Associated Press
By Angus Shaw (CP) – 2 hours
ago
HARARE, Zimbabwe — As Zimbabwe tried to spruce up its tourism image,
militants of President Robert Mugabe's party launched raids at boating clubs
and tourism lodges on the shores of the capital's main fishing and leisure
area, tour operators said Sunday.
A safari lodge about 18 miles (30
kilometres) west of Harare reopened after
being sealed off by more than 200
militants since Friday, said owner Gary
Stafford. The seven-chalet Kuimba
Shiri lodge is a popular getaway for
locals, foreign visitors, diplomats and
U.N. staff.
Militants told witnesses more than 20 clubs and holiday
facilities were
being targeted on the shores and hinterland of Lake Chivero,
a dam five
miles (8 kilometres) in length — bordered by a wildlife preserve
— that
serves as Harare's main water supply reservoir.
Incidents
began Friday, coinciding with the launch of a new campaign by
Tourism and
Hospitality Minister Walter Mzembi who branded Zimbabwe as "the
world of
wonders," during a convention in Spain.
After collapsing during a decade
of political and economic turmoil, tourist
visits have crept upward since
2009 when a coalition government between
Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader,
abandoned the hyperinflationary
local currency and adopted the U.S. dollar
as legal tender.
Tourists
had been kept away from the famed Victoria Falls in northwestern
Zimbabwe
and the country's animal reserves because of recurring political
violence
and acute shortages of gasoline and the most basic goods during the
nation's
economic meltdown. Victoria Falls is seen as one of the world's
natural
wonders.
The change to hard currency saw gas stations and empty store
shelves
replenished — with foodstuffs and luxuries still being mainly
imported from
neighbouring South Africa as once self-sufficient local
industries battled
to resume production.
After years of neglect,
tourist services, the third largest hard currency
earner after agricultural
exports and mining a decade ago, were being
revamped too, and advertising
promotions were mounted at several
international travel fairs.
The
raids at Lake Chivero follow similar incidents in the mountainous
northeastern trout fishing and hiking district of Nyanga. There, holiday
cottages were searched by militants and visitors reported being forced to
show identification documents by rag-tag groups not in official police or
security service uniforms. In some areas, the militants also manned
makeshift road blocks.
Calls for elections this year by Mugabe to end
the shaky power sharing deal
have heightened political tensions and spurred
fresh demands for the
implementation of Mugabe's policy of empowerment that
calls for 51 per cent
ownership of businesses by blacks.
Stafford
said the leaders of the militants took an inventory of his lodge's
belongings and "there was no violence or looting." They told him they were
taking stock and evaluating lakeside properties under the empowerment
program.
One visiting couple was holed up in the lodge for a day and
"we weren't
allowed any guests," Stafford said.
Boating clubs and a
mobile home park were also visited by militants, some
armed with sticks and
chanting slogans of Mugabe's party.
Property owners said they called the
tourism and environment ministries to
seek their
intervention.
Witnesses said militants occupied a mobile home at one Lake
Chivero campsite
after saying it could stay open as long as no property or
utensils were
removed. The militants, who took nothing and bought their own
food from a
nearby store, completed an inventory of items at the site and
told workers
they wanted impoverished nearby communities to have a share in
the lake's
leisure assets.
In 2000, Mugabe ordered the seizure of
thousands of white-owned farms for
handing over to blacks to correct what he
called unfair colonial era
ownership. The often-violent seizures of
white-owned farms disrupted the
agriculture-based economy in the former
regional breadbasket and have
continued in recent months, leaving just 300
whites in farming areas.
Critics of Mugabe say the those seizures and
proposed business takeovers
were a ploy all along to shore up the flagging
support of his ZANU-PF among
the nation's voters.
MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 January
2011
In what
looks to be the start of the next phase of state-sponsored property
heists
in Zimbabwe, over 20 tourism facilities have been invaded in Lake
Chivero
Recreational Park (formerly Lake Mcllwaine), 37 km south west of
Harare.
The lake is Harare’s main water supply and the surrounding
land was declared
a national park shortly after construction was completed
in 1952. The game
park, currently home to some of the last white rhino in
Zimbabwe, was opened
in 1962.
The invasion was reported on Friday
(January 21) when a mob of about 150
people arrived without warning on Kumba
Shiri resort, where the renowned
Larvon Bird Gardens are
situated.
Larvon Bird Gardens has aviaries housing approximately 120
species of birds
and, as well as being Zimbabwe’s bird orphanage, is also an
education
centre.
The invaders, wearing Zanu-PF regalia, put their
own padlocks on the gates
and residents in the 30 homesteads on the property
were prevented from
leaving. They were also not allowed to arrange the
removal of any of their
movable property.
All of the workers in the
bird gardens were also locked in, as well as a
number of
visitors.
Police from Marimba eventually arrived at Lake Chivero late
Friday afternoon
but no action has as yet been taken against the forced
take-over.
All along the lake shore approximately 20 clubs and other
tourist facilities
with either freehold title or leasehold from National
Parks have been
similarly invaded with their gates locked.
Viv Baxter
from Wingate went over by boat to check on the caretaker at
Jacana Yacht
Club, Des Fenner, who is blind. He was taken hostage and only
managed to
return after several hours.
On Saturday afternoon National Parks
personnel came out but the invaders
have so far been allowed to continue
their program.
The owners of the tourist facilities have been warned by
the invaders that
this is the start of a countrywide indigenisation campaign
that will
initially target all tourist resorts where white people are
involved.
Kumba Shiri resort is owned by a South African investor, Gary
Stafford.
BIPPA with South Africa
On May 15 last year, South
Africa and Zimbabwe finally ratified a Bilateral
Investment Promotion and
Protection Agreement (BIPPA) that was signed by
Zimbabwe’s Economic Planning
Minister Elton Mangoma and South Africa’s Trade
Minister Rob Davies in
Harare in November 2009.
“The purpose of the agreement is to stimulate
individual business
initiatives and increase prosperity in both countries
through the creation
of favorable conditions for investment by South African
investors in
Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean investors in South Africa," the
ministry said in a
statement.
Negotiations for the deal started in
2002 as South African companies - the
largest African investors in Zimbabwe
– required reassurance that President
Mugabe’s government would abide by
international norms regarding property
rights following the violent land
invasions.
Aaron Mazvi, leader of the invasion, is district chairman of
the war
veterans in the Zvimba community west of Harare, President Mugabe’s
rural
home.
In Mazvi’s memo of January 6, 2011 to Minister Herbert
Murerwa on “the
take-over of properties along the lower and upper reaches of
Lake Chivero”,
Mazvi states the following on behalf of the “Zvimba community
at large”:
“… In view of the government requisite that blacks should be
empowered
through the attainment of 51 percent shareholdings in foreign
funded
operations, I do hereby propose that the clubs be occupied and
redistributed
amongst community members and some be reserved for Ministers,
top government
officials, senators, Members of Parliament, Chiefs and those
in the
hierarchy of traditional leadership.”
Previous
Invasions
Aaron Mazvi has played a leading role in violent farm invasions
in the
Mashonaland West area, including the property next door, RB Ranches,
where
he currently resides. The first farm invasion in Mashonaland took
place in
2000 on Saffron Waldon farm close by.
The murder of two
well-known white farmers in the district occurred during
the early years of
the invasions, notably the high profile beating and then
shooting of
commercial farmer Terry Ford (51) on Gowrie farm at Norton in
2002.
Don Stewart, a 68-year-old dairy farmer from Norton, was beaten
and burnt to
death in November 2005. Several of the farms in the area
were taken over
by the Mugabe family.
Numerous cases of violence
against farm workers were also recorded.
Although in many cases the
perpetrators are known, there is no record of any
having been
convicted.
Landmark SADC torture ruling
This month, in a
landmark ruling that exposed Harare’s flagrant
disregard for the rule of
law, the Namibian-based SADC Tribunal ordered the
Zimbabwean government to
pay damages to nine torture victims who had
successfully claimed
compensation in the High Court of Zimbabwe.
The government had neglected
or refused to pay compensation to the victims.
Commentators said the
ruling could open the floodgates for other victims of
armed forces brutality
who have failed to get fair hearings in Zimbabwe’s
partisan
courts.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Lake Chivero Recreational
Park
Lake Chivero Recreational Park was opened in 1962 and holds a
variety of
game, most of which had originally been brought in from Lake
Kariba during
the internationally acclaimed game rescue operation known as
“Operation
Noah”.
Game includes rhinoceros, zebra, giraffe,
wildebeest, kudu, eland,
waterbuck, tsessebe, bush pig, porcupine, pangolin
and ant bear.
The park was originally known as Lake Mcllwaine
Recreational Park in
memory of the late Sir Robert McIlwaine, a former judge
of the High Court
and founder of Zimbabwe’s Soil and Water Conservation
Movement.
A popular destination for local and international
birdwatchers, Lake
Chivero has a wide variety of bird life, including
African open bills,
barbets, bee-eaters, buzzards, coots, cormorants,
hamerkops, jacanas,
kingfishers, grey herons, darters, Goliath herons, fish
eagles, glossy
starlings and lilac-breasted rollers.
Several of
the kopjies (rocky outcrops) have San (Bushman) paintings on
their sheltered
surfaces.
Cholera
Despite Lake Chivero being Harare’s main
water supply source, it was
reported in August 2007 that the Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (ZINWA)
had dumped raw sewage into the lake. Public
clinics reported they were
treating about 900 cases of diarrhoea
daily.
On 4 December 2008, the Zimbabwean government declared the
cholera
outbreak a national emergency and called for international
assistance.
In September 2010 it was reported that raw sewage was being
pumped directly
into the Mukuvisi River, a tributary of Lake Chivero, and
the situation was
described as a “health time
bomb”.
ENDS
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Ben Freeth -
Spokesman for SADC Tribunal Rights Watch
Zimbabwe
Cell: +263 773 929
138
E-mail: freeth@bsatt.com
War Veteran:
Aaron
Mazvi - Cell: +263 772 810 761
http://www.radiovop.com/
23/01/2011 16:11:00
MASVINGO- January
23, 2010 Controversial politician and retired Major
Savious Kudzai Mbudzi
who was Simba Makoni, s right-hand man during the 2008
general elections has
confessed that Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party was a Zanu
(PF) project meant to
destroy the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T).
Mbudzi, who was once
Zanu (PF) Secretary for Information for Masvingo dumped
Makoni soon after
elections before forming his own party which suffered
still-birth said he is
re-joining Zanu (PF) since he has accomplished his
mission to destroy
Makoni,s party.
“ I am re-joining Zanu (PF).It’s the only party that I think
has the
capacity to rule this country. I am a Zanu (PF) darling because it
needed
myself and Makoni to split votes during 2008 elections thereby
rescuing Zanu
(PF) which was already sinking.
“ I knew from the
beginning that Makoni and I were never going to win, we
were just used to
remove Zanu (PF) from the mud, ” said Mbudzi.Mbudzi who
briefly joined
Dumiso Dabengwa led ZAPU in 2010 said there was no need for
him to stay with
the party which failed to appeal to the people several
decades ago.
“ I
only went there (to ZAPU) to assess and I discovered that there was no
life
at all. That party lost stamina to lure followers decades ago,there is
nothing new that can come from ZAPU, ” he said.
Mbudzi who parted
ways with Zanu (PF) two years ago said he was confident to
be given a top
position in the party considering that he once worked against
the party when
he was with Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn.
“I will be rewarded for what I did. I will
not start from the grassroots, we
are the big guys, I hope to get promoted
after having done a lot of work
which helped Zanu (PF) to remain in power.
People must never be fooled,
there are only two parties in the country, Zanu
(PF) and MDC-T, the rest are
other peopleˇŻs projects,” he
added.
Though Mbudzi claims to be in good books with Zanu (PF) big wigs
such as
Didymus Mutasa he openly said it was very important for the party to
think
of replacing President Mugabe with a younger and energetic
leader.
Mbudzi,s outbursts and revelations put to rest long held suspicions
that
both factions of the MDC were heavily infiltrated by agents of the
central
government resulting in the 2005 split.
The MDC-T South Africa
branch has also split into factions blamed on
infiltration by CIO
operatives.
(AFP) – 4 hours
ago
HARARE — Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has vowed to forge ahead
with
elections if parties in the country's shaky power-sharing government
fail to
agree on a new constitution, state radio reported
Sunday.
"President Robert Mugabe said the inclusive government was not
meant to be a
permanent establishment and if there is no consensus or
political agreement
to come up with a new constitution, he has the
constitutional right to
dissolve parliament and call for elections," the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation said.
Mugabe made the statement on
his arrival from Singapore where he was on
holiday. He dismissed as "naked
lies," media reports that he had gone to
Malaysia to seek
treatment.
He said if the parties in the government reach a deadlock on
the
constitution, he can invoke the old constitution and call for general
elections.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said elections will be held without
fail this year to
choose a successor to the power-sharing government formed
nearly two years
ago to avoid a descent into conflict and mend the economy
in the aftermath
of disputed elections.
As part of their pact the
parties agreed to draft a new constitution, amend
media and electoral laws
to ensure free and fair elections.
The drive to draft a new constitution
was marred by threats and violence
over divergent views.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by The Zimbabwean
Sunday, 23
January 2011 06:54
HARARE - Prof Welshman Ncube has scoffed at the legal
challenge to his
presidency from 13 members of his party who have lodged an
application in
the High Court seeking to invalidate his January 8 congress
and all elected
officials.
"The party is again dismayed though not
surprised by the act of desperation
from our former comrades that were
rejected by the people in our recent
congress," a spokesman for his MDC
party said in a statement. "While we
believe that every person has a right
to be heard in any court of law, we
believe that this action not only
demonstrates a shallow understanding of
the democratic principles but is
also total contempt of the courts."
The 13 disgruntled members, led by former
national chairman Joubert Mudzumwe
want the High Court to invalidate the
congress that enthroned Ncube to the
presidency of that party. If the High
Court grants the declaratory order, it
could mark an inglorious exit of the
law professor from the helm of the
party, hardly two weeks after taking the
reins from Prof Arthur Mutambara,
who graciously stepped down after a vote
of no confidence. But the spokesman
said the legal challenge would be
"dismissed with the contempt it deserves."
The application, lodged by
Mudzumwe, national council members Tsitsi
Dangarembgwa, Constantine
Chipadza, Morgan Changamire among other MDC M
members, says the congress
infringed dictates of the party Constitution.
The founding affidavit, filed
by their lawyer Obey Shava of Mbidzo
Muchadehama and Makoni, claims Ncube
rigged the congress by failing to
notify all provinces and proceeded with
the gathering without complying with
his own party Constitution. The
dissidents say some of the provinces came to
know about the congress through
the Press.
“I submit that despite the above mandatory provision, not every
district
received the required notice," the application says.
"The
district of Chitungwiza North, Chegutu among others only got to know
about
the congress in print media and never received any notice from the
second
respondent (Ncube). In violation of the provision, the second
respondent
convened the MDC third congress without receiving nominations
from all
provinces. For example, Masvingo did not submit its nominations at
all.” But
the spokesman responded: "For the avoidance of doubt the Masvingo
province
was well represented in the congress and sat on the 7th of January
to make
their nominations, cadres from the Chegutu district were also among
other
districts from throughout the country, this is matter of public
record."
The application claimed the convenor of the congress violated the
Constitution, which they said bestows the right to convene the
congress
on the national chairman. They protested that Ncube's MDC congress
was
convened by the organising secretary. The application further said Ncube
failed to notify all national executive members as the party charter says
about the nominees from the party's 12 provinces.
“The election was
conducted by the organising secretary despite that he had
no constitutional
mandate to do so," Mudzumwe says in his court papers. "The
congress became
invalidated and any post created or act done in terms of
that congress is of
no force and effect and should be declared as such by
this court,” he said
adding the High Court must “clip second respondent
wings and remind him how
to respect his own constitution”.
The spokesman for Ncube's party said:
"These thirteen bad losers should be
dismissed as rejected politicians who
will not even survive an election in
their own homes as they failed to get
even a single vote and amazingly today
seek to reverse a decision of 4,320
members who expressed their support for
President Welshman Ncube and other
progressive democrats."
Ncube's party accused the rebels of being a "bunch of
tribalists who think
they can hold the party at ransom." "Joubert Mdzumwe
and his handful of
failed politicians in their feeble minds thought by
walking out of the
National Council they will stop the party from holding
the congress, the
message is clear that the party is bigger than
individuals, the democratic
train is unstoppable, we will
prevail.
Mudzumwe must have known better that the National Council has the
powers of
the congress to appoint anyone to any capacity."
Mudzumwe and
his loyalists walked out of a National Council meeting held on
the eve of
the congress saying they were piqued by what they claimed to be
machinations
by Ncube to oust Mutambara. The dissidents are apparently
insecure with a
Ndebele leading their party, various party sources say.
"These bunch of
tribalists who try to use ethnicity to divide our party and
the people of
Zimbabwe should just shut-up and enjoy their thirty-pieces of
silver. We are
aware that they are now being controlled and funded by our
detractors both
old and new," the
spokesman said. "The attempt to soil the name of President
Ncube will not
succeed as it is public knowledge that the President’
understanding of law
is legendary both in teaching and practice. We are
confident that this case
will be dismissed with the contempt it
deserves.
"We would like to put it on record that our congress was not only a
resounding success but also historic, setting a precedent that has shocked
the institutions of dictatorship and pseudo democrats to the core."
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Jan 22, 2011 10:42 PM | By SUNDAY TIMES
CORRESPONDENT
Jostling for positions in Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T) has intensified, with
reports that the party's
organising secretary Elias Mudzuri is in the firing
line due to
incompetence.
There is a strong lobby by the younger
generation within the MDC-T to take
over influential positions in the
party.
According to reports from meetings held last week, youths have
decided to
take over all the 10 provinces and there are indications that all
the
provincial chairmen are targets.
The fight for positions
intensified last week after Tsvangirai announced
that there would be major
changes when the party holds its congress in May.
Mudzuri, who was fired
as Minister of Energy by Tsvangirai last year for
incompetence, is likely to
be the biggest casualty at the congress as he is
being accused of failing to
re-organise the party. The former mayor of
Harare was one of Tsvangirai's
closest allies but they are said to have
fallen out. Most of the top guns
are likely to sail through unopposed, among
them Tsvangirai, his deputy
Thokozani Khupe, secretary-general Tendai Biti
and spokesman Nelson Chamisa,
who is being tipped to replace Mudzuri.
There are reports of massive
lobbying amid revelations that campaigning has
already started, with most
senior party members already splashing out money
to solicit votes. Last week
Tsvangirai told MDC-T officials that they must
prepare for big changes. "As
we prepare for our historic congress, after two
years in government, may I
call on the people to ready themselves for
far-reaching changes.
"The
congress shall mark the beginning of the MDC's renewal as the party
gears
itself for the total control of the government after the elections,"
he
said.
"Our congress shall reaffirm our determination, our values and
principles as
a democratic movement. We shall use it as a first step in
asserting our
signature as a party of the people, a party of the future and
the only
discernible hope for all Zimbabweans."
A party insider told
the Sunday Times that so far it looked like Mudzuri
would be the most senior
casualty. "Mudzuri's position is the nerve centre
of the party and in the
past few years he has made enemies. Everyone seems
to be ganging up against
him and from the way things are going, he is
finished. There is a strong
lobby by the younger generation to take up
senior positions and it seems to
be working. That is why Chamisa is being
lined up for the position. There
seems to be consensus that Mudzuri must go.
"All the provincial chairmen
are sweating over their positions," said the
senior
official.
Political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya said the MDC should present
a better and
more organised congress than its main rival,
Zanu-PF.
"The MDC must make sure the democratic process takes place. The
MDC congress
must not be a circus like other congresses we have seen," said
Ruhanya.
MDC-T officials declined to discuss the congress this week.
http://www.radiovop.com
23/01/2011 19:50:00
HARARE,
January 23, 2011- MDC-T youth leader William Mkwari was shot and
injured on
Saturday evening allegedly by a group of uniformed soldiers who
opened fire
at dozens of party youths who were dispersing from a party
meeting in
Harare’s high density suburb of Budiriro.
Witnesses say Mkwari, who is
receiving treatment at Harare’s Avenues clinic,
was shot in the left leg
resulting in him bleeding profusely.An MDC district
youth leader who was in
the company of Mkwari when the incident happened
told Radio Vop that the
youths were forced to scurry
in all directions during the unprovoked
incident.
“William was shot and we suspect it could have been a powerful
gun,” he said
while refusing to be named for fear of
victimisation.
“The soldiers fired several shots and we believe they were
angered by the
sight of a lot of ecstatic MDC activists filing out of a
preparatory meeting
for the forthcoming MDC congress.”
The incident,
which happened early evening, was a replica of September last
year when
soldiers were said to have shot and injured three MDC supporters
during an
abortive constitutional outreach programme in the volatile Harare
township
of Mbare.
Saturday’s shooting of Mkwari marked a weekend of violent scenes
allegedly
perpetrated by Zanu (PF) supporters on MDC officials and
activists.On
Friday, party provincial secretary for Harare Tsaurai Marima
and Sthembeni
Chademoyo, Women’s Assembly Organising Secretary for Ward 33
in Budiriro,
were assaulted and injured when hordes of Zanu PF
supporters
invaded the Town house and laid siege on council staff, demanding
an
explanation from the authorities as to why their maize crops were slashed
allegedly by council workers the previous week.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by The Zimbabwean
Sunday, 23 January 2011
06:36
HARARE – Public sector workers in Zimbabwe begin an open-ended
strike on
Monday after wage talks collapsed, with Finance minister Tendai
Biti
insisting there is no cash to meet the workers demands.
Unions
affiliated with the Apex Council, the main public sector union, have
been
holding out for a 150 percent rise, more than the latest government
offer
of 24 percent. The Apex Council, pools the Progressive Teachers’ Union
of
Zimbabwe, Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association,
and
College Lecturers’Association of Zimbabwe and the Public Service
Association, an umbrella body for all civil servants.
Many schools,
hospitals and public offices have already been affected. The
three major
unions representing government workers, who now earn an average
of $241 a
month from US$180, met Biti and Public Service and Social Welfare
Minister
Eliphas Mukonoweshuro last week but workers insisted they will only
return
back to work if their demands for a minimum wage of $502 has been
met.
Biti told a news conference at Harvest House HQ on Saturday that
workers
needed to be patient. He said government can barely afford the 24
percent
offer he has put on the table. Biti told the news conference: "As a
party we
are very sympathetic to the cause of a decent wage to every worker
but there
are certain structural issues that need to be resolved. One, is
the
accountability
of resources. Is the State receiving sufficent
resources that we are able to
pay to our people? Its not. There are issues
around Chiadzwa.
"In the month of January we only collected the sum of US$64
million against
a wage obligation of US$110 million and remember this is
cash budgeting. The
government doesn't have a reserve anywhere so we have to
wait for taxpayers
to pay money then we pay. We are back to the nightmare
that I lived through
in 2009 where we had a salary obligation of US$30
million against
collections of US$4 million. "Last year we were averaging
collections of
US$140 million I have always argued that for this economy to
actually
adequately pay for fees, pay for teachers, pay for hospitals, we
need to be
collecting at least US$400 million a month, and we are colecting,
in the
case of January, less than US$100 million dollars. So there is a
structural
crisis. The people need to look at the structural crisis and what
caused
that structural crisis but we remain sympathetic to the cause of the
worker,
the genuine worker that is."
The government needs to find
US$10billion to resuscitate an economy
vandalised through a decade of
extraordinarily insane economic policies. If
government yields to the
workers, who have demanded an audience with the
President saying the Prime
Minister had failed them, it will have to
re-prioritise its plans for the
year to fund their offer. Manuel Nyawo,
president of the Teachers’ Union of
Zimbabwe said after the meeting: “We are
in agreement as Apex Council that
as long as government does not accede to
our demands, there is no reason for
our members to continue going to work."
The government has been urging
children to come to school, but many pupils
have been told not to turn up by
their teachers.
Minimal health and government services are expected to keep
running, with
employees deemed to be essential forbidden from taking part in
strikes.
Zimbabwe has seen a wave of strikes since the GNU came to office
two years
ago, though unions have warned that the latest one could be the
largest for
several years because it is indefinite.
Analysts say Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who owes his political
support to Zimbabwe's
powerful trade unions, is under pressure to appease
them while also
addressing the country's budget deficit.
http://www.radiovop.com
23/01/2011
12:48:00
HARARE, January 22, 2011-Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
MDC party says
Zanu (PF) is to blame for the current crisis in the civil
service which
could see the country being brought to a standstill if the
strike by
government workers goes ahead this week.
A statement issued
by the party after its national executive meeting in
Harare on Saturday said
Zanu (PF) leaders have showed no willingness to
address the concerns of the
civil servants.
Civil servants have threatened to go on a crippling
nationwide strike this
week if their salary grievances are not addressed by
the coalition
government.According to the MDC-T party, the crisis has been
worsened by the
presence of a large number of ghost workers hired illegally
by pro-Zanu (PF)
heads of ministries.
“The Executive further noted
the lack of accountability in the management of
the proceeds from the sale
of diamonds in Chiadzwa to address the plight of
the civil servants,” the
statement read.
The Executive called for all the proceeds from the sale of
diamonds to be
channeled towards the civil servants and not for politicians
and army chiefs
to enrich themselves.
“The Executive also called for
the immediate action on all ghost workers,
Zanu (PF) supporters and youth
militias who were brought into the civil
service as youth and women officers
in every ward in the country.
“Further, the Executive called for the release
of the Public Service audit
without delay as well as the immediate cessation
of all new recruitments of
soldiers and other civil servants until the
plight of the existing civil
service is addressed,” the party
said.
Representatives of civil servants have rejected the latest
government salary
offer of between USD6 and USD9 which was announced by
Finance Minister
Tendai Biti
Vigil supporters were overjoyed by
news that management team member Luka Phiri has been granted indefinite leave to
remain in the
Luka is a long-time Vigil supporter
and a committed activist in the fight against human rights abuses in
When
the news of his successful asylum appeal got out, Luka tells us he received
emails from 3 MPs who had been campaigning for him. There were messages of
congratulations from Vigil supporters all over the country. Luka said ‘Thank you so much to the
Vigil’.
Like so many others, Luka finds it
difficult to see any future in
For us at the Vigil the past week
has borne this out (again). The South African mediators have visited
It means there will be no change.
Everyone knows Mugabe will never implement the agreement and yet
Other
points
·
Management team member Patson Muzuwa
warned supporters against increased Zanu PF activity in the
·
Our
pro-Mugabe ranter was waiting for us at the start of the Vigil with his
life-size punchbag topped by a mask of Bush and with his loudspeaker system
blaring. We decided ignoring him was the best policy and half way through the
Vigil he decided to leave it for another day after having a pee against the wall
of nearby Rymans stationers.
·
We were
happy to be joined by Stephen Hulcoop of the Paraclete Christian Network
International who has just returned from doing Christian work in
·
A large
group of students from the
·
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check http://www.zimvigiltv.com/.
FOR THE RECORD: 114
signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of Human Rights in
Zimbabwe (ROHR) is
the Vigil’s partner organisation based in
·
ROHR
·
ROHR Ashford general
meeting. Saturday
5th February, Venue: the Star Pub, Ashford, Kent TN24 8PA opposite
Liquid Night Club off Hythe Road, 5 mins walk from Ashford International
Station. ROHR executive members present. Contact Danmore Munyuki 07535213801,
Munyaradzi Badze 07709317869, Egbert Mtengwa 07985592931 or P Mapfumo
07915926323/07932216070.
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith
Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe.
To receive a copy by post in the
UK please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and 0send
a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners
Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust
which provides bursaries to needy A Level students in
·
Workshops aiming to engage African
men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the Terrence Higgins
Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The Vigil,
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
By Clifford Chitupa
Mashiri, Political Analyst, London 22/01/11
In my view, the fuel problems
being experienced in some parts of Zimbabwe
are due to what I would call 50
-50, meaning 50 percent NOCZIM’s management
fault and 50 percent
politicians’ or government’s fault. We all know that,
in life we all have to
face the consequences of our mistakes or bad deeds at
some stage, hence the
proverb, ‘the chickens have come home to roost’ –
after scratching around in
the yard! That is what is happening at NOCZIM.
Zanu-pf knew very well that
NOCZIM was a ticking time bomb due to what
happened before the coalition
government and handed it over to the MDC as
one of their
responsibilities.
NOCZIM’s alleged corruption and gross mismanagement is
well documented.
Despite corruption allegations and a few investigations
resulting in yet
fewer prosecutions, it’s business as usual at NOCZIM. A
writer to the
Zimbabwean was prompted to plead for action saying: “Thanks
for a very
informative and in-depth paper. I would like you to investigate
and expose
corruption, nepotism and looting at NOCZIM” (19/05/10).
In
the past, we learnt that an estimated 250 million litres of fuel, mostly
diesel was being diverted by racketeers to illegal selling points since
2000. The fuel sold at inflated prices was going mostly to transport
operators including owners of commuter omnibuses in 200 litre drums. Last
year NOCZIM chefs awarded themselves hefty exit packages including company
vehicles at no charge, fuel allowance of an average 700 litres per month for
one year, an annual bonus, pension, funeral allowance equivalent to six
months’ salary and a relocation allowance of six months’ salary. It was
Christmas come early at NOCZIM.
In fact Zanu-pf succeeded in
fermenting friction between the two MDC
Ministries (Finance and Energy)
over NOCZIM’s fuel shortages at a time when
the country is being reluctantly
dragged through an electioneering mode. MDC
needs to always make risk
assessments before accepting certain ministerial
responsibilities as they
can fall victim to blackmail as appears in this
case.
The only
problem is that industry and commerce as well as innocent members
of the
public have to pay for other people’s blunders through unbudgeted-for
costs
such as fuel price increases, fare rises, loss of jobs and an
uncertain
future. Businesses are forced to re-organise their production and
work
systems including making some employees redundant due to the business
interruption caused by a man-made disaster. It’s very unfair that, because
some managers have failed to work efficiently, large parts of the country
have to suffer.
Here in the UK, they don’t allow for that. Someone
would be made to take
responsibility. Last month the Transport Secretary
(Minister) for Scotland
had to resign because of snow which disrupted travel
as temperatures
plummeted to -25 degrees centigrade in some parts of
Scotland. For the
reader in Zimbabwe, this may sound odd, but the facts are
that when it snows
here, roads have to be sprayed with salt and grit (sand)
to make it safe to
drive on snowy and icy roads.
However, salt and
grit have proved ineffective at treating roads when
temperatures plunge
below -10 degrees centigrade. Government is supposed to
provide the salt and
grit as well as vehicles which spread it on the icy
roads. In the case of
Zimbabwe’s NOCZIM, the problem is that of dollars and
cents –
money.
As reported in the press, if diesel vanished during the
week-ending January
20 because of a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA)
garnishee order of US35
million for unpaid taxes, then it was management’s
fault because they should
have foreseen it coming and provided for the
possible disruption to fuel
supply in the country. They should have made
long term deals for the payment
of the ZIMRA tax shortfall e.g. through some
bank products or facilities
without risking cuts in the arteries of the
economy. The NOCZIM board of
directors, if any, should have strategic plans
in place and the role of
management is to steer the company in the right
direction like captains of
ships do on high seas.
Similarly, reports
that Zimbabwe is failing to unlock an estimated 15
million litres of fuel
stuck in the pipeline between Beira and Feruka as
well as 11 million litres
of a ‘cocktail’ stuck between Feruka and Msasa
(Newsday, 20/01/11) belonging
to private sector players is very
embarrassing. It is like the Shona saying
which goes like this: ‘ kufa
nenyota iwo makumbo ari mumvura’ (literally
means, dying of thirst when your
feet are in water! Not managing your
resources efficiently can be fatal.)
It is very embarrassing for Zimbabwe
to be having a fuel shortage in this
day and age because, with all its
diamonds we hear about, how can the
country fail to have funds to import
fuel and pump it into the pipeline from
Beira so that the product comes out
at the other end? I just can’t believe
that is happening in
Zimbabwe.
If Zimbabwe has idle storage capacity in Southerton and Msasa
in Harare as
well as in Gweru why are the tanks empty? If Zimbabwe has the
ability to
supply Zambia, Malawi, northern parts of Botswana and southern
parts of the
Democratic Republic of Congo why is it failing to supply
southern parts of
Zimbabwe resulting in price increases throughout the
country? Is there
sabotage somewhere in the system?
There is no point
in blaming the Minister of Finance for the garnishee order
because public
revenue is needed to pay civil servants salaries apart from
other essential
services. As Tendai Biti was recently quoted as saying, “we
can only eat
what we have killed” (thezimbabwemail, 20/01/11). Those are
very wise
words.
For God’s sake, let’s get our act together and get things moving.
We have
been a laughing stock of the world for a long time. We should try
and make a
difference. Our pride is at stake. So are people’s livelihoods.
Sort it out
yesterday.
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst,
London,
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com