"Politicians killed Olds"
Bulawayo - The saga surrounding the murder of Nyamandlovu farmer, Gloria Olds, has taken a new twist with war veteran Stan Wolfenden, who was a key suspect in the case, alleging that "heavyweight politicians" were behind the slaying of the 72-year-old farmer at her Nyamandlovu farm. Wolfenden, who was last week questioned by police in connection with Olds' murder, has denied any links between the rental wrangle he was embroiled in with Olds, and the murder. Instead, he said, politicians with an axe to grind with the widow took advantage of the wrangle to perpetrate their gruesome act.
"Politicians are after Olds' farm and press reports about our rental disagreement gave them the opportunity to strike," said Wolfenden. He refused to name the politicians. Wolfenden says he is now living in fear because of the publicity his wrangle with Olds attracted and the fact that he is believed to know "too much". He has also dissociated himself from the local ranks of the war veterans. "All of them are fake," he told The Standard. Sources in Nyamandlovu say Wolfenden last Sunday visited the shopping centre armed with an AK 47. "I have to take precautions because there are people who also want me dead," he said. "The same people who wanted Olds dead are also after me. They think I know too much so I have to carry a gun for self defence."
Wolfenden was renting a Nyamandlovu general dealer, Muriel Store, and it is alleged he had not paid rent for more than 10 months. Olds was shot 15 times by unidentified gunmen at her Silver Stream Farm. A day before she died, sources say, she had planned to obtain a court order barring Wolfenden access to the shop. Wolfenden's statement is bound to complicate matters, as Olds' son, Martin, was killed on 18 April last year by suspected war veterans who had invaded his farm.
Meanwhile, police say they might soon apprehend the people who gunned down Olds. Dismissing the involvement of war veterans or Wolfenden in Olds' murder, and brushing away reports of lawlessness on farms, acting police commissioner, Godwin Matanga, told The Standard that they had strong leads in connection with Olds' murder. "We don't just protect white farmers but we also have to protect those that may be implicated in such cases until our investigations are complete," said Matanga. "Even war veterans deserve our protection." Olds' murder case has since been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department.
From CNN, 18 March
South Africa, Zimbabwe ministers hold crisis talks
Johannesburg - Zimbabwean and South African ministers were due to begin two days of talks on Sunday in Pretoria aimed at resolving Zimbabwe's deepening economic and political crisis. "The talks are part of the on-going efforts between South Africa and Zimbabwe to find a lasting solution to Zimbabwe's problems," South African Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa told Reuters. "The talks will culminate in a meeting between (South African) President Thabo Mbeki and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe," he said. No date has been set for the presidential talks.
The ministerial talks are being held at an undisclosed location and officials have given no indication as to exactly when they will begin on Sunday. No statements are expected before Monday. The Zimbabwean delegation is headed by Finance Minister Simba Makoni and includes the country's trade and industry and agricultural ministers. Mbeki is under international pressure to take a firmer line against Mugabe on his policy of taking land from mainly white commercial farmers for redistribution to landless blacks. His lukewarm response last year during the often violent invasions of white-owned farms by self-styled veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war was one of the factors attributed to a sharp depreciation in the value of the rand. But Mbeki has repeatedly asked Mugabe to keep his land program within the laws of Zimbabwe.
From The Star (SA), 19 March
SA-Zimbabwe bilateral talks to continue
Bilateral talks between South Africa's Agriculture and Land Affairs, Finance and Trade and Industry ministers and their Zimbabwean counterparts will continue on Monday as part of "ongoing efforts between the two countries to find a lasting solution to Zimbabwe's problems". Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa did not want to elaborate on the specific issues being discussed, but said a statement would be released at the end of the meeting, which is being held in Pretoria. "President Thabo Mbeki has indicated that these meetings will probably lead to a meeting between himself and President Robert Mugabe."
Issues likely to be raised at the meetings include:
Restoring macro-economic stability and building investor confidence by restoring the rule of law and stabilising the land reform process.
Curbing Zimbabwe's out-of-control deficit.
Improving the finances of major parastatals and possible privatisation measures.
Moving to a market-determined exchange rate.
Steps against the Aids crisis, which beyond other factors is exacerbating Zimbabwe's economic meltdown.
Meanwhile, a Commonwealth action group is scheduled to meet in London on Monday to discuss the possibility of sending a mission from the organisation to Zimbabwe, a source close to the talks said. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook will be tabling a motion to send a mission to report back on political and economic developments in Zimbabwe, the source said. In addition to discussing the possible mission, the action group is likely to produce a communiqué expressing the Commonwealth's concern over developments in Zimbabwe.
From The Star (SA), 19 March
Catholics speak out against Zim 'terror'
Harare - Roman Catholic leaders in Zimbabwe denounced the government's violence-wracked land reform scheme on Sunday as a "political power game" and backed the judiciary's stand against the government. "This is no longer a free country. People live in abject fear of violence, crime and threats," said a statement from the Conference of Religious Superiors of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe. "The rule of law is no longer respected, terror and intimidation go unpunished," it added. "We wish to back the judges and law officials who defend the constitutional rights of the citizens of Zimbabwe," said the statement, which was published in the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper.
"We are very concerned that the fast-track land redistribution inflicts untold misery on the farm labourers and their families who are made redundant. Even the resettled people face great hardships: they appear to be pawns in a political power game without any secure legal tenure to the land allocated to them," the statement said.
Church leaders have until now taken a neutral position on the government's "fast-track" land reform scheme, which seeks to resettle five million hectares of white-owned farmland with poor black farmers. White and black Zimbabweans generally accept the need to resettle some white-owned lands to correct colonial-era inequalities in land ownership. But since February 2000, land reform has been tangled in a violent and politically charged squatter campaign, spearheaded by militant, self-styled veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation war.
Squatters still occupy about 1 000 white farms, down from a peak of 1 600 last year, and the violence continues unabated. The most recent killing came earlier this month, when 72-year-old white farmer Gloria Olds was shot dead by unidentified attackers in the southwest province of Matabeleland. More than 34 people, mostly blacks, have died in political violence during the last year.
From The Zimbabwe Standard, 18 March
Bar Association dismisses remarks
The International Bar Association (IBA) delegation on a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe regarding land reform and attacks on the judiciary, yesterday dismissed the statement by justice minister Patrick Chinamasa that the mission's visit was stage-managed. "The delegation is disappointed to hear the minister of justice publicly describe the mission's meetings as 'stage-managed'. The allegations are rejected," said the delegation in a statement yesterday.
Chinamasa made the statement on Friday in what has been described as an effort to pre-empt the findings of the IBA mission to Zimbabwe. "As the delegation has made clear, it has not yet reached any conclusion but in due course a report will be published once the facts have been assessed," said the IBA delegation. Chinamasa's statement came after the delegation held a three-hour meeting with President Mugabe following consultations with various stakeholders during the week. The delegation comprises prominent jurists from around the world.
From The Zimbabwe Standard, 18 March
Mugabe asks IMF to come back
President Mugabe, often outspoken against the IMF, has requested that the institution resume funding for Zimbabwe's crumbling economy. Mugabe met IMF president, Horst Koehler, in Tanzania last month where he requested the institution to return to Zimbabwe to resume balance of payments support for the country. The IMF has withheld US$53 million in balance of payments support to Zimbabwe since 1998 citing an irregular land reform programme, and demanding more transparency in government policies.
IMF African department director, Godfrey Gondwe, confirmed in Tanzania that Mugabe had requested the IMF return to Zimbabwe. "Of course. The president also wanted and actually did request to have re-engagement with the IMF. But again we discussed what probably would be the conditions that we would have to start the process," said Gondwe. Minutes of the proceedings in Tanzania show that both the IMF and the World Bank indicated to Mugabe that the resumption of funding would depend on the country returning to the rule of law, and coming up with a programme to turn around the economy.
"Yes there was a meeting between President Mugabe and Mr James Wolfensohn on the bank side, at which we listened to President Mugabe about the ongoing situation in Zimbabwe, covering the fundamental question of land reform, the importance of putting in place a robust economic programme, and putting in place, in fact, actions that would erase some of the deterioration in the social fabric, education, health and of course, the devastating tragedy of HIV/Aids," said Callisto Madavo, the World Bank vice president for Africa.
Mugabe's request for the IMF to resume funding marks a major turnaround by the man who has blamed the institution for problems ranging from Aids to the state of the economy. At a press conference two years ago, Mugabe, in a hysterical outburst, said the IMF was an "imperialist tool" responsible for the Aids scourge in Zimbabwe. The president declared: "It says here in this document signed by IMF officials - "We gave aids to Zimbabwe". It is there in black and white!". He was referring to the word "aids" which in the context of the document was a typographical error. The word should have read "aid".
In the same year, Mugabe was to rebuff the "monstrous" IMF and to suggest that Zimbabwe would seek financial assistance from elsewhere. "Let that monstrous creature get out of our way," Mugabe said of the IMF in an interview with the Sunday Mail. "Why should we continue to plead? Let us look elsewhere for resources. After all the money is not to be given free of charge. The money is a loan and if you are going to go down on your knees and confess, as if to the Almighty, for your sins and they will say okay you have done wrong and can you now do this and that in the future. For goodness sake, we are a sovereign country and we must not humiliate ourselves to that extent," Mugabe said.
From The Star (SA), 17 March
World's top judges subjected to Zim tantrums
Harare - A delegation from the International Bar Association to Zimbabwe has dismissed charges of bias levelled against them by two of President Robert Mugabe's ministers, who apparently harangued the delegation on the steps of Mugabe's official residence. Earlier on Saturday, State television aired the country's propaganda chief, Jonathan Moyo, and Patrick Chinamasa, the minister of justice, shouting and waving their arms at members of the association immediately after they had a three-hour meeting with Mugabe on Friday.
The group of seven included former chief justice of India, Aziz Ahmadi, chief justice of the Eastern Caribbean Dennis Byron, United States federal Judge Andre Davis, and South African advocate George Bizos. Their visit followed international outrage after Zimbabwe's chief justice, Anthony Gubbay, was effectively driven out of office after a state-sanctioned campaign of intimidation and threats of violence against him and other judges by so-called guerrilla war veterans. Mugabe's regime turned on the judiciary late last year after the Supreme Court declared that the government's seizure of white-owned farms was illegal. The court also overturned a edict of Mugabe's, meant to bar the courts from annulling election results won by violence and fraud.
The seven men watched as Moyo and Chinamasa apparently bawled at them for about five minutes, and then left. Chinamasa accused the group of being "negative" and "one-sided" and said they had met only with whites and did not bother to get the government's opinions. He said the mission should have met with "war veterans and peasants." "We must gear up for another international condemnation following the negative report that the team will likely produce. We are querying their objectivity. Their report will add to the perceptions created by the international media," he said.
The Zimbabwean Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) said in a statement on Saturday it was "disappointed to hear the minister of justice publicly describe the mission's meetings as 'stage-managed'." "The allegations are rejected. The group came to Zimbabwe with an open mind to review the current state of the judiciary and the legal profession, including allegations of threats to the independence of the judiciary," it said.
During their time there, the mission met all members of the Supreme Court, including Gubbay, all the High Court judges in Harare and the second city of Bulawayo, officials of the attorney-general's office, the Law Society and the Bar Association representing advocates. The association also held a separate meeting with Chinamasa and with the small group of lawyers that allies itself with Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party. Last month Gubbay attempted to defy government attempts to force him to resign, but gave in after police apparently again allowed Joseph Chinotimba, the notorious war veteran, into the Supreme Court where he harangued Gubbay for nearly an hour and promised "war" if he did not resign. Chinotimba faced charges of attempted murder in Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa also tried to force out two other Supreme Court judges, one white and the other of Indian descent, telling them the government was unable to protect them from the veterans, and that "anything can happen" if they stayed in office. Both men defied Chinamasa and were still in office.
From The Independent on Sunday (UK), 18 March
Mugabe prepares a bloody victory
David Coltart has no doubts. There may be argument over whether Robert Mugabe goes for an early presidential election or waits until his term ends in March 2002. But whenever the vote comes, one thing is already clear: "Zimbabwe is in complete meltdown. This will be the bloodiest campaign ever."
If anyone is entitled to such gloom, it is Mr Coltart. As an MP and legal affairs spokesman of the opposition MDC, he has led the protest against the regime's intimidation of the Supreme Court, which forced the Chief Justice, Anthony Gubbay, to resign. Then there was the decision to prosecute Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the MDC, for incitement to violence, a charge carrying a sentence of up to 20 years in jail. Mr Coltart himself has long been in the sights of Mr Mugabe's henchmen. Four days before last year's parliamentary elections, Patrick Nabanyama, his polling agent in his Bulawayo South constituency, was abducted in broad daylight and never seen again. "And recently I've had serious death threats from two different sources in the power apparatus within 24 hours."
Thus the Mugabe counteroffensive continues. Mr Gubbay, unswerving in his rejection of the legality of farm seizures by Mr Mugabe's "war veterans", has gone, while Western criticism of Mr Mugabe's disastrous economic policies did not prevent his visits this month to Paris and Brussels. Six months ago the 77-year-old President was all but written off after a humiliating near-defeat by the MDC in the parliamentary elections. He is taking no chances of such embarrassment again.
The firebombing of the Daily News, Zimbabwe's most popular and independent newspaper, threats against the white farmers' union the CFU, warnings that foreign observers will be banned for the presidential vote, the expulsion of foreign journalists and the onslaught against the judiciary are all signs of how critics of the regime are being silenced. According to Mr Coltart, the Mugabe camp believes that if they can win the presidential election, everything will be fine. "They believe the international community will forgive and forget." He says Britain has a vital role to work within the EU to "stiffen its resolve, and counter machinations by France and Belgium". But that will not change the reality in Zimbabwe: that Mr Mugabe has started a fight he cannot lose.
From The Sunday Times (UK), 18 March
Mugabe's foes forced into TV humiliation
On a knife-edge: Mugabe supporters are intensifying their intimidation of the MDC
Ever since its disputed victory in last June's parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has waged a low-intensity war aimed at destroying the opposition MDC. The Harare townships that supported the MDC have been subjected to assaults by the army and police. A similar campaign is now under way in the countryside. Particularly ferocious have been attempts to root the MDC out of the three Mashonaland provinces of northern Zimbabwe that have been Zanu-PF's traditional heartland.
Every night last week MDC officials were paraded on television to renounce their party. They now understood, they explained, that the MDC was a party for whites, backed by the British, and that "like lost sheep we are returning to the fold" - that is, rejoining Zanu-PF. Tendai Gagwa (a pseudonym) was one of those who went on television to renounce the MDC. He used to be one of the party's branch officials in Muzarabani, in Mashonaland central province. "We have had floods in Muzarabani and many roads are impassable, but the Zanu-PF youth were flown in by army helicopter," he said. "They started to beat me with canes and knobkerries [short sticks with knobbed heads], saying, 'You are MDC, you must die.' "They said they would burn down my house and beat my family too."
Tendai had heard how Robson Tinarwo, an MDC youth leader in nearby Shamva, had been attacked last Sunday by Zanu-PF activists and had refused to renounce his party. They had beaten him to death with metal rods. Witnesses reported the case to the police, but no action was taken. Shamva is the constituency of Nicholas Goche, Zanu-PF minister for internal security and boss of the secret police. Goche has sworn to "clear" his area of MDC supporters. "I felt I must protect my family. My wife was crying and my daughter was screaming," Tendai said. "They were beating them and tearing their clothes. I knew they were going to rape them and make me watch. So I said, 'All right, I will leave MDC.' I felt terrible. "They said, 'You must give us your party card and T-shirt.' They said I must spit at the picture of Morgan Tsvangirai [the MDC leader] on the T-shirt. I did it. 'Now you must join Zanu-PF and sing party songs with us,' they said. While I sang, they kept beating me."
Next morning the tormentors returned and demanded that he tell them the names of all the other MDC officials in the district, he said. "They made me point out their houses. Then they gave me a whip and said, 'Now you must lead the beating.' I was hoping that my comrades were away. But some were home. "I will never forget their faces. It must have been how Jesus looked at Judas. In most cases they renounced the MDC but one was very brave and refused. I whipped him and whipped him and I was crying to him, 'Please give up.' In the end, one of them hit him unconscious with a knobkerrie."
That evening Tendai was flown by helicopter to Harare to make his renunciation on television. He has secretly made contact with MDC officials again since, but they are loath to trust him. There have been more than 100 public renunciations of the MDC in Muzarabani. There have been similar scenes - often involving hut-burning and rape - in other rural areas. In Shamva alone last week there were 18 serious assaults and seven houses were burned.
Even this may be dwarfed by the retribution the Mugabe government seems to be planning for the MDC-voting masses of the Harare townships. It announced last week that it would demolish the estimated 145,000 shacks that provide accommodation for 1m people. The idea seems to be to force people into the countryside, making them rely on the farm plots that Zanu-PF will offer them on land taken from white farmers. Commentators are wondering whether any violent protest might allow the government to decree a state of emergency, so it could ban the MDC and detain its leaders without trial. Robin Cook, the foreign secretary, will seek an expression of disapproval over the crisis in Zimbabwe at this week's meeting in London of the Commonwealth ministerial action group, set up to look at human rights among member states.
From The Star (SA), 17 March
Zim in deep trouble, declares UN rights chief
United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson said in Pretoria on Friday she believed Zimbabwe was in "deep trouble" and that she was concerned about the erosion of law in the troubled southern African country. "I am very concerned about the situation in Zimbabwe," Robinson told journalists in Pretoria on the last day of a two-day visit to South Africa. "Zimbabwe is in deep trouble at the moment ... if a country sees the crumbling of the fundamental integrity of the rule of law, the administration of justice, the integrity of the judges, the police, those in uniform, then that is the beginning of a terrible cycle of violence and disintegration."
Robinson said that as an Irish person, she understood the plight of Zimbabwe's landless majority. Nevertheless, "what I really worry about acutely at the moment is the erosion of all of that and the fact that there is an undermining of the fundamental integrity of the rule of law." "That is the worst thing that can happen in a country after a system has been built up over a number of years so that people feel protected and secure under the law."
The former Irish president told AFP her concern about the situation in Zimbabwe had twice prompted her to write to President Robert Mugabe, "once several months ago and again last week." Robinson added that she had "great respect" for outgoing Zimbabwean Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay, who was edged out his post by government after he presided over judgements against the seizure of private land. She said she did not believe that it was too late for Zimbabwe "to turn the corner on it but I think it is going to take a lot of support" including from the UN.
Robinson during a media conference also attended by South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, called on the leadership of neighbouring countries "to recognise that they must (help) in a supportive way, in a way that neighbours try to help." Asked whether she agreed with Robinson, Dlamini Zuma, who has recently stated that South Africa will not take a hard line against Mugabe, said: "I think Zimbabwe has serious problems ... and they will need a lot a support from neighbours." Robinson was in South Africa to prepare for the UN World Conference Against Racism which will be held in the country in late August.
From The Sunday Times (UK), 18 March
Paper reports president's falls
The Daily News, Zimbabwe's independent newspaper, continues to publish fearless accounts of Mugabe's campaign of terror, despite the bombing of its presses seven weeks ago.
The paper, which is printing a reduced number of copies on temporary presses, also reported last week that the 77-year-old president had twice collapsed on foreign visits. Mugabe's spokesmen slam the phone down on journalists inquiring after his health, and some wonder if The Daily News may be risking further bombs. "What can we do?" said Geoff Nyarota, the paper's editor. "The president's health is a legitimate subject of popular interest, so we cover it. I can't worry about what happens if we report the news correctly. I'd be much more worried if we didn't."
Sunday Times readers wishing to show support for free speech in Zimbabwe have so far donated £43,000 towards the cost of a replacement press for The Daily News.
From The Zimbabwe Standard, 18 March
Stakes high in Masvingo mayoral polls
Masvingo - A battle with far reaching implications for the country's political landscape looms in Masvingo as Zimbabwe's two leading parties - Zanu PF and the opposition MDC - square up for a bruising contest over the vacant mayoral post. The registrar-general has announced that the election to fill the mayoral post will be held on April 8 and 9, triggering widespread excitement in Zimbabwe's oldest town.
The late mayor of Masvingo, Alderman Francis Aphiri's term of office expired on June 16 last year, but he remained in office until mid-September when he succumbed to diabetes. His deputy, Hamadziripi Mamutse, then took over in an acting capacity. All along the RG's office had been quiet over the issue which was crucial to residents, considering that Masvingo was showing signs of neglect, with roads littered with potholes and a sewerage system that constantly collapsed.
Analysts say the election is not just an ordinary contest for the top civic post, but a "mother of all battles" which will determine which of the two parties enjoys support in the urban area. Presidential elections pitting President Robert Mugabe against MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai, the man widely seen as an agent of salvation by ordinary people disillusioned by Zanu PF's 21-year-old reign, are set for 2002, and the urban vote is likely to be a deciding factor.
The MDC has penetrated the rural areas, previously the preserve of the ruling party. And if it maintains the massive support it has in towns, the MDC would be assured of victory against a governing party dogged by allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the economy, among other problems. On the other hand Zanu PF also needs to penetrate the urban areas if it is to dilute the powerbase of the opposition party. Elections are still to be held in Harare, which is currently run by commissioners appointed by the minister of local government and national housing about two years ago. Bulawayo is yet another city which has no substantive mayor following the death of Abel Siwela last year.
The delay by the government in announcing dates for the elections has been largely due to the fear of the ruling party which was drubbed by MDC in towns during the June parliamentary election. MDC won by huge margins in urban areas, especially Harare and Bulawayo, relegating the ruling party to a rural-oriented political organisation. But a more aggressive Zanu PF, which boasts of a new-look politburo and cabinet with technocrats and propagandists, maintains that it was caught napping last year and intends to prove that it is popular both in towns and rural areas.
Zanu PF national political commissar, Border Gezi, said last week that the mayoral election provided an opportunity for the people of Masvingo who voted for MDC's Silas Mangono in Masvingo Central constituency to "make corrections". Gezi said Zanu PF would show the world that Zimbabwe had its own internal masters, not foreigners, through defeating MDC at the mayoral polls. In what amounted to vote buying, he announced that his ministry would pour $3 million in the town in two weeks - time to benefit anyone who wanted to start income generating projects except white people. "As minister l will do everything possible to ensure that the Zanu PF government remains in office," he said.
But MDC national executive member, Joubert Mudzumwe, says Zanu PF would be embarrassed by the results of the election. "Masvingo is set to make history. Our candidate, Alois Chaimiti, is going to be Zimbabwe's first mayor from MDC. Zanu PF is aware of this and has been trying frantically to have 15 000 people from the rural areas who will vote in the mayoral elections. But this simply won't work," he said.
At the time of going to press yesterday, it was not clear who had won the Zanu PF primaries called to choose a candidate. Among the leading candidates were accountant Fabian Mabaya, war veteran-turned-nurse Shylet Uyoyo, businesswoman Maina Mandaba - a favourite of the Hungwe faction - and educationist Jacob Chademana. War veteran leader, Chenjerai Hunzvi, has already announced that his charges will descend on Masvingo when the time comes to campaign for a Zanu PF candidate, raising fears of yet another violent campaign similar to the one conducted in Bikita West recently.
A feared war veteran, Cde Satan, a colleague of Black Jesus, is seen roaming around Masvingo these days. "The war veterans are free to come and start violence. But it should be clear to them that we are prepared to counter any kind of trouble. I wish they would first confront me," said Mudzumwe. Zanu PF, bolstered by the recent victory in Bikita West, which came about largely as a result of a violent campaign led by Hunzvi, is determined to retain its traditional seat. While governor Josiah Hungwe has already started campaigning for Zanu PF, it remains to be seen whether Dr Eddison Zvobgo, who was ditched from the politburo, will actively campaign for Zanu PF. Zvobgo and his colleague, former provincial chairman Dzikamai Mavhaire, appear not to be part of a new look Zanu PF in the minds of the likes of Gezi and his colleagues.
From News24 (SA), 18 March
Commonwealth contemplates Zim
London - A Commonwealth action group will meet on Monday to discuss the possibility of sending a mission from the organisation to Zimbabwe, a source close to the talks said. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook will be tabling a motion to send a mission to report back on political and economic developments in Zimbabwe, the source told AFP. "We expect the principal outcome to be agreement on the importance of the Commonwealth sending a mission to Zimbabwe which will provide better information on the situation there for future discussion," said the source.
Foreign ministers from Britain, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Botswana and Barbados are scheduled to attend the action group meeting. Commonwealth members have expressed concern about the harassment of the press, opposition and judiciary in Zimbabwe and the illegal occupation of white-owned farms. Britain, as the former colonial power, has led the criticism of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Most of Zimbabwe's best agricultural land is owned by the white minority. Commonwealth members support a redistribution of property, but have stressed the landowners should be properly compensated.
According to the source, it was initially proposed that a mission to Zimbabwe look at the issue of land reform alone. "But I understand from the contacts we have had with other Commonwealth partners and with the Commonwealth secretariat that there is a growing recognition that you cannot look at that issue in isolation," he said. "It's important to look at the political and economic context of the situation in Zimbabwe."
In addition to discussing the possible mission, the action group is likely to produce a communiqué expressing the Commonwealth's concern at developments in the southern African state. "It's important to recognise that what is happening in Zimbabwe is a matter of concern for members of the international community generally," said the source. "What we expect to happen at the meeting is for the Commonwealth to express its interest in what is happening in Zimbabwe and concern about certain political developments." The source added that it was unlikely the action group would opt for economic sanctions against Zimbabwe since it was unlikely there would be political consensus among Commonwealth countries.
Report from Roy MacIlwaine on farmers meeting addressed by Tim Henwood, March 5th
at Bromley club.
Some of you probably wont hear much about the current CFU road show, so I thought I would try and capture the salient points.
150 farmers were addressed by Tim Henwood, Gerry Grant and Guy Watson-Smith this morning, before going on to Macheke this afternoon.
Politically and economically Zimbabwe has never been in a more critical position. The meeting was opened with a minute’s silence for Mrs. Olds who was gunned down yesterday morning with 15 bullet holes in her. Two AK47’s were found at the site. She was the mother of Martin who was murdered in a similar fashion at their farm outside Bulawayo in the run-up to elections a year ago. Last night St. Mary’s, Chitungwiza experienced beatings and bloodshed as Govt. attempts to force its will on the people.
Tim opened his address with the words from the letter David sent to us;
IF A PERSON COMPROMISES HIS PRINCIPLES TO GAIN HIS OBJECTIVES,
HE DOES NOT DESERVE EITHER, AND MAY LOSE BOTH.
David will be pleased to hear that; people are reading his E-mails! Gerry Grant obviously read the article about Sheep, Goats and Wolves too, because he alluded to being part of the ‘solution’ and not part of the ‘problem’.
The CFU were temporarily led astray by a red herring a few weeks ago when they were asked by govt. to review their leadership. They claimed that they couldn’t talk to Henwood because he was ‘the one’ who brought the court cases against them. The CFU have decided since then with unanimous support from branch chairmen to STAND FIRM. They will not be changing leadership at the Special General Congress on 21st. March.
An indication of the respect govt. has for the CFU came at the signing of the Social Contract by leaders of Industry, Farmers and Govt. when Simba Makoni said, "this document means nothing until Tim signs it."
Tim was the only ‘white’ at the signing ceremony in front of TV cameras and caused an amusing stir when they realized he was left-handed, and one of them said, " Oh, we cannot recognize left handed signatures!"
Everything hinges on the return to the ‘Rule of Law’.
The CFU has done nothing wrong. Two of the three parties are ready for dialogue, being the Donor community and the CFU. Govt. with their tactic of ‘divide and rule’ is not ready yet. They are up to their old tricks, trying to negotiate with individuals of their own choosing. It is all about the Presidential elections. They are themselves divided into factions….Msika, Makoni, Border Gezi, Simon Moyo, Prof. Moyo and so on. They cannot agree amongst themselves. Do you remember when CFU offered acting President Msika 180 farms when Mugabe was in Cuba, and he told the war vets to get off the farms? When his Excellency returned, he told them to go back!
The whole citizenship of the country is looking at the CFU for leadership. This is not the time for changing leaders; it is the time for strong UNITY.
We are all being impoverished by the theft by govt. of our hard earned income with interest being 30 – 40% below the rate of inflation, and this euphoria about cheap money at 20% is false and unsustainable. Businesses are closing down and companies are going bankrupt.
Recently govt. with its ‘divide & rule’ tactic has tried to impose ‘agreeable leaders’ on the ZCTU. (It was the trade union that initiated the ‘NO’ vote in the referendum and formed the nucleus of the opposition to ZANU PF, remember!) Govt. chose their stooges and invited them to sign the 1st. protocol on the Incomes and Pricing policy on behalf of the ZCTU. Tim was also invited and was ready to sign on behalf of CFU, but hesitated, and asked for a couple of week’s grace. During this time it so happened that the Trade Unions held their Congress, and the delegates refused to have these ‘stooges’ imposed on them, voting instead for persons of the people’s choice.
So the Govt. is on it’s own, and the protocol hasn’t been signed. This was a major setback for them who are without fuel, food or money, and the ZCTU, the Private Sector and CFU are united on the need for the return of ‘Law & Order’ before anyone can go forward.
Govt. continues to target the Church, the Daily News and independent media, the Judiciary and individuals with killings and death threats.
The citizens are not happy. Even the tribal people hear what is going on and know that it isn’t right.
CFU is not the stumbling block.
Govt. has lost all 6 of the court cases, so far heard on the illegal invasions and occupation of farms. The judge asked why the cases had not been settled out of court, because the land owners had offered alternative land in exchange for the ‘home farm’ in many cases. These rulings in the High Court are now a ‘record’ that cannot be taken away. The Govt. has been ruled as UNLAWFUL against their own Constitution, which they signed at Lancaster House and which they have amended 16 times in 20 years. Mugabe has dug himself a deep hole and for any solution to the crisis the people of Zimbabwe are going to have to sort out the mess. Nobody outside is going to help us.
The CFU have made plans from the forms that farmers have filled in about how much land they have and what they would be prepared to relinquish and if they would be prepared to exchange their present farm for one in another area, and so on. I am not absolutely clear that this is what was inferred at the meeting. They also have organized one or more negotiating teams made up of well-respected and articulate people to negotiate on their behalf if the needs be. No doubt we shall hear more about this at the March 21st. congress.
A story was told about a senior policeman from Chinhoyi who would not compromise his principles. He has resigned because he cannot do what he was trained to do without interference from Govt. He should be applauded and I hope that he will not be forgotten when it comes to recruitment in the next administration.
Gerry Grant was very forceful about standing firm for what is right. He cited cases where farmers had negotiated deals with ‘occupiers’ and nearly in every case the farmer had been let down and was now in a worse situation. He cited many cases of meetings that CFU executives, individuals and groups of farmers had been to where they had gone in good faith to have ‘dialogue’, and in nearly every case they had been given an ear-bashing, treated without any respect whatsoever and achieved absolutely nothing. So no more dialogue without a return to ‘law & order’! Of course dialogue is continuing all the time at lower levels with respected individuals, but no more high-level talks with the likes of minister Made, Chombo etc.
I felt that it was a good meeting and the atmosphere was one of unity and agreement for the stance being taken.