http://www.timeslive.co.za/
JAMA MAJOLA | 20 November, 2011 03:13
President
Robert Mugabe, under pressure after recent events in Ivory Coast
and Libya,
has appealed for protection from China and Russia amid
revelations that he
fears his bitter rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
is lobbying the
United Nations (UN) Security Council to intervene in
Zimbabwe if the next
elections end in dispute like previous ones.
Mugabe's appeal to China and
Russia while on an official visit to Beijing
this week shows mounting fears
in Harare that if the next crucial elections
are disputed, Tsvangirai and
his MDC-T party might use their international
leverage to take the issue to
the UN Security Council, where the veto powers
play a critical
role.
Alongside the United States, Britain and France, China and Russia
are the
only five permanent members of the UN Security Council and have veto
power.
There are also 10 non-permanent members who rotate
biennially.
Zimbabwe was taken to the UN Security Council in 2008 after
the disputed
presidential election run-off which was characterised by
political violence
and killings. Tsvangirai had defeated Mugabe in the first
round of polls.
China and Russia blocked the move by the US and its
allies to intervene in
Zimbabwe. In 2002, after another disputed
presidential election, Tsvangirai
had written to former US president George
Bush to use his influence to
ensure UN intervention.
Mugabe's fears
that Tsvangirai could be manoeuvring to lobby the UN Security
Council have
heightened of late, particularly after the premier visited
several African
countries currently sitting in the body.
Tsvangirai has recently been to
Nigeria, Gabon and South Africa. All three
countries, which voted for UN
intervention in Libya, are in the security
council.
On Wednesday,
Tsvangirai was in Morocco, where he addressed a debating forum
organised by
the Amadeus Institute, in the northern city of Tangier. He
warned that the
spring uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East were a
warning to
African dictators who cling on to power through violence and
coercion.
Although Morocco is not an African Union member, having
pulled out in
protest in 1984 over Western Sahara and the Polisario Front,
it will be a
non-permanent UN Security Council member for two years starting
January 1
2012, on the Arab League ticket. It will replace
Lebanon.
Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba wrote in the state-controlled
Herald last
Saturday that Tsvangirai was lobbying for UN Security Council
intervention
in Zimbabwe in a column in which he seemed to reflect his boss'
anxieties.
He said the Amadeus Institute, which the premier has visited
several times
in recent years, was a "phoney organisation" used by western
countries to
fund Tsvangirai and his party to oust Mugabe.
"This is
the vehicle through which Morocco interacts with Morgan Tsvangirai
and his
party, indeed the vehicle for meddling in Zimbabwe's electoral
politics,"
Charamba said.
"Morocco has funded the MDC-T both as a country and as a
protégé of Europe
and (the United States of) America, doing the bidding of
both."
Charamba expressed fears of "invasion", saying Tsvangirai wants
the UN
Security Council to get involved in the Zimbabwean
situation.
Confirming his fears of intervention following recent events
in Ivory Coast
and Libya, Mugabe, a former ally of recently killed Libyan
dictator Muammar
Gaddafi, during a meeting this week with acting Chinese
President Xi
Jinping, appealed for protection from Beijing and Moscow, given
the
"Anglo-Saxon alliance's expansionist agenda, given what Nato did in
Libya
and threats posed to Syria and Iran".
"Countries like China and
Russia must provide both leadership and
protection," Mugabe said through
Charamba.
"Nature has disbursed its resources in its own ways to
different countries
with some countries richly endowed while some are not.
Even we who do not
have oil feel no less menaced as these rapacious
countries are looking for
other resources. All this (Zimbabwe's wealth) is
envied and we need
protection."
Mugabe further reportedly said: "We
rely on good friends like you to protect
us and you have done that in the
past.
"We do not lose confidence in you and please do not lose confidence
in us".
Mugabe expressed the same fears at the recent UN General Assembly
meeting in
New York.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare,
November 20, 2011 - Zimbabwe's two Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC)
formations have called for the arrest of Zanu-PF national chairman
Simon
Khaya Moyo for alleged inciting of political violence on Zanu-PF
opponents.
Addressing a Zanu-PF Midlands provincial conference in
Gweru this past
weekend, Khaya Moyo told Zanu-PF supporters they should not
sit idle when
they are attacked by members of the opposition.
Zanu-PF
opponents and some ordinary Zimbabweans have come out in full cry
over the
statement from the Zanu-PF fourth in charge, which they feel is in
contrast
with last week’s appeals by the three leaders of the country’s
co-governing
parties against political violence.
“Khaya Moyo must be prosecuted
for incitement of violence and he must be
locked up,” MDC spokesperson of
the Tsvangirai led formation Douglas
Mwonzora told Radio VOP last
Friday.
“Utterances by Simon Khaya Moyo are a great act of
insubordination, coming
just a few hours after the principals to the Global
Political Agreement
including his President Robert Mugabe denounced violence
and asked the
people of Zimbabwe to follow suit. Now we see him coming out
publicly
inciting the Zanu-PF youths to beat up their
opponents.
“This is a typical situation where Zanu-PF indicates left
and turns right.
It vindicates our position that Zanu-PF has never been
genuine on issues of
non violence.”
Qhubani Moyo, national
organising secretary with the Professor Welshman
Ncube led MDC, also called
for Khaya Moyo’s arrest.
“These kinds of reckless statements should
be met with the law. He needs to
be arrested for statements that incite
violence and national disorder,” he
said.
“His incitement of
violence indicates the desperation in Zanu-PF that they
have failed to use
any other formula of persuasion to have the people of
Zimbabwe voting for
them.”
Political analyst Jealous Mawarire said Khaya Moyo should stop
setting
ordinary Zimbabweans against each other while his own biological
children
are safe from any political violence.
“The first people
he should incite are his own biological children to carry
out the acts of
violence so that should there be any repercussions, they
visit his own
family,” he said.
The MDC also feels Khaya Moyo should have urged
party supporters to report
any attacks on them to the police instead of
calling for an eye for an eye
among citizens.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Chengetai Zvauya, Senior
Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:15
HARARE - The Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) faction led by Lovemore
Matombo has elected a
women’s advisory council as it presses ahead with its
path towards an
elective congress.
Raymond Majongwe the secretary-general of the faction
said yesterday they
held elections for their women’s wing in Harare in which
the leadership
elected will be incorporated into the general
council.
“We have elected a new women leadership with Shylet Gutu
nominated to be
president and Joice Masiya deputy president. The process
went according to
plan without any disturbances and we are happy with the
outcome of the
elections.
“These were democratic elections. We have
elected five women and we are not
going to stop with our programme as we
have completed the regional
conferences. Now what is remaining is the
general conference which we have
set for 16-17 December in Bulawayo,’’ said
Majongwe.
Majongwe said they are not bothered by the legal challenge that
has been
filed by their rival faction led George Nkiwane.
“We are not
afraid of their challenge; we are going to face them in court
but they must
know that we are not going to stop our process. They must be
ready to face
us because we are also going to fight back as well,’’ said
Majongwe.
The Nkiwane faction last week filed an urgent chamber
application seeking to
bar Matombo and his group from using the ZCTU logo,
letter heads and access
to bank accounts.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
HARARE CORRESPONDENT | 11 September, 2009
14:30
Two journalists working for the Weekly Standard went on the run on
Friday as
it emerged that state security agents wanted to question them.
This comes as
fears emerge of renewed attacks on the independent
media.
Police visited the Standard offices on Thursday, a day after
editor Nevanji
Madanhire and reporter Nqaba Matshazi were granted bail on
charges of
criminal defamation for publishing a story about businessman-cum
farmer
Munyaradzi Kereke. Kereke is also an adviser to the governor of the
Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono.
The detectives who visited
AMH, the publishers of the Standard, said they
wanted to speak to Madanhire
in connection with a story published on October
1.
The report alleged
that co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi was trying to
force new farmers
off their land and allocate it to his son and nephew. The
story was authored
by Matshazi.
After failing to locate Madanhire, the detectives left
instructions for him
to report to Harare Central Police
station.
Sources said the editor and reporter were on the run as they
feared the
police would hold them in unbearable conditions over the
weekend.
On Wednesday, they were each granted US$100 bail by Harare
magistrate Sandra
Mupindu.
They are being charged with criminal
defamation and theft of documents. The
charges arise from the publication of
a story on Kereke's medical aid
company, GreenCard, which is allegedly
facing collapse.
The journalists' case was postponed to December 20, when
their trial is
expected to start. They were ordered to surrender their
passports, refrain
from interfering with witnesses and reside at their given
addresses.
Prosecutor Tapiwa Kasema argued that the two should also be
interdicted from
writing any more stories related to the same subject
pending the
determination of the matter.
Their lawyer, Linda Cook,
argued that granting such an application would be
tantamount to muzzling the
press and that the application had been made on
the wrong
platform.
The magistrate dismissed the application.
Kereke has
filed a multimillion-dollar suit against the Standard. However,
the
onslaught on the Standard has been roundly condemned by journalist
unions
and other media watch-dogs.
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ),
which has received sponsorship from
Kereke, accused him of threatening press
freedom. Dumisani Sibanda, the
president of ZUJ, said the union would not be
so blinded by Kereke's
sponsorship as to fail to condemn threats to media
freedom.
The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe said the arrests were an
assault on
the media by the police and the political elite.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
20/11/2011 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
THE NewsDay newspaper has suspended its political editor as part
of an
investigation into bribery claims.
Kelvin Jakachira has been
ordered to produce receipts and documents relating
to a Toyota vehicle he
owns amid claims it was a “gift” from Munyaradzi
Kereke, an adviser to
Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono.
Raphel Khumalo, the CEO of NewsDay’s
publishing company, Alpha Media
Holdings, confirmed Jakachira’s suspension
but declined to go into further
detail.
Sources say Alpha Media
executives acted after Kereke caused the arrest of
two journalists from The
Standard, a sister paper to NewsDay, over a story
which claimed his Green
Card Medical Aid company was facing collapse.
Alpha Media bosses became
concerned that Kereke had a mole in the
organisation after it emerged the
rich businessman – who also owns Doves
Morgan Funeral Services and Green
Card Cars – had information on the
Standard’s investigation into his
troubled health insurance firm which was
only known in-house.
Suspicion
immediately fell on Jakachira, whom NewsDay bosses thought had an
“unhealthy
relationship” with the businessman.
Through his many companies, Kereke
has been sponsoring media awards run by
the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists
(ZUJ). But in a statement, ZUJ announced
it was severing ties with Kereke
over his role in the arrest of Standard
editor Nevanji Madanhire and
reporter Nqaba Matshazi.
While spreading his largesse to journalists in
what is seen as an attempt to
buy “protection” from bad publicity, Kereke
has also reportedly been
generous with the police.
Last year, he was
accused of raping a 11-year-old girl but police dropped
their investigation
under unclear circumstances, infuriating children’s
rights
groups.
Kereke is officially still employed as an adviser to Reserve Bank
governor
Gideon Gono, but the two men are reportedly not on talking terms
after a
breakdown in their relationship.
http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/
20.11.11, 09:40
Some
two months after reports that rough diamonds had been discovered in the
Zimbabwean village of Murehwa, 75 kilometers northeast of Harare caused
locals to flock to flock to the area, Zimbabwean news outlets are reporting
a new diamond rush.
According to the Bulawayo 24 news website,
diamond explorers are rushing to
the country’s Pondongoma region after a
geologist from the Livelihood and
Community Development Trust was seen
testing gemstones in the area.
Local villagers, businessmen, and police
are reportedly being inundated with
inquiries about the reported diamond
discovery, and independent diamond
prospectors have been seen in the area at
night, hoping to pan for diamonds
while avoiding the authorities.
One
village leader told Bulawayo 24 that residents had asked police to block
off
the area in question, since the influx of diamond diggers was harming
the
land.
No government entity has confirmed the existence of diamonds in
Pondongoma.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
VLADIMIR MZACA | 20 November, 2011
03:14
Zimbabwe last year said it would take over all alluvial diamond
activities
in the country. Savior Kasukuwere, the Minister of Youth
Development,
Indigenisation and Empowerment, said alluvial diamonds were the
preserve of
the state and "must benefit the people of
Zimbabwe".
Cabinet resolved that the government would take over all
alluvial mining in
the Marange fields, where it is involved in two joint
ventures with two
South African firms. But Chinese investors are also
present in the area.
Alluvial mining is the cheapest form of diamond
mining, but Zimbabwe this
week secured deals worth more than $700-million
with Chinese investors
interested in the industry.
Prince
Mupazviriho, the permanent secretary of mines and mining development,
met
the potential investors last week on a trip to China.
"We signed
transactions estimated at between $700-million and $750-million
with
investors eager to do mineral extraction and beneficiation," he told
journalists. The Chinese were quick to point out that they were interested
in alluvial diamond mining, as a result of the decision by the Kimberley
Process and Certification Scheme to allow Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds,
Mupazviriho said.
Their interest in alluvial diamonds will be a test
for Harare to choose
between diplomatic relations and government
principles.
President Mugabe had talks this week with China's deputy
president, Xi
Jinping Xi, in Beijing. After the talks, Xi said: "His
Excellency the
president is a famed leader of the national liberation
movement in Africa,
and also an old friend whom the Chinese people know
well. "
Since the start of the indigenisation drive Chinese investors
have been
trying to get around it.
In March, China signed nearly
$700-million in loan deals with Zimbabwe, and
urged the government to
protect Chinese companies from nationalisation
plans.
Analysts say
this has sent a signal to other foreign firms that if they do
not follow
Zimbabwean laws they stand to lose much to Chinese investors,
whose
companies have so far not been earmarked for indigenisation.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Prof Welshman Ncube's MDC has denied that it faces
political extinction
after the forthcoming crunch
ballot.
18.11.1103:37pm
by Chief Reporter
MDC spokesman
Kurauone Chihwayi said it was not the first time people had
predicted the
collapse of the MDC. He said following the October 2005 MDC
split over a
decision to contest Senate polls, prophets of doom predicted
the collapse of
his party, but it was still standing.
"I don't know what witchdoctor is
going around telling people that the end
of the GNU would signal the end of
the MDC. It is not correct that there is
no future for the MDC," Chihwayi
said.
Chihwayi claimed the MDC had the best candidate and challenged
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Mugabe to a live TV
presidential
debate with Prof Ncube.
"We are ready to present him for
a live debate," Chihwayi said.
Chihwayi said it would disastrous for
Zimbabwe to go for fresh vote without
dealing with toxic issues from the
last election.
"There is also need before we get to election to heal the
country," he said.
"There is a lot of work to be done. The framework for
national healing is
now in place. It’s now being discussed by all political
parties.
Chihwayi said his party fully backed the polling station-based
voters roll.
“As a political party we believe there is need for us to be
sincere with
each other to commit ourselves to the creation of a free and
fair election."
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
VLADIMIR MZACA | 20 November, 2011
03:14
When Professor Arthur Mutambara was sworn in as one of the two
deputy prime
ministers, he ended his oath by saying: "So help me,
God."
It appears he needs assistance now more than
ever.
Mutambara, who was recently elbowed out of the leadership seat of
the then
MDC-M, refuses to admit that his political career is experiencing a
slump.
And he refused to resign, defying a directive from his party to
step down
and accept a ministerial position after he lost the party's
leadership.
Mutambara said: "I have no intention to leave the position of
deputy prime
minister in the inclusive government. I will not abdicate from
my
responsibilities in order to satisfy narrow party-political
aspirations."
His career has been followed with interest over the last
few years.
In 2007 the state-controlled Herald newspaper carried a
profile of one of
the most educated scientists in Zimbabwe.
His CV
linked him to some of the biggest scientific and multilateral
institutions
in the world.
Widely seen as the luckiest politician in Zimbabwe in 2009
when the three
principals to the GPA entered into a coalition government,
Mutambara was
sworn in as one of the two deputy prime
ministers.
Mutambara's entrance into State House on swearing-in day was
dramatic.
While other delegates arrived in chauffeur-driven cars, he
drove himself in
an American SUV Lincoln Navigator, while his hired
cameraman filmed the
professor of robotics and mechatronics making his way
into State House.
He would be remembered for his speech when he was sworn
in. He drew laughter
as he took his oath with his lengthy full name, Arthur
Guseni Oliver
Mutambara.
Now his surname, which was once on the
leadership seat, has been replaced by
that of fellow fundi Professor
Welshman Ncube, now leader of the MDC-N.
Perhaps the height of
Mutambara's embarrassment came when the three
principals to the GPA held a
recent indaba to end political violence.
Mutambara had been interdicted
from the indaba, and some politicians who
claimed to be representing his
faction were booted out of the Harare
International Conference
Centre.
Confusion is set to continue after the Bulawayo High Court
reserved a
judgment on a case lodged by Ncube to the effect of stopping
Mutambara from
"masquerading" as MDC-N leader.
His spokesman, Maxwell
Zimuto, told the Sunday Times that Mutambara still
had aspirations of
becoming Zimbabwe's next president.
"It is wrong to assume that Mutambara
is finished politically. We are
readying ourselves for the
elections."
University of Zimbabwe political science professor John
Makumbe said
Mutambara's actions defied logic.
"Mutambara should save
himself and resign, as it is clear that he has lost
control of the MDC-N."
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Junior soldiers based at 32 Infantry Battalion here
have been accused of
leading a campaign of violence and intimidation in the
small high density
suburb of Tsanzaguru.
18.11.1104:01pm
by Tony
Saxon
Speaking to The Zimbabwean last week, concerned residents
perceived to be
MDC-T supporters, said the youthful and overzealous
soldiers, who were
always drunk, were using threats and physical violence to
terrorise them.
The uniformed and armed soldiers, led by well known war
veterans, are
reportedly intimidating known MDC supporters in an effort to
suppress the
people's vote in the envisaged elections.
“People are
being told to forget about the government of national unity.
They are
telling us that the MDC is no longer part of the inclusive
government and
that it will not participate in the forthcoming elections,”
said a
villager.
Affected MDC-T supporters said they were reporting the cases of
violence to
the police at Tsanzaguru Police station, but nothing was being
done.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The Zimbabwe Republic Police are the most
corrupt public institution in the
country, according to a survey released
this week by Transparency
International Zimbabwe.
18.11.1105:15pm
by
Fungai Kwaramba Harare
Fifty-five percent of Zimbabweans believe that
corruption is rampant in the
country and is on the increase. The ZRP are
closely followed by political
parties, civil servants, the legislature and
the judiciary.
The police, however, scoffed at the survey, saying it was
just the view of
an organisation.
“That is there view which has
nothing to do with us,” said police
Spokesperson Chief Superintendent,
Oliver Mandipaka.
TIZ interviewed 1,014 people between April 26 and May 5
through Gallup
International, and the data was weighed by age, gender and
region to
represent a population of 5,900 000 Zimbabweans. The corruption
barometer by
TIZ is designed to gauge how corruption affects ordinary
Zimbabweans in
their daily lives.
“Transparency International
encourages the public to play an active role in
stopping corruption and
improving governance,” read a statement from the
organisation.
About
55 percent of those surveyed said corruption was on the increase,
noting
that Zimbabweans were being forced to pay bribes to obtain services
that
they should be receiving for free.
Programme Officer for the
organisation, Nyasha Frank Mpahlo, said the survey
findings showed that the
current national unity government had not been
effective in combating
corruption during its 33 months in power.
TIZ executive director,
Mary-Jane Samkele Ncube, said that the police were
at the top on corruption
because of their visibility and constant contact
with the
public.
“The police are the most targeted because they are the most
prominently seen
and interact within the public sphere. The public deal with
the police as
vendors, traders and as motorists and they are constantly
asked to pay
bribes,” said Ncube.
In order to root corruption from
the society, TIZ said there was need to
incorporate education curriculum
issues and values that were specific on the
ills of corruption.
In
September President Robert Mugabe swore-in a nine member Anti-corruption
Commission. So far the commission has remained dormant
“The
institutions that are set up must be well-resourced financially and
manned
by people with the expertise to deal with it. They must be given the
independence to act without fear or favour, and there must be an end to
politicizing corruption. There must be an earnest approach to deal with
corruption as a problem,” said Ncube.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Sunday, 20 November
2011 13:04
HARARE - President Robert Mugabe could have been duped
into signing into law
the draconian Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (Aippa)
which recognises gay and lesbian rights, the Daily News
on Sunday can
exclusively reveal.
Mugabe, will be shell-shocked to
discover that Aippa, crafted and engineered
by political flip-flopper
Jonathan Moyo when he was information minister in
2003, actually recognises
the privacy of gays and lesbians.
Mugabe would have never signed the bill
into law had he known that it
contained aspects of recognising and
protecting gay and lesbian sexual
orientation as he has in the past
described them as worse than pigs and
dogs.
The Zimbabwean President
was probably hoodwinked into believing that Aippa
was meant to regulate and
silence journalists and private newspapers like
the Daily News, but as it
turns out, the controversial law also protects gay
and lesbian
privacy.
There are allegations that there are a number of top Zanu PF
officials who
have made millions of dollars due to their gay inclinations
but who denounce
gays and lesbians to blind Mugabe.
It is not clear
if the proponents of Aippa and those who backed it in
Parliament were aiming
at protecting their interests or they did it
ignorantly.
Former ZBC
chief executive officer Alum Mpofu was caught engaging in gay
acts at a
popular night club in Harare and was subsequently fired having
been brought
to the corporation when Moyo was information minister.
Popular disc
jockey Kelvin Ncube, who was employed at the then ZBC Radio
Three, now Power
FM, fled the country after questions emerged over his
sexual
orientation.
“She” effectively proclaimed “the correct orientation” after
securing asylum
in the United Kingdom.
Reads section 33 of Aippa:
“Protection of personal information: The head of
a public body shall protect
personal information that is under his custody
or control by taking
reasonable steps to ensure that there is adequate
security and there is no
unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure or
disposal of such
personal information.”
Section 25 of the Act reads: “Protection of
information relating to personal
privacy: (1) The head of a public body
shall not disclose personal
information to an applicant if the disclosure
will result in the
unreasonable invasion of a third party’s personal
privacy.”
According to the same Act, “personal information” is defined
and includes a
person’s age, sex and sexual orientation, marital and family
status.
A group of Zanu PF officials also smuggled gay rights into the
2000 draft
constitution which was rejected by the people but was supported
by Mugabe’s
party.
According to information at hand, some Zanu PF
officials in the
Constitutional Commission, some of whom helped craft Aippa,
had smuggled gay
rights under a section on natural differences in the 2000
draft.
This, according to those who were part of the Constitutional
Commission, was
meant to attract donor funds.
Top Harare lawyer Selby
Hwacha said Aippa clearly recognised gay rights.
“I have searched and
gone through the statutes in Zimbabwe. The only statute
that protects the
rights of gays in Zimbabwe is Aippa. There is no other.
Anyone who believes
to the contrary should come forward with that statute
which speaks
otherwise,” he said.
“The other time I heard of gay rights was in the
rejected 2000 draft
constitution which was supported by Zanu PF,” Hwacha
said.
Jeremiah Bamu of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said: “I
only know
Aippa as the only law that guarantees privacy of persons in
Zimbabwe. It is
the only law that the government of Zimbabwe has passed to
safeguard
Zimbabweans’ privacy. There has been no other law,” he
said.
Former deputy minister of information Jameson Timba, now the
Minister of
State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said he had warned his
colleagues in
the ministry of information that Aippa actually recognised gay
rights.
“When I was deputy minister of media, I told my colleagues that
in broader
terms, Aippa needed to be repealed. I also told them that their
president
(Mugabe) would not be happy that they were keeping an Act of
Parliament
which protects gay rights and which their president considers
worse than
pigs and dogs.
“They said it didn’t matter as they wanted
to keep Aippa to maintain a grip
on journalism in the country,” said
Timba.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo doubted whether Mugabe was
hoodwinked into
signing a law which recognised gays.
Said Gumbo: “We
cannot say the president was duped into signing a law that
he does not fully
understand in terms of political and legal provisions.
“When President
Mugabe signed Aippa, the law had been taken through a
rigorous screening
process by both the government lawyers and his advisors.
“So when he
signed it, he was fully briefed and clear on what kind of law he
was
signing.”
Zanu PF officials have been lashing Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai over
gay rights yet it appears their officials want the rights
protected.
During an interview with the BBC, recently, Tsvangirai said he
supported the
protection of minority rights.
Zanu PF is now accusing
Tsvangirai of promoting gay activities in the
country.
During the
time when the Aippa Bill was being debated in Parliament, MDC
legislators
walked out of proceedings on several occasions in protest
against some
sections of the Bill.
They argued the Bill would create an environment
which would allow Zanu PF
to muzzle the media, while Zanu PF hit back,
arguing there was need for the
bill to be enacted into law to enable
government to manage the media which
it saw as a proponent of regime
change.
The law was used to shut down newspapers including the country’s
most
popular newspaper, the Daily News and its sister paper, the Daily News
on
Sunday.
The papers have since been re-launched, courtesy of
re-licensing by the
coalition government at the behest of Sadc.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Helen Kadirire, Staff Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011
13:13
HARARE - Parliamentarians in the Sadc region have been urged to
create
committees that assist in the monitoring and implementation of
Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
MDC legislator and Speaker of
Parliament Lovemore Moyo made the remarks on
Thursday during the official
opening of the 30th Plenary Assembly of the
Sadc Parliamentary Forum held in
Victoria Falls.
Moyo told delegates that since parliamentarians work with
communities, they
should work towards achieving the realisation of the MDGs
in their
respective countries.
“Although numerous efforts have been
made to achieve the attainment of the
MDGs that particularly affect our
region, we are still a long way off in the
eradication of extreme poverty
and hunger, promoting gender equality and
empowering women, and combating
HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases,” Moyo
said.
He urged
governments in the region to establish programmes meant to educate
ordinary
citizens on what the MDGs are and their intentions as they are the
intended
beneficiaries.
Moyo emphasised the need for parliamentarians to double
their efforts in the
attainment of the goals as the 2015 deadline is fast
approaching.
The MDGs are a product of a meeting of world leaders in New
York in
September 2000.
At the New York meeting, eight MDGs were
identified which all 193 United
Nations member-states, including Zimbabwe,
agreed to work towards achieving
by 2015.
The MDGs include the
eradication of poverty and hunger, achievement of
universal primary
education, promotion of gender equality, improvement of
child mortality
rates, maternal health, combating HIV/Aids, malaria and
other diseases,
ensuring environmental sustainability and develop a global
partnership for
development.
However, most countries, including Zimbabwe are still miles
away from
achieving the MDGs as 2015 edges nearer.
According to a
Zimbabwe Human Development Index (HDI) report for 2011, 17,9
percent of
parliamentary seats are held by women, with 48,8 percent of women
having
reached secondary or a higher form of education as compared to the 62
percent for men.
For every 100 000 live births in the country, 790
women die from pregnancy
related complications, with the adolescent
fertility rate at 64,6 births per
1 000 live births.
Sixty percent of
women participate in the labour market as compared to 74,3
percent for
men.
The population of Zimbabweans that is languishing in poverty is 14,8
percent, while those vulnerable to poverty are 24 percent.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Gugulethu Nyazema, Senior
Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:11
HARARE - Zimbabwe’s health
sector still bears scars of neglect and has
remained depressed with major
referral hospitals still lacking medicines.
The current state of affairs
has been blamed on corruption and politics as
the major contributors to the
neglect.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the current state of the
health sector
reminds him of the time his mother carried him on the back to
walk distances
to seek medical help.
“I remember 50 years ago when my
mother would carry me on her back on a
journey to see the doctor and to
think that today 50 years later the
situation is still the same,” he
said.
Dr Peter Salama, Unicef chief of health said Zimbabwe was only
spending an
average of $9 per patient on health care.
“This is
compared to the $34 per person in a well-functioning hospital,”
said
Salama.
Sebastian Chinhaire, committee chairman of Zimbabwe National
Network of
People Living with HIV urged government to complement funding
that has
already been channelled by donors to the health
sector.
“People who struggle to afford a decent meal a day are being
handed over to
debt collectors for failing to pay hospital fees accrued
after being
hospitalised,” said Chinhaire.
In a bid to improve
conditions within the health sector, the European Union
and its partners
recently donated $436 million through the Health
Transitional Fund to help
revamp the nation’s health sector.
The funding was meant to help scrap
out user fees and offer free maternal
care for expecting
women.
“Government must honour their promise and dedicate at least 15
percent of
the annual budget to the health sector to ensure that all
resources needed
are made available.
“This was stated in Article 26
of the Abuja Agreement of 2011,” said
Chinhaire.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights (ZHLR) director Irene Petras said access
to health care
continued to be a mammoth task for the Zimbabwe’s poor.
“Morbidity and
mortality trends in Zimbabwe show that the population
continues to be
affected by common preventable and treatable diseases
including nutritional
deficiencies, communicable diseases, as well as
preventable conditions and
implications relating to pregnancy and
childbirth,” said Petras.
She
said over the years Zimbabweans have lost their dignity and resolve as
their
medical needs were being neglected.
“The burden of diseases on the
majority cannot be understated. Health is a
priority goal in its own right,
a central input into economic development
and poverty reduction.
“It
is prudent for the elite to show increased and tangible commitment to
poor
people’s health in Zimbabwe,” said Petras.
She said addressing the burden
of disease and uplifting ordinary communities
should start with adequate
financing of the health sector.
Petras said the ZHLR encourages the
government to reject the strategy of
balancing the budget with people’s
lives but rather prioritise
sustainability and preservation of human
life.
The state of the country’s hospitals is well-articulated by
President Robert
Mugabe and senior government officials who shun them in
preference of
foreign hospitals.
Mugabe has been frequenting
Singapore where he has been receiving treatment
for an undisclosed
ailment.
His office said the visits were for medical reviews on his eye
cataract.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Tendai Kamhungira, Court Writer
Sunday, 20
November 2011 13:27
HARARE - While the local courts deal with
different cases everyday, most of
them similar in nature, the question that
has been raised is whether there
was a benchmark for determining the
verdicts.
When one commits an offence and is brought to the courts, it
would appear as
though his or her world suddenly comes to an unhappy
end.
Punishment comes in different forms depending on the nature of the
offence
that one would have committed, with the most severe being a death
penalty.
Several aspects come into play when the magnitude of a
punishment is put
under perspective; the first question obviously being, Who
benefits from the
punishment?
A wide array of variables are used to
build evidence on circumstances
surrounding the commission of a crime;
including the nature and
circumstances under which the offence was committed
as well as the offender’s
willingness to reform.
Harare lawyer Anesu
Vusani Bangidza said punishment for an offence is
justified since it helps
to deter would-be-offenders from committing similar
offences, fearing the
same fate would befall them.
“Punishment is justified in order to
maintain the fabric of society, that
deterrent factor needs to exist. It
will deter a number of people and stop
them from committing offences,” said
Bangidza.
He also said the difference in sentencing on similar cases
varies with
situations and the reason why a person would have committed an
offence.
He lamented the country prisons’ conditions which he said are
not
rehabilitative but punitive in nature, which do not create room for
behavioural change but rather harden them.
Alec Muchadehama, a
prominent Harare human rights lawyer who has won several
human rights
awards, concurred with Bangidza and said Zimbabwean prisons did
not provide
reformative platforms.
He said forms of punishment depend on the nature
of the offence, personal
circumstances and the interest of society which he
said needs to be
balanced.
“Sentences depend on the offence and
offender. If someone commits an offence
repeatedly, obviously there is need
for that person to be removed from the
society,” said Muchadehama,
commenting on incarceration punishment.
According to Muchadehama,
magistrates can use their own discretion on
mandatory sentences, depending
on the circumstances.
While the courts have always imposed sentences to
deter criminals and
would-be-criminals from committing further offences, the
same people have,
however, reappeared in the same courts.
Muchadehama
said courts should use progressive and compensatory sentences
that would
assist in rehabilitating criminals.
Courts are compelled to pass
sentences that are balanced with the severity
of the crime.
However,
a critic could still ask what it means to be “balanced”, and what
an
“equivalent” penalty is.
No form of punishment will meet the justice of
any case, for example in a
murder case; no sentence would bring back a dead
person.
Several circumstances often hover above human judgment that is
based upon
one’s discretion.
http://bulawayo24.com
by Staff reporter
2011 November 20
20:11:51
Legal experts have expressed concern over the small number of
pathologists
in the country, saying their scarcity negatively affects the
country's
justice delivery system. Information at hand shows that the
country has
eight registered pathologists and only one foreign national is
engaged to
deal with the issue of body remains.
The skeletal remains
that were found at the Harare Agricultural Showgrounds
have exposed
deficiencies, as it has emerged that it took more than four
days for the
police department to make logistical arrangements for the
remains of the
suspected Matapure child to go under the microscope.
A number of legal
practitioners, who spoke to reporters, said the issue of
pathologists is
worrying as justice is delayed while people are looking for
an
expert.
Legal expert, Mr Fortune Chasi said the shortage of pathologists
is likely
to make investigations difficult, as the longer it takes for tests
to be
done the more likely that the results will be faulty.
The state
broadcaster said it is reliably informed that the country has just
eight
registered pathologists and only one foreign national is engaged by
the
government to deal with the issue of body remains such as bones.
Efforts
to get a comment from the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to
clarity on
the issue were fruitless as the acting Permanent Secretary in the
ministry
was said to be in a series of meetings and could not assist this
news crew.
http://www.news24.com/
2011-11-20 18:15
Nhlalo Ndaba, City
Press
Johannesburg - Zimbabwean property mogul Philip Chiyangwa does not
have
power or respect, but his money may very well be able to buy
it.
Branded the “Kenny Kunene of Zimbabwe”, Chiyangwa is known for his
bling
parties and ostentatious living.
Chiyangwa says he is a brand
that can keep Zanu-PF in power and that his
money is part of that equation.
“My personality can win votes for the party.
I’ll defend Zanu- PF with all
that I can use, so help me God,” he says.
He was disgraced by his alleged
involvement in espionage – selling state
secrets to foreign governments in
exchange for cars and money.
He was acquitted, purportedly because he is
President Robert Mugabe’s
nephew, but his political career went down the
drain.
After being readmitted into the party at the lowest ranks, he
declared his
interest in returning to Parliament after a hiatus of six years
in the
political wilderness.
Power and respect is what Chiyangwa
dreams of, and he knows his money can
buy it. In the past year he made
public appearances where he would throw
money at crowds à la Gaddafi. He
also appears in movies and records music.
Chiyangwa believes he can bring
back the youth vote into Zanu-PF. “I’m a
role model to most young people who
want to make it in life, and I appeal to
most of them. Zanu-PF needs them
and we need them to make the dream come
true,” he says.
Big
Brother
Last year he started a trust fund to the tune of $300 000 to pay
Munyaradzi
Chidzonga, Zimbabwe’s 2010 Big Brother runner-up.
Funding
Chidzonga was part of the Chiyangwa campaign trail. Since then
Chidzonga has
been roped in as a youth ambassador by Zanu-PF.
He has gone the extra
mile in working with Chidzonga in producing movies. He
also built a private
school with Zanu-PF’s blessing.
His most spectacular stunt to date was
when he drove through the centre of
Harare in his customised Rolls-Royce
Phantom – one of the only two in
Zimbabwe – and started giving money to
anyone who recognised him.
He even threw some money into the crowd for
good measure. This earned him
the name Mudara, meaning “cool old timer”,
from the youth.
Analysts say his return to politics is part of a small
faction within
Zanu-PF called the Third Way campaign, which wants to
establish a base in
the succession race. The Third Way is led by minister of
indigenisation,
Savior Kasukuwere.
Says Mike Chidengwe, a political
analyst: “He’s working with Kasukuwere –
although Kasukuwere is younger than
Chiyangwa. The latter identifies himself
with young blood and that’s where
the future of Zanu-PF is.”
University of Zimbabwe political scientist
Professor John Makumbe says
Chiyangwa will not add value to the already
sinking ship that is Zanu-PF,
but his money will.
“It’s a known fact
that Zanu-PF is broke financially as a party, but
individuals like Philip
Chiyangwa have the financial muscle to fund the
party’s programmes, such as
its national congress expected for December, and
campaign for next year’s
polls,” he says.
“But as an individual he doesn’t have political clout.
In fact, he’s one of
the people who will fast-track Zanu-PF into oblivion.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Alfred Tembo, Own
Correspondent
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:08
HARARE - Zimbabwe’s
three principals to the GPA are the only ones who have
the power to
negotiate a way out of the current political maze the country
finds itself
as opposed to outside intervention, says a visiting South
African
analyst.
Leon Hartwell, a South African-based analyst told a gathering in
Gweru last
week that a smooth resolution can only be achieved through
dialogue among
the three and that no outside intervention could help speed
the process.
“There is need for dialogue that would involve the parties
that signed the
GPA. Mediators will not solve anything and the three
principals should set
their own agenda,” said Hartwell.
He said the
outlined agreements were being hampered by the politicians who
enjoyed
uttering retrogressive statements that collided with what was agreed
in the
preliminary arrangements.
Speaking at Gweru Memorial Library’s under the
“Food for Thought” session,
Hartwell said: “There are people in the security
forces that have publicly
announced that they will not salute MDC president,
should he be voted in
office.
“The three principals should amicably
chart on the most formal and possible
way forward that will resolve the
differences rather than involving external
voices,” he said.
Hartwell
said although the GPA seemed a perfect set up, it needs to be
revisited
since they are some areas where important issues were overlooked
in the
process of drafting.
“The Healing Organ is regarded by the majority as
ineffective following its
failure to address matters that deal with
compensation, justice, immunity,
amnesty, among other important issues” he
said.
Hartwell, who was in the country to conduct public lectures on
transitional
justice, said regardless of political maturity within the
country, the
biggest challenge was the pride with Zimbabwe political leaders
who always
wanted to have their presence felt.
“President (Robert)
Mugabe should accept these short comings and sit down
with his counterparts
in the inclusive government in order to solve the
issues and challenges
Zimbabwe is currently facing. This can only be done as
a team than as an
individual,” he said.
“The last election was Zimbabwe’s first stint to
turn a new leaf in the
politically-polarised environment that should
encourage a peaceful
engagement from the violent past,” he said.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
ZOLI MANGENA 17 hours 14 minutes
ago
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says the "Arab Spring"
uprisings across
North Africa and the Middle East have given momentum to the
new struggle for
democracy in Africa, including in
Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai, who has been battling to dislodge President Robert
Mugabe and
his Zanu-PF for the past decade, told the official opening of the
MEDays, a
debating forum organised by the Amadeus Institute, in Tangier in
the north
of Morocco this week, that the recent and ongoing revolutions were
a warning
to African dictators who cling to power through violence and
coercion.
He said African leaders had betrayed the struggle against
colonialism by
inheriting the "same traits and culture of impunity,
corruption, repression,
misgovernance and personal
aggrandisement".
"I have been invited here to speak about the
democratisation movement in
Africa, the spring revolutions in this part of
our continent - and to give a
perspective on these developments which have
had a far deeper meaning to the
universal struggle for democracy,"
Tsvangirai said. African leaders and
others must learn from the spring
revolutions, he said.
"There are many lessons for all of us arising from
these spring revolutions.
The first is that political leaders can only take
the people for granted at
their own risk.
"The second is that we must
listen more to the people - because God gave us
one mouth and two ears so
that we could listen more than we talk down to the
citizens that we govern
in our continent," he added.
"The third lesson is that you must retire in
your prime, because overstaying
in office certainly leads to a time of
diminishing returns, when our age and
competence cannot cope with the
dictates of a new era.
"The fourth, and most important lesson, is that we
must always respect the
will of the people. Any government that claims to be
in charge should have
the clear mandate of its people.
"What we have
seen in Kenya and Zimbabwe demonstrates a serious breach and
betrayal of the
will of the people - because those who lost the election
were brought back
into government through the formation of dubious coalition
governments.
"The good news is that at least the will of the people
was eventually
allowed to prevail in the Ivory Coast."
Tsvangirai
said Zimbabwe was going through a delicate transition towards
free and fair
elections to resolve the decade-long political stalemate
caused by disputed
election results.
"As we prepare for the next election, I urge all of you
to support and call
for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe in which the
people's will is
respected and protected."
The premier said the
struggle for democracy in Africa had been gradual and
painful.
"Let
me say from the outset that the struggle for democracy in Africa has
been
piecemeal, pedantic and painful. From Casablanca to Table Bay, from the
coast of Gabon to Mozambique, Africa's story has been a painful
story.
"It has been a story of subjugation and foreign domination by
colonial
powers that sought to suppress people, to subjugate them, to pilfer
their
resources and to curtail their rights.
"The struggle for
independence in the various African countries marked the
first phase of a
people that deserved universal standards of equality,
democracy and good
governance," Tsvangirai said.
The premier said the new struggle for
democracy was aimed at dislodging
stubborn despots who had helped confirm
"the negative stereotype of a
continent of political violence, conflict,
disease, hunger and many wars.
While we have raised our own sovereign flags
after independence, the new
leadership in Africa betrayed the continent's
collective struggle and
inherited the same traits and culture of impunity,
corruption, repression,
misgovernance and personal
aggrandisement."
Tsvangirai said the problem now was that post-colonial
leaders in Africa
resisted democracy and good governance, while embracing
bad governance and
corruption.
"They have pilfered national
resources, pick-pocketed the collective
people's struggle and shut their
ears to the loud national demand for
democracy and good governance. They
have personalised national institutions,
perfected the art of political
patronage and bastardised their own legacy,"
he said.
"It is the same
culture that brought about the spring revolutions, when
nations and their
people became impatient with repressive leaders." -
timeslive
A
call for mass action in Zimbabwe was made at the Vigil by the leader of the
Zimbabwe We Can Movement, Ephraim Tapa. He said the future looked bleak for
Zimbabwe: the political parties had failed and this was why the Zimbabwe We Can
movement had been launched.
Mr
Tapa, a former Chair of the MDC UK, came to the Vigil with a group of the
Movement’s leaders who had been at a meeting in London to discuss the way
forward in galvanizing support. Ephraim said disturbing developments continued
to unfold in Zimbabwe. For instance it had recently taken delivery of more than
20,000 automatic rifles and other military equipment from China and the army was
recruiting thousands of jobless young men under Zanu PF instructions.
Ephraim
said that, with the Kimberley approval of Marange diamond sales, Zanu PF was
‘not behaving like a party on its way out’ and the entire inclusive government
was – as he put it – ‘under the armpit of Mugabe’.
‘‘The
GNU is reduced to a mechanism of self-enrichment and protection for the few. We
are therefore left with the simple verdict that the future for the generality of
Zimbabweans is bleak and this makes the case for mass action and the Zimbabwe We
Can Movement’.
Ephraim
added that he wanted to see the UN station an observer mission in Zimbabwe until
there were free and fair elections.
Other
Points
·
The ZimVigil
band’s song ‘Mwari torai vanoti shungurudza’ (God
take those who trouble us) has
been featured on SW Radio Africa’s new programme ‘Beyond Protest’ (check:
http://www.2bctnd.net/swra_wp/?p=12503).
·
A good
friend of the Vigil passed by today and gave us £60. We are very
grateful.
·
We are
pleased to hear that ROHR activist Lovemore Muzadzi who resisted deportation is
now out of detention. Lovemore wishes to convey his gratitude to all those who
supported him and campaigned for his release.
·
The
Zimbabwe Association recently marked its 10th Anniversary. Check
their Annual Report 2011 which recounts some of their achievements: http://zimassoc.wordpress.com/events/agm-2011/.
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE
RECORD: 94 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND
NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other
website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the
views and opinions of ROHR.
·
ZBN News.
The
Vigil management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
·
The theme song of the
Zim Vigil band (Farai Marema and
Dumi Tutani) can be downloaded from www.imusicafrica.com. The song is ‘Vigil
Yedu (our Vigil)’. To watch the video check: http://ourvigil.notlong.com. To watch other
Zim Vigil band protest songs, check: http://Shungurudza.notlong.com and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com.
·
ROHR Manchester
Vigil. Saturday
26th November from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Cathedral Gardens, Manchester City Centre
(subject to change to Piccadilly Gardens). Contact: Tafadzwa
Mutyambizi 07833787019, Chamunorwa Chihota 07799446404, Panyika Karimanzira
07538534375, Artwell Pfende 07886839353, Lorraine Mudjgiwa 07826141885.
Future demonstration: 31st December. Same time and
venue.
·
Human Rights Day at
the Zimbabwe Vigil. Saturday
10th December from 2 – 6 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, London. We
will be joined by the Zimbabwe Europe Network (ZEN) who will be bringing human
rights speakers and activists from a variety of civil society organizations in
Zimbabwe.
·
ROHR Manchester
Meetings. Saturday
10th December (committee meeting from 11 am – 1 pm, general meeting
from 2 – 5 pm). Venue: The Salvation
Army Citadel, 71 Grosvenor Road, Manchester M13 9UB. Contact; Tafadzwa
Mutyambizi 07833787019, Chamunorwa Chihota 07799446404, Panyika Karimanzira
07538534375, Artwell Pfende 07886839353, Lorraine Mudjgiwa
07826141885
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith Todd’s
acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe. To receive a copy by post in the UK
please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to
Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All
proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level
students in Zimbabwe.
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe.
http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.
BILL WATCH
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES SERIES
[19th November
2011]
Committee
Meetings Open to the Public: 21st to 24th November
The committee meetings listed below will be open to members of the public, but as
observers only, not as participants, i.e. members of the public can listen but
not speak. All meetings will be held at
Parliament in Harare, entrance on Kwame Nkrumah Avenue between 2nd and 3rd
Streets.
Note: This bulletin is based on the latest information released by
Parliament on 18th November. But, as
there are sometimes last-minute changes to the meetings schedule, persons
wishing to attend a meeting should avoid possible disappointment by checking
with the relevant committee clerk that the meeting is still on and still open to
the public. Parliament’s telephone
numbers are Harare 700181 and 252936. If
attending, please use the Kwame Nkrumah Ave entrance to Parliament. IDs must be
produced.
Monday 21st November at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Defence and Home Affairs
Meeting with Ministry of Home Affairs on issues of deportation of
Zimbabweans
Committee Room No. 2
Chairperson: Hon Madzore Clerk: Mr Daniel
Portfolio Committee: Mines and Energy
Oral evidence from the Secretary for Energy and Power Development on
challenges faced in electricity power generation
Senate Chamber
Chairperson: Hon Chindori-Chininga
Clerk: Mr Manhivi
Portfolio Committee: Higher Education, Science and Technology
Oral evidence from the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education on
the Cadetship Support Scheme
Committee Room No. 3
Chairperson: Hon S. Ncube
Clerk: Ms Mudavanhu
Tuesday 22nd November at 10
am
Portfolio Committee: Industry and Commerce
Oral evidence from Essar Africa Holdings on its operations at New
Zimbabwe Steel Ltd [former ZISCO]
Committee Room No. 311
Chairperson: Hon Mutomba
Clerk: Ms Masara
Thursday 24th November at 9 am
Thematic Committee: Human Rights
Oral evidence from the Commissioner-General of Police on recent
incidents of violence and how the police have been responding to
them
Committee Room No. 2
Chairperson: Hon Marava Clerk:
Ms Macheza
Thursday 24th November at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Media, Information and Communication
Technology
Oral evidence from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural
Development on the operations of ZIMPOST
Committee Room No. 3
Chairperson: Hon S. Moyo
Clerk: Mr Mutyambizi
[Note: This agenda is liable to be changed – instead the
committee may have to consider the Budget allocations to the Ministries it
oversees. Interested persons should
check with the committee clerk before heading for Parliament.]
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