VOA
by Harare By Studio 7 Staff
Washington
09 March
2006
Zimbabwean authorities expanded arrests of alleged
conspirators against the
state to 16 people Thursday, including members of
the national police and
the army as well as the political opposition, after
seizing a cache of arms
in the eastern city of Mutare.
Observers
voiced skepticism on allegations that a coup plot in the making
had been
dismantled, and political analysts as well as opposition spokesmen
said it
was more likely that the government of President Robert Mugabe was
opening
an offensive against the opposition at a time when it has
effectively
undergone a split.
At the center of the arms investigation is a man named
Peter Hitschmann,
said to have served in the pre-independence Rhodesian
military as well as
the armed forces of the post-1980 Zimbabwean state.
Sources including the
state-run Herald newspaper and police said weapons
including seven Uzi
machine guns, an AK-47 assault rifle, some 25 other
small arms, and
thousands of rounds of ammunition were found at his home in
Mutare, 260
kilometers from Harare on the border with Mozambique.
An
alleged associate of Hitschmann, one Thando Sibanda, has also been
arrested
in the wake of the announcement Tuesday of the seizure of an arms
cache.
On Thursday the authorities cast a wider net that pulled in a
number of
members of the armed forces and the police, state media and
official sources
said.
Among officials of the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change being held
were Giles Mutsekwa, MDC spokesman on defense
issues, and Manicaland party
chairman Roy Bennett, released from prison in
mid-2005 after serving nine
months hard labor for shoving ruling ZANU-PF
Justice Minister Patrick
Chinamasa in May 2004 in the course of a bitter
debate on land reform. He
was then a member of parliament.
The MDC's
Manicaland youth chairman, Knowledge Nyamuka, was also arrested.
His lawyer,
Chris Ndlovu, said Thursday that his client would appear in
court on Friday
for arraignment on charges of violating the Public Order and
Security
Act.
A lawyer for Mutsekwa, Tafadzwa Mugabe, said he had been trying to
gain
access to his client, but that Mutsekwa had been moved from one police
station to another.
The whereabouts and circumstances of other
suspects could not be determined
as police spokesmen referred media
inquiries to inaccessible higher
authorities.
Reporter Patience
Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe asked opposition
member of parliament
and chief whip Innocent Gonese for his view of the
murky case.
The
International Bar Association weighed in on the case, charging that
Zimbabwean authorities have deprived those it has detained of a timely court
appearance.
Association spokeswoman Gugulethu Moyo told reporter
Ndimyake Mwakalyele
that Harare has often ignored due process when dealing
with senior
opposition figures.
British human rights activist Peter
Tatchell, who Zimbabwe's official press
has accused of financing the alleged
plot to overthrow the government,
denied any connection with the alleged
conspiracy or with the Zimbabwe
Freedom Movement, an anti-Mugabe group that
vowed armed resistance in 2003
but has given few signs of life
since.
Tatchell acknowledged providing media liaison for the obscure
group three
years ago when it first appeared, but said he is not a member
and has no
current contact.
Tatchell's main cause has been the
defense of gay rights in Africa and
elsewhere, but he turned up in Zimbabwe
headlines in 2001 when he attempted
a citizen's arrest of Mr. Mugabe on a
Brussels street and was knocked
unconscious by bodyguards. He subsequently
was arrested in London for
attempting to have Mugabe detained. Yet Tatchell
also claims to have raised
money for ZANU-PF in the liberation
period.
South African-based researcher Chris Maroleng of the Institute
of Security
Studies said the timing of the arms seizure was interesting. He
told Studio
7 reporter Blessing Zulu that the hue and cry highlights the
government's
growing concern that soaring prices and plunging standards of
living could
lead to a popular uprising.
IOL
March 09 2006
at 11:58PM
Harare - Sixteen people have now been arrested following
the discovery
of an arms cache in eastern Zimbabwe, state radio confirmed
late on
Thursday.
Those arrested include "top officials from
the (opposition) Movement
for Democratic Change and former Rhodesian
uniformed and non-uniformed
security forces," the radio said.
The report said the suspects planned to set up "terrorism cells" in
Zimbabwe.
The arrests came after police Monday raided the home
of Mutare
resident Michael Peter Hitschmann and uncovered an assortment of
rifles,
machine guns, ammunition, radios and teargas. Hitschmann's family
runs a
security company in Mutare.
State media has been
reporting that the weapons were to be used by the
MDC in attempts to
destabilise the country.
Those known to have been arrested include
Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) MP Giles Mutsekwa, provincial MDC
treasurer Brian James, MDC
activist Thando Sibanda and Knowledge Nyamhuka,
the MDC provincial youth
chairman.
Police on Thursday searched
James' homes, a family friend said.
Earlier, the police searched Mutsekwa's
Mutare home but found nothing but "a
few papers," according to lawyer
Lawrence Chibwe.
He accused state media of "painting a picture of a
treasonous
offence".
"When you look at the facts as they are,
there's nothing"
An opposition spokesperson, Nelson Chamisa, has
denied the party has
any links with a person or group wanting to bring about
change in Zimbabwe
"through the barrel of the gun".
Chamisa
said the government wanted to disrupt a key party congress
scheduled for
next week. - Sapa-dpa
News24
09/03/2006 22:58 -
(SA)
Harare - A senior Zimbabwean judge who fled the country after he
was
convicted of corruption two months ago was sentenced in absentia to
three
years in prison on Thursday.
Benjamin Paradza, 49, is believed
to be on the run in Britain, following his
conviction in January on two
counts of corruption for trying to intervene in
the murder case of a friend
and business partner.
Paradza, who was arrested in February 2003, became
the first judge to be
convicted in Zimbabwe.
Justice Simpson
Mutambanengwe handed down a three-year sentence to Paradza,
but suspended
one year on condition of good conduct.
But Mutambanengwe said Paradza's
flight just before sentencing was proof of
a lack of remorse.
Brought
justice into disrepute
"The accused is a judge to whom every officer in
the administration of
justice looks to set an example of integrity and
incorruptibility,"
Mutambanengwe said.
"By his conduct, he has
brought the entire justice system into disrepute and
a fine would be a
mockery of the sentencing process."
Paradza was convicted in 2003 of
trying to influence his fellow judges to
release the French passport of
Russel Wayne Labuschagne who was awaiting
trial for the murder of a
fisherman caught poaching.
Paradza allegedly told a fellow judge involved
in Labuschagne's case that he
stood to lose money if his business partner in
a safari venture was unable
to travel to Europe. Labuschagne was later
sentenced to 15 years in jail for
the murder.
The high court judge
had pleaded not guilty and argued that he was targeted
for prosecution after
he delivered judgments that were not in favour of
President Robert Mugabe's
government.
In February 2002 Paradza ruled that eviction orders served on
50 white
farmers were illegal and, in January 2003, he ordered the release
of the
opposition mayor for Harare, following his arrest for meeting
citizens
without police permission.
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:40:30 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Mutasa on ZANU PF
Refrain
By threatening to physically eliminate MDC leadership and its
supporters
Mutasa may shock a few but not the majority Zimbabweans. Most
Zimbabweans
find this ZANU PF chorus very predictable and boring. The
melodramatic
presentation of "findings" and "discovery" of the arms cache
has failed to
make an impression on majority Zimbabweans. Immediately what
comes to mind
are the following:
a.. Fictitious charges Rev Ndabaningi
Sithole and the make believe drama
intended to provide evidence.
b..
Gukurahundi genocide where innocent civilians where murdered -
apparently
for "harbouring" dissidents.
c.. Attempt on Joshua Nkomo (Father
Zimbabwe)'s life
d.. Trison charges against Morgan Tsvangirai and
e..
Many episodes that happened outside Zimbabwe, in Zambia and
Mozambique.
In all these cases the accused were vindicated only that many
are no longer
here to say, "what was that all about?" Well, perhaps it was
and still is
all about political survival minus national interests.
I
would challenge Mutasa to shoot down inflation and to physically eliminate
unemployment and bring back some semblance of dignity to us Zimbabweans. The
politics of blood - letting is only practised by very premitive regimes of
which there are very few left on this planet.
ZANU PF should face the
Nation and tell the truth - that they have failed to
rebuild the economy
that they have distroyed single handedly. They make so
much political
capital out of the "smart sanctions" by the West. It would be
helpful if
they told the people of Zimbabwe what these sanctions are. People
will be
shocked to discover that the named ZANU PF are banned from
travelling to the
West where they have invested heavily with the ill-gotten
wealth from
Zimbabwe. Some actually dis-invested from Zimbabwe and invested
in the very
countries they condemn every day. They investments in these
countries are
now frozen although we know some houses that are still being
rented.
Mr Mutasa and his lot must be reminded that Zimbabwe cannot
go it alone
especially when the economy is in the abyss. His brand of
politics a far cry
from that of young Zimbabweans. They day of reckoning is
around the corner.
Easy options abound - keep printing money and shooting
at inflation not
people.
Jhuruva@hotmail.com
Please send any job opportunities for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG
Job Opportunities; jag@mango.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 18 January 2006
CANE FARMER IN TRIANGLE AREA LOOKING FOR A
RETIRED FARMER TO OVERSEE CANE
PRODUCTION. POSITION WOULD SUIT SOMEONE
LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL INCOME
TO SUPPLEMENT EXISTING PENSION, AS THE AREA OF
CANE DOES NOT SUSTAIN A
PRESENT DAY FARM MANAGERS SALARY.
HOUSE,
ELECTRICITY, WATER & SERVANTS PROVIDED.
PLEASE CONTACT: - ANN
BRADFIELD acasiasafaris@zol.co.zw
CELL:
011211336 OR 091273639 OR BULAWAYO
230615
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 12 January 2006
Wanted - Lady with accounting background,
computer literate with Excel
and Word.
Pleasant office environment in
Willowvale
Negotiable package and fuel allowance.
Please reply to
091-208566 or 011-207084 or email hyena@zol.co.zw.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUSTRALIA
Ad
inserted 18 January 2006
Manager - Hazeldean Pty Ltd
A position is
available for a hands-on manager, with a strong interest in
animal breeding
using measured performance, to take on a close working
relationship with the
managing director in the running of Hazeldean & its
sheep & cattle
seed stock enterprises. The position is at company
headquarters, Hazeldean,
located 15 minutes south of Cooma in
southeastern
NSW.
The
successful applicant will be required to contribute ideas and form
strategies
for the future growth of the property & business. Planning
&
budgeting are essential skills however a desire for hands on
involvement
is equally important.
The position would suit a team
player and one capable and willing to take
on more responsibility in the
future. We are happy to consider
employment of a suitably qualified or
experienced Zimbabwean.
Applications to:
Jim
Litchfield
Hazeldean
Cooma NSW 2630
Email: Litchfield@hazeldean.com.au
www.hazeldean.com.au
THE ZIMBABWE
CONNECTION
MOBILE: +61 414 363 006
(international)
0414 363 006 (within
Australia)
EMAIL: jill@zimbabweconnection.com
WEBSITE:
www.zimbabweconnection.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 9 February 2006
Wanted
Retired, energetic, fun loving
Book Keeper, living in Greendale,
Borrowdale, Chisipite areas in March, for a
small Nursery School : basic
administration, reception, books and general
helping out.
Please call Debi or Shelley between 8am and
12pm
482067
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 9 February 2006
HORSES / MANAGER
A mature,
responsible person who is experienced with and passionate about
horses
required by one of Zimbabwe's leading safari operators. This
challenging
position offers an extremely exciting lifestyle, full board
and lodging and a
very competitive salary. The right person should also
be able to get on as
well with people as with horses. Please send CV to
awc@africanencounter.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanzania
Ad
inserted 9 February 2006
A vacancy exists for a farm manager on a mixed
farm in Tanzania.
Our core business is vegetables for export however
various other crops
and livestock operations are undertaken.
The right
candidate should have at least 5 years farming experience in
East/Southern
Africa, preferably with horticultural experience.
Responsibilities would
include daily farm management, record keeping to
Eurepgap specifications,
farm security and community liaison.
The candidate should be either
single or accompanied without children.
To start
immediately.
Package: $1500 per month, medical aid and usual benefits of
farm
management positions. Work permit to be provided by the
employer.
Company details to be found at www.gel.co.tz
Please send CV to: lizzie@gel.co.tz
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nursery
School or Infant Teacher
Ad inserted 9 February 2006
Experienced
Nursery School or infant teacher wanted for 2nd Term,
Avondale area. English
must be first language. Very good working
environment, mornings only, school
terms only. Good package for right
person - mail gandami@mweb.co.zw
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 16 February 2006
Looking for a position, family left
Zimbabwe
Looking for a position for our maid who has worked for us for 22
years.
She is honest, friendly, very caring and excellent with young
children.
She does do basic cooking, housework, baby sitting. She come
highly
recommended by us and has been part of the family for many
years.
Anyone interested please contact me by email, pennydobson@mweb.co.za
or
phone
Angela Stephens 776451 mornings only, for an interview with
the
maid,
Maize.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Australia
Ad inserted 16 February 2006
WANTED; Millwrights,
Electricians, Diesel Mechanics, Refrigeration
Specialists, Town Planners and
Quantity Surveyors
Recruit Global will assist in looking for a job and
sponsorship
opportunities for the
right candidates wanting to move to
Australia.
Australia is experiencing a major skills shortage in all states,
we will
provide
services to assist in, visas, trade recognition
tests,
sponsorship, relocation, financial advice.
Contact us today at
Aussiemigrant
www.aussiemigrant.com
Brendon@aussiemigrant.com
Rebecca@aussiemigrant.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 16 February 2006
Vacancy for Live-In Housekeeper
Companion
JOB SPECIFICATION
The applicant should be a single
female, unmarried, widow, or divorced,
and must have a caring nature, and be
interested in cooking and the
welfare of an elderly lady.
Free
accommodation will be provided in a beautiful period house, circa
1700, own
bed-sitting room with television, fridge and microwave and
washbasin,
tastefully furnished with bookcases and easy chair, and
adjoining bathroom.
Use one of the sitting rooms in the house.
Food will be provided for main
meals, as part of the contract.
The Housekeeper will be responsible for
the general running of the house,
and its cleaning. She will prepare and
cook meals, and do some
shopping. Use of car will be available for this
purpose. She will act
as a companion to Mrs H L Franklin who is aged 88
years, a refined lady,
who is a widow.
Mrs Franklin has a Private
Nurse who attends to her personal care in the
mornings.
There will be
some laundry work of personal items for Mrs Franklin, at
present all bedding
goes to the laundry.
This job would be suitable for someone who requires
a comfortable home in
a small village in rural Shopshire. Nearest shops in
the village
including a Post-Office, General Stores, Butcher, Pubs, Doctors,
and
Anglican Church. Nearest Market Town, Church Stretton, 6 miles
South.
Nearest large town, Shrewsbury, 6 miles north. Nearest Railway
Station,
either Church Stretton or Shrewsbury.
Shropshire is an
Agricultural Country and there is no Industry, the
surrounding countryside is
an area of outstanding beauty and cultural
importance.
The
Housekeeper/Companion will have an average of two half days a week
off and at
least two hours per day in either morning or afternoon at
leisure, by mutual
arrangement.
Mrs Franklin's son, Mr Howard Franklin lives next door at
Dorrington
Court, and is normally around most days and often takes meals with
Mrs
Franklin. Mr Franklin is retired, but still travels as a Lecturer
in
Cruise Ships several times a year, and does after Luncheon
speaking
engagements in Great Britain.
Salary of Five Hundred Pounds
Sterling per calendar month and totally
free board and lodging.
Person
travelling from Overseas will be helped with their airfare.
The contract
as Companion/Housekeeper will be for a minimum period of
eight months, to be
extended.
Please apply with details of yourself and any relevant
information to:
HOWARD FRANKLIN Esq.
Dorrington
Court
Dorrington
Shropshire, SY57JD
Telephone 01743
718143
Email: howard@howardfranklin.freeserve.co.uk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 22 February 2006
ZAMBIA
PARTNER : FARMING OPPORTUNITY
ZAMBIA
Ex-Karoi farmer looking for a partner to invest in a promising
farming
organization situated 16 kilometers from Lusaka. Currently
farming
seed-maize, paprika, soya-beans and vegetables. The farm is 340
hectares
with approximately 100 hectares utilised. Excellent water available
for
expansion.
Interested parties please contact : jogs@zamtel.zm / 096 444 466
(Zambia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 2 March 2006
RETIRED COUPLE OR SIMILAR, TO LIVE IN
SELF-CONTAINED COTTAGE ON GARDEN
SMALLHOLDING 5 KM FROM STELLENBOSCH. LIGHT
DUTIES IN MANAGING AND
SUPERVISING GARDEN STAFF AND GENERAL HANDYMAN/WOMAN
ACTIVITES ON THIS
SUPERBLY-LOCATED COUNTRY PROPERTY. REMUNERATION BY
NEGOTIATION WITH
PRINCIPAL, WHO CAN BE CONTACTED IN CONFIDENCE AT : MINER@MWEB.CO.ZW
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 2 March 2006
Looking for someone to fill this position. One side
of the company is
Haigar Tyre and Fitment Centre - small company with only 3
on the
payroll. We are looking for an elderly man - probably retired
and
looking for something to keep himself busy - he will be required
to
basically be there to order tyres, stock, monitor cars that come in
for
alignment etc etc; mainly be in the office on the phone - no
great
physical work.
If you are interested please give Darrell Haigh a
call on 331726 or 011
220 606. Many thanks.
We are also looking for a
reliable driver
?????
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT
SOUGHT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 16 February 2006
"Fitter and turner seeking position as
handyman, technical sales rep,
stores man etc.
Phone Fred Harmse
091-319272,
882866."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 16 February 2006
EMPLOYMENT SOUGHT
I am a hard working,
loyal and honest man aged 34 with many years of
valuable work experience
looking for employment in a Managerial Role with
the right company. I have
been primarily involved in the Plastic &
Chemical Industry with past
experience in the Freight Sector (Import /
Export) working my way from the
bottom to a top position of Managing
Director for a
successful company in
previous employment. I am currently employed and
can be contacted on the
following E-Mail Address for further details and
a copy
of my Curriculum
Vitae: abutler@siltrade.co.zw
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 22 February 2006
WAITER/CASHIER
Experienced waiter -
very well trained also trained by ex owner of
Restaurant in Stock control and
Cashier
Smart and well spoken, very good with the public
If any
business requires this young and enthusiastic male please write to
sherrols@zol.co.zw
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 2 March 2006
Employment Sought
Young Lady aged 19
years, educated to ZGC level: Diploma in Silvana
beauty academy, Diploma in
modeling, and have just completed computer
courses, in excel - word - etc,
willing to learn and do anything. Hard
working, out going and enthusiastic.
Please contact: Rochelle
Vermaak 091 347 982 or email: ed@zol.co.zw or caps@zol.co.zw
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad
inserted 2 March 2006
CONSULTANCY SERVICES OFFERED
I a middle
aged, degreed man with extensive experience in:
* Cane Sugar and
by-products production/processing.
* Small Scale Edible Oil
Milling/Equipment Sourcing, Installation and
Commissioning
* Middle
Level Management
* Laboratory processes
* Small Scale Food
Processing
* Staff/Operator Training in ALL of the above
* Small Scale
food processing for Rural Development
* Beekeeping and Honey
Processing.
Also looking for JOINT VENTURE WITH COMPANIES IN SMALL
SCALE/ON FARM FOOD
PROCESSING, particularly in Southern Africa.
I am
looking for consultancy Opportunities - both long and short term
assignments,
and on-going.
Please contact me on gezana@hotmail.com; OR 00 +44 07789842285;
00 +44
07849163016; 00 +44 01296620515 for FULL
CV.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
(updated 8 March 2006)
Business Report
March 10,
2006
By Brian Latham
Maputo - Zimbabwe's state-owned electricity
generator, the Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa), could not buy
shares in Hidroelectrica
de Cahora Bassa (HCB), officials in Mozambique said
yesterday.
The Sunday Standard newspaper last week quoted Zesa general
manager for
corporate affairs Obert Nyatanga as saying that the troubled
parastatal was
"on the verge" of buying a 25 percent stake in HCB, southern
Africa's
largest hydroelectricity generator.
But Mozambique's
industry minister, Salvador Namburete, told the country's
state broadcaster
that he "knew nothing about the deal. No such arrangement
has been
made."
This follows earlier reports in the Zimbabwe press that Eskom had
agreed to
buy some part of Zesa's Hwange power station. Eskom also denied
this.
Heavily indebted Zesa owes the World Bank $334 million (R2
billion), Zesa
chairman Sydney Gata admitted last week. The troubled
utility, which has a
monopoly on Zimbabwe's electricity generation and
transmission, also owes
substantial debts to Eskom and the SNEL power
utility in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).
Zimbabwe
imports about 35 percent of its electricity needs, mainly from
South Africa,
Mozambique and the DRC.
"Zesa owes HCB a great deal of money, but it also
owes about $10 million to
Electricidade de Mocambique," said an official
from Mozambique's power
transmitter who declined to be named.
"We would
never be allowed to cut them off because of political reasons," he
added.
HCB, which mainly belongs to the Portuguese government,
exports about 250
megawatts to Zimbabwe, though it is capable of doubling
the figure. HCB
could change ownership to the Mozambican government if a
$950 million deal
is signed this year.
The company is expected to
finance about $250 million, while the Mozambican
government must find the
remaining $700 million for the deal to go through.
Portugal will remain with
a 15 percent stake in the generator. Neither party
has ruled out private
participation in the deal.
Zimbabwe has been plagued by power cuts that
have affected mining and
industry. - Independent Foreign Service
Financial Times
By John Reed in Johannesburg
Published: March 10 2006 02:00 |
Last updated: March 10 2006 02:00
A rocket scientist would struggle to
sort out the divisions plaguing
Zimbabwe's fractured opposition. Arthur
Mutambara, a 39-year-old Zimbabwean
exile who holds an Oxford PhD in
robotics and mechatronics and has done
research for the US space agency
Nasa, aims to do just that.
Mr Mutambara was elected last week as
president of one of the two factions
of the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change now claiming legitimacy
after the party's recent
split.
The self-assured scientist - dismissed as a cocky upstart by some
opponents - now wants to challenge Morgan Tsvangirai, the trade union leader
who heads the MDC's main faction, for his title.
"I am the president
elect-ed at the congress of a political party that
believes it is the
legitimate MDC," Mr Mutambara told the FT yesterday. He
says that he is
prepared to stand for election against anyone else who wants
to be MDC
president.
The party now faces three options, he says: to patch up its
differences and
unify; to "divorce" amicably; or, failing that, to determine
in court who
inherits the MDC's name and legacy.
In media interviews,
the politician displays an arrogant and hectoring
streak, refusing to answer
unwant-ed questions and sometimes referring to
himself in the third
person.
A former Rhodes Scholar, his CV includes stints at the management
consultancy McKinsey and South Africa's Standard Bank.
Mr Mutambara's
ascent comes at a critical time for the beleaguered MDC, once
one of
Africa's strongest opposition parties but today bitterly divided over
tactics and personalities. It coincides with a series of arrests in Zimbabwe
this week of opposition figures. Police have detained at least 10 people,
including prominent MDC members Giles Mutsekwa and Roy Bennet, after
allegedly uncovering an arms cache in the eastern city of Mutare on
Tuesday.
Didymus Mutasa, President Robert Mugabe's state security
minister,
threatened to "eliminate" opponents seeking to overthrow the
government
unconstitutionally. Government critics described the arrests as
an attempt
to put more pressure on the opposition.
Mr Mutambara may
struggle to make the impact he seeks in politics as
Zimbabwe's internal
situation deteriorates. Inflation is above 600 per cent,
and the MDC has
lost much of its authority after splitting over the issue of
whether to take
part in last November's election for a newly created Senate.
Mr
Tsvangirai remains a figure of adulation among many MDC supporters, and
his
party's faction plans to hold its own congress on March 18-19.
Mr
Mutambara has called Mr Tsvangirai "a Zimbabwean hero", but his rival has
not returned the compliment. Mr Tsvangirai's supporters are ignoring
him.
Some members say Mr Mutambara, who has spent the past decade and a
half in
the UK, the US and South Africa, is out of touch with his native
country.
Others have spun elaborate conspiracy theories claiming that he
is an agent
of Mr Mugabe's Zanu PF party bent on sowing further division
within the MDC.
Mr Mutasa is taking Mr Mutambara seriously enough to have
claimed this week
that the exile was a Central Intelligence Agency operative
planted in
Zimbabwe by US President George W. Bush.
Mr Mutambara
laughed off Mr Mutasa's claim. "I take it as a compliment," he
said
sify.com, India
Friday,
10 March , 2006, 08:06
Kolkata: Dunlop Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of
Dunlop International (better
known as Dunlop South Africa), proposed to be
taken over by the Indian tyre
major Apollo Tyres Ltd, has downed shutters
owing to a foreign exchange
crisis.
The company is
heavily dependent on raw material imports. Though
Apollo Tyres has already
reached a consensus with Dunlop International on
the proposed acquisition,
the takeover is yet to be approved by the
Competition Commission of South
Africa. |Budget & your investments: View
Infograph|
stake
in Zimbabwe unit
Dunlop International controls 75 per cent in the
sole tyre
manufacturing facility in Zimbabwe.
Confirming the
news of the closure of Dunlop Zimbabwe, an Apollo Tyres
spokesperson told
Business Line that this was the second time the
Zimbabwe-based company had
pulled down its shutters in the last six months.
| Go to Sify Business Home
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On whether Apollo Tyres foresees a turnaround of the company
following
the takeover, he said the shutdown was triggered by the fragile
economic
conditions in Zimbabwe leading to a foreign exchange crisis and
shortage of
raw material.
"The problem is unlikely to be
resolved unless Zimbabwe's economic
condition improves," he
said.
According to reports available with the Zimbabwean media,
over 820
workers stand to lose their jobs owing to the closure.
This apart, the closure is expected to affect over 30,000 people
engaged in
the downstream industries.
When asked whether Apollo Tyres was
currently controlling the
management of Dunlop International, the
spokesperson said, "Technically we
do not own the company as the competition
commission of South Africa is yet
to approve the deal."
Daily Mirror.Zimbabwe
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date
:2006-Mar-10
HARARE Town Clerk Nomutsa Chideya has started holding
meetings with council
employees in another sign that he has reaffirmed his
authority at Town
House.
Last month Chideya was involved in a tug of
war for control of the capital
with former city strategist Chester Mhende
who was later fired by Harare
administrators for gross insubordination and
causing confusion.
"The Town Clerk has begun going round the departments
checking on
productivity, customer care and corruption. He has also
explained to them
the role of the Town Clerk and that he is council's
overall accounting
officer. He has also told them that sometimes he
discharges his duties
through the heads of departments," city spokesperson,
Madenyika Magwenjere
told The Daily Mirror yesterday.
He said to that end
the Town Clerk had already met with employees from the
department of housing
and community service and the chamber secretary.
Chideya is yet to meet
employees from the health, treasury and works
departments.
"He said
council shall be ruthless to those engaged in corruption and that
in
instances were it is warranted, would call upon the anti-corruption
commission," Magwenjere said.
Harare has been plagued by serious
operational problems blamed for poor
service delivery including
non-collection of refuse, continuous pipe water
burst and blocked
sewers.
On revenue collection, Magwenjere said council employees had been
warned
against turning away ratepayer with inadequate money for their
bills.
"Workers have been advised that no cent should leave council offices
and in
instances were a customer fails to bring enough money, modalities
should be
arranged for them to pay off the balance later," he
said.
Council's problems have been partly blamed on poor revenue collection
that
have seen as many as 200 000 residents not paying for services
provided.
Magwenjere said the planned meetings were part of strategies to
re-focus
employees towards the attaining goals of the city's turnaround
programme.
Zim Independent
Dumisani Muleya
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's press secretary
George Charamba has
threatened to set the police on the Zimbabwe Independent
and to take legal
action over a story linking him to Zanu PF's Tsholotsho
succession scramble.
After angrily refusing to be
interviewed, Charamba reacted later
with a letter from his lawyers saying he
was bringing in the police on the
issue and would sue for damages unless a
retraction was issued of a story
published last week saying he was involved
in the Tsholotsho saga.
"I no longer talk to you and you must
never phone me again,"
Charamba said when contacted for comment yesterday
morning. Efforts to
contact him later failed. He eventually reacted with a
letter from his
lawyers threatening to sue the Independent for $15 billion
for alleged
defamation.
Charamba demanded a retraction of
the story which said he was
part of the Tsholotsho saga. He denied drafting
a speech for prominent Zanu
PF politician Emmerson Mnangagwa who was
reportedly the leader of one of the
Zanu PF factions involved in a battle
for supremacy with a camp led by
retired army commander General Solomon
Mujuru.
Charamba said he had never met Mnangagwa to discuss
the
succession issue.
"He (Charamba) further denies
hiring a plane for the Tsholotsho
meeting or drafting any speech for
Honourable Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa
meant to further the alleged
succession battle," the letter says.
"Our client has also
made a report to the police who are
investigating the matter for possible
prosecution for crimen injuria
(unlawful impairing of someone's
reputation)."
The 2004 political drama, over which Mugabe has
continued to
show signs of continued anger, involved a meeting by six Zanu
PF provincial
chairmen at Dinyane High School in Tsholotsho which reportedly
sought to
block Vice-President Joice Mujuru's ascendancy.
Despite Charamba's denial, there have been numerous media
reports raising
the issues he now seeks to refute. The government-controlled
Chronicle
newspaper on December 1, 2004, for instance, carried a front-page
story
alleging Charamba had hired an aircraft for the trip to Tsholotsho
through
his department. He did not publicly deny the report.
Charamba's authorship of Mnangagwa's speech was first revealed
by his
former boss Jonathan Moyo writing in the Independent on December 23
last
year.
"It is common cause among those who know what happened
that
Charamba, Mugabe's press secretary, actually drafted Mnangagwa's speech
that
was delivered by (Justice minister Patrick) Chinamasa at Dinyane School
on
November 18, 2004," Moyo wrote. "I still have the original copy of
Charamba's
draft speech with his handwritten cover note
attached."
Charamba further denied he had clashed with ZBC
workers. A
letter in the possession of the Independent, titled Unwarranted
Victimisation, written by ZBC national productions head, Douglas Dhliwayo,
to Charamba on June 22 last year shows he had indeed clashed with certain
people.
"Following your telephone conversation in which
you accused me
of selling you out to Cdes Webster Shamu, Sobusa Gula-Ndebele
and other Zanu
PF senior officials we were working with during the
parliamentary elections
publicity campaign, may I humbly state it is very
unfortunate that you would
think that way," Dhliwayo
wrote.
"You say your reason for punishing me is because I
have been
back-stabbing you in order to canvass for favours from ministers
Shamu and
Chinamasa, Gula-Ndebele, Ephraim Masawi and Cde Nathan Shamuyarira
resulting
in you not getting a ministerial post."
Dhliwayo went further: "I think your statements were uncalled
for when you
said I was free to go and report to Cde Shamu and his
colleagues that my
plot with them backfired.I wonder why you were interested
in the ministerial
post if it was useless as you claim the Cdes to be."
Zim Independent
Dumisani Muleya
PRESIDENTIAL
spokesman George Charamba yesterday refused to
discuss his role in the
explosive ruling Zanu PF power struggle publicised
by the dramatic
Tsholotsho episode.
Charamba has reportedly been under
pressure over the issue which
still provokes fury in President Robert
Mugabe.
Yesterday he angrily refused to discuss the issue -
which has
claimed high-profile political casualties - despite his former
immediate
boss Jonathan Moyo's confirmation that he was involved in attempts
to
manoeuvre Emmerson Mnangagwa to power ahead of Vice-President Joice
Mujuru.
"I no longer talk to you and you must never phone me
again,"
Charamba said before hanging up. Efforts to contact him later
failed. Later,
he threatened through his lawyers to rope in the police and
sue the
Independent for $15 billion.
Moyo is on record as
saying Charamba wrote the speech for
Mnangagwa which was presented in
Tsholotsho by former politburo member
Patrick Chinamasa on November 18,
2004.
Mugabe last month lashed out at those involved in the
Tsholotsho
affair in a ZTV interview before making a further reference to it
last week.
"Charamba wrote the speech for Mnangagwa. After
that he gave it
to Moyo on November 16, 2004 who then relayed it to
Mnangagwa," a source
close to the episode said.
"The
speech was then put on parliamentary stationery because
Mnangagwa was
invited to the Dinyane Secondary School ceremony in his
capacity as Speaker
of Parliament."
It was said Charamba had met with Mnangagwa
at parliament before
that. He denied this yesterday.
Although
initial reports said the meeting was organised through
the auspices of Clerk
of Parliament Austin Zvoma, he said this week he was
not
involved.
Zvoma said he was not part of the issue and had
absolutely
nothing to do with it.
As it transpired,
Mnangagwa did not attend the function because
of a politburo meeting in
Harare. Chinamasa delivered his speech.
Mnangagwa had
outmanoeuvred Mujuru, whose faction was led by her
husband, former army
commander, Retired General Solomon Mujuru, by securing
the support of seven
out of 10 provinces.
However, the situation changed when the
politburo amended the
ruling party's constitution on the same day as the
Tsholotsho meeting to say
one of the two party second secretaries
(vice-presidents) should be a woman.
But it was Mugabe who
effectively knocked Mnangagwa out of the
race on his arrival home from
Zanzibar on November 19 when he directed the
party to vote for Mujuru on
November 21.
Sources said Charamba travelled with Mugabe to
Matabeleland
North province on November 22 for meetings during which he
sensed danger.
"Charamba was present in a helicopter when
(former Matabeleland
North governor Obert) Mpofu briefed Mugabe on the issue
during their tour of
Matabeleland North," a source said.
"Mpofu gave Mugabe a detailed account about Tsholotsho and
Mugabe was very
angry about it. Charamba phoned Moyo who was in Bulawayo to
tell him things
were extremely bad."
Sources said Moyo left Bulawayo for
Harare in a panicky mood.
Mugabe was said to have shown his anger over the
issue during a cabinet
meeting on November 23 and a politburo meeting the
following day.
"Mugabe was very angry during cabinet and
politburo meetings
that week," a source said.
"Chinamasa
came under fierce attack at the politburo but Moyo
survived for the day
because he had slipped out of the meeting. Chinamasa
had to apologise during
the meeting which ended around midnight."
On December 1,
2004, sources said, the politburo convened again
and it was Moyo's turn for
a grilling.
"The meeting boiled over and Mugabe, assisted by
the Zanu PF old
guard, led the assault against Moyo," a source said. "I have
never seen Moyo
so subdued. He tried hard to fight back but he was
cornered.
"Moyo made the situation worse by saying he didn't
know Zanu PF
had unwritten rules and was opposed to internal democracy.
Mugabe would not
have any of that. He said to Moyo: 'What do you mean? What
are you trying to
say?'"
Party heavyweights Joseph Msika,
John Nkomo, Nathan Shamuyarira,
and Gen Mujuru were said to have descended
on Moyo heavily. Nkomo was said
to have fired a volley of questions at Moyo,
asking: "When did you join the
party, what's your cell, branch, district,
where is your card?"
"Shamuyarira worsened matters by saying
Moyo was a CIA agent and
noted that the Tsholotsho meeting was a
'well-calculated strategy by this
dangerous young man (Moyo) to destroy the
party'. Shamuyarira said: 'It's
now clear Cde President this young man wants
to destroy the party from
within'," the source related.
"Moyo reacted angrily to Shamuyarira's remarks, especially his
claims that
he was a CIA agent. He hit back, saying 'you speak like the
Shamuyarira of
Frolizi fame who was well-known for Tsikamutanda politics'."
Zim Independent
Ray Matikinye
THE Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC)'s loss last week in the
Chegutu mayoral polls and in
two municipal wards in Bulawayo has given the
ruling Zanu PF party fleeting
joy.
No one is certain quite how the fractured opposition
expects to
pick itself up by its bootstraps and offer the kind of challenge
to Zanu PF
dominance it did six years ago when it was
launched.
Zanu PF bigwigs were on hand to beat their breasts
saying the
victory reflected a belated realisation by the electorate that
the split
opposition was bankrupt of ideas to move the nation
forward.
Until last week, Zanu PF had not won either
municipal or general
polls in Bulawayo since 2000, much to the chagrin of
ruling party leader
President Mugabe who wondered why "the people of
Matabeleland had put
themselves in the political wilderness" during a
campaign meeting in
Tsholotsho in March last year.
For
the past six years Zanu PF has won most by-elections
starting with the
Bikita West in 2001 when it employed coercive tactics to
regain lost
ground.
The ruling party, in most of these victories, has
thrived on
voter apathy. More significantly, the loss by the MDC seems to
have
unscrambled the myth that Matabeleland, particularly Bulawayo, is an
MDC
stronghold.
"We did not field a candidate because we
wanted to disprove
Morgan Tsvangirai's claims that he still holds grassroots
support," Job
Sikhala, the secretary for defence and security in the Arthur
Mutambara
camp, said of the Chegutu mayoral poll.
"What
we wanted was for Morgan to have his cake and eat it.
That is the reason we
did not contest."
Tsvangirai's camp participated and lost in
the Chegutu mayoral
election at the weekend.
Nelson
Chamisa, spokesperson for the Tsvangirai camp, said their
candidate, Francis
Dhlakama, had participated against all advice.
"It was a
problem at the local level," Chamisa said.
"We advised
Dhlakama not to participate on the basis that he had
been out of office for
a long time due to interference by Ignatious Chombo,
the Local Government
minister. There were therefore problems for the
electorate to judge his
performance because of this."
Mutambara faction spokesperson
Paul Themba Nyathi admitted the
ward election result was a warning for the
party.
"The election result was a wake-up call for the MDC,"
Nyathi
said.
"I think the electorate has sent a loud and
clear message that
we should put out house in order."
Of
greater significance too is how newly-elected president
Arthur Mutamba is
going to rally the electorate to unseat President Mugabe
in the face of
apparent disillusionment brought about by the split.
Mutambara says his aim is not just to oust Mugabe. In an
interview with the
Sunday Times last week Mutambara said in the 26 years,
the Zanu PF system
had become a culture and Mugabe is just a symbol of that.
"It's not just a political party, it's a way of doing things
that has
corrupted and destroyed every sector of society," he said.
"I
have had enough of seeing my fellow citizens suffering. The
game is up. I am
going to remove Robert Mugabe with every tool at my
disposal."
Asked if his plans might include a
Ukrainian-style mass
mobilisation of Mugabe's opponents Mutambara said he
was going to use every
tool he could to dislodge the
regime.
"We are not going to rule out anything - the sky's
the limit
even if we have to fight elections under the current constitution,
we will
build an opposition so strong and formidable that if Mugabe tries to
rig
elections, it will be impossible for him to get away with
it."
National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chairman Lovemore
Madhuku
said elections this time cannot be used as a barometer to gauge
whether Zanu
PF is gaining support or that the MDC is losing
ground.
"It is a tragedy that the MDC continues to contest
these
elections leading to the misconception that Zanu PF is gaining support
or
that the MDC has lost support," Madhuku said.
"Elections have become meaningless until a proper framework is
put in place
so that the results are not pre-determined."
Zim Independent
PRESIDENT Mugabe is set to visit Malawi in May amid threats from
civic
groups that they would stage protest against Zimbabwe's poor human
rights
record, The Nation newspapers reported yesterday.
The paper
quoted Malawi Foreign Affairs minister Davis Katsonga
confirming the visit
in an interview on Monday, but could not disclose the
real agenda of the
tour.
"It is true that the president of Zimbabwe will be
visiting
Malawi from 3rd to 5th May. I can also confirm to you that my
ministry last
week held the first meeting with other stakeholders over
President Mugabe's
tour," said Katsonga.
He added: "As I
have said, we only held the initial meeting last
week and we will be meeting
again shortly on the same," he said.
Human Rights
Consultative Committee chair, Rodgers Newa is
quoted in the report as saying
the visit would attract reactions from the
civil society due to the poor
human rights record of Zimbabwe.
"Of course I am hearing of
the visit for the first time and I
have to consult my partners. However,
what I can assure you is that there is
likely to be an activity of protest
during the said visit," said Newa.
He said the Malawi civil
society is not amused with the record
of serious abuse of human rights
perpetrated by Mugabe and his regime. -
Staff Writer.
Zim Independent
Loughty Dube
THE Zimbabwe
National Parks and Wildlife Authority has blocked
the distribution of
equipment worth over US$60 000 ($11 billion) donated by
an international
organisation to Hwange National Park where dozens of
elephants died last
year due to water shortage.
The equipment has been lying idle
due to differences between the
Department of National Parks and Wildlife and
the Zimbabwe Conservation
Taskforce (ZCTF), whom the donors want to
implement and oversee the project.
The equipment is for the
repair of diesel engines and water
pumps, upgrading of water troughs, repair
of National Parks motor vehicles
and cash for the purchase of fuel for the
fleet.
ZCTF chairman, Johnny Rodriguez, this week confirmed
that the
equipment was still lying idle while cash to implement projects at
the park
remained unused due to differences with the National Parks
department.
"We received the donations three months ago
mainly from America
but we reached a stalemate over the disbursement because
Parks wanted to
take charge while the donor wanted ZCTF to take charge,"
said Rodriguez.
Contacted to comment on the stand-off, Nhema
said he was not
aware of the letter from ZCTF and the stand-off but said he
had met with
some of the donors.
"As far as I am
concerned there are no problems because I met
with some of the donors and
they were happy. What I hear from you is news
and the issue of the letter
from ZCTF is also news to me," Nhema said.
Zim Independent
Augustine Mukaro
GOVERNMENT will
soon unveil three land tenure systems under
which former commercial farmland
acquired for resettlement will be
administered, the Zimbabwe Independent
heard this week.
Officials in the Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement ministry
said beneficiaries of land reform would be given
security of tenure on
99-year leases, 25-year leases and use
permits.
Issuing of the three types of tenures is expected to
start
within the next six months.
"All land classified as
A1 model scheme will be governed by
permits," an official said. "The permits
will operate along the same lines
as the communal area type of customary
tenure."
The official said all conservancies, trophy hunting
safaris and
game reserves would be governed by statutory tenure in the form
of 25-year
leases.
"A contractual licence will be issued
by the state under the
provisions of some enabling regulations," the
official said.
He said all land classified under A2, or large
scale-commercial,
would be governed by a 99-year lease.
A
copy of the 99-year lease agreement in the hands of the
Independent
indicates that A2 farmers would be charged rentals for land they
lease from
government.
New land beneficiaries will have to go through a
rigorous
vetting exercise and be required to produce a convincing five-year
development plan and a production plan for a similar period before they are
allowed to lease state land.
The new requirement could
result in non-performing land grabbers
being booted out of the farms they
currently occupy.
Government has been agonising over
underutilised land seized
from white farmers for years. Some of the
beneficiaries acquired large
tracts of land as status symbols or "weekend
braai spots" which they have
not been able to put to full production,
spawning food shortages currently
being experienced.
In
addition to paying annual rentals, the farmers will be
required to pay all
levies, fees and charges as may be determined by rural
district
councils.
The new farmers are required to submit a five-year
development
plan and another five-year production plan to the relevant
planning
authority for approval before signing the lease.
"The development plan should include provision of access roads
suitably
sited, constructed and protected against erosion as approved by the
principal director responsible for Lands and Rural Resettlement," the
document says.
Zim Independent
ZIMBABWE faces yet another grain deficit of more than
1,1
million tonnes this year despite receiving above average rainfall in the
2005/06 season.
Preliminary assessments by the Famine
Early Warning System
Network (Fewsnet) indicate that Zimbabwe is likely to
harvest about 700 000
tonnes of maize this season against an annual
consumption of 1,8 million
tonnes.
A further 500 000
tonnes would be required for strategic grain
reserves.
The projected production means Zimbabwe would have to import
about 1,6
million tonnes of maize including the strategic grain reserves to
bridge the
two seasons.
"It is still expected that cereal harvests will
exceed last year's
drought-affected harvest, estimated at about 700 000
tonnes," Fewsnet's
latest report released on February 20
says.
Fewsnet said the widespread shortage and high cost of
farming
inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, fuel and draught power severely
limited
the capacity of both smallholders and commercial farmers to increase
area
planted.
"Reports at the start of the season
indicated that agricultural
preparedness in the country was very poor and
this has led to failure to
take full advantage of the good rainfall with
farmers forced to plant late,
and to reduce planted areas as a result of
late acquisition or
non-availability of necessary inputs, dampening
expectations for improved
harvests," it said. The report said outbreaks of
army worm in some
provinces had resulted in the loss of some 1 000 hectares
of crop as a
result of a shortage of spraying chemicals.
"Leeching of soils, waterlogging and a proliferation of weeds as
a result of
excessive rains are likely to negatively affect final yields as
well," the
report says. Agricultural expert and former MDC spokesman Renson
Gasela
projected a maize yield of around 600 000 tonnes, leaving a deficit
of 1,2
million tonnes.
"We know that there was only 30 000 tonnes of
maize seed
available for this season," Gasela said.
"If
all this seed had been planted, it would have covered 1 200
000 hectares.
This would produce at best about 800 000 tonnes of maize, but
the seed was
too expensive for many farmers, so not all was bought," he
said. - Staff
Writer.
Zim Independent
Clemence Manyukwe
THE
inspection of the 2002 presidential poll ballot boxes has
been postponed
indefinitely after misunderstandings over election materials
for Bubi-Umguza
constituency.
The MDC last year deferred the inspection of
the boxes for an
election in which President Robert Mugabe beat the
opposition party's
candidate by more than 400 000 votes to January 9 this
year.
This was later postponed to February
9.
Terrence Hussein, President Mugabe's lawyer, on Tuesday
said the
MDC had postponed the inspection twice this year saying they were
still
studying materials in the 20 constituencies covered so
far.
Hussein said when the Master of the High Court, Charles
Nyatanga, wrote to the party asking when they would start inspections after
failing to do so on February 9, the MDC responded saying they wanted to
begin with Bubi-Umguza election materials which are at the bottom of boxes
for the other constituencies.
All the ballot boxes are
kept in a courtroom at the High Court.
"They have done 20
constituencies. Why can't they do the other
ones? I think they want
to
abandon the whole process because they cannot stop on demands
of
Bubi when there are still so many other boxes for other constituencies on
top which they can inspect," said Hussein.
Tsvangirai's
lawyer Bryant Elliot said no date has been
arranged. "But we should be
starting soon. There are some documents that are
missing," he
said.
He could not comment further saying the opposition
party's
secretary for legal affairs, David Coltart, would issue a statement
on the
issue soon.
Efforts to reach Coltart up to
Wednesday were fruitless.
On Tuesday, Tsvangirai's
spokesperson William Bango declined to
comment saying Coltart was the one
handling the matter.
Nyatanga also refused to comment
referring all questions to the
lawyers.
Registrar-General
Tobaiwa Mude-de surrendered the election
materials to the High Court in May
last year.
The release of the materials came a week after the
court
reserved judgement in a matter in which the MDC wanted him jailed for
five
years for defying seven court orders directing him to do
so.
The court subsequently convicted Mudede of contempt of
court and
slapped him with a wholly suspended two months jail term plus $5
million
fine.
Zim Independent
Paul Nyakazeya
ZIMBABWE last year
burnt over 351 million litres of diesel and
petrol to keep the wheels of
industry and commerce rolling, in the process
minimising the impact of a
debilitating crisis precipitated by a foreign
currency crunch that has
hampered fuel supplies.
Indusry statistics to hand show that
the total value of the fuel
amounted to US$330 million or $33 trillion at
the ruling exchange rate.
The figure is less than half of the
US$840m which Zimbabwe needs
for fuel imports annually.
Businessdigest learnt this week that the six major oil
distribution
companies sold 85 608 023 litres of petrol through their
service stations,
and diesel amounting to 48 016 942 litres.
The fuel sold
through service stations was sourced from the
National Oil Company of
Zimbabwe (Noczim) which, until recently, had a
monopoly in the procurement
of fuel offshore.
The six fuel distribution companies - BP,
Shell, Mobil, Caltex,
Total and Engen - had complemented Noczim's efforts by
importing 62 809 507
litres of petrol and 154 878 461 litres of diesel
between them.
This brought the total amount of fuel
distributed through the
six companies to 351 312 933
litres.
Businessdigest could not obtain the total amount of
fuel sourced
by Noczim, the bulk of which was distributed to government and
quasi-government agencies as well as to farmers under the government's
agrarian reforms.
There has been rampant abuse of the
fuel facility to new farmers
as well as to government agencies.
Zim Independent
By Dr Alex Magaisa
THE key
challenge before the divided MDC centres on how best
they can manage the
present conflict without causing further harm to the
aspirations of the
democratic movement in Zimbabwe.
In all spheres of life,
including commercial, social and
political contexts, participants meet
situations of conflict and are
expected to develop techniques of managing
conflict. There is a dominant
impression that conflict is always
negative.
On the contrary, situations of conflict can be
interpreted and
viewed in more positive light. Managed properly, a situation
of conflict can
be force for good. The defining question is whether there is
the necessary
will to achieve the desired goal.
Properly
managed, the current conflict between the MDC factions
can actually produce
positive results in the long-term, even though the
dominance of the
short-term perceptions of gloom might obscure that vision.
Identify the conflict
In seeking a solution, it is necessary
for concerned parties to
identify the key elements of the conflict. The key
parts of the conflict may
appear commonplace but it is quite possible that
there is more to what is
often stated in the media.
Indeed, there have been indications that the causes of the
conflict pre-date
the senate election decision.
In the post-senate election
period, there have been a number of
statements, accusations and
counter-accusations, vitriolic attacks and so
forth, which have all played a
part in influencing judgement and perceptions
of the public but have done
nothing to really uncover the real causes of the
conflict.
The main actors need to be very clear what the
problems are, not
only to themselves but also to the public to whom they are
ultimately
accountable.
The public is in a better
position to know whether or not there
are chances of resolving the problem
and creating unity if they are placed
in an informed position. I do not
think there is adequate or clear
information at present and this is causing
difficulties in managing the
conflict.
Choice of
forum
The forum that is used to manage conflict is crucial
because it
influences the attitude and behaviour of the
participants.
In most cases the tribe of politicians consists
of individuals
with inflated egos, which is why I have always argued against
using the
media as a forum for managing conflict.
The
media has a role to play in informing the public and
providing space for
critiquing the decisions and behaviour of the
politicians, but it cannot be
the sole medium for exchanging views and ideas
on how to achieve desired
goals.
The media consists of business players whose key
driving force
is to make a profit. News that attracts a wide audience is
good news from a
business perspective, regardless of the nature and content
of the copy.
I may be too cynical but in politics, the
scandals, the sound
bites and the conflicts make big headlines. There are
times when issues can
be progressed better through other platforms, even if
it means private
arrangements to discuss sensitive issues in order to iron
out differences
and reach the desired goal.
Other
person's shoes
In managing a conflict, it is also vital to
understand and
appreciate the other person's point of view. This calls for a
great measure
of tolerance and understanding.
In doing
so, both parties need to lay out in clear terms their
points of view and
desired outcomes. It helps to exchange roles and step
into the other one's
shoes - to see things from his perspective.
In this
dichotomy, I fear that most people have chosen to wear
blinkers and see
things only from the perspective of the faction that they
belong to or
support.
In my view, both sides have genuine points and
interests behind
their decisions. It is imprudent to grandstand and dismiss
the other side's
standpoint to look strong before the
gallery.
The key participants know their strengths and
limitations in
this context but I also think that they know that they are
better off with
their combined strengths. If they place themselves in the
other camp's
shoes, there is good room for beginning to understand the
respective
standpoints and therefore reach some common
ground.
Desired outcome
In managing
conflict, it is also crucial to decide clearly and
well in advance on the
nature of the desired outcome. It helps each side and
the public to
understand the point and extent of divergence.
These outcomes
may not always be achieved in the exact manner,
but it is always a good
starting point to know the object.
These are some of the hazy
and contentious parts of the current
division - what exactly is the desired
object of this struggle?
What is the object of the
respective faction? Is there a chance
that these objects are in fact
similar, and if not, how can they be
reconciled or achieved in
common?
In the same vein, it is important to know that in
seeking a
solution, you cannot always have your way. You need to bring your
six points
to the table, knowing that when it becomes necessary to reach the
desired
object you will be prepared to give up at least two of
them.
It is a give-and-take situation and this is a
well-known tactic
in managing conflict scenarios. If one side insists on
having its way to the
exclusion of the other, chances of settlement are very
slim.
Key issues not personalities
In most
cases focus is lost when people are distracted by
personality battles.
Instead of addressing the key issues at stake, on the
one hand people begin
to attack the person and on the other hand people try
to defend
themselves.
It is important for our politicians and other
participants not
to take things too personal. This is not about satisfying
personal egos - it
is the people's livelihood and future at stake. It is
vital to appreciate
that you do not have to like a person to accept his/her
idea. There are
multiple forces that interfere heavily with the process of
managing conflict
and they include personality battles. It is necessary
therefore, to cut out
the irrelevant bits that take away attention from key
issues in order to
make some progress.
Finally, it makes
sense to treat each other with respect.
Politics is cyclical and
unpredictable. You never know whom you are going to
work with
tomorrow.
Friends and allies are not permanent and the one
whom you called
an idiot and ugly yesterday, will be a key ally
tomorrow.
Those who make the most noise in situations of
conflict are
often left on the margins when the main players see reason and
get together.
That is why for all their political battles politicians in
most countries
maintain a measure of personal respect for each
other.
The key, for the MDC factions is for each side to
convince the
other of the merits and strengths of their selected position.
It is
important to avoid tensions and where necessary compromise must be
adopted
to progress the struggle on the fronts where energies are needed
most.
* Dr Magaisa is a lawyer and can be contacted at
wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk.
Zim Independent
By Mike Clark
I REFER to the article "Police, war vets
surrender loot",
(Standard, March 5), which has prompted me to shed some
light on this rather
sensitive and extremely serious matter.
Firstly, I wish to comment and thank the majority of our police
force for
their dedicated efforts in defending the laws of our country,
particularly
during these extremely difficult and unsettling times.
I would
also like to take this opportunity of applauding those
war veterans who
showed their respect for law and order by refusing to obey
instructions to
demonstrate against the court orders last week.
However, as the
article pointed out, Masvingo province went
through some of its darkest
hours during early November 2005 when a huge
team of armed police, army,
prisons and local government departments
descended on some 18 properties in
a convoy of six police and army vehicles
to confiscate farming equipment.
This was at a time when our nation was
desperately short of both fuel and
food.
Perhaps the author's description of "looting" is far more
appropriate because the government has never compensated anyone for the
equipment, nor has any valuation or offer been made as is required in the
Acquisition of Farm Equipment or Material Act - Act 7/2004.
Furthermore, most of the equipment was actively being used in
either farming
operations while some was contracted out to assist many new
farmers with
their projects. Several units which were actually preparing
land were called
in and delivered to the police stations.
The Acquisition of Farm
Equipment or Material Act clearly states
that the acquisition only refers to
equipment which is not being actively
used for agricultural purposes. Any
objections to any proposed acquisitions
are also required to be heard in the
Administrative Court to confirm the
acquisition within a prescribed
period.
The farmers who had lost literally trillions of dollars
worth of
equipment appealed to the Masvingo authorities but to no avail and
therefore
had to seek protection from the High Court of Zimbabwe, at great
personal
expense.
This resulted in five different judges who
had presided over
seven separate cases coming up with the unanimous decision
that the seizure
of the equipment was illegal. Loveness Ndanga was ordered
to return her loot
within a specified period which apparently expired last
December.
So far, the equipment has not been returned to its
rightful
owners as was suggested in the article. Some has been sold,
auctioned or
dispersed in apparent defiance of the court
orders.
An apparent dispute over the stolen equipment was
reported in
the media a few weeks ago where a senior war veteran was
reported as
complaining that the police and provincial hierarchy had
received the bulk
of the equipment, leaving them (war veterans) with very
little.
Perhaps he should not complain because as far as I am
aware, the
receipt of stolen property is still a crime in
Zimbabwe.
Although some equipment was left behind at the police
stations
and apparently a (very) few items have been returned there, the
rightful
owners or their representatives have been denied access to record
it.
There is also an apparent attempt to prejudice those who
could
not afford to seek protection from the courts. They have apparently
been
informed that only the equipment belonging to those described as
uncontested
in court orders may have their equipment
returned.
Normally, police should have investigated the
non-compliance of
the uncontested court orders but it was left to the
rightful owners to again
be placed in the unenviable position where they
were forced to appeal to the
courts for further assistance.
Their case against a senior police officer for alleged contempt
is
unprecedented in our country's history and is presently sub judice, and
can
therefore not be commented on.
All this comes at a very crucial
time in our history where very
sensitive ongoing discussions are taking
place to resolve the present
impasse. I obviously cannot comment on the
political discussions except that
agricultural initiatives are far advanced
and encouraging.
While our hungry country is crying out for
investment in
sustainable agriculture, how can anyone in their right state
of mind
consider any meaningful investment, especially in a province where
the rule
of law is now under such intense scrutiny following the illegal
seizure of
farm equipment by a team which was headed by a senior police
officer?
Why was the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's Aspef facility,
which
offers preferential interest rates not used instead?
We
appeal to the authorities that criminal acts against us no
longer be
classified as "political" to defend the alleged perpetrators as
well as to
respect valid court orders.
Instead, it is strongly suggested
that any interference with
vital agricultural production should rather be
termed "economic sabotage"
and investigated accordingly, no matter whom the
perpetrators may be.
We are proud to be Zimbabweans and appeal
for the lifting of the
unfortunate political mantle which has relegated us
to being treated as
"public enemy number one" for the past six
years.
We are also appealing for a speedy return of our equipment
which
was accumulated over many seasons and remain the most important tools
of our
trade, without which our farming ability is severely
prejudiced.
* Clark is CFU Masvingo Regional
Executive
Zim Independent
By Sally Ntombi
I WAS pleased
to read that the Zimbabwe Independent took the
recently-elected MDC
president, Arthur Mutambara, to task on important
issues following his
victory speech.
These are the British and land reform and
what they supposedly
didn't do.
I am surprised that even this
educated and intelligent man (so I
am led to believe) is so ignorant
of
the facts and prefers to follow the fiction articulated by
President Mugabe, Zanu PF and Thabo Mbeki.
This issue is
important because, in my view, despite the obvious
need for land reform,
Zanu PF's thuggish exercise was simply a tool to
destroy a block of voters
whom they couldn't control - farm workers - and a
method of retaining power
through patriotism.
The political imperative for survival
completely over-rode the
economic imperative to remain prosperous. Having
been voted into a
leadership position, one would have expected a person like
Mutambara to be
more knowledgeable. It seems not. In this respect, your
comments are
appropriate and most welcome.
Would somebody
please give us some credible background and
information on him, his family,
who he is married to and her background,
what he does in his spare time, why
he has been so silent since his student
days, where he has been over the
past six years whilst Zimbabwe was being
vandalised, why he supports
anti-senate sentiments as regards senate
elections and then stands for a
pro-senate faction post. None of us can
follow this logic unless
....
It's the kind of stuff they publish in a Woman's Weekly.
It's
also the kind of stuff we need to know, especially as a result of this
man
standing unopposed. Why was he unopposed? Why was it such a fait
accompli?
It looks too slick, too neat and tidy, too
kit-settish for my
liking. There is far too much we do not know and the
clinical CV presented
so far is too good to be true. How about taking a
deeper look and digging up
what you can? I'm sure you would do us a great
service.
Zim Independent
Augustine Mukaro
LACK of a
clearly defined agricultural policy framework has
eroded investor confidence
and chances of a quick economic recovery.
Analysts this week said lack of
planning and muddled policies undermined
prospects of agricultural
recovery.
Vice-President Joseph Msika told a Seed Co field
day in Kadoma
last week that government was prepared to work with white
farmers as long as
they respected the country's laws and fully utilised the
land.
"We cannot remove every white man in this country,"
Msika was
reported as saying. "We will only respect those white people who
respect our
laws and want to live with us."
Msika's
statement appears in sync with President Robert Mugabe
and Reserve Bank
governor Gideon Gono's calls for an immediate halt to fresh
farm invasions
to avert jeopardising efforts to revive the country's food
security and
self-sufficiency.
But Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement
minister Didymus Mutasa,
the man in charge of the daily proceedings, appears
to be reading from a
different script.
Evidence on the
ground shows that Mutasa is determined to grab
all land after he recently
threatened that: "We are still hungry and we want
all our land back and all
our land to be used by our own people."
He proceeded to
dispatch a team into Mashonaland West province
to establish the exact number
of white farmers still on the land and serve
them with eviction
notices.
More than 40 of the remaining white farmers are
understood to
have been issued with fresh 90-day notices to wind up their
operations,
throwing into disarray any planning for the
future.
The notices are due to expire in
May.
Agricultural experts say the uncertainty in agriculture
has not
only adversely affected the foreign investment environment, but
thrown
virtually all farmers into a state of anxiety.
Government's failure to come up with a consistent policy
framework has been
further exposed by the continued failure of state
projects touted as lasting
panaceas to the food insecurity.
In 2002 government launched
the Masvingo food initiative,
putting about 1 500 hectares of land under
winter maize to alleviate food
shortages. The project failed dismally,
producing a mere 6 000 tonnes, only
enough to feed the nation for a single
day.
As if that fiasco was not a lesson enough, in 2004
government
embarked on the Nuanetsi irrigation project.
At least 100 000 hectares of virgin land was set to be cleared
for
irrigation. The project was sold as the answer to the country's
perennial
food woes as it was projected to produce 700 000 tonnes thrice a
year.
Government has just abandoned the project with less
than 5 000
hectares cleared and has now roped in the army in yet another
ambitious
venture, Operation Maguta.
The army mobilised
hundreds of soldiers unaccustomed to
commercial agriculture and deployed
units to till the land as a pre-emptive
strategy to forestall potential food
riots.
As government groped about from one projected to
another,
Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono was doling out over $6 trillion
for the
agricultural sector. The cash largesse appears to have failed, as
evidenced
by a food import bill of US$135 million which Gono revealed last
week.
An official at the Commercial Farmers Union who
declined to be
named said the uncertainty of tenure in the agricultural
sector was a major
constraint on committing investment and
productivity.
"Land is stock in capital and can only be used
to access funds
upon provision of proof of formal documents that one is
indeed the holder of
title," the official said.
Those who
have been allocated land find it hard to embark on
long-term developments
either due to fears that they might be moved out or
lack of resources, as
they cannot borrow on the holdings.
Agriculture experts said
investment in the agriculture sector
was hog-tied by the enactment of the
Constitutional Amendment No 17 that
nationalised all land in
Zimbabwe.
"All land in Zimbabwe is now state land, which
undermines
property rights and discourages meaningful investment in
agriculture," one
expert said.
The expert said Zimbabwe
was regressing by adopting discredited
price controls in an era of free
markets and open economies.
Last year Gono proposed a "stick
and carrot" command
agricultural framework whereby only highly experienced
farmers would benefit
from government support so as to revive the country's
flagging agricultural
sector.
Under the arrangement, new
investors, or skilled former
operators would be given special dispensation
and guarantees of
uninterrupted productive tenure of 5-10 years backed by
relevant arms of
government.
Farmers said failure to come
up with a workable policy framework
to attract investment had forced
government to stick its fingers in every
pie in the face of a worsening food
crisis.
"Introduction of Operation Maguta was an admission of
the fact
that there is no procedure being followed to resolve the land
question and
food insecurity," farmers said.
"The army in
charge of the operation has nothing to do with
farming. Zimbabwe can only
establish itself as the breadbasket of Southern
Africa by creating an
enabling environment."
Zim Independent
Clemence Manyukwe
A PARLIAMENTARY
portfolio committee on Defence and Home Affairs
on Tuesday condemned
conditions at Harare Central Police Station holding
cells, describing them
as inhuman.
Police officers at Harare Central told the
committee that
suspects slept on bare floors as there were no blankets and
cleaned
themselves with naked hands after using the toilet due to
unavailability of
toilet paper. Suspects survived on only one meal a day as
a result of food
shortages.
"I think this is inhuman. If
someone is an accused person he
still has human rights. I think it is
negative," said committee chairperson
and Zanu PF Bikita West MP, retired
Colonel Claudius Makova.
"When we are here as MPs today,
tomorrow we may also be here as
suspects," he noted.
Makova exonerated the police for the deplorable conditions
saying these were
a result of inadequate budgetary allocations from
treasury.
A tour of the complex showed that the sewer
system was in some
instances blocked causing urine to drip from the fourth
floor to the ground.
Cells were suffused with foul odour with some parts of
the ceiling falling
in.
Inspector Virginia Chabvuta,
officer commanding cells at the
station, said cells and toilets were being
cleaned using water only because
there were no
detergents.
The officer commanding Harare Central,
Superintendent Joseph
Mandizha, said the station was crumbling due to
underfunding.
"The whole system is collapsing and needs to be
revitalised. We
have not been allocated enough money," said
Mandizha.
"We do not have resources and we do not have
manpower. It gives
the officers stress, but we do the job. Morale is not
very good but at least
they are happy that they have a job to
do."
Last October, Commissioner Augustine Chihuri told the
same
committee that the police force was "dangerously
underfunded".
Chihuri said although the force had requested
$27 trillion from
treasury, they were told that there was only $1,7
trillion.
Although the cells, which have a holding capacity
of 168, were
said to be less crowded during weekdays, the situation was said
to be
different during the month of February and at
weekends.
An officer said the cells were overcrowded during
February due
to demonstrators, while during weekends it was crammed because
of a number
of operations carried out by the police to curb criminal
activity.
Police at Matapi in Mbare failed to fool the
committee into
believing sanitary conditions at the station had improved
when the committee
was chaperoned through pristine cells.
MPs raised concerns that everything had been stage-managed when
they were
taken through empty cells and shown blankets, toilets and walls in
clean
condition.
Committee member and the MDC Mutare North MP Giles
Mutsekwa said
everything had been stage-managed. "We are not kids who can be
fooled by
such a charade," he said.
Inspector Maxwell
Mukuze in charge of the police station said
all the suspects had been taken
to court and no one had been arrested so far
during that
day.
He stunned legislators when he said suspects were having
three
meals per day adding that he could not complain about police salaries
as
they were "okay".
He also said there was never a time
when Matapi police cells
were overcrowded.
In contrast,
suspects at Highlands said they had not been given
food since last week and
were surviving on sharing food brought from home
for those who had relatives
nearby.
Highlands police, however, complied with Supreme
Court's
requirements such as providing flushing mechanisms to toilets from
within
the cells and screening the toilets from the rest of the cells to
allow
inmates to relieve themselves in private.
At the
station, the only female suspect who was in police
custody said since being
detained on Monday at 1pm she had not eaten
anything by noon the following
day.
The Supreme Court deplored conditions at Matapi and
Highlands
after Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and Justices Wilson
Sandura, Misheck
Cheda, Luke Malaba and Elizabeth Gwaunza toured Highlands
during a
constitutional case brought by Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
secretary-general Wellington Chibebe who applied to have the cells condemned
after being detained there the previous year.
Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights last month in a statement
deplored the state of the
cells at Matapi police station after police
detained student leaders there.
The lawyers said the cells did not have
running water and ablution
facilities were broken down. They said those
detained were not given
blankets and were forced to sleep on dirty floors.
Zim Independent
Joram
Nyathi
ZIMBABWE has gained another dubious distinction. Four
times it
has been awarded a prize for outstanding performance in agriculture
in
recent years. The latest is a gold award offered by a Spanish
organisation.
According to a Newsnet report on Monday, two GMB
officials, one
of them the managing director, were in Spain for the award.
Unfortunately I
was unable to find the citation. We have heard reports in
the past of
sponsors requiring payment for such awards.
It is
not only a dubious honour, it is also embarrassing coming
at a time when
Zimbabwe is relying on food imports and millions of people
face starvation.
The award is far different from that given to Prime
Minister Robert Mugabe
in 1982/3 for his leadership in the fight against
hunger. Back then we were
an exemplary African country.
In 1983 Zimbabwe had lots of
competent farmers, it doesn't now;
it had plenty of friends, it doesn't now;
it enjoyed a lot of international
goodwill, it has lost everything now.
Zimbabwe today is poor, isolated and a
virtual outcast.
This
reversal of fortune has been in inverse proportion to the
country's craving
for, and lost stature and consequently influence, in
regional and
international affairs. Yet all this could have been avoided
with a bit of
elementary planning and foresight in executing the land reform
programme.
But as they say, that is now water under the bridge.
The trouble
is that we don't seem able to get ourselves out of
the rut of poverty. There
is a certain deadly inertia that appears to
enervate even the highest
authority in the land. I recall that it was in
July 2003 when President
Mugabe said those who had grabbed more than one
farm should surrender the
surplus properties. To all intents and purposes,
nothing has happened.
Several land audits have been set up to identify who
owns what farm and what
they are doing. Nobody has had the guts so far to
name and shame the
culprits. This has punctured the myth nurtured over the
years of Mugabe as a
leader who brooks no corruption and inspires fear in
his ministers. Clearly
no one takes him seriously.
Take Agriculture minister Joseph Made
as a case in point.
President Mugabe told the Zanu PF party people's
conference in Esigodini in
December that lack of planning was the cause of
perennial food shortages. He
fingered him again in the Newsnet interview on
his 82nd birthday, along with
a number of other non-performing
ministers.
You would expect that to "strike terror" in their
hearts. Not in
a thousand years. Mugabe has quietly retreated into his shell
at State
House. Occasionally he pokes his head out as his motorcade thunders
down
Rotten Row at psychedelic speed to the safety of Shake Shake
building.
My point is that the gold award in Spain is a mockery
of what
Zimbabwe could be but cannot be so long as no one wants to accept
responsibility for the country's current parlous food situation. We know the
raw truth better than the Spaniards to be fooled by so-called gold awards
when people are starving nationwide.
One thing that I have
learnt is that a nation whose political
leadership has lost all sense of
shame is a nation in trouble indeed and
bound to get worse. In other
countries, Made's failure to revive agriculture
over the past six years
would have forced a resignation. Without sufficient
recovery in that sector,
the war on inflation is going to be bloody and a
long-drawn out one for
therein lies the bulk of the foreign currency we need
to import fuel,
medicines, fertilisers and all other chemicals.
Reserve Bank
governor Gideon Gono is acutely aware of this. He
has splurged over $6
trillion in the sector hoping that a speedy recovery
there would shore up
his own monetary policies. Yet there is evidence of
failure in his admission
recently that government had spent a further US$135
million in food imports.
Yet in terms of natural resources endowment as a
country, we should be the
last one in the region to import food even during
a drought
year.
The last time we had a minister doing the honourable thing
was
when Edmund Garwe quit after his daughter stumbled upon examination
question
papers. Since then that conduct has been condemned as a sign of
spinelessness not befitting "amadoda sibili". So it is that we can proudly
receive worthless awards for agriculture even as the nation spends millions
in priceless foreign currency on food imports. It's a crowning
shame.
Zim Independent
Ministerial
doctorates didn't come from the Third Chimurenga
THERE are
still more brickbats being aimed at Professor Arthur
Mutambara for daring to
enter the Zimbabwean political circus.
The latest came from
Ranga "Simpleton" Mataire of The Voice. His
bone of contention is that when
Mutambara was elected to head the MDC two
weeks ago he should have told
potential voters how he was going to reconcile
his Western education and
experiences with his new role as leader of an
opposition party with the
interests of the country at heart.
Mataire complained that
Mutambara had "edited" out a huge chunk
of his "biography" in his speech,
like being a "cheerleader" when University
of Zimbabwe students "went on the
rampage destroying property".
Mutambara's stay outside the
country is being portrayed as a
huge political handicap, without Mataire
demonstrating how President Mugabe
is a better leader for his 26 years in
power.
What Muckraker finds laughable is Mataire's concern
about the
influence of Western education on Mutambara. How many cabinet
ministers in
Zimbabwe today got their doctorates from Britain or the US?
They certainly
didn't get them from the Third Chimurenga.
What makes them any different in their world outlook? Is this a
case of
selective amnesia or plain ignorance by a "simpleton" singing for
his
supper? Dr Tafataona Mahoso is another product of American education.
What
would Mataire make of his case?
Talking of which, the doctor
was recently fulminating against
the IMF; that it is "a cruel debt
collector". The Voice reports that Mahoso
was furious that the IMF was
demanding repayment of its debt from "a country
undergoing an economic
revolution".
When did an economic collapse become a
"revolution"?
Mahoso said the money Zimbabwe had paid to the
IMF was needed
here more than anywhere else to buy chemicals and
fertilisers.
"What we are paying back is not what we got or
what we bargained
for," fumed Mahoso sagely. "We should look for other
sources of financial
assistance."
But surely even in his
new-found luxury Mahoso should know about
something called interest when you
borrow money. As for the "bargain", we
would love to hear what it was they
"bargained for". It's also interesting
that in suggesting other sources of
financial assistance Mahoso doesn't
mention our Chinese friends because no
money ever flows from that corner of
the globe despite all the patriotic
lies about the "Look East" policy.
Apparently the best story
for Mahoso was about heavily armed
Kenyan police who stormed the
headquarters of the Standard newspaper and
smashed its printing press. AFP
reports that the cause of this senseless
outrage was a story which said
President Mwai Kibaki "had held secret talks
with a political
opponent".
"Dozens of balaclava-clad officers, carrying AK-47
assault
rifles raided the Standard group's offices shortly after midnight,
seizing
computers and transmission equipment for the independent Kenya
Television
Network," says AFP.
In his comments in the
Sunday Mail Mahoso reminded us that soon
after coming into power Kibaki sent
two officials from his Ministry of
Information to Zimbabwe to "learn our
approach to media policy and media
regulation" so that they could always
anticipate issues instead of reacting
to them.
We don't
need to labour the point that they appear to have
learnt their lesson well.
What they did to the Standard is what happened at
the Daily News offices in
Harare and there is no chance that the
perpetrators of that crime will ever
be brought to book. With a bit of
Mahoso's prescient media laws, the Kenyan
authorities could follow up their
dastardly deed by closing down the paper
altogether.
Nathaniel Manheru appears vexed by the Zimbabwe
Independent's
rebranding exercise. Our new masthead represents a "confession
of possible
shareholder changes and affinities with the British Independent,
identifiable by the fish-eagle", he inventively tells his few remaining
readers.
"The Zimbabwe bird had no appeal for them and
that is as
nationalist as they are. I hope Mahoso is watching and asking
questions in
what clearly appears to be a strengthening of the British hand
in the local
media."
This puerile conspiracy theory rests
upon a false premise: that
the eagle on the London Independent's masthead
and the African fish-eagle on
ours are one and the same
thing.
This crass ignorance leads Manheru to direct the MIC
chairman to
conduct a probe.
There has been no
shareholder change at the Independent or
Standard. If Manheru was a
well-informed commentator, instead of an
excitable party zealot, he would
know that. And why is a fish-eagle any less
patriotic than a Zimbabwe
bird?
Only in Zimbabwe's Orwellian media climate do you find
a
presidential spokesman instructing a newspaper on what species of bird it
should have on its cover!
It doesn't end there. In the
Sunday Mail, Mahoso occupied
seemingly endless column inches lecturing this
paper on what stories it
should carry and on which pages. He attacked a
"dubious and bogus lead
story" about Aippa which we published on January 6
and suggested an
alternative story carried elsewhere in the paper about
journalists killed in
the pursuit of their work would have been more
deserving. The British and US
in Iraq were responsible for creating the
conditions that led to the largest
number of deaths, he
claimed.
Mahoso omitted to declare an interest here. His job
is on the
line if government amends the legislation under which his
officious
commission operates. Our story on January 6 reported government
law officers
as telling the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
in Banjul
that the government was reviewing Aippa with a view to removing
offending
provisions.
Subsequent communications between
the minister and ZUJ
concerning the composition of the MIC would appear to
bear this out. Mahoso
failed to mention that salient point while he pursued
his batty championship
of Unesco's New World Information and Communications
Order, shot down by the
US and UK, among others, because it provided the
means by which totalitarian
regimes could regulate their
media.
If NWICO had survived, it would of course have
provided
international justification for vicious laws like Aippa. As it is,
the
Unesco initiative is as dead as a dodo and will not be
revived.
But that won't prevent Mahoso hankering after
it.
"Events in Kenya on March 2 indicate that media
regulation is
necessary on a global scale if we are to be spared the violent
and
unexpected clashes which could have been handled by tribunals and courts
if
anticipated by law," Mahoso pontificates.
In other
words state violence against the free media can only be
prevented by state
control!
Manheru meanwhile takes another pot shot at the
Independent's
Dumisani Muleya, the target of official bile the previous
week.
Muleya is now accused of being motivated by sour grapes
in his
comments on the National Journalistic and Media
awards.
Muleya is not the only journalist to comment on the
shambles at
the awards ceremony and the cronyism which appeared to guide
those presiding
over it. We wonder why Manheru feels a parental need to
prevent this
criticism. But the real reason for Manheru's bitterness with
Muleya is not
difficult to find. Anchoring Page 1 in the Independent last
Friday was a
story by Muleya headed "Charamba in hot soup over
Tsholotsho".
So, suddenly all is clear.
Zanu PF's victory in the Chegutu mayoral election has come with
the
customary noise about people "finally" discovering the truth about the
MDC.
The ruling party "romped home to victory", we were told. The
"beleaguered
opposition" was "buried" by the winning candidate.
Well,
actually, it wasn't quite like that. Zanu PF's candidate
won by 3 236 votes
to 2 335. Hardly the burial Webster Shamu was boasting
about.
But let them have their day. Nobody believes an
election result
in Zimbabwe any more, be it for president or mayor. If the
MDC, fractious
and weakened, is capable of securing 41% of the vote, we can
be confident
they would have no difficulty taking Chegutu back in a free
poll.
And, as the example of Harare shows, Zanu PF is
incapable of
delivering even the most elementary of
services.
Shamu said his party's victory was "a fitting
birthday present"
for President Mugabe. Was that the campaign pitch used by
Martin Zimani we
wonder?
Shamu also claimed service
delivery had collapsed under Francis
Dhlakama of the MDC and promised the
"beginning of Zanu PF's development
plan" for the town.
"The former MDC mayor had virtually no programme of a turnaround
strategy,"
declared the oracle of Chegutu. "We are now going to come up with
a clear
strategy to improve service delivery and meet all
obligations."
We would like to advise the people of Chegutu
to visit Harare
and Chitungwiza to see for themselves the success story of
Zanu PF's "clear
strategy" before they start celebrating the dawn of a new
day. And of course
Shamu is Minister for Policy
Implementation.
By the way the winning candidate's low vote
of 3 236 tells us
all we need to know about how much faith people have in
the ruling party. In
civilised countries that would be taken as a vote of no
confidence.
Isn't it about time, what with all the awards
ceremonies going
on, that we had a Most Poorly Performing Parastatal
award?
Zesa for instance is still telling customers that it
cannot get
to their homes because of fuel shortages. Its faults line is a
mission to
get through to. And the staff have evidently not been taught the
finer
points of customer relations. You can tell this outfit is run by
someone
with close links to the ruling party.
Eric Bloch
would no doubt like to nominate Air Zimbabwe but that
would be unfair to
several other companies that are vying for the award. The
correlation
between poor performance and fawning praise offered on the
occasion of the
president's birthday provides a clue as to who the main
contenders
are.
So, the MDC has been promoted to the "largest opposition
party
in Africa, particularly in parliament" by the government. The claim is
being
touted by Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe's head of delegation to a joint
EU/ACP
parliamentary assembly session in Brussels where he hopes to get EU
countries to justify their hard-line stance on Zimbabwe.
Nelson Chamisa, who is part of the delegation, will probably be
reluctant to
endorse Mzembi's claim that Zimbabwe is a "thriving democracy".
Does the MDC
receive coverage in the public media commensurate with its
standing in
parliament? How long did it take the courts to hear the MDC's
applications
over the conduct of elections in 2000 and 2002?
Zanu PF MPs,
found by the High Court to be unlawfully elected
because of violence,
inducement or coercion, were allowed to continue
sitting all the way through
to 2005 while they appealed to the Supreme
Court, thus shoring up the ruling
party's majority.
Mzembi needs to be asked a few simple
questions: Where is Joseph
Mwale, the alleged assassin of Tichaona Chiminya
and Talent Mabika? How,
with all the state's resources at their disposal are
law enforcement agents
unable to bring him to court?
And
how come the Daily News bombers continue to roam free?
Forget
the Euro MPs. Why have these questions not been asked in
our own
parliament?
Muckraker had a chuckle reading a story in the
Sunday Mail
titled "Zimpapers devoted to promoting family values". The paper
went on to
claim it was promoting family values through its annual "Bride of
the year"
contest.
Group chief executive Justin Mutasa
conceded that staging the
contest cost money, adding "but we believe we
cannot put a monetary value to
marriage and strong
families".
This might be true of the Sunday Mail. But one
wonders what
family values are being promoted by the scatological
Manheru.
And what of the indoor "small houses" at Herald
House that we
hear so much about on the grapevine?
Remember, Zimpapers bosses last week blocked a parliamentary
select
committee from probing the group's family values which include sexual
harassment and battery of female journalists.
Zim Independent
The
$21 trillion conundrum
By Eric Bloch
WHEN
the news broke that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) had
printed $21
trillion in order to purchase "free" foreign exchange, enabling
Zimbabwe to
settle some of its very considerable, and much overdue,
indebtedness to the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), wide-ranging
outpourings of criticism
were directed at the RBZ.
Although the IMF commended Zimbabwe
for meeting commitments,
albeit belatedly, it was nevertheless condemnatory
of the action of printing
money in order to finance the accessing of the
critically needed foreign
exchange.
In like manner,
Zimbabwe's economists (or, in any event, most of
them), its captains of
commerce and industry, much of the independent media,
and very many others,
have been vociferous in their disapproval of the RBZ
actions. None disagree
that Zimbabwe needs to honour its obligations, but
most found it
unacceptable that it should do so by resorting to the printing
of money.
Such a measure, all considered, was unacceptable in the extreme,
although
none suggested any other way that, at belatedly short notice,
Zimbabwe could
raise the foreign currency needed to meet overdue debt
obligations.
Without exception, the foundation of the
criticisms was that
printing of money, unbacked by gold or other national
assets, is a catalyst
of hyperinflation. And, as a general rule, that is the
case. However, for
every rule there is an exception and, although many will
disagree, the
recent printing of $21 trillion to enable RBZ to buy foreign
exchange can
well be regarded as one of such exceptions.
Essentially, money printing fuels inflation in that, with
greater volumes of
money in circulation, consumer demands increase, widening
the gap between
supply and demand. As the extent of demands increases,
whilst supply remains
- at best - constant, prices rise. As a result, it is
normally fully
justifiable that the printing of money must be contained.
However, very little, if any, of the recent $21 trillion
printing will have
filtered down to the consumer, and therefore the extent
that any of those
monies would be chasing after commodities in short supply
was minimal. The
recipients of the monies were businesses, NGOs, and like
entities who were
possessed of "free" foreign exchange, being foreign
currency which is not
subject to mandatory sale to RBZ, but can be held in
foreign currency
accounts (FCAs) for usage upon a widerange of approved
purposes, in most
instances, and virtually unrestricted usage in some cases.
Those who sold the funds to RBZ will, with very rare exception,
have applied
the sale proceeds to the reduction of borrowings, the purchase
of capital
goods such as plant, machinery and equipment, or to investment
within the
money and the equities markets. Very little, if any, will have
been applied
to the purchase of day-to-day consumables, compounding the
scarcities of
those consumables and, therefore, triggering yet further
inflation.
In recent times the foremost components of
inflation have
included food, transport and communications, accommodation,
education, and
electricity. It is difficult to believe that any of these had
their prices,
in the last two months, driven by the fact that suddenly there
was a greater
amount of currency in circulation. The price of maize-meal
skyrocketed
because of extremely limited availability. That limited
availability was not
because consumers were buying greater quantities, but
because Zimbabwe did
not produce a sufficiency of the product (thanks to
government's near total
destruction of agriculture), and due to
mismanagement of imports.
A fortnight ago, a Bulawayo
supermarket was selling imported,
refined meal for $975 000 per 10kg bag,
as against a normal price of about
$135 000 per 10kg! The printing of money
did not drive that price up.
In January and February,
transportation costs soared upwards,
and especially so in the case of
commuter omnibus fares. That was not due to
any increased money supply in
the hands of commuters, but mainly because
petrol and diesel was only
available from the black market, at a cost of
about $200 000 per litre of
petrol or diesel, being almost 10 times the
official
price.
In January TelOne, NetOne, Econet and Telecel all
raised their
charges, in many instances by as much as 200%. That was not
because an
excess of money supply increased demand for telecommunications,
and
therefore was not attributable to the printing of money. It was because
of
the exchange rate movements in December, and until January 20, and
because
of rising operational costs.
Accommodation
charges surged upwards since the beginning of
2006. This was very
considerably due to increases in local authority charges
for rents, owners'
rates, sewerage and refuse removal, water supply, and the
like, by up to
280%. The increased charges were not driven by the printing
of
money!
In like manner, government and independent schools
alike
increased school fees for tuition and for boarding very substantially
at the
start of the 2006 school year. Such increases were unavoidable, due
to the
overall impact of inflation during the third term of 2005 (which was
before
the RBZ printed the contentious $21 trillion, with especial reference
to
necessarily increased salaries, massive escalations in costs of imported
textbooks and educational equipment, and immense rises in costs of providing
board to scholars, over and above many other cost
increases.
In January, 2006 Zesa announced tariff increases
approximating
73%. That was not because consumers were using more
electricity, enabled to
do so by there being more money in circulation, due
to RBZ's allegedly
irresponsible printing of $21 trillion. Unfortunately, so
great is Zimbabwe's
hyperinflationary environment that inflation itself has
become the biggest
single trigger of inflation.
The
burgeoning inflation drives up salaries and wages, as
evidenced in
collective bargaining negotiations, and the overall increases
in operational
costs force price increases. Those inflationary forces then
cause yet
further inflation, ad nauseum. So it is spurious, in this instance
(and
probably exceptionally) to ascribe present escalations in inflation to
RBZ's
printing of $21 trillion.
Moreover, even if such
money-printing had been inflationary
(which it clearly wasn't), there is
justification in pondering whether "the
end justified the means". If the
Zimbabwean economy is to recover, an
essential requirement is that it
restores its international image of
creditworthiness, of a safe and secure
investment destination, of a reliable
trading partner, and of a
responsible member of the international
community, that can be trusted to
honour its obligations - settling a
significant portion of its arrear
indebtedness to the IMF was a very major,
most positive, action on the part
of Zimbabwe, which must stand it in good
stead in its embattled drive
towards economic recovery.
Therefore, even if the printing of
$21 trillion to purchase
foreign currency did have negative repercussions
(which is arguable, other
than insofar as economic policy image is
concerned) it could very well be
contended that doing so was, as a rare and
special exception, justified.
In that event, the wide-ranging
criticisms of RBZ for
undertaking printing of monies are unjustified. The
answer to the conundrum
as to whether or not the money should have been
printed is, therefore, that
it should, but that should not constitute a
precedent for "willy-nilly"
printing in the future.
Zim Independent
Duped or
doped?
Vincent Kahiya
IN an effort to
shift blame away from himself, President Robert
Mugabe has once again
pointed his finger at yet another fall-guy, and says
he was "cheated" into
appointing former Information minister Jonathan Moyo
to his cabinet in
2000.
He told party supporters in Chegutu last Thursday that
for all
his pretensions to being all-powerful, he was fallible after
all.
"Leaders are fallible and can also be easily duped by these
opportunists," Mugabe said.
"But I do not think it will
happen again to my government as
happened when Moyo joined us .I was fooled
because he came in as a
hard-worker.He rarely spoke in cabinet. He was
always writing and taking
notes during cabinet meetings and we do not know
where he took them to."
Does Mugabe by any stretch of
imagination expect public sympathy
for his confession?
This quest to secure public sympathy to mask incompetence and
failure is
preposterous to say the least. We have always been made to
believe that
Mugabe is a shrewd tactician firmly in charge of proceedings in
his
cabinet.
But Mugabe is also a master at apportioning blame.
He is quick
to take credit for positives and to blame the men and women
around him for
the many failures apparent in his 26-year
rule.
Considering the monumental failure of his cabinet, I
shudder to
think of how many times the president has been duped into
appointing certain
men and women to ministerial positions. In the case of
Moyo, Mugabe without
doubt found the professor extremely useful in fighting
opponents at home and
abroad.
Moyo was useful as long as
he did not have ambitions which
threatened the established order. After the
Tsholotsho debacle, Mugabe woke
up from his reverie to discover that he had
been "misled".
So, was he wrong in appointing Moyo by
believing those who
misled him? Or did he know that appointing the professor
was a maladroit
move but he did it anyway for political expediency? Either
way, it is Mugabe
who has a problem here.
As an
omnipotent political player with pretensions of
omniscience, it should not
have taken him half a decade to realise that Moyo
was a
fraud.
In 2000 he appointed Nkosana Moyo to his cabinet of
technocrats,
heaping kudos on the team which in addition to the two Moyos
featured Joseph
Made and Simba Makoni.
Nkosana Moyo,
disillusioned by mounting repression and policy
inconsistencies, fled the
country in 2001 and resigned by a faxed letter. He
quickly became a target
of presidential abuse.
Nkosana "grew cold feet", Mugabe told
us in July 2001. "I do not
want ministers who are in the habit of running
away. I want those I can call
amadoda sibili . people with spine. Our
revolution ... was not fought by
cowards. If some of you are getting
weak-kneed, tell us and we will continue
with the
struggle."
His amadoda sibili are still soldiering on and
blundering big
time and President Mugabe is aware of it. In an embarrassing
self-indictment, he told the nation during his recent birthday interview
that his ministers were self-centred and had failed to meet set
goals.
Responding to a question on whether his cabinet had
lived up to
its name as a development cabinet, he said: "To some extent yes,
but to a
greater extent no- no! no! no! There is a lot of self-centeredness
that one
sees amongst my ministers. When we talk of national development and
a
development cabinet, we would want to see each and every ministry moving
towards the attainment of the goals set."
Asi nhai
Gushungo, what have you done about this?
In Esigodini at the
Zanu PF congress last December the president
complained about the late
delivery of agricultural inputs saying there were
"serious shortcomings in
government planning".
But the Agriculture minister for
example, whose portfolio has
failed to meet set targets and has been
consistently in error since 2000, is
most likely to be retained as minister
in any future reshuffle. I do not
want to believe that the president was
cheated in appointing an ineffectual
and bungling cabinet
team.
As long as he does not act on misfeasance, Mugabe
should
shoulder the full blame for the failure of his government to attain
its
goals. The president has surrounded himself with deadwood and he seems
to
enjoy the smell of the furniture immensely.
Indeed,
every now and again he varnishes it.
Duped or doped by the
aroma Mr President?
Zanu PF trap set,
beware
Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa was cognisant of
the
misunderstanding between the two splinter factions but still went ahead
to
release the funds.
Chinamasa was aware that each
faction has some sitting MPs;
Ncube's has 22 while Morgan Tsvangirai's
boasts 18, meaning funds should
have been split on the basis of
parliamentarian representation.
This clearly shows that Zanu
PF is trying to weaken the
Tsvangirai faction by depriving it of its dues,
which is tantamount to
sabotaging the national congress scheduled for
mid-March.
My advice to Tsvangirai is: don't be intimidated
by these dirty
tactics. If possible, fill all the vacancies left by the
rebel faction
during the congress.
Allow genuine members
of the MDC to contest any seat they wish,
provided they are eligible to do
so. Remember the MDC has got millions of
supporters who have suffered for
the past 26 years. We should not be misled
by a splinter grouping which is
being used by Zanu PF.
What has participation in the senate
poll achieved to date? What
has it done to stop corruption, skyrocketing
prices, inflation, and
deteriorating standards of health and education? The
list is endless.
We should not fall into the same trap which
snared PF-Zapu.
Where is it now? How many cabinet ministers from it hold
powerful posts?
The ball is in our hands.
Food for
thought,
Mbare.
-----------
Karl Marx could chortle over this
ONCE in a while,
organised religion throws up potent
evidence that Karl Marx was right when
he said words to the effect that
religion was the opium of the
masses.
How else would he react, but with a chortle, at
the events
which followed the publication in a Danish newspaper of a cartoon
satirising
the Prophet Mohammed?
Marx did not
compare organised religion with organised
crime. Someone else did that,
their reason being that the former was as
immoral and godless as the
latter.
This was an exaggeration, but the deaths of
Christians and
Muslims in the aftermath of the publication of the cartoons
must make us
wonder.
What kind of deity condones or
even espouses the murder of
fellow human beings over a cartoon? Admittedly,
religious adherents have
killed each other over even less controversial
incidents.
What we know is that many religious people
have an
interpretation of their faith which is totally different from what
their
prophets propounded. Christian or Islamic presidents have justified
attacks
on their own people on the grounds that it was their duty - perhaps
not
their religious duty - but their duty nevertheless to do
so.
All over the world, a president can order the
razing of an
area which openly opposes his political party in the morning
and go to
church in the afternoon to sing praises to his
master.
Pause for a moment and wonder why this is so.
Humankind is
fallible, yes, but is faith in a merciful, kind and forgiving
supreme being
still justified?
The question was
asked by a magazine years ago: Is God
dead? We know what Marx would have
said to that question.
Bill Saidi,
Harare.
----------
Simple
stories on inflation please!
ORDINARY people need
to understand such issues as
inflation, what exactly it is and how it comes
about.
Give us experiences of other countries in
history,
such as Germany, that have experienced this phenomenon and how they
solved
it.
Once people understand this they
will begin to draw
parallels with our situation and understand that it is
not a question of
which party has the strongest slogan, but who talks
sense.
I am sure among your columnists there is
someone who
can tackle the topic in simple language, giving illustrations
where
possible.
Contrary to what most people
think, the Zimbabwe
Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette
reach many rural folk.
Although all my copies of these papers are handed
down to selected people
who read and discuss with others in their villages,
topics like this one are
written in high-flown
language.
Rural folk need to understand central
issues so that
they stop believing that inflation is a kind of virus sent to
Zimbabwe by
Tony Blair and George Bush.
The
same treatment could also be given to foreign
currency, the role of the IMF,
World Bank etc.
Another topic which I am sure
readers could take up
is the role and function of a state security organ
such as the CIA as
compared to our CIO.
We
have been told that every country has a central
security organ but does ours
function in the same way as all these?
I look
forward to such educative columns aimed at
the barely literate so that they
make choices from an informed point.
If such
topics do not directly increase the sales of
your newspaper, they will
certainly increase readership. I'm certain there
are organisations that care
to sponsor such a column.
Naison
Nyamaropa.
Bindura.
-------------
Compare the prices
first
PRICES for medication in pharmacies
have
really gone crazy.
On February 27,
I went to see my eye doctor
who prescribed FML eye-drops (5mls) for my eye
problems. The medication is
manufactured in South
Africa.
I took the prescription to my usual
pharmacy
that I shall call Pharmacy No
1.
I was shocked to be told that the price
is
$8,2 million. I decided to shop around by telephone to see if I could
find
it reasonably cheaper elsewhere.
At Pharmacy No 2 the same medication costs
$6,7 million. At Pharmacy No 3 it
is going for $5,1 million while at
Pharmacy No 4 it costs $3,5 million. I
eventually bought it at Pharmacy No 5
where it was sold at $2,6
million.
While I understand that different
companies,
though in the same industry, have different cost structures and
therefore
have different pricing regimes, the very wide range in price
differentials
is really shocking.
The
customer will never, ever, get relief from
the intolerable environment
confronting him.
My advice to fellow
Zimbabweans: please shop
around extensively before you decide to make a
purchase. The differences in
prices for some medication between pharmacies
can be wages for some people.
J
Mupunga,
Harare.
-------------
A commission could be good for
Kwekwe
RESIDENTS of Kwekwe have been
suffering from
the city council's unwarranted and highly-inflated water
bills since
January.
A household in
the low-density area was
paying an average of $600 000 per month for water
but in January it went up
to $200 million or more for some
homes.
The surprising thing is that rains
have been
falling meaning no one was watering their
gardens.
On making enquiries, some of the
bills were
slashed to $3 million without any satisfactory
explanation.
The office is always
inundated with people
making enquiries every month-end such that one spends
more than four hours
awaiting his turn, and to make matters worse, one does
not get a
satisfactory answer.
The
other surprising thing is that since
January, water supplies are cut for
most of the day and thus reducing
consumption.
Rumour also has it that
the water is no
longer purified, leaving people prone to
diarrhoea.
The water charges are way
beyond an average
worker's salary. We do not know where they think people
will get that kind
of money.
There
seems to be gross mismanagement in
Kwekwe. It appears the council is broke,
hence the attempt to milk residents
dry.
This issue needs to be looked
into urgently
before we all die of debt-related
stress.
It's possible we might be good
candidates
for a commission just like Harare and Mutare, where things have
changed for
the better.
We surely
shouldn't die while the
responsible minister
watches.
RK,
Kwekwe.
------------
Confounded by White
African
WHITE African from Bulawayo may
not have had
the guts to use his real name in his response to my article
"Only way whites
can secure place in Africa", (Zimbabwe Independent,
February 17), about
whites in Africa at a time of great
change.
But it was not difficult to tell
that he/she
got very hot under the collar about my
views.
That is fine and in the spirit of
debate.
What a pity then that he/she got so emotional not in response to any
actual
point I had made, but seemingly about raising the issue of why race
relations in southern Africa have never succeeded in going from fraught with
tension, to harmonious.
So worked up
was White African, that he/she,
using the Jonathan Moyo-Tafataona Mahoso
style of "debate", suggested that I
shut up about the issue altogether and
stick to opinions he/she finds
palatable!
And he/she insinuates that
"someone with the
education to know better" should not think for himself,
but hold his views
because of anti-white brainwashing over a
lifetime!
It was tempting at that point
to just
dismiss White African as too emotional about this
issue.
But then I may be a little more
used to
robustly debating issues on their merits or lack of them than
he/she is.
I am not to be told what to
talk about or
what opinions to hold by White African any more than I am by
state pr
opagandists.
But more importantly, that
head-in-the-sand
approach to history and the reality it has left us with,
will not make it go
away.
White
African decided to ignore what I
actually said and instead got steamed up
about the issue of whether one
culture is better than the other, and to get
terribly offended at the idea
of whites "integrating fully" into the black
African lifestyle/culture.
I did not address
this at all, but touched
on the issue of inter-cultural accommodation and
respect, and how it would
inevitably shift the other way from now on, though
many whites would either
resist the very idea as an insult, or do it very
grudgingly.
By refusing to even pay
attention to what I
was saying, denying me the credit for being able to
think for myself, and
reacting so strongly and emotionally to what thoughts
he/she tried to put
into my mind, White African unwittingly gave a brilliant
example of just the
attitude problem I tried to describe in my
article!
I would like to thank him/her
for so
graphically helping me make my point about one reason genuine racial
harmony
will remain a mirage in southern Africa for some time to
come!
Chido
Makunike,
Senegal.
-------------
Please help us avoid the 'cleft
stick
messenger'
WE urgently request
fuel for the Tel*One
Rutenga-Mwenezi vehicle as workmen cannot attend to
faults owing to
transport problems.
The area Tel*One workmen cover is vast yet
they are only given a mere 200
litres of petrol per month, which is
apparently not
enough.
Our telephones have been out of
order for
longer than they have been working since January
9.
Business associates and friends from
Harare
cannot get through to our
area.
We can also not make any outgoing
calls at
all.
Numerous calls from
Zimpost Mwenezi by us to
one technician called Martin and his boss
Masakurakwa in Chiredzi constantly
meet with they reply "sorry no
fuel".
Phone call tariffs and rentals
have been
increased while service delivery has
deteriorated.
We appeal to donors,
non-governmental
organisations or anyone out there to come to our rescue.
Failing that, we
will have to go back to the "cleft stick messenger" of
yesteryear.
QP,
Mwenezi.
-------------
Yearning for the good times at
Textbook
Sales
TEXTBOOK Sales was the
leading bookseller
and stationer in Zimbabwe prior to its acquisition by
government after
Mutumwa Mawere had gone into
exile.
Since then, we have had to endure
miserable
lives and our conditions of service have deteriorated. Workers
holding
important positions are earning paltry salaries of $3,5 million per
month.
Nothing seems to be functioning
properly;
shop shelves are virtually empty and there is no restocking. Sales
staff are
not doing what they should be doing: visiting schools and
companies
marketing company products.
We
are told there is no money, but what
baffles us is why government would
acquire a company and then claim lack of
funds. If there was no money to run
the company, why acquire it in the first
place?
Workers find it difficult to
accept that
lame excuse of lack of funds and are prepared to embark on some
action which
may embarrass the government unless something is done
urgently.
The government should have let
private
companies take over the company, instead of giving workers some
false sense
of salvation.
We wonder why
the acting managing director
holds meetings with accounting staff every
week
instead of strategising with regional
managers who are well-versed with the selling and marketing of company
products? Because Textbook Sales is a retail organisation, workers believe
that regional managers, branch managers and sales representatives should
always be involved in the formulation of plans for the way forward. Accounts
personnel cannot, and should not play that
role.
We look forward to the time when
Textbook
Sales will regain its market share and revert to its envied status
of the
leading bookseller in
Zimbabwe.
Unhappy
workers.