The ZIMBABWE Situation
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Watchdog
warns on flaws in new constitution
http://www.bdlive.co.za
BY KHULEKANI MAGUBANE, 01 FEBRUARY 2013,
09:10
A DAMNING report by international pressure group Human Rights
Watch,
launched in Johannesburg on Thursday, paints a bleak picture of
Zimbabwe’s
chances of holding free, fair and peaceful elections this
year.
South Africa has a role in ensuring national elections in the
country are
fair and transparent, with President Jacob Zuma a facilitator of
the polls.
A new constitution drafted last year is due for referendum and
parliamentary
review in the coming weeks.
But Human Rights Watch’s
African Advocacy director Tiseke Kasambala warned
that a provision for the
Zimbabwean diaspora to vote was flawed as few of
the millions of Zimbabweans
abroad — for security and financial reasons —
could make the required trip
home to vote. "I don’t think it’s realistic to
expect Zimbabweans to travel
(back) to vote because many of them … are
struggling and cannot afford to go
back.
"It’s important to note in the past Zimbabwean armed forces and
Zanu (PF)
members abroad have been allowed to vote," Ms Kasambala
said.
Dual citizenship remains contentious. In an exclusive interview
with
Business Day this week Zimbabwe’s Minister of State Enterprises and
Parastatals and MDC member Gorden Moyo said that while the terms of dual
citizenship were not ideal for diaspora Zimbabweans, he was confident the
country could hold free and fair elections this year.
Human Rights
Watch’s South Africa director Cameron Lee Jacobs said Nkosozana
Dlamini-Zuma, in her capacity as African Union (AU) commission chairwoman,
should push South Africa for a more forthright and less erratic position on
human rights in Zimbabwe.
Early
poll ‘rigging’ feared with soldier voter registration exercise
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By
Alex Bell
01 February 2013
An exercise to register soldiers and police
officers in certain parts of the
country is raising fears that vote rigging
is already underway, ahead of
elections expected this year.
Mobile
registration services have been launched in and around Bulawayo by
the
Registrar General’s office, with registration points located in
Nyamandlovu,
Umguza and other districts.
This week hundreds of soldiers and police
officials were bussed into these
areas for registration. SW Radio Africa’s
Bulawayo correspondent Lionel
Saungweme reported that this service has so
far only been offered to members
of the security forces.
“The concern
now from people here is that while it looks like a noble thing,
these are
people (soldiers) who are usually forced by their superiors to
vote for a
particular party,” Saungweme said.
He said that in Umguza constituency,
the stronghold of ZANU PF Minister
Obert Mpofu, the MDC-T would never have a
chance of winning in elections
because of the concentration of military
barracks and police units there. He
said, “all these people are being
ordered to vote for ZANU PF.”
“They will be told how to vote come
election time, so it means the election
is already being rigged,” Saungweme
said.
This report has been backed up by the Zimbabwe Independent which
this week
also reported on a police exercise to actively campaign for ZANU
PF ahead of
the elections.
The paper reported that in recent weeks
police commanders have been touring
police stations countrywide urging
officers, their spouses and everyone else
to register for elections and vote
ZANU PF. The paper quoted unnamed police
sources who said the commanders
were following orders given by Commissioner
General Augustine Chihuri in
December.
COPAC
endorses draft charter
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Staff Writer
01 February 2013
The
Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) finally adopted the
draft charter on Thursday. It will be presented to parliament next week for
debate.
COPAC co-chairs Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) and Paul Mangwana
(ZANU PF) told
journalists in Harare that once the report is adopted by the
House of
Assembly, a publicity exercise to inform and educate Zimbabweans on
the
contents of the draft will be launched.
Mwonzora told SW Radio
Africa that the draft constitution will be printed in
all the eleven
official languages and also in Braille, for distribution
nationwide.
This process is expected to take a month after which the
GPA principals will
announce a date for the holding of a referendum. All the
parties have
endorsed the draft and are expected to campaign for a ‘Yes’ at
the
referendum.
US ambassador raises
concern over election legitimacy
http://mg.co.za/
01 FEB 2013 11:53 - RAY NDLOVU
Three
months into his deployment to Zimbabwe, United States ambassador David
Bruce
Wharton is keeping a close eye on Zimbabwe's political turmoil.
The Mail
& Guardian spoke to Wharton about the imminent constitutional
referendum, elections, the indigenisation programme and US
sanctions.
How will the US seek to influence the elections, if at all, so
as to avoid
violent clashes witnessed between Zanu-PF and the Movement for
Democratic
Change in 2008?
The results of the elections are a matter
for the people of Zimbabwe alone
to determine. As a friend of the Zimbabwean
people, the US will engage
broadly to advocate that the conduct of those
elections is transparent and
non-violent, and that the results are
honoured.
The credibility of the results will be judged against the SADC
election
guidelines and will include the atmospherics of the campaign, not
just the
conduct of election day.
We are concerned by the deployment
of Zimbabwe Defence Forces troops
throughout the country on nominal
"administrative service" duty that may
seek to influence how communities
will vote.
We are also concerned that elements of the state have
commenced with a
concerted campaign to intimidate civil society and that the
state-run media
and various other state institutions show a consistent
pattern of bias in
favour of one particular party.
If these trends
continue, it will be difficult to pronounce the declared
winner
"legitimate".
What is the US's assessment of the unity government?
The
transitional government has brought much-needed stability to the
country. It
has prevented any side from seizing the political and economic
agenda and it
has also forced all parties in the government to engage with
one another and
to govern in a way that addresses the needs of all
Zimbabweans, not just
those from a "winning" party.
What is the role of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and
the African Union (AU) in the country's
politics?
SADC and the AU are key guarantors of the Global Political
Agreement. They
have proven effective in urging the parties to the GPA to
find compromise
and engage across party lines to bring the
constitution-making process
towards conclusion and to establish a road map
to elections.
Robust SADC and AU election observer missions will be
critical to
determining the credibility of the coming referendum and
elections. If
violence, intimidation or departures from the rule of law
dominate these
processes, it will be incumbent upon these bodies to deny
legitimacy to the
claimed winner.
SADC has the most at stake [when it
comes to ensuring] a stable and
prosperous Zimbabwe and therefore must be in
the lead in working with
Zimbabwe on a solution that brings the country back
to a path of stability
and prosperity. The US views itself as a partner of
the people of Zimbabwe
and seeks to support SADC in this effort.
How
does the US view the indigenisation programme?
Zimbabwe's history has been
repeatedly punctuated by inequity. Concerted
actions are clearly needed to
level the economic playing field and to
empower all Zimbabweans to seize the
full array of opportunities to improve
their future.
To the extent
that indigenisation creates sustainable economic opportunities
and growth
for those long oppressed, we understand its importance.
We also believe
that international investors will need clear, consistent
rules and
standards, equitably applied, before they will begin to make an
investment
in Zimbabwe.
Does the empowerment policy discourage US
investors?
American firms have no problem with empowerment or joint ventures
with local
partners.
American investors, however, have expressed
concern about uncertainty and
inconsistency in the application of the
indigenisation law.
Until there is a consistent application of the law
and a demonstrated
commitment to protect property rights in Zimbabwe, US
businesses may remain
interested but unlikely to put investments at
risk.
The MDC is now making calls for sanctions against President Robert
Mugabe to
be removed. Will the US heed such calls?
The US-imposed
targeted sanctions are on those individuals and firms
involved in, or
enabling, the undermining of Zimbabwe's democratic
institutions and rule of
law.
We imposed those restrictions based on actions on the ground in
Zimbabwe and
in response to the principles and values that guide US foreign
policy.
Once dynamics on the ground demonstrate that state institutions
are no
longer run in a partisan manner, the rule of law is no longer biased
in
favour of one political orientation and the rights of the people are
respected, there will be no further grounds for maintaining those sanctions.
We [the US] have demonstrated fairness and evidence-based decisions in our
handling of the Zimbabwe issue as chair of the Kimberley Process last year,
and we have shown tangibly in Burma that we are prepared to recognise and
respond positively to real reforms.
We hope that the conduct of the
coming elections will provide the grounds to
lead us to remove all
restrictions on Zimbabwe and its leaders.
Security
Chiefs Delve Into Politics, Back Mugabe
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Blessing
Zulu
31.01.2013
WASHINGTON — President Robert Mugabe and Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
have been urged to rein-in senior officers in
the police, the army and the
air force ahead of crucial elections that are
expected to be called some
time this year to avoid a repeat of the bloodshed
that characterized the
2008 poll.
The call comes from the Zimbabwe
Democracy Institute (ZDI) which has
tarbulated instances in which senior
officers have been making statements
the ZDI say can inflame the political
situation in the country.
This follows reports that Police Commissioner
General Augustine Chihuri
recently urged the wives of senior officers to
"remain patriotic and vote
Zanu-PF" in the coming polls.
Zanu-PF
officials, led by administration secretary Didymus Mutasa, have
supported
the involvement of the security forces in politics saying they
belong to the
party since the majority of them are war veterans.
Multiple Zanu-PF
sources told VOA that an unprecedented number of serving
senior army and
retired officers, police and air force and the central
intelligence
operatives, are seeking to run for parliamentary seats and will
be going
through the party’s primary elections scheduled for February.
It is not
clear if the serving officers will resign from active service. But
Assistant
Police Commissioner Everisto Pfumvuti, commanding the Support
Unit, has
confirmed that he has intentions to participate in the Zanu-PF
primary
elections in Mutoko, Mashonaland East.
There are reports that he is also
forcing police and ZNA officers in Mutoko
South to register to
vote.
Pfumvuti has, however, dismissed the allegations as the work of his
enemies.
Director Pedzisayi Ruhannya of the ZDI says partisan remarks by
Chihuri are
disturbing and show security sector reform has failed.
Apathy greets news of a new
Zimbabwe constitution
http://mg.co.za
01 FEB 2013 00:00 - BLESSING-MILES
TENDI
Zimbabwe's warring political leaders have agreed on a
constitutional
compromise, starting a process that is expected to end in
elections this
year.
A referendum on a new Constitution has long been
a prerequisite for staging
a vote, but full details of the compromise are
yet to be made public. The
referendum date is set to be announced soon and
elections will follow.
But, instead of a lively public interest in the
winding up of the
Constitution and the prospect of elections, Zimbabweans
are apathetic. The
political bickering and power games that characterised
the drafting of the
Constitution since 2009 have engendered
indifference.
Following the outcome of a similar situation in Kenya, some
analysts are
even sceptical about elections taking place this year. Kenyan
political
parties, like their Zimbabwean counterparts, entered a
power-sharing
government after a violent and disputed election in 2007. As
in Zimbabwe,
the completion of constitutional reform before new elections
was important.
Kenya's drafting of a new Constitution proceeded rapidly and
with some
consensus, in sharp contrast to Zimbabwe. However, the aligning of
old laws
with the new Kenyan Constitution was hampered by bickering
politicians,
taking two years to complete and forcing a delay of elections
until March
this year.
Ibbo Mandaza, a political analyst at Sapes
Trust, believes that enduring
political differences between Zimbabwe's major
parties and the
practicalities of harmonising old laws with the new
Constitution will result
in a repeat of the Kenyan scenario, thereby ruling
out elections in Zimbabwe
this year, which will result in even greater
apathy.
There is also growing disaffection in urban areas about Prime
Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which
will harm
the MDC's chances, because the urban constituencies are its
traditional
electoral stronghold. Tsvangirai, who rose to prominence in the
1990s as
secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union,
successfully
challenged President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF government on a
range of social
and economic policies that undermined urban labour. But
since Tsvangirai
joined Mugabe in a power-sharing government in 2009, his
party's relations
with urban workers have slowly broken down. A good example
of this is the
civil servants' long-running, futile negotiations with the
public service
ministry, which is controlled by the MDC, over wages and
improved working
conditions. Although a 5% pay increase promised last year
has failed to
materialise, MDC ministers have been lobbying for a $21 000
housing
allowance.
An MDC Cabinet member, who asked not to be named,
said: "We have lost our
virginity, our innocence, our high moral ground. At
the last Cabinet meeting
of 2012, MDC ministers put up a huge fight for an
unwarranted $21 000
housing allowance per Cabinet member. Tendai Biti [the
finance minister] was
saying, how do we justify this given that we are not
going to increase civil
servants' salaries? My colleagues in the MDC came up
with clever ideas for
hiding the housing allowance so the public will not
know.
"What was shocking is that only one Zanu-PF minister spoke
forcefully for
the allowance. The real pressure came from my
people."
Blessing-Miles Tendi is the author of Making History in Mugabe's
Zimbabwe:
Politics, Intellectuals and the Media and a politics lecturer in
Oxford
University's department of international development
Corruption feeds on
Zimbabwe's poor
Zimbabwe is perceived as one of the world's most corrupt
states
ZVIMBA, 1 February 2013 (IRIN) - Suffering severe
chest pains, Rosina Chataika, 57, was recently ferried 70km from her rural home
in Zvimba Distict to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
The consulting doctor said a blood
test was required for a diagnosis, but for three days no test was performed, and
her condition worsened. Chataika complained to the ward’s male nurse, who asked
her for a US$50 payment to “jump the queue”.
Her son, a bricklayer in the small
town of Chegutu, about 120km from the capital, had to beg relatives for the
bribe money. Chataika’s blood sample was taken only after the nurse was
paid.
Three months after being
discharged, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She also sits on a $600
medical bill for her two-week hospital stay, which she cannot afford to
settle.
“If we had not managed
to raise that $50, I would have probably died. For the days I was in hospital, I
learned that the nurse demanded money from many other desperate and poor
patients who could not immediately get the services they wanted. [He] could
probably be getting rich at the expense of the sick and poor,” she told
IRIN.
Several nurses told
Chataika that the male nurse worked in tandem with doctors to provide
preferential treatment at a cost. “The nurses, messengers and some doctors are
demanding money to ensure that admitted patients get such things as medication.
I am sure there are many people who are dying because they cannot pay the
bribes,” she said.
Chataika’s
experience is far from unique. The 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index, by
Transparency International, ranks Zimbabwe at 163 out of 174 countries surveyed
- with number 174, Somalia, perceived as the most corrupt. Zimbabwe’s
position on the index has fallen from 154 in 2011.
Transparency International Zimbabwe
(TIZ) said in December 2012, “Corruption amounts to a dirty tax, and the poor
and most vulnerable are its primary victims, especially [those in] the rural and
marginalized communities.”
TIZ
said corruption was particularly rampant within the education, health, mining,
sports, judicial and agriculture sectors and was becoming ingrained within the
society.
Sexual
favours
Not all bribes
are paid with cash.
Sekai
Chinouriri, 35, a divorced mother of two from Seke District, was denied a plot
on communal land because she refused to provide the headman with sexual
favours.
"I desperately need money, yet I cannot entertain the idea
of getting into commercial sex"
“The headman wanted me
to have sex with him before he would give me the plot, which I need to grow
vegetables for sale and to raise money to fend for my children and pay their
fees. When my husband went away, I had to go and live with my elderly parents,
but we are already a burden to them.
“Just because I won’t give the
village head the sexual favours he demanded, my family will have to beg for food
and money, and that is not fair. I desperately need money, yet I cannot
entertain the idea of getting into commercial sex,” she told IRIN.
Chinouriri says the headman also
demands villagers give him a cut of donor food aid in order to remain on the
beneficiaries’ list. “We are afraid to report him because we will be
victimized,” she said.
Powerless
James Karima, 25, from
Harare, is struggling to be admitted to a teacher training college – even though
he has the qualifications - because he cannot afford the $500 bribe for
admittance.
“I had better
grades at A-level than many people who have been admitted by the colleges. They
managed to raise the money to give lecturers and college staff, but I have no
brother or relative to help me,” Karima told IRIN. “Corruption in Zimbabwe is
making some poor people get rich, and the rich, richer, while the majority of
the poor are getting poorer.”
Willus Madzimure, a member of
parliament and chairperson of the Zimbabwe chapter of the African
Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption, told IRIN poverty also meant
powerlessness.
“They are the
last in the queue and thus always miss out on life-changing opportunities. In
rural areas, traditional leaders are demanding about $300 or cattle for one to
be given land, but where do these vulnerable people get the money or livestock
from when they can’t even build a shelter?” he said.
Madzimure said the government’s
anti-corruption “body has failed because it is influenced by politicians and
does not have the money”.
[This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
Governor
offers Zimbabwe First Lady more farms
http://www.africareview.com
By KITSEPILE NYATHI in Harare | Friday,
February 1 2013 at 12:13
Days after Zimbabwe's First Lady Grace
Mugabe caused an outcry by taking
over a private farming estate, provincial
governor has offered her more land
to expand her projects that include an
orphanage and proposed university.
President Robert Mugabe’s wife
recently took over 1,600 hectares of Mazowe
estate, which is owned by
Interfresh, one of the biggest orange producers in
the
country.
Speaking at the official opening of the Amai Grace Mugabe Junior
School on
Thursday, Mashonaland Central governor Martin Dinha said they were
not
ashamed to give the First Family vast tracts of land.
The family
already runs the Grace Mugabe Children’s Home and Gushungo Dairy
Project on
adjacent farms seized from white commercial farmers during the
government’s
land reform programme.
They are also reported to own several farms across
the country over and
above President Mugabe’s repeated threats to repossess
land from multiple
farm owners.
Wifely dream
“I would like to
thank you for building this school in Mazowe,” Mr Dinha
told the veteran
ruler and his wife.
“We offered you land and we will continue to offer
you land for other
projects if you want it.
“We will do it in broad
daylight and we are not ashamed of it.
“Detractors can say what they
want, they can write what they want but this
is our land in Mashonaland
Central and we will do what we want with it.”
The school that has an
initial enrolment of 100 pupils was built by the
Chinese.
President
Mugabe said his wife had a dream to uplift the standards of
education in
Zimbabwe, which boasts of the highest literacy rates in Africa.
“I want
to quickly add that it is a happy day for our whole family, who have
followed and helped their dear mother as she determinedly pressed on with
the project that today is our pride,” he said.
“I can assure you that the
First Lady invested large amounts of time and
study on this
project.”
About 600 fulltime and seasonal workers will be left jobless
after the
seizure of the Interfresh property.
Cyanide
found in Gwanda water
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Violet Gonda
01 February
2013
Residents in Gwanda have been without water for at least two weeks
after
cyanide, which can kill instantly if swallowed, was found in the
town’s
river system.
Water Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo confirmed that
some rivers that supply water
to the dam in Gwanda were found with traces of
cyanide. He said the deadly
chemical compound, which is used in the mining
of gold, is being dumped by
gold-panners in the area, who have not been
educated on how to treat waste.
He told SW Radio Africa: “I am not sure
it was two weeks. I am sure it was
just a matter of days. There are some
pockets of water that can be used to
supply Gwanda, it may not be
sufficient, but I don’t believe it’s actually
correct that they have not had
water for two weeks.”
But Gwanda Mayor Lionel DeNecker disagreed, saying
there is a water crisis
in his town with some suburbs having no water for
two to three weeks. He
accused the Zimbabwe National Water Authority of
withholding information
from the public.
“In a situation like this,
ZINWA has to come forth with information so that
the community would know as
to what they are drinking. But when they
withhold that information and just
make announcements it puts the lives of
the people of Gwanda at
risk.”
The mayor said the water authority needs to start caring about the
health of
the residents so that all stakeholders can take appropriate
action.
Nkomo insisted the water is tested before it enters the treatment
plant
making it “difficult for the contaminated water to pass through to
people,
because cyanide can kill a human being.”
He added: “We would
rather have people without water than allowing water
with cyanide to go
through.”
The mayor said the minister’s comments show the problem with a
centralized
system of government, where he is in Harare and does not always
know what is
happening in Gwanda except the ‘misinformation’ that he
receives from ZINWA.
DeNecker revealed that it was difficult to track how
many people had drunk
the contaminated water as there are many people in
Gwanda who access the
water directly from the river.
We were not able
to reach ZINWA authorities for comment, but the water
authority’s Umzingwane
Catchment manager, Engineer Tommy Rosen, is quoted in
the state controlled
Herald newspaper saying: “Gwanda draws its water from
Blanket Dam but
contamination has been found at Pickup Weir. For now it is
difficult to tell
who is responsible for the contamination as it has not
been clearly
proven.”
However, the water minister said the problem is being compounded
by small
scale gold miners who need to be educated about the dangers of
using
cyanide, especially in rivers that supply water to the
population.
The mayor of Gwanda also said the problem is with ZINWA,
which does not want
to leave the running of the water treatment plant in the
hands of the local
authority, as is happening in many other
towns.
“It is difficult for council to protect residents from the kind of
water
that we get from ZINWA.” DeNecker added: “ZINWA should not be
purifying
water on behalf of council because ultimately if residents get
sick they don’t
go to ZINWA they come to council.”
Zambia, Zimbabwe ready for mega tourism
event
http://www.daily-mail.co.zm
Friday,
01 February 2013 18:49
From BRIAN MALAMA in MADRID
THE United Nations World
Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) yesterday declared
Zambia and Zimbabwe ready to
host the 20th session of the general assembly
in Livingstone and Victoria
Falls Town this August.
UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai announced
this here on Thursday during a
trilateral meeting.
“It is a great
achievement to see both countries ready to host the general
assembly,” Mr
Rifai said.
Minister of Tourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo reaffirmed Zambia’s
commitment to
co-hosting the general assembly of the UNWTO.
“My
government is ready and has set aside sufficient budgetary allocation
for
logistical and event management of this prestigious 20th session of the
general assembly,” Ms Masebo said.
And Zimbabwean Minister for Tourism
and Hospitality Walter Mzembi allayed
fears surrounding his country’s
general elections slated for June this year.
Mr Mzembi said Zimbabwe will
usher in a government under a new constitution
by June this year.
“All
political players are ready to participate in this election… we will
adopt a
new constitution and the elections in Zimbabwe will be held in June.
A
referendum process will be conducted in March this year,” Mr Mzembi told
the
delegates.
He said Zimbabwe is ready to participate in co-hosting the
UNWTO.
Earlier, Ms Masebo told the UNWTO executive members and other tourism
ministers that Zambia had already secured venues for the meetings,
accommodation from five-star hotels to budget rate.
The minister also
noted that the co-hosting of the general assembly has
created more than 350
jobs in the hospitality industry.
Zambia is endowed with a very rich and
diverse cultural heritage beyond the
mighty Victoria Falls, she said.
Ms
Masebo marketed Zambia in captivating style in just five minutes and got
a
standing ovation.
The general assembly will attract delegates from at least
170 countries and
affiliate private sector organisations.
The event is
expected to host about 1,500 delegates between the two
countries.
The
official opening ceremony will be held in Zambia and closing in
Zimbabwe.
Zambia is also expected to host plenary sessions and the council
of Africa
ministers meeting.
The two countries have offered gratis visas across the
border lines during
the assembly.
RioZim
fights gold mine seizure by Mugabe allies
http://www.reuters.com/
Fri Feb 1, 2013
9:22am EST
* Tourism minister seizes gold mine, company says
*
RioZim accused of breaking black empowerment law
* Minister says he only
intervened in pay dispute
* Empowerment Minister criticises "irrational"
takeover
By Nelson Banya
HARARE, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's
RioZim Limited has gone to the High
Court to fight off seizure of a gold
mine by allies of President Robert
Mugabe, who accuse it of flouting a black
empowerment law, the company said
on Friday.
RioZim said two
lawmakers, including tourism minister Walter Mzembi from
Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party, took control of its Renco gold mine, 300 km (200
miles) south of
Harare, two weeks ago.
"Minister Mzembi arrived at the mine... He called
a public meeting and
announced that RioZim had not complied with the
indigenisation obligations
of the country and hence they were taking over
Renco," RioZim said in a
statement.
People not employed by the mine
blockaded it, resulting in daily production
losses of $150,000, said
RioZim.
It said the minister had appointed a local member of parliament
as general
manager and directed all staff to work under him.
The MP
was now using threats and intimidation to bar RioZim directors and
management from the mine while denying them access to the company's gold
bullion, the firm added.
Mzembi furiously denied RioZim's
accusations, saying he only became involved
with the mine when Renco workers
lobbied him as their local MP to intervene
in a pay dispute.
"That's
political slander. I'm surprised by their statement, which seeks to
politicise what is a dispute between them and their workers," he told
Reuters.
"I have no interest in the mine's shareholders except to say
they must
comply with the laws of this country. I have never taken an ounce
of gold
from Renco, nor do I intend to, but my people are crying for
justice."
Renco - formed in 2004 when Rio Tinto Plc sold off most of its
Zimbabwe
assets - produced 11,000 ounces of gold in the first half of 2012,
when it
resumed operations after shutting down at the height of Zimbabwe's
hyperinflation crisis in 2008.
RioZim was saddled with $50 million of
debt and on the verge of collapse in
2012 but was saved when New York-based
private equity fund Global Emerging
Markets took a 25 percent
stake.
Major mining firms in Zimbabwe, including leading platinum
producers Anglo
American Platinum and Impala Platinum , have been forced to
surrender
majority stakes to local investors under the Mugabe-led black
empowerment
drive.
Saviour Kasukuwere, the minister in charge of the
process, was not available
to comment on the RioZim seizure, but has been
quoted in local media
describing the move as "irrational".
"We want
law and order in this country and we don't want indigenisation to
be dragged
into the mud," he was quoted as saying in private newspaper
NewsDay.
Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe to establish mobile money regulation
http://www.techzim.co.zw
By L.S.M
Kabweza
February 1st, 2013
The Governor of the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ), Gideon Gono, announced
yesterday the introduction of a
deliberate legal and regulatory framework
for Mobile Financial Services. The
announcement was made as part of the
Monetary Policy Statement presentation.
“As monetary authorities, we are
currently seized with the drafting of
appropriate guidelines and policies,”
said the Governor.
Specifically
the process will produce, a ‘Payment systems oversight
guideline’, an
‘E-money and electronic payments guideline’ and an ‘Agency
banking
guideline’. The guidelines are all scheduled to be finalized this
year. The
move comes after the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ)
complained last
month that mobile operators were competing unfairly against
them in the
provision of mobile financial services in the country. The
complaints are
aimed mostly against Zimbabwe’s largest telecoms firm,
Econet, whose EcoCash
service has gained significant traction since launch
in 2011.
Gono
said however that the economy has benefited immensely from the
introduction
of mobile banking services saying the customer base “has
expanded
appreciably”, providing greater access to products such as
remittance
transfers which may prompt increased use of banking services in
Zimbabwe.
The ideal situation, Gono said in the statement, is for
mobile money
transfer services to be “merely a payment system or delivery
channel which
does not amount to deposit taking.” This way, they would
operate on “a
credit push principle where all e-money value is backed by
pre-funded
balances which are held in banking institutions.”
Gono
said yesterday that the RBZ will consult regulatory bodies and
stakeholders
on the matter and said that a memorandum of understanding
between the RBZ
and POTRAZ will be finalized by end of first quarter 2013.
Gono also said
that one problem locally has been a “limited culture of
sharing payment
systems infrastructure” saying that as a regulatory body
they encourage
interoperatability and sharing of infrastructure.
“Relationships between
financial institutions and payment system providers
should be complimentary
rather than acrimonious,” he said. “Payment system
providers including
mobile network operators are implored to accommodate all
banking
institutions on their platforms”
MDC-T
‘big guns’ unchallenged in party primaries
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
01
February 2013
A number of the MDC-T ‘big guns’, including the party’s
national organising
secretary Nelson Chamisa, are not facing any challenges
for the party
primaries.
By Thursday, the deadline date to submit
applications, Chamisa was the only
candidate to send in his CV to contest
the Kuwadzana seat which he holds.
The primaries are set to be held before
the end of this month.
Others not being contested include the party’s
foreign policy guru, Jameson
Timba (Mt Pleasant), secretary-general Tendai
Biti (Harare East), Elias
Mudzuri (Warren Park) and lesser known Fanwell
Munengani (Glen View).
Many people in the MDC-T had written off Mudzuri
after he lost his cabinet
post in a reshuffle in 2011. They had already
written his political
obituary, going as far as speculating that he will be
defeated in the
primaries.
Outside Harare, deputy treasurer-general,
Elton Mangoma (Makoni North) in
Manicaland, and party spokesman Douglas
Mwonzora, will sail through without
going through the internal election
process.
Mwonzora told SW Radio Africa that a substantial number of
national
executive and standing committee members are not being challenged
in their
constituencies.
‘It’s still early to say how many, as the
process is still ongoing. The
deadline was yesterday (Thursday) but a number
of other districts have asked
for an extension to deal with teething
problems,’ he said.
The Nyanga North MP explained that anyone with no
challengers will
automatically be duly confirmed as party candidates for the
harmonized
elections.
‘It shows that most of our leaders and MPs have
received a big vote of
confidence by the electorate in their leadership,’
said Mwonzora. He added
that the party encourages competition, as evidenced
by a huge number of
applicants seeking to dislodge sitting MP’s.
The
spokesman explained that each application, sent via the individual’s
district executive, contains comments endorsed by the district leadership.
The district leadership however is not empowered to disqualify candidates at
provincial level.
‘The verification of application has begun to see
comments made from
districts. So the process of qualification and
disqualification has started.
For some they will fall on this first hurdle,
if as an example, their
applications are endorsed with negative comments
such as being found guilty
of corruption or having had engaged in violence
against each other,’
Mwonzora said.
While it will be plain sailing
for sitting MPs and cabinet ministers, it’s
not the case with Giles
Mutsekwa, the MDC-T’s National Housing Minister.
Mutsekwa is probably one
of many cabinet ministers in the inclusive
government who is facing an acid
test in the party primaries. The current MP
for Chikanga-Dangamvura in
Mutare is being challenged by Brian James, the
suspended Mayor of the city,
and former footballer and popular lawyer Arnold
Tsunga.
Meanwhile
ZANU PF is set to hold primary elections after the referendum in
March.
Party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said in Harare this week that the
former
ruling party would wait for the referendum to be held before they
call for
their primaries. He said ZANU PF was still crafting rules that
would govern
the primaries.
Political analyst Mutsa Murenje told us primary elections
in any political
party are mandatory and in the best interests of
democracy.
‘They provide us with an array of options so that after all is
said and
done, the winner will know he or she has the people’s support. Some
of the
sitting legislators, as an example, found themselves in parliament
not
because of their talents, skills or experience but because of their
financial muscle,’ he said.
Murenje continued: ‘Have they done
anything to develop their areas or
advance the democratic cause? Some are
mere place holders and should
therefore be challenged even by the young
turks. No one is invincible in a
democracy, pass the democratic test,
primary election, and go ahead to
deliver.’
Zimbabwe
'would be shut down if it was a company'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Zimbabwe would be shut down if it
were a private company, the finance
minister has declared, days after joking
that it only had $217 (£138) in the
bank account.
By Peta
Thornycroft, Johannesburg12:51PM GMT 01 Feb 2013
Tendai Biti warned
executives in Harare on Thursday that Zimbabwe is in a
permanent economic
crisis. He told a meeting of the Confederation of
Zimbabwe Industries that
it was "unacceptable that Zimbabwe continued to be
trapped in a cycle of
permanent depression or permanent crisis punctuated by
periods of
growth".
Mr Biti added: "It is not sustainable. If Zimbabwe was a private
company it
would have closed down."
Earlier this week Mr Biti joked
with the media that they had more money in
their bank accounts than
Zimbabwe, which only had $217 (£138) in the
treasury on Tuesday although
hours later the balance improved by about $30
million.
Zimbabwe is
battling to emerge from a decade-long economic crisis after
President Robert
Mugabe destroyed the agriculture-based economy by evicting
about 4,000 white
commercial farmers.
Mr Biti slammed commercial banks, most of them
foreign owned, for refusing
to back treasury bills issued late last year.
"They only offered a pathetic
amount," he said.
Mr Biti and others in
his Movement for Democratic Change party say fears of
"indigenisation" stops
much potential new investment.
Mr Mugabe's Zanu PF brought in a law that says
all foreign companies must
sell 51 per cent of shares to black Zimbabweans.
So far most large
international mining companies have complied with the law,
but no locals
have been able to afford to buy the majority
shares.
The MDC is in an uncomfortable four-year-old inclusive government
with Mr
Mugabe's Zanu PF party, which ends when Zimbabweans vote in fresh
elections
later this year.
Hospital in terminal
decline
http://mg.co.za/
01 FEB 2013 14:15 - BERTHA SHOKO
Zimbabwe's Howard Mission
Hospital reminds many people of a troubled time in
their recent
history.
At the height of Zimbabwe’s political instability and economic
meltdown in
2008, the country’s referral hospitals closed their doors to the
public
because of a boycott by health workers who claimed that conditions
were so
poor in them that they were endangering the lives of
patients.
State hospitals struggled to provide basic healthcare, there
was a chronic
shortage of drugs and life-saving equipment, which was
continually breaking
down and could not be repaired because of a shortage of
foreign currency.
The Howard, a Salvation Army hospital about 80km north
of Harare, like many
other rural mission hospitals, bore the brunt of the
health sector crisis by
admitting patients from other parts of the country.
Pregnant mothers and
patients in need of treatment camped out at the
hospital, sleeping in
corridors or in the hospital grounds, awaiting their
turns.
But after the formation of the unity government and the reopening
of the
health institutions, patients continued to flock to the hospital,
which was
renowned for its quick and affordable surgical procedures and
specialised
care.
But all is no longer well at the
hospital.
Hospital staff there said that conditions have deteriorated
seriously
following the controversial dismissal last year of Dr Paul Thistle
by the
Zimbabwean Salvation Army church authorities. The Howard depends
largely on
donors, mostly from Canada, but, since Thistle’s departure, they
have been
withholding funds because they are afraid that they will be
misused. Thistle
was at the helm of the institution for 16
years.
Unearthing fraudulent activities
Although the reasons for
Thistle’s dismissal remain unclear, some media
reports said he was
victimised for unearthing fraudulent activities by
church authorities that
involved donated funds. Others suggested that
Vice-President Joice Mujuru,
herself a member of the Salvation Army, had a
hand in firing Thistle because
of alleged political meddling.
Unhappy about Thistle’s dismissal, members
of the Chiweshe community and
hospital staff staged a demonstration, which
ended with riot police
arresting several members of the hospital staff and
nurses.
Apparently, the hospital is also short of drugs and other health
consumables. According to sources, drugs for diabetic patients in particular
are in short supply.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, hospital
staff said that, because of the
shortages, they have been writing
prescriptions for patients to buy their
own medicines in the nearby towns of
Concession and Bindura.
Compared with previous visits, the Mail &
Guardian found that the wards were
generally dirty, lacked fresh air and
were mostly empty. The few patients
who were in the wards were said to be
awaiting transfer or to be discharged.
Nurses at the hospital said it was
seriously understaffed and general and
nursing staff had not been receiving
their salaries on time because of poor
cash flows. Salaries that were due to
be paid on the 25th of each month were
being paid as late as the 10th of the
next month.
Concerned
The hospital is left with only two young
doctors. But nurses said they were
not experienced enough to carry out major
surgery or carry the entire
medical workload of the institution. The
hospital was referring most
patients to Harare’s Parirenyatwa Hospital, they
said.
“The two doctors are only doing small operations and Caesarian
sections,”
said one nurse.
“We are open at this hospital in name only
because there is not much we are
offering patients. We are just referring
them to Harare and discharging
those who are not very sick. As a result,
there is no money coming into the
hospital.
“We are concerned about
this community and we are also afraid we will soon
lose our
jobs.”
Patients at the hospital said that members of the local community
were
having to travel as far as the Karanda Mission Hospital in Rushinga,
about
200km away, to seek treatment. They also expressed concern about the
dirty
conditions in the hospital wards and the lack of drugs and
medicines.
“We are deeply pained because this is the hospital that we
used to rely on,”
said Shelly Mhundwa, who lives in Chiweshe and was seeking
treatment for a
broken leg.
Rehabilitation facilities
“Many of us
are very poor in this area. Many people are farm labourers.
Getting money
for treatment elsewhere is something we cannot afford,”
Mhundwa
said.
“During Dr Thistle’s time, there was nothing this hospital
couldn’t offer.
It was even better than Parirenyatwa Hospital … we are very
worried about
how we are going to survive.”
The sister in charge at
the hospital, Cynthia Chawasarira, refused to
comment. She said she was not
authorised to speak to the press.
Hospital authorities were also not
available for comment.
Thistle could also not be reached for comment
although it is understood that
he is working at the Karanda Mission
Hospital.
Founded in 1923, the Howard was intended to treat patients from
the Mazowe
district. At its peak, the hospital treated more than 75000
patients a year.
It also runs operating theatres, a pharmacy and a
laboratory, and has X-ray,
ultrasound and rehabilitation facilities. The
hospital also ran a mobile
clinic that offered immunisation, paediatric and
obstetric care, and family
planning services.
Grace
Kwinjeh runs for office in Zimbabwe
WIP Contributor Grace Kwinjeh is an aspiring
candidate in the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe. We recently received the
following interview conducted with her by a local publication in Zimbabwe. We
wish Grace all the best in her bid for MP.
Let us start with some background and context, what has been your
mission in Belgium and for how long have you been
there?
I have been in Belgium for over three
years now. I came here primarily to continue my healing process and to reunite
with my children and mother. I have, however, also stayed involved in the party
(MDC-T) and pro-democracy movement and advocacy campaigns to advance the cause
for democratic change in Zimbabwe.
• Grace Kwinjeh • You are a founding member of the MDC under Tsvangirai
since before the MDC split. Why the quest for political office in 2013,
something you could have done in 2000 or 2008?
I have been an ardent cadre of the MDC
since its inception in 1999. I have worked tirelessly to help the party deliver
democracy and freedom to the people of Zimbabwe. I have always aspired to join
the Parliament of Zimbabwe to continue that work. However, in 2000, I felt that
I was too young and inexperienced to go into Parliament. At that point, I wanted
to further my studies and acquire the experience and wisdom to better serve my
country through the MDC.
Due to my activism for democracy, I
was a victim of political persecution. I was jailed numerous times over the
years and extensively tortured in 2007. Since then, I have been healing and
recovering from the trauma of that experience.
In 2008, I was still recovering and
did not feel strong enough to sustain a campaign. Furthermore, I could not be
home because of the difficulties I had experienced in 2006 and 2007. Those were
difficult years for Zimbabweans in both political and economic
terms.
Today, in 2013, I feel stronger, ready
and eager to fully engage with the political process in Zimbabwe. I have healed,
grown and learned much over the years. I have much to offer the people of Makoni
Central as their servant and representative in the House of
Parliament.
Without doubt the MDC of today has undergone changes of its own
since its founding. Do you think this is its best chance to lead
Zimbabwe?
Since its birth in 1999, the MDC has
been at the forefront of democratic reform in Zimbabwe. I think the party has
grown and learned so much over the years. As a young party, we have faltered and
stumbled on occasion. However, we remain resolute in our quest for equal
opportunity and democracy for all Zimbabweans. We continue to listen to what the
people of Zimbabwe say and allow that to guide us. We have become more grounded
and acquired the governing experience that will allow us to move the nation
forward. For example, the party has a better understanding of the realities and
constraints of being in government.
The party remains committed to
reforming the country’s institutions to weed out corruption and other vices that
afflict government. However, there are always a few individuals who deviate from
these values and bring the party into disrepute. For instance, the party
recently dealt with party members who have been accused of corruption within
city councils. One of my objectives as an aspiring Member of Parliament is to
ensure that the party continues to eradicate corruption and abide by the
founding principles of transparency and reform.
Clearly, as a party, we have had to go
through the fiery furnace. Personally, I have struggled in unimaginable ways. I
have been out of my motherland for six years due to my fight for democracy. I
have experienced many difficulties in the process. For example, my first bed in
South Africa when I got out of hospital after the 2007 torture was bought by the
Zimbabwe Exiles Forum. I eventually triumphed by learning how to survive in
other countries; South-Africa, then Rwanda, and now Brussels. In each country I
resided, I learned new things and grew as a person. Various experiences, both
inside Zimbabwe and outside, have made me stronger and groomed me to be a better
citizen and leader. I also believe that the diversity of people, skills, and
experiences that candidates like myself offer, make the MDC (T) party
stronger.
Women have been somewhat sidelined in mainstream politics and
their numbers still remain low. How do you plan to change this if at
all?
That is a tough question. On one hand,
I do not wish to present women as weak and incapable of campaigning and getting
elected into office. On the other hand, women do face real obstacles and
challenges in joining mainstream politics.
For instance, I find myself standing and
competing with men who have enormous resources that I do not have.
Notwithstanding such limitations, I believe that personal integrity and loyalty
are important qualities. In my case, I possess both qualities and have been an
ardent and loyal party cadre since its inception. I have continued to engage
with democratic reform in Zimbabwe in various capacities.
It is a testament to these qualities,
that I believe the people have encouraged me to seek office. I believe that it
is good when people think of you and want to promote you. I do hope that my
campaign, working with both men and women, can be an example to other women. I
hope that through my campaign, I can inspire more women to become interested and
involved in Zimbabwe’s political processes.
Zimbabwean women are resilient. In
turn, there are tough women in the MDC-T, who have not let the political
environment stop them from campaigning in their own right. However, we need the
party to deal with past injustices against women, deal with low participation
numbers and so forth. For example, they could do this by having a certain number
of seats reserved for women. This is not because we are not able, but rather
intended to address a history, culture and social practices that have kept our
numbers low.
Going into politics, what issues concern you most and which ones
are top priorities for you?
The level of poverty in Zimbabwe is of
great concern to me. I aspire to represent a constituency with both urban and
rural populations that are affected by this issue. For example, I have listened
to what people on the ground have to say about the lack of access to proper
healthcare and a quality education for their children.
As a Parliamentarian, I will work
diligently to ensure that I contribute to policies that alleviate poverty across
the country. Also, I intend to contribute towards our budgeting process to
ensure that our limited resources are spent on those Zimbabweans most in need.
For example, why should the army receive more money than the health
sector?
In Makoni, I will create a pragmatic
development programme for the constituency. I have a team of Zimbabweans with
vast experience to help me draw one up. The first part of my constituency
manifesto will also be launched soon. This will be in line with the party’s
JUICE programme, which has been endorsed by many as credible, authentic, and
just what Zimbabwe needs.
A
voter will ask, what are you going to do differently or offer the electorate
that other politicians have failed?
One thing for sure is that I have zero
tolerance for corruption and I believe in integrity, transparency and
accountability. These are qualities that should be prerequisites for Zimbabwean
politicians. For instance, I have filled out forms declaring my assets. This can
be evaluated after five years should voters wish to verify whether I have
accumulated unexplained wealth that I cannot justify.
Also, I am a woman of God, a trained
intercessor gifted in the area of healing. I believe that the spiritual journey
I have undertaken has humbled me as a person, meaning that my life is governed
by the principles of the Kingdom of God, a servant of the people, who is called
to lead a righteous life.
Would you say the transition from journalism to politics was a
natural one for you?
Yes, it has been quite natural. As
journalists, we are always “on the ground” and therefore develop close
relationships with communities and the people. You have to be open, a listener,
informed, and easy to interact with. These are skills that I possess as a
journalist and will leverage in representing the people of Makoni
Central.
In your take on the democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe, what
needs to change?
The MDC has worked hard to advance
democracy and human rights on behalf of Zimbabweans since 1999. However, there
are still challenges and much still needs to be done. A large part of this
involves reforms to our political institutions through constitutional reform,
for example. Also, the political culture in the country and lack of leadership
accountability needs to be addressed.
For instance, imagine that even as a
candidate, I am not aware of when elections will be held because the decision on
polls is concentrated in the hands of one person. We have a serious problem of
leaders who take people for granted without fully grasping that our country is
in a serious governance crisis. You even hear in some quarters people saying
that the President might decide not to have elections this year; that his party
Zanu PF is not ready. Such issues need to be addressed.
Critics might ask, you have been exiled in Belgium for a while,
are you in touch with issues on the ground at
home?
Firstly, I am so in touch with the
grassroots it’s incredible! I have kept myself updated on all developments on
the ground and am in touch with people both in the party and civil society. In
Makoni, I remain connected to my family and community. Makoni is kumusha to me.
Six years in exile cannot take that away from me. I am very much a “daughter of
the soil” and remain in touch with the issues that affect this constituency as
well as Zimbabwe as a nation.
I will also say that exile is not a new
phenomenon. Most of our country’s nationalists have been in exile at some point
in their lives. Like them, I left Zimbabwe due to political persecution. I left
Zimbabwe on a hospital bed, went to SA, where at some point I really struggled
on my own, with very few options. I went into exile because I dared to stand up
for democracy in my motherland. It was a very precarious existence during which
I could not return home. Violence was escalating and I could not travel much, as
I did not have the necessary documentation. When some people talk of exile they
assume it is pretty sitting. The reality of exile is far from pretty. I have
been there and I can testify to that.
These experiences and challenges have
sharpened my desire to ensure that our country becomes a beacon of democracy and
prosperity, and that no Zimbabwean ever has to leave their country as a result
of persecution and bad governance!
Your fears about running for office, if
any?
Well, my fear has really to do with
the political environment, in the absence of the necessary media and electoral
reforms. My greatest fear of course being that Zanu PF might decide again to use
violence as they have done in previous elections. However, I will not let these
fears dissuade me from completing the task of democratic change and bringing
hope to the people of Makoni Central and Zimbabwe.
What is the Zimbabwe that you
want?
The Zimbabwe I want to see is a
prosperous one, where men and women live side by side in peace and harmony
regardless of their political or religious beliefs. God bless
Zimbabwe.
Charles Taffs talks to Alex Bell
on Diaspora Diaries
Friday,
February 1, 2013
Charles Taffs, the President of the Commercial Farmers
Union
Alex Bell was joined in
studio by Charles Taffs, the President of the Commercial Farmers Union, who
travelled to London this week to counter the misinformation published in a new
book on the land grab campaign. Taffs says the book is trying to brush the
reality of the land seizures under the carpet, and paint the exercise as a
success. He says this is nowhere near the truth and gives a stark breakdown of
the current land situation.
AB: Hello Zimbabwe and welcome to Diaspora
Diaries on SW Radio Africa. Tonight we have a special programme – I’m very, very
pleased to welcome a special guest in the studio today – and that is Charles
Taffs, the president of the Commercial Farmers Union who is in London at the
moment. Mr. Taffs, first of all thank you very much for joining
us.
CT: Alex, thanks very much, pleasure to be
here.
AB: Mr. Taffs one of the reasons why you are
here has been the release of this new book – “Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land”
which is on a bit of a press junket in the UK at the moment. Our listeners will
know if they tuned into our news broadcasts yesterday that there is concern
about this book; one which is something that’s has been raised is that it seems
to sanitise what has been a decade of devastation for communities, for the
agricultural sector, for Zimbabwe’s future really and we really are hoping we
can maybe try and look a little closely at what really is happening to counter
some of the misinformation that seems to be coming out in this book. So I’m very
pleased that you’ve come to join us. First of all Mr. Taffs, I don’t know if
you’ve had a chance to read any of the details in this book but just very
briefly, what is your reaction to what is being touted in this
publication.
CT:
Thank you Alex. No I haven’t had a chance to read the entire book, I have read
extracts. But however I was at the book launch presentation last night (Monday
night) where there was a detailed presentation done by the author, or the
authors should I say and it was very clear to me that their whole approach was
very simplistic, based on empirical evidence on a very, very small section, in
fact three farms and… There were 5300 farms that were, have been taken over this
period and this empirical evidence from what I could gather from the
presentation was based on three farms in Mashonaland Central. Now Mashonaland
Central is also a very specific area in that it is a very, very good
agricultural area and those results from those areas cannot be applied
throughout the other regions. So the regions vary greatly within the country so
you must be very, very careful of this. The second thing that struck me is the
title itself – “Zimbabwe Takes its Land Back”. My question is – Zimbabwe takes
its land back from who? Is it from a force which has invaded Zimbabwe and taken
all its land and we’ve managed to get it back or was it Zimbabwe taking its land
back from Zimbabwean citizens? 70% of all farms purchased and traded after 1980,
have been bought after 1980 within the rules of the Zimbabwe government and in
that process, every single farm purchase had to be approved by government. The
farms had to be offered to government, and the government had to express an
interest or not, whether they would want the farm or not. So in other words, 70%
of all farms that were taken were actually offered to government within the
first 20 years of independence and for that you got a certificate of ‘No Present
Interest’. Now those are the farms that have been taken. So the questions begs
to be asked – has it been taken on the basis that we stole the land or has it
been taken on the basis that it’s a reaction against white
farmers?
AB: It’s from this inherently racist point that
it appears this book has been written, writing off the fact that if you are a
white Zimbabwean, you’re not actually Zimbabwean at all. The danger of this of
course is that there are many people who agree with this.
CT: Yes I think that is a total tragedy. I think
30 years after independence, Zimbabwe, the first 20 years or definitely the
first 15 years was on a fantastic trajectory of growth and national bonding and
I think that’s all gone awry and I think it’s gone awry for political gain. And
I really believe that 30 years into independence, 32 years into independence
that we’d still be talking of Zimbabweans in terms of blacks and whites, is a
real sad tragedy for us. I think it’s high time now that when you’re talking
about people, or sectors or whatever you’re talking about in the case of
agriculture, you’re talking about farmers, you’re not talking about black
farmers, white farmers – it’s Zimbabwean farmers. And the same with Zimbabwean
police, Zimbabwean military – whatever the case may be, it’s Zimbabweans. This
black/white issue, to carry on at this stage to me, is
disastrous.
AB: Now Mr. Taffs we’ve spoken many times in the
past about the need for us to put the issue to bed so we can start moving
forward. And one of the key things in this book apparently is that it is saying
that production levels finally in Zimbabwe are finally reaching normality, which
seems to counter a lot of information which we’ve heard, one being the fact that
Zimbabwe is so dependent of food aid. So where are we realistically in terms of
production and is it anywhere near back to normality as this book seems to
say?
CT: Yes I think that book really needs to be
challenged on this issue because it’s doing no-one any favours particularly the
people that are starving to death in Zimbabwe. I think it’s really putting a
false picture and needs to be attacked in the strongest form. The bottom line is
here is that agriculture in Zimbabwe is an absolute mess. It’s a mess across all
sectors; there has been a small recovery in tobacco and I’ll use tobacco
specifically at this time: tobacco production in 2000 reached an all time high
of 247 million kilos and our single biggest global export competitor was Brazil
at that time who was producing 350 million kilos. Brazil now is producing 800
million kilos against the increased demand in emerging markets such as India and
China. And here we are producing 144 million kilos saying it’s a great success
story. It’s not a success story. We should be up in the 600 million mark, that’s
the real loss. In terms of food production – we have imported food for the past
13 years. This year again there’s an appeal by the UN after many, many warnings
particularly from offices such as mine. There was a total reluctance to get
involved because the story going around town was that we were producing enough
food to feed ourselves and when it came to crisis point, there was panic and now
there’s an emergency appeal from the UN to raise funding to feed 1.7 million
people. That 1.7 million people in my view is a low figure. I think it’s going
to get worse than that. But you put that into a regional context, there’s a
regional shortfall of grain, it’s not just maize, of 5 million tonnes. The
question that needs to be asked is: Where’s the maize going to come from or the
food’s going to come from? And when you do source that, how are we going to pay
for it? We have a situation where our import/export deficit is now over five
billion – how is this sustainable? How is it continuing to be sustained? That is
the question that needs to be asked. So you factor in all these things –
Zimbabwe is not looking good at this time.
AB: Why then do we have a publication like this?
Can we look at any justification of why there seems to be such a push to sell
the agricultural sector as back to normal? Is there any
reason?
CT: Yah I think there are a number of reasons. I
think first of all there’s been a number of books on this issue and primarily
they’ve been written by academics; and these academics are being asked to write
these books favourably for certain influences and that’s what we’re seeing here.
We’re seeing this whole issue of the agricultural scene trying to be swept under
the carpet and multi agencies and countries encouraging that to happen. I think
Zimbabwe’s coming into the limelight now in terms of its mineral wealth; its
strategic placement within Africa, both in terms of mineral supply and in terms
of access to central Africa, and countries want to get involved and they see the
land issue as holding it back. So they’re trying desperately to sweep this under
the carpet. My position is very clear: my constituents have to be represented.
They, through no fault of their own, have lost everything, together with their
employees of which there were 350 thousand. One must always remember – 350
thousand employees plus their families equating to two million people were
dislodged, fired, beaten, burnt – you name it in this violent aggressive attack
on the commercial farming sector. That constituency needs to be dealt with and
dealt with fairly before this can move on and we honestly believe that we have a
proposal on the table which can deal with all these issues and take it forward.
If it’s not dealt with and swept under the carpet, the conflict will remain and
Zimbabwe will be held up for many, many years. We’re seeing countries in the
east, Eastern Europe, 55 years on, there are titles that were taken 55 years ago
are starting to be re-established. Are we saying Zimbabwe is going to be held up
for 55 years? We can’t afford that. Let’s deal with the issues on the table and
take it forward now.
AB: When we talk about moving forward though,
there just seems to me to be a bit of a problem because there seems to be such
an active attempt to ignore and to forget the inhumanity particularly of the
land reform programme, to forget the human rights abuses, to forget the tragedy
that befell so many people because what has been touted especially by for
example the state media and the ZANU PF friendly media is that it’s addressing
imbalances that already existed and therefore it’s okay. So how do we move
forward when this is an argument that is again thrown out over and over and over
again?
CT: Yes that’s one of the things that saddened
me yesterday (Monday). There were excuses being made for the violence based on
historical fact. There’s no excuse for violence in any form and the way that
this was meted out to a selected part of society was terrible in the extreme.
People have been extremely traumatized; not only have they lost all their
assets, they’ve been extremely traumatized and their lives have been seriously
affected and in some cases people have been murdered. This cannot be acceptable
in this modern time by anybody or any country and it needs to be dealt with and
we need to sit down as a country and bring all these issues to the table and
finalise a solution so this country can go forward.
AB: But when we talk about that – how do we
finalise the issue? Is it about everyone being on the same page, is it about
putting it to bed? How do we finalise it?
CT: Well I think it’s a number of issues. The
first thing it’s mutual respect. I think everyone, all the players need to have
a mutual respect and they need to look at it from a Zimbabwean’s perspective and
not from a perspective of persuasion by outside factors. I see Zimbabwe being
pushed in certain directions by certain countries – it’s very dangerous. We need
to take control of ourselves because if we allow ourselves to be pushed in
certain directions we’re going to become a slave to a system down the line.
Zimbabwe needs to take control of its own fortunes and as such we need to
respect each other. The second thing – we can’t hide behind fictitious fact.
Let’s put the facts on the table and deal with those facts in a comprehensive
fair manner. If we hide behind facts such as these books are putting out, we’re
not dealing with the issues because the issues on the table are not factual. We
need to correct that.
AB: Something that this book doesn’t seem to
take into account at all is the legal argument of what’s happened. The land grab
was for one declared completely unlawful by the SADC Tribunal. We know since
what has happened with the Tribunal being so stifled as a result of this ruling
that it cannot function properly. But there is no mention of the fact that this
is a disregard of the rule of law and that the rule of law is being completely
ignored in these cases, that property rights still aren’t being
respected.
CT: No that’s absolutely right. The SADC
Tribunal, the highest regional court was actually suspended because SADC didn’t
know how to deal with this because the ruling was that, not only was it unlawful
but that it was racist in its implementation. And not only that, we’ve had
farmers in the Investment Dispute Court case, the investment conflict that have
been awarded awards for the loss of their businesses and yet those still have
not been dealt with. So what we’re saying to the Zimbabwean authorities is that
until such time as you deal with it, you’re not going to get real investment
coming to that country. And you add that onto the indigenization programme which
is a massive threat on direct foreign investors whereby 51% of your businesses
have got to be handed over to an indigenous body. Losing control of your actual
business investment – how can this encourage investment? So all these factors
need to be brought to book and taken into account and a way forward forged
through that.
AB: Well Mr. Taffs, for a moment I want to talk
really about the human elements of all of this because we are talking about a
nation whose poverty is insanely high, the highest it’s ever been, unemployment
the highest it’s ever been, people still reliant on food aid – as someone who is
a farmer who has been involved in this sector for so many years, has seen it go
from what was the bread basket of the region to what it is now, when you look
around at what’s happened, how do you feel about it?
CT: I think it’s tragic. The social impact
because of the land reform has been huge. We must remember that many, many of
these commercial farms, 60% of these commercial farms had schools. Many of those
schools were funded in their entirety by the farmers themselves and some were
with government support. Many of these farms had clinics so when the commercial
farming sector was taken out, we lost a lot of that social impact for up to two
million people. What we’re seeing right now is a massive social downfall of the
people of Zimbabwe; poverty is at an all time high; the average age expectancy
is down from 65 to the mid-30s; a lot of people have dropped out of education;
our health system is on its knees; our education system is a fraction of what it
was. One of the fantastic legacies of Zimbabwe after independence was the
education system and one of the fantastic legacies of that is that we have a
very educated population. Unfortunately we’re going into a generation that is
not going to be the case; the education system is certainly not where it was and
we’re seeing a situation where there’s been a lot of intellectual flight because
the opportunities in Zimbabwe are not there a lot of people have left and you’re
getting professional people, doctors and so on, not in the country but within
countries in the region or have left Africa altogether. This is a total tragedy
and we need to turn this around.
AB: One thing which has come out recently is
that there has been a call for an urgent land audit. What do you make of this
call?
CT: Yah this land audit was part of the Global
Agreement in 2009 and should have happened and in fact from my understanding,
the EU have offered to pay for such an audit but it has not taken place and the
question needs to be asked why has it not taken place? I think the reason for
that is quite simple is that the authorities don’t want to uncover the real
facts of the land takeovers and who owns what or who’s taken what. But in order
for us to move this thing forward we need an accurate assessment of who is on
the ground, who is where and so on, so we can take this forward because we need
to come up with a comprehensive agricultural structure going forward and in
order to do that we need to know what’s actually on the ground at this
time.
AB: A final question then Mr. Taffs – if we
don’t sort this out as a matter of urgency, where do you see things going in the
near future because this isn’t something I suppose that’s going to be another
decade down the line, this is something that is happening now, so if this isn’t
sorted out now, what happens?
CT: Well
to me it depends on the influence of outside countries. If we don’t get an
internal settlement and we allow, or Zimbabwe allows other countries to start
increasing their influence, we’re actually going to be colonized again through
economic colonization. I have no fact about that and I see it happening already
in certain sectors whereby the Zimbabweans are mere players and the control is
done outside of our borders. We can’t allow that to happen but I do feel that if
Zimbabwe carries on the way it is going, it is going to become a failed state.
Economically it cannot continue. You cannot have a balance of support in excess
of your GDP and that’s where we are right now and we need to create a productive
base across all sectors and the bottom line of that is: property rights. If you
create property rights across all sectors, you’ll get that investment and we can
start creating productivity, increasing jobs, social impact and so on. The whole
business cycle can be re-established. Until that is done, Zimbabwe has got a
very, very bleak future. However the potential for Zimbabwe is fantastic if we
get it right.
AB: On that note, we’ve come to end of tonight’s
special programme. You’ve been listening to Diaspora Diaries on SW Radio Africa.
I’m Alex Bell and I’ve been joined in the studio tonight by my special guest,
the president of the Commercial Farmers Union, Charles Taffs. Mr. Taffs thank
you so much for joining us.
CT: Alex thanks very much, it’s been a
pleasure.
Easing restrictions before reforms would mean EU has lost the plot
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 1st Febryary 2013.
The European Union (EU) would
have lost the plot completely, if it eases
travel restrictions on Robert
Mugabe and his allies with no credible reforms
in place before
polls.
Reports that the EU is eager to re-engage the 88 year-old Robert
Mugabe if
he holds a peaceful referendum appear to be influencing the
gathering pace
of cosmetic changes amid a concerted spin campaign by the
abundantly-resourced tyrant’s lobby.
Mugabe’s reported celebrations that
he had outwitted his junior partners in
the coalition government will haunt
the MDC formations for many years to
come as a guilty conscience is not that
easy to erase.
The so-called January 2013 Final Draft Constitution over which
the GNU
partners are congratulating themselves as a major achievement
remains
seriously flawed and a far cry from what the people expected from
COPAC’s
45million dollar expenditure.
Arguably, the sudden meeting of
minds which were miles apart in December
2012 is very suspect in view of
the exemptions which the so-called
principals gave themselves not to be
bound by for 10 years from the moment
the severely flawed charter is
adopted.
Naturally, Mugabe cannot be disappointed in securing a safe exit
after
putting his manipulative and seductive skills to maximum use to
convince his
apologetic and acquiescent junior partners.
One could fill
volumes with what the junior partners used to call
outstanding issues from
provincial governors, demands for the dismissal of
Attorney General Johannes
Tomana and the RBZ Governor Gideon Gono, a
roadmap to free and fair
elections, the diaspora vote, dual citizenship, a
people driven
constitution, a credible voters’ roll, security sector
reforms, to
meaningful media reforms.
Not only were the outstanding issues parked in
accordance with President
Jacob Zuma’s advice, but they were towed away and
crushed (metaphorically
speaking) like what happens to illegally parked
vehicles in western
countries.
People are wondering what has suddenly
made the GNU’s junior partners to
have no problems with the recent attempt
by the South African government to
supply helicopter frames and spares to
Robert Mugabe given the controversial
and bloody involvement of the military
in elections.
One wonders what has convinced the EU to believe that Mugabe
has finally
turned the corner given reports that his government is
determined to ‘tear’
all BIPPAs apart and plans to seize all foreign owned
banks.
The other week there was the incredible report of a named principal
who
‘kicked out’ a German envoy from his Harare office – which says enough
about
the art of diplomacy in Zimbabwe.
Rights abuses continue in
Chiadzwa despite the EU looking the other way on
the diamonds e.g. 15 people
were left injured after soldiers ran amok in
Chiadzwa diamond mining area.
Reports of shallow graves and people being
driven out of their homes in
Chiadzwa at night continue.
Concerns about vote rigging are rising in what
looks like a campaign of
harassment and intimidation of civil society after
Zimrights Education
Programmes Officer Leo Chamahwinya missed Christmas and
New Year in prison
and remains in police custody while his director in out
on remand.
Other news reports say that politically aligned terror groups
Chipangano and
Al Shabab continue to roam Harare and Kwekwe respectively
ahead of the
referendum and elections despite the GNU.
Human rights,
democracy and the rule of law should mean the same regardless
of where one
is – whether you are in Europe or in Africa to prevent
situations similar to
what happened in Somalia and Mali before the world
community
awakened.
Understandably, the situation in Zimbabwe is far better than what
became of
Somalia and Mali at the time of their implosion, however, the
potential for
the same anarchy in Zimbabwe remains there, arguably if Mugabe
and his
allies are let off the hook ahead of elections without credible
reforms
while the EU watches passively.
Cliffford Chitupa Mashiri,
Political Analyst, London,
Zimanalysis2009@gmail.com