Zimbabwe turns the corner on inflation; prices falling since January

http://www.earthtimes.org

Posted : Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:59:55 GMT
Author : DPA

Harare - After years of jaw-dropping inflation, Zimbabwe is now
experiencing deflation, the country's Central Statistical Office (CSO) said
Tuesday. The dollarization of the economy forced prices down by an average
3.1 per cent between January and February this year, acting CSO director
Moffat Nyoni told a press conference.

The inflation rate, which fell 0.8 percentage points on
January's -2.3 percent, is given only as a month-to-month figure because the
complete dollarization of the economy was achieved only in January.

The last time an official inflation figure was given in July
last year, it was a whopping 231 million per cent.

At the time, prices were still denominated in the now worthless
Zimbabwe dollar, which has been abandoned by most since the central bank in
November legalized the use of hard currencies, including the US dollar and
the South African rand.

Announcing the new figures, Nyoni said: "The gap in the supply
of statistics on inflation was due to the scarcity of products in the
market, product prices being displayed in Zimbabwe dollars but actually
being sold in foreign currency, and resource constraints faced by the CSO."

Economists say the fall of prices was due to the low pay levels.

The CSO said that, an average family of five requires about 550
dollars a month, but the average pay is 100 dollars.

A decade of misrule by President Robert Mugabe's government has
left the economy teetering on the brink of collapse.

The country's new unity government, which has longtime
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister, has appealed to its
neighbours for 2 billion dollars in short-term aid, while putting its
long-term needs at 5 billion dollars.

Southern African leaders are meeting to consider its appeal in
Swaziland at the end of the month.

Tsvangirai returns to challenges

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=13907

March 24, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - The return of Prime Minister to Harare yesterday was embroiled in
uncertainty over when exactly he is due to return to office, following a
week of rest and recuperation in the Southern African coastal town of
Durban.

Tsvangirai was invited to the country by South African officials following
the traumatic experience of losing his wife, Susan in a road traffic
accident on March 6. He sustained head injuries which he finally recovered
from as he rested in Durban with his children.

The Prime Minister arrived in Harare just after noon on Tuesday aboard a
South African Airways flight from Johannesburg.

"The Prime Minister is back in the country," said James Maridadi, Tsvangirai's
spokesperson. "He arrived this afternoon around 12 pm and has fully
recovered from his injuries.

"He is currently at home and is still on his compassionate leave. He will
only be back in the office on April 1."

While Maridadi told The Zimbabwe Times that Tsvangirai would only be back at
work next week the MDC online newsletter, The Changing Times, reported
Tuesday that the Prime Minister would resume official duties Wednesday, when
he officially opens the inaugural National Tourism Stakeholders' Conference
in Harare.

The online newsletter also reported that Tsvangirai was due to chair a
meeting of the Council of Ministers on Thursday.

Tsvangirai faces several outstanding issues when he returns to work. Among
some of the pressing issues to be finalised in terms of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) are the appointment and swearing in of provincial governors
and the swearing in of the Deputy Agriculture Minister, Roy Bennett.

Bennett was arrested on Friday, February 13, days before he was due to be
sworn in as deputy minister. He languished in remand prison in the eastern
border city of Mutare as an international outcry raged for four weeks.

Tsvangirai will also attend to the finalization of the appointment of
permanent secretaries, most of whom had been unilaterally appointed by
President Robert Mugabe in contravention of the provisions of the GPA. The
appointment of the country's ambassadors is also still to be finalised.

A major challenge ahead of Tsvangirai will be how to handle the payment of
allowances for the entire civil service in foreign currency, as he promised
in his inaugural speech soon after he took the oath of office.

The new inclusive government is struggling to put together proper salary
packages for civil servants due to a serious lack of foreign currency.

Minister of Finance Tendai Biti told Parliament last week as he presented a
revised version of the national budget that the inclusive government would
have to live within its means.

Tsvangirai is also expected to chair a meeting of security ministries where
the continued invasion of commercial farms will be discussed. The latest
wave of invasions has been singled out by foreign governments and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials as having the potential to
derail the country's efforts to restore international relations.

There have been widespread reports of fresh farm invasions on the sugarcane
estates of the Lowveld as well as on several farms around the country.

A visiting Danish official told the Joint Monitoring and Implementation
Committee (JOMIC) last week that there was need to restore property rights
and to protect farms covered under the Bilateral Protection and Promotion
Agreements (BIPPAS) before any form of new investment could be considered,
at least by her country.

Court grants state's application to further remand alleged bombers

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Tuesday, 24 March 2009

HARARE - Harare magistrate, Memory Chigwaza has granted the state's
application which sought to have six Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
activists and a photo journalist remanded to the 30th of April.
She has however relaxed the stringent bail conditions of the accused
persons who were, until Tuesday, supposed to report twice a day at their
nearest police stations.
From today, they shall report every Friday.
This was against the request of the state which, although consenting
to the relaxation of their bail conditions, wanted the accused persons to
report thrice a week.
The state on Monday sought an order by the court to remand the accused
persons to  April 30.
In his submissions, Tawanda Zvekare, who represented the state, said
the state had not yet finished compiling their indictment papers, which
should spell out their exact offences, their places of occurrence and the
witnesses thereof.
Harare lawyer, Alec Muchadehama vigorously opposed the continued
placement of his clients on remand.
He wanted their trial date set down or have their charges dropped
completely.
Muchadehama argued that his clients had suffered enough during their
abduction and it was not their fault that the state was not yet ready to try
them.
The group is being said to have committed five counts of bombings on
two Harare police stations together with a railway line and a bridge in
Norton between August and November last year.
Except for three, four of the accused persons were recently granted
US$600 bail.
Chagwiza on Monday postponed to Tuesday her judgement on the matter.
The state, which wants trial to commence during the second term of the
High Court which begins during the first week of May, is adamant the papers
cannot be produced any sooner.
It contends the process of preparing the papers is laborious and would
want up to the end of this April to complete the process.
The accused persons, alongside other MDC and human rights activists,
were kidnapped from their homes in and around Harare between October and
December last year and are being charged for acts of banditry.
The state says the acts were intended to seek the overthrow of
President Robert Mugabe, charges which they deny.

Teachers stranded as banks run out of forex

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=13877

March 24, 2009

By Owen Chikari

MASVINGO - Winding bank queues have resurfaced in Zimbabwe as nearly all
banks and other financial institutions have run out of foreign currency.

This has happened at a time when civil servants are queuing to withdraw
their US100 allowances for the month of March. Hundreds of rural teachers
have been left stranded as a result, with many spending the night in the
queue so that they don't lose their position.

Long and winding queues that became the scourge of the banking sector at the
height of the financial crisis last year have resurfaced at most banks and
building societies since last week. Soldiers, teachers, policemen and other
civil servants have struggled, and failed in most instances, to withdraw
their allowances amid reports of a severe forex shortage within the country's
banking sector.

The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) has expressed concern over the
development, saying that more than 50 percent of teachers have missed
lessons since last week because of the new problem.

An official with ZIMTA here said his offices had been turned into a
"squatter camp" as teachers descended there for shelter overnight after
failing to access their allowances.

"We are very worried by this development, given the fact that schools opened
late this term", said the official on Tuesday.

"Our offices have been literally turned into a squatter camp as teachers
come to camp overnight after failing to get their money.

"What is disturbing is that the allowances are reflecting in the teachers'
bank accounts but no cash is available. It is also disheartening to note
that students who started this term late are missing their lessons as
teachers struggle to withdraw their money.

"We met some bank managers yesterday and they told us that they will only
try to serve a few of our members since there is no cash to pay all of
 them."

Education officials here generally agree yesterday that a speedy solution to
the problem had to found.

Some of the teachers told the Zimbabwe Times that they had been told that
there is no cash to give them.

Omen Gapare a teacher at a local schools said, "We have been coming to the
bank as early as 3 am but we are failing to access our money. The government
should just revert back to the issue of vouchers which worked very well last
month."

The government last month designed and issued vouchers of US100 as payment
of allowances to the entire civil service.

Bank managers who spoke to the Zimbabwe Times said that they had no cash to
pay the civil servants because the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had failed to
allocate to them their monthly forex allocations in view of the fact that
civil servants were now being paid in forex.

RBZ governor Gideon Gono refused outright to comment on the issue on
Tuesday.

Although Finance Minister Tendai Biti could not be reached for comment he is
on record as saying that the state coffers were empty.

Reviewing the country's budget last week Biti said, "I am afraid to increase
the allowances for the civil servants from the current US100 because the
country's coffers are completely empty."

IMF raises concerns as team assesses Zimbabwe

http://www.sabcnews.com/

March 24 2009 , 4:17:00

The recent wave of farm invasions and government's inability to
account for public funds were among the key concerns raised by the
International Monetary Funds (IMF) team of experts. The team has just
concluded its assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe, after consulting with
government, industry and private sector stakeholders.

Analysts believe the consultations could see more support channeled to
assist the new unity government. At the same time, another European Union
member state, Norway, has offered an olive branch to Harare.

The Western world, at loggerheads with the Zimbabwean government for
years, appears to be finally burying the hatchet. Norway's Minister for
International Development, Erik Solheim, is the latest arrival coming to
mend relations. "We should now look into how we can get into a positive
spill, democratic reforms, and the release of political prisoners and how
Zimbabwe can move forward," says Solheim.

Solheim's visit comes barely a week after Denmark dispatched its envoy
to the country and as the IMF team wraps up its fact finding mission. The
bankrupt state is highly indebted to international lenders, with debt
amounting to billions of dollars.

Zimbabwe's Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion,
Elton Mangoma, says: "They raised issues of indebtedness, capacity of
government to account for revenue and expand capacity in terms of driving
the new policies that government has set."

Analysts say it is imperative that these concerns are addressed and
that the IMF comes back on board.

"It is quite important that the IMF debt is settled because once this
is done, it will open floodgates for other aid agencies to return," economic
analyst Daniel Ndlela added.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai returns to work this week from
compassionate leave and will have to deal with this and many more of the
challenges afflicting this embattled Southern African nation.

Zimbabwe Anglican Church press charges against police chief

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/

24 March 2009

The Zimbabwe Anglican Church has pressed charges against the country's
police chief for sending armed police to drive worshippers out of churches
every Sunday.

Anglicans in Zimbabwe's Diocese of Harare face harassment and violence from
President Robert Mugabe's police force in what appears to be an attempt to
prevent them from worshipping.

Diocesan Registrar for the Church of the Province of Central Africa, Michael
Chingore, said police commissioner general, Augustine Chihuri, is conniving
with ousted Bishop Albert Kunonga to destabilise the church.

Bishop Kunonga, a fierce Mugabe supporter backed by the police, is engaged
in a wrangle for control of the Zimbabwe Diocese of Harare. He has claimed
ownership of extensive Anglican assets, despite being officially
excommunicated in 2007 and replaced by Central Africa Bishop Sebastian
Bakare.

Kunonga was fired from the church after he withdrew the Diocese of Harare
from the province, made up of Anglican churches in Zambia, Botswana, Malawi
and Zimbabwe, citing rampant homosexuality in the church.

Mr Chingore told inthenews the church wanted the police chief charged for
instructing officers to assist the ousted Bishop Kunonga who is allegedly
using his strong links with Mugabe to drive Anglicans out of their churches.

"We have already pressed charges against [Mr] Chihuri at the high court for
sending police to disturb our services," he said.

"We are simply saying the police or commissioner-general should not be
anywhere near our services. Mr Chihuri is sending police to provoke
Anglicans and on the other hand he is saying he does not know anything about
it."

Anglican bishops from around the world last year called on renegade Kunonga,
an avid Mugabe supporter, to let go the churches' property as they did not
recognise him as an Anglican bishop.

"We do not recognize Mr Kunonga as a Bishop within the Anglican Communion
and we call for the full restoration of Anglican Property within Zimbabwe to
the Church of the Province of Central Harare," the Anglican Bishops said in
a statement.

Despite the calls, the renegade bishop reportedly always moves with scores
of Zanu-PF supporters and the police every Sunday to disturb church services
at the Anglican Church and to force Christians at that church to listen to
his sermons.

However, Anglican Christians in Zimbabwe appear to have snubbed him and
reports suggest Kunonga is usually forced to conduct his 'rival' services to
Zanu-PF militiamen and police officers instead of the church congregations.
© Adfero Ltd

NRZ Boss denies looting allegations

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=3336

By Moses Muchemwa

Published: March 24, 2009

Harare  - The General manager of National Railways of Zimbabwe has denied
that the parastatal's bosses have been looting resources from the company's
coffers.

In a statement, the NRZ General manager Retired Air Commodore Mike
Karakadzai said the company bought vehicles only to replace an ageing fleet.

"It is pertinent to mention that the NRZ has five Directors and as readers
may confirm, the Toyota land cruiser ranges from US$65 000 to 70 000, while
the Toyota Prado is between US$35 to 45 000, contrary to indicated figures,"
he said.

"The acquisition of the vehicle for the General Manager was a long overdue
condition of service, because he had been using his personal vehicle since
2005, when he joined the organization. The delayed acquisition of this
vehicle was to allow the organization to build enough capacity for self
sustenance."

Karakadzai said the furniture that was acquired for his office and residence
remain NRZ property.

He said the NRZ had not failed to pay workers but were delayed due to
clearance "by our bankers first in New York, before being banked into the
employees' accounts. "

According to Karakadzi one of the programs the company was undergoing was a
vehicle replacement program which has seen us acquiring 29 buses for
employees to be transported to and from work, 12 mini-buses for train crews,
20 lorries and 30 pick up trucks for operational and maintenance work.
Karakadzi in his report however omitted the issue Samsung LCD television, a
laptop among other expensive items bought for his office which is in the
12th Floor of the 22-storey NRZ building, and state of the art sofas to be
placed in the Directors' houses

Released abductees tell their story

Norwegian Minister Jets In For Bilateral Talks

http://www.radiovop.com


HARARE, March 24, 2009 - THE Norwegian Minister of Environment and
International Development, Erik Solheim, arrives in Harare on Tuesday for
bilateral talks with the new government as Zimbabwe intensifies its efforts
to re-engage the international community.

Information obtained by Radio VOP on Tuesday indicated that Solheim,
who is on a three-day visit, would be in the same flight from South Africa
with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who returns from a nearly two week
compassionate leave following the death of his wife, Susan in a car
accident.

Upon his arrival, the Norwegian Minister would pay a courtesy call for
Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi before meeting
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.

On Wednesday, he would have bilateral talks with Finance Minister
Tendai Biti and later Acting Prime Minister Thokozani Khuphe. He is expected
to pay a courtesy call to President Robert Mugabe at a date and time to be
announced before flying out on Thursday morning.

The visit of the Norwegian Minister comes hard on the heels of last
week's tour of duty by Danish Minister of Development Cooperation, Ulla
Tornaes. The new government has undertaken to re-engage its development
partners with a view of lifting targeted sanctions imposed on President
Mugabe.

Meanwhile the United States government has reiterated its calls that
it will not lift sanctions against Zimbabwe until there is a clear policy
change by the new government towards the respect of human rights and
establishment of a new constitution.

 "The people of Zimbabwe, their needs are not being met. ... We have
looked at it very carefully. The situation ... remains the same. So until we
do see some change, the sanctions are going to stay in place," said the US
Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee in an interview with the US State
Department Information Bureau.

He said the US is looking for a new constitution in Zimbabwe within 18
months and a new election within 24 months as some of the benchmarks that
his government will use to gauge the performance of the inclusive
government.

 "That is key - free and fair elections in Zimbabwe within 24 months
would be an absolute key to anything that does happen positively in this
country," said McGee.

The United States government imposed targeted sanctions on some
Zimbabwean government officials and companies in 2003.

McGee said there is "no reason and no way" the United States is going
to lift sanctions anytime soon against Zimbabwe without some "very, very
clear indication that the country's new unity government is moving in the
right direction."

McGee was responding to pleas by President Mugabe last week on
Thursday calling for the lifting of sanctions which he said was impeding the
progress of the new unity government.

Mugabe was speaking at the launch of the Short Term Economic Recovery
Programme (STERP) in Harare.

Tsvangirai has said Zimbabwe needs about USD 5 billion to put ot on an
economic recovery path. The Southern Africa Develompent Community (SADC)
will hold a meeting to discuss Zimbabwe's economic aid package.

Daily cholera update and alerts, 23 Mar 2009

 Full_Report (pdf* format - 146.5 Kbytes)

* Please note that daily information collection is a challenge due to communication and staff constraints. On-going data cleaning may result in an increase or decrease in the numbers. Any change will then be explained.

** Daily information on new deaths should not imply that these deaths occurred in cases reported that day. Therefore daily CFRs >100% may occasionally result

A. Highlights of the day:

- 255 cases and 9 deaths added today (in comparison 140 cases and 0 deaths yesterday)

- 64.4% of the districts affected have reported today 38 out of 59 affected districts)

- 90.3 % of districts reported to be affected (56 districts out of 62)

- Cumulative Institutional Case Fatality Rate 1.8%

- Daily Institutional CFR = 1.99%

HK lawmakers urge travel ban on Mugabe's wife

http://www.etaiwannews.com

By DIKKY SINN
Associated Press
2009-03-24 04:51 PM

Hong Kong lawmakers urged the local government Tuesday to ban
Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe from visiting the city again after she
allegedly punched a newspaper photographer.
The pro-democracy politicians issued the calls after Hong Kong
authorities decided not to take legal action against the wife of Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe.

She was accused of repeatedly punching photographer Richard Jones in
the face and inflicting at least 10 cuts with the diamond-encrusted rings
she was wearing after finding him taking pictures of her near a luxury hotel
in January.

Hong Kong's Justice Department ruled Sunday that she is exempt from
prosecution under Chinese regulations governing diplomatic immunity and
privileges.

Democratic Party lawmaker James To, however, said Mugabe posed a
threat to people in Hong Kong and should be barred from entering.

"She has an assault record in Hong Kong. When she comes again, there's
a risk she might attack somebody else again, so why not ban her from coming
at all?" he said.

Mugabe is likely to visit the Chinese-ruled territory again, To said,
since her daughter, Bona Mugabe, is believed to be studying at a local
university.

The Security Bureau declined to comment Tuesday whether the authority
would refuse Mugabe entry, saying it does not comment on individual cases.

The U.S., the European Union and Britain have imposed sanctions on
Robert Mugabe's ruling clique, including asset freezes and travel bans. He
has been accused of overseeing his country's economic collapse, trampling
democratic rights and killing opposition supporters.

President Obama Nominates New Assistant Secretary for Africa

Senate will assess choice of Amb. Johnnie Carson for State Department post

Washington —March 23^rd 2009- President Obama on March 20 announced his intent to nominate career diplomat and three-time U.S. ambassador in Africa Johnnie Carson as the next U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs.

If confirmed by the Senate, Carson will succeed Jendayi Frazer, who served in the post during the Bush administration.

Carson is currently the national intelligence officer for Africa on the National Intelligence Council. He joined the council in September 2006 after a 37-year career in the foreign service. Prior to this appointment, Carson served as the senior vice president of the National Defense University in Washington from 2003 until 2006.

Carson's Foreign Service career includes ambassadorships to Kenya (1999–2003), Zimbabwe (1995–1997) and Uganda (1991–1994). He also served as principal deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs from 1997 through 1999. Earlier in his career, he served in Portugal, Botswana, Mozambique and Nigeria as well as in the Africa section of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

Before joining the foreign service, Carson was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania. He holds an undergraduate degree in history and political science from Drake University and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of London.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented Carson with its Champion of Prevention Award for his leadership in directing the U.S. government's HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Kenya.

Senator Russ Feingold, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on African Affairs, called Carson’s nomination “a strong choice.” “Carson is an accomplished career foreign service officer with an excellent track record on African issues spanning many decades and a range of positions,” Feingold said. “Carson has a deep understanding of our diplomatic capacities and the importance of regular interagency collaboration. I look forward to considering his nomination and hearing how he and the administration plan to address the many challenges we face on the African continent.”

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.  Web site: http://www.america.gov)

Is how a country treats the most vulnerable of its people not a test of its humanity?

Is how a country treats the most vulnerable of its people not a test of its humanity?

Emily Wellman

24 March 2009

The small town of Musina on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa is the first stop for new arrivals and their introduction to what we proudly call ‘ubuntu’ or South African hospitality.

However, a trip to Musina a few weeks ago revealed a situation one would expect to see in a war-zone. Standing in the middle of the town’s Showgrounds were 3 000 people without formal shelter and with insufficient access to ablution facilities. These human beings were standing amongst sweating garbage, unable to move for fear of arrest and too exhausted to interact as a result of a lack of nutrition. How, in a country with one of the most advanced constitutions in the world, does a situation like this develop?

The Constitution of South Africa gives South African citizens and foreigners the same rights. That is, rights to adequate housing, access to healthcare, food, water, education and social security are to be afforded to all who stand on South African soil, regardless of nationality or status.  If only our government would publicly endorse and uphold these laws and not treat asylum seekers as irritants, vagrants and at times, no more than criminals.

It is not practical for the purposes of this article to provide an exposition of the reasons why Zimbabweans are flooding into South Africa. What is important is the history of maltreatment at the hands of the Departments of Home Affairs (DHA) and Local Government in South Africa that refugees have experienced since 2000. If one looks at the experience of Zimbabweans who have come to South Africa to escape political persecution, avoid starvation or death from cholera and other illnesses; one should feel deeply ashamed of being a South African.

In a country that triumphed against Apartheid, why would so many thousands of people be forced to live in squalor? While one could lay blame at the feet of the Musina municipality, it was in fact the DHA who would not, or could not process asylum seekers from neighbouring Zimbabwe timeously. This rendered them unable to leave Musina as they risked arrest for being undocumented, would have been unable to work to buy food and unable to purchase any form of temporary shelter, even just a cardboard box or piece of heavy duty plastic.

This treatment of refugees and asylum seekers is a travesty for several reasons. Firstly, without a Section 23 Transit Permit (valid for 14 days), or better yet a Section 22 Asylum Seeker Permit (valid for up to 6 months) the government considers immigrants to be in the country illegally. Yet, the throngs of people wasting away in the Showgrounds were waiting for their turn to apply for asylum with the DHA, a process that at last count was taking over 5 weeks for some individuals; when it should take no more than 3 days. Secondly, without adequate paperwork it is impossible to find legal employment, access housing or access medical treatment. However, it has been widely documented that asylum seeker permit holders have also been at the mercy of prejudicial staff in governmental departments. Stereotyping and xenophobic attitudes towards ‘makwerekwere’ (foreigners) are frequently reported, even when someone requires life saving medical attention or a pregnant woman needs shelter.

When one considers the country from which these people have fled, nutrition, medical and sometimes psychological interventions are often vital. One would think with our advanced establishment our government would treat this population with the dignity and empathy they deserve as vulnerable human beings. It is unacceptable that the municipality of Musina would not cater to the most basic and legally endorsed needs of these refugees. If the DHA’s system for registering new applicants was not adequate; resulting in people having to stay in the town for several days or weeks, the municipality should have tried to ensure that the state acted in the best interests of the asylum seekers.

Instead, until a few weeks ago they were left to rot in the Showgrounds, the only place that offered them some level of protection from arbitrary arrest and/or deportation. Whilst predominantly protected from arrest, instances of rape were rife. Women are often raped on entry into South Africa by the ‘gumba gumba’ or local bandits as payment for safe passage across the Limpopo River. They were then at high risk of rape whilst they were living in the Showgrounds. It may not always be possible to prevent rape but physical and psychological treatment for victims should have been made available.  

Local churches and international organisations came to the service of this neglected population in Musina and began to expose the shortfalls of the state response in the media. This was an embarrassment to the African National Congress (ANC) but instead of correcting the situation and providing basic shelter, food and healthcare for people while they waited to be processed by the DHA they turned a blind eye. When the ‘cry foul’ exposés became too much to bear, what did our 15 year young democratically elected government do? They shut the Showgrounds with no warning and in contravention of agreed arrangements with local groups. This left the immigrants in an even more vulnerable situation. Some were processed by the DHA in a day or two (how that was suddenly possible is a question only the department can answer) and bussed off to Makadho, Polokwane or Johannesburg. It is not clear what happened to all of those residing at the Showgrounds as some disappeared, probably into the bush for fear of arrest.

The act of closing the Showgrounds is not condemnable in and of itself as the living conditions were deplorable. However, the fact that the situation was ever allowed to get that bad and that the ‘solution’ was in fact inhumane is inexcusable. In addition, the problems of the Musina Showgrounds have only been moved to Johannesburg and in a much worse setting, the same problems can now be seen in and around the Central Methodist Church in the city centre of Johannesburg.

The new arrivals from the Musina Showgrounds have to sleep on the busy streets as all available shelters are full. There are no ablution blocks nor is there safety from arrest by police who lack an understanding of the laws that protect these vulnerable people. The neighbouring Small Street Mall’s shop owners are understandably vexed at this situation as are local businesses and lodgers, but where do these groups expect the thousands of refugees to go? The state makes no concessions for new applicants who do not have the means to find work, accommodation and food if they do not have family in South Africa. After the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, portaloos were provided to deal with human waste, but they were not being properly serviced. After much hesitation and irritation, public toilets have finally been opened for these people to use.

This treatment of refugees and asylum seekers is in direct violation of the bill of rights in the South African constitution which is based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enshrines the right to shelter, food and security.

When one considers the situation as it stands today, one fact stares us in the face. After the shameful Xenophobic attacks of 2008 and the resulting nightmare of how to deal with foreigners living on the states ‘good will’, government should have been prepared to handle or at least begun to develop appropriate responses to the situation that developed in Musina. It can have come as no surprise that as Zimbabwe fell deeper and deeper into decline more and more Zimbabweans would come to South Africa for assistance.

The government has, once again, started to talk of establishing ‘transit camps’, basically a form of refugee camp, for the human beings who continue to wait to be processed by the DHA. The DHA processing backlog currently stands at about 100 000 applications. Who knows how long this group of immigrants will need to be in transit camps as a result of this bottleneck in the system. If these transit camps accommodate applicants in humane and dignified conditions then they could provide a short-term solution to the current situation. However, if they turn out to be a form of detention camp, what does that say about the state of human rights in South Africa?

Lessons, it seems, are not learnt from experience. We can only hope history does not repeat itself. If it does, South Africa will be remembered by history for its inhumanity to people in need.

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MISA- Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights commemorate World Poetry Day

http://appablog.wordpress.com

HARARE, Zimbabwe, March 24, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ - As part
of its mandate to promote freedom of expression in Zimbabwe, MISA-Zimbabwe
together with Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights on 21 March, commemorated the
International World Poetry Day in a poetry session dubbed Weapons of Mass
Instruction.

The poetry session, which featured ten poets from Harare and attended by
approximately 200 people, was held at the First Street mall and paid tribute
to late poets, Dambudzo Marechera, who during his time performed his poetry
at the same venue and the late Solomon Mutsvairo who wrote the popular poem,
Nehanda Nyakasikana, recited by the late Vice-president, Simon Muzenda
during national events.

In a commemorative message, MISA-Zimbabwe advocacy officer, Tabani Moyo,
emphasized the importance of freedom of expression in a democracy and raised
concern over the continued incarceration of freelance journalist, Anderson
Shadreck Manyere is charged for acts of insurgence, banditry, sabotage or
terrorism under Section 23 (1), (2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act

The poetry performances touched on the themes of love, culture, the daily
life challenges of the ordinary Zimbabwean and the need to be able to speak
out.

63-year old poet, Julius Chingono who performed an unpublished piece, My
uniform, that described the advantage that uniformed police officials had
over ordinary Zimbabweans during the food shortages when they skipped the
queues, was briefly detained by the police who alleged that the poem was
offensive. He was released after convincing them that the poem reflected
what happened in the past.

SOURCE : Media Institute of South Africa (MISA)

Thabani Dube, “The changing faces of the Zimbabwean economy have made me a pauper”

Photo: Antony Kaminju/IRIN

Changing fortunes

BULAWAYO, 24 March 2009 (IRIN) - Thabani Dube, 38, was a parallel-market trader who took advantage of Zimbabwe's collapsing economy, which resulted in empty shelves in shops and supermarkets.

When retailers could not provide, he could, selling everything from basic commodities to expensive electrical appliances. In the process he amassed great wealth, boasting sleek cars, trendy clothing and several city properties.

But the parallel market is declining because deregulation of the currency has made the South African rand, US dollars and the Botswana pula legal currency. The good times are over, and Dube knows it.

"Things are not going well for me – I have no form of income, there is nothing to sell anymore and I incurred a lot of debts due to the high life I used to live. The goods that I used to go and purchase in Botswana are now available in Zimbabwe, and people are now buying from the shops because it is much cheaper to buy there than from people in the black market.

"Everything was ruined for us cross-border traders when government licensed and allowed shops and wholesalers to trade in foreign currency. We were taken out of business and as a result we have no source of making any income, as the shops are selling the goods cheaper than what I would sell them for.

"The shops buy the goods in bulk from neighbouring countries and they still make a profit, even when they sell the goods cheaply, but for small-scale dealers the profit is realized from huge mark-ups in the selling price compared to the purchase price.

"When everything was rosy for us dealers we used to sell basic goods like sugar, mealie-meal [maize-meal], cooking oil, rice, margarine that we bought in large quantities from Botswana and South Africa and sold back home at double and, in some instances, at three times what we would have bought the goods for in Botswana and South Africa.

"I employed over 30 people who were runners for me. They would cross the borders to buy the goods in my truck and they would bring the goods into the country for resale. I was a big man then, with a large workforce, and I was respected in the city.

"When my business began to collapse I realised I was in serious debt, as I could not manage to pay for the expensive clothes, beers, property, needs of girlfriends and in general up-keep of my family. I sold the two properties I had in the city in January to maintain my extravagant lifestyle.

"Things did not change, as my source of income was drying up, so in February I sold one of my two cars … to pay for food, rates [property taxes] and for taking my children to school [by paying the fees].

"At the beginning of February I sold the second car … and that is the money that I use for getting along, but life is now difficult for me. Every month-end I used to travel with my wife to South Africa for shopping and we bought expensive clothes and imported whisky, but I cannot afford to do that anymore as I am not making any money now.

I used to drink from the most expensive hotels in the city but I have now gone to my usual opaque beer and I drink from the local bottle stores - life now is very tough for me

"I used to drink from the most expensive hotels in the city but I have now gone to my usual opaque beer and I drink from the local bottle stores – life is now very tough for me. I have moved my children from the posh low-density suburb schools and they are now back at the cheap government schools in the high-density suburbs.

"I have sold all my luxury goods that include hi-fis, plasma TV screens, laptops and computers so that I can support my family that was used to a high lifestyle.

"The changing faces of the Zimbabwean economy have now made me a pauper – one minute I have a lot of money and am living a good life, and the next minute I am a pauper, as all my savings have disappeared in the banks.

"Currently I am selling cheap biscuits … for five South African rands per packet to make ends meet, but the competition is stiff from the established wholesalers and retailers but there is nothing to do as I have no other means of getting money.
 
"But once things improve I will have to find a job in the formal sector, and since I am a trained and qualified teacher I have no option except to go back to teaching, but going back to teach will be difficult after the comfortable life I have had in the last eight years."

15000 Zimbabwean nationals are deported

From Sapa, 23 March

Lawyers for Human Rights will approach the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday
for an urgent order to declare as unlawful an immigration detention centre
located in Musina. "Every month, around 15 000 Zimbabwean nationals are
deported from a detention centre located on a military base outside the town
of Musina close to the Zimbabwean border," Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR)
said in a statement on Monday. It said detainees were rounded up along the
border and in town by police, immigration officials and soldiers, taken to
the detention centre and deported. "This is done without any recourse to due
process and the procedures under immigration and refugee legislation. This
detention facility is operated by the SA Police Service and not by the
Department of Home Affairs, whose responsibility it is to manage
immigration. "People in need of asylum protection risk being returned to
face persecution in violation of South African and international law," the
organisation said. In addition, the conditions at this facility were
appalling and violated even the minimum standards of detention set by the
Department of Home Affairs under the Immigration Act. LHR will be asking the
court for an order: declaring the operation of the facility unlawful in
terms of the Immigration Act; declaring the conditions of detention as
unlawful and unconstitutional; declaring the detention and deportation of
unaccompanied children as unlawful; directing the director-general of home
affairs to either designate the facility an immigration detention facility
and drastically improve conditions in compliance with the law or to close
the facility down within 30 days.

Zimbabwe: starting from scratch

Last Modified: 24 Mar 2009
By: Channel 4 News

As Zimbabwe's MDC MPs and municipal officials put their feet under desks occupied by Zanu PF for the last 29 years we can only imagine what is being uncovered.

Possibly because of the fragile state of the unity government or perhaps under the guise of "national healing", not much is being exposed on a national/ministerial level yet.

With the country in such a bankrupt state and because law and order has been politically selective for so long, everyone knows that looting on a grand scale has been underway.

Worst of all for the Zanu PF officials is the fact that Zimbabwe's collapse over the last decade has been meticulously documented with affidavits, court papers, witness testimonies and hundreds of thousands of eye witness reports giving the names, government or political positions, photographs, even car makes and number plates of the perpetrators.

Basically, the ordinary people of Zimbabwe want accountability and punishment because they know exactly 'whodunit'.

One little fish got caught last week. The state controlled media have been having a field day about what a Reserve Bank official had pilfered during one of the banks numerous handouts of farm equipment to beneficiaries of the country's land seizures.

Included in the hidden booty uncovered at three different premises were: 41 tonnes of fertilizer, 30 tonnes of soya bean, 11 generators, 10 motorbikes, one grinding mill, and three New Holland tractors.

With all this brand new farm equipment stored in urban homes in Harare it is little wonder that Zimbabwe is starving and Zimbabweans are surviving almost entirely on imported food and international aid.

Nine years after the start of the land redistribution exercise, most farms stand derelict and weed infested, and well over 60 per cent of the population are eating world food aid. Unbelievably, even as the new government tries to get the country working again, a new wave of invasions on the few remaining commercial farms has got underway just as we approach harvesting time.

It is a familiar case of people reaping what they did not sow, something we've become all too familiar with. It is beyond belief that these land seizures are being conducted by the most senior people in Zimbabwe's new unity government.

Senator Edna Madzongwe, president of the Senate, is trying to take over a highly productive citrus farm whose owner has the protection of an SADC Tribunal ruling.

How ordinary Zimbabweans, let alone fellow legislators and Senators, can be expected to show any respect to Mrs Madzongwe or her position is a complete mystery. The fact that the new unity government has apparently done nothing to sanction the Senator is a very bad sign.

The photograph of Senator Madzongwe sitting next to Mrs Mugabe at the President's 85th birthday party recently is explanation enough for most people of who is really still in charge in Zimbabwe. At municipal level there are also more questions than answers about what has been going on, as the new MDC Mayors and Councillors are finding out.


An overgrown car park in Zimbabwe.

Challenged about an entire town having had no water for 6 days recently, the new Mayor said there were no chemicals to use, despite recent purchases.

This wasn't the only problem. As the Mayor explained to residents: "Of the eight water pumps belonging to the town, only one is to be found. The rest have disappeared."

The Mayor said that lawyers had been hired and investigations were underway to ascertain where the water pumps and other tools and equipment belonging to the ratepayers had gone to.

When residents demanded that the outgoing Zanu PF Mayor be held to account, they were told that the man in question could not be found.

In desperation the new MDC Mayor had even resorted to engaging the help of the CIO (secret Police) to try and track down the ex Mayor and all the town's missing assets.

Challenged about huge potholes in the roads, blocked sewer pipes and uncut roadside grass, the incoming MDC Council said sewage rods had disappeared and that the entire municipality was having to virtually start from scratch.

Unity government going nowhere slowly

Photo: Gnerk/Flickr

Its about the money

HARARE, 24 March 2009 (IRIN) - A cold reality is dawning on Zimbabwe's inclusive government that those able to give money for the country's reconstruction will not give it, and those wanting to give money just do not have it.

After a political deal brokered by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Morgan Tsvangirai was inaugurated as prime minister on 11 February 2009, while President Robert Mugabe maintained the post he had held since independence from Britain in 1980.

SADC heralded the deal as a new beginning for the once prosperous state, but the country's main donors – the US and the European Union (EU) – have adopted a wait-and-see approach before releasing any funds for economic reconstruction.

Since 11 February, US President Barack Obama's administration has publicly refused to lift targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his ZANU-PF elite, a position also held by the EU.

Tony Hawkins, an economics professor based in the capital, Harare, told IRIN: "There are no signs at this stage that Zimbabwe will get the much needed funds that are central for an economic turnaround."

In a 2008 report the UN Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that about US$5 billion would be required to kick-start the economy and rescue the country from its financial morass.

Zimbabwe's government stopped counting the inflation rate in July 2008, when it reached 231 million percent; infrastructure has collapsed and seven million people, or more than half the population, depend on food aid; a cholera epidemic has killed more than 4,000 people and infected over 90,000 in just over six months.

Donor dependent region

Economic recovery is predicated on a substantial rescue package, but Mugabe's grip on the reins of power has deterred Western governments, and the onus has fallen on SADC to come up with some form of financial assistance.

SADC has pledged US$2 billion for Zimbabwe's reconstruction, but a question mark hangs over where it will find the money. The organization will meet on 30 March to make a final decision on the package. 

When you look at those countries that make up SADC there is virtually no reason to trust that they can raise the amount of money required for Zimbabwe's economic turnaround

"When you look at those countries that make up SADC there is virtually no reason to trust that they can raise the amount of money required for Zimbabwe's economic turnaround, even though there is no doubt that the political will to save the inclusive government is there,” Hawkins said.

"The economies in most of them are largely dependent on donor funding and it would not be possible to take out from what is donated to them.

"Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi belong to this category, while Botswana's GDP [gross domestic product] is going down, Angola has been affected by [falling] oil prices, and South Africa is having economic problems of its own, leaving it having to depend on acquiring lines of credit from the corporate world in the country," Hawkins told IRIN.

The unity government's finance minister and a leading light in Tsvangirai's party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Tendai Biti slashed this year's revenue target from US$1.7 billion to US$1 billion recently.  

"The reality of the matter is that at this stage no country is prepared to support us directly, other than through traditional humanitarian aid being channelled through the United Nations Development Programme," Biti said.

Hawkins said there was "no chance" of help in the immediate future from the African Development Bank, the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, which recently sent a delegation to Zimbabwe but said the country should first pay its debt before it could be considered for further financial assistance.

The US, EU and other potential donors, such as Japan, "are saying it's too early to come in at this stage," Hawkins said.

Mugabe recently implored the US and EU to lift targeted sanctions against him and his ZANU-PF ruling party, claiming the sanctions were responsible for the country's economic demise.

Mugabe remains an obstruction

The EU and the US maintain that decades of misrule, corruption and a complete disregard for democratic norms by Mugabe's ZANU-PF are responsible for the country's predicament.

"As long as Mugabe is demonstrably holding influence in the inclusive government it will be an uphill task to convince the West to chip in and help," Hawkins commented.

Yet the Sunday Mail, a weekly Zimbabwean newspaper sponsored by the government, claimed the country would "soon receive a host of co-operating partners".

Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, the unity government's international co-operation minister and a member of the MDC, told the newspaper: "In our opinion, [the removal of sanctions] will be a process, but what is interesting is that, as an inclusive government, we are already seeing a lot of interest from a lot of co-operating parties who would want to re-engage, and who would want to enter into dialogue."

Zimbabwe's local businesses have been crippled by the economic malaise, while multinational companies have remained unwilling to invest because they were not convinced that the economic environment was viable, Hawkins said.

The global recession is so deep that not many companies are running around with lots of money at the moment

"The global recession is so deep that not many companies are running around with lots of money at the moment. Add to that the existing pessimism among potential investors from outside, who consider Zimbabwe a high-cost, inefficient economy, and you will see that it will be a while before something tangible comes out."

Another wave of illegal farm invasions by high-ranking government officials since 11 February has also dented the confidence of foreign investors that private property rights will be guaranteed.

Hawkins said the country's recovery prospects had been worsened by a decade-long absence of financial aid. "Even though you would not expect the current global financial crisis to affect aid to a country, because donors release support up to five years in advance, Zimbabwe has not been in that cycle for a long time."

The UNDP report published in September 2008 said it would take about 12 years for Zimbabwe's economy to be restored to its 1998 levels, but according to Hawkins this estimate was based on a growth rate of six percent.

The global recession will affect Zimbabwe's growth rate, even if money is found to kick-start the economy, lengthening the road to recovery.

Freedom in their hearts

http://business.theglobeandmail.com

Geoffrey York, today at 5:03 AM EDT

 HARARE - In one of Zimbabwe's beautiful national parks, a tourist guide
points to the hippos and crocodiles in the river. Then he tells his foreign
visitors: "In Zimbabwe, the animals are the only ones who are free."

 It's a provocative thought. But by making such a bold and irreverent
comment, with so little fear of the consequences, the guide was proving
himself wrong.

 In Zimbabwe, the humans, too, are free. Even after rigged elections and
horrific attacks on opposition activists, even after an estimated 200
killings by ruling-party thugs in last year's election, even after an
estimated 4,500 cases of torture during the seizure of white-owned
commercial farms in the past nine years, most ordinary Zimbabweans retain an
irrepressible sense of freedom that should be the envy of many apathetic
democracies.

 The secret police - the Central Intelligence Organization - have a presence
all over this country. Yet people refuse to be intimidated. They find ways
to talk to you, to tell their stories, even if they prefer to meet you in a
low-profile location where they are less likely to be overheard by state
agents.

 In the wake of the new coalition government, with opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai serving as the new prime minister, that powerful urge to be free
is stronger than ever. Opposition newspapers are sold openly by hawkers on
the streets of Harare. Opposition politicians speak freely to the media.
Ordinary people on the streets are happy to talk to a foreign journalist.

 I met a resident of Harare named Nigel Wilson who was driving around the
streets with a huge sign displayed on the back of his car. "Free Bennett
Now!" said the sign, referring to the opposition activist and newly
appointed deputy minister of agriculture, Roy Bennett, who was in prison at
the time. (He's since been released.) Mr. Wilson said he'd received a lot of
approving honks and waves from other motorists, but no harassment at all
from the police.

 Even the sleepy state-controlled media are becoming slightly less
restricted. John Robertson, an independent Zimbabwean economist who is often
highly critical of the government, says he is now getting interview requests
from the state media for the first time in 10 years.

 I found that even the victims of police torture were eager to talk to me,
showing no fear of retribution. Oddly enough, it was the Westerners -
including relief workers and multinational corporations - who were more
reluctant to talk to a journalist. They kept telling me to call their head
office in Canada, or send a fax. Canadians and Europeans were more
restricted by the rules of their bureaucracies than Zimbabweans were by the
intimidation tactics of Robert Mugabe's regime.

 I was left with a strong impression that the vast majority of Zimbabweans
are simply too democratic-minded - and too free in their hearts - to be
oppressed by any regime forever.