IMF calls for more reforms of central bank

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
23 March 2010

The international financial lending body, the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), has renewed calls for more reforms in the country's central bank,
saying new loans are still not available for Zimbabwe.

The IMF said in a statement on Tuesday that governance at the central bank
must be strengthened and its role 'refocused' after abandoning the local
dollar in favour of international currency. Reserve Bank governor Gideon
Gono, who presided over the collapse of the local dollar and heralded record
levels of hyperinflation, remains at the helm of the bank. His presence as
the bank's chief is a major issue in the fragile unity government, and also
has potential international investors concerned.

The IMF said that after consultations on Zimbabwe the Reserve Bank needed to
appoint a board to strengthen governance, and adopt a budget that would
downsize its operations.

"Governance needs to be strengthened, including through appointment of a
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governing board... and approval of an RBZ
operating budget envisaging a significant downsizing and refocusing on core
activities under the multi-currency system," it said in a statement.

Zimbabwe's economy grew by 4.7 percent last year, the first growth in a
decade, but the IMF said the economic recovery remains fragile.

"Significant policy challenges need to be addressed without delay," it said.
"In the area of structural reforms, the business climate, particularly
respect for property rights, needs to be strengthened."

The global lender last month restored Zimbabwe's voting rights after a
seven-year suspension, but said the country would not be able to access
formal loans until its multimillion dollar arrears were settled.

 

15 MDC supporters, including pregnant woman, under arrest

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
23 March 2010

David Chimhini, the MDC-T MP for Mutasa North, has said politically
motivated violence and partisan policing are getting worse in his
constituency. 15 MDC supporters, including a heavily pregnant woman, are in
police custody for singing while marching past a ZANU PF gathering.

10 of the people are in their second week in Mutare remand prison. They are
expected to be brought to court on March 24th.  The MP said the MDC
supporters have yet to be charged, despite being held in police custody for
two weeks. The other five, including the pregnant woman, were arrested on
Monday. Chimhini said they are being held under bad conditions at Ruda
police station, which he said was filthy and the inmates are chronically
underfed.

"I discovered that they were arrested after marching through a place where
ZANU PF people were supposed to be having a meeting. But before that the MDC
people had been allocated a place to meet by the local headman, and it was
following that approval that the ZANU PF people decided to go to the same
venue. In actual fact it was just a provocation," said the Mutasa North
legislator.

"When the MDC supporters were passing through, going to a new place, that's
when they were attacked by ZANU PF thugs who immediately ran to the police,
and the police were very quick to pick up the MDC people."

Chimhini added: "Yesterday they picked up five more people and among these
people there is a pregnant woman who is well advanced and we are very
worried about that development."

The MP said the disturbances in his constituency in Manicaland Province are
getting worse. He said this should not be happening when there is now a
power sharing government in place.

Known soldiers are reportedly also brutalising locals in the area. Chimhini
said he recently had to appeal for intervention from the co-Home Affairs
MDC-T Minister Giles Mutsekwa, after Ruda police, with the help of army
personnel, confiscated the MDC flag which was flying at the district offices
in the area.

He also said: "There is a selective application of the law because serious
and worse things have happened and we have evidence of real political
violence in Ward 4 in Mandeya, where people were brutalised and beaten up by
known soldiers. But the people have not been arrested. But in this case
people are arrested for having passed through a place singing."

There are similar reports of an upsurge of violence in other rural areas,
such as in Mudzi in Mashonaland East and in Masvingo. The violence appears
to have been initiated by ZANU PF ahead of the forthcoming constitutional
outreach programmes.

Of Mutasa North, Chimhini said: "The MDC people were actually just going to
discuss how they are going to react to the questions that are coming to do
with the constitutional making process. So I think it's a matter of
disturbing, threatening and intimidating people so that when the process
begins the MDC people will be intimidated and this is very unfortunate."

 

Zimrights Director arrested

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
23 March 2010

Zimrights National Director and board member of the Zimbabwe Human Rights
NGO Forum, Okay Machisa, was arrested and later released by Harare police on
Tuesday as reports of arrests of rights activists and MDC supporters grow.

Brian Penduka, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum programmes Coordinator
said Machisa was organising a photo exhibition entitled 'Reflections' at the
Gallery Delta, to be held on Wednesday.

He said the exact charge was unclear but that the police had confiscated the
photos that were to go on show. The exhibition included a wide range of
photos taken during the violent 2008 election period, including pictures of
the victims.

In Nkayi, the advocacy group Bulawayo Agenda reports that two of their staff
members were arrested on Saturday for allegedly organising a public meeting
without police clearance.

Vumani Ndlovu, the Bulawayo Agenda Matabeleland North programmes officer,
and Sihle Mloyi the Nkayi Agenda Committee member, are still in police
custody waiting for their case to be taken to court.

The civic group says the two were arrested even though they had applied to
hold their meeting, although it was on short notice.

Bulawayo Agenda conducts advocacy on issues of democracy and provides a
platform for people to express their views and debate matters that affect
their lives.

Another pressure group, the Restoration for Human Rights (ROHR), reports
that Shepherd Mushonga, the MDC MP for Mazowe Central, was detained for five
hours at Bindura central police station on Saturday. In a statement ROHR
said: "Bindura law and order section quizzed the Member of Parliament for
undermining the office of the President during a political rally in February
for saying, 'Mugabe might not be around come the next election'."

"After being pursued for over a month, Mushonga was arrested and detained
for five hours over the weekend by the Bindura Law and Order section only to
be released on summons for a court hearing at around 1500 hours."

 

MDC begins campaign to name and shame perpetrators of violence

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
23 March 2010

The MDC-T has said it is supporting the fight for justice for victims of the
2008 election violence and demanding prosecution of people who committed
acts of rape, murder and torture.

Four sitting ZANU PF parliamentarians and a losing parliamentary candidate
have been named, in the first of a series of forthcoming disclosures by the
MDC of perpetrators of political violence during the harmonized elections
two years ago.

The MDC insist the perpetrators must face justice. In the three months
between the March 29th vote and the June 27th runoff election in 2008, ZANU
PF militias, under the guidance of 200 senior army officers, set about
battering the MDC.

By election day hundreds of MDC supporters were dead, many more were
missing, tens of thousands had been tortured and badly injured and over half
a million were homeless. Tsvangirai dropped out of the contest and took
refuge in the Dutch Embassy.

In its latest edition on Tuesday of the weekly MDC newletter, The Changing
Times, the party said that starting this week it will be publishing names of
the perpetrators of the political violence.

'These people continue to roam the country scot-free,' the newsletter said,
detailing how ZANU PF legislators Herbert Paul Mazikani, Luke Mushore,
Newton Kachepa and Bright Matonga were involved in incidents where several
MDC activists lost their lives.

Joseph Chinotimba, the losing ZANU PF candidate for Buhera South, is alleged
to have raped an MDC activist twice on the 5th May 2008. His car was used 13
days later in an attack on Choukuse Nyoka Mubango, who later died from his
injuries.

'Mazikana Paul Herbert (MP Mbire) led a team of ZANU PF supporters who
assaulted Wanzirai Magodo and destroyed his home. Mazikani also led the gang
that killed Biggie Zhuwawo in April 2008 and Titus Goho on June 12, 2008,'
the newsletter added.

Mushore, the MP for Muzarabani North, reportedly led a group of ZANU PF
youths to destroy MDC activists' homes. The same youths were also involved
in the murder of Ratidzayi Dzenga on April 1, 2008.

'Kachepa (MP Mudzi North) led a group of ZANU PF supporters that murdered
Temba Muronde on April 13 2008 and Kingswell Muteta on 25 July 2008 at
Chimukoko village in Mudzi. Bright Matonga (MP Mhondoro, Ngezi) led a group
of ZANU PF youths using two vehicles belonging to him to murder MDC activist
Dadirayi Chipiro, after setting her hut on fire on 8 June 2008,' according
to the newsletter.

Human rights lawyer Dewa Mavhinga told SW Radio Africa the culprits behind
the 2008 wave of violence should be pursued and punished so that it will
deter others from repeating such heinous crimes.

'As you can see the list doesn't contain the big fish, so I urge the MDC to
go all the way to identify everyone involved in the political crimes. This
is just the beginning, and I hope they are starting from bottom going up,
because those named today (Tuesday) actually participated and were on the
ground during the crimes. The MDC should go all the way to name the
architects, the so called big fish, who are the authors of the violence,'
Mavhinga said.

While four of those named on Tuesday sit in parliament there are countless
others from the military, police and CIO who still roam freely, after waging
horrific orgies of violence in the rural areas.

On 5 May 2008 at Chaona village in Chiweshe, scene of the single biggest
massacre during the disturbances, ZANU PF supporters and men in army
uniform, led by Major Cairo Mhandu and Major Maravadza, brutally beat to
death Tapiwa Meda, Joseph Madzuramhende, Alex Chiriseri, David Tachiwa
Mapuranga, Arthur Matombo, Patson Mudzuramhende and Jeff Jemedze.

Women were stripped and beaten so viciously that whole sections of flesh
fell away from their buttocks. Many had to lie facedown in hospital beds
during weeks of recovery. Men were not spared sexual attack. The official
postmortem report on Chiriseri listed crushed genitals among the causes of
death. Other men died the same way.

At the funerals for the Chaona victims of violence, MDC MP for Mazowe North
Shepherd Mushonga noted the gruesome condition of the corpses. The MP said
he believed soldiers trained in torture were behind the killings, not the
less sophisticated militias or war veterans who traditionally serve as ZANU
PF enforcers.

The man regarded as the most violent criminal in Zimbabwe, Joseph Mwale, is
also still free, despite his alleged involvement in several violent
incidents in Manicaland and his alleged role in the murder of two MDC
activists who were campaigning for the MDC president.

Eye witness accounts say Mwale, and two other ruling party thugs, set
Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika on fire after beating them with iron
bars during the 2000 elections. The police were accused of watching the
incident then pretending to make a wrong turn instead of pursuing Mwale and
his gang. Mwale is a CIO operative in Mugabe's office and it is widely
believed this is why the police will not touch him.
 

ZESN Worried About Harassment Of Activists

http://news.radiovop.com/

23/03/2010 08:12:00

Harare, March 23, 2010 - The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) says
it is very worried about the continued harassment of activists as well as
the curtailment of civil society operating space.

The election watchdog said this was so particularly given the critical
moment of the Constitutional outreach process in Zimbabwe right now.

It said this required a broader participation by the citizens if the new
Constitution was to gain the legitimacy which it requires.

"The Secretary General of GAPWUZ is currently in hiding after having been
summoned before the Joint Operations Command regarding her role in the
making of a documentary surrounding the Land Reform Programme," ZESN said.

"We are concerned about the apparent curtailment of civil society operating
space particularly given the critical moment of the Constitutional outreach
process which will require broader process which will require broader
participation by the citizens if the new Constitution is to gain the
legitimacy which it would require."

ZESN emphasized its position on the need for significant electoral reforms
before the next election which could be held in 2011. President Robert
Mugabe of Zanu PF has already said he would stand for his party in that
election.

The GAPWUz Boss, Getrude Hambira fled to SA after she was being harassed by
police for a documentary on the plight of farm workers in Zimbabwe. Some of
Zimbabwe's civic society members have been threatened with death if they
carry on with educational awareness campaigns on the constitution following
the launch of constituitonal reform process.

A new constitution is said to be key to holding free and fair elections in
Zimbabwe.

Chief Evicts MDC Supporters From Irrigation Scheme

http://news.radiovop.com

23/03/2010 07:12:00

Zaka, March 23, 2010 - Chief Ranganai Nhema is spearheading a move to evict
more than 50 people who are all said to be supporters of Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), from
Fuve-Panganai irrigation scheme, located about 25 kilometers out of here.

Although the chief has denied targetting MDC supporters in the exercise, the
victims told Radio VOP that the chief together with District Administrator
Felix Zimombe and believed to be backed by Zanu PF party, had issued out
eviction letters, saying they wanted to de-congest the area.

Part of the letter reads; "Due to water shortages, we have decided to trim
Fuve-Panganai scheme so that all the four irrigation schemes can have equal
access to water."

The deadline for the affected villagers to leave is Saturday, March 27.

Fuve-Panganai irrigation scheme was established in 2008 and has 100
inhabitants. It was the fourth to be established after other
irrigation schemes, section B (1988), C (1990) and section D in 1993.

"While it may be or may not be true, our question is, Why MDC supporters,
why not Zanu PF, Mavambo or UPP supporters? We are just being punished for
our political affiliations," a villager told Radio VOP.

He added that the chief spared some villagers who were earmarked for
eviction saying, "'they qualified to remain behind".

Zimombe confirmed the evictions. "We were just looking at those who are not
productive, we do not target opposition supporters, but if that is the
criteria used, probably ask the chief, I only got names, I do not even know
their political affiliations."

Chief Nhema however distanced himself from the decision when asked to
comment, saying he was working with the committee in Fuve Irrigation Scheme.

"The names were forwarded to me by the committees in the scheme, I am not
the one who came up with the list," he said.

Masvingo Governor and Resident Minister, Titus Maluleke, could not be
contacted for comment as he was said to be out of town. His mobile was
unreachable.

Tsvangirai recently told Masvingo MDC supporters to stop fighting with Zanu
PF supporters, saying this was no longer necessary as him and Mugabe had a
good relationship.

Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe recently agreed to a package of
measures, which are yet to be spelt out, aimed at fulfilling the Global
Political Agreement (GPA). The two leaders together with Arthur Mutambara,
the leader of the other MDC faction, signedthe GPA last year, leading to the
establishement of the unity government last February.

The measures were agreed to after President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma,
came to Zimbabwe to review the progress of the GPA talks that had reached a
deadlock due to disagreements in resolving the oustanding issues.

The package of measures is likely to be unveiled end of the month when all
outstanding issues are expected to be finalised.
 

Victims of violence vow to demonstrate

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=28219

March 23, 2010

By Owen Chikari

MASVINGO- Victims of political violence here mainly MDC supporters have
vowed to continue with a  proposed march demanding compensation from the
inclusive government this weekend after an earlier attempt last Saturday was
banned by the police.

Police in Masvingo last week banned a proposed march by the victims of
political violence arguing that such a move would ignite more violence.

The victims of violence which marred the June 27, 2008, presidential
election run-off have vowed to go ahead with their march to bring the issue
to the attention of the inclusive government.

A spokesman for the victims who refused to be named for fear of
victimisation said that they will engage in the proposed march and
thereafter hold several similar demonstrations throughout the province.

"We have to make it known that some of us are still nursing injuries but the
same people who beat us up during the run up to the 2008 elections are still
enjoying their lives and have not been punished", said  the spokesman.

"We have suffered enough and no one is going to stop us from marching".  "We
are not going to engage in any form of violence but we want to bring this to
the attention of the government".

"Police should just kill us while we are on the streets because we need
compensation from the inclusive government.

"In addition to compensation we want to see the perpetrators of violence
arrested".

Charles Muzenda whose house and property were reduced to ashes in Mwenezi
District after they were set on fire said their attempts to have the
perpetrators of violence arrested had yielded nothing so far.

"Every time we visit a police station we are told to come back and make a
fresh report", said Muzenda.

"We are tired of this and we hope such marches will work in our favour so
that we will be compensated".

Zaka North MDC-T legislator Ernest Mudavanhu, whose constituency was hard
hit by political violence, yesterday said that despite the existence of an
organ on national healing people in his constituency would never forgive
each other unless victims of violence are compensated.

"We cannot talk of any national healing programme if victims of violence are
not paid", said Mudavanhu.

"What is  of concern is the fact that the perpetrators of violence are still
moving around freely and are even boasting of having maimed or killed
 people", he added.

However police in Masvingo yesterday reacted angrily to the proposed march
and vowed to crush it.

Police spokesman Assistant Inspector Tinaye Matake said that any
demonstration which is not sanctioned by the police remains illegal and
police are mandated by the law to ensure that there is order.

"We are going to descend heavily on anyone who breaks the law", said Matake.
"If they defy our order then we have no option but to deal with them", he
said

Police seize photographs of repression under Mugabe from exhibition

http://www.earthtimes.org/

Posted : Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:47:31 GMT

Harare - Zimbabwe police on Tuesday seized all the photographs from an
exhibition depicting repression under President Robert Mugabe, and arrested
the chief of the human rights body that organized the show, officials
confirmed.

The incident is another instance of the harassment of human rights groups by
Mugabe's police, which has continued despite the formation of a
power-sharing government between the 86-year-old autocrat and his former
opponent, pro-democracy leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is now prime minister.

Tsvangirai was due to open the exhibition Wednesday at the capital's
well-known, private Delta Gallery of 62 framed photographs, that showed
Mugabe's brutal crackdown on Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).

A spokesman for Tsvangirai's office said the prime minister was "adamant
that the exhibition will go ahead," and that he would be opening it as
scheduled. "What these people (Mugabe's ZANU(PF) party) don't understand is
that by showing these photographs you are not reopening wounds, you are
trying to heal wounds," Tsvangirai said.

The images showed victims of violence, Tsvangirai with head injuries from an
assault, police breaking up peace demonstrations, as well as Mugabe praying,
and ended with pictures of members of the coalition government, said Cynthia
Manjoro, spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organization (Zimrights)
that was holding the exhibition.

"The aim was to make people look at where we have been, and to try to make
sure we don't go there again," she said. "It is about national healing, and
that we are begging for a truth and reconciliation commission."

Manjoro said police first arrived and took photographs of all the pictures.
Later about 20 officers, including riot police, removed the pictures from
the walls and dumped them in a police pick-up truck. Zimrights director Okay
Machisa tried to intervene and was arrested.

Lawyers later said Machisa had been released, but it was not clear what, if
any, charges had been pressed against him. Manjoro said police gave no
reason for removing the pictures.

In the last 10 years of harassment since Tsvangirai's MDC emerged as the
first real threat to Mugabe's nearly 30 years in power, police have
regularly closed down theatres featuring critical and satirical drama,
arresting actors, producers and audiences, and shut down music concerts with
a political theme. Observers say it is the first time they have interfered
with an art exhibition.

The show coincided with a swell of demands for acknowledgement, particularly
by Mugabe's side of the coalition government, of a decade of violent
intimidation, with murders, rapes, torture, assault, arson, looting and
destruction of homes on a vast scale, which human rights organizations claim
have been committed almost entirely by Mugabe's security forces and party
vigilantes.

Capital, power woes threaten Zimbabwe mining recovery

http://af.reuters.com/

Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:24am GMT

* Miners failing to access working capital

* Gold output seen rising from 4.2 tonnes to 6 tonnes/yr

* Investors wary of empowerment rules

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE, March 23 (Reuters) - Electricity shortages and lack of access to
capital is threatening the recovery of Zimbabwe's mining sector, while
uncertainty over empowerment laws is keeping investors away, the mining
chamber said on Tuesday.

The mining sector has been the mainstay of the country's export earnings
since 2000 when commercial agriculture production plunged following
President Robert Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms.

Chamber of Mines President Victor Gapare said the industry's recovery, which
started last year after the formation of a unity government by President
Robert Mugabe and his long time rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister,
was now under threat as miners could not get financing and power shortages
worsened.

"Mines have not been able to access both working capital and long term
capital to recapitalise. There are no foreign lines of credit for the
industry at the moment," Gapare said in an e-mailed response to questions
from Reuters.

"With regards to electricity, ZESA (utility) is struggling to supply the
(mines)."

The coalition government has said it needs up to $10 billion for the economy
to fully recover but Western donors have continued to withdraw badly needed
aid and lines of credit until the administration implements political
reforms.

Gapare said platinum mines were operating at near maximum production, gold
producers at between 30-40 percent capacity but nickel mines remained shut.

He said gold production had been capped at 500kg a month since November 2009
and was likely to remain at this level, giving an annualised output of 6
tonnes this year. Output reached 4.2 tonnes in 2009 up from 3.5 tonnes the
previous year.

BAD TIMING

At its peak in 1999, gold production stood at 27 tonnes.

"It's difficult to see production increasing significantly in 2010 in the
absence of capital and electricity," he said. Gapare said the timing of the
publication of contentious rules that force foreign-owned firms, including
mines to cede 51 percent shares to local blacks, was bad.

He said foreign investors had shown interest in exploiting Zimbabwe's huge
platinum reserves and gold, coal, chrome and diamonds, but were holding back
until the government clarified its empowerment legislation.

The rules require foreign-owned companies to dispose 51 percent of shares to
locals within 5 years and will also target some of the global mining houses
operating in the country.

Number one and two platinum producers Anglo Platinum Ltd and Impala Platinum
Holdings have operations in Zimbabwe while Rio Tinto Plc is the largest
shareholder in a diamond mine in the south east of the country.

"If we don't put in place an attractive investment regime, we will not win
and our leaders have to realise that ordinary Zimbabweans want to see the
country working so that we don't become a failed state," said Gapare.

The mining chamber has made recommendations to the mines ministry on what
they want included in a Minerals Amendment Bill that is expected to be
passed by parliament by the end of 2010.

A previous bill lapsed in parliament in 2007 and the government has been
working on a new law.
 

Zimbabwe's Female Violence Survivors Dumped

http://news.radiovop.com/

23/03/2010 14:26:00

Harare, March 23, 2010 - Most Zimbabwean women who suffered political
violence remain traumatised for the rest of their lives because of lack of
support from the organisations that usually put them at the forefront.

This emerged on Tuesday, March 23, at the launch of a new report on human
rights violations experienced by female members of the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA). The report, titled "Fighting for a New
Constitution", was prepared by the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU).

One of the survivors, Mary Pamire, who says she was abducted and raped by
ten soldiers in 2003, broke down as she narrated how she was thrown into the
forefront of demonstrations, only for those who led the protests to dump her
after she had already been abused.

"I was abducted by a group of soldiers in 2003, they took me to a secluded
place and took turns to rape me," said a tearful Pamire. "It was not an easy
thing. I counted up to ten the number of times they raped me. After that I
lost track of what was happening."

The soldiers allegedly dumped Pamire near a busy road, and a well wisher
discovered her and took her into the city centre. This resulted in her being
admitted at a leading private hospital in Harare.

But while Pamire managed to get treatment, she is still bitter that her
comrades in the NCA and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) with whom
she had participated in the mass action never came to see her at hospital.
She says she also did not get any form of support from the NCA and MDC.

"The NCA and MDC never helped me, despite the fact that I was suffering for
them," said Pamire.

But NCA director Ernest Mudzengi defended his organisation's position,
saying they were being constrained by resources.

"We have not had resources that allow for continuous support to victims and
survivors, mostly because of the enormity of the challenge," said Mudzengi.

The newly launched book indicates that during times of elections, sexual
violence is usually used as a political weapon to silence dissent or
intimidate opponents, resulting in large numbers of women being raped. In
most cases, notes the report, the perpetrators are usually people who have
got a strong link with the state, without necessarily being part of the
state.

Despite the hassles it exposes, the report encourages women activists to
"participate in any civil society activities without fear of reprisal and/or
brutal treatment from law enforcement agents".

"Women's voices should be heard in any transitional justice mechanism that
may be set up for Zimbabwe," reads the report. "Law enforcement agents and
other state sponsored goups should respect women, they are to be seen as
individuals in their own right and should not be treated as the property of
men".
 

Opulent casino opens as Zimbabwe faces massive hunger

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
23 March 2010

As the country faces the bleak prospect of more food shortages, an opulent
casino, bankrolled by Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, has opened to satisfy the
needs of the wealthy minority.

The casino has opened on the site of the old Ascot Race Course in Bulawayo
and was reportedly financed by Mpofu and his brother. According to an alert
by action group Sokwanele, the casino is being protected by uniformed police
officials, paid for by tax payers. The venue features two stories of plush
furnishings, slot machines and well stocked bars, and is just one of Mpofu's
most recent lavish expenses. The Minister has also bought properties in
Victoria Falls, Bulwayo's elite suburbs and some other buildings in recent
months.

The cash-splash comes as well over 2 million Zimbabweans are in dire need of
food aid, according to the Red Cross. In a recent statement the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies pleaded for
international funds for urgent food aid to Zimbabwe. Emma Kundishora,
secretary general of the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, has reported that in
some parts of the country the food situation is as bad "as many of our
volunteers and staff have ever seen it."

Most speculators will probably place their bets on Mpofu's sudden cash
injection being linked to outputs from the controversial Chiadzwa diamond
fields, where unknown quantities of diamonds are being mined and airlifted,
without control. The wealth of the diamonds fields has been marked as key to
rebuilding the country, if the sale of the gems is properly controlled. But
an official from the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) last
month admitted to a parliamentary committee set up to probe Chiadzwa's
mining operations that diamonds were being airlifted out of the country
without any proper supervision.

Mpofu admitted to the same committee last week that he had licensed the two
firms mining the alluvial fields, without following proper procedure. Mpofu
also defended involving 'crooks' in the mining industry in an effort to get
'immediate cash' to the financially strapped government. Finance Minister
Tendai Biti has however said that no money was coming from Chiadzwa, despite
the government, through the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC),
owning more than 50% of the two mining firms licensed to work the fields.

Directors of the two firms, Mbada Investments and Canadile Mining, have said
they have not turned a profit, blaming an order by the Supreme Court to halt
all mining operations. The directors were giving evidence to the
parliamentary committee on Tuesday, days after being summonsed to appear.
They have previously snubbed the committee three times under Minister Mpofu's
orders and were facing contempt of parliament charges as a result.

SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa explained that the directors
were trying to steer any allegations of corruption away from themselves, by
arguing that they are minority stakeholders in the mining firms. Muchemwa
said the directors' evidence contradicts reports from the mine itself, which
shows signs of recent cash improvements, such as new equipment and a large
and very controversial airstrip. Muchemwa added that more questions were
raised than answered by the directors, questions that the committee failed
to ask.

 "The directors were trying to build bridges and trying to persuade the
committee that they are not corrupt," Muchemwa explained. "Unfortunately the
committee failed to properly probe these directors."

Jindal Steel leads race to buy ZISCO shares

http://www.zicora.com

Posted by Own Staff Wednesday, 24 March 2010 01:00

THE Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO) is on its way to revival as it
has emerged that South Africa 's Naveen Jindal-controlled Jindal Steel &
Power Ltd (JSPL) will be acquiring a majority stake in the
company,ArcelorMittal is the only other bidder for the state-run company.

In an interview, the Minister of State Enterprises and Parastatals, Gabuza
Joel Gabuza said the bidding was now in the final round.

"Jindal Steel has not yet won the bid as there is another company in the
competition. However, these are now the only two bidders. The qualifying
round has concluded and bids will be submitted after due diligence is
complete," he said.

However, Minister Gabuza refused to be drawn into saying which of the two
bidders was likely to win the largest steelworks.

"At the moment, I am not in a position to say which of the two bidders is
leading the race, as there are other ministries and officials that are
involved in the selection process. It would be premature for me to release
such information," he said.

However, sources have revealed that Jindal Steel  stood a better chance of
winning the bid.There were initially six foreign steel producers that had
been identified by the Government to bid for the shareholding of
Ziscosteel.Work to reline the two blast furnaces and other repairs at
Ziscosteel is under way, with two-thirds of the required equipment already
at the plant. The two furnaces have the capacity to produce between 750 000
and one-million tonnes of steel.
In 2006, Zimbabwe clinched a $400-million management deal with Indian steel
maker Global Steel, raising hopes it was moving towards disposing of its
loss-making firms, but the deal collapsed within two months.

Ziscosteel is 89 percent owned by the Government of Zimbabwe, which is
looking to divest a 60 percent stake as part of its privatization programme.
The company also has a capacity of a million tonnes and is a facility for
long products (used in the construction sector).

Ziscosteel  has a debt of $300 million and the plant stopped operations in
2008 and was now depending on selling scrap metal to generate income, as
well as selling coke breeze and chilled pull that had accumulated over the
past 40 years.The company has accumulated a three-month salary backlog and
has placed its employees on a forced rotational two-week roster.Lack of
funds has stalled progress though Ziscosteel recently received 60 percent of
the realigning materials from China , such as special blast furnace bricks.
The repair of the coke ovens also requires millions of dollars.

The country's new coalition government saw the sell-off of State entities as
part of necessary economic reforms. Sixteen companies were identified for
privatisation, including the generation unit of state power utility Zesa,
which has been struggling to produce enough electricity for the country

HOT SEAT: Is MDC selling its soul to make GNU work?

Shun Zimbabwe, lose a chance to assist change

http://www.nzherald.co.nz

By David Coltart
4:00 AM Wednesday Mar 24, 2010

I cannot help but feel that there are unspoken reasons behind the New
Zealand Government's decision to discourage the New Zealand cricket team
from touring Zimbabwe in June 2010.

Prime Minister John Key is reported as stating that the main concern was for
"player safety".

But I fear there is more to it than that.

I believe in particular there are deep-rooted concerns about ongoing human
rights abuses within Zimbabwe, scepticism regarding the transitional
agreement and its chances of survival and, perhaps, distaste for the fact
that certain personalities are still in office.

If I am correct in this assumption one understands why this has not been
stated openly - because New Zealand may then become liable to pay damages to
Zimbabwe Cricket.

Be that as it may I believe there are compelling reasons why the tour should
go ahead. I write this in the context of being a human rights lawyer who has
opposed human rights abuses in Zimbabwe for the last 27 years.

Article continues below

Firstly, those of us in the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) are
ourselves deeply concerned about ongoing human rights abuses and our
collective failure as a transitional government to fully implement the
transitional agreement.

However, putting it negatively, this agreement is the only viable
non-violent option we have.

The agreement has a positive side too.

Despite our failure to implement it fully, we have made remarkable progress
in the last year. The economy has stabilised. Schools have been reopened.
Hospitals and clinics now have drugs and the cholera epidemic of 2008
stopped. There has been a massive downturn in the number of human rights
abuses.

Importantly maladministration in cricket is being addressed; racism and
tribalism in team selection has ended and former doyens of the sport, such
as Heath Streak, have been reintegrated.

Secondly, for all the political rhetoric, the fact is that the political
agreement is functional and is gradually being implemented in its entirety.

Zanu PF has been desperately holding on to whatever power it can and has
resisted implementing certain aspects of the agreement.

But as demonstrated by the successful visit of President Zuma to Harare this
week there is progress and in my view there is no danger of the agreement
collapsing in the near future.

Thirdly, and most importantly, our friends in the international community
have an obligation to help those of us acting in good faith to make this
peaceful process work and sport has a critically important role to play in
this regard.

Clint Eastwood's recent film Invictus about Nelson Mandela's efforts to use
the 1995 Rugby World Cup to forge unity in post-apartheid South Africa is a
powerful reminder of the positive role sport can play in assisting countries
in transition.

Whilst there are obvious differences between South Africa in the early 1990s
and Zimbabwe today, there are many similarities.

We are in transition; we too have to forgive those responsible for terrible
things done in the last decade; there are still those who will do all in
their power to derail the peaceful process.

Just as rugby was able to bind a nation together then I believe cricket can
play a similar role in Zimbabwe today.

Furthermore when it is the clear wish of former Zimbabwean cricketers such
as Heath Streak and Grant Flower, now both national coaches who have also
suffered in the last decade, that this tour should go ahead, they too should
be listened to.

What I am absolutely convinced of is that by asking the New Zealand team to
travel there are substantially less safety and security risks involved than
there are in touring the United Kingdom, the subcontinent or indeed South
Africa.

We do not have any terrorist or al Qaeda threat in Zimbabwe; bombs have not
gone off in Harare as they have in London or Mumbai in the last decade.
Crime rates in Harare and Bulawayo are far below those in Johannesburg and
Cape Town.

In short Zimbabwe is one of the safest places to travel to and the apparent
safety concerns of the New Zealand Government are simply misplaced and not
based on fact.

I have no doubt that if the New Zealand team decides to honour its
obligation to tour Zimbabwe in June they will find they will be welcomed by
all with remarkable warmth and friendliness.

In the process they will help Zimbabwe cricket in its quest to regain test
status, bring much joy to the Zimbabwean cricketing public and greatly help
our peaceful transition to democracy in Zimbabwe.

I hope that the New Zealand Government will have the vision and boldness to
enable this to happen.

* Senator David Coltart is Zimbabwe's Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and
Culture.

Join the campaign for genuine youth service

MDC: nipping corruption in the bud

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

23rd Mar 2010 09:19 GMT

By Chenjerai Chitsaru

ANY truthful political history of Africa must record the fact that
corruption was spawned by the political hegemony embraced by the first
ruling parties. Since they boasted of having brought independence to the
countries they felt entitled to a reward: for their pain during the
struggle, they demanded to be allowed to reap the fruits of their labour.

In Ghana, after 1957, with the Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's Party
riding high, there was a spate of scandals. They culminated in the scandal
of Krobo Edusei's wife's golden bed.

On reflection, some political historians have tried to play down the impact
of this incident on the political history of Ghana under The Osagyefo. But
Ghana's road to the one-party political system could only have been designed
to hand to the CPP the total control of the country - politically as well as
economically.

The leaders of the ruling party must have felt the people ought to be so
grateful to them they dared not make a squeak if they seemed to want to live
more lavishly than ordinary people did.

Nearer home, the same thing happened in Malawi and Zambia. The quest for a
one-party political system was total - and was achieved. Soon, there were
reports of political leaders living so luxuriously the people wondered if
that was acceptable as a reward for their role in the struggle. Some of it
became so obscene; it was exploited by the opposition forces. If there
hadn't been a decline in the living standards of the ordinary people, the
reign of the corrupt parties would probably have lasted longer.

In the two countries, it did last longer than it ought to have - nearly 30
years. By then, both countries were in dire economic straits. The leaders
couldn't blame sanctions, as the leaders of Zimbabwe are doing so raucously
you wonder if they sincerely believe the Western countries will be swayed by
their noise.

The downfall of both Kamuzu Banda and Kenneth Kaunda owed much to the
people's disillusionment with their ineptitude in tackling corruption in
high places. While the leaders enjoyed the milk and honey of independence,
ordinary people could hardly afford three meals a day. Both ruling parties
were whipped, fair and square, out of power by new political parties. They
had promised a clean-up of the corruption and a new dispensation for the
poor.

But the script went wrong somewhere along the way. Corruption reared its
ugly head again. People were assailed by the same stench of rottenness they
thought they had subdued when the parties which had brought independence
were defeated.
Bakhili Muluzi finished in disgrace. Frederick Chiluba fared even worse. He
actually was charged with stealing government funds. His reputation as a
thief may never be forgotten by the people of Zambia. Its political history
will record that his performance as Kaunda's successor was shamelessly
selfish and probably as anti-people as that of the colonialists.

Muluzi was never officially charged with corruption. But there are some in
Malawi who feel he was worse than Kamuzu: at least, with the Ngwazi you
didn't expect any fairplay. Muluzi had promised them something better. He
handed them the same empty plate, sprinkled with a few rotten grains of
something that looked like maize.

In Zimbabwe, if the MDC does not polish up its act now, we could see a
repeat of the scenes of squalor which followed the reign of Muluzi. Morgan
Tsvangirai spoke recently of the corruption among the party's urban
councillors. Inevitably, the state media has had a field day publicising the
corruption of the opposition councillors. It's not unlikely that some of it
is being done with the aid of the government.

The MDC has promised a robust reaction - which has yet to materialise. Zanu
PF must believe it has the MDC exactly where it wants it - between a rock
and a hard place. Add to that the pressure on Tsvangirai on sanctions, and
you have an opposition party reeling from criticism of non-action on vital
issues - the fight against corruption and the fight against sanctions. The
latter is easier to deal with than the former.

These sanctions are described as "illegal" by Zanu PF. There is no distinct
reference to what law is being broken - the United Nations Charter? The
United States and the European Union have so far not been brought up on
charges of imposing the sanctions by any court in the world. If there was a
chance of this, Zimbabwe would surely have gone to the International Court
of Justice at The Hague. So, in what sense are the sanctions illegal?

If they are not and the government is making them "illegal" for some
nefarious, diabolically political motive, then they ought to be condemned in
the strongest terms. Among most people in Zimbabwe, the fine line between
"legal" and "illegal" sanctions is pretty faint, if not non-existent.

In any case, how many people remember the conduct of the 2000 parliamentary
elections and the 2002 presidential elections? In fact, does anyone remember
elections since independence in which Zanu PF played fair?

But to return to the MDC and its reaction to corruption within its ranks:
Even if there is some clandestine role that Zanu PF is playing, the fact
remains that the MDC must act quickly and decisively against any miscreants,
regardless of what harm the renegade councillors might inflict on the party,
come election time. There must be mechanisms in the party constitution or
regulations which allow for the neutralisation of dissident party members.

The prospect of the MDC sweeping to power in the next election cannot be
discounted: Zanu PF has thoroughly dissipated any sympathy it might have
enjoyed since 2000. It has outstayed its welcome. It would be unfortunate if
the MDC was subjected to the same fate as Muluzi's UDF in Malawi, or
Tsvangirai to Chiluba's fate in Zambia.

Zuma’s speculative and silent diplomacy

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=28214

March 23, 2010

By Takura Zhangazha.

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma is a man of few words. This would perhaps explain the
brevity of his press statement at the end of his two day visit to Zimbabwe,
a visit that was intended to ensure a resolution of the Zimbabwean inclusive
government’s problems.

He also decided, true to fashion, to not field any questions from an eager
press corps that had been patiently waiting to hear something substantive
from the SADC-appointed facilitator.

But perhaps, apart from his lack of a willingness to talk to anyone other
than the three political principals, President Zuma went one further than
his predecessor Thabo Mbeki. He went from quiet diplomacy to chart the
previously unexplored waters of speculative and silent diplomacy. And in
saying this I am not attempting an immediate comparison of the style or
substance of either President Zuma or Mr. Mbeki.

But given the character of the nearly three year mediation in Zimbabwe’s
political crisis, President Zuma, like former President Mbeki, cannot escape
criticism, even if he has not yet asked that now infamous question of his
predecessor: ‘Crisis? What crises?’

I have referred above to President Zuma as having brought into my mind a new
phrase, that of ‘speculative and silent’ diplomacy. This is primarily for a
number of reasons. The first being that given the hype about his visit to
Harare, and for two days at that, public expectation of either finality or
literal progress on ‘outstanding issues’ was phenomenally high. These
expectations were also about anticipation of firm leadership vis-à-vis his
facilitator’s role.

Depending on which side of the political divide one stands on, this role
would have been either that he firmly rein in President Mugabe or
alternatively assuage Prime Minister Tsvangirai. Well, given the short
nature of his statement, as well as its very vague statements, President
Zuma did not assert that expected leadership. This is not to say diplomacy
is done by stamping your foot down, but surely something to that effect was
needed. But perhaps this would be to expect too much of the President of
another country.

And because one cannot realistically have expected messianic feats by South
Africa’s President over and about a Zimbabwean problem, analysis must
therefore focus on the full import of what in my view is speculative and
silent diplomacy.

In reading President Zuma’s statement, the reference that is made to a
‘package of measures to be implemented concurrently as per the decision of
the SADC troika in Maputo’, without even as much as hinting what this is or
at least means is potentially beyond even the phrase ‘speculative’. Either
it means we are back in Maputo, and therefore President Zuma’s visit was
unnecessary.

Further still the vague belief that President Zuma expresses in the
implementation of a ‘package of measures ’ that no one apart from the
political parties knows anything is puzzling. Assuming that there is a
package that is reasonable in the view of the political parties, the fact
that it has to be discussed on three days, March 24, 26, 29 and 31
speculatively assumes that whatever was agreed while he was here will hold
firm.

But given the character of the Zimbabwean negotiators it is least likely
they will carry through what Zuma wants, even over the days announced. This
is because if one were to attempt to count the number of outstanding issues
during the life of the GPA, there is no one moment where they are completely
certain or again, non-negotiable.

The silent diplomacy component of President Zuma’s visit and statement is to
be found in the secrecy of both the talks and their outcome. In previous
negotiations where the facilitator has been in direct attendance, the
secrecy would have been confined to the process of the talks. Following
these, there would have been a somewhat elaborate statement on the results
of these talks and journalists would be been permitted to field questions.

In President Zuma’s instance, secrecy was both during the process as well as
in his final statement.  Even where the political parties meet on the
designated days next week, it is evident that they will take a leaf from
President Zuma’s conduct.  And perhaps we will never know what the ‘package’
entails until the next SADC summit.

In the final analysis, President Zuma’s latest round of direct mediation in
Zimbabwe’s crisis was primarily impolitic. This is because the facilitator
did not in any way seek to demonstrate his understanding of the political
expectations of his role to the Zimbabwean people.  It may be agreed that
not all Zimbabweans ever had confidence in the talks, but surely they have
come to accept them as necessary together with a limited feedback from the
facilitator.

President Zuma did not account to anyone but the political parties, neither
did he demonstrate a sense of urgency for the Zimbabwean public to have
confidence in his ability to bring matters to a heel. But perhaps that is
his business, and he is particularly under no obligation to ingratiate
himself with the people of Zimbabwe.

Whatever secrets are over what happened during his visit, he has indeed
allowed students of international relations to begin to worry whether their
lecturers will introduce a new assignment question; ‘Speculative and silent
diplomacy’ Discuss.