Yahoo News
Saturday August 25, 06:02 AM
GABORONE (AFP) - The head of the Southern African
Development Community said
on Friday a report on economic solutions for
Zimbabwe would remain under
wraps, but he believed the country still had a
viable economy.
SADC executive secretary Tomaz Salamao sought to quash
rumours emerging
after last week's summit in Lusaka, denying he had
suggested Zimbabwe's
neighbours should pump money into the country's ailing
economy, or that its
currency be pinned to South Africa's.
"I have
never suggested that money be pumped into the Zimbabwean Reserve
Bank as a
rescue plan," he told reporters at a briefing in Gabarone,
Botswana.
"I have also heard rumours that in my report I have
suggested that the
Zimbabwean Dollar be pegged to the South African Rand as
a way of rescuing
the situation. That is not true."
He did however
say his report recommended that SADC member states come up
with ways to help
Zimbabwe, and that finance ministers had been tasked with
working with
Zimbabwe and offering solutions for its problems.
Zimbabwe, once regarded
as a regional bread basket, first ran into economic
trouble when Mugabe
ordered the seizure of white-owned farms in 2001 which
had been a major
source of revenue.
The situation has worsened, with rampant inflation of
over 7,500 percent and
massive food shortages with more than three million
Zimbabweans having fled
the country and four out of five people
unemployed.
The contents of the report have remained a closely guarded
secret, and will
remain so until further notice.
"I will make it
available for the Finance Ministers of SADC for now. Now is
not the right
time to make the document public. It will be made public at
some stage, but
not now," he said.
Salamao said that when compiling his report he found
that despite the
turmoil, the flailing economy remained a viable
one.
"It is one economy that is operating with sanctions, although the
European
Union claims that their sanctions are targeting some 130
individuals. If you
tell the world do not trust those who are running the
economy, what message
are you sending," he said.
"Zimbabwe's economy
currently has no access to soft loans and lines of
credit. They operate only
on hard cash. You cannot run an economy that way."
South African
president Thabo Mbeki, charged with mediating in the country's
economic and
political crisis, denied in his weekly letter on Friday that
SADC leaders
were divided over the report.
Quoting from sections of Salamao's report,
Mbeki said the most urgent action
was to establish lines of credit to allow
Zimbabwe to carry out imports for
production sectors.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -
Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Date: 24 Aug
2007
HARARE, 24 August 2007 (IRIN) - Businesses say the Zimbabwean
government's
about-turn on price controls this week, allowing manufacturers
and retailers
to increase the prices of basic commodities, is "too little,
too late", and
most are sceptical about whether the decision will restore a
normal flow of
goods onto the market.
The government's reversal
followed marathon meetings with businessmen, who
warned that more companies
would go under if goods and services continued to
be provided at below-cost
prices; many have already closed shop, saying they
could not afford to
restock.
Government announced this week that retailers would be allowed a
maximum
markup of 20 percent and charge Value Added Tax of 15 percent on
goods, but
Bulawayo-based economist Eric Bloch said he did not see the move
bringing
immediate relief.
"The stated increases announced by
government do not cover operating costs
for the firms to manufacture goods
in large enough volumes to meet demand. I
don't see this bringing back goods
on shop shelves unless government
abolishes price controls, reduces state
spending and stops printing money."
He said government should take
positive steps to encourage and stimulate
production and value enhancing to
generate foreign currency needed by
manufacturers to boost
production.
A director of a retail chain in Harare, the capital, told
IRIN that the
latest government intervention would not improve the
situation. "Just about
everything is in short supply - from matches, beer,
soft drinks, candles,
rice and meat - due to a combination of factors. In
the majority of cases,
many manufacturers are saying they cannot restock
because they were forced
to sell at way below the cost of producing
commodities.
"Also contributing to the chaos is the fact that people are
now generally
impulsive bulk buyers because of the uncertainty of what
tomorrow brings, so
the few goods that are delivered are bought quickly
before resurfacing on
the parallel market, where they would be selling for
five times their
original value."
Grip of shortages
The
country is saddled with crippling foreign exchange shortages and the
world's
highest inflation rate, officially pegged at around 3,700 percent,
but in
recent confidential correspondence with bank chief executives, seen
by IRIN,
Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono said inflation had shot up beyond
the
7,000 percent mark in June.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
estimates that Zimbabwe's inflation
will breach the 100,000 percent mark by
December this year. IMF Managing
Director Rodrigo Rato visited Southern
Africa this week.
"We have been emphasising with the Zimbabwe authorities
the need to address
[the] very extreme and deteriorating macroeconomic
environment," he said at
a news conference. "We are not encouraged by the
responses of the
authorities ... Our advice to the Zimbabwe authorities is
not ... [what]
they are applying."
The government has publicly
accused manufacturers of scaling down production
or withholding products to
protest the price controls, leading to severe
shortages.
Economic
analysts estimate that more than 70 percent of manufacturing firms
are
operating at way below 30 percent capacity because they have been unable
to
purchase inputs and spares to refurbish their aging equipment as a result
of
several years of foreign currency shortages.
Elliot Manyika, Minister
Without Portfolio and vice-chairman of the Price
Monitoring Task Force, set
up to enforce the price blitz and whip
manufacturers into line, encountered
a barrage of complaints about shortages
of power, water, coal and foreign
currency while touring several
manufacturing firms in Harare earlier this
week.
"For the past two years, we have not received even a single dollar
in
foreign currency from the Reserve Bank. We have had no water from ZINWA
[Zimbabwe National Water Authority] for the past three days and unless
supplies are restored, there is little we can do," said one company
executive.
At a milk production company Manyika was told, "We cannot
fire our boilers
with the little coal we have left," and shown a small pile
of coal.
"We will see what we can do," Manyika said. "We will sit down,
as
government, and see to it that all the challenges are
addressed."
The empty shop shelves have also affected Sithabile Mguni,
one of the many
vendors at supermarket entrances who sell carrier bags made
out of cement or
maizemeal bags.
Business boomed when supermarkets
started rationing and later charging for
carrier bags to cut costs. Now she
hardly sells any. "Customers are getting
fewer and fewer. They have little
to buy and no longer require carrier
bags," Mguni said, pointing to the bare
shelves inside the supermarket.
Businessman Taurai Madzivire said he
sympathised with vendors like Mguni and
wondered if her business would
improve after the government's decision to
allow the hike in
prices.
"The question is whether manufacturers will be able to absorb the
losses
they incurred over the past month and half to justify increased
production,"
he said.
"There are no guarantees that government will
not launch a similar blitz
once they [manufacturers] have started
production. Also, the increases do
not cover transport costs under current
fuel shortages."
rm/dd/jk/he
[END]
This article
does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or
its
agencies.
SW
Radio Africa (London)
24 August 2007
Posted to the web 24 August
2007
Tererai Karimakwenda
The Third Session of the Sixth
Parliament is bound to provide some dramatic
moments when a new Bill
introduced by government this week is debated.
Parliament opened on Tuesday
and government wasted no time. On Wednesday
ZANU-PF tabled the Indigenous
Economic Empowerment Bill, aimed at giving
majority control of foreign-owned
companies to locals, but excluding white
Zimbabweans. The opposition
Movement for Democratic Change has already
dismissed the Bill as a ZANU-PF
ploy to acquire and vandalise private firms,
the way the party took over and
destroyed agriculture.
Indigenous is described as "any person who was
disadvantaged by unfair
discrimination on the grounds of race before
independence in 1980"- a
roundabout way of saying "no whites allowed."
Economic analyst John
Robertson said he is not surprised at all because the
government has shown
the same inclination to discriminate against white
Zimbabweans for years. He
added: "Their stance is that white Zimbabweans
have no business being in
Zimbabwe no matter whether they were born here or
arrived here as
immigrants, or are descendants of the pioneers who came here
over 100 years
ago. So their feeling appears to be any discriminatory
legislation they
bring to bear on the white population is fully justified.
And if they don't
like it they should leave."
An estimated 35
foreign-owned companies remain in Zimbabwe, including
Barclays Plc and Anglo
American. Essentially the Bill will require them to
sell 51% of their shares
to locally owned firms or risk losing their license
and registration. They
must also do half of their business with local
companies. The government
itself will be required to procure 75% of its
goods and services from
locally owned companies and to deal only with
indigenous banks and
accounting firms. The government's success in
destroying manufacturing and
production will clearly make these requirements
impossible to
realise.
Regarding accusations that the legislation is meant mainly to
benefit
companies aligned with the ruling party, Robertson said this was
true. He
explained that ZANU-PF wants to have majority shares. Once this is
done,
they will then have the power to appoint the company chairmen and
directors
who will take instruction from the party. He said: "Government's
wishes will
be expressed in the business sector through them. And if these
people fail
to do so, they will be retired or resigned and replaced by new
people who
will carry out government's wishes."
In other related
news; in Bulawayo the government has been accused of only
re-licensing
abattoirs whose owners have close links to the ruling party. A
report on the
Zimonline news site said out of 42 abattoirs that were given
back their
licenses, none of the six white-owned private abattoirs in
Bulawayo had been
re-licensed.
Bloomberg
By Mike
Cohen
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Southern African leaders today issued their
first
unanimous public rejection of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's
economic
policies and urged him to overhaul the way he manages the country
to end a
recession.
The reprimand was contained in a report drafted
by the Southern African
Development Community and adopted by leaders of the
14-nation regional
grouping at a meeting in Zambia last week. South African
President Thabo
Mbeki released excerpts of the report for the first time in
his weekly
Internet column today.
Zimbabwe ``must continue to
implement robust policies to reduce the
overvaluation of the exchange rate,
to reduce the budget deficit and to
control the growth of domestic credit
and money supply, which fuel
inflation, and to reduce price distortions in
the economy,'' Mbeki cited the
report as saying.
``Equally important
is the need to avoid frequent changes in policy
initiatives, which have
caused uncertainties and led to the view that the
policy environment is
unpredictable.''
Zimbabwe is in its ninth year of recession, has the
world's highest
inflation rate and is facing widespread shortages of fuel,
food and other
commodities. Southern African leaders have previously been
loath to
criticize Mugabe, a political ally.
`Hostile
Allegations'
``The hostile allegation that our countries have recklessly
turned their
eyes away from the problems of Zimbabwe, because of the
imperatives of
solidarity, has always been nothing more than a product of
propaganda,''
Mbeki said. ``The problems of Zimbabwe are our problems. Our
entire region
stands to benefit most directly from the recovery of
Zimbabwe.''
Mbeki cited the SADC report as saying Zimbabwe needed to
restore access to
credit and its ability to generate foreign exchange to
enable it to buy
imports for its manufacturing and agriculture
industries.
``SADC should do all it can to help Zimbabwe address the
issue of sanctions,
which is not only hurting the economy through failure to
get balance of
payments support and lines of credit, but also through
reduced markets for
its products,'' the report said, according to Mbeki.
``Sanctions also damage
the image of Zimbabwe, causing a severe blow to her
tourist sector.''
The European Union and the United States have barred
arms sales to Zimbabwe,
imposed travel restrictions against senior ruling
party officials and frozen
their assets, while the International Monetary
Fund has declared the nation
ineligible for further loans.
Zimbabwe's
economic meltdown, sparked by the government's seizure of
white-owned farms,
has been accompanied by political turmoil, with the
opposition accusing
Mugabe of rigging elections and using violence to quell
dissent. Mbeki was
tasked by SADC five months ago to mediate and ensure
Zimbabwe holds credible
elections next year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Cohen in
Cape Town at
mcohen21@bloomberg.net
Crisis Coalition
Alert
Police haunts Crisis Coalition team in Gwanda
Yesterday, 23
August 2007, plain cloths police officers failed to arrest the
Crisis in
Zimbabwe Team which organized a Public Meeting and Civil Society
Briefing
meeting in Gwanda. The police officers rounded the vehicle, which
Gladys
Hlatywayo (Crisis Coalition Advocacy Officer) and Mehluli Dube
(National
University of Science and Technology [NUST] Vice President) were
using at
Gawnda Hotel accusing them of inciting the public to cause anarchy
and
uprisings against the government of Zimbabwe. The team had to force its
way
through the police barricade.
The Gwanda Police communicated with their
counterparts in Esigodini to mount
a road block and arrest the two. The team
had to escape when the police
officers at the road block were seeking
confirmation of the vehicle
registration number of the people they were
looking for.
The meetings deliberated on the political environment which
the progressive
forces are operating before proposing the way forward.
Amongst other
outcomes was the need to intensify peaceful civil disobedience
programs to
pressurize the incumbent government towards upholding the
tenants of good
governance and the rule of law.
Joint Command Center
summons Bulawayo Agenda
The Joint Operations Command (JOC) comprising of
the army, prison services,
police and Central Intelligence Chiefs, yesterday
summoned the Bulawayo
Agenda Vice Chairperson Kucaca Phulu, and the
organization's secretariat:
Xolani Zitha, Busani Ncube and Alfred Ncube to
Bulawayo police station.
The organization notified the police of its plan
to hold a public meeting in
the high density suburb of Makokoba which they
will go ahead on Saturday 25
August 2007. The meeting is jointly organized
by Crisis Coalition and
Bulawayo Agenda.
JOC interrogated the four
for more than two hours. It threatened Bulawayo
Agenda with imprison if they
are to mention the name President Robert Mugabe
during the meeting. The
militant JOC accused the organization of harbouring
conspiracies of inciting
uprisings against the government in the high
density suburb
Crisis
Coalition and Bulawayo Agenda will go ahead with the meeting as per
our
schedule starting from 1400 hours to 1600 hours. We hold that we have
done
our part by notifying the police of the meeting. The police do not have
the
powers to stop the meeting since the nefarious POSA only grants them the
power to be notified.
Save Zimbabwe Campaign launch: Midlands
Province
The Save Zimbabwe Campaign launches its provincial campaigns in
Gweru,
midlands province on the 1st of September 2007.
The launch
will be held at Mukoba Stadium starting from 11am to 2pm.
Participants will
be drawn from political parties, civil society, churches
among
others.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) was notified of this event. We
therefore
call upon the people of Zimbabwe and Midlands province in
particular to
grace the event in their number in their bid to find a lasting
solution to
the deep rooted Zimbabwean crisis.
Two Ameerican women
deported!
The two American women, Lauren Carara and Ms Risley who were
arrested on the
21st of August 2007 were yesterday deported around 1300
hours without due
process. The two had endured a night in detention after
they were arrested
filming the activities of Girl Child Network.
The
deportation went ahead irrespective of an urgent court order allowing
the
two to be accorded legal representation which they were denied since the
day
of their arrest. The Deputy Secretary General of the Law Society,
Lawrence
Chibwe was granted an order to represent the two from the chambers;
however,
by the time they went to serve the order to the police they were
informed
that their clients had been deported.
SW
Radio Africa (London)
24 August 2007
Posted to the web 24 August
2007
Violet Gonda
Police in Bulawayo reportedly abducted six
women and a baby from the
organization, Women of Zimbabwe Arise during early
morning raids. WOZA
coordinator Jenni Williams said the group received an
alert around four in
the morning from the children of the arrested women,
saying police officers
were going door-to-door arresting the
activists.
Police are also accused of trying to break into the home of
WOZA leader
Magodonga Mahlangu. They failed to get in and arrest her, but
she has
reported that since the incident her dog is now missing. In the past
police
have been brutal in their treatment of animals belonging to perceived
opponents of the government. A witness reported that police attacked the
barking dog with a hoe.
Those arrested include Rosemary Siziba
and her one-year-old baby, Margaret
Ndlovu, Idah Ndebele and Maria Moyo.
Williams said as usual lawyers were not
able to access them, as the police
denied holding the activists.
The group says homes belonging to two WOZA
members were also searched in
Masvingo on Thursday night. WOZA believes the
authorities are paranoid after
the pressure group held a successful annual
congress this past weekend. It
is assumed that these arrests and searches
are an attempt to obtain
information about the congress
resolutions.
A statement said: "They were taken to the bush around Khami
Ruins some 40 km
outside Bulawayo and told this was the last time they would
be seen alive.
It transpires there were three teams of police officers.
Officers Mthunzi,
Musarira, MaNdlovu and Tshuma were identified by members.
Three of the women
testified that they were taken onto the mountaintop
overlooking the river
and told to tell the truth or be thrown in. The
'truth' required was the
whereabouts of Jenni Williams and Magodonga
Mahlangu. They were questioned
about WOZA programmes and especially the 2006
and 2007 Sheroes Congress."
The group said the members were released in
the afternoon unharmed but
traumatised and in shock.
Williams told us
that plans to roll out a series of non-violent activities
are now underway,
in preparation for the forthcoming elections.
The WOZA co-ordinator was
part of a group of civic leaders who met with
South African officials to
discuss the way forward last week in Pretoria.
She said she was worried at
the choice of expression by the South African
officials. She said: "Words
used by Minister Mufamadi over and over again in
the meeting were that they
(SA) want an election whose results cannot be
contested."
But
Williams said: "Surely it would be better to have a proper
constitutional
process that would safeguard democracy in Zimbabwe and only
then will you
have an election. Why should you try to stop the contestation
of an
election? Rather do a process that results in a free and fair
democratic
process."
South Africa is mediating talks between ZANU PF and the two
MDCs. Civil
society have criticised this process saying free and fair
elections could
only come about with the full consultation of all
stakeholders and a people
driven constitution.
Reuters
Fri 24 Aug
2007, 11:17 GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Britain
has barred Zimbabwe's central bank
governor from visiting the country, a
British government source said on
Friday.
Gideon Gono joins President
Robert Mugabe and other senior officials who are
banned from visiting
Britain and the European Union, the United States and
Australia as part of
targeted sanctions imposed on Harare over alleged human
rights
abuses.
The official Herald newspaper reported on Friday that Gono was
denied entry
into Britain by the Home Office (interior ministry) as his
presence would be
"inappropriate". A British government source confirmed
Gono was not welcome.
"No decision to exclude is taken lightly or as a
method of stopping open
debate on issues," the source said. "Gideon Gono is
not welcome in the UK.
We do not intend to let him go there."
The
Home Office had no immediate comment.
The newspaper said the Home Office
wrote to Gono on Aug. 17 notifying him of
its decision and alleging he was
involved in "corrupt practices (that have)
undermined democracy and the rule
of law in Zimbabwe".
"The Home Secretary, therefore, considers that it
would not be appropriate
to allow you the privilege of entering the UK where
you would enjoy a
platform to justify your actions," the newspaper reported
the letter as
saying.
The Home Office charged that Gono's last visit
in 2004 -- when he launched a
programme for Zimbabwean residents in Britain
to remit foreign currency --
had led to public protests in Britain by
crowds accusing him of trying to
raise funds to prop up Mugabe's
government.
Gono was not immediately available to comment. His spokesman
told the Herald
that only Zimbabweans could judge the central bank governor,
who has
frequently called for an end to Zimbabwe's standoff with Mugabe's
western
critics.
"It's the people of Zimbabwe who decide whether the
actions of our governor
are inimical to their interests or not," the
spokesman said. "It certainly
cannot be Australia or anyone else for that
matter."
Since his appointment in Dec. 2003, Gono has been at he centre
of government
efforts to revive Zimbabwe's battered economy, now in its
eighth straight
year of recession and ravaged by the world's highest
inflation rate.
Critics blame Mugabe's controversial policies -- such as
the seizure of
white-owned farms to resettle blacks -- for a crisis marked
by chronic food,
fuel and food shortages.
Mugabe, Zimbabwe's sole
ruler since independence from Britain in 1980,
denies mismanaging the
economy and blames western sanctions for the
meltdown. (Additional reporting
by Sophie Walker in London)
Business
Day (Johannesburg)
OPINION
24 August 2007
Posted to the web 24
August 2007
Dianna Games
Johannesburg
ZIMBABWE may not look
like much of an investment prospect right now, with
its economy in a
tailspin and the prospect of a rigged election looming on
the horizon. But
the deeper the country sinks into the quagmire, the more
potential investors
are seen sniffing about - in hopes of a fire sale, no
doubt. An adage of
investing is that you should try to buy at the lowest
point.
One
Zimbabwean commentator wryly observes: "The vultures are circling." The
question of whether the country's fast-deteriorating assets really represent
a long-term investment has been around for a while. Bolstering the view that
there is a viable future for the Zimbabwean private sector is the fact that,
despite sustained assault by government policies for nearly a decade, it has
remained resilient and creative.
Everyone is looking for signs of
an "endgame" for the shambolic political
regime of Robert Mugabe, and the
investment community is no different.
Perceptions of investment viability
are premised on the belief that
political change, and with it economic
recovery, are just around the corner.
This waiting game is full of
uncertainties. The longer the political and
economic crisis goes on, the
more local assets become devalued, say some
observers. Others argue that the
business assets are merely becoming
undervalued, and therefore growing in
investment potential.
With Zimbabwean companies reeling from the latest
government battering - the
lunatic price-fixing edict - talk of the endgame
has come to the fore once
again.
Companies are under greater pressure
than ever. There was not much fat left
in the system when the government
decided three months ago to undermine
margins in an attempt to reduce
inflation.
The consumer population briefly hailed lower prices. But it
learned the hard
way that there was little to celebrate, as the economy
started grinding to a
halt. As Mugabe was cheered to the rafters by his
peers at a presidential
gathering in Lusaka recently, a boy was killed back
home in a stampede for
sugar.
In just a few months, the business
climate inside Zimbabwe has changed from
one of weary resignation to one of
fear and desperation. "There was little
enough trust between the government
and business before, but now there is
none. Everyone expects the worst," a
businessman says.
More than 7000 people, including business people,
traders, taxi drivers and
a range of other commercial operators, have been
arrested and "tried" in a
specially convened court for allegedly violating
the government's order to
cut prices. The government constantly urges
consumers to spy on businesses
to ensure the success of the half-price
sale.
Companies that have raw materials to hand are being forced to
produce goods
by members of the security forces installed in factories.
Warehouses are
raided to check for hoarding. Spies watch shoppers in
supermarket parking
lots to ensure they do not leave with more goods than
decreed by government
order. The government has now made such spying on the
population legal with
new legislation.
A social accord once signed by
the government, business and labour is
sometimes mentioned as being the best
mechanism for all parties to solve the
economic problems in the country. The
Association of SADC Chambers of
Commerce and Industry said recently that new
negotiations under the
provisions of the accord were what was needed. In
reality, this social
accord has been moribund for a long time. Critics say
the government's
unrealistic economic projections, as well as a lack of
trust between the
parties, render it dead in the water.
This week's
big climbdown by the government on price-fixing may have
resulted in part
from concerns raised by the private sector, but is more
likely to be about
the government trying to salvage its ill-considered
pre-election
image.
But even as pricing starts to normalise, the Zimbabwean business
community
faces yet another government-inspired threat - the Indigenisation
and
Economic Empowerment Bill, which is before parliament.
Although
there has been significant "indigenisation" of Zimbabwean business
over the
past decade, the new legislation opens up a new avenue for the
government to
wield a big stick over the private sector.
The concerns in Zimbabwe seem
to be less about the principle of the law
itself than about how it is likely
to be applied selectively - for party
personnel advantage - and vindictively
against regime critics by Mugabe's
officials.
Unsurprisingly,
business confidence is at an all-time low. A survey released
by the
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries in May, just before the current
crisis,
showed pessimists had grown from 54% of respondents in a similar
survey in
2005 to 77% last year. Nearly 70% of respondents said they did not
anticipate an economic recovery in the foreseeable future, compared with 48%
in 2005.
Companies are increasingly conducting their affairs in a
low-key manner and
massaging their results to ensure they keep beneath the
government's radar.
Doing well in a crumbling economy makes a company a
government target.
According to an economic report by a leading banking
group, more than 40%
has been shaved off the value of the Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange in the three
months the price blitz has endured.
The Reserve
Bank, in response to queries by banks, this week disclosed that
inflation
had hit 7251% in June - almost double the last official figure,
3700% in
April.
Ironically, when the retreat from price-fixing is completed, the
inflationary effect is likely to have been compounded by the price cuts, not
eased by them - due to extensive restocking and other factors.
As one
economist says: "When will the government accept that its printing
presses
are driving inflation, not the private sector?" Money supply growth
reached
a massive 4211% in April.
It is against this rather bleak backdrop that
demand for investment in
Zimbabwe is still outpacing supply.
If
events of the past few months have affected sentiment in any way, they
have
merely moved a few potential buyers from the "buy" to the "wait and
see"
camp. The general election next year is seen as a major signpost to
investment decision-making. The poll process and its outcome could provide a
clearer time frame for economic recovery.
Although the price blitz
knocked share values in the short term, the
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange reports
that there is still much international
interest in investing in Zimbabwean
companies. Officials say local companies
and larger shareholders show a
distinct reluctance to offload significant
stakes - which has resulted in
sluggish trade and low liquidity. "No one
wants to sell volumes at this
stage. The economy has taken a beating and
confidence is low," a Zimbabwean
economist says.
However, companies might be forced to sell if an economic
upturn does not
come soon. Many are already battling cash-flow problems and
may not be able
to ride out a long wait without new capital
flows.
Right now, there is little to buy. "Everyone is setting up African
investment funds, some of which are targeting Zimbabwe. But demand far
outstrips supply and this is not likely change anytime soon," says a Harare
stockbroker.
Another broker confirms that interest in investing in
Zimbabwe has not
declined. "Assets are very cheap compared to the rest of
the world - and
getting cheaper. Obviously they will be revalued when the
economy improves,"
he says.
Although risk in Zimbabwe is high, so is
the potential value of investments
in a reformed Zimbabwe. Companies are
resilient, diversified and able to
withstand shocks; they have established
export markets, good assets and
strong management. The country generally has
a strong underlying industrial
base and a wealth of mineral
assets.
The sticking point, as always, is the time frame for political
and economic
change. The "vultures" may need to be very
patient.
Games is director of Africa @ Work, an African consulting
company.
Afrique en ligne
Windhoek (Namibia) The international community should end the
ostracisation of Zimbabwe and re-engage the crisis-ridden southern African
nation, respected academic and political scientist John Makumbe said here
Thursday night.
Makumbe, who has been conducting a series of
public lectures in
Namibia on Zimbabwe at the behest of the Namibia
Institute for Democracy
(NID), said that the policy of disengagement pursued
by Western countries
against Zimbabwe had failed to yield any meaningful
results.
In fact, Makumbe said, the initiative by southern African
heads of
state to find a lasting solution to Zimbabwe's socio-economic
political
problems could succeed.
Makumbe had earlier said that
the initiative, which is backed by SADC
and headed by South African
President Thabo Mbeki, was likely to stonewall
due to Harare's hardline
stance.
"There has to be a policy to re-engage the dictator in
Zimbabwe. It's
important for the Commonwealth nations and Western countries
to re-engage
Zimbabwe," Makumbe said.
Zimbabwe, once the
region's breadbasket, has the world's highest
inflation rate, severe food,
fuel and foreign currency shortages and large
scale
unemployment.
Observers and critics say that Zimbabwe President
Robert Mugabe's
controversial policies, including the seizure of white owned
farms for
redistribution to blacks, destroyed a once vibrant
economy.
"If re-engaged, the Zimbabwe government, most likely will
thaw towards
a resolution," Makumbe said.
Harare's hardline
stance against its "imperialist foes" has resulted
in most international
financial institutions cutting the financial aid tape.
"The people
being left behind are the people of Zimbabwe," Makumbe
said, of the current
stand-off between Zimbabwe and the West.
LR/nm/APA
2007-08-24
African Press Agency
Zim Online
Friday 24 August 2007
Own
Correspondent
JOHANNESBURG - The South African government on Thursday
said its mediation
effort in Zimbabwe was on course, dismissing suggestions
to the contrary by
both President Robert Mugabe's government and the
opposition as mere
posturing.
Government spokesman Themba Maseko said
South Africa's Cabinet had accepted
a report by President Thabo Mbeki that
his effort to broker dialogue between
Mugabe's ZANU PF party and the
opposition MDC was on track and would lay the
foundation for free and fair
polls in Zimbabwe next year.
"The report ... was confident these talks
will deliver an agreement that
will lay the foundation for free and fair
elections in Zimbabwe," Maseko
told journalists in Cape Town.
Mbeki
was last March tasked by Southern African Development Community (SADC)
leaders to lead efforts to resolve Zimbabwe's eight-year political and
economic crisis by facilitating dialogue between ZANU PF and the
MDC.
However, Mbeki and fellow SADC leaders ignored calls for tougher
action to
force Mugabe and ZANU PF to fully embrace dialogue, saying at the
conclusion
of a regional summit last week in Zambia that Zimbabwe's
problems were
exaggerated.
Statements by the MDC during the SADC
summit that mediation was having
little effect and by ZANU PF that there was
no need for political reform in
Zimbabwe appeared to suggest that Mbeki's
mediation effort was virtually
headed for a dead end.
But Maseko said
despite their public sparring, ZANU PF and the opposition
remained committed
to talks, adding that Mugabe himself was "engaged and
involved" in the
regional push to secure a negotiated solution to Zimbabwe's
problems.
"Yes, there will be hiccups as the talks unfold, but the
overall assessment
... was that the talks were indeed progressing and that
an agreement or a
settlement will be reached soon to make sure that there
will be free and
fair elections in Zimbabwe," said Maseko.
He added:
"From time to time the MDC and ZANU-PF will issue statements that
cast
doubt. But the President (Mbeki) is confident that progress is being
made on
a number of fronts."
Maseko rejected media reports that SADC heads of
state were divided on how
to deal with the Zimbabwean issue and said there
had been no discussion on
delaying elections.
Zimbabwe is in the grip
of an unprecedented meltdown shown in the world's
highest inflation of more
than 7 600 percent, 80 percent unemployment,
rising poverty and shortages of
food, fuel and foreign currency.
Western governments, civic groups and
the MDC blame Zimbabwe's meltdown on
repression and wrong policies by Mugabe
- charges he denies.
Meanwhile, South African business leaders grouped in
Cape Town on Thursday
for a meeting with Mbeki on a wide range of issues
including the Zimbabwe
crisis that is negatively affecting the entire
region.
Details of the meeting between Mbeki and the Business Working
Group were not
immediately available by late afternoon.
The meeting
was also attended by Mbeki's deputy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,
labour minister
Membathisi Mdladlana and safety and security minister
Charles Nqakula. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 24 August 2007
By Prince Nyathi
HARARE - About
40 percent of Zimbabweans suffer from mental disorders as a
result of
current economic hardships and the effects of Operation
Murambatsvina, a top
medical consultant has said.
Dickson Chibanda, a consultant with the
World Health Organisation and
Ministry of Health, said cases of mental
disorders have worsened since the
2005 controversial government slum
eviction programme as well as ongoing
economic hardships that have seen most
Zimbabweans failing to meet daily
needs.
"In Zimbabwe latest data on
common mental disorders indicated prevalence
close to 40 percent. Operation
Murambatsvina caused a lot of mental
disorders to those who were forced out
of their homes," he said.
The internationally condemned Operation
Murambatsvina (Drive Out Filth)
displaced over 700 000 families and forced
hundreds of children out of
school.
According to Chibanda, a survey
of Harare's low-income suburbs in 2006
showed a prevalence of 36
percent.
A similar survey involving HIV patients utilising the
opportunistic
infection clinic at Harare Central Hospital yielded 44 percent
mental
problems incidence rate.
He said the percentage of Zimbabweans
suffering from mental health problems
could be higher now due to the
deteriorating economic climate in the
country, which has seen inflation
topping 7 634 percent last July, the
highest in the
world.
Unemployment is estimated at around 80 percent while most workers
earn
salaries that do not last them a week.
Chibanda was speaking
during a meeting organised by the Community Working
Group on Health, a
network of community-based organisations that aim to
enhance community
participation in health in Zimbabwe.
Both the Minister of Health and
Child Welfare David Parirenyatwa and his
deputy Edwin Muguti could not be
reached for comment on the matter last
night. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 24 August 2007
By Thabang
Mathebula
BULAWAYO - A storm is brewing between the government and
Bulawayo residents
amid charges that the authorities were using water
shortages to punish
political opponents and decimate the city.
The
opposition-dominated Bulawayo City Council, residents and political
parties
have joined forces in denouncing what they saw as a systematic plot
by
President Robert Mugabe to deny them water and break their spirit in the
face of mounting economic hardships.
Zimbabwe's second city has faced
perennial water problems for more than two
decades during which both
residents and the city fathers have pinned their
hopes on an ambitious
project to draw water from the Zambezi river.
Boreholes which have been
providing the residents with most of their water
needs have also dried up in
some parts, leading to the surfacing of black
market water dealers who are
charging as much as Z$50 000 for a 10-litre
container.
The
Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, a long held plan to tap water from
the
Zambezi River through the construction of a 450km pipeline to arid
Matabeleland was mooted way back in 1912.
The total cost of the
pipeline has sky-rocketed and the project is now
estimated to cost about
US$600 million.
However, the crisis-ridden government has been unable to
implement the
scheme, drawing the ire of Bulawayo residents and other
pressure groups from
the region.
Bulawayo mayor Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube
yesterday said the water crisis had gone
beyond his council's control, with
some suburbs going for weeks without
water.
Ndabeni-Ncube revealed
that the council had last February appealed to the
government to declare the
city a water crisis area, which would have allowed
non-governmental
organisations to step in with assistance.
"Our repeated appeals have
fallen on deaf ears," Ndabeni-Ncube told
ZimOnline.
Ndabeni-Ncube's
council has resisted government attempts to impose the
ineffective Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (ZINWA) as the body
responsible for water
management in the city.
The government announced towards the end of last
year that it was taking
over all water supplies in the country but Bulawayo
appealed against the
decision in February saying water contributed more than
40 percent of the
city's revenue.
Ndabeni-Ncube charged that the
ministries of local government, rural and
urban development and of water
resources have not responded to communication
from the city council over the
matter.
In the communication to the government, the city had also applied
for a
monopoly over all water sources within its vicinity with the hope of
augmenting its dwindling supplies.
"There is also no word on the
Mtshabezi-Bulawayo pipeline which would have
been a short-term solution,"
Ndabeni-Ncube said.
The mayor, who was elected into office in 2002 on an
opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party ticket, said the
ruling ZANU PF party was
committed to bringing Bulawayo to its knees as it
knew that the water crisis
would scare away the remaining investors and
posed a health hazard.
"They want Bulawayo dead," Ndabeni-Ncube
said.
ZAPU Federal Party president Paul Siwela described the situation in
Bulawayo
as an act of genocide.
"By refusing to declare a state of
water crisis here the government has
paved the way to a mass slaughter of
Bulawayo residents through disease,"
Siwela said, adding that the move was
bent on killing investment in the
city.
A senior MDC official in the
city said ZANU PF was using water shortages to
punish the people of Bulawayo
for supporting the opposition.
"Government must return to sanity and
declare the city a water crisis area,
it has gone beyond control," said the
official from the main MDC faction led
by Morgan Tsvangirai who declined to
be named as his party was yet to take a
common position on the
issue.
Even the usually pro-government Bulawayo-based daily The Chronicle
this week
questioned the government's stance on the city's water
problems.
"We wonder if government is well informed of the situation on
the ground.
The people of Bulawayo need water before a catastrophe befalls
the city.
Without water there is misery and death," ran an editorial carried
in last
Tuesday's issue of The Chronicle.
Local government minister
Ignatius Chombo denied that the government was
neglecting the city and said
only Mugabe had the final say on the
commencement of the Matabeleland
Zambezi Water Project.
"The decision to declare a crisis lies with the
President. He is fully aware
of the crisis and I believe he is as concerned
as we are," said Chombo. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 24 August 2007
By Lizwe
Sebatha
BULAWAYO - The Zimbabwean government has been accused of
re-licensing
abattoirs owned by individuals with close links to the ruling
ZANU PF party
in the second city of Bulawayo sidelining those owned by
whites.
Industry and International Trade Minister Obert Mpofu, who is
leading a
government crackdown on prices, on Monday said Harare was lifting
a ban on
42 private abattoirs to alleviate severe shortages of beef around
the
country.
Investigations by ZimOnline this week showed that none
of the six
white-owned private abattoirs in Bulawayo had been re-licensed
raising
suspicions that the government was granting operating licences to
its
cronies.
The price crackdown that began last June has seen
virtually all butcheries
and supermarkets run out of beef after commercial
farmers refused to part
with their cattle because of the ridiculously low
prices directed by the
government.
"The Cabinet (taskforce on prices)
is only licensing those who are
sympathetic to the ruling party. Only two
small unknown Denver and Sivako
abattoirs have been given back operating
licences in Bulawayo.
"The real big abattoirs like Mbokodo, Bulawayo
Abattoir and Mguza that are
privately run by whites have been left out,"
said a farmer who refused to be
named for fear of
victimisation.
Mpofu could not be reached for comment on the matter while
his deputy Elliot
Manyika said: "That's rubbish. All procedures were
followed in the
re-licensing of the private abattoirs. They met the
requirements."
Marc Crawford, the chairperson of the Southern Africa
Commercial Farmers
Alliance accused the government of sidelining white
farmers and granting
licences to ZANU PF supporters.
"How could they
give licences to abattoirs which do not have capacity to
slaughter even four
beasts per week? Politics was at play in the
re-licensing of abattoirs. The
government is actually killing the beef
industry," he said.
Zimbabwe
has grappled with severe shortages of beef since June after the
government
shut down all privately owned abattoirs leaving the state-owned
Cold Storage
Company (CSC) with the task of buying and slaughtering of all
cattle.
But the CSC failed dismally to supply beef to butcheries
triggering massive
shortages around the country. - ZimOnline
The Telegraph
By Byron
Dziva in Harare and Tom Stevenson
Last Updated: 3:14am BST
24/08/2007
President Robert Mugabe has paved the way to
effectively seize control
of foreign-owned companies, many of them British,
dealing another blow to
Zimbabwe's tottering economy.
Under a
bill laid before Zimbabwe's parliament, all firms undergoing
structural
changes, and any new investments in the country, must be 51 per
cent
controlled by "indigenous Zimbabweans".
Paul Mangwana, the minister
responsible for the programme, said the
bill was intended to "create an
enabling environment that will result in
increased participation of
indigenous people in the economic activities of
the country".
The legislation makes clear, however, that white Zimbabwean
shareholders do
not count. It defines an "indigenous Zimbabwean" as "any
person who was
disadvantaged by unfair discrimination on the grounds of race
before
independence in 1980".
Given the precedent of the country's
commercial farms, the measure is
likely to lead to majority stakes in
companies being handed over to Zanu-PF
officials and their cronies, who will
asset-strip them and run them into
bankruptcy.
From 2000,
white-owned farms were seized supposedly to ensure landless
blacks received
property, but instead prime country houses - sometimes more
than one - went
to those with government connections.
Agriculture has since
collapsed and, according to the World Food
Programme, more than four million
people will need food aid by the end of
this year, in a country that was
once a regional breadbasket.
A repetition of such benefits, this time
from the corporate sector,
will enable Mr Mugabe to shore up his support in
the divided ruling party
and act as a temptation to voters in elections due
next March.
"There was no doubt they would push it through before
the elections
because it's designed to garner votes," said Eric Bloch, an
economic
commentator. "What remains to be seen is how vigorously they are
going to
implement it, but it's certainly going to discourage
investors."
The language of the bill appears to make white-owned
Zimbabwean
companies equally liable to its provisions, although officials
said foreign
firms would be the first objects of its implementation, which
may prove to
be a hollow promise. Zimbabwe already has the highest inflation
in the
world, at 7,634.8 per cent, and four fifths of the population are
unemployed.
"It will make things worse," said John Robertson,
an independent
economist, who added that the government "will have to kiss
goodbye to
foreign direct investment".
Business assets, he
pointed out, were "pretty valueless in the hands
of people who don't know
how to make it work.
"Every potential investor will choose another
country to invest in and
Zimbabwe will be virtually abandoned."
The only possible exception, he said, would be platinum miners, as
Zimbabwe
has large untapped reserves.
Zanu-PF has a large majority in
parliament and the bill, which was
transferred to a committee for detailed
consideration, is virtually certain
to pass later this year.
Several major British firms and FTSE100 companies in the banking,
petroleum
and mining sectors have operations in Zimbabwe, including
Barclays, Standard
Chartered, BAT, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, BP and Shell.
But with their
interests under threat, few would be drawn on the potential
consequences of
the law yesterday.
VOA
By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
23
August 2007
Though the Zimbabwean parliamentary session that opened
this week has turned
first to legislation providing in effect for the
nationalization of all
companies in the name of black empowerment, the main
focus of attention in
the weeks and months ahead seems likely to be the
government's bill to amend
the constitution.
Not yet officially tabled,
the bill has drawn fire from opposition parties
and civic groups that oppose
what they call "piecemeal" changes to the basic
document. It
would:
a.. Add 60 seats to the lower house and 18 to the
senate;
b.. Shorten the presidential term to five years from six;
c.. Call general elections in 2008 - two years early;
d.. Provide for the
parliament choose a new president in the case of
death, incapacitation or
early retirement.
Both factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change are still
discussing how they can shape the bill's final form, but
analysts say that
given the ruling party's two-thirds house majority the MDC
has little room
to influence the outcome.
Lawmaker Innocent Gonese of
Mutare, chief whip for the MDC faction of Morgan
Tsvangirai, told reporter
Carole Gombakomba his formation hopes the ruling
party will put the national
interest first and compromise to ensure free and
fair elections.
Some
legislators said that unlike ordinary legislation, the amendment bill
won't
go into committee but will be presented directly to the house for
debate and
voting.
Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, member for Glen Norah, Harare,
for the
opposition faction of Arthur Mutambara, said the MDC influenced
previous
amendments so she has no doubt that when the debate starts in
parliament its
voice will be heard.
Mail and Guardian
Drew Forrest
23 August
2007 11:59
The economic rescue package for Zimbabwe,
touted at the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Lusaka
last week, is
a non-starter, economists and political commentators argued
this week.
They said that at least $15-billion would be
needed to
restore Zimbabwe's collapsing infrastructure and revive commercial
agriculture, the mainstay of the formal economy. The region could not foot
this bill and Western "development partners" would not come to the party
unless Zimbabwe democratised and introduced rational economic
policies.
This week Finance Minister Trevor Manuel told
Parliament
that South Africa would not waste its taxpayers' money bailing
out Zimbabwe.
A South African government official told the Mail &
Guardian nothing would
be achieved by "technical" economic measures when the
root of the crisis was
political.
Added a
diplomatic source: "The international community is
not interested in
propping up [President Robert] Mugabe, nor in addressing
the symptoms rather
than the causes."
At the SADC summit regional leaders
appeared to reject any
trade-off between reform and economic assistance,
with President Thabo Mbeki
insisting there would be no
conditions.
The summit merely noted a report by SADC
executive
secretary Tomaz Salomao calling for political and legal reform,
civil
service overhaul, economic liberalisation, the entrenchment of the
rule of
law and property rights among the conditions for economic aid, which
would
include energy and loan finance.
The lack of
decisive action was seen to reflect a rift
between a pro-reform grouping,
including Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania, and
hardline Mugabe allies,
including Namibia and Angola, who argued that the
Salomao proposal amounted
to an International Monetary Fund-style structural
adjustment
programme.
Regional finance ministers were asked
instead to draft a
recovery plan in consultation with the Zimbabwe
government.
However, the M&G has established that
no date has been set
for a meeting of finance ministers, while it appears
that the South African
treasury has not started working on a plan. "Our
understanding is that the
SADC merely flirted with the idea of a bail-out,"
said one diplomat. "There's
nothing concrete."
Amid
diplomatic forecasts that Zimbabwe's formal economy
might have disintegrated
entirely by year-end, Zimbabwean officials said
report-back meetings would
not take place before November.
A new Zimbabwe Reserve
Bank report measured annual
inflation at 7 634% in July, while unofficial
estimates place it as high as
13 000%. The government stopped publishing
inflation figures in April.
Two Zambian ministers gave
strong indications that Mugabe
had his way at the summit. Ng'andu Magande,
Zambia's finance minister, said
only pressure from elder statesmen -- such
as Nelson Mandela -- could force
things to be "done differently without
anybody losing out".
And the country's information
minister, Mike Mlongoti,
said the region "can't pressure Zimbabwe because it
is a sovereign state".
Returning from the summit,
Mugabe seemed buoyed by what he
described as "a good meeting". However, on
Wednesday he postponed the
scheduled launch of the Zimbabwe Economic
Development Strategy, the latest
in a string of economic blueprints he has
touted as solutions.
And in Parliament, Zanu-PF finally set
in motion
"empowerment" legislation, which will localise control of all
foreign-owned
businesses. Critics say it will damage the economy
further.
On the cards also is a Constitutional
Amendment Bill that
will provide for simultaneous presidential and
parliamentary elections
which, critics say, aims to allow Mugabe, rather
than the electorate, to
pick a successor if he steps down
mid-term.
Mbeki gave the summit an upbeat account of
the
SADC-sponsored mediation between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC), but recent developments suggest a different scenario. Last
week Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told Zambian state
television that he saw no reason to negotiate with the
MDC.
Voter registration in Zimbabwe, which ended last
Friday,
was a further setback for Mbeki's aim of ensuring free, fair and
universally
endorsed elections next year. The MDC said registration centres
had
deliberately been limited in opposition strongholds to enhance the
prospects
of a Mugabe victory.
A spokesperson for
the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
rejected MDC calls for an extension of
voter registration, saying "time is
running out". Only 80 000 new voters
were registered in three months, the
commission
disclosed.
Iden Wetherell, an editor at the Zimbabwe
Independent,
argued that no economic rescue package could succeed without
the
participation of the donor community -- principally the United Kingdom,
United States and the IMF. And the donors "would not help until Mugabe
goes".
Wetherell pointed out that in regular "Article 4"
talks
with Zimbabwean leaders, the IMF had consistently urged sweeping
reforms,
including a serious attack on inflation, which did not involve
printing
money.
Administered prices were anathema
to the world body, while
every Article 4 report had emphasised the need to
entrench property rights
to regenerate commercial agriculture, which had
suffered a 60% decline since
2000.
Zimbabwean
economist John Robertson estimated that at
least $5-billion was immediately
required to prevent the collapse of water,
power, road and other
infrastructure. Even if such an infusion was possible,
Zimbabwe's massive
skills exodus restricted its ability to use aid.
Last
year Norman Reynolds, former adviser to Zimbabwe's
finance minister, put the
cost of recovery at $15-billion.
Robertson argued that
South Africa, which favoured a
regional initiative, would be extremely
reluctant to carry the can. A
further deterrent to lending would be
Zimbabwe's inability, perhaps over a
10-year period, to service
loans.
No sanctions
There are no
international sanctions against the
Zimbabwean economy -- despite persistent
attempts by Robert Mugabe's regime
to blame sanctions for the country's
economic collapse.
A document said to have been written
by President Thabo
Mbeki before the SADC summit -- subsequently disavowed by
the South African
government -- specifically blamed British sanctions for
Zimbabwe's economic
woes.
The reality is that the
European Union (EU) as a whole --
not just Britain -- and the United States
have frozen assets and imposed
visa bans on a tiny group of Zimbabwean
high-ups seen as undermining
democratic and human rights
norms.
In 2002 the EU listed 131 individuals "who
engage in
activities that seriously undermine respect for human rights and
the rule of
law in Zimbabwe", including government ministers, senators and
Zanu-PF
politburo members. This was renewed in February this
year.
They are prevented from entering or transiting
the EU and
their assets there are frozen. The British High Commission said
this week
that the United Kingdom had frozen bank accounts holding £172
000.
In addition the EU has banned all military
cooperation
with Zimbabwe, including arms sales.
Two United States presidential orders, in 2003 and 2005,
list 128
individuals, starting with Mugabe, whose assets are "blocked" in
the US.
They are understood also to be subject to visa bans. Last year
Zimbabwe had
a $55,7-million trade surplus with the US. It also has a trade
surplus with
Britain -- Drew Forrest
The
Nation (Nairobi)
ANALYSIS
24 August 2007
Posted to the web 23
August 2007
Matirasa Muronda
Nairobi
Ten years ago, Zimbabwe's
public hospitals were among the best in Africa
until the country's economy
started falling apart. There seems to be no end
in sight unless, writes
MATIRASA MURONDA, the country fixes its politics
Mt. Darwin District
Hospital 120 kilometres from Harare.
A group of people queue outside a
dilapidated house in Mbare, one of the
oldest suburbs in the Zimbabwean
capital, Harare. Three sickly looking ones
lie on their backs facing the
scorching sun while more than five others, who
look tired, lean onto the
dirty walls.
Relatives flap pieces of cloth just above the faces of their
beloved ones
lying in agony, some too weak to shoo flies away. Meanwhile, a
middle-aged
man comes out of a room with two people supporting his wasted
body from both
sides before a young woman calls for the next client to come
in.
Mt. Darwin District Hospital 120 kilometres from Harare.
This
has become the order of the day in Zimbabwe where many people are
resorting
to traditional healers in the wake collapsing health
infrastructure as the
once-prosperous economy sinks deeper into crisis.
Patients are turned
away either because nurses and doctors are on strike or
the nurse on duty
couldn't make it to work because there was no transport
from her
home.
This might sound "mischievous" but a crippling fuel shortage means
that
there is no transport to work. In this southern Africa nation, it is
understandable if workers either come to work three hours late or never turn
up.
As a spin off of the economic crisis, patients are being
diagnosed with
various ailments and told to buy themselves medication from
expensive,
privately owned pharmacies beyond the reach of most
Zimbabweans.
With the private pharmacies and hospitals way above the
means of salaried
Zimbabweans, the option is the traditional healers known
as n'angas in the
Shona language spoken by the majority of Zimbabweans from
the Northern part
of the country.
A good number of people suffering
from diseases that range from the
complicated HIV/Aids to running stomachs
are flocking to traditional healers
for treatment at a minimal
fee.
Many are dying while being attended by the n'angas, which
complicates
matters because the law considers such deaths as happening in
"unclear
circumstances", meaning police have to investigate such
deaths.
Ten years ago, Zimbabwe's public health sector was among the best
in Africa.
But today, people no longer trust their health workers because
hundreds of
nurses and doctors believed to have been well trained when the
sector was
still efficient have left the country for greener
pastures.
The brain drain aggravates a situation where, in a population
eight million,
at least 1.7m are HIV-positive.
The Government is
trying to provide free treatment to people living with
HIV/Aids but
according to some health experts, this might just be a dream
for many
patients have been on hospitals' waiting list to get ARVs for
months.
Ironically, the country exports some types of ARVs but owing
to a severe
shortage of foreign currency, things boil down to a matter of
weighing
priorities.
Currently, it seems health is not on top of the
priority list because of
serious food and fuel shortages. Even electricity
has to be imported from
South Africa and the DRC. As a result people are
dying while on waiting
list.
Some concerned health experts say the
current upsurge in research on herbal
medicine might alleviate the impact of
the HIV/Aids pandemic on other
sectors like agriculture.
Others don't
trust the researchers owing to the precedent set by quarks who
have
introduced ineffective herbal medicines in the market, killing more
people
in the process.
In spite of the criticism, patients are opting for the
treatment they can
afford rather than wait for death.
Zimbabwe is not
only grappling with HIV-Aids. Of major concern at the moment
are kidney
diseases. Out of the 18 dialysis machines at one of the country's
major
referral hospital chains, the Parirenyatwa Group, only eight are
working.
In the second largest city in the country, Bulawayo, only
one dialysis
machine is functional at Mpilo Central
Hospital.
Zimbabwe has about 2,000 kidney patients and it is estimated
that owing to
the HIV-Aids pandemic, up to 500 new cases are being recorded
every year.
Patients supposed to be connected onto the haemo-dialysis
machine for five
hours are there for three hours so that others can also
have toxins removed
from their blood. Renal patients are supposed to undergo
this process three
times a week but many are lucky if they are connected
twice a week.
Sheer incompetence is also taking its toll. Recently, Vice
President Joice
Mujuru criticised the Health Ministry for letting 18
dialysis machines to
gather dust in Bulawayo as people died of kidney
failures. Also, several
kidney-related deaths have been reported following
the lack of effective
assessment and treatment from public
hospitals.
As the health delivery system fails, patients suffering from
other
life-threatening diseases usually beg from well wishers for assistance
to
get treatment in South Africa where facilities are better.
Just a
few are lucky to get this kind of assistance while many die at
home.
Hospital administrators in urban centers have always indicated that
the
rural-urban influx exerts pressure on health facilities that were never
meant to cater for huge populations.
In the past 20 years, there has
not been any significant expansion of the
health facilities even as new
suburbs cropped up in all major five cities.
The rural to urban migration
has presented several public heath challenges
as more people live in
squalor, unable to afford decent urban shelter. The
result has been the
outbreak of water-borne diseases, such as cholera, and
indulgence in
prostitution hence aggravating the HIV-Aids situation in the
country.
Harare has three squatter camps, Epworth, Hopley and
Caledonia, which were
created after the popular operation clean up two years
ago.
The operation targeted unplanned settlements.
Five years ago,
it could safely be said that the residents of such
settlements were
classified as poor. But now, with inflation estimated at
10,000 per cent, 70
per cent of people living in towns.
They are poor because it is difficult
for a teacher or a nurse to look after
a sick child or relative when he
cannot afford household basic necessities.
Courtesy of the inflation, the
cost of burial is sometimes more painful than
the death.
At least one
needs up to $500 (Sh33,000) to cover burial costs, which
includes taking the
body for burial at one's rural home as is the norm.
But because many
workers earn far below what is required to buy them food
for a month, they
end up burying their beloved ones in the cities, exerting
pressure on urban
cemeteries.
In desperate situations, especially in the illegal
settlements, there are
horrific incidents of illegal burials on open spaces
or in some cases,
people discreetly taking bodies to a nearby cemetery,
digging up another
grave and burying the body on top of another.
Last
year two people at Hopley settlement were arrested for burying an uncle
in
another person's grave after failing to raise money for a burial
site.
Mortuaries are also teeming with uncollected bodies. Consequently,
Hospitals
are not accepting bodies of people who die at home. Also,
relatives
disappear on receiving death notifications to escape shouldering
the cost of
burials.
Under the laws of Zimbabwe, public hospitals are
expected to keep unclaimed
bodies for at least six months but owing to the
high death rate, they are
disposing of them after three
months.
Health facilities in the rural areas are better although they are
still very
few and inaccessible to many people. There is a good number of
Church
hospitals, which are now more reliable because they don't rely on the
Government for supplies.
But Zimbabwe's problems are all
over.
Because economic problems replicate themselves in all sectors,
there is a
serious shortage of food in the country. Clothing retailers have
even run
out of stock following an edict that requires manufacturers and
retail shops
to slash prices to the June 18 level.
As poverty bites,
Zimbabwe is churning out economic refuges. It is estimated
that over a
million Zimbabweans are living in South Africa and Botswana, a
good number
as illegal aliens.
As happens in such circumstances, the hosts have
become hostile to
Zimbabweans, many of whom are suspected of engaging in
crime.
There are multiple reasons why there seems to be no end in sight
to
Zimbabwe's problems.
As is the case elsewhere in Africa, ruling
parties enjoy overwhelming rural
support, which is the case with President
Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF. In the
last Parliamentarian elections in 2005, when
again the ruling party won
almost all the rural seats, the general consensus
was that with all the
suffering a round, there was need for serious voters
education.
It is apparent that for many people voting simply meant,
casting your vote
for ZANU-PF, with the interpretation of voting and what it
meant
misunderstood.
Many still do not understand the effects of
where they cast their votes.
Intimidation and torture also frightened them
into voting for the status
quo.
The opposition Movement for
Democratic Change enjoys urban support but it
has been very difficult for
urban people to engage in mass action because of
the government's
highhandedness.
Demonstrations are brutally broken using live ammunition
hence fatalities.
Not spared has been the Movement for Democratic Change's
Morgan Tsvangirayi
who, months ago was bludgeoned by police.
As
things stand now, Zanu-PF's grip on the country is far from loose.
Zimbabweans are pinning their hopes on the Zimbabwe crisis talks currently
being chaired by South Africa's Thabo Mbeki. However, Mugabe's regional
clout means that not even Mbeki can take him head on.
Africa Insight
is an initiative of the Nation Media Group's Africa Media
Network
Project.
VOA
By Ndimyake Mwakalyelye
Washington
23
August 2007
The South African government criticized local
media Wednesday for publishing
what it called "misleading" and
"sensationalist" reports on the Zimbabwe
crisis.
The accusation from
the cabinet followed a briefing by President Thabo Mbeki
on last week's
Southern African Development Community summit in Lusaka,
Zambia.
The
cabinet issued a written statement saying that contrary to media
reports,
regional leaders had agreed on the Zimbabwean situation and that
the
facilitation process - diplomatic language for Mr. Mbeki's crisis
mediation
- was on course.
The statement added that the cabinet rebuked "misleading
and fictitious
reports in some South African media" which said that SADC
leaders were
divided on how to move forward on Zimbabwe, and that the talks
between
Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition Movement for
Democratic
Change were in trouble.
One target for the criticism
appeared to be Business Day, which reported
that SADC leaders had been
"sharply divided at their tense summit in Zambia
on how to deal with
Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis."
The paper reported that during
the summit, "President Robert Mugabe and his
ministers argued the economic
crisis in Zimbabwe had been caused by
sanctions imposed on the country by
the U.S. and the European Union over
repression and human rights abuses.
Other SADC leaders, including President
Thabo Mbeki, while acknowledging the
sanctions issue, said Mugabe's policies
were also responsible for the
crisis. This created a paralysis among
leaders, who eventually could not
come up with concrete measures to deal
with the situation."
South
African government spokesman Themba Maseko told reporter Ndimyake
Mwakalyelye of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the official reprimand was
aimed solely at the South African media.
Resource Investor
By Jane Louis
24 Aug 2007 at 12:47 PM
Zimbabwe president
Robert Mugabe is getting closer to nationalising
companies and driving
foreign-owned firms out of the country in a move that
analysts say could be
destructive to Zimbabwe's already struggling economy.
A bill placed
before Parliament requires that all firms experiencing
structural changes
and any new investments must be 51% controlled by
"indigenous Zimbabweans,"
meaning "any person who was disadvantaged by
unfair discrimination on the
grounds of race before independence in 1980."
If the bill is passed, it
will likely force foreign companies out of the
country and discourage
foreign investment. Platinum miners, however, could
be an exception because
of the country's large reserves, economist John
Robertson told The
Telegraph.
The bill expected to be voted on before the presidential
election in March.
International Herald Tribune
The Associated
PressPublished: August 24, 2007
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa:
Setting up refugee camps is not the solution to
the increasing number of
Zimbabweans flooding into South Africa to escape
the deepening economic and
political crisis in their country, the U.N.
refugee chief said
Friday.
"Only those who have never lived in a refugee camp will advocate
camps as a
solution to this problem," said Antonio Guterres, the United
Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.
Guterres was addressing
reporters at the end of a two-day visit to South
Africa where he met with
President Thabo Mbeki as well as other government
ministers.
The
former Portuguese Prime Minister also visited Zambia and Mozambique, two
of
Zimbabwe's other neighbors experiencing an increased influx of
Zimbabweans.
He and said that his organization did have a contingency plan
to assist
those in need, but would not reveal any details.
Massive inflation, food
and fuel shortages and a crackdown on political
opposition to President
Robert Mugabe's regime have sent Zimbabweans fleeing
by the thousands,
leading to mounting concerns that the region will be
swamped with destitute
refugees.
Recently Zambian immigration authorities reported that the
number of
Zimbabweans crossing into Zambia at the southern border city of
Livingstone
had risen from 60 to 1,000 people per day, and that they feared
the influx
threatened security.
While there are few reliable figures on
the number of economic migrants
crossing through South Africa's borders,
estimates consistently refer to 3
million Zimbabweans living in South
Africa.
Guterres said the biggest flow of Zimbabweans was into South
Africa but that
many of the migrants were economic and not political
refugees and were not
protected under international law.
"But this
does not mean we can close our eyes. We have to provide ways to
support
them," he said, urging the South African government to finalize its
strategy
to deal with the problem.
The South African government has been under
pressure to deal with the
growing humanitarian crisis within its borders and
recently said it was
setting up a task team to look at ways of coping with
economic migrants.
Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who
addressed reporters with
Guterres, said the government was not "in denial"
about the influx of
Zimbabweans but it was not in favor of setting up
refugee camps as they
acted as "pull factors" attracting more
migrants.
"There are Zimbabweans who are not interested in receiving
refugee status.
What they need is food on the table and they like to come to
South Africa
and get a job, get money and go back and feed their families.
That is the
reality of the situation," she said.
"We are concerned
about the humanitarian crisis and are finding ways of
dealing with
Zimbabweans coming into South Africa," she said, but did not
provide any
details of the government's strategy.
Mapisa-Nqakula reiterated the South
African government view that the best
way to stop the influx of Zimbabweans
was to settle the pressing economic
and political problems in that country,
but said this could only be achieved
by Zimbabweans themselves rather than
imposed from outside.
Meanwhile Mbeki, who is leading mediation efforts
between Mugabe and his
political opponents, on Friday dismissed suggestions
that a regional
response to the Zimbabwean crisis was tempered by support
for Mugabe.
Mugabe has the status of elder statesman among southern
African leaders and
most are reluctant to criticize him openly.
The
83-year-old leader, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from
Britain
in 1980, received loud applause at the Southern African Development
Community summit held last week in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
"The
hostile allegation that our countries have recklessly turned their eyes
away
from the problems of Zimbabwe, because of the imperatives of
solidarity, has
always been nothing more than a product of propaganda, which
all thinking
persons would recognize as such," Mbeki wrote in his weekly
letter released
by the ruling African National Congress.
"The reality is that in a very
real sense the problems of Zimbabwe are our
problems, in the same way that
the problems of the rest of Southern Africa
are problems for Zimbabwe as
well."
afrol News, 24 August - Despite victoriously
emerging from the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) summit last
week, President Robert
Mugabe was subject to closed-door pressures by his
colleagues. He was asked
to comply with the common electoral rules adopted
across the SADC region in
2004.
SADC leaders took note of President
Thabo Mbeki's report on the Zimbabwean
crisis, Mugabe's attacks on
opposition ahead of next year's general
elections and the deepening economic
hardships in Zimbabwe.
A rescue package for Zimbabwe, which will be
assessed by a team of regional
finance ministers, was presented by the SADC
Executive Secretary, Tomaz
Salamao.
Before his government access US
$500 million aid package, Mugabe must first
commit himself to reforms,
including conducting free and fair elections as
well as drafting a new
constitution that gets the approval of the
opposition.
His government
was asked to legislate electoral provisions that meet
international
standards of fairness and transparency and repeal all laws
used to muzzle or
gag the media or close newspapers and others used to
silence or intimidate
political opponents.
Zimbabwean government has also been asked to respect
Mbeki's mediation
process if it wants to enjoy the aid.
According to
'The Zimbabwean', SADC leaders insisted that Zimbabwe would not
be given aid
in the absence of a clear signal that Mugabe had agreed to a
set of
"circumstances" or a "context" that would justify assistance.
Mbeki
believed that the Zimbabwean government recognised the urgency of a
political and economic recovery plan. But Mbeki was not confident that the
Southern African country was ready to create the circumstances that would
make the recovery possible.
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa who has
assumed leadership of SADC, called
for free and fair polls in Zimbabwe next
year.
By staff writer
The Zimbabwean
(24-08-07)
HARARE
President Robert Mugabe last week commandeered the last
remaining Air
Zimbabwe Boeing aircraft to attend the Southern African
Development
Community (SADC) regional heads of state summit in Lusaka,
leaving scores of
travellers stranded at Harare International
Airport.
"We incurred huge losses following the cancellation of the Wednesday
international flight schedule as we had to foot hotel and food bills for the
customers that were to travel on Wednesday," said sources at Air
Zim.
David Mwenga, the Air Zimbabwe spokesperson, confirmed the flight was
re-routed to Zambia on Wednesday. "We rescheduled the Wednesday
international flight as the Boeing was on its way to Zambia. It is not true
to say that it was taken off by presidential decree."
Information
Minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu refused to comment on reports the
President
commandeered a plane to Zambia. "I have no comment to such a silly
question." He then cut off his mobile phone.
This is at a time when the
troubled Air Zimbabwe is struggling to service
its local and international
destinations due to a myriad of problems mainly
the sub economic fares it
charges while its engineers have left for greener
pastures.
Several
aircraft, including the Chinese MA 60 planes, which the President
and
ministers never use for safety reasons, are grounded due to lack of
foreign
currency to purchase spares. - CAJ News
The Zimbabwean
(24-08-07)
BY DIANA
MITCHELL
The Zimbabwean's 16-22 August covering of the upheavals going on
in the
lower ranks of Zimbabwe's military (including details of the alleged
assassination of three generals) is breathtaking in its detail. Long live
the brave correspondent who was able to give this eye-witness
account.
The two front-page stories are replete with resonances from the
country's
past. History will acknowledge the gratitude all freedom-lovers
owe to
Zimbabweans who are bravely exposing the terrible things being done
in their
country under Robert Mugabe's dictatorship.
I was most forcibly
struck by the echoes from the near and distant past in
these reports. First
- the ruling Zanu (PF) has covered up its complicity in
the murder of
generals before, by burying them with full military honours at
Heroes Acre.
The most obvious example from the past is Josiah Tongogara's
death,
explained as a motor accident, which will always arouse suspicions
that this
was a cover-up.
Mugabe's recent giveaway remark at General Mleya's funeral
".it was known
that politics leads the gun and not the other way around",
speaks volumes.
The late Robson Manyika, a former ZANLA Chief Commandant for
Training and
Personnel told me back in 1980: "The party controls the gun,
the gun does
not control the party." His untimely death in the 1980s was
also surrounded
with suspicion.
The late Josiah Tungamirai, a liberation
war general who might ultimately
have come out as a witness to the truth
regarding 'premature' military
deaths, has fairly recently died relatively
young.
Reading of the lethal injections administered to two of the latest
victims
of the Mugabe regime's alleged purging of military personnel gives
credence
to the belief that Josiah was done away with because he was a close
friend
of Tongogara.
Most likely he was spared the same fate until he was
believed to have become
critical of Zimbabwe's descent into shame under the
ignominious rule of Zanu
(PF).
We can go further back in history, finding
a parallel in the recent, alleged
'railway crossing' death of General Gunda.
Some of us still alive now, were
around when the popular nationalist leader,
Dr Tichafa Parirenyatwa, was
reported, by the then ruling regime, to have
died at a railway crossing. Few
fellow nationalists believed it then, and
almost nobody believes it now.
Circumstantial evidence re General Gunda's
alleged political assassination,
reported in The Zimbabwean to have emanated
from family members, is hard to
ignore.
There was a civilian death in the
1990s which resonates starkly for me when
reading of the bewilderment of
family members who 'mysteriously' lost their
sons: the state of the
supposedly crashed vehicle in which Gunda died
reminds me of the whole nasty
setup surrounding the death of Christopher
Giwa in a 'road
accident'.
Especially sad for me is a reminder of the word 'pestered' (to
stand for
Zanu PF. in next year's elections) which Gunda's cousins have
recently given
to the press. That is the same word that the brilliant young
Giwa used when
he told me how hard Zanu (PF)'s 'spooks' tried to subvert his
loyalty to the
Forum Party, led by the late Enoch Dumbutshena in the early
1990s.
Back to killer cars: the mystery surrounding the state of the vehicle
in
which Peter Pamire was supposed to have died when, as it was officially
concluded, "his Pajero's brakes failed" is another of several cases in
point. What of Christopher Ushewokunze, Moven Mahachi and Sydney Malunga
and, come to think of it, in the early years of Independence, Stephen
Parirenyatwa? They and others too numerous to mention - if we are to
believe all the spin surrounding their deaths - were, figuratively speaking,
devoured by rogue vehicles.
Finally, I can understand why General
Chiwenga is reported to have sweated
and become shrill in the face of a
concerted shout of Hatikuzivi (we do not
know you) from the soldiers
assembled before him on Tuesday 14 August. I am
reminded of the response
that came from the rank and file of the fighters in
the camps in Tanzania
when Bishop Abel Muzorewa gamely attempted to persuade
them to accept him as
their leader in the last stages of 'the Struggle' for
the liberation of
Zimbabwe (the then Rhodesia) from colonial rule.
I was there, in Tanzania in
late1975, collecting material for my Who's Who
of Nationalist leaders when I
was told that the cry: "we will choose our own
leaders!" went up in Mgagao
and other guerrilla camps. They chose Robert
Mugabe. With General Chiwenga,
Mugabe's appointee, and other leaders proving
a disappointment to the rank
and file of today's military, who will they
choose when it comes to the
crunch and will he (or even she) be a soldier or
a politician?
The Zimbabwean
(24-08-07)
HARARE - At least 15 pastors re-arrested onWednesday after
attending a
prayer meeting in Chitungwiza over the weekend were still
being held in
police custody, three days after their arrest.
The
prayer meeting, also attended by St Mary's MP Job Sikhala and Zengeza MP
Goodrich Chimbaira was held at Nyamutamba Hotel in Chitungwiza on
Saturday.
The group was first picked up by police on Saturday afternoon and
released
Monday. They were arrested again onWednesday, and were still
languishing in
custody by Friday afternoon.
Among those who were
arrested is Bishop Samuel Pasula, Reverend
Mabhena, Reverend White, Reverend
Gordon Chinogurei and Reverend Patrick
Tole.
Police alleged the pastors,
arrested at the venue of the prayer meeting, had
violated a section of the
draconian Public and Order ad Security Act, by
attending an unsanctioned
meeting.
The tough security law requires that a gathering of three or
more be cleared
by police. But prayer meetings are exempt from such
clearance.
The pastors were initially released after paying fines of
$40,000 each.
They were surprisingly picked up again on Wednesday during he
dead of the
night from their homes.
They are all held at Makoni Police
Station in the populous dormitory town.
A spokesman of the MDC (Mutambara
faction) ,Gabriel Chaibva said the arrest
of the pastors was indicative of
the continued assault on people's liberties
by the Zanu (PF)
regime.
"To even suggest that the pastors should have sought permission
to hold a
prayer meeting is symptomatic of a government that has become so
paranoid
that the very idea of an opposition legislator
attending such a
meeting sends it in delirium," Chaibva said. "The citizens
of Zimbabwe
have the God given right to exercise their religious beliefs ,
including the
political citizenry. It is further disturbing to note that the
police are
being used to hound people out of their homes at night under
unclear
circumstances."
Chaibva said such actions had no place in a democratic
society adding police
were mandated to behave in a professional
manner.
News24
24/08/2007 20:30 -
(SA)
Harare - Beer has joined the list of commodities fast running
out in
Zimbabwe, with the high demand for lager a sign of people hitting the
bottle
to drown economic hardships, a drinks company said on
Friday.
"We have witnessed an unprecedented demand for our lager beer
products.
Average sales are rising fast and approaching 300 000 litres per
day," said
Delta Beverages corporate affairs manager George
Mutendadzamera.
He said in July alone, the level of beer consumption in
the crisis-ridden
southern African nation, was approximately 50% up on the
similar period in
2006.
Mutendadzamera said the current high demand
also pointed to a "worrying
trend of alcohol abuse."
"This is an
unacceptable trend with potentially serious consequences on our
society," he
said.
Zimbabwe is buckling under massive unemployment - estimated at 20%
of the 12
million citizens - and economic woes amid the world's highest
inflation rate
of more than 7&500%.
The southern African nation
has blamed its economic woes on sanctions
imposed by the European Union and
the United States after Mugabe allegedly
rigged his 2002 presidential
elections.
Mens News Daily
August 24, 2007 at
12:26 pm
For most people the situation in Zimbabwe is quite
bewildering. They find it
very hard to work out what is happening and to
understand why. In fact if
you observe a few simple, but fundamental rules,
it is quite easy to
understand why the collapse here has taken place and the
speed with which it
has destroyed what had been quite a decent, if small,
economy.
In my own business I have to observe these simple rules every
day - or go
out of business. So for example I watch the following issues
very closely on
a daily basis:
1. Does my staff feel they are a real
part of the business and have a very
real say and stake in what goes on? If
not, I cannot command their loyalty
and commitment to the business and
without that, we simply cannot succeed in
the long term.
2. Are we making
more money than we are spending? Its very simple really -
you can ignore the
issue of "profitability" because that can mean many
things, but you cannot
ignore your cash flow. In basic terms if you are not
making more money than
you are spending, you are going broke.
3. Management is about managing
change. Our working environment is changing
every day - sometimes by the
hour. You cannot do much about the changes
taking place but you can learn
how to surf the waves and enjoy the process.
If you do not, you will pretty
soon find yourself on the beach.
It's like that in the country. If you
print more money that is actually
needed to fund day-to-day transactions,
you reduce its value. It's like
pouring water into a glass with some cool
drink concentrate in the bottom.
Put too much water into the mix and it is
tasteless - in monetary terms, it
will buy less. By doing so, government
destroy value and savings, they
secretly tax their people by reducing the
real value of what they earn or
have in their pockets by running the presses
at the Reserve Bank.
If a nation spends more than it earns it has two
options - it can borrow the
money from others willing to lend or it can
print money. In the first
instance if they borrow from those who are a
captive lender and take
advantage of their power to do so on uneconomic
terms, then they pay a lower
return on such borrowings than would be
demanded in a "free" market. Both
happen in Zimbabwe. We run a budget deficit
that is extraordinary by
historical and world standards - last year it was
over 60 per cent of GDP.
When even borrowing on the scale we undertake
simply cannot fund this level
of spending then we print money, vast amounts
of it and in doing so we
foster inflation and destroy value. This is why the
real earnings of
everyone who lives in Zimbabwe are now down to about 10 per
cent of what
they were 20 years ago. This is why all pensions are no longer
worth the
paper they are written on. I think the failure of the pensions
industry to
protect the real interests of their clients is an absolute
disgrace. In my
own case I contributed to 5 separate policies for all my
working life and
when they matured it would have cost the company more to
write me a letter
thanking me for 50 years of servitude and to write a
cheque that would not
buy me three loaves of bread today.
When
governments behave like this they are in criminal dereliction of their
duty
towards their people. That is the position of the Zanu PF regime in
Zimbabwe
today. The fact that the private sector has been complicit in this
whole
exercise is another shameful episode.
Then we come to two other key
issues. The first is the truth that people
only look after what they own or
have secure tenure over. When I was a small
boy my father became an
alcoholic. He started out as a social drinker, it
got out of hand and when
he finally woke up to what he was doing, we were
homeless, broke and five
kids dependent on a working mother with a standard
two education.
We
moved from a large home in an up market area to what was effectively a
slum;
Municipal housing occupied by low-income families. When we had been
there
for a few years, the City decided to give us title. We were allowed to
treat
the rent we had paid as a deposit and were given a bond for the rest.
The
transformation was immediate; people painted their homes, put up walls
and
planted gardens. I have never forgotten the lesson.
Even today you can
drive around any suburb and you will see which homes are
owned and which are
rented. In the agricultural sphere it is the same - the
foundation of
productive agriculture is a sound and secure tenure system
within a
functioning legal system. Destroy that and you create deserts.
Africa's
biggest problem is the loss of productive land through land
degradation. That
is why our deserts are growing faster than anywhere else
in the
world.
The second truth is that only markets can allocate resources
efficiently and
make the hard decision as to what a product or a service is
worth. You
interfere with this principle and you will pay a terrible price.
I have seen
it all too often - try to knock a price down in a negotiation
and you will
often get nowhere until you can say the magic words, "I can get
this product
cheaper elsewhere".
In Zimbabwe we have violated all
these fundamental principles and are now
paying the price. The loss of
security of tenure has destroyed our farms.
The failure to observe basic
discipline in our economic affairs is driving
inflation to historic levels,
the attempt to halt inflation by exercising
control, is now wiping out what
is left of our economy.
I warned my colleagues in the MDC leadership the
other day that no foreign
owned firm or even a locally owned firm would
accept the demand for 51 per
cent control. This is true for any country in
the world but even more so in
Zimbabwe where everyone knows what the
intended beneficiaries would do with
such control.
Countries, like
ordinary people, can only learn from their mistakes. We are
certainly doing
that and I see in that process great hope. Perhaps when
finally we throw off
the yoke that we were landed with in 1980, a new
generation of leaders will
come to the fore and having seen what happens
when you disobey the basic
rules of economics, will instead make the
necessary decisions to take the
country in a radically new direction. It's
not rocket science.
Eddie
Cross
Bulawayo, 24th August 2007
The Zimbabwean
(24-08-07)
BY ITAI
DZAMARA
"But they were saying he was going to be grilled," a security
guard wondered
as more joined in the chat last Friday at a robot in Harare
city centre. We
heard his sirens and all froze until the old dictator
passed. That
spontaneous gathering heard the outpouring of serious emotions
as people
really wondered what to do with Robert Mugabe just returning from
Lusaka.
He returned triumphant, once again. The writing gets clearer on
the wall,
Zimbabweans are doomed and faced with even more terrible times.
Mugabe has
said he will not accept any constitutional reforms, he is
pressing ahead
with his self-serving reforms and preparations to rig
elections while also
"crushing" voices of dissent that dare disturb his
"peace".
But where are Zimbabweans? Following behind their opposition
leaders, one
presumes. And where are the opposition leaders going? They are
committing
themselves to the talks' nonsense "because it deserves a chance".
In reality
and in short, the opposition is dancing to the tune of Mugabe and
his regime
while issuing endless press statements as well as wasting
people's time on
puerile things such as drafting a Mickey Mouse list of
"real heroes", and so
forth.
Morgan Tsvangirai is known for it, and
will likely boycott Mugabe's rigged
elections, but who cares when there will
easily be other clowns to
masquerade and contest? Do we hear shouts from
Harvest House claiming "we
will then take it from there"? Really? A repeat
of the same system over and
over again!
Arthur Mutambara might have
no option but listen to Welshman Ncube and
contest "because we are more
relevant whilst in parliament".
There is a lot of sympathy and solidarity
with the opposition but the bottom
line is: they don't have political
strategies serious enough to cause
change. Mutambara has held endless press
conferences threatening "defiance
and confrontation" but is yet to show any
signals. The shoulders of Josiah
Tongogara and Nikita Mangena he claims to
be riding on must be getting sore
for nothing.
Morgan Tsvangirai's
promised long winter can't even come in summer! His
spokesman Nelson Chamisa
keeps telling the world "change is around the
corner" but it begins and ends
there. Mugabe gets away with claims of peace
and calm because the victims
of his dictatorship are too nice to do anything
when, for example, 32
innocent men spend four months incarcerated on the
basis of pure lies by an
illegitimate head of state.
We should not be surprised when the world
believes Mugabe's claims that
Zimbabwe is not an urgent matter for the UN
Security Council. Parliament is
sitting normally with a substantive
opposition, serious shortages of
everything are being accepted peacefully by
the people, and all the laws of
the land - including evil ones - are being
observed.
It seems Zimbabweans are bracing for yet another six years of
the Zanu (PF)
madness. It is really sad! - hararestreets@yahoo.com
The Zimbabwean
(24-08-07)
Standfirst: In this, the final in a three-part series on
the MDC split, ITAI
DZAMARA reveals the search for a leader of the breakaway
faction and
contents of minutes of a meeting between SA president Thabo
Mbeki and the
Mutambara faction, outlining Mbeki's game plan for
Zimbabwe.
The breakaway Welshman Ncube-led grouping first
approached Tendai Biti as it
searched for a popular figure from Mashonaland
who could lead it after the
split.
It has been confirmed that Biti
could have joined them because "he has a
soft spot for Welshman". He was,
however, under immense pressure from his
close friends, such as Nelson
Chamisa, Lovemore Madhuku and others in
politics as well as civil society
who advised him not to join the splinter
group.
It is important to
explain the thinking of people from the country's
southern parts regarding
their abilities to lead. It is generally believed
by aspiring leaders from
that part of the country that, because of tribal
and population dynamics in
this country, an individual from that region
cannot get enough support to
lead the whole country. They therefore tend to
settle, pragmatically, for
the deputy position in national politics.
After Biti declined to join
them, Ncube and company tried to persuade
successful businessman, Strive
Masiyiwa, owner of multinational
communications
company,
Econet.
This reporter established that several visits were made to
Masiyiwa's base
in South Africa - but in vain. One of Ncube's colleagues who
was involved
said "it was interesting to note Masiyiwa's concern and desire
to contribute
to the cause of
helping his country but the issue at
stake became whether or not it was
worth taking the risk".
An
official from the Tsvangirai camp claims Masiyiwa sympathies lie with the
MDC (Tsvangirai) and that "there was no way he would agree to lead the
splinter faction".
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) chair,
Reginald Matchaba Hove was
also approached with the offer to lead the
splinter faction but cited
"engagement on other commitments" in
declining.
"After that, an earlier suggestion to bring in Arthur
Mutambara became the
only option and Job Sikhala, who had shared the stage
with Mutambara in
student leadership, was tasked with approaching him," said
a source who was
involved.
Prior to this development, Mutambara had,
during his sojourn across the
world in
search of educational
advancement as well as other opportunities, exhibited
a serious ambivalence
regarding his political plans.
On the one hand he had kept in touch with
his "comrades" involved in the
struggle at home, the likes of Brian Kagoro,
Selby Hwacha, Sikhala, Madhuku,
Chamisa and Gabriel Chaibva. He had even
taken opportunities to contact with
Tsvangirai and "always wanted to know
what role he could come and play in
the struggle". It is said he always
showed a lot of respect for Tsvangirai.
Land policy an
issue
However, interestingly, our investigations have also showed that whilst
in
the United States of America, Mutambara flatly declined to join the MDC,
which was led in that country by the daughter of Gibson Sibanda. One of the
above-mentioned colleagues of Mutambara spoke about a meeting he had with
him in Washington DC.
"We had a very long discussion about politics
and the situation at home and
he basically said he didn't want to join the
MDC because he alleged it
lacked a clearer policy on land," the source said.
"By the way Zanu (PF) had
embarked on land seizures and I was utterly
shocked to find Arthur seeming
to support it and even castigate the
opposition for what he took to mean a
position against land reform. He is a
man of resolve and it was clear he had
reservations about the MDC, not
really to mean he supported Zanu (PF) but
probably hoped for another
alternative."
That was around 2003.
About a year before the MDC
2005 October 12 split, Mutambara came home for
his wedding and it has been
established that there were efforts afterwards
by his
colleagues in
the party to have him join and fill the vacuum left by Roy
Bennett in
Chimanimani, who had moved to South Africa.
"He was willing and could
have come in had it not been that he didn't have a
party
card," said
the source.
Shocked by events
When Mutambara was approached by
the Ncube faction after the split, he
consulted his colleagues before taking
it up and five of them told The
Zimbabwean that they were shocked about the
events.
"He told me on the morning of the meeting with Welshman and
company that
he wasn't yet decided and was likely to decline the offer
but we later
learnt that he had already written his acceptance letter the
previous night
upon arrival," a source said.
Another added, "I had
been with him in America the previous week and he told
me there was no way
he could accept to lead the splinter group."
Another source met Mutambara
on the eve of his acceptance of the MDC
splinter faction presidency and
said, "The way he went about it was very
interesting. For example, on the
night before his acceptance I was with him
and after advising him not to
take it up he then asked what Tsvangirai could
offer him indicating he could
instead join the main group but wanted a
position."
Right from taking
over the leadership of the splinter faction, Mutambara
approached the
situation with conciliatory overtones and a member of his
faction says "it
must have been his plan from the beginning to praise
Tsvangirai in the hope
of achieving unity".
Mutambara has clearly indicated how he desired to go
into a pact that would
bring the two factions together under the leadership
of Tsvangirai and on
analysis, it could be concluded he personally led the
faction into
negotiating for unity or coalition so early after the split
more because of
his own fears and belief in abilities. That is one of the
reasons his
hurried go at unity or coalition has failed.
It is also a
fact that the relationship between the splinter faction and
President Thabo
Mbeki of South Africa came into play again and contributed
to the failure of
unity efforts.
Obstacle to Unity
Minutes of a meeting held
last year - leaked to us by sources in the
Mutambara faction - show that the
two parties still viewed Tsvangirai as "an
obstacle to unity" while alleging
that the former trade unionist "fails to
understand that a government of
national unity is unavoidable in solving the
country's
problems".
That criticism of Tsvangirai notwithstanding, the splinter
faction and Mbeki
acknowledged it was difficult to do without him and his
following, hence the
resolve to work on establishing a coalition of
opposition parties in the
event the attempt at convincing Tsvangirai into a
power sharing pact between
the two factions failed.
A follow-up
meeting was scheduled for the end of March this year but had to
be postponed
after the events of March 11 when Tsvangirai, Mutambara and
other leaders
were arrested and beaten at a Save Zimbabwe Campaign prayer
meeting.
"The events of March 11 threw impetus into the engagement
between Mutambara
and Tsvangirai but it was always queer how the splinter
faction pushed hard
yet demanding equal power sharing," a source
said.
Tsvangirai's side obtained intelligence on the plans and meetings
between
Mbeki and the splinter faction and for that reason dragged its feet
on
proposed unity or coalition deals until Mutambara recently burst out and
called his colleague on the other side 'indecisive' and announced he would
go it alone.
Mutambara had offered Tsvangirai the presidency of the
united party or
coalition, with himself in deputy position - but really
tried to clip the
wings of the former trade union leader by wanting a
commitment that he would
not appoint cabinet members without his approval.
The splinter faction also
asked for equal representation in constituencies
ahead of the elections.
23 August 2007
ABOUT 700 residents of Harare living in City-owned flats are
outraged at the
sudden rise in their monthly rentals, a situation that has
driven some of
the affected tenants to the offices of the Rent Board at
Makombe Building
for intervention.
They were neither consulted nor
informed of the imminent increases until
they started receiving their
monthly bills this week. This issue comes at
the back of planned meetings
between a Mr Sibanda, a director at the Rent
Board and representatives of
the various City-owned flats, who are mostly
municipal employees.
One
of the affected tenants, Martin Prosper Dzvanga who resides at Glen
Norah A'
Flats, a retired employee of the City of Harare told CHRA that his
August
bill was beyond his apprehension and he would seek legal remedy until
justice prevails.
In monthly bills from the City of Harare shown to
CHRA for the month of
June, July and August, Mr Dzvanga has to pay $4 991
552 in August, with $2
216 622 for 30-day debt and the current debt being $2
774 900. He is unable
to explain how his debt rose so drastically from the
July figure of $2 629
322. As far as CHRA is concerned the residents
objected to both the 2007
City of Harare and the Supplementary
Budget
How the rates increased from a modest $44 983 in June to about $4,
5 million
boggles the mind as nothing has been officially communicated
either to the
residents of Harare or through the media from Town
House.
Most surprisingly, most residents in those flats are City
employees but
still they were not informed of the increases until the
Municipality's
Salaries Department simply deducted amounts in excess of $3
million from
some of the City of Harare employees.
According to
insiders at Town House, this has created acrimony among City
employees who
feel that they have been short-changed by the illegal
commission that
authorised the increases and subsequent salary deductions.
The insiders
said they received bills indicating that they had arrears for
the month of
July and their salaries were deducted without their consent.
Some junior
employees at Trafalgar Court were severely affected as they
found themselves
taking home nothing in salary, except an overdraft on their
monthly pay.
There are about 120 housing units at Trafalgar.
At the same time this
move has also affected tenants living in Nenyere,
Annex, Matapi, Mashawasha,
Glen Norah B' and Charles Bricks Flats in Mbare.
CHRA has since started
documenting the issues of the affected tenant6s with
a view of taking up a
legal challenge against the City of Harare on behalf
of the
tenants.
"CHRA for Enhanced Civic Participation in Local
Governance"
Ends
_____________________________________________________________________________
For
further details please contact us on info@chra.co.zw, and on mobile 0912
924
151, 011 862 012, 011 443 578 and 011 612 860 or visit us at Exploration
House, Third Floor, Corner Robert Mugabe Way and Fifth
Street.
Regards,
______________________________________________
Precious
Shumba
Information Officer
Combined Harare Residents
Association
Tel/Fax: +263 4 705114
Mobile: +263 11 612
860
+263 91 869 294
Website: www.chra.co.zw
"Stand Firm and Be of
Good Courgage"
Please send any job opportunities for publication in this newsletter to: JAG
Job Opportunities; jag@mango.zw or justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secretary/PA
required (preferably a displaced farmer’s wife
An opportunity has arisen
at the JAG Trust for a secretarial/personal
assistant to the CEO. The
successful applicant must be punctual, reliable,
able to use initiative,
meet deadlines, engage in a high degree of public
relation skills and able
to work as part of a team and independently. JAG
is a small office but a
fun and challenging environment to work in, although
can be stressful at
times.
Skills required:
- Typing
- Minute
Taking
- Diary Management for CEO
- Knowledge of all
Microsoft Office Programs
- Good PR skills
A competitive,
inflation proofed remuneration package is offered plus a fuel
allowance.
Interested applicants should contact the JAG Office on
04-799410 and furnish
a written application with cv via email: justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
and jag@mango.zw for the attention of the
Trust’s
CEO.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
ENGINEERING MANAGER - Swaziland
A large
progressive farming estate in Swaziland has a vacancy for an
Engineering
Manager.
THE JOB
Reporting to the Estate Manager the successful
applicant will be responsible
for the management of all the engineering
functions on the estate including
vehicle, machinery, pump, electrical and
building maintenance as well as
monitoring capital projects.
He will
be responsible for the maintenance of all aspects of the
Occupational Health
and Safety Act and the Company's adherence to the
National and international
standards.
THE PERSON
The ideal candidate will be suitably qualified
with at least 5 years
experience in a senior management position. He will
have had at least 15
years work experience covering all aspects of the job.
Computer skills are
also essential.
THE PACKAGE OFFERED
-A highly
competitive negotiable salary
-Free housing lights and water
-Assistance
with children's education
-Generous leave
-Assistance with Medical
Aid
-Group Life Insurance
-Vehicle Scheme
Interested persons should
send their applications in writing to
STUMAC RECRUITING - PO Box 177,
White River, 1240, RSA
Email to mac28@telkomsa.net giving full details of
themselves.
Closing Date 31st July
2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
HOUSEMAID/COOK REQUIRED
Anyone knowing of
an experienced housemaid with a bit of cooking experience
PLEASE send her my
way. I am desperate. Phone Mandy Gilmour 0912 409750 or
0912 570521 or 069
3878. We live on a farm 40kms from town so accommodation
is available with
lights and
water.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
Position for manager of Meat Factory in
RSA
I hope and pray that you are well in these difficult times
and
circumstances.
I have an opportunity for an honest hard working
couple who is destitute
though unforeseen uncontrollable
circumstances.
They would need to re-locate to De Aar where the wife can
run a Guest
House/Bed & Breakfast and husband can run a Meat Processing
facility/Biltong
factory. I have everything re the business except the time
to run it. I only
need able; hard working honest people. Profit sharing is a
possibility.
The success/failure will depend solely on the manager/s of
these
businesses.
The position is available immediately and is rather
URGENT.
Please reply to: nigel.paul@mweb.co.za
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
SA ORGANIC FARMING
OPPORTUNITY
Organic/Bio-dynamic farmer or organic-oriented farmer with
mechanical skills
required to operate 26 hectare certified organic
small-holding one hour east
of Pretoria and Johannesburg. 8 hectares
currently in production with
another 8 hectares to be developed growing
vegetables. Poultry for eggs in
another opportunity. Would suit younger,
energetic, hands-on, organized and
business-oriented couple. Must have
mind-set to take direction and regularly
report to owner. House available.
Profit sharing. References required.
Non-organic farmers will be considered
as organic conversion training
available. Send details to e-mail: ged@africanorganics.org or fax: ++ 27
696
0750. Head responses: "SA ORGANIC FARMING
OPPORTUNITY"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
Unique Own Business Opportunity
To the
right person a rewarding opportunity exists to ‘operate your own
business’
in partnership with Zimbabwe and UK based businesses and a
Non-Profit
Organisation. No financial investment is required of you,
HOWEVER, this
opportunity has specific requirements which would be your
contribution to
the ‘partnership’.
Kindly Note:
This is not a ‘job’ - this is an
opportunity to ‘operate your own business’
Self righteous religious zealots
will not be considered
Timewasters will not be responded to
About
Us:
We are a low-profile service orientated business (inc 1994) and
organisation, providing commercial services to the business community, and
strictly confidential services to private clients, and non-profit
activities.
The Partners
The partners adopt a philosophical
approach to Life, believing in the
significance of an individual’s need to
find their very own unique and
special purpose, and to then live out their
personal dream.
About You
Business skills:
Excellence &
proficiency in: secretarial & office practises, written &
spoken
communication, computer skills (especially MSOutlook & File
Management)
Working knowledge of Company formation procedures
Basic
knowledge of computer hardware (you know what’s in the tower)
Basic
accounting experience - accounts are contracted out
Willing to learn
LINUX
Responsibilities:
As the successful ‘partner’ person you will be
self-motivated, and
competently & with dedication, carry out the daily
activities, expand the
market of our services in Zimbabwe and further
develop, maintain & operate
various Address Book data bases (Network
Marketing).
Personal attributes:
You will possess and be able to
practically demonstrate: personal
responsibility, a high degree of personal
integrity and trustworthiness,
that you are a ‘people person’ with
compassion and empathy, emotional
maturity and stability. Good health and
bodily disposition. Be committed to
staying....for the next year at least.
An added ‘feather in your cap’ will
be that you subscribe to the philosophy
as expounded in the movie and book -
‘The Secret”
Rewards
It goes
without saying that you will be generously rewarded
Quo Vadis
Write an
Email letter (attaching your Résumé) telling us sufficient about
yourself
that we would be wanting to meet with you for consideration as a
‘partner’
in Zimbabwe.
Thomas Vallance ACIArb, Executive Director, PARADiGM
Trust(Pvt)Ltd
Trust Executives & Administrator, Para-Legal Advisory
Services
POBox HG750, Highlands, Email:
[paradigm@zol.co.zw]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
Accountant / Bookkeeper - at least 3 years
experience required in the
accounting field.
To work for a busy
lodge, friendly environment, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.
Good package
offered including fuel. Please forward your CV's and References
to wgl@hms.co.zw or post to T J Cornish, Box BW198,
Borrowdale,
Harare.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 26 July 2007)
Vacancies
We are seeking to fill two
vacancies in our tourism related business in
Kariba, these can be filled by
individuals or by a couple.
Senior bookkeeper / Accounts department
supervisor
This position requires an experienced Pastel bookkeeper to manage
our
accounts department that consists of 3 additional staff. The successful
applicant will be required to supervise the entire accounting functions of
the company including cash controls and preparation of monthly trial
balances and management trading account reports. This is predominantly a
female environment, but the position may suit a retired male accountant
seeking a quieter lifestyle.
Workshops Manager
This position
will require a more mature person with considerable mechanical
and
maintenance experience as our workshop, with a staff compliment of 10
employees, not only maintains a fleet of speedboats and outboard motors, but
also our property and buildings as well as all types of maintenance on
houseboats. Experience of outboard motors, while not absolutely necessary,
will be a distinct advantage.
Apply with CV to General Manager at dernat@zol.co.zw
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
Cotton Production Specialist
A local
cotton company is seeking the full time services of an experienced
cotton
consultant to work locally and in the region with contract growers.
Applicants to submit full C.V via email details of which are available
through
0912233415.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
QUALIFIED MECHANIC
Required to run a
workshop on a busy farm in Matabeleland North.
Applicants must have a
sound knowledge and long-term, hands-on experience in
the servicing,
maintaining and repairing of a wide diversity of vehicles and
equipment.
The incumbent will be responsible for the supervising and
development of
workshop staff and tractor drivers.
Administrative
work would include the timely procurement of inputs and
spares, ensuring
on-farm stocks and minimal downtime of vehicles and
equipment.
The
ability to operate a lathe would be an advantage.
The successful
applicant will take up his post on 2nd January 2008.
Very competitive
remuneration and fringe benefits are commensurate with the
job.
If
you feel that you meet the requirements, send your CV and traceable
references to:
The Advertiser, Box 1288, Bulawayo or email: pevans@mweb.co.zw or Phone:
085-309.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
IT Technician
Wanted - IT Technician with
standard hardware and network experience.
Papers not necessary but need
somebody with reasonable common sense and
motivation. Contact Donald on 091
2 258159 or
771101/771097-9.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
BOOKKEEPER
Qualifications : Must have
excellent qualifications in Pastel Vs 7, 8, 9 and
be proficient in Excel
& Word
Duties : Perform all basic tasks of data
capturing into Pastel and
interpreting into Excel & Word Spread
Sheets
Balancing inter Company Accounts (no wages or
salaries)
Produce monthly balances of Expense Accounts in
Pastel
Responsibilities : Ensuring daily sales are
accurate
Reporting to Financial
Manager &
carrying out duties
allocated
Supervising Accounts
Clerk
Qualities : Well organised &
Punctual
Efficient &
Dynamic
Must work well under pressure & in
busy environment
Suit mature
female/male
Be prepared to work 6 day
week
Forward updated C.V. with contactable references to :
Glynis
Wiley, ABC Auctions, Hatfield House, Seke road, Harare
Telephone: 751343
/ 751498 or Email: auctions@yoafrica.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
ACCOUNTS CLERK
Qualifications : Must be
very proficient in Excel, Word, Pastel and have
good working knowledge of
VAT
Duties : Data capture from departments and interpretation
onto Spreadsheets
RTGs applications
Balancing spreadsheet to Pastel
Produce cheques & write
out orders
Responsibilities : Ensuring accurate daily data
capture
Reporting to Financial Manager &
carrying out
duties allocated
Qualities : Well organised &
Punctual
Efficient &
Dynamic
Must work well under pressure & in busy
environment
Be prepared to work 6 day
week
Suite mature female/male
Forward updated
C.V. with contactable references to :
Glynis Wiley, ABC Auctions, Hatfield
House, Seke road, Harare
Telephone: 751343 / 751498 or Email: auctions@yoafrica.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
Accountant / Bookkeeper
At least 3 years
experience required in the accounting field.
To work for a busy lodge,
friendly environment, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.
Good package offered
including fuel. Please forward your CV's and References
to wgl@hms.co.zw or post to T J Cornish, Box BW198,
Borrowdale,
Harare.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 16 August 2007)
WORKSHOP MANAGER required
This position
will require a more mature person over the age of 35, with
considerable
mechanical and maintenance experience of ERF and Renault
trucks. Would
prefer a candidate with at least 5 years experience in this
same position,
who would be able to manage the running of a fleet of
cross-border trucks.
Please send CV's to Mahomed Abdulla at
mahomed@ops.larkcon.co.zw
.
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(Ad
inserted 16 August 2007)
Cook and Gardener
I am looking for a cook
and gardener (preferably husband and wife team) to
start immediately.
Accommodation is offered.
Please contact: Glenn 011888214 or email: glenn@nt.co.zw
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EMPLOYMENT
SOUGHT
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(Ad
inserted 19 July 2007)
Employment Sought
I am an ex-Zimbabwean
farm manager with 6 years experience in Horticulture
and just recently
established a 12.5 Ha project in Ethiopia working together
with Richel and
Netafim. I also have 3 years experience in Dairy and Beef
farming. I am
looking for a vacancy in any of these fields. My contact
email is brianschee@yahoo.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 2 August 2007)
Employment Sought
Position sought -
Finance, Salaries and Administration.
Work experience
Currently
serving as a Finance and Administration Officer for a regional
organisation.
17 years solid work experience, 8 in the NGO
sector.
NGOs, Embassies, Regional or International organisations
preferred.
Current salary in foreign currency.
Clean class 4 driver s
licence.
Qualifications
Diploma in Personnel Management.
Higher
National Diploma in Accounting.
Bachelor of Commerce Degree majoring in
Finance.
Contact details
Juliah Murima – 04-2920769 home, 0912699258
cell, 091405281 husband
Email murimao@yahoo.com or oliver@uz-ucsf.co.zw
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(Ad
inserted 16 August 2007)
Administrator
I am mature lady with 14
years working experience in Administration and
Human Resources. I am
currently working at the University of Zimbabwe in the
Human Resources
Department. I hold A Bsc in Sociology from The University of
Zimbabwe and
Certificates in Human Resources Management. I am looking for
employment
either as an Administrator in Human Resources. My contact is Mrs
Hove
011218590 or 333524 or 492348. My e-mail address hoveh@admin.uz.co.zw.
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For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw