Magistrate slams police brutality

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

15/08/2012 00:00:00
by Phyllis Mbanje

SEVEN street vendors who attacked two police officers with iron bars before
smashing window panes at a police post have been spared jail – because they
were assaulted in custody.

Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe condemned police brutality as he fined Taurai
Nherera, Simbarashe Makaha, Muchineripi Muzengeza, Murambiwa Dzwenge,
Kudakwashe Usai, Mclean Barnabas Mwanaka and Simbarashe Chinodya US$500 each
on Wednesday.
Charges were dropped against four others while a 12th man charged over the
January 11 violence was acquitted.

Passing sentence on the seven, Mahwe said: “Although your conduct was
dangerous and warranting a custodial sentence, I will waive it in favour of
a fine because you were assaulted by the police.
"I will therefore opt to hit your pockets hard with a $500 fine payable by
August 31."

One of the vendors, Mwanaka, was allegedly hit with a brick while in police
custody and broke his leg.

Prosecutors said the seven were part of a group of street vendors who
attacked Seargent Chitima and Constable Mutada on January 11 after the two
officers tried to move them on from illegal vending bays along Nelson
Mandela.

The group attacked the two police officers with stones and metal bars before
marching on the First Street police post where they smashed 12 window panes.
The vendors, the court heard, then sought refuge at the MDC-T’s HQ but they
were smoked out with tear gas.

Alec Muchadehama, defending, told the court that the arrests were
politically-motivated and that the police had provoked the vendors.

He said the damage was very minimal and in no way did the group's actions
disturb public order since it was between the police and the vendors.

But Mahwe convicted the seven on public violence charges.

Cop targets MDC businesses

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

A police officer identified as Frank Katandika of Dombotombo Police Station,
allegedly threatened to shut down businesses run by MDC-T District vice
Organizing Secretary, Tonderai Chitaguda.
15.08.1212:28pm
by Staff Reporter

Eyewitnesses told The Zimbabwean that Katandika stormed into Chitaguda’s Eli’s
Takeaway last Monday night and warned that MDC had no right to run
businesses in the country. He proceeded to assault the manager, Elizabeth
Mandaza.

On arrival at the station, the cop allegedly asked for a baton to further
discipline MDC members.

“The police refused to open a docket against their violent colleague and
clearly told us that they had not witnessed any violence in the charge
office. To date, no docket has been opened in this regard,” said Chitaguda.

Continued visits to the police station failed to yield any positive result.
He said he would not be cowed by anyone into closing shop, as he believed
that it was every citizen’s right to run a business as long as it was in
compliance with the law.

Police officers at the station confirmed the incident, but said their hands
were tied, since Katandika was a former Border Gezi Youth Trained Zanu (PF)
cadre.

Illegal hunting at ZANU PF controlled Savuli Ranch

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
16 August 2012

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) has issued a public warning that
illegal hunting activities are taking place at a wildlife ranch in the Save
Valley Conservancy, as the ‘indigenisation’ of the hunting sector continues.

The Savuli Ranch has been taken over by female war vet called Shuvai Mahofa
who was illegally granted a 25 year lease for the property by National
Parks, who are not entitled to issue such leases.

The High Court of Zimbabwe this year ruled on the illegality of Mahofa’s
claim, stating that the legal owners of the Ranch, Forever African Safaris,
should not be interfered with.

This has made no difference and Mahofa has already evicted the owners and
their employees. A white farmer who has previously been accused of working
with Mahofa, has now moved on to the Savuli Ranch and is operating under
Impala Safaris.

The farmer, Ken Drummond, was earlier this year implicated in a campaign to
intimidate the remaining white farmers in the Chiredzi and Hippo Valley
area. SW Radio Africa reported in January that Drummond had teamed up with a
war vet called Francis Zimuto, who calls himself Black Jesus, in the illegal
takeover of properties there. Zimuto in turn was understood to be working on
Mahofa’s orders.

Mahofa is also one of the recent beneficiaries of a hunting licence that has
been granted to indigenous ‘farmers’, who include other top ZANU PF
officials like Masvingo governor Titus Maluleke and Education Minister Stan
Mudenge.

According to the ZCTF Mahofa has issued Drummond a hunting quota as part of
her licence, and hunting is already well under way. Drummond has been
posting pictures of the Savuli Camp and of several hunting trophies on the
website of Impala Safaris, which in turn is owned and run by a man called
Arnold Palmer.

“We would like to inform any prospective clients that Arnold Palmer, Ken
Drummond, and Impala Safaris are acting completely illegally. This is the
opinion of the High Court of Zimbabwe set down in their recent judgement.
Sadly, their judgement has been completely ignored and the wholesale
slaughter of animals on Savuli continues,” the ZCTF warned.

ZCTF chairman Johnny Rodrigues told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that the new
hunting licences are merely a “show of appreciation” to ZANU PF officials
and have nothing to do with the indiginisation of the hunting or wildlife
sectors.

“If they wanted to indigenise, then they should give theses licenses to
local people who already work on the conservancies and know what it is all
about. These people (the new recipients) know nothing,” Rodrigues said.

He added: “This is going to destroy tourism and destroy the hunting sector.
There will be no animals left.”

Mana Pools under threat again

http://www.tourismupdate.co.za

16 Thu, Aug 2012

Members of the tourism industry have joined forces to protest the threat of
opencast mining in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park with the launch of a
Facebook Community Page, ‘Save Mana Pools’. In 2010, a similar campaign led
to Protea Hotels having to abandon its plans to develop a hotel on the banks
of the Zambezi across from Mana Pools.

Two major mining companies, Habbard Investments and Geo Associates, have
recently expressed interest in mining heavy minerals in Mana Pools. They
received a prospecting licence at the end of last year. According to
industry players, the proposed sand mining could have a severe impact on the
tourism appeal of Mana Pools as well as on the riverine vegetation, as it
would involve excavating the river to least 100m on each side of the bank.

Alan Dryden, spokesman for ‘Save Mana Pools’, says: “Mana is not for mining.
We have drawn a line in the sand. This opencast form of mining has been
notoriously destructive in other natural areas worldwide and, if permitted,
would irreparably scar the World Heritage Site and destroy the wildlife and
ecological resources that belong to all indigenous Zimbabweans.” He says
Mana Pools will be worth much more as a tourism employer and a pristine
wilderness in 20 years than it will be as “a scarred and ecologically
deserted ruin”.

Besides the imminent mining threat, there are two tourism developments that
are of concern in Mana Pools. Construction has already begun on Mana Pools
Safari Camp, which is allegedly not intended to be a tourism venture but a
private holiday home consisting of six double chalets and staff quarters to
house no fewer than 24 staff members. The other lodge, Nyamepi Lodge, is
currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment.

UK Spokesperson for Advancing Tourism To Africa, John Berry, says mining the
river as well as any further tourism developments in the area could taint
the pristine image of the area. “Mining within the World Heritage Site will
eclipse the threat of two over-zealous tourism developments in Mana. The
international travel trade will receive an immediate negative message about
Zimbabwe, just as we’re looking forward to a recovery but, more so, the
developments will have a permanent effect on Mana’s appeal as a
destination.”

Dorine Reinstein
Tourism Update

Zuma Cites Progress on Zimbabwe Constitution

http://www.voanews.com/

Sebastian Mhofu

August 16, 2012
HARARE, Zimbabwe — South African President Jacob Zuma is in Mozambique,
where he is expected to brief regional leaders about his failure to make a
breakthrough in Zimbabwe. Power-sharing partners there are deadlocked over
contents of a draft constitution. Zuma, the Southern African Development
Community [SADC] mediator in Zimbabwe, left Harare saying there was some
progress, but sticking points remain.

Zuma held more than five hours of meetings Wednesday with Zimbabwe President
Robert Mugabe, the leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change party.
Zuma spoke to reporters afterwards.

“I think there is progress which has been made. But there are still some
hitches [obstacles] here and there. But there has been progress that has
been made by the parties. I will be reporting to SADC as from tomorrow,”
said Zuma.

Zuma was in neighboring Zimbabwe to monitor progress on reforms that African
regional leaders expect from the Zimbabwean leadership in preparation for a
referendum on a new constitution and then elections.

The first of the reforms that SADC leaders want in Zimbabwe is a new
constitution. Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party wants a draft constitution amended.
However, Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube, leader of a small MDC wing, are
opposed to Mugabe's proposal to amend the constitution.

Leaving the meeting, Mugabe dismissed Zuma’s assertions that there were
obstacles, or what he called “hitches,” regarding the draft constitution.

“I do not know what hitches there are. We’ve made amendments," said Mugabe.
"I supposed that is what he [Zuma] is referring to. We are an enlightened
party and do not just accept things as conclusive.”

Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party wants a revision of the draft constitution since it
reduces the powers of the presidency and increases the control of parliament
in Zimbabwean politics.

If a referendum on a new constitution can be held in Zimbabwe later this
year, elections are possible in 2013. It remains to be seen what details of
Wednesday's meetings with Zuma will tell regional leaders meeting in
Mozambique, and if a path forward is possible.

Zuma says “minor hitches” in draft constitution

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
16 August 2012

The mediator on Zimbabwe’s political crisis, President Jacob Zuma of South
Africa, has described the current stalemate over the draft constitution as a
minor hitch after meeting the coalition leaders in Harare on Wednesday.

The South African President met separately with Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe and Welshman Ncube in Harare on Wednesday. He was
briefed on progress in the Constitutional reform exercise and the GPA, in
preparation for the SADC summit starting in Maputo, Mozambique on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the meetings Zuma said there has been “some
movement forward, although there are some hitches here and there, but they
are not as major as they used to be”.

Mugabe, who also addressed journalists, said: “We’ve considered the draft
and we’ve made amendments to the draft. We’ll meet as principals to exchange
our ideas.”

This drew strong criticism from the Crisis Coalition and the MDC formations,
who have already adopted the draft as the final version to be taken to a
referendum.
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters that some of the disagreements
would be discussed at the SADC summit on Friday.

MDC-N spokesman Nhlanhla Dube told SW Radio Africa that their president
Welshman Ncube had briefed President Zuma on the draft charter and the time
for political negotiations is over. Dube said the party position is that
Zimbabweans must go to a second All Stakeholders Conference to decide.

“All the issues were negotiated with express instructions from the political
parties. The negotiators consulted their top leadership so there is nothing
new. Enough concessions have been made and time for negotiations is
finished,” Dube said.

Regarding the “hitches” President Zuma spoke about, Dube said there is a
deliberate effort to stall progress on the draft charter by some factions
within ZANU PF.

Okay Machisa from the Crisis Coalition agreed and insisted the document does
not belong to ZANU PF. He said negotiations have been going on for a very
long time and the draft was agreed on through consultations with all the
political parties.

“It is shocking that one party would make a u-turn and demand further
amendments after all the negotiations are done. It is time to let the people
of Zimbabwe decide and move on,” Machisa told SW Radio Africa.

Regarding Zuma’s comments that some “hitches” remained, Machisa said: “The
issue of the constitution should not be described as minor. It is a major
issue for Zimbabweans. Maybe President Zuma was trying to soften it because
he knows that SADC will make it mandatory for this document to sail
through.”

The ZANU PF politburo was scheduled to meet for the fifth time on Thursday
to discuss the constitution.

Mugabe insists on amending draft charter after meeting Zuma

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
16 August 2012

Robert Mugabe has insisted that changes need to be made to the draft
Constitution that was agreed on by the negotiators last month, drawing
strong criticism from civic society groups and the MDC formations.

Mugabe made the comments after meeting with the SADC mediator on the
Zimbabwe political crisis, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, who also
met separately with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC-N leader
Welshman Ncube.

Zuma was briefed on progress in the Constitutional reform exercise and the
Global Political Agreement (GPA). This is in preparation for the report he
is to present to regional leaders at the SADC summit starting in Maputo,
Mozambique on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the meetings, Zuma said there has been “some
movement forward, although there are some hitches here and there, but they
are not as major as they used to be”.

Mugabe, who also addressed journalists, said: “We’ve considered the draft
and we’ve made amendments to the draft. We’ll meet as principals to exchange
our ideas.”

This drew strong criticism from the Crisis Coalition and the MDC formations,
who have already adopted the draft as the final version to be taken to a
referendum. MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters that some of the
disagreements would be discussed at the SADC summit on Friday.

MDC-N spokesman Nhlanhla Dube told SW Radio Africa that their president
Welshman Ncube had briefed President Zuma on the draft charter and the time
for political negotiations is over. Dube said the party position is that
Zimbabweans must go to a second All Stakeholders Conference to decide.

“All the issues were negotiated with express instructions from the political
parties. The negotiators consulted their top leadership so there is nothing
new. Enough concessions have been made and time for negotiations is
finished,” Dube said.

Regarding the “hitches” President Zuma spoke about, Dube said there is a
deliberate effort to stall progress on the draft charter by some factions
within ZANU PF, so they can continue to sort out their internal factional
disputes.

Okay Machisa from the Crisis Coalition agreed and insisted the document does
not belong to ZANU PF. He said negotiations have been going on for a very
long time and the draft was agreed on through consultations with all the
political parties.

“It is shocking that one party would make a u-turn and demand further
amendments after all the negotiations are done. It is time to let the people
of Zimbabwe decide and move on,” Machisa told SW Radio Africa.

Regarding Zuma’s comments that some “hitches” remained, Machisa said: “The
issue of the constitution should not be described as minor. It is a major
issue for Zimbabweans. Maybe President Zuma was trying to soften it because
he knows that SADC will make it mandatory for this document to sail
through.”

The ZANU PF politburo is scheduled to meet for the fifth time on Thursday,
as the party tries to adopt a final version of the Constitution to present
for further negotiations.

MDC-T ‘agenda’ questioned over constitution confusion

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
16 August 2012

The MDC-T is facing criticism for appearing to try and ‘mislead’ the public
over the controversial draft constitution, with the party being urged to
explain its agenda.

Former commercial farmer Ben Freeth said recent comments by the party’s
spokesman Douglas Mwonzora, about the land clauses in the draft charter, are
a reason to worry.

Mwonzora told SW Radio Africa’s Question Time programme on Wednesday that
there was no reason to be concerned about the land clauses, which appear to
legalise the state theft of land. He was responding to questions sent in by
Freeth about section 4.29 of the draft, with Freeth raising concern that the
section does not protect the rights of farmers and farm workers and allows
theft to take place.

Mwonzora responded by insisting that section 4.29 “provides for acquisition
of land, land that has been acquired and it says in respect of land that has
been acquired, then compensation shall be for improvement only if it is land
taken for redress of colonial imbalances. This is land that has already been
acquired, not land subject to being acquired. This is land already acquired.
So section 4.29 deals with acquisitions that have already happened.”

He also insisted that the discrimination clause, controversially written
into the draft, was only based on these previously acquired properties that
were seized “to redress colonial imbalances.” He said that this does not
apply to the present situation where the property rights of all Zimbabweans
are ‘secure’.

But, as Freeth pointed out, the actual text of the draft tells a very
different story to what Mwonzora has been insisting. Section 4.29 of the
draft document clearly enshrines the right of the state to seize land, while
also guaranteeing land invaders the right to the properties they seize.

The draft states that all agricultural land, including forestry land,
conservation land and horticultural land, among others, “may be acquired by
the State by notice published in the Gazette…whereupon the land vests in the
State with full title.” The draft clearly says that these future takeovers,
when done for “public purpose” will be done without compensation and
compensation issues cannot be challenged in the courts. The draft also
stipulates that legal challenges to the future state takeover of land may
not be on the ground that it was “discriminatory.”

Freeth told SW Radio Africa that 4.29 is clearly not limited to the past
acquisitions of land and clearly provides for the future and legal takeover
of land by the state.

“I am frankly very confused by Douglas’s response. He is being very
misleading and you have to ask what the agenda is here?” Ben said.

Mwonzora was not available for comment on Thursday but he will be returning
as a guest on Question Time next week.

Mugabe denies rigging

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday denied poll rigging, as Prime Morgan
Tsvangirai hoped for a legitimate national census.
16.08.1207:43am
by Edgar Gweshe

Launching the fourth decennial census in Harare, Mugabe dismissed
accusations of vote rigging by his party, Zanu (PF), in the past, saying
ballot theft happened in ‘‘some African countries’’.

In his speech, Mugabe admitted that there was a possibility that some unruly
elements would want to tamper with the census figures as is done in election
time when ballot boxes disappear in some African states but distanced
Zimbabwe from the practice.

Mugabe has been accused of rigging elections since the early years of
independence, using the national intelligence agency and a partisan
electoral body.

In 2008, he withheld general election results for almost a month in a move
that observers said was intended to doctor the outcome.

Even though Tsvangirai beat him, the results showed that he did not obtain
enough ballots to form a government on his own, prompting a bloody runoff
from which the MDC-T leader withdrew in protest.

Mugabe blamed ethnic and religious differences in other African countries
for irregularities and violence during election and census times.

"There are countries even in Africa where censuses are impossible to conduct
because of ethnic divisions in them, religious divisions in them and midway
as the censuses are conducted, boxes start missing just as they go missing
when they start voting.

‘‘People actually carry them away. But what for? We don't want that. We want
honest, objective facts, the data that will help us," he said, referring to
the census.

Tsvangirai also spoke at the launch and hoped that the census would be
carried out in a manner that promoted legitimacy.

He alluded to recent interruptions of the training of census enumerators by
the military, saying the population stocktaking process had always been a
civilian preserve.

‘‘Conducting the national census has always been a civilian exercise and it
is my sincere hope that we will have a legitimate census that will give us
credible results to enable national visioning and planning,’’ said
Tsvangirai.

Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai called for transparency and accuracy during the
census.

SADC Troika Discuses Harare Crisis

http://www.voazimbabwe.com

Blessing Zulu

16.08.2012
The southern african development community troika on peace, defence and
security is scheduled to meet in maputo, mozambique today to dicuss the
political situation in zimbabwe and other regional hot spots ahead of the
summit that starts friday.

south african president jacob zuma, the outgoing chairman of the troika, is
expected to table a report on zimbabwe.

The same report will be tabled before the 15 regional leaders meeting in
summit tomorrow.president robert mugabe, prime minister morgan tsvangirai
and industry minister welshman ncube of the smaller formation of the mdc
backed by their negotiators are expected to attend the troika meeting.

Sources privy to the zuma report say he will note progress in the passing of
the electoral and human rights bills, but will also highlight the latest
political logjam - the draft constitution.

Mr. Zuma who was in harare yesterday spent the better part of his
consultation trying to find common ground on the constitution.human rights
watch urged sadc to press zimbabwe in addressing key human rights issues,
including security sector reform, accountability for past abuses, and
deterring politically motivated violence and other human rights abuses.

An aide to mr. Zuma, lindiwe zulu, says they are already in maputo for the
key summit.

Chiweshe protests turn violent over eviction of top doctor

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
16 August 2012

A two day protest organised by residents in Chiweshe turned violent on
Thursday, with protesters overturning a car and forcing a group of officials
from the Salvation Army to flee.

The Salvation Army officials had arrived at Howard Hospital to serve a fresh
eviction notice to the chief doctor there. Chiweshe residents have been left
raging by the attempts to evict Dr. Paul Thistle, who has been caught up in
a worsening situation with the Salvation Army administrators.

The public protests on Thursday turned ugly when residents overturned the
car the Salvation Army officials from Harare had arrived in. The group was
then forced to flee the angry locals and seek refuge in the hospital.

Dr. Thistle, who has been unable to go to the hospital, has been at home
while the facility runs on a skeleton staff that does not include another
doctor. SW Radio Africa’s correspondent Simon Muchemwa said the hospital was
temporarily closed on Thursday morning while all emergency cases are being
transferred to Harare.

Muchemwa explained that the local residents have been left “very angry”
because Dr. Thistle is now their only doctor, and he is also a very
respected and loved part of the community. Dr. Thistle is a Canadian doctor
who has spent more than sixteen years helping Zimbabweans, and has worked
tirelessly in sourcing and providing the best care for the local people.

But according to Muchemwa, he has now run afoul of the Salvation Army after
raising concerns that supplies and money he had sourced for the hospital
never made it to the institution from the Head Office. Muchemwa explained
that the officials are now intent on evicting the doctor and transferring
him to ministerial duties somewhere else.

SW Radio Africa meanwhile has been told that the orders have been handed
down by Vice President Joice Mujuru, who is a senior member of the Salvation
Army, and that Dr. Thistle is caught in the middle of the worsening
infighting in ZANU PF.

Mujuru and her main rival Emmerson Mnangagwa have intensified their war for
the potential leadership of ZANU PF, a war that came to a head last month
when the grassroots District Coordinating Committees (DCC) of the party were
disbanded. This followed a highly contest DCC election that appeared to show
Mnangagwa as a favourite.

It’s understood that Chiweshe is one of the areas where Mnangagwa has
support and the local chief is said to be a Mnangagwa man. Speculation is
now rife that Mujuru is attempting to control the area by exerting her
authority on the Howard Hospital.

High Powered Zimbabwe Local Government Delegation Visits USA

http://www.voazimbabwe.com

Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye

15.08.2012
A high powered eight-member delegation of local Government officials from
Zimbabwe is in the United States on a two-week fact-finding mission on
running local authorities.

The group - comprising local authorities Association President Nimrod
Chiminya, Bulawayo Mayor Thaba Patrick Moyo, Masvingo Mayor Femius
Chakabuda, the Harare town clerk and high ranking officials from other
councils - are in Washington at the invitation of the United States' State
Department.

The delegation met with State Department officials in Washington DC Tuesday
and later held discussions on investment opportunities in Zimbabwe with
members of the Zimbabwe diaspora in the US capital.

The delegation is expected to visit Chicago, Missouri and Baltimore.

Meanwhile, the group Wednesday visited the City of Baltimore. Nancy Hafford
Executive Director of the Baltimore-based Towson Chamber of Commerce said
she hopes the Zimbabwean delegation will learn a lot about how her city
conducts its activities.

"We hope that they will learn about how we have successfully run some
programs that have been financially rewarding for our chamber," said
Hafford.

She told VOA Studio7 this was the first African state that had visited her
city and she was excited to host Zimbabwe.

CFU issues maize alert

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Several years ago Zimbabwe not only produced enough maize to feed its people
but also had surpluses to export. More recently Zimbabwe’s food security
position is governed by its inability to attain self-sufficiency in maize
production and this position is now set to get worse. Output in 2012 is less
than half of domestic consumption, and substantial imports will be necessary
to meet the production deficit.
16.08.1203:01pm
by Charles Taffs

These imports will have to be undertaken when the world grain markets are
undersupplied. The main commodities affected are maize, wheat, and
soyabeans. Droughts have struck food producing regions in all the
continents. Of special significance to Zimbabwe are world maize production
and trade developments because this commodity is our staple food commodity.

In the United States maize crops continue to wilt in the corn belt of the
mid-West because of dry conditions and unusually high temperatures and this
position is forecast to extend into the autumn. As a result U.S. maize
exports for the 2012/13 marketing season are projected to fall by more than
8 million tonnes. This will seriously impact on its main customers in the
Far East and elsewhere. Already unsettled overseas financial markets and
shortages are driving up world maize prices. Zimbabwe cannot secure all of
maize imports within southern Africa and will be forced to compete for
scarce and expensive maize elsewhere.

GMO maize is produced in South Africa so that market cannot be tapped as GMO
maize is prohibited for human consumption in Zimbabwe. Two other regional
countries, Zambia and Malawi, have surpluses of non-GMO maize available for
export but the limited quantities available will not be enough to satisfy
Zimbabwe’s requirements. In any event Zimbabwe will be in competition with
other importing countries in the region. Thus Zimbabwe needs to act
expeditiously to secure maize supplies from both regional and world markets.

Looking into the future, prospects for Zimbabwe’s maize production in the
coming season and beyond are not good. This situation stems from funding
difficulties arising from illiquid money markets and looming input supply
problems. Farmers are faced not only with scarce and costly inputs but also
have a great difficulty in raising loans in a hostile financial environment
where competition is stiff for limited funding resources. Credit is scarce
and interest rates prohibitively high.

Regarding inputs seed companies and fertilizer manufacturing companies are
also owed tens of millions of dollars by debtors for purchases of seed and
fertilizers.

Production of maize seed this year, at 27,170 tonnes, was below the national
requirement of around 36,000 tonnes. Seed companies have not paid many
growers who were contracted to grow seed for them because of the outstanding
debts owed to them. As a result many small scale maize seed growers cut
their losses and on-sold or consumed the seed as grain.

Carryover stocks this year will fortunately plug the supply gap and negate
the need to import seed for the coming maize growing season. On the down
side, however, the non-payment of seed growers is likely to reduce plantings
in the coming season with farmers switching to other crops where payments
for product are more certain. This will undoubtedly increase Zimbabwe’s
dependency on imports of a major input which traditionally domestic output
has always met demand with sizeable surpluses being exported.

The local fertilizer industry is also in a precarious position. Procuring
working capital and a substantial level of unpaid debts have prevented
manufacturers from importing potash and other required ingredients. Stocks
at the end of June were very low at 29,000 tonnes. The production capacity
of the industry will not be able to meet the combined national requirements
for growing maize of 370,000 tonnes for both Compound “D” and Ammonium
Nitrate by December. Thus there will be a need to import substantial
quantities of fertilizers to make up shortfalls. Farmers will have to bear
the higher costs of imported fertilizers.

Unless the Zimbabwe Government immediately puts in place policies that boost
maize production the country may well face starvation. The Commercial
Farmers’ Union stands ready to assist in formulating such policies and
contributing to food production.

Zimbabwe's First Privately Owned Radio Station Hits Airwaves

http://www.voazimbabwe.com

15.08.2012
Zimbabwe’s first privately owned commercial radio station, Zi-FM Stereo,
officially hit the airwaves Wednesday, promising to fill a void in the
country’s media entertainment and news arena.

Zi-FM Stereo owner, former ZBC broadcaster Supa Mandiwanzira of AB
Communications, said the station will be geared towards dishing out various
music genres and relevant news and will changeZimbabwe's media landscape.

"Our radio is going to be driven by our audiences, it's going to be highly
interactive we are going to make sure what the people want to hear and
listen to is what we will play, in terms of music and in terms of
discussions we will focus on the issues that are topical and relevent to the
people of Zimbabwe," said Mandiwanzira.

Zi-FM will be broadcasting in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Nyanga, Beitbridge,
among areas.

Another commercial station, Star FM Radio, owned by Zimbabwe Newspapers
Group was launched last month after being awarded a broadcasting license by
the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe.

The licensing of the two broadcasters last year, ahead of other applicants,
sparked demands for the dissolution of the licensing authority which was
accused of favoring those linked to the former ruling party, Zanu PF.

When pressed to comment on the controversy surrounding the awarding of a
commercial licence to ZiFM and its political links, Mandiwanzira said
content would be largely determined by the market.

"No media institute is not politically aligned ... We are very glad that
Zi-FM is politically aligned to the government of Zimbabwe which is the one
that has licensed us," he said.

Villagers forced to support families of Magura murderers

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
16 August 2012

Residents in thirteen villages in the Mudzi North constituency are being
forced to pay money to support the families of ZANU PF thugs accused of
murdering Cephas Magura, who was the MDC-T Ward One chairman in the area.

SW Radio Africa correspondent Lionel Saungweme spoke to villagers from
Chimukoko and Nyamhondoro districts of Mudzi North, who said the campaign
is being coordinated by ZANU-PF MP Newton Kachepa and Chief Otelia
Chimukoko.

“ZANU PF people are going around 13 villages and forcing people to pay 50
cents per family towards the upkeep of Sekuru Magura’s murderers, who are
still incarcerated pending their trial,” Saungweme explained.

He added that some villagers are paying the money every week and others are
being visited fortnightly.

MDC-T activist Cephas Magura died in May after a ZANU PF mob directed by MP
Kachepa attacked MDC-T activists who had gathered for a rally at Chimukoko
Business Centre. Several others were seriously injured.

This is not the first time villagers in Mudzi North have been forced to
assist the accused ZANU PF members. Last month Saungweme reported that Chief
Chimukoko had collected funds to pay lawyers representing the accused,
during their bail application.

Villagers have named some of the ZANU PF thugs who are collecting the money
on behalf of the chief and MP. Our correspondent said the list includes
Bhobho, Bhana (Barnabus), Chirova, Kangora and Simenti.

Mudzi North is in Mashonaland East where Saungweme said several army bases
were established back in 2008. He said residents there live in fear and
experience heavy intimidation from ZANU PF officials, activists and
traditional leaders.

ZIFA boss relives CIO extortion trauma

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

15/08/2012 00:00:00
by Phyllis Mbanje

ZIFA chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze has told how he suffered a
“harrowing experience” at the hands of an alleged CIO operative who tried to
extort US$10,000 from him earlier this year.

Mashingaidze was testifying in the trial of alleged CIO officer Richard
Mubaiwa, 31, and Banket farmer John Chari, 32, which opened Wednesday before
Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe.

The ZIFA boss said his nightmare started on the evening of February 21 when
the pair and several others still to be identified lured him to a secluded
place in Harare, threatened him with death and later hounded him with
numerous phone calls.
The court heard that Mubaiwa called Mashingaidze and identified himself as
'Ruhanga from the President’s Office'.

The CIO operative requested that they meet at Chikwanha Shopping Centre,
claiming to be in possession of a file that had serious implications for
Mashingaidze. The caller said he was also looking into the ZIFA boss'
political background and suspected connections with the MDC-T party.

Mashingaidze hired a taxi and proceeded to the shopping centre where he met
by Chari and four other accomplices.
Chari told him he was from the President’s Office and asked that they go to
a secluded place behind the shopping centre. A second man was with them.

"He (Chari) claimed that six of his principals had asked him to convey
information pertaining to photographs showing FIFA president Sepp Blatter,
ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and myself,”
Mashingaidze said, adding that the said photograph had been taken during
FIFA president’s visit to Zimbabwe.

"He also said my life was in danger due to my involvement in the Asiagate
investigations. Chari then said their principals had ordered that I should
be eliminated but my life could be spared if I paid them $10,000 for
protection.

"I then asked when I was supposed to pay the money and Chari said by 8AM the
next morning. He said a file had been opened on me and checks were being
made on my political affiliations.

"When I told them it was not possible to raise that amount of money between
9PM and 8AM, Chari said the choice was mine to raise the money or lose my
life."

Chari allegedly asked if Mashingadze had any money on him and the ZIFA CEO
handed over $20.

After breaking the meeting, Mashingaidze later phoned the ZIFA president and
treasurer, Rtd Brigadier General Eliot Kasu, and told them about the
abduction and extortion bid.
The next day, Chari phoned Mashingaidze and told him to bring the money to
Avondale but later changed the venue to Kensington.

Mashingaidze was given $2,000 by the ZIFA president and a trap was set up
with the help of the police.

The ZIFA CEO then proceeded to Kensington where he met Chari in a Spar shop
and handed him the money in a brown envelope.

As Chari left the shop, he was confronted by plain clothes police officers
who searched him and recovered the money. He later implicated Mubaiwa during
questioning.

The trial continues and prosecutors have lined up eight witnesses to
testify.

Zimbabweans suffer under auctioneer's hammer

http://af.reuters.com

Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:11pm GMT

By Cris Chinaka

CHINHOYI, Zimbabwe Aug 16 (Reuters) - According to the official figures,
Zimbabwe's economy is booming. The agony etched on the faces of those in the
auction rooms in Chinhoyi, watching helplessly as prized possessions go for
a song, tells a very different story.

Zimbabweans from all walks of life are drowning in debt after the implosion
of a three-year credit bubble. High-rollers are losing mansions and
limousines; ordinary people chickens and pots and pans.

The only ones doing well are the auctioneers holding the sales and the
newspapers advertising them.

As well as hammering some of the southern African country's biggest firms,
the crisis is threatening the stability of its banks and piling more pain on
a population of 13 million traumatised by a decade of drastic economic
decline up to 2008.

"It has been a real nightmare," said Milton, a victim of the burst bubble
standing at the back of an auction in Chinhoyi, a farming town 130 km (80
miles) northwest of Harare.

Instead of fulfilling his ambitions of owning and running a car workshop, he
is watching nervously as his bed, a six-piece lounge suite, refrigerator and
stove go under the hammer to try to repay a $1,500 bank loan.

"First, I lost my car over a loan that I used to start this business, and
now this. I have to start afresh," he said, with a sigh.

When President Robert Mugabe, one of Africa's longest serving leaders,
formed a unity government with rival Morgan Tsvangirai after disputed
elections in 2008, Milton and thousands of others hoped the former British
colony and its once-vibrant economy had turned the corner.

That belief took root when the new administration quickly scrapped the
worthless Zimbabwe dollar in favour of the U.S. dollar and South African
rand, ending multi-billion percent hyperinflation at a stroke.

Three years later, the court-auction advertisements filling newspapers
suggest the hopes were premature.

"It's painful but I have to be here to see if the goods they have taken will
be able to cover the debt," said Milton, who would only give his first name.
"Otherwise they come for more stuff."

LENDING FRENZY

With the relative political stability of a unity government and the monetary
stability of dollars and rand, many banks went on a lending spree in 2009,
taking title deeds on homes and ownership documents for cars as security.

Interest rates ranged from 15 to 50 percent but businesses from second-hand
clothes stalls in townships to village grocery stores lapped up loans to
restock after the lean years.

"There was a frenzy," said Brains Muchemwa, a private economic consultant.
"And it has been one huge disaster, both for the borrowers and the lenders,
with big losses for individuals, families, banks and businesses."

Over the past year, two banks have collapsed and two others have slid into
administration under a mountain of bad debts.

Worse could be in store, with the central bank saying that loans to
individuals for consumption more than doubled from 8.6 percent of all loans
in June last year to 18 percent by June 2012 - against the backdrop of an
economy in trouble.

In his mid-year budget statement last month, Finance Minister Tendai Biti
slashed his 2012 growth forecast to 5.6 percent from 9.4 percent, a cut that
took few Zimbabweans by surprise given the widespread belief the government
has been over-egging the figures to lure outside investors.

GROWTH SLUMPS

The tough times can be seen in the growing numbers of people eking out a
living as street vendors, and in the boom of court-appointed auctions.

Even the central bank has been clobbered, with outstanding debts of $1.4
billion to individuals, companies and government institutions - the legacy
of a system in which a business and political elite with close links to
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party borrowed money cheaply from the bank and never paid
it back, even if they could.

Overall, eight out of 10 adult Zimbabweans are jobless in an economy that
shrank by almost half in a decade of recession blamed on the disastrous
economic policies of Mugabe, who has been in charge since independence in
1980.

Hampering the push from investment is a drive by Mugabe to force foreign
mining companies and banks to surrender at least 51 percent shares to black
Zimbabweans.

Fears of violence during elections due within the next year have also
unsettled investors given the trouble that has marred polls since 2000, the
year after Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) emerged to
challenge Mugabe.

The court auctions have already sucked in the headquarters of Zimbabwe's
largest pharmaceutical company to clear debts of $4 million, and two houses
belonging to the directors of Merspin, one of its oldest and biggest textile
firms.

Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi from ZANU-PF and his wife Mercedes stand to
lose a house to the state-owned POSB Bank over an unpaid $129,000 loan,
according to the state-controlled Herald newspaper.

In the countryside, the auctions are often held in the grounds of police
stations and lots range from cows and black and white TV sets to crates of
empty beer and Coca-Cola bottles.

"At first, I tried hard and I was paying half the monthly instalment but
after four months, I stopped completely and that's how I ended up here,"
said John Moyo, who borrowed $10,000 two years ago to start up a
furniture-making business.

Unable to make the $1,000 monthly repayments, he had to forfeit his trusty
Mazda truck, which sold for $2,000, a quarter of its value.

"I am sunk," he told Reuters. "Many other people are sinking too."

"THIEVES IN DESIGNER SUITS"

Most auctions have a funereal air, with sellers shuffling in quietly, alone
or in pairs. Pictures of houses on sale are pinned on walls around the hall.

However, sharp-suited businessmen and women will typically occupy the front
two rows, knowing they are picking up houses or cars for a fraction of their
market value.

Few are prepared to talk to reporters, feeding the perception of a predatory
business and political elite sucking the economy dry.

Biti, a senior figure in Tsvangirai's MDC, has accused top officials from
Mugabe's ZANU-PF, which controls the mining ministry, of stealing millions
of dollars in diamond revenues for themselves or party election coffers.

"What we have now are people getting filthy rich on resources that should be
going into national development while the ordinary citizens of this country
are sinking deeper into poverty," he said at a recent news conference.

"The facts are evident all around us. It is obscene."

ZANU-PF dismisses Biti's charges as cheap politicking, but the public
mistrust of those with cash to splash runs deep.

In an editorial, the Zimbabwe Independent, a private weekly, urged the
government to tackle what it called "theft by those in designer suits".

"Authorities must stop this systematic economic sabotage and halt dead in
their tracks these thieves in imported designer suits," it said.

A happy childhood? Not for most Zim kids

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

Not every child in Zimbabwe suffering from stress has had a family member
jailed or murdered, although there are those instances right across the
social and racial spectrum. There are also the everyday examples of living -
and growing up - in an environment with an unusually high level of stress,
and with parents whose exposure to, and efforts to deal with uncertainty,
rubs off on their children.
14.08.1204:06pm
by Sokwanele

Tomorrow’s leaders: What do they have to look forward to?. Tomorrow’s
leaders: What do they have to look forward to?.

Thandiwe, a mother of two, remembers the era of food shortages and how it
affected her children, at the time aged four and seven.

“I still see this anxiety, related to food, in my children,” she said.
“There’s definitely an element of gluttony - eating even when they aren’t
hungry - just because they can. It’s two years on, and I’m certainly seeing
early signs of weight problems in my nine-year old daughter, something
no-one in the family has ever suffered from before.”

The effects of stress on the young are, however, most pointedly felt at
school. When the top stream of a local school started their high school
career in 2004, there were 32 students in the class. When they graduated six
years later, in 2010, they had lost almost half that number.

The more subtle results are even more widespread...and more alarming. Among
them are increased disciplinary and learning problems, as well as an
increase in the number of students who are not only living alone but, in
many cases, running a household of younger siblings.

“The situation forced many people to seek work outside the country, merely
to survive, leaving their children here to continue their schooling,” said a
remedial teacher at another high school.

“We’re seeing the result of this every day in the school: children living
without reliable adult supervision, or any supervision at all, responsible
for their own meals and transport and, in many cases, with little or no
guidance in terms of responsibility, moral values and discipline,” she said.

She remembers the instance of a 15-year-old boy who kept falling asleep in
class. When she questioned him about his lack of energy, she discovered that
he was living alone as both his parents were working in South Africa.

He had to find his own transport home, a distance of about 15km, at the end
of a long day of school and sports, and then, when he reached home, would
often have to wait for the electricity to come back after load shedding,
sometimes as late as 10pm, to start cooking himself a meal.

“Sometimes, if his parents were late sending money, he would have to walk
home. He was just perpetually exhausted, and not coping at all,” she said.

The number of children being referred for remedial lessons is increasing
every year, and in many of the instances, the students are found to be
capable, but unable to apply themselves.

“They’re showing more signs of violence and aggression than I’ve seen in my
six years of teaching at the school. Some exhibit fear and insecurity which
can only be put down to neglect and lack of adult guidance and supervision,”
said the remedial teacher.

A local psychologist who specialises in child and family counselling
confirms that stress is playing a large role in shaping Zimbabwe’s young.

“What is of concern is that these effects will not be short-term. We are in
for a long run, which is worrying because these are the adults of tomorrow,
who will one day be running the country,” she said.

One of the most notable stress factors facing youth is pessimism about the
future, resulting in a generation lacking in direction and ambition.

She said even if a child was fortunate enough to leave school with good O
and A Levels, the opportunities for tertiary education and career
development were still severely limited.

“What do they have to look forward to? They ask themselves this question
and, when they realise the answer is very little. So they give up, choosing
to fill their lives, instead, with drugs, alcohol and vandalism,” she said.

The counsellor was quick to caution against labelling the pressures on
Zimbabwean youth as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, saying this was
over-used and over-rated, saying: “PTSD is a very real condition for people
who have experienced a particular incident that has been life-changing
and/or life-threatening, the result of which would be a number of
conditions, from flashbacks to sleep disorders.”

The lack of parental supervision coupled with the easier access to the
internet, was also leading to an increase in the viewing of pornography, it
being the belief that in Zimbabwe today there is porn in some form in many
households.

A resultant effect is an early onset of sexual awareness, leading to
children as young as six or seven engaging in activities of a sexual nature
and, in the worst case scenario, being raped or sexually abused.

The high level of sexual abuse in the country has led to units being
established at major hospitals solely to deal with the victims and offer
counselling and support, while there is an increase in children as young as
two years old who have been raped and abused.

“You get a nicely-spoken 13-year-old boy referred to you for counselling,
and you ask him why he raped the neighbour’s three year old child and he
tells you, I saw people having sex on the computer and wanted to see what it
was like,” said the counsellor.

Counselling centres are also seeing an increase in the number of school
referrals, students who have exhibited violent or aggressive tendencies,
shown lack of respect for others and their property, and have been abusing
drugs and alcohol.

A reaction to this has been an initiative in some schools to form clubs
which encourage children and youth to speak out about the issues that
concern them. One of the greatest concerns voiced among the youth who attend
these clubs is how to reshape what looks like a dismal future, and they
believe the only way to do this is to make money. Having experienced the era
of hyper-inflation, where “wheeling and dealing” became, often out of
necessity, the norm in order to survive, they have grown up knowing little
else.

“No-one is interested in an education or a career anymore, the lesson they
have learnt from watching society around them is that the only way out is by
making a lot of money,” the counsellor said.

Innocence gone too soon in Zimbabwe

Fences and the Future

When I was a student at Gwebi Agricultural College in the early 60’s we
often visited farms to see firsthand what they were doing to improve
production or manage harsh resources. We soon learned that you could tell
what sort of farmer we were going to meet by two yardsticks – what was the
condition of the farm fences and what sort of dogs greeted us at the
homestead.
The first measure told us about the farmers technical and farming abilities
in that we never found an outstanding farmer in any field who did not have
neat, well maintained fences. Farmers with good human resource skills always
had friendly dogs. Overall this really summed up the farmers abilities and
potential for success.

Today, there is no more telling indicator of failure of agricultural
policies and practices than our fences – there are none, and where they do
exist they are untidy, ineffective and often in a state of collapse. They
reveal many things – the absence of any real sense of ownership or pride,
the lack of security, the absence of any idea of what fences mean in terms
of management and control. Where those occupying the farms do erect fences
they are seldom tidy or effective. That too says a great deal about the
farmer.

Just what happens to the fences? Commercial farmers occupied about 10
million hectares of land in Zimbabwe in 2000, they had carefully fenced
every farm – not just boundaries but also internal paddocks and lands. In
many cases there were fences designed for game as well as cattle and small
stock, fences two metres high, straining posts set in concrete and steel,
gates and cattle grids. They are all gone, they vanish over time and you
seldom see any sign of what they do with the wire and poles.

Friends of ours who farmed 25 000 hectares of semi arid land in region 5 or
6 in the south of the country are a useful example. He was once the top
breeder of Brahman cattle in the country and ran the cattle in conjunction
with wild life. He had fenced the property with two metre high game fence,
cattle grids at the main crossing points and gates elsewhere, 8 boreholes
and many kilometers of pipelines to feed water toughs. This is very dry
country and the soils poor in most case. No surface water.

Sam had learned over the years that you had to rotate your cattle and he
basically rotated the cattle so that at any one time he was able to rest
half the farm in the wet season so that the grass could make maximum use of
the rains when they fell. Over 100 years they maintained rainfall records
and the average never varied significantly over 300 mls per annum. However
in that period they had serious drought every 3 or 4 years – in some years
no rain fell at all. In this hard, unforgiving climate, they made a living
and when times were good were able to put in development. To do this
eventually he had 3 800 kilometers of wire in his fences.

Under this management system the grass cover on the farm gradually improved,
different species became established and the overall carrying capacity
improved until he had an estimated 2200 wild animals on the property and
slightly more cattle. Sam was Afrikaans in background but he and his wife
chose to leave South Africa because of its racial policies and come to this
country. Here he learned the local language, Venda, which he speaks
fluently; he always tried to maintain good relations with the local
community and the local chiefs.

They were invaded 8 years ago, the State moving people onto the property and
providing them with food and other support. Today the property is semi
desert, I doubt if you could find enough grass on the entire 25 000 hectares
to fill a bag. The majority of the “settlers” have abandoned the property
because it cannot support their livestock. The only borehole still working
is at the homestead where Sam lives with his wife. There is not a metre of
fencing left on the entire property. A handful of Zebra and Impala remain,
the Eland are all gone along with the Giraffe and Wildebeest.
Last year he was forced to sell the last of his beloved Brahmans and they
now have no cattle for the first time in their lives. 50 years of breeding
and selection have been lost, genetics that will take many years to recover
when and if production can be resumed.

But that is only the final effect of this tragic story, the reality for us
as a country is the loss of investment, genetic capital, employment and
income generation on a sustainable basis and now just another extension to
what is rapidly becoming desert.

Many would argue that the desertification of these areas is due to “Global
Warming” but of this there is no evidence at all. A careful study of the
meticulous records on this farm over 100 years shows that there is no
discernable change in rainfall – either in distribution or volume. The sole
change in the past decade is the removal of ownership rights through a
destructive and illegal land grab and the subsequent deliberate destruction
of the management infrastructure essential to land management in this
marginal rainfall area.

In every area of the world where land ownership is vested in community
structures and not in individual title with long term security, land use and
production is unsustainable and destructive. Communal agriculture is only
sustainable at subsistence level in conditions where the availability of
virgin land is open and unrestricted. As the land is exploited in these
conditions its productive capacity declines and the people simply destroy
their homes and move to new areas and start again. Over time the areas used
recover and can eventually be reoccupied in 20 or 30 years time.

In semi arid areas, especially in the sensitive savannah bushveld of Africa,
the most immediate impact of growing populations has been to replace nomadic
land use patterns with fixed abode and this is invariably associated with
land degradation and in extreme cases, desertification. When deserts form
they are almost impossible to rehabilitate. That is why the Kalahari desert
is growing at a kilometer a year, that is why the Savannah of the Sahael has
disappeared and been replaced with desert sand dunes.

Africa cannot ignore this reality for much longer. As countries came to
independence in the period after 1950, one by one they destroyed the systems
of tenure that the colonial powers had brought to the continent. In their
place they created systems that always left the ownership of land in State
hands and usage rights subject to political patronage. The result is that
the continent with more potentially productive land than any other is now
the largest net importer of food in the world. The USA with its private farm
industry and only 3 per cent of its population engaged in agriculture;
produces half the surplus food production of the world. American farmers in
the mid west are so important that the current drought there has doubled
global grain prices in a matter of weeks.

The “land reform” process in Zimbabwe has been an unmitigated disaster.
Despite the steady recovery in the wider economy since 2008, agriculture
remains in steep decline. No greater symptom of failure exists than the
disappearance of our fences. But behind that façade lies a deeper malaise –
that of total insecurity. There can be no recovery in the farm industry
until this is addressed – not just in commercial farming districts but also
in communal areas where the absence of security for decades has resulted in
conditions of absolute poverty, hunger and land degradation.

Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 12th August 2012

Constitution Watch of 15th August 2012 [ZANU-PF Politburo Continues to Stall Constitution]

Bill Watch 38/2012 of 16th August [President Zuma's Last-Minute Visit Before the SADC Summit]