The Telegraph
By David Blair
in Johannesburg
(Filed: 11/02/2006)
The fate of Zimbabwe's
dispossessed white farmers was uncertain yesterday
after the regime publicly
contradicted private assurances that some
landowners would be allowed back
to their properties.
Ministers close to President Robert Mugabe are
considering a partial
reversal of the land grab. Assurances have been given
that some farmers will
be allowed to lease back their holdings.
After
this was disclosed in The Daily Telegraph, Didymus Mutasa, the
security
minister also responsible for land reform, denied any U-turn. "We
are not
going to change our land policy and we are not going to surrender
any land
that has been given to our people," he told state television.
A
constitutional amendment passed last year made every acre of agricultural
land the property of the state.
Mr Mutasa pointed out that the last
handful of about 250 surviving white
farmers need official leases to stay on
their properties.
"To my knowledge there are not many, if any, white
commercial farmers who
have the permission, so most of them who are farming
now are doing so
illegally," he said.
Senior figures in the regime
have told farmers that, as a first stage, the
surviving 250 will be given
leases allowing them to stay on their holdings.
Then a limited number of
displaced landowners will be given leases allowing
them to
return.
The thinking behind this policy is that it will ease pressure
from the
International Monetary Fund, which has threatened to expel Zimbabwe
for
failing to pay its dues.
But Joseph Made, the agriculture
minister, told the state press that white
farmers were "irrelevant". He
added: "The country's land policies are very
sound and will not be frozen or
set aside."
Mr Mugabe's regime has invested too much political capital in
the land
seizure programme to back down in public.
The president made
the dispossession of white farmers the central objective
of his regime,
winning two elections on the promise to hand out seized land
to
supporters.
But senior officials have privately tipped off displaced
farmers that if
they apply to lease back their land, some will be allowed to
return.
A number of ex-farmers have duly submitted the paperwork
required, but no
one has been granted a lease yet.
Mr Mugabe's land
grab has displaced almost 4,000 white farmers over the past
five years.
Agricultural production has crashed, plunging Zimbabwe into an
economic
crisis.
The contradictions have long been a feature of Mr Mugabe's
regime.
Its more pragmatic figures, notably Gideon Gono, the powerful
governor of
the Reserve Bank, are appalled by the economic collapse and
recognise that
returning some skilled farmers to their land is unavoidable
if recovery is
to happen.
Meanwhile Mr Mugabe, who turns 82 in 10
days, appears increasingly detached
from day to day government.
david.blair@telegraph.co.uk
http://africantears.netfirms.com
Saturday 11th February 2006
Dear Family and
Friends,
There has been a lot of talk this week about an article in an
English
newspaper which said that white commercial farmers were about to be
given
the chance to lease back farms that were seized by the government over
the
past six years. It is an article in which sources aren't named, quotes
aren't given and Ministers were "not available for comment" but everyone
knows there is no smoke without fire so something is very likely going on.
Almost as soon as the article appeared in print there was a flurry of
denials from Zimbabwe. On Thursday night on State TV, Lands Minister Didymus
Mutasa poured scorn on the article saying it was "nonsense." The Minister
went on to say that any whites still on their farms were actually there
illegally and should immediately come forward and ask the government for
permission to keep growing food.
The Commercial Farmers Union then
stepped into the fray and issued a
statement to " the government and people
of Zimbabwe." I am not sure who the
Commercial Farmers Union represents now
that 90% of the country's farmers
have had their land seized by the
government, however they obviously thought
now was a good time to do a bit
more grovelling. Calling for the government
to "bring all stakeholders
together," the CFU said, and I quote: "Whilst
current conditions are indeed
tough and testing, it is not the time for
recrimination or going back - it
is the time to draw the line and go
forward, learning from the
past."
It took less than a day for Zimbabwe's Minister of Agriculture to
trash the
CFU's statement and spit on the hand the CFU were holding out - if
that is
what they were doing. Minister Made said that only dreamers would
make such
calls and said: "The white farmers have suddenly realised their
irrelevance
in the current agricultural set-up and have decided to write
statements
instead of accepting reality."
To complete the confusion,
the week ended with a statement by Justice for
Agriculture - the
organisation whose name describes their function. JAG said
they "noted with
concern" the CFU statement. JAG had the guts to do what the
CFU didn't do.
JAG spelled out the facts that every Zimbabwean is only too
painfully aware
of. JAG said that 90% of seized farms were lying idle and
that this years
national production levels would be the lowest ever recorded
despite an
excellent rainy season. JAG said that there continued to be a
breakdown of
law and order in farming areas, no respect for property
rights,moveable
farming assets, livestock, crops and personal household
effects in farming
areas. JAG also pointed out one critical fact that almost
all these media
reports leave out. The fact that it wasn't just 4000 white
farmers who were
dispossessed when the government grabbed the farms, it was
thousands of farm
workers together with their wives, children, unemployed
relations and
members of their extended families.
I write my letter this week in memory
of Paul who died at 4am on Monday
morning. Paul's life began to fall apart
three years ago when he lost his
job in the land seizures. I pray he rests
in peace and am glad he has been
released from the struggles of pain, hunger
and penury he endured these last
three years.
Until next week, love cathy
From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 10 February
Sam Sole
At this week's Mining Indaba in Cape Town
the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) was touted as a hot new investment
destination. But companies selling
the DRC's rich mineral prospects don't
always tell investors what they're
getting into, or who they're getting in
with. The Mail & Guardian has
tracked two cases featuring listed
companies hiding involvement of
controversial partners - both with South
African connections.
Case 1: Billy Rautenbach
Last week
the Central African Mining and Exploration Company (Camec) -
listed on
London's junior exchange and chaired by former England cricketer
Phil
Edmonds - announced a $80-million deal to buy lucrative DRC mining
operations and concessions, rich in copper and cobalt deposits. What the
company did not say was that the man behind its new partnership is
Zimbabwean Billy Rautenbach, a fugitive from South African justice. Nor did
it mention that the Rautenbach company that previously controlled the
concessions was exiting from a particularly nasty fight with his former
partners. The dispute involves allegations against Rautenbach of
intimidation, cheating and running the business like his personal piggy
bank. Through his attorney, Rautenbach denied all the allegations and said
the matter had been settled "amicably". There is an international arrest
warrant for Rautenbach, who commutes between Harare and the DRC, on charges
relating to his erstwhile management of Hyundai motors in South
Africa.
Edmonds, who is at the Mining Indaba, did not respond to a
message left with
his secretary, but earlier told Britain's Daily Telegraph:
"We didn't think
it was in any way relevant to talk about Mr Rautenbach."
Rautenbach is now
effectively a 20% shareholder in listed Camec via the
issue of Camec shares
for part of the $80-million. Edmonds told the British
paper: "We believe
[the warrant] is a purely political situation. It has not
come to court, so
we are quite happy with the due diligence we have done."
Due diligence,
however, apparently did not include talking to Rautenbach's
former partner
in the DRC venture, James Tidmarsh, Rautenbach's Geneva-based
company
lawyer. Rautenbach was reportedly forced to buy out Tidmarsh and
another
minority shareholder after Tidmarsh obtained a court order in the
British
Virgin Islands - where most of Rautenbach's companies are registered
-
placing his holding company for the DRC operation in provisional
liquidation.
Rautenbach settled "amicably" with his former
minority shareholders, lifting
the liquidation, but not before Tidmarsh had
placed on record a 100-page
affidavit setting out allegations against
Rautenbach in damning detail. They
included claims that he was cheating his
compulsory joint venture partner,
the DRC state-owned Gecamines, which holds
20% of Rautenbach's Boss Mining
operation. In a letter to Gecamines,
Tidmarsh alleged Rautenbach was selling
them short, paying the joint venture
just above cost for the mined ore,
which his wholly owned marketing company
then sold at a massive profit. "The
purchase of the totality of the
production of Boss Mining . almost at the
production cost cannot be
justified," he wrote. Tidmarsh alleged in his
affidavit that this made
Rautenbach cross: "He told me the letter had
damaged the company and had
cost him more than $1-million to 'sort out'. He
told me the way to treat the
Congolese was to 'drip-feed' them with money."
Resigning as director
of another of Rautenbach's affiliate companies,
Tidmarsh noted in the
minutes that Rautenbach was drawing repayment of
"loans" extended to the
company of $10-million: "Such 'loans'. have never
been properly formalised
or justified. nevertheless large amounts of money
have been taken, either
directly by the majority shareholder, or for his
personal or family's
benefit." Efforts by the minority shareholders to
challenge this "loan", to
demand audited company accounts, and to get a fair
share of the $1-million
in monthly profits led to a breakdown in relations
with Rautenbach.
According to Tidmarsh, Rautenbach opted for a forced
buy-out of the
minorities and attempted to soften them up with implied
threats, for example
telling Tidmarsh that he (Rautenbach) could no longer
"protect" Tidmarsh if
he travelled to the DRC and that he could expect to be
arrested on his
arrival. At a tense meeting in Harare, Rautenbach allegedly
offered to buy
out the 20% minority share for $2-million, paid out over 20
months to make
sure the minorities "behaved". If they did not accept the
offer, Tidmarsh
alleged, Rautenbach warned that he would engineer to sell
the assets out of
the company and make sure the minorities got "nothing".
African News Dimension
Saturday, 11 February 2006, 2 hours, 25 minutes and
58 seconds ago.
By ANDnetwork Journalist
THE
persistent water problems in Harare are unacceptable especially
after a
decision was made to transfer water supply from council to the
Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (Zinwa), Vice President Joice Mujuru said
yesterday.
Cde Mujuru said the current erratic water supplies
to various major
centres were of great concern to Government, hence the
decision to invite
Zinwa to move in and normalise the
situation.
But Government was concerned it was taking long to
resolve the
problem.
"It is therefore of concern to Government
that water shortage problems
have continued to be experienced in the City of
Harare even after the
take-over of Harare water supply by
Zinwa.
"The present scenario is unacceptable and requires immediate
remedial
action as we now need a long-term solution to the present
challenges," said
Cde Mujuru in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Munesu
Munodawafa, who is
principal director in her office.
The speech
was delivered at a one-day strategic planning workshop
organised by the
Department of Water Resources and Infrastructural
Development in
Harare.
A former Minister of Water Resources and Infrastructural
Development
herself, Cde Mujuru said weather patterns over the past 25 years
have
demonstrated that Zimbabwe was drought-prone and the challenge now was
to
harness as much water as possible for agricultural purposes.
She said that while the country celebrated the good rains this season,
it
was necessary to bear in mind the negative side that included the
destruction of infrastructure such as roads, boreholes and irrigation
canals.
The Vice President said implementation of agreed
decisions was one
area that had not been adequately addressed and which, the
nation needs to
attend to urgently.
Cde Mujuru said an
excellent plan that remained on paper was of no use
to anyone and as a
country, the nation can ill afford such attitudes given
the level of
expectations of all Zimbabweans.
"I am aware that resources have
not always been available to complete
all projects but at the same time with
timeous implementation of those
projects allocated funding by Government, I
have no doubt in my mind we
could have achieved more.
"This
therefore calls for total commitment by all of us gathered here
and I hope
we are all ready to take up the challenge and deliver," she said.
Cde Mujuru said it was a good thing that officers from various
provinces
were present at the workshop, which will also give participants a
chance to
review each province's performance.
She said during her last
provincial tours, she was shocked at the
discrepancies between the glossy
picture painted in reports and the gloomy
picture on the
ground.
"I believe decisive remedial action has been taken in
extreme cases of
misrepresentations," said Cde Mujuru.
The
Vice-President said she would be resuming her provincial tours
shortly to
assess progress on issues left for the provinces' attention and
also to
visit other areas not covered during previous visits.
She said she
did not expect to find some provinces in the state of
unpreparedness she
witnessed during her last tour and this time petty
excuses would not be
accepted.
Cde Mujuru said it was to be commended that the workshop
had been held
during the beginning of the year when funds for 2006
operations were
starting to be released.
Said Cde Mujuru: "The
hyperinflation currently being experienced in
the country requires careful
planning of projects if such projects are to be
successfully completed.
Without careful planning most projects will be
ongoing
forever."
Speaking at the same occasion, Minister of State for
Water Resources
and Infrastructural Development Engineer Munacho Mutezo said
because
Zimbabwe was operating in an inflationary economy, there was need to
plan
activities in line with the scarce resources with a view to maximising
production.
"We need to put our heads together as we develop
our strategic plan
and ensure that all the loopholes that may have derailed
our plans since our
inaugural strategic planning workshop last year are
closed," said Eng
Mutezo.
He said departments with plant and
equipment should ensure that these
were fully utilised in order to generate
resources.
"Our action plans need to be very specific and
time-framed so that we
are able to closely monitor, evaluate and review our
activities as the year
progresses," he said.
Source : The
Herald
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT Chief Whip Cde Joram Gumbo has
castigated Bulawayo South MP Mr
David Coltart (MDC) for misleading the House
of Assembly on the African
Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR)
position on the human rights
situation in Zimbabwe.
Cde Gumbo told the
Assembly on Thursday that contrary to claims by the
opposition lawmaker, the
commission had not adopted a resolution condemning
the country’s human rights
record. This followed a motion moved by Mr
Coltart that ACHPR had adopted a
resolution on alleged human rights
violations in Zimbabwe.
Cde Gumbo
said the AU Council of Ministers threw back a report by the
commission
imploring the AU to condemn Zimbabwe on alleged human rights
abuses after the
ACHPR failed to follow procedures at the summit held in
Sudan last
month.
"The truth of the matter is that a confidential document was
circulated at
the summit and was discussed and rejected by the AU Council of
Ministers,"
he said.
"We must respect this House by moving
well-researched motions and this
motion should not be allowed to remain on
the order paper."
The ruling party legislator said Foreign Affairs
Minister Cde Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi or Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Cde Patrick
Chinamasa would next Tuesday issue a ministerial
statement clarifying the
ACHPR position on the human rights situation in
Zimbabwe.
The commission had produced resolutions on human rights
violations against
Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Sudan, Uganda and
Zimbabwe.
[Refer to https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/feb10a_2006.html
for David
Coltart's Motion]
Steven Price
February 11,
2006
It is reported that Zimbabwe's premier first class competition, the
Logan
Cup, is to be postponed indefinitely with the possibility that it will
be
scrapped for the season.
According to original fixtures released
by Zimbabwe Cricket, the tournament
was supposed to get underway on Tuesday
with Mashonaland, who have retained
the Cup for six seasons, set to clash
with fierce rivals Matabeleland at
Harare Sports Club, while Midlands had a
date with new-boys Masvingo at
Kwekwe Sports Club.
A reliable source
within Zimbabwe Cricket said the Logan Cup was going to be
indefinitely
postponed because of the dreadful standard of cricket seen in
last week's
Faithwear inter-provincial one-day competition, in which
Matabeleland
successfully defended their title amid some dire games.
Mashonaland, for
example, fielded a side so weak that only two players
finished with batting
averages in double figures. The first five matches
produced a highest team
score of 118 and not a single individual fifty.
The source indicated that
there were fears that Logan Cup games, which are
scheduled to last four
days, could finish embarrassingly quickly.
The Logan Cup fixtures had
been planned in a such a way that it would have
taken place ahead of
Zimbabwe's tour to West Indies, where they were
scheduled to play two Tests
and five ODIs, and players who excelled in the
Logan Cup were to be picked
for the Tests. But the Sports and Recreation
Commision appointed interim
executive running the affairs of Zimbabwe
Cricket decided to voluntarily
suspend Zimbabwe's Test status for this year.
Zimbabwe are now preparing
to take on Kenya in five ODIs later on this month
and are then scheduled to
play in a triangular series featuring hosts
Bangladesh and Kenya immediately
after. Those dates would overrun many of
the rounds in the Logan Cup and so
further weaken the standard.
No-one at Zimbabwe Cricket was available to
comment.
© Cricinfo
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily Mirror
Reporter
issue date :2006-Feb-11
THE British government has appointed
a career diplomat Andrew John Pocock as
ambassador-designate replacing
Roderick Pullen who recently left Harare
before completing his tour of duty
following reported differences with
London over Zimbabwe.
Until his
latest appointment, Pocock (51), who has been in the diplomatic
circles for
24 years, was British High Commissioner to Tanzania.
In a terse statement,
Pocock said he was delighted to be posted to Zimbabwe.
"After postings in
Nigeria and Tanzania, I am delighted by another
appointment in Africa. I am
very much looking forward to my job in Zimbabwe
to reinforcing the British
government's commitment to the continent, as
exemplified by the Commission
for Africa and the G8 Summit at Gleneagles,
with its historic emphasis on
good governance and the ending of conflict.
"I also look forward to helping
continue UK support to the people of
Zimbabwe as one of the three largest
bilateral humanitarian donor."
Pocock, who is married to Julie, was born on
23 August 1955 and served in
Dar-es-Salaam from 1993.
Between 2001 and
2003, he was the head of the African Department for the
Foreign Commonwealth
Office (FCO) and prior to that, between 1997 and 2001
he was Deputy High
Commissioner in Canberra, Australia.
In 1996, he was the Counsellor on loan
to the Royal College of Defence
Studies.
Pocock's predecessor Pullen was
posted to Zimbabwe on 28 July 2004 from
Ghana where he served from
2000-2004.
Pullen made a surprise departure back home after serving only 18
months of
his four-year diplomatic tenure in Zimbabwe.
He told
journalists: "I am leaving Zimbabwe earlier than expected, not for
anything
to do with Zimbabwe or relations between Zimbabwe and Britain, but
for
personal reasons."
He cited family commitments as one of the reasons for his
premature
departure.
Pullen's departure was in total contrast with that
of his predecessor, Brian
Donnelly, who after meddling in Zimbabwe's
internal affairs, had to sneak
out of the country without informing his
hosts as required by diplomatic
protocol. In typical diplomatic style,
Pullen paid a courtesy call on acting
President Joice Mujuru and had time to
address journalists although he had a
tough time answering some of their
questions.
After the circus and drama created by Donnelly, many people
thought Pullen
would continue from where his predecessor had left off, but
he proved he had
a better understanding of Africa and its people.
When he
presented his credentials in September 2004, Pullen was told in no
uncertain
terms by President Robert Mugabe that: "Mr (Tony) Blair says do it
my way,
but, no, we are not built that way. We do not worship false gods,
but we
worship one true God . . .
"You are suspected to be coming for regime change
and it's your
responsibility to correct that. You cannot go about the
Kosovo, the
Yugoslavia way. Your predecessor tried and failed . . . The lion
of Britain
might roar, but we will not hear it. It is far and, besides, I
have two
lions here."
Pullen served in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya and this
had taught him a lesson
or two about the behaviour of principled African
leaders like President
Mugabe.
He knew the President meant what he said
and he knew that any trespassing or
meddling in the internal affairs of
Zimbabwe would backfire.
In November last year he said: "Before coming to
Zimbabwe, I have served in
three other African countries, but every country
in Africa is different just
as every country in Europe is different. Since
my accreditation, I have met
with many members of the Government and
Politburo, representatives of the
opposition, members of the business
community and of civil society,
including many ordinary Zimbabwean citizens.
I have had frank and useful
discussions that have helped me to learn about
all aspects of the situation
in Zimbabwe."
During his 18 months stay in
the country, Pullen buried himself mainly in
developmental issues like
handing over medical equipment, commissioning
boreholes and classroom blocks
and donating furniture to schools and
hospitals.
Despite his own
shortcomings as a human being and the fact that his boss
British Premier
Tony Blair kept questioning the legitimacy of President
Mugabe, Pullen
ignored all that and met with several ministers, including
Vice-President
Mujuru.
In short, Pullen was a laid-back diplomat who had seen it all in
Africa and
knew how to avoid starting a fight with his hosts.
Political
analysts believe that US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell
would do
himself a lot of good by taking a leaf from the way Pullen
conducted himself
during his short stint here.
Pullen played it safe by refusing to start a
fight with the government, a
situation that made his paymasters back home
angry.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
From Nkululeko Sibanda in Bulawayo
issue date
:2006-Feb-11
THE High Court on Thursday dismissed an urgent application
for a summary
judgment by ruling Zanu PF national chairman John Landa Nkomo
demanding the
immediate eviction of indigenous safari and tour operator
Langton Masunda
from a disputed property in Matabeleland North.
Nkomo
accuses Masunda of illegally occupying a lodge on a farm he claims he
was
given under the land reform programme, but the latter insists he bought
the
farm situated in Lupane district from a commercial farmer who has since
left
Zimbabwe.
Nkomo, who is also Speaker of Parliament, has instituted a $5
billion plus
lawsuit against Masunda as compensation for illegal occupation,
$500 million
for losses incurred in rentals from 2003 to date, as well as
$50 million for
damages and eviction costs for defendant's
workers.
Bulawayo judge Francis Bere ruled on the need to refer the case to
trial
where both parties would make submissions in defence of their
stances.
He said: "Having assessed the submissions made by both the defence
and
applicant's counsel, I believe that the respondent in this case
(Masunda)
should not be just silenced.
The defence counsel (Masunda's
lawyer) raised a number of issues that need
to be taken into
consideration...the application for summary judgment in
this matter is
hereby dismissed."
In an interview soon after the day's proceedings, Nkomo's
lawyer, Brighton
Ndove, said the judgment had paved the way for a trial
where there would be
in-depth submissions from both counsels.
"For now,
we cannot say that my client (Nkomo) has lost the case. What we
lost was the
application to have the respondent urgently evicted from the
lodge that he
is occupying which is situated on the applicant's farm," said
Ndove.
He
said all other issues pertaining to monies Nkomo wants from Masunda still
remained in the courts as Thursday's judgment only dealt with evicting the
latter from the lodge.
In 2002, Nkomo filed a $5 billion plus lawsuit
against the dreadlocked
businessman and safari operator arguing that the
disputed lodge, Jijima
Safari Lodge in Lupane, was his property because it
was on his farm.
Nkomo said he was allocated the farm by the ministry of
Lands, Land Reform,
and Resettlement. The Speaker once headed the
ministry.
But Masunda argues that he bought the property from James Chatham
who has
since left the country. - The Chathams once farmed in the Gwayi
area.
Jijima Lodge is situated on Lugo Ranch incorporating Volunteer Farms
47, 48
and 49.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily
Mirror Reporter
issue date :2006-Feb-11
VICE-President Joice Mujuru
yesterday read the riot act on the Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (Zinwa)
over its failure to normalise water supply
situation particularly in
Harare.
"The current erratic supplies of water to various major centres is of
concern to the government and hence our decision for Zinwa to move in and
normalise the situation," Mujuru said.
The vice-president made the
remarks in a speech read on her behalf by the
principal director in her
office, Munesu Munodawafa, at the official opening
of a water resources and
infrastructural development workshop at Mandel
Training Centre in
Marlborough, Harare.
Mujuru said: "It is therefore of concern to the
government that water
shortage problems have continued to be experienced in
the City of Harare
even after the takeover of Harare water supply by the
Zimbabwe National
Water Authority (Zinwa).
"The present scenario is
unacceptable and requires immediate remedial action
as we now need a
long
term solution to the present challenges."
The vice-president stressed that
the prevailing situation called for
"exhaustive but focused consultations"
with all stakeholders.
She, however, noted that there had been a slight
improvement in water supply
in the capital in the last one and half
weeks.
Mujuru said it was critical that the department moves with speed in
implementing a plan agreed at last year's workshop.
"Perhaps this is one
area that we have not adequately addressed as a country
and which we need to
attend to immediately - the implementation of agreed
decisions.
"An
excellent plan that remains on paper is of no relevance to anyone and as
a
country we can ill afford such attitudes given the level of expectation of
the citizens of Zimbabwe," she said.
Mujuru said she was aware that
resources have not always been available to
complete all projects.
". But
at the same time with timeous implementation of those projects
allocated
funding by the government, I have no doubt in my mind we could
have achieved
more," she added.
The vice-president told delegates to review the
performances of every
province.
"Those who were part of my entourage in
my last round of provincial visits
will recall how shocked we were in some
areas to see the variance between
the glossy picture submitted in reports
and the gloomy picture on the
ground. I believe decisive remedial action has
been taken in extreme cases
of misrepresentation," Mujuru said.
She also
hinted that she would resume her provincial visits "in the next few
weeks"
to assess progress.
"I do not expect to witness some provinces in a state of
unpreparedness like
what I saw last time. Petty excuses will not be
tolerated this time around,"
Mujuru warned.
The Minister of State for
Water Resources and Infrastructural Development,
Munacho Mutezo concurred
with the vice-president that some reports "on our
achievements" were
contrary to what is on the ground.
"We therefore invited all provincial heads
to this workshop so that the
thrust of the department is well understood by
all those involved in the
implementation of our programmes,"
he
said.
"It also gives them the opportunity to explain any shortcomings
that may be
hindering the smooth implementation of projects."
The
minister noted that since a similar workshop last year in Kariba, there
has
been several changes and therefore need to review targets and
strategies.
"The rains have come along with some negative impact on
roads, bridges,
dams, and irrigation infrastructure.
"We therefore, need
to brace ourselves for these adverse effects and
at the same time ensure that
we harness as much water as possible," Mutezo
said.
He bemoaned reduced
budget for the ministry's projects and the economic
environment plagued by
skyrocketing inflation.
From The Star (SA), 11 February
By
Basildon Peta
It's the time of the year that many Zimbabwean
companies dread: President
Robert Mugabe's birthday. Many companies and
other well-to-do individuals
are expected to cough up millions to celebrate
a private occasion which the
ruling Zanu PF party has nevertheless elevated
to a national event. The
party's reasoning for soliciting contributions is
because everyone who has
become rich in post-independent Zimbabwe has done
so because Mugabe led the
liberation struggle. So his birthday is seen as
payback time. And Zimbabwe's
debilitating economic crunch has done nothing
to alter the ruling party's
ambitions to mark its leader's 82nd birthday on
February 21 with hefty
donations. A target of at least US$1-million has been
set. Schoolchildren
and Zanu PF youth brigades from the 10 political
provinces will hold parades
to mark the occasion. As in previous years, it
is planned as a
military-style operation dubbed the 21st February Movement.
Zanu PF youth
leader Enock Porusingazi said at least US$1-million to
US$2-million was
needed to "mark our president's birthday with
dignity".
A circular signed by another youth leader, Absolom
Sikhosana, has been sent
to all major companies in Zimbabwe asking for
donations towards Mugabe's
birthday celebrations. The circular was read to
the Saturday Star over the
phone by one executive who had received it. It
read, in part: "Once again as
a nation we are celebrating His Excellency,
Comrade R G Mugabe's birthday
... we are kindly appealing for cash or kind
to make this year's event a
historic and memorable one for the children.
Kindly make cash donations
payable to 21st February Movement. The account
number is 4125-031273003
ZimBank." The distraught executive said: "Apart
from the donations, we are
naturally expected to buy advertising space in
the press wishing His
Excellency well. It all makes this birthday a very
expensive undertaking."
The money targeted for the event could feed hundreds
of thousands of hungry
children in a nation in which a quarter of the
population is surviving on
World Food Programme handouts and where fuel and
electricity shortages have
become the norm.
Peoples Daily
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education on
Friday called for the
enactment of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education
Act, which will pave
way for the establishment of the Zimbabwe Council for
Higher Education to
advise the minister on policy issues.
Making the call in parliament, Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary
Education, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, said the Act would replace the National
Council for Higher Education Act.
He said the council would
advise the minister on all higher education
matters and develop and
recommend policy, including the establishment of
public
institutions.
It would also accredit institutions of higher
education, design and
recommend an institutional quality assurance system
for higher education.
The council would also recommend to the
minister institutional quality
assurance standards for the establishment,
standardization and accreditation
of institutions of higher education,
preparation and amendment of university
charters and statutes, the
development of curricula and the standards of
libraries.
It
would advise on the shape and size of the higher education system
and advise
on the budgeting and funding arrangements for higher education
for public
institutions.
The body would also promote international cooperation
and facilitate
exchanges in higher education among other
issues.
Source: Xinhua
The Telegraph
By Charle Moore
(Filed:
11/02/2006)
This newspaper's Christmas appeal has just ended.
You, the
readers, have contributed £825,148 - £250,506 for Chain of Hope,
£259,315
for Emmaus, £315,327 for Rwanda Aid. These annual appeals have been
running,
and growing, for 20 years. Those charities that work in developing
countries - this year, Rwanda Aid - have done just as well, often better,
than those that work in Britain. I am sure Telegraph readers would not wish
to boast, but their average record over all this time is more generous than
that of any other newspaper.
Which brings one up against
a strange question: how is it that
the cause of international development
seems to belong, politically, to the
Left? How is it that the rest of us are
somehow discounted as uncaring?
When you think that so much of
Africa has been ruined by
Left-wing policies, you might imagine that some
humility was in order.
Well-meaning men such as the socialist Julius Nyerere
in Tanzania, and
ill-meaning men like the Marxist Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe,
have brought
poverty and misery to their countries, generally supported,
until it was too
late, by Labour politicians, Anglican bishops and
Left-liberal newspapers.
These backers do not seem to have paid a political
penalty for their
repeated errors. The Left has "ownership" of the subject:
the map of Africa
is still, in that sense, red.
This
should worry conservatives, and Conservatives. And now it
does. David
Cameron has made global poverty one of the six areas for his
policy
commissions. He suggests that Darfur matters.
He wants his
party to be seen with people such as Bob Geldof.
Last month, the Tory
International Development spokesman, Andrew Mitchell,
flew to Rwanda (your
columnist in tow) to study conflict resolution. Soon Mr
Mitchell and William
Hague will travel to Sudan.
At the same time, the
Conservatives are developing Mr Cameron's
campaign idea of some sort of
school-leaver programme or youth community
action. He recently met a group
of charities such as the Prince's Trust with
this in mind. He is hoping to
provide a catalyst by which young people
leaving school can achieve social
mixing through benevolent work, both at
home and abroad - a gap year that
makes a difference.
It seems to me that Mr Cameron is making
a welcome catch-up. He
has grasped something understood for the past 70
years by a former Tory
Cabinet minister not particularly associated with
"modernisation", our very
own W.F. Deedes, now aged 92, and the chief
reporter for our annual appeals.
This is that it is central
to the belief system of the
conservative-minded person (especially if he is
a Christian) to want to
relieve poverty wherever he can. Such a person has a
powerful sense of the
obligation of each human being to another, especially
of the strong to the
weak. Unlike someone on the Left, he will not think
that obligation
discharged by government alone.
But the
trouble with this subject - perhaps this is why the Left
dominates it - is
that it attracts posturing. Africa is, among other things,
a
photo-opportunity. As our own educational system makes it harder and
harder
to get British pupils to smile at all, so the attraction for
politicians of
being snapped with rows of black children with happy grins
grows ever
stronger. The dark continent is awash with "goodwill ambassadors"
who fly in
for a couple of days to cure Aids before flying out to make the
next
movie.
There is a worse posturing - the pretence that lots of
government money and the interventions of the "international community" are
automatically good. It is only in the past 10 years or so, for example, that
the World Bank has even begun to consider the possibility that the volume of
loans matters less than their quality, or that corruption might be spoiling
huge percentages of its work. All across Africa lies the detritus of aid
projects which - in some cases literally - ran into the
sand.
Such things are not just a waste of money - they are
deeply
harmful. They divert power and resources to bad people that might
otherwise
have gone to good. There is still no proper answer to Peter
Bauer's famous
dictum that Western government aid largely consists of the
payment of money
by poor people in rich countries (i.e. our taxes) to rich
people in poor
countries.
With political interventions,
the story is often even worse. If
you read the book by General Romeo
Dallaire, the UN Force Commander during
the Rwandan genocide (Shake Hands
with the Devil, Arrow Books), it becomes
clear that the UN's determination
to dither did not just fail to prevent the
genocide: it actually made it
easier than if the UN had been absent
altogether. The dithering gave the
killers the time they needed - in three
months, they murdered more than
800,000 people.
The temptation for the conservative in the
face of so much
corruption, failure, oppression and moralising is to opt
out. There is an
unattractive strand in the psyche of the Left which feels
that thinking good
thoughts relieves you of the need to perform good deeds.
On the Right there
is the equivalent aberration that because most schemes
for human improvement
are very laughable things there is no point in trying
to improve anything,
ever.
But some things do improve.
Consider the career of Sir John
Cowperthwaite, who died last month. He was
Financial Secretary of Hong Kong
from 1961 to 1971. He stuck fiercely to
what he called "positive
non-intervention". He believed that Hong Kong
people, many of whom were
desperately poor refugees from Communist China,
would prosper if only the
government let them.
Cowperthwaite kept personal taxes to a maximum of 15 per cent,
and forbade
tariffs or subsidies. In his 10 years, there was a 50 per cent
rise in real
wages in Hong Kong and a two-thirds fall in the number of
households in
acute poverty. Exports rose by an average of 14 per cent per
year. Hong Kong
became part of the developed world. "I did very little," Sir
John said. "All
I did was to try to prevent some of the things that might
undo it" - an
attitude so free of posturing that it guaranteed him permanent
obscurity.
Last week, I interviewed Paul Wolfowitz, the
former Pentagon
hawk who is now the doveish president of the World Bank:
"You know what the
greatest book ever written about a developing country
was? De Tocqueville's
Democracy in America [which was published in the
1830s]." De Tocqueville
showed, he said, how a successful society could
arise only if its people
formed innumerable civil associations, engaging the
whole community,
building from the small to the great.
In
modern Africa, of course, the obstacles to this are
formidable. Colonialism
created unreal countries, and decolonisation made
those countries more
unreal still. People's feeling of community (tribe,
ethnicity) is often at
war with their duty to an artificial state. The
rewards to be had from
plunder are greater than those from honest work. This
is not about to
change.
But, by their generosity, Telegraph readers show
their
confidence that good work can be done where giver and receiver work
closely
together. From what I have seen of Rwanda Aid, to take this year's
example,
I am sure their confidence is not misplaced. Before David Cameron,
they
realised that "there is such a thing as society - but it's not the same
as
the state".
The Herald (Harare)
February
11, 2006
Posted to the web February 10, 2006
Harare
GOVERNMENT
has pegged salaries of executive mayors at between $65 million
and $85
million a month depending on the city or town.
The approved salaries
exclude allowances.
Councils have been authorised to determine their
allowances but these should
not exceed 50 percent of a mayor's basic
salary.
The 50 percent proportion would, however, exclude such benefits
as housing,
water, security and vehicles.
The new structure -- which
became effective last month -- has sparked
controversy in some local
authorities where town clerks are earning much
higher salaries than
mayors.
Previously, individual councils applied separately to the
Government for
permission to award salaries of their choice depending on
their annual
budgets.
The directive, it is feared, might create
problems in councils like Harare
and Gweru where mayors were earning above
the stipulated amounts.
Salaries for mayors in the two cities would have
to be revised downwards to
meet the new regulations.
Smaller cities
like Gweru, Mutare, Kadoma, Masvingo and Chitungwiza can pay
their mayors
salaries of up to $75 million while municipalities like Gwanda,
Kariba,
Chinhoyi, Bindura, Chegutu, Redcliff, Marondera and Victoria Falls
will pay
up to $65 million.
Councils whose mayors earned less than the stipulated
amounts were asked to
apply for a review.
The Government also agreed
that mayors who had served a full four-year term
should be allowed to buy
their official vehicles at book value.
They are also entitled to a
cellphone, a residential stand and 12 months'
salary gratuity.
A
mayor who served two full terms would be entitled to a gratuity of 24
months' salary.
The Government was forced to set a ceiling on mayoral
salaries to avoid
discrepancies which resulted in mayors of bigger cities
earning less than
their counterparts in smaller cities and towns.
In
separate letters to executive mayors of cities, the Minister of Local
Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Cde Ignatius Chombo, said it
was imperative to set salary limits in accordance with the status of the
respective councils.
"This development is essentially aimed at
ensuring that local authorities'
executive mayoral earnings and accompanying
perks take into account the
magnitude of their responsibilities, the
performance of their local
economies and, above all, the expectations of the
residents and ratepayers,"
he said.
Cde Chombo expressed dismay at
the prevailing situation where some local
authorities agreed to salary
increases when they were failing to raise
monthly salaries which had taken
root.
"The out-turn of such tendencies is obviously diminished capacity
to deliver
due municipal services," he noted.