English cricket behaved shoddily over the World Cup
fixture in Harare last February and is doing the same with Zimbabwe's tour of
this country, which opens in Birmingham tomorrow. Then, Nasser Hussain's
team, ducking the issue of Robert Mugabe's tyranny, called off the match on
grounds of security.
Yesterday, Tim Lamb, chief executive of the England
and Wales Cricket Board, made a spurious comparison between the political
systems of tourist and host. "We don't think the Zimbabwe cricketers are any
more the henchmen of Robert Mugabe than the England players are the foot
soldiers of Tony Blair," he said.
If that is the case, perhaps Mr Lamb
would like to explain why Henry Olonga and, in particular, the outstanding
Andy Flower, are not in the visiting side. This courageous pair wore black
armbands during a World Cup match against Namibia, and issued a statement
"mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe". Both are now in
England, Mr Flower representing Essex and Mr Olonga playing club cricket and
commentating for Channel 4.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Union, whose patron is
Mr Mugabe, regards the two players as traitors and has expressed no regret at
the detention and beating of those who protested during World Cup matches.
The president will use the current tour to argue that Zimbabwe meets
international norms. The British Government, terrified of being branded
neo-colonialist, has welcomed it. It is now up to the public to hit the
pockets of the cricketing authorities by boycotting the matches, and to shame
them by staging protests outside the grounds.
Zimbabwe show way to fly in the face of
truth
Commentary by Owen
Slot
IF WE were operating on a policy of three strikes and you're out, the
Zimbabwe touring squad, which arrived at Gatwick yesterday, would already be
on a plane back home. The official line is that they are here to play cricket
and not to talk current affairs, which is just as well, because when the
conversation strays to topics anywhere beyond bat and ball, this is a squad
that is either frightened or incapable of talking
truthfully.
From Gatwick, the players made their way to their London hotel and then
senior personnel headed on to their "Welcome to England" press conference at
Lord's. Their welcome was warmed by a smattering of Stop the Tour
campaigners, who stood outside the East Gate holding up paper banners bearing
the messages: "No cricket while Mugabe kills" and "Latest score: 3409
tortured, 260 killed". Inside the gates, the attendant media were
then informed that, to get the wretched business of politics out of the
way, Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU),
would start by answering questions of a non-cricketing nature. And it was
here that he calmly proceeded to divert from the truth on a number of
issues.
Issue No 1 concerned a simple point of fact. Was it true, he was asked, that
on the eve of Zimbabwe's World Cup match against Australia, the selectors
were going to drop Andy Flower (he of the black armband) and were persuaded
otherwise only by a threatened player strike? No, he replied categorically,
it was not. If you ask the players the same question, however, and promise
not to reveal their identities, then they will tell you exactly the opposite.
Half the team were prepared to
mutiny.
Issue No 2 concerned another point of fact. Was there any sort of vetting
system involved in player selection? "There is no vetting process," he
replied. "The selectors choose the side on form, merit and availability."
Which is not true either because the ZCU selectors also follow a "Taskforce"
document that determines the racial make-up of its teams. That is why five of
the squad of 15 are
non-white.
And issue No 3 is closely related to No 2. Is there a quota system? "There is
no quota system," he replied. "We have always operated on goals." Which,
again, is not true because Vince Hogg, the chief executive of the ZCU, has
said so to his
players.
That may be three strikes, but it was not all. Asked about the players'
freedom of speech, Chingoka denied that they were prohibited from talking
publicly on non-cricketing subjects. Which is another interesting version of
the truth because the players' contracts are stuffed with clauses about what
they are and are not permitted to say. As one Zimbabwe player in England said
yesterday: "Most of the guys live almost in fear, because if you say or do
anything wrong, you're cut
out."
All of which might simply add up to a little economising with the truth. The
protesters would argue, however, that it makes this team a reflection of a
Zimbabwean regime, where freedom of speech and anti-government action is
denied, where race governs politics and where truth is recycled and
rewritten.
"We don't think the Zimbabwe cricketers are any more the henchmen of Robert
Mugabe than the England players are the foot soldiers of Tony Blair," Tim
Lamb, the chiefexecutive of the ECB, said on BBC Radio 5 Live
yesterday.
It may have been significant that he was talking about the players and not
the
management.
Lamb also said that the ZCU is an apolitical organisation - which Chingoka
said, too. And Chingoka also said that trade relations between Zimbabwe and
Britain are flourishing and that 300 British companies do business in
Zimbabwe - which happens to be a point that Lamb brings up whenever the
subject arises. And when Chingoka was singing merrily from the same
hymn-sheet as his host, there was no reason whatsoever to believe that he was
telling anything other than the truth.
THE High Court will today hear
an urgent application by Ignatius Chombo, the Minister of Local Government,
Public Works and National Housing, to bar suspended Harare Executive Mayor
Elias Mudzuri from performing any council
duties.
Chombo alleged that Mudzuri was
performing mayoral duties while on suspension before investigations into
allegations of misconduct levelled against him when he was suspended on
Tuesday were completed.
In his affidavit
filed at the High Court yesterday, Chombo said: "Mudzuri has been seen at a
function in Bulawayo on 29 April purporting to carry out his mayoral
functions despite him having been
suspended.
"At the same function, Mudzuri
was seen wearing his mayoral regalia which is evidence to prove that he is
adamant not to abide by my letter
of suspension."
Neither Mudzuri nor his
lawyers were available for comment yesterday, but a Harare lawyer, who
refused to be named, yesterday said a team of lawyers were going to oppose
Chombo's application and Mudzuri's dismissal if the mayor fails to avail
himself to the court.
The lawyer said
yesterday they failed to contact Mudzuri and suspected that he could be
unaware that Chombo was taking him to court given the urgency in which the
application was made, especially in view of the fact that it was on a public
holiday.
Chombo said Mudzuri was seen by
his permanent secretary Vincent Hungwe "masquerading as Mayor of Harare at an
official function wearing official mayoral
regalia".
He said he had reasonable
apprehension that Mudzuri would attend the official opening of the Zimbabwe
International Trade Fair (ZITF).
The ZITF
will be officially opened today by Angolan Prime Minister Fernando da Dias
Dos Santos following President Eduardo Dos Santos' failure to come to
Zimbabwe for unexplained reasons in what appeared to be a rebuff by Mugabe's
Angolan counterpart who is the current chairman of
Sadc.
"I feel that if Mudzuri continues to
present himself at official functions wearing the official mayoral regalia,
this would cause irreparable damage to the operations of the city council as
there would be confusion and embarrassment as regards a lawful suspension
order," Chombo said.
WELLINGTON Chibhebhe, the ZCTU's
secretary-general, yesterday urged President Mugabe to step down accusing him
of being behind Zimbabwe's economic
downfall.
He made the call when he
addressed nearly 20 000 workers at Rufaro Stadium in Harare to celebrate May
Day.
Chibhebhe said Mugabe had to leave as
his government had failed the workers by not heeding their demands for
improved living conditions and income tax
reduction.
Because all efforts made by
various interest groups to make the government see the dangers of its
dictatorship, economic mismanagement and political repression had failed,
they had no option left but to confront Mugabe, Chibhebhe
said.
"The government is now on the run,"
he said. "People were afraid of the government in the past. We are are no
longer afraid of them because we know they are seriously shaken and now fear
the people."
The ZCTU leadership told the
workers to brace themselves for more stayaways until their grievances were
addressed by the government.
While many
workers throughout the country thronged the ZCTU's celebrations, only a few
attended the festivities of the pro-government Zimbabwe Federation of Trade
Unions (ZFTU), whose leader is Zanu PF's Joseph Chinotimba. At Gwanzura
Stadium, the ZFTU event was reportedly
poorly attended.
In Masvingo and
Bulawayo, thousands of workers defied intimidation by State security agents
and Zanu PF activists to attend the ZCTU's May
Day celebrations.
Chibhebhe said: "Our
pledge is that Mugabe and his government should leave in peace. It does not
have to be by force, but when you leave, it has to be with
dignity."
Lovemore Matombo, the ZCTU
president, said: "As things stand, there is no indication that the government
has the political will to deal with the crisis. Everything points to the
worsening of the crisis. Workers should, therefore, brace themselves for more
action - more effective and telling than ever
before."
The ZCTU made 12 demands, among
them that the government resolves the economic and political crisis, repeals
all repressive laws, depoliticises public institutions and recognises the
right of workers to strike.
In solidarity
with the ZCTU, Lovemore Madhuku, the chairman of the National Constitutional
Assembly, called on all the leaders of civic organisations and their members
to keep the pressure on the government until Mugabe accepted "the reality of
his unpopularity and relinquishes power".
In Bulawayo, two army tanks patrolled outside White City Stadium early in the
morning and left before the start of the
programme.
But thousands of workers
attended the ZCTU celebrations compared to about 200 people who attended the
ZFTU-organised event.
In Masvingo,
thousands of workers defied threats from Zanu PF supporters and thronged
Mucheke Stadium, while the ZFTU failed to organise any celebrations to mark
Workers' Day.
The ZFTU had scheduled its
celebrations for Masvingo Showgrounds, but this was cancelled because of poor
attendance.
The police mounted roadblocks
on all major roads leading to and from the city where they maintained a heavy
presence in a show of force.
In Mutare
about 100 people attended the ZFTU-organised event at Sakubva Stadium, while
about 3 000 people thronged the Queens Hall where Raymond Majongwe, the
president of the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe, addressed the ZCTU
function. Majongwe slammed the violation of human rights and draconian laws
such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the
Public Order and Security Act, saying they were
undemocratic.
ZFTU's official in
Manicaland, Patrick Majuru, blamed the poor attendance on economic
hardships.
In Gweru, there was a low
turnout at the ZCTU and ZFTU celebrations. About 1 000 people attended the
ZCTU's function at Ascot Stadium, while only 200 were at Mkoba Stadium for
the ZFTU event.
Maize scam trial fails to
take place as keys go missing
5/2/03 10:00:26 AM (GMT +2)
THE corruption
trial of Makanzweyi Jecheche, Masvingo District Administrator, and Martin
Marumazvitsva, a GMB official, failed to take off this week because the keys
to the safe in which the relevant documents are being kept could not be
found.
Jecheche and Marumazvitsva and
their lawyers Isaac Muzenda and Tongai Matutu, waited for hours for the trial
to resume only to be advised that the keys to the safe were
missing.
The documents were allegedly
placed in a safe since the matter is regarded as highly
sensitive.
Said Matutu: "We were advised
that the person who has the keys for the safe went to South Africa and would
only come back after sometime. We had to prepare some documents in order to
postpone the case. Our clients were then remanded to 14 May and probably by
then the keys would be available."
The two
are facing corruption charges involving 15 tonnes of maize delivered to
Shuvai Mahofa, Deputy Minister of Gender, Youth Development and Employment
Creation. It is the State's case that on 5 February this year, the Masvingo
food distribution committee compiled a list of people who were supposed to
get maize from the Masvingo GMB depot. On the day in question the committee
was chaired by a major Charles Marambara since Jecheche was away. Jecheche as
the DA normally chairs the food distribution committee meetings. The State is
further alleging that Mahofa who was not entitled to any allocation, went to
the GMB depot and demanded some maize. It is further alleged that Jecheche
and Marumazvitsva then communicated with each other and authorised that the
deputy minister be given the maize.
DUE to the rise in the cases of
human rights abuse by alleged members of the police and the army, the
Chitungwiza Residents Association (CRA), last week formed a litigation
committee which will investigate and compile the
cases.
Denford Muchenje, the CRA
chairperson for Zengeza, on Wednesday said they were forced to form the
litigation committee after receiving several reports from the residents who
said they were being tortured and harassed by the alleged members of the
police and the army for no apparent
reason.
"As leaders, we received several
reports from residents who have been victimised, hence we cannot sit back and
relax when residents are suffering," Muchenje
said.
He said all those responsible for
the torture of innocent residents were going to be brought to
book.
"We want to sue all the alleged
police and army personnel who are butchering and torturing innocent
residents," he said.
"If indeed they are
members of the police and the army then they are supposed to be custodians of
the law, but they are transforming themselves into merciless vampires, hence
it's high time we condemn such acts of violence," he
added.
Muchenje said after compiling the
cases of human rights abuses by the alleged offenders, the litigation
committee will then take legal action against the perpetrators of
violence.
"We want to make sure this
message gets to all Chitungwiza residents. Therefore from next week, we will
be having consultative meetings with residents," he
said.
The British High Commission has
written to The Herald complaining about the paper's misrepresentation of
facts when it reported that Brian Donnelly, the British High Commissioner,
was working with the MDC to topple President Mugabe's
government.
In a letter addressed to
Pikirayi Deketeke, the newspaper's editor, Sophie Honey, the British High
Commission's spokesperson said: "Your headline today (29 April 2003): UK
working with MDC to topple Government: Donnelly grossly misrepresents what
was not, in any case, 'a briefing of reporters', but an informal chat with
one of your reporters in a tea queue. There are too many inaccuracies to
correct them one-by-one."
This is not the
first time that the State-run newspaper has ruffled feathers in the
diplomatic community.
In February, James
Morris, the United Nations envoy of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Needs in Southern Africa was quoted by the newspaper saying that he supported
the land reform programme.
He wrote twice
to Deketeke complaining bitterly that the words which were attributed to him
were not his.
Around the same time the
Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tsuneshige Iiyama, wrote to Deketeke saying
"he was stunned" when he read that he had attacked the MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai when he visited Professor Jonathan Moyo, the Minister of
Information and Publicity.
Deketeke on
Wednesday confirmed receipt of the letter.
"We were not sure whether she wanted us to publish the letter or she was just
stressing a point from her side," said Deketeke. "But I am convinced the
reporter correctly quoted Donnelly. At times people forget that journalists
are always looking for news and end up saying some things which they will
later refute."
The story which Honey was
refuting claimed that Donnelly had said: "It was acceptable under
international law for a foreign power to advocate for a change of government
in another country."
But Honey said
Donnelly, "pointed out that, under international law, sovereignty is not a
defence against international scrutiny of human
rights abuses".
The story quoted
Donnelly as saying: "We don't deal with the government (of Mugabe), we deal
with the country."
Honey said: "In fact he
(Donnelly) pointed out that, the British government recognises states, not
countries or individuals, and that we indeed recognise Zimbabwe as a
sovereign, independent state which is why we continue to maintain a High
Commission here.
"Your discerning readers
will have gathered, from the confused nature of the article, that much of it
was muddled and a misrepresentation along these
lines.
"I am glad, however, that a few
points were correct. In Zimbabwe we are indeed supporting developmental
projects in many rural areas."
AT least 48 families in the Masasa
area of Buhera have been left homeless and are facing starvation after their
homes were torched by rival families during a boundary dispute involving two
traditional leaders.
The Zimbabwe Human
Rights Organisation (ZimRights), said yesterday the homes were torched three
weeks ago in the presence of
police representatives.
The boundary
dispute, which dates back to the early 1990s and had reached litigation
stages, involves families under headmen Muzerengwa
and Nyakobvu.
Arnold Tsunga, the
national chairperson of ZimRights, said yesterday: "We don't have details
yet, but we believe there was a litigation case over the boundary
dispute."
He added: "But what bothers us
most is that the police were said to be present during the torching of these
homes. No one had a right to destroy the only dwellings of these families.
It's a gross violation of
human rights."
The police at Murambinda
referred questions to their counterparts at Muzokomba police post, near
Masasa. Efforts to contact them, or the police provincial spokesperson, were
unsuccessful.
Tsunga said at least 450
people, including women and children, are sleeping in the open without
adequate food, sanitary facilities and
shelter.
Wallace Mupfumwa, the ZimRights
regional officer, said yesterday his organisation would soon sent a team to
Masasa with food and tents.
Sources said a
grinding mill, several scotchcarts, food and other property belonging to the
displaced families were looted when the homes were set on
fire.
Some of the looted property is
reported to have been sold at give away prices at
Murambinda.
LUIS Clemens, the public relations
officer for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday said
the government of Zimbabwe's failure to take on board the inputs of the
private sector in its land reform programme and food importation has severely
affected the availability of food to
people.
Clemens was speaking in an
interview at Dunga Primary School in Hurungwe East where the WFP was
distributing grain donated to Zimbabwe by the South African government as
part of its response to the country's food crisis, to 6 665
villagers.
The food was distributed
through Goal, an Irish organisation that has given aid to 231 086 people from
53 298 households in Hurungwe district.
The WFP has 12 implementing non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe which
have been distributing food aid on its
behalf.
"There are various factors which
have caused food shortages in the country," he said. "Among them was the
exclusion of the private sector in the importation of
food."
He said the government price
controls, the drought, the non-delivery of agricultural inputs like
fertilisers and seed, the late rains and the haphazard land reform programme
have caused the food shortages in
Zimbabwe.
Clemens said the government
should remove, as a matter of urgency, the price controls it imposed on maize
and wheat to increase their availability.
Meanwhile, Leo Masithela, the chairman of the South African Parliamentary
Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs, who toured the
distribution point, said they wanted to establish how food donated by their
government was being distributed.
The
South African MPs were in the country to gather evidence from their
Zimbabwean counterparts in the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands,
Agriculture, Water Development, Rural Resources and Resettlement on how the
government's land reform programme was
progressing.
He said during his
committee's meetings with the Zimbabwe Farmers' Union (ZFU) and the
Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU), the two organisations raised problems of
communication between themselves and the government
.
The SA government donated 100 000 metric
tonnes worth US$20 million (Z$16 billion) to the region of which 66 000
metric tones were donated to Zimbabwe.
Daniel Mackenzie Ncube, the chairman of Zimbabwe's parliamentary committee
said the CFU, ZFU and other interest groups gave the SA delegation half
truths, exaggerations and embellishments which surprised
them.
"They should have been factual and
to the point and not make political statements." said
Ncube.
ABOUT eight Zanu PF youths, all
members of the Green Bombers, were admitted to Wankie Colliery Hospital in
Hwange after sustaining injuries when they were beaten up by Binga villagers
on Independence Day.
The villagers
retaliated after a group of the national youth service members tried to
"discipline" them for failing to attend Independence Day celebrations on 18
April at Manjolo business centre. Sources at Wankie Colliery Hospital said
some of the youths were treated and discharged the same day, while two of
them were detained for nearly a week before
being discharged.
Joel Gabbuza, the
Member of Parliament for Binga (MDC), this week said he regretted the
increasing incidents of violence in the
district.
"The situation is tense because
the villagers have been attacked on several occasions and they have said
enough is enough," he said.
Gabbuza said
what was even more worrying was that the Green Bombers were reported to be
planning a revenge attack.
The police
refused to comment on the incident.
Binga
has known no peace after the district proved its allegiance to the MDC by
voting overwhelmingly for the opposition party in the 2000 parliamentary
election.
The trend was maintained in
March last year's presidential poll. It was repeated in last September's
rural council elections when Zanu PF won only five wards compared to the
MDC's 16.
Villagers said just before the
independence celebrations on 18 April, Zanu PF officials sent a truck to
transport people to Manjolo, where the function was to be
held.
When the villagers snubbed the
celebrations, the youths promised "to return to deal" with them afterwards.
True to their word, the youths came back late in the afternoon and allegedly
attacked everyone on sight. The villagers, however, grouped and decided to
hit back.
It is nothing short of
ominous that, for the first time since independence, the Zimbabwe
International Trade Fair (ZITF) is this year going to be officially opened by
someone who is not a full head of state.
The honour of officially opening the ZITF this year has fallen on the Angolan
Prime Minister, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos. The Prime Minister will
perform the task in place of Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos who was
initially billed to open the ZITF this year but who, it has been announced,
is no longer coming.
It might be pertinent
to note that this is not the first time that a head of state has cancelled
this very same engagement at the last
minute.
Nigerian President Olusegun
Obasanjo did the same thing last year. He had been billed to open the 43rd
ZITF, but opted out at the last minute, necessitating the government to
hastily despatch to Lusaka a delegation led by Emmerson Mnangagwa to persuade
newly-elected Levy Mwanawasa to step in as a replacement, thereby averting
what could have become an acute embarrassment for the
government.
In the latest snub, neither
the Angolans nor the Zimbabwean officials have deemed it necessary to
volunteer an explanation for the Angolan President's last-minute cancellation
of the ZITF engagement which has always been viewed as a great
honour.
It is easy to yield to the
temptation to take the simplistic view that Dos Santos' decision not to come
was probably influenced by the fact that the event is going to be decidedly
low-key because only a handful of countries will be officially represented
and not many foreign companies worth doing business with will be exhibiting.
But, while that may well be a contributory factor, it is highly unlikely to
have been the Angolan leader's main consideration in making that obviously
difficult decision to decline the invitation. Rather, it is a safe bet to say
it was a decision that was influenced by a growing, new - and most welcome -
consensus among African leaders to shun President
Mugabe.
This must surely be seen as a way
not only of registering their grave concern over the untold suffering he has
brought upon his people by trampling upon their rights and running the
country's economy aground, but also over the fact that he has become an
unbearable economic burden to the entire Sadc
region.
For some time now, several of the
region's leaders have shown clear signs of discomfort with their Zimbabwean
counterpart's style of governance. It is a matter of record that Zanu PF and
the ruling Frelimo party in Mozambique were for a very long time the best of
allies. But today, though relations between the two organisations may not be
exactly frosty, those between their two leaders are not warm at
all.
Relations between Mugabe and
President Joaquim Chissano noticeably cooled off last year. Following the
Sadc summit in Blantyre at which political violence in Zimbabwe featured
prominently, Chissano went back home to publicly condemn Zimbabwe's defence
chiefs for saying, shortly before the presidential poll, that they would not
salute Morgan Tsvangirai if he were elected President because he did not take
part in the armed struggle. Chissano stated categorically that soldiers
should not meddle in politics. He was supported in that view by Malawian
President Bakili Muluzi.
It is safe to
deduce that the army generals had been put to it by none other than Mugabe
himself. Naturally he did not take too kindly to Chissano' s remarks. But the
Mozambicans have remained firm in their condemnation of the rogue Mugabe
regime's misrule as evidenced by that country's Foreign Minister who publicly
decried political violence during his recent visit
to Zimbabwe.
Both Botswana's Festus
Mogae and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki have recently been openly critical of
the manner Mugabe is running the country. What all these leaders have been
telling Mugabe is that he has messed up and, therefore, must
go.
When Mbeki, Obasanjo and Muluzi come
to Harare next week, they owe it to the long-suffering people of this country
to bluntly tell Mugabe to bite the bullet. They should tell him he must admit
he has failed his countrymen and cannot postpone his departure from office
for much longer.
Ever since Zimbabwe's own
version of the Wall Street Crash when the local dollar took a severe knock in
November 1997, the country has become a land of many
contradictions.
For starters, this is a
country where all economic truths that even a layman would be better placed
to comment on, and, therefore, provided solutions to, have been grotesquely
subverted. History has always provided invaluable lessons for dealing with
challenges that are met in the future, and for Zimbabwe it is tragic that
what was seen in the 1980s as destructive economic policies was nevertheless
regurgitated in a bid to shore up the dwindling support base of the ruling
party.
For instance, the issue of price
controls has for many entrepreneurs, including those whose undying allegiance
to the ruling party is well known, defeated the whole idea of being in
business in the first place.
The ruling
party seems to never have asked itself why the price controls of the early
years of the country's independence were phased out. They never asked
themselves what it is that changed to render the revisiting of that policy
meaningful and logical in the 21st
century.
From the prices pegged for
farmers and what they are supposed to get from the Grain Marketing Board
(GMB), for example, and just how much the GMB would then sell to the people,
would manifest a gross lack of understanding of what would be basic
economics. And that from men and women who seem to have shifted from the
traditional titular addresses and appear instead to be showing off their
erudition by prefixing their names by titles of higher learning! They are no
longer mere "Cde So-and-So", but strictly doctors and professors. The irony
and contradiction is obviously lost to personnel at the national broadcaster
and public Press.
Now that fuel has been
upped for the second time within the first quarter of the year, what the
government then tells the commuter omnibus operators is that they should not
increase fares. In other words, they should not seek to profiteer out of
people's woes. Never mind that the government itself has increased the
commuter fares of its own Marco
Polo buses!
Anywhere in the world, this
government would have thrown in the towel, called for fresh elections and
thereby conceding that this country is larger than them, not vice versa. Yet
the glaring contradictions that have been seen here, made even worse by the
violent land grab, have become the motif of the ruling Zanu
PF.
The way the economy has been wrecked
in a record space of time, and in the absence of any civil conflict in the
manner we have seen across the African continent, would be unacceptable
anywhere in the world where citizens, by virtue of living in a democracy,
would demand the resignation of the whole government and have that wish duly
granted.
But still we get here a
government defending what would be essentially indefensible. One would have
imagined that the old ditty about our woes being very much thanks to the
doing of hostile outside forces with imperialist designs was old hat and with
the ruling party itself getting mental fatigue thereby dropping it. But
seemingly because politics of this continent has exorcised the sense of right
and wrong from the collective psyche of the ruling party, then it would
seemingly present an idea that we should get used to the mind-boggling
philosophy of the party ruling over us.
The problem always with consensus morality is that no matter how flawed the
thinking, disciples come in their dozens simply because an influential figure
subscribes to that particular thinking.
It
has been seen with cults, and who can dismiss that the ruling party has in
the past couple of years successfully transformed itself into just that? Now,
is it not a great wonder that each time criticism is levelled against the
ruling party, it always brings up the issue of it or Zimbabwe being a
democracy?
This is the only place where
the politicians of the ruling party always claim they are above reproach as
seen
by their obsessive reference to Zanu
PF being an epitome of good governance, democracy and the upholding of human
rights.
The contradictions here are very
many and as we take collective stock as to how the ruling party was allowed
in the first place to wreak all this havoc, what will bring down this
government is its own disregard for tenets that have guided other models of
democracy, namely taking the people who elected that government
seriously.
It has, after all, occurred in
the past that the most arrogant of regimes that treated the general man,
woman and child like drooling imbeciles only had the most inauspicious of
exits as the people took matters into their own
hands.
Can it be dismissed that this is
exactly what the ruling party is busy surreptitiously rubbing its hands in
glee and in anticipation of mass protests, then leave the streets flowing
with the blood of pro-democracy activists? Now is the time in the history of
this country where everybody, by virtue of bearing that yoke and burden of
bad economic planning and beatings by the police and the army, has become a
pro-democracy activist.
When the present
Pope was still archbishop in communist Poland, a young man who had been
brutalised by the atheist communist security forces came to him for spiritual
counselling. In his response, Karol Watjyola, the archbishop and later Pope
John Paul II, told the young man: "Do not worry, my son. They will soon
destroy themselves."
Communism fell,
though years later.
Could not that
conversation have happened in Zimbabwe in light of a dearth of solutions to
bring back the good old days when commuters paid 60 cents for the original
emergency taxis?
ZIMBABWE has for the third year
running failed to contain the foot-and-mouth disease, which broke out in
2001.
In its March newsletter, the
Department of Veterinary Services, said the menace was still affecting parts
of Manicaland and Masvingo.
There were
reports of foot-and-mouth disease at 11 dip tank areas in Chipinge, while two
commercial farms were affected in Chimanimani in March this
year.
There were also reports of the
disease in some parts of Zaka, Bulilima-Mangwe and
Masvingo.
The department said: "Secondary
outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have continued to occur in Manicaland and
Masvingo provinces mainly due to delays in implementing mass vaccinations, as
well as due to rampant cattle movements within and between communal areas in
these provinces."
While mass vaccinations
were in progress in affected areas, stocks were running
low.
The department, headed by Stuart
Hargreaves, is struggling to contain the disease owing to poor
funding.
The department needs funds to
import vaccines and repair the fences damaged by cattle movements. Hargreaves
could not respond to questions seeking clarification on a number of related
issues.
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth
resulted in the suspension of beef exports to the European Union (EU) and
South Africa.
Zimbabwe exported 9 100
tonnes and 5 000 tonnes of deboned beef to the EU and South Africa before the
ban.
At least $2 billion was earned from
beef exports to the EU, while exports within Africa and the Far East
generated $2,5 billion in 2000.
The
outbreak of the disease was attributed to the chaotic land reform, which
resulting in the mixing of cattle in quarantined areas with those
from foot-and-mouth disease-free zones.
People were also moving from one area to another during the land reform,
increasing the risk of the disease outbreak.
It is the most
shameful irony of present-day Zimbabwe that since the promulgation of the
Public Order and Security Act (POSA), order and security have reached an
all-time low.
Which ministry conducts
itself in an orderly manner? None except maybe the cynical ministry of
shortages in the President's Office. And who in Zimbabwe can beat their chest
and declare that they feel secure?
Looks bleak.
Since order was relegated
to the backyard of the Zanu PF government's conscience at the start of the
chaotic farm invasions, Zimbabwe has become one of the most disorderly places
to live.
A government that sows disorder
among its citizens has no right to expect order among those
citizens.
By openly legitimising a violent
and often illegal land redistribution project, the government amply
illustrated that political expediency rules over
legality.
The blitz that torched the
judges' backsides off the Supreme Court Bench says it all. What order can
there be in a country where uncouth militants invade the Supreme Court and
occupy the Chief Justice's seat? And what role should the police play? Arrest
the militants or the victimised judge?
Tragically Zimbabwean police have over the past several months shown an
astounding inclination and an equally breathtaking reluctance to apprehend
the militias.
There can be no order and
security in a country where government officials declare today that the law
says one-man, one-farm, then tomorrow the same officials are exposed to have
acquired several farms. No. It
won't do.
But perhaps we, the poor
majority, should be asking: Why are these ministers and governors grabbing so
much in such a hurry? Is it a case of grab as much as you can before . . .
what? An apocalypse? The day when someone brave enough steps up to declare
that the emperor has no clothes? And after that, are we going to have
lynchings? Probably we shouldn't waste a thought on them: they will be too
busy discussing why we are so blest with the Harare youths whom they have
abused for so long.
Increasingly,these
youths will become more restive, disorderly and even violent. They will
demand justice, and if denied, as is currently happening, may begin using a
little bit of force. No one will be secure. From the State House to the
one-roomed humiliations that pass for homes in Mbare, Sakubva and Makokoba,
no one will be safe. For the fire of discontent is blazing, and our leaders
happen to be living in thatched wooden
shack.
In spite of POSA, disorder is the
order of the day.
Transport blues as bus operators pull out of
route
From Masvingo Bureau. Villagers in Chiwara communal
lands in Gutu South are facing critical transport problems after bus
operators pulled out of the route due to poor roads.
The poor state of
the roads could also affect grain collection from pockets of the area that
had good harvests following late but consistent rains.
The villagers now
have to wake up at 3am to catch buses at Bikita Minerals or Mugoni business
centre some 15 kilometres away from Chiwara.
Some of them are resorting
to donkey and ox-drawn carts to ferry their luggage to and from the bus
stops.
"The only bus that services this area is no longer reliable making
it difficult for us to plan our journeys. The Government should dispatch
some Zimbabwe United Passenger Company buses because at the moment we are
walking distances of up to 15 kilometres to get transport," said Mr Steven
Mutingi, from Chidyamakuni village.
The villagers said part of the
road linking Chiwara to the Mutare-Masvingo road was now totally submerged in
water from the Matezva dam under construction.
This had resulted in
the bus having to use a cattle track after part of the road was
submerged.
The villagers said the Government, through the DDF, should
commit more resources to overhauling most sections of the road first
destroyed by cyclone Eline-induced rains in 2000.
Villagers blamed the
District Development Fund of failing to maintain the road.
Gutu
district administrator Mr Felix Chikovo said he was aware of the problem and
had directed DDF to attend to it.
"I am still to check with the DDF to
establish whether they have carried out any repair work but I do not know of
any part of the road which was covered by water. I will investigate," said Mr
Chikovo.
Most roads in some parts of Masvingo province were severely
damaged this year after heavy rains induced by cyclone Japhet pounded the
area.
Villagers in parts of the province have had good harvests and were
likely to make some deliveries at their various Grain Marketing Board
collection points.
Few Turn Out for May
Day Observances in Zimbabwe Peta Thornycroft Harare 01 May
2003, 19:19 UTC
Few workers in Zimbabwe turned out for annual May Day
celebrations Thursday. Most public transportation was shut down. High
unemployment has transformed May Day messages from calls for better wages to
anger against the government.
Political analysts say they would have
been surprised if May Day had attracted many workers to normal
celebrations.
According to statistics compiled by the trade union
movement, most workers have lost their jobs in the last three years of
political and economic turmoil.
Among them are more than 150,000
former commercial farm workers who lost their jobs and homes, as the
government seized more than 90 percent of white-owned farms in the last three
years.
Unemployment in Zimbabwe stands at 70
percent.
Traditionally, May Day speeches in Zimbabwe targeted employers
and working conditions. This year, the target was President Robert Mugabe and
his administration.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions' May Day
message to workers said they should not be intimidated by the government and
that many transport operators had been harassed into withdrawing their
services on May Day.
The group also called on the government to raise the
minimum wage for workers to more than 120,000 Zimbabwe dollars a month, or
about $100. This is more than five times the present wage for the lowest
earners.
The trade union group organized a three-day national strike last
week, which paralyzed commerce and industry across the
country.
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan
Tsvangirai, himself a former secretary general of the Trade Union Congress,
sent out a message to workers saying the unions and the opposition would
continue with strikes and demonstrations to drive President Mugabe from
office, unless he agrees to talks on a transitional government leading to
fresh presidential elections.
Another union group, the Zimbabwe
Federation of Trade Unions, which says it supports the government, put on
live music and a soccer match to mark May Day. It is not recognized by the
International Labor Organizations.
Zimbabwe's economic and political
crisis continues to deepen. On the eve of May Day, most banks had run out of
hard cash, and long lines of people went away empty-handed when automatic
teller machines had no money.
Garage owners say the fuel shortage is now
at its worst since pumps ran dry last December. Industry leaders say
electricity cuts lasting between four and six hours a day threaten
tens-of-thousands of jobs.
One political analyst said Thursday Zimbabwean
workers and the unemployed were far too tired to participate in rallies this
May Day.
--------
The Herald
Workers shun
ZCTU
By Lovemore Mataire MORE than 30 000 workers yesterday
thronged Gwanzura Stadium in Highfield, to commemorate May Day at
celebrations organised by the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU)
while only 5 000 followers of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions gathered
at Rufaro Stadium, signaling most workers' displeasure with the
MDC-affiliated labour body.
Although riding high on last week's mass
stayaway and lockout, the ZCTU failed to rally the support of most workers
who chose to stay away from Rufaro Stadium where the trade union's leaders
turned the May Day celebrations into a political rally.
ZCTU
secretary-general Mr Wellington Chibhebhe, who is affectionately
called "Chibaby" by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, told his followers
who occupied just the VIP portion of the western grandstand that the
only solution to their problems was to fight and remove the present
Government.
He charged that President Mugabe "should go now with honour
and dignity, so that when we meet in the streets tomorrow we can still be
civil to one another".
His president Mr Lovemore Matombo said workers
should prepare for action, which would be even more vicious than the previous
one. "As things stand, there is no indication that government has the
political will to deal with the crisis: everything points to the worsening of
the crisis. Workers should therefore brace themselves for more action, more
effective and telling than ever before," said Mr Matombo.
Although he
was pushing for a change of government, he also wanted the present Government
to reverse fuel price increases and adopt an economic rights approach instead
of what he termed a growth-focused strategy to ensure workers the right to
housing, durable employment, health, safe water, affordable basic commodities
including sanitary ware.
He also called for the removal of the Public
Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy Act by apparently the same Government he wanted removed from
power.
In stark contrast, the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions told
the highly attended celebrations that workers should not politicise labour
issues but present their concerns as united entities.
ZFTU vice
president Cde Joseph Chinotimba told the over 30 000 workers at Gwanzura
Stadium that the gathering was apolitical. "We have gathered here not as
Zanu-PF, MDC, Ndu or Nda but as workers. If you came here hoping to hear
Chinotimba talking about Zanu-PF, then you are at the wrong place, this is
not a political forum," said Cde Chinotimba.
He said this year had been a
very difficult one for most workers, as most basic commodities were no longer
affordable.
Cde Chinotimba said ZFTU was also not happy with the current
minimum wage pegged at $47 000, which he said was not sustainable.
"As
ZFTU, we believe in dialogue and as such we are going to send a delegation to
discuss with the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare on a number of issues
that we think need to be addressed urgently," said Cde Chinotimba.
He
said even in a family set-up, it was unbecoming of a child to beat
his parents for lack of sufficient food in the house.
"Mwana anorova
amai anotanda botso," he said.
He deplored the apparent animosity between
different labour unions and political parties saying that as Zimbabwean,
people should develop a culture of dialogue.
"Before we start beating
each other, lets give dialogue a chance. Fighting cannot bring sadza on the
table," he said amid a deafening applause from the multitudes of workers on
the terraces.
Cde Chinotimba said stayaways did not benefit workers but
worsened their plight as production time was lost while some workers lost
their jobs in the process.
He said ZFTU last year convinced some
employers to re-instate some workers they had unfairly fired from
work.
Workers should be able to separate politics and labour issues and
also realise that the Government did not own some of the companies that
exploited workers.
ZFTU president, Mr Alfred Makwarimba criticised
companies that still engaged workers for an unspecified long period as
contract workers.
He said the union managed to come up with favourable
conditions for contract workers, which were accepted by the
Government.
"All those that are on contract should consult their
respective employers and hear the new conditions," Mr Makwarimba
said.
He said the union had also fought for women on maternity leave to
receive full salaries for the whole period they were on maternity
leave.
Mr Makwarimba said ZFTU would never be supportive of the rising
cost of commodities. He said workers' salaries should be adjusted in line
with the rising cost of basic needs.
Various groups entertained the
thousands of workers with the climax of the merriment being Simon "Chopper"
Chimbetu who mesmerised the crowd with his phenomenal songs- One Way and
Hoko.
In Bindura, ZFTU regional president Mr Batsirai Musona castigated
some labour bodies that he accused of crippling the
economy.
Addressing workers at Chipadze stadium, Mr Musona said some
labour unions had lost direction and were now stooges of opposition political
parties.
He called for co-operation among all stakeholders and urged
business operators to stick to the gazetted government prices for basic
commodities and transport fares.