18 March 2005
Starvation in Zimbabwe
In his infamous Sky News interview in April last year, President Mugabe
said, “why foist food on us, do you want us to choke?” Less than a year later,
he is now desperately trying to assure the people that no one will starve. For a
Head of State to talk about 7 truck loads carrying a paltry 224 tonnes of maize
for the whole province of Masvingo shows the systematic use of maize for
political gain. As a matter of fact, MDC imported more than 300 tonnes of maize
for distribution to one constituency in 2003, which was confiscated by
government. We had plans to bring in over 20 000 tonnes but were prevented from
doing so.
People are starving in the following provinces: Manicaland,
Masvingo, Matabeleland North and South and Midlands. This government is fully
aware of the starving people throughout the country. At MDC rallies, which are
always attended by police details, thousands of people complain about
starvation. What happened to the 2 400 000+ tones bumper harvest? We have
evidence of the rampant politicalisation of food by the regime.
GMB
claimed that there was enough maize to take the country to August this year. It
is a fact, and they admitted it, that they have been importing maize all along.
They have been receiving imports at the rate of 15000 tonnes a month from a
purchase from South Africa of 100 000 tons. It is this maize that they are
distributing and selling selectively.
We know how the regime
successfully stopped all food aid so that they are the only ones with food
during the elections. The effect of the current rain shortfall would be later
during the year, not now.
The country has now virtually run out of
maize. There will be no food after the elections. If the voters make a mistake
and vote Zanu Pf into power, there will be starvation of major proportion in the
country. The use of food to buy votes plus intimidation of voters is clear
evidence that Zanu Pf has no support whatsoever in the rural areas.
We
will defeat Zanu Pf inspite of all the threats and deliberate starving of people
and usher in a new beginning for the people of this country.
Shadow
Minister for Lands and Agriculture
Renson Gasela
SA opposition describes run-up to poll as "alarming"
[ This report does
not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 18 Mar 2005 (IRIN) - Opposition Democratic
Alliance (DA)
members of the South African parliamentary observer mission to
Zimbabwe have
described their initial impressions of the electoral process
as "alarming".
DA representatives reported that "there is widespread
intimidation of
opposition members and supporters", and members of NGOs were
arrested when
they tried to conduct voter education programmes, party leader
Tony Leon
wrote in his weekly letter.
The DA observers claimed that
many people believed the youth militias of
Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party
would carry out violent retribution, after
the elections, against voters in
areas where the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) had a strong
showing, Leon reported.
Responding for the parliamentary team, senior
African National Congress
(ANC) official, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, told IRIN: "It
is too early to comment on
the situation as we are still in the process of
deploying people to the
various provinces. Any information that any member
could have would only be
hearsay and any comment they make is not on behalf
of the team."
Meanwhile, the Independent Democrats (ID), another South
African opposition
party, on Friday decided to withdraw from the
parliamentary observer
mission, calling it "a farce and a waste of
taxpayers' money". The ID
representative in the mission, Vincent Gore, told
IRIN on his return that in
the four days he had spent in Zimbabwe, "it was
quite clear that the
upcoming Zimbabwean elections are not going to be free
and fair".
Controversy has dogged the observer team since its leader,
South African
Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, was reported to have
declared the
electoral process in Zimbabwe as free and fair. On Friday he
denied making
the statement.
Earlier this month South African
President Thabo Mbeki announced that the
elections in Zimbabwe would be
above board, telling a news conference in
Cape Town, addressed jointly with
Namibia's outgoing President Sam Nujoma:
"I have no reason to think that ...
the elections will not be free and
fair."
Following the reports on
Mdladlana's comments earlier this week, the MDC
announced that it would not
engage with the parliamentary observer team.
Mdladlana's "partisan" stance
"is an affront to the ideals that guided
liberation struggles across
Africa", the MDC said in a statement on
Thursday.
"We are seeking
clarity from the minister. Until then, we have put our
interaction with them
on hold. We have briefed the SADC [Southern African
Development Community]
secretariat team, and will also meet with the ANC
[-led] observer team," MDC
spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi told IRIN on Friday.
Zimbabwe has invited 32
countries to observe the elections. Regional and
international organisations
to which invitations have been extended include
the African Union, SADC, the
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa,
the Non-Aligned Movement and
the UN.
VOA
Zimbabwean Exiles Decry Court Ruling On Voting By William
Eagle
18 March 2005
Zimbabwe's Supreme court has ruled
that Zimbabweans living abroad can not
vote in upcoming parliamentary
elections later this month, or in future
polls. The state-run Herald
newspaper reports the Supreme Court on has
rejected a petition from
Zimbabwean citizens living in Britain. They
challenged laws that prevent an
estimated three million Zimbabwean citizens
living abroad from casting their
ballots. Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku
is quoted as saying the petition
lacked merit. Under Zimbabwean law, only
diplomats and military personnel
and their families abroad can vote.
Parliamentary elections, set for March
31st, are expected to come under
intense scrutiny after international
observers said the 2002 presidential
elections were not free and
fair.
Matthew Nyashanu is the communications officer of the Diaspora Vote
Action
Group in Birmingham, England. Seven members of the group were behind
the
suit demanding the right to vote. Mr. Nyashanu told English to Africa
reporter William Eagle that in his first several years in power, Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe supported the right of exiles to vote. He says that
changed when opposition began to grow to his rule.
Mr. Nyashanu says
his group will continue to challenge the government on the
issue, and will
ask exiles not to send money home to relatives using
official channels,
which had been requested by Zimbabwe's Central Bank. It
has courted
Zimbabweans abroad in an effort to prop up the country's failing
currency.
VOA
SAF Parliamentary Mission To Zimbabwe Called Farce And Waste Of
Money
By Joe De Capua
Washington
18 March
2005
There was sharp criticism Friday of the South
African parliamentary mission
sent to observe the Zimbabwe elections. The
Independent Democrats Party has
withdrawn from the mission, calling it a
farce and a waste of taxpayers'
money.
Vincent Gore represented the
Independent Democrats Party on the mission.
English to Africa reporter Joe
De Capua reached him by cell phone just after
his plane landed in
Johannesburg. Mr. Gore described the status of the
South African observer
mission.
He says, "The parliamentary mission has been plagued by problems
right from
the beginning. It's badly organized. It's badly planned and
badly
executed. We met with only four organizations in the space of four
days.
And on the final day we spent the entire day sitting in our hotel
rooms
waiting for a phone call to be deployed."
Mr. Gore disputes
statements by some South African government officials that
the Zimbabwe
election will be free and fair. He says, "It is quite clear
that the
upcoming Zimbabwean elections are not going to be free and fair."
The MP
says the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission was only created in February
and is
not prepared to handle the elections, adding, "It has outsourced many
of its
functions to government departments." That he says has created a
conflict
of interest.
He says the main opposition party, the MDC, refused to meet
with the South
African mission, believing the mission had already made up
its mind that the
elections would be free and fair. As a result, Mr. Gore
returned to South
Africa.
Daily News online edition
ID pulls out of observer mission to
Zimbabwe
Date: 18-Mar, 2005
JOHANNESBURG - The
Independent Democrats ((ID) has withdrawn from the
South African
parliamentary observer mission which will monitor Zimbabwe's
March 31
elections.
The observer mission "is a farce and a waste of
taxpayers' money", ID
MP Vincent Gore claimed on Friday.
"It is quite clear that the upcoming Zimbabwean elections are not
going to
be free and fair, and that the parliamentary observer mission is
being used
as a vehicle to rubber stamp statements made by the ruling
Zanu-PF, the
African National Congress, and others that the elections will
be free and
fair," he said.
From its arrival in Harare on Monday, the
mission had been "plagued by
inefficiency, bad planning, and wasted
time".
Gore complained the mission had so far only met the
Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, the Electoral Supervisory Commission, the
Zimbabwe Council of
Churches, and the Zimbabwe Crisis
Coalition.
"To date we have not met with any political parties,
nor does there
appear to be plans to do so.
"Various
attempts to meet with Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic
Change have
been delayed, and it is now clear that the MDC will not meet
with any South
African government observer mission," he said.
With members of
the parliamentary mission being deployed around the
country, it would be
almost impossible for the mission, as a group, to meet
with any political
party before the elections.
After the meetings held with the
four groups, the ID believed the
elections would not be free and fair, and
thus not a reflection of the will
of the Zimbabwean people.
Despite drops in levels of violence, the "pervasive levels of violence
over
the past number of years and the ever present threats of violence as
well as
repressive legislation" created an atmosphere preventing opposition
parties
from campaigning openly and freely, and voters were not able to
express
their will without intimidation and violence.
In addition, the
electoral commission was not prepared to handle the
elections, Gore said. -
Sapa
Daily News online edition
Soldiers' role in polls raises great
suspicion
Date: 18-Mar, 2005
AT the very least,
the role of so many soldiers in the conduct of the
31 March parliamentary
elections must cast grave doubts on the outcome.
The armed
forces of Zimbabwe are led by war veterans who pronounced
before the 2002
presidential election their opposition to the election of
anyone without the
requisite war veteran credentials.
What they said, in essence,
was that they would remove such a
president from power. In other words, they
would stage a military coup.
Zanu PF apologists tried to put an
innocuous spin on this naked
declaration against the entire democratic
process.
Others tried to tell the world that President Robert
Mugabe himself,
the Zanu PF candidate, had played no part in the drafting of
the declaration
by the military chiefs.
This may or may not
be worth speculating on, but anybody who has the
recent political history of
Zimbabwe at their fingertips would draw the
proper
conclusions.
Neither Zanu PF nor Mugabe have ever been good
losers.
In fact, when Zanu PF lost the constitutional
referendum in 2000, its
reaction was to unleash a wave of violence across
the country.
Many people were killed. This is not opposition
propaganda, but a fact
of history.
What may not be entirely
certain this time around is whether the
soldiers will act with as little
conscience as some of them did in 2000.
Among them must be
Zimbabweans who see the future of their country
beyond the reign of Zanu PF
or Mugabe himself.
These soldiers must be aware that history is
littered with the
political corpses of dictators and dictatorial parties
which believed they
would rule forever.
Zimbabwe cannot
escape that history. If the people are determined to
change their
leadership, nothing can stop them, not armed soldiers, not
rabble-rousing
politicians, not marauding gangs of youths high on mbanje or
other
drugs.
All it takes is the conviction among the people that
what they want to
achieve is of such importance that they are prepared to
lay down their lives
for it.
Among the soldiers themselves
may be Zimbabweans with enough
conscience and love for their country not to
be duped into selling it out by
plotting a Zanu PF victory which could be a
huge fraud.
Zim Online
Police shield Mugabe from verbal attacks
Sat 19 March
2005
MUTARE - Police in Manicaland province have ordered opposition
election candidates in the province not to denounce President Robert Mugabe
during campaigning or they will be arrested.
Senior assistant
police commissioner Ronald Muderedzwa, in charge of
the law enforcement
agency in Manicaland, told seven Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party
candidates at a meeting here in Mutare, the provincial
administrative
centre, that they will be arrested for denouncing Mugabe.
The
meeting, held earlier this week at Mutare's Queens Hall as Mugabe
began a
blitz for votes in the province, was also attended by two ruling
ZANU PF
party candidates Shadreck Beta and Samuel Undenge and Daniel Tuso of
the
smaller Zanu Ndonga opposition party. "Let me warn political parties
that it
is illegal to verbally attack the person of the President at your
rallies .
. . anyone found violating this law, will be brought to book,"
Muderedzwa is
said to have told the candidates.
But MDC spokesman Paul
Themba-Nyathi accused the police of behaving
like the "ZANU PF youth league"
for attempting to bar attacks against or
criticism of
Mugabe.
Themba-Nyathi said it was impossible for Mugabe
to escape criticism
when he was leader of a political party contesting the
election. The
opposition spokesman also accused Mugabe of being guilty
himself of making
personal attacks against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. He
said: "The
unfortunate thing is that the police have turned into a ZANU PF
youth
league. That is why the police are willing to be used in that manner.
Mugabe
has made it a habit to attack Tsvangirai at public rallies. He has
made
personal remarks about Tsvangirai.
"Mugabe cannot escape
personal criticism as a leader of a party that
is violent, that has
destroyed the country and does not observe the rule of
law."
Muderedzwa could not be reached for comment on the matter. ZANU PF
spokesman
Nathan Shamuyarira was also unreachable last night.
But Beta, who
is a former chairman of ZANU PF in Manicaland and is
representing the party
in Mutare Central constituency said the police order
barring the opposition
from denouncing Mugabe was long overdue.
Beta told ZimOnline: "They
(the MDC) should not engage in destructive
politics. They should campaign in
a civilised manner and not to attack the
person of the president. The police
should arrest anyone who infringes the
laws of the country and attacks the
person of the president."
Under the government's Public Order and
Security Act, it is an offence
for Zimbabweans to make denigrating or
derogatory comments against Mugabe or
even making gestures at his motorcade
when it drives by.
Several Zimbabweans have been heavily fined and
jailed after being
caught by ZANU PF activists or state secret service
agents denigrating
Mugabe whose polices many blame for plunging the country
into an economic
and political crisis.
But Mugabe himself has
on many occasions used intemperate and
defamatory language against his
opponents, calling Tsvangirai a dimwit and a
witch at campaign rallies. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
COSATU back at border post
Sat 19 March 2005
MUSINA -
About 200 members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU)
yesterday picketed at the Beitbridge border post against human
rights abuses
in Zimbabwe and the uneven electoral playing field ahead of
this month-end
election.
The picket, is the second at the border post following
last Friday's
protests. The union, which is part of South Africa's ruling
tripartite
alliance together with the African National Congress and the
South African
Communist Party, has been vocal in its criticism of the Harare
authorities.
Similar protests also took place at the Zimbabwean
embassy in Pretoria
yesterday as the union steps up pressure against
Harare.
Zimbabwe's envoy to South Africa Simon Khaya Moyo last week
scorned at
the COSATU protests saying they had failed to achieve
anything.
COSATU says it is planning more protests in solidarity
with the
suffering workers in Zimbabwe ahead of the March 31 election. It
also plans
a night vigil at the border post on the eve of the
election.
The South African government, which is pursuing a policy
of quiet
diplomacy against Harare, has however warned COSATU not to go ahead
with the
blockade. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
ZANU PF, MDC rejects to form party
Sat 19 March 2005
JOHANNESBURG - A loose coalition of independent candidates, discarded by
the
two main political parties in the country, says it will transform into a
political party after the March 31 election.
The group, which
is believed to be headed by dismissed government
information minister and
propaganda tsar Jonathan Moyo, included disgruntled
senior ZANU PF party and
main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) members who lost
internal elections to represent their parties in the
month-end
election.
A spokesman for the group, Sikhumbuzo Ndiweni told
ZimOnline yesterday
that the group will transform into a political party
after the month-end
election to target the 2008 presidential
election.
Zimbabwe Union of Democrats president Margaret Dongo,
former MDC
legislators Silas Mangono and Peter Nyoni are also part of the
loose
coalition. Llody Siyoka, Leonard Nkala, Charles Mpofu and Stars Mathe,
all
from ZANU PF, are part of the plans behind the new political
force.
Moyo, who is said to be the brains behind the group, fell
out with
Mugabe late last year after trying to block the appointment of
Joyce Mujuru
to the vice-presidency, a key stepping stone to the top job.
Mugabe is set
to retire in 2008. - ZimOnline
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
President lambasts Smith
The Daily Mirror
Reporter
issue date :2005-Mar-19
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday
lambasted ailing former Rhodesian leader
Ian Douglas Smith over crimes he
committed against humanity during his rule.
Addressing thousands of ruling
party supporters that thronged Tafara 1 High
School where he donated 50
computers to five schools President Mugabe said:
"Smith is still alive. We
did not punish him although we could have done so
had we wanted. Tingadai
takakadimbura musoro (We could have decapitated
him)."
The sole
Zimbabwean leader who has been at the helm of the nation since 1980
went on:
"We did not take his farms -of the two farms that he had, we only
took one.
Takamusiyira pokufira (we left him with one farm where he would be
laid to
rest." In the same breath, President Mugabe-the object of western
vitriol-
also took a swipe at British leader, Tony Blair for his push for
regime
change and attacked the opposition MDC for working hand-in-glove with
the
former colonial master.
He said the MDC was the only opposition party on the
continent still seeking
assistance from Europe to gain political
mileage.
"Today we hear that they are some who want to give the British
power. To
give power to Blair, a young man that no one ever taught about our
history.
Britain has already stated that it is working with the MDC and
there is no
opposition party in Africa that is still rushing to Europe for
it to win
elections other than the MDC," President Mugabe said.
He
advised MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to court the electorate instead of
Europe.
"Organise your party so that it meets the people - that is where
your power
should come from not from Blair. We will resist any efforts from
Britain
aimed at changing government."
The President touched on the poor
state of roads in the country's cities and
towns and indicated that his
government, through the ministry of transport,
will soon assist
municipalities in reconstructing the infrastructure.
"Migwagwa yakabva
yanyanya kusakara pakapinda MDC, yavakutinyadzisa (our
roads are now in a
bad state since the MDC won in cities and towns). We have
said the ministry
of transport will soon go into urban areas and assist
councils in the
re-construction of the roads," he said.
The secondary schools that received
computers yesterday were Tafara1 High,
Mabvuku, Hatfield Girls High, Epworth
and Domboramwari.
President Mugabe urged party supporters to vote for Pamela
Tungamirirai in
Mabvuku-Tafara constituency saying her history dates back to
the days of the
liberation struggle.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
NCA defends expulsion of parties
The Daily
Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Mar-19
NATIONAL Constitutional
Assembly's Political Parties Liaison Committee
chairperson, Wurayayi Zembe,
yesterday defended the expulsion of three of
the five parties from the NCA
on Tuesday.
Zembe said the decision to dismiss the affected parties was based
on the
argument that by taking part in the nomination exercise the parties
had
actually declared support for this month end's general elections despite
fielding no candidates at all.
The NCA sub-committee expelled the MDC,
National Alliance for Good
Governance (NAGG), ZAPU-FP, Zanu and the
Multiracial Open Party-Christian
Democrats (MOP-CD) for agreeing to
participate in the eagerly awaited polls
slated for March 31 2005.
The
NCA has made its position regarding the forthcoming elections very
clear.
The civic rights body has publicly opposed having elections
conducted
under the current constitution they complain is undemocratic and
heavily
tilted in favour of the ruling Zanu PF.
Zembe was responding to accusations
by NAGG, Zapu-FP and MOP-CD, that their
dismissal was illegal since they had
fielded no candidates for the elections
on February 18, which was the final
day of nomination.
NAGG president Lloyd Chihambakwe has since dismissed their
expulsion as
illegal for they did not field a candidate at all.
"If he
had his homework he should have known that Nagg has no candidates
standing
in the March elections. His actions are therefore illegal,"
Chihambakwe
said.
MOP-CD president Gerald Mubayira also echoed Chihambakwe's concerns,
and
warned that Zembe's actions would negatively affect the fight for
constitutional reform in Zimbabwe.
"The parties participated in the
process of nomination which we had refused
to accept in the first place. The
parties had also been consistent publicly
in pronouncing their participation
in the elections.
Chihambakwe (Nagg President) was quoted on several
occasions stating they
will only contest in urban areas due to violence by
the ruling Zanu Pf
supporters," Zembe said.
He added that Zapu-FP even
went to the High Court seeking an order to
postpone the nomination exercise
arguing that the nomination fee was
exorbitant.
The fee was pegged at
$2million this year up from the $100 000 charged
previously.
Zembe denied
that the constitutional fight would be affected by the
dismissal of the
parties saying their actions had proved that they did not
abide by their
principles.
"They failed to field candidates because of failing to raise the
required
money or not having enough people to second their nomination. This
means
they lost the polls on the nomination stage of elections.
The
matter was not just on those who fielded candidates but those who took
part
in the election process. It shows that they are opportunists and not
capable
of standing to the principles."
The NCA taskforce is yet to seat to determine
the continued membership of
the defiant political parties in the civic
group.
From The Star (SA), 18 March
Mdladlana scolded over Zim poll
remarks
Colleagues distance themselves from controversial
statements
Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, head of the official
SA government
observer mission to the March 31 Zimbabwe parliamentary
elections, has been
rebuked even by his own government colleagues for
apparently prejudging that
the elections would be free and fair. The
separate ANC observer mission and
the SA parliamentary mission have both
distanced themselves from
controversial remarks which Mdladlana made on
arrival on Monday that he saw
no reason why the elections should not be free
and fair. Senior members of
SA's government election observer mission and
the head of the SA
parliamentary observers, Mbulelo Goniwe, told Mdladlana
not to "jeopardise"
their credibility and impartiality, a source said. His
remarks provoked
Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for
Democratic Change, to cut
off all contact with the SA observers. But the MDC
resumed contact with the
ANC mission after receiving a letter from it,
making it clear that it was
separate from Mdladlana's mission. Priscilla
Misihairambwi, MDC spokesperson
on international affairs, said the MDC would
now meet the ANC. "It is unfair
that we lump them together with the other SA
observer mission," she said,
adding that the MDC appreciated that the ANC
mission had not yet made any
statement on the elections. A reliable source
said that Goniwe and other
colleagues had told Mdladlana that as a result of
his statement, the MDC and
some other stakeholders were now suspicious of
every South African
institution. Luphumzo Kebeni, spokesperson for the
parliamentary observer
mission, said that Goniwe met with Mdladlana to make
it clear that the
mission was separate from Mdladlana's.
But
Mdladlana hit back at his critics last night, denying that he had
prejudged
the outcome of the Zimbabwean elections. The minister described
the current
situation in Zimbabwe as calm and much improved from elections
in 2002.
Mdladlana said people who accused him of saying that conditions in
the
country were conducive to free and fair elections were lying. "I can
tolerate anything and everything, but not lies," he said. The SA cabinet
also waded into the row yesterday with a statement apparently designed to
extricate itself from the mess Mdladlana had created without openly rebuking
him. Government communications head Joel Netshitenzhe told journalists that
the cabinet believed that Zimbabwe had taken steps so far to create an
environment for free political activity. There had also been a drop in
political violence compared to the last election. But the government had
also noted the concerns raised by the MDC about the issue of the voters'
roll, and their right to hold political gatherings, Netshitenzhe said.
Instead of complaining from now on, the SA government observers would deal
with "concrete" incidents as they arose. Brian Kagoro, co-chair of
Zimbabwe's Crisis Coalition, which represents most human rights and
governance NGOs, threatened to walk out of a briefing with Mdladlana on
Tuesday. The MDC has said it would not engage with the South African
government observer team until the minister was replaced. It said he had
prematurely declared the polls free and fair.
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE LEGAL COMMUNIQUÉ - 18th March 2005
Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAG
LEGAL COMMUNIQUÉ
Today's Herald (Friday 18th March 2005) contains only
repeat listings of
section 5 notices and section 8 orders - no new listings,
as follows:
- Section 5 notices: Lot 165 with 3 properties;
- Section
8 notices: Lot 22 with 245 properties.
These listings were first
published on Friday 11th March 2005 Herald and
sent out on the JAG Legal
Communiqué on Monday 14th March
2005.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
JAG TEAM
JAG Hotlines:
+263 (011) 205 374 If you are in trouble or
need advice,
please don't hesitate to
contact us -
we're here to help!
+263
(04) 799 410 Office Lines
New Zimbabwe
Zapu out of election
By Staff Reporter
Last
updated: 03/19/2005 07:02:28
THE opposition Zapu has announced it is out of
this month's parliamentary
elections after they failed to raise enough cash
to field candidates in all
the 120 constituencies.
Paul Siwela the
leader of the party told the independent SW Radio Africa
Friday that his
party could not raise $240 million required to field
candidates in
Zimbabwe's 120 constituencies.
The party's pleas to the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission to review its fees
met a stone wall.
Each
candidate taking part in the March 31 elections was asked to fork out
$2
million. Candidates from Zanu PF and the MDC had their fees paid for by
their parties from funds secured through the Political Parties Finance
Bill.
Both parties got over $ 3 billion each and were able to finance
their
candidates.
Siwela said the fee increase was a strategy by the
ruling Zanu PF to block
smaller parties from participating because of the
fear it would split votes.
New Zimbabwe
Zanu PF and Mugabe beyond reform
By
Munyaradzi Manungo
Last updated: 03/18/2005 21:51:04
SOMEONE once remarked
way back in 1999 that when Nelson Mandela was busy
planning for the next
generation, the ruling elite in Zimbabwe were planning
for the next general
election.
These remarks read true today given the importance of an
election, any
election, to those in power in Zimbabwe, a positon which
derives from
selfish motives rather than from a desire to see the country
prosper.
Once again, the election is around the corner and they are at it
again. They
are spewing intoxicating rhetoric on the masses in their
campaign trails,
concentrating much of their energies to the articulation of
the significance
of historical events rather than addressing bread and
butter issues, which
obviously are central to the current economic quagmire.
It's the future
people are concerned about because naturally people don't
live in the past,
they always look ahead and they need to do so with a
certain measure of
optimism. In our country this does not hold true
today.
There is not a shadow of doubt that generations of our people
immensely
value the execution of the liberation struggle and its legacy will
live with
us until time immemorial. One can also not afford to understate
the
achievements of the liberation struggle in as far as incinerating the
evil
of imperialism is concerned. The struggle for independence was a
collective
effort by Zimbabweans and its success was a national victory
which we all
share to this day. We can also not afford to undermine the
roles that
certain individuals, organisations and countries played in our
struggle, to
do so will be highly irresponsible. If you visited my home
today, the first
portait you will set your eyes on is that of General Josiah
Magama
Tongogara. I genuinely believe that he is a true hero among many
others the
likes of Herbert Chitepo, Nikita Mangena, Joshua Nkomo, George
Nyandoro,
Ndabaningi Sithole, Leopold Takawira, Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru
Kaguvi. It is
a natural phenomenon that in any revolution, academic spheres
or life in
general, others excel to levels that merit special recognition
and I do
believe Zimbabweans of all walks of life share the same
belief.
Here comes a huge problem. In Zimbabwe, over the years we have
seen the
establishment of a ruling elite that has personalised both the
liberation
struggle and its achievements and are using this as a weapon to
monopolise
power. Because of a track record of bad governance and massive
corruption,
this ruling elite has sought to remain in power by whatever
means necessary
to in order escape the whip of the people for their actions.
In so doing,
today at every campaign rally, people are being constantly
reminded of the
sacrificies our heroes made and to cherish these by voting
for the ruling
party. Our people need not to be reminded about something
that is part of
their history, and for almost a quarter of a century this
message has been
used to perpetuate Zanu PF hegemony.
The
consequences have been protracted hardships for the masses, and
naturally
this has ignited a common agenda for change. This is not out of
the norm in
any society, but in the Zimbabwean context any opinion which is
at varience
with the whims of those in the ruling elite is a societal
abnormality. This
obviously defies commonsense, and if this positon is
allowed to flourish,
and with the degree of hardships reaching threshold
levels, we can not rule
out the invevitable. If the struggle brought
freedom,all people should be
allowed to reap the fruits of that freedom, but
if it becomes the preserve
of a minority then the system qualifies to be
labelled as oppressive. That
qualification alone is enough to equate that
system to the one that it
replaced on the 18 th of April 1980. What this
means then is that freedom
for the people is yet to be realised.
Today, there are certain
indivuals,organisations and nations who still don't
believe the existence of
a crisis in Zimbabwe. Yes, they will continue to
believe so for as long as
they are beneficiaries of the crisis. Those at the
receiving at end of the
crisis will continue to suffer until a lasting
solution is at hand. But for
this to happen,we need a new culture and a new
political dimension that
derives from the realisation by Zimbabweans that
the future of our country
is in our hands. It is pathetically naive to
suggest that Tony Blair or
George Bush are an integral part of our political
system as evidenced by
Zanu-PF declaring the March 31 poll an anti-Blair
election. It is also a
serious misconception that the opposition in our
country is the making of
neo-colonialist machinisations.
The honest truth is that the opposition
represents a constituency of our
people who have legitimate grievances
against the current leadership. On the
basis of the 2000 election results
with almost a 50-50 position on the
contested seats, to suggest that half of
our electorate who voted for the
oppositon are agents of imperialists is
nonsensical. It is this high
disregard for political pluralism that is a
blot on the liberation movements
in our entire continent, who have a track
record of departing from the
revolutionary agenda once they are in power.
Tony Blair or George Bush will
never lose sleep over our problems in
Zimbabwe, not a single day. They have
their own problems in their countries
and whatever interest they might have
in our politics,if they have any,
these should not be alowed to overshadow
the need to be truthful to our
people and for once apportion blame where it
is rightfully due, that is, to
blame ourselves as leaders in positions of
authority.
It is very
encouraging to note that political violence is not gracing the
headlines.
But its the tautology about our history and character
castigations that are
the order of the day now. It does not benefit an
ordinary person for Robert
Mugabe to assassinate Morgan Tsvangirai's
character or vice-versa. It might
benefit the two gentleman and even so for
selfish motives. It is not the
number of degrees that Mugabe has or academic
credentials on Tsvangirai's
CV, or lack of, that people want to hear about.
It is not even about who did
what in the liberation struggle that people
want to be repeatedly reminded
of, for this is now common knowledge, neither
do the people want to know
about Britain or America. They want genuine
freedom and economic
prosperity.
The people of Zimbabwe need sound leadership, and that
leadership is not one
that is forced on people by manipulating the electoral
process at all costs,
but it is a leadership that articulates a vision for a
brighter future for
posterity and practical solutions for the bread and
butter issues which are
a thorn in the flesh of the masses. Such a
leadership can only come into
existence through a free and fair election,
and this is all what Zimbabweans
are asking for. It does not need a rocket
scientist to proclaim that the
current mess we find ourselves in, can only
come to an end when the
prevailing political environment normalises.
Political stability is an
integral component of the social and economic
equation, without which all
efforts are worthless. Gideon Gono is very
knowledgeable on this fundamental
economic imperative but will deliberately
choose to igore it because he is
nothing but an imposter. His so-called home
grown economic policies will
never succeed as long as the politics of the
country remain unstable.
In the corporate world, there is a recognition
that if an investment is not
profitable to the shareholders, strategies must
be put in place to make the
situation favourable. Among the top priorities
is a turnaround strategy
which is the need for total change. That change can
either be partial or
wholesale, but in most cases the latter is the
preference because there is
an assumption that it brings with it fresh ideas
and a new impetus. A track
record of failure by management is a recipe for
wholesale changes, and it is
in this light that we should view the
Zimbabwean crisis.
As shareholders we need a new lease of life in our
system of government, new
ideas and strategies about prospects for the
future and not about the
difficulties of the past. It's about the future and
not about the past. It's
not even about land as many might misconstrue, it's
about bad management.
The land issue has been misrepresented on a huge
scale. The truth of the
matter is that the process of land restribution was
seriously flawed, not
becasuse the whites lost land to the indegeneous
blacks, but flawed in the
sense that the economic implications of such a
process were disregarded for
political expediency. However, this process is
irreversible because it
derives from a paramount objective of the liberation
struggle.
Nature also seems to have cursed us, everytime there is an
election we have
a serious drought and this has been the pattern since
independence. Because
of poor food security planning in our bumper years,
this leaves the people
vulnerable to political manipulation by the ruling
party who have a monopoly
on food distribution. But sooner rather than
later, all forms of political
chicanery will run out because our people are
maturing politically. It is a
matter of time and hopefully that time is near
enough to put an end to the
unprecedented suffering of the people of
Zimbabwe.
Munyaradzi Manungo in a political and social commentator living in
the UK
New Zimbabwe
Election monitoring or election legitimating?
By
Bhekinkosi Moyo
Last updated: 03/18/2005 21:51:57
INDEED the question is
whether observer missions that have descended on the
capital of Harare are
monitors or agents that have been unleashed by their
respective governments
to legitimate the already stolen result?
Recent events of the past weeks
suggest that the results of parliamentary
elections have been decided. ZANU
PF has not only won, but the election has
been free and fair. This comes in
the wake of crazy statements and bizarre
activities in and outside
Zimbabwe.
First, was the unbelievable statement by President Thabo Mbeki
that there
are no reasons to think that Zimbabwean elections will not be
free and fair.
This was an arrogant statement by the President. He should
have known
better. It is an insult to people of Zimbabwe and his
presidential status.
We expect better from the President.
Second was
the exclusion of observer bodies such the Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade Unions
(ZCTU), the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the Electoral
Institute of Southern
Africa (EISA). The reason for excluding these bodies
is that they are bound
to be over-critical of the outcome of the election
and as such are biased.
The ZCTU for example was excluded on the basis that
it is 'too active and
partisan in local politics', and a mouth-piece of the
West, in particular
the Labour Party in Britain, claimed Patrick Chinamasa
on Tuesday this
week.
Chinamasa's statement reveals the bias that characterises the
Zimbabwean
state. The state has already pre-empted the judgement of the
union before it
can even conduct the monitoring exercise. The same bias was
used against
groups such as EISA and the SADCPF. In other words, only
organisations that
will be positive in their monitoring have been invited.
It is, therefore,
not surprising that among the 29 local civil society
organisations invited
to monitor the election, I did not see names like
Crisis Coalition, NCA
among others that are critical of the state of affairs
in Zimbabwe.
Thirdly was the bizarre conclusion by South Africa's Labour
Minister, M.
Mdladlana that the 'build up to the 31st March' was conducive
for a free and
fair election. The minister has already pre-judged the
election and so it
will seem that there is no point in observing it. In the
words of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the minister has
'sanitized the
election'. This has caused a rift between opposition MPs
comprising the
South Africa Parliamentary Observer team. It was reported
that some of the
MPs threatened to fly back to South Africa as they could
not form part of a
delegation that had already pre-judged the election and
concluded on the
result. This emerged after the Zimbabwean government
refused to accredit the
Parliamentary Forum, suggesting instead that, the
Forum be integrated into
the government team led by Minister
Mdladlana.
A number of critical and problematic conclusions can be drawn
from these
events. First, the Zimbabwean government is clear that it wants
to win the
election by all means available. However it wants to do so in a
way that
would suggest that it adhered to the minimum standards required by
SADC.
Thus ZANU PF desperately needs observers who would write supportive
reports.
A quick look at the observer teams invited shows that the
likelihood of any
dissenting voices is very low. There is every indication
that the observer
teams will legitimize the election results in favour of
the ruling party.
This is expected given the political context in
Africa.
Incumbent ruling parties support each other to remain in power no
matter
what it takes. Most of the ruling parties in the SADC region share or
claim
to share a history of being liberation parties. They also allege that
they
are preserving the spirit of nationalism. This view however denies new
talent to contribute to the political and economic development of these
nations. It is in this context that the 31st election in Zimbabwe has been
decided. ZANU PF has won the election; it is waiting for an approval stamp.
This stamp has been designed and is ready to be inserted on ZANU PF's
certificate to 'misrule' for another term. The date for the stamping
ceremony is the 31st March or some days after.
Secondly, it is clear
that the South African government has already made up
its mind on the
result. This agrees with its presidential policy towards
Zimbabwe; that of
'quiet diplomacy'. The South African President hasn't
publicly agreed that
there is a crisis in Zimbabwe. He has argued
consistently that conditions of
a free and fair election prevail despite
overwhelming evidence compiled by
research institutions, NGOs and trade
unions. It should be noted that South
Africa's foreign policy towards
Zimbabwe has been characterised by what Tim
Hughes calls 'composers,
conductors and players'. In other words, there is
no agreement between
players on what the policy should be, hence the
presidency always dominates.
A classic example of this was the difference
between the Presidency and the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) last week
regarding the SADC
Parliamentary Forum.
The Presidency through Ronnie
Mamoepa of the DFA argued that the Forum was
not a recognised organ of SADC
while the Director General of DFA argued
otherwise. These contradictions are
also evident among COSATU, ANC, DFA and
the Presidency. While COSATU has
taken a confrontational stance towards
Zimbabwe, parts of the ANC and the
Presidency have taken a collegial stance.
The DFA has in most part been the
implementer of the policy. Hence Hughes
has argued that South Africa's
foreign policy making can be described as
'harmony and discord'. South
Africa is therefore using this election result
to justify its policy. It is
my suspicion that this election will be used as
a watershed event to shape
the rehabilitation and normalization of Zimbabwe.
It will not be surprising
that after the elections, Mugabe might be
persuaded to relinquish power and
transitional mechanisms put in place,
leading into a government of national
unity. The international community
will then be engaged and financial
institutions will inject aid into the
country. The reconstruction of
Zimbabwe will marinate South Africa's quiet
diplomacy with praise and
'certificates of good negotiation skills'. Mbeki
will have achieved his
goal. However he will have done so in shrewd means.
Thirdly it seems to
me that the opposition MDC has been weakened and
de-capacitated. It is
entering the election under protest. It has put on a
brave face. There is no
doubt that the opposition has lost the election. It
lost many years ago. It
still remains to be seen whether the MDC will arise
again and be a strong
force to reckon with. It seems to me that Zimbabwe
will continue to be ruled
by ZANU PF for the next decade. However it is
interesting that Jonathan
Moyo, the disposed information minister, has
formed a third force. It will
be interesting to watch the political space as
the date towards elections
draws near. There is obviously going to be
spectacular performances by Moyo
in Tsholotsho. The question however is
whether the ZANU PF government will
let Moyo win the constituency? If they
do, what are their plans for him? And
if they don't, what are they going to
do? Many of us thought that by now,
Moyo would be none-entity-long
eliminated.
The last conclusion one
draws from the election madness in Zimbabwe is that
there is something about
Zimbabwe which warrants so much attention. There
are elections all over the
world but none of them has drawn so much
attention as Zimbabwe. The question
is why? Why is everyone drawn towards
Zimbabwe? There is a need to research
this. Some have argued that the
interest is because Mugabe needs to go-thus
regime change is the reason
always given. Hence in response Mugabe and his
cronies have been very
stubborn. They have even found solace and support
from other African leaders
who feel that the same can happen to them if they
allow it in Zimbabwe.
Others however, have argued that the destabilisation
of Zimbabwe equates to
the destabilisation of the region. And an MDC victory
is defined as
destabilisation in this context. Definitely the ANC will not
allow a
situation which suggests that trade unions can become political
parties and
win the election. That would threaten its power base. This
argument is also
linked to issues of trade, although due to the crisis,
Zimbabwe's position
as South Africa's primary trading partner in the SADC
region has been taken
up by Mozambique. The question thus still remains why
this madness about
Zimbabwe. Lets watch the space.
Bhekinkosi Moyo is
based at the Politics Department at the University of
Witwatersrand
Prensa, Cuba
More than 200 Cuban Doctors Working in Zimbabwean
Hospitals
Vivian Collazo, Foreign Correspondent
Harare, Mar 18
(Prensa Latina) A new group of 50 Cuban doctors has begun to
work in several
hospitals in Zimbabwe in order to strengthen bilateral
collaboration in
health.
According to chief of Cuba"s medical mission in Zimbabwe
Eligio Fernández
González, 49 physicians from different specialties began
serving in eight
provincial health facilities, where they will see more than
four million
people.
The group joined another 175 health
professionals who have been working here
for the last twelve months,
including Pharmacy graduates, X-Ray specialists,
nurses and electromedicine
engineers, Fernández González said.
They have treated at least 5
913 469 patients from year 2000 to February,
2005, according to data from
the mission register.
A feature of Cuban cooperation in Zimbabwe
is that doctors have focused on
the secondary level of attention, but from
this year on, they will strive to
step up measures mainly to prevent
AIDS.