New Zimbabwe
Masiyiwa: 'God will heal Zimbabwe in his time'
By
Strive Masiyiwa
Last updated: 11/10/2004 10:46:22
SOME are thinking of
running away from Zimbabwe, its true, but ask yourself:
did God say that you
should leave?
Things will get better uri ipapo (while you are there).
Yes, there in
Zimbabwe! Read the book of Ruth, just 4 chapters and see what
happened to
Naomi and her family.
They ran away from famine in
Bethlehem to Moab, (Zimbabwe to London) but she
had to go back again to
Bethlehem just her and Ruth, all the others died in
Moab, she lost
everything and had to start all over again.Had she heard from
God the first
time?! Why then did she go back???
London, USA or Canada hakuna kumboipa
kuenda asi nyaya ndeyekuti wanzwa
Mwari here?
You can go there but
instead you lose everything maybe not your life or any
member of the family
maybe not die but you may have to give up your peace,
joy, morals, love,
husband, wife, children or good job.
Watch and pray, God can never forget
Zimbabwe!! He Loves us and will heal
our land in HIS TIME. My own addition
to this message "Hope deferred makes
the heart sick but when desire cometh
it is a tree of life (Proverbs13:12)."
I have often had to deal with hope
deferred in my Christian walk. I have
shared with some of you how time and
time again we believed over five years
that one event or another would lead
to the final release of the Econet
licence. Often it was a court decision
which we would wait for, for a whole
year, only to have our hope deffered.
Many people were hoping that the
elections would bring relief in their lives
from the economic and social
pressures of the last few years.
One of
the earliest scriptures the Lord gave me when we began that long
struggle
was Luke22:31: "Simon Simon behold Satan has desired to sift you as
wheat
but I have prayed that your faith faileth not and when you have
converted
strenghten thy brethren."
It is interesting to note that the Lord did not
say I have rebuked him,
which he could have done. But instead he says I have
prayed for your faith.
If you allow your faith to fail there is nothing the
Lord can do for you.
Many of you are filled with thoughts to leave the
country and yet others are
full of hate and anger, and some are just totally
despondent.
I have heard many Christians saying things like "God has
abandoned us". In
1997 when Telecel was licenced it was really a low point
as I have often
shared with some of you. Here we were, after nearly 4
years...with no more
money to pay lawyers or salaries. Both Telecel and Net
One already had
licences. The police were sent to arrest me. The newspaper
headlines said
"Masiyiwa's dream crumbles."
"For the first time
in two years I have began to think about my
imminent return to
Zimbabwe"
STRIVE MASIYIWA
Brethren it is easy to pray and to fast
but it is only at a time like this
that you find out whether or not you have
faith. On the morning I saw that
headline in the Financial Gazette which had
been at our side I could easily
have concluded that I had not really heard
from God. Indeed some of my
closest brethren actually came to me and said
you have fought a good fight
but perhaps this was God's plan after all. I
remember that morning looking
at the two newspapers both the Herald and
Financial Gazette had headlines on
Econet. I knew that I must not allow my
faith to fail and that of those
around me. So I decided to do something
prophetic. I called some of my most
senior members of staff and I said to
them we must go around Harare and find
the perfect place to build the Econet
headquarters! Yes we got into our cars
believers and none believers and
drove around Harare looking for a place to
locate our heaquarters. At first
it seemed a little unreal but as we drove
round and around we began to enjoy
it as the Lord gave us grace and we
treated it very seriously.
Even
then I still had my lows and I remember not long after that I got to
the
office and found we were front page again. This time the Minister Joyce
Mujuru said the Cabinet had decided there would not be a 3rd licence for
Econet. I felt dispondent and my heart was sick.
Suddenly as I sat at
my desk almost in tears a big American man brushed past
my secretary and
stood in front of me. He said he was looking for a cellular
phone! I pointed
to him the newspaper article and he pushed it aside saying
it didn't mean
anything to him because he believed only in God's report.He
said he wanted
to pay for a year's service!
He just kept pushing me and in the end to
just get rid of him I sent him to
Zac Wazara who told him how much it would
cost to get service when Econet
launched its service.He went away and came
back with $10 000 and poured
it out on my desk. He then said to me I want to
go to all your friends who
are Christians and ask them to pay for thier
service NOW! That man's name
was Pastor Jerry Backus and he is the one who
prepares the good news sent to
all our customers every morning. Jesus sent
Jerry Barkus that morning to
raise up my faith. It was these prophetic
actions that helped me to get out
of this difficult situation when it seemed
that my hope and faith had been
deferred.
If you have been affected
negatively by the outcome of the elections in
Zimbabwe I want you to start
praying and acting prophetically. It is time to
prepare for that glorious
future you have been believing God for. Yes go and
look for the house and
the car. Prepare for the Christmas holiday because it
is the best you are
ever going to have. If you have some money buy land or
shares. Do whatever
you have to do to remind yourself that you are a child
of God and he has
good plans for you and your family!
For the first time in two years I
have began to think about my imminent
return to Zimbabwe. I have plans to
see friends and family and I have plans
to worship with some of you and
thank God for his enduring faithfulness.
When people have invited me even
for weddings I have been careful not to say
NO if I know I could be
available.
Strive Masiyiwa lives in self-imposed exile ion South Africa and
is the
chief executive of Econet Wireless. He is also owner of the banned
Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe - publishers of the Daily News and Daily
News on Sunday. Here he was writing to friends and Econet workers.
New Zimbabwe
LETTER FROM KUTAMA: MTHULISI MATHUTHU
Zimbabwe: A clash of memories
09/11/04
(READ MTHULISI'S
PREVIOUS ARTICLES)
RECENTLY the old comrades of the liberation war
toured the Chimoio
Shrine in Mozambique. They appeared on the national
television brandishing
the traditional
clenched fist viewing images
and reading inscriptions on the walls.
They sang songs to the
memory of their comrades in arms who were
immolated by the fire during the
brutal raid on the camp by the colonial
government in the late 1970's. Some
of them, including Joseph Chinotimba,
wept.
It was
touching.
Next to my television is a bookcase with reports of all
kinds
including newspaper cuttings and pictures on the murder and terror
meted out
to the civilian population before and after the 1985 and 2000
elections.
In one of the reports is a sad account of how the newly
independent
Zimbabwe's forces descended on a homestead in the 1980's to
bayonet a
pregnant woman spilling the fetus and the intestines on to the
ground.
They proceeded to cause more suffering ahead leaving behind
the fetus
and the mother body roasting under the blazing African sun. Her
crime was
that she was suspected to be supporting the
opposition.
These two events symbolise a clash of memories in
Zimbabwe and are
proof of how upside down things are in the country. The
first and most
telling anomaly is that while the old comrades' story is
granted space on
national television to cause me and other young people of
my generation to
feel touched, the other story of the woman is denied
vehemently.
All those who remember or talk about it are then
branded as agents of
imperialists and puppets or tribalists. So serious are
the threats that even
some of the old comrades who have moved on to the new
thinking are forced to
pretend to be part of the rapacity going on for the
fear of retribution.
Recently at the Geneva Press Club I met with
one of their number who
spoke ill of his comrades at the top but changed
totally on learning that I
was scribe from Zimbabwe.
Day and
night we are forced to hear the story of President Robert
Mugabe's heroics
and that of his army in the 1970's but they are not
supposed to hear of how
we feel about their conduct since being mandated to
steer our ship from
Egypt to Canaan.
There is absolutely no room for the ideas and
views to freely vie for
public patronage. It is the same old diet of
ultra-nationalism, racist
diatribe and
blackmail. We have become
insulated from competition and debate.
While it is true that the
Rhodesian forces brutally bombed girls and
boys in Chimoio, it is not wholly
wrong to say it was during a war
situation. Above all
the legions
of young people from the Zimbabwean colleges didn't see
that.
They are hearing about it on television and the radio and therefore,
don't
remember what Mugabe and company want us to remember. What we saw and
still
remember today are the heinous acts of the supposed Comrades whom our
grandfathers voted in 1980 to lead a newly democratic country who turned the
same guns and helicopters which set Chimoio ablaze against fellow Africans
in the name of National Defence.
We recall vividly seeing the
body of Cain Nkala being exhumed legs
first from a shallow grave and totally
innocent people being pushed forward
to claim
responsibility by the
very same people who had murdered him.
If the 1970's bombing during
a war situation was such bad carnage that
it will still cause a violent
person like Chinotimba to weep 30 years later,
what about the bayoneting of
a pregnant woman by a supposedly disciplined
soldier in a country which is
not at war?
Are we supposed to forget today the charred and
decomposed bodies of
Talent Mabika and Nkala in less than four years? Why is
it that the old
stories of the 1970's are being retrieved from the archives
as if they
happened yesterday while recent stories such as the bludgeoning
of Martin
Olds are relegated to the dustbins of history and marshalled to
the
peripheral corners of our memory?
The story of our
liberation is so sacred that it should be told as it
is to instill a sense
of pride amongst all but alas it is today told by
violent people to
undermine others and to close the space for other views.
To protect
themselves against prosecution and public scrutiny, they have
accorded
themselves the bizarre role of " reshaping the world into their
morally
superior image".
They have given everybody bad names and themselves
good names, titles
and status. It is a sad truth of our times that the story
of our liberation
war should be under the custody of immoral individuals
whose main agenda is
to obfuscate real issues and to limit others to cling
to power and
therefore, avoid accounting. The people whose political and
social conduct
have earned the name we have today!
Those who
claim to know our story better than all of us are known to
have committed
all sorts of crimes ranging from theft, rape to murder. The
story which we
want to hear is how we have suddenly become so poor while the
"heroes" have
become so rich. We want to know who kidnapped Patrick
Nabanyama. We want to
know where Rashiwe Guzha is and not how the soldiers
evaded bullets in the
1970's as we are daily told.
We don't want to hear Cde Chinx
singing but we want to hear Thomas
Mapfumo's Mamvemve and Lovemore
Majaivana's protest music. Something has
gone and there is no recovering it,
thanks to this cabal. Clearly were have
been steered on a careless
case.
Mthulisi is a Zimbabwean journalist and his weekly column written
from
Zimbabwe appears here every Friday. CONTACT MTHULISI AT: thuthuma@yahoo.com
The Herald
Chikwanha murder: Eight cops back in court
Herald
Reporter
EIGHT Chitungwiza policemen who are being accused of murdering a
member of
the Air Force of Zimbabwe were at the weekend back at the
Chitungwiza
magistrates' courts for routine remand.
Artwell Nyagomo
(25), Conrady Simba (27), Emmanuel Gwati (28), Salisio
Barara (27), Farai
Mutsimba (22), Shebba Manjese (27), Maxwell Katembo (24)
and Edson Madzombwe
(26) were further remanded to January 2 next year.
The eight appeared
before provincial magistrate Mr Shelton Jura.
They have been further
remanded on several occasions since last year. Their
trial will be held at
the High Court. The policemen were granted $1 000 bail
each by the High
Court in 2002.
The State, led by Mr Nyambo Viera, is alleging that the
crime was committed
on February 10 2002 when the victim, Joseph Mutshipi,
went to Moonlight
Sports Bar at Chikwanha Shopping Centre in the town for a
beer drink.
Nyagomo, Gwati, Simba and Barara were also drinking at the
sports bar.
Trouble started when Nyagomo, who had gone to relieve
himself, was allegedly
caught vandalising a toilet tissue holder by a
supervisor at the bar, Mr
Walter Magwenzi.
An altercation ensued when
Nyagomo refused to surrender his identity
particulars to Mr Magwenzi who
wanted him to pay for the damage.
The policemen then assaulted Mr
Mutshipi for siding with Mr Magwenzi in his
bid to force Nyagomo to
surrender his identity documents.
Mr Mutshipi died at Manyame Air Base as
a result of injuries sustained
during the assault.
MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC
CHANGE
Economics
Committee
GONO's DISGRACE
Zimbabwe is not the
first country in Africa, nor probably the last, to have a banking crisis. But
what is probably a first is the way in which the authorities are flagrantly
ignoring the clear lessons which have emerged from previous crises.
There
are plenty of studies to draw on. The main lessons are that bank failures have
to be identified early and acted upon promptly in a way which protects the
interests of depositors and the banking system as a whole. Public money should
not be used to bail out owners who have not run their banks with proper
diligence. Any liquidity loans which are made should be of short duration and
should be restricted to banks which are fundamentally viable.
These
lessons are adequately captured in the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's own
Troubled and Insolvent Banks Policy which was adopted and published during
the 1990s. Armed with a properly thought through policy when he came into
office, why has Governor Gono decided instead to make up his own approach as he
goes along?
The Governor was right to identify a looming crisis when he
came into office. An excessive number of banks and non-bank financial
institutions had been permitted to operate in the Zimbabwe market, many of them
owned by the political elite. There were thus strong political pressures for
very risky loans to be made by the banks, many of which thus had highly skewed
and weak loan portfolios.
This was disguised, however, by the
government's gross macro-economic distortions, particularly the suppressed
interest rates. The summary in RBZ's September 2003 Status Report on the
Banking Sector states that "Credit risk exposure for the whole banking
system was considered low as measured by average adversely classified loans to
total loans ratio which declined from 8.1% by the end of June 2003 to 7.5%. The
decline in credit risk exposure is indicative of prudent portfolio management
and conservative lending practices by most banking institutions in an effort to
minimize losses in the current volatile operating environment".
Prudent
and conservative lending? Volatile environment? Macro-economic conditions may
have been unstable in 2003, but for businessmen they were more predictable. The
volatility arose when Governor Gono came into office. His first action was to
precipitate the banking crisis by driving interest rates during December 2003 to
as high as 1000%. As borrowers and banks within days found themselves unable to
meet their commitments, the shameful inaccuracy of the RBZ's assessment of the
state of the banks (perhaps the reason there's been no subsequent bank
surveillance report from RBZ), and the culpability of the Governor in
unnecessarily forcing a crisis on them, was painfully clear.
Governor
Gono only gave the banks a grace period to put their houses in order AFTER
saddling them with what proved to be insurmountable problems, one of which
proved to be the option of accessing the Troubled Banks Fund. Far from ensuring
that this financing only went to those with temporary liquidity (as opposed to
fundamental unviability) problems, the Troubled Bank money was dished out to all
and sundry and then rolled over well beyond the original 3 month grace
period.
The attainment of enhanced capitalisation levels by the end of
September 2004 became a new deadline for the banks, but even there the Governor
undermined their efforts by starving the market of liquidity and continuing to
offer open market operation Treasury Bills to the general public at a time when
the banks desperately needed deposits to meet their targets. As a result 2 more
banks were put into curatorship during October, joining the 5 already in that
category from earlier in the year, plus 2 more in provisional
liquidation.
What should be done at this
juncture? The first priority should be a detailed audit of the loan accounts in
the banks, irrespective of the personalities involved, to unravel the
large-scale misbehaviour in lending which took place. Even at this stage it is
clear that several of the troubled banks are in a deplorable financial
situation. Rather than trying to rescue them, the Governor should have them
liquidated. There are also some stronger candidates amongst the troubled banks
- concerted efforts should be made to interest competent banks in taking them
over.
Rather than biting the bullet in this fashion, the solution to the
banking crisis the Governor has just announced in his October Monetary Policy
Statement is completely inappropriate. It is to create a multi-headed monster
(the Zimbabwe Allied Banking Group) which will impose huge unwanted and
unwarranted costs on the nation for years to come.
In Kenya, following a
banking crisis in the mid 1980s, exactly the same approach was adopted and
failed miserably. In December 1989, 10 ailing financial institutions were
merged to form the Consolidated Bank of Kenya (CBK). Rather than Gono's target
of 2 months, in Kenya it took 18 months (to June 1991) for the transfer of the
assets and liabilities of the failed banks to CBK to be effected. Over the rest
of the 1990s, billions of shillings had to be poured into the banking sector,
including CBK, to prevent further crises.
Financial sector weakness was
one of the key problems inherited by NARC when it replaced the Moi government.
With external support, the Kenyan government has this year launched a major
initiative to rectify a situation in which over 40% of bank lending is
classified as non-performing, with three quarters of the non-performing loans
being concentrated in a handful of state-linked institutions, including the
Consolidated Bank of Kenya.
In other words, 14 years after the
amalgamation of failed banks into a state-supported conglomerate, there are
still major problems to be addressed.
In Zimbabwe's case, it bears
repetition that it is Governor Gono who has precipitated and then mismanaged the
banking crisis. He is now requiring that the state - in other words, we, the
taxpayers - should take on debt of around Z$2,5 trillion, equivalent in
magnitude to the total domestic national debt accumulated since Independence,
plus, if the Herald is to be believed, injecting a further Z$2 trillion of
capital into ZABG.
With such enormous expenditures being demanded by
RBZ, where is the fiscal probity that Governor was talking about? A
requirement of Z44,5 trillion would be more than half of TOTAL expenditure in
this year's budget.
It is also disingenuous of Gono to claim that the
independence and neutrality of the Central Bank will be preserved by the public
shareholding being in state hands - RBZ will be under huge pressure to tilt the
playing field in favour of the new bank. Depositors and creditors are also
being forced to share the burden, but the private shareholding in the Zimbabwe
Allied Banking Group will be modest in relation to the public stake.
The
practical problems alone of merging a large number of banks with different
software systems, management capabilities and client bases into a single
operational entity, plus all the complex legal and governance issues, will delay
the effectiveness of ZABG well beyond the envisaged start-up date. All parties
will have the prospect not just of long delays but also of further injections of
capital before the new monster struggles into the light of day.
The core
business of the Reserve Bank is not just to ensure the country has a sound
banking system. Equally vital for the well-being of the economy is to create a
stable and predictable macro-economic environment. Sadly, as we near the end of
the first year of Gono's tenure as RBZ Governor, both elements remain in
disarray.
In respect of the macro-economic environment, a large part of
the strategy for reducing inflation is the deliberate overvaluation of the
exchange rate. The so-called auction is actually a tight mechanism of foreign
currency allocation and import control necessitated by the authority's
insistence on pretending the Z$ is worth more than it is. This structure is
killing the export sector, killing the only geese which provide those essential
and increasingly scarce golden eggs called foreign
exchange.
This monetary
policy statement is aggressive in trying to head off rational economic analysis,
claiming instead that its critics take insufficient account of export
incentives. However, these are largely measures which allow exporters relief
from constraints which have been created by the policy environment, notably the
surrender requirement at the penal rate of Z$824/US$. They are not incentives
in the true economic sense at all.
The Governor made clear that the
modest and staged depreciation of the diaspora exchange rate he announced will
NOT apply to the auction rate. Even if it did, and there was an immediate
depreciation to Z$6,200/US$, for Zimbabwean exporters to be competitive in
regional and overseas markets, an exchange rate of at least Z$9,000 to the US$
would be needed now, with a commitment to adjustments to compensate for
inflation differentials as long as Zimbabwe's inflation remains in the
stratosphere.
The only substantive 'achievement' the Governor can point
to is the reduction in the officially announced inflation figure. But as this
was still over 250% in September, there is no cause for celebration. The
supposed increase in foreign exchange inflows is simply an increased flow
through official channels. The economy itself has less foreign currency this
year that it did in 2003.
In the macro-economic arena, the Governor has
essentially announced continuing with the main lines of his ill-conceived
strategy, but what does this mean when his tenure has been characterised by
policy uncertainty and reversals, particularly in the crucial area of interest
rates? The economic fundamentals, not least the growth in money supply he
announced, imply a resurgence in inflation.
Instead of basking and
preening in the somewhat comic adulation he is receiving from the state media,
if the Governor has any sincerity about serving the interests of Zimbabwe he
should either stop cow-towing to the short-sighted interests of his political
masters or stand aside.
The Herald
Egyptian agric experts expected
Herald Reporter
AN
Egyptian delegation of agricultural experts is expected in the country
this
month to prepare the groundwork for more technical assistance to
Zimbabwe by
the North African country.
This was said by the Egyptian Ambassador to
Zimbabwe, Mr Farid Monib, when
he met Agriculture and Rural Development
Minister Dr Joseph Made in Harare
yesterday.
Mr Monib, who declined
to disclose the size of the delegation, said what was
important was the
composition of the delegation, which would include
scientists, teachers,
professors and researchers.
He said that the delegation was coming to the
country to look at all facets
of the agricultural sector.
The
ambassador said his country was prepared to offer assistance in various
areas in agriculture in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding
signed in April this year during a visit by Dr Made and his delegation to
Cairo.
The two countries subsequently signed a technical co-operation
agreement in
soil chemistry and central laboratory for residue analysis of
pesticides and
heavy metals in food, plant protection, horticulture, field
crops, livestock
improvement, short to medium-term training, institutional
strengthening,
food processing and value addition.
Mr Monib said
Zimbabwe and Egypt had a lot to share in agriculture despite
the two
experiencing opposite climatic patterns, with Zimbabwe's summer
being winter
in Egypt and local winter being the reverse in Egypt.
He called on Dr
Made and other ministry officials to clearly specify the
assistance they
required in specific sectors.
Dr Made, who welcomed the visit by the
delegation, said it was coming at an
opportune time when the ministry was
establishing agricultural colleges
which will offer higher national diplomas
in every province.
In line with this vision, Dr Made said the delegation
was going to be shown
some of the sites that have been identified for this
purpose.
He said the colleges were not going to be situated in the
provincial
capitals, but within the farming areas and near universities
where farmers
could tap resources and farming knowledge from these
institutions.
The ministry's secretary, Mr Ngoni Masoka, was already
working on the
project in collaboration with the Agricultural and Rural
Development
Authority.
He said the visit by the delegation was also
going to assist in the
rehabilitation and establishment of research centres
across the country
since members of the delegation were also bringing in
laboratory equipment.
Dr Made said apart from resuscitating and
establishing agricultural colleges
and research centres, his ministry was
allocating land to these institutions
so that they could produce for export
and set an example for the farming
communities within which they would be
located.
He said that plans were afoot to ensure that church institutions
utilise the
land that was given to them.
The ministry's thrust was
part of the agrarian reform that Government was
pursuing following the
finalisation of the land redistribution exercise.
The agrarian reform
entails looking at the expansion of all sectors that
deal with agriculture
such as financial institutions, research and
extension, and training to
ensure that they cope with the Zimbabwe's fast
growing agricultural
sector.
The reforms also involve the identification of new markets and
attending to
matters relating to agro-processing, among other issues.
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE LEGAL COMMUNIQUÉ - 9th November 2004
Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGAL
COMMUNIQUÉ: CORRECTION
Friday's (5th November 2004,) Herald listing of
Section 8 Orders for 162
properties read;
"that the President has
acquired compulsorily the land described in the
schedule for urban
expansion"
This is incorrect and should read:
"in the schedule for
resettlement purposes"
We unreservedly apologise for this slip up and ask
all farmers listed to
take note of the
correction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The Electoral Roll.
We have a voters roll in Zimbabwe. It has
about 6 million names and
addresses on it and runs to many thousands of
pages. In one stack it stands
as high as the ceiling. It is about as useful
to our fledgling democracy as
waste paper - worse, it is a serious impediment
to real democracy in this
part of the world. I have held that view for some
time - often at variance
with the views of others in the MDC and I want to
explain why.
The theory behind a voters roll is that this enables
a given country to
control who has the right to vote and where. However, the
very existence of
such a roll opens the door to all sorts of negative aspects
and
possibilities. You can deny the vote to those you want to exclude and
you
can foster the participation of certain groups at the same time. But it
is
not these aspects that bother me even though they have been used here
to
subvert democracy and activities are taking place right now, which,
if
allowed to stand will prejudice the outcome of any future election in
2005.
My main concern lies in simply in the task of maintaining
such a complex
register of names and addresses in a developing country where
the majority
has no recognizable address. When a person dies in a developed
country, a
strict procedure is followed and this fairly quickly feeds through
to a
central registry where their names can be taken off the
roll.
In this country that happens in a minority of cases and
even then it might
take the personal intervention of a relative to remove the
name from the
roll. In most cases the person dies and is buried and because
of the cost
and difficulty of following procedures, matters are left at that
point with
little or no follow up. So when the voters roll was examined in
the late 90'
s by a consultant firm in Harare, funded by the Norwegian
Government, they
discovered hundreds of thousands of people on the roll were
in fact dead.
If we follow a simple calculation you can see the
size of this problem in
respect to the existing roll in Zimbabwe. Our
national population is about
11 million at present. At least 53 per cent are
below the age when they can
vote (18 years) and that leaves about 5 million
people who could possibly be
on the roll. Say that a very good record would
be about 85 per cent (and I
do not for one minute think we can get there)
then we have a maximum
potential voters roll of 4,4 million. Our roll has 6
million names on it.
Then take the fact that we have about 3 to 4 million
people living abroad as
economic and political refugees - they are leaving
the country at the rate
of about 1500 a day - all adults of voting age. No
record exists of their
departure and if they are registered voters, then they
become "ghost voters"
. This makes the likely numbers of "real voters" on the
present roll no more
than at most 3 million or half the number on the
roll.
In an election it is unlikely that more than about two
thirds will turn out
to vote so the potential tally in an election here is
likely to be less than
2 million voters. In the presidential election 2,9
million people "cast"
their vote - perhaps as many as nearly a million were
simply not there.
Then there are the problems of having a migrant
labor economy. Most workers
have their homes in their rural constituency and
work hundreds of kilometers
away in a city or on a mine. To vote they must go
home and the cost today is
almost prohibitive. In South Africa, they talk of
there being nearly 3
million Zimbabwe migrants. How do they vote? They simply
cannot if a voter's
roll is used, as voters must cast their ballots in the
constituency in which
they are registered or vote by postal
ballot
So a voter's roll undermines the basic premise of a
democratic system - the
right of all who live permanently in a country to
vote for those who govern
them. A system that, ideally, is inclusive rather
than exclusive.
So for my money, I support a system, which would
allow any Zimbabwean with
current citizenship status or residency, to vote,
on a national basis in
support of a specified political Party, which would
have put up a policy
basis for its campaign and a list of approved candidates
- to be elected by
proportional representation.
This would
allow all Zimbabweans to vote - both outside the country at
Embassies or by
postal ballots and would allow Zimbabweans to vote close to
home and work.
The massive structure set up to fabricate a voters roll could
be dismantled
and set to work to tidy up births and deaths and citizenship
rights and
registration - its much more important that we each have a valid
ID which
specifies our rights.
For Zimbabwe to adhere to the SADC norms
for elections, the 30 appointed
seats that are currently controlled by the
state President would have to go.
This means 150 seats on the common roll. If
we were operating a proportional
representation system then there would be no
difficulty in arranging this.
All political parties have had difficulty with
securing sufficient numbers
of women as candidates and then getting them
elected, a proportional
representation system would achieve such a balance at
the stroke of a pen.
But perhaps just as important, such a system
would undermine the tendency in
Africa to swing from one extreme to another.
A first past the post system
carries with it the threat of extreme dominance
by one party of any system.
In a free and fair election in Zimbabwe (and we
are miles away from such a
goal) the very real danger is that Zanu PF would
be either wiped out or
rendered so tiny a force in Parliament that they could
not influence events
or make up a significant opposition. Under a
proportional representation
system this is unlikely to
happen.
We are now just 18 weeks away from the next election. The
government has
done little to meet the demand by the MDC that it fulfill its
obligations
under the SADC protocols signed in August. In fact it has done
just the
opposite - The NGO Bill is in Parliament, the Electoral Act is also
in
discussion in Parliament and is a deeply flawed piece of legislation.
There
is no sign of any relaxation of media controls or propaganda by the
State
controlled media. There has also been no let up in terms of the on
going
effort to crush the MDC structures wherever they can be
identified.
To meet the deadline we would have to have access to
the media and a return
of the Daily News at least 3 to 4 months in advance of
any elections. AIPA
and POSA would both have to be repealed and the present
restrictions on
voter education and the training and deployment of polling
agents would have
to be completely lifted. There is now no time to prepare a
new voters roll
and the present one is simply so crocked that it must be
scrapped. If we are
to eliminate the 30 appointed seats and accommodate the
one-third women
lawmakers rule then we need to negotiate and adopt
constitutional reforms
designed to achieve all of this - at least 3 months
before any planned
election.
If these things are not achieved
then elections are simply out of the
question. Mbeki knows this and so does
Mugabe - it is difficult to see how
this agenda can be moved at all without
substantial pressure on the latter
by the former.
Eddie
Cross
Bulawayo, 10th November 2004
JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM 9th November 2004
Email: jag@mango.zw ; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject
line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAG
OLF
311
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY
"I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it,
the more it
begins to make sense."
RABBI HAROLD
KUSHNER
_____________________________________________
OPEN LETTER
FORUM
Letter 1. Subject: Open Letter Forum
The new
farmer
With great joy he saw the adverts in the Herald to apply for land
and
rushed to the Ministry of Lands to apply for his plot to farm. The
notices
of allocation were duly advertised in the Newspaper and he collected
his
letter of offer, rushed to the Rural Council to pay his taxes and set
off
to the Agri Bank to borrow the money to start farming. He waited,
and
waited and finally in January got a small part of his loan as applied
for.
In the mean time he sat without seed, fertiliser and chemicals. No
tractors
to pull implements to prepare his lands. Fuel in short supply. And
as the
season closed he got some money. By then the time to plant had long
passed.
His crops looked woefully underfed, poorly cultivated and low in
yield.
Some farmers went to commercial banks in desperation to kick start
this
agrarian revolution where they were going to feed the people and show
the
commercial farmers that they could produce crops at least as well as
the
previous owners could. The new farmers gave security in the form of
town
property title. They swallowed in panic at the interest rates charged
by
the banks who promised that eventually the farmers could get
productive
sector loans if they applied for them. They planted their crops
late as
they had been hoping for government support to get started. Seed was
hard
to come by. Fertiliser was in short supply. They planted without it,
hoping
it would come tomorrow or next week...or next month....or..... So
their
crops were under fertilised. Their coal did not come on time to cure
the
crop, so they cut down the trees in the veld. The barns were not set up
for
wood so they modified them. The tobacco went yellow in the lands as
they
battled to get the crop to the barns while they searched for diesel to
run
their tractors.
And so their yields were down. Their buyer had not
arranged the finance to
buy the tobacco crop and so they only started selling
in June instead of in
April. The banks were screaming. They would not lend
the farmer the money
for next years land prep. They would not finance the new
seedbeds. No
tobacco had yet been sold. So next years crop is
late.
The exchange rate for our tobacco did not give the farmer enough
surplus to
enable them to meet their debt committment. The inputs cost 10
times what
they cost last year. The bank won't finance next year's crop till
this
year's loan is paid off.
..and so the new farmer throws up his
hands in dispair. That wonderful
dream of success and production fades slowly
away as he looks over his
land...and wonders were this is all
going......
Simple
Simon
______________________________________________
Letter 2.
Subject: JAG PR Communique
4th November
2004
Dear JAG
Reference is made to the undermentioned article
regarding Border Timbers'
five seized estates. As a retired manager of a
forestry estate, may I query
the hectarage, quoted as being in excess of 34
million hectares? It seems
excessive.
Notwithstanding the possible
overstatement, the whole question of seizure
smacks of cutting off nose to
spite face!
E.A.Lee.
_______________________________________________
Letter 3.
Subject: JAG Open Letter Forum
29th October 2004 OLF
306
Dear JAG
For the open letter forum. If anyone can prove that
British firms, like
Tesco, are selling produce from stolen farms in Zimbabwe,
I will publish an
article about it in the Sunday Telegraph. I understand that
a German
company is trying to buy Roy Bennett's coffee crop. Does anyone know
who
this is or how I can get in touch with Mr Bennett? Thanks.
Anne
Wayne
_____________________________________________
Letter 4.
Subject: Tesco Products from Zim
Att Charles
In response to your
article regarding produce being sold in Tescos from
Zim. Please be aware of
the following item...
Tesco Store
Poole 3
Waterloo
Road
Fleetsbridge
Poole
BH17 7EJ
The item purchased was "baby
leeks"
Date 6/11/2004
Time aprox 2-00 pm
Bar code no: 1002
4027
As stated in an earlier letter to Jag, I want to become more
involved in
this issue regarding British Stores selling corrupt goods from
Zim. I am
more than willing to visit senior Tesco or Sainsbury executives to
hammer
home the point. Please let me know if there is more I can do to
help.
Yours Sincerely
Trevor
Midlane
______________________________________________
Letter 5.
Subject: TES17515X Re: Supply of fresh
Produce from
Zimbabwe
A reply from Tesco after my enquiry after reading previous
letter to you
Subject: TES17515X Re: Supply of fresh produce from
Zimbabwe
Thank you for your email.
We have recently experienced
some technical difficulties with our email
system which may result in some of
our customers receiving duplicate
replies.
If we have previously
replied to your enquiry, please ignore this response
and accept our
apologies.
With regard to Zimbabwe and Kondozi, this was an important
part of our
strategy in Zimbabwe but after it was seized we no longer trade
with
Kondozi Farm, or source any products from it.
We have always
supported the growers in Zimbabwe that we have developed
over the years and
do not support the illegal action of farm seizure. We
are still working with
producers and businesses within Zimbabwe, as it
offers a growth opportunity
for certain fruits and vegetables. This is an
extremely difficult time for
the growers who are working under these
constant threats, but they remain
optimistic, which is why we continue to
support them.
If you have any
further queries do not hesitate to contact us at
customer.service@tesco.co.uk
quoting TES17515X.
Regards
Jillian Burns
Tesco Customer
Service
______________________________________________
Letter 6.
Subject: In powere for ever
Dear Family and Friends,
While the
eyes of the world were on America this week, Zimbabwe seemed to
be completely
uninterested and totally unconcerned with the US election.
When asked by the
Zimbabwe Independent newspaper if President Mugabe was
going to comment on
the re-election of George Bush, official government
spokesman George Charamba
said: "What has Mr Bush's win got to do with the
Zimbabwe government." That
short comment summed it all up for Zimbabwe's
ruling party which seems far
more concerned about China. Day after day
this week, radio and television
headline news in Zimbabwe has been about
China. It appears that China is now
Zimbabwe's closest ally and all week
we've seen film footage of acres of
Chinese goods that have just arrived in
the country. These products include
electricity transformers, agricultural
implements and defence and security
equipment. Not to mention the tons and
tons of other Chinese products like
cheap clothes, luggage and electrical
equipment that have flooded our shelves
and flea markets lately and are
suffocating Zimbabwean companies and driving
our own manufacturers out of
business.
This week our agriculture
minister Joseph Made also climbed onto the
Chinese bandwagon. Despite being
repeatedly and grossly mistaken about crop
harvests and food security in
Zimbabwe, Doctor Made has just announced that
our growing relationship with
China is imperative for his new "35 year
agricultural programme." This is
the same Doctor Made who struggled to see
a year into the future not so long
ago. In April 2001 Doctor Made said that
he'd flown all over Zimbabwe
assessing the crop situation and as a result
of what he saw he was convinced
that there would be no food shortages in
Zimbabwe and no need to import any
wheat or maize. Less than a year later 7
million Zimbabweans were being fed
by the World Food Programme
I cannot imagine how any Minister of
Agriculture could put together a three
and a half decade plan in a country
where farm ownership changes almost
every season, where title deeds are
worthless and where police disregard
court rulings if they involve land,
white skinned Zimbabweans or anyone who
doesn't support the ruling party. Dr
Made talks about a dramatic increase
in trade with China and exports of all
sorts of agricultural products,
including, of course, tobacco. Dr Made seems
to have forgotten that this
year's tobacco crop was the smallest ever to have
been produced by
Zimbabwe.
While America looks to just the next four
years of Bush's term in office it
seems Zimbabwe 's government can see much,
much further into the future and
seems to think it will be in power for ever
and ever. Perhaps George
Charamba is right after all when he asks what
Bush's victory has to do with
Zimbabwe?. Like it or loathe it America is at
least the real world whereas
Zimbabwe daily loses touch with reality. Until
next week, with love,
cathy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice
for
Agriculture.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
JAG TEAM
JAG Hotlines:
(091) 261 862 If you are in trouble or need
advice,
(011) 205 374
(011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us
-
(011) 431 068
we're here to help!
263
4 799 410 Office Lines
JAG JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Updated 9th November 2004
Please send any
classified adverts for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG Job
Opportunities jag@mango.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Advert Received 2nd November 2004
Dear Sir,
I write on behalf of
Borradaile Trust. We feel sure that there are many
people who have things
they would like to find a home for and would be most
grateful if you would
publish our "Wish List" and thereby solve a few
problems. Many thanks to JAG
for this facility.
Industrial Food processer
Industrial
Mixer
12 white aprons
11 Yellow rainsuits( large and extra
large)
30 small clear plastic salad bows
50 teaspoons.
150
clear plastic glasses
25 Small teapots...4 cup size.
30 small
coasters
2 big catering poached egg pans
10 big plastic bowls
(large mixing bowls)
3 big pans for baking puddings and
cakes.
Melamine plates,side plates,pudding bowls, cups and saucers
50 of
each.
If you have any of the above please write to the Warden,
Borradaile
Trust.... email address .borradailetrust@earth.co.zw Your
help will be
most
appreciated.
_____________________________________________
2.
Advert Received 3rd November 2004
Wanted - Canadian canoes
Contact
Tim
Email hcballance@zol.co.zw
Phone 04 494035
or 011206827 or
011218594
______________________________________________
3. Advert
Repeated 9th November 2004
EQUIPMENT FOR REFRIGERATION EXPERTS
!
a) ANNIE HERMETIC UNIT AND COMPONENT ANALYSER. NEW ! $4,5
million
b) PROFESSIONAL VACUUM PUMP. Excellent condition! $5
million
c) ROBINAIR MANIFOLD GAUGE SET WITH CHARGE LINES. For R134A and
R22
Brand New in box includes pressure - temperature charts. $1 million or
near
offer
d) 1/4 COPPER TUBING
Phone: Jack
Palmer
301477
1st November
2004
_______________________________________
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS
PIANO - BABY GRAND OTTO BACH Outstanding - Offers around US
6500 or
equivalent
Phone Ruth Palmer
301477
1st November
2004
DISPOSAL OF HOUSEHOLD EFFECTS:
Household Furniture:
BED -
SINGLE HEADBOARD, BED & BASE ...... Z$1 M
BUILT IN WASTE BIN FOR
INSIDE KITCHEN CUPBOARD, BRAND NEW! ... GERMAN MADE
.. Z$250 000
CHAIR -
CASUAL, PARKER KNOLL ...... Z$450 000
CHEST OF DRAWERS AND MATCHING SINGLE
HEADBOARD SOLID DARK OAK/ DRALON - AS
NEW Z$2 M
HEAD/FOOT BOARDS - SOLID
WOOD FOR SINGLE BEDS ...... Z$200 000 ea. (PER
SINGLE BED)
LAMP STAND -
TALL CERAMIC. ..... Z$650 000
MATTRESS, SINGLE BED, ....... Z$250
000
MIRROR - OVAL HANGING ........Z$175 000
PATIO FURNITURE - SOLID
SALIGNA SLATTED 2 SEATER PLUS 2 SINGLES, AS NEW
... Z$5 m
DROP LEAF TABLE
+ 4 CHAIRS, BRAND NEW .... $4,5 m
PICTURES in FRAMES - VARIETY, from ....
Z$50 000
SOLID OAK, ADAM BEDE, TELEPHONE SEAT/TABLE UNIQUE DESIGN ...
Z$4M
TABLE - SQUARE ......Z$130 000
Appliances
DEEP FREEZES 6 To 12
Cu ft ... from Z$2 m -Z$4,5m
FRIDGES 6 to 16 Cu. Ft from .....Z$1,2 M -
Z$4m
STOVE 3 & 4 Plate from ...... Z$1,5 TO Z$2,5m EACH
Office
Furniture
DESK EXECUTIVE -165cms x 105cms- BEAUTIFUL SOLID WOOD, WITH RED
LEATHER
(inserted) TOP
9 Drawers - Z$ 4,5M
DESK - 73cms x 103cms, 3
Drawers ..... Z$450 000
DESK FAN ... Z$250 OOO
CHUBB SAFE WITH
COMBINATION LOCK LARGE ... NEW PRICE NEARLY Z$9M
ASKING Z$4,5M ...
EXCELLENT!
CASIO CALCULATOR ... Z$120 000
Sporting/Camping:
TABLE
TENNIS TABLE - ALUMINIUM FOLDING as good as new ..... Z$6 M (NEW
PRICE Z$12
M)
CANVAS/WOODEN FOLDING CAMPING/PICNIC CHAIRS. Z$120 000
COOL BOXES
VARIETY ... FROM Z$180 000 TO Z$450 000
POLAR CUB CARAVAN FRIDGE .. TOP
OPENING. Z$1M WITH TRANSFORMER
LARGE 10 MAN TENT ... UNIQUE DESIGN WITH
METAL SPRUNG INSIDE FRAME ... CAN
MOVE IT AROUND WHEN ERECTED ... VERY AIRY
WITH LARGE GAUZE WINDOWS AND ZIP
UP COVERS ... Z$2.5 M
HORSE RIDING HATS -
CHILDREN'S SIZES SIZE 55 ... Z$50
000;
SIZE
57
.. Z$100 000 (Brand New)
INSECT KILLER LAMP ATTRACTS INSECTS AT NIGHT
... Z$100 000
PHONE: 301477 Mrs R Palmer
OR
Call at 41 Coull
Drive
Mount Pleasant
Harare
1st November
2004
MISCELLANEOUS
DRIVE WAY GATES 12FT x 6 FT ....... NEVER USED
... Z$2,3M
HAND HELD FERTILISER SPREADER FOR GARDENS ... IMPORTED ... Z$200
000
RADIO COMMUNCATION ... 3 VEHICLE RADIOS PLUS BASE STATION; POWER
SUPPLY
AND AERIAL MAST. Z$4M
BSA PELLET GUN No1 ... EXCELLENT!
Z$1,2m
TRAILER HITCHES/COUPLINGS ... TAIL LIGHTS
ETC.
MACHINERY
HAND BENDER FOR SQUARE TUBING ... TO MAKE GATES OR
FURNITURE ...
BENDS SECTIONS 12MM; 15MM; 20MM; 25MM ... BEND ANY ANGLE IN
SQUARE OR
ROUND.
MADE IN AUSTRALIA ... Z$3M
PHONE 301830
JACK
PALMER
25TH OCTOBER 2004
BOAT FOR SALE.
PIRANAH 16 FT. BOAT WITH 90
HP YAMAHA "AUTO LUB" ... Only 59 hours ...
still has original spark plugs -
No indication of wear on Starter ring gear
.. PLUS STURDY ROAD TRAILER Gift
at US 6500 or equivalent. The boat
itself has spent very little time in the
water and so there is no problem
with osmosis. Navigation lights. (PRICE OF
A NEW YAMAHA 90 US$ 6500 PLUS
Z$12 MILLION)
BOAT SHELTER also available
for the above boat at a price to be negotiated
around
Z$3,5 m ...
Galvanised IBR sheeting, as new, with cranked ridge on poles
.
dismantleable.
Phone: 301477 / 301830
Jack Palmer
1st
November 2004
BOAT FOR SALE
VOLVO HULL WITH 85HP YAMAHA ... EXCELLENT
CONDITION ON TRAILER.
GREAT FISHING BOAT. Z$45M
PHONE 190 253 120
(DARRYN) OR Jack Palmer on 301477.
1st November
2004
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
ADVERTISING
TRAILER ... TRIANGULAR PITCH AS SEEN ON THE SIDE OF THE
ROAD.
Z$4m
PHONE 301477
JACK PALMER
1st November
2004
_____________________________________________
4. Advert Received
3rd November 2004
FOR SALE: Borehole Casings, 4" Steel Piping &
Selection Pulleys with Bushes
Contact Peter 04 497751 or cell 011 631
738
20 x 6" x 3m lengths of borehole casings @ $100,000 a
length
Steel piping 4'' x 3m @ $200,000 a length
A selection of v
belt pulleys with bushes.
Contact Peter 04 497751 or cell 011 631
738
______________________________________________
5. Advert Received
4th November 2004
For Sale
Towlite Trailer - 2002 Nose cone, 1
tonne, immaculate condition, 10 seater
table and space for 4 jerry
cans.
15,000,000
1 Electric/gas Limpopo Freezer
Fits into above
trailer. Very good condition 4 years old. Used in Mana etc
frequently so
converts well to gas and Zesa.
2,500,000
Video. Sharp (4 years old)
1,500,000
1 x General Electric Big American Fridge - in perfect working
order, just a
little tatty to look at! Good sized freezer
above.
4,000,000
Mercedes Benz 230TE 1983 petrol in very good
condition very sad to be
selling. 278000 kms
40,000,000.
6 x Jerry
Cans. 20lt in very good condition.
400,000 each (they were 600,000 at
Feredays and now out of stock)!
Phone Alice Fircks
091 408202 or
495997
______________________________________________
6. Advert
Received 5th November 2004
I am desperately looking for a female
dachshund puppy.
Please contact me on 011 207 269 or 091 333
749.
______________________________________________
7. Advert
Received 5th November 2004
Amberstone Investments (Pvt)
Limited
Genuine Handmade Leather Products.
Useful ideal Christmas
gift, handmade in Zimbabwe, export quality.
Leather
Handbags
Material/Batik Handbags
Leather Jackets
Wallets
Belts for
Ladies and Men
To view phone Diane for an afternoon appointment.
Chisipite, Harare
Phone : 494035
Cell : 011206827
e-mail : hcballance@zol.co.zw
______________________________________________
8.
Advert Received 5th November 2004
FOR SALE
1 X 60-1 Radikon Gear
Box
1 x Maruti Pop Shaft/clutch Plate/Pressure Plate
Merc 220D Injector
Pump/Oil Pump/ Filter housing injectors and
various
others
Contact
Johan
Cell No: 091 322 257
ksmit@tregprod.co.zw
_______________________________________________
9.
Advert Received 6th November 2004
Decoder for sale with registered smart
card and new Remote Control
If interested please ring 011 231 541 or
332798
_______________________________________________
10. Advert
Received 6th November 2004
G -TECH
Graham Van Wyk - fully
qualified petrol and diesel technician (plus 19
years experience in
agricultural, mining and motor industries) for tune
ups, services and routine
vehicle maintenance, including farm and
earthmoving equipment. Specialising
in electronic tune ups, instruments,
and transmissions. Very competitive
rates, will come out.
011 406023, 075 2264, bushbeans@zol.zo.zw
______________________________________________
11.
Advert Received 8th November 2004
WANTED
Looking to
buy:
5.5 KVA Generator
Please contact Jeff on 091 416 141 or Sarah
on 091 207 713
_____________________________________________
12 Advert
Received 8th November 2004
If anyone has a Modrho tobacco drier for sale
please contact Belinda 091
605
185.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw