http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
20:15
CATHERINE Mutodzaniswa (54), is still traumatised a fortnight
after
she survived a severe cholera attack.
This is because
Julia Chapeyama (44), who was her very close friend of
10 years and
confidante who nursed her back to good health, was not so
lucky.
Chapeyama fell ill on Saturday last week and succumbed to cholera the
next
morning. At her funeral wake, Mutodzaniswa was beside herself with
grief
tainted with guilt. She told The Standard she would never get over the
loss
of her close friend.
"If only God had taken me," she said. "I was the
one who was sick and
she nursed me back to health and then all of sudden she
was ill. A few hours
later she was dead. I am deeply pained. We were friends
for a very long
time. What will I do without her?" Mutodzaniswa said as she
broke down,
unable to control herself. Mutodzaniswa of Glen View 3 suburb
was detained
for a day at Budiriro Polyclinic, a designated cholera site
that deals with
the high cases of the disease in the area and nearby
townships. Unlike her
friend, she was able to return home to her
family.
Chapeyama was buried on Thursday afternoon at Granville
Cemetery, with
only a handful of close friends and relatives in attendance.
Not even her
three daughters and close friends were allowed to view her
body.
The only image of their mother that will forever linger in the
grief-stricken daughters' minds is when her almost lifeless body was ferried
to Budiriro Polyclinic in a wheelbarrow.
Chapeyama, a single
mother, will not be around to see her daughter
Precious (21) get married
next month.
She will also not be there to nurture her other two
daughters, Sandra
(13) and 16-year-old Mercy, into adulthood.
Mutodzaniswa and Chapeyama's story will resonate with millions of
Zimbabweans now living in fear of the cholera pandemic that is spreading
like wildfire after it was first detected in Chitungwiza last
month.
According to government's conservative figures more than 100
people
have died of cholera in Harare, Beitbridge, Gweru, Kadoma, and
Zvishavane in
the past few weeks.In Beitbridge alone, more than 50 cholera
deaths have
been recorded as the pandemic spread to neighbouring South
Africa.
But aid agencies and human rights activists say the death toll
is much
higher than the government acknowledges. Although there is a
cholera
outbreak in Harare's Glen View township, The Standard observed that
not much
was being done to stop the disease from spreading.
At
every street corner and shopping area there were heaps of
uncollected
garbage while many houses still had burst sewer pipes that have
reportedly
gone for months without being repaired. Despite promises by
Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (Zinwa) to restore normal water supplies,
nothing
has materialised.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe says it allocated about
R18 million to
the authority to ensure that the situation is normalised but
up to now
nothing has changed.
Desperate residents are still
relying on unprotected wells for
drinking water. Although the United Nations
Children's Fund (Unicef) has
placed water tanks in different parts of the
affected suburbs, the water was
still being rationed so that everyone in the
area benefited.
One Glen View resident, Rosemary Muriva who attended
Chapeyama's
funeral, said people who were aware of the dangers of cholera
still find
themselves forced to drink potentially infected water. "When a
home is faced
with illness such as cholera, the person who is taking care of
the patient
needs to be constantly washing their hands and sanitising the
home," she
said. "You know what cholera is like with diarrhoea and vomiting,
but how do
you keep the home clean and prevent other people and yourself
from picking
up the infection when water is not readily available in the
home?"
Angry residents wanted to know what happened to the foreign
currency
the RBZ said it gave Zinwa to restore water supplies to most of
Harare's
suburbs.
But a source at Zinwa who requested anonymity
maintained that the
water authority had not received any money from the RBZ
as promised. "We
were never given any money, we just read about it in the
newspapers," said
the source.
"Even if you go to the RBZ you will
not find any records that Zinwa
was allocated this money. The water problems
are going to continue because
we have shortages of water chemicals. That is
the honest truth and the RBZ
should be ashamed for lying."
The
chairman of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights,
Dr Douglas
Gwatidzo, said the RBZ was trying to "play to the gallery" and
"splashing"
huge sums of money in the media while nothing on the ground was
happening.
Gwatidzo said cholera was a very easy disease to treat
and with the
huge sums of money that the RBZ claims to have availed the
outbreak would
"long ago have been under control".
Unicef says
other places outside Harare such as Chitungwiza, Kariba,
Mudzi, Makonde,
Kotwa, Chinhoyi, Nyamapanda and Beitbridge are also battling
cholera
outbreaks.
Health and Child Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa said
the
government was doing its best to bring the epidemic under control but
its
resources were overstretched. He said his ministry had received US$2
million
from the RBZ so far and expected another disbursement this week to
fund the
epidemic. "Please don't alarm the people when reporting on cholera
but alert
them," he said.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
20:09
FOR the first time since The Standard reported that officials
were
covering up the magnitude of cholera deaths, government yesterday
admitted
the epidemic had claimed more people than officials were prepared
to reveal.
Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr David
Parirenyatwa (pictured)
said 281 people had succumbed to cholera during the
period beginning
September until last Friday.
Parirenyatwa revealed
the figure to The Standard after the World
Health Organisation announced
that between August and last Tuesday, 294 had
died as a result of
cholera.
In a statement released from Geneva, WHO said 6 072 cases had
been
reported countrywide during the same period.
The government
had tried to downplay the cholera outbreak insisting
that less than 40
people had died in Harare, the epicentre of the epidemic.
But
Parirenyatwa, who has persistently told state media that
government had
brought the epidemic "under control", yesterday said he was
"scared" by the
extent of the outbreak.
"The official figures from the Ministry for the
period between
September and Friday night is 281 for the whole of Zimbabwe,"
he said. "We
cannot be able to control cholera as long as there is no
water.
"We are concerned about the unavailability of water and as the
minister responsible for Health I am very scared, especially during this
rainy season."
Government officials have consistently put the death
toll at less than
100 despite admissions that up to 40 people died in
Beitbridge alone inside
a week.
Who spokeswoman, Fadela Chaib, said
there had been an upsurge in
reported cholera cases during the past
fortnight.
The United Nations body warned that with the start of the
rainy
season, the outbreak was likely to continue as the water and
sanitation
situation was worsening.
Doctors without Borders has
warned that 1,4 million people were at
risk of contracting the
disease.
Collapsing sewer infrastructure and poor sanitation in urban
areas
have been blamed for the cholera outbreak.
Doctors and donors
say the country's collapsing health sector was
failing to cope with the
number of people in need of urgent treatment,
resulting in more
deaths.
Gweru, Zvishavane and Kadoma also recorded fresh cases last
week.
The highly contagious disease also spread to Bulawayo, where it
has
claimed two lives.
The governor for Bulawayo, Cain Mathema,
said by Friday the epidemic
had reached Makokoba, Emakhandeni, Pumula and
Nkulumane suburbs in the
country's second most populous city.
Cholera can be treated easily with a sugar and salt solution to
replace lost
body fluids.
Symptoms include watery diarrhoea and vomiting, which
leads to loss of
large amounts of body fluids.
By Sandra
Mandizvidza
http://www1.sundaymail.co.zw
Chief Reporter: Emilia Zindi
THE state of
affairs at major hospitals in Harare remains bad as doors have
been closed
to the sick for the past three weeks.
This is
despite spirited efforts by the Government to lure medical staff
back to
work by improving their conditions of service.
The Minister of Health and
Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa last week
announced a set of incentives
that was aimed at motivating health
professionals.
These included the
provision of transport and groceries, in addition to the
salaries.
A
survey by The Sunday Mail last week established that the three major
hospitals in the capital were only being manned by administrative
staff.
Harare Central Hospital, normally a hive of activity, was deserted
and even
fruit vendors who used to enjoy roaring business outside the
premises were
absent.
Only Ward C had three patients being attended
to by four student nurses on
duty.
One of the patients who refused to
be identified told The Sunday Mail that
only one senior doctor was attending
to them as the others were said to be
on strike.
"Dr Vera is coming
every day and he has just written some prescription for
me today,'' she said
from her hospital bed.
At the casualty ward, the door was locked leaving
patients stranded.
A senior administrator at the hospital who declined to
be named said nurses
and doctors were demanding better working conditions
and the necessary
equipment and medicines to carry out their work. He said
while some units at
the hospital were open, there was no one to attend to
patients, leaving
relatives with no choice but to transfer their loved ones
to private
hospitals.
Those who could not afford charges at the
private hospitals were simply
forced to take the patients home.
A
staff meeting held on Friday morning failed to come up with viable
solutions.
"Systems are just down and this makes it impossible for
nurses and doctors
to carry out their duties,'' said the
administrator.
At Parirenyatwa Hospital, the situation was the same with
only police
officers and members of the Zimbabwe National Army manning the
premises.
A walk through the hospital revealed a sad scenario with only
administration
staff working.
"We are attending to critical cases
only but patients must pay $90 million
cash before admission,'' said a clerk
at the reception.
She said the hospital would however admit critical
patients under special
circumstances.
An example was when more than
six people were involved in an accident in
Norton last Thursday evening and
were rushed to the hospital.
"They were attended to after the Minister
had been called,'' he said, adding
that the hospital was not taking any new
admissions.
A lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe's Medical School
cited staff
demoralisation as the major problem.
He said apart from
addressing remuneration issues, the infrastructure at
hospitals required a
facelift.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008 20:06
POLICE
yesterday barred MDC-T report-back rallies citing the cholera
epidemic.
The party had planned meetings in Kuwadzana and
Glen View, hoping to
communicate with supporters their position on the
stalled talks for the
inclusive government.
"While the MDC
appreciates the magnitude of the cholera outbreak, we
believe that the
police are playing games and the ban is part of a cocktail
of political
measures to punish the MDC for not "playing ball" in the
dialogue process,"
said Nelson Chamisa (below), the party's spokesperson,
yesterday.
The police have in the past banned MDC rallies citing the need to
maintain
law and order.
This time police double standards were clear as Zanu PF
was allowed to
hold meetings. In Masvingo where health officials were
battling to contain
the cholera outbreak, Zanu PF was scheduled to hold
provincial council
elections that drew several party officials from across
the province.
Zanu PF has also planned the annual congress in Bindura
early in
December where thousands of people are expected to attend. Chamisa
said the
MDC was keen to see whether police would ban the Zanu PF
congress.
Meanwhile lawyers representing 13 MDC-T members who were
abducted in
Banket two weeks ago by suspected state security agents are
suing the
Minister of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi for defying a High Court
order.
Alec Muchadehama said he was in the process of filing an urgent
court
application suing Mohadi, Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri,
Chief Supt
Chrispen Makedenge and Officer Commanding CID Homicide, Detective
Sergeant
Muuya, for failure to release the activists as directed by the
court.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
20:06
AS many as 50 people could have died and hundreds more
injured during
the ongoing army and police operations to flush out illegal
diamond miners
in the Chiadzwa area of Manicaland, human rights activists
warned last week.
Several unidentified bodies of people allegedly shot
at Chiadzwa were
piling up in mortuaries in and around Mutare, rights
activists told The
Standard.
The soldiers, who are leading the
operation codenamed Hakudzokwi (you
won't return), were deployed after the
police were accused of working in
cahoots with the illegal diamond panners,
popularly known as Magweja.
The crack team of soldiers, sources said,
also includes operatives
from the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)
and the police support
unit. A senior health official at Mutare General
Hospital said scores of
people including children were being treated at the
hospital for gunshots,
dog bites or deep wounds inflicted through severe
torture.
The hospital is the major referral health centre in
Manicaland.
"I think we have received over 50 bodies at this mortuary
since August
but some of them were claimed," said an official who requested
anonymity.
Soldiers have also invaded the eastern border town of
Mutare, raiding
homes of people they suspect of buying diamonds from the
illegal panners.
They are also confiscating people's property, mostly
vehicles, arguing
that they were acquired using proceeds from illegal
diamond dealings.
Former Manicaland provincial prosecutor, Levi
Chikafu, said he has
seen several people losing their property to the
marauding soldiers.
"They are looting people's properties here," he
said. "I know of one
businessman who has lost a fleet of vehicles. It's so
sad."
The soldiers reportedly abduct the suspected diamond buyers in
Mutare
and areas around Chiadzwa and torture them. After the torture
sessions, the
panners are taken to the diamond fields where they are forced
to fill up
gullies and pits with bare hands.
Trust Maanda, a
Mutare-based member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights, described the
operation as "a gross violation of human rights".
"The police are
abducting people in Mutare before handing them over to
soldiers in Chiadzwa
where they are being tortured," he said. "They are
confiscating any car they
suspect was bought using proceeds from the sale of
diamonds without any
shred of evidence."
Zimbabwe National Army spokesperson, Lieutenant
Colonel Simon Tsatsi
refused to comment on the deaths saying police were in
charge of the
operation in Chiadzwa.
"We are under the police at
the moment because it is not a war
situation," he said. "We are just helping
out. Ask Bvudzijena (Senior
Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena) he may
assist you."
Bvudzijena dismissed reports the police were killing
innocent people
saying they were only trying to stop illegal diamond dealing
in the area.
"I don't have reports of people being killed in Chiadzwa,"
he said.
"We will however issue a full report after the operation."
He did not say when the operation would be concluded.
But Chikafu said:
"What is happening is illegal. When a police officer
shoots a civilian an IR
(inquiry report) should be opened to establish the
reason behind the
shooting but nothing of this sort is happening."
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
20:03
THE revival of PF Zapu, now in full swing in Matabeleland, is
likely
to weaken both Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change in
the region if managed properly, analysts said last
week.
They said politicians who joined the country's two major
parties from
the former liberation movement that was swallowed up by Zanu PF
after the
signing of the Unity Accord had only sought a temporary political
home.
Zanu PF, which is still smarting from its worst electoral
performance
in history, is battling a serious rebellion from structures
mainly in
Matabeleland where calls to break away from the unity accord
continue to
gather momentum.
Although the ruling party has played
second fiddle to the MDC in the
restive region since the opposition entered
the political scene in 1999, it
has won a number of constituencies in
previous elections. It had also
maintained structures in all the provinces
with offices mainly taken over
from PF Zapu.
Analysts said if PF
Zapu was revived, this could result in the total
collapse of Zanu PF in
Matabeleland.
"The split is definitely going to erode both Zanu PF and
MDC-T support
in Matabeleland but the ruling party will suffer the most,"
said Jethro
Mpofu, a Bulawayo-based analyst.
"If you look at the
former Zapu people, there are those die-hards who
took a break from politics
after the signing of the Unity Accord and joined
the MDC at its formation,
and those who went to Zanu PF with reservations.
"The Zapu revivalists
have a chance to tap into all those groups. So
if carried out properly the
revival will create a new political force,
especially when those who are
expected to form a unity government continue
dilly-dallying."
Negotiations to set up a unity government between Zanu PF and MDC are
currently stalled over the distribution of ministries and the dispute looks
set to spill over to next year. The PF Zapu revivalists led by former Home
Affairs Minister, Dumiso Dabengwa, say they are not happy with the September
15 power-sharing agreement between the two major parties.
The
re-launch of the party that was once led by Vice-President Joshua
Nkomo has
been greeted by mass resignations of senior Zanu PF officials in
Matabeleland and the Midlands. But Cont Mhlanga, who was part of the Zapu
2000 that rattled Zanu PF with calls for the review of the Unity Accord,
said the revival of the party was ill- timed.
"It is good to see
that there are people from Zanu PF who have finally
responded to people's
calls to pull out of the accord which did not benefit
them," he said. "When
we started Zapu 2000 these politicians said we were
lost and now I am
wondering if it was a matter of us being nine years ahead
of time or them
being nine years behind.
"The bottom line is that they have to answer
questions like what were
they doing in Zanu PF all along."
Gorden
Moyo, the director of Bulawayo Agenda, fears the revived party
might suffer
the same fate as Simba Makoni's Mavambo/Kusile project as its
backers would
find it difficult to shed the Zanu PF tag.
"Their names are tarnished
and their credentials are tattered," Moyo
said. "I think they will face many
hurdles because we saw that with people
who tried to revive Zapu in the
1990s and were not tainted by Zanu PF, but
still they found it very
difficult.
"Already we have two parties calling themselves Zapu led by
Agrippa
Madlela and Sikhumbuzo Dube."
Makoni, who was viewed as one
of the few popular leaders in Zanu PF,
performed badly in the presidential
election where he came behind MDC's
Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe.
Analysts blamed Makoni's poor performance on his links with Zanu
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22
November 2008 20:02
BULAWAYO - Prisons have started releasing inmates
on medical grounds
as conditions at most of the country's jails continue to
deteriorate amid
reports of an upsurge in hunger-related diseases.
In Matabeleland North, which includes Bulawayo, at least 200 seriously
ill
prisoners awaiting trial were released in the past week from various
prisons.
Officials in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs
said they were releasing critically ill prisoners
fearing "disaster" if they
died in jail as mortuaries were allegedly
overflowing.
"All ill prisoners suffering from hunger-related illnesses
are being
remanded out of custody because the Zimbabwe Prison Services (ZPS)
is now
failing to cope with the number of deaths," a prison officer
said.
Another source said medical records of most of those being
released
showed they were suffering from hunger-induced illnesses.
Matabeleland provincial magistrate, John Masimba confirmed the
developments
saying prisoners were being freed on humanitarian grounds.
"Prisoners
are being released on condition of ill health," he said. "I
do not have
exact figures of the number of prisoners released so far but it
is an
ongoing programme."
According to a recent report by the Zimbabwe
Association for Crime
Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (Zacro),
prisoners are dying
in numbers because of widespread malnutrition.
The deteriorating state of the country's prisons has also worsened the
prevalence of diseases among inmates.
Skin infections are the most
common and prisoners are often brought to
court with wounds that do not
heal.
Earlier this month the ZPS came under attack from Bulawayo
residents
after two critically ill prisoners were dumped in front of the
Tredgold
Magistrates' Courts.
The two, Thembani Sigola from Siganda
and Abel Mthethwa from Nkayi in
Matabeleland North, were suffering from an
unknown skin condition.
The ZPS, like many other government
departments, is reportedly short
of funds to buy food and drugs to treat
prisoners suffering from various
diseases including tuberculosis caused by
serious overcrowding.
"There is no nutritional food in all of the
country's prisons," Zacro
said in its report. "The prisoners just eat in
order to survive, especially
at Harare Central prison and Chikurubi prison
where the situation is worse
because inmates are sometimes only given one
meal a day.
"The two prisons are losing not less than two people a day
and to make
matters worse the ZPS is not able to provide a proper pauper's
burial for
some of these prisoners."
ZPS officials were not
immediately available for comment.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs Minister, Patrick Chinamasa
is on record saying "prison conditions
are supposed to be bad because they
are not hotels".
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
20:00
WOMEN of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) have been awarded the 5th Human
Rights
Award by the German section of Amnesty International.
The
award will be presented at a ceremony in Berlin today and Woza
founder,
Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu will receive the award on
behalf of
the organisation.
The Bulawayo Magistrates' Court granted Williams and
Mahlangu, who
were released on bail from Mlondolozi Prison on Thursday
November 6,
permission to travel to Germany.
Williams and Mahlangu
appeared in court on Monday November 11 for a
routine remand hearing where
they requested permission to travel to Germany.
Magistrate Charity
Maphosa however ruled that the application be made
in open court.
After several delays, the state decided not to oppose the travel
application
and reporting conditions were temporarily suspended until
November
26.
Amnesty International in Germany gives the Human Rights Award every
two years to people that defend and fight for human rights, especially under
harsh circumstances.
In the past, the prize was given to Turkish
Advocate Eren Keskin
(2001), and human rights defenders Swetlana
Gannuschkina from Russia (2003)
and Monira Rahman from Bangladesh
(2005).
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has won
this year's
Rights and Democracy's John Humphrey Freedom Award for its
commitment to
standing up for victims of human rights abuses.
ZLHR
director Irene Petras and fellow lawyer, Andrew Makoni, will
receive the
award in Ottawa, Canada, on December 10 during commemorations of
the
International Human Rights Day.
Announcing the winners recently, the
interim chairman of Rights and
Democracy (the International Centre for Human
Rights and Democratic
Development) board of directors, Jacques Gauthier said
an international jury
unanimously chose ZLHR from a field of 100
candidates.
"Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights provides a vital
democratic
lifeline for those who would otherwise have no recourse against
state-sponsored abuses and persecution," Gauthier said.
"Its
determined, non-violent struggle against impunity and repression
reminds us
that, in the end, tyranny is no match for human dignity and the
rule of
law."
The Rights and Democracy organisation set up the annual John
Humphrey
Freedom Award to honour an organisation or individual for their
"exceptional" commitment to the promotion of international human rights and
democratic development.
The Canadian Embassy in Harare nominated
ZLHR for the award. The group
of lawyers provides legal support for victims
of state-sponsored violence
and human rights training for activists and
civil society organisations.
More than 1 500 Zimbabweans reportedly
receive support from ZLHR every
year.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday,
22 November 2008 19:59
GWERU - Civil servants' dreams of owning houses
through stands
acquired under operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle are fast
diminishing as the
ministry that offered them stands is demanding foreign
currency in monthly
instalments.
While dollarisation has
taken firm root in Zimbabwe, civil servants
are crying foul over demands
that payment for the stands is now required in
foreign currency.
Civil servants who have been paying for the stands since 2006
expressed
outrage over the introduction of the foreign currency payment
scheme. The
beneficiaries pay for the stands on a monthly basis to the
Ministry of Local
Government, Public Works and Urban Development.
They told this reporter
that they were shocked when told to pay for
the stands in foreign currency.
One of the beneficiaries, who only
identified himself as Thomas for fear of
losing the stand, said: "For civil
servants who got stands under Garikai, we
started paying in rands in
September. We paid R50 rands on top of Z$500,
then for October we paid R50
again and Z$20 000."
He said payment
for the stands in foreign currency was shocking,
especially at a time when
most civil servants were earning below Z$90 000,
which buys less than
R5.
Another civil servant, a policewoman who preferred to remain
anonymous, said what incensed them most was the fact that for the October
payment in rands, the receipts recorded payment in the form of a five-litre
coupon. They had received no explanation, she said.
The civil
servants also complained that they had been paying for the
stands for too
long. They claimed that they were advised time and again that
the money was
for servicing the stands, but not much had actually been done
on the
ground.
A visit to the offices of the Ministry of Local Government
confirmed
that those who were paying for stands under different schemes were
now
paying in foreign currency and that these included the beneficiaries of
Operation Garikai.
There was another scheme, Hertfordshire housing,
where those allocated
stands were paying R200, which most of the
beneficiaries indicated was a lot
of money though the scheme was open to
everyone.
Sources, who spoke to this reporter, said while they
appreciated the
depreciation of the local currency, payment of stands in
foreign currency
was leaving them strained. Their desire to own houses was
driving them to
soldier on, but they indicated that some of their colleagues
had lost their
stands after failure to pay the required foreign
currency.
Efforts to get official comment from the Ministry of Local
Government
were fruitless but a worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
confirmed
that beneficiaries of Operation Garikai and other housing schemes
were
paying the subscriptions in foreign currency due to the
hyper-inflationary
environment.
The worker also explained that the
payment in rands was approved by
beneficiaries during consultative meetings.
He said beneficiaries who were
complaining had chosen not to attend the
consultative meetings where
decisions made were binding.
Operation
Garikai was introduced after Operation Murambatsvina in
2005, which saw the
demolition of thousands of houses that left nearly one
million families
without a roof over their heads.
Operation Garikai was meant to counter
Operation Murambatsvina, which
courted the ire of the international
community.Due to the collapse of the
Zimbabwean economy, banks which used to
offer loans to those that wanted to
build houses no longer offer such
services. Even companies that used to
extend loans to their workers to
purchase houses no longer do so and this
has left a majority of workers as
lodgers.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
19:58
US ambassador to Zimbabwe, James D McGee (left) speaks to Robert
Wood, Deputy US Spokesman and US media during a special briefing on
Zimbabwe's
current state during a video conference link.
Excerpts:
Wood: Good morning in Zimbabwe. Ambassador McGee, welcome.
This is
Robert Wood, the Deputy Spokesman. Ambassador McGee is here and he's
going
to talk to you all about the political situation in Zimbabwe. So
without
further ado, I will turn it over to Ambassador McGee. Welcome,
sir.
McGee: Thank you, Robert. Let me start off by saying that we have
a
multi-faceted issue here in Zimbabwe. We have a very bad, dire political
situation that's being - leading to a food and health emergency, man-made,
in this country.
I think you're all aware of the problems on the
political side of the
house. Let me just briefly go over those. There was an
agreement signed for
a unity government on September 15 this year. Here we
are, approximately
eight, nine weeks later, and we still have no government
formed. The Zanu
PF, Robert Mugabe's ruling party, has refused to act in
good faith. They
want to maintain all the powerful ministries, all the
security ministries,
as well as the financial ministries, under their
control and give a group of
smaller social ministries to the control of the
MDC, the Movement for
Democratic Change headed by Morgan
Tsvangirai.
This impasse seemed to have been broken a week and a half
ago during
the Sadc summit that was held in Johannesburg. But still, even
after that,
we have not had any forward movement on that situation. And the
political
situation still remains at a critical impasse here in
Zimbabwe.
I think what's even more important today, though, is the
humanitarian
crisis that is following up from this political impasse. We're
seeing the
humanitarian situation here in Zimbabwe really go down the tubes.
Food
situation, food and security situation, is extremely dire. Estimates
from
the United Nations community is 1.5 million Zimbabweans are at risk of
food
insecurity right now, and by the end of this crop season that number
could
jump up to over five million people.
The health system has
totally collapsed. The three major hospitals
here in Harare have closed.
They've closed their doors for patients. We have
anecdotal stories of
clinics in the countryside being unable to operate.
People are routinely
turned away from clinics. And in some places, police
have been stationed
outside of clinics to ensure that no one can enter the
premises. Doctors and
nurses are not being paid. So that's the reality of
the situation on the
ground here in Zimbabwe on this health system.
The water situation,
sanitation situation, has gone through the
ceiling. I just received a
confirmed report about 15 minutes ago there are
now 294 confirmed deaths
from cholera here in Zimbabwe. There are over 1 200
confirmed cases of
cholera, and another 2 500 unconfirmed cases of cholera.
The South African
parliament just released a statement this afternoon,
saying that they would
provide assistance to Zimbabwe to try to deal with
this cholera epidemic,
because much of it is occurring on the border where
Zimbabweans are trying
to leave this country and make their way into South
Africa.
Question: Sue Pleming from Reuters. Mr Ambassador, you spoke about a
cholera
epidemic. What is the US doing to try and ease the humanitarian
crisis in
Zimbabwe, and particularly the health crisis that has emerged?
McGee:
We are working with the international community. We're bringing
in
assistance and trying to provide clean water. Cholera is something that
is
fairly easily treated. You need salt, you need sugar, you need clean
water.
Unfortunately, those are three things that the average Zimbabwean
does not
have. So we're working with NGOs and local communities to try to
provide
water tablets, saline tablets, the things that are necessary to take
care of
the epidemic here in Zimbabwe.
Question: Ambassador, this is Desmond
Butler from the Associated
Press. Do you feel that Mugabe has played you,
given the September 15
agreement? Has he employed a strategy from the North
Korea-Sudan playbook of
pretend to play along with what the international
community wants and - but
merely stalling for time and trying to hold on to
power?
McGee: Desmond, I don't think he's even trying to be coy about
this.
He's made it clear that he is not easily going to give up power here
in
Zimbabwe. The Sadc, the Southern African Development Community, clearly
came
out with statements saying that there should be a unity government;
there
should be power- sharing. And Mugabe has pretty much said that
Tsvangirai
would never sit in a government here in Zimbabwe with any true
power.
So, no, I don't think he's trying to play us. I think he's
snubbing
his nose at the international community and pretty much saying this
is my
country and I'll do with it as I please.
QUESTION:
(Inaudible) need a new strategy for the problem?
MCGEE: I think the
strategy here is we continue to put the pressure on
Mugabe. We have our
targeted sanctions. The European Union, the Australians,
and many other
like-minded Western nations are following us with those
sanctions. The other
issue is that we need to continue to work with Sadc,
the African Union and
the United Nations to continue to spin up their
sanctions, their actions
against this repressive regime headed by Mugabe.
QUESTION: Lach
Carmichael from AFP. I just wanted to follow up on
Desmond's question. How
is he holding on to power? And what weaknesses do
you see, if any, within
his power structure? Are there any factions that are
tilting away from
him?
MCGEE: Actually, I think his grip on power may be actually
stronger
than it was this time last year. Mugabe continues to hang on to
power
through the political patronage system. There's still a lot of money
that
flows through the formal and even more money that flows through the
informal
economies in this country. The president uses a lot of political
patronage,
political pay-offs to ensure loyalty. He does have the absolute
loyalty of
the security - the heads of the security forces. Once we get down
to lower
levels in the security forces, probably at the major or colonel
level, and
then in the enlisted ranks, that loyalty isn't nearly as great.
But those
people who control those services are absolutely loyal to
President Mugabe
because, number one, they continue to receive funding from
him, and number
two, their hands are absolutely as bloody as his.
And as far as that goes, last year, there was a power play to strip
Mugabe
of power. One of the factions within his own ruling party, Zanu PF,
did make
a power play. They lost. Frankly, they lost. Mugabe stood up to
them. They
backed down. And I believe that he is as strong today as he was a
year ago
and maybe even in the last five years.
QUESTION: Sylvie Lanteaume from
AFP. So doesn't it mean that,
actually, you need another strategy? Because
if he's stronger than last
year, it means that the actual - the current
strategy doesn't work.
MCGEE: The current strategy still takes in the
reality on the ground.
The people of Zimbabwe need to do something for
themselves. The regional
communities here need to step up and do something
to help the people of
Zimbabwe. The people of Zimbabwe are those who are
suffering.
And as much as we can help them with the humanitarian
assistance and
as much as we try to assist them with our political stance
against this
country, if there is going to be meaningful change in Zimbabwe,
it's going
to occur because of a peaceful democratic change here within the
country.
QUESTION: Michelle Kelleman with National Public Radio. I
wonder if
you could talk a little bit about financial issues, the currency
collapsing.
I understand there's all sorts of different currencies being
used now. You
were talking about his patronage systems. Where is he getting
his money?
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November
2008 19:53
ZIMBABWE presents vast opportunities for investors who can
take
advantage of the bright economic recovery prospects brought about by a
new
political dispensation, a top LonZim executive said last
week.
Presenting a paper at the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of
Zimbabwe (ICAZ) investment conference, Rosinah Hove, the
assistant LonZim
country manager, said the country was still an attractive
destination for
foreign investors despite its long running political and
economic problems.
"Zimbabwe presents a great opportunity for shrewd
investors to come
in," she said.
In a paper titled "The Effects of
Indigenisation on Foreign Direct
Investment, A Foreign Investor's
Perspective", Hove said although investors
were discouraged by the absence
of the rule of law, lack of respect for
property rights and economic
freedoms, LonZim was undeterred as it continued
to invest in the
country.
"If we achieve long-term capital for our investors, we would
have
achieved," she said.
LonZim, where Lonrho Plc has a 20% stake,
is listed on the Alternative
Investment Markets in UK.
It raised
US$65 million at its initial public offering and the
proceeds have been used
to acquire businesses in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. As
part of its acquisition
drive, LonZim acquired a 60% stake in the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange listed
Celsys. It also owns Gardoserve, the largest blenders
of ethanol products in
the country, Paynet and a hotel in Mozambique.
Hove said LonZim plans
to develop a five-star hotel with conference
facilities, a training centre
and retail mall among other developments in
Zimbabwe. The company's
acquisitions are not targeted at specific sectors,
as every sector of the
economy is poised for growth, Hove said.
But she expressed concern that
the Indigenisation and Economic
Empowerment Act that became law in March
would discourage investors if not
properly explained.
The Act
stipulates that 51% shareholding in all foreign owned firms
operating in
Zimbabwe should be in the hands of locals.
The one-day ICAZ investment
conference drew participants from all
sectors of the economy and was held
under the theme, "Repositioning for
Zimbabwe's Economic Revival: Are we
Ready for the Great Leap Forward?"
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
19:51
THE United Kingdom Court of Appeal has dismissed with costs AMG
Global
Nominees (AMG)'s application to be registered as shareholders of SMM
Holdings and THZ Holding in another setback to the government's bid to seal
its expropriation of Mutumwa Mawere's assets.
The South African
based businessman immediately hit out at the
government for wasting huge
sums of foreign currency on a court case it had
no chance of winning when
millions of Zimbabweans were going hungry.
AMG went to court arguing
the Sales and Purchase Agreement between
Mawere's Africa Resources Limited
(ARL) and Turner and Newell (T&N), the
former owners of SMMH and THZH,
infringed the UK Companies Act by providing
financial assistance in the
transaction.
AMG said by virtue of SMM exports financing the deal, SMMH
had
provided financial assistance to ARL.
AMG also argued that ARL
was in default on November 5, 2004 when T & N
purported to sell the
shares in SMMH and THZH to AMG.
ARL purchased SMMH and THZH from
T&N in 1996 for US$60 million. As
part of the deal, ARL were to pay the
amount in 12 monthly instalments of
US$5 million each, but managed to pay
US$37 million leaving a balance of
US$23 million.
The agreement was
that the bearer share warrants would be released
once all payment had been
made.
But in 2004, the government put Mawere's assets under the
administration of AMG boss Arafas Gwaradzimba in line with the Presidential
Powers (Temporary Measures) (Reconstruction of State-indebted Insolvent
Companies) Regulations of 2004.
AMG then paid US$2 million to buy
the share warrants arguing that ARL
had defaulted in payment and claimed it
was entitled to the shares.
But in a landmark ruling on Thursday, the
court ruled that the 1996
Sales and Purchase Agreement did not involve any
breach of Section 151 of
the Companies Act either in its formation or in its
performance.
It ruled that ARL was not in default for the purpose of
Clause 8 of
the Memorandum of Deposit and Charge (MDC) at the time of the
conclusion of
the AMG agreement. This means T&N was not entitled to sell
shares to AMG.
In dismissing the appeal, the court ruled that ARL has
the better
right to the bearer share warrants of SMMH and THZH.
Had
the court ruled in AMG's favour, it would have been registered as
the
shareholder of SMMH and THZH, sealing the expropriation of Mawere's
assets.
The control of the two UK firms was the missing link in the
equation.
Mawere said the judgement vindicated his stance that the
seizure of
his companies had no legal basis and was politically
motivated.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
19:51
THE country's first commercial bio-diesel plant, commissioned
amid
pomp and fanfare last year, is operating at less than five percent
capacity,
investigations revealed last week.
Workers at the
gigantic plant in Harare - once touted as the panacea
to the country's
perennial - said they were producing "a few hundreds of
litres" of diesel
and cooking oil a month.
They attributed the false start to an acute
shortage of Jatropha,
cotton seed, sunflower, soya beans and maize to
produce diesel and cooking
oil.
When standardbusiness visited the
plant just before midday on
Thursday, the plant with a capacity to produce
between 90-100 million litres
of diesel annually was silent.
"For
the past year, we have been using cotton seed for the production
of diesel
and cooking oil but it has run out," said a worker speaking on
condition
that he was not named.
"We can't use maize or soya beans because there
is hunger. People need
them for food."
At least 500 tonnes of seed
oil is required annually to produce the
targeted 100 million litres of
bio-diesel.
"We have to wait for the Jatropha seedlings to mature
otherwise we are
wasting our time," said another worker.
It takes
between two and three years for a Jatropha seedling to
mature.
The
worker said when the fuel is available at the plant anyone can buy
using
foreign currency. He said initially they were selling the diesel for
US$1.35
a litre, but the price was being reviewed following the drop in fuel
prices
globally.
Only one of the tanks was said to be full of diesel, which
was being
sold in foreign currency.
Most of the fuel, the workers
said, was being sold to the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe (RBZ), which was
heavily involved in the setting up of the
plant.
Edward Madyavanhu,
finance and administration manager of Transload
Enterprises - a company that
manages the plant - refused to comment
referring all questions to the
company's managing director, Douglas Musiiwa.
Musiiwa could not be
reached for comment.
During the plant's commissioning last year,
government officials said
it would meet 10% of Zimbabwe's annual diesel
requirements, which translates
to foreign currency savings of US$80 million
annually.
RBZ Governor Gideon Gono said the central bank has set aside
funds to
support a Jatropha feed stock growing programme.
"Under
the programme beneficiaries of Zimbabwe's land reform programme
will receive
support to grow Jatropha on marginal land as the country works
towards its
target of achieving fuel self-sufficiency by 2010," said Gono.
He also
announced government would set up one bio-diesel plant for
each of the
provinces by 2010.
However, the project seems to have stalled.
RBZ spokesperson Kumbirai Nhongo did not respond to questions emailed
to him
last week.
Experts however say there is need to guard against diverting
productive land and food crops to the production of biofuels at the expense
of regional food security.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says over
five million people will need
food aid at the beginning of next
year.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November
2008 19:33
AS the country struggles to extricate itself from close to
three
decades of President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF's dictatorship which is
associated with gross human rights violations, any new political order
should deliver justice to victims of the state.
International law requiring punishment of atrocious crimes and, most
critically, international pressure for compliance can provide important
counterweight to pressure from Zimbabwe's ruling elite responsible for the
Matabeleland and the Midlands massacres, the June 2008 burning to death of
opposition activists at Jerera growth point in Masvingo province, and other
heinous criminal activities.
I want to argue that when prosecutions
are administered and
undertaken, pursuant to the provisions of international
law forbidding acts
such as genocide, crimes against humanity, torture and
war crimes, they are
less likely to be perceived or opposed as acts of
revenge.
In my view, it is easy to believe that prosecutions that come
after
the fall of a dictatorship are politically motivated when a decision
to
institute them is a matter of unbridled discretion; justice is readily
mistaken for vengeance hence the need to deliver justice to Zimbabweans
under strict provisions of international law, such as the provisions of
Convention Against Torture and some aspects of domestic law which forbid
torture, inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens.
It has been
mistakenly argued that amnesty laws may be necessary to
mend social
divisions because, in my view, amnesty laws are not the only way
of
achieving reconciliation in troubled countries such as Zimbabwe where the
rule of law has been sacrificed in pursuit of unbridled thirst for power by
President Mugabe and his ruling elite.
There are other means to
pursue reconciliation in Zimbabwe without
allowing impunity to be
celebrated. I want to point out that amnesty laws
can be used to promote
reconciliation in post-Mugabe Zimbabwe, provided they
do not cover atrocious
crimes which domestic and international laws require
states to
punish.
Those in Zimbabwe, the region and the international community
struggling to end the country's political and economic woes should
appreciate that international human rights law require States to punish
certain crimes committed in their territorial jurisdiction. Zimbabwe, under
the Zanu PF dictatorship, should be no exception and amnesty laws should not
be invoked to cover up years of rampant human rights abuses in the
country.
Several human rights treaties which form part of international
law
such as the Convention Against Torture to which Zimbabwe is a party, as
well
as the United Nations Charter, require state parties to criminalize
particular abuses such as genocide and torture, investigate violations and
seek to punish wrongdoers. These treaties make it clear that a state party
fails in its duty to ensure the cluster of rights protecting physical
integrity if it does not investigate violations and seek to punish those who
are responsible.
I know and accept that people in Zimbabwe will
legitimately accuse me
of writing under the comfort of the United States
when I make these views
but I remain convinced that in the case of Zimbabwe,
I would prefer to
suffer longer under Mugabe's tyranny in the hope of a
fully satisfactory
political outcome, than to make progress through untidy
promises.
I am of this view because it is important for the country to
exorcise
the ghosts of the Zanu PF administration by laying bare the
atrocities
associated with it through a proper and independent
investigation, and the
prosecution of serious crimes against humanity to the
fullest extent
possible, so that future generations will not be haunted. The
rich, poor,
powerful and weak should be equal before the law and this cannot
happen when
there are elements in the security forces and the ruling elite
who think
that they can continue to get away with murder for the rest of
their lives.
Zimbabwe needs its political leadership to be accountable
to its
misdeeds in order to create a law-abiding culture in the country. It
is
important to have such critical, complex and in some respect
controversial
circumstances in order for future political leaders in
Zimbabwe to respect
the call to act responsibly when they assume the
leadership of the country.
More so, that kind of accountability will
make political players
instil in their supporters respect for the rule of
law, allow the security
forces to realise their constitutional mandate and
desist from operating
like militias and political commissars of rogue
political leaders.
Zimbabwe is currently littered with numerous cases
of impunity because
of the total disregard for the rule of law that is
supported by the country's
ruling party. In order to return to law and order
there is need for those
responsible for gross human rights violations to
account to the justice
system in order to heal those whose fundamental
rights were violated.
In my view, beyond taking criminal proceedings
against human rights
violators in the country in order to promote
reconciliation, not the type
Mugabe promoted in 1980 which was not statute
based but rhetorical, a truth
commission which strives to investigate past
human rights abuses; provide an
official forum where victims of Zanu PF and
security forces' abuses and
perpetrators alike can tell their stories and
offer evidence and prepare an
authoritative report that documents the
events, makes conclusions and
suggest ways in which similar abuses and
atrocities can be avoided in
future.
The findings and
recommendations of such a body should be made public.
I say so because
Zimbabwe is littered with commissions of investigations
including the
Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena one into the Matabeleland and
Midlands
disturbances whose findings remain hidden at State House while the
victims
of that sad chapter in the history of the country still wait for
justice.
Any post-Mugabe truth commission must make recommendations
for
reparations to be given to the victims of state organised murders,
violence
and abuses, which must take the form of cash payments, pensions,
free access
to health care and psychiatric treatment, or public memorials
and national
remembrance days. But beyond that, efforts should be made to
seek
compensation from the perpetrators such as senior government and ruling
party officials and security forces, rather than relying on government
alone.
Even if amnesty could be exercised, like in the case of
South Africa,
it should not be unconditional. In order to foster a
democratic society, no
person should be given amnesty unless he or she
applies for it, makes a full
disclosure of the crimes, and establishes that
the crimes were committed
with a political objective. In this regard,
wrongdoers and hardliners within
the political establishment in Zimbabwe who
fail to follow this course
should be prosecuted.
Both the
international human rights law and international humanitarian
law demand
that people responsible for gross violation of human rights
should be held
accountable for their crimes. For this reason, the granting
of
unconditional, blanket amnesty would be unacceptable and should be
avoided
in Zimbabwe.
In the case of Zimbabwe, Parliament should be allowed to
exercise that
role. This is because Zimbabwe has seen numerous amnesties by
the present
government which have benefited the perpetrators of violence
rather than the
victims. Some of the people that have benefited from
Mugabe's self-styled
amnesties since independence should be behind
bars.
If Zimbabwe is to return to democratic legitimacy, any new
government
or political order after Mugabe should further respond to human
rights
violations by adopting laws which bar certain categories of former
government officials and party members from public employment. Such measures
would not be new to Zimbabwe; they have worked well in post-communist
governments in Europe and Latin America.
It is argued that a
successful transition to democracy demands the
removal from public
institutions of individuals who may have taken part in
violating human
rights. Such elements are rampant in the country's public
service
particularly in the security forces. Those who are making peace in
Zimbabwe
should not forget the plight of the regime's victims. They are
waiting for
justice.
*Pedzisai Ruhanya writes from the University of Minnesota Law
School,
USA.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
19:33
EDWIN Nleya was associated closely with the darkest side of the
Zimbabwe Army. He died in controversial circumstances in the 1980s,
allegedly an assassination victim...
It has never been confirmed
that "they" bumped him off because he knew
too much of the sleaze among the
defence forces top brass...
The defence forces have been protected like
a precious gem by the
government. To this day, the army, air force and
police are led by former
leaders from the struggle. They owe allegiance, not
to the people in
general, but to Zanu PF...
This protection began
as far back as 1980-81, involving the Zanla Zanu
PF and Zipra PF-Zapu former
guerrillas.
There were daylight shoot-outs between the two, the most
serious in
Entumbane, a high-density township in Bulawayo. There were
casualties on
both sides, although the official figures were not
released.
A government inquiry report into the origins of the fighting
among
erstwhile comrades-in-arms was never published.
Critics of
the government suspect the report accused then Prime
Minister Robert
Mugabe's former guerrillas of firing the first shots.
Later, the
defence forces were involved in the Gukurahundi massacre,
another clash
between the former guerrillas. Perence Shiri's name kept
cropping up. He
later became head of the air force.
The report of an inquiry into that
atrocity was never published
either.
Still, the government would
not protest too loudly when the Catholic
Commission for Justice and Peace,
in its report on the massacres, insisted
20 000 men, women and children,
were killed in Matabeleland and the Midlands
provinces.
The
political police force has had its dark past as well, particularly
during
election campaigns and protest marches. Unarmed protestors have been
killed
in cold blood by the police, but so far, there have been no
prosecutions.
The omnibus anti-pluralism Public Order and Security
Act (POSA) was
promulgated after Zanu PF lost 57 seats to the MDC in the
2000 parliamentary
elections.
Under its tough provisions,
opposition parties are virtually at the
mercy of the police if they want to
hold public meetings.
If permission is sought for meetings in areas
where Zanu PF doesn't
enjoy much support - today, that is almost everywhere
- the chances of
success are negligible.
Although the Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officially
belongs to the President's
office, the officers usually work hand in glove
with the police. They have
been involved in the attempted assassination of
Patrick Kombayi, an
opposition candidate in the 1990 parliamentary
elections, and in the
killings of Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya of the
opposition in the
2000 parliamentary election campaign.
Zanu PF, particularly after the
1987 Unity Accord with PF Zapu, ran a
communist-style one-party system,
bolstered by a KGB-type security outfit.
All opposition attempts to
raise their political profile were brutally
thwarted, in most cases, with
murder.
There are thus many people, some grievously disaffected as
their
decadent lifestyles are threatened by the economic downturn, willing
to
spill the beans on the darkest secrets of the atrocities.
That
could be a good reason for Mugabe's jitteriness over the genuine
sharing of
power with the MDC. The opposition has never held power. It has
no record of
official malfeasance.
As they were the victims of most
government-sponsored killings, it is
suspected they would, if allowed to
play any part in those key security
areas, use this opportunity as "payback
time".
The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has
degenerated into
as toothless a bulldog as Harold Wilson's government did
before and after
UDI in 1965.
In proposing a home affairs ministry
administered by both parties it
is demonstrating how tragically it has been
"defanged".
The new South African president seems to be a clone of
Thabo Mbeki, so
overawed by Mugabe's liberation stature he's rendered
virtually speechless
in the man's presence.
Zanu PF was never going
to give up an inch of its power without
leaving blood on the floor. Its
intransigence is inflicting terrifying
damage on the economy and the health
of the people.
But those in Zanu PF, with still a shred of dignity left
in their
bones, must know they are conspiring in the destruction of what
re
mains of this once great, proud and productive nation.
To
believe that Zanu PF has honest designs in handling the defence and
home
affairs portfolios is equivalent to being converted to flat earth
fanatics.
Zanu PF's record in charge of the security forces has
been
characterised by an anti-people impunity. It is almost criminal to let
them
anywhere near those ministries.
Zanu PF would use them to kill
its assumed partners in government,
literally, as it has tried to kill them
in opposition.
The people who lead the security forces today are so
politicised they
seem sworn to shoot first and ask questions later.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008 19:28
The music
playing in the background is The Hanging Tree tune.
Orderly:
Silence in court or you will be rapped over the knuckles with
the ruler of
the law.
Judge Dread: What's next case on the roll, registrar?
Registrar: My Lord, it is the case of the State against a Patently
Guilty
Prisoner.
Judge: Well, drag him up from the darkest, deepest, most
putrid
dungeon where he is presently being accommodated. Make sure that he
is
suitably attired in leg irons, straight jacket and gag so that we can
give
him a fair trial before convicting him and sentencing him to the worst
punishment that we can impose, apart from locking him up in a cell for the
rest of his life with only the Sunday Snail to read.
Mr Persecution
Complex: My Lord, I represent the State, whether or not
the State wants me
to do so. Indeed the State is very lucky to have my
incredible expertise at
its disposal. The prisoner is very unfortunate to be
represented by my much
less than learned colleague, Mr Wasteov Space, from
the firm, Lackadaisical,
Scrapheap and Partners.
Judge: Mr Complex, please read the charge to
the ignorant prisoner who
is incapable of reading the charge
himself.
Mr Complex: The prisoner is charged with the worst possible
crime the
State has been able to think of. The particulars of the charge are
that on a
day some time back at a place unknown to the State, or anyone else
for that
matter, the prisoner met someone whom the State strongly
disapproves of and
there and then you did do something that was so
deplorable that the only
characterisation that can be given to it was that
it was appallingly and
highly treasonous.
Judge: Prisoner, you
should hang your head in shame whilst you still
can, as your head will soon
be involuntarily hanged. Well, let us go through
the tedious motions: How do
you plead to the charge?
Prisoner: I am as innocent as a newly born
lamb and I plead only for
justice.
Judge: Boy, am I tired of
bleating reprobates! It goes without saying,
so this is why I am saying it,
that I will give you justice as soon as I
have found you guilty.
Judge: Mr Complex what is your case?
Complex: My Lord, it is an
extremely strong Samsonite case made out of
bullet proof rhino hide. I am
told that it is as indestructible as a Chef
and comes with a lifetime
guarantee, as does a Chef. As regards the
verminous scoundrel cowering
before you, I have already proved beyond a
shadow of a doubt that he is the
guiltiest person ever to appear before you.
Judge: I believe this would
be an appropriate time to adjourn for
several months. I have extremely
pressing agricultural matters to attend to
involving preparation for an
important judicial workshop, known to some as a
barbeque.
Case
resumes.
Judge: Mr Space, I understand that you have some sort of inane
defence
to present, and I use the term "defence" extremely loosely indeed. I
will
give you a few seconds to relate your fantasy and I will try hard not
to
burst out into hysterical laughter during your address. Before you do so,
however, there is a vitally important matter to which I have to attend. The
court will adjourn until I come back.
The Judge proceeds to his
chambers where he attends to his urgent
business which entails switching on
his official plasma TV and conducting an
inspection in loco of his favourite
soap.
Court resumes.
Judge: Mr Space had you finished
entertaining me with your ridiculous
defence?
Space: My Lord, I
hadn't even commenced my case.
Judge: Well, why don't you just give it
to Air Zimbabwe so they can
lose it for you?
Space: I am most
obliged to your Lordship for that invaluable advice,
but I would like to
call my client to the stand to establish his innocence.
Judge: Well if
you must, you must I suppose, but I would prefer you
not to waste my time
like this.
Prisoner is frogmarched to the stand and is told to stand up
straight
and to tell his incredible version of the truth so that everyone
can have a
good laugh. His gag remains in place to assist his pathetic
attempts to
establish his innocence.
Space: Were you born?
Prisoner: (Muffled answer) Yes.
Space: How do you know?
Prisoner: Because my mother told me I was.
Complex: My Lord, I object
as well as being objectionable. The
prisoner's testimony is inadmissible
hearsay.
Space: Where were you on the indefinite occasion, at the
indefinite
place, at an indefinite time the State says you were planning
regime change.
Prisoner: (Muffled answer) Well, what I remember was a
blinding light
from an object overhead which turned out to be a flying
saucer. Without my
leave, the saucer just whisked me up and some rather
strange green aliens
started inserting probes into me in a vain attempt to
discover whether
humans have any detectible signs of intelligence. I might
add that never in
my life have I contemplated regime change,
although very occasionally I change my underpants.
Space: Thank you.
You can stand down.
The exhausted defence counsel wheels into court a
large bed and
collapses on it, muttering, and "The defence rests."
Judge: This is a convenient time to adjourn. If I feel like it, I'll
inform
you when I decide to resume. I will then proceed to impose sentence,
as well
as an entire paragraph, on the indisputably guilty prisoner. It is
my
invariable practice to impose sentence before I announce the verdict.
After
all you don't want to keep the prisoner hanging around when he is soon
to
hang.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November
2008 19:28
THE government should have welcomed the humanitarian
fact-finding
mission by the group of Elders, unless it has something to
hide.
The mission would have given a high profile and
visibility to the
country's efforts to rally international aid and avert a
catastrophe.
Former United States President Jimmy Carter and former
United Nations
Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, arrived in Southern Africa on
Friday on their
way here for a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian
situation in
Zimbabwe. They were joined in this assessment by fellow Elder
and
international advocate for women's and children's rights, Graça Machel,
spouse of former South African President, Nelson Mandela.
But
yesterday they called off their mission after Zimbabwe denied them
visas.
The government is paranoid. It demanded to know whose mission the
Elders are
representing and who they report to. Annan and Bishop Desmond
Tutu, who is
also a member of the Elders, have openly criticised President
Robert Mugabe
and his administration.
The irony of the denial of visas to the Elders
is that it comes in a
week where Botswana, which Harare has accused of
"offering training bases"
to the MDC - purportedly for regime change -
welcomed a fact-finding mission
headed by the Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Botswana, unlike Zimbabwe, did
not become hysterical about the visit or the
charges levelled against it. In
fact, it invited Zimbabwe and the Sadc
troika to undertake the mission.
In denying visas to the group of
Elders, Zimbabwe suggests it has
something to hide. Only Burma and North
Korea have reacted in the manner
Harare has while their citizens
perished.
The Elders are deeply concerned about the impact of the
deteriorating
economic situation in Zimbabwe on the population. The purpose
of their visit
was to meet those working on the ground to better assess the
extent of the
crisis, and how assistance can be improved. They understand
the situation
requires an urgent response and that delays can only prolong
the people's
suffering.The Elders even declared at the outset that they had
no intention
of becoming involved in the ongoing political negotiations in
Zimbabwe.
The actions of the government ever since the 1980s
Gukurahundi and the
internationally condemned "Operation Murambatsvina" have
been to deny
repeatedly any knowledge or existence of a humanitarian crisis
in this
country.
Right now Zimbabwe faces a cholera epidemic that
has claimed about 300
lives and yet suggestions by legislators and health
experts to declare the
outbreak a national disaster, thus opening the
floodgates to international
humanitarian assistance, are being strenuously
resisted.
There is also a familiar pattern to the government's man-made
crisis
and subsequent denials: Earlier this year, the international
community
realised there would be inadequate food because of the
government's tardy
preparations for the 2007/2008 agricultural season. The
donor community
intended to undertake an assessment, which would constitute
the basis for
mobilising international assistance.
The government
frustrated the process and it is precisely because of
its non-co-operation
that 1,3 million Zimbabweans are in urgent need of food
and humanitarian
assistance, while a further five million will require
similar assistance
from next month until April 2009.
The extent to which Zimbabwe's
leaders are prepared to sacrifice
lives in order to safeguard their hold on
power is unparalleled. The Elders
should have been welcomed, if government
has nothing to hide or fear.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22
November 2008 19:40
THE ongoing fighting in Zanu PF's Harare province
between supporters
of Harare South legislator,
Hubert
Nyanhongo, who is also Deputy Minister of Transport and
Communications and
those of the party chairman for Harare province, Amos
Midzi and current
Minister for Mines and Mining Development clearly shows
why the party has
degrees in violence and should why it be held accountable
for the deaths of
over 200 MDC supporters after Zanu PF was defeated in the
March 29
elections.
Over the past few weeks, two ZanuPF factions - one
siding with
Midzi and the other with Nyanhongo - have been involved in
running battles
over the control of the party in the province and culminated
in recent
bloody battles for the control of the Harare province's party
headquarters
at Fourth Street to the extent that police and army
reinforcements were
called in.
These clashes resulted in some
of the supporters receiving
serious injuries while property belonging to
innocent people has been
destroyed because they happened to be caught in the
crossfire.
The clashes have clearly shown that Zanu PF is a party that
has no
guts to settle issues peacefully therefore resorts to
violence.
After its defeat during the March 29, 2008 harmonised
elections Zanu
PF decided to use force against innocent voters simply
because they had
decided that enough is enough and had voted for the
MDC.
Zanu PF leaders who are being implicated in clashes have a record
of
causing untold suffering in Harare by sponsoring violence. It was in
Harare
that "Operation Murambatsvina" played havoc with people's lives.
Midzi has
in the past been accused of causing violence in Epworth while in
Harare
South constituency and Mbare the violence is perpetrated through the
infamous Chipangano.
Nyanhongo is even claiming that he
will dishonour a ruling
that was passed by his party when he was
suspended from carrying
out party activities because the party
failed to observe its own procedures
in dealing with disciplinary
hearings.
What this shows is that even the party hierarchy does not
know its own
constitution. What else do they or do not know? Midzi is
learning his lesson
the hardest way as the people of Harare have rejected
him and the Zanu PF
executive he leads in Harare.
He has lost in
three parliamentary elections since 2000, 2005 and
recently in March this
year.
Agrippa Zvomuya
Harare
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008 19:37
THE Reserve
Bank is now playing God. Does it have the right to put our
lives in jeopardy
because they are so paranoid they think we are all
criminals and illegal
money dealers?
On a daily basis they mess us up by creating
unnecessary stressful
situations, but now they have gone a step
further.
The following is an example of what I mean: Last week my
husband asked
MBCA Southerton branch to apply for permission to withdraw
some of our own
hard-earned, iniquitously taxed cash from our account to pay
for essential
drugs, drugs to prevent serious illness or even
death.
In order to support this application we submitted a letter, copy
of
the requisite prescription, copy of a letter from Cimas stating that
these
were essential drugs. These were duly signed and stamped by a
Commissioner
of Oaths.
A pro forma invoice from a reputable chemist
and at the bank's
request, from a previous application, a receipt showing
that we had actually
paid for a previous prescription for $700 000 and not
squirrelled it away in
US dollars. All this for the huge amount of Z$23 910
000!
This has all taken a week and unbelievably the request has been
turned
down. Of course, by now the drugs have soared in price because of
inflation
and so now what?
When is this situation going to end? We
want access to our money now.
Who does it belong to, the state or
us?
Jenny Willard
Waterfalls
Harare.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22 November
2008 19:36
WE write to your newspaper highlighting the problems
besetting Hopley
farm residents and fervently pray that you come to our
assistance before the
situation degenerates into a tragedy.
Hopley farm needs no introduction as it is the largest "Operation
Garikai"
project resulting from "Operation Murambatsvina" of 2005 by the
government
of Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, "Operation Garikai" at Hopley farm is
incomplete with
structures at various levels of completion. To be precise
most shelters are
still at temporary shelter stage while those that are in
solid wall form are
not roofed. These structures have left the occupants
exposed to adverse
weather conditions.
The current rains have
brought with them another undesirable Christmas
gift - misery to Hopley
community. The rains leave the dwellers soaked to
the bone, their meagre
treasures i.e. important documents and pitiful
foodstuffs ruined.
It is really pitiful to watch the elderly, pregnant women, those
living with
HIV and AIDS, the blind and children spending nights crouched in
some
overcrowded corner for want of shelter from the rains.
The temporary
structures built by some NGOs were meant to last six
months only but now
have been stretched to more than three years. They are
obviously worn out
and currently serve very little purpose.
About 7 000 Hopley residents
are in dire need of tents or plastic
sheets for temporary shelter and
roofing purposes. Shelter is a basic need
and right to everyone. The lack of
shelter affects the victim's physical and
psychological well being hence our
call for immediate assistance in this
regard.
In addition to lack
of shelter, we are also appealing for assistance
in the construction of
toilets as some of the beneficiaries have no toilets
and are being forced to
use the bush. This is a very unhealthy situation and
may result in long term
effects for the community.
It is our hope and prayer that after this
call well-wishers will come
to our rescue before the situation deteriorates
further.
Takaruza Tangai
Chairperson
Maxwell
Joe
Secretary
For Hopley Residents' Committee
Harare
South.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 22
November 2008 19:35
THE problem with Southern African politicians is
not that they learn
nothing, but rather, they forget too soon. Those who
remember, hold on to
the wrong lessons.
The Extraordinary
Sadc summit held on November 9, 2008 to discuss
Peace and Security in the
region with particular attention to Zimbabwe and
the Democratic Republic of
Congo has wiped out all doubts that politics in
Africa must change.
It is very unfortunate that very few liberation governments in
Southern
Africa have been able to prove their relevance in post-colonial
Africa. We
had hoped that the leaders would see this need from afar and then
act as
catalysts of the change which, in any case, is inevitable.
We as the
citizens of Southern Africa had hoped that the progressive
leaders of this
region would play a pivotal role. Our hope has been
assaulted on two fronts.
The first is by our liberators, who fear a future
in which they play no
part. They lust for political immortality. They thus
hold on to power at any
cost or they continually dash every possible avenue
for leadership renewal
in the continent.
The moderate dictatorship like that of the ANC and
part of Zanu PF
(the other part is full-blown dictatorship, which the ANC
seems to envy) has
got a chronic mistrust for people power. Thus, although
they see change as
relevant, they would rather direct the change process and
then claim that
they, by virtue of their role in fighting past injustices,
have a kind of
sacred role to protect the status quo from being exposed to
the kind of
change that might wipe it away.
The end result is they
end up creating a new form of injustice. Who
cares whether the new form of
injustice is a lesser evil than the one they
fought? The majority of the
21st century citizens who eye the future with
curiosity may have nothing to
compare it with. They were not there during
slavery. Colonialism and
apartheid left them when they were still babies.
They shudder what is wrong
when their beloved leader waves a fist or calls
for a machine gun in peace
time.
This is a leadership that we had expected to embrace change and
allow
for leadership renewal. By deliberate reluctance, they fight it. They
shut
the future away from us
The new generation of citizens had a
reason to transfer their hope to
the new leaders like the leaders of
Botswana and Zambia. The late President
Levy Mwanawasa did not disappoint.
His predecessor did. These leaders have
dashed the people's hopes. They
speak to the Press and to everyone else, but
when a golden opportunity comes
to face dictatorship in the eye and proclaim
the truth, they shy away and
resign to the comfort of their empires. "Am I
my brother's keeper?" A golden
opportunity to stand for the truth is missed.
The late Zimbabwean
Vice-President, Simon Muzenda used to boast that
Zimbabwe is a land of milk
and honey. Amazing how a few thugs need a little
less than three decades to
wipe out all the milk and honey, if there has
ever been any. The Old
Testament refers to Israel, the Promised Land in like
terms of milk and
honey. Yet today not even water flows there. Only blood
and tears of
desperation.
The promise of every land belongs to its people: Leaders
lose their
relevance when they cannot guarantee the next generation access
to this
honey. It is concentrated in the hands of only a few, or shipped to
China.
There will be no honey when the next child is born. Then we wonder
why
children cry when they are born. Chenjerai Hove says they cry to
announce
the birth of an angry one. William Shakespeare said they cry
because they
are born to this world of fools.
Leadership which
cannot guarantee the continuance of the prosperity
they inherit is criminal.
The sad story of Sadc is we have two categories of
criminals. Those who hold
the machine gun in peace time and declare war on
the masses they fought so
much to liberate. The other category is those who
pretend to shout and
protest during the day so that they gain donor funding,
and at night they
sneak Nicodemously to clap for the first group of
criminals.
That
is the tragedy of African politics, which only the people and
not the
leadership must change. The Zimbabwean case proves that extreme
measures
maybe necessary to make a reality of Muzenda's rhetoric possible
and restore
our milk and honey.
Dzikamai
Marlborough
Harare.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=7755
November 22, 2008
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - Three Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)
operatives have been
hauled before the courts after they were entrapped by a
city businesswoman
from whom they wanted to extort USD100 000 after accusing
her of flouting
the Reserve Bank Act.
The three agents appeared at
the Rotten Row Magistrates' Courts late Friday
where they faced two charges
of extortion and graft.
Jacob Ropafadzo Mudarikiri (23), Blessing
Tarumbwa (24) and Jim Fish Kasumba
(35), all employed by the President's
Office at Chaminuka and Munhumutapa
Buildings in Harare, were arrested on
October 22 at businesswoman Effie
Zituta's Borrowdale home. They had visited
Zithuta to pick up the balance of
USD4000, part of a USD10 000 bribe they
had allegedly demanded from her.
They had received USD6000 on October 20
from the businesswoman, after they
accused her of flouting the RBZ Act. Her
company had clinched a contract to
move farming implements under the
RBZ-funded Farm Mechanisation Program.
The CIO agents alleged that
Zituta's transport company, Fieldspark
Transport, had corruptly been granted
the contract to distribute farming
implements around the country without
going to tender.
The three accused agents are said to have harassed the
businesswoman,
alleging that she was also involved in illegal foreign
currency dealings at
the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe branch along Kwame
Nkrumah Avenue.
They had initially demanded to be paid USD100
000.
The court was told the entrapment stemmed from Zituta's frustration
that she
had to cough up an extra USD4000 after she paid the three accused
agents the
hefty amount of USD6000. The three allegedly threatened to have
her arrested
and held incommunicado on a charge of corruption if she refused
to hand over
the money.
The threat prompted the businesswoman to
report the matter to the police.
The CIO agents had the US$4000 on them when
they were arrested at Zituta's
home.
The three men, who face two
charges of extortion and two of graft, are
standing trial before Magistrate
Lilian Kudya. They are represented by
Nyikadzino, Koworera and Partners, a
legal firm.
They denied the allegations levelled against them. Instead
they claim they
are being framed and that Zituta is, in fact, trying to
deflect attention
from her corrupt dealings with the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe. They say the
charges against them are baseless and
fabricated.
The operatives argued that the incident was a case of
"inducement" where
they were made to believe that the businesswoman, who was
allegedly involved
with top central bank officials, would provide vital
information on the
corruption of top officials at the central bank. They
insisted that they had
received information that Zituta had connived with
senior Reserve Bank
officials leading to her company corruptly clinching the
tender.
"The accused persons were arrested shortly after arriving at the
complainant's
house," read part of their defence outline. "They are just
victims of a
well-orchestrated plot by the complainant to cause their arrest
in a bid to
thwart the investigations they were carrying out against
her."
They claimed the US$6 000 they received from Zituta was not a bribe
but
payment for help she had requested in a bid to recover a vehicle that
had
been taken away from her by a city man identified in court as "Long
Chassis".
Magistrate Kudya is expected to hand down judgement in the case
on
Wednesday.
The President's Office, which has reportedly co
[article ends here..]