http://www.voanews.com
By Jonga Kandemiiri, Ntungamili Nkomo & Irwin
Chifera
Washington
17 August 2009
Only two out of
three of the principals in Zimbabwe's fractious unity
government attended a
meeting Monday of senior partners in power-sharing,
obliging postponement of
a pivotal discussion of issue remaining on the
table six months into the
arrangement.
In the absence of Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara,
President Robert
Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai took up other
business,
government sources said.
For many weeks Mr. Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change has been
pressing for the resolution of
outstanding issues including the leadership
of the Reserve Bank and the
Office of the Attorney General, and the
prosecution of lawmakers of Mr.
Tsvangirai's MDC formation by which, it
says, Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF aims to
erode the MDC house majority.
Late last week ZANU-PF countered by
charging that the MDC formations had
failed to obtain an end to Western
targeted sanctions against President
Mugabe and other top officials or
supporters of the previous ZANU-PF
government.
The former ruling
party also demanded an end to broadcasts from abroad by
so-called pirate
radio stations, as VOA's Studio 7 has often been
characterized by ZANU-PF
officials.
James Maridadi, spokesman for the prime minister, told Studio
7 that Mr.
Tsvangirai and the president reviewed the government's 100-day
recovery plan
and other topics.
Pretoria-based political analyst
George Mkhwanazi told reporter Ntungamili
Nkomo of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that the ZANU-PF demands that the MDC
should order the United
States, Britain and other countries to lift their
sanctions are
preposterous.
Meanwhile, Studio 7 correspondent Irwin Chifera reported
from Harare that
House Speaker Lovemore Moyo dismissed press reports on the
weekend saying
the selection of the Media Commission has been put on hold,
saying there is
no turning back on this reform.
http://www.businessday.co.za
DUMISANI MULEYA
Published: 2009/08/18 06:57:55 AM
A CRUCIAL meeting of Zimbabwe's
political leaders over a number of divisive
issues threatening to wreck the
inclusive government failed to take place
yesterday amid a growing rift
within the ruling coalition.
The failure of the meeting in Harare to
sort out contentious issues would
raise the stakes in President Jacob Zuma
's expected visit to the Zimbabwean
capital at month-end in a bid to knock
heads together before he steps down
as the Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) chairman early next
month.
Zuma is expected to
visit Zimbabwe on August 27 to open the annual Harare
Agricultural Show,
although his main mission will be resolving political
problems buffeting the
inclusive government.
President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara were expected to meet
yesterday to tackle a series
of issues unresolved since the power-sharing
government was set up after
bitter, protracted talks. The meeting failed due
to Mutambara's absence.
Tsvangirai's spokesman James Maridadi
said only Mugabe and Tsvangirai met
but they did not discuss the
"outstanding political issues" as expected.
"The president
and the prime minister met, but they could not discuss the
outstanding
issues because the full compliment of political principals was
not there,"
Maridadi said. "Instead, they discussed administrative issues
and other
matters pertaining to the day-to-day running of
government."
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara were expected
to deal with matters that
have kept them at loggerheads since the formation
of the unity government in
February.
Tsvangirai recently
held talks in Johannesburg with Zuma about the issues in
dispute. Zuma said
he would contact Mugabe and Sadc leaders about the
matters.
The issues still in dispute concern the
appointment of provincial governors,
positions of the Reserve Bank governor
Gideon Gono and Attorney- General
Johannes Tomana, the swearing-in and
prosecution of Deputy Agriculture
Minister Roy Bennett, the arrests and
jailing of a number of Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) MPs
and a series of policy issues.
However, the
decision-making Zanu (PF) politburo said after a meeting last
week Mugabe
should not give in to MDC demands because "we already
compromised on many
issues".
"The constant reference by the MDC to outstanding matters
therefore baffles
us," Zanu (PF) spokesman Ephraim Masawi said. "It is now
six months since
the formation of the inclusive government and Zanu (PF)
leaders, as well as
their families are still inhibited from visiting Europe
and the US." Masawi
said Tsvangirai and his party must first remove
"sanctions" instead of
complaining about "trivial
issues".
Addressing a rally in Mutare at the weekend, he said
continued failure to
address the controversial issues was a clear sign some
people were trying to
undermine the coalition.
"The
agreement is a workable concept to move the country forward. However,
there
are some people who are working against the spirit of the people of
Zimbabwe," he said.
"If we are all serious about this
government, why is it that we still have
outstanding issues six months after
the consummation of the inclusive
government? It means someone, somewhere is
not committed."
Tsvangirai said the issues had to be resolved
because "no sane person would
like Zimbabwe to slide back to the period of
last year - even those in Zanu
(PF)".
Tsvangirai warned
Mugabe to stop taking him for granted because his party
had won elections
last year. He said the MDC was forced in to talks due to
political
violence.
"We won the election. We want to build credible,
professional and non-
partisan state institutions. We should democratise the
country and create
conditions conducive for a free and fair election," he
said.
"This country needs healing but those who committed political
crimes must
ask for forgiveness from their victims," he
said.
"The only way forward is this route. The greatest
beneficiaries are the
people of Zimbabwe.
"We want to create an
atmosphere where those who have been defeated in
elections humbly hand over
power to winners," Tsvangirai said.
Tsvangirai warns Mugabe
to stop taking him granted because his Movement for
Democratic Change did
win the elections last year
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by
Sebastian Nymhangambiri Tuesday 18 August 2009
HARARE -
Parliamentary speaker Lovemore Moyo insisted Monday that the House
would
press ahead with nomination of candidates to various commissions meant
to
reshape and democratise Zimbabwe's politics, amid signs of discord within
the governing coalition over the reforms.
Moyo said Parliament will
next month announce dates when it shall interview
candidates, rejecting
weekend reports by the official Sunday Mail newspaper
that the nomination
process had been suspended to give political parties
time to come up with a
mutually acceptable formula to select people to sit
on the
commissions.
"It is their own imagination and dreams," Moyo said of the
reports by the
newspaper, which although owned by the government is tightly
controlled by
President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party and often reflects the
views of the
hardliner wing of the party.
"The next stage for us is
that within two weeks we will be able to tell you
when the next interviews
are due. Around the 1st of September we will have
the date. We are doing the
process of shortlisting the candidates," said
Moyo, who is also chairman of
the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC
party.
ZANU PF, MDC-T and
a breakaway MDC faction led by Deputy Prime Minister
Arthur Mutambara formed
a power-sharing government last February to ease
political tensions in
Zimbabwe and rebuild the country's battered economy.
In addition to
reviving the economy, the coalition government is supposed to
write a new
and democratic constitution for Zimbabwe and appoint several
commissions
that will among other things oversee the media, work to promote
human rights
and manage future elections.
The four commissions provided for under a
Constitutional Amendment Number 19
that established the power-sharing
government are the Zimbabwe Media
Commission (ZMC), Independent Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (IZEC), Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and
the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission
(ZHRC).
Once the commissions and
the proposed new constitution are in place the
government will call fresh
elections with the whole process that began in
February expected to last
between 18 to 24 months.
But the Sunday Mail raised fears the process
could be delayed. The paper
quoting parliamentary clerk Austin Zvoma and
some unnamed sources said
nomination of candidates had been suspended and
that the coalition partners
might have to forward nominees for appointment
to the commissions on based
proportional representation.
But MDC-T
spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the party was not aware of
suspension of the
nomination process, in a sign of brewing conflict over the
political process
that has lagged far behind economic reforms.
Moyo, who spoke after a
meeting of Parliament's standing orders and rules
committee that he chairs
and which is in charge of the nominations, said the
committee the had come
with an improved formula to select candidates for
outstanding commissions
after it sat two weeks ago to nominate candidates
for the media
commission.
"It was a normal meeting but a special one in the sense that
it came up with
methodologies to select the commissions still outstanding -
after the ZMC.
No major changes (to the ZMC methodology.) We want to be more
thorough to
avoid confusion," he said.
Nomination of ZMC candidates
has been mired in controversy after ZANU PF
party protested against the
selection process after several of its allies
failed to make it to the final
list of nominees.
Mugabe is supposed to appoint the ZMC from names
submitted to him by Moyo's
committee. But presidential spokesman George
Charamba suggested Mugabe might
not act on the names submitted following
complains by ZANU PF.
The slow pace of political reforms is one of the
reasons cited by rich
Western nations for refusing to give direct financial
support to the Harare
administration and for not lifting visa and financial
sanctions imposed on
Mugabe and his inner circle seven years ago. -
ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
August
17 2009
By TONI
SAXON
MUTARE - The government is going to privatise or commercialise some
of its
loss-making parastatals, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said last week.
Addressing a breakfast meeting organised by the Confederation of Zimbabwe
Industries (CZI) in Mutare, Biti said an inter-ministerial committee was
working on a programme to see which government-owned companies could be
offloaded because they were a burden to the fiscus or which ones could be
commercialised and turned into profitable operations. (Pictured: Finance
Minister Tendai Biti)
He said: "The government will soon privatise or
commercialise some of the
parastatals that are non-performing. The
inter-ministerial committee is
working on this programme so that we can
categories some of the parastatals
to see whether they should be
commercialized (or privatized)."
The International Monetary Fund and local
analysts have long called on the
government to privatise non-performing
parastatals or allow them to charge
economic prices to stop them from
perpetually draining the national
treasury.
Among some of the
government's perennially under-performing companies are
the National Oil
Company of Zimbabwe, Air Zimbabwe, Grain Marketing Board,
National Railways
of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority.
http://www.herald.co.zw/
18 August 2009
Harare - Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Governor Dr Gideon Gono has proposed the
reintroduction of the Zimbabwe
dollar anchored on gold valued by an
independent body comprising all
stakeholders.
He said the reintroduction of the local currency would help
in addressing a
number of bottlenecks the country was facing.
Dr Gono
said the reintroduction of the local unit in the manner he was
proposing
would go a long way in addressing unavailability of change of
small
denominations and coins, among other constraints.
The RBZ chief said this
yesterday while giving oral evidence before the
Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee on Natural Resources, Hospitality and
Tourism.
The
committee, chaired by Nkayi South Member of the House of Assembly Mr
Abednico Bhebhe (MDC), wanted to know the financial sector's preparedness in
terms of introducing plastic money ahead of 2010 World Soccer Cup Finals to
be held in South Africa.
The committee invited the central bank and
the Bankers' Association of
Zimbabwe, led by its president Dr John
Mangundya, to update it on progress.
During yesterday's deliberations,
bankers said they had gone a long way with
preparations and international
credit and debt cards would be ready by end
of September this
year.
The committee, however, expressed concern at the unavailability of
change,
especially coins.
In response, Dr Gono proffered an array of
advice that included the need for
political stability, addressing
infrastructural issues like availability of
electricity, water, transport
network, and the health delivery service
system, among others.
"The
financial sector might do its homework, but if other players don't play
their part, the country might not benefit anything from the world soccer
showcase," said Dr Gono.
He said there was need to reintroduce the
Zimbabwe dollar that would be
pegged against gold available.
He said
those who had criticised his idea were doing so out of ignorance, as
they
did not understand the gist of his advice.
"Nobody can move me from that
conviction. We anchor our Zim dollar to the
gold available. It will not only
be RBZ, but all stakeholders. A certificate
will then be issued to the RBZ
on the amount of Zim dollar to be printed
after the committee has satisfied
itself on the value of the gold," said Dr
Gono.
"You can also redeem your
Zim dollar in return for an ounce of gold. Say, if
you want to keep gold not
cash, you can go to your bank and get an
equivalent of ounces of gold to the
Zim dollar you have, so we will be
backing our money with reality on the
ground. Such an approach is not
inflationary because you are anchoring your
money on productivity."
The central bank chief urged Zimbabweans to be
pragmatic by "thinking
outside the box".
"We can even print gold
coins. The Zim dollar can then gain as it is
anchored on gold. We need to
think outside the box," he said.
Asked why the country had not formally
dollarised or randified, Dr Gono said
that would involve a number of legal
and economic issues.
He said it was not possible to officially dollarise
because the United
States had imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe while it would
be cumbersome for
Zimbabwe to officially use the rand as its
currency.
"If we are to randify, we will have to be members of the Common
Union with
Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland whose economies are anchored with
South
Africa. All our policy and monetary statements would have to be
submitted to
South Africa for concurrence before we finally pronounce them,"
said Dr
Gono. Initially, Dr Mangundya had said it was more expensive to
import coins
because transport costs were determined by weight.
"We
will have to pay, say, US$100 000 to import US$10 000 worth of coins,"
said
Dr Mangundya.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Nokuthula
Sibanda Tuesday 18 August 2009
HARARE - The Zimbabwe
Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has
said a strike by doctors
across the country is threatening the recovery of
the health delivery system
at a time when the sector is struggling to
recover from last year's
crisis.
Doctors at public hospitals went on strike last week to press for
more pay.
The industrial action has brought back memories of last year when
striking
doctors and nurses deserted hospitals as a cholera epidemic ravaged
Zimbabwe, killing more than 4 000 people before it was brought under control
with help from international relief agencies.
"The health delivery
system is still struggling to emerge from a crisis that
left the country's
major referral hospitals unable to deliver services at
the end of 2008,"
ZADHR said in a statement.
"Health professionals are entitled to adequate
remuneration and acceptable
working conditions. However, this must be
balanced against the well being of
patients. Unavailability of health
services ultimately results in increased
morbidity and preventable
deaths."
The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association that represents all
state doctors
is pushing for a salary of US$1 000 per month plus $500
allowance.
The association has promised to extend the job boycott to all
state
hospitals across the country that are the source of health service for
more
than 90 percent of Zimbabweans.
The government's Health Services
Board (HSB) is negotiating with the doctors
but says funds provided by
international donors for doctors' allowances and
other perks have run out.
More funds can only be available for disbursement
to doctors in about two
works, according to the board.
Most of Zimbabwe's public hospitals that
had virtually become dysfunctional
began operating only six months ago after
formation of a coalition
government by President Robert Mugabe, Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara.
The
power-sharing government has promised to rebuild Zimbabwe's economy and
top
restore basic services such as health and education that had virtually
collapsed after years of recession.
But the administration, which
says it needs US$10 billion to revive the
economy, could fail to deliver on
its promise unless it is able to unlock
financial support from Western
governments that have remained reluctant to
provide aid until they see
evidence that Mugabe is committed to genuinely
share power with Tsvangirai.
- ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=21317
August 18, 2009
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - Veteran politician Edgar Tekere on Sunday made a
surprise
appearance at Mutare's Sakubva Stadium, where thousands of Movement
for
Democratic Change (MDC) supporters converged to mark the party's tenth
anniversary.
Tekere, former Zanu-PF secretary general and close ally
President Robert
Mugabe and now a relentless critic of the Zimbabwean
leader, was greeted
with deafening applause from the crowd, which MDC
officials estimated at 40
000 strong.
Tekere, who was attending an
MDC function for the first time since the party's
formation a decade ago,
was allowed a brief five minutes to address the
crowd.
He praised MDC
leader, Morgan Tsvangirai for his courage and relentless
effort to confront
Mugabe in a bid to restore democracy in Zimbabwe.
As leader of the now
defunct Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM) Tekere has first
hand experience of
the dire consequences of challenging Mugabe.
His party, which contested
the 1990 elections, later disbanded after being
allegedly infiltrated by the
Central Intelligence Organisation.
Tsvangirai, on his part, said he was
worried about the failing health of
Tekere, saying he was among thousands of
the country's liberation war
fighters who were being neglected by
government.
'I am worried about the health of Mr Tekere and the welfare
of the war
veterans," Tsvangirai said.
"If government cannot provide
for veterans of the liberation struggle, how
can it provide for the
generality of the people of Zimbabwe?"
Tekere last month told delegates
to a conference in Harare that he strongly
supported Tsvangirai and his
deputies in the new unity government.
Tekere said he put his faith in the
"Morgan Tsvangirai Trio" to dig Zimbabwe
out of its economic
quagmire.
He said the "trio" comprised the MDC leader and his two
deputies, Arthur
Mutambara, leader of the smaller MDC party, and Thokozani
Khuphe, Tsvangirai's
deputy in the mainstream MDC.
"I see them as a
trio. We must assist them," Tekere said, "They are the ones
who are sweating
to make our country come back to life."
Tekere also said he was
frustrated by the continued failure on the part of
the country's partisan
service chiefs to recognize Tsvangirai, who is now
Prime Minister, and those
who claimed that the MDC leader had an inferior
educational
background.
The outspoken politician broke away from Zanu-PF in 1989s
after serious
clashes with Mugabe, accusing him in particular of abuse of
power and
Zanu-PF in general of widespread corruption.
Meanwhile, in
his main address, Tsvangirai said no one should take the MDC
for granted as
it had overwhelmingly won the election of March 29, 2008.
"We won the
election," he said.
"We want to build credible, professional and
non-partisan State
institutions. We should democratize the country and
create conditions
conducive to a free and fair election."
Tsvangirai
also urged perpetrators of political violence in the country,
most of them
being Zanu-PF, to apologise to their victims for crimes
committed.
"This country needs healing but those who committed
political crimes must
ask for forgiveness from their victims," he
said.
Tsvangirai said the MDC had voluntarily joined the inclusive
government as
it was the only available option to confront the country's
myriad problems.
"The only way forward is this route. The greatest
beneficiaries are the
people of Zimbabwe. We want to create an atmosphere
where those who have
been defeated in elections humbly hand over power," he
said.
The MDC leader defeated Mugabe in the March 29 president election
but later
withdrew from a run-off election due to fierce State sponsored
violence
against the MDC.
Tsvangirai said the delay in resolving the
outstanding issues to a unity
agreement he signed with his former rivals was
a clear sign that some people
were trying to undermine the Global Political
Agreement (GPA).
"The GPA is a workable concept to move the country
forward. However, there
are some people who are working against the spirit
of the people of
Zimbabwe.
"If we are all serious about this
government, why is it that we still have
outstanding issues six months after
the consummation of the inclusive
government? It means someone, somewhere is
not committed," said Tsvangirai.
"No sane person would like Zimbabwe to
slide back to the (situation) of last
year even for those in Zanu-PF. The
main aim of forming the inclusive
government was to deliver basic services
and for people to have food on the
table."
Some of the outstanding
issues are the unilateral appointments by Mugabe of
his cronies, Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Gideon Gono and the
Attorney-General, Johannes
Tomana.
The MDC is also keen to see swearing in of the party's national
treasurer,
Roy Bennett as the deputy Agriculture minister and the
appointment of MDC
stalwarts as provincial governors.
The posts have
in the past been occupied by Zanu-PF officials.
Tsvangirai said the party
which he founded had resisted temptations to take
up arms to defend itself
from relentless abuse by the State but had
maintained committed to the
restoration of democracy through the ballot.
"As a party, we have refused
to be seduced into barbaric means of solving
our crisis," he said. "Instead
of the bullet, we have shown confidence and
consistency in our belief in the
ballot."
He urged Zimbabweans to take part in the current
constitution-making process
which is expected to create conditions for free
and fair elections in
Zimbabwe.
Sunday's rally was attended by the
MDC leadership including the Vice
President, Thokozani Khupe; national
chairman, Lovemore Moyo, and
secretary-general, Tendai Biti.
http://www.voanews.com
By Sandra Nyaira
Washington
17
August 2009
Zimbabweans from all walks of life converged Monday at
the Mount Pleasant,
Harare, home of the late orthopedic surgeon Dr. Chris
Mushonga, 73, who
succumbed Saturday to injuries sustained in a June
invasion of his home by
seven gun-wielding assailants.
Mushonga,
husband of Regional Integration and International Cooperation
Minister
Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, was well known for operating on
the
country's poor without charge and for supporting the democratic movement
in
the country.
President Robert Mugabe led mourners with Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara.
Mushonga was instrumental in early efforts to launch the
Movement for
Democratic Change, opening his house to meetings, providing
funds to the
organization and food to activists just as he did during the
liberation
struggle of the 1970s.
Mr. Mugabe told mourners about Dr.
Mushonga's assistance to his guerrilla
movement during the liberation
conflict ending with Zimbabwean independence
in 1980. He said Dr. Mushonga
would be given a state funeral in recognition
of his fight for majority rule
in the country.
The family asked President Mugabe to see that justice is
served for Dr.
Mushonga by bringing to book those who assaulted and robbed
him. Seven men
have been arrested and charged with the attempted murder of
Dr. Mushonga.
Dr. Mushonga, a former deputy mayor of Harare for the MDC,
is survived by
his wife and nine children, all from previous marriages. He
is to be buried
on Friday in Chishawasha, in Mashonaland East
province.
His only surviving brother, Zacharia Mushonga, told reporter
Sandra Nyaira
of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the doctor's death was a
major blow to
the family.
Nairobi-based political analyst Brian
Kagoro, who worked with Dr. Mushonga
in the early days of the MDC, told VOA
that with the passing of the
physician, Zimbabwe has lost a virtuous man who
fought corruption at every
turn.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
August
17 2009
By BRADSHAW
MUZANENHAMO
HARARE -- President Robert Mugabe has posthumously conferred
medals of
honour on two top army officers alleged to have been assassinated
in 2007
for allegedly plotting to stage a coup against the 85-year old
leader.
Mugabe, whose Zanu (PF) party has nominated to remain at the helm
for
another five years, awarded the Grand Officer of the Zimbabwe Order of
Merit
Medal to the late Brigadier Generals, Armstrong Paul Gunda and Fakazi
Muleya
who died within a space of two weeks and were declared national
heroes.
A total of 41 senior military officers, received the medals, four
posthumously as Mugabe continues to buy loyalty from the armed forces by
decorating them with medals.
Gunda's widow, Tendai and her children have
among many Zimbabweans insisted
that the Brigadier General died under murky
circumstances.
The Zimbabwe National Army recently issued a statement
announcing that a
board of inquiry had established that there was no foul
play concerning the
death of Gunda.
Mugabe has in the past made what have
been described as 'insensitive' awards
like in 2008 when he awarded the
Grand Commander of the Zimbabwe Order of
Merit, the highest military honours
to the architects of the Gukurahundi
genocide, Air Marshal Perrence Shiri
and Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander,
Constantine Chiwenga.
Shiri was
the founding commander in 1981 of the murderous Fifth Brigade
which raped
and murdered civilians in the Midlands and Matabeleland until he
was
transferred to the Air Force in 1984.
He was replaced as commander by
Chiwenga who in 1981 was commander of One
Brigade and replaced Shiri as
commander of Fifth Brigade in 1984. One
Brigade was one of several military
camps used as a launch pad to terrorise
civilians in the Midlands and
Matabeleland in the 1980s.
On Defence Forces Day, Gunda's family paid more
than US$800 to place a full
colour half page advert in the state-controlled
newspaper, The Herald, to
make their feelings known.
"We as the Gunda
family will be receiving your medal which you worked for
the rest of your
life. We salute you Comrade Gunda. We love you."
The family quoted a verse
from the Bible, which it said he read a lot. "The
thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy, I have come so that they may
have life and have it to
the full."
The family, which is facing eviction from a ZNA house in
Bulawayo, amid
threats to repossess vehicles which belonged to her husband
said it found
protection in God.
"This verse tells me that whatever
happens in my life, I must always speak
with God, even when my enemies try
to attack, I always refer to this verse,
because I know that God is always
on my side.
"I have also learnt that if you are filled with fear, you become
afraid of
(the) challenge of life..."
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
August
17 2009
By STAFF
REPORTER
HARARE - Zimbabwe's parliament may have prejudiced prospective
candidates
for the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) after it failed
to
advertise for positions on the new board and instead used the list of
candidates for the proposed Zimbabwe Media Commission to select nominees for
the BAZ, media watchdogs protested last week. (Pictured: Speaker of
Parliament, Lovemore Moyo - Media watchdogs say the House may have
prejudiced prospective candidates for the Broadcasting Authority of
Zimbabwe)
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Media
Monitoring
Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) said Parliament's Standing Rules and
Orders
Committee (SROC) violated the law by unilaterally deciding to use the
ZMC
shortlist to conduct interviews for the BAZ board without advertising
the
positions.
In a letter to Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo,
MISA-Zimbabwe
chairperson Loughty Dube said parliament misled Zimbabwe media
stakeholders
by not stating in an advertisement placed on June 5 that it
would also hold
parallel interviews for the BAZ board.
"The advertisement
in question called for applications to the Zimbabwe Media
Commission and
three other separate commission namely, Zimbabwe Human Rights
Commission,
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Anti-Corruption
Commission," read part
of the letter to Moyo.
The watchdogs, however, contended that the selection
processes for the two
organisations are governed by separate legal
provisions and should,
therefore, have been conducted separately.
"Our
reasonable assumption was that the call for applications was largely
for
constitutionally established commissions and not necessarily statutory
boards," read part of Dube's letter to the speaker.
Added MPZ: "Besides,
the legal framework for the establishment of the two
regulatory bodies and
the requisite qualifications for their members are
different, rendering
SROC's decision technically and procedurally
irregular," observed the
MMPZ.
The ZMC and the three other commissions are established by in terms of
the
Constitution while the BAZ board is not a constitutional body and can
only
be set up under statutory regulations contained in the Broadcasting
Services
Act.
The SROC has shortlisted 12 candidates out of the 27
interviewed on August 3
for forwarding to President Robert Mugabe who is
expected to pick the final
nine people to sit on the ZMC.
The
parliamentary committee also picked six candidates for the new BAZ board
out
of the 27 interviewed.
The ZMC is the successor of the government-controlled
Media and Information
Commission (MIC) which has been defunct since January
2008 following a
constitutional amendment.
A partisan body, the MIC was
accused of forcing the closure of at least four
privately run newspapers
since 2003.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=21332
August 18, 2009
John
Robertson
ZIMBABWE'S Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono recently offered
his thoughts
on the performance of the productive sectors since the
formation of the
Government of National Unity.
Some views are
helpful, but others demonstrate that senior officials still
cling to beliefs
that have served only to damage the economy. Perhaps they
are obliged to
carry on expressing support for some of these beliefs, but
many of them need
to be puffed up with false interpretations to make them
look
believable.
For example, the Governor describes the Multiple Currency
System as a
"noble" policy that was introduced by the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe in the
last quarter of 2008. If he were to be more accurate, he
would have to admit
that the rapidly collapsing Zimbabwe dollar forced the
private sector to use
other currencies and that initially they had to do so
in defiance of RBZ
directives that threatened fund confiscations and
prosecutions.
A fuller admission would accept that RBZ conduct led to the
destruction of
the integrity of the Zimbabwe dollar. This made the currency
useless to
everyone, the RBZ and government included. Officials had no
option but to
accept the use of other currencies. Their decision to do so
should therefore
be seen, not as a noble achievement, but as an ignoble
defeat for RBZ
policies.
Some of the helpful thoughts are on the
mining sector. The Governor believes
that it is handicapped by uncertainties
about proposed legislation,
mysterious procrastinations in the approval of
investment proposals,
uncoordinated mining sector investment attraction
strategies and a lack of
skills in the ministry. He also believes that
foreign investors who are
bringing in capital should be allowed to own more
than 50 percent of the
venture.
But he also believes that the country
can earn significant foreign currency
from the auctioning of mining claims.
This idea is much more ominous than
any of the others. It implies a belief
that future mining claims should
automatically come under the control of
government as soon as the minerals
are discovered and the claims are
registered.
The success previously enjoyed by Zimbabwe's mining sector
was based on the
ownership rights to discoveries that were acquired
automatically by the
person or company that found the mineral deposit. These
rights were then
used to arrange for development funding or to negotiate for
a partnership
with, or an outright sale to potential developers. If the
State now proposes
to assume ownership of new discoveries so that they can
be auctioned for
State finances, the State will very quickly run out of
mining properties to
auction. As a result, the development of the industry
will stop.
Confusion about how farming should work in this day and age
persists in the
Governor's thinking. Zimbabwe has virtually wiped out its
capacity to
subsidise anybody, specially the hundreds of thousands of new
farmers who
failed year after year even with generous subsidies, but at no
point does
the Governor acknowledge the one-time existence of farmers in
Zimbabwe who
had the needed experience, had mechanised their operations, had
achieved
high levels of productivity, were able to pay the market price for
their
inputs and were efficient enough to be able to cover their costs by
selling
their produce, also at market prices.
They were successful
enough to operate without need of subsidies, funding
their activities with
commercial loans. These loans were secured by title
deeds to their land. The
repayment terms made them so determined to succeed
that they achieved export
surpluses almost every year for the past century.
The main purpose of the
Governor's observations is clearly to underline the
need for vast amounts of
money to restore and further develop the country's
economy, but the message
between the lines is that he knows the money has to
come from elsewhere as,
with his help, we have destroyed all our own.
The same thoughts surface
in much more explicit terms in the paragraphs that
repeat the government's
frequent accusations that "illegal sanctions" are
the reason for Zimbabwe's
difficulties.
"Our plea to the international community is that they give
Zimbabweans the
deserved giant leap of faith and play a progressive and
supportive role
through the unconditional removal of the crippling sanctions
that are now an
unbearable millstone around the country's
economy".
This section starts with the statement: "The formation of the
Inclusive
Government did and does indicate and confirm that the people of
Zimbabwe
fully understand their democratic institutions.". This phrase
appears to be
as close as the Governor can get to support his claim that the
requested
"leap of faith" is now "deserved".
The observations that
have come from many visiting diplomats, politicians,
investors and
commentators seems never to have been heard by the Governor,
or by the
members of government who have displayed their increasing dismay
that aid
has not been pouring into the country since the Government of
National Unity
was formed.
In summary, they have highlighted the lack of progress in the
political
arena and point to the clear evidence that attempts to make
headway on
important issues, such as the rule of law, civil rights and the
freedoms of
expression and association have been frequently thwarted, if not
sabotaged.
Political activists managed to vigorously reinforce the
evidence that
Zimbabwe's old guard was still in charge and still determined
to prevent
change when the first meetings to consider new constitutional
proposals were
broken up by demonstrators and the police did not intervene.
This event
helped to confirm the belief that Zimbabwe is not yet ready to be
offered
assistance, especially as a safe assumption could be made that,
under
current circumstances, any funding supplied might be diverted to
strengthen
the positions of those who were responsible for Zimbabwe's
economic decline.
Responses from development institutions, investors and
donor countries are
showing that none of them is prepared to support efforts
to help our
inappropriate policies to work a little better, while good
policies could be
so easily adopted.
So when are we going to wake up?
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4895
Monday, 17th August 2009.
5:26pm
By: George Conger.
Seventeen days after being
ordained to the priesthood by the Bishop of
Kensington, the curate of the
Church of St Mary the Virgin in Hampton of the
Diocese of London has been
elected Bishop of Manicaland.
On July 24 the electoral synod of the
Zimbabwe diocese elected as
bishop the Rev Dr Julius Makoni to succeed his
deposed processor the Rt Rev
Elson Jakazi. Dr Makoni's election must now go
the House of Bishops of the
Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA)
for confirmation.
An ally of the former Bishop of Harare, on Sept
23, 2007 Bishop Jakazi
joined Dr Nolbert Kunonga in writing to Archbishop
Bernard Malango saying
their dioceses had withdrawn from Central Africa in
protest to what they
alleged was a pro-gay bias in the
Province.
The dean of Central Africa, Bishop Albert Chama of
Northern Zambia,
responded that it "was impossible for them to withdraw the
dioceses" and on
Oct 19, 2007 the Central African bishops declared the two
"were no longer
bishops" of the CPCA.
In April 2008 the former
Bishop of Harare, the Rt Rev Peter Hatendi
was appointed interim bishop of
Manicaland. However, Bishop Jakazi last year
retracted his declaration of
independence from the CPCA and had sought to
block the election of a new
bishop for the diocese, claiming he remained the
rightful bishop. Litigation
is currently underway between the CPCA and
Bishop Jakazi over the
trusteeship of the Manicaland church properties.
Dr Makoni was one
of Zimbabwe's leading bankers until he fled to
England in 2004, after the
Mugabe regime threatened to arrest him over
charges of currency
manipulation. Émigré newspapers at the time dismissed
the charges as being
motivated by political and tribal jealousies, and the
government eventually
dropped all charges.
Educated at St Ignatius College in Harare, Dr
Makoni earned a BA and
PhD in finance from Cambridge University and an MBA
from London University.
He worked in the City of London for Morgan Grenfell
followed by eight years
at the World Bank and three years at Bankers Trust
before he formed his own
bank, NMB Bank which was listed on the London and
Zimbabwe stock exchanges.
After fleeing Zimbabwe in 2004, Dr Makoni
studied for holy orders at
Westcott House and was ordained a deacon in 2008
by the Bishop of Southwark
on behalf of the Bishop of Harare, and was
ordained to the priesthood by
Bishop Paul Williams on July 9.
Dr Makoni is the son-in-law of Bishop Hatendi, and his father, the Rev
Alban
Makoni, was a priest of the Dioceses of Manicaland and Mashonaland. In
2002,
death threats were made by supporters of Dr Kunonga against Dr Makoni's
wife, Pauline. A member of the chapter of the Cathedral of St Mary and All
Saints in Harare, Mrs Makoni had opposed Dr Kunonga's usurpation of
authority within the diocese.
http://www.mg.co.za/
CATHRENE TARUKWASHA - Aug 18 2009
06:00
At 8.30am I arrived at Harare's passport office in the
registrar general's
building next to the once-famous Prince Edward High
School.
The building I'd last entered seven years before was a shadow of
its former
self. The ceiling was peeling and covered in brown stains like
old tears.
Tired people lined up next to doors with numbers and shuffled
blindly from
room to room.
I joined a quick-moving line and soon
faced a bored lady at the counter who
sneered at me and demanded to know my
business. I nervously explained. "This
is the line for ETGs," she spat --
the useless Emergency Travel Document
that cost Z$20-billion and would take
me only as far as South Africa at
best. Those were the days before the Zim
dollar was abandoned as the
official currency.
"Do you have forex?"
she spat again. "Yes, ma'am." "Then go to Room 6." I
was waved off before I
could ask any more questions. So I found Room 6 and
joined the tired
queue.
Inside was a man who understood what sitting in his chair meant in
relation
to those who were waiting to have an audience with him -- and he
milked it
for all it was worth. Sucking his teeth, he held out his hand for
my
documents and demanded to see the money. Then he triumphantly dismissed
me
by telling me I was missing my original birth certificate.
It was
now 11.30am. I rushed home and quickly returned with the missing
documents,
making a detour to Room 108 to get photocopies. Z$600-million
later I was
handed two poor-quality copies with which I rushed to Room 6.
"Mr Important"
then signed my copies and sent me to another window where I
was to pay US$20
for an application form and get a receipt, at which time Mr
Important would
hand me another form. Back home I filled out this form and
enjoyed a
restless night in anticipation of Day 2.
Day 2. I arrived as the office
doors were opening and joined the anxious
crowd. Security made everyone
queue according to the room they needed to go
to. Room 6 was ushered in
first. Mr Important hardly looked at my documents
as he scribbled and then
ordered me to go to Room 8.
There I encountered a stagnant line: the
computer system was down. We were
handed numbers and told to go and wait
outside; we would be called once the
system was back up. Half of the
hundreds of milling people abandoned ship. I
stayed and waited with the
other half in a room plastered wall to wall with
old files -- the documents
of many long gone.
Speculating on what might be wrong with the computers,
we settled on the
filth caked on the machines -- perhaps the answer to our
problems was just a
thorough cleaning away. Waiting, a few mamas read
self-improvement books and
joked lightly with the officials. An Indian
couple grabbed every official in
sight demanding to know why the machines
were down. A few overweight,
red-faced farmers went in and out of rooms,
looking frustrated behind a
security guard who walked with an assumed
authority.
Someone jokingly urged an officer to give the computers
another try and
surprisingly that worked. Thanks to those who had abandoned
ship, Room 8
swiftly punched my information into the computer, fingerprinted
me, glued on
my pictures and stamped them.
Then I had to go to
another window to pay at last for my passport. There I
took a number (23)
and waited. The officials were "having tea" behind the
shuttered window.
When they eventually resumed work, the numbers were in the
40s. Officials
wrote down the serial number of every banknote handed to
them; we were
looking at US$650 for every person, so this was going to be an
agonising
wait. I got comfortable in the queue and started talking about the
good old
days with the others. Most were renewing expired passports for
relatives who
had left Zimbabwe for greener pastures.
As my turn neared, a man
approached and offered to pay me if I would process
his passport with mine.
Embarrassed and surprised, I politely declined and
looked away towards the
six-foot banner splashed with Mugabe's grinning
image proclaiming that the
land was mine.
At the window I paid up and was handed a green receipt and
directed to Room
4. There I joined another queue and in time met a man
behind a Dell computer
spitting into his phone about some clandestine
meeting. He did not seem to
notice me, carelessly checked my documents
against what he had in his
computer and told me to come back on seven
working days. It turned out he
really meant two weeks.
Cathrene
Tarukwasha is a self-employed personal assistant for busy
individuals,
speaks five languages, was educated in the United States and
spent much of
her adult life in Shanghai, China. She recently returned to
Zimbabwe and now
lives in Harare
http://www.filmmaker.co.za/
Angel Films in conjunction with the American
Federation of Teachers is
proud to have been awarded the First Award: winner
of the Saul Miller Award
for Documentary/Social Issues by the International
Labor Communications
Association.
The Media award ceremony
will be held at the ILCA Conference in
Pittsburgh on September
12th.
ZIMBABWE, OH MY ZIMBABWE
Producer/ director:
Ingrid Gavshon
Executive Producer: Pat Keefer
The American
Federation of Teachers (AFT
The film follows plight of Zimbabwean
teachers after they were
targeted for their role in monitoring the second
elections. Through their
stories the film tells of the rise and fall of
President Robert Mugabe, who
played a key role in ending colonial rule and
liberating his people, and was
initially hailed as a modern day savior and
national hero. But that
collapsed. Mugabe and his Zanu-PF political party
brought Zimbabwe to its
knees. Its citizens had been forced to flee; the
former breadbasket of
Africa had no food, no jobs, and little or no
democracy. Conditions in the
country deteriorated and tensions grew as
teachers who had acted as election
officials were targeted, tortured,
beaten, murdered, and disappeared. This
is their story.
The
director Ingrid Gavshon is an award winning, executive producer
and director
who established Angel Films in 1996. The company specialises in
producing
high quality international and local factual programmes.
Angel
Films
Ingrid.gavshon@gmail.com
BILL WATCH
28/2009
[17th August
2009]
Both
Houses of Parliament are in recess until Tuesday 1st September
Update
on Constitutional Commissions Nominations
The
appointments to this Commission are on the agenda for this afternoon’s meeting
between the President and the Prime Minister. In terms of the Constitution the
President must make all key appointments in consultation with [defined as meaning with the agreement of]
the Prime Minister [Constitution, Eighth
Schedule, GPA Article 20.1.3(p)]. Interviews for this commission
were held by Parliament’s Committee on Standing Rules and Orders [CSRO] two
weeks ago on 3rd August and 12 candidates were selected. Notwithstanding some
objections from ZANU-PF, Parliament submitted the CSRO’s list of 12 nominees to
the President, who in terms of the Constitution must now appoint the chairman
and 8 eight other members of the Commission from that list. Because of ZANU-PF
objections the matter was revisited by the CSRO at a meeting this morning which
concluded that the list submitted to the President for the ZMC should stand.
It
is hoped that the matter will be concluded expeditiously without further
objections and obstacles, as there can be no registration of new media outlets
under present legislation until the Commission is in
place.
Broadcasting
Authority of
The
Clerk of Parliament has said that 6 CSRO nominees have also been submitted to
the President for him to make 3 appointments to the BAZ Board. The CSRO decided
at the last minute before the ZMC interviews to use the ZMC short-list for BAZ
nominees also. This procedure has also been objected to, on more understandable
grounds. The Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe Chapter, a group
advocating media freedoms, has pointed out that Parliament’s advertisements
called only for applicants for appointment to the ZMC and the three other
constitutional commissions. The possibility of nomination for appointment to
the statutory BAZ Board was not mentioned in the advertisements. As a result,
qualified persons interested in being on the BAZ Board may not have applied.
Nevertheless, the CSRO decided at this morning’s meeting that the list as sent
to the President will stand. These appointments will also be on the agenda for
this afternoon’s meeting between the President and the Prime Minister.
The
Other Three Constitutional Commissions
No
dates have been set for interviewing candidates for the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission. The CSRO this morning decided on some modification
of the procedure used to arrive at the ZMC nominations. It will identify three
new teams of experts to do the short-listing of applicants for these three
commissions. The experts will have to justify their shortlisting to the full
CSRO. At the interviews the experts will still be responsible for scoring the
interviewees, but the final decision on the lists of nominees will rest with the
full CSRO. The Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
will be dealt with first, followed later by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission.
Parliamentary
Affairs
Appointment of Select
Committee to Investigate AG's Conduct of
Prosecutions
Following the House of
Assembly’s adoption on 30th July of the MDC-T resolution calling
for the appointment of a Select Committee to investigate the conduct of the
Attorney-General in all
politically-motivated prosecutions, the next step is for the CSRO to appoint the
members of the Select Committee. As with all Parliamentary committees the
membership will reflect the political composition of the House. The matter was
not on the agenda for today’s CSRO meeting, and its next meeting is not until
the 31st August.
MDC-M Ultimatum to
Speaker over Vacation of Seats by Expelled MDC-M
MPs
On 22nd July the
Secretary-General of MDC-M, Professor Welshman Ncube, wrote to the Speaker to
inform him that three MDC-M members of the House of
Assembly had been expelled
from the party and no longer represented its interests in Parliament. In terms
of section 41(1)(e) of the Constitution, this entails the immediate vacation of
their seats by the MPs. The MPs, however, went to the High Court in
Court Challenge to
Speaker
The court case to
declare the election of the Speaker invalid has been heard, but judgement is
still pending.
By-Elections
There still have been
no by-elections called to fill the 10 constituency vacancies in Parliament [5 in
the Senate, and 5 in the House of Assembly]. The delay in calling these
by-elections is in breach of both the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
A further 7 vacancies
may occur in the House of Assembly in the near future, all requiring to be
filled by-elections:
·
3 in
·
another 1 in
·
another 3 if
the three MDC-T MPs who have been nominated [Lucia Matibenga, Tose Sansole,
Seiso Moyo] are appointed as provincial governors at the end of this month,
which would free up the seats for Dzivaresekwa, Nketa and Hwange East]
This would produce a
total of 17 vacancies, all requiring by-elections. These cannot now take place
before 15th September as by-election procedures take a minimum of 5 weeks
between the notice calling a by-election and polling. After the 15th September
Article 21 of the GPA falls away, leaving all three parties to the GPA free to
contest by-elections against another.
Replacement
of the Late Vice-President Msika
Article 20.1.10 of
the GPA states that in the event of a vacancy arising in the position of
Vice-President, the vacancy will be filled by a nominee of “the Party which held
that position prior to the vacancy arising”, i.e., by ZANU-PF. Prior to the GPA
this would have been solely the prerogative of the President. As the President
is also the head of ZANU-PF, the distinction is probably not significant. Since
the Unity Accord of 22nd December 1987, after which the two vice-presidential
posts were created, one of the two Vice-Presidents has always been from the
former ZAPU leadership. Whatever choice ZANU-PF makes, it will alter the
political balance in the country. If the choice falls on someone from ZAPU who
has stayed within the ZANU-PF fold, it will affect the succession with ZANU-PF,
as various candidates back different parties in the ZANU-PF succession battle.
If, as rumours suggest, the choice is designed to win back the new [or revived]
ZAPU into the ZANU-PF, it may affect potential voting patterns in the south of
the country.
Update
on Legislation
Acts still to be
gazetted
The Finance (No. 2)
Bill and the Appropriation (Supplementary) Bill [both passed by Parliament on
the 23rd July] are expected to be gazetted as Acts this
week.
Reserve Bank Bill
gazetted
The Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe Amendment Bill [H.B. 7, 2009] was gazetted on the 14th August. The
Bill provides for major amendments to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act,
principally to bring the powers of the Governor under the control of the Bank’s
Board, to clarify the functions of the Bank and to require the Bank to increase
its reserves. [Available
on request: electronic versions of [1] the Bill and [2] the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe Act showing the effect of the amendments proposed by the
Bill.]
No other Bills
gazetted
Draft Public Finance
Management Bill made available for public comment
The Ministry of Finance
has invited comments on its draft Public Finance Management Bill, which is
designed to replace the Audit and Exchequer Act and the State Loans and
Guarantees Act. The Bill is intended to improve accountability for the use of
public resources, provide the regulatory framework for the management of public
finances and promotion of good governance as well as strengthen the current
accounting system. Comments should be submitted to the Accountant-General, P/B
7705, Causeway or email webmaster@zimtreasury.org or New
Government Complex, corner Samora Machel Ave and Fourth St, Harare.
[Electronic
version of Bill available on request.]
Statutory
Instruments
SI 124/2009 specifies
in US dollars [1] the minimum third-party insurance cover required for all motor
vehicles, and [2] the minimum no-fault insurance cover required to be carried by
operators of buses, commuter omnibuses and taxis [effective 4th
August].
SI 130/2009 specifies
new licence fees for broadcasting and other licences issued under the
Broadcasting Services Act. [Note: this does
not include listeners’ licences.]
SI 131/2009 states that
the maximum prices for petroleum products will now be “set by the Oil Industry
based on cost factors, in consultation with the Minister [of Industry and
Commerce] and as announced by a representative of the oil companies in the print
media”.
SI 132/2009 specifies
new US dollar amounts for expenses and allowances payable to witnesses called to
give evidence in criminal proceedings.
SI 133/2009 specifies
new US dollar court fees for local courts [the courts applying customary law
presided over by chiefs and headmen].
Veritas makes
every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal
responsibility for information supplied.
BILL WATCH SPECIAL
[18th August 2009]
Parliamentary Committee
Meetings Open to the Public on 18th and 20th August
Note: Members of the
public wishing to attend any of these meetings are
advised to telephone
Parliament first [on 700181], to check with the
appropriate committee
clerk.
Tuesday 18th August at 10 am
Portfolio Committee on
Agriculture, Water, Lands and Resettlement
Oral evidence from seed house
and fertilizer company
Committee Room No. 4
Portfolio
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and
International
Trade
Review of Budget from Ministry of Regional Integration
and
International Trade.
Oral evidence from Secretary for Regional
Integration.
Committee Room No. 3
Portfolio Committee on
Industry and Commerce
Oral evidence from Ministry of Industry and
Commerce
Committee Room No. 311
Thematic Committee on
Millennium Development Goals
Oral evidence from Ministry of Labour and
Social Services
Committee Room No. 1
Thursday 20th August at
10 am
Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth, Gender and Community
Development
Meeting with Research and Advocacy Unit
Committee Room
No. 3
Other Committee Activities This Week
The Senate Thematic
Committee on Human Rights is attending a workshop on
Human Rights at Kadoma
from 18th to 20th August.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure
reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information
supplied.