http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:03
BY NDAMU
SANDU AND NUNURAI JENA
FINANCE minister, Tendai Biti, has accused a
small coterie of powerful
Zimbabweans of looting diamonds from Marange,
enabling themselves to splash
millions of dollars on private jets while
ordinary people wallowed in abject
poverty.
Addressing
delegates at a diamond workshop in Harare last week, Biti said
the officials
were not afraid of flaunting their ill-gotten riches.
“There is no doubt that
a small coterie of individuals is benefitting from
Zimbabwe diamonds. Some
of us (officials) who are benefiting, are not afraid
to flaunt our monies.
We are buying all kinds of assets,” said Biti.
“I am a government
minister and earning US$800. How do I buy some of the
assets that we are
buying? People are now buying private jets because of our
diamonds.”
Biti made similar remarks last week while addressing
delegates at the Open
Society Forum Conference on corruption and politics in
Cape Town, South
Africa, where he accused President Robert Mugabe of
allowing his cronies in
Zanu PF to plunder diamonds in Marange fields in
return for their continued
political support.
But the former
ruling party has denied the allegations.
Biti, who is MDC-T secretary
general, likened the level of corruption in
diamond dealings in Zimbabwe to
that of the Democratic Republic of Congo
during Mobuto Sese Seko’s
era.
He said the country was now behaving like a monarch or colonial
governments
which used to dish out licences and other privileges without
considering
issues to do with accountability and
transparency.
“You see what I would call predatory accumulation; we
see it in the likes of
Mobuto Sese Seko, Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Côte
d’Ivoire), and Siad Bare
(Somalia),” he said.
Biti’s remarks,
which are likely to create a storm in the inclusive
government, come at a
time diamonds have been underperforming in terms of
revenue contribution to
Treasury.
Diamond revenue is expected to contribute US$600 million to
the national
budget.
Zanu PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, dismissed
allegations that Mugabe’s
cronies were looting diamonds. He challenged the
finance minister to bring
forward evidence of the corruption. “Biti should
come clean,” said Gumbo.
“He must not just speculate. If he has evidence, I
challenge him to name the
Zanu PF officials benefiting from Marange
diamonds.”
Biti’s remarks, the first by a cabinet minister, confirm
the allegations
raised by civil society organisations that senior civil
servants have been
amassing wealth from the gems.
Civil society
organisations have been advocating for transparency in the
mining and
selling of Marange diamonds under the “Publish what you pay”
campaign, to
force companies to be transparent. They said government had to
be open on
the shareholders of the diamond mines, amid allegations that
soldiers were
mining in Marange.
Biti proposed far-reaching reforms that include
the removal of diamonds from
the wings of Zimbabwe Mining Development
Corporation (ZMDC), to a new
entity. He said, once that was in place, the
country would be able to
negotiate for the removal of economic sanctions
imposed by the United States
on Mbada and Marange Resources last year.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 10:57
BY PATRICE
MAKOVA
JUSTICE and Legal Affairs minister, Patrick Chinamasa, has
come out in
defence of partisan army generals saying they have a right to
meddle in
politics by virtue of having fought for the liberation of the
country.
In an interview just before the departure of
visiting UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay on Friday,
Chinamasa said, by making
political statements, generals were merely
pointing out the way they wanted
the country to be ruled.
“The
army people were liberators and you cannot deny them the voice to keep
this
country on course, so that there is justification for those who died
for the
country and those who lie in unmarked graves,” he said.
Chinamasa
claimed that the political statements by generals were meant to
serve as a
warning that returning the country to colonialism and opposition
to the land
reform programme were unacceptable.
“Their colleagues died so that we
could control our own resources,” he
said.” They died for political
independence and sovereignty of the country,
so anything that is going to
diminish what they fought for, the army should
have a voice and unashamedly
so.”
Chinamasa said the generals were only going to respect those
leaders who
espoused the founding principles of the country.
He dismissed
calls for the generals to resign and join full time politics,
insisting that
their behaviour should not in any way be labelled meddling,
but a right to
decide the future of the country by virtue of having brought
freedom to
Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa made his comments just after Pillay had finished
a press
conference, where she expressed concern at the role of the military
in
politics, including a recent statement by a senior army officer,
suggesting
the army should throw its weight behind one political
party.
“For any country to be called a democracy, its army must
observe strict
political neutrality.” She said. “As the GPA clearly says,
state organs and
institutions do not belong to any political party and
should be impartial in
the discharge of their duties.”
About
three weeks ago, Zimbabwe Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Major General
Martin Chedondo, stirred a storm when he said soldiers must be involved in
national politics in order to remain “loyal and defend the nation’s
territorial integrity and interests”.
Last year,
Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, also declared that no one
would rule
Zimbabwe without any revolutionary credentials, insinuating that
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC would not be allowed to become
President
even if he won elections.
Nyikayaramba, who has since been promoted
to the post of Major-General, was
repeating a similar statement by service
chiefs, who a few years ago vowed
that they would not salute anyone without
liberation war credentials, even
if that person won
elections.
The MDC-T MP for Mbizo, Settlement Chikwinya, has since
moved a motion in
parliament to declare partisan utterances by the
securocrats treasonous.
Zanu PF is fiercely resisting calls for security
sector reforms, as the
party was benefiting from partisan military and other
security agents, who
were in 2008 accused of gross violation of human
rights. They violently
campaigned for President Robert Mugabe’s re-election
during a bloody
run-off.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), also
told Pillay during her visit that
there was a need to reform the security
sector in order to avoid a repeat of
the bloody June 2008
run-off.
In their submissions to Pillay, the CSOs said although
stipulated in the
GPA, the police, military and intelligence services remain
largely, if not
completely, unreformed and unrepentant.
“The
military has become increasingly vocal in supporting one political
party and
threatening unconstitutional action in the event that its favoured
political
party candidate is not elected, whether the election is free or
not,” said
the CSO’s.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:14
BY
CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
MDC-T has accused the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) of bias
in its current
recruitment exercise where it is allegedly targeting children
of serving and
retired soldiers, war veterans and ex-political
detainees.
Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said the current
recruitment drive,
which does not require academic qualifications, was being
done clandestinely
to accommodate Zanu PF youth militia.
He
claimed that some army officials were working in cahoots with Zanu PF
members to enable them to identify those who are politically correct,
meaning those who support the former ruling party.
Mwonzora said
the partisan recruitment was evident in most rural areas but
most pronounced
in Manicaland province. “The recruitment drive is not above
board. It is
done clandestinely to Zanu PF members only,” alleged Mwonzora.
“It will
compromise the professional integrity of the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces
(ZDF).”
The MDC-T has described the exercise as part of preparations
for an
onslaught by the security sector on all those who do not support Zanu
PF
ahead of elections this year or in 2013.
“This is an ominous
indication of preparation for massive violence that is
going to be unleashed
against the people of Zimbabwe,” said Mwonzora.
“But the recruitment has also
taken a new interesting twist with children
whose parents are aligned to one
faction of Zanu PF also being denied the
chance to join the army here in
Manicaland.”
Zanu PF factionalism raised its ugly head in Manicaland
during the party
district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections recently
resulting in the
nullification of results in some areas.
ZNA
spokesperson Colonel Alphios Makotore dismissed MDC-T’s allegations
insisting that the recruitment exercise was above board. “There is nothing
like that. It’s not true,” said Makotore. “We are a professional army that
does not look at such trivial issues.”
Speaking on the sideline
of an army training exercise in Mutoko recently,
Major General Martin
Chedondo said the army had changed recruitment policy
so that it can also
take on board disadvantaged members of the society.
He said it was a
directive that every army intake was going to recruit
potential soldiers
from every village in all the country’s provinces.
Chedondo said previously
the army used to receive complaints from people who
were failing to join the
army due to strict recruitment rules.
Recruitment must be on
merit: Muchauraya
MDC-T Manicaland spokesperson Pishai Muchauraya
said the recruitment should
be based on merit and fitness so that the
country can boast of a
professional and capable army.
“How can
they recruit people who cannot read a map or temperature?” asked
Muchauraya.
“This is a recipe for disaster.” The army has been accused of
propping
President Robert Mugabe in previous elections. The MDC-T has said
at least
200 of its supporters were murdered by Zanu PF supporters and
security
agents during the violent 2008 elections in an effort to keep
Mugabe in
power.
The security sector has denied the allegations.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:16
BY
NQABA MATSHAZI
ZIMBABWE has proposed to pay its US$23 million debt to Malawi
in fuel, a
move that could see Zimbabweans facing fuel shortages. New
Malawian
President Joyce Banda sent a delegation to Zimbabwe, which returned
to the
country on Thursday, with news that the country would receive fuel
for a
corresponding value.
“The Zimbabwe government has agreed to
give us fuel and very soon they will
dispatch trucks,” Malawi Energy and
Mining minister, Cassim Chilumpa told
Malawi media. “We have accepted this
arrangement because currently we are in
need of the fuel.”
The
Malawian delegation, which came to the country last week, was expected
to
collect US$12 million, while the rest was expected to be settled later,
but
the fuel barter deal, means Zimbabwe might not have been able to raise
the
money.
Repeated efforts to get a comment from the Minister of Energy
Elton Mangoma
were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.
Finance
minister Tendai Biti was said to be out of the country.
The debt
dates back to 2007 when Zimbabwe, in the throes of an economic and
political
meltdown, was failing to produce enough food to feed the
nation.
Malawi is now also facing a cash crunch after western
countries withdrew
balance of payments support, with the country facing
biting fuel shortages.
The country has been scrounging around for fuel
supplies and the latest deal
may represent a breakthrough for them, as in
April Malawi had to depend on
Mozambique and Zambia for fuel, while this
month they went to South Africa.
Zimbabwe is expected to provide fuel
for next month. The late Malawian
President Bingu wa Mutharika also came to
Zimbabwe in February, seeking the
money and also how to solve the fuel
problems the country was facing and the
barter deal seems to be the best for
the two countries.
However, it was not immediately clear how Zimbabwe
was going to provide the
fuel without affecting domestic consumption,
considering that the country is
also a net importer.
Players in
the industry have suggested that maybe the country would export
the blended
E10 fuel, which has faced resistance on the Zimbabwean market.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:28
BY CLAYTON
MASEKESA
MUTARE — Grain intended to benefit hunger-stricken villagers of
Mutare
district in Manicaland province, has been hijacked by Zanu PF
officials, who
are selling it on the black market for personal
benefit.
The province has been plagued by acute food shortages, following a
poor
farming season that saw farmers, most of them resettled under the land
reform programme, failing to harvest anything from their
fields.
The government reacted by introducing a grain loan scheme,
meant to militate
against hunger under which the starving households would
pay back the grain
after harvesting.
According to statistics
obtained from the provincial administrator’s office,
about 250 000 families
now need urgent food aid in Manicaland. The Mutare
District administrator,
Simon Sigauke, last week confirmed that grain meant
for the ongoing grain
loan scheme had ran out before the intended
beneficiaries had received their
monthly allocations.
He could not say who was diverting the grain.
“Villagers in the district are
concerned by the rate at which grain is being
delivered at GMB depots, from
where it is accessed by the hungry people,”
said Sigauke.
“My office has been besieged by needy people, who come
to enquire when the
next delivery would be made for their benefit. Each
household is receiving a
50 kg bag of maize per delivery. This was not
enough for those households
with bigger family members.” he
explained.
He said there was urgent need for government to ensure
that more grain was
secured in time before people starved, as the majority
of them did not
harvest any grain.
Sources said corruption was
rising, with allegations that some Zanu PF
officials working in cahoots with
some Agritex workers, were diverting
truckloads full of grain onto the black
market. They would then sell the
grain at exorbitant prices to ready buyers
and then share the proceeds.
The Minister of Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation Development,
Joseph Made, recently condemned
the corruption and said his ministry was
ready to weed out such
malpractices.
“We are ready to weed out such unscrupulous people. I
am aware that the
issue of distributing grain is being politicised,” said
Made.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:31
BY
PATRICE MAKOVA
ZANU PF is unlikely to implement most of the recommendations
by the United
Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navanethem Pillay, because
doing so would
weaken the party’s hold on political power, analysts said
last week.
If the party does institute any of the reforms, the
analysts believe they
would be cosmetic and not adequate for the holding of
free and fair
elections.
Zimbabwe has witnessed gross violation of human
rights, including murder and
torture dating back to the pre-independence
era.
But it came as a surprise that government, accused of being the
chief
perpetrator of the violations, had invited Pillay for a five-day
fact-finding mission last week.
Justice and Legal Affairs
minister, Patrick Chinamasa, said the government
invited her to prove that
the country had nothing to hide. Political
analyst, Dewa Mavhinga said the
visit would keep the international spotlight
on urgently-needed reforms such
as a new constitution, confirmed in a
referendum followed by credible,
non-violent, free and fair elections.
He said it was likely that her
recommendation for the operationalisation of
the Zimbabwe Human Rights
Commission (ZHRC), whose mandate focuses only on
present and future abuses,
would be acceptable to Zanu PF. The party has
made it clear it does not want
past violations to be investigated.
However, Mavhinga fears that the party
would not change much as a result of
the visit.
He said the party
would instead attempt to twist and manipulate Pillay’s
words, especially her
call for the suspension of sanctions until elections
and reforms outcomes
were clear, to make it look like an affirmation that
there were no human
rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
“Zanu PF is likely to continue with its
push for elections this year in the
absence of credible reforms,” he said.
“The party will undoubtedly refuse to
amend the various pieces of draconian
legislation that Pillay has pointed
for urgent repeal. Whatever changes we
are likely to see will be cosmetic
rather than
fundamental.”
Mavhinga said Pillay’s recommendation for securocrats
to observe strict
political neutrality would be ignored by the extremely
partisan and
politicised leadership of the military.
Media
freedom activist, Gift Mambipiri said Pillay’s remarks confirmed that
freedom of expression was a fundamental human right which the Government of
National Unity was trampling upon.
“We acknowledge her good
reading that the Broadcasting Authority and the
Zimbabwe Media Commission
fixation with control and emasculating the media
is retrogressive and has no
place in modern society,” he said.
Mambipiri said the call to repeal
the Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and
Broadcasting Services Act was welcome and the
challenge was on the GNU to
either “shape-up or be shipped out.”
Zim ignored
Tibaijuka
Political commentator Blessing Vava said no significant
changes should be
expected, citing the disregard of the UN special envoy on
human settlements
Anna Tibaijuka damning 2005 report accusing the government
of human rights
abuses after Operation Murambatsvina, which displaced over
650 000 people
after the destruction of their homes and
businesses.
“Nothing changed after Murambatsvina and we even
witnessed worse abuses a
few years later during the 2008 elections. Abuses
will likely continue as we
head for another election,” he
said.
Social rights activist, Hopewell Gumbo predicted that Zanu PF
would test the
waters and continue to use violence as the party’s trump
card.
Chinamasa slams ‘fiction’
Justice and Legal
Affairs minister, Patrick Chinamasa said the government
was sincere and
would cooperate with the UN, as long as the international
body was not
influenced by outside forces.
He claimed that most of the reported
cases of human rights abuses were
fictitious. “We are not a perfect
country,” Chinamasa sa-id. “We want our
shortcomings to be pointed to us.
Where there are violations, people must
report to the police rather than
wait to present dossiers which are
anonymous and have no witnesses and
identity of the victims.”
Some of the worst atrocities were committed
by the colonial Ian Smith regime
which massacred thousands of Zimbabweans in
and outside the country.
Pillay said such large-scale killings in the 1980s
or the 2008 election
violence should never be swept under the carpet and
suggested the setting up
of a Truth and Reconciliation
Committee.
But the Zanu PF government was also accused of killing
thousands of people
in an army crackdown during the infamous Gukurahundi in
Midlands and
Matabeleland province in the 1980’s.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:19
BY OUR
STAFF
President Robert Mugabe has suggested that women should be allocated
parliamentary seats on a proportional representation basis, as they faced
obstacles in winning constituencies due to patriarchal
attitudes.
This comes as his Zanu PF party has suggested that at
least 70 parliamentary
seats should be reserved for women in the new
constitution.
“Affirmative action will be the answer, if they (women) were to
square up in
constituencies, they would lose,” Mugabe told a Global Power
Women Network
meeting in Harare on Thursday.
“The attitude of men
still despises women and we need proportional
representation, as they have
done in South Africa.”
Zanu PF’s position, in response to the first
constitutional draft, is that
the seats should be reserved for women for at
least 20 years, after which
they will slug it out with
men.
“Total number of seats in the House of Assembly is 280 and
distributed as
follows: 210 first past the post, 70 shall be reserved for
women by
proportional representation, the 70 shall remain reserved for women
for
twenty years after which they become open for men to participate,” reads
the
document seen by The Standard.
Despite proposing the 20-year
moratorium, the party did not give reasons why
they came with that time
limit. This differs with the constitution draft
that was published recently,
which suggested that all legislators should be
voted in through a system of
proportional representation, without the first
past the post
system.
In the past Zanu PF has come up with botched plans to push up
women
representation to at least a third. The party, in 2005, reserved seats
for
women but this became a very divisive issue within Zanu PF leading to
Tsholotsho legislator Jonathan Moyo’s fallout and eventual
expulsion.
Southern African nations signed a protocol that women must
make at least a
third of national legislators with the ratio expected to
rise to at least
half.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May
2012 11:11
BY RICHARD MUPONDE
A Bulawayo man, who allegedly swindled a
Catholic priest of US$25 000 in a
driver’s licence deal, has gone on the run
and police have launched a
manhunt for him.
Rodwell Kudzanai
Chikadza, believed to be in South Africa, skipped bail when
his trial was
supposed to resume last week. A warrant of arrest has been
issued against
him.
Allegations against Chikadza are that between July 2010 and
April 14 last
year, he misrepresented to Father Claudius Luphahla that the
police,
prosecutors, magistrates, assessors, clerk of court, judge and
journalists,
wanted money so that he could not be incarcerated for trying to
get a
licence fraudulently.
He claimed the story was now known by his
superiors.
However, Chikadza constantly demanded money from him until
it amounted to
US$25 000. But Father Luphahla later realised that he was
being duped and
reported the matter to the police leading to Chikadza’s
arrest. Only US$6
500 was recovered.
Chikadza had pleaded not
guilty to fraud arguing that the priest also
actively participated in the
commission of the offence.
He wanted the Catholic priest to be charged with
incitement and conspiracy
to commit crime as he was the one who enticed him
to commit the crime.
Chikadza made the application through his lawyer,
Shepherd Chamunorwa of
Calderwood, Bryce and Hendrie Legal Practitioners.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:09
BY OUR
STAFF
FORMER Cabinet minister and Zanu PF founding member, Enos Nkala is an
attention seeker who is no better than the people he has been critical of
over the past two decades, a prominent historian and author has
said.
Nkala, who has been a fierce critic of President Robert Mugabe
since the
1990s after unceremoniously leaving government following his
implication in
the Willowgate scandal, met his former confidant and
comrade-in-arms in
Bulawayo over a week ago.
Following the
45-minute meeting, Nkala has since made a u- turn and is now
full of praise
for Mugabe who he says should remain in power describing him
as “the glue
that has been holding this country”.
But historian and author,
Pathisa Nyathi said Nkala has always wanted to be
in the limelight; hence it
was not surprising that he made an about turn
after meeting
Mugabe.
“It’s as if the meeting with Mugabe was miraculous,” he
said. “He has been
out in the cold and now that he has the attention of
Mugabe, there is no
longer any problem.”
Nyathi said Nkala’s
previous relentless blame of Gukurahundi atrocities on
Mugabe alone was part
of his strategy to get the limelight. “He has been
criticising Mugabe as the
main architect of Gukurahundi, but at the same
time removing himself from
the era,” he said.
Nyathi said Nkala had a collective responsibility
for Gukurahundi as he was
part of the establishment being a senior member of
cabinet. He said there
was no record of Nkala objecting to
Gukurahundi.
“Nkala did not resign from government to show that he
was against what was
going on,” Nyathi said. “Had the whole cabinet
objected, Gukurahundi was not
going to happen.”
Nyathi said Nkala
was an orator who was capable of inflammatory speeches.
He said had there
been responsible leaders, incidences such as the two
Entumbane battles
between Zipra and Zanla forces awaiting demobilisation and
integration would
not have happened. The Entumbane clashes were the
precursor to Gukurahundi
which saw the killing of thousands of people in
Midlands and Matabeleland
provinces during an army crackdown.
Nyathi said he has strong doubts
that Zanu PF would take Nkala seriously as
he was no longer influential,
having been in the political wilderness for
many years
now.
Journalist, Geoffrey Nyarota in his book Against The Grain –
Memoirs of a
Zimbabwean Newsman,wrote that Nkala was the most feared
politician in
Zimbabwe at that time, often exuding more power than Mugabe
himself who was
Prime Minister then.
Nyarota, a former editor of
the Bulawayo-based Chronicle newspaper said
Nkala and Maurice Nyagumbo were
the only Zanu PF leaders who addressed
Mugabe by his first
name.
The book says at the height of Gukurahundi, Nkala had become
the
“self-anointed emperor of Matabeleland, with an idiosyncratic and
relentless
determination to wrench the region from (Joshua) Nkomo’s control
and deliver
it to Mugabe.”
Nyarota and his then deputy, Davison
Maruziva, nearly earned the wrath of
Nkala when the two were investigating
him and other Zanu PF officials who
abused the Willowvale motor vehicle
purchase scheme.
In his book, Nyarota said when Maruziva phoned Nkala
to seek his comment, he
ordered the two journalists to present themselves at
his Harare offices the
following morning, failure of which he would dispatch
solders from One
Brigade in Bulawayo or the Police to arrest
them.
“Where did you get that information? Nkala demanded when
Maruziva answered
the telephone. That information is supposed to be with the
police and the
president. I want that information here in my office. Who do
you think you
are? If you do not travel here I will teach you a lesson. I
will use the
army to pick you up; then you can ask questions. I do not care.
I can
instruct the commissioner of police to pick you up. Do not play that
kind of
game with me; I am not Ndlovu.”
But Nkala, a former
Defence, Home Affairs and Finance minister, has always
insisted that he had
no part in Gukurahundi, heaping the blame on Mugabe.
Nkala claimed that at
the time of the 5th brigade atrocities, he was in
charge of Finance, while
the late Ernest Kadungure was minister of defence.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:11
BY SILAS
NKALA
TWO men, a Zimbabwean and a Motswana – who were facing charges of
murder
and robbery last week attempted to escape from lawful custody but
were
re-arrested after a short pursuit.
Mid Week Sun newspaper
reported that Jabulani Kesiile (23) of Somerset West
location in Botswana
and Hebert Jazire (23) from Masvingo attempted to flee
from a court in
Francistown while awaiting trial.
Kesiile, a convict, was facing
charges of murder and robbery while Jazire
had five separate counts of
robbery. The two, who were seated in the
gallery, allegedly seized an
opportunity to escape because Francistown
principal magistrate Thebeetsile
Christian Mulalu had not started court
proceedings.
Reports
reveal the two pleaded with prison warders to unshackle them since
they were
not feeling comfortable. The unsuspecting police and prison
warders heeded
the duo’s call and unshackled them.
“Jazire picked up a water glass
and jumped over the court orderlies’ desk.
He threatened to smash the faces
of those who attempted to stand in his way
as they bolted out of the
courtroom through the exit door that leads to the
magistrates’ chambers,”
police officer said.
Jazire was re-arrested 20 minutes later while
trying to get into a bus rank.
Kesiile was caught by members of the public
and Special Support Group (SSG)
officers while trying to climb over the
fence at the Francistown College of
Education (FCE).
Police
Superintendent Cyprian Magalela of Francistown Central Police Station
said
the two were no danger to the public as they had been re-arrested.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:17
BY NQABA MATSHAZI
THE
pensions regulator, Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec), has said
contributors may sue their employers if they were not remitting money to
their pension funds, as this practice was illegal.
This comes as it
emerged that some local authorities were not forwarding
money to pension
funds despite deducting the funds from employees’ salaries.
“Contributors can
take legal action against the employer although this may
not help if the
employer is facing financial and viability problems,” Ipec
said in response
to written questions.
A number of pensioners are facing delays in
receiving their money, as
pension funds claim they have no money and pass
the buck to employers, whom
they blame for delaying with
remittances.
First vice-president of the Urban Councils Association
of Zimbabwe, Thaba
Moyo last week said despite indications that pensions
were being deducted,
local authorities were not remitting to the pension
fund as they did not
have money.
He said deductions were only on
paper, yet in reality, the councils did not
have money and were not
remitting anything.
Ipec said it was in consultation with local authorities
and employers,
warning that failure to remit pensions was illegal and the
commission may be
forced to intervene to stop the rot.
“The
concerned employers have been reminded that deducting pension
contributions
and not remitting to the pension funds is both illegal and
fraudulent and
that they must take urgent corrective measures so that the
pension fund
members are not unnecessarily prejudiced,” the commission said.
Ipec
said employers on the other hand have blamed the depressed economic
environment for failure to remit funds, saying most companies said they were
undercapitalised and were operating below capacity.
This, the
commission said, hamstrung the pension funds, as their ability to
pay was
dependent on contributions being paid in time.
“Failure to remit
contributions deprives the fund investment income and
further depletes the
fund,” Ipec said. “This will inevitably lead to the
fund failing to pay
benefits.”
Labour and Social Welfare minister, Paurina Mpariwa
(pictured right) despite
repeated promises to respond to questions over the
last two weeks still has
not responded.
She said the pensions
issue was a delicate one and she needed to get the
correct information
before responding. She asked for questions in writing
but did not
respond.
The minister is also responsible for the labour portfolio in
the MDC-T, a
party that was born out of the workers movement, and her
failure to comment
means the party’s position on a matter that affects a
great proportion of
its support base, could not be
heard.
Pensions administration split between two
ministries
Confusion seems to reign supreme in the pensions
sector, as government’s
authority over pension funds seems to be split
between two ministries, both
of which seem to have overlapping
jurisdiction.
Ordinarily the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is
responsible for
pension funds but this authority has since been passed to
the Ministry of
Finance.
However, on the other hand, the Labour and
Social Welfare ministry continues
to supervise the National Social Security
Authority (NSSA), which in turn
oversees all pension funds.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:46
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
POLICE in Harare have embarked on a blitz arresting women in bars and
night
spots, accusing them of engaging in prostitution, a move roundly
condemned
by women and human rights organisations.
For the past
two weeks, female dancers and patrons in bars have been
arrested and fined
by the police in the capital. Popular raunchy dancer,
Beverly Sibanda, on
Friday said the police were causing mayhem in the bars.
“Two weeks
ago when I performed at City Sports Bar, I was confronted by four
police
officers as I walked out of the bar after my show,” said Beverly.
“They told
me I had been arrested and I asked them what they were charging
me for and
they simply said there was an operation.”
Beverly added: “They only
left me and my group when we forcibly got into our
car but they went away
with almost 10 other women they had taken out of the
bar.”
Beverly condemned the police’s act. “What they are doing is
wrong because
they are discriminating against women. It is not a crime in
Zimbabwe to be a
female in a bar at night,” she said.
“Even if
this was aimed at curbing prostitution, there are many other issues
that
need to be addressed before they can start persecuting people. After
all,
not every woman in a bar is a prostitute.”
Feminist activist,
Everjoice Win, said even if the operation was to rid
Harare of prostitution,
it still bordered on infringement of rights as those
involved in the act,
made conscious choices. “Sex work is work so why
eradicate it,” Win
said.
“Those people did their maths and economic analysis. Some have
day-time jobs
and they have reasons why they have to take up sex work as a
second job.”
She said the arrests emanated from the misconception
that these were young,
unemployed girls going astray, yet they were talking
about adults who have
the capacity to make their own
choices.
Win, formerly a Commonwealth advisor to the Commission on
Gender Equality,
said women were entitled to freedom of movement and
association just like
men. She said women should be allowed to choose their
economic life without
any hindrances.
Women’s Action Group (WAG)
executive director, Edinah Masiyiwa, said the
blitz was derailing progress
the country had made towards gender equality.
“Gender inequality is what
necessitated the birth of WAG because women were
being denied their freedom
of movement and association,” Masiyiwa said.
“We are still
researching on this issue to try and understand what really
transpired but
if it is true that they were indiscriminately arresting women
in bars, then
that negates the progress we had made in the area of gender
equality.
She added: “Women too have a right to access bars.”
Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights (ZLHR) programmes manager, Dzimbabwe
Chimbga, said the
organisation last Tuesday represented 17 women who were
randomly arrested as
part of the operation.
“The women were
randomly picked up and accused of being ladies of the
night,” he said. “The
court released them on bail. But we are saying the
law should not be blind
to people’s rights and freedoms.”
Chimbga said women have a right “to
be at any bar they so wish to be at and
of course at any time of the day, be
it in the morning, afternoon, evening
and even at night.”
He
urged the police to stop the operation forthwith saying they should only
intervene when a crime has been or is about to be
committed.
Arrests only after surveillance:
Sabau
Harare police spokesperson inspector, James Sabau,
confirmed that the police
have an operation aimed at getting rid of touts,
streets kids and
prostitutes in an effort to reduce crime in the
city.
He however denied that they were targeting innocent women in
bars and night
spots insisting that the arrest are made after proper
surveillance by police
in plain clothes before those in uniform effected the
arrest.
“We are not targeting innocent women at random but these
arrests are done
after proper surveillance,” said Sabau. “If there is a bar
owner, where
police arrest women inside his or her bar, they should come
forward and make
a complaint to Officer Commanding Harare so that
investigations can be
carried out.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:54
BY
SHINGAYI JENA
HEAPS of garbage have re-emerged in most open and public places
in Harare as
the council fails to consistently collect refuse across the
city, exposing
residents to diseases.
Mbare and Highfield suburbs
are the worst affected as waste management
services from council remain
inconsistent and divorced from the population
in the high-density
suburbs.
When city council fails to collect refuse, residents end up
dumping their
garbage on every open space available. Harare Residents Trust
(HRT)
community coordinator for the area covering the city’s southern areas,
Sandra Rupia, said between February and March waste collection had been
“very erratic” in most suburbs.
“For the four weeks, starting
from February 21 to March 17, garbage trucks
did not come to collect rubbish
across a huge chunk of Mbare, leading to
mounds of rubbish heaps, which are
still accumulating,” said Rupia. “The
areas with flats are the dirtiest,
especially at Nenyere, Matererini,
Majubeki and Mbare blocks.”
In
Mbare, heaps of garbage have mushroomed and become an eyesore near
Shirichena Primary School along Dumbujena road, Muzingeli road, Mbare Green
Market, and the open space near the OK shop.
In the Western
Triangle and Canaan areas, dumpsites have emerged at Speciss
College, Zororo
and Cherima bus stop in Highfield becoming an eyesore and a
health hazard
for children who foraged through the rubbish piles bare-footed
before
residents and HRT cleaned up the area last week.
The situation was
the same in Glen Norah B along High Glen road, at
Kudakwashe and Ruvheneko
primary schools. Community chairperson for the
area, Juliette Masiyambiri,
said children were at the highest risk of
contracting diseases such as
typhoid and cholera as they played in the
garbage piles.
“At
Kudakwashe Primary School the rubbish site had gone for close to a year
without being cleared by the municipality,” she said. “Children on their way
home crossed through the waste mounds, which contain discarded baby nappies
and other contaminated sanitary wear.”
Harare City Council has
attributed its failure to collect refuse in
residential areas to the
critical shortage of garbage trucks.
However, residents have accused the
local authority of misplaced priorities
as it pays huge salaries to senior
managers at the expense of service
delivery.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012
11:57
DOMBOSHAVA — Sculptors at an art centre in Domboshava have
lambasted the
government for failing to quickly resuscitate the tourism
industry saying
the current slump in the sector had seriously affected their
livelihood.
The sculptors make and sell stone and wood artifacts,
mainly to tourists who
visit the Domboshava hill and caves, some 20
kilometres north of Harare.
“We are getting by, although business is very
low,” Rangarirai Makunde said.
“As you know, white people are the ones who
appreciate art, so the fewer
they are, the more affected our business
is.
“Fellow black Zimbabweans do visit yes, but many do not
appreciate these
things.” Makunde said they had regular customers who kept
them going, by
making bulk orders for resale abroad, although this number
too remains low.
Business usually peaks on Fridays through to Saturdays, as
foreign and local
tourists take their families out for the weekend. Some
tourists are
interested in watching the sun set from the Domboshava
hill.
The artifacts, mainly animals, bird carvings and creative
figures, are
priced from as low as US$2 a piece to as high as US$300.
“We
have been having some of these pieces for a long time now, thank God
they
have a long lifespan, otherwise we would have been pushed out of
business as
they got bad,” said another sculptor. “We really look forward to
that day
when tourist numbers will increase again, as that will translate
into
improved business for us.”
While sculptors bemoaned low business,
some locals complained that they no
longer enjoyed services offered by bars
near the tourist site citing
exorbitant prices.
Tinashe Chitando
said local villagers could not mix and mingle with the
tourists because they
could not afford the prices charged by service
providers at the
caves.
“I have gone up the hill several times, but what I am not
happy about is
that beer at the bar costs US$3 for a quart compared to
US$1,50 at the
business centres,” said Chitando. “A kilogramme of beef sells
for US$10 at
the bar compared to US$5 at the shopping centres and bottled
coke (300ml)
costs US$1 compared to 5 Rand.”
An employee at one
of the bars said the facilities were open to everyone and
charges were
standard. The employee said some villagers have had their
weddings there and
paid about US$5 000 for the cheapest package.
The area near the bars
has a lot of tall muzhanje trees — a beautiful
scenery for weddings and
other family events.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:56
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
A Domboshava man has earned the respect of many in his community after
he
started a programme to train unemployed youths in carpentry in the
area.
Anyway Matabvu, who operates at Showground Shopping Centre, is now
known as
“the carpentry teacher” because he has helped many youths in his
community
earn a decent living.
“I used to work at a stationery
shop in Harare but as the cost of living
rose beyond my earnings, I left my
job and relocated here in 1995,” Matabvu
said.
“I asked a friend from
Harare to help me set up a carpentry business, as he
had the skills and I
did not.”
The 52-year-old father of five added: “He trained me for
some months and
when he left, I recruited a few boys to assist me and that
is how I started
training others.”
Matabvu trains at least five
youths every year, although some of them stay
longer due to lack of
employment opportunities. Some of his trainees, he
said, have started their
own businesses where they are also extending the
skills to
others.
“He is Domboshava’s carpentry teacher,” 46-year-old Thomas
Mukusha said.
“The only teacher who pays his students for attending his
lessons, he pays
us at the end of every month.”
Mukusha said most
of the carpenters who operate carpentry business at
Showground Shopping
Centre were Matabvu’s former students. Matabvu owns a
small workshop in the
business centre where he makes bed bases, wardrobes,
coffins and other
pieces of furniture.
A base for a double bed costs US$30. “The base
beds are the ones which sell
most but the returns remain low because we sell
one base bed for US$65,” he
said.
“We make about US$2 000 in a
good month but that translates to nothing much,
considering we have to share
it among ourselves.”
Matabvu said he frequently travelled to Harare where he
buys carpentry
material.
Matabvu has already applied for land
from the local authority as he plans to
move to a bigger place.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:52
BY
SOFIA MAPURANGA
ZIMBABWE is lagging behind in enacting legislation that
supports the
marketing of traditional medicines, a senior official in the
Ministry of
Health and Child Welfare has said.
Speaking at a
World Health Organisation (WHO) regional consultative meeting
in Harare last
week, acting director of traditional medicine in the Ministry
of Health, Dr
Onias Ndoro, urged government to support traditional medicines
describing
them as the solution to the health needs of the majority in the
country.
“Zimbabwe is one of the pioneer African countries to
recognise and legalise
the use of herbal medicines but we are lagging behind
in the authorisation
of herbal products,” said Ndoro. “The prescription of
traditional medicines
lies with the traditional medicine practitioners
(TMPs) and there is need to
change that and do more research and establish
its effectiveness.”
The three-day meeting drew participants from
Tanzania, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire,
Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin,
Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Ndoro’s comments come at a time
when Zimbabwe is awash with herbal medicines
originating from China and
India. The acting director said an integrated and
collaborative approach
between TMPs and conventional medicine practitioners
(CMPs) was the key to
demystifying negative beliefs associated with the use
of herbal
medicines.
“The use of traditional medicines is a solution to some of
our health
problems because most people residing in the rural areas do not
have access
to hospitals and modern medicines. The issue of access and
affordability
comes at the fore,” said Ndoro. “There is need to look at
these medicines as
a health system and compliment its proper
use.”
He said TMPs should come up with activities and objectives
aligned to the
health ministry’s goals if they are to be recognised by the
relevant
government ministries.
The Zimbabwe national Traditional
Healers’ Association (Zinatha) led by Dr
Gordon Chavunduka has for years
been pushing government to enact legislation
that recognises the official
use of traditional medicines in the health
institutions in the
country.
Chavhunduka could not be reached for comment last week as he
was said to be
sick. But a member of Zinatha blamed government bureaucratic
procedures for
the delay in recognising local herbal
medicine.
“This is why you find traditional practitioners operating
backstreet
pharmacies in the city,” he said. “We need laws the support the
marketing
and use of our herbal medicines.”
Last week’s meeting
was held against the backdrop of the WHO regional
committee for Africa held
in 2000 under the theme ‘Promoting the role of
Traditional Medicine in the
Health Systems: A strategy for the African
Region.’
The committee
came up with resolutions that stipulate that African countries
should make
inventories of effective traditional practices and ascertain and
develop
evidence on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional
medicines.
According to the WHO, TMPs play a key role in covering
the health needs of
African communities, but their work and profession are
not sufficiently
known, documented or recognized the world
over.
Their interventions are not captured in health statistics at
country and
regional levels. The absence of official recognition exposes
them to
“charlatans and deceptive advertising”, a situation which could
ultimately
become a source of discouragement.
Recent studies have
shown that traditional medicine is however the first
source of health care
for about 80% of the population in developing
countries.
Several African
countries have implemented some aspects of the regional
strategy but are
still hindered by weak regulatory mechanisms which have
resulted in
malpractices in traditional practices and unfavorable policy,
economic and
regulatory environments for local production of traditional
medicines.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:50
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
A man who dumped his wife for bearing him a child with cerebral
palsy has
returned after learning his family was among beneficiaries of
residential
stands in Mabvuku.
The man, who could not be
identified to protect the identity of the
disadvantaged child, is among a
number of husbands that are coming back to
their wives in the suburb where
the fortunes of women, dumped by their
husbands years ago after giving birth
to children with disabilities, are
fast changing.
At least 26
parents of children with various forms of disabilities will soon
own
residential stands after their association bought land to accommodate
the
families, most of whom presently live in backyard shacks.
The
families have for years been making monthly savings through the Zimbabwe
Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA), enabling them to raise
US$15 000, which they used to buy a piece of land to be subdivided into
residential stands.
Each member will own a 200 square metre stand
in Harare’s Mabvuku suburb.
These developments have resulted in some of the
husbands who had run away
coming back to their families after realising that
their wives would soon
receive residential stands.
“There is a
man who had left his wife and five children, including their
nine-year old
child who is suffering from cerebral palsy (CP),” a ZPHCA
official said.
“The wife soldiered on, vending to raise money for her
children’s upkeep and
the association subscription. She is one of those who
benefitted under this
phase and her husband is now back home.”
The beneficiaries were
hopeful that the initiative would bring relief to
most members of the
association as they were being discriminated against
when looking for
accommodation to rent.
“My husband left me and our three children in
1998 because of our
19-year-old daughter who suffers from cp,” 42-year-old
Virginia Chirinda
said. “At one point, I was promised a room for lodging
with my family but
when I went back with my disabled child the following
day, the potential
landlord told me she had no room for that thing,
referring to my child.”
Speaking at a ground- breaking ceremony in
Mabvuku last week, ZPHCA
coordinator Theresa Makwara said members had been
saving up for stands for
several years.
“We started off as a big
association with more than 100 members but we are
down to 42 now because of
various problems, among them lack of resources,”
Makwara said. “Most people
got discouraged when our Zimdollar savings came
to naught but some of us
soldiered on and that has finally paid off.”
Body caters for
parents of the disabled
Formed in 1987, ZPHCA is an organisation
of parents of children with
disabilities. The Harare Province is the largest
with a growing base of 23
support groups.
The association
advocates for the rights of children with disabilities,
especially in the
areas of health, education, food, shelter, housing and
recognition in the
society.
Most of the handicapped live with cerebral palsy (PC), a
condition which
affects brain development and body functionality while
others suffer from
Hydrocephalus condition, which is a buildup of fluid
inside the skull that
leads to brain swelling.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012
12:09
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — China has pledged to fund the
construction of a convention centre
and other critical infrastructure worth
US$300 million for the joint hosting
of the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly
set for next year.
Minister
of Public Works, Gabuza Joel Gabbuza, said China was willing to
fund the
project but on condition that the tenders for construction were
awarded to
Chinese companies.
“We are negotiating with China for the loans.
China has pledged to assist
but on condition that tenders for construction
go to their companies. We are
negotiating that local companies are
sub-contracted for upgrading projects
or to supply the bulk of the building
materials,” Gabbuza said on Thursday.
He said Zimbabwe, which is
co-hosting general assembly with Zambia, had no
money for the construction
of the multi-million dollar project.
The convention centre is designed to
accommodate between 3 000 and 5 000
people, have a shopping mall and a
three-star and five-star hotel.
“This is a big project and we do not
have the funds to wholly fund
construction projects on our own. For example,
the conference centre would
cost about US$120 million with the other money
going to fund the
construction of the hotel, to increase hotel rooms and
other ancillary
services,” said Gabbuza.
In the 2012 national
budget, Finance minister Tendai Biti, only allocated
US$1 million for the
preparations towards the co-hosting of the assembly,
which analysts said was
a drop in the ocean in comparison to the actual
amount
needed.
Gabbuza said regional financial institutions such as the
Development Bank of
Southern Africa had come up with special loan facilities
for the
refurbishment and re-capitalisation of tourism facilities in and
around
Victoria Falls to improve services during and after the tourism
event.
Most of the 186 members of the UNWTO are expected to descend
on Victoria
Falls and Livingstone next year for the event.
Government has
said the event presents Zimbabwe with a unique opportunity to
rebrand its
image in the eyes of the international community.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 12:04
BY NDAMU
SANDU
THE Securities Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZ) is reviewing
corporate
actions amid revelations that the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE)
had not
followed the rules governing listed companies.
This comes
at a time relations between SECZ and the ZSE have soured, with
the former
accusing the latter of “sitting behind the wheels”. A corporate
action is
any event that brings material change to a public company and may
affect its
stakeholders. Some corporate actions such as a dividend may have
a financial
impact on the shareholders, while others such as change in
company name do
not have a financial impact.
The Commission has also raised concern
after a consortium of local and
foreign investors snapped up a controlling
shareholding in construction
giant, Murray and Roberts (M &
R).
According to the transaction, Zumbani Capital snapped up 9 792
515 shares at
a special bargain price of US$0,0147 per share. The special
bargain price
was at a 79% discount to the last traded price of the share
which was
US$0,07.
Tafadzwa Chinamo, SECZ chief executive officer
told Standardbusiness last
week the review would consider whether proper
procedures had been followed.
“If we see a transaction we believe
happened even without approvals being
done, we will do whatever we can to
address that situation, even if it means
cancelling or reversing that
transaction,” Chinamo said.
Chinamo said the Commission was
finalising its examinations on the M & R
deal and would make its
recommendations to the parties concerned. “If it
warrants undoing that deal,
it’s an option,” he said.
Chinamo said although M & R issued a
cautionary statement, it didn’t say the
current shareholder is selling. It
means there is a change in ownership and
a circular to shareholders was
appropriate, he said.
Under normal circumstances, a company intending
to do any corporate action
files circulars with both the stock exchange and
SECZ. However, this has not
been the case with SECZ telling listed firms in
a notice published last
week, to file circulars with both the exchange and
the Commission “in order
to avoid corrective measures being taken should
such corporate actions be
found to be irregular”.
Chinamo said
amendments to the Securities Act would require the stock
exchange to gazette
its listing rules and direct companies to ensure that
notices for annual
general meetings are sent out on time and what to be
discussed at those
meetings.
He said the Commission was also drafting rules to
complement effectiveness
of the Act. The rules are being drafted at the
Attorney General’s office
with technical assistance from the World
Bank.
Listing committee vital for all deliberations:
Chinamo
Chinamo told Standardbusiness, the listing committee of
the stock exchange
should deliberate on all corporate actions before they
are approved.
“Any action that takes place, rights issue consolidation of
shares, the
listing committee will be instrumental. In the past the
committee was in
name only,” he said.
He said going forward, a
member of the Commission would sit on every
committee of the exchange in
attendance, such that things that may be
overlooked by the exchange, would
be pointed out and corrected.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 12:00
BY OUR
STAFF
THE Zimbabwe Platinum Mine (Zimplats) risks defaulting on loan
arrangements
after the central bank directed local banks to stop offering
banking
services to the company for defying an order to bring back money in
off-shore accounts.
Zimplats borrowed from foreign organisations
to finance its US$500 million
Phase II expansion, currently underway in
Ngezi. On Wednesday, the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) said the white metal
producer had defied its
directive to bring back the money onshore and
instructed banks to stop
handling any international or cross-border payments
for Zimplats.
This includes stopping issuance of export
documentation, electronic or
otherwise, on behalf of Zimplats Information
obtained yesterday showed that
letters have been flying between Zimplats and
its bankers after the latter
was given a directive by the
RBZ.
Executives who spoke to Standardbusiness said Zimplats was now
in a fix and
risked defaulting on loan agreements with foreign lenders. “The
revocation
of Zimplats’ right to operate off-shore accounts will have an
adverse effect
on its subsisting financing arrangements and constitute an
event of default
under the agreement that it has with foreign financiers.
The continued
operation of the off-shore accounts is a material condition
under the
facility agreements,” an executive said.
There were
also allegations that, by stopping banks from processing Zimplats’
exports,
RBZ had “inadvertently closed Zimplats”. Zimplats said it had an
existing
agreement with government and RBZ to open, operate and maintain
off-shore
accounts.
Sources said although the RBZ’s rationale for the directive
was motivated by
the need to improve the liquidity situation in the country,
the situation
was different for Zimplats, as it had no surplus funds
offshore.
“Zimplats is in the midst of a major expansion project,
which is partly
funded by offshore loans. Thus, the localisation of
Zimplats’ offshore
accounts will not result in any improvement in the local
market’s liquidity
position,” an executive said.
Standardbusiness
is also reliably informed that the white metal producer’s
insistence on
keeping off-shore accounts was necessitated by agreements
signed in 1994 and
2005.
The Mining Agreement dated August 24 1994 and the Accounts
Management
Agreement concluded in October 2005, all gave Zimplats the nod to
open,
operate and maintain foreign currency accounts outside
Zimbabwe.
“The mining agreement is a valid existing government
implementation
agreement with Zimplats in as far as exchange controls are
concerned, and
this is clearly provided for in clause 9 of the Mining
Agreement, which is
in lieu of normal exchange control approvals under the
relevant exchange
control legislation or regulations as the case may be,” a
source said.
“In our view, the mining agreement is valid and Zimplats
has a right to
operate off-shore accounts.”
Zimplats to seek
agreement with RBZ
In a statement, Zimplats said it would liaise
with RBZ to resolve the matter
amicably. “Zimplats acknowledges receipt of
the RBZ directive. However, we
must say we were surprised because in
reality, Zimplats had no objection to
the initial communication from the RBZ
on the policy change.
“Following the change in policy, the company is
now paying for 75% of its
expenditure in Zimbabwe,” it said. “The remaining
25% related to observing
the tenets of its foreign loans that were raised
with the knowledge, support
and approval of the monetary authorities.
Zimplats is urgently liaising with
the Monetary Authorities to resolve this
matter amicably.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 May 2012
11:43
BY NDAMU SANDU
OFFICIALS from the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank will
visit the country next month for crucial talks
in Zimbabwe’s first step
towards clearing its US$9,1 billion external
debt.
The visit comes after two crucial meetings in Tunisia and
Washington DC,
where consensus was built among all creditors and other
stakeholders over
the process of resolving the country’s external
debt.
Finance minister, Tendai Biti, said on Thursday the
resolution of the debt
question would unlock fresh capital into the country
needed to drive
economic growth.
Biti said he had briefed
President Robert Mugabe on the debt question and
was given the nod to
re-engage the country’s creditors.
This has resulted in negotiations
with the IMF and World Bank — a framework
for accelerated engagement next
month.
“If we reach this agreement, it will pave the way for donors
to help us with
our US$9,1 billion, either through cancellation or
forgiveness. We need to
deal with the arrears because these are a
precondition for us to access the
huge amounts that are at the World Bank
and IMF,” Biti said.
Zimbabwe’s arrears to the World Bank are US$507
million, US$140 million to
IMF and US$409 million to the African Development
Bank (AfDB)
Biti said Zimbabwe had moved mountains for the donors to
come to the
decisions reached in Tunisia and in Washington DC and
Zimbabweans have to
speak with one voice for the debt question to be
addressed.
Zimbabwe’s external debt had been termed unsustainable up
to 2029 by a
consultant hired by government three years ago.
The
principals in the inclusive government approved the Zimbabwe Accelerated
Arrears Clearance, Debt and Development Strategy (ZAADDS) in March after
months of haggling, as one faction of the inclusive government was arguing
the country was too rich to be declared a poor country.
ZAADDS
uses a combination of debt relief and resources pledging to clear the
country’s debt.
The programme was then presented at a High Level
Debt Forum in Tunisia in
March.
Another meeting was held on the
sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Spring
meetings in Washington DC last
month.
IMF and the World Bank are considered the international
“Commissioner of
Oaths” and once they agree on anything, Zimbabwe’s other
creditors would
follow suit.
‘Clearing debt critical for
rehabilitation’
Biti said once the debt question was settled, the country
could tap into the
huge amounts from the Bretton Woods institutions to
address the
infrastructure deficit in the country.
AfDB estimates
that Zimbabwe needs US$16 billion for infrastructure
rehabilitation.
“You will not get that money from the private
institutions, but from the
IFIs (international financial institutions), the
IMF, World Bank and African
Development Bank, so it’s important that we deal
with the issue of arrears,”
he said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:43
UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay on Friday concluded an
insightful
five-day trip to Zimbabwe. Her visit, the first by a rights
commissioner,
was a milestone in some ways.
In the past, the former Zanu PF
government was openly hostile to any attempt
to investigate its persistent
use of State security apparatus to commit
human rights
violations.
By inviting the commissioner for a visit, government sent
positive signals
that it was ready to engage with the international
community on human rights
issues — aspects that are pertinent to any
civilised society.
What is required of the coalition government now
is to go a step further and
show that the invitation was a well-intended
move by a country determined to
change its course.
This change
can be achieved through addressing the important matters that
were raised by
Pillay. Among these, is the need for the State to immediately
stop being the
perpetrator-in-chief. Instead, it should assume the rightful
role of being
the “primary duty-bearer” in safeguarding and protecting human
rights.
The state should rise above political party differences
and foster a culture
of respecting human rights. Doing away with laws that
infringe on citizens’s
rights can be a good start.
Among these
are the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the
Broadcasting Services Act and the Public Order and Security Act.
Pillay
made the observation that the Zimbabwe Media Commission “seemed much
more
concerned with controlling and censoring media than with promoting
freedom
of expression”.
Her observation deserves serious consideration,
coming a day after the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe dashed
hopes of freeing the
airwaves by ruling out more radio licences on the
flimsy pretext that
frequencies had been exhausted.
On the
contentious issue of elections, Pillay said unless the parties agreed
quickly on some key major reforms, the next election could turn into a
repeat of the 2008 bloodbath.
Pillay’s recommendations go a long
way in addressing matters that are
fundamental to the human rights problems
in Zimbabwe. What is now needed is
for the parties to the inclusive
government to take them on board and chart
a new direction for
Zimbabwe.
Quote of the week
"I also urged him to
ensure that the future elections will be free and fair,
and free from
violence,” UN rights chief Navi Pillay after the 90-minute
meeting with
Mugabe at State House, in the capital Harare.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012
11:37
Minister of Justice, Patrick Chinamasa, last week tried to manage
the visit
by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay,
in such a
way that she would “hear no evil, see no evil and say no evil”
about the
state of human rights in Zimbabwe.
How he
thought he would achieve this feat considering Pillay’s experience as
a High
Court judge in South Africa and as an accomplished international
civil
servant boggles the mind. Pillay, a South African, was the first
non-white
woman on the High Court of South Africa and has served as a judge
of the
International Criminal Court and President of the International
Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda. She has been High Commissioner for Human
Rights since
September 1 2008.
She is the first South African to obtain a
doctorate in law from Harvard Law
School. Chinamasa sought to achieve his
ends by trivialising the whole
Zimbabwean human rights debate by reducing it
to only two issues namely,
state-sponsored violence and homosexuality. He
hedged his stratagem on his
first utterance after the arrival of
Pillay:
“We are happy we will be able to host her because we have
nothing to hide in
terms of human rights issues. We are not worried about
what our detractors
will say,” he said.
The statement is surely
meant to deceive not only Pillay but also the
general public; but his
reference to “our detractors” betrays his actual
intent, which was to make
Pillay’s visit just another dumb squib. But to
think that Pillay would only
focus on state-sponsored violence — which to
everyone’s admission, is still
widespread but on the decline in terms of
intensity — and homosexuality, is
to underestimate the whole institution of
the United Nations and the calibre
of cadre it employs.
“There is no state-sponsored violence; these are
all lies. We told her that
there are no torture chambers in Zimbabwe,”
Chinamasa said. Fair enough
Chinamasa, no one would have expected
state-sponsored violence during the
era of the government of national unity;
but only Zanu PF-sponsored
violence, and there is lots of
it.
Paramilitary outfits such as Chipangano still exist
countrywide and Zanu
PF-sponsored violence also exists in churches such as
the Anglican Church in
which ex-communicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga and his
followers are marauding
through the countryside destroying schools and
orphanages with the backing
of the “grand old party”.
Chinamasa
also accentuated the issue of homosexuality to make it sound like
it was the
basis of Pillay’s visit. “We made it clear that in our law
homosexual
activities are criminalised and that any person who commits
homosexual
activities will be arrested,” Chinamasa told reporters after
meeting with
Pillay in Harare.
President Mugabe also added to this ruse by coming
out strongly on it when
Pillay spoke against the criminalisation of
homosexuality and sex work.
But in her lecture at the University of Zimbabwe,
Pillay demonstrated that
she had seen through Chinamasa’s ploy and
illustrated Zimbabwe’s true human
rights deficit. She talked about the
indivisibility of human rights, a
concept that Chinamasa cleverly tried to
avoid by picking out only two
issues.
Pillay said in the lecture
that UN member states, including Zimbabwe, agreed
at the World Conference on
Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 that all human
rights are universal,
indivisible and interdependent and interrelated, and
that the international
community must treat human rights globally in a fair
and equal manner, on
the same footing, and with the same emphasis. This
implied recognition that
no human right can be achieved fully without the
enjoyment of other
rights.
She gave as an example the right to vote. She said the right
to vote on its
own does not mean much to someone who is suffering from
hunger or ill
health. That means no right can flourish in isolation. She
also said one
cannot address famine without dealing with the whole question
of citizen
participation in democracy: no famine has ever occurred in a
functioning
democracy, she quoted a famous scholar.
“It seems
that the full, active and meaningful participation in designing
and
implementing government policies by those affected enables early warning
of
a crisis and the formulation of the most appropriate policy responses.
Likewise, access to information, including through a free press, enables
people to better prepare and protect themselves against such
crises”.
Pillay knew as she came to Zimbabwe the press was still
constrained by
draconian legislation and that the government had not done
enough to open up
media space especially the airwaves.
Pillay
said: “People everywhere want to be able to fend for themselves; to
provide
food, shelter and healthcare for themselves, and want to be able to
send
their children to school. This is the idea of dignity that is enshrined
in
the Universal Declaration to which the international community, including
Zimbabwe, has subscribed to.
The freedoms of assembly and
association; the right to participate in
decisions that affect one’s life
and the right to move freely to seek
opportunities, are all essential for a
life in dignity. Likewise, human
experience demonstrates that the long-term
investment of capital, access to
credit and the development of property,
which are all necessary for economic
growth and development, and for the
realisation of economic, social and
cultural rights are difficult when there
is an atmosphere of repression,
fear and rampant human rights abuse.
Respecting all human rights is
therefore crucial.”
In short this
was Pillay’s honest assessment of the situation of human
rights in Zimbabwe,
that they cannot be respected in an atmosphere of
repression, fear and
rampant human rights abuse as currently prevails in
Zimbabwe.
Pillay must also have known the way civil society is
being repressed in
Zimbabwe; what with the recent banning of dozens of
non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) in Masvingo Province.
She
said: “Civil society provides a powerful and essential stimulus for
social
change and justice. This is why an enabling and free environment for
their
activity is so essential for a country. Protecting and promoting the
work of
NGOs, human rights defenders, advocates, journalists and lawyers and
communities themselves fighting for their civil and political rights and
economic, social and cultural rights is a prerequisite to the development
and prosperity of any society.”
Chinamasa’s efforts came to
nought even though the public press gave a
totally different picture which
suggested that Pillay, because her visit was
so brief, was not in a position
to make a credible assessment.
By Nevanji Madanhire
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:39
The
African continent recently commemorated Africa Day under a plethora of
challenges that continue to traumatise and stifle development, much to the
detriment of the populace. Hunger and endless senseless wars have become a
normative value and there is no end in sight for a number of countries
except a few that have scored higher growth rates which have benefited and
uplifted the livelihoods of their citizens.
For instance, the
recent outbreak of war between Sudan and South Sudan is a
clear example of
how the continental mother body, the Africa Union (AU), has
failed in
tackling crises on the continent. It is rather naïve to note that
Khartoum
recently breached a peace deal with Juba by attacking the newly
established
state over oilfields that Khartoum wants to reclaim.
Somalia, which
continues to be riddled by a serious spate of war and strife
since the fall
of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, remains a major headache on
the continent and
efforts to foster peace between the Islamic Mujahedeen
group, the Al Shabaab
and the fragile Mogadishu government have been
fruitless.
The
Arab spring uprisings that toppled former strong men such as Colonel
Muammar
Gaddafi of Libya, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Mohamed Ben Ali of
Tunisia are
other classic examples of the failure of the African Union in
mediating
crises.
Back home, Zanu PF and President Robert Mugabe continue to
dominate the
political landscape and the recent call for elections by the
regime poses a
serious threat to peace that has been prevailing since
2008.
A majority of Zimbabweans are still haunted by the brutal 2008
elections and
the sinister utterances by some Zanu PF adherents trigger
shivers down the
spines of many since scores of innocent people were either
killed or
suffered first degree injuries as a result of the state-sponsored
violence.
The sinister rhetoric by Zanu PF and its leader, President
Robert Mugabe, of
calling for an election with or without a new constitution
is an
orchestrated campaign that is aimed at creating an atmosphere of
uncertainty
in the country. The Global Political Agreement states the need
for a new
constitution as a requirement before the holding of any fresh
elections but
some powers-that-be in Zanu PF have their own archaic mindset
that is meant
to draw us back to the 2008 fiasco.
On a positive
note, not all is doom and gloom for the continent as there are
a number of
success stories. The West African state of Ghana is a shining
example that
continues to post positive growth rates in all sectors of the
economy. It
was ticked by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation as a success story.
South Africa
also has had a positive growth rate since the establishment of
multi-party-democracy in 1994.
The oil rich West African power
house, Nigeria, has been predicted to
overtake South Africa as the largest
economy in Africa; thanks to the black
gold, crude oil, although strife that
has ravaged the country at the hands
of Islamists led by the Boko Haram is
of major concern.
In conclusion, African leaders need to foster
development for the benefit of
the citizens. It is quite naïve and
nonsensical for some leaders to preach a
gospel of pan-Africanism while they
are on the forefront of plundering the
resources that should benefit the
majority.
Sloganeering and hate speech will continue to take us
backwards. Former
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown once said: “The days
of the West
apologising for the wrongdoings of the past are over.” Such
utterances might
be misleading and dangerous but they have relevance in the
context that we
have to move on.
BY TERRY MUTSVANGA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 27 May 2012 11:41
Without
even stating whether Temitope Balogun Joshua, aka TB Joshua, the
world-famous Nigerian prophet, is using the power of God or not, it is clear
that he has touched the lives of many. Some in a positive way, some in a
negative way, as it should be.
Zimbabwe’s fascination with this
man, particularly after his prophecy on
February 8 2012 that an African
president would die suddenly within 60 days,
has been exploited by
politicians for their own political ends. Most
politicians, across the
political divide, hoped that the prophecy would be
fulfilled in
Zimbabwe.
For Zanu PF politicians, it would have shortened the
waiting for those
lining up to succeed their party leader and national
President Robert
Mugabe. For the MDCs, a formidable and experienced opponent
would be out of
the way, opening up a clear chance to resoundingly out-poll
a novice
candidate in an open national election.
It never came to
be, as Malawi is the country that lost its president over
the timeframe
predicted by TB Joshua. Unsatisfied with this outcome, some
Zanu PF
politicians, particularly the loquacious Professor Jonathan Moyo,
came up
with conspiracy theories suggesting that the late Bingu wa Mutharika
could
have been a victim of an assassination plot by his political
opponents,
taking advantage of TB Joshua’s prophecy.
The Malawians, however,
missed the whole point of Moyo’s untempered
mutterings. They were not
really meant for them but for a Zimbabwean
audience.
A few days
later, the media was awash with “news” that Mugabe was on his
deathbed in
Singapore. An unnamed close associate of Mugabe’s was cited as
the source of
the story. Perceptive Zimbabwean media consumers read between
the lines and
noted who the originator of this fiction could be. As is
turned out, the
President was well and alive, shaming the vile schemers.
Fearing
Mugabe’s backlash upon his return, the Zanu PF schemers who wished
Mugabe a
sudden death, found TB Joshua, their initial source of hope, a
convenient
scapegoat, blaming him for making political prophecies. While
Mugabe himself
laughed the episode off, joking that he had outdone Jesus in
the number of
supposed resurrections, the political schemers, to mask their
involvement in
the scandal, got angry on his behalf, declaring TB Joshua a
persona non
grata in Zimbabwe.
Their fear that he might expose them when he
comes to Zimbabwe for the
National Day of Prayer event later this month is
palpable. But is Mugabe
fooled by such Zanu PF insider-schemers, plotting
his downfall? — Let’s wait
and see. He might surprise them,
yet.
For the MDCs, if laxity crept in on the basis of the news of
Mugabe’s said
illness, Mugabe’s “resurrection” and triumphant return to
Zimbabwe from his
private visit to the Far East, was a slap in the face.
They fell for a Zanu
PF succession-battle schemer’s story. They also became
embroiled in the TB
Joshua decoy. Instead of ignoring the rumour that it was
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai who invited TB Joshua to Zimbabwe, the
MDC-T dignified the
fiction by denying it and placing the invitation at the
door of the clergy.
Unwittingly, political clergymen, like the
ex-communicated Anglican Bishop
Nolbert Kunonga and his ilk, picked up the
planted story and unjustly
attacked TB Joshua, camouflaging the political
schemer behind the story that
Mugabe was on his deathbed. The ZRP have
entered the fray, throwing
unprovoked attacks at TB Joshua.
But
is it TB Joshua, godly or not, who is at the heart of Zimbabwe’s
shameless
peddling of lies about its president’s ill-health? — Definitely
not!—It was
in the WikiLeaks well before TB Joshua predicted the death of an
African
president. In fact, TB Joshua has not said a word about our
president’s
health as some politicians would have us believe.
It’s not the
messenger, but the message, that matters. The forthrightness of
prophetic
messages scares our politicians to the extent of dreaming schemes
against
the prophets and decoding skewed meanings from the
prophecies.
Repent, reform and prepare for a new dawn, for the
end is nigh, has always
been a religious message. There is no regime-change
mantra in that message,
as some politicians would like us to believe. That
message is as old as the
biblical Old Testament prophets. And the reaction
from politicians then, as
now, is to scheme against the prophets. A large
section of Prophet Jeremiah’s
book in the Bible’s Old Testament section
laments about this.
Spare TB Joshua the political controversies.
Prophets, as a general rule of
thumb, are responsible for what they say, not
for what you interpret to be
their message. Watch out more for deranged
political schemers in our midst
than mere prophets. President Robert Mugabe
can also do without the spurious
health concerns which politicians regularly
peddle about him.
BY LAITON MKANDAWIRE
