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Party
delegations head to Maputo for SADC Troika summit
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
4
November 2009
On Thursday Zimbabwe's political stand-off will be tabled
before a SADC
Troika summit in Maputo, Mozambique.
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and his delegation, that includes
negotiators to the
inter-party talks, left Harare Wednesday morning, flying
to Maputo via
Johannesburg. Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and his
negotiators
also left Harare for Maputo on Wednesday.
Robert Mugabe is expected to
fly direct to Maputo either late Wednesday
evening or early Thursday
morning.
After intense and wide ranging consultations around the region
there are
reports suggesting the Troika summit will try to force the three
party
principals to comply to comply with the spirit and the intent of the
Global
Political Agreement. Whether SADC will indeed try to make Mugabe
stick to
his side of the bargain, remains to be seen
A communiqué
issued over the weekend, after a SADC Troika ministerial team
completed its
two day fact finding mission in Harare, recommended that the
parties should
also re-engage in dialogue in order to find a lasting
solution to the
outstanding issues towards the full implementation of the
GPA. The latest
crisis was triggered by the MDC's boycott of cabinet and
council of
ministers meetings three weeks ago.
Speaking ahead of the summit Tendai
Biti, Secretary-General of the MDC-T,
said they were hopeful SADC will do
the right thing by ensuring that the
country's political parties comply
fully with the provisions of the SADC
Communiqué of 27 January 2009 and the
GPA.
In an interview in the Prime Minister's weekly Newsletter Biti said
they
cannot spend nine months still trying to deal with the same issues,
such as
the appointment of the Attorney-General and the Governor of the
Reserve
Bank, appointment of ambassadors and the distribution of provincial
governors.
'We are encouraged that the SADC team listened to the
issues we were making.
What is essential is to be able to stand up to the
truth and in this case
the truth is not a fantastic construction. It is just
directing that parties
comply with the things they agreed to,' Biti
said.
The SADC summit communiqué of January specifically mentioned that
the
appointments of the Reserve Bank Governor and the Attorney General would
be
dealt with by the inclusive government after its formation.
A
political analyst told us it was worth noting that all three parties
are
heading to Maputo having agreed in meetings with the Troika team to
attend
to all outstanding issues.
The impasse between Tsvangirai and Mugabe has
seen a new surge in violent
attacks and abductions against MDC supporters
and top officials from the
civil society organizations.
In the latest
case, Gertrude Hambira, the Secretary-General of the General
Agriculture and
Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe, narrowly avoided
abduction by
suspected state security agents Tuesday night. It's believed
Hambira was not
been harmed in the attack.
Human rights defenders have called on the SADC
leaders to exert pressure on
Mugabe and his secret police and militia, to
cease their harassment of
officials from civic society
organizations.
Calls
for African observers to monitor violence in Zimbabwe
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/
Africa News
Nov 4,
2009, 14:20 GMT
Johannesburg - Southern African leaders preparing
for yet another round of
crisis talks on Zimbabwe were urged Wednesday to
immediately send observers
to the country to investigate reports of fresh
political violence.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai have
been summoned by the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) to
Mozambique's capital Maputo to discuss a way out of
their three-week
impasse.
The latest initiative by the regional
political bloc comes a week after a
SADC team of ministers met with the
rivals in Zimbabwe last week but failed
to end the
deadlock.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which has
been in
government with Mugabe's Zanu-PF since February, is boycotting
cabinet
meetings over Zanu-PF's refusal to to fully share power and
implement
reforms.
Several human rights organizations have warned the
country risks slipping
back into the violence that characterized last year's
presidential election.
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa
(OSISA) on Wednesday called
for the immediate deployment of a delegation to
monitor the situation.
The Johannesburg-based democracy-building
foundation said it had reports of
'increasing military build-up in Zimbabwe,
particularly in the Mashonaland
provinces'. Elsewhere, the MDC has reported
several cases recently of its
members being intimidated by police and
arbitrarily detained.
OSISA also called for the deployment of a
'comprehensive, standing presence
of SADC' to be stationed in Zimbabwe until
a new constitution had been
passed, and free and fair presidential and
legislative elections held.
Such a mission should be complemented by a
Western-backed fund for
education, health care, water sanitation and food,
OSISA recommended.
Ultimately, if SADC did not ensure the full
implementation of the
power-sharing deal that it brokered, 'there is the
real prospect of a return
to crisis and more suffering for Zimbabweans,'
Sisonke Msimang, OSISA
executive director said.
Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch and a United Nations expert on
torture
have all expressed similar concerns.
Manfred Nowak, UN rapporteur on
torture, was barred by Zimbabwean
authorities last week from entering the
country on a fact-finding mission.
MDC
Expecting SADC To Do The "Right Thing"
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, November 04, 2009 - The
Morgan Tsvangirai Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) is expecting nothing
short of "doing the right
thing" at Thursday's Southern African Development
Community (SADC) meeting
on Zimbabwe in Maputo,
Mozambique.
The MDC secretary general and Finance
Minister Tendai Biti, said in
the Prime Minister's Newsletter published on
his website: "To do the right
thing is to ensure that Zimbabwean political
parties now comply fully with
the provisions of the SADC Communiqué of 27
January 2009 and the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) that was executed and
signed on 15 September 2008.
We cannot spend nine months still arrested by
the same issues. We need to
move forward and if this GPA is to have
credibility and legitimacy those
issues have to be liquidated."
The SADC Troika Ministers from Swaziland, Mozambique and Zambia were
in the
country last week to try and map a way forward for Zimbabwe following
MDC's
boycott of the inclusive government, citing lack of progress. The
Prime
Minister and MDC leader went on a regional tour to explain his party's
decision and to seek for SADC's intervention. President Robert Mugabe has
dismissed the move and threatened to replace MDC ministers as well as go
ahead with cabinet meetings.
Biti was confident SADC would
resolve the political impasse, saying:
"The Zimbabwean solution and the
Zimbabwean experiment is the progeny of
African leaders, the progeny of SADC
itself. And surely everyone must be
alive to the implications of this
African solution unravelling and
unravelling in such a period of time. So
the integrity and honour of
Africans is at stake and Africans are obliged to
do the decent thing, that
is, standing up to insanity, standing up to
dictatorship and idiocy, and I
hope that this will
happen."
"The second thing is that people of Zimbabwe
have been suffering for a
very long time. This experiment had given them
some hope and therefore it
must be preserved but within decency and
objectivity, which simply means
complying with the things that we have
agreed to."
"Thirdly, the multiplier effect of the
collapse of this thing is too
drastic to contemplate particularly from the
point of view of SADC. What it
will simply mean is that we will see another
orgy of violence; we will see
another orgy of invasion by Zimbabweans of
neighbouring countries. So there
are moral, political and social costs to
the collapse of this thing. In
short SADC must do everything to preserve
this thing because they do not
have plan B or plan
C."
Biti said his party's announcement to boycott the
unity government had
dampened investor confidence but added that although
they were not attending
cabinet meetings work was continuing. He was
currently in the process of
crafting the 2010 budget but said he was aware
he will not be in a position
to present it if the politcal impasse is not
solved
He also described his efforts of trying to
revive Zimbabwe's ailing
economy as "swimming in sewer". "It's tough. We
have got the ideas, we are
hardworking and we are honest and those are three
essential ingredients," he
said. He added it will take Zimbabwe 10 years to
achieve the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) that the country had in 1996 and
this was at a cost of
anything between US$15 and US$45
billion.
The MDC has accused Zanu PF of derailing
the GPA process by refusing
to implement some of the agreed things such as
appointment of governors,
reversing the appointments of the Attorney General
and Reserve Bank Governor
as well as swearing in MDC treasurer general and
deputy minister of
Agriculture designate who is facing terrorism
charges.
However Mugabe accuses MDC of not ending the
Western sanctions on
Zimbabwe, saying these were causing economic
misery.
Zim
diamond ban 'unlikely' as gov argues lack of evidence
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
04
November 2009
The government's delegation to the annual meeting of the
Kimberley Process
(the regulatory body tasked with ending the global trade
in conflict
diamonds) has argued there is insufficient evidence to support
claims of
human rights abuses at the Chiadzwa diamond fields, prompting
fears that a
hoped-for ban on Zimbabwe's diamonds is unlikely.
The
government delegation, led by Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, arrived in
Namibia
this week armed with denials about the ongoing abuses at the
Chiadzwa
diamond fields. The denials were not surprising, as Mpofu and other
government officials have all previously said reports about rights
violations at the diamond fields are fabrications. Mpofu this week also
verbally threatened NGOs, as well as a Kimberley Process delegation that was
in Zimbabwe recently, for reporting on the abuses, calling them 'deranged
and requiring psychological examination'. It is now also understood that a
so called 'lack of evidence' about the abuses will lead to a feared lack of
action from the Kimberley Process.
During the regulatory body's
mission to Zimbabwe more than four months ago
to investigate the reports of
rights abuses, the team met with a key
witness, Newman Chiadzwa. Chiadzwa
offered up testimonies and eye witness
accounts of beatings, torture and
even murders at the hands of the military
controlling the diamond fields. He
even detailed how he had been arrested
and harassed before the Kimberley
Process delegation's visit and as a result
was invited as a key witness to
the annual meeting in Namibia.
But in recent weeks a confusing side-story
of Newman Chiadzwa's involvement
in illicit smuggling at the diamond fields
has led to him, conveniently for
the government, retracting his statements.
He reportedly said in a letter
that he had lied to the Kimberley Process to
deliberately force a ban,
allegedly for the illicit diamond trade in the
country to be allowed to
boom. The government delegation to Namibia has
since argued there is no
evidence to support the reports of rights abuses,
and NGOs and other groups
gathered in Namibia are now concerned a trade ban
is 'unlikely'.
But Farai Maguwu from the Mutare based Centre for Research
and Development
(CRD), which has done extensive investigations into the
rights abuses at the
diamond fields, has said there is extensive evidence to
show that the
reports of abuse in Chiadzwa are true. He was speaking from
Namibia where he
travelled with other rights groups to provide an update
about the situation
in Chiadzwa. Maguwu explained how he has faced
increasing threats and
intimidation from government officials in Namibia for
providing the evidence
he has, saying his "presence at the meeting has not
gone down very well with
some officials."
The CRD has documented and
compiled evidence of abuse at the diamond fields
since the government
sanctioned 'operation hakudzokwi' (you will not return)
was launched there
almost a year ago. More than 200 civilians were murdered
in the campaign,
and hundreds more were beaten and abused. The CRD has
described how
listening to the victims narrate their nightmares "is as
terrible as
listening to survivors of the holocaust."
The group also recently spoke
to 20 women survivors of the attacks, all of
them informal traders in the
diamond fields, who gave 'chilling but similar
accounts' of gross human
rights abuses they suffered at the hands of state
security agents. Of the 20
women interviewed, 12 confessed to having been
raped either by soldiers or
were forced by soldiers to have unprotected sex
with diamond panners at
gunpoint. All of them were first beaten severely
with iron bars and gun
butts to disorient them and break any resistance.
After the beatings the
women complied with orders given by the soldiers. Two
of the victims went
for HIV tests after being raped and they tested
positive. Some didn't go for
HIV tests after being raped
Meanwhile the pressure from human rights
groups and NGOs across the world is
building on the Kimberley Process to ban
Zimbabwe from international diamond
trade. A decision is expected from the
regulatory body on Thursday,
prompting an online petition to be widely
circulated across the world
calling for a ban. The petition, by online
petition group Avaaz, explains
how diamond jewellery as a traditional
expression of love, is financing and
profiting Robert Mugabe's 'vicious
political militia'.
"All diamond producing countries know that their
profits are dependent on
the brand reputation of diamonds, and that
increasing awareness of 'blood
diamonds' threatens that brand. A massive
global petition will show them
that the diamond-buying public is demanding
action," the petition reads.
24
HOURS LEFT TO ACT: Ban Zimbabwe Blood Diamonds – AVAAZ Petition
Lobbying group AVAAZ are calling on people to sign a petition that they can
deliver to diamond regulators meeting in Namiba this week. We have only
24 hours to gather as many signatures as possible. Please sign the petition and then use the AVAAZ tool
on their website to send the petition link to as many of your friends and
relatives as possible. The diamond regulators meeting in Namibia this
week will decide whether to suspend Zimbabwe and stop Mugabe selling his blood
diamonds on the world market.
Further information:
The Legal Monitor featured an article in this week’s edition about how the
Zimbabwe military are using forced labour, including schoolchildren who are
subject to abuse, to mine the diamonds (article provided at the end of this
post).
HRW released a report in June detailing the terrible abuses going on in the
diamond fields, available to
download here.
A Special Assignment programme titled “Zimbabwe’s Blood Diamonds” was
broadcast on Tuesday 27 October at 8.30 pm on SABC 3 (South Africa), also
exposing the ongoing abuses in the fields. We posted a full
transcript of the programme on our blog here.
Soldiers abuse schoolchildren – The Legal Monitor (link)
Human Rights Watch (HRW) latest investigations show military presence has
increased in Chiadzwa, where brutal soldiers still use syndicates that include
schoolchildren to illegally mine diamonds.
In a statement calling for the immediate suspension of Zimbabwe from the
Kimberly Process (KP), HRW said Harare had failed to comply with any of the
recommendations put forward in July by a review mission of the group.
“Zimbabwe has had more than enough time to put a halt to the human rights
abuses and smuggling at Marange. Instead, it has sent more troops to the area,
apparently trying to put a halt to independent access and scrutiny,” said
Georgette Gagnon, the HRW Africa director.
The New York based organisation said a probe two weeks ago that included
interviews with 23 people “directly linked” to Marange diamonds revealed
that:
- The Zimbabwean army uses syndicates of local miners to extract diamonds,
often using forced labour, including children.
- On September 17, a soldier shot and killed a 19-year-old member of one
syndicate. The soldier stated, in the presence of witnesses, that he had shot
the man for hiding a raw diamond instead of handing them over to him.
- Local miners provided information that soldiers have begun to recruit people
from outside Marange to join army-run diamond mining syndicates.
- Smuggling of Marange diamonds has intensified. Scores of buyers and
middlemen openly trade in Marange diamonds in the small Mozambique town of Vila
de Manica, 20 miles from Mutare. The smugglers include people from Lebanon,
Belgium, South Africa, and India, who circulate Marange’s diamonds onto the
international market.
HRW last June produced a report that exposed brutal abuses by soldiers,
including the killing of more than 200 people under an operation to flush out
illegal miners code-named Operation Hakudzokwi. The report, ‘Diamonds in the
Rough’, claimed that senior military and ZANU PF officials benefited from the
illegal mining of Marange diamonds.
In its statement last week, HRW cited Zimbabwe’s failure to comply with a
High Court order confirming ownership of tracts of Marange diamonds fields to UK
firm, African Consolidated Revenues (ACR), as another reason the country should
be banned from the KP.
This entry was posted by
Sokwanele on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 1:59
pm.
Zimbabwe to escape censure over abuses in diamond
mines
Key witness threatened as Mugabe regime
mounts lobbying campaign
By Daniel Howden, Africa
Correspondent
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Zimbabwe looks set to escape any
punishment over its trade in blood diamonds after a ruthless lobbying campaign
by the Mugabe regime that has included threats and intimidation of a key witness
at an international summit in neighbouring Namibia.
The member states of the Kimberley
Process (KP) – the system set up to regulate the diamond trade – had been
expected to use this week's meeting to impose an export ban on Zimbabwe after
clear evidence of gross human rights abuses at its diamond fields.
However, campaigners now fear that
Zimbabwe will be let off in a move that could permanently damage the credibility
of what was a groundbreaking effort to break the link between gems and violent
conflict in Africa.
The tactics employed by Harare have
included attempts to intimidate Farai Maguwu, a campaigner from the mining
district in eastern Zimbabwe, who travelled to the Windhoek summit to give
evidence. Mr Maguwu, who runs the Centre for Research and Development in Mutare,
said he has been followed since leaving the country and threatened by senior
officials.
"My presence here didn't go down too
well with them and they've had me followed," he told The Independent by
telephone from the summit. "Even now when I'm speaking they are pushing closer
to try and hear what I'm saying."
Mr Maguwu's organisation has been
compiling evidence of wrongdoing in the Marange district, an area that has been
steadily taken over by the military since major alluvial diamond deposits were
found there three years ago. The diamond fields were seized from a British
company, African Consolidated Resources, but it was the slaughter by the army of
hundreds of itinerant miners that drew worldwide condemnation last
year.
"There are strong people making money
out of diamonds and they want to silence me," said Mr Maguwu. The researcher was
summoned to a meeting with Zimbabwe's ambassador to Namibia on Monday where he
says he faced hysterical accusations.
"He was screaming at me and calling
me names, saying I was trying to please white people, saying I don't love my
country... He's paid by the people who are looting our country. No one's paying
me to be here," said Mr Maguwu.
The Kimberley safeguards agreed in
2003 helped to restore consumer confidence in precious gems. But earlier this
year one of the architects of the KP, Ian Smillie, quit the scheme saying it was
"in danger of becoming irrelevant" and "letting all manner of crooks off the
hook".
Kimberley members agreed to send a
mission to Zimbabwe last year after reports of abuses in the Marange fields. The
delegation found evidence of a string of gross violations, giving hope to
campaigners that the watchdog would act. "What is going on in Zimbabwe is
against the spirit and the law of the Kimberley Process," said Annie Dunnebacke
from Global Witness, one of the groups that takes part in the KP. "Member
governments must agree to suspend Zimbabwe from importing and exporting rough
diamonds."
The summit ends tomorrow. Last night
Zimbabwe was referred to an oversight committee, the last step before any action
would be taken. "It's been a small victory as at least there will now be a
discussion," a source close to the talks said. "But the likelihood remains that
no action will be taken."
Mr Maguwu said: "If they [the KP]
can't act on the findings of their own mission then they really are no good for
anything."
Rough trade: The diamond
market
75 countries have
signed up to the Kimberley Process
99.98 the percentage
of rough diamonds subject to the regulations of the KP
10,000 number of
artisanal miners working the Marange diamond fields in 2007
140 a conservative
estimate of the number of miners killed by soldiers last year
500 the percentage
increase year on year of Venezuelan diamond exports
Venezuela 100 per
cent of Venezuela's diamonds are being smuggled out of the country, according to
the UK-based group Global Witness.
Ivory Coast Ivorian
conflict diamonds continue to be exported in spite of UN sanctions and are
laundered into the legitimate Kimberley Process trade through neighbouring
states and international trading centres.
Other offenders
Guinea has reported an unfeasible 500 per cent increase in diamond production
year on year; Lebanon is exporting more rough diamonds than it imports despite
having no local deposits.
Report: Suspend Zimbabwe over diamond
smuggling
Nov 4, 12:13 PM EST
By DONNA BRYSON
Associated Press
Writer
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Investigators for the world's diamond
control body say
Zimbabwe should be suspended because its security forces
are raping women,
killing illegal miners and smuggling gems out of a diamond
field in the
troubled country's east.
Human rights groups have made
similar accusations, but the charges carry
particular weight coming from
Kimberley Process investigators who visited
Zimbabwe in June and July. Their
recommendations are in a confidential
report obtained by The Associated
Press Wednesday.
Zimbabwean authorities have repeatedly denied such
charges, including in
statements to Kimberley Process investigators and
officials. The
investigators said they found evidence contradicting the
official account,
and that information provided by Zimbabwean authorities
"was false, and
likely intentionally so."
The report was presented to
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
officials, who were expected to
decide this week on what to do about the
southern African country. Their
investigators recommended that Zimbabwe
either be suspended or voluntarily
suspend itself until it has met minimum
standards for remaining part of the
process.
The Kimberley Process was established in 2002 in an attempt to
stem the flow
of "blood diamonds" - gems sold to fund fighting across
Africa. Participants
must certify the origins of the diamonds being traded.
Suspension could
result in buyers shunning Zimbabwe's diamonds.
While
the rough gems flowing from Zimbabwe's Marange field do not fit the
strict
Kimberley definition of conflict diamonds, the investigators said the
lawlessness in the area would make it easy for traffickers to bring in such
gems from other countries and then export them as
Zimbabwean.
"Lawlessness, particularly when combined with violence and
largely overseen
by government entities, should not be the hallmark of any
system ... deemed
to be compliant" with the Kimberley process, the
investigators added.
The investigators interviewed witnesses, victims and
survivors of victims.
While illegal miners often fled when team members
approached, seven told of
working for soldiers who allowed them to keep only
10 percent of the
proceeds of any diamonds recovered.
"Each one of
these illegal miners reported seeing people killed and the
numbers they
cited ranged from one to seven," the report said. "This group
also told
members of the team that they observed extreme violence against
illegal
miners" by soldiers using rifles, dogs, batons and tear gas.
The report
said women "reported that, while under the custody of the
security forces,
they were raped repeatedly by military officers and that
they have been
forced to engage in sex with illegal miners. One victim told
the team that
she tested HIV positive after she had been forced to have sex
with two men
and then raped by a military officer."
The investigators said it was
"credible" that syndicates operated by police
and soldiers have been
smuggling rough diamonds out of Marange since at
least 2008, and likely
since formal production began in 2007.
"The team concludes that the
government of Zimbabwe authorities are aware of
these syndicates and ongoing
smuggling operations and have permitted them to
continue," the report
said.
London-based Global Witness, a human rights groups that tracks how
Africa's
mineral wealth is misused, has complained that the Kimberley
Process has so
far failed to address smuggling, money laundering and human
rights abuses in
Marange.
Human Rights Watch called last week for
Zimbabwe to be suspended from the
Kimberley Process. The international
rights watchdog has said repeatedly
that Zimbabwean soldiers are smuggling
diamonds and killing and beating
civilians to consolidate a hold on Marange
that benefits the ZANU-PF party
of longtime President Robert
Mugabe.
Mugabe entered into a coalition with his rival Morgan Tsvangirai
in
February, but Tsvangirai this month suspended his participation, accusing
Mugabe of continuing human rights abuses and undermining the unity
agreement. According to Kimberley process officials, Zimbabwe exported
nearly 800,000 carats of diamonds from three fields, including Marange, last
year. Zimbabwe has no diamond processing facilities, so exports only rough
gems.
Zimbabwe Delegation to Kimberly Meeting in Namibia Said to Threaten
NGOs
http://www.voanews.com
By Sandra Nyaira
Washington
03 November
2009
Representatives of Zimbabwean non-governmental organizations
attending a
Kimberly Process Certification Scheme meeting in Namibia
scrutinizing the
country's management of a diamond field in the east of the
country where
human rights abuses and smuggling have been reported said
Tuesday they were
threatened by a state delegation.
NGO sources
lobbying the Kimberly Process for action against Zimbabwe said
they were
threatened with unspecified action by Zimbabwe Mines Minister
Obert Mpofu,
who is heading a team of 29 seeking to avoid imposition of a
ban on the sale
of Zimbabwean diamonds.
The minister was said to have been incensed at
the presence in Windhoek of
representatives of Zimbabwean NGOs urging
imposition of the ban on
Zimbabwean diamond exports over human rights and
other violations in the
Marange field of Manicaland province.
NGO
sources said the government team in particular targeted Mutare-based
activist Farai Maguwu, at one point physically manhandling him.
The
Canadian delegation issued a statement critical of the Zimbabwean
minister
and calling on the Zimbabwean government to allow activists to work
unhindered, sources said.
Studio Seven was unable to reach Maguwu,
who sources said left the meeting,
or Mpofu.
For perspective, VOA
Studio 7 reporter Sandra Nyaira turned to Manicaland
parliamentarian Pishai
Muchauraya of the Movement for Democratic Change
formation of Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been deeply involved
in the Marange
crisis.
The Zimbabwe case has been referred to the Kimberly Process's
participatory
committee chaired by India, which was to render a decision on
Thursday.
Sources said China and Russia were surprisingly in support of
Zimbabwe's
suspension while South Africa, Namibia and the Democratic
Republic of Congo
opposed the action.
The Kimberley Process Civil
Society Coalition has issued a statement saying
Zimbabwe has failed to meet
international standards set forth by the
Kimberly Process and should be
suspended from importing and exporting rough
diamonds.
The NGO
coalition, whose members include Global Witness, Partnership Africa
Canada
and Green Advocates of Liberia, was calling on Kimberly Process
member
countries to act on the allegations of human rights abuses within the
Zimbabwean diamond industry.
The Kimberly Process administers
mechanisms intended to ensure that diamonds
do not fund conflicts and are
not mined under conditions that violate human
rights. Its 48 participants
represent 74 countries with the European
Community counting as a single
participant.
"Since the discovery in 2006 of significant alluvial
diamond deposits in
Marange, eastern Zimbabwe, controls over the diamond
sector have been
nonexistent and communities in and around the diamond
fields have borne the
brunt of a series of brutal measures to restore state
control over the
area," declared a statement issued by Global
Witness.
"The authorities have failed to stop the military from carrying
out abuses
and profiting from the illicit trade in diamonds, effectively
condoning -
and perhaps even encouraging - the looting and attendant
violence against
civilians," Global Witness said.
The Civil Society
Coalition highlights the need for KP reforms including
binding human rights
provisions for Kimberly Process members; faster
Kimberly decision-making to
facilitate swift action; formation of an
independent statistical and
research analysis unit; and ensuring that
diamond profits are at least
partly used to promote development initiatives.
A Kimberly Process review
mission went to Zimbabwe in July and found that
Harare was not meeting
Kimberly standards. Its recommendation that Zimbabwe
not be allowed to
import or export diamonds under the Kimberly process
"until such time as a
KP team determines that minimum standards have been
met" was harshly
criticized by Mpofu.
Human Rights Watch reported in June that the
Zimbabwean military had killed
more than 200 unauthorized diamond diggers in
Marange in late 2008 and was
profiting from the diamond trade. The group
said last week that such abuses
and diamond smuggling continue.
The
Zimbabwean government continues denied any killings by the military in
Marange.
Zimbabwean civil leaders call for action as ZANU-PF goes on rampage
http://www.businessday.co.za
SAPA Published: 2009/11/04 03:24:17 PM
Zimbabwean
civil society leaders are calling for immediate and decisive
action to
implement a SADC brokered global political agreement (GPA), and
halt
political violence.
"Since the disengagement two weeks ago of Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change from contact with Robert
Mugabe's Zanu-PF within the
government of national unity, there has been
widespread political violence
and intimidation," Sydney Chisi, spokesman for
the Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition told reporters in Johannesburg on
Wednesday.
"There have also been reports of abductions of youth who
are again being
detained in Zanu-PF training camps... preparing them to
perpetrate violent
acts against enemies." He said civil society
organisations condemned the
current violence and the notion that "land is
only land when it is owned by
blacks".
"These abductions are
orchestrated to revitalise the environment of
intimidation in Zimbabwe...
the pillars of oppression are beginning to be
visible... it is a ticking
time bomb." He was speaking ahead of Thursday's
Southern African Development
Community troika meeting in Maputo.
"It will worsen if no action is
taken... social services are in shambles,
hunger and cholera remain constant
threats to millions of people, and the
outward migration into neighbouring
countries of desperate Zimbabweans
continues unabated." Human rights
activist Kerry Kay said the migration of
Zimbabweans into South Africa, if
not seen to, would affect the 2010 Soccer
World Cup.
"It is going
to impact on neighbouring countries... President Zuma has big
things to take
into consideration. We don't want xenophobic attacks to occur
once again
during the World Cup." Chisi hoped SADC knew what was supposed to
be done
regarding the GPA.
"SADC leaders in 2009 committed to finding a
lasting solution to the
implementation of the Zimbabwe GPA... 10 months
later Zimbabwe is at a
critical and dangerous juncture and requires swift
and effective
intervention by regional leaders... civil society leaders call
on the SADC
to work with Zimbabwe's three main political parties to urgently
resolve the
present government paralysis to ensure that the GPA is fully
implemented,
and help the long nightmare of the suffering people in
Zimbabwe."
Zim
'abductors' flee
http://news.iafrica.com/
Article By: Micel Schnehage
Wed, 04 Nov 2009
18:34
There are claims of another attempted abduction of a high-profile
rights
activist in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.
Gertrude Hambira's
flight from Johannesburg was delayed on Tuesday and was
not home when her
would-be abductors allegedly ransacked the house on
Wednesday
morning.
Hambira is known for her work in assisting around 400 000 farm
workers
displaced during massive land grabs in Zimbabwe.
She is also
the Secretary General of the General Agriculture and Plantation
Workers
Union.
It is alleged three men, one armed with a pistol, broke into her
Harare
house on Wednesday morning.
Her husband, George said the men
confronted him in the main bedroom
demanding to know where his wife
was.
He said his wife was on her way back from a trip to Johannesburg and
was not
home.
The men then ransacked the house and fled when the
alarm went off.
Zim has no money for food production
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Charles Tembo
Wednesday 04 November 2009
HARARE - Zimbabwe's cash strapped
government has managed to raise only
US$5.7 million out of $48 million it
had planned to use to fund agricultural
production this season, the ministry
of agriculture said on Tuesday.
In the first official confirmation that
the 2009/2010 farming season that
began last week will again go to waste,
agricultural permanent secretary
Ngoni Masoka also said that the country had
managed to acquire less than
half of the amount of fertilizer required by
farmers.
"Only US$5.7 million out of a total provision of US$48 million
having been
released as at 30 September 2009," Masoka told Parliament's
portfolio
committee on agriculture.
The lack of funds had crippled
efforts to mobilise resources and inputs to
ensure increased food output to
end hunger that has stalked Zimbabwe for the
past 10 years, according to
Masoka.
He said: "A total of 1 200 000 tonnes of fertiliser were required
for the
2009/2010 season. To date only 44 percent has been mobilised through
private
sector partnerships and donor assistance, leaving a huge gap which
will
adversely impact on productivity."
President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's coalition
government has made revival of
food production to end hunger a key priority.
But the administration's
failure to raise cash from donors has hampered its
ability to resuscitate
agriculture or other key sectors of the economy.
Farm invasions that have
continued despite promises by the unity government
to restore law and order
in the agricultural sector will also hit hard
efforts to increase food
production.
For example, the majority of the country's few remaining
white commercial
farmers - traditionally the biggest producers -- last week
said they were
unable to plant crops due to ongoing disturbances on
farms.
Once a regional breadbasket, Zimbabwe has largely survived on food
handouts
from international relief agencies for the past decade because
Mugabe failed
to provide inputs and other support to black villagers to
maintain
production on white farms they were allocated under the veteran
leader's
controversial land redistribution programme.
Erratic rains
and a devastating recession that hampered the economy's
capacity to produce
fertilizers, seeds and other farm inputs also
contributed to food shortages.
- ZimOnline.
Food
Distribution Contested in Eastern Zimbabwe Province by ZANU-PF
Militants
http://www.voanews.com
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
03
November 2009
Youth militia and war veterans in Zimbabwe's Manicaland
province have
threatened to disrupt distribution of food aid if
non-governmental
organizations continue to pass out food without members of
the former ruling
ZANU-PF party being present, sources said.
They
said newly-elected ZANU-PF Youth League Secretary for External Affairs
Joshua Sako told a council meeting in Chimanimani that his party must be
involved in aid distribution.
In Makoni Central district war veterans
are said to have threatened
organizations helping the needy if they do not
involve members of ZANU-PF in
their operations.
Director Forbes
Matonga of Christian Care, a distribution agent for the
United Nations World
Food Program, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri that despite the
pressure from ZANU-PF, his organization would
not interrupt its distribution
operations.
Warthog
grounds Air Zimbabwe flight
http://www.javno.com/en-world/warthog-grounds-air-zimbabwe-flight_280305
The plane had 34 passengers who were going to
Bulawayo but fortunately they
are all safe as no-one was
injured.
Published: November 03, 2009 20:35h
An Air Zimbabwe
flight was forced to make an emergency stop at Harare
International airport
on Tuesday after it hit a warthog on the runway, the
company's CEO
said.
- Unfortunately our plane which was going to Bulawayo hit a warthog
on the
runway and was forced to make an emergency brakes - stop, Peter
Chikumba,
Air Zimbabwe CEO told AFP.
- The plane had 34 passengers
who were going to Bulawayo but fortunately
they are all safe as no-one was
injured. -
The Chinese-made MA 60 aircraft hit the animal while taxiing
down the runway
minutes after the departure of Democratic Republic of Congo
leader Joseph
Kabila, who was in Harare for talks with the country's unity
government.
A passenger onboard the 1715 GMT flight told AFP that the
plane skidded off
the runway after it hit the warthog, a commonly found wild
pig with
distinctive protruding tusks.
- The passengers were all
evacuated but some of us are scared and
traumatised over the whole incident.
The plane is damaged as it skidded off
the runway and headed toward the
bushes. -
Zimbabwe Banks Try to Rebuild Trust
http://www.voanews.com
By Ish Mafundikwa
Harare
03 November 2009
Zimbabwe's banks are slowly trying
to rebuild the trust they lost during the
past few years due to Zimbabwe's
economic crisis. The banks are at various
stages of offering normal
services.
This time last year Zimbabweans spent hours every day trying to
get money,
which did not buy much from the banks. Rampant inflation quickly
reduced
their money to worthless pieces of paper, which even beggars would
not
accept.
The government could not print money fast enough and
often banks ran out of
money. After spending hours waiting in line, their
customers would go home
empty-handed and not happy. The government's
"borrowing" from foreign
currency accounts without consulting the account
holders also made people
wary of banks.
But since the government made
the U.S. dollar the official currency, or
dollarized as they say here
earlier this year, things are changing. The
lines have disappeared and
customers are more or less guaranteed they will
get their money when they
need it.
Barclays Bank has operated in Zimbabwe for 97 years. They were
not spared
the problems of the past few years. Valeta Mthimkhulu, the Head
of Corporate
Affairs for the bank in Zimbabwe, tells VOA things are slowly
but surely
returning to normal. She notes there is a steady increase in
deposits.
"That for us is a signal that there is a growing level of
confidence in
terms of trusting the financial system," she said. "Obviously
it is a
journey it is going take a bit of a while, but there has been a
noted
improvement."
And to make things even better for its customers
Barclays has introduced a
local debit card. This can be used for cash
withdrawals from 36 of the
bank's 78 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across
Zimbabwe. Other banks are
already issuing cards that can be used in and
outside Zimbabwe, while some
are still working on getting their ATMs working
again, and long forgotten
services such as using plastic money in shops are
being revived.
In the past few years the only way visitors to this
country could get money
from banks was over the counter. This is now
changing with Barclays ATMs now
accepting international cards.
"At
the moment that is only for Visa cards, so we are noticing a lot of
activity
from tourists withdrawing money from our ATMs using their
international Visa
cards," she added.
Other banks are also working towards making this
possible and they are
hoping to be ready by the time the soccer World Cup
happens in South Africa
next year. Zimbabwe, like other countries in the
region, is hoping to
benefit from an overflow of the thousands of tourists
who are expected for
the soccer showcase.
Donors uneasy about Mugabe's threat
Photo:
IRIN |
President
Robert Mugabe |
HARARE, 4 November 2009 (IRIN) -
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's threat to appoint interim ministers to plug
the gap left by the "disengagement" of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
from the unity government could lead to a review of donor funding, a highly
placed official from a major donor country told IRIN.
"We are still
monitoring developments. No decision has been made to appoint acting ministers,
but that would certainly send a wrong message, and could get donors who want the
situation in Zimbabwe to improve to review their financial commitments to the
inclusive government," said the official, who declined to be identified.
The Global Political Agreement (GPA), signed in September 2008, paved
the way for the formation of the unity government in February 2009. "When the
Global Political Agreement was signed ... we said at the time that we would be
looking out to see if the GPA was fully implemented," the official noted.
Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister and MDC leader, withdrew from
attending cabinet meetings on 16 October 2009 over Mugabe's procrastination in
swearing in provincial governors, while alleging that MDC members and officials
faced constant harassment.
The MDC also believes that the continued stay
in office of the attorney general and the Reserve Bank Governor - self-admitted
allies of Mugabe - is in contravention of the GPA.
After the MDC's
disengagement, information minister Webster Shamu said "His Excellency [Mugabe]
may have to consider appointing ministers in an acting capacity to key
ministries, for the sake of a successful agricultural season and general
economic turnaround."
The passage of the unity government has been far
from smooth, but the MDC's disengagement represents the most serious breakdown
in relations between the partners in the fledgling unity government and its
attempt to haul Zimbabwe out of the economic abyss in which nearly 7 million
people relied on donor food aid in the first quarter of 2009.
The
Southern African Development Community (SADC) organ on politics, defence and
security will meet on 5 November in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, to discuss
developments in Zimbabwe.
Firstly, appointing acting
ministers would be illegal and unconstitutional; doing so would be killing the
GPA |
The organ's troika of members is
comprised of Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, Zambian President Rupiah
Banda, and sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III. SADC
chairman Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has
already visited Zimbabwe to try to resolve the impasse.
Zimbabwe's
finance portfolio has also been the object of an ongoing turf war between the
MDC and Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. "Firstly, appointing acting ministers would be
illegal and unconstitutional; doing so would be killing the GPA," Finance
Minister Tendai Biti told IRIN.
"It would amount to a violation of the
Global Political Agreement, which created the transitional inclusive government.
It has to be understood that the MDC has only disengaged from ZANU-PF, and not
government work. We are all going to our offices to work," he said.
Government work continues
"Nothing has changed
in terms of how we do business; we are coming up with frameworks of introducing
good governance and accountability to avoid abuse of funds. The money is stored
in a multi-donor basket fund, and there has to be consultation and agreement on
how it is spent."
Prof Arthur Mutambara, Deputy Prime Minister and
leader of a breakaway MDC faction, told IRIN that Tsvangirai's decision to
boycott cabinet could prove counterproductive.
"If decisions are made in
cabinet, even if others have boycotted the meeting, they will be binding," he
said. "So, what we have been doing is to fight against bad decisions, while
acting as the peace-builder between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
President Robert Mugabe."
[ENDS] [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations] |
Cost of living rise in Zimbabwe - CCZ
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Martin
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 09:57
THE cost of living for a low income
urban family of six has risen by
one percent to US$496,98 in October from
US$490,08 according to the Consumer
Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ)
CCZ
said the continued rise of goods and services in Zimbabwe were
worrying
because more than half of the population was leaving below the
poverty datum
line. According to the consumer watch dog there was an
increase in the cost
of the food basket in October (foodstuffs only) from
US$132,08 in September
to US$141,07 in October reflecting a seven percent
increase. Foodstuffs and
detergents also rose from US$146,08 in September to
US$152,98 in October
reflecting an increase of five percent.
The food basket constitutes
28,3 percent of the total basket, soaps
and detergents take 2,3 percent,
transport eight percent while rent, water,
electricity, health, clothing and
footwear and education make up the
remainder. "The cost of the basket for
transport, water, rent and
electricity, education, health, clothing and
footwear has not changed from
the September 2009 figure of US$344 although
there is still a challenge in
the area of water supply where a number of
households are still running dry.
As CCZ we are concerned to hear that some
cholera cases have been reported,
which points out to problems in the water
services area. "The issue of
rentals is still a cause for concern that needs
to be addressed," CCZ
executive director Rosemary Siyachitema said.
She said the CCZ continued to be encouraged by the presence of local
goods
in most shops. In a survey done in supermarkets around town it was
evident
that locally produced goods were available on the shelves and these
included
most basic food and non-food stuffs from the well-known traditional
manufacturers. "Goods available included sugar, tea leaves mealie meal,
flour, rice, petroleum jelly, cooking oil, biscuits, eggs, cereals, toilet
paper, salt, bathing soap and matemba among others. "This is very
commendable as buying in Zimbabwe will promote development of local industry
and with increased production, unit price will come down and become
competitive against imported goods," she explained. Siyachitema challenged
local manufacturers to strive to maintain a sustainable supply of goods to
supermarkets.
She noted that some traditional supermarkets had
re-introduced
in-house brands whose prices were lower than branded goods and
was quick to
encourage consumers to shop around for better prices. Other
supermarkets
have since introduced bins where customers can measure out for
themselves
the amount of rice, sugar beans, nyimo, peanuts and other dry
foods they can
afford to buy. "Of course the rand has been strong against
the dollar for a
couple of months now ranging between R7,20 to R7,70 but not
to such an
extent that we should see a US$6,90 increase on the basket.
"Retailers have
unfortunately developed a tendency of increasing prices
towards the festive
season in the past and we deplore this in the strongest
terms possible,"
said Siyachitema.
How your internet knowledge can help African
radio
Using mobile phones, digital technology and social media SW
Radio Africa broadcasts information to the fugitives of Zimbabwe
No one is more aware of the impact of new technology than journalists. But
technology, often received as a threat, can also provide new opportunities.
After Gerry Jackson, the director of the
SW Radio Africa, gave an
impressive and shocking insight to what is going on in Zimbabwe at the Activate09
conference, the Guardian technology team decided to be of some help. The aim was
to come up with a range of solutions, which will help the radio station to increase its
reach and output. Can you help from outside and far away? Yes, you can.
Zimbabwe is a beautiful country that has been ruined by the political
conflicts of the past 10 years – to catch a glimpse of the shocking things that
are going on, watch the video of Jackson's presentation at Guardian's Activate09 conference.
Media are suppressed. Journalists are persecuted. Citizens suspected of talking
to the international press are tortured or even killed. It is estimated that 4
million to 5 million of the once 15 million residents flew out of the country.
So how can you be of any help?
Constantly fighting with the lack of money, radio station SW Radio Africa is trying to provide
information for these people, as the information distributed inside is
suppressed. Each day it broadcasts four or five news stories on short wave, as
medium wave, which is much more often used inside Zimbabwe, was blocked until
now. In addition they provide the news on podcasts, which are downloaded about
100,000 times a month. Since most of the people are well educated, and English
is spoken widely in Zimbabwe, most content is in English.
Three times a week they send out a selection of headlines to 30,000 people in
Zimbabwe via SMS, as mobile phones are the most important communication devices
in the country, much more important than the internet. While there is little
broadband in Zimbabwe there is mobile phone coverage even in rural areas. The
only problem: it is expensive. For example, the radio station is asked to
provide news to as many as 100,000 phones, but can't afford it.
So while Zimbabwe seems far away, today's information infrastructure is
global. In rare cases the radio has even asked for direct action: for example,
if it becomes known that a police chief is about to prosecute and beat up
people, the radio publishes his mobile number for people to call him asking him
to stop. But just providing information can be of a lot of help. There might be
a lot of jokes about so-called "five-minute activism", but a quick bit of
support or helping with knowledge can be quite effective. Especially if you are
a nerd.
Questions from the radio team made that clear: How can you get your stories
ranked higher on Google? What is the best way to boost your community on Twitter
or Facebook? Can you make podcasts more widely available via iTunes or other
services? Is there a way so that the community can help in distributing or
transcribing some data? Can you make use of collaborative tools such as Google
Wave?
The team also discussed ways to send out text messages in three different
waves to reach more people. If you have more ideas or want to help, please contact the team
here. Donations are also
welcome. SW Radio Africa - Donations, Lloyds TSB, sort code: 30-98- 07,
account no: 04117360.
Reporters Without Borders Press release
http://www.rsf.org
4
November 2009
ZIMBABWE
Improvement in press freedom depends on
national unity government's ability
to function
properly
Reporters Without Borders has written to Tomás Salamão, the
executive
secretary of the Southern African Development Community, on the
eve of a
SADC meeting in Maputo on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Voicing
concern about the impact of the Zimbabwean government's internal
crisis on
the ability of journalists to work freely and the reemergence of
an
independent press, Reporters Without Borders urges the SADC and the
leaders
of Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia to spare no effort to help the
government emerge from the current deadlock.
Mr. Tomaz Salamao,
Executive Secretary, Southern African Development
Community, Gaborone -
Botswana
Paris, 4 November 2009
Dear Executive
Secretary,
On the eve of the SADC summit that you will be chairing in
Maputo on the
situation in Zimbabwe, Reporters Without Borders, an
international press
freedom organisation, would like to draw your attention
to the terrible
consequences that political deadlock in Zimbabwe could have
on the work of
the news media.
An increase in tension in the past
three weeks between President Robert
Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) has already had a
negative impact on the state of
press freedom and could lead to serious
reversals.
An Al Jazeera TV crew was detained for several hours at
the president's
office on 20 October, when the prime minister boycotted a
cabinet meeting
for the first time. Three days later, the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation
and several state-owned newspapers received orders
from information minister
Webster Shamu to stop covering the activities of
government ministers who
are MDC members.
Finally, a climate of
fear has taken hold within the journalistic community
as a result of recent
arrests of civil society members.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Media
Council (ZMC), a new entity that is supposed
to issue licences to newspapers
and thereby facilitate the independent press's
rebirth, is currently unable
to function. Some sources say that, after long
and delicate negotiations,
the president and prime minister reached
agreement on the ZMC's nine members
but they have not yet been appointed and
may not be if the crisis within the
government continues.
An improvement in the ability of journalists to
work freely and the
reemergence of an independent press in Zimbabwe depend
very closely on the
national unity government's ability to function
properly. Given the current
tension between the two sides, we think regional
mediation and the SADC's
role will be decisive. We therefore urge you and
the leaders of Mozambique,
Swaziland and Zambia to spare no effort to help
the government emerge from
the current deadlock.
We trust you
will give this request your careful
consideration.
Sincerely,
Jean-François Julliard,
Secretary-General
Luke
Tembani’s property sold
Auctioneers have sold a tractor belonging to a pioneering indigenous
commercial farmer to cover costs incurred when evicting him from his Nyazura
farm last month. Mutare Deputy Sheriff Mark Dzobo ordered the auctioning of
Tembani’s tractor, a Renault Agriculture 335 type M10 model to recover eviction
costs incurred whilst effecting the eviction of the black farmer from his
Remainder of Minverwag Farm at Clare Estate Ranch.
Tembani was evicted from the farm despite enjoying legal protection from a
regional court. Tembani bought the tractor in 2005 through proceeds from his
farm produce and has used the tractor for tillage purposes for the past four
years. But Dzobo claimed the costs included those incurred by Takawira Zembe,
who seized the farm from Tembani.
Tembani, who became one of the country’s first black commercial farmers
shortly after independence in 1980, was evicted from a farm he bought in
Nyazura, Manicaland province 26 years ago. Tembani’s eviction from a farm he has
called home for nearly three decades was in defiance of a Southern African
Development Community (SADC) Tribunal ruling barring his eviction.
The Windhoek-based Tribunal had ruled that the repossession and sale of the
farm by the State-run Agribank in order to recoup an outstanding loan was
“illegal and void”.
The Tribunal ordered government to take all necessary measures through its
agents not to evict Tembani or his family from the property and to stop
interfering with his use and occupation of the farm.
But the government has refused to comply with the regional Tribunal’s
order.
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa unilaterally pulled
Zimbabwe out of the SADC Tribunal, a decision which was refuted by Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. undue delay and in a manner consistent with the
provisions of the GPA.’
This story was extracted from Edition 19 of The
Legal Monitor. Available to download here in pdf format. This follows on from
an earlier post about
Tembani last week.
This entry was posted by
Sokwanele on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 12:47
pm
Canonizing Thugs or Playing Golf?
www.nationalvision.wordpress.com
If Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai fails to show up at the next burial, especially for comrades in the
mold of Chinotimba whose graves have already been reserved at the national
shrine, then Zimbabwe will be on fire again! The first fire was recently pledged
by Jonathan Moyo warning against the swearing in of Roy Bennett. Drawing
parallels from last weekend’s events, one can only speculate this to be the
conclusion from Zanu PF militants who have publicly chided the PM for
deliberately disrespecting the shrine in preference for a round of
golf.
In addition to the removal of
sanctions, going forward, MDC must make sure that His Excellency’s revoked
honoraries and accolades are restored by the imperialists if the unity
government is ever going to work. All three honorary law degrees from the
University of Michigan (revoked 2008), University of Edinburg (revoked 2007) and
University of Massachusetts - Amhesrt (revoked 2008) must be unconditionally
restituted by the MDC. (At least Comrade Gono’s honorary doctorate being
indigenous is irrevocable as long as his Excellency – the Chancellor of the
University of Zimbabwe, is alive).
And of course the
restoration of the prestigious Knighthood - The Knight Grand Cross in the
Order of the Bath, initially bestowed by Queen Elizabeth in 1994 (revoked
2008) must be a priority for the MDC. Never mind the fact that the revokers
consistently cited “a pattern of human rights abuses” as the motivating factor.
MDC never ceases to take blame for everything especially these
days.
In that case, if the Prime
Minister had unwittingly not chosen to play golf in Ruwa instead of availing
himself at the Heroes Acre, there would be rule of law in Zimbabwe. Reserve Bank
Governor Gono and Attorney General Tomana would never have been appointed in
violation of GPA terms while the inclusive government would be stronger than it
is today. More so, Comrade Chando would never have died in the first place. So
goes the dumb logic!
That just demonstrates how
shallow the national discourse has deteriorated in Zimbabwe. Of course Zanu PF
has never taken responsibility for anything but conveniently shifts blame. As
cholera ravaged the country resulting in several thousand deaths (over 4500) in
2008, they said “Cholera is a calculated racist attack on Zimbabwe
by the former colonial power so that they can invade the country. Gordon Brown must be taken to the United Nations Security Council for
being a threat to world peace and planting cholera and anthrax to invade
Zimbabwe – our peaceful Zimbabwe, “ according to a disingenuous Government
spokesperson - former Minister of Information Sikhanyiso
Ndhlovu.
But of course he never mentioned
burst sewerage pipes pouring algae into Zimbabwe’s lakes or lack of water
purification chemicals. I am sure the British are still at the ZESA switch that
has systematically denied Zimbabweans their sovereign rights to lights.
Just like the revocations of
Mugabe’s degrees, MDC had no influence whatsoever on sanctions. Didn’t Mugabe
say “we don't mind having sanctions banning us from Europe. We are not
Europeans.” And of course Look East Policy had promised them billions of dollars
from the Chinese, Russians and Malaysians. All of sudden it’s now a national
anthem that sanctions have caused economic ruin regardless of the fact that they
needed international isolation to lawlessly pillage national resources such as
minerals and land.
Once the
international community was deliberately put on sanctions by Zanu PF (“Zimbabwe
for Zimbabweans” as preached by Mugabe), it became easier to torture and kill
opposition members. Isn’t it a shame that they now own ten farms each and yet
apologists are selling neo-imperialism as the cause of Zimbabwe’s woes. No
reference to corruption or mismanagement is ever mentioned. It is Zanu PF
which must remove sanctions now that Look East was a clear hoax just like
the self-inflicted misery from “hondo yeminda” sponsored by Jonathan Moyo to
incite thugs who seized the opportunity to wreak havoc in Zimbabwe’s defenseless
rural and farming communities.
The PM played golf, so what?
After all who is this Misheck Chando ‘hero-guy-senator’ who never made it to the
real political limelight? How come he remained obscure and never benefited from
Mugabe’s patronage politics in 29 years? In the past there were a lot of
undeserving heroes but they were hardly any surprises as to whether or not they
were going to make the cut for the Heroes’ Acre. But this one came as a real
shocker! As per trademark, maybe His Excellency had something urgent to address
the nation. So this death came at an opportune time.
It is a don’t-ask don’t- tell
policy when it comes to the declaration of heroes. Even though there is now an
inclusive government, MDC is not included in making such national decisions
considered a prerogative of the President and his Zanu PF men and women. And
they had the audacity to tell the people of Zimbabwe that MDC (led by
Tsvangirai) snubbed a national hero. For PM, going to the Heroes Acre would have
been a tacit approval of the escalating lawlessness and politically motivated
violence most of which has been spearheaded by dubious heroes like Chando and
Chinotimba.
We have heard names like Joyce
Mujuru before which came complete with a nom de guerre “Teurai Ropa” but surely
not Chando. Zanu PF must have repackaged their hero by sneaking in the “Makasha”
nom de guerre. Apart from a tangential reference made at the Heroes Acre about
his closeness to Mugabe during the war, very little is known about his role in
liberating Zimbabwe. For some reason his role is intimately known by Mugabe
alone. A private hero is not a national hero. Plain and simple: in the majority
of times, their heroes are not our heroes and they cannot force them on
us.
In spite of what appears
to be a very thin resume probably made up in the final hours before burial. The
most unsettling aspect about the ‘hero’ Chando is that he fought
‘heroically’ in Matebeleland during the Gukurahundi massacres to protect our
‘sovereignty.’ Deciphering the death of a sociopath like Chando who took part in
the murder of 20 000 is a national shame. Even more disturbing is that in the
twilight of his life he was causing pandemonium to ordinary Zimbabweans in that
cursed constituency of Shimva-Bindura notorious for killing MDC supporters. The
late Border Gezi and Elliot Manyika were his predecessors whose deaths were seen
as revenge by the heavens.
The PM played golf while Zanu PF
was burying its own. So what’s the fuss? I am surprised by people who say the
Prime Minister should have gone to the Heroes Acre. To do what? Bury an ‘unknown
soldier’ and bear the brunt of being belittled by a tired dictator spewing
unconstructive, tedious and vile rant? Risking Mugabe’s capricious impulse to
use the national shrine as a venue for excoriating opposition or perceived
enemies of state? PM left that to limelight-seeking sycophants like Mutambara.
Certainly he did not disappoint. Zanu PF got an expected boost by the presence
of Mutambara (who is harrowingly Mugabesque).
Do you ever wonder why Mutambara
and Mugabe are ‘so cool’ with each other all the time even as Mutambara goes on
national television calling Mugabe a “dictator”. Reacting to MDC disengagement
last week, Mutambara called him an “illegitimate leader” and "we are going to go
there to condemn the Attorney General and Robert Mugabe in his face." At first I
thought Mutambara was going to get his Zanu PF card revoked and never returned
to him for chiding His Excellency like that. But at the shrine,
the atmosphere was surprisingly convivial, acting like newlyweds as they sat
next to each other. But for MDC-T, opposition to Mugabe is tantamount to
treason.
It was befitting that the PM
chose golf (and he must continue to play Golf) instead of conspiring to sanitize
thugs. If Mugabe had a life outside of State House, he would be sane. We must
cherish a national leader who remains human, not this compulsive preoccupation
with power and politics. There is life outside of politics. Besides, golf has
always been revered as a gentlemen’s (or ‘gentlewomen’s’) sport. There are rules
of engagement and civility to live by if you are a golfer. People take turns to
play and to win. If the PM retires, I am sure he would like to continue playing
golf. If Mugabe retires what does he do? Continue plotting to eliminate
perceived enemies? Probably so.
Furthermore, wasn’t the PM
already humiliated enough when they turned away the UN torture investigator
knowing fully well how much they were going to be exposed for human rights
abuses? For some reason Mugabe hid his head when a servile junior in government
had the audacity to ridicule the PM in public. “The invitation by the Prime
Minister was a nullity,’ said Mugabe’s Foreign Affairs Minister (Mumbengegwi).
Imagine telling your boss, or supposed boss, such contemptuous nonsense. You
will be fired on the spot. But welcome to Zimbabwe! We know it was all planned
with the Big man’s seal of approval.
The occasion was fully
accessorized with expensive stupid banners. Looking at the footage, the
inescapable conclusion was that the banner-bearers resembled typical green
bombers who preside over militia camps scattered throughout the country.
Some of the gigantic banners read: “DISENGAGEMENT IS AN EXTENTION OF
ILLEGAL SANCTIONS,” and “PIRATE RADIO STATIONS VIOLATE OUR SOVEREIGNTY.” (What?)
I bet up to today they do not understand what the messages meant. (I don’t too!)
Surely this hero-circus was staged to give His Excellency the platform to go off
(again). What has that message to do with the burial of a ‘gallant’ freedom
fighter?
Tsvangirai’s ‘stay-away’ from
attending the ‘fanfare’ had a moral grounding despite what his relentless
critics at ZBC and Herald had to say. Just like many Zimbabweans, heroes are
being imposed by Zanu PF. We saw him wailing for MDC’s own version of heroes who
were abducted and murdered in broad daylight by Zanu PF such as Tonderai Ndira,
Beta Chokururama, Joshua Bakacheza, Irene Ruzerai, Anna Maria
Maedza and many others . He was there. Where was Mugabe when those MDC heroes
were buried? For all his contributions especially in Zambia, Patrick Kombayi was
politically maligned by Zanu PF and never featured in their radar of potential
heroes much against the will of many Zimbabweans.
Mugabe and his men must also
remember that the issue of liberators has become a lightning rod to the majority
of Zimbabweans especially considering the notion that what we have in Zimbabwe
today is a case of liberators-turned-oppressors. Given all the oppression, human
rights abuses, abductions, murder and torture, what freedom did they bring
anyway? The people ask. Just because someone was a hero over three decades ago
does not make them a hero today. Zanu PF mentality is that heroism is permanent
even if one murdered, raped, tortured or pillaged national resources later in
life.
I will say it again. Instead of
adhering to outmoded vestiges of heroism forced upon them, the present
generation’s definition of hero is someone relevant to their struggles such as
providing them with jobs, giving them their freedoms, providing clean water and
making sure health delivery is working again so that mom and dad can get the
care they need. Herald and ZBC can canonize Chando all they want but it is
remains “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”
(to quote Shakespeare)
There is no doubt that Mugabe is
highly obsessed with this ‘heroism’ mentality. The reality of him fading into
political sunset must be a source of personal anguish being one of Africa’s
remaining “Big man.” To him being declared a hero is fait
accompli. I hope not. If ever that happens after free and fair elections, then
we will have the greatest privilege of canonizing the canonizer. Tinomuviga
kumbudzi -, waterfalls- chaiko. But why doesn’t the government
make those records of potential heroes publicly accessible instead of making
last minute partisan hagiographic portrayals of heroes, all of whom have come
from Zanu PF? They might as well rename it the Zanu PF Heroes Acre. No one will
have problems with that.
In the final analysis,
patriotism is not demonstrated by showing up at the national shrine or by being
a member of Zanu PF but by taking responsibilities critical to the country’s
urgent needs. So, let there be no cognitive dissonance Mr Prime Minister, your
round of golf was well-deserved, instead of celebrating a rogue. You can also
have another round to celebrate the acquittal of Minister, Mahlangu, given all
the harassment and humiliation he suffered (like many) under the hands of
State-sponsored thugs like Chinotimba.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr
Paul Mutuzu
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Mugabe cannot sustain the attack for very much longer
Mugabe has
ruled (?) Zimbabwe for almost thirty years and he considers
himself the
'elder statesman' of Africa. He believes that he is untouchable
and should
be deified for what he has done for the Zimbabwean people.
If we were to
believe everything that he claims, then Zimbabwe has a strong
and viable
economy and should not be thrown out of any deal just because of
his
presence. Anyone doing business with Mugabe should be under sanction as
well.
But I look back at what he has really achieved, and I see very
little that
he can claim as a success.
When Mugabe was brought to
power - and let's face it, certain Western
countries were falling over
themselves to have him installed in office - he
was considered the 'darling
of the West' even though he and his 'freedom
fighters' had visited terror
upon terror upon the people of then Rhodesia.
Let's remember the
massacres at the various missions, the wanton destruction
of national
resources (the Salisbury fuel depot as a prime example), and the
slaughter
of so many workers throughout the farming community of then
Rhodesia.
Then came independence and shortly thereafter Mugabe
unleashed the
Korean-trained Fifth Brigade on the people in the South of the
country.
Commonly called the "Gukurahundi", an estimated twenty to thirty
thousand
people perished until the Peace Accord was signed by Mugabe and
Joshua Nkomo
in 1987.
Having established ZANU PF as the only
political party, he and his
government - for want of a better word - set
about asset stripping the
country of anything not bolted
down.
Finance Minister after finance minister failed to maintain the
economy and
it began to fall into disrepair.
In early 2000 began the
land grab - with Mugabe selling the idea to the
population that the
commercial farm lands were to be returned to the
'landless blacks' -
forcibly if need be. And those evictions continue
today - but very little of
the land is handed over to the peasantry but to
Mugabe's senior
apologists.
Then came the disruptive and destructive Operation
Murambatsvina - which
still remains in evidence today. Mugabe's government
recently boasted that
4000 houses had been built for the victims - none of
them having power or
water - and invariably they will be given to ZANU PF
supporters.
These are just a couple of the destructive policies that
Mugabe has used in
his attempt to hang on to power. He believes that by
empowering his
supporters that his much vaunted, but stolen position in
history is safe.
Mugabe is no longer a young man, and he must be worrying
about how to hold
on to power no matter what (he once declared that he would
rule Zimbabwe
'from beyond the grave'). He is aware that his appeal is
waning and that
without his expected and enforced support, that he will be
held
accountable - together with his security chiefs and senior political
hacks -
for the damage, death and destruction that his rule has
wrought.
So Mugabe continues to play a multi-faceted game - one where his
actions and
reactions are orchestrated and planned
The trick for any
party opposing him is to calculate what his reaction would
be and ensure
that it is nipped on the bud, or eradicated completely, thus
reducing the
vengeful acts that he and ZANU PF hand out with frightening
regularity.
That Mugabe needs to be stopped is tacit - and the likes
of SADC, the AU or
even the UN are not going to achieve much as he just
dismisses their feeble
attempts to rein him in - so perhaps the act of
stopping Mugabe falls to the
people.
The voice of democracy in
Zimbabwe may be stifled at present, but each day
it grows stronger and
stronger.
Mugabe cannot sustain the attack for very much
longer.
Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man
http://mandebvhu.instablogs.com/entry/mugabe-cannot-sustain-the-attack-for-very-much-longer/
Zimbabwe: weekly bulletin #5 - week
ending 3 November 2009
It is just over three pages in length and gives a
brief synopsis of the following areas:
- Politics
- Violence
- Diaspora
- Business
- Commercial Farming Sector
- Environment
The bulletin is accessed from the Zimbabwe
Democracy Now website.
Bill Watch 37 of 4th November 2009 [This Week inParliament]
BILL WATCH
37/2009
[4th November
2009]
The
House of Assembly is sitting this week
The
Senate is adjourned until Tuesday 10th November
The Minister of Finance
has given notice that he will present the Audit Office Bill, the Public Finance
Management Bill and the Financial Adjustments Bill in the House of Assembly on
Wednesday 4th November.
Update
on Parliament
Bills
The Audit Office Bill
[to enhance the independence of the Audit Office by separating its staff from
the Public Service], the Public Finance Management Bill [to improve the
management of public funds at both national and local government levels and to
replace the Audit and Exchequer Act and State Loans and Guarantees Act] and the
Financial Adjustments Bill [a constitutionally required Bill to condone
overspending in 2006] – are all due to be presented today, November
4th.
The Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe Amendment Bill is not yet on the order paper for its second reading –
it is awaiting the PLC report [see below]. In spite of its
having been approved by Cabinet, the State press is reporting that lobbying
against it is taking place on the grounds that it is too restrictive on the
Reserve Bank].
Motions
On Tuesday a motion
was put to the House for the appointment of a committee to examine the process
for the declaration of national heroes and to make appropriate recommendations
to the House [the motion’s preamble questions the present process under which
national hero status is determined by an organ of a political party].
The motion was
proposed by Hon. F.M. Sibanda, seconded by Hon. T. Khumalo and debate has
started on it and should continue this
week.
Another motion on the
agenda is still to be put to the house - for the government to immediately carry
out a comprehensive audit of the voters roll to rid it of all inaccuracies and
irregularities [proposed by Hon. Matutu, seconded by Hon. Muchauraya]
Questions
Question time is on
Wednesday afternoon.
An hour is allowed
for oral questions without notice, followed by an hour of questions with notice
[written questions on the order paper]. There are 12 written
questions, mostly on constituency matters but two on national matters are on the
cost of setting up tollgates and their estimated revenues, and on gross
maladministration and lack of audited accounts in rural district councils.
For questions with
notice the relevant Minister or his Deputy must be in the House to answer.
Parliamentary Legal
Committee [PLC]
The PLC has considered
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill, which was referred to it after the
Bill’s First Reading on the 22nd October. Its report is
expected to be tabled in the House this week.
No PLC reports have
yet been tabled on statutory instruments gazetted since early
2008. The PLC’s secretariat
has concluded its examination of the backlog of statutory instruments, and these
are now ready for the PLC’s attention.
Thematic Committees
and Portfolio Committees
Information on this
week’s committee meetings open to stakeholders and the public was sent out in
Bill Watch Special of 30th October.
Public Hearings
completed
Last week the Budget,
Finance and Economic Planning Committee and the Public Accounts Committee held
joint public hearings in Bulawayo and Harare to receive public
input on the Audit Office Bill and the Public Finance Management
Bill. The committees meet
this week to finalise their reports on the Bills, for presentation during the
Second Reading debates.
Portfolio Committee
Report tabled
The
Portfolio Committee
on Transport and Infrastructural Development’s report on the Zimbabwe National
Roads Authority Fund has been tabled. [Electronic
version available on request.]
2
Charged MDC-T MPs Acquitted in Court
MDC-T Deputy Minister
Thamsanqa Mahlangu [MP for
Nkulumane] was acquitted of cell phone theft at the magistrates court on 2nd
November. Also acquitted were his personal aide and two other co-accused.
MDC-T MP Heya
Shoko [Bikita West] was
acquitted on a fraud charge connected with the agricultural inputs scheme, also
on 2nd November.
Bennett
trial in Harare
High Court on Monday 9th November
The President’s
spokesman has said Senator Roy Mr Bennett MDC-T Deputy Minister-designate could
not be sworn in as Deputy Minister because he is facing criminal charges. This
is incorrect. He is innocent until proved guilty – and the President swore in
other Ministers and Deputy Ministers in February while they were awaiting trial
on criminal charges.
Update
on Independent Constitutional Commissions
There has been no
announcement of appointments of members and chairpersons of these
commissions. The President’s
spokesman has been reported as stating that the President’s intention is to
announce the formation of all four of the Commissions together, once all
appointments have been settled, something the MDC-T’s present disengagement from
ZANU-PF may hold up.
Media Commission
[ZMC]: Parliament’s list of
12 nominees were sent to the President in August.
Human Rights
Commission [ZHRC]:
A list of 16 nominees
was sent to the President on 12th October.
Electoral Commission
[ZEC] A list of 12 nominees
was sent to the President on 29th September
Anti-Corruption
Commission [ZACC]:
No interviews are
scheduled for those who applied to Parliament for positions on this
Commission.
Pan African
Parliament
Zimbabwe sent five MPs to attend the
First Session of the Second Pan-African Parliament [PAP] running from 26th
October to 7th November in Midrand, South Africa. [Midrand is the permanent seat of PAP and
Sessions are held twice a year]. Each African State
has 5 representatives in PAP – Zimbabwe’s are ZANU-PF Chief Whip
Joram Gumbo MP, Senator Chief Fortune Charumbira, Patrick Dube MP [MDC-M], Mrs
Editor Matamisa MP [MDC-T] and Senator Kokerai Rugara [MDC-T]. Mr Gumbo is also the fourth
of four PAP Vice-Presidents and as such a member of the PAP Bureau, which
consists of the PAP President and the Vice-Presidents. Speaking at the opening, South African
President Jacob Zuma said: “
… As a forum
representing the parliaments and peoples of Africa, the Pan-African Parliament has a major role to
play in deepening democratic ideals and ensuring respect for the rule of law,
and equality throughout the continent. We need to pose the question: What does it
means to deepen democratic ideals, and how do we ensure respect for the rule of
law? Importantly, do
we all have a common understanding of what these concepts mean? This Parliament needs to
help elucidate these concepts, so that this common understanding becomes
entrenched on our continent and in individual countries.” [Electronic
version of full speech available on request.]
ZANU-PF
Congress
Preparations have
started for the five-yearly ZANU-PF National People’s Congress in
December. Delegates are
expected to number 10 000, and fundraising is aiming to raise US$6 million. The
Congress will be electing the party’s Presidium – consisting of the party
President, who is also First Secretary, 2 Vice- Presidents/Second Secretaries
and a national chairperson.
The party President
will then appoint members of the Politburo. Most of the 10
provinces have had their regional elections and have endorsed Mr Mugabe as party
President, and Mrs Mujuru as a vice president.
Legislation
Update
Bill
Tabled in Parliament: Reserve Bank Amendment
Bill [HB 7, 2009] –
gazetted on 14th August [Electronic
version available on request.] and given its First
Reading on 22nd October. The PLC’s report on the Bill is awaited.
Bills
gazetted awaiting introduction in Parliament:
Public Finance
Management Bill [HB 9,
2009] – gazetted on 16th October. [Electronic
version available on request.]
Audit Office Bill [HB
10, 2009] – gazetted on 2nd
October. [Electronic version available on
request.]
Financial Adjustments
Bill [HB 8, 2009] –
gazetted on 25th September. [Electronic version
available on request.]
Bill
passed by Parliament but not yet gazetted as Act – Appropriation
(Additional) (2008) Bill
Statutory
Instruments: SI 172/2009
replaces the Schedule to the Warehouse Receipts Act of 2007. The effect of the
change is greatly to increase [from 3 to 18] the list of agricultural
commodities for which warehouse receipts may be issued under the Act. The
original list was limited to coffee, soya-beans and sugar beans; the new list
includes ground-nuts, maize, wheat, rice, tea, etc. [Electronic
version available on request.]
Veritas makes
every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal
responsibility for information supplied.