http://af.reuters.com
Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:49am
GMT
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe is considering legislation to force
miners to
fund development in local communities, the state-owned Herald
newspaper said
on Tuesday, citing Ministry of Mines and Mining Development
officials.
Mining companies would be compelled to pay for development in
communities in
the mineral-rich nation where they are based under proposed
amendments to
the Mines and Minerals Act.
They would also need
permission from local community leaders before starting
operations.
"We know that we need the amended Act but it had to go
through processes
which could not be avoided," Thankful Musukutwa, permanent
secretary in the
Ministry of Mines, was quoted as saying.
Foreign
mining companies are already facing a May 9 deadline to submit plans
on how
they will transfer 51 percent of their local equity to blacks in the
southern African country.
Foreign players in Zimbabwe include Rio
Tinto and Impala Platinum.
President Robert Mugabe is looking to raise
funds as he pushes for elections
this year aimed at defeating his unity
government partner and rival, the
Movement for Democratic Change.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
26/04/2011 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has made his fifth trip to Singapore in
four months,
media reports said.
Mugabe, 87, flew out of Harare on
Friday last week “to collect his ailing
wife”, Grace, the Standard newspaper
reported on Sunday.
The paper said Mugabe would return on Wednesday,
before making another
foreign trip to Rome, Italy, for Friday’s Food and
Agriculture Organisation
summit.
Grace Mugabe has not been seen in
public since April 7 when she and the
President flew out of Harare. A
striking Air Zimbabwe flight crew was
ordered back to work for the trip
which the airline said was “national duty”.
Presidential spokesman George
Charamba has refused to comment on the First
Lady’s absence amid conflicting
newspaper claims about the real reasons for
her Asian trip.
Initial
reports said she had fallen in the bathroom of the couple’s
Borrowdale
mansion and dislocated a hip, but the privately-owned Daily News
has since
reported she is in fact on a degree study programme with an
unidentified
Chinese university.
Mugabe went to Singapore in January as part of his
annual holiday. He
returned there in February, Charamba telling reporters at
the time that it
was to correct a problem with eye surgery he underwent
during his holiday.
He was back in Singapore in March, Charamba said, for
a review on his
cataract operation. He returned spotting a new pair of
glasses.
Mugabe married Grace in 1996 following the death of his first
wife, Sally,
in 1992. The couple have three children together – Bona, Robert
Jnr and
Chatunga.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
26 April 2011
The
police have moved to block the annual May Day marches organised by the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), which the union federation says is
a sign that the security forces are ‘jittery’.
Three marches,
organised to take place along with numerous others
countrywide over the
weekend, have been banned, with the police apparently
citing ‘security
concerns’. The ZCTU said that their applications to have
the processions in
Kwekwe, Mutare and Bulawayo have all been turned down,
despite the May Day
celebrations being peaceful annual events.
The ZCTU’s Japhet Moyo told SW
Radio Africa on Tuesday that there is “no
good reason to ban these
processions.” He explained that the union’s legal
team has already been
instructed to seek a High Court order to force the
police to allow the
marches.
But Moyo said that even a legal order will do little if the
police have
already decided to stop the marches, saying: “We are living in a
police
state.”
“The police have indicated that they will not follow
judgements and they
have disregarded the High Court before. We will not be
surprised if the
police stop us even if we have a court order because they
have taken the law
into their own hands,” Moyo said.
The police have
been clamping down on public activity in recent months, and
earlier this
year said that MDC marches were banned over ‘security concerns’.
Although
this ban was eventually lifted, the police have gone out of their
way to
make public gatherings almost impossible.
An MDC Peace rally was
postponed numerous times in March, when the
Highfields stadium was allegedly
‘booked’ for the entire year by ZANU PF.
That rally was also not allowed to
go ahead at Glamis Arena because a ZANU
PF function was taking place near
by.
The ZCTU’s Moyo said this attempt to block the May Day marches is a
clear
sign that “the security forces are jittery,” because of recent civil
uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.
“They are worried that
any public gathering will turn into something more
serious. They see enemies
everywhere,” Moyo said.
The May Day celebrations are being held under the
theme ‘Respect our Rights;
Save our Economy Protect our Jobs’. The main
commemorations will be held at
Gwanzura stadium on May the 1st, but other
processions and events are set to
be held countrywide.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by Munyaradzi Dube
Tuesday, 26
April 2011 13:52
HARARE - The political road map that is the
pre-condition for a free and
fair elections has been stalled by differences
on the composition of the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which the MDC
say is composed mainly of
state security agents.
A copy of the roadmap
indicates that both the two MDC formations would like
the a new recruitment
drive for ZEC in order to weed out state spy agents.
Top MDC leadership
including party President Morgan Tsvangirai have
indicated that ZEC the body
that presides over elections is infested with
members of the despised
secret service , but Zanu PF which has a deep rooted
relationship with the
spy agency says that they should be no changes as that
would comprise the
commission.
Apart from calling for a new recruitment drive the two MDC
formations are
insisting that the country involves SADC observers six months
before
elections and also after in order to ensure that the elections will
be free
and fair. Also the two formations would like to see the much talked
about
security reforms which would entail that state security institutions
such as
the police and the army issue a public statement to the effect that
they
will respect the laws of the country and will also respect the outcome
of
the elections.
Civil organisations in the country and the two MDC
formations have always
argued that the police and the army are actively
propping up Zanu PF. On
several occasions the feared army has been deployed
around the country to
instil fear into villagers.
But Zanu PF denies that
the army is active in politics despite the fact that
service chiefs have
publicly declared that they support the former ruling
party.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Stanley Gama, Assistant Editor
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
12:23
HARARE - Although Sadc is pleased with some recent developments
in
Zimbabwe's Global Political Agreement (GPA) negotiations, particularly
since
last month's troika crisis meeting in Zambia, it says much more still
needs
to be done before the region can relax.
Speaking to the
Daily News last night, a regional diplomat close to the
negotiations said
Sadc had taken note of the “positive news” that Zimbabwean
negotiators had
agreed on an election roadmap that would, in effect, push
the ballot that
President Robert Mugabe wants to force through this year,
well into next
year.
“If it is true that the tripartite negotiations have made the
progress that
we are hearing about, then that is positive news. But I want
to make it very
clear that this on its own (latest developments) is not
sufficient for Sadc
to think all is now hunky dory.
“The situation in
Zimbabwe remains tense and much, much more remains to be
done. Among other
things, there are still random arrests of citizens and
violence is still a
hallmark of the political terrain. So in that light the
region remains
vigilant and our basic premise is that the crisis is far from
over,” he
said.
Negotiators have apparently agreed on the steps needed to complete
the
constitution-making process, as well as the amendment of electoral laws
–
both moves critical before a credible election can be held.
A
report produced to this effect by the negotiators would be submitted to
the
three GPA principals, as well as to the South African facilitation team
this
week.
The completion of part of the election roadmap-markers comes ahead
of an
extraordinary Sadc Summit that is to be held in Namibia on May 20 -
where
developments in Zimbabwe will once again be at the centre of the
agenda.
The regional summit will be preceded by a meeting of the
negotiators,
convened by the SA facilitators, to be held in South Africa on
May 6 and 7.
The SA facilitation team is also expected to jet into Harare
soon after Sadc’s
extraordinary summit - possibly later that day — to follow
up on all the
outstanding issues.
Meanwhile, analyst Shepherd
Mntungwa said yesterday that Mugabe’s plans to
cling to power through
violent early elections had “now truly been
scuppered,” following the
agreement by negotiators to an election roadmap.
“It is obvious that this
agreement will push the ballot well into next year.
It also further
demonstrates that Sadc’s pressure on Mugabe is working, and
he is now
isolated,” he said.
Edwin Mushoriwa, one of the MDC’s negotiators was
also quoted yesterday
saying that it was now “practically impossible” to
hold elections this year.
Another source told the Daily News yesterday
that the country’s top army and
security officials were stalling further
progress in the GPA negotiations by
instructing Zanu PF negotiators to
refuse to give in on the issue of the
transfer of power in the event that
Mugabe was defeated again in an open and
free election.
The source
said, although Zanu PF and the two MDC formations now broadly
agreed on the
elections roadmap, there were still major differences on seven
issues —
including on the reform of the security sector, amendments to
draconian laws
such as Posa and Aippa, the removal of the army from
communities and reforms
at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The MDCs are also apparently
demanding a written commitment from Zanu PF and
the military that they would
not engage in violence during an election, or
if Mugabe lost a ballot. Zanu
PF had refused to give this written guarantee.
“Despite the excitement
around a few of the things agreed to date, the
negotiators remain deadlocked
on seven issues which are the main factors in
any progress in the GPA and I
think only President Jacob Zuma, the
facilitator, has the capacity to unlock
this.
“The point is that while Zanu PF negotiators agree that there have
to be
some reforms, the problem is that they are getting pressure from the
securocrats who still wield too much power and want to retain this power
going forward.
“There is need to solve the pre-emptive coups before
elections, in which,
the army generals have previously announced that they
will not recognise a
leader who did not participate in the liberation
struggle. As you know, we
are in the GPA because of the difficulties related
to the transfer of power
which we experienced after the 2008 elections,” the
local insider said.
Human Rights researcher, Pedzisai Ruhanya said if the
issues of security
sector reforms were not addressed, then negotiators and
the facilitators
were wasting their time.
“These are the issues that
are blocking Zimbabwe from becoming a democratic
state. If the issues are
not resolved the next election will be a sham
because it will be a repeat of
the 2008 fiasco.
“If these issues are not resolved now, they will
perpetuate the crisis. We
will remain a country with a perpetual crisis of
governance. Zanu PF as a
party is non-existent without the security
apparatus,” he said.
University of Zimbabwe political scientist, John
Makumbe said: “There are 24
outstanding issues that the three parties have
to agree on. But we need to
have security sector reform, land audit,
electoral act amendments and
appoints of the provincial governors, among
other issues that Zanu PF do not
want to see being fully
implemented."
“Sadc have to rein in Zanu PF because it is the one that is
resisting the
full implementation of the GPA. There is likelihood that these
outstanding
issues may not be fully agreed on."
“We don’t know what
will happen in Namibia next month when Sadc is going to
meet and review the
situation in Zimbabwe; we hope they will rein in on
Mugabe and force him to
comply with the GPA.
“We have the issue of multiple farm ownership, and
every senior Zanu PF
member is a multiple farm owner and they are not
willing to discuss it. In
the security sector reforms, we can see that these
generals don’t want to
co-operate with the MDC and it is another problem,
these are the issues that
need to be sorted out and the onus now lies with
Sadc leaders to help the
three signatories to the GPA to agree, but it is
going to be very
difficult,” said Makumbe.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Oscar Nkala
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
17:53
BULAWAYO - The United States of America says security forces,
police and
Zanu PF-dominated elements of the government have continued to
commit
serious human rights abuses due to the party’s dominant
control.
The US also says political processes have effectively
negated the citizens’
right to change their own government.
In a
briefing accompanying the State Department Bureau of Democracy and
Human
Rights 2010 Report released on April 8, the State Department noted
that
despite the inauguration of a unity government between MDC mainstream
leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, the Welshman Ncube-led MDC faction and President
Robert
Mugabe’s Zanu PF which lost the 2008 elections, the Zanu PF faction
has
continued to use its over-bearing influence and paramilitary forces to
intimidate and commit human rights abuses against members and supporters of
other political parties.
“Security forces, police, and
Zanu-PF-dominated elements of the government
continued to commit numerous,
serious human rights abuses.
“Zanu-PF’s dominant control and manipulation
of the political process
through trumped-up charges, arbitrary arrests,
intimidation, and corruption
effectively negated the right of citizens to
change their government.
“There were no politically motivated killings by
government agents during
the year; however, security forces continued to
torture, beat, and abuse
non-Zanu-PF political activists and party members,
student leaders, and
civil society activists with impunity,” the report
reads in part.
The report said projections of an early election in 2011
have already led to
a serious escalation in the harassment and intimidation
of rights activists.
“Security forces, which regularly acted with impunity,
arbitrarily arrested
and detained political activists not associated with
Zanu-PF, members of
civil society, labour leaders, journalists,
demonstrators, and religious
leaders; lengthy pretrial detention was a
problem.
“Executive influence and interference in the judiciary
continued, and the
government infringed on citizens’ privacy rights. The
government continued
to use repressive laws to suppress freedom of speech,
Press, assembly,
association, and movement,” reads part of the summary
report.
The report also accused the Zimbabwean government of restricting
academic
freedom with the arrest of high-ranking government officials and
the making
of numerous public threats of violence against demonstrators and
political
activists who are not associated with Zanu-PF.
“Farm
invasions continued, and the government impeded non-governmental
organisations’ (NGO) efforts to assist those displaced, as well as other
vulnerable populations, albeit to a lesser degree than in 2009. Government
corruption remained widespread.
“The following human rights
violations also continued: government
restrictions on domestic and
international human rights NGOs; violence and
discrimination against women;
trafficking of women and children;
discrimination against persons with
disabilities, ethnic minorities, the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
trans-gender (LGBT) community, and persons with
HIV/Aids; harassment and
interference with labour organisations critical of
government policies;
child labour; and forced labour, including by
children,” the State
Department said.
The report covers many categories of liberties which
include Press freedom,
respect of personal integrity including freedom from
arbitrary and unlawful
deprivation of life, disappearance, torture among
several personal freedoms
assessed.
The report said the US government
is convinced that the Zanu PF clique in
government is not committed to
democratic reforms, noting the arrest,
beatings, torture and continuing
arrests of political dissenters.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written
by MISA
Tuesday, 26 April 2011 15:15
A representative of SADC
non-governmental organizations and human rights
defenders meeting in The
Gambia has urged the Forum on the Participation of
NGOs in the 49th Ordinary
Session of the African Commission on Human and
People’s Rights (ACHPR) to
adopt resolutions on Zimbabwe and Swaziland
calling for an end to impunity
and the culture of human rights violations in
the two countries.
In a
statement on the human rights situation in southern Africa during the
Forum
of NGOs underway in Banjul, The Gambia, Corlette Letlojane of Human
Rights
Institute of Southern Africa (HURISA), said the ACHPR Special
Rapporteur on
Human Rights Defenders, Special Rapportuer on Freedom
Expression and Access
to Information, and the Special Rapporteur on
Torture, should be called upon
to investigate cases of torture, and
violations of freedom of expression in
Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
Letlojane blamed difficulties in accessing justice
and enforcement of
judgments in Zimbabwe on the breakdown of rule of law and
continuous
violations of human rights. She cited the non- enforcement of the
SADC
Tribunal’s landmark decision against the Zimbabwean government
following an
appeal to the regional body by white commercial farmers against
the country’s
controversial land reforms.
She also highlighted how
draconian pieces of legislation continue to shrink
the democratic space
impinging on the citizens’ right to freedom of
expression, assembly and
association. The recent arbitrary arrests and
detention of Abel Chikomo,
Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum,
Macdonald Lewanika, the
Co-ordinator of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
Munyaradzi Gwisai and 45
others from International Socialist Organization,
were cited as examples of
such violations.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
26/04/2011 00:00:00
by Lindie
Whiz
MAGISTRATES staged a new walk-out on Tuesday after turning up at
their banks
to find promised pay increments had not been
effected.
Magistrates went on a three-day strike on April 4 to press for
improved pay,
only ending their industrial action after securing
undertakings by the
government that adjustments would be made at their next
pay day which was
Tuesday.
Douglas Vakai Chikwekwe, president of the
Magistrates’ Association of
Zimbabwe, insisted late Tuesday that the new
strike action was a “small
stalemate”.
“The stalemate is being worked
on and we hope it will be overcome by
Wednesday at the latest,” he said,
without explaining the nature of the
stalemate.
At the Bulawayo
Magistrates’ Courts, prosecutors were giving suspects next
remand
dates.
A strike by magistrates earlier this month paralysed an already
creaky
justice delivery system.
Although judges continue to work at
the High and Supreme Courts, the
majority of cases are heard at the lower
magisterial courts.
Magistrates earn between US$206 and US$300 monthly.
They are demanding a
minimum salary of US$600 for trainees, US$1,000 for
junior magistrates,
US$1,500 for senior magistrates, US$2,000 for senior
provincial magistrates,
and US$2,500 for regional magistrates.
Senior
regional magistrates and the deputy chief magistrate want US$3,000
while the
chief magistrate's salary should be US$3,300, according to the
union.
http://www.voanews.com
Foreign-based
provinces of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai expressed anger because they were excluded
from
nominations for national party posts
Studio 7 Staff |
Bulawayo/Washington 25 April 2011
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai on Monday moved to mend division
in his Movement for Democratic
Change formation Bulawayo which had sparked
violence in the approach to the
party's national congress opening in that
city later this week.
Mr.
Tsvangirai met with the warring factions of Senator Matson Hlalo and
Parastatals Minister Gorden Moyo and ordered a truce. Supporters of the two
politicians battled in the streets of Bulawayo late last week following
Moyo's disputed to the position of party provincial chairman for Bulawayo.
Hlalo refused to concede, alleging voting abuses.
Elections for other
provincial posts were called off due to the violence,
which threatened to
undermine the personal prestige of Mr. Tsvangirai.
Before being named a
minister, Moyo was a senior aide to Mr. Tsvangirai as a
minister of state in
his office.
Mr. Tsvangirai on Monday ordered Hlalo's camp to respect
Moyo's victory,
adding that those perpetrating violence would be expelled
from the party.
He said elections for other party posts would be held
Tuesday.
Tsvangirai said the election of two other Bulawayo executive
members,
Provincial Secretary Reggie Moyo and Deputy Chairperson Dorcas
Sibanda will
also stand.
Hlalo told VOA that his camp will adhere to
Tsvangirai's instructions.
Sources in the party said some activists feel
Moyo, a relatively new member,
does not deserve to be granted the
chairmanship ahead of long-serving
members like Hlalo. But party members
loyal to Moyo said he is more
qualified for the job.
They also
accused Hlalo of retaining violent tendencies from his days as a
member of
the former ruling ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe
Addressing
reporters after the party peace talks in Bulawayo, MDC spokesman
Nelson said
Tsvangirai’s intervention marks an end to violence and confusion
in the
party.
Meanwhile, foreign-based provinces of the Tsvangirai MDC formation
were
voicing anger because they were left out of the nominations for
national
posts.
The party constitution says the three external
assemblies in South Africa,
Britain and the United States are allowed to
make nominations. External
assembly members say that as they contribute
heavily to the party's coffers
they should not be denied a
say.
Political analyst Walter Nsununguli Mbongolwane said the exclusion
of the
MDC external provinces is likely to lead to further tension within
the
party.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
26/04/2011 14:20:00 Radio
VOP
Harare - The democracy ball is rolling within the Movement for
Democratic
Change (MDC-T) party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as
the party is
set for a congress this weekend to elect a new
leadership.
Some political commentators and critics see the congress as
key because
those who shall get key positions of party Secretary General and
National
Organiser are seen as the most likely candidates to take over from
incumbent
party President when his term eventually comes to an end. If
elected at this
congress, which is most likely, Tsvangirai will be serving
his third term as
party leader and probably his last.
A lot of
canvassing for votes has been going on in recent weeks. Some of the
political shenanigans have threatened to tear the party through its seams.
The stakes are so high that even the post of secretary general, currently
being held by Harare east Member of Parliament and Finance Minister Tendai
Biti, is being hotly pursued by Public Service Minister Professor Eliphas
Mukonoweshuro and Gutu South Member of Parliament.
The political
trickery which has seen violence occurring during the
provincial elections
has prompted Tsvangirai to tour the country's provinces
to quell the high
tempers in the party as potential candidates jostle for
positions.
An
interesting aspect of the weekend congress is that many of the current
executive members are likely to return from the congress as ordinary
members. Elias Mudzuri who holds the current position of National Organiser
and Chairman Lovemore Moyo are at risk the most. Mudzuri faces a formidable
challenge from the hugely popular Nelson Chamisa for the post of National
Organiser while Moyo is being challenged by Lucia Matibenga.
With
Tsvangirai almost sure to return to the party’s top position together
with
Biti as Secretary General and Chamisa as National Organising Secretary,
political observers are keen to find out how the post congress political
power dynamics within the MDC will work. This follows widespread speculation
that both Chamisa and Biti are eyeing to take over the party's top
leadership once Tsvangirai leaves.
Chamisa (33) who has youth on his
side is viewed by political observers as
having a charismatic character,
hugely popular among ordinary MDC supporters
and the media. He is seen in
some circles as second in popularity ratings
within the rank and file of the
party after Tsvangirai. He is also believed
to be quite close to Tsvangirai
than Biti. He is also credited for the
critical role that he has played in
steering the majority of Zimbabweans
onto the technology platform through
internet access on mobile phones as
Minister of Information and
Technology.
On the other hand, Biti who will be turning 45 years old this
August and is
Minister of Finance is credited for bringing back the lives of
Zimbabweans
back to normal with his economic policies since the formation of
the
Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009. He is also liked by many for
standing up to Mugabe and Zanu PF’s excesses. However his undoing seems to
be what his critics term as aloofness because he lacks grip with the
ordinary masses. His approach to politics is seen as elitist.
It is
with this background that political relations within the MDC will be
tested
to the fullest after the congress when the battle for succession is
likely
to be more pronounced.
But analysts believe “the MDC congress is for
sale” and the highest bidder
will win.
“Battle lines have already
been drawn and its going to be a battle for
money, those who can buy votes
will win this election,” a Harare based
political commentator who is
involved in MDC politics said.
Mudzuri has already accused Chamisa of
using his media muscle to de-campaign
him.
Others have sought to use
social network sites to win themselves supporters.
As they say a day is a
long time in politics, curiosity is high to discover
what happens between
now and election day.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Xolisani Ncube, Staff Writer
Tuesday, 26 April
2011 17:47
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC has
disowned six councillors
in Bindura who are allegedly working in cahoots
with Local Government
inister Ignatius Chombo to have the Mayor Tinashe
Madamombe fired.
The six councillors told the state media that they
prefer working with
Chombo than his deputy Sesel Zvidzai whom they accused
of gross favouritism
and working to destroy everyone in local
authorities.
But Zvidzai, the MDC secretary for local government who is
also the Deputy
Minister for Local Government told the Daily News that the
six councillors
are not members of the MDC.
“They can go ahead and
work with Chombo but I can tell you that those
councillors are no longer
members of the MDC,” said Zvidzai.
Zvidzai said the councillors who
claimed that they have petitioned the Prime
Minister to fire him will find
it difficult to prove to the party leadership
that they are innocent over
the allegations of corruption and grabbing
council stands.
“It is
good that they have petitioned the Prime Minister because it will
ensure
that they get themselves a rude awakening, I wonder whether the PM
will
choose to listen to them considering that they allocated themselves
almost
five stands each when most people in the town are homeless.
“I can tell
you that definitely the PM will not entertain such nonsense. I
am not
fighting anyone but I am fighting corruption and will do that until
it is
over,” said Zvidzai.
The six councillors early this year petitioned
Chombo to fire Madamombe on
allegations that he awarded Bindura municipal
workers bonuses when the
council was not making profits among other
allegations.
The councillors claimed that the party recognised Daniso
Wakatama but
Zvidzai said this was not true.
“Wakatama tried to
overthrow Madamombe but he was brought back by the upper
court of the land
and if Wakatama has any query about the judgement he is
free to approach any
court he thinks will entertain his plea, but am afraid
no court can listen
to him after the highest court of the land ruled in
favour of
Madamombe,”
“I am not doing any favouritism, but just working within the
confines of the
law. Those councillors should just return back the land they
stole from the
people and I will work with them,” said Zvidzai.
He
said that the MDC respects the rule of law and cannot wrestle with
justice
so that it can support Wakatama.
“The party cannot oppose the judgement
because one of the principles of the
MDC is the respect of the law,” said
Zvidzai.
The Daily News reliably understands that the councillors also
illegally
borrowed council funds but are failing to pay it back.
When
reached for comment, acting Bindura mayor Ivory Matanhire refused to
comment
over the phone accusing this reporter of favouring the deputy
minister.
“I don’t want to talk to you over the phone because you go
to the minister’s
office and talk to him so come here to Bindura or we will
come there and
talk to you direct,” she said.
http://af.reuters.com/
Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:54am
GMT
By Ben Blanchard
BEIJING, April 26 (Reuters) - China's
foreign aid programme is selfless and
about helping countries abandoned by a
cruel West in a hurry to dump their
old colonies, a senior official said on
Tuesday, dismissing suggestions
Beijing's primary aim was accessing raw
materials.
China has provided 256.29 billion yuan ($39.26 billion) in aid
over the last
six decades, with almost half going to Africa. Government
figures do not
include a state-by-state or yearly breakdown, though Beijing
says aid has
risen substantially since 2004.
By comparison, since
2001 the U.S. Congress has approved about $20 billion
for Pakistan alone in
direct aid and military reimbursements, the
Congressional Research Service
says. [ID:nN21278335]
Some Chinese projects, particularly in countries
affected by Western
sanctions such as Myanmar and Zimbabwe, have attracted
attention for China's
support of governments with poor human rights records
and lack of
transparency.
But Vice Commerce Minister Fu Ziying, who
oversees Beijing's aid programme,
said China was in fact the responsible
one, especially in nations that were
once colonies of Western
powers.
"All the colonialists left behind were governors' houses," Fu
told a news
conference. "Many developing countries lack hospitals, schools,
cultural
centres, bridges, roads. Our aid is concentrated on sectors where
they need
it most."
In the post-colonial period in Africa, when China
was facing its own
development problems, the Chinese stepped in to provide
selfless help, he
added, describing a visit to a cemetery in Tanzania for
those who died
building a railway.
"The youngest was just 22. I could
not help but shed tears," Fu said. "Just
as Western countries abandoned
newly independent Africa, the Chinese came.
Sixty-nine sacrificed their
lives and thousands laboured with the Tanzanian
and Zambian people. Why? For
friendship.
Some in Africa say many Chinese projects benefit local people
little, with
materials and even labour imported directly from China. Dam
schemes have
proven divisive too. [ID:nL3E7FK0IA]
China's close links
with oil-rich African states, including Sudan and
Angola, have fuelled
criticism as well that Beijing only cultivates
relations to secure access to
energy and raw materials to power its surging
economy.
Not so, Fu
insisted.
China helped countries with no discernable natural resources,
like Mali, he
said, adding that less than 30 percent of African oil exports
went to China.
"I've just come back from Guinea, with its iron ore mines.
Who is the
biggest owner of those mines? It's not the Chinese. It's those
Western
countries who once colonised Africa."
($1 = 6.528 yuan)
(Editing by Ken Wills)
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Irene Madongo
26
April 2011
The Co-Minister of National Healing, Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, says
his time spent
this month at Lupane Police Station is one of the most
horrific and
unimaginable experiences for a human being.
Mzila-Ndlovu
was arrested on 15 April after police accused him of addressing
an ‘illegal’
memorial service for Gukurahundi victims and survivors, at a
Roman Catholic
Church Mass in Lupane. A Catholic Priest, Father Marko
Mkandla, was also
arrested for holding the church mass. Last Tuesday the
pair appeared at
court in Hwange, shackled together with leg irons and
guarded by a heavy
police presence. They were released on bail.
Mzila-Ndlovu, who is also
the deputy secretary general of the faction of the
MDC led by Welshman
Ncube, says he underwent intense interrogation and was
also denied basic
necessities such as food or water.
On Tuesday Mzila-Ndlovu told SW Radio
Africa that: “I was denied food and
water on the Monday that my colleagues
from the party came to see me. There
was never any food from the police from
the day I was put in police cells.”
He also spoke of the pain and scars the
leg irons inflicted on him. He also
said he was still feeling
ill.
For decades the government has been suppressing attempts to
publicise the
Gukurahundi Matabeleland massacres, which were carried out by
troops loyal
to Robert Mugabe.
Despite his ill-treatment by the
state, Mzila-Ndlovu remains determined that
the story of the Gukurahundi
must be told and those behind the massacres
should come forward.
“It
is a story that must be told in Zimbabwe. I believe that we cannot bring
closure to that case until it is spoken about and until someone steps onto
the pedestal and takes responsibility for that,” he said.
Meanwhile,
the NewsDay newspaper says that Mkandla was also abused in police
custody.
He was reportedly stripped in the presence of two female police
officers,
verbally abused by the police and denied medication for his
pneumonia
condition.
Mkandla’s lawyers confirmed that he was mistreated. Lizwe
Jamela, of
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, told SW Radio Africa on
Monday: “Mr.
Mkandla was not taken care of fairly when he was in police
custody. He was
denied access to legal representation, as the police kept us
on a wild goose
chase. We only saw him once, on the day he was arrested, and
then at court,
where he was in leg irons and accompanied by heavily armed
police. He told
us he had not been given food for four days, just water. He
was also
detained in isolation throughout the weekend and the public
holiday.”
http://www.voanews.com/
Education
Minister David Coltart said his ministry does not oblige teachers
or
students to participate in holiday tutoring, adding that such lessons
should
only be scheduled when parents and teachers agree
Tatenda Gumbo &
Sithandekile Mhlanga | Washington 25 April 2011
The
Zimbabwean government has warned schools against scheduling mandatory
holiday lessons it says are increasingly a way for teachers to bolster their
incomes.
Deputy Education Minister Lazarus Dokora sounded a warning
this week saying
the government has realized that many schools are now
making it mandatory
for children to attend holiday lessons - in the process
fleecing students'
parents and guardians.
Authorities added that they
are suspicious some teachers are holding back
during regular class hours to
ensure children will require lessons during
holidays.
Day schools are
charging an upwards of US$40 a child for such instruction,
in addition to
which parents are also expected to pay an administration fee
of
US$20.
Boarding schools are said to be charging more than US$100 for
lessons.
Parents say they pay up because they do not want their children to
lag
behind their classmates.
Dokora says schools should use allotted
school periods for learning and not
exhaust students using the so-called
holiday lessons as an opportunity to
derive income.
Education
Minister David Coltart said the ministry does not obligate
teachers to teach
during holidays or mandate students to attend any extra
lessons, adding
that this should happen only when parents and teachers have
reached an
agreement.
Coltart told VOA Studio 7 reporter Tatenda Gumbo that teachers
found to be
compelling students or their parents to attend and pay for extra
lessons
will be disciplined.
Coltart said private institutions are
free to decide if children must attend
extra lessons.
Zimbabwe
Teachers Association Chief Executive Sifiso Ndlovu said a high
teacher-pupil
ratio in schools plus economic hardships are obliging teachers
to give
holiday lessons.
Ndlovu told reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga that both
parties benefit from the
set-up - but adds teachers are at fault if they
fail to use the time to help
struggling students.
http://edition.cnn.com/
From Nkepile Mabuse, CNN
April 26, 2011 -- Updated
1044 GMT (1844 HKT)
(CNN) -- Shunned by Western investors,
economically ravaged Zimbabwe has
turned its sights to the East to improve
its finances.
International isolation and a bad credit record have forced
Zimbabwean
president Robert Mugabe to seek economic support from China, the
world's
second-largest economy.
Since 2002, the European Union and
the United States have imposed sanctions
on the mineral-rich southern
African country amid reports of human rights
abuses, political violence and
the controversial land reform policy
targeting white farmers.
China
has moved to occupy some of the void created by the exodus of Western
businesses and now Zimbabwe's once-empty stores are filled with Chinese
products.
"We are happy to have these people coming to Zimbabwe
opening factories and
shops, because when you compare to last time, there
were more unemployed
youths," says Never Jacob, a Zimbabwean store
manager.
"For me, I can say (of) the coming of Chinese to Zimbabwe, we
appreciate
their coming," he adds.
China has been doing business with
Zimbabwe for years -- Chinese foreign
minister Yang Jiechi has said in the
past that the two economies "are cut
out for each other."
I can say (of)
the coming of Chinese to Zimbabwe, we appreciate their
coming.
--Never
Jacob, store manager, Zimbabwe
China has also called for the lifting
of sanctions against Zimbabwe, saying
that no country has a right to
interfere in the internal affairs of another
state.
And last month,
it announced a $700 million-loan aimed at, among other
things, rejuvenating
Zimbabwe's agricultural sector.
But local economists say, overall,
Chinese investments in Zimbabwe are
difficult to quantify.
"Some of
the projects are not easily accessible to the public and we are not
given
many details about how much work is done or what production has taken
place," says economist John Robertson.
CNN's attempts to get figures
from the Zimbabwean government about its
economic partnership with China
were unsuccessful.
But according to figures obtained from the Chinese
embassy, the trade
between the two countries totaled $560 million dollars
last year -- just
under half a percent of total China-Africa trade in
2010.
Chinese imports made up nearly 60% of that business, with Zimbabwe
importing
mainly mobile communication hardware. Its number-one export to
China was,
apparently, tobacco.
The Zimbabwean Minister of Investment
Promotion says the Chinese are mainly
interested in mineral resources,
including diamonds.
Last year, Zimbabwe's efforts to improve its fragile
economy seemed to be
given a boost when the country was allowed to sell
diamonds from its
controversial Marange fields.
There are currently
five companies -- two of which are Chinese -- with
licenses to operate in
the diamond fields near the Mozambique border.
These mines are under
export controls following allegations of human rights
abuses by Mugabe's
Zanu-PF party. China is said to be complying with those
international
controls.
Zimbabwe's finance minister Tendai Biti, whose party, the
Movement for
Democratic Change, formed a unity government with Mugabe's
party two years
ago, says that diamonds have not yet provided the financial
boost that many
would have expected, contributing only $35 million to the
country's coffers
last year.
Mugabe's Zanu-PF party denies
accusations of looting and abuses, while Biti
blames smugglers for robbing
the country of much-needed revenue.
"These diamonds are alluvial, so you
can literally mine them with a spoon or
the sole of your heel," says
Biti.
"They are located in a place that is 66,000 hectares, so that's
half the
size of the United Kingdom, so what it means is that there is
porousness --
anyone can virtually walk in there and pick stones," he
adds.
China has been silent on the issue, choosing rather stick to its
policy of
non-interference in the internal matters of other countries.
http://www.bulawayo24.com/
by Mpumelelo Ndlovu
2011 April 26
14:27:32
When I first came to South Africa in 2006 I was on leave. The
main purpose
of my visit was to study the job market here and then go back
and come back
later to look for employment.
I was met at Park
Station by my nephew who had lived here for some time and
his first words
were (in Shona) “Mazouyawo sekuru? Chero mabofu aona kuti
hakuchagariki
kwenyu uko” (You have finally decided to come, uncle. Even the
blind can see
that your country is no longer inhabitable). Today Zimbabwean
beggars are
found in almost all taxi terminuses and other busy intersections
in affluent
suburbs of Johannesburg.
The country that used to be the bread
basket of Southern Africa is now
contemplating importing maize even from
Malawi (BlackSeaGrain -22/4/2011).
Since when did Malawi, a mountainous
country, which is almost one huge lake,
gain a reputation as a maize
producer.
Surprisingly, most Zimbabweans have recently been declared
Malawians. I have
a friend who was born in Zimbabwe, by a Zimbabwean mother
(who is now late),
educated and trained as a teacher in Zimbabwe, taught in
Zimbabwe for five
years before deciding to come to South Africa in 2007
using her Zimbabwean
passport.
Her passport expired in 2008. When
she tried to apply for a new one in 2010
she was told that she is a
foreigner and has to go to Malawi first and
denounce her citizenship because
her father (whom she never knew) was from
Malawi. She knows no-one in
Malawi.
What kind of a country wastes state resources educating
people and then
declare them foreigners?
If I am not
mistaken, in terms of good arable land, we are second only to
Zambia in the
SADC region. It’s time for the region to act. You cannot get
rid of
cockroaches in your own house if the neighbour’s house is dirty. Make
sure
the whole neighbourhood is clean.
The responsibility of Zimbabwe
is food security. How can then the region be
secure if Zimbabwe cannot feed
its citizens?
The opposition parties have failed to deliver.
Their policies and principles
offer no change or solutions to the problems
currently facing Zimbabwe.
Their leaders have also declared themselves Life
Presidents. What is needed
in Zimbabwe is separation of State business from
Party business,
proportional representation in government and devolution of
power.
Of all the Political Parties currently flooding the political
landscape in
Zimbabwe, only ZAPU seems to be fighting for the people and not
for the
Presidency. When will the Zimbabweans ever enjoy their political
independence? When will they ever know that true democracy means that your
vote is not for sell and you should never be blackmailed into voting against
your conscience?
With ZAPU one day Zimbabweans will wake up
to a Zimbabwe where my wife
supports and votes for MDC while I vote for ZAPU
and we never fight about
it. According to ZAPU policies, we will one day
have Zimbabwe as a nation
not as separate tribes and races dominated by
Shona and Ndebele speaking
people.
One day, Zimbabwe will
belong to everyone who lives in it, regardless of
where their grandfathers
came from.