http://www.voanews.com
30 December
2011
Nyikayaramba has been elevated to the position of major general,
and is
moving from a base in eastern Manicaland province to the Zimbabwe
Defense
Forces headquarters in the capital
Blessing
Zulu
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s promotion this week of
Major General
Douglas Nyikayaramba, who once described Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai as
a "national security threat" and called for Mr. Mugabe to be
declared life
president, has heightened tensions within Harare's wobbly
government of
national unity.
Nyikayaramba has been elevated to the
position of major general, and is
moving from a base in eastern Manicaland
province to the Zimbabwe Defense
Forces headquarters in the capital where he
now becomes chief of staff
quartermaster.
Army sources described
Nyikayaramba as "unprofessional" and a ZANU-PF
activist.
In June he
was kicked out of the select committee responsible for writing
the country’s
new constitution after the Movement for Democratic Change
formations
protested that as a serving army officer he could not be involved
in the
process.
Critics have accused Nyikayaramba of meddling in politics. He
once vowed to
step down if Mr Tsvangirai took over the reigns of power from
Mr. Mugabe. He
has already declared that Mr. Mugabe will win the country’s
next election.
Nyikayaramba is a familiar figure in Zimbabwean electoral
politics. He
retired in 2002 to become chief of elections during the
disputed
presidential election that year.
After the 2002 election
Nyikayaramba returned to active military duty. While
criticism of his
promotion has grown louder, Defense Minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa said that
the general deserved it because he is a hard worker.
Spokesman Douglas
Mwonzora of Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC formation said
Nyikayaramba should be
placed in detention for violating the Defense Act,
not promoted.
But
ZANU-PF Parliamentary Whip Joram Gumbo called the MDC's approach
immature.
Political analyst Philip Pasirayi told VOA reporter
Blessing Zulu that
Nyikayaramba’s promotion is a setback for those demanding
security sector
reform.
http://www.voanews.com/
30 December
2011
The state-run Herald newspaper reported that the robbers, armed
with an
AK-47 assault rifle and slingshots pounced on a disabled Marange
Resources
truck inside the diamond field several days ago
Gibbs Dube
| Washington
Ten robbers armed with an assault rifle and slingshots
vanished with 400
kilograms of concentrated diamond ore potentially worth
millions of dollars
from the controversial Marange diamond field in
Zimbabwe's eastern
Manicaland province.
The state-run Herald
newspaper reported that the robbers, armed with an
AK-47 assault rifle and
slingshots pounced on a disabled Marange Resources
truck inside the diamond
field several days ago, overpowered security guards
and vanished with their
loot.
The paper quoted Manicaland Assistant Police Commissioner David
Mahonya as
saying a crack police unit focused on minerals is investigating
the crime.
The Marange field is protected by security forces and private
guards.
Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire said he was not aware of
the reported
armed robbery and believed that such an incident could only be
an inside
job.
Economic commentator Rejoice Ngwenya said it was
"unbelievable" that robbers
could obtain access to a truck within the
diamond field without inside
knowledge.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Tonderai Kwenda, Deputy News Editor
Saturday, 31
December 2011 12:39
HARARE - “Zimbabwean hospitality in the skies” is
Air Zimbabwe’s flying
motto but passengers who were recently left stranded
in London and the
company’s workers will be last to swear by this
motto.
“Hell in the skies” is what some of the workers at the national
carrier
would prefer as a motto for the airline.
With frequent strike
actions, massive brain drain and passenger flight, the
future looks bleak
for the national flag carrier.
The airline is battling to clear debts
owed to foreign suppliers and the
desperation seems to have reached a dead
end.
Flights to Johannesburg where creditors are on standby to seize any
Air
Zimbabwe plane on arrival have been suspended.
The company which
has been making perennial loses nearly lost one of its
aircrafts when United
States-based company, American General Supplies made
the right timing
impounding an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767-200 aircraft over a
$1,5 million debt
in London.
The plane was released last week after settlement of the
debt.
There are reports that other creditors are also planning to pounce
on the
same aircraft to force the national airliner to honour its
debts.
This has forced the Minister of Transport and Communications
Nicholas Goche
who was adjudged to be the worst performing minister in 2011
by the Daily
News to issue a circular stopping all flights to London and
Johannesburg.
It needs no rocket scientist to tell just how Air Zimbabwe
is tottering on
the brink of collapse.
But in all this chaos there is
a long list of causalities.
Among them is President Robert Mugabe who
according to internet-based sites
had to get a hired plane to travel to the
Middle East for his annual
vacation because the Air Zimbabwe plane he
normally uses was unavailable.
The passengers have also endured suffering
for a long time but they have
since started voting with their
feet.
But in this long list are the Air Zimbabwe workers.
The
workers have not been paid for six months and life has become a hard
struggle. Many of them have since stopped turning up for work and no one
seems to care.
For those who are still going to work, they are doing
so out of fear, a
situation which does not guarantee that they will do a
good work of taking
care of the few planes left flying.
Alex Chinya
(not real name to protect identity) is a father of three. He
knew of no
other job except fixing planes.
He is an aircraft technician whose main
job is to conduct C-Checks on Air
Zimbabwe planes.
However, for the
past six months, he has been left to rue the day he turned
down an offer to
take up a job with a Middle-East-based airline.
“I am struggling with
life and do not know where I will get the money to pay
for my children’s
school fees,” said a worried Chinya who has been employed
by Air Zimbabwe
for six years.
Chinya is a graduate of the famous Air Zimbabwe aviation
school based at the
Harare International Airport. He told the Daily News of
his regret .
“I have been offered employment with several airlines in
South Africa, Kenya
and Asia but I always thought home was best but now I am
regretting,” said
the Air Zimbabwe technician.
He told of how he has
watched several of his colleagues leaving for greener
pastures and doing
well around Africa and abroad when he is struggling to
raise his young
family.
“I think patriotism has backfired on us. The management seems not
to care. I
endured one of the Christmas days I would like to forget quite
fast this
year. I had to ask a friend for $20 to at least bring some cheer
to my
family when I am owed more than $6 000 in outstanding salaries,” said
Chinya.
Air Zimbabwe has lost both its experienced staff and business
to airlines
such as Emirates, Ethiopian Airways, South African
Airways.
South African Airways has increased its frequency to Harare
while Emirates
will commence direct flights between Harare and Dubai next
February.
Air Zimbabwe pilots have argued that the only way to get the
airline out of
the abyss is by involving them in the day to day management
of the airline
and downsizing staff.
A spokesperson of the pilots
told a Parliamentary committee early this year
that the airline will
continue sinking into the mud unless the technical
staff is involved in
decision making.
Charles Chikosi told a Parliamentary committee that
pilots are flying
outdated aircraft while more than 280 workers service each
jet compared with
an international norm of 85 workers. Most of the jets have
been cannibalised
several times as a stop gap measure.
The Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions has said Air Zimbabwe’s problems can
only be
resolved if the entire management and board is fired and replaced
with
professionals.
Chinya however, said he and his colleagues would be
prepared to go once they
get their outstanding salaries and work related
benefits.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party says
the airline
should be liquidated and no tax-payers money should be used to
bail out the
troubled airline.
Air Zimbabwe Acting Chief Executive
Officer Innocent Mavhunga could only
say, “We are in the process of
mobilising resources to pay our workers,”
when asked what his management was
doing to deal with the plight of the
workers.
http://www.radiovop.com
Masvingo, December 31,
2011 -The controversial black empowerment and
indigenisation policy fronted
by Zanu-PF has backfired to its youth militias
in Chiredzi who have been
summoned to court after they forcibly grabbed
three buildings in the sugar
estate town owned by white people.
About ten Zanu –PF youths were last
week served by letters instructing them
to appear before a Chiredzi
magistrate facing charges of invading private
property and malicious damage
to property after they went on the rampage in
September destroying
properties in the buildings they forcibly grabbed.
The boisterous
youths took over the properties after they accused the three
white men, Jan
Van Javeert who owns South East Turning company, Graig
Hanning ‘s building
and Govan investments building owned by Southhood Govan
of failing to
complying with the Indigenization Act that demands foreign
business to cede
51%n to the locals.
The rowdy Zanu –PF youth group, Masvingo Youths
Empowerment Association
(MAYEA), who said they were supporting youth
Minister Savoiur Kasukuwere who
is the brains behind the controversial
policy and law, could be jailed
after their action turned nasty after they
were served with court summons.
Zanu –PF deputy national political
commissar for the youth wing, Talent
Majoni who was also served with the
letter after leading the property grab
confirmed the latest development to
Radio VOP.
“It’s true that we have been served with summons to appear
in court in
Chiredzi for allegedly taking those buildings in September.
Right now I can’t
give the actual dates of the court case as I am travelling
to Chiredzi to
collect my summons but my colleagues called me after
receiving theirs and
they have mine also.
“ They want to arrest
us for taking what is rightfully ours, this is a set
back to the empowerment
drive spearheaded by our party Zanu-PF , we are
going to fight this and make
sure that the drive moves ahead in the
province,” said
Majoni.
Majoni said they will be getting the assistance of their
party lawyers and
give details of all the members who have been served with
summons but
pointed out that they could be over ten.
The youth
militia group had sent panic across the province as other white
business
hurriedly closed while other were living in fear of losing their
companies
after announcing that they will be pouncing on bigger firms.
The
group was targeting giant sugar producing companies, Hippo Valley and
Triangle in the low veld district of Chiredzi, Renco gold mine in Masvingo
south and Africa’s biggest and sole Lithium producers, Bikita Minerals.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, December 31, 2011
- High Court Judge Francis Bere on Friday ruled
that the case brought by
embattled Clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma was
urgent.
Justice Bere
dismissed submissions by lawyers representing the Speaker of
Parliament that
the house was an autonomous arm of the state which should be
allowed to
operate free of any interference by other arms of the state.
Justice
Bere, who made the ruling in chambers, proceeded to hear arguments
from both
sides and later deferred his judgement to an unconfirmed date next
week.
“Basically judgement is reserved to next week,” Chris
Mhike, lawyer for the
respondents, later told journalists.
“The
judge needs time to consider the submissions made in detail. There were
very
substantial submissions made by all the councils representing the
parties
and the judge needs sufficient time to
consider those
submissions.”
Zvoma is battling to cling on to his job of 22 years,
amid accusations from
MDC parliamentarians he is nolonger fit for the job
due to abuse of
authority and bias towards Zanu-PF.
The December
15 High Court application by Zvoma was occasioned by a motion
moved by MDC-T
MP for Hwange Central Brian Tshuma who sought his immediate
dismissal for
alleged abuse of authority as chief executive officer of the
country’s
bicameral parliament.
Tshuma among other accusations, says Zvoma is
behaving like he was owner of
Parliament through taking unilateral
decisions.
He singles out the March 27, 2011 case in which Zvoma
postponed the sitting
of the lower house when MPs had come to elect Speaker
of Parliament.
This followed the nullification of Lovemore Moyo’s
election by the Supreme
Court a week earlier.
Zvoma stands to
lose all his benefits should the house proceed to have him
fired.
Listed as respondents in the matter are Speaker of
Parliament Lovemore Moyo,
his deputy Nomalanga Khumalo, Senate President
Edna Madzongwe, MDC-T MPs
Brian Tshuma and Shepard Mushonga, Willius
Madzimure and Linnet Karenyi who
are the chairperson of committees of
Parliament and deputy.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chengetai Zvauya, Senior Writer
Saturday, 31
December 2011 12:53
HARARE - High Court Judge Francis Bere yesterday
reserved judgment to next
year on a matter in which Clerk of Parliament
Austin Zvoma is seeking to
stop Parliament from debating a motion moved by
mainstream MDC MPs calling
for his dismissal.
Chris Mhike, a lawyer
representing the MDC MPs confirmed the development to
journalists
yesterday.
“The judge has reserved the matter to next week to consider
submissions made
by the lawyers on the merits of the urgent chamber
application,’’ said
Mhike.
Zvoma and MDC MPs represented by Willias
Madzimure and Shepherd Mushonga
attended the court hearing.
MDC
legislators Mushonga and Brian Tshuma moved a motion in Parliament last
month calling for the dismissal of Zvoma from his post accusing him of
acting in an unprofessional manner.
The motion recommended that a
committee of five members be set up to
investigate his conduct.
Zvoma
lodged an urgent court application seeking to bar Parliament from
debating
the matter.
Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo and Deputy Speaker
Nomalanga Khumalo
together Tshuma, (Hwange Central), Mushonga (Mazowe
Central), Madzimure
(Kambuzuma) and Lynette Karenyi (Chimanimani West) are
arguing that a
court application cannot stop Parliament from debating the
matter.
Zanu PF MPs refused to debate the motion and walked out of
Parliament
arguing that the matter was before the court but MDC MPs debated
the motion
and passed it.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Saturday, 31
December 2011 12:41
HARARE - Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara’s
MDC party has scoffed at
his rival Welshman Ncube’s outfit for crying foul
over an appeal he lodged
with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn a High
Court ruling that
interdicted Mutambara from masquerading as MDC president
and coalition
government principal.
Justice Lawrence Kamocha on
December 15 confirmed and extended the scope of
an earlier interdict granted
to MDC against Mutambara barring him from
acting as MDC party president and
coalition government principal pending
finalisation of the main court case
in which the Mutambara’s MDC is
challenging the validity of the January 2011
party congress at which Ncube
was elected MDC president.
The High
Court ruling prohibits Mutambara from “purporting to be president”
of the
MDC and exercising any function vested in the president of the MDC or
interfering with the structure and organs of the party.
It bars him
from attending any meeting of whatever description of the
principals in the
inclusive government or any regional or international body
as a principal
under the power sharing Global Political Agreement (GPA).
Mutambara has
appealed to the Supreme Court against the Bulawayo High Court
decision.
But Ncube told a rally at Stanley Hall in Makokoba in
Bulawayo last week
that Mutambara was “contesting the
obvious”.
“Almost a year has passed since our congress in January and
surprisingly
those who are denying the outcome are those who were there,”
said Ncube.
“You all know that there is no other leadership besides this
one. Now, they
are saying they are waiting for the Supreme Court judgment
for something
they already knew. People are just contesting the obvious and
this issue is
not a legal case but simply political. This is elementary and
as a party we
will continue to fight because it has nothing to do with the
law.”
But Maxwell Zimuto, secretary-general of the Mutambara-led MDC,
said Ncube
should wait for the Supreme Court to rule on the matter before
publicly
rubbishing the appeal.
Zimuto said the noting of an appeal
will immediately suspend the operation
of Justice Kamocha’s interdict,
thereby lifting the prohibition against
Mutambara pending the hearing of the
Supreme Court appeal.
“The significance of the appeal is clear. It
renders the Bulawayo High Court
judgment invalid or suspended until the
Supreme Court makes its ruling on
the matter,” Zimuto said.
“Put
simply, Mutambara is now a free man and reverts to being president of
MDC,
its principal to the GPA and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic
of
Zimbabwe until the Supreme Court states otherwise. Yes, that is how the
law
operates.”
Zimuto said Ncube’s claim that the Bulawayo High Court ruling
is not
appealable is “shameless, hollow and laughable.”
“It should be
dismissed with the contempt it deserves,” he said.
“Ncube should state
which section of the law prohibits Mutambara from
appealing to a higher
court? If he is certain that the appeal is irregular,
why does he not
contest it in the courts?
“It is interesting to note that for the first
time since the disagreement
started, Ncube concedes that this is a political
dispute which should be
settled within the confines of politics.
“He
should have known this long back and he could have saved time and
resources
by not engaging in futile and unwinnable interdicts.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff Writers
Saturday, 31 December 2011
12:56
HARARE - Political turncoat, serial flip-flopper, media
hangman, and former
Information minister Jonathan Moyo emerged as the
noisiest politician in
2011, according to observations by the Daily
News.
Moyo tops the newspapers’ Noise Makers of the Year 2011
list owing to his
exploits in the media that at one time nearly resulted in
a regional threat
to isolate Zimbabwe, especially President Robert
Mugabe.
The former University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer
attacked a Sadc
appointed mediation team, telling off the point person in
that team, Lindiwe
Zulu.
He accused her of being an agent of the
West, further claiming that Zulu
worked with what he termed “regime change
running dogs in the private media”
to allegedly vilify Mugabe and the party
he was once accused of working to
split and institute leadership
change.
Moyo was once “fired” from Zanu PF in 2004 and exposed to the
chills of
being in the political wilderness.
During that time, he
engaged American diplomats to whom he spewed all kinds
of Zanu PF
secrets.
These left the party exposed in the eyes of the Americans. For
being an
information agent of the Americans, Moyo was rewarded with the
title “Useful
Messenger.”
Still on South Africa, Moyo, who crafted
the draconian Access to Information
and Protection of Privacy Acts (Aippa),
which also recognises gay rights,
alleged that South African President,
Jacob Zuma was not the right man to
mediate in the Zimbabwean
crisis.
On the local front, Moyo abused space in the state media, to spit
all sorts
of venom at all those that dared cross his path.
At one
time, Moyo in his column quoted a front page story in the same issue
suggesting he had seen the story before it was published, a fact which has
up to now puzzled journalists even in the state media because the Zanu PF
politburo member is not in the editorial department of the
newspaper.
He would write long and winding articles attacking his
perceived and real
enemies in and outside Zanu PF. He used the space in the
state media to
propel himself to the zenith of Mugabe’s
bootlickers.
On national television, Moyo was allocated lots of airtime
to also attack
Zanu PF’s opponents and those within the party he heavily
despised.
In a nutshell, Moyo made noise even at times when he was not
required to as
most of his statements exposed him for one thing: being
loaded with flip
flopping statements in which he regularly contradicted
himself.
Below is a list of other Noise Makers of the Year
2011!!!
President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party
The talk of
an election in 2011, arising from the Zanu PF national people’s
conference
in 2010, saw Mugabe and his party make so much noise about
elections in
2011.
At each and every gathering the party and its ageing president held
during
the year, the talk about the possibility of an election emerged as
the party’s
biggest occupation.
Mugabe’s outcry for an election was
so loud that even regional players
became annoyed.
It was more of a
threat than a call, with Mugabe at times telling all who
cared to listen
that he was ready to call for an election anytime.
However, thanks to the
insistence of Sadc member states and stakeholders in
Zimbabwe and the two
other political parties in the inclusive government,
that election never saw
the light of day.
For that Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies join the list
of the 2011 Noise
Makers of the Year.
Douglas Nyikayaramba
The
recently promoted major-general was in the news making noise over
security
sector reforms.
Nyikayaramba became the lonely voice defending the
security sector’s
misgivings about the proposed reforms in the sector as was
being proposed by
the two MDC formations.
He also spoke loudly on the
holding of elections in 2011, throwing himself
at the forefront of a Zanu PF
campaign.
Major General, you are more of a civil servant than a political
party
commissar.
By so doing, you have taken away Webster Shamu’s job
as a Zanu PF political
commissar.
Zanu PF’s two million
anti-sanctions petition signatures
The anti-sanctions petition was given
more prominence in the media as the
party became more and more desperate to
convince the world its drive against
sanctions imposed on some of its
members was gaining momentum at the time.
Mugabe was called to launch the
“two million signatures” at an event where
pastors and prophets, including
the VaPostori church members, were afforded
hours on end to vilify the MDC
and the West.
However, readers and consumers of various media products
have not been told
which drawer the petition has been tucked into where it
is gathering dust
and awaiting its chance to grace the rubbish
bins.
Cuthbert Dube
The Zifa boss created chaos in the football
fraternity after he invited
foreign referees to officiate at local league
and cup matches.
Referees and other stakeholders were against Dube’s move
but the Public
Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) boss remained defiant on
his decision.
He was also in hot soup after he decided to thank Mbada
Diamonds for
sponsoring the Mbada Cup to the tune of $1 million — a feat
that was meant
for the Premier Soccer League which is the managing body of
the country’s
premier league.
These are some of our noisemakers of
the year.
If you have comments, additions, observations, and
subtractions, please feel
free to drop us an e-mail on the following e-mail
address: This e-mail
address is being protected from spambots. You need
JavaScript enabled to
view it . We will be soon publishing your
contributions on the two issues
namely the Minister of the Year contest,
News Makers and Noise Makers of
2011.
http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/7262
December 31st, 2011
Background: An identity crisis
An
identity crisis has continued to paralyse Zimbabwe’s body politic
throughout
2011. The reason for the inability of Zanu PF and the democratic
forces to
work together is because of the fundamental divergence of their
world
views.
Zanu PF believe the core issues to be empowerment, race and a foreign
based
conspiracy to change the authentic African nationalist leaders.
The
democratic forces argue the real issues are about human rights,
democracy,
investment and development.
Do Zimbabweans have the right to choose which
world view best represents
their interests?
Zanu PF think that the
political imperative is above the Rule of Law, above
the Will of the People
and above sensible economics. They came to power
through the barrel of the
gun and therefore derive their authority to rule
from the liberation
struggle. They claim that the armed struggle empowered
the people. They
claim they have continued to do so since 1980 by expanding
educational
opportunities and making health more accessible. They have used
the land
reform to correct inherited imbalances and currently are aiming at
the
Indigenization of business and commerce.
The democratic forces hold the
view that empowerment can only take place
within a framework of development
and justice. The opportunities for
empowerment must be open to all
Zimbabweans equally without discrimination.
The people want to improve their
lives and they believe they can do this
through development. Development
requires an understanding of the benefits
of building a secure economic
climate which attracts investors. The Rule of
Law is the framework which
protects people equally as above politics.
At their core the two world views
differ in their understanding and
application of the concept of empowerment.
Like the Chinese, Zanu PF
believes the State empowers loyalists through
patronage. The democrats adopt
the Western concept of self empowerment
through work and skills.
Do people have the right to reject the
liberation Party and vote for someone
else? The short answer is no. Zanu PF
have blocked all significant attempts
at democratic reform (except the daily
newspapers) and imposed a military
dictatorship so that elections are
reduced to a sham. They, like Ian Smith,
believe in autocracy. They do not
trust their own people.
Do Zimbabweans want to be more open to the global
economy and democratic
influence or do they want a closed and protected
autocratic society? If the
former, how do they get there? How do they break
through the fear instilled
by the militia bases, the security apparatus and
the mythical figure of
Mugabe?
A free and fair election has been promised
by SADC and South Africa. Can
they fulfill their promises?
2011: More
of the same, only worse
The relationships within the GNU continue to
deteriorate. There is
increasing polarization of ideas, and therefore
frustration. The democrats
and Zanu PF (including the military) are becoming
more hostile towards each
other. The co minister of Home Affairs, Theresa
Makone has faced the
embarrassment of not being able to address a rally in
her own constituency.
The Chipanango group have operated with increasing
impunity throughout many
suburbs in Harare.
Makone confirmed reports in
the Newsday newspaper that Zanu PF youths had
invaded her constituency and
established a torture base there.
Speaking on SW Radio Africa’s programme
“Question Time”, the Minister
admitted that her party has no power to stop
the violent youths and police
are not allowed to arrest them, as long as they
are furthering the Zanu PF
agenda.” [1] Base camps as described are
increasingly apparent in both urban
and rural constituencies. They are
controlling access of MDC and keeping the
fear alive.
The democrats are
increasingly harassed and subjected to selective
application of the law.
Zanu PF as a party and as the dominant arm in
Government are increasingly
synonymous. Dysfunction is the predominant
syndrome in the body
politic.
Economically the productive base continues to shrink as more and
more of the
consumptive needs are satisfied by imports. Although there is
cash available
to selected loyalists through the informal trading of
diamonds and gold, the
political imperative continues to dominate sensible
economics. The political
agenda which destroyed the Zimbabwe dollar during
the years 2000 to 2008 is
still in place and companies are being strangled
by high costs of
production, shortages of cash, and the very high cost of
borrowing money.
The point needs to be emphasized that in reality Zanu PF has
disempowered
the generality of its citizens in every possible way and from
every possible
perspective.
The Bulawayo Resident minister Cain Mathema
in typical Zanu PF style, blamed
company closures in Bulawayo on what he
called: “sanctions that were
deliberately invited by the MDC so that workers
would blame Zanu PF.”
The spectre of the indigenization legislation continues
to dominate the
business community and impact negatively on confidence. The
indigenization
policy heralds the death knell for the Zimbabwean economy.
The partisan
manner in which the policy is being implementing it makes it
clear it is a
Zanu PF election gimmick.
The process is remarkably similar
to the Land Reform program. Where the
policy is challenged legally or being
implemented too slowly for the
politicians, then the door to violence and
looting is opened in the name of
black economic empowerment.
“Tourist
resorts look set to become the target of unlawful land seizures
after the
popular Lake Recreational Park was invaded over the weekend (24th
January
2011)…local police refused to take any action against the invaders
and even
personnel from National Parks could do nothing when they arrived on
Saturday. The owners..have been warned by the invaders that this is the
start of a countrywide indigenization campaign, which will target all
tourist resorts…The raids at Lake Chivero follow similar incidents in
Nyanga, Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Bird Sanctuary, Chipinge and
Malati Safari areas.Bubiana, Chiredzi River, Save and Malilangwe
conservancies-part of the Great Limpopo Trans-Frontier conservation area
have all come under attack” reports Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe in
2011.
All businesses, both local and foreign-owned, are now under threat
in the
name of black economic empowerment. Indigenisation is only helping to
scare
away much needed foreign investors.
Although the democrats have
voiced their disagreement with regard to this
programme, what exactly they
propose as an alternative to the Zanu PF
indigenization policy is
unclear.
Marange:
It is clear that companies were granted licences to
mine diamonds in Marange
under unclear circumstances, and in violation of
Zimbabwe’s laws and
regulations regarding tender procedures. These companies
are controlled by
senior military officers. The sad truth is that the
Zimbabwean GNU has
confused internal and international perceptions to such
an extent that it
has even undermined the Kimberley Process which has
collapsed. The diamond
trade is out of control and the democratic initiative
to nationalize it will
fail. There are genuine fears and increasing evidence
that diamond revenue
from Marange, which is not properly accounted for, is
being used by the
military and those aligned to Zanu PF to run a parallel
government and
amongst other things, build a war chest to fund electoral
violence.
The Road Map to Elections:
In 2010 the democratic forces
finally came to the realization that the
Government of National Unity (GNU)
was not going to be the beginning of a
new era for Zimbabwe. Although the
currency had been stabilized by the use
of US$, the political culture which
destroyed the Zimbabwe dollar remained
in place.
The unfulfilled clauses
of the Global political Agreement (GPA) remained
unfulfilled.
The
inability of SADC to enforce GNU compliance became evident.
The democratic
forces decided that having lost this round in the long and
winding road to
democracy that they should alter their strategy. Instead of
trying to make
the GNU work they should look ahead to elections as the only
way to resolve
the political crisis.
Together with South Africa they compiled a road map
to free and fair
elections.
It is clear that if we examine the Zanu
PF positions (highlighted) below
with regard to the Road Map that we are
faced with irreconcilable positions.
There is no room for compromise. The
only way to persuade the sides to move
their positions is with increased
pressure.
What is needed is a paradigm shift by the mediators to enforce an
agreement.
To find an interrupted path to free and fair elections and the
removal of
all impediments to the same”.
These milestones and
signposts include the lifting of sanctions, the
constitutional process,
media reform, electoral reform, rule of law, freedom
of association and
assembly, legislative agenda and the actual election.
In order to provide
a snapshot of the weaknesses in the roadmap it is
sufficient to examine the
Electoral reforms.
D. Electoral reforms
vi. The staffing of
ZEC
a. The staff of ZEC to be recruited afresh by the new Commission
(MDC-T)
b. Ensure non partisanship and transparency in the recruitment of ZEC
Staff
(MDC-N)
c. There should be no changes of ZEC Staff Deterioration of
the suitability
is the responsibility of the Commission (Zanu
PF)
Security
a)Instruct the security forces to issue a public
statement that they will
unequivocally uphold the Constitution and respect
the rule of law in the
lead up to and following any election or referendum
(MDC formations)
b. This is not an election matter. Political parties
have no right to direct
uniformed forces to ensure political statements
(Zanu PF)
Violence
a. End military and police abuse of the rule of law
and end all state
sponsored/sanctioned violence (MDC formations)
b. We
have no knowledge of abuse and state sponsored/sanctioned violence and
we
invite such evidence to be made available (Zanu PF)
Deployment
a.
Demilitarisation soldiers and other security personnel have been
unlawfully
deployed in the country and should thus be sent back to the
barrack
(MDC-T)
b. Redeployment of military personnel to barracks (MDC-N).
c. We
deny that there are serving members of the military doing political
work and
we invite evidence to be made available. We protest to the use of
the word
“demilitarization”. It is a war term that is not applicable even in
the
circumstances as alleged by the MDC formations (Zanu PF).
v. The
Intelligence
a. Enact an Act of Parliament regulating the operations of the
CIO (MDC-T).
b. This is an election issue as referred to and covered under
article xiii
(i) of the GPA which reads as follows “state organs and
institutions do not
belong to any political party and should be impartial in
their duties”
(MDC-N).
c. This issue is neither a GPA one or an election
issue and is being raised
as an attack on the institution. The issue falls
to be resolved in the
Constitution-making process (Zanu
PF).
POSA
a) Amend POSA so as to tighten it against discretion and
abuse and to bring
it in line with commitments within the GPA and the
Constitution (MDC-T).
b) Review POSA in light of the current abuse by the
Police (MDC-N).
c) We need to know the nature of the proposed amendments
before we comment.
The current POSA was amended in 2007 by all political
parties through
negotiation and provides a sound legal framework for
regulating meetings and
assemblies (Zanu PF).
Violence
Zanu PF
is historically renowned for its violent response to alternative
voices,
views and political opposition. The Chinese under Mao Tse Tung
provided a
clear model for them of the practice of state terrorism. Zanu PF
has
successfully implemented the use of violence to create economic
opportunities for supporters.
Gukuruhundi, The Land Reform,
Murambatsvina, Post 2008 Election Violence and
the displacement of people in
Chiadzwa all involved excessive violence and
degrees of genocide. They are
gross violations of human rights and
constitute crimes against
humanity.
Of late Mugabe has been preaching peace.
At the Zanu PF
congress in December 2011 in order to protect himself from
facing the ICC he
says;
“The point is why we are afraid of the MDC if we believe we have the
policies that can deliver Zimbabweans out of their problems.
“We in Zanu
PF must denounce violence. It is not a cure to our problems. We
do not need
it. Let us adhere to our values and principles. Let us avoid
corruption. Let
us be clean in our business as a party.
“These values are our greatest weapon
that will see people own a new status
as a happy people,” Mugabe
added.
The contradiction between what Mugabe says and what he does is
insane. The
fact that he thinks he can woo the electorate and the
international
community with language stolen from the democratic voices of
Zimbabwe is
evidence of his chameleon-like qualities and his evil and
manipulative mind
even in its dotage.
Some Concluding trends and a
question
The inability of Zanu PF to solve its succession has shown they
are in a
crisis and unable to plan for the longer term. Mugabe has lost
control of
the ship Zimbabwe.
Unless the democrats agree to an election
it will not be recognized. They
need to stand firm on the SADC conditions
for a free and fair election. Time
is on the side of the democrats.
The
global recession and the withdrawal of humanitarian aid means there is
more
pressure on Zimbabwe to make its land an economic resource and not a
political tool.
The influence of the global economy and the internet
on the Zimbabwean
populace and the resultant increased power of information
will help to
produce an open society.
The Nando’s advert mocking Mugabe
apparently registered 10 million hits on
u- tube.
The fall of Malema, who
was being paid with Zimbabwean diamonds, has
strengthened the democrats in
Zimbabwe.
The personal relationship between Zuma and Ncube will help the
democrats.
The pressure within SA from the Zimbabwean refugees will drive for
a
solution to the Zimbabwean problem.
The Economist on December 3rd
2011 published an article entitled: The
hopeful continent Africa
rising
“After decades of slow growth, Africa has a real chance to follow
in the
footsteps of Asia”
The ten countries with the biggest growth
world wide are:
…………. %
China: 9,5
India: 8,2
Ethiopia:
8,1
Mozambique: 7,7
Tanzania: 7,2
Vietnam: 7,2
Congo: 7,0
Ghana:
7,0
Zambia: 6,9
Nigeria: 6,9
What does this tell us? The future is
in Africa.
The large question remains: How will SA increase pressure on
Zanu to stop
the violence and be prepared to be monitored in the run up to
the election?
[1] http://www.swradioafrica.com
Zimsituation September 2011
This entry was posted by Sokwanele on
Saturday, December 31st, 2011 at 8:00
am.
