http://news.yahoo.com
AFP
– Sun Feb 20, 4:31 am
ET
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) – President Robert Mugabe Sunday returned to
Zimbabwe
from Singapore where he had gone for an eye check-up following a
cataract
operation there.
Mugabe who turns 87 Monday was met by
several government ministers from his
ZANU-PF party at Harare International
airport.
A seemingly fit Mugabe arrived at around 9:30 am, but did not
speak to
reporters.
Last month, a British newspaper reported that
Mugabe had undergone a
prostate operation in Malaysia, but Mugabe dismissed
the media reports as
"naked lies" on his return.
Mugabe, who has been
in power since 1980, has been nominated by his party to
stand again for
president in elections expected later this year, which will
end his shaky
power-sharing government with long-time rival Morgan
Tsvangirai.
http://www.businessday.co.za
Sapa
Published: 2011/02/20
04:55:09 PM
Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will host
bi-lateral
discussions with her Zimbabwean counterparts in Pretoria on
Tuesday, her
office said on Sunday.
The talks were aimed at
finalising the process of documenting Zimbabweans
living in South Africa,
said home affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa.
He said this would be the
third meeting between Dlamini-Zuma and the
Zimbabwean Ministers of Home
Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone.
Last week, Dlamini-Zuma called
attention to South Africa's dependence on the
Zimbabwean government to
produce passports, to enable the conclusion of the
documentation
process.
"The department has been co-operating with organisations
representing
Zimbabweans living in South Africa including representatives of
the embassy
and consulate," said Mamoepa.
http://www.radiovop.com
20/02/2011 12:10:00
MATOPO, February 20,
2011- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and leader of
the MDC-T party says he
is ready for elections only if they will be held
under a new
constitution.
Tsvangirai was addressing about 700 of his supporters at a
rally at St
Joseph Mission near Maphisa Business Centre in Kezi on
Saturday.
“ Some are talking about elections being held as soon as
possible, we have
no problem with that, but what we are saying is that
let’s have them under
a new constitution. We are not afraid of any elections
and will never be
afraid, " said Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe is currently in
the process of writing the country,s first people
driven constitution since
independence in 1980.But the process has been
hampered by lack of funding
and underhand dealings by politicians from all
the participating parties and
organisations.Analysts say President Robert
Mugabe might surprise his
partners in the coalition government and call for
early elections.During his
address in Kezi the Prime Minister also condemned
the recent violence in
Harare which left hundreds of people displaced.
“ Another thing that is
worrying us is violence. Zanu (PF) has resorted to
violence against our
supporters .I want to tell you we are not going to
participate in elections
with violence. We don’t want a repeat of June 2008
where people were
butchered, ” Tsvangirai told the crowd.
The rally was also attended by
Tsvangirai,s deputy Thokozani Khuphe and
other top party leaders who
included co-Minister of Home Affairs Theresa
Makone.The MDC-T leader is also
expected to address another rally in the
border town of Beitbridge on
Sunday.
Tsvangirai is expected to hold another rally in the border town of
Beitbridge on Sunday.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Guthrie Munyuki, Deputy News
Editor
Sunday, 20 February 2011 19:00
HARARE - A South African
fuel supplier accused of swindling Treasury of
US$5million, has blamed the
late payment by government and natural causes,
for the delays in delivering
fuel supplies which were due in January.
Nooa Petroleum has, for the
first time, broken its silence and said delayed
payment, delayed release of
wagons as a result of this, and derailment on
rail track; largely
contributed to the late delivery of fuel to Zimbabwe.
To date, however,
Noosa Petroleum has delivered more than 1,5 million litres
of fuel by the
beginning of last week , with the remainder on the way.
In early
January,the Ministry of Energy tasked PetrolTrade to procure fuel
through
Nooa Petroleum, who, in turn facilitated payment to their partner
Mohwelere
Trading (Pvt) Ltd.
Noosa Petroleum acted as an agent in the
deal.
Mohwelere were supposed to be paid US$4,4 million for the delivery
of five
million litres of petrol and diesel within 48 hours but the late
release of
money by the government led to the delays in releasing
product.
“Payment was made and reflected only on the 24th of January,
2011, as
evidenced by a swift in our possession. This payment was made six
days after
the signing of the agreement in Harare, and a full week after
wagons had
been allocated to us for loading of product,” said Joel Chikapa
Phiri, chief
operating officer at Nooa Petroleum.
“While waiting for
payment and for such payment to reflect, there was a
derailment on the rail
line leading to the Petromoc loading gantry on the
21st of January, 2011.
The ensuing debris was cleared on the 26th of
January, 2011, and the
necessary rail line repairs could only be done on the
next day as work was
hampered by heavy rain,” Phiri told Daily News in an
exclusive
interview.
The agreement which was signed between PetrolTrade and Nooa
Petroleum on
January 18 contained clauses - Force majeure, casus fortuitus
or vis major –
that free both parties from liability or obligation when an
extraordinary
event or circumstance beyond the control of either parties or
the legal term
“act of God”, prevents one of the parties from fulfilling
their obligation.
Noosa Petroleum sourced the fuel from Mozambique at the
height of shortages
that hit the country in January.
“In the
agreement between the parties, the seller endeavours to make the
first
shipment within 24 to 72 hours of receipt of payment. Due to force
majeure
in the form of rain, derailments and other such circumstances, the
first day
when a shipment could be made was the 30th of January 2011,
consequently, we
were within the 24 to 72-hour window period to load the
first shipment when
physically possible on the 1st of February, 2011, and
well within its
contractual obligations towards the purchaser,” Phiri said.
He said
despite late payment by PetrolTrade, they secured wagons in advance
of
payment although the agreement between the two parties required payment
before finalisation of rail logistics.
Phiri said this was done as a
result of the urgency conveyed by the
government for the supply of
fuel.
“Wagons were allocated to us by CFM on the 16th of January, 2011.
These
wagons stood in Mazola at our expense while waiting for funds to be
paid for
the payment to reflect in our account as per the agreement so that
product
could be loaded.
“We could not acquire a release to secure
more wagons for product to be
loaded because payment had not reflected in
our account. We had to
constantly negotiate with the wagon allocation
administrators to ensure that
wagons for transportation of product were
available during a time of acute
shortage as some of the allocated wagons
had to be forfeited as a result of
their being empty and taking up space,”
said Phiri.
On February 7, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy
and Power
Development, Justin Mupamhanga, told a Parliamentary committee
that they
had been “hoodwinked” by Nooa Petroleum who had not delivered fuel
within
the agreed 48-hour-window.
He, however, did not tell the same
committee the delays in paying Nooa and
derailment in Mozambique at
Matola.
Mpumalanga also did not tell the same committee that they
released the money
six days later, consequently contributing to the delays
in the release of
fuel.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has
said it is not entirely satisfied
with the way the deal was
handled.
Noosa Petroleum had delivered more than 1,5 million litres of
fuel by the
beginning of last week and the remainder was on the way, said
Phiri
He said their wagons were held back at the Beitbridge Border Post
because
PetrolTrade had used the Noczim account to clear fuel and ZIMRA
refused to
release the wagons.
ZIMRA had in January garnished US$35
million from Noczim account to settle
its arrears.
http://www.stuff.co.nz
SUDIPTO GANGULY
Last updated 07:44
21/02/2011
Australia's formidable quartet of fast bowlers hold no
fear for Zimbabwe and
the Africans do not rule out finally snapping their
29-match winning streak
at the World Cup, coach Alan Butcher
says.
Australia's pace battery of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell
Johnson, who
are backed up by Doug Bollinger, would be enough to worry most
batting
line-ups but Zimbabwe feel comforted by the knowledge that they know
what to
expect.
"They have four quicks and we have a fair idea how
they bowl. If we play our
best cricket and they don't, we may have a
chance," Butcher told reporters
on the eve of his team's Group A clash with
the four-times world champions
on Monday.
"The longer the winning run
is, the closer it might be to coming to an end."
However, Butcher
conceded the chances were stacked against his men.
"If both sides play
their best cricket, it's very likely that we will lose,"
he added, perhaps
remembering his side have not beaten a test-playing nation
in the 50-over
World Cup for 12 years.
Ricky Ponting's side will look to stamp their
authority once again in
Monday's Group A encounter following two heavy
warm-up defeats by co-hosts
India and South Africa.
No longer
considered the force which clinched the trophy in 1999, 2003 and
2007,
Australia still clearly have enough firepower and talent within their
ranks
to sweep aside a team they have beaten in every one of their last 25
ODI
meetings.
To all intent and purposes, Australia are likely to treat
Monday's match as
a practice session to cover their shortcomings in the spin
department.
Their defeats against India and South Africa and the
batsmen's failure to
smother spin on both occasions have left considerable
doubts about their
ability to prevail once more in the
subcontinent.
Former England batsman Butcher's strategy actually may suit
Australia well,
giving them the opportunity to focus on a weak part of their
performance so
far in the subcontinent.
"We decided that by and
large, the spinners are our best bowlers. That's
going to be our strength
tomorrow (Monday)," Butcher said.
Ad Feedback
- Reuters
Watch out Mugabe!
Mugabe and devil
Grace
Kucaca Phulu Okay
Machisa
The mystery of Mugabe’s whereabouts
as his 87th birthday approached was solved when he suddenly arrived
at the Vigil to launch his planned two million person petition against the
illegal sanctions which as you all know have done so much damage to our country
by beating up innocent people, raping and starving them etc and generally
sanctioning them with the aim of illegal regime change.
The Commander-in-Chef and Head of
Everything, Robert Mugabe (Dickson Munemo in our Mugabe mask) emerged tottering
on walking sticks from Rymans Stationers next to the Vigil. He had apparently
mistaken it for the optician’s shop on the other side of the Embassy. Supported
by First Lady Grace (played by Josephine Zhuga) he signed our petitions without
looking at them saying ‘Down with gay Bliar and all his friends’ before falling
asleep in our chair. The couple were greeted by Vigil supporters holding up
placards saying: ‘Mugabe’s 87th Birthday – Time to Go’, ‘People Power
in
Asked how the President and
Commander in Chef had evaded the illegal travel sanctions, Grace’s personal
helper, Gideon Gono, said the birthday boy had travelled very comfortably in
Grace’s fully-equipped shopping bag. Mr Gono, who is said to know something
about these matters, seemed to think that all Zanu-PF wives delisted from the
illegal sanctions nightmare would soon be swooping on Harrods with the missing
hundred million dollars in diamond money. The Vigil wants to tell them that we
are watching every entrance to Harrods.
We
were pleased to be joined by two leaders of the Zimbabwe Human Rights
Association (ZimRights): Kucaca Phulu (Chair) and Okay Machisa
(Director).
They
are visiting
Other
Points
·
Thanks to
Kelvin Kamupira for looking after the register and merchandise on the back table
and to Nelie Masiyambiri for her donation of paper and envelopes to the Vigil.
·
We were
touched when an Egyptian family stopped and asked us if they could photograph
one of our posters: ‘People Power in
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check http://www.zimvigiltv.com/.
FOR THE RECORD: 108
signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of Human Rights in
Zimbabwe (ROHR) is
the Vigil’s partner organisation based in
·
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
ROHR South
·
ROHR
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith
Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe.
To receive a copy by post in the
UK please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and 0send
a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners
Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust
which provides bursaries to needy A Level students in
·
Workshops aiming to engage African
men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the Terrence Higgins
Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The Vigil,
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
BILL WATCH SPECIAL
[19th February 2011]
Public Hearings on Impact of Closure of Shabanie and Mashava Mines:
Zvishavane and Mashava: Monday 7th
February
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy will be
conducting public hearings in Zvishavane and Mashava on Monday 21st February.
The purpose of the hearings is to assist the committee to assess the
impact of the closure of the Shabanie and Mashava mines in Zvishavane and
Mashava on the surrounding community and the business sector.
Stakeholders and members of the public are invited to attend the hearings to
give information and express their views.
The
committee has already heard conflicting evidence from Mr Mutumwa Mawere and
Minister of Justice Chinamasa on this long-running saga. While the struggle for
ownership of the mine continues, hundreds of people have been put out of work
and the economy of the whole area has been severely
affected.
Background: Until
2005 the SMM group which owned the mines was controlled by Mr Mutumwa Mawere.
In that year he and his companies were specified under the Prevention of
Corruption Act and the companies were placed under the control of an
administrator in terms of the Reconstruction of State-Indebted Companies
legislation by order of Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa.
The mines have performed badly under the administrator’s management,
and prolonged failure to pay mineworkers resulted in labour protests brutally
put down by police. Unpaid bills led to cutting-off of power supplies and
flooding of the mines, which were eventually shut down. Mr
Mawere has battled unsuccessfully to regain control of his companies, although
last year the co-Ministers of Home Affairs revoked the specifications under the
Prevention of Corruption Act. But the Supreme Court has just upheld the
constitutionality of the Reconstruction legislation.
Details of Monday’s two public hearings are as follows:
Monday
21st February at 9.30 am
Nyaradzai
Hall, Shabanie Mine, Zvishavane
Monday
21st February at 2 pm
Mashava
Mine stadium, Mashava
Committee
Chairperson: Hon. Chindori-Chininga
Clerk:
Mr Shepherd Manhivi
If you want to make an oral submission at a
hearing, signify this to the Committee Clerk before the hearing begins so that
he can notify the chairperson to call on you. An oral submission is more
effective if it is followed up in writing. If you have a written submission, it
is advisable to take as many copies as possible with you for circulation to
committee members at the meeting.
If you cannot attend either of the hearings but wish to make your
views known to the committee, written submissions and correspondence are also
welcome and should be addressed to:
The Clerk of Parliament
Attention: Portfolio Committee on Mines and
Energy
P. O Box CY 298
Causeway, Harare
or
emailed to clerk@parlzim.gov.zw or manhivis@parlzim.gov.zw
Parliament’s telephone numbers are Harare 700181 or 252936-55. Mr
Manhivi’s mobile number is 0772
247 864.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information
supplied.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 14:10
BY KHOLWANI
NYATHI
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s health is arguably one of
Zimbabwe’s best kept
secrets but last week his handlers had to break with
tradition.
George Charamba who was at the forefront of denials that the
87-year-old
leader had undergone a major operation to deal with suspected
prostate
cancer last month on Sunday announced that his boss had gone to
Singapore
for a medical review.
He revealed for the first time that
Mugabe had undergone a “minor” operation
during his annual leave to remove
an eye cataract.
Mugabe will be back in the country in time for his
birthday tomorrow,
Charamba said.
But this has done little to stop
the rumours about the president’s health
and speculation that his ability to
withstand a grueling campaign for yet
another term is
diminishing.
Mugabe is pushing for elections this year despite protests
from his
opponents and the business sector.
This has heightened
speculation that he is trying to manage his contentious
succession.
Bekithemba Mpofu, a Zimababwean academic based in the
United Kingdom said
Mugabe would soldier on despite his failing
health.
“There is no evidence that suggests that Mugabe will hand over
power within
Zanu PF even when it is clear his health is deteriorating due
to old age,”
he said.
“One could therefore conclude that he is
convinced no one within his party’s
ranks can defeat the opposition or lead
the country.
“Alternatively people within the party itself might agree to
the notion that
he is Zanu PF’s holding glue.
“So I do not think his
health problems will ever stop him from being a
candidate in the next
election.”
Mugabe has never hidden his ambition to become a life
president in the mould
of Malawi’s Kamuzu Banda and then Zaire’s Mobuto Sese
Seko.
Diplomats who have spent time with the father of three say he is
too fit for
an 87 year old.
In one of the United States diplomatic
cables leaked by whistleblower
website Wikileaks last year, former US
ambassador to Zimbabwe James MaGee
said Mugabe was “alert, articulate, in
apparent good health.”
MaGee thought the president who does not drink or
smoke was “possibly the
healthiest 85-year old.”
Eldred Masungure, a
political scientist from the University of Zimbabwe said
although there was
limited information on Mugabe’s health, his continued
absence could be an
indication of a bigger problem.
Last week there were reports that some
members of Mugabe’s cabinet believe
his prolonged absence was beginning to
affect government’s operations.
Masunungure said this would seriously
affect the Zanu PF leader’s ability to
campaign if elections were called
soon.
“It depends on the gravity of his illness and we don’t seem to have
full
information to be able to make an informed assessment,” Masunungure
said.
“But if his health deteriorates it will obviously compromise his
ability to
launch a fully fledged campaign.
“I think he would not have
the physical stamina to spearhead a grueling
campaign.”
Mugabe’s
previous campaigns were usually characterised by at least four
rallies in
one province a day but it is highly unlikely that he can maintain
the
punishing schedule this time around.
His main opponent would be Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who turns 59
next month.
Mugabe became
Zimbabwe’s first black leader in 1980 when he was appointed
prime
minister.
He became executive president seven years later and has dealt
brutally with
pretenders to his throne from within his Zanu PF
party.
The wily politician has also dismissed talk about his succession
saying
there is no vacancy.
However his popularity has declined
sharply since the time his oratory
skills could win the hearts and minds of
ordinary Zimbabweans.
In 2002 he controversially beat Tsvangirai in
presidential elections.
Tsvangirai also beat Mugabe in the first round of
the 2008 presidential
elections but the former trade unionist failed to
garner enough votes to
claim the presidency.
Mugabe’s party regrouped
and launched a violent campaign never seen since
the end of Gukurahundi and
forced Tsvangirai to withdraw from the second
round.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 13:08
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
IGNATIUS Chombo, Minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural
Development
personally benefitted when he appointed a caretaker council in
2008 that
awarded him prime land in Harare, investigations by The Standard
have
established.
This was the same time that a project to dualise
Harare International
Airport Road was awarded to Augur Investments OU’, a
company that shared the
same premises with Chombo’s Harvest-net
Enterprises.
Documents in our possession show that during the 63-days
that the caretaker
council was in office, Chombo acquired stand numbers 61
Helensvale and 293
Avondale in Harare.
The matter was reported to the
police and the Anti-Corruption Commission
last year but no action has been
taken yet.
In light of police inaction, councillors have urged Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai to petition President Robert Mugabe and Deputy Prime
Minister
Arthur Mutambara to seek an explanation from Police
Commissioner-General
Augustine Chihuri.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson
Luke Tamborinyoka last week confirmed that the
Prime Minister had discussed
allegations raised against Chombo with Mugabe.
“I can confirm that the
Prime Minister has had a discussion with the
President concerning serious
allegations of corruption leveled against
minister Chombo,” said
Tamborinyoka, who however could not divulge the
details of the
meeting.
During its tenure, the caretaker council, which was appointed
by Chombo,
also employed 742 workers without advertising the posts and
awarded the
US$80 million airport road dualisation project to Augur without
going to
tender.
Investigations by The Standard have established that
at one time Augur
Investments shared the same address with Chombo’s
Harvest-net Enterprises
(Pvt) Limited at 62 Quorn Avenue, Mt Pleasant,
Harare.
It has also been established that Chombo formally informed
Michael Mahachi
of his appointment as chairman of the caretaker council on
May 21 2008, the
same day the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the
council and Augur
Investments (Pvt) limited was signed.
“The minister
was therefore endorsing an agreement being signed by his
appointee (Mahachi)
with Augur, a company that shares and operates from the
same address as his
company, Harvest-net Enterprises (Pvt) Limited,” said
one councillor, who
has done an analysis of the tenure of the caretaker
council.
The MoU
was, however, approved in retrospect by the caretaker council in its
meeting
on May 29 2008, which was chaired by Mahachi, himself a signatory of
the
MoU.
The Airport Road deal between the City of Harare and Augur
Investments was
structured in such a way that the Estonian company would
acquire land from
council as payment for the dualisation of the
road.
The Harare City Council has so far transferred close to 733,9
hectares of
land to Augur as payment for the project although councillors
say no
meaningful work has been done on the ground.
The company has
registered some property that it got from city council in
seven locally
registered companies.
Augur Investments has since sub-contracted the airport
road project to Power
Construction (Pvt) Limited, a South African company,
resulting in Augur
further charging council facilitation fees amounting to
US$1,2 million.
Investigations have revealed that Augur Investments’
physical address is a
small flat in an industrial area in Estonia’s capital,
Tallinn and was
registered on September 3 2007.
The shareholding
agreement between council and Augur Investments, which
created Sunshine
Development (Pvt) Ltd, was signed on September 4 2007, just
a day after the
registration of the company.
Augur Investments has close links with West
Property (Pvt) Limited, a
company that Chombo recommended to be a partner in
the development of the
disputed Crowhill project.
Harare Mayor
Muchadeyi Masunda referred all questions to Town Clerk Tendai
Mahachi who
was said to be in meetings last week.
But chairman of the State
Procurement Board Charles Kuwaza confirmed that
the airport road dualisation
project did not go to tender.
“Not to my knowledge,” said Kuwaza. “We
never dealt with that matter.”
Augur Investments director Michael van
Blerk did not respond to some of the
questions raised by The Standard saying
they were not true.
However, three weeks ago, Augur Investments denied
any link with Chombo.
“There is no relationship been our company and
ninister Chombo other than
his role in the government of Zimbabwe as
minister of local government,”
said Augur in an e-mail response.
The
company also denied knowledge of Harvest-net Enterprises, although a
representative of Augur Investments, Oleksandr Sheremet, used the same
address when he signed a shareholder agreement with the City of Harare on
September 4 2007.
Contacted from comment Chombo demanded questions in
writing because the
issue happened a long time ago.
“Why are you asking
things that happened a long time ago?” questioned
Chombo. “Put you questions
down and I will go through them on Monday. I am
at Murombedzi at the moment.
In any case, who is making those allegations?”
ENDS///
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 16:29
BY KHANYILE
MLOTSHWA AND NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO - South Africa’s ruling African
National Congress (ANC) yesterday
described the late Thenjiwe Lesabe – who
was denied a national hero status
by Zanu-PF - as an African
heroine.
Zanu-PF denied Lesabe the status, which it admitted she deserved,
arguing
that ‘she was not consistent’ because she had left to rejoin
Zapu.
Baleka Mbete, ANC chairperson yesterday told thousands who attended
Lesabe’s
burial at her farm in Fort Rixon, that the Zapu Council of Elders
chairperson was an example of a true leader.
“We need good
leadership, leaders who are not concerned about themselves and
their
families only but are concerned, even about the future generations.
“We
need to work hard to take our people out of hardships and lead them into
the
future.
“We will not be here in the next 30 years, but as leaders we
should be able
to take the whole of Southern Africa and Africa beyond where
we are.
“I learnt that from Lesabe as we were fighting for liberation. We
must learn
from the book of Lesabe’s life,” she said.
Mbete said
Lesabe was a natural leader whose obituary should be turned into
a book for
Africans to learn from.
“Every paragraph of her obituary must be made a
book.
“Lesabe was a natural leader, a heroine in her own right. She was
not only a
Zimbabwean hero but her efforts are known beyond
Zimbabwe.
“We have a lot to learn from the late Lesabe as people of
Zimbabwe, South
Africa and Africa as a whole as she was a true African
heroine. She had true
natural quality leadership qualities,” she
added.
On Friday, Zapu president Dumiso Dabengwa said his party will be
forced to
exhume the bodies of former Zapu cadres buried at the national
Heroes’ Acre
in Harare.
Dabengwa was addressing mourners at Lesabe’s
memorial service held at a
fully packed Large City Hall on Friday
afternoon.
“Zapu reserves its right, if this continues, to call upon all
those Zapu
families who have their dead buried at the Heroes Acre, to have
them
exhumed.
“We will not tolerate anyone insulting our leaders
after all the
contribution that they have made to the liberation
struggle.
“We will ask for the remains of Mqabuko (Joshua Nkomo) so that
we can take
them to Kezi’s Nyongolo village where they rightfully belong,”
Dabengwa
said.
Lesabe, who died aged 79, was buried at her Fort Rixon
farm in Matabeleland
South.
Over 1000 mourners from across the
political divide, ambassadors, civil
society activists, relatives and
ordinary Zimbabweans attended the burial.
Zanu-PF chairman, Simon Khaya
Moyo and MDC president, Welshman Ncube also
described Lesabe as an
undisputed heroine.
Lesabe died soon after she was removed from the
United States sanctions
list, as according to the US Department of the
Treasury, Office of Foreign
Assets Control.
The former cabinet
minister held several posts within Zanu PF and the
government after the
Unity Accord in 1980.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 16:27
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
THE Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has defended
its decision
to increase domestic electricity tariffs by 30% saying its
services have
improved.
Industry regulator, the Zimbabwe
Electricity Regulatory Authority on
Wednesday said it had approved the new
tariffs that would see electricity
charges going up by 7.53 cents per
kilowatt to hour to 9, 94 cents.
But residents who spoke to The
Standard said the increase was not justified
since they did not have
electricity most of the time due to Zesa’s frequent
load
shedding.
Comfort Muchekeza, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe’s
Bulawayo regional
manager said the utility was trying to punish its
customers for its failure
to collect revenue.
“While we
acknowledge that Zesa need funds to operate, I believe they are
simply
failing to collect revenue and they now want to punish the few honest
customers for their inefficiency,” Muchekeza said.
“In the
discussions we have had with them, they always say less than 10% of
consumers pay their bills and 90 % owe them a lot of
money.
“Instead of penalising the faithful, they should put in place
measures to
ensure that everyone pays even if that means compelling all
consumers to use
pre-paid meters.”
Employers’ Confederation of
Zimbabwe executive director John Mufukare said
they learnt about the
increase from the press.
“We lament categorically the lack of social
dialogue in Zimbabwe,” Mufukare
said.
“We are not aware what has
brought about the need to increase the tariffs
and naturally, we would be
very suspicious because we were not consulted
although there could be good
reasons why they took the decision.”
His sentiments were echoed by
Barnabas Mangodza of the Harare Residents
Association who said residents
were already overburdened by huge bills.
“This unplanned increase is
unfortunate and we may choose not to pay the 30
percent because we are
already overburdened,” he said.
Precious Shumba of the Harare
Residents Trust said Zesa must show how the
parastatal arrived at the new
tariffs, which he said cannot be justified.
He said Zesa should first
improve its electricity supplies and rehabilitate
its meter reading system
before increasing tariffs.
However, Zesa spokesman Fullard Gwasira
said they had followed all the
necessary steps before seeking the
regulator’s approval to review tariffs.
“The tariff application and
setting is a very consultative process which
involves business, industry and
residents through their constituent bodies
and this process was duly
completed,” he said.
He said the parastatal had “consistently
improved service delivery since the
inception of dollarisation” but needed
money for electricity imports.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 16:25
BY OUR
STAFF
TELEVISION viewership fell sharply across the state-controlled
Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) channels during the last quarter of
2010 as
the country’s sole broadcaster stepped up its propaganda against
President
Robert Mugabe’s opponents, a study has revealed.
ZBC started
airing the unpopular Zanu PF jingles and defied protests from
MDC-T that
they amounted to hate speech.
Results of the Zimbabwe All Media
Products and Services Survey (Zamps)
released on Tuesday showed that
viewership of ZBC TVI slumped from 34% of
the population to 24% in the last
quarter of 2010.
The news hour programme, which airs during prime
time, led the decline with
viewership falling from 30 % in the previous
quarter to 26 % although it
remained the favourite programme among
viewers.
ZBC Channel 2, which entered the market with 14% viewership,
is now watched
by just 10% of the population.
Satellite
viewership remained constant at 46% as Zimbabweans continue to
resort to
foreign TV stations that provide better content.
The latest
statistics come at a time when ZBC is suing The Standard for
US$10 million
after it reported that viewers and listeners were deserting
its stations
because of partisan programming.
ZBC has also taken offence with
claims that towards the end of last year it
was failing to pay its workers
on time.
In a letter of complaint to The Standard, ZBC CEO Happison
Muchechetere said
the fact that most Zimbabweans were opting for satellite
television was
because of “technological advances and variety of choice in
broadcast
viewership.”
He also dismissed reports that management
was giving itself “obscene
allowances” while ordinary workers were being
given little and that ZBC was
a Zanu PF propaganda tool.
The
Standard has in its possession ZBC pay slips that show low level
journalists
earning as little as US$350 a month.
The MDC led by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai recently wrote to
Muchechetere complaining that ZBC had
“displayed open bias against our
party, its officials and their
activities.”
Listenership of ZBC’s radio stations also fell sharply
during the quarter
under review.
A fortnight ago, ZBC demanded
questions in writing when The Standard sought
its response to the story
detailing its multifaceted problems that has been
dismissed by Muchechetere
as malicious.
But after the questions were sent to Elliot Kasu, the
finance and
administration manager said they would not respond because the
paper had
delayed in addressing their complaint.
The ZBC CEO said
the top of the range cars being driven by his senior
management were
“commensurate with performance contracts approval (sic) by
the board and
consistence (sic) with similar organisations.”
ZBC is the only
broadcaster in Zimbabwe. He said The Standard report was
meant to
“permanently impair the good will and standing of ZBC and its
management.”
The MDC-T the Zanu PF jingles had a “poisonous
impact.” The letter was
copied to the Media, Information and Publicity
minister Webster Shamu, the
Zimbabwe Media Commission, Jomic, the Organ on
National Healing and
Reconciliation, President Mugabe and South African
president Jacob Zuma.
Standard readership soars
THE
readership of the new look Standard grew by 75 % between October and
December last year, a recent survey has revealed.
According to
the Zimbabwe All Media Products and Services Survey, The
Standard now enjoys
a 7% market share, making it one of the most read
independently owned weekly
newspapers.
The results also showed that The Standard’s sister paper
NewsDay enjoyed a
23% share when it entered the market last
year.
Readership of the Zimbabwe Independent has also risen to 5%.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 16:13
BY WALTER
MARWIZI
A forensic investigation into an expansion project of a prominent
medical
facility in Harare has uncovered massive fraud that saw the centre
losing
close to US$1 million.
The scam at Trauma Centre, an emergency
24-hour hospital in Belgravia,
exposes how vulnerable companies can be if
proper accounting procedures and
reporting systems are not in
place.
Shareholders of African Medical Investments (AMI), the owners
of Trauma
Centre, hired PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in June last year after
suspecting that senior staff managing the hospital’s expansion project were
mismanaging project funds.
PwC’s brief was to perform a forensic
investigation, including use of
forensic technology to image and extract
data from computers, covering a
period between October 2008 and June
2010.
What the firm discovered was shocking to the
shareholders.
The hospital had been prejudiced of US$957 137,46, PwC
concluded in a
confidential report sent to the AMI earlier this
month.
In the report seen by The Standard, PwC attributed the loss to
overstatement
of payments to suppliers and payroll expenses, abuse of
company funds and
theft.
PwC laid the blame on Zarina Dudhia who
was the custodian of all the cash at
the centre.
Dudhia who was
employed as the project manager, PwC discovered, was the sole
signatory of
the bank accounts held at Stanbic, ZB Bank and Metropolitan
Bank.
“The conduct of Zarina was not consistent with her duties
and
responsibilities as there were several incidents of funds that were not
accounted for.
“Payments were made to suppliers and contractors who were
not working on the
hospital expansion project.
“The payments were
however being made from funds intended for the hospital
expansion
project.”
PwC noted that there were no supporting documents for the
expenses and
payments that were recorded in the cashbook and
ledger.
“Through the use of forensic technology, we noted that Zarina
created a
fictious invoice for Edget Construction with a value of US$113
100,00 from
her computer and forwarded it to South Africa for
payment.
“The South African office then deposited the money into
Stanbic bank account
for payment.
“There were a number of
invoices where the original invoices that had been
issued by suppliers were
altered with the intent of inflating the invoice
amounts.”
In its
recommendations, PwC urged AMI to take disciplinary action against
all those
who defrauded the organisation, among other deterrent measures.
All in all,
PwC said AMI lost US$252 433 through exaggerated payments to
suppliers,
US$194 881 through personal expenditure paid up from its funds
and US$355
000 that was withdrawn from banks but could not be accounted for.
An
additional US$52 831 was as a result of inflated payroll expenses.
Vivek
Solanki, who was the AMI CEO left the organisation amid investigations
of
fraud.
-------------------
Dudhia on the run (Zarina
PIC)
ZARINA Dudhia who is at the centre of the fraud that rocked Trauma
Centre is
a wanted person.
Dudhia whose whereabouts are unknown has been
flagged by Interpol who
describe her as a 46-year-old woman who speaks
English and “Indonesian”.
Interpol says that there is a warrant of arrest for
her issued by a Harare
magistrate court for fraud and anyone who sees her
should report to the
police.
----------------
Pigeon fowl runs and
flood lights
AMI funds meant for the Trauma Centre expansion project
were diverted for
other things that had nothing to do with the hospital, PwC
concluded.
For example the firm noted that a house at Number 3
Brelaides Close,
Ballantyne Park was constructed using company
funds.
US$7 850 was charged for the construction work and an
additional US$12 040
was quoted for the “brick
durawalls”.
Contractors were then hired to construct an all-weather
tennis court with a
basketball board fitted with floodlights for US$27
500.
A new tennis gazebo costing US$2 900 was also constructed.
A
drainage system was laid in the garden for US$3 800.
A pool at the house
was renovated for US$5 812 and an additional US$500 was
charged for the
fountain.
For the generator and other electrical components,
contractors charged US$9
858,98.
Another company was paid US$1
152 for clearing a consignment of Indian
ornaments imported from the United
Arab Emirates.
Jeremy Sanford, a representative of AMI told PwC that
the consignment was
not meant for Trauma Centre.
At another
house, Number 3 Betram Road Milton Park, US$1000 was charged for
demolishing
a pigeon fowl run.
PwC established that AMI does not own these two
houses.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011
16:09
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
ZANU PF is not moved by the swelling
number of its cadres who are snubbing
burial at the National Heroes Acre in
Harare because interment at the
national is voluntary, a top party official
has said.
Simon Khaya Moyo, the Zanu PF national chairman spoke after the
burial of
former Central Intelligence Organisation operative Cornius Nhloko
who was
declared a national hero but was buried in his rural home in
Gweru.
Nhloko was buried in Silobela on Wednesday and the funeral was low
key.
The Zanu PF politburo had declared the little known Nhloko a
national hero
but his family said the former Zipra cadre had left
instructions that he did
not wish to be buried at the national
shrine.
Another illustrious freedom fighter Thenjiwe Lesabe who died the
same week
was controversially declined national hero status after her family
disclosed
that she also made it clear that she did not wish to be buried in
Harare.
The Zanu PF politburo claimed it denied Lesabe the status because
she had
defected to Zapu.
But the justification contradicted its
decision to award the late
Matabeleland North governor Welshman Mabhena the
same status last year after
he left Zanu PF protesting the way President
Robert Mugabe treated him in
2000.
Mabhena who was unceremoniously
removed from his position by Mugabe had
become one of Zanu PF’s most rabid
critics.
Zanu PF in 2009 also buried the late Zipra commander Ackim
Ndlovu at the
national shrine even though it was known that he was one of
the people
behind the revival of Zapu alongside Dumiso Dabengwa.
Moyo
refused to comment on Lesabe’s status but maintained that the party was
not
worried about pioneers of the liberation struggle refusing to be buried
at
the Heroes Acre.
“It has never been compulsory for one to be buried at
the Heroes Acre,” the
former Zapu official said.
“We consult the
families of the national heroes and in the case of the late
Nhloko he left a
will that he wants to be laid to rest next to his father.
“We had to
respect that because that is part of our African culture and I
don’t see the
reason why we should be pressing panic buttons.”
Critics say the heroes’
status has lost its significance because of Zanu PF’s
insistence that it
would decide who is buried at the shrine built by the
North
Koreans.
This has seen pioneers of the liberation struggle such as
Ndabaningi Sithole
being denied the status.
Zipra commanders
including Lookout Masuku had to be accorded the status
posthumously because
they were not in good books with Mugabe at the time of
their
deaths.
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer John Makumbe
said it was
time the Heroes Acre was clearly identified as a Zanu PF
cemetery.
“The people who are being buried there are not national heroes
but Zanu PF
heroes,” Makumbe said.
“It is interesting to see that
Zanu PF people from Matabeleland are now
refusing to be buried there because
they realise that it has now lost its
status.”
According to Mabhena’s
family, the late nationalist said he did not want to
be buried alongside
“thieves and crooks.”
Last year, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, the son of the late
Vice-President Joshua
Nkomo also caused a stir when he said he wanted to
remove his father’s
remains from the Heroes Acre and rebury them at his
Matobo home.
He said his father died a bitter man because of the
ill-treatment by Zanu PF
from the country’s independence in
1980.
MDC-T spokesman Nelson Chamisa was also quoted saying government
should
review the funding of families of late national heroes because the
status
had become a party thing.
“Now we are hearing Zanu PF people
say you can’t leave their party and be a
hero,” he said.
“If that’s
the case, perhaps there is justification in the Finance minister
(Tendai
Biti) reviewing state funding for the Heroes Acre so that Zanu PF
can
finance what is essential their private cemetery.”
Last year Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai confronted Mugabe on the issue
after Zanu PF
refused to declare MDC founder Gibson Sibanda a national hero.
A defiant
Mugabe said the Heroes Acre was a preserve of Zanu PF members.
He went on
to declare his sister Sabina Mugabe who died in the same month a
national
heroine.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 16:09
BY
PATIENCE NYANGOVE
ZANU PF is banking on violence and a potential split of
votes in
Matebeleland to weaken its main political rival the MDC–T ahead of
elections
expected this year, insiders in President Robert Mugabe’s party
and analysts
have said.
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity
said the main reason Zanu PF was
pushing for an early poll was that its
strategists believed that although
the party will not get many votes from
Matebeleland, its former ally Zapu
will do it a favour by splitting
opposition votes in the region.
Zapu broke away from Zanu PF in 2008
citing broken promises from the 1987
Unity Accord between the two liberation
movements.
The party now led by Dumiso Dabengwa, a former Home Affairs
minister, is now
making serious inroads into its former strongholds of
Matabeleland, Midlands
and Mashonaland West.
“We know we will win
these elections and this time around we don’t have to
force anyone to vote
for us,” said a senior Zanu PF official.
“We know that in Matebeleland
where MDC-T used to garner more votes than us
in this election it’s not
going to be possible, with the revival of Zapu.
“If the MDC loses the two
provinces then we will certainly have more seats
in parliament than
them.”
Pedzisai Ruhanya, a human rights activist and political analyst
believes
Zanu PF’s main strategy to win the elections is violence, which is
on the
rise in Harare and other rural constituencies.
“I agree that
violence is Zanu PF’s prime strategy to win elections in the
Matebeleland
provinces just like in any other provinces,” he said.
“Zanu PF without
the use of violence will just be an empty shell.
“The violence is being
organised by the state through the military, police
and
intelligence.
“However I don’t believe that Zapu has the potential to
divide votes in the
two provinces.
“The Zapu of today is not the Zapu
led by the late legendary Father
Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo.”
Takura
Zhangazha, a Harare based political analyst concurred saying violence
was
Zanu PF’s only viable election campaign strategy.
“Zanu PF is trying to
demoralise opposition parties so that they don’t reach
their grass roots,”
Zhangazha said.
Besides violence, Zanu PF has tried to use MDC-T’s
perceived links with
Western countries and the land reform programme as its
election platforms.
But the strategies have not worked judging from its
dismal performances in
elections since the turn of the millennium.
In
Matabeleland and Midlands provinces where emotions still run high because
of
the Gukurahundi atrocities in the 1980s, Zanu PF’s influence has been on
a
constant decline.
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer John
Makumbe said with the
revival of Zapu, Zanu PF’s chances of winning any seat
in the region would
continue to diminish.
“Zanu PF is in a difficult
position in Matebeleland,” Makumbe said.
“In the last election they
managed to get one or two seats but this time it
won’t happen because Zapu
will not win anything but divide those one or two
seats Zanu PF had managed
to win.
“Zapu is mostly supported by a few people with a nostalgic hatred
of Zanu PF
and are mainly war veterans and is not taking any MDC
supporters.”
MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said opposition parties
must realise that
they had one common enemy and stop splitting
votes.
“We have always said opposition parties should see the bigger
picture, see
value and profits of unity of purpose to end decades of
impoverishment,” he
said.
“We respect every party, all forces of
light, change, hope based on the idea
to neutralise the thin layer of
darkness.”
Chamisa said they were aware of Zanu PF’s strategies to
demoralise MDC-T
supporters ahead of the elections.
“While other
countries are encouraging people to go and vote in their
multitudes in
Zimbabwe we have a party that is trying to drive people as far
away as
possible from matters of governance while fertilising seeds of voter
apathy
and making voting dirty,” he said.
However, Zanu PF spokesperson, Rugare
Gumbo differed saying his party was
capable of winning a free and fair
election.
He said they were also not happy with the split but maintained
that Zapu
officials had a right to reorganise.
Gumbo also believes
that the environment is now different from 2008 where
Zanu PF lost control
of parliament for the first time since independence
after the two MDC
formations won most of the seats.
“In 2008 people voted with their
mouths, this year people are voting for
employment, health and education,”
he said.
“We have an edge over MDC.”
Zanu PF wants elections by
August but last week Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai said he does not see
the polls being held anytime soon because
the environment was still not
conducive.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 14:59
BY
INDIANA CHIRARA
PEOPLE living with HIV/Aids in the Marange district of
Mutare are struggling
to get antiretroviral drugs because of long distances
they have to travel to
health centres, it has been revealed.
Care
givers who spoke to Health&Fitness said many patients were dying
prematurely because they cannot reach health centres where the
life-prolonging drugs are given.
Marange, despite the vast diamond
deposits discovered in the Chiadzwa area
recently, is still poverty stricken
and health centres are far in between.
Thokozani Mukwekwezeke, a
home-based care worker under Red Cross in Kadzura
village appealed to the
authorities to bring ARVs to Zvipiripiri Clinic,
which she said was closer
to the people who need them.
“People from this area have to travel more
than 5km to access ARVs,” she
said.
“Many of them are dying because
some will be critically ill and will not
have anyone to collect the
medication on their behalf.
“Something needs to be done as early as
possible because we are losing six
to eight patients unnecessarily on a
monthly basis.”
Thirty-seven-year-old Tracy Mambo who lost her husband to
Aids two months
ago and is four months pregnant said she was no longer
taking her medication
regularly because she cannot travel long distances to
the nearest hospital.
“My husband used to collect the medication for me
and I am now forced to
skip some of the months, which is a danger to my
health and that of my
unborn child,” she said.
“My health is
deteriorating and I am appealing to the responsible
authorities to come up
with a better plan for the sake of our survival.”
Tapiwa Magure, the
National Aids Council CEO said the rolling out of ARVs to
the country’s
remote areas was affected by lack of trained health workers
and financial
resources.
“Where ARVs are distributed there is need for a doctor,
qualified nurses, a
laboratory technician and a pharmacist but we do not
have enough of these
people,” he said.
“Some health institutions
especially in the rural areas do not have enough
security and proper storage
facilities for the medication.
“At the end of the day it becomes
difficult for every health institution to
have ARVs.”
Magure said to
alleviate the problem doctors regularly embarked on outreach
programmes
where they dispensed ARVs.
Owen Mugurungi, the director of the Aids and
TB programme in the Ministry of
Health and Child Welfare said government was
aware of the problem and was
working on a strategy to reach out to all
remote areas.
“We know that the ARVs sites we have in the country are not
enough for our
people,” he said.
“We are in the process of improving
the situation, more nurses are being
trained on the handling of drugs and we
are expanding our outreach
programmes so that every corner of Zimbabwe can
be reached.” Zimbabwe has
over 300 sites that dispense ARVs, which are
mostly in urban areas.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 14:54
By CHIPO
MASARA
WHEN a nation has other seemingly more urgent and import matters
to take
care of, it is bound to result in vast neglect of those elements
that are
otherwise viewed to be of less importance.
Most
unfortunately, it is normally these “little” things that have managed
to
paint very ugly pictures of countries because believe it or not, it is
such
elements that people first look at to get the bigger picture.
It has
become more of a norm every rainy season in Zimbabwe (especially
since the
collapse of the service sector due to the economic meltdown) to
have large
unkempt grass all over the cities.
Besides this portraying cities
suffering from neglect, the long grass along
the country`s roads pose
serious danger for motorists.
Anyone well-versed on the rules of the road
will tell you that sight
distance is a definite key factor for the safe and
efficient operation of
any vehicle.
The knee-high grass and weeds
raise serious visibility concerns on our roads
as they block the sight
distance, affecting the ability of the drivers to
spot other vehicles or any
other objects on the roads, especially at busy
intersections.
With
the long grass, drivers cannot see other vehicles approaching and this
has
in a number of cases proved detrimental. The situation gets worse when
driving during the night.
Situations that disturb the ability of the
driver to see properly not only
put the motorists at risk but compromises
the safety of all road users.
The long grass has also made some spots
highly unsafe as they have been
known to be a major breeding ground for
muggers.
Another issue that has raised concern is to whom you would
report when
someone in your neighbourhood chooses not to cut the overgrown
grass on
their properties.
The weeds from a neighbour’s yard have the
tendency to invade the
surroundings and are a perfect breeding ground for
mosquitoes.
Some people have suggested that property owners who keep
uncut grass be
fined the same way one would be issued with a parking or
speeding ticket.
It would then be the city councils` duty to make sure
that enforcement
officers are in place so that conditions are complied
with.
The worst thing would be for the city councils to just sit back and
let this
continue as it is such issues that can easily ruin the appearance
of any
neighbourhood and indeed the whole country, not to mention posing the
threat
of many a road accident.
The clear neglect had especially
angered those residents that reside in
affluent suburbs who have invested a
lot of money in their homes and would
want their neighbourhoods to be
neat.
Instead of comely trees and beautiful plants, all we see along our
roads is
the grass and weeds with the responsible authorities visibly
failing to
devise a workable plan to care for the streetscape.
This
has resulted in most people wondering what exactly it is that the
council is
doing as it is evidently failing to deliver services.
Is it because our
city councils do not have the money to cut grass, which is
long overdue
owing to the wet weather, or is it that this problem is
considered too
trivial to warrant immediate attention?
What has also become apparent is
that for one reason or another, the people
of Zimbabwe generally have low
expectations as most do not complain,
choosing instead to suffer in
silence.
As a result the responsible authorities are not in the slightest
hurry to do
what should have been done ages ago, something that is bound to
see our
standards deteriorating even further.
Thank heavens the
problem of overgrown grass is only seasonal!
The truth of the matter is
that, besides ruining what used to be and could
still be a beautiful
environment, the country`s appearance is hurting its
appeal and its
potential to attract new investment.
Instead of driving through beautiful
trees and plants, all our visitors seem
to be getting is grass and more
grass, and it gets longer by the mile!
Given such a scenario, it would
really be hard for any visiting foreigner to
see the country for the
beautiful nation with so much potential that it is.
Overgrown weeds and
grass certainly do not signal potential, what they
instead do is shout
NEGLECT! And nobody would really want to invest much, if
anything, in such
an environment.
And in an attempt to come closer to home: a house or
venue with a well
manicured lawn and beautiful flowers is always a pleasure
to visit as you
feel you could stay there forever.
This is in total
contrast to a shabby one with uncut grass and an abundance
of weeds where
you are bound to wary of your safety lest it is a breeding
ground for
poisonous snakes!
It is about time that we started caring and taking care
of the “little”
things if we are ever going to realise our potential, and
that starts with
you and me, right in our homes.
Maybe then our city
councils can finally read the writing on the wall.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 14:19
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
THE Anti-Corruption Commission of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) has instituted
investigations into how a private company was given State land to develop
housing stands in Borrowdale in a case that has sucked in a cabinet
minister.
Local Government, Urban and Rural Development minister,
Ignatius Chombo
facilitated the incorporation of the piece of land, which
initially fell
under the Goromonzi Rural District Council into Harare
despite objections
from Zanu PF’s top brass and Cynthia Maadza, a war
veteran who was allocated
the land under the land reform
programme.
Chombo is accused of paying a blind eye to protests that
Crowhill (Pvt)
Limited, which is now developing the area in the posh suburb,
had illegally
taken over Maadza’s land.
“We want to look on a number
of anomalies regarding how they started
developing that area,” said one of
the officials. “We will also quiz
Goromonzi Rural District officials over
reports of a fake permit that was
once issued to Crowhill.”
ACCZ
chairman Eric Harid referred questions to Rungano Utaunashe, a fellow
commissioner who was not available for comment.
Crowhill has already
sold thousands of residential stands to prospecting
home owners at prices
ranging from US$5 000 to US$12 000 depending on the
size.
Documents
in our possession show that Chombo authorised Goromonzi council to
allow
Crowhill to develop stands on the property in August 2009 although the
notice to change the status was only published a year later.
In an
earlier letter on July 9 2008, Chombo said he supported Crowhill’s
partnership with West Property (Pvt) Limited to develop the same
project.
West Properties has close links with Augur Investments, a
company from
Estonia doing business with the Harare City Council on the
dualisation of
the controversial Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo express way
project.
At least two of its directors also sit on Augur Investments’
board.
The documents also show that the change was in defiance to earlier
recommendations from Zanu PF’s top brass directing that the estate remain a
resettlement area as it was supporting beneficiaries of the land reform
programme.
Chombo changed Lot J of Borrowdale from agricultural
purposes to urban
stands development although the late Vice President Joseph
Msika and
Minister of State in the President’s Office, Didymus Mutasa were
against the
idea.
On October 1 2010, the secretary for Local
Government, Urban and Rural
Development Killian Mupingo published a notice
of intention to incorporate
the estate into Harare although Crowhill (Pvt)
Limited had already started
working on the land.
In a notice of
objection dated October 11 2010, Maadza accused Chombo’s
ministry of trying
to corruptly change the status of her property since
2007.
She
questioned why the ministry was publishing the notice when it had
already
authorised Crowhill, represented by Cephas Msika Jnr, to develop a
housing
project.
Maadza said the ministry never responded to her objections
although
Crowhill, which claims to have a permit, is proceeding with the
contested
project.
Chombo last week said he was “told” by Minister of
Lands and Rural
Resettlement Herbert Murerwa that the farm belonged
Crowhill.
“I don’t have any interest in that property,” Chombo said. “We
are taking a
lot of land around Harare and we facilitate with the planning
on those
pieces of land.”
He said about 72 peri-urban farms would
soon be incorporated into Harare.
Chombo said his ministry did not
respond to Maadza’s objections because it
was Murerwa who was supposed to
object as the land belonged to the State.
Chombo said Mutasa and Msika
were just giving political advice.
But Crowhill company secretary Agnes
Kusemamuriwo said they were offered a
permit in 2003, adding that the
dispute occurred because Maadza had an offer
letter while Crowhill had a
permit for the same piece of land.
She said she could not comment on
allegations that the permit was fake
because “the minutes are internal
documents and we do not know who said it
was fake.”
She promised to
come back with documents that confirm that the land belongs
to
Crowhill.
When The Standard called later she said she was busy and would
phone back
but had not done so by Friday.
Minutes of a conflict
resolution meeting by the Ministry of Lands and Rural
Resettlement and the
National Land Inspectorate held on November 5 2009,
says that the permit
issued to Crowhill was not genuine.
The meeting resolved that a 2004 High
Court interdict given to Crowhill be
withdrawn and that the matter be
investigated by the police.
The Attorney General’s Office said the
interdict that Crowhill sought to
rely on was superceded by Constitutional
Amendment No 17 of 2005 under item
No 101.
“A criminal docket,
Borrowdale CR 225/02/09 charging the complainant and his
company for
holding, using or occupying gazetted land without lawful
authority from the
State is with our office and their prosecution is
underway,” wrote Tawanda
Zvekare on September 9 2009, to Office-in-Charge of
Borrowdale Police
Station.
Efforts to get a comment from Zvekare or AG Johannes Tomana on
the status of
the case were unsuccessful last week.
The conflict
resolution meeting was attended by Murerwa, Deputy Commissioner
General
Godwin Matanga, Air Vice Marshal Henry Muchena, Major General
Engelbert
Rugeje, Chief Land Officer Joseph Munyanyi, among others.
Efforts to get
a comment from Murerwa were unsuccessful.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 15:29
BY KUDZAI
CHIMHANGWA
THE adoption of multiple currencies and above average
rainfall will spur
rapid growth of the agriculture sector this year, the
Zimbabwe Commercial
Farmers Union (ZCFU) has said.
ZCFU’s upbeat outlook
followed predictions that tobacco output would
increase by at least 40%
during the 2011 selling season.
The tobacco marketing season opened
last Wednesday and the Tobacco Industry
and Marketing Board (TIMB) said it
expected sales of at least 170 million kg
this year up from 120 million kg
in 2010.
The country earned US$384 million from tobacco last
year.
Tobacco sales used to be the country’s biggest foreign currency
earner
before President Robert Mugabe’s previous administration embarked on
a
ruinous land reform programme.
Peter Gambara, the ZCFU acting
director and chief economist said
dollarisation had stabilised the
agriculture sector and ensured that farmers
can plan
properly.
“In this regard, the ZCFU has embarked on a variety of
schemes meant to
assist farmers to make the most out of the agricultural
season,” he said in
an interview on Friday.
“The ZCFU is
co-ordinating a private sector initiative to grow 30 000
hectares of winter
wheat this year, among other initiatives in place,” he
said.
Gambara said the union had embarked on a scheme that would
see its members
getting access to fertiliser, generators, tractors and
tobacco inputs this
season to support the revival of the
sector.
He warned that financial institutions who were still
reluctant to fund
agriculture projects risked losing out as some private
companies were now
engaging farmers directly to increase
production.
Following the chaotic land reform programme in 2000, the
banking sector
started turning away farmers seeking loans as they had no
title deeds.
Most farmers registered with government have offer
letters or 99 year
leases, which banks are reluctant to
accept.
ZCFU said it was courting the private sector to structure
finance deals that
will benefit members.
“For instance, an
official body in the form of TIMB effects stop orders for
tobacco farmers,
which is a secure arrangement that ensures a win-win
situation for both
farmers and bankers,” Gambara said.
Donald Khumalo, the ZCFU
president said they were expecting the industry to
grow further this year
owing to the now favourable operating environment.
“We want to make
it attractive to grow winter wheat by providing the
necessary seed,
fertilizers and chemicals, fuel and working capital at such
a critical
moment,” Khumalo said.
Agriculture recorded 18% growth last year up
from 14.9% in 2009 and would
contribute significantly to the projected
economic growth of 8% this year.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20
February 2011 16:06
The violence that is devastating the country at the
moment is obviously not
in the national interest. It seems to be driven by a
certain clique that
stands to benefit financially if the country remains in
the state of chaos
it is in now.
It is not difficult to figure out who
constitutes this clique.
The chaotic state Zimbabwe is now in is good
for the people who control the
state machinery which they use to acquire
state assets for their personal
enrichment. These assets may be farms
(including conservancies), companies
or mines. They are wringing shares from
foreign firms.
It is now public knowledge some members of this clique
literally own little
towns; they control all the hotels, public facilities
and have bludgeoned
their way into all major businesses in the
towns.
If the status quo changes, they are afraid they would lose all
this, so they
have to block change at any cost.
The past two
years in which the country had been ruled under the government
of national
unity had brought some relief to the country but this breather
is coming to
an end throwing the country back to the years of
state-sanctioned
mayhem.
The violence only helps to prove that the country is not
ready for an
election any time soon. The wounds of the past have not healed
and they are
being aggravated again. Zimbabweans are crying out for peace
and it is
incumbent upon those who purport to lead the country to fulfil
their side of
the social contract that they swore to on taking public
office.
Those who have agreed to be used by this cabal of
opportunists to perpetrate
violence must realise that, in the end, there is
nothing in it for them.
They may be getting some crumbs now in the form
of nightly payouts and the
alcohol and drugs that go with it but eventually
they will have little to
show for their effort.
And how do the
police, in their selective application of law, hope to deal
with the
explosive frustration that is simmering under the surface?
Cry, the beloved
country.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011 16:03
BY MACLEAN
DLODLO
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a
strong desire to
live, taking the form of a readiness to die.” – GK
Chesterton.
There is an island called fear, a coral-reef. There
are coast guards with
express instructions to keep the captive population in
the straight and
narrow, hedged in. They are ominous, the guards are, and
swift to execute
judgement.
There is also a dilemma
about the island. The guards also are residents of
the island, confined. Are
they also hostages? Are they prisoners of the
system, or of conscience? I
wonder. One thing that I am persuaded of,
though, is that I want out! I want
out of the coral-reef!
Fear has no reward, in both the kingdom of God
and the kingdoms of human
beings. Men and women are remembered not for their
timidity but for their
bravery in the face of adversity. Courage is
honourable.
Why is fear a critical factor within the scheme of things
of the sinister?
Fear disables our confidence, our faith in God. Fear stands
in the way of
creativity. Fear stifles voices and paralyses action. Fear
fragment
communities, breeds mistrust and suspicion. Fear denies people
access to the
milk and honey of the land promised both in the temporal and
eternal worlds.
Development in Information Technology has worked
wonders for communication.
We can now access the internet, for instance,
through a wireless signal. If
the particular wireless network that I have
access to pops up, I have an
option to connect or not to connect. Yet I can
also choose to disable the
network. Disabling the network means no access to
the information highway.
Likewise, this is what fear does. By its
very nature fear is designed to
dent or destroy our confidence in God. It is
configured in such a way as to
achieve one thing — to disconnect us from our
sole source of life, strength
and provision. To be afraid is to doubt God
and what God has said
repeatedly – “Fear not, for I am with you.” To be
timid is to have
misgivings about God’s goodness and His good purposes for
our lives. Fear
questions the integrity of God, His ability and commitment
to fulfill what
He has promised.
When we are afraid, the faith
that we need to possess the promise is
disabled. And this is the exact
position where the enemy of humanity wants
you and me to be. When we fear we
as well become slaves of wicked men and
women who are bent on keeping us
from our God given inheritance. Fear Island
is not where you and I belong.
If you choose to stay, rest assured that I
won’t. I want
out!
Timid people are barren of innovation. Fear stands in the way of
creativity.
When we are afraid we cannot think.
Creative
solutions are not products of the enslaved. The slave wants to make
the best
of the little space they have, and save some hand-outs for the next
day. Who
knows? They may not be any grub tomorrow! Life changing ideas and
solutions
emanate from minds that are free from shackles.
Fear freezes the mind.
You want to see frozen minds? Go to the island called
fear. Should you
choose to go, I choose not to. I have made up my mind. I am
out of that
dreadful place. I determine not to go back!
Fear stifles voices and
paralyses action. Prisoners of fear cannot speak.
They mumble for the dread
of being heard. At best they whisper. In fact they
are synonymous with
hushed up voices.
They are bent over by reason of always wanting to be as
close as possible to
another ear as to nervously murmur
something.
They are strangers to free speech. That is an abomination
in the island.
Their voices are arrested. Moreover, in the isle of fear,
hands and feet are
shackled. There is neither the ability to write a
petition nor the
capability to walk to the chief warden to air their
grievances.
The island of fear is a sad place to be, a sore sight — a
mass of voiceless
and helpless people. Now you see why I do not want to
return there. Memories
of it cause revulsions.
Courage is a
deliberate decision to step out of the fear confinement so as
to begin to
live life in full. The author G K Chesterton notes that “the
paradox of
courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even
in order to
keep it.”
Courage is honourable.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February 2011
16:01
NEVANJI MADANHIRE
The government of national unity
(GNU) has become a mud pit in which a
free-for-all mud-wrestling contest is
playing out.
Whereas in the sport of mud-wrestling the emphasis is on
entertainment
rather than debilitating an opponent, in the Zimbabwean mud
pit, the
grapplers are engaged in mortal combat.
The mud is so viscous no
one can wade out of it.
The Global Political Agreement (GPA), on the
basis of which the GNU was set
up, was supposed to be an instrument with
which to return the country to
normality.
When it was signed in
September 2008 Zimbabwe had gone through a crucible;
hundreds of people had
been murdered in the run-up to the presidential
run-off of the previous
June.
The Year 2008 has become the worst year in the history of the
country in
terms of the people’s livelihoods and wellbeing. Economic
historians said
the economy had sunk to 1950s levels.
The populace
was facing starvation in both urban and rural areas. Empty
supermarket
shelves became symbols of the total collapse of our economy. The
food
shortages were also a result of the collapse of commercial
agriculture — the
mainstay of the country — which happened since the land
reform exercise had
been implemented chaotically beginning at the turn of
the
millennium.
Zimbabwe had reached a crossroads; the international
community rejected the
results of the presidential run-off poll and the
country couldn’t move
forward. It was with a huge sigh of relief that
Zimbabweans welcomed the
news of the signing of the GPA. It at least
promised a new beginning. It set
out a roadmap on how the country could move
forward.
A people-driven constitution-making process was to be the first
step
followed by a referendum on the new constitution and then a free and
fair
election to come up with a government that would be recognised at home
and
abroad.
But the process has completely gone off the rails and
plunged us into the
mud pit we find ourselves in today.
There are two
main grapplers in the pit, Zanu PF and MDC-T; the first is as
clean as any
mud wrestler can be while the other is the perennial underdog:
the David who
has not the fighting chance against Goliath.
Violence which drove the
international community, particularly the African
Union (AU) and the
Southern African Development Community (Sadc), to act in
2008 has resurfaced
with a vengeance, threatening to surpass all past
levels. It has written
finis on an effort at national healing,
reconciliation and integration, a
process that was another cornerstone of
the GPA.
The violence has
thrown us back two years. Once again no one is safe in
their homes.
Marauding Zanu PF activists are rampaging across the land
destroying
everybody and everything before them. Like in the past, they have
all the
state apparatus at their disposal; they are not just above the law,
they are
a law unto themselves. The police, whose duty it is to protect the
weak and
maintain law and order, have abdicated their responsibility and, in
a
cynical twist, have perfected the art of turning the victims into the
aggressors.
But there must be some grand plan behind all this. May be
Zanu PF thinks if
it bludgeons the MDC-T into submission, the latter may
quit the GNU leaving
it to take over all the functions of government. When
this happens, Zanu PF
would then call a sham election which it will win.
Obviously the MDC-T would
be only too aware of this stratagem and would
never quit the GNU.
What we are seeing now is nascent resistance from the
MDC-T. Reports
indicate that some members of the MDC-T are beginning to
fight back out of
frustration. They cannot expect to win, because they have
no police or army
backing them. What is frightening is the possibility of
the situation
getting out of hand leading to the escalation of
violence.
The government has become dysfunctional. President Robert
Mugabe has not
returned from his annual leave and the extent of his ailment
is open to
conjecture. So, cabinet is not meeting and crucial decisions have
been
shelved. The country has ground to a halt.
Mudslinging,
naturally, has become part of the game. A look just at one
issue — civil
servants’ salaries — demonstrates the extent to which the
government has
become bogged down in the quagmire.
One party promises diamonds money to
up the salaries of civil servants, the
other says the money does not
exist.
It turns out the whole civil service remuneration issue has become
a
political issue. President Mugabe hoped to score a political point
anticipating the elections he says will be held this year.
Zanu PF
chiefs of spin are accusing the MDC-T of unwillingness to increase
the civil
servants’ remuneration. They think the public workers can be so
gullible as
to believe them.
It also turns out that Finance minister Tendai Biti was
right in saying
diamonds money is not finding its way into government
coffers. He has called
for an investigation into the way money from diamonds
is being handled; it
is within his rights to do so as the holder of the
Finance portfolio.
But the resistance he is getting from Zanu PF cabinet
ministers points to
something sinister that Zanu PF is doing. Questions have
always been raised
on how diamonds from Chiadzwa are being auctioned and
whether the proceeds
have not been siphoned off by corrupt Zanu PF
officials.
There will never be any movement forward if government
continues to operate
this way; Zimbabwe will remain literally stuck in the
mud while Zimbabweans
watch with increasing frustration.
Sadly, the
contest has been left only to the two wrestlers; the other
political parties
seem too insignificant to intervene. Zapu’s top priority
seems to be to
re-establish itself as a full-fledged national political
party so it would
rather watch the contest from the sidelines than
intervene.
The
battle of the two professors is getting nuttier by the day and may send
the
party reeling into oblivion. Simba Makoni’s role in Zimbabwean politics
has
faded after being dented by claims by one of his former lieutenants that
he
was a Zanu PF project.
And now the million dollar question: how to get
the country out of the mud
pit?
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 20 February
2011 15:52
REV LEVEE KADENGE
The events of the last few
weeks across North Africa in particular have made
many revelations to the
oppressed of this world.
As is often the case, dictators never learn.
They dig in when they are
supposed to dig out and call it quits.
The
major reason for their long stay is complex in that they have supporters
whose only hope is the dictators themselves. The supporters in most cases
believe their own lie.
Most of them convince themselves that the
dictator is doing the good thing.
It is no wonder the support is so zealous
because the dictator is their
lifeline.
The ouster of the Tunisian
stro-ng man, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the
subsequent humiliating fall of
Hosni Mubarak, dubbed the last Pharaoh of
Egypt, demonstrate that “People
Power” has come to stay.
In the olden days Harold Macmillan talked of
the“winds of change” cutting
across Africa which heralded the ushering in of
independence across the
continent. Today “People Power” will change the face
of politics not only
across the Arab world but among the oppressed of the
world.
Dictators are smart in that they create a patronage system that
oils itself.
Guys who do not deserve positions are put there to be used to
do the dirty
jobs for the dictators. In return there are heavy rewards and
the status
quo is guaranteed. Just try to analyse any dictator and you will
find that
the above is true.
The patronage system works in that those
who benefit will fight to remain in
the gravy train. They in turn see the
oppressed as spoilers and even wish
them eliminated.
Dictators claim
to be true liberators of the people.
Initially the so-called liberated
people actually believe the dictator. It
is only when the dictator’s true
colours begin to show that the masses are
confused. They are told that what
is being done to them is in their
interest even when their livelihoods are
being destroyed.
The dictator will kill his people in the name of
suppressing revolt and
bringing peace in the nation.
Dictators forge
alliances in which their former opponents are swallowed and
then forced to
celebrate unity.
It is only after a while that those forced into
alliances begin to see the
light. But a lot of ground may well have been
lost. A few from the other
side are heavily rewarded and turn against their
own for the sake of
continued supping with the dictator.
Dictators
surround themselves with the most elaborate security systems.
They know
they are enemies of the people; hence they go all the way to
protect
themselves as if they would never die. Because of the false
security they
have, they can say anything to those oppressed and to the
world at large
which does not support the dictator. They often use the
language “never,
never, never” and actually believe it.
Dictators rule for too long. Ten
years should be enough but they will make
all sorts of adjustments and
create loopholes to permit themselves to stay
in power. Ruling for 30 years
as Mubarak did borders on criminality.
The smart ones will always use
so-called legal channels and means to stay
put. Even when they are beaten
at polls they refuse to hand over power.
They take all the leadership
roles. One would be the president and first
secretary of the party and so
on.
This is done to ensure longevity in power. This plus elaborate
suppression
units of their almost illiterate security system gives
confidence to the
oppressor. Hence no dictator has an exit plan, at least
that which people
know of.
The Shona have a saying that goes like;
Kana kangoma koririsa kave kuda
kuparuka, which when loosely translated
means; pride comes before a fall.
Let those who have ears hear. God
bless.