Relief agencies run out of food in Zimbabwe

Zim Online

Mon 8 May 2006

      HARARE - Hundreds of thousands of widows, orphans, school children and
AIDS patients in Zimbabwe could starve with relief agencies saying they are
running out of food but cannot appeal for more aid until the government
allows them to do so.

      The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) in
Zimbabwe said donor groups had planned their food aid programmes to run
until the 2005/06 harvests, nearing completion but have been declared a
failure in most parts of the country.

      NANGO executive director Jonah Mudehwe said NGOs could not
unilaterally extend food relief programmes unless the Harare administration
officially requested them to do so.

      Mudehwe told ZimOnline at the weekend: "Many NGOs had plans up to this
harvest season. Some have run out of food. Others are left with little.

      "They cannot extend their programmes until the government allows them
to do so. This is not the case at the moment, meaning some people who failed
to harvest will be without food assistance and they will starve until the
government changes its heart."

      Zimbabwe Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche, who must give the
official go-ahead to NGOs to mobilise more food for vulnerable groups in the
country, was not available for comment on the matter.

      The government, keen to avoid blame for damaging the country's food
security through its chaotic and often violent land reforms that
destabilised agriculture, has in the past been reluctant to accept food aid
from the international community.

      At one time in 2004, President Robert Mugabe even told donor groups to
take their help elsewhere saying black peasants given farms seized from
whites under government land reforms had produced enough food for the
country. It later turned out that Zimbabwe required massive aid that year
because it had not harvested enough.

      NANGO members have been feeding only vulnerable groups while the World
Food Programme was last December allowed to widen its relief programme to
cover all Zimbabweans requiring food aid.

      At least three million Zimbabweans or a quarter of the troubled
southern African country's 12 million people were said to require food aid
running into this year's harvests.

      With harvests generally poor, relief agencies that had expected the
number of hungry people to drop now forecast a rise in the number of
potential aid recipients. The exact figure of people who may require food
aid this year however remains unclear after Harare recently cancelled a
joint food assessment exercise with the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

      Mudehwe said reports by NANGO members indicated that early signs of
starvation were already noticeable among some communities from some areas of
Zimbabwe.

      He said: "Reports coming from our members indicate that there are
areas where the food deficit is so high that people are already starving. In
other areas, there have been moderate harvests and this won't take them far.
We are hoping for quick government reaction."

      A senior official with Christina Care, one of the NGOs feeding
vulnerable groups in Zimbabwe, said the close to 600 000 people the group
fed would still need help. He however said his organisation would be unable
to continue assisting the people once remaining food stocks got finished.

      "Indications on the ground show that these people still need food
aid," said the official, who did not want to be named for professional
reasons.

      "But there is nothing we can do because we follow government policy.
We will be forced to fold our arms once current stocks run out. We can't
source for more food without government consent," added the relief official.

      Once a regional breadbasket, Zimbabwe is in the grip of a severe food
and economic crisis that critics say is because of repression and wrong
policies by Mugabe such as his land redistribution programme that has seen
food production tumbling by an alarming 60 percent.

      But Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain 26
years ago, denies mismanaging the country and instead claims its problems
are because of sabotage by Western countries out to fix him for seizing land
from whites and giving it over to landless blacks. - ZimOnline

SA rejects asylum applications by MDC official's workers

Zim Online

Mon 8 May 2006

      HARARE - The South African government has rejected applications for
political asylum by eight former workers of Zimbabwe opposition official Roy
Bennett saying their claims of political persecution were "manifestly
unfounded."

      Bennett, a former legislator for the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party, lost his farms in Chimanimani district at the
height of farm invasions sanctioned by President Robert Mugabe about six
years ago.

      Bennett fled the country about two months ago after the government
accused him of plotting to assassinate Mugabe during the Zimbabwean leader's
birthday celebrations in the eastern city of Mutare last February.

      South Africa's Home Affairs department which deals with issues of
refugees, is still to rule on Bennett's application. Bennett served one year
in prison after he shoved Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to the ground
during heated debate in Parliament.

      In a letter to one of Bennett's workers, the Refugee Status
Determination Office in Pretoria said the employees' fears of political
persecution in Zimbabwe were "not well founded."

      "I regret to inform you that refugee status cannot be granted because
your fear of persecution is not well founded . . . the determining officer
has rejected your application, taking into account the relevant criteria
after a thorough assessment of your claim and careful scrutiny of the
available information.

      "The office has come to the conclusion that your application be
rejected in terms of Section 24 of the Refugee Act as manifestly unfounded,
as you claim you left your country because of political risk and economic
instability," said the office.

      The MDC and human rights groups have in the past accused President
Thabo Mbeki's government of gross insensitivity over the issue of asylum
seekers from Zimbabwe with senior officials from the home affairs ministry
dismissing claims of a political crisis in Zimbabwe.

      Mbeki, who has pursued a policy of "quiet diplomacy" towards Harare,
has flatly refused to openly condemn Mugabe who is still revered in most
African countries as a liberation war hero. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe's ailing cellular network may be on MTN's list

Business Report

May 7, 2006

By Thabiso Mochiko

Johannesburg - Negotiations to sell a 49 percent stake in Zimbabwe's ailing
state-owned cellular operator, Net One, have reached a crucial stage, with
MTN understood to be one of the companies in the running. The stake is
expected to fetch $33 million (R200 million).

Net One is wholly owned by the Zimbabwean government, which said earlier
this year that it was planning to seek a strategic partner.

Net One's managing director, Reward Kangai, confirmed that negotiations to
dispose of the stake were under way but he could not say whether MTN was
involved.

"Yes, we received interest from different companies and we are [still]
considering offers," he said.

MTN, which unveiled a $5.5 billion acquisition of Dubai-based Investcom
earlier this week, said it would continue to seek value-enhancing
opportunities that met its investment criteria. It would not comment on
specific activities.

Sources close to Net One said a major concern for potential investors was
whether they would be able to make a return on their investment considering
the country's economic and political crisis. Repatriating dividends might
also be an issue, while Net One's poor network service presented challenges.

Kangai said Net One needed a capital injection to increase network capacity,
adding that the company was considering the roll-out of a third generation
(3G) service.

A Zimbabwean-based analyst said Net One's network was "congested" and
whoever acquired the stake would have to invest heavily in upgrading the
network.

"Net One has a wide coverage and has infrastructure; it just needs
upgrading," he said.

Sources close to Net One said its network was poor; short messages sometimes
arrived a day later, especially for foreign recipients.

One analyst said Net One's future earnings would be constrained by the
government, which dictates tariffs, so whatever price was paid would be too
much for a network already compromised by serious capital equipment
deficiencies.

Net One is the second biggest of Zimbabwe three cellphone operators, with
just over 200 000 subscribers. Econet Wireless is the leading operator with
over 475 000 subscribers, and Telecell is the third player.

More and more people were struggling to make calls of even a few seconds
duration across the two top networks, an analyst said, although Econet to
Econet calls were marginally less unreliable than any calls involving Net
One.

The analyst warned that, despite MTN's capabilities of dealing with risky
markets, Net One was not yet profitable and potential investors should not
expect returns in the short term. Matters it would have to deal with
included a "huge" debt Net One had to settle with an international telecoms
player.

MTN chief executive Phuthuma Nhleko said on Tuesday that the group would be
focusing on bedding down the Investcom deal and meeting its infrastructure
deadline in Iran, but that might change "if [an] interesting and
strategically compelling" opportunity arose.

The deal with Investcom gives MTN access to 10 new markets in Africa and the
Middle East, including Ghana, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Benin,
Cyprus, Guinea Bissau and Liberia.

The combined group will be the biggest cellphone operator in emerging
markets with 28 million customers and a footprint in 21 countries. MTN
operates in 10 countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Zambia, Rwanda and
Uganda. It is expected to roll out Iran's second network in August. -
Additional reporting by the Independent Foreign Service

Diamond production at Murowa takes a dip

      May 7, 2006

      By ANDnetwork .com

      Murowa Diamonds Pri-vate Limited, which last year surpassed its set
target of 250 000 carats, has realised a marked dip in diamond production as
the exhaustion of the richer surface ore begins to take its toll on the
mine.

      The diamond mine falls under Rio Zim, which owns 22 percent equity.
The remaining 78 percent is held by international British mining giant Rio
Tinto International.

      A recent quarterly report from Rio Zim shows that the diamonds
produced in the first four months of this year, 48 472 carats, are 14
percent lower than those realised in the preceding quarter.

      However, the recent production figures are the lowest recorded in any
quarter in the past year and have made true the predictions that were made
by the mining company in the last reporting season.

      The country is believed to have 16,5 million tonnes of diamond
reserves and production is still in its infancy, hence the recent reports of
declining production have put a damper on the fortunes of the industry.
However, officials from the mining company are bullish over the future
prospects at Murowa Diamond Mine.

      "Production of diamonds at Murowa took a dip at the beginning of this
year mainly due to the exhaustion of the surface ore and poor ore grade.

      "However, there are other problems, which, like any other mine, have
militated against strong performance by the company, for example, the
persistent power outages by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa)
and the increase in interest rates have had a negative impact on the company's
performance.

      "The fixed exchange rate, which has seen the Zimbabwean dollar being
fixed at $100 000 to the US dollar, has also compromised profitability,"
said an official with Rio Zim, who refused to be identified.

      Although gold production has remained constant, with the first quarter
recording 5 787 ounces, the same as that which was realised in the last
quarter of last year, nickel production at Empress Nickel Refinery declined
by 85 tonnes.

      Rio Zim last year noted that a much more comprehensive policy
intervention by the authorities would help to spur production at the mines.

      "The continuation of development work at Renco mine is yielding
positive results that would normally place the mine on a strong performance
platform.

      "The refurbishment and recapitalisation programme at Empress Nickel
Refinery in particular and throughout the group should assist a more
efficient performance in 2006 than 2005.

      "However, the benefits of these efforts may not be realised if the
economic environment is not managed in a conducive manner.

      "Of particular concern to the group is the issue of load-shedding,
which has a devastating impact on both Renco and Empress Nickel Refinery,"
said the mining group.

      This development takes place at a time when there is firming of metal
prices on the international markets.

      Last year, Rio Zim realised a group net attributable profit of $373
billion, but its performance this year might be weighed down by the harsh
macro-economic environment.

      Source : The Sunday Mail

Leaders vow to spearhead Sadc transformation

      May 7, 2006

      By ANDnetwork .com

      President Mugabe ended his four-day State visit to Malawi yesterday
with him and his host, President Bingu wa Mutharika, urging developing
countries to abandon the donor dependency syndrome and instead pool their
resources together to spur development.

      The two leaders spoke after Malawi and Zimbabwe signed two agreements
to enhance co-operation in trade and agriculture.

      Addressing a Press conference at Kamuzu International Airport just
before President Mugabe's departure, the two leaders pledged to take a lead
in transforming the Southern African Development Community, whose member
states, they said, should increase co-operation and depend on one another.

      President wa Mutharika said Sadc should function like a real community
with member states helping each other.

      "This visit not only fulfils the bilateral relations between our two
countries but also the spirit of Sadc because Sadc is a community and people
should live together. (When) we live together, we mourn together, we work
together, we suffer together and rejoice together.

      "We (Sadc members) meet, but individually we tend to work in
isolation. We cannot call ourselves a community and live independently and
still leave our member to international isolation," said the Malawian
leader, in reference to Zimbabwe's isolation by the West.

      He said the European Union - whose members stand by each other - began
as a community.

Tsvangirai to address rally in Bulawayo on Sunday

      May 7, 2006

      By ANDnetwork .com

      Movement for Democratic Change anti-senate faction leader Morgan
Tsvangirai is to address a rally at White City Stadium on Sunday in what
most people believe will be a litmus test on how much support he has as this
will be his first public rally in the city since the party split in October.

      The rally, which will be held in the backyard of his rival faction,
the pro-senate faction which is now led by scientist and former student
activist Arthur Mutambara, is also likely to define which faction has
greater support of the people.
      So far the two factions have been involved in court and boardroom
battles that have largely left their supporters out except when the two held
their separate congresses.

      Though the Tsvangirai faction has so far held the upper hand in terms
of numbers, the pro-senate faction has rubbished the figures calling the
anti-senate congress which attracted a reported 15 000 a rally rather than a
congress. The pro-senate faction congress was reportedly attended by 3 000
delegates.

      Rallies so far addressed by pro-senate faction leader Arthur Mutambara
have attracted very few people. The independent media put the figure of
those who attended the Bulawayo rally at 4 000 and that for the Chitungwiza
rally at about 1 500.

      Tsvangirai faction spokesman Nelson Chamisa as well as Bulawayo
province secretary Reggie Moyo confirmed that the rally will be held on
Sunday and had police clearance.

      Chamisa said the rally was aimed at allowing the new leadership to
meet the people to sound out what they thought about the way forward
especially in view of the present political and economic crisis in the
country. It was also meant to brief supporters on the resolutions adopted at
the party congress.

      Some supporters of the party, however, said some senior members of the
party were campaigning against the rally but Chamisa and Moyo dismissed the
reports saying they had not received any such reports.

      "The only thing I can tell you is that our rally will be a success,"
Chamisa said.

      Moyo said the rally was not going to be a test of support because
there had always been one MDC.

      "Our rally is going to succeed. It will not be a contest because there
has always been one MDC with one president," he said.

      Some party supporters said, however, they would stay at home because
of fears of violence.

      Police were reported to have stepped in to quell violence at the
Chitungwiza rally of the pro-senate faction.

      Source : Insiderzim

How Long?

In the Psalms David asks God how long he must wait before he sees the evil
in his society overcome, how long before the battles are won. As King, David
never had a year during his long rule over Israel during which he did not
have to fight either a war or fend off an invasion.

Zimbabweans are weary - you can see it in their eyes, in the way they go to
work and play and how they respond to the daily grind. Tired despair seems
to be the most appropriate way of dealing with the seemingly endless stream
of problems we are faced with day by day.

This coming week some 3 million children will go back to school. The
majority have not paid their government school fees that were raised by 1000
per cent last week. A domestic worker now gets a little less than Z$3
million a month - how on earth are they going to afford school fees running
to millions of dollars. In industry it is little better, minimum wages are
about Z$10 million (and taxed) and daily transport to and from work will
cost at least Z$2,5 million.

At our local State hospital - the one in which I was born and later spent
three years recovering from a serious accident, there is no bedding or food.
A lady who is 76 years old broke her hip at home and was taken there one
evening. When the community heard she was there they sent some men to see
what was happening - she was lying on a bed without bedding and had only
been given a painkiller in the previous 15 hours. They took her out of the
hospital and put her into a nearby private clinic where a deposit of Z$100
million dollars was demanded - her pension is Z$35 000 a month.

On Wednesday 170 women and their children took to the streets to protest at
the massive increase in school fees. Their protest was totally peaceful and
after delivering a petition to the Ministry of Education they gathered to
pray and disburse when the Police came and they were all arrested. They have
now been in prison for 5 days and nights. The first night when the children
were held with them they were held in crowded cells, without food or water
and little sanitation and filthy blankets. Some were held in a wire
enclosure in cold wet conditions.

They are to be charged "with activities likely to cause a breach of the
peace" and should have been brought to Court within 48 hours. By holding
them for 5 days and perhaps more, under these dreadful conditions, the
Police hope to intimidate and prevent further demonstrations of this kind.
We can expect to hear, when they are finally released, that they were
verbally and perhaps physically abused. How long must we wait Lord!

On the 20th May the Churches are planning to mount a series of prayer
meetings followed by processions in all major towns to remember those who
have suffered and died during the past year under the Murambatsvina
programme. The Pastors have been talking to the Police about this and intend
to go ahead even if they do not get permission under POSA. This has the
potential for further conflict, mass arrests and detention. Despite this the
Churches are determined to go ahead and many who have been in jail before -
my own wife included, are determined to support the event to remember the
millions displaced, made homeless and destitute by Murambatsvina.

I see that the Mutambara group is saying that the only way forward is via
elections not mass action. They are claiming that the MDC commitment to mass
action to force change in our situation will only lead to violence. That may
be true - but violence by who? The agents of the State as in the case of
these women and children in Bulawayo? The question is how long do we go on
doing the very things that have simply not worked in terms of bringing about
real change in Zimbabwe. We tried dialogue in the 90's; democracy in the
period 2000 to 2005, progress was totally negated first by the flat refusal
of the State to consider any views except their own and latterly by the
total subversion of the electoral system.

In at least 12 countries, ranging from Russia to Nepal, mass action has led
to real political and economic change and the emergence of new democratic
structures. Perhaps it is time to try that here in an effort to stop the
suffering. There is no doubt in my mind that South Africa could short cut
this process tomorrow if they so choose. They have instead turned their
backs on the suffering of the Zimbabwean people and chose to continue to
support tyranny even though it is damaging their own economy and political
reputation throughout the world.

There are only two options now available to Zimbabweans - Mugabe has stated
that he wants to run as President until 2010. He has instructed the Minister
of Justice to take legislation to Parliament that will allow Zanu PF to
extend his term of office by two more years. His demands to facilitate his
early retirement so that the "reformers" could take charge and start
rebuilding the economy and the fortunes of Zanu PF, are so outrageous that
even Mbeki and the Secretary General of the United Nations have quietly
backed away from their planned strategy for his retirement this year.

This means that if we allowed Zanu PF to continue to govern and pillage in
Zimbabwe, we would have at least another 4 years of this situation and could
look forward to only more poverty, mass migration and indignity. If we
accept that we will all become refugees - forced to flee with what we can
carry as we swim the murky waters of the Limpopo.

No it is time for mass action - we really have no other choice except
flight - and that we are not going to do. The consequences? Well if you
listen to the State media you can expect the security forces to shoot us
with live ammunition and to beat us senseless with rubber batons, to spray
us with Israeli tear gas and paint from the Israeli water cannon. Mutasa's
challenge was "just walk down Samora Machel Avenue, and see what we will do
to you"! Well Didymus, get ready, we are coming and when we do - you better
be ready for the Limpopo. I think you will be quite safe to use that route -
not even the crocs could stand to get too close to you.

Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 6th May 2006.

Zimbabwe Theory of Quantum Mathematics