Daily News - Feature
Let the game begin - may the better team
lose!
11/11/02 8:54:13 AM (GMT +2)
THE
atmosphere was intimidating. The large soccer dome was full to the
maximum
with fans. The soccer match was going to decide which between the
two teams
was going to be crowned champion. The two teams had for a long
time boasted
of being better than the other.
The visitors used their privilege
of having unlimited access to
resources to their advantage. They bussed in
several hooligans a day before
the big match.
The fans spent
most of the night terrorising the peaceful people of
the home team. It was as
if the Devil had ordered his army of torturers to
show the home team what
retribution meant. The drunken supporters made sure
they instilled fear of
the greatest magnitude into the home supporters.
On the day of the
match, the stadium was full of the colours of the
visiting team. In a move
that surprised many people, the visitors took over
control of the gates into
the stadium.
People entering the stadium paid their fees to the
visiting team's
supporters. The local security arrangement was thrown into
disarray, as the
visiting team provided its own set of mean bouncers. The
home team became
spectators as the visitors took over affairs.
The home team's supporters were pushed into a tight corner. They were
refused
their sporting right to cheer their team on by the drunk and rowdy
supporters
of the visiting team.
Observations were that even if they had been
allowed to shout their
voices hoarse, the home team supporters' cheering and
urging would have been
drowned by the imposing presence of the visitors. The
fans somehow chose to
remain subdued in their self-expression.
The usual frenzy expected at such big games as this one was
noticeably
absent. For many from the home team, the gathering resembled a
funeral wake.
The supporters of the visiting team literally painted
the whole
stadium with their team's colours. On the walls, the graffiti
artists
bussed in from the most remote corners of the big country painted
their work
of art diligently.
They defaced the walls with the
slogans of their team. They insulted
the home team, its supporters, its
management committee and its sponsors.
All over the previously
clean walls of the giant stadium were
scribbled insulting terms that had
never been seen before by the home team's
supporters.
The home
supporters were introduced to the weird art of toilet
graffiti where
boisterous supporters used anything that could make a
permanent impression to
write offensive words about the home team.
Some of the graffiti was
painted using spray cans of an exotic nature,
whilst here and there, the
artists used blood from the home supporters which
they got by slicing the
bodies of the home supporters with razor-sharp
knives.
Instead
of flushing their solid waste in the toilet, some of the
graffiti artists
brought in by the visiting team used it to enhance their
artistic
impressions.
Whilst it is said that art is a very complex and
imaginative subject,
I do not think that it has to be all that
wasteful!
Just before the game started, the match commissioner,
Ndenda Ndlovu,
made an announcement that shocked the few home supporters. He
announced that
the match officials had been delayed due to some unforeseen
circumstances.
He further declared that by the powers vested in him by the
football
association, he was going to appoint match officials from the
spectators.
He said he was privileged with information on the
presence of
proficient soccer officials within the spectators. When the
match
commissioner called out the names of the substitute match officials,
the
visiting team supporters went into a frenzy.
Mthengisi was
going to be the referee. Mthengisi was the visiting team
's public relations
officer. Zealot Munikwa and Enos Gotshela were to be the
assistant referees.
The two were full-time committee members of the
management board of the
visiting team.
Enlightenment Elephant "the Duke" was appointed the
fourth official.
The Duke had just resigned from the visiting team's
management committee to
take up a post in the marketing section of the
incorporated company that
owned the visiting team.
The home team
was devastated by the substitute appointments. Their
supporters tried to
voice their displeasure, but the ululations from the
visitors' supporters
made them appear as if they were part of the
ecstatic
celebrations.
Satisfied with himself, the match
commissioner announced in a
triumphant voice: "Let the games begin and may
the best team win!"
The game began. The home team's players tried
hard. They put the
visiting team under pressure. The visiting fans were not
happy. They started
throwing missiles each time the home team made dangerous
forays into their
opponents' danger area.
The visiting defence
had to use crude and crunchy tackles to prevent
the home strikers from
scoring perfect goals. The reactions of the referee
of not awarding penalties
to the home team did not surprise many, although
the home supporters were
riled.
At the break, the home team found out that its refreshments
had been
stolen. The home team players could not replenish their spent
energy.
They could not tone their muscles with any medication as
the medical
kit had also been conveniently stolen by the visiting hooligans.
The
situation was desperate.
In their hearts, the players wanted
to win and they had the potential
to do so, but the scheming invaders were
making victory difficult. It
surprised even the wicked plotters that the home
team managed to come out
unscathed in the first half.
The second
half started at a cracking pace. The visitors were prepared
to frustrate the
home team at all costs. They had everything on their side.
The referee and
his assistants were actually playing against the home team.
The supporters
were booing the home team's players unnecessarily. The home
supporters' lack
of replenishment made them tired and spent.
The referee made a
painful decision when a visiting striker feigned
injury in the penalty area.
He conferred with his assistant for a short
while. When he was done with his
assistant, he took out a red card from his
pocket and showed it to a home
defender who was miles away from the action.
The crowd sang loudly
when the wayward referee pointed to the spot.
The visiting supporters were
silenced when their man failed to convert from
the spot. The reflex actions
of the agile goalkeeper saved the day.
The game went on at a
painful pace for the home team. They were
exhausted from battling against a
team whose players were being given
performance-enhancing steroids by the
bench each time they felt tired. They
got even more tired from the referee's
decisions.
No team could play good soccer under those conditions.
Slowly, the
home team began to show signs of fatigue, frustration and
exasperation. The
war was quickly sliding in the favour of the
visitors.
The last nail in the coffin was when the referee took one
of the worst
decisions ever made by a match official. The referee adjudged
that the home
goalkeeper had felled a player from the opposition. The keeper
was dismissed
forthwith. Since the home team had made use of all its
substitutes, they
made some tactical changes. They moved one player into
goals for the purpose
of damage control.
The visiting team
managed to score one goal during regulation time.
The applause was
thunderous. The home supporters started trickling out in
disappointment. They
had managed to stand immense humiliation for more than
24 hours. The conduct
of the match commissioner, the match officials and the
visiting supporters
spoiled what could have been a good game.
When the referee blew his
whistle to signal that the match was over,
he did another unbelievable
thing. He went around the field
celebrating noisily with the visiting
team.
It was a scandal of the worst kind.
Daily News
Resettled farmers to access $60bn Loan
11/11/02 8:35:39 AM (GMT +2)
By Takaitei Bote Farming
Editor
NEWLY resettled farmers will, from tomorrow, be able to make
loan
applications to access funds from the $60 billion Agribond, a
scheme
introduced by the government as part of its land reform
programme.
Syfrets Corporate and Merchant Bank (Sybank) is to issue
the Agribond,
through which it is hoped to raise $60 billion for the Model A2
farmers
(those resettled under the commercial farming scheme).
Sybank said in a statement that it would be issuing short-term
Agrobills and
long-term Agribonds to investors two weeks from tomorrow.
Sybank,
which is the leading bank in the process of raising the $60
billion, has been
working with other banks, the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development
and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on the modalities of
the
scheme.
There are 15 banks participating in the exercise, according
to Sybank.
Sybank said in the statement: "From Tuesday, A2 farmers will
be able
to lodge applications with the agro-processors or their bank for
loans that
will be financed with the money raised by the Agrobills and
Agribonds.
"A number of processors of agricultural products have
traditionally
financed farmers on condition that the crops are sold to them.
These
processors will now be able to draw money raised by the Agrobills
and
Agribonds for on-lending to A2 scheme farmers in addition to their
normal
financing arrangements."
Some of the agro-processors
include the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe,
Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited, and the
Agricultural and Rural Development
Authority (Arda).
Commercial
banks have been reluctant to fund farmers, especially newly
resettled ones,
because most of them do not have title deeds to offer as
security for
borrowing, while lack of clarity on the government resettlement
programme
made it insecure for banks to assist the farmers.
"Sybank has
negotiated bridging finance to enable banks to process
applications and make
loans under the facility as from Tuesday 12 November,
in view of the farmers'
urgent need for finance now that the agricultural
season has commenced," the
bank said.
It said Agrobills would be issued for a period of 275
days for working
capital purposes and Agribonds for a period of three years
to finance
capital development and equipment.
The interest on
loans payable by farmers will range between 30 and 34
percent.
Daily News
Government sets aside $1bn for tobacco
seedlings
11/11/02 8:32:48 AM (GMT +2)
Farming
Reporter
THE government has set $1 billion for the production of
tobacco
seedlings in an effort to boost the output of the golden leaf, which
is
expected to fall to dismal quantities next year.
A flue-cured
tobacco crop of about 50 million kg is expected next
year. This is down on
this year's production of about 170 million kg.
Large-scale
commercial farmers, the bulk of whom grew tobacco over the
years, have been
evicted from their farms as part of the government's land
reform
programme.
About 80 percent of the large-scale commercial farmers
who grow
tobacco have received eviction notices.
Tobacco
contributes about 30 percent of the country's foreign currency
earnings. The
country, already facing severe foreign currency shortages, is
expected to
sink into a deeper crisis next year.
Participating in the Tobacco
Seedlings Production Scheme are the
Indigenous Commercial Farmers' Union
(ICFU) Zimbabwe Association of Tobacco
Growers (ZATG), the Zimbabwe Tobacco
Association, The Zimbabwe Farmers'
Union, Farmers' Development Trust, Tobacco
Research Board and the Tobacco
Industry and Marketing Board
(TIMB).
While the TIMB administers the money, the rest of the
participants in
the scheme produce the seedlings for A1 model farmers
(villagised
settlements), A2 farmers (new commercial farmers) and existing
farmers.
Between 3 500 and 3 700 hectares have been put under
tobacco seedlings
this season through the project in tobacco growing areas of
the country.
Speaking during a ZTGA field day in Macheke last
Friday, the
association vice-president, Chrispen Vambe, said out of the $1
billion set
aside for the seedlings scheme, $200 million was utilised by the
all the
players in the scheme this year. About 95 percent of the $200 million
has
been utilised by ZTGA members who this season produced seedlings mainly
for
new farmers and the existing growers.
In Mashonaland East
alone, 100 ZTGA members are producing seedlings,
while between 300 and 400
ZTGA members are participating countrywide.
Vambe could not say how
many farmers had benefited from the scheme as
it was only launched this
season and any farmer who wanted to plant tobacco
was an automatic
beneficiary.
While the idea of injecting money into the production
of seedlings for
new tobacco farmers is seen as noble, industry officials
attending the field
day said the funds were, however, released very late.
Only $200 million out
of the $1 billion has been utilised. Tobacco seed,
which was supposed to be
planted in July this year, was only planted in
September. About 34 new
farmers at Hawget Farm in Macheke, who want to plant
tobacco, are still
waiting for tobacco seedlings to mature.
The
seedlings on Hawget Farm are expected to be ready for
transplanting at the
end of November.
Vambe said: "The project was launched this season.
Although introduced
late, a crop will be planted. Since large-scale
commercial farmers are gone,
the national flue-cured tobacco crop will drop
next season. There is need to
make sure there is continuity. Seedling
production was the weakest area for
most new farmers, so the government
decided to assist them."
Vambe said small-scale and communal
farmers would not be able to make
up for the gap left by large
scale-commercial farmers "overnight".
"Everyone has to play a part in
making sure that we reach our target
of 250 million kg of flue-cured tobacco
in less than five years."
The ZTGA has launched an on-farm training
project in which it mainly
trains new tobacco farmers. The 34 new farmers at
Hawget Farm were trained
by the ZTGA. Clarence Mauye, the leader of the new
farmers at Hawget Farm,
said: "The former owner of the farm used to plant 38
hectares of flue-cured
tobacco. We intend to plant 69 hectares."
The owner of Hawget, who was only identified as a J Dodd, vacated the
farm in
May this year and Mauye is now living in the farmhouse.
Daily News
MDC demands hearing of petitions
11/11/02
8:24:47 AM (GMT +2)
Staff Reporter
PROFESSOR
Welshman Ncube, the secretary-general of the MDC yesterday
said the MDC was
concerned with the continued delay in setting dates for the
hearing of the
election petition in which his party is challenging the
results of the March
presidential election.
He said despite the lapse of eight months
since the March presidential
poll which was controversially won by President
Mugabe, no date had yet been
set for the hearing of their election
petition.
"It is a universally recognised principal of electoral
law, provided
for in terms of our own electoral laws that election petitions
challenging
elections have to be dealt with by the courts as a matter of
urgency," Ncube
said in a statement.
"This brings about finality
in relation to the elections themselves."
Ncube said the MDC filed the
petition in terms of the Electoral Act. "We are
extremely concerned at this
delay," he said. "The old adage that justice
delayed is justice denied is
appropriate, especially in this case. We
earnestly hope that the courts will
deal with this very important matter
with the urgency it
deserves."
Zimbabwe's March presidential election has been
condemned by the MDC,
the United Kingdom, the United States in particular,
several Western
countries, civic organisations and the international
community, as not
having been free and fair. The MDC does not recognise
Mugabe as the
legitimate president of Zimbabwe, but of Zanu PF, a political
party.
It alleges that Mugabe rigged the election, used violence
against its
supporters, barred thousands of Zimbabweans from voting and
manipulated the
electoral laws before and during the election.
Zanu PF, on the other hand, maintains that Mugabe's victory was fair.
Daily News
NCA changes strategy to thwart police
11/11/02 8:20:07 AM (GMT +2)
By Chris Gande and Henry
Makiwa
POLICE on Saturday came out in full force in Bulawayo city
centre to
frustrate a planned march by the National Constitutional Assembly
(NCA).
Duped into believing that the march would be staged in the
city
centre, the police were on standby.
In the meantime, the
NCA marches for a new democratic constitution
were taking place in Bulawayo's
high-density suburbs of Entumbane and
Makokoba.
When the police
eventually learnt that the marches were in the
high-density suburbs they sped
to the townships. By then, it was too late to
stop the marchers who had
already had their day. The marchers dispersed on
their own upon the arrival
of the police. No one was arrested during the
protest.
The
marchers held banners and placards calling for a new constitution
as the
solution to the country's socio-economic and political problems.
In
Makokoba, Bulawayo's oldest and most populous suburb, the
marchers
distributed pamphlets.
The marches were part of the
NCA's nationwide "Enough is Enough"
campaign to encourage people to press for
a new constitution.
In the past, the NCA has held demonstrations in the
city centre,
resulting in clashes with the police. This time around, they
were the wiser
and changed tactics in a strategy which was also employed in
Harare.
In Harare's Mabvuku and Tafara high-density suburbs,
hundreds of
people heeded the NCA's call for a protest march and took to the
streets
demanding a new constitution.
Dr Lovemore Madhuku, the
national chairman of the NCA, said the police
had arrested some members of
his organisation ahead of the planned
demonstrations in Gweru and
Chitungwiza. The demonstrations failed to take
place in Gweru following the
arrests. Madhuku said: "The police arrested our
Gweru chairman and four of
our members in Chitungwiza.
"They fired tear-gas at demonstrators
in Mabvuku in an apparent effort
to cow the people from voicing their
rightful concerns. However, today's
events show that the people are
strong-willed and will not be intimidated."
The protest processions
called for a new constitution that would
ensure transparency in elections and
the repealing of repressive laws such
as the draconian Access to Information
and Protection of Privacy Act and the
Public Order and Security
Act.
"The demonstrations in the suburbs marked the advent of our
new
strategy. This was the first time our protests were staged outside the
city
centre. They are community-based demonstrations that will involve all
the
masses. "We are calling for an end to political violence and the
government'
s repressive responses to our democratic demands."
Meanwhile, the NCA regional chairman, Justin Josiah Ndlovu, said the
NCA was
going to take the police to court for refusing them permission
to hold
public meetings in Bulawayo.
Police in Bulawayo have barred the NCA
from holding public meetings
which have been allowed elsewhere in the
country, including in Matabeleland
North and South provinces.
Ndlovu said: "We have been pushed too far. We are now left with no
option but
to either take legal action or to demonstrate for the right to
hold the
meetings."
Daily News
Zesa robbing consumers of hard-earned money
11/11/02 8:51:52 AM (GMT +2)
THIS is an open letter to the
powers-that-be at the Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority
(Zesa).
I see that whereas my electricity bills averaged $3 700 a
month, my
latest bill, which now includes 6 percent surcharge and 6 percent
rural
electrification levy, is $6 000 - a rise of 150 percent.
I
personally feel robbed of my hard-earned money.
First, the increase
is just too high. If we are also supposed to be
paying for rural
electrification, why are our mothers and fathers being
asked to pay a lot of
money directly from their own pockets for this same
rural electrification
programme?
What bothers me also is the fact that a lot of people
are "bridging"
the supply of electricity, resulting in them paying peanuts
for their
electricity bills, while Zesa does not seem to be doing anything
about it.
My guess is that one in 10 households have fidgeted with
their
electricity meters. Some homesteads with three or so household-lodgers,
all
using electric stoves, refrigerators and irons, are paying far less a
month
compared to my bill, which is just for my small family.
Why is Zesa happy to punish the honest consumers (through high bills),
while
letting off those cheating the system?
Why should some consumers
subsidise the electricity bills of others?
By not doing something about this,
what Zesa is saying is that others are
free to fiddle with their meters as
well.
Zesa is encouraging the spread of corruption and decay in our
once
beautiful country. If there is something Zesa is already doing about
it,
then please excuse my accusation.
The best thing any
Zimbabwean can do for his country, his people and
his political party, is to
do a good job in whatever capacity. There is no
excuse for doing
otherwise.
Job Munyai (Jnr)
Harare
Daily News
Jongwe death: State's reaction questionable
11/11/02 8:37:34 AM (GMT +2)
THE government has done little
to allay the grave and suspicious
concerns raised over the death in custody
of Learnmore Jongwe, the former MP
for Kuwadzana.
Firstly, its
reaction to comparison between Jongwe's death in a prison
cell and Bantu
Steve Biko in an apartheid prison was one of panic, even
though it was meant
to dismiss attempts at drawing similarities.
Secondly, the
government's response to the results of the postmortem,
as typified by the
police spokesperson, Wayne Bvudzijena, seemed to suggest
fear of the truth,
again only helping to fuel speculation about how Jongwe
could have
died.
The way they reacted seemed to indicate they had more to hide
than
they were prepared to admit.
Jongwe died in the early hours
of 22 October 2002 at the Remand Prison
in Harare. Biko died in a prison cell
in Pretoria on 12 September 1977.
The autopsy results, according to the
government, show that Jongwe
died of Chloroquine poisoning. How it was
possible for the alleged drug to
be smuggled into prison, would in normal
circumstances be another subject of
a judicial inquiry.
However,
since his death, the government has sought to offer various
suicide theories,
especially relying on alleged letters and correspondence
by Jongwe. But this
was done even before a thorough investigation that would
normally include
hearing evidence from those who were with him in the cells
before he met his
untimely end, as well as whether at any point that
night/morning he was ever
taken away from his cell and returned, and who by.
Jongwe and Joe
George Ndlovu, who was the MP for Insiza have died in
circumstances that are
so far unclear, but which could only benefit the
government since it embarked
on a campaign to reverse the opposition MDC's
gains since the June 2000
parliamentary election.
The government's agenda is to reclaim all
the seats it lost to the MDC
through vote-buying, terror and electoral
manipulation.
Fletcher Dulini Ncube, the MP for Lobengula-Magwegwe,
Tichaona
Munyanyi, MP for Mbare East, are reportedly ailing. They have been
arrested
and their condition is a cause for concern. Other MDC MPs Renson
Gasela, Job
Sikhala, Tafadzwa Musekiwa, Welshman Ncube, Gibson Sibanda, and
their leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, face various charges, which could lead to the
loss of
their seats in Parliament if convicted on some of the
charges.
They will all be concerned about their fate when in
custody.
If the governmenty wanted to show it had nothing to hide
or worry
about over the circumstances in which Jongwe died, it would
have,given the
potential for scepticism, even gone out of its way to invite a
panel of
pathologists from the region to come and conduct the
postmortem.
There could be no better demonstration of its belief that
it has
nothing to hide than this route. But perhaps that's to expect too
much.
Instead of a mere announcement of the postmortem results,
the
government raised more questions than the answers it sought to provide.
It
dismissed whatever result is going to come from the South
African
pathologist hired by the MDC to conduct a separate independent
autopsy.
The government went into a defensive mode. The guilty are
always
afraid.
It is also curios that this was described as a
police autopsy. Yet,
the level of confidence most people have in the police
after 32 months of
lawlessness is as much as that a nation will have in
Joseph Chinotimba being
appointed the next Minister of Finance or
Industry.
The government might not be interested in the South
African
pathologist's report, but it is doubtful whether this will remain
the
position were he to make the same findings as the
government.
The government should welcome the South African
pathologist's report
because it can only either confirm or show up the flaws
in the system used
in this country. This would help in upgrading the
processes to
internationally accepted standards.
Embracing the
report by the South African pathologist would go a long
way in allaying
concerns that the government has a dark strategy of dealing
with opposition
legislators, once in its custody.
Daily News
Tsvangirai warns MPs against complacency
11/11/02 8:26:55 AM (GMT +2)
Staff Reporter
MDC
president, Morgan Tsvangirai warned all opposition Members of
Parliament at
the weekend against taking their constituencies for granted
because they
risked being booted out at the next general election.
He was
addressing about 15 000 people who gathered at the Zimbabwe
Grounds in
Highfields in Harare on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the party
's third
anniversary. Tsvangirai castigated some unidentified MDC MPs who,
he said,
only attended parliamentary sessions without reporting back to
their
constituents.
"I want to say today to you MPs that most of you mave
kurara nezamu
mukanwa (you have become too complacent)," he said. "You have
forgotten how
you entered Parliament. You could go out the same way if you
are not careful
with your behaviour."
Tsvangirai said the MPs
should hold rallies in their respective
constituencies to link up with the
people who voted them into office. He
said some MPs spent most of their time
making theoretical statements to the
media without working with the people
who matter most in a democracy.
"If you continue to pronounce
theories, you will be left alone when
the time comes," he said. "We need
action people. Go back to the people who
elected you and work. That is your
duty."
Tsvangirai said the real task for the parliamentarians was
not in
Parliament, but in their respective constituencies, where decisions
had to
be made about how to remove President Mugabe's
government.
In an attack on district and provincial executives,
Tsvangirai said
the MDC was an institution bigger than anyone in whatever
capacity within
and outside it.
"That practice of fighting over
the little money that is given to you
is childish and unwarranted," he said.
"It has to go. We will remove you and
bring in competent executives. Do you
want me to go all over the country to
meet the people when you are there,
busy fighting for money?"
Tsvangirai said the MDC did not recognise
Mugabe as the legitimate
President of Zimbabwe.
"We thought we
were in a democracy yet it's autocracy all over. We
have to know how to get
our power and how to govern Zimbabwe. Mugabe does
what he wants because of
you who meekly accept to be his people. We must
refuse to be his
people."
The MDC supporters observed a minute of silence in honour
of Learnmore
Jongwe, who died on 22 October at the Harare Remand Prison under
suspicious
circumstances.
Jongwe, the MP for Kuwadzana, was in
custody awaiting trial for the
alleged murder of his wife.
When
Tsvangirai spoke about Jongwe, thousands of youths and women
broke into song
and dance, accusing Mugabe's government of the MP's death.
They displayed
banners with Jongwe's picture inscribed "Jongwe is a Hero".
Tsvangirai commended the MDC supporters for remaining united
despite
harassment, torture, kidnappings and eviction from their homes by the
Zanu
PF government.
He said: "Mugabe claims he won the election.
He lost dismally. I
challenge him today to allow a rerun to prove himself to
the world. That is
the only solution to this political crisis. The truth in
Zimbabwe's politics
is that the MDC is the people's party."
Speaking at the same meeting, Nelson Chamisa, the MDC national youth
chairman
said the fact that everyone was suffering because of Mugabe's
misrule was
enough inspiration for the youths of Zimbabwe to define their
role in the
struggle for independence from dictatorship and corruption.
Chamisa
said: "Mugabe is selfish until death. This is no longer time
for words. A
revolution does not need theorists, but actors. Those people
leaving for the
United Kingdom are clearly sabotaging the struggle." Chamisa
said the youths
were serious about the need to protect society from
harassment. "What we are
saying is, from today, no Zanu PF card will be used
as a passport to buy
scarce food." he said. "No responsible youth will allow
political thugs to
dictate the terms of trade in Harare and any town in
Zimbabwe. We have to put
a stop to that madness."
The Times
November 11, 2002
Britain feeds
empty words to starving Zimbabwe
by vanora
bennett
Tony Blair has made a name for himself as the
scourge of distant
dictators, from Slobodan Milosevic to Saddam Hussein. At
the drop of a hat,
British squaddies are dispatched to fight and die in
remote troublespots.
But what are the British, possessors of a
splendid-sounding
ethical foreign policy, doing to save millions of
Zimbabweans from the
dictator whose latest infamy, during a time of drought
and famine, is to
starve anyone who hasn't voted for him?
Not a lot.
Which is strange, when you think about it.
Zimbabwe, as Southern
Rhodesia, was a British colony. The deal that ended a
war between its
separatist white settlers and its black majority was struck
in 1979 with
British help. Zimbabwe's legal system is modelled on Britain's,
with
lashings of horsehair wigs and woolsacks. Lots of Zimbabweans,
especially
whites, still have British passports. And British diplomats have
repeatedly
tried (and failed) to help to settle the agricultural ownership
problems
from which today's crisis stems.
So Britain has
more shared post-colonial history with Zimbabwe
than with any of the places
Tony Blair is so enthusiastic about biffing.
That should be reason enough to
make a priority of helping the Zimbabweans
in their hour of
need.
And if ever there was one, this is such a time. The
whole of
southern Africa is hungry. But the situation in Zimbabwe is
especially
dangerous. This isn't just because, by next March, there will be
enough food
for only half the 13 million population. It's because Robert
Mugabe's Zanu
(PF) party bosses are already sending food only to those whose
political
loyalty can be proved. Matabeleland, where the ethnic minority
lives, is
going in fear. And so are plenty of others. When the food trucks
trundle in,
if you can't show a Zanu (PF) card, you
starve.
This is only the latest Kafkaesque policy from a
regime whose
crimes have gone unpunished for so long that it feels
invincible. Elections
are stolen. Opposition leaders are tortured and
terrorised. Big commercial
farmers have been kicked off their land without
compensation. And, saddest
of all, half a million dispossessed black
farmworkers are now joining the
ranks of the starving.
While Britain stands by, wringing its hands, others at least are
getting
angry. The World Food Programme suspended relief distribution in
part of
Zimbabwe after Zanu (PF) thugs "liberated" three tons of food last
month. The
European Union has condemned Zimbabwe for using food as a weapon
against its
people.
And Washington is so concerned about the six million
Zimbabweans
threatened by famine that US officials are suggesting "very
intrusive
interventionist measures" to get food aid in. That is no bad thing.
Even
people who usually feel uneasy about America playing global policeman
will
agree that a country whose President is unhinged enough to object to
foreign
food aid during a famine needs outsiders to muscle in with airlifts
of
peanut butter mercy parcels.
But where are the British
shortbread biscuit love-bombs? And
where is the tough British diplomacy
needed to rein in Mugabe? What about
asking the Zimbabwean High Commissioner
to leave, for example, or broadening
visa restrictions on Zimbabweans, or
working harder at freezing Zanu (PF's)
foreign assets, or tabling a
resolution on Zimbabwe at the UN Security
Council?
We've
relied for too long on the vain hope that South Africa
would do the dirty
work of licking Zimbabwe into shape (however obvious it
was that Thabo Mbeki
was going to disappoint). A Foreign Office line now is
that Britain should
work tactfully behind the scenes, nudging other states
into protesting rather
than openly confronting a touchy former colonial
subject
itself.
It's all strangely timid when compared to Britain's
posturing on
other continents. Yet this is no time for post-colonial
cowardice. A bad man
can still be bad even if he's a black former imperial
subject. If Tony Blair
wants to fight the good fight, Zimbabwe is a good
place to start.
SABC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zimbabwe motorists stranded as fuel runs out
November 11, 2002,
16:15
Zimbabwean motorists scrambled for scant supplies
of fuel today
amid worsening shortages, which have plagued President Robert
Mugabe's
government over the last three years.
A lack of
foreign currency has led to erratic fuel supplies in
the southern African
country, exacerbating an economic crisis that has also
left nearly half the
country's 14 million people facing food shortages.
Most
central Harare garages today displayed signs that they had
no fuel, while
long winding queues were seen at the few outlets with petrol
and
diesel.
An attendant at one garage said it had limited
supplies that
were likely to run out before the end of the
day.
"We are not sure when the next stock is coming in," he
said.
Officials at the state National Oil Company of
Zimbabwe
(Noczim), which imports the bulk of Zimbabwe's fuel, were not
immediately
available for comment.
The official Herald
newspaper said some privately owned commuter
bus operators in Harare had
nearly doubled their fares over the past week.
The fuel shortage has forced
many public operators to halt services.
Earlier this month
Mugabe said foreign oil companies with retail
outlets in Zimbabwe should
import their own products for resale, breaking a
long running monopoly Noczim
on fuel imports.
Mugabe told a business seminar in the
central city of Gweru that
his cash strapped government was "foolishly
helping" multinational oil
companies earn huge profits while carrying the
burden and blame for any fuel
problems.
"The fuel comes in
the name of the government, and what do we
do? We call in multinational
companies. They sell and make profits," Mugabe
said in remarks carried by
state media.
"Government does not make any profit. Twenty-two
years playing
this foolery. They don't suffer from the headaches and stomach
aches I
suffer from," he added.
Mugabe's government has
not commented on media reports that a
$360 million fuel deal with Libya
renewed in September has hit a snag over
Zimbabwe's failure to make payments.
Under the arrangement, Libya has been
supplying 70 % of Zimbabwe's fuel needs
for the last two years.
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader,
is a key ally of Mugabe, who
has faced criticism from many Western countries
over his controversial land
drive and his disputed re-election in March. -
Reuters
TM Supermarkets Suspends Bosses
The Herald
(Harare)
November 11, 2002
Posted to the web November 11,
2002
Harare
TM Supermarkets in and outside Harare have suspended
seven branch managers
for allegedly hoarding and selling some basic
commodities at exorbitant
prices without official consent.
Most of the
affected managers are in Harare while one is in Kadoma.
The managers were
suspended after till operators tasked to probe the
distribution and selling
of basic commodities unearthed the scam.
A source within the supermarket
chain told The Herald that the till
operators managed to identify stocks of
flour and sugar which the managers
were allegedly selling on their
own.
They were selling a standard loaf of bread to customers at $120,
instead of
the stipulated price of $60, the source said.
They doubled
the price of sugar, flour and cooking oil, making the
commodities beyond
reach of the ordinary consumers.
One of the till operators who only
identified himself as Farai said there
was plenty of sugar and flour in most
shops which was not being sold
directly to the public.
"Some of the
branches have got sugar and flour but they are not being sold.
"There is
plenty of these commodities but they are hoarding and selling them
to their
own customers who have money, at high prices," he said.
Some of the
managers who were involved in the scandal have allegedly been
sent on forced
leave pending investigations while others have already
been
fired.
Efforts to get a comment from TM managing director Mr Mike
Okley were
fruitless.
A secretary who answered the telephone said Mr
Okley was not the right
person to talk to and referred all questions to
another manager who said he
only knew of one branch manager who was suspended
after he sold scarce
commodities only to people he knew.
He then
referred all questions back to the managing director.
There has been a
shortage of basic commodities in the country and this has
largely been blamed
on retailers who prefer to sell at higher prices at the
black market rather
than those stipulated by the Government.
The Government taskforce on
essential commodities last week impounded 35
tonnes of sugar with an
estimated value of $4,7 million in Harare's Milton
Park suburb after a tip
off from members of the public.
The sugar was stored in a garage at a
house converted into company premises.
Record Budget Expected
The Herald (Harare)
November 9,
2002
Posted to the web November 11, 2002
Lovemore
Chikova
Harare
The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Cde
Herbert Murerwa, will
next week come under national spotlight when he
presents the budget in
Parliament.
Expectations are already running
high as legislators await the 2003 national
budget presentation next
Thursday.
Cde Murerwa will definitely be the man of the moment for the
week, stealing
the limelight from the usual squabbles between the Zanu-PF and
Movement for
Democratic Change legislators.
Everyone will be talking
of "Murerwa's budget" as the MPs set other business
aside to concentrate on
the budget presentation.
While Cde Murerwa is no stranger to budget
presentation, this time round, he
faces a moment of truth before a Parliament
expecting too much from him.
Given his background however, Cde Murerwa's
ability to handle the budget is
not doubted at all, but his abilities will
face a stern test on Thursday.
For the first time in the history of the
country, a record trillion-dollar
budget is expected to be presented to the
House.
Senior Treasury sources actually say budget estimates at hand are
in excess
of a staggering $1,3 trillion that is needed to finance
Government
expenditure for 2003.
"I can confirm that we are working on
figures of that magnitude," a senior
official recently told The Herald. "We
are now talking in terms of
trillions."
The major challenge facing Cde
Murerwa in presenting the budget is the
highly inflationary environment the
economy is operating under.
The inflation rate is pegged at a record
139,9 percent and indications are
that it is yet to reach its
peak.
Trillions were unheard of in the budget in the past, so there will
be a lot
of speculation and excitement from the MPs to find out if the
resources will
be shared adequately among the different
sectors.
Businesspeople are also anxiously awaiting the budget for them
to make plans
for next year.
Economic analysts say the budget will be
a yardstick to measure the revival
of the economy.
In fact, the number
of people anxiously waiting for the budget has grown to
the extent that
almost everyone hopes to benefit from it.
But of all these people, it is
teachers and university lecturers who can be
ranked the most anxious to
discover what exactly is in store for them in the
budget.
The Minister
of Education, Sports and Culture, Cde Aeneas Chigwedere
recently promised
striking teachers a massive and hefty increase in their
salaries for
January.
The increment, Cde Chigwedere said, could not be revealed before
the budget
was presented as that is tantamount to revealing what the budget
contains.
The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Cde Swithun
Mombeshora, also
told striking University of Zimbabwe lecturers that their
concerns would be
addressed in the budget.
The lecturers have agreed
to adopt a wait-and-see attitude, waiting
anxiously to see what the budget
holds for them on Thursday.
But of all the votes in the budget, the most
interesting one is likely to be
that on the Ministry of Defence.
This
follows the withdrawal of all troops from the Democratic Republic of
Congo
where they were defending the sovereignty of that country under the
banner of
the Southern African Development Community.
MDC legislators tended to
have a field day during debate on the Defence
vote, taking every opportunity
to castigate the involvement of the troops in
the DRC civil war.
Their
argument was that the finances that were allocated to the Defence
Ministry
were meant to prop up the welfare of the troops fighting in
that
country.
But the opposition legislators may be surprised to
discover that the vote
for the ministry is still large, considering the
security challenges facing
the country.
With the threats of invasion
by countries such as the United States and
Britain, the Government is
certainly to take the Defence budget seriously.
The MDC legislators may
find out that their opposition to high defence
budget was actually misplaced
as it was meant to serve different purposes.
There are only four days to
go before all those with anxiety aroused by the
budget come face-to-face with
reality.
Of course there will be disillusionment from some sectors that
may feel
their grievances were not adequately addressed.
But such is
the nature of a national budget that, while it will not satisfy
everyone, it
goes a long way to address the needs of the major sectors.
That the
budget issue is important to the House was demonstrated by its
three-week
adjournment to give time to legislators to reflect on it.
The legislators
held a workshop in Nyanga where they brainstormed on the
budget issues,
sharpening their analytical skills in preparation of the
budget.
While
the House was on break, women parliamentarians took the opportunity
to
discuss issues affecting them.
The Zimbabwe Women's Parliamentary
Caucus met interest groups last week to
explain its programme of action for
the next three years and seek support to
implement it.
The interest
groups welcomed the idea of forming the caucus for the women
legislators and
called for more interaction if it was going to be
successful.
Deputy
Speaker, Cde Edna Madzongwe, said submissions from the interest
groups to the
caucus would enhance the ability of women legislators to
undertake a
multi-faceted agenda that seeks to address problems faced
by
women.
The caucus was formed last year with the purpose of uniting
the 16 women
legislators to fight for gender equality.
Its programme
of action to run from next year to 2005 would focus on
advocacy on gender
issues and mobilising interest groups to support gender
issues in
legislation.
The legislators would also tackle capacity building and
training, carry
outreach programmes and follow-up on regional and
international commitments
on gender.
State Urged to Allow Offshore Investments
The Daily News
(Harare)
November 11, 2002
Posted to the web November 11,
2002
Colleen Gwari Business Reporter
INSURANCE giant, First
Mutual Life Assurance Society of Zimbabwe, has urged
government to consider
allowing pension funds and insurance companies to
invest a proportion of
their assets in hard currency in order to protect
the
pensioners.
Norman Sachikonye, chief executive officer of First
Mutual Life, said
allowing portfolio investments by both institutional and
individual
investors would not be a situation peculiar to Zimbabwe.
He
said allowing offshore portfolio investments at a time when the country
was
faced with a severe shortage of foreign currency was critical.
"We
believe this is critical, especially now when the country is faced with
a
foreign currency crisis. This, however, calls for an open mind by
policy
makers," Sachikonye said.
The First Mutual boss said there was
a misconception that allowing offshore
investments would result in foreign
currency being siphoned out of the
country, leaving Zimbabwe in a much worse
crisis.
Sachikonye said: "Nothing can be further from the truth. It is
our hope to
promote debate in this area that will lead to exchange
control
liberalisation and relaxation with regard to portfolio
investments."
Across the Limpopo in South Africa, institutional investors
comprising
long-term insurers, pension funds, unit trusts and fund managers
have since
1995, under the swap mechanism, invested abroad.
Qualifying
institutions were permitted to invest up to 10 percent of total
South African
assets abroad. The figure has since been upped to 15 percent,
with private
individuals being allowed to invest offshore.
The benefits of offshore
investments range from higher returns to access to
the growth prospects
offered by global markets.
"Offshore investments offer high security,
especially if investments are in
strong currencies," said
Sachikonye.
Sounding cautious, he said that there was a degree of
political risk
associated with expropriation of assets, changes in tax policy
and
restrictions in foreign currency movements.
Returns from
international investments were usually high and may even be
higher in local
currency terms due to devaluation and depreciation of the
local
currency.
International stocks and bonds offer important opportunities
for portfolio
diversification with enhanced risk-return characteristics.
Economic analysts
said international stocks and bonds are usually not
perfectly correlated
with local investments, thus providing a means of
reducing portfolio risk.
The First Mutual chief said: "Offshore portfolio
investments offer access to
the growth prospects offered by global markets
that would otherwise not be
accessible. A case in point is the lucrative
diamond mining business. With
offshore portfolio investments, Zimbabwean
institutional investors could get
exposure through DebSwana or via De
Beers."
In terms of the existing legislation, Zimbabweans, both
institutional and
individual, are not permitted to hold offshore portfolio
investments.
Economic commentators and analsysts concurred with
Sachikonye, saying
offshore investments boost foreign currency inflows by
means of dividends
and capital profits on appreciation of investments.
From ZWNEWS, 11 November
Forced emigration fears
International
humanitarian aid agencies fear that displaced farmworkers and
their families
are being forcibly relocated to areas close to the borders of
Zimbabwe, and
from there are being "encouraged" to leave the country.
Internal documents
from one agency, seen by ZWNEWS, detail these concerns.
The documents state
that the International Committee of the Red Cross is
aware of this disturbing
information, has itself received similar reports,
and is working with Red
Cross societies in the region to prepare for
possible cross-border movements
of people into neighbouring countries. Most
at risk are those farmworkers
whose origins are in these neighbouring
states. The Zimbabwe government
officially considers these people not to be
Zimbabwean citizens, even though
they and their forebears may have lived in
Zimbabwe for decades, if not
generations, and voted in elections since 1980.
Of the total of 1.5 million
ex-farmworkers and their families throughout
Zimbabwe who have either already
been displaced or face displacement, it is
estimated that up to 60 per cent
may have their origins in countries
neighbouring Zimbabwe.
In particular,
the documents detail one instance, involving the forced
relocation of as many
as 5 000 farmworkers and their families to Gaierezi in
the Zambezi valley,
specifically to the Chadereka and Dambakurima wards in
this area. Reports
from these areas were received in mid-October. On
arrival, the displaced farm
workers and their families were left to fend for
themselves with whatever few
personal possessions they were able to carry,
no access to farmable land, no
seeds and tools with which to begin farming,
and no access to humanitarian
assistance. This area was described as
"inhospitable" by a source from that
part of the country, who also said that
there had been a substantial increase
in the numbers of displaced
farmworkers there. It appears that those
relocated were trucked into the
district. Assuming a truck capacity of 50
people, and a total of 5 000
people moved, that translates into 100 separate
trips over a short period of
time. This, the documents say, "signals a
systematically planned event as
opposed to a spontaneous action". Other
unconfirmed reports, according to
the documents, indicate that the trucks
used were from the District
Development Fund, an agency of the Zimbabwe
government.
There is a possibility, say the documents, that these people may
have come
from Guruve, in the north-east corner of Mashonaland Central
province.
Reports from the area said that some 2 500 farmworkers, plus their
families,
had been told to "get out or die". These people have not to date
been
located, despite efforts to find them. The agency's concern is that
ex-farm
workers with few options are being moved to places near borders that
are out
of sight, and therefore out of mind, of international observers. Many
of
these remote areas are difficult to get in to at the best of times, with
few
entry roads of significance. Political control of these areas by
the
government is currently very high. According to the documents,
one
international relief agency has reported suspicious signs of
political
control in some areas: specifically, people on the ground in the
Muzarabani
district were attempting to limit their access to the area.
MSNBC
S.Africa urges UK to help Zimbabwe white farmers
PRETORIA,
Nov. 11 - South Africa urged Britain on Monday to help compensate
white
farmers who lost their land in Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe's
controversial land reforms and end sanctions against his
administration.
''We think it would be nice to end this matter in
a neater way, in a
way that does not leave a sector of the Zimbabwean
population bitter, (and
that) all those who lose land are compensated,''
Foreign Minister Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma said.
''We are looking to
countries like Britain to try and assist (in
compensation),'' she told a
joint news conference in Pretoria with visiting
Zimbabwean counterpart Stan
Mudenge.
Dlamini-Zuma said former colonial ruler Britain had agreed to
fund
land reform in various forums in the 23 years since Zimbabwe's
independence,
but was seeking help from the international community to share
the burden.
Mugabe went it alone in an often violent redistribution of
white
owned farms to landless blacks over the past two years, which is
partly
blamed for the worst food shortages in decades.
The
Zimbabwean government says it has acquired a total of 11 million
hectares of
land -- without compensation -- from white farmers in the last
24 months and
the programme has now ended.
Britain and the European Union have led
international condemnation,
branding the land programme unjust and
illegal.
The E.U. imposed a ''smart sanctions'' travel ban on Mugabe
and top
government aides to protest against what it saw as fraudulent
presidential
elections won by Mugabe in March, while the United States and
Australia
imposed their own sanctions.
Mugabe says the elections
were free and fair.
''Those countries that have imposed sanctions
against Zimbabwe -- we
don't think that's a situation which should continue
for a long time,''
Dlamini-Zuma said, adding that South Africa and Zimbabwe
would work to end
the isolationist measures.
Zimbabwe's Mudenge
said white farmers wanted Britain to honour its
pledges to compensate them to
end their ''traumatic experiences and
continuing injustice.''
He
said Zimbabwe welcomed protests against human rights abuses and
democratic
inefficiencies, ''but that must not be mixed up with the
legitimate right of
white farmers to be compensated by Britain.''
Dlamini-Zuma urged the
international community to help Zimbabwe
tackle its economic and political
crisis.
''Even if Zimbabwe made a mistake, the point is that we need
to move
to the future. No one can change yesterday, no one can change today,
but we
can change the future,'' said Dlamini-Zuma, who earlier met with
Mudenge and
other Zimbabwean officials.
Zimbabwe was looking at
legal reforms including giving foreign
labourers who had worked on
white-owned farms automatic citizenship with
full rights, including possible
resettlement.
Mudenge hailed the oft-criticised 'quiet diplomacy'' of
South African
President Thabo Mbeki in dealing with Zimbabwe, saying it beat
Britain's
''megaphone diplomacy'' any time.
''When your neighbour
is down, you don't drag a lorry over him. You
offer him a hand to get up,''
Mudenge said.
Zimbabwe: Britain should compensate white farmers for confiscated
land
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRETORIA, South Africa, Nov. 11 - Britain
should compensate white Zimabwean
farmers whose land was seized by the
government, Zimbabwe's foreign minister
said Monday.
As Zimbabwe's
former colonial ruler, Britain bears responsibility for
the fate of the
farmers - about 85 percent of whom have lost their land
under the Zimbabwean
government's controversial land reform program.
''Let's take the
route of reason and try and persuade the British
government to honor its
agreement so white farmers in Zimbabwe do not suffer
the trauma they are
going through,'' Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge said
after a meeting between
South African and Zimbabwean ministers in Pretoria.
''They should not
be made to suffer,'' he said, according to the
South African Press
Association.
Zimbabwe has accused Britain of reneging on promises to
fund land
redistribution programs. Britain says it cut off funding in the
1990s
because the programs were corrupt and the land was being given to
ruling
party cronies instead of poor black farmers.
For the past 2˝
years, militants from Zimbabwe's ruling party have
been violently occupying
farms owned by whites, while the government has
worked to seize the property
for the nation's blacks.
Zimbabwe's 4,500 white farmers owned a third
of the nation's
productive land before seizures began in 2000. About 7
million blacks share
the rest.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
has said the land seizures were
intended to correct a colonial injustice in
land distribution. Human rights
workers say the government used the land
program to cover up a violent
campaign to beat back a strong opposition
challenge to Mugabe's rule.
In recent months, hundreds of defiant
white farmers have abandoned
their land without compensation under pressure
from the government and
harassment by ruling party militants. Many have taken
only personal
belongings, leaving behind tractors and other
equipment.
At least 300 farmers have been arrested for defying an Aug.
8
deadline to vacate their properties. All of them posted bail to await
trial
for infringement of land seizure laws.
News24
Zim money market out of control
Harare - Restaurant
customers in Zimbabwe pay with thick wads of local
currency bulging in their
bags and pockets. Real estate buyers hand over
deposits of millions of
Zimbabwean dollars stuffed into suitcases and car
trunks.
Newspaper
advertisements have begun offering currency counting machines
for
sale.
With inflation out of control and a massive shortage of hard
currency, the
value of the Zimbabwe dollar has imploded in the latest sign of
the nation's
economic collapse.
One local commentator said the
country's economic misery was approaching the
levels of Germany's 1920s
Weimar Republic.
"We are looking at total meltdown. It could in the next
few months push the
country into absolute collapse," said Harare political
analyst Brian
Raftopoulos.
On the black market, the value of the
Zimbabwe dollar fluctuated wildly on
Monday. By the afternoon, US$1 bought
Z$1 800 Zimbabwe dollars, down from
Friday's $Z1 500 to 1 rate and up from
$Z2 100 to 1 earlier in the day.
"The rate is changing by the hour," said
one black market dealer on
condition of anonymity.
The fixed official
rate stands firm at 55 to 1.
Meanwhile, exasperated officials at the
central bank are running out of
local currency as black marketeers and money
launderers withdraw massive
amounts of untraceable bank notes to buy hard
currency with.
The central bank officials said they would monitor large
cash withdrawals
from banks of more than Z$500 000 Zimbabwe dollars in a bid
to trap them.
The government has repeatedly refused to devalue the
currency. Unofficial
trading has been spurred by a severe hard currency
shortage stemming from
political instability that has disrupted the main hard
currency earning
industries: tobacco, tourism and gold
mining.
Independent economists say the black market exchange rate has
been pushed up
by desperate state enterprises seeking hard currency at
unofficial rates to
pay debts for oil, imported electricity and external fees
and debts owed by
the state airline. Many of those debts face foreclosure and
the termination
of supplies and services.
The central bank said last
week it deferred a decision on issuing a $Z1 000
bank note until after the
retirement at the end of the year of Leonard
Tsumba, the bank's
governor.
The highest existing bill is $Z500. With official inflation at
a record 140%
and forecast to rise to at least 500% early next year, the
biggest Zimbabwe
note, red in color, has become known as a Ferrari, after the
red Italian
sports car that goes very fast.
Thousands of cars were not
going anywhere in Harare on Monday. Biting fuel
shortages disrupted commuter
transport and left long lines of cars, buses
and trucks snaking around city
blocks and side streets in the capital and
most other urban
centres.
Travellers reported no fuel at stations along the 250 kilometer
main route
from the eastern border town of Mutare to Harare.
Oil
industry executives say the shortages have been caused by the dearth of
hard
currency to pay for state-controlled imports and the near-collapse of a
deal
with Libya that would supply 70%of the country's monthly
fuel
requirements.
The state National Oil Company holds a monopoly on
imports and has pegged
feul prices in a bid to stem inflation.
Fuel in
Zimbabwe is the cheapest in the region.
Fuel imports are being heavily
subsidised by the state. Private oil industry
executives say on the open
market fuel would be bought and shipped into the
landlocked country for up to
about US$1 a litre, raising the consumer price
by 600%.
Without a
heavy price increase, shortages will continue, analysts say.
Such a hike
in the crumbling economy would lead to more business shutdowns
and worsening
unemployment, food shortages and social upheaval.
At least 6.7 million
Zimbabweans, more than half the population, face hunger
in coming months
because of a sharp drop in agricultural production blamed
on a drought and
the government's seizure of thousands of white-owned
commercial
farms.
The government's policy to freeze prices of food and essential
commodities
has mostly failed. Street dealers sell 10 kilograms (22 pounds)
of scarce
corn meal, the staple food, for about three times the fixed price.
Bread and
sugar fetch up to four times the government's price.
Those
who can't afford the black market prices wait on long lines for
price
controlled food. Often fruitlessly.
Business Day
Enough strong leaders to prevent SA going the same way as
Zimbabwe'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Political
Editor
NEW National Party (NNP) leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk said SA
would never
become another Zimbabwe because the country has "enough"
responsible leaders
in the coloured, black, white and Indian communities to
understand what
needs to be done.
Speaking soon after he was reelected
unopposed at the weekend by the party's
federal congress in Braamfontein to
take the NNP to the 2004 elections, Van
Schalkwyk warned that some people
were using Zimbabwe as an example to
exploit the fear of minority
communities.
"The message is: if you do not support parties with a
confrontational style
of politics, always opposing, always fighting back, SA
will become another
Zimbabwe."
He said this would never happen because
"we have enough men and women of
courage and conviction in this country to
understand and acknowledge the
lessons of our history, but with the wisdom to
not allow themselves to be
trapped by our history."
Van Schalkwyk's
decision to ditch the Democratic Alliance and form a
co-operative agreement
with the African National Congress was endorsed by
the congress, which
expressed its gratitude "for his visionary leadership to
strengthen the
centre of SA politics". It said participation in political
decision-making
processes was the only way to find solutions to SA's
challenges.
HORSE RESCUE
If anyone is interested please contact Sandy Paul on: zindele@ecoweb.co.zw
INFORMATION
IN CASE ANYBODY IS LOOKING AT OPTIONS?
Hello
We have found some
very good potential homes for the horses, and also
some very good people to
help with rehabilitation if this is needed when
the horses arrive. But we
agree that it is better that we show you what
we have to offer.
I know
that you have plenty to worry about, so I apologise in advance
for putting
yet another proposal at your doorstep: I have had queries
from quite a number
of breeders in SA. They are very interested in
helping horses of any breed.
There are a number of ways in which the
breeders can help. Firstly, they
agree with my worries about attempting
to bring any horse other than a "mixed
breed" across the border. They
say that this is no problem. If I have copies
of a horses papers and
bring it in as a "mixed breed", they will arrange
duplicate papers. many
horses of very good breeding were sent from SA to Zim.
The breeders are
interested in preserving and strengthening bloodlines. Even
very old
mares will be homed. They are not looking for "freebies". They will
help
to go and fetch the horses. We will be involved in keeping track
of
them. They are willing to buy horses, or come to other
arrangements.
They are prepared to offer horses temporary homes if they can
come to
some sort of breeding arrangement. The horses will be safe and
well
cared for, and will be returned to owners when they so desire.
In
addition, we will be paid a fee to go towards your horse rescue
mission.
I have heard of breeders destroying their horses because they don't
know
what else to do. With what the breeders here are suggesting,
everybody
will
benefit.
Regards,
Judith
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice
for Agriculture mailing list
To subscribe/unsubscribe: Please write to jag-list-admin@mango.zw
SITUATION VACANT - Mozambique
Position available in Mozambique. Applicant
should be experienced in
Horticulture or be prepared to learn. This is a
management position and
has good prospects for the future. Property is
already operating. House
is being built and the usual perks etc. go with the
the position as well
as a forex package. Phone: Harare 490583
TO
ANY INTERESTED FARMERS
Opportunity for Business Investment in Transport
Industry with Colbro
Transport: There exists an opportunity of investing in
transport by
purchasing sections of 10 to 20 complete rigs along with a
franchise to
run for Procon RSA, on all routes run by
Colbro.
Advantages being you walk into 100% organised fleet,
drivers,
maintenance, fuel, tyres, contracts etc. Any interest: Please
contact
Bob Collett on 091 200 519
14th October 2002 TO ANY
INTERESTED FARMERS
URGENT - A vacancy exists in Colbro Operations for a
Business Manager.
Preferably degreed with business experience. Possible
first posting to
Beira to run a fleet of vehicles, after transport
training.
2nd vacancy exists for less qualified energetic transport
controller to
handle daily operations and drivers, certain "out of town"
travelling
needed.
3rd vacancy exists for couple in Kariba - lady to
run books with other
management responsibilities at Kariba Marina. Gent to
manage and
maintain boats, big and small as well as other management
duties.
4th possibility for couple to run a procurement business in
Harare for
Kariba and surrounding areas - preferably a farmer who has a 7 ton
truck
to enter into a partnership.
Any interested party to contact:
Bob Collett - 091 200 519
Bernice Wilde - 091 314 353 or
757295
GENERAL MANAGER - FARMING we are looking for a Farm Manager
for a
cereal/row crop farm near Norton. Must have an agricultural
diploma/
degree and at least 7 years' cropping experience. Knowledge of
cattle
will be advantageous, as will tobacco experience. Write sending CV
and
contact details, together with details of present and required salary
to
The Company Secretary, P O Box WGT 10, WESTGATE, Harare or e-mail to
anne@kencor.co.zw.
FARM
ACCOUNTANT - to be based Gwebi area. At least 10 years experience
and able
to prepare and present Monthly Management Accounts. Do books
for 2 farms,
stock schedules, debtors/creditors, wages etc. Write
sending CV and contact
details, together with details of present and
required salary to The Company
Secretary, P O Box WGT 10, WESTGATE,
Harare or e-mail to anne@kencor.co.zw.
Dear friends
Two people in South Africa have manager positions on their
farms vacant and
are willing to keep these positions open for two Zimbabwe
farmers who lost
their farms. If interested please contact:
Mr de Villiers
(012) 361 7703
(after hours)
(012) 315 7556 (at work)
Business in Harare looking
for secretary/bookeeper in agricultural based
operation. Experience in
Computers and Pastel bookeeping necessary. Job
in a busy environment with an
attractive salary being offered. Looking
for suitable encumbant to start
asap. Please contact on the below
address. Farmers wife would be good!
Contact - sales@maguires.biz
DAIRY
INDUSTRY
SECTION HEAD: ANIMAL HEALTH
SAUDI ARABIA
A leading Saudi
Arabian Dairy Farm is seeking a suitably qualified
and>experienced
candidate to occupy the post of Section Head Animal
Health.The successful
candidate will head a multi-national team of 18
persons comprised of
Veterinarians, Specialists and Laboratory staff.
He will report to the Herds
Manager. The successful candidate will be
required to manage and control an
ISO 9002 certified Animal Health
Section, to maintain the highest standards
of overall health care on the
Farm. Duties will include conducting disease
control measures, control
of Animal Health Warehouse and Budget.
An
attractive remuneration package includes, furnished accommodation on
the
farm, medical care, use of company car, annual vacation entitlement
including
airfare.
This position is unlikely to suit candidates seeking education
for
children in the Kingdom, due to the location of the farm, approx.
100km
from the capital, Riyadh.
Interested individuals should send
full CV to:-
ROBERT H FIDLER YORK PERSONNEL SERVICES P O BOX 391,
UMHLANGA ROCKS,
4320, SOUTH AFRICA Tel: 0027-31-562 8712 / Fax: 0027-31-562
8753
e-mail: recruit@yorkpersonnel.com
DAIRY
INDUSTRY
SECTION HEAD: PARLOUR MAINTENANCE
SAUDI ARABIA
A leading
Saudi Arabian Dairy Farm seeks an experienced Milking
Equipment Engineer, to
head an 18-strong multinational maintenance team
for an ISO 9002 compliant
section. He would report to the Herds
Manager.
Duties The successful
candidate would be responsible for the maintenance
and technical management
of:-
540+ (De Laval) state-of-the-art milking points in 7 parlours,
including
vacuum, pneumatic, electrical & hydraulic peripheral equipment,
in order
to maintain this equipment integrity, to guarantee milk
production.
A computerised cattle housing cooling system, together with
corral
fencing, and above-ground, cattle water supply.
Sectional
responsibility includes budgetary, administrative and spare
parts
control.
Candidate: The successful candidate should hold a recognised
technical
qualification in Electro/Mechanical Engineering and have at least
8
years experience in milking equipment. He should have a good command
of
English, both spoken and written, and be computer literate.
An
attractive remuneration package including furnished accommodation on
the
farm, use of company car, medical care, and generous annual vacation
leave
entitlement including, airfare is provided.
Interested individuals should
send full CV to:-
ROBERT H FIDLER YORK PERSONNEL SERVICES P O BOX 391,
UMHLANGA ROCKS,
4320, SOUTH AFRICA Tel: 0027-31-562 8712 / Fax: 0027-31-562
8753 e-mail:
recruit@yorkpersonnel.com
Australian
Opportunity - radiographer
Mark Palmer from the Royal Darwin Hospital
writes:
I have job vacancies for radiographers at Royal Darwin Hospital.
We are
willing to sponsor suitably qualified people. I can be contacted
via
email Mark.Palmer@nt.gov.au.
Here is a brief description of the place:
RDH Radiology
Department
RDH is a 350 bed general hospital, admitting a wide range of
patients
including general medicine, surgical, paediatrics, obstetrics,
orthopaedics,
renal, A&E etc. This is one of the large general hospitals
still
operational.
RDH radiology performs approximately 50,000
examinations per annum. This
includes :-
1. CT - 3,000 examinations
2.
Nuclear Medicine - 600 examinations
3. Ultrasound - 4,500 examinations
4.
MRI - 400 examinations
The department outsources radiology, service is
supplied by NT Medical
Imaging. CT, MRI and Nuclear Medicine are currently
fully serviced by NT
Medical Imaging.
The General Radiography and
Ultrasound are performed by RDH radiographers.
There are 19.5 FTE RDH
radiographers. All staff participate on the shift
roster except the chief
radiographer. Hours of operation are 8am until 2am,
7 days per week, 365 days
per year. Shift radiographers commence their
shifts at either 1600hrs or
1730hrs. Normal hours per week are 35 hours, ie
commence at 8am until 4pm.
RDH operates an on-call system for radiography
after 2am, although the
radiographer often does not leave work until
0230-0300hrs. Within a few
months the Radiology Department will be moving
into new premises. Some work
at remote health units may be required from
time to time. RDH provides an
ultrasound service to Gove,TennantCreek and
Kununurra as required. Chest
Xrays for the chest clinic may require a
radiographer to travel to various
Aboriginal Communities. These are
opportunities to see some of the remote
health sites in the NT. Staff may be
absent for periods up to 5 days. There
are circumstances when staff may be
asked to relieve other radiogr Salary
range for a P1/P2 from $36,178 to
$60868 depending on years qualified.
Additional to this there are shift pena
lty payments and on-call payments,
which generally may increase income by
10-15% annually.
There are 10
clerical staff including 2 report typists, 2 front desk
receptionists and 6
other clerical staff who sort and file Xray films.
There are 3 main
general rooms, one DSA room, 3 ultrasound rooms with 2
Acusons Xp10/128's and
a Toshiba Corevision Pro. There is a general Xray
room in the emergency
department. Two radiographers per day are rostered to
theatre and
mobiles.
RDH has many other advantages. It is located 5-10 minutes from
Casuarina
beach and the Casuarina shopping centre. Within the hospital
complex is
parking for all staff and visitors, there is a large swimming
pool,squash
courts, tennis courts, gymnasium and on-site accommodation. RDH
is
approximat We are 90 minutes from Litchfield National Park and 3 hours
from
Kakadu National Park and very close to Bali too.
I hope that you
will consider the RDH for your future employment as I am
sure that the job
will be interesting, culturally enlightening, fulfilling
and challenging. For
any more information contact: Mark Palmer Chief
Radiographer Royal Darwin
Hospital Te: 81 8 8922 8732 Darwin, NT. Australia
Full Time Personal
Assistant required for young dynamic company
executive. Successful applicant
will be female, aged 35 -45, motivated,
bright, and able to run the show
alone for short periods of time. Does
not need to be an expert on computers,
just keen to learn. This job is a
genuine solid offer, with a good package
for the right person. Phone
Lindsay Campbell 023 410 300 for further
details.
Two opportunities have arisen in Nigeria: Northern Nigeria:
Farm Manager
required for 3500 ha farm, mostly cereal/row crops, but some
other crops
also. Owner is offering an expat package, with usual perks.
Interviews
will take place in Johannesburg between 10 & 15th December
2002,
expenses paid. Please submit CV with full particulars to
masibs@zol.co.zw, or fax to 04 744166.
Schools are available, and
Nigeria is only 5 hrs' flight time away! Phone
Mary Cosgrove for more
details on 011-613735
Eastern Nigeria :
Timber/forestry Specialist required to manage a 114 ha
forestry concession,
with sawmill and furniture factory. Successful
applicant must be capable of
managing the concession and running the
furniture factory & sawmill.
Expat package with usual perks
offered.Interviews will take place in
Johannesburg between 10 & 15th
December,exps paid. Please submit CV with
full particulars to
masibs@zol.co.zw,
or fax to 04 744166, or contact Mary Cosgrove on 011
613735.
I
write on behalf of a company called Instamac (Pvt) Ltd. We are a
medium sized
construction/development company specialising in
residential and other
developmental infrastructure. Amazingly enough in
these troubled times, we
currently have a large volume of works on our
books. Subsequently, we are
urgently looking for suitable persons to
recruit as staff in the following
fields :
(a) Construction Site Management ;
(b) Workshop
Management.
(a) above would involve managing at least one construction site
in or
near to Harare (i.e.Ruwa and Norton). The type of construction we
are
currently mainly involved in, is that of providing roads, water
and
sewerage to residential stands. Construction of housing may come in at
a
later stage.The incumbent manager would be responsible for at least
one
site, and all the construction works on it (i.e.plant,
labour,
materials, etc.). The works on site are not highly technical, but
does
require a person with a practical mind, motivation and
initiative.
(b) above would involve the daily management of our central
workshops in
Harare, plus the liaison of our various site workshops and
personnel. This
vacancy again requires a hands on type of person, with some
mechanical
experience, but not necessarily a formal qualification in
mechanics.
We are prepared to offer the right type of person a good
package. It
would be good if the person(s) had their own transport. We
would
obviously pay for this.
We have contacted yourselves since we
admire your positive and motivated
stance in these difficult times, and
because you may have a database of
ex-farm owners/managers who have
experienced problems recently, and may
be looking for something to do. We
feel these types of people would be
ideal for the vacancies we have described
above.
Thank-you for your time, and we would greatly appreciate it if
you
wouldn't mind possibly posting a copy of this E-mail onto
your
noticeboards, and/or with the relevant persons in your
organisation.
Thank-you once again for your kind cooperation on this
issue.
Yours faithfully Paul Brown Contracts Director for
Instamac
Farming Opportunity in SA My family has a farm in Lowveld
(Nelspruit),
which was once regarded as the best tobacco ground in the
lowveld. We
would love to offer the land to evicted land owners from
Zimbabwe, to
use and restore their lives again. Please could you let me know
if you
know of people that would be interested!!?? My uncle up in the
northern
province can be contacted regarding this matter. Dennis Traynor +27
15
295 9247.
Regards Jack Smith
083 235 5615
We have a
farm in the Eastern Tvl between Machadodorp and
Nelspruit.Fairly remote on
5000 hectars it is used for running a few
cattle plus horses where we take
clients on rides and as an outward
bound area for school children. There are
two houses with all elect
water etc should you have someone who might like to
move there they are
available.There are numerous other facolities plus 25 odd
km of the
Crocodile river. The offer is to some self motivating people on
a
partnership basis.If they need set up costs these can all be
negotiated.
Should you have any takers cud you e mail me at tn@earthport.co.za many
thanks. Tony
North.
Australian Farming Opportunity CITRUS FARM, NOOSA, SUNSHINE
COAST, AUSTRALIA
Please forward this to any Zimbabwean farmer who you
think might be
interested in living on a citrus farm in Noosa, Sunshine
Coast,
Australia,rent free. The farmer who owns the farm would like a
farming
couple to look after his citrus trees and there might be other
farming
opportunities.Please contact: richard.annabel.hulme@i-biz21.com
if the
offer is of interest to you. Thank you.
Herd Manager -
Central Queensland Australia Married couple required for
a Central Qld cattle
fattening property. Prefer training in Allan
Savory's Holistic Management.
Responsible for stock management, welfare
and waters. Skilled in welding,
record keeping and computers. Details as
follows:
Herd Manager at
'Huntly'
Job Description Hickson Grazing Company are looking for a
married couple
to manage Huntly a cattle fattening property in Central
Queensland,
Australia. They will be working closely with me, Bloss Hickson,
the
owner who lives up the road with her husband Rodney. The
company
structure : Huntly is a cattle fattening property in the
Central
Highlands. It is a part of a family company, Hickson Grazing Co,
which
includes another property, Melinda Downs a breeding property north
of
Cloncurry in North Queensland about 12 hours away.
Huntly is 5400Ha
and carries between 1500 - 2500 head of cattle,
depending on the season.
Melinda carries a breeding herd of over 1000
Charbray/Droughtmaster cross
cows. Calves are weaned down to Huntly 2-3
times a year where they are kept
on improved buffel grass pastures for
two years and sold straight to the
meatworks.
The company structure includes the three family directors,
Peter, Robert
and Bloss Hickson and the manager of Melinda Downs, Bill
Shepherd. Peter
runs his own accounting company in Brisbane, Robert is
returning from 3
years in Africa to his new property east of Goondiwindi,
while Bloss has
been managing Huntly for the past 15 years. The company works
very
closely as a team and weekly telephone hook up discusses and deals
with
all the current issues.
The philosophy: The company has adopted
Allan Savory's Holistic
Management approach on both properties. At Huntly,
this involves
rotating two herds around the property and monitoring closely
the
vegetation and pasture. Paddock sizes range between 150-200Ha and
the
fences are slowly being upgraded from electric to barb wire. Huntly
lies
in the scenic Arcadia Valley in the fertile brigalow belt of
Queensland.
It is an area that has been dramatically cleared over the past 30
years.
There are many valuable tree species reestablishing themselves on
Huntly
and reforestation and biodiversity are an integral part of
the
property's holistic goals. We are looking to reach a sustainable
level
of production that involves the native species, improved pastures
and
the cattle with a future view of organic production. It is a
fascinating
position for the right person.
The Job: The job involves
managing the two rotating herds, reading the
pastures and native vegetation
and knowing when to move them. Stock
knowledge, husbandry and stock work are
essential and horse riding is
strongly recommended. Recording herd movement,
pasture quality and
paddock conditions are important. The herd manager will
also be
responsible for recognising the finished cattle and sending them
away.
The couple will be in charge of all the cattle work and cattle
related
responsibilities such as the waters, fences and any feeding that
might
be happening. Knowledge of watering systems is essential,
windmills,
monopumps, Kubota diesel engines, Honda water pumps and polypipe
and
fittings. There are some open dams and we hope to build many more
to
assure more reliable water supplies. Controlling the brigalow
regrowth
is the major issue for the next 3 years. While there is a great need
to
do something about it, we have been very selective, leaving
regular
strips and nature corridors. Blade ploughing contractors are the
most
effective and expensive method we have used and we will continue
to
plough certain places every year. A small D4 dozer is being
prepared
with a stickrake to clean up smaller areas and thin out thicker
areas.
Some working and mechanical knowledge of dozers would be an
advantage.
All fence posts, gates and the cattle yards are made of steel,
so
welding is an important skill. Computer skills are also useful to
record
cattle numbers and paddock reports and send them out on
email.
Accommodation and Community The house is made of timber, stone and
mud,
it is very cool and earthy but it is suitable only for a
'frog-friendly'
family. There is a large living area under one roof (with two
bunk beds)
and a large bedroom and ensuite close by, under another roof. This
is a
temporary situation as a new cottage is to be built to
better
accommodate the couple needs. Children's accommodation is less
private
and more difficult at this stage.
Huntly is 80km from the
small town of Rolleston at the head waters of
the Fitzroy Catchment, about 3
hours drive west of Rockhampton and 8
hours NW of Brisbane. The Arcadia
Valley school and its rural community
are 40km to the south and the popular
Carnarvon Gorge lies 60km to the
west in the mountains. It is an isolated and
very peaceful existence and
would only suit someone with a love of bush
life.
If you are interested in the position, please send your
application,
resume and references to: Bloss Hickson, 'Huntly' Rolleston 4702
or
email them to bloss@rocknet.net.au
OSTRICH
MANAGER: young, keen person wanted to take over all aspects of
ostrich
management, starting soonest, on Cawston Game Ranch,
Nyamandhlovu, to work
under general ranch manager. We are major ostrich
producers currently
slaughtering 1500 birds per year, and are also
developing an outreach
programme. Common sense, a work ethic and
computer literacy more important
than ostrich experience. An interest
in the workings of the game ranch, and
participation in it, would be an
added advantage. Usual farm perks plus good
salary and bonuses offered
to the right person. Please write with CV to
Cawston Ranch, P.O. Box
9057, Hillside, Bulawayo, or email rosslyn@gatorzw.com or
rosslyn@netconnect.co.zw.
Our
company is a sawmilling, forestry and farming operation in
Stutterheim,
Eastern Cape, RSA. We recently acquired some extensive
land for cattle
farming and with this, "inherited" some 40ha of
irrigable land on the Kei
River, with unlimited water and high heat
units. This area can be expanded.
There are vacant houses adjacent to
the irrigable areas which are not
utilized for cattle farming
operations.
We're looking to employ
someone with crop farming/irrigation experience
to develop this land and
would consider some form of share scheme. No
crops are established, there is
currently no business going on with the
irrigable areas and we need an
experienced person to advise what best
would be suited for the area and its
potential markets. Capital is not
a constraint.
Should anyone be
interested, contact John Rance at
jcrance@rancetimber.co.za tel: 27 43
6837330 fax: 27 43 6837208. For a
Zim reference on our company, contact
Basil Kinsey, or Bob White, or
Graham Hingeston, or Tim/Trish Broderick in
Harare, or Peter Hingeston
in Triangle.
GENERAL MANAGER - FARMING
we are looking for a Farm Manager for a
cereal/row crop farm near Norton.
Must have an agricultural
diploma/degree and at least 7 years' cropping
experience. Plus a
suicidal tendency to not want to be around very long.
Contact John Smith
at cryforfreedom@powernet.com
FLEXI-TIME
P.A./WORK FROM HOME BASE Anyone out there looking for a top
notch Personal
Assistant who is based in Avondale area and has all the
facilities a busy
person/farmer might need to make use of? My computer
and typing skills are
unbelievable, as well as my general PA ability.
E-mail me on fez@zol.co.zw or Tel/Fax:
263-4-335452.
We are urgently seeking a mature couple for an
established horticultural
farm in the Beit Bridge area. Work involves Citrus
production,protection
and export and field crop production. Office work with
basic computer
programmes. All normal farm perks with house and farm vehicle.
No
section 5 or 8 yet and no deals made.
Applicants CVs to: Benfer
Estate P.O. Box 46 Beit Bridge
or fax 086-2611
or e-mail: benfer@mweb.co.zw
A job is
available for a single or married man, in Thesalonica, Greece,
overseeing
Burley production. Knowledge of Virginia production adequate
for applicant.
The incumbent would report to HQ in Switzerland.Please
send full CV to
Mr.M.Cutter, Avenue Felix Cornu 29, 1802 Corseaux, Vaud,
Suisse.
(Switzerland).
Wanted Immediately: Farm Manager to manage 2 ha roses
10km west of
Harare and a 10 ha paprika/20 ha tobacco (agronomy and
industrial)
project with EPZ status on Shamva road 30 kms east of Harare.
Ideal for
a farmer already residing in Harare with experience in the above
fields.
Excellent salary prospects forex linked - successful
experience
essential. Please send or drop off C.V.'s at 11 Clarence
Drive,
Newlands. Phone 091237411 Interviews will be arranged to suit
candidates.
Best wishes Peter
Dobson
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JOHN CORRIE
MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT
West Midlands Region
PRESS
RELEASE
From: JOHN
CORRIE
Date: 12/11/02 6:27 AM
Local MEP banned from Zimbabwe.
John Corrie, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands Region tops the
list of Members of the European Parliament banned from visiting Zimbabwe.
In response Mr Corrie said “ I am
honoured and delighted to be blacklisted by this disgraceful regime. I have
obviously been saying the right things in my Press Statements and speeches in
the European Parliament on the situation in Zimbabwe. This regime led by Mr
Mugabe is illegal and corrupt, and has led to the deaths of thousands of people
through torture and starvation. Through
greed and nepotism they have stolen the land from legitimate farmers who
created the wealth for Zimbabwe by exporting their products. This has meant
tens of thousands of black workers losing their right to vote, and their
livelihood. They now have no means to look after their families.
The real sadness is that a few other Heads of State in Africa are still
supporting this despot. One would have
hoped that in the year 2002 that Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance
would have transcended political friendship ad nepotism. Under the new pan –African
NEPAD agreement the Peer Review system should have condemned the Zimbabwean
leader for the way in which he is destroying his country. The organisation has
fallen at the first fence.”
JOHN CORRIE
11 November 2002