The ZIMBABWE Situation
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State agents turn screws on central bank
chief
Zim Online
Monday 15 January 2007
HARARE - The
state's spy Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) has accused
Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono of corruption and
pilfering state
resources in a dossier handed to Mugabe ahead of the ruling
ZANU PF party's
annual conference last month, sources told ZimOnline.
In yet another sign
of growing hostility within the ruling establishment
towards Gono - a
political lightweight who however wields much influence
because he has
Mugabe's ear - the CIO is said to have also castigated the
governor's
monetary policies for allegedly worsening Zimbabwe's economic
crisis.
Gono was appointed RBZ governor in 2003 and specifically
tasked by Mugabe to
tame Zimbabwe's runaway inflation, now above 1 200
percent, and reverse an
economic meltdown that has spawned shortages of
food, fuel, hard cash and
every other essential commodity.
But the
CIO alleges in the dossier that Gono on several occasions
sidestepped
government procurement procedures, purchasing goods worth
millions of
dollars in scarce hard cash without going to tender saying this
was
necessary for the urgent acquisition of "national and strategic" goods
when
in fact this was a pretext to steal money from the state.
"One example
cited in the document is the fertilizer import saga, where an
unknown South
African company was contracted to supply fertilizer to
Zimbabwe but sold us
an inferior product," said a source, who works for the
CIO and requested not
to be named.
Gono and Agriculture Minister Joseph Made were late last
year accused of
allegedly receiving kickbacks to award a US$50 million
contract to a South
African firm to supply 70 000 tonnes of fertilizer some
of which turned out
to be of inferior quality.
The two deny any wrong
doing in the fertilizer deal and insist that only a
small portion of the
South African fertilizer was found to be of a quality
unsuitable to
Zimbabwe's soils.
The spy agency also accused Gono of using state farming
equipment for
projects on his private Donnington farm near Norton town just
west of
Harare. The equipment Gono is alleged to have used on his farm
include
tractors and combine harvesters acquired by the state through the
RBZ and
meant to support farmers countrywide.
Gono, apparently
disliked by several senior officials in ZANU PF and the
government who feel
he has used his closeness to Mugabe to wield too much
authority, was not
immediately available for comment on the matter.
The RBZ chief has in the
past dismissed similar allegations of impropriety
on his part as smear
campaigns by his detractors in and outside the
government.
Mugabe's
spokesman George Charamba was not immediately available for comment
on the
matter. But our sources said Mugabe summoned Gono to his State House
residence days after his party's December 15 conference to explain the
charges contained in the CIO dossier.
"It appears the President was
not satisfied by his (Gono's) explanation
because further investigations are
underway," said another source, who is a
senior official at the
RBZ.
The CIO refused to take questions on the matter when contacted by
phone
saying that as a matter of policy it never discusses its work with the
Press.
State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, in charge of the CIO
professed no
knowledge of the dossier by the spy organ accusing Gono of
corruption.
"I don't know about that. In any case, I can't discuss
security matters with
you," he said before switching off his
phone.
Corruption is rife in Zimbabwe as desperation drives many both in
the public
and private sectors to illegal means to survive an economic
crisis that the
World Bank says is the worst in the world outside a war
zone.
Critics say an anti-corruption crackdown launched by Mugabe about
two years
ago has achieved little because it has been selective with those
close to
the centre of power being let off the hook. - ZimOnline
Striking doctors reject government salary
offer
Zim Online
Monday 15 January 2007
BULAWAYO -
Striking state doctors have rejected an offer by the government
to increase
their salaries by 300 percent, insisting they will not return to
work unless
salaries were hiked by more than 8 000 percent, ZimOnline has
learnt.
State hospitals that are the source of health services for
the majority of
Zimbabweans are barely functioning since intern doctors -
who run the
hospitals - went on strike three weeks to pressure the
government to
increase salaries from Z$70 000 to $5 million.
Senior
doctors, who had returned to public hospitals to fill-up for absent
interns,
later joined the work boycott in solidarity with their juniors,
while nurses
at some major state hospitals last week also went on strike to
press for
more pay, leaving only student nurses to take care of patients.
A
spokesman for striking doctors in the second largest city off Bulawayo,
Allan Mafukidze, told ZimOnline that negotiations with the government last
Friday collapsed because the $210 000 that the state was offering to pay
doctors was too little.
"We are saying this is far from the $5
million salary that we are demanding
and if things go on like this, then we
are not going back to work," said
Mafukidze.
Deputy Minister of
Health Edwin Muguti said while the government was working
to improve
salaries and working conditions for doctors and nurses it could
not afford
to pay the new salaries demanded by doctors.
He said: "The $5 million
salary that the doctors are demanding is too much
and the government cannot
afford that kind of money at the moment but we are
working at improving
conditions for both the doctors and the nurses."
It was not immediately
clear when next the government and doctors would meet
to resume salary
negotiations.
Patients have suffered the most because of the doctors and
nurses strike
with reports many were dying of diseases that could otherwise
be treated if
doctors were at work.
But the latest doctors' strike,
coming hardly two months after another
paralysing work boycott at Bulawayo's
Mpilo last November, only highlights
the rot in Zimbabwe's public health
delivery system that was once lauded as
one of the best in Africa but has
virtually crumbled due to years of
under-funding and
mismanagement.
An acute economic crisis now in its eighth year running
has only helped
worsen the situation with the Harare administration short of
hard cash to
import essential medicines and equipment, while the country has
suffered the
worst brain drain of doctors, nurses and other professionals
seeking better
opportunities abroad. - ZimOnline
Major sewage treatment plant breaks down
The Herald
By Michael
Padera
HARARE'S biggest sewage treatment plant has broken down, forcing
the
Zimbabwe National Water Authority to discharge half of the city's raw
sewage
into the Mukuvisi River.
Out of the 144
megalitres of raw sewage that flows daily into Firle plant
south of Glen
Norah, 72 megalitres are being discharged straight into
Mukuvisi River
untreated, posing a serious health hazard downstream.
Biological nutrient
removal plants, inlet works, primary settling tanks,
biofilters and effluent
pumps as well as clarifiers, digesters and boilers
at the plant are all
down.
During a tour of the Firle plant last Friday, the officer in charge
of the
plant, Mr Simon Muserere, told Zinwa board chairman Mr Willie
Muringani that
$20 billion was urgently needed to restore the plant and
avert a looming
health disaster downstream.
"We need $19,7 billion to
restore work here and if it was to be made
available today, the plant would
be operational by June.
"The effluent we are discharging into the river
is not of the best quality.
We are only capable of treating 72 megalitres
out of 144. The rest is
bypassing treatment and getting into Mukuvisi while
some of it is used to
irrigate grazing pastures," he said.
However,
the raw sewage does not meet the Public Health Effluent Regulations
of 1972
for use as irrigation for pastures, according to water experts.
Harare
City Council runs farms on which cattle are reared to strike a
balance in
the ecosystem.
Zinwa chief executive officer Engineer Albert Muyambo
expressed disgust at
the state of the plant, which he said, should be
repaired with speed.
"We should urgently do something about this. It is
unbelievable,'' he said.
The discharge of raw sewage into Mukuvisi is
equivalent to using the river
as a public toilet.
The Mukuvisi is a
tributary of the Manyame River, which flows into Lake
Chivero, Harare's main
source of water.
He said Harare had five other sewer plants and several
pump stations, which
are performing below capacity or discharging raw sewage
into rivers and
streams across the city.
The heavily polluted
Mukuvisi River is having downstream effects such as the
death of fish and
increasing the cost of treating domestic water.
Pollution levels in the
river would also be reduced and aquatic life saved,
if the $19,7 billion was
availed soon, Mr Muserere said.
The cost of treating polluted water with
imported chemicals is quite high
and Zinwa has no option but to pass it on
to the consumer.
The Firle treatment complex resembles an abandoned
institution in need of
massive rehabilitation. Idle plant and equipment is
gathering rust, a sign
of neglect going back several years.
The water
authority is now responsible for sewerage and water management in
the
capital, having taken over the functions from Harare City Council.
Mr
Muringani said Zinwa wants to improve the living standards of Harare
residents and would do everything to ensure that the sewer plant is
rehabilitated.
But he also urged households to play their part by
desisting from discarding
clothes, plates, spoons and other utensils into
the sewer system.
"Social engineering, that is responsible household
behaviour, would help
reduce the problems of clogged sewer systems," Mr
Muringani said.
He added that the water authority was doing everything in
its power to
improve service delivery.
"Service delivery should be at
optimal levels and we want to clear this
problem of sewage in
Harare.
"We cannot afford to have a situation whereby raw sewage flows
into our
rivers," he added.
A fully functional Firle sewage treatment
plant has many advantages for
Harare ratepayers. It means fewer chemicals
are used to treat domestic water
supplies which translates into lower water
tariffs.
Mugabe expected to share power in extended term
Reuters
Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:11 PM IST
By Cris Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) -
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's plan to extend his
tenure by two years to
2010 may in fact be the start of a "dignified exit"
for one of Africa's most
controversial leaders, ruling party sources said.
Plans under
consideration by Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF include splitting
executive powers
-- a move which could see the 82-year-old Mugabe emerge a
ceremonial
figurehead.
"There are several proposals under consideration, including
the introduction
of a prime minister in the government structure who will
assume some of the
executive authority currently being carried by the
president," said one
source who declined to be named.
An annual
ZANU-PF conference last month "noted and adopted" a motion
approving a plan
to move presidential polls from 2008 to 2010 to coincide
with parliamentary
elections.
The opposition has condemned the proposal, which would
effectively give
Mugabe two more years as president, as a step toward
dictatorship but looks
too weak to stop the process.
Although the
resolution must still be approved by ZANU-PF's policy-making
central
committee and by parliament, analysts say this will be a formality
as Mugabe
allies have control over both institutions.
But some senior party
officials say that while the move gives the appearance
of Mugabe
consolidating his hold, the transition could see the veteran
Zimbabwean
leader sharing power as a stepping stone towards retirement.
"Far from
being a consolidation, I think you are going to find a process of
devolution
of power, that some of the executive powers are going to be
shared and that
this is a gentle disengagement process by the president,"
the source
said.
Another official said: "Although the issue has not been finalised,
I think
we are going to see a system in which the president (Mugabe) is more
of a
ceremonial government leader, a kind of father figure, with the
day-to-day
running of the state falling into the hands of a prime
minister."
Others said that while the government could use the election
changes to give
Mugabe a "dignified exit" from power, Mugabe was likely to
remain head of
ZANU-PF until he has sorted out a bitter succession battle
gripping the
ruling party.
Mugabe's record of punishing ZANU-PF
officials who cross him has left party
members more reluctant than ever to
speak publicly about the party's
internal political
debates.
OPPOSITION ALARMED
The ruling party's lawyers are
drafting constitutional amendments which are
expected to be presented to
parliament by mid-year, but the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) says it will fight the plan.
Some critics say Mugabe is probably
hanging onto power because of fears he
could be dragged before an
international court on rights abuse charges if he
left office.
Mugabe
assumed power in 1980 as a prime minister but later became an
executive
president. ZANU-PF officials say he would still enjoy immunity
from
prosecution if he became a ceremonial state president.
The MDC says any
plans by the government that circumvented popular elections
would be
tantamount to a constitutional coup and should be resisted.
"We are
hearing about all kinds of proposals, but our position remains that
we can
still offer Mugabe a dignified exit through elections and that he can
retire
in 2008 instead of trying to hang on," said MDC spokesman Nelson
Chamisa.
Political commentators say prolonging Mugabe's stay in power
would hurt
Zimbabwe's chances of turning around an economy in recession for
eight
years, a crisis many blame on his policies.
Mugabe, who turns
83 next month, has ruled the southern African state since
independence from
Britain and in the process turned what was once southern
Africa's bread
basket into the region's worst basket case.
International donors --
including the World Bank and the IMF -- have frozen
aid to Zimbabwe in the
last few years over policy differences with Mugabe,
including his seizures
of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless
blacks.
Western
powers, including the United States and the EU, have also imposed
travel
sanctions on Mugabe and his ZANU-PF officials over vote-rigging and
rights
abuse charges.
School fees go up in Zimbabwe
IOL
January 14 2007
at 04:53PM
The Zimbabwe government, which has waged a fierce war
with private
schools over fee hikes, has increased fees at state
universities and
colleges by between 300 and 2 000 per cent, it was reported
Sunday.
A senior government official described the increases as
reasonable,
according to the official Sunday Mail newspaper.
But there will be fears some students, battling to survive in
Zimbabwe's
hyperinflationary environment, could be forced to abandon their
studies.
Hard-hit will be medical and veterinary students at
state
institutions, who will now be forced to pay 180 000 Zimbabwe dollars
(about
720 US dollars) per year, up from 44 000, the Sunday Mail
said.
Students at government-run industrial
training centres will be forced
to pay 42 000 Zimbabwe dollars per year, up
from 2 000.
"The need to increase fees arises from the essence of
maintaining
quality higher and tertiary education and global competitiveness
in terms of
Zimbabwean academic standards," said Washington Mbizvo, the
permanent
secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education.
"These
increases in tuition fees, as illustrated, are comparatively
reasonable to
allow as many of those who qualify to have access to higher
and tertiary
education," Mbizvo added as he announced the new fees on
Saturday.
As Zimbabwe's economic crisis worsens, President
Robert Mugabe's
government has been fighting an on-off battle with dozens of
private schools
over attempts to hike fees.
The authorities
have accused the schools of racism and trying to
exclude poorer black
students, although school boards deny this and say they
are only trying to
keep pace with inflation.
Both parties have taken the matter to the
courts.
At 1,281.1 per cent, Zimbabwe's inflation rate is the
highest in the
world. - Sapa-DPA
Many skilled Zimbabweans leaving for a better life
SABC
January
14, 2007, 17:00
Faced with a deepening economic and political crisis,
hundreds of skilled
Zimbabweans are leaving the country each week in search
of better living
conditions.
According to Eunice Chitamba, Zimbabwe's
minister of community development,
some 70% to 90% of university graduates
are working outside the country. She
says the heaviest losses were among
teachers, doctors, nurses, and
pharmacists.
According to figures from
the government's Central Statistics Office, some 2
600 highly skilled people
left Zimbabwe during the first half of last year.
Zimbabwe's construction
industry faces imminent collapse as professionals
stampede for jobs in South
Africa's booming construction sector - thanks to
the 2010 World
Cup.
Quantity surveyors, architects, engineers artisans have joined the
great
trek down south for jobs, as South Africa prepares for the 2010 World
Cup.
It could seriously affect the construction industry in
Zimbabwe.
Construction companies left in the lurch
Tendayi Chimuriwo,
the president of the Zimbabwe Construction Industry
Council (ZCIC), says:
"We will be left with no construction industry to talk
about here. Companies
will collapse because there will not be any manpower."
There are now calls
for government intervention to save the local industry.
At least, those in
construction have solutions.
"We need to be compensated by the companies
that are taking away
professionals in hard currency, so that we have enough
money to train
others," says Chimuriwo.
Its not just Zimbabwe that is
been hard hit by the brain drain, the whole
Southern African Development
Community (SADC) region as well. Though it
applauds South Africa for getting
the nod to host this world soccer
showcase, the construction industry is not
happy.
Gono denies buying luxurious Mercedes
Benz
zimbabwejournalists.com
By a Correspondent
HARARE - Zimbabwe's central
bank chief, Gideon Gono, has vehemently denied
last week's Press reports
linking him to the delivery of a top class
Mercedes Benz -- a Brabus E V12
Biturbo - which was said to have been
imported from Germany at a cost of
US$365 000.
Gono said he has not bought such a car nor has he taken
delivery of any
other such luxurious vehicle.
According the weekly
Standard newspaper the luxury car, said to be one of
the fastest in the
world with a top speed of 350.2km/h, was delivered the
previous Wednesday to
Gono's office allegedly resulting in Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ)
employees jostling to the basement of the 23-storey building
to catch a
glimpse of the vehicle.
But speaking on arrival from holiday yesterday
when contacted for comment on
the car Gono, who sounded well-rested said:
"The court of public opinion
shall have its say when I respond with facts
and not fiction, as respond I
shall, respond I must, respond I should and
respond I will to all the
accusations and the innuendos as reported in some
sections of the Press who
have already tried and condemned me on their
so-called evidence."
Gono said it was increasingly becoming common
practice within "some quarters
to take extra liberties on this Governor and
getting away with it. Facts
must be regarded as sacred in journalism. Mine
shall speak for themselves
when all is done and said".
The Standard
article resulted in a flurry of articles about the luxurious
car whose
whereabouts remain mysterious. Pictures were posted on the
internet but Gono
is adamant he has not ordered such a vehicle nor has he
taken delivery of
the said car. Sources here have linked stories on the car
to the on-going
succession issue within the ruling Zanu PF party.
"The muckracking and
throwing of mud to smear those thought to be in the
running continues
despite the fact their boss has since said there is no
vacancy for
presidency at the Zanu PF congress in December," a government
source told
zimbabwejournalists.com.
Gono said the Standard newspaper should be
prepared to prove such a car
existed and was indeed delivered to
him.
"You see, you cannot just go on the internet and start dreaming of
non
existent creatures, paint them up and tell the whole world that is
Governor
Gono's creature, no matter what motivation is driving you. We are
all going
through difficult times of varying degrees but we should not sink
so low to
make a day's living by peddling lies," he said.
Asked what
type of car he drove, the Governor said he was driving an S500 at
his
previous job at the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) before joining the
RBZ
in 2003. He said the least he could do was to be given and drive a
similar
car at the RBZ.
The cost of his specific car was around US$138 245 which
was paid in
September of 2005 plus Zd$23.2 million (re-valued), which was
paid in April
2006 when the car was delivered. The Zd$23.2 million was for
additional
costs relating to customs and duty surcharges, handling costs and
dealer
margins. A further local currency component was paid as top-up for
the
swapping of his S500 with an S600 which became available at the local
car
dealers at the time.
The figure contrasts sharply with the US$365
000 which the Standard
newspaper reported last week.
"All
documentation is available for verification and both myself and the RBZ
and
indeed Zimra and the nation at large will be interested to see and
verify
the documentation relating to the mysterious US$365 000 Brabus EV12
Biturbo
Mercedes Benz car purportedly imported and paid for and delivered to
the
Governor on the fateful Wednesday," said Gono. "The Reporter will need
to
assist us all to identify the whereabouts of this car as indications seem
to
suggest that no such car exists in Zimbabwe."
Investigations by
zimbabwejournalists.com revealed that the car is yet to
hit the African
roads. Efforts to get a comment from Daimler on whether they
have yet taken
orders from Africa on their latest beauty were fruitless last
night.
Press reports last week said the mysterious car apparently
made S600 cars
children's toys. "We will also ask ZIMRA, police, State
Security, ZIMOCO and
indeed the manufacturers themselves in Germany to
assist us identify who
ordered the said car, how it was paid for, when it
was delivered and where -
I'm sure both the Reporter and his Editor will be
helpful together with his
impeccable sources within and outside the
bank."
Asked what the colour of his car was, Gono said he was not
prepared to
divulge that for security reasons but said it was far from blue
or black as
presented in the media last week.
Meanwhile the Governor
said he remains undistracted in as far as crafting
his much-awaited Monetary
Policy is concerned.
"We have to make 2007 a better year," a visibly
rejuvenated Gono said
buoyantly. "Despite all the challenges facing us as a
country, we owe it to
ourselves and to future generations to craft and
implement strategies that
will get our economy back on its feet. It's not
ours alone and that
responsibility cannot be subcontracted to foreigners nor
left to one person,
one institution or ministry. We must all get involved
and commit energy to
getting it right. In 2007 we must."
He added:
"My immediate focus is on the national economy and how we can make
2007 a
better year all round. Personal and institutional preferences will
have to
give way to the national agenda. Compliments of the year to all your
readers."
Arms deal: Who got R1bn
in pay-offs?
From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 12 January
Evelyn Groenink, Sam Sole and Nic
Dawes
Johannesburg - Explosive new allegations of dirty money and
influence-buying
at the heart of South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal
have emerged from
a British investigation of BAE Systems, the defence
conglomerate that
secured a R30-billion South African order for Hawk jet
trainers and Gripen
fighters. The allegations are contained in a formal
application by the
United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for legal
assistance from South
African authorities. The SFO document, which has been
seen by the Mail &
Guardian, requests cooperation in pursuing the
investigation of more than
R1-billion in "commissions" paid by BAE on the
South African deal. The money
went to no fewer than eight entities in terms
of "consultancy agreements"
dating, in one case, as far back as 1992. The
request for mutual legal
assistance is dated June 26 last year, but the
South African response seems
to have been marked by bureaucratic delays and
buck passing, despite the
fact that the suspected bribes dwarf the amounts
featured in the Jacob Zuma
case.
The SFO document mentions as
beneficiaries of the suspected bribes, among
others, former defence minister
Joe Modise's adviser, Fana Hlongwane, and
FTNSA Consulting, a company whose
principal is, according to the SFO
document, former Anglovaal and First
National Bank (FNB) chairperson Basil
Hersov. BAE has always maintained that
it merely pays "normal" commissions
and not bribes. However, the SFO
document states: "The whole [commissions
paying] system is maintained in
such conditions of secrecy that there is a
legitimate suspicion concerning
the real purpose of the payments." The SFO
also notes that "the failure of
BAE to produce documentation believed to be
located in office locations in
Switzerland" adds to the suspicion that the
"underlying documents which
govern the payments cannot withstand scrutiny".
The SFO document
names a "highly secretive unit within BAE" called
Headquarters Marketing, or
HQ Marketing, "which coordinates all agreements
and contracts with agents".
It discloses the main front company used for the
commission transactions,
Red Diamond Trading, a mystery offshore entity
registered in the British
Virgin Islands. The document states that "between
2000 and 2005, South
African agents received over £70-million through Red
Diamond and over
£6-million and $4-million through HQ Marketing accounts".
It adds that
"hardly any funds were paid to bank accounts within South
Africa; the vast
majority of payments being made to offshore accounts".
Suspected
beneficiaries of the bribes mentioned in the document are:
Hlongwane
Consulting, incorporated in 1999 by Hlongwane, the then adviser to
Modise.
The SFO document states: "Documents disclosed by BAE have revealed
that
Hlongwane entered into a general consultancy agreement with BAE in 2002
on a
retainer of £1-million [R14-million] per annum. In 2005 there was an
agreement to pay $8-million [R55-million] as a settlement figure to
Hlongwane in relation to work done on the Gripen
project."
Brookland Management, led by a Swiss-based David Clark, who
has also
registered companies in South Africa. According to the SFO, Clark
entered
into a consultancy agreement with BAE in 1997 and with Red Diamond
in 1999
on the Hawk and Gripen projects. Brookland is suspected to have
received
about £8,5-million (R118-million) through Red
Diamond.
Huderfield Enterprises, incorporated in 1997 in the British
Virgin Islands.
The SFO has found that the man behind Huderfield was Richard
Charter, BAE's
main and most public agent in South Africa in the run-up to
the Hawk and
Gripen contracts. According to the document, Huderfield was
paid almost
£25-million (R350-million) between 1999 and 2005, including a
"final
settlement" of £5,5-million. Charter died in a canoeing accident on
the
Orange River in January 2004, so it is not clear who benefited from the
final settlement.
Osprey Aerospace, a South African company
founded and run by Charter as the
"overt" agent for British Aerospace in
South Africa. Says the SFO document:
"It is reasonably believed that Osprey
[was] the 'overt' agent but that
there is in existence a 'covert' agent,
possibly Huderfield." "Overt" Osprey
received, according to the document,
just less than £2-million (about
R27-million) from BAE between 2002 and
2005.
Kayswell Services, incorporated in 1994 and contracted as a BAE
consultant
for the Hawk contract in the same year, was paid more than
£37-million
(R517-million). The contact at Kayswell, according to the SFO,
is Jules
Pelissier, a long-standing business partner of Zimbabwean arms
dealer John
Bredenkamp, who was also an agent for BAE in Southern
Africa.
FTNSA Consulting, a company registered in the West Indies,
whose principal,
according to the SFO document, is Basil Hersov, former
chairperson of FNB
and member of President Thabo Mbeki's economic advisory
panel. Hersov, now
80, is described as a man "with considerable influence".
Agreements with him
"allow access to the very top", according to BAE
documents quoted by the
SFO.
According to the SFO document:
"Documentation disclosed by BAE has revealed
that . FTNSA was incorporated
in Nevis in the West Indies in April 1992, and
two months later entered into
a consultancy agreement with BAE in relation
to procurement of the Hawk
aircraft in South Africa." At the time, in 1992,
the South African
government was still led by the National Party, with FW de
Klerk as
president. Apparently, BAE expected that FTNSA/Hersov's influence
would
continue to allow "access to the very top" and help secure the desired
Hawk
contract after the elections and the installation of an African
National
Congress government in 1994. According to the SFO request, FTNSA
was paid,
like the others, after delivery of the contract, between 2000 and
2005. It
received a sum of £5,5-million (R77-million). The SFO has asked the
South
African authorities to compel Nedbank and FNB to produce banking
documentation on accounts belonging to Hlongwane, Osprey Aerospace and a
company called Measuring Instruments Technology (MIT), registered in
Pretoria in 1993.
It is not clear where MIT fits in. Though it
was an agent for certain BAE
components, the company says it had nothing to
do with the arms deal. MIT MD
Maurice McDowell said he was unaware of the
SFO request, but added:
"There'll be no problem; it's all open." In the
United Kingdom, the SFO is
investigating "principally" the affairs of BAE
itself and those of four
named individuals: group marketing director Michael
Peter Rouse, former
chairperson Sir Richard Harry Evans, BAE chief executive
Michael John Turner
and Julia Aldridge, the deputy head of the secretive HQ
Marketing unit. The
SFO says "there is reasonable cause to believe that all
the above-named
persons and company have committed offences of
corruption".
The BAE investigation flows from allegations of pay-offs
and sweeteners
being used to secure the massive al-Yamamah deal with Saudi
Arabia, first
concluded under the Conservative government but whose
additions and
extensions have been assiduously pursued by the government of
British Prime
Minister Tony Blair. The long-running Saudi investigation was
controversially halted by Blair in December last year as the Saudis
threatened to pull out of a huge new deal with BAE. Blair cited reasons of
"national security", and there were claims that the Saudis had threatened to
end intelligence sharing if the probe went ahead. However, it appears that
some of the same commission channels were used by BAE in other contracts,
notably in South Africa, the Czech Republic and Chile, and those
investigations continue. The South African response to the SFO request for
help appears to have been exceptionally ponderous. The original request was
sent in June, both to the Director General of Justice and Constitutional
Development, Menzi Simelane, and to the National Directorate of Public
Prosecutions, according to a follow-up fax sent via Interpol.
The
M&G understands that the Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development first asked for advice from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and
then contacted Scorpions investigators working on the Zuma case. They
responded that they had their hands full and asked if other investigators
could be appointed to handle the BAE matter. Apparently, other such
investigators were not found within the Scorpions. It was after this that
the police were approached. A fax from Interpol to the South African Police
Service, dated October 10 last year, attached a copy of the SFO request and
asked the police to appoint an investigating officer as well, but noted that
the request still needed Justice Department approval. The request remained
with the police's Office for Serious Economic Offences until, finally, the
matter was recently referred back to the National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA), which told the M&G this week: "We confirm receipt of a request
for
assistance and will assist within the framework of international
cooperation
in criminal matters."
Zimbabwe Vigil Diary - 13th January 2007
Lots of new people at the Vigil
and they immediately threw themselves into
our protest. They taught us
dance steps we hadn't seen before - including a
remarkable quick step when
our tarpaulin was torn by the fierce wind from
its anchoring trees. Perhaps
it's the Murambatsvina legacy: all Zimbabweans
seem to know how to control a
rampant sheet of plastic. It was great to
have new people with us as many
of our regular supporters were attending
other events, such as a young
people's project "Let them Fly" organised by
the Zimbabwe Women's Network-UK
and a meeting of MDC UK Executive.
Doubt from Hertfordshire led the
singing, supported, among others, by 10
people from Liverpool. How
encouraging that they made this long journey -
about the equivalent of
Bulawayo to Harare - to be with us to draw attention
to the suffering in
Zimbabwe. A new song was popular today "Bye-bye Mugabe".
The mere idea
cheered everyone up.
We interfaced with thousands of people coming past
the Embassy who had
attended a "Russian Winter Festival" which took over
Trafalgar Square. They
understood our demand for freedom. Many stopped to
look at our laminated
full page article "Zimbabwe, the land of the dying
children." from last week's
UK Sunday Times
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2534805,00.html).
They were
shocked to learn that Zimbabwe has been reduced to such an abysmal
state.
Other recent stories tell of women dying in childbirth because of
hospital
staff strikes and 3 illegal miners dying of exhaustion and
starvation after
being forced by police to work filling up trenches for six
days without
food.
We were happy to have Addley with us: her and
Julius's baby is due next
month and she looks wonderful. Great to have
Ancilla bringing another pot
and cooking stick to beat for Zimbabwe. You
can get quite a tune out of
these pots as people at home know: they all seem
to say Bye-bye Mugabe.
For this week's Vigil pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/
FOR
THE RECORD: 50 signed the register.
FOR YOUR DIARY: Monday, 15th January,
7.30 pm, Forum + MDC Central London
Branch Assembly. Upstairs at the
Theodore Bullfrog pub, 28 John Adam
Street, London WC2 (cross the Strand
from the Zimbabwe Embassy, go down a
passageway to John Adam Street, turn
right and you will see the pub).
Vigil Co-ordinator
The Vigil,
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place
every Saturday
from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of
human rights by
the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in
October 2002 will
continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair
elections are held
in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
Killer cop to face culpable homicide
charge
Zim Online
Monday 15 January
2007
BULAWAYO - Zimbabwean police have
finally decided to lay culpable homicide
charges against a senior police
officer accused of killing a 25-year old
Bulawayo man on New Year's
eve.
The police had initially refused to accept responsibility for the
murder of
Artwell Magagada insisting that the police officer who shot him,
identified
as Superintendent Milos Moyo, was off duty.
But in a
sudden turn of events at the weekend, the police summoned Moyo and
took him
to the scene of the crime to make indications on what transpired on
the day
of the shooting.
Sources within the police told ZimOnline at the weekend
that the police
wanted Moyo to be taken to court to face a charge of
culpable homicide.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed that the
police were taking
action against Moyo over the killing of
Magagada.
"We are currently carrying out investigations to establish what
really
transpired and once that is done then appropriate action would be
taken,"
said Bvudzijena.
Magagada was shot in the head as Moyo tried
to control revelers celebrating
New Year. He was buried at the West Acre
cemetery in Bulawayo last
Wednesday.
Several human rights groups in
Zimbabwe last week criticized the murder of
Magagada saying it showed that
the country was fast degenerating into a
"police state." -
ZimOnline
Degree of anger at roll of
dishonour
Scotland on Sunday
Sun 14 Jan 2007
Tyrant: Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe receives his honorary
degree from
Edinburgh University at the McEwan Hall in 1984.
Picture: Denis Straughan
ONE of Scotland's most prestigious universities is cracking down on the abuse
of honorary degrees amid growing concern over awards held by celebrities,
serving politicians, "serial" degree collectors, and unsavoury characters.
Edinburgh University is even planning to introduce unprecedented powers to
strip honorary degree holders of their titles, with Zimbabwean president Robert
Mugabe believed to be top of the target list.
Papers released by the university under Freedom of Information legislation
reveal that extensive discussions have taken place about how candidates are
selected and vetted, and about the type of people honoured.
In recent years, celebrities including Michael Douglas, Annie Lennox and
Billy Connolly have been honoured by Scottish universities. Last year, Midge Ure
received an honorary degree in music from Edinburgh.
Papers from Edinburgh's Honorary Degrees Committee, marked "strictly
confidential", show that "the question of removing honorary degrees from
individuals would be considered as soon as possible".
If new powers are introduced, Mugabe is almost certain to be stripped of his
honorary degree, which was awarded in 1984 amid euphoria over his country's
transition to independence. Subsequent, widespread human rights abuses in the
country led to protests at the university that Mugabe should lose his award.
Other moves to be examined include:
• Stopping the award of degrees to people who have already collected large
numbers of awards.
• Banning serving politicians from receiving awards. Chancellor Gordon Brown
received a degree from Edinburgh in 2004.
• Giving serious consideration to whether degrees should be awarded to
nominees from countries with poor human rights records.
• Greater scrutiny at the nomination stage between the degree committee and
the university senate which rubber stamps awards. The papers reveal that two
nominations were recently withdrawn amid "unwelcome publicity".
One senior source at the university said: "This process to allow honorary
degrees to be removed has already started and it is a good thing. It's a very
positive development. I just wish there was something said against awarding
degrees to celebrities."
Eric Williamson, professor of education at Glasgow University, said: "They
are certainly going down the right road. If Edinburgh is becoming more
circumspect then it is a good thing. Let's hope more follow."
Green MSP Robin Harper, formerly Edinburgh's Rector, said: "This move is
excellent news. I do think that honorary degrees are devalued when their
recipients then go away and then behave in a way that would never allow them to
have an honorary degree in a million years.
"I hope Mr Mugabe will be the first person to be deprived of his award for
becoming an anti-democratic tyrant and no longer be able to flaunt his degree.
The episode has been embarrassing for the university which gave the award in
good faith and which, rightly, celebrates its connections with Africa."
Mugabe was described as "one of the great figures of modern Africa" when he
received the degree of doctor honoris causa in 1984, in recognition of
educational programmes he instigated in the country.
Five years ago Edinburgh granted a degree to Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al
Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, one of the United Arab Emirates, a country whose
human rights were recently described by the US State Department as being
"problematic", with no free elections and restrictions on religious freedom.
The papers also reveal some of the behind-the-scenes deliberations as
Edinburgh academics discuss to whom they should award honorary degrees,
including efforts to get more women and ethnic minorities.
David McCrone, professor of sociology, wrote in an e-mail to the principal,
Tim O'Shea: "I've taken some soundings about the possibility of adding a
(preferably female and non-white) nomination."
In another exchange, the principal attempted to head off objections to an
award for Olympic medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy. One e-mail, whose author's
name was blacked out, said: "I am not so sure about this one. I accept that his
achievement is great for Edinburgh and Scottish sport. But I think I would like
to see a bit more for the University before granting an honorary degree."
O'Shea advised to a colleague involved in the nomination: "You might let
[name blacked out] and any other colleagues with similar reservations know that
Chris Hoy supported a lengthy all-evening alumni event in Athens just two days
after he won his gold medal despite tremendous pressures on him to participate
in other publicity and promotional events and to join various other celebrations
that evening."
The minutes have emerged in the wake of concern about the "dumbing-down" of
honorary degrees, with several awards being granted to celebrities. Edinburgh's
2007 honorary degree list, which Scotland on Sunday has obtained, is relatively
showbiz-free, with the only celebrity on the list being Monty Python star
Michael Palin.
In terms of honorary degree "hogs", broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has 19
such awards, and the veteran American comic Bob Hope picked up 58. Their awards
pale in comparison with King Bhumiphol of Thailand who has 136.
An Edinburgh University spokeswoman said: "The University of Edinburgh
continually reviews its policies and procedures in a wide variety of areas and
the rules by which honorary degrees are awarded as part of the process."
In 1996 an American college awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Amphibious
Letters to the muppet Kermit the Frog.
From Python to politics: Edinburgh's new nominations revealed
Edinburgh University's list of nominations for honorary degrees in 2007 has
been obtained by Scotland on Sunday months before it was due to made public.
The list of the great and good includes comedian and writer Michael Palin, of
Monty Python fame.
Palin was nominated by the university's students, who will known him as much
for his writing and his travel programmes as for the comedy shows which he
recorded before many of them were born.
The university released details of its list for 2007 among papers issued in
response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Lists of honorary
degree recipients are normally published in the immediate run-up to the
graduation ceremonies.
In addition to Palin, two political heavyweights dominate the more serious
side of the nominations. They are George Reid, the presiding officer of the
Scottish Parliament and the Irish president, Mary McAleese.
Reid is seen as having worked to bring the costs of Holyrood under control
and to bring more openness to the workings of devolution in Scotland.
Edinburgh University also plans to honour the Scotland rugby player Tony
Stanger with a doctor of education, and the senior judge Lord Gill, the lord
justice clerk, with a doctor of laws.
Catherine Lockerbie, the director of the Edinburgh Book Festival since 2000
and former Edinburgh University graduate, will receive a doctor of
letters.
Directions: The Victoria
Falls hotel deluge
The Sunday Times, UK; January 14, 2007
CONTROVERSIAL plans to turn a swathe of protected
Victoria Falls riverfront
into a golf resort have been turned down - but the
Zambian government has
angered conservationists by approving a lesser scheme
to build two luxury
hotels on the same site.
Legacy Group Holdings,
of South Africa, which bought the 220ha site
for US$9m, confirmed last week
that it would shortly begin construction.
Thanks to the
economic meltdown in neighbouring Zimbabwe, Zambia has
picked up an
increasing share of visitors to the Victoria Falls, enjoying a
20% increase
in tourist arrivals over the past year, and the Zambian
president, Levy
Mwanawasa, is keen to attract foreign investment. But the
project dismayed
environmentalists, who argued that it straddled
elephant-migration routes,
and Unesco, which warned the plan could
jeopardise the World Heritage status
of Victoria Falls.
Locals, however, have welcomed the project. "We
want development,"
said Shadrick Mabote, a tribal representative. "We want
Legacy because we
have suffered too much with joblessness and
poverty."