Zim Online
Friday 02 February 2007
By Prince Nyathi
HARARE -
The Zimbabwe government has increased monthly payouts to veterans
of the
country's 1970s independence war who have backed it in power, even as
it
struggles to raise cash to pay striking doctors, nurses and teachers.
The
war veterans bravely fought to defeat the country's former white
supremacist
rulers but in recent years have become known more for
spearheading the
government's farm seizure programme, blamed for destroying
the mainstay
agricultural sector and derailing a once vibrant economy.
Ex-combatants
have also unleashed violence and torture against the
opposition during
elections to ensure victory for President Robert Mugabe
and his ruling ZANU
PF party.
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA)
chairman
Andrew Ndlovu confirmed in an interview with ZimOnline that the
government
had raised monthly pensions for war veterans from Z$25 000 to
$103 000 per
month.
He said: "We got an increment this month but it's
not much. You cannot plan
your future basing on pension money, particularly
this time when our economy
is not doing well."
The 300 percent payout
hike awarded war veterans is the same given every
government worker
including doctors and teachers, who have however rejected
it is inadequate
in an environment where prices rise every day and inflation
is 1 281.1
percent.
The payout increase for war veterans leaves the former fighters
- known for
doing little else except campaigning for Mugabe and ZANU PF
every election
time - earning more than junior school teachers who get about
$84 000 per
month.
The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe says a standard
family of five people
requires about $344 000 for basic goods and service
per month.
Teachers went on a go-slow this week and say they will abandon
classes
altogether beginning next Monday to press the government to increase
their
salaries. Doctors at state hospitals have since late December
boycotted work
demanding that the government hikes their salaries by about 8
000 percent.
Nurses have since joined doctors on strike, further
straining a public
health sector that is barely functional at the best of
times due to
under-funding, drugs shortage and an overload of HIV/AIDS
cases.
Scores of patients are said to have died in the past weeks because
of
otherwise treatable illness if doctors were at work.
Ndlovu said
in addition to receiving more pensions, the war veterans had
also requested
more land from the government and financial loans "to start
income
generating projects".
Already the ex-combatants are entitled to free
treatment at state hospitals,
free education for their children at
government schools and grabbed some of
the best farms vacated by
whites.
Economic experts trace the genesis of Zimbabwe's current economic
problems
to November 1997 when the war veterans, then numbering about 50
000, arm-
twisted Mugabe to award them gratuity payments of $50 000 each and
a host of
other packs - all unbudgeted.
The Zimbabwe dollar
resultantly crashed on November 14, driving up inflation
and setting off the
economy on a downward spiral from which it is yet to
escape.
Withdrawal of balance-of-payments support by the
International Monetary Fund
in 1999 and Mugabe's chaotic farm seizures that
began in 2000 only helped
quicken the pace of economic decline, according to
experts. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 02 February 2007
By
Tafadzwa Mutasa
HARARE - Zimbabwe's central bank governor this week
presented an unorthodox
monetary policy in which he sounded alarm bells on
the country's imploding
economy but analysts said this was an admission that
previous policies by
his boss President Robert Mugabe had failed to revive
the economy.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono - Mugabe's
troubleshooter on
the economy and famed for his catch phrase "failure is not
an option" - had
finally realised Zimbabwe's salvation was in politics,
analysts said.
They said by extension, Mugabe, who ordinarily approves
such policy
statements, had come to realise if not accept the futility of
politically
driven and nationalist policies, which have set him at odds with
Western
powers and foreign donors.
Donors have shunned Zimbabwe over
its controversial policies, such as the
controversial seizure of land from
white commercial farmers to resettle
blacks, which critics say has resulted
in food shortages and worsened the
plight of the
majority.
"Indirectly Mugabe is admitting that his policies which have
been criticised
from time to time have failed," political commentator John
Makumbe said.
"There is no way Gono would present that kind of a
statement without Mugabe's
endorsement."
Zimbabwe is in the throes of
its worst economic crisis, which analysts see
worsening without political
and economic reforms and is seen in the world's
highest inflation rate,
rocketing unemployment and poverty levels.
Gono said the "inflation
dragon" threatened to swallow the country's economy
if no urgent measures
were taken and criticised Mugabe's populist political
policies such as
subsidies on maize, fuel and electricity, which had left
power utility ZESA
Holdings on the brink of collapse.
The RBZ governor instead pleaded for a
social contract of labour, business
and the government and called for a
freeze on prices and salaries under a
two-phased programme starting next
month in a bid to rein in runaway
inflation, which the government has
declared number one enemy.
But analysts said this would only be
successful if Mugabe - who has vowed
his government will not collapse -
implemented drastic political reforms
such as a new constitution, levelling
the electoral playing field and
economic reforms such as liberalising the
economy and engaging international
donors.
"A social contract is in
the political domain and it requires political
will," said Eldred
Masunungure, chairman of the University of Zimbabwe's
political science
department.
"The question is whether the politicians, especially those in
power are
willing to implement the requisite political policies. Therefore
the
monetary policy statement is an expression of an exasperated person and
that
is why Gono has deferred everything to the political class,"
Masunungure
said.
The analysts said attempts at a social contract in
the past, through the
moribund Tripartite Negotiating Forum, had failed
because of suspicion
between labour, business and the
government.
They wondered how Gono would summon the feuding groups to
work together in
an atmosphere of hostility.
The analysts said for
example, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the
largest labour group,
still felt that court charges against its leaders of
abusing the union's
foreign currency resources were politically motivated,
and were unlikely to
negotiate "knowing the next day they could be jailed".
Economists say
with high unemployment above 80 percent and more than 1 000
companies having
shut down since 2000, Zimbabwe's economy was now largely
informal, making a
price and wage freeze pact almost impossible.
"What we are seeing is Gono
speaking as a political negotiator not as
central bank governor. But the
challenge is to devolve a mechanism that
removes the mistrust between the
three key groups," Masunungure said.
"But more importantly he (Gono) has
belatedly realized that the solution to
the country's problems does not lie
in monetary policy but in politics," he
said.
In fact, Gono summed it
all when he said: "We have allowed political
expediency to override economic
considerations and common sense. There is no
door or window left open for
that luxury anymore." - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 02 February 2007
By
Menzi Sibanda
BULAWAYO - At least four Zimbabwe opposition supporters
were arrested in the
second city of Bulawayo last Wednesday for demanding
the immediate
resignation of President Robert Mugabe.
The four were
part of a group of about 200 Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) party
supporters who caught the police by surprise as they marched in
the city
demanding sweeping political reforms.
The four were still in police
custody last night.
The demonstration was led by senior officials in the
Morgan Tsvangirai-led
MDC who included the party's vice-president Thokozani
Khupe, legislator
Getrude Mthombeni and Samuel Sipepa Nkomo.
Nkomo
told ZimOnline yesterday that the march marked the beginning of a
broad
defiance campaign against the government to push it to accept sweeping
political reforms.
"This is but the beginning. We would want to live
by our word and we promise
more protests against Mugabe's discredited
regime," said Nkomo.
Police in Bulawayo confirmed the arrest of the four
but refused to reveal
the charges they were to prefer against the MDC
supporters.
Under Zimbabwe's tough Public Order and Security Act (POSA),
it is an
offence punishable by a two-year jail sentence to demonstrate
without first
seeking permission from the police.
The MDC and other
civic groups have accused the government of using the law
to stifle
legitimate political dissent, a charge Harare denies. - ZimOnline
[This
report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
HARARE, 1 Feb 2007 (IRIN) - The governor of Zimbabwe's
Reserve Bank, Gideon
Gono, has called on the country's leadership to stop
blaming drought and
sanctions for its problems and face up to the fact that
it is the ruling
class that is causing society's ills.
In a
hard-hitting two-hour televised speech on his monetary policy review,
Gono,
who apparently enjoys President Robert Mugabe's support and
protection,
accused high-ranking government officials of not producing crops
on the
commercial farms they owned, instead using them as weekend barbecue
spots.
"Whilst, traditionally, it has become fashionable to blame
successive
droughts and illegal sanctions against us for the country's
hardships, the
reality on the ground does, however, reveal startling
contradictions and
distortions currently prevailing in the economy," he
commented.
All cabinet ministers, their deputies, senior officials of the
ruling
ZANU-PF party, and senior officers of the army, police and
intelligence
services were allocated commercial farms that became available
during the
fast-track land reform programme launched by Mugabe in 2000,
which sought to
redistribute 4,500 largely white-owned farms to landless
blacks. The
European Union and the United States imposed targeted sanctions
on members
of the ruling elite, including Mugabe, for human rights abuses
and the
alleged rigging of elections.
As the new owners of commercial
farms, the ruling elite were also accorded
preferential loans at an
extremely low 20 percent per annum, low-priced
fertiliser and heavily
subsidised fuel, for which they pay Z$330 (US$1.32 at
the official exchange
rate of Z$250 to one US dollar) a litre, while fuel at
public filling
stations costs Z$5,000 (US$20) a litre.
Zimbabwe's economy has been in
freefall in recent years, with the formal
economy shrinking by 65 percent,
agricultural production down by 50 percent,
unemployment touching 80 percent
and inflation running at 1,281 percent, the
highest in the world, causing a
slew of shortages, including food, fuel,
electricity, medicines and foreign
currency.
Gono said the "time has thus come that the truth and facts be
allowed to
speak for themselves, in the interest of building credible policy
interventions that will meaningfully deliver Zimbabwe out of the current
difficult times."
The governor pointed out that a 50kg bag of
fertiliser officially sold for
Z$8,000 (US$32) but was not available on the
formal market, although it
could easily be sourced on the parallel market
where it was priced at
Z$30,000 (US$120), far beyond the reach of less
influential communal
farmers.
"The main victims of this misalignment
are, unfortunately, the small-scale
and communal farmers, who are either not
connected enough to secure the
subsidised fertilisers, or simply do not have
enough financial muscle to
afford the parallel market prices, which are well
in excess of Z$30,000
(US$120) per 50kg bag."
Gono said the country's
leadership was encouraging the growth of corruption
and cited the
"ridiculous" practices of the state's Grain Marketing Board
(GMB), which was
buying maize from farmers for Z$52,000 (US$208) a tonne and
reselling it for
Z$600 (US$2.40) a tonne to the millers. Some millers have
then been
reselling the maize, bought at Z$600 a tonne, back to the GMB for
Z$52,000
a tonne.
"These differentials create a fertile haven for corruption, as
some millers
have been reselling the maize back to the GMB for Z$52,000
(US$208) after
buying it for Z$600 (US$2.40). This legal innovation is
mostly prevalent
among us, the so-called 'chefs', who have resorted to
having several
grinding mills throughout the country and use our connections
at various GMB
depots to get access to the maize."
Gono said while
subsidies to the new farmers were acceptable, they should
not create a
dependency syndrome.
"The current mode of support, where the fuel is
being allocated to farmers
at Z$330 (US$1.32) per litre for diesel, is
discouraging our farmers from
engaging in agriculture itself, as many are
now finding it more profitable
and less problematic to simply trade the fuel
on the parallel markets
instead of (crop) production."
The government
has consistently denied the existence of food shortages. In
late 2006 the
Grain Marketing Board said Zimbabwe was expecting a surplus
above its annual
cereal requirement of about 1.9 million metric tonnes.
However, independent
estimates suggested that only 800,000mt of maize was
produced, or less than
half the country's annual requirement.
Despite calls to devalue the
Zimbabwean dollar - officially fixed at Z$250
to one US dollar, an exchange
rate available only to those with good
government connections, while the US
dollar was exchanged on the parallel
market for as much as Z$5,000 and
rising - Gono left the official exchange
rate unchanged.
"We are told
that importers and exporters are already doing deals in the
parallel market;
that the economy has moved to the parallel market already,"
The Reserve Bank
governor said. "So we ask ourselves, what then do you want
the governor to
do? Continue to devalue and bless the parallel market? If
so, to what level?
Well, fellow Zimbabweans, let us be real."
IOL
February 01 2007 at 03:34PM
Harare - Zimbabwe's main opposition
party staged a protest on Thursday
against President Robert Mugabe's plan to
extend his rule by two years to
2010, which critics say will worsen the
country's economic crisis.
Hundreds of provincial and district
leaders of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) marched through
Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo,
witnesses said, marking the first major
public protest over Mugabe's
leadership proposal.
"It was a
peaceful demonstration by the leadership of the MDC to show
the way to
supporters in demanding that Mugabe should step down now... We
cannot afford
another two years with him," Sipepa Nkomo, an executive in the
party said by
telephone from Bulawayo.
Nkomo said the protest
lasted 30 minutes before it was dispersed by
police, who detained one
person. Police were not immediately available for
comment.
Mugabe has ruled the southern African country since independence from
Britain in 1980 but critics say his politically driven and nationalist
policies have hurt a once thriving economy and impoverished the
majority.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said this month his movement
would
mobilise supporters to block a plan by Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party
to
extend his tenure to 2010 after his current term ends next
year.
The MDC has said it will lead a series of street protets and
a party
official said Thursday's protest, which caught police unaware, was
part of
small demonstrations "to test the waters".
The
opposition charges that Mugabe has used heavy policing tactics -
including a
law requiring demonstrators to seek police clearance for any
protests - to
keep opponents at bay.
Critics accuse Mugabe of ruining Zimbabwe,
which was one of Africa's
most promising economies, and say that desperate
conditions faced by workers
have led to wildcat strikes, including by junior
doctors and nurses.
Political analysts say more strikes may be on
the cards, with or
without the MDC's leadership, as average workers grow
angry over the
worsening crisis that has seen inflation rise, unemployment
surge and
sparked shortages of foreign currency, food and
fuel.
Financial Times
By Tony
Hawkins in Harare
Published: February 1 2007 13:03 | Last updated:
February 1 2007 13:03
Shunning what he called "deafening" calls for
currency devaluation, Mr
Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe on Wednesday announced
a four-month prices and income freeze to
take effect on March 1.
Businessmen were astonished by Mr Gono's refusal
to devalue the official
exchange rate for the Zimbabwe dollar of 250 to the
US dollar compared with
a parallel market exchange rate of Z$4,500 to the US
unit.
But Mr Gono said he had devalued the currency on eight occasions
over the
past three years said he was now convinced that, "No amount of
devaluation
will lead to foreign currency inflows in a sustainable
manner."
One bank economist, who declined to be named, described the
eagerly waited
monetary policy statement as "the dampest of damp
squibs."
"The statement is little more than a wish list dependent on
increased
government control of the economy." he added.
"There is a
serious contradiction" too he said between Mr Gono's promise to
liberalise
the economy and the details in his statement of increased state
controls.
Describing the forthcoming freeze as "a social contract" to
cover prices,
wages, interest rates, and all fees, tariffs and charges, Mr
Gono said it
was essential to correct the situation where "sellers are
wantonly
escalating prices with no reference to prevailing fundamentals in
the
economy".
The freeze would be backed up by "stringent monetary
control" and measures
to defend the value of the Zimbabwe dollar, including
accelerated
privatisation of state-owned industries, which he said could
bring in US$3m
in revenue during 2007 alone.
He also promised a
tightening of fiscal policy, including an end to
so-called "quasi-fiscal"
(off-budget) spending by the central bank that
would bring inflation down to
450 to 500 per cent by the end of the year
from the current level of 1,280
per cent.
Analysts have been quick to pick holes in the statement, noting
that the
promise to tighten fiscal policy conflicts with the 2007 national
budget
that provides for a deficit of 36 per cent of GDP.
They said
also that Mr Gono's promise to reduce money supply growth from
1,430 per
cent at present to below 500 per cent conflicts with the budget
deficit for
2007 of over Z$3 trillion.
Aside from expressing deep dismay at the
refusal to devalue and the
intention to impose a social contract, which they
fear will prove
unworkable, business leaders have declined to comment on the
programme until
they have a chance to study the fine print of the
document.
Mining companies will be alarmed by Mr Gono's plan to establish
"an
institutional framework" to handle the marketing of platinum emeralds
and
diamonds.
The intention, said Mr Goma, was to increase the
government's foreign
currency earnings by forcing mining companies to sell
their precious
minerals to a state agency, rather as gold must currently be
sold to the
central bank.
This will affect South Africa's Impala
Platinum, the country's largest
platinum producer which recently announced
plans to expand its Zimbabwe
operations, as well as influence the
development plans of Rio Tinto in
diamonds and Anglo American, also in
platinum.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
VOA
By Ndimyake Mwakalyelye
Washington, DC
01
February 2007
Acting Editor Bill Saidi of the independent
Zimbabwean weekly Standard
newspaper said Thursday that an apparent death
threat against him and the
publication's staff for publishing a cartoon
critical of the government
reflects the chilly media
environment.
Earlier this week Saidi received an envelope containing a
bullet and a
warning to "be careful," along with a copy of the offending
cartoon, which
was published January 28 and showed baboons laughing at the
payslip of a
Zimbabwean soldier.
Saidi said the cartoon was intended
to focus attention on the very low pay
received by troops, and may have
angered senior officers of the Zimbabwe
defense forces.
The Media
Institute of Southern Africa's Zimbabwe chapter condemned the
incident,
saying it should not have occurred in a country that values an
independent
press.
Though disconcerted by the message, Saidi told reporter Ndimyake
Mwakalyelye
of VOA's Studio 7 For Zimbabwe that he intends to keep doing his
job.
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
02 February 2007
The Tsvangirai MDC has accused chief Fortune
Charumbira, president of the
Chiefs Council, of actively campaigning for the
ruling party ahead of a
by-election due in Chiredzi South in February. MDC
Secretary for Information
Nelson Chamisa said Charumbira told all chiefs in
the area to make sure MDC
supporters do not get food aid because they are
"sell-outs." By doing so in
a nation plagued by widespread starvation,
Chamisa said the traditional
leader is actively inciting
genocide.
Harassment and violence against opposition supporters is
nothing new in
Zimbabwe , especially during elections. The ruling party has
been using food
as a political weapon against the opposition around the
country. Some shops
owned by ZANU-PF supporters refuse to sell to MDC
supporters. And jobs and
opportunities controlled by ruling party chefs have
been reserved for their
supporters only.
Chamisa said: "It is a
systemic well calculated and well coordinated
strategy at the heart of
ZANU-PF machinations to make sure that all the
people who do not believe in
the ZANU-PF gospel are labelled satanic and
become victims and targets of
their agents."
Traditional leaders around the country have been accepting
vehicles, fuel,
food, cash and other gifts from the ruling party in exchange
for their
loyalty. They also receive a monthly allowance. A statement
released by the
MDC said: "We believe that food aid should never be
politicised. We believe
that chiefs and headmen should leave politics to
politicians and stick to
their tradition of simply being custodians of our
culture and our morals."
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
02 February 2007
A group of white commercial farmers in
Chiredzi who were served with
eviction notices have resolved to stay on
their properties because the
eviction orders are not legally binding. They
received notices which
stipulated they were to list all the farm equipment
they owned and vacate
their houses by this coming Saturday. An unspecified
number of them met this
week to discuss their options and according to
Chiredzi farmer Gerry
Whitehead, most will not comply with the orders
because they were not signed
by a court of law as is
required.
Whitehead explained that the majority of notices served on the
Chiredzi
farmers were signed by local lands officers, who have no authority
to evict
anyone. A few were signed by the state security and land reform
minister
Didymus Mutasa who has said the future of agriculture in Zimbabwe
is black.
But according to Whitehead even Minister Mutasa cannot in his
capacity sign
eviction orders. Whitehead said: "From a law point of view we
can punch
holes all over these orders. They are not legal. Absolutely
not."
The farmers are said to be depressed as the weekend deadline
approaches as
they face losing everything they own. Whitehead said many have
stopped
farming and this is two months into the season.
An estimated
200 white farmers are believed to be still occupying their
properties around
the country. Earlier this month Minister Mutasa was quoted
saying only those
white farmers with "good human relations" with the
government will be able
to continue farming. Farmers' organisations and
observers say this means
farmers who support the ruling party will be
allowed to
stay.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
New Zimbabwe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
following is a reaction by Arthur Mutambara, leader of a faction of the
opposition MDC, to the Monetary Policy Statement announced by Reserve Bank
Governor Gideon Gono
Wednesday:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By
Arthur Mutambara
Last updated: 02/02/2007 03:09:00
Why a Monetary Policy
Statement (MPS)?
IN TERMS of the Reserve Bank Act of Zimbabwe, the Governor
is required by
law to issue a monetary policy review each year, which should
among other
things, discuss current economic and financial trends in
Zimbabwe - as well
as outline policy initiatives on maintaining price
stability and exchange
rate management.
Essentially, the basic
objective of any Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) is
to attain and preserve a
low and stable rate of inflation. While both the
global and regional
economic predictions are pointing towards a modest
growth in 2007,
Zimbabweans unfortunately continue to be saddled with
further economic
decline.
It is believed that the Zimbabwean economy has shrunk by close
to 60% over
the past 6 years and the country continues to face persistent
negative
growth.
Inflation is expected to reach frightening levels of
5 000% in 2007. The
side effects of hyper-inflation have been too obvious:
economic distortions,
misallocation of resources, erosion of incomes,
discouragement of savings,
and uneven distribution of
incomes.
Inflation has a devastating effect on the welfare of the
ordinary people. It
is no wonder that despite the negative economic outlook,
Zimbabweans
continue to view the MPS as a source of faded hope. We believe
that no
matter how cleverly crafted, the MPS can not resolve Zimbabwe's
deep-rooted
problems.
As indicated above, a monetary policy framework
should be designed to
promote economic stability through delivering low and
stable inflation. Low
inflation as reflected by price stability is
fundamental to stable growth
levels and employment. And for this to be
effective, it requires
appropriately designed instruments and policy
initiatives which are
complimented by an appropriate fiscal policy
framework. Unfortunately, this
desired situation does not obtain in our
country.
There is very little macro-economic policy coordination between
Monetary and
Fiscal authorities in Zimbabwe. This is obvious from the finger
pointing
which has been exhibited on the issue of RBZ quasi-fiscal
activities,
between the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the RBZ. It
is within
this context that the MDC responds to the 2006 year-end monetary
policy
statement presented by the Governor of the RBZ on the 31st of January
2007.
In the presentation there is a tacit but unexplored acknowledgement
that the
Zimbabwean economic crisis is essentially political. There is also
an
admission that this meltdown has been financially beneficial to Zanu PF
leaders and their supporters.
More importantly the Governor
admits that the RBZ has failed to deliver on
its mandate, in particular that
it has lost the battle with parallel market.
In essence this is a breaking
point monetary policy statement, where the RBZ
has essentially abdicated
responsibility on the core business of any Central
Bank: inflation, exchange
rate and financial sector management. There is
nothing substantive in the
statement on these key functions.
While no inflation targets are given,
the Governor warns that if no action
is taken "inflation will rise
significantly in the near term" and that
"without bold steps, inflation will
swallow our economy (sic) to levels not
seen before".
Thus the only
panacea in achieving disinflation requires all stakeholders
"to act now" and
take part in a "social contract" for monetary policy
stabilisation.
The figures given by the Governor appear to be mere
completion of the
formalities of a monetary policy statement, than any
serious coordinated
results of policy predictions.
For example
without giving inflation target, the Governor says that "Fiscal
and monetary
policy restraint" will see broad money supply declining to
450-500% by
December 2007 and to under 65% by December 2008. Other figures
like the M3
growing at 1 438% at the end of November from 670% at the end of
May,
domestic credit rising to 1 278% to $526 billion are thrown about
without
any solid analytical basis. It is difficult to understand how the
Governor
expects interest rate policy to be "guided by inflation outlook",
while by
the same breath that high interest rates are said will lead to
stagflation.
Without analysis accommodation rates are said to remain
unchanged at
500-600%.
This was not a monetary policy statement by
any stretch of the imagination.
Unpacking the Distortions
While
the eloquent description of price and exchange rate distortions
including
their impact is noted, there is need to understand the response by
ordinary
Zimbabweans to these distortions. Yes, the primary creators and
beneficiaries of these anomalies are the Zanu PF elites, but once they are
in place they drive national economic behaviour.
Human beings have
rational expectations and hence behave rationally. The
distortions in our
economy create opportunities for arbitrage. Taking
advantage of these
opportunities is the rational thing to do. Selling
foreign money on the
parallel market and selling subsidized fuel meant for
farming on the
parallel market are the economically rational things to do.
Expecting
Zimbabweans to behave differently given the circumstances does not
make
sense. Hence, what is criminal is creating an economic environment that
is
characterised by staggering distortions and then expecting human beings
to
act rationally.
Furthermore the fundamental drivers of the distortions
must be understood if
sustainable solutions are to be achieved. The Governor
argues that
stakeholders could care less about the cause of the Zimbabwe
economic
crisis, they just want answers. This should be dismissed with the
contempt
that it deserves. Yes, we should not dwell on the causes, but we
have to
understand them, otherwise we end up addressing symptoms of the
problems and
executing unsustainable solutions.
These causes of our
economic meltdown and hence the distortions include:
political illegitimacy,
poor governance, corruption, global isolation, poor
economic management, and
misguided economic controls. These issues must be
thoroughly appreciated and
used to inform any redemptive framework.
In unpacking the role of
distortions in our economy it is important that the
role of the RBZ in
fueling these distortions be acknowledged: RBZ
involvement in quasi-fiscal
activities, provision of subsidies, exchange
rate control, and buying
foreign currency on the parallel market. There has
been incompetence,
corruption, poor corporate governance and lack of
accountability at the RBZ.
We have not seen externally audited financial
statements of the
RBZ.
The Governor is the executive chairman of the RBZ board, which means
there
are no checks and balances at the bank. For example operation Sunrise
I; how
much did that operation cost, and what were the benefits to the
country?
Given our current economic crisis how can the RBZ authorise the
purchase of
a vehicle worth USD138 000.00 in an opaque transaction where a
foreign
currency denominated loan is advanced to the Governor? Such corrupt
and
criminal activities at the RBZ must be acknowledged if the Governor's
ranting about Zanu PF elites are to be credible. There should be no
selective application of analysis.
The IMF has established a code of
conduct called the "Code of Good Practices
on Transparency in Monetary and
Financial Policies - the Declaration of
Principles". The main thrust of the
Code is to "establish desirable
transparency practices for central banks in
their conduct of monetary
policy". Our review of the conduct and practice of
the RBZ shows that it
fails immensely against these
standards.
Deconstructing the Social Contract
How do we remove the
distortions? What is required is a dramatic movement
towards market forces,
by removing all controls. However, there has to be a
context and the right
environment to make this effective. Of course there
will be redemptive pain
and probably a political price to pay. We must lead,
and leadership is about
making unpopular decisions popular.
The Governor outlined efforts that
should be pursued in particular the
Social Contract. The effectiveness of a
social contract as a tool for
resolving economic crises in history is well
documented. The general
framework is an agreement to freeze wages, prices
and expenditure in a
consensus driven framework involving all key players;
government, labour,
business, opposition parties, and civic
society.
However, there are key parameters that have to be in place. A
social
contract depends on solid political will, total buy-in, inclusive
ownership,
acceptance of the problems, honesty of participants, and moral
suasion.
There must be a legitimate government in power, not a regime that
is a
product of disputed elections. A regime that brutalises leaders from
labour,
civic society, business, and political parties, has no capacity to
facilitate the requisite discourse.
You cannot even begin to discuss
the notion of a social contract where there
is contested legitimacy of the
key stakeholder: the government. There cannot
be any total buy-in by all
stakeholders to a process driven a by an illegal
regime. There is an
additional dimension to the debilitating Zimbabwean
illegitimacy; the Zanu
PF succession fight. The different Zanu PF factions
engrossed in a
self-destructive orgy will not even agree on the contents and
processes of
the social contract. That is how dysfunctional our country has
gotten.
In addition, Zanu PF as a party must come to terms with the
fact that
neither rainfall patterns nor external forces will ever replace
good
governance, good economic management of a country by its own people as
the
principal resource. Does the Governor really believe that this deeply
entrenched interest group who have benefited from the status quo of the
massive distortions, will give up easily to a level playing field in a
social contract, all within the month of February?
It is also
important for Zimbabweans to understand why the Tripartite
Negotiating Forum
(TNF) processes have always failed. Furthermore, given the
nature of the
economic crisis our social contract will not succeed without
external
financial assistance. This help will not be forthcoming, as long as
we are a
pariah state run by an illegitimate regime.
Consequently, on the social
contract our message is very clear: There is
need for a legitimate
government as a necessary precondition. This can be
achieved through a new
constitution and internationally supervised
elections.
MPS
Formulation: The Way Forward
The World over, the trend is now that the
monetary policy is formulated by a
body called a Monetary Policy Committee
(MPC), as in the case of South
Africa, Botswana and Britain. It has been
found that having a body such as
an MPC ensures credibility and wide
formalised consultation in the whole
process.
Sadly, in the case of
Zimbabwe one man - namely the RBZ Governor, formulates
the MPS. The MPC must
be institutionalised as opposed to patronage based
consultations as
currently practiced. In fact in the past the Governor has
been known to brag
about how even the Zanu PF cabinet was not aware of the
contents of the MPS.
As the MDC we place high value to an MPS and our
Government will ensure that
it is openly formulated by an independent entity
such as the MPC.
The
trend in terms of fighting inflation is to use an
inflation-targeting
framework. An inflation target framework will entail the
setting of a
numerical target, which is intended to be achieved over the
specific time
period. If appropriately done, the inflation targeting
framework, will
provide a monetary anchor for expectations around which
prices and wages are
set.
Inflation targeting requires the buy-in by
all stakeholders so that they can
subscribe to it. In addition, it helps
make the Central Bank accountable.
The RBZ has failed dismally in the past
in terms of setting a credible
inflation target. Some of the reasons as to
why the RBZ has failed include:-
. Lack of coordination with the Fiscal
Policy;
. Lack of independence on the part of the RBZ;
. Fiscal
dominance which have undermined the effectiveness of any MPS
objectives;
. Poor leadership on the part of the RBZ
Governor;
. Policy inconsistencies and reversals;
. Lack of
credibility;
. Vicious cycle of money supply growth and RBZ induced
credit expansion;
. Unachievable policy objectives;
. RBZ
financial repressive initiatives such as high statutory
reserve
requirements;
. Compulsory placement of public debt;
.
Counter productive policy initiatives such as quasi-fiscal activities;
.
Inability to deal with supply shocks;
. General indiscipline by both the
RBZ and the Government
. Lack of intellectual depth in terms of
forecasting and planning at the
RBZ.
As the MDC, we believe that an
inflation targeting mechanism will only work
in a fundamental economic
reform program which will focus on all the key
aspects of this economy, most
of which are largely attributed to the Zanu PF
misrule. Given Zimbabwe's
current level of inflation, we cannot rely on
monetary targets alone to
reduce inflation. On the part of RBZ, what is also
required is to develop
technical and institutional capacity to model and
forecast domestic
inflation.
Appropriate policy initiatives such as developing econometric
forecasting
models, Philips-curve models, macroeconomic variable models and
other
indicator models are required. In addition, a clear and unambiguous
commitment to attaining the target should be the primary
objective.
Conclusion
Monetary policy matters in Zimbabwe will not
be addressed in the absence of
a comprehensive stabilization program,
underpinned by institutional and
political reforms. In particular the
starting point is a new people driven
constitution, followed by
internationally supervised elections. Only then
can meaningful efforts such
as social contracts and monetary policy
formulation take place.
What
the current RBZ statement means is that this is the end of thinking for
the
regime of Robert Mugabe. They now agree that they can no longer pretend
to
apply traditional monetary policy instruments. They then propose to adopt
a
social contract approach, which we have amply demonstrated to be
impossible
under the current illegitimate Zanu PF regime. This is the end of
the
road.
Arthur Mutambara is leader of a faction of the MDC
From Hansard (UK), 30 January
House of Commons - Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary
of State for
International Development what steps he is taking to reduce
infant mortality
in Zimbabwe.
Hilary Benn: The infant mortality
rate in Zimbabwe is currently 60 per 1,000
live births. Five years ago it
was 37 per 1,000 live births. Almost 40 per
cent. of infant deaths occur in
the first month after birth. DFID has
committed £25 million to a programme
to reduce maternal and infant
mortality. This programme aims to improve
access to lifesaving obstetric and
newborn care, especially those affected
by HIV and AIDS, and to maintain
access to family planning services,
including secure provision of
contraceptives. DFID has also provided UNICEF
with over £2 million to
support the national vaccination programme to
decrease the number of vaccine
preventable deaths among
children.
The Herald
(Harare)
February 1, 2007
Posted to the web February 1,
2007
Harare
RESIDENTS of Mabvuku, Tafara, Circle Cement compound
and neighbouring
settlements have received aqua tablets to use in their
drinking water as the
Government moves in to avert the spread of cholera in
Harare.
Health and Child Welfare Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa, told
The Herald on
the sidelines of the ongoing journalists and media workshop in
Kadoma that
health experts from Mashonaland East Province on Tuesday moved
in to the
settlements to distribute the tablets.
Dr Parirenyatwa
said the officers had also carried out awareness campaigns
in the
suburbs.
"I visited the affected areas on Tuesday with health officers in
Mashonaland
East to distribute aqua tablets which are used to treat drinking
water," he
said.
He added that the outbreak was now under
control.
Cholera cases were recorded in Mabvuku, Circle Cement compound,
Tafara and
Donnybrook over the weekend.
The City of Harare has also
assured the public that the outbreak is under
control.
The City
Health Department has since deployed an ambulance to the suburbs
while
doctors are on standby to deal with suspected cholera cases.
Wards have
also been set aside at the Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases
Hospitals to
specifically deal with suspected cases. The department also
intensified its
surveillance and awareness programmes on cholera.
By Lance Guma
01 February 2007
Police law and order
officers launched a dawn raid on the Harare home of
Raymond Majongwe, the
Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of
Zimbabwe (PTUZ), as a
go-slow strike by teachers entered its second day.
According to Majongwe
police officers arrived at his Cranborne home around
5am Thursday but only
found his wife and children sleeping. After tense
exchanges in which his
wife told them Majongwe was not home, the police left
a note, summoning him
to report at Harare Central Police station, Law and
Order Section, by 8am
the same day.
The union leader refused to go and instead sent his lawyers
to enquire why
the police were looking for him. The police told his lawyers
they will look
for Majongwe on their own if the lawyers could not facilitate
his hand over.
The former student leader told Newsreel, 'the industrial
action is not my
baby, it involves every other teacher working for the
Ministry of Education,
so I'm equally surprised as to what they are trying
to achieve.' On
Wednesday, teachers affiliated to the PTUZ began a go-slow
over poor
salaries and say if there is no response from government they will
begin a
full-blown strike next week Monday.
Asked why they had opted
for a go-slow first instead of a full strike
Majongwe says they want the
process to build momentum. He says their members
are spread out across the
country and this method of industrial action will
allow word to gradually
spread out and reach even the remote schools in the
country before they call
for an all-out strike. 'We have schools 700 to 900
kilometres away from the
major centres and we want them to know about this
strike.'
On whether
rival union Zimbabwe Teachers Union (ZIMTA) had also joined in
the go-slow,
Majongwe said information they had was a bit sketchy and still
subject to
confirmation. He did however say they were receiving disturbing
reports from
some areas of Matabeleland, Mashonaland West and Harare
suggesting ZIMTA
officials were telling teachers they had nothing to do with
the strike.
Majongwe said it was important for all teachers to realise that
negotiations
in Zimbabwe don't work.
He says the government response has been to send
state security agents
disguised as members of the Public Service
Inspectorate to monitor the work
of teachers in the schools. 'Some of us are
going to be suspended, harassed
brutalised, arrested and fired,' Majongwe
added but this he believes is a
necessary sacrifice to improve the welfare
of teachers.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
The Herald
(Harare)
February 1, 2007
Posted to the web February 1,
2007
Harare
CITY of Harare's Health Department has ordered the
immediate closure of
Shungudzevana Trust, a children's home in Hatfield,
describing it as
"overcrowded, unhygienic and inhabitable".
The
department's deputy director Dr Prosper Chonzi yesterday said the city
had
formally told the home to relocate the 50 children there
elsewhere.
"Our inspectors went and inspected the home last week and
they were not
happy with what they saw. The place is overcrowded and a
health hazard and
yes, we have condemned the home and it has to close," Dr
Chonzi said.
He said his department would inform police and other
relevant authorities of
the latest developments.
"We cannot take that
risk and leave those innocent children in that
inhabitable environment. We
expect them to have moved by the end of the
week."
But yesterday the
children were still at the home.
The owner of the home, Ms Mercy
Mutyambizi, refused to talk to The Herald.
The home -- funded by the
Jesuits alongside other organisations -- was
reported to be misusing funds
provided by well-wishers, raising suspicions
that children were not well-fed
and looked after.
The home was at loggerheads with the Harare Children's
Hospital, which had
reported in writing to the Department of Social Welfare
the need to closely
monitor the welfare of children at the home.
This
followed the admission of three children who had been diagnosed with
malnutrition-related illnesses.
Chairperson of the Commission running
the affairs of Harare, Ms Sekesai
Makwavarara, said after her visit to the
home a fortnight ago, concerns over
how the home was being run were raised
by several other stakeholders.
These concerns led her to task health
inspectors to conduct a health check.
"I am concerned about the children
and want to see them in a home where they
will get optimal protection and
are happy, not worse off."
"The idea in this particular issue is to make
sure the children are in an
environment that is conducive. We have
identified that maybe there is need
for more homes for our children. It is
in this instance that we all have to
work together and contribute towards
the development of better and spacious
homes," Ms Makwavarara
said.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Edwin Muguti said
reports of
unscrupulous people who start children's homes to enrich
themselves were on
the increase and needed to be investigated.
"Under
the Child Protection and Adoption Act, it is a criminal offence to
use a
child as a means to one's enrichment," Dr Muguti said.
His ministry was
concerned about the welfare of children, particularly the
aspect of adequate
nutrition, vaccination, screening of various diseases and
monitoring their
growth.
"Although their actual day to day care and where they are
accommodated is
dealt with by the Social Welfare Department, we are equally
concerned about
their holistic welfare."
"If any of our hospitals
discover or suspect there is something wrong, they
are allowed to raise it
and work together with social welfare officials," Dr
Muguti said.
He
said Zimbabwe needed a cultural revolution, which included the nurturing
of
selflessness and honesty.
"It is sometimes challenging to police these
homes and it is therefore the
responsibility of society to report such cases
and help protect the
children."
Agencia de Informacao
de Mocambique (Maputo)
February 1, 2007
Posted to the web February 1,
2007
Maputo
The Mozambican authorities have concluded that
diamonds on sale in the
central province of Manica were not dug out of the
Mozambican subsoil, but
were smuggled illegally into the country from
Zimbabwe, according to a
report in the Beira daily paper "Diario de
Mocambique".
Zimbabweans have been selling the diamonds, and the Manica
provincial
directorate of mineral resources managed to obtain some. It had
them
analysed at a laboratory in the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo,
which
concluded that the stones were not gems, but high value industrial
diamonds.
The Manica director of mineral resources, Geraldo Valoi,
insisted that the
diamonds had not come from his province, despite rumours
of prospection for
diamonds. Instead, Zimbabweans had smuggled them over the
border.
"We are on the ground monitoring the situation", said Valoi,
"since the
existence of diamonds would be of interest to the country and to
the
Mozambican state".
The area spoken of as possibly containing
diamond deposits is Rotanda, in
Sussundenga district. However, access is
difficult and the current rainy
season makes prospection there
impossible.
Valoi suspected that the reason people imagine that the
diamonds are
Mozambican in origin is that plenty of illegal mining takes
place in
Manica - but usually for gold. Prospectors of various nationalities
have
slipped into the mountainous Chimanimani reserve where they are digging
or
panning for gold.
So far there is no sign that a single diamond
has been found in Chimanimani.
The prospectors are operating completely
outside of the law since no mining
activity is permitted in reserves. Valoi
said that the fight against illegal
mining must involve close cooperation
between his institution, the
provincial directorate of tourism (since
reserves are a responsibility of
the Tourism Ministry), the police and the
district administration.
zimbabwejournalists.com
By Action for Southern Africa
THE blockbuster
The Last King of Scotland has taken UK cinemas by storm over
the last week
due to its enthralling plot and enigmatic star Forest Whitaker
as the tyrant
Idi Amin.
Set in 1970s Uganda, the realistic tale has brought to light a
very vivid
and troubling history of an African leader who went from being a
man of the
people to a vicious dictator. Although set in its own unique
historical,
political and social climate ; there are distinct similarities
to be drawn
between the past regime in Uganda and the current day crisis in
Zimbabwe.
The brutal repression of a nation ruled through fear by a
tyrant is still
with us today. Former Ugandan president Idi Amin's
characterisation in the
film is strongly paralleled to current Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe.
Amin started out as a popular public figure ; a
man of the people, so did
Mugabe. Power went to Amin's his head bringing
about violent tyranny over
their country, so has Mugabe. Amin destroyed any
opposition to his reign,
crippled the country's economy and used all
measures to stay in power with
violence, corruption and oppression of
civilians, so is Mugabe.
The parallels are scarily similar and they do
not stop there. It is reported
that Amin ordered the execution of up to
500,000 of his countrymen and drove
more than 80,000 Ugandan Asians into
exile. Robert Mugabe is currently
enforcing such a regime in his country.
There have been more than 15,000
cases of organised torture and violence
documented since 2001 with the
country having a worse weekly death rate than
Sudan at around 3,500.
While both white and black farmers are being
driven out, so that the
Zimbabwean president can offer their farms to his
friends and colleagues in
government. Any opposition to his government from
Trade Unionists, Media or
civil society organisations is met with arrests
and often brutal violence.
Recently 10 members of the Zimbabwe students
Union were arrested for no
reason, terrorised and later dumped in the
Matopos national reserve to fend
for themselves against lions and
leopards.
The situation documented in The Last King of Scotland is
mirrored in modern
day Zimbabwe, yet the crisis there shows no sign of
getting better any time
soon. The French government looks likely to
contravene EU sanctions against
Mugabe and his cronies by inviting him to
the Franco-EU Summit in Cannes in
February. This would send the message that
the French government is prepared
to overlook gross human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe.
The Last King of Scotland, along with the recently released
Blood Diamond,
is serving to highlight major problems that are everyday life
in these
African countries. 2007 is already shaping up to be a year of
cinematic
history and let us hope that a knock on effect can be seen in
campaigns
against gross human rights abuses in countries such as Zimbabwe.
In parts of
London, Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow campaigners have already
been standing
vigil outside cinemas distributing leaflets outlining the
parallels between
Mugabe and Amin for audiences of The Last King of
Scotland.
The head of campaigns at UK campaigning organisation ACTSA, who
work for
peace, democracy and development across the Southern Africa region,
Kathryn
Llewellyn said "I hope that people are inspired by these films to
act and
stop the dictators of today and to not just walk out of the cinema
thinking
how awful things are."
Reporters without Borders
Area: 390,760 sq. km.
Population:
13,010,000.
Languages: English, Shona, Ndebele.
Head of state: Robert
Mugabe.
The country headed since
1980 by the now octogenarian Robert Mugabe is one
of most vicious on the
continent in its treatment of journalists.
Surveillance, threats,
imprisonment, censorship blackmail, abuse of power
and denial of justice are
all brought to bear to keep firm control over the
news. Things have got so
bad that the Zimbabwean justice system, zealously
guarding its prerogatives
and tired of not being respected, has started to
disavow the government and
its agencies.
Keeping absolute control over the news, whatever the cost,
is an obvious
obsession of Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe. Ever since
2002, when the
government pushed through one of the most Kafkaesque press
laws on the
continent, closed down the leading daily in the country and
jammed
opposition radio, it has never let up pressure against the few
surviving
independent voices in the country. Thanks to the dreaded Media and
Information Commission (MIC), it was able to crackdown in 2006 on
privately-owned weeklies Zimbabwe Independent, Financial Gazette (FinGaz)
and the Voice of the People (VOP). The intelligence services made themselves
responsible for all other forms of injustice meted out to Zimbabwe's
journalists.
Relentless struggle
In line with its statutory
responsibility, the media regulation body, the
MIC, which tightly controls
the media for the government, every year sets
about re-examining newspaper
licences and accreditations for journalists.
Ready to use blackmail, from
the first week of January 2006, the MIC
suspended the publication licence of
FinGaz, unless it carried a denial of
an article which it published the
previous week about how the commission,
after deciding to award a licence to
the owner of the defunct Daily News,
finally gave way to pressure from the
intelligence services and reversed its
decision. Likewise, on 2 February,
the MIC finally renewed the accreditation
of journalists on the Zimbabwe
Independent, only after forcing the newspaper
to publish a correction of an
article which had appeared the previous week.
The major preoccupation of
the MIC, chaired for life by Tafataona Mahoso, an
old comrade of the head of
state, is clearly not the publication of the
truth or the protection of
journalists. His stance is common knowledge.
Besides, the Zimbabwean justice
system has recognised that the Commission is
incapable of judging certain
cases fairly. Accordingly, on 8 February the
Harare High Court, quashed an
MIC decision to refuse a licence to the
publishing house of the Daily News
and its supplement the Daily News on
Sunday, banned since 2003. The paper's
lawyers had gone to court, arguing
that the MIC chairman had refused to
withdraw in despite of a 2005 decision
by the Supreme Court which had ruled,
for the first time, that he was
biased. The High Court judge in Harare said
that the MIC decision had
effectively been biased, under the influence of
the intelligence services,
and that the Commission should consequently
review the licence application.
Boosted by these two legal decisions in its
favour, the newspaper's
publishing house on 28 March challenged the
information and publicity
minister Tichaona Jokonya, so as to force the
government to decide on
allowing publication, in the place of the
disqualified MIC. But the
Zimbabwean government used every means from legal
quibbles to law breaking
with impunity to delay making a decision. And, in
fact, no decision has yet
been made.
The MIC has therefore calmly
continued its surveillance and punishment of
discordant voices. Its weapons
of choice are: "calls for investigation" into
a particular journalist,
threats to revoke licences or accreditation and
denouncing journalists to
the police. Police raided one of the distribution
points in Harare of the
privately-owned daily The Zimbabwean on 3 October.
Police took away a copy
of the paper's import authorisation as well as
copies of the previous week's
paper. The paper, one of the country's last
independent dailies is published
in the UK and printed in South Africa, to
get round draconian legislation on
the private press, of which the MIC is
the tireless watchdog. The previous
week, the paper carried an article in
which military sources spoke out
against corruption within the Zimbabwean
police. A few days earlier, on 1st
October, Tafataona Mahoso called on the
information minister to investigate
the Zimbabwean Union of Journalists
(ZUJ), on the grounds that it was
fomenting an "anti-Zimbabwe lobby". He
claimed to be in possession of a
document drawn up by the ZUJ, asking for
funds from the Netherlands embassy
and from UNESCO. At the same time, Mahoso
also made an order for an
investigation of the ZUJ secretary in Mashonaland
West province, Nunurai
Jena, accused of working for US public radio Voice of
America (VOA), based
in Washington, without obtaining permission from the
MIC. On 28 September,
the Commission virulently attacked the Zimbabwean
branch of the press
freedom organisation the Media Institute of Southern
Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe),
which he said, was backing "regime change".
Resistance from the justice
system
But the Zimbabwean justice system is increasingly resisting the
abuse of
power by the government. On 25 September, the president of the
Harare court
decided to refuse the prosecution a third adjournment in the
trial of
privately-owned radio VOP. "This is turning into a circus", he
said, before
deciding to drop charges against the radio's ten defendants.
Board members
Arnold Tsunga, Millie Phiri, Isabella Matambanadzo, David
Masunda, Nhlanhla
Ngwenya, Lawrence Chibwe and John Masuku, had been
arrested in January 2006
for "possessing and using broadcast equipment
without permission". Radio
staffers Maria Nyanyiwa, Takunda Chigwanda and
Nyasha Bosha, were held for
four days in December 2005 after a police search
of the radio's offices in
the centre of the capital.
As a result,
when legal recourse will not answer, the Zimbabwean government
calls on the
army and in particular the powerful Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO).
Unable to have foreign-based staff arrested, from the
second half of June
the government ordered jamming of the VOA programme
Studio 7 beamed into
Zimbabwe. They are now blocked with a rattling sound,
identical to that
which has been jamming shortwave programmes since February
2005 on
privately-owned SW Radio Africa based in London and of
Amsterdam-based VOP,
since September 2005. According to information obtained
by Reporters Without
Borders this jamming has been made possible by the
presence in Harare of
Chinese experts invited to train their Zimbabwean
telecommunications and
radio-communications counterparts under an economic
and technical
cooperation agreement signed between the two
countries.
VOA
By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
01
February 2007
Lecturers and other staff at University of
Zimbabwe in Harare were poised to
join their colleagues in Bulawayo, Gweru
and Chinhoyi on strike Monday if
the government did not respond to their
salary demands by the close of
business on Friday.
Instructors and
other employees of institutions of higher learning in the
three provincial
cities went on strike earlier this week demanding pay
increases of
1,200%.
Zimbabwe State Universities Academic Staff Association President
Benjamin
Njekeya said state university employees struck after talks with the
government deadlocked.
Lecturers and staff at the National University
of Science and Technology in
Bulawayo, Gweru Midlands State University and
Chinhoyi University of
Technology, as well as the University of Zimbabwe,
have rejected the 300
percent salary hike which the government offered all
public employees at the
beginning of the year.
State Universities
Academic Staff Association Vice President James Mhlaule
told reporter Carole
Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that his
members are striking
because Harare has continued to dismiss their
grievances.
Zim Online
Friday 02 February
2007
By Pfudzai Chibgowa
HARARE - Zimbabwe opposition leader Arthur Mutambara says there is
need for
a legitimate government as a necessary precondition for the social
contract
enunciated by central bank governor, Gideon Gono as a panacea to
Zimbabwe's
economic meltdown.
Mutambara heads the smaller faction of the
splintered Movement for
Democratic Change party. Morgan Tsvangirai heads the
larger faction of the
party.
Reacting to measures announced by
Gono in a monetary policy statement
on Wednesday, Mutambara said this could
be achieved through a new
constitution and internationally supervised
elections.
He said: "A social contract depends on solid political
will, total
buy-in, inclusive ownership, acceptance of the problems, honesty
of
participants, and moral suasion.
"There must be a legitimate
government in power, not a regime that is
a product of disputed elections. A
regime that brutalises labour leaders,
civic society leaders, business
leaders, and political activists, has no
capacity to facilitate the
requisite discourse."
Mutambara questioned whether Gono's call for
social contract had the
blessing of all the factions in the governing ZANU
PF party that is bitterly
divided over President Robert Mugabe's
succession.
Even if the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor had the
backing of all
in ZANU PF and the government a social contract could succeed
if there was
external financial assistance, the MDC leader
said.
Mutambara scoffed at Gono's misplaced belief that ZANU PF
elites who
have benefited from the distortions resulting from a collapsing
economy,
would surrender their advantageous positions for the common
good.
"Given the nature of economic crisis our social contract will
not
succeed without external financial assistance. This help will not be
forthcoming, as long as we are a pariah state run by an illegitimate
regime," he said. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Friday 02 February 2007
By
Parker Khesani
PRETORIA - The South African government says it has waived
an instruction
that barred Zimbabwean asylum seekers and refugees from
seeking employment
in the country.
In a letter faxed to the Zimbabwe
Exiles Forum (ZEF) which was seen by
ZimOnline, the South African government
said it will no longer bar asylum
seekers and refugees to work in the
country.
"Please be informed that our department is committed to
upholding the
principles enshrined in Chapter 2 of our Constitution, of
amongst others is
to treat people equally," said the letter which was signed
by M E Macanda.
"Further after a number of consultations with various
stakeholders, the
department has decided to waive the above prohibition (on
the right to work
and study)," said the letter.
The ZEF last year
wrote to the Home Affairs department to express concerns
that Zimbabwean
refugees and asylum seekers were being discriminated against
under the
law.
Most of the permits were allegedly issued at Rosettenville Refugee
Reception
office in Johannesburg.
The ZEF said the restriction
appeared to only apply to Zimbabweans raising
suspicions that the department
was pursuing an "unconstitutional and
segregatory policy against Zimbabwean
asylum seekers."
Zimbabwean refugees and asylum seekers have often
complained of harassment
by South African authorities who accuse them of
stoking crime in their
country.
At least three million Zimbabweans, a
quarter of the country's 12 million
population, are living outside the
country the majority of them in South
Africa after fleeing hunger and
political persecution in their country. -
ZimOnline
VOA
By Patience Rusere
Washington
01 February
2007
The faction of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for
Democratic Change faction
led by Morgan Tsvangirai staged anti-government
protests in Bulawayo on
Thursday in one of the largest such protests seen to
date with about 3,000
people taking part.
Opposition supporters
marched through the streets from Bulawayo's market
district to the city
center, apparently catching police off guard as only
four arrests were
made.
Sources in Bulawayo said some marchers were students from
institutions of
higher learning such as United College of Education and
Hillside Teachers
College.
The protesters chanted songs against
President Robert Mugabe and carried
placards demanding his resignation for
the country's descent into an
economic abyss in which inflation is running
over 1,200% and unemployment is
estimated at more than 80%.
The
opposition has also been galvanized by the ruling ZANU-PF party's
proposal
to postpone the presidential election due in 2008 until 2010 under
a
"harmonization" of election schedules so it can be held at the same time
as
general elections. But the effect would be to extend President Mugabe's
term
by two years.
Domestic and Western critics of the Mugabe administration
say the country's
woes are attributable to the crash program of land
redistribution launched
in 2000, devastating the key agricultural sector.
But Mr. Mugabe blames the
sanctions imposed on him and his inner circle
since 2002 by the United
States and the European Union.
Bulawayo
correspondent Babongile Dlamini of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe
reported.
Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, the Tsvangirai faction's secretary for
integration,
healing and reconciliation, told reporter Patience Rusere that
the
opposition branch planned to expand the wave of protests to cities and
towns
throughout the country.
Please send any job opportunities for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG
Job Opportunities; jag@mango.zw or justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 18/01/2007)
LARGE SCALE FARM AVAILABLE LONG TERM
LEASE
January 2007
INVITATION
Welcome to individuals or companies
interested in taking up lease for
agricultural land.
LOCATION
2-½
hour drive; from Nairobi in the world famous Rift Valley, Lenginet is
a
30-minute drive from Nakuru, home of flamingoes and along the
tourist
circuit to lake Bogoria hot springs.
TOPOGRAPHY
One Hundred
and forty (140) acres, arable flat land, well suited for
floriculture,
horticulture or any other export oriental agriculture
activity, that may
require irrigation. The farm has a permanent river
frontage.
FARM
DEVELOPMENT
Located on the farm is a 5 bed roomed old English farmhouse
with 2 kitchens,
2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms and dining room. The house can
accommodate 2
families if need be. There is also an adjoining 2 bedroom, 1
living room
guesthouse.
There are 2 underground water reservoirs,
supplementing piped water to the
main house. There is a three-phase
electricity supply suited for both
domestic and industrial - heavy machinery
power supply.
There are 2 sites already mapped as potential underground
(bore hole) water
source. Other developments include barns, stores, carport
for 4 cars and
servants housing units.
The farm is immediately
available for occupation on long-term lease
contract, 10+ years, with the
option to renew.
Interested parties may contact either of the
undersigned.
DR. DAVID K.
CHEMIRMIR SUSAN
CHEMIRMIR
P.O. Box
14703,
6400 Independence Pkwy
Nairobi, Post Code
00800 #4701
Kenya
Plano, Texas
75023, USA
PHONE: +254 20 272 2046
Cell:
972-898-2493
Cell: + 254 722 715 417
schemirmir@hotmail.com
E MAIL: dchemirmir@hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 18/01/07)
Two positions to be filled. However we would require
that they would be
able to learn both fields, to enable back up for each
other:-
Post Title: Receptionist/Debtors
Controller
Responsibilities: Front Office Management, Receptionist,
Accounts
Queries, Dealing with Clients, Debtors, Invoicing, Receipting,
Handling
Cash, Banking, General Secretarial Duties, Debt
Collections
Post Title: Wages Clerk/Debtors
Assistant
Responsibilities: Wages for 65 employees, Debtors -
Entering
Invoices/Receipts, Vat Returns, NEC, NSSA etc Returns, handling
Petty Cash,
Cash Book Knowledge, Internet/Email.
Computer literacy in
Pastel Version 8 and Belina Payroll System. Previous
experience in these
fields would be advantageous. Only basic fields
covered, it entails various
other duties.
Personality Traits: Efficient, hard working, pleasant,
must be
self-motivated to be-able to perform duties without constant
supervision,
honest and trustworthy.
Dress Code:
Smart.
Salary: Salary / Package to be
discussed.
Please contact:
Multi-Link (Pvt) Ltd
P O Box HG
659
Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Tel. 737688, 705021, 708310. Fax
733844
e-mail: multilink@mweb.co.zw
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
A vacancy needs to be filled at
Peterhouse:
Estate Manager (January 2007)
Responsibilities
include;
Maintenance of sports fields, swimming pools and sporting
facilities
Overseeing water supply and borehole upkeep
Controlling lawn
mowers, tractors and equipment usage
Managing a forestry plantation and
estate gardens
Usage and maintenance of generators
Managing a small labour
force
Please send a detailed CV with 3 references and application
to:
The Rector, Peterhouse, P/Bag 3741, Marondera
Or fax to: 079 -
24200, or e-mail to: peterrec@mweb.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
Sales Agents/Representatives for our
company:
Company: Alfa P/L
Business: Calendars; diaries
and corporate gifts
Job Title: Sales Representative
Reporting
to: Branch Manager/Sales Co-Ordinator
Package: To be
discussed
Environment: Female
This post will be ideal for mature
responsible ladies with drivers licence
and own car. Previous selling
experience will be an advantage. Please
contact Anthea Reeler on 776772; 011
604 151, alternatively, please email CV
to alfahre@zol.co.zw
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
The following positions are immediately available
within our organisation.
Bookkeeper / Accountant
Qualifications not
absolutely necessary but experience vital as must be
competent, professional
and confidential.
Personal Assistant
Reporting to the General
Manager, a highly competent and professional PA is
required. Must have
computer experience in Word and Excel.
Vehicle Sales
Person
Responsible for all vehicle sales hence knowledge of vehicles and
good,
administrative skills required.
Workshop Manager
Responsible
for maintenance and running of company vehicles/transport and
construction
fleet. Must be able to manage general workshop requirements
and
staff.
Please forward C.V.s and contactable references to
email address :
auctions@yoafrica.com
For further
information please contact / refer to Glynis Wiley on :
751904/5/6 - 751498 -
751343
ABC Auctions
Hatfield House
Seke Road
Telephone 263 4
751904/906
Fax 263 4
751904/906
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
Position available at a leading Guest House in
Somerset West, Cape Province,
RSA for a young Zimbabwean male or female
kitchen breakfast chef.
Please respond directly to email address : info@ivoryheights.co.za with
all
relevant CV, reference, work experience
details.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
A VACANCY EXISTS FOR A COUPLE TO MANAGE A
CARAVAN
PARK AND SMALL HARBOUR AT LAKE CHIVERO, HARARE.
REQUIRED
SKILLS:
GENERAL MANAGEMENT CHORES WITH A LABOUR FORCE OF 9
WORKERS
MAINTENANCE OF SHOWERS, TOILETS, OUT HOUSES
MAINTAINING WATER AND
ELECTRICAL RETICULATION SYSTEMS ALREADY IN PLACE.
LIASING WITH CARAVANNERS
AND GUESTS
TAKING CARE OF THE PARK GARDENS.
OVERSEEING GENERAL HARBOUR
CLEARING AND MAINTENANCE
RUNNING A SMALL SHOP INCLUDING DAILY STOCK
CHECKS,
ORDERING SUPPLIES AND BANKING TAKINGS.
A HOUSE AND VEHICLE IS
PROVIDED WITH REASONALBLE RENUMERATION.
THIS POSITION WOULD SUIT A RETIRED
FARMING COUPLE WHO ARE NOT
AFRAID OF WORK. DRIVING LICENCE ESSENTIAL.
THE
PARK IS QUIET DURING THE WEEK.
THE SHOP OPENS ALL WEEK AND SERVICES MEMBERS,
STAFF AND NATIONAL PARK
EMPLOYEES.
CONTACT THE ADVERTISER WITH CV AT
nella@comone.co.zw
OR phone
04-305721/2 (work) or 091200030
(anytime)
----------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
MORNINGS ONLY PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE MD REQUIRED TO
COMMENCE IMMEDIATELY.
Mature and experienced person, capable of working
without supervision,
shorthand advantageous, reasonable computer literacy and
accurate typing
skills essential.
Please apply in writing to with a
copy of your CV, to :
General Manager,
P.O. Box
2432,
Harare.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT
REQUIRED
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 18/01/07)
I am a Diesel Mechanic with 12 years experience. I am
looking for a
position as a Workshop Manager /Fleet Manager or any position
in a related
industry. I have been running my own business in Mozambique for
the last two
years but wish to return home.
For further information
and CV please contact the following:-
Riaan Ferreira at mtemwa@zol.co.zw
Contactable on +258
823864815 until end of January
2007
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ad
inserted 25/01/07)
Mature Lady aged 32
Position sought
: credit control/debt collector
Experience : 10+
years
QualificationS : Bookkeeping and accounts, SAAA
(former
ZAAT) 2ND PART
Computer packages : sage 2000, Accpac,
chameleon, windows, excell
& powerpoint
For more information call
091745939
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
(updated 25 January 2007)