Former military chief Solomon Mujuru, one of
Zimbabwe's leading political power brokers and husband of the vice president
died in a fire at his home late on Tuesday.
By Peta Thornycroft
in Johannesburg
6:52PM BST 16 Aug 2011
Mr Mujuru, 62 and his wife
Joyce were part of the more moderate faction within President Robert
Mugabe's divided Zanu PF party.
His death could intensify turmoil in Zanu
PF over who will succeed Mr Mugabe, 87.
Many fear that the way is now
open for defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is accused of organising
much of the political violence in Zimbabwe since its 1980 independence, to
succeed Mr Mugabe.
Mr Mujuru, known as Rex Nhongo during the civil war
which brought Rhodesia to its knees, retired from government ten years after
independence from Britain and became one of Zimbabwe's wealthiest men owning
farms and mines.
General Constantine Chiwenga, current military chief and
part of Mr Mugabe's clique of advisors told state radio he visited a farm
about 35 miles southwest of Harare where Mr Mujuru died after the farmhouse
caught fire.
Dumiso Dabengwa, one of Mr Mujuru's colleagues from the
1970's civil war, said Tuesday that his death was a tragedy.
"He
played a major role in the liberation war and he never feared criticising
the party." Mr Dabengwa, jailed without trial by Mr Mugabe for four years
after independence said Mr Mujuru played no part in massacres of opposition
supporters in the Matabeleland provinces in the 1980's. "We discussed it
when I came out of prison. He had walked away from it at the
time.
"He and I tried to see Mugabe before the last elections to
persuade him not to stand. We wanted to tell Mugabe he could never win, but
he would not see us." Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan
Tsvangirai easily beat Mr Mugabe in the first round of the 2008 presidential
poll.
Violence was then launched against MDC supporters and hundreds were
killed, thousands were wounded and tens of thousands displaced from their
homes y militia and members of the security forces loyal to Zanu
PF.
With no food in the shops and a worthless currency, a political
agreement was forged between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai.
Many hoped
that Mr Tsvangirai, a powerless prime minister in the inclusive government,
would form some kind of political alliance with the Mujurus against Zanu PF
hard-liners in the next election which may take place next
year.
Veteran Zimbabwe political analyst Brian Raftopoulos said
Tuesday: "Mujuru not only played a prominent role in the liberation struggle
but he was also key in supporting Mugabe's rise to power in Zanu
PF.
"His death has implications not only for the succession debate within
Zanu PF but has implications on negotiations over the next few months." Mr
Mugabe is due late Wednesday at a regional summit in Angola where there will
be some attention paid to Zimbabwe's slow progress in negotiations towards
political reform ahead of new elections.
Harare, August 16, 2011 - Solomon
Mujuru who died in an electric fire accident at his farm in Beatrice on
Monday evening has been described as one of the most feared men in
Zimbabwe.
Mujuru who was also known as Rex Nhongo was born on May 1,
1949. He led Robert Mugabe's guerrilla forces during the independence war.
Mujuru, a former Chikomba MP, is a former army chief who left government
service in 1995. He is married to Joice Mujuru who is currently one of the
two Zimbabwe's Vice Presidents.
Mujuru, with the late Josiah
Tongogara, led the ZANLA forces when Mugabe was in jail for 10 years from
1964 to 1974. Mugabe and the late Edgar Tekere with the help of the late
chief Rekayi Tangwena their medium, crossed into Mozambique after their
immediate release from jail with the active support of Mujuru, who implored
guerrillas, most of whom had never met Mugabe, to accept him as their
leader. "As a result Mugabe owes (Solomon) Mujuru an eternal favour," said
one Zanu (PF) insider.
Mujuru took over the command of the Zimbabwe
National Army at independence in 1980, retiring 10 years later to go into
business. Popular speculation is that he owns anywhere between six and 16
farms, including Alamein farm, a productive and high-value operation
illegally requisitioned as part of a "landgrab" from Guy Watson-Smith in
2001, as found by the Zimbabwe High Court and international courts. However,
he remained an influential member of the ruling Zanu (PF) politburo and
central committees.
In the mid-1990s Mujuru clashed with Emmerson
Mnangagwa, long considered Mugabe's favoured heir, when Solomon bid to buy
into the multi-billion dollar Zimasco, a chrome mining and smelting concern
in Zimbabwe's Midlands Province.
In 2001 Mujuru became the subject of
the first legal action against any member of Mr Mugabe's inner circle
implicated in the illegal seizure of land and assets. His seizure of Alamein
Farm was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. Wikipedia
Solomon Mujuru (c) in 2009, with Morgan Tsvangirai and
his wife Joice, Zimbabwe's current vice-president. Photograph: Phil
Noble/Reuters
One of the most
powerful men in Zimbabwe has been
killed in a fire at his home, triggering rumours of a conspiracy in the battle
to succeed the president, Robert Mugabe.
Former military
chief Solomon Mujuru, 62, was "burnt beyond recognition" in the blaze at his
farm about 35 miles south-west of Harare in the early hours of Tuesday morning,
police said.
Under his nom de
guerre, Rex Nhongo, Mujuru was a leader of the guerrilla war that swept Mugabe
to power and became Zimbabwe's first black military commander after
independence. The general was married to Joice Mujuru, vice-president of
Zimbabwe and leader of a moderate faction in Mugabe's Zanu-PF
party.
Analysts said his
death will shake Zimbabwe's political kaleidoscope and rock Zanu-PF, where Joice
Mujuru and other rivals are jostling for position as 87-year-old Mugabe's heir
apparent. This in turn could destabilise the party's
power-sharing agreement with the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).
In a country with
a history of politically suspicious deaths, there was speculation over the cause
of the fire at the 3,500-acre farm that had been seized from a white farmer in
2001, although there was no immediate evidence that it was anything other than
an accident.
Rugare Gumbo,
spokesman for Zanu-PF, said: "What we know is he died in a fire accident at his
home this morning. The police are looking into the cause and they will inform
us. Personally, I rule out all speculation but of course you can never be
certain."
Mugabe's relations
with Mujuru had cooled in recent years, but Gumbo added: "Obviously the
president must be troubled by the death of someone he worked with for a long
time. They were very close."
State radio said
Mujuru's wife visited the farm where its reporter saw the main building razed to
the ground. Family members and friends said an electrical fault may have ignited
the blaze. Police said a worker at the house told them Mujuru went to bed and
neighbours were woken later as fire swept through the house, state radio
reported. Mujuru had evidently tried to escape but was overwhelmed by flames and
smoke.
General
Constantine Chiwenga, the current military chief, also visited the farm and told
state radio: "The way he has gone is difficult to comprehend. He was such a fine
fighter."
Mujuru had been
the most senior member of the military to sit on Zanu-PF's politburo. His wife
is seen as leading a reformist faction open to working with the prime minister,
Morgan Tsvangirai, and the MDC. She is opposed by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the hardline defence
minister dubbed "the Crocodile" who is also vying to take over, should the
ailing Mugabe retire or die.
It was claimed the
circumstances of Mujuru's death could fuel Zanu-PF infighting. Eddie Cross,
policy co-ordinator general of the MDC, said: "It's a huge shock. The suspicion
of a power play is everywhere. Everybody's talking about it. If that was
involved, it's a huge event and could spark violence between factions of
Zanu-PF.
"We've been saying
for a long time that if there's a civil war in Zimbabwe, it won't be between
Zanu-PF and the MDC, it will be between factions of Zanu-PF."
Cross added: "I
think Robert Mugabe will take it badly. He will read into it rivalries in his
own party. Our information is that Mugabe is now looking for a quiet retirement,
so this is the last thing he needs."
John Makumbe,
professor of political science at Zimbabwe University, said: "There is so much
fighting in Zanu-PF now that, if it's foul play, it's anybody's guess who might
have done this.
"I think we are
going to see a severely fractured party because there is going to be finger
pointing and allegations from one side against another. The two factions, Mujuru
and Mnangagwa, have been fighting for crumbs from the rich man's table. Mugabe
will not find it easy to handle. It will make him age a little faster
again."
Mugabe has
acknowledged deep divisions in his party and has said he cannot leave office
until he has resolved them and unified the party ahead of elections, which could
take place next year.
The latest turn of
events is likely to strengthen Mnangagwa's hand, according to the Zimbabwean
media entrepreneur Trevor
Ncube. "It certainly weakens Mrs Mujuru's chances of
succeeding Robert Mugabe," he said. "All their supporters will have to regroup
and consolidate. It strengthens Emmerson Mnangagwa's chances in a big way. I
suspect there may be celebrations in that camp."
Others felt it was
too soon to judge. Piers Pigou, project director for Southern
Africa at the International
Crisis Group, said: "This throws up a lot of dust that will cloud vision for a
bit. We'll have to see how the dust settles."
Accusations of
foul play are never far from Zimbabwe's political discourse. Questions were
raised over the death of Brigadier-General Armstrong Paul Gunda, who had been
linked with a coup plot against Mugabe, when his car collided with a train in
2007. Tsvangirai's wife Susan was killed in a car crash in 2009, though the prime minister
himself said it was an accident.
Mugabe is
scheduled to attend a summit of regional presidents this week in Angola, at
which the Zimbabwe political crisis is high on the agenda. Regional leaders have
recently taken a firmer stance against violence and other obstacles to
democratic reforms blamed on Mugabe and his party
leaders.
The apparently accidental death in a fire of a retired general
seen as a kingmaker in Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has dramatically
changed the dynamics of the struggle to succeed Robert Mugabe, the
president.
General Solomon Mujuru, the 62-year-old husband of the
Zimbabwean vice-president, Joice Mujuru, was in an even stronger position
than the president himself to anoint the next leader of the party and
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Gen Mujuru was second-in-command of Zanla, the guerilla
wing of Zanu, in the eight-year liberation war against the Rhodesian
government in the 1970s. He became the first black head of the army in 1980
before retiring a decade later to go into business.
An official
spokesman said the general died in a fire on Monday night at his Beatrice
farm, some 40 miles from the capital Harare. There was no suggestion of foul
play, he said. But in Zimbabwe’s rumour-riven capital there is no shortage
of conspiracy theories.
Although Gen Mujuru himself was not a publicly
active politician, he was the power behind his wife’s campaign to succeed
the 87-year-old Mr Mugabe. Political commentators say the Mujuru faction,
seen as the more moderate of the two groups vying to take over from Mr
Mugabe, has been seriously wounded by the general’s death.
“Joice
Mujuru could only win an election if she had her husband and his
military-business support behind her. Without the general, the Mujuru brand
has nothing to offer,” one political analyst said on Tuesday.
The
most obvious beneficiaries are the rival faction of Emmerson Mnangagwa,
defence minister, within Zanu-PF and possibly the Movement for Democratic
Change – the opposition group led by Morgan Tsvangirai that came into a
coalition government following violently disputed polls in
2008.
There have been rumours over the past year of frequent contacts
between the Mujuru faction and the MDC to form a common front against Mr
Mnangagwa in elections should he gain control of Zanu-PF.
Some in the
MDC admit they fear that Mr Tsvangirai, prime minister, who has proved a
weak and indecisive leader according to his critics, is in danger of being
“co-opted” by the Mujuru faction. An alliance between the two groups looks
more likely now that the general is gone.
Gen Mujuru’s claimed
“moderation” did not preclude him from being a significant beneficiary of
the government’s controversial land reform programme, with one study
alleging that he had gained ownership of between six and 15 farms formerly
owned by whites.
He was also the second-largest shareholder in Zimasco,
the country’s ferrochrome exporter, now owned by Sino-Steel of China and a
shareholder in one of the country’s controversial diamond mines, River
Ranch.
If Mrs Mujuru’s succession prospects have been dented by her
husband’s death, one of the general’s former military colleagues, such as
the head of the army, General Constantine Chiwenga, may see his death as an
opportunity to throw his hat into the ring to ensure that the military
maintains its pre-eminence in Zimbabwean politics.
The death of 62 year old retired army General Solomon Mujuru, in a
farmhouse fire in Beatrice outside Harare in the early hours of Tuesday
morning, has left Zimbabweans divided over what sort of legacy he leaves
behind. Like most liberation war heroes from ZANU PF his legacy is a mixed
bag.
Alongside the likes of the late army commander Josiah Tongogara,
Mujuru led the liberation war against white minority rule. The current ZANU
PF leader Robert Mugabe had to rely on the endorsement of General Mujuru to
be accepted by the freedom fighters, who were very untrusting of the
political leaders of the war.
Mujuru became the first black army
general soon after independence and served in that position for the next ten
years. But with ZANU PF’s unpopularity growing in the nineties as the
leadership tightened its grip on power, Mujuru began to engage in activities
that would later tarnish his legacy.
Having retired from the army
Mujuru began a ‘business’ exercise that saw him amass an empire of farms,
mines, properties and other business interests. In 2001 he targeted white
commercial farmer Guy Watson-Smith and violently removed him off his two
farms in Beatrice. Ironically Mujuru was to die on one of these
farms.
Watson-Smith was made to leave the Alamein and Elim farms about
60km south of Harare with only his briefcase. Mujuru sold off all his
property including lorries, tractors, irrigation equipment and household
furniture. The farmer and his family fled to South Africa soon after their
lawyers filed a High Court application against Mujuru who had taken assets
worth an estimated US$2.5 million. Watson-Smiths lawyers in the case were
attacked and assaulted.
Another insight into Mujuru’s character was
to come when he sued the now defunct Horizon Magazine over a story he felt
was defamatory. On realising that the editor of the magazine, Andy Moyse,
was white, Mujuru is reported to have told the court: “If I had known white
people had defamed me, I would have shot them.”
Before Joice Mujuru
became vice-president, she was known for blocking a bid to set up Zimbabwe's
first mobile phone network in the early 1990s. As Information Minister she
blocked Econet long enough for Telecel to set up. Telecel was part owned by
her husband.
In April 2004 Mujuru controversially took over the River
Ranch diamond mine, with the help of Adel Abdul Rahman al Aujan, a
millionaire Saudi real estate developer. The previous owners Adele and
Michael Farquhar were forced off the property by police at gunpoint. Despite
the courts passing judgement in favour of the Farquhar’s, Mujuru continues
to occupy and mine the area.
When the Mineral Marketing Corporation of
Zimbabwe refused to buy the diamonds from this mine, Mujuru flexed his
muscles in the ZANU PF Central Committee and had the entire board replaced.
Allegations have been made that the mine is being used to launder some of
the diamond plunder from contracts in the DRC, secured by Mujuru and his
allies. This is because their production numbers don’t tally with
revenue.
Recently SW Radio Africa revealed how Mujuru’s daughter, Nyasha
del Campo, tried to set up a deal on behalf of her parents involving illegal
gold from the DRC. She and her husband Pedro live in the Spanish capital
Madrid and set up two companies there, allegedly with the help and financial
support of the parents. The deal involved shipping about US$35 million worth
of gold nuggets per month to Switzerland. Firstar a company with offices
in Europe, said Mujuru's daughter offered to sell them the gold from the
DRC. The company said it withdrew from the deal when it realized who Nyasha
was. The company also claimed that Vice President Joice Mujuru then phoned
their Chief Executive in Europe, demanding that the decision be reversed.
By Bridget Mananavire, Staff Writer Tuesday, 16
August 2011 17:34
HARARE - One of the world’s most powerful church
leaders, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, is visiting Zimbabwe to
tackle the violence that has torn the church apart.
Rowan
Williams, the global head of the Anglican church, is due to visit Zimbabwe
beginning of October to deal with squabbles that have seen renegade bishop
Nolbert Kunonga forcibly taking control of most church property with the
help of state institutions such as the police.
Williams is pressing to
meet President Robert Mugabe over the matter according to Chad Gandiya, the
Harare bishop for the Anglican Province of Central Africa.
Mugabe and
Kunonga enjoy close ties.
“He is coming to look into the experience of
the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe,” said Gandiya.
Gandiya said Williams
was keen on meeting Mugabe, but the President’s Office was yet to confirm an
appointment.
“At the moment there are parishioners being banned from
church buildings by Kunonga with help of the police. They are worshiping in
open spaces, under trees or booking other church buildings,” Gandiya
said.
Some of the churches that have been taken over by Kunonga are the
Borrowdale church, the main cathedral in central Harare, Dzivaresekwa,
Kuwadzana and many other Anglican parishes where the police are chasing away
people belonging to the mother church.
Kunonga is also in charge of
Anglican schools under the diocese despite his ex-communication in
2008.
The ownership dispute is before the courts.
Kunonga was
ex-communicated by the Anglican church after trying to unilaterally withdraw
the Harare Diocese from the Central African Province on the largely
discredited excuse that the province supported homosexuality, thus creating
factions in the Anglican Church.
Apart from Zimbabwe, Williams will be
visiting Malawi.
The Anglican church has 85 million members in 44
regional and national member churches around the globe in more than 160
countries
The Supreme Court has ruled that excommunicated Bishop Nolbert
Kunonga, together with six other trustees, is the custodian of the Anglican
Church’s assets in Zimbabwe until the matter has been finalised in the
courts.
The news is a blow for the Right Reverend Chad Gandiya, who is
the current Bishop of Harare and has been embroiled in a battle with Kunonga
for a long time.
In 2007 Kunonga lost a bid for re-election as Bishop
of Harare. The Gandiya faction had also stopped recognising the six trustees
as they had sided with Kunonga. Instead of stepping down, Kunonga went on to
form a rival Anglican faction and has been using violent tactics to remain
in power since.
Gandiya has previously pointed out that the police have
been biased in favour of Kunonga, going to the extent of following his
instructions to turn away people who don’t support him from church
properties. Kungonga is known to be an ardent ZANU PF supporter who enjoys
the states protection.
On Tuesday, the Anglican Church’s diocesan
secretary, Rev Clifford Dzavo, who operates under Gandiya, said: “Kunonga
and the six other trustees are trustees until Kunonga is tried by the
Central Province Africa. That has given Kunonga and the six trustees the
right to control and use the property.”
The Zimbabwean Anglican
church falls under the Central Province Africa, which will make a decision
over the Kunonga troubles after the case is finalised in the
courts.
Dzavo expressed concern for members of the clergy belonging to
the mainstream faction who were living in those properties. Already Kunonga
has been using the property for all sorts of purposes, he
explained.
“He has turned most of the churches into private colleges,
crèche, early learning school. He’s also renting part of the halls to people
to stay in as tenants,” Dzavo explained.
Kunonga is understood to
have made it difficult for the Gandiya group to get outright support from
other denominations by politicising the situation, making it appear that
those who supported Gandiya were for regime change, Dzavo
explained.
Despite this, Dzavo said that the Zimbabwe Christian Council
had taken up their case, to speak out against the way they were being
treated by the police and the law. He added that they had also been
receiving a lot or prayers and moral support from other churches in the
country.
The Anglican Church abroad has attacked Mugabe over the
mistreatment of their members. According to the UK Telegraph newspaper, this
year Dr Rowan Williams, who is the head of the Anglican Church around the
world, said he and fellow church leaders were distressed to hear of their
persecution. Williams also said that evidence presented showed that the
excommunicated bishop’s faction had police backing to attack parishioners
and was loyal to Robert Mugabe.
Harare, Zimbabwe --Supporters of renegade
Zimbabwean Anglican bishop Nolbert Kunonga have forced a priest and his
family out of their home following a court ruling giving Kunonga control
over church assets, a church spokesman said on Aug.16.
"There has
been an eviction at St. James in Mabvuku," Michael Chingore, registrar for
the Anglican Diocese of Harare, told ENInews.
"The Rev. Dzikamai Mudenda
and his family left after they were threatened by people from the Kunonga
group who came with copies of the court judgment. They have been going
around the vestries and parishes dropping copies of the judgment and
demanding that the church officers leave."
Chingore said other priests
have received stamped copies of the judgment from supporters of Kunonga and
been ordered to move out.
Bishop Chad Gandiya, head of the diocese,
expressed fears the evictions would disrupt the work of the church and said
arrangements were being made to provide shelter for those
affected.
"I now know that all our priests who were still in parish
rectories have received the stamped latest court judgment delivered by
Kunonga's people and in one incident they were in the company of the
police," Gandiya said in an email message.
"They told our priests to
move out. Our parishes are busy finding alternative accommodation for them.
We don't know who he is going to put in these houses. This is not going to
be easy at all. It will disrupt their family life and ministry," Gandiya
wrote.
"Kunonga was given custodianship of [Church of the Province of
Central Africa (CPCA)] properties when he is no longer a member of our
church and province and he is now evicting CPCA priests and we don't know
who he is going to put in these houses - certainly not CPCA people! God help
us." The case now goes to the Supreme Court.
Kunonga, an avowed
supporter of President Robert Mugabe, fell out with the Anglican church when
he left the Church of the Province of Central Africa and was subsequently
excommunicated in 2007. Among other things, he accused the church of being
pro-gay.
He later formed his self-styled Province of Zimbabwe and claimed
ownership of church buildings and other properties, including schools.
Kunonga, with the support of police and henchmen, has seized CPCA church
property and used violence to break up church services.
In a recent
interview with the New York Times, Kunonga was quoted as saying he aimed to
control the 3,000 Anglican churches, schools, hospitals and other properties
in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Malawi.
A recent judgment in Zimbabwe's
High Court upheld Gandiya's appointment as Harare's bishop but also gave
Kunonga custodianship of all church properties belonging to the CPCA.
See pictures of the du Toit farm after the invasion
Thousands
of people have been left destitute after a spate of land invasions in
Nyazura in recent months.
Four of the remaining five white commercial
farms in the district have been invaded by a mob working for so called
‘beneficiaries’ of the land grab campaign. The mob is led by a self
confessed CIO agent called Onisimas Makwengura, who has used intimidation
and violence to force the farmers and their families to flee their homes.
The mob in turn has been given free rein to loot the properties.
Over
the weekend Dolf and Alida du Toit from Exelsior farm were forced to flee
their home with a police escort, after days of attack by Makwengura and his
gang. The mob used rocks as missiles to smash windows on the Du Toit’s
house, and even tried gaining access to the house through the roof. Police
eventually arrived on the property on Sunday night, but instead of arresting
the violent thugs told the Du Toits that their safety could not be
guaranteed.
Dolf du Toit had to seek medical attention after he was
pelted with rocks by the gang, while he was trying to protect his home. His
property has since been completely looted.
Former Chegutu farmer Ben
Freeth meanwhile told SW Radio Africa that about 2,000 farm workers and
their families have all been left without homes and a source of income,
because of the Nyazura farm invasions. He said it was critical for the
government to intervene, because of the massive impact this unlawful
behaviour was having on ordinary citizens.
Hundreds of thousands of farm
workers have lost their jobs and homes as a result of the destructive land
grab campaign since it was launched in 2000. Some observers say that the
figure could be more than a million, because whole families lost their
sources of income and homes when ZANU PF forcibly took over productive,
commercial properties.
Respect for property rights and basic human rights
are just two issues the unity government is supposed to uphold, as part of
the coalition agreement it signed back in 2008. But nothing has been done to
protect Zimbabweans, and the ongoing farm invasions are just one more sign
that the rights of ordinary people are being wholly overlooked.
By Nkululeko Sibanda, Chengetai Zvauya Tuesday, 16 August 2011
18:00
HARARE - Ministers’ lavish tastes are rubbing off to their
subordinates and other arms of government, as councillors and Members of
Parliament are now demanding their own luxury cars funded from taxpayer’s
money.
The Sunday edition of the Daily News exposed at the weekend
how ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries and senior government
officials have in recent weeks been taking delivery of top-of-the-range
vehicles worth more than $20 million, when the majority are wallowing in
poverty.
This extra-ordinary spending spree, comes at a time when Finance
Minister Tendai Biti said government was in a precarious financial
position.
However, in what many have equated as indicating left and
turning right, government this week was left with egg on its face as it
emerged that it had made an “excessive one-off order of
vehicles”.
The vehicles, similar to the ones driven by millionaires
around the world, include Mercedes Benz vehicles, Jeep Cherokees, Toyota
Land Cruisers and the latest Land Rover Discovery.
Information
received by the Daily News shows that after the expose of the vehicle scam,
other bodies such as parliamentarians and councillors in various cities have
also made requests to the government to be feted the same way the ministers
had been treated by the government.
At the weekend, Bulawayo city
councillors who met Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai told him they also
wanted vehicles.
A source told the Daily News that the matter was raised
in a closed door meeting with Tsvangirai.
“We made representations
that we were now unable to do our duties because we do not have cars. Now
that there are issues of government releasing cars to its various arms, we
believe that, as part of the same government, we should be allocated cars so
that we deliver services to the people,” said a source.
Tsvangirai, the
source said, was non-committal on the matter.
“He told us that he would
make representations on this matter and some others that we had presented to
him in the meeting. He did not commit himself to say whether we would get
the cars or not. But the bottom line is that we want the cars and they have
to be given to us,” the source said.
Sources also disclosed that Members
of Parliament had also renewed their demands for new vehicles given that the
old ones dished to them under the parliamentary scheme in 2008 had been
rundown during the Copac outreach programme.
Ironically, those whose
vehicles were hired by Copac were paid allowances for the use of their
vehicles.
The legislators are said to be demanding vehicles whose costs
are pegged at $15 000, which the minister of Finance, Tendai Biti promised
to buy them last month when the parliamentary committee on welfare met him
to express their demands for luxurious vehicles.
The MPs appear
determined to push through their demands as it was clear that the funding
for such luxury was there, according to Parliamentary
sources.
Parliamentary Welfare Committee Chairperson, who is MDC
legislator for Kuwadzana, Lucia Matibenga laughed off the matter, arguing
that she did not have a comment to make.
But Zanu PF MP for Mwenenzi,
Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, who is the secretary of the parliamentary welfare
committee, confirmed that the MPs were waiting for their
vehicles.
“We had a meeting with minister Biti and he is aware of our
demands for new vehicles and we are still waiting for the cars.” said
Bhasikiti.
Matibenga said: “I don’t want to comment on the issue as I am
out of touch with the matter surrounding the purchase of the vehicles for
the MP’s,’’ said Matibenga.
The Daily News was told that
parliamentarians were fuming on the latest turn of events.
“It is a
fact that MPs from both parties of the two MDC’s formations and Zanu PF are
waiting for the cars,‘’ said a source.
Meanwhile, the Committee of the
Zimbabwe Peoples Charter (CPC) expressed its concern over the reports of the
lavish spending by government.
In a statement issued yesterday, the
committee said: “The Committee of the Zimbabwe Peoples Charter (CPC)
expresses its serious concern at reports that the inclusive government has
against better advice, purchased luxury vehicles at an estimated total cost
of $20 million.
“Among the excuses informally given is that the state of
our national roads necessitates the purchase of these luxury vehicles. Such
profligacy and potential pre-occupation with self than country is
unacceptable to the majority poor of Zimbabwe. It is a complete misplacement
of priorities by the inclusive government where it chooses to spend on
itself as opposed to the social welfare needs of the people of
Zimbabwe.”
The committee said it was “mischievous” for government to
spend on its own tastes at a time when there is serious poverty facing the
general populace.
“It is the considered view of the CPC that this
flagrant misuse of our country’s meagre resources is an attempt by
government to wish away the poverty of the people of Zimbabwe with shocking
arrogance and profligacy.
“It is also an unfortunate demonstration of the
true character of all the political parties that comprise the inclusive
government, a character that is driven more by the pursuit of
self-aggrandisement rather than the interests of the people of Zimbabwe,”
the committee added.
By Bridget Mananavire, Staff
Writer Tuesday, 16 August 2011 17:31
HARARE - Didymus Mutasa, the
minister of state in President Robert Mugabe’s office, has declared he will
not close a “torture base” at a primary school in Headlands, as a leading
rights group demanded the closure of the place.
The training of over
70 youths at Sherenje Secondary School in Mutasa’s constituency has caused
apprehension in the area, as campaigning for looming elections heats
up.
Previous efforts to close down the base have been resisted by Zanu PF
officials.
Zimrights, an organisation that focuses on promoting,
protecting and defending human rights in Zimbabwe, reported that the base
had churned out over 200 “militias” to date, with another 75 recruits
currently undergoing training. Zimrights claimed the militia was
currently undergoing military training at the school.
Mutasa told the
Daily News yesterday that the youths were school-leavers staying at the
school engaged in “a lot of activities to help the community and their
families”.
“That is an insane report. There is no torture camp. It is a
lie.
Whoever said that should be admitted to a rehabilitation clinic,”
Mutasa said, before saying the source of the report might have seen the
youth “undergoing their drills and mistaken it for militia
training”.
“There are youths who finished school who are staying at the
school, something that their parents, ministry of education and I know
about.
They help their families in farming and they also fix the
community roads,” he said.
“There is actually a pass out parade which
we are attending on August 27 for the youths,” said Mutasa.
“Whoever
said this does not want Zimbabwe,” he said, responding to questions that
escalating violence was proof that the country was not ready for
elections.
MDC deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma recently queried the
justification of the camp given that the government had temporarily stopped
the national youth training programme.
Rights groups such as Zimbabwe
Peace Process (ZPP) and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) have been
reporting an increase in human rights abuses, including violence.
A
recent political temperature bulletin by ZESN claimed harassment and
intimidation of perceived MDC sympathisers countrywide. ZPP, which has
monitors countrywide, has also released a report detailing a spike in human
rights abuses. Both organisations link the human rights violations to
President Robert Mugabe’s calls for elections to be held this
year.
“Violence was largely concentrated in the Mashonaland Central areas
such as Mt Darwin, Rushinga and Dotito where Zanu PF militia’s drills were
reported to have put the communities in quandary,” Zimrights said.
MDC-T President Tsvangirai, expects this week's SADC Summit in
Luanda, Angola to decisively deal with the issue of Zimbabwe and come up
with a position on the role of the military following threats to destabilise
the country by some rogue elements of the security sector.
MDC-T
President Tsvangirai told MDC-T newsletter in an exclusive interview that
some few misguided elements among the security establishment have taken a
political position making unconstitutional statements that undermine the
Global Political Agreement (GPA) which is the backbone for the transitional
Government.
The military has in the past delved in politics with some
individuals such as Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba threatening to
disregard the will of the people in the likely event that MDC-T President
Tsvangirai wins the pending elections.
Nyikayaramba has annointed
himself spokesperson for those who are keen to see Zimbabwe dragged back to
the precipice and to the Stone Age where only the few rich immoral hoodlums
connected to politicians illegally benefit from illicit deals.
The
army has in the last few years become a very key instrument in the
intimidation and state sponsored violence against the
people.
Military personnel have been fingered in the gruesome murders in
the SADC must stop the army Matabeleland and Midlands provinces Gukurahundi
massacres and featured prominently as the major culprits during the tortures
and murders of the 2008 election. This, MDC-T President Tsvangirai said has
led to the calls by the MDC and other democratic alliances for the
re-alignment of the security sector in Zimbabwe.
"We are not seeking
the overthrow off our security agencies but their realignment so that they
reflect the new dispensation by being non-partisan," the MDC-T President
said.
"The re-alignment of the security establishment is important given
the recent comments made by some individuals among the military which
literally undermine the whole effort and transition that we have been
working towards.
"SADC should be alarmed by these comments because they
run counter to the expectations of a roadmap that will lead to credible
elections," he said.
"SADC must come up with a position on the role of
the military because it would appear that some in the military in Zimbabwe
have adopted a political position which is contrary to the spirit of
democracy.
"But it is not the whole institution that is acting
unconstitutionally because I am very certain that the majority of serving
army officers do not go along with some of the opinions that have so far
been expressed," MDC-T President Tsvangirai said.
"The agreement in
the GPA is that these are national institutions but we have now over the
last two years learnt that some of the members in the military do not
respect the authority of the inclusive government.
"They are still
partisan and re-alignment of the security sector is important so that they
play a non-partisan role.," he said.
"We are not dismantling the security
sector but we want re-alignment so that they contribute to a democratic
dispensation.
"But over the last two years we have been drifting away
from that principle and therefore it has become fundamental that this issue
should be part of the reforms we are pursuing,"added the Premier.
The
MDC-T President said SADC should discuss and take a position on the roadmap
to a free and fair election that has been agreed by the parties.
"There
are still some serious disagreements, but the region should at least adopt
the roadmap so that the agreed areas can begin to be implemented," he
said.
MDC-T President Tsvangirai paid tribute to the facilitator,
South Africa MDC-T President Jacob Zuma and SADC, for remaining seized with
the issue of Zimbabwe.
"We have become a perennial agenda item on
SADC summits and we have to ensure that we resolve these problems once and
for all.
"We have become an embarassment because we cannot respect our
own signatures. We cannot even implement what we have agreed and the
guarantors have to assist us, especially those who have shown intransigence
in respecting the GPA," said MDC-T President Tsvangirai.
He urged
SADC to urgently deploy monitors to assist the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee (JOMIC) as resolved at both the Livingstone and
Sandton SADC summits.
Zanu PF has further stalled media reforms by
refusing to licence private broadcasters despite an agreement by the
negotiators and the Principals.
The Ministry of Media, Information and
Publicity has refused to allow private players in the broadcasting sector,
leaving the partisan Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation with the broadcasting
monopoly in the broadcasting sector.
Arbitrary arrests, intimidation
and murder of opposition, civic society activists and journalists continues
despite the resolutions of the Livingstone Troika summit which said all
these must be stopped forthwith.
The High Court has issued an order
dismissing papers filed by Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe's Raymond
Majongwe & 7 others against the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions &
6 others seeking to stop the ZCTU Congress as not urgent.
The order
reads:
"The papers do not establish how or when the urgency arose. The
matter is not urgent."
The order was granted today, August 6 2011, by
Justice Susan Mavangira. The ZCTU had in the meantime responded to the
application through it legal counsel, Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni that
the PTUZ & 7 others knew as far back as the 16th of April that there was
going to be a ZCTU Congress to be held on 19 and 20 August and they knew who
was going to attend Congress as far back as April 29, hence they were not
justified to wait until the last minute to file an urgent application
seeking to stop the ZCTU Congress.
More so, those cited as applicants in
the matter submitted their nominations to be considered for various posts –
namely Raymond Majongwe for Secretary General, and Angeline Chitambo for 1st
Vice President. Apart from submitting their nominations the applicants had
also endorsed General Council's position that the ZCTU Congress be held as
advised on April 16 2011, that is, on 19 and 20 August 2011. This was done
at the General Council meeting of August 13 2011.
The ZCTU said it is
pleased with the order issued by the High Court as it sounds a victory for
the workers' struggle. The 7th Congress is going ahead as planned and more
300 workers will be gathered in Bulawayo to map the way forward for the
workers' struggle.
A
court has ruled that a South African-based businessman, Ping Sung Hsieh,
will not be extradited to Zimbabwe to face charges of swindling $1million in
a truck deal linked to Zimbabwe’s First family.
It’s understood the
Mugabe family agreed to buy six haulage trucks from South Africa, and the
money was transferred to Sung Hsieh’s company there, but the trucks were not
delivered. Then in February four drivers hired by Sung Hsieh delivered the
trucks to Zimbabwe, but were arrested and charged with fraud. Their
application for bail was turned down.
Attorney-General Johannes Tomana
went on to apply for Sung Hsieh to be extradited to face trial and the
drivers trial was held back to await the extradition. But on Monday Tomana’s
application was thrown out of a magistrate’s court in South Africa. Lawyers
say the humiliating defeat should trigger the immediate release of the
drivers. Tomana was in the court on Monday.
The South African
Independent newspaper said Magistrate Pieter du Plessis stated that Tomana
had failed to provide a proper affidavit to support his demand for Ping’s
extradition. He also said Tomana’s statement “contradicted” those made by a
Zimbabwean policeman and a senior official of Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank which
were ‘central planks of the extradition application’, the paper said. In
addition Du Plessis said the case should be “civil not
criminal.”
Sung Hsieh operates companies in South Africa and China and
has done business with the Mugabe family before. The businessman was
reported to have helped Grace and her ageing husband buy an opulent home in
Hong Kong in 2008, where their daughter Bona is studying.
Human Rights Defenders Project Manager Roselyn Hanzi told
reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that police refuse to open dockets against ZANU-PF
members even when victims report political violence to
authorities
Jonga Kandemiiri & Sithandekile Mhlanga |
Washington
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has accused the
Zimbabwe Republic Police and Office of the Attorney General of making what
the civic group called "selective arrests" of the perpetrators of political
violence, favoring ZANU-PF.
Lawyers for Human Rights Executive
Director Irene Petras told journalists in a workshop that court records
showed some perpetrators have not been brought to book.
Human rights
defenders and the two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change said
their members are targeted by the police even if they are the victims of
violence.
Attorney-General Johannes Tomana recently declared that he will
continue prosecuting MDC supporters before those of ZANU-PF, maintaining
that he has such discretion.
Human Rights Defenders Project Manager
Roselyn Hanzi told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that the police routinely
refuse to open dockets against ZANU-PF members even when victims report
political violence to authorities.
Meanwhile, the human rights defenders
group Tolerance and Reconciliation Development said it has identified 500
people in Masvingo province alone who have not been located after they went
missing during the turbulent 2008 elections. The group continues to compile
information on such missing persons throughout the country.
Programs
Coordinator Gamuchirai Mukura said missing people, mostly Movement for
Democratic Change activists, were said to have been abducted by ZANU-PF
militia with the help of state security agents during the election
period.
Mukura told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga that the
compiled information will be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs when the
exercise is concluded.
The Movement for Democratic Change formation
of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says more than 200 of its members were
murdered during the political violence which peaked in the run-up to the
June 2008 presidential run-off contest, from which Mr. Tsvangirai withdrew
in protest, leaving President Robert Mugabe unopposed.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Zimbabwe hopes for the release of
US$93 million that was withheld by the IMF when the country got its share of
global economic crisis adjustment funds in 2009
Gibbs
Dube
Finance Minister Tendai Biti says Zimbabwe will use US$140
million of a US$500 million Special Drawings Rights facility to pay down
debt to the International Monetary Fund which is preventing the country from
obtaining any new loans.
Biti said in a statement that the payment
will allow Zimbabwe to tap development funds under the global lender’s
Poverty Reduction and Growth facility.
He said Zimbabwe hopes for the
immediate release of US$93 million that was withheld by the IMF when the
country got its share of crisis-adjustment funds in 2009.
But
economists doubt the IMF will release the funds due to other
debts.
Zimbabwe owes the African Development Bank some US$400 million and
the World Bank US$1.2 billion, plus more than US$5 billion in other
international loans.
Economist Daniel Ndlela said Biti has made the
right decision to settle the debt to the IMF using the 2009 global crisis
funds. “But as long as we still owe other institutions, we are still not out
of the woods,” Ndlela said.
Economist Eric Bloch said Zimbabwe is not
likely to receive financial support from international organizations until
it has gotten current on its payments.
Biti said the SDR equivalent
of US$150 million has so far been used for the purchase of agricultural
inputs for the 2009-2010 crop season and infrastructural projects, and US$20
million for lines of credit for Zimbabwean industry under the Zimbabwe
Economic and Trade Revival Facility administered by Interfin
Bank.
The funds were spent to overhaul the Hwange Thermal Power Station,
National Railways of Zimbabwe track and rolling stock, and Bulawayo City
Council’s sewer and water distribution system, to upgrade broadcasting
equipment, to resume construction of a Matabeleland water pipeline and for
housing in Kwekwe and Harare.
Biti said SDRs equal to US$215 million
are held at the IMF as national reserves.
Sapa | 16 August, 2011 08:17 The
cabinet in Zimbabwe has approved the draft framework for establishing a
company to spearhead exploration of minerals throughout the
country.
The company, to be called the Zimbabwe Mineral Exploration
Corporation, would enable the government to know the extent of the country's
mineral wealth and reap maximum benefits from the resources, Zimbabwe's
Herald Online reported on Tuesday.
Mines and Mining Development
deputy minister Gift Chimanikire told New Ziana that the Attorney General's
office was now drafting the Statutory Instruments needed to give legal
effect to establishment of the company.
"We have taken the matter before
the cabinet committee on legislation and it has been approved," he
said.
"Now we are waiting for the AG's office, which is currently working
on drafting the necessary Statutory Instruments. Once the AG is done... we
will then float a tender for partners because we need a private player to
partner us."
Chimanikire was, however, unable to give a timeline when
the company would be operational.
ZANU-PF hardliners want the road map to lead to elections this year -
though Mr. Zuma and other SADC officials have indicated they don't consider
this a good idea as the country is not ready
Blessing Zulu,
Ntungamili Nkomo & Sandra Nyaira | Washington
Zimbabwe
mediator and South African President Jacob Zuma summoned negotiators for the
power-sharing parties in Harare to Pretoria on Friday to finalize the road
map to the next Zimbabwean elections for presentation to a regional summit
in Angola next week.
An aide to Mr. Zuma said he is pressing on with the
road map despite objections by both President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change - though
for very different reasons in each case.
Mr. Zuma is to report on his
progress in Zimbabwe mediation to his fellow leaders of the Southern African
Development Community meeting in summit Tuesday in Luanda.
ZANU-PF
hardliners want the road map to lead to elections this year - though Mr.
Zuma and other SADC officials have indicated they don't consider this a good
idea.
The Tsvangirai MDC formation has expressed grave concerns about the
environment for elections, saying Zimbabwe's military and other security
forces must be reformed before elections to level the playing field. The
former opposition party also wants assurances from SADC that international
monitors will be in place before and after a ballot.
But ZANU-PF has
resisted those demands, especially security sector reforms.
South African
facilitation team spokeswoman Lindiwe Zulu said Pretoria will not address
calls for road map revisions made informally by Zimbabwean parties that have
not been tabled by their negotiators, and that talks will continue to refine
the road map.
Spokesman Nhlanhla Dube of the MDC formation headed by
Industry Minister Welshman Ncube said his party expects SADC to endorse the
election road map despite the objections raised by the other parties in the
national unity government.
Political analyst Phillan Zamchiya said
the real crisis is with Mr. Mugabe.
Meanwhile, Angola refused entry
Thursday to civil society activists of the SADC Council of Non-Governmental
Organizations and Mozambican journalists who flew into Luanda seeking to
attend a civil society forum on the margins of the regional
summit.
The groups had issued some statements critical of SADC's record
on human rights.
Civil society sources said some groups which had
intended to head to Luanda Friday have canceled their flights fearing they
will also be refused entry at the airport.
Abie Dithlake, secretary
general of the SADC Council of NGO Organizations said the group appealed to
SADC alleging mistreatment by Angolan authorities.
Political analyst
Gladys Hlatshwayo called Luanda's move shocking and
shameful.
Elsewhere, leaders of liberation movements in the Southern
African region who were meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, concluded their summit
calling on the West to lift sanctions aimed at President Mugabe and other
top ZANU-PF officials.
In a communiqué, the liberation movements
called the sanctions “subversive acts” intended to economically sabotage
Zimbabwe.
Namibian president Hifikepunye Pohamba urged his colleagues,
including Mr. Mugabe, not to forget the ideals of their struggles against
white minority rule. He said Southern Africa should fight poverty through
indigenous ownership of natural resources.
Political analyst
Psychology Maziwisa told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sandra Nyaira that the
liberation movements are right in supporting Mr. Mugabe and ZANU-PF and
insisting on the removal of so-called targeted sanctions against the
president and his party.
But Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Director
Mcdonald Lewanika told VOA that while the liberation movements are free to
support and stand by President Mugabe and ZANU-PF they cannot impose leaders
on the people of Zimbabwe.
ZANU-PF negotiators told Mr. Zuma’s team of facilitators that any
efforts by SADC or other outsiders to press the party for reform of
Zimbabwe's military and police would violate sovereignty and therefore be
unacceptable
Ntungamili Nkomo & Sandra Nyaira |
Washington
ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said reform of the security
sector is not in the cards, adding that the lifting of Western sanctions
should be the priority
Foreign ministers of the Southern African
Development Community were to open talks in Luanda, Angola, on Tuesday,
while the parties in Zimbabwe's fractious unity government remained deeply
divided over key issues, particularly the composition of the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission and demands for reform of the security
establishment.
Negotiators for President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and both
formations of the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change met on
the weekend in Pretoria with the facilitation team of South African
President Jacob Zuma in a bid to iron out some issues ahead of the summit.
But sources said they emerged more divided than ever.
ZANU-PF
negotiators told Mr. Zuma’s team of facilitators that any efforts by SADC or
other outsiders to press the party for reform of Zimbabwe's military and
police would violate Zimbabwean sovereignty, and therefore be
unacceptable.
They called for a near-term election and argued that
reconstitution of the electoral body as the MDC formations demanded was not
possible. They said the MDC had participated in selecting members and
endorsed the commission when it was initially formed.
The MDC's
objections have to do with the commission's permanent staff, which is much
the same as it was in 2008 when election results were long
withheld.
Energy Minister Elton Mangoma, negotiator for the MDC wing
headed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, told VOA Studio 7 reporter
Sandra Nyaira that the current impasse requires the direct intervention of
Mr. Zuma, rather than through his facilitators.
"Some of these issues
require the attention of [Mr. Zuma] himself, otherwise we will continue
going in circles," Mangoma said. "There is no point going into an election
whose outcome will be challenged."
National Healing Minister Moses Mzila
Ndlovu, negotiating for the MDC formation led by Industry Minister Welshman
Ncube, said that without the security sector reforms the two MDC wings are
demanding, free and fair elections will not be possible.
But ZANU-PF
spokesman Rugare Gumbo said reform of the security sector is not in the
cards, adding that the lifting of Western sanctions should be the
priority.
Commenting on the forthcoming summit, Bob Libert Muchabaiwa
of the SADC Council of Non-Governmental Organizations said regional civic
groups hope SADC will maintain the spirit of the so-called Livingstone
troika meeting in April that took a firm stand on key issues including human
rights and the lagging pace of reform in Zimbabwe.
JOHANNESBURG -- Reporters Without Borders has urged southern
African leaders to tackle media repression in Zimbabwe it said was on the
rise with 11 cases of intimidation and arbitrary arrests of journalists
recorded over the past month.
The Paris-based group warned that new
elections demanded by President Robert Mugabe could see Zimbabwe -- which
has witnessed a relatively more relaxed media environment under the veteran
leader’s unity government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai -- relapsing
into a new era of media persecution.
A summit of Southern African
Development Community (SADC) leaders in Angola this week will discuss
Zimbabwe among other trouble spots in the region.
“Press freedom
violations have grown significantly in Zimbabwe in recent weeks. The surge
in cases of violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests of journalists and
the persistent climate of impunity is forcing them to censor themselves,”
said the media rights watchdog that is known by its French acronym
RSF.
“The SADC must prevent Zimbabwe from relapsing into another period
of harsh repression for independent media and journalists,” it said, in
statement released ahead of the SADC summit scheduled for August 17 to
18.
Mugabe and his ZANU (PF) are pressing for elections either before the
end of the year or by early 2012 to choose a new government to replace their
coalition with Tsvangirai’s MDC.
Analysts fear new polls could see a
return to violence, human and media rights abuses in the absence of
meaningful political, security and electoral reforms.
The RSF said
the media was already under siege with police arresting journalists to
intimidate them while it also cited one case in which an army brigadier
general threatened to shoot two journalists for asking the wrong the
questions during an interview.
“Two journalists with the privately-owned
newspaper The Mail (who are not being named for safety reasons) were
threatened by Brig. Douglas Nyikayaramba during an interview …. they fled
when Nyikayaramba threatened to shoot them if they did not stop asking
‘inopportune’ questions,” said RSF.
While Zimbabwe’s coalition
government has implemented some of the media reforms agreed in a
power-sharing agreement between Mugabe and Tsvangirai it has avoided
instituting far-reaching measures that would drastically open up the
country’s media space.
The reforms instituted so far include the
establishment of the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) and the licensing of at
least nine private newspapers to compete with the state-run titles that have
dominated the country’s media landscape since 2003.
But Mugabe’s
allies in the Ministry of Information that oversees the media have continued
to hold back reforms especially in the key broadcasting sector.
More
than two years after the coalition government was formed, the government
broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) still dominates the
country’s media.
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe has refused to
license private television or radio stations, forcing several radio stations
to broadcast into Zimbabwe from Europe or United States.
It however
allowed the ZBC to launch a second television channel last year underlining
its dominance of the airwaves.
The Information Ministry that is
controlled by Mugabe loyalist Webster Shamu and the President’s influential
press secretary George Charamba has also held on to the draconian Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and other laws that
restrict media freedom.
The AIPPA requires journalists and media houses
to register with the government and also criminalises the publication of
"falsehoods". The law has been solely used to harass and arrest journalists
working for the private media or state media reporters who fail to toe the
line. -- ZimOnline
Zimbabwe snatched an astonishing victory over Bangladesh at
Harare Sports Club on Tuesday to win their five-match ODI series three up
and two to play.
They got home with just four balls to spare, grabbing
the final Bangladesh wicket with a boundary catch when the tourists needed
only six runs to win themselves.
Zimbabwe, having been put into bat,
made 250 for seven wickets down, with Bangladesh 245 all out in reply as
darkness was closing in.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taykor said afterwards:
"This was absolutely awesome, the most exhilarating match of my life and the
most dramatic for all Zimbabweans.
"I was never sure we had enough
with our 250 runs effort and so it almost proved. It just shows that you
never know in cricket. I am really proud of the team for sticking to their
guns, not just in this match but for the entire tour so far."
A
century in exactly 100 balls by Mushfuqur Rahim in a gallant attempt to get
his Bangladeshis home was almost lost in the excitement. It was his first in
internationals and he simply needed a good partner to achieve
victory.
The match started in dismal fashion for Zimbabwe when
Brendan Taylor was out for three runs, his third successive failure. Sibanda
steadied his team with 26. But then came what turned out to be a winning
partnership of 142 between Hamilton Mazakadza, who made 74 and Tatenda Taibu
who scored 83.
They both scored quickly but with some luck. It was
Mazakadza's 17th half century and Taibu's 20th. Taibu lost his wicket racing
to get his second century but he failed in that in offering a towering catch
to Rubel Hossain off the bowling of Nazibul Hossain.
Craig Ervine
made 18 and Elton Chigumbura 31 to keep the momentum going.
The story of
the innings was told by a score of 22-1 after ten overs, 60-2 in 20 overs
and then another 116 runs in the next 20 overs.
Zimbabwe's total of 250
was a challenging score, but with the wicket easing to a slower pace in the
afternoon, Bangladesh expected to meet the challenge and keep the series
alive.
Their run rate was much faster in the early part of the innings
than Zimbabwe's but when Tamim Iqbal was run out after scoring 44 there were
was nobody else able to link up to any extent with Rahim.
Shakib Al
Hassan (19) and debutant Juniad Siddique (22) were both caught and bowled by
Prosper Utseya, who ended with 3-47.
Neither they nor the other middle
and lower order batsmen stayed significantly with Rahim.
Suddenly,
within sight of the winning line, Bangladesh's tail collapsed. From 229-5
and with 22 to win in two overs and with nine to win in the last over they
were tossed aside, mainly by Kyle Jarvis, who bowled out Shafiul Islam and
Robiul Hossain to deliver a coup de grace, just as the opportunity for a
dramatic Bangladesh victory looked within their grasp.
The tour now moves
to Bulawayo for two dead rubber matches with the series done and dusted. --
AFP
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai´s condolence message
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai´s condolence message on the death Retired
General Solomon Mujuru
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
It is with deep
sorrow and grief that I learnt of the death of Retired General Solomon
Tapfumanei Mujuru, one of the undisputed national heroes of this country.
Rtd General Mujuru, the founding commander of our national army after
independence, will be greatly remembered for his sterling role in the
liberation struggle and his outstanding and distinguished service in our
military.
It is indeed tragic that we have lost a patriot who served
his country with honour and distinction.
The painful national story
of our liberation cannot be told without mentioning the name Rex Nhongo, a
true and gallant son of the soil.Though he died in very tragic
circumstances, it is befitting that he died in the month that we celebrate
and cherish the rich legacy of our national heroes.
My sincere
condolences go to the Vice President, Amai Mujuru, on the sad loss of a dear
husband. My condolences go as well to the Mujuru family at large on the sad
loss of a beloved relative. This is not their loss alone. We join them in
their grief and Zimbabwe is a lot poorer following this tragic loss of an
icon.
Dear Eddie, I read with great
interest your article 'Marvellous Zimbabwe'. One element of the Zimbabwe
situation that you fail to address is the continual misuse of public funds;
20 million dollars for cars for Ministers!!? Is this just a final feeding
frenzy before the next elections? I flew from the UK in 2002 to volunteer for
MDC's election campaign, many times I put myself at risk to support a party
that I believed would get rid of the pestilence that is Zanu PF. Nothing has
happened. We are a token opposition, our followers still get beaten,
abducted, raped and killed. Food Aid is for many their only recourse,
teachers and health staff survive on ludicrous wages and Tendai Biti
votes 20million dollars to buy cars!!
I and thousands of supporters
become gradually disillusioned every day.
Sincerely , Miles
Anderson The Old Globe Theatre San Diego USA
This
article is not an attempt for me to make friends or enemies. Rather it is an
opportunity to revive the debate that has had numerous starts and stops in the
past without any tangible conclusion. Arguably, the Zimbabwe Diaspora is a
critical but neglected link of the national puzzle as we move towards the new
dispensation.
Unfortunately, not everyone across the political
divide believes that indeed, the Zimbabwe Diaspora shall forever be a permanent
and critical aspect of our nation. In the past, going into the Diaspora was more
of a temporary relief than permanent migration. Most people moved for reasons
such as education, political asylum and economic advancement. The idea then was
that once an education had been obtained, the political situation back home
normalised and our economy started ticking again, the Diaspora would start
repatriating en masse.
Over the years, particularly in the last ten, the
reality on the ground has shifted to the extent that there shall always be
Zimbabweans in the Diaspora even if our country were to be miraculously turned
into some replica of Switzerland. Many will remember that when Nigerians started
leaving their country in large numbers for foreign lands, the majority thought
that once civilian rule returned to the North African nation, they would then
pack their bags and return. Today, with a fairly stable political and economic
environment under civilian rule, why is it that Nigerians continue to relocate
to other countries, some of them with very little resources compared to
Nigeria?
China, with its booming economy and vast tracks of
land, continues to pour citizens across the globe, some moving to tiny countries
with insignificant economies. The U.K and Japan (forget about the tsunami
disaster which only happened yesterday) are among top countries with mobile
citizens. The question to ask is, why do these people leave their countries and
when shall they return?One of the
answers may be that this is now more of personal choice than anything; a product
of globalisation which has afforded global citizens an opportunity to exercise
their freedom of movement. Human beings now move from pastures to pastures at
will, some choosing to return to their homelands while others continue to be
perpetual visitors. Nevertheless, this cannot be used as an excuse to despise
these people as second-class citizens.
There are several countries in the world today whose
economies are very much dependent on the Diaspora. Philippines, Jamaica, Lebanon
and Ghana are among them. New Zealand has nearly half a million of its citizens
permanently resident in Australia alone who still enjoy being an integral part
of their nation.
Unfortunately, the Zimbabwe Diaspora has been treated
with contempt or at least with very little respect by some across the political
divide. This group has been stereotyped as the unemployable, those who live from
hand to mouth, cowards or sell-outs. I will come to this later. Does it then
come as a surprise that more than two years after formation of the inclusive
government which is now slowly but surely winding up business, nobody has come
up with a viable policy or strategy on the Diaspora? The only time the Zimbabwe
Diaspora remotely comes to mind is when issues of dual citizenship and postal
vote become topical. Often, this comes as a product of political expediency
rather than genuine desire to positively engage the
Diaspora.
It is no longer a secret that one side of politics
continues to view the Diaspora with suspicion and indignation. This side holds
the perception that those who left Zimbabwe are against revolutionary policies,
a bunch of sell-outs who ran to seek refuge in enemy territory. Some on the
other side compound the problem by regarding the Diaspora as a club of cowards
who deserted the struggle for the new Zimbabwe, or opportunists who are busy
developing themselves in comfort zones with the evil intention to return when
the political storm is over and reap where they did not sow. Elsewhere, the
Diaspora has been accused of trying to export Western democracy to Africa, as if
there were variations of democracy. However, I must hasten to emphasize that not
everybody subscribes to this retrogressive thinking but those who do, do so with
a passion.
None of these unfortunate and extremist views is
correct. They must be dismissed with utmost contempt. Such sentiments may be guided by arrogance, misinformation,
ignorance, greed, opportunism, fear of competition or a combination of these and
other factors. At a time when the majority of citizens had lost hope, the
Diaspora stepped in and restored that hope by providing food to starving
families, education to orphaned children, basic health care to old people, the
list is endless. Some even earned themselves the unofficial title of undertaker
or Doves Morgans because none of their relatives, close or distant, could be
buried decently without Diaspora benevolence. Ironically, at the same time, some
unscrupulous economic players with unfettered access to the national purse
survived on printing worthless paper which they handed over to recipients of
Diaspora remittances and took off with hard currency. Many of these
extortionists ended up living opulent lifestyles out of fleecing these
remittances. Nevertheless, the Diaspora
did not give up, knowing very well that this was a passing phase and that they
had a moral obligation to keep families alive. Other Diasporas even went further
and made different kinds of direct and indirect political contribution, as a way
of participating towards creating the new Zimbabwe.
The seemingly institutionalised marginalisation of a
quarter of the population currently resident outside the country by choice or
through circumstances beyond their control has come to a point where it now
needs to be interrogated or challenged. Does anybody remember that in 2008, the
total number of voters in the presidential polls were just about the same number
as Zimbabweans in the Diaspora? Is this a constituency that anybody who worries
about the future could afford to ignore? The Diaspora may not be allowed to vote
for now but this is just a tactical delay of the inevitable. Which party will
have the courage to go and campaign across the globe when that day comes? What
will be the enticing message to those who believe they are now regarded as
second-class Zimbabweans?
While the Zimbabwe Diaspora may be physically
separated from their homeland by oceans, rivers and national borders, the fact
remains that they are very much on the ground in terms of their aspirations,
hope and wishes. This demonstrates how much they love and feel for their
country. They have resolutely remained attached to motherland in times of
strife, hunger and disease. Neglecting a potentially vibrant demography of three
million people with nearly 100% employment rate, 100% literacy rate and largely
of young to middle age whose majority are professionals in different critical
fields, could be a myopic act tantamount to political suicide, naivety or
both.
