http://www.voanews.com
By Patience Rusere & Thomas Chiripasi
Washington &
Masvingo
17 May 2009
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
said Sunday it is asking the
Southern African Development Community and the
African Union, guarantors of
the unity government formed in Harare in
February, to step in to arbitrate
the resolution of issues still outstanding
from that time and which have
arisen since.
The MDC decision to refer the matter to SADC and the AU in
effect recognized
an impasse in talks under way for weeks among the
signatories of the
September 2008 power-sharing pact underlying the
so-called inclusive
government: Mr. Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe and
Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara, head of a rival formation of the
MDC.
Political sources say Mr. Mugabe has refused to budge on the most
important
issues on the table including the leadership of the Reserve Bank
of
Zimbabwe, now governed by Mugabe crony Gideon Gono, and the Office of the
Attorney General, held by Johannes Tomana.
Some progress has been
reported in recent days regarding the appointments of
provincial governors,
ambassadors and ministerial permanent secretaries. But
whatever the progress
it has been overshadowed by a series of arrests
generally considered
political, in one case of three newspaper employees, in
another of a leading
human rights defender. Elsewhere an MDC lawmaker in
Manicaland province was
sentenced to 10 months in prison.
Observers say the security and judicial
apparatus controlled by Mr. Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party and guided by hardliners
of the former ruling party is bearing
down on its main MDC partner on the
one hand to destabilize the government
and on the other to assert its
power.
Tsvangirai MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa, speaking from the
southeast city of
Masvingo where the party held a big rally on Sunday, said
the MDC national
executive called upon SADC and the AU because the
government cannot operate
under present circumstances.
Following
months of delay in forming the unity government, SADC leaders
urged the MDC
to enter it though various issues were outstanding, saying
these could be
resolved once the government was up and running, through a
multi-party
consultative committee.
But resolution of such issues has come down to
Mr. Mugabe's willingness to
compromise.
Chamisa told reporter
Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that
party leaders also
demanded an end to human rights abuses and arbitrary
arrests.
Studio
7 correspondent Thomas Chiripasi reported on the Masvingo rally.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by
Nokuthula Sibanda Monday 18 May 2009
HARARE - Zimbabwe has
made an undertaking to pay the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) US$100 000
quarterly to settle its long outstanding US$131
million arrears, the Fund
has said.
The undertaking by Harare comes at a time when, the IMF will be
arriving in
the country today for a two-week programme which ends on May
29.
"Authorities have committed to regular payments to the fund of about
$100
000 per quarter starting with the next fund financial quarter," the IMF
said
in it's report titled Request for Targeted Lifting of the Suspension of
Fund
Technical Assistance.
"Targeted Fund technical assistance in
strengthening capacity would increase
the chances of resolving Zimbabwe's
arrears to the Poverty Reduction and
Growth Facility-Exogenous Shocks
Facility Trust (PRGF-ESF Trust).
Zimbabwe has been in continuous arrears
to the IMF since February 2001 and
is the only case of protracted arrears to
the PRGF-ESF Trust, which
currently amount to US$131 million.
"In
light of Zimbabwe's very limited payment, it would be difficult for the
country to make significant payments to the Fund under current
circumstances."
The report noted that there has been significant
improvement in Zimbabwe's
cooperation on economic policies to address its
arrears problems since the
executive board reviewed Zimbabwe's overdue
obligations.
This week's visit by the IMF will be the second this year by
the
international lender after another visit to the southern African country
last March.
The mission comes two weeks after the IMF board announced
on May 6 that it
was lifting a ban on technical support to Zimbabwe where a
power-sharing
government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai has been attempting to implement reforms to stop years of
economic decline.
The IMF said it would offer technical assistance in
the areas of tax policy
and administration; payments systems;
lender-of-last-resort operations and
banking supervision; and central
banking governance and accounting.
The IMF has however maintained a ban
of financial support to Zimbabwe
imposed 10 years ago following differences
with Mugabe over fiscal policy
and other governance issues.
Key
Western donor countries have also withheld direct financial support to
Harare, demanding that the unity government carry out far reaching political
and media reforms and end a fresh wave of farm invasions before they
consider releasing any money.
Tsvangirai has made a priority of
trying to restore ties with international
lenders and the IMF sent a mission
to Zimbabwe just one month after he took
office. - ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Lizwe Sebatha Monday
18 May 2009
BULAWAYO - Only through divine
intervention can Zimbabwe be rescued
from crisis, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai said at the weekend.
The former opposition leader who
formed a unity government with
President Robert Mugabe to try to end years
of political strife, acute
recession and food shortages in Zimbabwe, urged
his compatriots to pray hard
to God for the success of the shaky unity
government.
"The only way we can rescue this country is when
Zimbabweans start
praying hard. We have to pray hard and ask God to save
this country . . .
without prayers, we will not go anywhere," said
Tsvangirai, who was speaking
at a memorial service for his late wife Susan
held in Bulawayo city on
Saturday.
About 400 people, among them
deputy prime minister Thokozani Khupe,
Cabinet ministers, parliamentarians,
local councillors and members of the
Methodist Church and other churches
attended the memorial service held at
Bulawayo's Large City
Hall.
Susan died in a car accident in March that left Tsvangirai
injured and
for a short while threatened to destabilise the unity government
until
Tsvangirai publicly rejected suspicions that the car crash may have
been an
attempt on his life by hardliner elements in Mugabe's ZANU PF party
opposed
to unity.
"We have to pray for the success of the unity
government and also ask
for a God-fearing leadership."
Tsvangirai, Mugabe, and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, the
leaders
of Zimbabwe's three main political parties, agreed to form a unity
government under a power-sharing deal brokered last year by former South
African President Thabo Mbeki on behalf of the regional Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC).
The coalition government is seen
as offering Zimbabwe the best
opportunity in a decade to restore stability
and end a devastating economic
and humanitarian crisis that had seen the
once prosperous country suffer
rampant inflation of more than 200 million
percent, acute food shortages
affecting more than half of the country's
population, record unemployment
and deepening poverty.
But the
success of the Harare administration hinges on its ability to
raise
financial support from rich Western countries that have however said
they
will not immediately help until they are convinced Mugabe is committed
to
genuinely share power with his former opposition foes. - ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Lizwe Sebatha Monday 18 May
2009
BULAWAYO - Fifteen youths from the former
opposition MDC formations
were arrested as an attempt to form a national
youth council collapsed in
violence at the weekend in Zimbabwe's second
largest city of Bulawayo.
According to witnesses elections to
choose a new inclusive Zimbabwe
Youth Council (ZYC) to mirror the unity
government between the MDC and
President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party had
to be called off after violence
broke out between the two
groups.
Police had to be called to quell violence at Mhlahlandlela
government
complex where the youths had gathered on Friday to choose the
ZYC.
The violence broke out after ZANU PF youths attempted to block
their
colleagues from the MDC from taking senior positions in the new
council
according to Deputy Youth Development Minister Thamsanqa Mahlangu,
who was
at Mhlahlandlela.
"There were clashes in Bulawayo
because ZANU PF youths want to
frustrate the MDC so that they grab all the
positions. The ZYC should be
inclusive just like the unity government. ZANU
PF has turned the youth
council into a party property," said Mahlangu, who
is a member of the MDC
formation led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Mahlangu said following the Friday clashes, his
department would
attempt to arrange fresh elections this week.
Riot police were called in to quell the clashes during the elections
for an
inclusive national youth council in the spirit of the unity
government.
The ZYC falls under the youth ministry and is
charged with, among
other key functions, facilitating training programmes
for the youths to
ensure they are empowered to participate in the
economy.
Although the council is funded by the taxpayer it had been
a preserve
of ZANU PF in the past years while the youth ministry was accused
of running
programmes to brainwash youths into zealots of Mugabe's party who
went
around the country committing violence and human rights abuses against
members of the opposition. - ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Sunday, 17 May
2009
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News)--ZIMBABWE has intensified efforts to
take
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the rural areas so
as to
improving the people's lives, a government minister has said.
Addressing business people in Sandton, Johannesburg on Thursday night,
Zimbabwe's Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Nelson
Chamisa, said as technology plays key role in development of any country but
Zimbabwe's rural areas, where the majority of the country lives, was lagging
behind due to a number of factors.
"Zimbabwe has a population that
is highly educated in the whole of
Africa, a huge literate rate which is
pegged at 98 percent. The main dilemma
faced with our people is that we do
not have PCs at schools, government
offices and households, hence the need
to work with the region, the
continent and the international
community.
"We have serious challenges such as internet speed which are
very
slow. AS the ministry of ICT, we intend to introduce information kiosks
in
the countryside so that our professionals deployed there find life
easier,"
said Chamisa.
He urged regional, continental and
international companies to invest
in the revival of the sector, particularly
in rural areas where a
significant number of professionals such as teachers,
health, agricultural
experts, scholars and other individuals dwell.
Chamisa, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the
ministry,
Engineer Sam Kundishora, said the government was also exploring
ways of
working with fellow Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, United Nations
Development
Progamme (UNDP), regional, and other interested ICTs from around
the globe
in that regard.
He said the country intends to lure back its citizens,
but experts in
ICT back to the country to start rebuilding the nation, as
well as offering
huge incentives as part of the attractive package.
CAJ News
http://www.zimdiaspora.com
Sunday, 17 May 2009
17:53
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission will call for by-elections in the
event
that the MDC decides to recall some of its Members of the House of
Assembly
who are accused of rebelling against the party, a constitutional
lawyer said
yesterday.
Speaking in a telephone interview from Harare last
night, the National
Constitutional Assembly chairman and constitutional law
lecturer at the
University of Zimbabwe, Dr Lovemore Madhuku, said according
to the
Constitution of Zimbabwe, by-elections would be held in the
constituencies
where the legislators have been recalled.
Dr Madhuku said
it was not true that there would be no by-elections because
of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA).
According to the GPA of 15 September 2008 Article
XXI, the three political
parties - Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC - agreed that:
"For a period of 12 months
from the date of signing of this agreement,
should any electoral vacancy
arise in respect of a local authority or
Parliamentary seat, for whatever
reason, only the party holding the seat
prior to the vacancy occurring shall
be entitled to nominate and field a
candidate to fill the seat subject to
that party complying with the rules
governing its internal democracy."
Dr Madhuku said however the agreement
could be breached by any of the three
political parties.
He was
responding to the case of suspended MDC legislators who are accused
of
bringing the party into disrepute.
MDC sources said the suspended legislators
could face the axe if found
guilty by the disciplinary committee.
The
affected are Mr Abednico Bhebhe (Nkayi South House of Assembly), Mr
Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East House of Assembly), and Mr Norman Mpofu
(Bulilima East) as well as national executive members, Mr Job Sikhala,
national youth assembly chairman, Mr Gift Nyandoro, and provincial executive
member Mr Alex Goosen.
The Gwanda North MP Thandeko Zinti Mnkandla and
Tsholotsho South MP Maxwell
Dube have also been summoned to a disciplinary
hearing.
"Under our laws if an MP is fired from the party, the seat becomes
vacant
and a by-election is called to fill the post," explained Dr
Madhuku.
He said under the GPA, the three parties would not contest each
other during
a by-election, meaning that the party which recalls its MP is
the one which
fields a candidate to contest other candidates from parties
outside the GPA
or independents.
Dr Madhuku added that a fired MP was
eligible to stand in the by-elections
either as an independent candidate or
on another political party's ticket.
He said by-elections for seats that fell
vacant after last year's general
elections such as that of the Speaker of
Parliament, Mr Lovemore Moyo who
represented Matobo North constituency, and
the Senate president Mrs Edna
Madzongwe (Chegutu Senate) should have long
been held.
The two were elected into their positions in August last
year.
Dr Madhuku said the Constitution stipulates that by-elections should be
held
within two months of a seat falling vacant..
"According to Section
38 and Section 39 of the Electoral Act, when a
Parliamentary seat falls
vacant, the Speaker or the president of the Senate
notify the President
after which the President is required to call for
proclamation of election
dates within 14 days.
"The election date has to fall within two months from
the date the seat fell
vacant," he said.
In response, the ZEC Chief
Elections Officer, Mr Lovemore Sekeramayi, said
the electoral body was
waiting for instructions from Parliament on when to
call for by-elections to
fill the vacant seats. Chronicle
http://www.herald.co.zw
Saturday,
May 16, 2009
Herald
Reporter
A LOCAL bakery has donated 1 000 loaves of bread to the Zimbabwe
Prison
Services and pledged to supply more than 3 500 loaves every day to
five
prisons around Harare for six months.
Bakers Inn, a subsidiary
of the Innscor Group, on Wednesday handed over the
bread to the ZPS as part
of their efforts to assist the department until the
economic situation in
the country stabilises.
Bakers Inn general manager Mr David Muchinguri
said they would be donating
more than 3 500 loaves to five prisons
daily.
The institutions are Harare Central Remand Prison, Harare Central
Prison,
Chikurubi Maximum Security, Chikurubi Farm Prison and Chikurubi
Female
Prison.
He said the allocations would be according to the
number of inmates at a
particular prison.
Chikurubi Maximum Security
Prison has the highest population among the
country's correctional
institutions.
The donation comes at a time the ZPS is battling to improve
the living
conditions at its prison complexes.
The organisation has
appealed for donations of food, medication and blankets
for inmates as the
winter season sets in.
Speaking at the occasion, Commissioner of Prisons
Retired Major-General
Paradzai Zimondi urged all local well-wishers to chip
in with donations
instead of waiting for central Government and foreign
donors to assist.
"We must not depend on outside donors only but local
stakeholders must also
help because the inmates belong to everyone in the
community," he said.
Rtd Maj-Gen Zimondi said the aim of sending people
to prison was to
rehabilitate them so that they would come out as
responsible members of
society.
"It is, therefore, pleasing to note
that organisations like Bakers Inn have
come to realise that the
rehabilitation of inmates is not a prerogative of
the prisons alone, but
calls for the intervention of various players," Rtd
Maj-Gen Zimondi
said.
He said Government was doing its best to help but the ZPS budget
allocation
was not enough for the upkeep of prisoners.
Rtd Maj-Gen
Zimondi said they had prison farms that could be of major help
in feeding
inmates.
"We have many prison farms that can grow food to benefit the
inmates but our
problem is that we lack some inputs like seeds, fertilizer
and diesel. So
anyone is welcome to help with anything," he
said.
Bakers Inn has in the past donated water tanks and a booster pump
to
Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, a move that has seen inmates
benefiting
from clean water supplies.
http://www.universityworldnews.com/
17 May 2009
Issue:
0029
Academics and student leaders have called on the Zimbabwe
government to
implement educational and political reforms to attract much
needed donor
funding which could save the education sector from
collapse.
The indefinite closure of the country's oldest institution of
higher
learning, the University of Zimbabwe, because of lack of water,
malfunctioning toilets and absence of teaching resources is a microcosm of
the situation at all state-run universities.
To compound the
situation, starting this year the university started
charging fees in
foreign currency But, because of the economic crisis, few
parents can afford
to raise the required amounts so only 68 students out of
an enrolment of
12,000 paid their fees.
The country's new unity government, formed by
rivals President Robert Mugabe
and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, said
Zimbabwe required US$8.3-billion
to rebuild the economy and restore services
such as education, with much of
the funding expected to come from sceptical
Western donors.
Coordinator of the Zimbabwe National Students Union
(Zinasu), Washington
Katema, said reforms were needed to get donor support
and halt the rot.
"We will not get donor support any time soon. Reforms
are needed:
impartiality of the judiciary, the rule of law and respect of
human rights,"
said Katema. "The inclusive government must show concrete
reforms,
especially institutional reforms. A paradigm shift is
needed."
Reforms were also needed at the University of Zimbabwe, he said:
"The
management control and accounting systems at the UZ are very fragile so
donors are scarred. There is excess interference by the executive in the
day-to-day running of the institution while Vice-chancellor Levi Nyagura is
a political appointee which compromises his job."
The UZ system was
certainly authoritarian. Since 2002, more students have
been expelled at the
UZ than at any other institution south of the Sahara.
"There must be
institutional autonomy and academic freedoms for donors to
chip in," added
Katema.
John Makumbe, a political science professor at the university
said: "No
donor will come to our aid for as long as Mugabe is opposed to
reforms. He
should solve all the outstanding issues, without that no donor
would come to
us."
Issues include the continuing presence of the
country's Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono who has been accused
of raiding foreign
currency accounts of institutions of higher learning
among others, as well
as the country's attorney-general, ambassadors and
governors.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Sunday, 17 May
2009
BULAWAYO - Zapu's withdrawal from President Robert Mugabe's
Zanu-PF
party was formally endorsed at that party's special congress on
Saturday
where delegates resolved to pursue legal means to recover party
properties
that were illegally grabbed by Mugabe's government.
The
properties were confiscated by the government in the early 1980s.
"The congress resolved that Zapu withdraws from the Unity Accord with
Zanu-PF forthwith and that the party political structures cease to operate
under the title Zanu-PF and resume the title ZAPU.
"We agreed that
an inventory of the properties illegally confiscated
by the Zanu-PF
government be made and all legal means will be pursued to
recover the
properties," Dumiso Dabengwa, the Zapu chairman said.
The special
congress was held at Mzilikazi's McDonald Hall, five
months after
disgruntled Zanu PF heavy weights initiated the breakaway and
was attended
by about 1000 delegates.
The properties, which were run by Nitram
Holdings, include buildings
such as Magnet House, the regional headquarters
of the Central Intelligence
Organisation, Davies Hall which houses Zanu PF
regional offices, Castle Arms
Motel, and several companies and
farms.
The properties were purchased through contributions by former
Zipra
fighters from their 1980-demobilisation payouts.
After the
unity accord in 1987, President Robert Mugabe refused to
hand back the PF
Zapu properties seized in 1982 during the height of
Gukurahundi in
Matabeleland and Midlands.
In 2004, Zanu PF claimed the properties had
been returned to PF Zapu,
but this was denied by its former leaders who said
the properties were in
the hands of third parties linked to the ruling
party.
Delegates to the Zapu congress agreed that the party's interim
executive remains in office to carry out a restructuring exercise, to
establish sub-committees to review the party constitution, party policies
and procedures.
The congress resolved that an interim council of
the Elders made of
persons over 60 years be established at all levels to
"advise and give
guidance and to recommend that it be a permanent feature of
the party
constitution."
Zapu was founded by the late
Vice-President Joshua Nkomo in December
1961 and along Zanu PF prosecuted
the country's liberation war.
The party was forced into the Unity
Accord after the North Korean
trained 5 Brigade launched an assault on
people in its strongholds of
Matabeleland and the Midlands, where more than
20 000 civilians were killed
for supporting Zapu.
The marriage was
characterized by bickering over the old Zanu PF's
refusal to fulfill
commitments it made in the agreement such as rotating the
party's
leadership, changing party symbols and giving equal opportunities to
cadres
from Zipra and Zanla, their former military wings.
By Natasha Hove
http://news.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2009-05-18
04:59:59
HARARE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 300 tractors and
other
farming implements arrived in Zimbabwe from China last week under a
40-million-U.S. dollar government-supported scheme being facilitated by
Farmers World Holdings, The Sunday Mail said.
Other
implements in the consignment include 300 disc harrows, 300
ploughs, more
than 100 generators of different sizes, excavators, front-end
loaders, 300
reapers, 30-ton trucks, 10-tonne trucks, 30 combine harvesters,
electric
motors for irrigation, irrigation sprinklers and pipes, the
newspaper
said.
This is the second phase of the program run by Farmers
World in
partnership with the government.
The first phase
was launched in 2006 with 25 million dollars worth
of implements being
delivered to the country.
Officiating at a function to receive
the consignment at Farmers
World Holdings premises in Msasa, the Minister of
Agriculture and
Mechanisation, Joseph Made, said such companies as Farmers
World Holdings
would continue to receive government support as they were
supporting the
land reform program.
Made said Zimbabwe
should not continue talking about the land
reform program without talking
about equipping the farmers who already have
the land.
"We
now have to talk about farmers being equipped to enhance the
farming
operations and productivity. As you can see, the equipment coming is
more
sophisticated in terms of efficiency," said Made.
He said
farmers benefiting under such schemes should be aware that
the equipment
needs to be serviced and paid for.
Farmers World chief
executive Edward Raradza said the consignment
that arrived last week had 384
tractors of different sizes. Raradza said
farmers needing the equipment were
expected to pay a 20 percent deposit. The
balance was to be paid over five
years at an interest rate of 4 percent.
He said those without
cash for deposit could pay using their
current crops or livestock with a
value equivalent to 20 percent deposit.
The prices of the tractors will
range from 28,000 dollars to 61,000 dollars.
Farmers were urged to buy
generators to guarantee power supplies, especially
during the winter wheat
season.
Raradza said only productive farmers were expected to
benefit
under the scheme as was the case in the previous one. "We want
productive
farmers only to come forward for the equipment. Our teams are
there to visit
the farmers who want to access the equipment to check on
their
productivity."
He said all the equipment was fully
insured unlike in the first
phase where farmers were required to insure on
their own.
http://sundaystandard.info
by Pindai Dube in
Bulawayo
17.05.2009 12:13:43 P
Overburdened workers in Zimbabwe's
second city, Bulawayo, have cried out to
the inclusive government to put a
fixed exchange rate following a rapid
fluctuation of the United States
dollar to the South African Rand.
Shops and supermarkets in the second
city prefer the Rand against other
currencies like the US $ and the Botswana
pula.
However, the fluctuation of the US $ to South Africa Rand exchange
rate in
Bulawayo on a weekly basis has seen many workers failing to buy most
basics,
a situation that has sparked an outcry.
Shops and
supermarkets in Bulawayo last week were saying US$10 traded at 85
Rand, down
from 90 rand and 100 Rand.
"At this rate, the money changers will quickly
find their way back to
business. I now cannot afford to buy the same basics
that I bought last
month because of this exchange rate," said Sibuyile Nyoni
from Entumbane.
A civil servant who earns US$100 is left with 850 Rand
yet in April the
monthly salary was worth 1000 rands.
According to
the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, a family of five requires
US$427 to
survive in a month. In other cities the figure is about 4270 rand
but in
Bulawayo it is worth R3570.
Belinda Shoko added: "Why is it that it is
only in Bulawayo where the US $
is said to be losing value against the
rand?
"There should be a fixed exchange rate to protect workers against
profiteering shops and supermarkets who still suffer from the Zimbabwe
dollar hangover."
The country adopted stable multiple foreign
currencies after dumping the
hyper-inflated local unit.
The
government says the Zimbabwe dollar that was made worthless by ravaging
inflation remains suspended for a period exceeding a year.
Prices
that were priced beyond reach at the height of the Zimbabwe dollar
crisis
are falling but are however on an upward trend in Bulawayo because of
the
fluctuation of the US $ to the rand as a result of various distortions
to
the exchange rate.
Comfort Muchekeza, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe
(CCZ) spokesperson,
urged consumers to "boycott shops and supermarkets
devaluing the US $ to the
rand, saying "this is the only way sanity can
prevail".
"The only way to deal with these profiteers is to boycott such
shops and
supermarkets," Muchekeza said.
However, Obert Sibanda of
the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC)
defended shops and
supermarkets that are devaluing the US $ against the SA
rand, saying they
are employing a realistic exchange rate.
"Businesses are being realistic
in Bulawayo. Businesses in other cities are
using a false US$ to SA rand
exchange rate. The rand is firming and
businesses in Bulawayo are responding
to the way the rand moves," Sibanda
said on Thursday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2009-05-18
05:01:01
HARARE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwe government is
planning to
open information centers in five strategic countries and to
expand
international media coverage of Zimbabwe as it moves to promote the
country
as a potential investment hub, The Sunday
Mailreported.
The initiative ties in with the objectives of
last month's
ministerial retreat in Victoria Falls, which are aimed at
achieving a quick
revival of the country's economy.
The
Secretary for Media, Information and Publicity George Charamba
told the
House of Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and
Communication Technology on Thursday that his ministry was working on
recreating a positive image of Zimbabwe.
Although he did
not give time-frames for the implementation of the
initiative, Charamba said
information attaches would be dispatched to South
Africa, Malaysia, China,
Britain and the US to spearhead the marketing
program.
"The
country needs to shed the negative image of the past," he
told the
committee, whose objective on the day was to acquaint itself with
the
ministry's operations. Under the program, the information centres will
disseminate information on the inclusive government and Zimbabwe's various
tourist attractions.
The ministry's international
communication directorate will
superintend the centers' functions while
collaborating with the relevant
government portfolios on areas of common
focus. Charamba said the formation
of the inclusive government had opened a
window for Zimbabwe to portray a
positive image of itself
internationally.
He said this and the country's tourist
attractions would be at the
center of his ministry's marketing
efforts.
"The negative (image of the country) has been because
of the
political situation and this has been dealt with through the
inclusive
government. If we sort out our image mess back home thatwill
reflect
outwardly," he said.
"So this is our foremost
point: The fundamental issue is that
Zimbabwe has rediscovered itself and
that we are working in unison. We are
also piggybacking our image via our
natural attractions, as this has been
identified as critical for the quick
turnaround of our economy."
The Secretary added that South
Africa was a target market because
of its business and investment value.
Malaysia and China, which share strong
historical ties with Zimbabwe, are
centrally placed in the Far East, making
them good business partners and
springboards to other Asian markets.
"China is an emerging
economic giant. In fact, the West is turning
East for its economic
turnaround. It is therefore important for an
information attache to be based
in Beijing and other emerging growth points
in that
country.
"London (in Britain), whatever the ups and downs of
our relations,
we need an attache there whether we like it or not. It is a
critical market
and will also be a springboard for us to reach Paris,
Frankfurt and other
capitals within range."
Charamba also
told the committee, which is chaired by the Member
of the House of Assembly
for Southert on Gift Chimanikire, that his ministry
was also considering
reaching international audiences through digital media.
Among
such media is satellite television, which would probably
require
collaboration between Zimbabwe and fellow Southern Africancountries.
Questioned by committee member and Mutare North Member of the House of
Assembly Charles Pemhenayi on the measures that his ministry has put in
place to ensure Zimbabwe receives positive international media coverage, he
said the international communication directorate was handling this
area.
He revealed that the government has been engaging the BBC
and CNN
with a view to securing their coverage in addition to the work that
various
foreign journalists are already carrying out
locally.
"Zimbabwe is exposed to the international media, as
different
foreign journalists have been operating here for some time now.
There is,
however, a dogged perception that we are an impermissible
environment as
what is referred to as the international media is the CNN and
BBC," he said.
"We would want to remind the CNN that they are
not banned from
this country. Nothing was given either orally or in writing,
stating that
they had been banned. It is just that they took a solidarity
boycott with
the BBC after we had said the latter was representing political
interests.
"We have taken the decision that they must be
engaged: Overtures
have been made to both media organisations, and the BBC
have said they'll be
coming over while the CNN's coverage would be from
South Africa."
http://www.iol.co.za
May 17 2009 at
07:27PM
A rally for Zimbabweans in South Africa was held in
Pretoria East, the
Movement for Democratic Change said on
Sunday.
"[MDC] leaders...told them to brace for a mass trip back to
Zimbabwe
to start rebuilding the country," said spokesperson Sibanengi
Dube.
He said the rally was held in a "squatter settlement" where
close to
2000 Zimbabweans live and do "menial work" in the construction
industry.
"All the Zimbabweans had one request to their leaders.
They all want
to go back home."
He said a district structure of
the MDC was established in Pretoria to
facilitate this process.
Various leaders of the party for the area were also elected. - Sapa
The government of national unity may have reached its first hundred days but the Vigil is resigned to a long struggle until our mission statement is accomplished – to see internationally-monitored free and fair elections.
With the continuing failure to observe the ‘Global Political Agreement’, members of the Vigil management team discussed our way forward and next Saturday we are to hold our first forum. Many of us gather after the Vigil at the nearby Theodore Bullfrog pub. The plan is that once a month we will book a private room at the Bullfrog where we can discuss ideas and get to know each other better. Every week there are dozens of newcomers at the Vigil and we want to engage them more on what the Vigil is about.
One of the subjects we’ll be discussing at the forum is the asylum issue. Many people are questioned at asylum hearings about their attendance at the Vigil and we want people to know what to say. The Vigil is not an asylum organisation: we point people to our partner organisation the Zimbabwe Association. But we write letters for regular attenders, though Vigil Co-ordinator Dumi Tutani stressed ‘The Vigil is really about human rights at home’.
Another matter we want to clarify is the relationship between the Vigil and our partner organisation Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe, whose activities in Britain are becoming more widespread.
Other points: Our luck held out and the threatened rain failed to materialize. We are very vulnerable at present as we are unable to use our tarpaulin because of a temporary invasion of our space by the water board.
Thanks to the extra people who helped look after the two tables this week: Eunita Masolo, Priscilla Kwembeya and Rebecca Rutsito.
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/
FOR THE RECORD: 249 signed the register.
FOR YOUR DIARY:
· Central London Zimbabwe Forum. Monday 18th May at 7.30 pm. A discussion on why the GNU is failing. Venue: Bell and Compass, 9-11 Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NA, next to Charing Cross Station at the corner of Villiers Street and John Adam Street.
· First Zimbabwe Vigil Forum. Saturday 23rd May at 6.30 pm. Upstairs at the Theodore Bullfrog, John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HL.
· ROHR Milton Keynes launch meeting. Saturday 23rd May from 1.30 – 5.30 pm. Venue: The Old Bath House, 205 Stratford Road, Wolverton, Milton Keynes MK12 5RL. Contact Martha Jiya 07727016098, Josephine Sibongile Phiri 07853572982 / 07930276126, P Mandere 07946717754 or P Mapfumo 07915926323 / 07932216070.
· ROHR Northampton and Kettering general meeting. Saturday, 30th May from 1.30 – 5.30 pm. Venue: St Mary's Church, Abbey Road, Northampton, NN4 8EZ. Rohr President and Executive plus a well known lawyer present. Substantive committee to be elected. Contact: Norian Chindowa 07954379426, A Chimimba 07799855806, Willard Mudonzvo 07591686724, Marshall Rusike 07884246888, Hazvineyi Masuka 07795164664, P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070.
· ROHR Brighton general meeting. Saturday, 30th May from 1.30 – 5.30 pm. Venue: The Community Base, Queens Road, Brighton. Some committee gap fillings to be done. Contact: Sinikiwe Dube 07824668763, Phyllis Chibanguza 07908406069/07535936460, Seph Mpofu 07786164808 or P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070.
· ROHR West Bromwich launch meeting. Saturday, 6th June from 1.30 – 5.30 pm. Venue: West Bromwich Town Hall, High Street, B70 8DT. Contact: Pamela Dunduru 07958386718, Rejoice Moyo 07884126754 or P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070
· Service of solidarity with the torture survivors of Zimbabwe. Friday 26th June from 7 – 8 pm. Venue: Southwark Cathedral. This is the 8th year the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum has marked UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. For more information, visit: http://www.hrforumzim.com.
· Zimbabwe Association’s Women’s Weekly Drop-in Centre. Fridays 10.30 am – 4 pm. Venue: The Fire Station Community and ICT Centre, 84 Mayton Street, London N7 6QT, Tel: 020 7607 9764. Nearest underground: Finsbury Park. For more information contact the Zimbabwe Association 020 7549 0355 (open Tuesdays and Thursdays).
Vigil Co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.
http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/4131
Will someone please explain this amazing
metamorphosis by the Zimbabwe
Republic Police?
Two months ago we were
considered so lawless that we were second only to the
Wild Wild West; now we
are locked down by laws all over the place! Don't get
me wrong - I love
rules, laws and regulations, but the police are now often
seriously
overstepping the mark.
This time last year it was "anything goes" - laws
were obviously made only
to be broken, and most of them were being broken by
the police themselves.
Bribery and corruption were rife, running a traffic
light (yes some of them
actually worked a year ago !) was tossed off with an
open bribe, either at
the scene or at the court room.
I am the first
to admit that we were a kamikaze nation for some considerable
time, and the
fact of the matter remains that the police were being paid so
badly that
they perceived their only recourse was to "supplement their
income" .. You
know how!
Why now are they going full tilt to uphold the "laws"
?
Is it something that Tendai Biti may have said about "Whatever ye shall
harvest so shall ye reap "? (my misquote .)
Suddenly there are
traffic-fine books where there were none to be found;
suddenly there are
roadblocks everywhere, and those manning them are
genuinely looking for
vehicle defects, for culprits talking on cell phones,
for drivers and
passengers not wearing their seat belts.
It is heartening to see the
officers of the law actually upholding the law
instead of anxiously seeking
'weapons', forex or opposition party activists
as they did in the
past.
The police are now going demented to try and make amends for their
previous
wicked wicked ways and in so doing, seriously overstepping the mark
in many
instances.
However blind eyes are still being turned by some
members of the force,
especially now as fines and bribes are in
forex.
Horrific tales are being told of treatment at roadblocks by men
and women in
uniform or in plain clothes, and instead of standing up for our
rights, we
are still subjugated by many years of political fear.
We
must get to know our rights, just as the police are re-learning the laws
of
the land again.
But is this new found legal bravado real? Or is it a
means to an end? One
likes to hope - one prays in fact - that it is the
beginning of a new
Zimbabwe, that the law is tired of making an ass of
itself, and that peace
and the absence of fear of the lawmakers, will once
again prosper in our
Zimbabwe.
So the next time a policeman hauls you
over for an unnecessary and insane
reason - bite your tongue, don't be
scared, and remember - "Peace and
prosperity prevails when citizens are law
abiding."
This entry was posted by a Bulawayo activist on Sunday,
May 17th, 2009
BILL WATCH
SPECIAL
[17th May
2009]
The Report of the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission [ZEC] on the 2008 Elections was tabled in Parliament on 13th May. It
covers the harmonised elections of 29th March and the Presidential Run-Off
Elections and House of Assembly by-elections of 27th June. The report was
submitted to the President on 19th March and subsequently to the other official
recipients [the Speaker, the President of the Senate, the Minister of
Justice and Legal Affairs and the
participating political parties – it was not for public
release until it was tabled in Parliament]. The report is very late. Legally
it should have been submitted by 30th December 2008, six months after the
announcement of the result of the Presidential run-off election [
The Report's conclusion is: "The Commission is satisfied that it conducted the
first and second elections efficiently, freely, fairly, transparently and in
accordance with the law". On violence in the run-up to the 27th June
elections it states: "According to the
police, save for some parts of Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East
provinces where some incidents of inter-party violence were reported, the rest
of the country was generally peaceful." In response to allegations
of lack of transparency in the processing of postal votes, particularly
allegations that security force members were told who to vote for by their
superiors, the Commission describes the allegations as "unsubstantiated". [Text of report excluding
annexures available on request.]
By-Elections
What the IPA says about
by-elections
It is frequently
assumed that the IPA lays down that there will be no by-elections until after
15th September [twelve months after the signing of the IPA]. That is
incorrect. The IPA states that during those twelve months "should any electoral vacancy arise in respect of a
local authority or parliamentary seat, for whatever reason, only the party
holding that seat prior to the vacancy occurring shall be entitled to nominate
and field a candidate to fill the seat subject to that party complying with the
rules governing its internal democracy" [IPA,
Article 21.1]. In other words, the
three parties agree not to stand against each other in by-elections – but this
cannot prevent other parties or independent candidates from exercising their
legal right to contest by-elections under the Electoral Act and the
Constitution.
Vacancies requiring
by-elections
There are four vacant
constituency seats in the House of Assembly and three in the Senate. All these
vacancies have to be filled by by-election. As all the vacancies occurred
before the end of last year, the by-elections are now long overdue – under the
Electoral Act the presidential proclamations calling the by-elections should
have been gazetted within fourteen days after Parliament notified the President
of the vacancies and correctly that notification should have been given
immediately each seat fell vacant. The vacancies are:
House of
Assembly:
·
Gokwe-Gumunyu
[resulting from the death of the ZANU-PF incumbent]
·
Matobo North
[seat vacated by Mr. Moyo on election as Speaker]
·
Guruve North
[resulting from the death of the ZANU-PF incumbent]
·
Bindura
North [resulting from the death of the ZANU-PF
incumbent]
Senate:
·
Chegutu
[seat vacated by Mrs Madzongwe on election as Senate
President]
·
Chiredzi
[seat vacated by Mr Maluleke on appointment as a Provincial Governor,
Masvingo]
·
Gokwe South
[seat vacated by Mr Machaya on appointment as Provincial Governor,
Recent
conviction and sentencing of MP
A recent court
decision in Manicaland has resulted in one MDC-T MP being suspended from
Parliament pending his appeal. If his appeal to the High Court fails he may
appeal to the Supreme Court. Only if the final appeal decision upholds his
sentence would his seat be subject to a by-election.
Under section 42 of
the Constitution a member
convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to six months or more imprisonment
is immediately suspended without pay and allowances, and will automatically lose
his or her seat 30 days later unless he or she appeals or applies for a pardon
within the 30 days, in which case the outcome of the appeal or application must
be awaited before the matter is finalised. This is the provision hanging over
Chipinge East MP Mathias Mlambo [MDC-T], recently sentenced
to 10 months imprisonment [See
below for details of charges]. As he has appealed,
he is still an MP, but suspended from carrying out his functions pending
decision on his appeal – which reduces MDC-T voting strength in
the House of
Assembly by one.
Under section
43, a member convicted
of a criminal offence and sentenced to a fine or to imprisonment for less
than 6 months may lose his or her seat if the House concerned resolves by ⅔
of its total membership to expel him or her as being unfit to continue as a
member. With the present division of seats in the House of
Assembly, the ⅔ vote
requirement makes it unlikely this provision will be invoked unless there is
inter-party consensus on a particular MP's unfitness to continue in
office.
The trial of another
MDC-T MP, Meki Makuyana
[Chipinge South], is ongoing [see
below for charges]; he, too,
may fall foul of section 42 if convicted and sentenced to 6 months or more
imprisonment.
IF
one or both of these
MPs lose their seats, because of the length of the appeals process, any
by-elections to replace them would be likely to fall outside the IPA agreement
of the major parties not fielding candidates for 12 months.
Suspension
of MDC-M MPs by their Party
Five MDC-M MPs have now
been suspended by their party pending disciplinary proceedings. All hold
These suspensions do
not affect their position in Parliament, but if the ensuing disciplinary
proceedings result in expulsions from the party [or if any of them leave the
party voluntarily], they may lose their seats – because MDC-M would then be able
to terminate their membership of Parliament by notifying the Speaker that they
have "ceased
to represent its interests in Parliament" [Constitution, section
41(1)(e)].
That notification
would result in their immediately vacating their Parliamentary seats,
necessitating by-elections. Pending the by-elections the combined MDC voting
strength in the House of
Assembly would be reduced by
the number of MPs unseated.
The unseated MPs would
be entitled to stand in their former constituencies as independents against
candidates put up by MDC-M to replace them. That would not be contrary to IPA.
The other two parties to the IPA would presumably honour the IPA and not openly
field candidates, but individuals from one of the parties could conceivably try
their luck as “independents”. Other smaller parties are free to stand and as
all the seats are in
.Comment
·
The
results of the urgent by-elections for the 4 House of Assembly and 3 Senate
seats may shift the voting balance in Parliament
·
The
suspension of 1 MDC-T MP has temporarily reduced MDC-T’s voting power by 1 in
the House of Assembly. Depending on the outcome of the trial of the second
MDC-T MP this loss could increase to 2
·
If the 5
Matabeleland MPs are expelled from MDC-M, they will no doubt stand in their
former constituencies in the subsequent by-elections and if returned are likely
to vote with MDC-T on major issues. But other independents or representatives
from smaller parties could be returned and may form shifting alliances
·
Any
reduction of the number of MDC-M MPs could affect its influence in the inclusive
government. It may call into question that party’s allocation of Ministers and
Deputy Ministers. Also membership of Parliamentary Committees is according to
party representation in Parliament, so it could lead to having to reconstitute
some of these committees, e.g. the Select Committee on the
Constitution
·
With
voting numbers shifting in Parliament, ZANU-PF may be more adamant about not
relinquishing provincial Governorships [Governors have seats in the
Senate
·
By-elections may
mean election-related
violence once again rearing its ugly head
·
By-elections would
have to be carried out by ZEC as the new Electoral Commission is not yet in
place.
Details
of Court Cases
Chipinge East MP
Mathias Mlambo [MDC-T] was charged with defeating or obstructing the course of
justice and sentenced to 10 months imprisonment in the regional court in
Chipinge. The State case was that the police came to an MDC-T funeral seeking a
suspect in an assault case that had occurred at the funeral earlier, and that Mr
Mlambo chanted slogans rousing the mourners against the police, resulting in the
police being chased away without having found the wanted person. Mr Mlambo
denied chanting such slogans and said he had co-operated with the police. His
version was supported by the priest and a mourner. An unusual aspect of this
case was that, unlike most other court cases, it was completed within about a
month of Mr Mlambo’s arrest in early April.
The charge against Mr
Makuyana is that in December 2008 at an MDC-T rally Mr Makuyana and the three
others accused kidnapped two ZANU-PF activists. The defence say that the
complainants were not kidnapped, but were subjected to a citizen’s arrest for
disrupting the rally and taken to the police. The case has been adjourned until
27th May.
Veritas makes
every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal
responsibility for information supplied.
http://www.nehandaradio.com
18 May 2009
By Doreen
Mutemeri
Journalist, blogger and Simba Makoni spokesman Denford Magora
has within a
short period of time catapulted himself to some relative
prominence via his
'Live from Zimbabwe blog'. A journalist friend of mine
told me how useful
his posts are in terms of their chasing of stories in the
newsroom and
field.
Sadly that is where his relevance starts and
ends. Magora is a master at
extending the truth. I have over time observed
how he will pick up one slice
of truth and make a whole loaf of news based
on his opinion or
interpretation of events. He has become as dangerous to
the profession as
the online websites he so constantly attacks.
Here
is my problem. The moment you have Simba Makoni's spokesman writing a
blog
on Zimbabwe, its very easy to work out his maths. Prop up Makoni by
attacking Tsvangirai especially because he is the people's choice while
occassionally throwing some attacks at Mugabe to prevent the whole charade
from being blown up easily.
We all know Simba Makoni is the source of
all his 'so called scoops'. Given
the dynamics of last years CIO vs Army
infighting over Makoni's presidential
aspirations it is pretty clear even
for those with half a brain that the
Central Intelligence Organisation is
providing Magora via Makoni most of
these 'scoops' from the corridors of
power.
But Magora is not good at propaganda. Propaganda has to be
convincing. The
venom and sometimes childish abuse he hurls at Tsvangirai
exposes him for
what he is and what he is trying to achieve for his losing
boss. I would
pretty much bet my entire fortune on predicting that Simba
Makoni will never
be as half as popular as Tsvangirai. That is what Magora
knows and is trying
to reverse.
So the blog 'Live from Zimbabwe' has
simply become an anti-Tsvangirai rant,
throwing bones of truth here and
there to divert Zimbabweans from the prize,
which is 'incremental
democratization.' We all know Mugabe will be a
complete nuisance for some
time, but at 85 years old, age will eventually
come to our relief.