Inept ex-soldiers blamed for train disasters

Zim Online

     Tuesday 31 October 2006

      HARARE - Incompetent and inexperienced soldiers and police drafted
into the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) have contributed to the high
rate of train accidents, according to a committee appointed to probe
accidents on the national rail network.

      The committee that was headed by former senior assistant police
commissioner Frank Msutu and included senior officials from the army, police
and NRZ, was set up last month to probe the cause of an August head-on
collision between a goods and passenger train near the northern town of
Hwange.

      The collision, which was the second such accident along the same
railway line in less than three months, left eight people dead and scores of
others seriously injured.

      The committee appointed by NRZ management said in addition to a
crumbling communication and signals system, "lack of knowledge" by soldiers
and police officers manning the railway system was also a major contributory
factor to increasing accidents.

      "The NRZ signals department and its signals training wing are also now
laden with former police and army officers, who are not fully conversant
with the system as they did short-time courses that are very shallow," reads
part of the report, dated September 29 2006 and which the government and
senior management at NRZ have kept under wraps.

      President Robert Mugabe has in recent years appointed soldiers and
police to run the NRZ and other strategic state institutions in what
analysts have described as over-reliance by the veteran President on
security forces in the face of a worsening political and economic crisis in
the southern African nation.

      Many of the former security officers put in charge of key national
infrastructure and institutions are however barely qualified for their jobs.

      The probe committee said NRZ general manager Mike Karakadzai - and
himself a former Airforce of Zimbabwe commodore - should re-hire civilian
experts fired over the last few years if the rail utility's trains were to
once again become a reliable and safe means of transport.

      The report entitled: Findings of the Train Accident Investigating
Board, reads: "Even minor faults that have been reported have gone for long
without being repaired due to lack of knowledge by those who are employed to
do the job.

      "The parastatal should re-hire experts that it fired within the last
few years if it is to revert to its old ways of reliability as the present
scenario will only worsen the situation, cause more accidents that will kill
more people and scare away passengers and clients."

      The Ministry of Transport and management at NRZ have however attempted
to sweep the report under the carpet because they considered it sensitive
for its criticism of the performance of former soldiers and police employed
by the state rail company.

      Insiders at the NRZ said the rail firm also feared that disclosure of
the contents of the report could scare away travellers and could also incite
relatives of people killed in train accidents to sue the parastatal for
compensation.

      NRZ public relations officer Fanuel Masikati confirmed the accident
probe committee had blamed incompetence by workers at the rail firm but said
he could not discuss the report in greater detail because it was a
privileged document for internal use only.

      Masikati said: "Yes it (the report) blamed us here and there but I
cannot divulge that right now because the report remains privileged. We are
employing some of the recommendations of the board of inquiry and we hope
that will make things better."

      Apart from the NRZ, other major state institutions controlled by
former security men include the Attorney General's department, headed by
lawyer and former military intelligence officer Sobuza Gula-Ndebele.

      Former soldier George Chiweshe is chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC). Chiweshe, a trained lawyer, was removed from the army and
appointed to the High Court bench after Mugabe purged independent judges.

      Chiweshe was a few years later made chairman of the ZEC that has been
blamed by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and
independent election observers of conducting flawed elections in order to
ensure victory for Mugabe's ruling ZANU PF party.

      The chief executive officer of the state's Grain Marketing Board
(GMB), Samuel Muvuti, is also a former soldier. Under Muvuti, the GMB has
been accused of denying food to MDC supporters as punishment for backing the
opposition party, a charge both he and the government deny. - ZimOnline

War vets want 'protection' for white farmers

Zim Online

     Tuesday 31 October 2006

      HARARE - War veterans in the Midlands have asked President Robert
Mugabe to help stop senior ruling ZANU PF party officials from evicting the
few remaining white farmers in the province.

      In an ironic twist to Zimbabwe's chaotic land reforms, the war
veterans said the government should protect white farmers who are willing to
co-exist with the newly resettled black farmers.

      The war veterans were at the forefront in spearheading the government's
violent land seizure programme which began in 2000 and that also left
several white farmers and their black workers dead or injured.

      In a four-page letter to Mugabe seen by ZimOnline, the former fighters
said the President should stop the evictions "if government policy of
increased production, employment creation and foreign currency generation is
to be achieved."

      "Your Excellency, we are surprised by the current wave of evictions
against the remaining white farmers who were left because of their
willingness to co-exist with new farmers . . . We see greed, sabotage and
distortion of government policies.

      "We have concrete evidence of people who never worked on the pieces of
land that they were initially allocated, but are now occupying or clamouring
to occupy farmhouses . . . at the expense of productivity." reads part of
the letter.

      About 600 out of the slightly more than 4 000 strong white farmers who
were there before the land reforms in 2000, are still on their properties
after the majority were forced to emigrate to mostly neighbouring countries.

      Mugabe says the land reforms were necessary to correct a land tenure
system that favoured whites and left millions of blacks crowded on poor,
sandy soils.

      But war veterans and black villagers have often complained in the past
that senior ZANU PF and government officials were hounding them out of the
farms they occupied at the height of the land reforms.

      Mugabe has also admitted that government ministers and senior ruling
party officials had used their privileged positions to grab several farms
for themselves ignoring government policy of one-man-one-farm. - ZimOnline

Full rural council poll results expected by Thursday

Zim Online

     Tuesday 31 October 2006

      HARARE - The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Monday said it
expected to publish full results of rural district elections set to be
overwhelmingly won by President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU PF either on
Wednesday or Thursday.

      ZEC spokesman Utoile Silaigwana told ZimOnline: "Our provincial staff
will be bringing the results tomorrow to the head office to allow us to
verify and officially publish the results ..we expect to be ready to publish
the full results of the weekend elections probably by Wednesday or Thursday
this week."

      Elections took place in wards in 59 districts across the country and
for the mayor's post in Kadoma city.

      Incumbent mayor Fani Phiri of ZANU PF trounced Jonas Ndenda of the
Morgan Tsvangirai wing of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
party (MDC) by 4 614 against 2 491 votes to retain his job.

      Meanwhile, as ZANU PF seemed set for an easy victory, the two factions
of the MDC claimed they had made inroads into the ruling party's once
impregnable rural stronghold by wining some wards.

      Gabriel Chaibva of the faction of the opposition party that is led by
prominent academic Arthur Mutambara said: "We are working on a comprehensive
report on the elections but indications are that we got over fifty (50)
wards countrywide. But one clear thing is that we are controlling Nkayi
rural district council."

      Nelson Chamisa of the Tsvangirai faction said his party had also won
an almost similar number of wards in rural areas.

      "At the last count, we had won more than fifty. The problem is that
the information is still trickling in. We hope to have a clearer picture by
the middle of the week," said Chamisa, adding that the opposition party had
firm control of Binga district council in Matabeleland North.

      The two MDC factions also won a total eight seats unopposed on
nomination day last month while one seat was won by an independent.

      But ZANU PF is guaranteed of an emphatic victory. The party has
traditionally dominated rural areas at all political levels and went into
the low-key Saturday elections with 463 seats in the bag already after its
candidates were elected unopposed.

      The ruling party grabbed all wards that were contested in Zvimba,
Chegutu, Makonde, Hurungwe and Kariba districts and was expected to maintain
the same strong showing in most of the remaining districts.
      More than 800 council seats were up for grabs in the weekend
election. - ZimOnline

Trial of ex-soldier fails to kick off again

Zim Online

     Tuesday 31 October 2006

      MUTARE - The trial of Peter Michael Hitschmann, accused of stocking
weapons of war and to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, failed to
kick-off again on Monday after the state produced yet another set of new
ammunition.

      Lawyer Trust Maanda, who is representing Hitschmann, said the fresh
ammunition was added as exhibits on Friday and at the weekend.

      "The weapons were added on Friday evening and at the weekend. We could
not prepare," said Maanda, adding that the deference would object to the
state including new weapons that were not part of the original arsenal that
his client was accused of keeping.

      But Maanda said he was confident that the trial would take place
tomorrow before High Court Judge Alfas Chitakunye.

      The trial was supposed to have started last Thursday but was aborted
after the state added a set of new weapons and ammunition which defence
lawyers said were not known to Hitschmann.

      Hitschmann, a soldier in the former white government of Rhodesia -
Zimbabwe's name before independence in 1980 - is being charged with
violating the Public Order and Security Act (POSA that outlaws possession of
weapons for the purpose of committing banditry, insurgency, sabotage or
terrorism.

      He was initially arrested last March together with MDC officials that
included Mutare North legislator Giles Mutsekwa for working with the
hitherto unknown Zimbabwe Freedom Movement to overthrow the government.

      The group was accused of conspiring to murder Mugabe, businessman and
ZANU PF activist Esau Mupfumi and ZANU PF Chipinge South legislator Enock
Porusingazi during the 21st February Movement celebrations held in Mutare to
mark Mugabe's 82nd birthday.

      The state later dropped charges against Mutsekwa, MDC Manicaland
provincial youth chairman Knowledge Nyamhoka, party treasurer Brian James,
activist Thando Sibanda and four ex-policemen Peter Nzungu, Wellington
Tsuro, Jerry Maguta and Garikai Chikutya. - ZimOnline

Transport operators hike fares by 33 percent

Zim Online

Tuesday 31 October 2006

      HARARE - Zimbabwean public transport operators at the weekend hiked
fares by 33 percent as a severe seven year old economic crisis in the
southern African country showed no signs of easing off.

      A single trip from the city centre in Harare to nearby suburbs such as
Msasa Park , Hatfield and Epworth now costs Z$400, up the previous $300 that
commuters used to pay last week.

      Commuters from Chitungwiza, 25 kilometers away from Harare , now pay
$500, up from $400 they used to pay last week.

      Transport operators blamed the latest fare hike on rising prices of
fuel. A litre of petrol on the parallel market where the commodity is mostly
found now costs between $1 500 and $2 000.

      Transport operators who spoke to ZimOnline yesterday said the
state-run National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) had failed to supply
them with fuel forcing most of them to rely on the parallel market.

      "NOCZIM is dry and they haven't supplied us with any product for the
past two weeks. They tell us that they are prioritising farmers," said one
of the operators who refused to be named.

      Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, who is supposed to sanction
the fare increases, could not be reached for comment on the matter last
night.

      But the minister has in the past threatened to crack down on transport
operators who unilaterally hike fares without the government's approval.

      The latest fares increase will certainly worsen the plight of millions
of Zimbabweans who are already battling a severe economic crisis that has
manifested itself in record inflation and massive shortages of food. -
ZimOnline

Ruling Party Seen Maintaining Control Of Most Rural Districts

VOA

By Blessing Zulu, Carole Gombakomba & Ndimiyake Mwakalyelye
      30 October 2006

With election results trickling in from 59 rural districts across Zimbabwe,
indications were that the ruling ZANU-PF party had retained its dominant
position outside the cities despite inroads by the opposition in a few
areas. ZANU-PF also reclaimed the mayor's office in Kadoma, Mashonaland
West, the only higher office up for grabs.

Observers said the two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change undermined each other by fielding head-to-head candidates in 40
wards, thereby in effect handing victories to the ruling party. Both MDC
factions accused ZANU-PF of rigging ballots and buying votes as well as
engaging in voter intimidation.

 Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of the MDC faction headed by Morgan Tsvangirai
told  reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that his party
is pleased with the gains it has scored in the countryside in these
elections.

Speaking for the Arthur Mutambara faction of the MDC, deputy spokesman
Abednico Bhebhe said the elections were marred by irregularities.

ZANU-PF political commissar Elliot Manyika rejected charges of
ballot-rigging and other abuses, saying the opposition was simply unable to
accept defeat.

Rural district council elections and Kadoma's mayoral election were
characterized by very low voter turnout, according to the Zimbabwe Election
Support Network, which said as few as 25 voters turned out to cast ballots
in some rural wards.

Despite the extremely low turnout, the opposition made inroads by claiming
some rural wards that the ruling party had traditionally dominated.

Though the elections were generally peaceful, the independent
election-monitoring group cited one incident in Kadoma where the home of the
MDC candidate for mayor, Jonas Ndenda, was stoned by alleged supporters of
the ruling party.

Zimbabwe Election Support Network Chairman Reginald Matchaba-Hove told
Carole Gombakomba that irregularities observed in the run-up to the
elections, including the intimidation of voters and vote-buying, combined
with generally low voter awareness and understanding, added up to elections
that left much to be desired.

Despite scattered opposition gains, analysts saw the elections as a
non-event given that the ruling party appeared to have won the lion's share
of rural seats as expected. Such an outcome was predicted by many in view of
what observers called an uneven playing field and reported intimidation of
voters and opposition candidates.

For insight on the significance of the elections, reporter Ndimyake
Mwakalyele spoke with two experts on Zimbabwean politics: Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition Coordinator Jacob Mafume and Post-Independence Survival Trust
Director Felix Mafa.

Opposition makes inroads despite violence and intimidation

      By Tichaona Sibanda
      30 October 2006

      Both camps of the MDC have made significant gains in the rural
district council elections despite massive intimidation by Zanu (PF) during
last Saturday's poll. Even before the poll Zanu (PF) had won almost half the
seats uncontested countrywide.

      Out of the 1400 rural district seats, the ruling regime is expected to
get a majority. Reports from all the provinces say the voting system in the
country still heavily favours Zanu (PF) who control the election machinery.
In some areas vote counting is still going on while in other areas
communication problems has meant a delay in getting the results. This has
been attributed to massive logistical problems. Despite the intimidation,
the Mutambara led MDC on Saturday took control of Nkayi district in
Matebeleland North province when they won 15 out of 25 seats in the rural
district council elections.

      In all, the Mutambara camp has so far got 46 seats spread around the
two Matebeleland provinces. Before the weekend poll the MDC in Nkayi had two
seats but a massive voter turnout ensured that they wrestled the key seats
from the ruling Zanu (PF) regime.

      Abednigo Bhebhe the MP for Nkayi said he thought the voter turnout in
the district could have been the highest since Independence. The opposition
lost control of Nkayi when Zapu merged with Zanu (PF) in 1987. Before that
the district was under the control of Zapu, led by the late Joshua Nkomo.

      Although the results are still trickling in Zanu (PF) already controls
most of the districts mainly due to its ability to intimidate rural voters
and to rig the process. Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the Tsvangirai camp,
said despite Zanu (PF)'s history of violence his party made significant
inroads into rural areas that were once regarded as the bastion of support
for the repressive regime.

      In a statement Chamisa said they applaud and salute the hundreds of
thousands of heroes and heroines across Zimbabwe who continue to invest in
the electoral route to achieve a new Zimbabwe.

      'This is a major victory which shows that the people have issued an
eviction notice to the regime. This is against the background of our
candidates being hounded out of their areas by Zanu PF thugs. There are
thousands who voted for MDC candidates in Muzarabani, even after those
candidates had since fled those areas after their houses were burnt down by
identified Zanu PF hooligans and state agents,' said Chamisa.

      Chamisa said the results at hand show that for the first time Zimbabwe
will have opposition councillors in Kariba, Shamva and Bikita.

      'For the first time, we have a national rejection of Zanu PF and its
representatives, and all that it stands for, namely poverty, persecution of
perceived political opponents and failed socio-economic policies in the
rural areas. For the first time the people shall have MDC representation in
Shurugwi and Gutu South rural district councils,' he said.

      He added that his party now has councillors deep down in rural Gokwe,
Chimanimani, Buhera, Chipinge North and South.

      'Our candidates shall be representing people's interests in the rural
district council chambers in Guruve, Matobo, Binga, Lupane, Chirumanzu and
Mutasa communal lands. It is significant to note that all these council
seats that we now control across the country were previously held by Zanu
PF,' Chamisa said.

      Their mayoral candidate in Kadoma, Jonas Ndenda, told us there were
road blocks mounted by Zanu (PF) youths during Saturday's poll. He said a
number of their supporters were either turned away or beaten up by the
youths.

      'We told election officials about this but they just ignored us. It
was as if they were blind and deaf,' he said.

      A senior MDC official said the party faced massive logistical problems
as a result of fuel shortages in the run-up to Saturday's Kadoma mayoral and
rural district council elections. Elias Mudzuri, the national organising
secretary told us then that the shortage of fuel supplies at that critical
time of electioneering was another of Zanu (PF)'s strategies to rig the
poll.

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

Zimbabwe NGOs In Dispute Over Engaging With Mugabe Government

VOA

By Patience Rusere
      Washington
      30 October 2006

Zimbabwean non-governmental organizations met Monday in an attempt to
resolve a corrosive disagreement over strategy with respect to the
government of President Robert Mugabe, which is proposing to create a human
rights commission.

NGOs have been trading insults in the media over the decision by some
organizations in civil society to cooperate with Harare in setting up the
rights commission. Critics say the government has shown scant respect for
human rights and that cooperating in the establishment of such a commission
is merely playing into Harare's hand.

The National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations and NANGO members
like the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, the Women's Coalition
and the National Society for the Care of the Handicapped favor engaging the
government.

The National Constitutional Assembly, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, among others, oppose cooperation.

NANGO spokesman Fambai Ngirande said his organization's board intends to
consult with members the issue - but he acknowledged NANGO is under pressure
to pull out of discussions with the government. The board is expected to
announce its decision soon on whether it will continue working or break off
talks with the government.

The United Nations Development Program, the lead U.N. agency in the country,
has also come under fire for encouraging NGOs to engage with the government.

National Constitutional Assembly spokesman Ernest Mudzengi said his group
refuses to consider talking with the government about a commission on human
rights so long as there continue to be what the NCA regards as government
rights violations.

Disaster Looms As Water Crisis Deepens in Zimbabwe

      By Violet Gonda
      30 0ctober 2006

      A serious health crisis is looming in Zimbabwe as several cities have
been hit by a major water crisis. The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said the
capital city Harare has been the hardest hit with many people spending days
without water.

      In a modern city residents in areas like Malbereign, Glen View,
Mabvuku, Budiriro and Tafara are having to resort to using water from
shallow wells or walking long distances to find some water.

      Mike Davies the chairperson of the Combined Harare Residents and
Ratepayers Association (CHRA) said; " This is a symptom of the villagisation
of Harare under ZANU PF's rule, that the service delivery has been reduced
to what you'd get in a village like Gokwe."

      The civic leader said the water crisis has become a perennial
problem - especially at this time of the year when it's extremely hot,
proving once again that authorities are incapable of dealing with the issue.

      He said; "The answer to this crisis lies essentially in technical and
financial areas. We need a new water source that is not heavily polluted,
that is easier and cheaper to clean." But Davies believes that before this
aspect can be addressed there needs to be the political will to seek
solutions to the crisis.

      CHRA has appealed to the three main pillars of the society, the
executive, judiciary and parliament but failed on all three fronts to get a
positive outcome. As a result the residents have been left with no choice
but to embark on a campaign of civil disobedience.

      Residents having been dumping raw sewage at their council offices in
protest at the raw sewage flowing in their streets and this time they have
warned of an increased number of sporadic, spontaneous and small scale
demonstrations. Davies said; "And we will continue to press for legal action
and we will continue to push for a rates boycott so that we are not funding
our own oppression."

      Meanwhile the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition lambasted the water
authority, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and the Harare
Municipality for failing to deliver the commodity, even though people are
paying.

      The group said although the authorities increased rates from about
      Z$2,000 per month up to Z$15,000, claiming it was for water treatment
and supplying of water to residents, the quality of water has not improved.

      "It has in fact deteriorated to the extent that the water being
supplied to residents in Harare gives off a terrible stench and was recently
condemned by the municipality's own experts for failing to meet the minimum
safety requirements set by the World Health Organisation and the Standard
Association of Zimbabwe," the Coalition said in a statement.

      Mike Davies added; "As far as we are concerned, ZINWA adds no value to
the supply chain and is really just another parasitical body that will
extract value at the cost to the residents and ratepayers of the city."

      We were not able to get a comment from the Zimbabwe National Water
Authority.

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

State sanctioned illegal mining in Zimbabwe

From Mineweb (SA), 30 October

By Rodrick Mukumbira

Windhoek - Politics superseded rational thinking when industrial diamonds
were discovered in Marange, in eastern Zimbabwe along the border with
Mozambique, last May, as politicians advocated for a free-for-all policy and
ordered villagers to extract the precious mineral at will. In a plot
straight from the fairy tales, diamonds had transformed very poor and
illiterate villagers into millionaires by Zimbabwean standards over night -
forget the national pride diamond wealth has brought to Botswana - as they
sold the precious stones extracted from a claim owned by LSX listed Africa
Consolidated Resources to illegal middlemen under the "watchful" eye of the
police and state security organ, Criminal Intelligence Organisation. The
middlemen, in turn, sold the diamonds to Minerals Marketing Corporation of
Zimbabwe (MMCZ), the official mineral buyer for a profit. Industrial
diamonds are said to also have a ready market in Zimbabwe's southern
neighbour, South Africa.

Local teachers and their pupils, policemen and council workers had joined in
the rush that revealed the sad state of Zimbabwe's economic policy in which
politics take precedence over rational thinking. When senior ruling ZANU-PF
politicians, intent on consolidating their hold on the poor, gave the
villagers the go-ahead to mine, no environmental impact assessment had been
carried out at the mine and its environs. There are no toilets or safe
drinking water for the huge throngs gathered there daily. Media reports
spoke of villagers from this low rainfall area, dominated by rocky terrain
and thorny bush, being overwhelmed by their new-found wealth competing among
themselves on spending the windfall with beers being bought in crates
instead of rounds and prostitutes reporting a brisk business. They do not
know what to do with the vast amounts which they carry around, it appears.
That they are overwhelmed by their new-found wealth is evident in the way
they appear to be in competition with each other to spend it as quickly as
possible.

Marange also remained poor and underdeveloped despite the diamond rush. The
local council was not collecting any royalties or levies from the miners.
The buyers and miners were not paying any taxes, as Zimbabwe's answer to a
five-year foreign currency drought was being exploited to satisfy political
ends. Since the controversial move by the government in 2000 to take over
white owned commercial farms for distribution to landless blacks, Zimbabwe
has been going through an economic recession that is characterised by
foreign currency, fuel and food shortages. Since last week the cash-trapped
government has been clamping down on the illegal trade on diamonds, as it,
without confirmation, heeds calls by economic analysts that it was losing
millions in foreign currency earnings. On Friday, the government suspended
activity and ordered everyone off the claim, ironically to allow them to
prepare to vote in Saturday's rural district council elections. This week
army and police units are due to be deployed. "We have to put a stop to the
illegal activities," police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena, is quoted as
saying.

Amos Midzi, Minister of Mines and Mining Development, is on record as
advocating the establishment of a full mining operation on the claim, as
opposed to the free-for-all enforced by politicians. On Monday, fears were
abounding that the villagers were being snubbed in preference for a few
selected "connected" local companies that would be awarded contracts to mine
the diamonds. Uncontrolled digging has left many mini-craters in the area.
Press reports from Zimbabwe quote several villagers saying they were forced
to sell illegally to middlemen because MMCZ was failing to cope with the
swelling number of customers. "The MMCZ people just don't want to admit the
truth," one villager was quoted as saying, "which is that they don't have
enough money and staff to handle the volume of the trade. They are always
running out of money. This week they were still paying people who were put
on a list a week earlier. And they didn't even pay everyone on that list."
Meanwhile, Africa Consolidated Resources was this week taking legal action
against MMCZ, which was in June granted diamond mining rights for Marange,
to stop the state-owned company from seizing the claim. The British company
is arguing that MMCZ has no legal right to the claim as Zimbabwe's Precious
Stones Trade Act prohibits any licensed dealer from engaging in mining
activities. MMCZ is licensed to deal with all precious minerals with the
exception of gold

Taskforce Set Up to Monitor Mining On New Diamond Belt

The Herald (Harare)

October 30, 2006
Posted to the web October 30, 2006

Tandayi Motsi Recently in Marange, Manicaland
Harare

GOVERNMENT has appointed a taskforce to ensure professional and sustainable
mining of a diamond belt that was recently discovered in the Chiadzwa area
of Marange communal lands.

The taskforce -- comprising six Government ministries and the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe -- has been mandated to thwart illegal panning of the precious
mineral.

The setting-up of the committee follows rampant unlawful extraction and
smuggling of the diamonds by hundreds of illegal miners who have invaded the
area.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Cde Amos Midzi told the panners and
locals while touring the area on Thursday that the taskforce would also find
ways to plug loopholes that had resulted in the illegal mining of the
mineral.

Cde Midzi, Environment and Tourism Minister Cde Francis Nhema, Minister of
State for National Security, Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement Cde Didymus
Mutasa, Defence Minister Cde Sydney Sekeramayi, Finance Minister Cde Herbert
Murerwa, Home Affairs Minister Cde Kembo Mohadi and RBZ Governor Dr Gideon
Gono make up the taskforce.

Cde Midzi said the Government was concerned that while it had given the
green light to the Marange community to extract the diamonds and sell them
to the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, some unscrupulous dealers
had taken advantage of the loopholes by looting the mineral.

"Most of the people who are now involved in the extraction of the diamonds
are not from this area but have come from places such as the border with
Mozambique and South Africa.

"Local people should conserve this precious mineral resource. This is the
reason why the President has sent a team of Cabinet ministers to see how
best the issue can be resolved," he said.

The minister said it was disheartening to note that some of the diamonds
were being sold to unregistered dealers and being subsequently smuggled to
neighbouring countries such as South Africa, adding that this was illegal.

To curb this, the diamonds should be extracted within the confines of the
Mines and Minerals Act and the Kimberley Process Certification System that
details the origin of the mineral, he said.

Hundreds of people -- including businesspersons and cross-border traders -- 
were flocking to the area with food and other goods with which to exchange
for the diamonds.

Cde Midzi said all the illegal panners who had flooded the site should
urgently be flushed out.

"There will be severe penalties on those found mining the diamonds
illegally. It must be known that all areas with diamond deposits are
reserved areas and no one is allowed to mine them illegally," Cde Midzi
said.

The Government, he said, would carry out a feasibility study in the area to
determine the quantity of the diamonds before mapping the way forward.

The minister appealed to the traditional and political leadership in the
area to assist the Government in dealing with the illegal panners.

Speaking at the same occasion, Cde Sekeramayi said the mining of diamonds
should primarily benefit the local community and this would only be achieved
through unity and peace.

"In some countries, diamonds are being used to sponsor armed conflicts and
other criminal activities hence there is need for you to work together with
the police in uprooting criminals," he said.

Cde Mutasa said some white people were illegally buying the diamonds in the
area before smuggling them outside the country and measures should be put in
place to stop them.

"We would like to look at how the diamonds should be mined legally,
including how to factor in small-scale miners. We will report back to
Cabinet on the way forward," he said.

Thousands of panners have descended on Chiadzwa Mountain for the "diamond
rush", as it is now popularly known.

However, the area is now scarred by unreclaimed huge pits and uprooted
vegetation -- a sign of the spreading serious environmental degradation.

It was in this vein that Cde Nhema appealed to the panners to ensure that
the land was rehabilitated after the extraction of the diamonds.

The meeting was also attended by Transport and Communications Minister Cde
Christopher Mushohwe, who is the legislator for the area, senior Zanu-PF
officials in Manicaland and MMCZ officials.

The MMCZ has pitched up a tent at the site to buy the diamonds while about
six police officers have been deployed on permanent patrol of the area to
maintain law and order.

However, security is lax as the area is not fenced off and those leaving the
site are not subjected to searches, thereby fuelling the illegal trading and
smuggling of the diamonds.

A health hazard is looming as there are no toilet facilities.

The panners, some of whom live with their entire families on the site, sleep
in the open.

One of the panners, Mr Edison Marachisi, said he had been living at the site
with his family for the past two weeks.

"The diamond rush is a form of employment for us. I have managed to buy
household property from the proceeds," he said.

Mr Marachisi said on average, he extracted gems that fetched between $60 000
and $150 000 per day depending on the quality.

Some of the panners attributed the thriving illegal trading to the prolonged
purchasing system of the MMCZ.

MMCZ officials said the slow pace in buying the mineral was a result of the
required stages of inspecting, buying and processing of the diamonds.

Africa beginning to shake off poverty - WB

IOL

          October 30 2006 at 08:27PM

      Many African countries, including Mozambique, might meet the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving poverty by 2010 but
Zimbabwe is not one of them, according to a World Bank report released on
Monday.

      "Africa is today a continent on the move, making tangible progress on
delivering better health, education, growth, trade and poverty-reduction
outcomes," said Gobind Nankanis, the World Bank vice president for the
Africa region in the report, released in Washington.

      The annual World Bank publication, "African Development Indicators
(ADI) 2006," depicts a diverse continent, with several countries making
remarkable progress, some stagnating and others lagging seriously behind.

      Many countries, including Mozambique, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Uganda, Ghana and Cape Verde, have lifted significant percentages of their
citizens above the poverty line and might well be on course to meet the MDG
target of halving poverty by 2010.

      The full spectrum of achievers and laggards stretches from Zimbabwe,
which recorded a negative growth rate of 2.4 percent - the only country with
a negative growth rate in 2004 on the continent to Equatorial Guinea, with a
20.9 percent growth rate.

      "While economic outcomes are increasingly diverse, Africa has made
near uniform progress in social outcomes, notably education and health,"
said John Page, the World Bank's chief economist for the Africa region,
adding that Africa's per capita income is now increasing in tandem with
other developing countries.

      The ADI 2006 confirms that 16 African countries have sustained annual
GDP growth rates in excess of 4.5 percent since the mid-1990s; inflation on
the continent is down to historic lows; most exchange rate distortions have
been eliminated; and fiscal deficits are dropping.

      The continent weathered higher oil prices better than previous shocks
and its real GDP grew by 4.3 percent, compared to 5.4 percent in 2004.

      Productivity in Africa's best performing firms is on par with
competitors in Asia (India and Vietnam).

      Factory-floor costs in Africa's best economies compare well with India
and China, but Africa has overall lost market share in traditional exports
although several countries increased exports by more than 10 percent.

      The good news includes primary enrolment rates rising significantly
across the continent. HIV and Aids prevalence and child mortality rates have
started to fall and the gender gap has started to shrink in several
countries.

      "Gross primary enrolment rates as a share of the relevant age group -
a standard indicator of investment in the poor - shot up to 93 percent in
2004 from 72 percent in 1990, contributing to a rise in literacy rates from
50 percent in 1997 to 65 percent in 2002," said Page.

      The ADI 2006 highlights the numerous challenges facing Africa, the
lone region of the world where the number of the poor continues to rise.

      The continent, which received a mere 1.6 percent of global foreign
direct investments (about R75,7-billion), is home to six of the 10 countries
judged as having the most difficult environment for starting a business and
efforts by African firms to enter the global marketplace remain hobbled,
among others, by inadequate roads, inefficient ports, and power outages.

      The ADI 2006 calls for the lifting of burdensome rules of origin
through reforms in the US African Growth and Opportunity Act and the EU's
Everything But Arms initiative, but also for reforms within Africa to
promote intra-African trade.

      The report warns that the immense disease burden posed by HIV and
Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as by corruption, anaemic aid,
cascading tariffs barring made-in-Africa products from entering global
markets and dwindling foreign direct investments threaten gains in poverty
alleviation.

      "Improving governance and smart management of natural resource rents
are key requirements for improving development outcomes in Africa, where an
estimated windfall of more than US200bn in oil revenue alone will accrue to
African governments between 2000 and 2010," said Nankani, reflecting on the
fact natural resource-rich economies have tended to make slow progress on
the continent despite their enormous wealth endowment.

      The publication includes development data from all 53 African
countries and covers 1980 to 2004. - Sapa

University of Zimbabwe to offer Chinese lessons next year

People's Daily

      The Chinese Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe is going
to start offering lessons in Chinese language in February next year, an
official has said.

      Faculty of Arts Dean Pedzisayi Mashiri said on Saturday the
refurbishment of lecture rooms was in progress and that equipment was on its
way to Zimbabwe from China. "We are expecting it by the end of November," he
said.

      "We hope that after the installation we are going to start lessons in
mid February. There are going to be two categories, one for basic Chinese
and then the degree program. We have been getting a lot of enquiries from
interested people and we hope this programme is going to be a success," he
added.

      Zimbabwe and China signed a memorandum of understanding in August for
the establishment of Confucius Institute for the study of the Chinese
language at the University of Zimbabwe. China would provide the equipment
and two lecturers. The move was meant to strengthen diplomatic and economic
ties between the two countries.

      Zimbabwe also plans to launch short-term Chinese language courses at
Management Training Bureau Centre in Harare. The courses would cater for the
business community, particularly for the benefit of Chinese tourists.

      Source: Xinhua

Zimbabwean coal giant commissions huge equipment from China

People's Daily

      Zimbabwe's coal giant, Hwange Colliery Company Limited, has put into
operation 13 huge-sized mining equipment imported from China worth 6.2
million U.S. dollars in a bid to double its output.

      An inauguration ceremony was held at the Hwange Opencast Mine in west
Zimbabwe province of Matebeleland North on Saturday for the operation of
five 91-ton and five 45-ton Terex dumping trucks, two Atlas excavators and
one TR50W water bowser, all made by Baotou No. 1 Machine Building Group in
north China and supplied by China's Norinco.

      "Norinco is very pleased to see its business expanding into more
Zimbabwe's economic sectors with the implementation of Look East policy by
the Zimbabwean government," said Jin Zhizhong, deputy representative of
Norinco in Zimbabwe.

      "With these equipment, we believe that Hwange Colliery will see
expansion in its output to meet the country's needs for coal," Jin said,
adding that in view of current economic difficulties, about 70 percent of
the payment for the equipment will be deferred over a period of two years.

      He said Norinco will continue making its efforts to provide high-
quality products for the industrial sector in Zimbabwe. Norinco, one of the
leading enterprise group in China, exports mainly large- sized mechanical
products, provides various kinds of logistic services and builds civil
engineering projects abroad.

      In recent years, the Chinese company sets its foot in areas of energy
and mining. Zimbabwe Vice President J. W. Msica attended the ceremony and
cut the ribbon for the inauguration of these equipment.

      He said the equipment is part of the mine's recapitalization program
that gained momentum in the past months. It is also the first set of
equipment the mine has managed to procure from a Chinese company in line
with the government's dynamic Look East policy, he added. Msica said he has
had many occasions to commission equipment procured from China in the past
years.

      "As we strive to maintain our sovereignty as a democratically elected
government, and to economically emancipate our nation, I am one of those who
is proud to be associated with our friends from China and other friendly
countries from the East, who stood by us during our protracted struggle for
independence, and are still standing with us today and sharing in our vision
to socially and economically emancipate ourselves," the vice president said.

      Source: Xinhua

Zim union leaders try to scrap 'illegal' protest case

Mail and Guardian

      Harare, Zimbabwe

      30 October 2006 02:23

            Lawyers for Zimbabwean labour union leaders facing charges of
trying to launch an illegal protest against President Robert Mugabe's rule
sought on Monday to have the case scrapped.

            Lawyer Alec Muchadehama told a magistrate's court that the law
the 30 leaders and members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
were alleged to have breached actually violated basic constitutional rights.

            Muchadehama said he was filing an appeal in the Supreme Court,
adding that the charges were "too vague and not reasonably justified in a
democratic society".

            "The charge sheet does not specify who did what in the crowd,"
Muchadehama told magistrate William Bhila.

            The ZCTU leaders were forced to abandon plans for a slew of
anti-government marches over the spiralling cost of living when police
arrested them for breaching the Criminal Law Codification Act on September
13.

            The ZCTU had hoped to rope in thousands to denounce fuel and
food shortages, four-digit inflation and 80% unemployment -- which critics
blame on economic mismanagement by Mugabe's government.

            The lawyers said ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe had a
fractured arm while 29 others sustained bruises and cuts after being
assaulted in police custody.

            State prosecutor Tawanda Zvekare had argued that the union
leaders marched through central Harare, chanting slogans against Mugabe, the
army and the police and damaged police trucks during skirmishes with riot
police.

            The union leaders have denied the charge and argued through
their lawyers that their detention in police custody was illegal.

            Magistrate Bhila will rule on December 4 whether to refer the
matter to the Supreme Court.

            Demonstrations by the ZCTU threatened to bring Zimbabwe to its
knees in the late 1990s.

            But Mugabe's opponents have been unable to take advantage of the
current economic crisis as a result of internal divisions within the
opposition and fear of the security services. -- AFP

How long, oh Lord?

Perhaps this has been the most common question that I have been asked in
recent weeks. People look at me anxiously and hope for an indication that
things are not as bad as they seem and that there is some hope that this
long nightmare might end.

That is a tough question - perhaps because there is no answer. The truth of
the matter is that we might wake up tomorrow morning and find that
everything has changed. The reality is however, that change is not likely to
come very soon and it is how we manage that bit of information that matters.

Let's just review the overall situation that confronts us right now.

It is now certain that 2007 is going to be much worse than 2006. Inflation
is going to be higher, the economy will almost certainly shrink - for the
9th year in a row and the flood of economic refugees into other countries
will, if anything get worse. Shortages will be more widespread and this will
create additional problems for those of us who live here. I predict that the
coming agricultural season will be much worse than in the past year. Output
across the board will be lower - without exception.

Then there is the situation in Zanu PF. Mr. Mugabe is no longer functioning
effectively as Head of State - he is working very short hours and for
whatever reason is already in a state of semi retirement. He has moved to
his new home in Harare and goes into the office late in the morning
returning home before midday. Few people are seeing him and it is clear that
government is confused and divided - no strong central direction is
apparent. Everybody is doing his or her own thing.

Then there is the succession debate. Rumors abound about Mugabe's future
plans - they all point to him stepping down and it would appear from our
sources that the debate on whether to allow him to remain President until
2010 has been quashed. It would appear to us that he is now committed to
retirement in March 2008, if not sooner. A recurrent Zanu PF nightmare is
that he might become incapacitated sooner than March 2008, leaving Zanu
unprepared for the succession battles that will follow.

If we look at the four likely candidates right now they do not look very
hopeful! Munangagwa is not well and probably could not take the strain of a
Presidential election and the aftermath. Vice President Mujuru is regarded
as a bit of a lame duck - lacking the capacity to operate as President or to
win an election. Simba Makoni is a lightweight who does not command enough
support in the rank and file although he has the support of Mr. Mujuru for
what that is worth. Mugabe does not trust him and probably would block his
nomination.

That leaves Gideon Gono - the one man goon show who has been running the
Reserve Bank for the past few years and seems no closer to understanding
anything other than his masters wishes. That could get him the job - he is
the effective Prime Minister for Mugabe at present and clearly has his trust
and backing. However Gono does not have support within Zanu PF and I am not
sure if that is a good or a bad thing. It probably makes little difference -
it is Mugabe's mantle that matters.

And that brings us to the state of Zanu PF itself. I sometimes wonder if it
actually exists anymore - as a political party that is. The gravy train
certainly exists and is still puffing its way through our remaining
resources and capacity. The people who operate and live on the State, like
overblown leeches, would call themselves Zanu PF but the day that Zanu loses
power and the gravy train is derailed, they will run so far from the Zanu PF
label that it will be difficult to identify their political origins after a
week or so. In my view if Zanu were to loose power tomorrow, they would
disintegrate and cease to exist as an effective political force within 24
hours.

Certainly the one thing we can all agree to is that this government seems to
have absolutely no idea as to how to get out of the hole they have dug for
themselves over the past 26 years. As Mugabe said yesterday - there are
certain things that are not open to negotiation to Zanu PF. These are the
very things that are blocking progress and that will ultimately destroy the
Party itself.

Then there is the opposition - still popular with the ordinary person on the
street, but unable to set in motion an effective campaign to unseat Zanu PF
and replace it with a new and effective government. It now seems unlikely
that mass action will be the instrument of change that was once hoped. No
one will fund mass action and it cannot be mounted without resources. At the
same time the State has shown itself to be willing to crush any sign of
dissent. Since we will never take up arms again - that rules out those
options for regime change.

So we must now wait - either for Mr. Mugabe to become incapacitated for one
reason or another (there are persistent reports of health problems) or for
March 2008 when he might step down and a candidate for Zanu PF will have to
run for President.

Any election that does not include Mr. Mugabe will be a totally different
one to an election that did incorporate him as a candidate. For a start the
new candidate will have none of his stature as one of the "strong men of
Africa" and "liberation war hero". Secondly, Zanu PF has always pretended to
be a democratic institution and pretended to play the democratic game in
elections here. This exposes them to the threat of an electoral loss and
even if they do maintain the machinery that gave them victory in 2000, 2002
and 2005, there is no guarantee that it will work again.

So we may have to just sit tight and wait - time is on our side in this
situation, Zanu PF has nowhere to hide at present - they created this mess
and must live in it and bear responsibility for it in full. For the
opposition - perhaps it is time we persuaded the Broad Alliance to put up a
single candidate and to begin now working on controlling the vote and the
count in the forthcoming presidential election. If we play our cards right,
we could win that election and then treat the period up to the June 2010
election as a transition with a new constitution and the restoration of the
rule of law in the interim as principle objectives. Mugabe said this week
that he sees no reason to change the constitution - well lets hoist him onto
that petard and see how he likes it under an Alliance President with all his
present powers in April 2008.

I think we can hold out until then.

Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 28th October 2006

The voice of a nation

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2006/10/anc_betrays_black_zimbabwe.html

Polite lobbying of the South African government for action against Robert Mugabe has had no effect; now it is time to get more vocal.

Peter Tatchell

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October 30, 2006 09:11 AM | Printable version

President Mugabe of Zimbabwe has murdered more black Africans than even the South African apartheid regime. In just one region of Zimbabwe, in just one decade - in Matabeleland in the 1980s - he was responsible for the massacre of 20,000 civilians. This is the equivalent of a Sharpeville massacre every day for more than nine months.

There was a global campaign against apartheid. I was part of it for more than 20 years. Why isn't there a similar global campaign against Mugabe's murderous tyranny? Ooops, silly me. The killer is the wrong colour. He's a black murderer, not a white one. Besides, it is racist and neo-imperialist for anyone in the west to criticise the leader of a developing country, even a bloody butcher like Mugabe. Well, that seems to be the perspective of some (not all) of my colleagues on the left.

It also appears to be the view of the South African government, judging from the pitiful performance of the South African foreign minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, in London on Wednesday night.

Speaking at the London School of Economics, she failed to address the two biggest crises facing southern Africa - the HIV pandemic and the chaos and brutality in Zimbabwe.

I was there and heard Dr Zuma speak about the importance of international solidarity. She rightly praised the late ANC leader Oliver Tambo, stating that he was an "ardent internationalist" and a person who believed in "true solidarity".

This was stomach-churning stuff coming from a foreign minister who, together with the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, does nothing while Zimbabwe burns.

It was also too much for the Free Zim Youth (FZY) activists in the audience.

"We were sickened to hear Dr Zuma talk about international solidarity when her government is refusing to show solidarity with the persecuted people of Zimbabwe," said Alois Mbawara, one of the organisers of FZY.

He led the disruption of Dr Zuma's lecture, in protest at her government's failure to do anything meaningful to pressure Mugabe to hold free and fair elections, and to halt his regime's policies of detention without trial, rape, torture and murder.

During the 1970s and 80s, I remember well the ANC's call for international solidarity against apartheid. The world responded and the ANC has since said that global support helped the victory over white minority rule.

Despite having benefited from an international solidarity campaign to win black freedom, the ANC is now refusing to show solidarity with the freedom struggle of the people of Zimbabwe. The ANC had a Freedom Charter for South Africa. Don't Zimbabweans deserve a freedom charter too - and shouldn't the ANC be helping them win it?

I hate to criticise my friends in the ANC but the truth is that President Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy" has failed. Mugabe's abuses have increased, not diminished, with millions at risk of starvation because they are being denied food. Why? They don't get food because they live in regions of the country that voted for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. I call it political cleansing.

The ANC once led a heroic liberation struggle. Now it seems to be turning its back on the ideals of liberation and internationalism. Some of its leaders have become complacent and corrupt, suddenly accruing fabulous wealth. The government in Pretoria spends vast sums on armaments, while claiming there is not enough money to combat HIV, fund land reform and treat Zimbabwean refugees humanely.

With these concerns in mind, I joined the protest; jumping up onto the stage behind Dr Zuma and holding up a placard reading: "Mbeki's shame. ANC betrays black Zimbabwe." It wasn't long before I was fingered by PC Plod: "Mr Tatchell, it's time to leave," he said. Next thing I knew I was put in a restraining grip, my wrist forced back and my fingers crushed to pinch the nerves. I was powerless to resist. That was the end of my protest.

Soon afterwards, more black Zimbabweans erupted from the audience. After a few minutes, we all were either ejected or left of our own free will. We had made our point. Dr Zuma was able to complete her miserable lecture.

Although Dr Zuma was greeted by warm applause when she arrived, by the time she finished her speech she had alienated much of the audience. They were riled by her arrogant, heartless refusal to express even a few words of concern for the Zimbabwean people. Particularly reprehensible was Dr Zuma's parting shot: that Zimbabweans in Britain had no right to speak out about the situation in their homeland. This is a bit rich coming from Dr Zuma, who spent much of the apartheid era in exile in the UK.

While we continued our protest outside the LSE, Dr Zuma was humiliatingly smuggled out of a side exit to a waiting unmarked car. She scuttled away like the shamed foreign minister she is.

Polite lobbying of the South African government has got us nowhere. The ANC ignores all cries for help from Zimbabwe. That's why we had to stage this protest.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, MPs and civic leaders have been brutalised while peacefully demonstrating for fair wages, against rocketing prices and mass evictions, and for basic human rights.

We have seen South Africa blocking calls for the UN to investigate Mugabe's abuses. It has endorsed Zimbabwe's flawed elections, even though they were conducted in an atmosphere of violent intimidation by Mugabe's henchmen.

"We salute Cosatu and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Unlike the ANC, they have spoken out against human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. They stand in solidarity with ordinary Zimbabweans. Mbeki, Zuma and the ANC see nothing, hear nothing and do nothing," said FZY protester, Wellington Chibanguza.

"The Zimbabwean people supported South Africans in the fight against apartheid. Now it is time for South Africa to support Zimbabweans in the fight against Mugabe's dictatorship," he said.

Mugabe has killed tens of thousands of Zimbaweans, but he cannot kill a nation and its yearning to be free. The old rally cry of the ANC is more relevant than ever to Zimbabwe: "Amandla! Awethu!" - Power! To the people!

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PoliticalUmpire

Comment No. 274319

October 30 9:55

GBR

Peter Tatchell is a brave man, who lives by his principles instead of just standing on a soap box. (He was beaten up by some of Mugabe's thugs a few years ago, who obviously took 'gay bashing' literally.)

Zimbabwe is a murderous disgrace, but little gets done about it for the following reasons:

1. His neighbours include some tyrants who are almost as bad. Mugabe distracts world attention from them.

2. His favourite excuse is that any and all problems are those of 'colonisation', never mind that Rhodesia was a far better place for 99% of the population that Zimbabwe is, even under international sanctions in the 1970s. And never mind that those whose homes were bulldozed recently weren't, at last look, British imperialists.

3. It suits his neighbours also to blame colonisation for any and all problems Africa faces.

4. There is no oil there, and no other compelling strategic reason for the west to intervene militarily.

5. Even if there was, one doubts America and others would have much appetite for further foreign adventures given the last ones.

6. Economic sanctions are inappropriate - the economy has been destroyed enough already, and Mugabe's personal wealth has remained largely untouched.

http://cricketandcivilisation.blogspot.com

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Teacup

Comment No. 274329

October 30 10:04

IND

Agree with PoliticalUmpire that sanctions do not work. They harm the wrong people and the leaders can just carry on (examples Cuba and Iraq). Armed intervention is also not possible and would backfire. So how does one put pressure on that nasty piece of work?

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xyzzy

Comment No. 274358

October 30 10:35

Apartheid was about poor blacks being suppressed by rich whites, while a few blacks got rich on the side. Modern Sourth Africa is about poor blacks being suppressed by rich blacks, while a few whites get rich on the side. What's the difference?

Part of the problem, of course, is the idolatry of Nelson Mandella. His hand-picked successor is an AIDS-denier (like a holocaust denier, but with more corpses) and his ex-wife is closer to becoming a convicted murderer than most people could get while still getting elected. But hey: he's OK! He's a national hero! And from his poor taste in men and women flows the corrupt nature of the South African government. White lefties then patronise them by saying things like``yes, he's a sexual predator who believes that a shower prevents AIDS, but at least he's a BLACK sexual predator...'' --- presumably, young vulnerable women prefer to be raped by black than by whites --- and we are assured bad governance forever.

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Neoconned

Comment No. 274378

October 30 10:48

GBR

Tatchell -

**in Matabeleland in the 1980s - he was responsible for the massacre of 20,000 civilians.**

Given the scepticism in some quarters about the recent study of mortality in Iraq, I have to ask does Tatchell have any peer reviewed studies that support his statement, or is he just blowing smoke again?

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Berchmans

Comment No. 274379

October 30 10:50

GBR

Mr Tatchell

## Why isn't there a similar global campaign against Mugabe's murderous tyranny? Ooops, silly me. The killer is the wrong colour. He's a black murderer##

Whilst you are maybe right I knew this language would enable e.g. XYZZY to come out of the closet with unwarranted racist typifications.

.

Remember when Mugabe was ( briefly) the hero?

My brother wrote # Vickory to Zimbawe # (My brother still can't spell) signs all over Leith as a kid.

Then a billboard was cleared and painted white..

At night we took rollers and lengths of chimney pipes and he wrote:

## SUPORT MUGBY ## in 3 ft high letters..ah well.

Congratulations on your work.

B

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PeterTatchell

Comment No. 274399

October 30 11:01

GBR

The figure of 20,000 murdered comes from the Catholic Church and human rights groups in Zimbabwe. They independently conducted extensive investigations into the killings and came to the same conclusion re the death toll.

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Waltz

Comment No. 274404

October 30 11:05

GBR

I'd like to see UN-sanctioned political assassinations introduced to get rid of these tyrants. Far less destructive than the other alternatives of either interventionist wars or leaving these maniacs to get on with things.

A bit of poison in Mugabe's ReadyBrek would do wonders for Zimbabwe.

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riziki

Comment No. 274421

October 30 11:15

GBR

PoliticalUmpire:
Peter Tatchell was bashed by Mugabe's bodyguards because he tried to carry out a citizen's arrest on Mugabe, It had nothing to do with him being gay. Would you similarly support, for instance, a foreign citizen who attempted to do the same to Tony Blair or George Bush on the basis that they felt that the two of them had committed war crimes? If they did, I reckon they'd end up in Guantanamo bay so Peter, maybe, is Lucky that he only got a beating.

None of Mugabe's neighbours are half as bad, or do you reckon that all Africans the same? Most aren't very democratic but that's not a specifically African problem. The problem is you expect people to discard the governance systems they developed over thousands of years to suit their societies and adopt a political system that was imposed by force and not particularly for their benefit and you expect them to to this successfully in less than 50 years? get real!

So you think Africans fared better under colonisation. One thing you empire apologists have never answered is; why did Africans resort to armed struggle to overthrow colonialism if it was such a good thing for them? Would you care to enlighten us! The fact that the economic indicators in "Rhodesia" might have been better than they are now doesn't mean that life was better for Zimbabweans, it just means that those who owned the country's productive assets were doing very well. Most black Zimbabweans were living in poverty and were not guaranteed any rights by the regime of the time. It's interesting also that you metion sanctions, why take those in the 70's into consideration but then ignore the sanctions placed on Zimbabwe now? Also, do you really think that economic growth would justify the kinds of policies practiced by Smith's regime? a question for you, If Germany had conquered England and through German innovation had contributed immensely to the British economy, would that have justified Nazism? if not, why not?

I haven't heard any African countries blame all of their problems on colonisation, would you care to provide links or are you just talking out your arse. Most of them seem to recognise that most of their problems emanate from the kleptocratic political classes they have who have the advantage of presiding over a very exploitative political system and whether you like it or not, this is a legacy of colonialism!

Having said that, Something should be done about Mugabe although i'm not too sure asking for a foreign intervention would be the right thing(foreign could also mean other African), they'd probably fight back and a foreign occupation would probably end up with the populace rallying around Mugabe just out of pride. We tend to disregard dignity and pride as a motivating factor behind resistance at great peril. Wole Soyinka said it best in his "Quest for Dignity" Lecture.

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McQueue

Comment No. 274433

October 30 11:22

GBR

Blimey! another article by Peter Tatchell that is totally spot on - Berchmans, call a trowel a trowel - if Mugabe was a leader whose skin colour was white, there would have been international outcry and action since day one - white isn't the only colour capable of racism you know!! If anything, this very example typifies this fact.

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DrJazz

Comment No. 274434

October 30 11:23

GBR

The only economic sanctions on Zimbabwe are imposed by Mugabe. He refuses food aid, last year saying words to the effect - "do you want us to choke on too much food?"

He blocks the efforts of NGOs to bring in, and more importantly, distribute food fairly.

The only sanctions are personal ones to prevent Mugabe and his cronies going on shopping trips in Europe and the US. He now has to go to Malaysia, Cuba and South Africa, although there's not much available in Cuba.

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Donuts

Comment No. 274437

October 30 11:26

GBR

I'm white, english and only 40 years old and therefore have an apology to make: I'm sorry but I cannot apologize for anything my country has done in Africa, because I wasn't born, or consulted, at the time.

Can we please put the colonial past (look up past) to bed and focus on the problems facing Africa today. In the South, this means Aids, and the internal conflict within Zimbabwe.

On Aids, no easy answers, but the absence of leadership in SA is probably a godsend considering what their leaders actually do say when they open their mouths. Affordable generic drugs and education the only ways forward that I can see.

On the conflict, I would love, absolutely love, to see Africans sorting this out for themselves, but the truth is that outside of historical tribal loyalties, there appears to be very little to 'bind' Africans together: hence no moral imperative is felt by people to do something about the problem neighbour next door.

I do think that 'our bit' in the UK and EU should be to keep Mugabe et al out of this country, totally, and restore the asylum right to those fleeing the regime. Beyond that, no matter what any white european actually does, it will only be seen as an oppressive act.

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Repressed

Comment No. 274443

October 30 11:29

GBR

Zim Crisis A Collective Responsibility
By Wellington Chibanguza

THE resolution to the Zimbabwean issue has always been reliant on a collective effort between Black Zimbabweans and the region ?SADC?.

Given the recent political and economic upheaval fuelled by ZANU (PF) cocktail of African culture and Politics. Comprising a deadly mixture of ingredients elitism, brutality, individualism, superiority complexes and corruption.

One is to question the regions reluctance in pushing for a resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis. But forced to highlight a catalogue of missed opportunities to address the issue head on.

At the recent SADC Summit held in Maseru, Lesotho, the chairman, Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, said, "The situation in that country is of concern. We have been engaged with the leadership of Zimbabwe on how best we can recover the economic viability of that country. (But) there has been progress," Please note the key word here being progress.

Signalling that the regions attitude is still one being played on the colonial card by Mugabe. Intern the supposed illegal travel sanctions by the international community are crippling the economy right? Hence the regions heads of states position on Zimbabwean crisis is stagnant, with astonishing support for Mugabe?s, outstanding record of the struggle against colonialism and minority settler rule.

It?s somehow the norm amongst the African leaders not to acknowledge the Zim crisis as one of bad governance by one true liberation hero. Due to Looming fears of being labelled puppets of the west, resulting in them forming a legion of support for Mugabe.

Referring back to the questions of reluctance, one is quick to point out SADC?s flaunting of the regions economic, social and political growth. Undoubtedly some of the SADC?s member states have be lavishing in economic growth at the expense of Zimbabwe?s migrant skilled and labour workforce not mentioning the vital investment organs that flooded the region from Zimbabwe.

Is SADC?s solidarity with the regime out of fear of Mugabe or is it systematic exploitation of Zimbabwe?s economic and political meltdown. ?African to African slavery? With Zimbabwe?s highly educated and skilled population at grabs, the regions reluctance can be justified as ?progress? in the words of Mr Pakalitha Mosisili.

As for SADC?s prosperity of democracy within the region, it?s high time the Political tide turns on the Mugabe regime. There is a need of transparency and immediate shift from the ?quite diplomacy? with Zimbabwe, despite of September the 13th brutal attacks by police and Youth militia on leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions after their attempt to petition government on the plight of workers, the region maintained a code of silence.

The Mugabe regime is in clear breach of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights by intimidating and assaulting and not respecting the basic fundamental freedoms of its citizens. This should call on the African Union and SADC to condone such Gross Human rights violations and adopt an attitude that recognizes the suffering being incurred by millions of Zimbabweans and the negative impact this has on the region.

The big question being how can we as Africans move forward economically, socially, political and most important as a people, if we cant uproot the evil unjust being done to our own people. But it?s important that SADC uses its influence on the ever-isolated Mugabe regime to push forward a long overdue political resolution that has the plight of Zimbabweans at heart.

Zimbabwean crisis is collective responsibility between Zimbabweans and the region. Like how the region played a pivotal role in the liberation struggle ?Chimurenga?, South Africa?s Apartheid and the civil war in Mozambique.

We all now know the Zimbabwean crisis is now a humanitarian crisis and that sees no boundaries so sovereignty is secondary. So all member states signed to SADC and AU should adhere and be bound to the basic principals and protocols of those organisations, so what we demanding from South Africa is not alien nor unconstitutional to the charter of this bodies.

Drawing to the general consensuses shared amongst most young Black Zimbabweans, that 'Our independence is meaningless unless we can be totally liberally and exercise our civil rights?. And the denial of good governance is a shamefully mockery to all those who died in the struggle for a Free and Democratic Africa i.e the late Oliver Tambo should be turning in his grave.Shame on Mbeki and Zuma.

Wellington Chibanguza is a founding member of Free-Zim Youth, UK

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PoliticalUmpire

Comment No. 274452

October 30 11:35

GBR

riziki

Steady on old man, I didn't say colonisation was good. Rather, I was trying to make the point that Mugabe is managing the not inconsiderable feat of being WORSE. In the same way that I would argue that for all of Saddam Hussein's atrocities, the situation in Iraq is worse. Not the same thing a bit as praising colonisation.

Mugabe's neighbours may not be AS bad as him, but they're hardly shining lights for good governance are they, eg the aids-denial that has condemmned thousands - perhaps millions - to death in South Africa (one of the otherwise better regimes than Mugabe).

I have no idea about how your rantings about Bush and Blair relate to the issue of Mugabe's homophobia and poor governance. The point I was making about Tatchell's beating was that he is a man who is prepared to make a human rights protest at the risk of his own health - a far cry from most of us who just whine away on blogs. Legally speaking he was not entitled to make a citizen's arrest because Mugabe hasn't committed a crime against the laws of the country where the beating took place (though he is a scoundrel of the first order). But morally speaking Tatchell was right to make a protest - or are you with Mugabe that all gays are wrong and deserve to be shunned?

Funnily enough we both agree that something ought to be done about Mugabe. Any ideas? As

http://cricketandcivilisation.blogspot.com

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SanctionMbeki

Comment No. 274459

October 30 11:38

My Big question is why should the World let Mbeki,South Africa proper while Zimbabweans are suffering.It high time the corner South Africa to condemn what is going in Zimbabwe.Thabo Mbeki is seen as a sellout by Zimbabweans and by Africans so he should not be given the respect he is being given.It is high time South Africa should be condemned for protecting Mugabe,Mbeki does not say anything about what is going on in Zimbabwe so sanction Him.

No to World cup for South Africa till they say something about Zimbabwe.

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Goodfairy

Comment No. 274461

October 30 11:39

IRL

Muggers killed 20,000 eh? Now compared to the carnage your New Labor friends are CURRENTLY up to their bloody necks in, in Iraq, that is small beer.

And do you have a Lancet Study, or even a Zimbabwean Body Count to back that up?

And WHY are you focussing on little massacres when your liberal interventionist pals are engaged in the BIG ONE?

So, what about the Euston Manifesto? How come we never hear about it any more? Just another victim of the slaughter in Iraq, eh?

You LIs killed over 100 Afghan nomads in tents on Friday and fifty more in a village. That's 150ish, Pete. How many folk did Muggers kill on Friday?

Given that by YOUR count his total to date is barely a months worth of dead innocents in Iraq/Afghanistan, thanks to Eustonite New Labor's Born Again Imperialists.

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SanctionMbeki

Comment No. 274462

October 30 11:39

My Big question is why should the World let Mbeki,South Africa proper while Zimbabweans are suffering.It high time the corner South Africa to condemn what is going in Zimbabwe.Thabo Mbeki is seen as a sellout by Zimbabweans and by Africans so he should not be given the respect he is being given.It is high time South Africa should be condemned for protecting Mugabe,Mbeki does not say anything about what is going on in Zimbabwe so sanction Him.

No to World cup for South Africa till they say something about Zimbabwe.

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riziki

Comment No. 274488

October 30 12:07

GBR

PoliticalUmpire
Well, it seemed to me that you were saying that Zimbabweans would fare better under colonialism, I do apologise if I misunderstood you but the point still stands that however bad Mugabe was, It doesn't excuse the actions of his predecessors. Just for the record, Mugabe, although repugnant, is nowhere near as bad as the colonial system, if you really think that, you don't know much about what went on during those days. The "native pacifications" and punitive expeditions massacred millions directly and indirectly and Mugabe's account, by this article's counting is nowhere near that!

I wasn't defending his neighbours, just saying that you were a tad bit unfair by characterising them like that and trying to provide what, I think, is a factor in the way the political structures of these countries have evolved. In think that maybe I should point out that although Mbeki is a kook, his pronouncements hardly amount to public policy...at least there is no evidence of that and South Africa does still provide ARV's for their AIDS patients.

I wasn't ranting about Bush and Blair, just giving an example of an analogous situation. Peter Tatchell has every right to protest but that does not include arresting foreign heads of state. I most certainly am not with Mugabe but as much as Peter has his rights, Mugabe also has the right to hold his views, repugnant though they may be!

Do you think military intervention is an acceptable option, or that it would improve ordinary Zimbabweans lives? I don't

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DrJazz

Comment No. 274497

October 30 12:19

GBR

Peter: Thanks for the article. Thanks for taking part in the protest.

Donuts: Africans would sort this out for themselves if they were allowed democratic elections. In the only fair election carried out in Zimbabwe - the 2000 referendum - Mugabe lost. That was the signal for farm invasions (as an electoral ploy) and election rigging in the parliamentary election a few months later. Even that rigging produced a close result, so the rigging in the Presidential election in 2002 had to be better. He still only scraped in. Hence even more rigging in 2005.

riziki: Ordinary Africans have learned the democratic lesson well from their colonisers. They would just like the chance to put it into practise.

Mugabe, and other African leaders blame colonisation all the time. There are too many instances to quote. The people don't. They know what the score is. My understanding is that African Chiefs were paid tribute before colonisation. That has been translated into kleptocracy.

In Zimbabwe SADC stands for Southern African Despots Club.

Goodfairy: You seem to be saying that we should only be concerned with body count. The body count in Zimbabwe is still rising.

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Dreaming

Comment No. 274540

October 30 12:48

CHE

It would probably take strong pressure from the West to get the South African regime to face up to their regional responsibilities in Zimbabwe. Before September 11, Bush (whatever his motives and whatever his failings) started to apply this pressure. Blair has been largely silenced by Mugabe and it brings back memories of Ian Smith's successes with Labour governments until the Conservatives and Thatcher (whatever her motives and whatever her failings) and Carrington helped engineer the Lancaster House talks.

The Apartheid government ultimately jettisoned Smith in favour of the inevitable change that was looming on the horizon - something the ANC government either does not have the guts or else the foresight to do with Mugabe. I recall proudly as a teenager helping close down, through student demonstrations, a (Barclays) bank branch on our campus in the Midlands in the UK in the 70s, for doing business in South Africa. I remember the dirty tactics from Pretoria in the 80s when Zimbabwe stood up for the people of South Africa - car bombings in Harare, military aircraft destroyed on the ground, oil and rail delivery slow downs...etc.

Mbeki's betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe is frustrating for many of us in Zimbabwe. For Mugabe is not Zimbabwe - whatever the little voice in his head seems to tell him. Zimbabweans were there before ZANU-PF and they will be there long after, when that now corrupted party most likely crumbles or divides into factions after his departure. There was traditionally bad blood between the ANC and ZANU, as opposed to ZAPU... which makes some of us look at Mbeki's embrace of Mugabe (the so called "Quiet support, not quiet diplomacy") with very jaundiced eyes. For example, I may be wrong but it appears that even the Mozambicans (once Mugabe's closest regional allies) under their new government have now opted to distance themselves from Mugabe. So what ais Mbeki's motivation, really?

We recognize that it is ultimately up to us in Zimbabwe to shake Mugabe and his failed, repressive de facto regime off our backs - but this article and demonstrations such as the one against Zuma as reported in this article give us a little light in the midst of our dark, dark night.

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SanctionMbeki

Comment No. 274548

October 30 12:55

I think the best way to make Mbeki speak is to do campaign to denounce South Africa.You see African leaders are hyopcrites they only listen when they are shouted at.So i strongly believe No World Cup to South Africa.Because we black Zimbabweans are suffering in the hands of Mugabe and South Africa is not saying anyhting.

ordinary Zimbabwean

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AllyF

Comment No. 274551

October 30 12:58

GBR

Firstly anyone who says that the atrocities in Zimbabwe don't matter, because there are worse atrocities in Iraq or elsewhere, is a heartless buffoon.

Secondly, I applaud you Peter for your stance on Mugabe on this occasion and in the past, but...

What do you suggest? You appear to be saying South Africa and other countries should take the lead - but what do you want them to do, beyond issuing condemnations? An invasion and occupation is doomed to disaster (they always are). Stringent economic boycotts are unlikely to do anything other than push yet more into starvation and destitution.

Seems to me that we in the West have only one option (and sadly it is not one with fast resuts). That is to get our own houses in order. The West cannot condemn collective punishments in Zimbabwe with the ghosts of Falluja and Lebanon haunting us. The West cannot condemn brutal dictatorships when we support and arm the House of Saud,
Niyazoz in Turkmenistan etc etc, and turn a blind eye to the likes of our new best friend Gaddafi. We cannot demand the arrest and trial of Mugabe when our own war criminals have been re-elected in '04 & '05. We cannot demand that he is dragged before an international criminal court when the US Government refuses to allow such a body to exist.

Seems to me we have one option, and one option only: To set a good example. Motes and beams Peter, motes and beams.

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DrJazz

Comment No. 274577

October 30 13:13

GBR

Allyf: The threat of economic sanctions by Mbeki - eg cutting off electricity supplies - would bring about Mugabe's downfall very quickly. It would signal that Mugabe has run out of credible support. Mbeki is a respected politician and would get the support of other influential African leaders such as Obasanjo. They would insist on free and fair elections and that would produce the desired result. There are many decent honest people in Zimbabwe who, given their track record in government, could run the country well.

Alternatively, I'm in favour of a UN sanctioned assassination attempt.

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Helado

Comment No. 274607

October 30 13:33