http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai Karimakwenda
09
November, 2011
A shocking 47 percent increase in electricity charges is
being planned by
the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), after
already raising
tariffs by 31 percent earlier this year. The troubled
parastatal said they
needed an estimated $2.5 billion for construction and
rehabilitation of the
Kariba and Hwange power stations, due to years of
neglect.
ZESA chief executive Josh Chifamba reportedly said that
production costs
were much higher than the current electricity tariffs. And
according to The
Daily News newspaper, repairs and expansion of the two
stations would take
place over a five-year period, and increase power output
to 2 220 megawatts,
from the current 1320 megawatts, leaving a shortfall of
900 megawatts.
The local Zim press reported the news Wednesday morning,
just as power
outages hit the capital and most parts of the country, due to
a “severe
shock” that is believed to have originated in
Mozambique.
Residents and businesses have warned that the new tariffs
would be too high
for most ordinary Zimbabweans, who are already struggling
to pay for
electricity at the current rates. Regular, disruptive power cuts
are badly
affecting industry and a chaotic billing system has also made the
situation
unbearable.
Harare based journalist Jan Raath blamed ZANU
PF for the current mess that
ZESA is in. He explained that for the last 20
years ZESA has been forced to
charge “artificially suppressed” prices for
power, depriving the power
company of much needed extra revenue for repairs,
maintenance, expansion and
equipment upgrades.
Explaining why the
party would force the power company to charge
unreasonable prices, Raath
said: “ZANU PF is a people’s party and they
believe if you give people what
they want they think people will keep
supporting them, and this is
tragically short-sighted.”
Raath said what ZESA needs are loans from the
IMF and World Bank to finance
the critical repairs and upgrades, but
Zimbabwe is “hugely” in debt and does
not qualify for any loans until the
current balances are settled.
Private investment from foreign companies
is also an option Raath said, but
ZANU PF’s so-called “indigenous
empowerment” policy, which requires foreign
owned companies to give up a
majority of their shares to locals, has scared
off potential investors.
“They completely shot themselves in the foot,”
Raath added.
Like all
parastatals in Zimbabwe, ZESA has been plagued by corruption and
mismanagement for years. The unity government has focused mostly on
resolving the political crisis gripping the country, while the country’s
economy and infrastructure continue to suffer. Sadly, it is the ordinary
people who continue to pay the price.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
Posted by admin on Wednesday, November 9,
2011 in ZESA, Zimbabwe politics
A statement from Richard Maasdorp,
chairman of the Zimbabwe Power Company,
has said that there was s sudden
“shut down” of both of Zimbabwe’s major
sources of generation at 0625 hours
Wednesday 9th November (Kariba and
Hwange).
The statement said: This
was caused by a major system disturbance on the
transmission network. Early
indications are this disturbance originated from
the transmission line from
Mozambique. It would appear that this was a
severe shock as it also impacted
on the Kariba North Bank station (Zambia).
The statement went on to say
that it was hoped that Kariba could be brought
back over the next 24 hours,
but Hwange could take days.
Initial reports said all of Harare was
without power for some hours, but by
late morning it had come back on.
http://www.bloomberg.com
By Brian Latham - Nov
9, 2011 4:37 PM GMT+1000
Zimbabwe will need $30 million to build
six hydroelectricity generators to
ease power shortages in the country,
Newsday said, citing Deputy Energy
Minister Hubert Nyanhongo.
The
hydropower generators will produce between 1 and 5megawatts of
electricity
each, Harare-based Newsday said on its website. Closely held
South African
power producer NuPlanet (Pty) Ltd. has a license to build a
$12 million,
five-megawatt generator at Lake Mutirikwi near the southern
city of
Masvingo, Newsday added.
Zimbabwe submitted a $40 million bid to exploit
methane gas in Lupane, where
a $470 million power plant will be developed
once deposits have been
quantified, Newsday reported. The southern African
nation has about 27
trillion cubic feet of untapped methane-gas reserves, it
said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
09
November 2011
The leaders in the troubled coalition government have
pledged to pay bonuses
to the country’s civil service, using money from
diamond sales.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters soon after
a meeting with
Robert Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara this
week that the
principals had agreed government had an obligation to pay
bonuses.
“On the question of the forthcoming bonuses, you are aware that
Zimbabwe
will be selling diamonds…We hope to raise US$300 million in
November for the
bonuses. This is a matter that is ongoing and I hope the
Minister of Mines
and Mining Development Obert Mpofu will give a report to
Cabinet on the sale
of diamonds,” he said.
Asked what would happen if
the diamond money failed to materialise,
Tsvangirai said: “We have an
obligation to pay bonuses . . . We will have to
look for money elsewhere if
the money does not come.”
Zimbabwe has been given the green light to
start selling diamonds from the
controversial Chiadzwa alluvial fields,
despite ongoing concerns about human
rights abuses and smuggling there. The
decision by the international trade
watchdog the Kimberley Process (KP) has
been slammed by civil society
groups, who have raised concerns that human
rights are being sidelined.
The groups have also raised concern about the
lack of critical oversight
mechanisms to ensure that the sales are conducted
transparently, in order to
benefit Zimbabwe directly. To date, millions of
dollars in diamond profits
have not been accounted for and there is still no
legislation in place to
prevent profits from lining the pockets of a well
connected few.
Political analyst Professor John Makumbe told SW Radio
Africa on Wednesday
that there are so many unanswered questions about the
country’s murky
diamond industry, which urgently need
answering.
“There is no clarity on diamond sales, and who is benefiting
and where
profits are going. The commitment to use the profits to pay
bonuses could be
a way of applying pressure on the Mines Ministry, but it
does not answer any
of these questions,” Makumbe said.
Makumbe
meanwhile said that the bonus pledge was also likely linked to
upcoming
elections, saying politicians “are all trying to appease the civil
service
for their own political benefits.”
http://www.radiovop.com
Masvingo, November 09, 2011-- 33
war veterans were yesterday arrested by
police for allegedly defying a court
order to vacate Chikore farm involving
a land dispute with Higher and
Tertiary Education Minister, Stan Mudenge,
despite having appealed against
the court order.
The war veterans are representing more than 60
families Mudenge is fighting
to evict from the farm formerly owned by whiter
commercial farmer, Peter
Buchan who was evicted at the height of the chaotic
land invasions of 2000.
The war veterans who are represented by
Martin Mureri of Matutu, Kwirira and
Associates are allegedly unlawfully
detained in custody at Masvingo remand
prison by Magistrate Dorothy
Mwanyisa.
But their lawyer Mureri said the detention was unlawful and
political as
Mudenge is allegedly forcing the Judiciary to detain
them.
“It is surprising that my clients were arrested and detained
unlawfully by
the police and the state after I had filed an appeal against
judgement to
evict them long back just after the order was given. They
should not be
arrested until the case is heard in the High court, this is
now politics
taking centre stage,” he said.
The war veterans say
they were the first to invade the farm from the Buchan,
the former owner but
Mudenge was using his political muscle to push them out
and vowed to fight
him to the highest court of the country.
Prosecutor Frank Chirairo
told the court that the war veterans defied a
court ruling to leave the farm
before 4 October this year and cited that as
the reason why they were
detained in custody.
But Mureri said he has since notified the court
that he had filed a notice
of appeal and should release his
clients.
Some of the war veterans languishing at Masvingo remand
prison include,
Peter Mbwanda, Esnath Sigauke, Emily Gandi and Eunice Moyo
to mention few,
who are above the age of 70.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Own Corespondent Wednesday 09 November
2011
HARARE – President Robert Mugabe yesterday thanked his
Chinese allies for
helping defend his rule against Western countries that he
says want to
topple him.
Speaking during a meeting with the visiting
vice chairman of the standing
committee of the National People's Congress of
China, Zhou Tienong, hailed
the strong bilateral relations between Zimbabwe
and China that he said was
Harare’s foremost ally and supporter in the
international community.
“The imperialist countries of Britain, Europe
and the US have continued to
undermine our country. This is because of our
resources but we are grateful
to the stance China has always taken in
defending our sovereignty," said
Mugabe, who received crucial military and
other support from Beijing during
Zimbabwe’s 1970s liberation
war.
Zhou, leading a four-member delegation that arrived in Harare on
Monday,
called for greater cooperation between Zimbabwe and China, labeling
the
southern African country a “trustworthy friend of China”.
"The
Chinese people will stand by Zimbabwe as they did in the past," said
Zhou,
who also rejected external interference in Zimbabwe’s internal
affairs.
China has emerged as one of Zimbabwe’s most important
political allies and
trading partners since 2000 when Mugabe adopted his
‘Look East’ policy
The policy is premised on the need to find new trading
partners and markets
after traditional investors from Western nations turned
against Harare in
protest over Mugabe’s human rights abuses, repression
against political
opponents and his violent land reform
programme.
The “Look East” policy specifically targets investors from
Muslim and Asian
nations and in exchange Zimbabwe has promised minerals –
including diamonds
and gold – and prime land to the investors, resulting in
Harare penning
several investment and cooperation agreements mainly with
China, Russia and
Iran.
Meanwhile Zhou will on Friday leave Harare
for South Africa and from the
will visit Ghana, the last leg of his African
tour. -- ZimOnline
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Wednesday, 09 November 2011
08:45
HARARE - A special Sadc organ on regional peace and security
will meet “very
soon” to find ways of ending rising tensions in Zimbabwe,
where cases of
political violence have spiked in recent
months.
Spokesperson for a South African team of facilitators to
Zimbabwe’s
political stalemate Lindiwe Zulu confirmed in an interview with
the Daily
News last week that the Sadc Troika on Politics, Defence and
Security
Cooperation will meet to tackle the Zimbabwean crisis.
She
said the Troika meeting would then be followed by a full Sadc summit,
with
Zimbabwe possibly high on the agenda.
Sadc mediator and South African
president Jacob Zuma is expected in Zimbabwe
early soon to deal with the
problems affecting President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s 30-months- old coalition government.
Zuma is also the Troika
chairman. Other members are Zambia and Tanzania.
“There is going to be a
Sadc Troika meeting very soon where our principal is
going to report to the
Troika on the developments in Zimbabwe and the
problem areas affecting
smooth progress,” said Zulu.
The exact venue and date of the Troika
meeting are yet to be determined.
Previous Sadc interventions — apart
from successfully negotiating the
formation of the coalition government have
yielded little as more violence
and other human rights abuses continue
unchecked.
But it does highlight how regional leaders are worried about
Zimbabwe
remaining a flashpoint since the turn of the decade.
In the
current effort, Sadc has been forced to spring into action following
failure
by Mugabe and Tsvangirai to agree on how to implement reforms that
would
result in fresh free and fair elections following the violent 2008
presidential election runoff whose results were rejected by the African
Union.
Tsvangirai has also alerted Zuma on resurgent violence that
has engulfed the
nation and threatens to plunge the country back into the
turmoil that
characterised the disputed 2008 presidential election
runoff.
Among issues cited by his MDC in its letter to Zuma are breakdown
in the
rule of law, selective application of the law, partisan state
institutions
and Zanu PF and the army running a parallel government in
Zimbabwe that
amounts to what Tsvangirai calls a coup over civilian
authority.
Before Zuma’s visit, two meetings are scheduled to be held in
Zimbabwe, the
first being that of the coalition government’s negotiators on
the 16th of
November.
A week later, Zuma’s facilitation team is
expected in the country for a
meeting that will lay the foundation for
Zuma’s visit to Zimbabwe.
Zulu highlighted the meetings were crucial in
establishing dialogue between
Zimbabwe’s political players whom Sadc views
as key to unlocking the
political crisis facing the country.
“We are
hoping that by the time the next Troika meeting happens, and more
broadly,
the Sadc summit takes place, our principal would have been in
Harare and
would have taken enough time to engage with the Zimbabwean
principals
collectively to deal with every issue they put up as an issue for
discussion.
“We need a workshop basically with all the players in
Zimbabwe so that we
can iron out those problems that are being encountered,”
she said.
Sadc and South Africa, Zulu said, would remain seized with the
Zimbabwean
issue until the country held a free and fair election.
“We
still have the same energy that we had when we started dealing with the
Zimbabwean problems. If anyone thinks that because the process is facing
hurdles and challenges here and there then we are going to drop the ball, it
is unfortunate because they are fooling themselves."
“We will not
drop the ball until we get to a situation where we can say that
we have
overseen the holding of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. Until
and
unless the people of Zimbabwe have had a chance to choose the leadership
they want, we will remain engaged with the Zimbabwean issue because it is
the interest of Sadc to see to it that Zimbabweans are able to independently
run their affairs,” Zulu said.
Regional sources said the Troika,
would once again issue stern warnings to
the forces that have continued to
undermine the Global Political Agreement
(GPA), the coalition government’s
founding charter.
The Troika, at its last meeting in Livingstone, Zambia
in March, issued a
scathing communiqué warning against the use of state
institutions to
undermine the coalition government.
Read part of the
communiqué: “Summit resolved that there must be an
immediate end of
violence, intimidation, hate speech, harassment, and any
other form of
action that contradicts the letter and spirit of GPA, all
stakeholders to
the GPA should implement all the provisions of the GPA and
create a
conducive environment for peace, security and free political
activity.
“The inclusive government in Zimbabwe should complete all
the steps
necessary for the holding of the election including the
finalisation of the
constitutional amendment and the referendum (and also
agreed that) Sadc
should assist Zimbabwe to formulate guidelines that will
assist in holding
an election that will be peaceful, free and fair, in
accordance with the
Sadc Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic
Elections.”
http://www.voanews.com
08 November
2011
Combined Harare Residents Association Chief Executive Mfundo
Mlilo says City
Council concessions to the Chipangano gang confirm the
breakdown in the rule
of law in the Zimbabwean capital
Tatenda Gumbo
| Washington
Municipal authorities in the Zimbabwean capital of
Harare have been obliged
to relocate a housing rehabilitation project funded
by the Bill Gates
foundation away from the high density suburb of Mbare in
the face of demands
by the Chipangano youth gang.
Officials said the
project had to be shifted to Dzivarasekwa, another Harare
suburb, to avoid
losing a US$5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
The project was intended to rehabilitate the Matapi Flats
in Mbare to
provide new housing for the poor in the suburb.
Council
sources said Chipangano, known for violence and extortion, demanded
a 51
percent stake in the new housing as if the project fell under the
Indigenization Law intended to give black Zimbabweans a stake in
foreign-owned companies.
The Chipangano group has also been linked to
the take-over of other city
properties including the Mbare Carter House,
alleged to have been made into
a Chipangano base. The city council has said
it will not seek to reassert
control of the property.
Chipangano
members have set up in Mbare Musika and other bus terminuses
around the
capital, collecting fees from commuter bus operators and others.
Combined
Harare Residents Association Chief Mfundo Mlilo told Tatenda Gumbo
that the
council’s concession to the Chipangano gang confirms the rule of
law has
broken down.
Youth Agenda Trust Programs Officer Lawrence Mashungu said
the Chipangano
group has taken over large sections of Harare, and routinely
assaults anyone
perceived to be a member of the former opposition Movement
for Democratic
Change.
The group is alleged to have close ties to
President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Xolisani Ncube, Staff Writer
Wednesday, 09 November
2011 17:06
HARARE - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it
will continue with a
$5 million housing project in Dzivaresekwa despite
attempts to scuttle the
scheme by a Zanu PF- aligned militia based in
Mbare.
The programme was initially targeted for poor Mbare residents but
had to be
moved to Dzivaresekwa after the infamous Chipangano group blocked
construction of the houses.
Chipangano is a Zanu PF militant outfit
based in Mbare.
Visiting senior programmes officer for the Gates
foundation, Melanie Walker,
said attempts by the infamous Chipangano was not
anything that worried the
organisation as it only served as a “lesson” for
the future.
The Seattle based organisation said Zimbabwe had missed out
on more money
because of the problems posed by Chipangano.
“Things do
not go in the way you want but we found that all the stakeholders
are
committed. It is a lesson that we have learnt. It is a process and we
are
willing to go and support the people,” said Walker.
The project targets
at least 500 homeless families.
Walker said the change of the
geographical location of the project should
now see progress being made
within the next 12 months as the country had a
high chance of benefiting
more from one of the largest private foundations
globally.
The Gates
foundation team met with local government minister Ignatius Chombo
and
national housing minister Giles Mutsekwa where she indicated that her
organisation had lined up more programmes for Harare.
Chombo blamed
council for moving the project from Mbare to Dzivaresekwa
saying the city
fathers did not seek his assistance in dealing with the
youthful militia who
are accused by Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda of
violently blocking the
project.
“I don’t see why they moved the project from Mbare. I am
disappointed that
the city would succumb to any other party which is not the
designated
planning authority,” said Chombo.
“You can’t really stop a
project because there is a political
misunderstanding,” Chombo said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance
Guma
09 November 2011
Doubts have arisen over police claims that they
will use video footage and
photos to identify and arrest the perpetrators of
the violence that caused
the MDC-T to cancel their rally at the Chibuku
Stadium in Chitungwiza on
Sunday.
The notorious ZANU PF Chipangano
gang armed, with catapults, iron bars,
machetes and stones, stormed the
venue in the early hours of the morning and
attacked those preparing the
stadium for the rally.
ZANU PF youth leader Jim Kunaka, ZBC reporter
Tafara Chikumira and several
other ZANU PF activists, were implicated in
coordinating the violence.
Others fingered were Wilfred Gwekwete, Luke Luke,
Godknows Muzenda, Nyasha
Dziva, Dennis Fisher, Lloyd Bhunu, Tichaona
Chapfika and Tonderai
Kasukuwere, a young brother to Youth Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere.
Police spokesperson, Superintendent Andrew Phiri, has told a
local daily
newspaper that they will use video footage to identify and
arrest the
perpetrators. Phiri told NewsDay: “We will be flighting the video
footage as
well as pictures we captured during the disturbances. We will
make use of
both national television and the print media for identification
purposes
which should lead to more arrests.”
The announcement has
however triggered concerns that the police will simply
use the exercise to
edit the video footage and seek to blame the MDC-T for
the violence.
Tsvangirai’s party has reason to be concerned, because the
police and the
ZANU PF youths behind the disturbances have actually been
working
together.
In Hatcliffe for example co-Home Affairs Minister and local MP,
Theresa
Makone, had her rally disrupted by ZANU PF youths who were throwing
rocks.
When the mob was sent scurrying for cover by angry MDC-T supporters
the
police, who initially ignored the MDC-T calls for help for about 2
hours,
only went to the scene when it became clear the ZANU PF youths had
been
over-powered.
In Matabeleland North the police, under the
instructions of the commanding
officer senior assistant Commissioner Edmore
Veterai, blocked Tsvangirai’s
rallies in the province. In Lupane three
truckloads of police officers
heavily armed with guns, teargas and batons
chased away staff and locked up
the gate at St Paul’s clinic to prevent the
PM from touring the health
centre. The police later dispersed crowds who had
gathered for the rally
Tsvangirai was scheduled to address.
In
Victoria Falls, police cordoned off Chinotimba Stadium as early as 6am to
block another Tsvangirai rally from taking place. Similar police disruptions
took place in Binga when over 30 heavily armed police units ordered people
away from the venue of the scheduled rally.
It was little wonder
MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said: “If the police
are really genuine,
they must provide all the video footage on violence that
took place at
Parliament, in Mbare, Chitungwiza and Harvest House. What we
know for a fact
is that the video footage they will provide will be edited,
their motive
being to portray MDC-T as a violent party and persecute us.”
There have
also been queries as to how the police have suddenly acquired
video
equipment and the expertise to use it.
SW Radio Africa has meanwhile
continued to receive horrific details of the
brutality involved in some of
the violence countrywide. In one week alone in
October, over 19 victims of
political violence, all from Harare, sought
medical assistance after they
had been attacked in separate incidents.
As we reported, attempts by the
MDC-T to have a rally in Hatcliffe ended
prematurely when ZANU PF militia
attacked people at the venue. SW Radio
Africa understands a truck carrying
MDC-T youths was ambushed, resulting in
extensive damage to the vehicle and
serious injury to all ten occupants.
Attempts to report the incident to
the police before taking the injured to
hospital were in vain, as officers
at both Hatcliffe and Borrowdale police
stations refused to record the
statement. In a blatant display of impunity
the ZANU PF militia overran the
Hatcliffe police post and chased away the
injured MDC-T youths. The police
officers on duty also fled the station when
ZANU PF militia fired guns into
the air.
ZANU PF militia also attacked MDC-T supporters waiting at the
rally venue
and the supporters fought back in self defence, resulting in
injury to six
Hatcliffe residents. A police water canon and a lorry full of
anti riot
police arrived to quell the violence. Victims reported that the
police
convoy was accompanied by two minibuses ferrying ZANU PF Chipangano
militants from Mbare.
Another report said: “A 16 year old boy was
assaulted by the Chipangano gang
in Mbare. His relatives reported that he
was returning from an evening
church prayer when he encountered the gang at
around 1900hrs on Friday 28
October. The Chipangano youths assaulted him for
missing the regular ZANU PF
night vigil in the same area. The victim
sustained severe injuries and is
still in hospital.”
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday told journalists that the
national executives of
all three political parties in the inclusive
government will meet on Friday,
to discuss the worsening political violence
in the country. ZANU PF Central
Committee members and their counterparts
from the national executive
councils of the MDC-T and MDC-N are expected to
attend.
But MDC-T
National Organising Secretary Nelson Chamisa told SW Radio Africa’s
Question
Time programme they did not expect to achieve much from the meeting
as it
would only be “a shaking of hands between victims and perpetrators.”
He said
ZANU PF is so dishonest “even after shaking hands we have to count
our
fingers to make sure they are still there.”
http://www.voanews.com
November 09,
2011
Peta
Thornycroft | Johannesburg, South Africa
Zimbabwe needs a
professional army that serves the people and not
politicians, says the U.S.
ambassador to Zimbabwe, Charles Ray. Ray's
remarks, at an event at the U.S.
embassy Tuesday, come at a time when many
Zimbabweans are calling for reform
of the country's security sector ahead of
the next
elections.
Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change party [MDC] accuses
the 30,000
strong Zimbabwe National Army of unprofessional behavior.
Specifically, the
party says the army and other security services are loyal
to President
Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party rather than to the people of
Zimbabwe.
Most top members of the army were involved in the war against
white minority
rule during the civil war of the 1970s. President Mugabe says
no one but
those who played a role in that liberation struggle should lead
Zimbabwe.
Also, several top security officers in the army, police and
prisons service
have said they would never take orders from politicians who
had not fought
in that war.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is
prime minister in the tense, inclusive
MDC - ZANU-PF government, did not
take part in the liberation war, although
he says he supported an end to
white rule.
U.S. Ambassador Ray is a military veteran who served the U.S.
armed forces
in the Vietnam War. He referred to a professional military
service when
answering questions at the veterans’ event Tuesday.
“A
professional military serves the entire country. Military people as
individuals are entitled to their personal political views. Those personal
political views, though, should never be allowed to impact on the
performance of their duty as a military that belongs to the country,” said
Ray.
The British army trained Zimbabwe’s new army for 20 years from
the date of
independence from white minority rule in 1980. The army was made
up of
former guerrilla fighters and some members of the old Rhodesian
forces. The
Zimbabwe National Army assisted Mozambique in the 1980’s when it
was under
fire from South African-backed rebels. It also went to war in the
Democratic
Republic of Congo and ensured the survival of the Kabila
administration.
But more recently, in the violence during the 2008
presidential run-off
election, many MDC supporters say members of the army
beat them and killed
their relatives.
Ray warned that an
unprofessional army is dangerous.
“The role of military is to defend
territorial integrity of the country.
When the military becomes associated
with a segment of a country then it is
no longer professional military, it
is an armed gang,” said Ray.
The MDC says that without reform of the
security sector, free and fair
elections in Zimbabwe will not be possible.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, November 08, 2011 -US
Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray said he has
been shocked by the
resurgence of political violence over the past week,
which he said has
brought back political uncertainty to the country that is
being ruled by a
coalition government.
“The country’s political situation over the
past days has been uncertain and
it’s my hope to see it calm down soon,”
said Ray.
Ray added that Zimbabwe could progress better if citizens
assumed a sense of
community responsibility.
“Basically it is all
about the sense of community which has been lost, and I
think that if there
were more efforts to build a sense of community of
creating a one Zimbabwe
from individuals then we would not have violence
“It seems to me as an
outside observer that there is too much focus on
individual power and people
have lost sight of the country in the process,
“US Ambassador to Zimbabwe
Charles Ray told Radio VOP in an exclusive
interview Tuesday on the
sidelines of his country commemoration of its
Veterans day that is
commemorated yearly on the 11 of November.
Political observers have
expressed fear that Zimbabwe which enjoyed relative
peace after the
formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) is
sliding back to the
pre-inclusive government era where in 2008 more than 200
supporters of the
MDC were murdered while thousands more were displaced.
Last week Zanu-PF
supporters went on the rampage beating up innocent
civilians a scenario akin
to 2008 horror scenes.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has accused
President Robert Mugabe of not
being sincere in his calls for an end to
violence.
Ambassador Ray has been vocal and consistent on the need for
the
democratisation of the country’s political sector and opposed to the
country’s
dictatorial tendencies, which stifle democracy.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
09/11/2011 00:00:00
by
Gilbert Nyambabvu
GREEN Fuel -- a US$600 million bio-energy
development in the eastern
Chisumbanje district -- has launched
ethanol-blended with petrol on the
local market in a development expected to
cut fuel costs for motorists and
help reduce the country’s fuel import
bill.
The fuel was available at selected pump stations in Harare
beginning Monday,
selling at US$1.36 per litre, marginally cheaper than
unblended petrol,
which is currently retailing at around US$1.44 per
litre.
The government has since approved a blend ratio of 10 percent
locally-produced ethanol and 90 percent petroleum, a low-level blend called
E-10 in the industry.
“The response has been overwhelming. We are
inundated with calls to widen
distribution from just Harare to other
provinces and we ironing out
logistics in this direction to register a
national presence,” company
spokesperson Lilian Muungani told New
Zimbabwe.com on Tuesday.
Green Fuel – a joint venture between private
local investors and the
state-owned ARDA – plans to build six processing
plants at Chisumbanje, each
with a capacity of up to 300 000 litres per day,
enough to meet the country’s
present daily demand of about 2 million litres
of petrol.
The project is modelled on the experiences of Brazil – the
world’s leading
producer of sugarcane-based ethanol -- where more than half
the cars on the
country's roads already have flex-fuel engines, meaning they
can run on pure
ethanol or ethanol mixed with petrol, and around 80 percent
of new cars sold
are of this type.
But blend is not new to the
country. Zimbabwe first developed its ethanol
industry in the low-veld when
Ian Smith’s settler-colonial regime tried to
mitigate the impact of
international sanctions but the project was hit by
the lack of investment as
petroleum prices plummeted in the 1980s.
However the country, along with
most of the world, has been looking to
invest in renewable energy sources,
alarmed at the current oil price hikes
and security concerns in the main
source markets.
Still, blended petrol is not without its critics and
Brazil was this year
forced to consider reducing its mandatory blending
ratio as ethanol prices
spiked 27 percent owing to cane shortages blamed on
poor harvests and the
lack investment in capacity expansion.
Again
motorists are concerned about potential damage to their
vehicles.
Muungani though insists that Green Fuel's product is safe,
adding ethanol
actually helps clean engines over time.
“Green Fuel is
producing new generation anhydrous ethanol (with a water
content of less
than 0.04%) using the latest technology from Brazil. This
type of ethanol is
dry; it contains no water and blends easily with
petroleum,” she said in a
statement.
“New generation anhydrous ethanol (also) ensures cooler engine
performance
while taking out any residual water from tanks.”
The
company says it will also provide support services to help motorists
keen to
convert their vehicles so they can run on up to 100 percent
ethanol.
Muungani said Green Fuel will produce enough ethanol to meet
local demand as
well as exports into the region and other international
markets.
Already the company has invested up to US$300 million in putting
up the
processing plant at Chisumbanje and about 7,000 hectares under
sugarcane, in
the process creating some 4,500 new jobs and helping transform
a once
impoverished rural settlement into a vast and growing agro-industrial
centre.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Excommunicated bishop Nolbert Kunonga says he
will continue to close the
church doors to bona fide Anglican members unless
they respect his
illegitimate position.
09.11.1107:44am
by Fungi
Kwaramba
Kunonga says he is now the legitimate leader of the Anglican
Church and will
not allow any dissenting voices to use the properties,
including church
buildings, houses for the clergy, schools and
orphanages.
Kunonga is using a High Court ruling that gave custody of the
church to him
and his board of trustees. The church faithful are bracing for
the wet
season as they worship in most cases in the open.
The head of
the Anglican Church, Archbishop Rowan Williams, visited Zimbabwe
recently
and appealed personally to President Robert Mugabe for his
intervention. But
Kunonga, who enjoys the ear of Mugabe, has vowed that
there will never be
sharing of church buildings - rains or not.
“Ordinary Anglicans who want
to worship in church buildings or shrines are
welcome, provided they
acknowledge and respect the legitimate authority of
the Church. Anglican
Church is a church of order. There cannot be two
bishops in one diocese at a
time.
This brings confusion and chaos. Therefore those who choose to pray
under
Rev. Gandiya should do so earnestly, and stop misleading the public
that
they are being denied access, when in effect they left the Church of
their
own volition,” said Kunonga.
Williams made it clear that
Kunonga was no longer part of the church as he
had left of his on volition.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Villagers here said that since Zanu (PF)
believed in forced rally
attendance, they would attend the gatherings in
their thousands, but would
vote otherwise come election
time.
08.11.1105:24pm
by Jane Makoni
Remaining pockets of Zanu
(PF) thugs continue to practice coercive politics
to cow villagers into
supporting the former ruling party.
“Members of the Zanu (PF) Murewa
District Coordinating Committee drive
around in their party vehicle, forcing
people to attend party meetings and
shun MDC activities. Since rural
communities are vulnerable to acts of
political thuggery, they reluctantly
attend the forced rallies. This gives
Mugabe and Zanu (PF) a false sense of
popularity,” said a villager at
Chigogodza.
Residents vowed that
their vote in upcoming elections would be in favour of
MDC-T and Tsvangirai,
whatever the cost.
The Zimbabwean also learnt that rural areas were awash
with plain clothes
police officers and other state security agents, who have
been assigned to
study the people’s mood in the wake of the demise of Libyan
Dictator,
Muammar Gaddafi.
“The Mugabe administration fears the
worst. Every state security agent has
been hastily dispatched to his rural
or urban home to assess how people have
been processing the uprising in
Libya and the death of Gaddafi,” said a
plain clothes police officer at
Chigogodza Business Centre.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
09 November, 2011
The National Association of
Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) last
weekend honoured the director of
the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
(ZLHR), Irene Petras, as the 2011
Director of the Year.
The occasion was marked by a ceremony during the
annual gathering of
directors from NGOs, which took place in Kariba this
year. The event brings
together NGO directors to share experiences and chart
the way forward.
Petras, a respected lawyer who has worked as a human
rights campaigner in
Zimbabwe for years, thanked all the lawyers that make
up the team at the
ZLHR, saying the award would never have been possible
without their
“dedication, energy and enthusiasm”.
Lawyers at ZLHR
have defended victims of ZANU PF’s political violence and
persecution under
the Mugabe regime, under very difficult circumstances and
at great risk to
themselves. Many have been arrested or assaulted, simply
for doing their
jobs.
Newsday quoted Petras as saying: “We can take courage from the
acknowledgement which our peers have provided to renew our strength and to
serve our beneficiaries and stakeholders. There may be dark days ahead as we
approach elections, but together I am sure we can continue to make a
difference to the lives of our fellow Zimbabweans and to our country at
large.”
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
9
November 2011
A senior member of the MDC-T on Wednesday said ZANU PF is
in ‘panic mode’
after realising Robert Mugabe is going to suffer an election
rout by Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Speaking on the Hidden Story program on SW
Radio Africa Morgan Komichi, the
MDC-T deputy national Chairman, voiced deep
concern over the recent
resurgence of violence being waged against their
supporters and party
officials by ZANU PF.
‘The latest attacks on our
supporters and attempts to block Tsvangirai’s
rallies under the watch of the
police should tell you Mugabe and his
Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri
are part of this grand plan.
‘It is part of an orchestrated strategy to
destabilise and demoralize the
MDC-T into fear and ensure ZANU PF’s return
to governance in the next poll,
by hook or crook.
‘Tsvangirai’s
recent meet the people tours must have sent out signals of his
growing
popularity and increased chances of becoming Zimbabwe’s next
president.
Thus, ZANU PF’s frustration was expressed in the way they know
best;
violence,’ Komichi said.
The Senator, himself a victim of torture by
Mugabe’s dreaded CIO, said
Zimbabweans value peace and for that reason,
they’re going to vote ZANU PF
out of power. He urged SADC and the African
Union to send a peacekeeping
team to Zimbabwe, as it was clear the inclusive
government had failed to
stop the violence.
The MDC-T this week sent
a dossier to SADC mediator President Jacob Zuma,
informing him of the
dangers faced by the inclusive government due to the
increased attacks on
MDC supporters by ZANU PF’s youth militia and
Chipangano group.
‘With
or without violence Zimbabweans have had enough and will go out in
their
millions in the next poll to begin the first steps to foster national
peace
and reconciliation and usher in multi-party democracy.
‘People will say
no to this violent ridden, politically-intolerant corrupt,
nepotic and
despotic party. Even if they bring their helicopter gunships and
heavy
machine guns, like they’ve done in the past, they’ll still lose the
election,’ Komichi added.
He said Mugabe’s penchant for violence in
elections is historical and SADC
leaders were increasingly becoming
impatient with him as this does not bode
well for sustainable peace in the
region.
‘SADC will once again be destabilized if the spate of violence
and level of
political intolerance is not halted. So the region cannot sit
back and
ignore the violence. Even the AU and the United Nations should be
jolted
into action with what is happening in Zimbabwe now,’ Komichi
said.
Party leader Morgan Tsvangirai told journalists in Harare on
Monday, after
his weekly meeting with Mugabe, that they had agreed the
inclusive
government had to come to an end and had therefore agreed that an
election
was the next step.
Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa, who
attended Tsvangirai’s press briefing
after his meeting with Mugabe, said all
parties in the GPA agreed to wait
until the writing of the new constitution
was complete until deciding on an
election date.
‘Tsvangirai said
after the referendum, which is expected between March and
May next year, the
GPA principals will each receive a constitutional report
after which they
will be able to sit down and come up with a date for
elections,’ Muchemwa
said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
09
November 2011
A bail application for seven MDC-T members, who are still
being held behind
bars on trumped-up murder charges, has been deferred by
the Supreme Court.
Tungamirai Madzokere (the Glen View Ward 32
councillor), Rebecca Mafikeni,
Phenias Nhatarikwa, Lazarus Maengahama,
Stanford Maengahama, Yvonne
Musarurwa and Stanford Mangwiro have been in
remand prison for six months in
connection with the death of a police
officer in Glen View in May. High
Court judge, Justice Tendai Uchena, had
turned down their bail application
in July, saying they were a flight risk.
The seven then approached the
Supreme Court, appealing the High Court’s bail
refusal.
But on Wednesday Supreme Court judge and the Deputy Chief
Justice, Luke
Malaba, referred the matter back to the High Court saying that
the seven
have to first notify the High Court of their intention to appeal
at the
Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the High Court will hear a fresh
bail application filed by the
MDC-T’s Youth Assembly chairperson Solomon
Madzore, who is also being
detained in connection with the policeman’s
death. He was arrested last
month and is being held at the Chikurubi Maximum
Security Prison. His
original bail application was turned down by High Court
judge, Justice
Hlekani Mwayera last month.
The eight are part of 28
MDC-T members who were arrested in connection with
the death. The others
were granted bail in July.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, November 09, 2011 --
Zimbabwe police on Tuesday failed to charge
journalist Nqaba Matshazi, whom
they had summoned for investigations after
Reserve Bank advisor Munyaradzi
Kereke opened a case against him claiming he
stole documents exposing rot in
his company.
A police officer at Harare Central Police station said
the docket had been
taken by their superiors for further
investigation.
Matshazi, employed by The Standard, was called at midday
to appear at Harare
Central Police Station but on arrival, he was informed
that the
investigating officer had been ordered to forward the docket to
more senior
police officers.
It was not immediately clear what the
journalist would be charged with,
though they were indications that he could
charged with theft.
Matshazi was called by the police following the
publication of a story that
indicated that Kereke’s Green Card, a medical
aid company was facing
viability problems, based on leaked
documents.
Kereke claims that the leaked documents were stolen from his
offices.
Kereke made a report to the police, who said they were keen to
interview
Matshazi and The Standard’s editor Nevanji
Madanhire.
Kereke is seen as a powerful person and this might be the
reason why senior
police officials demanded to have a look at the
docket.
He has also demanded $2.5 million dollars from The Standard for
defamation
of character, while at the same time he pursues a parallel
criminal case
over the alleged stolen documents.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Own Correspondent
Wednesday, 09 November 2011
18:09
HARARE - Police have arrested a Mutare councillor in a case
in which the
city was allegedly fleeced of more than $300 000 in a tender
scam.
The councillor Exavia Upare, who is the chairperson of the Mutare
city
council’s procurement committee, is in police custody after he was
arrested
on Monday on allegations of criminal abuse of office, police
sources told
the Daily News.
Mutare lawyer Chris Ndlovu, who is
representing Upare, confirmed the
councillor was waiting to appear in
court.
“Yes, he is in police custody and we expect the matter to be
brought before
the courts anytime. But it seems the police are taking much
of their time
and seem happy he stays another night in custody,” complained
Ndlovu.
Ndlovu said he was unsure of the charge which his client is
facing since
police told him they are still compiling the evidence. Upare is
an MDC
councillor for ward 10 in Mutare.
Council sources said Upare
is alleged to have been given a kickback by a
Harare businessman to
influence his winning of the more than $600 000 tender
to supply the local
authority water supply pipes.
The businessman was arrested in mid-October
for allegedly defrauding the
cash-strapped Mutare city council of $330 233
which he had received as down
payment for water pipes.
The water
pipes were meant to ease the shortage of water in residential
areas through
the dualisation of water supply pipes from the Christmas Pass
water
reservoir.
The businessman is out of custody on bail.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By NewZimbabwe.com
Wednesday, 09 November 2011
18:20
GWERU - Two of the three women accused of ritual sexual attacks
on at least
17 hitch-hikers were forced to seek refuge at a police station
last Friday
after they were attacked at a busy bus terminus in
Gweru.
Cousins Rosemary Chakwizira, 24, and Sophie Nhokwara, 26, out on
US$300 bail
each, fled the Kudzanai Bus Terminus in a taxi after being
assaulted by a
mob that recognised them from media coverage of their
arrest.
The taxi raced to Gweru Central Police Station where the women
spent four
nights last month following their arrest.
Police have launched
an investigation into the assault.
The women now say they fear for their
lives and are scared of walking the
streets.
They are charged with 17
counts of indecent assault along with Netsai
Nhokwara, 24, and Thulani
Ngwenya, 24, who will answer charges of aiding and
abetting the sex
attacks.
Netsai is a resident of Riverside suburb where she lives with
her boyfriend.
The women, who were allegedly found in possession of 33
used condoms at an
accident scene — four of them half full with semen —
insist that they have
nothing to do with reports of countrywide sex attacks
on male hitch-hikers
by women who went on to harvest their
semen.
Some people believe that sperms can make someone’s luck improve as
it is
associated with new life and regeneration.
Sophie said: “People
started whistling and shouting, some saying they would
deal with us just as
we were passing the terminus.
“In no time they were on us, poking,
pulling and roughing us up. We ran to a
taxi waiting nearby and luckily the
driver managed to get away from the
scene as the mob knocked on the doors
and windscreen. Our life is really in
danger and we are scared."
“Are
we not suspects until proven guilty? It’s as if people have already
made
their judgments and found us guilty.”
Speaking exclusively to New
Zimbabwe.com, the two women who live together in
an unremarkable house in
Mkoba suburb told how their lives had been “flipped
upside
down”.
Sophie and Rosemary, who both admit that they are prostitutes,
insist that
the condoms were left by “clients” and they had packed them in a
plastic bag
with the intention of disposing of them.
The women deny
media reports that they lead lavish lifestyles.
They live in a
three-bedroom unplastered house which Sophie says was left by
her
grandmother.
Orphaned Sophie said a red Chevrolet Aveo involved in the
accident as it was
being driven by Ngwenya had been bought using money she
“escaped with” from
an unhappy marriage to a Mutare-based diamond dealer in
2009.
Rosemary added: “As you can see, the house still has to be
plastered and the
toilet is yet to be fitted with a cistern.
“There
is nothing lavish about our lifestyles. We are just simple ghetto
people
like everyone else and we struggle on a daily basis to make ends
meet.
Electricity has been disconnected and there is a bill for $1 800. We
are
using firewood to cook our meals.It’s been hell since we were
arrested.”
The duo said well wishers, including friends and relatives,
had to chip in
to raise the bail money and legal fees — with each paying an
estimated US$1
000 to the lawyer.
Sophie’s elder sister, who spoke on
condition of anonymity and also resides
at the Mkoba house, insisted police
had the wrong people — despite
prosecutors saying victims had picked them at
an identity parade.
Explaining how Sophie and Rosemary lived, she said:
“You would find used
condoms strewn all over the room and this had become a
problem with other
people who live in the house.
“So I encouraged
them to put their things (used condoms) in a plastic bag
and dispose them a
distance from the house. That’s why those used condoms
were in the plastic
bag.”
Sophie and Rosemary said they hoped the matter would be finalised
so that
they could start rebuilding their lives.
The four suspects
will reappear in court on November 29 for trial.
http://www.voanews.com/
08 November
2011
Each Zimbabwean farmer considered to be vulnerable will receive
10 kilograms
of maize seed, one 50-kilogram bag of compound D and one 50
kilogram bag of
ammonium nitrate fertilizer
Jonga Kandemiiri |
Washington
The Zimbabwean government says it is printing more
than one million vouchers
to be distributed to farmers through offices of
the Agricultural, Technical
and Extension Services to provide access to
vulnerable growers to Grain
Marketing Board planting inputs.
Agritex
Principal Director Joseph Gondo said the vouchers, with special
security
features, should be available for distribution by his office by the
end of
the week.
Under the US$45 million agricultural inputs subsidy scheme,
each farmer
considered to be vulnerable is to receive 10 kilograms of maize
seed, one
50-kilogram bag of compound D and one 50 kilogram bag of ammonium
nitrate
fertilizer.
Agronomist Thomas Nherera told VOA reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri that this is a
welcome move as the small farmers being targeted
produce most of the
country's staple maize.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The Attorney General has appealed
in the Supreme Court against a High Court
ruling directing President Robert
Mugabe to call by-elections in three
Matabeleland
constituencies.
08.11.1103:14pm
by Chief Reporter
Justice
Nicholas Mathonsi handed down the landmark judgement in October on
behalf of
Justice Nicholas Ndou, who was tied up elsewhere.
“I hereby order
President Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe Electoral Commissions
to announce
elections dates in Lupane East, Nkayi South and Bulilima East in
a period
within 14 days,” says Mathonsi’s ruling.
The A-G, Johannes Tomana, has
now lodged an appeal saying the President
cannot be compelled by the court,
which he claims has misdirected itself.
Former MPs for Nkayi South,
Abednico Bhebhe, Lupane East Njabuliso Mguni and
Bulilima East Norman Mpofu
lodged papers in the Bulawayo High Court last
year seeking a declaratory
order compelling ZEC to conduct by-elections in
their constituencies, where
they intend to stand as independent candidates.
The officials were fired
from the MDC together with Alex Goosen, a member of
the national executive
council, for undermining the party’s authority.
Justice and Legal Affairs
Minister Patrick Chinamasa in an affidavit filed
on Mugabe’s behalf opposed
the application saying there were vacancies in
seven Senate constituencies,
19 House of Assembly constituencies and 50
local authority wards and that
government did not have $38 291 919 needed
for the by-elections.
The
three legislators say they will oppose the appeal.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
The latest move by South Africa to combat
rampant crime has sent some
Zimbabwean nationals here panicking and closing
the bank accounts they
improperly opened.
09.11.1108:04am
by Chris
Ncube
This week, the South African government and financial firms
launched an
Online Verification System, which would make it impossible to
make a
transaction without providing a fingerprint. This will have a
far-reaching
impact on some Zimbabwean nationals who improperly opened their
accounts.
Some banks do not accept foreign documents such as passport or
an asylum
permit. This forced people to pay locals or fellow countrymen who
hold
fraudulently acquired local documents to open accounts on their behalf.
They
then operate the account using the bank card. But this will now be
impossible.
“I have withdrawn all the money in my account as the new
system would make
it impossible to get my money in future. The account I
have been using was
opened by a neighbour to whom I paid R100 for the
service,” said Stella
Nkomo.
Regis Moyo said he had also withdrawn
all his money and notified his
employer not to deposit any cash in the
account he has been using for the
past six years.
The new regulations
are aimed at fostering co-operation between Home Affairs
and the banking
industry in combating bank-related identity fraud and
corruption.
The
system will see cooperation between Home Affairs and the banks in the
identification of people and verification of their
particulars.
“Thousands of foreign nationals have been using the accounts
that locals
opened for them. These will no longer be doing any transactions
with the
banks – who will lose out on revenue as a result,” said a
Johannesburg-based
analyst.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The Zimbabwe Achievers Awards has
announced a new writing award. Instead of
nominating for the best writer, as
in other categories, ZAA has set up a
writing competition to encourage,
inspire and celebrate the best literary
talent in Zimbabwe. There is a
$1,000 cash fund for the winners plus
publication in a volume of shortlisted
and highly commended entries.
09.11.1107:14am
by Staff
Reporter
Apart from the NAMAs and the Yvonne Vera Award presented at
the annual
Intwasa festival, there isn’t much other recognition for
Zimbabwean writers.
But literature continues to flourish, despite a
contracted publishing scene.
The announcement of NoViolet Bulawayo as the
winner of the 2011 Caine Prize
shows the immense potential of Zimbabwe to
conquer the world. “We want to
unearth more of this talent,” say the
organisers.
While the competition is aimed at encouraging Zimbabwean
writers who write
inside the country under severe conditions and with few
resources and
opportunities, it will also be open to all Zimbabweans
regardless of their
geography.
An anthology of new writings selected
from the best submissions received for
will be published in the New Year.
The shortlist will be revealed at the end
of December and the eventual
winner at the April 2012 ZAA event. The
competition will become an annual
fixture on the literary calendar and
hopefully become an incentive to
positively encourage young and emerging
writers.
Entries should be no
more than 5,000 words and submissions will be by
electronic mail only and
must be forwarded to stories@zimachievers.com. The
deadline line is 20 December 2011. For more information visit
www.zimachievers.com.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Resistance (to colonialism) finally
assumed the form of a full-fledged
national liberation war in the 1970s. Its
purpose was articulated as a
struggle for self-determination, democracy,
freedom, social justice, human
dignity and peace and encapsulated the hopes
and aspirations of the
indigenous African people of
Zimbabwe.
08.11.1104:10pm
by Wilfred Mhanda
Zimbabweans are
arguably in much a worse position socially, materially and
economically than
they were before Independence. Zimbabweans are arguably in
much a worse
position socially, materially and economically than they were
before
Independence.
The attainment of political power was to be the springboard
for the
transformation of political power itself and state institutions to
serve the
interests of the majority to ensure the realisation of popular
aspirations.
In essence, political power was to serve as the tool for the
political,
economic, social and cultural liberation and empowerment of the
black
majority. Power had to be democratised.
Today Zimbabwe is a far
cry from the expectations of all those who took up
arms for liberation; it
is also a mockery of the term ‘liberation’.
Zimbabweans are arguably in much
a worse position socially, materially and
economically than they were before
independence. Despite the Global
Political Agreement and the formation of
the inclusive government,
education, healthcare and service delivery
continue their downward spiral.
Politically, the people’s democratic rights
are equally constrained, with
freedoms of expression, association and
assembly seriously curtailed by
draconian statutes and partisan law
enforcement agencies.
Zanu (PF) has retained its political hegemony and
dominance through its
control of the state and its repression of the people
of Zimbabwe. Control
of state power gives the party the initiative and
freedom of action. The
defining feature of the inclusive government is that
the two other parties
to the GPA have no access to state power, limiting
their room for manoeuvre
to achieve their political objectives.
Sad
scenario
In more ways than one, this sad scenario has transported the
country back in
time, back to the situation before independence that
prompted the
nationalist movement to take up arms. Then, the overwhelming
majority of
Zimbabweans rendered unflinching support to the struggle for
liberation
across party loyalties. It was the unity of purpose and clarity
of vision,
succinct articulation of the objectives of the struggle, fearless
sacrifices
and principled and committed leadership that helped the heroic
people of
Zimbabwe navigate the treacherous terrain of struggle against
racist
minority rule and imperialist machinations and persevere till
independence
in 1980.
What followed has been something of an
anti-climax. The majority of the
populace still struggle to make ends meet
in a country that is richly
endowed with natural and human resources and
once had an infrastructure that
many envied. What accounts for this tragedy
is that Zanu (PF) rule has been
politically reactionary and degenerate,
morally decadent and ideologically
bankrupt. It will take another arduous
struggle to turn the country’s
fortunes around and propel its development
along a positive trajectory.
It is quite clear that the original ideals
and objectives of the liberation
struggle can only be realised through a
radical change of course, a complete
overhaul of the body politic, which is
in essence revolution. However, this
does not necessarily entail any violent
struggle or overthrow. A complete
change of course could be achieved through
peaceful and democratic means
such as the parliamentary process, when the
conditions are conducive. These
are popular resistance and the rejection of
dictatorship, the inability of
the ruling elite to continue to assert their
authority without repression
and the emergence of divisions within the ranks
of the ruling elite.
In the case of stiff resistance to popular
aspirations, political defiance
can be a viable alternative to armed
struggle, but it does require
considerable organisational skills and a high
grasp of the tactics and
strategy of struggle that matches that of a
military endeavour. The argument
for political defiance is that it has of
necessity a pronounced popular
character, unlike that of military or armed
struggle. Political defiance is
premised on thorough and extensive
mobilisation of the populace and popular
participation. The defiance
struggle has a democratic character in contrast
to an armed struggle that is
spearheaded by an armed nucleus divorced from
the people.
Defiance
trains the power of the people against the forces of reaction in
contrast to
an armed force in the case of an armed revolution. The trouble
with armed
revolutionary struggles is that they perfect the control of the
instruments
of coercion that will evolve into new state machinery not
necessarily
accountable to the people. A popular revolution is undertaken by
the people
themselves.
Popular revolution
In addition to a dedicated,
selfless and committed leadership thoroughly
schooled in the art of struggle
against dictatorship, the prerequisites for
a successful popular revolution
are: the existence of an organisation to
spearhead the struggle and craft a
compelling vision of hope and then
articulate a unifying national agenda
derived from scientific social
analysis; a revolutionary programme with
clear objectives and perspectives
of struggle that correspond to the
objective conditions; and the thorough
and extensive mobilisation and
organisation of the people around the
programme and its objectives that give
expression to popular aspirations.
Most of the political parties and
civil society organisations that emerged
after independence are themselves
in the mould of Zanu (PF). Organisations
that are founded on a political
culture that mirrors Zanu (PF) stand no
chance of presenting a better
alternative for the country. What is required
is a new value system that
negates that political culture. The values of
selfless sacrifice of the
freedom fighters that laid a sustainable basis for
the successful
prosecution of the liberation war were discarded and
abandoned after the
demise of ZIPA and supplanted by the unbridled pursuit
of power, greed and
self-preservation.
Resources
Whilst a human rights discourse is a
potent mobilisation tool, on its own it
cannot galvanise people into action.
It is the people’s material conditions
in the form of the fulfilment of
their socio-economic rights and their
livelihoods that should become the
focal point for mobilisation. The
rhetoric of socio-economic rights peddled
by Zanu (PF) is merely form devoid
of content - a fig leaf for entitlement
and for the elite to grab and
monopolise resources.
This strategy
should be matched by a sustained call for equitable
redistribution of the
country’s resources for the benefit of all the people,
the elimination of
the grinding poverty afflicting the overwhelming majority
of the populace
and the restoration of basic services that facilitate a
dignified existence
for everyone.
Democracy is not a commodity that is free; it has to be won
and it often
comes at a price. For instance, women only gained their right
to vote and
become politicians in Europe and the United States of America as
a result of
struggle in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The
women
suffragettes in Britain and the US spearheaded this
struggle.
As a victim of the internal struggles within ZANU before
liberation, my
experiences show that progressive forces should have the
courage to stand up
for what they believe in, irrespective of their position
in the
organisational pecking order.
Timid
The abdication of
principled positions in deference to the views of the
leadership, no matter
how erroneous or misguided, undermines the development
of internal democracy
within organisations.
Progressive elements should not be timid and avoid
engaging in a principled
struggle of ideas, even in the face of threats.
They should propagate their
ideas and standpoints and mobilize support for
them among the rank and file
if democracy is to thrive. Since the
suppression of ZIPA and the former Dare
leaders within ZANU in the latter
half of the seventies, there have been no
further principled struggles
within ZANU, save for ethnic and power
struggles resulting in the
entrenchment of an authoritarian grip over the
party to the detriment of the
development of internal democracy and
democratic practice in
post-independence Zimbabwe.
However, most tragically, the Zimbabwean
state that emerged in 1980 did not
become an organ for popular rule. Rather,
it continued to serve the
interests of those who had succeeded the racist
white minority rulers – the
Zanu (PF) elite. It became an organ for the
suppression of those perceived
to be threats to their political
dominance.
Accordingly, expecting the rule of law to be enforced in
present day
Zimbabwe is wishful thinking that runs against the grain of
common sense.
The same goes for expecting the security sector and state
institutional
transformation to be citizen-friendly rather than serving the
narrow
interests of ZANU (PF). Public pressure
It is only logical
that the latter should resist any attempt to change the
status quo. It is
naive to expect their willing co-operation in any policy
that will lead to
the erosion of their power. It is my personal view that
only coercive Public
pressure would make them relinquish their tight grip on
the
state.
The struggle for democracy is inseparable from the struggle for
socio-economic justice. There can be no freedom in poverty, and political
power determines the redistribution of wealth and resources in society.
Where political power serves the interests of the majority, all efforts will
be made to facilitate equitable distribution of wealth and resources through
state intervention. It is the absence of genuine democracy that fosters
poverty and inequitable distribution.
Making government accountable
is a prerequisite for genuine democracy and
the delivery of social justice.
Inherent in this continuous political
dynamic lies a perpetual functional
conflict between government and civil
society. It is this dialectical
relationship that ensures a healthy
democracy and keeps the abuse of power
in check.
Civil society
This can be best achieved through
involvement of civil society in
decision-making and the involvement of the
people in all matters that affect
their livelihoods, security and welfare.
It is, in other words, through the
democratisation and socialisation of
power and government that genuine
democracy and socio-economic justice can
flourish. Zimbabwe’s war of
liberation was waged to achieve these very
principles of freedom, democracy,
social justice and respect for human
dignity. Sadly, they fell victim to the
pursuit of power, narrow partisan
interests, greed and an insatiable
appetite for wealth.
These noble
ideals, for which many sacrificed their lives, have to all
intents and
purpose been divested of their progressive content. They survive
only as a
rhetorical or demagogical platform for grandstanding on national
occasions,
for raising the political temperature and whipping up partisan
sentiments
prior to elections.
It was the abandonment of the norms, ethos and the
value system that
sustained the liberation war that has yielded fertile
ground for ethnicity,
intolerance, partisanship, unbridled greed,
corruption, lack of
accountability, mismanagement, patronage and the
tolerance of incompetence
as a virtue that have all combined to bring the
country to its knees.
