Mbeki claims he wanted Mugabe to be 'ceremonial' President

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
04 August 2009

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki told a South African news channel
that he wanted Robert Mugabe to become a ceremonial President under the
unity deal, but the Zimbabwean negotiators refused. The UK based The
Zimbabwean newspaper reported that Mbeki spoke to E News channel's 'Africa
360' programme on Monday. In the interview, Mbeki denied crafting the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) which formed the basis of the current coalition
government.
"I didn't draft the GPA, the Zimbabweans drafted it themselves. I was of the
opinion that President Mugabe should become ceremonial but it is the
political parties which said no. They said they can't marginalise him
because he carries a particular constituency and is a significant part of
the solution," Mbeki is reported to have told the news channel. The former
Presidents apparent 'turn-around' will be viewed with suspicion by his
critics, who felt his 'quiet diplomacy' emboldened Mugabe to persist with
rights violations.
Newsreel spoke to one of the negotiators from the MDC and he told us Mbeki's
statement about them objecting to Mugabe being a ceremonial President was
not correct. Asked if maybe the ZANU PF negotiators had insisted on this
point, the official told us this was also not true. One political
commentator told us it appeared Mbeki was trying to deflect criticism for
what many consider a flawed coalition agreement that has left too much power
in Mugabe's hand.
Last year in March, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party defeated Mugabe and
ZANU PF in the combined Parliamentary and Presidential elections. Faced with
the prospect of a Presidential run-off the notorious Joint Operations
Command, a grouping of the security and armed forces loyal to Mugabe, began
a brutal and murderous campaign targeting MDC supporters. Over 200 people
were killed, forcing Tsvangirai to withdraw from the run-off. Unperturbed by
the resulting lack of legitimacy, Mugabe still went ahead with a discredited
one-man Presidential election.
The fall out was devastating for the country as the economy was reduced to
its knees. Disease, hunger and political repression stalked the nation as
negotiators from the 3 main political parties spent months at the
negotiating table. Throughout this period Mbeki lacked the courage to
confront Mugabe, and indeed the same timidity was exhibited by Zimbabwe's
neighbours in the Southern African Development Community. A deal was
eventually struck in September 2008, only to have a Government of National
Unity in February 2009, after more tortuous months of squabbling over
cabinet portfolios.

Vice President Joseph Msika dies

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=20641

August 4, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - The vice President of Zimbabwe, Joseph Msika, has died.

Born on December 23, 1923, Msika had been Vice President since December 1999
when he took over after the death of former PF-Zapu leader Dr Joshua Nkomo.

Msika collapsed at home in March 2005, apparently having suffered a stroke
and a blood clot in the head and was rushed to hospital. He then underwent
an operation in South Africa. He has been ailing since then. President
Robert Mugabe informed his Zanu PF party's central committee in June that
Msika was not well.

It was reported in the press that Msika had, in fact indicated that he
wanted to step down from the office of Vice President but Mugabe had
insisted that he stay on.

At 86 Msika was Mugabe's senior by two months.

The Financial Gazette reported in June that the Vice President had been
admitted to St Anne's Hospital in Harare twice within a fortnight to correct
complications arising from the operation he had in South Africa.

Msika did not run in the March 2005 parliamentary elections, but Mugabe
appointed him to one of the thirty unelected seats in Parliament. He also
did not stand for election in the March 2008 parliamentary election. Mugabe,
however, appointed him to the Senate in August 2008 and then swore him in as
Vice President on 13 October 2008, together with Joice Mujuru.

In January 2009 Msika was apparently well enough to stand in as acting
President when Mugabe went on his customary annual leave.

Msika was originally a member and vice-president of Nkomo's PF-Zapu. The
party merged with Mugabe's Zanu-PF in December 1987 under a unity agreement
which brought the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland and the Midlands
provinces to an end.

A veteran politician Msika was arrested in 1964 and held in detention until
1975. Msika was a member of the ZAPU delegation to the Lancaster House
Conference that negotiated  independence for Zimbabwe in 1980.

At a rally held in Bulawayo in October 2006 Msika dismissed Mugabe's
previous apology for the Gukurahundi killings, condemned internationally for
the violence unleashed on innocent Ndebele peasants over a four-year period.

"When we asked him about the massacres he apologized, but I was not
convinced about his sincerity," Msika said.

Deputy Minister Mahlangu released on bail

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
4 August 2009

Thamsanqa Mahlangu the MDC Youth Assembly Chairperson and Deputy Youth
Minister has been released on bail after the State informed the defence team
it was no longer going to oppose his bail.

There was confusion on Tuesday morning when the MDC issued a statement
saying the Deputy Minister had been released without charge while the
defence team was saying the charges had not been dropped. Mahlangu's lawyer
Charles Kwaramba told SW Radio Africa he received a call from the Attorney
General's office saying the State no longer wished to oppose the granting of
the accused persons' bail, but the charges would still remain.

The Deputy Minister, who was arrested last Tuesday on allegation of stealing
a mobile phone from war veteran leader Joseph Chinotimba, was released on
bail late Monday and is expected back in court for his remand hearing on 7
August, and 12 August for the commencement of his trial.

His aide Malven Chadamoyo who is facing the same charge of theft was also
released on bail. Both had been granted bail on Friday but remained in
custody after the State opposed this.

Two women allegedly found in possession of the phone line belonging to the
war vet leader were also granted bail on Monday. The two, who have been in
custody for two weeks, were expected to be released on Tuesday. Kwaramba
said their release could not be processed in time on Monday.

Meanwhile the MDC maintains that ZANU PF, through the AG's office, is
engaged in a political game which has nothing to do with the rule of law.
The party believes there is a 'sinister plot to decimate the MDC, and to
whittle down its Parliamentary majority by engaging in a crackdown on
innocent MDC MPs, officials and members.'

Zuma's pledge to Tsvangirai

http://www.int.iol.co.za


      Peter Fabricius
    August 04 2009 at 07:11AM

President Jacob Zuma has promised Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai that he will take up his complaints about the unity government
with President Robert Mugabe and other regional leaders.

Tsvangirai, the leader of the larger faction of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T), met Zuma in Joburg yesterday and, according to
sources, complained about breaches by Mugabe's Zanu-PF of the political
agreement that the parties signed last year.

This agreement was the framework for the unity government established
in February.

Although Zuma and Tsvangirai refused after their meeting to disclose
the areas of disagreement, it is understood that Tsvangirai focused on
Mugabe's unilateral appointment of two key officials, Reserve Bank governor
Gideon Gono and attorney-general Johannes Tomana, which he has refused to
reverse.

Another complaint was about Mugabe's tardiness in implementing an
agreement to redistribute provincial governorships - all held by Zanu-PF
appointees - among the three parties in the government.

Tsvangirai had also been expected to complain about Mugabe's officials
arresting at least six of his MPs in what the MDC-T believes is a deliberate
campaign to regain the parliamentary majority that Zanu-PF lost in elections
in March 2008.

Several of the MPs have been given sentences of six months or more,
leading to their dismissal from parliament and weakening of the MDC-T's slim
majority.

Zuma said at a press briefing with Tsvangirai after their meeting at
Luthuli House that Tsvangirai had told him about areas of progress in the
inclusive government "and what areas are a little bit difficult".

He said he was pleased that there had been an agreement on a majority
of issues among the three parties in the unity government.

"There are a few issues on which there is disagreement, but these are
weighty, important issues, but they don't seem to be issues that cannot be
resolved."

Zuma said he had told Tsvangirai that former president Thabo Mbeki,
the facilitator of the Zimbabwe negotiations, had had a letter briefing him
on the situation, and had given his opinion that the outstanding issues were
"not deadlocking until the end and that we are actually in a position to
move forward".

"I have indicated to the prime minister that, given his briefing, I
will be contacting President Mugabe on the matter as well as (Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur) Mutambara, (leader of MDC-M) on the issues that the prime
minister has raised.

"But I will also contact our colleagues in the region to (tell) them
what the prime minister has briefed me on, with the sole aim of saying how
we can continue working together to make quick progress in Zimbabwe."

The regional colleagues to whom Zuma was referring are understood to
be the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which
is the chief guarantor of the unity government.

The SADC is to hold its annual summit next month, at which it is
expected to assess the government's progress.

Tsvangirai said it had been five months since the establishment of the
inclusive government, so he had given Zuma an update "on areas of progress
and areas of slow progress".

He said he was glad Zuma understood the situation and that he would do
everything in his power to make sure Zimbabwe moved forward in a positive
way.

This article was originally published on page 2 of The Mercury on
August 04, 2009

Persistent problems dog UZ reopening

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
04 August 2009

The University of Zimbabwe, which has remained closed since last year
finally reopened on Monday, but only to a handful of students, set to battle
persistent water problems.

The campus itself, meanwhile, remained empty throughout Monday and Tuesday,
with no lectures taking place, leaving student's unions concerned that
another month of study will be lost. The university has faced intermittent
closures over the past two years due to a plethora of reasons, among them
student unrest over fees, a lecturers' strike and water shortages. But
despite efforts to restore the University to its former functioning glory,
including the drilling of new boreholes to restore water supplies, only a
small percentage of students wanting to further their studies will this year
have a chance to.

Already, all potential first year students have had to suspend their hopes
of studying until next February, after Education Officials announced that
first year students would not be enrolled this year. Higher and Tertiary
Education permanent secretary Washington Mbizvo last week said it was
regrettable that some aspiring students would be inconvenienced.

"The development is very, very unfortunate", he said. "But I would like to
point out that it is just a transient discrepancy which will soon be
rectified. We are doing everything possible within our means to restore
normalcy to the institution."

The ministry has engaged the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the
City of Harare, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and the Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority as part of efforts to restore normal water
supply at the institution. Mbizvo said this would ensure that classes are
not disrupted in future.

UZ Vice-Chancellor Levi Nyagura attributed the move to the persistent water
problems that have dogged the institution since last year. He said the
University could not help deferring the first year enrolment to accommodate
returning students who were forced to shelve their studies at the UZ last
year after it struggled with erratic water supplies amid a severe cholera
outbreak. Nyagura said it was unfortunate that of the 13 boreholes sunk by
UNICEF to rectify the problem only four functioned properly, while only
small amounts of water could be extracted from the rest. This, he said,
forced the UZ to seal off campus residencies so as to use the little water
available for toilets.

Meanwhile, the fees required for students in the faculties of Humanities is
US$404, Sciences US$504 and Veterinary Science US$674; a fee structure that
has additionally forced thousands of students to change their education
plans. Blessing Vava, the national Spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National
Students Union (ZINASU) on Tuesday explained that a majority of students
willing to return to their studies had failed to raise the money needed to
pay fees. He explained the high fees are denying students their right to
education, expressing anger with the unity government for not prioritising
education.

"We are deeply worried about the government's neglect of the education
sector, especially since we need education professionals to counter the
brain drain in Zimbabwe," Vava said.

Zimbabwe Government Revokes Bus Company License After Crash Kills 40

http://www.voanews.com/

By Brenda Moyo
Washington
03 August 2009

The Zimbabwean government on Monday canceled the operating licence of the
Mhunga Bus Company, whose vehicles have been involved in two multi-fatality
accidents in the past three months, the latest being a head-on crash that
killed 40 people on Sunday.

Announcing the cancellation of the company's permit on state television,
Transport Minister Nicholas Goche said Mhunga buses "have claimed 70 people
in three months. It is against this background that my ministry...concluded
to finally withdraw their operating permit."

Mr. Goche ordered an inquiry into the accident on the notoriously dangerous
highway from Harare to Masvingo, a provincial capital in the southeast, in
which more than 30 people died on the spot with the count of fatalities
according to police rising Monday to 40.

Another Mhunga bus plunged into a riverbed near Chivu in April, killing 29
people.

Sources in Masvingo said angry mobs stoned Mhunga buses in the city Monday,
leading the company to take its fleet off the road even before the
government pulled its permit.

Mhunga Bus Company Transport Manager Elphas Masungwa told reporter Brenda
Moyo of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the company was very sorry about
the loss of life

Police accused of shielding attackers

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

3 August 2009

By Natasha Hove

Bulawayo - A Gwanda-based lawyer has accused senior police there of
shielding three officers from punishment for wrongfully arresting and
torturing a local man. The three police officers from the Gwanda Criminal
Investigation department (CId), Lection Sibanda, Nhamo Baradzi, and owen
Sibanda, based at Gwanda central police station, had charges filed against
them for torturing Noble Mhlanga.

Mhlanga says he was tortured by the three officers during his detention
after he was arrested on burglary charges. He was released when officers
failed to find evidence that
Mhlanga was involved in the burglaries.

After his release, Mhlanga pressed charges against the three officers but,
according to his lawyer Galen Moyo-Masiye and Partners, there was clear
evidence that the police authorities were protecting the men, who had still
not been arrested five months after
the incident.

"We have been asked to enquire as to what led to the non-appearance in court
of the CId officers who allegedly assaulted our client whilst he was
detained in police
cells at ZRP Gwanda," read part of a letter sent by Mhlanga's lawyer to the
officer commanding Matabeleland South police.

"When I communicated to your subordinate, I was concerned about your delays
and obvious antics of harbouring the accused persons from facing justice. I
asked for an
investigation, and your evident inaction implies you are exhausted or hoping
there is a way this case would die a natural death."

The lawyer told The Zimbabwean that he had been advised by Mhlanga to
institute charges against the officers.

Watchdog backs calls to ban Zim diamonds

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Cuthbert Nzou Tuesday 04 August 2009

HARARE - A leading international watchdog against trade in "blood diamonds"
on Monday backed calls for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme (KPCS) and urged tough action to stop human rights
abuses at the country's notorious Marange diamond fields.

The KPCS is a rough diamond certification scheme established in 2003, which
brings together governments, industry and civil society, and aims to
eradicate the trade in conflict diamonds.

Global Witness that campaigns against trade in conflict diamonds said it
"wholly supports the call for Zimbabwe's full suspension from the Kimberley
Process.

"The Marange diamond fields have been the scene of horrific human rights
violations, military activity, and rampant smuggling over the past year -
all of which has been substantiated by the recent review mission. These
activities are entirely incompatible with the values and requirements of the
scheme."

A Kimberley Process review mission visited Zimbabwe last month to
investigate reports of human rights abuses, smuggling and other forms of
non-compliance.

Their interim report showed that the mission found clear evidence of human
rights abuses, and recommended a ban on Zimbabwe trading in diamonds for at
least six months.

The Zimbabwean government has not formally responded to the interim report
by the KPCS team saying it would await the final report before commenting.

However Harare has rejected claims of rights abuses at Marange and says
calls for a ban on Zimbabwean diamonds are unjustified because the country
was neither at war nor involved in an armed conflict.

Backing calls for the banning of Zimbabwean diamonds, Global Witness
spokesperson Elly Harrowell said it was necessary for the KPCS to act to
restore credibility in the monitoring system that has been blamed of taking
too long in the past to act against rogue politicians and rebel armies
profiting from blood diamonds.

"This is litmus test for the scheme's credibility. If member governments
fail to take prompt and effective action by suspending Zimbabwe, consumer
confidence will be seriously shaken, which will be a blow for diamond
exporting countries and the industry alike," she added. - ZimOnline

SADC Ministers To Meet In Zimbabwe

http://www.radiovop.com

Cape Town - Communications ministers from Southern Africa Development
Community (Sadc) countries will meet in Zimbabwe from Wednesday to consider
ways of strengthening postal services in the region.

The three-day meeting under the auspices of the Southern Africa Postal
Operators Association will draft a four-year plan for postal services in the
region, the SA Post Office said in a statement.

In terms of Sadc's postal strategic plan for 2005 to 2008, the
emphasis in the past four years was on, among other things, providing a
universal postal service and improving the quality of service and efficiency
of the postal network.

It also focused on opening new markets and responding to customer
needs, postal reform and sustainable development as well as co-operation and
interaction among stakeholders.

However, with the changing communications environment, postal services
providers had to find ways to remain relevant in a time of e-communication,
the post office said.

The conference would discuss progress in the past four years and look
at what still needed to change to ensure that postal operators adapted to
the new market realities.

The conference would then develop an action plan for the years 2009 to
2012.  SAPA

Parliament draws up final list of Zimbabwe media Commissioners

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
4 August 2009

Parliament's Standing Rules and Orders Committee have drawn up a final list
of applicants to sit on the new Zimbabwe Media Commission.

The list contains 12 names, described by the Committee as 'experts in the
media, and highly professionals in the field.' The speaker of Parliament
Lovemore Moyo will send the list to Robert Mugabe who will whittle it down
to nine.

The five-member panel was chaired by MDC-T Senator Obert Gutu, and included
ZANU PF Senator Chief Fortune Charumbira, MDC-T MP Tabitha Khumalo, MDC-M MP
Edward Mkhosi and ZANU PF MP Mabel Chinomona conducted the interviews.

27 candidates attended the interviews which were held in the Senate Chambers
at Parliament building from morning to late afternoon on Monday. The
interviews were open to members of the public although they were not allowed
to make any contributions besides just following proceedings.

Media lawyer Chris Mhike, impressed most during the interviews and was
placed top of the final list of 12. Others who made it were veteran
journalist Henry Muradzikwa and media lecturer Rino Zhuwarara, all 2 are
also former chief executive officers of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation. Robert Stringer also made it.

Former radio 3 disc jockey, Millicent Buzuzi Mombeshora, who is currently
the Head of strategic planning and special projects with the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe made it, and so did Susan Makore, former Director of Programmes at
the ZBC, Nqobile Nyathi, former news editor of the Financial Gazette and
former Chronicle senior staffer Miriam Madziwa.

Zimbabwe Union of Journalists President Matthew Takaona, a former senior
reporter with the Sunday Mail is also on the list, as are Reverend Useni
Sibanda, former reporter with the Chronicle in Bulawayo, and Godfrey
Majonga, former ZBC TV and radio news anchor.

Media hangman, Tafataona Mahoso failed to make it after he was described by
one panellist as 'hostile and typically arrogant' during the interview. MISA
advocacy officer Tabani Moyo told us Mahoso's performance was so shocking
that instead of answering questions, he spent most of his time redefining
the questions.

'He wasn't answering the questions. All what he did was challenging the
questions, which showed his lacking of appreciation for the process,' Moyo
said.

Moyo said without doubt the top five on the list had the best interest of
the media at heart. But Mahoso's failure to appear on the final list
prompted calls by the state media of 'bias towards candidates favoured by
the MDC,' an allegation that was reportedly 'rubbished' by the Standing
Rules and Orders Committee.

The Herald alleged that the interviews were 'mired in controversy,' because
a team of human resources experts, that drafted the questions, and MDC
interviewers supposedly failed all candidates perceived to be sympathetic to
ZANU PF, while passing pro-MDC applicants.

The Herald also reported that because of the supposed 'favouritism,' the
interview process had to be eventually abandoned. But a panellist who
interviewed the candidates on Monday denied the process was ever abandoned,
saying the list that was drawn up on Tuesday morning was final.

'The speaker has consulted widely with Standing Rules and Orders Committee
members, including his deputy, the Senate President Edna Madzongwe. The
process was done openly and fair and each candidate was given a maximum of
15 minutes to answer some questions prepared by human resources experts,' a
source told us.

The source added; 'To say the committee passed pro-MDC applicants is pushing
it, really. If the honest truth be told, it contains people who have all
worked under ZANU PF. All the people on that list have worked for the state
media under the direct control of ZANU PF. I can single out Nqobile Nyathi
and Vimbai Chivaura as the only two candidates who have not had direct links
with ZANU PF controlled media, otherwise the rest have held senior positions
in the state media.'

The parliamentary committee will also draw up nominees to sit on the
Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) which regulates the operations of
the electronic, radio and television industry. Furthermore, based on Monday's
interview, six nominees from the remaining candidates for the ZMC jobs will
have their names forwarded o Mugabe who will appoint 3 of them. The other
six will come from stakeholders from the electronic media.

The full list of Zimbabwe Media Commissioners and points awarded to them by
Parliament's Standing Rules and Orders Committee:

1. Chris Mhike                        4,667
2. Rino Zhuwarara                  4,583
3. Useni Sibanda                      4,417
4. Miriam Sibanda Madziwa     4,347
5. Matthew Takaona               4,25
6. Robert Stringer                    4,167
7. K.W. Munodawafa               4,083
8. Henry Muradzikwa              4,042
9. Nqobile Nyathi                     3,833
10. Milicent Mombeshora          3,708
11. Mabasa C                            3,708
12. Godfrey Majonga                3,667
13. Vimbai Chivaura                  3,625
14. D.J Ntini                               3,583
15. Susan Makore                       3,542
16. Douglas Dhliwayo               3,458
17. Vambe Jirira                         3,458
18. Kindness Paradza                  3,375
19. Chris Mutsvangwa                3,333
20. Godfrey Chada                     3,333
21 Tichaona Zinhumwe               3,331
22. L. Nhikwe                             3,25
23. Tim Nyahunzvi                      3
24. S. N. Samupingi                   2,375
25. Fidelis Zvomuya                2,25
26. Ropafadzo Mapimhidza       2,308
27. Tafataona Mahoso               2,208

Resettled farmers rear cattle

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

3 August 2009

By Zwanai Sithole

BULAWAYO - Black farmers resettled in prime hunting areas in Matabeleland
North under the government's chaotic land redistribution have resorted to
rearing cattle in the wildlife conservancies.

Sources in the wildlife rich Gwayi Intensive Conservation Area said this
week that a lot of new farmers were finding it difficult to negotiate the
sector formally run by white farmers. "Most farmers are throwing in the
towel and have converted their farms into cattle rearing farms," said Titus
Ndlovu, one of the black farmers who was allocated a conservancy in the area
in 2003.

Some of the farmers have cut game fences around the conservancies which were
erected to prevent foot-and-mouth disease spreading from buffaloes to
cattle. Cases of the disease have increased as a result.

"There is an urgent for the government to revisit its policy on
conservancies. Wildlife management is highly sensitive sector which needs
farmers who really appreciate the importance of our natural resources. The
current situation where some conservancies have been turned into firewood
ranches and animal ranches do not augur well for the future of this
industry," said Randel Tim who was dispossessed of his Locas ranch by a
senior government
official in 2003.

According to investigations carried out by The Zimbabwean, some of the farms
in this lucrative industry have also been partitioned into small fields of
crops such as maize and groundnuts. There have also been widespread reports
of illegal and uncontrolled hunting of game especially buffaloes, elephants,
kudu and impala. The meat from the animals is openly sold along the
Bulawayo/Victoria Falls highway.

Zimbabwe Inclusive Government Watch : Issue 7

'There must be an architect somewhere who gets very rich furnishing dictators'

 

David Smith visits National Heroes Acre in Zimbabwe where Robert Mugabe will one day be buried

• David Smith, Africa correspondent
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 4 August 2009 07.00 BST

 

Dr Joshua Nkomo's funeral at Heroes Acre in 1999. Photograph: Rob Cooper/AP

"Unhappy the land that is in need of heroes" – it's a priceless line spoken by Galileo after he has recanted to avoid torture by the papal authorities in Bertolt Brecht's play The Life of Galileo. The sentiment can be equally hard to avoid in many parts of Africa.

National Heroes Acre is a burial ground for those who lived and died for Zimbabwe. Construction began in 1981, a year after independence, and continues on a hill overlooking Harare. It is a favourite spot for President Robert Mugabe to deliver bombastic speeches denouncing his foes.

This hallowed cemetery is also the place where, though his supporters are seemingly in denial about his mortal flesh, Mugabe will one day be buried.

My tour of Heroes Acre began in a poky gallery amid wooden stepladders and cans of paint. A temporary exhibition about the role of women in the struggle against white minority rule was being taken down. A guide, Manuel Kazowa, drove me through the rustic 140-acre grounds explaining that the wildlife includes monkeys and giant snakes.

We came to a stop at the imposing black granite, bronze and stone shrine but looked the other way at something more arresting. In the distance we could see two nude male bathers, the sun glistening on their backs and their bottoms. Kazowa's sister, accompanying him to learn the ropes, grinned. Kazowa shouted at the men and, suddenly embarrassed, they ducked hastily out of sight.

There must be an architect somewhere who gets very rich furnishing the world's dictators. There's a familiar idiom: the sweeping plaza, the heroic statues and sculptures, the gimmicky monument to an ego blind to its own vulgarity. It's designed to make you feel like an ant crawling over an elephant. At Heroes Acre I was immediately reminded of my first view of Saddam Hussein's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Baghdad, or crouching before socialist-realist grandstanding in China and the former Soviet Union.

So it came as no surprise to learn that the design team included seven architects from North Korea. From the air, the mausoleum is meant to resemble an AK47 rifle, the most potent weapon in the guerrilla war for independence, with the central stairway as the barrel, the obelisk as the bayonet and the graves as the bullets in their chambers.

"After the tour I promise to exhume one body for you, do you like it?" began Kazowa. "You can just tell me which one you want to be exhumed. I'm just joking, people. This is National Heroes Acre, whereby the gallant sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for our freedom are laid to rest."

He pointed to Stalinesque bronze friezes depicting the African nationalist war for independence. In one scene, white Rhodesian soldiers, wielding rifles and batons and marshalling a ferocious hound, terrorise a black woman who has fallen to the ground, a baby clinging to her back. Above the friezes sit statues of the Zimbabwean national emblem, the African fish eagle.

We climbed up the steps of the monument, comprising tiered black granite and cobblestones that represent the Great Zimbabwe walls. Kazowa pointed to the spot where Mugabe habitually proclaims, "Zimbabwe will never be a colony again!" and the gaudy bronze statue of the Unknown Soldier, depicting a male solider with a flag, a male soldier with a bazooka, and a female soldier with an AK47.

Kazowa continued: "Behind the statue we've got that skyscraper. We call it the tower, but I think it should be called an obelisk. That obelisk is 40 metres high. The white top is an eternal flame. Whenever you come across the flame flickering, it depicts the spirit of independence. It also says to the people of Zimbabwe to keep on working hard for the cause of national purity."

There are 76 male and four female heroes buried here. Among them is the president's late wife, Sarah Francesca Mugabe, whose tomb has her picture and the biblical inscription, "And make her the mother of nations". To its left are several empty graves, but it is uncertain whether 85-year-old Mugabe will lie by her side. Kazowa insisted that the plots cannot be booked in advance.

I stopped at the tombs of Mugabe's guerrilla rival Dr Joshua Nkomo, Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzvi, the hammer of white farmers, and Arthur Guy Clutton-Brock, a British social worker who continued to assist the independence struggle even after he was expelled by Ian Smith's government. He was the first white man to be declared a national hero by Zimbabwe.

But to be British here is to carry the disease of colonialism. The curator of Heroes Acre turned up and asked if I was enjoying the visit. Then he turned to Kazowa and spoke in a different language. What he said, I discovered later, was: "Did you tell him we have taken the land? We have taken it forever."

Mugabe decides who's in and who's out of Heroes Acre. When in opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change boycotted state funerals, refusing to endorse his narrow definition of heroism. But the MDC's leader, prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, did attend a burial in March, the first at the site since he joined the country's peculiar team of rivals.

I asked Kazowa if Tsvangirai will one day be laid to rest in this pantheon. He hesitated. "That one is very difficult for me to answer," he said, bursting into laughter. "I cannot disclose anything about that. It's too sensitive. It's the politicians who will decide. I'm just a tour guide."

Zimbabwe dispatches: can the country stand alone?

http://www.channel4.com

Updated on 04 August 2009

By Channel 4 News

There have been two rallying calls made by Zanu PF consistently for the past
nine years.

Calls that have covered a multitude of sins and provided a smoke screen for
a decade of oppression and bad governance:

"Zimbabwe will never be a colony again!"

"Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and will brook no interference!"

Now, six months into a transitional phase of governance where the MDC
election winners have been forced to share power with the Zanu PF losers,
the rallying calls of the old order are still being peddled but are more
absurd than ever before.

Zimbabwe's official currency is the US dollar, the South African Rand, the
British Pound or the Botswana Pula. We will never be a colony again and are
a sovereign sate but don't even have our own money!

Despite being born and raised in Zimbabwe and living here all my life, I am
one of millions who has, in the last five years, been classified as an alien
because my parents were not born in Zimbabwe.

I am a permanent resident paying rates and taxes but am no longer allowed to
vote and once a year have to go to the immigration department and have my
passport stamped.

Here, in the premier shop window of Zimbabwe's home affairs department, the
stairs and walls are filthy, the benches broken, the floor tiles lifting and
the windows grey with grime.

The toilets are locked, the door handles gone and none of the lights work.

One bored woman serves, she does not look at you, greet you or acknowledge
your presence as she takes documents, stamps them and pushes them back at
you.

Attached to the wall overhead is a TV. It is tuned in either to BBC or Sky
News, not Zimbabwe television - but, we will never be a colony again!

For the last few years, as conditions have dropped to catastrophic levels
leaving us with the lowest life expectancy in the world, Zanu PF have
consistently said that we are under threat from neo-colonialists.

Everything that is wrong is blamed on the west, particularly the UK, EU and
USA and, of course, on sanction. Sanctions which in reality are not a
blanket measure against the nation but only involve visa bans and an assets
freeze on 243 named, targeted individuals.

The lack of medicines and equipment in hospitals are blamed on sanctions;
the shortage of fertilizer, seed and spare parts for machines are blamed on
sanctions. Water shortages, broken street lights, missing intersection
traffic lights and even non existent refuse collection are all blamed on
sanctions. Schools without books, chalk and furniture - yes, sanctions
again!

This week the old order propagandists on ZBC TV are even blaming sanctions
for the maze of cavernous pot-holes littering our roads.

They stay quiet, however, about who it is fixing the chaos left by bad
governance.

Everywhere the big cars in all our villages, towns and cities tell the story
of Zimbabwe's sovereignty: UN, Care, Concern, World Health, World Vision,
World Food, US Aid and dozens more.

This week an American NGO, Messcorps, are even fixing the public toilets in
my home town.

So much for never being a colony again when we can't even fix our own loos!

And then of course, the final veneer of Zimbabwe's sovereignty is displayed
for all to see in our supermarkets.

Milk, margarine, biscuits, flour, maize meal, potatoes, sugar, washing
powder - everything is imported, almost nothing is made in Zimbabwe anymore.

Supermarket shelves are a veritable united nations of imported products and
someone said that in his local supermarket even the radio is tuned to a
South African station.

What was that about never being a colony again?

A turbulent marriage

People power: How civil society blocked an arms shipment

The Urgent Need for a "Plan Zimbabwe"

http://www.diplomaticourier.org

August 2, 2009
By Matt Scanlon, Contributor

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's Prime Minister and head of the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) failed during his late June tour of North
America and Europe to secure any significant aid money. Robert Mugabe was
quick to take advantage. According to Reuters, Mugabe said on state
television, "Everywhere they were saying 'no', they will not remove
sanctions. Why, why, because... they wanted ZANU-PF and Robert Mugabe
defeated"; "Sir (Tsvangirai) you have seen them, these people that you call
your friends. Imperialists can never be friends of those countries and
people that desire freedom".

Western leaders' hesitance to aid Zimbabwe is understandable. Zimbabwe
under Mugabe is one of the worst managed nations in the world. Inflation
runs in the hundreds of millions percentile. AIDS rampages unchecked, and
Mugabe recently refused to acknowledge a massive cholera outbreak.
Zimbabwe's land-massive fertile tracts that could feed Africa-is squandered
under Mugabe; he seizes land from political opponents and doles out farms as
gifts to his supporters. Western aid money in the 1990's disappeared through
incompetence and outright theft.

Still, Western countries must devise some plan to strengthen
Tsvangirai's position. He represents the first serious challenge to Mugabe's
rule since the "war veteran" movement of the 1990's. Unlike the "war
veterans", however, Tsvangirai is not violent and corrupt. Quite the
contrary, Tsvangirai is by all accounts serious, modest, and committed to
both the welfare of his nation and democracy. The man has endured multiple
government sponsored beatings and assassination attempts. Earlier this year,
Tsvangirai survived a serious car crash-his wife seated next to him did
not-that was widely considered another murder attempt. His grandson drowned
a month after his wife's passing. Despite tragedies that would break lesser
men, Tsvangirai remains committed to the power sharing deal brokered by
South Africa. Every day, Tsvangirai must work with Robert Mugabe-a man who
would kill Tsvangirai the first chance he got-to bring Zimbabwe out of
hunger and disease.  The plain fact is Tsvangirai is of rare character, and
the international community must do everything possible to guarantee he
becomes Zimbabwe's leader.

Mugabe, and his party, ZANU-PF, however, are doing everything possible
to undermine the power sharing agreement which gave Tsvangirai the Prime
Minister's portfolio. Multiple MDC ministers have been arrested. Many are
not being sworn in and those who are do not have access to meaningful
responsibilities. MDC ministers are fired quickly after starting their jobs.
ZANU-PF members show up to MDC meetings to heckle, harass, and provoke
fights-all with the blessing of the government. Mugabe, meanwhile, threatens
to break off the power sharing agreement completely should Tsvangirai
protest too much.

Worst of all, Mugabe is using a newfound diamond mine to repeat the
worst atrocities of Africa's "Blood Diamond" period. Marange, a once
peaceful province in Eastern Zimbabwe, is now the site of forced labor,
child labor, beatings, torture, state sponsored organized crime, and murder.
According to Human Rights Watch, which released a report on June 26, the
abuses at the Marange diamond mine are "as serious as those the Kimberley
Process was designed to address". The army has "used brutal force to control
access to diamond fields and to take over unlicensed diamond mining and
trading." Fox News reports the worst accusation of all: some MDC members
claim, "hundreds of diamond panners have been buried in mass graves".

The diamond lode is too tempting for a greedy old man like Mugabe to
pass up. The regime has zero hard currency, and diamonds-even with the
Kimberly Process-are easily traded on markets both legitimate and black. The
Marange diamond mine poses a real opportunity for Mugabe: like land in years
past, he can use diamond wealth for patronage. Indeed, the army's presence
in Marange seems to indicate the ruling powers are already enriching
themselves off of Zimbabwe's resources. Mugabe, now in the twilight of his
life, must not be allowed to re-consolidate his rule and marginalize
Tsvangirai.

America, in conjunction with the South African Development Community,
the IMF, World Bank, and the United Nations, needs to develop a plan for
after Mugabe's eventual death (Mugabe is 85). The crises that could afflict
Zimbabwe after Mugabe's death are myriad. The "war veterans", a militia of
pro-Mugabe thugs who attack political opponents, will be leaderless and
without direction after Mugabe dies. They could easily transform into a far
more savage movement-especially with newfound diamonds to control-without
clear direction. Mugabe lackeys who now control massive farms will be loathe
to give up their spoils, even though millions of acres of fertile land lays
fallow while Zimbabweans starve. AIDS-which infects a staggering 15 percent
of the population-will require a commitment of billions of dollars in aid if
Zimbabwe is to become productive again. Zimbabwe's education system is
stunted: according to Jan Raath in the Times Online, "Zimbabwe's 4.5 million
pupils had a total of 23 days uninterrupted in the classroom" in 2008.
Zimbabwe is like a large dead tree. It looks impressive on the outside, and
its mere appearance recalls former glory, but the slightest stress will
cause it to collapse.

Thankfully, there's Tsvangirai-a man whom the international community
can trust and design plans around. When the Mugabe era is over, a massive
aid program can be contingent upon a truly free and fair election. With
foreign expertise and equipment, Harare hospital and university can regain
their status as jewels of Sub-Sarahan Africa. Zimbabwean agriculture can
once again make the nation rich. AIDS rates can be reduced, and literacy
rates can rise instead of fall.

If the international community is caught off guard by Mugabe's death,
the cunning old fox will have once again out witted his opponents.
Mugabe-through his own death-could orchestrate one final, grand insult to
the international community he so despises: Zimbabwe's implosion, which
would draw all its neighbors into the chaos.

Zim swimmer braves English Channel to raise funds for school

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

4 August 2009

By Nicola Diana
Zimbabwean-born long-distance swimmer Jacqui Smith (28), who now lives in
the United Kingdom, braved the icy waters of the English Channel this
weekend to raise funds for a struggling Zimbabwean school.

Jacqui rose to the challenge of swimming the 33km expanse of choppy,
13-degree water in just over 12 hours - and is believed to be the first
Zimbabwean woman to have done so.
Previously described as "The Everest of open water swimming", the vast
expanse of sea between the British port of Dover and the French port of
Calais is a massive challenge even for an experienced long-distance swimmer.
The success rate for solo swims is only around 50 percent. Jacqui, a
mother-of-two, dedicated a full year to training for the channel swim, while
working and caring for her husband, Mark and their two young boys, Josh (5)
and Alex (3).
Her sister Vicky, who lives in Johannesburg,could not contain her excitement
at the news.
"I am just so proud of her!" she said.  "For somebody living in a foreign
country with two kids and giving up so much of her time to do something like
this, it is  a really remarkable achievement!  It just shows she has so much
passion for Zim."
A born and bred Zimbabwean, Jacqui relocated to the United Kingdom six years
ago due to the escalating economic turmoil back home but continues to do all
she can to support those in greatest need.
Jacqui undertook the cross-channel swim to raise funds for Tichakunda
pre-school at Hatcliffe on the outskirts to Harare, which is being assisted
by the UK-based WeZimbabwe project.
The congratulatory message on the WeZimbabwe website reads:  "... Words
cannot begin to describe the tremendous efforts Jacqui has made with this
and the amount of support Mark and her two boys have given her throughout
the process. It has been an incredible effort."
One of the first priorities at the school for WeZimbabwe and their partners
in the Kuyamura Trust, is the sinking of a borehole to provide clean water
for the children.
A fundraising event held by Jacqui four weeks prior to her channel swim
raised an extra £2 000,00 which will contribute significantly to the
project.  To date she has raised £5 000,00 in total.

Vicky says that Jacqui would love to visit Zimbabwe to deliver her donation
personally to the school but can't afford to buy a ticket herself. It would
be great if people would contribute to a ticket to send her to Zim to
deliver the money.

.  Every stroke she did was for another meal or book for the children, she
told Vicky.

The swim:
Set off Sunday morning at 4.45 to meet the boat just to have a "look"!  We
didn't expect Jacqui to swim that day as forecast not good but when we saw
from the cliffs there were no white horses we guessed it was on.  Had packed
everything and prepared all of her half hour feeds of Maxim, the high energy
sports drink.  The boat took us to Shakespeare beach, near Dover Marina, and
Jacqui had to swim ashore.  Once she was on the sand they blew a fog horn
and she set off into fairly smooth water.  She swam for almost 8 hours
covering a very good distance and then suddenly the winds got up and the
waves got rough as hell.  The boat was tilting over almost into the water
and we were afraid we would fall on top of Jacqui and kept shouting to her
to keep further away from the boat.  Quite scary.  Although she kept up the
same speed of stroke all the way, the waves slowed her down quite a bit.
Her humour never faltered though and she made jokes occasionally,  shouting
out "here comes some food`' as she hit a heap of spaghetti-like seaweed.
She made it to France, a beach called Cap Blanc Nez, in 12 hours 35 minutes.
Her sister Danielle swam the last 100 metres in with her and then back again
to the boat.  We were all so thrilled but no time to celebrate as the boat
set off again straight for Dover.  It was the most horrendous journey ever
with the boat rolling the whole way and my two daughters were both seasick,
Jacqui more from fatigue and so on.  There was nowhere to hold on while we
sat in the cabin and we kept being thrown around, clinging on to the bucket
for dear life!!
Mark, Jacqui's husband and I, were fine and tried to celebrate with a Cider,
but it didn't quite seem right!!
I should say this was the hardest day in my life, and I was not the
swimmer!!!!
Jacqui's background
She was a Zimbabwe swimming record holder, a breastroker and at 14 took part
in the All Africa Games.  She trained with Kirsty Coventry, a distant
relative, but at 17 acqui gave up swimming and went to England.  She is now
married with two little boys of 4 and 2 and has a full time job and so it
was a pretty tough mission over the last year or so to train every evening
and over weekends in open water and swimming pools in the Winter.
She is the first Zimbabwean woman to cross the Channel.  `Approximately 1050
people have managed the crossing since 1875 I think, when a man called Webb
did it breakstroke, drinking Port!

For further information:
www.wezimbabwe.org

Kirsty breaks own record

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

3rd Aug 2009 21:18 GMT

By a Correspondent

KIRSTY Coventry seized gold with a world record in the women's 200 metres
backstroke final at the world championships on Saturday.

The Zimbabwean swam two minutes 04.81 to beat her previous best mark of
2:05.24 which she set in winning gold at last year's Beijing Olympics.

Asked if the victory made up for finishing eighth in Tuesday's 100 final,
she told reporters: "Yes definitely. I don't think I've had the worst meet
of my life. My 100 back was a bit disappointing but I've come back strongly.

"I think I went out a little too hard. The last 25 I was dying."
Russia's nearly girl Anastasia Zueva took silver, just like she did in the
100 final. She also broke the world record in her 50 semi but ended up
fourth in that final.

Elizabeth Beisel of the United States came third.