The ZIMBABWE Situation Our thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe
- may peace, truth and justice prevail.
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Daily News online edition

      US warns SADC over Zimbabwe inaction

      Date: 25-Feb, 2005


      JOHANNESBURG - The continued inaction on Zimbabwe by the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) is putting at risk future increases in
economic aid to the economic bloc, the United States has warned.


      The US ambassador to South Africa, Jendayi Frazer, criticised SADC for
folding its hands while Zimbabwe, a member state, continues to violate
agreed protocols on free and fair elections in the region.


      The ambassador also said the US administration has never threatened to
invade Zimbabwe, despite labeling President Robert Mugabe's regime an
"outpost of tyranny".


      President Mugabe's Zanu PF government is widely accused of harassing
supporters of the main opposition political party Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) and intimidating independent and foreign journalists ahead of a
crucial election to be held on March 31.


      In attacking SADC for inaction against President Mugabe, Frazer said
there was "a marked difference" in how the Economic Community of West
African States (Ecowas) had dealt with the situation in Togo and how SADC
members were responding to Zimbabwe.


      Last week, members of the west African regional grouping imposed
sanctions on Togo, which included the country's suspension from membership
of Ecowas, the recall of ambassadors, a travel ban on Togolese leaders and
an arms embargo.


      The imposition of sanctions came after Ecowas said that the change in
Togo's constitution to appoint Faure Gnassingbe was a coup d'etat.


      Frazer was addressing at the South African Institute of International
Affairs in Johannesburg on US foreign policy on Africa when she made the
remarks about Zimbabwe.


      Frazer said that because "Zimbabwe clearly stands out" it was
difficult to those in the US government who favoured more aid to Africa to
argue the case in Washington.


      US statements on Zimbabwe have become more strident since US Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice grouped the country among six that she categorised
as "outposts of tyranny".


      Rice named Zimbabwe alongside Iran, Cuba, Myanmar, North Korea and
Belarus as outposts of tyranny.


      But Frazer said: "We do not seek to install a US-style democracy in
Zimbabwe or anywhere else for that matter. The United States has no fight,
no right, no desire and no intention to impose our form of government on
anyone else," she said.


      Frazer said Rice's comments on Zimbabwe were "not to threaten an
invasion". Rice's comments were "a statement of fact" about the way in which
Mugabe's government treated its people, she said.


      "The United States will continue to stand with the people of Zimbabwe
in their struggle to return democracy to their country," Frazer said.


      The placing of Zimbabwe on Washington's list of six renegade countries
has drawn criticism from South African President Thabo Mbeki, who said
Rice's comments "discredited" her country's proclaimed policy of promoting
political freedom around the world.


      "I think it's an exaggeration," Mbeki said in this week's interview
with London's Financial Times. "I think that whatever (the US) government
wants to do with regard to that list of six countries, or however many, I
think it's really somewhat discredited."


      However, Frazer said Mbeki's view, which he explained to Frazer
immediately after making it, was that "Zimbabwe is not a tyranny like the
other countries in the category".


      "We would not agree with that. We think that Zimbabwe and the Zanu-PF
government have created a repressive environment in which there is no level
playing field," Frazer said.


      "From the lead-up to the 2002 election through to today, the
opposition cannot operate freely, they still have laws ... that would not
allow people to have freedom of assembly... We would call it an environment
of tyranny and repression. We will agree to disagree."


      The US supported governments that answered to their citizens and
respected basic, fundamental human rights.

      "Where we see human rights abuses, we will say so publicly. We will
speak out and we will speak out loudly," she said.

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Daily News online edition

      Moyo loyalist editor fired from Chronicle

      Date: 25-Feb, 2005


      JOHANNESBURG - The editor of Chronicle, Stephen Ndlovu, has been fired
in what is seen as the beginning of a purge of journalists in Zimbabwe's
state-controlled media who are seen as loyal to the dismissed former
Information Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo.


      In a terse statement issued today, the board and management of
Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited said it had reached a mutual agreement
for the immediate termination of employment of the Bulawayo-based newspaper's
editor. Chronicle's Deputy Editor, Paul Mambo, will take charge in an acting
capacity while a replacement is sought.


      Ndlovu's departure was widely expected as he was one of Moyo's
blue-eyed boys, readily availing his newspaper for use as a propaganda tool
by Moyo in his personal battles against top members of the ruling Zanu PF
party.


      Moyo was sacked by President Mugabe last week from his post of
Minister of State for Information and Publicity in the Office of the
President, after he broke ranks with the party by filing papers to contest
the March 31 elections as an independent.


      Ndlovu had earned government hostility by defiantly allowing the
second largest operating daily paper in the country to continue being used
as the disgraced minister's mouthpiece, even long after it was clear that
Moyo's political career was dead.


      The paper was knicknamed "The Tsholotsho News" as Ndlovu heaped
massive publicity on the professor's efforts to woo voters in his Tsholotsho
home area. This was done through frequent donations of millions of dollars
worth of computers and equipment to schools and medical institutions in the
constituency.


      Moyo's face became instantly recognisable on the front pages of the
Chronicle, where it pushed even President Robert Mugabe himself aside in
level of prominence.


      It was at one of these donation-giving ceremonies at remote Danyane
Secondary School that Moyo's political career began to unravel after its
meterioric rise. Moyo was accused of leading a plot that would have thwarted
Mugabe's plans to appoint Joyce Mujuru as the country's first female vice
president.


      Under Ndlovu, Chronicle led a spirited defence of Moyo's actions at
Tsholotsho, as the world crashed around him leading to Zanu PF party booting
the former anti-Mugabe critic turned chief propagandist out of its central
committee and politburo.


      In one classic case, while Moyo was being hauled before the politburo
to answer charges over the Tsholotsho affair, the Chronicle devoted an
entire front page to three stories in which Moyo made blistering attacks on
his opponents. Mugabe was reported as not having been amused.


      Senior government leaders, such as Vice President Joseph Msika and
national chairman John Nkomo, were denied space to defend themselves against
Moyo's vitriolic attacks in the state-controlled media. They had to endure
the humiliation of resorting to the same hated independent press in order to
get their side of the story heard.


      Ndlovu's dismissal could signal the start of more changes at
Zimpapers, particularly at the flagship Herald daily newspaper.


      It comes in the wake of reports that George Charamba, the permanent
secretary in the Ministry of Information, has launched a crusade to undo the
legacy of Jonathan Moyo, starting with sweeping changes at the state-owned
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, which runs radio and television.


      When Moyo came to power as media czar, he fired dozens of seasoned
staff members from government-controlled newspapers and the electronic
media. He replaced them with a team of inexperienced youngsters he was able
to bully and dictate to at will.


      Moyo championed draconian media laws that saw the country's most
popular newspaper, The Daily News, bann,ed from publishing in 2003, pending
a Supreme Court case whose judgment has yet to be delivered.


      Ironically, Moyo will now have to turn to the same private press that
he persecuted so much in order to continue his fight, which includes a Z$2
billion libel lawsuit , against Zanu PF.

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Daily News online edition

      Electric fence to cut off Zimbabwe

      Date: 25-Feb, 2005


      CHANGATE (Botswana) - The word "Zimbabwean" gets Motswana traditional
leader Jackson Ofentse hot under the collar. His village is only five
kilometres from the border, and he has nothing good to say about his
neighbours.


      "Our women can no longer gather firewood in the bush for fear of being
raped; our houses are not safe any more, and even our livestock find their
way across the border," he complained.


      Ofentse is looking forward to the day when the Botswana government
flicks the switch on a four-metre high electrified border fence that snakes
across the scrubland, ostensibly to control the spread of foot-and-mouth
disease (FMD) from Zimbabwe.


      Two outbreaks of FMD in two years, which hit Botswana's lucrative beef
exports to the European Union, were sourced to Zimbabwe. Jobs were lost and
thousands of cattle slaughtered.


      While the 500-km long fence officially aims to block the mixing of
herds on common pasture, Ofentse and many other Batswana hope it will also
keep out the thousands of Zimbabweans escaping poverty at home, who sneak
cross the border looking for work in more prosperous Botswana.


      An estimated 36 000 illegal migrants were deported last year alone
and, with xenophobia now firmly on the rise, Zimbabweans have become the
target of a growing vigilante movement.


      The solar-powered fence, which will deliver a nasty but not fatal
220-volt shock, is due to become operational in June, and will

      be patrolled 24 hours a day by the security forces. A survey by the
Southern African Migration Project found that a majority of Batswana
supported its construction.


      The villagers of Changate, 140 km northeast of Botswana's second city
Francistown, may feel more secure behind the new barrier, but they have lost
the perks of proximity to Zimbabwe. Gone are the cheap shopping trips across
the border, and easy access to relatives on the Zimbabwean side.


      "We had relied on labour from Zimbabwe for a long time. It was also
nearer to travel to Plumtree in Zimbabwe to do your shopping than travel to
Francistown," explained local journalist Khumbulani Kholi.


      Residents in the border villages used to buy cheap Zimbabwean
livestock, and enjoyed an easy supply of fruit and vegetables.

      "When I was growing up, my brothers even went across the border to
have a drink in the Nswazi village (in Zimbabwe)," said Kholi.


      Getting to Zimbabwe entails a two-hour walk to the nearest border post
at Maitengwe.


      A Botswana member of parliament has warned that war could break out
between Zimbabwe and its neighbour, due to frequent clashes between the
nationals of the two countries, unless a permanent solution to the
immigration problem is found.


      A university professor who supported this view and questioned the
country's succession plan is now facing deportation by the Botswana
authorities. - IRIN

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Zim Online

Top MDC officials arrested in crackdown
Sat 26 February 2005
  HARARE - Two senior Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party officials
were last Thursday night arrested by police as state security agents and
ZANU PF party militants this week intensified an onslaught on the opposition
after weeks of relative peace ahead of next month's election.
      MDC candidate for Bindura constituency Joel Mugariri and the
opposition party's chairman for Mashonaland Central province, Tapera
Macheka, were released late yesterday afternoon after being arrested while
putting up campaign posters on buildings owned by the Bindura city council
without permission from the local authority.

      Under new electoral regulations, political parties and their
candidates must first seek permission from owners before pasting up posters
and other campaign material on buildings and other property.

      "The two, with other MDC supporters were putting up campaign posters
when the police pounced on them demanding to know whether they had
permission from the Bindura council to put up the posters," MDC spokesman
Paul Themba Nyathi said.

      HILDA Mafudze . . . campaign team attacked in Norton

      The MDC official said the March election will not be free or fair if
the government did not immediately end the harassment of the opposition
party's candidates and supporters.

      Mugariri and Macheka join a rapidly growing list of MDC supporters and
election candidates who have been either arrested and later released by the
police or severely assaulted by soldiers and ZANU PF militias since the
opposition began in earnest its campaign for the March 31 poll last Sunday.

      On the day the two MDC officials were picked up by the police, ZANU PF
militants in Norton town confiscated and burnt campaign material and posters
belonging to the opposition party's candidate for Manyame constituency,
Hilda Mafudze. Mafudze is contesting against President Mugabe's nephew,
Patrick Zhuwawo.

      The ZANU PF youths have not yet been arrested even though there are
witnesses who saw them attack Mafudze's campaign team.

      Earlier in the week on Wednesday, MDC candidate for Shamva
constituency, Godfrey Chimombe and two MDC youths, Mika Jack Jumbe and
Cleopas Muchenje were arrested by the police also for putting up posters on
buildings without the owners' permission.

      On Tuesday, police summoned MDC deputy secretary general Gift
Chimanikire and Goodrich Chimbaira, who are representing the opposition
party in Mbare and Zengeza constituencies respectively, for questioning at
Harare Central police station.

      Three more MDC election candidates were much earlier in the week on
Sunday severely assaulted by a group of 50 Zimbabwe National Army soldiers
at Wengezi rural business centre while returning from the launch of their
party's campaign in Masvingo city.

      Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena could not be reached for comment on
the matter. But the law enforcement agency has in the past denied
accusations by human rights organisations that it selectively uses the law
to victimise the MDC. - ZimOnline
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Zim Online

Airforce helicopter crashes near Harare airport
Sat 26 February 2005

      HARARE - Two Airforce of Zimbabwe (AFZ) pilots died yesterday when
their helicopter crashed near Harare International airport after a failed
take off from the Manyame airbase nearby.

      The AFZ was mum last night on the cause of the crash but sources in
the force told ZimOnline that the chopper failed to take off and crashed
instantly killing a pilot, Sly Gwana and another officer.

      Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, who visited the crash scene
together with senior AFZ commanders yesterday, said a statement on the
incident will be issued only after a full investigation.

      "I can confirm that I have been to Manyame with some officials from
the ministry and the AFZ to see what happened. The force shall issue a
statement as regards what really happened when all the investigations have
been done. Until then, there is nothing much which can be said."

      According to sources, the chopper had been recently serviced and was
on its way to the Suri Suri airbase near Gweru city about 300km south-west
of Harare.

      Both the AFZ and the Zimbabwe National Army are unable to service or
maintain planes, equipment and vehicles because they cannot buy spares
following a ban on military sales to Harare by Western countries.

      The military embargo is part of a package of targeted sanctions,
including a visa ban on President Robert Mugabe and his top officials,
imposed by Western countries as punishment for Harare's poor human rights
record.

      Although Zimbabwe has sourced some of its weaponry from China and
former eastern bloc countries, the bulk of its fighting equipment was bought
from Britain and other Western countries. - ZimOnline
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Zim Online

Pretoria's doublespeak worries Tsvangirai
Sat 26 February 2005
  PRETORIA - Leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party, Morgan Tsvangirai, yesterday said he will seek
clarification from Pretoria on its position on Harare's commitment to
ensuring a free and fair election next month.

      Tsvangirai, who was addressing the Zimbabwe solidarity conference
which ended in Pretoria yesterday, said President Robert Mugabe had failed
to comply with a Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol on
democratic elections.

      The MDC leader said his party was still unable to access state
television and radio and other public media in violation of the SADC
protocol.

      Under the regional election pact agreed by SADC leaders last August,
all political parties must have access to the public media, especially radio
and television, which are vital tools to reach out to voters in most SADC
states where newspapers remain
      largely restricted to urban and peri-urban areas.

      But more worrying Tsvangirai said was South Africa's inconsistency in
condemning Harare's failure to comply with the SADC electoral guidelines. He
was referring to a statement two weeks ago by South African Foreign Affairs
Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma that Harare had done enough to ensure a free
and fair poll on March 31.

      Tsvangirai said: "We were very heartened by the fact that the ANC,
COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) and other allies came out
strongly condemning the conditions of elections in Zimbabwe.

      "But of late we've heard different signals and that's from government
saying the conditions are (conducive to) free and fair (elections) in
Zimbabwe. Now of course it puts into question the question of whether there
is consistency to that condemnation of elections."

      Meanwhile, the solidarity conference called on SADC to push for a
negotiated transitional mechanism in Zimbabwe that would lead to the full
democratization of that country.

      "A negotiated process for transitional arrangements towards full
democratisation and we think SADC has a central role in fostering such a
negotiated process," Jeremy Cronin, the deputy general secretary of the
South African Communist Party (SACP), said.

      Organisations that attended the conference include the South African
National NGO Coalition (Sangoco), the SACP, youth, women, labour and church
organisations. - ZimOnline

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Zim Online

ANALYSIS: Moyo ouster offers no respite for Zimbabwe's embattled media
Sat 26 February 2005

      HARARE - Zimbabwe's media remains dangerously under siege despite the
dismissal of government information minister and propaganda chief, Jonathan
Moyo, who championed media repression, analysts said this week.

      The institutions of suppressing free media and other pro-democracy
voices built by Moyo during his four-year reign as information minister had
benefited President Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU PF party so well that
they were unlikely to give them up, the analysts said.

      Whoever will be appointed by Mugabe to succeed Moyo might turn out to
be not as zealous or vicious as his predecessor in persecuting Zimbabwe's
independent media and other voices of dissent. But media repression remained
a "ZANU PF project" critical to maintaining the party's 24-year grip on
power, said University of Zimbabwe law lecturer and political commentator,
Lovemore Madhuku.

      Madhuku, who also chairs the National Constitutional Assembly, a
pressure group advocating for a new and democratic constitution in Zimbabwe,
said laws crafted by Moyo and institutions he created to muzzle the
country's independent media remained intact and shall continue haunting the
media long after his departure from the government and ZANU PF.

      "There is basically no reprieve to Zimbabwe's media terrain. Moyo's
shadow remains very much alive in the statutes, in the Media and Information
Commission (MIC) and in the entire media terrain. That shadow will not
immediately follow him into oblivion," Madhuku said.

      He added: "What is only likely to happen is that the next implementer,
the next minister of information might not be as vicious but the structure
and psyche of media repression pervades the entire ZANU PF party and
government."

      A former arch-critic of the government before surprisingly turning
around to become its chief defender, Moyo personally crafted the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), imposing severe
restrictions on the media.

      Under the press Act, journalists and media companies are required to
register with the MIC in order to operate in Zimbabwe. Journalists
practising without being registered face up to two years in jail while
companies that breach the registration rule will be shut down and their
assets seized.

      Three newspapers including the country's biggest non-government owned
daily paper, the Daily News, were shut down in the last two years for
breaching Moyo's press law.

      Hundreds of journalists were also during the same period arrested and
some of them tortured by state security agents for allegedly breaching AIPPA
although they were never convicted by the courts.

      At the time of Moyo's dismissal by Mugabe last week, Zimbabwe's small
but once vibrant independent media and other voices of dissension including
the main political opposition Movement for Democratic Change had all been
virtually smothered.

      But Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) chairman Brian Kagoro told
ZimOnline that Moyo was only a "loud and overzealous" ZANU PF apparatchik
but media repression was not his private project.

      Kagoro, whose CZC campaigns for a negotiated and democratic solution
to Zimbabwe's crisis, said: "The psyche of oppression and repression is very
much the ZANU PF psyche and as long as ZANU PF remains in power, the media
are in trouble.

      "Moyo only overdid things but things which ZANU PF would have done
anyway. So with or without Moyo, there is no relief for all democratic
forces in Zimbabwe as long as ZANU PF remains in power."

      Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) president Matthew Takaona, who was
himself fired from his job at the state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper at
the instigation of Moyo, however drew some relief at the former minister's
departure from the government.

      Moyo's successor as Mugabe's media watchman was most unlikely to
pursue journalists with the same enthusiasm, said Takaona.

      He said: "While there might not be a total reprieve for the media, any
other information minister is most certainly likely to be less enthusiastic
in their dedication to repression. Moyo as a political actor was bad news
for Zimbabwe's media and I do not think
      anyone will be as vicious."

      Moyo, who fell out with Mugabe last year when he attempted to block
the appointment of Joyce Mujuru as second vice-president of ZANU PF and
subsequently Zimbabwe, was dismissed after opting to stand as an independent
in next month's general election in breach of party rules. - ZimOnline
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

MDC speaks on violence

Farirai Machivenyika
issue date :2005-Feb-25

DESPITE some incidents of political violence that have occurred throughout
the country recently, the MDC acknowledges that such incidents have gone
down compared to the run-up to the last two elections.

However, it argues that one major cause of the decline in violence is the
inability of the people to express themselves, as they would want, because
of fear instilled in them during the 2000 and 2002 parliamentary and
presidential elections.
"As you go around the country, you are not likely to see much of physical
violence.  However, this is because in the past five years, Zanu PF has
invested heavily in violence that they are now thriving on the fear that has
been instilled in the people," Paul Themba Nyathi, the MDC spokesperson,
said yesterday.
He also accused the ruling party of promising retribution to anyone who
voted for the opposition party, saying this was causing mental torture to
the affected people.
"When you have a traditional leader going around writing the names of
opposition supporters in a book, it is the worst form of trauma because the
people begin to live in fear, not knowing what would happen to them the next
day," he added.
MDC has accused chiefs of being used by Zanu PF to stop the MDC from making
inroads into rural areas.
The police have also confirmed that incidents of violence had gone down
compared to the previous two elections, although no figures were readily
available.
"To be fair to everyone, political violence is under control. The situation
is very, very calm. We have had isolated incidents of violence in Manicaland
and Matabeleland South, but the magnitude is not very serious," said police
spokesman Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena.
"I would like to commend the candidates and their campaign managers for
restraining their supporters and campaigning peacefully. It shows that they
have taken heed of our calls and those made by President Mugabe for zero
tolerance on political violence," he said.
Bvudzijena also said it was important for candidates and their campaign
managers to understand the electoral laws, and insisted that the police
would always arrest anyone who violated the law.
"It is important for candidates and their campaign managers to understand
electoral laws. For instance if they want to put up posters on other people's
premises, they should seek the owners' authority first before they do so.
People should understand the law because we will apply it as it is," he
warned.
The police would from next week release weekly figures of incidents of
political violence that take place throughout the country, Bvudzijena added.
No comment could be obtained from Zanu PF as the party's top hierarchy was
locked up in a Politburo meeting at the time of going to press.
However, President Robert Mugabe and his lieutenants have been preaching
peace in the run-up to and during the elections.
Political commentator and university lecturer Heneri Dzinotyiweyi said it
was still too early to make any concrete conclusions on the level of
political violence.
He added, however, that the current low level of violence could be
attributed to general lack of excitement over the elections, as compared to
the previous two.
"There is less excitement in these elections than the previous ones. In the
previous elections, there was a real possibility that some changes would
come out from the elections.  Many people now don't see that the coming
elections will create anything new, so it partly explains the general lack
of interest among the population," Dzinotyiweyi said.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe National Army has denied reports that some soldiers
beat up three MDC candidates at Wengezi Shopping Centre in Chimanimani at
the weekend.
In a statement, ZNA spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Aggrey Wushe said the
allegations were intended to discredit next month's parliamentary elections.
"Our investigations have revealed that although there was fracas at Wengezi
Centre, no soldiers were involved and there was no presence of any military
vehicles at Wengezi on the day of the incident.
"It has further been revealed that fighting broke out at the centre between
a group of MDC members and the local civilians after the former were said to
have started chanting their party slogans," Wushe said.
He also did not take kindly to The Daily Mirror quoting MDC spokesman
Nyathi, whom he said seemed to have a score to settle with the ZNA.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Nkomo, Dumiso deny defaming sacked Moyo

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Feb-25

ZANU PF national chairman John Nkomo and Politburo member Dumiso Dabengwa
have denied defaming sacked information minister Jonathan Moyo, in their
response to a $2 billion lawsuit instituted by the political scientist.

Nkomo and Dabengwa, two veterans of the country's liberation struggle,
prayed to the High Court in their opposing papers to dismiss Moyo's
defamation claim with costs, arguing he had never suffered any damage.
In papers filed on January 18 2005 with the Bulawayo High Court, Moyo
claimed that Nkomo and former home affairs minister Dabengwa had defamed him
at a meeting in Tsholotsho a week earlier.
He claimed the two told the Zanu PF gathering that Moyo had hatched a coup
plot against the ruling party leadership last November.
The two, Moyo claimed, had told the gathering that the ". plaintiff (Moyo)
had instigated, funded and led the hatching of a coup plot against President
Robert Mugabe and others in the top leadership of the Zanu PF party, with
the view of removing the national leadership of the Government".
He also claimed that Nkomo and Dabengwa accused him of authorising a damning
document against the Zanu PF hierarchy - Tsholotsho Declaration - and that
he (Moyo) sourced money from unfriendly foreign governments, which he was
now distributing in the country.
However, in a joint plea, Nkomo and Dabengwa confirmed they indeed attended
the meeting in question, but denied the accusations levelled against them.
They further denied addressing Zanu PF supporters or that the meeting was
public.
Nkomo and Dabengwa denied ever saying Moyo had planned a "coup" against the
party leadership or that he was sourcing money from hostile powers. They
also denied ever calling for Moyo to be barred from contesting the
Tsholotsho seat on the party ticket in next month's general elections.
"Each and every allegation in this paragraph is denied. In any event even if
the words of the complainants were defamatory, it is denied that the
plaintiff has suffered damages as alleged or at all and plaintiff is put to
the proof thereof," the two said in their plea.
Job Sibanda, of Sibanda and Associates, is representing the two defendants.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

New war vets' leadership to be announced soon

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Feb-25

A NEW leadership for the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans'
Association (ZNLWVA) will be announced soon after the committee appointed by
President Robert Mugabe late last year to restructure the association said
yesterday that it has completed its task.
The committee, comprising retired defence forces brass, Generals Vitalis
Zvinavashe and Solomon Mujuru, retired air marshal Josiah Tungamirai and
Dumiso Dabengwa, the former Minister of Home Affairs, was formed on December
17 2004 to restore sanity into the association that was rocked by power
struggles.
Yesterday Dabengwa told The Daily Mirror that the committee would soon
present its report to President Mugabe, the patron of the ZNLWVA.
He said: "We have since finished our task and will soon present our report
to the patron of the association, President Mugabe. We are waiting for him
to call us for discussions."
Dabengwa could not be drawn to divulge more details about the matter.
When he appointed the committee last year, President Mugabe said the team
would also include members from the armed forces.
The committee was mandated to overhaul the leadership structure of the
former freedom fighters' body, among other tasks.
During the Zanu PF fourth National People's Congress in December last year,
President Mugabe announced imminent restructuring of the war veterans'
association.
 "I am constituting the committee
made up of Mujuru, Tungamirai, Dabengwa and Zvinavashe to look into the war
 veterans' issue. They will work together with the army commanders on how
the leadership and the whole organisation should be restructured," he said.
Problems rocked the association after its chairman, Jabulani Sibanda, was
suspended from Zanu PF for allegedly attending a meeting in Tsholotsho
convened allegedly by former information minister Jonathan Moyo to scuttle
the
nomination of Joyce Mujuru to Zanu PF vice-presidency.
This resulted in the emergence of a faction led by Andrew Ndlovu and Endy
Mhlanga.
On the other hand, Sibanda maintained he was still chairman of the war
veterans' association.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

CBZ set to minimise exposure to parastatals

Business Reporter
issue date :2005-Feb-25

The Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe Limited (CBZ), one of the few local banks
confidently going about its business amid a troubled financial industry, has
gone back from its traditional role as the conduit of parastatal offshore
financing.
The commercial bank has argued that the flirtation with parastatals had
tended to increase risk.
CBZ managing director Nyasha Makuvise said part of the bank's forward lurch
this year embodied a systematic reduction of its exposure to parastatals
from 35 to 18 percent.
In the few years after its privatisation in 1997, CBZ - also known as the
Jewel Bank - became the major beneficiary of the transfer of parastatal
business from competing banks.
The capital flight gave it a rare competitive advantage that catapulted it
to become the principal dealer for parastatals in search of offshore loans.
During the current central bank governor, Gideon Gono's tenure of office as
the Jewel Bank's managing director (MD), CBZ was the principal arranger in
offshore financing deals for several parastatals that were in trouble.
The main beneficiaries were, among others, the National Oil Company of
Zimbabwe (Noczim), the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and Zesa Holdings.
Noczim, however, is still struggling to pay a staggering US$61 million owed
to Tamoil, a Libyan oil giant, which last year threatened to pounce on its
debtors' assets should it continue to drag debt servicing.
Analysts argue that the flirting with parastatals gave CBZ the current
buoyancy it enjoys in the market.
According to records, CBZ's deposit growth rose significantly from $143
billion to $949 billion in the first half of 2004 as a result of a capital
squeeze following the upward adjustment of the reserve ratio requirement
(RRR) of commercial and merchant banks.
The new statutory reserves forced many banks to play second fiddle to
traditional banks.
The consequent capital flight to CBZ and other traditional banks from
distressed financial institutions jolted the depositors' market share to
increase from 10 percent in December 2003 to 16 percent by the close of the
second quarter of 2004.
Makuvise said the strong gush of interest income from advances and the wide
deposit base had combined to insulate the bank from liquidity shocks that
have felled other banks.
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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Govt urged to comply with democratic principles

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Feb-25

THE government has been urged to comply with basic democratic principles if
the March 31 elections are to be accepted by the international community, a
top opposition official said.
Commenting on the European Union's (EU) extension of targeted sanctions on
government leaders, MDC's shadow minister foreign minister Priscilla
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said the government should address issues continuously
raised by the European body.
"These are not sanctions on Zimbabwe. They are sanctions on individuals
basing on agreements they made. It is under the African Caribbean Pacific
(ACP)/EU Cotonou agreement that was signed on 23rd June 2 000,"
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said.
"The EU is saying Zimbabwe has to show it has solved the issue of political
violence, that it has created an environment for free and fair elections as
well as the freedom of the media," she added.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga also declared that the government should guarantee
freedom of the judiciary and cease illegal farm occupations. "Instead of
blaming the MDC the government should try to show how far they have gone in
addressing the five issues that led the EU to invoke the targeted
 sanctions," she said.
The shadow  minister also noted that the African Union (AU) had also raised
the same concerns as the EU's when they adopted a damning report on human
rights situation in Zimbabwe compiled by the African Commission on Human and
People's Rights (ACHPR).
"It is clear it isn't about MDC or regime change but the government of
Zimbabwe creating a democratic environment," she said.
The EU renewed targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and 94
government officials and prominent individuals with links to the ruling Zanu
PF.
The sanctions, for alleged rights abuses, were imposed in 2002 and then
extended to February 2006. The EU said it would review the bans after next
month's parliamentary polls, an expected two-horse race between Zanu PF and
MDC. The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Patrick
Chinamasa accused the EU of pre-empting the outcome of the March 31
elections.
"If the majority of the Zimbabweans are against the MDC then they would say
the elections were not free and fair. They have already made their minds on
the elections, that's why they say they will review the situation after 31
March," Chinamasa told national television on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe has not invited election observers from the EU and other Western
countries, notably from former colonial master - Britain, arguing they have
premeditated ideas on the country's electoral process.They have previously
issued damning reports on Zimbabwe's conduct of the past two elections.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Kasukuwere calls for discipline among youths

The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Feb-25

ZANU PF deputy secretary for youth in the Politburo, Saviour Kasukuwere has
called for discipline among youths if they are to make meaningful input in
the economic development of the country.
Speaking to The Daily Mirror on the 21st Movement Celebrations that will be
held in Marondera tomorrow to mark President Robert Mugabe's birthday,
Kasukuwere said this year's theme for the celebrations called for
involvement of young people in the economy.
The celebrations will be held Rudhaka stadium.
"This year's theme is, A disciplined youth for sustainable economic
development. What we are saying is that the youths should desist from
illegal and other activities detrimental to their meaningful involvement in
economic activities," he said.
Kasukuwere added that youths had to be involved in productive activities
since they were the future of the country, adding that preparations for the
event were at an advanced stage and going on well.
"There will be a number of cultural events at the celebrations and the
highlight is off course the presence of President Mugabe," he added.
This is the second time for the small town to host a national event after it
also hosted a gala to commemorate Heroes Holiday last year.
 Zanu PF provincial Youth chairman for Mashonaland East, Taurayi Pasirayi
recently said youths in the province have started appreciating the
importance of such events in a bid to have a focused generation that is well
equipped to defend the country's sovereignty.
"We expect our youths to understand the history of the nation and it is
through the achievements of President Mugabe that our youth will understand
where Zimbabwe is coming from for a better future of the country," he said.
 A parent, Nakai Chatora said she was positive the event would provide a
platform for youth to know and appreciate their country and culture.
"Our children have lost their culture and are now copying the western
culture which is making them uncontrollable and vulnerable to HIV and Aids.
"If they meet the President we are certain that they will appreciate the
fact that he has gone to many parts of the world but he has remained a true
son of the soil," said Nakai Chatora.
She added that it was important for Marondera people that the celebrations
were to be held in their town but said people from other provinces should
also attend.
 Marondera had been a hive of activity in recent weeks as the fundraising
committee organised shows in a bid to raise money towards the event.
This saw the town being entertained by Aleck 'razor wire' Macheso and a
soccer match between Harare giants Dynamos Football Club and  Marondera
select.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Cops accused of getting kickbacks from lawyers

Pamenus Tuso
issue date :2005-Feb-25

SOME police officers have been accused of soliciting business for
'client-starved' lawyers in return for kickbacks, with reports that those
attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are the most
beneficiaries.
Sources in legal circles claimed that the deal, said to be prevalent in
major urban centres,  involved mostly suspects facing serious charges such
as rape, murder and fraud.
The cases are allegedly referred by  to 'friendly-lawyers' to facilitate
their bail and even help "sweep the cases under the carpet."
"When the officers arrest a person on such serious charges, they impress
upon them the gravity of the offence and then advise the suspects to seek
legal representation.
"The cops then allegedly refer the suspects to a 'best' lawyer," a legal
source said on condition of anonymity for ethical reasons.
Lawyers told The Daily Mirror on Wednesday that the practice was
particularly rife in Masvingo, Kwekwe and Bulawayo and had adversely
affected legal business there.  Affected lawyers have reportedly lodged a
complaint with the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ), they said.
A lawyer with a Bulawayo firm claimed he had been approached several times
by police detectives scouting clients for him but he had refused.
"What some of my colleagues are doing is unethical and unprofessional.
Lawyers are  among the most professional people who are supposed to abide by
principles and ethics," the lawyer said.
 LSZ president Joseph James condemned the alleged practice as unethical.
"If these allegations are true they deserve serious police investigations.
The practice is both unprofessional and unacceptable in the force and the
legal fraternity," said James.
He urged lawyers who had been approached as alleged to report to the
society.
ZRP spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena appealed to people with information on the
alleged scam to report to the police.
"Although these are still allegations it is not proper for officers to
solicit business for anyone. It becomes a conflict of interest," said
Bvudzijena.

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Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe

Farmers irked over delays in facilitating irrigation projects

From Netsai Kembo in Mutare
issue date :2005-Feb-25

FARMERS in the catchment areas of the Osborne and Mupudzi dams in Manicaland
are bitter over delays by the government to facilitate commercial irrigation
schemes in the area.
The farmers complained that they had not benefited from the construction of
the two dams.
Instead, they claimed that the dams had turned into recreational facilities
benefiting people from elsewhere, who come for activities the locals cannot
afford such as canoeing and boating.
The Mupudzi Dam, about 30km south east of Mutare and the Osborne near
Gandanzara in Makoni, were completed two and 10 years ago respectively.
Osborne is Zimbabwe's third largest inland water source.
In sharp contrast,  officials from the irrigation department, while
addressing delegates at the Zimbabwe Women in Agriculture meeting in Mutare
recently said irrigation schemes in the two areas may take long to kick
start because of shortages of funds.
Manicaland provincial administrator Fungai Mbetsa had said construction of
irrigation facilities had already started in the Osborne catchment area.
"The government had already allocated $200 million for irrigation facilities
within the Osborne catchment area.
"Work has since started and the Mutare Rural District Council is
administering the funds.
"We assure farmers that work will  start soon in the Mupudzi area," the PA
explained.
 However, villagers in these areas maintained that their patience had
already run out.
Said Onius Chikwero, a tobacco farmer in Nyamajura, Makoni district: "It
seems we will never benefit from the Osborne Dam.
Government is not showing any commitment to the construction of the
irrigation facilities."
The same sentiments were expressed by Roadwell Zimunya. He said the
community had nothing to show for the Mupudzi Dam.
Since Mupudzi dam was constructed in 2003, the water source had remained a
white elephant.
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IOL

Zim election violence fall - but fear thrives
          February 25 2005 at 07:02PM

      By MacDonald Dzirutwe

      Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition said on Friday political violence had
eased dramatically ahead of March elections but that the ruling Zanu-PF
party continued to threaten reprisals against people who did not support
them.

      The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says its members
were killed, tortured, harassed and beaten up and their properties burnt by
Zanu-PF supporters during the last two elections.

      But a Zanu-PF spokesperson accused the MDC of provoking violence,
warning: "If they want to be beaten, yes we will beat them".

      The MDC, the biggest threat to Mugabe's 25-year rule, took most urban
seats in the 2000 parliamentary vote but lost in Zanu-PF's traditional rural
strongholds. It insists that without violence it would have triumphed in
rural constituencies too.

      "You don't see the violence we witnessed in the past five years and we
are pleasantly surprised that we can even campaign in the rural areas," MDC
spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said.

      Themba-Nyathi said a "climate of fear", from five years of "incessant
violence", still prevailed as Zanu-PF supporters threatened MDC members with
physical violence if they voted for the MDC in the March 31 vote.

      "This is what we are trying to dislodge from the people, that climate
of fear," he said.

      But Zanu-PF's secretary for external affairs, Didymus Mutasa, accused
the MDC of provoking its supporters. He said MDC supporters beat up Zanu-PF
members in the southern town of Chiredzi last weekend, a charge immediately
denied by Themba-Nyathi.

      "The MDC is going around provoking our supporters... If they go about
causing trouble, what are we supposed to do? Should we do nothing? Obviously
no," Mutasa said.

      Analysts said the fall in violence could be a sign that Zanu-PF felt
the MDC was too weak to mount a strong enough challenge to unseat it.

      But Mugabe's party is also going into the elections divided over the
issue of his future successor, the analysts said.

      "Zanu-PF is deeply divided and its capacity to organise and
co-ordinate a violent campaign is hamstrung. Also, the thinking in Zanu-PF
is that the MDC poses no threat," Professor Heneri Dzinotyiwei of the
University of Zimbabwe said.

      Zanu-PF denies rigging parliamentary polls in 2000 and the
presidential election won by Mugabe two years later.
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SABC

Forum calls for transitional settlement in Zimbabwe

February 25, 2005, 16:45

The solidarity forum has called on the Southern African Developing Community
(SADC) leaders to assist Zimbabwe to negotiate a transitional settlement.
The forum believes the crisis in Zimbabwe requires an approach, which goes
beyond the March 31 elections.

"A negotiated process for transitional arrangements towards full
democratisation and we think SADC has a central role in fostering such a
negotiated process," Jeremy Cronin, the deputy general secretary of the
South African Communist Party (SACP), said.

He says SADC cannot be a distant observer and then pronounce a verdict after
the elections.

He was addressing a two-day Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum Conference, which
started yesterday, in Pretoria.

Member organisations of the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum, include the South
African National NGO Coalition (Sangoco), the SACP, youth, women, labour and
church organisations.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's Electoral Supervisory Commission has announced that it
will start accrediting local and foreign observers.

Earlier, Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), said he plans to seek clarity regarding South Africa's position on
the upcoming elections in that country. The MDC leader says South Africa has
been sending conflicting signals and they must clarify their position.

He was reacting to a statement by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the foreign
affairs minister, in which she said that she felt enough had been done to
ensure that the elections in Zimbabwe will be free and fair. Dlamini-Zuma's
statement was hot on the heels of government's call for free and fair
elections in that country.
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BBC

      US urges tough stance on Zimbabwe
            By Barnaby Phillips
            BBC News, Johannesburg



      The US has again condemned what it calls tyranny in Zimbabwe, saying
Southern African countries should be tougher on human rights abuses.

      Earlier this week, South African President Thabo Mbeki said American
criticism of Zimbabwe was exaggerated. Now the US ambassador to South Africa
has contrasted the decisive approach of West African States towards Togo
with South Africa's approach to Zimbabwe.

      The remarks confirm Washington's determined stance towards Zimbabwe.

      In an address to a university in Johannesburg, Jendayi Fraser said the
fact that countries in the region are not speaking out about repression in
Zimbabwe made it difficult for supporters of Africa in the American
government to argue the case for more aid.

      The Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, recently named Zimbabwe as
an "outpost of tyranny" in a list that included North Korea and Iran.

      President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has a different approach.

      This week he said his relations with President Robert Mugabe are very
good and that Zimbabwe should not be on a list of countries where there is
tyranny.

      Zimbabwe is holding elections in March.

      Observers from South Africa have been invited - but Zimbabwe will not
allow observers from the American government or European Union.

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Ex-skipper Streak returns to Zimbabwe fold
Fri Feb 25, 2005 01:11 PM ET

By Telford Vice
DURBAN (Reuters) - Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has signed a
contract to play for his country again after a year-long exile.

The move paves the way for a return of a large group of rebel white players
who walked out in April in a dispute with the Zimbabwe board over selection
policies.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) managing director Ozias Bvute said in Johannesburg on
Friday Streak could play a role in the current tour of South Africa.

"I would like to confirm tonight that Heath Streak has agreed to renew his
contract with Zimbabwe Cricket and is immediately available for selection,"
Bvute told reporters during a break in the first one-day international
between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

He added: "I look forward to seeing Heath here in South Africa, if the
selectors deem him to be fit. He has been in good nick, getting runs and
wickets, and I am confident he will play a part in this tour."

Bvute said Streak, who has been playing for Bulawayo Athletic Club in
Zimbabwe's domestic competition, would turn out for the Zimbabwe A side in
the one-day series against Bangladesh A next week.

The Zimbabwe national team temporarily lost its test status last year as a
result of the row following Streak's departure and has struggled to compete
since, reaching a low point when they lost a test and one-day series to
Bangladesh at the start of the year.

The affair had begun when Streak, a world-class bowling all rounder who
would get in most international sides, lost the captaincy. The board said he
had resigned but he said he had been sacked.

IN SUPPORT

When 14 other players walked out in support of Streak, the Zimbabwe board
responded by sacking them, leading to months of bitter recriminations.
Attempts by the International Cricket Council to solve the crisis failed.

The players argued the team was being selected along racial lines while the
board accused them of undermining efforts to broaden the game's appeal in
the country.

"I just need to finalise some aspects of my contract with Warwickshire so
that it ties in with my international commitments," Streak said on Friday.

"Otherwise I am ready to play for Zimbabwe when selected. I am putting my
weight fully behind the captain, Tatenda Taibu, and the rest of the lads."

A Zimbabwe government committee is trying to resolve the overall dispute in
meetings involving the rebel players and ZC.

"We had another good meeting and there is a strong possibility that more of
us may return in the next few days," rebel Stuart Carlisle told Reuters from
Harare on Friday.

Carlisle said the rebels wanted to return for the good of Zimbabwean
cricket.

"It must be understood that the rebels, like all the stakeholders in
Zimbabwe cricket, are concerned about the state of the game in our country,"
Carlisle said.

"We want to come back because the International Cricket Council is talking
about things like Zimbabwe playing home tests only, and we don't want it to
get to that stage because that was never our intention."

Streak last played for Zimbabwe on their tour to Bangladesh in February and
March last year. The 30-year-old has played 59 tests, taking 234 wickets,
and 13 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe.

Rebel all rounder Andy Blignaut played for Tasmania this season before
re-committing himself to Zimbabwe on Monday.

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News24

Tsvangirai: Army understands
25/02/2005 18:29  - (SA)


Pretoria - Zimbabwe's generals understand there is a crisis that needs to be
resolved in Zimbabwe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Friday.

Speaking at the third Zimbabwe Solidarity Conference in Pretoria he said
this was in spite of some having said they would not accept a government of
his Movement for Democratic Change party.

"I don't think the army is living on an island. They understand the national
sentiment - even if they have been patronised by (President Robert) Mugabe."

Asked if he would ever seek to make Zimbabwe ungovernable as activists had
done during the last decade of apartheid in South Africa, Tsvangirai said:
"With 80% unemployment you can imagine the power we are sitting on."

Bella Matambanadzo, speaking for the Crisis Coalition, an umbrella body of
non-governmental organisations in the country, said Zimbabwe had been buying
arms from China and that Chinese officials were present in military
structures in the country.

"It's not always Zimbabweans you need to be looking for in terms of
reporting the elections," she said.
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Church Convicted of Illegal Forex Dealings



The Herald (Harare)

February 25, 2005
Posted to the web February 25, 2005

Harare

THE Methodist Church in Zimbabwe was yesterday convicted of illegal foreign
currency dealing after it unlawfully sold some British pounds from an
international donor to a local company.

Harare magistrate Ms Sandra Nhau convicted the church, represented by
Reverend Simon Madhibha, on its own plea of guilt to contravening the
Exchange Control Act.

The church was remanded to Monday next week for sentence.

Prosecutor Mr Obi Mabahwana told the court that on February 15 2002, the
Beit Trust of the United Kingdom donated offshore funds amounting to £20 025
to the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.

The funds were meant for the construction of a classroom block at Chemhanza
High School in Hwedza.

The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe runs the school.

The court also heard that the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe later instructed
the Beit Trust to deposit the money into an account belonging to Ger and
Company, a sister company of Treger Industries Zimbabwe.

On March 24 2002, the church received $9 211 500 from Treger Industries as
payment for the money deposited in its offshore account.

The State argued that by acting in that manner, the Methodist Church
contravened section 5 of the Exchange Control Act Chapter 22:05 as read with
section 4 of the Exchange Control Regulations Statutory Instrument 109 of
1996.

The amount - using the prevailing exchange rate at the time - is equivalent
to $1 561 950, 00.

In mitigation, the church's lawyer, Mr Lawrence Chibwe of Stumbles and Rowe,
said the money received by his client amounted to free funds and that alone
meant it did not contribute to the economy and the balance of payments.

He also said the money was not used for the benefit of individual church
members, but for the construction of a classroom block at a school which
serves the entire community.

Mr Chibwe pleaded with the court to consider imposing a wholly suspended
sentence on the church. He said the appearance of the church in court was
enough punishment.

However, the State prayed for the fining of the church, saying it would
serve to deter other offenders.

The church committed the offence at a time when the country was battling to
eradicate the foreign currency parallel market and that on its own should
work in aggravation, said Mr Mabahwana
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New Zimbabwe

Jonathan Moyo, my hero


By Admore Tshuma
Last updated: 02/26/2005 00:28:23
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing for New Zimbabwe.com today, Professor Jonathan Moyo's friend and
former Chief Reporter at the state-run Chronicle newspaper Admore Tshuma
paints a picture of a heroic and misunderstood man

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROFESSOR Jonathan Moyo is a true hero -- I am sure history will judge me
right.
Heroes are not only those who took part in the liberation struggle, but are
also selfless individuals who dedicate and risk their lives to develop the
undeveloped areas of their nations.

I am also sure that, some will vehemently disagree with me, but I plead with
my fellow countrymen to take a closer look into what this man has done for
us - the underdogs since independence only for four years. Let's also take
stock of what others have done for us for the 20 years that they have been
in government.

I am one person who believes that if you cannot beat them, join them and
bring development to your people from within. Sooner Tsholotsho was going to
be another Zvimba. This is what has riled Zanu PF.

I am writing not only as a friend to Prof Moyo, but as a man who suffered
under the Zanu PF conspiracy against people of Matabeleland including the
unleashing of the 5 Brigade to Tsholotsho, Nkayi, Gwanda and many other
places in the greater Matabeleland.

True democracy means people should be allowed to chose their own leaders -- 
the opposite is dictatorship. And there is contradiction between the
principle of democracy and the application of dictatorial power by few
individuals who purport to be representing the masses.

In any democratic society, decision-makers are leaders elected by the people
themselves. A democratically elected government is a system of government
based on the principle of free and fair majority decision-making.

What Africa and Zimbabwe should be on the lookout for is the rhetoric by
those who participated in the liberation struggle and are now using their
heroism to suppress the masses.

Taking part in the liberation of the country was an important thing for
black
Zimbabweans and we respect that. But some of our liberation war heroes seem
to have lost the very principles which drove them into the liberation
movement.

Zimbabwe is lacking legitimate democracy. In the last few months Zimbabwe
has shown signs of democratic deficit when it dictated to people of
Tsholotsho who should represent them in parliament. Many would agree with me
when I assert that Zimbabwe is one nation that is sliding into democratic
deficit, if it ever it was once one.

How can a few unelected individuals decide who should represent people in
parliament? Is this democracy? If party rules collide with democratic
principles, why not change them rather than to subject people to Nazi type
of leadership?

I have always wondered why the media in Zimbabwe seems to have accepted that
Solomon Mujuru is a kingmaker. Making whose king? To that end, I can safely
declare that Prof Jonathan Moyo is a "true hero".

He has squared up with one of the most dangerous and feared political
systems ever to emerge from Africa. The irrepressive Prof Moyo has emerged
as an incorruptible symbol of social justice and black empowerment.

For the first time since Independence, the people of Matabeleland tested
what it means to be under their black government. At the same time, Prof
Moyo is heroically bursting into the national consciousness, a thing most
feared by many politicians who have subjected the nation to sloganeering
with empty stomachs.

He has become the uncompromising teller of the unpleasant truth. He is
definitely a fact of life in the Zimbabwe's political corridors. His
detractors are gripped by a feeling of insecurity. They fear of being
exposed for using people of Zimbabwe to enrich themselves for the last 25
years under false principles of democracy while looting and plundering the
nation's wealth.

On the other hand, the prayers of millions of suffering Zimbabweans have
finally been answered. They were answered in the form of Prof Moyo, a
selfless and humble academic who abandoned his glittering career to save his
people.

Many people, including those who misunderstood him at first, now view him as
a staunch advocate of self-reliance and equal opportunities across tribes
and political creed.

Those who for a long time had been purporting to represent people of
Matabeleland yet bent on enriching themselves and their families are now
panicking and feel the advent of Prof Moyo into the political scene would
throw away their bread.

They have hatched a plan to oust Prof Moyo from the party and government,
much to the detriment of development in Matabeleland. We know that whenever,
our people question some scandalous activities by some unpopular leaders, we
are reminded about what happened during the liberation struggle. We are
bombarded with bush-life-rhetoric.

The problem with our politics is that people who purport to be representing
us keep on needlessly reminding us about their roles in the liberation
struggle. We know some have exaggerated their roles in the liberation
struggle. We know who did what. While we appreciate the execution of the
liberation struggle we are tired of people who keep on telling us about what
we know in order to steal money and enrich themselves missionary style.

They should remember that they are talking about a struggle, which ended 25
years ago.
Admore Tshuma is a friend of the former minister and also former Chief
Reporter at the Chronicle

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News24

'All Africans must be free'
25/02/2005 13:47  - (SA)


Pretoria - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday called on
South Africans to embark on a campaign to ensure that all Africans can enjoy
freedom.

"Dictatorship is dictatorship, whether committed by whites or blacks," he
said on the final day of the third Zimbabwe Solidarity conference in
Pretoria. "The borders of freedom should extend beyond the Limpopo."

"It's very difficult for the oppressed alone to fight a regime determined to
hang on to power by any means," he said.

Zimbabwe goes to the polls on March 31.

Tsvangirai said although the poll would not be free and fair, his Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) was participating "not necessarily to legitimise
a farce, but to respond to a popular mandate".

He said Zimbabweans wanted to challenge President Robert Mugabe on any
platform.

Tsvangirai added that he was disturbed by conflicting signals coming from
South Africa but would not follow it up "acrimoniously" in the public
domain.

Asked if Jonathan Moyo - recently axed as Zimbabwean information minister -
would be accepted into the MDC, Tsvangirai said the party would not invite
him.

"But if he comes (asking) tomorrow, who are we to stop him?"

To laughter he added: "But there would be constitutional provisos to curtail
some of his excesses."
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Daily News (SA)

      Chinese arms for Mugabe
      February 25, 2005

      Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has received a huge consignment of
arms from China and recalled all retired soldiers, just five weeks before
crucial parliamentary elections.

      Authoritative sources said the arms would ensure that Mugabe's army is
well equipped in case he loses the crucial ballot and needs it to keep him
in power.


      The consignment surreptitiously shipped to Zimbabwe from China via the
Mozambique port of Beira last week included heavy assault rifles, military
vehicles called Dongfengs, riot equipment and teargas consignments. -
Independent Foreign Service-Sapa

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Mail and Guardian

      Mugabe hits the hustings

      Godwin Gandu | Harare, Zimbabwe



      25 February 2005 11:59


            Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is expected to spend the next
six weeks on the campaign trail, mending fences with disgruntled provinces
whose popular chairpersons have been suspended for attending the
controversial Tsholotsho meeting to drum up support for Emmerson Mnangagwa's
failed bid for the party vice-presidency.

            But party sources said his pleas "could fall on deaf ears" and
"nothing short of lifting the suspensions will get cadres to campaign for
the party".

            Zanu-PF director of elections William Nhara was, however,
adamant that "differences won't affect the campaign", saying that winning
the Matebeleland provinces was a top priority.

            University of Zimbabwe political analyst Alois Masepe said
Matebeleland, where the late Joshua Nkomo riveted the Ndebele into the
mainstream of Zanu-PF after signing the 1987 unity accord between Zapu and
Zanu, might not be that easy to win over. "The Ndebele lost confidence in
the new Zapu leadership within Zanu-PF and defected to the opposition."

            The intention of the Tsholotsho meeting "was to replace the old
guard with new blood within the Matebeleland provinces. They wanted to bring
back the Zapu vote that had gone to the MDC [Movement for Democratic
Change]," he said.

            Among the suspended Zanu-PF officials are war veterans' leader
Jabulani Sibanda and former provincial leaders in Matebeleland south; Lloyd
Siyoka, Matebeleland north; Jacob Mudenda, Midlands; July Moyo, Manicaland;
Mark Madiro, Masvingo; and Daniel Shumba.

            "They are not going to campaign for the party. We are losing all
22 seats in Matebeleland provinces to the opposition because the top
leadership was careless," a party insider told the Mail & Guardian.

            A parliamentarian in the Midlands told the M&G that "they [party
leadership] should have told us beforehand that we shouldn't submit our
nominations for the vice-president post.

            "They allowed us to campaign only to turn against us when they
realised we had six provinces in the bag. The people here are very angry ...
there isn't so much enthusiasm."

            A fired-up Mugabe recently launched his party's manifesto during
a two-and-half-hour address in which British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
United States President George Bush and the MDC came in for stick.

            The Zanu-PF secretary for the commissariat, Elliot Manyika,
warned the party's youth that "those that shall engage in deliberate acts of
violence shall not hide behind the party". William Nhara told the M&G that
"we can win these elections without engaging in violence".

            But Dr Lovemore Madhuku of the University of Zimbabwe believes
Zanu-PF is not being sincere.

            "They are trying to create the impression they stand for free
and fair elections. They also don't want their youth to go to the extreme
and tarnish the election."

            "The situation on the ground is far from normal. Police officers
in Kwekwe and Gokwe rural areas have been accused of being MDC supporters
after arresting Zanu-PF youths who had engaged in forms of violence," said
MDC secretary general Professor Welshman Ncube.

            The party launched its election manifesto last Sunday in
Masvingo, 300km south of Harare. Economic grievances, unemployment, the
shrinking manufacturing sector and governance featured prominently on the
opposition agenda.

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Zimbabwe Supreme Court Reserves Judgement on Diaspora Vote



Judgement has been reserved in the Zimbabwe Supreme Court case in which the
UK-based Diaspora Vote Action Group (DVAG) is seeking the right to vote in
the UK in the March Parliamentary election.

The Zimbabwe government has decreed that only Zimbabweans in the country at
the time of voting can vote. DVAG challenged this saying that the Zimbabwean
Constitution provided for their right to vote and that it was incumbent on
the government to facilitate voting by Zimbabweans who may be abroad at the
time of an election.

The matter was heard on Wednesday (23 Feb) with the DVAG lawyer, Mrs
Beatrice Mtetwa, receiving the Attorney General's Heads of Argument at
0900hours on the same Wednesday morning that the Supreme Court was due to
sit at 0930hours.

The deadline given by the court to the Attorney General for submission of
Heads of Argument was Friday, 18th February, which would have given our team
the weekend and Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the hearing.

Mrs Mtetwa managed to get the Heads to the Advocate, Mr Zhou, at 0920 so
that he could peruse them and prepare to argue in 10 minutes.

Justice Sandura, the only judge from the old Constitutional Court, raised
the issue of whether Mtetwa could ask for the right to vote for all
registered voters outside Zimbabwe, when she only represented seven people.

Our legal team pointed out that if the denial of the vote was declared
unlawful, obviously all Zimbabweans in the diaspora would benefit, so it did
not matter whether the order sought was for all Zimbabweans in the Diaspora
or just the seven.

Argument was then presented on the urgency and on the costs for, which the
Attorney General wanted security, but the State only replied on the issue of
costs; that the cases relied on by Mrs Mtewa and Mr Zhou did not involve
Zimbabweans resident outside Zimbabwe.

The other Judge, Mr Justice Malaba, was more concerned with the right to
vote as not being a fundamental one, neither at common law right. Mr Zhou
pointed out that constitutionally, freedom of expression and association
clauses necessarily included the right to vote as voting is an expression of
one's opinion and allows one to express himself or herself by choosing
leaders who may share similar views.

No comments were made by the judges regarding freedom of movement. Justice
Malaba was obsessed with what he perceived as a violation of a
non-fundamental right.

Justice Gwaunza, on another tangent, was passionate about the people in the
diaspora being there through the exercise of free will; this despite that
there was no evidence on the circumstances which led almost a quarter of
Zimbabweans to leave their country.

It was pointed out to her that even the Electoral Act made no provision for
disenfranchising people in the diaspora.

Chief Justice Chidyausiku then gave an analogy of a voter registered in
Highfield (a suburb of Harare) who works in another suburb, Mount Pleasant,
and cannot vote either because he or she has no bus fare or their employer
will not give them permission to go and vote.

It was pointed out that the analogy was of no application as the Highfield
voter had the option to transfer to Mount Pleasant Constituency whereas the
person in the UK or USA had no such option.

It was also pointed out that if the employer refused to give his worker time
off to go and vote, that would be a violation by the employer and not by the
State, and that in any event, polling day in Zimbabwe is a public holiday.
The employer cannot compel the employee to work if he wants to go and vote.

Justice Sandura then asked for practical options and our team repeated our
prayer that the embassies could serve as polling stations for the millions
of Zimbabweans abroad who would want to vote.

The Chief Justice then said it would be impractical to have polling stations
even in the North Pole where there may be one Zimbabwean, and our team
pointed out that DVAG was not asking for this, because it would be
sufficient to designate embassies as polling stations. Judgment was reserved
to an unspecified date.



Ends



Press Statement by the Diaspora Vote Action Group

Contact DVAG Communications

Makusha Mugabe dvagzimbabwe@yahoo.co.uk or dvaginfo_1@yahoo.co.uk
(underscore after "info" and 1, tel: +44 (0)121 567 5662 or mobile +44 (0)
790 312 7073 (after 3pm please)

or

Matthew Nyashanu dvagzimbabwe@yahoo.co.uk or m_nyashanu@yahoo.com
(underscore after m) tel: +44 (0) 7940308679 or mobile: +44 (0) 794 030 8679
or +44 (0)121 554 5910

 
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VOA ANNOUNCES NEW STUDIO 7 MORNING BROADCASTS TO ZIMBABWE:
 
PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C., February 14, 2005
 
Voice of America (VOA) will begin a new half-hour morning broadcast of the popular Studio 7 radio show to Zimbabwe  focusing on the country's March 31 parliamentary elections.Beginning February  21, 2005, the broadcasts will air Monday through Friday from 5:30-6:00 AM in Zimbabwe (0330-0400 UT). The new program will provide listeners with in-depth information on their nation's March 31 parliamentary elections. For over two years VOA has also broadcast an evening hour-long program, Studio 7, to Zimbabwe in the English, Shona and Ndebele languages that can be heard seven days a week  from 7:00-8:00 PM in Zimbabwe (1700-1800 UT). With the March elections approaching, the people of Zimbabwe need more access to objective news and information said VOA Director David S. Jackson. This new broadcast from the Voice of America will give them the news they need in the morning as well as at night. The new English-language program can be heard in Zimbabwe and in southern Africa on 909 kHz on the AM dial and on 4930 kHz and 6080 kHz shortwave (Source : VOA Press Release)
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