US and SAfrica pledge work for 'free' Zimbabwe

http://news.yahoo.com

PRETORIA (AFP) - The United States and South Africa pledged joint action
Friday to induce reforms in Zimbabwe as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
hailed a new spirit of cooperation between the two democracies.

Clinton, visiting Africa's largest economy on a seven-nation tour of the
continent, said she did not come seeking promises but believed that South
Africa had a strong role to play in Zimbabwe and other African hotspots.

"We're working together to realise the vision of a free, democratic and
prosperous Zimbabwe," Clinton said after talks with South African
International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

"We're going to be closely consulting as to how best to deal with what is a
very difficult situation for South Africa and for the United States, but
mostly for the people of Zimbabwe," Clinton told journalists.

The pledge signals a shift in tone between Pretoria and Washington with
relations uneasy between presidents Thabo Mbeki and George W. Bush over
Zimbabwe, the fight against AIDS and the Iraq invasion.

Aides to Clinton said they expect a more robust partnership between the two
countries under US President Barack Obama and South African President Jacob
Zuma, whom Clinton will meet Saturday as she criss-crosses across the
country.

The US has been one of long-serving Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's
fiercest critics, pushing for evidence of reforms under the new unity
government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Both the European Union and the US maintain a travel ban and asset freeze on
Mugabe, his wife and inner circle in protest at controversial polls last
year and alleged human rights abuses by his government.

"We are attempting to target the leaders of Zimbabwe with sanctions that we
think might influence their behaviour without hurting the people of
Zimbabwe," said Clinton.

The country's unity government has stemmed a devastating economic crisis
since it formed February, but has been hit by claims of a crackdown on the
former opposition and failure to agree on key posts.

The South African foreign minister said it was crucial to fast-track the
full power-sharing agreement so that ordinary Zimbabweans -- already
suffering from years of hyperinflation that rendered their currency
worthless -- do not lose patience.

Nkoana-Mashabane said while she had not felt "a chill" in the era of Mbeki
and former US president George W. Bush, the pushing forward of the bilateral
relationship was exciting.

"We have agreed today that what has not been happening in the past eight
years is that most of time our relations were happening without proper
co-ordination," she said.

Zuma, who assumed the presidency in May, has in the past supported a tougher
line on Zimbabwe than Mbeki, who had scoffed at US and British-led attempts
to punish Mugabe and supported an African-led approach of engagement.

Clinton later headed to Johannesburg for a half-hour private meeting with
Nelson Mandela, who became the first president of a multi-racial South
Africa in 1994 and remains one of the world's most respected figures.

Clinton also visited a part-US funded AIDS clinic and held a "very frank
conversation" with health minister Aaron Motsoaledi, praising the new
government's commitment to fight HIV which affects nearly six million South
Africans.

Zuma's predecessor Mbeki drew intense world criticism for questioning HIV
links with AIDS, while his government failed to roll out lifesaving
anti-retrovirals quickly for one of the world's worst-affected populations.

"We have to make up for some lost time. But we're looking forward," Clinton
said.

Speaking at a dinner with prominent South African women later Friday,
Clinton said she would raise women's rights issues throughout her trip. She
is due to meet survivors of sexual violence next week in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.

DA wants Clinton to stop Zim arms deal

http://www.iol.co.za

    August 07 2009 at 03:50PM

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton must use her
influence to stop the sale of millions of rounds of ammunition to Zimbabwe,
the Democratic Alliance said on Friday.

"The DA exposed the fact that there was a pending application before
the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) to export more than
a million rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and more than a million rounds of 9mm
ammunition to Zimbabwe," DA defence spokesperson David Maynier said in a
statement.

He said NCACC chairperson, Jeff Radebe confirmed on Thursday at a
press conference that the committee was considering the sale of millions of
rounds of ammunition to Zimbabwe.

"We should not be arming Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF war machine because
it will not be long before state-of-the-art ammunition produced in our
country will be used to fire on innocent people in Zimbabwe."

He said the DA hoped that Clinton would raise the arms deal issue at
Saturday's meeting with President Jacob Zuma and use her influence to stop
the export of millions of rounds of ammunition to Zimbabwe. - Sapa

Sikhala claims to have ousted Mutambara as party leader

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
08 August 2009

Former St Mary's MP Job Sikhala claims he is the new President of the MDC
faction led by Arthur Mutambara following a series of 64 rallies countrywide
that he says endorsed him. The controversial official, suspended and then
expelled from the party for allegedly undermining the leadership, told
Newsreel on Friday that he had to rescue the party from 'being auctioned off
to Mugabe and ZANU PF.'

MDC-M spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa immediately dismissed Sikhala's attempted
coup saying it was 'unconstitutional and dangerous.' Mushoriwa said if party
members were unhappy with the leadership they could call for an
extraordinary congress and the disputes could be resolved there. But Sikhala
hit back saying the leadership was blocking the convening of such a congress
because they knew they would be given a vote of no confidence.

"These people are resisting the convening of a National Council meeting and
their only weapon is the suspension and expulsion of members who are trying
to take the party back,' Sikhala said. He was referring to the sacking of
three MP's Abednico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East) and
Norman Mpofu (Bulilima East) on similar allegations of undermining the
party.

On Thursday Bhebhe told our Behind the Headlines series that some of their
colleagues were heavily opposed to re-uniting with the Tsvangirai MDC, and
this was creating most of the friction. Meanwhile Sikhala challenged the
MDC-M to convene a congress, saying he would win any contest against
Mutambara. He claimed Mutambara would be lucky to get more than a 100 votes
within the party structures.

Under the unity deal between the two MDC's and ZANU PF, one of the two
Deputy Prime Minister's has to come from the MDC-M. Newsreel asked Sikhala
if under this arrangement he would also be seeking to replace Mutambara as
Deputy Prime Minister. The fiery politician said he had no interest in the
unity deal as it was 'a sell out arrangement worse that the Smith-Muzorewa
internal settlement' before independence. 'This inclusive government is a
marriage made in hell' he said.

ZINASU leader released

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
7 August 2009

Clever Bere, the President of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU)
and three other representatives were released on bail on Friday, after being
arrested during a gathering of students at the University of Zimbabwe. The
four were ordered to pay bail of US$30 each by Harare Magistrate Munamato
Mutevedzi, and to report every Friday to the Law and Order Section at the
Harare Central Police Station.

Fourteen students were arrested three days after the new semester started at
the UZ. Ten were released on Thursday, but the four ZINASU leaders
Kudakwashe Chakabva, Archiford Mudzengi, Brian Rundogo and Bere remained in
custody.

They were arrested under the Criminal Codification Act for ''participating
in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breach of peace or
bigotry.'

The student representatives are expected to appear in court for a remand
hearing on August 21st.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said the release of the
student representatives was not without drama, as prosecutors refused to
handle the matter.

The lawyer's group said it is reliably informed that one of the prosecutors
from the Attorney General's Office pointed out a number of 'deficiencies' in
the State case to investigating officers. According to the ZLHR, the
prosecutor reportedly told investigating officers that 'giving out T-shirts
to people as alleged by the State doesn't constitute an offence, and that
the State witnesses who are security personnel at the University of Zimbabwe
are not the students whose peace was disturbed as alleged in the Form 242.'

The students were finally taken to court in the afternoon where they were
granted bail.

Contenders feud over Msika's position

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=20852

August 7, 2009

By Our Correspondent

BULAWAYO - The police were called to Zanu-PF headquarters in Bulawayo
Thursday after jostling for the post left vacant by the death of the late
Vice President, Joseph Msika, degenerated into open confrontation between
youths loyal to senior Zanu-PF officials said to be angling for the top
post.

Campaigning for the post started even before Msika's death was officially
announced.

No one was arrested by the police when they arrived to quell the clashes
from degenerating into running battles between feuding party youths loyal to
Zanu-PF officials in Matabeleland who have an eye on the Vice President's
office.

Msika who was also Zanu-PF's deputy secretary general died at West End
Hospital in Harare on Tuesday morning. He was 86 years old.

Youths said to be loyal to John Nkomo, the Zanu-PF national chairman and a
loyal confidante of President Robert Mugabe barred rival youths said to be
supporters of Obert Mpofu, the Umguza Zanu-PF legislator and Mines Minister,
from attending a meeting held at the Zanu-PF offices in Davies Hall in
Bulawayo to mourn the late Msika. This action allegedly ignited the clashes.

Msika was the most senior former PF-Zapu official holding a position in both
Zanu-PF and government after the death of the late Joshua Nkomo in July
1999. Nkomo was the founder of the original ZAPU, as PF-Zapu was originally
known.

Under a unity accord signed between Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu in 1987 two senior
officials from both parties have to take up the two vice presidential posts
within the united Zanu-PF.  In the case of Joshua Nkomo and Msika, both from
PF-Zapu, they also became the Vice President of Zimbabwe. There is an
expectation, therefore, that with Vice President Joice Mujuru already
occupying the Zanu PF slot, an ex-PF-Zapu official will become the other
Vice-President.

There has been fierce lobbying for the position, therefore, even before
Msika's death.

Leading contenders for the position are John Nkomo and the Minister of
Mines. Also in the run are Bulawayo Metropolitan Governor Cain Mathema and
Zimbabwe's ambassador to South Africa, Simon Khaya Moyo. Moyo was very close
to the late Joshua Nkomo and was the chief executive of his Development
Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) before he was assigned to Pretoria. The DTZ has
since gone into partnership with  Zimbabwe Bio-Energy (Pvt) Ltd, a private
company whose major shareholders are Mugabe, Mnangagwa and business tycoon
Billy Rautenbach to grow sugar cane on 100 000 hectares of land in the
Nuanetsi Ranch in the Lowveld. On a visit to the Zanu-PF Davies Hall offices
on Thursday afternoon The Zimbabwe Times found party youths alleged to be
Mpofu's supporters gathered outside the party offices. They claimed they had
been barred from attending the ceremony by John Nkomo's supporters.

The gate was manned by party supporters said to be aligned to Nkomo.

"We were barred from attending the mourning ceremony by Nkomo's youths and
supporters on charges that we support Obert Mpofu," one of the supporter
said.

"We are having some problems here. There are some people inside there who
think we have come to cause trouble but we just came here like everybody
else to mourn Msika," he added

The Zimbabwe Times was told that police had earlier been called to defuse
the confrontation between the feuding youths.

The party supporters who were initially barred from attending the ceremony
were only allowed to attend after the intervention of Zanu-PF's Bulawayo
executive.

Mpofu is said to enjoy the support of Zanu-PF bigwig Emmerson Mnangagwa, the
country's Defence Minister who leads a faction within Zanu-PF. Mnangagwa has
long been regarded as one of the leading contenders for President Mugabe's
own position.

There is a perception now that Msika's death could aggravate the
presidential succession debate that seemed closed when Mugabe said in June
that there would be no change of guard in the top leadership of Zanu-PF
until there was "better unity".

Msika's death now appears to have opened a new frontier of tension and
infighting among former PF-Zapu leaders who will be vying to take over the
second vice-president's position.

Meanwhile, a new ZAPU led by former ZIPRA intelligence supremo and Minister
of Home Affairs in the Mugabe government, Dumiso Dabengwa, was launched in
December. It was motivated by general frustration and disgruntlement with
the PF-Zapu leadership now represented by John Nkomo.

Soldiers pull down Tsvangirai rally posters in Mutare

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
7 August 2009

Prime Minister and President of the MDC Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to
hold a rally for his supporters in Mutare next weekend, but his party claims
soldiers have been pulling down posters publicising the event.

A statement by the party said posters pasted by the MDC Manicaland
provincial leadership in Sakubva Township were torn down by armed soldiers
who were moving around in an army T35 Mazda truck on Wednesday.

The MDC President is expected to give a keynote address at Manicaland's MDC
10th anniversary celebratory provincial rally at Sakubva Stadium on August
the 16th.

"The soldiers said they were removing the posters in preparation of the
Heroes' Day and Defence Forces commemorations to be held at the same venue
next week, and were working according to instructions from above," said the
MDC statement.

Despite forming a power sharing government with ZANU PF in February, the MDC
says politically motivated violence and victimisation is still continuing,
especially in the rural areas. The party said, in Mutasa Central soldiers
based at Vhumbunu Primary School in Mutasa Central are harassing and
torturing innocent villagers.

It is reported teachers are being forced to share accommodation at the
school with a group of about 20 soldiers. This has caused serious problems
especially as the soldiers move around with the rowdy youth militia.

"Some of the teachers have since fled from the school in fear of being
victimised or tortured by the soldiers and ZANU PF militia," stated the MDC
statement.

Berlin protests over threats on firm

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Nokuthula Sibanda & Sebastian Nyamhangambiri Friday 07 August
2009

HARARE - The German embassy in Harare has sent a protest note to Zimbabwe's
government over harassment and intimidation of Bonn-based international
courier services firm, DHL, by a militant black empowerment group.

In a letter to Zimbabwe's foreign affairs ministry, Berlin said the
Affirmative Action Group (AAG) that campaigns for black economic empowerment
threatened executives at DHL's Harare offices, demanding that the company
should appoint a Zimbabwean to head its local operations or failure of which
it should leave the southern African country.

"It is with great concern that we learned about the threats which were put
forward against a German company in Harare by members of a group called
Affirmative Action Group," Matthias Schumacher, first secretary and deputy
head of mission wrote in letter dated August 3.

Schumacher said employees at DHL felt intimidated by the actions of the AAG
which were followed by negative coverage of the German-owned firm by state
media.

"The company's interim director from South Africa was reproached for not
employing a Zimbabwean citizen as its future director and for the fact that
the company was not partially owned by Zimbabweans," the embassy said.

"The threat culminated in the demand to "disinvest" under these conditions.
Very negative and biased news-coverage on the company by the state-media
followed suit. As a consequence the company's employees do strongly feel
intimidated," it added.

DHL Harare provides work for more than 100 Zimbabweans, ensuring the
livelihood of approximately 500 people, Schumacher said, adding that the
company "has stayed engaged in the country despite the, over the last few
years, constantly deteriorating economical and political climate".

"This kind of action highly endangers our recent efforts to resuscitate
Zimbabwean-German business relations which are part of the broader relations
between Zimbabwe and the EU (European Union)."

The German embassy said actions by the AAG - a group whose members are
closely linked to President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party - could affect
Zimbabwe's ability to attract foreign investment.

It said: "As an Embassy we cannot credibly lobby for German investment to
come back to Zimbabwe as long as such harassment takes place.

"It is our utmost conviction that the government of Zimbabwe disapproves of
such acts as much as we do. We therefore are strongly optimistic that all
the necessary measures will be taken by the ministry to prevent this kind of
harassment from occurring again."

Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi confirmed seeing
the letter but refused to disclose what action, if any, Harare would take.

The southern African country's economy, which has been on a free-fall for
the past decade, badly needs foreign investors.

In June, Tsvangirai travelled to Europe seeking to mend relations between
Harare and Brussels which had deteriorated after the bloc imposed sanctions
on Mugabe and his previous ZANU PF government over allegations of human
rights abuses.

Erstwhile enemies Mugabe and Tsvangirai formed a fragile coalition
government in February to try to reverse Zimbabwe's multi-faceted crisis.  -
ZimOnline

Msika was voice of reason: Tsvangirai

http://www.zimonline.co.za

 by Charles Tembo Friday 07 August 2009

HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday said Zimbabwe's late
Vice President Joseph Msika, who died in Harare on Wednesday, was a "voice
of reason" in the country's fragile coalition government.

"He has left a legacy. He was one of the senior people in politics who had
the voice of reason," Tsvangirai told mourners at the veteran politician's
home in Harare.

Msika, a nationalist leader and arguably the most senior PF ZAPU party
member that merged with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF in 1987, was one
of the previous government's moderate politicians who clashed with his
counterparts especially at the height of the land invasions.

Msika was among a few senior ZANU PF officials to speak openly against the
often violent seizure of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless
blacks which started in 2000 and have reduced Zimbabwe from a breadbasket to
a basket case.

Tsvangirai said he had a cordial relationship with Msika - whom he described
as a father because they shared the same totem - since the formation of an
inclusive government with Msika's ZANUPF last February, offering the country
its best opportunity in a decade to wriggle out of economic and political
crisis.

But Tsvangirai's MDC party accuses Mugabe of flouting last year's
power-sharing agreement that gave birth to the new administration as shown
by the veteran leader's refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of two
of his alleged cronies to the key posts of central bank governor and
attorney general.

The MDC also accuses hardliner members of Mugabe's inner circle of ordering
the police - who they still control - to arrest the former opposition party's
members of parliament on trumped up charges in a bid to whittle down the
party's slim parliamentary majority.

At least five MDC members either have been convicted in recent weeks or face
various charges and risk losing their parliamentary seats if committed to
jail for six months or more.

The 86-year-old Msika, who was one of two vice presidents of Zimbabwe and
ZANU PF, died at a private clinic in the capital after being in and out of
hospital since 2005.

In a statement issued yesterday by its secretary general Tendai Biti, the
MDC expressed shock at Msika's death, saying the country had "lost a true
revolutionary and a selfless leader who spent more than half his life
fighting for the liberation of our country".

"He has died in the phase of hope for the country he dearly loved; hope
emanating from the formation of an inclusive government which has given
Zimbabweans an opportunity for national healing and reconciliation," the MDC
said.

"That he has died a week before Heroes' Day is enough testimony that he was
a true hero unto himself; a man of valour who lost precious decades in
foreign lands and in the forests so that justice would visit the land of his
birth.

"The only befitting tribute we can pay to Hon Msika is when we create a
truly just and free society where Zimbabweans of all political shades live
side by side without fear; a Zimbabwe where we all feel we live in one
country which gives us pride and which must create hope and a better future
for all," the party said.

Meanwhile Tsvangirai was warmly received at the late Vice President's
Mandara home, where he was welcomed by ZANU PF ministers John Nkomo
(National Healing and Reconciliation), Walter Mzembi (Tourism) and Florah
Bhuka, Minister of State in the late vice president's office.

One of Msika's sons who addressed mourners said: "We are lucky that our
father was vice president and now our brother is prime minister."  -
ZimOnline

Military Sustains Grip on Diamond Fields - Human Rights Watch

Zimbabwe receives US$38m to fight diseases

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Simon Muchemwa
 7 August 2009

The Global Fund, the world's biggest public health donor has given Zimbabwe
a grant of US$38m to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria for the next 9
months, in spite of the government's failure to account for some of the
funds 18 months ago.
The Global Fund said US$20.4m of the total will go towards fighting HIV,
whilst TB and Malaria will receive US$5.7m and over US$11m respectively.
The grant will be channelled through the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), and the Ministry of Health will implement the set goals
and targets.
Speaking at the grant signing ceremony at his Munhumutapa offices Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said that he was pleased the Global Fund has
reengaged the Ministry of Health, following their 'bad experience' with the
past administration.
"This signing ceremony thus signifies the revival of the Global Fund support
that has been besieged by challenges prior to the formation of the inclusive
Government. It also shows the growing confidence the donor community is
having towards the inclusive Government," Prime Minister Tsvangirai said.
The UNDP country Director Dr. Agostinho Zakarias said despite the reported
decline in HIV prevalence, Zimbabwe still has one of the highest HIV
infection rates in the world. Morbidity and mortality rates are still
unacceptably high and the impact of HIV on national development is severe.
"Working with our UN partners, UNDP takes this responsibility seriously and
will do its best to make sure that the people of Zimbabwe who need the
services get them," Dr Agostinho Zakarias said.
The Global Fund has over US$16 billion under management in over 140
countries worldwide. Fifty percent of patients receiving ARV's are being
financed by the fund which also finances over 4 million patients on DOT TB
treatment, and millions who are suffering from malaria.
Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr. Henry Madzorera, however, said it
was not automatic that everyone requiring ARVs would get them, as patients
require several tests before starting treatment.
"Our health infrastructure and machinery has collapsed so it would not be
possible to enrol everybody requiring ARV's for we risk overloading the
programme," Dr Madzorera said.
The Civic Society, which was also represented at the ceremony, expressed
satisfaction at the space they are receiving from the inclusive government.
This follows some allegations by President Robert Mugabe a few weeks ago
that NGOs were operating outside their bounds.

Doctors Without Borders intervene in Zimbabwe

http://www.zimnetradio.com

By KING SHANGO
Published on: 7th August, 2009

HARARE - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has begun an
intervention in Kwekwe prison in Zimbabwe's central Midlands Province.

Zimbabwe's prisons have become death traps with emaciated prisoners
literally starving to death in the country's jails.

MSF said the intervention at Kwekwe focuses on providing basic health care
and therapeutic feeding to the inmates, many of whom are severely
malnourished. Additionally, MSF aims to improve the poor water and
sanitation conditions in the prison, including performing cholera prevention
activities.

The prison in Kwekwe is the first of seven institutions MSF will be working
in over the next four months.

"We found prisoners wearing torn and ragged uniforms and lacking blankets
during Zimbabwe's coldest months. In Kwekwe we have assessed 179 prisoners,
of whom 17 percent were identified as being malnourished," says Pip Millard,
MSF project coordinator.

"We found prisoners wearing torn and ragged uniforms and lacking blankets
during Zimbabwe's coldest months, with prison officers doing their best with
limited resources."

MSF first obtained access to two prisons during the cholera outbreak earlier
this year, and discovered the needs were significant. "In late February, we
were approached by prison authorities in two locations where we were active
to assist in dealing with cholera inside their institutions," says MSF Head
of Mission Rian van de Braak. "The first prison we started working in was in
Kadoma.

This was the first time we were confronted with the severe situation of
malnutrition inside the prisons. The conditions were highly concerning; the
prisoners were nearly starving due to a lack of food supplies."

Shortly afterward the cholera outbreak, MSF started an emergency
intervention in the prison in Bindura, providing therapeutic food for the
severely malnourished inmates and nutritional support for the rest of the
prison population. Furthermore, basic water and sanitation activities were
carried out to improve the sanitation situation and ensure the provision of
clean drinking water.

"The condition of latrines was often dreadful due to a lack of water for
flushing. Soap or other disinfectants were missing."

Following good cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of
Health, MSF expanded its involvement beyond the first interventions in
Kadoma and Bindura. Two rapid surveillance teams conducted an assessment of
the health, nutrition, and water and sanitation situations in 15 prisons.

Rapid physical assessments were conducted together with prison health staff
at each of the surveyed sites. Body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm
circumference (MUAC) were calculated for almost 2,000 prisoners. MSF's
nutritional survey results revealed that four percent of the inmates were
severely malnourished, five percent malnourished, and 14 percent at risk.

"Our water and sanitation survey showed that a basic and reliable water
supply was often lacking, and water storage possibilities, apart from the
occasional jerry can, were absent," says Nick Rowe, an MSF water and
sanitation expert. "The condition of latrines was often dreadful due to a
lack of water for flushing. Soap or other disinfectants were missing."

After Kwekwe, the team will continue with the prisons in Murewa, Motoko,
Guruve, Chivu, Gokwe, and Marondera. Besides the actual intervention, MSF
will lobby for more actors to step in so that long-term assistance can be
ensured.

MSF has been working in Zimbabwe since 2000. Since the beginning of the
cholera outbreak in August 2008, MSF has treated 45,000 patients. MSF also
provides care for more than 40,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, including
26,000 who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and provides
nutritional support to severely malnourished children.

Mugabe 'breaking terms of power-sharing deal'

http://www.inthenews.co.uk

Friday, 07 Aug 2009 02:00
By our special correspondent.

Zimbabwe's opposition parties that formed a coalition government with Robert
Mugabe have been denied executive powers in the transitional arrangement by
the veteran leader.

Deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara said it had dawned on the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) formations that signed a power sharing deal with
President Mugabe in February that they 'are just spectators' in 'charge of
nothing' in the inclusive government.

"As we speak, our MPs are being targeted," Mutambara said at a commercial
farmers congress (CFU) held in the country's capital, Harare.

"Five have been convicted already while seven are being charged.

"You can see that we are not in full control despite the power sharing deal.
We are not exactly in charge. There are other forces in control.

"If my own MPs are being locked up over a cell phone and I am prime
minister, am I in control?"

About seven opposition party legislators have been jailed in the past
several weeks on various charges in what the MDC says is a desperate attempt
by Mugabe to gain parliamentary majority.

Mugabe's Zanu-PF lost its parliamentary majority last year during the March
harmonised elections - the first time since independence in 1980 that the
liberation movement has lost control of the August house.

Mr Mutambara said the MDC's efforts to influence positive change in Zimbabwe
were being frustrated by Zanu-PF aligned forces fervently opposed to the new
political dispensation.

The deputy prime minister was supported by Roy Bennett, the deputy
agriculture minister who was evicted from his farm by Mugabe's supporters.
Mugabe has refused to swear in Bennett into the government.

"Mugabe still makes all executive decisions and every message that is coming
through the state media is continued 'hate speech,' and continuing to show
people that Zanu-PF are still in power, and that basically we are the junior
party, a nonentity in the whole arrangement," Mr Bennett said.

Mr Bennett added that MDC's co home affairs minister, Giles Mutsekwa "is in
charge of nothing." The home affairs ministry is in charge of the police.

"I think he is there as a figure-head. He certainly has no power and
certainly has had no power to stop any lawlessness, or be of any help
towards any side of the MDC. The harassment, the beatings - they continue."

'Fulfil power-sharing pact to calm investor nerves'

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Nokuthula Sibanda Friday 07 August 2009

HARARE - Zimbabwe's platinum mining firm, Zimplats has warned that
delays in fully implementing a power-sharing agreement between President
Robert Mugabe and his former opposition foes remained an area of concern for
investors.

Mugabe, opposition MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara
last February formed a unity government under a power-sharing deal that
retains Mugabe as President while making Tsvangirai Prime Minister and
Mutambara his deputy.

The unity government has managed to halt hyperinflation and unveiled
several measures in a bid to revive the battered economy but a host of
political problems including outstanding issues from the power-sharing deal
threatens to derail the new Harare administration.

Zimplats said in its quarterly report ending June 30, released
Wednesday, that although it recorded an excellent operational environment
there was need to fulfil all provisions of the power-sharing or global
political agreement (GPA) to calm investor nerves.

"The implementation of the intended government economic turn around
programmes continue to be hampered by lack of investments funds," the
Australian listed firm said in a circular to shareholders.

"Delays in fully implementing the Global Political Agreement signed by
the three parties as well as political difficulties among the coalition
partners remain areas of concern for investors and donors."

The platinum firm advised shareholders to "exercise extreme caution in
their share dealing due to the very uncertain conditions prevailing in
Zimbabwe."

During the period under review, the group recorded a US$5 million
operating profit, but said the dollarisation of the Zimbabwean economy from
February 2009 also resulted in an increase in costs previously denominated
in Zimbabwe dollars, the full impact of which was felt in the quarter under
review, the platinum firm said.

"Going forward however, the dollarisation and the fact that 100
percent of the ore will be coming underground will result in operating costs
being more stable and lower than current levels.

"Despite a marginal decline in volume of metal sold, revenue was 25
percent up on the previous quarter due to the steady increase in metal
prices during the period," it said. - ZimOnline

MDC-M Ambassador designate disappears from diplomatic course

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
7 August 2009

An MDC-M legislator nominated by his party to be the country's next
Ambassador to Senegal has gone absent without leave (AWOL), amidst reports
he could be having second thoughts about his diplomatic posting.

Siyabonga Ncube, the MDC MP for Insiza in Matebeleland South province had
been selected by his party for the ambassadorial job, to make room for Vice
President Gibson Sibanda to contest his seat.

Sibanda ceased to be a Member of Parliament following his failure to secure
a Parliamentary seat within the constitutionally-stipulated three months.
But he still continues to serve as Minister of National Healing,
Reconciliation and Integration, courtesy of the three principals to the
Global Political Agreement.

SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that five nominees, four from MDC-T and
one from MDC-M, on Monday began an intensive three month course on
diplomacy, run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

Reportedly, the Insiza MP attended the welcoming session on Monday but has
not been seen since. Contacted for comment the MP said; "I don't know
anything about that, but you can confirm with Parliament that I've been
attending parliamentary portfolio committee meetings since Tuesday. I think
it's another Ncube they're talking about."

But Frank Chamunorwa, a senior official from the Mutambara camp said they
were surprised to hear that Ncube has not been attending the diplomatic
course.

"No one from the party was aware that he's not been attending the course,
not even the party Presidency. We nominated him to make room for our
Vice-President to contest his seat, so it is news to us that he has
disappeared," Chamunorwa said.

There are reports in Harare that Ncube could have temporarily withdrawn from
the course to concentrate on obtaining a vehicle under a scheme organised
for parliamentarians.

"We've seen him since Monday running around in Harare trying to obtain a
vehicle for his own use through a scheme that allows MPs to buy vehicles on
loan from dealers in the capital," one MP told us.
While Ncube has gone AWOL, his colleagues from the MDC-T have been attending
the course.

The four are Hebson Makuvise who is the Ambassador designate to Germany and
was the MDC's chief representative to London. The other three are Jacqueline
Zwambila, a former advisor to Tsvangirai and last year's MDC losing
parliamentary candidate for Chegutu. She will be posted to Australia.

Another party stalwart, Hilda Mafudze, the former MDC MP for Manyame
constituency, is the country's next ambassador to Sudan, while little known
Khumbulani Mabed from Bulawayo is set for a posting in Nigeria.

Bullet in the post is price of power for an enemy of Mugabe

http://www.independent.co.uk

Threats will not stop the MDC's march to power, Zimbabwe's Finance Minister
tells Alex Duval Smith in Harare

Friday, 7 August 2009

Attempts by President Robert Mugabe's old guard to derail Zimbabwe's
democratic progress are mere "sulks from a dying breed", according to the
Finance Minister, Tendai Biti.

Mr Biti, who is also the secretary-general of the former opposition, the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), last week became the most high-profile
target of intimidation when he received a 9mm bullet and a death note at his
home. In what the MDC describes as a strategy to wipe out its parliamentary
majority, 12 of its MPs are facing a range of court cases and one has
already been jailed.

Dapperly dressed in a pale grey jacket, matching v-neck and trilby, Mr Biti
receives guests in a spartan ante-room to his 6th floor Finance Ministry
office in Harare. "There is no doubt that these are engineered prosecutions
intended to whittle down our parliamentary majority. The efficiency and
speed, the exuberance and energy with which they are being done is not
normal," said the former lawyer.

In the violence-marred elections of March 2008, Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC won
100 seats against 99 for President Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National
Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF). Ten seats went to the breakaway MDC of
Arthur Mutambara and one to an independent candidate. Mr Tsvangirai pulled
out of a presidential run-off, leading to months of negotiations and the
creation of a unity government. Mr Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister
in February this year.

The unity government remains hidebound and the transition is not running to
timetable. Yet Mr Biti insists that he believes in it. "As long as what I am
doing is helping Zimbabweans in their pursuit of happiness, I will not allow
us to be defeated. Those standing in the way of progress are a dying breed.
This is the winter of the long sulks. From time to time, they will try to
blow up a landmine. It's irritating but it's not going to work."

Inner-city Harare has an austere feel. In formerly upmarket blocks of flats
where residents once used washing machines, women do laundry in basins out
of doors. Rosebeds have become kitchen gardens. The finance ministry has
intermittent electricity with one working lift (out of six) but Mr Biti's
staff, like him, work late nights.

In the past six months he has begun rehabilitating the economy - chiefly by
abolishing the Zimbabwe dollar which was being run off the printing presses
at a rate rivalled only by the hyper-inflation that it created.

Now civil servants and crucially, the police and army, are paid in US
dollars, and have been given a pay rise. "From February until the end of
June, everyone was on $100 a month. Now there are grades. The bulk of our
teachers are earning $165, minus tax, which makes $155. MPs receive $180 per
month after tax and the Prime Minister and President are on $300."

He goes out of his way to point out that everyone earning money on the state
payroll is paying tax.

Mr Biti's successes have come as a result of moves that sidestep the
authority of the former printer-in-chief, the Central Bank governor, Gideon
Gono. But Mr Gono remains in his job, as does the attorney-general, Johannes
Tomana. A conference held last month to gather views on a new constitution
was halted by chanting and whistling Zanu-PF activists.

In rural areas, there are still reports of MDC supporters being assaulted
and Zanu-PF allegedly continues to attempt to control food distribution.
Senator Roy Bennett, Mr Tsvangirai's chosen deputy Agriculture Minister, who
is facing terrorism charges, is still waiting to be sworn in.

The MDC's strategy focuses on ushering in a new constitution as soon as
possible, ahead of elections that it believes it will win. But the
constitution will not be enough. "We need to make rural areas independent of
the state so they cannot be prone to patronage. We are going to spend $146m
(£87m) on seed packs and fertiliser so that rural people can produce up to
2.5 million tons of grain in the coming season.

"The next step, through a land audit, will be tenure rights so that people
are working on land they own," Mr Biti said. "White and black Zimbabweans
must have equal rights to own land. There will be a need to compensate white
farmers but we cannot afford to pay. We need the World Bank to come on board
so that no one can keep saying 'The British, the British'. That way we can
close the chapter of politicisation of land and graduate to it being an
economic issue."

Mr Biti understands the reticence of Western governments to re-engage with
the former British colony: "We are sending out mixed signals but I believe
European taxpayers will soon be able to look at us and say to their
governments 'There's an opportunity for democracy in that country. It's a
bankable prospect'. My job is to liquidate the toxic issues and craft a
programme that makes the governments want to come on board.

"If by the end of this government we have a new constitution, economic
stability, free media and a number of signature infrastructure projects,
then I think we will have done very well."

For now, however, it remains all too apparent that Zimbabwe has two centres
of power. When it comes to electricity, it is available for some things but
not others. Mr Biti uses his ante-chamber for interviews because he fears
his office is bugged. If there is high-tech wiring in his office, there is
none in the rest of the finance ministry. "I really must get a generator,"
he says.

The Big Question: Is it time for business, tourists and expats to return to Zimbabwe?

By Daniel Howden, Africa Correspondent

Friday, 7 August 2009

 

 

AFP/Getty

The Victoria Falls in north-west Zimbabwe, one of the most spectacular attractions in Africa

 

Why are we asking this now?

A gradual easing of restrictions on foreign journalists working in Zimbabwe was marked last week by the lifting of the reporting ban on the BBC and CNN. During the first six months of the unity government, harassment of the international media has diminished if not disappeared.

At the height of tensions, security forces were routinely arresting Western journalists and threatening them with up to two years in prison. In reality none were held for more than a month, while reporters from neighbouring Botswana and South Africa received much harsher treatment. The return of the BBC and other broadcasters will bring a welcome end to the theatrical "undercover" reports from Zimbabwe which often deflected attention from the daily misery of the living conditions they were meant to highlight.

There will be close scrutiny of the BBC's coverage to determine whether any editorial compromises were made to regain access. The strange double-speak employed by BBC officials to explain their deal with the administration was worrying because it stressed the importance of forgetting the last 10 years; this is something the Mugabe government would be delighted with but would poorly serve viewers. Strong independent voices such as the weekly Zimbabwean newspaper and the London-based SW Radio Africa remain excluded, although there are signs that may soon change.

Is it OK to go on holiday to Zimbabwe?

The strange nature of Zimbabwe's crisis meant it was never really unsafe to visit the country. The gradual collapse of a once robust economy and infrastructure never translated into any direct threat to foreign visitors. The cholera epidemic killed slum-dwellers, not tourists. The real question was whether tourists wanted to lend financial backing to a brutal regime. That ethical dilemma remains but most Zimbabweans would be in favour of tourists coming back. From the spectacular Victoria Falls to the vast and beautiful Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe ought to rival Kenya and South Africa for tourist income. The facilities on offer have suffered from a decade of neglect but the potential is vast and the welcome almost always friendly.

Is the economy finally recovering?

Despite the absurd posturing of the frankly ludicrous Deputy Prime Minister, Arthur Mutambara, who last month claimed that Zimbabwe would be in the G20 by 2015, the economy remains in tatters. Mr Mutambara's comments came at the announcement of a new luxury golfing and residential project in Warren Hills, Harare, which underlines the fact that, for now, the recovery has been felt by the rich, not the poor.

Harare is a paradise for Russian money-launderers, unscrupulous Western investors and Chinese mineral companies. The abandonment of the hyperinflated Zimbabwean dollar and the switch to the US dollar has flooded the country with imports, but these are only affordable to those with hard currency reserves. There are green shoots in the agricultural sector where tobacco production and seed sales have risen but real structural investment will have to wait for political stability. Zimbabwe's vast and well educated diaspora, thought to number more than four million people, has shown little inclination so far to return en masse. Along with the foreign donors, big mining interests and major food importers, they are waiting for evidence that the fragile recovery will not be sabotaged by the country's febrile politics.

Who are the winners and losers in the new Zimbabwe?

The biggest winners in the "new", power-sharing Zimbabwe are the ruling party cronies who enriched themselves over the past 10 years and are now being allowed to rehabilitate themselves as the country emerges awkwardly from international disgrace and isolation. The land-grabbers, militia bosses and plunderers of the central bank, including the governor Gideon Gono, are all still under the protection of the government and now free to spend their profits at home instead of crossing to South Africa to shop.

Zimbabwe's writers, musicians and poets, who are legion, are also capitalising on the new, freer atmosphere in the country; civil servants are earning a pittance but that is still more than they were one year ago. The losers remain the rural poor left adrift by the politically-motivated destruction of the agricultural sector and the urban unemployed who make up the vast majority of the people.

Has the political violence stopped?

No. Last Sunday, soldiers from the bodyguard of army chief Philip Sibanda assaulted the gardener of former opposition leader and now Finance Minister, Tendai Biti. The attack proved how bitter and personal the continuing political intimidation is. Protesters are still routinely beaten and Mr Biti's recent budget, which called for a reduction in expenditure by senior officials, prompted someone to send him a bullet in an envelope. The nominated Deputy Agriculture Minister, Roy Bennett, has received death threats which he says emanate from the President's office. Harare is now the court of two almost entirely separate and competing governments, each with its own antagonistic factions. Amid this chaos, members of the security services accustomed to complete impunity are pursuing their own agendas, acting as freelance thugs and settling scores against their critics. Without root-and-branch reform of the police and Central Intelligence Organisation, or a South Africa-style truth and reconciliation process, this will not change.

How is the unity government holding together?

Behind the facade of unity is a war of attrition that Robert Mugabe has been trying to win by arresting former MPs from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Some 14 MDC lawmakers face trumped-up charges ranging from assault to playing the wrong kind of music or stealing colleagues' mobile phones. Any convictions would trigger by-elections and potentially overturn the MDC's single-seat parliamentary advantage. MDC insiders speak of a junta that is still controlling the security apparatus and employing it to wreck any progress from the power-sharing administration. Mr Mugabe's role in this is unclear, they say, but the autocrat's intention to hold on to power at all costs is obvious.

What are the key battlegrounds?

The constitution – which Mr Mugabe has twisted to suit his own interests – is key to Zimbabwe's future. The MDC is determined to create a constitutional basis for an independent judiciary, the return of the rule of law and free and fair elections. The embattled Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, staggers on – humiliated after the driver of the truck that killed his wife and nearly him earlier this year in suspicious circumstances, was fined $200 for the incident. The former union leader has no power over security forces, the courts or the police but must use his leverage with the international community to win the constitutional battle and outmanoeuvre his opponent. That would be something that no other rival of the former school teacher Mr Mugabe, 85, has managed.

So should outsiders re-engage with Zimbabwe?

Yes...

* Zimbabwe is opening up to the world again starting with the broadcasters CNN and the BBC.

* Zimbabwe was always a wonderful tourist destination and now needs visitors to kick-start its recovery.

* Dollarisation has halted the precipitous inflationary slide and simplified potential investment.

No...

* Those who stand to profit from any economic recovery are the people who ruined it in the first place.

* There can be no proper economic recovery without real political freedom and consequent stability.

* Low-level, insidious political violence continues as the state undermines any signs of progress.

Humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe still grave, UN cautions

http://www.un.org

7 August 2009 - With not enough food to feed all 12.5 million Zimbabweans
and funding requirements to provide urgently-needed aid only half met, the
United Nations humanitarian arm today warned that the situation in the
Southern African nation remains acute.
Even with commercial imports, there will be a 180,000 ton cereal deficit for
2009-2010, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
said.

According to an assessment by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and Zimbabwean Government, only 1.4
million tons of cereal will be available domestically, compared to the more
than 2 million needed.

Even assuming that 500,000 tons will be imported, there will still be a
significant gap, OCHA warned.

The FAO-WFP assessment found that in spite of increased agricultural
production this year, with the maize crop to have more than doubled, high
food insecurity persists in Zimbabwe. This year's abundant rainfall has
resulted in the amount of maize harvested - 1.14 metric tons - recording a
130 per cent increase over 2008. But study warned that this winter's wheat
harvest is only expected to yield 12,000 tons, the lowest ever, due to the
high cost of fertilizers and seeds, farmers' lack of funds and the
unreliable electricity supply for irrigation.

Some 600,000 households will also be receiving agricultural help - supplied
by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and funded by 10 donors - in the
form of seeds, legumes and fertilizer, OCHA said today.

FAO suggested that additional resources be channeled into providing
top-dressing fertilizer, which is needed later than at seed planting, but
cautioned that it must reach farmers before the end of this November.

Only 47 per cent of the $718 million needed to assist Zimbabwe, less than
half has been committed to date, OCHA noted.

The funds are intended to boost access to clean water for 6 million people,
feed nearly 3 million people and assist 1.5 million children in getting
educations.

Currently, 22,000 children under the age of five in Zimbabwe are in need of
being treated for severe acute malnutrition, while maternal and child
under-nutrition is largely responsible for over 12,000 deaths, or one-third,
of all deaths of all under-five children.

OCHA reported today that while no cholera cases or deaths from the disease
have been reported in the country since early last month, nearly10,000
cumulative cases and over 4,200 deaths have occurred.

Aid agencies have been preparing for another outbreak by pre-positioning
emergency kits around the country.

Zimbabwe's Uncertain Future

http://www.voanews.com

The Following is an Editorial Reflecting the Views of the US Government


07 August 2009

The term "court fight" is taking on new meaning in Zimbabwe, where some
forces in Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party are looking to win from judges what
they lost at the ballot box in the last parliamentary elections in March
2008.

In what appears to be a campaign of politically motivated legal actions,
several lawmakers representing the Movement for Democratic Change, the MDC,
have been charged in recent months with a variety of crimes that require
them to leave office if they are convicted. The accusations range from the
serious  to the silly, with Finance Minister Tendai Biti facing a charge of
treason, to MP Stewart Garadhi's arrest for  playing a song allegedly unkind
to Mugabe.

Over 20 leading MDC officials and dozens of civil society members have been
dragged into court since the inception of the inclusive government.  Four
MDC lawmakers have been convicted of crimes that will cost them their
parliamentary seats if the appeals process does not overturn their
sentences. Further convictions of MDC members of parliament could threaten
the party's modest legislative majority, consolidating Mugabe's power and
allowing him to rule unilaterally again.

When the Global Political Agreement, or GPA, was signed in September 2008 to
solve Zimbabwe's long political crisis by forming a transitional government,
Zimbabwe's future was supposed to be different. There was new hope that by
putting politics aside and working together, the nation's leaders could
concentrate on restoring the nation's ruined economy, reopening schools and
rebuilding the shattered health care system. While there has been some
progress on the social and economic fronts, within some elements of Mugabe's
party the politics of revenge and intimidation persists and abuses of power
continue.

Under the cloak of change represented by the transitional government, Mugabe
has appealed to the international community for financial support and
development aid. ZANU-PF elements continue to violate both the letter and
the spirit of the GPA on many fronts. For its part, United States
reengagement and foreign assistance to Zimbabwe continue to depend on
progress toward genuine democratic reform by the transitional government.
However, urgently needed U.S. humanitarian assistance - for the people of
Zimbabwe - continues to flow.

A country on autopilot

From The Financial Mail (SA), 7 August

By Tony Hawkins

It's been six months since the "inclusive government" was formed. But have
there been noticeable systematic changes politically and economically?
Optimists have been disappointed while pessimists are relieved that the
fragile and fractious coalition has not only held together but achieved
modest progress on several fronts. The parties forced into a marriage of
convenience last September by the Southern African Development Community
(SADC), primarily at the instigation of former SA president Thabo Mbeki,
remain locked in a loveless embrace. So much so that any pretence that the
government is one of national unity has long been abandoned. Two of the
three parties - President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF and Arthur Mutambara's
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), a splinter group from the genuine
article, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC - want to keep the interim
government alive.

Both parties know they would face rout, possibly even extinction, if free
and fair elections were held. This is why Mutambara speaks of a five-year
term for the inclusive government, seemingly oblivious that the economy
cannot afford four more years of political procrastination and bickering.
Tsvangirai's MDC adopts a half-full, rather than half-empty stance.
Ministers and supporters claim progress, such as allowing the BBC and CNN
back into the country and unbanning the Daily News, which Mugabe's
government closed down years ago. The reconstitution of the media
commission, whose role under Mugabe was to license and persecute
journalists, also suggests that reform is moving forward. Last week's
inaugural meeting of the National Security Council is cited as evidence that
the MDC's incrementalist strategy is starting to pay dividends albeit at a
snail's pace.

Yet the growing number of Tsvangirai critics say his strategy reeks of
co-option. His repeated statements that he and Mugabe are working well
together ring hollow when a number of his MPs have been arrested on what the
party routinely calls "trumped-up" charges. Over the past two weeks, an MDC
deputy minister and a parliamentarian have been arrested - one for allegedly
stealing a cellphone belonging to Joseph Chinotimba, a Mugabe loyalist who
played a leading role in evicting white farmers from their land, and the
other for playing a song that "denigrated" Mugabe. Zanu PF is using its
control over the police and the attorney-general's office to systematically
wipe out the majority that Tsvangirai holds in parliament. His MDC has 100
of the 210 seats while Zanu PF has 99. Ten are held by the increasingly
irrelevant Mutambara's MDC, which is on the brink of implosion. In theory
then, Mugabe's "arrest strategy" could lead to by-elections and the
elimination of Tsvangirai's slim majority.

Eddie Cross, an MDC MP and Tsvangirai's adviser, reckons Zanu PF is planning
as many as 17 by-elections in remote rural constituencies to be held as
early as October. Cross says Mugabe's party "has activated the Joint
Operations Command structures in all provinces". Opinion polls, however,
suggest that Mugabe's support countrywide has collapsed to less than 10% of
the electorate. And if by-elections were to be called, Tsvangirai's MDC
would have a good chance of snatching some of Mutambara's seats in
Matabeleland, though this is not a foregone conclusion. Given the interparty
political shenanigans with the inclusive government and internal bickering
among all three parties, it is difficult to be optimistic about economic
prospects. It appears that the country is on auto pilot with no-one really
in charge. Finance minister Tendai Biti, rightly ruled out reviving the
Zimbabwe dollar, but two weeks later central bank governor Gideon Gono, a
Mugabe clone, theoretically answerable to Biti, said the country "must have
its own currency and autonomy in formulating fiscal and monetary policies".

Gono's mid-term monetary policy statement last week highlighted why the
inclusive government is unsustainable. There is no hint of remorse for his
devastation of the economy, his responsibility for last year's
hyperinflation and the consequential destruction of people's savings and
pension funds. Instead, with mind-blowing arrogance, he offers economic
advice to ministers. It doesn't help that a number of investment analysts
with the most superficial knowledge of the Zimbabwe business environment
claim that all is well and that the economy is booming. Biti, the MDC's
sharpest intellect by some distance, in his mid-term budget last month
forecast modest growth of 3,7% in 2009, based on an improbable 24% surge in
agriculture. This assumes that the current maize harvest will come in at 1,2
Mt, which farmer organisations reckon is probably double the actual size.
Mining output will fall a further 11% this year but manufacturing is
recovering, with capacity utilisation rising to between 30% and 50% - from
10% last year. The government expects growth to accelerate to around 6% next
year, though this forecast is qualified by two major downside risks - the
political climate and the possibility of adverse effects from El Nino on
farm production.

Another worrying issue is the state of the financial sector. Bank balance
sheets have shrunk by three quarters since 2004, courtesy of Gono. In light
of this scary number, it's hard to see how anyone can claim that a dramatic
economic recovery is under way, especially as exports tumbled 37% in the
first half of the year and the 2009 figure is likely to be the lowest since
the mid-1980s. Sadly, in all this debate about Zimbabwe's growth - for which
read recovery - scant attention is paid to the realities. Zimbabwe with a
GDP of about US$3,4bn is now the third-smallest economy in SADC. Per capita
incomes in the region of $300- $350/year mean the "average" Zimbabwean is
living in what the World Bank calls "extreme poverty", on less than
$1,25/day. Furthermore, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
predicting that the country will run a balance-of-payments deficit on
current account averaging over $1bn/ year for the next five years, recovery
will be stunted as a high percentage of domestic spending is siphoned out of
the economy in import spending.

Foreign debt of $4,8bn exceeds 150% of GDP, while $3,2bn arrears must be
settled by way of a debt-forgiveness package before the IMF and World Bank
are able to resume lending. There is little prospect of the donor community
providing desperately needed debt relief as long as Mugabe remains ensconced
in State House in Harare. This is why either prolonging the inclusive
government or a raft of by-election victories for Zanu PF - possibly both -
could jeopardis e the limited progress achieved so far. The good news is
that as much as Zanu PF tries, it won't be able to reverse the country's
current direction. Yet, while there is no going back to the bad old days
prior to the March 29 elections in 2008, there is plenty of evidence to show
that Mugabe and Zanu PF are not giving up without a fight despite the
ramifications for the people and the economy.

A letter from the diaspora

http://www.cathybuckle.com

7 August 2009

Dear Friends.
It is common to all cultures to honour the dead. There was one death in the
UK this week that united the British nation in respect for Harry Patch, the
111 year-old last remaining survivor of the horrors of the 'War to end all
wars': World War 1. Watched by thousands of ordinary people he was buried in
the ancient Wells Cathedral in Somerset. At his own request, the theme of
Harry Patch's funeral service was Peace and Reconciliation.
I was reminded of our own three days of National Healing in Zimbabwe and the
sad fact that very little peace or reconciliation seems to have come out of
that. But it was another event in the UK that reminded me even more strongly
of the necessity for people to come together in genuine - and I stress
genuine- reconciliation and true repentance if there is to be forgiveness
for the crimes of the past. This case involved one very different
individual, a convicted criminal, Ronnie Biggs, the Great Train Robber who
has been in prison for the past thirty years. He is an old man now, in fact
he will be 80 years old tomorrow and some weeks ago he was finally granted
parole by the prison authorities. In stepped the British Home Secretary, one
Jack Straw, and reversed the parole order on the grounds that Ronnie Biggs
had not shown 'true repentance' for his crime and still represented a threat
to society. It was hard to see how a sick 80-year old man could be a threat
to anyone, though it has to be admitted that it's not unknown for African
octogenarians to constitute a considerable threat to the lives and liberty
of their fellow citizens! Today, Jack Straw reversed his decision, 'on
compassionate grounds' he said and Ronnie Biggs will be a free man as he
celebrates his 80th birthday tomorrow. He has had three strokes and is
currently in hospital suffering from pneumonia so the celebrations are
likely to be somewhat muted, I'd say.
In Zimbabwe this week, another octogenarian, the Vice President Joseph Msika
died and will no doubt be yet another 'Hero' for burial in Heroes Acre. Not
much repentance for past crimes there either; none of the obituaries I have
read seem to have much good to say for the late Joseph Msika; his
'foam-flecked' rhetoric as it was described being for the most part nothing
but racist ranting with such expressions as 'Whites are not human' being
among the more memorable. I remember writing a piece for the Daily News at
the time wondering whether Msika had actually confused the two words,
'human' and 'humane' but whatever he meant, his intention was clearly to
stir up racial hatred. And no doubt, another octogenarian will have more of
the same to say when he addresses the faithful at Msika's burial ceremony in
Heroes Acre. We are all too familiar with Robert Mugabe's hate-filled
rhetoric. attacking whites, the west and all his other imagined enemies at
national occasions. What we can be certain of is that he will have little to
say about genuine peace and reconciliation. I hear that the Herald and the
ZBC/TV are being urged - or is it ordered - to use his full titles when
mentioning the Great Man. Perhaps they think that will make us respect and
honour him more?
I thought about that as I watched the video of Harry Patch when he visited
the war graves in France. There he sat, this frail old man in his
wheelchair, head bowed, surrounded by the graves of thousands slaughtered in
the 'War to end all wars.' The old man had just one simple question "What
did they die for?" he asked and I wondered. Does the 86 year old Robert
Mugabe, the Supreme Leader as they would have us call him, never ask himself
the same question? The 20-30 thousand Ndebele victims of Gukuruhundi, the 70
thousand innocent victims of Murambatsvina whose lives were virtually
destroyed, the ongoing starvation caused by his so-called Land Reform and
the brutality still being meted out against all his perceived enemies. What
are they dying for? We all know the answer: to keep Robert Mugabe in power.
But I wonder too, if each time he presides at yet another funeral of one of
his own contemporaries, the 86 year-old Mugabe is not reminded of his own
mortality. The Great Hero of the Liberation Struggle will also die one day,
in spite of all his cunning, not even he cannot escape the Grim Reaper. And
what will his epitaph be? In Shona culture the 'friend of the corpse', the
sawhira is there to make the people smile as they remember the deceased, to
ease the pain of their loss. What sawhira, I wonder, will give testimony to
Robert Mugabe's goodness and humanity, to his true heroism?
More reminders of human mortality from another continent and in another
culture but very relevant. In one particularly moving moment at Harry
Patch's funeral, an old friend turned and addressed the old man's
flag-draped coffin directly and spoke the simple words, "An ordinary man who
showed us true heroism. At long last, Harry, you can rest in peace."
Cultures are not so different, I think.
Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH.

JAG open letter forum - No. 656- Dated 6 August 2009

Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw

Please send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM - No..zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject line.

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1.  Theft Warning - Thea Cochrane

2.  First World Country -

3.  Serial Killer - Ann Hein

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1.  Theft Warning - Thea Cochrane

Dear Jag

Just a reminder to the public to be on their guard at all times.
Yesterday a lady was held up at gunpoint in the private yard of a
Doctor's surgery...amongst several other vehicles parked there, and her
handbag stolen. All very quietly done..and the car drove off. Just be on
your guard.

Yrs. Thea Cochrane.

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2.  First World Country

Hi Guys,  Guess Its okay here after all!!!!  Love as always.  Jilly

Subject: FIRST WORLD COUNTRY

For anyone who might feel a little down with the challenges of a third
world country, don't despair, things do not work in this first world
country.  Stay right where you are and enjoy the sunshine, laughter, and
great people.

Have a laugh!

Order a cheque book, yes, just a simple cheque book from HSBC.  It took
3,5 weeks,  9 visits to the bank and useless staff who find it hard to
understand English.

Try to change cash from pounds to USD at HSBC. It took 8 days, 4 visits
and 2,5 hours on the phone at HSBC.

Visits to Sir Donald at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (have heard
it's one of the top in London) were a nightmare.  Only 6 lifts to service
the ground floor, at any one time only 4 working. These lifts cater for
ALL visitors, ALL hospital staff and  ALL patients, including patients on
beds.  It took up to 15 minutes to get to the 4th floor.  There is no
access via stairs except for certain hospital staff.  Yes, no access via
stairs.  If there was a fire god help anyone!!!  So the next time you are
waiting for service just think of this place!!!

Sir Donald's left foot is painful, so sock put on allowing baby toe to be
free.  Sock not removed for approximately 5 days, on discharge day OOPS
they see gangrene!!  Can you imagine this type of neglect.  It takes at
least 5 days for a toe to turn that black!!!   Imagine not removing a
sock for at least 5 days, not even to wash the foot, AND patient is
consistently complaining about pain in foot.  Sir Donald is blind so he
had no idea his toe was black.  So much for one of the top hospitals in
London.  Roll on Avenues!

This is a country for IT IS TOOOOOOOOOOOOO..........
Too hot, too cold, too cloudy, too windy, everything is
too...................................  People are so miserable.  Thank
goodness we have people who smile in Zim despite the hardships.

Get on the Tube, don't smile, don't be happy, don't laugh.  If you chat
to anyone they think you are from another planet.  Thank goodness we have
cars to get around in and don't have to catch the trains.

Heat wave!!!  Get on the tube and the only way to describe this
experience is put a train on Kariba shore line at 32 degrees Celsius, put
50 people in it, ALL SAD PEOPLE and then to top it hardly any windows
open.   Man oh man are we lucky!!!

I am staying in a house possibly worth 6 to 10 million pounds which
belongs to Sir Donald's daughter.  I was so excited about moving away
from Sir Donald and getting some peace.  I raced upstairs threw my stuff
on the floor and jumped onto my bed.  Then a noise came, a shuddering
happened, oh my goodness TRAINS!!!!  Oh my goodness trains every 2 to 5
minutes.  A rattle in the room (a coat hanger in the cupboard), noise,
noise, shuddering, noise and so it goes on day and night.  Imagine paying
this amount of money to listen to trains.  Weird!  Give me Borrowdale
Brooke any day!!!!

Swine Flu, stay indoors, don't travel, YOU ARE ALL GOING TO GET IT.  This
is just a simple flu no worse than the normal flu.  But we must now
panic.  All rush for antibiotics, all rush to the doctors, all  rush to
the hospitals, overload the system so it cannot cope.  This country is
completely DYSFUNCTIONAL.

So when you despair just think about this first world country!

Have a lovely day and Just enjoy where you are!!!
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3.  Serial Killer - Ann Hein

Hello

Just to let you know that there is definitely a serial killer loose in
Gweru, and he seems to have it in for anyone connected to CFU officials.

So far: Bob Vaughn-Evans, CFU Regional Executive, killed with an axe in
the night

Then Ray van Rensburg, killed with an axe in the night

Now Bill Colleyne attacked in the night with a brick..luckily he has
survived.

All connected to CFU former Regional Chairmen.  Possibly this is a mere
coincidence.  Who knows?  When I catch him I get ten thousand dollars.

Ann Hein

JAG - farm situations communique - Dated 6th August 2009

Email: jag@mango.zw : justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw

JAG Hotlines: +263 (011) 610 073, +263 (04) 799410.  If you are in
trouble or need advice, please don't hesitate to contact us - we're here
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"unsubscribe".

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1.  UPDATE ON KARORI FARM - CHARLES LOCK

The violations on Karori Farm continue unabated as police refuse to act.

Armed soldiers of the ZNA have still prevented the delivery of any crops
from the farm.  There is 150 tons of tobacco and 500 tons of maize
waiting to be delivered but Mujaji insists that nothing will leave unless
Lock agrees to giving him the farm.  He has also shut down all operations
for the umpteenth time to try and force us to comply.  He has already
stolen our irrigation pipes and pumps which we cannot access or use and
has used the soldiers to prevent any equipment from leaving the farm.
The tobacco season is nearly over and still tobacco has not been
delivered for sale nor the maize in a country where maize is desperately
short.  The Unity Govt seems powerless to act on this lawlessness as the
army through sheer force are doing what they want for self enrichment.
What was once a highly productive farm seems will now become another
worthless dust bowl.