40 injured as soldiers go on rampage in Zhombe

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
30 November 2012

40 MDC-T supporters were injured, two of them seriously, when soldiers went
on a rampage at Samambwa business centre in Zhombe, in the Midlands
province.

The two who were seriously injured, 77 year-old Peter Frank and 74 year-old
Phineas Madhlembwa, are now admitted at the Avenues Clinic in Harare
suffering from broken limbs and internal injuries.

The local MDC-T MP, Rodger Tazviona, escaped without injuries. A report was
made to the police but no soldiers have been arrested or questioned about
the incident.

The MDC-T chairman for the Midlands North, Constain Muguti, told SW Radio on
Friday that 40 people were injured in the unprovoked attack by soldiers who
had been guarding farming inputs for the Maguta project at the business
centre.

He said the 10 soldiers felt ‘insulted’ by the MDC-T for organizing and
gathering near where they were based, even though the MDC-T had police
clearance to hold a rally at Samambwa.

‘Nine of the 40 received bad injuries, but we had to rush the two old men to
Harare for specialist treatment because they were badly hurt. They were made
to lie down on the ground and bludgeoned with logs. Women were stripped
naked and had their T-shirts burnt to ashes, including 18 cell phones and
wrist watches that were also thrown into a fire.

‘So when we got to the business centre, women had fled into the bushes
because they were naked. All my life as a politician I consider this as one
of the most brutal and most evil acts of violence I’ve ever witnessed. It
was just savagery,’ explained Muguti.

Asked what instigated the attack, Muguti said the soldiers felt belittled
and undermined by a gathering of MDC-T supporters, not far from the food aid
that was to be distributed by Robert Mugabe.

‘The soldiers told our supporters that they were going to teach them some
manners for undermining Mugabe and supporting Tsvangirai who was not giving
anyone food in Zimbabwe.
‘It’s as if the food is benefitting everybody, when we all know it’s being
given to ZANU PF supporters. One day these people will pay for what they’re
doing to innocent civilians,’ Muguti added.

Zim deploys troops on Moza border

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

Friday, 30 November 2012 10:55

HARARE - Zimbabwe this week increased military presence along its 1 231km
border with Mozambique to monitor the threat of armed conflict across the
border.

This follows the danger posed by renegade Mozambican politician Afonso
Dhlakama, who has taken a rag-tag army of followers to Gorongosa threatening
war.

Zimbabwe’s move is likely influenced by Dhlakama’s heinous crimes against
Zimbabwean citizens, particularly those in Manicaland Province when he waged
a brutal civil war against the legitimate Mozambican government in the
1980s.

Sources told the Daily News that the first batch of forces was moved to the
border lines this week.
Zim deploys troops on Moza border.

Other soldiers have been placed on high alert.

The troops were deployed to prevent the violence feared in Mozambique from
spilling over into Zimbabwe as happened before.

Since the threat by rebel-turned-opposition-leader Dhlakama to destabilise
Mozambique, Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields, 400km east of Harare, have
also been seen as a potential flashpoint for conflict.

There are fears by Zimbabwean officials that Dhlakama could be used by
“hostile forces” to destabilise the rich diamond belt.

Zimbabwe is also interested in securing its 287km-long Feruka pipeline from
Beira in Mozambique to the oil refinery just outside Mutare.

Mozambique’s Companhiado Pipeline Mozambique-Zimbabwe, also known as CPMZ,
controls the rest.

Instability in Mozambique could scuttle a second fuel pipeline that Zimbabwe
was building from Savana, 50km north of Beira to Msasa.

The deployments came a week after a visit to Zimbabwe by a top Mozambican
military general, sources said.

Zimbabwe is gearing up for a tough fight to help Mozambique’s government
forces repel Dhlakama’s militants if asked to help, sources said.

The two countries have a history of military ties since Zimbabwe’s 1970s war
of independence when the late Mozambican president Samora Machel provided
support for guerrillas fighting Ian Smith’s racist regime.

There is a risk Mozambique could descend into chaos after Dhlakama and his
Renamo soldiers threatened to topple the ruling administration, and seize
the country if President Armando Guebuza’s administration does not revise a
1992 peace accord entered with the then president, Joaquim Chissano so as to
integrate more Renamo fighters in the armed forces and in other state
institutions.

Dhlakama has decamped from his residence in the northern city of Nampula
with 700 former Renamo guerrillas to the central district of Gorongosa, near
his old guerrilla base at Casa Banana to spearhead a rebellion.

Dhlakama is referring to his new base as his “general staff headquarters”.

Security sources said Zimbabwe Defence Forces initially sent a signal to all
army barracks to be on “high alert” regarding Dhlakama’s move to Gorongosa,
prior to Tuesday’s deployment.

It was not immediately clear if Guebuza had made a formal request to
Zimbabwe for military assistance to help prepare for the potential
rebellion.

Defence forces spokesperson Colonel Overson Mugwisi declined to comment,
referring the Daily News to Alphious Makotore, the army spokesperson.

Makotore asked this paper to hand deliver written questions to the KG VI
army headquarters although it was too late to do so last night.

Defence minister Emerson Mnangagwa’s mobile was unreachable for comment at
the time of going to print.

Zimbabwe will need to seek a Sadc Troika mandate to send in troops into
Mozambique.

Harare will have to clearly spell out the objectives of such an operation
and how it would be carried out.

Diplomats have privately expressed scepticism about Dhlakama’s threats to go
back to war.

Zimbabwe has in past intervened militarily in Mozambican conflicts, as well
as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The conflict in Mozambique will exacerbate a deteriorating humanitarian and
security situation in the turbulent southern African region, where millions
are on the brink of starvation due to drought. - Gift Phiri, Politics Editor

Police protect Anglicans from Kunonga

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Fungai Kwaramba, Staff Writer
Friday, 30 November 2012 10:55

HARARE - Police stood guard at the Anglican Church Cathedral in Harare
protecting worshippers as tables turned against ex-communicated bishop
Nolbert Kunonga, who for five years relied on the force to eject bona fide
Anglicans from their properties.

Kunonga’s supporters watched from a distance as, for the first time in
almost five years, Anglicans and their clergy held a service inside the
cathedral.

Police wielding baton sticks kept watch to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s
violent clashes when Kunonga hired street bouncers to regain control after
the Supreme Court ruled he had no right to church properties.

Harare diocese bishop Chad Gandiya asked his followers to forgive Kunonga
but warned the packed crowd to stay alert as “forces of darkness” were still
lurking in the shadows.

“It has been a long journey full of obstacles, but God has returned us to
his home. I thank you because you did not despair but we are not there yet,”
said Gandiya.

Floors that were smelly and dirty on Wednesday were squeaky clean after
members cleaned the church following years of neglect by Kunonga.

Gracious in victory, Gandiya told Anglicans not to retaliate to Kunonga’s
provocations.

“We never said fight back. You were arrested and beaten but you kept calm. I
ask you to maintain peace. I thank you because you did not retaliate. We
were beaten and arrested but we never fought back,” said Gandiya.

Since 2007, when Kunonga withdrew from the CPCA to form his own Anglican
Church of the Province of Zimbabwe (ACPZ), the Zanu PF-aligned priest has
used the police to block Anglicans from their churches and yesterday he had
a taste of his own medicine.

“All these years our people have been traumatised and we have a lot of work
to do. Not only in renovating these buildings but also in terms of healing
and reconciliation. It is not going to be easy,” said Gandiya.

With Kunonga defiant and concocting tricks to regain lost ground, including
renting mobs, Gandiya told his supporters to be on the watch as they were
dealing with a gang used to violence.

“There is no turning back,” said Gandiya.

Kunonga threatens to shoot journalists

http://www.swradioafrica.com

Staff Reporter
30th November 2012

The ‘excommunicated’ Anglican Bishop, Nolbert Kunonga, has been walking
around with a gun strapped to his hip, threatening to shoot journalists.

It seems he is not very happy with the court ruling that finally removed
from his possession the church properties that he had taken control off.

MISA Zimbabwe issued a media alert to say that when Kunonga arrived at the
Anglican Cathedral on Thursday he found that some of the movable property
was being taken out of the cathedral’s pre-school, located in the basement.

They reported that Kunonga advanced on the journalists who were taking
photos of the scene, ordered them to stop and then threatened to shoot one
of them.

The Daily News said he was, ‘sweating profusely’ and had a gun holstered at
his hip. He shouted: “You think I am playing with you, I can shoot you.”

He had also been told by the court to return three vehicles he had decided
were his own, and the clerk of the court tried to block his path and get the
keys for the vehicles.
The newspaper said by this time he was frothing at the mouth with anger.

It remains to be seen what Mugabe’s gun toting Bishop will do next, if his
head doesn’t explode with anger first.

ZUJ condemns harassment of journalists by Bishop Kunonga

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, ZUJ, would like to appeal to public
figures to exercise restraint during their interactions with journalists on
assignment.
30.11.12

by ZUJ

The Union is deeply concerned and alarmed by reports that Bishop Nolbert
Kunonga reportedly threatened to shoot journalists covering his eviction
from Anglican Church premises in Harare on Wednesday, 28 November.

Newsday Photo-journalist, Hardlife Samusvi, told ZUJ that he had been
traumatized by the experience especially after seeing what he believed was a
gun on Kunonga and did not feel safe.

The incident comes soon after Herald’s Masvingo correspondent, George
Maponga sustained injuries after coming under the attack of a TelOne
employee, John Zvirikuzhe who teamed up with three suspects and subjected
Maponga to a hail of missiles.

Maponga sustained deep cuts and had to receive eight stitches at hospital.
He was working on a case of alleged corruption at TelOne in Masvingo.

We urge all public officials to behave responsibly as embarking on violence
against journalists may encourage other sections of the community to behave
in a similar manner.

As we move towards a possible referendum and elections, we urge public
figures not to become advocates of violence against journalists as this
could expose our members to further abuses.

ZUJ condemns all acts of violence against journalists as it curtails Freedom
of Expression and of the Press.

In Solidarity,

Foster Dongozi

Gutu says younger generation discouraged from registering to vote

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
30 November 2012

The voter registration exercise is still unnecessarily cumbersome and is
discouraging the younger generation in the country to register as voters,
the deputy Minister of Justice said on Friday.

Speaking on SW Radio Africa’s Election Watch program, Senator Obert Gutu
said there are still a lot of hurdles that people come across if they want
to register, especially tenants in urban areas.

‘One needs to have proof of residence to register and this depends on the
benevolence of the landlord or landlady to help by supplying a copy of any
utility bill. In the rural areas you need a letter from a Sabhuku (headman)
and people feel discouraged being tossed from office to office

‘An average person will end up giving up because of the amount of time spent
trying to get the right papers,’ Gutu said, adding that a much simpler way
should be found to allow everyone who is qualified and eligible for the
registration to do so without any hassles.

The Senator explained that these were some of the issues that were tackled
during a two hour meeting between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the top
hierarchy of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and several cabinet
ministers.

‘The Prime Minister wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth the state of
the preparedness of ZEC to hold the referendum and the elections next year.
This was an amicable and candid meeting where ZEC were able to explain some
of their pitfalls as a result of lack of resources,’ Gutu added.

He continued: ‘They mentioned the state of the voters’ roll, which is still
shambolic and which they said would take up to 18 months to clean up.

ZEC admitted the voters’ roll still contained a staggering number of
individuals who are not supposed to be on the list. Gutu said this scenario
poses a big threat to plans to hold clean and credible general elections
next year.

‘They painted a not-so-rosy picture of the voters’ roll during the meeting,’
Gutu said, amid reports it had an unusually high number of older voters
between the ages of 65 to 100.

The registrar-general Tobaiwa Mudede has been accused of deliberately
manipulating the roll in favour of President Robert Mugabe’s regime.

However, Gutu said there is no evidence yet that the new independent ZEC
will try to deliberately manipulate the figures to subvert the electoral
process.

‘It is crucial that ZEC cleans up the roll of dead voters if we are to have
clean, free and fair elections. A clean voters’ roll is the basis upon which
we can have genuinely free and fair elections.

‘On the other hand a defective roll can destabilise the electoral outcome
and raises questions of legitimacy of the whole exercise,’ the Senator
explained.

Chitungwiza falls apart as municipal strike continues

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
30 November, 2012

The streets of Chitungwiza high-density suburb are reported to be full of
rubbish and flowing sewage as a week of strikes by municipal workers
continues.

Eddington Shayanowako, coordinator at the Chitungwiza Community Development
Network (CCDN), told SW Radio Africa that there has been no garbage
collection all week, council run clinics, beer-halls and banks have also
been closed and cemeteries are not allowing burials.

The strike, initiated by desperate workers after three months without
salaries, is said to have paralysed the town while the council loses much
needed revenue. The workers have vowed not to return to work, ignoring a
call by the Labour Minister Paurina Mpariwa to end the strike.

Shayanowako said workers were seen hanging around the head office in Zengeza
2 with no idea what council is planning to do about the unpaid wages. No one
has addressed them and the town clerk, who manages council affairs, was
reportedly out of his office.

The Chamber Secretary reportedly held a meeting with several councillors on
Wednesday, but the workers and residents have not been given any
information.

Residents seeking medical treatment are reportedly walking to Chitungwiza
Hospital because clinics are closed. Some even travelled as far as Harare
for treatment.

Desperate families trying to bury their loved ones were reportedly stranded
at Unit L Cemetery, which was closed due to the strike. Some families had to
pay kickbacks to workers and find youths to dig the graves.

Shayanowako also said the tower lights used at night had been turned into
telecommunications base stations and many areas were now dangerous in the
dark.

“I don’t think the residents even know who their councillors are and there
is no communication between them at all,” Shayanowako said.

Residents are concerned that the industrial action will worsen the already
ailing service delivery situation.

Chitungwiza raises about $1.4 million in revenue per month, while paying out
$1.7 million in wages. This means the Council is falling behind by $300,000
each month without any plan to eliminate this growing deficit.

Shayanowako said the Council is run by mostly MDC-T councillors, as well as
several “special interest” councillors that were appointed by the Local
government Minister, Ignatius Chombo. It has been alleged that these
councillors were put there by Chombo to cause problems for the elected
MDC-T.

Zimbabwe To Appear At The Vatican Over Death Penalty

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, November 30, 2012 - Zimbabwe is appearing at the Vatican City to
answer questions on why it still maintains the death penalty law in its
statute books together with about 20 other countries around the world who
still do so.

Co-Minister of Home Affairs Theresa Makone told Radio VOP that she will be
attending the meeting in Rome to hear the Vatican’s view on death penalty
and argue the case for Zimbabwe.

The Catholic Church has been calling for the abolition of death penalty
around the world and in countries that the church has a presence.

“I shall be in Rome between 29 and 30 November where I will be talking about
the death sentence in Zimbabwe. There is a department of the Saint’Egidio
Community within the Roman Catholic Church which wants to hear from about 20
odd countries around the world which still maintain death penalty,” said
Makone.

The Saint’Egidio Community seeks to encourage people around the world to
campaign for the end of death penalty.

Zimbabwe still maintains the death penalty although a proposed new
constitution for the country abolished it in respect of women, children
under the age of 18 and senior citizens aged above 70 years.

“When I joined the unity government I was given a list of people on death
row that should get a presidential pardon. I said these people must be
hanged but the president said we will give you the job to hang them but I
told him I don’t want to kill so no-one has the right to kill because that
is up to God because he is our creator,” said Makone.

Speaking to the Catholic News ahead of the meeting, Pope Benedict XVI
encouraged delegates to the meeting to promote the abolition of the death
penalty and lobby for political and legislative initiatives that eliminate
death penalty.

Zimbabwe Too Broke To Fund Elections

http://www.voazimbabwe.com

Blessing Zulu, Ntungamili Nkomo
29.11.2012

President Robert Mugabe’s push for elections in March next year is in
serious jeopardy as indications are that the country has no money to fund
the crucial poll with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) saying it
cannot guarantee a clean voters’ roll in time for the vote.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti confirmed to VOA Studio 7 that he told
President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team, currently in Harare for two-day
meetings, that Zimbabwe has no money and needs assistance from South Africa,
developed nations and the United Nations.

In his 2013 budget, Biti allocated US$50 million for both the constitutional
referendum and harmonized elections, which the ZEC says is a far cry from
the amount needed to hold successful elections.

In meetings with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in Harare Thursday, ZEC
said it needs US$220 million to run the referendum and harmonized elections.

The commission said it also needed about 18 months to clean the shambolic
voters’ roll.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) in 2010 said 27 percent of
people on the voters’ roll were deceased, a figure translating to a third of
the registered voters.

ZESN said that the anomalies opened the way for “double voting and other
rigging intentions”.

The report also found that more than 500 dead voters had all been given the
same birth date - January 1, 1901.

Elections Resource Centre Project officer Jack Zaba told VOA that a flawed
voters’ roll favours Zanu-PF.

ZESN chairman Peter Zwana said in an interview with VOA that Harare’s
chaotic preparations for polls are a cause for concern.

Tsvangirai promises 1 million jobs

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

Friday, 30 November 2012 10:55

HARARE - Zimbabweans have had enough of President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF
failures, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said yesterday as he unveiled an
election campaign plan that promises a million jobs in five years.

The MDC leader was officially launching his party’s Jobs, Upliftment,
Investment, Capital and the Environment (Juice) economic blue-print where he
told cheering supporters that the model seeks to create a million jobs in
the first five years from 2013.

“Mugabe and Zanu PF’s failure is now legendary, we cannot continue to
bombard our people with what they know. If you ask the people of this
country they would not want to be taken back to the pre-2009 era.

“We have all experienced it so there is nothing new to it. The MDC will
deliver one million jobs by 2018 and this is anchored on resuscitating our
dilapidated infrastructure,” Tsvangirai said.

He said lack of jobs that has seen 80 percent of the country’s labourforce
rendered jobless presents a social and political time bomb for an MDC
government after next year’s elections.

“When the MDC was formed, children who were five then are now adults and
roaming the streets with nothing to do.

“Unfortunately, this group now forms the biggest percentage of our
population.

“A job is the best form of empowerment.

The joy of having a secure job guarantees that your family has adequate
security; that our children are able to go to school and that food is on the
table.

As Africans, a job goes beyond just our immediate family. It guarantees our
extended family with a form of family safety out of our belief in communal
sharing and solidarity,” the MDC leader said.

Tsvangirai said the MDC’s economic policy will be anchored on infrastructure
rehabilitation to generate new jobs.

“We do not believe that while the past was dreadful in its discriminatory
and exploitative nature, merely redistributing what we inherited would be
sufficient to meet the growing demands and needs of our expanding
population. The rehabilitation of our road and rail network to link our
towns and cities with the centres of primary producers of economic raw
materials and markets has an absorptive upshot to mop up the thousands of
young school leavers yearning for gainful employment,” he said.

Tsvangirai called for an environment that allows rich Zimbabweans to stay in
the country and expand their businesses.

“Priority shall go to Zimbabweans wishing to expand their business
activities and entrepreneurial dreams.

“We do not believe in the pull-him-down syndrome that has forced people like
Strive Masiyiwa (Econet proprietor) to emigrate to other countries.

“We have a government that hates and creates a deliberate ideological thrust
to put barriers against its own people. That is a narrative we do not
subscribe to,” he said.

“Masiyiwa is staying outside Zimbabwe because he refused to give them
money,” said Tsvangirai.

The Juice policy was launched at High Glen Shopping Centre, one of numerous
white elephants in Harare that typifies the capital flight that has
characterised Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown in the past dozen years.

Tsvangirai promised to incentivise industry through tax rebates for
businesses that emphasises on local job creation.

JUICE: Just what Zimbabwe needs now

http://www.mdc.co.zw

Friday, 30 November 2012

The JUICE programme unveiled by President Tsvangirai at High glen shopping
center yesterday seem to have caught the Zanu PF and its surrogates flat
footed as they all along been pontificating and speculating about MDC’s
failure to launch it.

The thrust of JUICE is to create 1 million jobs by 2018, increase growth
rate exponentially, further reduce inflation rate, deliver a US$100 billion
economy by 2040, improve electricity generation and build a social contract.

The MDC economic blue print comes at a time when the country is reeling in
the after effects of a plunderous regime of economic mismanagement policies
instituted by Zanu PF in the guise of indigenisation and empowerment. It has
become too clear that what Zanu PF was packaging as a people empowerment
programme was in fact a self enriching “jamboree” by a few connected pundits
in the rank and file of Zanu PF structures.

For three decades Zanu PF failed to grow the national wealth for the benefit
of all Zimbabweans but instead tenaciously marauded on the existing piece of
“cake” to the extent of depriving the vulnerable of the little they were
relying on.

Over the years we have seen an unprecedented massive closure of industry
which has left many people destitute and families breaking down. Recent
reports even in the state media have gleaned over horrendous cases of
Industries which used to employ thousands of workers turning into crèche
schools.

A case in point is a recent story in The Manica Post of 2-8 November 2012,
headlined, “Closed paper mill turned into school.” The closure of a company
that big, has indeed a telling effect on the downstream industries as well
as the local authority, not to mention the social fabric of former employees
and their families. The story of collapse of industry is the same in every
town; Marondera, Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Chinhoyi etc.

Hordes of loitering youth from Schools, Colleges, and Universities have
become a common sight in many a township in Zimbabwe. These have become
victims and or casualties of Zanu PF failed policies and for a party that
has presided over a collapsing economy for three decades to spurn efforts at
resuscitating Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is not only terminal arrogance
but criminally unrepentant.

JUICE certainly gives hope to a nation at the brink of a precipice and Zanu
PF has nothing to offer other than the History of the past while the nation
teeters on a tight rope of tainted hopes and uncertainties. Through JUICE,
MDC aims at restoring lost hope and ushering a life transforming programme
that has been the bed rock of every able bodied Zimbabwean. This is just
what Zimbabweans have ordered.

ZANU PF had three long decades to run the country but decided to ruin it.
Instead of governing, they chose misgoverning, destruction replaced
construction, and corruption became second nature while violence developed
into an acceptable sub-culture or at least lucrative business.

We call upon every responsible and patriotic Zimbabwean to embrace the JUICE
idea as the one that will usher a new Zimbabwe.

The Last Mile: Towards Real Change!!!

KP to withdraw Zimbabwe monitor

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

29/11/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE can sell its diamonds from Marange on the world market under
relaxed conditions, the Kimberley Process will say on Friday.

The global diamond industry watchdog’s Working Group on Monitoring chaired
by the European Union will say that the four mines in Marange – Mbada
Diamonds, Anjin, Marange Resources and the Diamond Mining Corporation – have
complied with KP requirements.

The Marange diamonds were blacklisted by the KP over alleged human rights
violations, but the ban was lifted after Zimbabwe agreed to hold diamond
auctions only in the presence of an external KP monitor and implement
reforms.

Now the Kimberley Process is ready to withdraw its monitors, Abel Chikane
and Van Bockstael, while reverting to the standard peer review system
applied to other KP members, completing Zimbabwe’s rehabilitation.

The decision also means new diamond operations in Marange will be licensed
by Zimbabwe’s Mines Minister without being subjected to external scrutiny.

Zimbabwe is hailing the breakthrough which comes as South Africa – one of
Zimbabwe’s most vocal supporters – is set to assume the KP chair from the
United States of America.

Speaking from Washington DC on Thursday where the Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme is holding its plenary meeting, Tafadzwa Musarara,
chairman of the Zimbabwean NGO Resources Exploitation Watch, said the KP
move was a massive coup for Mines Minister Obert Mpofu.

"The decision to stop external monitoring of Marange diamond fields by KP is
a big success for Mpofu and his team. It is intriguing to note that the EU,
which is chairing this sub-committee, has now turned around to support the
free trading of Zimbabwe’s diamonds,” Musarara said.

"It again seems that the United States wanted to have the Zimbabwe issue
resolved during its chairmanship in order to get some credibility as it
seemed obvious that incoming chair, South Africa, was going to deal with the
matter in favour of Zimbabwe.”

The KP will also urge greater openness by the Zimbabwean government in the
diamond trade, which Mpofu says is already being addressed under a new Bill.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti says there are heavy leakages from Marange,
which he says has potential to form the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy if
the extraction and sale of the diamonds is done transparently.

At a diamond conference in Victoria Falls earlier this month, President
Robert Mugabe said the Diamond Policy and the Diamond Bill due to be passed
in the new year would addressed industry-wide concerns.

But Mugabe also accused the United States of imposing sanctions on the
diamond mining firms and threatening buyers from Asia. This had reduced the
market for the Marange diamonds internationally and lowered their price.

“Given (our) commitment to upholding of international industry standards and
requirements, it goes without saying that diamonds from Zimbabwe must, in
the same spirit, be allowed market space in order to trade competitively and
fully benefit the nation,” Mugabe said.

Sweden provides One Million United States Dollars to Revamp Harare City Library

http://www.culturefund.org.zw

The Government of Sweden is providing USD 1 million for the resuscitation of
the Harare City Library. The project is being managed by the Culture Fund of
Zimbabwe Trust. This financial support will go towards renovating the
infrastructure of the Harare City Library building in Rotten Row. The
Swedish support will lead to the preservation of this building, which is of
architectural and aesthetic importance to the City of Harare. It is
envisaged that, in ten years’ time, it will become a protected building in
accordance with the Museums and Monuments Act.

According to Mr. Farai Mpfunya, the Executive Director of the Culture Fund,
‘this support is a catalytic fuel in the library’s quest to develop into a
modern, world-class library service provider’.

The Government of Sweden, a strong supporter of the culture sector in
Zimbabwe, believes that knowledge is paramount to development as it provides
a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making, and
the cultural development of the individual and social groups. Mr. Magnus
Carlquist, Chargé d´Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Sweden in Harare,
indicated that ‘the support to the Harare City Library will solve the
problem of lack of knowledge by providing a conducive environment for people
to access information as well as injecting new life into the civic centre of
Harare’. Mr. Carlquist emphasised the importance of transparency and
accountability in the execution of the project, which will be managed by a
committee involving representatives from Harare City Library and the Culture
Fund of Zimbabwe Trust.

The funding for the project will be managed by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe
Trust, a long-standing partner of Sweden in Zimbabwe. The Culture Fund
provides financial and technical support to cultural practitioners,
institutions, and activities with the ultimate aim of contributing to a
dynamic, diversified and sustainable culture sector in Zimbabwe. In addition
to the Harare City Library grant, Sweden has since 2006 been injecting
approximately USD 1 million annually into the culture sector in Zimbabwe
through the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust.

The Harare City Library is a Trust established by Act of Parliament for the
benefit of the people of Zimbabwe. It has operated as a library since 1902.
Its award-winning building in Rotten Row celebrates its 50th anniversary
this year. The Library's management committee is composed of a majority of
members elected by the people who benefit from its services. Current
chairman, Mr Mike Curling expressed the Committee's appreciation for the
generosity of the Swedish Government, “The restoration and re-equipping of
the library will be of tremendous benefit to the Harare public, young and
old, and will enable us to extend the Library's services beyond the city.”

Germany Minister set for Zimbabwe high level visit

http://www.thezimbabwemail.net

Staff Reporter 3 hours 32 minutes ago

BERLIN - Germany, De­vel­op­ment Minister Dirk Niebel has left for Zimbabwe
to deliver a message for full political reforms and free and fair elections
The Zimbabwe Mail can reveal.
This Southern African country has reached a critical phase with regard to
its political future. Elections are to be held next year. Germany's
de­vel­op­ment co­op­er­a­tion with Zimbabwe has been suspended because of
the absence of democracy and the rule of law. But the population urgently
requires support: an estimated 1.7 million people in Zimbabwe are dependent
on food aid.
Prior to his departure, Niebel said, "My visit is meant as a signal. I want
to as­sure the people, civil society and the reform-minded forces of my
support and I want to call for further democratic reforms. The most
important step along that road is the holding of credible elections without
violence next year."
This position is in line with the policy of the European Union and the
Southern African De­vel­op­ment Community (SADC)vis-à-visZimbabwe. Zimbabwe
is a member of SADC. So the regional organisation has a mandate to work for
a political solution there.
Germany's de­vel­op­ment co­op­er­a­tion with Zimbabwe was frozen back in
2002, in response to elections that were overshadowed by massive political
violence and by election fraud. The only kind of sup­port that Germany
continued to provide was assistance for civil society.
The most recent elec­tions (in 2008), too, were surrounded by violence. Then
in 2009, a Gov­ern­ment of National Unity was formed, in which power is
shared between President Robert Mugabe (ZANU-PF) and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai (MDC). Since then, Germany has provided humanitarian assistance
and supported efforts to strengthen pro-reform forces and to foster
democracy.
Niebel said, "My visit does not mean that we are normalising our relations
in the field of de­vel­op­ment. But it is meant as a signal, especially a
signal to civil society. Political change can only be brought about from
within, not from the outside.
That is why we have been supporting pro-reform forces. We want to encourage
them to call for human rights and prevent political violence. As long as
neither democracy nor the rule of law have been restored in Zimbabwe,
Germany's de­vel­op­ment co­op­er­a­tion will remain suspended."
In his political talks, Minister Niebel will meet with many MDC Ministers
and with Ministers from the moderate wing of ZANU-PF. He will also have
meetings with representatives of civil society, human rights organisations,
the implementing agencies of German de­vel­op­ment co­op­er­a­tion, and
Germany's political foundations, and he will visit programmes under German
transitional aid in the field of water and sanitation. His itinerary also
includes a visit to SADC's Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre in
Zimbabwe.

Treasury gives legislators US$9 million present

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

Staff Writer
30th November 2012

State media reported Friday that the Treasury had ‘written off’ the US$9
million it had given to parliamentarians under a 2009 loan scheme to buy
cars. 300 legislators received US$30,000 each but appeared to have made no
attempt to pay the loans back.

The MP’s said that until they were given their outstanding ‘sitting’
allowances they could not pay off the loans.

Responding to a parliamentary query this week about the sitting allowances,
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said: “We wrote off the US$30,000 loan for the
motor vehicles even though the law says you must pay (back). Last year we
gave you that bonus, which I shall not mention, otherwise it will be written
in the papers.”

He was referring to the fact that in December last year the Treasury
deposited US$15,000 into each of their accounts.

The parliamentarians’ welfare committee chairperson, ZANU PF’s Paddy Zhanda
said: “There was no such thing as car loans because this was in exchange of
what they owed us. We are owed more than what we have been given. Besides,
why should we buy vehicles on behalf of Government for Government business,
yet ministers have bought themselves several cars, including ministry
vehicles?”

He said it was irrelevant that before the unity government legislators
repaid car loans under the revolving fund.

In most countries, what is happening here is referred to as the gravy train.

Copac to swallow CDF funds

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Chengetayi Zvauya, Parliamentary Editor
Friday, 30 November 2012 11:09
HARARE - Government plans to divert money meant for community projects to
fund a constitution-making process hijacked by President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s ruling parties.

Communities across Zimbabwe have been benefitting from the Constituency
Development Fund (CDF), under which MPs were given $50 000 each to develop
their constituencies.

This could soon be a thing of the past after the broke coalition government
chose to channel the money towards the completion of the new constitution,
which has largely been a negotiated settlement between Zanu PF and the MDCs.

Government is now using funds meant for community development to settle a
debt accumulated by the Constitution Select Committee (Copac), a cross party
parliamentary body tasked with crafting the new governance charter.

The parliamentary committee on Justice, Legal, Constitutional and
Parliamentary Affairs last week engaged senior officials from the ministry
of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs over the issue.

According to the committee chairperson Douglas Mwonzora, MPs were querying
when they would receive funds under the CDF when they were informed of the
decision.

The ministry was allocated $8,2 million during the 2013 budget by minister
of Finance Tendai Biti, with $5 million earmarked towards CDF projects.

Virginia Mabhiza, the permanent secretary in the ministry, told the
committee during a closed meeting on Tuesday last week at Parliament
building that the CDF money would be channelled towards Copac bills.
Committee members told.

Mabhiza that it was illegal to divert CDF cash for Copac business, saying
there was need to probe the legality of such an action.

MPs rejected the proposal and demanded that the ministry disburses CDF funds
in the next financial year.

Mabhiza refused to comment when contacted by the Daily News.

WFP News Release: Hunger Season Bites across Southern Africa

'Zimbabwe Must not Rush To Elections' - Mozambique

www.thezimbabwemail.net

Staff Reporter 7 hours 26 minutes ago

MAPUTO,- Mozambique's former Foreign Affairs minister Dr Leonardo Simao, has
urged Zimbabwe to be patient and only hold elections when the environment is
conducive.
He told a delegation of the Zimbabwean civic society visiting the country on
a lobby campaign for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe:

“I know that it is frustrating but postponing elections until things are
right as much as is possible is the best thing to do. Elections that are
rushed without the requisite conditions of stability, peace and foundations
for democracy are not a solution.”

He said the Zimbabwean situation wa s very complex but one that they had
been watching since the beginning of the downward spiral of the country in
its politics and economy, which started while he was serving as a minister
under President Joachim Chisano.

Simao said that at the time, in the early 2000’s, again Mozambique was chair
of SADC and he remembered being asked to mediate between Zimbabwe and
Britain.

“Europeans and Africans are in pursuit of the same thing but points of
emphasis and prioritisation are different. Our experiences with wars even
against colonisation have shown us that democratisation is not a rushed
process. Stability and peace are paramount in the democracy-building
project, and should be emphasised ahead of democracy, because it is their
product.” Dr Simao said.

He added:

“Europeans are interested on just the later, instead of promoting peace
first as the backbone. They are interested in justice only, but sometimes
this preoccupation with justice ahead of peace and stability can prolong the
peoples suffering as can be seen in Zimbabwe and also in conflicts in the
great lakes region involving the Lords Resistance Army ( LRA).”

Dr.Simao stressed that in spite of their experience with Madagasca,
solutions there or elsewhere may not be solutions for Zimbabwe because there
is no one size fits all to the continent’s political challenges. He urged
continued dialogue between political actors and civil society as well as
amongst themselves as part of the way to solve challenges.

Dr Simao also highlighted that inspite of the reality that they were no
longer in government, he would appraise the Mozambican government on the
delegation’s submissions as well as former President Chisano.

He said former President Chissano retained an interest in the Zimbabwean
question because of his foundation’s quest for peace promotion, social and
economic development as well as cultural cementing of the above two
pursuits.

Dr.Simao commended civil society for being engaged on the Zimbabwean
question, and the way in which they presented issues, stressing that the
kind of impartiality they displayed was key to continued engagement.

“Part of the problem has been perceptions that civil society is political
parties in disguise. But we can now see that this is not so. Remain engaged
and continue this work in a non-partisan and impartial manner. It is
important that ZANU Pf does not see your engagements as attempts to just
push them out. It is not easy for liberation movements to transform into
normal political parties, but it can be done, people temper their language
and engage in progressive discussions around their country.”

AirZim to resume regional flights

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw

Friday, 30 November 2012 13:20
AIR Zimbabwe (AirZim), which resumed flights to South Africa this month
after suspending them about a year ago, said it was ready to expand its
regional sphere of influence in three weeks’ time, following which
international flights would resume.
Acting public relations executive, Shingai Taruvinga, told The Financial
Gazette yesterday that AirZim was optimistic it would recapture its lost
market share following the re-launch of the Harare-Johannesburg flights in
the wake of improved load factors.
A biting cash flow crisis and reluctance by AirZim’s sole shareholder, the
government, to inject cash and recapitalise the airline had triggered the
collapse of the parastatal. But in the past nine months, considerable
efforts have been made towards reviving the national flag-carrier.
“We are looking forward to more regional routes in three weeks,” Taruvinga
said.
“At the moment I can’t say it will be Lusaka, or any other destination but
we are finalising a few things. Once that is done we should start. We are
looking forward to international routes by early next year, around April
2013. The numbers are picking up on the Johannesburg route. We are
optimistic that the numbers will keep increasing because we are now more
reliable,” Taruvinga added.
Traditionally, AirZim’s regional routes included the Harare-Lusaka,
Harare-Lubumbashi in the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo and others in South
Africa.
AirZim has a mammoth task of competing with a number of international
airlines that have started landing into Harare.
These include Emirates and KLM Dutch Airlines. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and
Air Namibia have also introduced scheduled flights into Harare, while Air
France, Austrian Airlines, Egypt Air, Swiss Air, Bulgarian Airlines, Quantas
and Lufthansa are reportedly on their way.
Improved connectivity, according to aviation experts, has been driving
tourist arrivals into Zimbabwe this year thereby attracting interest from
international airlines.— Staff Reporter.

Kunonga under probe

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw

Wednesday, 21 November 2012 21:04
Clemence Manyukwe, Political Editor

THE world has started crumbling around former Anglican Church bishop,
Nolbert Kunonga and his allies who are now under investigation over their
handling of funds and assets belonging to the Anglican Church of the
Province of Central Africa (CPCA), The Financial Gazette can exclusively
reveal.
On Monday, nearly five years after Kunonga pulled out of the CPCA, the
Supreme Court ordered him to hand over all church properties in his
possession to his rivals — ending the confusion that rocked the Anglican
Church since 2007.
But this could just be the beginning of worse things to come for Kunonga and
his associates.
The CPCA this week said it has instituted an audit of church properties to
get a full picture of the current situation.
The investigation could, however, result in the disgraced clergyman and his
followers being called to account for their actions unless if everything is
found to be in order.
A spokesperson for bishop Chad Gandiya, who leads the CPCA Harare Diocese,
said any anomalies unearthed during the probe would be reported to the
police.
“Church wardens and clergy and their church councils are busy examining the
amount of damage done to the structures, the missing items, and police
reports would be lodged to ensure that everything that has been moved
without CPCA’s authority is accounted for. We are certain that they (Kunonga
and his clique) will be exposing each other,” said Precious Shumba,
spokesperson for bishop Gandiya.
When Kunonga broke away from the CPCA to form the Province of Zimbabwe, he
sought to endear himself to elements within ZANU-PF by harping on issues
that resonate with the revolutionary party’s hardliners in order to secure
their backing.
He argues that he was forced to cut ties with the CPCA because it tolerated
homosexuality. The CPCA denies this.
This had appeared to work in his favour as Kunonga’s faction started to
enjoy police protection, resulting in the arrest of several CPCA priests on
trumped up charges.The CPCA’s followers were also subjected to violence with
no protection from the State.
His support within ZANU-PF — a party which considers gays and lesbians as
worse than dogs — started diminishing last year with some of its
heavyweights increasingly viewing Kunonga as a liability ahead of next year’s
general elections.
Highly-placed sources said Kunonga became irrelevant in the party’s scheme
of things because he did not command any meaningful support within the
Anglican Church which ZANU-PF could ride on and had touched a raw nerve by
running down schools that were close to the hearts of many.
What could not help matters was that Kunonga’s case was as weak as a kitten.
At the height of his power, Kunonga and his allies took over Anglican Church
properties such as schools, hospitals, care centres, land and buildings.
The properties included St Augustine’s High School, Kubatana Vocational
Training Centre, Bonda Mission, St Mary Magdalene’s Mission School,
Daramombe Mission and Primary School, the Bernard Mzeki shrine in Marondera,
St Johns Chikwaka Mission, Shearley Cripps Children’s Home in Murehwa,
residential stands, the Anglican Cathedral and PAX House.
Most of these properties are now in a state of collapse due to neglect.
In January 2008, the High Court ordered Kunonga’s faction to share church
premises with the CPCA pending the finalisation of the matter by the Supreme
Court, but the latter was denied access, often by violent means.
Attempts by the co-Ministers of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone
to get the parties to co-exist did not bear fruit. At one time, Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met Kunonga but failed to persuade him to share
the church assets with his rivals.
But in a ruling by Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba, which was agreed to by
Judge of Appeal Justice Vernanda Ziyambi, and Acting Judge of Appeal Justice
Yunus Omerjee, the highest court on the land said Kunonga had left the
Anglican Church and as such he was not entitled to its properties.
“It is common cause that the property belongs to the Church. It has a right
to an order for vindication of its property from possessors who have no
right to have it. The learned Judge was wrong in giving Dr Kunonga and his
followers the right to possess and control the property of the Church
without its consent. They had no right to continue in possession of the
congregational buildings when they had departed from the fundamental
principles and standards on which the Church is founded. They left it
putting themselves beyond its ecclesiastical jurisdiction," reads part of
the judgment.
“When one leaves a club one does not take its property with him or her. It
has long been established as a salutary principle of law in this area of
property ownership that when one or more people secede from an existing
Church, they have no right to claim Church property even if those who remain
members of the congregation are in the minority.”
Human rights groups and political parties, among others, welcomed this week’s
closure to the Anglican Church saga.
In a statement, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), said the
Supreme Court ruling had ended unprecedented assault on religious freedom.
ZLHR said the court decision reaffirms the right to freedom of thought,
conscience, and religion as enshrined in Article 18 and 30 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, Article 27 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and Article VIII of the African Charter on Human
and Peoples’ Rights, all of which emphasise that no one may be subjected to
measures restricting the exercise of these freedoms.
“The landmark judgment that is, in our considered view, legally sound has
put all perpetrators and potential perpetrators of rights violations on
notice: the violation of religious rights will not be tolerated by the
courts, and nobody is above the law — including those who claim to be
superior human beings by virtue of their allegiance and association to
certain political parties,” said the ZLHR.
“We recognise that there were also some judicial officers in the courts a
quo who tried to protect the CPCA and several of the church’s parishioners,
but whose court orders were flagrantly defied with impunity, especially by
State actors such as the police.
“This practice must be condemned and must come to an end, both to protect
institutions and individuals who have had their rights violated, and in
order to restore the dignity of the courts and public confidence in the
justice delivery system.”
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) said the court verdict is a
warning to those who hide behind God to advance certain political goals.
“The MDC applauds the resilience and strength of the Anglican Church of the
Province of Central Africa fellowship in their struggle against evil
machinations fronted by Kunonga and warn other religious deviants who are
abusing hapless congregants in the guise of indigenous churches to advance
evil political gains that they also shall crumble like a deck of cards
against the real and true power of God,” said the MDC-T in a statement.
On Tuesday, Kunonga said he was not yet ready to comment about the judgment
and to discuss his future.

Zimbabwean journalists face increased intimidation: Report

http://www.washingtonpost.com

By Associated Press, Published: November 30

HARARE, Zimbabwe — An independent Zimbabwean media rights group says
journalists face increased intimidation, threats and assaults in their work
as elections scheduled next year draw near.

A researcher for the Africa Media Barometer, Chris Mhike, said Friday that
Zimbabwean journalists are “treading on dangerous grounds” by writing about
President Robert Mugabe, the police, army and other individuals in power.
Mhike was speaking at the launch of the barometer, a survey to monitor
progress on media freedom which is sponsored by the Media Institute of
Southern Africa.

Mhike said the majority of people in Zimbabwe still live in fear which is
made worse by draconian laws that allow journalists and citizens to be
arrested for the “flimsiest of reasons.”

Community radio journo arrested, released without charge

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

A journalist with Community Radio Harare, Yeukai Kapisa, was on Thursday
arrested in Mbare after he was apprehended by suspected members of Zanu (PF)
militia group, Chipangano while giving long distance bus drivers copies of
newspapers for distribution to rural areas.
30.11.12

by Edgar Gweshe

Kapisa was apprehended at around 2pm and handed over to police at Matapi
police station where he was detained and released at around 7.30pm without
being charged.

“Kapisa had gone to Mbare where he was giving kombi drivers some local
newspapers which were supposed to be distributed to Chiota communal area
when a group of suspected Zanu (PF) youths aligned to Chipangano apprehended
him and handed him over to Mbare Police station accusing him of having a
sinister motive,” said a CORAH official who declined to be named.

Speaking on his arrest to The Zimbabwean, Kapisa said: “The police released
me saying that there was nothing wrong with what I was doing hence they
could not file a charge against me. They advised me to exercise caution when
operating in Mbare as the area is politically volatile.”

Station details could not give reasons for detaining Kapisa for a long
period. When contacted, police spokesperson for Harare, Tadius Chibanda,
however, said he was yet to receive a report concerning Kapisa’a arrest.

CORAH was formed in 2003 for purposes of developing and establishing a
community radio station to broadcast in Harare and surrounding areas.

As part of its efforts to empower people with information, CORAH has over
the years been conscientising grassroots communities on the need to demand
their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and of access to means
of information, hence their program to distribute local newspapers to remote
and marginalised communities.

Group warns of HIV crisis

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

Friday, 30 November 2012 10:48
HARARE - Bottlenecks disrupting HIV treatment and other support systems may
trigger another crisis at a time when Zimbabwe is basking in the glory of
declining prevalence rates, a report has revealed.

The document, titled Opportunistic Infections (OI) and Art (Anti-retroviral
treatment) Services Delivery Community Monitoring Report, unveiled a myriad
of problems now threatening Harare’s fight against HIV and Aids.

Inadequate viral load and CD4 count machines, limited vehicles for community
visits, insufficient drugs, lethargy and shallow knowledge on advantages of
religiously taking medicine are some of the problems affecting Zimbabwe’s
HIV campaign, notes the report.

Lack of sufficient knowledge in administering and monitoring patients on
life-prolonging drugs has also become a cause for concern.

The report, prepared by Zimbabwe Aids Activists Union (Zaau) with support
from statutory body, National Aids Council, also noted an increase in cases
of deformities caused by new generation drugs.

“In Gwanda District there is no viral load machine, the nurses did not know
any such machine existed.

Patients are switched on the regimen without repeat CD4 count, viral load,
HB (haemoglobin) check up or liver function check up.

“Approximately 80 percent of the OI patients at this site had side effects.

“There is a high number of defaulters due to distance and lack of
transport,” reads part of the report.

Zaau said though health institutions are trying their best under a harsh
environment, a crisis is looming unless government and aid partners
intervene urgently.

“The shortage of drugs cannot be considered as being at crisis levels but
have the potential of escalating into a crisis if nothing is done to correct
some of the bottlenecks highlighted.

“There is urgent need to address the side effects that some clients are
experiencing,” reads part of the report.

The country has recorded a decline in the HIV prevalence rate from as high
as 23,2 percent in 2003 to 14,3 percent in 2009, according to United Nations
Population Fund statistics. - Wendy Muperi

Demand Chinese Shares - Mliswa

http://www.thezimbabwemail.net

By Clemence Manyukwe 4 hours 17 minutes ago

ZIMBABWEANS should demand shareholding in all Chinese firms as part of the
country's empowerment law which stipulates that all foreign-owned companies
should cede 51 percent of their stakes to locals, the Zimbabwe Economic and
Empowerment Council (ZEEC) has said.
ZEEC president, Temba Mliswa, says it is within their right for Zimbabweans
to demand shareholding in Chinese firms domiciled locally, adding it was
high time tobacco farmers muscle into Chinese companies they were dealing
with locally in addition to benefitting from companies from elsewhere such
as British American Tobacco (BAT) Zimbabwe.
"Our people must also have shares from the Chinese firms whom they are
dealing with. Farmers must also have shares in these companies because that
is where money is.
"War veterans must also get shares. There is also the issue of BAT," said
Mliswa at ZEEC's provincial conference in Chinhoyi at the weekend.
His remarks come at a time when some Chinese companies have approa-ched
government to be exempted from the country's Indigenisation and Empowerment
Act.
The Deputy Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment Tongai Matutu
revealed recently that Chinese firm, Sinosteel Corporation, which is the
majority shareholder in Zimasco, had asked for exemption from the quota law.
"The management of Zimasco has been arguing that since they are Chinese,
they have been actually friends of Zimbabwe and therefore they should be
exempted.
"They have also argued that they have got a five-year development plan,
which they believe should not be disturbed by bringing on a new investor,"
said Matutu.
Mliswa's call is at variance with the thinking in ZANU-PF towards Chinese
companies.
Despite adopting the empowerment theme as its campaign strategy that has
seen it pressurising foreign-owned companies to cede their majority
shareholding to locals, ZANU-PF has been lenient when dealing with companies
from China.
ZANU-PF considers China as an all-weather friend. - Financial Gazette

CSOs escalate regional lobby

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw

Friday, 30 November 2012 13:16
THE country’s civil society organisations (CSOs) escalated their Southern
African Deve-lopment Community (SADC) lobby this week to ensure that
Zimbabwe holds free and fair elections next year whose outcome will be
universally accepted.
The CSOs, operating under the auspices of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
have dispatched missions to Mozambique and Tanzania to persuade their
governments to put pressure on political players in Zimbabwe, SADC and
African Union member states to play a more active role in ensuring the full
implementation of agreed reforms in the Global Political Agree-ment (GPA).
A host of agreed GPA reforms remain outstanding as the coalition government
nears the end of its life-span.
The CSOs, accused by ZANU-PF of being appendages of the Movement for
Demo-cratic Change (MDC-T), are concerned the country could be headed for
another sham poll, citing the lack of requisite reforms, among them the
re-alignment of the security sector.
The MDC formations and their allies accuse the security sector of being
complicity in the political violence that rocked the 2008 harmonised
elections.
The MDC-T says more than 200 of his supporters were killed in the run up to
the presidential election run-off in 2008.
On Monday, the CSO delegation met the Tanzania Civil Society Consortium of
Election Observation director, Merick Luvinga, where possibilities of
organising an early regional civil society team to monitor and observe the
referendum and elections in Zimbabwe were discussed.
Luvinga is said to have pledged solidarity with Zimbabwe’s CSOs and
emphasised the need for Tanzania CSO’s support.
Phillian Zamchiya, the South African-based regional coordinator of the
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is leading the delegation to Tanzania while
McDonald Lewa-nika, the national director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
is heading the delegation to Mozam-bique.
Zamichiya said his delegation urged that country’s civil society groupings
to convince their government and SADC that Zimbabwe’s watershed election
should be subjected to scrutiny by all interested stakeholders and for the
invitations to come months before the elections.
“The joint civil society delegation acknowledged some positive changes in
Zimbabwe’s amended Electoral Act.
However, it emphasised the need to address a number of impediments, which
include a controversial voters’ roll, stringent voter registration
requirements, legislative reform as well as political violence,
characterised by a clampdown on human rights defenders and CSO leaders,”
said Zamchiya.
“The meeting emphasised that it would be important for a regional civil
society team to monitor and compile early warning reports. The referendum
was cast as an opportunity for CSOs in SADC to test Zimbabwe’s preparedness
for a general election.”
Luvinga said Tanzanian CSOs believed that it is only through constant
engagement as well as regional collaboration and lobby on the Harare crisis
that Zimbabwe could be able to have a free, fair and peaceful election in
line with the SADC Electoral guidelines and whose outcome will be fair and
transparent.
Lewanika’s delegation also met with officials from Mozambique’s C

Zanu PF conference shuts schools early

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

29/11/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

BOARDING schools in and around the Midlands town of Gweru will close a week
early – to pave way for the annual Zanu PF conference which gets underway on
December 7.

Nashville High, Thornhill High, Guinea Fowl, Stanley and CJR Primary Schools
will send pupils home on November 30 after Zanu PF earmarked their lodging
facilities for its delegates.

Zanu PF says it expects 5,000 delegates for its 13th National People’s
Conference, which was held in Bulawayo at the end of last year.

The conference is a watershed moment for the party, the last before crucial
elections next year in which it must stem a tidal voter swing to its MDC
rivals witnessed in the March 2008 elections.

Midlands Province’s Educational Director Agnes Gudo declined to comment on
the school closures, but a headmaster at one of the affected schools said
they had already applied and been granted permission by the Education
Ministry to deviate from the school calendar.

He explained: “We will be closing school this Friday. All the affected
schools will find a way of compensating for lost time in the coming terms.
This is normal in a school calendar whenever a district or city hosts a big
event.

“Children can be made to attend lessons on say Saturday, to make up for lost
time.”
The five schools had been chosen “on the strength of their proximity and
facilities like hostels”, according to one Zanu PF official.

The official closing date for the third term is December 6.

Mugabe donating Ill gotten money

So now President Mugabe has managed to find coin change under his bed to the
tune of staggering $20miilion to hand over to ZANU (PF) faithfuls as
agriculture inputs? Where was this money when Zimbabweans were starving in
2008 including the so called ZANU (PF) faithfuls? Don’t get me wrong I am
not against handing over stolen money for as long is not distributed in a
partisan way, actually I encourage all politicians across political
latitudes to empty their ill gotten pockets and distribute wealth to the
poor, that is better than distributing violence, at least Zimbabweans will
have reason to look forward to an election rather than the black eye
philosophy which has been the ugly head of the past elections.
If the reports are true that ONLY ZANU (PF) are benefiting from the
Presidential distribution of agriculture inputs to the poor, then ZANU (PF)
needs to redefine poverty. Why is it that ONLY ZANU (PF) are poor after
ruling the country for over 32 years? Maybe they are logically impoverished
in which case they don’t need seeds and fertiliser but to be unZANUnised.
The GNU last year distributed free inputs to newly resettled farmers,
actually there is nothing wrong with that, but there are monumental flaws in
political and social will if hand outs are given yearly to the same people,
are they not producing or is it an act of abuse? The notion that every
Zimbabwean is a farmer is too simplistic and ignoramus. In a country were
the youth outnumber the adults, doesn’t it make a policy sense to embark on
creating jobs and investments, I am yet to come across an 18 year old who
want free seeds and fertilise to go commercial farming. MDC here is your
chance to shine; JUICE (Jobs, Upliftment, Investment Capital and Ecology) is
the best pro-recovery policy document to come from an African political
party but only if it is followed by sober implementations will Zimbabwe be
the jewel of the African region which it is befitting. This election is more
about the capacity to invigorate the bartered economic than being a
colourful speaker of rhetoric. My fellow Zimbabweans, be warned!!!!

Elliot Pfebve

Solidarity trumps rule of law

http://mg.co.za/

30 NOV 2012 00:00 - LAURIE NATHAN

The Southern African Development Community's decision to scrap its regional
court was inevitable, says Laurie Nathan.

In 2008 the Tribunal of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
ruled that the Zimbabwe government's seizure of land owned by white farmers
violated the SADC treaty principles of non-discrimination and the rule of
law. The rule of law had been breached because the farmers were denied the
right to challenge the land seizures in a Zimbabwe court.

The tribunal noted that it would have reached a different verdict if the
state's criteria in confiscating land were reasonable and objective, if fair
compensation was paid for expropriated lands and if these lands were
distributed to poor, landless and other disadvantaged individuals or groups.

The regional court ordered the Zimbabwe government to refrain from
interfering with the farmers' occupation and ownership of their properties.
Yet the government spurned the tribunal, mounted a campaign to nullify its
judgments and subjected the farmers to violent harassment. Instead of
upholding the treaty and defending the tribunal, the SADC summit of heads of
state suspended the court and earlier this year dissolved it.

On the face of it, the summit's decision is astonishing. After all, in 1992
the heads of state signed a treaty embracing human rights, democracy and the
rule of law. They committed their countries to taking all steps necessary to
accord the treaty the force of national law and they established a regional
court to adjudicate disputes and ensure adherence to the treaty. In 2000
they signed a legal protocol stipulating that the tribunal's judgments would
be final and binding.

Nevertheless, President Robert Mugabe dismissed the tribunal's judgments in
favour of the farmers as an "exercise in futility". When some of the farmers
were beaten up and tortured in 2008, they petitioned the tribunal to hold
the Zimbabwe government in breach and contempt of the regional court's
order. The tribunal upheld their plea, rejecting the government's defence
that there was a state of lawlessness in Zimbabwe and that the authorities
were experiencing difficulty in preventing intimidation and violence.

On three occasions the tribunal referred Zimbabwe's failure to obey its
rulings to the summit for "appropriate action" and on each occasion the
summit ignored the matter. When the summit finally took decisive action in
2012, it was to shut down the regional court.

An analysis of the regional political context suggests that this decision
was not, in fact, surprising. At the heart of the matter is the SADC
countries' fierce resistance to any significant transfer of sovereignty to
the regional level.

Enforcement mechanisms
These countries are opposed to diluting sovereignty because they acquired it
relatively recently and at great cost through liberation struggles. In
addition, many of them have only a tenuous grip on sovereignty and they do
not want to weaken it through binding regional rules, decision-making and
enforcement mechanisms.

Most importantly, the political systems of the SADC states span the spectrum
from authoritarian to democratic. There is consequently no consensus on the
tenets of domestic governance. In these circumstances it is not tenable to
transfer sovereignty to regional institutions because none of the states
could be certain that communal rules and decisions would be consistent with
SADC'S core values.

The SADC countries are united not by the principles of democracy but by the
principles of solidarity and anti-imperialism. These principles were forged
in blood in the 1970s and 1980s as the Southern African liberation movements
battled collectively against colonial rule, minority regimes and their
Western allies.

In the post-colonial period the salience of the principles has been
reinforced by the West's prescriptive policies in Africa, its domination of
the UN Security Council and its selective stance on human rights and the use
of force. Solidarity is thus both a historical legacy and a pragmatic
response by the weak against the powerful.

Viewed in this light, the summit's dissolution of the tribunal was not
surprising. The court's ruling against Zimbabwe posed a radical challenge to
sovereignty: it rejected the validity of a constitutional provision approved
by the Zimbabwe Parliament and courts, and it refuted the legitimacy of the
government's approach to redressing the land inequities inherited from
colonialism and white settler rule.

Legal edifice
The SADC created a democratic legal framework not because it was
collectively committed to democracy but because there were formidable
political and economic costs associated with a non-democratic posture. Such
a posture would have undermined the organisation's international standing
and its ability to obtain donor funding.

Constructing a legal edifice supportive of democracy, on the other hand, did
not seem to have any costs. It was not perceived to be prejudicial to the
non-democratic countries because the summit did not hold them accountable
when they breached the treaty.

This changed dramatically with the tribunal's rulings against Zimbabwe.
Unlike other critics of Harare, the regional court could not be ignored
indefinitely because it was a creature of the treaty, it was set up by the
summit and it comprised Southern African judges appointed by the heads of
state.

When Harare sought to annul the rulings, the summit was confronted with a
stark choice: it could either defend the treaty and the regional court or it
could support a member state whose president and ruling party had liberated
their country from colonialism and thereafter assisted the other liberation
movements in Southern Africa. Given SADC's hierarchy of values, in terms of
which sovereignty and regime solidarity take precedence over human rights
and democracy, the outcome was surely inevitable.

Laurie Nathan is extraordinary professor and director of the Centre for
Mediation in Africa at the University of Pretoria. This article is an
abridged version of his address at the Western Cape annual general meeting
of the South African Institute for International Relations. His research on
the tribunal is supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung but the views
expressed here are his alone

Gukurahundi Massacres: Village by Village Summary (Part 8)

Bill Watch - Parliamentary Committees Series - 29th November 2012 [No More Committee Meetings until 28th January]