IMF setting up Zim trust fund: Biti

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Edith Kaseke Friday 01 May 2009

HARARE - Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Tendai Biti on Thursday said the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) was setting up a trust fund to coordinate
donor funds to try rescuing the shaky unity government of President Robert
Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

The southern African country is desperately seeking US$2 billion in
emergency funding and US$8 billion in the long term to help stabilise an
economy ravaged by a decade of hyper-inflation, unemployment above 90
percent and political violence.

But key Western donors have not been forthcoming, demanding that the
government carry out far reaching political and media reforms and bring an
end to a fresh wave of farm invasions before they consider releasing any
money.

Biti said the IMF and the World Bank had agreed to set up the trust fund
during the just ended Spring Meeting of the Brettonwoods institutions in
Washington.

"The IMF has agreed to set up a trust fund to mobilise resources for
Zimbabwe," Biti told the BBC in London yesterday but did not give details.

Senior government officials said the fund was intended to bypass Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Gideon Gono, whom critics accuse of printing
money and raiding private accounts to shore up Mugabe's previous government.

Gono's re-appointment is being contested by Tsvangirai and a smaller faction
of the Movement for Democratic Change. Donors also want Gono removed from
RBZ.

Zimbabwe owed the IMF US$89 million while the country's arrears with the
World Bank stood at US$600 million. The African Development Bank says it was
owed US$429 million as of last June.

The Finance Minister met British Foreign Secretary David Milliband and the
secretary for Africa, Mark Malloch-Brown yesterday but details of their
meeting were not immediately available.

Biti said the IMF projected that Zimbabwe would require more than US$40
billion to stabilise the country and restore it to mid 1990s level when the
country was the second largest economy in southern Africa after South
Africa.

"The IMF in its latest report says that we will need US$45 billion between
now and 2015 to return Zimbabwe's economy to the level it was in 1996," Biti
said.

Economic analysts said the figure showed that Zimbabwe's economic collapse
was more severe than initially imagined and that it would take at least a
decade to stabilise.

Zimbabwe has become a basket case of the region, relying on food handouts
after the commercial farming sector was plunged into chaos following Mugabe's
decision to arbitrary seize white-owned commercial farms to resettle poorly
equipped blacks.

"There is no one, including the IMF itself, who will put such amount of
money on the table and it means the scale of economic damage is far greater
than what we have all been saying," John Robertson Robertson, a consultant
economist said.

The key sectors of the economy, agriculture, mining, tourism and
manufacturing are all struggling and need huge foreign currency injection to
raise production from the current average 15 percent capacity.

African countries have so far pledged US$400 million in credit lines to
critical industries such as food processing and fertiliser manufacturing,
Biti said. - ZimOnline

Mugabe invited to Zuma inauguration

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Norest Musvaba Friday 01 May 2009

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa on Thursday said it had invited Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe to attend the inauguration of African National
Congress (ANC) party leader Jacob Zuma as the country's next president.

Zuma, whose ruling ANC party won a sweeping election victory last week
although falling just short of the two-thirds majority needed to ensure a
parliamentary majority big enough to make constitutional changes
unchallenged, will be inaugurated as South Africa's third democratically
elected president on May 9.

The South African foreign affairs department, which is responsible for
inviting foreign dignitaries said that only heads of states can be invited
and they had in accordance with state protocol invited Mugabe only and not
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"The invitations are for heads of states. There is only one head of state in
Zimbabwe so the invitation goes to the head of state, that's it," foreign
affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said.

It will be up to Mugabe as president to extend the invitation to Tsvangirai.

"We invite the president who is the head of state and government. Unless the
president refers to the prime minister, the president is invited."

The foreign affairs department on Wednesday said 21 heads of state have so
far confirmed they will be attending Zuma's inauguration and 20 other
countries would be represented mostly by their foreign ministers and special
envoys.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai formed 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).

Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister last February to open a new
chapter of cooperation with Mugabe who remained President, immediately
sparking hope that Zimbabweans will see their country finally emerge from a
decade of economic and political crisis.

Zimbabwe's Ambassador to South Africa Simon Kaya Moyo when contacted for
comment said the issue of who is coming or accompanying Mugabe to Zuma's
inauguration is an internal matter between Zimbabwean politicians.

"This is an internal matter because the invitation is sent to the head of
state, in this case the president who will then choose the delegates whom he
wants to accompany him. We are all waiting to hear from home (Zimbabwe). At
this moment I can't confirm that Prime Minister is not coming because I
haven't received the list but hope will receive it soon," Moyo said.

Zuma who has been outspoken against Mugabe's autocratic rule has said that
under his rule South Africa will continue with its efforts to find lasting
solutions to political problems  in neighbouring Zimbabwe and other
flashpoints in Africa. - ZimOnline

Power outages set to continue for Zimbabwe

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Nokuthula Sibanda Friday 01 May 2009

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe is set to continue facing serious power outages
during the winter period, as only one out five thermal power generators is
operational, Industry Minister Welshman Ncube said on Thursday.

"Currently four ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority)
generators are down and only one is operational. Even if the generators were
working, there are difficulties in accessing coal from Hwange because of
problems associated with their dragline," Ncube told journalist in Bulawayo
on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).

"Of the five generators at Hwange only one is functional, while four
generators are offline. We are currently experiencing a 15 percent power
outage," added Ncube.

Ncube said US$2 million was required to repair the dragline at Hwange
coal mine and that the work to fix the machine would take two months to
complete.

In the event the dragline was fixed, coal availability at ZESA thermal
power stations would still be affected by inability by the National Railways
of Zimbabwe to move coal timeously, according to Ncube.

Like most major national infrastructure, ZESA's power stations and
transmission grid have crumbled due to under-funding and downright neglect
after a decade of acute recession that has left Zimbabwe requiring billions
of dollars in aid to restore basic services and repair its damaged
infrastructure.

Zimbabwean cities have to sometimes go for several days without
electricity because of breakdowns at ZESA's archaic power stations or on the
transmission network, while failure by the state energy utility to pay for
coal has seen some of its thermal power stations having to operate below
capacity at times. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe Police Compiling Information on 2008 Wave of Political Violence

http://www.voanews.com/



By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
30 April 2009

The Zimbabwean police on orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs are
compiling information on political violence committed last year in the
period between the March 29 elections and the June 27 presidential runoff,
Home Affairs Co-Minister Giles Mutsekwa said Thursday.

Since the installation of a national unity government in February, many more
victims of that wave of political violence have come forward to file
complaints with police in hopes that the government will take action on
those complaints against the alleged perpetrators.

Some 2,000 new reports have been filed with the police since the government
was installed, according to a report in the Zimbabwe Times, an online
publication.

The former opposition Movement for Democratic Change of Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, now in majority in parliament, has charged that nearly
300 of its officials and members were killed during that period while
thousands more were injured.

But no major investigation has been launched into the violence, which many
observers have accused the state, under President Robert Mugabe, of
organizing.

Mutsekwa, a member of Mr. Tsvangirai's formation of the MDC, shares control
of the Home Affairs Ministry with Kembo Mohadi of Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party, said his ministry is encouraging victims to file reports with the
police or local civil authorities.

Mutsekwa told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that
his ministry has instructed the police to thoroughly investigate violence
allegations.

VOA was unable to reach Mohadi for comment on the initiative.

Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe, a non-governmental organization,
welcomed the initiative, saying it restores confidence among Zimbabweans in
the judicial system.

But Restoration of Human Rights Communications Director Edgar Chikuvire said
that the Zimbabwe Republic Police needs broad re-education on human rights
issues.

Zimbabwe Education Minister Tables Concessions to Fend Off Teacher Strike

http://www.voanews.com/



By Gibbs Dube
Washington
30 April 2009

A meeting between Zimbabwean Education Minister David Coltart and officials
of the country's teacher's unions Thursday yielded a five-point plan to
address pay and other grievances, but union leaders declined to take a
threatened strike by educators off the table.

Proposals from Coltart included waiving fees for teachers' children in
state-run schools. But it was unclear whether the government would be able
to meet a demand for a monthly wage increase to a minimum of US$200 from
just US$100 a month currently.

Secretary General Raymond Majongwe of the Progressive Teachers Union of
Zimbabwe told reporter Gibbs Dube of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that
another round of negotiations is to be held on Monday, one day before the
scheduled start of the next school term.

Teachers' salaries meeting deferred to Monday

http://www.newsnet.co.zw

Posted: Fri, 01 May 2009 09:27:07 +0200
The government and teachers' unions have agreed to hold a second round
meeting on Monday to discuss teachers' salaries.

The government and teachers' unions have agreed to hold a second round
meeting on Monday to discuss teachers' salaries.

This was revealed by the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr
David Coltart, following a three hour meeting with teachers' representatives
in Harare yesterday.

He said they deferred the meeting to Monday to allow the donor community to
participate and explore ways in which they can assist government to pay
teachers.

The meeting was also attended by the acting Finance Minister, Mr Elton
Mangoma who explained to the teachers union leaders the difficulties the
government is facing and what is being is being done to address the issue.

Mr Mangoma has also agreed to review school fees saying the current ones are
unaffordable.

Both ministers described yesterday's meeting as constructive and similar
sentiments were echoed by the Zimta Secretary-General, Mr Richard Gundani.

Mr Gundani said the government has agreed to look into issues raised like
exempting teachers from paying school fees for their children.

The government has since urged civil servants who include teachers to be
patient over salaries saying these will only improve once the economy starts
ticking and the tax base expands correspondingly.

Zimbabwean teachers working in fear

http://www.amnesty.org/

Despite the creation of a power-sharing government, teachers in Zimbabwe
continue to face harassment

© AP/PA

1 May 2009

Despite the creation of a power-sharing government in February 2009,
teachers in Zimbabwe continue to be victims of harassment and intimidation.

They are being threatened with violence by supporters of ZANU-PF, President
Robert Mugabe's political party. Teachers who spoke to Amnesty International
in March 2009 expressed serious concerns about working in an environment in
which they fear for their safety.

Many teachers were targeted during the 2008 elections, particularly those
working in rural schools, and fear that they will be especially vulnerable
in future elections, scheduled to take place in 2010.

Their employer, the Public Services Commission (PSC), a statutory body which
employs all government workers, has done nothing to guarantee the safety of
teachers. None of the reported incidents of torture and ill-treatment of
teachers that occurred in 2008 has been investigated and no one has been
brought to justice.

Amnesty International has called on the PSC to work with the Zimbabwe
Republic Police to ensure that impartial and independent investigations are
carried out into the torture and ill-treatment of teachers and other civil
servants that took place between the March and June elections in 2008.

Those found to be responsible should be brought to justice and victims
should receive redress. Such measures would be a first step to ensuring the
safety of the teachers and improving the environment in which they are
working.

During Zimbabwe's last election, teachers were singled out as perceived
supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change, the political party that
was then in opposition, or as a result of their affiliation to the
Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ).

The PTUZ recorded the deaths of seven teachers affiliated to the union and
the harassment, intimidation and even torture of more than 60 other members.

Many teachers were forced to take refuge in urban areas or in neighbouring
countries such as Botswana and South Africa, driven from their work places
by security forces, and other ZANU-PF supporters, including veterans of
Zimbabwe's war of independence.

Many schools in rural areas were closed after ZANU-PF supporters, often led
by soldiers, turned some schools into bases from which they operated in the
run up to the June presidential election in 2008.

Tendai Biti in Washington D.C.

http://www.hararetribune.com

Thursday, 30 April 2009 23:57

Tendai Biti is not what you'd expect from a representative of the Zimbabwean
government. Now the country's finance minister, he's a former human rights
lawyer and dedicated opponent of President Robert Mugabe. As a member of the
Movement for Democratic Change that won elections last year, Biti saw his
political allies beaten, tortured, and even killed by the ruling party's
henchmen until finally, reluctantly, Mugabe said he would share power.

Biti is the international face of Zimbabwe's new "inclusive government," and
he came to Washington to plead a heart-wrenching case. More than half the
population of his country is surviving on international food aid. Reports of
cholera outbreaks abated after international agencies rushed in thousands of
truckloads of potable water, but 4,000 people have already died of it and
most public health experts expect the epidemic to rise again. There's no
money to fix the country's collapsed water system. Schools are closed for
lack of funds to pay teachers; hospitals and clinics are nearly empty of
doctors, nurses, medicine, and equipment. Unemployment stands at more than
90 percent.

After years of being looted by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, Zimbabwe is dead
broke. Biti and his colleagues from neighboring countries in southern Africa
have been visiting Washington and London in an effort to persuade Western
governments to lift sanctions on ZANU-PF members in the government and ask
international lenders to restore development aid. And because of who he is,
over time, Biti has a chance of changing those lenders' minds.

We all can agree that people in Zimbabwe desperately need help. But the West
must be very, very careful in how it gives it. Mugabe remains fully in
charge and his loyalists run the key security ministries and the notorious
Joint Operations Command, responsible for some of Zimbabwe's most gruesome
human rights crimes. He has unilaterally increased the number of ministers
to 43 in order to water down the opposition's influence, and many of the
29,000 "Green Bombers" who perpetrated so much violence during the election
season last year are on the civil service payroll.

Human rights activists and opposition supporters are still regularly
attacked, arrested, and prosecuted in a court system that obeys Mugabe's
bidding. Mobs are still invading and taking over the properties of
commercial farmers. The media are still not free. And all the while, Mugabe
is going about unilaterally rewriting the terms of the power-sharing
agreement -- and without any sanction from Zimbabwe's neighbors.

Western governments are already providing $900 million in humanitarian aid
to Zimbabwe, through the United Nations and non-governmental relief
agencies. This money is literally keeping the country alive. What Biti has
come to request is development aid: direct, government-to-government support
that will help fill the state coffers and, in theory at least, allow basic
services to resume: schools, hospitals, public agencies of all kinds.

The problem is that the Finance Ministry does not control the country's
central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, whose governor, Gideon Gono, has
funded the crudest forms of state repression. Gono admitted recently that he
raided the accounts of foreign aid groups in order to pay government
salaries and called on international lenders to "let bygones be bygones."

The signs are that the United States and the European Union are aware of the
risks of rushing in too quickly. Mr Biti received a polite welcome in
Washington DC this past week. But he was told that the donors have few
problems with his plans and intentions, just his ability to deliver while
the architects of Zimbabwe's misery retain control of the country's security
forces, judicial system and central bank.

So, for now, the targeted travel restrictions and asset freezes on top
officials of ZANU-PF will remain in place, and we are told by the United
States government that any resumption of development aid will require
dramatic improvement across a range of critical human rights indices:
judicial reform, media freedoms, and prosecutions of those responsible for
the most serious human rights atrocities. The US government and the
Europeans should now explain to their taxpayers, who will have to fund any
development aid for Zimbabwe, in more detail exactly what they propose to do
and when.

The trick for now is for Zimbabwe's international donors to find creative
ways of supporting Zimbabwe's ruined health and education systems without
perpetuating Mugabe's reign of terror, abuse and corruption. That's where
the conversation with Biti has started and where it must ultimately finish.

Tiseke Kasambala is Zimbabwe researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Ghost workers milking Govt

http://www.fingaz.co.zw

Thursday, 30 April 2009 20:43

AN ongoing government audit has uncovered a massive scam in which millions
of dollars in foreign currency were siphoned from the fiscus through
multiple payments to civil servants and ghost workers.

The discovery of the multiple payments has jolted the authorities into
action in a desperate bid to plug the leaks bleeding the hard
currency-starved inclusive government.
The Financial Gazette can exclusively reveal that payments to hundreds of
State employees have since been frozen while contracts for scores of civil
servants were terminated last week as the investigations into the scam
intensified.
Highly-placed sources said the countrywide audit, being led by the Public
Service Commission (PSC)'s Inspector General, Clifford Matorera, started a
fortnight ago.
But it has so far unearthed multiple salary payments that, in some cases,
resulted in certain individuals being paid five times per month through
different banks.
Among those who had their salaries frozen are soldiers, nurses and other
civil servants working in ministries such as Justice and Legal Affairs,
Foreign Affairs and the Youth Ministry.
Some of the affected civil servants told The Financial Gazette this week
that they were struck off the payroll without notice only to realise later
that their names were appearing on the list of government employees
receiving payments more than once.
It was not clear who had opened or withdrawn the US$100 allowances deposited
into their accounts.
Mariyawanda Nzuwa, the PSC chairman and Matorera could not be reached for
comment at the time of going to print yesterday.
But in an interview yesterday, the Minister of Public Service, Eliphas
Mukonoweshuro, said he had been informed about the PSC audit, but had no
further information because the Commission was an independent constitutional
body that could only be subjected to directives from the President.
The Minister, however, said his Ministry would carry out its own audit,
which would be "much, much more comprehensive".
"I was informed about that particular audit, but we are going to institute
our own audit to eliminate possible irregularities that might be in
existence. We expect the audit to be on the ground in 30 days. There are a
lot of allegations, but as I have said, allegations cannot be regarded as
official until there is an investigation," said Mukonoweshuro.
The revelation of ghost workers and multiple From Page 1
payments is likely to deal a hammer blow to government's efforts to engage
Western countries and international donors to foot its salary bill under a
programme called "humanitarian aid plus" aimed at averting the collapse of
essential services amid strike threats by teachers and health workers, among
other civil servants, demanding better pay.
At the moment, government can only afford to pay each civil servant US$100,
paid as an allowance, regardless of one's rank.
Government has approached donors with an urgent appeal for US$2 billion
needed to meet critical payments, including civil service salaries. The
response from donors has been poor.
Currently, the Finance Ministry is only collecting about US$30 million per
month from taxes, which is only sufficient to pay the allowances. A member
of the PSC audit team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, yesterday said:
"The audit is an eye opener. So far, we have discovered that some people
appear twice, thrice and even five times on the payroll."
He added that the audit is yet to be completed.
The PSC audit comes a month after Movement for Democratic Change legislators
raised questions in Parliament on the alleged continued payments of US$100
allowances by the State to ZANU-PF youths and other functionaries that had
allegedly been employed to campaign for the party during last year's
elections.
During a Parliamentary question-and-answer session, the Minister of Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Saviour Kasukuwere, denied that
youths had been employed by the government for election purposes.
Kasukuwere said his Ministry employed "youth co-ordinating officers
throughout the country" to co-ordinate projects that empower the youth.
Kasukuwere said the Youth Ministry was currently undertaking a human
resources audit to ascertain the number of those employed.
Last week, hordes of civil servants who were employed in various ministries
and government departments on the back of having attended the National Youth
Training Centres besieged the Youth Ministry after realising that they were
among those whose salaries were frozen and jobs terminated.
The former national youth service training graduates were given letters,
copies of which are in possession of The Financial Gazette, pleading with
the government's Salary Service Bureau (SSB) to "reinstate their
appointments".
The letters headed: "Erroneous appointment and re-instatement" say the
concerned individuals were mistakenly appointed as "youth officers" when, in
actual fact, they are civil servants.
Part of a letter from the Youth Ministry to SSB concerning the affected
civil servants reads:  "Please be advised that (name supplied) was
erroneously appointed as a youth officer.
"Accordingly, he never assumed duty as a youth officer nor did he receive
any remuneration from the Ministry of Youth.
"All salaries and allowances given to him during that period are with the
Ministry. In view of this, you are being requested to re-instate his
appointment."

ZANU-PF, MDC set for 'crunch' meeting

http://www.fingaz.co.zw

Thursday, 30 April 2009 20:40

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and the leaders of the two Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) formations are set to conclude negotiations on the outstanding
issues early next week following what has been described as "tense but
progressive" discussions this week.

The three principals, President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, met twice this week, first on Monday
and then later on Tuesday, but nothing conclusive was reached over the
outstanding issues.
Analysts fear the failure to break the impasse could destroy the three-month
old inclusive government seen as the panacea to ending Zimbabwe's
decade-long economic and political crisis.
The outstanding issues discussed at this week's meetings of the principals
to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) included the matter of the
appointments of provincial governors, permanent secretaries and ambassadors.
PM Tsvangirai and Deputy PM Mutambara are challenging President Mugabe over
what they view as unilateral decisions or appointments in violation of the
GPA signed by the three leaders on September 15 2008.
Several meetings of the three leaders held in the past two months failed to
resolve the outstanding issues. Indications are that the dispute could be
referred to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) if next week's
crunch meeting fails to secure a breakthrough.
With South Africa's President-elect Jacob Zuma assuming the SADC chair,
taking over from Kgalema Motlanthe, analysts expect the speedy resolution of
the issue.
Zuma, according to analysts, would not want the Zimbabwe issue to cloud
Pretoria's 2010 World Cup preparations.
Sources privy to Tuesday's deliberations told The Financial Gazette
yesterday that while no agreements had been reached, next week's meeting
would be "crunch", adding that the principals would bring finality to all
the outstanding issues after covering a lot of ground this week.
George Charamba, President Mugabe's spokesman who doubles up as the
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity,
could not immediately comment as his office said he was locked in meetings.
But James Maridadi, the spokesperson for PM Tsvangirai, confirmed that the
principals met on Monday and Tuesday and were due to meet again next week.
"The principals, indeed, met and on Tuesday they discussed all outstanding
issues. These include the issue of governors, permanent secretaries,
ambassadors as well as the appointments of the RBZ (Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe) governor and the Attorney-General," said Maridadi.
"I am informed the crunch meeting is on Tuesday where these issues would
again be put on the table. I am also informed there has been progress
regarding certain issues and that there are some disagreements on others,"
he said. Maridadi, however, said there was no need to refer the matter to
Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president who brokered the
power-sharing deal on behalf of SADC.
"All these issues have been discussed. There is no dispute whatsoever. There
are still some areas where the principals expect to find common ground when
they next meet, probably Monday or Tuesday next week."
The MDC-T says the inclusive government would not be complete without the
resolution of outstanding issues.

Zanu-PF committed to the unity government: Mugabe

http://www.sabcnews.com

April 30 2009 ,
3:21:00

Thulasizwe Simelane, Harare

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has told visiting Zambian leader
Rupiah Banda, that Zanu-PF is committed to the unity government deal. This
amid continuing farm invasions, conflict with the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) over key posts and Mugabe's refusal to swear in MDC Treasurer
Roy Bennett as deputy minister.

Mugabe insists that the pact will not collapse. He says that the
coalition is merely experiencing teething problems. "My party Zanu-PF is
unrelenting in its commitment to the inclusive government. We may experience
teething problems in the process, but this is normal in an agreement of this
nature."

Banda, who took the role as president of Zambia after former president
Levy Mwanawasa died, was no fan of Mugabe in the past. However, Banda has
become the first head of state in over a year, to officially visit Zimbabwe
outside of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) or the African
Union's (AU) mission.

"We urge all well-meaning countries in the world to realise that the
people of Zimbabwe have suffered under this isolation, for far too long,"
says Banda.

Mugabe also congratulated ANC President Jacob Zuma on his landslide
victory in the elections. "As we congratulate comrade Jacob Zuma, we wish
him and the ANC all progress as they run the affairs of state, with a new
mandate from the people."

Banda Urges World to Support Zimbabwe

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Isdore Guvamombe

1 May 2009

Bulawayo - Zambian President Mr Rupiah Banda yesterday called on the world
to support Zimbabwe in its efforts to revive the economy.

Officially opening the 50th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade
Fair, President Banda said every country in the world was duty-bound to
assist Zimbabwe and not isolate it as the inclusive Government moved towards
resuscitating the economy.

"It is now an obligation of every nation in the world to support Zimbabwe
rather than continuously isolate it and make its people suffer. I have an
insight on how the inclusive Government has been working and is still
working.

"The people of Zimbabwe should be congratulated for being able to work
together after the formation of the inclusive Government. Zimbabweans have
found a way of solving their problems on their own and are working well
together.

"Only Zimbabweans have the capacity to solve problems facing them,"
President Banda said.

President Mugabe and several senior Government officials attended the
official opening.

The Zambian president said the inclusive Government had given Zimbabweans an
opportunity to set in motion the country's economic revival.

"The inclusive Government has given the people of Zimbabwe a golden
opportunity to launch the country's economic take-off.

"Zimbabwe and Zambia have a lot in common and Zambia will always stand by
Zimbabwe. We will share even the little maize we have in Zambia," he said.

President Banda said Zimbabwe and Zambia had taken a common stance on
regional matters under Sadc and Comesa, among others.

"Zambia and Zimbabwe have common interests in regional integration
initiatives in Comesa, Sadc and the Eastern and Southern Africa, Economic
Partnership Agreement and negotiations with the European Union.

"In addition, both Zambia and Zimbabwe have chosen to negotiate with the
European Union under the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) forum.

"It is gratifying to note that both countries have taken a common stance
with respect to the revision of the Interim Agreement and on related issues,
including intellectual property rights, rules of origin and most favoured
national treatment," he said.

President Banda said Africa should remain united in its development in order
to avoid losing out to the developed world.

"We have to work with great vigour to further improve the economic and
physical infrastructure throughout our region. This includes road, rail,
air, transport, telecommunications, energy and water.

"We need to increase trade among ourselves so that the fallout from external
economic crises such as the recent credit crunch can have minimal adverse
effects on us.

"Africa must move and move together. In addition, we must also act together
to develop our human capital. Without a skilled and educated population, we
cannot achieve the development objective we pursue," he said.

Iran, Zim to establish airline links - report

http://www.iol.co.za

    May 01 2009 at 10:19AM

Iran has expressed its willingness to establish air links with
Zimbabwe to improve accessibility between the two countries, the Herald
reported on Friday.

The newspaper cited Iranian ambassador to Zimbabwe Rasoul Momeni as
saying that the creation of air links would greatly assist in rejuvenating
Zimbabwe's flagging tourism sector.

"The importance of establishing airline links between the two
countries cannot be underestimated," he was quoted as saying.

Currently, Air Zimbabwe flies to Dubai where it parks its aircraft for
about 18 hours "yet Iran is only an hour away," the Herald said.

Momeni underscored his government's desire to assist in turning around
the fortunes of Zimbabwe's tourism industry.

He told the newspaper that Iran was ready to "exchange experience and
establish cooperation in the area of tourism and hospitality," adding that
there would be a renewal of all tourism memorandum of understanding.

Iran, he said, would not only offer funds to Zimbabwe but it would
assist with the provision of experts in various fields of tourism.

The envoy, however, emphasised the need for Zimbabwe's local tourism
industry to offer quality service and reasonable rates. - Sapa

Zimbabwe's Economy Needs Seven Years To Recover

http://www.radiovop.com


HARARE, May 01, 2009 - ZIMBABWE'S struggling economy will need to grow
by at least eight percent each year for seven years to reach its 1998
levels,  a top banking official has said.

Speaking at a Zimtrade Workshop, a banking official from ABC Banking
Corporation Limited (ABC) said last year the economy shrunk by a staggering
10 percent.
"Zimbabwe's economy declined by at least 10 percent," he said. "There
has been  no growth and the average has been about five percent which is
quite poor to say the least."
He said the country now had the smallest economy in the region and had
an average of US$3,5 billion from trade. Other countries such as Botswana
had US$10 billion while Tanzania had US$13 billion in funds earmarked for
growth, he said.
He said: "Zimbabwe has had 10 years of economic decline. Our economy
has shrunk so much it will actually take a miracle to recover."
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said recently Zimbabwe had secured a USD
400 m credit line from African countries which will be given to business,
which is currently operating at 10 percent of its capacity.
Western nations have shunned Zimbabwe's begging bowl to improve its
economy, wrecked by political bickering and economic mismanagement for the
past decade, insisting on the government to ensure there is rule of law and
a stop of human rights abuses.
Zimbabwe is seeking USD 5 billion from the international community to
repair its battered economy.
Although supermarkets have now stocked food on their shelves, most
Zimbabweans are struggling to buy as the country is facing an estimated 95
percent un-employment rate.

Some questions for the Honourable Minister Dr. Henry Madzorera

Media Reforms Not Coming Quickly Under Zimbabwe Unity Government

http://www.voanews.com

By Gibbs Dube
Washington
30 April 2009

The Media Institute of Southern Africa says conditions for the press in
Zimbabwe are unlikely to change soon given the lack of urgency with which
the current unity government is initiating reforms enshrined in the
power-sharing agreement signed last September.

Njabulo Ncube, vice chairman of MISA's Zimbabwe chapter, said journalists
have scheduled a series meetings in the next few days to map out the way
forward for media reforms following inconclusive - some say half-hearted -
moves by the Ministry of Information.

The meetings beginning on Friday around the country are among activities
that MISA has scheduled to mark World Press Freedom Day, to be formally
observed on Sunday.

Ncube told reporter Gibbs Dube of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the unity
government has not fully committed itself to repealing repressive media laws
such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the
Broadcasting Services Act.

The Ministry of Information is controlled by the longruling ZANU-PF party of
President Robert Mugabe. The portfolio is held by Webster Shamu, considered
a moderate.

Illegal forex dealers back on Byo streets

http://www.herald.co.zw

Friday, May 01, 2009

Bulawayo Bureau

ILLEGAL foreign currency dealers, popularly known as osiphatheleni (what do
you have for us), are back on the streets of Bulawayo where they are
capitalising on the firming of the rand against the United States dollar.

The business of dealing in foreign currency had suffered an abrupt natural
death following the dollarisation of the economy in February - meaning no
one was transacting in Zimbabwe dollars.

Some of the illegal forex dealers turned to vending while a number of women
dealers are said to have resorted to prostitution as income suddenly dried
up.

A survey this week showed that the dealers were slowly trickling back onto
the streets, particularly at the once notorious "World Bank" area in
downtown Bulawayo.

The dealers are offering more competitive forex rates to those prevailing at
banks and retail outlets.

A visit to the "World Bank" for a transaction showed that osiphatheleni were
offering 1 000 rand for US$100 while banks were using the exchange rate of
US$100:900 rand.

Some financial institutions have reduced the exchange rate from R900 to
between R750 and R850 for US$100.

The distortions in forex rates have forced residents to swarm to illegal
dealers again, as was the case in the past.

"We are back in business and things are slowly improving because an
increasing number of people is coming in search of the rand and pula in
exchange for United States dollars or vice-versa. We hope the situation
improves because we have families to feed and school fees to pay, so it's
has been a difficult situation," said an illegal foreign currency dealer,
only identified as Sisi No.

She, however, emphasised that the flow of foreign currency was slower than
when they previously conducted business using the local currency.

Another illegal foreign currency dealer said parents and tenants were giving
them brisk business since some schools were demanding US dollars strictly
yet some parents only had access to the rand remitted by relatives and
friends in South Africa.

"In such scenarios, parents will bring their rand in exchange for United
States dollars. We are still offering good rates because we want to lure
clients away from the formal banking system," said the dealer, who refused
to be named.

Mudzingwa's freedom bid fails again

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=16054

April 30, 2009

By Raymond Maingire

HARARE - The High Court on Thursday dismissed an application by jailed
Gandhi Mudzingwa, former aid to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is
challenging his continued detention despite his release from custody two
weeks ago.

Mudzingwa together with Kisimusi Dhlamini, the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) director of security, have been languishing at Chikurubi Remand
Prison for five months now.

Meanwhile, lawyers representing the two say they are filing another High
Court application Monday to challenge the ruling, which was granted by
Justice Bharat Patel.

Mudzingwa and Dlamini, together with freelance photo journalist Shadreck
Manyere were on April 9, granted US$1000 bail by High Court Judge Charles
Hungwe.

But the Attorney General immediately invoked Section 121 (3) of the Criminal
Procedure and Evidence Act (Chapter 9:07) giving notice of his intention to
appeal against the decision.

The notice of appeal effectively prevented their immediate release pending
an application by the state to appeal against the order within the
stipulated seven day period.

But the three were on April 17 finally released from custody after the seven
day period had seemingly lapsed without the state filing its notice to
appeal against Hungwe's order.

It later turned out the Attorney General had filed his application for leave
to appeal on 14 April 2009.

The state's application for leave was granted by Justice Muchineripi Bhunu
of the High Court on 17 April at which point the state filed its Supreme
Court appeal.

Apparently acting on this, the police immediately "rearrested" Mudzingwa and
Dhlamini who were still detained at Harare Avenues Clinic under prison guard
while receiving treatment for injuries sustained at the hands of state
security agents during weeks of their secret detention.

Manyere, who all along had remained in remand prison, could not be arrested
again.

Their lawyers responded by filing another High Court application seeking an
order to have the police guard removed and declared unlawful.

In their arguments, they said the notice of appeal by the Attorney General
had been filed out of time.

But the state contended the application was filed within the prescribed
period taking into account the intervening weekend and Easter holidays.

In dismissing the defence's application, Justice Bharat Patel ruled that the
state acted within the law by filing its application on April 17.

"It follows that the appeal noted by the Attorney General against the
granting of bail of the applicants was timeously filed within the prescribed
period of seven days," Patel said in his ruling.

"It also follows that the applicants have failed to establish that the
police guard imposed upon the applicants is in any way unlawful.

"They are therefore not entitled to the relief that they seek."

Home affairs co-ministers Kembo Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa, Police
Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and six others were listed as
respondents.

Human rights lawyer Andrew Makoni told The Zimbabwe Times the lawyers were
in the process of filing another application to challenge Justice Patel's
ruling.

"We do not agree with the judge's decision especially on his interpretation
of holidays," he said.

"We still believe the AG's application was filed out of time and that our
clients' continued detention is unlawful.

"We also believe the leave to appeal was not properly granted as the judge
who had granted bail to the accused persons was by law supposed to have been
the one to determine whether the AG should be granted his application to
seek leave of appeal."

Meanwhile, there is still no word on the fate or circumstances of the MDC
activists and members who are still missing after they were abducted by
state security agents last year.

The seven missing persons are:

Gwenzi Kahiya - abducted October 29, 2008 in Zvimba,
Ephraim Mabeka - abducted December 10 in Gokwe,
Lovemore Machokoto - abducted December 10 in Gokwe,
Charles Muza - abducted December 10 in Gokwe,
Edmore Vangirayi - abducted December 10 in Gokwe,
Graham Matewa - abducted December 17 in Makoni South
Peter Munyanyi - abducted December 15 in Gutu South.