http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Sebastian Nyamhangambiri Saturday 17 April
2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe marks 30 years of independence this weekend
but there will
be little to celebrate as the United Nations (UN) announced
on Friday that
the country's humanitarian crisis is set to continue because
of yet another
poor yield from the 2009/2010 agricultural season and donor
fatigue.
Tomorrow President Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe's sole ruler since
independence
from Britain in 1980 - will preside over the celebrations in
Harare.
Jamaican singer Sizzla Kalonji has been hired to perform Saturday
night
ahead of Sunday's main event at the National Sports
Stadium.
But for many Zimbabweans reeling under the decade-long economic
collapse of
the former breadbasket of southern Africa, it will likely be
just another
day.
UN humanitarian coordinator in Zimbabwe Elizabeth
Lwanga appealed to the
international world to assist the troubled country,
saying last year's
appeal for $722 million for humanitarian aid - most of
which was for food
assistance - had received "relatively successful
response".
"Unfortunately, in 2010 we have so far been confronted with
serious cuts in
funding. As of today, the CAP (Consolidated Appeal Process)
is funded at 26
percent, an all-time low in the history of CAP in Zimbabwe,"
she said,
adding; "It is clear that humanitarian assistance is still
urgently
required."
Last year Mugabe formed a power-sharing
government with his foe now Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, after a
disputed election. The fragile coalition
has stabilised the economy but has
failed to attract foreign funding to
support economic recovery due to
power-sharing disputes between the two
leaders, with Mugabe being accused of
resisting full implementation of the
global political agreement that gave
birth to the unity administration.
A joint government and United Nations'
Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) crop assessment report released last
month urged Harare to start
emergency food relief programmes to areas that
have been affected by
drought, while 500 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize
should be set aside
annually to mitigate any food deficits.
The joint
report follows projections that up to 11 percent or 200 000
hectares of this
year's maize crop in the southern African country was a
total
write-off.
Zimbabwe has grappled with severe food shortages over the past
decade after
Mugabe disrupted the key agriculture sector through his chaotic
and often
violent land reform programme.
The farm seizures reduced
agricultural production by 60 percent resulting in
most Zimbabweans
depending on food handouts from international food relief
agencies.
But Mugabe denies that his land reforms - that he says were
necessary to
ensure blacks also had access to arable land that they were
denied by
previous white-led governments - triggered the food shortages
blaming the
crisis on drought and economic sabotage by his Western enemies
that he says
crippled the economy's capacity to produce key inputs such as
seed and
fertilizers. - ZimOnline
http://www.thedailynewszw.com/?p=28949
April 17, 2010
By Owen
Chikari
MASVINGO - As controversy on the new indigenisation laws
continues, senior
Zanu-PF officials here have wasted no time in demanding
shares in Bikita
Minerals - the country's sole producer of
lithium.
Finance Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi is also fighting for shares
in
Zanu-PF politburo member Dzikamai Mavhaire, former Bikita West MP
Retired
Colonel Claudius Makova and former Finance Minister Samuel
Mumbengegwi have
reportedly demanded shares in the company in return for
protection of the
company from compulsory take-over.
Walter Mutsauri,
Zanu-PF's losing candidate for Bikita East, is also
reported to have staked
a claim.
Mavahire, who already sits on the board of Bikita Minerals, has
demanded a
51 percent stake.
Mumbengegwi, Mutsauri and Makova are
said have already approached the
company with the intention of being given
shares as a "protection fees."
The politicians are claiming that ceding
shares to them would avert the
compulsory take-over of the whole
mine.
On Friday, Mavhaire confirmed he was interested in taking over the
majority
stake in the company.
"I have been a board member of this
company for years and I think the only
logical way is to empower me by
giving me the shares," said Mavhaire.
"I have been involved in the
administration and general operations at the
company and therefore giving me
shares will not affect viablility if the
company".
However,
Mumbengegwi said the fact the Mavhaire was on the board of the
mineral
company did not make him an automatic beneficiary.
"These people like
Mavhaire are the ones we are saying should give us a
chance since they have
been benefiting from government programmes since time
immemorial," said
Mumbengegwi.
"We will make sure that even President Robert Mugabe
intervenes because I
will not leave no stone unturned in making sure I
benefit."
Although Makova, Mutasuri could not be reached form comment,
sources said
they were also interested in acquiring stake in the giant
lithium-producing
mine.
The government recently gazetted the
Indigenisation and Empowerment Act
which compelss all foreign owned
companies to cede 51 percent of their
shares to indigenous
Zimbabweans.
However, the MDC and Zanu-PF - parties within the inclusive
government -
have clashed over the content and implementation of the
law.
President Robert Mugabe has already said that there is no going back
on the
law.
The MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has
called for a revision of
the regulations, to ensure the law did not scare
away potential investors.
Zimbabwean companies had until last Wednesday
to submit their proposals on
how they would cede shares to locals.
http://news.radiovop.com
17/04/2010 09:36:00
Harare, April 17, 2010 -
Phillip Chiyangwa, is not giving up on the land
grab scandal which was
unearthed by the Harare City Council nailing him and
the Minister of Local
Government and Urban Development Ignatius Chombo
illegally acquiring city
land.
This time he has unleashed a lawsuit against Harare City Council
and local
newspaper The Standard for a total of USD 900 million (R6,5
billion)
lawsuit for defamation over allegations that he illegally acquired
city
land.
Chiyangwa, who claims to be related to Mugabe President
Robert Mugabe, is
accused in the explosive special council report together
with Chombo for
conniving with top city council employees to steal prime
land.
The businessman who is a former Rhodesian police officer is suing
both in
his personal capacity and through his companies Kilima Investments
and
Pinnacle Holdings.
In papers filed at the High Court on April 9,
2010, Chiyangwa says his
companies suffered damages for defamation in the
sum of USD250 million and
revenue loss in the sum of another USD250
million. In his personal capacity
he says he suffered damages for loss of
reputation and trauma in the sum of
USD400 million.
"If you do not
enter appearance to defend, the plaintiffs' claims will be
heard and dealt
with by the High Court without further notice to you.
"The said words (of
the report) in the context of the report, are wrongful
and defamatory of the
plaintiffs in that they were intended and were
understood by readers of the
report and the newspaper publications that the
plaintiffs are
dishonest.
"Further, the content of the report is false and defamatory of
the
plaintiffs in that it imputes, and was intended by the defendants to
impute,
that the plaintiffs were involved in a fraudulent syndicate with
city's
employees to steal the city's land," argues Chiyangwa in court papers
through his lawyer Farai Mutangamira.
As the see saw battle
continues, council says police are so scared of
investigating Chombo and
Chiyangwa over the land grab scandal, forcing them
to appeal to highly
ranked police officers to intervene.
Council also wants senior employees
- Psychology Chiwanga director of urban
planning services and Cosmas
Zvikaramba the finance director- arrested for
conniving with Chiyangwa and
Chombo to steal council land.
Council through acting mayor, Charity Bango
reported the matter to police at
Harare Central Police but so far no arrests
have been made.
(AFP) - 10 hours ago
HARARE
- Rising food prices pushed Zimbabwe's annual inflation to 3.5
percent in
March, a six-fold increase over the -0.7 percent rate posted the
previous
month, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) said.
"Prices as measured by
the all-items Consumer Price Index increased by an
average 3.5 percent
between March 2009 and March 2010," the CSO said in a
statement.
"The
year-on-year food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation prone to
transitory
shocks stood at 1.23 percent in March while non-food inflation
stood at 4.55
percent," the CSO said.
On Thursday, finance minister Tendai Biti accused
local businesses of
stoking inflation, saying speculative price increases
were creating
inflationary pressure.
"On analysis, the increase in
the inflation figures have largely been
food-driven," he said.
"The
inescapable conclusion in the absence of key fundamental inflation
drivers
that are justifiable is speculation," he said.
Aid agencies say an
estimated two million Zimbabweans are in need of food
aid after a crisis
that saw record-setting hyperinflation wreak havoc on the
country's
economy.
In January last year, the government decided to abandon the
essentially
worthless local currency, allowing trade in US dollars or other
foreign
currencies.
That quickly stabilised the economy, ending a
freefall that had spanned
nearly a decade and allowing some businesses to
begin piecing together their
shattered operations.
But the use of
multiple currencies has brought erratic pricing practices as
businesses set
their own exchange rates between US dollars, South African
rands and other
currencies.
http://news.yahoo.com/
AFP
2 hrs 24 mins
ago
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has admitted that
teachers
earn "a mere pittance" and pledged to restore the quality of the
country's
education system, state media said Saturday.
"To the
teachers, it is with regret and apologies that your reward has been
nothing
but a mere pittance, not worthy to be called salaries at all but
just
allowances," The Herald newspaper quoted Mugabe as saying.
"Quite a
number of children have dropped out of school and it pains us
because we had
developed our system to a level that it was admired by many
in Africa, if
not the world," he added.
Mugabe was addressing teachers and pupils at
the annual children's party he
hosts before the country celebrates
independence day.
Sunday marks 30 years since Zimbabwe gained
independence from Britain, an
occasion that has sparked extensive commentary
about the country's
deterioration during Mugabe's three-decade-long
rule.
Zimbabwe was hailed as a model for Africa at independence in 1980,
but is
struggling to escape a spectacular economic collapse that has ground
the
country to a virtual halt.
The country's public education system,
once considered the best on the
continent, has crumbled over the last
decade, with up to 15 pupils sharing a
textbook.
Government school
teachers in Zimbabwe earn 165 dollars (122 euros) a month.
Around 20,000
teachers have left in search of better pay.
"Our standards have fallen,"
Mugabe said. "But, of course, there is always
room for improvement and the
hopes that things will get better.
"Let's keep the spirit that shows
there is always optimism on the part of
parents, children and government
that we are moving ahead, that there is
progress not regression," he said.
http://www.thedailynewszw.com/?p=28937
April 17, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party on
Friday described as
a colossal political scandal an invitation extended to
Iranian leader
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to officially open the Zimbabwe
International Trade Fair
(ZITF).
President Ahmadinejad is
reported to be visiting Zimbabwe on April 23 to
open the country’s
International Trade Fair in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second
city.
The
announcement was made after Iran’s new ambassador to Harare, Mohammad
Pournajaf, presented his credentials to President Robert Mugabe.
But
the MDC on Friday described the decision as unilateral, saying Zanu-PF
had
insulted Zimbabweans and Iranians by inviting the sabre-rattling
despot.
“The MDC condemns the scandalous invitation of Ahmadinejad,” the
MDC said in
a statement to the Daily News.
“His visit will definitely
send a wrong message about the kind of company
that we keep at a time when
the people of Africa and the rest of the world
have begun to see us as a
nation working hard to restore democracy and good
governance.”
The
MDC said Ahmadinejad had perforated human rights credentials.
“He has
made his reputation as a war-monger, a trampler of human rights, an
executioner of those with dissenting voices and a leader of questionable
legitimacy due to his controversial electoral victory in last year’s
Presidential election in June,” the MDC said.
“While we understand Mr
Mugabe’s shared values with Ahmadinejad, whose
legitimacy is in tatters
following the contestation of presidential results
by the Green Movement
party led by Mir Hossein Mousavi, we call upon the
inclusive government to
desist from associating our peace-loving country
with despots.”
The
day after Ahmadinejad’s victory celebrations in June last year, amid
congratulations from the Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
millions of demonstrators in Tehran and around the country protested at what
they saw as a stolen election. The Iranian leader rejected calls for a
rerun.
The MDC said while Ahmadinejad will be wining and dining in
Zimbabwe next
week, nine opposition activists in Iran will be facing death
sentences for
merely contesting the outcome of last year’s presidential
election results.
“As a party, we feel that a country is defined by its
friends,” the MDC
said. “We want to place it on record that judging by his
record, Ahmadinejad
is coming not as a friend of Zimbabwe, but an ally of
those that
unilaterally invited him. Choice of friends defines character and
inviting
the Iranian strongman to an investment forum is like inviting a
mosquito to
cure malaria. Hobnobbing with dubious political leaders confirms
stereotypes
that we are a banana republic.”
The MDC said it was
concerned by widespread reports from Iran of arbitrary
killing of protestors
and human rights defenders in order to crash dissent.
“We feel that
Ahmadinejad is a personification of the kind of society that
we are moving
away from ever since Zimbabwe’s train of hope left station
with formation of
the inclusive government on 13 February 2009,” the MDC
said.
“Ahmadinejad’s visit is not only an insult to the people of
Zimbabwe, but an
affront to democracy and to the oppressed people of
Iran.
“The visit puts a big dent on the country’s image and will no doubt
send a
negative message to investors who will be wondering whether their
investment
is safe with those who play host to human rights
abusers.”
Mugabe enjoys good relations with Iran since embarking on a
“Look East”
policy in retaliation to vilification of his government by the
West
following disputed elections in 2002 and his decision to seize land
from
white farmers.
ZITF is a major calendar event in Zimbabwe and
showcases products from the
southern African country and other nations.
http://news.radiovop.com
17/04/2010
17:33:00
Masvingo, April 17, 2010 - More than 100 informal traders,
mostly women,
were brutally beaten on Saturday morning for failing to
contribute money
towards independence celebrations on Sunday.
A group
of war veterans and Zanu PF youth were demanding at least US $ 2
from each
trader.
Over 20 traders from Tanaiwa and Takawira flea markerts here were
taken to
Masvingo General Hospital for treatment.
The traders had
been ordered to pay the money by the end of last week, but
most failed to
meet the deadline. Those who failed to submit their
contributions to
Masvingo Informal Traders Association (MITA) president,
Gilbert Chikwata,
were accused of being Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).
"We were
informed that we should donate the money, which will be used for
Independence, but because we make very little profits here, we argued that
donations must not be compulsory," said Amos Mugari. "Most of us lost our
wares. They took some clothes among other things to compensate the money
which they wanted."
Gilbert Chikwata, describing the assaults said:
"No .it was not that brutal,
they were faking pain and going to hospital was
a matter of magnifying the
degree of assault. They were only forced to
either pay or give wares
equivalent to money. People should take
Independence seriously and
contribute towards it well in advance to avoid
embarrassment."
However, a trader said: "We have been donating but you
would later discover
that those who come to collect the money use it for
their own benefit."
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Assistant
Inspector, Prosper
Mugauri, said the police was yet to establish what
actually happened.
He, however, confirmed that some people who were
assaulted filed a report at
Chikato police station.
"I do not have
actual details of what happen I must get in touch with
Chikato police
station first and get the facts," said Mugauri.
http://www.thedailynewszw.com/?p=28940
April 17, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
MUTARE - The MDC has told its councillors linked to
corruption here to
desist from unscrupulous practice and put the council in
order within two
months or face serious consequences.
The MDC
accuses its councillors under the Mutare City Council of neglecting
their
duties and engaging in corrupt activities.
The MDC recently fired all its
councillors from Chitungwiza on allegations
of corruption and
mismanagement.
Tapiwa Mashakada, the MDC deputy secretary general, who is
leading an MDC
anti-corruption team, was in Mutare two weeks ago to audit
the performance
of councillors.
He issued an ultimatum to the
councillors to put the council in order within
two months.
This was
after residents had complained the councillors were involved in
corrupt
activities which included the irregular allocation of stands among
themselves.
The councillors were also accused of borrowing money from
the treasury
department for personal use. They owe the council up to $24 644
in unpaid
debts.
Residents allege some councillors have had their
lifestyles change from the
proverbial rags to riches overnight.
They
also complained about poor service delivery.
Mashakada said his team
would be back in the eastern border city in two
months to assess the
situation.
"We are coming back in two months time and we want to see
water flowing into
people's homes," Mashakada told journalists. "Although we
appreciate that
money is hard to come by, service delivery like road
maintenance should be
improved."
He said his team met the councillors
and read to them the riot act.
"A lot is happening in Mutare," Mashakada
said. "We discovered that some of
our councillors were illegally disposing
stands allocated to them while some
of them were borrowing from
council."
Mashakada said the MDC did not have anything to hide and was
prepared to
expose any wrongdoing in councils under its control.
"We
gathered that some of the councillors who benefited from stands were
swapping them for vehicles, and we ordered the practice to stop because such
actions are driven by greed," he said.
"We will not tolerate
malpractice by our members and I think the councillors
now know what their
duties are, and not to do as they like."
He said it was wrong for
councillors to borrow money from the council
because they were not
employees.
http://news.radiovop.com
17/04/2010
17:30:00
Harare, April 17, 2010 - Zimbabwe Prime Minister and former
opposition
leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said he painfully took the decision to
enter into
a government of national unity with long time foe President
Robert Mugabe
and his Zanu (PF) party simply because he had declared war on
him and his
supporters.
He said it was painful to take the decision
to enter a coalition government
after winning an election.
"...we did
not enter this coalition freely. I could have easily said let
them sort out
their own mess but it was for the sake of the people," said
Tsvangirai,
speaking in a special one-hour-long 30th Independence Day
programme
broadcast on Doha-based Al Jazeera news on Friday.
"We know we won an
election and what then transpired was that there was a
roll-out programme by
the army to intimidate the voters on behalf of Zanu
(PF) and President
Mugabe."
Tsvangirai, won the March 2008 election, albeit with a margin
not good
enough for him to take over the reins of power and was forced to go
into a
second round with Mugabe. He later pulled out due to un-precedented
violence
on his supporters and party activists.
"For us it was
declaration of war. We said no more we will not take part in
that war," said
Tsvangirai who himself suffered several injuries during the
election
campaign period.
According to the United Nations statistics on Zimbabwe
2008 electoral
violence, 190 MDC supporters were killed while 5000 others
were left nursing
an assortment of serious injuries, with 10 000 others
displaced from their
homes.
Zanu (PF) although it admits that the
gory electoral violence was carried
out by its supporters, it still says it
was an inter-party activity accusing
MDC of also unleashing its supporters.
However, it is a known fact that Zanu
(PF) operated several torture bases
where MDC supporters were abducted and
taken in for
punishment.
Tsvangirai, said he did not make any political mistake by
entering the unity
government, although nothing much had changed in terms of
the political and
human rights situation in the country. Several of
Tsvangirai's members of
parliamentarians, political activists, journalists
and human rights
activists were still being harrased during the course of
their duties.
"It was the right decision to take because the amount of
violence was
totally unprecedented. What's the use of fighting for political
power when
i'ts just a contestation of political power and not to seek the
mandate of
the people. It's not worth the life of any Zimbabwean," said
Tsvangirai.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Own Correspondent Saturday 17
April 2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe's government will avail US$2.3
million to finance a long
delayed key exercise to consult citizens on a
proposed new constitution
while the rest of the funding will come from aid
agencies, the parliamentary
committee driving the reforms said on
Friday.
Bickering among the three governing parties over funding for the
constitutional reforms and personnel to collate the people's views and ideas
during the public outreach programme - that requires US$18 million to be
rolled out - has seen the reforms miss several targets
already.
Douglas Mwonzora, a joint-chairman of the Constitutional
Parliamentary
Committee (COPAC), said the Finance Ministry will release part
of the money
for the outreach programme which would now start at the end of
the month.
"The government has said it will be releasing US$2.338 million
with the rest
of the money coming from donors," Mwonzora said, adding; "We
are looking
towards the end of April and first week of May to begin the
outreach
programme. We have just finished training the 210 rapporteurs. The
funding
will come through from UNDP, DFID, the Danish and the Dutch. The
money will
be used to buy other things such as recording equipment, and
finance the
process on a quarterly basis."
He said if COPAC's plans
are not disrupted they should be able to complete
the outreach by September
this year and a referendum will be held
thereafter.
"If we fail then
the referendum will be held sometime maybe early next year
by February,"
Mwonzora said.
Zimbabwe requires a new constitution to level the
political field and act as
bulwark against political violence that has
marked the country's elections
since the 1999 emergency of the MDC as potent
electoral threat to ZANU PF.
Under a September 2008 power-sharing deal
that led to formation of the
country's unity government between President
Robert Mugabe and Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai the country is supposed
to craft a new
constitution paving the way for new elections.
But
funding constraints and reports of alleged intimidation by soldiers and
supporters of Mugabe's ZANU PF party campaigning for the adoption of the
controversial Kariba draft constitution as the basis for the proposed new
charter have tainted the credibility of the reform exercise.
ZANU PF
and the two MDC formations of Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur
Mutambara
secretly authored the Kariba draft in 2007 but critics say the
document
should be discarded because it leaves Mugabe's immense powers
untouched.
Addressing Zimbabwe's senior editors last month, Mugabe
said elections would
be held once the country's troubled constitutional
reforms have been
completed - regardless of whether the reforms produce a
new charter or flop.
But Tsvangirai this week appeared to contradict the
veteran leader telling
villagers in rural Magunje district, about 250km
north-west of Harare that
Zimbabwe will hold new elections only after the
new constitution is in
place.
Zimbabweans hope a new constitution
will strengthen the role of Parliament
and curtail the president's powers,
as well as guarantee basic civil,
political and media freedoms. - ZimOnline
http://news.scotsman.com/
Published Date: 17
April 2010
By JANE FIELDS
A BUSY hospital in Zimbabwe is asking its
patients to select their funeral
directors - before they are admitted.
In
a shocking reflection of the dire state of Zimbabwe's healthcare system,
Thorngrove Hospital in Bulawayo is turning away patients who refuse to pick
a parlour before treatment.
A mother whose daughter was admitted with
measles last month said
ADVERTISEMENT
: "One of the conditions for my
daughter to be admitted was that we should
indicate which funeral parlour to
call when she dies.
"I was shocked because I sent her to the hospital so
that she gets life,"
said Siphathisiwe Nyathi, 35. Ms Nyathi's daughter,
Sithabiso, -a year six
primary-school pupil - later died, according to a
report in the state-owned
Chronicle newspaper this week. "Her death has
confused me," said Mrs Nyathi.
"I don't know whether she got adequate
medical care or not."
Another mother said: "They told me my daughter
would be sent home if I
didn't make a choice. I was terrified because it had
not dawned on me she
could die," said mother Earthlen
Munyeza.
Fortunately, daughter Monalisa survived the measles
attack.
A nationwide outbreak of measles has seen patients flocking to
hospitals
such as local authority run Thorngrove. Bulawayo residents claim
that poorly
paid nurses are receiving kickbacks from funeral parlours if
they find
business for them.
Ms Munyeza said she gave nurses at
Thorngrove the name of a prominent local
funeral director "but the nurses
said I should choose another parlour
because (her choice] was
expensive".
Bulawayo's director of Health Services, Zanele Hwalima, said:
"I am aware
this has been a practice for all patients admitted to Thorngrove
Hospital
for many years.
"This certainly does not mean that they are
all going to die in hospital and
you can attest that some patients are
discharged home."
A decade-long political and economic crisis played
havoc with Zimbabwe's
once-enviable health delivery system, as simple drugs
like paracetamol were
in short supply. Lifts broke, corpses were carried up
and down stairs
wrapped in tattered sheets and hospital mortuaries went
without electricity
for hours.
In rural hospitals expectant mothers
were told to bring buckets of water
with them ready for delivery. Doctors
left en masse, fed up with salaries
that could barely stretch to a loaf of
bread per day.
When cholera broke out in late 2008 some patients were
treated with drips
strung from tree branches. Four thousand died in the
epidemic.
The formation in February 2009 of a power-sharing government
between Robert
Mugabe and former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has
seen the situation
in hospitals gradually improve.
But more cases
this year of cholera, as well as typhoid and measles, show
Zimbabwe's health
care system is still tightly stretched. At least 200 have
died of measles
since last December. There have been 3,585 recorded
infections, most in
children.
The outbreak began in eastern Manicaland province, among the
white-robed
members of an Apostolic church sect that considers taking
children for
vaccination or treatment a "sin". Authorities are now
considering
legislation to force parents to take their children for
immunisation.
http://www1.voanews.com/
Mutambara was invited by members of the Congressional
Black Caucus to detail
progress in Harare that might warrant the
normalization of ties including
the lifting of sanctions on President Mugabe
and other ZANU-PF officials
Blessing Zulu | Washington 16 April
2010
U.S.-Zimbabwean re-engagement continued this week with meetings
between
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and Congress members in
Washington.
Mutambara was invited by members of the Congressional Black
Caucus to detail
progress in Harare that might warrant the normalization of
ties including
the lifting of sanctions targeting President Robert Mugabe
and about 200
other ZANU-PF officials.
Analysts say the U.S.
administration is not likely to lift the sanctions any
time soon because the
national unity government headed by Mr. Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change has
not fully implemented
the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing.
Mutambara told VOA
Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that he hopes his mission
will make a
difference in easing tensions between Harare and Washington.
Three
ministers of the inclusive government, meanwhile, were to head to
Brussels
early next week for a similar mission to the European Community.
Headed
by Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma, the delegation will meet
with
EU Foreign Minister Cathy Ashton, Development Director Stefano
Manservisi,
and Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, government sources
said.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, International Cooperation
Minister
Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, and Foreign Affairs Permanent
Secretary
Joey Bimha are the other members of the delegation.
Sources
said ZANU-PF wanted Mr. Tsvangirai to lead the delegation and
personally
urge EU officials to lift their sanctions, but Mr Tsvangirai
declined.
Mangoma said in an interview that Harare hopes the visit
will strengthen
ties with Europe.
http://www1.voanews.com
Zimbabwe has faced many problems since it shook off
white colonial rule in
1980 including internal warfare between the two main
liberation parties, an
often violent land reform exercise and a seemingly
intractable political
crisis
Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington 16 April
2010
Zimbabweans across the political spectrum were gearing up for a
weekend of
Independence Day observations culminating on Sunday with all
parties
encouraging their supporters to join festivities in a nonpartisan
spirit.
To depoliticize the Independence Day holiday, long a monopoly of
President
Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF, the national organizing committee has
banned
political party regalia and slogans at the main event on Sunday at
Harare's
National Sports Stadium.
Committee chairman and Local
Government Minister Ignatius Chombo urged
Zimbabweans to "bury their
political differences" at least for the day.
Political sources said both
formations of the former opposition Movement for
Democratic Change will be
represented Sunday as Mr. Mugabe gives the keynote
address. Though the MDC
formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
declined to confirm whether he
would be there, sources indicated this was
expected.
The Tsvangirai
MDC issued a statement saying that Zimbabweans should unite
regardless of
their political affiliations in celebrating 30 years of
independence.
Nonetheless, the party said that for many years the
national holiday had
been tainted by politics.
Elsewhere, the
activist group Restoration of Human Rights said Zimbabwe had
little to show
after three decades of independence.
But spokesman Methuseli Moyo of the
revived ZAPU liberation party - a
ZANU-PF rival at independence in 1980 but
subsequently absorbed - said
Zimbabweans should focus on the nation's
accomplishments as well as its
failures after the end of colonial
rule.
"As a party that pioneered the struggle for independence, we urge
our
supporters to cherish this historic day," Moyo told VOA Studio 7
reporter
Ntungamili Nkomo. "We still face problems as a nation, but
independence
should unite people despite their political
affiliation."
Political analyst Qhubani Moyo commended the political
parties for resolving
to set politics aside for the day.
Zimbabwe has
battled an array of problems since it shook off white colonial
rule,
including conflict between ZANU-PF and ZAPU in Matabeleland in the
1980s in
which thousands were massacred, an often violent land reform
exercise that
most observers blame for a decade of economic decline, chronic
political
crisis following the emergence of the MDC in 1999 to challenge
ZANU-PF
supremacy, political violence, HIV/AIDS, cholera, hyperinflation and
massive
emigration.
The formation of a national unity government in February 2009
following the
traumatic 2008 elections offered hope that the country might
emerge from
crisis, but the so-called inclusive government according to most
analysts
has yet to live up to expectations.
http://www.zimeye.org/?p=16236
April 16, 2010 National
Harare - Rangarirai
Zvauya, the government lawyer allegedly framed by CIO
operative and (Zanu
PF) politician Christopher Mutsvangwa has finally been
freed on bail after
languishing at Chikurubi Prison farm for two months.
Harare Regional
Magistrate William Bhila accepted defence lawyer Lucky Mauwa
of Mutezo and
Partners' submission that Zvauya was a strong candidate for
acquittal by the
High Court.
Zvauya was jailed for two years by another Harare magistrate
after the court
convicted him on charges that he demanded a $400 bribe from
Mutsvangwa,
which amounted to criminal abuse of office.
Bhila freed
Zvauya on $100 bail with no reporting conditions.
Zvauya argued that the
State's case was weak and was likely to fall apart in
the High Court after
Mutsvangwa's wife Monica had failed to produce text
messages which she
earlier claimed the lawyer had sent to her demanding a
bribe.
The
trap document used by the CID was also found to be defective as it was
dated
October 2006 while Zvauya was arrested in November 2009.
It has also been
established that Zvauya's brother, Chengetai, a
correspondent for the
Associated Press news agency had not written any story
about Mutsvangwa's
alleged involvement in a murder case.
Mutsvangwa had claimed that
Chengetai Zvauya had written the story and
Rangarirai Zvauya approached him
asking for a bribe to stop its publication.
The defence also argued that
Mutsvangwa's statements were inconsistent and
that Monica, who was listed as
a complainant had failed to give any evidence
of the lawyer's wrongdoing
during the trial which concluded in January.
Zvauya claims that there was
an element of entrapment. Mutsvangwa told the
court under cross-examination
from another defence lawyer, Chris Mhike, that
he had used his CIO skills to
trap Zvauya in order to prevent him from
interviewing his wife. After Monica
invited Zvauya, who was a law officer in
the Attorney-General's office, to
her home to interview her, Mutsvangwa
brought the CID to arrest
him.
Apart from Mutsvangwa, no-one else claimed to have heard Zvauya
asking for a
bribe, the court heard.
Bhila concluded that on the
basis of those arguments, Zvauya would be a
successful candidate for
acquittal when the case was heard in the High Court
at a date yet to
set.
Zvauya argues that he was framed to prevent details of a murder case
allegedly involving Mutsvangwa from becoming public. Mutsvangwa was
reportedly involved in an illegal diamond deal. He failed to pay Costa
Mateta and several other people who had given him diamonds. Mateta and his
associates then went to Mutsvangwa's Highlands home and seized cash and
goods in the presence of Monica.
Mutsvangwa is reported to have
ordered the CID to arrest Mateta and his
partners. The Homicide Squad
detectives are said to have taken Mateta and
two others to Granville
Cemetery on the outskirts of Harare, where they
brutally tortured them and
shot them to death.
Mateta's wife Saliwe Nduna sued the CID for the
murder of her husband.
Zvauya's job was to represent the State's interest
in the case.
However, during his investigations, he stumbled upon
evidence incriminating
Mutsvangwa in the illegal diamond deals and the
subsequent killings. Zvauya
was due to gather information from Monica about
the case when he was
arrested.
Meanwhile Nduna is still pursuing her
case. She is represented by Zviko
Chadambuka of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights (ZLHR). ZLHR has accused
Zanu (PF) functionaries in the
government of harassing State lawyers who
sought to do their jobs
professionally.
Several State lawyers involved in high-profile cases to
do with human rights
violations have been arrested or harassed
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Fungi Kwaramba
Friday, 16 April 2010
11:13
HARARE - Zanu (PF) youth militia yielding iron bars and machetes
descended
on Dandare Primary School in Murewa and frog marched the school's
headmaster, John Chananda, out of the building after accusing him of being
an agent of the MDC-T.
According to the Centre for Community
Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ) the
School head has since left the school as
he fears for his life.
"Zanu (PF) youths are on the loose in Murewa and the
police are doing
nothing about it even though reports have been made. We
went to the police
and we were assured by the Officer in Charge, Mwatsike
Simbe, that the
police were going to investigate the matter, but they seem
to be reluctant
to open up dockets against Zanu (PF) activists," said Philip
Pasirayi, CCDZA
coordinator.
This Christian Aid audio-slideshow features some of those who contributed their stories.
With support from Christian Aid, the booklet is being distributed
nationwide through SCMZ groups in schools, colleges and universities to its
5,000 members.
http://www.thedailynewszw.com/?p=28945
April 17, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe Sten Rylander says
the absence of
private broadcast media in Zimbabwe has affected the smooth
distribution of
humanitarian assistance in a country still facing massive
starvation,
disease and the shortage of clean water.
"Zimbabwe is
now lagging behind most African countries when it comes to
promoting a free
flow of information and communication in humanitarian and
development work,"
Rylander said Friday.
"Vital instruments such as community based radios
are still not allowed to
operate freely. It is my strong hope that some
quick and constructive
catching work can be done by the new Media Commission
and the Government of
national unity. "
Rylander was officially
presenting US$5,5 assistance to Zimbabwe , a
response by his country under
the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) made on
behalf of the country for
2010.
CAP is a tool used to jointly plan coordinate, implement and
monitor
humanitarian activities by organizations that participate under the
auspices
of the United Nations system.
In his address, the Swedish
diplomat was quick to acknowledge that the
country's humanitarian situation
had significantly improved.
"At the same time," he added, "the margins
are narrow and the situation
remains fragile.
"It is predicted that
Zimbabwe may face food insecurity following the
protracted dry spell and
poor rainfall this year."
Speaking at the same occasion, which was held
at government's Munhumutapa
offices, Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khuphe
said a third of the country
was affected by the dry spell which has reduced
crop yields in the country.
"The dry spell has raised concerns as it may
affect food security," she
said.
"Despite the support that was
extended to farmers through inputs,
preliminary crop assessments show that
the country is headed for another
drought year."
Khuphe, who was
officially accepting the donation from the Swedish
government, also implored
the rich countries to go beyond just offering
humanitarian assistance by
extending support to sustainable development
programmes in Zimbabwe
.
Western countries are adamant they will not release their tax payers'
money
to Zimbabwe if the latter does not fully implement terms of the Global
Political Agreement.
Since the formation of the unity government by
President Robert Mugabe's
Zanu-PF and the two MDC parties, political power
is still firmly in the
hands of the veteran leader.
The CAP was
co-launched by the United Nations (UN) Under Secretary General
for
Humanitarian Affairs, Cathrine Bragg and Misihairabwi-Mushonga in early
December 2009.
The total funding request for CAP 2010 was US$379
million.
As of 13 April 2010, CAP funding to Zimbabwe was at US$105
million which
represented 28 percent of required funding.
The
agricultural sector was the cluster that had the highest appeal of $107
million followed by health which had US$64 million, food (US$59 million)
while an appeal of US$46 million was made under the water sanitation and
hygiene cluster.
Other clusters include Education, multi-sector,
protection, nutrition; early
recovery; and coordination and support
services.
The targeted beneficiaries included 1,9 million people who are
food
insecure, 6 million people with no access to basic water sanitation and
hygiene services, 1,2 million people living with HIV and Aids, 1,6 million
orphans and vulnerable children including 100 000 child headed households as
well as 650 000 communal farmers.
Sweden has also contributed US$30
million towards CAP in Zimbabwe between
2006 and 2009.
It also
contributed US$4,8 million towards non-CAP projects in Zimbabwe
between 2006
and 2009.
http://www.herald.co.zw
Saturday,
April 17, 2010
Lifestyle
Reporter
The Harare International Festival of the Arts is now so firmly
entrenched in
the city's cultural calendar that thousands plan for months,
saving up the
money for the tickets and booking their leave for late April
so that they
can, for a week, live, eat and dream the widest range of
cultural
experience.
Hifa was born, grew up and came of age, through
the vision and efforts of
inspired Zimbabweans.
And thanks to the
backing of local business, cultural attaches at diplomatic
missions and some
sheer hard slog by many Zimbabweans, it has been a
success.
Founded
in the genteel 1990s, it has managed to survive the horrors of the
great
inflation and now seeks to become ever richer.
Each year there is a
theme, which sets the tone for the several activities.
This year's theme is
"About Face".
The experience of this festival over its many years is as
diverse and varied
as the people. HIFA brings together Zimbabweans from all
groups in a
cosmopolitan society comprising so many different ethnicities,
spiritual
beliefs, languages, backgrounds and economic
circumstances.
The opinions reflect just as much diversity as the many
varying appearances,
as the places we grew up, whether rural village or
urban high rise, low or
high-density suburb, city or small town, here in
Zimbabwe or elsewhere, as
the education we were lucky enough to enjoy - or
not.
But regardless of differences, there is a whole lot in common too!
The
Zimbabwean collective psyche has some very distinct, recognisable,
likable
and laudable traits - traits that are much commented upon by
visitors to our
country both as sight-seeing tourists and at HIFA itself.
These
characteristics lead many visiting artistes to HIFA to say: "Please,
please,
let me come back again!" What are they?
We know how to have
fun, for a start! Where better to put this into practice
than at
HIFA?
For the most part, Zimbabweans are able to let go of their worries,
not take
themselves too seriously, and make the very most of every good
opportunity
for total enjoyment that comes their way, into which HIFA most
certainly
falls!
Our collective ability to laugh at ourselves, see
the humour in all
situations, however dire, and share a smile, have led to
our reputation as
one of the friendliest nations on earth.
Our
culture of always greeting one another warmly, wherever we go, adds to
this
reputation. Such openness and friendliness in the modern world is all
too
rare.
Then, there is the Zimbabwean spirit of connectedness and
togetherness,
which is perhaps nowhere better demonstrated than at an event
such as HIFA.
There are, of course, always going to be those who like to
draw attention to
where we are divided.
How we throw ourselves into
the joy and delight and friendliness and
togetherness, the grand carnival of
HIFA, belies such a view.
At the end of the day, regardless of our
background, race, tribe, home
language, religion, Zimbabweans actually DO
stick together, struggle
together through difficulties, we join hands to
surmount obstacles, we
gather to enjoy, celebrate and engage with each other
in so many positive
ways.
Never more than at HIFA each
year!
What then are the many experiences of HIFA Life?
A day or
two of wandering around the Festival, attending some shows,
relaxing on the
Coca-Cola Green, grooving to late night music, will show you
some of these,
and these observations will warm your heart and show you what
Zimbabweans
are really about.
HIFA is very much a family affair.
Our sense of
family in this country is very powerful and the cornerstone of
our society,
no matter where it is that we fit within the diverse
communities of our
nation. We care for our elderly folk, we adore our
children, we are totally
involved in their lives and we love to spoil them
when something exciting
comes along. Watch this happen at HIFA, it's a
delight!
So many
families, enjoying time together, watching shows, listening to great
music,
dancing, singing, picnicking or just plain sitting and relaxing!
In the
HIFA Youth Zone (this year supported by UNICEF) in particular, many
children
gather with their parents to enjoy shows with special focus on the
young
and, indeed, many amazing shows presented by the young themselves.
The
kids can participate in workshops and learn how to express themselves
artistically in totally new ways, too.
You will see the same family
togetherness at the Telecel Main Stage, where
there are shows both day and
night. Many bring their picnic rugs and
baskets, their snacks and drinks,
settle down on the grass and just soak up
some fabulous show in the company
of the people they love best!
Surrounded by family and friends, it's a
glorious experience.
This could be the chilled and beautiful sounds of
Emeline Michel from Haiti
or highbrow opera arias from London Festival
Opera.
It could be the grand spectacle of the Opening Show, Carmina
Burana, the
stage packed with Zimbabwean artistes of every kind in a show
brought
together with the special skills of international artistes and
directors
from both Spain and the United Kingdom as well as HIFA's own
talented
directors.
It could be our very own Sulumani Chimbetu and
his Orchestra Dendera Band,
or the Golden Voice of Africa, Salif
Keita.
Whoever it is up there whom we enjoy performing, this taking in of
world-class art (both homegrown and from outside our country), under our
beautiful clear blue sky by day, or starry moon lit sky by night, has to be
the most quintessential HIFA experience, is never to be forgotten - but
thankfully to be repeated - next year! What of those who don't have enough
funds to go to lots of shows? Do they miss out on the joy of
HIFA?
Thankfully, no. The modestly priced general HIFA admission ticket
gets you
into the HIFA site, the Coke Green and the Youth Zone - as well as
the
National Gallery and the Nugget Global Quarter which hosts the Nugget
Global
Quarter Platform.
In these areas of HIFA you can enjoy all the
buzz and hype that HIFA brings,
you can watch many shows for which there is
no charge, on the Coca-Cola
Stage and Nugget Global Quarter Platform, and
you can happily spend an
entire day, well into the late night! You'll hear
the exciting sounds of
other stages pretty clearly, too!
HIFA
organisation is also practical.
Tickets can be booked in advance. The
municipal car park next to the
Monomatapa Hotel is kept open at night so
there is secure off-street
parking. Even the car guards on the street are
Hifa-registered. Security
guards and police patrol the area, so crime is
negligible. And adequate
public lavatories are installed.
Coca-Cola
Green is a constant hive of activity, music, dance and impromptu
performances, the smell of delicious food wafting through the air from
various food outlets, and a carnival atmosphere of intense enjoyment,
excitement, real happiness. Could HIFA possibly fail to lift the spirits of
those downhearted and hopeless?
This is an environment that fills our
hearts with hope and possibility for
our lives, our futures, our
country.
In these areas at HIFA, we can gain exposure to a vast range of
different
cultures, most of these to be found in our own land, and again
demonstrating
our amazing diversity. We are a talented colourful and vibrant
nation
artistically speaking as well as in so many other ways.
But
what of those for whom even a general admission ticket may currently be
beyond reach? Times have indeed been tough, and money can get very
tight.
Well, HIFA can also be found, on First Street in the city centre,
where free
shows are put on for the public at the First Street Platform
daily, at no
change at all.
Similarly, various HIFA outreach projects
take some of the HIFA shows and
workshops, including some of the visiting
international artistes, out into
high-density suburbs as well as into
Chitungwiza.
HIFA does also spill out onto the streets of our capital
city! This is the
nature of arts festivals! Both scheduled and impromptu
street performances
also take place during HIFA.
And what this does
is to tell us art is a unifier, a leveller.
Art speaks to all of the
people, whether rich or poor, black or white or
yellow or brown, male or
female, young or old.
It is a universal language, which articulates for
us our heartfelt hopes and
darkest fears, our deepest sorrows and our
greatest joys, in ways that often
defy the formulation of our own words,
descriptions, giving coherent
expression to our feelings.
Art
reflects the lives we lead, the environments we inhabit, speaks for us
where
sometimes we cannot find the words.
Art uplifts us, inspires us, can spur
us into new action and direction, may
even alter our opinions completely, by
giving us pause for thought.
Art is powerful.
Where we are
inarticulate with grief or sadness, art in its multifarious
forms, may ease
our pain by expressing it on our behalf and so helping us
purge
it.
In attending a festival like HIFA, which draws so many people from so
many
different backgrounds and walks of life together into one microcosm of
the
larger society of which we all form our own unique and important part,
we
are reminded of all the common ground we share.
We are reminded of
our very best qualities in this magnificent land; our
humour, our love of
family and friendship, kinship and celebration, our love
of music, rhythm,
theatre, visual art, craft, dancing, in fact, all
creativity! And, our
talent for it!
Whatever differences people may have, these are cast aside
at HIFA.
By the end of another festival, we know that we are not divided,
after all.
That there are so many values we all share, across all
communities.
Our hopes, fears, difficulties, our joys and sorrows, are
very much the
same. We see these depicted through art in every possible form
and genre at
HIFA, we relate to them, they resonate, and we know, none of us
is alone! -
Additional reporting from HIFA.
http://news.iafrica.com
Article By:
Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:42
Zimbabwe would like to
piggy-back on at least 30 percent of all tourists who
visit South Africa,
its tourism minister said on Friday.
"Minister [Walter] Mzembi said his
country's vision is to intensify tourism
co-operation between South Africa
and Zimbabwe. He would like to see
Zimbabwe secure about 30 percent of South
Africa's international arrivals,"
said a statement released jointly by the
South African and Zimbabwean
tourism departments.
Mzembi said that
Zimbabwe benefit from a partnership with South Africa as it
was a means of
attracting foreign visitors.
Mzembi and SA Minister Marthinus van
Schalkwyk addressed the media in
Victoria Falls on Friday after a meeting to
discuss a tourism agreement
between the two countries.
The Tourism
Agreement outlines ways in which the two countries can work
together to
create jobs and promote tourism in both countries.
South Africa and
Zimbabwe are expected to sign the agreement in May at the
National Tourism
Indaba in South Africa.
Apr 17, 11:03 AM EDT
By ANGUS SHAW
Associated Press Writer
HARARE,
Zimbabwe (AP) -- When will all this end? It's a common refrain in
Zimbabwe.
"Only when the old man goes," said Tinaye Garande, a street
vendor.
Zimbabwe on Sunday marks 30 years of the rule of President
Robert Mugabe,
swept to power during the country's heady and optimistic
independence in
1980. Three decades later, the country - once an
agricultural powerhouse and
educational beacon - is mired in a continuing
political stalemate and an
impoverished, stagnant economy.
Garande,
27, sells cheap sunglasses and trinkets in a parking lot outside a
suburban
Harare store. He is of a generation known as the "born frees" who
never
suffered under British colonial rule.
But the unkempt Garande, with worn
clothing and untended dreadlocked hair,
knows the hard life. He lost his
menial job at a paper and packaging firm
when it went broke in the economic
meltdown four years ago.
He has two children and like many Zimbabweans
educated in Mugabe's
post-independence boom in schools and health services -
making "born frees"
some of the best taught and healthiest students in
Africa - he battles to
survive and blames Mugabe for blocking real
improvements in living
standards.
It is still an offense to publicly
insult Mugabe - several cases are pending
in the courts - and Zimbabweans
know it.
"Surely it is time for him to enjoy retirement," said Garande
guardedly.
But Mugabe, 86, who dyes his hair unnaturally black and still
walks with a
spring in his step, is going nowhere. The ascetic former school
teacher
holds a firm grip on his ZANU-PF party that in December chose him to
lead it
for another five years. And he has no plans to yield the reins of
state
power, said John Makumbe, a political scientist at the main University
of
Zimbabwe in Harare.
"He is afraid of the consequences of leaving
office, he wants to die there,"
Makumbe said.
Critics say Mugabe, a
political leader of the guerrilla army that ended
white rule in 1980, has
shown a toxic streak in his character all along.
"He is like a chameleon
who looks good when things are going well but now
the dark side is showing,"
he said.
He had been viewed favorably in the West for the strides in
education and
health services in the 1980s that gave Tinaye Garande and his
"born free"
classmates Africa's highest literacy of more than 80
percent.
But schools and social services collapsed in recent
years.
Human rights organizations have called for Mugabe to face trial at
the
International Criminal Court on charges of political violence,
vote-rigging
and human rights violations by state agents over the past
decade. The
allegations stretch far back: groups say Mugabe should be held
responsible
for the massacre of up to 20,000 civilians by loyalist troops
who crushed an
armed uprising against him in western Zimbabwe soon after
independence from
1982 to 1987.
In 2000, Mugabe ordered the
often-violent seizures of thousands of
white-owned farms that disrupted the
agriculture-based economy and led to
acute food shortages and world record
inflation. He argued the program
corrected colonial era imbalances in land
ownership.
Bespectacled and always impeccably dressed in suits with
color-matched
neckties and breast-pocket handkerchiefs, Mugabe insists
Western sanctions
caused the economic collapse. A scholar with a string of
academic degrees,
he speaks perfectly British-accented English interspersed
with the local
Shona language and has admitted being an "anglophile" despite
his avowed
hatred of British colonial rule.
Western embargoes include
financial and travel bans on him and his
associates.
Before the visa
restrictions that sparked his growing isolation, Mugabe
often visited his
London tailor and the upscale Harrods department store in
the British
capital.
Mugabe counts among his dwindling international supporters such
pariahs as
Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
scheduled to be his
guest of honor at a trade exposition in the second city
of Bulawayo on April
23.
A recent hoax on the social networking site
Facebook said Mugabe was looking
for friends to join him in "fighting
imperialism."
Despite a yearlong coalition between Mugabe and the former
opposition
Movement for Democratic Change critics blame Mugabe for holding
out against
reform.
Disputes between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, the former
opposition leader, have crippled the coalition
government. In the latest,
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change said
this week laws to take over
51 percent of mostly white businesses that
scared away much needed
investment were scrapped. Mugabe declared that
incorrect the next day,
saying such reports were "peddled" by hostile
media.
Farm seizures that enriched cronies but were disastrous to the
economy
didn't win the last elections outright for Mugabe in 2008, forcing
him to
enter the coalition with Tsvangirai, said Makumbe, the political
analyst.
He said with new elections proposed under the coalition
agreement, possibly
early next year, business takeovers would not work
either.
Mugabe has been described as "the spoiler" in the coalition and
likened to a
sportsman who intentionally kicks the ball off the field of
play to buy time
while his elite enjoy the spoils - profits on land,
business deals and
speculative construction and import and export contracts
enabling them to
buy cars and mansions and live in luxury.
"They've
gone past getting rich, it's now a sick obsession with money,"
Makumbe
said.
Garande, the "born free" street vendor, said he will go to the main
stadium
on Independence day Sunday not to listen to Mugabe's speech but to
watch
military displays and a soccer match without having to pay
admission.
He said he's resigned to more of Mugabe.
Long life runs
in Mugabe's family; his mother died in her late 90s. He also
employs a
Malaysian physician known as a specialist in "longevity and
regenerative
medicine."
"Nothing is going to change for a long time," said Garande.
http://www.nationalpost.com
Peter
Goodspeed, National Post Published: Friday, April 16, 2010
Robert
Mugabe, who has ruthlessly ruled Zimbabwe without interruption since
it won
independence 30 years ago on Sunday, likes to court controversy.
Seven
years ago, after he started seizing his country's white-owned farms,
the
former school teacher eagerly compared himself to Adolf Hitler.
Speaking
at the funeral of Chenjerai Hunzvi, a thuggish cabinet minister who
led the
"war veterans" group that spearheaded violent seizures of
white-owned farms,
Mr. Mugabe noted Mr. Hunzvi had adopted the nickname
"Hitler" because he
admired the Nazi dictator's use of force and despised
the British.
"I
am still the Hitler of the time," Mr. Mugabe boasted.
"This Hitler has
only one objective: justice for his people, sovereignty for
his people,
recognition of the independence of his people and their rights
over their
resources."
"If that is Hitler, then let me be Hitler tenfold," he went
on. "Ten times,
that is what we stand for."
In fact, after 30 years
in power, Mr. Mugabe has presided over the most
dramatic collapse of any
country in history since Weimar Germany.
He has turned one of the most
beautiful and bountiful lands in Africa into a
disaster zone that mixes
corruption, mismanagement, violence and human
rights violations on a scale
that almost ranks alongside the genocides in
Rwanda and Darfur.
An
aura of hope clung to Zimbabwe at its birth. Reggae rock star Bob Marley
performed at an Independence Day concert in Harare and Prince Charles came
to watch Southern Rhodesia morph into Zimbabwe.
The new country was
presented to the world as a new model for Africa and Mr.
Mugabe was hailed
as a statesman who offered reconciliation to its white
minority, telling
them, "If yesterday I fought you as an enemy, today you
have become a
friend."
Having endured nearly a decade of guerrilla warfare in which
30,000 people
were killed, the new government promised to temporarily
guarantee seats in
Parliament for whites, while seeking a new partnership to
build a new state.
But Mr. Mugabe's penchant for crushing all possible
dissent didn't take long
to surface.
In 1983, the Zimbabwean army's
North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade, killed up
to 20,000 Ndebele dissidents,
members of a rival liberation group led by
Joshua Nkomo, in Operation
Gukurahundi, a Shona phrase for "the early rain
that washes away the
chaff."
Over the years, as Mr. Mugabe struggled to stay in power, he
endorsed
one-party rule and increasingly relied on censorship and
intimidation.
He adopted a catastrophic policy of land seizures in 2000,
after he lost a
referendum that had aimed to entrench his power in a new
constitution.
Resuming the fiery rhetoric of the liberation struggle, he
promised to
"correct the colonialist legacy" by giving white-owned farms to
landless
blacks.
Once the bread basket of southern Africa, Zimbabwe
became a basket case, as
productive white-owned farms fell into the hands of
members of Mr. Mugabe's
ruling Zimbabwean African National Unity-Patriotic
Front (ZANU-PF) party.
It soon had the world's highest inflation rate -
231 million per cent a
year - 90% unemployment and shortages of
everything.
As government incompetence led to disaster, Mr. Mugabe blamed
Zimbabwe's
nightmares on Britain and "white settlers," whom he described as
"thieving
colonialists."
A quarter of Zimbabwe's population fled.
Now, one in three families depends
on remittances from relatives abroad and
the UN's World Food Program feeds
nearly three million Zimbabweans. Still,
Mr. Mugabe continues to rule as if
Zimbabwe were his personal fiefdom. He
has manipulated the political process
through violence and intimidation, and
crushed his opposition.
In 2005, after ZANU-PF lost control of Harare to
members of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), he launched
Operation Murambatsvina
(Clean Up Filth). This destroyed 92,460 homes of
squatters, rendering
700,000 people, mostly MDC supporters,
homeless.
Two years later, when Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic archbishop
of Bulawayo,
became a vocal critic of Mr. Mugabe, government-controlled
media outlets
broadcast a secretly taped video of the bishop in bed with a
woman. The
bishop resigned.
Two years ago, Zimbabwe faced political
deadlock, when MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai won the most votes in the 2008
presidential elections, but was
unable to avoid a runoff.
Mr. Mugabe
claimed victory three months later in a June runoff, after Mr.
Tsvangirai
dropped out because of the violence aimed at his supporters.
Zimbabwe
fell into chaos, facing famine and economic collapse. The country's
red $500
bills were nicknamed "Ferraris" because they lost their value so
quickly.
With millions running short of food, the bankrupt government
found itself
unable to cope with a cholera epidemic that killed more than
2,000 people.
The international community, led by South Africa and the
Southern African
Development Community, stepped in and pressured Mr. Mugabe
to form a unity
government with Mr. Tsvangirai.
Under a power-sharing
agreement that went into effect 14 months ago, Mr.
Mugabe remained
president, while Mr. Tsvangirai became prime minister;
ZANU-PF took 15
cabinet seats, while the MDC got 13; and an MDC splinter
faction led by
Arthur Mutambara got three.
The parties were supposed to govern jointly,
introducing reforms that would
pave the way for a new round of
elections.
But 14 months into the experiment, little has
changed.
"Torture, harassment and politically motivated prosecutions of
human rights
defenders and perceived opponents have persisted, while
villagers in parts
of Zimbabwe have suffered ceaseless intimidation by
supporters of former
ruling party ZANU-PF," says a recent Amnesty
International report.
Mr. Mugabe treated the power-sharing agreement with
disdain. He arbitrarily
handed powerful ministries, including Defence,
Justice, Foreign Affairs and
Home Affairs, which controls the police, to his
supporters. He also swore in
two vice-presidents, both from his
party.
Nonetheless, the unity government has restored some economic
stability,
scrapping Zimbabwe's currency in favour of the U.S. dollar and
using foreign
aid to re-float the government, and put civil servants, school
teachers and
doctors and nurses back to work. But little has been done in
the line of
political or constitutional reform.
"The transitional
power-sharing government is a sham," says Georgette
Gagnon, Africa director
at Human Rights Watch.
"From a human rights perspective, nothing has
changed for the better. Robert
Mugabe and ZANU-PF are still fully in
control."
In fact, Mr. Mugabe is preparing to tighten his hold. Last
month, he
promulgated a new law under which all companies valued at more
than $500,000
had until last Thursday (April 15) to submit proposals on how
they plan to
sell 51% of their shares to black Zimbabweans over the next
five years.
At the last minute, Mr. Tsvangirai said the new
"indigenisation law" was
"null and void" and will be sent back to parliament
for further debate.
Mr. Mugabe insists the law will go ahead after a
brief period of
"consultation."
Critics claim it is "pernicious
racist legislation designed to facilitate
the theft of property by an
avaricious and venal ZANU-PF-affiliated black
elite."
"With lucrative
white farming enterprises no longer available for
distribution as largesse
(the resource having been depleted), the
regulations create the conditions
for a new source of patronage for the
ZANU-PF elite and a weapon against
businesses and individuals perceived to
support the MDC ahead of the next
elections," says Derek Matyszak, a
researcher with the South Africa-based
Institute for Democracy in Africa.
National Post
pgoodspeed@nationalpost.com
BILL WATCH
17/2010
[16th April
2010]
The
House of Assembly has adjourned until Wednesday 30th
June
The
Senate has adjourned until Tuesday 15th June
Indigenisation
Regulations Not Suspended
The Indigenisation
Regulations [Statutory Instrument
21/2010] have not been suspended. They continue in force in the form in
which they were gazetted on 29th January. One amendment is expected to be
gazetted in the near future to accommodate the views of the Parliamentary Legal
Committee [see below]. There are still ongoing consultations which may
result in further amendments but until these are gazetted – and there is
not sign of this yet – the present regulations hold good.
Amendment
to Meet Parliamentary Legal Committee Objection
The
Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] found section 3(a) of the Indigenisation
Regulations violated the Constitution. [Section 3(a) of the regulations
requires businesses above the prescribed threshold [asset value above $500 000]
to “cede” a controlling interest of not less than 51% to indigenous Zimbabweans
within 5 years.] The PLC concluded that the word “cede”, without any
requirement of payment or the giving of value for a controlling interest ceded,
infringes section 16 of the Constitution [which prohibits compulsory
acquisition of property without proper compensation.] The PLC decision was
discussed with Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister
Kasukuwere, who gave the PLC a written undertaking to amend the regulations in
order to make it clear that the cession of a controlling interest is a cession
“for value at the option of the owner” – i.e., that a compulsory free handover
is not required. A draft statutory instrument drawn up by the Minister
giving effect to the agreed amendment was approved by the PLC, which then sent a
non-adverse report on the regulations to the Speaker, conditional on the
Minister’s honouring his undertaking to amend section 3(a). The report states
that if the Minister does not amend section 3(a) as promised, the PLC will
replace the non-adverse report with an adverse report. The Minister is expected
to gazette the agreed amendment in the next few days.
Indigenisation
Regulations Still in Force Notwithstanding “Null and Void”
Announcement
Conflicting reports
on what Cabinet decided about the Indigenisation Regulations at its meeting on
Tuesday have caused much confusion. A statement was issued by the Prime
Minister’s spokesman, and later confirmed by the Minister of State in the PM’s
office, that following a Cabinet decision the regulations were “null and void”.
This was roundly dismissed by the President and Minister Kasukuwere the
following day. The President did say, however, that a Cabinet committee is
looking at the regulations and that there would be some revisions after
consultations.
The present legal
status of the regulations is clear:
·
The regulations can
only be suspended or amended or repealed by the responsible Minister – the
Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment – by the gazetting
of an appropriate statutory instrument.
·
The regulations can
only be declared null and void by a court of law.
·
A Cabinet decision
that the regulations are null and void/suspended/will not be implemented has no
direct, immediate legal effect – and the same applies to an announcement of a
Cabinet decision, whether made by the Prime Minister’s spokesman or by the Prime
Minister himself. Until the responsible Minister gives effect to the Cabinet
decision by gazetting a statutory instrument, the regulations continue in force
in their original form, and businesses must conduct themselves accordingly.
·
Implementation of
section 4 of the regulations can certainly be slowed down by the Minister – by
the simple expedient of delaying action in cases where businesses have failed to
submit their IDG 01 forms and indigenisation implementation plans [see
below].
Comment: Attempts to
lay down the law by Ministerial or official announcement are to be deprecated.
They are inconsistent with the rule of law and they almost invariably cause
unnecessary confusion – as has happened in the present case.
15th
April was Last Day for Submission of Forms and Indigenisation Plans
15th
April was the last day of the forty-five day period within which businesses
above the $500 000 asset value threshold had to submit their completed IDG 01
forms and “indigenisation implementation plans” [section 4 of the
regulations] – unless they had applied for and been granted an
extension. [Section 4(4) of the regulations provides for the
Minister to grant an extension of up to thirty days if a business has “good
cause” for it.]
Failure
to Meet Deadline Not a Criminal Offence
Contrary
to many press reports, failure to meet the 15th April deadline – or an applied
for extended deadline which has been granted by the Minister to a particular
business – is not an offence. There is no penal sanction for such
failure. But the Minister has an administrative remedy [see next
paragraph].
Minister’s Powers If
Indigenisation Implementation Plan Not Submitted
If the deadline – or
extended deadline – passes and a business has not submitted its IDG 01 form and
indigenisation implementation plan, section 4(4) of the regulations allows the
Minister to, in effect, order the business to do so. The Minister may do this
by adopting either of the following procedures:
·
the Minister may have
a copy of form IDG 01 served on the business in any of several specified ways,
including personal delivery to the owner or a responsible person at its head
office or by registered mail; or
·
if service on a
business in any of the specified ways is “not possible for any reason”, the
Minister may publish a notice in the Government Gazette notifying the business
of “the requirement to collect and complete Form IDG 01”.
The effect of such an
order is that the business concerned has thirty days from the date that the IDG
01 form is served on it, or from the date of the notice in the Government
Gazette, within which to submit its completed form and indigenisation
implementation plan. [Note: a thirty-day extension is possible in individual
cases, on “good cause shown”, but has to be applied for.]
Failure to Comply
with Minister’s Order an Offence: An offence
will be committed if a business fails to submit its Form IDG 01 and
indigenisation implementation plan after being required to do so by the Minister
under this section 4(4) procedure. The owner of the business, or the directors
of the company concerned, will be liable on conviction to a $2000 fine or 5
years in prison or both.
Room for Slowing Down
Implementation: The regulations do
not state a time-limit within which the Minister must take steps under section
4(4) to compel the submission of forms and indigenisation implementation plans,
so this phase of the exercise could be indefinitely delayed at the Minister’s
discretion.
Legislation
Update
All Acts
of 2009 have now been gazetted. [Note: the Audit Office Act, which was
gazetted on 2nd April, is not yet in force; its date of commencement will be
fixed by statutory instrument in due course.]
Bill in
House of Assembly:
Public Order and Security Amendment Bill. [Private Members Bill in second
reading stage]
Statutory
Instruments:
Statutory Instrument 81/2010 fixes, very belatedly, employers’ assessment rates
for 2010 for the purposes of the National Social Security Authority’s Accident
Prevention and Workers’ Compensation Scheme.
Veritas makes every
effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal responsibility for
information supplied.