Currency's success spells ruin for exporters who are paid in US
dollars
Rory Carroll, Chongwe
Monday February 27, 2006
The
Guardian
When disaster visited them in Zimbabwe it had a name, Robert
Mugabe. Now
disaster has followed white farmers into exile in Zambia but
this time there
is no villain, just bad luck.
Hounded from Zimbabwe,
things went well at first for the 200 farmers who
crossed the border to
Zambia. Welcomed by the government, they leased tracts
of fertile land and
borrowed money to buy equipment and seed. Within two
years the new arrivals
were producing bumper harvests of maize and tobacco,
helping to transform a
hunger-stricken nation into a breadbasket and
exporter.
In this
peaceful corner of southern Africa the settlers, part of the
diaspora from
one of the continent's last white tribes, thought they could
start anew. Now
that dream has withered. A fickle economic wind has gusted
through Zambia,
scattering the farmers' calculations and driving many to the
brink of
ruin.
"There is a real risk people will go under. Our own operation is
really
struggling. The mood is very despondent," said Peter MacSporran, a
former
president of Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers Union who relocated to a
property
24 miles north of the Zambian capital, Lusaka. The gloom was shared
by Guy
Scott, a former Zambian agriculture minister, who said many farms
were not
viable under present conditions.
In the past three months
Zambia's currency, the kwacha, has surged by a
third against other
currencies, hammering exporters whose produce is paid
for in US dollars.
Heavily in debt, their livelihood in the balance, some
farmers have compared
the impact to Zimbawe's land grabs.
"It feels like a double whammy - the
second time something terrible has
happened in six years," said Mr
MacSporran, 56. "The economics are killing
us but it's no one's fault. It's
because of the success of the country."
It is a plight laden with
ironies. President Mugabe turned on white farmers
to divert attention from
his government's political and economic failures.
Now it is success -
Zambia's - which is causing the difficulty.
Debt forgiveness, a recovery
in copper mining and a boom in agricultural
production - driven largely by
the Zimbabwean influx - have helped make the
kwacha one of the world's best
performing currencies.
With most farmers locked into a set dollar price
for tobacco their income
has been slashed by up to a third becausethey must
convert the dollars into
local currency to pay labour and other
costs.
Confusion over a 17.5% VAT on farm inputs - in theory the tax can
be claimed
back but it cripples cash flow - has compounded the
crisis.
Some of the 4,000 white people dispossessed in Zimbabwe moved to
Australia,
Britain and other western countries, farmers no
more.
Those who could imagine no life except under African skies
scattered across
the continent, tilling fields in Nigeria, Mozambique,
Malawi, South Africa
and Zambia. The last, anglophone, politically stable
and with a soil and
climate similar to Zimbabwe, was initially thought the
easy option.
Despite the hardship Brent Greatorex stood by his decision
to move to
Chongwe, a lush district south east of Lusaka. "I'm 37 going on
90 but
knowing what I know now I would still come, though I'd do things
differently."
His story is typical. A second-generation Zimbabwean,
he watched helpless as
youth militias and independence war veterans heeded
Harare's call to invade
white-owned farms. Salvaging what they could in
January 2003, Mr Greatorex,
his wife Vanessa and two children moved to
Chongwe and took a 15-year lease
on 1,300 hectares of a disused dairy farm.
With just over $1m borrowed from
a bank and a US company, Universal Leaf
Tobacco, they built a house, bought
equipment and hired labourers. Teething
problems in the first two seasons
produced disappointing yields. "But now
we're flying," said Mr Greatorex,
standing amid 10-feet high maize. He
expected to produce 240 tonnes of
tobacco, 280 tonnes of maize and 360
tonnes of wheat.
But the profit had all but vanished. Costs were much
higher - creaky
infrastructure made transport expensive and labourers earned
$2.30 a day
compared to 20 cents a day in Zimbabwe. In addition to 400
labourers it was
necessary to hire 35 guards to hinder crop
theft.
Meanwhile revenue had dwindled because of the rise of the kwacha,
which
analysts predict will continue to strengthen. Mr and Mrs Greatorex had
given
up socialising and showjumping as too expensive.
Their son and
daughter missed friends and loathed their adopted country,
which was
relatively undeveloped compared to Zimbabwe. "I'm not going to be
a farmer.
No way," said Kurt, 14. He wants to be a motorbike mechanic.
Nevertheless
Mr Greatorex was hopeful of riding out the crisis and paying
his debts
within seven years. "I'm not starting again, this has to work."
In
addition to the economic woes there is a fear, largely unstated, that
Zambia's politics may one day unravel. Their memories are haunted by
Zimbabwe where after 20 years of cordial relations the government, desperate
to deflect unpopularity, turned against the white minority.
Zambia's
authorities are grateful for the farmers' investment but
embarrassed by the
perception that it took white people to turn around the
economy. Mr Mugabe
has scolded his neighbour for taking in "racist
colonialists". President
Levy Mwanawasa has played down their impact and
stressed they have received
no tax breaks.
"The government has been welcoming but it's not as if
they're singing and
dancing at our arrival. We have to keep our heads down,"
said one farmer.
The agriculture minister, Mundia Sikatana, praised the
settlers' expertise.
"They have contributed a lot to our economy. Our
farmers are emulating their
methods," he told the Guardian.
But in
the next breath he said: "We are giving them the instruction that
they have
got to take their Zambian employees for what they are, human
beings."
It was a coded warning that any hint of exploitation or
racism would not be
tolerated. In Zimbabwe some farmers, self-described
"Rhodies" who pined for
the days of Ian Smith's white minority rule, were
notorious for their
prejudice.
But interviews with black Zambians
found that the majority respected the new
arrivals for the wealth they had
created. Mr MacSporran said his compatriots
had resolved not to rock the
boat. "When you lose everything once, and you
get a second chance, you don't
do anything to compromise your chances."
Moving
away
Mozambique
More than 100 farmers have moved to the former
Portuguese colony, many
settling in the districts of Manica, Barue and
Sussundenga, near the border
with Zimbabwe. Employing more than 4,000
labourers, they grow tobacco,
cotton and maize. All land in Mozambique
belongs to the state and cannot be
bought or sold, but can be
leased.
Malawi
Dozens settled in Malawi after an invitation from the
government which said
the investment could provide jobs. Only a few critics
have railed against
the arrivals: "There is no land to give away in Malawi,"
said an editorial
in the Daily Times.
Nigeria
President Olusegun
Obasanjo has encouraged farmers to come to west Africa.
"We don't want to
take away what is good for Zimbabwe, but we don't want
what is good for
Africa taken away." More than a dozen have accepted the
invitation.
Zim Daily
Monday, February 27 2006 @ 12:05 AM
GMT
Contributed by: correspondent
THE insensitive
commission running the affairs of the City of
Harare has once again
demonstrated its lack of prioritisation by splashing
over $238 million for a
mere advertisement (Herald 21 February 2006) to
congratulate President
Robert Mugabe on his birthday. Cholera has claimed
nearly 35 people since
the crisis began in early January. Nearly 10 people
died in Epworth of
cholera, according to confirmed media reports.
Refuse has
continued to pile in the Central Business District
(CBD), in residential and
industrial areas. Raw sewerage continues to flow
in the streets of
Dzivarasekwa, Mbare, in Mabvuku and Warren Park, but still
the City of
Harare has not responded to residents' complaints.
What CHRA
finds disturbing is the chairperson of the illegal
commission running the
City of Harare, neither Sekesai Makwavarara's
propensity to splash money on
vanities that bring neither sanity nor repair
burst sewer pipes to Harare
residents except to quench Makwavarar's thirst
to spend ratepayers'
money.
Recently, she wanted $35 billion to buy curtains and
furniture
for the mayoral mansion, a figure said to have been drastically
reduced. The
misguided attempt to appease the President and his government
will surely
not endear the illegal commission to the majority residents of
Harare who
want every cent of their money to go towards repairing damaged
sewer and
water pipes, refuse collection and repair of potholed roads that
have
replaced the smooth tarmacs of yesteryear, including cutting grass with
slashes.
According to the Herald, the City of Harare's
advertisement cost
$238 945 042, 80. CHRA believes this money should have
gone towards fuel
purchases for refuse collection. Informed people at Town
House say this
money could have bought about 2 000 litres of fuel from
ordinary service
stations but could have bought about 9 600 litres if they
were buying from
the state-owned National Oil Company of Zimbabwe
(Noczim).
Competent commercial companies that are making
profits placed
quarter-page colour adverts to congratulate the President on
attaining 82
years yet the City of Harare that is failing to meet most of
its financial
obligations 'found' the money to congratulate the President.
This propensity
for flamboyance remains unmatched as the City vehemently
denies disease
outbreaks which can be prevented by proper planning and
prioritisation.
Nomutsa Chideya and Makwavarara must be
reminded that the whole
world is greater than its part. We insist that
elections to choose
legitimate residents' representatives should be held
soonest before the
illegal commission running the City of Harare destroys
everything that the
once Sunshine City stands for.
Zim Daily
Report
Monday, February 27 2006 @ 12:01
AM GMT
Contributed by: correspondent
A damning
report released by the Confederation of Zimbabwe
Industry (CZI) yesterday
concluded that corruption and bureaucracy in the
public sector, partucularly
government institutions was negatively affected
businessess. The report,
titled Manufacturing Sector Survey Report
2004-2005, is based on a survey
carried out on 100 firms in 11 sub-sectors
of the manufacturing industry and
is the fifth in a series.
According to the report 13% of the
companies that were surveyed
are operating below capacity, with the clothing
sector being the only sector
operating optimally. The major reason cited as
cause of the low capacity
utilization was lack of foreign currency to import
raw materials.
The exchange rate played a major role in the
decline of exports.
88% of the companies reported that the managed exchange
had negative impact
on their business. The low capacity leads to higher
prices as the companies
try to cushion themselves against overheads. 41% of
the companies involved
in the survey cited loss in demand as reason for
decline in capacity. The
report revealed that 48% of the companies have lost
confidence in the
improvement of Zimbabwe's economy any time
soon.
"48% say the economy will not turnaround in the
foreseeable
future," said the report. It said revenues attributed to output
grew by 66%
which is far less than the rate of inflation, which currently
stands at
613%. The report also said that companies in the manufacturing
sector were
no longer benefiting from export transactions. "79% now consider
doing
business with the outside world as worse off in 2005 than 2004." The
report
said SADC still constitutes a significant market of Zimbabwe's
exports with
90% of export destinations.
The dominant
markets are Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and
Botswana. 34% of the companies
said the export facilities put in place by
the central bank were beneficial
while 26% said they had negative effects
and the remainder was indifferent.
The report further said that 78% reported
that there was no improvement in
the external lines of credit.
There was a 42% decline in
employment in manufacturing sector as
most contract workers were retrenched
while the remaining employed are
working fewer hours. 54% of the firms said
corruption and bureaucracy in the
public sector negatively affected their
business. 58% of the 100 firms voted
for economic liberalisation while most
of them raised concern over the
continued change in policy without
implementation and the need for security
of tenure.
They
also called for establishment of a multi-sectoral committee
to oversee the
preparedness for the next farming season. Zimbabwe has one of
the largest,
most diversified and integrated manufacturing sectors in sub
Saharan Africa.
The sector account for 15% of the country's GDP and employs
17% of the
working population.
Zim Daily
Monday, February 27 2006 @ 12:06 AM GMT
Contributed by: correspondent
By Nelson Chamisa
The events of the weekend of 25 and 26 February have come and
gone. A group
of former leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change are
exercising their
constitutional right of freedom of association and could
decide to form a
new political organization. We welcome them to the
turbulent political scene
in Zimbabwe as we continue our struggle to
dislodge the Zanu PF
dictatorship.
May we however urge them to urgently look for a
new name so that
they are not confused with the Movement for Democratic
Change founded by the
working people of this country led by the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions.
That formation of the working people's convention
remains intact and led by
the former secretary general of the ZCTU, Morgan
Tsvangirai.
The legal and constitutional position regarding
the leadership
of the MDC remains unchanged. Morgan Tsvangirai, as confirmed
by the
unchallenged High
court judgment of December 2005
remains the lawful President of
the Movement for Democratic Change until a
Congress convened, in
consultation with him, is held or until the High Court
judgment is set aside
by a competent court, whichever comes
first.
We have no doubt in our minds that our fellow citizens
in the
new political formation, the majority of whom claim moral
constitutional
superiority will uphold the rule of law and the Constitution
of the MDC and
do the right thing without being compelled to do so. The
struggle that we
have is about removing a dictatorship and resolve the
crisis of governance
in our country in order to usher in a new Zimbabwe and
a new beginning
governed by a people driven democratic national
Constitution. The people's
project is unstoppable.
Supporters came from all over
the country to join the Vigil on a bright but
icy day with a piercing Arctic
wind which twice overturned our table,
sending copies of our petition flying
down the Strand.
The 70 or so people who braved the elements were pleased
to hear that the
Vigil has now submitted its evidence on torture to the
Human Rights Office
of the UN in Geneva. We were invited to contribute
following a petition we
submitted to the UN about human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe. The bulky
dossier we have sent them includes personal testimonies
from a number of our
supporters detailing their torture at the hands of the
Mugabe regime. As it
considers this matter, we are stepping up the pressure
with a new petition
demanding UN intervention as the situation spirals out
of control in
Zimbabwe. We would like to thank Kevin of Redress and Tor of
the Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum for their help with our
submission.
We were pleased to have with us Kudaushe Matimba, a former
member of the
Bhundu Boys, who gave a star performance on the drums.
Unfortunately his
fingers were too cold to play much on the mbira someone
brought to the
Vigil. We are happy to report that he is engaged on a new
music project.
Crispen Kulinji was among a large group from Leicester who
helped galvanise
the singing. He said: "Some of you can sing, some of you
are good at
slogans. Some of you might be CIOs. For those who are CIOS can
you turn
your mobiles on and send this song to Mugabe". Much laughter. By
the close
there was a powerful energy as we all joined hands to sing the
national
anthem in a huge circle around the four maple trees outside the
Embassy.
We were disappointed not to get our usual supply of the
Zimbabwean newspaper
this week - our supplier was in an area closed by
police investigating a
serious crime incident. The paper is always food for
debate among our
networking supporters.
Supporters gave generously
for the funeral expenses in Zimbabwe of Gilbert
Shoko, MDC MP for Budiriro,
who died on Thursday night. Others were happy
to give interviews to a lady
who is collecting material for a programme on
women's asylum
issues.
FOR THE RECORD: 68 signed the register today.
FOR YOUR
DIARY: Monday, 27th February, 7.30 pm, Zimbabwe Forum, Upstairs at
the
Theodore Bullfrog pub, 28 John Adam Street, London WC2 (cross the Strand
from the Zimbabwe Embassy, go down a passageway to John Adam Street, turn
right and you will see the pub). The speaker will be Yvonne Mahlunge, a
member of the MDC Executive who currently resides in the UK. She will be
speaking the political implications for refugees and their families of the
upcoming Asylum and Immigration Tribunal appeal in March against a previous
ruling on Zimbabwean asylum seekers.
Vigil
co-ordinator
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London,
takes place
every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross
violations of
human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil
which started in
October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored,
free and fair
elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
New Kerala, India
Johannesburg: Africa's lion population could die out in the next decade
if
nothing is done to save the estimated 30,000 animals, a South African
newspaper has reported quoting experts responsible for the latest research
on the issue.
Conflict with humans and livestock, a loss of habitat
due to development and
a virus similar to the feline immunodeficiency virus
has caused the
continent's lion population to dwindle from an estimated
200,000 in the
1980s, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.
The study
released at the Eastern and Southern African Lion Strategy
Conference here
this week pointed to a sharp drop in the number of lions in
Angola,
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.
While lions in South Africa's Kruger
National Park were identified as having
a good chance of survival, it has
already been shown that of the 103 cubs
born in Botswana's Okavango Delta in
the last six years, only 10 have
survived.
It was critical that
Africa embarked on action to defend its wild lions,
animals that played a
crucial role in the continent's economy through
tourism and trophy hunting,
researcher Kate Nicolls of Lion Aid in Botswana
was quoted as saying in the
report.
February 27, 2006,
By
Andnetwork .com
A SERIOUS shortage of mealie-meal has hit boarding
schools in and
around Bulawayo, with some institutions saying they are left
with only a
week's supply of the commodity and could be forced to send
students home.
An official at Milton High School in Bulawayo, Mr
Fanuel Kandodo, told
The Sunday News on Wednesday that the school has been
desperately appealing
for mealie-meal from millers and the Grain Marketing
Board but to no avail.
"We do not know where to get mealie-meal now
and we have tried to talk
to GMB officials but their phones are not answered
at times,'' he said.
He complained that when mealie-meal is
available it is given to
supermarkets only. The shortage was becoming
unbearable as students were
surviving on rice, which is an expensive
substitute.
An official at Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo High School who
refused to be
named said the school was left with just a week's supply of
maize meal, a
situation he described as "grave''.
A source at
Northlea High School who refused to be named said although
the school had
some mealie-meal, the stocks would not last the term.
The public
relations manager of the GMB, Mrs Muriel Zemura, said on
Thursday that
arrangements were being made for schools and hospitals to get
first
preference in the allocation of mealie-meal and maize.
"We have
given schools and hospitals first preference to buy
mealie-meal and maize
from GMB and we hope that the move will alleviate the
food crisis in
schools,'' said Mrs Zemura.
The deputy Minister of Education,
Sports and Culture, Cde Gabriel
Shumba, encouraged the GMB to supply
boarding schools with maize or
mealie-meal, adding that schools facing
problems must immediately report to
the nearest ministry
offices.
"Boarding schools should be treated as priority areas when
buying
maize or mealie-meal from GMB because they cannot keep children and
teachers
with no food. All schools facing problems to get food should report
immediately to education offices so that arrangements are made promptly,''
said Cde Shumba.
The southern districts of the country have
been reeling under a
serious shortage of mealie-meal for the past
month..
Source: Sunday News
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily
Mirror Reporter
issue date :2006-Feb-27
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has
called on the country to brace itself for
difficult times ahead - a message
seemingly premised on his anticipated
retirement in 2008.
The President
was speaking on the 20th anniversary of the 21st February
Movement marking
his 82nd birthday at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare on Saturday.
"Gadzirirai
upenyu hwamangwana hwakaoma. (Be prepared for a difficult
future),"
President Mugabe told more than 15 000 people, including
government and
ruling Zanu PF officials and diplomats.
The President stressed the need for
every Zimbabwean to be mentally and
physically geared up for attacks by
Western powers such as Britain and the
US.
Saying leaders were chosen by
people, not through street demonstrations or
playing to the international
gallery, President Mugabe reiterated his
criticism of anti-Senate MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai that he is a traitor
to Zimbabwe's revolutionary
cause.
President Mugabe asked Zimbabweans to judge whether Tsvangirai, a
puppet of
US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister, Tony
Blair, was
still relevant to Zimbabwean politics.
He said: "Presidents do
not come from strikes and street demonstrations.
They are chosen by the
people. Tsvangirai's masters are in Britain and the
United States, but all
you people are the real masters. Let that lesson be
taught to Mr Blair and
Mr Bush so they can teach their student Tsvangirai
who has ears but does not
hear and has eyes but does not see."
The President outlined some of the major
pressing challenges, he said
needed special attention. President Mugabe said
more could be done to
improve on the four percent reduction in HIV and Aids
incidences the country
recorded recently. He said society must teach the
youths to abstain from sex
instead of encouraging the use of condoms.
He
castigated men who abused minors saying such people needed to be given
stiffer punishments. The President lamented: "Chapinda muvanhu vedu chii?
Chii chinoita kuti baba vabate vana vavakazvara chibharo? Uroyi hwakadii
ihwohwo hwekuti iwe uri baba wazvara vana, wava kuvabata uchivapamba? (What
has go wrong among our people? What causes a father to rape his own
daughters? What kind of cruelty is it that makes a father rape his
daughters?)
"How do we punish such people? Should we use pincers to
castrate them?"
He also blasted homosexuals and warned those practising that
they would be
imprisoned.
He also noted the need to improve the health
and education sectors and to
provide decent accommodation for people.
The
President donated 100 computers to 10 schools from different districts
in
Manicaland.
The 21st February Movement celebrations were spiced up with
performances by
poets, traditional music groups, choral groups, music by
Zanu PF political
commissar Elliot Manyika and Mutare-based sungura star
Hosiah Chipanga.
Chipanga, who belted out a song specially penned for the
President, and
Manyika got the crowd on their feet with their
music.
Speakers including Zanu PF national secretary for youths Absolom
Sikhosana,
Manicaland provincial youth chairperson Enock Porusingazi and
provincial
Governor Tinei Chigudu took turns to congratulate the President
for serving
the nation.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Shame
Makoshori
issue date :2006-Feb-27
GOLD producer, Falcon Gold (Falgold)
has announced losing gold worth US$425
000 this month due to an array of
macro economic problems, especially the
persistent electricity outages by
troubled power company, Zesa Holdings.
Zesa Holdings has in the past six
years been battling to satisfy increasing
demand on the market when output
has plummeted due to massive vandalism of
its properties and a recent
reduction in power imports from South African
utility, Eskom.
The company
has also been handicapped by ageing equipment at Kariba South
hydro-electricity plant and the Hwange Thermal Power Company (HPC) that are
reportedly in urgent need for maintenance.
Kariba generates 750 Megawatts
(MW), but due to poor rehabilitation of
electricity generation plants, HPC
is generating 550 MW against a 920 MW
potential.
Zesa Holdings had
accumulated US$330 million in debts amid high operating
loses of Z$8
trillion as at December 31, 2005.
Falgold said the problems were worsened by
the continuous shortage of spare
parts as a result of massive bureaucratic
procedures in importing the parts.
The industry has also been generally hit
by escalating working costs caused
by rising inflation.
Falgold warned
on Friday last week that the effect of the power
interruptions will be
disastrous to gold production in Zimbabwe and the
economy in
general.
"This month is a good example where a two hour load shedding was
imposed at
our Dalny Mine, the power was actually off for 36 hours due to a
simultaneous Zesa power fault. The mine then flooded and a total of 135
hours production was subsequently lost.
"This is an example of what load
shedding can cause in mining during the
rainy season.
"Losses in the past
four to five months is estimated at 24 kilogrammes
equating to US$425 000,"
Falgold said.
The company also expressed serious concerns on the exchange
rate which
management said had remained "frozen" at $99 202 to the greenback
against a
parallel market rate of $175 000 to the US$.
This translates to
a 76.4 percent disparity and Z$1.7 billion for every
kilogramme of gold
channelled through the official market against a Z$2.7
billion through the
black market.
Meanwhile, another major gold mine, RioZim last week released
the 2005
annual financials indicating a $376 billion post tax profit, up
from $19
billion in the comparative period in 2004.
RioZim also expressed
grave concern on load shedding by Zesa Holdings,
blamed on plant under
utilisation at two of its mines - Renco and Empress
Nickel Refinery.
It,
however, remained optimistic that the current development work at Renco
Mine
will yield positive results going ahead while a recapitalisation
programme
underway at Empress is projected to culminate in a more efficient
performance in 2006.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
From Our
Correspondent in Marondera
issue date :2006-Feb-27
RESIDENTS here have
resorted to taping rainwater into containers as
substitute for the dirty
water being supplied by the Marondera Municipality.
A survey by The Daily
Mirror has shown that residents were now collecting
rainwater from rooftops
for domestic use.
In separate interviews, the residents said they had been
doing this since
the beginning of the rain season.
"We use the rain water
for cooking and drinking because it is clean. As for
the dirty water from
our taps which smells, we use it for bathing and
washing clothes," said
Maidei Mapungwana of Dombotombo high density suburb.
Another resident,
Matthew James from Nyameni, concurred with Mapungwana.
He said: "We hope the
rain season will continue until the Municipality of
Marondera improves the
quality of its water. Water problems in the town
started a few years ago
when an old pump at the Chicago Pump Station failed
to pump effluent from
industrial and residential areas to Emswood waterworks
owing to continuous
breakdowns and failures to repair it."
This has resulted in sewerage flowing
into one of the town's supplying dams,
Rufaro Dam.
Although council
claims that it is purifying the water, residents maintain,
it is still dirty
and gives out a smell.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has
since taken Marondera
Municipality to court to answer to charges of
providing dirty water to the
residents.
Judgment in the case is expected
early next month.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily Mirror
Reporter
issue date :2006-Feb-27
A HEALTH hazard is looming at two
commuter omnibus termini along Albion
Street in Harare which now face
imminent closure due to lack of ablution
facilities.
Operators from
Warren Park, Westlea, Kuwadzana, Southerton, Greencroft and
Avondale
currently use the ranks.
City fathers designated the termini outside the
Central Business District
(CBD) during the clean-up operation to reduce
congestion and return sanity
on the capital's roads.
City spokesperson,
Madenyika Magwenjere said the
twin ranks would be shut down soon.
"We are
going to close the termini because there are no sanitary facilities
there.
"Some would be relocated to Market Square while we will create a
small
terminus for Southerton at the corner of Speke Avenue and Chinhoyi
Street,"
he said.
Magwenjere said council was also concerned with the
re-emergence of touting
in the CBD by commuter operators especially from
Mbare.
"Mbare commuter buses are now driving into the CBD leaving official
ranks.
"We are liasing with the police so that they clamp down on operators
who go
beyond their designated points," he said, adding council was planning
to
designate areas for taxis to stop the prevailing haphazard
situation.
Meanwhile, city authorities would from today be removing refuse in
Tynwald
and Dzivaresekwa suburbs.
"We are continuing with our refuse
removal blitz and tomorrow (today) we
would be in Tynwald and
Dzivaresekwa.
We urge residents there to have their refuse bins outside,"
Magwenjere
said.
He said teams cutting grass and filling up potholes
would be in Mufakose.
Harare is currently facing a serious shortage of refuse
removal trucks.
The situation is worsened by the fact that only 12, out of a
fleet of 45
trucks, are in use, thereby compromising service delivery.