BBC
Morocco denies Mugabe request
Morocco's foreign
ministry has denied reports saying it had asked
Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe to mediate in the Western Sahara dispute.
State TV in Harare had
earlier said that visiting Moroccan Foreign
Minister Mohammed Benaissa had
made the request.
The Polisario Front has been fighting for
independence since the area
was annexed by Morocco after Spain withdrew from
its former colony in 1975.
United Nations attempts to resolve the
dispute collapsed earlier this
year after Morocco rejected a peace
plan.
Zimbabwe has previously supported the Polisario's
cause.
In September, South Africa opened diplomatic relations with
the
region, which has angered Morocco.
South African President
Thabo Mbeki urged Africans to support
self-determination for Western
Sahara.
The Moroccans recalled their ambassador to South Africa for
consultations.
The UN-backed plan included a referendum on
self-determination for the
Saharawi people, but Morocco refused to accept
any loss of sovereignty over
the area.
Former mediator James
Baker resigned in June, and his successor has
said that he will pursue the
same policy.
The UN has spent more than $600m on peacekeeping
efforts in Western
Sahara as it has attempted to resolve the issue over the
last 13 years.
VOA
Mugabe Asked To Mediate Western Sahara Dispute By William
Eagle
Washington
9 November 2004
Morocco's
state media say King Mohammed has asked Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe
to help mediate in the dispute over Western Sahara.
Morocco annexed the
phosphate-rich desert territory 30 years ago after
colonial power Spain
pulled out. Morocco took the action despite a World
Court ruling in favor
of autonomy for Western Sahara.
Fighting Morocco for independence for the
region is the Polisario Front,
backed by neighboring Algeria. Morocco has
rejected a UN-backed peace plan,
which would allow the people of Western
Sahara determine its future in a
referendum.
The former mediator, US
diplomat James Baker, resigned in June, and his
successor has said he would
support the UN plan.
Suliman Nyang is the director of African Studies at
Howard University in
Washington, DC. He says the move improves Morocco's
standing in Africa
because President Mugabe has the credentials within
Africa of being a former
liberation leader.
Rabat withdrew from the
Organization of African Unity several years ago when
the organization came
out in support of the Algeria-backed Polisario and the
plan for a
referendum. South Africa also came out in support of the plan,
which led
Morocco to recall its ambassador to Pretoria for consultations.
In the
past, Morocco has opposed a referendum, but Professor Nyang says it
may be
willing to support one this time, even if it leads to independence
for
Western Sahara under a Polisario-led government. He says that's because
the
new state would likely be what he calls an economic "satellite" of
Morocco.
Professor Nyang adds that as mediator, President Mugabe
would improve his
reputation, which has been tarnished by years of criticism
by the West for
his poor human rights record and land policies that have led
to state
takeovers of white-owned farms.
On the other hand, the
Howard University analyst says successful mediation
could lead other African
countries to press President Mugabe for a
referendum in his own country on
his leadership - and an opening for his own
domestic opposition to press its
agenda.
Escalating prices restrict access to food
[ This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 9
Nov 2004 (IRIN) - Estimates of food aid needs in Zimbabwe
should be revised
as maize prices have climbed well above anticipated
levels, the Famine Early
Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has warned.
"Due to much higher than
expected maize prices, and no evidence of
commensurate increases in rural
incomes, the rural population in need of
food aid is almost certainly higher
than that originally estimated by the
ZimVAC [Zimbabwe Vulnerability
Assessment Committee] in May 2004," FEWS NET
said in its latest food
security report.
Meanwhile, increases in general prices "continue to
limit the ability of
poor urban households, who make up close to 70 percent
of Zimbabwe's urban
population, to buy the food they need," the report
noted.
The ZimVAC had estimated that about 2.2 million rural people would
need
about 50,000 mt of cereal food aid between August and November
2004.
The figure was based on the assumption that grain would be
available from
the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) at Zim $471 per kilogram
(about US $0.08).
"However, maize grain prices, which are normally expected
to start rising in
the December-January period, started increasing soon
after the harvest in
May-June, and are now at least Zim $720/kg [US $0.12]
in GMB markets. They
have risen to as high as Zim $1,000/kg [about US $0.17]
in some of the
parallel markets," the report noted.
"The initial
ZimVAC estimates [for food aid requirements in rural areas]
need to be
revised in line with the higher prices," FEWS NET said.
In urban areas
the impact of high inflation on food security has been
severe.
"The
annual food inflation rate for September is at 264.8 percent, as
reported by
the Central Statistical Office. Despite a steady decrease from
the high of
622 percent in January 2004 to the September annual rate of
251.5 percent,
the inflation rate remains amongst the highest in the world,"
the report
said.
It noted that "the annual inflation rate in neighbouring South
Africa, a
major regional trade partner, was just 3.7 percent in September
2004".
According to the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe's (CCZ) monitoring
system, a
family of six required about Zim $1.4 million (US $248) to
purchase
sufficient basic commodities and other essential services in August
this
year.
In September the same family would have seen an increase
of 6.6 percent in
the cost of the minimum basket to just under Zim $1.5
million (US $266).
FEWS NET said the incomes of poor urban households
continued to lag behind
the cost of the monthly needs basket, with minimum
monthly wages for
commercial employees averaging Zim $437,500 (US $77.65) in
September 2004.
New Zimbabwe
Judge says finance minister 'untrustworthy'
By
Staff Reporter
Last updated: 11/09/2004 22:14:15
ZIMBABWE'S jailed finance
minister Chris Kuruneri is "untrustworthy", a high
court judge has
said.
The statement came when Kuruneri, who has been held in cells on
remand for
seven months, re-applied for bail. He was charged with
externalising foreign
currency - taking money out of the country
illegally.
The charge was laid after it emerged that he had built a
lavish mansion in
Cape Town.
Still, high court judge Chinembiri Bhunu
said there was evidence that
Kureneri had obtained a foreign
passport.
"The applicant is an influential, high-ranking member of
society with vast
resources both within and outside Zimbabwe. His conduct in
obtaining and
travelling on a foreign passport, despite having taken oaths
of loyalty and
allegiance to Zimbabwe, casts doubt in the eyes of any
reasonable court as
to his trustworthiness," said Bhunu.
"The long
and the short of it is that the applicant has demonstrated that he
is not a
man to be trusted," the judge added.
Kuruneri is also charged with having
acquired a Canadian passport.
Under Zimbabwean law it is illegal to hold
passports from more than one
country.
Meanwhile, Kuruneri's lawyer
George Chikumbirike filed an appeal to
Zimbabwe's Supreme Court, the
country's highest court.
Investigating officers in Zimbabwe claim
Kuruneri's lengthy detention has
been caused by "extra-territorial
investigations beyond our borders in South
Africa and Spain".
Sapa
The Scotsman
'No Magic Solution' to Zimbabwe Crisis
By Joe
Churcher, PA Chief Parliamentary Reporter
There is no "magic
solution" to the growing human rights crisis in Zimbabwe,
a Foreign Office
Minister said today as he faced cross-party calls to step
up pressure on
Robert Mugabe.
Chris Mullin conceded that despite the UK doing all it
could the situation
was deteriorating still further and there was no sign of
the President
meeting demands to end abuses.
He also refused to
engage in "megaphone discussions" with South Africa on
the issue.
Mr
Mullin came under fire from a succession of MPs seeking action.
Tory
Michael Jack (Fylde) said: "Many fine words have been expended...but
their
effect has been limited."
Sir Nicholas Winterton (C Macclesfield) asked:
"Can the Government not come
up with some new initiatives to bring about the
end of the most tyrannical
of regimes in Africa?"
And Sir Patrick
Cormack (C Staffordshire S) added: "It's all very well to
stand at the
despatch box wringing your hands but we do expect this to be
put higher on
the agenda".
From Labour's backbenches, former minister Kate Hoey
(Vauxhall) pointed out
that even South African President Mbeki's allies were
now criticising his
policy of "quiet diplomacy".
The criticisms
follow the expulsion from Zimbabwe of a fact-finding mission
by South
African trade union federation Cosatu - part of the ruling
coalition.
Ms Hoey said: "Is this not the time for this Government to
really put
pressure on?"
Mr Mullin told them: "We've been doing all
we can to put pressure on
interested parties to enable free elections to
take place.
"I am prepared to admit the situation is getting worse; what
I am not
prepared to do is pretend there is some magic solution no-one else
has
thought of that will somehow make everything right there.
"We,
over a long period....have been putting what pressure we can on the
Government of Zimbabwe to behave decently but I regret to see that I see no
sign so far that their behaviour is about to change.
"President Mbeki
is as aware as the rest of us what is going on there. No
doubt the expulsion
of the trade union delegation will have been a timely
reminder.
"What
I am not going to do is get involved in megaphone discussions with
South
Africa or anybody on the subject."
He said EU sanctions were in place and
a resolution on the situation would
be debated later this month at the
United Nations - a step long demanded by
the Tories.
Zimbabweans Must Do More to Liberate Themselves
The Daily News
(Harare)
EDITORIAL
November 9, 2004
Posted to the web November 9,
2004
We salute the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
for their most
progressive stand regarding the political stalemate in
Zimbabwe.
The labour movement decided to visit Zimbabwe and find out for
themselves
what is going on politically and
economically.
Unfortunately, the visit was misconstrued by Zanu PF which
is now
insinuating that Cosatu is somehow determined to unseat the
government of
President Robert Mugabe.
Far from it, as Cosatu has
stated in a recent statement, there was no
sinister motive at all about the
fact-finding mission.
In fact, Cosatu has undertaken similar missions to
Swaziland and Nigeria
where it has thrown its weight behind progressive
labour forces to ensure
that workers are not short-changed in any
way.
Cosatu has stated that it supports fully efforts by the African
National
Congress of South Africa and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa
in trying
to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in
Zimbabwe.
But according to Cosatu, this diplomatic effort should be
complemented by
mass mobilisation and solidarity by other sectors like the
labour movement
to speed up the process of positive change in troubled
Zimbabwe.
This view is commendable and if effected, it can bring about
change much
faster to Zimbabwe. It is most unfortunate that Zimbabweans are
not doing as
much as they should and wait for outsiders like Cosatu to
initiate the
change process.
Critics have pointed out that
Zimbabweans are very docile by nature and
while they are very vocal about
the government's wrongdoings, they do
nothing to end them.
Church
leaders, civic groups and opposition political parties must come
together in
a concerted national effort to bring about real change in a
country that has
lost its old pole position as a shining example of
tolerance and good
political and economic leadership.
These key groups of society must take
the lead in conscientising the people
about basic human rights such as the
right to vote, to assemble and to join
a political party of one's liking
without fear of victimisation from state
agents as is common in Zimbabwe
today.
There is a lot that Zimbabweans can do for themselves without
waiting for
foreign assistance. It has been said none but ourselves can
liberate
ourselves.
VOA
Drop in Tourism Hits Zimbabwean Art Market By Tendai Maphosa
Harare
9 November 2004
Zimbabwe's tourism industry had
been the fastest growing sector of the
economy until about five-years ago
when the political problems facing the
country resulted in a drastic decline
in the number of visitors. Artists in
Zimbabwe, who were doing very well
from sales of their work to tourists are
now struggling to make ends
meet.
After independence in 1980, Zimbabwe's artists benefited
greatly from the
influx of tourists who came to the country to visit
attractions, such as the
remains of the ancient Great Zimbabwe city, the
Victoria Falls, and the game
parks. This, coupled with very good hotels and
well-developed
infrastructure, made Zimbabwe an attractive tourist
destination.
The large numbers of tourists saw an increase in
earnings for artists,
especially the stone sculptors of what is now
universally known as Shona
art. But the downturn in the economy and the
political turbulence that
started in the late 1990s has reduced tourist
arrivals to a trickle. And
the artists are among those feeling the brunt of
it.
Charles Kamangwana has been a sculptor and painter since 1994
when he
completed an art course at the National Gallery School of Art in
Harare. He
lived comfortably on his art until about three-years ago. He
says that now
his sales are few and far between.
"I had to
take a teaching job with school of art where I did my education,"
he says.
"This was because I could not live on my art as I used to do. Now
I have
just left this school of art because even the teaching itself is not
giving
me enough to survive. So I have started doing some workshops for
different
organizations. I will be teaching art on a part-time basis, then
also it
allows me some time to do my own work."
Mr. Kamangwana is one of
the lucky few who occasionally exhibit their work
overseas. This, he says,
helps expose his work to the people who like
Zimbabwean art, but are not too
comfortable about coming to the country.
The post-independence
years also saw a proliferation of art galleries in
downtown Harare. Many of
them have shut down. Roy Cook established his
first gallery in the
mid-1980s. But low sales and high rentals have forced
him to close his
gallery in the city center. He now operates a gallery in
a suburb situated
on the road to Harare International Airport and another
one at Victoria
Falls.
Mr. Cook says business is slow and what is keeping him
afloat is the
Internet.
"I see my means of survival now as
developing a website," he explains. "A
lot of the business I do now is by
e-mail to clients around the world, I
have one or two people that feature
some of my artwork on their websites,
but I really need to develop my own
website. I see that as the major hope
of survival and
growth."
It is not only artists, like Mr. Kamangwana, who are
feeling the pinch.
Producers of trinkets and souvenirs, who used to make a
decent living
selling their so-called airport art to the lower end of the
market, are
suffering as well. Clay Mamvura has been making small stone
sculptures
since 1992 and selling them by the roadside. Speaking in Shona,
Mr. Mamvura
says the market has been hit so badly that he is forced to go
abroad to sell
his wares.
He says he now goes to South Africa
where the market is better. He says
there must be a way found to bring the
tourists back.
Mr. Mamvura says even the South African market is
getting saturated with
Zimbabwean curios and South Africans are growing
increasing hostile to
foreigners.
He says he does not expect
any improvement in his business until Zimbabwe
solves its political problems
and the tourists will return.
From The Sunday Argus (SA), 7 November
Zimbabwe MP jailed because he
is white
Zimbabwe's opposition member of parliament Roy Bennett was
sent to prison a
week ago because he is white. His second sin was that in
2000 he won the
parliamentary seat Zanu PF hated losing the most. His
constituency in
Chimanimani was one of the first liberated zones on the
eastern front after
Robert Mugabe's guerrillas opened up bases in
neighbouring Mozambique in
1975. All voters in the constituency are black.
Most Movement for Democratic
Change MPs have been regularly detained without
charge and subjected to
violence. Most MDC MPs who had personal property
have lost all or most of
their possessions, including homes, vehicles, shops
etc. But in a contest of
who got it worst among MDC MPs, Roy Bennett
probably wins the gruesome
stakes by a short head over Blessing Chebundo
from Kwe Kwe Central in
Zimbabwe's Midlands province. In May during a
vicious debate in the House of
Assembly Bennett lunged at justice minister
Patrick Chinamasa, an appointed
MP, and Zanu PF finally had the ammunition
it needed to make sure Bennett
never stands for parliament again. Various
appointed governors and Zanu PF
big-wigs held demonstrations and declared
Bennett should be banned not only
from his constituency but from his home
province, Manicaland, as well. There
was a deluge of hate reporting in the
state media and the video clip of
Bennett shoving Chinamasa was screened
repeatedly on TV. Bennett became an
instant hero in Harare but said he
wished he hadn't lost his temper when
Chinamasa accused him of being
descended from "thieves and murderers".
Bennett's Chimanimani constituency
supporters responded by unanimously
choosing him to represent them again in
next year's polls.
A parliamentary committee was set up to judge
charges of contempt against
Bennett with three Zanu PF MPs and two from the
MDC. In evidence on July 20,
Chinamasa complained that he was humiliated
because he was assaulted by a
white and not a black. Bennett was not allowed
to be present to answer
Chinamasa's accusation. He was, however, able to
present his case to
mitigate what he acknowledges was unparliamentary
behaviour: four files of
clippings, police notes, court orders, medical
statements, death
certificates for two of his workers killed, affidavits
from three daughters
of his workers who were raped, and archival material
from Mugabe's speeches
where he was regularly singled out for venom, usually
about his race.
Bennett's wife Heather told how she miscarried a "laat
lammetjie" after she
was attacked at their home. Elected Zanu PF MP and
cabinet minister Joyce
Mujuru appeared moved by Heather Bennett's tearful
testimony and the
appalling litany of vindictive and violent persecution of
Bennett which has
seen him repeatedly jailed, tortured and stripped of
everything he ever
owned. She suggested his sentence should be community
service. Her
colleagues, labour minister Paul Mangwana who will next week
shepherd new
laws to ban human rights organisations through parliament, and
Chief
Mangwende, wanted him to serve two to three years in prison. They were
appointed by Mugabe. The debate to confirm the sentence was led by Gibson
Sibanda, deputy president of the MDC, who tried to lighten Bennett's
sentence. He suggested six months suspended and a hefty fine. Emmerson
Mnangagwa, who lost his once safe seat to the MDC in 2000, and was then
appointed speaker of the house by Mugabe also seemed to want to soften the
sentence.
The bells pealed, the division was called by the
outnumbered MDC as it
wanted a written record, for the future, of who voted
to send Bennett to
jail for a "crime" that if heard in court, even in these
days of judicial
uncertainties would likely have attracted a maximum fine of
R8. At least 12
unelected Zanu-PF MPs made up its majority of 53 to 42
opposing votes to
send Bennett to prison for a year with hard labour. As he
left the house
escorted by police to begin his sentence, MDC women MPs led
the sobbing, and
their male colleagues, troubled by seeing a colleague they
liked, loved
even, blinked hard. Several younger opposition MPs loudly
questioned the
point of staying in parliament. In parliament this week one
of the younger
Zanu PF MPs, an ex-secret police operative, Saviour
Kasukuwere, shouted at
MDC legal secretary David Coltart: "You will be
next." He repeated the
threat to the MDC's third white MP, Trudy
Stephenson.
Takura Zhangazha writing in The Standard under the banner headline
"Challenging Chombo's undue influence" (Opinion, 17 October 2004). As a
member of the residents' movement for the last 6 years and an office bearer
of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) since 1999, I can
comment from experience on many of the problems that he
raises.
Historically local government has always been regarded as an
extension of
central government and the concept of local democracy has
seldom been
discussed let alone implemented.
Zhangazha correctly
although reluctantly acknowledges that everything is
political. Of course it
is. Politics is essentially the process that
determines 'who gets what'.
Local issues are no less political than national
issues and while everyone
is affected by issues of water, refuse, sewerage,
etc, it is obvious that
different people have different ideas about
addressing the problem. The
issues are not only technical: whether your road
or mine is repaired is a
archetypal political decision. In an ideal
situation, such a decision would
be made primarily on technical grounds
(road usage, age, etc) but it would
still be a political decision. I think
Zhangazha conflates two distinct
phenomena: 'political process' and
'partisan politics'.
The water
crisis is a political crisis. The failure of successive councils
to invest
adequate capital and maintenance in the provision of potable water
was a
political decision to use resources elsewhere and to live off the fat
of the
land, leaving the inevitable crisis to future councils to sort
out.
Harare is inundated with garbage. Far from being a question solely
of money
or fuel, the failure of council to ensure refuse collection is
again a
political decision. The ill-conceived and poorly-executed
privatisation of
refuse services which saw the awarding of contracts to
political
heavyweights was a political decision which took service delivery
away from
a public body and placed it in the hands of profit-driven
unaccountable
private companies.
These problems arise essentially
because of the failure of our political
system. Instead of moaning about
the symptoms of our problems, CHRA chose to
focus on the cause of our
problems and to address questions of democracy,
legitimacy, accountability
and transparency. While most people don't wish to
consider these so-called
abstract concepts, such principles are at the very
basis of 'good
governance'. Without them, council will be inefficient and
will continue to
exist primarily to serve the regime at our expense. Those
who call CHRA too
political fail to understand our position and would rather
see our energies
going into symptom patching. We will not become accomplices
to a fraudulent
and corrupt system however and will continue to highlight
the serious
political, institutional and structural causes of our plight.
This is a
reality that we must accept unless we are committed to quixotic
delusions.
The problems arise from a opaque and corrupt process which
excludes the
residents and imposes decisions that cannot be challenged. This
can only be
solved through a new political culture that not only permits the
participation of residents but demands it. Transparency and accountability
are prerequisites of any acceptable system. Such a culture can only develop
through cultural change enhanced by legislative and structural frameworks.
We must therefore examine our current political economic and social
reality.
The Urban Councils Act of 1996 which gave rise to directly
elected Executive
Mayors is fatally flawed. While minimal elements of
democratic participation
appear to be incorporated in the Act (direct
elections and the ability to
object to budget proposals), that alarming word
"notwithstanding" appears 28
times in the legislation, thoroughly negating
such elements and placing
absolute power in the hands of central government.
While the provision for
the election of councillors and an Executive Mayor
would seem to allow
implicitly for non-ruling party members to be elected at
local level, one
must remember that when the bill was enacted, zanu-pf
believed that it would
rule in perpetuity and the very idea of a meaningful
opposition would have
been dismissed out of hand. The drafters of the bill
obviously had no
conception of the potential conflicts that would arise from
such faulty
legislation and were working on the assumption that the de facto
one-party
state prevailing since 1987 would not disappear. So we have an
entrenched
arrogance by the holders of state power that prevents any
movement to a
decentralised participatory democratic dispensation. The idea
of autonomous
councils implementing the mandate of residents bestowed
through free and
fair elections is frankly laughable under this centralist
nightmare foisted
upon us by a rogue regime This is the political obstacle
we have to overcome
before we can progress.
We must also consider the
socio-economic realities of Harare to understand
people's motivations and
the social dynamics of the city. Some years ago
CHRA carried out a survey of
residents' perceptions to provide an objective
guide to our activities. It
was clear from the results of the survey that
the great majority of
residents did not regard themselves as permanent
citizens of the city and
that their primary allegiances lie kumusha. Ask the
people you meet where
their homes are and usually the answer will be Bikita
or Murewa or
Murambinda, etc, and seldom Kuwadzana or Glen View or any of
our suburbs.
This is a fundamental problem since people prefer
understandably to invest
their resources in developing their homes. If they
are only migrant workers
in the city, they will reap what they can and send
any surplus 'back home'.
As late as the mid-fifties, most residents of
Harare were technically
'foreigners'; whites or migrant workers from
Mozambique or Malawi. I would
argue that most residents continue to be
foreigners, albeit internal, and
until we have indigenous Hararians with no
other loyalties, we will not see
the civic consciousness that characterises
Bulawayo for instance. This is
essential if we are to see a broad-based
commitment to the well-being of our
city.
Zhangazha states that "there is a subtle if sometimes non-existent
discontent with the Chombo sanctioned remnants at Town House". This
dissatisfaction does not develop into a critique let alone action but
remains at a semi-conscious level, rationalised away by any number of
self-serving delusions. CHRA has on many occasions sought to articulate the
concerns of residents and to seek solutions. We have been successful in some
areas but we have failed in the essential business of getting residents to
commit their energy to the well-being of the city. Most people do not want
to know since they would then have to think and, God forbid., even take a
stand!
In view of the massive growth in Harare's population caused by
rural poverty
and exacerbated by ill-conceived 'land reforms', it is
unlikely that the
current situation will change. Harare will continue to be
inhabited by those
who only want to make a quick buck and get out, to use
and abuse our
facilities while giving nothing back to society. Nearly every
aspect of city
life bears the scars of this abuse. From collapsing council
health and
education facilities to the litter on the streets to the theft of
street
lights and signs to non-payment of rates by chefs and others, Harare
is
being sucked dry by parasites who take advantage of the breakdown in law
and
order to rip off whatever they want in pursuit of private profit at the
expense of the public good, confident that they will never be caught, let
alone prosecuted.
For the foreseeable future, the residents' movement
will be driven by a
vanguard of residents who have the vision for and
commitment to our city. At
some point in the future we may see mass
membership develop and a
legislative framework installed to give recognition
and power to residents
associations but certainly not under this regime!
Personally I would like to
see statutory associations created in every ward
funded through rates with
automatic membership for legitimate residents who
then have sole or cheaper
access to council facilities. Frankly the idea
that a person from Gokwe
should be able to come to Harare and use my local
library or clinic at my
expense is bizarre! Don't misunderstand me: I am not
opposed to urban
migration and I believe that cities can offer an escape
from grinding rural
poverty, but let us have real immigrants who will
contribute to our communal
well-being, not temporary passengers who will
return kumusha as soon as they
are able.
CHRA believes that people
should have control over their lives and
environments. We are committed to
decentralised local government structures
that function independently of
central government control. By clearly
defining responsibilities, conflict
with central authorities should be
reduced and a myriad of living
arrangements encouraged to develop. Contrary
to nationalist mythology, it is
not through trumpeting fake unity (of the
"Now we are united, shut up and do
what I tell you" type) but through
embracing diversity that we will achieve
the social maturity that allows for
pluralism, debate and
progress.
The views and opinions contained herein are solely mine and may
or may not
reflect official CHRA policies and positions.
Michael
Davies
Chairperson
Combined Harare Residents Association
11 Armagh
Avenue
Eastlea
P.O.Box HR7870
Harare
Tel:746019 Cell 091 249
430
E-mail: chra@ecoweb.co.zw
Website: www.chra.co.zw
Information,news and opportunities from
Kubatana.net
- November 08, 2004
www.kubatana.net - keeping you informed! Please visit our web site for a round-up of news
from the civil society sector as well as local, regional and international
opportunities. If you don't have internet access, please email us for a copy of
the word document that comprises the majority of articles associated with this
month's update.
Researchers, academics,
journalists . . . there are over 2300 articles/reports in the Kubatana.net
archive.
An America For Africa, No Thank You!
Lets turn
to Zimbabwe’s case and try to understand what has influenced Pretoria’s to
develop the ‘quiet diplomacy’ approach. While there are other reasons that are
important and considered in this analysis it is my conclusion that for South
Africa the Zimbabwean crisis is a ‘cash cow’ for their foreign currency
reserves. Interestingly a Zimbabwe Reference Group from Canada that interviewed
South Africans and Zimbabweans who pointed to the fact that South Africa was
buying Zimbabwean companies at ‘rock bottom’ prices. The predatory nature of
South Africa’s capital in Zimbabwe is going to be the growing factor in
determining South Africa’s foreign policy not only towards Zimbabwe but also any
other African country in which the South Africans are intervening in the ‘name
of African solidarity’.
Read
this thought provoking article by Tinashe Chimedza or email us for a copy by
writing to info@kubatana.org.zw
To
commemorate
16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Kubatana.net is offering 18 young women the opportunity to learn
more about using email and the Internet to communicate, advocate, inform and
mobilise. We have established a well-appointed training centre that has
excellent facilities for online training. If you would like a place on one of
our free workshops then send us an email telling us about yourself and why you
think communicating is important!
Email us at info@kubatana.org.zw
Deadline for
applications is 12th November 2004
MPOI conducts survey of electoral playing field ahead of
polls
This survey was conducted during mid August. Two districts
in each province, apart from the provincial capitals were randomly selected for
questionnaire administration. Further, two wards were also randomly selected in
each of the two districts per province. Read more
- The Wellness Campaign and Survival Skills Facilitation for NGOs in
Zimbabwe
The Centre is a local non-governmental organisation
(NGO) that was formed in the 90’s by people who were and are themselves HIV
Positive to address the issue of HIV/AIDS. The Centre’s mission is to provide a
holistic approach to the national management of HIV/AIDS to both the infected
and affected, to enable them to live positively. This is accomplished through
the provision of Counselling and Support, Nutritional Guidance, Information
Gathering, Home Based Care, Advocacy and Training. The Centre offers training
that will go a long way in ensuring a healthy way of life for your employees
whether in the NGO or private sector. If you would like more information on the
type of training that The Centre offers, please email centre2@africaonline.co.zw
AIPPA not consistent with SADC Guidelines
The
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Bill falls far short
of meeting SADC’s expectations and standards on democratic practice despite
Prof. Jonathan Moyo's claims to the contrary. Read
more from MISA Zimbabwe
ZESN commentary on Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
Bill
This document examines the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
Bill to assess whether it will establish a strong and independent body which
will be able to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. Read
more
Community assessment of socio-economic development and food
security in Zimbabwe - Sept 04
Falling household food
supplies were reported to be due to harvest stocks from the last season running
out, without a corresponding increase in alternative food sources, such as from
GMB or relief supplies. This was compounded by reports of rising prices of
commercial foods. Read
more
Zimbabwe: Power and hunger - violations of the right to
food
The
government of Zimbabwe has a human rights obligation to respect, protect and
fulfil the right to adequate food for all persons under its jurisdiction. This
report examines the extent to which the government has fulfilled its obligations
over the past four years. Read
more from Amnesty International
Do this, do that - be a real
man
As a boy, I was told: women don’t know the difference
between joking and sexual abuse; a girl is responsible for not getting pregnant
or raped or taken advantage of; one can’t expect much from men; a woman should
be in a protected environment where no man can mess with her; we are bodyguards
for women … do they recognise what we do for them? Women are a mystery. Read
more from Gail Iris Neke who is an artist based in Johannesburg. She has
undertaken extensive research into the roots of gender violence and abuse and
has interviewed hundreds of alleged perpetrators.
Looming NGO lay-offs threat to
economy
15 000 people stand to lose their jobs ZIMBABWE'S
economy is expected to experience another meltdown if the Non Governmental
Organisations Bill becomes law, officials working with NGOs have said. Read
more
Elephants in distress
With the decline of the economy, more and more snares are being laid
to capture animals for food. The snares are probably not intended for the
elephants but they are causing great suffering and painful lingering deaths
amongst these majestic lumbering beasts. Read
more
Let Africa fight its own devils
Africa's real
devils are the continent's own creatures who are busily harvesting the proceeds
of the toiling entrepreneurial masses and burdening them with obstacles that
defy economic rationality. Most of these obstacles range from complex, obnoxious
and unpredictable laws, the absence of secured property rights, the rule of law
and free markets. A functionally corrupt leadership and civil service is enough
to entrench bureaucracy and fatten government at the expense of the citizens.
In my mind, significant institutional reforms are needed. It is the only way
innovation and entrepreneurship can be encouraged since they empower ordinary
people economically. As economies grow and develop, people will be able to
afford better technologies, clean water, superior energy sources, better
healthcare, and insurance. This is what gives a fair chance to everyone to
succeed, not aid.
Read
more or email info@kubatana.org.zw
for a copy of Franklin Cudjoe's article
Report on the National ICT Strategy and Policy
Workshop
The E-Knowledge for women in Southern Africa
(EKOWISA) in conjuction with the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) hosted
the National ICT Strategy and Policy workshop in Harare on October 21, 2004. Read
more
HIV/AIDS survey indicators database
HIV/AIDS
Survey Indicators Database allows you to select countries you want to look at
and for which HIV/AIDS related data are available from DHS, MICS, SBS, some
other population-based surveys and BSS target group surveys. Read
more
Girl Child Network
Parents and guardians are
you afraid your daughter will get raped, pregnant or fail to achieve in life? Do
not live a haunted life about your daughter. Girl Child Network, an organisation
that supports the empowerment of girls in the home, school and community runs
coaching clinics for girls in self empowerment, prevention of child sexual
abuse, leadership skills, confidence building and many more at reasonable costs
for girls from 3 – 16 years. Prevention is better than cure, so make a life
investment for your daughter. Book now for weekend and holiday training or make
a date with us at your church, school or club.
For an application form,
write to or call:
131 Duri Road, Unit “F” Seke, Chitungwiza
Tel: 263 70
21509/31132 or 091-288248 – 256
Fax: 263 70 31132
Email: gcn@zol.co.zw
Opportunities . . .
1. Vacancy for ~ Programme Manager
Church and
Communities HIV and AIDS Prevention, Care and Mitigation Program
Position
summary
This is a senior management and leadership position that
requires a mature professional of high integrity and vision. The incumbent is
responsible for providing overall leadership and management of Church and
Communities HIV and AIDS prevention, Care and Mitigation program. The incumbent
is expected to work closely with director to ensure efficient running of the
program.
Responsibilities
- Contribute to the overall
strategic management of the organisation
- Develop program quarterly
and annual work plansSubmit quarterly and annual reports to the Director
- Participate in the
identification and selection of partners for the Church and Communities HIV and
AIDS Prevention, Care and Mitigation Program
- Ensure partner Mission
Hospitals submit VCT monthly statistics to the Ministry of Health and Child
Welfare
- Liases with the Ministry of
Health and Child Welfare and Zimbabwe Association of Church Hospitals in order
to keep focus and feed into the national HIV and AIDS strategy
- Manage participatory
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (PME&R) System
- Develop the relevant tools
together with the M&E Specialist to assess the quality and impact of the
services offered by the partner Mission Hospitals
- Review activity and budget
request forms from partner Mission Hospitals
- Oversee the program’s
financial management through development and monitoring of work-plans and
program budgets
- Participate in the
development of administration policies and manuals
- Recruitment and selection
of staff
Requirements
- A minimum of 5 years’
experience in any social sector development program
- A health background
- Knowledge of the Zimbabwe
Public Health System
- A good communicator at all
levels
Qualifications
- Masters in Social
Science/Business Administration
- Degree in any Social
Science
- Diploma/ Degree in
Nursing
- Counselling; Family
Planning
Applications with detailed
CVs clearly marked “Application for Program Manager” should be
hand delivered not later than 12th November, 2004 to: The Program
Director at 29 Lawson Av, Milton Park Harare or Fax; 263-4-790569 or e-mail pactzim@pact.org.zw
2. Vacancy: Director
A well-established
national women’s non-governmental organisation that seeks to empower women
economically and socially, seeks the services of a qualified and experienced
person to fill the above named position.
The Job function
- Overall management of the
organisation
- Policy implementation,
planning and budgeting
- Resource mobilisation and
allocation
- Setting the organisation’s
strategic direction
- Public relations and
networking
- Reports to the National
Executive Committee
Qualifications
- The potential director
should possess the following qualifications & experience:
- A recognised Degree in
social sciences/management/humanities
- A Masters Degree or an
additional post-graduate diploma will be an added advantage.
- Committed to gender
equality, women’s development and promotion of economic and social
justice
- Sound and proven knowledge
of financial management administration
- Five years experience in
managerial positions in NGOs and in particular working with empowering women’s
organisations
- Must be able to function
under pressure
- Be able to work outside
normal working times if so desired
- Ability to work as part of
a team
- Clean Class 4 driver’s
licence
The deadline for
applications is Friday 19th November 2004.
Applicants must submit an application accompanied by a detailed CV, names and
addresses of three contactable referees. Short listed applicants must find out
about the organisation to prepare themselves for the interview. Applications
should be submitted by either post or email: zwbtc@africaonline.co.zw
The Chairperson
P.O. Box
CR 120
Cranborne
Harare
3.
Senior Management positions with ZWRCN
Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre
& Network (ZWRCN) is seeking visionary, dynamic, competent and motivated,
inspirational leaders for the following senior management positions
1. Programme Director,
Gender, Economics and Governance
2. Programme Director, Information
Services
3. Programme Director, Gender, HIV and AIDS
Compensation
ZWRCN is offering competitive
packages for these Senior Management Positions.
All applications with relevant
documents must clearly state the position applied for and should be submitted
not later than Friday 13th November, 2004 and addressed
to:
- By email to: vacancies@zwrcn.org.zw
- By post to:
Executive
Director
ZWRCN
288 Herbert Chitepo
Harare
Tel: 737435, 252389/90,
792450
Interviews for these
positions will be held from 21st – 26th November, 2004. Please note that only
short-listed applicants will be contacted.
For information on the ZWRCN
visit website at: www.zwrcn.org.zw
4. Africa: Executive Director
The Washington
Office on Africa (WOA) is the only ecumenical organization in Washington focused
on Africa advocacy. It was founded in 1972 to support the movement for freedom
from white-minority rule in southern Africa. Today its mission is to promote a
progressive US policy for all Africa and to advocate and educate with
government, church and civil society around issues of justice and human rights
in Africa. WOA's primary role is to serve as a voice in Washington for its
member denominations and faith communities on issues concerning Africa and
U.S.-Africa policy. Thus an essential mission of the Executive Director is to
brief Africa secretaries and others on critical legislation and policy issues on
the Washington agenda and to reflect the views of its sponsoring members in
debate. The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the programs,
services and activities of the Washington Office on Africa (WOA) and WOA/PRI
and, with the Board, sets policy, research, legislative priorities and lobbying
activity.
Visit http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?id=25429
Application
process: Qualified applicants should send a cover letter describing
interest and qualifications, a resume, names and contact information for three
work-related references and a brief writing sample to: woa@igc.org. Electronic application is preferred
but candidates may, if necessary, forward their completed application to
Applications Secretary, Washington Office on Africa, 212 East Capitol Street,
N.E., Washington, DC, 20003.
Time line:
The search committee will begin reviewing applications on November 30th; the
position will remain open until filled.
5.
Administrator for MS Zimbabwe
MS (Danish Association for
International Cooperation) is a member-based organisation established in Denmark
in 1944. MS has since grown into a worldwide organisation that undertakes
development programmes in Central America, Nepal and six countries in East and
Southern Africa. MS is moreover engaged in Afghanistan and the Balkans. MS seeks
a new Administrator for the Country Office (CO) in Harare. The Administrator’s
tasks are to administrate and manage the financial aspects of the Country
Programme and to secure and audit the financial and administrative procedures of
partner support. Moreover the job entails the tasks of planning and
participation in local staff recruitment, management and development and of
administration, support and counselling of development workers. These tasks are
carried out in close cooperation with the Country Director and
MS-Denmark.
For full details please contact Philemon Jazi jazi@mszim.co.zw
The deadline
is 15th November 2004
6.
Organisational Development Advisor
Namibia Network of AIDS Service
Organisations (NANASO)Windhoek, Namibia
Two-Year Contract