S•A•C•F•A
Southern African Commercial Farmers Alliance
At 5.15 pm on the 25th May 2010 six truckloads of armed police arrived at Goff and Shirley Carbutt’s Oscardale Farm in the Inyathi district of Matabeleland North. They surrounded the homestead and proceeded to arrest Goff for being in illegal occupation of state land in spite of him having a very recent High Court order which confirmed the Administrative Court’s earlier ruling that he may reside on the remaining portion of his property; the rest having been given up for resettlement in line with earlier government policy.
After relieving his wife of all the house keys, Shirley and elderly parents were given a short while to pack up some possessions and were then evicted from their home at gunpoint. Goff, who has recently had a kidney transplant, was taken to the police station in Inyathi where he has had to sleep on the concrete floor of the police cells for the last two nights. He is to be charged under the Gazetted Lands (Consequential Provisions) Act for being in occupation of state land without an offer letter, permit or lease.
The convoy of police then proceeded to the vacant home of Ed Grenfell-Dexter of Riverside and Riverbank farms. There, on some pretext, they convinced his watchman to lure Mr. Dexter out from Bulawayo where he now lives. When he arrived he too was arrested and was also detained in Inyathi police cells pending his being charged for the same offence in spite of him no longer being resident on the farm.
The police then went to Mike Huckle’s Felton farm where at about 9.00 pm they breached the security fence and broke in to the house where staff reside. They gathered all of the staff together and told them they had one hour to vacate the farm. Mike Huckle is resident in South Africa and in terms of another Administrative Court order has leased out the remaining portion of his farm which the Court ordered he may keep.
The following morning after their first night in jail, Advocate Tim Cherry went to Inyathi to try and arrange for the release of the two farmers. He was kept waiting for some four hours whilst the Officer-in-Charge repeatedly telephoned code 04 (Harare) numbers.
On the same day 26th May Mrs. Carbutt, after being checked to ensure she was not in possession of a camera, was allowed to regain access to the house to pack the rest of her possessions at gunpoint. She was not allowed to take the curtains which the alleged beneficiary named Ncube of the CIO/police required be left behind. He also insisted the garden hosepipe remain as it was “irrigation equipment”. There is no law in Zimbabwe which requires movables of any sort to be left behind in this manner.
She found the pantry had been locked during the night and asked for the keys to open the door so as to remove her deep freezer. The police refused to part with them and denied that they had the keys. They told her that should she break into the pantry to remove her deep possessions they would arrest her for “damaging state property”.
Allegedly both Dexter and Carbutt are to be taken to Bulawayo today 27th May to appear in the city Magistrates Court. How the Magistrate is to override the ruling of the superior High Court remains to be seen.
C M JARRETT – CHAIRMAN
SOUTHERN AFRICAN COMMERCIAL FARMERS ALLIANCE – ZIMBABWE
27 May 2010
Posted by
ZDN on May 26, 2010
Politics
Iranian
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has commended President Mugabe for
resisting alleged political interference by the Western powers, pledging
Tehran’s continued support for Zimbabwe.
Dr Simba
Makoni, interim leader of the newly launched Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn political
movement, has called for massive demonstrations similar to the Red Shirt
protests in Thailand against the inclusive government, which he says has
failed.
The
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has called for fresh elections to choose the
country’s next leader, citing “lack of progress” in the inclusive government.
Job
Sikhala, who on May 8 launched a new political party, the MDC-99, was arrested
Friday by heavily armed police. He is to be charged under Section 20 of the
discredited Public Order and Security Act (POSA).
Zimbabwe
Inclusive Government Watch, a document which monitors violations of the GPA and
is published by the Sokwanele website, reported that from April 2010:In cases
of violence, intimidation, hate speech and abductions, Zanu PF was accountable
for 90.9 percent. In cases of subversion of legal processes and of
harassment through the courts of MDC supporters and politicians, Zanu PF was
accountable for 100 percent of the breaches.
The MDC-T
leadership addressed thousands of supporters at more than 30 “Real Change”
rallies held across the country to update the nation on key national issues.
The MDC-T
said that moving its deputy Minister of Agriculture (Designate) Roy Bennett to
another ministry would be a serious breach of the GPA. Under the GPA neither
the President nor his party can veto Bennett’s appointment.
The MDC-T
has expelled five youths, allegedly behind the assault of MDC Director General
Toendepi Shonhe at its Harvest House headquarters in Harare.
Governance
The
Norwegian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Gunnar Foreland, has criticized the three
leaders for delaying full implementation of the Global Political Agreement
(GPA).
The GPA
provides for an anti-corruption commission, but 15 months down the line the
commission has still not been formed and the ruthless plundering of the
country’s resources by President Mugabe’s inner circle continues.
Economy
ZESA
currently cannot meet domestic power needs with industry and commerce almost
crippled by inadequate electricity supplies. The state-run utility is producing
1,100 megawatts compared with a national requirement of 2,000 megawatts and is
obliged to import electricity from Mozambique and Zambia.
Mining
company RioZim, which is sitting on 1.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves, said
Tuesday it had teamed up with South African investors to build a US$3 billion
thermal power station in central Zimbabwe. The proposed power station would
have a capacity of 1,400 megawatts, sufficient to meet Zimbabwe’s electricity
demand.
State-owned
National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM), now operating at 30 percent capacity
and laying off thousands of workers, is planning to sell a 49 percent share
stake in an effort to raise capital to pay US$270 million in debt.
NOCZIM is
also negotiating with the government to retain a controlling 51 percent stake
in the enterprise after raising equity capital.
The
Development Bank of Southern Africa on Tuesday availed a US$500,000 grant to
the Zimbabwean government to fund a feasibility study of the Harare-Chirundu
highway dualisation. Carrying the bulk of traffic between South Africa and
countries to the north of Zimbabwe, it is set to cost an estimated US$1.3
billion.
Prime
Minister Tsvangirai has urged SADC water ministers meeting in Bulawayo to
expedite signature and ratification of the Zambezi Commission protocol so the
region can tap the potential of the Zambezi river for the benefit of all.
Tsvangirai
travelled to Seoul this week on a three-day official visit. It is expected that
the high-level meetings will result in the signing of a Bilateral Investment
Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA).
The
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has raided a car dealership in Harare and
stopped the auction of 75 cars as part of investigations into alleged tax
evasion by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Business
Zimbabwe
has finally ratified a BIPPA signed with South Africa last November.
Indigenization
Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has extended to end June the deadline by which all
businesses must submit plans on increasing black ownership.
The
business community and the MDC have proposed that the requirement for a 51
percent indigenous stake in all companies be replaced with a level of
participation determined on a sector-by-sector basis.
Zimbabwe’s
hotel group Meikles Africa will spend $53 million by end-March 2011 to revamp
its hotels and supermarkets, the company’s chairman said Wednesday.
Mining/Diamonds
Mines and
Mining Development permanent secretary Thankful Musukutwa has asked the Finance
ministry to slash the pre-exploration levy for new mining projects as the
US$100 000 charged for Exclusive Prospective Orders (EPO) is inhibiting new
investment in mining, especially under-capitalised local miners.
The Chamber
of Mines on Wednesday proposed a compromise in the government’s drive to force
foreign firms to give 51 percent stakes to locals, saying 15 percent local
shareholding for mines was enough.
Although
power cuts and lack of funding slowed down recovery of the country’s mines –
most of which closed in 2008 at the height of the economic crisis – the chamber
says gold output will be significantly higher than last year’s 4.2 tonnes. At
its peak, Zimbabwe produced about 29 tonnes of gold annually.
Impala
Platinum’s Zimbabwe unit, Zimplats Holdings, is considering setting up the
country’s first metals refinery, where its plans a US$500 million mine
expansion.
The
government is illegally exporting Chiadzwa diamonds through the back door to
Dubai in violation of a Supreme Court ruling.
Government
and controversial diamond firm Canadile Miners have established a joint venture
for the construction of a multimillion-dollar Diamond Technology Centre for
processing of the gems in Zimbabwe.
African
Consolidated Resources (ACR)’s prospecting programme is yielding positive
results. CEO Andrew Cranswick says gold, diamond and base metals prospecting is
ongoing.
Jonathan
Samkange, the lawyer representing Africa Consolidated Resources CEO Andrew
Cranswick, was briefly arrested by police in Harare on Monday, in a move he
says is continuing harassment by the police.
ACR
official Ian Harris is still out on bail after being arrested for allegedly
fraudulently acquiring the Chiadzwa diamond claim, through an ACR subsidiary.
Land/Agribusiness
The
loss-making state-run Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has no money to pay farmers
who delivered their produce during the just-ended season. Furthermore, seed and
fertiliser stocks at depots countrywide are inadequate for the crucial winter
cropping season.
The
Zimbabwean Government will have to pay out at least US$70 million should a
renewed claim by three applicants against President Mugabe’s government and its
“unlawful land-reform programme” succeed in the SADC Tribunal.
Tourism
The African
Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is processing requests for loans amounting to
over US$30 million from local tourism operators.
New
Constitution / Political Violence
Security
for the outreach process has become a major concern amid reports from various
provinces that alleged Zanu PF supporters are intimidating and assaulting those
who may resist adoption of the Mugabe-backed Kariba draft constitution.
Members of
the Zimbabwe National Army are leading a campaign of violence and intimidation
in the Manicaland province. Soldiers, with the help of war veterans and Zanu PF
supporters, are using threats and physical violence ahead of the delayed
constitutional outreach exercise.
Members of
the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and Zanu PF top brass are
instructing local traditional leaders to bar constitutional reform process
meetings organised by civic society and non Governmental Organisations in
Mashonaland Central Province, traditional leaders have reported.
The
government will provide US$350,000 to the partisan Zimbabwe Republic Police to
fund “security arrangements” for the outreach phase of the constitutional
revision process now scheduled to begin June 15.
The
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) said on Thursday
it is considering pulling out of the country’s constitutional making process
because politicians have taken over the process.
Dozens of
people in Epworth near Harare have been savagely beaten, many raped and others
forced to flee their homes in a tide of low-key violence perpetrated by Zanu PF
supporters against the MDC.
Elections
In
Johannesburg, a legal case regarding the release of a report by two of South
Africa’s top judges on the fairness of the 2002 presidential election in
Zimbabwe is underway. The Mail & Guardian newspaper has applied for access
to the report.
The
financially crippled Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), sworn in on March 31,
has resolved to source funding from international donors.
Health/Humanitarian
Norway is
to increase its humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe in 2010 by NOK 10 million,
to NOK 30 million since up to 2.5 million people will need food aid in 2010.
Zanu PF
officials and war veterans in Mberengwa district in the Midlands province are
blocking food aid to HIV/AIDS orphans demanding that they should first join the
party’s youth league.
The
government supported by Hellen Keller International, World Health Organisation
(WHO) and UNICEF on Monday launched a nationwide measles vaccination campaign.
More than US$8 million has been spent to on vaccines and logistics to ensure
the campaign reaches remote populations. Immunisation points have been set up at
all hospitals, clinics, community centres, churches and schools.
May 18
marked the fifth anniversary of Operation Murambatsvina when the Zanu PF
government began demolishing informal settlements across the country, leaving
more than 700 000 people without homes or livelihoods, or both. Five years on,
the victims are still struggling to survive in plastic shacks or tents without
basic essentials.
Legal
President
Mugabe has unilaterally appointed three High Court judges, including
controversial former elections chief George Chiweshe, who presided over the
flawed 2008 elections, to head the country’s High Court. As this violates
the GPA, Prime Minister Tsvangirai has protested strongly and wants a meeting
with Mugabe this week.
According
to legal monitor Veritas, the law allows the State to appeal to the Supreme
Court against Roy Bennett’s acquittal, but only if given permission to do so by
a Supreme Court judge. The hearing is likely to be held during the next few
weeks.
Lawyers for
Bennett are planning to sue former information minister Jonathan Moyo and
state media journalists for allegedly peddling falsehoods against him.
A Harare
court has ordered an investigation into the alleged torture of two former
soldiers accused of stealing weapons at Pomona Barracks last year.
The Deputy
Sheriff of Cape Town will proceed to auction Zimbabwe government properties
after Harare failed to defend a R400 million lawsuit by German development bank
KFW Bankgruppe.
Media
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he would this week summon the Zimbabwe Media
Commission (ZMC) to ascertain why it hasn’t issued a single licence since it
was appointed nearly three months ago.
Donors are
said to be refusing to financially back the newly created Zimbabwe Media
Commission due to the appointment of Zanu PF sympathiser and media hangman
Tafataona Mahoso as CEO.
Concern has
been expressed over the increasing range of the state broadcaster after new
transmitters were installed last week.
Police in
Gweru have clamped down on a community radio station by denying them clearance
to hold a road show this weekend.
Education
UNICEF has
provided over US$50 million to improve the pupil-textbook ratio.
Environment
/ Wildlife
A
six-nation wildlife crime crackdown across southern Africa, and including
Zimbabwe, has resulted in the seizure of nearly 400 kilos (882 pounds) of
elephant ivory and rhino horn with a market value of more than US$1 million,
the location and closure of an illegal ivory factory, and the arrests of 41
people.
Zimbabwe’s
Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said at the weekend that the export of
six animal species, including two infant elephants, to the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea was a “purely business” transaction. An international
campaign to save the elephants has been launched by Zimbabwe Conservation Task
Force and Elephant Voices.
Sport
North Korea
will not be preparing for the World Cup finals with a visit to Zimbabwe, ending
fears over a potentially controversial trip.
The
International Football Federation (FIFA) says it is preparing to bus
Zimbabweans into South Africa next month to fill up empty seats in the new
Polokwane, Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth stadiums during World Cup.
The Good
News
The
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) handed over 693 housing units on
May 13 to nearly 700 families, all victims of the 2008 floods in the eastern
Chipinge district. The homes were built in partnership with government’s
Civil Protection Unit.
A
Zimbabwean wine maker has scored a first by making two of the three official
World Cup wines. Tariro Masayiti, 37, works for Paarl-based wine-maker
Nederburg.
Source: Zimbabwe
Democracy Now
Zimbabwean
parliamentarian Willas Madzimure argued for disclosure saying the electorate
worries that legislators, officials in the executive branch and those appointed
to the judiciary may abuse their offices
Gibbs Dube | Washington27 May 2010
The
African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption says the Zimbabwean
Parliament should enact legislation obliging lawmakers, senior government
officials and members of the judiciary to declare their financial assets before
taking office as a step against corruption by those in high office.
Parliamentarian
Willas Madzimure, chairman of the network's Zimbabwe chapter, said the
electorate worries that legislators, executive branch members and those
appointed to the bench may abuse their offices.
Madzimure,
who represents the Harare suburb of Kambuzuma, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs
Dube that some politicians in Zimbabwe have corruptly amassed wealth as they
are not subject to such public scrutiny.
“As there
are many politicians using public offices to enrich themselves, we believe that
this can be curbed if MPs, members of the bench and senior state officials are
obliged to declare their assets,” he said.
Nhlanhla
Dube, deputy national secretary for information with the Movement for
Democratic Change formation of Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara said
Zimbabwe’s new constitution should require such disclosure.
Though a
parliamentary rule requires disclosure, the legislature has not enforced this.
During the
1980s the ruling ZANU-PF party drafted a so-called leadership code obliging
members to declare their assets - but it disappeared from party statutes after
members said it was too Marxist-oriented.
VOA news
28
May 2010
________________________________________
Harare
— HEAVYWEIGHT counters lost significant ground on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange
yesterday, pulling the mainstream index 3,22 percent down to close at 129.89
points.
The
resources index also slipped 2,06 percent to close at 158.24 points as RioZim
shed US10c to trade at US260c after Government suspended diamond exports.
Seed
manufacturing giant SeedCo led the shakers with a significant US5c drop at 70
cents as alcohol and beverage manufacturer Delta retreated US4c to trade at
US43c.
Diversified
financial services counter Barclays was US1,99c softer at US10,01c as insurance
giant Old Mutual eased a cent to US146c.
Cairns
closed among the top five shakers, slipping US0.70c to trade at US2,50c.
Tobacco
processor BAT and Hippo topped the movers with a US5c gain each to US240c and
US85c respectively.
Cafca
went up a cent to US13c as ABCH and Dairibord were both US0,10c higher at
US13,60c and US7,60c.
Investors
have watched their investment shrink on the ZSE as the liquidity crisis takes
its toll on the market coupled with the new empowerment laws to apply on all
foreign-owned companies.
Local
banks have found themselves with their already overheated short-term deposits
as the only source of short-term funds to disperse to the cash-desperate
industry.
Interest
rates resultantly surged to as high as 40 percent per annum at the helm of the
liquidity shortages, though they have since eased to an average of 25 percent.
The
lucrative returns on the money market of up to 30 percent per annum drew the
limited funds, worsening the liquidity situation.
The
year had kicked off on a promising note on the back of a positive economic and
political outlook, partly driven by the upbeat 2010 Budget and monetary policy
statements.
In
the opening month, the industrial index established a year-to-date of 166.95
points on January 13, 2010 while the mining index, on the other hand, crossed
200 points for the greater part of the month.
However,
the index's year-to-date high of 216.85 points was only achieved on March 31
when an unprecedented RioZim charge of 35,7 percent to US380c pushed the index
by 37.95points.
The
economy has had a fairly disappointing first quarter with growth forecasts
being reviewed downward beyond expectations while inflation expectations were
raised beyond the optimist's imaginations.
In
the absence of the necessary liquidity to stimulate growth, the economy has had
to revise downwards its growth prospects.
Finance
Minister Tendai Biti whittled his economic growth forecasts from 7,7 percent to
4,8 percent while the International Monetary Fund took this down to as low as
2,2 percent.
Capacity
utilisation which had been below 10 percent at the beginning of 2009 went up to
35 percent by mid-2009 with expectations of it rising to beyond 50 percent by
mid this year.
However,
these dampened forecasts have resulted in analysts predicting that capacity
utilisation will, at best, remain at the 35 percent mark.
Inconsistent
power and water supplies as well as the rising cost of capital made production
processes less efficient and more expensive.
The
rising global oil prices only worsened the situation, with all these costs
being eventually forwarded to the consumer.
As
such, inflation crept from negative territory resulting in the Ministry of
Finance upwardly revising the annual inflation forecasts from 5 percent to 10
percent.
Copyright
© 2010 The Herald
Published
by the government of Zimbabwe
Chris
Muronzi
22 April
2010
ENERGY problems besetting the
country are set to worsen for the rest of this month as it emerged yesterday
that only one unit at Hwange Thermal Power Station is operational.
According to a recent power
generation status report, Hwange Power Station is producing a mere 70 Megawatts
against an installed capacity of 750 megawatts owing to breakdowns in other
five units.
Only unit 2 of the power station
is operational while others might commence operations by May 1 after massive
repairs.
All six units at Kariba Power
Station are operational and contribute 735 Megawatts bringing total power
output to 805 Megawatts, only 48,5% of what the country needs. This is against
a forecasted 1660 Megawatts Zimbabwe needs daily and ought to be producing.
Apart from 400 Megawatts being imported from Mozambique's Hydro Caborra Bassa
and Zambia's Zesco Limited, the country has no other sources of energy.
Other power stations in Harare,
Munyati and Bulawayo remain shut. Power outages increased this month throughout
the country, especially in residential areas in the capital with some areas
going for more than 48 hours without electricity.
Although Zimbabwe is facing an
acute energy deficit, it is under obligation to export 150 Megawatts to Namibia
after NamPower invested US$50 million into the refurbishment of the troubled at
Hwange Power Station.
Last week, Zesa Holdings, the
country's power utility, had to suspend indefinitely the annual maintenance of
Kariba Power Station until power generation improves at Hwange.
Copyright © 2010 Zimbabwe
Independent.
A letter from the diaspora
Dear Friends.
If I was asked
to define exactly what Zanu PF stands for, probably the only answer I could
honestly give would be ‘For living on past glories in their unswerving
dedication to the Liberation struggle which ended thirty years ago; for their
equally unswerving and blind loyalty to their 86 year old President; for their
belief in their absolute right to rule Zimbabwe and own all its resources; for
their use of violence as a legitimate weapon to remain in power; for their
intolerance of all other views but their own and for their hatred of the west
and in particular Britain as the former colonial power.’ This last point has involved some very
strange alliances. On the basis of the rather distorted logic that ‘the west’s
enemies are automatically my allies,’ Robert Mugabe has allied himself with
North Korea, Iran and any other country whose autocratic rulers regularly rant
about the evils of western imperialism and the US in particular. In the name of
defending ‘Zimbabwean sovereignty’ Mugabe and Zanu PF have succeeded in making
Public criticism
of the president is a criminal offence which the
This is the
first time the World Football Cup has been held in
A long way away
from dusty village politics, on Africa Day in
Yours in the
(continuing) struggle PH.aka Pauline Henson author of Case Closed published in
Zimbabwe by Mambo Press, Going Home and Countdown, political detective stories
set in Zimbabwe and available from Lulu.com.
By Alex Bell
28 May 2010
The United Nations International
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is seeking an estimated US$17 million to help
humanitarian emergencies in Zimbabwe, which the group said this week is still
‘fragile’.
In a report released Wednesday the
group said that it required the funds to immediately respond to the most acute
emergencies in Zimbabwe, including cholera, measles and typhoid outbreaks. They
explained how humanitarian emergencies continue to hamper the pace of recovery
in Zimbabwe, saying the country is in a “fragile” transition due to the
“complex and severe crises experienced over the last five years.” The UNICEF
report explained how the country is facing current acute emergencies, including
ongoing measles, cholera and typhoid outbreaks, the silent but devastating HIV
and AIDS epidemic, and the plight of displaced persons.
“These concerns are exacerbated by
inadequate access to basic social services, including health care and social
protection schemes. Food insecurity and disrupted livelihoods contribute to the
overall fragile socio-economic situation.”
Zimbabwe is currently facing a large
measles outbreak with more than 6 000 suspected cases and at least 384 deaths
reported. Fifty-seven out the country’s 62 districts have confirmed at least
one laboratory tested case, while 61 districts have reported suspected cases.
UNICEF spokesperson in Geneva, Christiane Berthiaume, explained that it was
“tragic” that measles is still such a threat.
“Though measles epidemics have been
mostly contained during the past 20 years, the steady decline in basic social
services, particularly regular immunization programmes, has placed Zimbabwean
children in a highly vulnerable state,” Berthiaume explained.
UNICEF and the World Health
Organisation this week launched an immunization campaign to tackle the measles
outbreak in Zimbabwe, with an estimated five million children set to receive
vaccines.
“In addition to measles
vaccinations, the intensive campaign will also provide children with vital
immunization against polio, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus," UNICEF’s
Berthiaume said.
Berthiaume also explained concerns
about ongoing cholera and typhoid outbreaks in the country, where access to
clean, safe water is still limited. Both diseases are waterborne and have
deadly consequences. In 2008 a country wide cholera outbreak claimed well more
than 5000 lives.
The UNICEF report also expressed
concern about gender-based violence in all its forms, saying it “remains a
challenge and is sustained by prevailing negative socio-cultural practices,
attitudes, values, norms and beliefs, despite progressive legislation.” The
report said that 47% of women in Zimbabwe have experienced either physical or
sexual violence (or both) at some point in their lives.
By Alex Bell
28 May 2010
Mutare police on Thursday clamped
down on a rights group that has exposed the level of abuse at the Chiadzwa
diamond fields. They raided the group’s offices, the home of the group’s
director and arrested his younger brother.
According to the Zimbabwe Peace
Project (ZPP), police were searching for Farai Maguwu, the director of the
Centre for Research and Development (CRD), but could not find him at the time
of the raid on Thursday. A man believed to be his younger brother was arrested
instead and was being held on unknown charges. The ZPP said the police officers
took away some documents from the centre’s offices before heading for Maguwu’s
home in Hobhouse, just a few kilometres away from the populous Chikanga suburb.
Blessing Nyamaropa, a lawyer with
the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, on Friday went to the Mutare Central
Police Station to try to give legal representation to Maguwu’s young brother.
The details of the charges that he is being detained on have not yet been made
clear. Maguwu’s whereabouts remain unknown and attempts by SW Radio Africa to
contact him have been unsuccessful.
Maguwu has been outspoken in
exposing the human rights atrocities at Chiadzwa, even meeting with an
international diamond expert this week to give evidence of ongoing abuse at the
hands of the military and the rampant smuggling. Abbey Chikane, who was
appointed by the international diamond trade watchdog the Kimberley Process, to
monitor Zimbabwe’s attempts to fall in line with trade standards, on Thursday
said the country was “on the right track.”
Ironically, his comments coincided
with the raid at the CRD offices.
By Alex Bell
28 May 2010
The Australian government has
insisted that Robert Mugabe must be out of Zimbabwe’s political picture, before
international aid will be available to help rebuild the country.
In an interview with the Zimbabwe
Independent in Canberra, Australia this week, the country’s Foreign Affairs
Minister, Stephen Smith, said his government wanted Mugabe to go before
financial aid for reconstruction can be extended to Zimbabwe.
“Our position is that Mugabe should
move off the stage to allow a new beginning,” he told the Independent on
Tuesday. “The coalition government has failed to implement the global political
agreement in full because of Mugabe. He should move off the stage if the
country is to reengage with the international community.”
Smith said Australia wanted
democratic reforms to take root in Zimbabwe, leading to free and fair elections.
In a recent ministerial statement in parliament, Smith said Australia was
looking forward to seeing “a full and fair” election in the country.
“Despite Zimbabwe’s modest recent
progress, Australia remains deeply concerned that ZANU PF is not motivated to
adhere to its obligations under the global political agreement,” Smith said.
“For that reason, Australia’s long-standing position on financial and travel
sanctions will not change.”
These statements come ahead of a
meeting of global superpowers, known as the ‘Fishmongers’, who are discussing
Zimbabwe next month in Norway.
America, Britain, Japan, Germany,
France, Sweden, Holland, Norway, Canada and Australia make up the Fishmongers
Group and their meeting next Tuesday will deliberate on the state of the
inclusive government, debt relief, public finance administration and the
controversial indigenisation regulations.
Diplomatic sources quoted by the Independent said that the Fishmonger group was
likely talk about increasing humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe.
The Fishmongers, also known as Friends of Zimbabwe, would not extend any
financial help to revive the comatose economy “unless and until” the country
returns to democracy. The group is chaired by the German ambassador to
Zimbabwe, Albrecht Conze, who is expected to hand over the chairmanship to
Barbara Richardson of Canada at the end of the Oslo meeting. The meeting will
be attended by ambassadors of the respective countries, among other senior
foreign affairs officials.
By Tichaona Sibanda
29 May 2010
MDC-T MP for Makoni South in
Manicaland, Pishai Muchauraya, has been summoned to appear in court over a case
the state claims took place eight years ago.
Police officers from the Law and
Order section in Mutare have visited his home twice since Wednesday, with an
order for him to present himself to the Murambinda magistrate court on 4th
June.
‘To be frank, I cannot recall any
police case against me dating back to that period. This is pure harassment by
ZANU PF using state resources,’ Muchauraya told SW Radio Africa on Friday.
The MP, who is also party spokesman
for Manicaland, claimed there is a plot being engineered by ZANU PF to open
fresh dockets against MDC MPs ahead of the constitutional outreach programme.
‘One way or the other, almost every
MDC MP has faced trumped up charges since the formation of the party. Most of
the cases against the MPs were thrown out by the courts, but ZANU PF wants to
revive them in the belief there would be convictions this time around.’
In February, Douglas Mwonzora - the
prominent MDC MP joint head of the parliamentary commission which is drafting a
new constitution - was charged for allegedly calling Robert Mugabe a ‘goblin.’
Mwonzora allegedly made the goblin
reference at a political rally before presidential and parliamentary elections
in 2008, but was only charged in February this year.
Muchauraya believes he’s being
targeted for exposing the crackdown on MDC supporters by armed soldiers, youths
and war veterans in the province.
‘There is lot of violence in
Manicaland at the moment, waged by armed solders who are intimidating villagers
to attend ZANU PF meetings. From Chipinge, Chimanimani, Nyanga and Makoni there
is massive intimidation by ZANU PF for people to support the Kariba draft,’ the
MP added.
Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe
reported on Friday that families have been fleeing the escalation of violence
in Chiweshe and Murehwa in Mashonaland Central and East provinces.
In Epworth, closer to the capital, ZANU PF thugs are threatening to mete out
violence to anyone who defies their formula for the constitution-making
process.
A statement from the advocacy group,
The Union for Sustainable Democracy, tells of how people in Epworth have been
ordered by ZANU PF to report for political meetings against their will.
Residents are being told that during
the outreach programme they should leave the task of answering questions to
those selected to do so.
‘In the unlikely event of ordinary
residents having to respond to questions, they are to answer in a particular
fashion. In particular they have been instructed to emphatically state that the
new constitution must not put any limit on a president’s term of office.
Clearly, the intention is to confirm Mugabe as president for life, the
statement said.
By Alex Bell
28 May 2010
Two student leaders from the
Zimbabwe National Student’s Union (ZINASU) were hospitalised on Friday after
they were abducted and severely assaulted by Central Intelligence Organisation
(CIO) operatives.
The pair, Godfrey Kurawone and Alec
Tabe, was scheduled to address a students gathering at Masvingo Polytechnic
before they were picked up by the CIO Thursday. They were later taken to
Masvingo Central police station and on Friday were ordered to pay US$20 fine
each for public disorderly charges. According to the MDC the two leaders have
been admitted to a private hospital and are receiving treatment for the
injuries sustained.
At the same time over 1 700 families
have been ordered to vacate their villages in Chiadzwa by next Tuesday,
apparently to pave the way for more controversial diamond mining in the area.
The MDC said on Friday that the affected families have been ordered to relocate
to a farm in Odzi “to create room for the ZANU PF elite and senior officers in
the security forces who are feeding off the diamond reserves, while civil servants
struggle to get decent salaries.”
The farm where families have been
told to relocate to is already occupied by 92 other families, which the MDC
said makes it “impossible to cater for the evicted Chiadzwa families.”
The families were on Wednesday given
verbal eviction orders by heavily armed police and soldiers. There are now
fears of a serious outbreak of diseases at the Odzi farm, as there are no
mechanisms in place for the expected influx of people.
The eviction orders came the day
before an international diamond expert, tasked with monitoring the human rights
situation in Chiadzwa, said that Zimbabwe was on the “right track” to meeting
international standards. Abbey Chikane was appointed as a monitor by the
Kimberley Process, the international diamond trade watchdog. He is set to
recommend that diamonds from Chiadzwa be certified and sold, despite evidence
of ongoing abuse at the diamond fields.
By Makusha Mugabe
26 May 2010
The unilateral appointment by Robert
Mugabe of ZANU PF sympathizer George Chiweshe as Judge President, has been
extremely controversial.
Some analysts are concerned that Chiweshe has been made President of the High
Court as a strategic move, in the context of future elections. Part of his job
will be to single-handedly pick judges from the High Court bench to sit on the
Electoral Court, to preside over any future election related disputes.
University of Zimbabwe academic John Makumbe was quoted by Zimonline saying the
appointment was well calculated to enable Chiweshe to determine the outcome of
all disputes brought to the electoral court.
A new Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was named last month and is chaired
by former High Court Judge Simpson Mutambanengwe, who is considered a
‘moderate’. Although some amendments to the electoral rules have been made, if
there are disputes, the Electoral Court is the first port of call.
MDC Secretary for Legal Affairs, Innocent Gonese, said the role played by
Chiweshe in the chaotic and violent 2008 elections and his general conduct
inspires little confidence.
However Dr. Lovemore Madhuku, the
chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly, believes Chiweshe’s influence
would be minimal in the next election.
Madhuku said the power to run the
election lay in the electoral commission and he said the new ZEC is more
powerful and the role of any judge would only come in if there was an electoral
dispute, and this would only arise if ZEC failed to do its job properly.
He said the only thing that should
be read into the appointment was that Mugabe was rewarding Chiweshe for a job
well done in the 2008 elections, which ensured that Mugabe held on to power.
MDC‐USA. www.mdc‐usa.org. Chinja
Maitiro. Guqula Izenzo
Office of
the
Information
and Publicity
MDC –USA joins other progressive forces in calling for
the immediate firing of the AIPA architect
and media hangman, Tafataona Mahoso from any and all
positions associated with the new
Zimbabwe Media Commission. Mr. Mahoso cannot and should
not have any direct leadership
role let alone be the chief executive officer of the ZMC
given his checkered role in the now
defunct Media and Information Commission. Mahoso
singlehandedly and in cohorts with the
nutty professor destroyed a once nascent and vibrant
media in Zimbabwe by needlessly
pandering to the whims and caprice of his masters in ZANU
PF. The rest is now history as one
media house after another was condemned, bombed or simply
haunted out of existence by
Mahoso and his political handlers.
To even imagine that Mahoso can be entrusted with
supervising the process of bringing about a
new media era in Zimbabwe is not only insulting but a
sure way to continue the same failed and
vindictive media policies that have resulted in Zimbabwe
being one of the world’s most media
hostile societies of all time. Zimbabwe has no dearth of
able men and women who could be
entrusted with implementing the mission of new Zimbabwe
Media Commission. Whose interest
is Mahoso serving by occupying such a powerful and
influential position of Chief Executive
Officer for ZMC? It is obvious that the new chairman of
ZMC, Godfrey Majonga either has no
idea of what the role of CEO ought to be or that he is
willfully negligent in carrying out the
mandate so entrusted to him and his commission.
The CEO, Mr. Chairman, is responsible for the day to day
implementation of your Board’s
decisions not to mention the very important advisory role
he plays within the ZMC. Mahoso
who has been rightly characterized as the master media
hangman in Zimbabwe cannot be
rehabilitated. Instead he should be confined to the ZANU
PF partisan media houses where he can
continue to spew the same old and tired conspiracy
theories about some imaginary forces
reading to re-colonize Zimbabwe. Of course this is a
figment of his and his masters’ imagination.
Most Zimbabweans know that it is the failed and myopic
policies of his masters that have
brought this once beacon of Africa to its economic knees.
The role of the media cannot be
overemphasized as we try and get our country back up on
its feet. Whom we entrust with this
critical role sends a message of how serious we are as a
nation in our attempts to create a new
nation. Mahoso is hardly that confidence builder.
Mahoso has not in any way demonstrated that he is now
willing to give media freedom a chance.
He is occupying that very important office for the same
reason that ZANU PF has retained his
services ten years back, to muzzle a free and vibrant
media in Zimbabwe. MDC –USA supports
the statement by MISA-Zimbabwe, the MDC and all those who
cherish a free media environment
in Zimbabwe that Tafataona Mahoso be hereby and without
further delay relieved of all his
responsibilities as the CEO of ZMC. It is naïve to assume
that as head of the secretariat Mahoso
will “just implement the decisions of the commissioners.”
This is far from the real world reality.
Mahoso cannot be relied upon to undo the damage he did to
the media landscape in Zimbabwe.
He is so much invested in the old order that his
continued occupation of the CEO office is
anathema and a sure way for the ZMC to fail.
END
MDC-USA
Information and Publicity
Movement
for Democratic Change
United
States of America
(MDC-USA)
voanews.com
Zimbabwean journalists at a media stakeholders
conference in Harare welcomed the licensing of new daily newspapers, but
expressed concern that the country's airwaves are not being liberalized along
with the press
The Zimbabwe Media Commission followed through Friday on the decision
announced earlier this week to issue licenses to four more daily papers that
will compete with the state-controlled Herald newspaper.
Chief Executive Officer Raphael Khumalo of Alpha Media Holdings, which plans
to launch Newsday in June, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga that
the commission issued a four-year publishing certificate.
Other publications heading to newsstands include the Daily News, the Gazette
and the Mail. The Worker, published by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions,
will step up from a monthly to a weekly publishing schedule.
Elsewhere, journalists at a media stakeholders conference in Harare welcomed
the licensing of new daily papers, but expressed concern that the s airwaves
are not being liberalized too, as Irwin Chifera reported.
VOA News
U.N. agencies report some five
million children in Zimbabwe are at risk of getting measles. They say
hundreds of children already have died from this preventable disease.
The World Health Organization, U.N. Children's Fund and other agencies are in
the midst of a huge campaign to immunize about five million children, aged six
months to 14 years, against measles.
This comes in response to current measles outbreaks that have affected 55 out
of Zimbabwe's 62 districts since September.
A spokeswoman for the U.N. Children's Fund, Christiane Berthiaume, tells VOA
that, since September, nearly 400 children have died from measles and around
7,000 cases have been reported.
"Measles is really a preventable disease," said Christiane
Berthiaume. "Normally, kids do not die of measles. But, in Zimbabwe
where before kids were immunized against measles, I mean 80 percent of the
children were immunized against that disease 10 years ago. But, this
coverage has dropped to less than 50 percent."
This is why the World Health Organization, or WHO, recommends routine
immunizations be strengthened after the measles campaign.
Aid agencies are hoping the immunization campaign, which runs through June 2,
will stop the spread of the killer disease.
Zimbabwe is also beset by other health problems, including water and sanitation
issues and the loss of health personnel who are lured abroad by higher-paying
jobs.
The World Health Organization reports that cholera, once again, has broken out
in Zimbabwe. But, so far, it says the outbreak is not too serious.
It notes 15 out of the 62 districts in the country have been affected since
early February, compared to 54 districts last year at the same time.
WHO says Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health and Child Welfare reports that by May 9,
there were 477 suspected cholera cases and 15 deaths. However, at the
same time last year, more than 4,000 deaths and nearly 98,000 cases of cholera
were reported.
Because of the country's poor water supply, WHO says hundreds of people have
become sick with typhoid and at least eight deaths have been reported.
Unity government is failing to change
people's lives |
HARARE, 25 May 2010 (IRIN) - The death of Zimbabwe's secretary for
agriculture, Renson Gasela, and two other senior officials from the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) in a car accident recently has highlighted the
country's inability to respond to accidents, emergencies or disasters.
It took more than eight hours for the men to receive
assistance after the accident because police in the nearby southeastern mining
town of Zvishavane had no transport, and fire brigade units had no fuel to make
the 25km journey. Emergency services only arrived after the MDC secretary
general, Welshman Ncube, provided fuel.
"That incident alone is a small representation of
how the coalition government has dismally failed the people of Zimbabwe,"
political analyst John Makumbe told IRIN, because the response time probably
would have been quicker if senior officials from ZANU-PF - the other party in
Zimbabwe's unity government - had been involved in an accident.
"The truth of the matter is that the inclusive
government is failing to deliver, or to improve the lives of Zimbabweans. When
schools opened recently, a majority of students were turned away because their
parents or guardians could not afford to pay school fees; supermarket shelves
are full of goods and food, but a visit to many households will reveal that
people are starving in their homes."
The unity government - a fragile coalition between
President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC, and
an MDC breakaway faction led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara - has failed
to inspire since its formation in February 2009.
Collapsing services
National Railways of Zimbabwe, the country's train
service, is on the verge of collapse, as is the Zimbabwe United Passenger
Company, the public bus service; domestic refuse has begun piling up in urban
areas as municipalities fail to collect it; Health and Child Welfare minister
Henry Madzorera revealed that 78 percent of midwife positions are vacant.
Over the last few
months it has dawned on me that we are certainly going nowhere in terms of
the improvement of our lives - life has become even more expensive. The
present and the future are bleak |
The
intermittent supply of electricity is expected to get worse because Zimbabwe
will be exporting 300 megawatts of electricity to South Africa during the FIFA
World Cup competition beginning in June.
Barbra Mawara, a junior manager at a manufacturing company
in the capital, Harare, told IRIN that she had decided against leaving the
country after the formation of the unity government, but was once again toying
with the idea.
"Over the last few months it has dawned on me that
we are certainly going nowhere in terms of the improvement of our lives - life
has become even more expensive. The present and the future are bleak; there is
fatigue and lack of will among Zimbabweans. The politicians have certainly let
Zimbabweans down while fighting over jobs among themselves," she said.
The exasperation over any real progress is also
affecting politicians. "The MDC has been taken over by greedy people with
self-serving interests. We have started campaigning among the people in
preparation for elections [expected to take place in 2011 or 2012]," said
Job Sikhala, a former senior official in Mutambara's party who has broken away
to form the MDC 99 party. [The MDC was formed in 1999].
He said the coalition government had made little
progress in improving people's lives, as Mugabe continued to control the
national agenda. "In the inclusive government Mugabe remains the driver of
the bus, with Tsvangirai as the bus conductor, while Mutambara is the baggage
loader, and that will not result in any meaningful changes."
The latest example of Mugabe's apparent disregard for
his coalition partners and the Global Political Agreement, which paved the way
for the unity government, has been the appointment of George Chiweshe to head
the High Court.
Chiweshe was head of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
in 2008, which the MDC claim saw large-scale rigging to ensure that Tsvangirai
did not win an outright victory in the presidential poll and the election
result was delayed for month.
A band aid
"The inclusive government only managed to stop the
bleeding but did not cure the wound. Some stability was attained, but there has
been no progress," political commentator Luke Tamborinyoka told IRIN.
"There is no progress on the land audit, the
constitution-making process, and the opening of media space; there is high
unemployment and poverty, and although supermarket shelves are full, few can
afford the commodities," he said.
Human rights activist and political commentator Rejoice
Ngwenya told IRIN: "Politicians argue that because of the inclusive
government there is little political violence and that supermarket shelves have
goods, but that can hardly be an acceptable excuse because violence and the
poor economic environment was brought by politicians."
Ngwenya commented: "In any case, violence is on the
increase while many people can not afford to buy the food, which is expensive.
Because of failure to secure credit lines to improve the performance of the
inclusive government, the coalition has weakened over the months since its
formation."
Thursday, 27 May 2010 19:48
EXPLAINING Britain’s silence on
Zimbabwe’s Gukurahundi atrocities Sir Martin Ewans, their then representative
here, said: “It wasn’t pleasant and people were being killed but ... I
don’t think anything was to be gained by protesting to (Robert) Mugabe about it
... I think the advice was to steer clear of it in the interests of doing our
best positively to help Zimbabwe build itself up as a nation.”
This stance continued throughout the 1980s when, to quote Philip Barclay’s
book, Zimbabwe’s first Prime Minister was “collecting, centralising and
concentrating power”, adjusting the constitution to transform himself into an
executive president, and demonstrating a capacity “for savage social
engineering”.
Imagine, therefore, the shock in Harare when the cosy relationship with
Britain’s Conservatives terminated with the 1997 election of Tony Blair’s New
Labour government which, while emphasising development and Africa,
demanded a matching emphasis on good governance by would-be recipients of
British aid.
Posted to the British Embassy here as a political officer from 2006 to 2009, Barclay
fell in love with Zimbabwe, taking to heart its “hope and despair”.
Thankfully his ultimate boss, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, broke with
Britain’s tradition of secrecy and encouraged blogs for employees to publish
personal views on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
Hence the creation of this immensely important record in which, against
the delineated background of economic and social collapse, Barclay examines the
roles played by South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki, Sadc, the AU and others in forcing
Zimbabwe into a “global political agreement”.
Vital in enabling the gathering of all this information was Barclay’s
accreditation as an observer right to the ballot boxes during the March 29 2008
elections, and the June “run-off”. He initially concentrated on the Gutu,
Zaka, Bikita and Chivi constituencies and then recorded the subsequent weeks of
horrendous, punitive attacks on people in Masvingo and Manicaland.
Although these elections saw mass exclusions of Zimbabweans from voting procedures
(apart from the disenfranchised millions in the diaspora, an estimated 20% of
those who actually got to the polls to vote were turned away) determination for
change was in the air and the eventual results caused panic in
government.
Barclay’s thesis is that then a shocked Mugabe “wobbled” and wanted to retire
quietly abroad. “Money would not be a problem.” But escape was not
permitted as his continued presence was required to protect his security chiefs
in the Joint Operations Command (JOC). Amongst these, more vulnerable
than he to prosecution, were “Major-General Paradzai Zimondi, who has turned a
term in Zimbabwe’s prison into a death sentence, allowing 20% of prisoners to
starve and rot each year; Air Marshal Perence Shiri who led the 5th Brigade’s
Gukurahundi purges ....”, and all the others involved in the land
occupations which resulted in “around 400 000 avoidable, premature deaths
... an estimated 40%” of the afflicted 1,5 million workers and dependents
driven off the commercial farms.
The recounting of votes started “to buy a dying regime time to plan”, to force
a presidential runoff between Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe in June and to
ensure “a radically more favourable electoral climate –– one in which people
were afraid to vote against Mugabe.” Barclay reports that the JOC
thus activated Zanu PF’s youth militias by channelling money, vehicles and
weapons to them with the required help of Gideon Gono and his Reserve Bank.
“Most of Zanu PF’s wet work in 2008 was carried out by youth militias ...
mind-controlled children have shown the greatest capacity for subhuman
cruelty. Grown-ups are required to manage logistics, deliver
materials and insert incendiary propaganda into damaged minds. But when
it comes to the intimate work of torturing to death... crazed, indoctrinated
teenagers have an unparalled talent.” In later months, of course,
nemesis caught up and, stripped of their “state-funded beer and marijuana,”
they “felt the vengeance of their victims rising from shallow graves, saw the
hatred on the faces of their former friends and family and knew that they were
going to pay some day for what they had done.”
Having given the JOC over a month to restrategise, George Chiweshe’s Electoral
Commission announced the presidential percentage results as being Tsvangirai
47,9; Mugabe 43,2; Simba Makoni 8,3 thus requiring the bloody
run-off from which Tsvangirai withdrew.
“Tsvangirai’s enormous popularity ultimately had to be admitted and his bid for
power could no longer be denied. Though the cruel old men fought, and
fight still, the historic courage Zimbabweans had shown on March 29 marked the
beginning of their end”.
Perhaps, we can hope. But what is certain is that this beautifully written
history meticulously exposes, and in good time too, precisely from what and
from who Zimbabwe’s voters will need protection before and during any future
election.
By Judith Todd
Zimbabwe Independent
Coach
Dunga and his World Cup squad flew into South Africa yesterday morning ahead of
the tournament next month.
By M. J.
Somoni
Zimbabwe's
Warriors will face world football heavyweights Brazil at the National Sports Stadium
next Wednesday.
In a
report posted by the Herald, the Zimbabwe Football Association chief executive
Henrietta Rushwaya and Paul Leisegans, a representative of Kentaro, Brazil's
sports agent, officially signed the contract that will take the Samba Boys to
Harare for Wednesday's clash.
Zimbabwe
minister for tourism and hospitality, Walter Mzembi, said Brazil's visit was a
fulfillment of the objectives and tasks that cabinet had given his ministry,
which included bringing at least one of the 32 World Cup teams to the country.
"It's
now confirmed that Brazil will play Zimbabwe on June 2 in Harare.
"It's
the fulfillment of objective number one, which was the luring of teams to come
and play in Zimbabwe. The other objective was to increase the number of tourist
arrivals in the country before and after the World Cup.
"Through
our partnership with NetOne [mobile phone operator], we will also have fan
parks with NetOne funding 16 public viewing points - eight each in rural and
urban areas - but the aim is to have the fan park project spread to all the 73
districts.
"Luring
teams has been a tall order from the time we travelled to Brazil, but as I have
said before, if you lure Brazil you have lured the rest of the world.
The
minister and Mr Leisegans insisted the costs of bringing the Samba Boys were
not as high as the figures of between US$1.5 and US$1.8 million that had been
thrown around.
"The
deal is signed and we are all happy about it. We have come to a price that I
know and I am certain that we are all happy about. The Government of Zimbabwe is
happy and we are happy. The deal is 100 per cent confirmed.
"But
it is far lower than the figures that have been reported," Leisegans said.
Dunga and
his World Cup squad flew into South Africa yesterday morning with the Samba
Boys immediately heading to their base within Randpark Golf Club in
Johannesburg.
www.goal.com
Posted
May
29, 2010 10:00:00
A maiden century for India by Rohit
Sharma was not enough to stop Zimbabwe from snatching a dramatic victory in the
first one-day international of a tri-series in Bulawayo overnight.
The
home team won at a gallop with 10 balls and six wickets to spare in the first
of two matches between the two in a series which also includes Sri Lanka.
All
six top Zimbabwe batsmen, led by man-of-the-match Brendan Taylor, contributed
significantly towards a surprise victory as they overtook an India total of 5
for 285 to record an impressive 4 for 289 in reply.
The
home team performed with skill and sometimes disdain, setting about their task
of overtaking the Indian effort in both workmanlike and spectacular manner, as
varying situations demanded.
India's
new captain Suresh Raina, who had won the toss and opted to bat, praised the
Zimbabwe batsmen but blamed the defeat more on the inexperience of his team.
"Some
of them have never played at this level," he explained. "However we
should have been able to defend 285 runs."
Taylor's
innings of 81 runs, cut short with a boundary catch when approaching his second
ODI century, was backed up principally by Craig Ervine in his first ODI innings
for Zimbabwe.
He
made 67 with Hamilton Masakadza contributing 46.
Sharma's
hundred earlier in the day was a mix of caution and boundary hunting as he
gained confidence. He came in when India lost three wickets for 61 and was
momentarily on the back foot.
Its
recovery from this, led by Sharma, came with a flurry of boundaries in later
overs and 285 runs seemed likely to be sufficient to beat a home team with no
great record in internationals.
But
the Zimbabweans, who have done their Test cricket return aspirations a boost
with this result, set about the task with inspiration and confidence.
The
one blot on Zimbabwe's day was the bowling performance of new captain Elton
Chigumbura, who contrived to give away no fewer than 20 wides in his two overs.
-
AFP
ABC.NET.AU
285 for 5 (50.0 overs) |
289 for 4 (48.2 overs) |
|
|
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s | |
Karthik | c Taylor | b Utseya |
22 |
39 | 2 | 0 |
Vijay | run out |
|
11 |
24 | 1 | 0 |
Kohli | run out |
|
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
R Sharma | c Taylor | b Mpofu |
114 |
119 | 6 | 4 |
Raina | c Taylor | b Mpofu |
37 |
53 | 2 | 0 |
Jadeja | not out |
|
61 |
61 | 5 | 0 |
Y Pathan | not out |
|
11 |
5 | 1 | 1 |
Extras |
|
1nb 26w 1b 1lb | 29 |
| ||
Total |
|
for 5 | 285 | (50.0 ovs) |
|
|
|
|
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s | |
Masakadza |
|
b Mishra |
46 |
43 | 5 | 1 |
Taylor | c Yadav | b Kumar |
81 |
103 | 4 | 2 |
Lamb | lbw | b Jadeja |
27 |
43 | 0 | 0 |
Ervine | not out |
|
67 |
60 | 5 | 0 |
Coventry |
|
b Kumar |
32 |
25 | 0 | 3 |
Chigumbura | not out |
|
24 |
16 | 4 | 0 |
Extras |
|
2w 10lb | 12 |
| ||
Total |
|
for 4 | 289 | (48.2 ovs) |
|
|