The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
THE Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) will increase tariffs again on all power usage which are expected to hit industry and the mining sector hard after an earlier hike in October.
The hikes are in line with
recommendations of Sad-elec, a South African energy consultancy firm which was
hired to study Zesa’s tariff structure.
Unlike in the past when the tariff increases were phased over a period, this
time the hikes will be one-off for industry and the mining sector.
In October Zesa increased tariffs by 18,9% citing a rise in postal services.
Zesa general manager for corporate affairs Obert Nyatanga confirmed that the
hikes would be with effect from the beginning of the year.
He would however not be drawn into revealing the quantum of the hikes saying
they were still subject to approval.
“There will be a tariff increase with effect from January 1. The increments
will be a one-off hike for industry and the mining sectors,” he said.
“Only the agricultural sector and the residential sub-sector will have a
gradual tariff hike. We decided to do this as a way of supporting agricultural
production.”
Zesa has taken up tobacco contract farming to raise foreign currency for
power imports and the expansion of its generation capacity.
Zesa needs US$40 million to repay China National Aero Technology Import
Export Corporation for investments in power generation in the country.
Zesa has sponsored 3 900 hectares of Virginia tobacco planted by both A1 and
A2 farmers across the country.
Currently, Zesa is charging between $37 and $44 a kilowatt.
Zesa hired Sad-elec for a tariff review study after the parastatal was forced
to reduce a 400% hike it had implemented last year.
Sad-elec said the pricing study was being done to develop a framework for
economic regulation of the electricity industry, which would cover power
generation, transmission and distribution.
Analysts have said that the new increments by state-controlled monopolies
such as Zesa and Tel*One could in the long term undermine efforts to bring down
inflation.
Sad-elec has since recommended that Zesa be allowed to affect a tariff
increase.
THE government was this week said to be considering two alternative names for a rebranded Privatisation Agency of Zimbabwe (PAZ), officials told businessdigest.
The proposed names, coming
as part of broad transformation plans to include reorientation of the state
agency’s mandate, were given as Restructuring Authority of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe
State Enterprises Restructuring Authority.
Andrew Bvumbe, who doubles as the Finance ministry’s principal director for
economic development and PAZ boss, on Tuesday confirmed the on-going thrust.
He could not, however, give time frames as to when the renaming process would
be wound up.
Bvumbe gave the sort of feeling that it was now entirely up to his stand-in
boss Herbert Murerwa.
Bvumbe emphasised, though, that the name would reflect the privatisation
department’s new mandate of not only restructuring state companies and
championing black empowerment, but maximising shareholder earnings in entities
where it has not fully let up.
PAZ, which was initially formed to privatise parastatals, is now changing its
thrust to commercialisation of the entities and identifying foreign partners.
The PAZ boss said the rebranding was also in line with regional trends where
such institutions “are not only involved in privatisation, but entire
parastatals reform”.
Asked about possible duplication of roles between the PAZ, Rugare Gumbo’s
State Enterprises and Parastals ministry, and Josiah Tungamirai’s Indigenisation
department, Bvumbe said they had “distinct roles” and had consulted in finding
an appropriate name for his Finance-affiliated agency.
He said they had adequate resources to “carry through” the restructuring
exercise, which will also see further staff recruitment and bolstering of other
departmental activities.
The money, Bvumbe said, would come from their 2005 national budget
allocation, although he could not disclose how much money had been availed for
the exercise.
The PAZ reform also comes at a time when Harare has unveiled pronounced
state-companies-reform measures, which not only focus on commercialisation, but
enhanced profit principle and anchoring economic growth initiatives.
These measures, also aimed at enhancing international competitiveness and
revenue earnings, form part of broad economic revival plans.
Charged with key reforms of state-held companies, Bvumbe’s institution has
had part involvement or keen interest in various shareholder/earnings
initiatives such as profitable Astra’s demerger.
Sapa
THE Democratic Alliance's (DA ) federal chairman, Joe Seremane, and the party's foreign affairs spokesman, Douglas Gibson, will travel to Zimbabwe in the new year to assess the situation on the ground ahead of the elections scheduled for March.
Gibson said the DA welcomed the Southern African Development Community's (SADC's) review of Zimbabwe's controversial electoral laws, but this seemed a bit too little, too late.
"It is unlikely that a free and fair election could be held in March, given the conditions right now," Gibson said.
"There are a number of requirements for a free and fair election, and these are necessary long before an election, not just in the days leading up to and during an election."
Such conditions included freedom of the press and fair and equitable coverage for the opposition on the state broadcaster. The DA is also calling for freedom to campaign and freedom from legal harassment.
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai still faced "trumped up treason charges" while MP Roy Bennett remained in jail for a fineable offence, Gibson said.
The party called for the setting up of an independent electoral commission, preferably headed by an eminent citizen with no associations with any political parties; and emergency food relief should be managed by the World Food Programme, independent of government interference.
The DA also urged President Robert Mugabe to welcome all international observers who wished to observe the election in his country.
"The SADC must not be taken in by President Mugabe's appeasement politics. It must consider only the actions of his regime. Otherwise he will make all the right noises while he carries on regardless," Gibson said.
"Even as this SADC initiative was announced, the Mugabe regime was announcing constituency changes, which reduce the number of constituencies in MDC strongholds and increase the number in Zanu (PF) strongholds."
The party said SADC had to ensure it was not the MDC that was pressured to participate in next March's election, but rather that the pressure was increased on Zanu (PF) to dismantle the oppressive legislation it had implemented over the past three years and restore democracy to Zimbabwe, Gibson said.
Chiyangwa
Flamboyant, very rich, often violent, Zanu PF MP Phillip Chiyangwa reported missing earlier this week has, according to reports, been in the company of the CIO. Chiyangwa is assisting with inquiries into subversive material. Information we received early this evening says the controversial and flamboyant parliamentarian, is being held by the Central Intelligence Organisation, the CIO. Our source in Zimbabwe said the state security agency is allegedly holding him in connection with some subversive material they found him with. It's suspected the MP was distributing some subversive material that contained sensitive information about the Zanu PF top hierarchy, particularly the Vice-President Joseph Msika. This is not the first time that Chiyangwa has done this. During the Masvingo Zanu PF people's congress in 2002 he distributed anti-Msika material demonising and plotting his downfall. And prior to the Tsholotsho meeting that has apparently claimed the scalps of several top Zanu PF officials, Chiyangwa was seen distributing and campaigning heavily against Joseph Msika and John Nkomo. The Chinhoyi MP was detained a few days after the congress by the dreaded spy organisation last week and his whereabouts have been a mystery since then. Police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka even denied to the state media that Chiyangwa was under the custody of the police. Police commissioner Augustine Chihuri told the Sunday Mail over the weekend that the beleaguered chairman of Zanu PF for Mashonaland West province was 'fine' but refused to disclose his location. The last time Chiyangwa crossed paths with Msika, he was detained for several weeks for charges ranging from threatening a state prosecutor to attempts of trying to defeat the course of justice.
THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)’s head of Business Continuity Stephen Gwasira is tipped to head the Zimbabwe Allied Banking Group (ZABG), which will come into effect at the beginning of next month.
The central bank has also
selected the board members of the ZABG.
ZABG was formulated as part of the central bank’s Troubled Bank Resolution
Strategy, which seeks to, among other things, restore stability in the financial
sector.
Before this year’s restructuring at the central bank, Gwasira used to head
the Banking and Supervision Surveillance department.
ZABG is composed of failed banks and indications are that seven of the
currently distressed banks will be incorporated in it.
Gwasira was earlier this year charged with sorting out the mess at Turst Bank
when it fell into liquidity-linked problems.
So far the central bank and the ZABG board have met three times. The board
members include human resources consultant Richard Makoni, former Stanbic
chairman Cornelius Sanyanga, Delta chief executive Joe Mutizwa, businessman
Jonathan Kadzura, former Trust Bank marketing director and independent
consultant Douglas Mamvura, prominent lawyer Lindsay Cook and a Mr Bhadella.
It was not immediately possible to ascertain the names of two other board
members, one of whom was said to be a Harare-based female lawyer.
The appointments of both Gwasira and the board are set to be announced next
year. Gwasira could not be reached for comment this week.
In January ZABG will start its operations as a loose amalgam with the
troubled banks conducting business under their original titles.
The amalgamation of the banks to form a composite unit will only be achieved
in the middle of 2006 at the earliest.
The arrangement will enable depositors to access their funds in the new year.
Three troubled banks — Trust, Time and Royal — are expected to reopen for
business under the direction of curators who will now assume the title of
administrators.
The administrators will in turn report to a board of directors of ZABG Ltd.
Trust Bank, which was put under curatorship in September, will be the first
to reopen on January 1. Time Bank was put under curatorship last month while
Royal closed its doors in August.
The two banks are expected to reopen for business later in the first quarter
of next year. The fate of Barbican Bank, which was placed under curatorship in
March, was not clear at the time of going to press.
All transactions will be conducted under the Trust Bank brand until all the
banks falling under ZABGL have been merged into one single entity.
Conducting all transactions under the Trust Bank brand is an administrative
and legal requirement to facilitate the opening of the bank and oversee the
merger with other banks which will become divisions of ZABGL.
THE Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) has demanded an explanation from CFI Holdings (CFI) over the replacement of board members and alleged transfer of ZHL Holdings Ltd’s controlling stake to under-fire SMM Holdings Ltd (SMM), businessdigest gathered on Tuesday.
Emmanuel Munyukwi, the ZSE
chief executive, confirmed having quizzed new CFI chairman Simplisius
Chihambakwe over the former ZHL board representatives’ sacking and suspected
share certificate tampering.
He said this week: “I can confirm that we have had contact with them. We
basically wanted clarification on the issue (of board appointments) and other
matters relating to the group.”
Bourse authorities wrote to CFI about three weeks ago and the company has
since responded, prompting another round of talks because the ZSE felt the
well-diversified agricultural concern had not satisfactorily answered all
queries at hand.
No comment was immediately available from Chihambakwe, a Harare lawyer.
The source of contention, businessdigest heard, was how Hillary Munyati and
three other presumed representatives of the former majority owner were shoved
out without the full knowledge of the offshore scrip owners whose interests were
warehoused by ZHL.
Having been voted onto the CFI board in March this year, Munyati’s exit a few
months later coincided with skirmishes between SMM owner Mutumwa Mawere and the
government over charges that he did not repatriate $300 billion worth of foreign
cash from asbestos sales.
Munyati, a financial guru now employed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, is a
former group chief and chairman of SMM. He also served in various capacities in
the SMM group of companies which include listed Turnall Holdings.
When he assumed chairmanship of CFI, he was appointed alongside Chihambakwe,
but the latter has escaped the chop.
The government has since placed SMM in the tight grip of administrator Afaras
Gwaradzimba thus further complicating the CFI ownership and operational
structure.
CFI has interests in the animal and foods manufacturing, farming and
fertiliser, poultry breeding and sales, property, retail and veterinary
services.
It owns and operates Agrifoods, Agrimix, Crest Breeders, grain millers
Victoria Foods, Dore & Pitt, Farm & City stores, Maitlands through
Endurite Properties, Town & Country supermarket chain and Vetco.
The group, hurtling towards collapse in the first half of the year and
wracked by a $70 billion loss owing to the harsh economic climate, has only
escaped total ruin by accessing the RBZ productive sector facility.
THE Zimbabwe “A” cricket team, the national second-string side, will next month go on a tour to Namibia to play in two three-day matches and three limited-overs matches.
The Namibia tour is only
the first engagement in a busy schedule for Zimbabwe “A”, which had a similar
programme last season. That one ended with a tour to Bangladesh by a
well-balanced Zimbabwe “A” side which included players who had missed selection
for a Test tour to Australia with the first team.
In addition to strong domestic competition, a strong and well-supported
national “A” side is the lifeblood of any serious cricket-playing nation. The
“A” side plays the role of nursery for the national team, perfecting the skills
of the upcoming players and gradually churning them out to the national side to
replace tiring, retiring or out-of-form players.
The process of integration into the national side should be gradual, it must
be emphasised. Players should have about two to three years of hard work and
unquestionable commitment in the “A” side before they can be considered for the
national team.
The top cricket nations in the world — Australia, South Africa and India —
all invest in competent “A” sides which comprise top-class players who usually
exert pressure on the players already in the national team to perform.
Breaking into the national team is not an easy task, and many players who
make the “A” side never get to play full international cricket in those
countries.
Those who make it rarely fail at the highest level. Instead, they make
instant impact. That is largely because of the early firm foundation that they
would have got in international first-class cricket.
Current South African captain Graeme Smith was not even in the South Africa
World Cup squad last year. He was, instead, touring Zimbabwe with the “A” side
before the World Cup. That South Africa “A” side included the likes of
outstanding batsman Jacques Rudolph, wicketkeeper Thami Tholekile and pace
bowler Andre Nel who have enjoyed considerable success in their first matches
for the Proteas.
Also, it took a while for Michael Clarke to be a Test cricketer for Australia
and, when he finally played, his century on Test debut away in India was hardly
surprising, considering the first-class experience acquired over a decent period
of time.
Basically, what happens in these countries is that selection into the
national team revolves around a group of 20 players. If a player goes through a
bad patch and needs to be replaced, there is always a more senior and ready
player waiting on the sidelines. Selectors do not rush to the “A” side, unless
if someone there is exceptionally good and cannot be ignored.
This system allows the “A” players to develop and measure themselves against
reserve sides from other countries. They also get a chance to play full touring
national sides in warm-up matches.
Applying this to the Zimbabwe scenario is a bit tricky. The majority of the
players in the domestic Logan Cup and Faithwear series, which are used as
criteria for selection, are young. The current team is made up of young and
experienced players and they should not be made to believe that their places in
the team are guaranteed, thereby the need to bring in other players to create
competition for places.
The Zimbabwe “A” side is dominated by young players who should be given time
to mature before they can think of playing for the national team.
Under-19 players like Kudakwashe Samunderu, Sean Williams, Ian Nicholson and
Chamunorwa Chibhabha are exciting prospects, but just have to work a lot harder
before they can break through.
Players in the Zimbabwe “A” side who should have realistic chances of making
it into a possible changed team for the South Africa tour after Bangladesh are
the likes of Ngonidzaishe (Blessing) Mahwire, Alester Maregwede, Gavin Ewing and
Mark Vermeulen, who have played first-class cricket for a while and have already
been capped.
As pointed out, this “A” side system might be difficult in this country.
Young players like Samunderu, Chibhabha and Williams are the ones who are
scoring the runs in domestic first-class cricket and the selectors are using the
players’ form in these matches to choose national team players.
Young leg-spinner Graeme Cremer, barely out of high school, is currently
touring with the national team because, under the existing selection policy, he
deserves to be in that side. He has taken 12 wickets in the four-day Logan Cup
and has one of the best bowling averages in the tournament. But Cremer,
alongside 18-year-old pace bowler Chris Mpofu, has played first-class cricket
for less than a year.
Maybe what the selectors need to do is to revise the selection policy.
Selection on current form yes, but then a player should have spent at least two
years in first-class cricket, or should have at least been involved in a certain
number of outings for the “A” side. From there, Zimbabwe’s growing pool of
players will explode onto the international arena.Zimbabwe “A” squad to Namibia:
Alester Maregwede (captain), Gavin Ewing (vice-captain), Chamunorwa
Chibhabha, Sean Williams, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Craig Ervine, Blessing Mahwire,
Tawanda Mupariwa, Waddington Mwayenga, Hillary Matanga, Keith Dabengwa, Ryan
Bennett, Ian Nicholson and Mark Vermeulen.
MASHONALAND Cricket Association (MCA) clubs yesterday passed a vote of no confidence in chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani and other board members who were trying to block efforts to boot out Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Peter Chingoka.
Cyprian Mandenge took over
as MCA chairman until the next AGM after six months.
The clubs announced after a special AGM yesterday that they would forge ahead
with attempts to expel Chingoka and his entire board or pull out of the national
association. The MCA clubs allege a breach of the constitution by Chingoka and
his board when they did a re-branding of the mother union without consulting
provincial associations.
Yesterday’s heated meeting resolved to remove Mukuhlani and three other board
members, Abbey Hamid, Bruce Makova and Kudzai Shoko, with clubs charging them
with failure to represent their interests.
They were replaced by Mike Pemhiwa, Clyde Musamba, Rory McWade and Lance
Malloch-Brown.
The MCA clubs claim they were not consulted when the union did the
re-branding exercise and cite that as a breach of the constitution.
Mukuhlani said soon after the meeting yesterday that his board had been
divided with the four dismissed members opposed to the idea of pulling out of
ZC while three -— Mandenge, Takashinga Sports Club manager Elvis Sembezeya and
Claudius Mukandiwa — supported it.
MCA also resolved that Mukuhlani should resign from the ZC board to which he
was appointed as head of the province.
This latest row in local cricket surfaced following allegations of extortion
against Takashinga Cricket Club administrators, Stephen Mangongo, Givemore
Makoni and Sembezeya.
Chingoka alleged in his response that the fresh bid to oust him and his board
was orchestrated by the Takashinga officials trying to escape a probe into the
extortion allegations.
THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has said most of the companies that accessed funds from the productive sector facility (PSF) earlier this year have managed to pay back their loans. The bank said this week that it has managed a 100% recovery rate on the PSF loans.
However, sources say, most
of the companies that borrowed from the facility are still heavily indebted to
commercial and merchant banks through which the funds were disbursed.
“Loans under the facility are accessed through commercial and merchant banks
who carry a 100% risk,” the central bank said this week in written responses to
the businessdigest.
“All loans under the facility that have matured to date have been repaid by
the respective banks except for loans accessed through banks that are under
curatorship as their accounts are currently frozen.
“Thus the RBZ has achieved a 100% recovery rate on the PSF loans,” it said.
The RBZ called in the loans after discovering that companies which benefited
from the fund had declared huge dividends but were failing to repay the loans.
The central bank said most financial institutions had repaid the loans to the
Reserve Bank on behalf of their clients.
This means that a number of commercial and merchant banks are still badly
exposed, as most companies are battling to repay the loans on time. It also
reveals that the central bank has forced the banking sector, which is currently
in heavy weather, to carry the risk associated with the PSF.
A total of $2,057 trillion has been disbursed under the facility.
There are fears that most of the banks which accessed the funds at a
concessionary rate for on-lending to the productive sector might now charge
indebted companies commercial interest rates prevailing on the market. Banks are
charging interest rates averaging 100%.
A total of 3 572 companies in key sectors scrambled for the PSF loans, which
carried a heavily subsidised rate of 30% and 50%. About 2 209 agricultural
companies borrowed from the facility, of which 1 063 manufacturing firms also
benefited.
There are 114 transport companies, 85 mining and 72 tourism firms that also
accessed the funds. Other sectors that benefited includes 19 construction
companies, six communication and three health firms. Only one distributor got
the funds.
It is unclear how the RBZ managed a total recovery of the funds when governor
Gideon Gono had earlier this year complained bitterly that many companies had
defaulted. He is on record as having said that most companies had used the PSF
funds to declare massive dividends to their shareholders.
“It is disheartening to note that some corporates have elected to declare
hefty dividends well before making for their borrowings under the fund,” Gono
said in his third monetary policy review statement in October.
“In some instances, corporates are daring to declare the fanfare dividends
barely a few hours after accessing concessional support on the back of their
purported distress calls.”
Zimbabwe crop preparation falls far behind schedule
December 23, 2004, 20:30Zimbabwe's farmers have so far prepared only a quarter of land available for
planting this agriculture season, a government official said today, raising the
spectre of more food shortages.
Ignatius Chombo, the local government
minister, said only 1 million hectares of farmland had been prepared for the
2005 crop out of a targeted 4 million. "Land preparation is behind schedule
because our farmers could not access tillage and some inputs but we have a team
working on that to make sure more land is under production this season," Chombo
said, but refused to say if the delay could result in food shortages next
year.
Critics say President Robert Mugabe's seizures of white-owned land
in 2000 to re-distribute among landless blacks disrupted agriculture, and is
partly to blame for the food shortages in the country for the past three years.
Rights group Amnesty International has also accused the state owned Grain
Marketing Board of being chaotic in its distribution of seeds and material, and
of only giving food to supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party.
The
country suffered serious shortages in 2002, when a drought hit much of southern
Africa. Mugabe has said his government expected no food shortages this year
after a big harvest but last month a parliamentary committee said state figures
of 2.4 million tonnes of maize had probably been overstated. Mugabe has largely
stopped food aid distribution which the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organisation says 40% of the population need.
Chombo, who chairs a state
taskforce on crop inputs distribution, said out of 977,694 hectares of land
prepared for planting, only 328,248 hectares had been put under crops. The
government said in its 2005 budget agriculture would grow by 28% and anchor an
expected economic recovery. Inflation has hit many Zimbabweans' ability to buy
food. Mugabe denies charges he has mismanaged the economy and accuses former
colonial power Britain of leading a Western campaign to punish his government
for the controversial land reform programme. - Reuters
Illegal immigrants are to be detained at Lindela repatriation centre until 15 January |
JOHANNESBURG, 23 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - Zimbabwean exile groups are
planning to protest against the South African government's decision to suspend
the deportation of illegal immigrants until 15 January 2005.
Of the 1,500
illegal immigrants held at the Lindela repatriation centre outside Johannesburg,
it is estimated that 900 are Zimbabweans.
In an interview with IRIN,
Gabriel Shumba, a human rights lawyer and head of the Pretoria-based Zimbabwe
Exiles Forum, said the suspension of deportation represented refugee persecution
and was a violation of South Africa's Refugee Act of 1998; his organisation
would visit Lindela and press for meetings with the government.
According
to the Refugee Act, no immigrant can be held without trial for more than 30 days
without the consent of a court, he said.
Shumba pointed out that the last
deportations took place on 10 December 2004 and the next would be on 15 January
- 36 days later - and the South African government could be taken to court for
violating the rights of immigrants, as spelt out in the Refugee Act.
The
government's statement that the immigrants had handed themselves over to police
in order to get free transport back home was an assumption which had no legal
basis, he alleged.
Daniel Molokela, coordinator of the Johannesburg-based
Zimbabwe Democracy Project, agreed that the suspension of deportations was a
violation of the immigrants' rights and amounted to a jail sentence.
"It
appears the South African government took an administrative decision, maybe
based on indications that the immigrants actually made an effort to get
themselves arrested in order to get free transport back home ... we have always
condemned the ill-treatment of immigrants, most of whom are genuine
asylum-seekers. The South Africa government must realise the political realities
in the immigrants' countries of origin before making any judgments," said
Molokela.
Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe-Mapisa Nqakula announced the
suspension of repatriations when she toured Lindela after a riot by immigrants
who were allegedly demanding to be deported. "There will be no free rides home -
you jumped the fence; you will have to suffer the consequences. I will decide
who leaves Lindela," the minister was quoted as saying.
[ENDS]
Thursday, Dec 23, 2004 |
HARARE, Zimbabwe
(AP) - Farmers, many of them black Zimbabweans resettled on formerly white-owned
properties, have so far plowed and prepared only one quarter of the land
available for planting for next year's food harvests, the state Media reported
Thursday.
Local Government Minister Ignatious Chombo, head of a panel state officials reviewing land preparations, said slightly less than 10,000 square kilometres out of an estimated 40,000 square kilometres have been tilled during current seasonal rains. He blamed the slow pace of preparation on shortages of fertilizer, tractors and mechanical equipment and urged farmers to increase the amount manual labour and animal-drawn plows, the state-owned Herald newspaper reported. The newspaper quoted Agriculture Ministry official Shadreck Mlambo as saying tillage lagged far behind its targets for the time of year. "And time is fast running out," he said. The government has acknowledged that a fleet of state-owned tractors used to help impoverished farmers has been hit by continuous breakdowns and spare parts shortages. Of 700 tractors deployed by one government agency, only 304 were operating. Farmers have also suffered acute shortages of petrol. Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, plunged into its worst political and economic crisis after President Robert Mugabe's government seized more than 5,000 white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to blacks and ruling party officials in 2000. The often-violent land reform program, combined with erratic rains, have crippled the country's agriculture-based economy. Inflation is running at 149 per cent, the highest in the world. The government argues redistribution of land was needed to correct colonial-era injustices in land ownership by the descendants of mostly British settlers. Government officials routinely insist the program has not affected food production and the country has grown a surplus this year. But United Nations estimates put the expected total harvest this year at around 900,000 tonnes of grain, mostly the corn staple, that is about half the country's needs. Last year, nearly half of Zimbabwe's 12.5 million people needed food aid. A UN-led assessment group estimates that as many as five million Zimbabweans
will need help again before the next harvest begins in March. |