Zimbabwe: Is the basket case finally on the mend?

http://www.independent.co.uk

Shops are well-stocked; rubbish is being collected; and teachers are back at
work. But Mugabe is still in power and the land thefts continue

By Daniel Howden

Sunday, 29 March 2009

Behind the high bougainvillea hedges of Harare's more affluent suburbs,
there are the first murmurings of a possible improvement in daily life in
Zimbabwe - at least in the capital.
In some places, long-forgotten public services have stirred. Rubbish is
being collected, and workmen have even been seen painting white lines on the
pot-holed roads. Gone are the bread queues and the snaking lines of cars
awaiting black-market fuel. The sugar, soap, cooking oil and eggs that
arrived in minibus convoys from Botswana to the west, or north from South
Africa, can now be bought locally.

Printed price tags, consigned to folk memory during the nightmare of
hyperinflation, have made a tentative reappearance in some shops as the
disappearance of the Zimbabwean dollar, and its replacement with the US
dollar and the South African rand, stabilises costs. In smarter areas such
as Borrowdale, where President Robert Mugabe has his walled mansion, or
Avondale, where the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, lives, the shelves of
supermarkets are stuffed with imported goods.

In so-called "high-density suburbs" such as Glen View and Warren Park -
townships built under white rule as holding areas for cheap black labour -
the schools have reopened, with teachers back at work after ending their
five-month strike.

"I am happy for now, since I'm now able to get $100 [£70] per month, which
is more than what Mugabe was giving us," said Ncube, a teacher in Norton,
outside Harare. "The good thing is that prices of basic goods have gone down
drastically, and having US dollars is meaningful."

Since Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to join Mr
Mugabe's government in January, education has been run by David Coltart,
elected last year as an opposition senator.

Does this mean Zimbabwe is at last turning the corner after a nightmare 12
months in which the country was engulfed by political violence, the economy
collapsed and basic services deteriorated to the point where cholera, an
easily preventable disease, was rampant? One answer might be that, in some
respects, things have at least stopped getting worse.

Political intimidation is down, and most prominent government opponents are
out of detention. Even Roy Bennett, the gruff former farmer and outspoken
Mugabe critic, has been released on bail to join his MDC colleagues in the
new government, although the President told cabinet colleagues that he would
"never" swear in his old adversary to his appointed role as deputy minister
of agriculture.

The World Health Organisation had some good news about the cholera crisis
last week. An epidemic that long ago surpassed its worst-case scenario by a
third, with 90,000 infections, was "past its peak", the UN agency said. As
the rainy season ends, the expected drop in new cases has come, slowing from
3,800 a week to 2,000 by mid-March. "The situation with the cholera outbreak
is improving," the WHO said from its headquarters in Geneva.

Senior members of the MDC have used such developments to argue that it is
time for the international community and Western donors to re-engage with
Zimbabwe. That process may well begin at a regional summit which opens
tomorrow. Zimbabweans have received forceful support from South Africa's
president-in-waiting, Jacob Zuma, who described the refusal to hand large
sums in aid to the Mugabe-led government as "very unfair to the Zimbabwean
people".

Mr Zuma, who is poised to take office after the South African election on 22
April, said last week: "You cannot say [Zimbabwe] has stabilised, but it has
entered a phase of stabilisation politically."

The unity government was the only option, claimed Mr Zuma: "There was
nothing else." He even had unprecedented words of support for Zimbabwe's
85-year-old President: "When there was an election, it is not as if not a
single human being voted for Mugabe in Zimbabwe. He had a very big
percentage himself."

What if donors do not heed Mr Zuma's words, and fail to support a prompt
peace dividend to ordinary Zimbabweans? The country's widely respected new
finance minister, Tendai Biti, was in no doubt. "The consequences of it [the
unity government] not working are drastic," he said. "It will lead to a
failure of the state, a collapse of the state and all the civil unrest that
follows the failure of a state."

Some diplomats viewed this as a threat, but most understood that such an
outburst, from the man commonly viewed as the most capable thinker in MDC
ranks, reflects the increasing desperation in his party. The former
opposition understands all too well that the image of recovery in Zimbabwe
is false.

Mr Biti and his colleagues no longer speak of the "benchmarks" they set when
entering the new government, by which those outside it could judge its
progress and the good faith of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Those criteria are worth recalling: the release of political prisoners, the
appointment of new regional governors, the sacking of both the attorney
general and the reserve bank governor, the restoration of the rule of law,
and an end to farm invasions. Only one of those benchmarks has been met in
any meaningful way: even then not all prisoners have been released, and
those that have are on bail, still facing trumped-up charges.

This explains the reaction of a team from the International Monetary Fund,
which said last week there would be no new investment until the government
changed its "track record". The next day a fresh commitment of $10m from
Sweden bypassed the government in Harare and went straight to humanitarian
agencies.

There remain virtually no jobs outside the state sector, and remittances
from the three million Zimbabweans working abroad - a crucial lifeline for
families left behind - are in decline as the global recession squeezes hard.
While "dollarisation" has meant a welcome return of goods and services for
those with access to currency, for the majority it has spelled disaster.
There is practically no money in the system, and the government has been
forced to switch from cash payments to civil servants to coupons, most of
which are now being refused as banks do not have the cash to redeem them.

The experience of Rumbi Kazingizi, a housewife, is frighteningly common.
"Food is still not easily available," she said. "Although it's now cheap,
where to get the money to buy the food is the biggest challenge."

A mother of three from the middle-class Glen Norah area, Mrs Kazingizi
admits many are worse off. "We have orphans and widows who are failing to
get even a dollar per day," she said. "How are they expected to survive?"

Meanwhile the farm invasions, so long an accurate indicator of the
intentions of Mr Mugabe's political allies, have intensified. With them the
uncertain nature of the junior partner's role in government becomes clearer.
While the finance minister appeals for outside funds, his Zanu-PF colleagues
in the cabinet sign off paperwork allowing fresh farm seizures, and the
Prime Minister rages against "land thefts". And while Mr Tsvangirai and his
allies find they are responsible for delivering progress, with their own
political credibility on the line, they are facing a bitter realisation:
they have given the powerful clique around Mr Mugabe the political space to
carry on regardless.

Zimbabwe by numbers

100

US dollars is the monthly salary for a teacher

2,000

new cholera cases each week; down from 3,800

5bn

US dollars needed to kick-start the economy, according to Morgan Tsvangirai
($2bn of which is needed immediately, he says)

94%

is the current, estimated rate of unemployment

4,000

people killed by the cholera epidemic since August 2007, according to the
World Health Organisation

Plans to beef up PM's security

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Friday, 27 March 2009

HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will soon be allocated an
ambulance and a lead police car fitted with a beacon to warn off other
motorists as part of new measures to beef up his security when traveling,
impeccable sources said.
The sources, who did not want to be named because of the sensitive
nature of the subject, told The Zimbabwean on Sunday that Tsvangirai's
office had written to State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi requesting
that the Prime Minister's security be tightened following the death of his
wife in a road accident three weeks ago.
Currently Tsvangirai travels in a three-car convoy consisting of a
truck in front, his official maroon Mercedes Benz in the middle and another
truck making up the rear, an arrangement security analysts have said is
inadequate for a person of his stature.
Retired army colonel Martin Rupiya, who is in charge of the Prime
Minister's security, confirmed Tsvangirai's office had been in contact with
relevant government departments over his security. But he would not be drawn
to disclose details of any proposed new measures to improve security.
"We been in touch with the responsible people in government and hope
that measures will be taken to address this issue (security) with the
urgency that it deserves," said Rupiya.
Sekeramayi refused to take questions on the matter because it was a "a
security issue which should not involve the media or ordinary people."

Tsvangirai's wife Susan died shortly after the car she and her husband
were traveling in was struck on the side by a truck that veered onto their
lane along the potholed Harare-Masvingo highway.
The car, a Toyota Landcruiser, reportedly rolled three times before
landing on its roof. Susan -- Tsvangirai's wife of 31 years -- was thrown
out of the car sustaining heavy injuries in the process. She was pronounced
dead on arrival at a hospital.
A raging battle between Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe for
control of the power-sharing government the two formed last month quickly
fed speculation over the car crash.
A long history of deaths of prominent political figures in mysterious
road accidents only helped exacerbate suspicions over the accident, while
MDC secretary general Tendai Biti categorically stated that the accident
could have been prevented had Tsvangirai been traveling with an escort as a
Prime Minister should.
The driver of the truck that caused the fatal crash has since appeared
in court facing culpable homicide charges while the MDC has said it is
carrying out a separate probe into the accident. The party has not yet
released results of the probe.
However Tsvangirai, who suffered shoulder and neck injuries during the
accident but has since recovered to resume duty last Thursday, told
reporters upon his return to Harare from Botswana where he had gone for
treatment that he believed the crash was a genuine accident.

The NSSA is broke

http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/

March 28th, 2009

The NSSA (National Social Security Authority) is now demanding 4%
contribution from both employee and employer of gross income.

There is no ceiling on contribution; regardless of what you earn, it is 4%.
The NSSA is in breach of regulations as laid down by national commissioner
of pension funds and cannot account for the funds contributed in the past.

The NSSA is broke.

It cannot even afford to pay its own staff.  Its contributory demands are
unaffordable by the PVT and public sector. It negatively contributes to
export competitivity at  time when the entire economy needs to maintain and
improve local competitiveness, particularly considering the state of the
global economy.

The reality is that 60 - 70% of all institutions in Zimbabwe have refused to
make these contributions.

What little is left of the NSSA is headed for total collapse.  Well done
Zanu PF.  They have stolen pension money; is this a breach of human rights?

Posted by Sokwanele |

No Respite in Political Violence

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 21:01
VICTIMS of the unrelenting political violence in remote parts of the
country are increasingly becoming desperate with many considering relocating
to neighbouring countries, investigations revealed last week.

Some still sleep in the bush for fear of arson attacks while others
are contemplating moving to safer areas.

The victims, mostly supporters of the mainstream Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) formations, accuse the police of turning a blind eye
as Zanu PF militia and war veterans continue to terrorise them.They feel let
down by the government of national unity (GNU), saying it is a marriage of
convenience between President Robert Mugabe and the two MDC leaders - Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Arthur
Mutambara.

The violence and intimidation is reportedly prevalent in remote parts
of Mashonaland, which was once considered Mugabe's undisputed stronghold.

Scores of MDC supporters in Muzarabani said they were contemplating
moving to Mozambique in order to flee political victimisation by Zanu PF
militia and war veterans who were spurning the hand of reconciliation.

Victims who spoke to The Standard last week said they had been left
with no choice but to relocate to neighbouring Mozambique.

Many have already made contacts with their friends, relatives and
traditional chiefs across the border, who they said had shown sympathy and
willingness to accommodate them.

Wellington Gweru, who was the MDC-T candidate for Ward 18 in
Muzarabani during last year's harmonised elections, is one such forlorn
victim.

"I have seen many of my friends dying," Gweru said. "I can't wait to
be the next victim. The police and traditional leaders here appear to be
powerless."

Suspected Zanu PF militia, war veterans and state security agents
reportedly murdered over 200 MDC supporters in the most violent campaign
since the country's Independence in 1980.
 Over 200 000 others were internally displaced.

Earlier this month, Zanu PF officials confiscated agricultural
implements that MDC supporters received under the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
(RBZ)'s mechanisation programme claiming the recipients belonged to the
"wrong" party.

Implements they seized included ox-drawn ploughs, knapsack sprayers,
cultivators, scotch carts as well as fertiliser and seeds.

The aggressors are reportedly threatening to burn down all houses
belonging to MDC supporters that had been rebuilt after they were torched
last year.

"What they want is for us to flee the area so that we will not reclaim
the implements and our livestock they are looting," Gweru said.

Gweru accused Zanu PF district party chairman Avozhi Chibhedebhede and
councillor Godfrey Katsiru - who were also named as aggressors during last
year's elections - of spearheading the current wave of violence and
intimidation in Muzarabani.

Neither Chibhedebhede nor Katsiru were immediately contactable to
comment on the allegations.

In Mutoko in Mashonaland East Zanu PF militias are still refusing to
extend the hand of reconciliation, tolerance and co-existence after years of
political violence.

MDC supporters in Mutoko said they were being threatened for demanding
back property confiscated by war veterans and Zanu PF supporters.

During last year's election MDC supporters were ordered to surrender
their livestock and other possessions to traditional chiefs and Zanu PF
militia as punishment for supporting an opposition party.

"Life in Mutoko has become as nightmarish as it was it June 2008,"
said one MDC supporter, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.

The police, he said, appear to be still getting instructions from the
local Zanu PF leadership.

Out of desperation MDC supporters have also started retaliating.

Several MDC activists were arrested recently after they allegedly
burnt down homes of Zanu PF supporters in retaliation.

Zanu PF was quick in assisting those whose homes were burnt. They were
given packs of food, blankets and other household goods.

In another act of violence, thousands of rural teachers were at the
beginning of the school term chased away from their schools by war veterans
who accused them of supporting the MDC.

Political analysts attribute the continued violence to ideological
hardliners in Zanu PF who are determined to stop the "dilution of the
revolution" through the unity government.

"There are those who are totally against the GNU and are doing
everything they can to discredit it," said University of Zimbabwe political
analyst Eldred Masunungure.

"It's residual resistance. It's like telling a drug addict to stop
taking drugs. It won't be instant."
  Masunungure also believes the message of peaceful co-existence has
not reached some remote parts of the country.

"The message has not percolated into the periphery of the country," he
said. "It takes time to get there and be accepted as an authentic message
from their leaders."

It is feared that the message by Zanu PF to its supporters that they
should prepare for the next election could stoke violence.

Masunungure said politicians should preach the message of national
healing before talking about elections.

Commenting on the resurgence of political violence the co-Minister of
Home Affairs Giles Mutsekwa warned that perpetrators risked being arrested
regardless of their political affiliation.

"I know for sure that there are still some pockets of violence being
perpetrated by either side of the divide, but I want to assure you that the
offenders will be arrested regardless of political affiliation," said
Mutsekwa, who co-chairs the ministry with Kembo Mohadi. of Zanu PF.

BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE

Tsvangirai Vows to Crush Land Grabbing

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 21:00
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has ordered police to arrest people
spearheading the new wave of farm invasions saying land grabbing was
retrogressive to national development.

Addressing a consultative stakeholders' forum on Friday, Tsvangirai
said the invasions were impacting negatively on agricultural production and
the economy in general.

Over 100 white-owned farms have been invaded in the past month alone
despite the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) last year and
formation of the inclusive government last month.

Tsvangirai said he had tasked the co-Ministers of Home Affairs Giles
Mutsekwa and Kembo Mohadi to ensure that all crimes committed on the farms
were dealt with.

"Indeed, this government is aware that most of the ongoing disruptions
of agricultural production, which are being done in the name of land reform
process, are actually acts of theft using fraudulent letters," Tsvangirai
said.

"Those continuing to undertake these activities will be arrested and
face justice in the courts."

Tsvangirai's directive to arrest farm invaders comes a week after
members of the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) pleaded with him to
intervene.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena refused to comment on when police
were likely to start acting on the orders.

"I don't have a comment. If they (Tsvangirai and the Ministers of Home
Affairs) have spoken at that level I can't comment," said Bvudzijena.

Efforts to get clarification from Mohadi and Mutsekwa on when the
police would act against the invaders were fruitless.

Tsvangirai's efforts to restore normalcy in agriculture, pits him
against President Robert Mugabe who vowed on his 85th birthday last month
that farm occupations would continue.

Ironically, the offensive against the white farmers started soon after
Tsvangirai was sworn-in as Prime Minister last month.

It is widely believed that the invasions are being sponsored by some
hardliners in Zanu PF who are determined to see the collapse of the
inclusive government.

They are increasing pressure on the few remaining white commercial
farmers to leave their land.
Many have since gone into hiding fearing for their lives as Zanu PF
militias continue to cause havoc in the once productive farms.

Tsvangirai has emphasized the need to restore the rule of law saying
it was key for the revival of the country's battered economy.

"For there can be no economic growth without the rule of law, and
without economic growth this government will not be able to fully address
the humanitarian crisis our country faces," Tsvangirai told stakeholders
from civil society, business community, employers, gender and development
partners.

The country's manufacturing industry is on its knees, unemployment
tops 85% while over seven million people need food aid.

Schools and hospitals had closed their doors until recently when the
government of national unity (GNU) was formed.

The Prime Minister said national development must not be retarded by
the fact that the government was bankrupt.

He said restoring the rule of law, peaceful co-existence after nine
years of political tension and passing legislation that that promotes
investor confidence would not cost anything.

BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE

NCA Protests Government Handling of Constitution Process

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 20:45
THE National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on Friday boycotted a
consultative stakeholders' forum officially opened by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai in protest against the way government wants to handle the
constitution-making process.

The militant civic organisation is demanding a people-driven
constitution but its political ally, the MDC, has already embraced the
Kariba Document, a draft constitution cobbled by Zanu PF and the two MDC
formations in the resort town last year.

NCA chairman, Lovemore Madhuku said they boycotted the forum because
they felt "belittled and insulted" by Tsvangirai who invited them through a
third party, the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations
(Nango).

NCA, a loose coalition of civic organisations and individuals, is not
an affiliate of Nango.

"We were making a statement. They do not support a people-driven
constitutional making process and we did not see the wisdom of supporting
their process," Madhuku said.

In any case, he said, the NCA had already presented its position to
Tsvangirai and Eric Matinenga, the Minister of Constitutional and
Parliamentary Affairs and they knew the organisation's position.

The day-long forum attended by over 500 stakeholders from civil
society, business community, employers, gender sector and development
partners, was meant to gather views on how to resolve the crisis in the
country.

But the NCA boss said there was no need to hold the forum, which he
described as "waste of resources and bad precedence" by the inclusive
government because they had already endorsed the Kariba Document described
by Tsholotsho North legislator Jonathan Moyo as a "boat-driven constitution".

Madhuku, who has on several occasions staged demonstrations against
President Robert Mugabe's administration, warned the new government against
forcing the Kariba document on the people.

"If they (the inclusive government) choose that way they must prepare
for war not conferences," Madhuku said.

The NCA has said it would embark on an awareness campaign countrywide
to make sure that Zimbabweans knew of their rights to make their own
constitution.

The Kariba draft constitution was authored by Zanu PF's Patrick
Chinamasa, Nicholas Goche, Welshman Ncube of the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC
and the mainstream MDC's Tendai Biti.

The antagonism between the NCA and MDC could mark the end of their
decade-old marriage, which started on the formation of the political party.

In Bulawayo Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Eric
Matinenga Saturday said the government would organise an all-stakeholders'
conference as part of the constitution-making process, allaying fears the
three ruling parties will try to impose the draft they crafted in Kariba.

There is already simmering discontent in civil society over
indications that the inclusive government made of Zanu PF and the two
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations wants the process to be led
by Parliament.

But Matinenga said civil society would play a more prominent role
compared to the 2000 process where the government was embarrassed at a
referendum for a new constitution.

He said the conference would be held in mid-July.

"The conference is an opportunity where Zimbabweans shall come
together and spell out what they want to see in the document that they shall
call the constitution," he told a public meeting on the constitution making
process organised by Bulawayo Agenda.

"As civic society, your participation in such a conference will give
you the opportunity to get the constitution that you want so that tomorrow
you blame yourselves if things go wrong and not point a finger at anyone,"
Matinenga said.

He said the Kariba draft would be used as a reference in crafting the
constitution to replace the much-amended Lancaster House Constitution.

Matinenga also said the government was considering engaging a retired
judge to lead the process.
"We want to carry out a process that is as inclusive as possible so as
to avoid dissenting voices when the whole document has been completed,"
Matinenga said.

"For starters, we have made sure that we commit ourselves to finding
the best candidate to fill the post of chairperson of the commission, who
will lead the whole process."

The introduction of a new constitution, which is expected to lead into
fresh elections after 18 months, is one of the main targets set in the
Global Political Agreement that set up the unity government.

The NCA was instrumental in the formation of the MDC in 1999, two
years after its own birth.

BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE

Law and Order First, Before Aid - Envoy

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 20:45
SWEDEN last week called on the unity government to restore law and
order for it to attract financial support from international donors, which
is crucial for the country's reconstruction.

Sten Rylander, the Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe, made the plea on
Wednesday after handing over US$10 million to Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai to fight the country's humanitarian crisis.

He said the unity government must prioritise efforts to end the
resurgent farm invasions to boost investor confidence and facilitate the
country's re-integration into the international community.

Farmers' unions say since Zanu PF and the MDC formations formed a
unity government last month, at least 100 commercial farms have been taken
over by officials and militants from President Robert Mugabe's party.

Rylander said such acts of lawlessness only served to hinder progress
being made to rebuild the country and frustrated efforts to improve food
security through increased productivity on the farms.

"We know there are some people who are trying to make things difficult
but I am quite sure that we can overcome these problems together," he said.
"I can mention these farm invasions, for example.
 "Those of us who are interested in having a positive development in
Zimbabwe should not let these elements win the day.

"They should be defeated and they should see that there is no point in
trying to hinder a good development that we see taking place right now."

But he said he felt encouraged by the progress made by the inclusive
government in addressing the myriad of problems facing the country.

Tsvangirai said the international community had demonstrated that it
was ready to re-engage the Zimbabwean authorities but warned that this would
not happen amid farm invasions and lawlessness.

"We have to earn the confidence of the international community,"
Tsvangirai said. "We decided as a government that there has to be a
deliberate policy of re-engaging the international community, with a
specific focus on the European Union."

Ministers from Norway and Denmark recently visited to assess the
situation in the country following the formation of the unity government.

Zimbabwe is desperately searching for US$5 million to kick-start its
reconstruction programme but so far the international community has
responded with support for humanitarian programmes while waiting to see if
the political settlement will hold.

BY BERTHA SHOKO

Zanu PF 'blocks' media conference

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 20:17
A crucial conference to lay the groundwork for the reform of Zimbabwe's
troubled media was cancelled at the last minute on Friday, dashing hopes the
inclusive government is ready to tackle some of the key targets it set
itself under the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

The Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity said the conference,
which would have run between Saturday and Sunday had been rescheduled after
Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe lost her mother.

But sources said Zanu PF loyalists had blocked the indaba over fears
that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was moving too fast to reform
the local media crippled by some of the most oppressive legislation in the
world.

"The death of Khupe's mother came as a very convenient excuse," said
the source. "But there is a lot of resistance from the Zanu PF side and the
old guard within the ministry itself."

The resistance, sources said, was also fuelled by topics that had been
proposed for discussion such as the draconian Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (Aippa).

Renowned media experts were also expected to lead discussions on the
structure, role and management of public media in an emerging democracy and
the state of the media in Zimbabwe.

President Robert Mugabe's previous administration was accused of
closing down the media space and using the public media to promote hate
speech.

Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba and Minister of Media, Information
and Publicity Webster Shamu, have often attacked the private media over the
way it covers issues.

Some of the organisations that had been invited to the conference have
clashed with government over its reluctance to guarantee freedom of
expression.

Deputy Media, Information and Publicity Minister, Jameson Timba, who
was organising the event, insisted the cancellation was as a result of the
bereavement.

He said he was hopeful the conference would be held soon to tackle the
pressing issues.

The repeal of oppressive legislation and the freeing of the airwaves
are among provisions of the GPA that analysts say would be key in measuring
the success of the unity government.

Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard chief executive officer, Raphael
Khumalo, who was billed to chair one of the sessions, said he hoped the
conference would be reconvened soon.

"We look forward to having the conference because it is very crucial,"
he said.

Chair of the Zimbabwe National Editors' Forum, Iden Wetherell, said
media reform was placed high on the agenda in political negotiations last
year because effective democracy was impossible without the free expression
of diverse views.

"This is a litmus test of the new government's effectiveness in
allowing a free press and improving standards in its own sector, a test it
seems determined to fail," Wetherell said.

There are widespread fears that some Zanu PF hardliners are trying to
sabotage the unity government as evidenced by the recent spate of farm
invasions and continued detention of civic activists.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has also complained of "residual
resistance" within government but has vowed that this would not force the
MDC to throw in the towel.

BY KHOLWANI NYATHI

World Rallies Support for Zim

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 20:17
NEARLY 20 countries and six international organisations meeting in
Washington, US, have agreed to maintain and increase humanitarian assistance
to Zimbabwe.

Representatives from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States,
the European Commission, the European Union Council Secretariat, the World
Bank, African Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and United
Nations met in Washington last week to discuss how best to support the
people of Zimbabwe as they work to bring peace, stability, prosperity and
democracy back to their country.

The representatives agreed to maintain and, "to the extent possible,
increase our current levels of humanitarian assistance based on identified
needs", a statement issued by the US State Department said on Friday.

"In 2008, we provided over $670 million in total assistance to the
people of Zimbabwe. To date this year, we have provided an additional $300
million in assistance," said the statement. "Our assistance is targeted at
the most urgent needs of the people and includes assistance for food, health
services, water sanitation, HIV/AIDS and cholera.

"We agreed to work with the transition government to achieve specific
goals identified in the Global Political Agreement (GPA), notably the
restoration of the rule of law, economic stabilization and growth, freedom
of assembly and commitment to the democratic process, respect for human
rights and personal security, and full access to humanitarian assistance."

The representatives commend the reform efforts undertaken by the
transition government and the progress achieved to date towards these goals.

"We urge the government to take additional steps to demonstrate its
commitment to reform such as the immediate release of all political
prisoners, the end of farm seizures, the cessation of politically-motivated
violence, the establishment of a credible and transparent Central Bank team,
an end to harassment and intimidation of the media, and a commitment to
credible elections in a timely manner," the statement said.

"Provided positive developments in regards to these political and
economic reforms, the donor community is ready to support Zimbabwe's
rebuilding with development assistance. We will work closely with the
guarantors of the agreement - the Southern African Development Community
(Sadc) and the African Union (AU) - to monitor and encourage swift and
effective implementation of the GPA."

They said subject to performance from the transition government, they
would work with the international financial institutions to develop an
appropriate framework for re-engagement.

BY OUR STAFF

Not Flying Anywhere

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 20:17
NEARLY a week after being evicted from the Harare Showgrounds, one of
the quirky sights at the annual agricultural show remains parked outside the
main entrance to the grounds.

Two Fridays ago Harare residents woke up to the sight of a
 "helicopter" that had "landed" opposite the showgrounds.

But this contraption - one man's fantasy for the skies that does not
fly - has to find itself a new home following eviction. It certainly is not
about to levitate to its final resting place, probably Harare's Tynwald
area.

A commuter bus has been parked in front of the "helicopter", as if
ready to tow it away. But that might not be anytime soon. Standing by the
"aircraft", were two men who referred The Standard news crew to owner,
Daniel Chingoma. He was not reachable for comment.

Two men guarding the "helicopter" refused to comment on its immediate
fate. They even refused to have their pictures taken as they guarded the
"invention" built from scrap metal.

Chingoma first came to the public attention in 2003 when he launched
his home-made "helicopter", but many dismissed it as the work of an
"eccentric" person.

His standard pitch has been that "it's ready to fly". That's six years
ago and a sign next to it proclaims as much, even though it has not been
able to fly to its next destination.

But Chingoma fell foul of the law when he began to live and work on a
stand for a borehole drilling company at the Harare Showgrounds.

But all good things must come to an end. Chingoma's luck ran out on
Thursday evening March 19 when he was finally evicted.

Now as he ponders his future and that of his "invention" this is one
attraction children visiting this year's Harare Agricultural Show will not
be seeing.

For some it's good riddance.

Chingoma charged people a fee to get in and see his "helicopter".

BY OUR STAFF

Governnent Directive on 'A' level Students Slammed

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 20:17
THE government's directive to schools to enrol 'A' Level students
based on last year's mid-year examinations will backfire as most students
did not write any tests because of the prolonged strike by teachers,
educationists have warned.

They said the move, sanctioned by Education Minister David Coltart,
could compromise Zimbabwe's already battered examination system.

Schools were ordered to enrol Form V students earlier this month in
the wake of delays by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Councils (Zimsec) to
release 'O' Level results.

The examinations body is still battling to complete the marking of the
November examinations, which were held back by the job boycott that
paralysed the education sector.

Zimbabwe Teachers' Association (Zimta) secretary general, Paul Gundani
said the directive showed that the inclusive government wanted to pretend
that the education sector could be rehabilitated overnight.
"The process is not credible at all," Gundani said.

"This is why we had demanded that 'O' Level exams should be marked so
that they could be used as the basis for the selection of the students.

"The government would like to pretend as if things are fine but this
will cause a lot of confusion as some undeserving students might be
enrolled.

"They should have waited  for the 'O' Level exams to be marked."

The ministry has remained mum on what would happen to students who
fail their 'O' Level examinations after having started Form V lessons.

Concerned parents in Gweru said the directive would worsen the chaos
in the education sector.

"The announcement by the ministry that schools can take in Lower VI
students is a clear indication that our education sector has collapsed,"
said Nhamo Ndawana.

"How can a student proceed to 'A' Level without completing 'O' Level."

Some of the parents complained that they could be forced into
unnecessary expenses if their children eventually failed their 'O' Level
examinations.

"Imagine after having looked for a place, bought uniforms, stationery
and paid fees and then you discover your child has not passed 'O' Level,"
said Tsungi Mutambira whose son, Geshem wrote his 'O' Levels last year.

Schools were also forced to enrol Form I students before their Grade
VII results were issued.

Meanwhile, Matabeleland North has recorded a poor turnout of teachers
responding to the amnesty extended by the government earlier this month.

This has resulted in most schools operating with less than five
teachers, stakeholders who attended a crisis meeting held last week heard.

Lupane East legislator, Njabuliso Mguni, who attended the meeting at
Mabhikwa High School said teachers were citing poor working conditions and
lack of reliable transport as one of the reasons that forced them to shun
the province.

"Headmasters of schools in that region were unanimous on the huge
shortage of teachers," Mguni said.

"They were all saying their schools were operating with plus or minus
5% of their normal requirements, meaning that each school had less than five
teachers each, against a normal requirement of over 10 per school.

"The headmasters were saying that the reason for the lack of teachers
was that returning teachers are reluctant to take up teaching posts in that
region because of lack of basic learning material, resources, facilities and
infrastructure."

Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe secretary general Raymond
Majongwe said lack of basic learning materials and resources at rural
schools was frustrating returning teachers.

Coltart granted amnesty to returning teachers so that they can be
admitted back into the public service without questions in a bid to quickly
bridge the gap of a biting shortage of the education professionals.
PTUZ estimates over 25 000 teachers quit their jobs in frustration
over low pay.

Coltart was not available for comment Saturday.

Aid agencies said at the end of last year only 20% of children were
still attending school, down from 85%a year earlier.

BY OUR STAFF

Rights Groups Alarmed by Prison Conditions

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 19:01
HUMAN rights groups have raised alarm on increasing starvation-induced
deaths in Zimbabwe's jails.
Concerned by the plight of inmates, some organisations have started
soliciting for donations to mitigate the crisis.

The plight of the inmates was recently brought to public attention by
MDC-T treasurer and Deputy Agriculture Roy Bennett after his one month long
incarceration at Mutare remand prison.

Bennett witnessed more than two deaths in his cell during his stay. He
emerged from the prison with a dire warning on the state of affairs in the
jails.

"There is absolutely nothing in the state prisons," Bennett said soon
after he was released. "Prisoners get one meal a day, a piece of sadza, the
size of your hand with salt in it."

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) project manager, Rangu
Nyamurundira said Harare Central Prison and Khami Maximum Prison were the
hardest hit.

"Things are not good to put it bluntly . . . there is no food," said
Nyamurundira whose organisation has represented scores of political
activists detained in jails across the country.

"Generally all prisons do not have adequate food and the situation is
very dire at Harare Central."
He said their clients had told them they were served one meal a day
and as a result most of them were showing signs of pellagra, a severe
illness caused by the lack of a balanced diet.

"The situation, especially at Harare Central prison has been worsened
by the high number of prisoners detained there," he said.

Last month, Matabeleleland regional magistrate John Masimba warned
that thousands of prisoners were rotting in jails because the Zimbabwe
Prison Services (ZPS) was failing to take those awaiting trial to the
courts.

"If you look at the current trends you will find that one can spend
even a whole year in custody while the case is still pending at the courts
and this has been a major contributing factor to the increase in the number
of prisoners," Nyamurundira said.

The overcrowding in prisons had also resulted in an upsurge in disease
outbreaks. ZLHR said there were reports of a number of deaths at Harare
Prison but the exact figures could not be ascertained.

Nyamurundira said they had launched an international appeal for
donations after a realisation that local donors were overwhelmed.

"We are not getting favourable responses from funding partners," he
said. "They want an advance assurance that the donated goods will not be
diverted."

He said they were given the go ahead by government to scout for
donations after a meeting they held with prison officials in Bulawayo
sometime last year.

Another pressure group last week also sent an SOS for food "especially
beans, vegetables, maize-meal, salt and soap."

"The soap is to help clean the cells and prevent the spread of
infections and diseases, the prisoners have weakened immune systems from
nutrition poor diets and are exposed to horrific conditions," said
Sokwanele, an underground group.

The ZPS declined to comment on the issue.

BY EDGAR GWESHE

US$416m Budget for Bulawayo

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 18:59
BULAWAYO - The city council on Friday proposed a US$416 million budget
for this year, which it hopes will help restore services crippled by the
country's economic collapse and hyper-inflation.

The local authority once regarded as one of the best run in the
country was forced to revise its budget following the replacement of the
Zimbabwe dollar by multiple currencies.

Presenting the budget, Nduna Dladla, the chairperson of the Finance
and Development committee said council hoped ratepayers would finance the
resuscitation of essential services in the city.

"It is our hope that with this budget, which was crafted after wide
consultations with stakeholders, who include the residents, we will be able
to restore the glamour that used to be associated with our city," he said.

Dladla said council wanted to refurbish some of the dilapidated
infrastructure and rehabilitate the road network whose collapse has been
hastened by the excessive rains that continue to pound the city.

At least US$117 would be used to revive the roads and another US$72
million would be channelled towards the provision of water.

But residents would have to pay heavily for the capital projects with
council clinics set to charge between US$8 and US$12 for consultations.

Residents in high-density areas are expected to pay US$20 in fixed
rates while those in low-density suburbs would fork out at least US$30.

Council would also levy residents between US$10 and US$14 for refuse
collection in low-density and high-density suburbs respectively.

But Dladla said the vulnerable such as pensioners and child-headed
families would be cushioned against the high cost of council services
through safety nets.

He said: "In recognition of the difficult situation that most
residents face at the moment and the general increase in poverty and
destitution levels in our city, council has decided to come up with a
pro-poor policy that will see some residents in private homes getting water
for free."

BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA

Varsity Students Cry Foul Over High Fees

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 18:55
THOUSANDS of university students from poor backgrounds might be forced
to abandon their studies after the country's institutions of higher learning
insisted that those who fail to pay their fees will be barred from sitting
for examinations scheduled for next month.

The universities re-opened their doors last month after almost a year
of disruptions caused by intermittent job boycotts by lecturers over poor
pay.

But the majority of students have failed to register because they
cannot afford the fees of at least US$300 demanded by most universities.

The National University of Science and Technology is demanding that
students should clear their outstanding fees by Tuesday or risk being forced
to wait until the start of a new academic year to resume their studies.

Some institutions including polytechnics and teacher training colleges
were also reportedly demanding up to US$95 from students trying to enrol for
the government's cadetship programme.

"We have been engaging the authorities on the issue of students who
are being barred from writing their examinations by tertiary institutions on
the basis that they have not paid their fees," said Lovemore Chinoputsa, the
Zimbabwe National Students' Union (Zinasu) secretary general.

"Some tertiary institutions are also demanding that those who apply
for the cadetship programme should pay at least US$95 for their applications
to be processed."

The institutions were reportedly arguing that the government had not
provided money for the cadetship programme, which will see graduates being
bonded to government institutions to repay their educational loans.

But Washington Mbizvo, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of
Higher and Tertiary Education said all university vice-chancellors were in
possession of ordinances that barred them from preventing students who
cannot raise the fees from attending classes.

He said the ministry would investigate the situation at universities
after The Standard brought to his attention that some institutions had set
deadlines for students to pay their fees.

Meanwhile, lecturers at the Midlands State University downed tools
last week after the government delayed releasing their salaries.

This prompted angry students to stage violent demonstrations
protesting against disruptions to their studies.

They said they were also not happy with the decision by authorities to
bar students enrolled in the parallel programme from applying for the
cadetship programme.

Efforts to get a comment from the university authorities were in vain
last week.

BY OUR STAFF

National Healing Indaba Set for April

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 18:50
BULAWAYO - A summit to explore ways of reconciling Zimbabweans divided
by almost a decade of political fighting blamed on President Robert Mugabe's
radical supporters is set for next month, a cabinet minister said last week.

The country was last year plunged into what has been described as the
worst political violence since the end of the Gukurahundi massacres in the
Midlands and Matabeleland after Mugabe lost the first round of the
presidential poll in March.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who garnered more votes during the
first round of the elections, was forced to withdraw from the June 27
run-off poll after Zanu PF militants murdered almost 200 of his Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) supporters.

Thousands others were forced to flee their homes in Zanu PF
strongholds as the 85-year-old leader embarked on a vicious fight back.

But since Zanu PF and the MDC formations formed a unity government
last month, there have been moves to promote national reconciliation in
order to rebuild the country.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, Gorden Moyo said
the cabinet ministers charged with leading the national healing process had
started consultations on the way forward with various stakeholders.

"The Ministers will also hold a summit next month to be attended by
various stakeholders to discuss and prepare a framework for undertaking
national healing and reconciliation.

"The whole process is sensitive and has to be handled with care, that
is why they have to come up with an agreed framework," Moyo said in an
interview.

Zanu PF chairman John Nkomo, MDC vice-president Gibson Sibanda and
Sekai Holland from the Tsvangirai-led MDC are the Ministers of State
responsible for national healing.

"It's part of their mandate to hear the best way forward to lead the
process," Moyo said.

"Once they have a draft framework they will present it to the Council
of Ministers for debate, ratification and approval."

However, Christian Alliance, a grouping of various church
denominations says the church should lead the national healing and
reconciliation process as Zanu PF and the MDC formations lack the moral high
ground to lead the process.

"The process should be led by the church because it is not a political
process," said Christian Alliance national director, Useni Sibanda.

"Political parties are the originators of this conflict and lack the
morality to undertake national healing and reconciliation. They also need to
be reconciled by the church."

He said examples should be drawn from countries such as South Africa
and Rwanda, where independent bodies led the process of achieving
reconciliation and ensuring transitional justice.

Activists have called on the joint transitional government to
implement a clear programme of action on past human rights abuses to avoid a
repeat of rights violations in future.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report released on Thursday said
perpetrators of human rights violations should be prosecuted as part of
reforms to avoid a repeat of the abuses.

Since 2000 Mugabe's old administration attracted international censure
for its poor human rights record which has resulted in sanctions for the
ageing leader's inner circle.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

ZFTU Disowns Chinotimba

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 18:46
THE Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) has distanced itself
from controversial war veterans' leader Joseph Chinotimba who is reportedly
leading a fresh wave of farm invasions that are threatening the viability of
the inclusive government.

Chinotimba and a group of militants claiming to be ZFTU officials are
allegedly extorting money especially from commercial farmers in Chegutu who
have been forced off their land on the pretext that it is compensation for
the thousands of farm workers being rendered jobless through out the
country.

Farmers' unions say Zanu PF loyalists and top civil servants have
occupied at least 100 farms since President Robert Mugabe entered into a
unity government with the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
formations last month.

Last week, Chinotimba who was also in the forefront of the 2000 land
invasions that ruined the country's agriculture-based economy, said he had
only moved in to ensure that the long suffering farm workers were not
abandoned by their former employers.

But the Zanu PF-aligned ZFTU has come out fighting accusing Chinotimba
of being an imposter out to tarnish the union's image.

"ZFTU has nothing against or neither are we involved with the
so-called fresh farm invasions as this is two worlds apart from our
core-business as a labour centre in Zimbabwe," said Kennias Shamuyarira, the
union's secretary general.

"The so-called officials masquerading and purporting to be coming from
ZFTU are not at all our officials neither are they from any of our affiliate
unions."

Shamuyarira claimed that Chinotimba was expelled from the ZFTU in
2006.

He said the fact that the losing Zanu PF candidate for Buhera South
had also left his job as a security guard disqualified him from being a
union member or official.

"Joseph Chinotimba is the leader of the Zimbabwe War Veterans
Association where he is the vice chairman," Shamuyarira said.

"He is also an established employer and businessman who cannot by any
means lead a trade union or labour center in terms of the Labour Act."

The union advised farmers who had fallen victim to Chinotimba and his
group to approach its headquarters for assistance.

An angry Chinotimba immediately hit back charging that he was still a
bona-fide ZFTU official and was doing his job to assist union members.

"That is total madness," he said. "I am still the vice president and
if they are saying I was dismissed then they should serve me with a
dismissal letter.

"Of course there were attempts to oust me but the issue was resolved
almost two years back so that person is talking rubbish."

Donors have warned that the inclusive government might fail to get the
financial assistance it desperately needs if the invasions do not stop.

 BY KHOLWANI NYATHI

Mutare City Council Slashes Tariffs by 30%

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 18:46
MUTARE - The city council has slashed its tariffs by 30%, bringing
relief to residents still struggling to find their feet following the
dollarisation of economy.

The MDC-T led council started charging rates and tariffs in hard
currency before the Ministry of Local Government approved its budget.

But the government recently directed the council to reduce its
proposed levies and tariffs by half, pending approval of the budget.

This followed an outcry from residents, who felt that the tariffs
being demanded by the municipality were unsustainable.

Town Clerk, Obert Muzawazi said council had considered the plight of
residents when they arrived at the decision to reduce the tariffs.

 "We are a public institution and we cannot be seen forcing residents
to pay very exorbitant tariffs.

 "As a council we sat down and decided to write off the January bills
so that residents can sustain the February and March bills."

Muzawazi said pensioners would also be asked to pay the US$ equivalent
of the tariffs in local currency as a way of alleviating their plight.

Sakubva resident Munyaradzi Mushapaidze said the slashing of tariffs
came as relief for most people as they were still struggling to make ends
meet in the dollarised economy.

"This is what we have been yearning for," said Malcolm Mutswiri, a
Mutare resident. "Local authorities must not make residents pay through the
nose and I want to thank the government and council for listening to our
pleas."

Muzawazi said service delivery had started improving after council
started charging for services in foreign currency.

 "Our refuse collection trucks have been down but the situation is
shaping up," he said. "We cannot run away from the fact that there has been
an economic meltdown.

 "The Zimbabwe National Water Authority damaged water infrastructure
but as council we are going to repair the infrastructure."

Service delivery has been deteriorating in most urban areas as a
result of the economic meltdown in the country and there is hope that if
councils are allowed to charge market-related charges, the situation will
soon improve.

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Mawere Assets: Biti to Rule on Dispute

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:13
SOUTHERN Asbestos Sales (SAS), a South African company currently in
liquidation has appealed to Finance minister Tendai Biti to intervene in its
dispute with SMM over asbestos sales bringing a new dimension into the fight
over Mutumwa Mawere's assets.

SMM is a company formerly owned by Mawere's Africa Resources Limited
(ARL).

The government seized the company under the controversial
reconstruction laws that subsequently put the entity under judicial
administration.

SMM accuses SAS of not remitting asbestos sales amounting to US$18 464
595.19; CAD$628 071.84 and  R4 515 367.48.

In a letter to Biti, SAS director Pariwana Mariemuthi accused SMM
administrator Arafas Gwaradzimba of trying to frustrate the SAS liquidation
process.

"You are aware that SAS has been identified as culpable and liable for
the same amounts that SMM has claimed in South Africa from the estate,"
Muriemuthi said in the letter.

"We appreciate that the effect of declaring SAS, ARProjects Services
(Pty) Limited (ARPS) and Petter as culpable is effectively to ensure that
any claims against SMM by all these companies will not be honoured in terms
of Zimbabwean law."

SAS said its indebtedness to SMM was at the centre of the
Reconstruction Order being issued in respect of SMM as well as the
extradition application and the subsequent specification of Mawere.

Mariemuthi said SMM was also indebted to other companies owned by
Mawere and had used SAS to settle the amounts.

According to Mariemuthi, SMM had acknowledged that it was indebted to
Coma Transport (Ply) Limited and Petter Trading (Ply) Limited, companies
wholly owned by ARPS.

He said SMM owed Coma R8 829 704.04 and was indebted to Petter to the
tune of R21 701 975.64 and US$89 669.25.

"In addition SMM was indebted to Eastern Shipping a portion of which
was settled by SAS in the amount of R4 225 000 subsequent to March 31, 2004.

"SMM supplied a list of debtors that still owe SAS in the amount of
US$6 852 023.98 and CAD$362 163.72."

An additional amount of R994 605.72 that SMM owed to Shipping
Consolidated Holdings (Pty) Limited was settled on its behalf by SAS," he
said.

He said Gwaradzimba had not availed himself to the liquidators to
confirm SMM's indebtedness to ARPS' subsidiary companies as well as
confirming the receipt by SMM of the amounts that were remitted by SAS
subsequent to March 31, 2004.

"It is for this reason that Ms. Keevy on behalf of the liquidators
visited your office to seek your intervention in resolving the issues with a
view to winding up the affairs of SAS," he said.

Kareen Keevy, the SAS liquidator was in the country last week and held
meetings with Biti, Giles Mutsekwa, co-Minister of Home Affairs and Samson
Mangoma an Assistant Commissioner with the police appointed to investigate
claims that Mawere had externalised large sums of money.

Mariemuthi said Gwaradzimba had instructed SAS to stop paying for
asbestos delivered and Mangoma was not aware of the development.

"He (Mangoma) was also ignorant of the payments made by SAS to SMM as
well as the advances made by SAS to SMM's South African creditors,"
Mariemuthi said.

"It is evident from my dialogue with Mr. Mangoma that notwithstanding
the fact that the externalisation allegations arose from the fact that SAS
was allegedly indebted to SMM, no attempt has been made by him or his
colleagues to contact the liquidators in whose control the affairs of SAS is
vested."

"As the Minister of Finance, we believe that you have a substantial
interest in this matter to the extent that the state may have advanced any
funds to SMM pursuant to the implementation of the so-called
 reconstruction."

BY NDAMU SANDU

No Ready Cash for Tourism Projects

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:07
THE local tourism industry has to approach development finance
institutions for capital to fund refurbishments, as the local institutions
have no capacity to bankroll long-term projects, stakeholders heard last
week.

African Sun Limited (ASL) chief financial officer, Nigel Mangwiro told
tourism players attending a tourism stakeholders' conference that the
industry had to look to offshore institutions for working capital,
refurbishments and new products requirements.

The country's tourism industry is sprucing up the image of its
properties to cash in on the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa.

There has been a rush by hotels in the region to be certified to host
visitors for the soccer showcase after the world's soccer governing body,
Fifa's accommodation company, Match, said South Africa can only offer half
of the 50 000 rooms required for the tournament.

Match has already certified hotels in Victoria Falls, Harare and
Bulawayo as suitable to host World Cup guests.

Mangwiro said local banks are underfunded and foreign banks were
unwilling to help "the moment you mention your surname as Zimbabwe".

"All they see is risk," he said.

He said development financial institutions were warming up to assist
Zimbabwe from the tourism perspective.

Mangwiro said local players should also consider mergers with
international hotels so that they can bring in the capital required to fund
long-term projects.

Bankers' Association of Zimbabwe chairman, John Mangudya said inasmuch
as the financial sector would have wanted to help, it can only fund
short-term projects whose earnings should be ploughed back to fund long-term
projects.

Speaking at the same event, Rainbow Tourism group chief executive
officer, Chipo Mtasa said there had been negligible

investment in the tourism sector in terms of refurbishments and as a
result the industry was failing to introduce new products.

"The sector is doing a kiya kiya. It is trying to make ends meet," she
said. Mtasa said the industry needed to attract international brands to be
competitive.

"We do have local brands but going forward we need international
brands. "

ASL uses two international brands- Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza while
RTG used to have a Sheraton brand but severed its ties with Starwood hotels
in 2004.

The inaugural Tourism Stakeholders Conference was held under the theme
"Deepening Partnerships for the Revival of the Tourism Economy" and drew
participants from the tourism sector as well as other ancillary industries.

The tourism sector is expected to bring the quickest turnaround ahead
of other sectors such as manufacturing, mining and agriculture.

The industry, once the backbone of the economy, declined by 22% last
year triggered because of the violence in the run up to the June 27
presidential election run off and the cholera.

This was despite the fact that it had registered a 11% growth in the
first quarter.

BY NDAMU SANDU

Rights Lawyers Threaten to Sue ZBH

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:07
THE Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has threatened to take
the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) to court if it does not reverse its
steep viewers and listeners' licence fees charged in foreign currency.

ZBH inspectors recently embarked on a blitz targeting businesses and
households demanding the exorbitant licence fees.

The cash-strapped national broadcaster is demanding US$10 from radio
listeners in rural areas and US$20 from those in urban areas. For television
licences, households are expected to fork out US$50 and those with
television sets in their business premises pay US$100.\

Car radio licences have been pegged at US$30 while a licence for an
employer owned vehicle costs US$80. The fee for sound and television in
vehicles is US$100.

But ZLHR, which was recently forced to pay the fees under protest,
said their exorbitant nature rendered the fees illegal.

The lawyers warned the ZBH management that the broadcaster would be
dragged before the courts if the fees were not reviewed within five days.
"We consider that the sum that is required is so exorbitant as to be
rendered illegal," read the letter ZLHR wrote to ZBH on March 25.

"The sum charged is furthermore excessive not only in its own regard
but also when one has regard to the quality and content of programming that
ZBC provides and the lack of choice in this regard."

Zimbabweans have been resisting paying the licence fees arguing that
programming on ZBH, which is notoriously biased towards Zanu PF, does not
justify the scale of the charges.

The ZLHR also accused the national broadcaster of breaching the
constitutional standards relating to the freedom of expression and access to
information due to its inability to offer listeners and viewers' diversity
in terms of programming.

The lawyers are also arguing that ZBC does not have the necessary
authority to charge the fees in foreign currency and wants them reversed
until the broadcaster is properly cleared.

The letter was copied to the Minister of Media, Information and
Publicity, Webster Shamu and his deputy Jameson Timba as well as the Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe chapter and the Media
Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe.

BY EDGAR GWESHE

Ball in Your Court, IMF Tells Zim

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 12:44
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is ready to re-open its
lines of credit to Zimbabwe if the government implements sound policies and
clears  overdue financial obligations, restating the global lending
institution is ready to help the country recover from a decade of economic
decline.

An IMF team was in Zimbabwe for three weeks for consultations at the
invitation of the newly formed inclusive government.

In its report after the end of the Annual Article IV consultation
mission the IMF said: "Technical and financial assistance from the IMF will
depend on establishing a track record of sound policy implementation, donor
support, and a resolution of overdue financial obligations to official
creditors, including the IMF."

IMF said although the government had undertaken to implement reforms
to live within its means, Harare had to mobilise significant donor financial
support and contain the wage bill in order to ensure an improvement in the
delivery of public services and addressing the humanitarian situation.

In his revised US$1 billion budget, Finance minister Tendai Biti said
the government had to live within its means if it was to pull itself out of
the economic mess.

"The mission welcomes the authorities' commitment under STERP to
eliminate quasi-fiscal activities and implement cash budgeting (i.e.,
matching monthly expenditure to monthly revenue) in 2009," it said.

Analysts say the IMF statement gives a glimmer of hope and it was up
to Zimbabwe to take the initiative and adhere fully to the recommendations.

"The challenge is on the Minister of Finance to crack the whip and let
people follow through his cash budget," said Daniel Ndlela, one of the
country's leading economists.
"He (Tendai Biti) has to crack the whip so that hope remains on
course."

Independent economist, John Robertson said Zimbabwe does not have the
money to pay back the IMF debt and should concentrate on policy changes.

"Farm invasions, violence against the people . . . all that has to
stop," he said.

"It will be more convincing if government were to prosecute the people
behind the invasions and violence."

In the recently launched Short Term Emergency Recovery Programme
(STERP) there is a recognition of property rights but analysts say this has
not been followed through.

"We said land invasions will stop but we haven't seen this happening,"
Robertson said.
"We have expressed the right intention but we have not followed this
through."

Standardbusiness was reliably informed that the IMF team was
unequivocally insistent that farm invasions must stop if any further
engagements were to be considered.

Last month President Robert Mugabe told his supporters that land
seizures would continue until the landless were allocated land.

This triggered a new wave of invasions mostly by senior government
officials.

Ndlela said the opening of lines of credit from IMF would trigger
other donors to pour money into Zimbabwe.

"IMF gives a seal of approval and all major donors will take a cue
from IMF. It is a disciplinarian of last resorts," he said.

IMF acknowledged that Zimbabwe had adopted some of its recommendations
like price liberalisation, ending quasi-fiscal activities and the adoption
of hard currency for transactions.

"The official adoption of hard currencies for transactions has
strengthened the credibility of the government's commitment to fiscal
discipline and has already helped stop hyperinflation," it said.

"To improve the functioning of the new monetary framework, there is an
urgent need to enable the payments system to process transactions in foreign
currency and adapt banking supervision to the risks of operating in foreign
exchange."

IMF said hyperinflation driven by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's (RBZ)
quasi-fiscal activities, and a further significant deterioration in the
business climate contributed to an estimated 14% fall in real GDP in 2008,
on top of the 40% cumulative decline between 2000 and 2007.

It said that effective supervision of the RBZ had to be established.
"Specifically, the accountability of the RBZ needs to be enforced in
conformity with the RBZ Act, and transparency of its operations needs to be
strengthened," it said.

"Moreover, the RBZ needs to refrain from quasi-fiscal operations, as
in recent weeks, and focus on core central banking activities."

Zimbabwe has been in continuous arrears to the IMF since February 2001
and is the only case of protracted arrears to the Poverty Reduction and
Growth Facility-Exogenous Shocks Facility Trust, which currently amounts to
US$137 million.

In 2005, Zimbabwe escaped expulsion by a whisker after it hastily made
a huge US$120 million payment before a crucial board meeting to determine
the fate of the southern African nation.

But despite the stay of execution, President Robert Mugabe rubbished
the Bretton Woods institution accusing it of being inconsequential to the
needs of developing countries.

"Well, the IMF has always never been of real assistance to developing
countries. It is wielded by big powers; we have never been friends of the
IMF and therefore in the future we shall never be friends of the IMF,"
Mugabe said then.

But four years down the line, the 85-year-old leader was on bended
knees last Thursday appealing to the country's co-operating partners to help
the new administration move out of the woods.

NEWS ANALYSIS BY NDAMU SANDU

Alex Magaisa: The Politics of Constitution Making in Zimbabwe

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:29
Draft from Kariba

THE waters of Lake Kariba are both beautiful and treacherous. For much
of the year, the land on which it rests is enveloped in heavy coat of heat.
The sun is the faithful messenger of both a glorious sunrise and a beautiful
sunset.

You sail on the boat and if you are lucky you might catch some big
fish. Yet you also maintain a watchful eye, for the waters house big beasts
and reptiles, which do not take easily to intruders.

It is a perfect background for reflection. You marvel at this symbol
of progress in a bygone era but you also think about the lives that were
violently transformed when the man-made barrier at Kariba gorge caused the
mighty Zambezi to bulge and form this expansive mass of water.

It is here, unbeknown to the locals, that a group of politicians
gathered to solve their differences. They failed. But they agreed on an
important document - a Draft Constitution of Zimbabwe. They called it the
Kariba Draft.

It is this Kariba Draft, we hear, that will form the basis of the
Parliament-led constitution-making process in Zimbabwe.

Civil Society Protest

Civil Society, led by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) is up
in arms. At the heart of their protest is that the proposed process is
driven by political elites and fails, therefore, to satisfy what they refer
to as a 'people-driven constitution-making process'.

Civil Society is right to raise concern on this matter and for good
reason: it is that Zimbabweans must avoid repeating past errors of taking a
political compromise between feuding adversaries as the founding covenant of
their nation.

A Constitution should ideally outlive present-day politics; indeed, it
should outlive political actors of the day. It is an enduring covenant
between the governors and the governed - not just the present but also
future generations.

It is an embodiment of the nation's values, ideals and aspirations of
a nation. However, if this is to be achieved, the Zimbabwean public ought to
be more vigilant. It is this spirit of vigilance that causes this hand to
express these reflections on this matter.

Elites and the Constitution

First, at the centre of emerging contest between Civil Society and the
Inclusive Government is that the process must not be controlled by elites
but instead, must be 'people-driven'. But this rhetoric appears to me to
conceal more than it reveals.

The bottom-line is that despite the rhetoric, it is in fact the elites
who invariably drive the constitution-making process.

There are two kinds of elites seeking control of the process -
political elites and civil society elites. Colleagues in Civil Society will
contest this characterisation, because no one who purports to be working
with the so-called 'grassroots' wants to be associated with elitism - a
dirty word, it seems.

To be sure, the main drivers of the constitutional reform process,
which in substance emerged more forcefully in the late 1990s, were a group
of civil society elites who gathered to form the NCA when they saw the
problem of monopolisation of Constitutional power by the political elites.

Yet when you listen to politicians they also lay claim to the status
of being the true representatives of the 'grassroots', by virtue of election
to Parliament.

Indeed, reading through the recently announced STERP economic revival
plan, the government makes several references to phrases such as
'people-driven', people-centred', etc signalling their belief that what they
are doing is for and by the people.

To my mind, the Zimbabwean public needs to understand that they are
dealing with elites on either side of the coin and the battle could become
the proverbial fight between elephants, whilst the grass suffers. The
important thing is to give substance to this rhetoric and for the public to
be wary of all actors.

Refuse Political Compromise

Second, Zimbabwe must eschew the practice and belief that the
Constitution is some kind of political pact between the existing political
parties.

A quick perusal of the current version of the Constitution in the
aftermath of Constitutional Amendment No. 19 demonstrates why this is
dangerous.

The Constitution has become so mutilated it even states office-bearers
by name.

In other words strictly speaking, to remove them from office would
require another Constitutional amendment.

Indeed, one of the main shortcomings of the Lancaster House
Constitution adopted at independence in 1980 was that it was a political
deal which sought to accommodate political actors of the time.

The compromises which even maintained racial divide by creating a
White Roll and a Common Roll in elections were divisive, not conducive to
common nation-building and unsustainable in the long run. This is partly why
the Kariba Draft, created in the context of negotiations between the feuding
Zanu PF and the MDCs does not provide the right platform for
constitution-making.

Scrutiny of the Written Word

Third, a major but understated pitfall in the constitution-making
process is that at the end of the day a written Constitution bears the hand
of the experts, both political civil society elites. People are often told
that they will 'write' their own Constitution - they must distinguish this
rhetoric from the reality that the actual writing will be done by experts -
the elites.

To my mind, Civil Society ought to go beyond this veil of people
writing their own constitution by having practical measures on monitoring
those who do the actual drafting. It requires careful scrutiny because just
one word can change the whole meaning of a provision.

Civil Society's role would be to ensure that each part and each
provision is scrutinised to ensure it reflects the agreed resolutions.

If not, the public has to know so that when they exercise their rights
at the Referendum they make informed decisions.

Referendum and Politics

Fourth, since the ultimate form of control that the people have over
the new Constitution is the Referendum there is need to make sure a
distinction is drawn between political elections and the Constitution.

Civil Society elites' great challenge is that they will have to
compete against the combined political elite. Whilst Civil Society is right
to claim victory over the 'No' vote in the 2000 Referendum, there is also a
credible argument that the vote was also a political rejection not just of
the Constitution but the then Zanu-PF led government and its kind of
politics.

At the time, Civil Society had on its side the fledgling but powerful
political clout and pull provided by the MDC. Civil Society has lost this
powerful political constituency to the Inclusive Government.

The risk has to be that notwithstanding legitimate concerns of Civil
Society elites about the Constitution voters may be influenced more by
political allegiance to the parties in government.

If it comes to that the Civil Society elite may find it hard to
out-compete the political elite over the new Constitution. For their part,
the people of Zimbabwe need to make this distinction clear and regard the
constitution-making process as sacrosanct and beyond party politics.

Protecting the Constitution

Finally, it is important to ensure that the Constitution is protected
once adopted. In other words, focus should not simply be about the
constitution-making process but also in relation to its life.

If we have learned anything over the last 29 years, it is that a
Constitution that provides an easy path for amendment is always at the mercy
of those who wield political power.

Surely, if a referendum is necessary for the adoption of the new
Constitution, it follows that any changes to it must be authorised by the
people.

Where Parliament can amend the Constitution with ease, there is
virtually nothing to stop politicians from conceding to the demands of the
people simply to get a new Constitution adopted through a Referendum but
then immediately change it to the Kariba Draft or other versions that suit
their political interests.

Alex Magaisa - Kent Law School, the University of Kent.
wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk or a.t.magaisa@kent.ac.uk

Importance of appearing important

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:20
HE couldn't hold back the tears. What Farai Povo had just witnessed
was indeed a sight for sore eyes. Farai wasn't an important person; he was
very poor and often had far too little to eat. But what he saw made him
forget completely the harshness of his life.

A sleek Merc came gliding by. Seated in the plush back seat was a
newly installed chef, who came from the political party Farai supported.
Farai was mightily impressed.

To see this elevated personage in such a luxurious vehicle proved
beyond any doubt that the chef now possessed large quantities of power and
authority, far more than, say, a person driving a clapped out banger.

As Farai cheered and celebrated, a warm, feelgood sensation spread
right through his emaciated body.

The feeling was almost as good as what he would have felt if he'd been
able to consume a decent meal for a change.

But that was silly because you can't eat a car, although some
quibblers have suggested that what the vehicle cost could buy persons or
even families slap up meals for the rest of their lives.

It occurred to Farai that symbols of rank and importance are vitally
important for the body politic.

The more extravagant the symbol, the greater the admiration it
attracts. Who among us have not been deeply moved by the cavalcade of many
Mercs shooting past at breakneck speed? As more vehicles were added, an
almost daily occurrence, our wonder has increased proportionately. Lawyers
refer to this as "Mercantile Law".

Farai then pondered why politicians aren't very good at jokes about
themselves. He quickly realised that important people are so important that
they are entitled to take themselves very seriously, and rightly believe no
one should ever be permitted to laugh at them.

That evening Farai witnessed an even more heart-warming scene. It was
a bright, crisp night and a full moon was tenderly caressing mother earth
with its magical light.

As Farai passed by a palatial mansion, he spotted a particularly
worthy individual standing in the driveway. This person was fondly stroking
his gorgeous silver Merc, which was highlighted by the silvery moonlight.
The most important person was softly serenading his status symbol with these
words: "Falling in love again, / What am I to do? / Can't help it."

Farai's thoughts then turned to those who try to make themselves even
more important by bestowing upon themselves grandiose titles.

Take, for instance, Mobutu who renamed himself Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu
Wa Za Banga ("The all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and
inflexible will to win, goes from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his
wake.") And then there was Amin who insisted on being referred to as "His
Excellency, President for Life,Field Marshal, SAl Hadji, Doctor Idi Amin
Dada, VC, DSO, MC" Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the
Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in
Particular".

Farai had also once read about a cheeky Englishman who declared
himself to be the Emperor of the United States. After becoming bankrupt, he
posted this notice in the San Francisco Bulletin:

At the pre-emptory request and desire of a large majority of citizens
of the United States, I, Joshua A Norton, declare and proclaim myself
Emperor of the US, and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do
hereby order and direct the representatives of the different State of the
Union to assemble in Musical Hall of this city on the last day of February
next, then and there to make such alteration in the existing laws of the
Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is labouring, and
thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability
and integrity.

Norton I Emperor of the United States 17 September 1859.

Emperor Norton took his responsibilities seriously. Each day he
strolled the streets of San Francisco, mingling with his subjects and
inspecting construction sites, checking up on bus timetables and keeping in
touch with the life of the city.

In his zeal to rule fairly he attended a different religious service
every week so as to avoid giving rise to sectarian jealousy.

The citizens of San Francisco accepted his decrees with great good
humour and respect, even acknowledging their responsibility to contribute to
his upkeep.

The Emperor's Imperial Palace was only a small room in a seedy lodging
house, but the 50 cent-a-night charge was paid by his loyal subjects. Norton's
wardrobe was a mixed bag of army and navy uniforms, outlandish hats and
elaborate walking sticks.

When his clothes began to grow shabby he issued a decree: "Know ye
that we, Norton the First, have diverse complaints from our liege subjects
that our Imperial wardrobe is a national disgrace." The following day the
City council met and voted funds for a new uniform for him.

Norton issued his own bank notes (home-made 25 and 50 cent notes
reminiscent of our own currency) and these notes were accepted freely by
restaurateurs and shopkeepers; he had free passes to theatres and upon his
entrance the audience always rose to their feet.

Robert Louis Stevenson admired the people of San Francisco for
fostering and encouraging this "harmless madman".

They did so because Norton brought colour to their city and because,
as a judge remarked, rebuking a policeman who had arrested Norton for
lunacy, he had "shed no blood, robbed no one and despoiled no country, which
is more than can be said for most fellows in the king line".

As Farai was footing his long way home, he started singing to himself:
"I've got to admit it's getting better, /Getting better all the time,'
/Getting so much better all the time."

Sunday Opinion: The Pain, Frustrations and Joy of Real Independence

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:17
MY very first memory of being alive, of being something other than a
lot of fluid floating in someone's body - breathing, feeling and being. . .
a human being - occurred one day in The Old Bricks in Harare township
towards the end of 1930s.

It was a seething, pulsating pain in my innards. My whole stomach
region was pounding with a searing sensation of impending apocalypse, the
end of my life.

I have always identified this as the moment of my birth - until my
mother told me, years later, that I was not born in the city of Salisbury,
but in a small village near Marandellas - what a climb-down! I thought about
this as I began an in-depth analysis of my life since independence in 1980.
That sober, serious contemplation must necessarily begin with our
relationship with the white people.

After all, our independence has any true meaning only if we relate it
to our domination by the settlers. Just a little diversion: FANAGALO. That
is the way the word was spelt on a record of the same title, sung by a group
of white South Africans, during the apartheid era in the 1950s. "Fanagalo,
fanagalo, and Zulu boy will understand," they sang.

The flipside was called. I think, Go to sleep. "Go to sleep, my little
piccaninny, hamba lala, means you go to sleep." I found both songs highly
insulting to Africans.

The second song, for instance, suggests that a Zulu mother would call
her child a piccaninny. The first song was equally disgusting: the Zulu boy
would understand anything you said only if you spoke in Fanagalo, a pastiche
of pidgin originated by the Afrikaners for ease of communication with their
African workers, down the gold mines.

It is enough to declare that these two songs must have raised the
wrath of the Africans to the extent of causing violence against the whites.

This public denigration of the black race must have had the same
effect as the white American use of "nigger" to describe the
African-Americans in that country.

The truth is it took longer than this. It is not clear why they
believed the Africans would stomach even more insults before rising up
against them, with arms.

It's possible that their "elders" told them to believe the blacks were
so stupid they believed everything they were told about their stupidity.

This brings me, very neatly, to a book in which "The Elders" are
mentioned, White Man, Black War, the 1988 book by Bruce Moore-King.

To this day, it remains a controversial account of one white man's
participation in the anti-guerilla war in Zimbabwe. It's a candid account,
told with the brutal honesty of someone who believed absolutely, that "The
Elders" were right - this was a fight for white civilisation and not all
that jazz. Bruce was in it up to his neck; RLI, IRR, PATU, ZRR, RIC, RAR and
the Grey's Scouts.

The book makes sad, horrifying reading. You come across such quotes as
this one: "We have struck a blow for the preservation of Justice,
Civilisation, Christianity and in the spirit of this belief we have this day
assumed our sovereign independence. God bless you all."

That was Ian Smith on November 11, 1965. God, by all accounts, did not
bless any of them. I heard the broadcast in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1963.

I had arrived there to work for a radical newspaper. I never set foot
in Smith's Rhodesia, returning only after independence in 1980. Bruce and I
were in constant touch with reach other. My novel, The Old Bricks Lives,
focusing on the birth of the struggle in The Old Bricks, featuring the
murder of a black woman by the municipal police, came out the same year as
Bruce's book.

We have lost touch recently, but I believe he is still writing or is
involved in publishing one way or the other.

To say all of us have come a long way since 1965 is not sufficiently
poignant to put into context what trauma, tragedy and terror our country has
undergone since then. Independence for most of us has not been kind.

There are those who would place the blame squarely on the doorstep of
the international community, led by the USA, Britain and the European Union.

Yet, there are still others who would argue that we have done
tremendously well, regardless of the odds against us. They would juxtapose
our success against that of the DRC, Somalia, even Kenya and Nigeria - and
still give us top marks, the poor, pitiful sods.

Then there are those who would argue strongly that were it not for a
largely selfish, greedy leadership Zimbabwe would have enjoyed almost the
same prosperity that South Africa enjoys today. Yes, their leaders too have
made mistakes, both of omission and commission.

Yet, as they prepare for crucial elections, they have scored more
successes in 15 years than Zimbabwe has achieved in almost double that time.

The key is leadership, a leadership that can distinguish clearly
between inflicting pain on the people, rather than the illusion of
contentment anchored on slogans such as: Zimbabwe shall never be a colony
again. In February 1980, Smith said: "We know we have the happiest race
relations in the world, the happiest black faces."

As 18 April approaches, there will be "happy black faces", but they
cannot conceivably outnumber the black sick, poor, sad faces.

wsaidi20022003@yahoo.co.uk

BY BILL SAIDI

Comment: GNU Parties Must Prove Commitment

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Saturday, 28 March 2009 14:17
ABOUT half a dozen different voices last week spoke separately about
one thing on Zimbabwe: the need for clear signals that the unity government
is moving forward.

But in return the new administration can only offer mixed signals.
Zanu PF boycotted the all-stakeholders' conference held in Harare on Friday
to prepare for a government retreat, and then it abruptly cancelled a
two-day media stakeholders' indaba planned for yesterday and today.

Zanu PF is behaving as if it is still in charge. It should not profess
not to understand why the international community is not going to remove
measures targeting the clique that is responsible for ruining Zimbabwe.
If Zanu PF continues so petulantly, the government's retreat scheduled
for Victoria Falls in April is in jeopardy.

The problem with Zanu PF is that in its characteristic arrogance, it
believes that it alone is right and the rest of the world is wrong.

Zanu PF is surprised that despite efforts to promote the traffic of
tourists into the country since 2000, the numbers show a dip. And it does
not understand why investors avoid it like the plague when one hand it says
farm invasions ended last year yet the other vows to get rid of the
remaining commercial farmers. These conflicting signals blight the country's
prospects of recovery.

Last week Washington said clear signs of change were needed before
sanctions against individuals responsible for bringing Zimbabwe to its knees
could be lifted.

It said there was "no reason and no way" the United States was going
to lift sanctions against targeted individuals and parastatal companies
anytime soon without some "very, very clear indication that the country's
new unity government is moving in the right direction".

The US position comes amid reports of renewed Zanu PF-led violence
against people suspected of or known to be supporters of the MDC-T.

From the outset many expressed misgivings about the formation of an
inclusive government, doubting Zanu PF's sincerity. Instead of working hard
to prove the skeptics wrong, Zanu PF has done everything to prove how right
they were.

Zanu PF was convinced that it could pull wool over the eyes of the
world on the formation of a transitional administration. That is why it has
such difficulties in understanding why the world is not as naïve as Zanu PF
expects it to be. If Zanu PF acts on behalf of and in the common interests
of the people of this country, why is it, after 29 years of its failed
policies, determined not to give Zimbabwe a chance to embark on the real
road to recovery?

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai during a meeting with stakeholders on
Friday said  the culture of entitlement and impunity had stained our
society. But he also said after the signing of the Global Political
Agreement no crime will go unpunished.

He said it was essential for the leaders to set this example for the
people to follow because without political stability there could be no
economic growth. How refreshing would it be to hear President Robert Mugabe
telling his party members the same and instructing the police to act in a
non-partisan manner?

Sweden last week as did Denmark, Norway and Human Rights Watch before
it, called on the unity government to restore law and order for it to
attract financial support from international donors, which is crucial for
the country's reconstruction.

Continued acts of lawlessness only serve to hinder progress being made
to rebuild the country and for the international community to release
longer-term development aid.

A visiting IMF mission said as much. All these voices can't be wrong.

Zim Standard Letters

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com

Bullies Blight Our Tourism

Saturday, 28 March 2009 12:15
JUST a few words of advice to the new Minister of Tourism and
Hospitality, Walter Mzembi (MP): Inasmuch as we all agree that tourism, the
world over, is the fastest growing industry right now, this is unlikely to
be the case in Zimbabwe, despite its vast resources both natural and
man-made.

Why, you might ask? The sector, Hon. Minister, has remnants of
disgraceful and uncouth characters with a propensity for vulgar hate
language  in a delicate industry that requires decency, decorum and
patience.

It is unfortunate that the person who is supposed to be driving
tourism, is always in the news for the wrong reasons. Instead of campaigning
aggressively to lure more visitors to our tourist resorts, he is constantly
embroiled in rows with either hotel staff or journalists.

I believe this to be counter-productive to efforts to promote tourism.
In fact, someone must tell this guy that the "aggressive marketing strategy
required in tourism in this country does not mean calling journalists
(Sandra Mandizvidza of The Standard) and hotel waitresses (Meikles) names or
being involved in conduct unbecoming of tourism's number one ambassador.

We need mature, level-headed technocrats in this field if we are to
realise optimum benefits from our efforts.

The presence of uncouth individuals in such a key sector is likely to
impact negatively on some of the objectives of the Short Term Emergency
Recovery Programme that both the President and the Minister of Finance
launched recently in Harare.

Assigning the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority as presently constituted to
lead the campaign to restore investor confidence and recapture the lost
traditional markets without changes would be committing a monumental
blunder.

Munyaradzi Shiri
Belvedere
Harare.

-------------
No to Militarisation of State Universities

Saturday, 28 March 2009 12:15
As a student I feel morally obliged to advise fellow students on the
concept of cadetship, which the government is planning to introduce for
students who are unable to afford fees to fund their university education.

The cadetship concept is basically a contract between the student and
the government, under which the student is expected to work for the
government in return for the fees paid for the student by the government.

It is the legal significance and consequence of committing themselves
to this agreement that fellow students do not give due attention. At law,
once one puts his/her signature on a document, he/she is legally bound by
the terms contained therein.

Our law of contract does away with the quid pro quo doctrine, meaning
that just and equitable enjoyment of the fruits of the contract is not a
consideration in terms of the validity of the contract.

This means that the law places the duty upon students to critically
scrutinize the terms of this offer by the government before putting
signatures to the contracts.

Most students, driven by the desperation of their situation, have been
influenced to accept the government's offer.

But such a course of action will have grave consequences when the
government enforces its contractual rights. Below are some of the
considerations that one must take prior to putting his/her signature on the
contracts.

Firstly, it is the duty of the government to cater for the students'
needs in total.

As such the posturing by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary
Education, Dr Stan Mudenge, as the messiah must be dismissed outrightly
because one needs to question who has caused this confusion and
consternation after demanding extortionate fees.

Mudenge is the architect of the destruction of tertiary education in
this country during the past decade.

The extent to which this new concept is capable of upgrading our
social status from being that of a semi-literate villager to that of a
shining beacon in the eyes of society, is highly questionable.

This is a raw deal that was imposed without the input of students,
whose future the cadetship contracts purport to shape.

This document should only apply to the army, where it belongs.
Students want the system of student grants as it used to apply in the past.

If the government led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai fails to
take cognisance of concerns on this legitimate expectation on the part of
students, demonstrations must become the order of the day until our demands
are listened to.

To fellow students who have already signed the cadetship contracts, I
urge them not to misplace their hopes on those who made a mockery of our
just and legitimate rights over the past decade.

For example, the University of Zimbabwe says that due to water
shortages "we might slightly delay the opening of hostels". This is because
the whole issue hinges on the availability of water on the campus.

The University says: "We want to run the whole semester with proper
sanitation facilities so as not to compromise the health and welfare of
students staying in the halls of residence."

If that is the case, we are surprised the administration at UZ did
nothing since last year to enlist the assistance of Unicef and Unesco so
that just as the United Nations organisations have been contributing to the
fight against cholera the two organisations could have ensured that the UZ
community has access to water, clean water.

This would prevent the fears of an outbreak of diseases - the very
reason for the  closure of halls of residence in the first place.

Let's say no to the concept of cadetship. Let's say no to
militarisation of universities.

UBA Mulenga
University of Zimbabwe
Mount Pleasant
Harare.

---------------
School Head's Actions Unbecoming for a Parent

Saturday, 28 March 2009 12:11
THE story titled School head charged with abusing pupils (The Standard
March 22, 2009) refers.

The school head at Rhodes Primary School in Gweru and her deputy are
adults in positions of great responsibility. One would like to think that
for them to be in those positions they must have gone through teacher
training.

The pupils they are supposed to be looking after are very young
children of up to 10 years of age only and no older.

The chairs on which the pupils sit were not bought by the school head
from her own pocket. They were bought by the school development association
and it is the children's right to sit on those chairs.

The school levy is not supposed to be paid by the children but the
parents. It is the parents who through meetings decide what should be paid
and what should be done when the levy is not paid.

The prevailing economic hardships in the country at the moment make it
hard for every parent to raise the levy in good time. The required levy of
US$80 is quite steep for some parents. The number of pupils punished is
quite high.

School regulations are generally the same for all schools. If they are
different for this particular school then I would forgive the school head
and her deputy for what they did to those poor young children.

If it is "Dog eat Dog" at this school, "No money no chair" to sit on
"Money before everything else" then it is OK.

God knows what was done to these poor children and what was still to
be done in future if the parents and the police had not acted in time.
Please, give thanks to God.

It would be very interesting to know what comes out of the courts on
March 31, 2009 when the two go back.

The punishment, if any, was directed at the wrong people. It only
takes a heartless mother to punish her children in such a manner.

How could one ask such children to stand up from the time the school
starts to the time it ends and that's from about 7.30am to about 12.30pm -
1pm?

I am a parent myself. I know how it feels for my child to be treated
in such a manner, especially for something they did not do.

Have the head and her deputy any children of their own? How would they
feel if that was done to one of their own?

If these charges are correct, they reflect the true character of the
school head and one wonders how such a character got to such a high and
responsible position.

The school head and her deputy should remember that if there were no
children they would not be in that position.

They should have been using their position to be a shining example of
what women can do in this day and age as indeed other progressive women are.

Even the church tells us that Mother Mary was there at every stage
when Christ was going to be crucified on the cross to give him the motherly
support he needed.

Hazvinei
Harare.

---------
ACR Still Has Legal Title to Marange Diamond Fields

Saturday, 28 March 2009 12:10
WE act for African Consolidated Resources PLC (ACR), an English public
company, listed on the London Stock Exchange.

We refer to an article by Ndamu Sandu that was published in The
Standard on Sunday March 8, 2009 entitled Call for Embargo on Zim Diamonds
and which appears on The Standard website.

This article contains the following statement: "The Marange diamonds,
previously owned by African Consolidated Resources was taken over by the
government and given to the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC)."

ACR has informed us that the above statement is false. We are
instructed that ACR received and still has valid legal title to Mining
Claims on nearly all of the land incorporating what is commonly known as the
Marange diamond fields.

ACR's Mining Claims and Certificates were issued to it in 2006 and it
was ACR who first made the discovery public. Contrary to what is alleged by
the article, the Mining Claims and Certificates have not been "given" to the
ZMDC. There is indeed no provision for such an action in Zimbabwean law.

ACR has, in fact, notified the government and ZMDC of its title and
rights. Furthermore, a case has been registered and preparations made to
have the matter heard in the High Court, Harare in the event that lobbying
and discussions fail to reach an amicable conclusion.

We reserve our rights to bring legal action if necessary and where
appropriate to make announcements to the London market.

In light of this error, our client urgently requests that you publish
a correction.

Charles Russell LLP
Fleet Place
London, UK.

--------------
Standard SMS
Saturday, 28 March 2009 12:33
A-loot-a continua
RECENT media reports from the courts showing theft of state machinery
by government and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) officials is just a tip of
the iceberg of the level of corruption that has been going on in government
corridors.

Since the announcement of the talks on the formation of the inclusive
government last year, some government officials who knew that their future
was uncertain in a new government that was going to insist on transparency
went on the rampage and looted state machinery.

Reports show that officials from the RBZ have been arrested and are
appearing in court on charges of abusing the fuel facility and the
agricultural mechanisation programme while employees from the Ministry of
Media, Information and Publicity have been caught in a scam of stealing
vehicles distributed to the ministry by the RBZ.

Most of them have not been brought to book and continue to plunder
state resources with the blessing of their bosses and relatives in higher
positions.

The new government through the responsible ministries should also
investigate and audit all state property and those who are found to have
gained unlawfully what is not their own should be brought before the justice
system and let the law take its course. - Trymore Mazhambe, Mutare.

Gono's vote buying

IS it true that all the soldiers received US$100 as well as US$200
worth of vouchers redeemable at certain shops?

Is this not vote-buying and misuse of state funds through the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe?

If this is true, is the Minister of Finance aware? If it is true, does
this not vindicate those who have been calling for the immediate removal of
the Governor of the Reserve Bank, because this would be a clear
demonstration that he works for Zanu PF when he is supposed to be
non-partisan?

I suggest that this matter be investigated and the identity of the
owner of the shops disclosed? I hope this will not point to Zanu PF big wigs
benefiting from the said shops.

If Dr Gideon Gono is involved, in any way, I suggest that he be asked
to resign immediately as we are not in a position to have people engaging in
vote-buying activities while others are busy trying to revive the economy.

Vote-buying is one factor that contributed to the destruction of the
economy and this should not continue. - Furious, Harare.

Abuse of minors

CAN the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David
Coltart, through the police urgently investigate and take action on reports
that scores of children of school-going age in Buhera are failing to go to
school as they have fled their homes due to political violence.

The children, most of them secondary school pupils including girls are
being terrorised by Zanu PF militia for attending the burial of Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's late wife, Susan.

They have since fled their homes and are sleeping in mountains for
fear of attacks reminiscent of last year. Some of the girls, who have fled
their homes, are as young as 15 years.

The most affected areas in Buhera are Ward 5 in Marume village.
Parents have reported about the violence at Murambinda Growth Point but no
action has been taken. Zanu PF militia, who have been taking advantage of
state security apparatus to cause terror across the countryside, should be
dealt in the harshest manner so that there are no future acts of political
violence again.- Edna Musarurwa, Chivhu.

Give Gono a long rope

BEING one of the staunch advocates who were once calling for the
forceful removal of Gideon Gono as the RBZ Governor, I have now changed my
position since the appointment of Tendai Biti as the Finance Minister.

In the short time he has been in office, Biti has proved that Gono was
not there to serve the people as the Governor reminded us every time he was
given an opportunity to open his mouth. Gono was there only to serve the
interests of the Zanu PF leadership.

He did everything in his power to silence those he perceived to be his
enemies, especially in the financial sector.

His policies also fuelled inflation as those in Zanu PF who had access
to Zimbabwe dollars abused the RBZ facility and bought foreign currency on
the black market, which made the salaries of most workers
irrelevant.

However, although trying by all means to see to it that the people's
lives are improved Minister Biti has shown that he is a man who has the
interests of the suffering Zimbabweans at heart.

We should no longer call for the removal of Gono but allow him to stay
there and see for himself how his dubious policies that he, with the help of
state media, said would turn around the fortunes of the country, are being
overturned for the good of everyone. - Agrippa Zvomuya, Harare.

Questions for Econet

IT'S been months now since Econet began to charge exorbitant tariffs.
I have been a loyal subscriber to its service since its inception into the
country's telecommunications sector.

I have several questions for Econet on the quality of service we are
getting: When are you going to commission the much touted GPRS service which
you promised subscribers eons ago? Why is it that some individuals outside
the Econet realm are able to access GPRS services?

Recently, someone flighted an advert on the Internet offering GPRS
connectivity for US$80. Others are selling GPRS Modems and stating that
Econet is charging $25 a month for unlimited internet access.

What exactly is going on here? All we are asking for from Econet is a
service worthy of the monies we are pouring into the company.

I cannot continue to use my cell phone to simply call and receive text
messages.

We are seriously lagging behind other telecommunications players in
the region. Whenever I visit Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa or Zambia, I
really get to experience what a serious mobile services provider is capable
of.

Perhaps we need more external competitors to shake-up our service
providers. Imagine Vodacom or MTN moving into our country? That would signal
the demise for some who have been comfortably sitting on their laurels for
too long. -Basil Mdluli, Harare.

******
THERE is an urgent need for a responsive complaints and suggestions
office at each of the country's courts to address the corrupt tendencies
including "missing files".

Request for donor-funded judicial reforms has doubtful advantage if
Zimbabwe does not prioritises it. It has the potential to ease donor
fatigue. - Chirandu, Harare.

It is interesting to note that undemocratic and murderous regimes have
responded overwhelmingly and rallied to the defence of Sudan's President
Omar al-Bashir's serious crimes. He has a case to answer as long as he
relies on invalid support. - Pythagoras, Harare.

450% surge in violence cases in February

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Friday, 27 March 2009

HARARE - The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said it recorded more
than 430 cases of rights violations in February and warned of simmering
political tensions waiting to explode unless a thorough national healing and
cleansing process is undertaken.
In a report released last week and casting a pale shadow over the
sustainability of Zimbabwe's fragile coalition government formed last month,
the forum said there was a 457 percent surge in the total number of
violations against government critics between January and February this
year.
There were only 78 violations reported in January compared to 435
cases last month.
"The formation of the inclusive government did not bring an end to
civic repression as witnessed by the continued heavy-handedness with which
the police handled the protests that took place in the month of February,"
the Forum said in its Political Violence Report for February 2009.
Attacks on freedoms of expression and movement registered the largest
single increase during the month at 460 percent.
There were 94 arrests in February after the police broke up peaceful
marches by students or members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
pressure group.
Only two arrests were made in January, according to the forum which is
a coalition of 17 rights groups operating in Zimbabwe.
There were 105 unlawful arrests and detentions in February compared to
21 the previous month, according to the human rights forum.
The forum also reported an upsurge in cases of political
discrimination, intimidation and victimisation since the formation of the
unity government between President Robert Mugabe and former opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai in February.
At least 110 incidences of political intimidation and victimisation
were recorded compared to just 26 in January.
The Forum blamed most of the violations on the police, the army and
militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu (PF) party.
It condemned the violent manner in which the police reacted to the
protests and urged the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to exercise restraint
when dealing with unarmed protestors and to act in the spirit of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) signed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai last September.
"The Ministry of Home Affairs is also called upon at this time when
the GPA is starting to be implemented, to institute reforms that will ensure
respect for civic liberties and all human rights as well as the
implementation of internationally accepted policing standards by members of
the ZRP," said the forum.
It warned that optimism in the unity government has waned due to an
upsurge of fresh farm invasions and the harassment and forced eviction of
commercial farmers, particularly in the Chegutu area of Mashonaland West
province.

Who dun it?

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Friday, 27 March 2009

John Makumbe

Following the traffic accident that injured the Prime Minister of
Zimbabwe and claimed his wife's life, conspiracy theories abound in this
country. Although Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai himself sought to
assure the nation that the accident was a genuine mishap, and that no foul
play was suspected, the majority of Zimbabweans are very skeptical because
Zanu (PF) has a well known track record of utilizing traffic accidents as a
means of political assassination of some of its rivals and opponents.
The independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Tsholotsho, Hon.
Jonathan Moyo, is correct to argue that the accident raises numerous
questions that urgently beg answers if this matter is to be put to rest.
Several weeks after that "black Friday", there are still no straight answers
to most of the questions. I wish to raise even more questions that whoever
may have been tasked with the thorough investigation of this matter may need
to also seek answers to.
First, it is generally alleged that on that fateful afternoon, several
members of the notorious Joint Operations Command (JOC) were seen in the
Beatrice area, where the accident occurred. What were they doing in that
area at that time of the day? Why were they in the area? What State or other
business were they conducting in the area? Secondly, why did the state
security details that were accompanying the PM leave his wife, the late
Susan, when they ferried him to Harare for medical treatment? It is alleged
that Mai Tsvangirai literally bled to death due to lack of attention, and
that if she had been attended to quickly she might have survived the
accident. Third, why did the PM attempt to travel to Buhera using the
"normal" route from Harare when he knew that he had just been sworn into
power, and that there were several members of the state security that had
publicly expressed opposition to his ascension to the office of the PM of
Zimbabwe? Would it not have been prudent to travel to Buhera via Rusape or
even Hwedza instead of making use of the obvious and expected and therefore
predictable route?

Zanu (PF) cannot be trusted
Further, why was the PM not travelling in his official state-issued
vehicle? Admittedly, he was going to attend a party function at Murambinda,
but it is now well established, at least among Zanu (PF) party officials and
government ministers, that they can travel to such activities in state
vehicles. Why did the PM have to use an MDC vehicle for the disastrous trip?
A state vehicle would have been driven by a driver who has done defensive
driving and cleared by the state as a competent driver. This is not to say
that these "qualified drivers" do not get involved in traffic accidents. In
fact, some of the fatal "accidents" that have been recorded in Zimbabwe
involved these very same drivers. Indeed, some of them may have been
assigned to stage mysterious accidents by their superiors for purposes that
only the latter might be aware of.
Finally, there is still the lingering question of the driver of the
"swipe" truck. Who employs this driver, and what mission was he undertaking.
It is very unlikely that the fact that he is currently undergoing trial will
yield any meaningful answers to any of these questions. At the end of the
day, however, it is very clear that there was no due diligence on the part
of those that have the responsibility to ensure the safety of national
leaders. There is an urgent need for a thorough review of the PM's safety
and that of his close associates in the inclusive government. There is a lot
of danger lurking out there. Zanu (PF) cannot be trusted.