The ZIMBABWE Situation Our thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe
- may peace, truth and justice prevail.
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Zimbabwe's changed land By Carolyn Dempster in Harare BBC
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In the third of a series of articles on Zimbabwe, BBC News Online reports on the impact of the chaotic land reform programme.  Co-existence is the name of the game on Zimbabwe's commercial farms these days. Black farm workers who stayed on after the invasions and violent eviction of their former employers are now co-operating with the new settlers to eke out a living, using the seeds and implements abandoned by the white farmers.

Close to two million farm workers and their families were profoundly affected by the land resettlement programme.  The Farm Community Trust of Zimbabwe says up to 70% of farm workers lost their jobs and a means of income as a direct result.  Many are now increasingly reliant on food aid from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Bernard Muyara, an assistant farm manager in Mashonaland West and one farm worker who survived the land invasions, said there was no option but co existence.  "We negotiated (with the settlers) so that the farm labourers could have something to feed their children, so that work could go ahead, so that everyone can survive."  Mr Muyara says the drought is having an effect on food security, but that the impact of the land invasions and political upheaval on the farms has been far worse.  He says uncertainty about every "next step" plagues his future.

Out of a population of some 4,500 white commercial farmers, only 600 are still actively farming their land, says the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU).  Of those farmers who have been hounded off their land, only 120 have been paid any compensation.  These are the ones who did not appeal to the courts against the loss of their farms.

The chaotic land resettlement process has meant that more than 10 million hectares of fertile land has been effectively seized by the state and turned over to settlers who range from peasant farmers to urban bureaucrats and members of Zanu-PF's political elite.

The battle for land  This last clique, who travel down in luxury 4-wheel drive vehicles to inspect their newly acquired farms over weekends are known as the "weekend" farmers.  Many of the government's critics say this was the primary purpose of the land reform programme, that land hunger was merely used by President Mugabe as a political ploy to buy patronage and cling to power.

In just one province, Mashonaland East, only half of the vacated farms had been occupied by new settlers by October last year.  In the vast majority of cases, the new settlers do not have the seeds, inputs or expertise to farm the land productively.  And because they do not have tenure or title deeds, they cannot get bank loans or any capital to buy what they need.

Economist John Robertson argues that, as a result of this, hundreds of thousands of small scale farmers have effectively been plunged into a poverty trap by the government.

Even Joseph Made, Zimbabwe's Minister for Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement was forced to admit recently that the land reform programme has been "haphazard".

In recent weeks Mr Made has been making unsuccessful overtures to the Commercial Farmers' Union in a bid to persuade the union's members to give some material help to the new settlers.  The outlook for Zimbabwe's once-buoyant agricultural sector is bleak. The disrupted planting last season, ongoing drought and late rains this year, mean the maize fields could yield at best 700,000 tonnes of maize this season.

National demand stands at about 1.8 million tonnes.  Four years ago, Zimbabwe was a net exporter of maize and a key supplier to the World Food Programme.
Last month the WFP distributed 42,000 tonnes of food aid to 49 districts in a bid to stop Zimbabwe from slipping closer to a famine.

In terms of tobacco, the country has lost its prized place as the world's third largest exporter of prime quality tobacco and this year's crop is expected to be 70 million kg at most, down from 240 million kg in 2000.  The loss to the treasury is close to $280m.

Soya bean production is also down by about two-thirds and the national cattle herd has dropped from 1.2 million to 200,000.  The CFU claims that the minimum time it would take to revive commercial farming is five years, but sceptics believe it is now virtually impossible to turn agriculture around.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2805381.stm

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JAG Sitrep March 1, 2003
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The Herald on Thursday published a story that newly resettled farmers were
beaten up by six soldiers, three policemen, some commercial farmers and
about 40 hired toots. The publication alleged that they beat up the
resettled farmers because the settlers were trying to stop the farmers from
destroying irrigation equipment. As is true to form with state-sponsored
press, it appears that this is a gross fabrication as to the facts on the
ground. Here follows a précis of the report given by one of the farm owners
to the police.

On Tuesday 18th February 2003 at approximately 0730hrs, two white
commercial farmers and some of the farm's employees went out to Mapanza
Farm in order to dismantle two centre pivot irrigation systems situated at
field sites CP 1 and CP 2.

At approximately 0830hrs, a Mr Mangofa, senior war veteran settler arrived
and asked why they had not obtained his permission to dismantle the
irrigation pivots. He said that they should abide by the laws of the State
and that Mapanza belonged to the State.

The farmers replied that they did in fact respect the laws of the land and
provided him with the original copies of their High Court Order setting
aside the section 5 and section 8. These had previously been shown to the
Police at the local station. This nullification meant that the property
Mapanza now, once again, legally belonged to the two farmers. In any case
the moveable assets do not fall under the Section 8 order.

Mr Mangofa accepted this evidence and left saying that they might have won
the first round.  One of the commercial farmers also left at this point,
returning to Chiredzi.

At midday one of the farmer owner's drivers, who was taking equipment from
the farm, reported that all the roads out of Mapanza were blocked with
felled trees.  The driver was instructed to return to one of the pump
houses, CP 3.

At this point the farmer contacted his farm manager on the farm radio
network and instructed him to contact the Police, as he felt that there was
going to be trouble.

Shortly after this, another Mapanza employee reported to the farm owner
that an ignition key had been removed by an A2 settler from one of the
Nissan trucks parked at CP 3 pump house. At this time the farm owner was at
CP 2.

Whilst he was still there, another A2 settler arrived in a light pick up
truck carrying several people.  He demanded that the dismantling operation
was stopped immediately.  There was some shouting from both sides, after
which the A2 settler left with his passengers.

Shortly after this incident a number of Mapanza employees arrived, having
run from pump house 3.  The employees reported that A2 settlers were
puncturing the tyres of two trucks parked at the pump house no. 3, a T35 3
tonne truck and a Nissan 7 tonne truck.

The party, working on CP 2, immediately stopped work and proceeded to pump
house 3.  By the time they arrived, the A2 settlers had left and their
employees had run into a near by cane field. Four T35 truck tyres and four
Nissan tyres had been destroyed.  Diesel fuel had also been poured over the
cab of the Nissan, both inside and outside, obviously with the intention of
burning the vehicle.  One hand-held radio and all the tools were stolen
from the T35 truck.

After a short while a large group of A2 settler employees arrived and began
threatening the farm owner and his employees.  At this point the Farm
manager arrived with a Police Officer.  The Police Officer, after assessing
the, by then, volatile situation, indicated he wanted to leave.  The owner
insisted that he remain.  At this time the Police Support Unit arrived and
defused the situation.

The District Administrator, Dispol, Mr Mangofa and a number of other people
arrived at the scene.  The farm owner was instructed to proceed to the
Police Station and off load the dismantled equipment there, until such time
as legal ownership could be established.

After this he left Mapanza for Chiredzi.

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Other reports in from people present indicated that towards the end of this
incident an altercation occurred between the senior ZRP detail present,
(DISPOL minor) and the senior CIO official. The argument centred on who had
control in the district, police or CIO. The ZRP officer arguing for law and
order and the moveable assets belonged to the farmers; whilst the CIO
official was arguing ZANU-PF political policy that the equipment belonged
to the settlers. Interesting! The Herald article reflected political
propaganda and misreporting.

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THE JAG TEAM

Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet: www.justiceforagriculture.com

JAG Hotlines:
(011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need advice,
    (011) 205 374
       (011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us -
       (091) 317 264
    (011)207 860 we're here to help!
(011) 431 068

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More Farms Listed for Compulsory Acquisition



The Daily News (Harare)

March 1, 2003
Posted to the web March 1, 2003

Takaitei Bote Farming Editor


Evictions continue as government lists more farms for compulsory acquisition
despite assurance to the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) that the fast-track
land reform programme ended last year.

Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Minister, Dr Joseph Made stated in
a Memorandum of Understanding for the CFU to sign that the fast-track
resettlement programme was over.

Made said the government was ready to work with commercial farmers. In two
extraordinary gazettes published in the State media yesterday, Made listed
16 more properties situated in various farming districts in the country.

According to a recent report by Justice for Agriculture (JAG), 22 farmers
were issued with Section 8 (eviction) orders in Tengwe and Karoi last month.

JAG president Dave Connolly said in an interview: "I have never trusted this
government at all right from the time I was a member of the Zimbabwe Joint
Resettlement Initiative. This programme, a joint initiative of the
government and the farmers, failed because the government is not sincere."

Connolly said while President Mugabe had told the international community
that the mistakes made in the land reform programme were being corrected,
the situation on the ground was different.

"More farmers are being kicked off their farms. Farming activities are being
disrupted as more farms are being listed," Connolly said.

CFU director, Hendrik Olivier, said the union was concerned that commercial
farm disturbances continued although Made categorically stated in the
Memorandum of Understanding that the government wanted to engage the CFU in
dialogue.

The Memorandum of Understanding was released for the CFU to sign two weeks
ago. Olivier said the CFU had not signed the Memorandum of Understanding yet
as the union was still studying it.

He said: "We are concerned that the fast-track land reform programme was
continuing while the Memorandum of Understanding stated that the exercise
was over. More farms are being listed. We still see attempts to force
evictions."

Despite promises made by the government that single farm owners would not be
evicted, more than 1 000 commercial single farm owners had been forced off
their land. Made said in the Memorandum of Understanding: "And whereas the
government is fully committed to implement its policy of "one man, one farm"
as part of its programme to rationalise and consolidate land reform to
ensure equity and maximum possible utilisation of land for agricultural
productivity in the long term.

"And whereas it is the policy of the government that any member of the CFU,
or anyone else similarly affected, by the compulsory acquisition of 11
million hectares of land already gazetted for resettlement purposes or who
is currently on rural land that might be acquired for resettlement purposes,
is entitled to apply for land for resettlement."

The Memorandum of Understanding promises to pay evicted farmers for
improvements made on the land while compensation for loss of land is to be
paid for by the British government.
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ABC Australia

Police deny arresting 50 Zimbabwe Opposition members
Police in the Zimbabwean capital Harare have reportedly arrested more than
50 members of the main opposition party who were canvassing ahead of a
by-election.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says those arrested were carrying
out home visits in a city suburb.

The MDC says the party members are being held for violating Zimbabwe's
stringent Public Order and Security Act.

Police have so far denied making the arrests.

The report came as it emerged that more than 40 cricket supporters had been
detained for holding up banners denouncing President Robert Mugabe's
Government at a World Cup cricket match.
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Daily News

Price of Vegetables Soars in Bulawayo



The Daily News (Harare)

March 1, 2003
Posted to the web March 1, 2003

Sandra Mujokoro in Bulawayo


A shortage of vegetables caused by the land reform programme has caused
prices to sky-rocket in Bulawayo as demand has exceeded supply.

Major producers of vegetables in Bulawayo have been evicted from their
farms, resulting in serious shortages.


The new farmers who have taken over the farms have no irrigation facilities
to resume vegetable production.

Vegetables, which are used as a substitute for the scarce maize-meal and
bread, are selling at very high prices, unaffordable to many people in
Bulawayo.

A survey by The Daily News this week revealed that medium sized pumpkins,
once a cheap food source, were selling at between $500 and $700, while a
15kg pocket of potatoes was being offered at between $3 500 and $4 000
compared to prices of about $2 500 a pocket in Harare.

Vendors said this week that fresh maize cobs and cabbages were in short
supply pushing prices beyond the ordinary person's reach.

Richard Sibanda, a vegetable vendor said they were forced to increase the
prices of the vegetables because they were also buying them at very high
prices.

At the Independent Market in Bulawayo, cabbages were selling this week at
$500 a head and a 15kg pocket of onions was fetching $4 000.

A pocket of butternuts was being sold for about $1 000 while a small pocket
of tomatoes cost between $500 and $1 000.

In the city, a bundle of spinach and rape now cost $100, up from $40 last
month. At a wholesale near the Independent Market, a 15kg pocket of potatoes
was selling at $3 600 and a 15kg pocket of poor quality onions was selling
at $3 500.

A salesperson at the wholesale, who declined to be named, said they were
also procuring the produce at high prices from the few farmers who were
still involved in commercial farming.

Vendors at markets in Bulawayo said major suppliers had reduced their
production because their farms had been acquired by the government, while
the few who remained were disrupted now and again.

John Sankey of Nyamandlovu, who owns the Independent Market and was one of
the most prominent vegetable growers in Matabeleland, was removed from his
farm by war veterans in November last year. Sankey said in an interview he
had stopped growing vegetables because he was chased from his farm.

He said the readily available vegetable at the moment was tomato but most
green vegetables were in short supply due to the disturbances caused by the
land reform programme.

"These shortages have caused prices to spiral and it does not look like the
situation will get any better because many commercial farmers are out of
business and the weather is not helping the situation either," Sankey said.
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Daily News

      Top tobacco grower appeals for more land

      3/1/2003 12:22:38 PM (GMT +2)


      Farming Reporter

      FOUR-time winner of the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company-sponsored
Small-scale Burley Tobacco Grower of the Year, Hosiya Mundenguma, has
appealed to the government to allocate him a larger piece of land to enable
him to make a bigger contribution to the tobacco sector.

      At a field day held at his home in Mapinga Village 22 in Mt Darwin
last week on Friday, Mundenguma said:
      "I have, on several occasions, been to the offices of the District
Administrator in Bindura applying to be considered for land under the A2
Resettlement Model, but he's still to come back to me on that."

      Mundenguma, who runs a five-hectare farm, said his piece of land was
not adequate for him to realise his full potential.

      "We work as a family and I see this as an arrangement that has helped
us to win the competition," he said.

      Mundenguma scooped the top prize again this year.
      Silas Hungwe, the Zimbabwe Farmers' Union president, said the farmer's
prayers were close to being answered because the government would soon
consider his application to be allocated a farm under the A2 scheme.

      "Your achievements for the past four years are an inspiration and,
without fail, the District Administrator will have to find for you the large
farm you yearn for," Hungwe said.

      Mundenguma's farming potential was recognised in 1997 when he won his
first prize as the first runner-up.

      He went on to clinch the first prize in 2000 and has not looked back
since then.
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Daily News

Feature

      Find strategy to kick Zanu PF out

      3/1/2003 12:01:09 PM (GMT +2)



      As a young man I entered the Evangelical Bible School in Chinhoyi. I
graduated with flying colours, but did not become a church pastor as many
expected.

      Actually, a number of church leaders and bishops tried their best to
ordain me and put a collar around my neck, but I resisted. You see, I just
did not feel good to be called a pastor and I knew I did not have the gifts
and qualities required of a church pastor.

      Unfortunately, we have so many self-ordained pastors and "anointed
prophets" today who never received a call by God or have the training and
necessary gifts for this important office. Their only goal is to earn a
living the easy way.

      This is why the Church is in such a sorry state today. It has too many
charlatans and impostors masquerading as spiritual leaders.

      This, however, is not the subject of my writing today; so let me not
digress further.
      While in theological school, one of my teachers, Roy Eichner, always
emphasised to us that God is so merciful that no sinner is beyond
redemption. He would say: "There is no man whose sins are beyond the mercy
of God. He is always ready to forgive and save a repentant sinner."

      I used to believe this implicitly, but now I am not quite sure. I tend
to think that if Eichner had seen Zanu PF zealots in action he would not
have been so sure either. Some of them are so depraved that one is led to
believe that they are beyond salvation.

      In fact, the party is so steeped in deceit, corruption and violence
that it has lost both the
      divine and human mandate to continue to rule over us.

      Despite the very obvious fact that the majority of Zimbabweans would
like this evil government to go, they tenaciously cling to power by hook and
crook. They use the formidable power of the State machinery of the police,
the army and even the judiciary to suppress and oppress in order to keep on
ruling and looting.

      During the March 2002 presidential election, Zimbabweans came out in
their thousands to rid themselves of the monster on their backs through the
ballot box.

      They watched helplessly as the election was systematically stolen and
Robert Mugabe was declared the winner. They had again failed to dislodge the
monster.

      After the poll Zimbabweans looked to the local courts and the
international community for redress. They were dismayed and disappointed
when Nigeria and South Africa, the continent's leading nations, declared the
openly rigged election as "free and fair".
      However, the rest of the world rejected the election result as
fraudulent.

      It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise to Zimbabweans when Nigerian
President Olusegun Obasanjo and his South African counterpart, Thabo Mbeki,
as part of the Commonwealth troika on Zimbabwe, recommended that Zimbabwe be
suspended from the Commonwealth for cheating and using violence in the
election.

      I personally and most Zimbabweans were elated.
      I thought, Africa had finally emerged from the era of primitive jungle
politics into the modern global world of justice and the rule of law,
policed by the corporate moral conscience of the international community.

      On 16 March 2002, I wrote in this column, "finally, it became clear to
Obasanjo and Mbeki that by continuing to prop up Mugabe, they were in danger
of losing their own credibility and integrity. This would, in turn, close
all doors to much-needed economic aid for Africa".

      Both Obasanjo and Mbeki are authors of the New Partnership for Africa'
s Development (Nepad), a plan which seeks to secure development assistance
for Africa from rich countries of the West.

      "That and Mbeki's African renaissance vision were just too much for
the two gentlemen to sacrifice on the altar of 'African solidarity'."

      How wrong I was to even call them gentlemen. These are not gentlemen
or statesmen of principle, but cheap politicians who run with the hares
while at the same time chasing with the hounds.

      In a surprise move, the two African members of the troika made a fast
U-turn and are now asking the Commonwealth to lift Zimbabwe's suspension.
      After a visit with our sly President, Obasanjo wrote to John Howard,
the Prime Minister of Australia and the third member of the troika, saying:
"I believe that the time is now auspicious to lift the sanctions on Zimbabwe
in regard to her suspension from Commonwealth Councils. This will represent
an appropriate development for the final resolution of the crisis in that
country."

      In that letter Obasanjo said he had the concurrence of Mbeki. Either
these two African presidents are tricksters as I have said, or they are
gullible fools who were taken in by our wily President's charm and
convincing lies.

      The fact that Obasanjo's letter talks about the success of the land
reform programme, which is Mugabe's preoccupation, and says nothing about
the stolen election, human rights or good governance tends to point to the
latter description.

      The efforts to sanitise and legitimise Mugabe's illegal presidency and
the recent hosting of Mugabe by France, despite the European Union travel
ban, should make one thing
      very clear to Zimbabweans:
      All they can expect from the international community, Africa included,
is a certain
      amount of sympathy. Our real salvation lies in our own hands. But the
enemy is so formidable that there will have to be more sacrifices. These
sacrifices will, however, be in vain if democratic forces are not focused
and united in the one goal of ridding the country of the Zanu PF government.

      To think that Zanu PF can reform or give up power voluntarily is a
pipe dream. That party is beyond even God's redemption.

      Therefore, for organisations like the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions to participate in government initiated programmes like the Tripartite
Negotiating Forum is futile and a sheer waste of precious time.

      At this time all democratic forces should concentrate only on
strategies to kick Zanu PF out of power. They cannot afford to be
side-tracked by Zanu PF's window-dressing tactics.

      There are some who are so frustrated that they are lashing at Morgan
Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition MDC. They are accusing him of being
a coward because he has not taken any decisive action to remove Mugabe from
power.

      Others are even daydreaming as to think that they can oust the
government through the use of force. That is what Zanu PF is eagerly waiting
for. The would-be participants in the uprising will be systematically
butchered unless they also have "degrees in violence".
      The only reasonable course of action is to carefully plan for
non-violent civil disobedience while waiting for the courts to decide on the
legitimacy of the 2002 presidential election.

      For any civil disobedience campaign to succeed, there must be absolute
unity. Therefore, the squabbling between the MDC and the National
Constitutional Association led by Dr Lovemore Madhuku must stop forthwith.
If all democratic forces in the country are united and focused, victory will
be certain.

      He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
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Daily News

Leader Page

      Blackmail will not revive Zanu PF's waning fortunes

      3/1/2003 12:12:19 PM (GMT +2)



      IT IS reprehensible that war veterans and youths from the
ill-conceived National Youth Service are forcing schoolteachers, mainly in
the rural areas, to register with Zanu PF as a prerequisite for receiving
food aid. This is utter blackmail.

      It is most unfortunate that teachers have been victimised variously in
the past.
      The Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has received such
reports from its members in Hwedza, Mutoko, Buhera, Rushinga, Mudzi, Murehwa
and Mberengwa.

      Most affected are student teachers who have no option but to comply
with that clearly outrageous requirement as they earn very little. They must
join the Zanu PF structures and take part in its activities in order to
access maize-meal being doled out by the ruling party through the Grain
Marketing Board.

      The PTUZ should remain united and steadfast in condemning such
deplorable acts of repression which undermine people's constitutional
rights. After all, the provision of food is a basic human right. It is
incumbent upon the government to provide food for all its subjects
irrespective of their political, religious or other affiliation.

      But it is not only teachers who have fallen victim to the paranoia of
the misguided youths of the ruling party. They have unleashed a reign of
terror everywhere they are posted.
      Ordinary rural people have been forced to buy Zanu PF membership cards
for them to live peacefully within their community. Failure to produce these
cards often leads to disastrous consequences as one will be labelled a
member of the opposition. It presupposes that Zimbabwe is a one-party state
where people are not allowed to join other political parties except Zanu PF.

      The National Youth Service youths, commonly known as the Green Bombers
because of their green uniform, have become a real menace. They are
reportedly beating up people, harassing and terrorising them at every turn.

      Their actions bring back memories of Ziso Revanhu (People's Eye), a
Gestapo-type quasi-military group used by the Bishop Abel Muzorewa regime
during the short-lived Zimbabwe-Rhodesian era just before the country
attained independence in 1980.

      They say a drowning man will clutch at a straw. This is the case with
the ruling party, which has now resorted to the use of coercion through its
militia because it has lost support, but is still determined to cling to
power at all cost.

      The issue of food aid and how it is distributed has created a lot of
talk and ruffled many feathers among the donor community and diplomatic
circles, especially those whose countries are involved in the programme.

      There have been reports of children fighting for food in Matope
village in Mt Darwin with some elders demanding food meant for children, a
clear testimony to the gravity of the food crisis.

      In Tsholotsho, the Member of Parliament for the area, Mtoliki Sibanda,
recently complained that the National Youth Service members had hijacked the
food distribution programme by leaving out all those believed to support the
opposition MDC.

      The MDC has officially registered its displeasure over the manner in
which the whole food distribution exercise is being administered.

      The United States of America tops the list of countries that have
contributed to the food aid programme not only in Zimbabwe, where nearly
seven million people face starvation, but within the southern African region
as a whole.

      The European Union, Britain, Japan, South Africa, France and Kuwait
have also contributed significantly towards the food aid programme in
Zimbabwe.

      Concern among some of the donors about the manner in which their food
aid is being distributed is understandable. What they are donating must not
be used as a political weapon by the ruling party to shore up lost support
or to suppress the opposition.

      We urge them to voice their concern louder so that there is
transparency in the distribution of food.

      In any case, blackmailing teachers and villagers into buying party
membership cards for them to get food hardly guarantees Zanu PF genuine
support.
      If anything, it could actually backfire.
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Daily News

      Gang rape rampant at youth training centres

      3/1/2003 12:52:25 PM (GMT +2)


      From Chris Gande in Bulawayo

      CONFESSIONS of a former Zanu PF youth who said she is HIV positive
left some people in tears when she recounted how female members of the
National Youth Service are often raped by their colleagues.

      This was revealed during a prayer meeting for torture victims
organised by Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube, various church
denominations in Zimbabwe and South African clergymen at Bulawayo's Saint
Mary's Cathedral on Thursday night.

      Several torture victims from throughout the country, who included the
Member of Parliament for Saint Mary's, Job Sikhala, gave testimonies after
which prayers were held in their honour.

      The 21-year-old woman recounted to the congregation how she was
forcibly conscripted in 2001 and sent for training at Ntabazinduna just
outside Bulawayo.
      The group had 2 000 members, 900 of whom were females.
      She said the youths were later moved to a camp at Burnside where they
slept in one big room regardless of sex.

      She said the boys would take turns in raping the girls and when they
reported to the base commanders they were assaulted and labelled MDC
traitors.

      She said they could not get out of the camp to report to the police
because they were tightly guarded.

      "As a result of the rape I now have a baby and I am HIV positive," she
said before she broke down.

      Sikhala gave a blow-by-blow account of how he was tortured using
electricity.
      A political violence victim from Mberengwa, amid tears, described how
she was forced to drink the urine of Zanu PF youths and how her husband was
abducted from her home.
      A victim from Kwekwe, who was allegedly raped by a group of 40 Zanu PF
youths, also recounted her ordeal to the congregation.

      A procession was held by the congregation where wooden crosses were
carried from the back of the cathedral to the altar.

      Archbishop Ncube said: "What we have heard today are true stories
which were not fabricated. One day justice will flow like a flood of water.
No one can quench the desire for freedom."

      He said the church deplored such "evil acts" and would pray for the
responsible leaders so that they are converted to God.

      Pastor Ray Motsi, a Zimbabwean Baptist clergyman, said the church had
a role to play in Zimbabwe's crisis.

      On Monday Archbishop Ncube and a group of about 20 Zimbabwean
clergyman held a protest vigil against the government's human rights abuses
at Queens Sports Ground during Zimbabwe's World Cup cricket match against
Australia.
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Daily News

      Students reject national service lectures

      3/1/2003 12:54:19 PM (GMT +2)


      From Ntungamili Nkomo in Bulawayo

      BULAWAYO Polytechnic students have embarked on an indefinite class
boycott in protest against the proposed official launch of National Youth
Service lectures coming in the name of National Strategic Studies.

      The programme will be officially launched at the college on Friday
next week.
      In a letter addressed to the college principal, the Students'
Representative Council (SRC) said the subject was highly political and
pro-Zanu PF, the ruling party, hence their objections to it.

      "The most important issue that concerns us is the introduction of the
National Strategic Studies. Besides the fact that we were not consulted
before it was implemented, we feel that the subject is highly political and
we cannot take it," read the letter.

      They said the subject was a political ploy by Zanu PF to brainwash and
entice them to join the party.

      Sebastian Mukodza, the SRC spokesperson, yesterday said the boycott
began on Wednesday and that they would not resume classes until the
programme was called off.
      The Zanu PF-hatched National Youth Service programme has seen massive
recruitment of mostly unqualified youths who have unleashed a reign of
terror in the campaign against members of the opposition MDC, with the
youths enrolled preferentially in teachers' and technical colleges as a
reward.

      The government announced last year that no people would be allowed to
enrol at its institutions without having undergone the National Youth
Service programme.
      Mukodza called on fellow institutions to protest in the strongest way
possible against the implementation of the programme "to save tomorrow's
generation from brainwashing".

      "We would like to urge other colleges nationwide to register their
disgust in no uncertain terms against the programme," he said.

      He said patriotism and post-colonial history were major subjects
highlighted in the programme.

      When comment was sought from the college's administration, a secretary
continuously said authorities were locked in a meeting.

      "The principal is attending a meeting. Anyway, who told you there is a
boycott here?" she asked.

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Daily News

      New farmers grab $3,6m sugar cane

      3/1/2003 12:39:49 PM (GMT +2)


      From Energy Bara in Masvingo

      NEWLY resettled farmers have grabbed sugar cane worth over $3,6
million in Chiredzi and have vowed to harvest the crop, most of which is
ready for the milling season which starts in April.

      Over 300 new farmers in the Lowveld allocated themselves plots ranging
from 20 to 50 hectares in fields on which the crop had already been planted.

      The crop was planted by commercial farmers who have since been
displaced by the government's controversial land reform programme.

      However, the farmers have challenged their eviction in the courts and
are demanding that this year's harvest be paid to them.

      A clash is now looming between the settlers and the displaced
commercial farmers, who are claiming ownership to the crop they planted.

      One of the new farmers, who refused to be named, said: "We are going
to sell the crop because it now belongs to us.

      "We have already secured milling quarters from the major millers and
we are not going to have any problems in selling the crop."

      The two sugar milling giants in the Lowveld are Hippo Valley, owned by
the Anglo American Corporation, and Triangle Limited.

      In a letter one of the affected farmers, Grand Henning, said the land
and sugar cane legally belong to him.

      Henning said: "I have been ordered to return back my irrigation
equipment which means that the farm is still mine."

      Sources within the Zimbabwe Cane Farmers' Association said the
displaced farmers had the right to claim ownership of the crop and land, as
the whole case is still before the courts.

      The association's chief executive officer confirmed that there was a
wrangle. He, however, refused to give details, saying it was only proper to
talk to the individual farmers concerned.

      Most of the new farmers who grabbed the sugar cane plots are top civil
servants, army officials and war veterans.
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BBC

Harare church protesters released



Police in Zimbabwe have released 19 clergymen arrested on Friday after they
attempted to stage a protest in the capital Harare.
According to Reuters news agency the churchmen have all been charged with
public order offences under a tough security law introduced by President
Robert Mugabe shortly before his victory in a controversial poll last March.

The group had attempted to march to police headquarters, bearing wooden
crosses, to present a petition complaining about police harassment.

Zimbabwe's Government has been accused of harshly cracking down on any signs
of civil unrest during the Cricket World Cup it is co-hosting with South
Africa and Kenya.

Draconian measures

The lawyer for the clergymen said they had been released, but he expected
that they would be summoned to court at a later date.

The clergymen, calling themselves the Zimbabwe National Pastors' Conference
(ZNPC) had been dressed in dog collars and carrying three wooden crosses.


       I am not going to protect a government that has abused people's
rights flagrantly and for no reason.

      Archbishop Ncube
They wanted to hand over a petition to police chief Augustine Chihuri asking
him "to ensure that the police force in the country performs its duties with
respect for the church and every citizen of Zimbabwe".

The action followed the arrest of one of their colleagues two weeks ago at a
church.

They were quoted as saying that it was their duty to overcome "unjust laws
that encourage the selective and vindictive exercise of authority".



But before they could hand over their petition the 19 men were herded into
two police vans and driven away to Harare's central police station.

Jonah Gokova, an official of the independent charity, Ecumenical Support
Services said the group were accused of holding an illegal protest under the
Public Order and Security Act.

The legislation, which critics say is designed to suppress all government
opposition, forbids public meetings without police clearance.

Mr Gokova said all of the men were released after eight hours.

Relations between the Zimbabwean Government and some churches have
deteriorated in recent weeks as leading clergymen have become more outspoken
about political repression and economic hardship.

Turbulent priest

The detentions followed an incident earlier on Friday in which the outspoken
Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, was cautioned by police over a
service he held during which victims of torture gave testimonies.

The archbishop said two plain clothes officers visited him and warned him
that his services were expected to be of purely religious nature.

He said he told the police that it was impossible to separate issues of
hunger, economic hardships and violence from religion.

"If people are suffering... the church cannot excuse itself," he told AFP.

"I am not going to protect a government that has abused people's rights
flagrantly and for no reason. People have been killed and those who killed
are running scot free on the streets because they acted on behalf of the
government," Archbishop Ncube said.

Earlier this week, a small group of Zimbabwean church leaders, led by
Archbishop Ncube, marched into the Bulawayo cricket ground just ahead of a
Cricket World Cup match with Australia.
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Hoovers

Blair's 'Ethical Foreign Policy' Angers Mugabe

February 28, 2003 8:41pm


BEFORE one can fully appreciate what is happening in Zimbabwe, one needs to
put oneself in President Robert Mugabe's shoes and understand his psyche. My
argument is that Mugabe believes everything he says, which makes his stand
not only right, but principled in his mind. That is the reason he can't
consider resigning or early retirement.

But there is the other side to be told as well. When Tony Blair took over as
Prime Minister of Britain, one of his very first announcements was that his
government would pursue an "ethical foreign policy".

This meant that, unlike John Major and Margaret Thatcher before him, he was
not going to let diplomatic niceties dictate foreign policy. It meant that
leaders who did not govern according to internationally-accepted standards
of decency and respect for the dignity of the human being (that includes
opposition supporters) would get a very cold shoulder at Whitehall.

This announcement by Robin Cook, who was then the British foreign secretary,
was backed in public by Tony Blair.

This was before the confrontation with Zimbabwe.

True to form, Blair then took on dictators, human rights abusers and dubious
leaders.

Slobodan Milosevic experienced the effects of this new policy as did a few
other leaders with questionable credentials.

But Blair brought his sincerity into question when he was seen cosying up to
General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan who took over power in a military coup.

'This meant that, unlike John Major and Margaret Thatcher before him, he was
not going to let diplomatic niceties dictate foreign policy. It meant that
leaders who did not govern according to internationally-accepted standards
of decency and respect for the dignity of the human being (that includes
opposition supporters) would get a very cold shoulder at Whitehall.'

Other dictators were also ushered into the hallowed corridors of Whitehall
purely out of strategic interests. This, specifically, gave ammunition to
Blair detractors who accused him of double standards. But, by and large,
Blair has been consistent in his message and his otherwise inexplicable
support for George W Bush against Saddam Hussein has to be seen in this
context.

So it is not surprising that Blair, when he encountered the economic
pyromaniac we have for a president, instinctively decided he was not someone
whom he could do business with.

Thatcher and Major had overlooked the abuses that have been going on in
Zimbabwe since 1980, but Blair decided he was not going to. This decision
was neither racist nor malicious.

Naturally, it could be argued that Blair should have put Mugabe on notice in
public after his first election triumph by naming the Harare administration
specifically.

That he didn't do and instead, chose to confront Mugabe over an issue as
racially-explosive as land is definitely a point against him. But a broader
understanding of his approach and his psyche would inform anyone with
intelligence that this was simply and purely a strategic gaffe.

The gaffe, unfortunately, managed to put Mugabe in a position where he could
eloquently and believably spin this confrontation to make it look as if it
were about blacks versus whites. For this reason, Mugabe will retain the
support of even the more progressive administrations on the African
continent.

The Zimbabwe government insists that the problems bedevilling this country
are the result of a "bilateral dispute" and should not involve other
countries. And they believe that. This is because Blair delayed acting on
the Mugabe administration until it was too late.

The only way to really address this problem and to get the African continent
behind Britain's effort is for Blair to be consistent in his denunciation of
rogue regimes. If he continues to be seen as applying different standards
for different leaders, the perception that his animosity towards Mugabe is
personal will persist.

The other issue that is fuelling suspicion that Blair's intentions are not
honourable with Zimbabwe is the way he is going about the dispute. Blair
says that his dispute is with Mugabe, and not the people of Zimbabwe. Events
on the ground refuse to square that circle.

'The only way to really address this problem and to get the African
continent behind Britain's effort is for Blair to be consistent in his
denunciation of rogue regimes, from Burma to Pakistan. If he continues to be
seen as applying different standards for different leaders, the perception
that his animosity towards Mugabe is personal will persist.'

The unofficial sanctions that Blair has imposed on Zimbabwe are not
affecting the elite in any way. In trying to throw out the bath water, I'm
afraid the British PM is also throwing out the baby.

Economists now predict that should the situation continue for the rest of
the year, Zimbabwe's economy will be permanently damaged.

Witless commentators in Zimbabwe who believe that the economy will
"automatically" right itself after Mugabe are off the mark.

Investors, when they look at a market, tend to lump the whole country
together. So even after Mugabe goes, the international community will wait
for a couple of years to gauge the situation before pouring money into
Zimbabwe. To investors, it is Zimbabwe that is the problem. Mugabe is a
personification of the country. To illustrate this point, you only have to
look at Kenya.

Despite the fact that the National Rainbow Coalition won the elections, the
IMF and the World Bank have still not resumed aid inflows.

They will, eventually, they say, and that will be later on this year. This
simply serves to show that there is no such thing as "automatic recovery",
especially from the situation we are in now, which is threatening to become
permanent, whether Mugabe goes or not.

A balance can surely be struck between the need to bring a halt to the
excesses of the Harare regime and protecting the long-term interests of the
country so that this nation does not perish with the end of Mugabe's rule.

This approach would also serve to make the British stand more palatably to
the rest of African leaders who are rooting for Mugabe.

<i>Denford Magora is executive creative director of DDB Hash Three.</i>

Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com)

Publication: Zimbabwe Independent - AAGM

Distributed by Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Africa
Intelligence Wire


Copyright © 2003 Zimbabwe Independent - AAGM. All Rights Reserved.
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News24

42 held over cricket protest
01/03/2003 18:08  - (SA)

Harare - Zimbabwe police detained 42 people during a cricket World Cup match
in Bulawayo after they displayed posters critical of President Robert
Mugabe, one of their lawyers said on Saturday.

Police also detained 19 clergymen for eight hours on Friday in Harare as
authorities made good on a pledge to crack down on protests during the World
Cup matches.

"We've got about 42 people detained from yesterday (Friday) and as at nine
o'clock today (Saturday) only one juvenile had been released. There's been
talk of posters at the cricket match but as far as I am aware they have not
been charged," the lawyer from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said.

Witnesses said one poster held up during Zimbabwe's match with the
Netherlands on Friday equated Mugabe to Adolf Hitler, but police soon
removed it.

Bulawayo police could not be reached for comment.

Political pressure

World Cup organisers resisted overseas political pressure to switch matches
from crisis-torn Zimbabwe to principal host South Africa.

England's team decided to forfeit points rather than play in Zimbabwe, where
over half the 14 million population is going hungry amidst the worst
political and economic crisis since Mugabe led the country to independence
from Britain in 1980.

In Harare police detained 19 clergymen for six hours on Friday and charged
them under a harsh security law after they marched to police headquarters to
protest against what they called a campaign of violence against them.

A group of rights organisations, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said the
clergymen's arrests came a day after police harassed the congregation at a
church service in Bulawayo where victims of political violence gave
testimony.

It said officers of the national intelligence agency had questioned Catholic
Archbishop Pius Ncube, an outspoken critic of Mugabe's government, over that
service.

Mugabe signed tough security legislation into law just before he was
re-elected a year ago in elections which critics at home and abroad say he
rigged.

The Public Order and Security Act forbids public meetings without police
clearance. Critics say it is aimed at suppressing opposition to the
government, and say enforcement has been stepped up during this month's
cricket tournament.
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News24

Zim opposition members arrested
01/03/2003 14:29  - (SA)

Harare - Police in the Zimbabwean capital Harare on Saturday arrested more
than 50 members of the main opposition party who were canvassing ahead of a
by-election, the opposition claimed.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said in a statement that those
arrested were carrying out home visits in the suburb of Kuwadzana, where a
by-election is to be held at the end of the month.

The arrested were being held for violating Zimbabwe's stringent Public Order
and Security Act (POSA), the MDC statement said.

There has been no police confirmation of the arrests.

Under POSA, public gatherings of more than five are prohibited. The MDC said
its members were moving round in groups of three.

The opposition says that it is the victim of a state-orchestrated campaign
of intimidation. It claims many of its members have been tortured, by police
and supporters of President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National
Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).

The MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is currently standing trial on charges of
high treason. - Sapa-AFP

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BBC
 
After the fall: Tyrants in exile
By Alix Kroeger
BBC News

Saddam Hussein
Saddam has rejected the idea of exile

The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Ben Sultan al-Nahyan, has issued an appeal for Saddam Hussein to resign and leave Iraq.

He made his statement at the Arab summit meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Last week the Iraqi leader, in an interview with American television, rejected any suggestion that he might go into exile, vowing instead to die in his country.

But if he did decide to seek asylum, how might he fare?

A look at the fate of some other world leaders who have faced the same choice could be helpful for Saddam.

Swift exits

When war or revolution looms, asylum can begin to look like an attractive option to a leader under pressure.

Mobutu Sese Seko, president of what was then Zaire, chose Morocco when he was forced out of power in 1997.

He had looted millions from his country, now renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But Morocco was merely a staging post - Mr Mobutu had properties in France, where he died a few months later.

France has offered asylum to other ousted leaders: the self-styled Emperor Bokassa, of the Central African Republic, accused of cannibalism, as well as the more customary offences of graft and corruption.

France also took Baby Doc Duvalier of Haiti, who has for the past 17 years led a life of quiet luxury in Paris.

Varied destinations

However, there are other destinations: Idi Amin of Uganda is in Saudi Arabia, while Haile Mengistu Mariam of Ethiopia is in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.

Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos returned to the Philippines

The latter also has the option of fleeing to North Korea, if Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is toppled in turn.

And Paraguay's former military leader, General Stroessner, obtained political asylum in Brazil after he was ousted in 1989.

Some try to make a comeback.

Imelda Marcos of the Philippines and her husband, President Ferdinand Marcos, were peacefully removed from office by "people power."

They fled to Hawaii, where Mr Marcos died in 1989.

Imelda Marcos - notorious for her thousands of pairs of shoes - returned to the Philippines, standing unsuccessfully for president herself in 1992.

She remains free while she appeals against several convictions for corruption.

Other leaders refuse to see the writing on the wall.

In October 2000, Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia turned down an offer of asylum from Belarus.

Instead, he was forced out of office a few days later, arrested the following spring and is now on trial for war crimes in the Hague.

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From Hansard (Canada), 28 February


Mr. Bill Casey (Cumberland-Colchester, PC): Mr. Speaker, yesterday the
Solicitor General confirmed that the RCMP had conducted an investigation
which related to the treason charges against the leader of the opposition in
Zimbabwe. These charges could result in the death penalty. The Solicitor
General also confirmed that the information has now been given to the
Department of Foreign Affairs, but he did not confirm that this crucial
information has been sent to Zimbabwe. Will the Solicitor General commit to
send this information to the defence counsel in Zimbabwe like he would if
this trial was in Canada?


Hon. Bill Graham (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon.
member should know, I checked with the department this morning, that these
materials were given to our department some time this month. On February 20
they were forwarded to our high commission in Zimbabwe for transfer to the
defence counsel for the accused. We have provided to the accused all
information which we can possibly do under Canadian law. We have forwarded
it to them. We certainly sympathize with the prosecution. We do not agree
with that prosecution and we will do everything we can to help the defence
of the leader of the opposition in Zimbabwe.
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Daily News

Leader Page

      Church leadership must never reconcile with evil

      3/1/2003 12:12:50 PM (GMT +2)


      By Magari Mandebvu

      We have, for too long, been relying on others to liberate us. Zanu PF
gave us independence, but not liberation.

      They were always too keen to keep real power in their own hands. Now
they have created a system where they try, usually very effectively, to
co-opt anyone who values more highly anything else other than liberating the
people.

      Those who wanted to get rich quickly and those who would be satisfied
with comfortable positions were easy to bribe with these things.

      The professional non-governmental organisation (NGO) people and all
those who like to call themselves "civil society" are very vulnerable. They
live well off the salaries, travel expenses, meals in expensive hotels and
perks that come from foreign funding.

      Consequently, many of them do not really want to rock the boat.
      We have seen politicians and trade unionists tried and tested by every
kind of threat or bribe, and we should know by now who we can trust.

      Even Church leaders have proved themselves human, which means they can
be bribed or bullied. Like the NGOs, they often have comfortable, well-paid
positions, so they have a lot less to lose. I get suspicious when I hear
comfortable people talking about reconciliation rather than confrontation in
our present situation.

      Reconciliation and forgiveness are important values, and not only
Christian ones, but there can be no reconciliation between Christ and
Belial, between justice and unrepentant criminals. We saw this in the
hearings of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu knew that the truth had to come first so that people
knew what it was that needed to be reconciled.

      He tried very hard and succeeded in getting some evildoers to admit
they had done wrong; then they could be forgiven.

      Christians must confront evil and call it by its name before they try
to reconcile with the evildoer. Jesus was gentle with a woman who had been
caught in adultery and other sinners who admitted their sin, but he wasn't
always meek and mild. He could be very confrontational.

      Old Testament prophets said some hard things, as when Amos told a
self-serving priest: "Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons
and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parcelled
out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall
surely go into exile away from its land."

      Strong stuff that, but we find it even stronger in the New Testament.
When the Pharisees and Scribes came to John the Baptist, he called them "you
brood of vipers". When someone delivered a message from Herod to Jesus, He
said, "Go and tell that fox . . ." and He is recorded as calling Pharisees
"whited sepulchres" to their faces.
      Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall any of the Old Testament
prophets making that kind of personal attack.

      That language may have been a challenge to examine themselves, but don
't we need to make people in high places examine themselves here also?
Crimes are being committed daily by people in positions of power: murder,
torture, arson and rape. Those who order these abominations are worse
criminals than those who obey their orders.

      Corrupting the judiciary and police so as to get away with all these
and other evils is even worse. Corrupting the youth by training them to do
these iniquities is worst of all.
      But is anyone challenging the criminals? Are any Church leaders
challenging them?

      Yes, a few Archbishop Pius Ncube and Bishop Sebastian Bakare, to name
two, but can you name another? More stay silent, and an increasing number
are talking about reconciliation and peace "but not confrontation". I agree
that confrontation is not the only way to go forward, but it must be one of
the methods we can use. You can't just sit two parties at a table, forget
their crimes and get them to shake hands, sign an agreement and live
together in peace and harmony. The Mbekis and Chiracs may think so; there
always have been politicians who think they can sweep problems out of sight
like this, at least until the end of their term in office.

      Few politicians think any further ahead than the next election, but
ordinary people have to think what sort of world their grandchildren will
live in, and churchmen preach about eternity, which is a lot longer than
that.

      Ideally, we should get the parties to sit down together, and confront
them there. Some Church leaders do sit down to tea with the politicians, but
they don't confront them there maybe because they are afraid they won't be
invited to tea again. What sort of leadership is that?

      And let us not forget that one party has committed more crimes than
the other. Their opponents might become as bad as their tormentors if they
had the same power, but they haven't done that yet and standing up to evil
leaders now will make us all more able to prevent future leaders from
committing similar crimes.

      If Church leaders did confront the criminals in private and were
thrown out, then they would be left with the only course of action that the
rest of us have: to confront, by telling it like is, anywhere that we will
be heard. That may be in the newspapers, it may be on the streets, it should
certainly involve telling it like it is to anyone in the countries around
us, like the Bishop of Cape Town, who could influence their governments to
put pressure until our leaders agree to sit down and really listen to us.

      And if Church leaders tell the hard truth and suffer for it as many
ordinary people are suffering already, they will only be where a true pastor
should be with his people.
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Blair's 'Ethical Foreign Policy' Angers Mugabe February 28, 2003 8:41pm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEFORE one can fully appreciate what is happening in Zimbabwe, one needs to put oneself in President Robert Mugabe's shoes and understand his psyche. My argument is that Mugabe believes everything he says, which makes his stand not only right, but principled in his mind. That is the reason he can't consider resigning or early retirement. But there is the other side to be told as well. When Tony Blair took over as Prime Minister of Britain, one of his very first announcements was that his government would pursue an "ethical foreign policy".

This meant that, unlike John Major and Margaret Thatcher before him, he was not going to let diplomatic niceties dictate foreign policy. It meant that leaders who did not govern according to internationally-accepted standards of decency and respect for the dignity of the human being (that includes opposition supporters) would get a very cold shoulder at Whitehall. This announcement by Robin Cook, who was then the British foreign secretary, was backed in public by Tony Blair. This was before the confrontation with Zimbabwe.

True to form, Blair then took on dictators, human rights abusers and dubious leaders.

Slobodan Milosevic experienced the effects of this new policy as did a few other leaders with questionable credentials.

But Blair brought his sincerity into question when he was seen cosying up to General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan who took over power in a military coup.

'This meant that, unlike John Major and Margaret Thatcher before him, he was not going to let diplomatic niceties dictate foreign policy. It meant that leaders who did not govern according to internationally-accepted standards of decency and respect for the dignity of the human being (that includes opposition supporters) would get a very cold shoulder at Whitehall.'

Other dictators were also ushered into the hallowed corridors of Whitehall purely out of strategic interests. This, specifically, gave ammunition to Blair detractors who accused him of double standards. But, by and large, Blair has been consistent in his message and his otherwise inexplicable support for George W Bush against Saddam Hussein has to be seen in this context.

So it is not surprising that Blair, when he encountered the economic pyromaniac we have for a president, instinctively decided he was not someone whom he could do business with.

Thatcher and Major had overlooked the abuses that have been going on in Zimbabwe since 1980, but Blair decided he was not going to. This decision was neither racist nor malicious.

Naturally, it could be argued that Blair should have put Mugabe on notice in public after his first election triumph by naming the Harare administration specifically.

That he didn't do and instead, chose to confront Mugabe over an issue as racially-explosive as land is definitely a point against him. But a broader understanding of his approach and his psyche would inform anyone with intelligence that this was simply and purely a strategic gaffe.

The gaffe, unfortunately, managed to put Mugabe in a position where he could eloquently and believably spin this confrontation to make it look as if it were about blacks versus whites. For this reason, Mugabe will retain the support of even the more progressive administrations on the African continent.

The Zimbabwe government insists that the problems bedevilling this country are the result of a "bilateral dispute" and should not involve other countries. And they believe that. This is because Blair delayed acting on the Mugabe administration until it was too late.

The only way to really address this problem and to get the African continent behind Britain's effort is for Blair to be consistent in his denunciation of rogue regimes. If he continues to be seen as applying different standards for different leaders, the perception that his animosity towards Mugabe is personal will persist.

The other issue that is fuelling suspicion that Blair's intentions are not honourable with Zimbabwe is the way he is going about the dispute. Blair says that his dispute is with Mugabe, and not the people of Zimbabwe. Events on the ground refuse to square that circle.

'The only way to really address this problem and to get the African continent behind Britain's effort is for Blair to be consistent in his denunciation of rogue regimes, from Burma to Pakistan. If he continues to be seen as applying different standards for different leaders, the perception that his animosity towards Mugabe is personal will persist.'

The unofficial sanctions that Blair has imposed on Zimbabwe are not affecting the elite in any way. In trying to throw out the bath water, I'm afraid the British PM is also throwing out the baby.

Economists now predict that should the situation continue for the rest of the year, Zimbabwe's economy will be permanently damaged.

Witless commentators in Zimbabwe who believe that the economy will "automatically" right itself after Mugabe are off the mark.

Investors, when they look at a market, tend to lump the whole country together. So even after Mugabe goes, the international community will wait for a couple of years to gauge the situation before pouring money into Zimbabwe. To investors, it is Zimbabwe that is the problem. Mugabe is a personification of the country. To illustrate this point, you only have to look at Kenya.

Despite the fact that the National Rainbow Coalition won the elections, the IMF and the World Bank have still not resumed aid inflows.

They will, eventually, they say, and that will be later on this year. This simply serves to show that there is no such thing as "automatic recovery", especially from the situation we are in now, which is threatening to become permanent, whether Mugabe goes or not.

A balance can surely be struck between the need to bring a halt to the excesses of the Harare regime and protecting the long-term interests of the country so that this nation does not perish with the end of Mugabe's rule.

This approach would also serve to make the British stand more palatably to the rest of African leaders who are rooting for Mugabe.
http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=displaynews&doc_id=NR20030228670.2_1b02003c8ebf1696

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Men of God
Dear Family and Friends,
This week the price of petrol went up by 91%. The announcement has been accepted with exhausted resignation by us all. It has done absolutely nothing for the availability of fuel and if you are lucky enough to find a queue the lines are endlessly long and still mean waiting for hours before being served. Within days we expect the price of  everything to rise dramatically. What this will do to our 208% inflation rate and the availability of food hardly bears thinking about. The government announced price freezes for everything imaginable last year so it seems most likely that our supermarket shelves will only get even emptier. This clearly does not matter to our government who, on Friday, listed another 16 farms they intend to seize. There are now only an estimated 15% of Zimbabwe's original commercial farmers still left on their land trying to growing food for us. While the country slowly starves, the World Food Programme this week announced that even the so called settler farmers now living on seized farms are starving and in need of food aid. Every day now our obsession is with finding food, trying to survive and wondering how much longer we can go on like this. Each day is exhausting and utterly depressing and yet some brave people still find the courage to make a stand.
 
The world cup cricket matches continue to be played in Zimbabwe. Our two brave heroes, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga remain defiant and continue with their silent protest at the appalling chaos and suffering in the country. With each match the two men have come under greater and greater attack for their courage and honesty. Olonga's cricket Club, Takashinga, expelled him from their membership. Both men were reprimanded by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and told to take off their black armbands. At the next game they wore white wristbands in a call for peace and were again hauled in by cricketing authorities. They were told to end their protest or risk being dropped from the selection. Both men refused and bravely play on. During the match against Australia, Catholic Archbishop, Pius Ncube and 20 others wore black armbands and ribbons in the grounds and issued a press statement saying that they too mourned the death of democracy in Zimbabwe.
 
Our Catholic Archbishop has given us more than a little reason to feel proud in the last 3 years of his consistent outspokenness. He continues to risk his life by speaking out. On Thursday evening he held a service for victims of torture in Zimbabwe. A dozen people gave testimony about what had happened to them. Police were in the Church and the following morning they visited Archbishop Ncube. He was cautioned by the Police and told not to bring politics into his Church. Asked on Short Wave Radio Africa if this warning would deter him, Archbishop Ncube said: "I cannot stop. As long as people are suffering I must speak out." His example has given others in the church courage to speak out. On Friday morning 22 pastors and clergymen marched to Harare Police Headquarters. They carried a petition saying that the laws which forbid gatherings without police permission were impinging on people's right to the freedom of worship. Having phoned the Police and said that they were coming and why, the Pastors continued. At Police Headquarters they were met by a vehicle filled with uniformed men. These policemen taunted the clergymen, condemning them for their position and promptly took 19 of them in for questioning. Six hours later they were released, two have to return on Monday for further questioning. We are outraged but can do nothing. Now, more than ever before, there is not a shadow of doubt in anyone's minds that the tragedy in Zimbabwe is not about land or the colour of our skins, but simply about a party clinging to power. No one is safe, not even men of God.
 
I am delighted to be able to tell you that both "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" have now arrived in Australia and can be sourced from John Reed Books at johnmreed@johnreedbooks.com. John has also kindly agreed to handle orders from people in New Zealand. Hopefully stocks will soon be in England too. If anyone can help with a distributor in America or Canada I would be most grateful for your help. The further we can get our desperate cry for help the better. We have given up on looking to our neighbours in South Africa to even do us the human courtesy of admitting that people are suffering, dying, starving, rotting in prisons and being arrested for worshipping God. We know we are alone and I think that without your support, loving emails and wonderful letters and parcels I too would give up hope. Until next week, with love, cathy. Copyright cathy buckle, 1st March 2003.
"African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" are available from: www.exclusivebooks.com and www.kalahari.net
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