South Africa considers steps to help Zimbabwe

http://af.reuters.com/

Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:32pm GMT

HARARE, March 16 (Reuters) - South Africa is considering opening lines of
credit and other measures to help Zimbabwe recover from an economic crisis
and ease its international isolation, the two countries said on Monday.

Senior officials meeting at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe also discussed other
steps such as providing export credit insurance and facilitating trade to
support Zimbabwe's new unity government, a joint statement said.

"The two sides exchanged views on political developments in their respective
countries. They agreed to work together in Zimbabwe's re-engagement with the
international community and in the lobbying for the lifting of economic
sanctions...," it said.

Zimbabwe, beset by 90 percent unemployment, hyperinflation and shortages of
basic goods, needs Western donors and foreign investors to rescue its
economy.

Their help will be conditional on the implementation of fully democratic
government and economic reforms, such as reversing plans for
nationalisation, by the joint administration of President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

South Africa, the continent's biggest economy and a regional diplomatic
power, is well placed to secure support for Zimbabwe.

South Africa and Zimbabwe agreed to boost output in mining and taking steps
to increase investment in the sector, said the statement.

A new power-sharing government has raised hopes of an end to an economic
meltdown in the once prosperous southern African country where inflation was
last calculated in mid-2008 at 231 million percent, the world's highest.

Zimbabwe has estimated it needs $1 billion now to get farms, schools and
hospitals working, and another $5 billion later to fully rebuild the
economy.

Food and fuel are scarce and the currency virtually worthless, leading to
widespread use of the U.S. dollar and South African rand.

A cholera epidemic has killed over 4,000 people and added to the urgency.
More than 91,000 people have been infected.

Mugabe blames Western sanctions for Zimbabwe's economic decline. Critics say
he has ruined the country with reckless policies.

SA, Zim foreign ministers to strengthen cooperation

http://www.buanews.gov.za

Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System
Date: 16 Mar 2009

By Neo Semono

Zimbabwe - South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is
currently in Zimbabwe to discuss the humanitarian situation in that country
and how the two countries can strengthen cooperation.

On Monday, the minister and Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi will chair the SA-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission for
Co-operation (JPCC).

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nomfanelo Kota said the minister was already
locked in a meeting with senior officials and that a plenary session was
expected to start later in the morning.

Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula, Minister of Agriculture Lulu Xingwana and Health Minister
Barbara Hogan are also participating in the meeting, as well as Director
General in the Department of Foreign Affairs Ayanda Ntsaluba.

South Africa's participation in the third session of the JPCC forms part of
South Africa's commitment to consolidating relations between both countries.

The ministerial session is expected to review existing bilateral political,
economic and trade relations between the two countries as well as social and
humanitarian matters, including co-operation in the health field, public
service administration; labour and arts and culture.

The ministers will also discuss migration matters. Thousands of Zimbabweans
have entered and continue to cross into South Africa, seeking job
opportunities.

Preparations for the forthcoming Confederations Cup and the FIFA 2010 World
Cup, trade, finance and investment, energy and mining, environment and
tourism and agriculture are some of the other topics which will come under
the spotlight.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, South Africa's participation
comes within the context of assisting the people of Zimbabwe in their path
towards national reconciliation, reconstruction and development as well as
economic recovery.

Last month, Southern African Development Community (SADC) finance ministers
agreed to help Zimbabwe recover from its economic and humanitarian
situation.

At the close of the SADC Council of Ministers conference in Cape Town, Ms
Dlamini Zuma said the body was considering investing $2 billion into the
country's reconstruction.

Bilateral relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe remain cordial and
South Africa's assistance to Zimbabwe is furthermore informed by its broader
vision of the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) economic
integration programme.

Zimbabwe remains a major trading partner with South Africa. In 2007, exports
to Zimbabwe totaled R8 million, while imports were at over R 6 million.

"The meeting will wrap up this afternoon with the minister making her way
back to South Africa this evening," said Ms Kota. - BuaNews

Roy Bennett 'to take Zimbabwe cabinet job despite continued farm seizures'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Roy Bennett, a white former farmer and key adviser to Morgan Tsvangirai,
Zimbabwe's prime minister, has said he hopes to be sworn in as deputy
minister of agriculture later this week.

By Damien McElroy in Johannesburg
Last Updated: 4:40PM GMT 16 Mar 2009

The development would complete a power-sharing agreement between Mr
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and other minority
factions, including President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

"Once there is the serious business of putting the appointments of the
provincial governors in place then I expect to be sworn in," he told the
Telegraph. "It should be later in the week."

Mr Bennett was freed from an excrement-smeared jail cell in Mutare last week
after a court ruled that he could be released on bail, a decision fought by
Mr Mugabe's legal acolytes up to the Supreme Court. The 51-year-old was
arrested on his arrival back in Zimbabwe from exile in South Africa a month
earlier, on charges of maintaining an illegal arsenal.
The first challenge facing Mr Bennett, who is to serve under a Zanu-PF
minister, will be to halt a fresh wave of expulsions of white farmers.
Police were attempting on Monday to evict more than two dozen of the
remaining 300 or so white property holders.

"This information is accurate," Mr Bennett said. "I hear there are police on
the land, moving on those farms. It's obviously very worrying."

At least two farmers targeted by the police have been forced to leave their
properties since Friday, the first such forfeitures since the latest wave of
seizures began.

Other targeted landowners are defying a constant series of threats. "We're
getting police moving around with land officers and intelligence officers
telling farmers they must vacate," said Ben Freeth, whose father-in-law,
Mike Campbell, owns a disputed property. "We hope Roy Bennett, as someone
who likes to grasp the nettle, can do something about this. The MDC doesn't
seem to want to make a stand so far."

Mr Bennett is a third generation Zimbabwean who lost his coffee farm in an
earlier round of land seizures. His appointment to the ministry would be a
symbolic blow against the destruction of what was once Africa's most
productive agricultural industry.

The new government has promised to carry out an audit of seized farms to
determine the potential contribution of the agricultural sector to the
reconstruction of Zimbabwe's economy, which has been destroyed by a collapse
in production and record hyper-inflation.

Tendai Biti, the MDC Finance Minister, has declared the country needs to
raise $1 billion from its neighbours to restore a functioning government.

The latest expulsions were ordered in defiance of a ruling by the Southern
African Development Commission that no farmers eligible for land entitlement
documents should be evicted.

Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers Union has accused the country's attorney
general of leading the push against the sector.

"Most of the present farmers still on the land have some form of
permission," a report said. "However, a recent document issued to all
magistrates by the Attorney-General Johannes Tomana suggests that all
farmers should be summarily found guilty and evicted if they are not in
possession of an offer letter or permit and a land settlement lease."

JAG - situation report update communique dated 16 March 2009

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

JAG Hotlines: +263 (011) 610 073, +263 (04) 799410.  If you are in
trouble or need advice, please don't hesitate to contact us - we're here
to help!

To subscribe/unsubscribe to the JAG mailing list, please email:
jag@mango.zw with subject line "subscribe" or
"unsubscribe".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.   Events on Stockdale Citrus Estate Chegutu District 2009

2.  URGENT SADC PROTECTED FARMER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

3.  Update  -  Rob Taylor

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.   Events on Stockdale Citrus Estate Chegutu District 2009

4th March 2009

At 20:00 3 d/cab Nissan pickups arrived 1off then carrying Senator Edna
Madzongwe +/- 20 people a Mr. Muzumdan addressed me saying that the farm
belongs to Madzongwe, all workers are no longer employed by Etheredge
.They showed me a news paper print about the case I asked for court
papers but they said that the news paper was enough .Mr. Chaska GMB
manager told me we must start packing to make way for Madzongwe. They
left 6 youth and Muzumdan at the pack shed (read transcript)

5th March 2009

11:00 Kunonga, 10 local warvets, 3 Chegutu police, I being Moptsa arrived
with Madzongwe people at my house demanding the keys for the pack shed
cottage, I refused, they said that they will get in by other means, We
went up there, the mob kicked the door open, I asked the police if they
had any documentation they said no. We took an inventory of all the
furniture and I was instructed to take it out in the afternoon. That we
believe Edna Madzongwe and others slept in the cottage.

6th March 2009

All labour were summonsed to the Export pack shed and given a dressing
down, as to Edna was now Boss. They tried to swing the labour against us

08:00 the labour came down to my house. I told them that they were still
employed by the Etherege's I told them that this latest illegal
invasion of Madzongwe was going back to High court and that the Zimbabwe
Government does not recognize the SADC ruling .

I then told them that they must go on paid leave until we have heard from
the courts.

7th March 2009

All quiet except the farm had about 20 fancy double cabs driving all
over.

8th March 2009

I had a friend come and visit to test a boat on the river, so the
henchman and 3 others came down to tell me that no one is allowed to came
on to the farm without their permission.  I told him what was he scared
of then told them that any of my friends can come here and they
don't need to know who is coming to see me

9th March 2009

The labour came down to the house and were threatened if they
didn't work for Madzongwe they would be out of their houses and
that we had to pay them their packages. I got hold of the agriculture
union from Harare they came down and addressed all my workers on the
legality side of things and told them their rights that no one can kick
them out of their houses.  The labour seemed a bit better of the
understanding

10th March 2009

Edna told all the workers to start picking up fruit that had fallen to
ground

Her main man wanted to break some locks on the tractor shed but she
refused

11th March 2009

Told my workshop guys to get the pack shed ready as I had stripped our
electronic sizing machine last year for routine maintenance.

My workshop guys told her that Mr.Etheredge was the only one who knows
how to fix it

She told them that she would come and see me I am still waiting.

12th March 2009

All workers were given another dressing down by Edna Madzongwe about not
working properly

13th March 2009

07:00 4 x ZFTU arrive at the Pack shed with all our labour they demanded
to speak to James (brother) I refused to speak to them as they were rude
and the ZFTU is not a recognized trade union, they are a illegitimate
wing of the ZANU PF

At 07:30 the labour and these ZFTU came down to James house for a
Discussion

We took them back to the pack shed as James has 2 minors Alex (5) and
Sarah (3)

The ZFTU would not talk to me (I had to go to Chegutu Court for Attempted
murder charge ) so James had to talk to these people with 3 of our
employees there.

Basically they claim that the workers had not been paid for January and
February that the farm had been TAKEN BY EDNA MADZONGWE the new Farmer,
so all gratuities had to be paid. Unfortunately James under MAJOR
intimidation had to back down and call for a meeting on the March 14,
2009.

My ATTEMPTED MURDER case was dropped as the complainant had dropped the
charge, I have to report to the Chegutu police station on Tuesday the
17th March 2009 for a firearms charge (fine) Again trumped up charges.

14th March 2009

07:00 workers and ZFTU came down to James house and refused to move until
I got there.  We took them up to the pack shed  Their grievances:
Workers had not been paid for January and February.  Package which
includes three months notice pay C.i.l.l

Gratuity. A CONSTABLE MPOSTA arrived with a pick up that these ZFTU guys
use . he was here on a recognisance issue and was taking notes of our
forced meeting .We tried to explain that we were taking the Stockdale
farm issue to the High court  but the ZFTU did not want to know it, they
said that this FARM HAD BEEN TAKEN BY SENATOR CHAIR PERSON EDNA MADZONGWE
and that all the employees had signed a contract with her so we must pay
them their money due. They came out with their version of the statuary
package but would not show us where this has come from which included:
Three Months salary notice pay, leave pay (they told us that no one had
had leave for 5 years. last year all the labour had taken more leave than
was due and paid for) and their Gratuity which they say is three months
for every year worked.

The package which we refused to negotiate but were told that if we did
not negotiate THEY WOULD SEND THE LABOUR DOWN TO THE HOUSE AND THE LABOUR
COULD HELP THEMSELVES TO WHATEVER WAS DUE TO THEM FROM THE WHITES HOUSE.
They wanted 6 months for relocation, 6months for severance pay, 6 months
for service pay

We said that relocation US$10.00 , 1 month service pay ,1 month severance
pay

They went back to the workers who refused I told them that I was not
moving on my offer. I told them that I had to go to Harare they said that
no one is leaving until this is sorted out. They eventually agreed to my
offer They then came with an memorandum of agreement which stipulated the
above that we had to sign (the agreement stated that we had to pay them
their January and February pay immediately) When my Brother signed it he
put UNDER DURESS,  They went crazy and started shouting at my Brother he
had to cross it out and counter sign it. They then came over to me and I
did the same they tried to get the keys out of my hand so I agreed to
cross it out and counter sign it. After that I left and the Zftu told my
workers that they would be paid on Monday their gratuities.  50% of my
labour have turned against us because of this intimidation to a point
that one of my guys have said that if he does not get paid I would pay
with my life. The police official is fully on sides with the ZFTU as he
would just sit and watch as these people would shout at us.

19:00  I got back from Harare and went to the packshed with James we paid
all our labour which was US $64.00 total bill being US $1500.00 for Jan
and Feb which they where paid already.

These ZFTU again told my workers that on Monday they will come to my
house and take what they want if they don't get paid

I got hold of John Worsley-Worswick from JAG and put him in the picture.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2.  URGENT SADC PROTECTED FARMER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD(Photos available at the Jag Office)Dear JagHere are some photos of Rob Taylor camping on the side of the road as hehas no where to go being kicked off his farm by a war veteran EdmoreMatiniki.Just before I took these photos at 10:15am Edmore Matiniki drove past andwaved a fist at Rob shouting abuse.At approximately 11:15   4 top police officials ass insp Mnyika, ass inspBepura (in the photo under tent) ass Insp zivinyi and one other told Robhe had 2 hours to pack up, the police would call in support unit toremove him. Rob asked the police why he should move as he has no where togo and needs a house to live in. The police replied that THIS WAS ANEMBARASSMENT TO THE COUNTRY and he must move to the school close byout of public sight. A well known farmer was standing by and told thepolice that they needed to find a place for Rob but the police alsothreatened the farmer with imprisonment if he carried on with hisdemands.Rob is now camping in the school grounds-------------------------------------------------------------------------------3.  Update  -  Rob TaylorDear JagJust to update you on my situation.  I managed to get my stuff off DownsFarm on Friday (what was left of it).  Being a bit stuck for a place tostay, I spoke to Mr. Matthews at Bryden School and asked him if we couldtemporarily camp on the school grounds just outside the school to beclose to my daughter, who is a boarder there.  He was kind enough to letme do so.  We managed to set up a camp, (my workers and I of which thereare 10 who have also been evicted) at Friday lunch time and settled in.Two junior police from Chegutu police station arrived at 11.30 Fridaynight, and asked what we were doing there?  I explained my situation andthey were very sympathetic and told us it was fine and we would not betroubled.  On Saturday morning, around 10. assistant inspector Buperaarrived with another middle rank officer and asked us what we were doingthere?  After explaining the situation the 2 of them left.  At 1.00Saturday afternoon, 2 senior dispol superintendants arrived and told me Ihad a few minutes to pack up my things and leave.  I explained mysituation to them and told them I was on school property and hadpermission to be there.  They said they were not interested and that theywere there to make sure I moved and we had nothing to discuss.  InspectorBupera and Commanding Officer  Manika (of Chegutu Central policestation) also arrived and gave their support to dispol's command that Ileave immediately or they will not be responsible for other forces thatwill come and take action against me.  I phoned my lawyer Mr. Dave Druryand told him what was happening he told me without doubt that I wasbreaking no law by being on school property and what they were trying todo was totally illegal, Dave asked me to let him talk to the police ordispol but they refused to talk to Dave.   I tried to plead with themthat I had nowhere to go and that my eviction from the farm by TendaiChasauoka who holds the offer letter is also illegal as Downs Farm wonits case at the SADAC tribunal and that I also had a high court interdictpreventing him from even entering the farm.  I have been constantlyreporting to the police my situation and that my dairy cattle were dyingfrom tick borne diseases and mastitis from not being milked. I have allthe report book numbers but the police have done absolutely nothing tohelp and have refused to even give me an officer so that I could treatand dip the cattle.John! Is there anything you can do? I am now financially broke and havenowhere to go, with the little bit of stuff I have left.  I am verydistressed that for 9weeks I have literally begged for police assistanceand received none only to be evicted myself within 24 hours of finding aplace close enough to be able to visit my daughter without running upmore expenses.  Anything at all you can do to high light the plight thatmyself and about 6 other farmers find ourselves in Chegutu.I am now staying in the carpark at the school and have absolutely nowhereto go.Thanks John,Yours SincerelyRob Taylor

NRZ bosses implicated in looting scandal as workers remain unpaid

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
16 March 2009

Workers at the ZANU PF controlled National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) have
revealed a high-level looting scandal that has seen their bosses acquiring
top of the range vehicles worth more than US$1 million - but the workers
themselves have not been paid since August last year.

This is according to the ZimEye online news service, which reported last
week that the NRZ's management, led by Retired Air Commodore Mike
Karakadzai, was looting the company's resources. According to the report,
NRZ workers revealed that the looting has intensified in order for the
management team to walk away with as many goods as possible before the unity
government appoints a new management team there.

Sources reportedly told ZimEye that Karakadzai, who is a firm ZANU PF
supporter, recently acquired the latest model of the Toyota Landcruiser
valued at US$250 000, as well as five Toyota Prados for US$100 000 each. The
vehicles have since been parked at the company headquarters in Bulawayo and
are reportedly waiting to be given to NRZ directors.

Karakadzai has also reportedly acquired a state-of-the art LCD television,
sofas and a laptop, among other expensive items for his office in the NRZ
building. His looting apparently also includes the acquisition of furniture
for his double storey house, where he lives adjacent to his directors who
have also bought new furniture for their houses.

The workers have not been paid since last August while the local rail
network itself has been described as 'dilapidated' and the revelation of the
looting has now sparked protests at the NRZ, where the workers committee
chairman Albert Mahlangu launched a scathing attack on Karakadzai and his
cronies.

Meanwhile, over 1 000 workers last Thursday thronged Karakadzai's office
demanding they be paid and threatened to confiscate the new vehicles and
furniture. The workers have since been promised that they will be paid by
Friday.

17 detained MDC activists denied bail in Buhera

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
16 March 2008

17 members from the MDC who were arrested last week in Buhera were denied
bail by a Murambinda magistrate on Monday. The MDC activists were arrested
Wednesday after violence broke out in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
rural home area. This happened at the time of the funeral of  Susan
Tsvangirai.

Mutare deputy mayor Admire Mukorera was also arrested at 3am on Saturday, in
connection with the violence and was released without charge the following
day.

The MDC spokesman for Manicaland province and MP for Makoni South, Pishai
Muchauraya, accuses the police of unfairly arresting the victims and not the
perpetrators. He said last Wednesday ZANU PF supporters went on a rampage
and burnt houses belonging to MDC supporters.   The MP alleges  the
perpetrators then went and made 'false' reports to the police.

"That resulted in the police making random arrests of known MDC supporters
regardless of whatever investigations they were carrying. They were
arresting people on the basis that they are MDC officials and as of now we
have 17 MDC supporters who were arrested since Friday last week."

The 17 were remanded in custody to 30th March. They are being held at Rusape
Remand Prison.

Last week we reported that a house belonging to Robert Jack Saunyama, the
MDC's provincial security officer, was burnt to the ground in the Zimunya
area, while another 10 houses were burnt down in Ward 5 in Buhera West.

A statement by the Youth Forum on Monday said: "The Youth Forum  condemns in
the strongest terms the violence which prevailed during the funeral of Mrs.
Susan Tsvangirai which saw ten homesteads being burnt to ashes, livestock
being burnt alive and women and children being harassed on behalf of the
targeted people."

Some who went to the funeral allege that a number of MDC supporters, raw
with emotion, retaliated upon hearing that their colleagues' homes were
destroyed by ZANU PF attackers.

The Youth Forum says: "This is a clear testimony that the June 27 (the
Presidential election) wounds and scars, a culmination of massive political
violence which prevailed during this period, are still fresh, hence the need
for a thorough national healing process."

"It is naïve and indeed myopic to assume that speeches at rallies and
burials condemning violence and preaching peace will cascade down to the
grassroots to avert hatred and hurt between the erstwhile political rivals,"
the pressure group added.

Many observers have noted that a truth, justice and reconciliation
commission urgently needs to be formed, if the fragile coalition government
is to have any hope of success.

Tsvangirai to be away for one week

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
16 March 2009

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will be in South Africa for a week with his
family, to rest and mourn the death of his wife Susan, who was killed in a
car crash 10 days ago.

He travelled with all his six children and was also accompanied by his chief
of staff, Ian Makone. A source told us the Prime Minister will be kept in
touch on all government business, though decisions would be left to acting
premier Thokozani Khupe. The MDC deputy president will take charge of
government business until Tsvangirai returns to work.

'We expect him to be back in the country this weekend. He is a strong
character and he seems to be coping well with the pressures of losing his
dear wife of 31 years,' our source said.

Political commentator Bekithemba Mhlanga said the Prime Minister will not
totally divorce himself with what will be happening in his office, adding
that he will keep his finger on the pulse of activities in his office.

Tsvangirai's last official engagement in the country was attending the
burial of the former defence forces chief, General Vitalis Zvinavashe, at
Heroes Acre on Saturday. At the burial Tsvangirai came face to face with the
country's service chiefs, the group of military hardliners who have, in
past, said they would not salute Tsvangirai.

Reports suggest the service chiefs only saluted the casket carrying
Zvinavashe's body. Air Marshall Perence Shiri was reportedly wearing
civilian clothes and was seated among ZANU PF and MDC ministers in the VIP
enclosure. It's reported that he is still off duty, nursing his injured arm
after allegedly being shot by an unknown assailant.
The Prime Minister and Robert Mugabe sat side by side on Saturday, at a
state funeral that was seen by many as a symbolic step for their parties'
month-old coalition. Tsvangirai did not speak at the occasion but could be
seen time to time engaging Mugabe in discussion.
Mugabe, who has frequently criticized Tsvangirai for his links with Western
governments, told mourners the new coalition was 'between us, brother to
brother.'
'Zimbabwe belongs to us. Let's walk the road that says no to the British and
no to sanctions,' Mugabe said. 'Those who want to be our friends and
partners are welcome'.
The fragile coalition government, brokered by South Africa and regional
leaders, has appealed for US$2 billion in regional and international funding
to kickstart the shattered economy. But no funding package has been agreed
by regional leaders or the African Development Bank after talks in
neighboring South Africa.
Meanwhile, ministers from South Africa and Zimbabwe are meeting in Victoria
Falls under the SA-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission for Co-operation
(JPCC) which will be chaired by Foreign Ministers from the two countries.
The South African delegation is led by Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and includes a
senior ministerial delegation. The Zimbabwean delegation is led by
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, the Foreign Affairs Minister.

The JPCC meeting will review existing bilateral political, economic and
trade relations between the two countries. Issues to be discussed will
include social and humanitarian matters in the health field, public service
administration; migration matters; agriculture, trade, finance and
investment.
Economic Planning Minister, Elton Mangoma, said he hoped the talks will help
put the country's economy back on its feet. Armed with a new economic
recovery plan Mangoma told journalists on Sunday they were using the
gathering to lobby for more financial support from South Africa.
'When we conclude discussions with our South African counterparts -- there
will be agreements signed and it is really the signing of those deals that
we look forward to,' Mangoma said.

Surge in returning Zimbabweans since formation of unity gov't

http://www.apanews.net

APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) At least 50 exiled Zimbabwean teachers and nurses have
been returning home from South Africa every week since the formation of a
unity government in Zimbabwe, state media reported here Monday.

The official Herald newspaper quoted Dennis Chitsaka, chief immigration
officer at Beitbridge border post, as saying several exiled teachers and
nurses were making enquiries at the Zimbabwean embassy in South Africa on
the repatriation process.

Chitsaka said immigration officials have since February cleared an average
of 50 to 60 nurses and teachers issued with repatriation certificates from
South Africa in a week.

"Since the formation of the inclusive government we have recorded a sharp
increase in arrivals from South Africa, with the majority of them being
teachers and nurses. We believe the number will increase in the next few
weeks since the majority of Zimbabweans are still making inquiries on the
repatriation process with our embassy in that country," said the immigration
officer.

There has also been a corresponding surge in the total number of Zimbabweans
returning from South Africa since President Robert Mugabe formed a unity
government with former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on February 13.

More than 81,700 Zimbabweans returned in February, up from 70,614 during the
previous month.

There are an estimated two million Zimbabweans resident in South Africa,
most of them economic refugees who fled Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis.

  JN/nm/APA 2009-03-16

CIOs and Zanu-PF members arrested for extortion

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=3062

By Moses Muchemwa
for ZimEye.org

Published: March 16, 2009

Bulawayo  - President Robert Mugabe's dreaded Central Intelligence
Organisation operatives and two Zanu-PF members have been arrested for
extorting US$$3,5 million from a Chinese company.

The two CIOs and their Zanu-PF colleagues demanded the bribes from the
Chinese in return for 'protection' after accusing the businessman for
supporting the MDC.

This came to light at the initial appearance, two Zanu-PF members, Tinashe
Chikara (42), Takesure Mbano of 88 ZRP Western Commonage and 45 Epping Road,
Mt Pleasant, when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Constance Moyo.

They were jointly charged with CIOs, Nyikadzino Mutati, (38), Misheck
Dzichauya (44) of 24 Block 5 Belvedere and 18 Refren, Eastlea in Harare
respective and attached to the President's Office, Munhumutapa Building.

Chikara and Mbano were not asked to plead to contravening section 134 of the
Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act (extortion) and the matter was
postponed to 20 April to allow the other two to attend court.

Last year, Chikara went to the complainant's company in Kelvin West in
Bulawayo where he met the complainant and one of its co directors, Guo
Yongueni.

He allegedly introduced himself as a State security agent.

He told the complainant that he had been sent by his superior, Mbano who was
in Harare to investigate the problem into the ownership of the company and
that its directors were involved in opposition politics in the country.

Chikara allegedly told Yongueni that their Harare office had received a
complaint from one of the directors.

He gave the impression that the company's directors were in a serious
problem, which could lead the company being taken by the Government, since
it was 100 percent foreign owned.

The shares they allegedly grabbed were valued at US $3,5 million.

Yongueni reported the matter to the police, leading to CIOs' arrests.

Company who own Tsvangirai 'killer' truck suspend administrator

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
16 March 2009

The company who own the truck involved in the crash which killed Susan
Tsvangirai, has suspended one of its administrators, after it turned out the
vehicle was not driven by one of their drivers. The truck was carrying AIDS
drugs for a project funded by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID).

A report by the weekly Standard newspaper says John Snow International (JSI)
is the contractor for this AIDS project and they issued a confidential memo
3 days after the accident, stating that although the truck belonged to them
it was not driven by a JSI driver on the day. The new revelation will no
doubt raise further questions over whether the crash which claimed the life
of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, was an accident or an
assassination attempt on his life.

According to the newspaper the JSI memo says; 'As you may have heard, there
was a tragic car accident on Friday (March 6) in Zimbabwe in which the Prime
Minister (Morgan Tsvangirai) was injured and his wife was killed. The
vehicle involved in this accident was registered to USAid/Deliver (a JSI
Project) although not driven by a JSI driver, as far as we know. At this
point, further details about the accident are unknown. Understandably, this
tragedy has generated a lot of media interest. If you receive any inquiries
from the media, we ask that you please direct them to Penelope Riseborough,
WEI/JSI Director of Communication in Boston.'

The focus has now shifted to how the suspended administrator, a woman in
charge of the delivery trucks and known only as N. Dube, could have
dispatched the vehicle without a JSI driver. She is now the centre of an
internal investigation by the company. A source who spoke to the Standard
newspaper said; 'The administrator has been quizzed on how the truck was
released laden with SCMC (Supply Chain Management System) drugs but with an
unofficial driver. If it was coming from delivery in Masvingo it should have
been empty,' they said. So far JSI have said; 'We cannot at this time make
any comment on the detail of the accident but we are co-operating fully with
the authorities to ensure the investigation is open and transparent.'
Last week the United States Embassy in Harare issued a statement clarifying
the ownership of the truck saying it 'was purchased with USAID funds by a
contractor and belonged to the contractor.' Many in the ZANU PF regime,
including independent MP Jonathan Moyo, immediately seized on the
opportunity to demand 'an international investigation into the activities of
USAID in Zimbabwe'.
USAID have provided US$260 million for emergency programs since October
2007, in addition to food, health care, safe water, and HIV/AIDS programs.
It would seem highly unlikely that they would have an interest in
eliminating the one man people hope will lead Zimbabwe out of the many
crises created by ZANU PF.
Tsvangirai himself has insisted the crash was an accident, but his
assurances have not stopped the speculation.
Newsreel last week spoke to the Chris Mhike, the lawyer of the driver of the
truck. He said his client hit a hump and lost control of the truck before
hitting Tsvangirai's Land Cruiser. But our correspondent Simon Muchemwa, who
has since visited the scene of the crash, insists there are no humps on that
stretch of road. His comments are corroborated by Deputy Mines Minister and
MDC legislator Murisi Zwizwayi, who also visited the crash scene, and who
also said there are no potholes or humps. 'It's just a clear road,' he
remarked.
At Mrs. Tsvangirai's funeral last week some of the songs sang by the
mourners blamed Mugabe and his party for the crash. In the absence of a
thorough investigation, questions will continue to be raised.

Lithium could be Harare's lifeline

From Business Day (SA), 14 March

With Zimbabwe needing to raise billions to stabilise its economy and present
a workable budget, it will need to find viable new avenues of income and tax
revenue - especially ones that can attract outside and regional investors,
bringing in income over the long term and allowing the state to borrow
against expected earnings. Fortunately for Zimbabwe, it is sitting,
according to the US Geological Survey, on one of the world's largest and
most easily retrievable sources of lithium. Lithium, an industrial salt,
will for the foreseeable future be needed for the cellphone industry, laptop
computers and, more importantly, it is seen as an element of the fuel cell
of choice in the nascent but increasingly important electrically powered
motor car segment. If marketed correctly, this could present itself as a
boon in the recession, with nearly all minerals except those needed in the
production of batteries facing declining markets.

One of the limitations of obtaining lithium has been that deposits and
quantities are primarily in the US, Scandinavia, China, the Russian tundra
and Australia. The deposits are remote and small. Extraction requires large
amounts of readily available power that is not always present in either
high-altitude deserts or arctic areas where lithium is usually found, and
needs to be transported from. Remote areas on the high- altitude desert salt
planes in Bolivia and surrounding countries are considered the best sites
and are beginning to be exploited, but their remoteness is an obstacle.
Often nationalistic pride, in places where transparency and accountability
have been less than satisfactory, has meant that the state has felt the need
to retain control over production at the expense of expansion.

On the other hand, Zimbabwe is blessed with relatively large quantities of
discovered and recoverable deposits, that are close to the surface and in an
area where mining operations and expertise already exist. Were investments
made to expand, local or regional skills would be readily available and the
lingua franca is English. Petr Czerny of the University of Manitoba says the
actual amount of extractable lithium available in "the Giant Bikita deposit"
in northwestern Zimbabwe is the subject of considerable debate, but it is
extractable. It is already in production as there is some mining activity
being conducted by privately held Bikita Minerals. The area has been
surveyed and there is the potential for increased extraction and yields, and
production could be ramped up at relatively short notice. Deposits at the
Bikita mine are considered to be of a higher than usual quality and
recoverable reserves are believed to be about 150000 tons, although less
than a quarter may at present be readily exploited.

With the value of lithium nearing $45/oz, it is reasonable to assume that if
the price and demand remains high, either more deposits will be opened up,
or extraction and techniques will become more efficient, with greater
mineral yields and less waste being discarded. While lithium is not a
panacea for the stricken Zimbabwean economy, if properly managed and
marketed it could contribute to nearly nonexistent foreign currency reserves
and generate revenue in a world that is increasingly interested in and
concerned with finding greener solutions to greenhouse gas emissions, global
warming and dependency on nonindigenous sources of fossil fuel. However,
recently investors have become increasingly reluctant to put money into the
Zimbabwean mining sector, not only due to the precariousness of the economy
and political situation. A series of flawed laws imposed by President Robert
Mugabe's government created the real possibility of expropriation through
the distribution of stakes to both politically connected cronies and
state-owned mineral companies. These laws have led to stagnation in the
sector and will need to be revised to attract investors.

U.S. provides an additional US$2.2 million to support Zimbabwe’s failing health systems

U.S. Embassy, Harare

Public Affairs Section

Press Release

Harare, March 16^th 2009: United States Ambassador James McGee announced today that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has released an additional US$2.2 million package of emergency initiatives for malaria, measles, and essential drugs to support Zimbabwe’s failing health systems.

USAID gave $1.7 million for the expansion of Zimbabwe’s medical supply logistics system, ensuring that drugs and commodities are properly coordinated, managed, and reach the intended beneficiaries. An additional $200,000 for malaria prevention will enable the Ministry of Health’s national mosquito spraying program to complete its mission this season. USAID also gave $300,000 for the national measles vaccination campaign. 

“The United States of America will continue to support life-saving assistance programs for the Zimbabwean people,” said U.S. Ambassador James McGee.  “The cholera crisis is just one terrible result of a much larger, systemic failure  of the health system that needs to be addressed.” 

The indoor residual spraying program will prevent malaria among more than 2 million Zimbabweans living in high-risk districts that were left unprotected. With U.S. and other donor support, the measles campaign aims to vaccinate 1.7 million children aged 9 to 59 months throughout Zimbabwe.  Support to the medical supply and logistics system will help the Ministry of Health coordinate procurement of drugs and health commodities, adequately store and distribute these products in the right places in the right quantities at the right time, and collect data that will allow program managers to properly forecast requirements.

This recent contribution brings the total United States humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe’s food and health crisis to over US$260 million since October 2007.  The U.S. is the leading food donor, providing nearly 70 percent of all international food aid distributed in Zimbabwe through NGOs and the UN World Food Program this year.  In addition, the U.S. will contribute over $30 million this year for HIV/AIDS programs, in addition to paying for 33 percent of the Global Fund’s multilateral programs.

# # #

Issued by Tim Gerhardson, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy, Harare, Tel. +263 4 758800-1, Fax: +263 4 758802, E-mail: hararepas@state.gov

Website: http://harare.usembassy.gov

"Zimbabwe Must Release Political Prisoners"

Mugabe Sanctions Still Needed

http://www.voanews.com

The Following is an Editorial Reflecting the Views of the US Government

14 March 2009

Can a leopard change its spots?

That's the question facing Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe ceded some
power by accepting opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as the nation's prime
minister. While there has been discussion of policy shifts in Harare, much
more needs to be done before the government can claim to be answering to and
respecting the will of its people. So for now, the answer to that ancient
riddle is uncertain.

With the formation of the inclusive cabinet last month, there have been
calls for the international community to remove sanctions targeting top
government leaders and their supporters for their actions to undermine human
rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. Mr. Mugabe even points to these measures
as the cause of his country's many problems. This is a mere shifting of the
blame, which falls squarely on him.

As a result, the United States, Switzerland, Canada, the EU and others have
indeed imposed targeted sanctions on those that have played integral roles
in impeding democracy, abusing human rights and ruining Zimbabwe's economy.

Claims by the Mugabe regime that these sanctions are "illegal," "blanket,"
or directed at ordinary Zimbabweans are false. The sanctions target specific
individuals, not the nation as a whole. Under them, Mr. Mugabe, Reserve Bank
Governor Gideon Gono, Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri and over 130
other individuals are restricted in their foreign travel and financial
transactions.

For the people of Zimbabwe, the U.S. and others in the international
community continue to offer their support and aid. The U.S. remains among
the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe in an effort to ease the
suffering of that nation's innocent people.

Because of the questions that remain about Mr. Mugabe's intentions, it would
be premature to remove restrictions now. Political activists continue to be
detained and are denied due process, repressive laws still hold sway and
peaceful demonstrators are often brutally attacked by security forces.

The U.S. has stated repeatedly that it will judge the new government in
Zimbabwe on its actions. For now, real change in Zimbabwe remains to be
seen.

Mugabe's death zone

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

Mary Ann Jolley | March 17, 2009

Article from:  The Australian
FROM the moment we enter Zimbabwe, there's chaos. "Sorry, we don't have any
visa papers to stick into your passport, we've run out," the Customs
official says at the border crossing as he stamps a page and writes the
necessary details.

That's fine, I think to myself, secretly delighted. If visa papers have gone
by the wayside, then the likelihood of paperwork recording our arrival and
being sent to Harare is surely slim.

We've made it in undetected, a great relief for any international journalist
wanting to get a story about conditions in what's left of Zimbabwe's society
and economy.

Outside the passport control office, the desperate try to sell
trillion-dollar notes. The notes are worthless but there's obviously no
shortage of paper at the mint. President Robert Mugabe seems to have an
ample stock to print the ludicrous denominations.

"Five trillion dollar notes for $US100, madame?" A young man tries to accost
me as I move towards our taxi.

Poor bloke, I think, we're probably the only tourists he's spotted for
weeks. "Please, madame, I need money to feed my family," his head tilts down
and his dark brown eyes look up at me. He's clearly a seasoned beggar but, I
have no doubt, in real strife. As I fend him off, knowing I'll encounter
many more like him, a trail of Zimbabweans pass with piles of goods balanced
on their heads, attached to their backs, hanging from their necks, squeezed
under their arms and clutched in their hands: they bring across the border
as much as they can carry. Shop shelves are empty in most places in
Zimbabwe.

We've come to cover the cholera epidemic, the latest catastrophe to be
overseen by Mugabe and his ZANU-PF regime. The death toll is more than 4000.

One public health expert tells us it's a disease that normally thrives in
wartime, an indication of the extent of Zimbabwe's rot and a good reason for
the 85-year-old dictator to deny its existence. He doesn't want the world to
know about it and certainly doesn't want journalists seeing the carnage and
filming it.

But we're prepared. We've got a couple of small domestic cameras and, our
trump card, a hidden camera. But it's not easy. People are incredibly
scared. The last thing they want is to attract the attention of Mugabe's
mob.

If they speak out publicly, they know what will happen.

Frank Tore is a case in point. An organiser, during last year's presidential
campaign, for recently installed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement
for Democratic Change, Tore was hunted down by ZANU-PF heavies. He tells us
how his genitals were burned to ensure he'd never have more children to
challenge the regime. His brother was killed and his wife and two daughters,
18 and 14, were repeatedly raped and abused for days. You have to wonder how
someone who endures such horror is able to continue.

But Tore and his family do. Dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, he teaches his
four-year-old son to somersault as his wife and eldest daughter look on and
occasionally chuckle at the cute sight. But the longer we're with Tore, the
more his past trauma seems to invade his face. And there's more heartache
for him and his family. Tore's sister-in-law and her two children died of
cholera late last year.

He takes us to the inner-city apartment block where they live. The air is
heavy with the smell of human waste. Sewage pours out of broken pipes and
pigeons pick in the piles of garbage surrounding the building. You could
call it a slum, but the people who inhabit the area are considered lower to
middle class, certainly not the worst off. It's in such filth that cholera
thrives. The bacterium lives in human faeces and, if ingested, the disease
can kill in a matter of hours unless treated. The undernourished and those
already weak from other illnesses such as HIV (which means a large
percentage of Zimbabwe's population) are the most vulnerable.

A Physicians for Human Rights report, release in January, argues Mugabe has
knowingly allowed the cholera epidemic to happen and should be charged with
crimes against humanity. It's not difficult to see how this conclusion was
reached.

Across the country, streets are flooded with sewage. The water supply, where
there is one, is contaminated. Pipes have not been maintained, engineers and
sanitation workers have not been paid, inexpensive chemicals have not been
procured to treat the water and the health system is defunct.

Yet Mugabe manages to put together hundreds of thousands of US dollars to
celebrate his 85th birthday and taunt hungry Zimbabweans as he tucks into
his lavish cake.

There's no doubt Mugabe is a villain, but on our journey into the country we
find there is also another monster whom many people consider culpable. I
don't want to say too much before our story goes to air tonight because I
want you to watch it.

I will say, however, that the UN humanitarian effort in Zimbabwe seems to be
more about pleasing and befriending the brutal regime than helping the
people. You can hear it tonight from a senior UN insider who puts his career
on the line to speak out. Many people back him up, but few will go on
record. It seems Mugabe also holds a tight rein on the wider international
community.

You really have to wonder about comments by UN Assistant Secretary-General
of Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg at a press conference after her
recent trip to Zimbabwe, for example. She was delighted at how co-operative
Mugabe was in her talks with him and boasted that he'd invited her back. She
seems to have forgotten that a year ago he refused her entry into the
country.

How easily are these people convinced? How must it feel, if you've been
persecuted by Mugabe, to hear the UN fawning over him?

We travel far and wide to makeshift cholera clinics: some are a cluster of
tents, others are in run-down hospitals, some have the disease under
control, others are struggling without medicine, disinfectant or beds.
Victims lie on the floor or on bare wire springs or, if they're lucky, on
plastic-coated camp beds with a large hole halfway down and a bucket
underneath; there's no dignity in this disease.

Nursing staff tell of 24-hour shifts and no pay but, if appearances are
anything to go by, few have dropped their standards. In many places,
uniforms are crisply starched and fluorescent white.

The only way this epidemic can be eradicated is if the sanitation and sewage
systems are repaired. Tsvangirai has promised to do that, but the problem is
he has no money and faces a political landscape as treacherous as one of
Africa's jungles.

A couple of days after his inauguration, we receive a call early in the
morning from one of his advisers summoning us to a location for an
interview. When we arrive we're told to tell our driver not to wait outside
the building; we're not sure why, but we don't ask questions. We're then
quickly shuffled inside the front door and taken to a side room.

It's filled with foreign journalists or, rather, ostensible tourists.

They ask us to keep quiet. Apparently the Prime Minister will be escorted to
the office by Mugabe's intelligence officials, the same men who run terror
campaigns against the opposition, not to mention the media. We hear voices
entering the building. Is it them, we all wonder with some dread. Then
silence as we strain to listen through the walls. The Prime Minister's
adviser sticks his head around the door to let us know all is fine: Mugabe's
hounds have been detained in the front room and the big man will be in to
see us soon.

All that to get an interview with the country's Prime Minister. But it
worked. We get away with an interview in the can.

Such tricks may overcome small hurdles, but to fix the serious humanitarian
crisis the country faces Tsvangirai will need more than subterfuge. He'll
need to work some magic.

Mary Ann Jolley is a producer with ABC television's Foreign Correspondent.

Daily cholera update and alerts, 13 Mar 2009

 Full_Report (pdf* format - 168.5 Kbytes)

* Please note that daily information collection is a challenge due to communication and staff constraints. On-going data cleaning may result in an increase or decrease in the numbers. Any change will then be explained.

** Daily information on new deaths should not imply that these deaths occurred in cases reported that day. Therefore daily CFRs >100% may occasionally result

A. Highlights of the day:

- 258 cases and 0 death added today (in comparison 434 cases and 4 deaths yesterday)

- 57.6 % of the districts affected have reported today (34 out of 59 affected districts)

- 90.3 % of districts reported to be affected (56 districts out of 62)

- Cumulative Institutional Case Fatality Rate 1.78.%

- Daily Institutional CFR = 0.0%

Daily cholera update and alerts, 14 Mar 2009

 Full_Report (pdf* format - 186.6 Kbytes)

* Please note that daily information collection is a challenge due to communication and staff constraints. On-going data cleaning may result in an increase or decrease in the numbers. Any change will then be explained.

** Daily information on new deaths should not imply that these deaths occurred in cases reported that day. Therefore daily CFRs >100% may occasionally result.

A. Highlights of the day:

- 371 cases and 3 deaths added today (in comparison 258 cases and 0 deaths yesterday)

- 72.9 % of the districts affected have reported today (43 out of 59 affected districts)

- 90.3 % of districts reported to be affected (56 districts out of 62)

- Cumulative Institutional Case Fatality Rate 1.78.%

- Daily Institutional CFR = 0.0%

Daily cholera update and alerts, 15 Mar 2009

 Full_Report (pdf* format - 178.7 Kbytes)

* Please note that daily information collection is a challenge due to communication and staff constraints. On-going data cleaning may result in an increase or decrease in the numbers. Any change will then be explained.

** Daily information on new deaths should not imply that these deaths occurred in cases reported that day. Therefore daily CFRs >100% may occasionally result.

A. Highlights of the day:

- 115 cases and 8 deaths added today (in comparison 258 cases and 0 deaths yesterday)

- 33.9 % of the districts affected have reported today (20 out of 59 affected districts)

- 90.3 % of districts reported to be affected (56 districts out of 62)

- Cumulative Institutional Case Fatality Rate 1.8.%

- Daily Institutional CFR = 0.0%

The long, hard road to break free of an old regime

http://www.theglobeandmail.com

On the one hand, Zimbabwe's new 'inclusive government' is already making an
impact: reopening schools, cutting food costs. On the other, Mugabe's party
still maintains a grip on the central bank, the media and the judiciary.
Foreign donors are conflicted.
GEOFFREY YORK

From Monday's Globe and Mail

March 16, 2009 at 4:45 AM EDT

HARARE - Zimbabwe's youngest cabinet minister is unapologetic about the new
Mercedes-Benz that he drives as he navigates the pothole-ridden streets of
this impoverished capital.

In a country where three-quarters of the population are dependent on foreign
food aid, a Mercedes is a luxury of almost unimaginable proportions. But the
fleet of expensive sedans was quickly accepted by opposition activists such
as Nelson Chamisa who were elevated into Zimbabwe's new unity cabinet last
month.

Mr. Chamisa, 31, says he is cheered and celebrated by ordinary people who
see him in his luxury car. "It's a symbol of authority and power," he says.
"If you don't have it, people will think you don't have power. They feel
good when they see one of their own in power."

In truth, many Zimbabweans have questioned the costly limousines that were
adopted by their new cabinet ministers. But it's also true that the new
government has given a sense of hope and optimism to the vast majority of
Zimbabweans for the first time in years.

While the autocratic Robert Mugabe remains President, long-time opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai has become Prime Minister and fully half the
ministers in the new cabinet belong to his Movement for Democratic Change.

The new "inclusive government," as it is known, has racked up some
impressive achievements already. It has given wages to teachers and
soldiers, halted the world's worst inflation rate, dumped the worthless
Zimbabwe dollar and replaced it with foreign currency, cut the cost of food
by issuing new retail licences and boosting competition among grocery
stores, reopened schools and hospitals that had been closed for months and
freed many of the activists who had been imprisoned by the old regime.

Yet the ZANU-PF party of Mr. Mugabe has kept a tight grip on key
institutions such as the military, the judiciary, the central bank and the
state media. It continues to imprison many opposition activists, violating
the unity agreement. Not a single person has been prosecuted for the
estimated 200 deaths inflicted in a wave of brutal attacks on the opposition
last year.

Suspicion and paranoia are still rife. When a car crash injured Mr.
Tsvangirai and killed his wife Susan this month, many Zimbabweans assumed it
was a plot by the state security agents who are supposed to be guarding the
Prime Minister, despite Mr. Tsvangirai's statement that it was an accident.

Even after entering cabinet, Mr. Chamisa was unwilling to be seen talking to
a foreign journalist, with state spies watching everywhere, so he drove his
Mercedes to a private home for his interview with The Globe and Mail.

Mr. Mugabe himself has boasted that he is "still in control" of the new
government. The MDC says it is waging a tough battle inside the government
to weaken the grip of the President's loyalists. Reforms have been further
delayed by the death of Mr. Tsvangirai's wife, a major blow to the MDC
leader.

"This is going to be a very slow and painful process," says Alec
Muchadehama, a prominent human-rights lawyer who defended many of the
opposition members in court after they were imprisoned last year.

Only about half of the 40 activists who were abducted and imprisoned last
fall have been released so far, he noted. "ZANU-PF will continue to do what
it wants, as if nothing has happened, to show that they're still in
control," he says.

"They did not willingly enter the inclusive government. They had no choice,
because things had gotten so bad. There were no salaries, no water, no
electricity, and soldiers were looting. There would have been chaos very
soon. They desperately wanted the MDC to fix it by getting international
money. Mugabe is the biggest beneficiary."

Foreign donors are sympathetic to the new government, but they are
hesitating to give anything more than humanitarian aid until they are
convinced that it has broken free from the old regime. "Some of us - most -
are very skeptical," says a well-placed Western source in Harare. "It's a
conundrum for us."

The international donors, who are meeting in Washington this week to discuss
a strategy to help Zimbabwe, are considering a compromise aid package that
would provide wage subsidies to "top up" the salaries of Zimbabwe's nurses
and teachers for the next four to six months.

"This government is Zimbabwe's best chance in 20 years," the Western source
said. "If we don't help them, the government will fail. That's what we
believe. The risk is enormous. The cupboard is bare - there is nothing."

In fact, MDC insiders confirm that the financial crisis is mounting. The new
government is receiving only $10-million a month in tax revenue, while its
payroll costs and other expenses amount to $100-million a month.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have sent a mission to
Zimbabwe for the first time since 2006 to see whether conditions are right
for major loans to the new government. Analysts expect that it will signal a
willingness to help.

The Canadian government, for its part, is reluctant to send financial aid to
Zimbabwe because it is not a "country of focus" under a new federal policy
that gives preference to 20 developing countries around the world. But
Canada instead could send consultants or advisers to strengthen the new
government, which is so impoverished that it doesn't even have Internet
access in its ministries.

Before Western donors agree to help the new government, they want assurances
that it will respect human rights and get rid of old Mugabe cronies such as
central bank governor Gideon Gono, the man who fuelled the world's highest
inflation rate by printing huge amounts of banknotes in denominations of up
to 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars.

Mr. Gono remains defiant, still entrenched in his central bank stronghold
and showing no sign of leaving. But the MDC has slashed his control of state
revenue, halting his gold sales and abolishing the retail licence fees that
previously went to the central bank. "We've cut Gono's legs off," a senior
MDC official says. "We'll get his scalp. There's no doubt."

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says the ZANU-PF loyalists
are trying hard to sabotage the unity government. "But we are not going to
withdraw from the deal, no matter what happens," he says.
"The Prime Minister's office is increasingly in charge. It's like the
beaches of Normandy - we're occupying a beachhead, and now we're fighting
our way inland. It's like hand-to-hand combat."

***

TALK AT THE BAR

HARARE

The debate over the fate of Zimbabwe's new government rages nightly at the
Quill Club, a dingy drinking establishment in downtown Harare where local
journalists hang out.

The giant head of an African buffalo is mounted on the wall above a pool
table and a bar where Amos the bartender pours frothy mugs of Lion beer. As
the night wears on, the Zimbabwean journalists argue heatedly with a former
colleague who is now a top official of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Jameson Timba, an ex-journalist who has become the MDC deputy minister of
media and information, sits at a table with a beer in front of him,
listening to his journalist friends accusing the new government of not doing
enough for press freedom.

Mr. Timba vows that the new government will take steps to free the tightly
controlled state media. Within 100 days of its inauguration last month, all
banned newspapers will reopen, and the government will call for licence
applications for independent radio and television stations, he says.

He admits it's an uphill struggle. Zimbabwe today has only one daily
newspaper and one television network, and both are propaganda organs for the
ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe.

The daily newspaper, The Herald, is slightly less biased than before - it
actually gives some coverage to MDC cabinet ministers these days - but a
report last week by an independent media-monitoring agency concluded that
Mr. Mugabe's party still has a "stranglehold" on the state media.

Mr. Timba says he is convinced that the new government will succeed in
liberalizing the state media. And if there is resistance from the bosses of
the state media? "They will be fired," he says.

So far, however, the new government has been reluctant to fire anyone. There
has to be a "soft landing" for the leaders of the old regime to avoid the
bloodbath of civil war, Mr. Timba says.

Veteran journalists here are not persuaded by Mr. Timba's claim that the
state media are becoming more balanced. "It's a small shift, and very
begrudging," says Bornwell Chakaodze, a former editor of The Herald who is
now a columnist at an independent weekly.

"By and large they are still ZANU-PF mouthpieces," he says. "There's a
little opening up, but no change in mindset. The MDC ministers are covered
in The Herald when they reinforce ZANU-PF policies. When they criticize
those policies, they are completely ignored or relegated to the inside
pages. The change doesn't seem to be happening as fast as it should."
Geoffrey York

***

A nation in ruins

Zimbabwe's new 'inclusive government' faces a massive task as it sets out to
rebuild the country after decades of misrule.

Energy

Four power stations operating at below 50 per cent capacity

Dams

280 large dams neglected for past eight years

Railways

3,000-kilometre rail network runs fewer than 10 trains a day

Health

City streets polluted with sewage. No functioning public hospitals. Life
expectancy has fallen to world's lowest - 34 years for men, 37 for women.

gyork@globeandmail.com

News Release - Water

March 13, 2009

The new Minister of Water Resources and Infrastructural Development, the
Hon. Sam Sipepa Nkomo, is organising a Water Summit at the Bulawayo Holiday
Inn on March 20 for interested members of the public and private sector and
civil society.
      ³Access to adequate potable water and effective effluent
management are key to ridding the country of cholera and my ministry is
determined to resolve this epidemic in the shortest possible time,² the
Minister said.
      ³I am informed that it would be more economical to repair burnt
out switchboards and seized water pumps than it is to truck pure water into
affected areas. Carrying water is just a short-term solution whereas
repairing the infrastructure will be of lasting benefit to the people of
Zimbabwe ­ and not enormously expensive.²
       Determined to make a difference to people¹s welfare, the
Minister is inviting everyone with information on the current water
situation in Zimbabwe and possible solutions to it to participate in the
summit.
      ³We need to determine as a matter of urgency what water is
available in Zimbabwe and the condition of it. ZINWA has taken over around
10,000 farm dams but construction on others has stopped due to lack of
funds. Available finance needs to be established and put to rational use
where it will bring the fastest benefits.
      ³I hope that the skills still exist within Zimbabwe to resolve
the water and effluent problems and that the Water Summit will encourage
them to come and work with my ministry to find the best solutions for
everyone. This way we shall create new jobs and contribute to kick-starting
the economy,² Minister Nkomo said.
      The summit is being organised by Marjory Munyonga, public
relations manager at the Zimbabwe National Water Association who can be
contacted on 797604-7, 011 632 970 or on marjmunyonga@yahoo.com for further
information. Delegates are being asked to pay $50 each.
ENDS

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - Without the Crowds

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Caroline Gluck
Field-based press officer for Oxfam humanitarian team, former BBC
correspondent

Posted March 16, 2009 | 12:23 PM (EST)

They're one of the most spectacular waterfalls you'll ever see. The Victoria
Falls, which tower more than 100 meters high, majestically dropping into a
series of gorges and stretching for more than 1.7 kilometers wide, form the
largest curtain of falling water in the world.

The Falls have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and straddle the
border between Zimbabwe and Zambia along the mighty Zambezi river.

They were considered the crown in the jewel of Zimbabwe's tourism industry.
But these days, there are few international flights and plenty of empty
seats.

Today, most tourists -- frightened by reports inside Zimbabwe of political
repression, food shortages and cholera -- opt to see the magnificent
waterfalls not in Zimbabwe but in Zambia, where new hotels and river lodges
have sprung up. Many Zimbabwean traders and tour operators have also moved
their operations across the border.

Small tourist companies in the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls, a short
stroll from the actual falls, are struggling to survive. I appeared to be
the only shopper as I strolled around the town's open market where crafts,
from stone sculptures to wooden bowls and masks, were being sold. Local
traders and artists crowded around me, each urging me to look at their
wares.

"Just five dollars" they pleaded as I glanced at some bowls. "Special rate.
Please -- we need to buy some bread today."

The number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe began to fall nine years ago, when
political tensions between supporters and opponents of President Robert
Mugabe increased. Tour operators in Victoria Falls told me visitor numbers
have dropped to less than 25% of their former levels.

Victoria Falls has some world class lodges and hotels. But there are few
clients these days.

On my drive back from a game reserve about an hour and a half away in
Botswana, Zimbabwean police stopped motorists at a checkpoint. A female
officer asked my driver if he had any food to give her. It was late
afternoon, but, she said, she'd been on duty since six in the morning and
hadn't eaten all day.

Across the road, I spotted some other police talking to other motorists
who'd climbed out of their vehicle and were talking under the shade of a
tree. A loaf of bread was pulled out of a bag and torn into two halves. One
policeman walked away, carrying a chunk of bread under his arm.

The country's political crisis, hyperinflation and a cholera epidemic, which
has spread across the entire country and killed nearly 4,000 people, has
meant Zimbabwe has had a hard time selling itself as an ideal tourist
destination.

There are serious food shortages and more than half of the population rely
on food hand-outs.

Many of the country's problems are also evident in this tourist town. The
shops are better stocked than in most other towns in Zimbabwe and
restaurants have extensive menus. But locals, paid in virtually worthless
Zimbabwean currency, are struggling to buy their daily necessities which are
mostly sold in South African rand or American dollars.

Children beg for money from the occasional tourist passing by on the
streets. Few have been able to return to school. Classes were closed for
most of last year when teachers stayed away in protest at their pitiful
wages, which had failed to keep up with sky-rocketing inflation.

The only bright spot in Victoria Falls, it seems, is that the town itself -- 
unlike most other parts of the country -- is cholera-free. For travelers
wanting to enjoy spectacular sights with few other visitors as distractions,
Victoria Falls is the ultimate place to get away from it all.

Letter from America

http://www.zimaction.com/letter2009/LFAmar1609.htm

March 16, 2009

Zimbabwe military and police chiefs must be fired

Zimbabwe's minister of finance, Tendai Biti, who is also the secretary
general of the Movement for Democratic Change , has made an impassioned plea
to the international community to give the transitional   government  aid to
help pay the cost of accumulated debts, civil service salaries and the
functioning of government.

Minister Biti warned that unless such aid was forthcoming soon the  global
political agreement  and transitional government were likely to collapse.

The position of the United States and other western countries is  to take a
wait and see attitude on the effectiveness of the transitional government to
bring about the needed reforms.

There are two fundamental issues that the west is focused on right now.

The first is  the question of whether the transitional administration is in
reality in control of  government in Zimbabwe.

The challenge for the MDC-T is whether they can show the world they are
effectively  and firmly  administering the government and all sectors of the
state system.

Is the MDC- T now in position to  effectively enforce compliance of  all
Zimbabweans with their  policies and programs?

Is the MDC-T able to demonstrate that  the transitional  administration is
irreversibly enacting policies and reforms towards a truly democratic
Zimbabwe  in which the rule of law prevails?

One question that is specific to Minister Biti is: Is he, as Minister of
finance, now significantly and effectively  capable of enforcing fiscal
discipline that will create an environment that is  amenable to  the return
of investments and  foreign aid?

All the sectors of government and the state now rely on Minister Biti for
financing. Some of these sectors have traditionally become conduits for
corruption and  the stripping of assets by ZANUPF  elements.

Has Minister Biti put in place  measures to not only put a stop to this but
to bring those who stole state assets to return their stolen loot?
Admittedly, some of these responsibilities lie with other ministries  in the
transitional administration.

But Minister Biti is in a unique position to financially penalize  sectors
that have been reckless in their spending.

The second  issue that the western countries are looking for is  a long-term
program  for economic viability for Zimbabwe.

Minister Biti has asked for  western aid to finance  the daily operations of
government. The question now is, what is the envisaged time frame for this
support? And what will happen after the support dries up? Will there be  an
environment that will nurture sound  and profitable investments.

There are two forms of support  for Zimbabwe by the international community.

One is  support for government and its operations.

Another is  humanitarian support for  combating  disease and poverty among
Zimbabweans.

So far, millions of US dollars have been  pouring in from the international
community. The United States,  alone,  is feeding over 50 percent of the
Zimbabwean population.

The U.S. Government has provided more than $264 million in emergency
humanitarian assistance for Zimbabwe since October 2007.

The argument that the United States has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe is not
supported by facts.

According to the Foreign Trade Division of U.S. Census Bureau, the US
companies have had a lucrative trade with their Zimbabwean counterparts.

Let us look at the nature of the this bilateral trade in the past five
years:

In  the year 2005 the  United States exported  45.5 million US dollars worth
of goods to Zimbabwe and imported from Zimbabwe 94.3 million US dollars
worth of goods, leaving a balance of trade in Zimbabwe's favor  of  48.8
million US dollars.

In  2006  US exports amounted to  47.6 million US dollars and imports 103.3
million US dollars giving Zimbabwe a favorable  balance of trade of  55.7
million US dollars

In 2007  the US exported  105 million US dollars' worth of goods and
imported goods worth 72.5 million US dollars giving the US a favorable
balance of trade of 32.7 million US dollars

Last year, US imports from Zimbabwe amounted to  US$92.9 million and exports
US$112, giving the US  a favorable balance of trade of  US$19.1 million .

Given the  current trade between the United States and Zimbabwe, plus the US
humanitarian  aid to Zimbabwe, it is very difficult to justify claims by
Mugabe and ZANUPF  that the economic problems in Zimbabwe are caused by
what they call US sanctions against Zimbabwe.

If MDC-T was the government of Zimbabwe ,and without  sharing power with
ZANU, the call by Minister Biti would have been redundant. There would be an
outpour of,  and increase in,  aid to Zimbabwe for the simple reason that
the situation in the country would not have been as bleak as it is today.

The dilemma for the MDC-T is it has inherited the financial and economic
problems caused by Mugabe and ZANU. The international community wants to
help the MDC-T to succeed. But it does not want to help Mugabe and ZANU who
deliberately and maliciously caused these problems.

And to make matters worse the very same culprits behind this mayhem against
Zimbabwe are still very much disproportionately in control in the
transitional  government., making it very difficult for the MDC to
implement many of the needed reforms.

Neither Mugabe nor ZANU have shown any  remorse or contrition for their
crimes against humanity. While Mugabe made some remarks about the need to
stop violence, he is either still very much the same person he has been  all
these years, or has lost control of  the  ZANU monster he created.

The army has emerged virtually an independent institution.  It appears to
have a symbolic presence  within the  framework of the transitional
government.

The behavior of the  military and police chiefs at  the funeral of  the late
Zvinavashe,  where they completely ignored  Prime Minister Tsvangirai, shows
that they  have their own agenda that  reflects their  earlier  diatribes
that they would never  salute Tsvangirai.

Yet it is the same Tsvangirai that the institutions of the army and police
will rely on to finance them.

According to some published reports the transitional government  urgently
needs US$1 billion  to  meet its obligations. These include  payment for
fuels,  electricity, water, fertilizer,  lines of credit, diplomatic
missions, parastatals,  currency printing equipment as well as loans and
debts.

Zimbabwe reportedly owes a total amount of  over US$1 billion   which is
broken down as follows:

  a..   Equatorial Guinea US$222 million for fuel,

  b.. Noczim US$26,5 million,

  c.. Noczim-pipeline US$4 million,

  d.. lines of credit US$195,4 million,

  e.. GMB US$106,05 million,

  f.. corporate loans US$240,74 million,

  g.. diplomatic missions US$30 million,

  h.. fertilisers US$35,6 million,

  i.. army/intelligence/police US$20 million,

  j.. Air Zimbabwe US$10 million,

  k.. Zinwa US$5 million,

  l.. China US$5 million,

  m.. the Registrar-General US$5 million,

  n.. presidential scholarships US$4 million,

  o.. Zesa US$40 million,

  p.. seed US$12 million and

  q.. currency printing US$100 million.

As I said earlier, this massive debt was accumulated  by Mugabe and ZANU.
MDC-T bears no responsibility for this.

 If  there  is no real evidence of  a significant and irreversible process
towards  political and economic reforms in Zimbabwe the MDC-T is not under
any obligation to carry ZANU's burdens.

MDC-T should make it clear to ZANU that their continued efforts to block
any progress towards significant political and economic reforms will not
pull Zimbabwe out of the economic and political mess it is in today.  MDC
must make it clear to ZANU that  unless they cooperate there will be very
little  international aid and investments coming to the country.

And part of that cooperation must include  getting rid of the  so called
military and police chiefs whose behavior and utterances are  equivalent to
mischievous high school boys.

Mugabe’s lavish lifestyle shouldn’t be rewarded

JAG open letter forum - No. 608 - Dated 15 March 2009

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

Please send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango.zw with "For Open Letter Forum" in the subject
line.

To subscribe/unsubscribe to the JAG mailing list, please email:
jag@mango.zw with subject line "subscribe" or "unsubscribe".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  Disingenuous Notions
2.  The International Criminal Court Spreads Its Tentacles

3.  David Malunga  - Martin Tracey

4.  Roy Bennett release

5.  Roy Bennett release - anon

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  Disingenuous Notions

A recent article in The Chicago Herald Tribune carries reports and
statements attributed to David Coltart Zimbabwe's new Minister of
Education.

Now whilst I greatly admire both Mr Coltart and Roy Bennett for the brave
and principled way that they have fought for democracy and battled
tyranny in Zimbabwe I would like to ask some questions.

According to the report, Mr Coltart makes the very valid statement that '
The only way that we can resuscitate Education in the short-term is if we
get donor support.'

He then goes on to observe, ' To get that we have to overcome the
scepticism of the donor community. We have to show that we are all acting
with goodwill and that we are all committed to making this global
political agreement work.'

With respect to Mr Coltart, The ZANU PF party have displayed nothing but
contempt and disdain for the Global Political Agreement ever since it was
announced by President Motlanthe of South Africa. In every way possible
they have sought to circumvent, undermine and disregard the agreement.
ZANU PF  have proved over and over again that they never ever negotiate
in good faith and that any document that they sign is not worth the paper
that it is written on.

Therefore (with respect) I submit that it is disingenuous of David
Coltart to imply that there is even the remotest prospect that ZANU PF
will have a change of heart. This leopard unfortunately will not change
its spots!

The only way that such a change would be possible would be that first of
all there would be a drastic change of attitude and a major policy shift
on the part of the South African Government. That is the miracle that we
are waiting for.

Rob Gass

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.  The International Criminal Court Spreads Its Tentacles

Last week the 4th of March 2009 will go down in history as a day of
reckoning in the short life of the international Criminal Court [ICC].The
issuing of an arrest warrant for the sitting head of state of Sudan Omar
Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir is unprecedented both legally and politically. Not
only that, it has implications that might be severe for the future.

It is unprecedented in that it's the first time that a sitting head
of state has been issued with a warrant of arrest for a serious crime of
concern to the international community. There is a common misconception
among some that Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor set the precedent
of being tried at The Hague. The correct position is that Slobodan
Milosevic was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for former
Yugoslavia, a tribunal set up by the United Nations Security Council to
deal with atrocities committed during the breakdown of the federation. On
the other hand Charles Taylor [former president of Liberia] was indicted
by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, a hybrid court set up by a treaty
between the UN and Sierra Leone after the mayhem of the civil war in that
country. Both courts however use/used the premises of the ICC at The
Hague, hence the misconception.

The second issue is that Sudan is the first country referral from the
Security Council to the ICC. For a referral, a resolution would not pass
with a veto by any one of the permanent 5.It is interesting that the
United States principally does not recognise the ICC and is not party to
the Rome Treaty that borne the ICC but allowed the referral. A resolution
of the Security Council has the effect of binding all members of the
United Nations. Once a case is before the ICC, all high contracting
parties to the ICC are also bound. What this means then is that the
Security Council by referring Sudan to the ICC means all parties to the
United Nations are obliged to cooperate even if some of the countries are
not party to the Rome Treaty. UNSC Resolution 1593 urges all states,
whether or not party to the Rome Statute, as well as international and
regional organisations to cooperate fully with the ICC on Sudan. That
obligation now translates to making sure that if he sets foot in their
territories he should be arrested. Of course that the theoretical aspect
of it. In reality probably most countries, serve for those in the west
and their allies will not arrest him. Already Sudan has failed to comply
with arrest warrants issued to minister Ahmad Harun and a well known
alleged Janjaweed militia leader, Ali Muhammad Ali abd Ali Rahman [ Ali
Kushayb] since 2 May 2007.

Basher is charged with 5 counts of crimes against humanity and 2 counts
of war crimes. In addition the Pre Trial Chamber 1 indicated that he
could still be charged with genocide if the prosecution furnishes further
evidence. At the same time it should be borne in mind that there are
currently peace efforts underway in Sudan with the proposed referendum on
Southern Sudan autonomy in 2011.The question then is whether political
pragmatism will override criminal responsibility. Would the Security
Council defer prosecution to give way for political settlement?

Indeed the Rome Statute allows the Security Council to request a deferral
both for investigations and for prosecutions [article 16] for a year if
it deems that it's necessary for international peace and stability.
Deferrals have to be renewed annually by a SC resolution through a
positive resolution. That means none of the permanent members of the SC
can exercise their veto power to defer an investigation or prosecute.
This power to defer requires a UN chapter 7 situation [a threat to or
breach of international peace].

Uganda is posing the same problem both to the ICC and the United Nations
Security Council. Though Uganda was a self referral by the Khartoum
government regarding the Northern Uganda situation, it is the peace
efforts, including campaigns by the local Acholi leadership for the ICC
to suspend arrest warrants issued for Joseph Kony and seven other leaders
of the Lords Resistance Army. They argue prosecutions do not bring about
peace and reconciliation. They are advocating for the SC to use a
deferral so that peace initiatives continue.

Already we have heard some states calling for the Sec Council to use this
deferral also in Sudan. The African Union has also called for the warrant
to be boxed. To those in the human rights movement it is just not
acceptable.

Individual criminal responsibility has to override any settlement that
allows despots to get away with such atrocities. If the ICC is to serve
the purpose of its creation, the SC should not intervene. To intervene is
to give a passport to would be despots that they can get away with
anything if they are prepared to negotiate. It is the need to end a
culture of impunity that necessitated the creation of a permanent
international criminal court to bring such perpetrators to justice. If
political settlements are allowed to scupper criminal justice why then
was the court created?

If basher is not arrested, and Sudan does not comply, the ICC statute on
article 87[7] stipulates that the court would have to refer the issue
again to the Security Council. It remains to be seen whether the SC will
press ahead and pass another resolution on enforcement.

For now it is difficult to envisage Zimbabwe at the ICC, firstly because
Zimbabwe has not ratified the treaty, secondly because it is highly
unlikely the Sec Council would pass a resolution without a veto from
China or Russia.

Self  referral?  Possible if the MDC wins next election and forms the
next government. Unfortunately the crimes committed in Matabeleland
during the Gukurahundi era would not be under the ICC jurisdiction if
Zimbabwe becomes an issue because the ICC only has to try crimes
committed after its inception. [July 2002].

Interesting times ahead!

SANDERSON MAKOMBE

Can be contacted at smakombe@btinternet.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.  David Malunga  - Martin Tracey

Dear Jag

Was very great to see Martin Tracey's mail. He looked after me like
a father at Tawstock Farm where my father worked then. Gave me the blue
$2.00 in 1980 after I got a place to study at Sinoia High School then.
May the lord almighty bless you.

Percival David Malunga

Namibia

Tel +264632712424

Cell+264811223537

Fax+264632712425

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.  Roy Bennett release

At last!! We have been watching with great anxiety and much prayer for
this to happen. Thank God!! We are like thousands of others, thrilled at
Roy's release. May he have great success and be free to help restore the
nation. He is our hero.

Marian Wright.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.  Roy Bennett release - anon

If this gets to you, please tell Roy Bennett that most all of us in South
Africa, of all cultures, think that he is a brave and wonderful person.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Susan Tsvangirai remembered in Coventry

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Monday, 16 March 2009

MRS. SUSAN NYARADZO TSVANGIRAI  REMEMBERED in COVENTRY UK. 14 March
2009.

Scores of people gathered today in the Methodist Central Church,
Coventry, UK, to remember and celebrate the life of Mrs. Susan Nyaradzo
Tsvangirai who died on the 6th of March 2009 in a road accident in Zimbabwe.
The event was attended by people from all walks of life including the Deputy
Lord Mayor, Councillor Jack Harrison,  Councillor Raja Mohammed Asif  of
the Upper Stoke Ward,  relatives of Mr and Mrs Tsvangirai, friends  and
Zimbabweans of all faiths and the  MDC UK members. The life of Mrs
Tsvangirai was celebrated amid the drumming and singing of  church hymns,
especially the ones [hymns] that were  favourite. Members of the
congregation were moved to tears as speaker after speaker narrated how they
knew Mrs Tsvangirai personally, what she stood for and what the nation has
lost.
Mrs Annah Mwadiwa, the Chairperson of the Methodist Church Zimbabwean
Fellowship UK, and also one of the organisers of this special event,  urged
the congregation to celebrate the life of Amai Tsvangirai. She asked those
present to pray for the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai during these
difficult times in his life.
The first VIP to speak at the occasion was Deputy Lord Mayor,
Councillor Jack Harrison, who said that as the political leaders of
Coventry, they felt it was proper and fitting to join the Zimbabweans in
remembering and celebrating Mrs Tsvangirai's life.  He narrated the history
of the city of Coventry, which was founded more than one thousand years ago
and suffered heavy bombing during the second world war.  Coventry, however,
rose from its devastation to become a multicultural  city of peace and
reconciliation, a symbol for forgiveness. Today it is home to many people
from all over the world, some who came willingly and those who came as
refugees, including Zimbabweans.
"One of Mrs Tsvangirai's strength was to represent the lives of
ordinary people in Zimbabwe," he said, and went on to say that it was
wonderful to see many people from all over the UK coming to remember Mrs
Tsvangirai. "If Mrs Tsvangirai is looking down from heaven. she will be
smiling," he said.
Among Mrs Tsvangirai's relatives to speak to the congregation was Mrs
Samhungu, who was   Mrs Tsvangirai's cousin. She thanked the people for
gathering to give her family support at a time of need, and went on to
introduce the family members in the congregation, who included Mrs Senga (a
cousin), Mr and Mrs Matarutse, Munyaradzi and his English wife, Clair, and
other family members. She told the congregation about the short life of Amai
Tsvangirai, who she described as a 'lovely lady' who did not deserve to die
such a painful death.
Mrs Samhungu brought people to tears when she narrated the events soon
after Amai Tsvangirai's death, and how the news of Susan Tsvangirai's  death
was broken to Susan's mother. Mrs Senga's mother was in one of the cars that
were behind the PM Morgan Tsvangirai and his late wife's car. She was one of
the family members who witnessed the accident and the passing on of Mrs
Susan Tsvangirai.
"They took amaiguru [Susan Tsvangirai's mother] in the car, and did
not break the news of her daughter's death until they were in Hwedza.. That's
when they told her kuti musikana ashaya." It was hard for family members to
break such news to Susan Tsvangirai's mother.
Mrs Senga, another of Susan Tsvangirai's cousins, moved the
congregation to tears when she narrated how her cousin Susan was giver, who
lived her life to help others. She was in the process of opening Susan
Nyaradzo Trust Fund just before she died. Mrs Senga wished all of Mrs
Tsvangirai's cousins and sisters to emulate their late sister and relive her
good name.
Among the speakers were women who used to congregate with Mrs Susan
Tsvangirai in Mabelreign, Harare. Mrs Gomingo narrated how Mrs Tsvangirai
used to make uniforms for other church members who could not afford to buy
church uniforms. She always went to church with a bag filled with uniforms,
ranging from hats and jackets, and if anyone did not have any hat or jacket,
or was wearing a threadbare hat, Mrs Tsvangirai would fish out a hat from
her bag and give it to that person, she said.
Reverend Chisvo, who travelled from Northern Ireland to attend the
special service,  told people about how he was the Chaplain of the
Tsvangirai family back in 1998 in Ashdown Park, Harare.  He remembers going
to the Tsvangirai family to conduct a special prayer as the family took the
road in to politics. "Mrs Tsvangirai never got angry, but got sad.she never
shouted at anyone. She was always smiling and humble..She was a woman of
virtue who addressed her husband as President." he said of Mrs Tsvangirai,
who urged MDC MPs to inform their wives about parliamentary proceedings
rather than for the wives to read about it in the newspapers.
Vakuru vakati munhu akanaka haararame -good people always die
prematurely. This was indeed reiterated by anyone who took  to the pulpit
to talk about Susan Nyaradzo Tsvangirai as speaker after speaker narrated
how good and caring Susan Tsvangirai was. May Susan's soul rest in peace? -
Sarudzayi Barnes (Coventry,UK)