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Zuma to present SADC report on Zimbabwe

http://www.businessday.co.za

President Jacob Zuma will present a report on the political situation in
Zimbabwe at a SADC summit next week, the department of international
relations and co-operation said today.
Sapa
Published: 2010/08/15 05:42:46 PM

President Jacob Zuma will present a report on the political situation in
Zimbabwe at a SADC summit next week, the department of international
relations and co-operation said today.

Zuma is in Windhoek, Namibia to attend the Southern African Development
Community Summit for Heads of State and Government beginning tomorrow.

"The inclusive government in Zimbabwe is making some progress on the
implementation of the global political agreement under the mediation of
South Africa," department spokesman Saul Molobi said in a statement.

Matters such as the appointment of governors and attorneys general had
already been dealt with.

"Nevertheless, discussions are ongoing and it is hoped that there will be
further positive results by the end of this year."

This week, SADC held the meeting of its council of ministers and of its
standing committee of senior officials.


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Tsvangirai and Zuma to lock horns over Zimbabwe GPA at SADC

http://www.afrik-news.com/article18109.html

  Sunday 15 August 2010 / by Alice Chimora, Sakhile Modise

Zimbabwe's premier Morgan Tsvangirai and South African leader Jacob Zuma
look headed for collision at the SADC summit in Namibia on Monday, with
statements by their senior aides indicating the two men are worlds apart in
their assessment of progress made by Zimbabwe's troubled inclusive
government.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit will discuss the
Harare power-sharing government as well as Zimbabwe's continued refusal to
adhere to rulings by the bloc's human rights court or tribunal.

South Africa has been mediating in the all-party talks in Zimbabwe for over
three years now and has blocked western attempts at imposing illegal
sanctions on the country.

In the run up to the summit, Tsvangirai's MDC and the South African
government have been issuing conflicting statements on progress made with
Pretoria's foreign ministry director General Ayanda Ntsaluba last Thursday
telling journalists that Zuma will tell the meeting that Zimbabwe is "on the
correct path."

However, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa says his party sharply differed with
the South Africans' assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe. Chamisa points
to a "cocktail of outstanding issues" from the 2008 global political
agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the unity government last year.

He says Zimbabwe was not on the "correct path" and said the MDC would insist
that SADC intervenes to ensure President Robert Mugabe and Zanu (PF) live up
to all their commitments under the GPA.

"Evidently there are still outstanding issues, issues where there is a
deadlock, issues that were agreed on but that Zanu (PF) refuses to implement
and toxic and corrosive issues," said Chamisa.

"President Zuma, as the mediator, has been engaged with the three principals
to the GPA and is aware of all the problems. All these issues are also
contained in a letter sent to President Zuma," added Chamisa.

He said the MDC wants the SADC to intervene to ensure Roy Bennett is
appointed to the post of deputy agriculture minister. The former opposition
party also wants regional leaders to pressure Mugabe to rescind his decision
to unilaterally appoint his allies, Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana, as
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor and Attorney General respectively.

The appointments are in breach of a communiqué issued by the SADC on January
27, 2009, requiring Mugabe to consult Tsvangirai before appoint senior
public officials.

In South Africa, Ntsaluba told reporters in Pretoria that the overwhelming
picture in Zimbabwe's GNU was favourable. "There is a semblance of stability
and Zimbabwe is on the correct path," he said. The statement was sweet music
to Zanu PF. Its spokesman Rugare Gumbo told reporters last Friday that there
are no outstanding issues for SADC to discuss.

He said, "There are no outstanding issues. The situation in the country has
generally improved. We don't expect any major development from the SADC
summit, SADC is busy pre-occupied with other important issues from the
region. They will not spend much time discussing with the Zimbabwe issue,
because there are other important issues."


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Message from Martin Rapaport to RapNet Members on Marange Diamonds

http://www.diamonds.net

By Martin Rapaport Posted: 08/15/10 09:20

RAPAPORT... Dear RapNet members,

On August 11th 2010, the Kimberley Process certified approximately 900,000
carats of rough diamonds from Marange, Zimbabwe. While the trading of these
diamonds may be legal in certain jurisdictions it is illegal for U.S., E.U.,
or U.K. citizens or entities to knowingly trade these diamonds due to the
fact that the companies owning or selling the diamonds are sanctioned by
these governments.

Furthermore, it should be clear that the Kimberley Process (KP) does not
have a mandate to deny its certification for diamonds involved in human
rights violations and therefore there is no assurance that diamonds with KP
certification are free of human rights violations.

Based on the above legal and moral considerations RapNet will continue to
forbid the trading of any diamonds sourced from Marange, Zimbabwe on our
network. RapNet members that knowingly offer Marange diamonds for sale on
RapNet will be expelled from RapNet and their names will be publicly
communicated. We strongly urge members to contact their suppliers and obtain
written assurances that they are not being supplied Marange diamonds. U.S.,
U.K. and E.U. members may have a legal obligation to do so and should
consult their legal advisors.

RapNet members that wish to cancel their subscription due to this trade
restriction are invited to do so within thirty days and will receive a
refund for the unused portion of their RapNet subscription.

RapNet and the Rapaport Group are fully committed to maintaining honest
ethical standards and will not tolerate the use of our trading networks for
the distribution of diamonds involved in human rights violations. If any
member has information about such abuses they are encouraged to contact
RapNet's legal counsel via email legal@diamonds.net .

On behalf of RapNet and all of us at the Rapaport Group I thank you for your
membership and continued support of our activities and ethical standards.

Yours truly,

Martin Rapaport

For your information The Rapaport Group has also published the following
Trade Alert to the general diamond trade.

Trade Alert: Marange Diamonds - August 12, 2010

"The Kimberley Process has just certified approximately 900,000 carats of
rough diamonds from Marange, Zimbabwe. While the trading of Marange diamonds
may be legal in certain jurisdictions, companies owning or selling the
diamonds are sanctioned by the U.S., E.U., and U.K. governments and their
trading may be illegal by citizens of these countries.

Furthermore, the Kimberley Process (KP) does not have a mandate to deny its
certification for diamonds involved in human rights violations and there is
no guarantee that diamonds with KP certification are free of human rights
violations.

Rapaport strongly advises all diamond buyers not to trade in KP certified
Marange diamonds and to request written assurance from their suppliers that
their diamonds have not been sourced from Marange.

RapNet, the Rapaport Diamond Trading Network, will not allow the trading of
any diamonds sourced from Marange, Zimbabwe. Members found to have knowingly
offered Marange diamonds for sale on RapNet will be expelled and their names
will be publicly communicated."

For more information on Marange Diamonds, visit www.diamonds.net/zimbabwe .


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Aid has made major difference in Zimbabwe, says UN report


http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/12852

By staff writers
15 Aug 2010

A United Nations report has found that food security in Zimbabwe has
improved signficiantly, but that agricultural and food assistance will still
be vital for around 1.68 million people next year.

The report follows a joint mission to Zimbabwe in June by the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme
(WFP) to assess the national crop and food security situation.

The mission found that food security in the country has improved following
government efforts and an international assistance programme which has been
providing farmers with subsidised inputs.

They say that the area planted under maize, the main staple, increased by 20
per cent in 2010 to the highest level in 30 years and production rose 7 per
cent over 2009.

Compared with the poor 2008 season when less than 500,000 metric tons of
maize were harvested, production more than doubled in 2009 and 2010, to 1.27
and 1.35 million tons respectively.

“The generous international support for the 2009/10 input campaign
significantly contributed to this year’s relatively good harvest results,
even if in some areas of the country rainfall distribution was uneven,” said
Cristina Amaral, Chief of FAO’s emergency and rehabilitation operations in
Africa.

The findings are likely to be seen as evidence of what can be achieved with
international aid.

But it is not all good news. “Despite the improved availability of food, up
to 1.68 million people will need food assistance because prices remain
comparatively high for families with low incomes and little or no access to
US dollars or South African rand,” said the report's co-author, Jan Delbaere
of WFP.

Liliana Balbi of FAO added, “Zimbabwe has only 1.66 million tons of cereals
available as against a total needs forecast of 2.09 million tons in the
marketing year 2010-2011. That leaves a 428,000-ton shortfall”.

Part of this will be covered by commercial imports, projected to total
317,000 tons of cereals, including 200,000 tons of maize.

The mission estimated that 133,000 tons of food assistance will be needed to
feed 1.68 million Zimbabweans in 2010/11.

The report's authors say that general poverty and chronic food insecurity
had led to reduced diversity of consumption and had also contributed to an
increased prevalence of chronic malnutrition among young children. The
report indicates that lack of liquidity remains a constraint to accessing
inputs and increasing food production.

The 2009/10 input assistance programme proposed a quick impact programme
that aimed to substantively boost smallholder staple food production in
Zimbabwe. The report states that the international community responded well
and FAO received contributions from a number of donors, including the
European Union, the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Finland. The EU
made the largest financial contribution, €15.4 million.

In total 51,500 tons of fertilizer and 6,500 tons of maize seeds were
distributed to 738,000 households. FAO say they also promoted conservation
agriculture that helped farmers to improve soil fertility through the use of
techniques such as maintaining soil organic cover, reducing tillage and
better crop rotation.

The programme also promoted the use of vouchers which farmers could use to
get the inputs they needed from local suppliers. The report insisted that,
“The agricultural support programmes need to be continued during the next
planting season to consolidate the gains achieved so far”.


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Activists threaten to sue S/African gov’t over farmers’ plight in Zimbabwe

http://www.apanews.net

APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) A South African civil rights group, AfriForum has
accused the South African government on Sunday of failing to protect its
citizens who continue to fall victim to Zimbabwe’s land reform programme and
said it has plans to sue Pretoria for absconding on its obligations towards
its nationals.

The group said a delegation of its senior officials which returned from a
weeklong fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe last week found persistent human
rights violations in the country despite the formation of a unity government
by President Robert Mugabe and former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

AfriForum’s delegation also found that the South African government “does
not lift a finger to assist South African citizens who fall victim” to the
continuing lawlessness on Zimbabwean commercial farms.

“The South African government stands idly by while its citizens’ farms and
possessions are stolen in Zimbabwe and while some South Africans are
 jailed,” AfriForum director Kallie Kriel said in a statement.

More than 200 South African farmers have fallen victim to Zimbabwe’s land
reform programme despite the existence of a bilateral investment promotion
and protection agreement between the two southern African neighbours.

Kriel said the information obtained from the visit would be useful in
AfriForum’s two planned court cases in which the South African government
“will be taken to task over its failure to fulfil its duty towards South
African citizens living in Zimbabwe”.

“AfriForum is compiling a report that will set out the details of several
human rights violations against South African citizens in Zimbabwe,” he
said.

JN/daj/APA
2010-08-15


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Statement by SADC Tribunal Rights Watch

15 August 2010

 

 

 

STATEMENT

 

Attorney-General Johannes Tomana misleads NewsDay readers

 

South Africa’s North Gauteng High Court ruled on Wednesday that the Government of Zimbabwe is responsible for the wasted costs of an urgent court application erroneously brought against three Zimbabwean farmers and AfriForum.

 

This ruling has been inaccurately reported on by NewsDay in an article titled “Government unmoved by SA land ruling”, published on August 13.

 

The journalist quoted Attorney-General Johannes Tomana extensively but failed to contact the Zimbabwean farmers concerned or their legal representative, Willie Spies of AfriForum, for comment.

 

SADC Tribunal Rights Watch responds to the article, and to the statements by the Attorney-General Tomana as follows:

 

The South African court order did not “oblige Harare to pay staggering amounts of money demanded by three dispossessed white farmers as reparation for delayed compensation”.  The ruling was for legal costs that had been incurred unnecessarily by the farmers.

 

The Zimbabwe Government’s error was that it had lodged the urgent application because it believed an auction of Zimbabwe Government-owned properties in Cape Town, scheduled for 27 July and 10 August 2010, had been organised by AfriForm and the farmers.

 

This was in fact not the case.  Although the farmers were the first to attach the properties via AfriForum, the auctions were in fact organised by German Banking Group KFW Bank Gruppe.  The bank attached the properties in order to collect a judgment debt of €40m (about R400m).

 

AfriForum attached the properties after the SADC Tribunal in Windhoek had issued a costs award (or “taxation award” as it is known in legal terminology) in favour of the farmers (the complainants).

 

The Tribunal ruled that the Zimbabwe government was “in breach, and contempt, of the decision of the Tribunal of 28 November 2008 in the matter of Mike Campbell and 78 Others v The Republic of Zimbabwe (Case No SADC (T) 02/07).

 

The Tribunal ruled that the costs award was to be agreed to by both parties and asked the Zimbabwe Government to come to an agreement with the complainants regarding their senior advocates’ legal fees and travel costs.

 

However, some two days before the taxation day, the Deputy Attorney-General of Zimbabwe handed the Tribunal a letter from the Minister of Justice of Zimbabwe challenging the jurisdiction of the SADC Tribunal which had already been covered in the main Judgment which is final and binding.

 

The Tribunal therefore proceeded with awarding costs based on the bill of costs presented by the farmers’ legal representative in Windhoek.  The costs award, stamped by the SADC Tribunal, was for US$5,816.47 or R112,780 13.

 

A further costs order related to the Government of Zimbabwe being found to be in contempt of the Tribunal on 15 July will be heard on 23 August.

 

The costs award of US$5,816.45, awarded purely for legal costs, is neither a “staggering amount”, nor was it awarded for “delayed compensation”, as the article claims in the opening paragraph. 

 

Furthermore, it cannot be described as “security costs”. 

 

The article reported that Attorney-General Tomana said government would appeal the ruling, arguing the “security costs” were too much. 

 

The journalist went on to quote Mr Tomana as saying that “the three farmers are basing their argument on the judgement by the SADC Tribunal, which reverses the land reform.”

 

This is also not correct.  The SADC Tribunal ruled that Zimbabwe’s land reform programme had not been in accordance of the rule of law and the human rights standards laid down in the SADC Treaty.

 

It also ruled that Zimbabwe had violated the Treaty by failing to pay the dispossessed farmers fair compensation.

 

According to NewsDay, Mr Tomana said the three farmers were offered money, but refused to accept it.

 

“Accepting the money would mean accepting acquisition of their farms.  What the three farmers want is not money, but for the government to return the farms,” Mr Tomana continued.

 

We refute Mr Tomana’s claim that Louis Fick, Mike Campbell and Richard Etheredge were offered money – either for their farms or for improvements made on the land.

 

In fact, there is no money for compensation in the government’s 2010 budget, nor in any other budgets in recent years. 

 

            The farmers want the rule of law to be upheld in Zimbabwe and for the rulings of the SADC Tribunal to be respected. 

 

            Since being forced off their land, the farmers have no income and no pensions.  Both Campbell and Etheredge are elderly and Campbell, as a result of the vicious beating he sustained in June 2008, is in poor health.

 

Ironically, even Constitutional Amendment Number 17 [not Constitutional Amendment 18 as the journalist erroneously reported], which converted all land acquired during the fast-track land reform programme into state property without any right to challenge the validity of acquisitions in any court, gave dispossessed farmers a right to claim compensation for improvements, is not being honoured by the Zimbabwe Government.

 

Until recently, there hasn’t even been a compensation committee in place, despite lawyers’ letters having been written over several years asking who constituted Zimbabwe’s compensation committee.

 

The journalist’s statement that a majority of the farmers have not been compensated is misleading.  The reality is that considerably less than 1 percent of farmers have been compensated since the year 2000; and in recent years none of the dispossessed farmers have received compensation.

 

If SADC’s recognition of the ruling made by its Tribunal has given the affected farmers an opportunity to claim compensation plus the costs of delayed reparations as the article indicates, this is most encouraging.

 

At this stage however, the only beneficiary of the Zimbabwe Government-owned properties is the German Bank. 

 

The answer to Mr Tomana’s question regarding the legality of selling state-owned properties is that they can be attached and sold to cover legal and other costs – unless they are covered by the Vienna Convention which requires host countries to protect diplomatic property and personnel.

 

We request that NewsDay prints this statement in full in order to correct the serious misconceptions created by the Mr Tomana and the inaccurate reporting of the NewsDay journalist.

 

ENDS

 

Ben Freeth

Spokesman for SADC Tribunal Rights Watch

Cell:  +263 913 929 138

E-mail:  freeth@bsatt.com  

 


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Mugabe goes shopping as summit set to discuss government crisis

 
http://www.nation.co.ke/
 
 
In a picture taken on August 14, 2010 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (C) shops for shoes in the Harbor City mall in Hong Kong.

In a picture taken on August 14, 2010 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (C) shops for shoes in the Harbor City mall in Hong Kong. Mugabe spent the weekend shopping for high-end suits and shoes in Hong Kong, where he owns a house and his daughter attends university, local media reported on August 15. AFP PHOTO/SCMP/MAY TSE 

By (AFP)
Posted Sunday, August 15 2010 at 19:30

Hong Kong, Sunday

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe spent the weekend shopping for high-end suits and shoes in Hong Kong, where he owns a house and his daughter attends university, local media reported on Sunday.

Mr Mugabe's shopping trip came several days after he visited the World Expo in Shanghai for Zimbabwe Day. China is not a party to international sanctions on Mugabe, who is the subject of a Western travel ban and asset freeze.

A team of officers from the Hong Kong police VIP protection unit flanked the octogenarian president on Saturday as he visited high-end shops in the city's Kowloon district, local media said. "In general, police would make appropriate security arrangements for visiting foreign dignitaries," a spokesman said in an e-mail to AFP.

"Due to operational reasons, police would not comment (further)." A government spokesman was quoted as saying Mugabe was not on an official visit. Mr Mugabe's daughter Bona is studying accountancy at City University of Hong Kong and he owns a home in the outlying New Territories district, the Sunday Morning Post reported.

The leader's wife Grace sparked a diplomatic row last year when she escaped assault charges after allegedly striking a British photographer as he took her picture during a shopping trip. Hong Kong's justice department said she was entitled to diplomatic immunity as the Zimbabwean president's wife, a decision that sparked a storm of criticism.

In Shanghai on Wednesday, Mugabe thanked China for its support in helping his nation rebuild its shattered economy. He said his country "immensely benefited" from China's "generosity in several areas, including the supply of agricultural materials, and food assistance where inclement weather has affected our harvests".

Once a breadbasket of southern Africa, Zimbabwe's food shortages have been brought on by drought and Mugabe's crippling land-reform programme. United Nations' food agencies said last week 133,000 tonnes of food aid will be needed to help 1.68 million Zimbabweans between now and the next harvest in May.

In February, the European Union renewed sanctions against Mugabe and his inner circle for another year, citing a lack of progress in implementing political and human rights reforms. Meanwhile, Southern African leaders meet on Monday in Namibia's capital to discuss Zimbabwe's strained unity government and its refusal to adhere to rulings by a regional tribunal.

Officially, the summit of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) marks the 30th anniversary of the organisation's creation. Then the grouping was known as the Front Line States, which sought to coordinate liberation movements in Namibia and apartheid South Africa.

Since Namibia's independence and the end of white-minority rule in South Africa, the organisation has struggled to assert itself as a political force -- mainly because its members are unwilling to submit to regional decision-making. The case in point is Zimbabwe, which signed a treaty creating a regional court based in Windhoek but has refused to obey its rulings.

The SADC tribunal has ruled in favour of white farmers in Zimbabwe, saying President Robert Mugabe's land reforms unfairly targeted them because of their race. Harare has flatly rejected the ruling allowing the farmers to stay on their land, raising questions about the purpose of a tribunal that cannot enforce its decisions.

SADC executive secretary Tomaz Salomao said justice ministers would present a report about Zimbabwe's non-compliance. South Africa will also brief leaders on the progress of the unity government. South Africa's foreign ministry said President Jacob Zuma was overall optimistic on Zimbabwe.


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Land Reform Underfinanced and Failing

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52490
 



By Fidelis Zvomuya

RAFFINGORA, Zimbabwe, Aug 14, 2010 (IPS) - Mavis Muchena sits on the veranda of her mud hut, a middle-aged single mother of four with a face worn beyond her years and hands creased from working the soil. She should represent the future of a renewed farming boom in Zimbabwe, but instead she represents its failure.

Muchena and 100 others arrived at Yomba Farm, near Raffingora some 150 kilometres west of Harare, six years ago from rural Guruve. Armed with machetes and rifles, they threatened to kill the farmer if he interfered with their takeover. This was during the height of Zimbabwe's forced, chaotic and uncoordinated land grabs.

Yomba Farm, which used to be owned by the Nicolle family, was one of the biggest farming enterprises in the country before the invasions. The cotton the farm once produced contributed 15 percent of the total national cotton requirement and the wheat produced added up to 10 percent of the national requirement.

But since Muchena grabbed her piece of the farm, she has not even utilised 10 percent of her plot. She holds about 100 acres of the land she grabbed, and which was later allocated to her by government. Since invading the farm, she has only managed to use less than 10 acres, planting cotton, maize, soybean, sunflowers and some groundnuts.

And Muchena's failure is widespread in the region. Research commissioned by Southern African Confederations of Agricultural Unions, released in March found that there have been widespread failures in land reform processes, most particularly in South Africa and Zimbabwe. According to the research findings land reform processes are seldom, if ever, adequately funded. This leads to situations of conflict over limited resources.

Some of the Research Findings:

Land is a challenge for all farmers but the type of challenge is country specific as governments play a key role and farmers have limited power even when they are organised.

The report also stated that while some countries are addressing land challenges, this is not yet widespread. There is lack of common vision in some countries on the role of the agriculture sector and the function of the available land.

The main challenges to land reform, according to the report, are land scarcity driven by increasing population, competition for land because of economic development, poorly endowed countries, and countries with unstable land ownership patterns.

The report also stated that tenure reform is more important than land reform in many countries.

There have been widespread failures in land reform processes, most particularly in South Africa and Zimbabwe. According to the research findings land reform processes are seldom, if ever, adequately funded. This leads to situations of conflict over limited resources.

The report stated that land administration requires strong management systems, including staff capacity and that managing land grabbing was important.

Muchena claimed that her efforts to farm are being hampered by lack of: inputs; financial resources; irrigation; technical and farming implements. Muchena does not have fertiliser, and has few seeds for planting, enough only for half an acre.

"I came here with no money. I wanted to start a new life. Government promised inputs as well as tractors. But till now, nothing has happened," she says. When she and the other invaders took over the farm they also took the farming implements. But these fell to disrepair as the invaders were unable to utilise them as they required investment in fuel, servicing and technical knowledge.

"Yes our production is well below the farm's capacity. But without the necessary inputs, equipment, commercial farming skills, we remain at this level," Muchena admits.

In 2000 President Robert Mugabe carried out what has become the largest forced land redistribution in Southern Africa's history, building farming villages for squatters, sending army commando units and former freedom fighters to supervise seized estates and brutally removing white farmers.

It is what happened on Yomba Farm and now the once-thriving land has become barren, marked by poverty-stricken communities.

This is a clear indication of the dearth of agriculture in this former Southern African bread basket. Within the region land reform has been met with mostly dire results, which include failure, and widespread violence as well as failure to stimulate the broader economy.

Studies confirm that despite the need for land within the region, its relationships are complex and vary widely between countries.

Dr. Michael Aliber of the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape, says land is an emotional and complex issue, a fundamental factor of production that must be utilised productively.

"There must be value attached to redistributed land. Many beneficiaries complain that it is difficult to obtain credit as they don't have title deeds to the land they work on," Aliber says.

He added that formalising tenure and offering title deeds does not ensure immediate access to credit. "If the loan is not repaid, to what extent will the title deed be marketable? The title will have little value if there is no land market," Aliber says.

Professor Sam Moyo director of the African Institute for Agrarian Studies in Zimbabwe thinks the failure by some of these projects are due to lack of pre- and post-settlement support, that includes technically equipping the framers before moving in as well as providing financial and material support.

This chaotic and violent seizure of white-owned farms has come at a price, the economy collapsed. The land program, coupled with severe drought, has left half the population in need of emergency food. Mugabe has failed to transform the agricultural sector into a viable system that can feed the nation and drive the economy.

Corruption within government structures has seen some of the agricultural implements being channelled to the politically connected instead of the needy farmers.

The redistribution project has meant that agricultural output has declined nearly 75 percent in the past three years.

"Zimbabwe is not alone," Moyo continues. "The current land reform model in South Africa is not sustainable, either socially or politically."

"It is therefore important to review the developmental approaches used. Farmers' movements should be at the centre of defining policy, since small-scale farmers are important in ensuring social and economic inclusion," he says.

Moyo explains that the "willing-seller, willing-buyer" program in South Africa has not proceeded fast enough, partly because white farmers have artificially inflated prices of their landholdings. In 1994 South Africa promised a radical redistribution of agricultural land, which was supposed to transfer 30 percent of white-owned farms by 2014.

Almost 16 years later, they have transferred less than five percent. And most of these farms owned by emerging farmers are in dire straits and not productive.

Moyo says land transfer programs remain perennially underfinanced.


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COPAC issues firm order on Jabulani Sibanda

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=20829

By Gerald Chateta

Published: August 14, 2010

Harare - COPAC has ordered war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda to stop
holding political rallies in areas where its activities are underway and
further referred the war veteran leader's anti-Tsvangirai campaign matter to
Zanu PF chairperson for a possible disciplinary action.

This comes after the Sibanda last week denounced Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai whom he equated to a fly that could easily be eliminated from the
political scene, a move likely to cause discord within the outreach process.

Sibanda was addressing hundreds of villagers at Mashoko business centre in
Bikita West Masvingo at the weekend where he is allegedly terrorising
villagers with the help of a group of war veterans and Zanu-PF activists.

In an interview with on Friday, ZANU-PF Co-Chairperson Paul Mangwana
distanced his party from Sibanda's activities saying he was only acting in
his own accord.

Mangwana however said ZANU-PF chairman Simon Khaya Moyo had the authority to
decide how Sibanda's case was going to be dealt with, hence his referring of
Sibanda's issue to the party.

Mangwana admitted that any activities carried out by the war veterans is
usually associated with Zanu PF saying that they have 'now ordered him to
stop' holding rallies in areas where COPAC teams would be visiting.

"We understand that Sibanda is doing his organisation's business which is
neither COPAC or ZANU-PF's, but when a war veteran does anything, people
associate it with ZANU-PF - the reason why I have approached his
organisation and ZANU-PF structures to deal with him," said Mangwana.

Commenting on the same matter, MDC-T COPAC co-chair Douglas Mwonzora said
Sibanda's activities were not in the spirit of inclusivity.

"We learnt with regret Mr Sibanda's utterances which incite violence. The
disappointing part is that he is moving around denouncing one of the leaders
of the GPA and as COPAC we are very much concerned," he said.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said statements made by the man who led the
2007 pro-Mugabe one million man march to drum up support for the Zimbabwean
leader ahead of a Zanu PF elective congress the same year Sibanda, should
not be taken seriously.


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Potential health disaster looms in Victoria Falls

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Friday, August 13, 2010

Victoria Falls Correspondent

A potential health disaster is looming here as the Zimbabwe National Water
Authority has intensified water rationing to compel the municipality to
settle its raw water bill of about US$1,5 million.

As a result of water rationing, some parts of the resort town - especially
the high-density areas of Chinotimba and Mkhosana Township - have gone for
weeks without water.

In an interview last Friday, chamber secretary Mr Philip Ndlovu said the
council was broke and had no money to service the over US$1,5 million water
bill.

He said defaulting residents and other ratepayers who owed council more than
US$2 million were making life difficult for everyone. "The water problem is
a result of increased water rationing introduced by Zinwa because we have
not cleared our debt.

"It is a Catch-22 situation because residents owe council, council on the
other hand owes Zinwa, and Zinwa owes Zesa," said Mr Ndlovu.

"The situation could be worse if Zesa cuts power."

He urged residents to pay the little they had so that council settled the
Zinwa bill.

"The solution is in the hands of the residents. They should come forward and
settle their bills.

"If, for example, a resident owes us US$300, he/she should come forward and
negotiate because paying something is much better than paying nothing.

"We are worried that the residents and other stakeholders who are paid up
will end up losing heart because of the erratic water supplies."

Mr Ndlovu said the council might be forced to start water disconnections as
a way of forcing defaulters to pay.

"We are all worried about our tourism sector. Such small matters can paint a
bad image of the country and we do not want that," he said.
 


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Zimbabwe’s debt - what the people should know

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by ZIMCODD
Friday, 13 August 2010 14:58

There is need to limit the executive powers of the President and Finance
Minister to increase accountability and transparency and effectively manage
public debt. (Pictured: Finance Minister Tendai Biti)
Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) recommends this in its
programme to educate the Zimbabwe’s grassroots on the country’s debt. The
Coalition said government should prioritise an urgent review of the current
legal framework and systems governing public loan and debt management as the
first step in formulating a debt sustainability framework.
One way of achieving this was to ensure the executive powers of the Minster
of Finance and the Presidency be limited to ensure accountability,
transparency and depersonalisation in public business and the administration
of state matters.
"Parliament must approve all borrowing and there should be a consolidated
law on getting loans and debt management," it noted.
It said Parliament's capacity in issues of public finance management must be
built so that it avoids rubber stamping proposals without carrying due
diligence.

Debt audit
It also recommended the establishment of a Public Debt Commission and the
need to conduct an official debt Audit.
"There is need for an audit of all Zimbabwe debts so that this informs the
debt strategy that is to be pursued. “This commission should utilise the
doctrine of odious and illegitimate debt, and recommend the repudiation of
any past loans which fall in this category. Any contracts and agreements
that involve such debts and liabilities should therefore be amended or
cancelled. Relevant, contextually appropriate changes to debt management
policies will be informed by a debt audit."
It called on for a stronger Office of the Comptroller and Auditor-General.
"The law should give this office strong powers, with protection similar to
that afforded to judges. Furthermore, the selection, nomination and removal
of the Comptroller and Auditor-General by the President be subjected to
confirmation by Parliament. This office should be able to audit all
accounts. Nothing should prevent any accounts from being audited, even if
they raise national security issues. The reports from this office should be
easily available to the public.”
There is need for legal provision that requires the government to consult
civil society groups and project beneficiaries before borrowing from
external sources to ensure that the development priorities outlined in loan
agreements reflect the aspirations of the people.
There should be the involvement of Parliament, the Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) and possibly that of another body such as a Public Debt Commission
which actually has definitive power in acquiring loans. The borrowing and
repayment procedures of these entities must be reviewed to reduce the levels
of public liability. Periodic reports to Parliament must be made binding on
such entities and their respective Ministries.
Loans and their terms and conditions must be publicised in the Gazette and
national newspapers before the contract is signed. Both creditor and debtor
should guarantee transparency. ZIMCODD said for as long as a country used
its borrowed capital for other purposes than productive investment, debt was
created. "Used productively, sustainable economic development will be the
result and consequently, prosperity, and better fulfilment of the human
rights of the populace," it said.
It also recommended the monitoring and clamping down on tax evasion and
corruption. "A transparent and progressive tax system with no loopholes will
reduce the need to borrow externally as the country earns more from economic
activities."
ZIMCODD is a socio-economic justice coalition established in February 2000
to facilitate citizens' involvement in making public policy and practice
pro-people and sustainable. It views Zimbabwe's indebtedness, the unfair
global trade regime and lack of democratic people-centred economic
governance as root causes of the socio-economic crises in Zimbabwe and the
world at large.
The Citizens' Guide on Understanding Debt was originally published in 2003
as the first of three pamphlets focusing on the public debt. It was the
first in the series which included: Understanding debt, the Social effects
of debt and Developing an Economic Justice Movement.
The publishing of a second edition comes at a critical juncture in the
country's history, and ZIMCODD's existence as a coalition focusing on debt.
The country is in a delicate political transition to a power sharing
government after years of deep political, economic and social crisis, which
hit vulnerable groups such as workers, people living with HIV/AIDS, women
and children.
The government has initiated various programmes to revive the economy for a
new beginning to take place. Unfortunately, the country cannot generate all
these resources internally in the short term, hence the need for external
funding.
However, Zimbabwe is saddled with an unsustainably high level of debt,
estimated to be in the region of US$5,7 billion owed to various multilateral
and bilateral creditors.

Debt debates leaving out the grassroots
ZIMCODD is worried that current debates on the best debt sustainability
framework are tending to proceed at a purely technocratic level leaving out
the voices of the grassroots. "Publishing an updated edition of this
grassroots manual is ZIMCODD's way of taking this debate back to the people,
to raise their level of economic literacy, and start a process of including
the views and participation of marginalised communities, " said Dakarayi
Matanga ZIMCODD Executive Director.
"This is also a process of ensuring any proposals and solutions on
Zimbabwe's debt remain firmly grounded in principles of social and economic
justice."
"The launch of this booklet also coincides with ZIMCODD's 10th anniversary.
We pay a heartfelt tribute to all the activists, researchers, academics,
organisations, and partners who laid the foundation for a vibrant coalition
on social and economic justice in Zimbabwe." ZIMCODD said African countries
should ensure that real solutions to the debt crisis were firmly grounded in
principles of social and economic justice and offer a permanent exit.
While organisations like the World Band and the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) dominated the global financial system with pervasive impacts on human
development, there was no corresponding global governance structure to
protect the interests of the weak. "Many poor countries end up devoting huge
portions of their national budgets paying back foreign creditors at the
expense of delivering on the well-being of their people.
"Social indicators are therefore declining whilst interest payments on debt
increase. A democratic or rights-based framework for resolution of the
current debt crisis is therefore necessary. " Persistence of the debt crisis
faced by severely indebted low-income countries and the inability of the
international community to find both immediate and sustainable solutions,
has raised concern, leading to debates over various strategies on the debt.
"However, the solutions currently promoted by creditors to deal with the
crisis exacerbate the problem and do not offer a permanent exit from debt.
It is clear that most approaches are actually abstract means of giving more
relief to the creditors themselves than the debtors by 'recycling debt',"
said ZIMCODD. As a social and economic justice network focusing on the debt
problem, ZIMCODD would like to contribute constructively to policy debates
in search of a lasting solution to the country's debt problem.


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Mapfumo to come out of exile

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

Written by CAJ News
Friday, 13 August 2010 08:15

JOHANNESBURG - Exiled Zimbabwean Chimurenga musical guru, Thomas Tafirenyika
Muchadura Mapfumo, says he wants to come back home, but reassured fans that
he would not stop singing about corruption and political violence being
perpetrated against those that perceived to be anti-Zanu (PF).

Mapfumo, who is based in the United States of America (USA), jetted into
Johannesburg over the weekend to meet with international organisers
preparing to host one of his best ever-musical concerts in the country
before end of year.

In an exclusive interview with CAJ News on Monday, Mapfumo, popularly known
as 'Mukanya', said the worsening poverty in Zimbabwe was his biggest
concern.

"Only a few are enjoying every minute of life yet the majority people are
living in abject poverty. This is unacceptable! A few crooks calling
themselves a government do not own Zimbabwe. A true government cares about
the poor, old, orphans and children in general," said Mapfumo.

He says it pains him most to see government officials, particularly
politicians, driving in expensive cars such as Hummers, latest Mercedes
Benz, Lexus, Range Rover Sport and expensive BMW when the poor were getting
worse with each day that passes.

"What worries me most is that we have a government that is not even ashamed
of using other nations' money. Where is our own currency?

"Instead of being accountable to the people, the nation is answerable to the
government. This defeats the whole purpose of going to the liberation
struggle against the Rhodesian oppressors during the 1st and 2nd Chimurenga
wars. "It's mind boggling! What is the difference between our government
today and that of the Ian Smith regime which always undermined people's
integrity," asked Mapfumo.

When asked which political party he supported in Zimbabwe today, Mapfumo
said: "I don't belong to any political party. I leave politics to
politicians, but one thing is sure, I will not shut up when the mass is
being oppressed."

He said he did not support Zanu (PF) or MDC, but supported the government
that stands for people's justice, needs and wants. Mapfumo is regarded as
King of Chimurenga music throughout Africa, and he has won various accolades
for singing against corruption, political violence and child abuse.

When asked if he was afraid of being arrested upon his arrival in Zimbabwe,
he said he never wronged anyone or committed a crime.

"I have not done anything wrong to anyone, so why should I be arrested? I am
a Zimbabwean national returning to my mother-land," said Mapfumo.

He called upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to widen and
accelerate the hunt for political leadership throughout the world linked to
perpetrating crimes against humanity, political torture and killings to be
tried.

He also took a swipe at traditional leaders, whom he accused of letting the
local culture and tradition vanish into thin air while promoting politics of
patriotism.

"We have lost our identity! We need to go back to old roots, and rediscover
ourselves if we are to be called human beings with human dignity," Mapfumo
said.

Mapfumo went into exile in the US in 2004, and hopes to come back and
rebuild the nation with other forward-looking Zimbabweans.

"Lets leave politics to politicians, but if they mess with the people's
lives, then we would not shut up," he added. Mapfumo is now 63-years-old.


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ZCTF Report - Aug 2010 - Steve Kok

        ZIMBABWE CONSERVATION TASK FORCE         
 
 
 
14th August 2010
 
 
THE TRAGIC DEATH OF STEVE KOK
            
                                                                                                          STEVE KOK
 
It is with profound sadness and regret that we announce that Steve Kok was killed by a buffalo near Charara on Thursday, 12th August 2010.
 
Steve drove off into the bush late on Thursday afternoon to try and locate a wounded buffalo. According to reports, the buffalo had lost one of its legs due to a snare wound. When Steve didn't return, a search party went out and found his vehicle on the powerline road near Charara. They found his body about 160 metres from the vehicle and it is thought that he was killed by the wounded buffalo he was trying to locate.
 
Steve is going to be missed very badly by humans and animals alike.  For the past few years, he woke up at 5 o'clock every morning of the year and scoured the bush for wire snares. Thanks to him, hundreds of animals were saved from an agonizing death.  Steve never received any payment and very little recognition for his selfless efforts to preserve the wildlife. He did it because he was desperately concerned about the dwindling numbers of animals in Kariba and his only reward was just knowing he had made a difference.
 
I will always remember Steve as a quiet, humble, unassuming person, never looking for credit and his death is a huge blow for the wildlife in Kariba.
 
Our sincere condolences to his wife, Trish and his whole family on the loss of a very special man.
 
 
 
 
 

Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline:        263 4 336710
Landline/Fax: 263 4 339065
Mobile:           263 11 603 213
Email:            
galorand@mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zctf.mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zimbabwe-art.com
Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15148470211
 

 


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Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – 14th August 2010

Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – 14th August 2010

 

As regional leaders prepared for the SADC meeting in Windhoek, Vigil supporters were disturbed to read the comments on Zimbabwe by South Africa’s top foreign ministry official, Ayanda Ntsaluba. He said: “Zimbabwe is on the correct path. . . The overwhelming picture is favourable.”

 

The Vigil believes Mr Ntsaluba’s picture can only be seen with head buried in the sand – but then there is plenty of sand in Namibia. He further observed that Zimbabwe was "beginning to use its natural resources to improve the lives of its people". About time, some would say. But if he was referring to the Marange diamonds it will be news to Finance Minister Tendai Biti, who has said publicly that the Treasury has received no revenue from the diamonds. Not one dollar.

 

Mr Ostrich Ntsaluba’s comments deflated hopes that the Southern African Dictators’ Club would take any steps to honour its commitment to ensure that Mugabe observes the abortive GPA. As one Vigil supporter said “They can’t manage their wives, let alone Mugabe”.

 

The Vigil believes that it is long past time for the international community – or the small part of it that cares about human rights – to take a tougher approach to the SADC countries. It could, for instance, take a closer look at the nasty regime in Swaziland (which can always be relied on to support Mugabe).

 

A strong supporter of the Zimbabwe Vigil has been a Swazi lady Thobile Gwebu, who in January started a Vigil outside the Swaziland High Commission in London in protest at human rights abuses in her homeland. We were shocked that the UK Home Office has seen fit to detain her for immediate deportation – shocked in particular that the Home Office is concentrating on asylum seekers instead of dealing with clear abuses of the immigration / visa system reported at length in the Times this week, a much bigger problem.

 

Vigil supporters signed the following petition for immediate dispatch to the Home Office:

 

Petition to the Home Secretary

 

UK to deport Swazi Activist

The most prominent Swazi pro-democracy activist in the UK, Thobile Gwebu, has been detained by the UK immigration authorities and is due to be deported as a failed asylum seeker on Tuesday 17th August at 20.30

 

Thobile is the co-ordinator of the Swaziland Vigil which has been campaigning for human rights outside the Swaziland High Commission in London since January, see: www.swazilandvigil.co.uk.In May the Swazi Times quoted her extensively in an article about the Swaziland Vigil. The paper also interviewed a Swazi government minister about the the UK protest. This means that Thobile is known to the Swazi authorities as a pro-democracy activist and the Swazi authorities have made clear their attitude to dissent.

 

The Zimbabwe Vigil strongly believes that Thobile will be at considerable risk if returned to Swaziland. It is Africa’s last absolute monarchy and is under Africa’s longest-running state of emergency. We quote Thobile’s own words: “Exiled Swazis and supporters urge the UK to put pressure on the absolute monarch King Mswati III to allow political freedom, freedom of speech, the rule of law, respect for women and affordable AIDS drugs in Swaziland.” The Zimbabwe Vigil is appalled that her asylum claim has been turned down and that she is to be handed over to this medieval despot, who would like to spend the country’s meager revenues on a Boeing to fly his 14 wives to the fleshpots of the world.

 

Suporters of the Zimbabwe Vigil urge the Home Secretary to intervene so that further consideration can be given to Ms Gwebu’s case.

 

Thanks to Luka Phiri of the Vigil management team and Vigil supporter Eunita Masolo who dropped everything to visit Thobile at the Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre on Friday and take her thoughtful necessities and further thanks to Luka who is faxing our petition (signed by more than 300 people this afternoon!) to Theresa May, the Home Secretary. Luka was an ideal person to visit Thobile as he has been in the same position. His visit gave her great comfort.

 

Other points

·       The sight of the day was Vigil Co-ordinator Dumi Tutani circling the Vigil on one the bicycles now rented out by the London authorities, who have installed a bicycle rank next to the Vigil.

·       Thanks to Kelvin Kamupira who took charge of the back table with the merchandise and register today.

·       Everyone signed Francesca Toft’s birthday card.  She turned 20 yesterday and after many years with the Vigil has become very popular and is always a great help in looking after children.

·        Vigil supporters were interested to see the article by Eric Bloch on Mugabe’s recent outburst (Zim: A man-made economic hell) that the West could go to hell. Mr Bloch said this was an invitation to the West to remain in Zimbabwe, which Mugabe has made a hell! http://www.theindependent.co.zw/opinion/27621-eric-bloch-zim-a-man-made-economic-hell.html

 

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check the link at the top of the home page of our website.  For earlier ZimVigil TV programmes check: http://www.zbnnews.com/home/firingline.

 

FOR THE RECORD:  155 signed the register.

 

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

·       The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe.

·       ROHR Liverpool Vigil. Saturday 21st August from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Church Street (Outside Primark), Liverpool City Centre. For details please contact: Anywhere Mungoyo 07939913688, Trywell Migeri 07956083758, Panyika Karimanzira 07551062161. Future demonstration: 4th September. Same time and venue.

·       ROHR Chelmsford general meeting. Saturday 21st August from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: 23 Widford Close, Chelmsford CM2 8TA. Contact: R Mafigo 07944815190, F Muzambi 07879916275, Martha A Magwaza 07748644911, Tendai Gwanzura 07772912679. All invited and braai party afterwards.

·       ROHR Harlow general meeting. Saturday 4th September from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: St James and St Lukes Church, Perry Road, Harlow CM18 7NP. Contact: Clement 07879123783, Bothwell 07725208657, llyod  07883695970, Paradzai Mapfumo  07915926323.

·       Ministering to the Diaspora: a case study of Zimbabweans in Britain. Wednesday 15th September from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Venue: Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, SS Philip & James Church, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HR. A conference to help identify unique needs, the services Christian organizations are offering and can offer (but are not), identifying what more needs to be done and how this might be achieved, and drawing up a co-ordinated action plan. For more information, contact: Clayton Peel, capeel@ocms.ac.uk or phone 01865 882 421

·       Vigil Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts

·       Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil

 

Vigil Co-ordinators

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk 


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B.I.D

Dear Family and Friends,
While international supermodel Naomi Campbell was testifying about a
pouch of "dirty little stones" at the war crimes trial of ex Liberian
President, Charles Taylor, Zimbabwe's own controversial, dirty little
stones, began making headlines.
 
Everything about Zimbabwe's Marange diamonds is highly contentious
including:
- The legal ownership of the mines;
- Supreme Court orders that have been ignored;
- Parliamentary portfolio teams repeatedly barred from visiting
Marange;
- At least 30 million dollars from previous sales that never made it
to government coffers;
- The detention for a month of Farai Maguwu, who publicized abuses at
the diamond fields.
 
Most damning of all is the 61 page report by Human Rights Watch
issued in June
2009 which details a litany of abuses perpetrated by the military at
the Marange diamond fields. Abuses that include forced labour,
beating, torture, sexual abuse and mass killing.
 
Despite it all, however, Zimbabwe managed to get Kimberley Process
approval and started selling diamonds this week. 893 thousand carats,
apparently mined during the past two months only, were certified to be
"conflict free" by Kimberley Process Monitor Abbey Chikane. Chikane
said the soldiers had gone from the two fenced off mines that had
yielded the stones and that "minimum international standards" had
been met. The diamonds were sold for 71 million US dollars - a figure
from which the government apparently gets around 10% from the sales in
royalties, taxes and dividends.
 
Diamonds from the rest of the Marange mines were not sold this week
and are still banned from auction because of ongoing abuses.
 
A friend asked me this week what I would do if I was given a pouch of
dirty little stones from Marange. I didn't hesitate, a brief glance at
pages 34 -38 of the Human Rights Watch report said it all for me.
Called: "Diamonds in the Rough," the report described military
helicopters with mounted automatic weapons; indiscriminate firing of
live ammunition and tear gas; mass graves and piles of decomposing
bodies. One extract, given by medical staff in Mutare in November
2008 is horror beyond belief, it reads:
 "..soldiers had brought in 107 bodies from Marange, of which 29
bodies were identified and collected by relatives. 78 bodies we
marked 'Brought in Dead"
(B.I.D.) from Marange, identity unknown. We entered cause of death as
unknown although many of the bodies had visible bullet wounds. The
soldiers who brought them informed us that the bodies were of unknown
illegal diamond miners..."
 
Surely, I thought, if I had a Marange diamond, everytime I wore it I
would have blood on my hands and see the letters B.I.D. engraved on
the stone. Surely, surely we have lost our way when stones are more
valuable than human life. Until next time, thanks for reading, love
cathy. c Copyright cathy buckle14th August 2010 www.cathybuckle.com


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A letter from the diaspora

Friday August 13. 2010
It was a honey-tongued Robert Mugabe who addressed the crowds gathered at
Heroes Acre in Harare to commemorate Heroes Day. Gone were the threats and
promises of blood and violence against his perceived enemies; instead, all
was sweetness and light.
"For the sake of our children and posterity I want to urge all of you to
note that the process of reconciliation is national. It does not seek to
ferret out supposed criminals for punishment but rather calls on all of us
to avoid the deadly snare of political conflict."
It was all very noble-sounding, all in keeping with the spirit of national
healing and reconciliation. Or was it? Justice surely requires more than a
blanket amnesty to enable the victims of violence to come to terms with what
has happened to them and to be able to move on with their lives. But, rather
than instruct the police to do their job without fear or favour and arrest
all perpetrators of violence, regardless of their political persuasion,
Mugabe has, in effect, declared an amnesty for his thugs and bully-boys who
are still terrorising the rural population. "No one is going to be arrested
for politically motivated violence." he declared. No doubt he felt
completely confident in making that statement since he can be absolutely
sure that none of his blatantly partisan police force will be 'ferreting'
out 'supposed criminals' even when there is overwhelming evidence of
criminal behaviour. It is not the first time Robert Mugabe has used his
presidential powers to declare an amnesty for criminals, just in time to
ensure he wins another election. Who was it said that no man is above the
law?
A day or so after Mugabe made this speech in the presence of the Prime
Minister, other top MDC officials and many ordinary MDC supporters in the
crowd who have personally experienced politically motivated violence, the
War Veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda was on record threatening that he could
squash Morgan Tsvangirai 'like a fly', "Just because a fly sits on the
driver's seat," he said, "that doesn't prove the fly is driving the bus."
Sibanda is in the middle of a 'tour of terror' in Masvingo Province intended
to put the fear of God into any poor innocent villager who was thinking of
expressing a contrary view during the Constitutional Outreach programme.
Where else would Sibanda get away with such an overt threat, secure in the
knowledge that no policeman would dare charge him with what was clearly
criminal intent against no less a personage than the Prime Minister of the
country?
Heroes Day is always followed by Defence Forces Day and it is Mugabe's
chance to address 'his' army. He is the Commander in Chief and his address
this year urged the troops "to jealously guard its independence, sovereignty
and natural resources." By those 'natural resources' he was of course
referring to the diamonds which the army is allegedly 'guarding' not against
the hated foreigners Mugabe warned them about but against desperately poor
Zimbabweans who have yet to benefit from the fabulous wealth on their land.
The first 'legal' sale of diamonds took place this week in the presence of
the Prime Minister. As always, on delicate occasions, Mugabe was
strategically out of the country- this time on a trip to China - leaving
Morgan Tsvangirai to officiate at the sale. Only a small portion of Zimbabwe's
huge diamond reserves was up for sale but we are told that buyers from all
over the world were there. 71 million dollars was raised from the sale of
900.00 carats of diamonds and, said Morgan Tsvangirai, "We are working out
the modalities of how the money is to benefit the people of Zimbabwe."
Meanwhile the Constitutional Outreach Programme has been deferred because,
so we are told, there is no money for fuel to enable the teams to reach the
more remote places. The whole process of consulting the people on a new
constitution has been utterly chaotic from the start but that was exactly
what Zanu PF wanted it to be. Genuine consultation with the people was never
on their agenda in the run-up to the next election, whenever that is to be.
Despite the evidence on the ground to the contrary, South Africa's President
Zuma will apparently tell the SADC Summit next week that Zimbabwe is on the
correct path. Note that Zuma doesn't stipulate exactly where that path is
leading but Zimbabweans have a pretty shrewd idea that it's more of the
same. South Africa, of course backed the diamond sales and a Foreign
Ministry official is quoted as saying at a news conference held in Pretoria,
"This is a legitimate process and Zimbabwe is beginning to use its natural
resources to improve the lives of its people." Anyone who was hoping for
some tough talking on the Zimbabwe question in Namibia next week is headed
for disappointment. With the connivance of South Africa and most other
African nations, Robert Mugabe remains in power and his honey-soaked words
are just that: meaningless words which thinly disguise his true intention to
remain in State House till the end of his days. With the example of Charles
Taylor and blood diamonds so much in the news lately, perhaps Robert Mugabe
would be wise to watch his words, honeyed or otherwise. The world is
listening.
Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH aka Pauline Henson.
 

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