The Zimbabwe Situation

http://www.mg.co.za/

RAY NDLOVU - Oct 06 2010 15:21

As Zimbabwe prepares to go to the polls next year, fears are mounting that
the government is covertly boosting Zanu-PF's election prospects through a
surge of "empowerment programmes".

The programmes, which target youth, women and small and medium-sized
business owners, allow Zimbabweans to apply for loans ranging between $500
and $ 5 000, payable over six months.

The latest programme, launched last week under the ministry of small and
medium enterprises headed by Sithembiso Nyoni, provides loans intended to
"champion business projects".

The state company spearheading the empowerment drive, the Small Enterprises
Development Corporation, has pledged to give funding to those unable to
provide collateral security.

Pamela Dlamini (44), a mother of two who is desperately in need of money to
kick-start her almost insolvent boutique, told the Mail & Guardian that she
had waited three weeks for her application to be processed in spite of
meeting all the requirements.

Dlamini said that "there are too many strings attached to these loans". She
regularly attended meetings to check on her application, where she faced
pressure to support Zanu-PF.

A beneficiary of the programme, Rutendo Hove, who received $500 towards her
poultry-rearing business, said that "if you are a Zanu-PF member and have a
[party] card, there is no need for collateral".

Tongai Matutu, the Movement for Democratic Change-linked deputy minister of
youth development, indigenisation and empowerment, said this week that
"there are strong indications that Zanu-PF is not being sincere when it
comes to the issue of empowerment and the loans are benefiting its people
and sidelining everyone else.

Zanu-PF will use anything as bait for the purposes of getting votes next
year." This year's budget allocations for the youth and women's ministries,
Matutu said, stood at $400 000 apiece.

The funds have to be distributed across the country's 10 provinces,
generating fierce competition among people "scrabbling to get the little
that's there". For the past decade in Zimbabwe election campaigns have
included widespread vote-buying and the politicisation of food relief.

The human rights group Zimbabwe Peace Project noted in a report this year
that "cases of politicisation of food aid and discrimination along party
political party lines still remain high".

At the height of the country's economic meltdown in 2008, Zanu-PF
notoriously conducted a "No [party] card, no mealie meal" campaign in rural
areas, in which chiefs and tribal leaders gave food only to holders of
Zanu-PF membership cards in the areas they controlled.

In the 2008 election there were widespread media reports of vote-buying. The
Reserve Bank was accused of paying for farm implements such as bags of maize
seed and equipment, including ploughs and tractors that were given only to
Zanu-PF card-holders before the election.

Political observers fear that the newly discovered diamond wealth in
Zimbabwe's Marange area could be harnessed for the empowerment programme, as
Zanu-PF enjoys tight control of mining operations.

"Everything about Marange has been done in secrecy. Even the diamond sale
held last month was facilitated by military men," said a government official
who requested anonymity.

In July the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme allowed Zimbabwe to sell
off part of a stockpile of five million carats of diamonds in two auctions.

New farmers lose faith in land reform …‘land redistribution a political
weapon’

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

Written by Jane Makoni
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 19:51

Most resettled farmers do not think the land “reform” programme was meant to
economically empower the poor, but was used as a political weapon by Zanu
(PF) to punish and humiliate white commercial farmers, believed to have
bankrolled the MDC. A war collaborator and land invasion coordinator, who
chose to be identified as Comrade Tariro of Chirefu Farm, in Chihota area
near Marondera, told his story to JANE MAKONI.

“Though we grabbed land from former white commercial farmers, we have no
faith in farming ever improving our economic situation as individual new
farmers, or the nation at large. In fact, when we besieged these farms, we
were told it would be another phase of a protracted and bloody guerilla war
against the white community and their countries of origin, mainly Britain
and other Western countries.

“Had MDC not been formed 1999, farm invasions would not have seen light of
the day. The fact that new farmers were originally discouraged from
constructing permanent structures at acquired farms, underscored fears that
Mugabe intended to use the land as a perennial stick and carrot device for
garnering support. Though land redistribution was at the center of the armed
liberation struggle, it was never meant to be chaotic or bloody.
ZANLA Forces’ Commander, Josiah Tongongara, preached equitable distribution
of land and other economic resources among Zimbabweans irrespective of race,
tribe and political affiliation.

“Tongogara said the armed struggle was all about achieving a politically
tolerant society where economic resources would be shared equitably among
citizens. A society in which a black child would share the same desk at
school with his white classmate. Never did he suggest the white community
should be eliminated and disempowered economically.

“Land invasion was mainly a result of panic by President Mugabe after
realizing people had shifted political allegiance from Zanu (PF) to MDC.
Naturally, commercial farmers became easy victims of circumstances as land
was Mugabe’s last political trump card. Zanu (PF) never imagined a black
Zimbabwean, let alone Morgan Tsvangirai, would rise and challenge Mugabe’s
tyranny. So, the white man became a scapegoat and was accused of being the
brains behind the formation of MDC.

“My original home area is Rota Village, Murewa. Faced with fierce challenge
from MDC in 2000, Zanu (PF) restructured and formed vibrant political
commissariat wings similar to those used in the liberation struggle. They
mobilized villagers to rise and fight the white man for what Mugabe
described as neo-colonialism.

“War veterans, police and army officers were deployed in villages to recruit
men and women who would forcibly invade farms. Any form of weapon ranging
from hoes, shovels, catapults to guns would be used to scare white farmers
off the land. The weapons would be used to eliminate farmers who dared
resist the land grab. Perpetrators of the bloody campaign would be immune
from prosecution as members of the state law and order machinery were part
of the land invasions, sanctioned from the highest office on the land.

“Together with other villagers, we were deployed to invade Summerset Farm, a
few kilometers from my home. We set up a base in the fields and regularly
harass the white owner, who was a horticulture specialist and export farmer.
The farmer and his family were initially confined to the house and denied
access to farm activities.

“As the white family was confined to the house, land invasion commanders on
the ground equipped with army and police radio communication gadgets took
instructions from command centers at district and provincial level. Command
posts were at police stations and army camps. We were told to slaughter and
feed on the white man’s livestock and the whole exercise resembled a
guerilla war operation.

“Our commanders urged us to be brutal in the way we dealt with white farmers
as we were war veterans of the Third Chimurenga in the making. We went for
weeks without bathing as we kicked white farmers off the land at the expense
of farming activity at our homes. After the farmer eventually abandoned his
property, we erected temporary shelters around the farm. A senior Zanu (PF)
official, mainly from the military or party structures, would then come in
to occupy the main farm house, grab farm equipment and takeover ownership of
the property.

“A small section land at the periphery of the farm would usually be
partitioned and distributed to the boss’s relatives and connections. The
majority of us would be reassigned to invade yet another targeted farm. The
exercise would go on and on until some barren land was identified to settle
the unconnected and poor land invaders.

“Wherever the unconnected were settled on fertile land, the white owner of
the farm would have fiercely resisted evection. Poor people resettled at the
farm would have been used as cannon fodder in the struggle for the land.

“I took part in invasions at four farms in Marondera and Macheke before I
was finally allocated land at Chirefu Farm as an A1 Farmer. My plot measures
eight hectares. The land no longer yields good harvests without fertilizer.
Not every farmer accesses government inputs and the majority of A1 farmers
do with organic fertilizer.

“Of late, we were advised that The Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) established
a loan input scheme for interested farmers. A farmer would pay $60 to access
44 bags of fertilizer. After harvest, the loan would be settled in form of
two tones of maize. The majority of new farmers under both A1 and A2 schemes
were yet to harvest more than two tons of maize per season. So, the ZFU
scheme was finding no takers.

“Since I was allocated land in 2003, my biggest harvest was half a ton (10 x
50 kilogram bags). I was allocated a virgin land without farm equipment and
no accommodation. I had to clear the land and build some huts and a
one-bedroom brick house under old asbestos roofing material acquired from
old farm structures.

“Since I am yet to yield a good harvest, I have never taken any produce to
the market. When we invaded Summerset Farm I looted six cattle and herded
them home. I later transferred them here (Chirefu Farm). The herd has since
grown to 13. I also use the beasts as drought power.

“When desperate for school fees as I always am, I slaughter a beast and sell
the meat at nearby Mushandira Pamwe Business Center or alternatively sell
live beasts to Surrey Abattoirs along the Harare-Marondera road. I am
married to two wives and have eight children who provide labour at the farm.
My welfare has been improving gradually since I was allocated land - albeit
at a snail’s pace. It would need a microscope to notice the small
improvement.

“Most farmers I have met were of the opinion that nothing tangible or
profitable would come out of the land project anytime soon, if government
fails to adequately equip and finance our farming activities. Offer letters
should also be replaced with title deeds for farmers to access bank loans.

“Land invasions will continue to be ‘Programme in Progress’ until all
remaining white commercial farmers were kicked off the land. Currently, Zanu
(PF) is silently embarking on what it called large farm down-sizing
exercise. The exercise is targeted mainly t white owned farms. Designated
land would be distributed to distinguished party youth as a reward for
terrorizing suspected MDC supporters in the run up to June 2008 Presidential
elections.

“Soldiers and distinguished Zanu (PF) supporters continue to be allocated
farms clandestinely through district administrators’ offices across the
country. In Marondera they are vetted and allocated farm plots, at office
number 6 DA offices. The office is manned by soldiers.

“When I was allocated land I was naively a staunch Zanu (PF) supporter. My
family has since shifted allegiance to MDC-T after realizing the agrarian
programme mainly benefited a few and helped destroy the economy. We
continued to take part in Zanu (PF) activities out of fear. In the March
2008 harmonized elections, we cast ballots in favour of Morgan Tsvangirai
and MDC-T as regime change fever swept the country. My friends here claimed
they had taken a similar position, as they supported the land audit
advocated by MDC-T.

“At the beginning of land invasions we were misled that Tsvangirai wanted
land to remain in hands of whites at the expense of blacks. Now we realize
Tsvangirai and MDC wanted equitable and transparent land distribution to
those interested in farming. He also called for responsible farming which
does not hold the country to ransom.

“If Mugabe wanted to genuinely empower landless blacks, he should recover
multiple farms grabbed by his inner circle and distribute them to the needy.
The current farm down-sizing exercise should also target large farms
acquired by top party and military officials.

“I hope that when MDC-T wins the next elections as expected order will be
restored to the farming sector. The MDC should not practice retributive
politics as not all new farmers are Zanu (PF) and not all are selfish.”

Residents of Harare, Zimbabwe, Cry Foul as City Shuts Off Water for Nonpayment

http://www.voanews.com/

Harare City Council has started disconnecting water supplies to residents
who have not paid their bills, but this has drawn a sharp reaction from
local organizations representing taxpayers who say service has been abysmal

Tatenda Gumbo | Washington 05 October 2010

Zimbabweans living in Harare, the capital, face water cutoffs by the
municipality for non-payment of water rates even though many of them in the
city's densely populated suburbs have had irregular water service for years.

Harare City Council has started disconnecting water supplies to residents
who have not paid their bills, but this has drawn a sharp reaction from
local organizations representing taxpayers, as Irwin Chifera reports.

Elsewhere, the Ministry of Water Resources, Development and Management is
launching a national action committee on water to push ahead a campaign to
renovate water and sanitation systems across the country.

The committee will work with government agencies, the United Nations
Children's Fund or UNICEF, civil society groups and international donors to
reconstruct the national infrastructure for drinking water and sewage
removal.

Executive Director Nomathemba Neseni of the Institute of Water and
Sanitation Development, in attendance at the launch this week, said
discussions at the meeting examined progress since the end of the major
cholera epidemic of 2008-2009, whose total cases approaching 100,000 claimed
more than 4,200 lives.

Since then, some 25 deaths have occurred from about 1,000 new cases.

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara spoke at the launch calling for the
private sector to get involved, especially in the rural areas. UNICEF says
more than 60 percent of rural hand pumps are out of order.

Neseni told VOA Studio 7 reporter Tatenda Gumbo that her organization has
seen progress in a number of districts that were hit hard by cholera in 2008
and 2009 including Chegutu, Zaka and Chipinge.

Tsvangirai's MDC Says Constitutional Process Has Become 'Circus'

http://www.voanews.com

The MDC party publication Real Change Times said the party would now prefer
to simply see the process collapse on its own or for Zimbabwean voters to
reject any draft referendum it produces in an eventual referendum

Patience Rusere | Washington 05 October 2010

The Movement for Democratic Change formation of Zimbabwean Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai has dismissed the country's troubled constitutional
revision process as a "circus" and called for the leading political parties
to meet and come up with a solution as to how the country can move forward
at this point in the exercise.

The MDC party publication Real Change Times said the party would now prefer
to simply see the process collapse on its own or for Zimbabwean voters to
reject any draft referendum it produces in an eventual referendum.

Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa told VOA Studio 7 reporter Patience Rusere
that his party has come up with this stance in view of the chaos and
violence that has, in its view, fatally marred the process.

The parliamentary select committee for revision of the constitution,
meanwhile, was dismissing fears the resumption of Parliament today would
disrupt the struggling outreach process, often delayed or disrupted since
June.

A statement released by the Tsvangirai MDC said the outreach process in
Manicaland province was in a shambles after lawmakers on the teams abandoned
the meetings over compensation issues and fears of violence.

But Deputy Co-Chairperson Gladys Gombani Dube, a member of the Tsvangirai
MDC formation, said outreach meetings in most regions are finished and
lawmakers who must still attend sessions are excused from parliamentary
duties.

Gombani Dube said the public comment phase of constitutional revision is
under control.

COPAC switches dates for Harare meetings to next week

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
6 October 2010

The COPAC management committee on Wednesday tentatively set next week
Saturday and Sunday as the new dates for the rescheduled meetings, disrupted
by ZANU PF in Harare two weeks ago.
Last week COPAC announced the meetings would be held this Friday and
Saturday and our correspondent Simon Muchemwa said the date shift may have
to do with logistical problems that have blighted the exercise since it
started.

'There are reports suggesting that some of the venues to be used, like
schools and community halls, had their furniture destroyed during the
disturbances two weeks ago. It's really now a case of trying to replace the
furniture or finding alternative venues for the rescheduled meetings,'
Muchemwa said.

He said COPAC co-chair Paul Mangwana told journalists in the capital that
supporters from all parties should desist from engaging in violence. ZANU PF's
Mangwana also called on the police to stop supporters of political parties
from being bused in from other areas. It is widely known that ZANU PF was
responsible for busing in its supporters from rural areas close to Harare
and Chitungwiza.

Mangwana said they've asked secretary-generals from all the major parties to
publicly and in writing denounce violence, intimidation, racism and other
malpractices during the outreach programme.
'We've also tasked the co-Ministers of Home Affairs, Theresa Makone and
Kembo Mohadi to ensure the constitutional meetings must be held peacefully.
We hereby call upon the Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to ensure
that mechanisms are put in place for the effective maintenance of law and
order during the meetings,' Mangwana said.

The drafting of a new constitution in Zimbabwe is seen as a major step
forward to new elections and the end of the political crisis that followed
the violent and controversial ballot in 2008.

The process of consulting the Zimbabwean people on a new constitution is now
set to come to end, once the Harare and Chitungwiza meetings are held next
weekend. 70 teams of 25 people each have in the last four months
criss-crossed the country holding consultations in each of the country's 210
voting districts.

At the end of this month the teams are expected to report their findings to
17 commissions specializing in a wide range of issues, such as human rights,
elections and the justice system. These commissions are then to draft the
document, which will be submitted to Parliament, before it goes to the
people in a referendum.
Due to the widespread disruption and intimidation during the consultation
process there is scepticism from many observers that the results will
genuinely reflect the will of the people.

MDC provincial chair suspended from Copac

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Sidney Saize
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:50

MUTARE - Manicaland Copac co-chairperson Cephas Makuyana has suspended
Patrick Chitaka, the MDC-T provincial chairperson from having anything to do
with the remaining outreach work in the province accusing him of "wrongly"
advising his members to boycott the constitution writing programme in areas
where the exercise had been aborted owing to violence.

Chitaka, who is team leader for Copac's team 10, was Wednesday barred from
attending a hastily arranged caucus meeting held at the government composite
building housing the Copac teams where the political parties resolved to
finish off outreach work in areas where such meetings had earlier been
aborted due violence. It was not immediately clear who would replace
Chitaka.

Copac work in Manicaland was scheduled to have been completed Tuesday by
which time the teams would have re-visited areas the meetings had been
aborted.
Areas that still remains outstanding after violent clashes between party
supporters include Chipinge, Makoni South, Nyanga and Rusape.

The political parties recommended that at the remaining meeting police would
be in uniform and that all the teams should go back and finish their work.

Zanu PF in the caucus meeting was represented by Senator for Uzumba Oriah
Kabayanjiri, MDC-M by Sondon Mugaradziko, while MDC-T had Makuyana.

Sondon Mugaradziko chairperson of one the MDC factions led by professor
Arthur Mutambara said the political leadership of all the parties
recommended that they had to complete their work.

"We agreed to visit the remaining areas and ensure we finish our work and
that the police would be in full uniform to avoid possible outbreak of
violence," Mugaradziko said.

Makuyana said Chitaka had not attended Wednesday's meeting after realization
that he was allegedly behind some of the failed re-visits to Copac teams'
aborted areas.

"He told us he was protecting the party, but instead he was bringing the
name and reputation of the party into disrepute,' said Makuyana.

But Chitaka denied he had been barred from attending Wednesday's meeting
saying; "I had asked the leadership for leave of absence for the next two to
three days, that's why I was not in the meeting with others."

Chitaka denied he was behind the boycotts by his members of areas where
meeting had been aborted since Monday. Chitaka is accusing of calling back
team members from his party from areas where they were due to hold meetings
with citizens. The motive behind such alleged deeds still remain unclear.

"I do not know what you mean by influencing, since I lead my party in the
manner I see fit as chairman for Manicaland province, and if my leadership
is as being perceived as so then I do not know what as a leader should lead
like as I do not influence anyone to go or not to go," said Chitaka.

But Zanu PF members were livid with the reports of Chitaka's alleged
influence on the aborted meetings.

War veterans' leader and a member of the Copac outreach teams in Manicaland,
Joseph Chinotimba castigated Chitaka and said he should be disciplined
accordingly.

"If I was a party leader like Tsvangirai (MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai) I
should have disciplined him; he wastes the resources of the Copac. He
wastes the resources of the government. Not only the government but the
people. Chitaka ataridza kuti he is not a leader;he is not qualified to be
chairman of the MDC. Infact he should be a member without any leadership
with him," said Chinotimba.

It could not be immediately established whether on not the additional two
days would be paid for, for the outreach members since outreach work was
supposed to have ended Tuesday.

New coach Tom Saintfiet has been forced out of Zimbabwe

By Steve Vickers
BBC Sport, Harare

Saintfiet is set to miss Sunday's home clash with Group A leaders Cape Verde

New national coach Tom Saintfiet has been forced out of Zimbabwe following orders from the country's immigration authorities.

The Belgian contravened immigration laws by conducting national training sessions without a work permit, ahead of Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Cape Verde.

After being advised to leave, Saintfiet was unable to catch the last flight from Harare to South Africa on Tuesday and was forced to drive through the night to Botswana instead.

"I'm a little bit shocked at the situation," Saintfiet told BBC Sport from the Zimbabwe-Botswana border early on Wednesday morning.

"I came to help the country and left a secure job with Namibia for a bigger task.

"I was satisfied with our preparations for Sunday's game."

Zimbabwe's immigration authorities said that Saintfiet must be out of the country while his work permit is processed.

"We have ordered him to leave the country while his application for a work permit is being processed," Evans Siziba, a senior immigration official, told the state-controlled Herald newspaper.

The newspaper added that Saintfiet was served with his deportation papers during a training session with the team.

The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) submitted an application for Saintfiet's work permit late on Tuesday but it is unlikely the Belgian will be on the bench for Sunday's match in Harare.

The expulsion further sullies an appointment that has already caused much controversy.

Saintfiet signed a four-year contract last Friday to become Warriors coach despite being midway through a deal with Namibia as well as little-fancied for the job.

Both the Zifa chairman and the media had been vocal in their support of former Warriors captain Norman Mapeza, who was recently working as caretaker coach.

Mapeza, a former Zimbabwe captain, now has another chance to impress as he looks set to lead Zimbabwe on Sunday along with Madinda Ndlovu, another former international.

Meanwhile, Namibian football authorities are still mulling the prospect of legal action against Zimbabwe for luring their coach without seeking authorisation.

The Southern Africans are in Group A of 2012 Nations Cup qualifying along with Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia.

Last month they ground out a 1-1 draw against Liberia in their first outing - so trailing Cape Verde by two points after the islanders stunned Mali with a 1-0 home win.

Friday meeting set to discuss SA December deadline for Zims

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
6 October 2010

South Africa's Home Affairs ministry is failing to cope with the huge influx
of Zimbabwean immigrants wishing to regularize their stay before the 31st
December deadline.

As a result officials from the Home Affairs ministry will on Friday meet
with the stakeholders forum, a consultation platform to allow NGOs, human
rights organizations and Zimbabwe's political parties, based in South
Africa, to engage with the South Africans. This meeting is expected to
review the exercise, amidst calls from Zimbabweans for an extension to the
deadline.

The South African government last month gave Zimbabwean immigrants,
estimated to be around three million, until year end to regularize their
stay or face deportation. This followed a cabinet decision in August to end
a special dispensation policy which allowed Zimbabweans to stay in the
country without a legal resident's permit.

Nqabutho Dube, the MDC-M secretary in Johannesburg, told SW Radio Africa on
Wednesday that there has been an overwhelming response from Zimbabweans in
South Africa to sort out their papers.
'We are having a meeting this Friday with the South African officials for an
assessment of the exercise since it began on the 28th September. We know the
officials have been reluctant to extend the deadline for the exercise but
now there is scientific prove they will not meet that deadline,' Dube said.

'It's going to be a big challenge for the South Africans but from what we
see on a daily basis it would be impossible for them to finish by the end of
December. Everyday there are massive queues that snake for kilometers.
People are sleeping in queues and some of them have been away from work over
a week,' Dube added.

The South African government has made available 46 regional offices for the
registration. But the problems have been exacerbated by the slow response of
the Zimbabwean embassy and consulate in South Africa, to process the legal
documents required to apply for a permit to remain in that country.

'The process is somewhat cumbersome. If you don't possess a valid Zimbabwean
passport you first have to obtain one, a situation that is proving to be a
lengthy and frustrating process. If you manage to get a Zimbabwe passport
you head straight to another queue at the Home Affairs department and for
all practical purposes I see this going beyond the set deadline,' Dube
added.

Makwe says the drafting of the new constitution has been manipulated by ZANU
PF so that Zimbabweans will vote NO in the referendum. This will give ZPF
the mandate to use the old constitution to remain illegally in power.

SA to meet Zim documentation deadline

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Sapa
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 17:01

PRETORIA - The South African department of home affairs says it has the
resources to process special amnesty permits for undocumented Zimbabwean
migrants.

"We have more than the necessary resources to ensure that the project is
completed by its deadline," Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday
in Pretoria, according to Sapa.

The department had employed 354 employees nationally to administer the
amnesty project and had put measures in place to increase capacity based on
demand.

Due to the particularly high volume of applicants at the Johannesburg
regional office, the department was reopening an office in Market street to
relieve congestion.

Gigaba said a total of 1 100 permits had been adjudicated and awarded since
Tuesday.

"We received 6 000 applications since the start of the process and 1 100
permits have been adjudicated and awarded. Only eight were rejected. We have
also received 208 amnesty applications," he said.

Gigaba said the department had weekly meetings with various Zimbabwean
stakeholders to assess the status of the project, to unlock bottlenecks
where necessary and to ensure that the December 31 deadline would be met.

Home affairs recently announced an amnesty for Zimbabweans who had been
using fraudulent South African identity books, on condition that they hand
these in to the department's regional offices before December 31.

Gigaba said the deadline would not be extended.

Some human rights groups had said the deadline should be extended as the
department was unable to cope with the large number of applications.

Gigaba said according to studies there were 1.5 million Zimbabweans living
in South Africa.

Zimbabwe official appeals for peace at constitution meetings

http://news.yahoo.com/

AFP

- 1 hr 18 mins ago

HARARE (AFP) - A Zimbabwean official called on the country's political
parties Wednesday to stop their supporters from attacking public meetings on
the drafting of a new constitution.

The appeal came two weeks after a supporter of Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai died following an attack on such a meeting by militants of
President Robert Mugabe's rival party.

"The political parties should take responsibility for the behaviour of their
supporters during our outreach programmes," said Paul Mangwana, co-chair of
the team charged with organising the meetings.

He said the political parties should "publicly and in writing... denounce
violence, intimidation, racism and other malpractices during the outreach
programme."

Zimbabwe is creating a new constitution as part of a road map to fresh
elections agreed in a power-sharing deal forged last year between veteran
leader Mugabe and long-time rival Tsvangirai.

The power-sharing deal, reached after months of unrest following disputed
elections in 2008, calls for a new constitution to be approved in a
referendum, paving the way to fresh polls.

But outreach meetings on the new constitution have seen increasing violence
and intimidation, Human Rights Watch said last week.

Mangwana, a member of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, said at a press conference
that disrupted meetings in Harare will be rescheduled to the weekend of
October 16.

He urged police to ensure the meetings proceed peacefully.

"The outreach programme is not a process of political contestation," he
said.

Tsvangirai has blamed the military and state security institutions for
disrupting meetings throughout the country.

The outreach exercise was expected to end last month, but the
constitution-making process has been delayed by violence, a shortage of
funds and disagreements in the power-sharing government.

Farm unions disagree over crop shortages

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by Staff Reporter
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 17:30

HARARE - Forecasts that homegrown crops will not be enough to feed the
country have led to conflicting opinions from the country's two farmers'
unions over Zimbabwe's need for food imports. Since 2000, Zimbabwe has
become increasingly reliant on food aid, a situation the Commercial Farmers
Union (CFU), largely attributes to the controversial Zanu (PF) land "reform"
programme, under which 4,000 mainly white commercial farmers were evicted
from their land.

The redistribution of land, mainly to political cronies who have no interest
in farming, was the catalyst for the 10-year recession and for turning
Zimbabwe into a food importer unable to feed its own people.
CFU President, Deon Theron, said the country would have to import 800,000
tonnes to meet national demand.
"Maize is being imported at between US$160 and US$180 per tonne," Theron
said. Around US$136 million would be needed to meet the deficit.
On the other hand, the ZCFU, which represents mainly black farmers, claims
drought and lack of inputs such as fertiliser and seed are the main reasons
for crop shortages.
Addressing delegates at the ZCFU annual congress last week, the union's
president, William Nyabonda, said the final maize and small grains estimate
for the 2009/2010 season was 1.5 million tonnes, with maize contributing 1.2
million tonnes.
"It is also estimated that approximately 300,000 metric tonnes were carried
over from last season due to lack of reliable markets," Nyabonda said.
He said most analysts believed there was no real need for grain imports.
"What is required is to move grain from grain surplus areas to grain deficit
areas and therefore it is essential that the Grain Marketing Board buys this
grain from farmers," Nyabonda said.
According to the minister of finance, Tendai Biti and the minister of
agriculture, Joseph Made, Zimbabwe is expected to harvest between 1.3 and
1.4 million tonnes of maize - an increase of around three per cent on last
year. The country, however, needs 2.2 million tonnes of maize every year.
The United Nations last month said Zimbabwe's maize production had risen by
100,000 tonnes this year. Jacopo D'Amelio, a regional information
co-ordinator with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, said: "There is
also a feeling that the food security situation is improving from what it
was in 2008, when the country had probably its worst output."
This year's national wheat target was set at 60,000 hectares but farmers
planted only 11,000 hectares. Theron said Zimbabwe needed to import wheat
worth over US$128.8 million to meet an expected shortfall of 339,000 tonnes,
which could cripple operations.
Farmers, hamstrung by lack of capital, high costs of inputs and continued
land ownership wrangles, expected to produce 11,000 tonnes of winter wheat
planted on 3,100 hectares this year.
This was against a national annual demand of 350,000 tonnes, said Deon
Theron.
"We (Zimbabwe) will have to import the wheat at an import price of US$380
per tonne and this translates to US$128,820.000, given our shortfall," said
Theron.
Farmers who spoke to The Zimbabwean last week said there was a mistaken
belief that enough maize had been produced because of better than average
rains.
Biti said agricultural production was expected to have grown this year by
18.8 per cent, compared to 14.9 per cent in 2009. This was mainly driven by
tobacco, up to about 119 million kilos from 55.6 million kilos.
"Horticulture production in 2010 is projected to register growth, rising to
43,000 tonnes against last year's 35,000 tonnes. There is still much more
investment to be undertaken before production levels rise to levels above
60,000 tonnes experienced previously," Biti said.
He said depressed prices and financing constraints in 2009 undermined cotton
production, which decreased from 246,000 tonnes in 2009 to 172,000 tonnes in
2010. Sugar production during 2010 was also projected to decline below last
year's levels.
Relief agencies say combined donor support to small farmers accounted for up
to 20 per cent of Zimbabwe's maize output in the 2009/10 season.
The US Agency for International Development's famine early warning cautioned
in a recent report that Zimbabwe's dry regions would need food towards the
end of this year.

Suspecting Fraud, Zimbabwe Government Commissions Audit of National Oil Co.

http://www.voanews.com/

In May this year, government accused NOCZIM of failing to remit taxes to the
revenue authority amounting to US$150 million

Gibbs Dube | Washington 05 October 2010

The government of Zimbabwe has commissioned an audit by an international
firm to investigate the disappearance of US$35 million from the
long-troubled National Oil Company of Zimbabwe or NOCZIM.

Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma said the auditors were
called in last week after the state-controlled enterprise failed to remit
taxes to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. He said the international
accounting firm Ernst & Young will carry out a thorough forensic audit
before reporting back to the government.

Mangoma told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube that at this point it is
believed senior NOCZIM executives diverted funds set aside for taxes. The
audit will focus on the period between February 2009 and March 2010.

In May this year, government accused NOCZIM of failing to remit taxes to the
revenue authority amounting to US$150 million. The company management
claimed it had used the money to service its US$300 million debt.

United States Provides Support to Urgent Food Security Needs and Recovery in Zimbabwe

Harare, October 6 – The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Food for Peace (FFP), is responding to the needs of Zimbabweans who require food aid during the 2010-2011 lean season.

USAID is partnering with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the lead agency in a consortium which includes ACDI/VOCA and CARE, to implement the Promoting Recovery in Zimbabwe (PRIZE) program. This two-year initiative will address the urgent food needs of vulnerable Zimbabweans while laying the foundation for recovery and improved food security. Program activities will help increase household food production, improve access to markets, raise household incomes, and enhance community resiliency when faced with natural disasters and economic shocks.

Under the program, USAID’s partners will provide approximately 24,400 metric tons of food to vulnerable households in Zimbabwe over the next two years. The program will also assist vulnerable homes through community-based programs to improve long term food security. Projects include supporting small- and large-scale irrigation projects; rehabilitating livestock assets such as cattle dip tanks; promoting conservation agriculture; improving livestock practices; and training village savings and lending groups to manage income generation activities. Approximately 90,000 households will benefit from the PRIZE initiative.

PRIZE consortium local partners, including the Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT), the Organization of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP), and the Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE), will support community initiatives that promote recovery and improved food security.

"Humanitarian assessments show that large numbers of people in Zimbabwe still require targeted assistance to meet their minimum food needs,” said USAID/Zimbabwe Mission Director Karen Freeman. “Through the PRIZE Consortium, the United States will both address immediate needs and help build agricultural infrastructure in Zimbabwe to help eliminate the long-term need for food aid.”

CRS Country Representative, Paul Townsend, concurred, “We are proud to be working with USAID, the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders to foster long-term food security and develop community skills in Zimbabwe.”

The food security situation in Zimbabwe has improved this year following a three percent increase in the national harvest, yet a recent UNICEF study shows that chronic malnutrition, especially in some children, calls for sustained support from the international community during this transition period. Livelihood recovery is a key element of this U.S. government-supported program and includes bolstering local partners to enable communities to increase farm production, to access to markets and to create general economic stability for vulnerable populations.

The United States government is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe. Since 2002, the United States has contributed more than $1 billion to humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe. For further information, please visit USAID’s Food for Peace website at: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/ffp/ or

Comments and queries should be addressed to Cary Jimenez, USAID Communications Officer. E-mail: cjimenez@usaid.gov Tel. +263 4 250 992

Or Sharon Hudson-Dean, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer: hararepas@state.gov Tel. +263 4 758800-1

Prime Minister Tsvangirai Says Government Has No Money for Salary Hikes

http://www.voanews.com

Sources present at this week's meeting with the prime minister said he
committed himself to organizing a discussion between Finance Minister Tendai
Biti and public worker representatives

Jonga Kandemiiri | Washington 05 October 2010

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has told unions and other
representatives of public sector workers that the government overestimated
the revenues it might obtain from the sale of diamonds from the Marange
field in the east of the country, so it cannot afford to boost wages right
now as civil servants have long been demanding.

Sources present at this week's meeting with the prime minister said he
committed himself to organizing a discussion between Finance Minister Tendai
Biti and public worker representatives. Last month state workers protested
over a lack of dialogue with senior government officials about salaries.
They want a base pay of US$500 a month.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association Acting Chief Executive Sifiso Ndlovu told VOA
Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that the teacher representatives do not
see themselves encouraging a strike for now.

But Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe President Takavafira Zhou said
PTUZ leaders will consult members on as to what course of action the union
should take over the continued public sector pay freeze.

Most state workers are only being paid about US$170 a month.

City of Cape Town takes over Zim gvt property

http://news.radiovop.com/

06/10/2010 18:16:00

Cape Town - The city of Cape Town has taken over a property in the city
belonging to the Zimbabwean government and drove out hundreds of homeless
Zimbabweans who had found sanctuary on it saying it is not fit for human
habitation.

The property in the centre of Cape Town's at number 55 and 53 Kuyper Street
is one of many others that a group of Zimbabwean farmers want
to execute as compensation claim for losing the farms under President Robert
Mugabe's controversial land reform programme of 2000. South African
television ETV reported that the city had taken over the
house and is renovating it at a cost of R 300 000 which expects to get back
from the Zimbabwean government failure of which the property will
be put under the hammer.
A city of Cape Town official told the television station that the property
had become inhabitable and was way out of the city's standards. He said they
had initially thought of destroying it but
opted to renovate and make it fit for habitation. The building, which has
been vandalized since the consulate closed in 2006, is still listed on the
Internet as a functioning consulate.
Media reports say the property which is still owned by the Zimbabwean
government still has to pay the City of Cape Town outstanding rates
amounting to R25 000.
The property is said to have lost its roof sheeting, window panes, and taps
while parts of the floor are covered in faeces.
An official at the Zimbabwe Embassy said the matter was going to be
discussed by the Zimbabwean government in Harare.
However an official at the Foreign Affairs told Radio VOP Wednesday that
they are yet to get the report of the take over.
"We don't have that case but in some such cases we wait for a report from
our Embassy in Pretoria before taking action," said the official in a terse
response.

MDC Man Was Threatened With Death To Join Zanu (PF)

http://news.radiovop.com

06/10/2010 14:54:00

Masvingo, October 06, 2010 - Partson Zvirevo, The Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC)-T official in Zaka who over the weekend claimed to have
defected to Zanu (PF) was in fact paid by the dreaded Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) and threatened with death if he did not rejoin the former
ruling party.

An MDC official in Masvingo who is close to Zvirevo told Radio VOP on
Wednesday that the former Zaka North party organising secretary was forced
to rejoin Zanu (PF) by CIO operatives at Zaka Centre who are now guarding
him round the clock and using him to denounce his former party.

"Zvirevo is now living in fear, because he is now virtually being held as a
hostage by CIO's and Zanu (PF) militias who believe that he is influential
and holds sensitive information about MDC's strategies," said the official.

The official expressed fear that once Zanu (PF) and the CIOs discovered that
Zvirevo was harmless and had no influence over other supporters and
officials in the party, he would be killed, with the murder being blamed on
targeted MDC officials.

The official said it was not possible for Zvirevo to have voluntarily
rejoined Zanu (PF), as the man survived death by a whisker on June 28, 2008
when the MDC vehicle he was travelling in was burnt and sprayed by bullets
by suspected military agents and Zanu (PF) militias, on the eve of the
bloody Presidential run-off election where Mugabe was the only contestant.

He said Zvirevo survived by jumping into Chiredzi river, but a few of his
colleagues were on that fateful night not so lucky as they were burnt to
death and shot to death, while in the MDC district offices in Zaka.

Zvirevo last week claimed that he was dumping MDC because of policy
inconsistence claiming that his former party was being used as a puppet by
outside forces bent on reversing the gains of Zimbabwe's hard-won
independence.

Zanu (PF) chairman for Zaka, Tawedzerwa Masase said the former ruling party
would use Zvirevo to regain the three constituencies it lost to the MDC-T in
Zaka in the 2008 harmonised elections.

However, the MDC Zaka West Member of Parliament, Festus Dumbu said Zanu (PF)
was welcome to take Zvirevo.

Meanwhile war veterans and Zanu (PF) supporters in Mberengwa district in
Midlands Province are barring MDC supporters from food for work programmes
demanding that they join Zanu (PF) first.

Last month the inclusive government launched food for work programmes in
most districts of the Midlands province which were hit by drought. The food
for work programmes includes building dams, boreholes and schools. In return
the villagers who are involved are receiving 50kg of meal -meallie, 5 litres
of cooking oil and bars of soap every month.

However Zanu (PF) militias led by the notorious war veterans leader, Sayinai
Madhaka are barring MDC supporters from the programmes requesting they join
Zanu (PF).

Edius Moyo, the MDC Mberengwa district chairman, told Radio VOP that Madhaka
and Tariro Shoko a Zanu (PF) secretary for ward one, are barring hundreds of
MDC supporters from food for work projects and are forcing them to join Zanu
(PF).

"Madhaka and Shoko have taken over the food for work programmes and are
using this to force our hungry supporters to join Zanu (PF). There are
even selling Zanu (PF) cards during the food for work programmes,"said
Moyo.

Moyo said they have reported the matter to the Mberengwa District
Administrator but nothing has been done.

"We have taken the matter to the District Administrator but nothing has
been done so far, these guys are politicising government projects which
are suppose to benefit every body," said the MDC district chairman .

Moyo also said Madhaka and his gang are promising terror in next year
election, against MDC supporters who are refusing to join the Zanu (PF) now.

Two months ago Madhaka with his gang were arrested after they disrupted a
Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) meeting at Vutsanana
secondary school. They were released after paying a fine.

MISA’s book sheds light

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by Zwanai Sithole
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:03

HARARE - The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) last week launched a
book focusing on the changes that the government has made to the country’s
media laws since 2005, and also analyses the laws’ impact on freedom of
expression as well as citizen’s right to access information.

The book, entitled Media laws in Zimbabwe, was launched by retired judge,
Justice George Smith during a media lawyers conference held at a local hotel
last week.

Speaking at the lunch of the publication, MISA Chairperson, Loughty Dube,
said that despite sustained activism and pressure, the media landscape in
Zimbabwe had remained static and had not meaningfully developed over the
last decade.

“Through this publication MISA seeks to continually highlight aspects in the
legislative framework of Zimbabwe that should be reformed or repealed in
their entirety to promote media freedom and diversity and thereby enhance
participatory democracy. It is therefore MISA-Zimbabwe’s hope that this
publication will contribute to various lobby campaigns the organisation and
indeed its civic partners are conducting to highlight the pitfalls of the
country’s media terrain and influence the institution of comprehensive media
reforms that will enhance Zimbabwe’s transition to a true democracy,” said
Dube.

He added that apart from discussing how the country’s media laws contravened
the constitution, it also drew parallels between Zimbabwe’s media
legislative framework and regional as well as international instruments on
freedom of expression.

“The authorities have often warded off demands for democratic reforms in the
country as grounded and driven by sinister western imperialistic regime
change plots and not motivated by Zimbabwe’s genuine desire for freedom.
Thus, by comparing the country’s laws with those enshrined in regional
instruments, MISA Zimbabwe is demonstrating that Zimbabweans’ demands for
media freedom are not alien to humanity’s desire to live a democratic life,
but reflect their aspiration to enjoy their inalienable universal rights
protected under several international and regional declarations some of
which Zimbabwe is signatory,” he said.

Since the year 2000, the government has introduced a number of repressive
pieces of legislation in the country which, to date, continue to severely
curtail the enjoyment and exercise of fundamental civil liberties by the
people. Among them are the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy
Act (AIPPA), Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Interception of
Communications Act (ICA).

X Factor's Gamu told to leave UK

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Yahoo News
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 18:23

LONDON - X factor reject Gamu Nhengu, whose axing from the show caused a
storm among viewers, has been told to leave the UK.

The teenager, kicked off the show by judge Cheryl Cole at the weekend
despite being a huge hit with fans, must return to her native Zimbabwe, the
UK Border Agency said.

Gamu, 18, was allowed to stay in the country as a dependant while her
mother, Nokuthula Ngazana, studied at university.

But her visa has now expired and the family's application to remain has been
rejected as they did not meet Home Office criteria.

The family has now been told to leave the UK voluntarily or face
deportation.

A spokesman for the Home Office said the decision to axe the student from
The X Factor was the business of the television show. He could not say
whether Cheryl had come to her conclusion after talks between immigration
officials and the programme's bosses.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "The applications made by Ms Ngazana and
her family were considered in line with the published immigration rules."

So far, more than 210,000 fans have signed up to a Facebook page called Gamu
Should Have Got Through, protesting against the decision by Cheryl to leave
Gamu out of the final 12.

At least one of the rejected contestants will be given a lifeline at the
weekend as a "wild card" on Saturday night's programme, although it is
thought Gamu will not be among them.

Show bosses have already denied suggestions that Cheryl had been influenced
by visa issues. A show spokeswoman said: "Gamu's visa being processed was
not the reason that she didn't make the final 12."

Zanu magic turns airport into fowl run

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/

06-Oct-2010 | Bathathe Guluva |
Wed Oct 06 21:54:05 SAST 2010

GULUVA was honestly and thoroughly horrified the other day while watching a
news item on SABC-TV on the recent strike by Zimbabwean pilots that
threatened to "finish off" the little that was left of that country's
aviation business.

The footage showed a rather disinterested and dishevelled man, presumably a
senior executive of Zimbabwe Airlines, sitting behind a rickety and
antiquated desk in an office that was badly in need of paint.

The desk was sagging under mountains of paper. Behind the man lay piles and
piles of files and folders that went all the way up to the roof.

The man seemed bored while incoherently giving the aviation authority's side
of the story to the TV interviewer.

The cameras later took TV viewers to the so-called Harare International
Airport, which looked more like a fowl run than that country's most
strategic and important point of entry, a gateway to a once beautiful
African country.

Guluva could not believe that these pictures were shot in the 21st century:
the era of Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, MXit, YouTube, GPS, iPod and so
on.

He wonders if people there even know what a *.pdf file is, let alone a blog.

Well, that's what happens when you zanuficate your country. You will be
forever locked in a time warp.

It's terrifying to note that this is the road that the well-heeled Woodwork
Boy wants South Africa to take.

Lesson for the Woodwork Boy

Speaking of zanufication, what are the other telltale signs that show you
that your country has been or is in the process of being zanuficated?

Well, when your leaders stop using their brains to tackle challenges that
clearly need well-constructed strategies and well-developed programmes of
action.

Last week a Harare court heard how, at the height of Zimbabwe's crippling
fuel shortages in 2007, a traditional healer hoodwinked top ministers in
President Robert Mugabe's government into believing she could, believe it or
not, miraculously procure diesel fuel from a rock.

The ministers were so convinced that the healer had divine powers that they
gave her £1,7million (a whopping R11,9million), a farm, an armed guard and
food. Of course, the "miracle" later proved to be a prank and the gullible
ministers and their equally naïve bureaucrats were left with egg all over
their faces.

The traditional healer, curiously named Nomatter Tagarira, was sentenced to
39 months in jail for defrauding the government and "supplying wrong
information".

Is the Woodwork Boy listening?

Zanu-PF main beneficiary of 'empowerment programme'

New farmers lose faith in land reform …‘land redistribution a political weapon’