http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011
12:57
BY JENNIFER DUBE
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is under
pressure to use the Zanu PF conference to
deal with officials who discussed
his ouster with American diplomats with
provinces reportedly pushing for the
issue to the agenda.
A renowned political commentator has also warned
that Mugabe would be
“dammed if he does not take action and damned if he
does”.
The secret meetings were disclosed in US diplomatic cables
leaked by the
whistleblower website WikiLeaks in September.
Zanu
PF’s initial reaction was that it would ignore the cables but last week
announced that Mugabe wanted a full investigation into the
scandal.
It has since emerged that most Zanu PF provinces will push
for an open
debate of the disclosures at the party’s 11th Annual National
People’s
Conference to be held in Bulawayo from December 6 to
10.
A survey by The Standard has revealed that a number of Zanu PF
provinces
have the WikiLeaks issue in their wish-list for the
conference.
Analysts said this was likely to put pressure on Mugabe because
almost all
the influential people in Zanu PF spoke to the US diplomats and
expressed
their desire to see the 87-year-old leave office.
“One
of the most important issues that we are taking to the conference is
the
issue of WikiLeaks.”
Mugabe has said the conference would be a
“mini-congress”, in what insiders
said was a sign that he was toying around
with an idea to initiate
leadership changes.
University of
Zimbabwe political scientist John Makumbe said Mugabe was in a
catch 22
situation.
“He is between a rock and a hard place, damned if he
pursues the WikiLeaks
saga to its conclusion, and damned if he does not,”
Makumbe said.
“There are too many senior people in his party who are likely
to be
implicated including his two VPs.”
Although Nkomo was not
directly implicated, one of the cables quoting the
late Zanu PF secretary
for legal affairs Edson Zvobgo claimed that he was
also one of those eager
to see Mugabe’s back.
“Mugabe is likely to wreck the party if he is
to pursue the matter because
Zanu PF is already weak as it is and has more
divisions at the top than any
other party in Zimbabwe,” Makumbe
added.
“Yet it will be difficult for him not to pursue it because the
party has
disciplined members in the past, for example those involved in the
Tsholotsho saga, so precedence has been set.”
In 2005, Zanu PF
was forced to suspend five provincial chairpersons who
attended a meeting at
Dinyane High School in Tsholotsho, which Zanu PF says
was organised to block
Mujuru’s ascendancy to the VP’s post.
They favoured Defence minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa to take the post. Mugabe
believed he was the main target
of the plot linked to politburo member
Jonathan Moyo.
Moyo has
again featured prominently in the plots exposed by the leaked
cables but his
defence is that he was out of the party at the time as it was
after he was
expelled.
Makumbe said: “I think there are already vultures waiting
to take advantage
of the situation by either forming a break-away party or
removing Mugabe
from power.
“The party’s apparent unity is likely
to be shaken by whatever move he
takes.”
But indications on the
ground are Mugabe will be unanimously endorsed to
represent the party in the
elections.
Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa on Friday said Zanu PF
could not afford
to “change the captain in the midst of a storm.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:08
BY PATIENCE
NYANGOVE
A community trust set up to help the local community acquire
shares in
platinum mining giant Zimplats has created fissures in Zanu PF’s
Mashonaland
West structures as ordinary members charge that heavy weights
want to line
their pockets.
President Robert Mugabe on Thursday
officially launched the
Mhondoro-Ngezi-Zvimba Community Share Ownership
Trust, which was given US$10
million by Zimplats.
A war
veteran who was barred from attending the colourful ceremony accused
senior
government officials of sidelining the community.
“It pains us to see
how our fellow comrades in Zanu PF remain the only ones
that benefit each
and every time there is something of monetary value and
they seem to never
have enough,” the war veteran who requested to remain
anonymous
said.
“This project should be run by the community, not some
ministers from Harare
dictating everything.
“We know that these
politicians have handpicked chiefs that are loyal to
them that they will use
as fronts to milk this trust with no meaningful
development to this
area.”
Last month Chief Nyika, whose jurisdiction covers Zimplats
mine, accused
Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development minister
Ignatius
Chombo, Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment minister
Saviour
Kasukuwere and area MP Bright Matonga of sidelining
him.
The chief said he would not recognise the trust because his
people had
formed their own Mhondoro-Ngezi Community Development Foundation
(MN-CDF),
which the three politicians have allegedly
sidelined.
Chombo, Kasukuwere and Matonga all denied the
accusations.
Mashonaland West governor Faber Chidarikire appeared to
be confirming the
rift at the launch when he accused unnamed government
officials of being
greedy.
“We will not tolerate individualism
and greed over the community share
ownership trust. Chidarikire said.
“Everyone has to benefit regardless of
political
affiliation.”
Meanwhile, Youth Development, Indigenisation and
Empowerment deputy minister
Tongai Matutu (MDC-T) said there was no
transparency in the way the
community trusts were being
set-up.
“The main problem with this community trust is the
facilitation,” Matutu
said on the sidelines of the launch.
“Some
of these traditional chiefs are being manipulated at the expense of
the
community, there is no transparency.”
He said the MDC-T party was not
against indigenisation but objected to the
way it was being
handled.
“There is need to strike a balance between empowering our
people and keeping
the economy going,” Matutu said.
“There is
need to consult all government ministries, especially those that
deal with
investment and tourism so that our ministry will not destroy the
ministries
of Mines, Tourism and Industry’s efforts to get the country’s
economy
going.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:22
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
SOLDIERS are reportedly directing war veterans and
traditional leaders in
Manicaland province to record names of all people in
their villages and give
them numbers which they say would be used when
voting, a senior MDC-T
official in the province said.
It is not yet clear
when the polls will be held, but President Robert Mugabe
says he wants them
early next year while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
insists on attaining
a level electoral playing field before the polls.
MDC-T Manicaland
provincial spokesperson Pishai Muchauraya said the soldiers
recently
distributed notebooks to village heads and war veterans in most
parts of the
province.
Muchauraya said soldiers, who are supposed to be
apolitical, have virtually
turned traditional leaders into Zanu PF political
commissars.
He expressed concern over the presence of soldiers in the
province as well
as their involvement in the Zanu PF election
campaign.
“This is the usual Zanu PF intimidation tactics and
attempts to rig
elections even before they start,” Muchauraya
said.
“Village heads started giving their subjects numbers soon after
the soldiers
gave them the notebooks.”
Muchaurya said this
exercise was being done in the whole province but was
most prevalent in
Chimanimani West, Chipinge, Mutasa South and Makoni East.
Zimbabwe
Defence Forces (ZDF) public relations director Overson Mugwisi
professed
ignorance when asked about the development.
He referred further
questions to army public relations director Lieutenant
Colonel Alphios
Makotore, who declined to comment over the phone.
The army is accused of
helping out Mugabe mainly during presidential
elections in 2002 and 2008
elections, which were some of the most violent in
the country’s
history.
At least 200 MDC-T activists were murdered during the 2008
polls.
In some areas of Manicaland, Zanu PF officials are
distributing bicycles to
village heads, a move the MDC-T believe is an
attempt to bribe them.
Last month, MDC-T accused former Chipinge South
legislator Enock Porusingazi
of ordering village headmen in his area to
list all names of known Zanu PF
supporters in
Chipinge.
Porusingazi, however, denied the allegations saying they
are carrying out a
restructuring exercise.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:28
BY
CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
Zanu PF MPs are reportedly making frantic moves to
block further
prosecutions of their party youths accused of killing their
political foes
in past elections.
The legislators who relied on the
youths for their campaigns allegedly fear
that the convictions might harm
their re-election chances in next year’s
polls.
A number of MPs have been
linked to widespread violence against supporters
of rival parties in
previous elections.
The sources said Zanu PF fears that the
prosecutions will dissuade the
youths from campaigning vigorously for the
party after a realisation that no
one is above the law.
The issue
has been discussed in Zanu PF circles but some of the party’s MPs
want the
matter raised with President Robert Mugabe so that he can use his
powers to
stop the trials.
In the past, Zanu PF, which controls the police and
the Ministry of Justice,
has managed to block the prosecution of its
supporters accused of violence
or election-related murders.
A few
days before the 1990 general elections, Central Intelligence
Organisation
(CIO) operatives Elias Kanengoni and Kizito Chifamba shot the
late Gweru
businessman Patrick Kombayi who was challenging the late
Vice-President
Simon Muzenda for the Gweru urban seat.
Kanengoni and Chifamba were
convicted by the courts on charges of attempted
murder but were pardoned by
Mugabe.
Kanengoni is now CIO deputy director general
(internal).
Another CIO operative, Joseph Mwale, accused of killing
MDC activists,
Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya, in the 2000 elections is
still a free
man.
The lack of action by police led many Zanu PF activists
to believe that they
were above the law, a state of affairs about which
opposition and human
rights groups have complained over the
years.
But last month’s conviction of Farai Machaya, the son of
Midlands governor
Jason Machaya and five other Zanu FP members on charges of
killing Moses
Chokuda, an MDC-T activist, is said to have sent the former
ruling party
into panic mode.
Farai and his accomplices were
sentenced to 18 years in jail.
Chokuda’s parents have since 2009
refused to bury his remains until they get
compensation from the Machaya
family.
Another Zanu PF supporter, Norman Sibanda, who murdered an MDC
activist in
2003, was recently sentenced to death by hanging.
Sibanda of
Nkayi struck Zenzo Maphosa with a log and fractured his skull.
In
Masvingo, five Zanu PF activists from Zaka District appeared before High
Court judge Justice Samuel Kudya last week accused of the murder of two
MDC-T activists in 2002.
Sources said, stung by the jailing of
Machaya’s son, some senior politicians
in Midlands were reportedly
considering approaching Mugabe to pardon the
murderers.
Didymus
Mutasa, the Zanu PF secretary for administration said he was not
aware of
such manouevres.
Political analyst Charles Mangongera believes the
prosecutions would be a
deterrent for political violence in the
future.
He, however, added that Zanu PF may soon use its political
muscle to stop
the prosecutions as they will jeopardise its re-election
chances.
“They may soon interfere with the judiciary process by putting
spanners into
the justice delivery system,” he said.
“The
prosecution and convictions showed that there are still men and women
of
integrity in the judiciary,” he said.
But another analyst said the
prosecutions and convictions were hollow as
some of the convicts will be
released and then be unleashed to lead Zanu PF’s
traditional violent
campaign.
Convicted serial rapist Madzibaba Godfrey Nzira was last
year pardoned by
Mugabe after serving just seven years of his 42-year
sentence.
Soon after his release Nzira, the leader of Johanne Masowe
WeChishano
Apostolic Church, threw a party that was attended by
Attorney-General
Johannes Tomana and Information minister Webster
Shamu.
MDC-T has accused Tomana of refusing to push for the
prosecution of Zanu PF
members despite having been provided with credible
evidence that they were
involved in violence.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:21
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
THE Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai is working on a massive voter registration
campaign targeting
three million new voters.
MDC-T’s proposed
campaign comes amid mounting complaints that the Registrar
General’s office
is frustrating Zimbabweans trying to register as voters.
The department,
which in the past has been accused of using the voter’s roll
to aid poll
rigging by Zanu PF, is accused of using a requirement for proof
of residence
to frustrate potential voters.
Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede
recently issued a notice defining proof of
residence, which said people in
rural areas would need a letter from the
chief, headman or village head,
farm or mine owner.
Critics, however, say this was a flawed
interpretation of the Electoral Act,
which says a councillor can issue such
a letter. Mudede was not available
for comment as he was constantly said to
be out of the office last week.
“Zanu PF has fewer councillors in the
country compared to its nemesis, the
MDC-T, hence the need to thwart the
registration of those perceived to be
pro-MDC-T by denying them the proof of
residence,” said the Youth Forum,
which has also launched its campaign to
encourage youths to register as
voters.
In urban areas people are
asked to bring utility bills in their names and
letters confirming their
status from landlords if they don’t own houses.
Edwin Ndlovu, the
Bulawayo provincial spokesperson for the MDC led by
Welshman Ncube said his
party had also embarked on a programme to encourage
its supporters to
register as voters.
But he bemoaned the fact that those who were
stepping out to register were
facing numerous challenges. “The requirements
pose a big challenge,” Ndlovu
said. “Most people, especially the youths, do
not own houses and the bills
are not in their names.
“Sometimes
the owners are overseas but still, they are told to bring letters
from the
landlords.”
Ndlovu said some get discouraged by the thought of
engaging the landlords
over elections which are usually a politicised
issue.
“We are currently on a campaign to encourage people to
register as voters
but these stringent requirements discourage many who do
not have much
interest in politics,” he said.
“Somebody finds it
better to spend their time looking for money than looking
for a landlord and
explaining to them that they want to register to vote.
“The national identity
document should be enough.”
Ndlovu said the move to decentralise
registration centres in Bulawayo would
have encouraged more people to
register if the registration requirements
were
simplified.
Registration is done at Drill Hall, Tredgold, Pumula
Housing Office, Nketa
Housing Office and Mpilo among other centres in
Bulawayo. Harare has only
one centre at Market Square, which is in the city
centre.
A crew from The Standard last week observed that few people
were visiting
the registration centre at Market Square and officers spent
most of their
time idling.
This reporter was able to register in
less than 15 minutes but witnessed a
potential voter being turned away
because he did not have a letter from his
landlord.
“The
electricity bill is fine but we cannot accept this letter you have
here,” an
officer advised the man.
“What we want is a letter written by the
landlord or another person with a
similar surname.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011
13:20
BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
AT least 31 MDC-T supporters who
were forced out of their homes by Zanu PF
activists in Chimanimani district
early this year will finally head home
today to begin a new life.
The
villagers’ return follows intervention by the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee (Jomic).
Victims also lost livestock and
other properties that were looted by their
political rivals after they fled
their homesteads.
Jomic spokesperson Joram Nyathi confirmed that the
victims would be taken
back to their homes today.
They will be
escorted by Jomic’s provincial and district liaison committee
members from
both Zanu PF and the two MDC formations to ensure violence does
not erupt
again.
The police and Chief John Mutambara are also expected to be
part of the
exercise.
“That’s what was agreed in yesterday’s
meeting (Thursday),” Nyathi said.
“They are likely to be accompanied
by senior officials from all political
parties as well as district liaison
committee members.”
MDC-T Manicaland provincial spokesperson Pishai
Muchauraya said only 12 of
the 31 displaced families would be resettled
because others were not readily
available as they fled to
Mozambique.
The party believes Zanu PF is not sincere in their
efforts to re-integrate
the displaced families.
It said the party
has been sending junior officers to important Jomic
meetings knowing that
they would not make binding commitments.
But Zanu PF representative
in Jomic, Oppah Muchinguri said her party wanted
genuine co-existence of
political parties in the whole country.
The MDC-T is also worried
that Jomic meetings never addressed the issue of
compensation of the
victims, all of whom lost their livestock and other
personal belongings.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:16
BY
NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — Public hearings on the contentious
Electoral Amendment Bill which
have been postponed twice due to violence
fears, are set to begin tomorrow,
according to the Parliament Portfolio
Committee on Justice, legal and
Constitutional Affairs.
The
hearings on the Bill that have set the MDC’s and Zanu-PF on a collision
course on various issues kicks off in Marondera before spreading to other
cities and ending in Harare on October 24.
“The public,
interested groups, business persons and organisations are
invited to the
hearings. The contributions made will be considered by the
Committee in
compiling a report to be tabled in Parliament,” read in part a
statement
released by the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and
Constitutional
Affairs.
Douglas Mwonzora, the chairperson of the committee urged Zimbabweans
to
attend the hearings to contribute to the drafting of an Act guaranteeing
free and fair elections.
The hearings were initially set to begin
on August 24 and later September
26, but were postponed due to fears of
violence.
Public hearings on the Human Rights Commission Bill were
for example, marred
by violence, which was blamed on Zanu PF
supporters.
The Electoral Amendment Bill proposes a number of changes
to the existing
electoral law with a view to promoting free and fair
elections.
The Bill has put Zanu-PF and the MDC-T on a collision
course, for example,
on the Diaspora vote.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011
13:13
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — Suspected state security
agents in Lupane, Matabeleland North
last week chased away activists from
the Bulawayo-based pressure group,
Ibhetshu LikaZulu, who were trying to
fence off a suspected mass grave.
The security agents reportedly threatened
the Ibhetshu LikaZulu activists
with arrest on accusations that they were
holding an unsanctioned ceremony
at St Paul Secondary School, where remains
of people allegedly killed during
Gukurahundi were discovered last
month.
Pupils playing football at the school discovered bones
sticking out the red
earth when the playing ground caved
in.
Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, the co-National Healing minister, who has
visited the
area, said the school where the human remains were found, used
to be a
detention site during the 1980’s Matabeleland and Midlands massacres
dubbed
Gukurahundi.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu coordinator, Mbuso Fuzwayo,
said the pressure group was
consulting villagers on the need to fence off
the area where the skeletons
were found, only to be stopped by security
agents who said the meeting was
illegal.
“It is not proper for
the skeletons to continue to be exposed. That is a
mass grave and as an
organisation, we wanted to involve the community, to
hear from them what
could be done to the area so that the skeletons are not
tampered
with.
“We thought it could be best if the area is fenced off pending
a proper
ceremony where there could be proper exhumations by experts and
later,
proper burials. But the community is the one that was going to have
the last
say.
“We could not continue with our meeting, as some
people claiming to be
security agents stopped it,” Fuzwayo
said.
He said Ibhetshu LikaZulu had approached Mzila-Ndlovu’s organ
on national
healing to disccuss the need to fence off the area before proper
exhumations
and burials were held.
Mzila-Ndlovu was quoted last
week saying there was need for “a lot of
preparatory work”, which would
include “deploying counsellors and
psychologists who can move in and help
communities cope with their trauma.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:14
BY OUR STAFF
FOUR
provincial executives of the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) have passed
a
vote of no confidence in the national executive for failing to represent
the
interests of its constituency.
The provinces that want the entire national
executive booted out are
Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Masvingo and
Harare.
Their action is, however, not enough to remove the AAG
national executive
led by Supa Mandiwanzira, as the position of the other
provinces on the
matter remains unknown.
Apart from Mandiwanzira,
the AAG executive is made up of three
vice-presidents — Sam Ncube, Themba
Mliswa and Advocate Farai Mtamangira —
secretary general Tafadzwa Musarara,
Elifas Mashaba (treasurer general),
national committee member, Chamu
Chiwanza and the executive director,
Davison Gomo.
In a letter to
the founding members, the provincial executives said while
the AAG remained
a good project, “it has drifted away from its main cause
which is to assist
the ordinary people of Zimbabwe to fight for their right
to development
through active lobbying for opportunities for ordinary
members”.
The provincial executives said their national leaders
were not interacting
with the grassroots in a letter dated October 12,
addressed to the founder,
Phillip Chiyangwa.
“Our leaders meet
more with foreign people than us and they talk more with
government than
with us. Whose interest do they represent?”
They said the executive went to
Israel and the US, but there was no feedback
to the
constituency.
They said some members of the national executive
belonged to other
organisations that have the same mandate as AAG and they
should resign.
“Our president now sits on a board that creates
conflict of interest and our
other vice-president sits on the Indigenisation
and Empowerment Board, the
secretary general formed his AEDS, which we
believe is in serious conflict
of our interest.
“They (must)
either resign from their board positions or resign from the AAG
national
executive.”
Mandiwanzira told The Standard yesterday, his executive
had picked a dormant
AAG, revived it and made sure that it was relevant and
at the forefront of
black economic empowerment.
“It’s a role that
I and my executive have not done for commercial gain, but
out of
deep-founded commitment to the agenda of black economic empowerment,”
he
said.
“If my leadership of the institution has created political and
economic
value that some of my colleagues now want to harvest, they can be
assured
that I am ready and very willing to step aside and give them the
baton to
head the organisation.”
Mandiwanzira said Mliswa was the
brains behind the vote of no confidence and
he “can have this position any
time”.
“I just hope that those who are desperate to take over the
reins, have the
genuine interest of mass empowerment and not just their
individual lot.”
Mliswa could not be reached yesterday, but Chiyangwa
confirmed receiving the
letter saying he would make his position known
“soon”.
He said his mandate is to preserve AAG for the organisation
to serve the
needs of people and not individuals.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:25
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
LIKE a colossus, Gideon Gono literally reigned supreme in
Zimbabwe, dipping
his fingers in every pie, be it economic or political, but
now the central
bank governor’s star is on the wane.
Gono’s stature has
been on the decline since the formation of the inclusive
government two
years ago, but it is the leaked US diplomatic cables that
could have
hammered the final nail in the coffin of Gono’s high profile and
adventurous
tenure as Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) boss.
Since his appointment
to the powerful post in 2003, Gono literally ran the
country, presiding over
the central bank in an unorthodox manner, involving
the bank in quasi-fiscal
activities and dabbling in politics, yet President
Robert Mugabe stood by
his man.
The central banker was even tipped to succeed Mugabe, while
others described
him as the de facto prime minister.
He always
had a huge entourage and a hoard of journalists followed his every
step, as
his self importance grew.
Gono’s monetary policy presentations became
the equivalent of state
functions and it was almost treasonous for
government ministers and
politicians not to attend.
In the
process, Gono became the most prominent central banker the country
had ever
had.
He doled out cash, kept the money printing presses running, he
was involved
in food and agricultural inputs distribution, thereby building
his profile.
But on the flipside, he presided over record hyperinflation
figures, in
essence meaning he had failed the job he was actually hired to
do.
The job of a central bank governor is to keep inflation figures at a bare
minimum, but Gono seemed more interested in other things. Still Mugabe did
not see this as reason to fire him but instead showed more faith in
him.
At the creation of the inclusive government, the MDC formations
bayed for
Gono’s blood, they wanted him fired on the spot, but Mugabe stood
by his
man, a decision he may yet regret.
While the president
was shielding Gono from any manoeuvres to oust him, the
crafty central
banker may have been actually plotting to have Mugabe removed
from power,
leaked US cables have revealed.
Gono, believed to be Mugabe’s
personal banker, was very active in meeting US
embassy officials, discussing
and plotting to have the veteran leader vacate
his post.
In an
attack on Gono and probably signifying Zanu PF’s sense of betrayal,
politburo member Jonathan Moyo said the central banker’s actions and his
dealings with the Americans were unacceptable.
“The RBZ was on
autopilot and accountable to nobody, they were involved in
monetary, fiscal
issues and political issues, things they shouldn’t
ordinarily be involved
in,” Moyo, a politburo member, recently told a
meeting.
“While
everyone else was involved on the political front, they were busy
engaging
in endless discussions with the Americans and that is very
unacceptable.”
Revelations by the whistleblower website allege
that among other things,
Gono discussed with US embassy officials Mugabe’s
failing health.
He would discuss government policy with the Americans even
before announcing
it to the public.
Moyo claims that the attack
on Mugabe was three pronged with one of the
phases being the destruction of
the economy in which Gono was a major
player.
“Then we had an RBZ
governor who said economic collapse was a precursor to
real change, whatever
that meant,” he said.
As if to underline his diminishing stature,
Gono’s public appearances are
now few and far between.
At a
recent function, the Ecocash launch, Gono was hardly noticeable, his
entry
went largely unnoticed and he literally sneaked out of the function,
as if
into oblivion.
He has issued statements denying that he met the
American ambassadors even
though cables implicating him keep mounting.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:28
By Tarisai
Shumba
Wildlife areas are largely situated in arid parts of the
country, marked by
skittish and unreliable rainfalls, poor soil and, thus,
mostly unsuitable
for sustainable agriculture or cattle ranching.
This is
true of National Parks, Campfire areas and conservancies. Since
wildlife is
the recommended and often the only long-term sustainable land
use in these
areas, is it important to Zimbabwe as a whole? — The answer
must be a
resounding; “YES”! Use this land for wildlife or risk destroying
it’s
potential for future generations!
We can offer the Victoria Falls,
the Great Zimbabwe monument and many
one-day attractions in Zimbabwe. But
our complimentary and competitive
advantage asset is wildlife. Viewing
wildlife, hunting, birding and fishing
are activities which make tourists
stay for extended periods.
There is sufficient proof of the
multiplier effect on the economy due to
tourists extended stays. Without
wildlife our tourism industry would be
close to non-existent. Our
exceptional wildlife areas ensure tourists stay
for weeks rather than days
and ensure that they visit Zimbabwe for other
business and personal reasons,
post their wildlife viewing visit.
While the national wildlife herd
has been destroyed by some 75% — yes, three
quarters of our national
wildlife herd has been eliminated! — in the last 12
years, wildlife is doing
well in those areas and conservancies, which have
not been invaded and
destroyed.
The role of private conservancies is recognised by most
Sadc regional
governments. President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai,
and many other members of Cabinet understand and support the
role of
wildlife for the benefit of the country and the specific and
complimentary
role of conservancies within the wildlife
industry.
Of great concern are statements made by the Minister of
Higher Education, Dr
Stan Mudenge who earlier this year advised that Chinese
interests would
convert conservancies into cotton farms, the animals present
would be driven
to Gonarezhou National Park and the remainder would be
barbecued!
This statement made for personal political benefits
undermines Zimbabwe’s
once proud reputation for conservation and shows a
lack of regard for
government policy not to resettle people in Region 5
where erratic and poor
rainfall makes dryland farming unsustainable.
Resettling people in areas
with poor soil and rainfall shows a lack of
respect or concern for their and
their children’s future.
Apart
from these uninformed suggestions, one wonders what drives the
minister,
Governor Titus Maluleke and several MP’s in Masvingo other than
finding yet
another avenue for personal enrichment. Settling people in
marginal areas,
asking them to farm in such a highly vulnerable habitat, is
setting them up
for failure.
To bring such flora back to its original state
invariably takes between 30
to 50 years. However, if the topsoil has been
removed through erosion, which
is too often the case, the land in question
may never recover and will
become a desert instead, destroying all future
employment potential and
creating a cycle of poverty and dependence on food
aid. Certainly a
lose-lose situation.
Zimbabwe needs long term,
pragmatic wildlife policies based on experience
and the knowledge which it
has already. Both its people and wildlife will
benefit from such
policies.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 15 October 2011
16:10
BY NDAMU SANDU
FINANCE minister Tendai Biti says there
is need for long leases that can be
used by farmers to borrow from the banks
among a host of recommendations
designed to make agriculture a viable
business. This, according to Biti,
will allow farmers to go directly to the
banks after government has realised
that budgetary support alone is not the
solution to the problems facing the
agriculture sector.
“Wherever
I have gone, farmers are crying about the absence of collateral
and you
can’t have collateral without securitised long leases,” he said.
“The
Attorney General has completed the work and it’s now up to
(Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation Development) minister (Joseph)
Made and
Minister Murerwa (Herbert). It’s important that security of tenure
and
collateral is there because farming is a business and every farmer must
have
a business model,” Biti said.
“Nowhere in the world does government
support agriculture. it can come with
a few subsidies here and there and can
look at its vulnerable sectors, but
government can’t look after
agriculture.
“Long leases will allow the return of a land market in
Zimbabwe. there isn’t
a land market and if you can’t trade in land, it
becomes dead capital. A
commodity needs two issues: use value and exchange
value. So far our farms
have use value, but no exchange value.”
The
Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (Baz) recently said they want lenders to
be
given the same rights as the government in the ownership of land to
resolve
the issue of collateral.
Banks argue that by having the same rights
as the borrowers, they can
recover the debts.
Government has amended some
clauses to the 99-year leases to entice banks to
accept them as
security.
Baz said Clause 17.1.1 states that the lessee cannot cede,
assign,
hypothecate or enter into a working partnership without the
authority of the
lessor and that the lessor has six months to respond, which
does not work
for debt recovery.
Biti said with liberalisation
measures instituted by government in 2009,
prices should be determined at
the floors like what happened at tobacco and
cotton
auctions.
“This year the price of maize was US$285 per tonne, but in
a liberalised
environment government should leave that role to a commodity
exchange and
the ministries of Agriculture and Industry have put a grain
commodity
exchange,” he said.
“Once you have a producer price, a
floor price that is not equal or
consistent with import parity, you have got
a problem. Our price this year
was US$285 per tonne, but people are bringing
maize from Malawi and Zambia
at US$190 per tonne.”
Biti said the
Grain Marketing Board (GMB) will only buy grain for strategic
reserves. GMB
used to have a monopoly on the marketing of grains, but that
stopped in
2009.
The absence of a commodity exchange means that farmers are not
getting value
for their produce.
The GMB has been failing to pay
for grain delivered and is offering some
farmers inputs instead of cash as
payment for their produce.
Zimbabwe does not have an operating commodity
exchange. A commodity exchange
launched in January is still to take off nine
months on.
Biti promised to ensure that the exchange is kept running to
ensure fairness
in prices.
Over the years, farmers have waited
for government support as they cannot
access the financing from financial
institutions.
In addition to that, the GMB has been unable to pay for
deliveries to the
depot.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 16 October 2011 13:32
By
Annanius Nzou
Mr Prime Minister, I would like to congratulate you
for presiding over the
only party (MDC), which is known to have shown
tenacity in dealing with the
intransigent Zanu PF. However, I think you do
not mind an outsider
highlighting one or two things that your party seems to
be overlooking,
which may unnecessarily cause more suffering among the
people, in the coming
months.
You and your party have been
labelled stooges of the West. While I admire
your composure and ability to
ignore such silly accusations, I feel it is
extremely important to keep
telling the general public that it is actually
Zanu PF members who are the
real stooges of the West. For instance, it may
be necessary to help people
to appreciate that if MDC was a sell-out party,
the Wikileaks would by now
have exposed all its underhand dealings with
America. It is actually Zanu
PF that has been caught with more revelations
in dealing with US, more than
any other political party in this country. All
that is needed would be for
those in the publicity department in your party
to actually get all the
Wikileaks details concerning Zimbabwe and distribute
them as widely as
possible, for people to know who the real sell-outs are in
this country.
What incites violence against your party is the label that has
been stuck on
it, suggesting its Western connection, to people like
Nyikayaramba and the
ordinary peasantry.
After such publications, you would then need to
provide your clear
manifesto, in preparation for the next general elections.
People do not know
exactly what MDC stands for, other than that they seek to
remove Zanu PF
from power. At least there should have been a document
detailing MDC
policies on governance, showing how the MDC would have handled
governance
issues without Zanu PF. It seems your party is too comfortable to
be in the
inclusive government, which could be the reason why even the
President also
said so. The security atmosphere may actually be better than
was the case
before March 2008, considering that you are now in government.
But your
party seems to be fast-asleep and oblivious to what Zanu PF is up
to. Your
party should, instead, be using the advantage of ministerial
portfolios to
campaign vigorously, for the next elections. This is the time
that your
party should work harder than ever before, if the real change to
democracy
is to materialise, instead of getting stuck in thinking about the
loot.
There is a very strong possibility that this country may easily
slide into
another Somalia. Would you, if that happened, still be
comfortable with
blaming Zanu PF, instead of taking full responsibility, and
ensuring that
people are not hoodwinked to pursue such sinister motives by a
party whose
leadership is afraid of the consequences of losing in the next
general
election?
I am extremely disappointed by the lame excuses
in your defence of the
purchase of the ministerial vehicles, at the expense
of other more pressing
issues in the country. This includes your silence
about publication of
corruption cases that have been levelled against MDC
councillors, throughout
the country.
I do not think it is wise to
take comfort in being Prime Minister, Ministers
or MPs and councillors in a
government such as this one, at this stage.
Everyone knows that MDC does not
have any say in what is going on in this
hopeless inclusive government
arrangement. While the most reasonable minds
take it that the struggle for
democracy is still on, the behaviour of your
ministers leaves a lot to be
desired. The electorate wants to know why your
party seems to be losing
focus and concentrating more on the ministerial
vehicles. Is the issue of
driving posh vehicles the purpose of being in
government? If that is the
case, why would you want to convince the
electorate that your party is
different from the Zanu PF government?
You seem to be ignoring issues
that may lead to your eventual downfall, Mr
Prime Minister. I do not think
that where some of your people sight possible
shortcomings on your
leadership, there would be a need to take offence.
Wisdom implies using
criticism to correct shortcomings and grow. You may
actually not be the
right person in the position of leadership, but wisdom
may even expect you
to identify another suitable candidate while you step
aside, than clinging
onto power and eventually causing more suffering among
innocent people in
the end, as exemplified by Zanu PF. Kindly think more
about the suffering
people out there and only consider your own welfare when
the democratisation
process in this country would have at last been
achieved.
Annanias Nzou
is not the writer’s real name
