http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 14:08
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
THE coalition government has reached a “logjam” that is set to
plunge its
operations in a state of paralysis, political analysts have
warned. Their
warning comes in the wake of revelations that Zanu PF
ministers and senior
civil servants were not giving Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai the respect
that he deserved.
Tsvangirai
recently complained to President Robert Mugabe that his ministers
were
undermining his powers as mandated by the Global Political Agreement
(GPA)
by boycotting the council of ministers’ meetings he
chairs.
The MDC-T says the intransigent ministers, who
allegedly report directly to
Mugabe’s inner circle, have created a parallel
government structure and
another “ministry of finance” to weaken the GNU,
which brought about the
current relative economic and political
stability.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora blames Zanu PF
hardliners, senior police
and army officials, whom he accused of ordering
ministers and civil servants
to boycott Tsvangirai meetings in their bid to
wreck the coalition
government. Several senior army and police officers have
openly declared
their allegiance to Zanu PF.
“They are trying to
undermine the Prime Minister as a way of collapsing the
inclusive
government,” said Mwonzora. “Some of them are just ambitious
individuals,
who want to ultimately takeover Zanu PF leadership. harassing
Tsvangirai is
a display of their political strength.”
Mwonzora said the boycott
affects the implementation of government
programmes, which effectively
impact negatively on the lives of ordinary
Zimbabweans.
“For
example, the PM was recently on a tour, with a view of raising funds
for
programmes such as health projects but in some cases, he was not able to
access them because officials were absent,” said Mwonzora.
Even
senior civil servants such as district administrators, he said, were
deliberately absenting themselves from work whenever he visited provinces to
supervise projects, throwing the administrative operations of the
Government of National Unity (GNU) into disarray.
A former
permanent secretary in Mugabe’s administration in the 1980s, Ibbo
Mandaza,
said if the reports were true, it was unfortunate that Zanu PF was
running
parallel structures.
Mandaza, a renowned academic, said the parallel
structures were detrimental
to national development. “It definitely has a
negative effect, if it is
true,” said Mandaza.
“I would not want
to call it a parallel but irregular structure. If public
funds are not
channelled through the normal channel, then such transactions
are
irregular.”
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to track such
funds for
accountability purposes, he said. Another political analyst,
Char-les
Mangongera said boycotts and creation of parallel structures showed
that the
unity government had reached an administrative
logjam.
He said the problem was worsened by the fact that most senior
posts in
governments were occupied by Zanu PF activists who masquerade as
civil
servants.
“If the Prime Minister is not able to follow up
on projects and programmes,
it means there is no ad ministrative role for
the GNU,” said Mangongera.”
Senior civil servants who spoke to The Standard
said they could not openly
welcome Tsvangirai because they feared
victimisation following the expulsion
of Zanu PF MP for Marondera East
Constituency, Tracey Mutinhiri, on
allegations of engaging in activities
contrary to the former ruling party’s
constitution.
“You will be
labelled an enemy of the party once you are seen welcoming
Tsvangirai in
your province or travel around with him,” said one senior
civil servant in
Manicaland province. “So most people absent themselves, not
because they
want, but due to fear of victimisation.”
Evidence of a parallel
government emerged a few months ago, when civil
servants were given a salary
increment without the knowledge of the Minister
of Finance, Tendai
Biti.
There was friction between Biti and Mines and Mining
Development minister
Obert Mpofu over the remittance of money realised from
the sale of diamonds.
Biti said there was no nexus between income
from diamonds, output and
international prices and he called for an audit
trail of revenue from gems.
But Mpofu last week dismissed claims, saying
everything was done above
board.
‘Tsvangirai lacks
disciplinary powers’
Charles Mangongera said it was unfortunate
that Tsvangirai had no powers to
discipline the intransigent ministers. The
GPA gives Tsvangirai mandate to
“ensure all the ministers develop
appropriate implementation plans to give
effect to the policies decided by
Cabinet.
In this regard, ministers will report to the Prime
Minister on all issues
relating to the implementation of such policies and
plans.” “He was just
given responsibility without power. The administrative
system is not able to
function because of political bickering,” said
Mangongera.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:28
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
AN anti-violence meeting held in Harare last week has been
criticised as a
futile exercise because of its failure to specifically
address the role of
the JointOperations Command (JOC), largely blamed for
spearheading political
violence.
The three parties in the
unity government last week convened a meeting where
President Robert Mugabe
(Zanu PF), Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T)
and Professor Welshman
Ncube (MDC) jointly addressed their national
executive members on
violence.
They all urged the police to protect all citizens against
violence, with
Mugabe and Tsvangirai also talking about the need to form
inter-party
committees that would preach peace and reconciliation at
grassroots levels.
But University of Zimbabwe lecturer turned MDC-T
activist, John Makumbe
rubbished the meeting as a futile exercise which
would not stop political
violence.
“I think the three leaders
were genuine in everything they said but
unfortunately, that was a futile
exercise which is not going to change
anything because JOC, the main
perpetrator of violence in this country, was
not involved so come election
time, they will be sponsoring violence,” said
Makumbe.
“There was
no specific order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
to Police
Commissioner Augustine Chihuri and Defence Forces Commander
General
Constantine Chiwenga.”
Mugabe is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces. Makumbe, who has
declared his intention to contest a parliamentary
seat under an MDC-T
ticket, said the police and army chiefs should have been
given slots to
address the gathering as well.
“The truth is it is
the armed forces that are in charge,” he said.
“Politicians may talk but
won’t achieve anything.” MDC-T spokesperson
Douglas Mwonzora said although
doubtful of Zanu PF’s sincerity, his party
was prepared to work with it to
bring peace in the country.
“We are doubtful because Mugabe has
spoken against violence before but we
saw the opposite happening,” Mwonzora
said.
“Recently, he was speaking against violence while addressing parliament
and
Kunaka and his Chipangano were beating up people, just a few metres away
from him.”
Said Mwonzora, “We are very very doubtful that Zanu PF
meant a word of what
they said but we will be pleasantly surprised if they
are genuine.”
The MDC-T has said at least 200 of its supporters were murdered
by Zanu PF
militia in the 2008 violent elections. Zanu PF has however,
denied
spearheading any form of violence.
Kunaka pledges to
preach peace
Zanu PF’s Harare provincial youth chairperson Jim
Kunaka, who has previously
been accused of mobilising party youths to attack
political opponents, said
he will soon embark on a programme to encourage
his party members to take
heed of Mugabe’s pleas for peace.
“We
are happy that Tsvangirai finally joined President Mugabe in denouncing
violence and we hope his ward leaders will start going around urging their
members to stop provoking us,” said Kunaka, who is linked to
Chipangano.
“I am prepared to work with my counterparts in MDC in
campaigning for
peace.” Kunaka added: “But the leaders also need to now
create more
employment opportunities for youths because people are hungry
and some of
the fights, for example those involving market stalls, were
purely over food
and had nothing to do with politics.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011
14:03
BY JENNIFER DUBE
THE mud walls of hundreds of houses in a
sprouting settlement in Harare seem
to be sagging under the plastics and
cardboard roofing. Someone who has
never been to this area would be forgiven
to think that it is one of the
remotest rural areas in Zimbabwe, yet it is
only a stone’s throw from the
capital’s city
centre.
There is no running water, electricity or proper
ablution facilities,
setting a good platform, for the outbreak of diseases
such as cholera and
dysentery. Welcome to Southlea Park, a jumbled up
settlement which lies
about 15km south of Harare.
Southlea Park
is one of the many new settlements that have been mushrooming
in and around
Harare in recent years, courting controversy on lack of
transparency in the
manner residential stands are allocated and the
standards of the structures
being built.
Many believe that the housing structures do not conform
to city by-laws but
cannot be destroyed because Zanu PF was behind most of
the settlements. When
The Standard news crew visited the settlement last
week, some residents were
busy putting up their structures.
One
resident claimed he could build and inspect his own house if need be.
“Should anyone feel that I made a mistake with the planning; I will pull the
house down and rebuild it,” he said.
An official at the
developer’s office, said there were 56 companies selling
stands in Southlea
Park. There is one developer and one inspector who
travels from Domboshava
daily during week days to carry out inspection of
the
structures.
Residents who require his services pay a US$5 transport
fee while those with
own transport can pick the inspector from the
developers’ office to their
stands.
The official said there were
no title deeds for the stands which cost US$7
500 for 1 000m2 although most
people buy 200m2 stands which are cheaper.
The official, who could not give
the total number of people who have bought
residential stands in Southlea
Park, said water and electricity would be
installed next
year.
“What is important now is for people to have somewhere to
stay,” said the
official. “They will upgrade their homes in accordance with
their plans but
we cannot control what people do on their stands because
they paid for
them.”
Residents must submit plans to council
for approval: Gwindi
Harare City Council spokesperson Leslie
Gwindi urged residents to submit
plans before beginning construction of
their houses. He said council would
demolish such structures if the plans
were not approved.
“People have to submit plans and if they meet the
standards they are given
the green light to start building but if the house
does not meet standards
we bring it down,” said Gwindi.
The city
housing department has revealed that the housing backlog is
standing at 500
000 residents with over 200 housing cooperatives not yet
short-listed for
any residential stands.
Politicians behind the settlements, say
councillors
There are several other squalid settlements sprouting in
and around Harare
which councillors said must be demolished. Some of the
settlements are found
in Hopley, Kambuzuma, Dzivarasekwa, Glen Norah C,
Hatcliffe, Snake Park,
Mabvuku-Tafara and Epworth.
Councillors
who spoke to The Standard last week said it was difficult for
the council to
control such developments because there were powerful
politicians behind
them who were parcelling out stands in exchange for
votes.
The
councillors insisted that the settlements do not conform to the city’s
laws
and this may affect the future laying down of sewer lines in those
areas
because land is unserviced.
While government allows stand owners to
build on unserviced stands, council
requires that water and sewer pipes be
installed before construction.
“Many people now know that State land is being
parcelled out by Zanu PF to
its supporters for example in Harare South’s
Ward 1 where Southlea is,” said
one Harare councillor, adding that some of
the settlements were later
licensed by the city.
Harare City
Council housing and community services committee chairperson
Charles
Nyatsuro said proper development of the city could only be achieved
if
political parties worked together.
“This situation can be contained
if we worked together with one vision but
unfortunately, some people involve
too much politics in these issues,” said
Nyatsuro, who added that Zanu PF
was promoting the mushrooming of illegal
structures in
Harare.
Efforts to get a comment from Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare
Gumbo were
fruitless as his mobile phone was unavailable. Chipangano, a Zanu
PF-linked
militia group, is said to be scuttling a U$5 million housing
project meant
for the poor in Mbare.
Harare Mayor Muchadeyi
Masunda has said the group was demanding that 51% of
the housing units to be
constructed with funds from a donation by the Bill
and Melinda Gates
Foundation be given to its members.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 14:00
BY NQOBANI
NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — MDC-T youth assembly in Bulawayo has vowed to “teach the
notorious Chipangano militia a lesson” should it export violence to the
country’s second largest city during the former ruling party’s conference
set for early December.
Chipangano, a Zanu PF youth militia
outfit, has been causing havoc in
Harare, terrorising residents and
disrupting MDC-T rallies. Bekithemba
Nyathi, the MDC-T Bulawayo youth
assembly chairperson, said the party’s
youths will not tolerate the
intimidation of city residents by Chipangano
when it comes to Bulawayo for
Zanu PF’s conference.
“We know those thugs might come to Bulawayo
during Zanu PF’s conference to
intimidate residents. As the MDC-T youth
assembly, we warn those gangsters
that they will be taught a lesson if they
export their violence to the
city,” Nyathi said in an
interview.
“Our parents in Bulawayo and Matabeleland as a whole have
suffered a lot
under Zanu PF since independence, for example during
Gukurahundi.
“As such, we warn those Chipangano militias that they will not
be tolerated
in the city by the party’s youths.”
He said the
MDC-T youth assembly will not “allow them to come during the
Zanu PF
conference to disturb the peace and tranquility prevailing in
Bulawayo”.
Zanu PF holds its conference in Bulawayo in early
December where the party
is also set to endorse Robert Mugabe as the party’s
presidential candidate
in upcoming polls.
A number of
politically-motivated incidents of violence in Harare,
particularly in
Mbare, have been blamed squarely on Chipangano, which is
allegedly being
sponsored by senior Zanu PF officials.
The group have taken over
control of the Mbare-Musika market, the country’s
busiest bus terminus,
where they extort money from vegetable vendors as well
as from touts. They
also control informal markets such as Siya-So, Magaba
home industries, car
parks and Mupedzanhamo flea market.
The militia operate with impunity and
have not been arrested.
Police must impartially maintain order:
Chamisa
Nelson Chamisa (pictured), the MDC-T national organising
secretary said the
police must maintain order and “the law must be applied
fully and
impartially in bringing all perpetrators to book for the sake of
peace,
security and stability.
“Zimbabweans have suffered enough
and are not going to endure another
political semester of tears and blood,”
said Chamisa. “By turning to
violence now and even beyond, Zanu PF must gear
itself for yet another
undignified exit from Zimbabwe’s political spectrum.
Times have changed.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:08
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
THERE are fears that typhoid could spread to other suburbs in Harare
with
the number of people under observation at the Beatrice Infectious
Diseases
Hospital rising from 54 to 84 by Friday.
City of Harare
spokesperson Lesley Gwindi yesterday said the number of
confirmed cases
remained at two, adding that all the cases where from
Dzivarasekwa
high-density suburb.
“We are working with our partners to contain the
outbreak and I would say we
are on top of the situation,” Gwindi said. “We
have identified a shallow
well in Dzivarasekwa and our Health Department
will soon be closing it down.
“With the help of our partners, we are
working on providing an option before
closing the well and as part of this.
Five boreholes are being sunk in
Dzivarasekwa.”
But the Harare
Residents’ Trust (HRT) said it feared the disease could
spread across the
city, claiming that it had received reports that seven
people from Mabvuku
had also been admitted at the hospital due to the
disease.
Gwindi
however, said he had not received any information on any cases from
outside
Harare. HRT coordinator Precious Shumba urged charity organisations
to
intervene before the outbreak of the disease in other
suburbs.
“People in such suburbs as Msasa Park and Glen Norah are
also using shallow
wells and we tried to intervene by asking Unicef to
assist them with
bowsers,” said Shumba.
“Mabvuku, Tafara,
Budiriro and Glenview are among other suburbs which need
urgent intervention
if this outbreak is to be contained.” Intermittent water
supplies have
forced many in Harare’s high-density suburbs to draw water
from shallow
wells among other unprotected water sources, posing a threat of
water-borne
diseases like typhoid and cholera.
Insects feeding on excreta may
occasionally transfer the typhoid bacteria
Salmonella through poor hygiene
and sanitation. The disease’s symptoms
usually develop one to three weeks
after exposure to the bacteria. They
include poor appetite, abdominal pain,
headaches, high fever of up to 40
degrees Celsius, generalised aches and
pains, lethargy, diarrhoea and
constipation.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 10:03
THE Constitution
Select Committee (Copac)’s technical select committee is
set to finish
working on a draft list of issues to be included in the new
constitution
this week, Copac co-chairperson Douglas Mwonzora said.
Mwonzora said
the drafting stage would immediately commence once the issues
that must be
in the constitution are identified. Mwonzora said Copac had
finalised the
framework for a constitution and they had agreed on 23
constitutional
principles including the principle that land belongs to all
Zimbabweans and
must be de-racialised.
“We have a principle that security forces must
uphold the constitution and
human rights, we have principles on gender and
equality and gender
mainstreaming and protection of minority rights,” said
Mwonzora.
The MDC led by Welshman Ncube has called on Copac to
publicise reports of
the outreach programme before the drafting of a
constitution. MDC national
organising secretary Qhubani Moyo said
publicising the provincial and
national reports of the outreach programme is
essential to avoid conflicts
in the long run over the validity of views in
the draft constitution.
“This will assist in building confidence in
the process as the public will
be informed of what came out of the process
and how those views were
converted to a draft constitution,” Moyo
said.
But Mwonzora said it was too early to publicise the reports
because they
were not yet complete. According to the power-sharing
agreement, the country
will also go for polls after the conclusion of the
constitution-making
process, which is however behind
schedule.
President Robert Mugabe insists that elections should be
held early next
year while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai feels that
elections can only be
held in the third quarter of 2012. But Ncube was
quoted last week saying
holding elections next year was impossible,
predicting that polls can only
be held in the last quarter of
2013.
The constitution-making process has been bogged down by
disagreements and
financial constraints amid reports that Copac is in debt
with several
service providers.
—By Nqobani Ndlovu
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 09:45
BY PATIENCE
NYANGOVE
JOCELYN Chiwenga, the estranged wife to commander of the
Zimbabwe Defence
Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, claims she fears for
her life since
her marriage to the commander collapsed over a year
ago.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview held on Friday at her
Zimsafe offices
in Willowvale, Jocelyn bared her soul as she opened up on
how, over the
years, she has been subjected to physical and emotional abuse
by her
husband.
“Why can’t he tell the nation that he used to
beat me up and then send me to
Malaysia for treatment? After that he told
people I am the one who used to
abuse him. How can one claim I abused a
trained soldier?
“I could not report to the police because he would
threaten to shoot me. I
know these are serious allegations I am making but I
was threatened that if
I made a report I would be killed but now I have made
peace with my God and
I am not scared to die.
“If anything bad
happens to The Standard newspaper journalists and me after
the publication
of this story, because I am telling the truth, the nation
should know it
came from his (Chiwenga’s) office.
“Right now, as we speak, I have
soldiers living in my garden, peeing in my
swimming pool. He put them there
and I have to make a court application to
get them out,” she
said.
Jocelyn said since Chiwenga moved from their Borrowdale Brooke
home and went
to stay at number 5 Rosary Road, Greystone Park some 19 months
ago, she has
had to live with threats and harassment from him.
“I
have been harassed left, right and centre by Chiwenga and I feel the
nation
has to know that if anything happens to me, it’s him. But I don’t
fear him,
I only fear God.
“He walked out on me and never communicated with me
until I saw that
newspaper article last month saying he had married a
28-year-old woman,
maybe he wanted to spite me. I must say I was so
embarrassed for him, how
can he sleep with a girl old enough to be his own
daughter?
Jocelyn also accused Chiwenga of bigamy after the defence
chief recently
married Mary Mubaiwa, former wife to footballer Shingi
Kawondera while still
legally married to her.
Jocelyn and
Chiwenga were married on November 1998 under Chapter 37, now
Chapter 5.11.
“I am still legally married to him because as far as I know, I
have never
signed any divorce papers, unless he has had someone sign the
papers for me,
go check at the courts, our marriage is still valid.
“He is not by
law supposed to marry another woman until we are legally
divorced but he is
abusing the law.” Jocelyn spoke about an incident that
happened early this
year at her Shamva farm where Chiwenga’s aide in the
company of one Colonel
(names given) and another soldier, a trained sniper,
allegedly came to her
farm around 11pm to harass her. She said she was
fortunately not
there.
Asked why she had not opened up before about the alleged
abuse, Jocelyn said
she had kept quiet because she didn’t want to tarnish
Chiwenga’s image and
embarrass President Robert Mugabe.
She
claims almost two years after Chiwenga walked out of their matrimonial
home,
her efforts to have him take his “things” together with his clothes
that he
left had yielded no results.
According to Jocelyn, her lawyers, Gill,
Godlonton and Gerrans have written
several letters to Chiwenga through his
lawyers Scanlen and Holderness since
April last year when Chiwenga ditched
her that have never been replied to.
She added that efforts to meet
with Chief Marange, her relative, to finalise
the divorce have failed to
yield any results after Chiwenga, on six
different occasions, allegedly
turned them down.
Jocelyn accused Chiwenga of trying to “grab” her
businesses and the
Borrowdale Brooke house from her. “He wants to take
everything from me, even
the white house on the hill (Borrowdale Brooke),
maybe he had told his young
wife that they are his properties. He forgets
that when we married I already
had some of my businesses running,” she said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 09:54
BY OUR
STAFF
MEDIA organisations have condemned the recent police raid on
The Standard
newspaper’s offices saying such actions were detrimental to the
development
and growth of press freedom in Zimbabwe.
Five plain
clothes police details raided the newspaper’s offices on Friday
morning with
a search warrant claiming that they were looking for stolen
documents
belonging to Green Card Medical Aid Society, owned by Munyaradzi
Kereke.
The policemen, led by detective assistant inspector J
Mukandi searched
through desk drawers belonging to deputy editor, Walter
Marwizi, proofreader
Chipo Masara and reporters, Nqaba Matshazi and Kudzai
Chimhangwa.
They then went through to the editor, Nevanji Madanhire’s
office. All they
found was Kereke’s response to allegations that his
company’s financial
expenditure outweighed its income
position.
Nqaba Matshazi wrote the story based on sources’
information that revealed
the unstable financial situation prevailing at the
company. Zimbabwe Union
of Journalists (ZUJ) secretary general Foster
Dongozi said the arbitrary
police action was a big public relations disaster
for a country which is
trying to improve its image on the in ternational
scene.
“Journalists are usually accused of tarnishing the image of
the country. The
latest action by police is an indication that there are
some individual
police officers who are bent on tarnishing the image of
Zimbabwe by engaging
in acts of harassment or abuse of journalists, which
will naturally attract
the attention of the international community,” said
Dongozi.
“We will always encourage organisations and individuals who
perceive
themselves to have been wronged, to use peaceful means, such as
using the
VMCZ (Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe) or the ZMC (Zimbabwe
Media
Commission),” he said.
VMCZ director Takura Zhangazha urged
people with complaints against the
media to seek recourse through the
council’s media complaints committee
rather than pursuing criminal
proceedings.
“The VMCZ condemns in the strongest terms, the arbitrary
actions of the ZRP
(Zimbabwe Republic Police) in pursuing matters that are
not within their
specific mandate,” said Zhangazha.
“The ZRP is
not a regulatory body, it is a law enforcement agent and should
not be found
getting involved in matters that relate to disputes over media
stories,” he
said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:39
BY EDGAR
GWESHE
CEPHAS Mandlhenkosi Msipa (Jnr), the son to former Midlands governor
and
Zanu PF politburo member Cephas Msipa, will stand trial for trying to
fraudulently acquire a piece of land in Harare’s Borrowdale
area.
Msipa Jnr, who for the past years has been embroiled in a
struggle for
control of Lot J of Borrowdale Estate (Crowhill), is set to
appear in court
on November 28 to answer to charges of fraud.
He
was supposed to have appeared in court on November 7 but absconded and a
warrant of arrest was issued against him. A timely intervention by his
defence team led to the cancellation of the warrant of arrest and a new
trial date was set.
Msipa has since 2004 tried to evict
beneficiaries of the land reform
programme from Crowhill Farm claiming he
legally owned it. However, it is
the State’s case that Msipa unlawfully and
with clear intent to defraud the
State, misrepresented to one Joseph
Munyanyi, an employee with the Ministry
of Lands that he had a permit to
acquire the estate.
It is also alleged that he went on to register
the piece of land into his
name with the Registrar of Companies using a fake
permit. After making the
false presentations, Msipa proceeded to develop the
plot that had been
allocated to two A2 model farmers.
According
to the State outline, the piece of land was gazetted in 2003 and
published
in the Government Gazette for compulsory acquisition.
The farm was deemed
acquired as per schedule 7 of the constitution of
Zimbabwe Amendment No.
17.
The state alleges Msipa has continued to interfere with farming
operations
of the A2 beneficiaries through pegging of housing stands,
opening up of
roads, quarrying, sand abstraction and cutting down of trees
among other
things.
The state also alleges Msipa’s actions are a
prejudice to beneficiaries of
the land reform programme.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:53
BY EDGAR
GWESHE
MDC-T activist Weston Katiyo was recently awarded US$12 168 by the
High
Court for damages he suffered after being abducted and tortured by Zanu
PF
supporters in Murehwa in 2008.
He was represented by
the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum’s public interest
unit (PIU). Katiyo was
abducted from his home and assaulted by the Zanu PF
supporters before being
taken to a base at Madamombe Township in Murehwa,
where he was detained for
three days and three nights under inhuman
conditions.
“During his detention, Mr Katiyo was denied
medical treatment and was forced
to share the room with a corpse of a fellow
villager who had succumbed to
the same gruesome treatment by the
defendants,” said the forum.
0Sixteen other MDC-T activists and a
journalist are suing four cabinet
ministers and the security agents for
US$19,2 million for their alleged
abduction, unlawful detention and
deprivation of liberty in 2008. The
activists and journalist Shadreck
Manyere are demanding US$1,2 million each
in damages from the ministries of
Home Affairs, Justice and State Security.
Other respondents cited in
documents filed by the activists with the High
Court included Police
Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, prisons boss
Paradzai Zimondi and
Central Intelligence Organisation director-general
Happyton
Bonyongwe.
A group of 10 MDC-T activists who were arrested and
detained in March this
year but later released without any charges preferred
against them have
instituted civil claims for compensation against the
police. The activists
recently took their matter to the High Court seeking
compensation for
damages suffered during their period of arrest and
detention by the law
enforcement agents.
They are claiming US$60
000 each as compensation for their unlawful arrest
and detention during
which they allege to have suffered serious
psychological and emotional
stress, discomfort and loss of liberty.
The activists claim that they
were unlawfully arrested at MDC-T headquarters
in Harare on March 13 this
year when police pounced on them while they were
discussing with some party
supporters.
Upon their arrest, they were taken to Harare Central
police station where
they were held for four days, only to be released on
March 16 without any
charges being preferred against them.
Their
lawyers, led by Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa and Mtisi legal practitioners
is
arguing that the police pounced on the activists without any reasonable
suspicion of them having committed any offence hence their arrest and
detention was unlawful.
Chief Inspector Clever Ntini and Morgan
Makombe of the CID Law and Order
Section are cited as the first and second
defendants in the case. Home
Affairs co-ministers Kembo Mohadi and Theresa
Makone are cited as third and
fourth defendants respectively while Police
Commissioner-General Augustine
Chihuri is the fifth
defendant.
NGo applauds court ruling
The Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum applauded the court ruling in favour of
Katiyo as a
milestone towards fostering respect for the rule of law and
human rights in
country that has been characterised by political intolerance
for over a
decade now.
“This is a positive step towards promoting respect for
human rights and
serves to deter future violators of human rights thereby
fostering a culture
of accountability in the communities.” Several other
activists are suing the
State for illegal detention and torture. This comes
at a critical moment,
when principals to the coalition government are
calling for peace.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011
14:02
BY NQOBILE BHEBHE
VICTORIA FALLS — Speaker of Parliament
Lovemore Moyo (pictured) has called
on government to quickly avail funds for
the construction of a new
parliament building because the current one is too
small for the increased
number of legislators.
Addressing
parliamentarians at a 2012 pre-national budget seminar in
Victoria Falls
recently, Moyo expressed concern that the proposed new
co-mplex, to be built
in Harare’s Kopje area, has been on the cards for too
long.
“It
is important to note that the new parliament building is a national
asset
which therefore places an obligation on government to endeavour to
fund its
construction as a matter of priority,” said Moyo.
The project has
been on government plans for more than two decades. Renewed
calls for the
construction of a new parliament building comes in the wake of
an increase
in the number of lawmakers who are now 210. There are also 93
senators that
use the same building.
Reports say that the proposed Parliament
building was designed by local
architects and would accommodate about 250
MPs and 200 senators. It was
designed in such a way that it could be further
renovated to accommodate
about 500 MPs if the need arose.
Moyo
said though he acknowledges latest government’s efforts in facilitating
the
acquisitions of Quality International Hotel for use by parliament there
was
still need to move to a bigger building.
The hotel will be used
to accommodate legislators coming from outside the
capital to attend
parliamentary sessions. Moyo appealed to the Treasury to
timeously release
funds to procure furniture for the hotel.
A tender for the
construction of the parliament building was awarded to a
Chinese
construction firm. It is expected that the proposed new complex, to
cost
about US$140 million, would also include flats for MPs representing
non-Harare constituencies.
The landscaping of the Kopje Hill was
done by the Chinese company in 2007
but work was stopped in 2008 due to lack
of funding.
The current structure was built in 1895 as a hotel before being
converted to
a parliament in 1898.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 14:20
ZIMBABWE continues to
record a steady increase in the number of tourist
arrivals that has seen the
first half of 2011 registering a 16% increase.
According to a Tourism Trends
and Statistics report of the first half of
2011 compiled by the Zimbabwe
Tourism Authority (ZTA), 657 302 tourists
visited the country, representing
a 16% increase from 568 706 in 2010.
The report says arrivals from all
regions experienced an increase during the
period under review. The report
also notes that Africa remains the major
source market for the country while
Europe is the largest overseas market in
terms of total
arrivals.
“Of the 657 302 tourists received by Zimbabwe during the
period under
review, Africa contributed 86% followed by Europe 5%, the
Americas and Asia
all at 3%. The Oceania contributed 1% while the Middle
East contributed less
than 2%,” the report says.
In Africa, major
tourist arrivals were recorded from South Africa that saw
246 889 tourists
coming into the country. This however, represents a 33%
decline as compared
to the same period last year that recorded 367 538 South
African tourists
making their way into Zimbabwe.
Malawi, Tanzania and Angola recorded the
highest increases in tourist
arrivals which the ZTA attributes to trade
purposes.
— BY PATIENCE NYANGOVE
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 14:18
BY NDAMU
SANDU
MINES and Mining Development minister Obert Mpofu has been given up to
tomorrow to disclose the name of the institution that has allegedly taken
over ownership of SMM Holdings Zimbabwe (SMMHZ) in a new twist to the
business seized by government seven years ago.
SMMHZ was seized
from businessman Mutumwa Mawere via the Reconstruction of
State Indebted and
Insolvent Companies Act (Reconstruction Laws and
Regulations) which deemed
his companies indebted to the state by owing
parastatals.
SMMH
was deemed to be indebted to the State by virtue of owing money to the
central bank (Z$30 billion), a Z$252 million debt to the National Social
Security Authority, Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (Z$396
million), Zimbank (Z$20 billion), Zesa (Z$8,2 billion) and owing the tax
collector, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority of Z$49 billion.
In a
letter dated November 9 2011, Mawere’s lawyers, Kyle Attorneys, wants
Mpofu
to disclose the identity of the said institution “who you allege has
taken
up ownership of, or became the registered shareholder of SMMHZ and
advise on
what basis of law or circumstance, the said institution became the
lawful
owner of or registered shareholder of SMMHZ”.
The lawyers want Mpofu
to furnish them with a written undertaking that he
would not instruct the
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) to
implement the proposed
takeover of Shabanie Mashava and African Associate
(AA) Mines. Mpofu is also
expected to make an undertaking that mining
activities at the mines should
not take place until he says who the lawful
owner of SMMH
is.
Early this year government transferred Mawere’s empire, under
reconstruction, to Mpofu’s ministry from Patrick Chinamasa’s authority as
Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs.
ZMDC has so far ordered an
audit and has promised to pay the mine workers
who have been unpaid in the
past two years. The latest correspondence is a
follow up to earlier letters
written to ZMDC board chairman Godwills
Masimirembwa who said that ZMDC was
neither the owner nor registered
shareholder of SMM, but was only a
statutory body taking instructions from
Mpofu.
Mawere is fighting
to reclaim his empire arguing that SMMH is owned by SMMH
(UK) and that
government failed in its attempt to be registered as the
shareholders by UK
courts.
Parliament has also given Mawere a ray of hope after calling
for a review of
the reconstruction laws arguing that such legislation
exposes citizens to
the risk of losing assets to the state without
meaningful judicial
oversight.
In a comprehensive report to
parliament, the portfolio committee on Mines
and Energy urged a cautious
look at the legislation. “A law that arbitrarily
converts claims of
state-owned institutions to state obligations governed
under the
reconstruction laws has to be carefully examined and interrogated
by the
House,” it said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011
13:06
BY KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
THE nominal surge in mining sector
activities in the country has contributed
to the growth of Murray and
Roberts’ (M&R) order book this year, according
to chief executive
officer Stewart Mangoma.
Speaking at the company’s 37th Annual
General Meeting last week, Mangoma
told stakeholders that the current order
book stood at US$29 million as at
October this year.
“There was a
23% contribution from the mining sector against last year’s 12%
and this has
led to an improvement in the order book,” said Mangoma.
Investment in
Zimbabwe’s mining sector has been deterred by uncertainty over
the
indigenisation law that the government has been advocating for.
Investor
concerns stem from the empowerment threshold, which is considered
too high
at 51%.
He said that the company’s construction division was breaking
even while a
total of US$1,6 million was spent on capital expenditure with
focus mainly
on equipment for onsite projects.
The company is
also set to benefit from a significant number of tenders it
won from
government as the latter has increased focus on infrastructure
development
projects.
Most construction related companies have only managed to
secure short-term
projects as the liquidity crunch and economic constraints
continue to
determine levels of business activity.
“The situation
is improving in the construction business although it’s all
really a matter
of funding for larger projects,” he said. Mangoma said the
Proplastics
division, a Murray & Roberts subsidiary that specialises in the
manufacturing of PVC pipes and accessories, had performed exceptionally well
this year too.
The Pro-plastics division order book stands at
US$4 million as at October
this year. “Capacity utilisation is up 54% from
the previous 46% while the
factory is presently loaded with orders,” he said
adding that demand for
products mainly emanate from local water
authorities.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011
13:01
BY NDAMU SANDU
THERE has not been any drawdown on the US$7
million lender of last resort
facility as banks are not keen to tap into the
pool due the limited nature
of the fund and collateral requirements, central
bank governor Gideon Gono
has said.
Treasury gave Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ) US$7 million for banks to
access in the event of short term
liquidity mismatches. “As the lender of
last resort, we operate on the basis
of actual approaches from banks
themselves. So far banks have not been keen
due to the very limited nature
of the fund, as well as the current format of
collateral requirements,” Gono
said.
The lender of last resort
role was revived in February this year after RBZ
got funding from Treasury.
The central bank had last performed that role in
2008 leaving banks
vulnerable in the event of problems in the sector.
Under the current
dispensation, banks are supposed to use Deeds of Transfer
on immovable
property as security and the industry has been lobbying
treasury to
introduce treasury bills which are easily tradable and are a
widely accepted
form of security throughout the world.
In the event of liquidity
mismatches, banks are supposed to seek
accommodation from the central bank.
They have to pledge security to access
the funds.
Gono told
Standardbusiness the issue of funds and collateral would be
addressed in due
course by the bank in consultation with treasury.
The disadvantage of using
Deeds of Transfer on immovable property as
collateral is that it has
inherent costs relating to perfection which
involves bond evaluation and
registration.
Bankers Association of Zimbabwe president John
Mushayavanhu said on Thursday
the industry was in discussions with the
ministry of Finance and hopes its
proposal for the reintroduction of
treasury bills would be included when
Finance minister Tendai Biti unveils
the 2012 national budget this week.
In his mid-term monetary policy
statement, Gono said the limited fund and
its complicated collateral had
seen banks being more prudent by keeping
unnecessarily large balances of
liquid assets in cash, especially given that
most of their liabilities are
demand deposits.
Under normal circumstances, banks keep liquid assets
in a combination of
cash as well as short-term liquid and tradable
instruments such as treasury
bills.
However, the absence of tradable
securities means that balances in Real Time
Gross Settlement would be
higher.
However, the absence of treasury bills on the market means
that liquidity
will remain constrained and this effectively kills a vibrant
secondary
market of trading financial instruments, which is a critical
source of
revenue and liquidity for the sector.
Treaury bills are
short-term securities pu-rchased for a price that is less
than their face
value. When they mature, the government pays the holder the
full face
value.
In developed financial markets, banks diversify their risks by
investing in
treasury bills and municipal bonds among others thereby
stimulating various
investment avenues for the economy.
Currently
in Zimbabwe, banks are by default only investing in loan assets in
the
absence of treasury bills and other quasi-government bonds. This
effectively
increases concentration risk in one asset class and in turn can
cause
systemic risks if some of the loans being created by banks do not
perform.
In his mid-term monetary policy statement, Gono said RBZ
was mulling
introducing market stabilisation bills to resuscitate the money
market and
ensure the lender of last resort facility is sufficiently
enhanced.
Gono told Standardbusiness on Thursday work on the
reactivation of the money
market is still ongoing and the market would be
advised once firm structures
are in place.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:18
In the
famous work, A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of
Right
(1844), Karl Marx wrote that “religion is the sigh of the oppressed
creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless
conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the
illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real
happiness.”
Let me state here that this writer is neither Marxist,
nor anti-religious.
However, recent events in global current affairs seem to
vindicate Marx’s
statement, as in some quarters of the world, a misdirected
religiosity seems
to persist.
For instance, the recently sacked
South African former minister of
Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs, Shicelo Shiceka allegedly
abused taxpayers’ money on several
luxuries, including R55 793 for a night’s
stay in a hotel with a sangoma (an
African traditional healer who practices
divining and foretelling through
ancestors). My guess is that the sangoma
didn’t foretell that the former
minister’s job was in jeopardy.
Shiceka’s dealings with this sangoma
at the South African public’s expense
are representative of a generation of
leaders and businessmen who have
failed to understand that belief without
action is meaningless.
One can offer several sacrifices and perform
innumerable rituals, but
without hardwork and diligence, there can be no
reward. Across the African
continent, there are several examples of men and
women who attained the
status of petit bourgeoisie in high-density townships
prior to independence
through hardwork and diligence.
This,
in spite of oppressive policies such as segregation and apartheid. But
where
are these families now? In most instances, great potential has
translated
into failure, owing to weird superstitions and misguided
beliefs.
Now, some of the African youth are putting their trust
in the same warped
belief-systems that they saw their parents embrace, and
as a result many of
us strut about believing that sangomas can cure HIV and
Aids, and that
unemployment is caused by witchcraft.
On the other
hand, the more educated African seems to be turning away from
customary
beliefs, and towards Christianity, Pentecostalism in particular.
The World
Christian Database reports that pentecostals now represent 12%, or
about 107
million of Africa’s population of nearly 890 million people, and
in Zimbabwe
for instance, it has been reported that Evangelical
denominations, primarily
Pentecostal churches and apostolic groups, were the
fastest growing
religious groupings in the period 2000–2009.
Having said that, while
recently conducting research in a Pentecostal church
in South Africa, I
found that although many people admit that they are
“praying for jobs and
blessings,” further probing reveals that most people
are praying for a
blessing in the form of a job, particularly one of a
permanent nature and
preferably in government.
No one seems to pray for, say, ideas to
start a business, or for the power
to work harder, or the strength to wake
up earlier, or the ability to spend
less, or the grace to further one’s
skills. I believe that it is written
somewhere that faith without deeds is
dead.
We as Africans need to compliment our beliefs with diligent
works, without
which our beliefs and religious practices become sensual and
self-beneficial, like a drug, opium.
BY TAU TAWENGWA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:17
Friday’s police raid on
The Standard newsroom, a brazen attempt by
Munyaradzi Kereke to muzzle the
press, needs to be condemned in the
strongest terms.
Five
detectives from Serious Fraud Section stormed the newsroom and
conducted an
unprecedented search operation that has been widely condemned
across the
media divide.
For any journalists worth their salt, having detectives
visiting the
newsroom, let alone, rummaging through reporters’ and editors’
drawers is
the last thing imaginable.
A newsroom is the hallowed
territory for journalists. Here ideas are
developed into stories and then
undergo editing before publication.It is
also a place where information on
key contacts and confidential papers are
kept without any fear that
powers-that-be can lay their hands on such
documents. In short, newsrooms
are the engine rooms for the gathering and
news writing
processes.
They form in the process, an appropriate sphere through
which, the exchange
of healthy ideas for all citizens must take place
without fear of
unjustified government censorship.
So when five
detectives stormed The Standard newsroom on Friday armed with a
search
warrant, the intention was obvious — to muzzle this paper.
The detectives
demanded documents related to Green Card Medical Aid, owned
by Kereke, an
advisor to RBZ governor Gideon Gono charging they were “stolen
property”.
The documents were said to contain financial
statements, membership and
claims reports. This unwarranted police action
disrupted the entire Standard
production process for close to three hours
and the police officers had no
apologies for that.
While the
police were over-excited by their mission, the clear fact that
Kereke was
behind this plot was not lost. Kereke clearly wants to stop The
Standard
from publishing anything about his medical aid society, which is
reportedly
facing financial problems. Sadly, his actions, in the eyes of
journalists
who are fighting for a free press in Zimbabwe, amount to one
thing: the
abuse of the judicial process.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011 13:14
When a
government punishes its nationals through unreasonably high service
charges
for non-available services through quasi-government institutions
like Zesa
and local authorities then it ceases to be legitimate, whether it
is an
inclusive government or not.
These quasi-government institutions are
ultimately answerable to central
government hence the government is also
guilty. It is critical for our
leaders to understand that citizens cannot
afford the service charges for
public utilities.
Those who think
strategically will tell you that this issue is a national
security threat.
Unfortunately, it seems there are no strategic thinkers in
government any
more, maybe because of the uncertain nature of the inclusive
government, the
more reason we need an elected government soon.
Government enacted
the various Acts of Parliament that gave rise to these
institutions and it
knows that they are monopolies which need to be
monitored in case they abuse
their monopoly, as is the case.
Had it not been that these
institutions provide basic services and consumers
are forced to pay through
an Act of Parliament, all these institutions would
have collapsed, as has
happened to Air Zimbabwe.
Picture the following utility bill from the
City of Harare for a resident in
the medium-density suburb of Msasa Park,
which went for over four continuous
years without water.
When
the multi-currency system was introduced residents started receiving
water
one day per three months and then one day per month and to date it is
a few
hours per fortnight.
Balance brought forward — $250
Property
tax domestic zone 33 — $18
Water fixed monthly charge — $11
Water
monthly consumption —
$18
Sewage — $13
Water
reconnection fee — $10
(Being charged every month since disconnection was
effected. Disconnection
done on a dry
tape.)
Refuse —$11
Total for
September — $81.
I am sure the water charge would be astronomical
if water was available
everyday of the month. The extra cost of fetching
water when it is not
available amounts to around US$90 per month including
transport and the
purchase price of the water. The inconvenience is even
more. Loss of
property value owing to shortage of water is massive. Tenants
are now
shunning Msasa Park.
The Blair toilet in my rural area is
much better than the toilets in Msasa
Park, residents have been reduced to
sub-human beings by the City of Harare
yet they have the audacity to take us
to court. Msasa Park residents must
not pay more than 10% of council bills
in retrospect.
Soon after becoming mayor of Harare, Muchadeyi Masunda
is on record saying
residents must pay for water that they were not
receiving. What a shame!
Government must make sure this does not happen. It
does not help to wish the
problem away since the City of Harare is now suing
residents for services
not provided.
We will meet in court with
my counter claim! The following statement is also
printed on the
statement:
Please Be Advised That Council Is Instituting Legal Action
Icluding
Attachment Of Property For Recovery Of Outstanding Arrears. Water
Disconnections In All Areas Will Be Done Without Further Notice. Please Take
Heed Of This Message And Visit Your Local Office For Payment/Or
Arrangement.
The US$250 balance carried forward includes legal fees that City
of Harare
charged me when they attempted to sue me in the past. This means
they became
both the complainant and the judge!
I am prepared to
fight this injustice in court all the way to the Supreme
Court. I am sure
that the Urban Councils Act assumes that council must meet
its own end of
the bargain. The astronomical bills that the city fathers
sent us arose from
non-provided service!
My assumption is that payment in foreign
currency should have sorted the
water problems in Harare but most of the
money is going towards salaries and
allowances of city council senior
managers, employees and councillors.
City Council must stick to its
core business, does it need to be venturing
into funeral business when its
workers can be catered for by private funeral
parlours? Even blue chip
companies do not own funeral parlours.
BY CHORUWA PINDURAI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 13 November 2011
13:11
Political violence doesn’t make any sense, does it? You batter
people and
expect them to vote for you! You have broken their bones, torn
their skins
and injured their pride and on polling day they vote for you!
How does that
work? Why does political violence work?
Whenever
the weak have pain, both physical and emotional, inflicted upon
them by the
powerful, they desire revenge. They look forward to the day they
can fight
back and humiliate the perpetrators of the violence.
During
colonialism when the white man treated adult Africans as children by
administering corporal punishment or giving them humiliating assignments to
do, the Africans often fought back in ways that sought to reduce the white
man’s standing among them.
Those who worked as domestics
often spat or urinated into the white man’s
drinking water and when they saw
the white man looking refreshed after a
long swig they felt they had fought
back.
Political violence is rampant in Zimbabwe in the run-up to any
election.
Adult men and women particularly in the rural areas are beaten up
and
humiliated in front of their colleagues and their children by people
young
enough to be their offspring.
The situation is not too
different in urban areas with thugs often going
door-to-door terrorising
people as has often been reported in Mbare, where a
quasi-secret society
called Chipangano is a law unto itself.
What Jabulani Sibanda,
chairman of the Zimbabwe War Veterans’ Association is
allegedly doing
countrywide demonstrates the impunity which perpetrators of
political
violence enjoy. That his colleagues have voiced their concerns
about his
actions shows the extent to which he has humiliated people in the
provinces
he has worked in.
In Masvingo, the provincial leadership had to
complain saying that Sibanda’s
actions are too extreme and may turn the
whole province against Zanu PF.
In normal circumstances the people of
Masvingo would be itching for revenge.
BY NEVANJI
MADANHIRE
They would suffer quietly until the day they would
demand their pound of
flesh; obviously that would be the day of the polls
when they would enter
the polling booths and put their X into the box that
would exact revenge on
their bullies. Countrywide there should be thousands
upon thousands of
people suffering quietly in the same predicament as the
people of Masvingo.
There is an inherent contradiction in electoral
violence; you beat up people
in order that they vote for you! This doesn’t
make sense at all especially
in a situation where voting is done in secrecy.
One cannot expect the people
he or she has humiliated to vote for him or
her. But that is what happens in
Zimbabwe.
But why?
The
perpetrators of violence are aware that the people they have humiliated
hate
them with a passion but they don’t care. Jabulani Sibanda for example
knows
pretty well that the people he is terrorising daily in Masvingo loathe
him
but he doesn’t care.
He knows how the philosophy of violence
works: keep them in perpetual fear
before elections; threaten them during
elections and punish them communally
after elections if some of them have
voted in a way you dislike.
The most important stage of this
three-pronged strategy is the second:
threaten them during the polling
process by reminding them that their vote
is not secret; this is the fulcrum
of electoral violence. This point cannot
be harped on enough. If they were
assured that they would vote in secrecy
they would seek
revenge.
It would seem civil society organisations and political
parties that should
harp on this until policy makers’ ears begin to ring are
guilty by omission
and commission for perpetuating a flawed electoral
process in Zimbabwe.
There are two types of electoral violence in
Zimbabwe.
The first is that between small groups of members of
different political
parties. It happens all the time in all countries in
Africa and other
developing regions. This is normal and is difficult to
eliminate entirely.
These little groups meet at townships or even
communal wells and because
they have failed to change the others’ thinking,
they resort to fist fights.
All political groupings without exception are
guilty of this at one time or
another.
This kind of violence can
be reduced if concerted efforts are made by elders
in the communities to
counsel peace or if a real national healing and
reconciliation strategy is
put in place. This has been done successfully in
Ghana, Sierra Leone and
Kenya.
In Ghana, for example, reports say the United Nations worked
with the
government, the electoral commission, the media and civil society
to ensure
that the 2008 elections were peaceful. The process was an
unqualified
success.
The second type of violence is the obnoxious
variety which is
state-sanctioned. This is perpetrated by senior members of
political parties
in government, directly or through their proxies. These
people would be
protected by law enforcement agents who apply the law
selectively.
The police in this case would descend with full
wrath on certain groups
while allowing other groups to inflict pain and
suffering on their opponents
with impunity. The country’s prosecuting
authority — in our case the office
of the Attorney-General — usually remains
supine in the face of this. This
is the kind of violence Zimbabwe has
continued to experience in the past
decade.
It is already
rearing its ugly head in spite of the lull of the past two
years with the
deployment of military personnel into the rural areas and the
reported
resurrection of torture bases all over the country.
This type of
violence is almost impossible to stem even if international
organisations
such as the UN, or in our case the Sadc, do not intervene. The
only way to
stop it is by removing its fulcrum or hinge, which is that
people are not
voting in secrecy.
If voters are enabled to express their free
will in secrecy violence becomes
entirely useless; it will, as it naturally
should, turn prospective voters
against perpetrators.
As we
reluctantly totter towards another harmonised election, Zimbabweans
must
interrogate holistically the whole electoral process and identify those
facets of the process that militate against voter secrecy.
The
place to begin could be the whole legislation pertaining to the
electoral
process and the agents such as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
that
enforce the legislation. The aim would be to reinforce voter security
in the
polling booth so that every voter is assured there is absolutely no
Big
Brother watching.
