Zim Online
Sat 12 August
2006
HARARE - The Zimbabwean government has beefed up security
around
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono following threats
on the
governor's life.
Gono last week introduced a raft of
sweeping monetary policy reforms
to fight inflation and cripple a thriving
parallel market in foreign
currency.
The RBZ chief also made it
almost impossible for individuals holding
on to huge amounts of cash from
depositing the money into banks leaving
individuals running the risk of
holding on to worthless paper money after
the August 21
deadline.
But the monetary reforms appear to have angered an
influential section
within the ruling ZANU PF party and government who are
accused of keeping
huge sums of cash to finance illegal foreign currency
deals.
Last week, an armed gang torched 250 hectares of maize at
Gono's farm
outside Harare in what the government said was an attempt by
some
individuals to intimidate the governor from carrying out his
reforms.
State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa told ZimOnline
yesterday that
the government was boosting security around the governor
following last
week's attacks.
"We take the threats directed at
Gono very seriously and we are going
to act accordingly," said Mutasa, one
of President Robert Mugabe's closest
confidantes.
Home Affairs
Minister Kembo Mohadi, who is in charge of the police,
also said the police
were moving to protect the governor.
"The mandate of the police is
to protect life and property. We can't
be found wanting in our mandate to
protect any citizen including the
governor," Mohadi added.
At
least Z$10 trillion has been seized by the police and youth militia
stationed at the country's entry points in a massive crackdown against
illegal foreign currency dealers. But human rights groups have criticised
the campaign describing it as a violation of human rights. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Sat 12
August 2006
BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe will soon open up the energy sector
to private
players as the government prepares to deal with an unprecedented
power
crisis that is expected to worsen next year.
The
principal director in the Ministry of Energy, Engineer Munyaradzi
Munodawafa, said the government was moving to deregulate the energy sector
to deal with looming power shortages.
"The government has
decided to open up the energy sector to private
players and already two
players in the sector have been identified," said
Engineer
Munodowafa.
Munodawafa was addressing business leaders attending a
consultative
meeting organized by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce
(ZNCC) in
Zimbabwe's second biggest city of Bulawayo last
Thursday.
The senior government official said the Zimbabwe
Electricity
Regulatory Commission had already granted electricity generation
licences to
two private players in Zimbabwe, the Hippo Valley Limited in
Chiredzi and
Rusitu Power Company in Chipinge.
Zimbabwe -
facing its worst ever economic crisis - has grappled severe
power shortages
that has seen whole cities and regions of the country
without electricity
for long period as the state-owned Zimbabwe Electricity
Supply Authority
rations the little power that is available. - ZimOnline
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the
views of the United Nations]
HARARE, 11 Aug 2006 (IRIN) - Nearly 90
percent of Zimbabwe's currency is
kept outside of the banking system, which,
analysts say, illustrates that
the parallel market is the driving force in
the economy, while the formal
sector withers.
Far-reaching currency
reforms, instituted this month by Reserve Bank
governor Gideon Gono, were
aimed at redressing the imbalance between the two
sectors and reining in
hyperinflation, hovering around 1,000 percent.
Gono said recently that of
the about Z$40 trillion (US$160 million at the
previous official rate) of
old currency in circulation, only about Z$5
trillion (US$20 million), or
about 12.5 percent, was passing through the
banking system. The remainder
was in the parallel market.
The central bank introduced a new currency to
replace the old denominations
at a new exchange rate, forcing people to
return cash hoarded at homes,
offices and outside the country to the formal
banking system.
Gono set an August 21 deadline for exchanging old
currency for new, and also
adjusted the official exchange rate from
Z$250,000 to one US dollar to Z$250
to one dollar.
The sting was that
individuals could only exchange Z$100 million (US$1,000)
daily, in a window
period that allowed a maximum of Z$1,6 billion
(US$16,000) to be exchanged
before the new currency comes into effect.
The reforms were launched in
tandem with nationwide roadblocks, manned by
the police and youth militia of
the ruling ZANU-PF party, who confiscated
money from individuals carrying
more than Z$100 million (US$1,000).
A Reserve Bank statement has claimed
that the operation, in which airports,
companies and homes were also
searched, has so far recovered Z$10 trillion
(US$40 million), or a quarter
of the money in circulation.
Isaac Kwesu, an economics lecturer at the
University of Zimbabwe's Graduate
School of Management, said the parallel
economy, which consisted of the
black market and informal trade, was what
maintained the economy.
"The parallel economy now underpins Zimbabwe's
survival. The black market in
particular has been flourishing over the
years, and this has been made
possible by the ever-shrinking formal market,
due to reduced productivity in
industry and in agriculture, shortages of
foreign currency and a steep
decline in investment," Kwesu
said.
"Informal trade and the black market have been growing, owing to
the
economic problems the country has been facing for a number of years now.
It
has been easy for the two to take root, because they normally do not
require
a lot of money to start and they can easily be managed," he
said.
Although parallel economies are difficult to quantify, economist
and former
president of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC)
Luckson Zembe
said the amount of money outside of the banking system was a
useful
indicator.
"As the Reserve Bank has said, more than 50 percent
of the money has been
circulating outside the country. If you add to that
the amount that is in
informal trade and the local black market, you could
safely say upward of 80
percent of the money is driving the parallel
economy," Zembe said.
Zimbabwean bearer cheques have been used as cash
since 2004, and are found
in large quantities in various neighbouring
countries such as Mozambique,
South Africa and Zambia. Unregistered
foreign-currency dealers based in
these countries do business with
cross-border traders, so they can buy goods
to trade in Zimbabwe when they
return. Cross-border trade has been on the
rise as the economy has
declined.
The fast-track land reform programme that began in 2000 and led
to the
seizure of white-owned farms resulted in aid cutbacks and stringent
borrowing measures being imposed by international financial organisations,
such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The economic
shock was compounded in 2003 when a widespread shortage of cash in banks
eroded confidence in the banking system.
The combination of these
factors, including the disruption of the
agricultural sector, a major
foreign currency earner, coupled with President
Robert Mugabe's alienation
of the West, brought a crippling shortage of
foreign currency, basic goods
and hyperinflation.
THE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE ECONOMY
Analysts say
the rapid growth of the informal economy has been
counter-productive,
because the money generated is used mainly for
consumption rather than
development.
"The parallel economy is not concerned about the building of
schools,
hospitals or the setting up of infrastructure that the majority of
the
people can benefit from. Instead, it creates a dangerous situation,
because
those who are involved in it do so for self-enrichment," said
Zembe.
"Policy planning becomes difficult because the activities in the
informal
and black markets are not recorded, while people speculate and push
inflation up, in addition to the creation of artificial shortages of foreign
currency, basic commodities and industrial inputs," he
commented.
Mugabe has publicly backed Gono's monetary reforms, but the
measures have
angered the poor, the middle-class and members of the ruling
elite.
Independent economist James Jowa recently alleged that most
"corruption
taking place, like market manipulation and forex deals, were
done by the
ruling class."
Hyperinflation was also influencing the
practices of registered companies,
which were keeping money outside of the
banking system. The police recently
said part of the $10 trillion seized in
searches belonged to three leading
banks.
Gono has announced that
several registered money transfer agencies were
being investigated for
offloading foreign currency remitted from abroad on
the black market. The
parallel rate is generally much higher than that
offered by
banks.
Economic analyst and former member of parliament for the Movement
for
Democratic Change (MDC), Tapiwa Mashakada, said companies were being
compelled to withhold large sums of money in order to remain
viable.
"It does not make sense to say all the money that the Reserve
Bank prints
should be found in banks, because individuals and companies need
to use it,
but because of hyperinflation, they do not have a choice but to
keep large
amounts for regular transactions. After all, banks tend to limit
the amount
of money that can be withdrawn on a daily basis," Mashakada
said.
James Manuwero, 50, who owns an agricultural machinery company
based in the
capital, Harare, said, "I need a lot of money to source
equipment. I import
most of the products that I sell and most of them
require foreign currency
because they are imported. As a result, I have to
be constantly looking for
the money on the black market, as foreign currency
cannot be readily
acquired from the banks."
In the environment of
high inflation, Manuwero said, he had to buy products
on a daily basis,
"before prices go up".
"I also need fuel for my fleet of cars and I mostly
buy it on the black
market at a high price. Even though I bank a substantial
amount of my money,
I sometimes feel it is not necessary to have a bank
account."
P.O Box 1349
Malelane
South Africa
1320
Tel : 013 790 0934
Cell:
084 589 3221
E-Mail: pensupzim@telkomsa.net
,
Greeting
to you
Here is some information about the Zimbabwe Pensioners Support
Fund. Four
years ago I took
food to one pensioner in Bulawayo. I was
shocked to see how this pensioner
was living. At this
time a loaf of
bread was Z$47.50. (January 2002). This week 52 months later
the price of a
loaf
of bread had gone up to Z$85.000. This is the situation that is Zimbabwe
today. Hyper inflation
(some reports say it is 1500 to 2000%) has made
everyone except the very
rich destitute. Some
of those pensioners could
not buy 2 loaves of bread at the new price is they
used their
whole
pension.
The Zimbabwe Pensioners Support Fund supports + - 300
pensioners in 9 Old
Age Homes in the
following towns, Bulawayo, Chivhu.
Esigodini, Gweru, Kadoma, Masvingo,
Shurugwe and
Zvishavane. A bulk
donation of food is also given to an organisation called
S.O.A.P.
(Supporting
Old Age Pensioners) situated in Bulawayo. Each pensioner is given
a food
hamper containing:
2,5kg Mealie Meal, 2,5kg Flour, 2kg Rice, 2kg
Sugar, 1kg Oats, 500g
Spaghetti, 500g Macaroni,
500g Salt, 450g Wheatbix,
250g Coffee, 100g box Rooibos Tea, 2ltr Cooking
Oil, small bottle
of
Marmite and Fish Paste, 2pkts Soup, 1pkt Jelly, 1pkt Custard, 1pkt 100g
Milk
Powder,
1pkt Baking Powder, 1pkt Yeast, 1pkt Candles, 1pkt Dates,
1tin Pilchards,
1tin Baked Beans,
1tin Bully Beef, 1tin Vienna's, 1 box
Matches, 1 small box Smarties, 1 small
pkt Liquorice All Sorts,
1 roll
xxx Mints, 1x100ml Tooth Paste, 1 Lux Soap, 1 bottle Shampoo, 1 Hand
and
Body Lotion,
1 Toilet Roll. Once a year a toothbrush is given and disposable
Razors given
to the men. As you
can see no luxuries, although some of the
pensioners cry when receiving
these hampers. Good
Second Hand Clothing
and some "over the counter" medicines like cough
mixtures, pain
tablets,
elastoplast and cotton wool are also given out. Some pensioners who
are
diabetic get sugar pills,
sugar for cereals and also test strips for
their machines. So far the fund
has supplied 24 Wheel
Chairs and 3 sets
of Crutches to the Homes.
I myself transport the hampers to the homes in a
4-ton Toyota Dyna Truck
every 3 months. A round
trip from Malelane to
Zimbabwe and back is 3900klms. Due to the fuel
shortages I carry 500ltr
of
Diesel on the truck. A trip takes 6 days and there are 4 trips a year. The
trips remaining for this year
are planned for September and
December.
Should you wish to support the fund by becoming a donor the
banking details
are as follows:-
Account Holder :
Zimbabwe Pensioners Support Fund
Bank
: First National Bank
Branch
: Malelane
Branch Code : 27 09
52
Account Number : 62058668230
Should you be
able to assist it would be greatly appreciated as the fund
relies solely on
donations. The
Funds vision for this year is to add the Old Age Home in Kwe
Kwe
(approximately 30 pensioners) and
to try and increase the size of the
hampers by 30 to 50%.
Should you need any further information, please contact
me at the
above-mentioned contact details.
Kind Regards
Hannes
Botha
Chairman
Mail and Guardian
Harare, Zimbabwe
11 August 2006
10:51
Zimbabwe's central bank chief urged a collective fight
against
the "inflation dragon" on Friday, saying it still posed a major
threat to
the economy despite falling to just under 1 000%
recently.
"The successive modest decline in annual inflation
over the
months for June and July is a welcome development that must
re-energise all
Zimbabweans to re-commit in the conviction that collectively
we can tame the
inflation dragon," Gideon Gono said in a
statement.
"As we welcome this positive development, I wish
to, however,
strongly urge the nation to remain . vigilant as the venomous
breath of
inflation monster is still strong in the economy," he
said.
Zimbabwe's annual inflation declined to 993,6% in July
from 1
184,6%, the country's statistical office announced on
Wednesday.
The Southern African country's annual inflation
has been on a
rollercoaster ride since December 2004 when it shot up to
622,8%.
It dipped to a comparative low of 123,7% in March
2005 before
shooting up again to a peak in May 2006 of 1
193%.
Although inflation has been on the decline since June,
life
remains tough for millions in Zimbabwe, who are barely able to make
ends
meet.
Gono expressed concern at the continued wave
of "unjustified and
ad hoc price hikes", despite a government price freeze
order.
Last week, the central bank introduced sweeping
currency
reforms, including slashing three zeros from the local currency, to
fight
inflation.
"Whilst the recent package of monetary
policy measures is
expected to impact favourably on inflation over the next
three to six
months, the ongoing unscrupulous pricing behaviour by some
market players is
threatening to reverse the gains already registered on the
inflation front,"
Gono said.
Zimbabwe's economy has been
on a downturn for the past seven
years, dogged by runaway inflation and
massive unemployment. At least 80% of
the population lives below the poverty
threshold.
However, President Robert Mugabe blames the
recession on the
imposition of targeted sanctions by Western nations
following contentious
presidential elections.
Critics
also blame the country's economic problems on the
controversial seizure of
white-owned farms to give landless blacks, often
without any farming
expertise, saying it has wreaked havoc on agricultural
output. --
Sapa-AFP
Business Day
Reuters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
- Zimbabwe interest rates may have to rise again to quash the threat
from
the "venomous breath" of inflation despite a slowdown over the past two
months, the central bank has warned.
Two weeks ago the country's
central bank governor Gideon Gono slashed
lending rates by 550 percentage
points to 300% to try and kick-start an
economy which has shrunk by more
than third during an eight-year recession.
In a statement made available
to Reuters on Friday, Gono signalled he may be
forced to tighten monetary
policy and urged Zimbabweans to "remain utmostly
vigilant, as the venomous
breath of the inflation monster is still strong in
the economy".
"The
months ahead will ... see us tightening the monetary policy framework
further to counter the underlying high inflationary pressures," he said.
Gono and other senior central bank officials were unavailable to
comment.
The southern African country is grappling with a deepening
recession widely
blamed on President Robert Mugabe's government and making
itself felt
through record inflation, shortages of foreign currency, fuel
and food, and
grinding poverty.
Annual inflation braked to 993,6%
last month, but remains the world's
highest, with analysts predicting it
will creep back to four-digit levels
closer to its peak of 1,193.5% scaled
in May.
"Of grave concern is the continued wave of unjustified ad hoc
price hikes by
some economic players who have taken the current payments
system changes as
a haven to victimise the buying public," Gono
said.
Gono was referring to the central bank's decision last month to
also slash
three zeros from banknotes and replace them with new ones, in a
bid to help
people who had been forced to carry them in unwieldly bundles
even for
ordinary grocery trips.
He also devalued the currency by 60%
to bring it closer to its exchange rate
on an illegal parallel market, where
it was trading at a fraction of its
official value.
Gono said the
bank's measures could be undermined by recent sharp hikes in
property rents,
school fees and prices of processed foods he charged had
been "wildly
increasing without due regard for any economic fundamentals".
He also
urged the government to show prudence in its spending, cited by
analysts as
a key driver of inflation.
"Short of these collective measures, the
threat of yet again another
unfavourable trend-reversal on annual inflation
looms large, and as a nation
we cannot allow this to happen," he
said.
Mugabe says inflation and corruption have emerged as the chief
scourges of
an economy now in its eighth year of a recession, but rejects
charges that
he has mismanaged the country since independence from Britain
in 1980.
The Herald (Harare)
August 11,
2006
Posted to the web August 11, 2006
Harare
THE announcement
of the Mid-Term Monetary Policy Review Statement by Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe
(RBZ) Governor, Dr Gideon Gono, on July 31, and the
introduction of a new
family of bearer cheques shook the illegal parallel
market. Dealers who were
speculating with the old currency have been
desperate to off-load the old
notes in exchange for the new ones to beat the
August 21 deadline after
which the old denominations will become worthless
paper.
THE
following is the diary of an RBZ official, whom we shall call Operator
850,
who crossed into Zambia to find out how this was being done, and as his
account below shows, panic has gripped the dealers at home and abroad who
are now desperate to off-load their stacks, smuggling them back into
Zimbabwe at night.
Zambia 1 -- Operator 850
1. Monday August,
7 2006 at 1400 hours Operator 850 left for Zambia via
Chirundu to check on
our currency across the border.
2. Arrived Chirundu at 1750hrs when the
boarder was about to close but
managed to cross the border. Finished border
formalities around 1930hrs and
saw that there was no activity on the Zambian
side since the border had
closed at 1800hrs.
3. Operator 850
proceeded to Lusaka and arrived at 2305hrs. Parked outside
Standard Bank in
Cairo Street and retired for the night.
4. On Tuesday morning Operator
850 posed as someone going to Zimbabwe and
asked how he could get Zimbabwe
dollars and was directed to Lusaka Hotel. At
Lusaka Hotel the receptionist
directed Operator 850 to Katondo Street.
5. At Katondo Street Operator
850 was met with an army of money changers who
were offering assistance.
Operator 850 then befriended a money changer by
the name Auga Kainda who
gave his cellphone number as (097784553).
Auga asked how much Zimbabwe
dollars the operator wanted and Operator 850
said he wanted the equivalence
of US$300. Auga then said he did not keep
that much money at Katondo Street
and requested that we drive to Nyumba
Yanga Market near the Inter City bus
terminus.
A young man with a pile of new Zimbabwe dollars them came to
meet us. He
then said the rate has fallen from around Z$500 000 (old value)
since
everyone wanted to dispose Zimbabwe dollars.
Operator 850 then
argued that rate was too low before aborting the deal.
Auga then offered to
find more money and advised Operator 850 to call if he
needed
more.
6. After getting information that there was a lot of activity at
the DRC
border with a lot of Congolese people trying to off-load their
Zimbabwe
dollars Operator 850 then proceeded to Ndola where he was greeted
with a lot
of money changers near Savoy Hotel.
One of them Brian Kowa
Mwamba (cell 096766 490) offered to get Z$2 billion
in two days after being
asked by Operator 850 but he said the rate was Z$350
000 (old value) to
US$1. He was also complaining that the rate had fallen.
7. Operator 850
was then directed to Twapia area in Ndola where he was
greeted by a lot of
Apostolic sect money changers.
8. The same was the case in Kitwe and
Chingola where people were saying that
most Zimbabwean dollars had left for
Chirundu in an attempt to beat the
changing deadline.
9. At
Kasumbaleza border (between Zambia and DR Congo) there was activity
with
Chinese people busy mopping up Zimbabwean dollars to take to Chirundu
in
order to beat the deadline.
10. Operator 850 then slept in Ndola before
proceeding to Chirundu in the
morning via Lusaka.
11. Sixty
kilometres from Chirundu at Siamykobo Operator 850 met an army of
money
changers who were offering to change Zimbabwe dollars. One of them
Kebby
Mateyo (097669065) started changing at Z$300 000 to US$1 but he was a
bit
desperate and Operator 850 pushed his rate to Z$420 000 per USD.
Asked by
Operator 850 how he was getting all this money he said they used
canoes at
night to cross to the Zimbabwean side where they change at
Chirundu.
He also confirmed that they changed from Zimbabweans coming
to Zambia mostly
on Zupco, Chigubu and Pioneer buses.
Operator 850
changed US$300 with Mateyo who promised to get any amount
needed as long as
he gets a bit of notice.
12. At Chirundu Operator 850 met another army of
money changers and he
befriended Ephat (097368711), Synod (097625960) and
Andrew Zulu (097444856)
who offered to change any amount. They said the
money was bulky they could
assist by crossing by boat to the Zimbabwean side
and off-load the
Zimbabwean dollars.
Operator 850 then offered to buy
Z$4billion (old value) with US dollars and
Ephat and Synod said they only
needed 48 hours to deliver. They were
offering one kwacha to Z$100 or Z$400
000 to US$1. Operator 850 changed
US$100 with Ephat.
13. It is clear
that the rate for old notes will continue to fall as the
deadline approaches
and for new notes it will fall marginally.
14. Operator 850 did not have
time to go to Tanzania and Malawi borders with
Zambia where it was also
reported busy as people from those countries were
also making efforts to
bring back our currency.
People's Daily
More than 300 Zambian cross-border traders in
Livingstone bordering
Zimbabwe have stopped crossing into Zimbabwe following
the Zimbabwean
government's directive to ban the use of any other currency
than U.S.
dollars in buying Zimbabwean dollars and restrict currency
purchases to
banks only, Times of Zambia reported Friday.
The
Livingstone Cross Border Traders Association has written to its
mother body
seeking guidance on the way forward, said the association's
chairperson
Felix Daka in the capital city of Southern Province of Zambia.
He
said the traders could not make any profit under the new conditions
that
have been accompanied by the introduction of the new Zimbabwean
currency
with changed notation to mitigate the high inflation levels being
experienced in the neighboring country. Under Zimbabwe's parallel exchange
rate before the changes are introduced, the Zimbabwean currency is selling
at a far much cheaper rate on the black market than the official outlets
like banks and bureaux de change.
"The development has affected
our members who have since stopped their
business because they cannot cope
with the conditions, but we are discussing
with our mother body and our
counterparts in Zimbabwe to see how, and if,
the decision can be revisited,"
said Daka.
Zimbabwean economy has undergone difficulties over the
past years with
inflation rising to as high as 1,200 percent.
Daka also bemoaned the introduction of what he termed as the
Zimbabwean
government's artificial barrier to trade, including the new
requirement for
any body dealing in currency exchange to produce a form
known as CD 1 before
purchasing any merchandise.
Source: Xinhua
By Tererai Karimakwenda
11 August
2006
The violent campaign to remove white farmers still on their
properties
in the sugar growing lowveld area has gained new momentum. Two
weeks ago an
A2 settler named Hove forced his way in to the main offices of
Mkwasine
Estate looking for the manager who happened to be out at the time.
Hove and
a gang of 8 other settlers then assaulted the estate accountant
named
Takavarasha instead. According to Chiredzi farmer Gerry Whitehead they
held
a knife to the accountant's throat, forced him to open the safe and
took
Z$1.4 billion saying Hove had not been paid the full price for his
sugar
cane.
Whitehead said the estate security were 'prevented'
from assisting
Takavarasha. What is even more shocking is that the police
who were nearby
at the time did nothing to assist. Their excuse was that
Hove was only
taking what was owed to him.
Whitehead told us
when the Estate manager returned and found out what
had happened he
immediately shut down all the estate's operations and
informed the
Provincial Governor that he would not re-open until authorities
had dealt
with this vicious theft. Apparently the police were forced to act.
But they
only arrested Hove and not the other 8 settlers. Whitehead said
this was the
second time that Hove had forced his way into the estate
offices with a gang
of settlers. The first time they assaulted the estate
manager and Hove was
served with a restraining order. Instead of charging
him with the latest
assault and theft, the police are prosecuting him for
breaking the last
restraining order. Mkwasine Estate opened for business the
next
day.
A2 settlers in the sugar growing lowveld area of Zimbabwe have
been
trying to evict all remaining white farmers illegally for years now,
using
violence with impunity due to their connections to top officials in
the
ruling party and the police. Most white farmers still in the areas
around
Chiredzi, Mwenezi and Triangle have lost 75% of their properties to
settlers
who were given the land by the government and to others who invaded
illegally with government approval. They now live in constant fear of
assaults by the A2 settlers who do the dirty work for top chefs who want the
commercial farms. They are allowed to harass the white farmers who have
resisted this violent campaign while a partisan police force idly stands
by.
According to a statement released by Whitehead condemning the
theft:
"Mkwasine Estate subsidizes and assists all settlers black and white
in many
ways, including helping them to move their cane from Mkwasine to the
mills
in Chiredzi and Triangle some 50 kilometers away for no charge at all.
If
the Estate size is reduced anymore it will not be able financially to
assist
new farmers and this will close down the production of cane in this
area
completely. Only two white cane farmers from the original ten remain in
the
Mkwasine area and their holdings have been reduced by 75%, which is not
a
viable set up now and they have been forced to transport cane for the
Estates to be able to survive." Whitehead said the latest incidents are just
two among many that have occurred over the past 6 years. Some have been even
more violent.
In a separate incident at Turkey Heart Farm,
an A2 beneficiary named
Clemence Ranganai recently forced his way onto the
property of the
internationally renowned wildlife expert Clem Coetzee. He
then unloaded his
furniture onto the verandah and parked a caravan in front
of his gate,
teling him much harm would be done if he moved anything. Gerry
Whitehead
told us Ranganai has been trying to remove the elderly couple from
their
homestead for years and has already taken over four other homesteads
on this
property. He has never been prosecuted for his violent efforts
because he is
a businessman from Masvingo who has bragged about having
connections higher
up. The situation has remained tense and unresolved for a
very long time
despite many promises from the powers that
be.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Tichaona
Sibanda
11 August 2006
In-fighting within the ruling Zanu
(PF)) regime is now threatening to
plunge the party into a political crisis
not seen since the turmoil after
the death of its former leader Herbert
Chitepo.
A source in Harare told us Friday that public statements
and
conversations behind closed doors allege that a group led by former army
general Solomon Mujuru is involved in a conspiracy to politically destroy
strongman Emmerson Mnangagwa to ensure that he does not become the party's
presidential candidate when/if Mugabe steps down.
Mnangagwa who
is still influential in the intelligence services is
reportedly fighting
back with a vengeance. He is said to have passed on a
dossier of corruption
against the Mujuru faction to his mentor Robert
Mugabe. In turn the Mujuru
faction are also wielding a damning report
implicating him in a number of
fraudulent activitives involving Zanu (PF)
companies.
Former
guerilla leader Herbert Chitepo was killed by a car bomb in
March 1975 in
Lusaka, Zambia in an assassination often blamed on the
Rhodesian government
at the time, but subsequently attributed to rivals
within ZANU (PF). After
that the infighting intensified and it resulted in a
lot of purges that saw
the deaths of freedom fighters and officials in
political
killings.
The Zimbabwe Independent reported Friday that the Mugabe
succession
war is being fought at various levels of the party. It said the
arraignment
of Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa for the alleged
obstruction of the
course of justice, efforts to charge State Security
Minister Didymus Mutasa,
whom the Mujuru camp reportedly now wants replaced
with Mashonaland East
provincial governor Ray Kaukonde, the Zupco corruption
trial and events
around Local Government Minister Ignatious Chombo and
deputy Information
Minister Bright Matonga were all part of the succession
fight.
Bekithemba Mhlanga, a journalist and political commentator,
said there
was a fierce 'proxy war' being fought in Zanu (PF) and that the
fear of
Robert Mugabe by both sides was the only thing holding the party
together.
'It's as good as having two Zanu (PF's) now, but the only
thing
keeping the party going is Robert Mugabe,' said
Mhlanga.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By
Tererai Karimakwenda
11 August 2006
The Reverend Dr.
Martine Stemerick, who is in South Africa on a fact
finding mission and
documentary project reports that the police burned
blankets and legal and
medical papers belonging to Zimbabweans at an
established settlement on the
outer edge of downtown Johannesburg last
Thursday. It was the coldest week
of the year so far and the police decided
to raid all areas known to house
refugees. Dr Stemerick said the temperature
was minus 4 degrees and there
was snow on the ground. That meant the
desperate families living there slept
in the open and many were rounded up
for not having legal
papers.
Dr Stemerick has been interviewing Zimbabweans who have
fled to South
Africa and she has been travelling to different locations with
organisations
that provide food and other assistance to refugees. It was on
one of these
trips that she visited the Johannesburg community that had been
raided by
the police. She told us it was a very family oriented and
organised
community that included the elderly and very young children. They
were all
left in the cold after the police raid.
On Thursday Dr
Stemerick visited the Lindela Detention centre and saw
first hand the
suffering of Zimbabweans there. She said busloads of
refugees, many of them
Zimbabwean men who had been rounded up from all over
South Africa, arrived
while she was there. She interviewed 22 Zimbabwean
women and discovered that
3 of them had escaped from home after being
brutalised by state agents and
19 had fled for economic reasons.
Soon after she left Lindela Dr
Stemerick said a doctor they were
travelling with received a phone call
informing him that some Zimbabwean men
there had just been assaulted by
security guards. The men had been planning
to protest their forced
deportations and to lobby for more time to present
their cases. All refugees
used to have a two week period during which they
were processed before being
deported back to Zimbabwe. But Dr Stemerick said
these days they are being
rushed through because of the large numbers
needing to be processed. Many
come right back after being deported.
Next week we will be bringing
you the actual interviews being
conducted by Dr Stemerick with Zimbabweans
in South Africa.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
Zim Independent
Itai Mushekwe
OUTSPOKEN
Canadian-based musician Viomak has responded swiftly
to government's recent
introduction of a new currency through a damning song
titled Gono Bvisa
Father Zero (Gono remove Father Zero), an indirect
reference to President
Robert Mugabe.
The song, whose lyrics are pregnant with
political vitriol,
places Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono and Mugabe on
the firing line
dismissing the currency reform as a cosmetic move aimed at
buying time for
Mugabe.
The musician, who has grown to be
one of Mugabe's trenchant
critics in the arts world due to his skewed
policies that have left
Zimbabweans living from hand-to-mouth, told
Independent Xtra this week that
the song is an addition to her upcoming
album, Happy 83rd Birthday President
Mugabe (Bones of a 30-year old) due for
recording this month in South
Africa.
The release of the
album will coincide with Mugabe's birthday
celebration next
year.
"Gono should understand that the problem is not the
zeros but
Mugabe," said the artist. "It's impossible to find a solution to
an
unresolved problem. The problem is still pending and there's no way he
can
get a viable and workable solution without solving the problem. There's
no
point in sweeping the ashes without extinguishing the fire. This is just
a
ploy to steal monies from the ordinary person."
Gono
last week slashed the country's currency by three zeros
with Mugabe's
blessing through the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures)
(Currency
Revaluation) Regulations 2006, a measure government claims will
wrestle
skyrocketing inflation and corruption rampant among "influential
figures".
Scores of people have lost millions of dollars
since the launch
of the ongoing currency reform operation codenamed Project
Sunrise with
police seizing money in excess of $100 million from individuals
at
roadblocks dotted throughout the country.
Lyrics to
the song go thus: "Iwe Gono bvisa Mugabe, iwe Gono
siya mazero. Mazero haana
mhosva." (Gono remove Mugabe and not the zeros,
zeros are not the
problem).
The musician also indicated that she is coming to
Zimbabwe this
month despite receiving threats from suspected government
secret agents for
her forthright songs, which attack Mugabe and his ruling
Zanu PF.
Viomak sings political gospel music for a cause she
claims to be
charity work aimed at benefiting the less-privileged, while
also using her
voice to preach against oppression and economic hardships
which Zimbabweans
have had to put up with for the past six
years.
To date she has disbursed a significant amount of
donations to
organisations such as Matthew Rusike Children's Home, Mutemwa
Leprosy Centre
and a few months ago $90 million to New Hope
Zimbabwe.
MDC INFORMATION & PUBLICITY
National Headquarters
Harvest
House
Harare
Tel 091 940 489, 091 850 556 email
:mdcnewsbrief@gmail.com
Pursuant to the appointment of the Commission of inquiry into
the assault of
Honourable Trudy Stevenson and others on 4 July 2006, the
chairman of the
commission, Advocate Happias Zhou, has been in touch with
the party and
requested an extension of time for him and his team to
complete its work.
In our letter of appointment, in which we defined the
Commission's terms of
reference, we had asked that the Commission complete
its work by 31 July
2006.
The Commission has done extensive work,
which has involved interviewing the
victims of the assault including Hon
Stevenson and those that have been
accused of the assault including Hon
Mubhawu. In addition, the Commission
has made several visits to Mabvuku and
has conducted an inspection in loco
at the scene of the
assault.
Despite all this, the Commission has not completed its work and
expects to
do so soon, after which we will forward its report to the
national executive
of the party. The report will also be made public when it
is ready.
Tendai Biti, MP
MDC Secretary General