Zim Online
Sat 19
August 2006
HARARE - Fuel firms responded to the government's
unilateral slashing
of petrol and diesel prices by turning off the pumps,
resulting in long and
winding queues yesterday re-emerging at the few
garages that were selling
fuel in Harare and surrounding towns.
Zimbabwe has grappled fuel shortages since 1999 because of an acute
shortage
of hard cash to pay foreign suppliers. Fuel had however remained
generally
available since the end of last year as the government appeared to
have
liberated the fuel market allowing private companies with foreign
currency
to import the commodity and sell at viable prices.
But Energy
Minister Mike Nyambuya on Thursday re-imposed controls on
fuel prices
declaring that with immediate effect, no garage was permitted to
sell petrol
and diesel at more than Z$380 and $320 per litre respectively.
Garages had
been charging between $600 and $800 for a litre of diesel or
petrol before
Nyambuya's announcement.
Several attendants at some garages visited
by ZimOnline reporters in
Harare and its satellite towns of Chitungwiza and
Norton said they were not
selling fuel because their employers had told them
to "hold on to allow more
time to read the market
situation".
Oil industry officials accused the government
of acting without
consulting fuel firms and warned that the country could
revert to the 2003
situation when motorists would spend months without
diesel or petrol.
"If we had our input, we would not have obviously
agreed to sell our
products at a loss. We have been importing on our own and
now we are being
asked to give it away," said a senior executive with a
Harare oil firm, who
requested not to be named.
"If the
situation is not rectified, the country is getting back to the
days when it
was virtually dry because of unrealistic fuel prices being
imposed by the
government," the oil executive said.
Harare-based consultant
economist John Robertson concurred, accusing
the government of backtracking
on what was a progressive step to allow
market forces to determine the price
of fuel.
He said: "We had applauded the government for allowing
free market
forces to determine the price of fuel, hence there was some
reasonable
quantities of fuel, now we are going back to the era of fuel
shortages
unless the situation is addressed quickly .. no one would want to
import
fuel at more than $600 a litre and sell at less than $400 a
litre."
But Nyambuya insisted the government would not go back on
the new
prices of fuel and remained adamant that the country would not run
out of
the key commodity because the government and its cash-strapped
National Oil
Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) had made ample arrangements to
import fuel.
Nyambuya said: "The government can now import fuel
which it will be
selling at the prices I announced. Anyone who is interested
in selling fuel
will have to stick to those prices or move out of business.
We have planned
with NOCZIM to have foreign currency for fuel
imports."
The fuel crisis is one of a litany of troubles afflicting
Zimbabwe in
its sixth year of economic recession. The country which has the
world's
highest inflation at 993.6 percent is also facing shortages of
electricity,
food, essential medicines, hard cash and just about every basic
survival
commodity.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic
Change party and Western
governments blame the crisis on repression and
economic mismanagement by
President Robert Mugabe, in power since the
country's independence from
Britain in 1980.
Mugabe denies
ruining Zimbabwe and says its problems are because of
economic sabotage by
Western nations opposed to his government. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Sat 19 August 2006
HARARE - Civic groups in southern
Africa have attacked regional
leaders over their failure to push for a
resolution of the six-year old
political crisis in Zimbabwe saying their
"business as usual" approach was
harming the region.
The civic
groups expressed concern after Southern African Development
Community (SADC)
leaders failed to put Zimbabwe on the agenda for the Maseru
summit.
Mugabe was yesterday expected to brief the SADC
leaders on the
measures his government was implementing to halt the crisis
in his country.
The SADC summit comes amid a burgeoning crisis in
Zimbabwe that had
seen the country battle the world's highest inflation of
993.6 percent and
severe food shortages.
The main opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party and
major Western governments
blame Mugabe for ruining the country particularly
after he seized
white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks six
years
ago.
But Mugabe, in power since the country's independence from
Britain 26
years ago, denies the charge blaming the crisis on sabotage by
Britain and
her allies as punishment for his land reforms. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Sat 19 August 2006
BULAWAYO - A junior Zimbabwean soldier
has threatened to shoot a
Bulawayo-based police assistant commissioner
accusing the senior police
officer of having an extra-marital affair with
his estranged wife.
The soldier, who is based at Imbizo Barracks in
Bulawayo, is said to
have delivered a strongly worded letter to the police
commander in the city
warning of "dire consequences" if Assistant
Commissioner Mpumelelo Sunduza
did not stop the "affair" with his
wife.
In a letter, a copy of which was seen by ZimOnline, the
soldier asked
Senior Assistant Commissioner Lee Muchemwa, in charge of
police in Bulawayo,
to help stop the affair or have Sunduza transferred to
another police
station outside the city.
"I therefore, ask you
Sir, to intervene and stop this affair
immediately to avoid the dire
consequences which might follow if it
continues. Please do not ignore this
letter because at this stage . . . a
tragedy cannot be ruled
out.
"I suggest that you have him (Sunduza) transferred to another
province
to stop (the affair) and avoid loss of lives which is inevitable
under the
present circumstances. The only option left for me might be to
shoot the two
and then turn the gun on myself," read part of the
letter.
The soldier, who did not reveal his name, said it had
become almost
impossible for him to reconcile with his wife after the senior
police
officer arranged new accommodation for his wife at Nkulumane police
camp
after the woman left their matrimonial home in the same
suburb.
He also complained that Sunduza had barred him from
visiting his wife
at the camp instructing officers manning the gates to
block him from seeing
his wife.
Our sources said all was not
well at the police station following the
delivery of the letter last
Friday.
"The letter sent shock waves among the senior officers. We
could tell
from their facial expressions that they were not at ease.
Everyone in this
city and others outside it know about the affair, which
started about two
years ago," said one of the sources
yesterday.
Muchemwa refused to comment on the matter last night
while Sunduza
angrily rejected requests to field questions from
ZimOnline.
"I do not have anything to say to you, just leave me
alone," he said
before switching off his mobile phone.
Police
spokesman, Wayne Bvudzijena, expressed ignorance over the
matter.
"I have not yet heard anything about that, but we do
not expect such
things from our officers, especially seniors who should act
as father
figures to the juniors.
"However, at times we do not
usually intervene in people's private
affairs, and cannot act on this until
someone, especially the aggrieved
party, reports that," he said. -
ZimOnline
SABC
August 18,
2006, 18:45
Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, has criticised
certain countries
for what he calls double standards. Mugabe was speaking on
the final day of
the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Heads of
State and
Government Summit in Lesotho.
Addresing the closure of the
summit, Pakalitha Mofisili, the new chairperson
of Sadc and the prime
minister of Lesotho, said in a gobalised world, Sadc
has underscored the
importance of negotiations as one people with their
development partners on
matters that affect member states econmies and
socioal well
being.
Acknowledging Sadc efforts to bring peace, Mugabe lashed out at
the great
states that abuse their power. He says those in the front line
also regard
themselves as great sources of civilisation that has become
sources of
abuse. they talk peace and on the other hand they are causing
mayhem. Acute
food shortages and the inability to produce is a major
challenge facing
Sadc.
A situation - even the once self supportive
Zimbabwe now finds itself in and
the blame pointed at Mugabe. He says
something is wrong -"Is it over
dependency donor funding or something else
that disturbs us?." As the heads
of states and government leave this tiny
kingdom of Lesotho, expectations
are that they will implement decisions they
have taken and not become a talk
shop.
A number of protocols were
signed, these included the finance, investment
and trade area protocols.
With the current situation in terms of food
shortages and the fight against
Hiv and Aids to name but a few, Sadc will
need to move decisively and
rapidly as possible to implement programmes that
will address these matters.
The next annual Sadc meeting will be held in
Zambia.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations]
HARARE, 18 Aug 2006 (IRIN) - Long queues
formed at post offices, known as
the 'poor man's bank', as people
desperately tried to exchange old
Zimbabwean dollars for new denominations
before the Monday deadline.
Commercial banks in the capital, Harare, were
relatively quiet, despite
conflicting statements by Zimbabwe's central bank
and the high street banks
about business hours. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
said banks "will be open
on Saturday for the purpose of accepting deposits
of old bearer cheques, and
exchanging old bearer cheques for new bearer
cheques only". No other
transactions would take place.
However, many
commercial banks and building societies said on Friday that
they would be
closed on Saturday to update computer systems ahead of the
change to the new
currency. "If at all there were people waiting for
Saturday [to change
money], then that is tough luck for them, because they
are bound to lose
out," said a bank manager, who declined to be named.
Zimbabweans were
caught off-guard earlier this month when Reserve Bank
Governor Gideon Gono
introduced monetary reforms designed to rein in
hyperinflation, which is
hovering at about 1,000 percent. He set a
three-week deadline for about Z$40
trillion (US$160 million) in old currency
to be exchanged for a new
denomination, and introduced a new official
exchange rate of Z$250 to US$1,
from the old official rate of Z$250,000 to
the US dollar.
Individuals
are only permitted to exchange Z$100 million (US$ 1,000 at the
old official
rate) daily, and companies were limited to Z$5 billion
(US$50,000).
A
branch manager at a commercial bank, who declined to be identified, said
ahead of the August 21 deadline "we had actually made arrangements to have
at least four tellers dealing with deposits of cash in the old notes only
because we anticipated depositors to form long queues." He said the expected
last minute rush at the branch had not occurred.
Innocent
Makwiramiti, an economist and former chief executive officer of the
Zimbabwe
National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), speculated that people might
have
decided against surrendering high volumes of cash for fear of
arrest.
Roadblocks were set up soon after Gono announced his currency
reforms,
leading to the arrest of thousands of people and the confiscation
of Z$10
trillion (US$40 million). Individuals carrying more than Z$100
million
(US$1,000) were deemed to have accrued it illegally, unless they had
receipts to prove otherwise.
As much as Z$35 trillion (US$140
million) was estimated to have been
circulating outside of the banking
system - in the last ten days or so the
central bank has stopped issuing
statements on how much money it has seized
at roadblocks.
"It should
be remembered that a lot of people who held large amounts of cash
did so
illegally, and they are afraid of exposing themselves to the law
enforcement
agents," Makwiramiti said. "As a result, we might see notes
flying in the
streets following the expiry of the deadline," or otherwise
people were
"opting to blow it on beer, women and household commodities".
Many cash
hoarders were from the ruling elite and were changing money
outside of
normal banking hours through influential connections with the
banking
sector, Makwiramiti said. "Most of the cash hoarders are the big
fish who,
because of their power, managed to smuggle trillions of the
dollars to
neighbouring countries, and they know just how to get it back. As
a result,
you would not see much activity in the banking halls, which are
for the
small-timers."
Foreign currency dealers operate in neighbouring states,
exchanging money
with cross-border traders coming from
Zimbabwe.
Isaac Kwesu, economics lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe
Graduate
School of Management, said the central bank might be lacking data
on how
much money it had in circulation, which might be the reason for the
slow
business at the commercial banks.
"This could just signal how
down and low business is - that money is not
circulating as much as it
should because industry and commerce are cramped.
For people in formal
employment, there is hardly anything to surrender
because their salaries are
too low, and whatever they get is quickly spent
in the shops," Kwesu
said.
Businesses have already started refusing the old currency as legal
tender,
contravening the central bank's instruction that it remained valid
up until
the August 21 deadline. Samson Phiri, financial director of a
leading
wholesale chain in Harare, said they have stopped accepting the old
denominations because it was inconveniencing business.
"Just like the
banks, we need to be compliant with the new system that deals
with the new
notes, but the main reason for stopping dealing in the old
currency is that
the process of surrendering them to the banks is
cumbersome. We are made to
produce each and every invoice, and are asked too
many questions, not to
mention that the process takes too long and claims
too much of our business
time," he said.
Sara Mujaji, a customer at the store, said she was being
treated unfairly,
as "the banks are not issuing us with enough new notes for
us to make the
purchases that we
want".
tm/go/he
[ENDS]
VOA
By Peta Thornycroft
Harare
18 August 2006
The
trial of Zimbabwe's minister of justice, accused of trying to bribe a
witness in a political violence case, is winding down in his hometown of
Rusape, in eastern Zimbabwe.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa is
accused of offering a bribe to get a
district official to withdraw
accusations that supporters of Security
Minister Didymus Mutasa engaged in
public violence before the 2005 election.
His accuser, James Kauyne, is
fellow official in the ruling Zanu-PF party
who wanted to be a candidate in
the election, but lost to Mutasa in the
primaries.
On Thursday,
Chinamasa told a packed courtroom in his hometown Rusape, about
150
kilometers southeast of Harare, that he was the victim of a political
plot.
He said his accuser was one of 32 witnesses in the case, and he would
be
stupid to try bribing only one of them not to testify. He denied offering
Kauyne a farm and help with getting a pending charge of attempted murder
dropped.
Chinamasa told the court he only went to see his accuser to
try to restore
peace in the Rusape district, for the sake of unity within
Zanu-PF ahead of
the elections.
The state and defense wrapped up
their cases Thursday. However, prosecutor
Levison Chikafu refused to present
a final argument. Chikafu says he is
being intimidated by the government
with threats of lawsuits.
A verdict in the Chinamasa case will be handed
down on September 4.
IOL
August 18 2006
at 11:33AM
Resettled Zimbabwean farmers are to be compelled to
produce crops such
as grain on a portion of their land, Harare's Herald
newspaper reported on
Friday.
Its website reported that this
would happen in terms of yet to be
finalised amendments to 99-year lease
agreements for resettled farmers.
Minister of State for National
Security, Land Reform and Resettlement
Didymus Mutasa said the amendments
were aimed at boosting agricultural
productivity.
He said a
section of the agreement stipulated that new farmers set
aside a certain
percentage of their land for the production of "strategic
crops", such as
grain.
"This is important because it guarantees food security so
that we do
not suffer the hunger that we sometimes suffer
from."
Another section dealt with livestock production, requiring
farmers to
sell a certain number of their herd to the government every
year.
This was meant to boost Zimbabwe's beef exports
to the European Union
and other regional blocks.
The Herald
reported that resettled farmers countrywide were awaiting
the conclusion of
the lease agreements, as these would provide security of
tenure.
The farmers had complained that lack of security of
tenure had
adversely affected production, as their occupation of the
properties
remained uncertain.
Financial institutions were
reluctant to advance loans to the farmers
because of lack of collateral. -
Sapa
By Tichaona
Sibanda
18 August 2006
An 'SOS' for humanitarian
assistance worth US$250 million to 'save
lives' in the country has been made
by NGO's. Severe shortages of fuel and
grain are plunging the country into a
desperate situation. The appeal to
donors comes as maize stocks have run out
in the country, while the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe's deadline for the
currency changeover is creating turmoil
on the market amid fears that many
institutions will not meet it. But that's
not all.
Filling
stations hiked the price of fuel by 1300 percent selling at
Z$600 to Z$800 a
litre. The government responded by imposing a price
reduction to Z$320 per
litre for diesel while petrol was set at Z$335 a
litre for all users in the
country. Our correspondent in Bulawayo Themba
Nkosi said the crises has got
to a stage were 'a spark' can wreak havoc in
the country. 'People have gone
for days without the staple food. There is no
fuel right now in the country
and worse still if you were to find both in
store there is no cash as the
country as already run out of the new
currency,' Nkosi said.
There are also shortages of wheat following grim projections that the
current output could only meet half the country's requirements. In its July
food security report the Famine Early Warning Systems Network reported that
though wheat production is forecast to be higher than last year's crop it
will still fall short of national consumption requirements.
The
Zimbabwe Independent reported Friday that the central bank was
under immense
pressure to extend an arbitrary August 21 deadline for banks
and shops to
get rid of all old bearer cheques. The central bank is in a mad
rush to mop
up the old bearer cheques amid revelations that there are still
many people,
especially in the remote parts of the country, holding on to
large sums of
old money.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
18 August 2006
Last month The Sunday News
reported that the national airline Air
Zimbabwe was in dire straits and
facing threats from international
creditors. Mordecai Magaisa, an official
representing the airline, told the
National Economic Development Priority
Programme taskforce on Tourism that
Air Zimbabwe requires US$44 million for
its long-term recapitalisation
programme. He said millions were also needed
to meet the airline's immediate
needs and to settle foreign debts. Magaisa
disclosed that the situation is
so critical that foreign creditors are
threatening to attach the national
airline's aircraft.
It was
revealed that Air Zimbabwe has already been barred from landing
in Algeria
and in another West African country that was not named because
each country
is owed US$4 million. According to the Sunday News Magaisa
said: "One of the
countries is already seeking a second judgment on the debt
and this is a
major threat to our airline. It would not be surprising if
they are to even
attach our planes over the debt."
Magaisa disclosed more details
which point to poor decision making by
Air Zim officials. One of the worst
decisions involved a deal made with
China. He said the airline needed
immediate funding for the purchase of
spare parts for three Modern Ark 60
(MA60) planes recently acquired from
China without any spare parts. The
tourism taskforce chairman George
Charamba is reported to have said: "On the
issue of spare parts, you were
offered a free plane and you knew quite well
that you had a problem of spare
parts. Why did you not opt for the spare
parts instead of the plane? This is
my first time to hear about this
issue."
Air Zim also needs at least US$500 000 to buy electronic
ticketing
equipment which all airlines are required to have installed by the
beginning
of March 2007. The equipment is a new paperless technology system
now
standard in the industry. The task force also questioned Magaisa about
the
abuse of the free-travel facility. Many staff members and former airline
officials are said to be flying for free. The taskforce also enquired why a
regional manager was based outside the country earning a salary in foreign
currency when the job could be done locally.
Several Air Zim
flights have experienced technical problems en route
and there have been
consistent flight delays and cancellations due to the
fuel and spare parts
problems.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 August 2006
People storing water in buckets and other unsafe containers are
creating an
environment for water borne diseases in Chinhoyi and other parts
of
Mashonaland West Province. From Chinhoyi our correspondent Mike Mutasa
reports that there are daily power cuts that cause the water to be shut off
as well. He said people have resorted to keeping emergency water supplies in
containers that are not refrigerated so the water often becomes stagnant.
The power cuts have also led to an increase in robberies at
night.
Mutasa told us the power cuts have been really bad this
whole year so
far. He said there is no power from the morning till about
noon then it
comes on for a couple of hours in the afternoon. There is no
exact schedule
so it is difficult to plan when to shower or to do laundry or
to cook.
Mutasa said thieves are taking advantage of the darkness
and are
breaking into shops and private homes. With the economic climate as
it is
desperate people are looking for anything they can steal and sell.
Mutasa
added that the Chinhoyi council needs to take more action to protect
residents.
As we reported on several occasions many household
items that use
electricity can be damaged when power is restored if they are
not turned off
during the power cuts. Mutasa said this has also been a
serious problem in
Chinhoyi. He said many people have complained to council
officials but they
blame the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA)
and say they are not
responsible.
SW Radio Africa
Zimbabwe news
By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 August
2006
Zimbabweans trying to access their money Thursday discovered
that all
automated teller machines were offline and debit cards had been
suspended.
With 3 days left to change their old money to the new currency
introduced by
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe this month, many people found
they have no
access to any money unless they make it into their home branch.
Shops and
hotels are also not able to accept payment by debit cards because
the system
is offline.
In Harare Simon Muchemwa spoke to a bank
manager who said they had
been given a grace period from the 17th to the
21st to adopt their systems
to handle the new currency. But the RBZ governor
Gideon Gono did not make
this clear to people when he announced the new
monetary policy that dropped
3 zeros from the currency 3 weeks ago. Salaries
for many Zimbabweans were
processed this week and Muchemwa said very few
people will have access to
their money until after August 21st. Travellers
who are nowhere near their
home branch will also be stranded as they cannot
access any money from the
ATM machines.
Muchemwa has reported
all along that there is much confusion regarding
the switch to the new
system. But the situation has worsened as the deadline
approaches with major
supermarkets refusing to accept old currency ahead of
the stipulated
deadline. Many banks also ran out of new notes this week.
Muchmemwa
said there is much despondency and anger as people try to
find ways to deal
with ever changing situations and challenges from day to
day. Gono said the
conversion to new currency, which was dubbed Operation
Sunrise, was meant to
make life easier for Zimbabweans. So far it appears
everything he has done
was designed to do the opposite.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe
news
IPSnews
Moyiga Nduru
MASERU, Aug 17 (IPS) - As the annual summit of
the Southern African
Development Community got underway Thursday, Zimbabwean
activist Bishop
Shumba was on hand in Lesotho's capital -- Maseru -- to
remind regional
leaders about the political and economic difficulties in his
country.
"We want to show the world that all is not well in Zimbabwe, and
that
(President Robert) Mugabe is not wanted in Zimbabwe," he said, a huge
banner
in hand that read 'Advocating Good Governance in
Zimbabwe'.
Shumba, a member of the Johannesburg-based Zimbabwe Exile
Forum, a pressure
group, joined 24 other exiles traveling to Maseru to
highlight conditions in
South Africa's northern neighbour.
Since
2000, the economic situation in Zimbabwe has worsened dramatically,
something attributed in part to controversial farm seizures and a costly
involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) civil
war.
Foreign currency is in short supply and fuel scarcer still, while
inflation
has soared to over 1,000 percent. About a million of the country's
11.7
million citizens are receiving assistance from the United Nations World
Food
Programme. Along with drought and AIDS, the farm occupations have dealt
a
serious blow to agriculture -- and Zimbabwe's ability to feed
itself.
Various elections held since 2000 have also been marred by
irregularities
and human rights abuse. Like Tapera and Shumba, millions of
Zimbabweans have
left their country to make a living elsewhere, or to escape
political
persecution -- many for surrounding nations, and the United
Kingdom.
"The situation in Zimbabwe is bad. Mugabe is imposing himself on
the people
of Zimbabwe by rigging elections in order to cling to power,"
Shumba noted,
as the Zimbabwean exiles and other activists shouted slogans
in front of the
complex where the summit is being held. They were prevented
from entering
the conference centre by police.
Zimbabwe is one of the
14 member countries of SADC.
Timothy Thahane, Lesotho's finance minister
and the chairman of SADC's
Council of Ministers, refused to be drawn
Wednesday on whether Zimbabwe's
problems would come up for discussion during
the two-day summit of heads of
state and government.
"I can tell you
that the heads of states will be frank to each other during
their closed
sessions," he said to journalists during a media briefing --
although later
reports indicated that the situation in Zimbabwe was amongst
the issues to
be dealt with during a summit session on Friday.
Noted another Zimbabwean
demonstrator, Sam Tapera, "We knew that Mugabe
would be protected by his
colleagues. This is why we have come here to
highlight the crises in
Zimbabwe."
"People in Zimbabwe don't have voice. They are not allowed to
organise
demonstrations like were doing here. They live under dictatorship,"
he told
IPS.
Zimbabwe did not feature in talks at a three-day
parallel conference
organised by civil society groups.
"It was not on
our agenda. We believe there are internal processes of
dialogue going on in
Zimbabwe," said Ted Nandolo, chairman of the Malawi
Non-Governmental
Organisation Council.
"We see no reason to demonise Zimbabwe," he told
IPS.
To restore stability to the country, South African President Thabo
Mbeki has
engaged in quiet diplomacy towards Harare, a policy that has been
widely
questioned.
Mugabe frequently blames Zimbabwe's problems on
former colonial power
Britain, accused of undermining Zimbabwe in response
to the occupations of
white-owned farms that got underway in
2000.
But, says Shumba, "Mugabe is just using (British Prime Minister)
Tony Blair
as a scapegoat. It's Mugabe who is the problem, not
Blair."
While Zimbabwe's government initially described the farm seizures
as a
spontaneous bid by veterans of the 1970s independence war to correct
racial
imbalances in land ownership that date back to the colonial era, the
occupations were viewed by others as a ploy to win parliamentary elections
held in 2000.
Mugabe, in office since independence from Britain in
1980, arrived in
Lesotho Wednesday.
The only SADC leaders not in
attendance at the Maseru summit are Angolan
President José Eduardo dos
Santos; Congolese President Joseph Kabila, who is
waiting for the results of
landmark elections held last month in his
country; and Swazi King Mswati the
Third. They are being represented by
senior government
officials.
Swaziland will reportedly also receive attention during the
Friday summit
session during which Zimbabwe is to be
tackled.
Political parties are banned in Swaziland, Africa's last
absolute monarchy.
Mswati has further roused the ire of rights campaigners
by living
extravagantly at a time when about two thirds of his citizens
exist on less
than a dollar a day -- and while the country is wracked by
AIDS (Swaziland
currently has the world's highest HIV prevalence, on average
33.4 percent).
Other issues under discussion at the summit include
economic integration of
SADC states, food security, and infrastructure
development.
The community is made up of Angola, Botswana, the DRC,
Lesotho, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa,
Swaziland, Tanzania,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
IOL
August 18
2006 at 01:39AM
Harare - A Zimbabwean magistrate will next month
decide on the guilt
or innocence of Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who
is facing charges of
attempting to bribe a witness, his lawyer said on
Thursday.
Chinamasa allegedly tried to bribe a complainant in a
criminal case
into withdrawing charges and evidence against National
Security Minister
Didymus Mutasa, who faces charges of inciting public
violence and a group of
Mutasa supporters who face assault charges in a
related case.
"We are now waiting for the judgment on September 4,"
Chinamasa's
lawyer James Mutizwa told AFP.
"Both the
prosecution and the defence have just finished giving their
evidence."
Chinamasa pleaded not guilty when he
appeared in a magistrate's court
in Rusape, 150km east of the capital
Harare, last week Tuesday, dismissing
the charges against him as "baseless,
false and malicious".
Testifying at the start of the trial,
prosecution witness and
complainant James Kaunye said Chinamasa offered him
incentives including a
farm if he withdrew the charges and recanted his
evidence in both cases.
Mutasa is accused of inciting 24 of his
supporters to assault Kaunye
two years ago ahead of primary elections to
choose the ruling party
candidate for the March parliamentary
polls.
Kaunye unsuccessfully ran against Mutasa in the primary
election.
The 24 Mutasa supporters are also on trial for the
assault.
Chinamasa denied attempting to persuade Kaunye to withdraw
the
charges, saying he went to visit the victim to try to bring peace to the
district after in-fighting between ruling party factions. -
Sapa-AFP
New Zimbabwe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This
is a debate paper presented by Maggie Makanza to the Zimbabwe Social
Forum
and Institute for Justice and Peace at the T H Barry Hall in Cape Town
on
August
10.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By
Maggie Makanza
Last updated: 08/18/2006 08:48:05
Introduction
IT IS
indeed an honour for me to be standing here tonight addressing this
fine
audience who I know care deeply about the events happening in Zimbabwe.
I
however, do not have any kind words for you tonight.
I know most analysis
of the Zimbabwean situation centres on the regime and
its leadership and
what they are doing or should do. My presentation is
targeted at the
ordinary Zimbabwean citizen who I sincerely believe is the
only person that
really matters in this crisis. As they say sometimes you
have to be unkind
to be kind and the truth, while painful, shall set us
free. I am here to say
the truth as I see it. I have deliberately chosen to
say the unsaid; that
which goes unreported and has been largely ignored in
the public
discourse.
Although I am here as a member of the Zimbabwe Social Forum
(Pachedu/Sozonke) the views presented in this paper are not necessarily the
views of the forum. The Forum, which started sometime this year, has members
from all political persuasions and subscribes to the value of divergent
views and tolerate diversity. One writer said that perceptions are like
windows; the more we open the more we can see of the world. 'If you could
look through my window and I could look though your window then we would
both see what neither of us could have seen alone.'
This presentation
is my attempt to share what I see from my looking glasses
as the key to
Zimbabwe's problems. I must mention that I am a Psychologist
by training and
that tends to influence my thought processes and the issues
that I am
raising. I am also leaving a lot of questions unanswered to
facilitate
discussion.
The Death of Outrage
Why has the pro-democracy
movements not been able to capitalise on the so
many reported failures by
the Zanu PF government. Operation Murambatsvina,
failed Land Reform
Programme, the economy characterized by high inflation,
high prices of basic
food and commodities, unemployment, the list is
endless. Some people say all
the necessary conditions needed for a
combustion to happen exist in
Zimbabwe. All that is needed is a spark. Why
then has there been no spark
despite numerous opportunities that if
presented elsewhere in the world
would have brought about a change of the
ruling government. Why has there
been no eruption in Zimbabwe?
William J Bennett described it in one of
his books as "the death of outrage".
Why has there been no outrage in
Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans on the current
crisis? Most pressure for reform
appears to be coming from external forces
rather than internally. There have
been calls for the international
community to intervene and for President
Thabo Mbeki to 'do something' on
the Zimbabwean crisis. Such efforts as we
know have not yielded any results.
If anything positions have hardened and
the situation continues to
deteriorate at an alarming rate. But seriously,
why have the people of
Zimbabwe not revolted against the Mugabe
regime?
There is something special about one who has the ability to laugh
at one's
situation in spite of its gravity. That person has transcended the
boundaries of what others call normal and refuses provocation. Remaining
calm in the face of provocation takes a lot of character. Zimbabweans have
that 'collective character' that the world has termed the 'great Zimbabwean
mystery'. Zimbabweans use one word to describe the current situation without
further expounding on it. Should you ask them, how are things in Zimbabwe,
the response without fail is "Zvakaoma". Meaning, it is 'tough'. It is an
abnormal response for one not to be outraged in the face of extreme
provocation. Lets explore why?
1. The Change Equation
All the
necessary ingredients for combustion to happen exist in Zimbabwe.
Wrong. The
change equation tells us that change equals the degree of
dissatisfaction
with one's current situation plus a compelling and
attractive vision for the
future. The assumption has been that if we
increase the level of discomfort
and suffering of the Zimbabwean people,
change will inevitably come. It has
not despite the fact that Zimbabweans
were rated as the unhappiest lot in
the world (survey in June, 2006). South
Africa was rated as the fourth in
the world in terms of people who are happy
and proud of their
nationality.
While we as a nation are clearly dissatisfied with our
current reality,
specifically the economic situation, the forces for
democratic change have
failed to provide Zimbabweans with a compelling and
attractive vision of the
future. While people agree on the need for change,
they are unsure of where
the MDC is taking them. I want change yes, but
change into what. In other
words, there is a lack of an ideology that
underpins the call for change.
Such an ideology would give birth to a
compelling and attractive vision of
the future like we had during the war of
Liberation. The end state is not
clear. Is it simply about a change of
government or more so, a change of
rulers. I hear of a new Zimbabwe but my
questions on a number of issues
remain unanswered. For example, there has
been a lack of clarity on the
political position of the pro-democracy forces
on key and emotive issues
like the land reform programme. Discontent alone
is not sufficient as a
rallying point for change. While as an ordinary
Zimbabwean, am dissatisfied
with my current reality, I am not convinced with
the viability of the
alternative options presented to me.
On the
other hand, the ruling party Zanu PF had a potentially compelling and
attractive vision of the future given our liberation history and the primary
reason why we fought a war(s). Notice that I use the word potential, because
it has not been realised. If you have a vision, and people buy into that
vision, you do not have to beat them into subscribing to that vision. Zanu
PF didn't have to do that. They failed to package their vision of
transforming Zimbabwe and did not sufficiently share it with the masses. The
people of Zimbabwe have therefore questioned their motives for propelling
the land question at this point in time. The poor and chaotic implementation
of the Land Reform programme shrouded in corruption and greed by officers in
high offices has made it difficult for people to buy into the Zanu PF vision
of the future. Land reform is now simply perceived as a personal enrichment
programme, rather than an economic and social transformation intervention.
So Zimbabweans are caught between a rock and a hard place. A ruling
government that is brutal and is not delivering, and an opposition that has
not made itself clear on many fronts.
Participation in
politics
Participation is one of the key elements of a true democracy.
While it is an
acknowledged fact that those of us in the diaspora have been
disenfranchised
by the Mugabe regime, there is a general disengagement by
Zimbabweans from
actively participating in politics. We are usually resigned
to being
armchair critics. This disengagement is evidenced in the ways
people express
themselves in reference to the MDC and Zanu PF in the
external. You hear
people saying 'what the MDC should do is'...or 'Zanu PF
should do A, B and C
to get the economy back on track'. These statements are
telling. They show a
clear distancing of oneself from these two major
political parties. In such
cases I have always asked, so who is the MDC or
who is Zanu PF. Are these
just empty political vehicles travelling to
nowhere and not carrying the
hopes and aspirations of Zimbabweans? Or is
this merely reflecting a divided
society. Why have we become commentators
and spectators of our own
situation? Some of the reasons underlying our
failure to participate include
the following among others;
1.
Unconscious conspiracy (Inside the mind of a Zimbabwean)
The lack of
energy and inertia to fight the regime could partly be explained
by what I
will term, a latent support for the Zanu PF programmes and
policies
specifically with regards to the Land reform program and Mugabe's
position
on imperialism and neo-colonialism. The opposition has worked on
the false
assumption that no one supports Zanu PF and has largely informed
the
politics of protest by the MDC and other opposition forces. This
assumption
is both naïve for a group fighting for democracy.
There is consensus in
Zimbabwe on the need for Land reform as a way of
redressing the imbalances
created by an unjust colonial system. The
differences we have are in the
strategy and approach to implementing Land
Reform. This has largely made it
difficult for Zimbabweans to fight against
something that one cognitively
agrees with but differs on the how to
implement it. It is easier to fight
against something that you do not agree
with. Our disagreement is not on the
'what' but the 'how'.
Given that there are many possible ways of skinning
a cat, we may not
necessary fight over it, but talk about it. Which is what
Zimbabweans are
doing. They talk. Remember in Zimbabwean terms, talking
about a problem is
in some way solving it. Many Zimbabweans therefore suffer
from internal
self-conflict with regards to the Land issue rendering them
sterile/inactive/dormant in politics. They will think twice before
responding to a call for mass protest.
2. Conscious
conspiracy
According to change experts, if you convince the 'haves' the
'have-nots'
will follow. Change means loss of resources, shift in power,
loss of status
and benefits. According to Michievelli in his book' The
Prince' When you
introduce a new order of things, you face resistance from
those that stand
to loose from the status quo and you must know that you
have only a few luke
warm supporter of change who might benefit from the new
order. There are a
lot of people currently benefiting from the status quo.
Many have become
billionaires and leave in opulence amid poverty in
Zimbabwe. So why change
something that you are benefiting from. They are
working tirelessly and
conspiring with the regime to make change impossible.
They want the status
quo to remain. That includes people in the diaspora who
are billionaires
(that is until Dr. Gono decided to drop some of the zeros)
and can afford to
buy groceries for their parents on the Internet and change
money on the
black market.
3. Democracy and governance amid
poverty
The rural constituency has largely been misunderstood and
underestimated.
Through the arrogance of the political elite, they have
often been used
during elections and abandoned. They have clearly expressed
their
displeasure at the failed promises by the current regime to deliver on
many
fronts. An attempt to show this displeasure was expressed in the many
parliamentary and Presidential elections since independence. But they
learned quickly. They now perceive politicians as an interruption to their
serene and daily living. Describe them as those who come from Harare (towns)
once every five years asking for their votes, cause a lot of violence and
disharmony in the village and disappear in their 4X4 vehicles never to be
seen for another five years.
So, through a series of elections they
have learned that this process is not
beneficial to them in anyway as it
does not change their lives. Not a single
bit. They are poor when the
politicians arrive and they remain poor when the
politicians leave for
another five years. The rural electorate have
therefore decided to play
game. 'Give the urbanites there votes and let them
go back to Harare with
minimal fuss. We will not see them for another five
years' why give meaning
to a process that does not give meaning to your
life. They have therefore
opted to vote for peace.
History has shown that there is no relationship
between tyranny and the vote
for or against tyranny. It is an assumption
proved wrong in the Zimbabwean
elections. The fact that individuals can be
intimidated into voting somebody
or a party they do not want is in itself a
problem. Democracy does not
therefore thrive in an environment of ignorance
and poverty. This has been a
strategy that has been successfully utilised by
the ruling party. Voting is
the power to decide. The act of giving somebody
the power to decide their
future assumes that one indeed has power within
their hands to make their
own decision. This assumption is a complete
fallacy. That the one getting
the power in their hands to determine his/her
own future indeed has their
own future in their hands.
In a situation
where poverty is rife and ignorance is abound, elections
simply become a
process whereby those who hold the power to resources abuse
those who do not
for their own benefit. The comments that I solicited from
people on the
ground including a MDC candidate who lost in the elections
confirm that
people did indeed go into the ballot box and voted for Zanu PF.
Now if this
is the case, then that is democracy in its true definition- that
the
majority are right even if they are idiots. Perhaps as the saying goes,
people get the leadership that they deserve?
4. Rethinking the
Instruments of Democracy
What is needed is the radical change to the
instruments for operationalising
democracy in developing economies. For the
continued use of the ballot box
under the present circumstances can only be
described as sheer madness. Why
continue to do the same thing when you know
that that getting a so-called
partial Electoral Commission to preside over
the process is impossible. When
the nature of humans is that of
self-preservation and protection. Why should
the ruling party level the
playing field?
Communism failed not because it was a bad idea but it
lacked a means of
operationalising itself. I think the East tried it with
disastrous economic
consequences. While communism a noble idea, lacked the
means of
operationalising itself, capitalism a not so noble idea
(essentially a
selfish idea) found ways and means of operationalizing the
concept. The
framework for democracy as currently conceptualised has become
the source of
much pain and suffering for the people of Zimbabwe. The last
elections in
Zimbabwe are a clear case in point. As one writer put it in his
book 'it was
a predictable surprise".
While Mao Tsu cautioned 'you
cannot fall into the same river twice',
Zimbabwe has fallen into the same
river several times. The results of the
last elections in Zimbabwe make a
complete mockery of the people of
Zimbabwe, but illustrate how as a
developing country we have been fooled.
Fooled to believe that democracy
comes through an election process, that
democracy comes through a
box-transparent or not. Perhaps we have been
fooled. If you have a system
that produces a 100% failure rate, you have to
begin to ask yourself whether
the problem is inherently in the student or
the system.
Democracy as
currently operationalised has indeed produced perhaps a 99%
failure rate in
Africa. So is it Africa or is it the system? Perhaps there
are ways of
operationalising this democracy as conceptualised while allowing
our people
to grow and mature with it. Perhaps there are alternative ways of
operationalising democracy in Africa. We must acknowledge that democracy is
a concept that has evolved over centuries. Developed countries have
experimented with different forms of democracy and their people have
internalised and matured with it. The illusion that democracy arrives with
independence and can be juxtaposed on a people and function is a big
fallacy. The current framework for democracy given the poverty and ignorance
in Africa need serious rethinking. We need time and space to grow and nature
thriving democracy beyond elections. Perhaps this is the subject of another
debate.
5. Humour and Cynicism - A Survival Strategy for
Zimbabweans
The Internet and the streets of Harare, Bulawayo Gweru,
Mutare and the
diaspora are abound with jokes and humour lines on the
political scenario in
Zimbabwe. Where the scenario has become the object of
observation, the seen
the seer and where the suffering take scone at their
plight with pride of
how well they have defeated hunger, or how they have
conquered hunger and
disease. It takes a different mindset, of defeating
your enemy without
fighting, hunger without starving, and diseases without
allowing it to kill
you. The ordinary people in Zimbabwe are challenging the
premise that you
have to fight hunger with food, violence with violence.
There is
hope -zvichapera-it will end. This too shall come to pass. There is
a Shona
saying "hapana chisingaperi". Everything comes to an end. And
indeed,
instead of fighting the regime, risking leg and limp, fighting that
which
will in time come to pass, is by many seen as an exercise in
futility.
Many have resolved to wait and watch for the end of the
regimes' time. 'It
will come' you will hear them say. They label those that
prevail over this
insanity as lacking in wisdom and general intelligence.
And for good
measure, should you respond with violence people will not
notice the
difference between the sane and the insane. In Shona we say, 'ane
benzi
ndeanerake, rikaimba unodzana'...meaning, that should your own
relative go
mad, if he/she sings, you have to dance. I guess Zimbabweans are
simply
dancing in acknowledgement that one of their own has gone mad
singing. And
culturally, you are obligated to look after him and dance
should he sing. To
this the world has scorned at the Zimbabweans inability
to rise against a
brutal regime.
In the face of such provocations as
the destruction of property (houses and
businesses), they did not revolt.
Yes, they did not. Some even demolished
their own homes to salvage whatever
they can. Can you believe it? If this
had happened in South Africa or
anywhere else in the world, the response
would have been different. Not in
Zimbabwe. Instead Zimbabwe was abound of
homour and stories of 'how one
tried to salvage marijuana instead of
property when his shack was being
demolished, how some of the evicted people
cannot go back to their rural
homes since they had fled the village
following accusing their
mothers-in-law of witchcraft.' One of the
newspapers aptly summed it up in
one sentence 'police have laid waste to
their homes and families have spent
four nights out on the street, but yet
here they are, joking and laughing
amid the destruction'.
The question remains as to why the Zimbabweans are
responding in the way
they are to the Mugabe regime. Could this be some kind
of revolution that
Zimbabweans are verging against the regime? Perhaps the
Zimbabweans have
weighed their options and are indeed responding in the best
way possible.
Defeating violence with peace, hence dealing with conflict in
their own
ways. The Shona people were the first to capitulate to white rule
in the
1890's having realised that they will in all earnest not win the war.
They
surrendered only to rise up decades later when they felt that they were
much
stronger. It is actually a recommended war strategy, to retreat in the
face
of a strong opposition. In the face of a strong enemy, you do not
commit
suicide, but retreat to regroup when the time is
right.
Perhaps.
Language plays a major role in the way people
think. Our thought processes
in turn influence the way we approach problems
and find solutions to
problems and subsequently the way we behave. The humor
used by most
Zimbabwean is a way of playing with words, language to
interpret the current
events. As one writer put it "even the most serious of
events have rendered
themselves to some of the most spectacular jokes that I
have heard or read".
Some of the jokes will leave you in stitches but you
have to be a Zimbabwean
to understand them. They are so specific to the
Zimbabwean context such that
a foreigner would see no humour in it. It is
developing to a level were it
has become the way of communicating the unsaid
of the current crisis.
In a way the humour has developed into a second
language for Zimbabweans,
allowing them to talk about the painful situation
without actually talking
about it. Everywhere I have been, the discussions
with friends and family,
whether facial, telephonic, or on the internet
without fail, ends up with a
humorous story line or joke and you part or
meet on that note. Maybe we are
in denial.
Use of humour and cynicism
is therefore one of the survival strategy being
used by Zimbabwean both at
home and in the Diaspora to cope with the current
situation in Zimbabwe.
Often, the humor trivialises the issue and distances
it from the person. In
most cases, the humor is intellectual, creatively
playing with words and
abstracts from the current reality. Trivialised,
reality therefore loses its
power to demoralise and dehumanise its victim.
The laughter that comes with
the jokes generates tears of laughter instead
of tears of sorrow. With the
tears of laughter comes an inner peace that
begins a process of healing.
This cycle repeats itself with each tragedy
that unfolds. This has been the
hallmark of Zimbabwean's ability to restart
and recover from disaster with
spectacular results.
As such Zimbabwean are often accused of having a
short memory as they are
seen as eager to forgive and move on. Maybe they do
not forget. But the
energy level to deal with the system is rather used in
reconstructing one's
life among the ruins. Some relative that we visited two
weeks after the
demolitions had already cleared the rubble and cleaned out
their yard with
little visible signs of destruction. This Zimbabwean mystery
of non-violent
culture, unparalleled anywhere in the world is the
cornerstone upon which
any meaningful democracy can be built in
Zimbabwe.
What then are the prospects for democratic change in Zimbabwe?
Is there a
comprehensive programme or plan to respond to the current crisis
in
Zimbabwe?
I must say from the outset that I salute those that are
trying to do
something on the Zimbabwean issues; those that have put
themselves forward
in search of a lasting solution to our problems.
Zimbabweans are quick to
criticise without offering solutions. It is ok for
you to say that what I am
doing will not work, but it is more useful for you
to offer a suggestion of
the way forward. As Theodore Roosevelt said "the
credit belongs to the man
who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred
by dust and sweat and
blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short
again and again; who
knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and
spends himself in a
worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the
triumph of high
achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring
greatly."
Towards collective responsibility and
the building of a culture of tolerance
and valuing diversity
I have
often asked this question and risked losing leg and limb. I know I am
trading on a hornet's nest and risk all the assault. But I will pose the
question anyway. Is Mugabe the real problem or more palliative, the only
problem in Zimbabwe? If Mugabe goes, will that solve our real problem? In
response to Gono's move to slash three zeros from the currency, the finance
spokesman of the larger faction of the MDC, Tapiwa Mashakada, said the only
one "big zero" that Zimbabwe needed to get rid of to put things right was
none other than President Robert Mugabe himself.
"It is not the
zeroes that are at the core of the Zimbabwean crisis. The MDC
believes it is
not simply the zeros that must go. Mugabe is the big zero and
he must go,"
said Mashakada in a statement to the press.
I think Dzikamai Mavhaire was
the first to make the 'Mugabe must go' call.
If Mugabe goes, it will
certainly solve the immediate economic isolation and
bring back the IMF and
World Bank, facilitate economic recovery and improved
international
relations. It will not however solve our fundamental problems
as a people of
Zimbabwe. There is a culture of lack of tolerance for
divergent views at all
levels of society. I know of family disputes that
have gone on for
generations because they could not agree on certain issues
or 'vakapumhana
uroyi'. I know of churches that have split because the
leadership did not
agree on certain areas of conflict. Political parties
have split because
they could not tolerant different views or agree on
strategy of the way
forward. In private sector, you hear very similar
stories of 'camps' in the
organisation. Perhaps it is the way we deal with
conflict as a people. The
big zero that needs to go in Zimbabwe is therefore
the culture of
intolerance and the lack of unity of purpose in each and
every one of us.
Selfishness and individualism has ruined us aground. As
long as I am in my
little corner making a living I do not care and have no
compassion for
others who are suffering. Zvangu zviri kundifambira.
There is need for to
us to look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that
Mugabe is not the only
problem in Zimbabwe. That in our own ways we have
individually and
collectively contributed to the situation that we find
ourselves in. Blaming
it all on Mugabe just makes us feel better, but will
not bring about a
lasting solution to our real problem. Mugabe simply
personifies and
amplifies who we are as Zimbabweans -- egotistic, selfish
individuals driven
by self-interests and greed. We are therefore our own
worst enemy perishing
in our greed- Hezvoka. You reap what you sow the bible
tells us.
What
roles can the Zimbabweans in the Diaspora play?
So, do Zimbabweans in the
Diaspora have a role to play or can we play a
role? Frankly I do not think
we can play any significant role in the
politics in Zimbabwe in the comforts
of our adopted countries and on the
cyberspace. The change will not happen
because we are writing articles and
chatting about the Zimbabwean situation
on the Internet. Yes, we can
continue to play the role of breadwinners
providing for those relatives of
ours that remain in Zimbabwe. There is no
way that people can survive on the
salaries that they are taking home in
Zimbabwe.
So how are Zimbabweans coping with the prices of goods and
services, which
are in no way linked to the paychecks that people take home?
The diaspora
has been sustaining and fuelling these price hikes. The
diaspora has
significantly contributed to price and income distortions in
Zimbabwe. You
can only afford to buy a house if you are in the Diaspora or a
dealer in
Zimbabwe. The breadwinner role of the people in the Diaspora, has
only
served to delay the process of change as it ameliorates and smoothers
the
suffering and give a false impression that local people are coping. That
unfortunately is the law of unintended consequences.
Lets Go Back
Home
The Zimbabwean crisis is like a big party were the invited guests
come to
the table and the hosts are nowhere to be seen. My call to all
Zimbabweans
both at home and in the Diaspora, is to come to the 'party'.
Please show up.
Stand up and be counted. Whether you are an MDC or Zanu PF
or whatever
political persuasion, please show up otherwise this democracy
game will
remain a concept. I would like to specifically address the youth.
You are
the future and therefore have every right to demand that those
entrusted
with your future be good stewards. I know hopes and aspirations
for some
generations have been lost or are already dead and buried. We have
become
the subject of scorn and humiliation among nations. But the power to
change
is in our hands. Only we can liberate ourself from ourselves. Be the
change
that you want to see. It will not happen without your
participation.
Statistics report figures of up to 4million Zimbabweans in
the Diaspora.
That is a quarter of Zimbabwe's population of 12million. These
4million are
also largely the middle working class Zimbabweans driven abroad
by the
current economic situation. Those that remain home are either rich
(business
people/dealers) or poor. There is no middle class in Zimbabwe
anymore. You
either have money or you don't. The world over, most change
have been driven
by the middle working class population. With unemployment
levels of 70%, it
is unlikely that any call for mass stay away will be
heeded. In reality 70%
of the nation is already 'staying away' so why call
for a stay away.
To be honest the regime does not want the people in the
Disapora to come
back home. It is not in their interest. But in essence that
is what we
should do. Lets all go back home and make the change that we want
to see. It
will not happen on its own. The world is full of examples of
people who went
in the Diaspora hoping to come back when things change for
the better but
never did. "Ko anozvichinja wacho ndiyani kana iwe
ukasazviita? Who will
make the change if you do not do it? The Cubans have
been waiting for over
40 years to go back home. You cannot expect somebody
else to build your won
house. Lets all go back home and use our experiences
and exposure abroad for
the national good before it is too late.
I
sincerely hope that what I have shared will widen your perceptions of the
crisis in Zimbabwe and will help shape your ideas on the way forward.
Perhaps this experience that we are going through, as a nation is exactly
what we need. I take it as a learning process and a strong foundation upon
which democracy can be built.
I thank you,
Maggie Makanza
writes from Cape Town, South Africa. She can be contacted at
maggiemakanza@yahoo.com
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By a Correspondent
HARARE - Zimbabwe's
state grain utility has not delivered imported
maize to millers in southern
parts of the country because suppliers would
not release the commodity over
contract problems, state media reported on
Thursday.
Bulawayo
and surrounding areas have run out of the staple maize-meal,
in what state
media initially said could be a result of millers holding on
to maize to
press for a price increase.
But on Thursday Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) acting chief executive
Samuel Muvuti said maize imported from South
Africa could not be moved from
the Beitbridge border post because of
disagreements with suppliers.
Maize is a controlled commodity in
Zimbabwe and is sold only to the
GMB. It distributes it for milling to
private firms.
"Maize is in Beitbridge because of an anomaly in the
contracts that we
had with our suppliers and we are trying to correct that,"
Muvuti told the
Chronicle newspaper.
President Robert Mugabe's
government has forecast a 1.8 million tonne
maize harvestthis year, which is
expected to meet the country's food needs
for the first time since 2001.
Other forecasts see a much smaller crop.
The government would
continue to import maize, mainly from South
Africa, to build up its
strategic grain reserves while the GMB says farmers
would this year deliver
900,000 tonnes to it.
Millers said the GMB wanted some firms to
collect the maize from
Beitbridge, but this was unsustainable and would push
the price of
maize-meal beyond the reach of many people.
The
GMB purchases grain from farmers at 31 million Zimbabwe dollars a
tonne and
sells it to millers at a 10th of the price but has barred some
millers for
reselling the commodity back to the GMB through third parties.
"For
the past two weeks we have not been allocated maize by the GMB
and as a
result have not been able to produce maize-meal ... the truth of
the matter
is that there is no maize," said Thembinkosi Ndlovu, head of the
grain
millers in Bulawayo.
GMB officials were not available for comment
on Thursday.
In Harare most shops had stocks of maize meal, with
some saying
deliveries were expected to resume this week after a two-day
holiday.
Aid agencies have warned of another food deficit in the
country this
year, saying a lack of inputs such as seed and fertiliser has
undermined
production in the recently ended summer cropping
season.
Zimbabwe has suffered food shortages since 2001 after being
hit by
drought and disruptions to agriculture blamed partly on the
controversial
seizure of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to
landless
blacks.
$1=250,000 Zimbabwe dollars
Reuters
From: Trudy Stevenson
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 6:19 PM
Subject: David
Coltart re SW Radio excerpt - Unity
Dear Friends,
I
don't know whether you have been following the recent discussion on SW
Radio
Africa involving Tendai and Welshman. The last transcript has just
been
published and this excerpt is important:
"Violet: And, finally, you
know, some have asked why the visionaries and
luminaries in the MDC are
wasting time and breath and fulfilling Mugabe's
agenda by fighting each
other. Now, does the old saying 'there's strength in
unity' still resonate
with the MDC intelligentsia and pro-democracy
movements in Zimbabwe
Professor Ncube?
Professor Ncube: Of course it does, and there's
absolutely no doubt that a
single MDC united will have a much better chance,
a stronger chance of
actually dislodging the regime than a divided MDC. As
we said at the
beginning, the only person who is laughing all the way to the
bank in
respect of all the things which are happening on the ground to us as
the
opposition movement, as the democratic movement in Zimbabwe, is Robert
Mugabe and Zanu PF. So we are very, very alive to that.
Violet:
Tendai Biti?
Tendai Biti: Well, I think as long as the vision remains
alive and as long
as all of us have hard looks to ourselves and in
ourselves, I think time
might heal us and I think that we should keep the
flame alive. You know, I
studied history; history is very funny; so many
things have happened in
history, so no one should write the democratic
movement off. Far from it."
Welshman has been so heavily vilified in the
last year - he has been accused
of being in league with Mbeki and Zanu PF. I
have listened very carefully
and studied all these allegations for a year
and I have to say that I have
not seen a shred of reliable evidence yet. On
the contrary despite the
errors of judgment on some issues that Welshman has
made (as all of us have
from time to time) I do not see someone who has been
happy about the
divisions in the opposition, or someone who engineered them
as alleged. On
the contrary I have personally witnessed someone who has been
deeply
distressed by what has happened and who desires unity - as evidenced
by this
excerpt. If I am wrong in this I am obviously a very poor judge of
character
and fact; and Welshman should be awarded an Oscar!
I think
the time has come for us to reconsider who has actually been
responsible for
the divisions in the opposition. This time we must consider
hard evidence
and not mere unsubstantiated allegations. And if anyone has
hard evidence of
these allegations against Welshman could it please be
produced so that we
can assess it. If there is in fact no such evidence then
we would all
benefit from recognising who is in fact still committed to the
vision of a
new democratic non violent Zimbabwe and start working with
them.
Congratulations to both Tendai and Welshman for their positive
comments.
Congratulations as well to Violet Gonda for this superb series. In
my book
all are patriots worthy of our praise and
support.
Regards,
David
The Herald
Business Reporter
STOCKS may be the most exciting investment
option now, but the more cautious
financial analysts have advised on a
downscale of portfolios - for fear of
an imminent bubble burst on the
rioting Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
"While there are no significant
impediments to the market's positive
progress on the horizon, we recommend
investors trim their equity holdings
in cognisance of a potentially volatile
environment," noted one analyst with
a Harare asset management
firm.
"Investors are faced with the spectre of an already fairly valued
market,
which will in effect make further exposure to equities a tricky
decision.
'With the market having run hard in the past week,
profit-taking may see
opportunities present itself."
Analysts say the
anticipated volatility may be a consistent feature on the
market for the
remainder of this year, particularly given inconsistency in
policymaking.
Share prices shot through the roof in the last
fortnight after the Reserve
Bank slashed accommodation rates to about 300
percent from nearly 900
percent. In a single week, the mainstream industrial
index gained 60 percent
breaching the 100 000 point mark to over 165 000
points before reaching new
record levels last week.
Although stocks
have rallied undeterred since the last monetary policy
review statement two
weeks ago, the key industrial index growth has,
however, fundamentally
under-performed CPI inflation.
By Friday last week, the index had shown a
year-to-date growth of 900
percent to just under 188 000 points relative to
annual inflation that
pitched to over 1 100 percent at the end of June, and
994 percent last
month.
Other analysts say this may ring additional
appetite for equities, as
interest rates are likely to remain subdued.
The Herald
(Harare)
OPINION
August 18, 2006
Posted to the web August 18,
2006
Harare
INCREASED carnage on Zimbabwe's roads is no doubt a
reflection of
deteriorating driving standards punctuated by criminals
issuing out fake
driver's licences to desperate clients who are prepared to
pay anything to
get the document.
Getting a driver's licence has
become so difficult in big cities like Harare
and Bulawayo that most
aspiring drivers are having to sit for the
examinations in smaller towns
where their chances of qualifying are
relatively high.
The case we
published in our Monday issue about an examiner who issued a
desperate
"client" with a forged certificate of competency for a fee of $2
million is
just a tip of the iceberg.
The persistent allegations of bribery have
tainted the Vehicle Inspection
Department's (VID) image to a point where
many have lost confidence in it.
This has resulted in some unscrupulous
individuals taking advantage of this
chaos to make fake licences.
The
circulation of fake licences is frightening.
The desperation for licences
seems to have created a ready market which
syndicates are tapping
into.
Recently, two people were arrested in Bulawayo for issuing out fake
licences
to two people who then got jobs as commuter omnibus drivers in the
city.
The consequences of these actions are too ghastly to contemplate
because
such drivers put the lives of many people at risk and these have to
be dealt
with ruthlessly.
While the police are doing a sterling job
in busting these syndicates, the
courts should play their part by passing
deterrent sentences.
Policing is also poor because some policemen accept
bribes from these
offenders.
Driving schools are known to work in
cahoots with VID officials to issue
licences to incompetent drivers who have
money to pay and there is need to
monitor their operations.
These
schools are also offering a shoddy service.
Fuel costs have affected
their operations resulting in substandard lessons,
which have sometimes
surprised competent VID officials.
The prevailing economic challenges are
making it difficult for driving
schools to service their vehicles, resulting
in them exposing learner
drivers to defective vehicles.
This is a
frustrating process and results in more and more bribes being
taken as
clients desperately want to obtain this document at all costs to
enable them
get company cars or secure jobs as drivers. The courts should
pass stiffer
sentences against both the supplier and procurer.
Bribery is corruption
of the highest order and the Government should step in
and descend on all
offenders.
We also urge all people involved in the road and motor
industry to
strategise and come up with a solution to this problem, and to
particularly
upgrade driving standards.
Scores of people have died
owing to negligent and reckless driving.
The VID has done well to try and
uproot corruption by transferring officers
around the country and this needs
to be complemented by a process that makes
it easy for people to get their
licences as opposed to making sure that more
people fail the road
test.
Obituaries
The Times August 18,
2006
October 1945 - August 2,
2006
Philosopher and scholar of Wittgenstein who
argued
for the disunion of philosophy and
theology
MICHAEL HARTNACK, veteran freelance
journalist for
The Times and several other newspapers, was a whimsical
survivor in one of
the world's longest-running crises, the country that was
Rhodesia and is now
Zimbabwe.
Danger stalked him
even before he was born, in
Mongu, in the British protectorate of
Barotseland (now part of Zambia). His
mother walked alone ten miles through
the bush at night with hyenas baying
behind her, to deliver him the next day
at the nearest district commissioner's
camp. As an infant, she kept him in
an old- fashioned meat safe as a playpen
to protect him from
predators.
As a junior reporter from the
Cambridge Evening News
arriving in Rhodesia in 1966, a few months after the
Prime Minister Ian
Smith had defied Britain and illegally declared
unilateral independence,
Hartnack was plunged into reporting for the
Rhodesia Herald under fierce
censorship, and constantly had stories blacked
out by state censors.
When the guerrilla war for
black majority rule broke
out, Hartnack was conscripted into the Rhodesian
Air Force. As a prank,
officers tricked him into pushing a Dakota aircraft
down the runway, telling
him they needed to be push-started. Later, he had
to drive aircraft fuel
trucks on remote dirt roads to airfields in the
warzones but managed never
to detonate a landmine or come under
ambush.
In 1976 he became chairman of the
Rhodesian Guild of
Journalists and constantly fought with the Rhodesian
authorities over
censorship. In 1979 he had a shouting match with Lord
Soames, the British
Governor, immediately before independence, over his
failure to set an
example of openness by rescinding Rhodesian censorship
regulations. He
called Sir Nicholas Fenn, the governor's chief aide, "a
rampaging gauleiter".
As President Mugabe's
regime fell deeper into
controversy, Hartnack was regularly vilified for his
coverage of corruption
and repression. In the constant street violence and
harassment of latter-day
Zimbabwe, Hartnack became an expert at evading
police, war veterans,
militiamen and soldiers who constantly targeted
journalists. The only time
he was arrested was by police in 1986 who rescued
him from a mêlée of drunk
student rioters and then charged him with
attending an illegal meeting.
Among those he
wrote for were The Times, the
Associated Press, The Daily Express, the South
African Rand Daily Mail and
the Zululand Observer. In 2003 he was made an
honorary doctor of literature
by Rhodes University in South Africa, with a
citation that read: "The
qualities which place him in a special class are
those which he has
displayed under the fire reserved by repressive regimes
of every political
hue for those who seek to challenge or expose the
official version of
events."
He was a
workaholic, aided by the perfect Pitman
shorthand he learnt while on the
Cambridge Evening News at night classes in
London, where he blushed
throughout because he was the only male in the
class.
He was able to reduce the grimmest of
circumstances
to foolishness with an unceasing flow of self-made limericks
and ditties,
such as: "Old Mugabe had a farm, C-I, C-I-O", from the initials
of Mr Mugabe's
notorious Central Intelligence Organisation, the secret
police.
He did not attend university but was an
autodidact
with an astonishing grasp of world history and literature. He
read
voraciously and had a prodigious memory that produced quotations from
Keats,
Noël Coward or Mugabe's speeches with equal ease. Few knew of the
many
friends, black and white, he took under his
wing.
He suffered a fatal stroke while with
friends at a
garden party in Harare. He is survived by his wife, Anne, and
three
children.
Michael Hartnack,
freelance journalist, was born in
October 1945. He died on August 2, 2006,
aged 60.
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare)
August 18,
2006
Posted to the web August 18, 2006
Bridget
Sibanda
VARIOUS artists last weekend lambasted government's
ill-conceived Operation
Murambatsvina through music, poetry, dance and drama
at The Peace Festival
of Arts.
The festival kicked off three weeks
ago at Oliver Mtukudzi's Pakare Paye
Arts Centre in Norton, moved to
Kuwadzana the following week and last
Saturday was in Highfield where
various groups performed at the Zimbabwe
Hall.
Lifati Harimedi,
director of The Dance Trust of Zimbabwe, which organised
the festival said:
"The aim of the festival was to bring some of the
country's biggest artists
to grass root level, enabling the society to mix
and mingle with artists at
their doorsteps."
Poetry and musical outfit, The Police State, recited a
poem entitled
Zimbabwean Life -- Realistic.
"This beauty is under
threat. I passed a marketplace somewhere in this
ghetto.Vendors were selling
their merchandise on the streets. Then suddenly
there was great panic.
Children, men and women running to save their dear
goods from the police. It
is the clean-up taking its toll" part of the
recital reads.
"You
should see how suddenly people pick up their metal trays, how fast they
run
carrying their goods.
It is really dangerous to be in the streets that
are being 'cleaned-up' but
we have to continue existing in the streets for
that is where we get our
bread and butter."
The group portrayed the
situation in Zimbabwe and how it has become normal
for the masses to play
hide and seek with the police because they have no
other option for earning
a living.
After every stanza there was a musical interlude of the song
Ndopatigere
Pano (This is where we live). The song, by the late Jordan
Chataika, brings
out the plight of people who are living in destitution in
their motherland.
Songbird Chiwoniso Maraire performed three songs, the
most popular being
Ivainesu Mwari Baba (God be with us). Other Artists
included Sam Mtukudzi,
Amavhitikazi dance group and Chirikure Chirikure of
the Detembira fame who
recited his poem Destruction of the Soul.
The
festival ends next week at Stodart Netball Complex in Mbare.
Please send any job opportunities for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG
Job Opportunities; jag@mango.zw or justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 20 July 2006
Position Offered:
A permanent position is
offered as a live in Nurse/Carer to take care of an
Alzheimer's patient as
well as a Stroke patient. Nurse Aids will be
available to help with night
duties.
This position needs to be filled very urgently. Salary will be
discussed
personally with applicants.
Applicant must be willing to
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have a valid
passport.
Please phone: Patty on 086-22332/22391 during work hours or
086-22465 at
home or email Patty on
pbristow@iwayafrica.com
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Ad
inserted 27 July 2006-07-27
FARM MANAGER REQUIRED
A farm manager
is wanted for a large commercial tobacco estate, Karoi north
area. The
position requires the management of 80 ha's irrigated & 80 ha's
dry land
tobacco,250 ha's of commercial maize,10 - 30 ha's seed maize and 40
ha's
winter crops.
The successful candidate needs to have previous experience
in tobacco and
maize production. Farming diploma as well as mechanical and
/or electrical
knowledge would be an added advantage.
The successful
candidate is also expected to have strong HR skills to manage
a large work
force of at least 300 workers.
The farm Manager will report to the
General Manager of the Estate.
A competitive package with a generous
performance driven bonus is on offer.
Minimum contract period shall be 2
years but standard offer will be for 3
years. Good accommodation and other
related perks are also on offer.
Please send C.V. and references to wajetsi@hms.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 27 July 2006
TOBACCO MANAGER REQUIRED URGENTLY
We
urgently require a highly motivated and capable Tobacco Manager to run
a
commercial unit near Harare. The successful applicant will be an
honest,
hard working person who is prepared to put everything into the
project to
ensure success.
Please contact Joe Pistorius on email: agrijoe@hms.co.zw or phone 091 251408
or
335465
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 27 July 2006
WANTED Regional Sales Manager
We are looking
for a person in their 30's to aggressively sell Inverters for
our client.
The right candidate must have the following qualities:
* Hard core sales
*
Someone who is used to a "small office" set-up
* Ability to manage a team of
sales representatives at a later stage
* CV must show a strong sales
experience with a preference to 3 years at a
management level
* Ideal
candidates would have a background in
electrics/solar/electronics/FMGG/power
(battery)/IT sector
* The candidate should be aggressive, focused and result
oriented who can
build the market independently
* Main challenges are to
identify the right partners as distributors/dealers
and agents
* The role
will involve lots of travelling in Zimbabwe and Regionally. There
will be a
lot of international exposure.
* Very attractive salary and benefits on
offer
If you feel you have all the above experience and qualities, please
contact
Sarah to secure a place in the short listing. Sarah Vale Oxford
IT
CFU Agricultural House, Corner Adylinn Road and Marlborough
Drive,
Marlborough, Harare
Tel: 309855 - 60 (ext 23), Direct: 309274, Fax:
309351
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 27 July 2006
Vacancy Offered - General Manager
Our
company is looking for someone to fill the vacancy below:
Company:
Associated Meat Packers, Harare
Industry: Beef Retail and
Wholesale
Position: General Manager.
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB: The
position is required by the senior executive to
manage, plan and organize the
daily operations and activities of Associated
Meat Packers, Harare. The
objective of the General Manager is to be a direct
representative capable of
making sound business decisions on behalf of the
Managing Director whilst
operating AMP Harare as an individual strategic
business unit at a profit and
growing.
EXPERIENCE: The incumbent should have at least 5 years
experience in the
beef industry or related market(s) and have held a position
of
responsibility for a minimum of 3 years. Knowledge in export markets is
an
added advantage.
CONTACT: L. JONES on 04 797868 (Work)
or 091 408 881 (Mobile) for
more information and to arrange an interview.
Please deliver CV in a sealed
envelope to Associated Meat Packers, 1 Coventry
Rd, Workington, Harare -
Attention: Mr. L
Jones.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 3 August 2006
Cruise Vacancy
We recruit qualified
candidates and conduct training including interviews
before relocating
selected employees to their specified job location. Our
Human-Resources Team
is continually looking for friendly, hardworking,
dependable, crew for our
cruise ships. They co-ordinates employment
opportunities, for all position on
board our cruise lines. The benefits of
working on cruise ships lure people
of all ages. Our dedicated team will
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most desired job positions
ever.
POSITIONS:
Attendant
Accountants
Store
Managers
Safety Officer
Computer Engineer
Satellite
Controllers
Fitness Instructor
Receptionist
Computer Operators
Deck
Supervisors
Food & Beverage Manager
Assistant Housekeeping
Managers
General Labourer
Housekeeping Manager
Cruise
Staffs
Lifeguards
Administration Assistants
Customer Service
Rep.t
Deck Officers
Chief Purser
Assistant Purser
Assistant
Waiter
Bar Tenders
Hospitality Manager
Chefs
Steward....
etc.
APPLICANT IS ADVISED TO APPLY FOR A JOB WITH HIS / HER C.V,
AN
APPLICATION LETTER AND ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS (CERTIFICATES).
E-mail: human_resources@infohq.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 3 August 2006
Girl Friday
To assist manager in small
company - Graniteside.
Duties include
- maintain spread sheet, cash books,
etc., on computer
- pay PAYE, NSSA, VAT, etc.
- pay creditors
- general
office duties.
Please telephone - 011 202 352 or evenings
884153
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 3 August 2006
Antelope Park
Applicants are invited to
submit applications for the following vacancies at
a Gweru based Safari
Lodge:-
1) Assistant Camp Manager - preference will be given to a
couple.
2) Assistant Reservationist
3) Assistant
Photographer
Antelope Park
P.O. 1218
Gweru
Email: antelope@mweb.co.zw or ap-mgr@africanencounter.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 3 August 2006
Vacancy
Our family-owned crèche and nursery
school is looking for a mature lady to
work in the office. She would need to
have office experience, (bookkeeping
knowledge would be a bonus). The job
would probably be five mornings a week
and two afternoons. She would need to
be energetic, enthusiastic, enjoy
children and be confident enough to manage
our staff and maintain standards.
Good interpersonal skills a must. This job
would involve very little
supervision, so initiative is also a must. We are
based in Avondale.
Applicants must have their own vehicles. This is not a
stressful or taxing
position; it is mainly a supervisory presence.
Any
enquiries should be forwarded to jmgvngd@mweb.co.zw. Salary will
be
discussed with applicants
personally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
ADMINISTRATION MANAGER: FARMING
OPERATION.
BACKGROUND
Farm is located 28kms from Harare in the
Mount Hampden area. Farming
activities comprise
- Poultry Project
with initial capacity for 45000 broilers/layers. Plans
underway to increase
capacity to 75000 by June 2007.
- Horticulture - passion fruit 6 hectares to
expand to 12 hectares over the
next nine months.
- Summer cropping - +/-
200 hectares under maize and soya largely for
livestock i.e. chickens.
-
Cattle - 250 head of breeding animals mixed.
POSITION ON OFFER
-
Administration Manager
DUTIES
(a) Stock Controls (Inputs
etc)
- Procurement
- Record
Keeping
- Issues
- Monitoring
generally
(b) Workshops
- Control of all
vehicles
- Service and proper use of all plant and
equipment
(c) Produce Control
- Accounting for all
farm produce and ensuring proper
storage
(d) Payment of staff
wages
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE - LADY OR GENTLEMAN (equal
opportunity)
- Self motivated with an eye for detail
- Some computer
literacy - e.g. Pastel
- Mature person with ability to work with
people
- Flexible and prepared to look after the farm assets as if they
were
his/her own
REWARDS
Negotiable remuneration depending on
experience.
LOCATION
Preferably on farm but other options can be
looked at in view of proximity
of farm to the city.
(Please note
this farm was purchased from a farmer who has since
emigrated.)
CONTACT: Washington Matsaira - 252289 or
091233564
Teresa Cox - 252289 or
091249084
Jenny Coetzee - 744565 or
091314845
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
System Engineers
OXFORD IT is looking for
System Engineers for a company in Botswana. The
successful candidates need
experience in security, identity management,
network administration,
printing, scanning, back-ups, databases, routers,
switches, modems, WAN,
vSAT, DRP, and DM2, windows, linux, email and proxy
servers.
If you are
interested and feel you have the relevant experience to match
this position,
please email your cv to heather@oxfordit.co.zw or call
309274
/ 309855-60 and speak to
Sarah.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
Australia
Aussie migrant is looking for
people to fill jobs in demand in Australia.
Our Recruitment organisation,
Recruit global, provides a job search
facility, while
Aussie migrant
handles the rest of the visa requirements, relocations etc.
Jobs in
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We are also finding shortages here in
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Please
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Forbes
rebecca@aussiemigrant.com
Aussiemigrant
39
Skinner St
West End
4101
tel +61 07 3226 4888
fax +61 07
3844
7022
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
Kariba
Tired of Living in Harare with
powercuts and water shortages?
Missing the farm, the bush and your
friends? Want to live the outdoors life
again?
Yearning to belong to a
community and have common interests again?
Loosing value on your salary
every day?
WE HAVE THE SOLUTION TO YOUR DILEMA!!
A new, and
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immediately.
Applicants must be proficient in MS word, Excel and E-mail,
as well as be
able to handle public and pressure situations.
Salary
and bonuses linked to USD.
Initially work enough for a single applicant but
will rapidly require a
second person once phase 2 of the expansion programme
is completed in
September.
Applications should reply with a brief CV
to scrummunt@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 17 August 2006
VACANCY
Qualified miller required to run
new maize mill. Large capacity in Chimoio,
Mozambique. Expatriate
conditions apply.
Please Phone Euan - 00 258 820697840
Email - eakay@teledata.mz
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Employment
Sought
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 20 July 2006
Commercial agricultural representative
I am
a former commercial agricultural representative with farming experience
in
Zimbabwe and Mozambique (Virginia tobacco, burley
tobacco,
commercial/seed-maize, wheat, Soya beans, cotton, citrus and pigs);
I have
extensive knowledge on the subjects of agronomy, crop chemicals
and
veterinary products. Is there anybody out there with something for
me?
Contact Stu Taylor on 0204 -2288 or
091-650997.
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Ad
inserted 20 July 2006
Farming Experience
48-year-old farmer with
23 years diverse farming experience, 23 years
tobacco, maize, beef, sheep,
and 10 years floriculture. No dependents. Phone
091233165 / 04499817.
Email bobz@zol.co.zw
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Ad
inserted 27 July 2006
Hospitality Industry
Single male with vast
experience in the Hospitality Industry seeks
position.5 years experience in
Lodge/camp administration /management .Please
contact William on 091 774 523
or 091 398 730 ,working hours 09-60727 or
0838 261 or E-mail at william@byo.masiye.com
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Ad
inserted 3 August 2006
Vacancy Wanted A.S.A.P
Information and
Technology Technology
Experienced (4yrs) Network and Software support
Engineer
Microsoft windows 2003 server, Exchange server, Linux
Cisco
networks
Hardware repairs
IT Diploma
Contact Carl @ cmukoyi@yahoo.com
+283 91 984
888
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Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
Just sold my private business /catering/ in
Harare. I am 50-year-old man in
perfect health. I have MSc in Engineering
Geology from Imperial College
London
and was working as senior geologist
and manager of Construction Company for
20 years all over the world. Fluent
in English and French, ZW permanent
resident.
Looking for the manager
position in various fields.
Contacts:
882384; 091
775544
Email: bozam@mweb.co.zw
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Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
SITUATION WANTED.
Recently retired manager
with extensive experience in workshop management
and transport tracking and
control. Looking for part time, five mornings or
four days a week,
employment. Computer literate and has own transport.
Contact 302702 or
091-609078.
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Ad
inserted 10 August 2006
Ex Farmer
Ex Farmer/Consultant and
Agronomist for Alliance One Tobacco aged 50 years
living in Zimbabwe with 23
years experience in growing tobacco, maize, seed
maize, horticulture, beef
cattle, pigs, chickens.
Excellent management, administration and
communication skills, computer
literate, full clean
drivers licence. Was
runner up' Tobacco Grower of the Year' in 1985. Spent
last 2 years
consulting for Imperial Tobacco Group in Madagascar on the
production of
flue-cured tobacco.
AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY. CONTACT Jack Readings: 011
600 636; 011 602 538 or
04 701170/3 or email: heather@karina.co.zw
Can send CV
if
necessary.
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Ad
inserted 17 August 2006
Employment sought
Maid looking for job,
employer's contract expiring shortly. Experienced in
looking after children.
Cleans, washes, irons, prepares vegetables. Willing
to learn to
cook.
Available immediately. Contact Ruth at 8 Garden Lane, Avondale
Call
employer, Mr. Filipovic on 091 278
897
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Ad
inserted 17 August 2006
Employment Sought
Workshop, Parts Manager,
Age 49, Qualified Motor Mechanic, Knowledge of
Panel Beating& Spray
Painting Computer Literate, Avail 1/9/2006 Contact Don
on 091 772473 or
011732084 (evenings
please)
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For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
(updated 17 August 2006)