6 Convicted for Watching Arab Spring News in Zimbabwe

http://www.nytimes.com/

By LYDIA POLGREEN
Published: March 19, 2012

JOHANNESBURG — Six political activists in Zimbabwe who gathered last year to
watch and discuss television news broadcasts of the Arab Spring protests
were convicted on Monday of plotting to overthrow the government.

The penalty could be 10 years in prison. They are to be sentenced on
Tuesday.

Some 45 activists, students and trade unionists were arrested last February
while attending a meeting convened by Munyaradzi Gwisai, a lecturer at the
law school at the University of Zimbabwe and a former member of Parliament
for Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, to discuss the antiauthoritarian
uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

Prosecutors claimed that Mr. Gwisai and the others were planning to start a
similar uprising in Zimbabwe aimed at toppling President Robert G. Mugabe,
who has been in power for three decades. Most of the defendants were later
released, but six, including Mr. Gwisai, were charged with serious crimes.
Lawyers for the accused said the meeting was an academic discussion, not a
planning session for a revolution.

The judge in the case, Kudakwashe Jarabini, said in court that while
watching videos of the Arab uprisings was not a crime, the organizers had
intended to incite hostility toward the government by playing them,
according to people in the courtroom.

Mr. Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party has been in a tenuous unity government with the
main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan
Tsvangirai, since the 2008 election. Mr. Tsvangirai won the most votes but
dropped out of the race because of violence against his supporters.
International pressure led to the creation of a unity government. But Mr.
Mugabe retained the most crucial government posts, particularly those that
control the police and the army.

Mr. Mugabe’s party has been pushing hard for new elections, hoping to retake
power while Mr. Mugabe, 88, whose health has grown more fragile, remains
alive. But the Movement for Democratic Change and many activists and
analysts have argued against holding elections before a new constitution is
drawn up and crucial institutions, like the election commission, are
reformed. An estimated 350 people died in violence during the 2008 election.

Shortly after the 45 activists were arrested last year, a lawyer working for
them reported that a dozen had been tortured to try to force them to testify
for the state — beaten with broomsticks, metal rods and blunt objects — and
that six had been lashed. The accusations prompted a letter of concern from
the United Nations torture investigator, Juan E. Méndez.

Dewa Mavhinga of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a collection of hundreds
of civic groups, said it appeared that the window for change in Zimbabwe was
closing.

“It is an indicator that we are really going towards elections and that the
democratic space that was previously somewhat open is quickly closing down,”
Mr. Mavhinga said. “There is no crime that has been committed. It is a
political issue that is being dealt with a politicized and severely
compromised judiciary.”

Zimbabweans found guilty of watching Arab Spring videos

Don’t allow Mugabe to steal another election, says man he beat last time

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/ceo-summit-africa/article3355949.ece

Morgan Tsvangirai: "[Mugabe] knows he can’t repeat what happened in 2008 and
get away with it”

Martin Fletcher Last updated at 8:18AM, March 19 2012

The international community must ensure that Zimbabwe’s looming elections
are free and fair and not stolen once more by Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF)
party, the country’s Prime Minister declared last night.

“My call to the world is, ‘You must insist on the necessary reforms to
create a conducive environment for free and fair elections and a lasting
solution to the crisis in Zimbabwe,’ ” Morgan Tsvangirai said in an
interview before an African business summit in London today, organised by
The Times.

“Zimbabwe can’t afford isolation and continued vilification by the world,”
said the man who was robbed of victory over Mr Mugabe in the 2008
presidential election by a vicious campaign of state-sponsored violence and
repression against his supporters.

“Above all we don’t want to be treated like a pariah state. We need the
international community to ensure that the will of the people is respected.”

Fresh elections are supposed to be held by the middle of 2013. But three
years after Mr Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing government with Mr
Tsvangirai’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the process of
drafting a new constitution that would govern the conduct of those elections
is way behind schedule. One of the sticking points is whether Mr Mugabe
should be allowed to run again.

In recent speeches, Mr Tsvangirai has blamed the delay on “some amongst us
who regard reforms as a way of ceding power”, adding: “Our coalition
partners have decided to renege and betray their own signatures.”
For his part, Mr Mugabe has threatened to withdraw Zanu (PF) from a
coalition government that he calls a “monster”, and to force elections on
his own terms later this year.

Mr Tsvangirai, 60, said he doubted that Mr Mugabe would carry out a threat
that would amount to a “coup against the constitutional order” and defy the
Southern African Development Community, the African Union, the United
Nations and the European Union. “I think circumstances will dictate that for
the sake of his legacy he can’t be an obstacle to the future progress of the
country. He knows he can’t repeat what happened in 2008 and get away with it
. . . he’s already experienced the near collapse of the country. Does he
want to repeat that again?”

But Mr Tsvangirai confirmed that the security chiefs who were the President’s
“pillars of support” had issued a private warning that they would accept no
other leader, though he saw no way that Mr Mugabe and his party could win
elections fairly. “The latest polls reinforce the long-held view that the
people want change, that people have invested in the MDC because it provides
hope for the future, and President Mugabe is still engrossed in the past,”
he said. “You can’t have an 88-year-old provide vision for the future.”

Mr Tsvangirai beat Mr Mugabe in the first round of the 2008 presidential
election, but withdrew from the second round after Zanu (PF) unleashed weeks
of lethal violence against MDC supporters across the country.

Despite the power-sharing arrangement, Mr Mugabe’s party still controls the
security and intelligence services and the broadcast media. It still arrests
and harasses opposition activists, and has a war chest boosted by revenues
from the lucrative new Marange diamond field. Tendai Biti, the Finance
Minister and a member of the MDC, complained last week that the Treasury had
received barely $19 million (£12 million) of the $600 million he was
expecting this year from diamond sales.

Mr Tsvangirai said it would be “naive to believe Zanu (PF) would willingly
go to free and fair elections if they don’t have something up their sleeve.
We have to have permanent suspicion of their actions”.

Although he has worked closely with Mr Mugabe since 2009, he added: “I have
to be cautious. He says one thing and does the opposite. I doubt his
sincerity can stand the test because he speaks with a forked tongue.”

Despite the lack of significant political and security reforms, Mr
Tsvangirai defended the power-sharing government, saying that it had made
some “notable progress” socially and economically, though not enough. It had
restored a “semblance of stability” to Zimbabwe, saving it from the
“precipice”, ending its ruinous hyperinflation, and improving the provision
of education, health, water sanitation and other basic services. “Across the
political divide, no one wants to slide back to where we were in 2008,” he
said.

The Prime Minister said that the challenge now was to promote economic
growth, but he admitted that Zanu (PF)’s aggressive enforcement of a law
requiring foreign companies to cede majority stakes to black Zimbabweans was
hampering that effort.

Zimplats, a subsidiary of Impala, the South African platinum producer,
became the first big company to do so last week, and other companies
including Britain’s Rio Tinto, Barclays and Standard Chartered could be
targeted next.

He suggested that Zanu (PF) was using the so-called indigenisation law to
rally electoral support, in the same way that it used the seizure of white
farms to do so in 2000. “It’s what I call political rhetoric. It’s election
rhetoric, just like the farm invasions. ‘See, I can gave you land. Now I am
giving you access to these companies.’”

Mr Tsvangirai said the law needed to be renegotiated “because in its current
form it’s a disincentive for attracting foreign direct investment”.

Despite what he calls the “toxic politics” of his country, Mr Tsvangirai
foreshadowed his keynote speech today by urging foreign investors to take a
fresh look at Zimbabwe.

He argued that it offered some of the highest rates of return in Africa, had
a well-educated workforce, and was southern Africa’s logistical hub. There
was no foreign exchange risk as Zimbabwe had abandoned its own currency in
favour of the US dollar.

“Economically, it’s time to look positively at this country. It’s time
people started planning, and even taking the necessary plunge to Zimbabwe.”
Citing China, South Korea and Vietnam, he said: “Capital doesn’t go where
there’s political democracy.”

Mr Tsvangirai also called for the suspension, but not the abolition, of the
remaining international sanctions against 112 officials and supporters of
the old Mugabe regime, and a dozen companies. He said that would encourage
them down the path of reform, but the asset freezes and travel bans could be
reimposed if they reoffended. “You want a full commitment that the country
will not slide back to where it was with abuse and murder and mayhem.”

No sign of Zuma as election fears rise

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
19 March 2012

There is still no sign that the regionally appointed mediator in Zimbabwe’s
political crisis, South African President Jacob Zuma, will be in the country
soon, despite rising fears that ZANU PF will call an election this year.

Zuma was reportedly expected sometime last week. But his International
Relations advisor and member of his mediation team, Lindiwe Zulu, said this
was not happening because the leaders in the coalition government were still
to find time to host the South African leader.
“The President is not coming this week as we are yet to receive a date from
Harare. But he is coming as soon as possible,” said Zulu
SW Radio Africa was unable to reach Zulu by phone on Monday.

MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora told SW Radio Africa that he, “wasn’t
sure” when either the mediation team or Zuma himself was expected in the
country. But he promised to find out.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai meanwhile is in London until Thursday,
meaning it is unlikely Zuma will make his visit this week.

It is widely hoped that the mediation team will start putting more pressure
on the coalition government to implement key reforms, to pave the way for
free and fair elections. The regional leadership bloc, SADC, has insisted it
will not allow elections in Zimbabwe until the Global Political Agreement
(GPA) is honoured.

But various commentators have told SW Radio Africa that the GPA, which ZANU
PF has refused to honour, appears to be dead in the water, and the focus now
seems to be on preparing for a fresh poll.

ZANU PF insists it will hold elections this year and seems determined to
carry out this threat. The party is already reportedly preparing for its
primaries, believed to be set for June. Shortly after that it’s understood
the party will re-launch Robert Mugabe’s presidential re-election campaign.

At the same time, ZANU PF Minister Didymus Mutasa has slammed Finance
Minister Tendai Biti’s statements that there is no money for a poll this
year, describing the comments as “nonsensical”.

“Biti must stop making noise and quietly look for money to hold elections.
It’s not his money and whether he likes it or not, elections will be held
this year,” said Mutasa.

Gono’s US$800,000 phone bill

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
19 March 2012

Central bank Governor Gideon Gono reportedly owes the state owned NetOne
mobile network US$800,000 in unpaid phone bills stretching over two years.
According to the South African Sunday Times newspaper, NetOne has now
dragged Gono to court demanding payment.

The report comes only a few days after the Daily News newspaper exposed
Mugabe and several cabinet ministers as owing hundreds of thousands of
dollars to ZESA in electricity bills. Mugabe and his wife Grace owe the
power utility US$345,000 in unpaid electricity bills, incurred at their
multiple farms.

According to NetOne, Gono incurred the bill between January 2009 and
September last year. The last time Gono paid his bill was in August 2011
when he made a payment of US$50. “In November 2009, Gono paid $200,000, and
$100,000 in September the following year, while in February and June last
year he only paid $4 towards his debt,” the paper reported.

Gono meanwhile is challenging the amount and asked to be supplied with an
itemised bill. He is also querying how NetOne levied foreign
currency-denominated tariffs for its services prior to the introduction and
use of multi-currencies. He also asked them what rate they use to convert if
the initial charges were in Zimbabwe dollars.

Several commentators interviewed by SW Radio Africa have pointed out that
the refusal by the so-called VIP’s to pay their bills to parastatals like
ZESA and NetOne has contributed to the collapse of some of the companies.

Meanwhile the row between Gono and his former adviser Dr Munyaradzi Kereke
took a nasty turn last week, following claims that Kereke’s personal driver,
Privilege Maturure, was attacked by two men sent by Gono. The attack
allegedly took place at Kereke’s medical centre, in Harare’s Mount Pleasant
suburb.

The alleged hitmen, George Nyauye and Philip Dendere, both employed by the
Reserve Bank in the security division, were arrested while in the process of
attacking Maturure. Kereke is now pleading for protection from the courts
for what he says are threats on his life.

Kereke last week claimed the two alleged hitmen had trailed him throughout
the day and later followed him to his medical centre where they allegedly
caused a scene, which led to the attack on the driver. The driver is said to
be recovering at a local hospital in Harare.

The alleged hitmen appeared in court last week Wednesday, charged with
assault and the trial is scheduled to open on the 7th April. The two were
back in court on Friday to answer to separate charges of trailing and
threatening Kereke. The trial date for this second case has been pencilled
in for the 10th April.

In his submissions Kereke is pleading for protection from the courts for
what he says are growing threats to his life from Gono. The row between the
two has fuelled speculation a faction within ZANU PF is targeting Gono for
refusing to cooperate with regime hardliners who want PM Tsvangirai arrested
over funds used to renovate his official residence.

Outrage over top government ZESA defaulters

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
19 March 2012

There is growing outrage in Zimbabwe after top government officials were
exposed as defaulting on their power bills, with outstanding payments
believed to be in the millions of dollars.

A month long investigation by the Daily News newspaper has listed the top
ZESA offenders, with Robert Mugabe and his wife owing over US$300,000 to the
electrics utility as of December 2011.

Also exposed with more than US$300,000 in outstanding bills were Manicaland
Governor Chris Mushowe and CIO boss Happyton Bonyongwe. Others exposed
include; Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao, whose bill ran to more than
US$54,000; Paddy Zhanda the ZANU PF Goromonzi North MP US$174,000; Women’s
Affairs Minister and ZANU PF Mutoko South legislator Olivia Nyembesi Muchena
who is US$44,000 in arrears.

The defaulters also included legislators from across the political divide in
the coalition government, as well as judges, provincial governors, deputy
ministers and permanent secretaries. Morgan Tsvangirai also recently
admitted that he had paid about US$5,000 to the electricity provider,
indicating that he too was defaulting on his payment. None of these
officials have seen their electricity service cut off. (See list below).

ZESA over the weekend made a desperate appeal to defaulting customers to pay
their bills, a day after jumping to Mugabe’s defense and insisting that the
ZANU PF leader’s bill was up to date. The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission
and Distribution Company, a ZESA subsidiary, said in an ad that it required
funds to refurbish power stations, and urged customers to “pay your
electricity bills in time”.

The Daily News revelations have provoked outrage, with Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s MDC accusing the state utility of employing an “animal farm”
approach to governance, where “some animals are more equal than others”.
Daily News journalist Gift Phiri said the reaction has been “overwhelming,”
particularly from the average consumer.

“We have had some allegations that we are deliberately trying to embarrass
the President. But overwhelmingly people are angry,” Phiri explained.

ZESA has started a countrywide campaign to disconnect defaulting individuals
and companies, further provoking already angry customers who have faced
months of blackouts. Precious Shumba from the Harare Residents Trust told SW
Radio Africa that normal residents are bearing the brunt of ZESA’s economic
problems.

“People are being cut off for tiny bills and yet there is sometimes only two
or three hours of power in Harare a day. ZESA should first be cutting off
those officials whose bills run into the thousands. Not the average
consumer,” Shumba said.

He added: “Zimbabweans deserve better.  These government officials are
living large and they have forgotten their mandate to their citizens.”

The following were the major VIP ZESA defaulters as of December 31, 2011 as
listed by the Daily News. This list is in no particular order.

1. Paddy Zhanda – $174,000
2. Saviour Kasukuwere – $100,602.22
3. Simbaneuta Mudarikwa – $12,000
4. Mable Chinomona – $5,904.98
5. Brig Gen Ambrose Mutinhiri – $13,000
6. Joel Biggie Matiza – $15,710
7. Olivia Muchena $44,000
8. President Mugabe and Wife’s farms $345,000
9. Aneas Chigwedere – $8,000
10. Oriah Kabayanjiri – $29,029
11. Marian Chombo – $175,085
12. Faber Chidarikire – $22,395
13. Joey Bimha – $7,967.76
14. Amos Midzi- $34,056.05
15. Munyaradzi Kajese – $23,483.45
16. Walter Chidakwa – $7,618.31
17. Patrick Zhuwao – $54,407.31
18. Bright Matonga – $11,607.12
19. Henry Muchena – $31,800.56
20. Munyaradzi Mangwana – $41,512.94
21. Kudakwashe Bhasikiti – $77,828.66
22. Shuvai Mahofa – $9,299.41
23. Stan Mudenge – $9,478.35
24. Samuel Mumbengegwi – $4,961
25. Titus Maluleke – $16,857.33
26. Chris Mushowe – $367,606.07
27. Happyton Bonyongwe $350,989.48
28. Tamsanqa Mahlangu $2,248.34
29. Kembo Mohadi + wife – $12,38.57
30. Hwange President’s Office – $8,863.37
31. Paul Gunda – $7,517.68
32. Kasukuwere & Co. – $6,733.89
33. Didymus Mutasa – $179,590.31
34. Enock Porusingazi – $186,525.46
35. Oppah Muchinguri – $53,699.69
36. Zanu PF Mash West Office – $2,792.45
37. John Nkomo – $1,402.28
38. Misheck Cheda – $5,959.78
39. Samuel Sipepa Nkomo – $ 2,238.60
40. Fletcher Dulini Ncube – $3,256.90
41. Giles Mutsekwa – $1,656.38

Robert Mugabe and wife Grace owe £220,000 to Zimbabwe's failing power firm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

 

 

Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace owe £220,000 to Zimbabwe's cash-strapped power company which has started a programme of rolling power cuts across the country because of electricity shortages and spiralling debts.

Robert Mugabe and wife Grace owe £220,000 to Zimbabwe's failing power firm  Photo: Getty Images

By Peta Thornycroft in Johannesburg

4:49PM GMT 19 Mar 2012

Mr Mugabe, 88, and his wife Grace, 46, owe the state-owned Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) for power used on their clutch of properties seized from former white farmers.

Other senior members of Zanu PF, including Emmerson Mnangagwa, the defence minister, Didymus Mutasa, the presidential minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, the state security minister, and Webster Shamu, the information minister, owe a combined £650,000 in unpaid bills.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC prime minister in the power-sharing government, settled his £4,000 power bill last week and urged others to do the same.

The revelation, in Harare newspaper, The Daily News, comes as Zesa narrowly escaped being cut off from its key power supplier in Mozambique over non-payment of a £47 million bill.

In a bid to save power, it has launched a programme of rolling blackouts which has seen some households go without electricity for up to 16 hours.

Others have been cut off for non-payment of bills of just £20 but local papers reported that when Zesa workers tried to cut the power to the homes of Zanu PF officials, they were chased away by dogs and guards.

Some are struggling to pay the bills because they have failed to make the farms they acquired after the 2000 land seizures. Others say the bills are incorrect.

Saviour Kasukuwere, the Zanu PF Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment minister, owes £70,000 to Zesa but said he was challenging Zesa over the bill.

"I am a farmer, I employ people, I have not yet been paid for crops for the last three or four months, and I am sure many of us are in the same situation," he said. "We will pay our bills but we are also querying them."

But a Harare man whose small clothing factory is crippled by the lack of electricity, said Zanu PF politicians should pay up: "We pay our bills even when we have no power. Why doesn't Mugabe pay his?"

 

Media ‘Hangman’ Mahoso Threatens Media houses

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, March 19, 2012 - The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has threatened
to charge media houses in Zimbabwe a heavy penalty if they do not pay part
of their profits to the media regulatory body by end of March.

The commission’s chief executive officer, Tafataona Mahoso, known to many in
the media as a hangman, wrote a letter to media houses last week threatening
them with heavy penalties if they do not pay their levies to the commission.

“This letter serves to remind all mass media service providers operating in
2011 to pay the prescribed statutory annual levy for the year by 31 March
2012.

“According to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
(AIPPA) as read with Statutory Instrument 169C of 2002 and Statutory
Instrument No. 10 of 2004, every registered mass media service provider is
required to pay 0,5 percent levy of its audited gross annual turnover not
later than the end of a period of 90 days ending 31 December of each year,”
wrote Mahoso.

“A penalty of double the amount payable will be charged for failure to pay
the amount before the due date which is 31 March 2012.”

The letter is accompanied by a Third schedule Form AP6 (Media and
Information Levy Form) which spells out the media house’s registration
number, number of publications, number of journalists and the gross turnover
audited in terms of Section 10 of AIPPA.

The letter did not state the names of the media houses that have not yet
paid the levy to ZMC.

The ZMC is a media regulatory body established through an act of parliament.
It regulates the work of journalists and is run by commissioners, Godfrey
Majonga, Nqobile Nyathi, Swithan Mombeshora, Lawton Hikwa, Chris Mutsangwa,
Matthew Takaona, Henry Muradzikwa, M Sibanda and Chris Mhike.

Bail hearing for 29 MDC-T activists postponed for 7th time

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
19 March 2012

The bail hearing for the 29 MDC-T members, who are facing charges of
murdering a police officer in Glen View, was on Monday postponed for the
seventh time at the High Court.

Monday’s postponement was due to a power blackout in central Harare. A
statement from the MDC-T said the state was expected to make its submissions
Monday but failed due to the electricity cuts. The activists now have to
wait until Wednesday to see if their bail application will finally be heard
before Justice Chinembiri Bhunu.

Twice last week the hearing was postponed because the Judge fell sick.
Before that another High court Judge Felistas Chitakunye postponed the
hearing on two occasions as she wanted time to go through the state’s
response to the bail application by the defence team.

When the defence team led by Charles Kwaramba filed for a fresh bail
application soon after the group was taken into custody early this month,
the hearing had to be postponed twice after state prosecutors requested time
to make a response.

Promise Mkwananzi, the secretary-general of the MDC-T Youth Assembly,
blasted the state for prejudicing their activists because of the long delay
to try them in court.

‘There has been a significant delay for the trial to start since the death
of the police officer last year and this has obviously prejudiced our
members. In law, prejudice can be shown by lack of evidence or witnesses.
They’ve also been denied a speedy trial, which in itself is also
prejudicial,’ Mkwananzi said.

The 29 MDC-T members are accused of murdering police inspector, Petros
Mutedza. However the group denies any involvement in the murder, saying the
cop was fatally assaulted by patrons at a Glen View bar who were discussing
football. Seven members of the group spent 9 months in custody. They were
released a month ago, and had only tasted freedom for just two weeks before
they were taken into custody again.
Meanwhile the trial of three Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MFL) leaders, who
stand accused of trying to topple the inclusive government, has begun in
Bulawayo.

The three leaders, Paul Siwela, John Gazi and Charles Thomas, all deny the
charges. It is alleged they distributed flyers urging the public and
security forces to turn against the government and join Mthwakazi Republic,
a state which they want established after secession from the rest of the
country.

Lionel Saungweme our correspondent told us the case started off badly for
the state when two key witnesses denied knowledge of the three MFL leaders
or of reading their flyers.

‘The state case is that these witnesses were coerced to join the MFL after
reading flyers, but the key witnesses clearly denied ever reading the flyers
thereby jeopardising the state’s case against the three MFL leaders,’
Saungweme said.

The trial was adjourned to Tuesday when more state witnesses are expected to
take to the stand.

 

The MDC Will Fire Unprofessional Police Once in Power : Bhebhe

http://www.radiovop.com/

Bulawayo, March 19, 2012- Over 100 police officers from the Matabeleland
North province have been included in an MDC-T compilation of unprofessional
officers to be prosecuted in future for human rights abuses , a senior party
official has said.

The MDC’s Matabeleland North provincial executive in December began an
exercise of recording names of human rights abusers in the state security
organ.

According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Matabeleland
North is a hostile province in  the country as police have been harassing
and arresting civic society activists, pastors, politicians and Ministers
for holding meetings in that area.

“So far we have recorded the names of about 100 police officers in the whole
province who are known and have been known to be unprofessional and for
being partisan.

“They are Zanu-PF activists in the police force that should be weaned out so
that we remain with a professional force in future,” Abednico Bhebhe, the
MDC-T’s  deputy national organising secretary told Radio VOP.

“We need to rid the police force of those unprofessional thugs once the
party gets into power. We are not fighting the police but only what we are
saying is please be professional.

“The police are for Zanu-PF, MDC-T, MDC, Zapu and every other Zimbabwean and
not for any political party and as such we warn them to beware because we
are watching and recording their names,” he added.

Last year alone, there were over 50 arrests of human rights activists,
politicians and ordinary party supporters in that province and police
continue to maintain their stranglehold in on the province by banning
opposition rallies despite court rulings that gave the green light to the
parties to conduct their campaign rallies in the region.

Edmore Veterai, the Officer Commanding Matabeleland North province who is
also on the list could not be reached for comment.

Veterai is the senior cop who  impounded a number of vehicles belonging to
the MDC that had been deployed by the party to carry out ground work ahead
of the watershed 2008 election.

The MDC’s say police bias is the reason why the two formations are pushing
for reform of the country’s security sector that faces charges of being
partisan.

Copac stuck on traditional leaders

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Bridget Mananavire, Staff Writer
Monday, 19 March 2012 16:28

HARARE - A committee of Parliament drafting the country’s new constitution
says it has all but completed the process of reviewing the revised draft of
the constitution but remains stuck on what role traditional leaders should
play in Parliament.

Copac co-chairperson Douglas Mwonzora said there are still some issues that
are outstanding chief among them the traditional leaders’ roles in the
senate.

“We have adopted the revised draft and have sent it back to the drafters,
who will work under our instructions to finalise the draft,” Mwonzora said.

Mwonzora said in light of the people’s views, the MDC’s position is that
chiefs do not vote in senate and if they are to remain as part of
Parliament, their roles should largely be ceremonial.

“No matter their numbers, our position is that chiefs should be apolitical.
For example, voting for senate president,” he said.

The chiefs have often been criticised for being partisan. They have brazenly
shown their support for Zanu PF by convening gatherings aimed at shoring up
support for President Robert Mugabe and his party. At a chiefs’ conference
held recently in Bulawayo, the traditional leaders declared their support
for Mugabe.

Copac spokesperson, Jessie Majome who is also a mainstream MDC party member
confirmed that the issue of chiefs remains top on the list of outstanding
items.

She said the debate is currently centred on the traditional institution and
its role in a democracy as well as its implications on the quest to achieve
gender equality in Parliament.

“Their participation in Parliament also has gender implications, if we are
to have a 50/50 representation in Parliament that would mean men’s views
will override those of women,” Majome said.

Chiefs to run mines - Cde Kasukuwere

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

By Staff Reporter 47 minutes ago

Government says the involvement of traditional leaders in Community Share
Ownership Schemes where chiefs will chair indigenisation committees in their
localities on a rotational basis, will strengthen the programme’s
transparency.

With the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive getting into full
swing as witnessed by the launch of numerous employee and community share
ownership schemes, questions have been raised as to how the benefitting
communities will be represented.

In an interview with the State media, Youth Development, Indigenisation and
Empowerment Minister, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere said the Ministry will ensure
interlinked relationships between chiefs, communities and rural district
councils to work together so that the exercise benefits the people.

Community Share Ownership Schemes or Trusts are a vehicle for participation
in shareholding in various businesses by communities.

The proceeds from such participation will be used in projects which benefit
the communities.

There shall be between 5 to 11 members of the Community Share Ownership
Scheme depending on the size of the defined community in relation to the
business concerned.

The Chief shall be the chairperson of the Community Share Ownership Scheme.

The Chairperson of the Rural District Council shall be a trustee.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Rural District Council shall be the
Secretary of the Community Share Ownership Trust.

Meanwhile, COPAC co-Chairperson, Paul Mangwana  says the issue of the
traditional leaders in the Senate has been resolved in consensus after all
parties agreed that chiefs will remain in the Senate.

With the two MDCs reported to have sought to continue delaying the
constitution making process which has already raised the ire of many
Zimbabweans,  Mangwana told State media that the issue of traditional
leaders in Parliament has been resolved, resulting in the arrangement where
they will remain in the Senate.

“We have resolved the issue of traditional leaders and have agreed that they
will remain in the Senate,” said Mangwana.

Meanwhile, the COPAC Management Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to
review the so called outstanding issues.

The Zimbabwe Mail has it on good authority that the issues to be discussed
include dual citizenship, the death sentence and devolution of powers.

Zimbabwe writes off a third of maize crop, deficit looms

http://af.reuters.com/

Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:02am GMT

HARARE, March 19 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe faces a huge grain deficit this year
after a third of the current maize crop was written off due to a prolonged
dry spell, state media reported on Monday.

The southern African country, once a regional bread basket, has struggled to
feed itself since 2000 when President Robert Mugabe embarked on the seizure
of white-owned commercial farms to resettle landless blacks.

Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the state-controlled Herald newspaper
that the government had halted sales from its strategic grain reserves after
a state crop assessment showed that a third of the 1.689 million hectares
put under maize had been declared a write-off.

Although the production of the staple maize has rebounded from its low of
400,000 tonnes in 2007/08 to 1.35 million tonnes in 2010/11, the country
still struggles to meet its annual grain consumption of nearly 2 million
tonnes.

Zimbabwe is likely to resort to grain imports, although there were fears
that regional suppliers South Africa, Zambia and Malawi may not be in a
position to export.

"There are indications that our neighbouring countries are likely to have
grain shortages. We are calling farmers to...show how much in terms of grain
they are likely to deliver," Made was quoted as saying.

Ticking health time bomb in Harare, Zimbabwe

http://www.africanews.com

    Posted on Monday 19 March 2012 - 09:00
    Misheck Rusere, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe

    Water supply is erratic, council's rubbish compacters are nowhere near
sight, open market stalls are selling foodstuffs nearly everywhere, flies
are roaming 'without boundaries' everywhere from the toilets to the open
canteens to the open market stalls, that's what it is to be in Mbare, Harare
(formerly Salisbury)'s oldest township.

    The township was established as (Harare Township) in 1907 by colonial
white regime for what they referred to as the natives as bachelors’ quarters
and yet today each cubicle measuring approximately twenty five square meters
in Mbare flats caries between three and five families.

    Can anyone figure this out? Since 1980, the flats have hardly received
any attention from the authorities save for the fact that they have been
used as political campaign tools by different political parties with
Zanu(PF) having the upper hand as a ruling party since then.

    If ever any water is available, the supply pipes are broken such that it
does not reach the intended households and the sewerage pipes are broken and
leaking without anyone attending to them.

    An attempt by the world’s second richest man, Bill Gates and his wife
Melinda through their foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates) to resuscitate the
dilapidated housing structures housing an estimated 300 000 inhabitants has
failed to bear any fruits with the interference by a political mafia group
known as Chipangano led by a youth provincial chair person Jimu Kunaka from
the country’s former ruling party Zanu (PF) which is part of the coalition
government currently managing Zimbabwe.

    The mafia group had reportedly demanded 51% stake in the refurbished
houses presumably for the benefit of party members. This has been referred
to as the “progressive militarisation and zanucisation of public facilities
spearheaded by Chipangano,” by the Director of the Combined Harare Residents
Association (CHRA), Mfundo Mlilo.

    The foundation had offered US$5 million for the refurbishment but was
reportedly later diverted to a similarly affected location of Dzivarasekwa
popularly affectionately known as DZ.

    One actually wonders how the estimated population of 300 000 people
occupying the filthy location of Mbare is surviving in disease outbreaks
such as cholera and typhoid which have resulted in the death of 4000 people
in 2008 from cholera and reported more than 3000 cases of typhoid in 2012.

    While the residents seem not to care, the authorities also seem to have
the same feeling torwards the township with the political leaders only
appearing and disappearing on the eve of elections, one wonders what
criteria is used by the residents to elect their legislators and Councilors
into political office.

    “Since his election into office we have never seen our House of Assembly
representative Piniel Denga some of the residents even do not know him,
neither have we seen the Councilors doing anything meaningful, people have
only voted because they did not approve of the party that was ruling then,
it was not a poll based on the capabilities of the person being elected into
office and as a result our plight remains the same,” one of the Mbare
residents has charged.

Zanu PF blasts ICC for convicting Lubanga

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Pindai Dube
Monday, 19 March 2012 15:37

BULAWAYO - Zanu PF has slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC) after
it convicted Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) warlord Thomas Lubanga
saying the ICC is a “racist” organisation meant to destroy African
leadership.

On Wednesday ICC based at The Hague, Netherlands delivered its first verdict
in its 10-year history, convicting Lubanga, 51, for recruiting child
soldiers in the DRC in 2002.

Lubanga’s trial lasted more than three years and involved over 60 witnesses
and more than a thousand items of evidence. The three judges of Chamber I at
the ICC came to a unanimous decision and convicted the warlord.

However, yesterday Zanu PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo blasted ICC for
convicting Lubanga saying the institution was formed by western governments
to deal with African leaders only.

“The decisions of the ICC are very subjective. It is a racist organisation
formed by whites to target African leaders. They want to use it to oppress,
destroy and denigrate black people,” Gumbo told the Daily News.

Gumbo added: “That is the reason why Zimbabwe will never be a signatory to
such a racist organisation.”

Sudan President, Omar Al Bashir and Uganda rebel leader, Joseph Kony of Lord
Resistance Army (LRA) are among Africans on ICC wanted list for war crimes.

An ethic Herma, Lubanga led the rebel group, the Union of Congolese
Patriots, and its military wing and he was found guilty of recruiting child
soldiers under the age of 15 to kill rival ethnic Lendus in the gold-rich
Ituri region of DR Congo during 2002-2003 that left 60 000 people dead.

He was arrested in March 2005 and transferred to The Hague a year later.

His trial of war crime trial of “conscripting and enlisting children under
the age of 15 years and using them to participate actively in hostilities”
began in January 2009, and he was found guilty on Wednesday. He faces a
maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The guilty judgment against Lubanga was hailed by human rights groups as a
legal landmark in the fight against perpetrators of war crimes and genocide
around the world.

The groups said it was also a “pivotal victory” for the protection of
children in conflicts.

Zimbabwe business grab scares investors

http://uk.news.yahoo.com

AFP
By Reagan Mashavave | AFP – 3 hours ago

    The launch of the Zvishavane Community Share Ownership Trust at Mimosa
Mine in Zvishavane last month. Zimbabwe's forcing of foreign firms to hand
over a 51% stake will scare away much-needed investment, with no clarity on
how the cash-strapped state will fund its big stick approach, analysts
sayView Photo

    The launch of the Zvishavane Community Share Ownership Trust at Mimosa
Mine in Zvishavane last month. Zimbabwe's forcing of foreign firms to hand
over a 51% stake will scare away much-needed investment, with no clarity on
how the cash-strapped state will fund its big stick approach, analysts say
    Implats chief executive David Brown (left) and Zimbabwe's indigenisation
minister Saviour Kasukuwere at a news conference in Harare last week. They
announced that Implats has submitted a plan to distribute 51% of its shares
to locals to meet the indigenisation lawView Photo

    Implats chief executive David Brown (left) and Zimbabwe's indigenisation
minister Saviour Kasukuwere at a news conference in Harare last week. They
announced that Implats has submitted a plan to distribute 51% of its shares
to locals to meet the indigenisation law

Zimbabwe's forcing of foreign firms to hand over a 51 percent stake will
scare away much-needed investment, with no clarity on how the cash-strapped
state will fund its big stick approach, analysts say.

The government's assurances that its "indigenisation" policy is not a
nationalisation drive is unlikely to soothe nerves after platinum giant
Implats capitulated on Tuesday after being threatened with a state take-over
of its local subsidiary.

"It is doing so much damage to the country in terms of attracting investors
for job creation. The policy is very bad," said Harare-based economist John
Robertson.

The controversial law orders foreign-owned companies -- such as mines, banks
and retailers -- to submit plans on how they will give up a majority share
to locals.

But the government has yet to come up with a clear-cut explanation how it
will pay for the shares taken or even how the process will be undertaken.

The confusion comes as Zimbabwe seeks massive investments to rebuild its
economy, which was devastated by a violent land reform programme in which
white-owned farms were seized.

A power-sharing government of rivals President Robert Mugabe and Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed after 2008 polls ended years of crisis and
stabilised the economy.

Negative ripples from the indigenisation policy have been felt with key
projects put on hold because investors are not keen to invest without a
controlling stake, said analyst Erich Bloch.

"We have lost the potential to attract investment. The indigenisation policy
is ill-advised and damages the economy," he said.

"Which investor would want to invest where half of his investment will be
taken and wouldn't have a say in the running of their businesses?"

The plan for Zimplats, the local subsidiary of South Africa-based Implats,
transfers 10 percent of shares to workers, 10 percent to a community trust
in Ngezi where its mine is located and 31 percent to a National
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Fund.

The companies are meant to be compensated, but questions have been raised
about how Harare will be afford to pay for the shares in the local arm of
the world's second largest platinum miner.

The Treasury has even said the country cannot hold elections, which Mugabe
is pushing to hold this year.

"I think most of them are not going to get their payment or they will have
to wait for many, many years to get their payments for the shares taken,"
said Bloch.

"This process is politically driven and it's being used to capture votes
ahead of elections."

David Chapfika, chairman of the indigenisation board, told AFP that
discussions are on-going to determine the value of shares in different
companies.

"We are still working on the commercial value and sovereign value of the
resources, we haven't made a decision."

But Finance Minister Tendai Biti last week said the shares taken up from
foreign companies must be paid for.

"This is not nationalisation, money will change hands," he said.

The local shareholding push is one of several areas of difference in the
uneasy unity arrangement.

Tsvangirai says it will push away investment, while 88-year-old Mugabe calls
it "the next stage of our economic emancipation" after nearly 4,000
white-owned farms were seized in land reforms. Mugabe has threatened to
nationalise companies that refuse to comply with the law.

There is also controversy over the state's role in the eastern diamond mines
over funds transparency, with profits said to prop up Mugabe's ZANU-PF.

University of Zimbabwe professor Anthony Hawkins said the law will send
"negative signals to potential investors" with the pressure put on Zimplats
likely to push others to follow and hand in their own plans.

"If the biggest player on the block, Zimplats, is complying then you are
going to see the smaller companies doing the same," he said.

Lack Of Funding Slows Zimbabwe's Fibre Optic Cable Project

http://www.bernama.com

HARARE, March 19 (BERNAMA-NNN-NEW  ZIANA) -- Limited funding is slowing down
the laying of the fibre optic cable linking Harare and Beitbridge through
Bulawayo to the undersea cable in South Africa, almost a year after the
project started, a senior government official says.

Laying the cable, which commenced in May last year, was supposed to be
completed in December last year and once complete the link was expected to
bolster service provision by state-owned telecommunications companies NetOne
and TelOne.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry Permanent Secretary Sam
Kundishora says, "Progress is there but it is slow because our government
has other priorities besides this project so the funds are limited."

"The trenching is complete all the way to Bulawayo but fibre optic cables
have been placed only up to Gweru. We are still working on starting the
Bulawayo-Gwanda route," he added.

Kundishora says it will be difficult to meet the revised mid-year target
unless adequate funding is available.

Zimbabwe finished installing the Harare-Mozambique link at a total cost of
US$6.3 million in 2009.

The government embarked on the fibre optic projects to improve broadband
services as the existing Mazowe earth satellite link is expensive and
hadslimited Internet services capacity.

Young Britons ‘at risk’ in Zimbabwe scheme

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/africa/article3355976.ece

Ruth Maclean  Published at 12:01AM, March 19 2012

A government scheme has been criticised for putting young people’s safety at
risk by sending them to Zimbabwe and for undercutting the services of small
British businesses that run similar programmes.

The Department for International Development recently finished piloting the
£9 million International Citizen Service programme, which subsidises young
Britons to work in developing countries. It offers those aged 18 to 25 the
chance to travel and make a “positive difference”, the Government says.

But Peter Slowe, founder of Projects Abroad, a family-run business based in
Sussex, said that sending young people to Zimbabwe was “dangerous for the
people involved” and a “potential propaganda coup” for Robert Mugabe’s
brutal regime.

He added that one girl dropped out of the ICS scheme before going because
her parents were worried about her being sent to Zimbabwe.

“Let’s stop it now before people around the world think that we support the
excesses of Robert Mugabe’s government — which include ruining an economy
and causing mass starvation, murdering farmers because they are white, and
imprisoning, torturing and killing political opponents.”

Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, said: “All support
for the people of Zimbabwe goes through trusted charities and organisations
such as the UN. Encouraging and supporting greater social action is one of
the coalition Government’s top priorities. Every placement is continually
assessed for risks.”

As the founder of Projects Abroad, Dr Slowe is particularly concerned that
by providing a subsidy which allows even the children of wealthy parents to
reduce the cost of their trip, the Government is undercutting businesses who
already sell this type of service.

“It was a worthy idea when it was aimed at poor people who couldn’t afford a
programme like ours,” he told The Times. “But it’s just infuriating.
Everyone in the government is saying small business is important. Then they
just knock out the small businesses, and this governent thing is flung right
in the middle of it.”

Steve Ballinger, spokesman for Voluntary Service Overseas, which have been
given the £9 million contract, told The Times: “Huge attention is paid to
the security of ICS volunteers, with close supervision on the ground from
experienced staff or local partners. We focus just as closely on the
positive impact that volunteers will have on lives of people in poor and
marginalised communities. ICS is a meaningful way for young people to get
involved in international development – it’s very different to gap-year
projects provided by private companies.”

Diamonds sold through opaque structure: Mpofu

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Tendai Kamhungira, Court Writer
Monday, 19 March 2012 13:37

HARARE - Mines and Mining Development Minister, Obert Mpofu has all but
confirmed that diamonds from Marange diamond fields are being sold through
the back door because of restrictive measures imposed on the country.

Mpofu said this in an interview with a Cable News Network (CNN) journalist,
Robyn Curnow which was also published in the state media at the weekend.

Mpofu admitted that there are issues of transparency in the manner in which
diamonds from Marange are being sold after he was asked if the European
Union and America could be blamed for the need to create opaque structures
to sell diamonds.

“Absolutely. That is why they are worrying about transparency. How many
companies do they ask the same? It is because someone wants to know who is
there and what they have transacted for the purposes of freezing their
accounts. We are not foolish,” Mpofu said in response to the question.

Mpofu said as far as he was concerned diamond dealings were satisfactory to
the country’s buyers.

Some analysts have criticised the government for being too reluctant to
establish a diamond board which will regulate and licence private players in
the industry.

Further quizzed by CNN on whether there are any people on sanctions who are
involved in diamond mining, Mpofu said, “No, the companies have been put on
sanctions. ZMDC, Mbada Diamonds Mining Company, Marange Resources. These
companies are on the sanctions list…for example ZMDC has got lots of
millions of dollars frozen by OFAC and holed up in the United States of
America,” Mpofu said.

“I told you we are under sanctions. Who is asking for transparency? It is
the same person that imposed sanctions on us, because transparency is about
knowing the bank that the money has come through, knowing the companies that
are buying our diamonds for the countries that imposed sanctions on us to
pounce on them. We are not foolish!”

Mpofu said the country has a tight system which ensures that there is no
pilferage of diamond revenue.

He said the operations involve the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), as
well as the police’s mineral unit, Minerals Marketing Corporation of
Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and six other government departments monitoring the movement
of the diamonds.

“And for one to say that it is not transparent is laughable. But, still, we
should also differentiate between what is politics, because some people want
to please certain quarters through falsehoods for them to make them
relevant.

“But this government is sustained by its resources. We are a cash economy,
and we are resilient. Those who wanted us to collapse three years ago are
amazed,” Mpofu said.

Zimbabwe To Announce New Diamond and Mining Policy

http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/

19.03.12, 10:53

Zimbabwe is planning to announce new guidelines for its diamond and mining
policy, according to a report which appeared on the Rough&Polished website.

The government is intent on remaking its image in the world as an ethical
miner of diamonds. A minister said that Harare wants to attract new
investments and to allay concerns that the diamonds mined in the country
were recovered according to the highest standards.

According to Rough&Polished, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said that the policy
was crafted in consultation with the international diamond and mining firms
that do business with the country.

Mpofu told CNN that the government would focus on trading with friendly
countries. He said he was hopeful that more would engage in trade after the
government adopts the Diamond Act, a new law that is in the advanced stages
of drafting.

“We will do business with friendly countries but if we start telling people
who we have sold the diamonds to and at how much, then what do you expect to
happen to our companies?” Mpofu said. “They (the west) will freeze their
money and as I speak, ZMDC has its money frozen by the United States."

Will prices collapse as Mugabe’s generals loot Marange?

http://www.swradioafrica.com

Diamonds are Zimbabwe’s worst friend
The Mercury Eye on Society column

Will world prices collapse as Mugabe’s generals loot Marange?
Khadija Sharife 13 March 2012

The news from oppressed Africa may be dominated by the self-serving You Tube
video by Jacob Russell, ‘Kony 2012’, seen by 80 million viewers, aiming to
raise consciousness about children involuntarily soldiering for the Lords
Resistance Army in oil-rich northern Uganda. But in contrast to American
saviors, there are plenty of local activists needing solidarity in their
struggle against tyrants.

One of these is an institution, the Centre for Research and Development in
Mutare, Zimbabwe, whose offices were mysteriously burgled last week. Mutare
is the closest city to the $800 billion Marange fields, described as the
largest diamond find in history.

Even before Kimberly Process (KP) certification, Zimbabwe became the world’s
seventh largest producer, and the KP deal apparently occurred because
Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Mines threatened that world diamond markets would be
flooded if KP-certification were not provided.

In any case, Zimbabwe’s main diamond trading partners, India and China (via
Dubai and Israel), hold no regard for the KP, and therefore cannot be held
hostage by threats of peer exclusion. Already, 30 percent of the diamonds
handled in India’s key cut and polish hub, Surat, are imported from
Zimbabwe.

Africa generates over 65 percent of the world’s rough stones. Until
recently, a handful of companies including DeBeers (35 percent market share
by value) and Russia’s Alrosa (25 percent market share) benefited from near
monopolistic control, with sales dominated by the US market thanks to the
deeply entrenched impact of the De Beers ‘Diamonds are forever’ advertising
campaign.

Until the 1990s, DeBeers had set the inviolable rule of the diamond
industry: one buyer (Central Selling Organisation) to absorb – and vault –
the bulk of surplus to prevent diamonds from losing the scarcity value,
artificially created via slow release onto the market.

Andrei Polyakov, spokesperson for Russia’s Alrosa – which remains 90 percent
state-owned – confirmed, “If you don’t support the price, a diamond becomes
a mere piece of carbon.”

The diamond merchants now face a serious crisis: losing the battle to keep
stones in the Zimbabwe soil by locking down concessions. At one point, De
Beers held over 45 Exclusive Prospecting Orders, and despite discovering
Marange early in the game, De Beers failed to exploit the resources.

Zero exploitation
Unlike Botswana and Namibia, the generals close to Robert Mugabe who control
Zimbabwe’s military refuse to play ball by controlling the supply.
Intimidated by the “environment of uncertainty regarding the status and
future of the concession,” De Beers opted out in 2006, when its prospecting
license expired, even though DeBeers knew that at Marange, the yield was
more than 1000 carats per hundred tonnes, nearly ten times higher than
another large field, Rio Tinto’s concession in Zimbabwe’s Midland province.

According to Keiron Hodgson, a Charles Stanley Securities analyst of the
diamond sector, “Zimbabwe really does have the potential to upset the
applecart. Zimbabwean officials anticipate that diamond production could
generate between $1 billion and $2 billion per annum to an economy that has
a GDP of around $7.5 billion so I would understand the urgency to produce
diamonds from Zimbabwe, but I don’t think they’re going to go out and
produce as many as they can because they are quite price aware.”

Many others, however, fear a price collapse from an increasingly desperate
Zanu(PF) ruling party which needs the revenues to fight the coming national
election in Zimbabwe, and which would probably have no hesitation to loot
Marange as quickly as possible in the event of a loss of state power to the
Movement for Democratic Change.

The US government was previously considered the most vociferous opposition
to the export of Zimbabwe’s ‘conflict’ stones, so considered because several
hundred peasants were murdered by army troops in a 2007 massacre at Marange.
But ever-unreliable and self-interested Washington State Department
officials apparently caved to Mugabe’s wishes for KP certification, provided
that African states support their bid for KP chair in 2012.

Who couped the KP?
Two years ago, Farai Maguwu, head of the Centre for Research and Development
and an incoming doctoral student at the UKZN Centre for Civil Society, was
arrested in Mutare by Mugabe’s government for allegedly endangering
‘national security’ by possessing information about the military’s violation
of human rights at Marange.

Maguwu’s arrest appeared to be contrived: he met with the KP-appointed
monitor Abbey Chikane, brother of former SA Presidency director-general
Frank, who had tipped off Zimbabwean State intelligence officials in spite
of claiming that the meeting was confidential. Maguwu believed, and stated
publicly, that he had been ‘set up’ by Chikane.

Chikane argued that he received from Maguwu state security documents drafted
by the army, while Maguwu rebuts that Chikane was fishing for said documents
at the meeting.

According to Human Rights Watch, which gave Maguwu its highest award for
rights advocacy in Africa, “He was imprisoned for more than a month and
denied medical care to punish him. The authorities then illegally
transferred him to various police cells with deplorable conditions even
though he suffered from a serious health condition. Maguwu was released in
early July and only finally cleared of all charges in October.”

As for Chikane, the KP did not publicly reprimand him, nor did he resign.
Complained Ian Smillie, known as one of the world’s leading conflict diamond
experts and a key architect of the KP, “We don’t know where all the diamonds
went that were approved by Abbey Chikane. Chikane was a mistake on several
levels… He has extensive personal business interests in the Southern African
diamond industry that should have disqualified him from the outset.”

Is the KP fatally corrupted?
This leads to a bigger question: given Chikane’s chicanery and Washington’s
grab of the KP, both at the expense of Zimbabweans being persecuted by
Mugabe’s regime, should civil society chuck out the KP as a useful tool in
monitoring multinational corporate activity in blood diamond zones?

After all, though some good may be claimed from KP activities in West
Africa, the definition of conflict diamonds has excluded some of the world’s
primary culprits: anti-democratic, corrupt and authoritarian ‘rent-seeking’
regimes, such as Namibia and Angola, who not only ‘self-regulate’ what
constitutes KP-certified diamonds, but also act as partners to mining
houses, therefore directly benefitting from diamond revenues.

Last week, Magawu was finally allowed to visit the Marange mines. As he then
reported, “They have brought in state of the art equipment to intensify
mining. I was deeply concerned with the level of mining taking place given
that the money is not being accounted for. But we take this is a stepping
stone, (hoping for) greater scrutiny by civil society. A meeting I held with
(Finance Minister) Tendai Biti recently revealed that he had not yet
received any information on the diamond auctions that were conducted in
December and January respectively. If diamond revenue can’t reach the
treasury then we may be sitting on a time bomb.”

Khadija Sharife is a researcher at the UKZN Centre for Civil Society.

Zim activists in danger of unlawful prison sentences – release them now!

SAMWU PRESS STATEMENT

14 March 2012
The South African Municipal Workers Union, SAMWU, is alarmed to hear reports
that the six Zimbabwean activists who dared to show and discuss a film of
the Egyptian Uprising last year in Harare and who are currently in court
defending themselves, are in danger of receiving heavy prison sentences. The
State is behaving in a hysterical and irrational manner.
The evidence put before the court by the State is flimsy, biased and
shrouded in innuendo and paranoia. If the six are convicted it will mean
that the security apparatus in Zimbabwe will have unlimited powers to send
perfectly innocent people to prison for watching a film, or worse, for even
daring to discuss events unfolding in another country! The so-called
evidence emanating from the State verges on the paranoiac. As far as the
State is concerned, this group of peaceful socialist activists were about to
launch a revolution and take power from themselves!
In other words, if you watch a film about the events in Egypt, you must be
preparing to organise a violent uprising in Harare! On this reasoning,
thousands of those who tuned into Al Jazeera during the North African
turmoil are guilty too!
Mr Michael Reza, for the State said in his submission that the six clearly
conspired on February 19 last year, to cause public violence and the
uprising had gone beyond the planning stage. “The uprising had gone beyond
the planning stage. The date had been set (March 1, 2011), the place set,
(Africa unity square) communication method agreed on (e-mail, texting).“All
what remained was the arrival of the appointed date. The crime had been
complete at that stage. “If the accused persons are found guilty as charged
(and the State firmly believes that it should be so) then they should be
punished heavily,” And “Were it not for the police, who scuttled the plan,
Harare would have burnt on March 1, 2011.”he said.
Logic and reason are not being applied in this court by the State. Instead
it is deploying the worst forms of guilt by association and conspiracy
mongering to stifle any opposition to rule by Zanu-PF.
The State is desperate to close down any avenue for discussion in the
build-up to the up-coming elections that might allow important questions to
be raised about the illegal human rights abuses of Zanu-PF, the state of
corruption and patronage at work in the country and the continuing poverty
experienced by the masses. This is the real agenda. Speak out and you can
expect to be punished and sent to prison.
This Union urges all of those who stand for democratic and human rights,
including members of the tripartite alliance and all of civil society across
the region to be ready to defend the six socialists who are currently in
court if the outrageous and unjust convictions materialise. We must all be
ready to send a message to the Zimbabwean Government that intolerance of
this type is not acceptable and must be condemned in the strongest possible
terms.
We sincerely hope that the MDC in Government will publicly disassociate
itself from this travesty of justice, and along with civil society demand
that the charges be dropped and those who have been victimised and vilified
be properly compensated and given an official apology. Failure to do so will
make everyone less secure in Zimbabwe.
The right to meet, discuss events in the world, share ideas and speak openly
and freely is not a luxury reserved from a small political elite, but a
fundamental human right that must be enjoyed by all.
Release the six accused now! Say no to intimidation and state repression! An
injury to one is an injury to all!
For further comment, contact SAMWU’s International Officer Steve Faulkner,
on 0828175455.
Issued by;
Tahir Sema.
South African Municipal Workers’ Union of COSATU
National Media and Publicity Officer

Mugabe is not popular at all

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

Published in the British newspaper, The Independentof March 16 2012, and in
The Herald of 17 March, Alex Duval Smith’s column titled “How Mugabe won
over a nation: again” is a classic demonstration of how some foreign
journalists sadly misread our political situation.
19.03.1212:09pm
by John Makumbe

Smith claims that President Robert Mugabe has, once again become very
popular with the indigenous population as a result of both his disastrous
fast-track land “reform” programme and the current economic indigenization
programme. Well, nothing can be further from the truth.

I do not know where Smith gets his information, but I am sure he must have
been talking to all the wrong people. Smith fails to realize that Mugabe
lost the 2008 election to Tsvangirai in spite of the fact that he had
already implemented the land programme. In fact, Mugabe also lost the 2002
election to Tsvangirai - but the election managers manipulated the results
in order to make it look like Mugabe had won.

Mugabe is not “riding a wave of popular glory” at all. Rather, the man is
now generally regarded as a serious liability to the welfare of the people
of this country. For example, there is real fear that his pursuit of the
indigenisation and economic empowerment policy is likely to further ruin the
national economy in the same way that the reckless land reform programme
did.

It is common cause that few of the more than 300 000 school leavers
generated by the education system each year in this country have any hope of
getting employed. This unhealthy situation is blamed on Mugabe and his
knee-jerk economic policies and belief in his own rhetoric. So how can all
of that make the man popular with Zimbabweans?

As for the popularity that comes from the exploitation of the Marange
diamonds, the nation strongly suspects that some of the top leadership of
this country, particularly those in Mugabe’s political party, are stealing
the proceeds. There is limited evidence that any of the money earned from
diamonds is getting through to the Treasury to benefit the nation as a
whole. It is complete fiction to write that Zanu (PF)’s popularity has
“wrong-footed” the MDC.

The truth of the matter is that as a result of the three-year old inclusive
government, the MDC has become even more popular than it was in 2008. In
both urban and rural areas, it is quite difficult to identify any person who
will openly admit that they are supporters of Mugabe and his party. It
therefore befuddles the mind how Smith might have gathered the information
in his grossly misinformed and misleading column.

Smith further claims that, buoyed by his recent popularity, Mugabe is
threatening to call for elections this year, “with or without the new
constitution.” Some of us are convinced that both Mugabe and his party are
desperate to have elections this year under the much amended Lancaster House
Constitution, which effectively creates an uneven political playing field in
favour of the former ruling party. Mugabe and his party clearly understand
that they cannot win a free and fair election conducted under a democratic
constitution.

Indeed, at age 88, Mugabe will struggle to convince any sensible Zimbabweans
to vote for him and his party. Holding elections under the current
constitution, and before the full implementation of the agreed reforms,
would also enable Mugabe to deploy the army, the police and the prison
service officials to campaign for him through acts of violence and
intimidation. A popular leader does not need to make use of such tactics in
order to win elections. A better Zimbabwe is possible.

Miss Alex Duval Smith is ill informed about Zimbabwe

By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 19/03/12

Miss Alex Duval Smith is ill-informed about Zimbabwe to suggest that Robert
Mugabe has won over a nation (The Independent, 16/03/12).

The British journalist may want to know that of the thousands of farms
Mugabe seized from white commercial farmers his family owns 39 of them (see
Timeslive, 31/07/11).

The real beneficiaries of the controversial indigenisation policy are Mugabe’s
loyalists who are assured of multi million dollar loans for buying shares in
the likes of Zimplats and so on because villagers are simply being used as
bait for demanding shares.

Miss Duval Smith may also want to know about Mugabe’s role in the current
stalemate.

Constitution outreach meetings were marred by politically motivated violence
in various parts of Zimbabwe.  For instance, in Mashonaland West, suspected
Zanu-pf rowdy gangs disrupted Copac meetings in June 2010 sending
rapporteurs packing in Mhangura’s Sikona and Endeavour farming communities.

In Harare, thousands of Zanu-pf militia led brutal attacks on people in
Mabvuku, Chitungwiza, Dzivarasekwa and Mbare where an MDC T Youth Assembly
member was murdered at Mai Musodzi Hall.

Electoral Amendment  Bill
A group of suspected Zanu-pf youths in October 2011 disrupted a public
hearing into the Electoral Amendment Bill (EAB) which was being conducted at
Mbuya Nehanda Hall in Marondera. The meeting which was supposed to mark the
beginning of nationwide public consultations on the EAB scheduled to end in
August 2011 had to be aborted.

Similar hearings into the bill were disrupted by Zanu-pf ‘thugs’ in
Headlands, in Bulawayo, Kadoma and Mutare.

Human Rights Commission Bill
A rowdy mob of suspected Zanu-pf supporters in July 2011 disrupted public
hearings into the Human Rights Commission Bill at Masvingo civic centre.

The group allegedly hurled insults and threatened to manhandle members of
the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice and the Senate Thematic
Committee on Human Rights. Zanu-pf wants to limit the scope of the Human
Rights Commission to cases from 2009 while the MDC-T insists the period
should start from 1980.

Zimbabweans are very disappointed with the conviction of human rights
activist Munyaradzi Gwisai and 5 others for conspiracy to commit public
violence after watching footage of Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. For now,
all that people can do is to hold church services hoping for their appeal
and acquittal as well as the safe return of human rights activist Paul
Chizuze who has been missing for almost six weeks.

The Voters Roll
Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede, a Mugabe ally in all elections since
independence in 1980, recently claimed the voters’ roll was ‘perfect’ and
ruled-out rigging.

However, contrary to Mudede’s assertion, research by R Johnson found that
the Zimbabwe voters’ roll was flawed. For example, as at 1st October 2010
there were 366,550 new voters who had not appeared on any previous roll and
that there were 49.239 new voters over the age of 50.

The study also found that 16,033 of these new voters were over the age of 70
years, while 1,488 of them were over the age of 100; that some of the 228
new registered voters were actually small children; there were no less than
4,368 new voters over the age of 90 years and so on. Others have put the
number of Zimbabwe’s phantom voters at 2 million.

Security Sector Reforms
Robert Mugabe has described as ‘nonsense’ calls for security sector reforms
arguing that there was nothing wrong with the security forces supporting his
Zanu-pf party, despite that being unconstitutional.

To spite his critics, Mugabe instead promoted the notorious Three Infantry
Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba to Major-General, Air Commodore
Michael Moyo to Air Vice–Marshall and eight Colonels to the rank of
Brigadier General ahead of elections.

By-elections
With over 20 parliamentary and senate vacancies, Robert Mugabe can be
accused of blocking by-elections, despite a High Court order in the case of
Lupane East, Nkayi South and Bulilima East because of uncertainly of Zanu-pf’s
electoral performance.

Furthermore, Mugabe may be not so keen on by-elections fearing that he may
be bolstering the opposition forces in parliament and the senate in the
event of an impeachment vote or key legislative reforms as outlined in the
foregoing.

Media reforms
Media Minister Webster Shamu made a major contribution to preparations for
elections by defying an ultimatum by principals to reform the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) and
Mass Media Trust (MMT).

Leading by example
Although Zesa has denied that Robert and Grace Mugabe defaulted on their
power bills to the tune of R3million, we will soon know if he is leading by
example or by defaulting.

Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London,
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com

Bill Watch - Parliamentary Committees Series - 16th March 2012 [Meetings Open to Public 19th to 22nd March]