http://news.radiovop.com
05/03/2010 07:08:00
Harare,
March 05, 2010 - In an interesting and surprising twist of events,
the
cash-strapped Zimbabwe Government has finally agreed to compensate white
commercial farmers who had their land grabbed from them, Radio VOP can
exclusively reveal.
"We are now going to set up a Compensation Fund
which will help pay the
commercial farmers who had their farms taken away
for resettlement
purposes," Herbert Murerwa, Minister of Lands, told Radio
VOP in an
exclusive interview.
"We are currently coming up with
the total package and will release the
finer details later after some
meetings with Cabinet. We are, however,
saying we will not compensate for
the land but money will be provided for
compensation to genuine cases soon.
We are working on this with
international consultants such as Professor
Mandivamba Rukuni to help us
come up with a way forward and a figure to give
the farmers some of whom are
now destitute."
This could be the
first time that government has back-tracked on the land
grab issue after
refusing to pay compensation to commercial farmers in the
past.
President
Robert Mugabe has always maintained that Britain should repay the
farmers
because they were from there. He has also pointed out that Zimbabwe
would
not pay for land that had been grabbed from blacks in the past in the
first
place.
However, London says Zimbabwe should pay its own farmers
because it does not
have anything to do with land that is not in its
territory.
Some white commercial farmers have already taken the
Zimbabwe Government to
court in South Africa after it refused to pay them
compensation for their
farms in Zimbabwe.
The South African Court
ruled that Zimbabwean farmers could successfully
attach property belonging
to Zimbabwe in South Africa.
"We are now working on something," Minister
Murerwa said. "It might take
some time but we will solve this land issue
soon."
There are currently only 200 white commercial farmers out of at
least 4 500
white commercial farmers who used to farm in Zimbabwe
immediately after
Independence in 1980.
Zimbabwe was then known
as "the bread basket of Southern Africa" scooping
numerous agricultural
awards including the prestigious international US$100
000 Prize For
Sustainable Hunger which went to President Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabwe
was then the world's third largest tobacco grower producing more
than 290
million kg of tobacco and able to feed itself as well as export
maize
regionally.
"There are only 200 white commercial farmers left in the
country right now
and the agricultural situation is very bleak," a senior
Commercial Farmers
Union (CFU) official told Radio VOP in an
interview.
"I can safely tell you that from that figure at least 115
are in courts for
various offenses including refusing to vacate their farms.
The situation is
worrying and shocking but they are still leaving because
they are not being
compensated. Some of them are now very old and cannot
continue farming at a
loss because their most lucrative farms were grabbed
by government for
resettlement."
He said several farmers were now
destitute because they did not have any
income because they earned their
living from proceeds generated on their
commercial farms.
"Some
farmers are more than 50 years old and you cannot continue farming
profitably when you get that old," the CFU official said. "Age plays a very
important factor in farming."
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
05 March
2010
South African President Jacob Zuma has been urged to organise early
elections in Zimbabwe, because of the failure of the unity government to
implement critical reforms in the country.
Zuma was greeted by an
estimated 100 demonstrators outside the South African
High Commission in
London on Friday, who expressed their anger over the
South African leader's
refusal to take a tough stance on Robert Mugabe. The
group, waving banners
saying 'Zuma save Zimbabwe', chanted "Shame on you,
Zuma!" when the South
African leader arrived at the High Commission. Zuma in
turn gave the group a
cheery wave as he entered the building.
The South African President has
attracted criticism this week during his
state visit to the UK, for
campaigning for the lifting of recently extended
European Union (EU)
targeted sanctions that are in place on the Mugabe
regime. Zuma tried to
pressure British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to adopt
the same attitude
during a meeting on Wednesday where the Zimbabwe issue
topped the agenda.
But that pressure was resisted, with Brown declaring that
the sanctions
against Mugabe and his inner circle would remain in place
until more
progress was made by the unity government. The British Prime
Minister said
he also wanted to witness the results of commissions on human
rights, press
freedom and governance reforms, before the targeted measures
are
reconsidered.
"We applaud the efforts that President Zuma is making to bring
stability and
change to Zimbabwe," Brown said at a joint press conference
after the talks.
"We however must be absolutely sure that progress is being
made."
During the press conference Zuma remained firm on his stance that the
sanctions be lifted, saying the issue could be exploited politically.
"If
the Zimbabwe issue is not moving forward, certainly some people could
use
sanctions as an excuse," he said
Campaigners at Friday's demonstration in
London accused Zuma of actively
appeasing Mugabe, adding that Zuma, as the
regional mediator in the Zimbabwe
crisis, should be doing more to ensure
fresh elections are called. Rose
Benton, from the protest group the Zimbabwe
Vigil which organised the
demonstration, said: "The government of national
unity isn't going to work,
Mugabe isn't serious about making it work - he
never has been. What we need
is Zuma to do something." Benton described the
protest as a huge success,
saying more than 100 people were involved by the
end of the demonstration.
She said the protest was indicative of how angry
Zimbabweans are that Zuma
has been so accommodating of Mugabe.
"He
used to be so critical of Mugabe and there was hope that he would be
tough
with the regime, but instead he's giving Mugabe a big present by
calling for
sanctions to be lifted," Benton said.
The protesting group handed over a
petition to the High Commission calling
on Zuma to arrange early elections
in Zimbabwe. The petition was signed by
hundreds of people who have passed
by the Saturday Vigil, a weekly
demonstration outside the Zimbabwean Embassy
in London. The petition was
also accompanied by the following letter to
President Zuma:
"We appeal to you to arrange early elections in Zimbabwe.
We are aware that
politicians in Zimbabwe don't want new elections until
they have had their
fill at the trough but we believe that the situation can
only worsen until
there is a democratically elected government in
place."
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
5 March 2010
Robert Mugabe has said that fresh elections to
replace the troubled
inclusive government will be held next year 'with or
without a new
constitution.'
Briefing journalists at a news
conference in Harare on Thursday Mugabe said
the Global Political Agreement
has a two year lifespan which means that 'if
the constitution-making process
succeeds there will be an election and if it
fails that too would lead to an
election.'
But Mugabe said the period of the inclusive government could
be extended if
the party principals sat down and decided on the matter 'as
long as it was
constitutional'.
The ZANU PF leader also revealed that
he would stand for re-election if his
party decides to nominate
him.
If elections are held next year analysts are questioning whether any
safety
measures will be in place to assure the people of Zimbabwe that the
process
will go smoothly, that there will be no violence and that and the
people's
mandate will be respected and honoured.
Human rights lawyer
Dewa Mavhinga said the challenge has to do with what is
happening on the
ground at the moment to prepare for credible, free and fair
elections.
'Clearly for ZANU PF a new and democratic constitution
would be an
inconvenience to them-so it would do them well to have elections
without
democratic transparent and accountable systems. These would enable
them
again to rig their way into power,' Mavhinga said.
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party have in the last few
weeks
called for fresh elections next year, but under a new constitution.
Tsvangirai insists a new constitution should be enacted by the end of this
year followed by fresh elections six months later.
Mavhinga noted that it
would be naïve for the MDC not to be preparing for
the elections next year,
even in the eventuality that a new constitution is
not in place.
'It
is in the interest of the MDC and all democratic forces to ensure that
conditions are in place, institutions are in place, for the holding of a
credible, free and fair election in Zimbabwe and not for a repeat of the
2008 fiasco of a sham election,' Mavhinga added.
An MDC insider told
us their party has long been preparing for elections
since the disputed poll
in 2008. Every weekend, teams of MDC officials are
dispatched to all
provinces to address party supporters from branch, ward
and district
levels.
'We've never stopped engaging people since 2008. Our
secretary-general
(Tendai Biti) is on record saying the MDC is ready for an
election
yesterday, today or tomorrow. This shows preparatory work is
already
underway on the ground,' the MDC MP said.
http://uk.reuters.com
Fri Mar 5, 2010 3:44pm
GMT
By Giles Elgood
LONDON (Reuters) - South African President
Jacob Zuma, rebuffed by Britain
in his call to end to sanctions on Zimbabwe,
said Friday he had put his
point across about the need to resolve the crisis
in the struggling country.
Winding up a state visit to Britain, Zuma said
he wanted to move forward as
quickly as possible on Zimbabwe and expected to
visit to his neighbour very
shortly as part of South Africa's efforts to
broker an end to the crisis.
Zuma said at the start of his trip to London
this week that he wanted an end
to sanctions against Zimbabwe, but Britain
said it wanted to see more
progress on human rights and democracy before the
European Union lifts the
measures targeted against President Robert Mugabe
and his allies.
"I think we have put our point across," Zuma told
reporters Friday. "I think
everybody has been saying they need to think
about what was said so that we
can have a resolution of the Zimbabwe
problem."
"With regard to South Africa this issue is not just a
theoretical issue. It
is an issue that impacts on South Africa," Zuma
said.
As the Zimbabwean economy has collapsed, 3 million Zimbabweans have
fled
across the border into South Africa, placing that country's social
infrastructure under severe strain.
Mugabe and his old rival Morgan
Tsvangirai formed a unity government in
Zimbabwe last year.
Despite
persistent friction between the two leaders, they have agreed on
commissions
to drive media, electoral and human rights reforms.
"I am convinced that
the establishment of those three commissions has given
a new indication to
the Western world that the Zimbabwean issue is moving
forward," Zuma
said.
"What therefore we need is a response to that -- that here is a
process
moving forward," Zuma said. "We want to move forward as quickly as
possible."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Zuma Thursday that the
EU's sanctions did
not target Zimbabwe or Zimbabweans but "individuals who
are responsible for
violence and a number of businesses linked to
them."
Zuma concluded his state visit by holding talks with Prince
Charles |
South African President Jacob Zuma has been met by protesters in London chanting "shame on you" on the last day of his state visit to Britain.
Earlier, the leader sparked anger over calls for international sanctions on Zimbabwe to be eased.
About 50 people gathered outside the South African High Commission, waving banners saying "Zuma save Zimbabwe".
In response, President Zuma walked up a red carpet at South Africa House before turning and waving to demonstrators.
Earlier on Friday, he held talks with Prince Charles at Clarence House on climate change, youth opportunities and the built environment.
'Another wife'
During his three-day state visit, the leader suggested sanctions should be eased to help Zimbabwe "move forward".
But campaigners accused him of appeasing Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and believe he should be doing more to ensure fresh elections are called in the country.
Gordon Brown has said Zimbabwe must show progress in key areas including democratic reforms before sanctions are lifted.
At the protest, one man wearing a Mugabe mask held aloft a sign saying "Zuma - have another wife on me".
The 67-year-old leader is a polygamist - following a Zulu tradition - and has taken a third wife.
Rose Benton, co-ordinator of a weekly demonstration outside the Zimbabwean embassy, said: "The government of national unity isn't going to work, Mugabe isn't serious about making it work - he never has been.
"What we need is Zuma to do something, " she said.
This has been the third state visit to Britain by a South African president since the advent of full democracy in 1994.
Nelson Mandela came to the UK in 1996 and Thabo Mbeki in 2001.
Mugabe’s
messages for Zuma
‘Thank you Zuma’ ‘Have another wife on me’ ‘Bring me my machine
gun’
rant
crowd greets President Zuma
Image
of today was President Mugabe welcoming President Zuma to the South African High
Commission in London with the poster ‘Have another wife on me’, in gratitude for
Zuma’s campaigning for the lifting of shopping sanctions.
The
fact that Mugabe (in the form of the Zimbabwe Vigil’s Fungayi Mabhunu) was
sporting a row of horse brasses in place of decorations was considered
appropriate by the crowd of more than 100 Zimbabweans gathered at South Africa
House.
To
be fair to Zuma, he did give us a friendly wave when he arrived at the High
Commission – despite the booing and chants of ‘Shame on You Zuma’.
There
will be full details of our protest in tomorrow’s Vigil
diary.
For latest
Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check the link at the top of the home page
of our website. For earlier ZimVigil TV
programmes check the ZBN News website: http://www.zbnnews.com/home/firingline
FOR THE
RECORD: 106
signed the
register.
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The
Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
05 March
2010
Trading on Zimbabwe's stock exchange has plummeted from a daily
average of
US$2 million to US$500 000, since a controversial empowerment law
was
published. Emmanuel Munyukwi, the chief executive of the stock exchange,
confirmed the development to the South African Mail and Guardian
newspaper.
Mugabe's party railroaded the Indigenization and Economic
Empowerment Bill
into law, despite fierce resistance from their MDC
coalition partners. The
law requires all foreign investors to cede 51
percent of their investment to
'indigenous' people. It was passed through
parliament in 2007 when ZANU PF
still had a majority in parliament and ran
government alone.
The regulations were deliberately 'smuggled' into law on
Monday this week
despite the formation of a coalition government, almost 3
years after the
bill originally sailed through parliament. Already the stock
exchange has
seen 10 straight days of losses. Nervous investors are now
shunning the
stock exchange and this prompted Youth and Empowerment Minister
Savior
Kasukuwere to meet officials there to discuss possible temporary
reprieves.
Industry and Trade Minister Welshman Ncube however said Kasukuwere
had
prematurely published the regulations when they were still before the
Cabinet Committee on Legislation. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was meant
to chair a Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday to discuss the
controversial law but no details of that were released. Kasukuwere however
remained adamant there would be 'no going back' on the law.
Writing in
his weekly column for the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper,
economic analyst
Eric Bloch said; 'After only three weeks, it is irrefutably
evident that the
ill effects of the regulations upon the economy are
monolithic in extent,
and are set to bring the near-total demise of an
economy which had begun to
recover from decades of gross mismanagement and
abuse.'
Bloch argued
that with 'lighting speed' government had destroyed foreign
investor
confidence, frozen all lines of credit, intensified Zimbabwe
isolation and
motivated many companies to reconsider their operations in the
country. This
he said would add to unemployment and exacerbate the poverty,
misery,
suffering and malnutrition of the majority of the population.
Blogger
Freeman Chari weighed in with his views arguing, 'If ZANU PF is
serious
about black empowerment I challenge it to walk the talk and begin by
accepting that most of the damage to black entrepreneurship in the past 30
years was due to its bad governance and impunity. After that we share its
proceeds of corruption and plunder before we demand the 51% from
foreigners!'
http://www1.voanews.com
Peta Thornycroft
| Harare 05 March 2010
This week in London British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown rejected a proposal
from South Africa's Jacob Zuma to soften
travel and financial restrictions
against President Robert Mugabe and his
inner circle. Mr. Mugabe and his
ZANU-PF party charge that the measures are
holding back the country's
economic recovery. Many people in the streets
of Harare say the
restrictions should remain until there is more political
progress.
Almost uniformly people going about their business in Harare
told VOA
international restrictions against Mr. Mugabe and senior members of
ZANU-PF
should remain.
Bhekitemba Sibanda, a stationary salesman in
Central Harare, is one of many
in the city who expressed support for the
Movement for Democratic Change.
He tells VOA the restrictive measures were
introduced because of widespread
violence against Mr. Mugabe's opponents
after he failed to win the first
round presidential poll in
2008.
"Those sanctions were imposed specifically because the motive was
to bring
sanity in a government that had gone berserk terrorizing its own
people
subverting its own constitution," he said.
Sibanda believe the
restrictions need to remain until there is greater
progress in fully
implementing the agreement that brought the unity
government.
Isaac
Chideme, a former policeman, said the measure would be lifted when all
three
parties which signed a political agreement in September 2008 agreed
sufficient progress had been made.
"The Americans and the Europeans,
they said we want to see progress on the
ground and if there is progress on
the ground, what are you afraid of
because they invited us when we have
progress we invite you three parties,
you three come to Europe and tell us
you have progress," he said.
Mr. Mugabe says ZANU-PF has complied with
all demands of the political
agreement, and says the U.S. and European
sanctions are standing in the way
of any further progress.
But
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and other civil rights groups say the
level of repression in Zimbabwe is rising.
The lawyers offered
examples of several civil rights activists who have
recently been arrested
when they tried to hold meetings in areas which have
traditionally been
ZANU-PF strongholds. They also point to trades union
leaders forced to hide
and flee Zimbabwe to avoid arrest.
The International Crisis Group, or
ICG, says Zimbabwe is in danger of
returning to the collapsed state it was
in prior to establishment of a unity
government a year ago.
ICG said
ZANU-PF and its security establishment maintain what the
Brussels-based
group calls an intransigent stance on reforms for political
stability. It
said a relatively small number of officials, motivated by fear
of losing
power, wealth and impunity, oppose reforms.
On Wednesday President Robert
Mugabe, now 86, said he was available for
re-election. The next election,
after a new constitution is completed, is
scheduled to take place next
year.
Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change charges that
constitution
writing is being delayed by obstructions put in the way of
progress by
ZANU-PF.
Mr. Mugabe also blames EU and US restrictions
for the failed economy and
says it is up to Mr. Tsvangirai to get them
removed.
Harare salesman Sibanda points out that the Movement for
Democratic Change
has no power to impose or lift EU and U.S. restrictions
against the ZANU-PF
hierarchy.
"So-called smart sanctions were
imposed by independent governments. It is
their own institutions that
influence such decisions," he said.
Zimbabwe's economy, which briefly
revived after the inclusive government was
formed, is stagnant now,
according to economists and industry executives.
There is little domestic
investment and almost no foreign investment. And,
inflation - according to
retailers - is now moving towards 20 percent.
The Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
Monday February 22nd - Sunday February
28th 2010
Weekly Media Review 2010-07
COMMENT
THE recent furore over
Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's sanctions comments reignited debate
over the power of television to selectively
quote politicians and the
weakness of
politicians who make public statements that can
be used to
support issues they do not
necessarily agree with.
MMPZ was attracted to
this issue following
attempts by the Prime Minister's Office to
"clarify" government media reports that quoted
Tsvangirai calling for
the lifting of Western
sanctions while addressing journalists soon
after
meeting Danish Minister for Development
Co-operation Soren Pind.
SW Radio
Africa (3/2) quoted the PM's spokesman,
James Maridadi, denying Tsvangirai
had called
for the removal of sanctions, saying: "Never did
the Prime
Minister refer to them as sanctions,
but restrictive measures. The media
quoted him
out of context, but he reiterated that the West
should
acknowledge the progress of the
government by lifting restrictive measures,
once
certain prerequisites have been met."
However, a ZTV report (1/3,
8pm) clearly showed
Tsvangirai declaring: "Well, the issue of
sanctions
debate is a very contentious one in
Zimbabwe. We want all sanctions removed"
(1/3,
8pm).
What is not in dispute however, as pointed out
by
Maridadi, was the station's selective
portrayal of Tsvangirai's comments to
suit a
particular editorial slant by omitting the
context in which he
made his comments.
A lengthier clip of Tsvangirai's "offending"
statement, carried in a subsequent report on ZTV
(3/3, 8pm) angled on
analysts' commendation of
the Prime Minister's stance, provided the proper
context for his remarks.
It showed Tsvangirai qualifying his call for the
removal of sanctions, saying: "Šbut you see the
thing is that
it's not up to us, it's not up to
what we say here in Zimbabwe but what we
do that
will convince those who have imposed those
sanctions; that they
have their own benchmarks
to assess whether we have made progress or not.
The EU has got its benchmarks; we believe there
is progress in the
country to be rewarded,
thereforeŠrewarding it would have to be
about
removing any sort of impediments that will allow
the country to
move forward. Any support that
will come to the country will be
welcome."
MMPZ advises political spokespersons to be
honest in
repackaging statements made by their
bosses - and for the government media
to desist
from selectively quoting sources to satisfy
their partisan
editorial slant.
http://www.zicora.com/
Posted By Own Staff Saturday, 06 March 2010
01:32
Areas that are downstream of Kariba Dam have been warned of
possible
flooding as the Zambezi River Authority plans to open the dam's
floodgates
to relieve pressure on the dam wall.
In a statement, ZRA
advised the general public to take precautionary
measures, as a sudden rise
in the river level downstream was expected.
The huge inflows of water
into the Kariba Dam call for the opening of the
floodgates to relieve
pressure on the dam wall to avoid cracking and
collapse. The collapse of the
dam would compromise the region's power
supplies.The Minister of Water
Resources Development and Management, Samuel
Sipepa Nkomo said the dam could
collapse and flooding could take place as
there was too much water going to
the Kariba Dam.
"The spillway gates have to be opened to avoid over
topping of the water and
flooding along the Kariba Dam banks. Once there is
too much water, the
Kariba dam wall could also be damaged and that could
mean there will be an
electricity blackout in the region," he
said.
Minister Nkomo said it was important for villagers living along the
banks of
the Zambezi downstream of the Kariba Dam to be informed of the
opening of
the gates so that they take precautionary measures.
"Once
the gates are opened, there could be a sudden rise in the river
downstream
of Kariba, hence villagers need to take precautionary measures,
so that they
are not taken by surprise and flooded by the water," he said.
Due to
heavy rains that were received in February over the Zambezi River
Basin ,
there has been an increase in the river flow in the Zambezi River.
There
are six spillway gates, but the ZRA opens three at a time, to control
the
water. After about two weeks, they then open the other three gates.
The
ZRA also highlighted that it was important for precautionary measures to
be
taken as forecasts by the Meteorological Department were that wet
conditions
were likely to continue for sometime.
However, Minister Nkomo said the
filling up of the Zambezi River did not
benefit the country in terms of the
water situation.
"The filling up of the Zambezi River does not address
the crisis of the
water situation in most cities in the country because by
the time the water
reaches Kariba it will have gone past the pipeline area,"
he said.
Zimbabwe is hoping to draw water from the Zambezi River to the
Gwayi-Shangani dam to ease the water problems in the Matabeleland
region.
http://www.herald.co.zw
Saturday,
March 06, 2010
Bindura Bureau
Flash
floods swept across Mbire District on Tuesday leaving about 10
families
marooned.
Though details were still sketchy at the time of writing, it is
understood
that more families have been affected.
Mashonaland Central
Civil Protection Unit chairman Mr Josphat Jaji said the
provincial
leadership had dispatched a team to assess the damage and
mobilise
assistance.
"We have had floods in Kanyemba in Mbire District near
Zimbabwe's border
post with Mozambique and Zambia.
"About 10 families
were affected though we believe the figure could be
higher. Three of the
affected families were trapped in some trees before
they were rescued," he
said.
Mr Jaji, who is also the provincial administrator for Mashonaland
Central,
said the CPU received reports of more floods that could hit areas
such as
Chidodo in the same district. "We have been told that water levels
will
continue rising prompting fears of floods in Chidodo and surrounding
areas,"
he said.
Mr Jaji indicated floods could worsen when the
floodgates at Kariba Dam are
opened on March 15.
"There is a risk of
throwbacks from Musengezi River that feeds into the
Zambezi River and this
may cause more floods," he said.
Mashonaland Central Governor and
Resident Minister Advocate Martin Dinha
said they had established a
provincial command centre. He said the centre
would receive donations from
organisations and individuals willing to assist
affected families. Adv Dinha
said well-wishers could visit his office or
call on 0271-6262/7431 or 0912
240 357.
"The affected families need food, tents, freshwater and drugs
for curing or
preventing waterborne diseases," he said.
He said they
had identified a safe place in Mahuwe for affected families.
http://www.zicora.com
Posted By Own Staff Saturday, 06 March 2010 01:28
GRAIN Marketing
Board is set to retrench 2 157 'idle" workers countrywide
due to viability
problems.
The retrenchments are compulsory as a voluntary scheme
attracted a few
takers.GMB board chairman Charles Chikaura said retrenchment
of workers "has
become unavoidable after special measures undertaken to avoid
retrenchment
failed to achieve the intended results".
Chikaura said
most GMB workers were "idle" due to the liberalisation of
grain
market.
"The liberalisation of the grain market changed the operating
landscape
significantly; the GMB is now in competition with many private
players. This
development resulted in some employees becoming idle yet the
GMB is liable
for their remuneration," said Chikaura.
"The response
to management's proposal on voluntary retrenchment strategy
was
disappointing. Consequently, the compulsory retrenchment route will now
be
pursued," he added. Voluntary and compulsory retrenchment would require
US$62 294 and US$12 million respectively.
No dates have been set for
the commencement but it is understood that by
April some depots would start
downsizing.GMB says after the exersice is
complete it hopes to reduce
operational costs from US$1,200 000 to US$500
000 per month. The GMB was
struggling to pay workers from the little
available resources, he said,
adding that some employees were not as
productive as they should be.Chikaura
said the ailing parastatal would
re-introduce seasonal workers.
"
This strategy is designed to deal with and manage overhead costs while
ensuring that the institution remains adequately capitalised to perform its
national mandate," he said.
Zimbabwe civic organisations ZimRights and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) recently issued a joint statement drawing attention to the rising repression directed at human rights defenders in this country.
The statement says that various members of the ZimRights board have received threatening text messages.
ZimRights and ZLHR also said: "We urge the inclusive government and particularly the co-Home Affairs Ministers and the Police Commissioner-General to unequivocally guarantee the safety of all these human rights defenders and to assure them of their security pending full investigations into the alleged threats."
Here are some of the text messages:
Nunurai Jena, ZimRights Regional Chairperson for Mashonaland West received a message saying, "If we give you a task to ask your ZimRights colleagues to slow down and forget about the constitution making process will you do that or else.? Just comply."
Chitungwiza regional chairperson, Netsai Kaitano's message read, "Chipositori nekodzero, kana matongerwo enyika zvinopindirana papi? (How are apostolic faith and rights or politics linked?) Have you forgotten the pain of those beatings. Bidi and Tsunga are gone, Pelagia, Ok, Phulu and Tshuma won't be there anymore, when we will come for you."
Jabulisa Tshuma, the organisation's treasurer's message said, "Mr Treasurer Tshuma, who are your sponsors? You are all over the country. Are you turning ZimRights into a political party? What is the motive of your donors?"
Please get in touch with ZimRights and send them a message of solidarity.
And while these abuses take place under the Government of National Unity, the MDC is responsible for them. Email the MDC on mdc.internationalrelations@gmail.com and ask them to demand a full investigation.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=27744
March 5, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
LONDON - The British government is holding at least 209
Zimbabweans at its
immigration centres and prisons, it was announced
Thursday.
The figure was announced in the House of Lords after a question
had been
raised on the deportation of foreign nationals and the number of
them
currently held in detention centres and prisons in Britain.
The
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office Lord Alan West of
Spithead said the British government had announced in a written ministerial
statement on October 29 last year that authorities were looking to
normalising the returns policy to Zimbabwe progressively as and when the
political situation developed.
According to latest HM Prison Service
figures, as at December 18, 2009,
there were 209 Zimbabwean nationals in
prisons including those in the
immigration removal centres, Dover, Haslar
and Lindholme.
The 209 included those held on remand, serving custodial
sentences or held
under the Immigration Act 1971.
The British
government has over the years suspended deportations to Zimbabwe
owing to an
adverse human rights record of President Robert Mugabe's
government.
However, since the establishment of an inclusive
government between Mugabe
and rival Morgan Tsvangirai in 2009, the British
government government has
been considering resuming deportations of failed
asylum-seekers and
prisoners after their jail terms.
Campaigners
insist deportations should remain on hold because the coalition
government
is fragile and dominated by Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
Meanwhile, the
Minister of State in the Department for International
Development Gareth
Thomas told the House of Commons that around 2 million
Zimbabweans would
receive food aid, compared with more than 7 million last
year.
"While
the situation has therefore improved, a poor harvest could
substantially
increase the numbers of people in need," he said.
He said Zimbabwe's
economic situation had stabilised, improving the
humanitarian
situation.
"We continue to watch the country very carefully, as a
considerable number
of people still require food aid and a poor harvest has
the potential to
exacerbate the problems that still exist," said
Thomas.
He said the inclusive government had yet to achieve a series of
political
milestones.
"But we must recognise that Zimbabwe's economic
situation has certainly
stabilised and improved, which has undoubtedly
contributed to the improving
of the humanitarian situation there."
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by Mpendulo
Ngwenya
Friday, 05 March 2010 09:43
Johannesburg -The Democratic Alliance
(DA) has called for the process of
appointing teachers to be simplified
giving hope to thousands of Zimbabwean
teachers who have failed to secure
employment due to lack of proper
documentation.
The call comes after the
Department of Education in Limpopo employed 600
qualified teachers from
Zimbabwe. According to the (DA) 83 927 Learners in
Mpumalanga schools are
without teachers.
" We firmly believe that the process of appointing
teachers should be
simplified and we will be submitting follow-up questions
to the MEC, to
gain information about the departments plans to ensure these
vacancies are
filled without delay" said Anthony Benadie, Mpumalanga Leader
of the DA and
Spokesperson on Education in Mpumalanga.
The process of
verifying academic qualifications and obtaining working
permits has always
been difficult for qualified Zimbabweans and teachers
cannot be considered
for jobs in the country before going through that
process.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
After spending a month incarcerated at Masvingo
remand prison on alleged
charges of immigration transgression, Gahaodus will
finally get a feel of
freedom after a rescue intervention by the South
African Embassy in Harare.
ROHR Zimbabwe can reliably confirm that the
South African High Commissioner
in Zimbabwe has today confirmed that one of
the two detainees held at
Masvingo remand prison is indeed a South African
citizen and the embassy
will soon facilitate his eventual release to South
Africa after the
finalization of handover papers. The plight of the two
detainees was
unearthed by ROHR Zimbabwe following a tip off which led to
agitating
efforts for their release.
Despite the fact that the
Zimbabwean constitution states that a person is
supposed to be presented
before a judge within reasonable time of not more
than 48 hours after
arrest, the future remains gloomy for Marco Paulo Santos
Oliveira (18) who
was arrested together with Gahaodus. His hopes of ending
the horrific
incarceration have hit a stumbling block as South African
officials could
not identify him as a citizen of South Africa in order for
him to qualify
for assistance from the embassy. He is now confronted by a
solitary stay in
a foreign prison without the slightest hope of when the
light of freedom
will shine upon him.
Marcos only available option is to pay US $1000 to
the Zimbabwe immigration
office or risk staying in prison at the mercy of
the Zimbabwean government.
Marco and Gahaodus were arrested on the 2nd of
February this year by
Zimbabwean law enforcement officials for crossing over
to Zimbabwe without
legal travelling documents but the two deny any
involvement in illegal
activities.
ROHR Zimbabwe is appealing to the
rest of the world for anyone on
information which can be useful to identify
Marco Paulo Santos's country of
origin to contact ROHR Zimbabwe through
email at rohrzimbabwe@gmail.com
For
Peace, Justice and Freedom
http://www1.voanews.com/
Many blame their personal troubles on
supernatural influences
Cole Mallard | Chihota, Zimbabwe 05 March
2010
In Zimbabwe, witchcraft is still common in rural areas. Hardly
a week
passes without a local report or newspaper story on the practice.
For
example, police recently cornered a man at the Mbare Mbare bus terminal,
after they discovered a live cobra snake in his luggage. He told officers
the reptile was one of his witching tools.
About two weeks later,
some women were discovered wandering naked in the
early hours of the morning
near Highfield. After being confronted by locals,
they claimed they'd
"flown" from a rural location during one of several
night time escapades.
But they said something went wrong and the spell wore
off, before they could
return to their original location.
Four years ago, the government
proclaimed that supernatural powers do exist.
But it says it still prohibits
the use of magic if it harms someone.
Many Zimbabweans, especially those
who grow up in rural areas, find it
difficult to dismiss the existence of
witchcraft. Tendai Manyimo,30, lives
in Chitandara. He explained that his
wife is a vendor and that her face
became contorted after she was bewitched
by rival vendors. He claims she'd
been running a successful sugar sale
venture:
"When she came to barter with rural folk the trouble started.
One of our
neighbors requested [sugar] on credit and she refused. Before
the end of
the day she was bleeding from the nose, mouth and ears," he
says.
Manyimo said a faith healer cured her.
David Nyemba, 77, from
Mazhambe village believes he was bewitched by his
aunt while he was employed
as a driver in the city three years ago. He says
a turning point came in his
life when he quit his job in order to return to
village life:
"I was
the darling of the company management ," he says, "and I did not
realize I
could have some hidden enemies."
"My aunt pretended to like me and gave
me money to spend. My instinct told
me to refuse, but I went against my
better judgment and spent it. I was
demoted and harassed constantly by my
superiors [which] never used to
happen. I got the answers after visiting a
traditional healer."
Margaret Mashayamombe,83, is a traditional healer in
Mutenda village,
Chihota. She says witchcraft is used in families for
revenge and spite.
Mashayamombe also says the frequency of recent reports
on witchcraft
indicates forces of good are triumphing over evil. She says
Zimbabweans
should respect traditions by performing rituals favored by their
forefathers.
"Life was okay," she asserts, "until some over-ambitious
individuals went
outside the country to get advice from traditional healers
there on how to
get rich quickly. That is where the problem began, because
they came back
with remedies that are harmful [to] others. All this is now
being exposed
due to the powers of the spirits of our
forefathers."
Sarudzai Nyota, 33, a member of the apostolic faith sect,
says she believes
the country would be better off without elevating the
supernatural.
Sarudzai says people should turn to God and seek salvation
through Jesus
Christ, as a way of overcoming being susceptible to
witchcraft.
[Nyota says] The Christian church believes there's only a
"good" spirit,
meaning what is called the Holy Spirit, whereas witchcraft
has origins in
Satanism.
BY SANDERSON N
MAKOMBE
Much consternation was felt in the Zimbabwean Diaspora community
when ZANU
PF’s alleged red areas on constitutional reform were exposed. The
myopic
position adopted by ZANU PF is hardly surprising nor uncalculated. I
believe
it is their firm belief that the current generation of Diasporas
have
witnessed, and suffered grossly through their misrule that they owe no
allegiance to them, and to some extend, to Zimbabwe as a whole. Any
conference of rights to them would exacerbate ZANU PF’s precarious position
in any election called in the short term.
The debate on dual citizenship
is not peculiar to Zimbabwe . It is a
situation faced by many emigrates
worldwide. The current position with
regard to Zimbabwe is that dual
nationality/citizenship is outlawed.
Contrary to assertions made on a
NewZimbabwe.com article
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-1922-Zanu+PF+on+dual+citizenship/news.aspx
,the constitution does not expressly prohibit dual citizenship. What the
constitution does is empower an act of parliament to withdraw, prohibit or
limit citizenship entitlement. Section 9 of the Zimbabwe constitution, on
Powers of Parliament in relation to citizenship provides:
An Act of
Parliament may provide for:
(a) The prohibition of dual citizenship;
(b)
procedures for the renunciation of citizenship;
(c) the circumstances in
which persons qualify for or lose their
citizenship by descent or
registration; and
(d) any other matters regarding
citizenship.
Accordingly, The Citizenship of Zimbabwe Amendment Act No. 12 of
2001 was
enacted on 6 July 2001 to provide for prohibition of dual and/or
multiple
citizenship and the time and manner to renounce foreign citizenship
(in the
case of a person with dual citizenship].The political motivation of
this Act
can be traced to the results of the 2001 constitutional referendum,
the
subsequent farm invasions, the 2000 parliamentary elections and the then
impending 2002 presidential elections. Its sole aim apparently was to
disenfranchise the white vote and the large farm worker base that ZANU PF
inferred were more likely to vote for the MDC than for the rogue
regime.
It is approximated that 4 million plus Zimbabweans are currently
living
outside its borders and the numbers continue to swell if you consider
the
new born[s]. Advocates of dual citizenship argue that immigrants to the
more
developed world gain so much knowledge, skill and capital that to fail
to
tap into that reserve is foolhardy for any nation. Instead of lamenting
brain drain, innovative governments have sought ways to counter ‘brain
drain’
into ‘brain gain’ through various engagement schemes of which dual
citizenship is but one. This fact has been recognised by a lot of developing
countries. The government of Ghana noted in debating the dual nationality
bill that” The legislation is a tribute to the great support Ghana has
received from her citizens who have been living beyond her shores over the
years. This support has been in the areas of economic, technical, social and
infrastructural development … The NRGS contribution of 400 million dollars
cannot be treated lightly, and so the importance Ghana attaches to NRGS
cannot be overemphasized”.
The government of India followed suit when
realising the potential for gain
through dual citizenship, noting “Persons
of Indian origin settled in the
economically more advanced countries of the
world have skills and expertise
in vital sectors. The facility of Dual
Citizenship would foster better
co-operation in these sectors by way of
investments and transfer of skills
and resources.
The need of the PIOs to
build emotional and cultural bonds with their will
now be strengthened and
will facilitate the Diaspora's contribution in
India's social
Development.
Dual Citizenship would also help to bring about and establish
links of the
younger generation of the Diaspora with India as they may be
keen to keep in
touch with their roots.”
The African brain drain think
tank explolated also the advantages of dual
citizenship,
arguing
“Immigration regulations are cited as one of the barriers to exchange
of
skills and knowledge across borders. Foreign based professionals need to
be
assured that they would be able to return to their adopted country once
they
leave. Immigration laws in some industrialized nations require migrants
to
remain in the country for a specified period or risk losing their
residence
status. On the other hand, those who have been naturalized in
their new
country often have to make a choice between that or their home
state, as
some African countries do not recognize dual citizenship. Hence
the need of
more African authorities to allow dual
citizenship.”
Tanzania became the latest African country to embrace dual
citizenship this
year. The Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe explained
that Tanzanian
nationals living abroad will have double status by end of
2010.He stated
that a study of experts noted that Tanzanian experts employed
abroad
contributed immensely to their host countries and country of origin
in terms
of skills transfer, knowledge and investment and that it will be
folly for
the government not to recognise that.
The current
Zimbabwean inclusive government has repeatedly proclaimed that
Diasporas
contribute more than 160million US to the Zimbabwean economy per
year. A
great lot have invested heavily in the property market in Zimbabwe,
whereas
others run thriving businesses. In addition an unprecedented number
have
enrolled at universities worldwide, gaining valuable skills which
undoubtedly would help the country. Some commentators have gone on to argue
that had it not been money remitted by diasporas to Zimbabwe, the economy
would have long grounded to a halt [before the GNU], as there were no credit
lines available. Prime Minister Tsvangirai, Finance Minister Biti, Deputy PM
Mutambara have called for mechanism to engage diasporan investment and
skills in the rebuilding of Zimbabwe. At large the MDC has long argued for
the return of dual citizenship, which is in tandem with progressive trends
world wide.
Protagonists of dual citizenship on the other hand point
that dual
citizenship jeopardise national security and sovereignty.
According to a
report by the Australian Parliament on the advantages and
disadvantages of
dual citizenship, opponents of dual citizenship argue that
"a person should
be totally committed in a legal and emotional sense to one
country" because
"having more than one citizenship conflicts with notions of
national
identity and cohesion." The report cites Dr Katherine Betts of
Monash
University who insists that “the nation state is still an important
political unit. Communities that work have boundaries. Blurred membership
leads to blurred loyalty.” Other opponents of dual citizenship, cited in a
Chicago Tribune article argue that dual citizenship commodifies national
identity by "…treating passports like credit cards to be collected and used
interchangeably depending on convenience."
There are also other areas
that dual citizenship causes problems and these
cannot be discounted. Most
challenges are found in law enforcement,
especially on transnational crimes,
specifically on extradition. Some
countries have clauses in their
constitutions barring extradition of a
national for crimes allegedly
committed abroad. A reference point for
Zimbabwe is the Mutumwa Mawere
saga. The South African High Court ruled he
was a South African citizen yet
he held Zimbabwean citizenship at the same
time, invalidating a request from
Harare to extradite him. Chris Kuruneri,
the former finance minister was
ousted as a Canadian citizen. He was
arrested for foreign currency
externalisation and it remains moot what would
have happened had he skipped
the country and went to Canada.
However there is greater acceptance in
the modern, internationalised world,
that individuals may be citizens of
more than one country and satisfactorily
meet duties as citizens in relation
to each. There is greater acceptance
that having dual citizens hasn't done
much harm to nations, and that the
benefits of dual citizenship extend
beyond the individuals concerned. The
ban is disproportionate to any
potential of harm being realised. The
solution lies in having strong
criminal cooperation instruments and
bilateral extradition treaties. These
treaties will stipulate which
jurisdiction overrides when a criminal act is
alleged.
The trend as regards those countries that are embracing dual
citizenship is
to make sure that no one automatically losses their
citizenship by acquiring
another. The South African Citizenship Amendment
Act of 2004 which came into
effect on 15 September 2004, enshrines the
constitutional right to
citizenship. Consequently, South Africans can no
longer lose their South
African citizenship if they become citizens of
another country. However, the
law requires that they travel on South African
passports in and out of South
Africa.
According to Ghana’s
Citizenship Act of 2000 which went into effect in July
2002, “A citizen of
Ghana may hold the citizenship of any other country in
addition to his
citizenship of Ghana.” Citizens who lost their citizenship
as a result of
the previous law which proscribed dual citizenship can regain
their Ghanaian
citizenship by applying to the Ministry of Interior for
reinstatement.
Dual citizens in Ghana have the same rights as other
Ghanaian citizens.
However, they cannot occupy certain key positions in the
Government, the
Army and security apparatus. Some of positions in question
include Justices
of the Supreme Court, Ambassador, Chief Director of a
Ministry, or a Colonel
in the Army.
In Zambia, the National
Constitutional Committee adopted dual citizenship
into the Zambian
constitution in 2009.The amendment stated that ‘a citizen
by birth as
descent shall not lose that citizenship by acquiring the
citizenship of
another country. The provision was applied retrospectively
giving those who
had lost their citizenship before the enactment of the
amendment to seek
redress by applying for reinstatement to the citizenship
board.
There was much jubilation in Kenya in the case of a Mr Sarit,
a Kenyan by
birth who had acquired Australian citizenship. Justice Kimaru
ruled that ‘a
Kenyan citizen by birth does not and cannot lose his/her
citizenship merely
by acquiring a foreign one except when he
renunciate.’
Consequently a host of African nations now allow dual
citizenship, though
with variations. These include Mozambique, Namibia,
Angola, Nigeria, Zambia,
and Uganda.
Indeed it burgers belief that
someone born in Zimbabwe, of Zimbabwean
parents and lived their lives there
considerably simply loses their
citizenship because they have acquired
another. What is even more astounding
is the cut throat proposal that
children born in the Diaspora only must be
allowed dual citizenship. What
attachment do they have to Zimbabwe which
their parents lack? What type of
law is that that discriminates so patently
children and their parents? The
muppets who made those proposals must think
for the long term benefit of the
country rather that be motivated by
vindictiveness and shallow self power
interests.
What the new constitution must do is guarantee that
constitutional rights
will not be eroded by an act of parliament.
Specifically Zimbabwean citizens
must not lose their citizenship merely by
acquiring a foreign one except
when they renunciate.
The writer can
be contacted at smakombe@btinternet.com
http://www.swradioafrica.com
Dear Friends,
The tabloid press here in
the UK has had a three-day bonanza with the state
visit of Jacob Zuma. It
wasn't his politics but his polygamy that gave them
column inches of
coverage! Zuma's spokesperson immediately condemned it as
'racist' - which
it probably was, knowing the politics of the Daily Mail and
The Sun - but a
much more likely explanation is just plain ignorance of
Africa. What was
overlooked was one of the crucial issues behind the South
African Premier's
visit. The clue lay in the fact that a 240 strong
delegation of business
leaders accompanied Jacob Zuma to London. It was all
about business
opportunities between South Africa and the UK.
In putting the case
for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe, Zuma
argued that sanctions
made it harder to implement the GPA because, "There
may be some in Zimbabwe
who would use the issue of sanctions as a reason not
to implement the
Agreement in full." And we all know who that is! It was
Mugabe and his Zanu
PF who had spelt it out loud and clear at their recent
party congress: No
more negotiations until sanctions are lifted they
resolved. Jacob Zuma
claimed that sanctions made his job of mediating the
dispute more difficult
but perhaps the reality is that South Africa's
concerns are more to do with
business interests than the blatant abuse of
human rights and the breakdown
of the rule of law in Zimbabwe? With the
countdown to the World Cup now less
than 100 days away it would seem obvious
that a settlement of the Zimbabwe
problem would be uppermost in Zuma's mind.
Instead, the South African
President, supported by the AU and SADC, has
chosen to echo Mugabe's call
for the lifting of sanctions. In the same week
that the US renewed its
sanctions against named Zanu PF individuals and
firms, it was never likely
that Gordon Brown would agree to Zuma's call.
Human rights, press freedom
and issues of governance, have to be resolved
first, Brown insisted, before
we can consider lifting sanctions.
While all the pomp and ceremony of
Zuma's state visit was going on in
London, back in Zimbabwe there was
increasing evidence of human rights
abuses and repression of people's
rights. Gertrude Hambira, the brave leader
of the farm workers' union,
together with the entire leadership are in
hiding following CIO and police
harassment. Their 'crime' was to produce a
film showing police violence
against their members, 'Bringing the police
into disrespect' was the charge.
What that really means of course is telling
the country and the world how
the police treat its own citizens. Not white
farmers, this time, but black
farm workers, the poorest of the poor, driven
out of their homes and jobs by
greedy Zanu PF recipients of the land grab.
While Jacob Zuma calls for the
lifting of sanctions in London, Robert Mugabe
tells the media in Harare that
"We are not the biggest violators of human
rights in the world." Rather like
saying, "Well, yes, we've killed, tortured
and imprisoned a few but not
nearly as many as other countries have." Such
childish immaturity from an 86
year old man, who has, incidentally just
announced that he will stand for
re-election, does not suggest that wisdom
is a necessary adjunct of old age.
If, or should it be when, he is nominated
by the party to stand for another
five years, Robert Mugabe will be over 90
years old! Time enough for him to
have learned some wisdom and plain common
sense?
While the Old
Man maintains his vice-like grip on power aided by friends
like China and
South Africa, the Forgotten Children of Zimbabwe were the
subject of Xoliswa
Sithole's harrowing documentary shown on the BBC this
week. In a truly
shocking portrayal of the suffering of Zimbabwe's children,
the film maker,
Sithole, a young woman who was herself brought up in
Zimbabwe, repeated time
and again, "It wasn't like this when I was at school
here. I have filmed all
over Africa" she said, "and I have never seen
anything as bad as this." A
tiny girl, no more than seven years old by the
look of her, was nursing her
dying mother and caring for her little sister.
There was no food, no money
and no compassion from the school authorities
who turned her away from the
education that is her right because her mother
could not pay the fees, not
even one dollar could the poor woman find. In an
appalling slum settlement a
man and two school-age daughters, were reduced
to picking over waste in
search of bones to sell. And an orphaned boy
somewhere in the rural areas,
acknowledged by his teachers to be the
brightest in his class, was
desperately panning for gold to pay his school
fees. By the end of the film,
Xoliswa Sithole was herself in tears. "It wasn't
like this when I was
growing up." she said again as the tears streamed down
her
face.
And the man who has been in power for the last thirty years,
overseeing the
steady decline of everything that Zimbabwe once was, is
Robert Gabriel
Mugabe. It is not sanctions that have ruined the lives and
futures of these
children, it is Mugabe and his conviction that 'winning the
Liberation War'
entitles him and his Zanu PF cronies to lay claim to every
asset: the farms,
the mines, the diamonds and now the businesses .While
Mugabe's
praise-singers laud him to the skies as "a special gift God gave to
Zimbabwe
and Africa" (Didymus Mutasa); "a great visionary and revolutionary
-
constant as the northern star" (the Manyika Post), the children of
Zimbabwe
live in utter penury and are denied their basic human right to
education and
hope for the future.
Yours in the (continuing)
struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson author of Case
Closed published in Zimbabwe
by Mambo Press, Going Home and Countdown,
political detective stories set in
Zimbabwe and available from www.lulu.com.