http://www.newzimbabwe.com
25/12/2011 00:00:00
by AFP
THE Air
Zimbabwe plane impounded in London for more than two weeks over a
debt
dispute flew home on Sunday after the national carrier settled $1.2
million
owed to a US spares company, the airline’s acting chief executive
said.
“Yes, the plane arrived this morning from the UK and we are
grateful,”
Innocent Mavhunga told AFP.
American General Supplies
seized Air Zimbabwe’s Boeing 767-200 at Gatwick
over unpaid fees of $1.2
million resulting in the airline cancelling the
flight and reimbursing
stranded passengers.
Mavhunga however, said flights to South Africa
remain suspended on concern
that aircraft may be seized over debt to various
suppliers.
The airline, already struggling to pay its workforce and
facing mounting
fuel shortages, needs about $40 million to clear some of its
debts, Mavhunga
said earlier this month.
The airline says its
financial difficulties are a result of the
international sanctions targeting
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s
regime.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
25/12/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
AUTHORITIES at the Beitbridge border post
between South Africa and Zimbabwe
have warned travellers to beware of a
criminal syndicate called Maguma-guma
which operates at the
border.
South Africa border spokesperson, Michael Malindi said members of
the
syndicate pretend to be officials and rob travellers of their
cash.
Malindi says legitimate border authorities have uniform and name
tags.
Meanwhile, nine more people were killed in road traffic accidents
across the
country, bringing the festive holiday death toll to 48 so
far.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri said the number of
deaths
recorded so far resulted from 652 accidents.
He said 378
people have been injured since December 15.
In an accident that occurred
at along the Harare-Masvingo Road, three people
died on the spot while 30
others were injured.
Witnesses said a speeding haulage truck rammed into an
overloaded bus that
was travelling to Beitbridge from Harare.
Traffic
Police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome said the truck driver
lost
control after being obstructed by an oncoming Toyota vehicle.
He then swerved
and crashed into the Toyota and the bus.
“The driver of the haulage truck
lost control of his vehicle after being
obstructed by a Toyota Vitz and
veered off his lane, hence the crash,” he
said.
“Three people died on
the spot. The other vehicle involved was a Toyota
T35.”
Chigome
attributed most of the accidents to drunk driving and overloading.
http://news.xinhuanet.com
English.news.cn
2011-12-25 07:48:34
HARARE, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe is poised to
become the world's third
largest diamond producer by the end of this decade
as production continues
to soar, state media New Ziana reported on
Saturday.
The country which is currently the seventh largest producer in
the world has
potential to supply 25 percent of global
demand.
Currently the country has got four diamond mining firms operating
in the
Chiadzwa fields namely Marange Resources, Mbada Diamonds, Anjin and
Diamond
Mining Corporation.
The Kimberly Process Certification System
recently rated Anjin was recently
certified as the biggest diamond mining
firm in the world.
Western countries led by the United States have been
battling to block
Zimbabwe from selling its diamonds in order to sustain
effects of illegal
economic sanctions that they imposed on the country in
retribution for
expropriating land from former white commercial
farmers.
The country stands to earn more than 2 billion U.S. dollars per
year from
the three Marange mines that have been permitted to sell so
far.
According to the Diamond Industry Report for 2011, Zimbabwe's
diamond output
would continue to grow. "In the last three years, Zimbabwe
has become a
significant diamond producer and is forecast to become a
top-three producer
by the end of this decade," the report said.
"With
the changing environment in Zimbabwe, the international community is
slowly
beginning to accept Zimbabwe back into the fold. Diamonds from
Zimbabwe
which had been excluded from the markets in the last two years are
slowly
making a comeback."
The report said despite efforts to stop Zimbabwe from
marketing her gems
production continued to grow.
"Exclusion from the
international diamond markets has not deterred Zimbabwe
from producing
diamonds and production has been increasing exponentially
after
formalization of diamond mining in the Marange area," said the
report.
Currently Botswana is the top diamond producing nation in the
world by value
followed by Russia and Canada.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
Saturday, 24 December 2011 15:42
The two
MDC formations held their congresses this year. Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur
Mutambara was booted out as leader of the smaller faction of
the MDC which
elected Welshman Ncube as the new party President at its
congress held in
January.
Mutambara challenged the election of Ncube and is now
leading his own
faction but the courts have ordered him to stop masquerading
as a GPA
principal.
Tsvangirai was re-elected as the MDC-T leader
at a congress held in April.
Zanu PF held its annual national people’s
conference in December and
endorsed Mugabe as the party’s
candidate.
As the year progressed, there was also a sustained attack
on the democratic
forces such as the media and human rights defenders as
Zanu PF tried to
tighten its grip ahead of planed
elections.
The Editor and reporters of The Standard were arrested
several times under
the notorious criminal defamation laws which human
rights activists maintain
infringe on the freedom of
expression.
Senior officials of the two MDC formations also
complained about the
selective application of the law where only their
members were targeted by
law enforcement agents.
Political
commentator, Blessing Vava had mixed feelings about 2011. He said
it was a
bad year as nothing much was achieved in terms of making tangible
political,
electoral security sector and media reforms, but was good in that
Zanu PF
attempts to force an election hit a snag.
“The violence we witnessed
was not desirable and it increased fear in the
citizens,” he said. The year
also saw Mugabe making at least nine trips to
Singapore for medical checkups
as age and health problems took their toll on
the 87-year-old leader, in
power since Zimbabwe’s independence 31 years ago.
http://www.radiovop.com
Hurungwe, December 25, 2011-
Zapu claims to have made inroads into Hurungwe,
Mashonaland West province
among other areas as it position itself ahead of
general
elections.
However, the party is facing thee hurdle of extinguishing
Zanu-PF’s violent
tag since 2000 controversial land reform
program.
Villagers who spoke to Radio VOP said many war veterans
around Hurungwe
campaigned for Madiro who operated a violent
campaign.
“Villagers were coerced to vote for Zanu-PF whether we
supported Madiro’s
candidature or not. Some of us wanted Justin for a change
but some war
veterans thought otherwise’’ says Kamhuka.
Kamhuka
is now a resettled farmer at a farm near Tengwe and recalls, “we had
Muneri
Chakwana aka Black Jesus, Comrade Dhongi, Ncube among others who
accompanied
Madiro and instilled fear into villagers and farm labourers”.
Some
war veterans are testing their own medicine after majority joined Zapu
formation here.
Alex Chiwara, a Zipra cadre, is among them as he
was threatened with death
and eviction by Madiro at Nyamabizi farm in
February. The case is still
pending.
“We are telling the masses
that we fought for their independence and will
never let Zanu-PF brutalise
them again.
“Zapu can not dump them for a party that has senior
officials whose hands
are dripping with blood,’’ says Chiwara during
outreach programs at Tengwe
business centre, 50 kilometers east of Karoi
town.
Former Zipra forces ‘crossed floor’ to rejoin Zapu face a
hurdle to
‘extinguish the violent Zanu PF tag’.
They were part of
campaign and farm invasion teams.
However, Zapu spokesperson
Methuseli Moyo says Zapu has always been, is and
will always be a national
party as it fought to liberate all Zimbabwe but
was prevented from ruling by
tribalists.
“Many of older generation at one time joined Zanu-PF but
the good thing is
that most people are leaving it to join MDCs, Zapu,
Mavambo or other parties’’,
adds Moyo in a written response.
Moyo
further said there was no Unity to celebrate as Zanu split from Zapu in
1963.
Harare based political and social commentator Hopewell
Gumbo says, Zapu will
never manage 5 percent of voters in elections as it is
a collection of the
old horses, a number from Zanu-PF some are beneficiaries
of land reform and
leaders of violent episodes since
2000.
“It
is now a regional party as opposed to its role before independence, this
has
negative impact on their capacity,” says Gumbo.
Gumbo admits that the
essence of Unity Accord is far from being achieved
saying, “people are still
divided along lines of riches and poverty. The
current political set up does
not seem to understand the need for social and
economic justice to achieve
peace and unity’’.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Karoi, December 25, 2011- A prisoner
faked illness to a magistrate and
bolted out of Karoi hospital where he was
under guard from two officers last
Wednesday.
Although information
was sketchy at the time of writing, both prison and
hospital sources told
Radio VOP reporter that the suspect facing theft
charges escaped from his
hospital bed and slipped out.
"The suspect robbed a truck driver of a
gas stove in along Chinhoyi-Chirundu
highway and was arrested before he
appeared before a Karoi magistrate who
remanded him in
custody.
“He convinced the court that he was ill and was put under
prison guard for
nearly six days" said officers whom we can not name for
professional
reasons.
Two officers including a senior prison
officer and his junior were on duty
starting around 10 in the night and were
due to knock off at 6 in the
morning.
Hospital sources said the
officers searched everywhere as they realised that
the suspect had slipped
out.
"They looked confused, searching in toilets, under beds and
other wards but
to no avail. The search is still on" said a hospital source
speaking on that
he is not named.
Karoi Prison Officer in Charge
Supt Christine Manhivi refused to comment
when contacted but sources said
the two officers are under probe over the
prisoner escape
case.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com
By Columbus Mavhunga and
Shabtai Gold Dec 25, 2011, 2:06 GMT
Harare - Zimbabwe appears set to
start 2012 with a standoff, as President
Robert Mugabe insists elections be
held during the next year, while the
party of Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai continues to demand a new, more
democratic constitution be drawn
up first.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is worried
that the
current constitution, which has been amended 19 times since
independence in
1980, grants the president too much power. Mugabe, aged 87,
promises to run
again and keep his job.
Political analysts speculate
that Mugabe's Zanu PF party fears holding
elections during 2013, as
scheduled, because the long-serving president may
by then be too frail to
campaign.
'We just have to have elections next year,' Mugabe told a party
conference
this month.
According to a diplomatic cable from 2008
released by Wikileaks, the
president is believed to have cancer. Reports say
he regularly visits
Singapore for 'rejuvenation treatments.' Mugabe and his
aides dismiss the
accounts and insist he is fit.
The process of
writing a new constitution, which the MDC hopes will be more
liberal and
democratic, has been started often and stopped regularly, owing
to various
feuds.
A referendum on the new constitution that was supposed to have
been held
during November 2010 has been postponed several times.
The
latest such delay followed a demand to end the process by
Munyaradzi-Paul
Mangwana, who represents Zanu PF in the Constitutional
Parliamentary Select
Committee (COPAC), which is drafting the fundamental
document.
'The
Zanu PF position (is) that the constitution we come up (with) should
reflect
the views of the people,' said Mangwana in an interview with dpa,
adding
that '75 per cent of the contents in the draft constitution were
foreign.'
'The people said they do not want homosexuality but the
drafters have
included that. They said they want the death penalty to remain
but the
drafters were not including that,' Mangwana charged.
While
Mugabe has said gays are 'worse than pigs and dogs,' Tsvangarai this
year
broke rank with the president on this issue and announced he wanted
rights
for homosexuals enshrined in the constitution.
When the MDC joined Zanu
PF in a fragile coalition in 2008, after elections
Tsvangirai said included
violence against his supporters and rigging in
favour of Mugabe, part of the
deal was that Zimbabwe would have a new
constitution before general
elections are held.
'From the onset, we rightly pointed that this process
will either be flawed
or would take forever if left in the hands of
politicians,' said Madock
Chivasa, a spokesman for the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a
coalition of civic
organizations.
Chivasa would rather see civil society groups compose a
text, using input
from communities.
The last effort to hold a
referendum on a constitution ended surprisingly in
2000, when a draft was
rejected by voters, in what was seen as a blow to
Mugabe. The NCA played a
key role in garnering support for the 'no' vote.
Despite losing that
vote, Mugabe went ahead with controversial land reforms,
which saw white
farmers' agriculture plots seized without compensation. The
move was widely
viewed as one of the causes of the country's stunning
economic decline in
recent years.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai will likely meet to talk about the
latest impasse, but
given the animosity between the two, no one is sure they
can find a
solution.
Meanwhile, Minister of Constitutional Affairs
Eric Matinenga says he is at a
loss to give a date for another
referendum.
'When you have these impingements, it becomes anyone's
guess,' Matinenga
said, referring to the stoppage of the
process.
Commenting on the latest halting, Charles Mangongera, a
political analyst,
said Zanu PF had no genuine reason to push ahead with the
constitution
making process.
'This is just part of Zanu PF's
desperate attempt to derail the process in
order to force an early election
under the (current) constitution,' said
Mangongera.
Despite the
flawed process and ongoing repression against MDC activists, the
party says
it will not pull out of the ruling coalition. The MDC sees itself
as the
rightful winner of the 2008 elections and, therefore, belonging in
government.
'We know the aim is for us to pull out of the government.
We will not. We
would have betrayed our people, (since) we are the ones that
won the last
credible election,' said Douglas Mwonzora, an MDC spokesman on
constitutional issues.
'So, Zanu PF must try other tactics if it
wants to frustrate us. We will
fight through until we have what we want: A
constitution that levels the
electoral playing field and upholds people's
rights,' Mwonzora said in an
interview.
But, with Mugabe's health
failing, and infighting in his Zanu PF becoming
more public and obvious,
time may not be on the side of patient waiting.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
BY MOSES CHIBAYA
POVERTY,
unemployment, social and cultural norms have exacerbated
gender-based
violence and sexual abuse in Mbare, one of Harare’s poorest
suburbs, a
recent study has shown. The study by Medecins Sans Frontieres
Belgium-Zimbabwe (MSF) mission and the University of Zimbabwe (UZ)’s Centre
for Applied Social Sciences says poverty has made young girls and boys,
women and men more vulnerable to sexual abuse than ever
before.
“Poverty and high unemployment rate in the community further
contribute to
the risk,” says the report. “Desperate for some financial
security, young
girls are being forced to work in unsafe and unsuitable
places such as the
beer halls.”
The report, entitled Baseline
Study Report on the Perceptions of Sexual and
Gender-Based Violence in
Mbare, Harare, Zimbabwe, was launched at the
University of Zimbabwe
recently.
The study, commissioned to establish how women in Mbare
were affected by
sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) reported that 24%
of the 1 159 women
that took part in the survey had experienced sexual
violence.
“It is interesting to note that 1% of the respondents had
their first sexual
intercourse between five and 10 years of age (which is
assumingly forced),
7% between 11 and 15 years, 49% between 16 and 20 and
the other 43% were
above the age of 20.”
Children as young as 12 years
were already sexually active in Mbare, says
the report.
The
report says there are very few services available at community level for
the
survivors of the assaults even though it is vital that they seek medical
treatment within the first 72 hours.
“There is need for medical
services for survivors of SGBV in the Mbare
community and to expand the
services to the local clinics in Harare, so that
survivors of SGBV can get
comprehensive care at any medical facility in
Harare,” says the
report.
It says survivors of SGBV are at immediate risk of unwanted
pregnancies and
contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs),
including HIV.
In the long term, survivors are more vulnerable to depression,
substance
abuse, repeated sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), suicide
and sexual dysfunction later in life compared to persons who
have not
experienced SGBV.
Part of the report entitled Baseline Study
Report on the Perceptions of
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Mbare,
Harare, Zimbabwe, reads:
“Cultural beliefs, traditional practises and belief
systems contribute to
sexual and gender-based violence. Women are often
taught that violence is an
inevitable part of relationships. This makes it
difficult for women to
escape their marriages even in times of violence and
mistreatment.”
The report says SGBV encompasses rape, sexual threats,
exploitation,
humiliation, assault, molestation, domestic violence, incest,
involuntary
prostitution (sexual bartering), torture, insertion of objects
into genital
openings and attempted rape.
The report bewailed
lack of transparency and gaps within the judiciary
system that allows
perpetrators to escape retribution.
It also bemoaned delays in the justice
systems with cases often postponed
and survivors of SGBV ending up
withdrawing their cases from court, opting
for out of court settlements
instead.
Courts, both civil and criminal, should be further
decentralised to many
provinces and districts so that more cases can be
tried and perpetrators
brought to justice.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 24 December 2011
12:18
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Paul Brickhill, the founder of Book
Café, has expressed extreme
disappointment at the termination of their lease
by OK Zimbabwe Pension
Fund, the owners of the complex. Speaking in an
interview with
StandardLife&Style last week, Brickhill said the closure
was disheartening
as Zimbabweans had not come to appreciate the importance
of culture.
“This was forced on us. We never wanted to leave this
place and I find it
disappointing in the extreme,” said Brickhill. “It is a
pity these people
have shown no respect at all and devalued
culture.”
Brickhill said he had no clue as to what triggered the
termination of their
lease which was due to be renewed by the end of
2013.
They were given until December 31 to have moved their business, he
said.
“When the owners wrote to us we tried to engage them directly
and through
their agents, Old Mutual to no avail. I even told the Mayor of
Harare who
was shocked at the development as he is an arts and culture
enthusiast,”
said Brickhill.
“What I have to say though is that
whether one is a politician, artist,
doctor or whichever profession they are
into, they need to respect and
understand the role of culture and the arts
in the development of the
country. We are recovering from an economic
collapse and the sector plays an
important role as a unifier among different
people.”
Despite the gravity of the connotations, Brickhill assured
arts lovers that
they were working on acquiring a new venue for the Book
Café Brand.
“I really cannot say when it will be done but we certainly are
working
towards that,” he said. “We will issue out a statement early in the
New Year
on the move. We really would never have wanted to leave the Book
Café
because it was a splendid venue so I am very disturbed.”
Brickhill
professed ignorance at what might have triggered their expulsion.
But
insiders said it might have been triggered by the recent hosting of
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s book At the Deep End at the venue two
weeks
ago.
It remains unclear though as the launch was well after the
letter of
eviction was sent to Brickhill.
The book Café was
opened in 1997 while the Mannenburg was opened in 2000.
The two venues
provided a platform for numerous artistes most of who had
never gotten a
chance to get into the limelight thus popularizing the urban
mbira
phenomenon.
Various other artists like comedians and poets got equal
chances to hog the
limelight in the end presenting each artist with a
probable break through
into the various markets.
The memories
from the twin venues will forever stick in the minds of which
ever artists
passed through its doors.
Meanwhile the venue has a number of events lined up
as farewell shows in the
remaining one week they have to
operate.
“We will be hosting a number of shows so arts and culture
lovers should come
for the inevitable goodbyes,” said Brickhill.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
Saturday, 24 December 2011 12:26
BY NDAMU
SANDU
THE curtain on 2011 comes down on Saturday. Standardbusiness relives
the
year where only the fittest survived. The Ides of March
Three
months into the year, Zimbabwe was already shooting itself in the
foot. At
the launch of the anti-sanctions petition, President Robert Mugabe
told
supporters that Zimbabweans should take over foreign companies in
retaliation to the sanctions imposed on the country.
Some days
later, the ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and
Empowerment
gazetted the empowerment regulations governing the mining
sector, throwing
the industry into uncertainty.
Such was the uncertainty that Zimplats
shares took a tumble on the
Australian Stock Exchange and the platinum miner
had to write a letter to
the stock exchange explaining the possible
causes.
By the end of the year, things had stabilised with miners
agreeing with
government on how they would proceed and comply with the
law.
KP okays Marange gems
The Kimberly Process Certification
Scheme (KPCS) finally gave Zimbabwe the
nod to unconditionally sell diamonds
from Marange at its plenary session
last month ending years of intense
lobbying by government which felt it had
met the minimum conditions to be
allowed to trade diamonds.
Revenue from diamonds has been identified
as the saviour for the economy and
is set to contribute US$600 million under
the 2012 national budget.
Capacity utilisation up
In industry
activity is picking up with capacity utilisation now 57, 2%.
At the
same time, there are companies such as Delta that has recorded
capacity
utilisation of over 70%.
The beverages manufacturer is minting money
after recording increased
volumes spurred on by rising demand
notwithstanding the harsh economic
environment where people are urged to
tighten their belts.
With total volume of 3,427 million hectolitres
in the half year, the
beverages manufacturer targets 7 million hectolitres
in the full year 2012.
Some of the hectolitres might have spilled into
Megawatt House where there
is a belief that money grows on
trees.
Zesa has the guts to call for tariff increase next month
despite the fact
that even with the current rate it can’t supply industry
and households.
Mixed fortunes for van Hoog
Yet the year
itself had corporate fights as shareholders battled to stamp
authority.
One such shareholder is Nicholas van Hoogstraten who
has been fighting to
have his nominees on the Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG)
board.
At a stormy meeting of shareholders the British businessman lost after
key
ally, the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) dumped him on the
eve of
the AGM.
But the British businessman got his way at Hwange
where he ganged up with
government and fired the entire board led by Zanu PF
activist Tendai
Savanhu.
Banks’ bad boy
ReNaissance
Merchant Bank was put under curatorship in May after a Reserve
Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ) investigation unearthed that the bank is technically
insolvent and founding directors had allegedly spirited away depositors’
money.
The revelations came after Indian businessman Jayesh Shah
blew the whistle
on Patterson Timba after the ReNaissance founder failed to
honour his
obligation over a US$5 million.
When RBZ governor
Gideon Gono wielded the axe, it fell on top executives and
some board
members who were banished from the institution. The problems were
to affect
Afre Corporation since Timba was the executive chairman of the
composite
group. Timba was fired and a forensic report accused the banker of
butchering corporate governance.
The RMB debacle was to hit the
indigenously-owned banks as an RBZ
investigation established that there was
US$1,2 billion in capital flight
from indigenous banks to perceived safe
institutions.
NSSA is now on the verge of assuming a controlling
shareholding in RMB and
rescue it from possible liquidation.
It’s the
law stupid
A parliamentary portfolio committee on Mines and Energy
said the
Reconstruction law used to wrest Mutumwa Mawere’s empire needs to
be
reviewed arguing that such legislation exposes citizens to the risk of
losing assets to the state without meaningful judicial
oversight.
Send them home: fortunes dwindle for RBz
workers
RBZ finally culled its staff to concentrate on its core business
and in the
process put some of its assets for sale.
However, the
retrenched staffers are still to be paid their full packages
and the matter
has spilled into the courts.
RBZ was finally given money to resume the
lender of last resort role it had
stopped in 2008.
The initial amount of
US$7 million had no takers due to the absence of a
user-friendly
collateral.
In the 2012 budget, it was allocated US$100 million amid fears
that the
money would lie idle in the absence of treasury bills that can be
lodged as
security.
Going, going, gone
Two debilitating
industrial actions by pilots occurred at Air Zimbabwe as
the airline
continued sinking in the abyss.
In another low for the airline, one
of its planes was impounded at Gatwick
International Airport over a US$1,2
million debt and there are fears that
creditors would feast on the airline
since it owes over US$100 million.
Should taxpayers continue
sustaining such mess? MDC-T says no.
The irony is that Zimbabwe is
preparing to co-host with Zambia the 2013
UNWTO General Assembly meeting in
Victoria Falls. There was good news for
tourism after Emirates said it would
resume flights to Zimbabwe starting
February 1 in a vote of confidence in
the country as a tourist destination.
Beggars on a beach of
gold
Problems at RioZim accelerated after shareholders proposed the
US$59 million
rights issue and the debt to equity swap to extinguish the
gold and diamond
miner’s US$29 million debt.
A question that begs
an answer is how the company is enmeshed in such
problems at a time gold
prices are high on the world markets? It’s not
RioZim alone as the entire
gold sector is struggling with capacity
utilisation at 44% and small-scale
miners are contributing over half of the
total gold production.
Cash
crunch again?
Last week, the nation woke up to bank queues
reminiscent of the 2007 era as
depositors tried to withdraw money ahead of
the festive season. Banks say
they have adequate cash but the queues tell a
different story. There are now
fears that the cash crunch could spill into
the New Year.
