The Zimbabwean
Written by The Zimbabwean
Monday, 14 June 2010 09:53
Hundreds
of University of Zimbabwe (UZ) students face food poisoning on campus, with
already a number of students seeking medical help after eating poisoned food.
Food poisoning is the contamination of food by a pathogenic organism (bacteria,
virus and fungi) or by chemicals. Students at UZ have complained of diarrhoea,
vomiting and stomach aches after eating the poisoned food. Harare city council
health officials are in the know of the food poisoning of students but have
done nothing other than grandstanding and lip-services in rectifying the
situation.
UZ
Department of Accommodation and Catering Services (DACS) which over the years
has been offering catering services withdrew the services when Vice Chancellor
Professor Levi Nyagura issued a 30 minutes notice of eviction of more than 4500
students on July 9, 2007 from campus halls of residence. The dining halls
located in the halls of residence remain closed with only an elitist senior
common room offering subsidized meals and beer exclusively to staff members.
The biggest campus dining hall which is part of the derelict Students Union
(SU) building donated by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of Britain was shut down
by Nyagura in 2003 under the pretext of a need for renovations. The SU building
also housed Students Representative Council (SRC) offices, indoor sports
facilities, a gymnasium, rented shops and offices, an auditorium and a swimming
pool. The revenue from the rentals used to fund SRC activities. There was not
much with regards to SU building and its dining hall renovations except the
generation of itemized bill of quantities and setting up of scaffolds by a
private company. Another dining hall went up in flames after the university
kept in it flammable unused linen, mattresses and other furniture. With most of
the dining halls closed the students are left facing prospects of food
poisoning from vendors on wheels lurking at campus.
For most
of these unlicensed street vendors the business of business is business and
have reckless disregard for hygiene and ethics. They are an eyesore at the
upper east road ZIMSEC gate and at the Mt. Pleasant Drive Swinton gate. They
are more obsessed with profits and are found cutting costs at the expense of
safety and quality of the meals they sale. As a result the food gets poisoned
due to poor preparation, storage and hygiene. Students allege that the vendors
use sodium bicarbonate or soda for quick softening of beef during cooking. The
chemical compound is said to cause stomach aches and running stomachs. Of
concern also is that no one knows where and how the food is prepared. The
vendors are also said to be promoting cattle rustling as they get their beef
from unregistered dealers which has not been subjected to veterinary health
check ups. The cooked food is also said not to be stored in a proper way.
Cooked food left from previous day is also said to be kept to be warmed up
before the next day’s sale.
Students
say they are fully aware of the dangers to their health posed by buying food
from the street vendors but they are forced to buy because it is cheaper than
that sold at the campus supermarket allegedly owned by a senior staff. A plate
of sadza with one piece chicken or two pieces beef cost US$1 from the street
vendors. US$1 is the standard price of well-cooked food in the city centre.
The Guardian UK
Global Witness group calls on Zimbabwe to withdraw army from Marange
diamond fields and suspend diamond trade
Zimbabwe's political and
military leaders have used violence and intimidation to seize control of the
country's lucrative diamond business, a report said today.
According to Global Witness, a campaigning group, the
Zimbabwean army has abused civilians in Marange's diamond fields over the past
three years while the ruling Zanu PF party is blocking oversight of the joint
venture company boards via its supporters.
"The investment deals have
been done with scant regard for legal process against a background of violence
and intimidation, and are dangerously lacking in transparency," said Elly
Harrowell, a Global Witness campaigner. "This leaves the door wide open
for state looting and corruption, and raises the very real possibility of
internationally certified diamonds financing renewed political violence in
Zimbabwe."
The Global
Witness report said the minister of mines, Obert Mpofu, a Zanu-PF stalwart, has
led efforts to block oversight of the companies, Canadile Miners and Mdaba
Diamonds, by imposing his allies as board members, and sidelining the state mining company, ZMDC.
Mbada Diamonds is chaired by
Robert Mhlanga, former air vice-marshal and a star witness against opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai during his trial for treason in 2003.
Global Witness called on Zimbabwe
to withdraw the army from the diamond fields, hold rights abusers to account
and suspend imports and exports of rough diamonds until the diamond sector
meets international standards. The group said Zimbabwe should also suspend the
introduction of new investors into Marange until the legality of current joint
ventures can be established, and effective oversight implemented.
Human rights groups last
week criticised a recommendation to allow Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds in
international markets, saying any such decision must be postponed until abuses
are stopped.
The
criticism from Human Rights Watch came after Abbey Chikane, a monitor for the
initiative set up to halt the trade in "blood diamonds" – rough diamonds that fuel
conflicts – said Zimbabwe was "on track" to meet international
diamond mining standards.
The initiative, Kimberley process
certification, previously recommended Zimbabwe's suspension over their findings
of illicit trading and human rights abuses.
Chikane, a South African
businessman and management consultant, said in his report that "the
government of Zimbabwe has demonstrated its commitment to meet the minimum
requirements of the Kimberley process".
HRW called Chikane's advice
flawed as it ignored alleged human rights abuses in Marange. Allegations of
killings and human rights violations by troops and smuggling of blood diamonds
have surrounded the discovery of the extensive Marange deposits, in eastern
Zimbabwe, four years ago.
The Zimbabwean
Written by Itai
Mabasa
Monday, 14 June
2010 09:38
Residents in the high density areas of Harare have
castigated the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) for lord shedding
at World Cup match times.
The high density areas of Glen-Norah and GlenVew were
without electricity at match times on Saturday and this infuriated the
residents.
“We had hoped that ZESA would be sensitive to our desire
to watch the soccer showcase being played just across the Limpopo but we got it
all wrong, it seems like the power utility company does not have any obligation
to honour its customers,” said Rodney Makwasha a soccer fan from Glenvew 8.
Small children of school going age had to mix and mingle
with revelers as they struggled to negotiate their way into the crowded bars
which were now using generators to screen the WC games. The Energy Minister
Elias Mudzuri was recently told journalists in
Harare that ZESA would not terminate any services during
match times even to defaulters.
“We are feeling that every Zimbabwean should enjoy the
World Cup.ZESA should ensure that every customer is not disconnected during
this period. Those who have not paid their ZESA bills we are asking the power
utility, in fact we have directed ZESA not to cut power to customers during
world cup. It will be during this time that we are allowing defaulters to enjoy
and celebrate with others,” he said last Wednesday.
The country needs US$125 million to repair the outdated
Hwange Power station Generators, with US$8 billion needed for the country deal
with power cuts once and for all.
Reliefweb
Source: The Zimbabwean
Date: 14 Jun 2010
Written by
Staff Reporter
CHINHOYI-
The food for work programme being initiated by NGOs such as Mercy Corps and
Cadec in the town has brought relief to cash strapped residents who are failing
to access elusive foreign currency.
A survey
by this paper revealed that most residents were taking part in the food for
programme and getting assistance from NGOs in form of vouchers to purchase
food.
In an
interview, residents, mostly from high-density suburbs such as Hunyani, Mupata
and Chikonohono hailed the NGOs saying the programme has given them hope as
they can now afford to access some basic commodities such as soap, salt and
cooking oil.
Mike
Mukuwapasi (33) said apart from benefiting from the programme, the food for
work programme has changed the face of the town.
"We
really thank the NGOs for coming to our rescue. We are now able to meet some of
our basic needs such as food," he said, adding that the programme has also
changed the face of the town.
The food
for work is being carried out in Chinhoyi urban wards two and three and five,
as well as satellite town of Alaska and Shekleton.
The
residents, mostly widows and unemployed youths receive a US$25 voucher from the
NGOs. The programme has also been hailed by many environmentalists for giving
the town a new facelift and protecting environment from pollution.
"The
food for work programme is a good initiative as it does not benefit residents
financially but also improve the face of the town," said a local
environmentalist Ronald Zhangazha.
Residents
have joined hands to clean areas such as libraries, bus terminus and clinics
while the NGOs have supplied equipment. Mercy Corps and CADEC are some of the
NGOs involved in the programme.
Ends.
The Standard
Busani Ncube
12 June 2010
Bulawayo —
Mines and Mining Development minister Obert Mpofu has been given the nod to
evict the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) from a building in the Belmont
industrial area after the troubled central bank failed to pay US$42 000 in rent
arrears.
According
to High Court papers seen by The Standard, Mpofu's company Trebo and Khays in
January dragged the RBZ to court accusing it of failing to pay rentals since
February 2009.
Mpofu and
his wife Sikhanyisiwe are the Trebo and Khays directors. The name of their
company is derived from their names with Obert written in reverse.
Trebo and
Khays through its lawyers had asked the court to order the RBZ to pay holdover
damages before it was evicted from the premises that house offices, a warehouse,
a storage space for machinery and equipment as well as a garage.
The
company wanted the central bank, which is under pressure from several creditors
some of whom have proceeded to auction its property, to pay holdover damages
equivalent to the rentals due at US$172,50 per day from October 2009 to the
date of eviction.
High Court
Judge, Justice Maphios Cheda granted the order in January but a writ of
execution of the order is yet to be issued to the Deputy Sheriff.
The order
compels RBZ to pay US$32 085 and also to vacate the premises in dispute.
The High
Court papers (HC 1741 / 09) show that RBZ and Trebo and Khays in March 2009
signed a lease agreement for the warehouse at 8 Empress Road, Belmont.
RBZ agreed
to pay US$4 500 a month for the premises but the rentals were reduced to US$3
600 in June the same year.
The
company included US$10 350 for monies owed dating back to February 2009.
Trebo and
Khays said despite several reminders the central bank failed to settle its
debts.
In its
response to the application, the RBZ had demanded to know the basis on which
Mpofu's company wanted the court to grant an order with costs on an
attorney-client scale and how it breached the contract agreement.
The
requested particulars were supplied by Nkosilathi Mlala and Sindiso Mazibisa of
Cheda and Partners Legal Practitioners, representing Trebo and Khays.
Mpofu's
company also evicted Time Bank from the ground floor of York House in the city
center last week.
York
House, one of the tallest buildings in the Bulawayo central business district,
is owned by the minister.
Time
Bank's property has already been auctioned after the bank failed to pay
rentals.
The Standard
Saturday, 12 June 2010 18:45
MASVINGO —
Villagers in lowveld areas of Chikombedzi and Mwenezi have resorted to
exchanging cattle for a few bags of maize as hunger begins to bite.
The
districts received very little rainfall during the just-ended season resulting
in some villagers failing to harvest anything from their fields.
During a
recent visit to the areas, The Standard learnt that desperate villagers were at
times forced to give away a beast for only a 50kg bag of maize after going for
days without a decent meal.
Normally a
cow costs between US$200 and US$300 while a 50kg bag of maize is sold for about
US$40.
Some
unscrupulous businessmen have camped in Chikombedzi and Mwenezi to cash in on
the desperation by the villagers.
The
businessmen allegedly buy maize and maize meal in bulk from neighbouring South
Africa to exchange for livestock.
They sell
the cattle to butchery and supermarket owners at business centres across the
province where they make a killing.
“Our
children are starving and we can’t watch them dying that is why we end up
engaging in these barter deals,” said Shalati Baloyi of Mhlanguleli village in
Chikombedzi.
“But they
are not fair for us in terms of the value of our cattle if you take into
consideration cattle prices.”
He said
their wealth was in livestock since the area was not conducive for other
farming activities.
Other
villagers said they used to get assistance from humanitarian organisations,
which have since been forced to halt their activities because of constant
attacks by Zanu PF supporters who accuse them of having MDC links.
“In times
of a crisis like this, organisations like Care International, Christian Care
and several others would come to our rescue with food aid,” said another
villager who requested anonymity.
“But this
time it’s different because they are no longer allowed to help us.
“Zanu PF
leaders here ordered them to stop after accusing them of campaigning for MDC by
distributing food to the needy.”
Felix
Chikovo, the provincial administrator said government was in the middle of a
study to establish the extent of the food shortages and was not in a position
to comment on the plight of the villagers.
“I can’t
comment effectively right now because we are carrying a vulnerability assessment
programme district by district,” he said.
“So we are
still waiting for the findings from our teams who are yet to present their
reports but I think they will be done next week and I will be able to comment
effectively.”
But
Headman Chilonga warned that if his area does not get immediate assistance
people will starve to death because they were about to exhaust their livestock.
“If these
people do not get help from government and other institutions they will exhaust
their cattle and subsequently starve to death,” he said.
“We don’t
know what is happening now, in the past we could buy maize from GMB as a
government measure to deal with a dire situation or from NGOs but its now a
thing of the past.”
Government
has been failing to provide assistance to the villagers through the Grain
Marketing Board citing financial problems.
BY GODFREY
MUTIMBA
Tobaccoreporter.com
Jun 14, 2010—Zimbabwe has earned US$199.26 million from the sale of 65.3 million kg of flue-cured tobacco since the season began in mid-February, according to a story in The Herald.
Contract sales, at 35.4 million kg, have earned US$112.25 million, while auction sales, at 29.9 million kg have raised US$87.01 million.
Zimbabwe is expecting to sell 77 million kg of flue-cured this season.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 14 June 2010
By Lance Guma
14 June 2010
After the recent evictions of 16 white commercial farmers two more, including Trevor Gifford the former Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) Vice President, took place on Sunday evening. The other farmer evicted was French-Mauritian Michel Fayd'herbe, who was forced off his La Lucie Estate. Gifford was hosting a luncheon for 14 guests when dozens of land invaders arrived on his property in Chipinge at around 3pm on Sunday. The mob became very threatening, eventually invading the property and barricading Gifford, his wife and their guests in the house.
Newsreel spoke to Charles Taffs, the current CFU Vice President, and he told us the mob demanded that Gifford leave the property that same day and Gifford managed to load some of his possessions into the cars belonging to his guests. Taffs went on to say, ‘before leaving they made him to sign a letter stating that his house was empty. Quite clearly it was not but he had to sign it to gain his own release.’ By 11pm that night Gifford had been forced off the property.
So who is behind this latest wave of farm invasions? Taffs told us they believed the invaders were responding to calls by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Didymus Mutasa, who recently urged people to defy court orders relating to land issues. Two weeks ago Mutasa said Zimbabwe had a law that farm cases could not be brought to court. Taffs said this was ‘absolute rubbish’ and that ‘there is a court process in any eviction. He said; ‘Basically the eviction process has a court of appeal and this is where all these farmers are. They have appealed the position and the courts are pending in making judgments.’
Gifford was due in court on Tuesday and like many of the other farmers targeted in the past couple of weeks had a court order allowing him to remain on his property. ‘These thugs are taking the law into their own hands, evicting people without due process,’ Taffs said. The CFU Vice President meanwhile expressed frustration at the silence coming from the coalition government. He said they were not getting any assistance from the police or anyone in government.
With the cash-strapped government battling to attract foreign investors it remains to be seen how they hope to achieve this when violent mobs are roaming the country, taking over farms that are often protected by bilateral investment protection agreements and court orders.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 14 June 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
14 June 2010
The SADC facilitation team appointed by South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is expected to fly to Zimbabwe this week, in a last ditch attempt to revive the stalled talks.
Reports in the media suggested the team would be in Harare on Monday. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa said it looked likely they would fly in late in the evening or Tuesday morning.
Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara were in Johannesburg at the end of last week for the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup and met Zuma on the sidelines of the event. Tsvangirai’s spokesman, James Maridadi, confirmed that the Prime Minister met Zuma; ‘Yes the Prime Minister met with President Zuma, as diplomacy dictates that you pay a courtesy call to the host President. This was an informal meeting because President Zuma was busy with other visiting Heads of States’.
The spokesman also confirmed that Mugabe and Tsvangirai met Monday for their weekly meeting between the two leaders. But as usual no information is provided to journalists.
Zuma’s facilitation team is comprised of former South African Ministers Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj, plus President Zuma’s international relations advisor, Lindiwe Zulu. Two months ago the facilitators made a low-profile visit to Harare for a round of talks but failed to secure any agreement from Mugabe on key points.
It’s reported that when the principals finally met last week Tuesday, after a two month delay, the atmosphere was very tense. Mugabe insisted he would make no more concessions until Western targeted sanctions against him and about 200 associates have been lifted and foreign radio stations ceased broadcasts into Zimbabwe. Of course the MDC have no power to lift the sanctions or to shut down any externally based radio station. Equally Mugabe is not being asked to make ‘concessions.’ He is being asked to implement what he signed up to do in the GPA.
The last time Zuma met the three leaders was in March in Harare, where he announced after three days of negotiations that they had agreed on a ‘package of measures’ towards resolving the contentious issues.
But this would not appear to be the case and many observers now say the only way out of the log-jam is to hold fresh elections.
Political analyst Luke Zunga said the delay in implementing the GPA is a grand plan by Mugabe and his ZANU PF party, to approach the next elections without conceding anything to the MDC.
‘Remember these issues were agreed to by parties before the formation of the unity government. What remains is just appending their signatures to the documents, but what we have is ZANU PF cunningly delaying the process to suit their plans,’ Zunga said.
He added that Mugabe and ZANU PF were in ‘election mode’ meaning they would resist any attempts to encroach on issues that tampered with their centres of power.
‘Those remaining issues will not be dealt with by this current administration because they are so fundamental to ZANU PF’s existence, that doing away with two of the issues will bring the party on its knees,’ Zunga added.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 14 June 2010
By Violet Gonda
12 June 2010
Lawyers representing Farai Maguwu, the diamond rights researcher who has spent his second weekend in police custody, have managed to file an urgent application in the High Court to appeal for their client’s bail. Lawyer Trust Maanda said the case has been set for Wednesday.
The activist who was ‘abducted’ by the police from remand prison and taken to the notorious Matapi police cells for interrogation at the weekend, had been denied bail last Thursday.
During the course of the weekend the police refused to return the activist to remand prison and held him at Matapi, where he could not be visited by his family or his legal representatives.
Maanda said the High Court condemned Matapi cells as unfit for human habitation and he suspects the intention of moving Maguwu there was to ‘dehumanise’ him and ‘force him to cooperate’. Maguwu was finally returned to Harare Central police station.
Over the weekend lawyers had raised serious concerns over Maguwu’s safety, when he was removed without their knowledge from the remand prison by the Law and Order section of the police, a section notorious for torturing people during interrogation.
The defence team said Detective Inspector Dowa, a known torturer who is facing various civil suits for prior human rights abuses, ordered Maguwu’s transfer into the hands of the Law and Order section.
Maguwu, as head of the Centre for Research Development, has been in the forefront of exposing human rights violations at the diamond fields in Chiadzwa, Marange. He was arrested shortly after he held a confidential meeting with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme monitor, Abbey Chikane, about the situation there.
Maguwu accuses Abbey Chikane of ‘shopping’ him to the police, while Inspector Dowa claimed in court that Maguwu gave documents to the KP Monitor containing ‘false’ information.
“After the drama of the illegal removal from remand and incarceration at the worst police holding cells in the country, the police confirmed that they were now investigating the allegations arising from Chikane’s complaints against Maguwu,” said his other lawyer, Tinoziva Bere.
Bere said the KP monitor went on to ‘lie’ and ‘denigrate’ his client as a ‘fraudster’ in both the KP monitor report and in his many media releases. He said Chikane also failed to investigate any of the allegations and concerns raised with him by Maguwu. “CRD and Farai have been silenced by the actions of the very Kimberly Process which they attempted to assist”, Bere added.
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 14 June 2010
Callback
Tawanda says South Africa is buzzing with football excitement and they are just hoping that the spirit of peace and unity continues after the tournament; Chaka says things seem to be improving now in Zim but there are a lot of unfair business practices involving police and other people in authority. And, Diana says she has been reduced to walking the streets and begging in order to survive.
NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa on Rules for our Rulers
14 July 2010
The National Constitutional Assembly has called for the constitutional process led by parliament to be stopped, saying it is led by ‘a group of greedy politicians’ who are misleading people into believing they will ‘realize a genuine democratic people-driven constitution.’ Lance and guest presenter Patricia Mabviko speak to NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa, to find out why the NCA is so opposed to the current process.
In today’s Letter from America, Dr. Stan Mukasa spells out options for Zimbabweans now that the global political agreement is all but dead.http://www.zimaction.com/Letter2010/LFAJUN1410.htm
www.zimdiaspora.com
President Robert Mugabe was yesterday embarrassed and
humiliated by 2010 World Cup organisers when a large delegation
accompanying him was denied entry into Soccer City stadium for the
official opening of the soccer showcase, Zimdiaspora can reveal.
Sources at the Zimbabwean embassy in South Africa told Zimdiaspora
that Mugabe was accompanied by a delegation of over 50 people,
but
organisers barred all of them saying they were not invited and
therefore unwelcome.
An official at the embassy said only Mugabe himself, the first lady
Grace and foreign affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi were allowed
into Soccer City for the Official opening of the World Cup.
“It was a very embarrassing moment as Mugabe’s people tried to force
themselves into the stadium arguing that they were VIP’s by virtue of
being part of a Presidential delegation. However, the organisers could
have none of that and they were calmly told to leave as they were not
invited,” he said.
The Embassy Official said those denied entry into Soccer City were
Mugabe’s Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agents, senior Zanu
PF officials, the dictator’s children and relatives, as well as state
journalists.
Senior government officials close to Mugabe among them the rabid
permanent secretary of media, information and publicity George
Charamba were also denied entry.
Charamba is now considered a threat to the Government of National
Unity due to his constant personal attacks and undermining of Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai through the Zanu PF propaganda mouthpiece,
the Herald and ZBC.
The Embassy Official said soon after being denied entry to the
official opening of the World Cup, Mugabe’s people rushed to open
shopping malls in Sandton to spend the thousands of dollars they were
given in travel and subsistence allowances.
“Zimbabwe Embassy staff all over the world are struggling to survive
because of inadequate funding but Mugabe prefers to waste taxpayers
money by coming along with such a huge delegation of cronies. This is
typical of dictators. They only reward relatives and people who keep
them in power,” he said.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Professor Arthur
Mutambara were also at the official opening of the World Cup, but they
both traveled separately with Mugabe. Tsvangirai reportedly traveled
with his new found love Locadia Tembo, a local businesswoman.
www.zimdiaspora.com
MONDAY, 14 JUNE 2010 17:58 EDITOR
Harare – Zanu PF Minister of local Government and Urban Development, Ignatius Chombo ordered the city of Harare to sell vast tracts of council land and properties to Chinese and other foreign nationals in contravention of municipal by-laws.
Sources at Harare’s Town House told Zimdiaspora that it has emerged that several Chinese and other foreign nationals were illegally sold council residential and commercial land in prime areas such as Westgate, Bluffhill, Borrowdale and Mt Pleasant for close to nothing.
Under municipal by-laws, council residential land can only be sold to Zimbabwean citizens aged 18 years and above. Prospective beneficiaries should also be on the housing waiting list for at least several years.
“Council only discovered that foreign nationals have been illegally sold land after complains by several local people who had earlier been short- listed to buy the same land. Preliminary investigations show that the irregular transfer of the land was done after a directive by the minister,” said a senior official at Town House.
He said it was irregular for Council to provide cheap land to foreign nationals yet over half a million people in the City have been on the housing waiting list for over a decade now.
“Under the law, Council residential land is reserved for Zimbabwean citizens only because it is sold at concessionary rates. Foreign nationals are however allowed to buy private land because as investors they are supposed to have the financial resources to do that,” said the Harare Official.
A Harare Councillor confirmed that City Fathers have received reports of foreign nationals who were illegally sold council land, saying the matter would soon come under investigation.
Minister Chombo and controversial businessman Phillip Chiyangwa, who are both related to President Mugabe, were recently on the news after a Council special investigation exposed that they corruptly acquired vast tracts of Harare land for next to nothing.
The police have however not arrested the two Zanu PF officials despite overwhelming evidence of fraud and corruption. Senior Zanu PF officials enjoy the protection of law enforcement agents and commit corruption and other crimes with impunity.
On the other land Movement for Democratic Change officials are regularly arrested on trumped-up charges which are always thrown out by the courts.
The Standard
Saturday, 12 June 2010 19:13
OPPOSITION
parties have launched a scathing attack on the indigenisation regulations
describing them as racist and another tactic by Zanu PF officials in a hurry to
loot national resources before the party is pushed out of power.
Government
has twice shelved the implementation of the regulations that seek to
operationalise the controversial Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act
pushed through parliament by Zanu PF in 2007 following spirited resistance by
business.
The regulations
that will see foreign-owned firms ceding 51% of their shareholding to locals
would be implemented once consultations between government and stakeholders are
finalised.
Former
Finance minister and leader of Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party, Simba Makoni said the
regulations violated the constitution.
“One of
the values of our party is genuine empowerment which means enabling people to
do things for themselves not placing people in a position to ask for things to
be done for them,” Makoni told journalists at the Chinhoyi press club last
week.
“The
current debate on the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act touches on two issues,
the first is the Act itself which legalises racial discrimination.
“If you
read and understand, the definition of indigenous is equal to black and yet the
Constitution of Zimbabwe provides for a non-racial and democratic nation and I
would say that the legislators who approved a patently racist and
discriminatory law were violating the Zimbabwe Constitution.”
Zapu said
it fully supports the government’s policy of indigenisation but was strongly
opposed to the manner in which Zanu PF elements in the inclusive government
were going about the exercise.
President
Robert Mugabe and Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment minister
Saviour Kasukuwere have insisted that there is nothing wrong with the
regulations.
“It would
appear Zanu PF functionaries in the inclusive government are in a spree to
allocate the people’s natural resources to their connections under the guise of
indigenisation,” said Zapu spokesman, Methuseli Moyo in a statement.
“Realising
that the sun is setting on their party, Zanu PF ministers are clearly on a
mission to plunder and mortgage people’s resources to foreign companies fronted
by their relatives, friends and party supporters.”
Zapu said
it was particularly concerned by the “spree” to allocate mining rights and
concessions to dubious companies under the guise of indigenisation.
Moyo said:
“For instance, how many people from Marange or Manicaland are legally
benefiting in any meaningful way in the exploitation of diamonds in Chiadzwa?
“How many
locals are going to benefit in the exploitation of coal concessions in the
Lubimbi area of Matabeleland North? Who is exploiting the wildlife and timber
resources of Lupane, Nkayi, Tsholotsho and Hwange?
It warned
the MDC formations in the inclusive government to disassociate themselves from
the Zanu PF agenda if they were to maintain their integrity.
BY OUR
STAFF
From the Zimbabwe Vigil
Media Release
The new British government has made clear there will
no change of policy on Zimbabwe despite suggestions from President Mugabe that
he would find it easier to deal with the Conservative party than the former
Labour administration.
In his first statement on the intractable
‘This government will focus on supporting a process
that gives Zimbabweans a chance to state their democratic preferences, and that
leads to a stable government genuinely representing the people’s will,’ he
said. ‘It is vital that elections, when held, must be conducted in a manner
that allows Zimbabweans to express their opinions in an informed and free way
and without fear of violence or intimidation. We will be working with the
international and regional community to ensure that this can happen.’
Mr Hague added that the
The Foreign Secretary was responding to a letter from
the
Full text of Mr Hague’s letter follows. (For text of Vigil letter see
Thank you for your kind wishes on my appointment
as Foreign Secretary and for letting me know of the Vigil’s views on how the
international community should respond to events in
I am aware of the good work the
The creation of the Inclusive Government was an
important step in helping to curtail the violence of 2008 and start the process
of economic and political reform that the parties signed up to in September
2008. But it is clear that this is not a long-term solution. This government
will focus on supporting a process that gives Zimbabweans a chance to state
their democratic preferences, and that leads to a stable government genuinely
representing the people’s will. It is vital that elections, when held, must be
conducted in a manner that allows Zimbabweans to express their opinions in an
informed and free way and without fear of violence or intimidation. We will be
working with the international and regional community to ensure that this can
happen.
The
The EU renewed and modified its targeted
measures on
I wish the
Yours sincerely
William Hague
Vigil
co-ordinators
The
Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
News
Release
For immediate release,
Sunday 13 June 2010
Mo
Ibrahim Foundation announces decision not to award 2010 Ibrahim Prize
Foundation
to fund Leadership Fellowships for next generation of African leaders
The Prize Committee met yesterday to
discuss the award of the 2010 Mo Ibrahim Prize. Following its deliberations,
the Prize Committee informed the Board of the Foundation that it had not
selected a winner.
Last year the Prize Committee
announced that it had considered some credible candidates, but after in depth
review could not select a winner. This year the Prize Committee told the Board
that there had been no new candidates or new developments and that therefore no
selection of a winner had been made.
The
Ibrahim Prize recognises and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The
prize is awarded to a democratically elected former African Executive Head of
State or Government who has served their term in office within the limits set
by the country's constitution and has left office in the last three years.
The
first winner of the Prize was Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique
in 2007, followed by Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana in 2008. In
addition Nelson Mandela was made an Honorary Laureate in 2007.
Responding to the Prize Committee’s
decision, Mo Ibrahim, the founder and Chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation,
said:
“The Board respects the decision of
the Prize Committee not to select a winner for the 2010 prize. The Prize
Committee, which is independent from the Board, is a unique repository of
experience and expertise.
“Whether there is a winner or not,
the purpose of the Foundation is to challenge those in Africa and across the
world to debate what constitutes excellence in leadership.
“The standards set for the Prize
winner are high, and the number of potential candidates each year is small. So
it is likely that there will be years when no Prize is awarded. In the current
year, no new candidates emerged.
“Many African countries are making
great strides not just economically, but also in terms of their governance. The
Ibrahim Index, which measures the performance of African countries across
around 80 governance criteria, indicates that the overall standard of
governance is improving.
“Nevertheless, the Foundation is
anything but complacent about the standards of governance in Africa. Its
mission is to improve governance and nurture leadership in Africa. It is clear
that much more needs to be done. It is for that reason that the Foundation has
decided to promote complementary initiatives.
“For example, the Foundation will
shortly be launching the Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships, a selective programme
designed to identify and prepare the next generation of outstanding African
leaders by providing them with mentoring opportunities in key multilateral
institutions. The programme will seek to attract a number of highly qualified
and talented professionals each year to serve in leading institutions whose
core objective to improve the prospects of the people of Africa.
“The Foundation is currently working
with pan-African organisations to design the fellowships. It will announce
further details of them at the Foundation’s annual celebration and forum on
governance to be held in Mauritius in November. Applications will open shortly
afterwards and we expect the first Leadership Fellows to begin their
Fellowships early next year.
“The task of promoting good African
leadership is more important than ever. Good governance is crucial if African
people are to share in the strong economic growth that many are predicting for
Africa. There are many ways to support great leadership. The prize is one such
way, the fellowships will be another.”
-
Ends -
For all media enquiries on Monday 14
June, please contact:
Hannah McCullagh
Office: +44 (0)20 7842 0147
Mobile: +44 (0) 7944 689 158
Hannah.mccullagh@
Or
Risha Chande
Office: +44 20 7535 5063
Mobile: +44781 772 3720
chande.r@moibrahimf
Notes for Editors:
1. The decision of the 2010 Ibrahim
prize was determined by the Prize Committee of seven eminent individuals. The
Prize Committee assesses democratically elected former Executive Heads of State
or Government from sub-Saharan African countries who have served their term in
office within the limits set by their country’s constitution, and have left
office within the last three years
2. The Ibrahim Prize consists of
US$5million over 10 years and US$200,000 annually for life thereafter. The
Foundation will consider granting a further $200,000 per year, for 10 years,
towards public interest activities and good causes espoused by the winner.
Logo : http://www.apo-
Distributed by the African Press
Organization on behalf of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
