http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
20:50
SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma told President Robert Mugabe
to
show more flexibility in resolving outstanding issues in the inclusive
government during private meetings last week but failed to break the
deadlock over the parties.
Sources said Zuma who is also the
chairman of the Southern African
Development Community (Sadc) surprised
Mugabe with his frank assessment of
the problems threatening the
seven-month-old coalition during meetings on
Thursday and
Friday.
Zuma held separate meetings with Mugabe, Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara during his
two-day
state visit.
"Mugabe was told in no uncertain terms
that the region cannot continue
shielding him," one of the sources said.
"Even Zuma's speech was a departure
from the pampering that Mugabe has
enjoyed from his peers."
The South African leader whose ruling
African National Congress (ANC)
had said it expected him to curb "deviant
behaviour" in the Mugabe camp
ahead of his visit, said Western aid won't be
forthcoming until the
outstanding issues were resolved.
"The inclusive government has the responsibility to fully implement
the
global political agreement and thus create confidence in the process,"
Zuma
said when he officially opened the Harare Agricultural Show on
Friday.
A number of countries have been offering Zimbabwe
humanitarian
assistance but they have set conditions for the provision of
large-scale
economic aid.
The government says it needs over
US$8 billion to revive the comatose
economy.
"Since these relate to
the implementation of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) to which the
signatories remain fully committed, meeting
these benchmarks should be a
priority in the inclusive government," Zuma
said.
In thinly
veiled remarks on disruptions to farming activities Zuma
said: ".it will be
critical that the country guarantees food security and
self-reliance. The
GPA seeks to ensure the restoration of full productivity
on all agricultural
land in the interest of all people of Zimbabwe.
"We must
underline that agriculture is the backbone of the economy of
the Sadc region
as a whole, which is why it is important to us all. The
performance of
agriculture has a strong influence on food security, economic
growth and
stability of the Sadc region."
The MDC described Zuma's
statement as "refreshing" and "unequivocal."
Tsvangirai called
for Zuma's intervention to help resolve feuding over
the reappointment of
Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, the appointment of
Attorney-General
Johannes Tomana and the speed of political reforms.
Zanu PF
says the only outstanding issue is sanctions against Mugabe's
inner circle,
which it says the MDC must campaign for removal.
"The
outstanding issues were given the due attention they deserve,"
MDC-T
spokesperson, Nelson Chamisa said.
"We are now waiting for the
Sadc meeting early next month (September)
to help bring finality to these
disputes.
"We are heartened that Zuma publicly implored the
political leaders in
this country to work towards concluding the outstanding
issues so that the
political agreement can be fully consummated.
Chamisa said although the meetings between Zuma, Mugabe, Tsvangirai
and
Mutambara were brief, "they were thorough".
The Sadc summit
will be held early in September in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
However, analysts fear that once Zuma passes on the Sadc
chairmanship to the
inexperienced President Joseph Kabila, Mugabe will
return to his arrogant
ways.
"Zuma should have taken Zimbabwe much earlier in his
tenure as
chairman of Sadc," political scientist Eldred Masunungure said.
Kabila is
one of Mugabe's few remaining allies in the
region.
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August
2009 20:25
THE government will hold last minute talks with teacher
unions early
this week to try and forestall a potentially crippling strike
before schools
open on 2 September.
The country's largest
teachers' union, the Zimbabwe Teachers
Association (Zimta) on Friday called
for a nationwide strike until
government meets its demands for improved
salaries and allowances.
Zimta president Tendai Chikowore
told journalists that teachers did
not want to continue to "live in abject
poverty and perpetual debt" caused
by the ballooning unpaid domestic utility
bills and unaffordable costs of
educating their children.
She said teachers had been told not to report for work until
government
agrees to pay them US$300 a month and allowances of US$100.
Chikowore said: "Having observed that since March 2009, lots of
promises to
address the educators' grievances by the employer have proven to
be a
non-event and having exhaustively consulted, lobbied and negotiated
with
principals involved on the remuneration issue, educators have as a last
resort resolved to proceed to withdraw labour with effect from September 2
until demands are met."
The strike is likely to throw into
disarray efforts by the inclusive
government to resuscitate the ailing
education sector, which is still
smarting from last year's crippling job
boycotts.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, David Coltart
said he
will meet the teachers early this week "to avert the
strike".
He said he was "sympathetic" to the teachers but was
more concerned
about children "who will ultimately suffer".
According to separate correspondence between Zimta and Deputy Prime
Minister, Thokozani Khuphe, Economic Planning and Investment Minister Elton
Mangoma, Finance Minister Tendai Biti and the Minister of Public Service
Elphas Mukonoweshuro seen by The Standard yesterday, the impending strike
has been simmering since July.
Government started paying
civil servants proper salaries in July after
giving them US$100 allowances
across the board since February.
Teachers now earn an average
of US$155 after deductions.
However, the unions rejected the
quantum saying the government imposed
the salaries on them.
According to proposals made in a letter to Khupe, Mangoma and Biti,
Zimta is
also demanding a US$100 monthly increment that will see teachers
earning
US$500 in December.
The union wants government to relax
regulations on the re-admission of
returning teachers so that they can
access their salaries within 30 days of
their
reinstatement.
Zimta says it also wants a stop to the practice
where parents are
being forced to pay teachers retention
allowances.
The unity government has struggled to attract funding to
revive the
education and health sectors, which took a severe battering from
years of
economic decline.
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
20:22
PARLIAMENT splashed US$8 000 on flowers on the chaotic July
All-Stakeholders' Conference on the constitution despite claims that the
process is financially hamstrung.
According to confidential
documents given to members of the Select
Committee on the
constitution-making process last week, US$ 7 900 was spent
on flowers and
banners.
This was US$2 900 more than the budgeted
figure.
A total of US$779 211, 99 was spent on the conference
held at the
Harare International Conference Centre.
Another US$13
460 was spent on accreditation tags among other things
against a budget of
US$12 000.
Parliament had budgeted US$1.2 million for the conference
sponsored by
the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP).
"The issue of flowers was raised at the meeting of the
co-chairpersons
of the select committee and Parliament's principals early
this week," said
the source.
"Questions were raised why
Parliament could afford to pay such an
amount when it is refusing to pay for
Co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora's car
rentals.
"As members of
the select committee we also have not been receiving
allowances despite
holding meetings late into the night preparing for the
outreach
programme.
"We were only paid US$289 sometime in
April."
UNDP has given parliament US$2 million for the exercise.
Sources said
the bill might balloon further after 768 delegates claimed
refunds for using
private accommodation during the conference that was
supposed to run over
two days.
The first day of the
conference was lost after Zanu PF activists
disrupted proceedings.
Paul Mangwana, the co-chairman of the select committee last week said
the
process might grind to a halt due to lack of funds.
He said the
inclusive government was failing to raise US$9 million
needed for the
outreach programme that must start this month.
Documents seen
by The Standard show that US$400 000 has been released
by treasury so far,
the European Commission provided US$61 213 through the
non-state support
programme.
Another US$22 500 came from the Zimbabwe Institute for the
printing of
T-shirts and the British government through the Department for
International
Development (DFID) pledged US$103 274.
BY
KHOLWANI NYATHI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
20:10
THE Federation of African Journalists, FAJ, will hold its March
2010
congress in Zimbabwe.
The congress, which brings together
representatives of journalists
from African countries, will be held in
Harare.
Zambia has been put on standby to host the congress in
Livingstone, in
the event of Zimbabwe failing to host the congress which
will come a few
weeks before the 2010 Soccer World Cup Finals kick-off in
South Africa.
ZUJ president, Matthew Takaona told The Standard
that African
journalists who met in Djibouti voted unanimously to hold the
congress in
Zimbabwe ahead of the Zambian bid. The Zimbabwe Union of
Journalists (ZUJ),
has won the right to host.
The
Federation of African Journalists is an affiliate of the
International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the global organisation
representing almost
a million journalists worldwide.
The announcement to host the
congress coincided with the visit to
Zimbabwe of the IFJ president, Jim
Boumelha and the executive of the
National Union of Journalists in the UK
and Ireland.
The NUJ has a membership of 38 000 journalists and
was in Zimbabwe on
a solidarity visit with ZUJ. It used the opportunity to
explore ways of
partnering with its Zimbabwean counterpart.
Head of the NUJ delegation and deputy secretary general, Michelle
Stanistreet said the partnership was among other issues, expected to result
in the capacity-building of ZUJ.
"From the meetings that we
have held with ZUJ, some of the issues that
have emerged are the need to
improve the capacity of the union as an
organisation, to try and increase
the number of female journalists and to
increase their participation in
trade union activities and the need for more
professional training,
especially in Online journalism."
As part of a programme to
build the capacity of freelance journalists,
the NUJ announced that it would
boost the ZUJ resource centre to enable
journalists to embark on research by
contributing computers and literature.
The NUJ and IFJ
delegations held meetings with the ZUJ and the ZCTU
leadership.
The government and party officials they met
include Deputy Prime
Minister, Arthur Mutambara, Media, Information and
Publicity minister,
Webster Shamu, ICT's minister, Nelson Chamisa and
veteran journalist and
Zanu PF spokesperson, Nathan
Shamuyarira.
Officials from the Ministry of and Tourism and
Hospitality Industry
and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, also met the
visitors.
Government officials pledged to throw their support
behind the hosting
of the congress by ZUJ.
As part of the
partnership between the two unions, a ZUJ
representative will be a keynote
speaker at the NUJ's congress in Liverpool,
November later this
year.
By Foster Dongozi
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
20:06
BULAWAYO - Zanu PF is investigating allegations that party
chairman
John Nkomo molested a 30-year-old man.
Politburo
member Sikhanyiso Ndlovu on Friday confirmed the probe into
the sodomy
allegations which could sink Nkomo's political career.
Mncedisi
Thwala (30) sparked what might turn out to be one of the
biggest political
scandals of the year last week when he accused the Zanu PF
chairman of
sexually abusing him in 2003 after a chance meeting in a park.
Police then arrested him for alleged robbery and making a false
report.
However, last Wednesday the state refused to prosecute him.
Ndlovu said though the investigation had been launched, he suspected
that
Thwala was being used by Nkomo's rivals in the race to succeed
Vice-President Joseph Msika who died early this month.
Ndlovu suggested that rivals were out to tarnish Nkomo, who leads the
race
for the vice-presidency, in a bid to elbow him out of the race. He
warned
that those behind the "plot" would be exposed by the investigation.
Ndlovu
said there was no need to jostle for the vice-presidency because
Msika's
successor was undisputed.
"Nkomo is the most senior person and
that attempt to try and force the
party to discard procedures of replacing
party leaders will not work," he
said.
"Those that cook up
such stories are political weaklings. If they do
not want Nkomo as a senior
member of the party to take over from Msika they
must come out in the
open."
Ndlovu's name has been mentioned among those interested in the
post
left vacant following the death of Msika.
Others are
Mines minister Obert Mpofu, Senate deputy president Naison
Ndlovu, politburo
member Joshua Malinga and Bulawayo governor Cain Mathema.
Co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi is tipped to take over as
chairman if
Nkomo moves up the ladder.
Mpofu, who is among those tipped to land the
vice-presidency, refused
to comment when it was suggested the allegations
against Nkomo could be part
of dirty tricks by rivals. The other politicians
could not be reached for
comment yesterday.
Meanwhile,
police remained evasive on whether they would investigate
Nkomo for the
alleged sodomy.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne
Bvudzijena
switched off his mobile phone when asked for comment last
week.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Mandla Moyo said he was
unaware of the
case despite the fact that it was reported at Ross Camp where
he is based.
"I am not even aware that there is a case of sodomy
against Nkomo and
again I am not aware that the case was dismissed at the
courts," Moyo said.
Human rights lawyers said they are afraid
Thwala was being treated
like a criminal when he could be a victim.
"We were told he was being charged with making false reports to the
police,"
said Kucaca Phulu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
"We are
surprised that police are now changing goalposts when we ask
them who the
complainant in the case is and what false report was made."
Zanu PF will hold an elective congress in December and the fight for
the top
posts is expected to get even messier. There were reports yesterday
that one
of the contenders could soon be in court for a divorce hearing
after a woman
reportedly filed divorce papers in Bulawayo.
BY NKULULEKO
SIBANDA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29
August 2009 19:27
PLANS by government to give a contract to print
textbooks worth US$25
million to foreign companies have raised
eyebrows.
Sources said the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
and other
donors pledged the money for the One- Child-One-Text-Book campaign
to
benefit Zimbabwe's school children.
The campaign is
meant to re-equip Zimbabwe's heavily under-resourced
schools.
It is expected to result in every child at primary
and secondary
school getting at least one textbook for each subject by
January.
However, the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and
Culture planned to
take the job to South Africa, India, Mauritius or China
because local
publishers "did not have the capacity" to print the
books.
"The industry was informed that donors had pledged US$25
million for
the supply of textbooks but the ministry had been advised that
local
printers do not have the capacity to print the books," the source from
the
Zimbabwe Printers' Association (ZPA) said.
"That was
when the printers requested a meeting with the ministry
asking to be
considered in this project."
The sources said industry saw this
as an opportunity to boost its
operations which currently stand between 25%
and 30%.
But their dreams could go up in smoke if the
government forges ahead
with its plans to take the job outside the
country.
Minister of Education David Coltart yesterday
confirmed hat he had
held "a series of meetings with both publishers and
printers" over the
issue.
He said government was
reconsidering its plans to outsource the job
provided that local printers
come up with competitive prices.
"Initially, there was concern
about the local industry's capacity but
that and many other issues have been
resolved," Coltart said.
"I would like to see that money being
used within Zimbabwe. But the
outstanding issue now is whether or not local
printers can charge
competitive prices."
He said quotations
received so far showed that it was more expensive
to print
locally.
"For example, one book which is printed for $1.70 in
India costs $5
when printed in Zimbabwe," he said.
Other countries
with lower quotations include South Africa, Mauritius
and
China.
Coltart however said the amount to be used in the
Textbook Fund will
only be known on Wednesday when his ministry, together
with Unicef and other
donor countries, launch the project in
Harare.
He said the pupil-textbook ratios in the country's
schools were
shocking.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009 20:50
SHE is known for her extravagant lifestyle. Some call her Zimbabwe's
first
shopper.
Fresh from a Dubai excursion, First Lady Grace Mugabe was
the centre
of attraction at the subdued Harare Agricultural Show that ended
yesterday.
True to her reputation, on Friday she seemed to have an
eye only for
the more expensive exhibits.
Clad in a black and
white outfit, a blue head cloth, diamond-encrusted
rings, the First Lady
visited stands accompanied by her three children -
Bona, Robert junior and
Chatunga - all dressed to kill.
They spent most of their time at
the stand which doubles as a shop for
Adam Bede, which sells exclusive
furniture. The company is owned by
Monomotapa Football Club
directors.
Mugabe, who had close-security and state journalists
in tow, did not
seem bothered by the likely publicity her interest in
luxurious goods would
attract.
She even had an interview
with ZBC at the lavish shop.
The Standard later learnt that
Adam Bede was one of her favourite
shops.
Mugabe reportedly
makes it a point to visit the stand every year.
A sales
consultant at the shop could not hide her excitement after
talking to the
First Lady and her children.
"She likes our furniture and for
the past four years that I have been
with Adam Bede she visits our
shop."
Chinenyanga said Mugabe recently bought Antoine chairs that cost
US$550 each. "They are occasional chairs," she said. She could however not
say how many chairs Mugabe bought.
The three children
described the furniture as "comfy" according to the
sales
person.
A dining suite at Adam Bede costs US$6 500, leather
sofas range from
US$4 000 and a bedroom suite costs an average of US$4
900.
Government claimed President Mugabe was earning US$100
before the
introduction of salaries in July.
Meanwhile ordinary
show goers did not seem bothered by the First
Family's
presence.
"Why would we be excited by someone who is obviously
enjoying a
lifestyle like that when we are suffering," said a Kambuzuma
man.
President Mugabe who accompanied South African President
Jacob Zuma
for the official opening of the show was also largely
ignored.
The week-long show held annually is used by farmers
and agricultural
equipment companies to showcase their
products.
BY SANDRA MANDIZVIDZA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29
August 2009 17:55
TO be or not to be, that is the question, muses the
prince of Denmark
in what Wikipedia describes as the best- known line for
all drama and
literature.
In William Shakespeare's play,
Hamlet, the prince was reflecting on
the comparison between the pain of
life, which he sees as inevitable, and
the fear of the uncertainty of death
and of possible damnation.
Zimbabweans are facing a new
challenge of getting the foreign currency
to meet daily needs since the use
of multiple currencies began early this
year.
This was
after the Zimbabwe dollar was officially removed from
circulation in the
hope that multiple currencies would curb world-record
inflation that touched
a quadrillion percent.
Having gone through the cash crisis of
2007 to 2008, many see the
shortage of foreign currency as a better devil
than the Zimbabwean dollar
and they fear for the worst if it is
reintroduced.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon
Gono stoked the debate
recently when he called for the revival of local
currency backed by mineral
resources such as gold, diamonds or
platinum.
Under the gold- or diamond-backed monetary system
government will need
to provide adequate mineral resources to back each unit
of the local
currency issued.
Gono said the government will
establish an independent committee of
stakeholders to ascertain and certify
the quantity of gold or diamonds
produced to back the issuance of the local
currency.
But for many Zimbabweans interviewed by The Standard
talk of reviving
the moribund dollar under any name evokes
nightmares.
They said they are reminded of salaries that lost
value before one
could access them and spend them on anything and cold
nights in bank queues
where they got money only enough for a one-way trip to
work.
"The time for sleeping in queues should be a thing of
the past. As a
worker I don't want to see the return of the Zimbabwean
dollar," said Edward
Chinhamo, a security guard from
Epworth.
"At least prices have been stable and the goods are
there in the shops
and what you need is the money."
Frank
Matandirotya from Chikomba said dollarisation had revived
industries closed
as a result of the Reserve Bank activities and he wondered
why Gono did not
introduce the gold/diamond measures last year when workers
were being paid
in useless Zimbabwe dollars.
"We can afford the basics even if
change is a problem," he said.
"The rural folk he claims to be
passionate about actually bay for his
blood. Gono's money left them
destitute after selling their produce and
cattle only for the money to lose
value before they could use it.
Some still have worthless cheques
they received and they have nowhere
to redeem them."
During
the 2007-2008 cash crisis people slept in queues in order to
withdraw their
money from banks.
By the time they got the money, prices would
have trebled as a result
of hyperinflation which eroded the purchasing power
of the currency.
Since the use of foreign currency, prices have
stabilised and local
producers have managed to get the money needed to
import raw materials to
boost production.
Although capacity
utilisation has not reached the pre-2000 levels, the
re-emergence of local
products on shelves has raised optimism that the
manufacturing sector is up
on its feet.
But money remains elusive because salaries are
still low.
The US dollar has not found its right price in
Zimbabwe following last
year's madness and prices of basic goods are still
high as compared to those
offered in the region amid fears that there could
be hunger in the midst of
plenty.
However, Chinhamo says
the situation is better than last year.
"If you get US$20, you
can at least buy the basics," he said.
Although the Zimbabwean
dollar still finds use in public transport,
its use is only limited to
convenience.
"We only accept Zimdollars because of the shortage
of change," said a
conductor plying the City-Glen Norah
route.
The hardest hit during last year's hyperinflation are
pensioners who
could only watch as their monthly payments lost
relevance.
Due to hyperinflation, it costs more in transport
fares than the
actual monthly payment leading to many pensioners electing
not to get their
money.
With the use of foreign currency
the least paid pensioner has been
getting a monthly payment of US$25 since
April.
It is not much but can still buy the basics, says Romeo
Rusere from
Mutoko.
Rusere retired from a textile firm five
years ago and had lost hope
that his contributions would alleviate his
plight.
"In the past pensioners would survive on monthly
payments but for the
past four years the money I got was worthless," he
said.
For other small businesses the use of foreign currency
has almost
"killed" their operations as it has eliminated impulsive
shopping.
Sherif Ahmed, who runs a cosmetic boutique in central
Harare, says the
use of foreign currency had not brought him positive
results.
He says due to the low salaries potential customers
took more time to
decide whether to buy cosmetics.
"We
would be happy if the Zimdollar returns as you can see now there
are very
few people buying.
"When things used to be sold in Zimdollars
we would record brisk
business," he said.
The same can be
said of 'money changers' who lived large by buying and
selling foreign
currency before the introduction of multi-currencies this
year.
"They have not lost hope, however, and pray for a
return of the local
currency.
"If it were to return, then
we would be back in business," said Elton
who is now selling clothes at
Mupedzanhamo flea market.
But for how long will a country
operate without its own currency which
is seen as a symbol of
sovereignty?
"We should have stopped using the Zimbabwean
dollar early last year
but because of this animal called sovereignty it
needed empty shelves for
authorities to see that the currency was
worthless," said a banking
executive.
Chinhamo agrees: "If
foreign currency makes products available on the
shelves then we should say
goodbye to the Zimbabwe dollar."
Finance Minister Tendai Biti
told Standardbusiness last week that as
long as he was in charge of treasury
the Zimbabwean dollar will not come
back.
Economists say
the local currency can only be revived if the central
bank has independence
and production is up in industries.
BY NDAMU SANDU
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
17:52
A HIGH court judge last week dismissed an application to have a
Chegutu commercial farmer evicted from his farm.
Justice Alphas
M Chitakunye dismissed an urgent chamber application
which was filed by
Felix Pambukani an A2 farmer to have Kenneth Bartholomew
evicted from
Wakefield Farm in Chegutu.
"Whereupon, after reading
documents filed on record, it is ordained
that the application is hereby
dismissed with costs," the judge said.
The farm measures 688,64
hectares.
Pambukani triggered the court dispute earlier this
month when he
sought an interdict against Bartholomew for refusing to vacate
the farm.
In his application for the interdict Pambukani said:
"On the 3rd of
November, 2008, I was offered subdivision 2 of Wakefield Farm
under the land
resettlement programme."
Pambukani claimed
that Wakefield Farm was gazetted in 2001.
"I did not seek to
eject said respondents from the main homesteads at
all times believing that
3rd respondent (Minister of Lands and Rural
Resettlement) would quickly
prosecute its case to finality resulting in
their eviction upon
conviction."
However, Bartholomew hit back - insisting that his
farm had not been
gazetted and that he had permission to stay on his
farm.
A letter signed by Webster Shamu, who was at the time
Minister of
State for Policy Implementation in the Office of the President
and Cabinet,
makes it clear that Bartholomew has a right to be on his
farm.
Shamu's letter dated November 27, 2008 reads in part: "I
hereby write
to confirm our request that Mr KR Bartholomew be allowed to
continue with
his farming activities on Wakefield Farm as he is one of the
former white
commercial farmers who complied with the land reform programme
and was
recommended to remain on the land by the Chegutu district land
committee."
Bartholomew told the High Court that Felix
Pambukani was using a
fraudulent offer letter to force a takeover of
Wakefield Farm.
In court papers, Bartholomew said Pambukani's
application for an
interdict was "not urgent" and should be treated
cautiously.
He said Pambukani has a previous conviction of
fraud.
Bartholomew said: "The inescapable conclusion is that
the belated
allocation to the applicant is either a forgery or one which is
tainted in
corruption."
The owner of Wakefield Farm further
argues in his opposing affidavit
that he has already shared his land with an
A2 farmer identified in court
papers as T Pindeni, who also has an offer
letter for the same piece of land
claimed by Pambukani.
Bartholomew was represented by Godfrey Mamvura of Scanlen &Holderness,
while Pambukani was represented by Tapson Dzvetero of Antonio Mlotshwa and
company.
BY SANDRA MANDIZVIDZA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009 17:49
GWERU -
Lawyer Tapera Sengweni and Kwekwe Mayor Shadreck Tobaiwa were
on Monday
acquitted on charges of obstructing the course of justice .
Magistrate Nevia Matura acquitted Sengweni and Tobaiwa following their
trial
on charges of obstructing the course of justice under Section 184 of
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The charges
against Sengweni and Tobaiwa arose from allegations that
they approached the
father of a girl who the MP for Kwekwe, Blessing
Chebundo, is accused of
raping seeking an out-of-court settlement of the
matter.
In
her ruling Matura said that although evidence led in court had
shown that
the two had indeed approached the father (who cannot be named in
order to
protect the identity of the girl as she is still a minor) and asked
him to
withdraw the case this did not represent a crime.
The
magistrate said asking someone to withdraw a case against someone
else can
only be criminal if the person asking for the withdrawal uses force
or
extortion or offers an inducement or a bribe.
She also said
obstructing or defeating the course of justice can only
occur when police
investigations into a matter are interfered with or
delayed.
Matura said in the case in which the two were
facing they had not used
force or offered any inducement and they had not
interfered with police
investigations in any way.
At the
opening of the case, defence counsel Prayers Chitsa had asked
for the
withdrawal of charges against his clients arguing they had no case
to
answer.
Chitsa had also argued that the charges against the two
had been
trumped up because of their being high profile members of the
Movement for
Democratic Change formation led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Magistrate Matura said she had allowed the case to
proceed to trial as
she believed the state would be able to prove that the
two had indeed
attempted to obstruct or defeat the course of justice but she
said the state
had failed to do so, and hence her acquittal of the
two.
Prosecutor Emmanuel Muchenga appeared for the state in the
matter.
Sengweni and Tobaiwa were elated by the
acquittal.
But lawyer Chitsa said although he was happy justice
had prevailed,
his clients were unhappy that they had been held in police
cells for a long
period before they were brought for trial.
Sengweni initially represented Chebundo until he was arrested on the
obstruction charge together with Tobaiwa.
Chebundo's trial
on the rape charge begins next Monday (September 7).
BY RUTENDO
MAWERE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August
2009 17:20
WHAT do you say to a man widely blamed for beating you,
stealing your
job and trying to have you thrown out of a 10th-floor window?
Morgan
Tsvangirai, prime minister of Zimbabwe, insists that he is now able
to joke
with his long-time opponent, President Robert Mugabe.
"Over a long period of time you start to develop some chemistry," he
says,
leaning forward in a black armchair in his ministerial office. "That's
where
you can't just go in and talk about business, you actually have to
talk
about personal issues. Sometimes it's helpful to unlock the barriers
that
may exist between people."
Tsvangirai and Mugabe are six
months into southern Africa's most
curious marriage of convenience. Their
power-sharing agreement followed a
bitterly contested election that robbed
Tsvangirai of victory and left
scores of his supporters dead. Their two
parties continue to fight, but
Tsvangirai describes the odd couple's
meetings as "cordial . not
acrimonious".
He explains:
"There are certainly many areas where we differ, but we
agree to differ. We
communicate, we talk, we discuss, we don't believe that
there's anything
insurmountable to discuss . I'm very free. I've decided
that I will not keep
anything to myself. I will express it and express it
forcefully if it
affects my own constituency, my own party and the general
thrust of the
inclusive government."
Recently, for example, Mugabe made a
populist speech to assert
Zimbabwe's disdain for western help, in direct
contravention of the policy
agreed with Tsvangirai. The prime minister used
humour to defuse the tension
by remarking: "Well, your statement was quite
predictable." Mugabe,
apparently, laughed it off.
Tsvangirai has proved doubters wrong simply by still being here and
holding
together the fragile compromise. The unity government has rescued
the
economy from the brink and slowly put schools and hospitals back in some
semblance of working order, though the headaches that remain are
legion.
Plenty of sceptics believe the president, who retains
the "hard power"
over the army, police and law courts, is bending the prime
minister to his
will. Tsvangirai insists, however, that the man who has
ruled Zimbabwe with
an iron fist for 29 years is no longer the main obstacle
to democracy.
"This is a perpetual suspicion of Mugabe," he
says. "It's a template.
People can't believe that Mugabe has any capacity to
change. It's an
inherent mistrust and it's nothing to do with what we are
trying to build."
So does Mugabe, even at 85, have the capacity
to change? "I have no
doubt he himself is committed to see this through. I
have no doubt that
perhaps there could be people in his own party or other
elements who have
reservations about it, but so far I think we are moving to
achieve those
incremental gains."
He continues: "You must
understand Mugabe's political character has
always been a character of
denial, shifting blame for his own shortcomings.
But it's always good to
have a legacy, and I'm sure that for him, it is the
positive aspects of his
life that he wants to take, not to be reminded about
the negative
aspects."
Last year, it is estimated that about 200 of
Tsvangirai's supporters
in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were
murdered in violence
perpetrated in the name of Mugabe's Zanu-PF. And more
than 200 people were
massacred when troops seized control of diamond fields
in the eastern
Marange district. Yet Mugabe apparently tries to laugh off
his global
infamy.
"He jokes about it. He says, 'People say
I'm a tyrant.' So what do you
think of yourself? He says, 'I'm not a
tyrant.' . We don't ignore what has
happened. Sometimes those things are
facts on the ground which have
characterised him."
Tsvangirai himself was once almost hurled from a 10th-floor window by
men
thought to be from Zimbabwe's secret service. He has faced three more
attempts on his life and been repeatedly beaten and arrested. It is widely
considered that Mugabe stole the elections from him in 2002 and again in
2008.
How, then, does the 57-year-old bring himself to now
sup with the
devil? He replies: "What is reconciliation without that?
Reconciliation is a
measure of tolerance across the very serious political
divide that has
existed in this country. How can we stand up as leaders and
call for
national unity when between us we don't relate to each
other?"
Tsvangirai admits that Zanu-PF's influence over the
judiciary remains
problematic but dismisses fears that continuing arrests of
MDC MPs will
threaten the party's parliamentary majority, saying that he
will simply put
up more MPs in their place. He is equally sanguine about the
threat of
assassination, despite his finance minister, Tendai Biti, having
received a
9mm bullet in the post last month.
"Those
threats I don't think will go overnight. There are people who
feel
threatened by the very existence of the inclusive government: it
threatens
their patronage, it threatens their benefactors, so naturally they
react."
Conspiracy theories continue to swirl around the
car crash, less than
a month after he became prime minister, in which
Tsvangirai was hurt and his
wife, Susan, was killed. He insists it was an
accident.
Tsvangirai's conciliatory attitude has led to
criticism, not least
from within his own ranks, that he has conceded too
much ground to Mugabe,
sacrificing change for the facade of unity. Sceptics
prophesy that, come the
next election, violence will flare up again and the
power-sharing agreement
will be worthless.
Tsvangirai
vehemently rejects the charge. "I'm not bending over
backwards. This is a
shared compromise. It has never been meant to be winner
takes all . It's not
a perfect marriage. It's a marriage that is meant to
ensure that this
country moves forward and so, yes, frustrations will be
there.
"But let's not miss the goal . We will keep our eye
on the ball until
such time as we are going to have an election which is
free and fair." -
Guardian.co.uk
David Smith in Harare
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
17:05
AUXILLIA Chirochangu is a 32-year-old unemployed mother of
three.
In 2003, she was among 300 "lucky" people to be allocated
stands at a
section of Harare South peri-urban area by Takunda Housing
Co-operative.
Having moved from her lodgings in Harare's Mbare
high-density suburb,
Chirochangu and her colleagues built "the best" houses
at the sprouting
location.
Overnight their lives had been
transformed.
But it was to be short-lived as their houses were
demolished under
Operation Murambatsvina in 2005 that left over 700 000
people homeless
countrywide.
"We did not have anywhere to go, so we
built makeshift shacks and
continued staying here," Chirochangu
said.
"Some of our colleagues were resettled under government's
Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle programme while others bought stands from other
co-operatives.
"Our MP, (Hubert) Nyanhongo, told the rest
of us to remain here until
we are allocated stands."
However, after
waiting for four years it might be time to move again
for Chirochangu and
hundreds of other families at this settlement.
Businessman
Phillip Chiyangwa's company, Pinnacle Property Holdings
and Jetmaster (Pvt)
Ltd are claiming the land where they hoped to set up
their permanent
homes.
Chiyangwa has already contracted a constructor, Tarcon
to clear the
land for a new residential area.
Chirochangu and other
settlers have already been informed that their
houses will soon be razed
down as work on the site continues.
More than 5 000 others are
also likely to be affected despite having
been luckier than Chirochangu's
group.
These bought stands at Nyarugu and Stoneridge Estates, also in
Harare
South's peri-urban, from Rickson Musarurwa's Amalish
Investments.
Amalish has been working in conjunction with Hondo
Yeminda, Moven
Mahachi and Simon Muzenda co-operatives during the past eight
years.
In an advert recently, Pinnacle and Jetmaster said directors of
Amalish and the leadership of the housing co-operatives have since been
charged with defying High Court orders barring them from illegally selling
stands.
The High Court in 2003, 2005 and April this year ordered
the occupants
to vacate the land under dispute.
A visit to the area
last week showed that while others like
Chirochangu forsee a gloomy future,
some beneficiaries are oblivious of what
awaits them.
They have
continued to build permanent structures.
Jonathan Garise who is also on
the waiting list said his community
contacted Nyanhongo when Tarcon started
clearing the site.
The Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development
and Harare South
MP advised them to chase the company's workers
away.
"About 20 men organised themselves into a group and approached
Tarcon
workers with an intention of staging a jambanja as per the MP's
advice,"
Garise said.
"The workers however told them that they were
talking to the wrong
people as they were merely servants."
Garise
said many in the community shared the view that Nyanhongo and
Zanu PF
leaders in the area only used them for political mileage.
"Apart from
the telephone call, we have never talked to him.
"He only came here
last week talking about the need to support him in
the Zanu PF provincial
elections," he said.
"He never said anything about our
uncertain future here and we feel
short-changed because we gave him our
votes with the hope that he will stand
for us in situations like
this."
Another resident, Caroline Gumborashama said they expected the
political leadership "to do something" given that the blasting of rocks by
Tarcon was a danger in itself.
"These shacks will be blown
off by dynamite one of these days," she
said.
"It is just dangerous
to be here and we appeal to our leaders to move
us to another area as we do
not have anywhere else to go."
Gumborashama however said a
second relocation will disrupt their
children who are attending nearby
schools.
She said they now hoped the people who will buy the
residential stands
from Chiyangwa will accommodate them.
"We were
told that the people who are buying his stands elsewhere have
a lot of money
and we are hoping that they will have mercy and allow us to
continue staying
here, say in their cottages," she said.
On Thursday, Nyanhongo insisted
that the occupants should remain on
the property.
"Those
people were allocated that land by government and they should
stay there and
not be afraid of anyone," Nyanhongo said.
"The co-operatives
are putting into place appropriate papers and
therefore whoever is
developing that land is wasting their time as long as
they are not doing it
properly."
But Nigel Munyati, a commercial director at
Chiyangwa's investment
vehicle, Native Investments Africa Group said they
were operating within the
law.
"We have all the documents
to prove that what we are doing is legal,"
Munyati said.
Munyati
said it was unfortunate that people like Nyanhongo were
unwilling to wake up
to the new dispensation which required a return to the
rule of law and a
respect of property rights.
It is also unfortunate that people
like Nyanhongo continue to exploit
the vulnerable for their selfish
interests, he said.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
12:34
ZIMBABWEANS with facial impairments will once again benefit from
free
surgery.
This will be the sixth visit by a United States
based volunteer
surgical team, Operation of Hope, who are expected in Harare
next month.
Typical deformities that Operation of Hope offers
corrective surgery
for are cleft-lip and cleft-palates and at least 450
children have been
helped in Zimbabwe to date.
A cleft lip
and palate surgery is estimated to cost around US$1 500,
an amount beyond
the reach of many ordinary Zimbabweans.
One Operation of Hope's
success stories is Beloved Chipfete from
Epworth who suffered severe
injuries when an explosive device disfigured his
face.
Beloved was playing with friends during a visit to his grandmother's
home in
rural Bindura when the accident occured.
Although local doctors
had managed to save his life they were unable
to offer him corrective
surgery because of limitations in the country's
health sector.
But
last year Operation of Hope gave Beloved a new lease of life when
they
sponsored his trip to the US where he underwent a number of corrective
surgeries on his face.
In a statement on Thursday, the
organisation said all potential
beneficiaries will be evaluated by Operation
of Hope doctors on October 4,
at St Anne's Hospital's paediatric
ward.
Those who require the surgery are being asked to bring all
medical
records and the organisation advises that "all costs associated with
this
surgery are free and no doctor, hospital, medication or surgical fees
will
be charged".
Operation of Hope said if a candidate is
selected for surgery, they
will be placed on a surgery schedule that runs
beginning October 5.
The organisation also said there will be no
age restrictions and
anyone with a facial deformity could qualify for the
free surgery.
"Anyone from anywhere who can get to the hospital,
with a facial
deformity will be evaluated free of charge," read the
statement.
Operation of Hope was founded by Joseph Clawson, a US
based surgeon
who has been leading the team since 1989.
Clawson has performed more than 2 500 free surgeries on children in
need
around the world.
This visit to Zimbabwe will be the sixth trip
made by Operation of
Hope dating back to October of 2006.
"We
are very excited to return to Zimbabwe where we once again help
those in
need offering hope and relief to the families of Zimbabwe needing
this
care," Clawson said.
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009 12:30
DOCTORS called off their three-week long strike on Wednesday on
humanitarian
grounds, a letter they wrote to government has revealed.
The move
came as the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors Human Rights
(ZADHR) urged the
government to address the plight of health workers once
and for
all.
Junior doctors at the United Bulawayo Hospitals in
Bulawayo first went
on strike early this month and were followed by their
colleagues at Harare
and Parirenyatwa hospitals.
The
doctors were demanding a basic salary of at least US$1 000 and
various other
perks.
They currently get a salary of US$170 and US$200
allowances from
donors.
Relations between government and
the striking doctors soured last
Friday after clinical directors at the
state hospitals ordered hem to
"immediately" vacate state
accommodation.
In a letter to government, the Zimbabwe Hospital
Doctor's Association
president Brighton Chizhanje said they called off the
strike after taking
into consideration the plight of
patients.
All doctors are expected to be back at work on
Wednesday after they
were assured of the getting their jobs back once they
reapplied.
"After some deep soul-searching and considerations
for our patients
(whom we consider to have the right to health as enshrined
in our oaths as
patriotic health professionals) we have decided to call off
the industrial
action," read the letter addressed to Health and Child
Welfare Minister,
Henry Madzorera.
"As the association we
are going to continue negotiations with
government, local and international
organisations, our central hospitals and
any other stakeholders for health
to mend the gaps in our health delivery
system."
Chizhanje
said his association was giving government at least one
month to take "the
necessary steps to leave the health worker with a well
deserved
package".
The doctors also demanded that politicians must stop
interfering in
the health sector.
"We urge politicians to
play their game of politics outside the health
delivery system as this
system concerns human life," he said.
"It will not take a
Hamlet ghost nor (sic) kindergarten mentality to
see that Zimbabwe has a lot
of potential and with commitment from every
citizen our health delivery
system will one day match that of first world
countries."
Meanwhile, health experts have urged the ministry to address the
grievances
of health workers to avoid unnecessary job boycotts.
ZADHR
chairman, Douglas Gwatidzo said the "hide and seek game" between
government
and health workers must come to an end.
He said there was now a
disturbing trend that each year health workers
in Zimbabwe go on strike
risking the lives of patients.
"I don't think we can carry on
like this having strikes after
strikes," Gwatidzo said.
"If you even go back as far as the 1980s you will see that the
problems that
health workers have been highlighting are the same and yet for
some reason
we cannot address them."
Gwatidzo said the decision to dismiss
the doctors last week had been
"seriously ill-advised".
He
said the reason strikes in the health sector persisted was that
government
usually resorted to punitive measures instead of seeking
solutions.
"Dismissing a medical practitioner in Zimbabwe
and then you go home
and think you have done a job well clearly defies
logic," he said.
"Punitive measures are a wrong approach, we
have been taking the wrong
approach all these years and that's why we have
gone more than two decades
with the same problem."
Community Working Group on Health director, Itai Rusike echoed his
sentiments saying government must respect the few doctors that have
demonstrated their commitment by remaining in the country.
"When doctors withdraw their services it's the ordinary people who
rely on
the public health sector who suffer and this is not fair," Rusike
said.
"Our message to government has been that we know they
are cash
strapped but they do not necessarily have to give the doctors cash
incentives.
"They can offer the doctors accommodation,
build flats at the state
hospitals for them, give them car loans so that our
doctors can at least
drive to work."
Gwatidzo said the
solution lies in reducing the number of medical
graduates coming out of
medical school.
"We need to reduce the number of graduates
coming out of medical
school because clearly we cannot afford to take care
of them," he said.
"It's better we churn out fewer graduates
that we can take care of.
"Right now we have many graduates
coming out of medical school that
are unhappy and not very well-trained
because of problems in our health
sector and this is just a recipe for
disaster."
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29
August 2009 12:18
THE Disablement Association of Zimbabwe (DAZ) has
started building
user-friendly Blair Toilets for people with
disabilities.
It also plans to improve access to ablution
facilities in Bulawayo
after a realisation that the authorities were taking
too long to act.
Insiza and Matobo districts in
Matabeleland South have been chosen for
the programme which is supported by
World Vision.
Speaking at the recent launch of the association,
DAZ executive
director David Zulu said the programme was part of efforts to
address health
concerns of people with disabilities.
He
said they tended to be left out of national programmes yet they
were equally
affected by challenges such as outbreaks of diseases emanating
from poor
sanitation.
"We are working hand in hand with World Vision
Zimbabwe (WVZ) to build
latrines that are accessible to people with
disabilities in the rural
districts if Insiza and Matobo," Zulu
said.
"In the urban centre of Bulawayo we are involved in
assessing the
accessibility if public ablution facilities on how the current
structures
can be modified so that people with disabilities have better
access to
them."
However, WVZ humanitarian emergency
affairs director, Daniel Muchena
said the programme had been affected by the
negative attitude towards people
with disabilities inherent in
society.
"In every system, there are challenges and most of
them are related to
attitude problems against people living with
disabilities," he said.
"For example under Protracted Relief
Programme 1, in Matobo district
some community members are not willing to
assist people with disabilities in
constructing user friendly Blair toilets
and engage in other productive
activities.
"This is
retarding development since people with disabilities are
being excluded in
key issues."
DAZ was registered as a trust in 2006 after it was
formed by trustees
Ronald Ncube, Edmore Hute and Davis Mazodze to represent
people with
disabilities at grassroots level.
Hute said
some of their major concerns were that there was no
conclusive statistics on
how HIV/AIDS affected people with disabilities
among many
issues.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
16:24
SAFARI operators have withdrawn their appeal at the Supreme Court
against the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) after the tourism promotion
body said it will drop its demands for a backdated payment of trophy fees
from operators.
Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe
(SOAZ) and ZTA have been
haggling over a 2% levy on trophy fees, which saw
the matter spilling into
the courts.
Last month, High Court
judge Justice Bharat Patel ruled that in terms
of the tourism law, safari
operators were liable to pay levy on trophy fees
paid by hunters in
designated tourist facilities.
Patel ruled that trophies were clearly
an intrinsic and inseparable
part of the hunting services or facility
provided by operators.
Operators immediately launched an appeal
in the Supreme Court.
Zimbabwe Council for Tourism president, Emmanuel
Fundira, who is also
SOAZ vice- chairman, confirmed that the operators had
withdrawn their
appeal.
"We have officially withdrawn the
matter from the Supreme Court. We
think government is keen to see a positive
development to the tourism
industry," Fundira said.
ZTA
boss Karikoga Kaseke told Standardbusiness the authority had
agreed not to
back date the fees.
"When we won the case at the High Court we wrote to
operators that
they should pay their levies beginning August," he
said.
Kaseke said ZTA had given safari operators up to
September 30 to
register with the authority.
Most safari operators
were doing business illegally as they had not
registered with the authority
due to the stand-off over trophy fees.
The withdrawal of the appeal by
SOAZ and the stance by ZTA will end
the acrimony that had soured the
relationship between the two organisations
for the past four years.
In addition, it means that SOAZ members can now register with the
authority
and enjoy the fiscal incentives offered to the tourism industry in
May.
The fence-mending between SOAZ and ZTA is a welcome
development to the
tourism sector which had endured years of infighting
amongst players.
Unlicensed operators cannot import tourism products
duty free
according to fiscal incentives availed to the tourism industry in
April.
Statutory Instrument 46 of 2009 provides the terms and
conditions
under which the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) may grant
suspension of
duty on specified types of motor vehicles for licensed tourism
operators.
The suspension became effective on March 1 and will
run up to February
28, 2011.
Under Statutory 60 of 2009, ZIMRA may
grant rebate of duty on new
capital equipment, boat equipment and other
goods taken out of bond for the
tourism sector.
To qualify
for rebate, the capital equipment must be used for
expansion, modernization
and renovation of hotels and restaurants.
Beneficiaries of the
facility should be registered with ZTA.
The safari industry is
marketed in three distinct forms which include
attendance at internationally
organised marketing shows, public auctions and
repeat
business.
Repeat business occurs when clients who have been to
a particular
destination can come back or refer other potential
clients.
There are 87 safari operators in Zimbabwe.
In
another plus for the tourism industry, Fundira and Kaseke - bitter
foes for
the past four years - last week agreed to end their differences
which they
say was affecting the growth of the sector.
So acrimonious was
the relationship between the two that they almost
came to blows at a Sports,
Tourism Image and Communication task force
meeting at Bronte Hotel nearly
two weeks ago. The duo had to be restrained
by Sylvester Maunganidze, the
principal director in the Ministry of Media,
Information and
Publicity.
Before that Kaseke was accused of causing the arrest
of Fundira and
ZTA chairman, Shingi Munyeza because of differences between
the ZTA and
tourism operators.
BY NDAMU SANDU
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009 16:09
THE country's largest mobile operator, Econet on Friday launched the
3G
technology that will allow subscribers to access internet on their mobile
phones in a boost for the country's information and technology sector that
has undergone years of under investments.
Econet
subscribers will now have access to the internet on their
mobile phones, one
of a range of services 3G technology will make possible
in the near
future.
General Packet Radio System (GPRS) will enable
subscribers with
compatible handsets to send and receive emails on the
move.
GPRS can also be used by banks and shops to support
payment devices
for credit cards.
While the roll-out of GPRS is
itself very exciting, the real
excitement will be on the launch of a range
of new generation services under
3G, Douglas Mboweni, Econet CEO
said.
He says for business users, the most important
application "will not
only be what you can do with your cellphone but what
you can now do with
your computer or laptop".
"A computer
can be linked directly to the 3G network using a data
card, which will be
available at Econet service centres," he said.
This eliminates
the need for a dial-up line or expensive satellite
dishes.
The bandwidth speeds on the 3G system as well as the capacity is
unprecedented, according to Mboweni.
He said the mobile operator
has installed an earth station just to
uplink the 3G
system.
"This is probably the most advanced cellular technology
in the world,"
said Mboweni.
Zimbabwe has 2.5 fixed lines
per 100 inhabitants, 6.5 mobile lines per
100 and less than 9.5 internet
users per 100 meaning that the country is
ranked below all the Sadc
countries except the Democratic Republic of Congo,
according to the Global
Information Technology Report 2008-2009.
But Information
Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa
believes the sector is on
its upward trend spurred on by massive roll out
programmes by
operators.
All the three mobile operators - Econet, Net One and
Telecel - have
announced massive roll out programmes to increase the
subscriber base.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
16:02
GWERU - The slow pace at which information and communication
technology is being rolled out will render Zimbabwe's education irrelevant
for the fast changing world of industry and commerce, a local IT expert said
last week.
Zimbabwe is one of the lowest ranked countries
when it comes to the
use of ICT because of the years of economic
decline.
"Whilst education is the largest sector and consumer
of public funds
in many economies, it is disheartening to note that those
countries that are
outside the conflict zones are still spending a huge
amount of public funds
in a bloated army,
arms and ammunition,
a bloated civil service," said Brian Sedze at the
launch of IT Network
Africa.
IT Network Africa is involved in projects to promote the
adoption and
use of ICT in Africa.
Sedze said the major reason why
Zimbabwe lagged behind in the use of
ICT was linked to misplaced priorities
by politicians.
"It is disheartening to note that for a country
as poor as Zimbabwe,
the government created over cabinet 60 cabinet posts
yet all along a lot of
noise had been made about excessive government
expenditure," he said.
He also called on the government to make ICT
education compulsory in
schools in line with global trends.
There is also an urgent need to deregulate the electricity sector to
allow
the private players to set up support infrastructure for growth of the
ICT
industry, he said.
Although President Robert Mugabe donated
computers to rural schools
during his campaigns most of them are not being
used because there is no
electricity.
Zimbabwe is among the
countries with the lowest internet connectivity
as it is so expensive to get
connected.
BY RUTENDO MAWERE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29
August 2009 16:57
I remember one of the highlights of the week in
village life was the
Dare - the local customary court session where small
local disputes were
solved. In our community men and women would gather
Pamatombo paHwara.
The place had a large number of rocks on which
people could sit
comfortably under the natural shade of the trees. It was
here that many
gatherings were held, including the popular independence
celebrations.
Misangano yeParty (Party meetings) were also held here. Of
course, there was
only one party and that was Zanu PF.
Although the principal purpose of the Dare was to administer local
justice,
in a world without television or other sources of entertainment, it
was in
effect reality theatre which drew a lot of interest across the
community.
It was particularly relaxing during the hard farming
season when many
days were spent in the fields, patiently tending to crops
that struggled
perennially in dry and sandy soils. This is the land that
historical
circumstance had bequeathed to us. It was dry for most of the
time and I
always felt its rewards were never commensurate with the amount
of labour
that we invested.
The Dare provided some comic relief
in an otherwise monotonous drama
played on the many fields between the
villagers and their emaciated land.
The matters that came
before our court provided fertile ground for
much gossip, discussion and
laughter. They ranged from the case of a peasant
farmer accusing another of
carelessly letting his cows stray into his maize
field and destroying the
crop to the more complex case of a pregnant girl
accusing a boy of authoring
her pregnancy.
A man would bring a case accusing another of
straying into his home
and committing adulterous acts with his wife.
Witnesses were candid. The
stories were juicy. There was a lot of drama. The
audience would increase in
proportion to the amount of dirty linen likely to
be laundered at the
session.
Although I cannot say it with
certainty I like to think my interest in
law germinated in this environment.
It was interesting to see the village
elders, barely educated in the modern
sense, nevertheless dispensing justice
with great
efficiency.
But what captured my interest most was the fairness
and efficiency
with which the cases were handled in this most humble of
court. The court's
decisions were generally respected. I like to think that
the fair and
reasonable way in which the court dealt with cases contributed
to this
culture of respect and compliance. If the court had been hostile and
unfair,
I think the community would have lost respect for its
judgments.
When I later went to law school, I learnt about the
principles of
natural justice.
It occurred to me that these
principles were very much in keeping with
the administration of justice that
I had witnessed as a boy at the village
court. There was nothing
fundamentally new, except that the principles I was
reading in the law texts
were constructed in fairly sophisticated language -
the Latin terms
particularly drew our interest.
We learnt them by heart and
repeated them often to the admiration of
our non-law contemporaries. It
sounds ridiculous and slightly embarrassing
now but it was our poor way of
demonstrating that we were 'learned' men and
women of law! (The things we do
in our youth!) But at the core, I knew that
the principles were very much
the same as the principles my elders had
applied at the village
courts.
I had observed that the village court placed emphasis
on procedural
fairness. The accused person was advised of charge or case
against him. It
was explained to him so that he understood the nature of the
allegation. It
was important to give the accused a fair hearing. He was
given adequate
notice and time to prepare his defence. The court ensured
that the accused
was given a chance to make representations against the
allegations. At the
court he was given a chance to question his accusers.
This is akin to the
cross-examination in modern courts.
It was
accepted that a person making a decision should declare any
personal
interest they may have in the matter and possibly recuse himself.
That
follows from the principle that a person who is a party to the
proceedings
cannot sit in judgment of his own case. It reduces the risk of
bias and
unfair advantage.
Now, I think of my observations at the humble
open-air village court
and the conduct of some of our administrative and
quasi-judicial bodies and
it's fair to say it leaves a lot to be desired.
It's the case in both the
public and private sectors. Employees are
routinely suspended, without pay
so that they have little if any resources
to mount a defense against any
allegations. Sometimes the senior manager who
has a personal interest in the
matter will sit in judgment of his accused
subordinate. The attitude can be
hostile and intimidating to the
employee.
We have seen some of this conduct on a wider scale at
the national
administrative bodies. Newspapers such as the Daily News were
closed and it's
clear that the relevant bodies failed to observe the
principles of natural
justice. Indeed in one case the court chided the then
chair of the media
regulator for sitting in judgment of the Daily News given
his apparent bias.
A number of mayors of various cities were driven
out of office - again
there was little evidence of the application of these
basic principles of
natural justice.
We also saw how
bankers and other businessmen were hounded out of the
country by threats of
arrests at the peak of the financial crisis in
2004-05. Bank licenses were
suspended or withdrawn at short notice and often
without notice. In many
cases, individuals were declared 'specified persons'
under the Prevention of
Corruption Act. The 'specification' of an individual
has drastic
consequences for the freedom and general rights of that person.
Given its
drastic effects and potential for abuse, the specification of a
person
without notice violates the very basic notion of natural
justice.
I have referred to the village court and the manner in
which justice
was dispensed to dispel one notion; the notion that the rule
of law or these
ideas of justice are alien to our society. Some people take
the view that
anything to do with the rule of law is some kind of
Western-influenced
propaganda. That cannot be further from the truth. Our
own traditional
systems have always carried the same notions, albeit in
different language.
I have written before about the importance
of the 'human factor' -
that at the end of the day, no matter how well we
create the legal and
political structures much will depend on our beliefs,
attitude and conduct
as individuals in charge of those structures. The
extent to which we adhere
to the principles of natural justice will
determine the impact of the 'human
factor'. If we stick to them it is quite
likely that the 'human factor' will
be more positive but if we pay lip
service, as has been the case over the
years, the 'human factor' will have a
seriously negative effect.
I do hope our administrative bodies,
both public and private in
carrying out their functions will do more to
abide by and follow the
principles of natural justice. At the very least
such reassures citizens
that they are being treated fairly. But above all,
it makes for a decent
society - one in which power is exercised reasonably
and not where it is
abused. It's simple: Give adequate notice and
information to the person and
let the person be heard. Indeed, let him
defend and explain himself openly.
Do not judge your case or a case in which
you might have interest. If you
have to decide against the person, by all
means give him adequate reasons
for the decision so that he understands why
he has failed. Surely, that can't
be too hard?
Alex Magaisa is
based at, Kent Law School, the University of Kent and
can be contacted at wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk or a.t.magaisa@kent.ac
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009 16:49
ANOTHER intake of National University of
Science and Technology (NUST)
media students has just finished their
four-year degree programme this
month. As a recent graduate of the same
school, I know the feelings of sheer
relief and satisfaction that completing
such a gruelling course prompts.
But, I also know the fears
that this new dispensation brings with it.
With a national
unemployment rate soaring at over 90%, the prospects
for many Zimbabwean
graduates are bleak and demoralising. Inevitably,
inactivity awaits many of
these promising minds.
A case in point would be my class of 24
students which completed
studies in May 2008. In my humble estimation, we
were all keen and bright
learners - and yet, 15 months later, less than half
of us are employed.
And bear in mind too that the NUST media
department is just one of a
few journalism schools in Zimbabwe. Each year,
Midlands State University,
the Harare Polytechnic, the University of
Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Open
University and other institutions churn out
enthusiastic media scholars who
can't find gainful means of making use of
their professional qualifications.
In most cases, it is not
through lack of effort, or even a lack of
requisite skills for a job or
training opportunity.
It is simply because so few of them
exist.
Reading the Global Political Agreement, I have noted the
great
potential that Article 19, on freedom of expression and communication,
has
to begin to redress this unfortunate situation.
In the
document, Zimbabwe's main political parties agree that the
government should
ensure the immediate processing of all applications for
media registration
in terms of both the Broadcasting Services Act and the
Access to Information
and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
Since its inception in
2001, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe
(BAZ) has failed to license a
single private or community-based broadcast
station, while the now defunct
Media and Information Commission only served
to close up space for
alternative print media voices.
I hope that this will change
with the reforms currently being
implemented, particularly with the
introduction of the Zimbabwe Media
Commission (ZMC) and the re-constitution
of BAZ. Yes, the process already
has its own controversies, but I sincerely
hope that the two bodies will
function to register more entities into our
starved media environment soon,
thereby creating employment opportunities
for many.
At last Saturday's public hearing with the
Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee on Media, Information and Communication
Technology, I raised the
issue with the chairman and MP, Gift Chimanikire.
As he himself had
mentioned in his introduction, the reason for opening up
parliamentary
bodies to dialogue with the public is to ensure that ordinary
Zimbabweans
are able to exercise an oversight role in monitoring
government's
implementation of various policies.
Indeed
current media policy, it has been argued, is undemocratic and
non-representative. But more so, it is depriving many young people the
opportunity to become a part of the process of change in Zimbabwe. As the
generation with the greatest potential to rebuild and re-harmonise this
nation, we deserve outlets to exhibit our creativity, innovativeness and
professionalism.
In response to my concern, Chaminikire
noted the importance of
promoting media pluralism in Zimbabwe stating: "We
should be able to deliver
on this because not only does it create
employment, but diversity in terms
of reporting. Pluralism means the people
will be more informed and I can
assure you the committee is committed to
that."
For the sake of the many currently unemployed media
professionals, and
those who are still involved in their studies, I
sincerely hope that this
committee, as well as the various organs created to
facilitate Zimbabwe's
media reform, will deliver on their promises in a
timely and unbiased
manner.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 29 August 2009
16:34
THE new strategy by elements hostile to the inclusive government
is to
resort to making outrageous demands.
A fortnight ago
Zanu PF, through its deputy spokesperson, Ephraim
Masawi, accused the MDC
formations of not fulfilling their obligations under
the September 15, 2008
Global Political Agreement (GPA). It was a deliberate
move calculated to
provoke the ire of the other parties to the GPA. We can
expect more of this
cantankerous behaviour as Zanu PF pursues its strategy
to scuttle the
inclusive government in the hope it can return to the
pre-September 2008
status quo.
The latest outrageous demands are around the issue
of a land audit and
the cost of the constitution-making
process.
Last week it was suggested that in order to conduct a
new land audit,
the inclusive government will require US$30 million. The
fear driving this
figure is that a proper land audit will unmask Zanu PF's
multiple farm
owners in the Government of National Unity. The new audit can
be assured of
a stillbirth if the cost of such an undertaking is
unaffordable.
About four different land audits have already
been conducted. The
results have been suppressed because it is feared they
would hugely
embarrass President Robert Mugabe because of the extent of his
supporters'
multiple-farm ownership.
A list of farms taken
from the Commercial Farmers Union members and
the new beneficiaries combed
from the Ministry of Lands' register of who has
been allocated what followed
by a physical audit does not need US$30
million.
One of the
reasons why such irrational figures are being bandied about
is to ensure
that in the event such amounts are made available, the looters'
brigade will
lay its hands on the funds and disappear with them. They may
lose the
multiple farms but grab the money and run.
The reason why these
people want multiple farms is not out of a
passion to become farmers. The
eventual intent is to sell the additional
farms, keep the money and leave
the attendant problems to whoever takes over
ownership.
There are also issues of resource constraints around compensation,
even for
the developments made to the farms. Then the major headache that
sends panic
among those determined to stymie progress: There can be no
compensation for
farm improvements without restitution for those victimised,
displaced,
tortured and even killed in the process of farm takeovers.
A
fresh land audit will expose the lie that the recent wave of farm
invasions
has origins in the pre-inclusive government era. That for example
as
reported in last week's issue of this newspaper in the case of Devonia
Farm
in Mashonaland East, 42km northeast of Harare, the land allocations
were in
blatant violation of the GPA. The next issue an audit would confirm
would be
to make whoever authorised the allocations accountable for the
violations.
Some of the violations have occurred on
properties owned by foreign
nationals who are supposed to enjoy additional
protection under bilateral
agreements.
There have been more
than 70 cases of farm occupations or under
contestation since the inclusive
government came into being.
In the case of the
constitution-making process, suggestion of the
unavailability of resources
is intended to have the matter protracted so
that instead of elections
expected in 18 months they are deferred thus
allowing Zanu PF breathing
space. It is incomprehensible that the government
could have embarked on the
process with either inadequate resources or a
concept of the resource
requirements. This is part of a strategy intended to
maintain an iniquitous
and lawless dispensation.
Zanu PF mustn't be allowed to get away with
it not least because it
compounds agricultural collapse.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Unravelling Moyo's Anti-MDC-T Diatribe
Saturday, 29 August 2009
12:09
PROFESSOR Jonathan Moyo is probably one of the finest political
scientists that Zimbabwe has produced.
He is also a politician
of note; having had the privilege of serving
as a Minister of Information
and Publicity in the Office of the President
and Cabinet between 2000 and
2005.
He is the only independent Member of Parliament in
the current
Parliament. He is very good with words.
During his
tenure as Minister of Information, he came up with some
interesting phrases,
many of them off the cuff. Thus, "Harare is not
Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe is
not Harare", he said of those who felt that the
opposition to Zanu PF in
Harare had reached worrying proportions.
"They will remain
shadows," he declared of the Movement of Democratic
Change-T shadow
ministers (incidentally the "shadows" have since become
substantive, and he
has become a shadow!).
Having been relieved of his post as
Minister of Information and
Publicity, he said, "Unfortunately, he who
appoints can also disappoint".
As many civil society activists
continue to try and find their feet
under the inclusive government, Moyo has
taken it upon himself to be the
critic of the "new" order. This is well
within Moyo's rights especially as
he is the only "opposition" in
Parliament.
In a series of articles, Moyo has contended that
the inclusive
government has basically failed to deliver.
Interestingly, he has chosen to target the office of the Prime
Minister,
Morgan Tsvangirai, and the MDC, for criticism. There could be a
number of
reasons for the Professor's choice. He has not yet stated openly
why, given
that there are three parties in the inclusive government, he has
singled out
one for penetrating criticism.
It is puzzling to note that up
to now, no one in the inclusive
government - the three political parties or
their publicity officials - has
responded to Moyo's criticism. Could it be
that he is well known for his
sharp insights and intellectual stamina,
thereby cowing everyone into
submission?
Could it be that
he is a "hired gun," doing damage for some unnamed
principal? Could it also
be that many consider him a spent force and no
longer even read (as I have
done with Dr Tafataona Mahoso's rambling
articles).
As
stated above, Moyo is free to express his own verdict on the
performance or
lack of it of the inclusive government. Indeed, it is
necessary to hold
politicians accountable.
Perhaps becoming aware of the fact
that the lives of millions of
Zimbabweans have improved since the MDCs
joined the government, Moyo has
sought to at least acknowledge that the
situation now is more bearable than
before.
Nonetheless, he
proceeds to associate all the challenges facing the
inclusive government
with the MDC-T. The Professor is engaging in
politricks! The balance of
probability is that in a three-some, challenges
are likely to be evenly
distributed across the three actors.
Moyo has therefore not moved
an inch from his anti-MDC-T stance. His
greatest frustration might be that
the shadows have become real!
Ezra Chitando
Harare.
----------
Let's Stop Euphemising
Adultery
Saturday, 29 August 2009 12:07
WHILE I respect
the commendable role of Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) in fighting
the HIV/Aids scourge, I however, found it oxymoronic that
such reputable
organisations are caressing and euphemising adultery by
referring to it in
terms such as Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCPs).
In my
opinion, terms such as multiple concurrent partnerships should
not and must
not be allowed to exist in a society with an honest regard for
an
HIV/Aids-free world.
It is sad that some economically
disadvantaged women are caught in
the adulterous relationships web also
euphemised as "small house". The term
small house, in actual sense is meant
to trivialise the immoral and
adulterous relationship and pacify the cheated
and usually faithful wife at
home by making her feel secure without real
concern for the vicious
consequences of the husband's sexual
exploits.
NGOs that promote Aids awareness should help
societies shrug off
traditional beliefs that loosely regard men as dogs and
therefore unfaithful
and polygamous by nature. They should preach
faithfulness to the married and
teach abstinence to the youth instead of
promoting condom usage - the very
tools that promote
promiscuity.
As an integrated human, people have to be taught
to express their
physiological impulses in a socially acceptable way. That
is, marriage.
Sexual desire without social containment is like an egg
without a shell.
Apart from the risk of HIV/Aids infection adulterous
behaviour hurts
families.
It is very difficult to accept and
still have a loving relationship
with your partner after seeing them having
sexual relations with someone
else. This kind of situation could exacerbate
fears of rejection or feelings
of inadequacy.
It also provokes
uncertainty and can cause cracks in the integral
foundation of the marriage
and family.
In fact, God the author of marriage presents sex as a
natural and
wholesome part of married life, a source of mutual joy and
satisfaction. He
intended that marriage should be the closest relationship
between man and
woman.
Genesis 2:24 says husband and wife
"must become one flesh". The one
flesh bond involves more than sexual
intimacy. It includes a close emotional
bond which is strengthened by
unselfishness, trust and mutual respect. A
spouse is robbed of these when a
marriage mate indulges in relationships
outside the framework of marriage
that must never be referred to as multiple
concurrent partnerships
(MCPs).
Promoting Bible principles will help protect families
from HIV/Aids
rather euphemising promiscuity by replacing adultery with
MCPs. Two plus two
equal to four, adultery is adultery. Let's call it by its
name.
ZBC should also consider introducing Aids documentaries as a
better
alternative to programmes such as Small House Saga.
Prince Mabvurira
Dangamvura
Mutare.
-------------
Zanu PF Irked by the
Truth
Saturday, 29 August 2009 12:05
ZANU PF's cabinet
ministers over the weekend walked out of the
government retreat meeting in
Nyanga, fuming that Deputy Prime Minister
Arthur Mutambara had insulted them
after telling them the truth that they
had not won the 2008 harmonised
elections.
Although Mutambara could have used a wrong platform, it
is important
for the Zanu PF ministers to know the truth, that Robert Mugabe
and Zanu PF
did not win last year's election.
It is
precisely for this reason that today we have this inclusive
government. It
is inclusive because Mugabe and Zanu PF did not win the
elections.
It is also important to recall that just
recently Zanu PF with the
aid of its mouthpieces - the state-controlled
media - was also fuming when
MDC-T ministers snubbed a cabinet meeting in
frustration over the delays in
resolving sticking points in the Global
Political Agreement.
Although the MDC-T's concerns were
genuine, Zanu PF and its apologists
were irked by the MDC's snubbing of the
meeting.
However, it is surprising that Zanu PF chose this time
to be
disrespectful of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and decided to walk
out of
an important meeting just because they had been told the truth by
Mutambara.
We hope that Mutambara will be bolder and repeat what he
told the
delegates in Nyanga straight in Mugabe's face.
Trymore
G Mazhambe
Mutare.
-------------
Too Late,
Governor
Saturday, 29 August 2009 12:03
CAN Dr Gideon Gono
enlighten the nation why he did not apply the
bright ideas he is now
suggesting of sustaining the value of the Zimdollar
during the first five
years he was "your governor" at RBZ.
Once bitten
Harare.
----------
NCA Position on Constitution-making
Relevant
Saturday, 29 August 2009 11:43
JUST as it should
be, the constitutional process in Zimbabwe has
generated a lot of debate
among the intellectuals among us.
This debate is healthy and should
be encouraged. No group among those
arguing should regard itself as the sole
and legitimate people's
representative.
We need to
capture the concerns of all our people. This opportunity is
very vital in
our quest to define who we are and what we want to be. After
all the
heckling has died down, our final product must reflect the will of
"almost"
every Zimbabwean.
It is this spirit of inclusivity that
prompted me to write this piece.
We have seen and heard various views
regarding how to go about this process.
We are all offsprings of Zimbabwe
and none of us should deliberately be
excluded from this historical
process.
When the National Constitutional Assembly says they cannot
be part of
a process that is being led by politicians we should not ridicule
or ignore
them as rabble rousers. They are making a point which should be
respected.
Admittedly, some of the NCA chairman Dr Lovemore
Madhuku's antics
leave a lot to be desired. I once wrote a piece last year
demonizing how he
left delegates to the People's Convention stranded at the
Harare
International Conference Centre.
This however, should
not cloud our analysis. The NCA was conceived
primarily to redress our
national constitution. The MDC formations which
co-authored the Kariba Draft
document with Zanu PF are themselves NCA
sidekicks.
It was
at the 1999 NCA Convention that the formation of the MDC was
mooted and
flyers sent out. We cannot therefore turn around and say this
organisation
is irrelevant.
For the past 10 years Dr Madhuku has almost
lived the gospel of the
new constitution. We cannot afford at this juncture
to brush them aside.
The NCA might be sceptical about the
politicians' intentions but that
does not make them enemies of the people.
They have legitimate intentions.
Let's respect their decision to be out of
the mainstream process.
However, I want to bring to light one
good thing we can benefit from
their decision: I believe the NCA can still
participate tremendously from
outside. Inasmuch as there is strength in
unity, I believe there is also
equally much to benefit as a nation from the
diversity of views echoed from
different perception
positions.
In that case I urge both the NCA and the
Parliamentary Select
Committee to mutually respect each other's position as
it is eventually
beneficial to our nation. Those who legally have been
mandated to carry out
the process should therefore take on board the
concerns raised by the NCA.
The NCA does not have the monopoly
to carry out the
constitution-making process but so shouldn't the
Parliamentary Select
Committee. For our product to have a semblance of
inclusivity, it should
capture the NCA concerns. I do not think they will
campaign for a "No" vote
if they eventually see their concerns being taken
into consideration.
Odrix Sithole Moyo
Pelandaba
Bulawayo.
-------------
SMS The Standard
Saturday,
29 August 2009 12:40
Puzzling policy
ZANU PF succession policy
is difficult to understand. Why is it only
one player is irreplaceable? -
Ekwerry.
******
HWANGE Colliery Company employs 15
managers, with each of them getting
paid US$10 000. Their workers, however,
get US$70 each. It is not amazing
because the board is Zanu PF and so is the
Minister. -M K, Hwange.
Changing colours
ALL of a sudden MDC-T
is saying that Arthur Mutambara is wrong and
that the June 2008 election was
not a nullity - that they were free and
fair! The MDC-T is already changing
colours. - B Ware.
******
IT'S absurd for Dr Gideon Gono
to advocate for the reintroduction of
the Zimbabwe dollar. I urge all
sound-minded people to shun it like we did
the Z$10 trillion note. Would he
himself trade in it? Haunyari here?- Tino,
Chitungwiza.
******
WE, the consumers do not want the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe
dollar. Therefore, who is Gideon Gono speaking on behalf of? He wants to use
the return of the Zimbabwe dollar to enable him to print paper money to
finance Zanu PF campaigns. And just how will the money find its way into the
hands of villagers? A person cannot wake up with money in his hands, like
manna from heaven. The money has to come from business generated or goods
sold. So let the sleeping 'dollar lie'. - Dodo.
******
GIDEON Gono should not be allowed to experiment with people's lives
again.
Instead, he should shut up and people might forget and forgive him.
Memories
of how people lost their savings overnight are still fresh. -
Bitter.
Zesa, a disaster
ZESA is a disaster. In our area,
Greystone the power can be switched
off five or six times a day. I have
phoned Zesa's 24-hour contact lines
numerous times but the phones just ring
which begs the question: What's the
point of having the lines in the first
place. - Disgruntled 2.
******
PRO lege, pro patria and
pro populo used to be the nationalists'
slogan guiding all the public
service personnel, including politicians,
professionals, national security,
traditional leaders and society in
general. In some cases this slogan was
actually engraved in the service coat
of arms attached to officers' uniform
to be worn everyday as a continuous
reminder of their commitment to enforce
the law without fear or favour.
Serve, promote and protect the best
interests of the motherland and the
people. - Pro Bono, Harare.
******
I DON'T care if Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda drives the latest
Mercedes
Benz but I think making poor residents in Mabvuku and Tafara pay
for
services they only dream of is cruel and sheer lunacy.
- J
M.
Prepared for death
DR Henry Madzorera, the Minister of
Health says the government is
prepared to fight swine flu. Yes, it is
ill-prepared. With the doctors and
nurses on strike and the coffers dry, we
should expect nothing but sad
statistics again. - Berube.
******
SWINE flu is now here and we are not really prepared for it. We
are in
danger. People want to blame the doctors' strike on sanctions while
we buy
Mercedes Benz for ministers and mayors instead of stocking up on
medical
drugs, ARVs and tamiflu. We deserve to die because we are not using
our
brains. We do not need a doctor to administer the drugs. Nurses can do
it.
What do we need the doctors back at work for? To sit down in hospitals
without drugs and certify those dying? - Doomed forever.
Patience
exhausted
ONE of the comments in the state media was that medical
doctors should
be patient. This was very silly. The doctors and all
Zimbabweans have been
patient enough. The Prime Minister couldn't name a
single thing he had done
for the health sector or any other sector for that
matter when he opened the
Zimbabwe Medical Association congress recently.
The doctors want US$1 000
because rent is now US$300, food is US$200 a
month, Zesa wants US$200 for
electricity, so does TelOne, Zinwa, bus fare,
children's fees. The US$1 000
is not even enough! If government parastatals
charge less and other workers
earn US$200, yes we can settle for that.
Sanctions have absolutely nothing
to do with it. - Simple
economics.
We are the problem
ZIMBABWEANS are a problem
because they are the ones who accept
lowering of standards in both education
and health. We accept sky-rocketing
bills when we do not earn salaries that
enable us to pay them. We gave the
MDC-T six months to deliver and they have
been doing worse than their
predecessors. President Jacob Zuma of South
Africa was only given two
months. We should therefore blame ourselves for
accepting less. - Truth
hurts.
******
IS it a
coincidence that Vice-President Joseph Msika dies and for the
first time in
years households in Mandara, where his home is get water and
that soon after
his burial supplies are stopped? Because of this I have
mixed emotions - to
be happy that he died and is now resting for the first
time in his
event-filled life or to be sad that he is gone and with him the
water. -
Waterless, Mandara, Harare.
******
AFTER the chaos caused
by Zanu PF MPs and the illiterate hooligans of
youths they led, one would
hope that in future they should educate them that
they should first drink
the contents of the bottles before hurling the
containers at their intended
targets. - Empty vessels, Harare.
Mugabe's bidding during the Prime
Minister's recent tour of the West.
They seem to suggest that the President
can just fire him the way he fired
Ray Kaukonde. That won't happen. -
Lovenda, Sakubva.
THE youth training centres should be transformed
into technical
colleges and be transferred to the Ministry of Higher and
Tertiary
Education, while the Ministry of Youth should be scrapped
altogether. What
Zimbabwe should be doing is investing in technical skills
for our youths
instead of mass production of ignorant and semi-literate
youths that these
youth training centres have been producing. - Border Bodo,
Masvingo.
DOES the government ever care to take the statistics
of the loss of
revenue they suffer daily through unreciepted money at
roadblocks by all
traffic officers? -Moore Nyathi.