28 July 2010 Last updated at 01:49 GMT

Mr Bennett said Mr Mugabe was being forced to continue as president by his generals

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is little more than the front man for a military junta, a leading white politician has told the BBC.

Roy Bennett said Mr Mugabe remained in office thanks only to a clique of generals who are enriching themselves.

Mr Bennett was acquitted in May on charges of plotting to overthrow Mr Mugabe, but prosecutors are appealing.

He has not yet taken up his post as deputy agriculture minister. His MDC party sees the charges as political.

Mr Bennett told the BBC's southern Africa correspondent, Karen Allen, that the outcome of the appeal against him depended on what orders the judiciary received from the "military junta ruling the country".

Mr Bennett is a senior member of Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which is in a unity government with Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

The power-sharing deal was reached after an acrimonious 2008 election, and has helped end the hyper-inflation that had wrecked Zimbabwe's economy.

Mr Bennett said Mr Mugabe had accepted that he lost the election but "it was this military junta that forced him to continue".

He said: "I honestly believe that Robert Mugabe, half the things that are going on he has no idea about."

Zimbabwe's generals were enriching themselves through patronage, Mr Bennett said, and would not loosen their grip on power.

"They have created huge wealth illegally. They have the power through the barrel of a gun.

"This junta will not allow power to be released for the sake of hanging onto that power and wealth that they hold now."

Mr Tsvangirai has said Mr Bennett would be sworn into office when the case against him is finally concluded.

Coltart appoints new Zimsec board

http://www.herald.co.zw

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Herald Reporter

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart has announced a
new 18-member Zimbabwe School Examinations Council board as part of efforts
to revamp operations at the body.

He retained three members from the old board. The new board is chaired by
Solusi University Vice Chancellor Professor Norman Maphosa and will be
deputised by educationist Mrs Hilda Shindi.

Prof Maphosa sat on the old board and was retained. The team takes over from
the Professor Phineus Makhurane-led board whose term of office expired in
2006.

However, that board last met in May 2008 to discuss the institution's
challenges.

The Zimsec Act stipulates that the chairman of the board must be a serving
Vice Chancellor of a university. Prof Makhurane ceased to be National
University of Science and Technology VC on June 30, 2004.

However, Prof Makhurane was retained in the new board, as was Prof Obert
Maravanyika (Great Zimbabwe University Vice Chancellor).

New board members are Paul Themba Nyathi (former MDC MP for Gwanda North),
Dr Gary Brooking, Dr Wonderful Dzimiri (Midlands State University), Dr
Zifikile Gambahaya and Dr Rosemary Moyana (both University of Zimbabwe).
Also on the board are Mr Erison Huruba (Education Ministry), Dr Primrose
Kurasha and Dr Leonorah Nyaruwata (both Zimbabwe Open University) and Dr
Isaac Machakanja (Africa University).

Others are Dr Donna Musiyandaka (Chinhoyi University of Technology), Ms
Nomsa Hazel Ncube (Law Society of Zimbabwe), Mrs Lesley Ross, Mr Andrew
Jonathan Sibanda (NUST) and educationist Mr Obert Sibanda.

Biti raises spectre of nationalisating mines

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

28/07/2010 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

FINANCE Minister Tendai Biti has fallen short of calling for the
nationalisation of mines, saying that Zimbabwe's diamonds, gold and platinum
are "benefiting outsiders".

Frustrated by over a year of unsuccessful soliciting for western donor
financial aid to keep Zimbabwe's economy afloat, Biti now says the country
must look within for solutions - and he has set his sights on the country's
billion dollar mining industry.

"Last year, we only got US$44 million from the mining industry yet they
exported over a US$1 billion. This year, they have exported about US$650
million worth of minerals but we have only gotten US$15 million," Biti told
the Senate last week.

The Finance Minister said at the very least, the system where the country
gets royalties from foreign mining firms needed to be reviewed.

"Zimbabwe is endowed with serious mining resources, but these are just
benefiting outsiders, the multi-nationals that own these mines," Biti added.
"If you take the Zimbabwe Platinum Mine, the biggest mine in Zimbabwe, it is
owned by Impala, a South African company.

"If you talk about our gold sector, again the major dominant players are
South Africans. We are not benefiting. The mining model we have in this
country where the government just depends on tax and royalties is not good
enough.

"This is why for Chiadzwa we have said only the State should mine diamonds
there. If we continue to give concessions to makoronyera (dealers), it is a
disaster for this country, let us have the State to mine diamonds."

Biti's toughening stance on the mining industry will concern foreign
investors already fearful of Zimbabwe's new empowerment laws which will
force them to sell off majority shareholding to locals.

Biti revealed in his budget review speech two weeks ago that projected
foreign donor aid had not been forthcoming, and placed diamonds firmly at
the heart of the country's recovery efforts.

Economist Eric Bloch told the Financial Gazette last week: "Diamond mining
must be done by the private sector with proper controls in line with KP
(Kimberley Process) requirements.

"Governments are not capable of running businesses. Look at parastatals the
world over, including Zimbabwe. The private sector is the one which has the
skills."

South African President Zuma Deploys Top Aide To Relaunch Harare Mediation

http://www1.voanews.com

Zuma foreign policy adviser Lindiwe Zulu said Pretoria will step up its
mediation role in Harare ahead of a Southern African Development Community
summit in Namibia next month

Blessing Zulu & Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington 27 July 2010

South African President Jacob Zuma this week sent his top Zimbabwe
facilitator on a low-key mission to Harare amid rising tension in the unity
government there over a range of longstanding and new contentious issues.

Zuma envoy Mac Maharaj arrived on Tuesday and was expected to meet with
President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara.

Sources said Maharaj would also meet with negotiators from ZANU-PF and both
formations of the Movement for Democratic Change. However, one Zimbabwean
negotiator denied this, saying, "He is here for meetings with the
(government) principals only. We have nothing to discuss with him as
negotiators."

Speaking from South Africa, another Zuma adviser, Lindiwe Zulu, told VOA
that Pretoria will step up its mediation role in Harare ahead of the
Southern African Development Community summit in Namibia next month.

The list of grievances of Mr. Tsvangirai's wing of the MDC continues to
grow, now including unilateral appointments of ambassadors by Mr. Mugabe and
incessant musical spots on state media praising ZANU-PF and the president.

The party adds that Mugabe spokesman George Charamba continues to denigrate
Mr. Tsvangirai, while Mr. Mugabe still has not sworn in Roy Bennett, a
senator and MDC party treasurer, as deputy agriculture minister. A high
court judge dismissed charges Bennett plotted to overthrow Mr. Mugabe's
government in 2006, but the Office of the Attorney General will be back in
court this week seeking to overturn that judgment.

Facilitator Maharaj told VOA Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu the latest
facilitation effort is in its early stages.

Political analyst Trevor Maisiri said President Zuma's focus must now be on
ensuring free and fair elections should Zimbabwe hold elections next year as
many anticipate, saying other issues have become irrelevant.

Though ZANU-PF and the Tsvangirai MDC have been throwing out signals lately
that they are prepared to go to the polls in 2011, many observers say the
country is simply not ready for a ballot. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
added its own reservations last week saying it needs a year to clean up the
widely discredited voters roll.

ZANU-PF rallied its faithful in a recent statement to gear up for polls, and
such utterances have been echoed by the Tsvangirai MDC in its own
gatherings. Both say the power-sharing arrangement has run its course.

Sources in the MDC say breaches of the Global Political Agreement by ZANU-PF
have sharpened the party's appetite for decisive new elections.

But political analyst Bhekilizwe Ndlovu of the Union for Sustainable
Democracy told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that sweeping
electoral reforms must be put in place before elections can be held.

Zimbabwe Constitution Teams Evicted From Midlands Province Hotels Over Payments

http://www1.voanews.com

Civil society monitors said a Masvingo district administrator went into
hiding this week after being threatened by ZANU-PF youth militia members for
saying the new constitution should give the prime minister executive powers

Jonga Kandemiiri and Sylvia Manika | Washington, Kadoma 27 July 2010

Problems continued in Zimbabwe's constitutional revision outreach process
Tuesday as 140 outreach team members lost accommodations in Midlands
province as they were evicted from five hotels and lodges in Gweru over
non-payment of fees, though organizers said their bookings had expired.

Team leader Amos Chibaya, a lawmaker of the Movement for Democratic Change
formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, told VOA Studio 7 reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri that the team members lost the rooms because they were only
booked through Monday. He said they would check into better situated
accommodations later on.

Elsewhere, civil society groups monitoring the process said Masvingo
District Administrator Bernard Hadzirabwi went into hiding this week after
being threatened by ZANU-PF youth militia members for saying in an outreach
meeting at Chivi Center a fortnight ago that the new constitution should
give the prime minister executive powers.

ZANU-PF supports a strong president and proposed to abolish the office of
prime minister, whereas the Movement for Democratic Change wants an
executive prime minister in a parliamentary system with a ceremonial
president.

From eastern Manicaland province came a report that a civil society monitor
was detained on Friday by police for more than three hours after ZANU-PF
supporters at an outreach meeting at the Dumba business center in Mutasa
North constituency accused him of not belonging to the local community.

Other Manicaland sources said army officers in the province ordered troops
to attend outreach meetings in Chimanimani and Mutasa districts with
prepared talking points. The officers ordered the soldiers not to wear
uniforms and to make sure the talking points of the outreach session were in
line with ZANU-PF positions.

Masvingo province outreach team leader Edmore Hamandishe said he was
threatened by two state security agents on Tuesday when he barred them from
a meeting at Chinyanga Primary School in Gutu West. Hamandishe, a member of
the House for Gutu North from the Tsvangirai MDC formation, told VOA Studio
7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that the two men said they were with state
security and above access rules, threatening him with non-specific action.

From Kadoma, Mashonaland West, VOA Studio 7 correspondent Sylvia Manika
reported the women are voicing high expectations of the constitutional
revision which they hope will improve their lives in a number of ways.

NCA to charge for membership

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=20053

By Gerald Chateta

Published: July 28, 2010

Harare  -The National Constitutional Assembly NCA which has vowed to resist
government's constitution process(COPAC), has introduced a membership
subscription idea which would see members contributing an annual
subscription to be used in the funding of the organisation's activities.

NCA chairman Dr Lovemore Madhuku told journalists at a press conference in
Harare on Tuesday that his organisation was bankrupt and had to depend on
membership for funding. The organization's coffers have of late run dry as
the donors have shunned them in favour of the government led constitution
process.

"Its a fact that we have most of our traditional donors abandoning us and we
had to take political decisions based on the realities. It's not a secret
that we have been abandoned by donors who have decided to join the flawed
government led constitution-making process. We have responded to it by
finding other means of sustaining ourselves because we cannot force someone
who does not want you, and we have failed to convince our donors; and (but)
we have to move forward.

"We have embarked an intensive membership recruitment drive, realigning the
organisation to its founding values, and traditions namely, building mass
membership, ensuring that all structures are fully functional, "he said.

He reiterated his organisation's position of opposing the COPAC led process
of making the constitution, adding that he was going to embark on
demonstrations during the VOTE NO campaign.

War vets defend propaganda jingles

http://news.radiovop.com

27/07/2010 08:21:00

HARARE - Zimbabwe war veterans said MDC-T leaders were not part of the
liberation struggle that brought about independence and should therefore not
frustrate them by protesting against ZANU-PF propaganda jingles currently
being played on radio and television.
The jingles whose, CDs and videos where personally handed over to radio and
television DJs, presenters and producers two weeks ago, have once again
threatened to divide the fragile coalition government.

Nyasha Chikwinya a war veteran and a ZANU-PF hardliner said, "There is
nothing wrong with the jingles. The problem with our colleagues in the MDC
is that they were not part of the liberation struggle. These jingles are
part of our history," she said.

"We  demand that these jingles  continue to be played on our national
radio and television so that our children get an appreciation of  who
brought  the  country  from the colonialists," said Phineas Makonya
another war veterans from Domboshava.

Never Karoro, another serious ZANU-PF supporter and war veteran said it was
in the interest of 'patriotic' Zimbabweans for the jingles to be played.

"The playing of  such  jingles in this  country was  long  overdue
and  those who are  opposed  to  them want  to reverse  the gains  of
the liberation struggle," Karoro said.

The public broadcaster has been running the jingles on all its radio
and television channels at least twice every hour.

The jingles, which were done by a group called Mbare Chimurenga Choir,
reiterate that President Robert Mugabe and his two deputies, John Nkomo and
Joyce Mujuru are the ones running the country, not the coalition government.

MDC-T deputy spokesperson Thabita Khumalo said they were going to convene an
urgent National executive council meeting to deliberate on their next move
in as far as the continued playing of jingles, which undermine other
partners in the inclusive government, was concerned.

The coalition cabinet resolved last week that the advertisements
should be taken off air following a protest by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai. However, media, information and publicity permanent secretary
George Charamba claimed the cabinet instruction had not been communicated to
the ZBC since his minister, Webster Shamu, was away.

Still, ZBC chief executive Happison Muchetetere insisted the state-run
broadcaster would not drop the adverts and invited the MDC-T to
provide its won material for similar broadcast.

Khumalo  said  they had approached ZBC  with  their  party adverts
but  were rejected  for unspecified  reasons.
 

Zimbabwe Xhosas to boycott constitutional process if not in their language

http://www.zimdiaspora.com

 
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 00:07

From Correspondent

Zimbabwe's Xhosa community in Matabeleland North's Mbembesi have threatened
to boycott the constitutional outreach programme if it was not conducted in
their language.

Members of the Xhosa community said although there were similarities between
Ndebele and their language, certain nuances in theirs gave different shades
of meanings to some words and expressions.

Copac co-chairperson Mr Edward Mkhosi said this was an attempt to cause
unnecessary problems.

"I am Kalanga myself and can I say that I cannot be addressed by another
person in Ndebele?

"What about areas like Gwanda and Beitbridge, they would also want to be
addressed in Sotho and Venda?

"It is a complication in itself. We can not split ourselves that far at this
point because it is not of help to anyone," said Mr Mkhosi.

"In those areas the Ndebele language is done at primary and secondary school
and quite a number of Xhosa speaking people are doing well in the subjects
hence their argument is very weak. I have spoken with the chief-designate,
Dr Neville Ndondo, over the matter.

"He seems to be trying to create a problem that he cannot solve himself
because the constitution is not about language but how people want to be
governed."

Asked what Copac would do in the event that the Xhosa community lives up to
its threat, Mr Mkhosi said they would deal with that if it happened.

"Let us go and we will see the problem when we get there but they are
allowed to advocate for the equal status of languages in the new
constitution," Mr Mkhosi said.

When our Bulawayo Bureau visited Mbembesi last Thursday, Headman Sibusiso
Nombembe said the villagers had unanimously agreed that they would only
entertain the outreach teams if there was a Xhosa speaking person in their
midst. Dr Ndondo on Friday said the constitution-making process was
important and hence people should participate in a language they were most
comfortable.

Meanwhile, Mr Mkhosi said investigations to determine reasons behind the low
attendance of people in outreach meetings in Matabeleland South were still
in progress.

He called for outreach teams to communicate dates and venues of meetings
while there was still time to allow people to prepare adequately.

"You would realise that in some rural areas notices were put a day before
the meeting which is not the way to operate as some villagers have to travel
long distances for the meetings," said Mr Mkhosi.

World Bank warns on ‘farmland grab’ trend

NCA shuns donor funds

http://news.radiovop.com

28/07/2010 06:55:00

HARARE, July 27, 2010 - The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) which has
vowed to campaign for a 'NO' vote when the country embarks on the referendum
on whether to adopt a new constitution said they will not blindly support
the current constitution making process in fear that donors will shun their
organization.
The NCA through a strategic meeting held from the 24th of July to July 27,
resolved that the organisation shall not be dependent on donor support for
its programmes saying they will ask members to contribute to its functions.

"The NCA shall not be dependent on donor funds and therefore calls upon the
membership to pay subscriptions to sustain the organization," the NCA said
in a statement.

The NCA said it totally rejects the constitutional making process led by the
parliamentary select committee adding that the current process cannot
produce a people driven constitution.

"The NCA reiterates its total rejection of the COPAC process. In view of the
obvious fact that the COPAC process cannot produce a democratic and people
driven constitution, the NCA is intensifying its campaign for a NO VOTE
should a referendum be called. noted the statement.

"This campaign cannot wait for the content of the COPAC draft as it is clear
that the politicians in the GPA are not interested in producing a democratic
constitution for Zimbabwe," it added

The NCA also said it is currently embarking on an intensive membership drive
meant to re-organize the organization to its founding values and traditions.

Zimbabweans are currently making a new constitution in line with the
requirements of the transitional process which will see the country going
for elections after the writing of a new constitution.

The Global Political Agreement (GPA) which stipulates that the country will
adopt a new constitution but does not state what will happen if Zimbabweans
reject the constitution being made.
 

Journalists snub SECZ workshop

http://news.radiovop.com

28/07/2010 06:51:00

HARARE, July 27, 2010 -Business and financial journalists yesterday snubbed
a workshop organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe
(SECZ) as the fraternity took great exception against the body's bid to
register journalists.

SECZ announced last week that journalists should be registered with them
because they give advice to investors. To get licenced, journalists must
produce birth certificates, academic and professional qualifications, two
passport-size photos, a curriculum vitae and police clearance.
SECZ wants business and financial journalists to pay US$2 000 as
registration fee and advertised in a local weekly for a familiarization
workshop.

According to SECZ, unregistered journalists cannot report about the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange and doing so without registration is a serious offence.
Journalists told Radiovop confirmed that they had stayed away from the
workshop as SECZ were getting it wrong from the outset.

"To begin with there is nothing in the Statutory Instrument which says
journalists should be registered. We are already registered with the
Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC)," one journalist said.

Another one added: "I don't need to pay money to them when they are the ones
desperate to let me know about them."
Journalists from The Herald; Sunday Mail; Zimbabwe Independent; Standard;
Financial Gazette and NewsDay also did not attend the workshop.

Journalists' bodies see SECZ proposal as an attempt to muzzle the media and
are angry at Chris Mutsvangwa who despite sitting in both ZMC and SECZ
failed to adequately represent them.

No comment could be obtained from SECZ on the new course of action after the
failed Tuesday workshop.
 

A failure of policing and immigration control

http://www.businessday.co.za

Many Zimbabweans, frightened of xenophobia, are fleeing SA. Should the state
do more to protect immigrants ? And if so, what?
Published: 2010/07/28 07:54:57 AM

Khehla

Things have to begin with a properly administered immigration system. At
present, most South Africans believe immigration controls have simply
collapsed, with the result that an uncontrolled horde of immigrants is
pouring in.

This frightens people who already feel insecure about their job and housing
situation, and they try to take the law into their own hands to staunch the
flow. It is an exact analogy of lynchings in townships because of a loss of
confidence in the justice system.

So we have to start with a situation where everyone can assume that any
immigrant here is the result of a rational policy decision that takes into
account the interests of locals.

Second, our leaders have to stop pretending that the masses share their
pan-Africanism, in terms of which all Africans are our brothers who are
welcome in SA. In practice, people take a far more restrictive view.

And finally, the government has to enforce the law far more rigorously.
People who attack foreigners are common criminals. But, in fact, people have
also lost confidence in the government's willingness to do this. After all,
the fences of Ndumo game reserve were torn down months ago and animals have
been hunted and poached and even crops planted in the reserve but the
government does not enforce the law.

Everyone can see that the government is too weak, corrupt and incompetent to
do its job. Xenophobic riots should simply be seen as a generalised protest
against that situation.

Bill

Bill

Xenophobia should be opposed vigorously and stamped out. Together with its
twin evil, racism, it should not be tolerated. Anyone attacking another for
reasons related to the latter's nationality should be stuck in jail.

The biggest problem, however, is this: the fount of the refugee chaos is the
government, which has poorly defined immigration laws and has allowed them
to be abused by people who, in essence, are bogus refugees and scroungers.
The vast majority of so-called refugees in SA are individuals who do not
want to put themselves in harm's way in securing democracy in their own
countries. They are happy for others to do it for them; this is wrong and
should be rejected.

In SA they found a government willing to tolerate the egregious abuse of
laws. Even as the tally of infringements of the law by refugees rises, the
government remains uninterested in acting against people with a scant
respect for the country's laws.

Khehla

Khehla

It would help enormously if the government were serious about trying to
reduce unemployment. If they were, they would drop black economic
empowerment, relax affirmative action, and repeal the Minerals Development
Act and the labour laws. Job creation would then really take off.

Second , the government and many nongovernmental organisations believe in
preaching against xenophobia whereas in a democracy they might start by
asking the public for its views on immigration and be prepared to find they
may want no immigration at all - at least until unemployment is lower.

Third, the Congress of South African Trade Unions is quite right that the
rand should be 50% lower, though it would then also be right to hold down
wages so that job creation would get the full benefit of devaluation.

What is truly ridiculous is to carry out measures that have the effect of
greatly increasing unemployment, allow unlimited immigration and then
criticise a desperate and unemployed local population, which takes matters
into its own hands because the government can't or won't govern.

Bill

Bill

Undoubtedly, some of the country's problems are self-inflicted. In the face
of threats to derail the Fifa World Cup, the state capitulated to
quasi-public-sector unions, which forced increases double the rate of
inflation without offering improved productivity. Emboldened by their
counterparts and the speed with which their alliance partner in government
caved in, core public-sector unions demand similarly high increases. These
unions are unprepared to submit to negotiations their utter failure to
perform their jobs. How rich it is for the South African Democratic Teachers
Union , a union with no known record of any positive contribution to
education, to demand obscene salary increases.

Clearly, citizens reject uncontrolled immigration but the government is
unresponsive and behaviour harmful to all is left to ensue. Everyone knows
that our own brittle ethnic and racial tensions can be ignited easily.
Violence directed at foreigners can easily and without warning morph into a
nasty problem among South Africans. Already in some localities the balance
between groups which have maintained cordial relations for a while are
sorely tested by a sudden influx of immigrants, who have perturbed what has
always been a fine balance. To get the government to heed calls to control
immigration is like trying to draw water from a rock.

Khehla

Khehla

The question is, of course, why the more alert policing seen during the
World Cup can't be used against xenophobic criminals now. The country has
been so busy congratulating itself about the World Cup that no one has asked
exactly how things worked. A friend in the security industry who worked on
World Cup security told me that the local organising committee and the South
African Football Association were utterly hopeless and that much of the real
work was done by Fifa and Interpol. It may also be the case in other areas
that an infusion of foreign energy and expertise was important. Similarly,
no one has laid bare how much of the stadium and infrastructure costs were
due to trade union blackmail.

Meanwhile, we are back where we were. It is almost comical to read
Presidency-inspired reports that Jacob Zuma will "crack the whip" at
ministers and make them sign performance contracts. Why is it that other
cabinets in the world do not rely on written promises by ministers that they
will do their jobs? Meanwhile, the same ministers who have just been
partying at our expense now have the chutzpah to want to be able to censor
newspapers from revealing their spending habits. It comes to a choice
between the constitution and free speech on the one hand and ministerial
self- entitlement on the other. All South Africans know which way the
ministers will jump.

Bill

Bill

The exploding numbers of refugees and immigrants - there are 3-million from
Mozambique alone - is principally a reflection of the dysfunction into which
African countries have been plunged. They must realise that SA is not exempt
yet from sliding into the same hole into which their countries have fallen.
An enduring solution to their plight and for improving prospects for
democracy in SA is to work even harder at securing democracy in their own
countries. However long they remain in SA, the contribution they can make to
consolidate democracy here is limited; it is not so in their own countries.

What is the point of perishing in xenophobic violence in a squatter camp in
SA instead of risking harm fighting for democracy in Zimbabwe? For reasons
of balanced regional development, the flood of immigration to one country in
the region must be reversed. The sheer numbers of immigrants also distract
from policy priorities in SA.

There is a critical job of policing that must still be mustered. Refugees,
many of whom have broken the law to be here, set this effort back by
constantly interposing their issues, resulting in less than desirable
policing standards, which will eventually pose a threat to all. A disturbing
development that must be stopped forcefully is the importation of quarrels
that often result in violence in SA.

Khehla

Will Zimbabwe Crisis Kill Kimberley?

http://www.jckonline.com/

By Rob Bates

This story appears in the August 2010 issue of JCK Magazine.

Zimbabwe's status within the Kimberley Process is causing the biggest crisis
in the international certification scheme's seven-year history, with critics
raising doubts about the KP's assurance that its diamonds are "clean."

A June 2009 Human Rights Watch report charged that Zimbabwe government
forces had killed, raped, and tortured illegal diggers in the Marange
diamond fields in a crackdown beginning in autumn 2008.

Nongovernmental organizations say the abuses continue to this day and have
called for the country's suspension from the KP, which means it could not
legally sell gems to member countries.

When a KP monitoring mission ­visited Zimbabwe last summer, par­ticipants
found evidence of noncom­pliance with the KP. But at the KP's official
plenary in Namibia two months later, Zimbabwe's allies, including Rus­sia
and its African neighbors, blocked full removal. They argued that Marange
diamonds don't fit the KP's official definition of "conflict diamonds"-gems
mined by a rebel army in opposition to an internationally­ recognized
government-even if many would consider them "blood" stones.

Instead, the KP endorsed a "work plan" that blocked Marange diamonds from
the open market unless they were approved by an appointed monitor. (See "KP
Decision on Zimbabwe Stirs Controversy," JCK, January 2010, p. 23.)

Problems began almost immediately. In May, the U.S. State Department charged
that Zimbabwe had sold Marange stones in violation of the embargo. Many
hoped the controversy would be cleared up when the KP monitor, former
chairman Abbey Chikane, visited the country in June. But when Chikane urged
in a final report that Zimbabwe be allowed to export Marange diamonds, NGOs
slammed it as a "whitewash."

Things got messier when Chikane met with local NGO worker Farai Maguwu and
was allegedly handed what has been described as a confidential government
communication. In his report, Chikane said he was worried he would be
"questioned or arrested for possessing a document that he had no lawful
right to possess," so he notified police. Maguwu is currently under arrest
in Zimbabwe.

The incident has infuriated rights groups. Partnership Africa Canada called
it "an attempt to intimidate activists."

Yet even activists acknowledge that kicking Zimbabwe out of the KP is "not
ideal," as Elly Harrowell of NGO Global Witness put it, because having a
large producer outside the system could undermine the KP's credibility.

JAG open letter forum - No. 708- Dated 27 July 2010

Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw

Please send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM - No..zw with "For Open Letter
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=================================================

1.  Cathy Buckle - The Soul of Zimbabwe

2.  Willie Robinson - The Law

3.  Willie Robinson - Free Sex

=================================================

1.  Cathy Buckle - The Soul of Zimbabwe

Dear Jag

Oh to be in Zimbabwe when spring is in the air, what a gorgeous place it
is. The cold of winter has almost gone and the wind is running through
golden grass, preparing to lift up and shake off last year's dusty
leaves. White Helmetshrikes and Glossy Starlings are back in our gardens,
Cardinal Woodpeckers are tapping in the trees while Hoopoes spend their
days stabbing termites in dry, dusty, scratchy lawns. In the highveld
bush the Lucky Bean trees have lost all their leaves and are covered in
spectacular red flowers. The pods on the Msasa trees are turning dark
chocolate brown and starting to crack, preparing to spit seeds in all
directions. Lining the streets of so many towns, the Bauhinia trees are
bursting with pink and white flowers and the leaves on the Jacarandas
have all gone yellow and are about to fall.

This year another dramatic aspect of our beautiful Zimbabwe is lining
roads everywhere as hundreds of miles of trenches are being dug for a
communication cable. It is breathtaking to see the magnificent patchwork
of colours of soil piled in heaps along the road. Yellow, beige, orange,
red, brown, grey, black: it leaves you feeling as if you've seen into the
very soul of Zimbabwe.

Sadly, however, all is not beautiful as spring arrives and our chance in
a lifetime constitution making process has turned into a shambles.

Every day the reports just get worse and worse. The words used by one
senior official to describe the outreach programme, expose the truth of
the story: tension, friction, hostile, ugly. We hear of public meetings
turning into shouting matches, of people being abducted, assaulted,
kidnapped and of villagers being frog marched, intimidated and
commandeered. Then there are reports of COPAC (constitutional

Outreach) drivers and technicians threatening to stop work as they say
they aren't getting the pay they were promised. Other reports tell of
hotels evicting COPAC personnel or refusing to give them meals due to
massive unpaid bills.

In a country where over 90% of the population is unemployed and civil
servants only earn 160 US dollars a month, it's hard to find
perspective in this whole mess. One report tells of COPAC technicians
being very disgruntled at only receiving 55 US dollars a day for their
services and another 15 a day for their meals. For teachers with degrees
surviving on less than 5 US dollars a day, it doesn't really make sense -
does it?

Until next time, thanks for reading, love Cathy.

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2.  Willie Robinson - The Law

Dear Jag

Just as ARAC seems confused by Covey's statement that "you cannot break the
law - you break yourself against the law" I think Covey has given us another
extremely powerful statement to think about.

He says:

"Only when you have the self awareness to examine your programme - and the
imagination and conscience to create a new, unique, principle centred
programme to which you can say "yes" - only then will you have sufficient
independent will power to say "no" to the unimportant."

I am equally uncomfortable with a Sports and Education Minister jet-setting
around the world singing for Zimbabwe's supper (a Zimbabwe/Zanu version of
Mick Jagger?) with a focus on "cricket before law" as opposed to "law before
cricket" - as I am with ARAC's idea of "AR before law" and "AC before law."

The mind boggles - who is the patron of Cricket Zimbabwe? And are we all
going
to sit sipping our Gin and Tonics at Old Hararians as the Zimbabwean XI try
get Ricky Ponting out - whilst the Fifth Brigade head off for a few more of
their "wickets" in Kezi and Nkayi?

Not only do I have a right to say "no" - I have a responsibility to say
"no."

I too would love to see Zimbabwe back in the international cricket fold -
and
what "cricket is to Coltart" is probably what "ranching is to Robinson."
Therein lies the rub.

What does John Robertson say about their attending to the urgent before
the important?

J.L. Robinson

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3.  Willie Robinson - Free Sex

Dear Jag

An enlightened family from Wakkerstroom Plaas, Soekmekaar, by the name of
Van
der Merwe, encouraged their children to travel to Europe to broaden their
horizons from the Old Miltonian Vervoed era of South Africa of the sixties -
to find their true selves. When Schalk Van der Merwe returned to South
Africa
he had a Wakkerstroom welcome back braai vleis and told his friends how
wonderful Europe was. He told BJ, Pik, Eschel, Connie, PW, Magnus, Eugene
and
Hendrik that you could have sex for free in Europe because it was all about
flower power and the Beetles over there. His mates could hardly believe it -
so they asked him if it had happened to him. No, he replied - but it had
happened to his sister Camelot Van der Merwe. In a sense this was a bit of
an
anti climax for Schalk's mates in Soekmekaar that day.

I think I am slowly starting understand the problem in Zimbabwe today. It is
all about "Free Political Sex." South African Free Political Sexperts -
Thabo
and Jacob - have given Morgan, Theresa, Arthur, Tendai, David and their many
colleagues a licence (a GPA Free Political Sex Licence) to have free
political
sex with Zanu at whim or will. Some were a little nervous to start - but
they
were assured that Zapu and the CFU had been having free political sex with
Zanu for years and they were still okay. Jacob went one further and said
that
if they became willing partners - they would not even have to shower -
before
or after. Over time, showering would not be necessary because they would all
start to think, look, behave and even smell just like Zanu - and it would
all
become normal to them. So normal would this political sex with Zanu become,
that they would start going overseas asking their exiled voter base of four
million people to start subscribing to them - because this free political
sex
with Zanu was becoming expensive and onerous - I mean really hard work.

Apparently, these willing partners for free political sex have not picked up
on any possible link with Milton Fiedman's statement "there ain't no such
thing as a free lunch" to their new found GPA perk. So busy are they on
their
honeymoon with Zanu that they appear to have overlooked the fact that an ex
partner of over thirty years - Zapu - has now chosen abstinence instead.
Why,
we might ask? Similarly, SACFA have chosen not to have fling. ARAC, like
Schalk and Camelot Van der Merwe seem to think they are missing out on a bit
of free fun and are now joining that Zimbabwean tradition - The Queue for a
Freebie. It seems to be quite the fad at the moment - Free Political Sex
with
Zanu - it's all about ARAC and others becoming Politically Sexually Correct
like the CFU and the MDC - a ZANU/ANC flower power, shower free equilibrium.
Bring it all on, they say.

I have a horrible feeling that it is actually unprotected free political
sex -
even if showering was an optional extra.

The politically correct of Australasia have suggested that legalised
brothels
in the region should insist on "safe sex." A wag from the bush wrote in and
asked how these politically correct people proposed to police it all - with
powerful torches and whistles! Zanu's willing political sex partners are so
busy having it that they have not even had time to think about whether it is
protected or not. And what right do their exiled voters have to question
their
behaviour anyway? If there is any problem later - they will build showers.
Who
are we to spoil their fun?

J.L. Robinson

=================================================

JAG compensation / restitution communique - open debate Dated 27 July 2010

Email: jag@mango.zw : justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw

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=====================================================

1.  Letter from Kevin Grant

2.  Letter from J.L Robinson

=====================================================

1.  Letter from Kevin Grant

Well spoken Japie Jackson!

I agree, wholeheartedly, with what you have said-there is a lot of
unfinished business to be resolved before we even mention agricultural
productivity or economic recovery.

However, despite what you say, certain people are already starting to
forget the horrors and destruction of the "violent land grab" and forging
ahead to support the rebuilding of agricultural production (especially
the tobacco industry).CFU and ZTA should rather be focussing on issues
like the rule of law, property rights, restitution and compensation, as a
prerequisite for rebuilding agriculture. Once again the tobacco trade
forges ahead, with total disregard for the principles and ideals, upon
which Commercial Agriculture was founded.

My fear is, that in time, this support will negate our efforts for
justice to be done because why should anyone want to compensate illegally
dispossessed farmers or redress property rights when Agriculture is back
on track anyway??

Let us not make the same mistake as we did in 1997 and appease the
thugs-as you say, ''CALL A SPADE A SPADE' AND ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUES
FIRST or accept defeat and appease our foes once again.

Unity is paramount but unfortunately, I sense a lot of disunity in our
organisations and our people!

Kevin Grant.

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2.  Letter from J.L Robinson

Dear Jag

The engineers cum managers of ARAC profess to understand the
architectural maxim that "form follows function."

But Covey further contends that "likewise, management follows
leadership."

Architecturally, ARAC is actually made up of two rooms - with
separate functions, both linked to agriculture.

One room is Agricultural Recovery Room and the second is Agricultural
Compensation Room. The Recovery Room is a surely a post
Maxi-Bump/Holocast requirement? The Compensation Room is surely a type of
Nuremburg Trials affair?

I do believe that both these rooms need to sit on a solid foundation
- that of the law - Pro Lege. To build on a rock?

My vocabulary is limited, but I think the terminology we might consider
here is "options" versus "prerequisites"-
that is to say that ARAC could well be confused to think that they can
have AR and AC without Pro Lege. Pro Lege is surely a prerequisite like
steering is to a car - not simply an optional extra like "having a
zing on your aerial" when you go to CFU Congress - as ARAC
suggests. Without a good steering system ARAC is prone to further
Maxi-Bumps once any speed is picked up. ARAC's remarriage to Zanu
is like any  remarriage - the triumph of hope over experience
- but is it realistic?

The CFU have also been convinced for many years that they could have both
AR and AC without Pro Lege.

In reply to ARAC's suggestion "we should not hold our
battered citizenry hostage to our demands" - I state that the
Title Deeds of our family property have been held by the firm of legal
practitioners of the Honourable Minister of Education - for the
last 107 years. To suggest that "we" are holding the people
of the country hostage is mischievous at the very least - and
downright misrepresentation by ARAC. ARAC knows full well who is holding
"battered citizenry hostage" - and has been doing just
that since the genocide in Matabeleland. ARAC is running the risk of
posing as a Chamberlain, Quisling or Petain - and seeking a road of
expediency. I openly challenge ARAC to start with the ZAPU seized
properties and the Matabeleland genocide before anything else - I
do not want them saying that it is me who is holding them to ransom.
Challenge yes - no ransom at all in the equation.

Going back 45 years to November, 1965 - you will recall that Sir
Humphrey Gibbs was effectively made redundant - and those who
engineered his redundancy chose a new interpretation of Pro Lege!

Fast forward 14 years from 1965 and we find Lord Soames returning the
state to legality. Technically speaking - an acknowledgement that the
previous 14 years had been illegal - from a global perspective? Now
forward move another thirty years to 2010 - and ARAC (who are they
and really, what do they smoke?) - tells the world that Zanu is
good, travel bans on certain individuals in Zanu should be lifted, the
land reform programme has been progressive, the removal of Anthony Gubbay
was necessary, the murder of hundreds - or thousands - of civilians
will continue because "we" are holding the country to ransom?

I feel justified in thinking of ARAC in the context of the joke about the
definition of an auditor: "a person who runs around bayoneting the
wounded at the end of the battle." To ARAC I say - that Josiah
Tongogara and Peter Walls both told the politicians at Lancaster House
that the integration of the military of the two sides was no problem
- and that they would sort it out together. How ARAC might ask?
They would oversee strict military discipline - the military
version of Pro Lege - and tell their rank and file to behave
- or else! Such decisive leadership and discipline from General
Tongogara unsettled certain quarters in Zanu and much speculation still
abounds regarding his untimely death.

My question to ARAC remains - if they are hell bent on being hard
on people and soft on principles - how do they think that they will
reconcile who is above "their ARAC Law" and who is not?

Does ARAC already think it is above the SADCC Tribunal?

If ARAC is on a political feel good binge and charm offensive - at the
expense of the law - best I recluse myself and let them play their
hand for Zanu.

This will be their legacy, and when they are ready to smell the roses I
can recommend some bed time reading - The Principle Problem, Symond
Fiske.

J.L. Robinson