http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
Friday, 06 January 2012 08:27
Owen
Gagare
GOVERNMENT business is virtually grounded amid revelations that
most cabinet
ministers and senior civil servants have joined President
Robert Mugabe on
leave.
Mugabe went on his annual leave just before
Christmas and headed to his
favourite Far East destination with his family
leaving Vice-President Joice
Mujuru as acting
president.
He is only expected to resume work at the end of
January.
In Mugabe’s absence, cabinet, which is already severely
depleted by the
non-availability of ministers, cannot sit –– meaning
executive authority of
the country has been compromised and key decisions
cannot be made.
According to Section 20.1.1 of the GPA, which gave
birth to Zimbabwe’s
coalition government, executive authority of the
government “shall vest in,
and be shared among the president, the prime
minister and the cabinet, as
provided for in this constitution and
legislation”.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the deputy chair of
cabinet, is also
reportedly out of the country, although he is not on
official leave.
Tsvangirai has not chaired cabinet since the formation of the
inclusive
government.
The Secretary for Media, Information and
Publicity and presidential
spokesman George Charamba yesterday confirmed
that most ministers were away,
but said this was normal.
Charamba
said ministers were taking advantage of Mugabe’s absence to rest at
a time
when government business is in recess.
“When the president goes on
leave, everyone takes advantage of his absence
to go for a break, including
the vice-presidents,” Charamba said. “In the
vice-presidents’ case, Mai
Mujuru acts during the first half of the
president’s leave and VP Nkomo
takes over for the rest of the time.From
tomorrow (today), VP Nkomo will be
the acting president while Mai Mujuru
takes a rest.
“Similarly,”
Charamba said, “most ministers have taken leave. However, a
core pool of
ministers, who run key ministries, remain behind to run their
ministries and
also act on behalf of other ministers,” said Charamba.
He said
ministers had not gone on leave in a chaotic manner, but they had
done so
with approval. The ministers, Charamba said, had been allowed to go
on leave
en-masse because there was little government activity during this
time of
the year.
“Normally, cabinet’s last sitting would be just before
Christmas and it goes
into recess from Christmas until the end of January.
Functionally, the
government has no resources because the budget was
presented in December and
funds will only start trickling in from mid
January to the end of January
because the funds are tied to revenue
collection,” Charamba said.
Most ministers are away at a time civil
servants are demanding salary
adjustments.
However, any salary
adjustments for the civil service require cabinet
approval and cabinet will
only start sitting in February.
Although there is an acting president
during Mugabe’s leave, they are known
to be afraid of making critical
decisions in his absence ever since he
reversed a decision taken by the late
Vice-President Joseph Msika and then
Home Affairs minister Dumiso Dabengwa
to evict war veterans who had invaded
farms at the outset of land invasions
in early 2000 while Mugabe was out of
the country.
Later in 2000
after the June elections, the new Home Affairs minister John
Nkomo ordered
the eviction of war veterans who had invaded farms adjoining
Chitungwiza and
Kambuzuma, but Mugabe, who was in Mozambique at the time,
reversed the
decision on arrival.
Zimbabwe’s constitution limits the power of an
acting president as laid down
in Section 31 (2). It does not allow a person
in an acting capacity to
declare war or to make peace; enter into any
international convention,
treaty or agreement, dissolve or prorogue
parliament; appoint or revoke the
appointment of a vice-president, minister
or deputy minister; or assign or
reassign functions to a vice-president,
minister or deputy minister,
including the administration of any act of
parliament or of any ministry or
department, or to cancel any such
assignment of functions.
http://www.voanews.com
06 January
2012
The national airline recently grounded flights to London and South
Africa
fearing its aircraft may be impounded by creditors following the
seizure of
one of its planes in Britain by American General Supplies over a
$1.5
million debt.
Gibbs Dube & Violet Gonda |
Washington
The drama at Zimbabwe’s troubled national airline
escalated Friday with more
than 100 employees staging street protests
demanding payment of outstanding
allowances and salaries amounting to nearly
$6 million.
Air Zimbabwe Chairman Jonathan Kadzura said the airline did
not have funds
to pay the disgtuntled workers their dues.
The
national airline recently grounded flights to London and South Africa
fearing its aircraft may be impounded by creditors following the seizure of
one of its planes in Britain by American General Supplies over a $1.5
million debt.
Local flights have also been suspended as the sole
plane servicing the
Harare-Bulawayo-Victoria falls route recently developed
technical problems.
Sources said there was no solution in sight for the
beleagured national
flagship.
Kadzura told VOA the airline is still
waiting for a state bailout though the
Ministry of Transport has ignored
recommendations by a Cabinet committee for
government to ring-fence the
airline’s $140 million debt and privatize it.
State Enterprises Minister
Gorden Moyo said Air Zimbabwe has become a
national disgrace, adding the
only solution is to privatize the company.
Economic analyst Masimba
Kuchera commented that the job action by airline
workers shows there is now
a great need to look for partners to rescure the
company.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
06/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
AIR Zimbabwe’s acting chief executive has warned the airline
would not
resume suspended flights until the government takes over its
US$140 million
debt as workers demanded the resignation of the entire board
and management
team for running the airline down.
The cash-strapped
airline recently grounded flights to the United Kingdom
and South Africa to
prevent the seizure of aircraft by creditors after two
planes were impounded
there over unpaid debts.
Domestic flights were also suspended this week after
the airline's sole
operating Boeing 737-500 aircraft developed an engine
problem.
But acting chief executive, Innocent Mavhunga threatened not to
resume the
regional and international flights until the government takes
over the
airline’s debt.
"Those flights will remain suspended until
maybe the end of January while
some logistics are being worked out,"
Mavhunga told the state-run Herald
newspaper.
"We are hoping that
Government would have implemented Cabinet decisions on
Airzim like the debt
take-over and restructuring.
"If the decisions are not implemented then
certainly we won't be resuming
those flights."
Meanwhile, workers
said Mavhunga and his entire management team should be
sacked for failing to
pay outstanding salaries and retrenchment packages as
well as running down
the airline.
Mavhunga confirmed that some of the workers held a
demonstration at the
company’s Harare International Airport offices
Thursday.
"Yes there were employees siting-in at the offices demanding to be
paid," he
said.
"We certainly appreciate the difficulties and
challenges of school fees they
are facing. The position is that we have
presented the case to the
shareholder and we are awaiting a
response."
Some of the workers said they had been shocked by Transport
and
Communication Minister, Nicholas Goche’s suggestion that they use
letters
written by the company promising to pay their salaries to negotiate
with
utilities such as ZESA and schools over the payment of
fees.
"The minister said we would take the letters to institutions we owe
money as
individuals, including Zesa, schools and City of Harare," Samson
Meki who
has worked for Air Zimbabwe over the last 49 years.
"The letters
would be assurance to the institutions that Air Zimbabwe would
eventually
give us our salaries.
"You cannot use a letter to buy groceries in a
supermarket. They cannot
accept the assurance letters to enable us to
purchase groceries.”
Meki said workers had had electricity and water
supplies cut off adding
colleagues were also dying because the could not pay
medical bills.
"People are dying due to lack of medical care. Every week
we are burying
colleagues, with the company only providing a coffin and
transport," he
said.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Bridget Mananavire, Staff
Writer
Friday, 06 January 2012 10:26
HARARE - Three MDC activists
arrested by Gweru police on Wednesday have been
charged with contravening
section 140a of the harsh Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act, their
lawyer Reginald Chidawanyika has said.
He said the trio was accused
of causing damage to property after the bombing
of Zanu PF offices in the
city recently.
“My clients were held up till late in the evening way
after 8pm,”
Chidawanyika said.
No one was injured when the Zanu PF
offices were bombed on December 27 last
year, but that did not stop the
party and the police from blaming the MDC.
MDC is denying responsibility
saying the bombing was a Zanu PF inside job.
About 30 heavily armed
police pounced on the unsuspecting activists around
0300 hours Wednesday
morning and dragged them into custody, according to
senior MDC
officials.
MDC MP for Mkoba Amos Chibaya, in whose constituency the three
are resident,
said the arrest and release late Wednesday night shows how
state security
institutions and Zanu PF have intensified a crackdown on the
MDC.
Observers fear the arrest of the MDC activists and continuing
violence will
weaken the drive for joint rallies proposed by leaders of the
three
political parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) scheduled
for
next month in a bid to urge their supporters to refrain from violence
and
promote political tolerance.
Frequent arrests of MDC officials
and supporters have attracted widespread
criticism of the police by
churches, civil society groups and other
political parties for alleged
selective application of the law.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
GWERU - The alleged bombing of Midlands ZANU (PF) provincial
offices here
has turned out to be a hoax, investigations carried by The
Zimbabwean have
revealed.
06.01.1204:04pm
by Brenna Matendere
Munyati
The offices located in Gweru’s seventh street went up on fire
on the night
of December 27 last year under unclear circumstances. ZANU (PF)
spokesperson
Rugare Gumbo subsequently issued a statement saying the MDC-T
was behind the
incident.
Last week police arrested three MDC-T
activists-Douglas Tsuro (28) Sailas
Mutendeudzwa (41) and Wonder Marange
(40) in connection with the incident.
The three were charged for malicious
damage to property.
It is the first time since independence in 1980 that
the building has been
associated with such an incident.
Local lawyer
Reginald Chidawanyika who is representing the activists said
police had
released them from custody after one day on basis the case would
proceed by
way of summons. It is understood the police failed to get
incriminating
evidence against the three during rigorous interrogations
conducted by the
agents from the Central Intelligence Organisation and
Central Investigations
Department.
Sources who spoke to The Zimbabwean said it was not possible
for anyone let
alone MDC-T activists to bomb the offices.
“The ZANU
(PF) offices which are said to have been bombed are heavily
secured. They
are on the ground floor where on top floors are provincial
headquarters of
the provincial CIO and CID departments. These are manned 24
hours. They
could not have missed the culprits,” a state security source
said.
Another internal state security source added:
“The
explosion was from inside. What therefore it means is that whoever was
behind the bombing should have first planted the bomb inside the ZANU (PF)
office.
“Besides the place being heavily guarded, there are no
chances an MDC-T
supporter would go that far more so on a territory of the
leadership of
state security officials who are obviously dreaded by members
of the
public.”
Other sources indicated that there is no trace of
the type of bomb that
could have been used if ever it was making the issue
even more complex.
Suspicion is also high that the explosion could have
been triggered by
dynamite left in the office by one of the ZANU (PF)
officials involved in
mining.
“The most obvious explosive that can be
used by an ordinary citizen is a
petrol bomb. However, there is no such a
lead. Even the police have said
so,” said the source.
The MDC-T has
said the incident was simply an inside job by ZANU (PF).
In an interview,
Midlands South MDC-T spokesperson Jameson Tsuro told The
Zimbabwean that the
arrests of the MDC-T supporters were simply a way of
victimising them for
their political allegiance.
“The arrests are very unfortunate. They are
again examples of how
enthusiastic ZANU (PF) is in violating the rule of
law,” he said, adding:
“ZANU (PF) knows who among their structures is
behind the bombing of those
offices. The arrests are just meant to frustrate
and weaken our party.”
Tsuro added that there was no logic in police
arresting people in connection
with the incident simply because they support
MDC-T.
http://www.voanews.com/
06 January
2012
State broadcasting
alleged that Tsvangirai spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka and
Minister of State
Jameson Timba, attached to the prime minister's office,
were 'key point-men
in the whole saga'
Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington
Zimbabwean
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai pushed back Friday against
charges by a
state radio broadcaster that he bribed editors from private
newspapers to
run stories portraying him in a positive light while attacking
ZANU-PF
officials.
A heavily editorialized report carried by state radio and
television said
Tsvangirai had received money from Western governments to
launch a campaign
in the private press to spruce his image following
damaging reports about
his failed engagement and allegations that he was a
womanizer.
In an unrestrained follow-up report late Friday, the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting
Corporation quoted a former MDC legislator-turned ZANU-PF
proxy, Gabriel
Chaibva, naming the three editors he said benefited from
Tsvangirai’s
alleged bribery scheme.
The ZANU-PF-leaning Herald
newspaper ran a similar report though lacking
hard facts and relied heavily
on the earlier radio reports.
The state broadcaster alleged that
Tsvangirai spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka
and Minister of State Jameson Timba,
attached to the prime minister's
office, were “key point-men in the whole
saga.”
Tamborinyoka dismissed the corruption charges against Tsvangirai
telling VOA
reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that the reports were "rubbish, arrant
nonsense."
Daily News Editor Stanley Gama, named as one of the alleged
recipients of
money from Tsvangirai’s office, described the allegations as
false and
libelous.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
Staff Reporter 9 hours 20 minutes
ago
HARARE – In a bizarre claim by former Central Intelligence
Organisation high
ranking official Gabriel Chaibva; says he has obtained
information that
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has bribed local
independent media.
The former MDC National Executive official Chaibva,
who is credited by
Zanu-PF for the role he played infiltrating the Movement
for Democratic
Change leadership from the time the party was formed in 1999,
says he is
privy to the alleged bribery of local private newspapers by Prime
Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai.
Once described by Cabinet Minister, and
MDC-T Organising secretary Nelson
Chamisa as a “certified idiot”, Chaibva
named three editors whom he alleges
received money in return to give
favourable coverage to the MDC-T President
and his party.
Chaibva who
also played a crucial role in MDC split alleged that The
Standard editor,
Nevanji Madanhire, Newsday editor, Brian Mangwende and
Daily News editor,
Stanley Gama received money from the Prime Minister’s
Office to give
favourable coverage to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
his party the
MDC-T.
Another Zanu PF loyalist Goodson Nguni, who is normally labelled
“Political
Analyst” by State media says he had been closely monitoring the
scam, said
it is not a secret that the Prime Minister’s office working in
what he says
“cahoots with private media editors and some western agents”
and alleged
that a fund to coordinate state of affairs of the private media
have been
established.
It is alleged that the Prime Minister’s
Spokesperson, Mr. Luke Tamborinyoka
and Minister of State in the Prime
Minister’s Office, Mr. Jameson Timba are
the key point-men in the whole
saga.
It is alleged that strategic meetings were held in sports and golf
clubs
dotted around Harare and in surrounding towns.
Zimbabwean Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is pushing back against
corruption charges by
state media that he bribed editors from private
newspapers to run stories
portraying him in the positive while attacking
ZANU-PF officials.
A
heavily editorialized report carried by state radio and television said
Tsvangirai had received money from Western governments to launch a campaign
in the private press to spruce his image following damaging reports of his
marriage saga, and allegations that he was a womanizer.
In an
unrestrained follow-up report late Friday, the often-compromised
Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation quoted a former MDC legislator-turned
ZANU-PF
proxy, Gabriel Chaibva naming the three editors he said benefited
from
Tsvangirai’s alleged bribery scheme.
The ZANU-PF-leaning Herald newspaper
also picked the story, but without any
hard facts. The state broadcaster
alleged that Tsvangirai spokesman Luke
Tamborinyoka and Minister of State
Jameson Timba, attached to the prime
minister's office were “key point-men
in the whole saga.”
Fighting back, Tamborinyoka dismissed the corruption
charges against his
boss telling VOA's Ntungamili Nkomo the allegations were
baseless. "That is
rubbish, arrant nonsense," he said.
Daily News
Editor Stanley Gama, named as one of the recipients of money from
Tsvangirai’s office described the allegations as false and libelous.
http://mg.co.za
HARARE, ZIMBABWE - Jan 06 2012
12:19
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe will not attend
celebrations to mark the
100th anniversary of the ANC, the country's state
media reported on Friday.
"His excellency the president, who started his
annual leave recently, and
who is in the Far East, is unable to personally
attend these important
celebrations, to which he was invited," his
spokesperson George Charamba
told the Herald daily.
Vice-President
Joice Mujuru will instead represent Mugabe's Zanu-PF party in
Bloemfontein,
he added.
The ANC had on Wednesday confirmed Mugabe's attendance at the
weekend
celebrations. Mugabe was a key leader of the Front Line States,
gathering
South Africa's neighbours in opposition to white-minority
apartheid rule.
Mugabe normally takes leave in December until the end of
January, but cannot
travel to Western countries due to a decade-old travel
ban imposed over
flawed elections.
Over the last year, the
87-year-old has made near monthly trips to Singapore
for medical checks,
reportedly for prostate cancer.
Meanwhile, the rival Movement for
Democratic Change led by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai said its national
chairperson Lovemore Moyo will represent
the party at the ANC's
celebrations.
"The MDC is appreciative of the neutral role being played
by South Africa
under the direction of the ANC in its mediation efforts in
the Zimbabwean
situation," the party said in a statement. -- AFP
http://www.radiovop.com
Masvingo, January 06,
2012- Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) is
demanding that
President Robert Mugabe cut short his annual leave in order
to address
teachers’ grievances.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou told Radio VOP on
Thursday: “We want Mugabe
back from leave now because he has left the
country burning. There is no
time for him to go and rest while he is aware
that there is no one who can
chair the cabinet meeting during his
absence.
“Teachers want salary hikes and nothing else. We have been
silent for a long
time now but our members are very agitated, restless and
their elasticity
has reached a breaking point.”
Mugabe is in the Far east
on his annual leave.
PTUZ wants teachers to receive a basic salary of US$
502, Housing Allowance
of US$ 150, and Transport Allowance of US$ 100 while
teachers in rural areas
get a rural and hardships allowances of 30 percent
of the basic salary.
Zhou said their negotiating team was promised to get
a government response
on their demands by January 3, 2012 but nothing had
been communicated to
them.
“In the same manner in which MPs were
given their allowances, we are also
demanding salary hikes. There is a lot
of money but the problem is that the
government is channelling it to ghost
workers,” said Zhou.
Schools are due to open next week.
http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/
Friday, 06 January 2012
12:55
Njabulo Ncube, Assistant Editor
DRAFTERS of the country’s
troubled new supreme law of the land have been
relocated to a secret
location in the Eastern Highlands as the troubled
Parliamentary Constitution
Select Committee (COPAC) moves to shield them
from the preying media and
plug leakages of crucial data.
It also emerged yesterday that COPAC was
reviewing its security processes in
desperate attempts to limit leaks from
the constitution writing process,
stalled by political bickering between
ZANU-PF and the two formations of the
Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).
The three political parties are engaged in a battle of wits to impose
their
views on the final draft that would be presented for voting through a
referendum.
An investigation is also being mooted within COPAC corridors
to determine
the source of the leakages of part of the draft document, which
is being
serialised in the State media.
COPAC is also mulling legal
action to stop the continued serialisation of
the draft.
The leaks have
damaged the credibility of the entire constitution-making
process with
ZANU-PF, which is the dominant party in the coalition
government, now
skeptical about the whole process.
ZANU-PF spin-doctors are alleging that the
MDC-T is intent on smuggling gay
rights into the final draft, charges denied
by the labour-backed party.
Last year, COPAC appointed three professionals to
draft the new constitution
namely former Zimbabwe High Court Judge Justice
Moses Chinhengo, Priscilla
Madzonga and Brian Crozier.
The drafters have
been accused by ZANU-PF of “lifting” certain information
from foreign
constitutions to suit the aspirations of the two MDC
formations, charges
dismissed by COPAC, which also absolved the drafters of
any
wrong-doing.
COPAC spokesperson, Jessie Majome, said despite the present
storm
surrounding the process, the drafting process was going ahead in the
Eastern
Highlands.
“It’s unruly to prematurely put the document (draft)
out. We have then
decided we should take the process away from the madding
crowd. It should be
put on record that the Select Committee has agreed that
it is out of order
to put an incomplete process into the public domain,” she
said.
Majome, a lawyer by profession, said in view of the latest leaks to the
media, the Select Committee would be reviewing drafting instructions.
“We
are handling the leaks as we believe it is not in the interest of
Zimbabwe
to be leaking such vital information before the Select Committee
has seen
it. The public should be wary of such leaks that are not coming
from COPAC.
Certain people or organisations have agendas that might not be
helpful to
the country. Because of the seemingly lack of confidentiality
COPAC’s
credibility has been at stake and, as such, we are taking measures
to stop
this toxic and mischievous haemorrhaging,” said Majome.
Under the Global
Political Agreement signed between President Robert Mugabe,
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara,
a new
constitution is envisaged to lead to fresh elections that would bring
closure to the acrimonious government of national unity, consisting of
ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
6 January
2012
A huge influx of refugees, fleeing instability in the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo (DRC), has arrived in Bulawayo this week in transit to
their final
destination, South Africa.
Our Bulawayo correspondent
Lionel Saungweme said haulage truckers, driving
from the DRC to South Africa
were making brisk business in the movement of
the refugees.
There has
been heightened tension in the DRC since last year’s November
polls, won by
President Joseph Kabila, were so marred by irregularities that
international
observers described them as not credible.
‘The refugees are saying
tensions are still high in the vast minerals-rich
central African country
following its second post-war vote, marred by deadly
violence,
disorganisation and allegations of fraud. They are worried the
situation can
easily escalate into another civil war,’ Saungweme said.
Most of the
refugees who arrived in the country’s second largest city were
being housed
at a church in one of the city’s oldest suburbs, Makokoba. The
local
community has been helping with blankets, food and clothes.
‘Initially
when they came in they were first taken to Amakhosi Theatre
centre where
they paid for the accommodation. So they were moved to a church
in Makokoba
where its free.
‘About 80 of them were at the church this week but
hundreds more are using
the city as a transit point. Those who have decided
to settle in Zimbabwe
are reportedly being taken to Tongogara refugee camp
to be screened,’
Saungweme said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
06 January, 2012
A power struggle between three ZANU PF
officials in Chimanimani has caused
the local parliamentary constituency
office to be shut down by the sitting
MP Samuel Undenge, even though it is
does not belong to ZANU PF.
Parliament pays for the maintenance of
constituency offices around the
country, in order for people to bring their
grievances and to keep them
informed about legislative and development
issues, as well as government
activities.
But according to local
activist Peter Chogura, the office was locked on
January 3rd. He explained
that two ZANU PF chefs, the infamous Jane Knight
and white farmer Joshua
Sacco, are gunning for MP Undenge’s seat and the
power struggle has turned
nasty.
Mai Knight is a former provincial chairperson for ZANU PF who was
suspended
over allegations that she misused funds. She was also removed from
her post
as the local district chair for Chimanimani. During past elections
Knight
allegedly directed violence against MDC supporters.
Sacco is a
white farmer known to be a staunch ZANU PF supporter. He was
recently
promoted to the national youth structures, allegedly a reward for
his hard
work promoting violence against MDC members. Sacco was also part of
a ZANU
PF delegation that pushed the party’s agenda at a SADC summit in
South
Africa last year.
Chogura said the current MP for Chimani East, Undenge,
accused his assistant
Tendai Mandeya of defecting to Sacco’s side and
campaigning for him in the
district. Mandeya was also accused of extorting
money from businesses in the
area and using the office for illegal
activity.
“Undenge received information that Mandeya was bribed by Sacco,
and is now
telling people to vote for Sacco in the next election,” Chogura
said. “But
this is not a party office or a personal office and should not be
used for
their own political infighting,” he added.
Chogura said
Chimani residents are angry and frustrated but there is nothing
they can do.
They only hope the infighting works to their advantage by
dividing votes and
returning the constituency to the MDC.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Own Correspondent
Friday, 06 January
2012 11:26
MUTARE - Infighting within Mutare City Council — where the
mayor stepped
down last week — has intensified, forcing the abandonment of a
special
council meeting yesterday.
The planned meeting was set to
deliberate the delayed 2012 council budget,
the unceremonious departure of
mayor Brian James last week and the delays in
engaging an
auditor.
Key stakeholders such as residents, civic organisations,
businesspeople and
other ratepayers that had gathered to attend the
proceedings were left
disgruntled after council cancelled the meeting at the
last minute.
Despite being a special council meeting, council had invited
people to
attend.
This is the latest development in the
tension-filled council, where MDC
councillors have been fighting among each
other.
Sources privy to the goings on at council said management and
council
committee chairpersons were on Wednesday summoned by Local
Government, Urban
and Rural Development Minister Ignatius Chombo to Harare
to explain the
infighting as well as why they had not come up with a 2012
budget.
“The council committee chairpersons were taken to task over the
matter
(2012 budget). James’ leave of absence was another issue which was
discussed
in Harare,” said the source.
James, who has stepped down as
mayor until April citing infighting, referred
questions to George Jerison,
whom he said was the acting mayor.
In his letter for leave of absence
from work as mayor, James said there was
resistance from some councillors to
audit council books for the past two
years.
Pishai Muchauraya, the
MDC-T Manicaland provincial spokesperson said the
party was concerned with
the infighting by the MDC councillors.
“It is their business to run
affairs for the residents, but if what we are
hearing is anything to go by
then we are unhappy about it,” said Muchauraya.
David Mutambirwa of the
Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Association said
council should put its
house in order, instead “of taking residents for a
ride”.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Nkayi, January 06,
2011- Police here on Thursday defied a court order and
disrupted an MDC-T
rally at Komayanga business centre.
This comes only a week after police
in the same Nkayi district banned two
rallies of the Welshman Ncube led
MDC.
On Thursday morning Nkayi Magistrate Nduna Masuku had given a green
light to
MDC-T to go ahead with their meeting at Komayanga business centre
and more
than 500 party supporters had gathered for the rally. However
heavily armed
police disrupted the rally which was to be addressed by MDC-T
deputy
national organizing secretary Abednico Bhebhe who is also former
legislator
for Nkayi and Matebeleland North Provincial chairman Sengezo
Tshabangu and
also the party’s parliamentarians from same
province.
“Police have defied a court order; they came in a full
truck load and
started beating up our party supporters forcing them to
disperse. They said
they don’t take orders from the courts but from their
commanders,” said
Tshabangu.
Tshabangu added: “We are
shocked but this barbaric behaviour by the police.
We are going to file
contempt of court charges against Nkayi police. This
should be stopped
because it is now very difficult for us to hold rallies in
Matebeleland
North especially in Nkayi”.
Nkayi is now regarded as no go zone
for the two MDC formations and human
rights activists as police have blocked
several meetings in the past recent
months.
Only last week
police in the same Nkayi district raided the homestead of
Deputy Foreign
Affairs Minister and smaller MDC Senator for Nkayi Robson
Makula after
banning the party's two rallies which were scheduled to take
place in the
district.
In October Nkayi police also disrupted Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
rally at Nesingwe Business Centre despite a High Court
order allowing the
rally to go ahead. After the disruption of his rally an
angry Tsvangirai
says he does not need police clearances to hold meetings
because he has the
same powers as President Robert Mugabe whose rallies are
allowed by the same
security agents without clearance.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Tendai Kamhungira, Court Writer
Friday, 06 January
2012 13:19
HARARE - Kembo Mohadi, the co-home Affairs Minister has
been named in a
citizenship scam involving a Chinese national and a man
claiming to be the
minister’s brother.
Aneti Mbedzi, a 56-year-old
man who allegedly claims to be Mohadi’s brother,
has already appeared in
court on allegations of defrauding Li Chuanya, a
Chinese frantically seeking
Zimbabwean citizenship.
Li Chuanya is part of thousands of Chinese
nationals flooding the country
since President Robert Mugabe opened up to
the Asian country under a “Look
East Policy” meant to cover the gap left by
Western countries that have
imposed sanctions on part of Zimbabwe’s
leadership.
Some have been deported for using fake documents, while
others have fallen
prey to conmen in their bid to stay in
Zimbabwe.
According to details stated in court, Mbedzi is alleged to have
deceived Li
Chuanya that he could assist her in acquiring Zimbabwean
citizenship using
Mohadi’s influence.
The court heard that Li Chuanya
was issued with a temporary work permit in
January 2010, which expired on
December 18 last year.
Mbedzi, employed as a finance manager with
Fredjust (Pvt) Ltd and also a
“self-styled” consultant, then approached Li
Chuanya after hearing she was
looking for Zimbabwean citizenship in February
last year.
The prosecution described Li Chuanya’s situation as a
“desperate need” when
Mbedzi offered assistance.
Mbedzi is said to
have introduced himself to Li Chuanya as Mohadi’s young
brother who could
assist her in acquiring Zimbabwean citizenship.
The court heard he told
her that Mohadi was a very powerful figure in the
country, before divulging
that he had assisted a number of Chinese nationals
to get similar papers
through Mohadi.
Chuanya was initially hesitant, according to the
prosecution, but removed
her doubts after Mbedzi showed her some documents
for Chinese people
resident in the country whose papers he had allegedly
processed.
The court was further told that after a few days, Mbedzi
called Li Chuanya
to tell her that he required $600 to facilitate the
citizenship document. He
allegedly convinced her that the process would take
two days to be
completed.
According to state papers, Mbedzi is said
to have later taken Li Chuanya to
Mohadi’s office at Mukwati Building in
Harare. Upon their arrival at the
building, he left Chuanya in the office of
Mohadi’s secretary while he
entered into the minister’s office.
He
returned to Li Chuanya after a few minutes before signalling her to
follow
him to the elevator, explaining that the minister was busy on the
day.
In the elevator, an unidentified man joined the two but did not
share in any
conversation, although Mbedzi allegedly told Li Chuanya later
that the man
in the elevator was in fact the minister.
He was then
paid $600, followed by another $100 five days later for
processing the
papers.
Two days later, according to state papers, he took her to a
radiologist
where she paid $65 for an X-ray after he convinced her that it
was a
requirement for citizenship processing.
Thereafter, according
to state papers, Mbedzi became evasive prompting Li
Chuanya to report the
matter to the police leading to his subsequent arrest.
Chuanya has since
been given 60 days reprieve by the immigration department
to process her
papers.
Mbedzi, on the other hand, walked free after prosecutor Moffart
Makuvatsine
withdrew the charges at Li Chuanya’s instance on Wednesday
before Harare
magistrate Sandra Mupindu.
Li Chuanya told the court
that she did not want to pursue the matter further
because she had managed
to recover her money.
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
Friday, 06 January 2012 08:23
Faith
Zaba
PRESSURE is mounting on Zanu PF Youth League boss Absolom Sikhosana
to
resign and pave way for young blood ahead of make-or-break general
elections
the party is pushing for later this year.
In separate
interviews with the Zimbabwe Independent, Zanu PF national and
provincial
youth leaders urged their party to undergo systematic
organisational
re-alignment and renewal if it wanted to remain relevant in
the next
elections.
The youths all pledged their support for President
Robert Mugabe, but said
there was a need to revitalise the youth wing before
elections, and to do
so, Sikhosana, who is almost 60 years old, should
resign from his post.
They said Sikhosana should take advantage of
other vacancies in the
politburo and ask Mugabe to reassign him to another
portfolio.
The politburo is appointed by the presidium, which
includes Mugabe, his
deputies Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo, and party
chairman Simon Khaya Moyo.
Presently there are several vacancies
following the deaths of Ephraim Masawi
(deputy national commissar), David
Karimanzira (secretary for finance),
retired army commander General Solomon
Mujuru (committee member) and
Khantibai Patel (committee
member).
In 2007 Zanu PF revised its constitution to enforce age
limits for its youth
wing. Only people aged between 15 and 30 years can be
members of the youth
league.
One national youth leader said:
“Sikhosana should do the honourable thing
and resign from his post. You
can’t have a 60-year old presiding over an
organ of the party whose members
are aged between 15 and 30. He is out of
sync with the goings-on. What does
he know about the youths? What do you
discuss with him when he is totally
clueless about what is going on among
the youths? Some of us are even
willing to resign if Sikhosana does not step
down because, really, there is
no point for us to go into such a crucial
election with him. The youth
should be led by a vibrant, energetic and
relatively young person below 35
years. Sikhosana should ask to be appointed
a committee
member.”
As elections loom, Zanu PF is increasingly finding itself
with its back
against the wall due to ageing leadership and a lack of energy
in its
campaigns.
The party needs to undergo a fundamental structural
change in order for it
to appeal beyond its traditional rural
voters.
The youths said it was imperative that this happens for Zanu
PF to have life
after the next elections.
Another national youth
leader weighed in: “We can’t go for elections with a
youth leader who is old
enough to be our grandfather. How will he mobilise
the youth? Zanu PF needs
to create a vibrant youth wing like (the ANC) in
South Africa.It needs a
youth league that is powerful, and to have a
powerful youth wing, we need a
young leader who speaks our language; someone
we can identify with and
someone who is one of us.”
A provincial leader concurred saying
Sikhosana would be remembered more as
Mugabe’s interpreter during national
congresses and conferences than a youth
leader.
“We are actually
begging the presidium to reassign Sikhosana for the sake of
the party. They
must just look at other youth leaders in Zimbabwe and in the
region. When we
went in, we were so excited, eager and vibrant, but what
ideas can a
60-yearold leader come up with which appeal to the youths,” said
the youth
leader.
However, Sikhosana told the Independent yesterday that he
would not step
down saying only Mugabe, who appointed him, can remove
him.
He said his job was to lead and give the youth wing
direction.
“I am not running in the race. I never said I was a youth,
but I am a leader
of the youths to give guidance and direction.That is gross
indiscipline by
the youth if they said that and these are the kind of things
they should
desist from. We are talking about issues that affect the welfare
of the
youths, not tissues.I believe it is just an agenda you are trying to
push to
destabilise Zanu PF. I didn’t put myself in that position. I was
nominated
by the president. The youths must go to the president and tell him
they no
longer want me. They must also come to me and discuss it with me,”
Sikhosana
said.
The MDC formations’ youth wings are led by
Solomon Madzore (35) from Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party, while
the Welshman Ncube-led youths are
led by Gideon Mandaza
(29).
National youth leaders in the region are mainly in their early
30s. ANC’s
Julius Malema is 31, Basilio Muhate of Frelimo (Mozambique) 30,
Sergio
Luther of MPLA (Angola) 30, and Elijah Ngurare of Swapo (Namibia) is
38.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona
Sibanda
6 January 2012
War vets leader Jabulani Sibanda’s call, urging
Robert Mugabe to dissolve
Parliament and announce a date for elections, has
been highly criticized by
a senior MDC-T official.
Speaking on SW
Radio Africa’s weekly program Rebuilding Zimbabwe, Morgan
Komichi, the MDC-T
deputy national chairman, said Sibanda’s recent
utterances can best be
described as ‘naďve, frivolous and foolish.’
In a statement given
prominence by the state media this week, the war vets
leader said the
country should go for an early election because COPAC had
failed to produce
a constitution in line with what people want.
Sibanda also called on
COPAC to be immediately disbanded as it had ‘betrayed
the views of the
people of Zimbabwe.’
‘It is also clear that COPAC’s intention is to, as
much as possible, delay
the constitution making process so as to avoid the
holding of elections this
year. Our considered view is that the President,
in terms of the current
constitution, must dissolve Parliament and announce
a date for elections,’
Sibanda said.
On Friday Komichi issued a
scathing criticism of Sibanda’s statement saying
he’s a ‘murderous gangster’
afraid that a new charter in the country will
stop his heinous activities
and make him accountable for his evil deeds.
‘If he calls himself a good
politician or if he thinks he’s strong enough to
stand the taste of
democracy, why not wait for a referendum and allow all
Zimbabweans to have a
say on a new constitution.
‘If he doesn’t like it then he will have time
to campaign against it or he
should not try to subjugate the will of the
people,’ Komichi said.
The MDC Senator said it is clear Sibanda, who has
long taken the law into
his own hands, is scared of the democratization
process that seeks to outlaw
his modus operandi.
‘Such people forget
that this new charter is not for today or tomorrow. This
document is for
future generations to come. So why are they scared? That
statement tells us
two very important things about ZANU PF. First, they are
too scared to
operate under a new constitution as they won’t have the ‘legal’
machinery to
beat and lock up people at will at the first sign of dissent.
‘Second,
the disruptions to the constitution making process by ZANU PF tells
us that
the promise of free elections after the signing of the Global
Political
Agreement was nothing more than a cynical load of political
gamesmanship,’
Komichi added.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Gwanda, December 06, 2012, - The trial of
three Media Monitoring Project of
Zimbabwe (MMPZ) advocacy officers has been
deferred to the 19th of this
month after the state said it was still
awaiting response from the Attorney
General’s office on whether to prosecute
the accused on the charge of
undermining or insulting President Robert
Mugabe.
Fadzai December, Molly Chimhanda and MMPZ’s Public Information
Rights Forum
Committee chairperson for Gwanda Gilbert Mabusa are also being
charged under
the notorious Public Order and Security Act (POSA) for failing
to give
notice of a meeting. They are also being charged in terms of the
Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act for “participating in a gathering
with the
intent to promote public violence, breaches of peace or
bigotry’.
The charges arise from a civic education meeting they
facilitated in the
town on November 24 last year.
Kossam Ncube
represented the trio while Blessing Gundani appeared for the
state.
Last week police here also charged (MMPZ) director Andy Moyse
with
undermining the office of the President.
The charge arose after
detectives seized copies of compact discs and DVDs
believed to contain
material on the 1980s Gukurahundi atrocities in
Matabeleland and Midlands.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, January 06, 2012 - THE
Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) will
not be issuing out private
television licenses any time soon.
Obert Muganyura, the chief
executive officer of BAZ, on Thursday ruled out
any licensing of independent
television stations, saying it was not a
priority for the body in the next
two years.
“The biggest issue is the migration from analogue to digital
broadcasting
and meeting the SADC 2013 deadline,” he said.
Countries
in SADC are understood to have made a commitment that they will
complete the
transition from analogue to digital broadcasting by 2013 ahead
of the world
deadline of 2015.
BAZ, which the two formations of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC)
maintain was unconstitutionally instituted by the
minister of media,
information and publicity Webster Shamu, is accused of
showing bias towards
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF).
In what
media activists view as cosmetic measures to free the airwaves, BAZ
last
year awarded two free-to-air commercial radio licenses to Zimpapers
(Talk
Radio) and AB Communications (ZI Radio) out of 14 applicants.
The two
aspiring broadcasters are linked to President Mugabe and Zanu (PF).
After
issuing the two commercial radio licenses BAZ invited 14 more
applicants for
community radio stations to be based in Harare, Bulawayo,
Mutare, Gweru,
Masvingo, Chinhoyi, Bindura,Gwanda, Marondera, Lupane,
Plumtree, Kariba,
Victoria Fall and Beitbridge.
Two losing applicants, KISS-FM and VOP
Radio have approached the courts
contesting the awarding of the two licences
to Zimpapers Radio and AB
Communications which is owned by Supa
Mandiwanzira, who has been reported as
setting his eyes on running for a
legislative seat in Nyanga under the Zanu
(PF) ticket.
While
Mandiwanzira has denied Zanu (PF) links, in October last year he
appeared in
a front page picture with the ZANU-PF secretary for
administration Didymus
Mutasa campaigning for the party.
Last year some legislators called for
the BAZ board to be dissolved on the
grounds that it was illegally
constituted after it emerged the cabinet gave
a directive to regularize the
appointment of the BAZ board.
ZBC has the monopoly of the airwaves
forcing people to resort to expensive
satellite dishes.
http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/
Friday, 06 January 2012 12:54
Clemence Manyukwe, Political
Editor
AS schools open next week, the education sector finds itself in a
dilemma
after the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture was forced to
suspend
some of its programmes due to funding constraints.
Eighty-nine
percent of the ministry’s funds which were allocated through
Treasury in the
2012 National Budget would go towards employment costs,
leaving the other
competing expenditure heads to share the 11 percent
balance.
There is
therefore very little going towards funding crucial departments
such as the
Zimbabwe Schools Examina-tion Council and the National Library
and
Documentation Centre, which are facing hard times.
Each year, ministries
submit their expenditure bids to the Ministry of
Finance in line with their
strategic plans for consideration in the National
Budget. Under normal
circumstances, the bids are taken on board without
major alterations, but
due to the liquidity crunch rattling government
operations, Treasury is
imposing expenditure targets on line ministries.
In the case of the Education
Ministry, Treasury is said to have issued a
circular barring the ministry
from redirecting any amount from one
expenditure head to another. This has
left the ministry unable to channel
resources to areas that it deems
critical.
Initially, the ministry had been allocated about US$72 million for
education
development and capital transfers, but the figure had to be
re-adjusted to
about US$79 million following a meeting between officials
from Treasury and
the ministry in November last year.
On the overall, the
education ministry was allocated US$707 million,
representing only 17,7
percent of the total budget against the Southern
Africa development
Comm-unity benchmark of 30 percent for education.
However, the bulk of the
US$707 million budget allocation is for employment
costs, which cost about
US$628 million, accounting for 89 percent, leaving
only 11 percent for
education development and transfers. According to
parliamentarians, the
education ministry has an approved staff establishment
of 138 950 with 101
027 members in post as at November 30, 2011.
“While the impression and
painting of the budget proposal create a picture
of the ministry receiving
the biggest allocation, the real facts clearly
show that primary and
secondary education is not on the top priority sector
areas of the
Government Work Programme,” said the committee.
Inadequate funding has
therefore minimised the ministry’s effectiveness in
discharging its mandate,
which inc-ludes provision of quality early
childhood development, primary
and secondary education, sch-ools
psychological services and special needs
education.
The committee also proposed a number of reforms to be instituted
in the
education sector.
One of which is that the Basic Education
Assistance Module — an educational
fund catering for orphaned and vulnerable
children — must be administered by
the Education Ministry and not the
Ministry of Labour and Social We-lfare as
is the present case.
It was
also recommended that a separate Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture
be
created to put more emphasis in these crucial aspects.
The committee also
recommended that the budget allocation for arts, sport
and culture be
improved.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
06/01/2012 00:00:00
by NewZiana
ZIMBABWE
will not allow the production of Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs) even
if they could help ensure food sufficiency, agriculture
mechanisation
minister, Dr Joseph Made has insisted.
Made said the government would,
instead, concentrate on making available
fertilizer, seeds, irrigation and
other essential farm inputs to boost food
production rather than use cheaper
but unsustainable means which have a
detrimental impact on the
environment.
"Scientific research shows that GMOs contain toxic
substances, are less
nutritious than non-GMOs and have negative effects on
humans and the
environment," he said here Thursday.
Made said while
GMOs were cheaper to produce, they were costly in the
long-term as they
contaminated the environment and harmed biodiversity. His
ministry would
continue to advocate non-GMO farming to ensure sustainability
in the
agriculture sector, he added.
"Zimbabwe is the largest white maize-seed
producer in the world and we do
not want to contaminate our local seeds by
introducing GMOs," he said.
Made said it was economically unwise for
Zimbabwe to practise GMO farming as
this would negatively affect regional
markets, which did not allow GMOs in
their countries.
"Look at what
Kenya has done. They have banned GMOs going into their
country. Those who
advocate GMOs have no scientific background hence they do
not know the
impact of GMOs on the environment," he said.
There have been growing
calls by some stakeholders for the government to
lift the ban on GMOs to
boost food production.
Farmers are crying foul over lack of credit lines
and agricultural support
hence lobbying for GMOs to supplement food
security.
Science and Technology Development Minister, Professor Heneri
Dzinotyiwei
recently suggested that Zimbabwe reviews its policy on
GMOs.
A GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using
genetic
engineering techniques.
These techniques known as combatant
DNA technology uses DNA molecules from
different sources which are combined
into one molecule to create a new set
of genes.
http://www.voanews.com
05 January
2012
Human rights groups have condemned Zimbabwe's prisons as
hell-holes that
subject prisoners to slow starvation and possible death due
to poor
conditions.
Blessing Zulu | Washington
Responding
to the shocking images that emerged in 2009 showing how Zimbabwe’s
crowded
prisons had become death traps, the government has gazetted a
statutory
instrument that sets out the daily diet to be given to inmates.
Statutory
instrument 149 of 2011 obliges that on a daily basis, a prisoner
should get
one-eighth of a loaf of bread, 100 grams maize meal porridge,
fresh
vegetables, margarine, meat twice a week and milk, among other basic
diet
necessities.
Human rights groups have long criticized Zimbabwe's prisons
as hell-holes
that condemn inmates to slow starvation and possible death
from
nutrition-deficiency related illnesses or the vast array of other
diseases
that they are exposed to through unhygienic conditions in their
cells.
In 2009 food rations at two Harare prisons - Harare Central and
Remand
Prison - were cut to a quarter of what prisoners should receive and
at one
stage it was revealed that there was no food left at all in the
prisons.
One prison officer described their struggle for food: "We've
gone the whole
year in which, for prisoners and prison officers, the food is
hand to
mouth," the officer said then.
"We will be lucky to get one
meal. Sometimes they'll sleep without. We have
moving skeletons, moving
graves. They're dying."
Deputy Justice Minister Obert Gutu told VOA's
Blessing Zulu that the unity
government was determined to change these
conditions.
http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/
Friday, 06 January 2012 16:16
Shame
Makoshori, Farming Reporter
ZIMBABWE should brace for yet another poor
agricultural season triggered
largely by an unpredictable rain pattern
partnered with lack of funding,
experts warned this week.
They warned
that farmers would battle to acquire fertilisers and chemicals
due to the
absence of bank financing as well as Official Development
Assistance
(ODA).
The experts painted a bleak picture of the sector, buttressing fears
by
farmers unions that cash-strapped banks, under political pressure to fund
agriculture, were becoming increasingly jittery to extend loans to a sector
that has registered unsustainable defaults.
In November, Finance
Minister, Tendai Biti, who projected that the sector
would grow by 11,6
percent in 2012, said government would bankroll
agriculture to the tune of
US$226 million in 2012, out of the US$2,5 billion
the sector
requires.
His budget proposal triggered fears of yet another extremely poor
2011/2012
farming season.
Takunda Mugaga, senior researcher at the
Harare-based Econometer Global
Capital, said this week agriculture, once the
backbone of the country's
economy, would continue to sing the blues unless
there was urgent
intervention from the private sector.
"You don't need a
budget to fund agriculture in Zimbabwe; you need a good
farmer with a good
reputation to approach banks for loans," Mugaga said.
"We need funding
through official development assistance. If you look at
Malawi, its
agricultural sector grew tremendously through ODA. Once they had
a
diplomatic standoff with London last year, ₤500 000 were withdrawn.
Malawi is
now facing hunger and fuel shortages. We are funding something
whose
problems have proved to be more than just money. Agriculture is a
political
hotbed," Mugaga told The Farming Gazette.
According to the Comm-ercial
Farmers Union (CFU), only US$350 million is
expected to flow into
agriculture this season.
This translates to a deficit of about US$2,2
billion.
That means more than 50 percent of the country's cash strapped
farmers would
have to bankroll their operations.
"Donors have cut funding
by 75 percent because they see Zimbabwe's problems
not as a result of
natural problems like drought, but policy," said
Commercial Farmers of
Zimbabwe president, Charles Taffs.
Problems in bridging the huge funding gap
have been compounded by the fact
that local banks say high default rates of
up to 83 percent in 2011 will not
motivate them to continue pumping dead
capital into an industry that is
difficult to policy.
A poor agricultural
season will mean government, whose officials
unsuccessfully traversed the
globe at the formation of the inclusive
government in 2009 to mobile US$10
billion to help repair a frail economy
that was badly hit by a decade of
hyperinflation and capital flight, would
once again be forced to import
grain.
This at a time when its US$4 billion 2012 bud-get is projected to
commit 80
percent, or US$3,2 billion towards recurrent expenditure such as
paying the
cou-ntry's 236 000 ci-vil service.
New challen-ges have
eme-rged in Zimba-bwe, and across the globe.
Rainfall seasons have become
erratic and unpredictable.
This season, rains came late.
Unlike previous
seasons, far-mers were still planting maize this week, a
time when
traditionally, the bulk of the crop would be moving towards
tussling.
Lack of activity in such national institutions as the
Agricultural and Rural
Deve-lopment Autho-rity (ARDA) and the Grain
Mark-eting Board (GMB) could
also worsen the situation, the analysts
said.
"The absence of ARDA has a strong bearing on the performance of
agriculture," said another analyst.
Blaming the late rains, government
said last week Zimbabwe had reported a
significant fall in the hectarage of
maize planted to 247 000 by Tuesday,
from 380 000 hectares during the same
period last year.
The hectarage of planted cotton declined by about 50
percent.
About 45 000 hectares had been planted last week, from 107 000
hectares
during the same period last year.
Once again, government failed
to provide promised inputs on time.
The bulk of peasant farmers are
struggling to access the inputs this week.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chengetai Zvauya, Senior Writer
Friday, 06
January 2012 12:20
HARARE - Zanu PF-aligned UPfumi Kuvadiki is having
the last laugh.
The group which has been involved in a fight with the
Harare City Council
challenging the rationale behind the council’s decision
to partner a South
African company in a car parking business in central
Harare , will now take
over the business.
The group attempted a
violent takeover of the parking bays operated by South
African company
Easihold last year arguing that the business is a preserve
of the indigenous
Zimbabweans but were prevented from doing so by the
police.
Harare
Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda told the Daily News yesterday that it has
started
take over negotiations with the youth group.
He said he had approached
Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment
Saviour Kasukuwere and
Ignatius Chombo the Minister of Local Government and
Rural Development to
inform them that council was willing to work in
partnership with the
youths.
“I have indicated through the two ministers that I am willing to
talk to
Upfumi Kuvadiki, we want to work together with the
youths."
“What we don’t want is a violent takeover that the youths are
talking
about," said Masunda.
Asked if he was not giving in to
violent behaviour, Masunda said: “I am
immune to intimidation and threats.
We don’t want violence. “My door is open
to anyone who wants to work for the
progress of the city.
“Last year I engaged the youths to work with them
but nothing materialised.
They must not think that the Easi-Park is an easy
picking deal. They are
many programmes that we can work with the youths in
the city because we are
concerned by the number of our unemployed youths,’’
said Masunda.
Upfumi Kuvadiki chairman Alson Darikayi welcomed the
decision by the city
fathers.
“We want to give dialogue a chance and
we are ready to engage them because
we had tried several times but the
council was very hostile towards us.
“We want to see the empowerment
programme being extended to the youths,"
said Darikayi.
Upfumi
Kuvadiki has a company named Nehanda Holdings which will be running
the
parking bays.
Easihold and Harare formed Easipark to control city parking
but the deal is
ending in two months time after the city pulled out of the
two- year
partnership last December.
Parking business has become
lucrative as motorists are charged $1 an hour,
an amount considered way
above what ordinary motorists can afford.
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
Friday, 06 January 2012 08:20
ZIMBABWE’s
projected economic growth in 2012 depends on a stable political
environment
which could be undermined if a contentious general election
takes place, the
African Development Bank (AfDB) said in a monthly review
released
yesterday.
Finance minister Tendai Biti expects the economy to expand by
a further 9,4%
in 2012 from a forecast 9,3% last year, mainly on the back of
a rebound in
agriculture and mining. Inflation is projected to average 5%
this year.
The country has been on a recovery path since 2009 when
President Robert
Mugabe agreed to share power with his rival, Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai, after disputed 2008 presidential polls and in a bid to
reverse a
decade-long economic slump.
The AfDB said while
international commodity prices would be key to Zimbabwe’s
economic growth
prospects, internal policy decisions, such as Mugabe’s drive
to give control
of foreign-owned firms to locals, could hurt the economy.
“The
on-going implementation of the indigenisation and economic empowerment
laws
and the expected national elections in 2012 continue to weaken external
investor confidence,” the AfDB said in its review of Zimbabwe’s
economy.
“The achievement of the 2012 projections is therefore
subject to a stable
political and economic environment... and continued
firming of the
international commodity prices or increase in
output.”
Analysts say the empowerment laws, mainly targeting
foreign-owned mines and
banks, are holding back investment into
the
country and restraining economic growth.
Mugabe has, however, vowed
to press on with the policy, which he argues is
necessary to address
imbalances created by colonialism. Critics have
dismissed the policy as a
political ploy to harness support ahead of
elections.
The veteran
ruler wants elections this year to end a fragile three-year
power-sharing
government he has frequently described as dysfunctional.
However, Tsvangirai
and regional leaders who brokered the power-sharing deal
insist fresh
elections can only be held after the adoption of a new
constitution as well
as broad electoral and media reforms.
A referendum on a proposed new
constitution is expected sometime this year
after a long-drawn-out process
of drafting the supreme law which has
suffered countless delays due to lack
of funding and constant wrangling
between the coalition partners. — Reuters.
