http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
20:58
RECENT farm invasions destabilising the farming community have
driven
thousands of already disadvantaged children out of school in another
potentially far-reaching humanitarian disaster spawned by the country's
controversial agrarian reforms.
The children are being forced
out of school after their parents who
were working on the affected farms
were evicted from their homes in the
ongoing violent land
seizures.
The pupils are being rendered homeless along with their
parents, a
leading union representing farm workers has
warned.
Some of the workers are being victimised for allegedly
being
sympathetic to their previous white employers, whose farms are being
seized
by President Robert Mugabe's loyalists.
The General
Agriculture and Plantation Workers' Union of Zimbabwe
(Gapwuz), a body that
represents farm workers, has condemned the fresh wave
of farm
invasions.
Union secretary-general Getrude Hambira said over 1
500 families have
been affected by the fresh invasions during the past two
months despite the
signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) on
September 15 last year.
The agreement signed by President
Robert Mugabe and leaders of the two
MDC formations, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur
Mutambara, calls for the restoration of
order in the agriculture sector.
Hambira said the evictions
have had a "snowball effect" on the
livelihood of families, many of whom
have no other home except the farm
compounds.
"The
children of the affected families are failing to go to school,
the sick
cannot access medical help and a considerable number have lost
their
hard-earned property," Hambira said.
She said some schools were
also demanding that the pupils pay a levy
of US$5 each, an amount beyond the
reach of many farm workers considering
that most of them are now redundant
or earning less than US$10 a month.
"This is also forcing the
children out of school and at times they end
up working on the farms
themselves. Thousands are out of school as we talk,"
Hambira
said.
A good number of schools in farming communities remain
closed because
there are no teachers. The few schools that managed to open
are poorly
resourced without text books, desks or chairs.
The pupils sit on the dusty floors or on logs in tobacco barns that
have
been converted into classrooms exposing the children to respiratory
infections.
Gapwuz has called on the government to quickly
end the chaotic farm
takeovers and pave the way for a smooth
transition.
The Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) has said at
least 170 commercial
farmers were being prosecuted for occupying their land
since the formation
of the inclusive government.
Mashonaland Central, Manicaland and Masvingo provinces are the worst
affected areas.
The Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ), one of Zimbabwe's
two biggest teachers' unions, confirmed receiving
reports of pupils dropping
out of schools in farming communities after their
parents were displaced.
Union secretary-general Raymond
Majongwe said while statistics were
not readily available, he was aware that
thousands of pupils have since
stopped attending school because of the
invasions.
"Quite a number of school children have been
affected, especially in
areas like Mashonaland Central," Majongwe said. "The
children have become
silent victims, reminiscent of Operation
Murambatsvina."
The United Nations estimated that the May 2005
operation, which
resulted in the destruction of hundreds of homes, affected
over 2.4 million
people across the country.
Two weeks
after the demolitions, the Ministry of Education said at
least 300 000
children were displaced from schools. The figure is said to be
higher in the
latest round of evictions.
But the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers'
Union (ZCFU), an association that
represents mostly black commercial
farmers, defended the evictions.
ZCFU president Wilson Nyabonda
said farm workers who were being
evicted were those unwilling to work for
black farmers and were also engaged
in "nefarious
activities".
"Most of those affected are those unwilling to
work for the new
farmers. If you look at it closely the same people are
engaged in nefarious
activities such as gold panning," Nyabonda
said.
"If they are doing illegal activities on someone else's
property, they
must leave those properties."
Farm workers
are among the poorest workers in the country with some
earning as little as
US$10 a month while others are given second-hand
clothing in place of
wages.
Gapwuz said it was of paramount importance for the
inclusive
government to immediately address the plight of farm
workers.
"It is our hope that after 100 days in the offices,
the principals
will seriously reflect on the situation and work towards the
improvement of
the livelihood of the farm communities," Gapwuz
said.
"Hopefully if the poor conditions of farm workers are
improved the
quality of education for children would also
improve."
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 21:02
FOR the first
time in 13 years France on Friday sent a senior official
to Zimbabwe as part
of the West's growing interest in re-engaging Harare in
order to play a
critical role in the country's recovery programme.
France joins an
increasing number of Western countries who are willing
to give the inclusive
government a chance, based on its first 100-day
performance.
Anne-Marie Idrac, the French state secretary in charge of foreign
trade flew
into Harare on Friday from Pretoria on a lightning visit during
which she
held discussions with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the
Minister of
Finance, Tendai Biti, the Minister of Economic Planning and
Investment
Promotion, Elton Mangoma, and the Minister of Regional
Integration and
International Co-operation, Priscilla Misiharabwi-Mushonga.
They also
met the Mayor of Harare Muchadeyi Masunda.
Her delegation
comprised officials from the French Development Agency
and had a four-fold
mission: to confirm a French invitation to Tsvangirai to
visit France next
month; to discuss the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe;
to explore how
France can play a role in the power sector; and to pave the
way for a
meeting with the private sector in France to examine business
opportunities.
In contrast, the last time President Robert
Mugabe was allowed into
France was in 2003.
A delegation
from the French Development Agency is expected in the
country this
week.
Tsvangirai stressed the importance of support to the
recovery process
saying this would enable the country to move forward and
recover rapidly
given the huge potential it has. This would set the economy
on the path to
growth.
He said the time was ripe for the
international community to re-engage
Zimbabwe, adding that it was important
not to allow the hardliners who want
to see the collapse of the inclusive
government succeed.
Support by the international community, Tsvangirai
said, would hasten
achievements of the next 100 days of the inclusive
government.
The French state secretary asked about the
political crisis in the
country, the issues of the Global Political
Agreement that remain
outstanding, human rights, the arrests of journalists
and human rights
activists, and media reforms. She also wanted to ascertain
the IMF's
assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe and progress being made in
reforms
to the RBZ Act.
"There is scepticism (on the part
of the international community) and
failure to reach agreement on
outstanding issues of the reappointment of the
Governor of the Reserve Bank
and the Attorney-General was affecting the
credibility of the inclusive
government but the challenge for us is how to
become part of the solution
and help people out of the current crisis,"
Tsvangirai
said.
He said cabinet has agreed on amendments to the Reserve
Bank Act which
would ensure a board with an oversight role on activities of
the central
bank, that the RBZ is confined to its core business which
involves crafting
monetary policy and supervising the banking
sector.
After the meeting Idrac said she was "impressed" by the
progress made
during the new government's 100 days, warning that if the
inclusive
government failed, this could lead to collapse.
She said she would brief President Nicolas Sarkozy on the findings of
her
delegation. Idrac flew back to Pretoria on Friday night.
The
invitation to the Prime Minister to visit France is the second
from a member
of the European Union. A fortnight ago Ingolf Dietrich, the
head of the
Southern Africa division in the German Federal Ministry of
Economic
Co-operation and Development invited Tsvangirai to visit Germany
next
month.
He announced the invitation while unveiling a 10 million
euro grant
for water purification, capacity building in the civil service as
well as
reforming the central bank and statistical systems.
Tsvangirai will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the
visit.
On Monday Norway announced it was resuming aid to
Zimbabwe for the
first time since 2000. It immediately provided more than
US$9 million, which
will be channelled through aid agencies, the World Bank
and the United
Nations.
BY DAVISON MARUZIVA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 20:55
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday said the coalition
government
should move faster and ensure that the outstanding issues that
have been
referred to Sadc are resolved to restore confidence in the Global
Political
Agreement (GPA).
Officially opening the MDC-T's ninth national
conference, Tsvangirai
said the transition had not been easy.
"We have not moved as far and fast as people expected but we have to
recognise that these are the limitations of being in a coalition
government," Tsvangirai said.
"We must move faster and
ensure that the outstanding issues that we
have referred to Sadc are
resolved to restore confidence in the GPA.
Earlier this month,
the MDC-T national council resolved to refer the
dispute over the
re-appointments of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon
Gono and
Attorney-General Johannes Tomana for arbitration after the
principals in the
GPA reached a deadlock.
Gono's status at the RBZ has emerged as
the most divisive area of
disagreement with known Zanu PF hardliners coming
out during the past week
to lend support to President Robert Mugabe's
announcement that the central
bank chief will not go despite provisions of
the GPA.
"The GPA continues to be undermined by those who feel
threatened by
the democratic reforms," Tsvangirai said.
He
said hardliners from Zanu PF's previous administration continued to
frustrate efforts by the coalition government to restore the rule of law and
kick-start the country's reconstruction.
Tsvangirai said
although the coalition had scored notable successes in
its first 107 days in
office, the progress still fell far short of people's
expectations.
He said the inclusive government was yet to
end political persecution,
restore the rule of law, end land seizures and
implement a national healing
process.
The state media was
also still biased in its reporting and some urgent
reforms proposed in the
GPA were still to be implemented, he said.
However, the Prime
Minister said the coalition had made considerable
success in convincing
civil servants to return to work, reducing Zimbabwe's
world record-breaking
inflation to -3% at the end of March, ensuring
adequate supply of basic
commodities and giving aid agencies access to
millions of people facing
starvation
He said all political prisoners had been released and
Zimbabwe's
international isolation had come to an end.
The
Prime Minister re-assured civil society that the
constitution-making process
would be as inclusive as possible.
"Let me assure our civil
society partners that there is no
contradiction as to the objective of
writing a people-driven constitution
but we may differ on the process,"
Tsvangirai said.
"However, I must warn that to emphasise the
process instead of the
substance of the constitution at this time of our
history would be
suicidal."
The two-day conference, which
ends today with a star rally at Glamis
Stadium, will include elections for
the posts of national chairperson and
his deputy.
BY KHOLWANI
NYATHI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
20:51
SEVEN Zimbabweans have been selected to join 80 other young
people
from 31 countries in the Global Changemakers' African Youth Summit in
Cape
Town this week.
The 80 young people, selected from more
than 500 applications, will
spend five days, beginning this Wednesday,
sharing best practices in the
areas of human rights, climate change, poverty
reduction, education,
HIV/Aids, and social entrepreneurship.
A
select group of Global Changemakers will also attend the World
Economic
Forum Africa Summit from June 10 to 12.
The youths from
Zimbabwe are Novuyo Tshuma, a student at the
University of the
Witwatersrand, who is also a published writer; Munyaradzi
Gova, a youth
worker with a local non-governmental organisation trying to
motivate youths
in Bulawayo; Bongani Ncube, a student at the University of
Tlemcen in
Algeria; Ngoni Chihombori; Jermain Ndhlovu, a former participant
of the
British Council InterAction programme, who is now with Radio
Dialogue;
Emmanuel Ndhlela, a student at Mount Pleasant High School and a
Harare
Junior Councillor; and Zillah Muponda a student at Arundel School,
who is
also the Harare Junior Town Clerk.
All the members work in
various fields of child activism.
The young people representing
Zimbabwe as Global Changemakers at the
African Youth Summit in Cape Town
will attend a number of high level panels
on the current challenges facing
the continent, and work together with
experts and other young social
activists on how to best address these in
their home
countries.
During the African Youth Summit a select group of
participants will be
chosen to represent the voice of their generation from
June 10 to 12 at the
World Economic Forum on Africa. They will be able to
engage with the region's
most influential business and political leaders and
lend a grass-roots
perspective to the Forum's proceedings.
The African Youth Forum is part of the British Council's pioneering
"Global
Changemakers"initiative, which is a global network where a select
group of
young people (16-25) share ideas and best practices and where they
work
individually and together on projects that directly impact the lives of
those in their local communities.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
20:48
BULAWAYO - PF Zapu cadre and national hero Wilford Lizati Sibanda
was
buried at Lady Stanley cemetery yesterday after his family insisted that
he
be buried there instead of the Heroes' Acre in Harare.
Family sources said they were irked at the inordinate delay in
facilitating
a state-sponsored funeral.
The sources also said Zanu PF was
reluctant to confer hero status on
Sibanda because he was one of the
veterans behind the revival of Zapu led by
Dumiso Dabengwa.
He joins several high-ranking Zipra and PF Zapu figures declared
national
heroes but buried at the cemetery after the Zanu PF politburo
snubbed
earlier efforts to have them accorded the status on time.
Sibanda died on Tuesday and was only declared national hero on
Thursday.
Ironically, former Zanla and original Zanu PF
members are usually
declared national heroes a day after their
deaths.
Family members said senior government officials only
joined them on
Friday after state media announced that the Zanu PF politburo
had declared
Sibanda a hero.
By then the family had already
bought a casket and met almost all the
burial costs. As a result the family
insisted that Sibanda be buried at Lady
Stanley instead of the Heroes' Acre
in Harare.
"We had to procure our own casket," said a family
member who requested
to remain anonymous.
"Government
officials only advised us that another casket had been
procured from a
funeral services provider which normally handles state
funerals after we had
made final arrangements."
President Robert Mugabe sent his
deputy, Joice Mujuru to officiate at
the burial after the family refused to
have Sibanda's body taken to Harare.
Dabengwa, who led the
split from Zanu PF in protest at the poor
treatment of former Zipra cadres,
said he persuaded his former Zanu PF
colleagues to grant Sibanda hero status
because of his contribution to the
liberation struggle.
"We
appreciate the role he played in our pursuit as Zapu to withdraw
from the
Unity Accord as recently as December last year," he said in an
interview at
the burial.
"He had maintained he was a Zapu member and one of
the elders of the
liberation struggle whom we worked with to initiate the
withdrawal."
Bulawayo governor, Cain Mathema said the Zanu PF
politburo had agreed
that Sibanda be buried in Bulawayo after his family
raised concerns.
"It must be stated that his burial here does
not reduce the national
hero status that was bestowed on him by the
politburo," Mathema said.
"He is still a national hero and he
is just like any other hero buried
at the National Heroes'
Acre."
Mugabe in a speech read on his behalf by Mujuru said
during the
liberation struggle Sibanda took risks that made him "the great
liberation
hero he is today".
The burial was attended by
former PF Zapu officials including John
Nkomo, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and Senate
deputy president, Naison Ndlovu.
Sibanda was born on October
30, 1926 leaves behind five children and
several grandchildren.
BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
20:37
SENIOR managers at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation have
come
under fire for allegedly splashing money on generators, plasma screen
television sets and luxury cars at a time the country's sole broadcaster is
failing to pay its workers on time.
The workers alleged last
week that chief executive officer Happison
Muchechetere, general manager
(programming) Allan Chiweshe, general manager
(finance) Brigadier Kasu, and
Tazzen Mandizvidza and senior managers were
"on a looting spree" at the
broadcaster.
"The managers are using the little licence fees
revenue the company is
getting to buy personal items," alleged one of the
disgruntled workers.
"Advertising is currently generating very little
revenue since the state
broadcaster is being shunned because of its poor and
partisan content."
ZBC is demanding US$10 from radio listeners
in rural areas and US$20
from residents in urban areas.
Households are expected to fork out US$50 for television licences
while
those with television sets at their business premises pay
US$100.
Car radio licences have been pegged at US$30 while a
licence for an
employer-owned vehicle costs US$80. The fee for sound and
television in
vehicles is US$100.
Another worker, who spoke
to The Standard last week said: "Managers
earlier this month bought
themselves state of the art generators estimated
to cost about US$2 000
each.
"Chiweshe was recently seen refuelling his generator at
the company's
fuel service station at Pockets Hill and electricians from ZBH
were directed
to install the generators at the senior managers'
homes."
The state broadcaster also reportedly bought plasma
screen television
sets and latest mobile phones for the same managers. A
plasma screen
television set costs about $1 500 according to an official at
ZBC's finance
department.
Muchechetere and Kasu are also
accused of hiring top-of-the-range
vehicles such as a Mercedes Benz S Class
and Toyota Prados, yet they have at
their disposal vehicles donated by the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe last year.
The Standard learnt that
the broadcaster has in the past hired
vehicles from a company that supports
ZBC with advertising. However, it was
not immediately possible to verify the
allegation.
"Every month the managers are buying themselves
expensive things for
personal use," complained another
employee.
"All this expenditure is despite the fact that the
company is
struggling to pay its workers.
"Workers only got
their April salaries around May 20 almost four weeks
late and salaries for
May are also expected to be paid at the end of June."
Yesterday Muchechetere dismissed the allegations as "bar
talk".
"These people who are telling you that the management
is misusing
licence fees, are they auditors? What right do they have to be
saying that?
How much are we even getting from the licence fees?" he
said.
"And the issue of generators yes I bought them because
my managers
have to monitor their programmes when there is no electricity.
They are just
tools of work.
"As managers they are
privileged to have quality televisions and
phones and what I can also tell
you is that ZBC workers are among the
highest paid employees in
Zimbabwe,"
He also denied hiring top of the range cars saying:
"I am even driving
a car which I am embarrassed to show you as a chief
executive officer,"
Muchechetere drives a Nissan Hardbody.
Meanwhile, services continue to deteriorate at the parastatal due to
lack of
resources.
Workers said there were no vehicles for assignments
or to take them
home after work. They also said computers installed by the
Iranian
government in 2004 were no longer working.
Video
editing equipment was also down and was not being repaired due
to lack of
spares.
BY SANDRA MANDIZVIDZA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:26
MIDRAND,
South Africa - Educationists and development practitioners
last week
criticised African governments that prioritise the military in
their budgets
ahead of education saying this threatened regional
integration.
Zimbabwe is among countries that have been criticised in the past for
devoting a large proportion of their budgets to the military ahead of
education and health among other competing needs.
Analysts
say this has contributed to the collapse of Zimbabwe's
education sector,
once regarded as among the best on the continent.
Participants
at a panel discussion at the Africa Day celebrations
organised by The New
Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) said it
was saddening that
funding for education was not prioritised despite its
capacity to propel the
continent's unification project.
The discussion was part of
commemorations to mark the 46th anniversary
of the African Union (AU), which
brings together 53 countries on the
continent.
"For a long
time now we have been urging governments to give us just
25% of their
military funding and see how we can transform the education
sector,
Matlotleng Matlou, the chief executive officer for the Africa
Institute of
Southern Africa (AISA), said.
"But those calls have been
falling on deaf ears for most governments,
including those whose countries
are not at war." Matlou debated the theme
"Unifying Africa Through Education
and Culture" with six other panellists
from various regional education
institutions.
These included Enver Surty, South Africa's deputy
minister of
education and chairperson of the Conference of Ministers of
Education for
Africa (Comedaf).
Among other
recommendations for improving education in the region,
the panel urged
African ministries of education to insist on more resources
for the
establishment of first language-based education and also an
education system
centred on African values.
In an interview on the sidelines of
the event, Surty said African
governments were committed to improving
education but their efforts were
being derailed by a myriad of problems,
among them lack of competent and
qualified teachers, language barriers and
lack of resources and good
infrastructure.
Nepad chief
executive officer, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, said it was
crucial for Africa to
acknowledge its past and heritage.
Mayaki said there was so
much to be researched and learned from the
continent.
He
said it was unfortunate that despite the availability of a great
deal of
information, this was not being shared widely among citizens of the
continent.
The resolutions from the panel discussion would
form the basis of a
Nepad Legacy Project which is expected to benefit in
particular the
continent's youth.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:22
THE
United Nations (UN) has revised its Consolidated Appeals Process
(CAP) for
Zimbabwe as the body seeks to align its emergency response
programmes with
the new political environment.
The new appeal, to be launched in
Harare tomorrow, could reach the
US$700 million mark, it was suggested
yesterday.
In the initial 2009 appeal drafted in November last
year, 35 appealing
agencies sought US$550 million to fund a worsening
humanitarian situation in
the country.
In a plea to donors,
the UN said the money was needed to fund
emergency responses aimed at saving
and preventing the loss of lives,
assisting displaced populations and
restoring livelihoods in Zimbabwe.
Aid agencies and other NGOs
had identified Manicaland, Mashonaland
Central, Masvingo, Matabeleland North
and South and the Midlands as priority
areas.
Sources said
yesterday the appealing bodies went back to the drawing
board following the
consummation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA),
which has lessened
tensions between the MDC and Zanu PF.
They said there was
growing optimism that the establishment of the
inclusive government had
created conditions that could excite donors.
A number of Western
countries which had shunned Zimbabwe have started
engaging the government
which is desperate to see a revival of the economy.
Over the
past few years, donors have either scaled down their
assistance or
completely ignored appeals for aid from Zimbabweans.
Donor
interest in Zimbabwe's CAP waned during the past eight years, as
concern
grew over President Robert Mugabe's disastrous policies that
condemned
millions of people to severe food shortages and forced others to
leave the
country.
The Zanu PF government also restricted aid agencies'
operations,
charging that they were sympathetic to the then opposition
MDC.
That scenario proved a major headache for humanitarian
agencies, keen
to mitigate the impact of multi-dimensional crises which
affected both the
rural and urban people of Zimbabwe.
The
under-funded UN agencies battled acute food and water shortages.
What
however turned out to be their biggest headache was the cholera
epidemic
which claimed thousands of people.
But UN officials are upbeat
the new environment now makes it possible
for aid workers to reach more
people in need of assistance. According to
estimates, 5,1 million in
Zimbabweans are in need of food relief.
UN sources said the new
appeal to be launched by the United Nations
Humanitarian Co-ordinator for
Zimbabwe, Dr Agostinho Zacarias in
collaboration with the government, would
seek to complement the Short Term
Emergency Recovery
Programme.
The programme is aimed at reviving Zimbabwe's
economy.
Priority areas of the appeal would be agriculture, health,
education,
food aid and safe water and sanitation.
BY WALTER
MARWIZI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
15:17
BULAWAYO - An average of 30 pupils share one text book in
Zimbabwe's
schools as a result of years of gross under-funding which
precipitated the
collapse of the country's once envied education sector,
Education minister,
Senator David Coltart said last week.
Coltart who has appealed to the private sector to partner the
inclusive
government in its efforts to revive the sector said there was a
shocking
shortage of study materials with some schools only equipped with
one
textbook per class in any given subject.
"There is a terrible
shortage of textbooks in the country," he said
after receiving a donation of
textbooks worth US$5 000 for eight schools in
Bulawayo donated by the
British embassy.
"At rural schools the ratio of students
sharing textbooks is 30 -1
while in urban areas it is mostly 15-1 or 20 - 1.
This shortage requires
urgent redress," he said.
The text
books, which the embassy said were aimed at helping the
Government of
National Unity revive the collapsed education sector, were
shared between
Northlea, Emganwini, Montrose, Hamilton, Cowdray Park,
Magwegwe, Emakhandeni
and Entumbane secondary schools.
British ambassador to
Zimbabwe, Dr Andrew Pocock, said the UK was
committed to helping Zimbabwe
revive its education sector that has been
shattered by years of neglect and
under-funding.
"The textbooks are the building blocks for young
minds that are the
future generation that will rebuild Zimbabwe," said
Pocock in his address.
Most schools in the country are
grappling with a severe shortage of
textbooks, equipment and teachers who
quit over poor salaries.
"We are presiding over schools that
lack any form of being a school
except standing structures", said Northlea
High School headmaster, Wilson
Moyo, who hosted the
ceremony.
"The school system and everything that makes up a
school in Zimbabwe
has just collapsed and continues to be on a
nosedive."
Coltart has set himself on a course to revive the
education sector by
sourcing money for textbooks and to pay teachers but
lack of funding from
Western governments who are demanding drastic political
and economic reforms
before loosening their purse strings has slowed down
the initiative.
However, Pocock said there were signs that real
change was on the
horizon and this would encourage donors to support the
unity government.
"We feel change is in the winds, it (change)
may not be quick or
fast. It might delay but we can see change coming to
Zimbabwe," Pocock said.
"Zimbabwe has many international
friends and that friendship has
never been lost. . . Zimbabwe's friends are
ready and already beginning to
assist."
Meanwhile, the
provincial education director, Dan Moyo, said the city's
47 schools were
still facing a serious shortage of teachers of mathematics,
science and
technical subjects despite an amnesty for all teachers who had
deserted the
profession due to low pay.
"Teachers came back but schools do
not have teachers to teach those
subjects," Moyo said.
BY
NQOBANI NDLOVU
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
15:14
BULAWAYO - Zapu revivalists and former high ranking officials of
the
former revolutionary movement who were recalled recently from Zanu PF as
part of efforts to revoke the Unity Accord are heading for a serious
clash.
Two weeks ago Zapu held its first congress in 22 years to
formally
endorse the breakaway from Zanu PF. One of the major resolutions
was to
recall all its members from Zanu PF.
Some of the
officials affected by the resolution include
Vice-President Joseph Msika,
Zanu PF chairman, John Nkomo, the Deputy
President of the Senate Naison
Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu and other low-ranking
officials in the unity government
and Zanu PF.
Zapu interim chairman, Dumiso Dabengwa said those
who did not want to
return to the party "were now on their own" suggesting
that they had lost
the right to be in Zanu PF, which forces President Robert
Mugabe to reserve
positions for them in government as part of the 1987 Unity
Accord.
But Cain Mathema, who lost his position as governor of
Bulawayo last
week and former Information and Publicity Minister Sikhanyiso
Ndlovu reacted
angrily to the resolution.
Mathema lost out
following an agreement reached between the principals
of the new government
of national unity - President Robert Mugabe, Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara last
week.
The two told the state media that Dabengwa had no
right to recall them
as he was "junior" in the original Zapu. They said the
former Zipra
intelligence supremo should leave them alone as they were left
in Zanu PF by
Zapu founder Dr Joshua Nkomo.
But Mark
Mbayiwa, a member of the Zapu interim national executive said
Mathema and
Ndlovu were the least qualified to criticise those seeking to
revive the
party as they had a "questionable history".
"We believe these
two should keep quiet about the issue of Zanu PF and
their contributions to
Zapu as a party," Mbayiwa said.
"Their history leaves a lot to
be desired and has been distorted so
that they are viewed as the big guns in
the Zapu old guard. They do not
deserve all that status they have been
accorded so far in the political
landscape."
He said Ndlovu
was one of the Zanu PF politicians who had been
rejected by the people in
successive elections and it was time he realised
"the direction in which the
wind was blowing".
"He has failed to speak the language spoken
by the people of Mpopoma
and one wonders how he thinks he will tell a party
as big and with a
national character as Zapu to rejoin Zanu PF," Mbayiwa
said.
Mbayiwa said Mathema deserted Zapu during the liberation
struggle to
join Frolizi and should be the last to talk about loyalty to
Joshua Nkomo.
Mathema was not immediately available to respond to
the accusation.
Mugabe has also reacted angrily to the revival
of Zapu saying it was
"a tribal project" but analysts have warned that the
large turnout at the
congress was an indication that the party would cause
more headaches for
Zanu PF.
BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
15:11
MIDRAND, South Africa - Zimbabwe is among countries that missed
out on
a 10 million euro sponsorship package by the New Partnership for
Africa's
Development (Nepad) this year to promote gender equality after the
government and civil society organisations failed to apply.
The
money is part of a new Nepad-Spanish Fund to encourage the
participation of
women in key decision-making processes, particularly
governance.
South Africa, Kenya and Uganda are among
Sub-Saharan countries that
have received funding.
Nepad's
Gender Advisor Rosalie Lo Ndiaye said failure to apply for
such funding by
some countries like Zimbabwe was hindering efforts to
achieve gender
equality as espoused in the United Nations' Millennium
Development Goals
(MDGs).
Ndiaye said unless women's conditions were improved to
match those of
their male counterparts, Africa's chances of achieving the
UN's MDGs would
remain slim.
"We realise we need to market
the project, to encourage participation
of various countries," she
said.
"For example countries like Zimbabwe did not benefit from the
first
round because we did not receive even a single application from
them."
It could not be immediately confirmed if women's
organisations in
Zimbabwe were aware of the fund but Ndiaye said there were
many activities
that could be funded in Zimbabwe.
So far,
46 projects in 23 countries have received support from the
fund.
"There are so many areas that can be funded in
Zimbabwe," she said.
"For example we are aware that there is
the process of constitutional
review.
"Kenya benefited from
the first round as funds were allocated to two
organisations involved in
enhancing women's participation in the
constitution-making
processes."
Ndiaye said unless there were clearly defined
programmes to empower
women, the attainment of MDGs would remain a pipe
dream.
"We need to improve our efforts to achieve MDG 3
(promotion of gender
equality and empowerment of women) because failure to
do that means we will
not be able to achieve any of the MDGs because as
much as 52% of the
population will be left out as they continue to wallow in
poverty," she
said.
The UN set the year 2015 as the
deadline for the achievement of MDGs
to address the world's main development
challenges, among them poverty
reduction, improving maternal health,
combating child mortality, Aids and
other diseases, and also ensuring
environmental sustainability.
After starting off on a positive
note, efforts to empower women have
suffered a setback. Ndiaye said this now
called for new ways of fostering
gender equality.
"I have
been involved in monitoring the implementation of the Solemn
Declaration on
Gender Equality in Africa and in the past five to 10 years
there were a lot
of achievements that exceeded our expectations", she said.
"But
there are some setbacks now, especially in the area of
representation of
women in decision- making processes hence the need for us
to once again
question our gender movement and find ways of how best the
previous gains
can be sustained."
Ndiaye said the reversal of gains seemed
more prevalent in countries
in conflict and those just coming out of
it.
She said Nepad was considering engaging parliamentarians
from the Pan
African Parliament (PAP) to advocate for an improved approach
to women's
needs and concerns.
Nepad would soon call for
applications for the second round of funding
under the Nepad-Spanish Fund
for Women Empowerment as part of efforts to
improve the condition of women
on the continent.
Ndiaye said the regional organisation was
also lobbying for the
domestication of various conventions which provide for
the improvement of
women.]
Among others relevant to
Zimbabwe is the Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) Protocol on
Gender and Development which calls for gender
parity in decision-making and
the African Charter on Human and Peoples'
Rights on the Rights of Women in
Africa.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:08
JEFFREY Mutambo of Glen View was shocked when he received a TelOne
bill of
US$1 200, which, at current prices, could easily buy him a
second-hand Mazda
323.
This was despite the fact that he went on holiday for the
better part
of the month.
Frustrated and unsure about where he
would get the money to settle the
bill before his phone was disconnected,
Mutambo demanded an itemised bill
from the country's only fixed telephone
service provider.
"They told me that they only had a print out
of the numbers I called
in January and offered no explanation as to why I
could not get one for the
month of February and all other months," said the
civil servant who earns a
US$100 allowance a month.
"I could
only conclude that these people are estimating the bills."
Mutambo said he was still disillusioned by the bill and was now afraid
of
using the telephone.
That changed his way of life because the
telephone had been the only
way he kept touch with relatives and friends
scattered all over the country
and in the Diaspora.
Mutambo
is not alone in his predicament. Thousands of Zimbabweans are
faced with
excessively high bills for utilities such as water and
electricity which
started after the government adopted multiple currencies
in
February.
TelOne, Zesa and municipalities such as Harare and
Bulawayo have been
sending out bills that would even shock those in
developed countries who
enjoy first world service delivery.
Despite the announcement by the Harare City Council that it was
slashing
rates by 50% in line with a government directive to cut their rates
and
supplementary charges to affordable levels, residents still receive
outrageous bills.
Combined Harare Residents' Association
(CHRA) chief Executive Officer,
Farai Mangodza said they had received
numerous complaints from residents
about shocking bills, which were mostly
estimates.
"People have complained that TelOne and the city
council as well as
Zesa are using weird formulas to come up with rates,"
Mangodza said.
"It is of major concern to us because residents
are being denied an
opportunity to get quality service because of
greed."
Residents have ignored water and electricity bills that
run into
hundreds of dollars especially in areas that go for weeks without
water and
electricity. Residents are also irked by council bills, for which
they do
not receive any satisfactory service.
According to
the 2009 Harare budget figures, the average rates for
high-density areas
must be US$24, US$57 for low-density areas, and US$97 for
upmarket suburbs
like Borrowdale and Glen Lorne.
"It's a chicken and egg
situation," said Leslie Gwindi, the Harare
council's public relations
manager. "We need the revenue to offer the
services people blame us for not
giving. We slashed rates and we are still
being blamed for all
this."
But Comfort Muchekeza, the Matabeleland regional
spokesperson of the
Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, said they felt most
service providers were
still charging rates well above regional levels
despite moves to cut them.
"TelOne is charging two and half
times more than South Africa and we
use their rand.
"Zesa
is charging seven times South Africa's Eskom and all of them are
not even
using itemised billing which is standard practice," Muchekeza
said.
Zesa public relations officer Fullard Gwasira said the
parastatal had
complied with a government directive to charge residents in
high density
suburbs US$30 and US$40 for low-density areas when meter
readings are not
available.
He said high bills could be a
result of the fact that most people had
not been paying for their
electricity consumption.
"However, the good news is that we
have re-introduced meter reading
effective June," Gwasira said. "We have
procured motorcycles for that job to
be effectively done.
"What people will be getting are actual charges. We are even saying
if we
are late do your own meter reading and furnish us with details at our
service centres."
Independent economist John Robertson said
parastatals and
municipalities appeared to be trying to make up for lost
income during
Zimbabwe's worst economic meltdown.
BY JOHN
MOKWETSI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May
2009 15:04
MVUMA - Garikai Sithole, the son of the late nationalist
Edson
Sithole, has threatened to take the law into his own hands to recover
310
head of cattle he claims were stolen from him by a Cold Storage Company
official who has since died.
Sithole, who is a retired soldier,
says he inherited 515 cattle from
his uncle, Ndabaningi Sithole, which were
moved from Churu Farm on the
outskirts of Harare to Winterton-Amavula Farm
in Masvingo.
He said the cattle were relocated with the assistance
of the late
national hero, retired General Vitalis Zvinavashe in
2003.
Sithole says he fell ill in 2007 and travelled to South
Africa for
treatment. When he returned most of the cattle were
missing.
"When I was offered this farm (Amavula), which is 1
220 hectares, I
approached Zvinavashe who assisted me in transporting 515
cattle from Churu
Farm.
"I donated five beasts towards the
Zanu PF conference that was held in
Masvingo in 2003 as a way of showing my
appreciation for the gesture,"
Sithole said.
"In 2006 l
fell ill and I went to South Africa for treatment, but on
my return I
discovered that 310 beasts were missing."
He said he discovered
the CSC official (name supplied) who is also now
deceased had taken the
cattle to Chiumburu Farm in Mwenezi with the
assistance of a farm manager
only identified as Mr Joubert.
"I went to Chiumburu Farm where
I discovered that 193 cattle had been
re-branded while some had no brand
marks," he said. "I have written several
letters to the police
commissioner-general Augustine Chihuri but nothing has
been
done.
"I am going to Chiumburu Farm to take away my father's
cattle even if
it means arrest."
Police chief spokesperson, Wayne
Bvudzijena said investigations into
the case had been frustrated because it
was not clear who owned the cattle.
Joubert was said to be in
South Africa.
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
14:58
THE inclusive government is reviewing the country's poverty
alleviation programmes to ensure that they benefit the targeted people as it
moves to address some of the challenges brought about by almost a decade of
economic decline, a senior official has said.
Several
interventions such as the Basic Education Assistance Module
(BEAM) targeting
orphans, the public works programme and government's food
relief initiatives
were prone to abuse by government and ruling officials,
which rendered them
ineffective.
Dr Desire Mutize Sibanda, the Permanent Secretary in
the Ministry of
Economic Planning and Investment Promotion said the social
safety nets (SNN)
would be reviewed with the view of remodelling them to so
that they benefit
deserving citizens.
"We received
complaints about the improper targeting of BEAM, for
example, and a focus
group will soon be set up to bring various lessons and
best international
practices which we will then incorporate in our national
planning
machinery," Sibanda said.
"We will have to review everything
from programme design, targeting
and implementation to reduce free riders
and benefit the poor and vulnerable
of our society."
"We
will draw examples from other countries, especially Malawi, which
we have
since established has good SSN programmes," he said.
"Such
publications like those of the World Bank's will also come in
handy."
He was speaking after a half-day World Bank
workshop on Subsidies and
Policy Response To High Food and Fuel Prices in
Harare where the institution
launched two publications on safety
nets.
Harold Alderman, the World Bank's Social Protection
Advisor, Africa
Region, presented a summary of two recent publications by
the institution
titled For Promotion and Protection - The Design and
Implementation of
Effective Safety Nets and Conditional Cash Transfers -
Reducing Present and
Future Poverty.
For successful social
safety net programmes to be implemented,
Alderman said stakeholders must
prioritise proper targeting, transparency,
constant evaluation and
participatory involvement of communities.
"The global
experience from which those two books draw their examples,
shows that a
well-targeted programme that prioritises transparency and
community
involvement among other principles can positively contribute to a
community's growth," he said.
"Zimbabwe has a capacity to
develop strong SSN programmes given that
the country already has a
relatively strong ministry which looks into those
issues and thus the
expertise is already there," he said.
"All that is needed now is an
improvement in the macro-economic
conditions."
"The World
Bank has already pledged to work with government and other
partners in this
area once a few outstanding issues are resolved."
Ministry of
Education and Culture, Dr Stephen Mahere said the
workshops came at the
right time following the launch of the Short Term
Economic Recovery
Programme (STERP), which prioritisies poverty alleviation
programmes.
"The ideas raised in Harold's presentation are
very useful and will go
a long way in assisting us strengthen our own
programmes, among them BEAM,"
Mahere said.
Aid agencies are
feeding more than half of Zimbabwe's population and
analysts say
hyper-inflation has reduced living standards by 80% during the
past 10
years.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 14:53
THE launch of a new customs union by the Common Market for East and
Southern
Africa (Comesa) is set to speed up economic integration in the
region but
Zimbabwe is unlikely to derive any immediate benefits because of
the extent
of the country's economic collapse, analysts have said.
The 13th
Comesa summit, which was postponed twice last year because of
Zimbabwe's
political crisis finally took off last week in Victoria Falls
with
preparatory meetings.
Nineteen heads of state and government will
meet between June 6 and
June 8 where the launch of the customs union will be
the major highlight.
The customs union is expected to enhance
the flow of goods and
services in the region as producers take advantage of
larger markets to sell
their goods and improve intra-regional trade in the
process.
Comesa member states will also harmonise their taxes
on production
inputs to level the regional playing field and enhance
production and
competitiveness.
"Customs' unions if
implemented properly enhance regional integration
as demonstrated by
regional blocks such as the European Union," said Richard
Mhlanga an
investment analyst.
"But in Zimbabwe we have a problem that our
manufacturing capacity is
almost at zero.
"We are likely
to be flooded with manufactured goods from other
Comesa countries because
local manufacturers who have to produce at a high
cost might not be able to
cope with competition."
Zimbabwean companies are still struggling to
recover from a decade of
high inflation and severe economic
decline.
Mhlanga said local producers would have benefited
fully if the customs
union had provisions to protect weaker
economies.
Comesa set up a free trade area in 2000 and the
process was hailed as
a major milestone.
The process has
been described as a success despite the fact that four
out of the 19 member
states are yet to rectify the treaty.
According to the regional
body's secretary general, Sindiso Ngwenya
intra-Comesa trade has increased
five fold from US$3 billion in 1997 to
about US$15 billion as of last
year.
Independent economist John Robertson said the new
political
dispensation might see Zimbabwe reaping benefits from the customs
union and
the free trade dispensation because investors were now willing to
put their
money in reviving collapsed industries.
BY OUR
STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
14:21
TN Bank on Friday launched two products which will relieve
clients of
the problems associated with the Real Time Gross Settlement
System (RTGS)
that is currently in use for larger transactions.
Dr Kwame Amuah, the son-in-law of former South African president
Nelson
Mandela officially launched the TN cash card, which can work offline
and can
use the South African rand and the United States dollar.
The new
bank also launched a repackaged promissory note which can be
snugly fitted
into a booklet for the convenience of its users.
The promissory
note, denominated in foreign currency, does not need a
foreign currency
cheque clearing system, which is not yet functional in
Zimbabwe and will be
convenient for clients who move large volumes of money.
Amuah,
who is a respected academic and says is a policy advisor to the
US Congress
said the fact that TN Bank was "rooted in the history of the
suffering of
Zimbabweans and of Africans" meant it was better positioned to
develop
innovative products that suit its market.
"Through my
engagement with the management of TN Group I got the sense
that innovation
is not merely a natural correlation with the youthfulness of
its management:
It is a strategic and deliberate decision to be innovative
to set the bank
apart from its industry competitors," he said.
TN Bank, in
which TN Financial Holdings (TNFH) has a 75% shareholding,
was born after
the former Trust Finance applied for the conversion of its
finance house
licence to a commercial bank for which approval was granted by
the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe in March.
TNFH had bought a 75% stake in Trust
Finance in 2006 with Trust
Holding Limited retaining the remaining
25%.
The bank's entry onto the market came hard on the heels of
National
Discount House's (NDH) licensing to operate a merchant bank. It has
raised
confidence in the banking sector still recovering from the 2004-2005
liquidity crisis that claimed the scalps of Trust, Royal, Barbican and Time
banks.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009
14:14
BULAWAYO - Illegal foreign currency dealers who were some of the
worst
victims of the dollarisation of the economy are back in business -
this time
taking advantage of the South African rand, which is firming
against the
United States dollar.
The rand is highly sought
after in the region as most businesses
prefer the South African
currency.
But consumers, especially civil servants, earn in US
dollars and have
to convert their earnings to rands.
The
dealers, popularly known as Osiphatheleleni (what did you bring
for us),
benefit by offering lower rates compared to those prevailing in
other cities
or even in neighbouring South Africa.
At Bulawayo's so-called
World Bank market, along Fort Street US$1 is
exchanged for R8,50 yet in
Harare US$1 is equal to R10.
In South Africa of late the rate
has been fluctuating between R9 and
R10 to the US dollar.
The discrepancies have irked consumers who say they have no choice but
to
resort to the parallel foreign currency dealers because banks do not have
money.
"The money changers have found their way back into
business," said
Bongani Moyo of Entumbane.
"I now cannot
afford to buy the same basics that I bought last month
because of this
exchange rate."
The fluctuations mean a civil servant who could convert
his US$100
allowance to R1 000 in April can only take home R850 this
month.
According to the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe a family
of five
requires US$427 to survive a month. In other cities the figure is
about R4
270 but in Bulawayo it is worth R3 570.
"Why is it
only in Bulawayo where the US dollar is said to be losing
value against the
rand," complained Itai Matake.
"There should be a fixed
exchange rate to protect workers against
profiteering shops and supermarkets
that still suffer from the Zimbabwe
dollar hangover."
The
country adopted stable multiple foreign currencies after dumping
the
inflation-ravaged Zimbabwe dollar following the formation of the
inclusive
government.
Comfort Muchekeza the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe
(CCZ) southern
region spokesperson, urged consumers to boycott shops and
supermarkets
devaluing the US dollar against the rand, saying "this is the
only way
sanity can prevail".
"The only way to deal with
these profiteers is to boycott such shops
and supermarkets," Muchekeza
said.
But Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce president, Obert
Sibanda
defended shops and supermarkets insisting on the lower rand rate
saying they
were employing a realistic exchange rate.
"Businesses are being realistic," he said. "The other cities are using
a
false US dollar to rand exchange rate. The rand is firming and businesses
in
Bulawayo are responding to the way the rand moves."
For a long
time, Bulawayo was the epicentre of parallel foreign
currency dealings,
where the parallel market prospered unchecked.
As the economic
situation deteriorated, the vice spread to other
cities with some senior
government officials often implicated in the illicit
deals.
BY
NQOBANI NDLOVU
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:44
SOMETIMES I wish I had friends in high
places. I wish I had powerful
friends.
Friends with power over
life and death; friends whose word is law;
friends who only have to cough
and all the creatures of the world scurry for
cover. Sometimes I wish I had
friends who upon hearing the sound of my cries
come rushing to my defence.
But, sadly, I don't.
It wouldn't even matter that I am professional
- with friends in high
places, why would I need to brag about my otherwise
excellent professional
accomplishments? I would still let the world know,
whenever necessary, of
the great professional that I am.
I
would demand that I should be allowed to do my work without
interference
from politicians, especially young upstarts who know nothing
about the
sacrifice and gymnastics required to serve one's country.
I would
call on my powerful friends to say something in my defence and
demand that
all those interfering in my work be reminded of where power
actually lies. I
wish I had friends in high places. But, sadly, I don't.
When
you have friends in high places, especially those who have guns
and those
who at one point or another or even on several occasions, 'died'
for this
country then you are literally untouchable.
You are the eagle that
simply has to soar above and all the chickens
will run for
cover.
It is their word that rules and if that fails, their fist
will be
summoned. You can ask them to tell the whole world that you are
untouchable.
You will stand before the whole world and claim that you are a
professional
of the highest order; that you are the best thing that ever
happened to the
country.
O, how I wish I had friends in high
places. But, sadly, I don't.
If I had friends in high places, I
would just pick up the phone and
tell them that some upstart is threatening
me.
I would remind them of everything I have done for them. I would
show
them that any attack against me is also an attack against them and
indeed an
attack against the revolution.
And when they ask why
I don't scratch their backs anymore, I would
simply tell them that my nails
are too short. If they ask why they have
suddenly become short I would tell
them that someone has cut them.
I would simply point to the
upstart. My good friends would then be
obliged to deal with the upstart,
first by reminding him that they died for
this country and that since he was
busy reading books and had not died for
Zimbabwe, he ought to know the
limits of his power. I so wish I had friends
in high places. The sad part is
I don't.
If those men in high places were my friends, I would show
them the
empty coffers.
I would tell them why those coffers are
empty and because they are
empty, that there is not much I can do to make
them happy anymore. I would
remind them of all the gymnastics that I would
have performed before for
their pleasure;
I would enlighten
them about the miracles that I have had to perform
under very hard
conditions to keep those coffers full. All this I cannot do,
I would tell
them; that I can no longer transform lead into gold because my
hands are
tied.
Then I would show them who is tying my hands. I would ask
them to
please help untie my hands so that I can perform more
miracles.
I really wish I had friends in high places. But, sadly, I
am not so
favoured.
If I ever felt troubled by any mortal,
I would simply put in a word to
my friends.
I would remind them
of all the great deeds I have done to support the
'revolution'. I would
remind them that without me or the facilities I have
provided so cheaply,
that the revolution would be reversed. I would make
sure they appreciate
that I am irreplaceable.
I would also tell them that I am a
professional; a man of impeccable
credentials who must be allowed to do his
job.
If I ever felt threatened by any person, I would send my
boys to the
archives. I would ask them to open the files and see what this
person has
done in the past.
For everyone surely would have
done something untoward during times of
hardship, that much I would know
very well. Everyone would surely have a
case or two to answer.
I and only I would have the power to resurrect a case or two. Just my
word
and friends in high places would open the gates to hell, preferably the
one
at Matapi in order 'to assist authorities with investigations'- just to
set
an example.
Some of my friends in high places would probably know a
trick or two
in the book about causing people to 'confess' to their
misdemeanours.
With all the favours I would have done, they would
dilly-dally and
dilly-dally some more; long enough to remind every living
soul where power
lies.
If only I had friends in high places.
But then I don't.
Some extraordinary circumstances demand
extraordinary measures and
friends in high places would know that and should
be on hand to protect me,
if needs be.
They would be very
understanding and appreciative of the ingenious
efforts that we would have
had to invest. In that case, I would do anything
that is possible under the
sun and always find justification for it. If only
I had friends in high
places. But I don't.
Some of these political upstarts masquerading
as democrats often know
very little beyond their books. What kind of
professional could do their job
properly when there is so much political
influence? Who surely, could do
their job effectively when someone just pops
up from nowhere to emasculate
your independence?
Persons in my
position would need all the power they can get. And if I
had friends in high
places, I would ask them to guard my independence very
jealously; to protect
me from political interfering.
A few tough words from friends in
high places would do. If only I had
friends in high places. Sadly, I
don't
But I am happy I do not have friends in high places. I am happy I
never have to call for their help.
I am happy I never have to
beg for their assistance for them to show
the force that conquers
all.
I am glad I do not have to commission newspaper supplements to
defend
my conduct. But even if I had any power to protect, I would not want
it to
be safeguarded by the might of friends in high places. That's because,
I do
know for sure, that in this whole wide world, there is nothing like
free
lunch.
I know that the protection that comes from my
friends in high places
would not be cheap. I know that he who gives can also
take away; he who
offers protection can also withdraw that
protection.
If I still had pride and integrity to protect I
would not stoop that
low. I would not behave like the coward who gets caught
up in a fight and
upon noticing the legitimate strength of my opponent try
to rally all the
boys from the village kuita gutse (to call upon friends to
help fight a
single opponent).
I would not pick up stones to
throw at my opponent. I would try to
stand my ground fight the good fight. I
would prefer to pack my bags and
protect my dignity and pride by having to
rely on the force of others.
For what life can it be if I be a
prisoner of my protectors? What life
would it be if I am forever beholden to
my powerful friends in high places?
Would I really be happy?
Would I really go sleep soundly at night, knowing I am not my own man;
knowing that my professional survival is inextricably linked to fortunes of
my friends in high places? Can I be happy when I know that I will forever
have to rely on the grace and favour of friends in high
places?
Perhaps then, that's I why I am happy that I do not
have friends in
high places.
But who knows, blessed are they
that have friends in high places, for
they shall enjoy all the protections
of this world. There is a caveat: for
as long as they jump when the
protectors say jump; so long as they kneel
down when the protectors demand.
A blessing? Perhaps not. Time, the
magician, will tell.
Alex Magaisa is based at, Kent Law School, the University of Kent and
can
be contacted at wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk
or a.t.magaisa@kent.ac.uk
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:41
JUST when it appeared the cholera epidemic had been contained, the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is
warning that the disease has not been eradicated and could flare up
again.
Since August 2008 cholera has claimed the lives of more than
4 300
people and struck down nearly 100 000 others.
The
international community led by Unicef and the World Health
Organisation have
done exceedingly well to ensure boreholes are drilled in
the worst-affected
areas, thus ensuring safe, clean drinking water. But the
other causal
factors of the epidemic remain.
A common feature of the
country's urban areas is burst water pipes
that compete with sewage whose
stench envelopes the high-density areas.
So while Unicef, WHO and
others may be providing clean drinking water,
the environment has not
improved and therefore constitutes a serious threat
to the health and
welfare of communities in the affected areas.
Clearly the task
is beyond the local authorities. It is much more than
merely abolishing the
incompetent refuge of Zanu PF's supporters - the
so-called Zimbabwe National
Water Authority, which delivered no water - and
returning the function to
local authorities.
At the core of the crisis that has led to
the failure by local
authorities to provide water or demonstrate
improvements being made in
plugging leakages that daily waste thousands of
litres of purified water
along unattended burst sewage pipes is the flight
of skills into the region.
Any measures being considered to
prevent a recurrence of the epidemic
have to include attracting the skills
that migrated from the country. This
needs to be done as soon as possible
and ahead of the onset of the rainy
season this year.
Unless that is done we are heading for another outbreak. However, to
allow
another outbreak would be criminal. The Ministry of Education, Sport,
Arts
and Culture may not have the resources needed to attract Zimbabwean
teachers
in the Diaspora, but it is taking some measures in that
direction.
Similar approaches should be implemented in respect
of the skills that
left the Departments of Works across all local
authorities in the country.
This is critical because any investment or new
companies opening up will
need guarantees of regular water supplies, along
with electricity.
While the Government of National Unity is
busy trying to figure out
how to go about this, the United Nations
Development Programme could assist
in repairing infrastructure in the
critical areas before the onset of the
rainy season.
This
could take the form of contracts with private companies with a
demonstrable
record of work in the same field.
The contracts could be
extended to companies in the region with
capacity to undertake the
tenders.
Five significant achievements could be realised almost
immediately:
plug the leakages of purified and improve delivery of safe
drinking water to
residents; deal with the burst sewage pipes that blight
the country's
high-density areas; pre-empt the threat of another cholera
outbreak; render
Zimbabwe a more attractive destination ahead of next year's
2010 soccer
extravaganza in neighbouring South Africa; and save on
importation of drugs
and chemicals to treat cholera victims or for water
purification.
For the time being the threat of another cholera
outbreak may have
diminished but it is still present.
Hopefully Zimbabwe has learnt from the tardy response that cost more
than 4
300 lives needlessly. Above all, there is time to act and prevent a
recurrence as some of the aid that has been pledged is specific for areas
such as water.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:37
Part of the following article was omitted
in our issue of last Sunday.
We publish it in full this week. –
Editor.
MAY 25 is Africa Day. Zimbabwe has done well for the past
20 years,
to set aside a day each year as a holiday for citizens to
celebrate their
African identity. A day to celebrate the formation of the
Organisation
African Unity (OAU), and the existence of its successor — the
African Union
(AU).
The Government of Zimbabwe deserves some
praise for recognising the
importance of the day. It is not all African
nations that reserve the day as
a holiday. Angola, Botswana, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and
Swaziland are all part of African
nations whose lists of holidays exclude
Africa Day.
But, sadly,
the praise for Zimbabwe does not go too far beyond the
acknowledgement for a
“pan-African calendar”. Zimbabwe remains an awful
example of how a country
should be run. Watching South African, Botswana and
other African television
channels, one can now catch phrases like: “so and
so will make us another
Zimbabwe”, “the traffic jungle and state of the road
was like flipping
Harare. . .” and so on.
Zimbabwe has produced some of the worst
records in economic history,
with inflation figures running into millions of
percentage points, trillion
dollar notes, ridiculous unemployment rates, and
unimaginable exchange rates
with international currencies.
The country has succeed abundantly in fitting perfectly into the
stereotype
that has over the years been associated with Africa — poverty,
hunger, bad
governance, political turmoil, ethnic conflict, dependence on
the military
for the retention of political power by rulers, the absence of
the rule of
law, and so many other negative characteristics.
The historic
picture of the skeletal prisoner in a Zimbabwean jail,
captured by SABC
reporters in March this year, has evoked memories of
poverty-stricken
Ethiopia of the ’80s, and the torture camps of Hitler’s
Nazi
days.
The negative characterization of the continent has not
always been
accurate. Whilst the early colonialists described Africa as “the
dark
continent”, there was and there still is, a lot of light glowing from
and in
the continent.
Some of the lamentable features
associated with Africa, still form
part and parcel of the history of Europe,
America and other developed
nations of the contemporary
world.
Whilst the picture is often painted, of a continent
devoid of any
civilization, unbiased history has revealed that Africa is in
fact the
cradle of mankind. Many early discoveries and civilization have
been linked
with the continent. Egyptian civilisation, Zimbabwean
architecture,
Mozambique steel making technology, and other riches in the
cultural,
religious and economic spheres, are features of advancement that
have been
ignored by many Afro-sceptic historians.
But
there can be do doubt, that some of the criticisms levelled
against the
continent are more real than manufactured. Some of the world’s
longest
reigning dictators are Africans.
That abject poverty pervades the
continent cannot be denied, and our
infrastructure remains largely
underdeveloped.
There are many reasons for that sad state of
affairs on the
continent — the role played by colonialism, smart and
straight sanctions,
natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and if
one goes farther back
into history, calamities like the slave
trade.
But time has gone when all the blame could be piled on
the West and
America. African leaders have gotten quite a bit of chance to
make things
right for their nations. There have been African nations over
the years,
where leaders have governed well, to improve the lot of their
citizenry.
South Africa repeated history in April 2009, in
showing the world that
even in Africa, civilised elections were possible. No
country-wide
butchering of members of the opposition, announcement of
results within a
few days after the closing of polls, acceptance of the will
of the people by
the military and the police, and other features of
democratic
electioneering.
In his maiden speech on
inauguration day, President Jacob Zuma had the
sense to talk about freedom
of the media even after a good part of the media
had been ruthless with him
for a lengthy period.
The Sunday before his inauguration, the
cartoonist Zapiro was still
depicting the President-elect with a shower on
his head. The shower has not
totally disappeared.
But Zuma
could still talk about press freedom. Zapiro and other
critical journalists
have not been arrested for “committing the crime of
journalism”.
There have been a number of industrial strikes and street marches in
South
Africa in recent periods. No arrests.
A new trend gaining ground in
Africa is one of so-called unity
governments, which are just but excuses for
unpopular rulers to remain in or
gain power. Where politicians who trail
behind in elections wind up holding
the top most positions in government.
Where losing candidates end up
leading the winning
contenders.
The Government of National Unity (GNU) in Zimbabwe
has achieved a few
advances in the right direction, such as price stability
on the economic
front, protests and marches by lawyers and by journalists
without mayhem
from anti-riot police on the rights arena, and re-engagement
with the
international community on the diplomatic scene. But a lot – too
much -
still remains wrong.
Political leaders in a few
other African countries, besides South
Africa, have also grasped the
principles of democratic rule and the value of
retirement and transfer of
power to the next generation without spilling
blood. Zimbabwe is still some
way far behind in the implementation of
exercise of these democratic
practices that distinguish a totalitarian
system from a truly democratic
one.
Incidents such as the arrest of lawyers in the course and
scope of
discharging their duties, the arrest of journalists for committing
the
“crime of journalism”, and the reign of office-holders for life still
haunt
this nation, as it does too many other African
nations.
As we celebrate Africa Day, Zimbabweans still dream
for the
transformation of the country into an African nation worth living
in. An
African nation where abundance, peace, justice, democracy,
civilisation, and
all that is positively associated with modernity,
abound.
The same dream is to be found in too many other African
countries, in
respect of their respective political, economic, social and
legal
situations.
The struggles for political independence
might be over, but for most
Africans, the struggle for freedom and happiness
still continues.
This Africa Day, may Africa unite for the
improvement of life for
Africans? And may God Bless Africa!
♦
Chris Mhike is Pan-Africanist writing from Harare, Zimbabwe
BY
CHRIS MHIKE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Developing States Should not rush to Conclude Doha Talks
Saturday, 30
May 2009 14:48
THE US and EU continue to force developing countries to
conclude the
Doha Round of Negotiations.
This is exemplified by
their appointed Director-General Pascal Lamy
who is pressuring trade
ministers from developing countries to urge their
countries to do away with
protectionism.
This is because developing countries have been
"forced or persuaded"
to open up their markets to international competition
and this paradigm is
advocated for by such organisations as the World Trade
Organisation and
international financial institutions (IMF and World
Bank).
This has resulted in the WTO launching the Doha Round of
Negotiations
and regional trade agreements such as the Economic Partnership
Agreements
(EPAs) between the African Caribbean and Pacific countries and
the European
Union.
The Doha Round and EPAs will lead to total
trade liberalisation of
most products between the ACP and EU and these are
supposed to be compatible
with the WTO rules governing international
trade.
The Doha round of multilateral world trade negotiations
- the
"development round"- was started in November 2001 and is now
deadlocked due
to anti-developmental and imperialist tendencies of among
others, the US and
the EU.
This can be highlighted by the
statement of the WTO Director-General's
message to African Union trade
ministers that for the world to realise
development, world countries have to
"keep trade open; keep opening trade",
when he addressed the ministers in
Addis Ababa, on March 20, 2009.
ACP countries have already
initialled interim EPAs with the EU and
this means that ACP countries are
digging their own graves because they
cannot compete with the highly
subsidised and developed producers.
ACP countries should not commit
themselves to EPAs even if they have
already initialled interim EPAs with
the EU. As the Comesa trade ministers
meet in Victoria Falls, this presents
them with an opportunity to revise and
not commit themselves to EPAs.
Speaking at the Stanford Centre for
International Development (SCID) on
October 27 2008, Lamy admitted that free
trade can be
dislocating.
The social alienation attributable to the production
process is far
more profound than the social alienation owing to competitive
trade between
structurally unequal economies.
Developing
countries should adopt the stance of the South African
government through
its Department of Trade and Industry for opposing the
current Doha texts on
agriculture and industrial goods.
In a statement released on May
22, 2009, it said that SA would not
rush for an imperfect Doha deal. This is
because the US and Europe have
everything to gain and nothing to lose; the
large majority of small
producers in developing countries have everything to
lose and little to gain
and yet it is being claimed that the Doha and
related trade agreements are
instruments for development.
Workers and the poor in developing countries including Zimbabwe have
not
felt the promised benefits from the 1994 Uruguay round of negotiations.
Studies on the benefits of the post-Doha round indicate that developing
countries will get little from liberalisation of trade and reduction of
tariffs as proposed in the current Doha texts on agriculture and industrial
goods. World Bank economists have admitted that during periods of trade
liberalisation ". . . job destruction rates can be expected to proceed at a
much faster pace than job creation. Globalisation could therefore, be
associated with higher unemployment rates".
Some of the
major concerns against the current Doha include that the
reduction in
tariffs is biased in favour of developed countries, as
developing countries
with higher tariffs would have to reduce their tariffs
more. Further
liberalisation and reduction of tariffs in industrial goods
and agriculture,
will result in closure of local industries, an increase in
job losses and
unemployment.
In this regard developing countries should not
make commitment to
complete the Doha round unless all implementation issues
that have prevented
developing countries from benefiting from the Uruguay
Round trade
liberalization are resolved to the satisfaction of developing
countries.
The current world trade system is so imbalanced that
liberalisation
does not provide the claimed benefits of free market and free
trade. In
light of the economic crisis, developing countries should reject
the current
text on agriculture and industrial goods and not offset any
gains in these
sectors with commitments to open, deregulate and privatise
the services
sector under the General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS).
Developing countries should also reverse their GATS
commitments on the
liberalisation and deregulation of the financial sector
and they should not
sign off on any bilateral agreement as such an agreement
might undermine
developing countries' position at the WTO and worsen the
economic crisis.
Richard Mambeva
Harare.
Richard Mambeva is a Programme Officer at the Zimbabwe Coalition on
Debt and
Development (ZIMCODD). His views do not entail views of the
organisation he
is attached to.
----------------------
Afraid to
face the Nation
Saturday, 30 May 2009 14:46
IT'S a
great shame when my own homeboy Masimba Musarira and his
Zanu PF loyalist
Tafataona Mahoso decide to cut-off a caller who wanted to
express himself on
Tuesday night's Face the Nation programme.
Surely this
programme is not for the nation but for Zanu PF
people.
No
wonder many people subscribe to the DStv; ZBC-TV programmes
are boring,
segregatory and provocative.
If it were not for poverty, nobody
would watch the sole
television channel for and in
Zimbabwe.
Musarira and Mahoso are always afraid to face the
nation. Shame
on both of you!
Wimbai
Sadomba
Nyanga North.
---------------
Chinamasa Right About Zanu PF
Saturday, 30 May 2009 14:45
PATRICK Chinamasa correctly summed up
national sentiment when
he said demanding that Gideon Gono should go is
tantamount to rejecting the
Zanu PF regime.
That was
exactly the objective when Zimbabweans voted in the May
2008 poll when Zanu
PF lost its Parliamentary majority.
Dejected
Harare.
-------------
Plight of Farm Workers' Families
Overlooked
Saturday, 30 May 2009 14:42
WHEN the
new government came into office in February even farm
workers out in the
country's remotest and poorest areas also celebrated what
they believed was
the dawn of a new era of political tolerance and respect
for the dignity of
workers.
But amid the celebration nobody knew that lurking
behind in the
shadows was a section of the community secretly planning to
subdue any
success that this new government was to
register.
And then started the land invasions, followed by
the
victimisation of the remaining white commercial farmers. Then came the
harassment and persecution of farm workers in order to intimidate them
against claiming their right to live on the farms which have been their only
homes for generations.
At a time when the country was
trying to console itself by
believing that the past is behind us more insult
to injury is being
inflicted on farm workers in a repeat of June 2008
campaign of terror that
left some dead, thousands displaced and many more
traumatized.
After the first 100 days of the new
government, a lot more
issues are yet to be resolved between the principals
but what concerns the
farm workers is that the issues that are being
emphasised are what are
termed "big" issues.
The
General Agricultural and Plantation Workers' Union of
Zimbabwe is concerned
that in the issues to be discussed, there is nothing
about the welfare of
the millions of farm workers who were displaced,
harassed and
tortured.
While the temptation is to allow the government
a chance, Gapwuz
would like to see more being done to deal with the errant
individuals
causing havoc on the farms under the cheap and old excuse of
land reform.
The last that we heard about the government
action on the land
reform was Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara leading
a committee to
look into the issues on the farms. We later heard that the
DPM had urged the
new and old farmers to co-exist and that was
that.
What policy has the government put in place to address
the
plight of the farm workers who are continually being evicted from their
only
homes?
Farm workers who talked to Mutambara
were victimised by the
youths occupying the farms and several incidents were
later reported to
Chegutu police. The harassment continues to this
day.
The investigating team seemed to focus more on the
farmers
affected than the farm workers who we all know are much more
vulnerable.
A lot of incidents continue to happen behind
the window-dressing
of the GPA. It is time for all the media to start
seriously exposing what is
happening so that we do not create the same
monster that we have been
fighting against.
The MDC
side of the inclusive government has been expressing
their discontent about
the continued harassment of activists and farm
workers and we need to see
them doing more about it.
It is our hope that after 100
days in the offices, the
principals will seriously reflect on the situation
and work towards the
improvement of the livelihood of the farm
communities.
Tapiwa Zivira
Information
Officer
GAPWUZ.
---------------
Shame on you, Tsvangirai!
Saturday, 30 May 2009 14:40
IT was with the utmost joy that I
read about guards at State
House who stopped Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai from entering State House
to attend a ceremony for the North
Korean government delegation which was
visiting Zimbabwe
officially.
This was an act of God. He did not want him to
mix with
emissaries of a cruel and demonic dictatorship.
Shame on you, Prime Minister, for wanting to fellowship with
these
characters representing a government which caused so much suffering
and
anguish to God's people in their country.
They trained
the notorious 5 Brigade, which massacred so many
Zimbabweans in Matabeleland
and in the Midlands.
They may not have wielded the guns
themselves but their
philosophy and strategies for dealing with dissents are
in keeping with the
behaviour of those Zimbabwean
soldiers.
Even though it is in the inclusive government,
the MDC must be
careful in choosing who they associate with. Zanu PF's
friends are not
necessarily friends of the majority of
Zimbabweans.
There are enough God-fearing nations in the
world for the future
Zimbabwe to associate with. Surely, we don't need the
friendship of
dictatorships with the blood of innocents dripping from their
hands. If you
hug a skunk, you will end up smelling like
one.
Pius Wakatama
Harare.
What a debacle. An utter shambles.
It's like reading about shocking
incidents in a playground. The misery that
is being wrought upon a whole
nation by a bunch of greedy, selfish
and....let's face it, spiritually and
mentally challenged idiots- leaves one
reeling. Life could be so simple.
We're all stuck with each other - black
and white - yellow and brown.
Whether we like it or not, we all have to
simply crack on with it. We can
make this one life as glorious and
passionate as we like or we can choose
the dark side. Mugabe and his cabal
have chosen the dark side. Now - whether
or not this is a pathological
occurrence (meaning they are mentally ill ) or
whether it is an intelligent
(?) choice, is up to the individual. Either
way, it's making everyone
miserable - including Zanu-PF. Aren't you all sick
to death of the
emotional, spiritual, and physical climate you are all
living in? The
article about the army recruits being subjected to ritual
abuse as a means
of "training" shows how far the country has sunk. An animal
kingdom whereby
everyone lives in fear and distrust. Whilst the First World
looks on in
utter disbelief, dear old Zimbabwe is stuck with this "arranged
marriage"
What the hell?????
Zimbabwe - raise yourselves up. There is a life out
there. A life that is
worth living. A life where you wake up and SMILE -
both inside your soul and
outwardly. A life where there is fairness, hope,
prosperity. It's all
sitting there waiting. Enough of patience. Your future
is in your own hands.
Good must unite and band together against the stinking
evil that haunts the
land. These effing idiots have NO right to rob you of
happiness. Make a
stand. Fight for right. This evil must not be tolerated or
accommodated a
week longer. Whether you choose to believe it or not - the
future is in the
people's hands. People power - when used correctly - is the
most powerful
tool on this physical earth. USE IT.
F