Zimbabweans urged to go home and vote

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

Staff Reporter 20 hours 52 minutes ago

Zimbabwean immigrants staying in South Africa were urged on Saturday to
return home and vote in the upcoming referendum on a proposed new
constitution for the country.
Secretary-general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party and
Minister of Finance Tendai Biti told a media briefing in Pretoria that
arriving at the phase of voting for a potential new constitution was “a
miracle”.
“I am a constitutional lawyer myself, those who have read it (the new
constitution) will agree with me that it can hold its own against the best
in the world, including the South African constitution which is one of the
finest,” he said.
“We hope that Zimbabweans are going to come in their numbers on March 16 to
vote for this very important document. It was not easy arriving at this
constitutional and I hope that the miracle will reach fruition by a
successful referendum on March 16.”
Biti said he was confident the MDC would win the next elections, set to be
held this year after the new Constitution is adopted through the referendum
processes.
“When we go to a credible election, the MDC will win and Morgan Tsvangirai
will be the next president of Zimbabwe. The MDC is a people’s project, it’s
not a political party which was formed in an air-conditioned hotel … the
people will protect their project,” he said.
Biti said the MDC is proud of its contribution in the coalition government.
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and arch-rival Tsvangirai formed a
power-sharing government after a highly disputed election in 2008, and
agreed to hold fresh polls only after adopting a new constitution.
“When I became finance minister inflation was 500 billion percent which has
never happened (elsewhere) in the world. People were dying of cholera and
typhoid - 4, 000 people every week. We have now achieved macro-economic
stability, inflation has now been below four percent,” he said.
The coalition government helped mend the economy and avoid a tip into
full-fledged conflict in the aftermath of violent elections in 2008.
The minister said the 2013 polls will be a watershed moment in the history
of Zimbabwe.
“The 2013 election is without a doubt the most important election after the
in 1980 election (which ended years of British colonial rule) in our
country. It’s a make or break election for the average Zimbabwean.
“This election will either stop the crisis and bring a legitimate
sustainable outcome or will further exacerbate the crisis so the four years
we have spent in the inclusive government would have been a waste of time,”
he said.
Biti said there was no transparency about the revenue flowing from the
export of diamonds from Zimbabwean mines.
“Just last year diamond exports were US 800 million dollars and what only
came to the Treasury was US 45 million dollars which is about 10 percent of
the total,” said Biti.
Biti, a firebrand critic of Mugabe, expressed gratitude to the people of
South Africa and the region for consistent efforts to bring peace and
stability to the land-logged nation.
He said for the upcoming election, Zimbabwe needs to invite “an army of
observers” to monitor the polls.
“We feel that as a country we should have nothing to hide. Whether you are
coming from Timbuktu or Beijing, you should be allowed to come and observe,”
said Biti. -Sapa

Arrest sparks fears of return to terror in polls

http://www.iol.co.za

March 10 2013 at 12:35pm
By Peta Thornycroft

Harare - Police took Zimbabwe peace activist Jestina Mukoko in for
questioning on Friday because she was setting up a Kenya-inspired social
media network which could warn voters about any political violence in
upcoming elections.

Police raided her Zimbabwe Peace Project two weeks ago and confiscated smart
phones, the essential tool for Ushahidi, a cellphone-based system developed
by Kenyans during post-election violence five years ago to quickly alert the
country where violence was happening. Ushahidi means testimony in Swahili.

On Thursday the police had flighted “wanted” ads for Mukoko on national
television.

She was released from interrogation late on Friday but charges have been put
to her.

Mukoko was abducted from her home before dawn in 2008 and held incommunicado
for three weeks before eventually being released in poor physical health.

Police said the smart phones allegedly found in her office were “spying
gadgets” supplied by hostile forces (the West) to undermine Zimbabwe’s
sovereignty.

Effie Ncube, chairman of the board which governs non-governmental
organisations and a political analyst, said on Friday: “The police still use
typewriters in Zimbabwe. They have no idea about IT, or social media. They
don’t know about Facebook or Twitter, so they probably have no idea about
Ushahidi.

“There was nothing secretive about this project. It was set up quite
openly.”

He said he believed the confiscation of hundreds of radios by the police
from Mukoko’s office and from Radio Dialogue in Bulawayo last week, was
“collateral damage” as they are not used in the Ushahidi system.

“There is a generational problem with the ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic Police).
They are stuck behind many developments in IT.”

Zimbabweans are going into elections with little protection from law
enforcement agencies as the ZRP is partisan and arrests many Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) supporters when no case can be made against them in
the courts.

The courts usually dismiss such cases against most MDC but in the meantime
those detained spend weeks or months in filthy police cells or in remand
prisons where there is little sanitation and even less food.

Many Zimbabweans were hoping that the Kenyan project, using smart phones
equipped with GPS, would be an early warning system about the location and
severity of any election violence.

Several NGOs, including the Zimbabwe Peace Project, undertook to become
involved in the Kenya-inspired anti-violence programme in Zimbabwe’s next
elections.

The managers of the project would operate from a virtual office, called the
“hub” using a software platform developed by Kenyans to create a real-time
map of violence.

People from different areas would be loaned cheap Chinese-made smart phones
to inform the hub about violence, and the hub would also send out monitors
to check that the reports were accurate.

In the last Zimbabwe presidential and parliamentary elections in 2008,
hundreds were killed, thousands were injured and tens of thousands were
forced out of their homes after Zanu-PF insiders, including the security
sector generals discovered President Robert Mugabe had been easily beaten by
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of the polls.

During an extraordinary five-week delay in announcing the results, the MDC
believes the partisan electoral commission manipulated the results to ensure
Tsvangirai did not win in the first round, necessitating run-off elections.

Zanu-PF militia went on a rampage during the run-up to the run-off phase,
forcing Tsvangirai to pull out of the contest to save the lives of his
supporters, he said, and giving an uncontested victory to Mugabe.

Some journalists were able to prove at the time that some provincial police
commissioners and provincial governors planned the violence in a number of
areas.

Civil rights groups are feeling growing pressure as the elections, probably
to be held in July, draw nearer. There have been several raids on them.

Many knew about Ushahidi and wanted it to be firmly entrenched ahead of the
polls.

“If only Ushahidi could have been set up openly in Zimbabwe as it was in
Kenya, but Zanu-PF would have closed it down immediately.

“It wasn’t top secret but people were quite careful not to talk about it
carelessly,” said a Zimbabwe anti-violence activist in Harare who asked not
to be named.

“Various people around the country were already being trained and Kenyans
have been in and out of Harare to help set it all up,” he said.

During elections people would be able to text information to the hub and
that information would automatically provide the location of the message and
in seconds the hub would produce an ever-changing map of violence that would
warn people.

“It’s known as crowd sourcing. The Kenyans did it, and then created the
software for a platform which they pass on to anyone who needs it.”

Deputy EU ambassador Karl Skau said: “We are deeply concerned. These raids
are harassments on dubious charges and will undermine peaceful assembly.
Civil rights groups must be able to operate freely to ensure credibility of
the elections.”

Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo’s cellphone was switched off on Thursday and
Friday.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC failed to respond to questions about
the police pursuit of Mukoko.

Police commissioner Augustine Chihuri failed to answer his phone and his
spokesman, assistant commissioner Charity Charamba failed to answer
questions about Ushahidi and Mukoko’s position.

The police say they charged Mukoko with illegal importation of radios and
cellphones, that she ran an unregistered organisation and failed to register
as a dealer in broadcast equipment.

Welshman Ncube, leader of the smaller MDC party, said; “It is shocking to
the core that Zanu-PF, having clamoured and agitated for an election for so
long that most of us were almost fooled into believing that they were at
last ready to give the people of Zimbabwe a free, fair and violence-free
election allowing the people to express their democratic right, would then
go on to callously unleash a reign of terror reminiscent of the 2000 and
2008 elections on individuals who choose to belong to other political
parties.

“It is now clear that they never wanted an election but just another
opportunity to terrorise the people of Zimbabwe as they have started to do.

“The last few weeks have witnessed a systematic resurgence of violence and
intimidation which leads us to one conclusion, that it will not be possible
to conduct a free and fair election.”

Sunday Independent

CIO accused of vetting ZEC officials

http://nehandaradio.com

on March 9, 2013 at 11:43 pm

By Tatenda Mabasa

CHINHOYI – The recruitment of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) personnel
in its lower ranks is being controlled by President Robert Mugabe’s office,
a Movement for Democratic Change official has told Nehanda Radio.

The head of Zimbabwe Central Intelligence Happyton Bonyongwe, left, with
Constantine Chiwenga, the commander of the Zimbabwean Army, centre, with
Mugabe
According to Big Haurobi, the MDC-T provincial spokesperson for Mashonaland
West covering Karoi, Chinhoyi, Kadoma, Chegutu among other areas, the move
puts a dent on the chances of holding “free and fair elections.”

“The procedure taken by the Public Service Commission to forward names of
civil servants submitted for consideration to the President’s Offices makes
a mockery of our approach to free and fair elections. Some Government
workers are not happy with that move.

“Infact as a party we do not foresee those who sympathise with MDC-T being
cleared. This is an indication of how forthcoming elections will be rigged
in favour of Zanu PF.” Haurobi added that in Karoi town mostly members of
Ministry of Youth and Empowerment were recruited as voter educators.

“The employment of these workers is disputed and now all of a sudden, they
lead in voter education. Its unfortunate that nothing is being done to
rectify the situation,” Haurobi added.

A Nehanda Radio reporter witnessed some known youths nicknamed “green
bombers” or Border Gezi graduates distributing ZEC pamphlets on the
referendum vote due on 16 March. The youths are well known for their
allegiance to Zanu PF as they are being paid salaries without working at
ward level.

They started working on Wednesday. There was no immediate comment from ZEC
as a public relations officer identified as Richard Ngurunga did not answer
our calls at the time of writing. Zanu PF is accused of coercing members of
the army, police and prisons among others to support them and influence
elections.

Zimbabwe Readies For Vote on New Constitution

http://www.voanews.com/

Anita Powell
March 09, 2013

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA —
Zimbabweans will head to the polls in a week to vote on a new constitution
ahead of presidential elections planned for later this year. Political
leaders on both sides of the spectrum are urging citizens to approve the
draft, but the former opposition says the big fight is ahead, when the
nation chooses a president later this year.

Zimbabwe's finance minister, Tendai Biti, said the presidential vote would
be a "make or break" event for the southern African nation. He cited
examples of growing violence ahead of that contest.

But first, he said, the nation's voters have to approve this constitution.
Both sides of the political spectrum -- Biti's former opposition party and
the ruling ZANU-PF -- are hoping the constitution will pass.

Biti spoke from the capital of South Africa, Pretoria. His Movement for
Democratic Change visited the neighboring country to urge some 1.5 million
Zimbabweans living here to return home to vote.

"I think it's a very proud moment that Zimbabweans actually have a
constitution by themselves and for themselves. And a constitution which to
some of us is a major paradigm from the current trajectory of the country.
It's a major U-turn to the current trajectory of chaos, fascism and
destruction. It's a constitution that can hold its own against the best in
the world," he said.

Constitutional reform was one of the conditions of Zimbabwe's coalition
government. The coalition was formed after disputed and violent elections
in 2008, with long-term President Robert Mugabe still at the helm after a
contentious and violence-marred vote.

The writing of the constitution has not been smooth. The charter took years
longer to frame than expected, and both sides have described the result as
an imperfect compromise. Critics of Mugabe say the charter still gives him
too much power. One major change is that presidents will be limited to two,
five-year terms. But that provision is not retroactive, so Mugabe, who has
ruled since 1980, could continue to serve until the age of 99.

But Biti says he wants voters to oust Mugabe when presidential elections are
held. If not, he warned, the nation may suffer dire consequences.

"This election offers a decisive chance after 2008 to set it right. If we
don't set it right, when we had the crisis in 2008, a lot of people actually
gave us a second chance. But my suspicion is that if we get it wrong this
time around, I think there will be a massive dislocation, a massive movement
of people from Zimbabwe. And also, the international community, which is
already tired of Zimbabwe, I think they'll just pack their bags," he said.

The Southern African Development Community said Saturday that it urges
Zimbabweans to vote peacefully. South African President Jacob Zuma said the
process has been going as expected, but no presidential vote date has been
set.

"...all parties in the global political agreement have agreed, firstly they
have concluded an important process of constitution making and they have
agreed it must now go to the referendum, and the date has been set, so that
is no longer the issue. The date has not been necessarily identified
because after the referendum, that will be the process of working out the
roadmap which must be based on the law and the constitution of Zimbabwe.
And the work that will go into that one will then determine when is the
date. So at the moment, everybody agrees to go for the referendum,
thereafter elections," he said.

The constitutional referendum is scheduled for Saturday.

Aust starts to ease Zimbabwe sanctions

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/

From: AAP March 11, 2013 5:04AM

AUSTRALIA will begin easing long-standing sanctions against Zimbabwe after
the country announced it would hold a constitutional referendum this
Saturday.

Sanctions against 55 individuals including ZANU-PF politicians, members of
the judiciary and media, provincial governors and leading business figures
would be lifted, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on Monday.

Senator Carr said the 55 people were not hindering democratic reforms,
undermining the goal of having free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, or
involved in human rights abuses.

"Zimbabwe's reform process has been painfully slow," he said.

"However, leaders such as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have made genuine
progress."

Monday's announcement follows Senator Carr's release in February of a
three-stage plan to peel back the sanctions, which include travel and
financial restrictions against 153 individuals and four entities, and an
arms embargo.

At the time, he said the Zimbabwean government must first set a date for a
constitutional referendum, hold that referendum and then stage free and fair
elections.

Zimbabwe has since announced it will hold a constitutional referendum on
March 16.

Outrage as lion that killed woman as she made love to boyfriend is shot

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Conservationists have reacted in outrage to the shooting of a wild lioness
and her two cubs in northwestern Zimbabwe after they killed two local people
last week.

By Peta Thornycroft in Harare and Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg 5:30PM GMT
10 Mar 2013

Sharai Mawere, 43, a market stall owner, was making love to her boyfriend at
a secluded spot in the bush near the northern town of Kariba when the
lioness struck on Tuesday.

Her lover escaped and alerted armed rangers who fired shots to scare the
animal away, but it was too late for Miss Mawere. She died at the scene.

Later that day, the head and pelvis of Mashunjeni Jakiel, 77, were found
near a suburb of Lake Kariba town. He had been missing since the weekend.

With fears growing that the lions had acquired a taste for human flesh and
would kill again, vets in Harare said they should be darted and moved to a
wildlife sanctuary.

Instead, they were shot by wardens from the Department of Parks and Wildlife
Authority and a professional hunter.

Johnny Rodriques from the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the female
lioness had a wound from a snare around her neck, and had only started
attacking humans because poachers had decimated stocks of other animals
around Zimbabwe's vast Lake Kariba.

He said the three lions looking for food in an arid area close to a town was
"an accident waiting to happen".

"The lioness was wounded, there was no food for her to eat so she and her
cubs were a danger, and we should have been able to dart them and transfer
them across the dam to a protected area," he said.

"We have applied to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (Cites) for Zimbabwe's lions to be declared an endangered species,"
Mr Rodriques said. "Zimbabwe is now very short of lions."

According to the Born Free Foundation, Africa now has fewer than 25,000
lions, compared to 200,000 lions 50 years ago.

Conservationists writing in last week's Ecology Letters journal said that
wild lions are killed because they are perceived to be a threat to
livestock, and competition for land and over-hunting of their prey have
reduced their numbers even further. They say that moving them in to
fenced-in nature reserves could be their only hope of survival.

Dr Luke Hunter, from the big cat conservation organisation Panthera, said:
"No one wants to resort to putting any more fences around Africa's
marvellous wild areas, but without massive and immediate increases in the
commitment to lion conservation, we may have little choice."

Cavan Warran, for the Kariba Animal Welfare Trust which helped arrange the
lions' shooting, said they wanted to dart and move them but the urgency of
the problem gave them no time. "These lions had tasted human flesh and after
consulting widely we concluded that they had to be euthanised immediately,"
he said.

Mr Waran said he was just over 100 yards away from the lions when they were
killed.

"We discussed darting and relocation after the first victim but when the
second victim's remains were found the vets all said they should be
destroyed," he said.

"If there was a zoo or a very controlled facility in Zimbabwe or resources
and we had a day or two then perhaps we could have arranged an alternative."

A Zimbabwean professional hunter who knows the area well told The Daily
Telegraph that poaching was "out of control".
"There is a lack of skills and a shocking lack of resources," the hunter,
who asked not to be named, said.

MDC-T 29 trial: Cuban doctor in no show

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

09/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

LAWYERS representing the 29 MDC-T activists accused of murdering a police
officer slammed continued delays in the trial Saturday after the State's
last witness, a Cuban doctor, again failed to appear in court.

The trial was postponed to Monday after the medic failed to turn up despite
assurances by prosecutors that he would be available for Saturday’s
proceedings.

The Cuban doctor carried out the post-mortem on Inspector Petros Mutedza who
was killed when a police detail he was part of was attacked while trying to
quell political disturbances in Harare’s Glen View area in May 2011.

Prosecutors said the Cuban medic, who issaid to be in the country under
diplomatic status, had been cleared to testify in the trial but was not
served with the summons on time.

“The subpoena is supposed to be served five days or so before the court date
so there were a few delays and that is why Dr Aguero is not here today but
he has since been served and will appear on Monday the 11th of March,”
prosecutor, Edmore Nyazema said.

But a furious Beatrice Mtetwa, who is representing the MDC-T activists, said
the endless postponements were unacceptable.
“This trial was supposed to take a very short time but it has dragged on for
more than a year simply because the state is reluctant to see to it that
justice is served. The state has been full of concessions on their part and
has allowed many indulgences but the same has not been done for the
defence,” she said.

She also expressed concern over the fact that three of the five activists
still in custody were being kept solitary confinement.

“Their lives have been put on hold for too long and it is not fair to keep
on dragging this trial. So far it has been post poned five times over this
Augero issue. The state is no longer interested in prosecuting but now
persecuting my clients who are innocent,” she said.

Meanwhile presiding judge, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu granted an application
for relaxation of bail by MDC-T youth leader, Solomon Madzore, to enable him
to travel to Denmark for a youth conference.

Prosecutors had opposed the application saying the MDC-T could find another
official to attend the conference in place of Madzore who is also accused of
involvement in Mutedza’s murder.

“He is not the only one who is qualified to attend that conference; his
party should pick another candidate,” Nyazema said.
However, Justice Bhunu dismissed the objections as baseless and ordered the
release of Madzore’s travel documents as well as relaxation of his reporting
conditions.

The MDC-T activists deny any involvement in Inspector Mutedza’s murder and
their lawyers have since indicated they will apply for discharge at the
close of the State's case.

ZIMSEC: We’re as good as Cambridge

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

09/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE’S public school examinations rank among the best in the region and
compare favourably with the UK-based Cambridge International system, a
senior government official has said.

The country localised public school examinations in the mid-to-late 1990s,
phasing out the Cambridge exams with the establishment of the Zimbabwe
School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) in a move that was partly forced by the
need to cut costs.

But ZIMSEC has been accused of lowering education standards in the country
and its credibility has been hit by endless bungling, including the leaking
of examination papers as well as delays in releasing certificates.

Last year alone, some 13 Ordinary Level examinations had to be re-set at a
cost of US$850,000 after a headmaster lost exam papers while travelling from
Bulawayo.

Still, acting Education Secretary Crispen Boora told a recent Parliamentary
portfolio committee meeting that the country’s examination system was still
among the region’s best despite the problems.

He told the MPs: “Many of you were saying ZIMSEC has gone to the dogs but I
think there have been changes and it compares very favourably with the
Cambridge school examinations council which administers examinations in a
few of our schools and in countries like Botswana.

“ZIMSEC’s challenge now is to maintain this stakeholder confidence and build
on that; indeed improve on it.”
Boora said funding constraints continue to adversely impact ZIMSEC adding
that delays in the gazetting of examination fees by the government have also
worsened the problems as it affects the preparation of timetables and
ordering of the papers.

ZIMSEC Director, Essau Nhandara, said Grade 7 examinations were among the
worst hit by the cash constraints since some of the material has to be
imported.

“Grade 7 examinations in particular are the most affected due to lack of
funding and the ever increasing cost of procuring entry forms which we
import as they are not locally manufactured,” he said.

“It is also difficult to have door-to-door delivery of the question papers.
ZIMSEC itself cannot deliver all the question papers using its own fleet.
Even if we were to do it we would need to be accompanied by security which
is expensive and we do not always have the money.”

Nhandara said a newly introduced electronic registration system, which is
presently being used for the Advanced level examinations only, would help
improve the council’s operations.

“We believe that if this extended to the Ordinary level and by 2015 to Grade
7 it would greatly improve the registration process”, he said.

Meanwhile, commenting on the high failure rate recorded in the 2012
examinations, Boora said there was nothing unusual about the results,
insisting examinations set by the council were still the best and credible.

“The choice that we can make, a very painful choice to make as a nation is
to go the South African way … that is to dilute the examinations … our
government would not want that,” he said.

A constitutional abortion – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 9th March 2013

The Vigil is to mark Referendum Day with a demonstration at which we will be joined by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), the successor to the Anti-apartheid Movement. Trade unions have also been invited to take part. The theme will be the need to ensure peaceful and free elections in Zimbabwe.

As readers of the Vigil diary will know, we have from the beginning regarded the constitution-making process as an expensive time- wasting distraction. The apathy that has greeted the abortion of a constitution supports our view (see: http://www.theindependent.co.zw/2013/03/08/march-16-vote-why-spend-so-much-on-non-event/ – March 16 vote: Why spend so much on non-event?).

So much for $50 million spent on what we have always referred to as the constitutional outrage programme and the $85 million or so spent on this pointless referendum!

We have never understood why the MDC parties allowed themselves to be taken in by this ludicrous exercise instead of trying to level the electoral playing field as envisaged by the GPA. We fear it is now too late.

As the well-practised Zanu PF election-stealing machine lumbers into action, MDC T has appealed for Zuma’s intervention with a dossier detailing 120 incidents of politically-motivated violence against its supporters.

But – surprise! – bad news. A member of Zuma’s facilitation team is reported as saying the dossier lacked ‘details’. It had ‘loopholes which makes it difficult for the facilitation team to pin Zanu PF as the perpetrators . . .’

Quote of the week came from Zuma’s facilitation team spokesperson, Lindiwe Zulu, who said they were waiting to hear from the Joint Monitoring Implementation Committee. ‘It has to formally give us a report on the said violence’ she said (see: https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/mar9_2013.html#Z6 – SADC alarmed by reports of political violence ahead of Zim polls).

The South African facilitation team will have a long wait. If they looked up their dusty records they would find that JOMIC has never really been operational. A couple of years ago SADC ordered regional representatives to be sent to galvanise it. Last heard of, they got bored hanging around waiting for Zanu PF to shake their hands and went home . . .

The fiasco smacks of South Africa’s duplicity as evidenced by its desperate resistance to the release of a report on the stolen 2002 elections despite repeated court orders.

Other points

· The likelihood of election violence in Zimbabwe has prompted a petition by ROHR and the Vigil to protest at the deportation of Zimbabwean failed asylum seekers ahead of the elections. During the Referendum Day demonstration, ROHR and the Vigil will send a delegation to 10 Downing Street to present the petition (for details see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/478-vigil--rohr-activities-16313).

· People passing by the Vigil on Referendum Day will be invited to write messages of hope for peaceful elections on red paper roses to be deposited in a transparent election box for later use in a montage. The idea was inspired by the example of WOZA who hand out red roses every Valentine’s Day.

· The Campaigns Manager of ACTSA, Mark Beacon, will speak to us at the Zimbabwe Action Forum after the Vigil about how the Vigil and ACTSA can work more closely together to secure freedom in Zimbabwe. For directions see ‘events and notices’ below.

· On Thursday 19 Vigil supporters attended a Mike Campbell Foundation event ‘Hope in a Desert’ at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society. The meeting was chaired by Kate Hoey MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on Zimbabwe, who paid tribute to the work of the Vigil. One of the speakers at the meeting was Dr Craig Richardson, an American associate professor of economics, who spoke of the importance of property rights for the future of the Zimbabwean economy. He said current growth in Zimbabwe was unsustainable with one of the main pillars of the economy being foreign aid. The executive director of the Foundation, Ben Freeth, criticized two recent books by British academics which he said were white-washing the agricultural situation. ‘Who is paying them?’ he asked, echoing a recent allegation by the MDC T Treasurer-General Roy Bennett, that while Zimbabwe depended on foreign aid, diamond earnings were being spent on ‘sanitising’ Mugabe (see: http://www.swradioafrica.com/2013/03/01/transcript-diaspora-diaries-with-sw-radio-africas-alex-bell-and-guest-roy-bennett/ – Transcript: Diaspora Diaries with SW Radio Africa’s Alex Bell and guest Roy Bennett). The meeting ended with exuberant singing and dancing by the Vigil which brought the audience to their feet.

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil website.

FOR THE RECORD: 43 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

· Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF). Saturday 16^th March from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. Mark Beacon, Campaigns Manager of ACTSA is coming and will discuss with us how the Vigil and ACTSA can work more closely together to deliver freedom in Zimbabwe. Directions: The Strand is the same road as the Vigil. From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction away from Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side of the Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The entrance is marked by a big sign high above and a sign for its famous Indian restaurant at street level. It's next to a newsagent. Nearest underground: Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn. Next ZAF: Saturday 2^nd April same time and venue.

· Zimbabwe Vigil Highlights 2012 can be viewed on this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/467-vigil-highlights-2012. Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2012 Highlights page.

· The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the views and opinions of ROHR.

· Vigil Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.

· Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil...

· Useful websites: www.zanupfcrime.com which reports on Zanu PF abuses and www.ipaidabribe.org.zw where people can report corruption in Zimbabwe.

Vigil co-ordinators

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.

Beware of the 'Ides of March'

http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe

MAR 09, 2013

Written by Blessing Vava, and crossposted from his blog 'The Vuvuzela
Times':

It is now less than 8 days before the holding of Zimbabwe’s second
constitutional referendum since the 2000 one when the citizens were again
asked to vote yes/no to the Chidyausiku draft. With the remaining days,
events on the ground indicate that the plebeians are not ready for the
plebiscite which the inclusive rulers are forcing despite the short space of
time. Something mysterious, about the month of March. On 17 March 1983
General Walls appealed to the Queen in England to nullify the outcome of the
1980 elections because ‘Mugabe had used violence.’ ZANU PF tasted its first
electoral defeat on the 29th of March 2008. In this context it is the 16th
of March, the eve of it the 15th being the Ides of March, a bad day in the
history of the Romans. The Ides of March is forever linked with the 44 B.C.
assassination of Julius Caesar, and with prophecies of doom. The Roman
Emperor had been foretold about the Ides of March by the soothsayer on the
15th of February, The Fest of Lupercalia, a festival meant to keep out evil
in the land. According to the Roman scrolls, the Ides of March was mostly
notably used as a deadline for settling debts.

Although, I grew up not a superstitious being, maybe it is the umbilical
attachment of my forefathers with Chipinge, a place where many bizarre
stories of witchdoctors are flooded in the grape vineyard. It is again the
15th, oh sorry the 16th of the Month of March Zimbabweans are being
gang-raped by the few elite rulers to vote for a document which has not been
circulated to the people of Zimbabwe. Strange isn’t it? Really strange!!! I’m
indeed superstitious these two days are an omen to the people of Zimbabwe.
Ironically the government gazetted the holding of the referendum on the 15th
of February for the 16th of March. Unlike Julius Caesar, the significance of
these days and coincidence is spelling doom both for the politicians and the
people of Zimbabwe. It is the 15thof February and the 16th of March which
are of worry. If, on the 16thof March the people of Zimbabwe accept to be
tricked by politicians into voting YES then its disaster for the country
spelling the return to medieval autocracy. If they decide to vote NO, it’s a
victory for the people and a disaster to politicians signalling a people
determined to shape their own destiny.

The historical illustrations are just but metaphorical on the spells
befalling our great nation. I speak of the 16th of March with a heavy heart,
sombre and concerned. The date is too near, so near for the people of
Zimbabwe to make a decision whether they like the draft or not. To the
rulers, the purpose of this referendum is for Zimbabweans to rubber stamp
their bad constitution and go for an election. It’s so shocking that they
are telling the people to Vote Yes without giving them the draft so that
they scrutinise for themselves what is contained in that draft. The COPAC
process by all standards has failed both the legitimacy and democratic test.
Only 90 000 copies of the draft copies were distributed to party supporters
in a population of more than 13 million Zimbabweans. In Kenya, with a
population of 41 million, 25 million copies of its proposed draft were
distributed and the citizens were given six months before they went for a
referendum in 2007. Whereas in my mother’s land, the ‘inclusive’ rulers are
giving us 3 weeks to make a decision on something we have not seen. What
then is the purpose of the referendum when almost 90% of the voting
population are still in the dark and yet the writers of the draft are
telling us to vote yes. This is a vote NO!

I’m sceptical on how this referendum is being conducted; the run-up phase
has not been a free and fair environment for the credibility of the holding
of the referendum. Whereas there is an election to follow, this referendum
is an important phase in our country. It is much more important than a
national election. We are not voting for individuals because individuals
come and go. We are voting for the adoption of the supreme law of the land,
a document for posterity, therefore its importance.

Worryingly, credibility and legitimacy remains in doubt. Equally, this
referendum is a test mechanism on the preparedness and credibility of the
coming polls. The media is not reporting fairly on those opposing the draft
like the NCA, preferring to give much coverage to the three political
parties campaigning for their document they authored. The High Court appeal
by the NCA seeking an extension of the referendum date was thrown out the
court did not even assess the merits of the matter despite empirical
evidence on the ground that the draft is a mysterious document amongst
Zimbabweans. It is as if it’s a privilege to access it. The High Court chose
to tell the NCA that the president cannot be questioned by the court. How
horrible!!

We also have recorded cases of meetings to discuss about the constitution
being banned the police, funny and laughable enough, even Tsvangirai another
critical player in this YES campaign was told to stop his meeting in
Highfield a few days ago. As for ZEC, the institution has neither reformed
nor transformed despite it being part of the reasons why this inclusive
government was incepted. It was about reforms, and yet it is still the same
faces, same legislation running this referendum synonymous to Mugabe’s
reshuffling of cabinet. ZEC is being run by its deputy, an acting
chairperson, a discredited character Joyce Kazembe, a key player in the
2000, 2002, 2005 and 2008 election. Apart from her flowery CV, Kazembe is a
well known ZANU PF card carrying activist and is not qualified for the job
period! After the controversial resignation of Justice Mutambanengwe, the
normal process was supposed to be his immediate replacement, basing on the
fact that there was an imminent referendum and a pending election. That
never happened. The post of ZEC chairperson is clearly stipulated that the
person has to be a Judge or a retired Judge or a lawyer with at least 7
years of practising of which Sister Joyce is neither of the three nor does
she have a law background save for her stint with the little known Women in
Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF). So the credibility of this process
is compromised as it is being run by an unqualified and compromised
individual at the same time.

Also the decision to suspend the voters roll in this referendum is
suspicious. They are cleverly hiding the voters roll because they were not
prepared for this poll and it also opens space for rigging which is now
imminent. In the past we have had cases of multiple voting, staffing of
ballots something which is now looming as we are approaching the referendum.
Clearly there is no guarantee that this process will be credible and the
votes will not be accounted for. Even the reason to print 12 million ballot
papers at the expense of printing the draft for circulation is unreasonable
and suspicious in a population with approximately 7million inhabitants above
the legal age of majority. The voting patterns since 1980, logically will
tell you that we will never have such a turnout unless minors are part of
the electoral process. Whereas the last two elections, the 2002
presidential, and the last 2008 poll figures do not justify the printing of
12million ballot papers. In 2002, the total vote cast was 3.048.891, with a
registered voters roll of 5.607.795, with the voting age having a population
of 5.615,938, the total population for the country was 11.365,366. Compared
to the last election in 2008, it had the following figures: total vote count
was 2. 514,750, those registered were 5.934,768, voting age was 5.320,015
with a total population for the country being 12.311,430. Basing on these
statistics it does not justify the printing of 12 million ballot papers. For
what? Rigging maybe!

In a nutshell, judging from a closer assessment of the attendance of people
in the COPAC campaign meetings disguised as an outreach it no longer needs
Angel Gabriel to tell you that the referendum will be marred by apathy and a
low turnout and by any standards will be a sign to politicians that the
people of Zimbabwe are not happy.

Blessing ‘Vuvuzela’ Vava is in the NCA Media and Publicity Take Charge
Campaign Technical Committee. He writes from Chipinge.

Zimbabwe's new constitution: 10 reasons to vote Yes

http://www.politicsweb.co.za

Eddie Cross
10 March 2013

Eddie Cross argues that although it is a compromise it is an improvement on
the previous document

Why vote Yes?

The new national draft Constitution of Zimbabwe is 175 pages long. It is
complex and was negotiated over nearly 4 years, 1 million people were
consulted on the fundamental principles they wanted recognised in the
Constitution. In the end not everyone got what they wanted and the final
draft is a compromise, thrashed out between the three main political
Parties.

Why vote yes in the referendum on Saturday?

Here are my reasons:

1. Although it is a compromise, it is a very much better Constitution than
the one it replaces and it lays down a wide range of reforms that will pave
the way to an election in a few months time that will decide our future.

2. It recognised me as a citizen with full rights before the law, with the
full protection of the law and protection against any form of
discrimination. For the first time, I can go into the future as a real
African, a Citizen of Zimbabwe.

3. It guarantees all my basic rights and freedoms, the freedom of speech and
association, the right to shelter, livelihood, dignity, education and
health.

4. It will never again allow a leader, to stay too long in power and will
require regular changes of leadership through democratic means that will
ensure accountability and the constant renewal of our political leadership.

5. It will reduce the power of the President and the Executive, give more
power and greater autonomy to Parliament and the Judiciary, while at the
same time making them all more transparent and accountable in all that they
do in the exercise of their duties and responsibilities.

6. It devolves power and resources away from the Capital, Harare to all
parts of Zimbabwe and allows for the equitable distribution of both power
and resources to the Provinces, Districts and Wards. It allows local
government structures more freedom and autonomy while granting them more
responsibility and the capacity to deliver services to the people they
serve.

7. It protects the family, the rights of children and women and all
disadvantaged groups and minorities in our society. For the first time the
nations basic laws will grant women the full rights and responsibilities of
citizenship and guarantees their place as co-equals to men in all spheres of
the State.

8. It entrenches property rights and the rule of law and will never again
allow the violation of these rights by the majority over minority interests.

9. New Commissions, operating independently from the State, will assume
responsibility for oversight and supervision of the armed forces, the police
service, human rights and senior appointments in the senior levels of public
administration while being accountable to Parliament.

10. It ensures that the national security services in all their different
forms will never again be allowed to abuse the rights of the people and will
in future be required to be accountable, not only to the Executive, but to
the people and Parliament.

That is why I will vote "YES" on Saturday at my nearest polling station.

Eddie Cross is MDC MP for Bulawayo South. This article first appeared on his
website www.eddiecross.africanherd.com

BILL WATCH 9/2013 of 9th March [Update on Parliamentary Business]