Bob is 'God's gift to Africa'

http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/article329776.ece

Praise-singing politicians fall over themselves to salute Zimbabwe's leader
as he nears 30 years in office
Mar 1, 2010 12:00 AM | By FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT and IRIN NEWS
Zanu-PF bootlickers, hangers-on and sycophants have been falling over each
other to wish Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe many more years in power.

The octogenarian, who on April 18 this year marks 30 years in power, has
been compared to God in newspaper and television adverts.

Mugabe, who turned 86 last Sunday, was feted at an exclusive bash in
Bulawayo, the country's second-largest city, on Friday.

Among the artists picked to entertain at the Bulawayo bash was Jamaican
reggae icon Sizzla Kalonji.

"I am honoured to be in Zimbabwe to grace birthday celebrations of a great
revolutionary leader and Pan-Africanist who is fighting to uplift the
livelihoods of marginalised Africans - President Mugabe," the musician
gushed to journalists.

Other entertainers billed to perform for the occasion - at which Zanu-PF
bigwigs had no qualms about showing off their designer clothes, cars and
other bling - included South Africa's Soul Brothers and Mzwakhe Mbuli.

But Friday's bash paled in comparison to the adverts praising Mugabe - which
have been flighted since the beginning of February as Zanu-PF supporters,
army, police and other securocrats spent thousands of dollars to sponsor
colourful, slavish messages in support of the president.

The parliament of Zimbabwe, whose secretariat is packed with Zanu-PF
apologists, paid for an ad in which Mugabe was described as "a torchbearer
of African self-determination, an embodiment of black empowerment who
encapsulates true African values, an icon of emancipation of the black
majority from the yoke of colonial oppression".

It continued: "Revered by friends and foes alike, the consolidation of the
gains of revolution requires that we leave no room for complacency and that
we emulate your illustrious life of dedication and commitment to justice."

Didymus Mutasa, the Zanu-PF secretary for administration and a minister of
state in Mugabe's office, described Mugabe as "a special gift God gave to
Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole".

In a praise-singing article in one of the government newspapers, the Mugabe
spin-doctor said the octogenarian had proved to be "a great visionary and
revolutionary. He was an object of cynosure held in both veneration and
reverence among other African leaders and in some international circles.

"He has remained resolutely steadfast and as constant as the Northern Star.
Under his astute leadership Zimbabwe has enjoyed a flourishing democracy,
thriving on the corner stone of a multiparty system, tolerance and
reconciliation around which egalitarianism is built ...

"No amount of hate speech or the smearing mudslinging can blinker and
distract him from championing causes that add value to the world order."

While Mugabe is being applauded by his supporters, nearly two million
Zimbabwean's are dependent on food aid to survive.

IRIN News reported that about 1.6 million Zimbabweans will be food-insecure
between January and March 2010, with about 1.9 million receiving food aid.

The report, based on an update compiled by several UN agencies, said at
least 35% of children in Zimbabwe are severely malnourished.

The report noted that Zimbabwe's economic recovery was sluggish and that the
provision of basic services is still problematic. The amount of foreign
currency in circulation was also very limited.

Zimbabwe unionists go to ground

http://www.businessday.co.za/

Published: 2010/03/01 06:32:16 AM

THE leadership of Zimbabwe's farm workers union had gone into hiding after a
series of raids, arrests and threats against them, lawyers said yesterday.

The raids followed a documentary which the union had produced exposing the
violent abuse of workers by militia on white- owned farms seized by
President Robert Mugabe's backers, lawyer Trust Maanda said.

The documentary, titled The House of Justice, was released last year. It is
a compilation of secretly recorded footage of attacks during the takeovers
of the country's commercial farms since 2000.

Maanda confirmed that Gertrude Hambira, secretary- general of the General
Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe, was in hiding since
Wednesday. She had been interrogated that day for two hours at police
national headquarters by 17 senior officers of the Joint Operations Command
(JOC). The unit combines the country's military, police and intelligence
service and is known to direct the political strategy of Mugabe's Zanu (PF).

Union officials said Hambira was told she would be jailed for the
documentary, which showed farm workers being murdered and tortured by Mugabe's
militias.

The lawyers said the JOC's actions were illegal.

A second raid was carried out on Hambira's office on Friday in which two
officials were arrested, but released after a few hours. Two more had been
ordered to hand themselves over to police for interrogation today, union
officials in hiding said.

London-based Amnesty International last week denounced the latest in a
series of Zimbabwean human rights violations as the country's power-sharing
government - set up in February last year by Mugabe and pro-democracy leader
Morgan Tsvangirai - weakens.

Separately, Mugabe on Saturday defended new regulations to give locals
majority shareholdings in big corporations, saying they were meant to
correct historical imbalances.

The law takes effect today and allows 45 days for companies valued at more
than 500000 to sell 51% stakes to locals.

"Our indigenisation policy, like the land reform programme, is meant to
correct historical imbalances in the ownership of our resources," Mugabe
told hundreds of supporters at his 86th birthday celebrations.

"This policy is not meant to nationalise companies but to broaden ownership
of our resources," he said during the lavish party in Zimbabwe's second city
of Bulawayo.

It will affect the local operations of firms such as Standard Chartered
Bank, Barclays and platinum mining giant Zimplats, among others.
Sapa-AFP-DPA

Business leaders fear it will result in a flight of capital and hamstring
Zimbabwe's efforts to attract foreign investment, desperately needed to help
recovery from a decade of economic free-fall that impoverished the nation.
Sapa-AFP-DPA

Under the unity government, Zimbabwe last year posted 4.9 percent economic
growth, the first time the economy grew since 1997. The "indigenisation"
policy has been compared with the controversial land seizure programme. The
land programme has been blamed for a slump in food production in the former
regional breadbasket because the majority of beneficiaries lacked the means
and skills to farm.

According to the United Nations, 15% of Zimbabweans will need food
assistance this year. Sapa-AFP Sapa-DPA

Mugabe forces handover of white-owned companies to black Zimbabweans

http://www.timesonline.co.uk

March 1, 2010

Jan Raath

A law to force white-owned companies to surrender 51 per cent of their
shareholdings to black Zimbabweans comes into effect today, amid panic in
the country's business sector and fears of a catastrophic slide back into
economic chaos.

Six weeks from now all companies with a relatively modest asset value of at
least US$500,000 (£325,000) will have to submit official forms detailing the
race of each of their shareholders. If whites are in the majority they will
have to submit their "indigenisation plans", which have to be carried out
within five years.

At his lavish $300,000 celebrations for his 86th birthday in the western
city of Bulawayo on Saturday, President Mugabe compared the new law with his
"revolutionary land reforms" that set off the seizure of white-owned farms
ten years ago.

He said that only "indigenous people" could control the country's resources.
"We are saying no, no, no, the land is ours, the gold is ours, the uranium
and the forests and the wildlife is ours." Recently he declared that white
Zimbabweans were "not indigenous, even though they were born here. They are
the offspring of settlers."

Western diplomats said that the laws were Mr Mugabe's last trick to persuade
people to vote for him in elections when the current power-sharing
government comes to an end in about 2012.

Analysts said that the announcement of the laws two weeks ago put an
immediate brake on billions of dollars of investment plans, including a $500
million project for the expansion of a platinum mine by the South
African-based company Impala Platinum, the world's second-biggest producer
of the metal.

"It is the stupidest law ever introduced by this government, and there's a
lot of competition for that," said the economist John Robertson.

"I started from scratch in 2003 after they grabbed my farm," said an enraged
50-year-old white transport operator. "I've set myself up again in business,
and now they want to steal it from me again. They have no shame."
 

We will pull out of KP: Mpofu

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Lizwe Sebatha Monday 01 March 2010

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe will sell diamonds outside the Kimberley Process (KP)
should the world diamond trade watchdog rule that Harare's efforts to comply
with its standards are inadequate, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said at the
weekend.

"If the KP is unsatisfied with our efforts and wants to be difficult saying
that we have failed to comply with their requirements .. we will not lose
sleep but rather we will just pull put and not lose anything," Mpofu said,
while addressing the Bulawayo Press Club last Friday evening.

"The KP does not own the diamond trade markets. Zimbabwe will pull out of
the KP and sell its diamonds to those markets," he said.

Mpofu's comments echo threats by President Robert Mugabe about two weeks ago
to withdraw from the KP process, suggesting growing frustration in Harare
over demands by the diamond body that Zimbabwe cleans up mining of diamonds
at its controversial Marange field or face a ban that would damage the
southern African country's diamond industry.

The KP is a grouping of diamond trading countries and civic society groups
set up to prevent trade in conflict or blood diamonds.

The group has since last year been under pressure to impose an international
ban on Zimbabwe diamonds after a team of investigators it dispatched to
Marange unearthed rights abuses and other irregularities at notorious
diamond field that is also known as Chiadzwa.

Zimbabwe however escaped a KP ban last November but the global body gave
Harare a June 2010 deadline to make reforms to comply with its regulations.

Under a set of measures meant to bring Zimbabwe's controversial diamond
industry in line with KP standards, the watchdog must monitor production and
sales of diamonds from Marange.

But Harare and the KP are yet to name a monitor for Marange, while human
rights groups allege that state security agents continue to commit human
rights violations and other crimes at the diamond field. - ZimOnline.

Mpofu denies corruption in diamonds

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=27608

March 1, 2010

By Our Correspondent

BULAWAYO - The Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Obert Mpofu has
denied allegations of corruption involving diamonds saying the claims were
coming from detractors bent on destroying his political career.

Mpofu has been on many occasions been singled out as one of the senior
government officials involved in the plunder of diamonds from Chiadzwa in
Marange.

Early this month he was accompanied by police officers to the Reserve Bank
to retrieve 29 kg of diamonds. This was carried out in defiance of a Supreme
Court order in the dispute between the lawful mining concession holders,
African Consolidated Resources (ACR) and the government.

The order said the diamonds should be secured in the vaults of the Reserve
Bank.

The diamonds have since vanished.

However, responding to a barrage of questions from journalists at the
Bulawayo Press Club on Friday, Mpofu said he had never touched a diamond in
his life. He said senior members of his Zanu-PF party were raising such
allegations to destroy his political career.

"I have never touched a diamond in my life and all those people who are
accusing me of being corrupt with Chiadzwa diamonds are some members of my
party who are trying to destroy my political career," he said.
Mpofu claimed he was the most popular government minister, saying
politicians who were making noise about Chiadzwa diamonds were the looters
of the diamonds themselves.

"I can tell you, I am the most popular minister in government today; that is
why you journalists like writing about me," he said. "Otherwise people who
are making too much noise about Chiadzwa are the same people who benefited
from it; we know all this."

He also said he was never summoned by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai over
Chiadzwa diamonds saying he held meetings with the Prime Minister on weekly
basis.

The minister accused South African mining giant company De Beers of having
looted Chiadzwa diamonds for 15 years without government's  knowledge.

The Chiadzwa fields used to be managed by De Beers, after independence, De
Beers sold its franchise to ACR, a British company. Two years ago the
government confiscated the fields and handed them to the state-owned
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.

"De Beers looted our diamonds for 15 years and sending them to South Africa
without our knowledge," said Mpofu. "They had even declared that area a
restricted area, as if it was their land."

Turning to his background Mpofu boasted of being the first, among current
senior Zanu-PF politicians in Matabeleland, to have joined the liberation
struggle.

"Among all current Zanu-PF leaders in Matabeleland I think I was the first
guy to join the liberation struggle," he said.

"My rural home is Jambezi near Victoria Falls; so  in 1966 I just crossed
into Zambia which is just 49

kilometres away from  home, and I joined the liberation struggle.
"I know senior politicians in Matabeleland don't like me but I don't care
because povo (people) like me; that's  why they elected me."

Mpofu dismissed reports that he practiced nepotism in the appointment of
most senior staff members in his ministry. "I appoint these people according
to their qualifications," he said. "I am not an idiot"

45 days to draft share disposal plans

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Edith Kaseke Monday 01 March 2010

HARARE - Zimbabwe's foreign-owned companies woke up on 45 days notice today
to meet a government directive to draft plans on how they will sell majority
stakes to blacks, leaving alarmed investors seriously considering their
future and dampening the country's recovery prospects.

Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere last month published regulations forcing all businesses owned by
foreigners to set out in the next 45 days how they propose to cede 51
percent of their holdings to locals.

Foreign-owned firms have five years from today to offload at least 51
percent stake to local Zimbabweans under the controversial regulations.

The fragile coalition of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai is deeply divided on the issue and company executives want the
government to shelve the law, at least until the country starts attracting
big investment.

"There is uncertainty within the business sector and we are engaging
government on this, to say why don't we set these (regulations) aside for
now and focus on attracting investment," Kumbirai Katsande, who heads the
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries said.

The regulations came after the signing into law of the Indigenisation and
Empowerment Act by Mugabe on the eve of the March 2008 general elections.

Tsvangirai has said the regulations were null and void because they were not
referred to him or the Cabinet, but Kasukuwere argued that he consulted
widely and while debate could continue on the issue, the law stood.

Land invasions

Investors were further alarmed on Friday when Kasukuwere said the government
planned to amend or repeal 13 other laws he said hindered the empowerment
drive and threatened to impose huge fines on firms that failed to surrender
majority shares to locals.

This was after the ZANU-PF politician had last week briefed his party's
politburo, which adopted the regulations and analysts said this showed the
party's resolve to push ahead with the controversial law.

"Certainly it will not be business as usual from Monday and if there is
anyone who doubts ZANU-PF's resolve, they only need to look at the land
invasions, which caught everyone by surprise. That is the extent to which
they will go," John Robertson, a consultant economist told ZimOnline.

"For ZANU-PF, this is all about politics and you can see that they already
are looking at the next elections. But this is not empowerment, they want to
give these companies to their cronies," said Robertson.

Mugabe's supporters, led by war veterans and youth militia, shocked the
world in 2000 when they invaded white-owned commercial farms, in a spree
that left dozens of farmers dead and started the country's isolation by the
West.

The free-for-all farm take-overs disrupted commercial agriculture, which is
yet to recover a decade later, and analysts fear that this could be repeated
in the business sector if not properly implemented.

Companies approached

Unconfirmed reports say some senior government officials from Mugabe's
ZANU-PF have approached some companies, including banks, with offers to
acquire 51 percent of their shares.

Although companies have up to five years to implement their empowerment
plans, their directors face up to five years in jail if they fail to furnish
Kasukuwere with their empowerment proposals by mid next month.

Analysts see foreign companies coming under pressure ahead of elections,
which look set to be held in 2013, when the current term of parliament ends,
analysts said.

At risk are foreign-owned banks and mines, which have the largest
investments in Zimbabwe and which Mugabe has accused in the past of working
with his Western enemies to remove him from power.

Financial institutions like British-based Standard Chartered Plc and
Barclays Plc and mining houses Anglo Platinum Limited (Angloplat), Impala
Platinum Holdings (Implats) and Rio Tinto all have operations in Zimbabwe
and are easy targets in the empowerment drive.

Rio Tinto is withholding $200 million to expand its 78 percent controlled
Murowa diamond mine, Angloplat says it is monitoring developments before
committing on more investment at its Unki mine and Implats says it has an
agreement with the government that protects the take over of its Zimplats
unit.

Company closures

Zimbabweans have for years failed to buy a 15 percent stake in Zimplats.

"I don't see these foreign-owned companies ceding control to locals, it does
not make business sense. Will Barclays Plc allow their bank to remain in
operation when they have 49 percent shares? I don't think so," a European
Union diplomat said.

"But I think the most important question is, 'do Zimbabweans have the
resources to buy themselves into these businesses?' Certainly no," the
diplomat, who refused to be named said.

Analysts said foreign-owned businesses could opt to shut down if they came
under pressure to part with their shares, but miners like Implats could be
exposed with their future growth pinned on its Zimbabwe operations.

The world's second largest platinum producer is banking on the country's
rich platinum reserves along the mineral-rich Great Dyke for its expansion
in future. - ZimOnline.

Measles claim 110 lives: Gvt, WHO

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Own Correspondent Monday 01 March 2010

HARARE - A measles outbreak has killed 110 people in Zimbabwe out of 14 882
cases recorded over the past five months, according to a joint government
and World Health Organisation (WHO) report.

 "1482 suspected cases and 110 deaths, of which 107 were community deaths
were reported since the start of the outbreak in September 200," said the
weekly Epidemiological Bulletin released by the WHO and Zimbabwe's Health
Ministry at the weekend.

The report also said 77 cases of cholera and one death from the disease were
recorded in seven of the country's 62 districts.

The cholera statistics show a vast improvement from the same time last year
when the disease devastated Zimbabwe but the figures are still a sign that
the country's health and humanitarian situation remains fragile and in need
of constant monitoring and support.

Zimbabwe's health delivery system, like most social services in the country,
has shown signs of recovery since formation of a coalition government last
year by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

But public hospitals remain without adequate equipment or drugs and
overburdened by a burgeoning HIV/AIDS caseload, while nurses and doctors
have threatened to go on strike to press the coalition government to hike
salaries.

Non-health government workers have been on strike since three weeks ago to
demand improved salaries but the government - which says it is already using
65 percent of the US100 million it earns per month on salaries - has said it
is unable to increase remuneration by any substantial amount. - ZimOnline.

Mugabe thanks forces for protecting him

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=27597

March 1, 2010

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe has thanked the country's partisan security
forces and his supporters for protecting him against what he described as
his enemies during his three decades of controversial rule.

The veteran leader, who was addressing party delegates to a party organised
in honour of his 86th birthday in Bulawayo Saturday, said he would not have
reached the advanced age if it were not for their protection.

"Along the way there were those who wanted my life; there were those who
threw many bombs that missed me," Mugabe said.

"They all missed me and in part you may say it was luck and providence. But
to a very great extent, it was also that I had vigilant people around me,
security forces around me, Chimurenga eyes around me and I want to express
my gratitude to them all."

Mugabe has never experienced any direct assassination attempt but has
antagonised his opponents whom he has accused of trying to assassinate him.

His rule has come under challenge from former opponents, former Zanu Ndonga
leader Ndabaningi Sithole and former PF Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo.

Lately, Mugabe got the most formidable challenge to his rule from MDC
President Morgan Tsvangirai, now Prime Minister.

All the three opposition leaders and some of their officials have faced
treason charges from Mugabe's government.

For their first time in his rule, Mugabe lost an election to an opponent,
Tsvangirai in the March 2008 elections.

But he maintained his stranglehold on power after the country's security
forces and his militant supporters went into a two month orgy of political
violence by targeting Tsvangirai's supporters.

The country's service chiefs have vowed they will never recognise an MDC
rule.

The MDC says over 200 of its supporters died as a result of the state
sponsored violence while thousands were hounded out of their homes by
marauding death squads.

In his address on Saturday, Mugabe defended Zimbabwe's controversial
indigenisation law which compels foreign firms to cede at least 51 percent
shareholding to locals.

Tsvangirai's mainstream MDC says the law would be harmful to the inclusive
government's current attempts to restore economic recovery to the country.

Zimbabwe is keen to attract foreign direct investment in order toaugment its
ongoing resuscitation of an economy which has endured a decade of continuous
collapse under Mugabe's populist policies.

"This policy is not meant straightforwardly to nationalise companies but to
broaden the ownership of the economy in a manner which recognises the
sovereign right of the people of Zimbabwe," Mugabe said.

"We will need partners from outside, partners of our own choice not partners
who impose them. Those who would want to impose partners would be
aggressors. They are unwanted we would repulse them."

Mugabe maintained the controversial Border Gezi Youth training programme was
important to the country's youths.

He said this was acknowledged by the Global Political Agreement his party
signed with its former rivals.

He said national youth training will help the youth acquire a "national
ideology and national consciousness" rooted in the country's history.

"Government shall this year be finalising the national youth service
programme to widen its reach to youths across the country in all the
provinces and create a vanguard for national development," he said.

"The national youth service programme must inculcate the values of
patriotism, discipline, tolerance, non violence, openness, democracy,
equality, justice, nationalism and respect.

"All youths regardless of race, ethnicity, gender religion or political
affiliation will be eligible to participate in the programme."

Mugabe appeals to youths over sanctions

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=27604

March 1, 2010

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe has called on youths to demand for the
lifting of Western imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe which he termed evil and an
impediment to Zimbabwe's development.

He accused Western countries of relentless attempts to gain control of the
country's rich natural resources.

"I would want to urge all the youth movement across the country and perhaps
even across Africa to now raise their voices louder than before in demanding
that imperialists countries of Europe and America leave us alone and drop
those evil sanctions that they have imposed on us," he said.

Mugabe (86) was addressing Zanu-PF loyalists and youths who attended his
belated birthday celebrations in Bulawayo, Saturday.

Dubbed the 21st February Movement celebrations, Mugabe's controversial
birthday bashes have been held for the past 24 years and are rotated across
all the country's provinces.

"Those sanctions are impeding our development," Mugabe said.

"They are impeding the development of our youths, our children and therefore
are affecting the future of our children, the future of our country.

"We want them dropped, not today but yesterday. So let it be a campaign, a
vigorous campaign across the country across Africa against Europe and
America."

Mugabe said his country has been unfairly victimised by the rich countries.

His party says Zimbabwe is being punished for its controversial land reform
programme in the past 10 years in which over 4000 white Zimbabweans, who are
descendants Europe, had their land repossessed for redistribution to the
black majority.

"Why of all countries in the world, of all countries in Africa should
Zimbabwe be burden with sanctions?" Mugabe charged.

"What sin is it that Zimbabwe has done or committed? And those who have
imposed those sanctions, can they tell us that they are cleaner than
Zimbabwe, that they are politically better than Zimbabwe?

"Yet it's only yesterday they were here as evil colonisers as settler
colonialists in the country."

Youths from his party staged a street demonstration on Wednesday last week
to demand the lifting of sanctions.

The march followed a decision by the European Union recently to extend by a
year a travel ban and asset freeze on the veteran leader and 196 other
individuals, mainly members of his Zanu PF party, who are accused of human
rights violations.

The sanctions also target 31 companies, including banks, said to have
shareholding by people with links to Zanu-PF.

Mugabe said Zimbabwe wouldl fight to repel any foreign interference.

"They want our gold,"said Mugabe; "they want our platinum; they want our
diamonds; they want our uranium, the want our land and we are saying 'no,
no.'

"No the land is ours; no the platinum is ours; no the gold is ours; the
diamonds are ours; the uranium is ours; the forests and the wildlife are
ours. Zimbabwe is ours.

"You will not take it. We will fight for it. We fought for it yesterday. We
will fight for it today and tomorrow."

The Western countries have maintained the embargo on citing the continued
violation of and in some cases non compliance to the Global Political
Agreement he signed with his former rivals in the MDC in September 2008.

Zimbabwe's unity pact led to the formation of the unity government in
February last year.

The protesters on Wednesday gave Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai a period
of one month to get the sanctions removed or face unspecified action.

The mainstream MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says it is the
responsibility of all the parties in the unity government to work towards
the lifting of sanctions through ensuring full compliance with the unity
pact.

Zanu-PF is adamant it will make no further concessions to MDC as it has
already fulfilled its obligations.

South African President Jacob Zuma has pledged to confront Britain on the
need to scrap the sanctions against his neighbour.

He says the sanctions are fanning tensions within the country shaky unity
government.

Zimbabwe stun Windies in Twenty20

PAUL MITCHELL
March 1, 2010 - 9:19AM

AFP

Graeme Cremer captured three wickets for 11 runs as Zimbabwe's spinners
bowled the visitors to a stunning, 26-run victory over West Indies in a
Twenty20 International on Sunday.

Zimbabwe exploited West Indies' susceptibility to spin, as the home team,
chasing a modest 106 for victory, was restricted to 79 for seven from their
allocation of 20 overs to hand the visitors a win in the only T20I between
the two sides in this series.

The Zimbabwe spinners shared all seven wickets with off-spinner Greg Lamb
taking two for 14 from his four overs, while their captain Prosper Utseya
and left-arm spinner Ray Price took one scalp apiece.

It was a complete reversal of fortunes after Zimbabwe's batting at Queen's
Park Oval was demolished by Darren Sammy and Sulieman Benn.

Choosing to bat, the visitors were dismissed for 105 in 19.5 overs, as Sammy
collected 5-26 from 3.5 overs to trump Benn's 4-6 from four overs for the
third-best figures in a T20I.

Only Umar Gul of Pakistan with 5-6 from three overs against New Zealand in a
Twenty20 World Cup match last year at the Oval, and Nehemiah Odhiambo with
5-20 from four overs for Kenya against Scotland earlier this year in Nairobi
now have better figures in a T20I than Sammy.

Hamilton Masakadza hit the top score of 44 from 67 balls for the
Zimbabweans, and Elton Chigumbura led a late charge with 34 from 19 balls to
bring some respectability to the visitors' total. No other batsman passed
20.

Utseya and Price opened the bowling, and made life difficult for West
Indies' openers Adrian Barath and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

But Cremer swung the match decisively, when he bowled Kieron Pollard for
one, and trapped Darren Bravo lbw for a first-ball duck in the ninth over to
leave West Indies 4-32.

Cremer turned villain, when he dropped Chanderpaul, on 16, at wide long-on
off Lamb, but his miss was not costly.

Lamb gained a palpable lbw decision over Chanderpaul in the 12th over to
leave West Indies 5-39, and though Denesh Ramdin, leading the home team in
the absence of resting talisman Chris Gayle, tried to launch a late charge,
the result was never in any doubt.

Earlier, Zimbabwe suffered a catastrophic start, when they slumped to 4-11
in the fifth over, after Benn, opening the bowling, removed Vusimuzi
Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri, and Brendan Taylor all for
ducks in his spell.

Zimbabwe never fully recovered, although Masakadza and Lamb added 40 for the
fourth wicket before Sammy came into the attack and ran through the bottom
half of the visitors' batting.

This was the first T20I between the two sides ever.

The two sides now play five One-day Internationals - the first is next
Thursday.
 

Victoria Falls World Heritage status under threat

http://www.eturbonews.com

Photo by Gill Staden, eTN

By Gill Staden, eTN | Feb 28, 2010

The governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe are in a mad scramble to complete a
document to be given to UNESCO on the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.
The report was first requested by UNESCO in 2002 and then again in 2006.
Various deadlines have been passed and extensions given. The latest deadline
of February 1, 2010 has again passed, and UNESCO has received no document.
In 2007, the joint Zambia/Zimbabwe team requested for financial assistance
in the amount of US$30,000 to help them to undertake the report. UNESCO gave
them this assistance but still has no report.

The private sectors on both sides of the border are very alarmed at their
governments' inability to produce this document. Not only is the report
important for the continued luxury of having the Victoria Falls as a World
Heritage Site, but it is also important in its content.

UNESCO required the governments to form a Joint Management Team and an
Integrated Management Plan for the site. It also requested that certain
issues were addressed. The main issue in 2006 was Zambia's worrying
commitment to further development within the site; development which UNESCO
felt compromised its beauty and integrity. Other concerns were on invasive
species such as lantana and water hyacinth; pollution in the river; the
water extraction by Zambia for hydro-electricity generation; and the
continued licensing of helicopters, microlights, and other tourism services.

To be fair to both governments, some measures have been undertaken to
protect the World Heritage Site. A balloon operation, which started its life
in Zimbabwe and then moved over to Zambia, was discontinued. The lantana on
the Zambian side is being eradicated with private sector assistance; in the
meantime, though, the lantana has become a forest on the Zimbabwe side.
Again, on the Zambian side, the water hyacinth problem is being tackled. The
development of a hotel on the Zambian side was stopped because of concerns
from the private sector but still rumbles on in the background.

The Victoria Falls World Heritage Site was proclaimed in 1989. It covers the
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia and the Victoria Falls National Park
in Zimbabwe. A buffer zone surrounds the site, which extends to a 30
kilometer radius around the Victoria Falls. When both governments signed the
agreement with UNESCO in 1989, they committed themselves to work together
for the protection of the Victoria Falls and its surrounding area. It seems
that their half-hearted attempts at protection will avail them nothing if
they cannot produce one report and work together.

There is a small window for Zambia and Zimbabwe to submit the report before
the 2010 session of the World Heritage Committee; all documents have to
reach UNESCO by March 15. The scramble to complete the document is to try to
meet that date. In the meantime, a large delegation from Zambia's Ministry
of Tourism starts a three-week tour of Europe, visiting London, Paris,
Berlin, and Madrid, to promote tourism. As Victoria Falls is Zambia's main
tourist attraction, one can only wonder how this team will explain to the
world how Zambia's main tourist attraction has been downgraded, while they
were on a tour to promote it.

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