The Zimbabwe Situation

Mugabe 'preparing for war'
Sapa
Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:55

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is stockpiling arms and ammunition and preparing for war, the Democratic Alliance warned on Thursday.

Briefing the media at Parliament, following a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe last week, DA MPs Wilmot James and Kenneth Mubu said "credible sources" within the country reported Mugabe was talking to Venezuela, Cuba and Korea to fund a war chest ahead of the next election.

The ageing leader was also trying to procure 7.62mm and 9mm ammunition from South Africa.

"I think there is no doubt Mugabe is preparing for war. We spoke to very, very reliable sources," Mubu told journalists.

These included the Human Rights NGO Forum, comprising 16 local NGOs; and the Harare-based organisations Justice for Agriculture, the Legal Resources Foundation and the Research and Advocacy Unit.

Mubu said they had also spoken to Zimbabwe's Regional Integration and International Co-operation Minister, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, and Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister, Moses Ndlovu.

"These people are on the ground, they are in touch with the communities, in rural areas particularly, and we have no doubt what they tell us is true," he said.

Citing a Belgian research group, International Peace Information Service, James said some arms shipments had already arrived in Zimbabwe.

"On August 21, 2008, the first of many arms shipments, containing 32 tons of [ammunition] was flown from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Harare.

"On August 30, a second shipment of 20 tons of AK-47 [ammunition] arrived. This was flown in via Angola, [and also] included mortar bombs and rockets."
James said he regretted to report South Africa was planning a shipment of ammunition to Zimbabwe.

Funding a 'war-chest'

"Our own country... is planning to export 7.62mm and 9mm ammunition to Zimbabwe. Parliament's National Conventional Arms Control Committee is considering authorising more than a million rounds of both types of bullets for export there.

"Mugabe is [also] talking to Venezuela, Cuba and Korea to fund a war-chest in preparation for the referendum and election, following the implementation of the global political agreement (GPA) brokered by former president Thabo Mbeki on behalf of SADC."

James said Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party appeared to be "mobilising for war against their own citizens".
James and Mubu called on President Jacob Zuma to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe.

Further, Zuma — in his capacity as Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairman — should "actively restrain" Mugabe's regime from mobilising what they called its "well-organised paramilitary terror apparatus".

DA: James and Mubu - report on the current situation in Zimbabwe

Police begin drive to recruit youth militia

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
06 August 2009

The country's police force has already begun a major drive to recruit ZANU
PF youth militia into its ranks under the guise of a national crackdown on
crime. Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme reports that radio
communications emanating from Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) have put
out instructions for localised recruitment of new officers. The entry
requirements have been lowered and this, critics say, is meant to absorb
more Border Gezi youth militia graduates who have been steadily filling the
rank and file of the police force over the years.

While it cannot be disputed that thousands of police officers have left the
force in search of greener pastures, creating vacancies, Saungweme says
concern has been expressed that the target of 50 000 officers is too high
for a force of normally around 20 000. Following Mugabe's election defeat in
last years Presidential election it turned out that voting patterns within
police stations favoured the victor Morgan Tsvangirai. Senior officers began
victimisation campaigns against officers perceived to have voted for
Tsvangirai and the MDC. Paradzayi Chinogureyi stationed at Ross Camp in
Bulawayo for example was thrown out of his living quarters.

In March this year police authorities claimed that since November 2008 they
were failing to get new recruits interested in joining the force. As a
result, a 6 month police training programme, which normally starts in
January, failed to take off for the first time since independence in 1980,
they said. The country has two national training centres at Morris Depot in
Harare, and Ntabazinduna just outside Bulawayo. Critics say there has been a
dramatic decline in the standard of policing in the country and this was
because of under-qualified militia youths who were grafted into the force to
target opposition supporters.
In May this year SW Radio Africa published a video showing police brutality
at the Morris Depot training camp in Harare. The footage showed recruits
being tortured and beaten in a series of sickening assaults by what appeared
to be their instructors. In one horrifying attack, a recruit was pinned down
by six officers with one stepping on his back as laughing instructors
whipped and kicked him. The recruit could be heard screaming while one
officer shouted, 'wuraya' (kill him). Other officers could be heard shouting
'castrate him,' and 'step on his throat.' Commentators say this brutality is
transmitted into the policing shown by most of the officers.

Biti talks of threat of assassinations

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=20797

August 6, 2009

HARARE (The Guardian) - One of the most senior members of Zimbabwe's unity
government has spoken of his fear that he and the Prime Minister, Morgan
Tsvangirai, could be the target of assassination by forces determined to
block political reforms.

Tendai Biti, Finance Minister and secretary general of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC), received an envelope at his home last week
containing a 9mm bullet and a death threat telling him to prepare his will.
One of his employees was hospitalised after being beaten and kicked by a
soldier outside Biti's front gate.

Tsvangirai and Biti are the MDC's principal players in the six-month-old
power-sharing agreement with Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF, whose supporters have
been blamed for a surge in political violence in recent weeks.

"Tsvangirai is the face of change in Zimbabwe and change is a threat to
those who have been benefiting from the status quo," Biti told the Guardian.
"Yes, we are at risk [of assassination] and I think we are being
irresponsible by having the lax security arrangements we have, certainly
myself."

He continued: "The fact of the matter is that we are in a struggle, a
vicious struggle. The easiest and most opportunistic solution is to
eliminate, and when you eliminate particularly strategic persons like Prime
Minister Tsvangirai, you take the struggle backwards for many years. So of
course any opponent would have to strategise and say, 'Look guys, this is an
easy solution.'

"But killing somebody is not easy and also the world has moved. The
information highway has helped: Zimbabwe is not an island. There will be
harsh consequences to any act of insanity."

The finance minister, who has been credited with rebuilding the economy
after last year's record hyperinflation, conceded that he should take the
threat to his safety more seriously. "If they want to do anything to you,
they can do it. I don't move around with a bodyguard because God is my
bodyguard. I don't think about my personal security, which I think is
stupid, but that's the reality."

The inclusive government last month launched a campaign of "national
healing" and reconciliation, which prompted the rare sight of Mugabe and
Tsvangirai laughing together on stage. Mugabe called for an end to violence,
urging Zimbabweans to promote "the values and practice of tolerance,
respect, non-violence and dialogue as a means of resolving political
differences".

But last weekend Biti's gardener was assaulted outside the politician's home
in Harare. Howard Makonza said he was passing the residence of the national
army commander, General Philip Valerio Sibanda, when three armed guards told
him to stop. He continued walking and a soldier started chasing him down the
street. Makonzi ran to Biti's house but the soldier caught him outside the
gate and struck him to the ground.

Makonza recalled: "He started beating me in a strong way, kicking me in the
head, in my mouth and all over my body. He beat me for about 20 minutes. I
thought he was going to kill me. I was screaming and people ran away, but my
workmate helped me and opened the gate so Mr Biti's vicious dogs came out.
The soldier shook the gate and said 'Now you're for it' but then he went
away.

"I was bleeding in from the teeth and the lips. They called a doctor for me
and I was taken to hospital. Later we went to the police and they asked the
soldier why he beat me. The soldier said 'I want to beat him again' in front
of the police, who said they would come back the next day."

The 39-year-old gardener now fears for his safety. "They want to destroy me.
I've got small children to support and my mother is ill. I'm the breadwinner
so if they destroy me, no one can support my family."

Student leaders still in custody

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
6 August 2009

Ten students who were arrested during a meeting at the University of
Zimbabwe on Wednesday have been released without charge, but the police are
still holding four representatives from the Zimbabwe National Students'
Union (ZINASU).
The four, including ZINASU President, Clever Bere and General Councillor
Archieford Mudzengi are accused of 'participating in a gathering, with
intent to promote public violence and breach of peace.'
Fourteen students including the ZINASU leadership had been arrested by
Campus Security and later handed over to the police during a gathering
organised by their union to address various concerns regarding their
education at the tertiary institution. The university had just opened for
the new semester on Monday after having been closed for a year as a result
of collapsed water and sewer infrastructures. Like so many tertiary
institutions in the country the university has also been rocked by student
unrests, and class boycotts by teaching staff.
Formerly one of the best learning institutions in Africa, the University of
Zimbabwe is now a far cry from what it used to be. Furthermore, the
reopening of the UZ has been marred by the shortage of student
accommodation, and exorbitant tuition fees. ZINASU said hostels are closed,
and that many students are likely to be deprived the opportunity to learn as
the university is insisting on an upfront payment of tuition before
enrolment.
Several human rights groups have issued statements in solidarity with the
detained students. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said the
arrest of the students comes barely a week after the Home Affairs Ministry
announced that peaceful gatherings would not be broken up.
The ZLHR said: "Now the disturbing and unfortunate trend of clamping down on
students' freedom of assembly, association and expression has been
resurrected in defiance of both executive orders and the Constitution of
Zimbabwe."
"Students have the fundamental right to gather, and freely debate and
organise action where their interests are being affected. The issue of
tuition fees which are beyond the reach of the majority of learners is one
such instance."
Amnesty International said the arrest demonstrates yet again the need to
urgently reform the security sector in Zimbabwe in light of the numerous
human rights violations that continue to be committed.
Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme Erwin van der Borght
said: "We are dismayed at the continued harassment and intimidation by
police of activists and human rights defenders, despite the inauguration of
an inclusive government in February this year. These students were arrested
and detained purely as a result of attempting to exercise their right to
freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly."

Amnesty International - Student leaders arrested in Zimbabwe

http://www.amnesty.org/

6 August 2009

Four student leaders were arrested and detained while addressing students at
the University of Zimbabwe, Harare, on Wednesday. The arrests have been
condemned by Amnesty International.

The leaders of the Zimbabwe National Students' Union (ZINASU) were
addressing students outside the main library of the university when they,
along with 10 other students, were rounded up and detained at Avondale
police station.

The 10 other students were later released but ZINASU President Clever Bere,
Kudakwashe Chakabva from the Harare Polytechnic, Archieford Mudzengi from
the Zimbabwe School of Mines and Brian Rugondo spent the night in custody.

On Thursday morning, the four student leaders were taken to the Law and
Order section of Harare Central Police station. Neither the detainees nor
their lawyers have been advised of what the charges are against them.

"We are dismayed at the continued harassment and intimidation by police of
activists and human rights defenders, despite the inauguration of an
inclusive government in February this year. These students were arrested and
detained purely as a result of attempting to exercise their right to freedom
of expression, association and peaceful assembly," said Erwin van der
Borght, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme.

"The student leaders should be released immediately and unconditionally.
Their unlawful arrest demonstrates yet again the need to urgently reform the
security sector in Zimbabwe in light of the numerous human rights violations
that continue to be committed".

In their address, the student leaders had spoken out against the university
authorities preventing students who have not paid their fees from attending
lectures and accessing the libraries.

Reports indicate that as many as three-quarters of all the students have not
been able to pay their fees this semester, which range from US$400 - $600
per semester. Lectures were due to start on 4 August.

Pending the release of the student leaders Amnesty International has urged
the Zimbabwe Republic Police to ensure that they are treated in compliance
with human rights standards governing the treatment of detainees. They
should have access to their lawyers, their families, warm clothing and
blankets, adequate food and any medical attention they may require.

The Law and Order Section of the Zimbabwe Republic Police is responsible for
many of the human rights violations committed by police officers against
human rights defenders and political activists.

Amnesty International has documented numerous violations by the unit,
including arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, torture and other
ill-treatment, and denial of detainees' access to lawyers, food and medical
care while in police custody.

Zimbabwe Forms Inter-Ministerial Committee To Fend Off Kimberly Suspension

http://www.voanews.com



      By Sandra Nyaira
      Washington
      05 August 2009

The Zimbabwean government, concerned at the prospect of lost revenues from
the Chiadzwa diamond field in Marange district, Manicaland province, has
created an inter-ministerial team to respond to Kimberly Process allegations
of widespread abuses in the field.

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme has recommended Zimbabwe
voluntarily suspend operations in Chiadzwa until it meets minimum standards
for mining and selling diamonds into the world market.

The team includes Defense Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Finance Minister
Tendai Biti, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu and Trade Minister Welshman Ncube.

Government sources said Zimbabwe is taking the issue seriously after
receiving a strongly-worded letter from Kimberly Process Chairman Bernard
Esau this week on the need to protect all those who provided evidence to a
recent Kimberly review mission to the area.

The letter highlighted sanctions against Chief Norman Chiadzwa, whose
property is said to have been confiscated by security forces after he spoke
with Kimberly mission members.

Esau, deputy mines minister of Namibia, told reporter Sandra Nyaira of VOA's
Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Windhoek is ready to help Zimbabwe meet Kimberly
standards.

Human rights lawyer Zvikomborero Chadambuka said he has gone to court in an
effort to recover property confiscated from Chief Chiadzwa.

War recruits demand compensation

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

5 August 2009

By Natasha Hove

BULAWAYO - An association representing war recruits is pushing for an
amendment of the War Veterans Act to allow its members to be paid
compensation for the role they played duruing the armed struggled. Members
of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Recruits Association (ZNLWRA), in a
meeting on Saturday, said the War Veterans Act of 1997 denied them many
benefits that the government had been giving war veterans, war ex-detainees
and war ex-restrictees.

The War Veterans Act of 1997, facilitated the payment of compensation to war
veterans of Z$50 000. The government has been paying war veterans, war
ex-detainees and war ex-restrictees monthly allowances ever since then. The
government also pays schools fees for their children.
"We did not benefit in 1997 but we raised the issue and we were told that
something would come, but up to now there is nothing for us," said Petros
Sibanda, the ZNLWRA secretary general. "The War Veterans Act must be amended
to allow war recruits to be paid
compensation. We will not rest until we get the money because we were part
of the struggle, which brought independence to Zimbabwe."
Part of the resolution agreed at the meeting was to push for a new
constitution that recognises the role that recruits played during the
country's liberation war.

Clinton says S.Africa must press Zimbabwe harder

http://af.reuters.com/

Thu Aug 6, 2009 2:10pm GMT

NAIROBI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on
Thursday she would press South Africa to use more of its influence to
counter the "negative effects" of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.

Clinton is due in South Africa later on Thursday, her second stop in an
11-day trip to Africa, and is set to meet President Jacob Zuma in the
coastal city of Durban on Saturday. On Friday she is due to meet the foreign
minister.

"I do intend to speak not only with President Zuma but other members of his
government about what more South Africa believes can be done to strengthen
the reform movement inside Zimbabwe, alleviate the suffering of the people
of Zimbabwe and try to use its influence to mitigate against the negative
effects of the continuing presidency of President Mugabe," said Clinton at a
news conference in Nairobi.

Zuma has taken a harder line on Zimbabwe than his predecessor Thabo Mbeki,
but the United States would like the new South African president do more to
quicken the pace of reform in its neighbour.

The United States, troubled by what it sees as an absence of reform in
Zimbabwe, has no plans either to offer major aid or to lift sanctions
against Mugabe and some of his supporters.

Before any of that can happen, Washington wants more evidence of political,
social and economic reforms, a U.S. official told Reuters before Clinton
began her seven-nation trip to Africa.

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, is blamed for
plunging Zimbabwe into economic ruin. He argues that hyperinflation and a
collapsed infrastructure are caused by sanctions imposed by the United
States and others.

Targeted U.S. sanctions include financial and visa restrictions against
selected individuals, a ban on transfers of military items and a suspension
of non-humanitarian aid. (Reporting by Sue Pleming; editing by David Clarke)

Aid groups pledge $60 mln for Zimbabwe farmers

http://af.reuters.com/

Thu Aug 6, 2009 5:32pm GMT

HARARE (Reuters) - Foreign aid groups have pledged $60 million to help
Zimbabwe's farmers boost production after years of decline, the United
Nations said on Thursday.
The southern African nation has suffered food shortages since 2001, which
President Robert Mugabe's critics blame on the seizure of white-owned
commercial farms to resettle black Zimbabweans.

Six months ago, Mugabe formed a government with old rival Morgan Tsvangirai
to try to revive the once relatively prosperous country and they have
appealed for foreign help.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said up
to 600,000 households would get inputs like seed and fertiliser.

"Ten donors have pledged resources amounting to $60 million, representing
about 45 percent of the total requirement for the sector," the report said,
adding that the humanitarian situation remained critical.

Donors have pledged $315 million of the $718 million in aid the United
Nations says Zimbabwe needs this year.

But the government has struggled to raise the estimated $8.5 billion it says
Zimbabwe needs for recovery and Western donors demand greater political
reform before they will give direct support to the administration.

Half of Harare's treated water leaks away

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=20810

August 6, 2009

By Raymond Maingire

HARARE - Harare is loosing nearly half of its treated water every day
through incessant pipe leakages from its rundown infrastructure, Water
Resources Minister, Sam Sipepa Nkomo has revealed.

Of the 400 to 500 megalitres of water currently being pumped out of the
Morton Jeffrey water treatment plant daily, said Nkomo on Wednesday, 40
percent was being lost through leakages.

The ageing water plant, which has a maximum production capacity of 614
megalitres per day, is the major source of water for the city's satellite
towns, Chitungwiza, Norton and Ruwa.

Harare requires 1200 megalitres per day for both domestic and industrial
consumption.

"The Morton Jaffray plant's maximum production capacity is 614 megalitres
per day. There is a deficit already," Nkomo told journalists at the Quill
Club, Harare's press club Wednesday evening.

While some of the city's townships such as Mabvuku and Tafara have gone for
years without tapped water, scenes of treated water gushing out of pipes are
now a common sight in most parts of Harare.

The townships were hit by a severe cholera outbreak which went on to claim 4
000 Zimbabweans after spreading throughout the country.

Despite the recent disbursement by government of US$17 million for Harare to
attend to its dilapidated water and sewage infrastructure, Nkomo admits the
problem is still beyond the government's capabilities to fully address.

He said government was in the process of inviting private players to help
replace the more than 50-year old system.

He said the ministry had over the years been deserted by skilled engineers.

Nkomo said the ministry now had only one hydrologist out of a recommended
complement of 13 while the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) had two
instead of 24.

Nkomo, a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) legislator appointed minister
at the formation of the unity government early this year, said Harare was
further being milked by influential government officials and connected
middlemen who had been contracted to procure water treatment chemicals for
the city.

"I wish we could have a central system of purchasing chemicals from
manufacturers," he said. "We have limited resources of purchasing water
treatment chemicals."

Most of the chemicals are sourced from South Africa.

"By the time a chemical reaches Harare or Bulawayo, its price will be 10
times higher," he said. "These chemicals would be very cheap if we were
using the right thing but there are too many middlemen in between. These are
people who have become very rich through selling water treatment chemicals."

The problem had been worsened by the fact that some of the water which is
being sourced from Lake Chivero and Manyame Dam is heavily polluted with
sewage and requires up to 10 different chemicals to treat.

Nkomo claimed he knew the culprits, but said his ministry would not pursue
the matter opting instead to use it energies towards closing the loopholes
which were being exploited by the culprits.

Nkomo, who says he has repeatedly been accused of interfering with the
affairs of local authorities and other ministries, said he has been warned
by some ministry officials he risked serious clashes with his colleagues
within government if he pursued the matter.

"We will not investigate that," he said. "We have major challenges ahead of
us rather than going backwards."

In spite of the cash shortages to redress the water situation in Harare,
Nkomo said he had barred local authorities from disconnecting water
consumers who had not fully settled their water bills.

Nkomo further revealed that 70 percent of Zimbabweans have no access to
clean water leaving the affected populations to share water with "donkeys
and other animals in the wild".

Farmers compile list of farm invaders

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=20802

August 6, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - Zimbabwe's embattled commercial farmers could be headed for more
clashes with President Robert Mugabe's government after they revealed in
their recent report that they were now "blacklisting notorious farm invaders
for future reference".

This follows government's continued refusal to protect them from powerful
army generals, government officials and marauding Zanu PF-militants who
continue to invade their land while creating a spate of offences in the
process.

"A list has been put together of names of individuals who have been accused
of disruption and violence on farms for future reference," Commercial Farmer
Union (CFU) vice president Dion Theron said in a report.

The report was unveiled at the union's annual general meeting in Harare
Wednesday.

Said Theron, "This is probably one of the most important records which we
are keeping and will be extremely useful in the future.

"During our compilation of this list of names, whether beneficiaries or
perpetrators of violence, which have been taken from our above reports, it
has been shown that there are a number of names that repeatedly appear on
many of the reports.

"This has clearly shown that those individuals are not merely beneficiaries
of property but are suspected of being the major organisers of the ongoing
conflict."

In spite of the farm invasions which have taken away their major sources of
livelihood and left a dozen farmers dead and several of their workers
injured, Zimbabwe's commercial farmers have elected to pursue legal channels
to prevent the take over of their farms without compensation.

He continued, "Although many farmers have tended to try to put the horrors
of the past behind them and have tried to forget what happened, the
importance of capturing this information cannot be over-emphasised."

Asked if this would not incense government officials, CFU president, Trevor
Gifford said the information was being sourced for national healing
purposes.

"At some stage in the future," said Gifford, "justice and reconciliation
would be part of the healing and without justice there would be huge
difficulty in getting reconciliation."

The CFU says it has recorded 1 814 incidents on farms between August 2008
and June this year.

They ranged from violent, vandalism and looting of property assaults on farm
workers, burning of crops and incidents in which the police have flatly
refused to assist farmers.

According to the CFU, 400 white commercial farmers out of 4500 in the year
2000 remain on the farms.

Of these, up to 170 are currently facing prosecution for defying government's
order to vacate their farms which have been designated for reallocation.

A total of 66 farmers have been convicted and these include their workers.

Government has defiantly refused to honour a judgement passed by the SADC
Tribunal in Windhoek in November last year, which barred the State from
further repossessing white owned land.

The order also compelled government to start paying compensation for land
already seized from the farmers.

Government further rubbished a March 5, 2009 judgement by the same tribunal
which held it in contempt of its first order and referred the matter to the
SADC summit for the latter to take appropriate action.

The CFU says some of its affected members are currently spending at least
US$88 000 per month to defend themselves against the punitive prosecutions.

These according to the union, are drawn from known cases and up to 40
percent of the cases may be going unrecorded.

"An extrapolation of these figures against the unknown cases an estimated
US$2 million is being paid out by farmers to defend these punitive charges
during a period of extremely low income and productivity.

"For many these unnecessary costs are unbearable and most certainly
unsustainable."

The CFU says government has dismissed its appeals for a moratorium on the
issuance of offer letters and prosecution of its members until the land
audit and Zimbabwe's new land policy document had been crafted.

Zimbabwe: In Prisons, MSF Responds to Malnutrition and Hygiene Needs

Govt mulls 'use it or lose it' mining law

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Norest Muzvaba Thursday 06 August 2009

JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwe is consulting the mining industry on legal changes
that would encourage companies to start exploiting the country's mineral
deposits, Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu said Wednesday.

Addressing an investor conference in Johannesburg Mpofu said Zimbabwe was
reviewing a Bill forcing foreign companies to sell controlling stake to
local blacks in order to make the draft law more user friendly.

According to Mhofu the new law would be based on the principal of "use it or
lose it" for mineral deposits.

The proposed new mining law would be quickly pushed through Parliament to
help revive growth in an economy that has contracted for the past decade, he
said.

"We are going to come up with user friendly legislation. The Bill will be
finalised soon and presented to Parliament in the current session. We are
going to interact with the business people," Mpofu said.

He added: "Things in Zimbabwe are moving at a speed which people won't
believe. The country's future in mining is bright."

Under the old draft mining law, new foreign investors would have been barred
from holding more than 49 percent of a mining firm while existing business
would have been forced to sell off stake to meet the requirement.

The changed draft mining Bill will be tabled during the current session of
Parliament, according to Mpofu.

Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines president Victor Gapare told the same conference
that poor electricity supplies that were enough to meet only about 60
percent of miners' needs were hampering growth in the mining industry.

Gapare said Zimbabwe's gold production slumped to 3.5 metric tons last year,
from 27 tons in 1999.

"Platinum production is likely to reach 1 million ounces a year in the next
15 years from 170 000 ounces a year now," said, Gapare, whose Chamber
represents most medium and large-scale miners in Zimbabwe.

He said with proper incentives, gold production would rise to 50 tons per
year by 2015 from 3.5 tons last year. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe 'could produce 1m ounces of platinum per year'

http://platinum.matthey.com

6th August 2009

Zimbabwe could be capable of achieving annual platinum production of one
million ounces in the next ten to 15 years, it was claimed yesterday (5th
August).

Victor Gapare, Chairman of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines, revealed that the
country is currently producing about 170,000 oz of the precious metal every
year.

However, he explained that the growth potential in Zimbabwe - which has the
world's second-largest platinum reserves - could see that figure increase
sixfold in the future.

"If you look at the development of the two operations, you can understand
what a good fiscal arrangement can do to benefit a country," he said at the
Omega Mining in American conference in Johannesburg, according to Mining
Weekly.

"When you get to Zimplats or Mimosa, you think you're in a different
country, because they are able to keep their money, they are able to invest
money and they are reaping the benefits."

Mr. Gapare added that the major obstacle to development is the lack of
electricity supplies, which are currently only providing about 60 per cent
of miners' requirements.

According to an unreferenced article by the Herald, state-owned power
utility Zesa Holdings is seeking a $900 million loan in order to improve the
service it provides.

Also speaking at the conference was Zimbabwe Mining Minister Obert Mpofu,
who revealed that companies will be urged to capitalise on the country's
mineral deposits.

He said that the government intends to quickly push through tough new laws
that adopt a 'use it or lose it' approach to exploiting the potential on
offer for mining firms.

It emerged recently that another mining bill - intended to give a 51 per
cent stake in every mine to black Zimbabweans and the government - failed to
develop into a law.

Zimbabwe's glimmer of hope for press freedom

Some Zimbabwean journalists say 2003 was the most repressive year for independent journalists. Others claim it was 2008. But no one is yet claiming it was 2009 after a recent series of positive developments for the country's media.

Last week, the government lifted a ban on the BBC and CNN, a big improvement over last year--when BBC reporters were forced to sneak into Zimbabwe to report on the runoff elections, and two media workers contracted by CNN were thrown in jail for more than a week.

"Journalists continue to be followed, detained and abducted; phones and e-mail messages are intercepted; the output of news from government reminds one of Radio Moscow during the Soviet era," Geoff Hill, exiled Zimbabwean journalist and author of What Happens after Mugabe?, told CPJ. "Nevertheless, compared with a year ago, things are better."

On August 1, Finance Minister Tendai Biti scrapped the punitive "luxury import tax" that had severely crippled The Zimbabwean and The Zimbabwean on Sunday, which were being shipped into Zimbabwe via South Africa. Exiled Editor Wilf Mbanga wrote that the 70 percent luxury import tax forced them to pay over R3 million rand (US$379,747) for the "luxury" of giving Zimbabwe access to information outside state propaganda. Mbanga told CPJ that the recent press freedom developments are "glimmers of hope at the end of very long, dark tunnel."

In 2003, the government's accreditation law, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, helped shutter the popular independent Daily News. On September 11 of that year, Zimbabwe's Supreme Court declared the Daily News was violating the act's provisions and was required to register with the former Media and Information Commission (MIC). The paper's publishing license was revoked and the paper's prominent editor and former CPJ award winner, Geoffrey Nyarota, was forced to flee the country.

Nyarota continued his trade with the online Zimbabwe Times in exile; hoping to return one day. Although far from certain, there is a chance that day may come. On Friday, the government notified lawyers for The Daily News that their application for a license to publish had been approved after years of legal wrangling.

But the champagne should remain corked for now. "We have now gained eligibility of the license but not the license itself," Nyarota told CPJ. The paper's license will only be reinstated once a new media monitoring body is set up. The MIC was abolished in January 2008. Interviews to create the new monitoring body, the Zimbabwe Media Commission, took place this week but hit a snag amid reports that they were biased toward ruling-party supporters.

Zimbabwean journalists, encouraged by small improvements in the media environment, are taking this moment to fight back against past injustices.

Police snatched up freelance journalist Andrison Manyere and former journalist Jestina Mukoko last December on spurious banditry charges. Both were detained and beaten in custody for more than 90 days, they said. "I think if people commit crimes, which I did not, they should not be treated the way I was treated," said Mukoko during one of her court sessions. Mukoko launched a Supreme Court challenge in June claiming an infringement of her constitutional rights to liberty, full protection of the law, and freedom from torture. Manyere filed a lawsuit against the state for damages in July.

They are not the only ones. Four independent journalists won a landmark legal case against the government over the legality of the MIC in June. The commission had previously banned the journalists from attending a regional economic summit for not being accredited by the commission. The journalists, through their lawyer, Selby Hwacha, successfully argued that the MIC was abolished in January and had no power to block them. The journalists, however, were still barred entry by security at the summit.

Cautious optimism captures the mood for most journalists reporting on Zimbabwe, both local and in exile. Freelance journalist Columbus Mavhunga put it this way: "When you see a leopard kneeling down you have to remain cautious. It must be just resting to come with vengeance. It must be feeling cornered and is planning new tactics."

City of Harare must heed Minister's directive to reconnect water supplies

6 August 2009

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) would like to urge the
Harare Mayor, His Worship, Muchadeyi Masunda to heed to Minister Sipepa
Nkomo's directive to stop all water disconnections and reconnect supplies to
those residents whose supplies had already been disconnected. CHRA has
welcomed the Minister's directive which has come timely as there were now
fears of another cholera outbreak due to the water disconnections.

The Association would also like to put it forward to the Mayor of Harare
that the Council should not charge residents reconnection fees because the
water disconnection exercise was illegal. The Cabinet made a standing
decision that water should not be disconnected as the exercise was and still
is tantamount to health hazards like cholera. The residents of Harare have
hardly recovered from the cholera outbreak which claimed hundreds of lives
and the city is still experiencing isolated cases of the epidemic in some
High density areas like Kuwadzana, Highfield, Dzivarasekwa and Glen View. It
is also clear that the cholera epidemic was a result of the prolonged water
cuts that ensued in Harare since 2006. It is a sign of lack of social
responsibility and disregard for human life for the City of Harare to insist
on disconnecting water to residents for non-payment. Moreover, the move to
disconnect water is in direct conflict with the national policy that was
adopted by Cabinet that water should not be disconnected.

Furthermore, residents have argued that the amounts of money being demanded
by the City of Harare are exorbitant and not commensurate with the quality
and amount of water that is being supplied to residents. CHRA is cognizant
of the fact that Council needs money in order to improve service delivery
and that residents should honour their obligation to pay bills but there is
a need for the City of Harare to consider the grievances of residents so
that a good working relationship can be built. The Association appreciates
the efforts that the Council is making to improve social service delivery.
However, it is critical for Council not to use confrontational approaches
towards residents as this further damages the already shaky relationship
that exists between residents and Council. CHRA believes in dialogue and
consultation so that all stakeholders are clear on what is happening. The
principle of dialogue also reduces chances of misunderstandings, mistrust
and confrontations. CHRA was happy to know that Council was planning on
engaging residents in consultations regarding issues of rates and service
delivery. However, the meetings seem to be going at a slower pace than what
residents anticipated. It was also confusing for residents to receive
letters of final demand followed by water disconnections soon after the
Council had indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue through
consultative ward meetings; a situation that has given residents the
impression that Council is not serious about engaging in dialogue and
consultations.

Meanwhile, CHRA is working in partnership with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights to help residents should the City of Harare decide to
substantiate its threats. The Association urges residents to remain calm and
refuse to be intimidated. CHRA will continue to advocate for good,
transparent and accountable local governance as well as lobbying for quality
and affordable municipal (and other) services on a non-partisan basis.

145 Robert Mugabe Way, Exploration House, Third Floor; Website:
www.chra.co.zw
Contacts: Mobile: 0912 653 074, 0913 042 981, 011862012 or email
info@chra.co.zw, admin@chra.co.zw, ceo@chra.co.zw

Zimbawean vice-president Msika's death leaves Mugabe with poser

From The Cape Times (SA), 6 August

Peta Thornycroft

Harare - Joseph Msika, vice- president of Zimbabwe and the former ruling
Zanu PF, has died in a hospital here. News of the death of President Robert
Mugabe's deputy swept through Harare on Tuesday, but state media only
announced it yesterday as though it had happened the same day. He had been
on a life support system for some time, according to the official
announcements on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, although many in the
capital believed he had already died on Tuesday. President Jacob Zuma gave
the date of his death as August 4 (Tuesday) in a condolence message
yesterday. Zuma said Msika had died at a critical time in Zimbabwe's history
"when challenges facing the country need experienced leaders like him".
Msika had been ill for four years, and was recently in hospital in South
Africa where he had an operation. Mugabe told his inner circle in June that
Msika was seriously ill.

Msika was a leading nationalist in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle who
inherited the vice-presidency after the death of his leader in PF Zapu,
Joshua Nkomo. He was not always comfortable with some aspects of Mugabe's
rule. He was, at 86, a few months older than Mugabe. Msika, sometimes
outspoken, was part of the senior ranks of PF Zapu which merged with Zanu PF
in 1987 after the party was squeezed dry by Mugabe's terror campaign in
Matabeleland during the 1980s. Nkomo went into a "unity accord' with Zanu PF
to save lives, according to his aides at the time. Msika's replacement
therefore is in question, and his death comes when Zanu PF no longer has the
resources or national support it commanded for the last nearly 30 years.
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who does not hide his ambition to take
over from Mugabe, may not be suitable because he is Zanu PF. Zanu PF party
chairman, John Nkomo, would be the most senior surviving member of Nkomo's
PF Zapu, after Msika's death. Since Mugabe began seizing white-owned farms
in 2000, Msika often gave comfort to some of those evicted and regularly
wrote letters to various colleagues in support of some of them remaining on
their land. Zanu PF will hold a congress to elect or appoint senior leaders
in December. Political sources in Harare predicted that Mugabe might defer
appointing Msika's successor until then.

What will Msika say to Nkomo?

Youth Forum on the arrest of ZINASU President and 13 other UZ students

We condemn in strongest terms the illegal and unjustified arrest of Zimbabwe National Students Union President Clever Bere and 14 other University of Zimbabwe students for protesting against exorbitant tuition charged by the once prestigious institution. The fees are ranging from $405-$505 far above the reach of many in Zimbabwe.

To us this shows that the inclusive government views education as a luxury only affordable and accessible to elites. With the highest paid civil servant earning a pitiful wage of $140 per month it is mind boggling and disillusioning to imagine where the government thinks parents will obtain such an amount of money, not to mention the financial position of peasants and other commoners.

The government should address the causes of crisis and not the symptoms for the students simply expressed their justifiable discontent.

This is a clear testimony that the government is not sincere in its calls for the opening of democratic space. In this vain the call for reconciliation, peace building, conflict transformation and national healing are mere rhetoric for they are still repeating the same tyrannical methods of dealing with dissenting voices. Nonetheless we salute the union for its continued voice of the voiceless initiatives. It is still a long walk to freedom as the regime is still totalitarian, only men and women of spine will prevail over this unfortunate dispensation

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Why must Zanu-PF impose heroes on us?

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=20783

August 6, 2009

By Clapperton Mavhunga

WHY stay in power for that long when you have done such good work? Why
un-write what you have written?

This whole notion of heroism whereby people shine the spotlight only on the
brightest spots of the leopard is a selective way of writing our past. It
obscures us from correcting our future, hence anybody who has done great
things can decide to stay forever simply because yesterday he did great
things.

That narrative of entitlement, whereby the only heroes who matter must be
well-connected and connected to the war against 'the white man' or 'Rhodesia',
and must have been a politician, is myopic. True heroism must come from
everywhere, from different arenas of all our lives, not just politicians.

Why do the writers have to 'dig deep' into history to remind us of who this
man is? Is it not to erase the bad memories Zimbabweans have not just of him
as a person today, but as part of the presidium responsible for ruining an
independence not just politicians but ordinary people sacrificed for?

When will the mother and her cooking stick, who cooked - or was often forced
to cook - all her chicken and goats and sometimes even her only cow for the
guerrillas be celebrated?

When will the youth of the land at the time, especially the children whom
guerrillas often used as signals by asking them to climb anthills and other
elevated places in order to warn the comrades of the enemy's whereabouts, be
celebrated?

When will tribute be paid to people like Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi,
Zex Manatsa and other 'subversive' musicians, whose music acted as the opium
which 'vanamukoma' (the guerrillas) fed on to continue the struggle?

When will the rural bus drivers, who hid clothes, cigarettes, and food which
they bought in town and took to the comrades in the rural areas, be
celebrated?

When will the urban relative, to whom the comrades sent rural people to
raise cash and other necessities, and to hide guerrilla operatives operating
in urban areas towards the late 70s, be celebrated?

When will the rural teacher and missionary, terrorized both by guerrillas as
well as 'mapuruvheya' (Rhodesian forces), an important conduit for local
subversion, recruitment, and logistics be celebrated?

Are we even saying that heroism is only limited to political stuntmanship?
Why is it that only people from Zanu-PF or who are in good books with it,
are celebrated?

How come Ndabaningi Sithole, Enoch Dumbutshena and James Chikerema are not
at the Heroes Acre. Is it for reasons to do with different opinions about
how the struggle should proceed, differences in strategy but similarities in
the passion to free black people from white minority oppression?

Why is it that Canaan Banana was excluded from the Heroes Acre, if for no
other reason than his sexuality?

To whom is a hero a hero? Is somebody else's hero also my hero?

Who has a right to anoint somebody a hero for another person? And why should
a heroism be imposed upon all of us to worship, when in our own time new
heroes are being born, heroes who have been fighting 'the Black Smith' of
our own time?

Why must a Zanu-PF hero be everybody else's hero, if it is such that the
heroes of long ago are deemed the only heroes, even as in our own lives we
are benefitting from the heroism of our own generation, a heroism of
resisting an oppressive black system, just as bad as the white one we
abhorred and which we and our parents fought with cooking sticks and our own
eyes and ears to resist?

Let people choose their own heroes. My own are buried out in the
countryside, in the family and clan cemeteries scattered there. Some died
fighting against Ian Smith, others died still yearning for an independence
that was stolen away by 86 year-old men clinging on to power, long after
they were half-dead.

People who cling on to power are not my heroes. They are Zanu-PF heroes.
They gave political leadership to a struggle which brave men and women from
both Zipra and Zanla fought with their AK 47 rifles, with collaboration and
sometimes coercion of our mothers and we the youths of this land, and our
fathers working in the cities and towns.

Nobody was on holiday while the struggle to free ourselves from oppression
was being waged. Nobody! Nobody even fought for the other; Zimbabweans, each
one to himself, fought for themselves, for the liberation of their country.
It is morally wrong for some to beat their chests and proclaim to have
liberated all of us. When I celebrate the exploits of vanamukoma who fought
in my home area, I expect them to also celebrate the heroism of our fathers
and mothers and the youths, without whom he would have been a fish out of
water.

Unless we begin to think of ourselves as our own liberators, while
continuing to heap praises on the politicians, they will continue to take
advantage of us, to think that because they liberated us, therefore they own
us.

Such a mentality, if promoted by citizens, will prepare us to hero-worship
Tsvangirai and the MDC as well, instead of bringing them to account.

Let praise-singers be praise-singers - the tradition of griotry in Africa,
imbongi in Zulu, has always been strong. I am not going to worship the
stunts of politicians on their road to power. I will celebrate the heroism
of ordinary people against the odds politicians place in their paths.

That view from the gallery, far from State House, is a view of history we
should encourage, otherwise many worthier heroes are slipping through the
wire while we marvel at exhibitionists and sadists who overstay in power.

Comment from a correspondent

The person whom I respect who fought for what he believed is a person whom we celebrate every year, on the third Monday in January. He was an American Clergyman and Nobel Prize Winner, one of the principal leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement and a prominent advocate of non-violent protest. That is right, it is Martin Luther King Jr. The reason I admire this man so much is for everything he has done for the black race, in the way of racism. It amazes me to see how one person challenged the segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950’ and 60’s and helped convince White Americans to support the cause of the Civil Rights in the United States. Why cannot we have leaders as these in our beloved nation of Zimbabwe who can we talk about of all the people that have led us since 1980, they forgot what we fought for and putting their personnel interests before the nation most of them never even hold the gun those who suffered were the boys and girls who had no education who were taught only to fight.

For one man to become a symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice. After his passing to show how racism really is still out there and needs to be desegregated. I admire how he used nonviolent protests to get his view points across about racial issues. Martin Luther King Jr’s public speaking abilities gave him the strength and courage to fight non-violently for what he believed. I feel that he was a great person who was changing the society for the better of all human beings. Although he went through some rough roads, like his house being bombed. Martin Luther King Jr. did not give up. Who went on about what he believed and continued his marches, demonstrations, and boycotts.

To me Martin Luther King Jr., if not assassinated in the Spring of 1968 (4 April). He probably would have made the United States even in Africa a better place than it is now on racial issues. I look to him as a wonderful person who never gave up in what he believed, and died for doing so. I find it unbelievable that the King came to represent black courage, and achievement, high moral leadership, and the ability of Americans to address and overcome racial divisions. Even though he criticized the United States foreign policy and poverty, he soared above all and became a historical figure among the country. Martin Luther King Jr. is one who I will admire always. He was a great and remarkable individual who fought for the rights of Black. I applaud him for fighting and dying for what he believed in. And most of all, I respect all that he has changed for the United States with his marches, demonstrations, and boycotts. America lost a great person, but has gained a lot for his fight against racism.

In Zimbabwe they is now what l call black men apartheid government where the political leaders have resorted in suppressing their own people. Why do we lose direction when they are a lot of people who fought for us to be free? why do we have to suffer under own leadership not white but black?Centuries of slavery we endured and freedom l was given has now been taken away by the son of the same mother black as l'm..........lets us be free l need to walk in the streets of Harare not in fear... let my mind be heard whether correct or wrong...... let me open my mouth and shout that l'm free.... , let me fell proud when the name of my leader when called upon...., let me have my dignity that l have lot whilst in this refuge.

Martin Luther speech CONVERTED it will be my speech one day ......we are the future generation the future leaders we shall stand our right of freedom thus was given to us by those who sufficed their lives for us we shall reject leaders that oppress the people ....

It will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

29 score years ago, a great ZIMBABWEAN , in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, made an oath into office as the President of the country.The great momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of ZIMBABWEANS slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 29 years later, the son of the soil still is not free. 29 years later, the life of the son of the soil is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. 29 years later, the SON OF THE SOIL lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. 29 years later, the SON OF THE SOIL is still languished in the corners of ZIMBABWE society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution , they were signing a promissory note to which every ZIMBABWEAN was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that ZIMBABWE has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, ZIMBABWE has given the people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind ZIMBABWE of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of injustice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the SON OF THE SOIL's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 2009 is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the SON OF THE SOIL needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in ZIMBABWE until the SON OF THE SOIL is granted his citizenship rights by it's leaders. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the ZIMBABWEAN community must not lead us to a distrust of our fellow men for many of our leaders, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the SON OF THE SOIL is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the ZIMBABWEAN basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For our cruel leaders Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a SON OF THE SOIL in HARARE cannot vote and a SON OF THE SOIL in BULAWAYO believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality,the CIO and the political parties militia. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to BULAWAYO, go back to GWERU, go back to KAROI, go back to RWANDA, go back to MASVINGO, go back to the slums and ghettos of our cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the ZIMBABWEAN dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the hills of MUTOKO , the sons of former slaves and the sons of former leaders will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of HARARE, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their political opinions or the parties they belong too but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in MHONDORO, with its vicious attacks, with its MP having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in MHONDORO little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little MP's child boys and MP's girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if ZIMBABWE is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New INYANGA

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of VUMBA

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of HARARE

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of MATOPOS

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from the dust roads of WEDZA

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of MUTARE

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of CHIMANIMANI

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Mugabe preparing for war - DA brief to parliament