The disgraced former Bishop of Harare,
Nolbert Kunonga, lost another legal challenge on Monday, when the High Court
refused to entertain his latest application against the main Anglican Church
(CPCA).
Kunonga was seeking to block the CPCA from taking back the
properties he seized after he left the church in 2007. This was a move to
reverse last month’s ruling by the Supreme Court, which confirmed Bishop
Chad Gandiya as the legitimate Bishop of Harare. The court also ordered
Kunonga to return all the properties he had taken.
But in a brief
ruling Justice George Chiweshe said he had “no jurisdiction to entertain”
Kunonga’s latest application and no choice but to dismiss it with costs.
This was the second time the courts had ruled against the man known as
Mugabe’s Bishop, a reference to his public support of the ZANU PF
leader.
In his submissions Kunonga had also tried to politicise the
case, accusing the CPCA of calling for sanctions against Zimbabwe and
failing to support the country’s indigenisation laws.
Precious
Shumba, spokesman for Bishop Gandiya, told SW Radio Africa that this was an
attempt by the disgraced Bishop to appeal to ZANU PF sympathies and
politicise a matter that should have been purely for the church.
Shumba
said: “He attempted to invoke the so-called spirit of Zimbabwe to politicise
a purely church matter. Unfortunately his attempts were useless and hopeless
as they had no basis in law.
He added that Kunonga has been “forgiven but
must physically pay for the transgressions he committed against
Anglicans”.
The ex-communicated Bishop now faces the prospect of paying
for the CPCA’s legal bills and also paying all the bills that accrued on the
properties he had taken. Shumba said: “We are going to continue documenting
the magnitude of loss we experienced as a church to ensure that we send a
clear message to those who try to deprive us of our right to worship that we
have a God who fights for us,” Shumba said
The CPCA says some of the
buildings had become brothels and others were being rented out to different
churches and schools.
Shumba said Kunonga’s sidekick in Manicaland, Elson
Jakazi, had filed his own appeal against the Supreme Court decision that
confirmed Gandiya as the Bishop of Harare. Judgement was reserved in that
case on Monday.
“They had attempted to go back into church buildings and
rectories to repossess properties, but did not have eviction orders. Neither
had the appeal been heard. So it has now been heard and we await judgement,”
Shumba explained.
The court judgements against Kunonga have been
welcomed by the Anglicans, but there is still general suspicion about the
fact that the courts are suddenly appearing to abide by the rule of law.
Many are also wondering who it is in ZANU PF that has suddenly got it in for
the man the party has supported for so long.
By Fungai Kwaramba, Staff Writer Tuesday, 11
December 2012 11:54 HARARE - Prospects of a breakthrough in the
constitution-making process logjam hinge on today’s meeting between
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF and the two MDC formations led by Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Industry and Commerce minister Welshman
Ncube.
Mugabe, in agreement with Tsvangirai, has set up a special Cabinet
committee in order break the constitution impasse.
However, a meeting
that was scheduled for yesterday, failed to take-off after representatives
from the Tsvangirai-led MDC excused themselves in order to attend the
funeral of Home Affairs Minister, Theresa Makone’s daughter.
Paul
Mangwana, who is co-chairperson of the parliamentary constitutional
committee (Copac) said the meeting would be held today.
“The meeting
was postponed because our colleagues from MDC had gone to attend a funeral.
Delays can happen if you have a coalition government,” said
Mangwana.
The committee has seven members, with Eric Matinenga, minister
of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, as the convenor and
chairperson.
It also comprises three Cabinet ministers, Patrick
Chinamasa, the minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Priscilla
Misihairambwi-Mushonga, minister of Regional Integration and Cooperation,
minister of Finance Tendai Biti and the three Copac co-chairpersons Douglas
Mwonzora, Edward Mkosi and Mangwana.
The committee was set up at the
instigation of Mugabe after his party had brought its own draft constitution
that was castigated by coalition partners who said the amended draft
deviated from what people had said during the outreach programme.
At
the Second All-Stakeholders Conference held in October, Mugabe declared that
the Principals — himself, Tsvangirai and Ncube — would have a final say in
the constitution-making process and true to his word, the process is now in
the hands of the executive.
The whole constitution-making process has
been characterised by delays and deadlocks since it began in 2009, and
according to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) the process is two years
behind schedule.
Misihairambwi told the Daily News that the meeting had
been postponed because of the “tragedy” that had befallen the Makone
family.
“We are going to meet tomorrow (today),” said
Misihairambwi.
Mwonzora from the Tsvangirai-led MDC said they expect
movement after the meeting.
“Yes the meeting was postponed because of
the funeral but we hope that after tomorrow’s meeting, there is going to be
movement in the constitution-making process.”
A new constitution is
regarded by Sadc as the basic foundation for holding free and fair elections
which Mugabe is adamant would be held in March 2013.
No fundamental differences have emerged so
far in the COPAC verification exercise to synchronise the draft constitution
with views brought up during the second All-Stakeholders
conference.
A highly placed source told SW Radio Africa that a much
leaner COPAC management committee of seven people, appointed recently by the
principals to the GPA, met in Harare Tuesday and covered about 75 percent of
the issues in the new charter.
However, hurdles are expected to
emerge as the team tackles the more contentious issues, like
devolution.
‘They haven’t finished yet but they’ve covered 75 percent of
the work and they will meet Thursday to complete the exercise. What came out
of the Tuesday meeting is that there were no fundamental differences that
emerged, they almost agreed on everything,’ the source
added.
Meanwhile SADC regional leaders who met in Dar es Salaam for a two
day summit last week urged the political stakeholders to finalise the
constitutional process, including the referendum, before the holding of the
elections in 2013.
Dr Alex Magaisa, the head of the political unit in
the Prime Minister’s office, said one of the critical points emerging from
the SADC resolution is the fact that the next elections will only be held
following the conduct of the constitutional referendum.
‘The
referendum is the opportunity for the people to decide whether or not they
want the new constitution. Therefore, the debate over whether or not the
principals have a role in the process is marginal and a distraction because
ultimately, the people will have the platform at the referendum to accept or
reject the new constitution,’ Magaisa wrote on his Facebook page.
He
continued: ‘The constitutional process includes the referendum and the
expectation is that a referendum will be held as part of that process. The
GPA requires full implementation and no party should wilfully renege on its
undertakings.’
Dr Phillan Zamchiya, the regional coordinator for the
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said the SADC resolution has put paid Robert
Mugabe’s plans to call for elections before a new constitution is
adopted.
He said as members of the civil society organisations in
Zimbabwe they view the resolutions as ‘very progressive’ and that it has
been made clear SADC will not endorse an election without set out reforms,
including a new constitution.
‘Unless they want to risk the wrath of
SADC, ZANU PF, who are known to be risk takers, might call for elections
without these reforms but that would be suicidal,’ Zamchiya said.
HARARE -
A special summit of southern Africa’s regional body Sadc called on President
Jacob Zuma to immediately help resolve disagreements over a new Zimbabwe
constitution threatening to disrupt a roadmap to a fresh election.
Zuma —
Sadc’s point man in the Zimbabwe dialogue — tabled a progress report on the
constitution reform process at the Tanzania summit last weekend.
Tanzania
is the current chair of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security
Cooperation, while South Africa and Namibia also make up the
troika.
Zuma tabled the report at the Sadc Troika summit two weeks
after his facilitators concluded a meeting with negotiators from the three
parties in the Zimbabwe coalition.
Lindiwe Zulu, Zuma’s international
relations advisor, told the Daily News yesterday that the two-day
extraordinary Sadc summit — called to discuss the DRC conflict, Zimbabwe
crisis and Madagascar conflict — asked the South African leader to help
Zimbabwean principals conclude the constitution-making process, hold a
referendum and implement electoral reforms before the next harmonised
elections.
“President Jacob Zuma tabled a progress report in line with
the Maputo resolution to the heads of state in relation to the constitution
where there has been progress or where there has been no progress,” Zulu
said.
“With regards to the deadlock, they urged Zuma to assist the
parties to break the deadlock.
Heads of state urged Zuma to assist
the Zimbabwe principals, and considered the fact that the GPA ends
somewhere, and encouraged parties to complete the constitution and put it to
referendum before election.
Zuma was urged to assist and ensure the GPA
is implemented.” - Gift Phiri, Politics Editor
11/12/2012 00:00:00 by
Dumisani Sibanda & Khanyile Mlotshwa I NewsDay
MDC leader
Welshman Ncube Monday rejected maneouvers by the MDC-T to forge an election
pact ahead of next year’s polls and took a swipe at Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai for calling him a “village politician”.
MDC-T
secretary-general Tendai Biti at the weekend said his party was eager to see
opposition parties forming an electoral pact to unseat President Robert
Mugabe and Zanu PF.
Biti told New Zimbabwe.com in England that
Tsvangirai’s failure to win the Presidency in the last elections was due to
the failure to work with Ncube’s party.
But Ncube — who says he was
disappointed by the collapse of talks to re-unite the MDC formations on the
eve of the 2008 polls — appeared to take offence at Tsvangirai’s recent
statements dismissing him as a village politician.
“How can villagers
unite with royalty? Tsvangirai said we are villagers a few days back and he
is royalty,” Ncube, who is also the Minister of Industry and Trade, quipped
when asked about Biti's call.
“We are MDC and we won’t have pacts. We
stand alone because what we stand for is different from what other parties
stand for.” Last Friday, Ncube told NewsDay that a “genetic predisposition
for hatred of a group of people” inspired Tsvangirai’s attacks against
him.
The PM told his supporters in Lupane recently that Ncube was a
regional leader and he should rise above that if he entertained any hopes of
being President of this country.
“As a matter of fact, we are working
throughout the country, every village, every district,” Ncube said. “He
(Tsvangirai) is misinformed when he says we are only having meetings in
Matabeleland North. When we held our congress we said we would cover
everywhere, every river, as long as it is within our
boundaries.
“Those who want can wallow in the self-delusion that this is
not what we are doing. Let’s wait for election day.”
He said the MDC
was holding rallies in other parts of the country besides
Matabeleland.
“There are people who like to speak more about the
individual than the subject,” Ncube said. “There are some people who have
an inherent hatred for a particular group of people. They cannot see that we
are everywhere. When they look at Ncube they don’t see a Zimbabwean, but a
Matabele.”
He said some people did not believe a Ndebele should “aspire
for national office”.
“It is bigotry,” Ncube said. He said other
than “bigotry”, it was difficult to imagine why he was being blocked from
being one of the principals in the inclusive government.
The Southern
African Development Community — which is one of the guarantors of the Global
Political Agreement which gave birth to the inclusive government —
recognises Ncube as a principal.
On Twitter, Ncube said although
belittled, his party had a “genuine” chance of winning next year’s
harmonised elections beyond the Matabeleland region that is viewed as its
stronghold.
In a series of tweets in response to a question on his
party’s chances, Ncube said the MDC had grown nearly three times from the
last election.
“We had 10% of the vote (in the last election),” he said.
“All would agree we have grown since then, perhaps doubled or tripled. The
previous election had the lowest voter turnout, and many didn’t even know
basics like who MDC or MDC-T was.
“All that considered, one can
easily conclude our current support is between 30 and 35%, or even more. On
the other hand, most people would agree both Zanu PF and MDC-T have lost
support.
“So they could be anywhere between 30 and 40%. “Either way,
there is only a few percentage points difference between MDC, MDC-T and Zanu
PF. So only a few percentage points will decide who wins or is part of the
runoff and things can still change before elections.
“We genuinely think
we have a good shot at winning that election.” Ncube added that inviting
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to lead the MDC was a mistake.
The Masvingo council could face total collapse soon, after
a number of council assets, including garbage and fire trucks, were seized
as part of a legal battle with workers.
The asset seizures are part
of a dispute over unpaid salaries, with the council ordered to pay US$3.5
million to its workforce. The Zimbabwe Urban Council Workers’ Union, on
behalf of the workers, recently obtained an arbitral award ordering the
council to pay its workers. Removal of council property started last
Wednesday, as part of plans to auction the assets to fund the court ordered
payment.
The council is now without key items that have left it
paralysed. This includes water and sewerage equipment, already raising fears
of an outbreak of waterborne diseases like typhoid.
Other property
attached in the case has included vehicles, office furniture and computers,
including those used by top council officials. This also includes the
Mayor’s Mercedes Benz sedan.
The assets seizure comes as the MDC-T
Masvingo Urban district executive and the Masvingo Town Council have
‘intensified’ efforts to weed out corruption and maladministration within
the city council.
Several meetings have been convened in a bid to
identify corrupt elements within the MDC-T-led council, while the party
district executive has also resolved to come up with a commission of inquiry
to handle issues of corruption within the city council.
Provincial
spokesperson Harrison Mudzuri told SW Radio Africa that corruption was a
serious issue that the party “in no way supports.” He said that any
incidents of corruption will be dealt with swiftly, regardless of party
affiliation.
The South African Police Services (SAPS) is facing
criticism for using tear gas to control a restless group of travellers at
the border with Zimbabwe, amid warnings that the crackdown on cross border
migration between the two countries is intensifying.
SAPS members at
the Beitbridge border fired tear gas last Friday morning where queues of
mainly Zimbabwean citizens had been waiting several hours trying clear
immigration control. It has been reported that some of the travellers
started jumping the queue, resulting in rising anger among the already
impatient crowd.
Police officer commanding Beitbridge district, Chief
Superintendent Lawrence Chinhengo, said this weekend that the incident was a
great cause for concern.
“This was a very unfortunate incident. We
are not happy with the method our counterparts used to control queues and
have since communicated to them that we need to have an urgent bilateral
meeting to iron out the issue. There are better ways to manage people rather
than the tear smoke. It is of paramount importance that we meet and find
better ways to control crowds during this festive season,” he
said.
Police say they have had to step up border controls in Beitbridge
because around 40 percent of Zimbabweans deported from South Africa over the
past year eventually return. Recent statistics say that an estimated 43,000
Zimbabweans have been deported since last October.
Diana Zimbudzana
from the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum said the tight controls at the legal crossing
at Beitbridge are a result of South Africa’s “intolerance” with
Zimbabweans, who continue to seek economic refuge across the border.
Zimbudzana said South Africa needs to rethink its immigration policies and
start putting their much-touted ‘spirit of Ubuntu’ into
practice.
“The number of border crossing are increasing because
there’s a reason for it. The situation back home is still causing people to
leave. And there will be an influx come the next elections. But South Africa
is not doing all it can to help Zimbabweans,” Zimbudzana said.
She
said that the country is clamping down on immigration using ‘unofficial’
policies that make it difficult for foreign nationals to secure either
asylum or immigration papers. Part of this campaign has been the closure of
refugee reception offices across the country.
“But you can’t prove
that this is official policy so there is almost nothing you can do about
it,” Zimbudzana said.
She added that, while the immigration controls at
the border have strengthened, there is no control of criminal activity at
the borders. It is understood that an estimated 10 foreign nationals, mainly
Zimbabweans, are raped every day while crossing the border. Criminal gangs
also continue to take advantage of the hundreds of border crossers risking
the jump every day, robbing and assaulting people.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012 12:27 HARARE -
The Zimbabwe government should make concerted efforts to guarantee a
credible referendum and election to pave way for total reunion with the
European Union (EU) bloc, the top EU envoy said yesterday.
Aldo
Dell’Ariccia, the head of EU Delegation, was speaking in a Human Rights Day
address commemorated under the theme ‘‘Inclusion and the right to
participate in public life’’.
Though Ariccia applauded parties to the
Global Political Agreement for working towards fulfilling the dictates of
the pact, he however, said unrestricted reengagement is only possible if
Zimbabwe fulfills its commitments and allow democracy to
prevail.
“The steps taken since the formation of the Government of
National Unity to improve the freedom and prosperity of Zimbabwean people
are encouraging. The decision to suspend the EU appropriate measures in July
this year represented a major shift in the EU approach and we are keen to
move further towards normalised relations,” said Ariccia.
The EU bloc
this year dropped dozens of individuals and companies from its sanctions
regime.
“In this regard, we look to the Government of National Unity to
make every effort to conclude the constitutional process, and to take the
necessary steps in the preparation for credible and peaceful elections,” he
said.
Notable progress has been made towards the writing of a new
constitution.
Ariccia called on government to prioritise trade and
investment partnerships to grow Zimbabwe’s economy.
“With the
ratification of the interim economic partnership agreement in May this year,
Zimbabwean businesses enjoy tax and quota free trade with Europe, and we are
working to attract attention of more business in Europe,” he said.
EU
high representative Catherine Ashton said this year’s theme blends well with
the prevalence of transitional governments worldwide. She commended
countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Sierra Leone and Egypt for organising
record breaking democratic elections.
Burma and Somalia were
applauded for allowing crucial political reforms to take
place.
Ashton however, said her organisation was aware of renewed efforts
by governments to end the watchdog dog role of non-governmental
organisations — “especially those but not exclusively those that receive
external funding.”
“Yet much needs to be done to support those who risk
their lives in support of the fundamental values they believe in and in the
hope of a better future for themselves and future generations. The EU is
committed to supporting the vital work of civil society,” she
said.
The bloc has established the European Endowment Fund for Democracy
as an expression of commitment to support democracy. - Wendy Muperi
CHIEFS council president Fortune
Charumbira has drawn the ire of the MDC after declaring that traditional
chiefs and Zanu PF are “inseparable.”
Charumbira told the Zanu PF
national conference in Gweru at the weekend that traditional leaders will
actively campaign for the party in the forthcoming elections.
The
Global Political Agreement (GPA) proscribes political involvement by
traditional leaders and demands that they not “engage in partisan political
activities at national level as well as in their communities.”
Yet,
the chiefs’ council has never veiled its inclinations towards Zanu PF, and
at times expressed outright contempt for the MDC and other political
parties.
MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora condemned Charumbira’s
statements calling him a “sycophant.”
“Chief Charumbira is simply
being sycophantic, and is trying to ingratiate himself with Zanu PF,” said
Mwonzora. “It’s a cheap publicity-seeking stunt. He is a victim of Zanu PF
paternalism. Chiefs are supposed to be impartial and apolitical; there is no
need to append them to a political party.”
He added: “The problem with
making chiefs political is that an individual political subject will not
look at a chief as such, but will look at a chief as a political opponent,
either as Zanu PF, a representative of Mugabe or of a system they may or may
not like, so it is unfair, it is not right.”
Nhlanhla Dube, spokesman for
the MDC wing of Welshman Ncube also dismissed Charumbira as a desperate Zanu
PF surrogate whose views are not representative of all traditional leaders
in the country.
“The comments are emanating from a Zanu PF functionary,
they are not comments that will emanate from all the other chiefs whom we
know are nonpolitical, whom we know want to subject Zimbabwe to fairness and
transparency, honesty and democratic system,” Dube said.
“What chief
Charumbira has said is obvious of a man that could not succeed in anything
in life except in those spaces where he sings for his supper and
unfortunately his supper comes from Zanu PF. So he must cock-crow for his
supper at any given opportunity.
“It is a sad reality of how chiefs
have been abused by those that seek to speak on their behalf, but we know
certainly that there are many more chiefs that do not think in the same way
as Charumbira.”
Zanu PF has managed over the years to buy the loyalty of
some village heads and chiefs with expensive handouts including luxury cars,
monthly allowances and free maize seed.
Zimbabwean churches in Matabeleland are expected
to stage peaceful protests in Bulawayo Thursday against increasing cases of
corruption in the country which was recently rated by Transparency
International as the most corrupt nation in the Southern African
region.
The campaign was first launched in Harare last Saturday by
various heads of Christian denominations who want to end corruption among
poor people worldwide.
It was meant to coincide with the
International Ant-Corruption Day that was observed on December 9.
One
of the organisers of the event, Reverend Useni Sibanda of the Zimbabwe
Christian Alliance, said the churches will be accompanied by the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission.
Participating church organisations
include the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Council of
Churches, Zimbabwe Christian Alliance and various apostolic faith
denominations.
Reverend Sibanda said corruption has become an undesirable
culture in Zimbabwe.
He said: “The church needs to shine its light on
the world and put the spotlight on corruption.”
In its 2012
Corruption Perception Index, the organisation said the country scored 20
points out of 100, an indication that it has high cases of
corruption.
The index is presented on a scale from zero (highly
corrupt) to 100 (clean). Zimbabwe was ranked 163 out of 176 assessed
nations, making it the most corrupt nation in the Southern African
Development Community region.
According to Transparency International,
Somalia and North Korea are the world’s most corrupt countries while Denmark
and Finland are seen as nations with the least cases of corruption.
The national deputy chairman of the MDC-T, Morgan Komichi,
is hoping to launch a campaign against political violence and intimidation,
to ensure next year’s elections are organized without destruction of life
and property.
The deputy Transport Minister seeks to launch the
campaign in Sanyati in the Midlands province, in an effort to try to avoid
violence flaring up between rival political parties. He explained that his
crusade will ensure the district does not witness a repeat of the violence
witnessed in the 2008 elections.
Komichi told SW Radio Africa on
Tuesday that he would also ask the ZANU PF MP for the constituency, Fungai
Chaderopa, to demand violence-free campaigns in the area. A resurgence of
inter-party violence in Sanyati saw an MDC-T activist lose her home last
week when it was torched by suspected ZANU PF supporters.
A widow and
mother of eight, Senzeni Hove of Village 33 in Madzivaenzou, is lucky to be
alive after the hut she was sleeping in was set ablaze. She managed to
escape and made a report at Kadoma central police station.
Komichi
confirmed the incident and said he had been assured by the member-in-charge
that investigations had been launched in the attempted murder case. But
there are renewed concerns that tensions could spread to other parts of
Sanyati and the province, hence Komichi’s attempt to try and encourage
people to be peaceful.
Komichi is eyeing to unseat Chaderopa in next
year’s elections. He will be in the constituency to celebrate his recent
appointment as a deputy minister next week Thursday and Saturday and to
preach the gospel of peace.
Chaderopa gained notoriety in her
constituency in the run up to the 27th June presidential run-off elections,
through her heavily militarized perpetration of political violence in the
constituency.
Komichi said his initiative seeks to expose politicians who
adopt any form of violent campaign tactics leading to elections in 2013. He
said although the 2013 presidential and parliamentary elections are still
months away, the peaceful and violence-free elections should be the
responsibility of all Zimbabweans.
‘We need to remind both from ZANU
PF and MDC of the horrible effect of violence, destruction of life and
property. I will ask the local MP to take some action or implement Mugabe’s
call to desist from violent electioneering.
‘All efforts must be
created by the state, non-political and political actors to clear the
hurdles of any intended anarchy to mar the elections and plunge the nation
into chaos,’ he said.
The minister said building peace is a collective
responsibility. He said he will encourage citizens, civil society
organizations, youth groups, the media and stakeholders of Zimbabwe to work
together to name and shame all politicians who incite the public to
violence, for their political interest.
Police in Gweru Monday banned three performances of the play
The Coup which is currently touring the country.
This is the second
time that the law enforcement agents have banned the play. Police in Bindura
were the first to place a ban on the play stating that it was
“political”.
A request for clearance of the shows was sent on November 22
and when the team arrived in Gweru on Monday afternoon to prepare for the
performance they were informed that the show was not cleared.
The
reason given was the Police Internal Security Intelligence officer Marengere
wanted to first view the recording of the play before he can issue the
clearance.
Marengere wanted to perform the duty of the Censorship Board
which goes through the content of any artistic work before they issue a
certificate. The duty of the police is to maintain peace and order during
public performances and not to censor artists.
The play was supposed
to be performed at Lounge Bar on Monday at 5:30pm followed by another
performance at Fairhill Farm on Tuesday at 1 pm and the last show at the
Midlands Hotel at 5:30pm.
On Sunday the play was successfully performed
at Amakhosi Cultural Square without any incidence. Over 70 people watched
the play in Bulawayo.
“We are deeply worried by the continued suppression
of artistic freedom and expression by the police who in this case are not
the authority over any artistic work. The very same police force operating
under the same Zimbabwean laws allowed the play to go on in
Bulawayo.
It is high time that artists in this country unite and speak in
unison against this unwarranted interference by the police. We will continue
lobbying the Police General Headquarters to issue a generic clearance letter
that covers all the provinces in the country,” said Daves Guzha
This
entry was posted on December 11th, 2012 at 11:53 am by Bev Clark
Think Africa Press has obtained a series of videos which appear to show
political intimidation and violence against MDC supporters by ZANU-PF.
VIDEO | 7 DECEMBER 2012 - 4:19PM
Think Africa Press
has obtained a series of videos, which appear to show various forms of political
intimidation by members of the ruling ZANU-PF party in
Zimbabwe.
In the first video,
taken in January 2012 in Budiriro, Harare, a ZANU-PF official tells the
villagers gathered that: “With ZANU-PF meetings, whether you want to or not, as
long as you stay around here you have to attend”. The speaker goes on to suggest
that if someone does not attend, they ought to leave the area.
The second video
exposes Newton Kachepa, MP for Mudzi North, discussing violence against people
who belong to the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). “You
say ZANU-PF kills? It doesn’t kill. If you provoke it, it destroys”, he tells a
group of ZANU-PF supporters. We also see a man claim that Kachepa boasted about
killing opponents and threatened that he could be next. Later, the film shows
300 ZANU-PF members confronting an MDC rally of 70 people in which one MDC
supporter was killed and seven more severely injured.
The final video
shows more political intimidation at a ZANU-PF gathering in which supporters are
warned: “If they [MDC] come here and you, as a ZANU-PF member, participate – I
promise, I will beat you…If you participate, we will get hold of
you”.
By Ndakaziva Majaka, Staff Writer Tuesday, 11
December 2012 12:30 HARARE - President Robert Mugabe’s threats that he was
going to crackdown on corruption is cheap talk aimed at currying favour with
the electorate ahead of elections next year, analysts said
yesterday.
The bombast delivered at the 13th national people’s conference
to deal with corrupt ministers and cops was a desperate appeal for
much-needed votes, they said, adding Mugabe should have mentioned what
exactly he was going to.
Pedzisayi Ruhanya, director for Zimbabwe
Democracy Institute, said Zanu PF depends on corruption for survival, thus
getting rid of corruption is not practical as it will wipe the party from
existence.
“Zanu PF as an institution is corrupt starting with Mugabe
himself. When it comes to elections, he pretends to be transparent when he
is not. If he was serious, he could have resolved his Cabinet long back,” he
said. He also cautioned the public not to be too optimistic as they could be
in for a rude awakening.
“What he said was simply cheap talk and
anyone who takes him seriously is bound to be disappointed,” the analyst
said. “If Mugabe really means it, he should execute that now, what he said
was a matter of vote buying so that commuters and commuter omnibus operators
get lured with his speech. In fact that was a corrupt speech,” he
added.
Another analyst Alexander Rusero also blasted Mugabe’s utterances
as a poor vote buying scheme. “There are two approaches we can take on
this issue, the first one is that we are looking at an 89-year-old leader
who is desperate to get power ahead of the much talked about election,” said
Rusero.
“With the magnitude of corruption in the country, what the leader
said was simply much ado about nothing, the country is bankrupt but some
Zanu PF individuals are rich, some of them are even the richest in the
region despite Zimbabwe being one of the poorest countries in the region,”
the analyst observed.
He said the backbone of Mugabe’s power is
corruption, and as such he has resorted to cheap talk for survival.
“Corruption makes him survive politically. That speech was mere cheap talk
to a Zanu PF audience and the generality of Zimbabwe, there are many
corruption scandals that were never dealt with, for example the Noczim, GMB,
and Air Zimbabwe,” he said.
He said it was possible, however, for Mugabe
to fire the top police brass because they contributed almost 75 percent to
soiling of Zanu PF’s status.
“The police no longer command authority as
they used to do before. Senior police officers can be fired because they are
just an extension of power and once they are fired they can be replaced
looking at the levels of unemployment in Zimbabwe,” Rusero said.
The MDC is appalled
by the blatant yellow journalism and gross misinformation in the Herald of
today (11/12/12) that the MDC National Executive met in Bindura at the
weekend purportedly to clear internal problems over the role of principals
in the Constitution making process.
For the record, no such meeting by
the Executive took place in Bindura since the President was out of the
country on a visit to Kenya on official business.
Secondly there has
never been any internal problem regarding the issue alluded to in the Herald
to warrant an Executive meeting.
The MDC implores the Zanu PF mouthpiece,
the Herald and its journalists, to verify their stories first before
publishing. The unprofessional conduct as exuded by the Herald is certainly
not consistent with ethics guiding the conduct of journalists and is
therefore unacceptable.
The good thing about the people of Zimbabwe is
that they will never be swayed by Zanu PF or their propaganda mouthpieces
into believing their lies. Zimbabweans have soared way above petty
politicking and have diverted their attention to the real issues of pushing
for a new constitution to be nationally adopted.
The media industry and policy
makers in the United Kingdom (UK) are currently engaged in a very serious
debate concerning press regulation. This follows the publication of the
Leveson Enquiry on Culture Practice and Ethics of the Press report at the
end of November this year. As it turns out, the report recommends, among
other things, a shift from self to independent regulation of the press
underpinned by statutory obligations.
It is a recommendation that has the
support of a good number of politicians in that country’s Parliament as well
as that of the majority of the victims of News of the World newspaper’s
phone hacking scandal. The significance of the Leveson report will
inevitably be felt beyond the borders of the UK, given the fact that a lot
of governments in the world have the undemocratic tendency of continually
seeking ways of restricting free media in one way or the other. And for some
of these governments, where better to look than the UK, a progenitor of
Parliamentary democracy.
The same report will also be the subject of
debate among media owners, editors, journalists unions and associations but
not for the same reasons as those of governments. This is because many in
the media, including UK based editors, may find the major recommendation of
a statutory underpinning to independent regulation more retrogressive than
progressive. And this could be because of the generally predatory instincts
of the states where and when it comes to stymieing access to information and
compromising investigative journalism. Many in the media would feel that
like the proverbial camel outside the tent, once the state gets its head
into the media tent, it will eventually come to repressively occupy the
space of media freedom.
In the world of media academics (legal and social
sciences) all of this makes for interesting new academic ‘fodder’ around the
complex issue of regulating freedom of expression particularly so with the
expansion of the internet and the decreasing distinction between electronic
and print media.
This now somewhat global debate on media regulation will
also come to affect Zimbabwe but, again, not necessarily for the same
reasons cited above. The fact that Zimbabwe has dual regulation of the media
(both state and voluntary) means the debate may become couched in the
language of protecting ‘turfs’ and seeking to justify the progressive
existence of one system over the other. It would however be instructive for
the example of the Leveson enquiry not to be taken at face value nor out of
context given the repressive media circumstances obtaining in
Zimbabwe.
Where the Zimbabwean media industry and its associated
stakeholders must initially draw the lesson from the press regulation debate
in the UK, it must do so on the basis of understanding the freedom of
expression, media freedom and access to information culture that informs
that same country. The issue in the UK is not necessarily what was written
or published by the media but how information was obtained illegally and
without due attention to the right of individuals to privacy. It was not
about the media insulting the Queen or that country’s Prime Minister, and
where the police laid charges against the editor of the News of the World,
it had limited little with intending to either close down that paper by
force or harass them for a story that undermined the ‘state security
services’.
It is also important to tread carefully with the
recommendations of the Leveson enquiry when comparing it with what obtains
in Zimbabwe because our statutory media regulation laws point to the
criminalisation of the media in and of itself. Where the British laws that
led to the criminal charging of journalists are not targeting the contents
of a news story but the method in which information was acquired, Zimbabwe’s
lawsseek to criminally address the content of the story and arrest the
editor and journalist who wrote the same. And this is inclusive of the
criminalisation of our libel laws where journalists are arrested upon
someone filing a police report about a story he/she deems slanderous to
their person.
Further still, in Zimbabwe we must learn to address issues
relating to the media and its regulation within a framework that understands
the fundamental importance of freedom of expression, access to information
and media freedom if we are to build a democratic society. This means that
the best lesson we must take from the Leveson enquiry in the UK is not so
much a self righteous (if you support state regulation and criminalisation
of the media) or self immolation (if you support self regulation of the
media). It should be that where we seek to review media regulation in
Zimbabwe we must have a de-politicisied debate that skirts the mistakes of
the past and the progressive undertakings of the Zimbabwean media such as
the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ).
And we must
acknowledge that the past and current relationship between the state and the
media in Zimbabwe has been a completely undemocratic one. Especially where
the state has been playing the role of the repressive persecutor of the
media and accentuating a culture of impunity against journalists. Where one
recalls the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and how it
has been retained even by the inclusive government, one can only realise
that our own debate around media freedom and or its regulation remains
stymied by the over-politicisation of freedom of expression and media
freedom related issues by our government. Even moreso considering the fact
that policy makers still insist on bureaucratizing freedom of expression by
retaining a constitutional media commission and a myriad of other media
related statutory bodies that treat the same right with disdain.
To
conclude, it is important to understand the context within which the Leveson
Report in the UK is being debated. Especially where we seek to compare it
with our own statutory and voluntary regulatory system here in Zimbabwe. We
must strive as far as is possible to ensure the ushering in of a democratic
culture around freedom of expression and media freedom before we start
trying to emulate or take lessons from Leveson. This would begin by
repealing AIPPA and the many other laws that impinge on media freedom and
freedom of expression. Where we seek to review media laws we must not be
prisoners of opportunism and political expediency. Instead we must do so on
the basis of the democratic principle and understanding the freedom of
expression and media freedom are the cornerstone of any serious
democracy.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his capacity as Executive
Director of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)
Loughty
Dube Programme Officer -Advocacy and Complaints Voluntary Media Council of
Zimbabwe
Our blog today is a summary of our latest report on the effects of
political violence experienced in schools and especially the effects on children
who witness this violence:
“In a crisis, education is the strongest investment that can be made to
reduce poverty.”
-Carol Bellamy, Chair for the Global Partnership for Education
There has been increasing international debate on what role the state plays
in facilitating or promoting the right to education, and, more recently, in
states in crisis. This latter development is due to growing evidence that
attacks have been directed on education – schools, teachers, and pupils – by
governments themselves or insurgents aspiring to take over government. In
Zimbabwe, attacks on education have been recorded from the struggle against
colonial rule, where schools provided recruiting grounds for freedom fighters.
However, in post independent Zimbabwe, the attacks have been directed at
teachers, either directly or indirectly. Education has been both politicised and
militarised by the setting up of militia bases in schools, attacking teachers,
and exposing pupils to violence.
The impact of the attacks can have serious long-term consequences.
Politically motivated violence against teachers does not only affect the
teachers in person, but affects the prospects of better communities in general
and the nation at large. The Research and Advocacy Unit, in collaboration with
the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), conducted a national survey
in 2010 to document teachers’ experiences with elections. This culminated in two
reports, “Every school has a story to tell: Preliminary Report of a study on
teachers’ experiences with Elections in Zimbabwe” and “Political Violence and
Intimidation of Zimbabwean Teachers”. The reports identified the profile of
perpetrators of violence, and the types of attacks teachers had to contend with,
including attacks in front of school children. In some embarrassing cases, the
children were given whips to beat the teachers. Important to note from the
findings is the politicisation of education as well as militarisation by setting
up militia bases in schools.
This paper contends that the long term impact of violence is now being
experienced and has affected the quality of education in Zimbabwe. For instance,
schools in the rural areas that have experienced high levels of violence have
continuously failed to attract qualified teachers and are increasingly manned by
temporary teachers. The pass rates have not been pleasing with some schools
recording zero percent pass rates in public examinations. Some of the more
direct effects of attacks on teachers include closure of schools, as happened in
2008 when 94% of all rural schools were reported to have closed as teachers fled
attacks. Even when schools don’t close, attendance is affected, with the impact
felt more by girl children. When militia bases are set in schools or within the
proximity of schools, they pose real and potential danger of pupils to abuse,
especially rape or sexual abuse of girls.
There is ample evidence that exposing children to political violence can
have serious effects on the mental and social adjustment of children, and some
of the possible consequences are outlined in this report. As regards social
adjustment, it is important to note the possible impact of violence in
engendering a culture of violence for the future of Zimbabwe: exposure to
violence, especially by other youth can inculcate both a tolerance of violence
and even future participation in violence. Thus, by exposing children to
violence, the psychological and social consequences for the nation can be highly
undesirable.
Accordingly, a number of recommendations are made. The recommendations are
drawn from the previous reports by the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ), and are re-stated as there has been little or no acknowledgement by the
Inclusive Government of the need to address the implications of these
reports:
1. The Government of Zimbabwe must immediately declare schools as zones of
peace and as such enact laws that restrict and criminalise the use or occupation
of schools for political activities, especially during the electoral
period.
2. Civic society and teacher unions must develop monitoring systems to
detect early warning systems of attacks on education and to report political
disturbances in schools in compliance with UN Resolution No. 1612 with
additional modifications relevant to the situation in Zimbabwe.
3. The Ministry of Education in conjunction with critical stakeholders like
the police, parents and teacher unions must set up school protection committees
so that social services rendered by schools are not interrupted during times of
conflict like elections.
4. The Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) must actively
investigate all reports involving political violence and intimidation against
teachers, and at schools.
5. The government must uphold strictly provisions of paragraph 20 to the
First Schedule of Statutory Instrument 1 of 2000 (Public Service Regulations,
2000) and clauses 79, 80 and 81 of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendations concerning the
Status of Teachers to negate the current insistence on teachers being compelled
to support only one political party.
6. The Ministry of Education must introduce civic education in the primary
and secondary school curriculum which promotes national cohesion, peace and
tolerance.
7. The process of national healing, if it is ever going to take off
meaningfully, should have a thematic area dealing with the education sector in
order to restore the social bond between teachers and communities which has been
weakened by recurrent election violence and politicisation of the public
service.
8. Overall compliance with the spirit and letter of the GPA is strongly
recommended in order to curb institutionalised violence.
We publish here the full resolutions of the
just-ended Zanu-PF 13th Annual National People’s
Conference
Preamble
The Zimbabwe African National Union
Patriotic Front held its 13th Annual National People’s Conference in Gweru,
Midlands Province at the Gweru Convention and Exhibition Centre from 5th-9th
December 2012.
The conference was officially opened by the President and
First Secretary, Cde R. G. Mugabe. Each District sent one delegate drawn
from the Main Wing or Women’s League or Youth League. The rest of the
delegates were drawn the provincial leadership upwards as well as the
Zanu-PF Johannesburg District in South Africa.
The conference
received solidarity messages from ANC (South Africa), represented by Cde
Jeff Radebe, member of the National Executive Council, Chama Cha Mapinduzi
(Tanzania) was represented by its Secretary for External Relations, Dr Rose
Asha Migiro, Frelimo (Mozambique) was represented by Cde Sergio Quantinho,
member of the Central Committee. Politburo Member, Cde Theodore Quarter
represented MPLA (Angola) while Swapo party (Namibia) was represented by
Central Committee member, Cde Hilma Nican as well as from local affiliate
organisations.
1. Party mobilisation
Whereas the people’s
revolutionary party is committed to safeguarding, defending, promoting,
widening and deepening the ideals and values of Zimbabwe’s heroic liberation
struggle for the benefit of all Zimbabweans today and in
posterity;
Impelled by the imperatives of Zimbabwe’s current “Chimurenga
Moment” to indigenise the national economy, empower the indigenous
population and its communities, develop and grow the economy to generate new
wealth and income and to create employment opportunities especially for the
youth who make up the majority of the economically active
community;
Noting that the GPA and the Inclusive Governme-nt, legally and
constitutionally, ought to have come to their end after the expiry of the
two years reckoned from the inception of the Inclusive Government
;
Determined to defend Zimbabwe’s national sovereignty to ensure peace
and the holding of free and fair elections in 2013;
Resolutely
opposed to the use of any form of political violence for electoral or any
other purpose whether physical or otherwise and whether instigated or
perpetrated by elements internally and externally inspired.
Driven and
guided by the imperatives of national unity, national cohesion and the
wellbeing of all Zimbabweans;
Committed to the promotion of regional and
international solidarity among progressive forces;
Aware of the
geopolitical intrigues, plots, manoeuvrings and regime-change agendas of
imperialist and neo-colonial forces to resolve their crippling economic
crises by seeking to recolonise developing countries to exploit their
natural resources under the guise of economic market reforms, democracy,
good governance and human rights;
Congratulating the party’s Midlands
Province, the Midlands Development Association, consulting architects and
engineers and their cooperating partners for the construction of the
magnificent Gweru Convention and Exhibition Centre;
Alarmed by the
unrelenting covert machinations by Western imperialist forces and their
proxies;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) To confirm the
President and First Secretary, Cde R.G. Mugabe, as elected at the last
congress to be the party’s Presidential candidate in the harmonised
elections to be held in 2013.
(b) To direct all structures of the party
to earnestly and immediately prepare for a resounding victory in the
forthcoming elections by adopting a “Bhora Mugedhi”/ “Ibhola Egedhini”
posture.
(c) That the guidelines for the selection of party candidates
for the conduct of primary elections must provide for free and fair primary
elections in the spirit of the founding principles of Zanu-PF and to
prohibit the imposition of candidates .
(d) Exhorts every member of
the party to be guided, instructed and bound by the vision, direction,
ideals, values and the imperative for unity paying due regard to the
enduring principle that we are our own liberators under the banner; “Iwe
neni tinebasa”/“Wena lami silom’sebenzi”.
(e) To urge the party to revive
and develop a cadreship policy that nurtures a broad human resource base for
deployment by the party and to introduce structured compulsory ideological
programmes.
(f) To call upon the party to develop innovative, robust and
relevant mobilisation strategies to attract and maintain the support of
women, youths, people with disabilities including encouraging organisations
and associations for the young, professional and other special interest
groups to affiliate with it.
(g) To urge the party to continue
working towards the realisation of 50-50 gender representation in all
decision-making institutions.
(h) To urge the party to make provisions
for the adequate funding of all its programmes, including the impending
primary elections and harmonised elections.
(i) To discourage the use
of money for personal political benefit.
(j) To urge the party to utilise
local talent and resources to identify projects for income generation and
employment creation for the benefit of the party and the
community.
(k) Instructs the party to ensure that Government enforces the
de-registration of errant NGOs deviating from their mandate.
2.
National economy indegenising & empowerment.
Whereas the fountain
and foundation of sustainable economic development for the benefit of all
Zimbabweans is the ownership of and control over the country’s God given
natural resources by the indigenous population;
Commending Zimbabweans
for their revolutionary resilience, vigilance and total commitment which are
now showing tangible evidence of irreversible success in all the 14 key
sectors of the economy which are the target of the party’s indigenisation
and economic empowerment thrust, most notably in the areas of agriculture
mining and tourism sectors;
Encouraged that at long last justice has
prevailed following the clearance and endorsement of the unfettered sale of
Zimbabwe’s diamonds by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS)
notwithstanding the continuation of the illegal and evil economic sanctions
imposed against Zimbabwe by the UK, US, EU and the White Commonwealth
countries to the detriment of the wellbeing of ordinary
Zimbabweans;
Satisfied that through the historic Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment programmes, at least seven Community Share Ownership
Trusts, namely, Chegutu-Mhondoro-Ngezi-Chivero-Zvimba in Mashonaland West,
Marange-Zimunya in Manicaland, Zvishavane and Tongogara-Shurugwi in the
Mildlands, Gwanda in Matabeleland South, Bindura in Mashonaland Central and
Hwange in Matabeleland North have been launched and 148 Employee Share
Ownership Trusts have been established;
Noting that according to the
United Nations Zimbabwe is among the top five countries with the highest sun
intensity in the world, acknowledging the use and importance of solar
energy;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) That all the
sectors of the economy must fully comply with the Indigenisation
Act.
(b) That all investment related laws that are in conflict with the
Indigenisation Act are amended to align with the Indigenisation
Act.
(c) That De Beers be investigated for illegal mining operations
carried out by the company in Marange under the guise of exploration. The
investigation to establish the quantity of the diamond bearing soil scooped
out of the Marange area and transported to South Africa as well as
determining the actual value of the diamonds thus illegally smuggled out of
the country.
(d) To urge the party to spearhead the decriminalisation of
mining operations undertaken by the gold panners (“makorokoza”) and implores
Government to give them mining licences so that they operate
lawfully.
(e) To urge the party to spearhead the adoption of currencies
of the BRICS countries and other emerging economies as legal tender in
Zimbabwe alongside the US Dollar.
(f) That the party should intensify
and apply the community based cattle herd rebuilding intervention programme
and the Zanu-PF cattle breeding project in all provinces.
(g) That
Government should prohibit the externalisation of the peoples’ bank
deposits.
(h) That the artisanal and small scale miners be
incorporated into mainstream mining through support such as provision of
equipment and training in modern mining. This will create massive
employment.
(i) That the party takes a leading role in the establishment
of an Agricultural Commodity Exchange that should provide a vibrant market
to drive the agriculture sector.
(j) To urge the party to push for
legislation for banks to lend to key sectors of the economy at affordable
rates and to offer substantive real rates of return on deposits so as to
mobilise and encourage savings.
(k) To call upon Government to set a
Zimbabwe’s Minerals Exchange as a vehicle to ensure that there is no
external listing of Zimbabwe’s mineral assets.
(l) To instruct
Government to work out modalities for the re-introduction of domestic
currency alongside the multi-currency system in order to address the current
liquidity crisis and to enable our people to carry out their
transactions.
(m) That all export receipts should be banked in
Zimbabwe with national local financial institutions.
(n) Encourages
Foreign Direct Investment to compliment domestic investment and calls upon
Government to ensure that foreign investors do not fund their investments
through local borrowings.
(o) Applauds the party for intensifying the
indigenisation and empowerment programmes as the basis of creating a new
breed of employers who are conscious of the national interest to create
wealth and provide more employment.
(p) Recognising that the shortage
of power is the single biggest inhibiting factor to economic growth and
cognisant of our abundant coal reserves, coal bed methane deposits and
Zimbabwe’s strategic position within the Southern African Power Pool and the
growing demand for energy in the region, calls upon the party to spearhead
the development of a power generation industry by promoting favourable
investment opportunities in solar, ethanol, hydro, biogas and wind energy
sectors.
(q) To call upon the party to urge Government to promote
nationwide utilisation of solar energy and to develop solar energy
capacity.
(r) To condemn the MDC formations for promoting neo- liberal,
anti- people financial policies that have stunted agricultural production,
starved funds to key economic enablers like water and sanitation, energy and
the social services sectors and denied liquidity to the national
economy.
3. Social services
l Appalled by the rampant corruption
in urban councils that are under the control of the MDC formations across
the country and which have resulted in abominable service delivery,
particularly in areas such as education, health, water, power and urban
roads that have led to periodic outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and all manner
of water borne diseases.
Noting the acute food deficit across the
country, especially in rural areas;
Now therefore, Conference
resolves;
(a) To call for the unconditional lifting of the illegal
sanctions to facilitate the restoration and access to sound social services
infrastructure.
(b) To exhort the party to restore full service
delivery after the elections.
(c) Urges the party to ensure that
Government through the responsible ministry and Government departments to
attend to the construction and rehabilitation of roads in both rural and
urban areas.
(d) To direct the party to urgently take remedial measures
to redress the rapid decline in the quality of the education system
alongside the deterioration of national sport and recreational
facilities.
4. Regional and international relations
Encouraged by
the growing spirit of regional solidarity within Sadc demonstrated by the
continuous engagement and interaction through the forum of secretaries
general of liberation movements in the region whose regular meetings have
created new networking opportunities between and among the liberation
movements and their countries;
Alarmed by the escalating instability in
the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its geopolitical
implications that threaten to destabilise the wider Great Lakes and Southern
African regions;
Concerned about the involvement of external players in
the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and their wanton
disregard of the sovereignty of the DRC in violation of international
law;
Disturbed by the continued abuse of multilateral institutions by
NATO countries in pursuit of their neo-liberal unilateralism and foreign
policy interests in search of elusive solutions to their crippling financial
crises as exemplified by the Eurozone crisis that threatens to collapse the
EU;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) To express gratitude
for the messages of solidarity conveyed to the conference and the unanimous
condemnation of the illegal economic sanctions imposed on
Zimbabwe.
(b) To congratulate the Palestinian State for becoming an
observer member state of the United Nations.
(c) To call upon the
United Nations to expedite the process of granting self determination to the
Saharawi people.
(d) To congratulate Dr Nkosazana Dhlamini -Zuma on her
election as AU chairperson.
(e) To congratulate Xi Jingin upon his
election as Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party.
(f) To
note the re-election of president Barack Obama and call upon him to repeal
ZIDERA and unconditionally lift the illegal sanctions against
Zimbabwe.
6. Media, science and technology
Noting the
strategic importance of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and
the comparative advantage of connectivity in political mobilisation and as
critical tools for advancing the development of a knowledge based
economy;
Concerned about the widespread abuse of the social media by
regime-change seeking countries for purposes of negative propaganda to fan
disunity, hatred and engender instability;
Dismayed by the continuing
violation of international law which has undermined the GPA through the
sponsorship of pirate radio stations by the British, American and Dutch
governments that respectively sponsor SW Africa, Studio Seven and
VOP;
Encouraged by the party’s new thrust to apply ICTs in its internal
management systems demonstrated by the introduction of its Electronic
Card;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) Condemns the
American, British and Dutch governments, for violating international law and
undermining the GPA guaranteed by Sadc and the AU, through sponsorship of
pirate radio stations in aid of their political proxies with intention to
effect illegal regime change.
(b) Condemns EU, America and white
Commonwealth countries for supplying ICT gadgets, such as cellphone,
decoders, radios to communities to create conditions for the broadcast and
spread of falsehoods to distort so as to undermine confidence in the
electoral process and trigger Arab-style civil unrest.
6. Women’s
Affairs
Recognising the crucial role that women played during the
liberation struggle and continue to do so and paying special tribute to past
heroines, like Mbuya Nehanda;
Cognisant of the leading role that the
party continues to play in championing the cause of women towards the
realisation of gender equality in all socio-economic and political
spheres;
Grateful for the role women play in sustaining livelihoods of
families under the harsh and illegal economic sanctions imposed on our
country by imperialist forces;
Concerned by the ever increasing cases
of gender based violence perpetrated against women ;
Acknowledging
that women continue to be under represented in positions of decisions making
institutions;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) That the
party should spearhead and take the leading role in ensuring greater
representation of women in all decision making institutions so as to attain
the 50/50 ratio set by Sadc and AU in its protocols.
(b) That the party
calls on all its members to be involved in the campaign against gender based
violence and commits to advocate for the deterrent punishments of
perpetrators.
(c) Calls upon the party to implement deliberate policies
to empower the rural women so as to reduce their chores.
(d) To adopt
more systematic, sustainable, continuous education and training policies for
women to facilitate their skills development and empowerment.
(e) To urge
the party to encourage young women, professional women and women in special
interest groups to integrate and affiliate with the party.
(f) Urges the
party to develop and institute a mechanism for the utilisation of Community
Share Ownership Trust and the Sovereign Wealth Fund facilitate value
addition.
7. Youth Affairs
Recognising that the youth constitute
the majority of the population;
Acknowledging that the youth are a
significant national resource and play a pivotal role in the national
economy;
Noting that unemployment is a major concern and challenge
negatively affecting the wellbeing of the youth;
Cognisant that the
youth represent the future leadership of the country in all spheres of
society;
lApplauding the adoption of a new Youth National Policy to be
launched soon;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) To reaffirm
past resolutions that called for the acceleration of provision of land to
youths and call for concrete steps for their full implementation.
(b)
To call for a deliberate policy advocating for a quota system in all
leadership positions in both parliamentary and council seats for the
youth.
(c) To call for the appointment and deployment to strategic
positions in Government, Diplomatic Services, Parastatals and state
enterprises.
(d) To call for speedy disbursement of youth empowerment
funds to districts and wards by the responsible Government Ministry to
facilitate the much needed development capital to the jobless
youths.
(e) To condemn the harassment and arrests of youth in small scale
mining deemed to be illegal panners.
8. Religion, culture and
liberations war gherirage
Whereas the vagaries of cultural imperialism
and Westernisation continue to threaten Zimbabwe’s heritage, values and
traditions;
Noting that the primacy of Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage is
the moral basis of indigenisation and economic
empowerment;
Celebrating Zimbabwe as an African country, multi-cultural;
multi-religious, multi-lingual and modern, whose strength lies in the unity
of its people;
Respectful of the institution and role of traditional
leadership and aware of its historic function as the first line of defence
in the struggle against colonialism, cultural imperialism and
Westernisation;
Now therefore, Conference resolves;
(a) That the
party takes a leading role in identifying historic places and locations
where major battles took place during the First and Second Chimurenga and to
build shrines and museums at those places to commemorate and immortalise
heroic sacrifices.
(b) To urge the party to review and broaden the
educational curriculum in primary and secondary schools to include the
teaching of the history of the Liberation Struggle.
(c) That the
party should institute research programmes to design ways and means of
protecting and enhancing the African cultural heritage.
(d) That the
party should promote the design and implementation of the teaching of a
curriculum from Kindergatten to tertiary education to promote core values
that underpin the African way of life.
(e) That the party should promote
cultural dialogue with religions of all faiths.
(f) That the party
should establish cultural centres from district to national level for
cultural education and the holding of arts workshops.
9.
Constitution-making process
Whereas on September 15, 2008 the party
signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA) with the two MDC formations
whose main objectives included the making of a new constitution based on the
views of the people and subject to a referendum within 18 months of the
start of the process;
And whereas a Select Committee (Copac) was set up
in April 2009 under Article VI of the GPA to spearhead the Constitution
Making Process and produce a draft constitution within 18 months after which
there would be a referendum on the draft to be immediately followed by the
holding of harmonised elections;
Now therefore,
Conference;
(a) Deplores the delaying tactics employed by the MDC
formations which have caused a constitution-making process that was supposed
to take 18 months to last but has so far taken 44 months and is still going
on with no certainty as to when it would be concluded.
(b) Is
outraged that the draft constitution produced by Copac on July 18, 2012
deviated in serious material respects from the views of the people expressed
during the Copac outreach exercise and which are contained in the National
Statistical Report.
(c) Reiterates that any draft constitution emanating
from the Copac constitution making process must adhere to and conform with
the views of the people expressed during the Copac outreach exercise and
repeated at the Second All Stakeholders’ Conference.
(d) Calls upon
the party to resist all attempts and machinations by some international
forces and their local proxies to smuggle nefarious values and practices
onto the proposed new constitution.
(e) Implores the GPA parties to
conclude the constitution making process before Christmas this year, failing
which the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence
Forces should in terms of the law issue the relevant Proclamation dissolving
Parliament and fixing a date for the holding of the harmonised elections
under the current Constitution.
1. The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of
State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
was held in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania from 7 - 8 December
2012.
2. Summit was attended by the following Heads of State and
Government and or their representatives:
DRC: H.E. President Joseph
Kabila Kabange
Lesotho: Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae
Thabane
Mozambique: H.E. President Armando Emilio Guebuza
Namibia:
H.E. President Hifikepunye Pohamba
South Africa: H.E. President Jacob
Gedleyihlekisa Zuma
United Republic: H.E. President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete
of Tanzania
Angola: H.E. Manuel Domingos Vicente - Vice
President
Malawi: Rt. Hon. Khumbo Kachali, Vice
President
Seychelles: H.E. Danny Faure, Vice President
Zambia:
Hon. Dr. Guy Scotts, Vice President
Swaziland: Rt. Hon. Barnabas Sibusiso
Dlamini, Prime Minister
Botswana: Hon. Phandu Skelemani, Minister for
Foreign Affairs
Zimbabwe: Hon. Simbarashe S. Mumbengengwi, Minister of
Foreign Affairs
Mauritius: H.E. Mohammed Ismael Dossa, High Commissioner
to South Africa
3. Summit was chaired by H.E. Armando Emilio Guebuza,
President of the Republic of Mozambique and the Chairperson of
SADC.
4. Summit was also attended by His Excellency Yoweri Museveni, the
President of Uganda and the Chairperson of the International Conference on
the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR); and His Excellency Joaquim Alberto Chissano,
former President of the Republic of Mozambique, and SADC Mediator on the
political conflict in Madagascar.
5. Also in attendance was the
Executive Secretary of SADC, Dr. Tomaz Augusto Salomao and Executive
Secretary of the ICGLR, Professor Alphonce Luaba.
6. Summit considered
the political and security situation in the region, in particular the latest
developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Madagascar
and the Republic of Zimbabwe.
7. On Democratic Republic of Congo,
Summit:
(i) reaffirmed the indivisibility and respect for the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo;
(ii)
expressed deep concern regarding the deteriorating security and humanitarian
situation in eastern DRC due to the prevailing situation;
(iii) strongly
condemned the M23 and all its attacks on the civilian population, United
Nations Peacekeepers and humanitarian actors, as well as its abuses of human
rights, including summary executions, sexual and gender based
violence;
(iv) affirmed that SADC, as a block will deploy the SADC
Standby Force in the Eastern DRC under the auspices of the Neutral
International Force
(NIF)
(v) welcomed the decision of the ICGLR
to mandate the United Republic of Tanzania to appoint a Force Commander for
the NIF to be deployed in the Eastern DRC;
(vi) mandated the SADC
Interstate Politics and Diplomacy Committee (ISPDC) and the SADC Secretariat
to work together with the ICGLR to engage the African Union Peace and the
United Nations Security Council for support to the deployment and
sustenance;
(vi) urged UN to change MONUSCO mandate to the United Nations
Chapter VII;
(vii) commended the United Republic of Tanzania and the
Republic of South Africa for pledging one battalion and logistics support
for the NIF respectively; and
(viii) commended the DRC for
contributing funds for the deployment of the
NIF.
8. On
Madagascar:
8.1 Summit commended:
(i) His Excellency Joachim
Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique and the SADC
Mediator on the political conflict in Madagascar for his efforts towards
restoring the constitutional normalcy in the country;
(ii) His Excellency
Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa and the Outgoing
Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation for
his contribution in resolving the crisis in the country;
(iii) His
Excellency James Michel, President of the Republic of Seychelles for his
contribution in assisting the Malagasy towards finding a lasting solution to
the political situation in their country.
8.2 Summit endorsed the report
of the SADC Mediator and:
(i) urged the Malagasy political stakeholders
to fully implement the Madagascar Roadmap in the letter and
spirit;
(ii) urged that the dates of 8 May 2013 for Presidential
Elections and 25 July 2013 for Parliamentary Elections be respected by all
parties concerned;
(iii) Summit took note of, and undertook to give
serious consideration to the request to SADC to contribute 10 million U$ to
the Malagasy elections of 2013. In this regard, the Summit urged SADC Member
States to make timely voluntary contributions. Summit also directed the
Secretariat to mobilise financial and logistical support from the
international community.
8.3 Summit reiterated its decision that former
President Mr. Marc Ravalomanana should return to Madagascar
unconditionally.
8.4 Summit reemphasized that the two candidates, Mr Marc
Ravalomanana and Mr. Andry Rajoelina, should be persuaded not to stand in
the forthcoming general elections as a way forward towards resolving this
crisis.
8.5 Summit reiterated its position that the Amnesty Law be
implemented in order to create conducive conditions for the return of the
political exiles including Mr. Ravalomanana.
8.6 Summit urged the
political stakeholders to develop legislation before the May 2013 elections
that would guarantee the privileges of the former Heads of State.
8.7
Summit urged the Transitional Government to repeal the legislations intended
to exclude its citizens from participating in the coming elections.
9. On
Zimbabwe
9.1 Summit commended the efforts of HE Jacob Zuma, President of
the Republic of South Africa and the SADC Facilitator of the Zimbabwe
Political Dialogue towards full implementation of Global Political Agreement
(GPA).
9.2 Summit urged the political stakeholders in Zimbabwe to fully
implement the GPA.
9.3 Summit also urged the political stakeholders
to finalise the constitutional process including referendum before the
holding of the elections in 2013.
10. Summit congratulated the
Government and the people of the United Republic of Tanzania for marking the
51st Independence Anniversary of their country.
11. Summit expressed
gratitude to the government and the people of the United Republic of
Tanzania for the warm hospitality provided during the meeting.
In February 1983, the northernmost areas of Matabeleland South
felt the effects of the first 5 Brigade onslaught, which primarily affected
Matabeleland North. Civilians using the main Bulawayo-Plumtree road were
particularly vulnerable, with several recorded instances of people being taken
from buses at road blocks, and never being seen
again.
Gukurahundi Massacres: First 5 Brigade
Onslaught (Part 11)
The 5
Brigade was first reported further south in Matabeleland South in July 1983,
where they were reported at Brunapeg Mission, in Bulilimamangwe. By late 1983,
there were several major 5 Brigade incidents on record, including some deaths,
beatings and the burning of 24 homesteads in Mbembeswana in
Matobo.
However, it was in February 1984 that the 5 Brigade launched a
systematic campaign of mass beatings and mass detentions in Matabeleland South,
lasting several months. These tailed off after May 1984, after which the 5
Brigade was withdrawn for retraining. Sporadic reports of violations by both the
army and dissidents continued throughout the ensuing years, until the Amnesty in
1988.
Apart
from abuses at the hands of 5 Brigade, there was a far higher incidence of CIO
as perpetrator than in Matabeleland North, mainly because of their involvement
at Bhalagwe Camp and Sun Yet Sen. In addition, there were several reports of
“Grey’s Scouts”, or a mounted unit, abusing people while on follow-up
operations. There were no complaints filed against mounted ZNA units in
Tsholotsho.
B.THE FOOD EMBARGO
The
Food Embargo was a major factor in events in Matabeleland South in 1984.
Throughout the early months of 1984, residents of Matabeleland South were
suffering from starvation caused in the first place, by three consecutive years
of drought and in the second place, by government restrictions preventing all
movement of food into and around the region. Drought relief was stopped and
stores were closed. Almost no people were allowed into and out of the region to
buy food, and private food supplies were destroyed.
The
psychological impact of the food embargo was profound. While the village by
village summary which follows does not make continuous reference to the food
embargo, many of those interviewed mentioned its effects. All events which
occurred, did so against the background of a seriously weakened and demoralised
populace, who were having to watch their children cry and beg for food which
their parents were unable to provide on a daily basis.
State
officials, largely in the form of the 5 Brigade, also actively punished those
villagers who shared food with starving neighbours. The speeches of 5 Brigade
commanders at rallies repeatedly stated the desire of the government to starve
all the Ndebele to death, as punishment for their being
dissidents.
In the cruellest speeches, people in the region were told they
would be starved until they ate each other, including their own wives and
children. (One such speech is included in this report in full: see Part Three,
I, page).
Those
interviewed recount how they struggled to stay alive during the embargo, by
eating the roots and fruits of wild plants. However, in some areas the 5 Brigade
tried to prevent even this, and punished people for eating wild marula fruit.
Even water was severely rationed. People also talk of risking their lives and
breaking the curfew to share food with neighbours after dark, and their
disbelief at seeing bags of maize ripped open and destroyed wherever 5 Brigade
found them – on buses or in homes.
CCJP
archives reveal grave concern at the food situation, which missions in
Matabeleland South monitored on a continuous basis. Their requests to be allowed
to administer food in rationed amounts to their parishioners and employees were
denied by the authorities, although St Joseph’s Mission was allowed to feed 300
under-fives on a daily basis. Other feeding schemes which had been operating
collapsed as mealie meal stocks ran out.
CCJP
also kept track of which stores were open, and on which days. From March
onwards, the total ban on stores was slightly modified. 3 stores in Matobo were
opened for only 2 days a week, at Bidi, Kezi, and Maphisa (Antelope). This meant
that people near St Joseph’s Mission were 60 km away from the nearest store, too
far to walk in a day under curfew conditions. Others were even further
away.
People
were banned from the use of any form of transport under the curfew. This not
only affected access to operating stores, but also access to clinics. All the
hospitals and clinics in Matabeleland South reported falling attendances, and a
concern at the fact that sick people were unable to walk the often extensive
distances to reach help, and could die as a result. In addition, those being
beaten by 5 Brigade were expressly forbidden to seek medical help, even if they
were within the vicinity of a clinic.
There
is mention that even operating stores were not allowed to sell mealie meal. On
some occasions the stores were opened purely for propaganda purposes. There is a
reference in mission correspondence to Col Simpson of the Paratroopers opening a
store for 3 hours to coincide with a tour by the local press on 10 March 1984.
On 21 March, 84 people gathered at Bidi Store and waited all day only to be told
that no mealie meal was to be sold. This was the pattern at other stores too,
where people gathered, having walked 30 km or more, and would wait for hours
only to be told they could not buy anything.
Stores
were not allowed to restock any products during the curfews, and those which
occasionally opened soon had no food of any kind to sell. The army took control
of the regional National Foods depot to ensure mealie meal was not distributed
to stores. Anyone wishing to buy food in Bulawayo to send to relatives in curfew
zones, needed a permit from the police or army, and these were rarely
granted.There are also in interviews many accounts of people being brutally
tortured when found waiting at shopping centres, the accusation being that they
were trying to break the food curfew.
School-teachers were among the few who were allowed food, as the
government expressly intended the schools to remain open, but the teachers were
severely restricted in terms of how much they could request, to prevent them
from feeding others in the region. Mechanisms of how teachers received food
depended on the orders of local army commanders: some were allowed transport
into Bulawayo to buy for themselves, others were only allowed to place a food
order with the army who then purchased on their behalf.
This
placed teachers in an awkward position with others starving in their areas:
while teachers may have had some food, their pupils had none. CCJP records
indicate a request for supplementary feeding through the schools being denied,
and reports falling school attendance as pupils become faint with hunger, and as
others flee the area hoping to find a place in schools in
Bulawayo.
At
some mission schools, pupils would be given a drink of `mawehu’ (Mahewu), made
from a local grain by mission staff during lessons, but staff comment that this
was not enough to sustain their growing bodies. Pupils also had to face being
picked up and beaten up by the army – mission staff were very aware this was
happening, but were powerless to protect the schoolchildren.
In
addition to preventing food from coming into the area, 5 Brigade also broke down
fences around fields to allow cattle to graze whatever few hardy crops might
have survived the drought, thus ensuring that starvation was absolute. Catholic
Mission staff in affected areas expressed increasing alarm and by the end of
March 1984 they began to fear for the lives of the sick, the elderly and the
very young. As people became more desperate, there were even those who wished to
be detained, in the hope that in custody they might at least receive
food.
In
fact, those in custody were kept in appalling conditions and received little
food. Hunger and the problem of getting food to those nearing starvation became
a dominant theme in CCJP correspondence during the curfew months. The food
embargo alone was thus a significant and effective strategy which proved to
400000 ordinary people in Matabeleland South the power of the State to cause
extreme hardship.
Taken from a report on the 1980’s disturbances in Matabeleland and
the Midlands. Compiled by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in
Zimbabwe, March 1997.
In the cruellest speeches, people in the region were told they
would be starved until they ate each other, including their own wives and
children. (One such speech is included in this report in full: see Part Three,
I, page).