders
of the civil society
urged Zimbabweans to show their solidarity to the
convicts by watching
uprising videos.
Although Gwisai and others denied the charges which they
were accused of the
magistrate went onto convict them.
Scores of
activists who oppose President Robert Mugabe rule are presently
languishing
in prison with the courts dragging feat on trying them.
http://www.radiovop.com
Bulawayo, March 24, 2012- A peace
rally organised by Morgan Tsvangirai’s
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC
T) led party has been banned by police
in Lupane, Matabeleland North
province.
The MDC T peace rally was scheduled for today Saturday
afternoon at St
Pauls, Lupane constituency and was set to be addressed by
the Premier among
other top party officials.
“Police on Friday told
us no to go ahead with the peace rally today saying
it is clashing with a
Zanu-PF provincial meeting,” Njabuliso Mguni, the
former legislator for
Lupane told Radio VOP.
Abednico Bhebhe, the MDC T deputy organizing
secretary added that the police
action proved beyond doubt that the state
security organ in Matabeleland
North is fighting the former opposition
party.
“They have cancelled our peace rally again,” Bhebhe
said.
"This is the reason why we are recording the names of such
unprofessional
police officers so as to prosecute them for their
unprofessional conduct
once we get into power as they seem to be possessed
with banning our
meetings and fighting us in each and every
turn."
Edmore Veterai, the Officer Commanding Matabeleland North province
could not
be reached for comment.
Veterai is the senior cop who
impounded a number of vehicles belonging to
the MDC that had been deployed
by the party to carry out ground work ahead
of the watershed 2008
election.
Police in Matabeleland North have been preventing Tsvangirai
from
campaigning in the province since the seizure of the vehicles in
2008.
According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR),
Matabeleland
North is a hostile province in the country as police have been
harassing
and arresting civic society activists, pastors, politician and
Ministers for
holding meetings in that area.
Last year alone, there
were over 50 arrests while police also continue to
maintain their
stranglehold in on the province by banning opposition rallies
despite court
rulings that gave the green light to the parties to conduct
their campaign
rallies in the region.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
JOHN NQINDI | 25 March,
2012 00:09
ZANU-PF's terror campaign team has been dealt a heavy blow
ahead of proposed
elections, as it emerged that some of the party's youth
militia had been
removed from the government's payroll.
In 2008 the
government hired close to 7000 youths a month before President
Robert Mugabe
was to square off with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the
second round
of elections.
Tsvangirai pulled out a week before the elections, citing
increased cases of
violence involving the Zanu-PF terror teams that
comprised the youths and
the Joint Operations Command (JOC).
Over the
years the youths have been kept on the government's payroll, with
Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere
saying they were carrying out government duties.
"They coordinate
government activities in wards. There are several youths in
the country
without jobs. There are numerous challenges confronting our
country - we are
under sanctions," Kasukuwere told a parliamentary portfolio
committee last
year.
Between 2008 and today the youths reportedly set up bases in places
such as
schools.
But things are set to change, as Public Service
Minister Lucia Matibenga
told parliament this week that 5662 youths had been
removed from the Public
Service payroll.
Matibenga told parliament
that proper procedures of hiring had not been
followed.
"We struck
off more than 5000 youths hired by the Youth Development ministry
because
they were not hired above board," Matibenga said.
Over the years the
MDC-T has argued that the youths are paid to terrorise,
kill and intimidate
people who don't support Zanu-PF.
An audit report by Ernst & Young in
2010 for the government revealed that
most of the recruited youths did not
have basic education qualifications. In
government records they are
classified under B1 - a grade for people with
the basic 5 ordinary level of
education certificate passes.
The youths added to the burden created as a
result of 70000 ghost workers
being paid by the government. Sources from the
Public Service Commission
said more were likely to be removed from the
government payroll.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Sunday, 25 March
2012 14:19
HARARE - Deputy Justice and Legal Affairs minister Obert
Gutu has accused
the Attorney General of severely compromising the justice
delivery system in
Zimbabwe.
In a damning presentation to the
symposium on the administration of justice
in regional bloc Sadc in
Johannesburg on Friday, Gutu said justice delivery
in an efficient, fair and
impartial manner was one of the key cornerstones
of any democratic nation
but Johannes Tomana’s office was undermining all
efforts to overhaul the
justice delivery system.
The deputy minister, who is also Chisipite
Senator, said although on paper,
Zimbabwe recognises that in the
determination of any criminal charge,
everyone has the right to a fair and
public hearing by a legally
constituted, competent, independent and
impartial judicial body, the reality
on the grounds is
otherwise.
Gutu, a member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party in
an uneasy
coalition, said the Zimbabwean justice delivery system, especially
in
politically sensitive cases, was severely compromised.
He spoke in
the wake of international condemnation of the conviction of
University of
Zimbabwe lecturer, Munyaradzi Gwisai and five of his
co-accused on the
charge of “conspiracy to incite public violence with a
view to overthrowing
the unity government” for watching footage of the
Egyptian revolution that
overthrew long-serving strongman Hosni Mubarak.
“I have absolutely no
apology to make by submitting that our Attorney
General’s office has been
plagued with allegations of political bias,
corruption and in some cases,
downright incompetence,” Gutu told the
Johannesburg symposium.
“Many
political activists have been hastily arrested on flimsy and or
trumped-up
criminal charges, detained for inordinately long periods of time
and
eventually acquitted after undergoing trial.
“It is a fact that in most
politically sensitive criminal cases, the
Attorney General’s office has had
a spectacular if not embarrassing failure
rate.”
International rights
groups have expressed concern that magistrates' courts
in Zimbabwe were
coming under undue pressure after passing decisions not
favourable to the
Attorney General’s office in cases against perceived
political opponents and
human rights defenders.
Gutu said the situation was compounded by the
fact that Tomana was President
Mugabe’s key ally. Mugabe has staunchly
resisted MDC efforts to unseat
Tomana through political reforms envisaged
under the Global Political
Agreement.
The MDC wanted a consensus
candidate agreed to by all the three parties in
the ruling coalition to
replace Tomana.
The Daily News on Sunday understands it is one of the
outstanding issues in
the GPA that have been “parked” because there is no
agreement.
“The problem is further worsened when key persons in the
Attorney General’s
office openly declare their support of and allegiance to
a particular
political party,” he said.
“In my humble view, the
prosecuting authority in any country should never,
ever openly declare its
support for any political party. Such an action
erodes the credibility of
the prosecuting authority.”
Due to Tomana’s political posturing, the US
Treasury Department was forced
to impose targeted sanctions on the AG in
December 2010, saying his actions
undermined the country's democratic
institutions, with Tomana retorting that
the action was an attack on the
Constitution of Zimbabwe.
The Office of the AG is a Constitutional Office
set up under Section 76 of
the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Adam Szubin,
director of US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said
then
Tomana’s targeting of selected political opponents threatens the rule
of law
in Zimbabwe, harms the integrity of the government and counters the
will of
Zimbabwean people who have expressed their desire to build a
democratic
society.
US Treasury said Tomana, “has selectively prosecuted political
opponents and
their perceived supporters in an effort to undermine
Zimbabwe’s democratic
processes and institutions.”
Gutu said his
ministry has launched an ambitious government reform programme
entitled
Equal Justice for All.
“Under this programme, in which we are
collaborating with the United Nations
Development Programme, all key
stakeholders are going to come together, pool
resources and strategise in a
bid to improve the justice, law and order
sector and ensure equal access to
justice for all."
“We are encouraging the establishment of a holistic
sector wide approach to
overhauling and revamping our justice delivery
system.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Everson Mushava, Staff Writer
Sunday, 25 March 2012
14:14
HARARE - The on-going trial of Core Mining director Lovemore
Kurotwi who is
facing charges of defrauding the state of $2 billion
investment money has
exposed Mines minister Obert Mpofu who is fighting
allegations he demanded a
$10 million bribe.
Beatrice Mtetwa,
representing Kurotwi in the on-going court case, says Mpofu
was well aware
of the deal and ratified it, only to make an about turn after
sensational
exposures by Kurotwi that he demanded a $10 million bribe.
Kurotwi,
together with former Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC)
chief
executive officer Dominic Mubaiwa, face fraud charges emanating from
alleged
misrepresentation of investment information to the Mines ministry
that Core
Mining was a special vehicle for an international South
African-based
company, Benn Steinmeitz Group Resources (BSGR), which would
invest $2
billion in Zimbabwe.
The deal did not materialise and this, according to
the state, prejudiced
the country of $2 billion worth of
investments.
Despite Goodwills Masimirembwa, ZMDC chairperson and key
witness in the
state case saying Mtetwa was desperate to drag Mpofu in the
fraud case,
Mtetwa maintains that Mpofu was part and parcel of the “criminal
offence.”
Mtetwa says the minister ratified board decisions and he was
well aware of
what was happening concerning the joint venture agreement
between Marange
Resources, a special vehicle for the ZMDC and Core
Mining.
According to Mtetwa, Mpofu told the ZMDC board when he was
appointed Mines
minister that he was the man in charge and everything was
done according to
his instructions.
“Gloria Mawarire (the then ZMDC
board chair) told a parliamentary portfolio
that the minister had demanded
loyalty from the board members. She said the
minister told them that he was
the one who approves everything, including
the investors, “said Mtetwa,
adding that Mpofu was privy to all developments
concerning the joint
venture.
“The minister informed the board that the investment has been
approved and
this included Core Mining. The board is answerable to the
minister and would
transfer anyone with interest to him and he decided. It
was clear from the
onset that Core Mining was a shelf company,” Mtetwa
said.
Mtetwa said Mpofu only ordered an investigation into the matter
more than a
year after the joint venture agreement because Kurotwi had
exposed the bribe
scam.
“When Mpofu saw the due diligence report
compiled after a visit to South
Africa, he did not even query why the name
of the investor was no longer
BSGR but an Israeli investor because he knew
that BSGR had withdrawn from
the deal after its conditions were not
met.
“The ministry requested a cabinet authority to do a due diligence
exercise
on BSGR but the minister deliberately substituted BSGR with Core
Mining,”
said Mtetwa.
She added that Mpofu ordered the signing of the
joint venture agreement with
or without BSGR.
But Masimirembwa said
Mpofu’s recommendations were influenced by the Mubaiwa’s
submissions, whom
he said was working together with Kurotwi to defraud
Zimbabwe by lying that
BSGR would invest $2 billion dollars when in fact
they knew it would
not.
Mtetwa queried why Mpofu went on to recommend the joint venture
agreement to
President Robert Mugabe yet Core Mining was still subject to a
due diligence
exercise and why Mpofu did not keep minutes of all the
meetings he had with
Kurotwi.
“So you mean to say the minister went
on to recommend to President Mugabe a
company which was subject to a due
diligence exercise? It’s the minister who
misinformed Mugabe when he
recommended Core Mining on June 23 2009, not the
first and second accused.”
Mtetwa said.
Masimirembwa said it was normal since the agreement was
subject to suspense
conditions.
“You are desperate to involve the
minister when in actual fact the paper
trail at ZMDC is straight forward,”
charged Masimirembwa.
According to a founding affidavit by Kurotwi, Mpofu
demanded bribe money
from Kurotwi twice.
“After the initial conduct
with the minister, and after the signing of the
Memorandum of Agreement
(MoU), the minister said these words, (to my
collection): ‘Vakomana ndapedza
rangu basa. Chindipai mari yangu.(Gentleman,
I have performed my part, can
you now pay me).’
“These words were in reference to the earlier
communication I had with him
during the negotiation process where he alluded
to his desire to be paid if
there was a successful conclusion of the
agreement,” said Kurotwi.
He claimed he simply promised to look into the
matter later fearing a
negative answer “would scamper the whole deal which I
thought was above
board and properly negotiated”.
According to
Kurotwi, Mpofu demanded to be paid again before the signing of
the deal
during a visit to South Africa in August 2009.
Kurotwi said prosecuting
him was an attempt by Mpofu to vindicate his name.
“If anybody is guilty
of fraud, it is the minister of Mines that
orchestrated my arrest and that
of the other accused persons on trumped up
charges of fraud….,’said
Kurotwi.
Advocate Lewis Uriri, representing Mubaiwa, said paper trail at
the ZMDC was
not sufficient to tell the whole story of what happened leading
to the
signing of the joint venture agreement.
He said there was more
to it than the document tendered in court as exhibits
could
testify.
The case continues on March 30 and Advocate Uriri is set to
continue cross
examining Masimirembwa.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
25/03/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
HIGHER Education Minister Stan Mudenge has spent a week in
hospital after a
terrifying encounter with a BULL on his
farm.
Mudenge, 71, suffered head injuries after being charged down by the
rogue
bull at Chikore farm in Masvingo, according to sources.
“He
suffered terrible head injuries and as far as I know he is still in
hospital,” a cabinet colleague, who declined to be named, told New
Zimbabwe.com on Sunday.
Mudenge – twice a widower – is admitted at
Harare’s West End Clinic.
The minister has missed the last two cabinet
meetings.
His cell phone was going unanswered on Sunday, and it is
believed Public
Service Minister Lucia Matibenga tried to visit him but was
told no visitors
were allowed.
The historian has been battling ill-health
since 2010 when he suffered a
cardiac arrest and spent weeks in
hospital.
Twice married, Mudenge’s first wife Kgogo died in 2001 and his
second wife,
Eunice, followed in 2004.
Mudenge’s ill-health has
previously triggered demands from students’ unions
to stand
aside.
Zimbabwe National Students Union president Tafadzwa Mugwadi said
in 2010:
“He has failed to attend to our plight because he is concentrating
on his
health issues and in the process he is underperforming in his
ministry.
“We make a humble request to the government to consider resting
the minister
because they are overburdening him and it is not surprising
that this burden
could actually be contributing to his failing health.”
http://www.radiovop.com
Gwanda, March 25, 2012 – Zimbabwe’s
Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment
Minister Savior Kasukuwere says bosses
of foreign- owned mines who will fail
to comply with the black empowerment
program will face the full wrath of the
law.
Speaking at a
preparatory meeting for the launch of the Community Share
Ownership Scheme
Trust (CSOS/T) Kasukuwere said the Indigenisation Bill was
passed into law
in parliament and anyone who disregards it will be arrested.
“Those who
seat in parliament know that President Mugabe signed the Bill and
now we
have a law and anyone who breaks the law is arrested”, he said.
His
sentiments come amid reports that at least two mines are resisting
implementing the scheme which has resulted in the delay of the launch in
Matabeleland South by President Mugabe.
“As you can see this man here
is a giant and can arrest anyone”, he said
referring to Home Affairs
Minister Kembo Mohadi who sat beside him.
Kasukuwere said the
Indigenisation Program will continue to some sectors
once they have finished
with mining.
“In addition to mineral resources and in Matabeleland South
in particular
natural resources such as forests, water bodies, tourist
facilities and
wildlife are being exploited largely for the benefit of
foreigners” , he
said.
Nineteen mining firms have been shortlisted
for CSOS/T and have been ordered
to pay US$15 000 each towards the
successful launch of the programme,
furthermore they will have to contribute
towards US$2 million that has been
set as the initial amount of the trust
fund.
Zimplants was the first to launch the scheme followed by Unki Mines
while
Mimosa launched the scheme last month.
The “Share Scheme” has
been dismissed by both MDC formations as a vote
buying gimmick by ZANU PF as
it distributes shares grabbed from
foreign-owned companies in exchange for
votes.
Economic analysts say the community ownership trusts could plunge
the
country, still smarting from a decade long economic demise, into deeper
crisis as it will scare away foreign investors.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Sunday, 25 March 2012
14:12
HARARE - Former deputy director-general of the Central
Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) is suing police chiefs, ministers and the
CIO boss for
US$10 million for wrongful arrest.
Lovemore Mukandi, the
deputy director general of CIO who was arrested at the
airport in September
last year after his deportation from Canada, has filed
notice in terms of
Section 6 of the State Liabilities Act of his intentions
to institute legal
proceedings.
Mukandi says his Harare International Airport arrest by
Chief Superintendent
Peter Magwenzi — the deputy officer commanding CID
Serious Fraud Squad — was
unlawful.
Magwenzi is cited as the first
respondent in the $10 million suit for
allegedly making “false allegations”
in the application of Mukandi’s warrant
of arrest on the grounds that he had
defrauded the spy agency of Z$18
million in 1998 after allegedly awarding
tenders to undeserving companies to
construct five low density houses the
CIO wanted to lease and raise income.
A sworn affidavit by Magwenzi dated
June 20, 2008 seeking his extradition
from Canada described Mukandi as a
fugitive from justice, yet the courts on
January 31, 2000 declined to place
him on remand because of shaky evidence
in the alleged Z$18 million fraud
case.
Chief Supt Magwenzi applied for the issuing of the warrant of
arrest and it
was duly granted by chief magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe, who
has been cited
as a respondent in this case.
Magistrate Munamato
Mutevedzi on October 14 last year cancelled the warrant
of arrest on the
grounds that “his warrant of arrest which the State is
acting on was
obtained erroneously since it does not tell the truth about
the
records.”
Following the invalidation of the warrant of arrest against
Mukandi by the
magistrate, the wrongly-accused ex-CIO boss has now filed a
lawsuit against
Magwenzi for damages arising from the issue of the invalid
warrant.
He says the warrant was premised on the “false and defamatory
allegations”
that he had absconded to Canada seeking asylum when a criminal
docket was
opened against him.
Mukandi’s lawyers, Nyikadzino, Simango
and Associates, contend the warrant
was used in September last year to cause
his deportation from Canada under
guard, to have him arrested on arrival and
remanded in custody.
“The 1st addressee (Magwenzi), acting within the
course and scope of his
employment, made the false allegations in the
application for the warrant,”
Mukandi’s papers say.
“All the events
mentioned above and the allegation that our client had
absconded trial,
which was contained in the warrant, were widely publicised
in the local and
international media.
“As a result of the actions aforesaid, our client
has suffered damages in
the sum of US$10 million.”
The suit also
cites chief magistrate Guvamombe for issuing the warrant of
arrest and CIO
boss Happyton Bonyongwe for allegedly causing the warrant to
be
issued.
Police Inspector Mabasa and police chief Augustine Chihuri are
also cited as
respondents for executing the warrant in Zimbabwe.
The
suit says Chihuri and Insp Mabasa “detained our client for one day and
night
in police custody and caused him to be detained for six days and five
nights
in remand prison.”
The suit also cites the ministers responsible for the
CIO and the police as
respondents pointedly co-Home Affairs ministers
Theresa Makone and Kembo
Mohadi; and State Security minister Sydney
Sekeramayi, in their official
capacities.
Mukandi says in his papers
“all these persons knew that the said allegations
were false or were grossly
negligent in making them or in accepting the
truth thereof, as the case
maybe.”
The $10 million suit is broken down as $5 million resulting from
the loss of
Mukandi’s employment in Canada, which sum is being claimed from
all the
respondents except Chihuri.
Mukandi says $3 million was for
deprivation of liberty resulting from his
deportation from Canada under
guard and his arrest and detention, “for
contumelia and for the damage
caused to his health both physically, which
sum to be claimed from all the
addressees.”
The former CIO boss also wants $2 million resulting from
injury to his
reputation caused by the wide publicity afforded to the “false
allegations”
and charges that he had absconded.
Mukandi and his
co-accused former CIO chief administration officer David
Nyabando and chief
transport officer Ricky Manwere were suspended in 1998
from the spy agency
over a Z$18 million fraud they allegedly committed.
The CIO alleges they
defrauded the State of cash that was supposed to be
used for building
houses.
They insist they built the safe houses but were pushed out of the
spy agency
in a convoluted powerplay in the CIO.
Mukandi and his boss
Shadreck Chipanga, former Zanu PF MP for Makoni East,
were dismissed from
the spy agency in 1999.
They were replaced by the current director
general Happyton Bonyongwe and
Retired Brigadier Elisha Muzonzini,
respectively
http://www.timeslive.co.za
ZOLI MANGENA | 25 March, 2012
00:09
The uproar over the massive increase in mining sector fees, which
range from
$3000 to $5-million, has intensified, with small-scale miners
accusing Mines
Minister Obert Mpofu of trying to destroy their livelihoods
through
disastrous policies.
In a recent statutory instrument,
government hiked registration of diamond
claims from $1-million to
$5-million, with a new ground rental fee of $3000
per hectare per
year.
Application fees for prospective coal investors increased from
$5000 to
$100000, while the registration or renewal fees were set at
$500000. In
addition, there is now also a ground rental fee of $100 per
hectare.
Application fees for platinum claims - for both ordinary and
special
prospectors - are now pegged at $500000, up from
$200.
Registration fees for the metal surged from $500 to
$2.5-million.
There was a series of increases in licences for dealers in
the mining
sector.
Small-scale miners reacted angrily to this and
widely dismissed the
increases as ridiculous and unsustainable.
Farai
Misihairabwi, a miner and approved prospector, last month wrote a
strongly
worded letter to Mpofu, accusing the minister of pursuing
disastrous
policies which would destroy the mining sector.
"I'm writing to you as a
miner for 12 years, an approved prospector for more
than 10 years ..., a
product of the University of Zimbabwe Law School, and a
law-abiding
Zimbabwean citizen," Misihairabwi said in his letter dated
February
24.
"It is clear that your amendments [mining regulations] address the
issues of
fees, licences and services.
"My calculations show
increments ranging from 500% to 50000%.
"It is rather unfortunate that
your amendments are merely a burden on
miners, without a single change
regarding your ministry's willingness to
improve the welfare of the mining
industry."
Misihairabwi then warned the minister that his new mining
regulations were
damaging.
"It is not far-fetched to say this move is
tantamount to an annihilation of
mining privileges and rights," he
said.
"The small-to-medium scale operator will be the greatest
victim.
"This record hike in fees, if not checked, will have a ripple
effect on the
nation at large. Many children will drop out of
school.
"Businesses, including the flea markets, will feel the
effects.
"Negative policies have an immediate, direct influence on the
country's
social, financial and economic standing."
Confederation of
Zimbabwe Miners president Rangana Chauke recently slammed
Mpofu over the
steep increases.
"These increments are ridiculous and unsustainable. They
will force miners
out of business," he said.
Government has vowed to
maintain the new regulations despite miners'
protests .
Misihairabwi
told Mpofu: "We need to guard against despotism of capital. The
current
amendments are an attempt to commercialise the ministry.
"A government
entity can't be commercialised as it is not a parastatal.
"This may be an
attempt to raise revenue for the state but government
activities should be
governed by basically acceptable moral standards.
"The government should
not unnecessarily exercise its muscles to
inconvenience its people."
http://www.timeslive.co.za
MARK SCOFIELD | 25 March, 2012 00:09
Not
too long ago Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Gideon Gono, the governor
of
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, were enemies.
Biti accused Gono of
running down the economy by printing wads of worthless
Zimbabwe dollars and
engaging in quasi-fiscal activities that drove
inflation to astronomical
levels and reduced Zimbabwe to a pariah state.
Biti, perhaps more
confident by his new key role in the unity government
formed in February
2009, sought to clip Gono's wings - and the governor,
albeit just briefly,
only had President Robert Mugabe in his corner to
defend him from Biti's
onslaught.
But three years later, an unlikely alliance has formed between
the two, and
they seem to have buried the hatchet and have united around a
common enemy -
Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister
Saviour
Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere has become boisterous, first gaining
confidence from the
indigenisation programme that has seen about $10-million
collected from
foreign-owned mining companies.
Two weeks' ago,
Kasukuwere claimed his biggest prize yet in the
indigenisation crusade -
Zimplats, a subsidiary of SA's Implats, as he
forced the platinum giant to
cede a 51% stake to local Zimbabweans.
Zanu-PF hawks celebrated the
momentous victory over Zimplats, with Rugare
Gumbo, the party spokesman,
saying: "We are absolutely delighted. We have
said time and time again, that
we need to control our economy - and our
resources."
With the dust is
still yet to settle after the Zimplats takeover deal,
Kasukuwere has already
declared his next indigenisation target - the banking
sector. There, SA's
Standard Bank unit Stanbic, Nedbank's unit MBCA and
Britain's Barclays and
Standard Chartered banks are up for grabs.
The volatility of the banking
sector does not seem to worry Kasukuwere, who
has fired this warning: "We
are soon going to ensure that the financial
sector starts co-operating. The
public statements that banks are already
indigenised are only self-serving
and only our ministry can say that. The
banking sector must start to engage
more positively, and we'll close that
chapter.
"The law must be
respected and no one is above it, whether you are a lawyer
or not," he
said.
It is Kasukuwere's manoeuvres into the banking sector that have now
courted
resistance from Biti and Gono, with the two men vowing to defend the
sector
from "unintended consequences", fearful that banks could slip back
into the
banking crisis of 2004 that saw several placed under curatorship
and facing
a liquidity crunch.
Biti argues the banking sector is
"already indigenised", as only four out of
26 banks are foreign-owned and
the leading bank, the Commercial Bank of
Zimbabwe, is an indigenous bank
that services the largest number of
depositors in the
country.
Kasukuwere's main bone of contention is that banks do not lend
money to
youths and farmers to kick-start the indigenisation programme with
funding.
Tony Hawkins, an economics professor at the University of
Zimbabwe,
cautioned this week: "The greatest loser will be the economy. Now
that the
country's biggest foreign investor has toed the Zanu-PF line,
indigenisation
minister Kasukuwere, whose political stock has risen with his
perceived
victory in the Impala Platinum negotiations, will ratchet up the
pressure,
not just on the country's mining companies - Anglo Platinum, Rio
Tinto and
Mimosa Platinum - but also on industrial and commercial businesses
and
especially the banks."
Gono, a staunch ally of Mugabe, has
indicated he would not back down from
the face-off with Kasukuwere, a hint
at the unfolding cracks within Mugabe's
Zanu-PF's party over how to
implement the contentious law.
"I am not opposed to indigenisation and I
support the policy fully, but the
important part is how we implement it,
because banking is a sensitive
sector. I will protect it from moves that are
likely to cause unintended
consequences," Gono said.
Reformers in
Zanu-PF, such as Gono, favour a "gradual" approach to
indigenisation
specific to each sector, while party hardliners who are
calling for
elections this year, want a "blanket" approach that imposes a
51%
indigenisation stake on all sectors of the economy.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
JAMA MAJOLA | 25 March, 2012
00:09
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has met one-on-one with President
Robert Mugabe
to discuss the controversial issue of diamond revenues from
Marange, which
are still not flowing consistently into state coffers amid
fears of massive
looting of the funds.
High-level government sources
said Mugabe and Biti met privately on March 9
at the president's up-market
Borrowdale estate to discuss various issues,
but mainly the diamond revenue.
The meeting was supposed to be secret, hence
it was held at the exclusive
mansion to avoid public attention.
However, the Sunday Times has managed
to glean details of the meeting from
well-placed sources which showed that
it mainly focused on the diamond
revenue issue. The meeting, which started
around midday, lasted for about
three-and-half hours. Mugabe and Biti, who
frequently clash over budget and
other issues, have never met for such a
long time.
Biti met Mugabe ahead of his periodic update of the state of
the economy on
March 14. The president is said to have promised to address
the issue of
transparency and accountability with regards to the diamonds.
Biti and his
MDC-T colleagues, including party leader Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai,
fear Mugabe is building a war chest from diamond revenue ahead
of the next
elections.
Apart from the political consequences, the
issue has been worrying Biti
because diamond income is critical to balancing
his books, as he expects
$600-million from the gem exports to cover part of
this year's $4-billion
budget. He says lack of transparency, accountability
and looting of diamonds
has made his job a nightmare. The two have been
fighting over the need to
increase civil servants' salaries, with Biti
saying he would only do so if
all diamond revenue was channelled to the
Treasury.
At the moment proceeds from diamond sales do not consistently
go to the
fiscus, amid suspicions Mugabe and his ministers are running
parallel
coffers for Zanu-PF's administration and political
activities.
Last year Biti said it was worrying that while Zimbabwe
exported 716958
carats of diamonds, only $103.9-million was realised. He
said this was
happening at a time when diamond prices continued to firm on
the
international markets, with prices fluctuating between $1300 and $5000
per
carat.
During his meeting with Mugabe, Biti told him he was
worried because diamond
revenue was dwindling while exports increased, as
shown by February's
figures. A paltry $5-million was realised in February,
way below the
$41.5-million target. In his monthly state of the economy
address on March
14, Biti said cumulatively, the actual revenue collections
for January and
February this year amounted to $488.24-million, against a
target of
$549.5-million.
"We are being crippled in our capacity to
fund government fully because of
the under-performance of diamonds," he
said.
Biti said it was going to be difficult for the government to fund
capital
projects if the projected annual diamond revenue of $600-million was
not
realised.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 25
March, 2012 00:09
ZANU-PF divisions are widening, set in motion by the
indigenisation
programme, which is gathering steam.
At its December
conference in Bulawayo, Zanu-PF resolved to take over
foreign-owned mining
companies this year, with Mugabe then complaining that
the 10% stakes given
under the community share trusts were not enough and
the foreign companies
had "to give more and more and more".
Zanu-PF insiders say the
indigenisation crusade championed by Youth
Development, Indigenisation and
Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has
not only set alarm bells ringing
in the party as his political clout has
grown, but has given a strong
foothold to party hardliners.
Underlying discontent in the party is the
feud that has played out between
Kasukuwere and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor Gideon Gono, an ally of
Mugabe.
Said a Zanu-PF official, who
requested anonymity: "The fight between
Kasukuwere and Gono is a reflection
of what is happening behind the scenes
in the party.
"People are
jostling and setting themselves up to strike it rich with
indigenisation,
while a minority favour a more cautious approach that will
not harm the
economy."
Two weeks ago, in a signal of the underlying manoeuvres of
party loyalists
to position themselves to be recipients of the
indigenisation programme, the
country's 270 chiefs seen to be aligned to
Zanu-PF also demanded to be given
shares in foreign-mining
companies.
But as an election looms, Zanu-PF is unlikely to have too much
consideration
for the consequences that a hastily-adopted indigenisation
programme will
have, as it seeks to curry favour with
voters.
Political analyst Charles Mangongera said: "There is not even
elite
consensus in Zanu-PF on the indigenisation programme.
"It is
playing into factional and succession politics as the big chiefs
fight over
shares in the most lucrative and viable enterprises. The fights
will become
even uglier as the targeting intensifies."
Senior International Crisis
Group analyst Trevor Maisiri pointed out that
indigenisation was Zanu-PF's
"one-way ticket" at the next election and would
ultimately benefit both
reformers and hardliners in the party, as they
needed to put up a united
front at the elections.
"Whatever differences they may have about the
indigenisation programme, it's
certain they will close themselves up in a
room, come out and announce a
united position. There seems to be concurrence
in the party on pursuing it,
but the differences and clashes are on the
specifics and how it should be
done", said Maisiri.
As tensions
increased over indigenisation this week, Deputy President Joyce
Mujuru
travelled to India to court businesses to invest in the country.
Mujuru
is viewed as favourable to economic stability, unlike her rival in
the
succession race - and leader of hardliners in Zanu-PF - Defence Minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa.
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Clare Ballard
25 March
2012
Clare Ballard explains why SALC is taking the NPA to court on the
matter
South Africa, the Rome Statute, Zimbabwe, and Torture
"Law
is nothing unless close behind it stands a warm living public opinion."
~Wendell Phillips
So accustomed have we become to reports of
atrocities in war-ravaged, post
colonial Africa that I believe we'd be
forgiven for associating the term
‘impunity' with the perpetrators of these
crimes, even though the nature of
the crimes to which the unlucky oppressed
are subjected frequently fall into
the category of "crimes against
humanity": torture, genocide, slavery.
So we sat up and took notice when,
on the 14 March 2012, the International
Criminal Court (ICC) handed down its
first verdict. It convicted Thomas
Lubanga of conscripting and enlisting
children under the age of 15 and using
them to participate in hostilities.
This was a first.
True, the Special Court of Sierra Leone and the
International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda have handed down a number of
convictions (and
acquittals), but, like their predecessors, the
International Criminal Court
for the former Yugoslavia, and even the
Nuremburg and Tokyo trials, these
were established for the purpose of trying
crimes committed within a certain
time frame and in relation to a specific
conflict.
The ICC, the world's first permanent international criminal
court, was
established on 1 July 2002, the date on which its founding
treaty, the Rome
Statute, came into force. The adoption of the Rome Statue
was the final
point of decades of negotiations arising from the
internationally perceived
need to be able to prosecute individuals
responsible for crimes against
humanity, genocide and war crimes, but who
were able to shield themselves by
invoking the doctrine of sovereign
immunity.
Like other special courts and tribunals, the establishment of
the ICC
occurred without too much controversy, for, as Lord Browne-Wilkinson
reminds
us in the famous Pinochet case, "international law provides that
offences in
violation of certain pre-emptory norms may be punished by any
state because
the offenders are common enemies of all mankind and all
nations have an
equal interest in their apprehension and
prosecution."
The ICC can exercise its jurisdiction only over state
parties, and even
then, only if the state is unable or unwilling to
prosecute locally. To
date, one hundred and twenty countries are state
parties to the Rome
Statute.
Thirty-two countries have signed, but
not ratified it. Zimbabwe is one of
them, and thus not subject to the
jurisdiction of the ICC. Zimbabwe is also
one of those African countries
frequently associated with politically
motivated violent incidents: police
brutality, raids, illegal detention, and
torture.
The Southern
African Litigation Centre (SALC) responded to a particular
incident in 2007.
In March of that year, Zimbabwean police raided MDC
headquarters and
arrested over 100 MDC supporters, many of whom were
subsequently detained
and tortured. SALC compiled a detailed dossier of
these events, including
affidavits from the victims themselves and
supporting papers from lawyers
and medical practitioners confirming the
torture, and presented it to the
NPA.
As odd as the idea sounds of asserting domestic authority over
non-nations
for alleged crimes that occurred beyond our borders, there are a
number of
very good reasons why the NPA could be expected to, and should
have,
initiated the investigation and prosecution of Zimbabwean officials
responsible for the torture.
Firstly, South Africa is a state party
to the Rome statute, and furthermore
a particular clause in the implementing
legislation (the ICC Act) states
that for the purpose of securing the
jurisdiction of a South African court,
a crime committed outside the country
is deemed to have been committed
within our borders if the alleged
perpetrator of the crime is in the
Republic after the commission of the
crime.
Accordingly, Zimbabwe's being a state party to the Rome Statute is
irrelevant to the purpose of initiating a prosecution in South Africa.
Secondly, South Africa is obliged to prosecute domestically. The ICC Act
states: "it is the duty of the state to exercise its criminal jurisdiction
over those responsible for international crimes."
In addition, one of
the ICC Act's stated objectives, is "to enable, as far
as possible ... the
national prosecuting authority of the Republic to
prosecute and the High
Courts of the Republic to adjudicate in cases brought
against any person
accused of having committed a crime in the Republic and
beyond the borders
of the Republic in certain circumstances."
Thirdly, the ICC Act
designates as "priority crimes" those in violation of
the Rome Statute.
This, as the applicants correctly point out, means that
the South African
government recognized that such crimes "deserve special
attention."
Fourthly, given the collapse of the rule of law in Zimbabwe and
the fact
that the officials allegedly responsible for the torture of MDC
supporters
are known to visit South Africa from time to time, South Africa
is well
situated to investigate, arrest and prosecute them under the ICC
Act.
Sadly, it took months for the NPA to respond to SALC, and then
only to say
that the matter had been referred to SAPS for investigation.
After another
six months, SALC were informed that the SAPS had decided not
to investigate
the matter. SALC instituted review proceedings in the High
Court, arguing
that the refusal to investigate and prosecute the torture
allegations
amounted to, amongst other things, a failure on the part of the
respondents
(the NPA, SAPS the Director-General of the department of
Justice) to apply
their minds to the matter.
The reasons proffered
for the decision not to investigate, once they had
eventually been
delivered, included (incorrectly), that the SAPS and NPA
were not permitted
under the ICC Act to investigate such crimes, as well as
the bald assertion
that if an investigation were to be initiated, it would
impact negatively on
South Africa's diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe, and
we would be seen to
be "criticizing the Zimbabwean government."
There is no doubt that the
prosecution of Zimbabwean officials by the
respondents would have some sort
of impact on South Africa's relationship
with Zimbabwe. It would be naïve
not to realize that this kind of
prosecution is extremely complicated, even
dangerous. Perhaps it would
threaten the safety of opposition party members
still in Zimbabwe. But the
bottom line is that our legislation requires that
where there is evidence of
a crime, a prosecution must ordinarily follow
unless it would be "in the
public interest" not to do so.
The
respondents have not delivered any even remotely compelling reasons as
to
why they should not proceed. Which is why SALC have a strong case.
As
multiple reactions to the "Kony 2012" campaign tell us, pinning down
perpetrators of international crimes is a complicated business. If only it
were as easy as buying a wristband. But a really good start, I think, would
be abiding by legislation our own government saw fit to create.
The
SALC matter will be heard from Monday 26 March 2012 in the North Gauteng
High Court.
Clare Ballard is a Researcher for the Community Law
Centre, Civil Society
Prison Reform Initiative, University of the Western
Cape
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Vince Musewe
25 March 2012
Vince Musewe says in
euphoria of 1980 Zanu-PF was granted too much power
On the equitable
distribution of power: Democracy cannot exist when there is
one political
party that has the majority of power
It has been a while since I wrote
about Zimbabwe and this has been out of
choice. It seems that no matter what
some of us have to say the situation
continues to get worse on the political
front with no end in sight. Recently
I watched a video of Mugabe's interview
in 1976 at the Lancaster House talks
and he was being asked what kind of
Zimbabwe he looked forward to.
In it he said that his vision was for a
united country that focuses not on
race, but on the equality and that he had
no intention at all of creating
the very system that he was fighting
against. He also stated that he had no
issue at all with other political
parties contesting the elections as it is
their right to do so.
What
went wrong?
I think that we primarily failed to implement democracy in
Zimbabwe from day
one. Although blacks became free from colonialism they did
not free
themselves from the wrong idea that democracy can be alive where
there is
inequitable distribution of power.
The establishment of a de
facto one party state in Zimbabwe did not happen
when ZANU (PF) and ZAPU
established a unity agreement but happened at the
ballot box in 1980 when
Zimbabweans through the naive euphoria of
"independence" from the British
voted for ZANU (PF) and gave them a majority
stake in power. For me that
was the beginning of the dictatorship.
Democracy cannot exist when there
is one political party that has the
majority of power and South Africans
also fell into the same trap.
It definitely made sense and felt patriotic
and emotionally uplifting to get
rid of the past by giving a mandate to the
political party that had done
most to cause the change; however, this in
itself exposed us to serious
consequences that we hardly imagined. There is
something inherently evil
with political power in that, the more one gets
the more one wants and the
more one abuses it.
With regard to South
Africa, it is quite interesting to note that there has
been incessant focus
on the transformation of the economy and yet, the vital
challenge we shall
face sooner or later, is the equitable distribution of
political power. Is
it not time that we reexamine our political system and
argue that what we
need most is the equitable distribution of power as a
perquisite for
economic equity?
Just as we seek to promote the equitable distribution of
economic power and
wealth, we should seek to ensure that political power is
not concentrated in
the hands of a few. This is becuase the consequences are
the same,
capitalism delivers poverty and a "democracy" where power is
inequitably
distributed delivers tyranny and corruption.
This means
that as citizens of Africa, we must encourage the multiplicity of
political
formations so that no one single party can claim a majority in
parliament.
For me, that is the crucial step we must take in order to
preserve political
equity and the protection of individual rights. This
means that we must
educate the masses so that they do not deliver this
political power en mass
to a single political party.
I know for example that in Zimbabwe it is
highly likely that most will vote
for the MDC in protest to ZANU(PF) but
without taking into account the
reality that, majority parties who attain
dominant political power behave in
similar fashion regardless of climate or
race or geographical location. That
is one criticism I have with the so
called democracies we have created in
Africa. Our democracies have not
delivered liberty of the masses and
continue to be political structures that
encourage arrogance and bullying.
The African political elite hide behind
democracy and create oligarchies
just as the bourgeoisie hide behind free
enterprise and create monopolies.
As a matter of principle, we ought to
support opposition parties not because
of their goodness but because of
their necessity in avoiding tyranny. We
ought to support interest groups
that seek to protect minority rights not
because we agree with racism but
because they ultimately serve to protect
majority interests. The more noise
these groupings make and the better
organized they are in protecting their
interests, the more likely we are to
protect ourselves from political
predators and the abuse of power. A free
media is of course the cherry on
top. In My opinion there is nothing "neo
liberal" as history has shown us
that without these the majority can never
be free.
Shall we allow
Plato to be right in his observations that democracy passes
into despotism
or shall we reshape the future by understanding that when one
single man or
group of men who think alike and possess power , liberty
cannot
prevail.
Vince Musewe is an economist he is promoting new thinking about
Africa under
the topic "New African Minds" and you may read his philosophies
about change
by going to vincemusewe.blogspot.com or email him on vtmusewe@gmail.com
Following Morgan
Tsvangirai’s talks in London with the British Prime Minister, the Vigil is to
seek an opportunity to present Mr Cameron with our petition calling for UN
supervision of the next elections. It has been signed by many thousands of
people who have passed by the Vigil outside the Zimbabwe
Embassy.
We thought we had
better act now because Zanu PF seems hell-bent on elections this year –
regardless of the GPA’s insistence on a new constitution and electoral reforms –
a stand backed (so far) by SADC. The Vigil believes that if Zanu PF goes ahead
with its threat the UN must demand a role.
Mr Tsvangirai was
typically buoyant during his London visit, promising to form a government of
national unity if the MDC wins power and giving reassurances to Mugabe’s cronies
to ease their fears of retribution. The Vigil does not share his optimism. We
don’t think a hyena can change its spots but we would feel a lot less
pessimistic if the UN acted on our petition.
The Vigil also
appeals to the UK government to spend some of its $100 million a year aid to
help Zimbabwe find out which human rights treaties it has agreed to. Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa told parliament that the government didn’t have a
clue (see: https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/mar24a_2012.html#Z9
– Govt has no treaty record). Perhaps if Mr Chinamasa knew
that a biased judiciary was not permitted, Gwisai and his companions would not
have been tortured and convicted of watching television. Or that the ‘First
Family’ could not run up an unpaid $350,000 electricity bill for their numerous
farms (see: Mugabe fumes over
Zesa bill –https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/mar24a_2012.html#Z1). Or that the
Governor of the Reserve Bank could not similarly get away with not paying
$800,000 for telephone calls (to Grace Mugabe?) (see: Gono’s US$800,000 phone
bill – http://www.swradioafrica.com/2012/03/19/gonos-us800000-phone-bill/).
Or that Police Commissioner Chihuri could not make off with 80 tonnes of
fertilizer from the Grain Marketing Board while the majority of farmers failed
to get a single bag – contributing to yet another disastrous agricultural season
(see: Bigwigs under probe
over inputs scam – https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/mar24a_2012.html#Z2).
Other
points
·
On a
lovely sunny day, as warm as summer, we were joined by our Swazi friends who
came on to us after an exuberant vigil outside the Swazi High
Commission.
·
Homeless
people gather near the Vigil waiting for food handouts from a charity which
visits in the evening. One of them said he wanted to ask us a favour. We assumed
he was after money but much to our surprise what he wanted was a piece of our
string to hold his trousers up!
·
Many
members of the Vigil attended the 21st Movement Free Zimbabwe Global
Protest outside the South African High Commission on Wednesday (for our report
on this see: http://zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/379-third-21st-movement-free-zimbabwe-global-protest-wednesday-21st-march-2012).
·
Thanks to Linnet Moyo
for her energetic help in setting up the Vigil including athletically climbing
on our drum to put up the high posters.
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: 79 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
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.
·
Next Swaziland
Vigil. Saturday
7th April 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.
·
Fourth
21st Movement Free Zimbabwe Global Protest organized by the MDC
diaspora. Saturday 21st April. On this day the Vigil will also
mark Zimbabwe’s 32nd Independence anniversary.
·
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.
BILL
WATCH
PARLIAMENTARY
COMMITTEES SERIES
[23rd
March 2012]
Committee Meetings Open to the Public: 26th to 29th
March
The meetings
listed below will be open to members of the public, but as observers only, not
as participants, i.e. members of the public can listen but not speak. The meetings will be held at Parliament in
Harare, entrance on Kwame Nkrumah Ave between 2nd and 3rd
Streets.
This
bulletin is based on the latest information from Parliament on 23rd March. But, as there are sometimes last-minute
changes to the schedule, persons wishing to attend a meeting should avoid
disappointment by checking with the committee clerk [see below] that the meeting
is still on and open to the public.
Parliament’s telephone numbers are Harare 700181 and 252936. If attending, note that IDs must be
produced.
Monday
26th March at 2 pm
Portfolio Committee: Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare
Oral evidence from the National Employment Councils for the
construction industry and for the energy industry on their operations and the
challenges being faced by the employees they represent
Committee Room No. 1
Chairperson: Hon Zinyemba
Clerk: Ms Mushunje
Portfolio Committee: Budget, Finance, Economic Planning and Investment
Promotion
Presentation from the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries on the
state of the construction and pharmaceutical industries in the
country
Committee Room No. 4
Chairperson: Hon Zhanda
Clerk: Mr Ratsakatika
Portfolio Committee: Justice,
Legal Affairs, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
Oral
evidence from Minister of Constitutional
and Parliamentary Affairs on progress made with
regard to the new
constitution and the Constituency Development Fund [CDF]
Committee
Room No. 413
Chairperson: Hon
Mwonzora Clerk: Miss Zenda
Tuesday
27th March at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Industry and Commerce
Oral evidence from the
Central Africa Building Society [CABS] on the disbursement of the Distressed
Industries and Marginalised Areas Fund
Committee
Room No. 311
Chairperson:
Hon Mutomba Clerk: Ms
Masara
Wednesday
28th March at 9 am
Thematic
Committee: Peace
and Security
Oral
evidence from the Minister of Energy and Power Development on mechanisms put in
place to reduce corruption within ZESA and the policy and procedures on
disconnections of electricity to consumers
Committee
Room No. 4
Chairperson:
Hon Mumvuri Clerk:
Miss Zenda
Thursday
29th March at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Women,
Youth, Gender and Community Development
Presentation
on international agreements/protocols in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender
and Community Development
Committee
Room No. 3
Chairperson: Hon
Matienga Clerk: Mr
Kunzwa
Portfolio Committee:
Education, Sport and Culture
Committee
Room No.
4
Oral
evidence from Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association, ZIPFA Referees Committee and
Premier Soccer League on soccer administration in Zimbabwe and issues
surrounding Asiagate
Chairperson:
Hon Mangami Clerk:
Ms
Chikuvire
Other
Committee Activities of Interest
[Note: These are not open to the
public]
Roadblocks
and spot fines The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home
Affairs will be deliberating on statements from the co-Ministers of Home
Affairs.
Conservancies
and forestry plantations
The Portfolio Committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism will be
considering its final report.
Typhoid The Portfolio Committee on Health and Child
Welfare will be considering a draft of its report.
Indigenisation
and empowerment The Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and
Empowerment will deliberate on the evidence it gathered during its field visit
to ZIMPLATS.
Veritas
makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal
responsibility for information supplied