The Mugabe regime is planning to stop
parliament from debating important legislative issues, including the Human
Rights and Electoral Amendment Bills, claiming these issues are covered by
the Global Political Agreement.
The development was confirmed by ZANU
PF’s chief whip, Joram Gumbo, after a meeting of the party’s legislators
held at their headquarters in Harare on Wednesday. Gumbo said Emmerson
Mnangagwa, ZANU-PF leader in the House of Assembly, is to approach the
Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo, on the matter.
MDC-T MP Elton
Mangoma, who co-chairs the implementation committee JOMIC, described the
move by ZANU PF as “mischievous”, saying they clearly know all Bills must be
legitimized by parliament. He added that banning parliamentary debate would
be “contradictory”.
“They are also showing their hand because nothing in
the constitution says parliament shall not debate bills. Some of them feel
threatened by any changes and wish the new constitution would not see the
light of day,” Mangoma explained.
The list of bills opposed by ZANU
PF also included the Urban Councils Amendment Bill and amendments to the
Public Order and Security Act (POSA). Gumbo is quoted as saying: “Those
Bills should not be discussed in Parliament as they are covered by Section
20 of the Global Political Agreement.”
But according to the JOMIC
co-chairman, the GPA recognizes parliament as the institution where key
issues are discussed. He explained that problematic issues go through
committees that are made up of members from all three GPA parties. But
parliament has the final word.
Mangoma said ZANU PF has resisted
implementing key reforms agreed to in the GPA, forcing the SADC negotiated
process to grind to a halt. He pointed to this as an example of the party’s
fear of change, especially at a time when elections are expected in the
country.
Political commentator Lameck Mahachi told SW Radio Africa that
the ZANU PF legislators do not run the country and any decisions made in
their party meetings cannot be considered law.
“They are behaving in
a silly and childish manner and the suggestion to ban parliamentary debate
should be disregarded with the contempt it deserves,” Mahachi fumed.
Mozambique has cut off
electricity supply to Zimbabwe over unpaid debts totalling $75 million,
causing rolling power outages, Zimbabwe's energy minister said on
Thursday.
“Hydro Cabora Bassa switched off supplies to Zimbabwe on
Thursday or Friday last week over the money owed which is around $75 million
or $76 million,” Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma told
AFP.
“We are now switching off defaulters as part of efforts to raise the
money,” he said.
Since Mozambique's Hydro cut off Zimbabwe, several
suburbs of the capital Harare have gone for days without electricity, while
other places suffer up to 10 hours of power cuts, as the utility Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) comes under pressure to save
power.
Zimbabwe needs 2 200 megawatts of electricity at peak but
generates just 1 300 megawatts and imports the remainder, including 100 to
185 megawatts from Hydro Cahora Bassa.
Last month, Mangoma warned a
parliamentary committee that Zimbabwe risked being cut off if it failed to
settle its debt with Hydro.
He said ZESA had accumulated almost a billion
dollars in unpaid electricity imports, unserviced loans and outstanding
contributions to a joint power project with neighbouring Zambia.
The
firm also plans to introduce pre-paid meters to improve its revenue
collection.
Last year ZESA announced it would hand out more than 5.5
million power-saving fluorescent light bulbs to households across the
country to curb consumption. - AFP
Mozambique denies cutting Zimbabwe power over debts
(AFP) – 6 hours
ago
HARARE — Mozambique's Cahora Bassa dam on Thursday denied cutting
power to Zimbabwe, which had claimed the state-owned company had pulled the
plug over unpaid bills totalling around $75 million.
"Hydro Cahora
Bassa switched off supplies to Zimbabwe on Thursday or Friday last week over
the money owed which is around $75 million or $76 million," Energy and Power
Development Minister Elton Mangoma told AFP.
"We are now switching off
defaulters as part of efforts to raise the money," he said.
But the
Cahora Bassa dam, which supplies nearly a fifth of the power it produces to
Zimbabwe, said this was not the case.
"We would like to inform you that
we have not cut electricity to Zimbabwe. That information is misinformed,"
Rosaque Guale, a board member of the state-owned Cahora Bassa Hydropower
Company told AFP.
Several suburbs of the capital Harare have gone for
days without electricity, while other places suffer up to 10 hours of power
cuts, as the utility Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) comes
under pressure to save power.
Zimbabwe needs 2,200 megawatts of
electricity at peak but generates just 1,300 megawatts and imports the
remainder, including 100 to 185 megawatts from Hydro Cahora
Bassa.
The dam produces 2,075 megawatts of energy a year. South Africa
buys 65 percent, while Zimbabwe gets a 19-percent share.
Last month,
Mangoma warned a parliamentary committee that Zimbabwe risked being cut off
if it failed to settle its debt with Hydro.
He said ZESA had accumulated
almost a billion dollars in unpaid electricity imports, unserviced loans and
outstanding contributions to a joint power project with neighbouring
Zambia.
The firm also plans to introduce pre-paid meters to improve its
revenue collection.
Last year ZESA announced it would hand out more
than 5.5 million power-saving fluorescent light bulbs to households across
the country to curb consumption.
There are reports an alleged CIO operative has
infiltrated the Red Cross in Gwanda and is manipulating food aid by
distributing it along partisan lines.
Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel
Saungweme told us the alleged operative, Akim Mpofu, has become a hate
figure in Matabeleland South because of the way he withholds food aid from
perceived MDC supporters.
‘Mpofu works for Red Cross International in
Gwanda central and locals are not happy about the way he does business. He
is suspected to be a member of the CIO who replaced a former Red Cross
employee called maTshuma,’ Saungweme said.
He continued: ‘He is said
to assist ZANU PF members at the expense of MDC-T activists. Donations made
are said to be taken away and handed out by Mpofu along partisan
lines.’
Red Cross spokesman Takemore Mazuruse confirmed to SW Radio
Africa on Thursday that they’ve received complaints about Mpofu’s behaviour
in Gwanda.
‘It’s true we’ve received complaints about him and a task
force has been put in by the Red Cross to investigate the reports,’ Mazuruse
said.
Saungweme said another senior ZANU PF official, the former MP for
Gwanda South Abednigo Ncube, is reportedly on the prowl attempting to cash
in using the name Care International.
Ncube is in the habit of
inviting villagers to meetings, saying that Care International will
distribute aid afterwards. According to Saungweme the turnout for such
meetings is very high.
‘But once at the meeting, villagers are subjected
to ZANU PF slogans. There is a possibility the organization might not be
aware this is happening,’ Saungweme added. SW Radio Africa failed to reach
regional officers of Care International in Bulawayo to comment.
The
manipulation of food aid along party lines is rampant in Gwanda. In January
we reported that villagers in Gwanda South complained that a war vet named
Witness Sebata, who is also the councillor for ward 11, sold maize seeds and
fertilizer that was supposed to be free under a programme sponsored by the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Sebata was assisted in the scam by a local
Agritex official and backed by Abednigo Ncube. The councillor reportedly
sold 10 kg bags of maize for $2 to the elderly, orphans, widows and those
diagnosed with HIV, telling them the money is meant to cover transportation
costs. Those considered able-bodied were being charged $3 for the same maize
bag.
Some experts believe the Marange diamond fields in
eastern Zimbabwe are among the largest discovery of diamonds in
generations.
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Inside Marange diamond
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HIGHLIGHTS
CNN granted
exclusive access to the controversial Marange diamond fields
High voltage
barbed wire fences surround the diamond mines, where workers are
searched
Four Zimbabwe
companies now can sell their diamonds on the international market
The human rights
organization Global Witness called the decision
"shocking"
Watch the full story of the Marketplace Africa's team inside Marange
diamond fields at Friday March 16 1845, Saturday March 17 0245, 0515,1515, and
Sunday March 18 0015, 1515 (All times GMT).
Mutare,
Zimbabwe (CNN) -- After weeks of
negotiations with the government, CNN's Marketplace Africa show has been granted
access to the controversial Marange diamond fields in eastern
Zimbabwe.
Some experts believe that
Marange is the largest diamond discovery in generations but the find has been
dogged by allegations of human rights abuses and corruption going right to the
heart of Mugabe's government.
There are four diamond
companies operating in the area. With a large delegation of government minders
in tow, CNN was first taken to visit Marange Resources. It is exclusively owned
by the state-run company, the Zimbabwe Diamond Mining Corporation
(ZMDC).
Security is tight. High
voltage barbed wire fences surround the diamond mines and the processing plant's
equipment. Several full body searches are done as you get closer to the sorting
area where the diamonds are picked from the dirt.
Where is Zimbabwe's diamond
wealth?
To avoid "leakages", as it
is called - or, in other words, worker theft -- the diamonds are kept in a glass
case and the sorters use gloves to drop the diamonds into an underground vault.
The company says at no point in the extraction process does a human being touch
any of the diamonds.
China's taste for
diamonds
The mining manager of
Marange Resources, Munashe Shava, tells CNN that "between our three plants we
can produce a minimum of 200,000 carats every month."
Is the Kimberley Process in
crisis?
Controversy over diamond
vetting process
All four mining companies -
Marange, Mbada, Anjin and DMC - have been certified to sell their diamonds on
the international market by the Kimberley Process.
But despite the intense
criticism of the Marange diamond fields, one of the two monitors of the
Kimberley Process -- the U.N. protocol to certify origin of the gems and curtail
trafficking of "blood diamonds" to fund militant groups - said he has seen
significant improvements.
"You could not find a
bigger transition than that one," Van Bockstael told CNN in Harare. "This is not
a granny that is digging with an old shovel in a pit or something -- that
happened in 2007, 2008, which was when the problems started. You are talking
about now top-notch diamond companies that are using state-of-the-art equipment.
"
The Chinese-run company
Anjin has been one of the most heavily criticized companies operating in the
field. Global Witness claims that this 50-50 partnership between a Chinese
engineering firm and the state owned ZMDC has "board members including senior
serving and retired military and police officers."
They argue that this
"creates opportunities for off budget funding of the security sector" and " a
real risk of these revenues being used to finance violence during a future
election" in the country.
It was actually
quite shocking that sanctions would be slapped on us even though we are fully
compliant by the Kimberley Process. Ramzi Malik, project manager of
DMC
Human Rights Watch says
while it has seen an improvement in Marange, it also believes questions remain
over who is involved in running these mining companies.
"Well, when we say things
have improved it simply means the violence has certainly ended" Tiseke Kasambala
of Human Rights Watch told CNN. "There is no longer much torture, and the forced
labor has come to an end, but why has this taken place? It is because the army
has gained pretty much most of the control of the fields."
CNN confronted Zimbabwean
director of Anjin, Munyaradzi Machacha, with these allegations. "In Zimbabwe,
boards are made up of all its citizens," Machacha said. "With Anjin and all
other companies, they are free to bring in persons with different skills and
backgrounds. So really it is not like Anjin is a military (controlled) area, it
is a civilian company operating like any other."
The Chairman of ZMDC,
Godwills Masimirembwa, told CNN that there is nothing wrong with serving
military figures connected to the ruling ZANU-PF being on the boards of these
mining companies.
"There is nothing wrong
with them sitting on some of the boards, they are Zimbabweans, they are entitled
to sit on those boards."
When asked which military
figures were connected with these companies, he replied:
"When you deal with
sensitive issues, particularly in the background of sanctions against us, if you
look at the sensitivity of that area, and the attack that is against Zimbabwe on
the assumption that everything that goes there is for the benefit of ZANU-PF, it
is obviously important that we protect the national interest".
But despite these mines
getting the green light from the Kimberley Process, the European Union's
so-called "restrictive measures" and U.S. government sanctions remain in
place.
According to Ambassador
Gillian Milovanovic, speaking to CNN's Marketplace Africa in her first interview
as the new U.S. chair of the Kimberley Process, sanctions have been imposed
because "these entities are undermining democracy and democratic
institutions."
Ramzi Malik is the project
manager of DMC, another mining company operating in the fields. The U.S.
sanctions anger him.
"It was actually quite
shocking that sanctions would be slapped on us even though we are fully
compliant by the Kimberley Process," Malik says. "So for us we just continue
doing our business and doing our thing, and that is the end of
it."
"Sanctions or no sanctions
diamonds get sold to clients all over the world, be it Belgium, be it Israel, be
it India, be it customers in Dubai. They come from all over. You have the
product available, they will come, they will pay their money for it and they
will take it."
Gideon Gono, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
governor has reiterated that the government’s move to seize all foreign
owned banks under the country’s controversial indigenisation laws will have
unintended consequences. 15.03.1211:37am by Zwanai Sithole
Harare
Gono made the remarks while addressing captains of industry
and commerce in Bulawayo on today.
“Banking is a sensitive area which
should be left alone. Indigenising those banks will make life more difficult
for the people. The move will also make life difficult for me as the
governor because when there are problems in the sector as a result of the
indigenisation, people will point a finger at the central bank,” said
Gono.
Gono said shareholders in the country’s foreign owned banks hold a
maximum of $Us 40 million to $US50 million.
“It is folly for someone
to think that they can share amongst themselves that money the next day
after taking over the banks,” said Gono.
Gono urged indigenous
Zimbabweans who are interested in the banking sector to start their own
banks.
“If you have got an appetite with banking, please came to us with
your whole family or totem .We will issue you with the licence to start your
own bank provided you have the initial capital of $US 12,5 million. Why
should people want to a share in a bank for nothing?” asked the governor. He
said he will continue advising government on the consequences of taking over
the financial institutions.
The Minister of Indigenisation and Youth
Development Saviour Kasukuwere has been fighting with the country‘s oldest
and biggest foreign owned banks, Standard Charted bank and Barclays Bank
over the banks‘s indigenisation.
Kasukuwere has threatened to forcibly
take over the banks if they fail to adhere to the indigenisation
requirements.
Under the indigenisation laws, all foreign owned companies
are compelled to cede 51 percent of their shares to local people.
HARARE - Finance minister Tendai Biti says the country’s
banking sector was already indigenised.
“It’s already an indigenised
and capitalised sector with only four banks being foreign-owned out of how
many banks operating in the country,” he said.
He said the sector was
sensitive and should not be treated like other sectors such as mining when
being asked to comply with the country’s controversial indigenisation
regulations that required foreign owned forms to cede a controlling 51
percent shareholding to locals.
“You can’t apply the same position as
Zimplats. If you can meet the capital requirements of a bank come we give
you a licence, why should you want to take Browns bank,” Biti
said.
His said his ministry had submitted its proposal to the National
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board on how banks should be
indigenised.
“Banks are intermediaries and as good as their deposits.
They are playing an important role in the economy. If it’s not broken don’t
fix it,” said Biti.
Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere has
accused foreign-owned banks of being arrogant and dragging their feet with
complying with his regulations.
Barclays bank recently said it was
indigenised when it offered over 30 percent of its shares to the public when
it listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in 1991.
The Commission empowered to
investigate corruption in the country has dismissed orders from the Attorney
General Johannes Tomana, to stop investigating and arresting legislators
accused of looting development funds for their areas.
Tomana had
reportedly told the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to suspend
investigating MPs and Cabinet members who failed to account for $50,000
received from the finance ministry, until an audit of all constituencies was
completed.
According to the Daily News newspaper, four MPs have so far
been charged with fraud and abuse of authority. Three are reportedly MDC-T
legislators and one is from ZANU PF.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
supported the commission in a speech to parliament Wednesday, saying they
should not be threatened or blocked from exposing corruption and ensuring
justice is done.
“There is no government policy to protect corrupt people
and I urge the relevant agencies to ensure that justice is done and any
corrupt person is arrested,” the PM told parliamentarians.
In a
statement Wednesday, the ZACC said they were given powers to investigate all
cases relating to corruption, theft, misappropriation or abuse of power.
Chairperson Dernford Chirindo said the ZACC will investigate all cases
“thoroughly, professionally without fear, favour or prejudice.”
Tawanda Musarurwa Business Reporter PLANS to import coins from
the United States may well have hit a snag after the Bankers’ Association of
Zimbabwe revealed that US shipping agents were not keen to do business with
Zimbabweans. BAZ president Mr John Mushayavanhu disclosed the snag at the
inaugural Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce VIP lounge meeting on
Tuesday evening. The meeting focused on liquidity challenges in the economy.
Mr Mushayavanhu said although most of the modalities had been completed,
shipping agents were concerned about what they termed “reputational
risk”. “At the end of last year we travelled to the US as BAZ and engaged the
Federal Reserve Bank officials over the importation of coins. He said they
were agreeable as long as they were dealing with the private sector (BAZ)
and not the Government. “However, it was when we were working out the
shipment of the coins to Zimbabwe that we realised that the shipping firms
were not willing to facilitate the shipment because of what they said were
‘reputational risks’ in doing business with the country,” said Mr
Mushayavanhu. He said they had intended to import coins to the value of US$5
million, which they considered adequate for the local market. “Although
bringing in the coins was going to come at a huge cost to us as BAZ, we were
willing to meet the costs,” he said. But, in sharp contrast, Finance
Minister Tendai Biti yesterday said the challenge of importing the coins
centred on the most appropriate mode of transport to land the coins in
Zimbabwe and security concerns around the high value consignment. “The
biggest challenge we are still facing is of transportation,” Minister Biti
said. “The coins we are importing weigh tonnes and tonnes. So the challenge
is how to get them from Walvis Bay to Zimbabwe. We are still discussing with
BAZ and other authorities on the best way of bringing them in.”
Iran has guns and expertise.
Zimbabwe has uranium and diamonds. Both are international pariahs. It's a
heaven-made match in a world of crushing international sanctions.
By
a Correspondent / March 15, 2012
Harare, Zimbabwe
Both countries
are subject to crushing Western-backed sanctions. Both are revolutionary
governments condemned for their human rights records, and isolated from
world politics. Small surprise, then, that Iran and Zimbabwe have a lot in
common and recently announced a defense agreement.
In a Sunday meeting
between Zimbabwe Defense Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Iranian Defense
Minister Ahmad Vahidi, Iran pledged to help Zimbabwe to modernize its
defense forces. It is not clear how the cash-strapped but uranium and
diamond rich Zimbabwe would pay for this service, but Minister Mnangagwa
told reporters the agreement was merely a “consolidating and deepening” of
the Iran-Zimbabwe relationship.
“We are fully prepared to help Zimbabwe’s
military forces in any way possible," Iran’s state-run Fars new agency
reports Minister Vahidi as saying. "We will help strengthen their military
so that they are able to protect their land and culture, especially so they
are prepared against the pressures and threats from Western
countries."
What sanctions? Top five countries buying oil from
Iran.
Circumstances have led to these two nations’ friendship. Iran is
currently under substantial pressure over its nuclear energy program, which
many Western governments believe includes nuclear weapons ambitions. Iran
denies this. Zimbabwe, for its part, is under heavy sanctions for its forced
land-reform policies since 2000, in which large white-owned commercial farms
were taken by force and without compensation.
Zimbabwe’s steady
impoverishment have forced millions of its citizens to flee to neighbor
countries like South Africa, but Zimbabwe’s rich mineral deposits, including
uranium and diamonds have attracted the attention of Iran, which is
increasingly cut off from the global economy. Arms shipments
tricky
The question now is how Iran intends to keep its promises. China –
Zimbabwe’s largest military supplier – attempted to ship weapons to
landlocked Zimbabwe in 2008, in the midst of a violent presidential election
crisis, through the South African port of Durban, but South Africa turned
the Chinese-owned cargo ship away. Iran may face similar difficulties, and
with its own government strapped for cash under European Union sanctions, it
may not have China’s financial resources to find alternate routes to deliver
military aid.
Political analysts in Zimbabwe believe the
strengthening military relations between Iran and Zimbabwe are a result of
Zimbabwe’s discovery of diamonds and uranium, which the Asian country wants
to exploit. Discovered in 2006, Zimbabwe’s Marange and Chiadzwa diamond
fields near the eastern town of Mutare have been valued at $70 billion, with
the potential of generating $2.6 billion per year in revenues for the
Zimbabwe government. Zimbabwe’s uranium stocks at Kanyemba, north of Harare,
are estimated to be 455,000 tons.
Major companies that have been
given the rights to mine at Chiadzwa Diamond fields are the Chinese firm
Anjin, which is partnering with the army, Mbada Diamonds, and Marange
Resources. Anjin's company secretary is listed as being Charles Tarumbwa, a
brigadier in the Zimbabwe Defense Forces. Mbada Diamonds' chairman is Robert
Mhlanga, a former air vice-marshal in the Zimbabwean air force. Have
uranium, need help extracting
Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper in the
United Kingdom, Zimbabwe's foreign affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi
confirmed the southern African country possessed uranium ore: "Zimbabwe has
rich uranium reserves, but is faced with shortage of funds and does not
possess the technical knowledge and equipment needed for extracting
[them].... Any country has the right to use peaceful nuclear energy based on
international rules."
Political analysts dismissed the relationship
between Iran and Zimbabwe as a “marriage of convenience.”
“What we
are seeing here is a union between the so called renegade states,” says
Harare-based rights activist Hopewell Gumbo. “They will always converge
because both countries preach anti-Western mantra all the time.
“But
when you analyze the relationship, you will find out that Zimbabwe -- being
the poorer of the two -- will always pander to the whims of the older
brother,” says Mr. Gumbo. “Iran stands to gain in the exploitation of
diamonds and uranium.” Unequal relationship?
Media Institute of
Southern Africa research officer Thabani Moyo said the two countries’
marriage would “contaminate” Zimbabwe more than it would Iran.
“Iran
is running out of friends internationally because of its nuclear
activities,” says Mr. Moyo. “But this is not the time for Zimbabwe to
befriend Iran. I smell a big rat because this relationship only blossomed
after Zimbabwe discovered diamonds.
“I think it is not strategic at
this point in time to have anything to do with Iran. We are bringing
problems to our doorsteps,” said Moyo.
The Monitor's correspondent in
Harare cannot be named for security reasons.
Dave
Fish, Head of the Zimbabwe Office of the United Kingdom’s Department for
International Development (DFID), today announced that Britain is committing
£10 million (over $15 million) to support the Basic Education Assistance
Module (BEAM), a Zimbabwean Government programme which pays for
disadvantaged children to access education and complete
school. 15.03.1209:16am by Keith Scott
BEAM was set up in 2000
and supports orphans and vulnerable children through a basic education
package that includes levies and school and examination fees. In 2012, the
Government allocated $15 million to BEAM to fund secondary school students.
At the request of the Ministries responsible for the programme - Finance,
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, and Labour and Social Welfare – the
United Kingdom Government, through DFID, agreed to fund the shortfall for
primary school students.
Paurina Mpariwa MP, Minister of Labour and
Social Welfare, said: “We are highly appreciative of the $15 million
assistance to BEAM 2012 provided by the UK Government. This will change the
lives of 400,000 orphans and children in need”.
Senator David
Coltart, Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, said: “On behalf of
the Zimbabwean Government, I would like to express my gratitude to the
British Government for this generous assistance, without which hundreds of
thousands of the most vulnerable Zimbabwean children would have been
deprived an education this year”.
Dave Fish, Head of DFID Zimbabwe, said:
“I am delighted that the United Kingdom has once again been able to help the
Government of Zimbabwe channel assistance to those Zimbabweans who most need
it. The $15 million we are committing today is an investment in Zimbabwe’s
future, which we, as friends of Zimbabwe, are only too happy to
support.”
For further information on DFID Zimbabwe Programmes please
visit www.dfid.gov.uk
Posted by Alex Bell on Thursday, March 15,
2012 in Mujuru | 0 comments
By Alex Bell 15 March 2012
The
family of the late former army General Solomon Mujuru, have demanded that
the results of the inquest into his death be released, more than a month
since the enquiry ended.
The court inquest concluded in early February
with more questions than answers about what led to Mujuru’s death, after his
remains were discovered in the burnt-out shell of his Beatrice farm house
last year.
The inquest heard evidence from more than 37 witnesses,
including confusing testimonies about gun shots being heard on the night of
the fire. But the 13-day hearing into the death ended on February 6th with
Harare Magistrate Walter Chikwanha reserving judgment
indefinitely.
Chikwanha also rejected a request by the Mujuru family –
who questioned the findings of state pathologists – for his remains to be
exhumed to facilitate independent forensic tests.
Mujuru’s family has
now petitioned the Attorney General to release the results, although it is
not yet clear if Chikwanha has made a final ruling.
The state run ZBC
reported on Tuesday night that Thakor Kewada, the Mujuru family lawyer, had
written to the Attorney General and asked him to “release the inquest
results to pave the way for further action”.
Prime Minister Morgan is expected to romp to victory by
a 66 percent margin if a presidential election was called now.
According to
latest poll, the MDC-T leader remains the country’s most popular party leader.
His closest challenger is Robert Mugabe who got 17 percent of the
votes.
In third place was
former Finance Minister and now Mavambo Kusile Dawn party leader Simba Makoni.
Fourth was Welshman Ncube who leads the smaller MDC faction, fifth was Job
Sikhala leader of the breakaway MDC-99 faction. ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa came
sixth while Arthur Mutambara came last (7th).
Below is a breakdown of the votes as at
Thursday 15 March 2012 at 17:00 (GMT).
Rank
Leader
Party
Online votes
Percentage
1
Morgan Tsvangirai
MDC-T
2464
66%
2
Robert Mugabe
Zanu PF
642
17%
3
Simba Makoni
Mavambo
323
9%
4
Welshman Ncube
MDC-N
117
3%
5
Job Sikhala
MDC-99
99
3%
6
Dumiso Dabengwa
Zapu
74
2%
7
Arthur Mutambara
MDC-M
40
0%
The poll is
designed to allow readers a chance to vote once and blocks any computer IP
addresses that have already voted. So far 3760 readers have cast their votes and
we encourage more to continue doing so. -Nehanda
Radio
This week, the price of platinum was rising above that of
gold for the first time in months and shares in Impala Platinum's Zimbabwe
unit were up 4% in Australia. But you would never have been able to tell,
judging by the face of Impala Platinum's chief executive, Dave
Brown.
Impala had finally given in and agreed to hand over control of one
of its most prized assets to the Zimbabwe government, and Brown had a
resigned and tired look about him.
Last year, Brown had said the 51%
equity requirement "just does not work". But on Tuesday he said the deal
with government "augurs well for the mining industry in
Zimbabwe".
And now, with the largest foreign investor in Zimbabwe beaten,
the rest are expected to fall quickly into line.
In contrast to
Brown's mood, Zimbabwe government officials looked triumphant this
week.
Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere declared: "I hope this
message will be understood by all mining houses in the
country."
Zimplats is the largest foreign investor in the country, and is
spending $1-billion on expanding its operations, the largest investment by a
foreign investor.
The 51% majority stake will comprise 10% for a
community trust, 10% for Zimplats workers and 31% to the National
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Fund, a state fund that will house
stock acquired from foreign firms.
There were no details given about
how the Zimbabwean government will pay for the shares. According to a
source, the government has placed a $370-million valuation on the 31% that
Zimplats ceded to the empowerment fund, based on valuations on the
Australian Stock Exchange.
When Zimplats offered up a 10% stake a decade
ago, it found no serious takers -- a string of potential local buyers,
including a government trust, failed to put up the cash for the
shares.
This valuation will likely be the source of a lengthy struggle
between the two sides. It is likely, say the sources, that the government
will try to negotiate a "vendor financing" deal, under which it will pay for
the shares through future dividends. Zimplats, however, has said it will not
declare any dividends until its current phase of expansion is
over.
The new shareholders are, however, unlikely to contribute to the
$500-million Zimplats is sinking into the current phase of
expansion.
"The implementation will be at appropriate value and the
details for the transfer of the 51% shareholding in Zimplats will be
addressed by a joint technical team, comprising Implats, the ministry
responsible for indigenisation and the National Indigenisation Economic and
Empowerment Board," Implats said.
Empowerment Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere said no deadline would be placed on the transfer of
shares.
The Implats cave-in will put pressure on other foreign companies
in Zimbabwe.
Among these are Mimosa, a 50-50 joint venture between
Implats and Aquarius Platinum, and Murowa diamond mine, in which Rio Tinto
has a 78% controlling interest. Foreign banks, among them Standard Chartered
and Barclays, are yet to fully satisfy empowerment rules.
"With
Zimplats having capitulated, the other companies are going to be under
pressure too," Tony Hawkins, professor at the University of Zimbabwe's
Graduate School of Business, told Reuters.
Zimbabwe accounts for 10%
of Implats's output, and Zimbabwe's reserves represent some of the world's
best remaining platinum potential. This gave Zimbabwe power in the
negotiations, with Implats desperate to at least keep some of the
business.
A Herald report on Wednesday, believed to have been written by
Kasukuwere's office, said what had lost Zimplats control of the company was
what it called Brown's "arrogant" approach to the negotiations, in which he
had insisted on terms long rejected by the government.
"Zimplats
acquired a special mining lease for $1 but now wants to sell back 36% of the
land from the very same special mining lease and extensions thereto, back to
the Government for $153-million or 29.5% empowerment credits," the report
said.
Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe's elections machinery might just have received the tonic it
needed, as a major mining company capitulated to his much maligned
indigenisation policy.
The world's second largest platinum mining
company, Impala Platinum mines, finally bowed to pressure from Mugabe's
government and agreed to cede 51 per cent of its shareholding in its
subsidiary, Zimplats, to locals.
Mugabe launched his 2002 presidential
election on land reform, forcing out hundreds of white farmers and replacing
them with his supporters. Now parallels are being drawn with the latest
election campaign, which is based on an indigenisation platform, where
foreign firms are being forced to cede a majority of their
shareholdings.
Zimplats had resisted the policy, but the capitulation,
commentators said, will go a long way in propping up Mugabe's election
campaign.
The mining company's decision to give in to indigenisation
demands is likely to send shivers down the spines of other foreign companies
that had been resisting the directive.
Early this week, New Dawn
Mining Corporation, headquartered in Canada, told its shareholders that "it
is currently unable to predict the effect of an inability to arrive at or
implement the controversial indigenisation plan that is acceptable to all
parties involved in the process".
It said due to substantial uncertainty
surrounding the implementation of the indigenisation policy in Zimbabwe
there can be no assurances that it would be successful in its efforts to
comply with the Indigenisation laws and regulations under commercially
viable terms and conditions, or at all.
Zimplats has come in for
criticism for giving in to bullying tactics, while others have argued that
the mining group had little choice but to give in, or lose its lucrative
footing in Zimbabwe.
Some analysts claim Indigenisation Minister, Saviour
Kasukuwere is the major beneficiary as his political star just brightened.
"He is Zanu PF man of the moment. Kasukuwere was tasked with winning
elections for Mugabe and Zanu PF using the indigenisation drive and the
takeover of mining companies" said Monica Chipinza, a political analyst. "He
has delivered part of it this week with the Zimplats take over".
On
Kasukuwere's 'victory' Chipunza said "Kasukuwere is known to harbour
ambitions for higher office but only time will tell whether Mugabe will
return the favour."
In a country where a political career is hugely
depended on a patronage system, Kasukuwere's career is surely on the
rise.
Kasukuwere has long cast himself as a champion of the poor and a
vehement opponent of western imperialism, who is bent on ensuring that
Zimbabweans controls the country's mineral and economic resources.
Posted by Tichaona Sibanda on
Thursday, March 15, 2012 in Judiciary | 0 comments
Murdered police
inspector, Petros Mutedza
By Tichaona Sibanda 15 March 2012
The
defence team applying to the High Court for bail for 29 MDC-T members says
it is increasingly frustrated at the delaying tactics by state prosecutors
to have their clients set free.
Charles Kwaramba, the lead defence
lawyer, said this as the bail application for the group was postponed for
the fifth time in 10 days.
The hearing, which was set for Thursday, has
been postponed to Friday. This latest postponement was a result of Judge
Chinembiri Bhunu not feeling well enough to continue with the
case.
‘We cannot fault the Judge’s illness but we should not be going
through this whole issue of bail application for people who have been on
bail before.
‘Surely it’s not an issue that should be argued in court for
days. The state should have simply agreed to let them continue on bail as
they have proved they can be trusted,’ Kwaramba said. The lawyer said it was
also clear the state case was crumbling, as shown by the state’s desperation
to bring in an additional charge, that of public violence.
‘They are
now on a fishing expedition. From our perspective, the state realises that
if they can’t get the group on a murder charge, they would possibly get them
on a smaller charge of public violence. We see that as the only motive for
the additional charge,’ said Kwaramba.
The 29 MDC-T members are accused
of murdering police inspector, Petros Mutedza. However the group denies any
involvement, saying the cop was fatally assaulted by patrons at a Glen View
bar who were discussing football. Seven members of the group spent 9 months
in custody.
They were released a month ago, and had only tasted freedom
for just two weeks before they were taken into custody again. Among those
who packed the High court on Thursday were MDC-T cabinet ministers Tendai
Biti, Tapiwa Mashakada, Elton Mangoma, and Giles Mutsekwa.
The UK government is facing serious criticism, for
appearing to support Robert Mugabe’s regime through a multi million pound
gap year placement scheme.
It’s understood that one of the applicants
for the placement initiative has already pulled out, amid concerns about
being sent to Zimbabwe. The initiative, the International Citizen Service
Programme, is a UK government sponsored global volunteering service and is
worth an estimated £35 million. According to a leading independent volunteer
service-abroad organisation, the UK’s ‘gap year placement’ scheme this year
includes placements and spending in Zimbabwe.
Dr. Peter Slowe the
founder of the Projects Abroad organisation said this week that the UK
Government, “should not be paying for young people to go to Zimbabwe. It’s
dangerous for the people involved and it also gives direct support to Robert
Mugabe’s brutal and corrupt dictatorship.”
“The Mugabe regime uses this
kind of ‘aid’ programme to mock the British Government as weak and inept,
and this is a potential propaganda coup for them. Let’s stop it now before
people around the world think that we support the excesses of Robert
Mugabe’s government – which include ruining an economy and causing mass
starvation, murdering farmers because they are white, and imprisoning,
torturing and killing political opponents,” Dr. Slowe said.
The
placement scheme is a volunteer experience funded by the UK’s government,
which gives young people across the UK the chance to “join in the fight
against global poverty.” According to Prime Minister David Cameron it was
inspired by the US Peace Corps. The scheme was launched in March 2011 and
aims to place more than a thousand 18 to 22 year-old UK citizens in
developing countries to support aid projects
But Dr. Slowe said the
aims of the International Citizen Service are undermined by the situation in
Zimbabwe, saying even the UK is contradicting itself by sending people
there. He said the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office website
contradicts the plans by talking about “numerous politically motivated
attacks across Zimbabwe, including abduction, and the assault, torture and
murder of opposition supporters, NGO workers, lawyers and those perceived to
be against President Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.”
Dr. Slowe was
unavailable for comment on Thursday.
But according to former Zimbabwean
diplomat, and now UK based analyst Clifford Mashiri, the UK risks “appearing
to endorse the Mugabe government and its policies,” by sending its citizens
there.
“Honestly it is not the right time to be sending people there.
There are so many issues and even the work of NGOs working in the country
has been stopped by ZANU PF,” Mashiri said.
Mashiri also questioned
why the UK appeared to be trying to normalise the situation in Zimbabwe,
when “the situation is not normal at all.”
“We can only assume that they
are desperate to normalise their relations to secure their interests there,”
Mashiri said.
Rights activist Paul Chizuze has been missing since 8th
February. Despite extensive efforts made civil society organizations to
determine his fate his whereabouts are still unknown. Many of his friends
and family now fear the worst.
Chizuze went missing on the night of
8th February and his friends and colleagues launched a campaign on social
media networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, to try and find out where he
is.
Pressure group Sokwanele first put out an alert on its website saying
Chizuze ‘allegedly left his home around 8 pm on 8th February, and what
happened after this remains a mystery. He may have been murdered, hijacked
or abducted by parties unknown.’
He was last seen driving a white
twin cab Nissan Hardbody (registration ACJ 3446) which is also missing.
Organizations led by the Christian group Churches in Bulawayo and the
Solidarity Peace Trust have issued several appeals saying they fear Chizuze
may have been ‘murdered.’
Chizuze was well known for his paralegal work
with civic organizations like the Amani Trust. Over the last three decades,
Paul has been either employed by, or active with, the Legal Resources
Foundation, Amani Trust Matabeleland, The Catholic Commission for Justice
and Peace, ZimRights, Churches in Bulawayo, CivNet, and Masakhaneni Trust.
He also worked closely with Senator David Coltart, the Education Minister.
Sithembile
Mlotshwa told a parliamentary committee that prisoners can go without food
and clothing as long as they satisfy their sexual needs, and should be given
"sex gadgets" to "curb homosexuality." Erin Conway-SmithMarch 14, 2012
17:16
JOHANNESBURG — A Zimbabwean senator has called for prison
inmates to be provided with sex gadgets for "when the desire arises," to
prevent them from "spreading" homosexuality.
Sithembile Mlotshwa, a
senator from Matobo, Zimbabwe, told a parliamentary committee Monday that
prisoners can go without food and clothing as long as they satisfy their
sexual needs, the state-run Herald newspaper reported.
In Zimbabwe,
prison conditions are notoriously terrible, and many prisoners never make it
out alive. A 2009 documentary aired on South African television showed
emaciated prisoners living in "death camp"-like conditions.
According
to the Herald, Mlotshwa "urged the government to forgo clothes and food and
provide 'sex gadgets' in prisons to curb homosexuality."
“Considering
that some of the same-sex orientation (homosexuality) come from prisons and
when those people are out they then spread that orientation, what measures
are you putting in place to make sure that vice is stopped?” she asked the
Committee on Gender and Development.
“In other countries they provide sex
gadgets and they have also constructed rooms where people go and service
themselves when the desire arises,” she said.
Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe is notoriously anti-gay. His rants about homosexuality have
for years been a staple of his public speeches, and gays and lesbians have
faced serious political repression under his rule.
More from GlobalPost:
Photos of Trump family's Africa hunting safari spark outrage
Maxwell
Ranga, acting secretary for justice and legal affairs, said his ministry
faced serious financial constraints.
“If I am struggling to feed and
clothe the prisoners, then how can I ask for gadgets?" he said, in response
to Mlotshwa's questioning.
The "sex gadgets" referred to by Mlotshwa were
not specified.
Last year, she told fellow senators that the only avenue
left to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS among married people in Zimbabwe was by
injecting men with an “immobilizer” to reduce their sexual
appetite.
Mlotshwa made the comments during a debate on the first report
on HIV/AIDS dealing with access to treatment, in the country's Senate,
according to the Herald.
Health Reporter Authorities at Harare Central Hospital have
resorted to buying water for use in critical departments as water supplies
at the referral centre continue to be erratic. The hospital’s operations
director Mr Cliff Ngwata said the situation has forced them to buy water
tanks for all critical departments to ensure services were not
disrupted. “What we have done is to put water tanks at critical areas. When
tap water runs dry we buy water and fill our reservoirs,” Mr Ngwata
said. The critical departments include maternity, theatre, X-ray and the
steam boilers. Boilers provide the hospital with steam or hot water for
vital needs such as space heating. Mr Ngwata said the X-ray department stops
offering any services if there is no water while the steam boilers will have
to function less hours than expected. “The boiler needs at least 8 000
litres of water an hour and it is expected to function 24 hours but
currently it is operating for lesser hours because we cannot afford to buy
water for it to operate at full throttle,” Mr Ngwata said. He said the
X-ray department, maternity and theatres need at least 20 000 litres of
water each a day. “The cost of water is not very expensive but is not
sustainable as a long term solution. “We continue to engage the City
Council on the best way to get constant supplies considering that we are an
institution whose majority of services require water supplies,” he
said. Mr Ngwata said they are buying water at a cost of US$10 for 10 000
litres and they spend US$190 a day to buy water. Water is available
during the day but runs dry overnight. The hospital, Mr Ngwata said, had so
far installed eight tanks to cover the theatre and x-ray units. The
institution however, needs more tanks. The United Nations Children’s Fund
recently donated four tanks for the Children’s Hospital. Harare Central
Hospital, according the city fathers, has been experiencing water problems
owing to its citing, which is at a hilltop such that if there is no pressure
taps go dry.
Comments SON OF SOIL - Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 02:28
AMWHAT A SHAME THAT THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN REDUCED TO A PILE OF RUBBISH. HOW
CAN DISEASE AND INFECTIONS BE CONTROLLED WHEN YOU DONT EVEN HAVE BASIC
DRINKING WATER IN A HOSPITAL . THIS IS A MAJOR HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY WHICH
IS BUYING WATER. WHAT IN THE HELL HAS HAPPENNED TO US. NO WONDER WHY PEOPLE
A DYING LIKE FLIERS IN ALL THESE INSTITUTIONS. TO HELL WITH THIS
GOVERNMENT.
freekick - Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 11:52 AMNdizvo
zvinoitwa izvi Gwata.Kwete kungogara muchizhamba muchiti hamuna mvura. Thats
why these days we now have a new slogan:THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Izvi zvekuti
he-e tiri pagomo,pressure ishoma,ko kareko yaingosvika wani.Saka munoda kuti
hurumende ivake imwe HCH ku-lake Chivero!
jojo - Thursday, March 15,
2012 at 12:16 PMthis is pathetic,this is a crime to humanity, this is the
lowest of the low ,this is inhuman ,this is totally unacceptable and this
should never ever be allowed to occur again.
j moyo - Thursday, March 15,
2012 at 05:13 PMmucha mufunga ian smith mucha murota. at least he gave us
some decent service
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, March 16, 2:37
AM
JOHANNESBURG — Five Southern African nations on Thursday agreed to
form the world’s largest international conservation area in an effort to
protect nearly half of the continent’s elephants and a vast range of
animals, birds and plants, many endangered by poaching and human
encroachment.
At a ceremony in Namibia on Thursday government ministers
from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe put their official seal
on a cross-border treaty set to combine 36 nature preserves and surrounding
areas.
The World Wildlife Fund said the countries will cooperate
on measures to allow animals to roam freely across their borders over
170,000 square miles (440,000 square kilometers), almost the size of
Sweden.
The Kavango Zambezi area includes the Victoria Falls World
Heritage site in Zimbabwe and Botswana’s famed swampland of the Okavango
Delta.
Conservationists say historical migration routes of animals have
been curtailed by national borders and man-made conflict. The decades-long
civil war in Angola saw elephant herds, notoriously skittish to gunfire,
fleeing far from their own habitats.
Already, Botswana is dismantling
a fence on its border with Namibia after steps were taken to curb the spread
of animal diseases.
According to the treaty put into effect Thursday, the
Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, known as KAZA, is home to
about 45 percent of Africa’s elephants. Along with other game animals, it
has a rare heritage of at least 600 species of birds and 3,000 species of
plants.
Previous attempts to set up massive cross-border conservancies in
Africa have failed largely because impoverished local communities weren’t
engaged to help before governments signed up, said Chris Weaver, the World
Wildlife Fund’s regional director in Namibia.
“This is very
different. It has a very strong community focus,” he told The Associated
Press in a telephone interview.
He said local communities are getting
jobs and revenue from tourism in return for their role in protecting the
environment.
An independent secretariat has been established to
coordinate work between state wildlife authorities and community groups
across the region. The German KFW development bank plowed $40 million into
getting the KAZA conservancy up and running, Weaver said.
Last year,
he said, rural Namibians earned some $700,000 from their own
conservation-related activities. The money went toward further training,
transportation, water supplies and improvements for schools and
clinics.
Weaver said in recent history wildlife and nature preserves
traditionally belonged to state governments. That had encouraged poachers to
steal animals from the state, a distant and alien owner.
Now the KAZA
conservancy offered tangible benefits across the board to communities and
member countries.
“It is good news for conservation in southern Africa,”
Weaver said.
For two years Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF has been ratcheting up
the pressure on foreign-owned firms demanding that they dispose of a minimum
of 51 per cent of their shares to indigenous Zimbabweans. This week’s
agreement (in principle) for the localisation of majority ownership of
Zimbabwe’s largest exporter Zimplats has the potential to be a gamechanger,
economically and politically.
With elections due in the next 18
months, the Zanu-PF will be keen to push on with the programme. So which
companies are next in line?
Last August, David Brown, CEO of South
African miner Impala Platinum which owns 87 percent of Zimplats, rejected
the Zimbabwean government’s demands on the ground that to give 51 per cent
ownership to local institutions was “unworkable” and would “retard
investment”. But by March 13 the unworkable had become acceptable – in
principle. Brown stresses that there is no agreement yet on either the
timing of Impala’s divestment, or the valuation of Impala’s shareholding,
estimated by analysts at a minimum of $350m.
Now that Zimbabwe’s largest
foreign investor has signed up, the focus will switch first to the other big
mining houses – Anglo Plats which operates the Unki platinum mine, Rio Tinto
(Murowa Diamonds) and an Impala associate company, Mimosa Platinum. Behind
these big boys stand dozens of small and medium foreign-owned mines, mostly
gold, that will now be expected to toe the “indigenisation line.” The threat
to the industry that is driving the country’s recovery is acute.
The
Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines sees the deal as a precedent that will set the
tone for the months ahead, and not just in the mining industry. Zimbabwe’s
firebrand Indigenisation minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, who is leading the
charge is a man in a hurry. Zanu-PF sees what it calls “total empowerment”
as its best – and probably only – chance of winning at the
polls.
After mining, next in line for forced local ownership are the
banks. The government has long criticised foreign banks – Barclays, Standard
Chartered, South African-owned Stanbic and the Merchant Bank of Central
Africa – for unduly conservative lending practices and their holding of
large amounts of their deposits offshore in nostro accounts. Many
politicians and some businesspeople are convinced that the solution to the
country’s current liquidity squeeze is local ownership of these
“unpatriotic” banks. Foreign insurers, and especially the highly unpopular
Old Mutual will also be forced to comply with the indigenisation
law.
The government also has its eyes on a handful of high profile
companies, especially in tobacco (BAT, US-owned Zimbabwe Leaf Tobacco);
consumer goods companies Nestlé and Unilever; and BOC Gases and dozens of
lesser-known industrial firms.
Flushed with his apparent victory over
Zimplats, Kasukuwere seems certain to try and accelerate his localisation
programme, but because the Zimbabwe government is broke – with offshore
debts of $10bn, including $6.5bn in arrears – he may be forced to settle for
many more “agreements in principle”, leaving such tiresome details as
financing to be resolved later.
Whether a string of high profile
indigenisation successes would be enough to swing the election Mugabe’s way
is doubtful, though Zanu-PF propagandists can be expected to exploit their
perceived Impala victory to the full. But whatever the political impact of
more Impala-type deals, there seems little doubt that the economic impact
will be substantially negative.
It is understandable that companies
already invested in the country should seek to protect their businesses by
conceding majority local ownership. But potential investors waiting on the
sidelines are likely to give the country a wide berth. The Zimbabwe
government is about to learn that capitalism without capital cannot work.
HARARE, 15 March 2012
(PlusNews) - Zimbabwe's ambitious plan to offer an HIV test to every household
in the country is not yet under way but is already being met with scepticism by
activists who feel this is not a priority for the country, especially with
global HIV/AIDS funding on the decline.
Owen Mugurungi, national
coordinator of the HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Unit, told IRIN/PlusNews the
government wanted every sexually active Zimbabwean to know their status by 2015
by bringing HIV testing closer to the people. “We have not secured additional
funds for this initiative but I think that with the little available resources
from the AIDS Levy we can start with a pilot in a few districts. Lessons learnt
from the pilot programme will be used in the phased rollout of the programme,"
he said.
The AIDS levy - a 3
percent tax on income - has become a promising source of funding for the country
in recent years - an estimated US$20.5 million was collected in 2010; with most
of the money being used to purchase antiretroviral (ARV) medication.
“Prevention, prevention and prevention is the only way we can control
the epidemic; that is why HIV testing and counselling are critical,” he added.
HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe has declined
remarkably in recent years, dropping from 26 percent to 14 percent between 1997
and 2009; however, at 13 percent now, it remains one of the highest in the
world.
Tinashe Mundawarara, programme manager for the HIV/AIDS, Human
Rights and Law Project at the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, warns of the
possibility of compromising on informed consent and confidentiality when testing
is done on a large scale.
“When properly done, door-to-door testing has
its advantages, for example, reaching out to people who ordinarily face
challenges in accessing Voluntary Counselling and Testing,” said Mundawarara.
"When this is not properly done, there are high chances of ostracism, violence,
stigma and abuse in the home because disclosure will take new dimensions that
are not anticipated given the complex scenario of the home environment.”
Door-to-door testing was successfully piloted in Bushenyi District, in
western Uganda, between January 2005 and February 2007, reaching 63 percent of
all households. A study of the impact of the programme found that the benefits
of home counselling and testing were far-reaching.
But in 2008 Human
Rights Watch and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA)
jointly conducted research on Lesotho's “Know Your
Status” door-to-door testing campaign, which planned to offer 1.3 million people
an HIV test within two years. The report found that many counsellors were
ill-equipped to conduct HIV counselling and testing, and the counselling they
provided was often substandard, raising concern about whether people’s consent
to test — or their decision not to test — was actually informed.
Funding questions
In addition, the household
testing campaign would require a lot of funding. “The challenge here is whether
to use resources for identifying new HIV-positive clients for information or
statistical purposes or to use the same resources to provide treatment for those
already identified who need treatment now,” Mundawarara said.
Activists
have also raised concerns about whether the testing campaign will go beyond
merely testing people, and whether it will motivate them to change their sexual
behaviours and also refer those testing positive to treatment facilities.
At least 1.2 million people are estimated to be living with HIV in
Zimbabwe. Of these 347,000 are accessing treatment through the state-run
programme, while another 600,000 urgently need ARVs. With limited money to scale
up the provision of ARVs, the healthcare system would not have the capacity to
treat those testing positive during the campaign, activists have cautioned.
According to AIDS activist
Tendayi Westerhof, the time for such campaigns has long passed, and the
government should be focusing on using the little resources available to
strengthen its treatment programme and consolidate prevention strategies such as
male circumcision and condom distribution.
“It makes economic sense that
the little resources available must be focused on the Prevention of Mother to
Child Transmission and ARVs for people living with HIV who are in urgent need of
treatment. Zimbabwe is among the 23 countries that are implementing the Global
Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and
keeping their mothers alive.”
But Mugurungi insists government is
focused on universal access to HIV prevention and treatment in line with the
Millennium Development Goals and commitments of the UN High-Level Meeting on
AIDS of June 2011.
“It would be narrow-minded to focus on treatment
while leaving out prevention. After all, HIV testing and counselling is an entry
point to HIV care and treatment, support and mitigation, so those who are
advocating for more funds for treatment should be reminded that if people don't
know their status they will not access treatment and people will continue to
present late for treatment and might die, yet drugs are available and
stockpiled,” said Mugurungi.
[This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
Only then will you find that money cannot be
eaten.
Cree Indian Prophecy
14th March 2012
UPDATE ON CHIREDZI RIVER
CONSERVANCY
Despite numerous reports and photos having
been supplied to the authorities, the destruction of Chiredzi River Conservancy
by illegal settlers continues unabated. It is now alleged that the settlers are
putting together a petition to present to parliament requesting that all the
elephants be shot as they are destroying their crops. This is a very strange
request in view of the fact that crops can't be successfully grown in this arid,
unarable area.
Settlers have now started invading Oscro
Ranch which is one of the last remaining areas of Chiredzi River Conservancy
with no settlers. They are moving into the area, chopping down trees and
building shelters. All these people have already taken land elsewhere in the
conservancy. Reports are made daily to the police but they have not responded.
It is alleged that war vets are the driving force behind these invasions.
RHINO POACHING IN SOUTH AFRICA
Rhino poaching in South Africa has reached
shocking proportions with 448 killed last year and it is believed, around 110
killed this year already. A big thank you to the South African authorities who
are making a huge effort to strike back at the poachers.
Five men, including 2 game farmers and game
rangers have been arrested in a sting operation involving an alleged rhino
poaching syndicate. The men arrested were Ewart Potgieter, Riaan Vermaak,
Filemon Mbatha, Nkosinathi Sithole and Mduduzi Sithole.
In a stop-and-search operation by South
African police, Joseph (Big Joe) Nyalunga, one of the most wanted men in the
underworld of rhino poaching was arrested after being caught with 4 rhino horns
hidden behind the seat of his car.
Four people were arrested in Bedfordview
when they were found in possession of rhino horn after a car crash.
Five poachers were arrested at Madikwe Game
Reserve in the North West.
Two men believed to be linked to several
rhino poaching incidents in Kruger National Park were arrested after being found
with a weapon aand ammunition stashed under the seat of their car.
Three Mozambiquan citizens, Aselmo Baloyi,
Jawaki Nkuna and Ismael Baloyi were sentenced to 25 years each after being found
guilty of illegally huntin rhino in Kruger National Park.
Chumlong Lemtongthai and Marnus Steyl
appeared in court after being accused of running one of South Africa's largest
rhino horn smuggling syndicates wherein they used prostitutes to pose as trophy
hunters.
Nine suspected poachers have been arrested
in the Limpopo and North West.
A man has been arrested in Pretoria for
illegal possession of rhino horns.
A driver, Sipho Mkhwanazi was sentenced to 3
years in prison or a fine of R10 000 for transporting rhino horns.
Two rhino poachers were shot dead in a
follow up operation after eight rhino carcasses were discovered near
Pretoriuskop and Lower Sabi.
Four government wildlife staff including a
game ranger and a traffic policeman have been arrested for killing rhinos in the
Kruger National park.
Three veterinarians and five other men
appeared in court in connection with the wrongful possession and distribution of
scheduled veterinary drugs commonly used in rhino poaching.
SHERWOOD TREE PLANTING DAY
Sherwood Golf Club has committed itself to
helping the environment by going green and one of their first projects is to
plant up to 2000 trees. They are working hand in hand with COSMO Trust, the
Monavale community organisation which maintains one of the few remaining
wetlands in the Harare area.
On Saturday, 3rd March, they held a tree
planting ceremony at the golf course where trees, supplied by COSMO were sold to
interested people. The trees purchased were planted on the golf course and
tagged with the purchaser's name so that the buyer can monitor its growth. The
money raised from selling the trees will go towards preserving the
wetlands.
In addition to tree planting, Sherwood Golf
Club is also using environmentally friendly fertilizers. They are actively
involved with various organisations and individuals in cleaning up the
environment by collecting materials for recycling. Empty tin cans (beer or soft
drinks) can be dropped off at the club where they will be stored for recycling.
The official tree planting ceremony was held
at 12 noon and a talk was given by the Honourable Member of Parliament, Ms J
Majome.
We would like to comment Sherwood Golf Club
for the stance they have taken in helping to preserve our environment and we
encourage other clubs to follow their example.
THANK YOU
A very big thank you to the following people
who have assisted us with funds recently. If you have donated and your name is
not on the list, please email us so we can check up on it.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task
Force relies soley on public donations. Your donation can help to preserve the
wildlife in Zimbabwe. If you would like to assist, please contact
us.
For a party apparently riddled with factionalism, whose
organizational structure is in decay, with an 88 year old as its best
candidate in future presidential elections, one may be tempted to think that
Zanu PF would be wary of elections anytime soon. But the former sole ruling
party in Zimbabwe for over three decades is in a buoyant mood, taunting the
Movement for Democratic Change to elections, dismissing calls for reforms as
cheap talk from electoral cowards. I will not take Zanu PF’s push for early
elections as a bluff, or political grandstanding, but as a genuine move
informed by five key factors that I shall explore in greater detail
below.
Firstly, the Mugabe factor favours an early poll with Zanu PF
leader Robert Mugabe as presidential candidate with the expectation that
after the polls Mugabe would go about re-organizing his party to appoint a
chosen successor. Mugabe himself conceded that it is not yet time for him to
think of a succession plan as his party is deeply divided at the moment and
that there is no other candidate from within Zanu PF who could rally to
party together and defeat prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai in an
election.
Secondly, the military factor is that the politicized and
extremely partisan military leadership is presently behind president Mugabe
and Zanu PF, but such loyalty cannot be guaranteed in perpetuity. Therefore
an early election would suit Zanu PF as the military can be counted upon, as
in 2008, to step in and avert or reverse an electoral victory by Tsvangirai.
In any case, should Zanu PF lose the elections, widespread chaos maybe
sponsored to justify direct military intervention under the guise of
restoring order. In the meantime, the key military figures would then
formally join civilian politics.
SADC may protest, but Zanu PF may
count on support from some of the states run by former liberation movements
like Angola, Namibia and Mozambique. President Sata of Zambia may tacitly
support Mugabe. And of course at a global level, the military and political
relations that Zanu PF is cultivating with China and Iran are expected to
come in handy to thwart any international action against Zanu PF under the
international responsibility to protect principle. As the case of Syria
shows, having big allies like Russia and China can be a useful assert to
rogue regimes and human rights abusing dictators.
Thirdly, the
resources factor – although finance minister Tendai Biti (MDC) has managed to
tighty control government finances, Zanu PF has managed to unlock other
significant financial resources through the implementation of its
controversial indeginization policies and through opaque operations in
Marange diamond fields. There is no transparency or accountability regarding
diamond revenue from Marange amind speculation that it is controlled by Zanu
PF allies. Recently, South Africa-based Impala Platinum, the world’s second
largest platinum ′producer and the biggest foreign investor in Zimbabwe,
agreed surrender a 51 percent stake in its Zimplats unit as part of the
shadowy implementation of the indigenization policies.
Access to large
sums of cash would enable Zanu PF to mount a massive election campaign,
including through the indeginization community share ownership schemes that
are being presented to communities as Zanu PF policies of
empowerment.
Fourthly, the absence of reforms factor works in favour of
Zanu PF’s call for early elections. State media (radio, television and
print), remain de facto mouth-pieces for Zanu PF while vilifying the MDC and
other pro-democracy forces. The elections management body, the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (ZEC) has not been fully reformed to make it
independent and non-partisan. Scores of its employees are from the army and
the state intelligence organization and suspected of being partisan towards
Zanu PF. The core-group of individuals responsible for subverting key state
institutions and making them partisan can be traced back to Zimbabwe’s
liberation struggle, and therefore, through the passage of time, the group
getting diminished, hence the drive for early elections.
Finally, the
win-win factor provides that Zanu PF needs not fear early elections because,
suppose Zanu PF controversially ‘wins’ the elections through the deployment
of violence, intimidation, vote-rigging, supported by general voter-apathy,
then well and good – Mugabe will either choose a successor or choose to
succeed himself. But on the other hand, if it becomes clear that no amount
of rigging, vote-buying or coercion can carry the day for Mugabe and his
party, then the alternative route would be to sponsor anarchy and provide
the perfect excuse for the securocrats, who for a long time have operating
behind the scenes, to step forward.
Notwithstanding all these factors, by
putting forward Mugabe as presidential candidate, Zanu PF is taking a huge
gamble. The next election may not be about electing another leader or party,
but about totally rejecting Zanu PF and everything that it stands for. There
comes a time in people’s struggles, when all that people want is change.
Zambia’s last election was about change. I believe Zimbabwe has reached that
stage.
Dewa Mavhinga, Regional Coordinator, Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition
Dewa Mavhinga (Acting Director, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
Hre) Regional Coordinator Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Regional Office
[SA]
In his latest article in the Sunday Mail
(11.03.12),Professor Jonathan Moyo raised the following issues: that Prime
Minister Tsvangirai is inciting violence and must be arrested, that the
conclusion of the current constitution making process has to be delayed and
that the process should only be pursued after elections. Further he asserts
that it was better for Copac to enlist the services of Dr. Lovemore Madhuku
instead of Mr. Hassen Ebrahim as its consultant. He ends up by giving the
Copac process no chance of success.
That Professor Moyo finds nothing
good about Prime Minister Tsvangirai is as obvious as many an MDC cadre
finds nothing good about President Mugabe. However the temptation that
Professor Moyo apparently falls into is always to taint any possible
narration of words or deeds associated with Prime Minister Tsvangirai with
personal prejudice and propaganda.
The position of Prime Minister
Tsvangirai and the MDC regarding elections is well known. Any future
elections in Zimbabwe must produce a leadership that is an undoubted and
undoubtable manifestation of the will of the people of Zimbabwe. In other
words it must be a product of the free expression of the people's will. This
necessarily means that in this election there must be total eradication of
all forms of election violence and especially state sponsored violence. To
that end anything that causes violence or gives any section or group of
people the incentive for engaging in violence must be totally eradicated.
For example the selective application of the law whereby some people are
constantly harassed by the law enforcement agents while others are never
prosecuted despite committing offences must be completely eradicate. The
police must be allowed to bring all perpetrators of political violence to
book without fear or favour. Further, all hate language propagated against
political opponents through the public media must disappear altogether. The
public broadcaster must stop acting as a mouthpiece of one political
party.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai, the people of Zimbabwe and the entire
leadership of SADC have already expressed a determination to avoid any
future general election in Zimbabwe that replicates the 2008 presidential
runoff election. The Global Political Agreement clearly spells out all those
reforms that have to be undertaken before an election can be called in
Zimbabwe. Through the SADC initiative our negotiators embarked on the
construction of a road map towards free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. This
is a clear acknowledgement by all political parties that the playing field
has to be levelled before elections can be called for. A few things remain
outstanding on that road map. One such thing is that the MDC is insisting
that it is unfair to allow the same secretariat that ran the sham June 2008
elections to be tasked with running any future elections. Further, steps
must be taken to ensure that there will be no state sponsored violence and
that the police, CIO and army officers must not seek to influence the
outcome of this election as this is a purely civilian process. Although the
negotiators agreed on the elimination of hate speech the responsible
minister who is ZANU PF has not effected that agreement and the MDC remains
a victim of unprecedented vitriol and hate speech.
The gist of what
President Tsvangirai has been saying is that, calling for an election
without levelling the playing field is a recipe for disaster. If those
factors that provide incentives for some people to engage in violence are
not eradicated then the calling of an election is akin to a declaration of
war against the hapless masses of Zimbabwe. People will be butchered in cold
blood as happened in June 2008. The mark of a good leader is to see disaster
from the distance and seek to avert it. It is surprising therefore to see
Professor Moyo calling on the pliable Attorney General Tomana to prosecute
President Tsvangirai for speaking the truth. Justice demands that the likes
of Professor Moyo applaud the Prime Minister for his statesmanship,
abnegation and farsightedness.
Professor Moyo argues that the new
constitution is not necessary before the next election. This argument is
difficult to comprehend. The Global Political Agreement to which ZANU PF is
a signatory clearly spells out that the constitution making process must be
embarked upon. This process is a key ingredient of Zimbabwe's
democratization agenda. For the past three years, ZANU PF has been an active
participant in the constitution making process and has even determined key
events in this process. It is represented in the Select Committee and the
management committee which are the bodies running this process. Both bodies
agree that the constitution must be completed without delay. In crafting the
roadmap, all the negotiators from across the political devide have agreed
that the completion of the constitution exercise is a key milestone in the
journey towards free and fair elections. For ZANU PF to start arguing
otherwise is highly confusing.
More ominous is the suggestion that
the constitution process must be delayed. We have already been running the
process for three years and the state and its cooperating partners have
pumped in millions of dollars in the process. The people of Zimbabwe
participated in the public outreach exercise and spoke on what they want
included in the constitution. They are waiting patiently for the official
draft to see whether their views were adequately covered. To that end the
Select Committee is in the process of finalizing the revision of the draft
constitution so that it can be presented to the people of Zimbabwe. From an
objective point of view the work is therefore almost completed. The question
that arises is, given all this progress, why are some people now calling
for the same process to be delayed? The inescapable conclusion is that
these people feel so comfortable under the current constitution and do not
want the changes that the people of Zimbabwe so clearly
demanded.
There is a suggestion that Copac should have hired Dr.
Lovemore Madhuku as its consultant instead of Mr. Hassan Ebrahim. This is
also a very surprising submission from Professor Moyo given his publicly
stated views on Dr. Madhuku . However it may be of interest to note that
when Copac was formed the Co-Chairpersons approached Dr. Madhuku as a
representative of a key stakeholder in civil society with a view of engaging
him constructively in this process. For reasons best known to himself Dr.
Madhuku flatly refused and we could not force him to work with
us.
Before the commencement of the constitution making process the
government of Zimbabwe signed a project document with the UNDP representing
the donors. This project document provided among other things that the UNDP
would assist Copac with technical expertise that it would require from time
to time. Pursuant to this agreement Copac hired technical experts from such
countries as Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to provide expert advice on
various issues.
In its wisdom the Copac wanted a technical advisor to
work with it during the drafting process. It preferred somebody who had been
associated with successful constitution making processes either in his home
country or elsewhere in the world. This person had to be an authority in
constitutional law and constitution making. It found Mr. Hassen Ebrahim the
most suitable candidate.
Mr. Ebrahim was closely associated and did
successfully administer the constitution making program in South Africa.
Anybody objective would confirm that South Africa has one of the best
constitutions in the world. He also worked in similar projects in Nepal,
Somalia, Uganda and Zimbabwe during the days of the Constitutional
Commission.He is the author of a serminal book entitled the 'Soul of a
Nation' which details how the South Africans successfully crafted their
constitution.Regrettably all experts we knew from Zimbabwe have never run
any successful constitution making programs that we know.
Those who
ran the 2000 project attracted the disapproval of Zimbabweans as evidenced
in the rejection of their work by the people of Zimbabwe in the referendum.
We also drew much comfort from the fact that Mr. Ebrahim was at one time
engaged to work with Professor Moyo during the Constitutional Commission
days. The people of Zimbabwe may also want to know that Professor Moyo and
his colleagues in the Constitutional Commission, engaged exactly the same
drafters that Copac have now engaged. It appears that as long as he was
working with Professor Moyo in 1999 and 2000 Mr. Ebrahim was a good man and
ceased to be so because he is now working in a program in which Professor
Moyo is not. It appears that when the current drafters were working for the
Constitutional Commission of which Professor Moyo was part they were good
people but they have ceased to be so simply because they are working with a
program in which Professor Moyo is not involved!
That Copac will produce
a constitution that Zimbabweans will overwhelmingly vote for is beyond any
doubt. We hope that those who failed to bring a new constitution for
Zimbabwe or were dropped from Copac for their incompetency are not allowed
to succeed in disturbing this process. The people of Zimbabwe must decide on
whether of not Copac has failed in the referendum.
State on “fishing expedition” as charges against MDC members crumble
Thursday, 15 March 2012
The High Court bail application for the 29 MDC
members who are being falsely charged of murder and public violence has been
postponed to tomorrow after Justice Chinembiri Bhunu said he was not feeling
well to continue with the matter.
The hearing started this morning
with the defence giving its submissions and the matter was scheduled to
resume in the afternoon with the State giving its response but the matter
was cancelled due to the non-availability of the judge.
During their
submissions in the morning, the defence lawyers accused the State of going
on a “fishing expedition” as it has no solid evidence against the
accused.
The defence lawyers said when the accused were arrested last
year, they were charged with murdering a police officer in Glen View,
Harare. However, when they were indicted early this month, the State
proffered new charges of public violence.
“As far as the defence is
concerned, the State case is weaker as defined by a new charge – on initial
remand they were only charged for murder – but now through indictment, the
State has proffered public violence charges,” said defence lawyer, Charles
Kwaramba.
“In the minds of the accused the State is on a fishing
expedition. We believe it is a climb down on the part of the State. It
does not have solid evidence on the matter and as a result the accused are
proper candidates for bail,” said Kwaramba.
Another defence lawyer,
Gift Mtisi said the State case was collapsing “like a deck of
cards.”
“The State had ample time to investigate but there is no single
witness who positively identifies the appellants. The AG (Attorney General)
has failed to put facts which strengthen the State case. They are limping
and have proffered another charge, which is of public violence,” said
Mtisi.
After the defence lawyers’ submissions, State prosecutor, Edmore
Nyazamba made an undertaking to make a response in the afternoon but the
matter was later postponed to tomorrow.
Hundreds of MDC officials,
members, the relatives and friends of the accused, packed Court A where the
matter is being held.
Among the senior MDC officials who attended today’s
hearing were, Hon. Tendai Biti, the party’s Secretary-General and his
deputy, Hon. Tapiwa Mashakada, the Deputy Treasurer-General, Hon. Elton
Mangoma, the Minister of Housing and Social Amenities, Hon. Giles Mutsekwa
and Harare provincial chairperson, Hon. Paul Madzore.
Those accused
for the false murder charge and public violence charges are; Solomon
Madzore, the MDC Youth Assembly chairperson, Last Maengahama, a National
Executive Committee member, Councillor Oddrey Sydney Chirombe of Ward 33,
Budiriro, Councillor, Tungamirai Madzokere of Ward 32, Glen View, Cynthia
Manjoro, Lloyd Chitanda, Stanford Mangwiro and Tendai Chinyama.
The
others are; Jefias Moyo, Abina Rutsito, Gabriel Shumba, Stephen Takaedzwa,
Linda Madyamhanje, Tafadzwa Billiard, Simon Mudimu, Dube Zwelibanzi, Simon
Mapanzure, Augustine Tengenyika and Gapara Nyamadzawo, Paul Rukanda, Lazarus
and Stanford Maengahama, Kerina Dewa and Memory Ncube, Rebecca Mafukeni,
Yvonne Musarurwa, Phineas Nhatarikwa and Stanford Mangwiro.
The
people's struggle for real change - Lets finish it!!!
This website is
dedicated to the victims of Zanu PF crime committed in the name of Zanu PF
on the people of Zimbabwe. To date, the perpetrators of genocide,
mutilation, sexual abuse and murder continue to live amongst the surviving
victims. They continue their abuses with impunity. Whilst there has been a
temporary reprieve since the formation of the so called Government of
national unity was put in place, all the mechanisms of state terror remain
in place.
What you are currently viewing on this web site is just just
small beginnings. There are massive amounts of data in the form of victims'
testimony, video and pictures to come forth.
For those who care about
Zimbabwe, we would be grateful if you would pass the message on.
Court Watch 5/2012 of 14th March [Update on (1) Glen View 29 Murder Trial; (2) State v Gwisai and Others]
COURT WATCH 5/2012
[14th March
2012]
Update on (1) Glen View 29
Murder Trial; (2) State v Gwisai and Others
State v Solomon Madzore
and 28 Others: the Glen View 29 Murder Trial
Adjournment to 15th March
Although due to start on
Monday 12th March, the trial did not in fact commence.Instead the court heard a defence application
for the trial to be postponed for three weeks, to 2nd April.So the charges have not been formally put to
the accused and they have not yet pleaded.The main charge is
murder and there is an alternative charge of public violence.The offence of murder carries the death
penalty.The maximum penalty for public
violence is a fine of $2 000 or imprisonment for 10 years or both.[See
Court Watch of 4/2012 of 9th March for background.]
Why
the trial is in the High CourtAs the offence of murder is punishable by the
death penalty, and as only the High Court has the power to impose the death
penalty, all murder trials have to be heard in the High Court.
Composition
of the trial courtThe trial court consists of the presiding
judge, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, and two assessors.All questions of law and admissibility of
evidence arising in a criminal trial are decided by the judge alone, but
questions of fact are decided by a majority of the three members of the
bench.This means that when it comes to
reaching a verdict the assessors can actually overrule the judge on questions of
fact – this does not happen often, but is not unknown.If a trial ends with a conviction, the judge
may consult with the assessors when it comes to imposing sentence, but it is the
judge alone who makes the final decision.[Zimbabwe does not have trial by jury.Trial by jury in this country was abolished before Independence after
having fallen into disuse in the limited range of criminal cases in which it was
open to the accused to elect a jury trial.]
[Note:Justice Bhunu presided over the high profile
criminal trial of MDC-T’s Senator Roy Bennett in 2009 and 2010.Mr
Bennett was acquitted by the judge at the close of the State case.]
Defence application for postponement
Lawyer Charles Kwaramba,
applying for a postponement on behalf of the accused, explained why it had not
been possible for the defence team to complete the outline of the defence case
that must by law be lodged with the court three days before the trial.It was only eleven days since the 1st March,
when the accused had been indicted for trial and the State’s case outline and
its list of State witnesses had been provided.All the accused had then been committed to prison, where it had been
extremely difficult to conduct the interviews with each of them that were
essential to the formulation of the defence outline.Part of the problem had been that prison
officers had insisted on remaining within earshot during the interviews that had
been conducted, despite the rule requiring lawyer-client interviews to be within
sight of prison officials, but out of hearing range.And prison rules and bureaucracy limited the
time that could be spent talking to the accused.The prosecutor argued that the postponement
should be for one week only.
Adjournment to 15th March
Justice Bhunu adjourned
proceedings until Thursday 16th March at 10 am at the High Court [Court A] for
further argument over a postponement and a ruling on when the trial will
start.Before the resumption of the
hearing on postponement, the lawyers on both sides were asked to make further
submissions to him in writing.
Bail application
On
Thursday 16th Justice Bhunu will also deal with the defence application for the
accused to be granted bail for the duration of the trial.By then he will have had time to read through
the papers already filed by both defence and State for and against this
application.The application, after
being postponed several times, was due to be dealt with by Justice Chatukuta
last Friday but instead of granting or refusing bail she decided it would be
more appropriate for the application to be dealt with by the trial judge before
the trial.[Reminder:26 of the 29 accused were actually on bail for varying periods until they
were ordered back to prison when committed for trial at the magistrates court on
1st March.See Court Watch 4/2012 for
details.]
State v
Munyaradzi Gwisai and 5 Others
Judgment
expected 19th March
Court
Watch 2/2012 traced this case from the initial arrests on 19th February 2011 up
to the defence application for the discharge of the accused at the close of the
State case on 1st February.The accused, all of whom have said they were beaten and
tortured, are all social justice and human rights activists:
·Munyaradzi Gwisai [University of Zimbabwe law lecturer,
coordinator of the International Socialist Organisation’s Zimbabwe chapter, and
former Member of Parliament]
·AntonaterChoto[social
and women’s rights activist]
·TatendaMombeyarara[Zimbabwe
Labour Centre advocacy officer]
·EdsonChakuma[trade union
official]
·Hopewell Gumbo [programme officer with Zimbabwe Coalition
on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) and a former student
leader]
·Welcome Zimuto [university student and former Zimbabwe
Nation Students Union (ZINASU) leader].
When
the police first took the accused to court after their arrest, the charge was
treason; but this was later reduced to a charge of inciting public violence with
an alternative charge of conspiracy to commit public violence.[Note:
As the offence of treason carries the death penalty, a charge of treason would
have had to tried in the High Court, buta charge of public violence can be dealt with in the magistrates court,
and the trial was duly held at the magistrates court in Harare.]
Developments
since Court Watch 2/2012
are as follows:
Court
puts accused on their defence
On
15th February the court dismissed the defence application for the accused to be
discharged at the close of the State case.The regional magistrate, Kudakwashe Jarabini, ruled that the evidence
presented by the State called for an answer by the
defence.
Defence
case
The
defence case was then presented over three days – 27th to 29th February.All the accused gave evidence denying
plotting public violence or an uprising against the Government.After hearing from the prosecutor and the
defence lawyer Alec Muchadehama, the regional magistrate asked them both to make
written submissions and said he would deliver judgment on Monday 19th
March.
Written
submissions delivered
The
written submissions have been lodged with the court.The State’s submissions went in first and the
defence reply was lodged early on 13th March.
Judgement
due
19th
March remains the date set for the delivery of
judgment.
Mr
Gwisai’s civil claim for damages
In
October last year Mr Gwisai commenced civil proceedings against the Government
claiming a total of $300 000 damages based on his treatment by the police at the
time of his arrest and afterwards.He
alleges unlawful arrest and detention, assault and torture.The Government disputes the claim.The next stage in the proceedings will be the
holding of a pre-trial conference on a date still to be
fixed.
Veritas makes
every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal
responsibility for information supplied.
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