http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
11 October 2010
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has carried
out his threat to revoke the
unilateral appointments by Robert Mugabe, in
letters to respective
government officials nullifying the appointment of
governors, ambassadors,
Judges and the Police Service
Commission.
Tsvangirai has upped the stakes with Mugabe after the ZANU PF
leader’s
unilateral appointments of provincial governors recently. During a
news
conference last week Thursday Tsvangirai said his party will not
recognize
the 10 provincial governors re-appointed by Mugabe, outside
provisions of
the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that underpins the unity
government.
The MDC-T said it would also no longer recognize Reserve Bank
Governor,
Gideon Gono and the Attorney General Johannes Tomana. Ambassadors
whose
appointments have also been declared null and void are; Phelekezela
Mphoko,
former envoy to Russia now posted to South Africa; former envoy to
Angola
James Manzou, now at the UN in Geneva; Mary Mubi, recently posted to
Italy
from Sweden; former ambassador to Australia, Steven Chiketa, now in
Sweden;
Chitsaka Chipaziwa, who was moved from Geneva and reassigned to the
UN in
New York; Margaret Muchada, now ambassador to the European
communities,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Belgium. She was moved from
Italy.
Jameson Timba, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s
Office, told SW
Radio Africa on Monday that letters had been sent to the
various countries,
nullifying the appointments of the ambassadors. The Prime
Minister is
requesting the host countries not to recognise the appointments,
which
Mugabe made ‘illegally and unconstitutionally.’
‘The letters
have been dispatched to the respective countries. The Prime
Minister, as
promised has also written a letter to the Chief Justice
advising him of the
improper appointment in May of five Judges.
‘The President of the Senate
has also been sent a letter on the improper
appointment of governors, and
the joint Ministers of Home Affairs and the
National Security Council will
receive their letters on the illegal
appointment of the Police Service
Commission,’ Timba said.
This latest move by Tsvangirai exposes his deep
frustration over Mugabe’s
continued intransigence as far as senior
government appointments are
concerned.
The MDC leader last week
described Mugabe’s continued unilateral appointment
of individuals to key
posts in the government as ‘rank madness and utterly
nonsensical.’
Political analyst Bekithemba Mhlanga told us Mugabe’s
latest action in
reappointing the governors was part of a grand plan by ZANU
PF to expose
Tsvangirai as a weak character.
‘Mugabe has unilaterally
appointed people from ZANU PF since the birth of
this unity government and
Tsvangirai has not been able to reverse any of
them. Mugabe knows Tsvangirai
is powerless to do anything, even if he
complains to South Africa, SADC and
the African Union,’ Mhlanga said.
‘Not even Zuma as mediator in Zimbabwe
will do anything about it because
there is nothing that Mugabe does before
consulting the ANC party. This
whole thing is about elections, Mugabe is
preparing for the big battle
ahead,’ Mhlanga added.
On ambassadors,
Mhlanga said if the respective countries refuse to accredit
them, Mugabe
might simply expel their ambassadors from Zimbabwe, in
retaliation. Zimbabwe
has never expelled a foreign ambassador, merely
sometimes summoning them to
the Foreign Affairs Ministry to complain about
their behaviour towards
Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.
However, a diplomat told us that
Tsvangirai’s move was the best and most
effective way of dealing with the
appointments of ambassadors. He said;
‘Each country will obviously respond
differently to the letters from the
Prime Minister. Whether they decide to
take any action or not, the message
would have been delivered that the
appointments were unconstitutional. In a
way if an envoy has not yet
presented their credentials they will be like
tourists in a foreign country
where they will not be able to meet any
government officials,’ the diplomat
said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
11
October 2010
The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) has said
a referendum on
a new draft constitution is likely to be held next year on
the 30th June.
Speaking to SW Radio Africa COPAC co-chair Douglas Mwonzora
said they had
completed the outreach exercise, except for Harare, where
violence disrupted
several meetings.
'Everything remaining constant
we must begin uploading the data that was
gathered from the outreach
programme and finish that process on the 30th
October. We are expecting in
that period that on the 25th October we will
have received contributions
from people in the Diaspora.'
Mwonzora said from the 1st November to the
31st December the thematic sub
committees will be sitting, to debate the
content of the constitution as
reflected by the views from the people. They
expect to start work on the
draft from the 1st to the 31st of January next
year. This will be followed
by a second all-stakeholders conference by March
31st and then a referendum
3 months later, at the end of June.
Asked
what will happen to meetings abandoned due to ZANU PF sponsored
violence
Mwonzora said; 'We have said those meetings which were not
conducted to our
satisfaction in 43 wards in Harare are supposed to be
redone. We have
identified 68 centres where these meetings are supposed to
be
redone.'
Mwonzora said they had already set the 16th and 17th October to redo
abandoned meetings in Harare. The 'political parties liaison committee' was
meeting on Tuesday to agree on the venues he said. He also said they will
identify meetings that were affected by violence countrywide and either redo
them, or have the views expressed under duress struck down from
consideration.
Last week Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai invited
SADC 'to deploy observers
before the constitutional referendum to help
protect the rights of
Zimbabweans to express their views freely and without
violence or
intimidation.'
An MDC activist Chrispen Mandizvidza was
killed by ZANU PF thugs shortly
after a constitutional outreach meeting in
Mbare. Several other meetings
countrywide have been marred by violence,
intimidation and the busing in of
ZANU PF thugs to try and influence
contributions at different venues.
Meanwhile Mwonzora told us all the
recorded audio and visual material from
the outreach exercise will be stored
at two commercial banks for
safe-keeping, to avoid a situation where data is
tampered with.
http://www.voanews.com
Peta Thornycroft | Johannesburg 11
October 2010
Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has asked
various European
countries, the United Nations, and South Africa not to
recognize six
ambassadors he says were unilaterally appointed to the top
diplomatic posts
by President Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabwe Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai has written to several countries
asking them not to
recognize ambassadors appointed in July by President
Robert Mugabe to
Sweden, Italy, the European Union, South Africa and the
United
Nations.
A senior Western diplomatic source in Harare said some of the
ambassadors
have already presented their credentials to host governments,
and are
therefore properly in their posts.
The European Union says it
has accepted Mr. Mugabe's appointee, Margaret
Machada, as Zimbabwe
ambassador designate to Belgium, the Netherlands,
Switzerland and
Luxembourg. She is in Brussels, but has not yet presented
her credentials,
so is unable yet to carry out diplomatic duties.
Diplomats say European
officials will consider Mr. Tsvangirai's request to
not accredit
her.
Mr. Tsvangairi's letter to the countries says neither the prime
minister nor
any of his Movement for Democratic Change colleagues in the
inclusive
government Cabinet recognize the six diplomats appointed by Mr.
Mugabe.
Mr. Tsvangirai's anger was sparked a week ago, when he said
President Mugabe
informed him that 10 provincial governors had been
appointed.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai said he was not consulted on the
appointment and
this is a contravention of the two-year-old political
agreement that led to
the inclusive government in February 2009. The
political agreement says
"key" public appointments have to be made in
consultation with the prime
minister.
In August, the Southern
African Development Community said Mr. Mugabe had
agreed new provincial
governors would be appointed in consultation with Mr.
Tsvangirai.
Mr.
Mugabe's spokesman was not available for comment Monday.
Zimbabwe's upper
house, the Senate, meets in parliament Tuesday and Mr.
Mugabe's unilateral
public appointments are on its agenda for debate.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Own Correspondent Monday 11 October
2010
HARARE -- Botswana authorities last week briefly detained a
Zimbabwean
police constable and an army private after they strayed over the
border into
that country, Gaborone officials announced over the
weekend.
A Botswana anti-poaching unit near Semalela village in the
Bobirwa region
apprehended the two, who were later identified as constable
Tawanda Chitauro
and private Sakhile Dlhodlho.
The Botswana
government newsletter, the Tautona Times, issued at the weekend
said the
Zimbabweans, who were arrested last Monday, were armed with a
single AK-47
assault rifle, but made no effort to resist arrest.
Constable Chitauro
was found in uniform but private Dlhodlho was in civilian
attire when
arrested.
During questioning the two Zimbabweans stated that they had
strayed into
Botswana territory in the course of an investigation. The two
were then
detained at Selebi-Phikwe, while authorities were contacted in
Zimbabwe to
confirm their identities.
Zimbabwe authorities
subsequently arrived in Botswana, where they were able
to positively
identify the two detainees. The two were then released for
repatriation on
last Wednesday.
The prompt resolution of the incident is in keeping with
what has been
standard practice on the part of Botswana authorities in the
context of
joint cooperation arrangements with their Zimbabwe counterparts,
the Times
said
Relations between Harare, and Gaborone have
been strained especially with
issues related to border
patrols.
Earlier this year, Victoria Falls police arrested two
Batswana security
officials after they had strayed across the porous border.
-- ZimOnline.
http://news.radiovop.com
11/10/2010 09:29:00
Harare,
October 9, 2010 - Deputy Prime Minister, Thoko Khupe, has been
elected
President for the United Nations Aids/Global Women Power Network for
Africa.
The network is responsible for creating a new and sustainable
network of
female legislators and ministers from Africa to fight HIV/Aids
and implement
the agenda for accelerated country action at national and
regional levels.
"Our objective in Zimbabwe is to have a Zimbabwe which
has zero new HIV
infections, zero child, maternal mortality and zero mother
to child HIV
transmission," she said.
Khupe was in the United States
of America (USA) where she was elected to the
top UN post at a
conference.
The conference looked at various issues affecting women and
young girls.
It also looked at how young women and girls are infected and
how they can
protect themselves and mitigate the impact of the HIV/Aids
pandemic.
Khupe revealed that the US had set aside US$48 billion to help
developing
nations fight the HIV/Aids scourge.
Zimbabwe is among the
top nations with the highest HIV/Aids cases in the
world.
More than 1
000 people die of Aids in Zimbabwe monthly.
Khupe also said she was
working towards sourcing donations that will be used
by struggling women to
receive quality health delivery care.
Khupe said the maternal mortality
rate in Zimbabwe stood at 725 women out of
every 100 000.
http://news.radiovop.com/
11/10/2010 09:33:00
A social and
economic justice organisation says parliament must audit the
country's
financial debt to determine the legitimacy of the debt. The
Zimbabwe
Coalition on Debt and Development says parliament must launch a
debt
audit.
"To parliament we are asking for an audit of the public debt,"
said
ZIMCODD Executive Director, Dakarai Matanga who was speaking
at
weekend festivities held to make the Week of Global Action Against
Debt
and the Financial Institutions.
"The debt audit is basically a transparent
and open inquiry into the
origins of the public debt."
Matanga said his
organisation would want parliament to apply the
principle of audious debt and
reject any contracts found to be in that
category.
The country is sitting
on a huge debt of about $ 7 billion going up to
about $ 8, 3 billion if
interest costs are factored in.
The huge debt is limiting the government to
among other things pay for
social services such as education, health, water
and electricity as it
battles to repay money owed to the International
Monetary Fund (IMF),
World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB) among
others.
"We want any money that is borrowed by the country to be used
on
social services," said Matanga.
"Parliament should improve its capacity
so that they are not just
rubber stamping authorities."
In Zimbabwe
according to the Loan Contraction and Debt Management
legislation President
Robert Mugabe and Finance Minister Tendai Biti
can contract loans on behalf
of the country.
But ZIMCODD wants the parliamentarians to be able to
scrutinise the
loans and determine why they are needed, what are the terms,
how they
are going to be paid back and how much of the country's resources
are
being mortgaged in the process.
As part of the Week of Global Action
Against Debt and the Financial
Institutions, ZIMCODD launched a simplified
version of the Citizen's
Guide to Debt. The book seeks to explain in simple
ways how government
contracts debt. The book was also translated in Shona,
Ndebele and
brail to cater for the blind.
The organisation also hosted
several artistic events at the weekend in
Bulawayo, Harare and Mutare. The
highlight was a play titled "No loans
without us."
The play clearly shows
how debt impacts on people's lives and
emphasized the point that citizens
have to have a role to play in loan
contraction.
There are suspicions that
the previous Zanu PF government might have
used the money owed to
international institutions to prop up its iron
fist hold on power and spread
largesse among its members.
(AFP) - 6 hours
ago
HARARE - Zimbabwe's industry on Monday said proposed pro-worker legal
reforms risk slowing the nascent economic recovery, calling the changes
unrealistic with businesses still struggling to survive.
"Industry is
recovering but very slowly. The recovery that is taking place
now is nowhere
what we envisaged when the Global Political Agreement was
signed," Joseph
Kanyekanye, president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe
Industries said,
referring to a political deal concluded in February 2009.
"It's not going
at the pace that we wanted. We had expected at least a
double-digit growth
and certainly last year some of us were quite optimistic
that GDP would at
least exceed 10 billion US dollars and we would build on
that
momentum."
The organisation argues that proposed amendments to the Labour
Relations Act
are biased toward workers and will stifle
business.
Industry's main concerns are over expanded strike rights, paid
study leave
for up to a year, a ban on contract work beyond six weeks and
increasing
sick leave to six months on full pay.
"Inadvertently
architects of such a scheme may actually cause further
decline," said
Kanyekanye, warning that "businesses are barely surviving."
CZI
acknowledged that Zimbabwe salaries are low, but Kanyekanye said
Zimbabwe
could not hope to match first world labour principles after a
decade of
economic freefall that devastated the country.
The government revised its
economic growth forecast from 5.4 percent to 8.1
percent on the back of
increased tobacco production, but Kanyekanye said he
expects a figure of 6-7
percent.
The 2009 agreement was a power-sharing deal concluded by veteran
President
Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime
minister,
following disputed elections.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
10 October, 2010
01:25:00
HARARE - Residents in Harare have demanded that the
controversial Minister
of Local Government, Ignatius Chombo, declare the
vast properties he has
acquired since he became a minister and prove that he
did not corruptly
acquire his vast wealth.
Residents in Harare have
demanded that the controversial Minister of Local
Government, Ignatius
Chombo, declare the vast properties he has acquired
since he became a
minister and prove that he did not corruptly acquire his
vast
wealth.
The Combined Harare Residents Association of Zimbabwe (CHRA) has
written to
Chombo demanding that he disclose his property
interests.
Other residents associations and local authorities throughout
the country
are also said to be in the process of demanding the same from
Chombo.
Besides Harare, Chombo owns houses and stands in the border towns
of
Victoria Falls, Mutare, Beitbridge, Kariba, and Chirundu, and also in
Binga,
Chegutu and Chinhoyi, among others.
In Harare, he is said to
own vast tracts of land, including the
controversial Helensvale recreational
land, which he is accused of illegally
acquiring from the city
council.
This has raised questions as to the source of his wealth, given
that as a
minister in government, he earns less than US$500 a month.
Ironically most
of his property was acquired from different town councils,
all of which fall
under his ministry.
Chombo, a close aide of
President Robert Mugabe, owns more than 100
residential stands and more than
25 known houses as an individual and
through shelf companies and
trusts.
Court papers in which he is divorcing his wife Marian also show
that he owns
dozens of vehicles, haulage trucks, hunting safaris, investment
companies
and even diamonds.
The documents reveal that Chombo has
properties in South Africa and has also
accumulated a fortune in illegal
rhino horn dealing.
According to his estranged wife, when they married 25
years ago, her husband
was a poor man, but he started amassing wealth when
he joined government in
the mid-1990s.
A letter to Chombo from CHRA
dated 23 September partly reads: "Since you are
responsible for local
government and overseeing the work of local
authorities on the one hand and
on the other you have through your companies
acquired some of the stands
that are central to this controversy, it is only
proper for the good name of
your office and for the public interest of
Harare residents that you make a
public disclosure of your properties in the
city of Harare acquired from the
time you became in charge of local
government."
In March, Chombo and
Phillip Chiyangwa, who claims to be Mugabe's nephew,
were named in a Harare
city council special investigation report which
exposed how influential
people irregularly acquired prime land from the
municipality.
Chombo
was unavailable for comment.
A Harare city councillor said they supported
the CHRA in its bid to force
Chombo to disclose what he had acquired from
the council.
A Victoria Falls councillor said they would follow suit and
also write a
letter to Chombo.- Sunday Times
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Naume Muza Monday 11 October
2010
HARARE - Amnesty International has urged Zimbabwe's political
leaders to use
ongoing constitutional reforms to abolish the death
penalty.
The world rights watchdog's Zimbabwean chapter said in a
statement yesterday
to mark the international day against the death penalty
that the reforms
being implemented by the coalition government of President
Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai were an opportunity for
Zimbabwe to join
many other countries in Africa that have abolished capital
punishment.
It said: ''Amnesty International believes the constitution
reform process
provides an opportune moment for Zimbabwe's political
leadership to support
abolition of the death penalty.
"Abolition of
the death penalty in Zimbabwe will bring the country into
league with
progressive trend in Africa, where more countries are abolishing
this
inhuman and degrading punishment in defence of human rights.''
Amnesty
urged political parties driving the constitutional reforms to ''play
a
leading role to persuade the Zimbabwean people to abolish death penalty in
law."
There is growing push in Africa and the world at large for
abolition of the
death penalty that human rights activists say is the
ultimate cruel,
inhuman, degrading and a violation of the supreme right to
life.
Of the African Union (AU)'s 53 states, 49 did not carry out any
executions
during 2008 and 2009 including many that still have capital
punishment on
their statute books.
The African Commission on Human
and Peoples' Rights has repeatedly called on
AU member states to abolish the
death penalty.
The United Nations General Assembly has also adopted
resolutions calling for
a moratorium on executions, with a view to
abolishing the death penalty.
In Zimbabwe, statistics show that no
execution has taken place since 2005,
although the courts have continued
imposing the death sentence on offenders.
According to the latest figures
available from the Ministry of Justice there
were 52 prisoners on death row
in Zimbabwe in 2009.
Zimbabwe expects to complete writing a new
constitution next year that will
pave way for the holding of new elections
to choose a new government to
replace Mugabe and Tsvangirai's coalition
administrator.
There is hope that a new constitution will guarantee basic
freedoms,
strengthen Parliament and limit the President's immense powers. -
ZimOnline
http://news.radiovop.com/
11/10/2010
09:41:00
Masvingo, October 11, 2010 - Thousands of heavily armed
soldiers in full
army regalia were deployed in Masvingo West constituency on
Saturday,
leaving villagers terrified.
The soliders, who were spotted
on Sunday in the area were moving in groups
of not less than 20
soldiers.
Villagers told Radio VOP that the situation reminded them of
liberation
struggle - more than 30 years ago when groups of soliders caused
terror
among the people.
Member of Parliament for the area, Tichaona
Mharadze said he took to his
heels on Sunday after he was surrounded by a
group of over 40 armed soldiers
at Bhuka shopping area.
"I came
face-to-face with the soldiers yesterday. I ran away fearing for my
life and
my security.They were very many and armed as if they were going to
war.
"We don't know what they are doing in my area, but I feel as the
MP for the
area, they should have informed me of any development before
deploying the
gunmen," said Mharadze.
Mharadze who was nearly shot by
army major general Engelbert Rugeje at
Chevron hotel in Masvingo last year
following a heated argument said since
then, he has never trusted
soldiers.
Having discovered that he was losing an argument to Mharadze
last year,
Rugeje pulled out a gun in the bar and threatened to "squash the
MP like a
fly or make him disappear without trace".
"Personally, I am
still in shock with what I saw with my eyes in my
constituency, I am afraid
of soldiers. Since last year when Rugeje nearly
killed me in a bar, I have
never trusted soldiers," said a visibly shaken
Mharadze.
Masvingo 4
brigade public relations officer Kingstone Chivave said people
should feel
secure when they see soldiers in their area.
"Why should they panic?
Soldiers are there for protection and I think anyone
must be happy that at
least soldiers are in the area," said Chivave.
However, villagers
maintained that they were living in fear.
"We are greatly terrified; we
don't know what they are planning to do in our
area. We beg the responsible
authorities to withdraw the soldiers from
here," said Simon
Munemo.
Masvingo governor Titus Maluleke said he was not the right person
to comment
about 'those soldiers who were deployed without my
knowledge'.
"You are seeking comment from a wrong person altogether.
Those soldiers were
deployed without my knowledge, I am not the right person
to comment," he
said.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Maxwell
Sibanda
Monday, 11 October 2010 08:06
HARARE - There was drama at
Harare's Book Café on Friday when suspected
senior army soldiers in
civilian clothes tried to disrupt a debate in which
representatives from
Chiadzwa and Mutoko were giving testimonies on the
exploitation of natural
resources in their areas.
The debate was part of the Week of Global
Action Against Debt and the
International Institutions activities organised
by the Zimbabwe Coalition on
Debt and Development (ZIMCODO).
The
suspected soldiers, who occupied a full table booed and tried to drown a
testimony by Lovemore Mukanda, a representative from the Chiadzwa
community.
Mukanda said: "Is it a crime that we come from Chiadzwa? We
are beaten on
our buttocks because we were born in Chiadzwa."
He said his
community was ready to engage government on the issue of
relocation.
He said: "We say the natural resources at Chiadzwa are
for everyone, all
Zimbabweans. We must be partners with government.
Government should initiate
dialogue with us and together we can map a way
forward."
Mukanda said relocating meant a lot of things.
"We have
our ancestors buried in Chiadzwa. Is government going to help us
relocate
our ancestors' graves? What about our cattle, dogs, our chickens?"
asked
Mkanda.
"Sell your goats, sell everything and move away!" shouted the
suspected
soldiers who throughout the discussions noisily argued over bills
with
waiters.
Mukanda urged ZIMCODO to hold such debates in
Chiadzwa.
"This is very far away from Chiadzwa. Why don't you come to
Chiadzwa with
your debates, there we can speak our minds freely and
openly."
Mukanda said problems encountered with the people of Mutoko
whose black
granite has also been exploited were the same with those from
his community.
He added: "Except that Chiadzwa is a restricted
area."
Peter Sigauke, the Chief Executive Officer of Mutoko Rural Council
said
while his area produces 75 per cent of the total black granite in
Zimbabwe,
there was nothing to show of it in terms of community
development.
Said Sigauke : "While we have our black granite selling in
countries like
Italy, German and Spain, people in Mutoko remain poor. What
we can pride
with is possibly the building of Mutoko High School. But look
at Mimosa in
Zvishavane, the company there has changed the lives of people
and turned
that place into a fast growing town."
Sigauke said the
community in Mutoko have not benefited from the
exploitation of black
granite in their area. He said: "Everything to do with
the mining of black
granite was transferred to the Ministry of Mines. We
receive nothing from
them to plough back to communities who have been
affected by the noise, the
dust. The air is polluted and the water is no
longer clean."
He said
Zimbabweans had well trained technicians and engineers who should be
doing
work in Mutoko. "We need to employ our own, so we can empower
ourselves."
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Maxwell Sibanda
Monday, 11
October 2010 16:32
HARARE - Zimbabwean teachers last Friday
celebrated The World Teachers' Day
amid disgruntlement over poor salaries
and working conditions.
Sifiso Ndlovu, a Zimbabwe Teachers Assciation
(ZIMTA) official, said
teachers' struggles continued 44 years on since the
signing of the 1966
UNESCO recommendation for teachers.
"Teachers
continue to fight for their rights, albeit these laid down
recommendations
agreed upon by world countries forty-four years ago." He
said the teaching
profession in Zimbabwe was no longer attractive.
"We have engaged
government and all the stakeholders as we tried to
negotiate for an increase
in our salaries, but we have yielded nothing."
Ndlovu said government
should view financing of the education sector as an
investment.
He
said: "Money put towards education is money well spent. Today Zimbabwean
teachers are poorly remunerated and there is lack of in-house
training."
"We are saying that any form of recovery starts with the
education sector.
Teachers are the engine and are Raymond Majongwe , leader
of the
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, (PTUZ) and former school
headmaster
Bob Nyabinde played music for the teachers.
"PTUZ is
disgruntled and disappointed, a dark cloud is in fact hovering
above our
heads. We can't celebrate when our little allowances were
unilaterally
frozen. We can't celebrate misery, impoverishment and
destitution," read
part of a statemetn issued by the PTUZ.
"Teachers are not morons;
teachers are not political nonentities. We demand
better salaries, dignity
and a quick restoration of our social status. We
demand the future of our
children, our pensions and traditional respect."
PTUZ said the
introduction of incentives at schools was meant to divide
them.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Senator David
Coltart told the
House of Assembly last week that government intends to
abolish the payment
of incentives to teachers as some schools were flouting
regulations
governing such payments.
Coltart agreed with PTUZ that
the incentives had divided the teachers as
those in urban schools now earned
more than those in rural areas.
He added: "It iscriminates between
teachers teaching in poor areas and
teachers in wealthy areas. We will
abolish the incentives after consultation
with teacher trade
unions."
Coltart said his ministry was always meeting with teachers'
unions, most of
them are now incorporated in advisory boards.
He said
"Their inclusion in these boards creates greater levels of fairness.
And it
is through deliberations and consultations with various trade unions
that my
ministry managed to draft the 2010 - 2011 strategic plan for the
education
sector."
Coltart queried Zimbabwe's proclaimed status of having the
highest literacy
rate in Africa. He said: "I have challenged that and it is
time that we
confronted the truth. The local education sector has been under
funded for
the past two decades and we are producing a small proportion of
graduates."
Coltart said government had failed to deliver on those great
promises.
"There are children still walking to school 5 to 10 kilometres
and this
compromises their learning as they arrive at school already tired,
and most
probably hungry as well."
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff Reporter
Monday, 11 October
2010 15:38
MASVINGO - As hunger wrecks havoc in arid Masvingo
province, some desperate
and starving villagers in Chikombedzi in the
Low-veld district of Chiredzi
are giving their daughters away in marriage
for as little as ten bags of
maize each to elderly
businessmen.
In a visit to Chikombedzi last week, the Daily News
learnt with shock that
some villagers claiming to have harvested very little
maize last season due
to poor rains and input shortages are exchanging girls
as young as 14 to
elderly businessmen for maize or maize meal.
The
businessmen cross the border into South Africa where they buy large
stocks
of maize meal to sell to the starving villagers.
Most of the villagers
cannot pay in cash so they end up exchanging their
daughters for maize
meal.
Some of the young girls are given away in marriage for 10 bags of
maize
each.
"We have no option that's why we are trading our
daughters this way because
we can't let the rest of the family starve to
death. In any case ,the girl
child will get married and leave the family,
so we don't see any problem
with that," said Hlalati Baloyi of Mhlanguleni
village.
Chief Chilonga from the same district was quick to defend the
practice by
his people saying nothing was amiss as it is part of traditiona
and is
called kuroodza mwana which is done during times of crisis like
drought.
"I don't think this should attract debate from people in the
country. What
we are doing is not something out of this world if we are to
consider some
of our traditional practices. You know very well that our
fore fathers did
this sort of thing, especially in times of drought and here
we are
experiencing it so we cant let our families die when tradition allows
us to
give away our daughters in marriage," said Chief Chilonga.
He
said that his people will only stop the practice if they get food aid
from
the government.
The Daily News understands that some donor oaganisations
wre forced to pull
out of the area by Zanu PF officials who accused them of
pushing the regime
change agenda in cahoots with MDC.
Efforts to get
a comment from the Provincial Adminstrator Felix Chikovo
were
fruitless.
Children rights groups have criticised the villagers and
urged the
government to take action as the practice was violating the girl
child
rights.
Sungano Zvarebwanashe, a representative of The
Girl-Child Network in
Masvingo said the government should see that those who
forced their
daughters into such
marriages should be arrested and
tried.
"Government should instruct police to arrest all those who are
doing this.
They are violating children rights by forcing minors into
marriages with old
men who already have their wives. It is utter rubbish to
claim that they
were doing a traditional practice in this modern world," she
said.
She added that besides violating child rights the young girls were
exposed
to the risk of teh deadly HIV and AIDS from these men as some have
scores of
partners .
http://news.radiovop.com/
11/10/2010 09:35:00
MUTARE - Zanu
PF politburo member, Stanley Sakupwanya and former Manicaland
governor,
Tineyi Chigudu have crossed the floor to join the revived Zapu
political
party.
Sakupwanya and Chigudu were PF Zapu officials before it was
swallowed by
President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF after the signing of the
unity accord in
1987.
The revival of Zapu is being led by Dumiso
Dabengwa, a former Zipra
intelligence supremo who later became a Zanu PF
politburo member and Cabinet
minister.
Zapu officials in Mutare said
Chigudu will get a senior post in the national
executive led by Dabengwa
while Sakupwanya is already a member of the party's
Council of Elders which
also constitutes senior politicians such as Thenjiwe
Lesabe.
Chigudu
served as provincial governor and resident minister before he was
replaced
by Chris Mushohwe in 2008.
He doubled as Zanu PF provincial chairman in
Manicaland. He was blamed for
Zanu PF poor showing in Manicaland during ther
March 2008 general election.
He was subsequently removed from the post and
left in the wilderness.
Sakupwanya is a senator. He is Zanu PF politburo
secretary for welfare of
the disabled and disadvantaged persons.
Zapu
sources said an announcement was likely to made any time soon to inform
the
country about the developments.
The Zapu executive is scheduled to hold a
mini-provincial congress where a
new executive will be elected.
"That
is when we are likely to be officially told that Chigudu and
Sakupwanya have
rejoined the party,' said a member of the Zapu executive in
Manicaland.
The sources also hinted Zapu was likely to form a coalition
with Simba
Makoni's Mavambo and the MDC formation led by Arthur Mutambara
should
elections be held next year
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chris Goko, Business Editor
Monday, 11
October 2010 19:39
HARARE - Oil major BP and Shell has sold its
Zimbabwean assets to TA
Holdings Limited executive chairman Shingai Mutasa
through his newly-founded
Masawara plc investment fund.
While
BP's special projects advisor Richard King and another senior
executive
Samuel Mupanemunda were in Zimbabwe Monday to oversee the
transaction, a
Masawara spokesman said an agreement to acquire "the entire
business of BP
and Shell Marketing Services" in the country was hammered out
with the
London-based firm's wholly owned FMI Zimbabwe subsidiary.
However, the
deal is still subject to approvals by various regulatory
bodies.
Although earlier calls to Mutasa - a pioneering and
millionaire
entrepreneur - went unanswered, the transaction encompasses BP
and Shell's
entire business portfolio in Zimbabwe, including 73 retail
outlets and 60
million litre-storage tanks or depots across 10 strategic
centres.
The multinational oil partnership also employs 87 people of
which some will
benefit from a broad based empowerment initiative, Masawara
says.
"With their experience and existing businesses in Zimbabwe, we
believe that
FMI Zimbabwe will be able to build on BPSMS's good assets and
grow the
business further in line with their plans," Sipho Maseko, BP
Southern Africa's
chief executive said.
Apart from a share trust for
staff and management, Masawara has also
fashioned out an elaborate dealer
ownership scheme as part of the
empowerment drive or tool.
Although
figures on the transactions were not given, the companies in 2009
sold 66
million litres of petroleum products and the projected sales for
2010 at 85
million-plus litres.
In launching the US$100 million fund in August,
Mutasa and his partner
Invesco Perpertual's Neil Woodford said they were
hoping to buy cheap assets
in Zimbabwe before a much hoped-for economic
swing back and return to
normalcy.
With the cash war chest, the
Masawara chief executive (Mutasa) said he was
targeting resource assets such
as mining and agriculture as well as
telecommunications.
The
multi-million dollar fund is listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM
market and says it is pursuing "high quality investment opportunities in
Zimbabwe to add" to its existing portfolio of assets, including the central
Harare Joina high-rise building and TA's agricultural, hospitality and
insurance businesses.
While there have been so many bidders for the
on-sale assets, including Kuda
Tagiwirei's Sabrex Energy consortium and the
splinter Positive consortia,
the Daily News understands Exor Petroleum's
John Makova had unsuccessfully
tabled a US$45 million bid for the
assets.
On the other hand, the fate or status of United Kingdom-based
trading
company Strauss Logistics' US$20 million lawsuit could not be
ascertained in
the latest arrangement, although observers say an out of
court settlement
was in the offing.
Ketan Joshi, a representative of
the company, said he could not respond to
Daily News inquiries until
Thursday.
In the meantime, BP and Shell's anguished sale comes after
Caltex Zimbabwe
has also sold its entire portfolio to a consortium led by
Moses Chingwena's
Croco group, Engen Petroleum of South Africa and the
group's employees.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
by Irene Madongo
11
September 2010
Zimbabwe’s economic policies, including the indiginisation
law, are damaging
local businesses who are failing to get finance from
foreign investors.
The indiginisation law was passed this year and forces
foreign-owned
companies to cede more than half of their investment to
locals. However,
instead of helping locals, the law has merely put off
potential investors.
In August Zimglass in Gweru, the country’s only
glass manufacturer, had to
shut down after struggling with power cuts which
affected the running of
their electric furnaces. The country’s damaging
electricity cuts have forced
the company to try to raise $18 million, for an
alternative form of energy.
But finding new sources of funds is extremely
difficult at a time when
foreign investors are concerned about investing in
the country.
On Tuesday, economic analyst Masimba Kuchera used the case
of Zimglass as an
example. He said that potential foreign investors, like
any investor, wants
to make a profit. “Businesses unfortunately are a profit
and loss issue. I
don’t think it makes sense that if you put 100% investment
into a business
and you end up with 49%, and 51% has to be taken over by
someone else, who
may not have contributed that much,” he said.
A
number of businesses have shut down in Gweru, effectively ‘killing’ the
town, once known as the “City of Progress”. The major companies that have
shutdown in the past two years are Radar Castings, Zimcast, Foseco, Kariba
Battery Manufacturers, BOC Gases and Zimbabwe Alloys.
Zimglass’s
managing director Jacob Dube told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that
his
company will reopen if they manage to raise the $18 million they need;
“Our
biggest challenge was availability of electricity and we run electric
furnaces which need continuous supply of power. The load shedding regime
meant that we were disrupted most of the time”
He said his company
did not get any financial help from the Zimbabwean
government but said the
Ministry of Industry and Commerce wants to assist it
with a credit
facility.
http://www.voanews.com
An
eventual referendum on a new constitution looks more distant than ever -
panel co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora said it will be held by the end of June
2011 though it was to be held late this year under the original
timetable
Patience Rusere | Washington 11 October
2010
Zimbabwe's National Constitutional Assembly, a civic group, has
again called
for the establishment of a constitutional commission to lead
the country's
deeply troubled revision process, replacing the parliamentary
select
committee currently in charge of the exercise which has stalled amid
political partisanship and violence.
NCA Information Officer Blessing
Vava said his organization proposes that
the commission be composed of civil
society members and chaired by a retired
judge to prevent manipulation by
political parties. The constitutional
revision public comment process which
started in June has been marred by
logistical problems, intimidation and
violence.
One person died in Harare last month in violence allegedly
committed by
militants of the ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe.
Various ZANU-PF
officials have denied any role by the party in such
violence.
A senior official of the parliamentary select committee
dismissed the NCA
proposal for a civil society-led commission. Douglas
Mwonzora, a co-chairman
of the parliamentary committee, said there will be
conflict in the process
no matter who is in charge of it because of
political party rivalry and
Zimbabwe's culture of political
violence.
Meanwhile, an eventual referendum on a new constitution looks
more distant
than ever - Mwonzora said it will be held by the end of June
2011 though it
was to be held late this year under the original timetable.
http://www.aggregateresearch.com/
Oct, 11 2010
(Zimbabwe) --
Chinese companies are mining chrome in northern Zimbabwe in
areas designated
for wildlife conservancy and safari operations.
The companies, San He
Mining Company Private Limited Zimbabwe and Lebbenon
Investments, are doing
so in the Guruve area of northern Zimbabwe, in
operations that appear to be
secret.
A notice at the entrance of the Lebbenon Investments has 10
commandments for
the workers. Two of them read: "Thou shall not speak about
the company
operations, anyone who talks about the company operations will
be fired" and
"entry is not automatic".
The companies are said to be
operating without environmental impact
assessment (EIA)
certificates.
An environmentalist who works in the area told The Sunday
Times that the
mining started in 2004. "They have been here since 2004, but
their
operations have not been that big. But now they have intensified,
destroying
water sources and polluting rivers as they process their chrome,"
he said,
asking not to be named.
The area, known as Mavuradonha
Wilderness Conservancy, is under siege from
the Chinese, who have installed
state-of-the-art mining and processing
machinery enclosed in Great Wall-like
surroundings. Several dusty roads have
been built and huge open holes and
heavy Caterpillar equipment now litter
the landscape.
Some villagers
have abandoned their homesteads because the roads which the
trucks use are
right next to their homesteads. The dust from the open-cast
mines makes life
unbearable.
The mining is concentrated at the Penrose Farm and near
Tengenenge Arts
Community Centre, threatening its survival and that of the
200 artists and
their families.
Mavuradonha Conservancy is a vast
area of pristine land surrounded by
mineral-rich mountains and wild animals,
such as elephants, lions, cheetah,
buffalo, giraffes and kudus.
The
area is also regarded as the breeding ground for the wild animals found
in
the Zambezi Valley.
It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife
Resources legislation.
The area measures about 600 square kilometres and
houses the important
ecosystems of the Great Dyke and its special species.
Local conservationists
have been working for years to have it accorded World
Heritage status by the
UN.
An attempt to talk to the Chinese manning
the mining sites was futile. They
pretended not to understand English,
although they speak to their workers in
the language. Efforts to get comment
from the Chinese counsellor for
economic and commercial affairs in Harare
were unsuccessful as phones went
unanswered.
The Minister of Mines
and Mining Development, Obert Mpofu, said he did not
know the two Chinese
companies. "I don't know those companies but all of
them should be subjected
to the country's mining regulations and have an EIA
done to guide their
activities, I will take up the issue with the mining
commissioner," he
said.
"We don't condone activities that destroy the environment, it is
unfortunate
that people tend to ignore that, especially when they are mining
out of the
glare of the public, like in Guruve."
But the Minister of
Environment, Francis Mhema, said his ministry had
already ordered the
companies to stop mining. "We have stopped them, we had
not authorised any
EIA. They must go out forthwith because that area is our
pristine
land."
But the Chinese were still at work when we visited the area last
week.
Source:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article697830.ece/How-Chinese-mines-are-killing-wildlife
BILL WATCH
42/2010
[11th October 2010]
The House of Assembly sat on Tuesday and Wednesday and will sit again
on Tuesday 12th October
The Senate will meet on 12th October after its three-month
recess
Dispute
over Provincial Governors Likely to Affect Tomorrow’s Senate
Meeting
When the
Senate resumes after its three-month recess there is likely to be controversy
over the ten Senate seats allocated to Provincial Governors. Provincial
Governors are ex officio members of the Senate. Given the MDC-T
rejection of the President’s reappointment of the ten ZANU-PF governors as
illegal and unconstitutional, MDC-T Senators can be expected to object to the
presence of any provincial governors who may report for Senate duty on
Tuesday. Mr Tsvangirai in his statement last Thursday [see below] said “I
will be advising the President of the Senate of the improper appointment of
Governors, and that they should therefore not be considered members of the
Senate”. On 27th September MDC-T parliamentarians attending a Pan-African
Parliament workshop at the Victoria Falls walked out in protest when
Matabeleland North Provincial Governor Thokozile Mathuthu addressed the
gathering; they said she was not the legitimate governor because her term of
office had expired at the end of August.
The row
over the Provincial Governors came to a head when on Thursday 7th October Prime
Minister Tsvangirai issued
a strong
statement complaining of breaches of the GPA by President Mugabe. This followed
a meeting on Monday 4th October with President Mugabe, who told the Prime
Minister that he had unilaterally re-appointed the ten ZANU PF provincial
governors. This, said Mr Tsvangirai, was one breach too many of the
Constitutional provision requiring his agreement as Prime Minister to the making
of key appointments by the President. He said that with immediate effect the
MDC would refuse to recognize all the unilateral appointments that have been
made by Mr Mugabe.
POSA Amendment Bill – Committee Stage
Having gone through its Second Reading with the support of both MDC
and ZANU PF, this Bill goes into Committee Stage [during this stage the House
sits as a Committee and the Bill is debated clause by clause; it is during this
stage amendments can be made]. The Bill’s sponsor, Innocent Gonese, has tabled
one amendment for consideration – the deletion of clause 7(3) of the Bill – a
provision which would empower a magistrate who has imposed a temporary ban on
public demonstrations to vary or revoke the ban. This amendment was prompted by
a suggestion from the Parliamentary Legal Committee when it examined by the
Bill. Further amendments are expected to be tabled by Makhosini Hlongwane of
ZANU-PF, but these are not yet known and are not on tomorrow’s order paper.
In the House of Assembly last week
POSA Amendment Bill: The Second Reading of the POSA Amendment Bill was completed on
Tuesday, with contributions from several members, including two ZANU-PF MPs who
said ZANU-PF supported the Bill.
Questions Without Notice: On Wednesday most of the sitting time was taken up by the hour set
aside for questions without notice on aspects of Government policy. MPs
complained that some Ministers were not present to field questions. There were
no questions with notice on the Order Paper [these are questions on matters of
fact and detail requiring prior written notice to the Ministers concerned, and
they are printed in the Order Paper].
Note the PM has made a strong statement that he will ensure Ministers
turn up for Question Time. The Prime Minister has also said he will be
introducing a Prime Minister’s Question Time.
Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] – Adverse Reports: On Wednesday the Speaker announced that the PLC had reported on
all statutory instruments gazetted during June, July, August and September. SIs
102, 106 and 113 were given adverse reports, signifying the PLC’s opinion that
they are inconsistent with the Declaration of Rights. All other statutory
instruments received non-adverse reports. [See below for more on the adverse
reports.]
Motions: The debate on the President’s speech opening the last session of
Parliament was concluded with the passage of the traditional motion of thanks to
the President. On Wednesday debate commenced on the President’s speech opening
the present session [see Bill Watch 28/2010 of 16th July for details of the
speech.]. No new motions were tabled.
In Parliament This Week
House of Assembly
First Readings for Three Bills: The Criminal Law Amendment (Protection of Power, Communication and
Water Infrastructure) Bill, the Zimbabwe National Security Council Amendment
Bill and the Attorney General’s Office Bill are down for First Reading on
Tuesday. They will then be referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC]
for its report on whether or not they are consistent with the Constitution,
particularly the Declaration of Rights. Only after the PLC has reported to the
House can the Bills be taken further. [The Energy Regulatory Authority Bill,
although printed and gazetted and therefore ready for presentation, has not been
set down for First Reading.]
Motions: The only motion on the agenda is the motion for the debate on the
President’s speech opening the present Parliamentary
session.
Senate
The Senate agenda is light. There are no Bills for consideration.
The only motions for discussion are those on the President’s speeches opening
the previous Parliamentary session and the current session.
PLC
Adverse Reports on Statutory Instruments
Three
statutory instruments have been given adverse reports:
SIs
102/2010 [Epworth
heavy vehicle parking by-laws] and 113/2010 [Epworth land and building
by-laws]: The PLC report states that both are unconstitutional to the extent
that they allow officials to collect fines from alleged offenders without
recourse to the judicial system.
SI
106/2010 contains
Plumtree Town Council by-laws: The PLC report finds the statement of possible
penalties for breaches of the by-laws to be unconstitutionally vague.
The
Constitution provides that all adverse reports on statutory instruments are
tabled in both Houses but it is the Senate that first has to consider whether or
not they agree with the PLC’s adverse report. If the Senate passes a resolution
agreeing with the PLC’s adverse report and if the House of Assembly does not
thereafter override the Senate by resolving that the statutory instrument should
remain in force, the matter must be reported to the President and the President
must gazette a notice annulling the statutory instrument [Constitution,
Schedule 4, paragraph 8].
Parliamentary Committees
Standing Rules and Orders Committee – Changes in
Membership: Following their appointments to ministerial positions in the June
MDC-T Cabinet Reshuffle, Tapiwa Mashakada, Obert Gutu and Tongai Matutu have
resigned from the committee. Their replacements are three MDC-T nominees:
Dorcas Sibanda and Ellias Mudzuri from the House of Assembly and Jabulani Ndlovu
from the Senate. Their unopposed election to the committee was announced by the
Speaker on Tuesday. The Committee is expected to meet next week. [The SROC
is Parliament’s most important committee. Among other functions it is
responsible for nominating members for appointment to the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, the Zimbabwe Media
Commission, and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe Board; it must also be
consulted on the appointment of members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission.] [Full list of current members available on
request]
Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC]: The PLC is expected to meet this week to consider new Bills
introduced and any amendments made to the POSA Amendment Bill.
Public Accounts Committee – New Chairperson: Webber Chinyadza is the new chairperson of the Public Accounts
Committee, succeeding Tapiwa Mashakada, who became Minister of Economic Planning
and Investment Promotion in the June Cabinet reshuffle.
Portfolio Committees – Changes in Membership: MDC-T has made changes in its representation on portfolio
committees, deploying MPs who have become available for service on committees
since leaving ministerial office in the June Cabinet reshuffle..
Portfolio and Thematic Committee meetings: These committees will sit this week for inaugural meetings and
meetings to consider work plans for the session. None of these meetings will be
open to members of the general public.
Update on Bills
Bills Ready for First Reading [Brief Summaries of all four Bills ready for First Reading were given in
Bill Watch 39 of 4th October}
Zimbabwe National Security Council Amendment Bill [Electronic versions available: (1) Bill and (2) Zimbabwe National
Security Council Act showing effect of proposed amendments]
Criminal Law Amendment (Protection of Power, Communication and Water
Infrastructure) Bill [Electronic version of Bill available]
Attorney-General’s Office Bill: See also a fuller discussion of the Bill in Bill Watch 41 of 7th
October. [Electronic version of Bill available]
Energy Regulatory Authority Bill: [Electronic version now available]
Bills being printed [content not yet available]
Deposit Protection Corporation Bill: In his speech opening Parliament in mid-July the President said
this Bill would
transform the existing Deposit Protection Scheme, set up under
the Banking Act, into an independent statutory entity. The object is to provide
compensation for depositors if banking institutions fail.
General Laws Amendment Bill: The proper purpose of General Laws Amendment Bills is to make
minor updating amendments to Acts of Parliament, but they are sometimes used to
make important changes.
Small Enterprises Development Corporation Amendment
Bill: no details yet available.
Statutory Instruments and General Notices
No statutory instruments or General Notices of general interest were
gazetted last week.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information supplied