http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
17 January
2012
A security guard who worked at the farm of the late General Solomon
Mujuru
stunned an inquest into his death on Monday by claiming he heard what
sounded like gunfire, two hours before he was alerted to a fire that is said
to have killed Mujuru.
The 67 year old army general, regarded as one
of the key political power
brokers in ZANU PF, died in Beatrice, 35 km south
of Harare, after his house
caught fire at night and the roof collapsed on
him. His body was found burnt
beyond recognition.
Talking about the
night Mujuru returned to the farm the guard, Clemence
Runhare, said: “I
opened the gate, I saw that he was in the company of a
male person. I didn’t
look closer to try and identify who this person was.
In fact that morning we
had received information that his driver had gone to
Harare and I assumed he
was the one.”
When Runhare was asked if he had spoken to the passenger,
he said: “I could
not quiz the general over who the person was. After 12
midnight, I heard
noise which sounded like the explosion of bullets coming
from the direction
of the Mujuru residence.”
There was more drama on
Tuesday when the elder brother of Solomon Mujuru
publicly berated the ZANU
PF controlled Herald newspaper, for what he said
was their biased coverage
of the ongoing inquest into his brother’s death.
According to SW Radio
Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa, Joel Tazviwinga
Mujuru stood outside
the Harare Magistrates Court holding up copies of the
Herald and the
privately owned NewsDay and Daily News newspapers. An angry
Joel told
journalists gathered outside exactly what he thought of the
coverage.
Joel said he felt the Herald tried to suppress the
testimony given by
Runhare about gun shots and he slated their coverage.
While holding up the
front pages of the papers Joel praised both the Daily
News and NewsDay for
the way they had approached the
story.
The Herald had given prominence to forensic evidence that
said, “no trace of
explosives or inflammable liquids had been
found.”
On Tuesday a policeman stationed at the Mujuru farm, Obert Mark,
admitted
that on the night the general died he was sleeping on duty. Vice
President
Joice Mujuru issued a statement later complaining about someone
discharging
their duties in this manner.
More complaints were to come
from the Mujuru family lawyer, Thakor Kewada.
He told journalists that he
had not been furnished with all the statements
from the witnesses lined up
to testify.
“I got a copy of a subpoena with three witnesses, yet I know
there are over
22 witnesses. All I was to do was sit and listen and take
notes, totally
unprepared. It put me into the boxing ring with my hands tied
behind my
back,” Kewada said.
SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon
Muchemwa said that it appeared the
inquest was being run by inexperienced
people who were clearly overwhelmed
by the task. He added that there also
appeared to be a large number of state
security agents at the inquest trying
to deny, control or influence
participation.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, January 17, 2011 - The
lawyer representing the Mujuru family in the
inquest of the late army
General Solomon Mujuru on Tuesday accused police
officers guarding the
farmhouse where the first Zimbabwean army commander at
independence died in
a mysterious fire of "negligence."
Thakor Kewada of Scanlen and Holders legal
firm, the lawyer for the Mujurus
told the court at the continuation of the
inquest Tuesday that the three
police officers on duty at the Ruzambo or
Allaimaine farm in Beatrice when
General Mujuru died were to blame because
they failed to notice that there
was fire in the farmhouse were the former
amry commander was sleeping.
"I put it to you that you and your
colleagues were negligent in your
duties.I further put it to you that if you
had correctly done your duties
you could have put out the fire before it got
worse," Kewada said in court.
"The reason (you did not put out the fire
early) was that you and your
colleagues were fast asleep in the guard room
instead of patrolling. You
only rushed to the scene after your colleague
screamed that there is a
fire."
Constable Obert Mark who testified
Tuesday said the police communication
radio they had at that time was
defective adding that their superiors were
aware of the problem.He further
said together with the other two officers
their mobile phones did not have
'airtime' or 'credit' to react swiftly to
the fire.
Mark said it took
sometime for them to know the bedroom that was used by
Mujuru and by the
time they identified the room, the bedroom was already
burnt
out.
"Our superiors were very much cognisant of the fact that the radio
was not
working,"Mark said. "When we were posted it was never indicated to
us which
bedroom, the deceased used and we were also not allowed to get into
the
house."
Another constable who testified, Augustinos Chinyoka told
the court that the
fire brigade arrived at 5 am on August 16, 2011 at
Allamaine farm without
water to put out the fire.
Chinyoka said: "The
fire brigade arrived at 5 am.They did not have water. I
made enquiries with
them and I was equally surprised that they did not bring
water to the
scene."
Vice President Joice Mujuru who sat in the inquest hearing asked
two
questions to constable Mark who was being cross examined and told the
magistrate that she was not provided with statements of the witnesses who
were testifying.
"I am the wife of the late General. First I was not
given the time to see
the statements from these young men (police
officers)," Mujuru said.
"I am one of the people schooled in security
matters. First before one is
posted to a certain point they are addressed of
the significance of that
particular point and one would ask for how long has
these policemen were on
duty and at what time were they supposed to be
rotated or changed,"Mujuru
asked.
One of the private security guards
manning the outer entrance of the three
gates Clemence Runhare on Monday
told the court that General Mujuru arrived
at Allaimaine farm with an
unidentified man but constable Mark and Chinyoka
said Mujuru was alone.
Runhare stunned the court saying he heard two gun
shots two hours before he
was called to help put out the fire.
Mujuru inquest continues Wednesday
as more witnesses are expected to give
their testimony.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
17 January 2012
Last updated at 18:47 GMT
An inquest into Zimbabwean ex-military chief Solomon
Mujuru's death has been
told an on-duty policeman was asleep when the fire
that killed him started.
After waking, the policeman said he was unable
get help as his phone had run
out of credit and his radio was
faulty.
The inquest also heard that when the fire-brigade arrived at the
farm, it
had no water to extinguish the blaze.
Gen Mujuru was one of
Zimbabwe's most senior politicians and married to
Vice-President Joice
Mujuru.
The BBC's Brian Hungwe in the capital, Harare, says his death in
the fire
has been the subject of much speculation and
controversy.
His charred remains were found in the farmhouse in Beatrice
about 80km (50
miles) south of Harare early in the morning of 16 August
2011.
'Shocking'
The police were supposed to provide round the clock
security at the
homestead on the 3,500-acre (1,416 hectares) farm, our
reporter says.
Mrs Mujuru, who was not at the farm when the fire took
place, said the
testimony of the policeman, Obert Mark, was "really
shocking".
Mr Mark said he was sleeping at a cottage near the farmhouse
when the fire
broke out - and was not on patrol as expected.
Gen
Mujuru was a highly influential figure in President Robert Mugabe's
Zanu-PF
party.
Under his nom de guerre, Rex Nhongo, he was the director of Mr
Mugabe's
forces during the 1970s war of independence.
At independence
in 1980 he took over the command of the army, before
retiring and going into
business 10 years later.
At the time of his death, he was believed to
have been pushing for
leadership renewal within Zanu-PF.
He was the
only person believed to have had the stature to challenge Mr
Mugabe during
party meetings, our correspondent says.
The inquest into his death is
expected to call more than 40 witnesses to
testify.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Tendai Kamhungira, Court Writer
Tuesday, 17
January 2012 13:00
HARARE - Circumstances surrounding the death of
retired army general Solomon
Mujuru took a new twist yesterday as fresh
evidence emerged in court that he
was in the company of an unidentified
person when he entered his Ruzambo
Farm in Beatrice on the fateful
day.
A driver, Enock Talapenzi also told the court how his wife called
Vice
President Joice Mujuru after midnight but the phone was not being
picked.
But it was the fresh detail presented by a member of a private
security
company that was manning Mujuru’s farm that brings more controversy
to
circumstances surrounding the late general’s death last
August.
The controversy deepened further when a police officer guarding
Mujuru’s
farm claimed that he did not see anyone in the company of the late
five-star
national hero as he made his way to his house.
This was
contrary to the evidence given by the security guard.
Clemence Runhare
told regional magistrate Walter Chikwanha, who was
presiding over the
high-profile court case, that he saw Mujuru in the
company of an unknown
person as he made his way to his house.
But Runhare’s claims were
rebuffed by police officer Augustinos Chinyoka who
was stationed a distance
from him, saying the late general was alone.
“Before I opened the gate, I
noticed that the deceased was in the company of
another male person. I did
not look closer to identify who the other person
was, since I assumed he was
the driver. I could not have asked him (Mujuru)
who the other person was,”
said Runhare.
On the other hand, Chinyoka said: “I took note of the fact
that he was alone
but, something like a suit was hanging on the back
seat.”
Mujuru died under mysterious circumstances in an inferno at his
Beatrice
farm, 60 kilometres south of Harare last August.
The
high-profile court case was attended by Vice President Joice Mujuru,
widow
to the late general and close relatives of the Mujuru family.
Security
was tight at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts as police officers kept
a close
eye on any movement, probably because of the presence of the vice
president.
Runhare further told the court that: “At around 1:35 and
1:40 am, I heard
some noise. The noise is akin to the explosion of bullets.
The noise was
from the direction of Mujuru’s residence.”
He however
changed his statement.
Runhare said that when he got to Mujuru’s house he
later assumed the sound
he heard was from burning and bursting of asbestos.
He further made a U-turn
on his assertions and told the court that the sound
might have been of gun
shots by poachers from the next farm.
The
matter was adjourned to today when the Mujuru family lawyer Thakor
Kewada
from Scanlen and Holderness Legal Practitioners will continue
cross-examining the sixth witness, Chinyoka.
“If you were in that
room in the farm house would you be able to break one
of the windows to
escape in the event of a fire?” asked Kewada to which
Chinyoka responded by
saying he would have been able to break and make his
exit.
Another
witness who testified included the late general’s personal driver,
Talapenzi, who confirmed last seeing Mujuru during the afternoon of August
15.
A bar lady at Beatrice Motel, Portia Kamvura, also testified and
confirmed
seeing Mujuru on the day. Her evidence was corroborated by
Blessing
Madzivire, a farmer in the Beatrice area and Tongai Chimuka, a
Mujuru family
friend, who were also drinking beer with the late general at
the motel.
They concurred in court that the late general was not drunk on
the day.
“Upon arrival he ordered two tots of John Walker Black Label
whiskey blended
with soda water. He ordered two more tots and said he didn’t
intend to take
much beer since he had a journey the following
day.
During the time that he talked of the journey I overheard him saying
he was
passing through Beitbridge. At around 7pm he bade farewell and then I
accompanied him together with Madzivire and Douglas Nyakungu to his
vehicle,” said Kamvura.
Prosecutors Sharon Fero and Clemence
Chimbari from the Attorney General’s
office produced 25 photographs
depicting the scene of the fire and five
photographs of the post mortem
results carried on Mujuru.
A sketch plan of the floor of Ruzambo farm
house, homestead and floor layout
of the burnt farm house, reports from the
Fire Brigade, Zesa, police and
three forensic reports from South Africa were
also produced as exhibits.
The state told the court that forensic experts
had taken skin samples from
the late general’s body and that of his daughter
Kumbirai to verify whether
it was indeed the late Mujuru who had died in the
inferno.
Speaking to journalists after the adjournment of the case, vice
president
Mujuru said she was satisfied with progress made so
far.
She said she hoped that the inquest would unlock facts on what
actually
transpired when her husband met his death.
“It was a good
beginning. It was a good start but in between the period of
inquest I was
called by his Excellency (Mugabe) since I am at work and then
I came back
later so some of the witnesses had already finished giving their
evidence,”
said Mujuru.
According to the state, the late retired general left his
Chisipite home
driving an Isuzu KB 250 double cab on August 15 last
year.
He allegedly arrived at Beatrice Motel at 5:30pm where he drank
four tots of
John Walker Black Label; whiskey diluted with soda water,
before proceeding
to his farm at 8pm, whereupon arrival Runhare opened the
gate for him.
Three police officers namely, Constable Chinyoka, Obert
Mark and Lazarus
Handikatari were manning the inner gate leading to the
general’s yard.
Five minutes later the court heard he drove towards the
eastern gate going
to maid Rosemary Short’s cottage, where he intended to
collect keys to the
farm house.
The three later discovered that the
general’s house was on fire at 2am.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
By Staff Repoter 4 hours 7 minutes
ago
ZIMBABWE’s Vice President Joice Mujuru on Tuesday complained
that she was
never given access to a report on police investigations into
the death of
her husband in a farmhouse fire in August last
year.
Cross-examining witnesses on the second day of the inquest into the
death of
the country’s first army commander, retired general Solomon Mujuru,
the VP
said she had been kept in the dark about the probe.
Gen Mujuru
died after fire gutted his farmhouse just outside Harare and his
wife, also
a veteran of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle, said she suspected
foul
play.
Results of the police investigations have not been made public but
forensic
experts have ruled out explosives as the cause of the fire.
An
electrical fault was also ruled out.
“Firstly I was not given a chance to
see the statements made by the
witnesses to the police so that if possible I
could assist them,” Ms Mujuru
said.
“I was never accorded a chance to see
the relevant documents.”
She was cross-examining three policemen who were
guarding the farmhouse on
the day her husband
died.
Divisions
The influential politician also raised questions
about the calibre of police
officers deployed to provide security to her
husband.
When the inquest opened on Monday, the VP told journalists that
she hoped
the it would reveal what happened to her husband.
There
were reports that Gen Mujuru led a faction in Zanu-PF that was
battling for
the control of the party after veteran President Robert Mugabe’s
departure.
A security guard posted at the late general’s house told
the court that he
heard what sounded like gunfire two hours before he was
alerted to the fire.
Clement Runhare said he thought poachers nearby were
responsible until he
was called to the late Gen Mujuru’s farmhouse whose
roof had already
collapsed.
The guard also told the court that the
former army boss drove through the
entrance gate to the farm with a
passenger he could not identify.
But no other human remains were found at
the house and police reports said
he was alone.
The guard said police
guarding the property about 30 kilometres from Harare
had no phones and
their communication radio was not working.
At least 20 witnesses have
been summoned to testify at the week-long hearing
that could bring to the
fore serious divisions in President Mugabe’s party.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
16/01/2012 00:00:00
by
Agencies
FORENSIC investigations have found no evidence that
explosives or
inflammable liquids were used in the house-fire death of
former army chief,
Retired General Solomon Mujuru, state attorneys said
Monday.
Mujuru, the husband of Vice President Joice Mujuru, was burned
beyond
recognition in a bedroom fire at his farmhouse outside Harare in
August last
year. And, for the first time at a state funeral, the general’s
coffin was
sealed and mourners could not participate in the traditional
viewing of the
remains.
Police have already finished their
investigation, but then took the rare
step of requesting a court inquest
into his death after some, including his
wife, queried how he could have
failed to escape through the farmhouse's
low-level windows.
Opening
the inquest in Harare, state attorney Clemence Chimbari said DNA
tests had
proved the remains were Mujuru’s. Other samples from the scene
were tested
by forensic experts in South Africa.
Joice Mujuru and two of her
daughters attended the hearing. She has also
hired private attorneys to
question witnesses called by the state and to
examine forensic
reports.
Mujuru’s death intensified infighting in Zanu PF, where the
general was a
powerful figure who used his military, political and business
connections to
back his wife’s fight to succeed President Robert
Mugabe.
Soon after Mujuru’s death at age 66, Joice Mujuru told mourners
she could
not understand why the former army commander and veteran guerrilla
leader
did not escape from the fire which left parts of the house and some
furniture intact.
The farmhouse of brick and stone has a
fire-resistant roof and large windows
and exit doors.
Chimbari said
the state power utility will testify that an electrical fault
did not cause
the fire.
First reports said a candle may have tilted over accidentally
during a power
outage, a common event in Zimbabwe.
But the intensity
of the blaze that virtually cremated the general’s body
led to accusations
that gasoline, chemicals or explosive devices may have
been used.
A
security guard at the property, Clement Runhare, said Monday he heard what
sounded like gunfire two hours before he was alerted that a fire had broken
out. He said he thought poachers nearby were responsible.
He said the
general drove through the entrance gate to the farm with a
passenger in his
car who he could not identify.
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No other human
remains were found after farm workers and neighbors converged
on the house
to try and put out the flames.
He said a police protection detail did not
have mobile phones to call the
fire department and their police radio was
broken.
On his way home to the farm 60 kilometers southwest of Harare on
August 15,
Mujuru stopped at a local hotel bar and drank at least two double
whiskies,
hotel patron Tongai Chimuka told presiding magistrate Walter
Chikwanha.
Widely known as a heavy drinker, the general was “in a jovial mood
and was
not drunk,” Chimuka said.
"He was not drunk," barmaid Portia
Kamvura added. "He left around 7:00 pm
saying he did not want to drink much
as he had a journey to make the
following morning."
Fellow Beatrice
farmer, Blessing Madzivire said there had been a power
outage on the day
Mujuru died, and that the general was sober when Madzivire
last saw
him.
More than 40 witnesses have been summoned to testify at the hearing
expected
to last at least a week and rule later on whether Mujuru’s death
was
accidental.
Family lawyer Thakor Kewada complained that
prosecutors had withheld
witnesses' affidavits from him and that he had
learnt about some of the
evidence during the court enquiry.
"We are
not fighting the prosecution and hopefully they are not fighting us.
It's
important to the honourable vice president to know what happened to the
late
general as well as the family to know what happened," he said.
Mujuru,
also known by his war name Rex Nhongo, was widely seen as a
kingmaker in
Zanu PF and was respected across Zimbabwe's political divide.
The general's
brother Joel Mujuru said last year that he believed the death
was a
murder.
Mujuru also had major business interests, including diamond
mining. He
remained an influential member of the ruling Zanu PF, in a
context of
rivalries and tensions after the violent and inconclusive
presidential
elections in 2008.
Hailed as a national hero, Mujuru
used his influence among freedom fighters
to persuade his peers to accept
Mugabe as their leader in 1976, according to
his colleagues from the
liberation struggle.
He was seen as the only one in the current crop of
politicians who could
speak his mind and criticise Mugabe to his face.
He
was linked to the "softer" faction of the Zanu PF party, headed by his
wife.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
17 January
2012
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is unlikely to raise the ongoing
Zimbabwe political stalemate at the United Nations (UN), despite holding the
Presidency of the UN Security Council this month.
This is according
to a senior analyst who said on Tuesday that Zuma will
continue to use his
powers with the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) to drive any
Zimbabwean change.
South Africa took over the rotating UN Security
Council Presidency position
from Russia this month and will hold the seat
until the end of January.
During this time, President Zuma will be chairing
Council sessions, and
observers have argued that this is an excellent
opportunity to raise the
ongoing Zimbabwe crisis before the
UN.
Zuma’s position has never been so strong. Not only does he have the
month
long UN Security Council post, but South Africa is also chairing the
SADC
Troika of political, defence and security.
But according to Dr
Cheryl Hendricks from the South African based Institute
for Security Studies
(ISS), Zuma will not risk rocking the boat at the UN
Security Council, where
South Africa is still hoping to gain a permanent
seat. She also explained
that Zimbabwe is not on the agenda of any of the
upcoming Council sessions
which Zuma will be chairing.
“It is not to Zuma’s advantage to bring
Zimbabwe up. First of all it’s
contradictory, because the last time Zimbabwe
was raised, South Africa
vetoed any action by the UN,” Hendricks told SW
Radio Africa.
She continued by saying that Zuma will also want to keep as
many friends on
his side as possible, if he hopes to get South Africa the
permanent seat
that they country has been pushing for.
“South Africa
won’t get this seat without support from other African
nations, so I believe
he will be cautious,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks said that Zuma will
instead continue to use SADC as the vehicle to
drive change in Zimbabwe,
calling this year “crucial for both Zimbabwe and
SADC.”
“I believe
the answer lies with SADC and holding ZANU PF accountable to the
Global
Political Agreement (GPA),” Hendricks said, adding: “This will be
SADC’s
focus this year.”
Meanwhile the pressure continues to pile on Zuma to
once and for all solve
the ongoing political stalemate, with worldwide
protests being organised
outside South African embassies set to take place
this weekend.
The protests have been organised by the MDC led by Morgan
Tsvangirai and are
specifically targeting South Africa as the SADC mediator
in the political
crisis. According to Tonderai Samanyanga, the Chairman of
the MDC UK and
Ireland External Assembly, South Africa must be pressured
into honouring its
commitments to Zimbabwe.
“South Africa insisted
that there needs to be an African solution to this
African problem, so now
they need to make good on this commitment. That is
why we are pressuring
them,” Samanyanga told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday.
The Free Zimbabwe
Global Protest are getting underway around the world this
weekend, starting
in South Africa outside the Union Buildings on Friday.
More information can
be found on
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/281363895255674/
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
17 January 2012
The MDC-T’s deputy Minister of Justice, Obert
Gutu, on Tuesday blasted the
police for using ‘shock and awe’ tactics to try
and cripple the activities
of the party’s youth assembly.
‘The
strategy now is to target the youths, who form a critical organ of the
party. The youth assembly is the vanguard of the party, all the vibrancy and
dynamism in the MDC comes from the youth,’ Gutu said.
The deputy
minister bemoaned what he called a ‘ritual by the police to
arrest and
detain MDC members on flimsy charges. Nine MDC members, who were
arrested at
the party’s headquarters Harvest House last week, appeared in
court Tuesday
where their application for bail was denied.
Gutu said the nine were
charged with public violence and assaulting police
officers, during
skirmishes between police and vendors in central Harare
last week. They will
next appear in court on 26th January.
‘They are facing the usual
trumped-up charges. We know it’s a calculated and
deliberate attempt to
cripple the actions of the MDC youth assembly. They
just want to spread
shock and awe so that our youngsters don’t participate
in party activities.
But we all know they won’t succeed,’ Gutu said.
He gave an example of the
incarceration of Solomon Madzore, the MDC-T youth
assembly chairman, who was
arrested last year facing charges of taking part
in the March 2011 assault
and killing of a police officer in Glen View.
Madzore was picked up in
October, while seven others were picked up in the
weeks following Inspector
Petros Mutedza’s death.
‘You can tell the strategy is to hit from top
going down, to cow our members
not to stand up against ZANU PF,’ Gutu added.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Godfrey Mtimba
Tuesday, 17 January
2012 15:05
MASVINGO - Land wars between Zanu PF officials have turned
nasty in Masvingo
province, where an influential member Ardmore Hwarare
claims to have
received death threats from fellow senior
members.
Hwarare, a former Zanu PF Masvingo provincial political
commissar who still
works closely with the party’s top hierarchy in his role
as the president of
the Zimbabwe Sugar Cane Farmers Association, told the
Daily News yesterday
that so serious were the threats over farms that he had
been forced into
hiding.
The situation in Masvingo provides an
insight into how ownership of farms
grabbed from evicted white farmers is
now tearing Zanu PF apart as senior
officials seek control of lucrative
farms.
The Chiredzi-based politician named a senior official whom he said
had used
his influence to loot farms for his family members as being behind
the death
threats. The Daily News cannot name the senior official for legal
reasons.
Hwarare said he had since fled his farm homestead in Chiredzi
after aides of
the official came to him and threatened to kill him for
exposing the
looting.
“I received threats from an aide (name
supplied) who came to me recently and
told me that he had been instructed to
kill me. He said it was because of
the land issue,” said
Hwarare.
According to Hwarare, the top official was furious after he was
summoned by
vice president Joice Mujuru in late December to a meeting over
allegations
of fresh land grabs. The meeting was also attended by local
chiefs, Hwarare
claimed.
“He is accusing me of influencing chiefs to
report him to the vice
president. Local traditional leaders told the vice
president that they were
not beneficiaries of the land reform because he was
shunning them,” said
Hwarare.
The senior party official is accused of
grabbing a sugar cane farm last
month before looting another 1 300 hectares
for his son at the Hippo Valley
Estates, a move that angered other farmers
and local traditional leaders.
Hwarare said he was afraid of getting to
Chiredzi or be seen anyway in
Masvingo because of the threats.
“I am
living in fear and right now even my wife knows that I can die
anytime. This
guy is seriously after my life because of the sugar cane farms
and other
political issues. I have since informed senior party leaders and
relevant
authorities, like the police,” he said.
Governor Titus Maluleke, who is
in charge of land issues in the province,
refused to comment on the alleged
clashes.
“I am on leave. I won’t comment on any issue, right now. I know
nothing as I
am not in office. I will only respond to the press when my
leave is over,”
said Maluleke before terminating the call.
But
Hwarare said the threats were genuine, forcing him to stop appearing in
public places.
“This guy also accuses me of eyeing his seat and has
found an excuse to
eliminate me. So these days I am not appearing in public
because I do not
know where my life is going to be cut short,” he said.
http://www.radiovop.com/
GWANDA 17 January 2012 -
The land dispute involving the son of co-Minister
of Home Affairs , Kembo
Mohadi , and four villagers has spilled to the High
Court with the villagers
two of them former freedom fighters seeking an
order that they be allowed to
stay on the piece of land peacefully.
In an urgent chamber application,
Given Mbedzi, Soforia Ndou, Alifhei Nare
and Kumbirai Ncube want Campbell
Trevor Mohadi, his mother Tambudzani
Mohadi, Danisa Muleya and Samuel
Sibanda to remove all their property and
locks they have installed at
Mbedzi's plot Number 1 Lot 9 of Jopembe.
According to papers filed by
their lawyer , Mr Zibusiso Ncube of Phulu and
Ncube Legal Practitioners
Mbedzi who is now homeless since release from
remand prison says he now
fears for his life as the respondents and their
agents continue to threaten
him and his family.
Police officers in Beitbridge, they pray, should e
authorized, empowered and
directed to render all assistance necessary for
them to carry out the order.
Some time in 2003 Mbedzi was allocated a
piece of land under the A1
self-contained land reform programme.
"My
cattle, goats and sheep as well as crops are all unattended as I have
been
barred from my premises. I planted crops on area of approximately two
hectares and I stand to suffer great prejudice both potential and actual as
my crops may whither if uncultivated. Further , my property is strewn all
over and exposed to bad weather elements as well as unruly elements in
society who may take advantage of the situation," he adds.
The
applicants are now facing criminal charges of malicious damage of
property
after they allegedly damaged a door belonging to Campbell Junior.
The
four are part of the eight villagers staying on a farm in Beitbridge
west,
who have a long standing dispute with Minister Mohadi over some plots
adjacent to his farm.
Two offer letters were issued to both parties
for the same plot with the
Ministers son issued with a letter in 2009, six
years after Mbedzi had been
issued with his in 2003.
Mbedzi had
reportedly forsaken the piece of land.
The urgent chamber application is
now before a judge who will decide whether
to hear the parties or grant the
provisional order being sought.
http://www.radiovop.com
Bulawayo, January 17, 2012- Bulawayo residents face
another round of water
shortages as the local authority is going to
decommission one of its five
supply dams, Umzingwane, next month due to low
water levels.
Two more dams, Upper Ncema and Inyankuni will be
decommissioned in the
coming months unless significant rain is received
urgently as they are less
than 30% full - at 17% and 21.3% full
respectively.
“Umzingwane Dam is currently at 12.03% and being the one
with the lowest
inflow, it is most likely to be decommissioned in mid
February if there are
no significant inflows,” according to latest Bulawayo
City Council report on
the water situation in the city.
If the three
dams are decommissioned, Bulawayo whose population continues to
increase
will be left with Lower Ncema and Insiza which are presently at 56%
and
87.2% full respectively.
Bulawayo has faced perennial water problems
since independence during which
both residents and the city fathers have
pinned their hopes on an ambitious
project to draw water from the Zambezi
River.
The Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, a long held plan to tap
water from
the Zambezi River through the construction of a 450km pipeline to
arid
Matabeleland, was mooted way back in 1912.
Costs have since
ballooned to about US$600 million, way beyond what the
cash-strapped
Zimbabwe government can afford.
At one time in a bid to alleviate water
shortages government planned to pump
water from the heavily polluted Khami
dam that was decommissioned in 1998
because of high levels of sewage and
industrial waste to the city.
The move was however resisted by residents,
health experts and the local
authority.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Everson Mushava, Staff Writer
Tuesday, 17 January
2012 11:39
HARARE - Anglican church faction leader Chad Gandiya has
written to Police
Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri over the continued
persecution of his
followers by security agents.
Gandiya’s letter to
Chihuri comes after the police blocked several joint
retreats by the
Gandiya-led group last month, forcing members of the church
group to make
last-minute arrangements to secure new venues for worship.
The recent
spate of police persecution of the Anglican Church led by Gandiya
has also
attracted criticism locally and internationally.
He deplored the actions
of the police and called upon President Robert
Mugabe to ensure that the
religious freedom of all Zimbabweans, Anglicans
included, are
respected.
In his letter dated December 27, 2011, Gandiya pleaded with
Chihuri to
intervene and put an end to the continued persecution of his
church members.
Gandiya said the laws of Zimbabwe allowed freedom of
worship to all its
citizens and he wondered why the Anglicans were being
persecuted.
“The Zimbabwean Constitution allows for freedom of religion.
Why are we
being harassed like this? Are we second class citizens in the
land of our
birth? Like any other citizen of this country we expect equal
protection by
the law enforcement agents of our Republic,” Gandiya
wrote.
Gandiya said, the security agents were being used for an “evil
purpose”
since there was no law in Zimbabwe that required a church gathering
to seek
a police clearance.
“The laws of the land do not require us
to seek police clearance to gather
for worship.
“We continue to ask
why the police and other security agents are being used
for this evil
purpose. This harassment must stop. I believe God’s message to
those
persecuting us is, “Let my people worship in peace!” Gandiya said.
Police
recently stopped a retreat of 80 Anglican clergy who had gathered in
Marondera for a church gathering
claiming that the prayer meeting was not
sanctioned by the police as
required by the Public Order and Security Act
(Posa).
Gandiya accuses the police of taking orders from ex-communicated
Anglican
Bishop, Nolbert Kunonga to persecute him and his church
members.
Kunonga was ex-communicated in 2007 but managed to secure a High
Court order
to take custody of church properties.
Since then, with
the aid of the police, Kunonga has disrupted church
gatherings organised by
the Gandiya faction on the church properties and in
places nearby. He even
ordered eviction of orphans and care givers at
orphanage homes owned by the
church.
The South African Bishop of Southwark, Reverend Christopher
Chessun, in
solidarity with the persecuted Anglican community in Zimbabwe,
encouraged
Anglicans “never give in to a cynical and sinister
government”.
“I call on our ecumenical friends and our partners in the
Anglican Communion
to ask their governments to put pressure on Zimbabwe to
end this
persecution.
‘We affirm Bishop Chad Gandiya, his clergy and
people at this time. The
...season of Epiphany speaks of our hope that the
incarnate Christ breaks
all boundaries, and that He will ultimately break
the power of President
Mugabe and those of his supporters who carry out
these deeds, and bring
freedom to Zimbabwe,” said Chessun.
He said it
was shocking that the police had kept a blind eye on the
disgraceful
on-going campaign of harassment and called on Mugabe to allow
the Anglicans
freedom of worship like other Zimbabwean citizens.
Kunonga had publicly
pledged his support to Mugabe and his Zanu PF party.
http://www.voanews.com
16 January
2012
In a statement
Monday, the Tsvangirai MDC said the Bulawayo activists were
freed late
Sunday without any charges, but accused the police of looting its
property,
party regalia and documents.
Ntungamili Nkomo & Jonga Kandemiiri |
Washington
The Movement for Democratic Change formation headed by
Zimbabwean Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai accused police on Monday of
looting its offices
in the second city of Bulawayo, in a weekend raid that
culminated in the
arrest and beatings of more than 50 activists.
The
party supporters had assembled to protest the continued detention of MDC
Youth Assembly Chairman, Solomon Madzore, arrested last year and charged
with alleged involvement in the murder of a police officer in the high
density suburb of Glen View, Harare.
In a statement Monday, the
Tsvangirai MDC said the Bulawayo activists were
freed late Sunday without
any charges, but accused the police of looting its
property, party regalia
and documents.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena could not be reached for
comment.
The Bulawayo incident came a few days after another raid at the
MDC Harvest
House headquarters in Harare in which riot police arrested ten
party youths,
who appeared in court Monday charged with public
violence.
Tsvangirai MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora told VOA Studio 7's
Jonga
Kandemiiri that party lawyers were making efforts to reclaim the
seized
property. "They confiscated all official documents, including minutes
of our
meetings and pamphlets," Mwonzora said.
Political analyst
Effie Dlela Ncube commented that the police actions were
hardly surprising
given their record of sympathizing with President Robert
Mugabe's ZANU-PF.
http://www.voanews.com/
16 January
2012
In a
statement, ZIMRA board chairman Sternford Moyo said cumulative gross
collections for the year amounted to US$2.8 billion against a target of
US$2.5 billion
Gibbs Dube | Washington
Revenue inflows
improved significantly towards the end of last year with the
Zimbabwe
Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) surpassing the treasury’s annual target
by 11
percent as the economy strengthened.
In a statement, ZIMRA board chairman
Sternford Moyo said cumulative gross
collections for the year amounted to
US$2.8 billion against a target of
US$2.5 billion.
Moyo said value
added tax contributed the bulk of the revenues followed by
individual tax,
customs duty, company tax and excise duty.
Value added tax amounted to
US$1.1 billion against a target of US$990
million. “This performance can be
attributed to improved information
dissemination, audits and follow ups done
by the authority which have
improved compliance levels,” he said.
He
said capacity utilization for the local industry has been gradually
improving resulting in the enhanced performance of VAT on local
sales.
He said the increase in individual tax collections were driven by
companies
that increased salaries and awarded bonuses to employees and
revived
operations in the last quarter of last year.
“The rise in
capacity utilization led some companies into hiring additional
employees
while others rehired some of their former workers who had been
fired,” said
Moyo.
In terms of customs duty, a total of US$334 million was collected
against a
target of US$325 million. The anticipated ban on importation of
second-hand
motor vehicles older than five years, he said, accelerated
collections as
members of the public rushed to import them before the
deadline.
Companies contributed 11 percent of the total annual revenue
despite
shortages of lines of credit. Collections amounted to US$297 million
against
a target of US$270 million.
Excise duty collections of
US$306.6 million were made against a target of
US$236.5 million. Fuel had
the highest contribution of 63 percent in this
category followed by beer.
The capacity utilization of companies that
produce excisable products
significantly improved from 85 percent in 2010 to
93 percent last
year.
“As a result of this upward trend revenue collection from excisable
goods
improved in 2011,” said Moyo.
Other improved collections were
recorded in mining royalties and presumptive
tax.
Economic
commentator Masimba Kuchera said government should monitor company
revenue
collections in order to boost state coffers as the economy is set to
grow by
9.4 percent this year
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
By Staff Reporter
16/01/2012 18:58:00
HARARE - Robert Mugabe's controversial
"Presidential Well Wishers Special
Input Scheme" meant to benefit party
loyalists masquerading as farmers has
been looted; US$30 million worth of
inputs have disappeared and members of
the Central Intelligence have been
called-in to investigate the scandal.
Farmers have appealed to relevant
authorities to investigate cases in which
some people are reported to have
looted fertilisers being disbursed under
the Presidential Well Wishers
Special Input Scheme.
Farmers who were supposed to benefit under the
US$27 million input scheme
are breathing fire, claiming that some people in
positions of authority
abused the facility by taking large quantities of
fertiliser at the expense
of the intended beneficiaries.
Zimbabwe
Farmers Union (ZFU) Director, Mr Paul Zakariya said his
organisation has
been inundated with calls from aggrieved farmers who want
relevant
authorities to urgently intervene.
The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Deputy
General Manager, Mr Lawrence Jasi
distanced the parastatal from the
administration process of the presidential
inputs scheme, saying GMB is only
involved in the Government Inputs Scheme.
Contacted for comment, the
Minister of State Security, Sydney Sekeramayi
said they are investigating
the matter while Minister of State for
Presidential Affairs, Didymus "Diesel
from Rocks" Mutasa argued that the
provision of inputs under the
presidential programme is progressing well,
adding that the office is not
aware of reports of corruption. Mutasa
However, farmers insist that
culprits should be brought to book.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has
defended his agriculture funding record
insisting criticism of his policies
was only coming from failed farmers,
among them ministers in the country’s
coalition government. Biti has come
under fire from cabinet colleagues
accusing him of undermining the country’s
land reforms by “refusing” to
adequately fund the Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) and help farmers procure
inputs. Defence Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa
recently said the GMB was
failing to pay farmers for grain supplies after
being refused funding by
Biti.
“We are worried that farmers struggle to get agricultural inputs
due to lack
of funds when they are owed huge sums of money by the GMB,”
Mnangagwa told
farmers at a meeting in Chiredzi. We put the blame squarely
on Finance
Minister Biti of the MDC-T who does not release funds to the GMB
on time,”
he said.
But Biti dismissed the criticism claiming more
than US$2 billion dollars has
been put into agriculture since the formation
of the coalition government in
2009.
“The people who criticise our
work at the ministry, especially what we have
done for the agricultural
sector, do so from the viewpoint of malice and
total ignorance,” Biti said
in an interview with The Herald. “This is so
particularly with failed
farmers, some of whom masquerade as Cabinet
ministers who continue to be
called new farmers even after 11 years of the
land reform
programme.”
He said agriculture accounted for up to 40 percent of total
government
expenditure since 2009 adding the sector had only started
recovering after
the formation of the coalition government. “In 2008, we
could not find a bag
of maize meal, wheat production was zero and coffee
and tea plantations had
become sites of tourism. But in a very short period,
agricultural output has
massively grown because of the interventions of the
inclusive Government,”
he said.
Biti claimed some of his critics were
actually responsible for the collapse
of agriculture in the last decade
adding they were further holding back
recovery of the sector by blocking a
much-needed land audit.
“Unfortunately, the non-genuine farmer in
powerful political positions is
afraid of the (land) audit, which will
expose that they are multiple farm
owners. It will further expose the
vicious malpractices taking place on the
land. There is land that is not
being productively used and that is what the
audit will expose.”
Biti
said the government did not have the resources to fully fund
agriculture and
warned that a full turn-around in the sector would not be
achieved unless
farmers were given “securitised long land leases”.
“There is no
Government in the world that can ever finance agriculture in
full. To expect
the Government of the day, particularly the present GNU, to
be able to
finance agriculture is fiction,” he said. “We can talk about
financing
agriculture until the cows come home but as long as the farmers do
not have
securitised long land leases, then let us forget about agriculture
beyond
subsistence farming.
“As long as the land does not have title, it is dead
capital, it has no
useful and exchange value. More importantly, without
security of tenure,
farmers cannot borrow money from the banks to finance
their operations.”
The MDC has been calling for a transparent and
non-partisan distribution of
farming inputs to vulnerable farming
communities.
This follows the launch of the Presidential Special
Input Scheme by
President Robert Mugabe where free seed and fertiliser would
be distributed
to over 710 000 households countrywide.
The
Presidential input scheme recently torched a storm in the coalition
government with the MDC accusing Zanu PF of politicising the scheme, which
is being funded by the taxpayer.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti who is
secretary-general for the MDC has
mantained that no individual or political
party should monopolise national
resources for political party
gains.
“The MDC recognises the existence of vulnerable farming groups in
the
country in particular communal farmers and therefore accepts that
government
must support these vulnerable farmers.
“However, the party
is concerned by the skewed and politically biased
distribution of farming
inputs such as seed and fertiliser and the use of
inputs and food as a
campaign tool by the ministry of Agriculture and the
Grain Marketing Board
which borders on vote buying,” said Biti.
Biti said the Ministry of
Labour and Social Welfare was responsible for
people’s welfare and was the
only ministry responsible for distribution of
aid to the disadvantaged
population, not the ministry of Agriculture.
The ministry of Labour and
Social Welfare is led by an MDC minister, Paurina
Mpariwa-Gwanyanya.
The calls by Biti will fly in the face of Zanu PF
which had been devising
campaign strategies using national resources meant
to benefit every citizen,
a move that saw national projects like the land
reform benefiting those
believed to be Zanu PF supporters.
The
Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono unveiled an ambitious agricultural
mechanisation project that saw mainly Zanu PF supporters access farm
implements for free as a campaign strategy by the former ruling
party.
Similarly, observers have also raised concern over the current
indigenisation and empowerment programme being touted by Zanu PF saying it
has been hijacked by Mugabe’s party for political gains.
Biti on
Saturday said the indigenisation programme was a “rent seeking
regime” and
called for a complete restart. Biti said the ministry of
Agriculture was
supposed to be apolitical in its distribution of farming
inputs.
“The
MDC calls on the Ministry of Agriculture and the Grain Marketing Board
to
distribute farming inputs in a transparent manner,” Biti said.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
16/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
LOCAL government minister, Ignatius Chombo has blocked a
trip to the United
States by several mayors – most of them from the MDC-T –
accusing the
officials of abusing public funds.
The officials were
due to leave for Washington DC on Monday night for the
ten-day “study trip”
trip which was organised by the US embassy in Harare
The travelling party
included Masvingo mayor, Femias Chakabuda, his town
clerk Adolf Gusha,
Bulawayo Mayor Thaba Moyo, his town clerk Middleton
Nyoni, Harare town clerk
Dr Tendai Mahachi and director of urban planning
services, Psychology
Chiwanga, Plumtree secretary Davies Luthe and Ruwa town
secretary, Julieth
Makombe.
However, Chombo refused to grant them the Cabinet authority to
travel and
warned that they risked suspension or dismissal should they defy
him.
The minister said he had not been given enough time to study documents
justifying the trip.
He also blasted the officials for wasting public
funds at a time local
authorities are struggling to pay salaries while
service delivery in most
towns and cities has failed to
improve.
Although the expenses in the US were going to be met by the
organisers,
travelling officials were still expected to raise their own air
fares.
According to the state-run Herald newspaper Ruwa raised close to
US$10 000
for its secretary's air fares and subsistence allowances although
councillors had opposed the trip arguing the funds could be used to build
much-needed facilities at local schools.
Press
statement On behalf of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
WOZA leaders Jenni
Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu returned to court today,
January 16 2011 in
order to hear the magistrate’s ruling on their
application to dismiss their
case without being put on their defence. After
a fortnight of waiting, WOZA
expected the magistrate, Mr Goodluck Sangweni,
to rule in their favour,
since the state had presented no evidence that
could support the charges of
kidnap and theft. However, to everyone’s
surprise, the magistrate said that
he believed the aims of justice would be
served by putting the accused on
their defence.
The defence lawyer, Kossam Ncube, asked for the magistrate
to give his
reasons for this unexpected decision. Explaining that there is
no appeal
process, Ncube advised that he would seek to apply to the High
court to
review the Magistrates decision and needed a written copy of
reasons for
dismissal of the application. The magistrate then agreed to
present his
reasons in writing on Friday, January 20. WOZA are intrigued to
find out the
reasons he has, and expect Ncube to speedily apply to the High
Court for
review. The review procedure is followed when there appears to be
either
bias or irregularity in the proceedings of a case.
On the occasion of the 6th Ordinary Session of the 2nd
Parliament of the
Pan- African Parliament
“Transformation of the Pan-
African Parliament into a Legislative Organ”
16 to 20 January
2012
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Salutations
May I begin by
extending my sincere gratitude to the Pan-African Parliament
(PAP) for
extending an invitation to me, in my capacity as the Chairperson
of the SADC
Parliamentary Forum, to come and make a statement at the opening
of the 6th
Ordinary Session of the Second Parliament.
Allow me, Hon. President, on
behalf of the SADC Parliamentary Forum and
indeed on my own behalf, to place
on record our appreciation for the warm
welcome extended to us by the
Government and people of Ethiopia since our
arrival and for all the
arrangements put in place by the Parliament of
Ethiopia and the Pan-African
Parliament towards the hosting of this 6th
Ordinary Session.
Hon.
President,
Distinguished Delegates,
The transformation of
Pan-African Parliament into a body with legislative
powers is anchored on
the successful establishment of Regional Parliaments
with legislative powers
in the five regions of the African continent. The
East African Community set
the tone by establishing the East African
Legislative Assembly (EALA) in
2001 with full legislative authority,
followed by the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS) which
established the ECOWAS Regional
Parliament in 2002 as a forum for dialogue
and consultation in order to
promote regional integration.
Therefore, we encourage the other three
regions of southern, central, and
northern Africa to formalize the
establishment of their own Regional
Parliaments. I hereby call upon the
Governments in these said regions to
support the establishment of Regional
Parliaments with legislative powers.
Hon. President,
Distinguished
Delegates,
In Southern Africa, the Southern Development Community (SADC)
Summit of
Heads of State and Government met in Malawi on 8 September 1997
and approved
the establishment of the SADC Parliamentary Forum as an
institution of SADC,
in accordance with Article 9(2) of the SADC Treaty. In
approving the
establishment of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, the Summit
further noted that
the main objective of the Forum was “to constitute a
Parliamentary
Consultative Assembly, the ultimate goal being the
establishment of a
Regional Parliamentary Framework for dialogue on issues
of regional interest
and concern”.
It is now 14 years since this
resolution was made, yet SADC is still to
establish a Regional Parliamentary
Framework in line with this decision. I
do not wish to hide my
disappointment over the slow pace in transforming the
SADC Parliamentary
Forum into a SADC Regional Parliament.
Under the leadership of Speakers
from SADC National Parliaments together
with SADC Parliamentarians, we have
over the years embarked on numerous
lobbying missions to Governments in the
Region to expedite the realisation
of this objective. I am happy to note,
Hon. President, that our case for a
Regional Parliament has received support
from several Heads of State and
Government.
Also, our National
Parliaments have in the past introduced and adopted
motions supporting the
establishment of a Regional Parliament. What remains
is to transform these
positive indicators into reality. We remain open to
advice from our national
Governments and other stakeholders and we shall
continue to engage our
Governments on this matter.
Hon. President,
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
The fore-fathers of the African continent, such as Kwame
Nkrumah of Ghana
and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, envisaged Africans coming
together to create
a United (States) of Africa with one voice. Since their
time, Africans have
tremendously moved closer to each other through the
creation of continental
bodies such as the African Union and its Organs,
including the Pan-African
Parliament.
Indeed, Hon. President, I am
certain that it was also the dream of these
distinguished African leaders to
see the Parliamentarians of Africa coming
together to form an African
legislative authority. Therefore, African
leaders of today have an
obligation to ensure the realisation of the dreams
of yesteryear’s eminent
leaders by transforming the Pan-African Parliament
into a legislative Organ
to complement the work of the other Organs of the
African
Union.
Article 2 (3) of the Protocol establishing the Pan-African
Parliament
indicates that the ultimate aim of the Pan-African Parliament
shall be to
evolve into an institution with legislative powers whose members
are elected
by universal adult suffrage. The main objective of this
transformation is to
enable the Pan-African Parliament to harmonise the laws
of Member States at
continental level. Although the matter of electing PAP
members by direct
universal adult suffrage might be too costly, it is the
view of the SADC
Parliamentary Forum that this must not cripple the
endowment of the
Pan-African Parliament with legislative
authority.
Hon. President,
Distinguished Delegates,
The
Regional Parliaments of Africa must assist the Pan-African Parliament to
define its autonomy as it relates to the other Organs of the African Union.
Because autonomy is an elusive concept, especially where the Organs depend
on one another in the execution of their duties, we must take care in
defining the scope of autonomy of the Pan-African Parliament as it can be
easily misunderstood.
It is our view at the SADC Parliamentary Forum
that the legislative powers
of the Pan-African Parliament must be
incremental, starting from a point of
regulating immediate concerns of the
African people such as benchmarks for
democratic elections, or the
subsequent peaceful transfer of power from one
political party to another,
to more broader issues such as trade or the free
movement of
people.
Eventually, due to its close relationship with other Organs of
the African
Union, the Pan-African Parliament will be able to collate the
status of
ratifications and domestications of treaties and protocols
emanating from
the African Union, and urge its members to act swiftly in
domesticating
outstanding treaties and protocols.
To this end, I
commend the work that was done in the production of the
Compendium of
Treaties, Protocols and Agreements of the AU. This staggered
approach is
sure to receive the support of not only Regional Parliaments,
but also our
National Governments, that must ultimately ratify the amendment
of the
Protocol establishing the Pan-African Parliament thus giving it
legislative
authority.
Hon. President,
Distinguished Members,
We at the
SADC Parliamentary Forum strongly support the transformation of
the
Pan-African Parliament into a Legislative Organ. We share the same
experiences in the quest for transformation, and we can only hope that our
Governments expedite these processes. Africa is in dire need of one
legislative voice led by the Pan-African Parliament.
With these
remarks, I wish the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Second
Parliament of the
Pan-African Parliament fruitful deliberations.
Asante Sana, Amesegënallô,
Shukran, Obrigado, Merci, Thank you!!!
–
MDC Information & Publicity
Department
