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Zimbabwe amends media, security laws after talks

Reuters

Mon 17 Dec 2007, 9:01 GMT

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE, Dec 17 (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe's government, responding
to opposition demands, has published amendments to tough security and media
laws that critics say have helped him entrench his rule.

The amendments were agreed at talks between Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party
and two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),
brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki.

According to a government gazette seen by Reuters on Monday, the government
is proposing changes to the country's security, broadcasting and media laws.

Political parties seeking to hold public gatherings can now appeal to a
magistrate if police turn down their application. Currently they appeal to
the Minister of Home Affairs, who the opposition says was an interested
party as he belonged to the governing party.

Instead of randomly barring public meetings, police would now be required to
"enter into dialogue" with the concerned party to explain the reasons for
prohibiting the meeting.

Critics say Mugabe has used the Public Order and Security Act to prevent
opponents from organising rallies and demonstrations and that security
forces have tended to use excessive force to quell protests.

In March, main MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and several other opposition and
civic society activists were assaulted in police custody after attempting to
attend a banned prayer rally, which renewed calls for Mugabe to reform or
step down.

The government is seeking to amend the Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (AIPPA) by reconstituting a state-appointed commission that
regulates the country's media.

Members of the media commission, which is appointed by the Minister of
Information, would now be appointed by the President from a list submitted
by a bi-partisan parliamentary committee and should have media experience.

The media will be opened to foreign owners but foreign journalists remain
barred from working permanently in Zimbabwe.

The government in 2003 used the act to shut Zimbabwe's then largest
circulating daily paper, the Daily News and its sister Sunday paper after
the Supreme Court ruled that the publication was acting outside the law by
publishing without a licence.

The paper is still battling to get a licence.

Changes made to the Broadcasting Services Act include a demand for public
broadcasters to run news and programmes not biased in favour of the
government while foreigners can now have majority shares in a broadcasting
service. (Editing by Muchena Zigomo and Keith Weir)


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Zimbabwe says strikes oil deal with E.Guinea

Reuters

Mon 17 Dec 2007, 9:04 GMT

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe has struck a deal to import crude oil from
Equatorial Guinea and is planning to reopen a refinery to process fuel and
ease acute shortages, state media reported on Monday.

Crunch shortages of fuel, foreign currency and food are a sign of the
southern African nation's deep economic crisis, blamed on President Robert
Mugabe's policies, and also marked by the highest inflation rate in the
world at nearly 8,000 percent.

The official Herald newspaper reported on Monday that Zimbabwe had signed a
deal to buy crude oil from Equatorial Guinea, with which it has forged close
ties after it helped foil an alleged coup in the oil-rich west African
country in 2005.

"Following our engagement with Equatorial Guinea ... Zimbabwe can now even
get crude oil and arrange for its refinement through third parties," the
Herald quoted Industry and International Trade Minister Obert Mpofu saying.

The report did not give further details and Mpofu was not immediately
available for comment.

Zimbabwe agreed in 2005 with Iran to revive an oil refinery built using
Iranian technology in the 1960s. Work at the refinery has not started to
date.

Mpofu said Zimbabwe was also looking at possible crude oil imports from
Angola, one of the continent's leading producers.

Last month, Mugabe officially launched a $6-million bio-fuel plant with a
capacity to produce 100 million litres of diesel per year, saying the
country was moving to resolve shortages that continue to grip the economy.

Critics blame Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, for
ruining one of Africa's brightest economic prospects through policies such
as the seizure of farms from whites to resettle landless blacks.

The veteran leader denies the charge and accuses western nations of
sabotaging the economy as punishment for his land reforms.


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Zimbabwe floods death toll rises

Monsters and Critics

Dec 17, 2007, 8:37 GMT

Harare/Johannesburg - The death toll from floods in northern Zimbabwe has
risen to three, with another person missing, reports said Monday.

At least 1,000 people have been displaced by rising flood waters in northern
Muzarabani district, where livestock and cattle have also been swept away,
reports the state-controlled Herald newspaper.

The three deaths, and the one disappearance took place in the Chadereka area
of Muzarabani where around 1,000 people have been affected by the floods
while several homes were destroyed, said Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, the deputy
director of the Civil Protection Unit (CPU).

The authorities are distributing food and water purification tablets to the
affected. Those who have lost their homes are being temporarily housed in
two primary schools.

'We are going to do more comprehensive preliminary assessments during the
week depending on accessibility,' said Ndlovu.

Heavy rains began pounding the district on December 3, washing away a key
bridge last Friday. More rains are expected on Tuesday.

© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur


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Zimbabwean currency changed for the second time in two years

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 05:53

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe will on Monday introduce a new currency, in its latest
desperate bid to try and address a critical shortage of bank notes which hit
the Southern African country last month and has worsened as the Christmas
fever gathers momentum.

Zimbabweans wishing to make cash withdrawals have, since the middle of
November, been forced to queue at banking halls for several odd hours, some
of these in vain, as both commercial banks and building societies had been
hard hit by the cash shortages, which Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
governor, Gideon Gono, on Friday blamed on hoarding of bank notes by illegal
foreign currency dealers linked to government ministers and other "known"
influential members of President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU (PF) party.
Banks have also reduced their daily maximum withdrawal limits from the usual
Z$20 million to Z$5 million a day for both individuals and companies.
This is only enough for one meal in Zimbabwe nowadays.
This becomes the second time in two years that Zimbabwe changes its
currency. The RBZ was forced to "re-value" the country's currency in August
last year, after the dollar had taken a battering from regional and
international currencies due to hyper-inflation.
The currency "re-valuing" exercise, dubbed "Operation Sunrise", saw three
zeroes being slashed from the old generation of bearer cheques when new ones
were introduced.
Zimbabwe, which is in its seventh year of an economic crisis that has
largely been blamed on Mugabe's skewed governance policies, has not had a
substantive currency since 2003, when the central bank introduced
alternative promisory notes known as "bearer cheques",  ironically to
address another critical cash shortage which had gripped the country.
The cheques's lifespan, which was initially meant to be six months, has been
extended for the past four years, as the country's economic crisis continues
to worsen.
Gono, who had initially ruled out introducing new currency until early next
year, was last month forced to change that stance, when the cash shortages
worsened, and threatened to give his countrymen a short period of transition
to the new currency.
Sources within the central bank, on Saturday afternoon revealed that the
bank had already hired vehicles from security companies, which will
transport the new bank notes to banking institutions outside the capital
Harare to smaller towns, while security forces have also been deployed to
escort these vehicles and man roadblocks on major roads, in a bid to arrest
people carrying large sums of money.
"The introduction of the new money will be announced on national television
on Sunday evening and people will be given seven days in which to deposit
the bank notes they have at their respective banks. An individual will be
allowed to deposit Z$20 million a day for seven days," said a senior
official at the central bank.
Police and army officers in the country's second biggest city of Bulawayo
also confirmed that they had been deployed at various strategic points to
perform various duties in "Operation Sunrise Two".
"Yes, our officers have been deployed to take part in the government
operation to introduce new currency, which begins on Monday. That is all I
can tell you at the moment," confirmed police deputy national spokesman,
Chief  Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka.
Gono would neither confirm nor deny the reports.
However, economic commentators still argue that the currency change will
only usher in convenience in the use of bank notes in the country, but will
not address inflation.
"This will only make people easily do their transactions in a more organised
and easy manner and will also address the current cash shortages. Machines
have also been failing to cope with the the several zeroes and this will
help in this aspect, but this will not cure inflation, which is our main
problem," said Bulawayo-based economic commentator, Eric Bloch, who is also
in the RBZ advisory board.
Some analysts said that the country would have to change its currency again
next year, if no stringent measures are made to address runaway inflation,
which currently stands at 15 000 per cent, according to official figures,
while some say it could be far more than this, at about 30 000 per cent.


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"Zimbabwe ready to engage Britain on economic talks" - Moyo

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 05:41

POLOKWANE:
ZANU (PF) delegation to the African National Congress (ANC) conference says
their government is ready to have bilateral talks with Britain on condition
the former colonial master does not come to the negotiating table with
"bullish colonial behaviour".

In an exclusive interview with CAJ News on Sunday, Zimbabwe Ambassador to
South Africa, Simon Khaya-Moyo, said bilateral relations between Harare and
London were possible, but argued that the move would need commitment and
respect from both parties.
 "The problem with the British government is that they still think Zimbabwe
is their colony. We are no longer a colony, but a sovereinty state.
 "Challenges for Zimbabwe today are bilateral matters between Harare and
London. Whoever talks about the land issue again is lost because we are not
going back.  We have given our people the land and a few whites have
benefitted. We did not seggregate when we distributed the land, that is why
the whites benefitted too," said Khaya-Moyo.
 He said Britain should move out of its colonial bullish and cease the
opportunity of bilateral talks aimed at benefitting both nations.
 The Zimbabwean delegation to the ANC 52nd congress is being headed by
Speaker of Parliament and ruling party Chairman, John Nkomo.
 Among other ZANU (PF) politburo members at the Polokwane ANC conference
comprise Oppah Muchinguri, the secretary for Wommen's League and several
others.
 There were no immediate comment from the British High Commissioner to South
Africa, Paul Baoteng to respond on ambassador Moyo's remarks-CAJ News.


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Zanu (PF), MDC talks to pay results before elections

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 05:46

POLOKWANE, (South Africa)
ZIMBABWE Ambassador to South Africa, Simon Khaya-Moyo believes the on-going
talks between ZANU (PF) and opposition MDC would pay fruitful results before
next year's crucial elections.

Speaking to CAJ News on the sidelines of the African National Congress
(ANC)'s 52nd Conference at Limpopo University, Polokwane, South Africa on
Sunday, Khaya-Moyo, said both the ruling party and the opposition were eager
to see meaningful changes in everything the two parties would have agreed
upon.
 "Well, I can not comment much on this subject because President Thabo Mbeki
is taking care of everything, but the botton line is that the talks are
going on smoothly.
 "As the governing political party, we would like to wish Cde Mbeki a
successful mediation as expected by the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) heads of state," said Khaya-Moyo.
 When asked to comment about President Mugabe's commitment to the talks,
Khaya-Moyo said ,the president was heavily involved in the implementation of
the talks hence the progress in the Mbeki led talks.
 He said respecting, supporting and appreciating President Mbeki's effort to
see the political stalemate being broken was very important to every
Zimbabwean both in the Diaspora and those that are back at home.
 Zanu (PF) Chairman, John Nkomo refused to talk as he was the main man
participating in the ANC Congress. Nkomo later referred all questions to
Khaya-Moyo.
 Recent reports indicate that the country's main opposition political party
was concerned about the slow pace in which the talks were going.
 As that was not enough, the two MDC factions were concerned about the
ruling party's resistance in drafting new people driven constitution well
ahead of the elections next year.
 The stand-off between ZANU (PF) and MDC is threatening the voting process
next year with the opposition arguing that any failure to implement both
constitutional and electoral reforms would result in election boycott as
they would not be free and fair-CAJ News.


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Zanu (PF) politburo enjoy democracy in foreign lands

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 05:58

POLOKWANE:
THERE is a general feeling among the guests that the presence of Zanu (PF)
Chairman, John Nkomo to the African National Congress (ANC) conference would
help Zimbabwe reform its democratic processes as they witnessed how sweet
peace and democractic principles tasted in South Africa.

 The ANC conference ends this afternoon (Thursday), but the world belives
the ruling Zanu PF would desist from its intimidation, beatings, killings
and death threat tactics against people with different views to the
government leadership.
 South Africans here sang songs of liberation and ullulated for Zuma as
their candidate for presidency without being victimised, harassed or
arrested as would have been the case in Harare.
 The estimated 5 000 delegates sang in protest to ANC's highest decision
making body of the National Executive Council (NEC) for merely suggesting
that the vote counting would be done electronically instead of their
preferred manual process.
 The delegates responded to the ANC Chairman Mosiuoa Lekota's proposals with
Zulu dances and chanting of Jacob Zuma popular song "UmShini Wami".
 As that was not enough, delegates went a step further by defying the ANC
conference rules and regulations when they sang songs that tipped the rest
electorate about the people's chosen leader-Zuma even before the voting
process took place.
 The delegates also told CAJ News after their singing that they wanted to
send a clear message to President Mbeki that they did not want any leader
who overstayed in power just like the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.
 Delegates claimed if the incident had occured in Zimbabwe, defying the head
of state for overstaying in power, the temperamental President Mugabe could
have locked those activists or paty cadres in prison.
 The democracy that has been witnessed here is grossly lacking in Zimbabwe
hence the belief that the presence of Nkomo would help Harare transform its
democratic principles.
 The delegates openly told the ANC party chairman Lekota in the presence of
president Mbeki, Winnie Mandela, Jacob Zuma and several international
dignitaries that vote counting should be by manual instead of the party
leadership's proposed electronic vote counting.
 "If you were in Zimbabwe one could have been arrested for defying the
politburo's undemocratic manuvres.
 "Here we speak our minds without any threats coming from our leaders. Of
course, the chairman wanted to find out why we chose manual vote counting
instead of electronic counting, but the majority's call ruled the day.
 "This is what we call democracy, not to threaten people when they say we
want a people-driven constitution, free and fair election," said Walaza
Lidod of Limpopo.
 MDC are calling for a total constitution and electoral reforms in Zimbabwe,
but the ruling party is refusing, instead, opting for amending pieces of
legislations.
 As that was not enough, Mugabe can suspend or fire anyone who dares
challenge him in any election.
 This was evidenced when Mugabe suspended Jabulani Sibanda, the then
chairman of the Zimbabwe Liberation of War Veterans Association (ZLWVA) for
allegedly working in cahoots with the then minister of information and
publicity Jonathan Moyo, whom he accused of planning to overthrow him at a
rally in Denyani, Matabeleland north province in 2004.
 Among other victims of democracy in Zimbabwe, who spoke their minds about
the dangers of one's overstaying in power included maverick Masvingo
politician Dzikamai Mavhaire, former Masvingo Provincial Zanu (PF) Chairman
Daniel Shumba, and five other provincial party chairpersons from Manicaland,
Midlands, Matabeleland south and Matabeleland North respectively.
 


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MDC National Council Resolutions

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 06:00

Resolutions of the MDC National Council Meeting

16 December 2007 ,  Harvest House, Harare

Resolution 1: Commitment to put the people first

i.                    Noting the unprecedented levels of suffering of our
people, underpinned by gross levels of hyperinflation, shortages of food,
cash, collapse of public health, transport and education,
ii.                  Concerned with the extreme manifestations of State
violence, intolerance, lack of care, violent rhetoric, patronage,
clientelism and corruption,
iii.                Aware that the entire Zimbabwean population and all
other democratic forces look to the MDC as the central engine of change in
Zimbabwe,
The National Council resolves to;
1.      Continue pursuing the goals of attaining democratic change in
Zimbabwe based on the values of tolerance, openness, democracy, solidarity,
nonviolence, commitment to the rule of law, equality and justice.
2.      Continue the democratic struggle against the dictatorship through
all democratic means, including dialogue and democratic resistance.
3.      Place the Constitution and the struggle for that new Constitution at
the centre of our struggle for democratization.
Resolution 2: Unity
i.                    Taking note of the importance of the 2008 general
election,
ii.                  Aware of the suffering of the Zimbabwean people and
desirous of placing the interests of the suffering Zimbabweans and all
democratic forces at the front,
iii.                Aware of the need to ensure that every vote counts
against the dictatorship and tyranny,

iv.                Pained by the unhappy events of the 12th of October 2005
which resulted in the emergence of two formations using and sharing the same
MDC name, and
v.                  Cognizant of the need to accept the principal concept of
one candidate for the opposition in respect of every contested seat,
The National Council resolves that;
1.      The Party should endeavor to work for the creation of a united front
of all democratic forces against the dictatorship.
2.      The Party work for the specific united front and understanding with
the other MDC formation emerging after the 12 th of October 2005.
3.      The President and the National Standing Committee be obliged and
empowered to do all such things as necessary to achieve the above and to
report to this council.
Resolution 3: The SADC Dialogue
i.                    Taking note of the report by the Secretary General on
the SADC dialogue,
The National Council resolves that;
1.      The Party remains committed to the process of dialogue despite the
challenges.
2.      Await the conclusion on the sticking issues as soon as possible.
Resolution 4: The National Assembly of Women (NAW)
i.                    Taking note of the National Standing Committee's
decision on behalf of the National Council done on the 2 nd of October 2007,
ii.                  Acknowledging the Extra-Ordinary Congress of the NAW
held in Bulawayo on the 28 th of October 2007, and
iii.                Noting the constraints, contestations and challenges
associated with the Extra-Ordinary congress held on the 28 th of October
2007,
The National Council resolves that;
1.      Council takes note of the dissolution of the NAW.
2.      Council notes the result and outcome of the Extra-Ordinary Congress
of the NAW held on the 28 th of October 2007, until such time as an
extraordinary congress is held three months after the 2008 general election.
3.      The previous Chairperson of the NAW Mrs. Lucia Gladys Matibenga be
invited to become a member of the National Executive Committee.
4.      Every member of the Party moves ahead and accepts the need to move
forward as a united entity.
Resolution 5: The United Kingdom and Ireland (UK&I) External Branch
i.                    Having received a report from the National Chairman in
connection with the UK&I external assembly,
The National Council hereby

1.      Accepts and ratifies the decision to dissolve the Executive of that
external assembly as was done by the National Chairman on the 13 th of
October 2007.
2.      Accepts the decision to appoint an interim executive
3.      For the avoidance of doubt, acknowledges, condones and ratifies all
actions and decisions taken by the National Chairman.
4.      Directs that the Extra-Ordinary meeting of the UK&I external
assembly be held to elect a new executive before the 28 th of February 2008.
Nelson Chamisa MP
Secretary for Information and Publicity


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Byo police on bakeries  crackdown

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 08:07

BULAWAYO---Police in Bulawayo on Friday launched a crackdown on supermarkets
and bakeries selling bread above the gazzetted price, days after President
Robert Mugabe threatened to launch a new blitz targeting producers and
businesses which he accused of hiking prices of basic commodities without
government approval.

Police are forcing the supermarkets and bakeries to sell slash the price of
a loaf of bread from $1,5million to $200 000, a price which has been
dismissed as ridiculous and could not sustain their businesses against high
operational costs.
The National Bakers Association (NBA) is pressing for morethan 85 percent
increase in the price of bread, from the current retail price of $200 000
per loaf to 1,5million citing increasing fuel costs.
Most bakery and supermarket managers in Bulawayo told The Zimbabwean  on
Saturday that they would seize baking and selling bread to avoid incurring
huge costs during the latest police crackdown.
 “I incurred huge losses on Saturday when police descended at my shop,
forcing me to reduce the price of bread to a ridiculous $200 000. The money
is far too less compared to the money I lose when ordering this bread from
bakeries. I would rather not sell bread than incur such losses<’ said a
manager speaking to The Zimbabwean.
Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo confirmed the
latest police crackdown.
 “Supermarkets and bakeries were selling the bread at above the stipulated
price and as the police we would not watch while businesses cheat consumers
through flouting government price controls,” Inspector Moyo said on
Saturday.
Speaking at the Zanu PF Extraordinary Congress, Mugabe said he was worried
by the recent spate of price increases. He said appropriate action would be
taken on errant businesses.
 Mugabe’s threat seemed to support National Incomes and Pricing Commission
(NIPC) chairman Godwills Masimirembwa who was forced to eat humble pie by
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono three weeks ago.
 Masimirembwa was diplomatically whipped into line by Gono after he
threatened to unleash the second phase of the blitz.
Most businesses are yet to recover from the devastating effects of the
controversial price blitz launched in July


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Exiles urge free elections

Washington Times

By Geoff Hill
December 17, 2007

 JOHANNESBURG — A large and increasingly vocal Zimbabwean-exile community in
South Africa is making its presence felt with posters and billboards across
the capital demanding free elections in Zimbabwe next year.

The giant signs have been set up at established sites, including Thembisa, a
high-density suburb between Johannesburg and Pretoria that is home to
thousands of exiles, and the bustling road and rail hub of Park Station in
downtown Johannesburg.

According to government estimates, as many as 3 million Zimbabweans have
come to South Africa seeking refuge from dire poverty and political
repression in their homeland.

One of the billboards, on a wall above the busy Louis Botha Avenue — a major
highway into Johannesburg — asks why there are so many Zimbabweans living in
South Africa and answers the question with the single word "freedom."

While South Africans may be flattered to be labeled a bastion of freedom,
the campaign is unlikely to be entirely welcomed by the governing African
National Congress, which has endured widespread criticism of its Zimbabwe
policy.

While former President Nelson Mandela and Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop
Desmond Tutu have called for a tougher line toward the nation's northern
neighbor, President Thabo Mbeki has persisted with a policy of "quiet
diplomacy," refusing to openly condemn even the worst cases of torture and
abuse.

In September, workers with the local council in the border town of Musina
were accused of tearing down one of the posters, erected by a coalition of
private organizations and church groups working under the name of Zimbabwe
Democracy Now, or ZDN.

When the sign was replaced, the council again tried to remove it, but a
legal order has since barred such interference as a violation of freedom of
speech.

ZDN spokesman the Rev. Peter Nkululeko said in Pretoria that it is
imperative that Zimbabwe's planned March election be "open and transparent."

"A majority of people in Zimbabwe are aged under 25, and for all [their
lives] one party and one leader has dominated the country by nationalizing
the press, rigging elections and intimidating or jailing anyone who dared to
speak out," he said.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 83, has been in power since 1980. He and
his party were returned to office in a 2005 election that many observers
claimed was marred by state-sponsored violence and interference with the
vote-counting process. A majority of Western countries, including the United
States, refused to recognize the result.

Last week, the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party
again nominated Mr. Mugabe as its candidate for president in voting next
year.

Mr. Mbeki "has been talking to all stakeholders about the need to have a
real vote in Zimbabwe — the first for many years — and our campaign supports
that," Mr. Nkululeko said.

"The posters are merely our way of keeping the issue in public view," he
said.

Since 2000, a violent land-reform program has seen the collapse of
commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe, and critics say many of the formerly
white-owned farms have been taken over by government ministers and Mr.
Mugabe's allies in the armed forces.

With farm output at an 80-year low, Zimbabwe has the world's
fastest-shrinking economy and highest inflation, now officially at 15,000
percent, although the International Monetary Fund predicts it will soon rise
to 100,000 percent.

One-third of the country's population of 14 million is thought to have fled,
mostly to neighboring countries, and aid organizations say that
three-quarters of those who remain are malnourished.

Landlocked Zimbabwe is largely dependent on South Africa, and Mr. Mbeki has
ruled out any sanctions against Harare.


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Zimbabwe's shame

Jamaica Gleaner

EDITORIALS:
published: Monday | December 17, 2007

HE CAN'T be accused of poking a "pink nose", as was Tony Blair, in other
people's business. For, as Jamaicans would be aware from the recent visit to
the island of Dr. John Sentamu, he is visibly black.

Moreover, the Archbishop of York, the second-highest position in the Church
of England, was born in Uganda, where he practised law and tussled with
former dictator Idi Amin before emigrating to Britain and becoming a priest
in the Anglican Church.

A week ago, during an interview on a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
domestic television channel, Dr. Sentamu dramatically cut his clerical
collar to pieces, saying he will not wear one again until Robert Mugabe
leaves office as President of Zimbabwe. Last week too, days after Archbishop
Sentamu's symbolic act, Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party endorsed Mr. Mugabe,
83, as its candidate for next year's presidential election.

Should Mr. Mugabe win - an extremely strong likelihood given the ruling
party's more recent history of intimidating opponents and rigging
elections - he will be nearly 90 when his term is up. But worse, the people
of Zimbabwe will be forced to endure several more years of a beggarly
existence, economically and politically.

The shame of Zimbabwe and Mr. Mugabe is that they represent a betrayal of
hope and potential, especially for people in the African Diaspora who
invested heavily, emotionally and otherwise, in the country's liberation
from racist, white minority rule in what was then called Rhodesia.

While Mr. Mugabe was perhaps a good and strong guerrilla fighter, he has
been dismal as a democratic leader, forging ruinous economic policies and
emasculating institutions to glue his hold on office. His cynicism is deep.

Two decades after he came to power, with his hold on power threatened by an
organised opposition, he sanctioned the push of white farmers from land in
favour of supposed veterans of the civil war. A legitimate issue of land
distribution, which Mr. Mugabe had allowed to lie fallow for more than 20
years, became a blunt political instrument. It was also the start of the
deep downward spiral of the Zimbabwe economy, which, this year, has seen
inflation of well over 1,000 per cent. Zimbabwe is an now an economic basket
case.

Mr. Mugabe's only response is to vilify his critics and to throw about
racist slurs. It is time that Jamaica and its partners in the Caribbean
Community, who have a stake in a good future for Zimbabwe, clearly tell Mr.
Mugabe that his people deserve better.

Hopefully, Archbishop Sentamu, who knows the ways of dictators and the
mysteries of divine intervention, will resume wearing his clerical collar in
short order.


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Zimbabwe a jewel loaned to us

Nehanda Radio

By Zwelithini Viki
16 December 2007

When Robert Mugabe came into power in 1980 he voluntarily proclaimed that
Zimbabwe was a jewel loaned to him and his government by the future
generations who were suposed to get it back from them in an improved
state.In his exact words while addressing a rally in 1980 Mugabe said
"Zimbabwe is a jewel being loaned to us (government) by the future
generations who should hold us accountable if we fail to pass it over to
them in an improved state".

Far from the word improved is where Zimbabwe finds itself today under the
continued misgovernance by the regime of the day characterised by
dictatorship,looting and killing. The academic genocide which the government
unleashed on 8 February 2006 continues to haunt the students at all tertiary
institutions in Zimbabwe.The 8th of February is the day when the government
of the day reneged on its promise for 'education for all by the yuear
2000'.This was a clear denial of education to those of a peasant family
background and the poor in general.

The particular day remains a BLACK DAY in the history of higher and tertiary
education.This is the day when the government of Robert Mugabe decided to
comodify education thereby making it a preserve for the elite.Several
students have dropped out of school since then whilist those who soldiered
on fimd themselves between a hard rock and a hard surface because of the
socio-economic and political meltdown currently obtaining in Zimbabwe.

The government, through vice chancellors and principals, has always reacted
ruthlessly against student leaders and activists who advocate for the
restoration of normalcy in the education system in Zimbabwe.Suspensions and
expulsions have become the order of the day as the regime try in vain to
stop the students' revolution in Zimbabwe.The recent victimisation of
student activists at Great Zimbabwe University,NUST and the UZ goes a long
way to show how the regime is prepared to sacrifice the voice of the
voceless for its selfish and corrupt interests.

One thing they seem not to know is that they can kill the revolutionaries
but they will never kill the revolution.Students now find themselves
concentrating more on means of survival than their core business.They now
find themselves thinking of where they will get their next meal and busfare
to and from college,where they will put up for the next night and how they
will fund raise for typing of projects and assignments.

More painful is the state of lecturers the students throughout the country
have been receiving due to the massive exodus of qualified lecturers and yet
the regime hybernating along Samora Macheal avenue has done nothing to
address this anormally.Half baked graduates,unfit for for the industry,have
been produced and they are expected to help in improving the economic,social
and political crisis of this country.

My word to the government of Robert Mugabe is that they should be aware that
they will not go unjudged and unpunished for the crimes they have committed
against the people of Zimbabwe.We will definately hold them accountable for
failing to preserve the jewel they took over in 1980!!!!!!!!!

ALLUTA CONTINUA

Zwelitini Viki is former Information and Publicity Secretary at the
University of Zimbabwe SRC.


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Asylum seekers paid to quit UK

The Sun, UK

By MICHAEL LEA
Political Correspondent

Published: Monday, December 17, 2007

FAILED asylum seekers have been paid £36million in “bribes” to leave
Britain, it was revealed yesterday.

More than 23,000 have won windfalls of up to £4,000, with costs, to set up
firms in their homeland.

But many are feared to be milking the repatriation scheme.

About 300 have been caught trying to RETURN to Britain after launching their
firms. Other foreigners here illegally apply for asylum simply to cash in.

A £4,000 handout — ten years’ wages in Afghanistan — can buy thousands
luxury back home. Tories last night blamed the problem on Labour’s failure
to secure Britain’s borders.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said: “Given their inability to deport
illegal immigrants they have had to resort to bribing them to leave
taxpayers picking up the bill.”

Firms set up with the bungs include a beauty salon in Zimbabwe.

The Government pays two-thirds of the bill and the EU pays the rest.

The scheme is open to all failed asylum seekers, refugees with leave to
remain and those with claims pending.

The Home Office insists the Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration
Programme — set up in 1999 — is cost effective. Forcibly returning a failed
asylum seeker costs £11,000.

An undercover reporter, posing as an asylum seeker, was promised a package
worth £4,000 to return to India.

He admitted he dealt drugs and worked illegally here but he was offered an
air ticket, £1,000 business start-up grant and other inducements. His “plan”
was a travel agency to help others come to Britain.

a.. MINISTERS will this week announce tougher UK entry rules for non-EU
visitors. Families who sponsor visas for overseas relatives may have to put
up a £1,000 cash bond, which would be forfeited if the visitor overstays.


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Painkillers  shortages hit Byo

The Zimbabwean

 Monday, 17 December 2007 08:11

BULAWAYO---The Zimbabwe's second capital city,Bulawayo has been  hit  by
serious shortages of  painkillers .
With this current  economic situation, most Zimbabweans  are victims  of
headaches caused by stress as the people are thinking of  ways to survive
therefore their situation has  been now worsened especially  in Bulawayo  as
pharmacies and supermarkets    in the city have no pain killers  on sale
as  its shortages  have hit the country.
 A visit   by The Zimbabwean to several   pharmacies and supermarkets who
usual sell   painkillers  proved that ordinary painkillers like
 pain -ezze,caffenol and anadin  haven’t  been available  for the past
three  weeks.
Pharmacists   who spoke to The Zimbabwean said the reason  why  there  is
shortage of painkillers in the city  is because their main drug  suppliers
like Datlabs  and Caps  Holdings   are  no longer  able  to import products
needed  in manufacturing  of these pills due to foreign currency shortages
in the country “The reason why there are shortages of painkillers is that
our main drug  suppliers  like  Datlabs and Caps  Holdings   are  no longer
able to import  products needed  in manufacturing  of these pills  due to
foreign currency shortages in the country” said the one pharmacist who
preffered not to be named for professional reasons.
 No comment  could  be obtained from either Caps Holdings or  Datlabs  as
most senior  officials are   said to be alread on the company's annual
shutdown leave.


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The pride drink of Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean

JOHANNESBURG:
INDUSTRY has collapsed, power black-out is the order of the day, and worse
still, food and cash shortages are the common phenomenal in Zimbabwe.

 But what boggles the mind, is the disappearance of the Mazoe Orange Crush,
the famous Zimbabwean pride  drink, that is now readily available in the
South African market.
 Today the drink does not exist in Zimbabwe anymore. Thousands of
cross-border traders, who do business in South Africa, are now importing the
drink back to their native country, instead of exporting it to South Africa.
 Investigations by CAJ News revealed that there are no other South African
companies that produce the Mazoe Orange Crush drink, except the Zimbabwean
company based in Harare.
 "The very funniest part of business is that we are now buying our Mazoe
drink from South Africa, and resale it back in Zimbabwe at a very
competitive price.
 "Most Zimbabweans do not know what is really happening with the Mazowe
orange crush drink.Nearly everybody, the rich and the poor loves the
drink."The drink is no longer available back home simply because of the
price controls," said Merjury Machingauta of Highfield, Harare.
 Machingauta had in fact bought 24 two litre Mazoe Organge Crush drink for
resale back in Zimbabwe.
 She added: "With Christmas just by the corner, I have to make a killing
from this imported Zimbabwean drink. Even ministers like it, but they must
be ready to buy it under my new price."
 In Zimbabwe, the Mazoe Orange Crush was selling at Z$5 million before it
disapeared from the shelves, whilst in South Africa the drink costs a mere
R15.
 The Zimbabwe's economy has been experiencing some serious challenges over
the past seven years as a result of the ruling Zanu (PF)'s misplaced
economic policies.
 Worsening the situation was the central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
(RBZ) that always comes up with controversial monetary policies.
 To date, Zimbabwe is the only country in the world without an authentic
currency. Zimbabwe is the only country in the world with the worst rate of
inflation hovering around 14 000 percent-CAJ News.
 


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TelOne Warns of Service Interruptions



The Herald (Harare)  Published by the government of Zimbabwe

17 December 2007
Posted to the web 17 December 2007

Harare

FIXED telecommunications service provider TelOne has warned subscribers of
service interruptions in Harare over the next two weeks.

This is the result of upgrading the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
network in a development that will improve service delivery.

The interruption will not affect cable and fibre optic based telephone
lines.

"TelOne wishes to advise its valued customers that due to an upgrading
exercise on the CDMA network, they may experience interruptions in
telecommunication services from Wednesday 12 December to Monday 31 December
2007.

"This is part of our ongoing programme to improve and expand
telecommunication services," said TelOne.

The service provider highlighted that there would not be a complete black
out, but that access would be more challenging on the CDMA network.

TelOne launched the CDMA technology in June this year as the
telecommunications service provider continues to keep abreast of new
technological innovations.

It allows multiple users to occupy the same time and frequency allocations
in a given band or space.

It also enables the service provider to detect any fraudulent use of its
lines and doing away with the current mediation system that involves
downloading data before calculating units for billing.

CDMA is a wireless loop system that removes the need for copper cables in
the access network and, instead, connects customers from the base stations
in the same manner as the GSM cellular system.

TelOne and other public utilities such as Zesa Holdings and the National
Railways of Zimbabwe are losing billions of dollars worth of equipment to
theft and vandalism.

Theft of copper cables has been rampant in Zimbabwe in recent years,
prompting the utilities to demand stiffer penalties for offender.

The CDMA technology will ease worries over vandalism of infrastructure and
cable theft, which usually disrupts services.

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