http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
14 July 2009
The All-Stakeholders Conference, aimed at
drafting a new national
constitution, resumed in the capital Tuesday, amid
unprecedented security at
the Harare International Conference
Centre.
The police, who were accused of letting things get out of hand
without
intervening, responded by throwing a 'ring of steel' around the
venue, after
the violent disruption Monday. A group of Mugabe's notorious
war-veterans
and militia, led by Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and
Patrick Zhuwawo,
Mugabe's nephew, had drowned out the proceedings with
singing and dancing,
while throwing water bottles at delegates. One MDC
councillor was
hospitalised because of his injuries.
The principals
to the GPA, Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur
Mutambara, appeared
on state television Monday evening condemning the
disturbances and warned
they would not 'brook any further nonsense.'
Our Harare correspondent
Simon Muchemwa said on Tuesday authorities drafted
in extra police, armed
with tear gas and baton sticks, because of fears that
the second day of the
high profile national gathering could be disrupted by
fresh
protests.
'There was heightened security at the venue. Inside the HICC
police details
were stationed a metre apart right around the auditorium.
Those without
proper accreditation were denied entry and the conference went
on smoothly
as a result,' Muchemwa said.
Members of the Parliamentary
Select Committee that is spearheading the
process, warned on Monday that
ZANU PF supporters must not be allowed to
overshadow the important business
being discussed by the conference.
According to Muchemwa, Douglas
Mwonzora, head of the parliamentary
committee, explained to the delegates
that the process to draw up a new
constitution would be guided mainly by
three documents, identified among the
many sent by different organisations
and political parties.
Mwonzora, a lawyer by profession, said they will
take a cue from the SADC
guidelines and principals on democracy to bring the
new constitution in line
with the rest of the regional countries. The
conference will also get
direction in compiling input for the constitution
from the Zimbabwe People's
Charter, a document that was drawn up by more
than 50 civil society
organizations and social movements.
Crucially
the process will follow guidelines agreed to in the GPA, that the
constitution be adopted within the stipulated time frame to be followed by
free and fair elections. Although the GPA acknowledges the Kariba draft as
an annexure in the document, Mwonzora said the constitution-making process
must not be reduced to what the three parties agreed to in Kariba. He said a
much broader constituency must have a meaningful input.
Under the
unity agreement that Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed last September
and
implemented in February, the country is supposed to write a new
constitution
by July 2010. But ZANU PF has been resisting the MDC's attempts
to overhaul
the constitution, calling instead for the Kariba draft--that
leaves Mugabe's
powers intact - to be implemented.
Muchemwa said to avoid accusations of
favouring submissions from a
particular party or organisation, the select
committee want to produce a
people-driven constitution, with all
stakeholders participating in the
process and not have politicians impose
drafts on the people.
'This may as well signal a new thinking in the
process. The select committee
has decided to use three documents as
guidelines and not any particular one
as a reference point. I think this
could have been agreed in marathon
meetings that the committee had last
night (Monday),' Muchemwa said.
The Zimbabwe constitution referendum of
February 2000 saw the defeat of a
proposed new constitution which had been
drafted by a Constitutional
Convention the previous year. The defeat was
unexpected and was taken as a
personal rebuff for Mugabe and a political
triumph for the newly-formed
opposition group, the MDC.
Mugabe went
on television at the time and said he would abide by the will of
the people.
But a short time later the farm invasions and the violence began
in earnest.
There are few who believe that just a decade later Mugabe
genuinely wants a
people driven constitution.
The core of the problem also remains. Mugabe
has never listened to the
constitution, if it doesn't suit him. Will it be
any different this time?
http://www.voanews.com
By Peta
Thornycroft
Harare
14 July 2009
Delegates to
Zimbabwe's troubled constitutional convention have resumed
work, following
the violent disruption of events Monday by supporters of
President Robert
Mugabe.
The resumption of the conference to discuss a new charter
followed a joint
press conference by President Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai in
which they condemned the disruptions.
There was
a strong police presence at the Harare conference center when the
session
re-opened with about 4,000 registered delegates.
Shortly after the
session began, a noisy crowd of ZANU-PF women were
reprimanded by the chair,
Hope Sadza, a prominent academic.
Speakers from political parties and
human rights groups presented their
views on a bill of rights, local
government and the role and
responsibilities of traditional
leaders.
Movement for Democratic Change legislator Douglas Mwonzora, who
is on the
parliamentary committee organizing the process, said people needed
a new
constitution to ensure essential freedoms.
The parties in the
unity government pledged in last year's global political
agreement to draft
a new constitution that will go to a referendum next year
before new
government elections.
One delegate at the conference said many are still
uneasy, but most of the
war veterans who had been at the forefront of the
violence Monday did not
turn up when the conference resumed.
Two
ZANU-PF ministers accused by Movement for Democratic Change delegates of
organizing the disruptions were also not present because they were in a
cabinet meeting.
The conference aims to design and appoint committees
and assign them to
gather information from people around the country about
what they want to
see in a new constitution.
On Monday, Parliament
Speaker Lovemore Moyo, of the Movement for Democratic
Change, was hounded
from the podium as he made his opening address.
Furniture was hurled around
the hall, and he was sprayed with water while
ZANU-PF militants shouted
insults at the MDC.
Thousands fled the conference center because they
said they feared violence.
Zimbabwe operates under a constitution written
in London before independence
in 1980. It has been amended 19 times and
invests Mr. Mugabe with
extraordinary powers.
A majority of
Zimbabweans, led by the then-six-month-old MDC, turned down a
new
constitution designed by Mr. Mugabe in 2000. Since then there has been
ongoing political turmoil.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
14 July
2009
The chaos that ended the first day of the All Stakeholders
Constitutional
Conference in Harare on Monday has been described as an
orchestrated plan by
ZANU PF, which observers say has further revealed the
disunity in the
coalition government.
ZANU PF thugs disrupted proceedings
after they hurled abuse at the Speaker
of Parliament Lovemore Moyo. Scores
of war veterans also sang war songs and
shouted slogans at the top table
inside the conference hall, drowning out
Moyo's speech. In Shona they
started singing ZANU PF songs and slogans which
include inflammatory words
like: "We are doing what we did in June, winning";
"We are doing away with
the Prime Minister"; and
"Zimbabwe is liberated with blood".
They also
hurled empty plastic water bottles in Moyo's direction, forcing
him to leave
the podium. Police eventually stopped the chaos, but many
people left the
venue saying they feared a serious outbreak of violence
after an MDC
councilor was badly injured and hospitalized.
Trouble around the
conference had already started last week when the event
was postponed from
the original date of 11-12 July. ZANU PF had announced
the conference was
postponed indefinitely 'due to lack of funds', and the
Parliamentary Select
Committee had to put its foot down and announce that it
would take place
this week. What followed was a last minute rush to fully
prepare for the
conference, which set the scene for the chaos that would
ensue on
Monday.
Many civil society groups and NGOs, which were meant to provide a
'people's'
perspective to the constitutional reform process, were not
informed of the
conference until the weekend. This included the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human
Rights (ZLHR), which sent a letter of complaint to the
conference
organisers. ZLHR director Irene Petras expressed anger in the
letter after
civil society only represented 8% of the delegates invited to
the
conference, which had been organised without any consultation with ZLHR
or
other groups.
"Taking just the issue of the percentage
representation of political
parties, parliamentarians and other government
representatives, it can be
reasonably perceived that there are intentions to
make this 1st
Constitutional Conference a political party-led and
parliament-driven
process, rather than a national process," Petras
wrote.
Civil servants organising the registration Sunday were unable to
accredit
more than 200 delegates out of the 4,000 invited to attend. Some
out-of-town
delegates slept overnight outside the conference center to be
sure they were
accredited before the start of proceedings Monday. But there
were not enough
personnel, stationery or cameras to cope with the hastily
arranged
conference. When it became clear registration was impossible before
the
start of conference, many delegates left the line and simply walked into
the
hall.
Founding MDC member Trudy Stevenson explained there was a
clear 'parallel
process' going on during registrations. She described seeing
a separate
queue entering a separate room, with ZANU PF MP Nyasha Chikwinya
guiding
groups inside. Chikwinya has since been identified as one of the
people who
led ZANU PF thugs during the chaos that ended the conference.
Stevenson said
the situation reminded her of the elections "and the nonsense
at some
polling stations!"
Stevenson also described seeing notorious
war veteran, Joseph Chinotimba,
inside the hall organising the singing and
dancing that frightened many into
leaving. She also said that it appeared
some ZANU PF aligned delegates were
able to get accreditation more easily
than MDC or civil-rights activists,
saying the whole event was a "well
planned, well orchestrated disruption and
show of power."
Meanwhile,
state media on Monday evening laid the blame of the disruption at
the feet
of civil society groups and MDC supporters. The ZBC reported that
the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the National Constitutional
Assembly (NCA), the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) and the MDC
were responsible for leading the disruption. Ironically however, groups such
as the ZCTU and the NCA have boycotted the event, saying it is not a people
driven process.
The NCA on Tuesday joined the chorus of outrage
over Monday's chaos, but
argued that such an incident was expected. In a
statement the group wrote:
"The behaviour displayed yesterday is not
shocking in a political process
especially given the ZANU-PF history. We are
in no doubt that if this
process continues as it is, ZANU-PF will have its
way and the people will be
losers."
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
14
July 2009
By NCA Publicity
NCA Statement on the developments
surrounding the politically driven and
politicians-centered Constitution
Making Process in Zimbabwe. The National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA) is
shocked that some people are shocked by
the predictable events that took
place at the Harare International
Conference Centre where the three
political parties together with a handful
of NGO people converged to start
the process of writing a "people driven
constitution".
The NCA has
remained steady fast on the need for a genuinely people driven
constitution
making process since its formation in 1997. With the signing of
the Global
Political Agreement the NCA immediately articulated the
shortfalls of the
process spelt out therein. As all Zimbabweans might be
aware by now that
those in the NCA have made their position clear that they
will not be a part
of the sham process in article 6 of the GPA.
So we are appalled by the
unrelenting effort from the proponents and drivers
of this process to have
the NCA participate in a process we have long said
we can not trust. For the
record the NCA believes that the process which
politicians are insisting on
is fundamentally flawed and thus we have taken
a principled stance to
distance away ourselves from this charade of a
process.
The
happenings at the HICC confirm our long held principle that a
constitution
making process must not be subjected to the whims and tactics
of
politicians. It is our belief that any genuine process must place
everyone
at the same level. What we saw at the HICC is that the process is a
political process nicodemously seeking legitimacy from civic society. Civic
players who attended the event were reduced to spectators as politicians
took charge.
The behaviour displyed yesterday is not shocking in
political process
especially given the ZANU-PF history. We are in no doubt
that if this
process continues as it is ZANU-PF will have its way and the
people will be
losers. The face saving press brief at the State House by the
principals to
the GPA must will not fool us. The process matters is as
important as the
contents. Politicaians must not drive this process or the
people will
continue to be spectators as politicians play games with the
future of the
country.
We believe that a constitution making process
must not be led by the
government of the day or the political parties who
dominate the government
of the day. The process must be led by an
independent body which is
constituted by various stakeholders but that body
must not just be
independent, it must also be seen to be independent. And
one way of ensuring
that there is an independent process is to get a
commission, normally
chaired by a judge or a former judge or some other
independent person.
This current process was brought to the country by
the political parties who
were negotiating the so-called Global Political
Agreement. That is a clear
indication that it is a political party-led
process of making a new
constitution for the country. Even if it then
involves people being invited
by the political parties to join it, it
doesn't change the fact that it is
led by politicians with political
ambitions of capturing or retaining state
power. In short Zimbabwe needs a
fresh start. The constitution must be
written by the people. Bumbiro
rinyorwe nevanhu.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
Tuesday 14 July 2009
Our ref:
IP/mn
12 July 2009
The Co-Chairpersons
Parliamentary Select
Committee on the Constitution
Parliament of
Zimbabwe
HARARE
Attention: Hon. Mwonzora; Hon Mangwana; Hon
Coltart
Dear Sirs,
RE: FIRST ALL STAKEHOLDERS' CONSTITUTIONAL
CONFERENCE
The above matter refers.
We write to register our
several concerns relating to the First All
Stakeholders' Constitutional
Conference (1st ASHCC) which is due to take
place from 13-14 July 2009 in
Harare.
The following facts are relevant:
1. Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights (ZLHR) has been allocated a total of
eight (8) delegates for
the 1st ASHCC. This only became known to us on
Saturday 11 July 2009 - a
mere 2 days before the event is due to commence -
through a stroke of luck,
after reading The Saturday Herald in which the
list of proposed delegates
was published.
2. ZLHR received an invitation - ostensibly from the Clerk
of Parliament -
at our offices at 11:30hrs on Saturday 11 July
2009.
3. This invitation was not delivered by a parliamentary staff
member, but a
member of a civic organisation who had visited Parliament that
same day and
had found a number of invitations for non-governmental
organisations "lying
around and in danger of not being delivered, or of
being picked up and taken
for use by persons not from the named
organisations".
4. The invitation did not provide information as to the
intent, objectives
and substance of the 1st ASHCC, nor did it include
details of a programme or
even when proceedings will commence.
5. At
no stage before this was ZLHR or, to the best of our knowledge, other
colleagues in civil society approached or consulted on views about and
suggestions for the 1st ASHCC, its objectives and how the programme should
be structured in order to ensure that it is something of value and moves the
process of constitution-making forward in a positive way and with meaningful
popular (and civic) participation.
6. The provincial consultations
which were held last week, and which we
monitored, were also not a platform
at which these issues could be - or
were - raised, discussed and/or
satisfactorily resolved.
7. We have learned that there will be two
Chairpersons - Dr Hope Sadza and
Professor Makhurane. At no time was ZLHR
or, to the best of our knowledge,
any of our colleagues from civil society
consulted on our suggestions and
views on this critical issue. Instead, we
are advised only after the
selection has been made by politicians.
8.
ZLHR also noted from the list published in The Saturday Herald that
political party representation accounts for 40 percent of the total number
of delegates, while non-governmental organisations have an 8 percent
representation. We have also learned that, in addition to the 40 percent
political party representation, all parliamentarians will be attending over
and above the 40 percent, and that the government also has been allocated a
large number of delegates.
In light of these facts, we therefore wish
to place on record the following
issues, which are of deep concern to
us:
1. It is unacceptable that ZLHR is advised less than 2 days before
the 1st
ASHCC that we have been granted 8 representatives and are expected
to
organise for our members' attendance and registration in less than 24
hours.
We have members throughout Zimbabwe and we do not pay lip service to
the
need for national representation in all our activities and
decision-making.
Such short notice and lack of clear logistical
arrangements make it
impossible to ensure the registration of our members
who are based outside
Harare and who, according to the instructions in the
letter of invitations,
are expected to "find their way to the capital where
upon arrival they will
be reimbursed bus fares on production of valid bus
tickets".
2. The manner in which this has been handled leads us to
conclude that ZLHR
is either being put in a position where it will
effectively be excluded or,
applying the most generous interpretation, is
being sidelined although it
represents an important sector of society,
namely the legal profession in
Zimbabwe whose members are mandated with the
promotion and protection of
human rights in Zimbabwe - a key issue relating
to any process of
constitutional reform.
3. The fact that there has
been absolutely no consultation beyond
politicians around the substance and
intent of the 1st ASHCC, the proposed
programme and the selection of
Chairperson/s again leads us to believe that
our views are not valued;
neither are we considered an important stakeholder
at this key stage of the
constitution-making process.
4. The manner in which this has been handled
further leads us to believe
that politicians wish to control the proceedings
at, and the outcome of, the
1st ASHCC through a blackout of information
which results in the exclusion
of key stakeholders, denies them the right
and ability to prepare
effectively for all issues which will be raised at
the meeting, and shuts
them out of any effective decision-making
processes.
5. The percentage of representation of government and
political parties when
compared to that of non-governmental organisations in
particular and the
civil society in general, is unacceptably high, and again
acts to exclude
key stakeholders, including general members of the public.
The refusal to
revisit the numbers, as we have been advised, shows
unwillingness to make
this a truly representative meeting. Instead, it is
likely to be one in
which ordinary people and representatives of various
sectors other than
politicians and government representatives will have
their freedom of
expression stifled and their freedom of assembly,
association and
participation violated.
6. Article VI of the
Inter-Party Political Agreement (IPA) acknowledges in
its Preamble that "it
is the fundamental right and duty of the Zimbabwean
people to make a
constitution by themselves and for themselves" and further
that "the process
of making this Constitution must be owned and driven by
the people and must
be inclusive and democratic" [our emphasis]. Further,
the
constitution-making process is supposed to be a national exercise and
should
not be placed in the hands solely of politicians.
7. Taking just the
issue of the percentage representation of political
parties,
parliamentarians and other government representatives, it can be
reasonably
perceived that there are intentions to make this 1st ASHCC a
political
party-led and parliament-driven process, rather than a national
process.
8. Regrettably, from the facts above, and the actions you
have taken, it is
our considered opinion that you are failing to meet your
obligations under
the IPA and the Constitution of Zimbabwe, as well as the
principles which
are enshrined in the Zimbabwe Peoples' Charter and the SADC
Guidelines on
Constitution-Making and Constitutional Reform.
9. It is
further reasonable to assume that such actions have been taken only
in order
to present a façade of consultation, representation and
participation,
whereas the true intent and effect is the opposite.
ZLHR is committed to
striving for a new constitutional dispensation in
Zimbabwe. However, it must
be one which is nationally owned, and in which
there is proper, effective
and meaningful popular participation, according
to well-known and
established principles, without which there will be no
ownership or
legitimacy of, or investment in, any new constitution.
For this reason,
and despite our serious misgivings as outlined previously,
ZLHR has
therefore taken a decision to have our 8 representatives attend the
1st
ASHCC under protest. The decision to attend under protest is to ensure
that
attempts to exclude and/or sideline alternative voices do not succeed,
but
also to ensure that our organisation is not used to legitimise a process
and
modus operandi with which we have serious misgivings. Our
representatives
will also bring our views to the attention of the
Chairpersons and attendees
at the First ASHCC.
We hereby further place it on record that we will
take the opportunity,
whilst attending this meeting under protest, to
monitor the proceedings,
participation and outcome thereof closely, and will
use our findings as a
basis to re-assess, after the close of the 1st ASHCC,
whether we can
continue to participate without lending legitimacy to such a
flawed process,
or whether we should take alternate action.
We advise
accordingly.
Yours faithfully,
Irene Petras
Executive
Director
ZIMBABWE LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
cc. Speaker of the
House of Assembly
President of the Senate
Minister of
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
Director, Rights and Interests
Cluster, Office of the Prime Minister
Chairperson and Board,
ZLHR
Chairperson/s, All Stakeholders Constitutional Conference -
ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
14
July 2009
By MDC Media
Release
The MDC dismisses the laughable lies by Zanu PF's propaganda
mouthpiece, the
ZBC, that the MDC, students, labour and other civic
activists disrupted
today's All Stakeholders Constitutional Conference in
Harare.
The rowdy and violent scenes that brought the Constitutional
proceedings to
a standstill took place in front of cameras. These scenes are
on record and
footage is available showing Zanu PF senior members Saviour
Kasukuwere,
Patrick Zhuwawo and Joseph Chinotimba leading the mayhem. The
three are
certainly not and will never be MDC members.
No amount of
Zanu PF propaganda will camouflage the drama at the Harare
International
Conference Centre which took place before thousands of
Zimbabweans,
journalists and diplomats. The MDC has no wish or political
interest to
disrupt the Constitution-making process. Zanu PF has an
incentive to avoid a
people-driven Constitution process ever since they were
resoundingly
rejected by the people of Zimbabwe on 29 March 2008.
http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/demgg/090713nango.asp?sector=DEMGG The disrespect, intolerance
and the contempt displayed toward the Speaker of Parliament, to the parliament
as a whole, to the constitutional process, and to the vast majority of
participants by an organised, permitted and protected, group of ZANU PF
supporters is totally unacceptable. Unless there is clear condemnation of this
action by leaders of that party it will appear that the action is condoned by
the party leadership (some of whom were present and did not attempt to stop the
disruptions) – and that it represents their attitude to the process. It is clear
that this action indicates an unwillingness to participate in a genuine
constitution-making exercise. The absence of security and
safety for the conference process, and the partisan tendencies of some law
enforcement agents present was a serious failure of one of the most essential
conditions to create an enabling environment for the process to commence, this
needs urgent attention. The visible partisanship of the police is a matter of
great concern. There have been selective arrests of Civil Society Activists
while the disrupters of the All Stakeholders Conference continue to walk free.
The lack of respect for
participants was already evident in the chaotic and non-transparent charade of a
registration process. Most people coming with the intention of participating
were unable to register on Sunday, which caused disruption and hardship in terms
of accommodation and food. Definite evidence indicated that some groups received
favourable treatment; and it is necessary that an audit of the registration
process be carried out. The breakdown of the
registration process allowed unrestricted access to the conference room, and
there was a clear, deliberate, pre-planned disruptive activity carried out by
people who were given preferential access to the ground floor, which facilitated
their disruptive action. In these conditions, and
with the atmosphere of chaos, threats and disruptions, and intolerance, it
appears that the process is almost irretrievably broken down. Real leadership of
the Constitution-making process must be shown by the Parliamentary Select
Committee, which needs immediately to include into the collective management
process organisations of civil society; without this leadership the
constitution-making process is threatened. We demand: - That the conference should
continue, under clear and agreed principles and different conditions, and with
the complete prevention of the recurrence of the events of this morning * Issued by the National
Association of Non Governmental Organisations (NANGO) for and on behalf of Civil
Society delegates present at the Civil Society caucus meetings at the All
Stakeholders Constitutional Conference.
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations in Zimbabwe
(NANGO)
July 13, 2009
Civil society
organisations, meeting in emergency caucus at the All Stakeholders
Constitutional Conference midday on Monday, are appalled and deeply disturbed by
the chaos, disruption and deliberate undermining of the All Stakeholders
Constitutional Conference as it started this morning. It appears to us that the
process is now seriously prejudiced, and should only continue with clear and
agreed-on principles underlying all participation.
-
The immediate composition of a broad participatory management committee for the
constitution making process, involving substantive representation from civil
society organisations of all relevant sectors
- That clear values and
principles be formulated and agreed upon as ground rules for participation in
the constitution-making process and be the basis for participation
- That
substantive mechanisms for conflict and dispute management be established
-
That there be an immediate explanation of the events of the morning, including
the absense of an adequate security presence and response
- That an enquiry
be carried out into the problems surrounding invitations, registration and the
provision of accommodation and food for delegates
- That there be an
immediate release of all activists arrested.
- That there should be active
participation of the three principals of the GPA, as a show of their commitment
to the constitution-making process.
JOHANNESBURG , 14 July 2009
(IRIN) - A proposed international arms trade treaty could end "irresponsible"
weapons transfers involving countries like Zimbabwe and others, according to a
report by the International Peace Information Service (IPIS).
Photo:
Wikimedia
Tighter
controls for small arms
The July
2009 report, Zimbabwe - Arms and Corruption: Fuelling Human Rights Abuses,
cites arms transfers from the DRC and China to Zimbabwe, and the export of small
arms from Zimbabwe to the US and Montenegro, as examples of weapon transfers
likely to be outlawed by an international treaty.
In 2006 the United
Nations General Assembly passed resolution 61/89 to establish a legally binding
instrument, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), for "common international standards for
the import, export and transfer of conventional arms."
In 2008 the US
and Zimbabwe were the only two countries - out of 168 - to vote against taking
the ATT resolution forward, but analysts expect that US President Barack Obama's
administration will take a different tack from his predecessor, George Bush, on
the issue.
The authors Brian Johnson-Thomas and Peter Danssaert noted in
the IPIS report: "hopefully, the negotiation of an effective ATT will begin in
2010 and be completed soon, as this will undoubtedly save hundreds of thousands
of lives, and prevent millions of people suffering injuries and the destruction
of their livelihoods each year."
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Nokuthula Sibanda Tuesday
14 July 2009
HARARE - Zimbabwe and South Africa are set to
sign a long delayed bilateral
investment protection agreement by end of next
month, Zimbabwe's Economic
Planning Minister Elton Mangoma has
said.
Signing of the agreement between the countries that are each
other's biggest
trading partner on the continent in addition to being strong
political
allies was postponed on the eleventh hour last March, apparently
after
Harare objected to a clause in the accord referring to land and
investments
on land.
Mangoma did not disclose further details on the
trade pact but said it could
have been signed months ago had it not been of
elections in South Africa
last April that saw new personnel taking over at
government ministries and
departments involved in negotiating the
agreement.
"We are going to sign the BIPA agreement before the end of
August," Mangoma
said
"This could have been done earlier but as you
know there were elections in
South Africa, which resulted in changes at
various ministries. This is an
issue we believe could have been addressed
some time ago."
President Robert Mugabe's chaotic and often violent
programme to seize
white-owned farm land for redistribution to landless
blacks also saw several
farms owned by foreigners and protected under
bilateral trade agreements
between Zimbabwe and other countries seized
without compensation.
The seizure of private land has raised questions
about Zimbabwe's commitment
to uphold property rights as well as agreements
entered with other
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Nqobizitha
Khumalo Tuesday 14 July 2009
BULAWAYO - Three legislators
from Zimbabwean Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara's
Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC-M) formation have filed papers with the
High Court in Bulawayo
seeking an order setting aside the outcome of their
disciplinary hearing,
their lawyer said at the weekend.
The legislators - Abednico Bhebhe
(Nkayi South), Norman Mpofu (Bullima East)
and Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East)
- walked out of an MDC-M party
disciplinary hearing last week, saying the
hearing was unprocedural.
Their lawyer, Thamsanqa Khumalo, said the three
legislators are arguing that
the charges that they are facing are vague and
want the disciplinary
committee to furnish them with specific charges before
the hearing could
proceed.
"We have filed papers to the High Court to
challenge the unprocedural manner
the MDC disciplinary committee wanted to
conduct things and my clients
walked out because we could not participate in
the hearing when we did not
have specific charges and dates and venues of
when the crimes were committed
and we were not furnished with names and
statements from witnesses," Khumalo
said.
He said that they wanted
the courts to set aside the disciplinary hearing
proceedings and order the
disciplinary committee to provide them with full
details of the charges
against the legislators before the disciplinary
hearing is re-scheduled to
another date.
The three Members of Parliament (MPs) are part of a group
of eight officials
that was suspended by the MDC-M over two months ago and
are charged with
urging party supporters to shift their allegiance to the
main MDC faction
led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T).
The
other five party members are national youth chairman Gift Nyandoro, an
official Alex Goosen and former legislator Job Sikhala, while two other
legislators - Thandeko Mnkandla (Gwanda North) and Maxwell Dube (Tsholotsho
South) - are also set to appear before the disciplinary committee to face
misconduct charges.
The chairperson of the party's disciplinary
committee Lyson Mlambo last
Friday said the committee had already made a
decision on the outcome of the
disciplinary hearing and said the party would
announce the verdict soon.
"The Members of Parliament chose not to
participate in the hearings after
making certain demands which we felt were
unreasonable and we went ahead
with the hearing without them and certain
decisions were taken without them
and the decisions will be made public
soon," Mlambo said.
He said the three MPs who were charged together with
Goosen, were employing
delaying tactics on the matter.
"You do not
need written statements in a civil matter and the witnesses were
present and
the legislators had the latitude to cross examine them but they
did not
utilise the opportunity, they feared facing the witnesses and by
walking out
they are using delaying tactics," Mlambo said.
Khumalo on his part said
the charges levelled against his clients were
ridiculous and
general.
"The charges levelled against my clients are ridiculous. An
example is the
case of Mpofu who is accused of campaigning for Tsvangirai
between June 2008
and March 2009 and we are saying the charge is vague
because we need
specific dates and the exact location where he is said to
have campaigned
for Tsvangirai.
"The period cited by the party as the
time Mpofu allegedly started
campaigning for Tsvangirai is June 2008 and the
party at that time made a
national decision to campaign for Tsvangirai and
that decision was not
rescinded officially so the charges are vague when you
look at such
instances," Khumalo said.
Last month the MDC-M suffered
a body blow when the party's entire Nkayi
district leadership and all 23
councillors crossed the floor to join the
MDC-T, in protest against the
suspension of Bhebhe.
Mutambara, a brilliant robotics professor, became
the president of the
smaller wing of Zimbabwe's MDC party after it split in
2005 into two rival
factions with the larger group led by Tsvangirai. -
ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za
Tuesday 14 July 2009
STATEMENT: Zimbabweans and
their journalism profession are all the
poorer today with the untimely
passing of Elias Rusike, an unwavering
champion of media freedom and
democracy in the troubled African country.
Rusike, as owner of
Zimbabwe's first independent newspaper, The
Financial Gazette, was a
towering figure in the fight for a truly free and
vibrant media in the
country, often clashing with a regime whose policies
and practices are
steeped in anti-democratic values and norms, an
intolerable situation which,
sadly, still continues today.
He fought the good fight and ensured
that his newspaper, when I and my
many colleagues worked there for years up
to the early 2000s, became the
beacon for a new and campaigning journalism
for Zimbabweans' real justice,
freedom and democracy.
The
Financial Gazette became a symbol of hope in a sea of madness and
desperation for many Zimbabweans who suddenly awakened to their collapsing
lives and future.
As editor-in-chief of the Financial Gazette
from 1997 to 2002, Rusike
gave me and my senior editors such as Nqobile
Nyathi, Abel Mutsakani, Sydney
Masamvu and others virtual carte blanche in
how we ran the newspaper at a
time of crisis and great political and
economic turbulence.
"He was an astute media owner who totally
respected the independence
of his editors when I was at the helm and ensured
that commercialism and
political imperatives did not cloud the news agenda,
firmly leaving his
editorial team to thrive only for high quality
journalism, excellence and
relevance to steer the newspaper
forward."
Issued on 13 July 2009
Editor's note: Mr
Mdlongwa issued this statement in his personal
capacity. - ZimOnline
http://www.voanews.com/
By Patience Rusere
Washington
13 July 2009
About
200 members of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe marched to
the
offices of the Public Service Commission in Harare on Monday to protest
low
salaries and what they allege is harassment youth militia of President
Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.
PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou told
reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio
7 for Zimbabwe that the teachers,
who boycotted classes on Friday, decided
to demonstrate as well to pressure
the government to respond to their wage
and other demands.
The union
is asking for a minimum salary of US$454 a month.
The teachers union said
ZANU-PF youth militia, deeply implicated in
post-election violence in 2008,
have set up bases in schools around the
country and are intimidating
teachers.
Education Minister David Coltart said the government does not
have the money
to meet the union's salary demands - but told VOA his
ministry would look
into militia activity.
http://www.zimdiaspora.com
Monday, 13 July 2009 18:43
From Zim Diaspora
correspondent in Harare
THIS week, Harare-based Zim Diaspora's undercover
reporter set out to
unravel the activities and authenticity of a United
Kingdom based human
rights organisation, Restoration of Human Rights
Zimbabwe (ROHR).
During a weeklong investigations, our reporter found out
how Zimbabwe has
been besieged by different sort of evil forces - all at
play in a country
where arbitrary arrests, repression, political
persecution, violations of
human rights have become a way of life.
In
such an environment, a haven of bogus humanitarian organisations now
exists
intentions of taking advantage of a screwed-up situation. Such is a
day in
life in Zimbabwe.
Our reporter picked up ROHR for validation in an
attempt to protect the
beleaguered masses of Zimbabwe who have more often
been victims of fake
organisation. There are many such organisations which
have looted money from
unsuspecting citizens.
I set out early in a
Harare morning and my first port of call was the
National Association of Non
Governmental Organization (NANGO), an umbrella
body of all Non Governmental
Organization operating in Zimbabwe. In there,
access to information was not
problematic, I was allowed to access the
organisation's register as a means
of establishing the authentic existence
of ROHR, which I was
after.
From NANGO's registration book, ROHR Zimbabwe was formed in 2007
and is
registered as a human right non-profit making organisation. ROHR is
also
listed as a member of Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe.
As a
journalist, there is a saying which goes "good news is good". However,
I was
convinced this was a worthwhile assignment in light of the recent
controversy surrounding ROHR.
Armed with this information, I left the
NANGO offices partly satified that
the organisation I was investigating has
passed the litmus test, let alone
the first step of my
investigation.
Now, my next step was to try and establish ROHR's physical
location in
Harare as a means of confirming the real existence of this
organisation.
This was paramount to prove that ROHR was not one of those
organisations
administered from backyards. I also needed to find out what
exactly was ROHR
doing and what have they achieved so far.
I drove
around Harare for about one and half hours without any luck at all.
I reckon
that is always the case with Third World countries where Navigators
are
still 50 years away, that is, if Google map ever bothered to add
Zimbabwe in
it.
ROHR Zimbabwe offices are located in the serene and plush suburb of
Alexandra Park at number 5 Normandy Street. The offices are professionally
manned by individuals who are undoutedly well polished in terms of
presentation and greeting strangers like myself.
What attracted my
attention as soon as I entered the ROHR Harare offices was
a soft-spoken man
called Mr Tichanzi Gandanga whom I was later told was
Zimbabwe's leader of
the organisation.
After speaking to him for a few minutes I learnt a lot
about ROHR from this
eloquent and handsome man. Mr Gandanga is a veteran
human rights activist
who has suffered a lot at the hands of Zimbabwe's
security agents. He has
been arrested, abducted, tortured and detained
innumerable times.
It was after talking to him at length that I
discovered that ROHR Zimbabwe
was formed by exiled Zimbabweans, victims of
human rights abuse. These are
individuals who suffered at the hands of
government sponsored evil forces of
repression in Zimbabwe. It was through
talking to Mr Gandanga that I had a
full picture on how Mr Ephraim Tapa now
ROHR Zimbabwe's CEO also suffered in
the hands of President Mugabe's
notorious CIOs. I also got to know that
former abductees such as Gandanga,
Stanley Zvorwadza and Edgar Chikuvise had
joined ROHR not as a means of
making money, but as a calling to highlight
gross human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe. This explained to me why ROHR
Zimbabwe's membership was growing
everyday. Zimbabweans know these people
championing the human rights cause,
hence atrcating membership is not a huge
problem.
"ROHR Zimbabwe's
founding vision is to see Zimbabwe become a peaceful, just
and free nation
that is conscious of and respect human rights. This is to be
achieved
through various strategies that encompass radicalism, active
participation,
awareness campaigns, capacity building in rural communities
and wholesale
mobilization of Zimbabwean masses. ROHR Zimbabwe, because of
its strong
belief in action, it is the power behind many powerful
demonstration that
have rocked Zimbabwe to the core in recent years," said
Mr
Gandanga.
"On the ground ROHR Zimbabwe is scoring many goals. This is as
a result of
its radical approach, responsiveness and sheer bravery. The
organization
first cut its teeth with investigation and exposure of the
Mumbengegwi issue
in which Zanu pf Minister Mumbengegwi's wife was accused
of murdering one of
her employees at her farm and claiming farm workers were
like dogs. Since
then, the firebrand organization has stood shoulder and
chest higher than
many of the docile but well funded human rights
organizations operating here
in Zimbabwe," he said.
"The
organization's funding comes mainly from its many overseas based and
local
well wishers who desire to see a human right engendered Zimbabwe. Also
unique in their funding structure is membership fees paid by thousands
across the world. The structure is only peculiar to them and this adds
impetus to their activities as well as guards against funds abuse and
docility. To their credit ROHR Zimbabwe is finally becoming the face of
human awareness campaigns and a knight of rural communities' mobilization,"
he added.
Mr Gandanga said ROHR Zimbabwe' physical presence in the
country's ten
provinces makes it the most important human right organsation
in Zimbabwe.
"We are pleased with our capable leadership in England and
in South Africa
which assist in resource mobilisation thereby making us more
effective in
executing our work. I can now tell you that ROHR Zimbabwe is
now known right
in every corner of Zimbabwe. We have started off programmes
in grass root
level of training people about their right to have rights," he
said.
Mr Gandanga highlighted that a lot needed to be done in Zimbabwe as
far as
human rights issues are concerned.
"Of particular concern are
the continuing arbitrary arrests, abductions and
detention of opposition
forces and human rights activists. ROHR Zimbabwe has
also noted with concern
and has highlighted to the government the need to
move away from pretending
that victims of violence have forgiven the
perpetrators because they set up
the National Healing Commission. We are
currently moving around the country
to educate people to avoid retribution.
We agreed to do this after realising
that many people in Zimbabwe are
extremely bitter with ZANU-PF did to them,"
he said.
Mr Gandanga added that: "We would like the Unity government to
work but as
of now it looks like nothing but a symbol of Mugabe's
intransigency of
relinquishing power. To us Mugabe remains an icon of
repression and we would
like him to leave office for the good of
Zimbabweans".
ROHR's director of Information, Mr. Edgar Chikuvise said
there was a need
for Mr Mugabe to dismantle his evil machinations that has
caused a lot of
suffering in the country since he took office in
1980.
On constitutional matters, ROHR Zimbabwe, he said, it was a sacred
right for
every Zimbabwean to participate in such a process of governance to
the
realisation of rights and other freedoms. As such, he said ROHR Zimbabwe
is
strongly opposed to the imposition of the Kariba draft upon the people of
Zimbabwe. The organisation believes that the Kariba draft should only be
used as a soft landing spot or as reference only, said Mr
Chikuvise.
ROHR Zimbabwe is currently lobbying the government to include
human rights
in the schools curriculum.
Much of their activities and
source of funds could not be drawn due to their
policy of not sharing much
of their private information.
From the interviews, the evidence seen and
past experiences ROHR Zimbabwe
thrust, vision and objectives remains the
dream of every Zimbabwean. Its
idea of lobbying the government to include a
curriculum on human rights in
every stage of education is as good as it
comes.
http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/
July 14th, 2009
The week proved to be another
one of frustration although pressure is
building on the Transitional
Government to confront the real issues impeding
the much mooted economic
revival. Mistrust at the top level, continues to
interfere with day to day
cooperation and this, in turn, is holding up the
implementation of
policy.
However, much is being done in ministries where the former
opposition
parties have control and legislation is being prepared to deal
with a number
of long outstanding matters of concern. The budget is expected
next week and
this has, to some extent, resulted in caution as exemplified
by the stock
exchange where activity is flat as investors trade
cautiously.
Property and Consumer/retail are the best performing sectors
as opposed to
those that struggle to take advantage of a growing market due
to lack of
funding. To compound this, local product remains expensive or
provides
retailers less margin. This is due to high cost electricity, rent
and raw
materials (high interest rates).
Fuel shortages exasperate an
already difficult situation but it is believed
that a new energy policy will
address this by liberalising the industry to
allow market forces to
determine conditions. Despite short term political
uncertainty, Zimbabwe is
now proving to be an attractive investment
destination.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
14
July 2009
By Hilaire
Avril
PARIS - In 2007, the French corruption watchdog Catholic Committee
against
Hunger and for Development (known by its French acronym CCFD) issued
a first
report on the colossal sums stolen by corrupt heads of states and
hidden in
mostly Western secret bank accounts. Figures are hard to come by,
given the
secrecy that shrouds such looting of public funds.
But
CCFD's research came up with assets worth between an estimated 105 to
180
billion dollars, stolen by 30 corrupt regimes.
CCFD recently published a
second report, signalling a massive discrepancy
between ambitious recovery
targets and embezzled sums effectively retrieved
to date. Despite numerous
legal proceedings, less than five percent of
assets stolen have so far been
recovered.
"Dirty money doesn't acknowledge borders, whereas justice
systems still
function according to strict geographic boundaries," says Jean
Merckaert,
CCFD's lead campaigner in France. The report says 4,4 billion
dollars has
been recovered, and a further 2,7 billion dollars
frozen.
"In some cases, Western governments are in no hurry to divulge
misappropriated assets located on their territory. They would rather not
disclose their support to some of these corrupt leaders, even after their
deaths," Merkaert explains.
The sums diverted are so considerable
that it has a direct negative impact
on many countries' development. The
World Bank and the United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime, which launched
the stolen assets recovery initiative
(STaR) in 2007, say corruption is
draining between 20 and 40 billion dollars
a year from developing countries.
Such amounts dwarf development assistance.
Beyond the depletion of
precious public funds, such looting of the public
treasury often generates
mounting public debt. Mobutu Sese Seko, former
leader of Zaire (now the
Democratic Republic of Congo), not only diverted an
estimated six billion
dollars from his state's coffers, he left the country
with international
debt of 13 billion dollars.
In comparison, the country's total health
budget for 2009 amounts to 41
million dollars, states CCFD.
The
publication of the initial report in 2007 helped a number of civil
society
groups to launch legal proceedings in France's courts to recover
some of
these assets located on French soil. Complaints were lodged against
specific
leaders, among who are Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Congo and the late
president
of Gabon, Omar Bongo.
"It was astonishingly easy to track some of these
ill-acquired properties.
Several of these names are listed openly in the
French phone book,"
according to Merkaert. "Some of these corrupt leaders
are so used to utter
impunity they do not bother with discretion."
A
large part of diverted public funds is never properly accounted for in
their
country of origin in the first place. Some are undeclared proceeds
from
mining and oil concessions, a practice the multilateral Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative is currently struggling to
limit.
According to CCFD, Sassou-Nguesso's regime "forgot" to account for
billions
of dollars worth of oil revenue between 2003 and 2005.
Once
abroad, funds are hard to trace. Most sums end up in tax havens and
countries which allow opaque legal practices, such as trusts or foundations
never compelled to reveal their true owners. Many recovery procedures have
bumped into banking confidentiality, with local authorities turning down
victims' requests to assist them in identifying accounts where the assets
have been hidden.
Some assets are also laundered and "recycled". The
Bongo family is said to
own a mansion on avenue Foch, one of central Paris's
most expensive
addresses, among other prime items of real estate.
The
2007 legal proceedings have not yet yielded results. Despite confirming
the
existence of the suspicious assets and even adding new ones to the list,
French courts have declared the plaintiffs had "insufficient
cause".
"We are now waiting for the Court of Appeals to decide on Sept
17, 2009 if
it is qualified to hear these cases," says Merkaert. Such delays
have
sometimes allowed the culprits or their descendants to move the funds
to
other accounts and countries. The partial restitution of the Marcos funds
to
the Philippines happened after a 17-year campaign.
Jean-Marc
Bikoko, from Cameroon, has been trying to tackle the problem from
the other
end, in Yaoundé. The public sector union leader campaigns to
recover funds
looted by former Cameroonian ministers -- an uphill battle.
"All civil
society can do is investigate and urge the administration to take
action,"
he explains.
"But the Cameroonian National Commission against Corruption
has consistently
been staffed with tainted characters, themselves accused of
corruption, and
the president reserves the right to approve its reports," he
laments.
"Campaigning for the recovery of stolen funds exposes you to
endless
harassment. As a civil servant, you are systematically vilified,
often sued
and sometimes jailed," he adds.
But raising awareness of
the cost of corruption has led some international
organisations to pay more
attention to embezzlement by corrupt politicians.
The United Nations
Convention Against Corruption, signed in 2003, built on
that
momentum.
"Although not every country has signed the convention, this is
a major step:
five years ago, we had no legal avenues to retrieve stolen
assets. Now,
their recovery by the country of origin is a recognized
principle in
international law," indicates Merkaert.
But only
national governments can enforce such principles. "Many of Mobutu's
assets
(including one of Belgian colonialist king Leopold's castles near
Brussels)
have been located but the current Congolese administration does
not seem
keen to recover them. Is that because one of Mobutu's sons sits in
the
current government?" Merkaert asks.
"The recent commitment against tax
havens taken at the London G20 summit is
a good sign but we increasingly
face the problem of 'legal havens',
countries which make recovery
proceedings exceedingly hard," says Merkaert.
"In the past, France has
turned down a request by Nigeria for legal
assistance in retrieving funds
stolen by former president Sani Abacha,
stashed in French bank accounts, on
the grounds that the official request
was written in English, not
French."
Inter Press Service (IPS)
July 14, 2009
THE Commonwealth Organisations’ Roundtable on Zimbabwe, held in Johannesburg July 7 – 9, 2009, brought together Zimbabwe civil society, local government, parliamentarians from the region and other partners, and those from the Southern African region, with representatives of Commonwealth Associations and Organisations in order to:
Commonwealth Organisations welcomed the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe to the United Kingdom and his interaction with Commonwealth representatives on that occasion; they noted the commitment by the Prime Minister to the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and to realising the benchmarks set out by the Zimbabwe Government in this regard.
Discussions at the Roundtable centred on key areas including governance, democracy and the citizen; social protection and human resource development; humanitarian assistance and the rehabilitation of infrastructure; economic stabilisation, reconstruction and development.
Commonwealth organisations reaffirmed the commitment expressed in the Kampala Civil Society Statement “Realising People’s Potential” to engage with the people of Zimbabwe and commit resources to planning and development for the future.
Commonwealth organisations, regional and Zimbabwean partners indentified the areas where support was required, noting that the full implementation of the GPA is an urgent necessity including the restoration of human rights, the rule of law and the freedom of the media:
Zimbabwe’s economy has collapsed but steps have been taken to reverse its decline. Commonwealth business organisations and investment agencies will be encouraged to play an active role in the rebuilding of the economy. Support for micro finance and small enterprises will be explored through Commonwealth networks.
The Roundtable recognised the scale of the challenges facing the Inclusive Government and its need for regional, Commonwealth and international support to address these. A Special Programme for Zimbabwe will be developed by Commonwealth Organisations with Zimbabwean and regional partners, drawing on the strengths of the Commonwealth’s unique networks across more than 50 countries and responding to requests for advice, training and practical support. Such a programme will be an essential means to strengthen the links between the people of Zimbabwe, the people of the Commonwealth and the wider international community to support the process of reconstruction and development. The Special Programme will be communicated to CHOGM through the Commonwealth Peoples’ Forum, in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009.
Johannesburg, July 9, 2009
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
14
July 2009
Founding Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) commander
Ackim Ndlovu
was declared a national hero last week, despite living the life
of a pauper
after being neglected by government. Our correspondent Lionel
Saungweme told
us he met the 77 year old Ndlovu in Mpopoma in 2003 and he
was battling high
medical bills after losing his leg to cancer. His
colleagues in ZAPU, which
recently broke away from ZANU PF, have slammed the
hypocrisy of Mugabe's
party in acknowledging Ndlovu's contribution, but only
when he had died.
ZAPU also say they felt insulted the ZANU PF politburo only
consulted
amongst themselves to decide on his hero status. There was a delay
in making
the decision leading his family to make a decision to bury him at
Lady
Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo. At the last minute ZANU PF buckled to
pressure
and declared him a national hero. 'Ackim Ndlovu is a hero of heroes
who does
not deserve to suffer the indignity of having to be "vetted" by
people, some
of whom were not even born when he started the armed struggle,'
a ZAPU
statement read.
The partisan nature of conferring hero status has
remained controversial to
this day. Only last month veteran politician and
MDC Chirumanzu Senator
Patrick Kombayi, was over-looked for hero status,
despite what his party
felt was a huge contribution to the liberation war.
ZAPU has also had the
likes of its commander Lookout Masuku, Swazini Ndlovu,
Masala Sibanda and
Wilford Lizzat Sibanda, buried in Bulawayo instead of the
national shrine.
Even those accorded hero status like Clemence Muchachi, a
top six member of
ZAPU, suffered neglect just like Ndlovu. Muchachi for
example was ferried to
hospital in a scotch cart when he was ill.
But as
is often the case, any liberation fighter who went against ZANU PF
after
independence automatically got over-looked for hero status. The most
shocking decision to date was the refusal to acknowledge ZANU founder
Ndabaningi Sithole as a national hero, after he later went into opposition
politics. ZANU PF hid behind cooked up accusations that he had planned the
assassination of Mugabe using landmines on a Harare road. He was sentenced
to two years in prison, but died before serving any time in jail.
The MDC
have since February this year been calling for the unity government
to make
all decisions on hero status instead of ZANU PF's politburo. 'Hero
status
must be conferred by an all-stakeholders' body with no single
subjective
interest in the conferment of such national status on any
individual,' the
party said in a statement.
http://www.cricinfo.com
Cricinfo staff
July 14,
2009
Afghanistan's first foray into the world of international cricket
following
the ICC World Cup Qualifiers could happen as soon as the end of
July.
Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that it is looking at possibly
staging its
opening four-day match in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup at
home to
Afghanistan on July 30.
Zimbabwe, who will be fielding an A
team in the competition, albeit not
under that name, will then host a match
against Kenya at the start of
October.