Our evaluation of The Presidents speech on the recent parliament opening, served
as anther testimony, to the religious cult culture Zanu (PF) has become, and it
has enhanced our understanding of this ideology know as Zanu-ism.
This
religious element is seen as crucial to the practice and perception of
propaganda, with reference to the speech, it wasn’t simply just a message from
the Government to the Zimbabwean people, but also a reciprocal massage, in its
self reinforcing and flexible, A message that must contain logic and elements of
truth and explain and make sense of the political and social reality, to the
point that the propaganda massage will become significant to the government
idealist values of democracy.
The harsh reality is that Mugabe is highly
intellectual and has mastered the art of propaganda. In a quest of unravelling
and understand the influences behind his speeches. One is quick to come to the
conclusion that it’s an art of deception aimed at focusing on nostalgia and
sentimentalism, as one ultimate illusion to sway Zimbabweans and specific
African Nations to value Zanu (PF) iconic and naïve representation of what is
worth defending, in this case is Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and Africa’s fight
against imperialism.
Facing extreme political and economical hardships, it’s
clear that it’s now difficult, for the Mugabe regime to oppress the Zimbabwean
people. "Mugabe’s Harry Houdini master of illusion days are numbered", no amount
of persuasion or hoodwinking is going to delude the Zimbabweans and the African
community that the current situation, is one that can be turned round by the
introduction of NEDPP or Dr Gideon Gono unveiling of a youth friendly fund
through the National Small and Medium Enterprises Development Support
Programme.
Not only are young Zimbabweans enticed in a war with a regime with
misleading values but also war with the African union (AU) for they are failing
to uphold the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Charter and recognise and take
responsibility on the Zimbabwean situation, By failing to acknowledge the above,
legitimizes the Mugabe regimes policies and prolongs the suffering of the
Zimbabwean people and compromises prosperity of democracy in the
region.
Young Zimbabweans realize that propaganda is a tool of exclusion
from the international community and it has also robbed us the youth, of our
culture and history. Let’s face it 26 years exposed to corruption and the Zanu
(PF) version of history. Where do we stand?
Preserving the social, cultural
and historical interest of our descendents should be of high priority and
guaranteeing our descendents a standard of living no worse than our own ideally
better, is of utmost importance in any society. Brothers and sisters its very
important for us young Zimbabweans in these challenging times to stand up for
what we think is right, we need to address the core cause and call for an
immediate political and constitutional reform.
Wellington
Chibanguza
Free-Zim Youth
UK
“Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate, our deepest fear is that together as a people we are way powerful
beyond measure and our presents will automatically liberate our people”
Free-Zim”
The Zimbabwean
BY GIFT PHIRI
HARARE -
Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa is to visit President
Robert
Mugabe in the next few weeks to work out an exit plan for the ageing
leader.
Mugabe hinted soon after landing from Maseru from the SADC summit on
Saturday that he was considering stepping down because the land issue had
been dealt with. He said there was nothing wrong with people openly debating
succession, 19 months prior to the end of his current term. The Zimbabwean
has learnt that an agreement was reached to reschedule a meeting between
Mkapa and Mugabe to discuss the matter. The new date has not yet been set.
High-ranking officials said Mkapa wanted to "keep the momentum going"
following Mugabe's "very positive signals last week." Among other issues,
the leaders are to work out a "safe exit plan" and immunity from prosecution
for alleged human rights abuses committed during Mugabe's 26-year rule.
Mugabe is said to be particularly worried about the Matabeleland massacres
during the 1980s. The resident is said to have made his first direct
indication that he wants to retire at the SADC summit last week. He was
quoted in the official press in Lesotho saying: "We are getting to a stage
where we shall say fine, we settled this matter (land reform) and people can
retire." Zanu (PF) sources say Mugabe is anxious about the repercussions of
his departure. "He wants to leave but his personal security fears, the fate
of his family and property, his party's simmering succession problem . . .
are his main obstacles," a senior party source said. Local human rights
groups have also been fuelling his apprehension by calling for his
prosecution. And main opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai says Mugabe's
personal security, after he relinquishes power, can only be guaranteed in
the context of a negotiated settlement of the Zimbabwe crisis. Meanwhile,
Mugabe has denounced "clandestine groupings" manoeuvring to take over. He
said he was aware that his lieutenants were looking beyond him and plotting
for a final assault on power. Retired army general Solomon Mujuru and party
heavyweight Emmerson Mnangagwa are seen as the key individuals heading the
rival factions.
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - An explosive
memoir being written by Zimbabwe's former defence
minister and founding
ruling party bigwig Enos Nkala, 74, scoffs at claims
that Hebert Chitepo's
murder was arranged by the troika of Rhodesian Prime
Minister Ian Smith,
Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda and South African
President John Vorster.
In a candid chronicle, Nkala dismisses the official
version that Smith
recruited a Scotsman in Salisbury, now Harare, to carry
bomb parts into
Zambia and blow Chitepo away. Chitepo's widow Victoria also
disputes this
version. In an embargoed memoir that will only be published
following his
death, Nkala brings to light, for the first time, details of
the gruesome
assassination of the lawyer-cum-politician, who many back then
viewed as the
charismatic alternative to Mugabe as leader of Zimbabwe. "It
is a frank
journal that will expose some people, you know, what they did
during the
liberation struggle. It is a controversial book that is why I
will only have
it published after I am dead. Sometimes it is better to know
some unpleasant
truths .when the person is gone," Nkala said, refusing to
confirm reports
that there was "growing political pressure on him" not to
write the memoir.
He said he was aware that there were many "false and
convenient reports"
swirling around the murder of Chitepo, whom he described
as an "astute
politician" who made history by becoming the first black
advocate in
southern Africa. Chitepo, a top liberation war strategist, died
when a car
bomb planted under the driver's seat in his VW Beetle detonated
as he was
trying to reverse the car from the garage of his Zambian house on
March 18
1975. Nkala said his book would embarrass some people, but he was
entitled
to exercise his intellectual freedom. The memoir also contains a
critique of
a report of the Special International Commission on the
assassination of
Chitepo, which was commissioned by former Zambian
President, Kenneth Kaunda,
in Lusaka, 1976. The report fingers the late
Zanla commander, Josiah
Tongogara; current minister of Economic Development,
Rugare Gumbo, who was
then secretary for information and publicity; Henry
Hamadziripi, Kumbirai
Kangai, and Mukudzei Mudzi as the people responsible
for assassinating
Chitepo. The report claims Chitepo was a victim of a
tribal power struggle
within the party. The report claims Rex Nhongo
(Solomon Mujuru's liberation
war name) supplied the bomb that blew Chitepo
to smithereens. Tongogara was
the commander of ZANU's guerrilla forces in
exile at a time of dangerously
high ethnic tensions within the movement,
between Chitepo's Manyika clan of
the larger tribal Shona grouping, and
Tongogara's Karanga clan. Nkala said
he was writing the book to "set the
record straight." In his memoirs, he
also reveals how Tongogara was killed.
No autopsy results or photographs of
Tongogara's body were ever released,
leading to further speculation. A CIA
briefing two days later described
Tongogara as a potential political rival
to Mugabe because of his "ambition,
popularity and decisive style". On the
same day, the US embassy in Zambia
issued a statement saying, "Almost no one
in Lusaka accepts Mugabe's
assurance that Tongogara died accidentally. When
(our) ambassador told the
Soviet ambassador the news, the (latter)
immediately charged 'inside job'."
Nkala said his book would "answer many
questions" and "step on a lot of
toes."
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum, a coalition of 14 human rights
civic groups, has produced
a list of police officers, army personnel and
state agents accused of
torture and violence. Zimbabwe's main opposition
immediately appealed to the
families of the torturers to "pressure" them
into changing their ways and to
think about a future, democratic Zimbabwe.
State security minister Didymus
Mutasa responded with a scathing attack on
newspapers "that should know
better", saying the adverts were illegal. The
adverts appeared in the
independent weekly Standard newspaper. The Human
Rights NGO Forum report
states that state agents routinely use violence and
torture as a way of
quelling dissent as well as extracting information from
the public be it for
political or criminal reasons. Among those named are
notorious ex-combatant
Joseph Chinotimba and Zanu (PF) political commissar
Elliot Manyika. Also
prominent on the list are four Harare-based army
officials, William Gapera,
Captain Kembo, Mathias Mhiripiri and Shadreck
Ncube. Prominent police
officers complicit in torture of mainly opposition
supporters in Harare are
named as Assistant Inspector Mhondoro, Insp. Nduna,
Officer Mahara and
Nhokwara, among others. "The Mugabe regime and its agents
must be aware that
they will be held accountable for their deeds," MDC
spokesman Nelson Chamisa
said. "We are compiling documented evidence of
those responsible for torture
and murder. The day of reckoning is not far
away." - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
MUTARE - Arthur Mutambara, leader
of the pro-Senate faction of the MDC, held
a thunderous home-coming rally,
punctuated by song, dance and ululation from
a crowd that included
traditional leaders from the Mutambara clan at the
weekend, according to the
party's spokesman. The rally, held at Nedziwa
Business Centre, was attended
by the party's entire senior leadership. "The
Mutambara clan, represented by
eight traditional leaders, set the tone for
the colourful occasion by
performing traditional rituals as they sought to
give their son, guidance,
moral and spiritual send-off into the world of
politics as the MDC leader
and the possible messiah who will redeem the
people of Zimbabwe out of the
socio-political quagmire from which it has
been plunged by the Mugabe
government," said the spokesman. Mutambara told
the gathering his party
would not take away land from the people but would
institute a land audit to
determine whether the land that was allocated was
being productively used to
benefit the entire nation. He also spoke about
the split in the MDC, which
he said was a necessary evil that had exposed
the party's weaknesses, and
said the MDC was ready to fight and defeat Zanu
(PF) and create a new
democratic government to free the people of Zimbabwe
from Mugabe's
tyrannical rule. - Staff reporter
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Communities
in Zimbabwe need to overcome their "accumulated fear of
the government" if a
way forward is to be found one year after Operation
Murambatsvina according
to a report by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. The
NGO sent a group of
four delegates from different social movements in South
Africa to Zimbabwe,
to examine the situation one year after an estimated 700
000 people were
made homeless by Operation Murambatsvina. The delegates,
Philani Zungu,
Nopasika Mboto, Ellen Chauke and Siphiwe Segodi, met with
various community
groups all over the country during their 10-day visit.
They felt that the
most formidable challenge faced by Zimbabweans in the
wake of Murambatsvina
was to overcome the political divisions in the
country. They said many
people needed to accept the fact that the Operation
affected everyone,
regardless of their political affiliation. They urged an
increase in unity
among different communities in Zimbabwe and said that
those outside the
country needed to "build solidarity with ordinary
Zimbabweans and embark on
campaigns that will bring meaningful and lasting
political and
socio-economic change to Zimbabwe".
The report also highlighted the fact
that, despite government reports, there
was some resistance to Murambatsvina
and people were still being driven away
from the cleared areas. It stated
that "Operation Garikari has only
benefited those with political
connections" and "individuals who were meant
to benefit.have long been
forgotten". Furthermore, the number of units built
under Garikari only
constitutes a mere 5% of the buildings destroyed during
Murambatsvina. As a
result of this report, Zimbabwean Civil Society
organisations in South
Africa have drawn up a petition to be presented to
the United Nations (UN).
It urges the UN Secretary General to "inform the
world of the unfolding
genocide in Zimbabwe as a result of Operation
Murambatsvina" and "exert
pressure on the government of Zimbabwe to mediate
with its own people rather
some imagined forces outside Zimbabwe." - Own
correspondent
The Zimbabwean
BY GIFT PHIRI
MATOBO -
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday urged rural
Zimbabweans in a
dirt-poor settlement in Matobo to heed calls to join the
planned biggest
anti-government protests since independence to end President
Robert Mugabe's
authoritarian grip on power and address the country's deep
political,
economic and social crises. The MDC leader said the opposition
party was
ready to roll out mass protests and that the leadership had
"adequately
consulted the length and breadth of the country." The leadership
of the
opposition party was expected to meet "soon" to review progress on
the
planned mass action and decide on the next phase of the protests.
Tsvangirai
told his supporters in Matobo that he could not disclose the
party's finer
plans for the mass protest, saying "appropriate structures are
going to
inform you on the nature and form of the Save Our Country
Campaign." He said
"everything is now ready" adding "communication
mechanisms are being
finalized." Party insiders said the MDC was working on
"comprehensive
measures" to confront Zanu (PF). They, however, did not
indicate what
measures the opposition party was planning to take. But
Tsvangirai said his
party was not going to be "stampeded into action" by
President Mugabe and
his government "who want a hasty programme so that they
could butcher
innocent citizens for daring to express themselves."
Tsvangirai said a
critical mass of people was needed to dismantle the
Mugabe's dictatorship.
"We want to embark on democracy marches in every town
and every workplace,"
he said. "We must be prepared to be arrested. We must
be prepared to make a
mark to ensure that we will never again be oppressed."
Mugabe warned during
a Defence Forces commemoration speech last week against
attempts to
overthrow him through mass protests saying security agents would
deal with
"mischief-makers" and that soldiers will be given instructions to
turn their
guns on protesters. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces has issued a
statement
threatening to attack the MDC, and war veterans have said they
will
pulverise the opposition protests. Political analysts said the outcome
of
the protests will either leave Zimbabwe close to change or as a
reinforced
bastion of tyranny.
The Zimbabwean
BY DEBBIE
JEANS
Having just returned from the fourth talk in London, together with Dr
Ingrid
Landman, it was time for soul-searching on where we have come and
where we
stand right now with regard to living in Zimbabwe. The 15-hour
flight (we
went via Lusaka to get fuel!) gave me time to analyse my thoughts
and
feelings - to bring them out into the open, to say what I honestly
believe
about our situation, our decision to stay and even to dare to think
out loud
about dreams for the future. Ask us to talk on health, fitness or
medical
issues ... off we go with confidence in our subject, delivering with
conviction, scientific hard facts and figures. Now having been asked to talk
to Zimbabweans living outside, on issues of the heart (me) and head (Ingrid)
and suddenly we are faced with our core values, stripped of the guises of
daily commitments, families to keep us busy or work and social callings
which are all too easy to hide behind. There is the reality in economic
terms - horrific. The AIDS stats, the orphans, the tragedy of millions who
struggle daily to do what needs to be done to feed the children. Then the
brain drain, the broken hearts who are forced to leave the land of their
birth, the broken spirits who still live here and strive against
overwhelming odds to just "be". And, of course, the irritating and
infuriating power cuts, water cuts .... passport queues and the unbelievable
demands of simply trying to run a business or keep a job. Yet, time and
again, throughout history it is at moments such as these that we, as human
beings, are at our best. Dr Victor Frankel, survivor of four concentration
camps, a psychiatrist and neurologist, had the opportunity to study his own
obscene situation from within and without. His conclusion was that when we
are stripped of all the material, physical and social comforts in life, we
are left with the big question: "Who am I, what am I and why am I?"
Ultimately, it comes down to this: if a person has meaning, s/he has hope
and s/he has life. When we have to struggle towards a freely chosen goal, we
are driven to verbalizing the word "love". In other words, we have to act,
to put our own needs aside to ensure the mental, physical, emotional and
spiritual growth of another human being, a neighbour, a child, a relative, a
friend, a countryman worse off than ourselves. The simple law of nature
dictates that this is the only way we can self actualise and become who and
what we were meant to be!
In today's first world or in what many of us
would describe as the "perfect
world" the situation is so imperfect that as
much as 60% of clinical
depression can be traced to an intrinsic lack of
meaning in life! Frankel
calls it the "existential vacuum." We may try to
disguise this emptiness in
the depths of our soul by applying social
"band-aids" to our lives in the
form of an excess of activities which give
us an instant gratification or
"high". Material comforts, money, pleasure
seeking, shopping, gambling, and
any excessive behaviour which keeps us from
stopping for a quiet minute to
look "inside and deep down."
We try to
keep busy, but at the end of the day, and certainly at the end of
our lives,
we are hit by the tidal wave of that spiritual vacuum. In this
chapter of
Zimbabwe's history, this is what I believe we have learned. Our
children
have seen how we struggle, how we come together to help each other
in order
to give them a fighting chance. By constantly taking the pain from
the past
and learning from it, we are passing on the lessons to the next
generation.
That they may take the baton and move Zim to a higher, healthier
and happier
place in the future.
Twenty six years have seen two generations of
Zimbabweans. Regardless of
ourselves and our persuasions, the universal laws
and principles apply.
Principles of life do not take sides, cannot be "used"
and cannot be
changed. When we live in accordance with them, we are at peace
with
ourselves and on purpose with our path. When we live against them,
sooner or
later we die - morally, ethically, spiritually, emotionally. We
become
consumed by the disparity and the dark side takes over. We eventually
self-destruct.
Never doubt the principles of fairness, integrity,
honesty, human dignity,
service or contribution and spiritual growth. So
make the difference. Stick
your neck out, bend down to lift a fallen kindred
soul, carry the ones who
are too weary to continue. We hold the future in
our hands, our hearts and
our ability to respond to every moment in a way
that builds, upholds,
uplifts and supports what is right, good and God's
way; no matter the
personal pain or discomfort.
The Zimbabwean
Mugabe moves in to a
luxury mansion
Does this mean he's ready to retire? For most Zimbabweans,
leader's new home
is proof that government profligacy starts with the
presidency.
HARARE - Unperturbed by the plight of millions living in poverty
around him
in a country with a battered and failed economy, Zimbabwe's
president Robert
Mugabe has moved into a multi-million dollar retirement
palace that has been
built over the past five years. The spread, with 25
en-suite bathrooms, has
cost in excess of US$26 million to build in a
country where most people earn
less than the equivalent of US$11 a month.
But the move into the palace -
three times the size of the official
presidential residence, State House -
could be a sign that 82-year-old
Mugabe is finally preparing for retirement.
He has said he intends retiring
in 2008, though speculation has been intense
this year that he will amend
the constitution to extend his rule until 2010.
The mansion is also
indicative of the corruption and extravaganza of good
living Mugabe's Zanu
(PF) government has indulged in as the country crumbles
around them.
University of Zimbabwe political scientist John Makumbe, a
member of the
anti-corruption group Transparency International, said the
palace
demonstrated Mugabe's "insensitivity to the plight of the people he
leads".
"He is happy to live like a monarch while the rest of the country
is mired
in poverty. It just shows that corruption begins at the top of the
government because Mugabe's salary of roughly 57,000 dollars a year and
allowances for the past 26 years he has been in power cannot build such a
house. But also that could show you that he is preparing for his
retirement," said Makumbe. Apart from the costs of building the palace, many
millions more have been spent on decoration and furniture and landscaping
its lake-strewn grounds. Arab artists brought to Zimbabwe spent a year
decorating the arching ceilings. For most Zimbabweans, Mugabe's relocation
to the mansion is proof that government profligacy starts with the
presidency. "It pains me. That house has no place in country were millions
are starving and jobless," said Jonathan Nhekwe, who barely survives by
selling cigarettes on the streets of Harare. His pain is shared by millions
of other Zimbabweans who struggle to survive each day in a country where
inflation reached 1200 per cent in May and where 80 per cent of people of
working age are unemployed. It is a slap in the face for the more than one
million people still living in the open after their homes were destroyed a
year ago in Mugabe's Operation Murambatsvina (Operation Clean Out the
Filth), an alleged urban renewal scheme which is believed to have been aimed
at supporters of the Mugabe opposition.
The palace, 26 kilometres north
of central Harare in the plush suburb of
Borrowdale, has been built by
Energo Projekt, a Serbian company with a long
history of construction in
Zimbabwe and which also built Zanu (PF)'s
skyscraper party headquarters in
Harare. Glazed midnight blue tiles covering
the roof have been donated by
China, a major investor in Zimbabwe following
the retreat of western
businesses. Mugabe has said the palace is a gift to
him from the ruling
party out of gratitude for leading the country to
independence and then
governing it since independence in 1980. In a rare
interview with Britain's
Sky News, Mugabe admitted there were corrupt
individuals in his party, but
when asked if he himself was corrupt replied,
"Oh come on, come on, come on.
We have had assistance, of course. Some
countries have donated. They have
got some timber from Malaysia, thanks to
my good friend, former prime
minister Mahathir [Mohamad]."
The area of Borrowdale where the palace is
located has been declared a
security zone with a 24 hour guard provided by
the state police and the
army, who, sources say, are under instructions to
shoot to kill any
suspicious people approaching the complex. This is the
third luxury
residence that Mugabe has built and the fifth he has owned
since he came to
power. In the early 1990s, Mugabe caused a public uproar
after he used
taxpayer's funds to build a magnificent mansion at Kutama, the
village 80 km
northwest of Harare where the president was born. In the late
1990s,
Mugabe's wife Grace, 40 years his junior, used government funds meant
to
construct houses for the poor to build a 30-bedroom house that came to be
known as "Graceland" and which was later bought by Libyan ruler Muammar
Qadaffi. The first family also has a 29-room farmhouse house 64 km northwest
of the capital on the magnificent Iron Mask Estate, allocated to them during
the wave of expulsions of white commercial farmers from their properties
from 2001 onwards. The luxury farmhouse and its rich pastures were
confiscated from Eva and John Matthews, both in their seventies, who were
given 48 hours to leave after a visit by Grace Mugabe, accompanied by
police, soldiers and youth militiamen. Mugabe also has a country retreat in
Nyanga, a resort area in the Eastern Highlands guarded all-year round by the
army. It is, however, the Borrowdale house that has most irked ordinary
people and attracted the fiercest criticism. Mugabe is not leaving his
security to chance. The government is giving notices to people with houses
around the palace to sell up and find homes elsewhere. - IWPR
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The United
Nations has appealed urgently to the international
community to provide
Zimbabwe with US$257 million for aid to avert a
humanitarian disaster in the
crisis-torn country. In a revised consolidated
appeal for the 2006/2007
periods, the U.N. said the amount was required by
Zimbabwe "to prevent the
further breakdown in essential health and education
services and to ensure
that the country's growing number of orphaned and
vulnerable children are
not forgotten."
"Among the expected developments are: decreases in the
quality of and access
to basic services; deepening of urban poverty;
continued difficulty for
people previously employed in the informal sector
in re-establishing their
livelihoods; continued emigration, both legally and
illegally; and deepening
overall vulnerability to natural disasters," says
the appeal. The appeal
will also help the U.N. Children's Education Fund
(UNICEF) to respond
urgently to the plight of vulnerable children in
Zimbabwe, the U.N. said in
a statement. The appeal has so far raised $145
million of the required US$
257 million. The world body warns that "unless
appropriate humanitarian
action is taken, the use of negative coping
mechanisms (such as sexual
transactions) could increase, placing vulnerable
persons at further risk,
deepening poverty and reducing opportunities for
recovery". "The priorities
for the next six months and beyond will be to
save lives, enhance positive
coping mechanisms and livelihoods, mitigate the
impact on vulnerable
populations, and ensure a comprehensive and
co-ordinated humanitarian
response from national and international actors."
The UN said HIV/Aids
continued to have a devastating impact on the country
and larger segments of
the population were unable to afford or access health
services or education,
increasing their risk of disease, malnutrition and
destitution.
"We know that the brunt of this humanitarian crisis is being
hardest felt by
the country's children, but especially the growing
population of orphans,
who are most likely to end up hungry, out of school
and at risk of abuse,"
said UNICEF. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Political
interference has scuttled a US$400 million deal with an
Indian firm to
rehabilitate Zimbabwe's ailing government-owned iron and
steel works in an
agreement that was expected to boost production and save
over 5 000 jobs.
The state-owned Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company
(Ziscosteel), a key foreign
currency earner before independence in 1980, had
its 20-year management
contract with Global Steel Holdings Limited (GSHL)
cancelled last week over
what the Indian firm called "undue political
pressure." The firm indicated
it was opting out of the deal due to
"meddling" and has since recalled the
CEO it had seconded to the Redcliff
plant, Lalit Sehgal. A senior manager at
Zisco, Alois Gowo has replaced
Sehgal as acting CEO with effect from
Thursday last week, following the
nullification of the deal. Industry
sources revealed that the deal fell
through due to interference by
government officials, who also wanted to
benefit from the hefty investment.
Under the deal GSHL was expected to
inject foreign currency for
rehabilitation of Ziscosteel plant components
under a 20-year management
contract for the plant, which however was
supposed to remain
government-owned. The agreement marked one of the biggest
foreign
investments seen in recent years in Zimbabwe, which is struggling in
the
seventh year of a deep economic and political crisis. President Robert
Mugabe's government has previously identified Ziscosteel among
underperforming state companies to be privatised under a plan to revive the
southern African country's ailing economy. Ziscosteel was the main foreign
currency earner prior to independence from Britain in 198O, but output has
fallen sharply to just 78 000 tonnes of steel per annum because its main
furnace - which accounts for 70 per cent of its production - has been
derelict for years. Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, who forged the deal,
was unavailable for comment but he is on record stating the deal was
expected to see output leap to 1,1 million to 1,4 million tonnes within
12 -18 months. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Zimbabwean police
were left with a lot of egg on their faces after
the Attorney General
refused to prosecute a businessman whom police allege
shouted insults
undermining the authority of President Robert Mugabe. Comoil
managing
director, Tichaona Beverly Muchabaiwa, was arrested last week by
police
officers manning a cash search and seizure operation in Mazowe on
allegations of resisting arrest under tough security laws which bar any
remarks "undermining the authority or insulting" the 82-year-old leader. He
was charged under the Criminal Law Codification Act. The AG however threw
out the case saying the exact words he is alleged to have uttered were not
abusive but a mere expression of opinion. Branding the police action
"overzealous," law officer Lawrence Phiri said there was no element of
insult. "I am failing to understand where the insult was," the law officer
said. "That is why the police have not bothered to disclose the exact
utterance. All they simply wanted was to create an imagination that the
President had been insulted," he said. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
BULAWAYO - The recent Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) national assembly
was
attended by 312 delegates, including 25 men. The theme of the assembly
was
'Defending Women Defending Rights - Woza Moya'. The annual Assembly
honours
modern day 'sheroes' - ordinary women doing the extraordinary - at
the same
time as the government of Zimbabwe honours other 'Heroes'. This
year marked
the third annual assembly of Sheroes convened to elect the
leadership of
WOZA and to motivate members to defend their rights. The
gathering also
resolved to form Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) and elected a
male leader into
the WOZA leadership, referred to as Mother WOZA.
Proceedings began with a
solidarity message from Archbishop Pius Ncube who
asked WOZA to, "stand firm
in speaking up and demonstrating against evil and
unjust laws; against
brutality, against dictatorship and lack of love and a
government which is
self-centred and does not care for its people." The
Assembly was conducted
under high security at a secret location in rural
Matabeleland and members
passed through countless roadblocks to get to and
from the venue. No
incidents were reported, although official announcement
of the Assembly had
to await the safe arrival of all delegates. The election
of 18 office
bearers was conducted in a spirit of democracy and those
elected were prayed
for and anointed to continue the work of WOZA and to
birth MOZA. Their names
must be withheld for security reasons. Many
positions were hotly contested
but several leaders were returned unopposed.
New positions include Rural
Outreach Co-ordinators and a male
representative. Partners from civic
society present included Zimbabwe
National Students' Union (ZINASU),
Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ), Zimbabwe United Residents
Association (ZURA), Combined Harare
Residents' Association (CHRA),
International Solidarity Association (ISO),
Bulawayo Agenda, National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA), Zimbabwe Peace
Project, Uhuru Social Forum
and the Christian Alliance. Representatives from
Crisis Coalition - South
Africa and the African Liberation Support Campaign
- Kenya also attended and
addressed the meeting on how women in Kenya and
South Africa mobilised so
that they could enjoy their rights without state
interference. Delegates,
who are leaders of WOZA, came from 14 communities
in Bulawayo and 15 in
Harare, including Seke Rural and Domboramwari. There
were also
representatives from new areas of operation, including Insiza,
Inyathi/
Nkayi, Njelele/Matopo, Mutare, Chegutu and Chimanimani. The
delegates
reviewed the WOZA social justice campaign and evaluated campaigns
and
strategies before unanimously resolving to press ahead with non-violent
street action in coming months. The following issues were selected in
addition to the normal calendar of events and issues:
1) Operation
Sunrise, which saw three zeros being dropped from the currency.
The women
argued this is a very short-term measure that will not resolve
Zimbabwe's
economic crisis. Instead the women pointed out that the country
needs to
drop its leaders, not zeros. The high cost of goods and services.
There was
widespread testimony of skyrocketing prices and shortages as a
result of
Operation Sunrise, which they felt should be renamed 'Operation
Zero
Benefit'.
2) ZESA. The women say they are frustrated by frequent unscheduled
blackouts
that have damaged appliances. Additionally they complain they are
forced to
pay huge tariffs for an unreliable service. In Bulawayo women are
also
concerned about the power utility's decision to phase out load limiters
and
insist that consumers install new meters at great personal
expense.
3) Water problems and utility supplies, delegates in both Harare and
Bulawayo resolved to hold their council accountable for terribly poor
service whilst constantly hiking rates.
4) The women who demonstrated
over school fees at the beginning of the last
school term resolved to
continue with the street action until the promises
of the liberation war
have been fulfilled.
Alongside these national activities, delegates also
resolved to undertake
local actions to highlight social injustices within
their communities,
including lack of housing and home ownership. On the
second night a special
ceremony was held to salute the bravery of members
who have been arrested an
average of five times. Those Sheroes present were
invited to sign an Honour
Roll. Before signing, many recounted their
arrests, harassment and abuse
while in custody, including assaults by police
and great indignities
endured. Several men also came forward and testified
about their experience
in custody with WOZA women. Other business included
the formulation of an
urban and rural plan of action and a plan to intensify
training on strategic
non-violence. In a message to the public, members of
WOZA and MOZA said: "We
would like to tell Zimbabweans that they have
committed and prepared
themselves for a non-violent uprising of 'ordinary'
Zimbabweans who will do
the extraordinary. Leaders said Mugabe and his
regime boast of having
'degrees in violence', which has brought only hatred
and destruction. WOZA
has 'degrees in non-violence' that will result in love
and reconstruction.
When you hear the slogans 'Woza Moya' and 'Umkhonto wo
Thando' or 'Pfumo re
Rudo' and you see the Love Sign, you must know that
love never fails (1
Corinthians 13:8). We call our resistance 'Tough Love' -
it is the
disciplining love of one Zimbabwean to another. Our leaders have
unleashed
suffering upon us. We are on our knees. It is the spirit of 'tough
love'
that will help us to stand up and demand social justice and demand the
Zimbabwe we want - a Zimbabwe of hope and promise. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
This week those incredibly
brave women of WOZA were arrested yet again -
together with their babies and
some male supporters. They have been arrested
every time they have taken to
the streets to prod our consciences about the
various issues that bedevil
our society. WOZA has demonstrated on issues
that need to be debated and
addressed - issues such as the astronomical rise
in school fees, a new
constitution for Zimbabwe, housing, peace, the
economy. In fact - all the
bread and butter issues that effect ordinary
people. And every time the
government has mercilessly manhandled them into
jail. Young and old, the
women - together in many cases with suckling babies
and toddlers - have been
beaten, thrown into prison, denied sanitation, food
and water, medical
treatment and access to their lawyers. But they keep
coming back for more.
They never give up. They even offer themselves for
arrest in solidarity with
other members, knowing full well the inhuman
conditions under which they
will be held - in filthy, lice-infested,
stinking cells, sleeping on
concrete floors with no blankets, hungry and
thirsty.
We salute these
women and are delighted that the men of Zimbabwe, not to be
outdone, have at
last risen to take their place beside them. For too long,
men have taken a
back seat while the brunt of Mugabe's wrath has fallen upon
these
women.
Thus we salute, too, the formation of MOZA. May their courage match
that of
WOZA and may they persevere until victory is ours.
The Zimbabwean
A personal account by our
correspondent ZAKEUS
CHIBAYA
MUSINA - Thousands of Zimbabweans arrested
here as illegal migrants are
forced to scrounge for food in South African
prison cells - where they are
denied food and blankets. For two days as the
guest at Musina Police Station
prison cells, I experienced first hand the
ill-treatment by South Africa
authorities. After spending 50 hours in jail,
I had made friends with my
fellow Zimbabweans and officials. I was regarded
as a Very Important Person
by two cooks and I was the only one to receive
food, which I shared with my
fellow inmates. On the last day Francis Chauke,
who had been arrested five
times, had offered me R5 to half of the bread but
other hungry Zimbabweans
urged me to share it. In two days I met five close
relatives who had been
arrested and two classmates in their bid to escape
poverty at home. The
illegal immigrants are kept in a fenced area which
accommodates more than 50
people but is overcrowded most of the time. The
police force people to squat
on the ground or risk bring assaulted. Most of
the people arrested are from
surrounding farms and while others are picked
up while at work. Although
there are more than four deportations every day
the place remains crowded,
especially on Thursdays when people from Lindela
Repatriation Camp are being
deported. Zimbabweans had to exchange cigarettes
with other prisoners to get
bread or they had to pay police officers to buy
them food outside the police
station. One cigarette buys half plate of
sadza. Police officers charge R10
each if they are sent to buy food. Food
fights are common as people scramble
for left over from prison cells and
they have destroyed the fence. Some
Zimbabweans have lost their hard-earned
money as some unscrupulous police
officers disappear with their money.
On
Thursday last week, a group of dejected and hungry Zimbabweans from
Lindela
lost R100 to police officers they had sent to buy bread. The
officers
immediately locked the group in the van and never return with
bread. "They
robbed us of our money and they are now locking us in the vans
without any
toilet. We are starving and there is nothing to eat and they
refusing to
deport us," said Zibani Makwezi aged 19. The South Africa police
accused
Mugabe regime for delaying the process of deportation. "We are
willing to
deport you anytime but your government is to blame," a
policewoman told the
prisoners.
The Zimbabwean
BY MAGARI
MANDEBVU
MASERU - Alongside the SADC inter government meeting here last week
were two
other meetings: a gathering of 'official' NGOs and a 'People's
Summit' meant
to give a voice to those affected by the policy decisions that
are made by
heads of state behind closed doors. This grassroots meeting,
under the
banner of the Southern Africa People's Solidarity Network, was
attended by
about 160 people from Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia,
Malawi,
Swaziland and Mozambique. While they commended the governments of
SADC for
standing firm to defend their small farmers in the latest round of
WTO
negotiations, they found themselves repeating warnings that had been
issued
by the first SADC People's Summit in Windhoek in 2000. They observed
that
SADC decision-making was becoming more remote from the people of the
region,
with a centralised secretariat in Gaborone and foreign experts,
provided as
EU 'aid' apparently carrying more weight in government councils
than do the
people of the region.
In particular, they criticised Economic
Partnership Agreements between the
EU and individual SADC governments as
undermining the unity of SADC and
expressed similar concern about the
conditions attached to the US African
Growth and Opportunities Act. They
called for governments to show the same
determination in resisting the
privatising of national resources, national
assets and public services that
they showed in opposing moves in the WTO
negotiations to open their
economies to all imports from developed
countries. A petition making these
points was presented to the meeting of
government leaders. In this light, it
is a matter for concern that 27
would-be Zimbabwe participants were not
granted South African visas in time
to make the journey to Maseru. Those
denied this access to the Summit were 8
cross-border traders, 3 people
living with HIV/AIDS, 7 members of residents'
associations, 9 debt and trade
activists and two students. In addition,
three Zimbabweans now based in
South Africa were prevented from attending
because they would lose their
refugee status in South Africa if they left
SA, even for two days in
Lesotho. Observers question whether someone in
authority was trying to
weaken the voice of these disadvantaged groups.
The Zimbabwean
BY GERALD
SVOVAH
JOHANNESBURG - MDC South Africa held a successful District Congress
for
Zimbabweans in the township of Alexandra. Following preliminary meetings
held in Alexandra a fortnight ago, an interim committee was set up to
mobilize Zimbabweans resident in the town of Alexandra to elect leadership
for their district. The Chairman for MDC South Africa, Judge Ncube,
addressed hundreds of Zimbabweans who had gathered to elect their leadership
as well as present their problems to the MDC. The organizing secretary for
MDC South Africa, Rodgers Mudarikwa, and his deputy Lovemore Tshabala led
the crowd in song and dance and presented a strategy for MDC South Africa to
mobilize resistance against the Mugabe regime from South Africa. Also
present were Alice Mhlanga, the chairperson for Johannesburg district, and
William Mabona the Secretary for MDC South Africa. Mudarikwa urged all
Zimbabweans residing in South Africa to come together and mobilize a strong
resistance to remove the Mugabe regime. "We must unite and heed the call of
our president, Morgan Tsvangirai, in protesting the destruction and plunder
of our economy by the Mugabe regime. After dark comes the night and the
signs are clear that dawn is near," he said. Residents of Alexandra went on
to elect a full leadership for their district, which held its first meeting
as soon as the provincial leadership left.
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The Zanu (PF)
hierarchy's stranglehold of terror on Zimbabwe's
judiciary was highlight
once again last week when Manicaland's Area
Prosecutor, Levison Chikafu,
alleged he had been threatened by party
heavies. Zanu's near-total
destruction of the rule of law in Zimbabwe has,
for almost a decade, put
party officials and their sidekicks above the law.
In the past, judges were
mostly on the receiving end of the party thugs'
terror tactics. Several fled
the country, others were arrested and forced to
quit. This month, not a
single magistrate could be found in Manicaland brave
enough to hear the
corruption trial of justice minister Patrick Chinamasa.
And now even the
prosecutor has refused to present his final arguments in
the case, because
state security minister Didymus Mutasa has sued him for
libel. Informed
observers say the Z$100 million lawsuit has no chance of
succeeding as
Mutasa is attempting to sue Chikafu for statements made in a
court of law,
which is subject to privilege (and therefore exempt from
libel). However
Mutasa is pressing ahead, in what observers say is
intimidation. Chinamasa
is accused of trying to intimidate or coerce
witnesses from giving evidence
in a separate trial of public violence
charges against Mutasa's supporters
dating back to 2002. Mutasa's lawyer
Gerald Mlothswa has apparently given
Chikafu an August 18 deadline to
retract the alleged defamatory statements
or face the lawsuit. The
prosecutor was quoted by the media as saying Mutasa
was a powerful person
whose wings must be clipped. "The fact that he has not
been brought to trial
does not mean that he is not coming," he is alleged to
have said.
Constitutional law expert Dr Lovemore Madhuku told Newsreel that
the timing
of Mutasa's lawsuit was clearly designed to put pressure on the
prosecutor
before Chinamasa's trial ended. He slammed the suit as an abuse
of the
courts saying even the lawyers involved knew it had little chance of
success. - Own correspondent/Lance Guma, SW Radio Africa
The Zimbabwean
JOHANESBURG - The Zimbabwe
Pastors Forum (ZPF) has announced plans to launch
Civic Dialogue Africa in
Johannesburg next week. This is a grouping of all
African nations based in
South Africa whose main aims are to promote
dialogue and find possible ways
of ending xenophobia between foreigners and
the host community of South
African. Plans include a new radio station, a
College of African Languages
and a Media Centre. Speaking at the Advisory
Council Board (ACB) executive
meeting on Saturday, ZPF president, Steven
Chiadzwa, said the group would
engage the SA government and other authority
structures in policy
formulation on issues that impact on people's lives.
"We need to bring
together the immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and the
South Africans to
establish the critical space for communication and
interaction," he
said.
An advisory council has been established, including the Hillbrow Police
Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Malumanye, Editor of CAJ News
Savious-Parker Kwinika, Zimbabwe Tortured Victims Political (ZTVP) Sox
Chikohwero, Hope Centre Director Pastor Robert Murenje, Congress of South
African Trade Unions (COSATU), South Africa Jubilee, Wits University and SA
Home Affairs department. Meanwhile, more than 200 asylum seekers and
refugees in Diepsvloot recently received food, blankets and clothes from the
ZPF last weekend. Hope Centre Coordinator, Pastor Richard Guvakuva, Pastor
Guvakuva handed over 10 bags of blankets, dozens of pairs of shoes, clothes
and food.
"We feel there is a need to help the people of God not only
spiritually but
physically. It's not good enough to just preach to the
hungry but we have an
obligation to feed them when they are hungry and
thirsty. We care for the
poor and those in difficult situations like the
ones we are assisting
today," said Pastor Guvakuva. - CAJ News
Leadership to blame for prison
suffering
EDITOR-My heart sank as I read an article in your ever-increasingly
popular
paper about the conditions in Zimbabwe's prisons. Of particular
concern to
me was the reported suffering of innocent children who are there
because
their mothers are convicts. The extended family concept, fast
disappearing
due to the chronic economic meltdown, is forcing convicted
mothers to save
time with their children in the harsh prison environment. I
shudder to
imagine the traumatic effects of such an experience to this young
ones who
being denied a separate allocation of food (a basic human right),
have to
make do with the paltry rations given their mothers, only enjoying
meat and
beans on national holidays! In addition these poor souls are
exposed to
contagious diseases prevalent in prisons like tuberculosis. I
also believe
they are exposed to possible sexual abuse, yet we are supposed
to have a
functional Social Services System protecting them. I do not blame
the Dept
of Social Welfare as they have to make do with very limited
resources. My
blame lies on the gullible leadership that gobbles any little
money our
economy generates, and oft times get their priorities wrong.
Enough is
enough, the current leadership has dismally failed and the sooner
they are
condemned to the political dustbin, the better for the nation. C.
NGAIRONGWE, UK
-------------
Five years on
EDITOR - Five years ago
a primary school teacher on our farm wrote this
letter. I was amazing
reading it again five years later! "The Provincial
Ministers are now doing
wrong.
a) they give the power to land invaders and by so dong they mislead
the
laws.
b) They give power to land invaders to disturb production of
the country.
c) They disturb people working in white men's farms and also
disturb their
families forgetting to know that they may otherwise become
prime ministers
of tomorrow.
d) They are training young generation
theft.
e) They train lazyness to the country.
f) They run for (fast track)
motions. Stealing to become rich fast. Inhuman
and lack of
civilization.
The out of jobs club are disturbing farmers because they are
paid by the
Provincial Ministers, but they forget to know they are doing
temporary
duties. Very soon now things will change and there will be nowhere
to run
and hide themselves. The land invaders will suffer more than they are
doing
to us. Let's hope that God will be with us.
Pindukayi."
----------------
Canada condemned
EDITOR - We of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Canada, want to
condemn unreservedly
the recent invitation and permission for entry into
Canada of Zimbabwe's
Foreign Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi. Canada is
fully aware that Mugabe
government is responsible for failure to run the
economy and massive human
rights abuses. We urge the Canadian authorities
not to be flip-flopping on
the issue of sanctions, but to remain resolved
unchangeably. Mubengegwi
should be asked to go home and rectify the
elections' rigging, so as to
speed Zanu (PF)'s political demise.
The Zanu (PF)government is criminal
because of its abuse of the little
medicines which are supposed to be
accessed by the public on aids. She
instead uses the drugs upon the elite of
the society, making colossal
profits out of people. We are hurting that the
same people who oppress
others in Zimbabwe, have free rides on the tax
payers' money to come and
have holidays abroad under the pretext of
attending an HIV/AIDS conference.
That Zimbabwe top Zanu (PF) officials are
banned from entering Canada should
be policed with all seriousness. We will
petition Prime Minister Stephen
Harper on this issue to avoid future and
similar accidents. ANDREW
MANYEVERE, Toronto
-----------------
Where
is spirit of Ubuntu?
EDITOR - I would like to urge all Zimbabweans living in
foreign countries to
behave them selves and respect the laws of the
particular countries that are
hosting them. Disrespect and crime has never
been a part of our culture. To
those committing armed robberies in South
Africa - please spare those old
grandpas and other Zimbabweans who are
working here so that children and
parents who are back home can survive. As
it is right now, innocent people
are in trouble with the SA authorities
because of your evil doings. How many
are you and how many people should
suffer and die while you are enjoying the
fruits of crime? I beg every
Zimbabwean to refrain from any form of crime
and integrate with local
communities to sustain a sweet environment. Come on
guys lets make our
selves and country proud. We still have a life back home,
why do you want to
loose the spirit of UBUNTU?
BONGANI NQOBIZITHA MPOFU, S
Africa
-----------------
Preparing to build
EDITOR - I would like to
encourage all those who love Zimbabwe to know that
even though feel that we
are drowning and fear for our lives spiritually and
physically. Just as in
Mark 4 v35-41 Jesus is with us.
"Lord don't you care if we perish?" we cry
piteously. We no longer feel we
are masters of our own destiny and our plans
and hopes for the future are
continually frustrated. But He is preparing for
us to enter our own destiny
as a nation - where we will take our eyes off
our own problems and fears and
have our eyes and ears opened to reveal the
incredibly awesome power of God
in His dealings with us.
The time of
Joseph is upon us. Even when he was suffering in the pit and
could see
nothing but his pain, and rejection, His Father God was preparing
him to
rule His way. This is the time that Kingdom trading and
administration will
come into being. We will reap the fruit of training and
discipline we have
been through. The inner life we have built within
ourselves in Jesus Christ,
in order to cope even when things are falling
apart around us, will prevail.
These years training in faith training in
steadfastness and faithfulness and
Training in the Word will be the tools He
uses to build His Kingdom in
Zimbabwe.
ABBY JAMES, Harare
-----------------
Organised legal
theft
EDITOR - As I drove past VID the other day there was a police road
block and
three uniformed cops in a huddle counting fists full of money! At
a place of
business I visited a bit later, the owner said the employees had
had their
money confiscated by the "cops" and given a "receipt" and told
they could
collect it in new money in two years time! Organised legalised
theft. And
the poor people who are the worst off are the ones no doubt
taking the most
flak.
THE WITNESS, Harare
-------------------
SADC
has lost its way
EDITOR - We believe that SADC has lost its original
objectives and has just
become another talk shop. We attended the recent
summit in Maseru as civic
organisations to try and force SADC to conform to
the original reasons it
was formed - a child born from the Frontline States
which saw the whole
region attain independence. We wish to acknowledge the
abuse of SADC by our
leaders by joining many other civic organisations from
the region who
criticise the manner the organisation is operating. We want a
people-oriented SADC and not cheap politicking organisation busy justifying
tyranny.
-The movement has become too bureaucratic in its
structures.
-When decisions are made, there are no consultations with the
people.
-They talk of business programmes which benefit only the big fat cat
political leaders
-No one monitors the formulated policies
-SADC has
become a platform for dictatorships.
Remember this - As civic organisations
we represent a large constituency and
our voices are the voices of the
people, and as we march in the streets of
Maseru we represent 200 million
people.
Jay Jay Sibanda, CONCERNED ZIMBABWEANS ABROAD; Jozi