https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/News&Views%20March06.pdf
Zim Online
Mon 1 May
2006
HARARE - Zimbabwean Agriculture Minister Joseph Made has told
tobacco
framers unhappy with low prices and government exchange controls to
stop
growing the crop that together with mining generates the bulk of the
country's hard cash earnings.
Growers have withheld tobacco
from the auction floors that opened for
trade last Tuesday, saying low
prices ranging from US$0.60 to 2.65 US
dollars per kilogramme would push
them out of business.
The farmers say an order by the government
they receive payment from
foreign buyers in local currency at the interbank
rate - which hovers around
Z$100 000 to the American unit - would plunge
them into bankruptcy
particularly because they sourced hard cash to import
chemicals and other
inputs on the black market where the greenback fetches
anything above Z$200
000.
Made said: "We have
told (tobacco) farmers that they can try another
crop if they are not happy
with what is being offered. The prices that are
being offered are good and
the central bank has also given a 35 percent
early delivery bonus (for
farmers sending their crop to the market early)."
Made's statement
echoes comments by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor
Gideon Gono who was
quoted by state media at the weekend as having accused
tobacco farmers of
being "perpetual cry babies" always demanding
unsustainable subsidies from
the government.
Gono is also said to have called on farmers finding
it difficult to
grow tobacco under present economic conditions to
quit.
President Robert Mugabe's government is banking on the sale
of nearly
50 million kilogrammes of tobacco produced this year to help ease
an acute
hard cash crisis gripping the southern African country since the
International Monetary Fund withdrew balance of payments support eight years
ago.
But activity at tobacco auction floors has remained slow
with farmers
withholding their crop until prices firm up.
Zimbabwe produced between 45 million and 50 million kilogrammes of
tobacco
this year a far cry from the 260 million kgs produced at its peak
before
land seizures that began in 2000.
Recent announcements by the
government that it is inviting white
farmers back to the land are seen as an
attempt to revive food production as
well as tobacco output and end a
foreign currency shortage that is
responsible for acute shortages of fuel,
electricity essential medical drugs
and other basic commodities because
there is no hard cash to pay foreign
suppliers. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Mon 1
May 2006
HARARE - For 35-year old factory worker Godfrey Jele,
Workers' Day
today is a big yawn. What remains for him and many other
Zimbabwean workers
are fond memories of a "golden past" in the early 1980s
when the day -
marked by boisterous workers' rallies - meant so
much.
All that is gone - swept away by six years of a bitter
economic
recession that has pauperised the majority of Zimbabweans still
lucky to
hold on to their jobs.
About 70 percent of the
country's labourforce is unemployed, according
to conservative
estimates.
Now while the rest of the world takes a break to reflect
and celebrate
the achievements of workers, Jele, from the poor suburb of
Rugare in Harare,
says he has absolutely nothing to celebrate.
"Why should I celebrate when I am battling to raise money for food and
school fees?" says Jele.
"My two children right now need about
Z$5 million each for fees before
schools reopen for the second term next
week. Where do they think I will get
the cash?
"But God looks
after his own people," he says revealing a deep-seated
spiritual conviction
that should certainly be more than useful for one to
remain sane in
Zimbabwe's maddening crisis.
"Otherwise, this country would have
been reduced to a cemetery given
the level of suffering and desperation over
the past few years," he adds.
Zimbabwe is battling a severe
economic crisis described by the World
Bank last year as unprecedented for a
country not at war.
Food, fuel and almost every other basic
survival commodity is in
critical short supply in the country with inflation
currently standing at
913.6 percent one of the highest such rates in the
world.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
party and
major Western governments blame Mugabe for ruining what was once
one of
Africa's strongest economies.
But Mugabe denies the
charge insisting the crisis is because of
sabotage by Britain and her allies
after he seized white-owned farms for
redistribution to landless blacks six
years ago.
With a salary of Z$12 million a month, Jele says he can
hardly
survive. The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe says an average family of
six now
needs about Z$35 million a month to survive.
"It's a
miracle how I manage to get to work and feed the family," says
Jele.
Economic commentator Erich Bloch says workers have been
hit hardest by
the economic crisis, suffering a progressive decline in wages
and living
conditions that has each year left them worse off than they were
in the
previous year.
"The worker is worse off than he or she
was during the same time last
year," said Bloch. "There's no cause for
celebration," he added.
With no political breakthrough to the
crisis, economic analysts say
the plight of Zimbabwean workers is set to
worsen over the coming few months
as the economy reacts to last week's
massive 300 percent salary increments
to soldiers and teachers.
The cash-strapped government is expected to print money - and increase
inflationary pressures in the economy - in order to finance the salary hikes
that observers have dismissed as an attempt by Harare to buy off security
forces ahead of mass anti-government protests planned by the opposition in
the winter.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary
general Wellington
Chibhebhe told ZimOnline that however hard their present
situation,
Zimbabwe's long suffering workers have no option but to gird up
their loins
for an even tougher battle ahead to assert their
rights.
"The predicament of the Zimbabwean worker is well known.
The onus is
on the worker in Zimbabwe to confront the government in order to
ease the
plight of the workforce," said Chibhebhe.
"The
government is squarely to blame for all the problems facing
Zimbabwean
workers," he said.
The ZCTU has lined up several activities across
the country today to
"celebrate 26 years of workers' unity, resilience and
determination."
A pressure group fighting for change in the
country, Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition, says Mugabe must be held to account
for impoverishing
Zimbabwean workers. The group said the veteran Zimbabwean
leader in power
since independence from Britain 26 years ago, was in
violation of the
African Charter on Human and People's Rights which says all
people have a
right to economic, social and cultural
development.
"Unfortunately, the workers remain an alienated group
from the
national cake, which remains in the hands of a few," said Crisis in
Zimbabwe
Coalition in a statement.
For Jele and many other
workers in Zimbabwe, the true meaning of
Workers' Day will only be realised
when they are able to enjoy the fruits of
their labour. But given the
hopelessness engulfing the country today, that
dream appears a distant
mirage. - ZimOnline
Xinhua
www.chinaview.cn
2006-05-01 00:41:18
HARARE, April 30 (Xinhua) Zimbabwean police
have bust a poaching
ring suspected to have killed elephants in the Mukwichi
Game Park, about 200
kilometers northwest to Harare, the capital city of
Zimbabwe, the state
media reported on Sunday.
The syndicate
is believed to have been led by a former police
officer, who was arrested
two weeks ago after being found in possession of
elephant tusks and a
firearm without the requisite licenses, the Sunday Mail
said.
Beavan Masomera, 40, the former police officer last
stationed at
Harare Central Police Station, was jointly charged with
Tonderai Evans
Ngoshi, 35, a police officer in Chotungwiza, and two others
in Karoi.
Police recovered two 303 rifles and 19 rounds of
ammunition when
they arrested the suspects, the newspaper
said.
During the interrogation, the suspects revealed that they
had
killed two elephants in Mukwichi Game Park, but detectives recovered a
total
of 12 pieces of elephant tusks weighing about 47.5
kilograms.
The four were charged with contravening the Parks
and Wildlife
Management Act. Enditem
April 30,
2006
By Andnetwork .com
SOUTH African DJ and esteemed
kwaito producer, Cleopas Monyepeao -
popularly known as DJ Cleo - has been
banned from performing in Zimbabwe
because he "is said to have uttered bad
things" during his visit to the
country last year.
Cleo, who
was scheduled to perform yesterday at the Large City hall
during the kwaito
night of the fourth edition of Umthwakazi Arts Festival,
which started
Thursday, would only be allowed to perform after
investigations into the
allegations have been completed, said the National
Arts Council of Zimbabwe
(NACZ). On Wednesday NACZ wrote to immigration
officials to withdraw
clearance for the kwaito star to perform.
In a letter to the Chief
Immigration Officer, C Maziva who is a
programme officer with NACZ, said:
"The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe
would like to withdraw its
recommendation made in earlier communication to
allow DJ Cleo into the
country. Information that reached us after
recommending him has necessitated
the need to ask the immigration department
to withdraw the temporal permit
it had already issued to the DJ.
"By copy of this letter, we are
also informing our Bulawayo office to
communicate with the promoters -
Umthwakazi Fundraising Committee (Ingwe
Studios) - to replace DJ Cleo. He
was scheduled to perform on 28/29 April
2006.
"May this message
be conveyed to the relevant borders, as it is a
matter of urgency. DJ Cleo
is said to have uttered bad things and until our
investigations are through,
we are unable to recommend his performances."
Although the letter
does not state what "bad things" the DJ uttered,
Standardplus understands it
was early last year when after holding a show at
Visions Night Club in
Bulawayo, Cleo allegedly spoke negatively about
Zimbabwe and President
Robert Mugabe in an interview with South African
journalists.
Ironically, a month earlier, on 27 March, the same NACZ official had
pleaded
with immigration authorities to give Cleo and his crew temporary
work
permits.
The Censorship Board subsequently cleared Cleo on 13
April, alongside
Brickz (Sipho Ndlovu), Moeketsi Mothwa, Brian Kgoe and
Sibusiso Nkambule.
In a statement the show organisers, Radio
Dialogue, yesterday
condemned the "outrageous behaviour" of the NACZ and
"the driving force
behind", as there were "no lawful and compelling reasons"
given.
"Radio Dialogue condemns the move by State agents to censor
and gag
entertainment and stifle freedom of expression in general. It is not
by
coincidence that they have sabotaged a festival being held in
Bulawayo.
"It is more alarming that the deportation or blocking of
the artist DJ
Cleo is done at the whims of an undisclosed and shady
character.
"We do not see how a DJ coming to play music can be
punished together
with the Zimbabwean public simply because he said bad
things," reads the
statement.
They accused NACZ of playing "to
the whims of dark forces of
discrimination and
marginalisation".
By Friday, it was not clear whether the
organisers would stop Cleo
from travelling, or would let him come and face
the risk of deportation.
Since breaking onto the music scene some five years
ago, Cleo has
established himself as a big name in the industry. He has
produced massive
hits for various kwaito and hip hop singers and recently,
alongside other
musicians, he produced the soundtrack for the 2006 Oscar
Foreign language
film nominee, Tsotsi.
Source : The
Standard
zimbabwejournalists.com
By Magugu Nyathi
HOSEA Chipanga, the
prominent and award winning Zimbabwean musician
who was set to perform at
the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU)-organised function at Gwanzura
stadium today to mark Workers Day will
not do so following anonymous threats
on his life. Chipanga yesterday phoned
the organisers informing them about
his withdrawal from the function.
Speaking over the phone the ZCTU general
secretary Wellington Chibhebhe told
zimbabwejournalists.com he was
disappointed by the politics of Zimbabwe that
continue to make the poor
workers suffer at the expense of protecting those
in power.
"Chipanga had for the past days been receiving threats through his
mobile
phone and they had even gone physically to his place to warm him to
refrain
from performing at our functions," said Chibhebhe. "This is purely
dictatorship by Robert Mugabe and needs to be condemned in strongest terms.
Chipanga is an artist and artists speak for the voiceless and therefore I
feel Mugabe is restricting Chipanga to send the message to the people who
desperate need it," said Chibebe.
Last year the musician
was quizzed by the Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) and threatened
for for playing songs during a
state-funded public gala suggesting President
Robert Mugabe would only
relinquish power through death.
Witnesses
at the gala said CIO officers had for the umpteenth time
warned the
top-selling musician to refrain from his 'anti-Mugabe songs' and
ordered him
to forward to them a list of the songs he was scheduled to play
at the next
state musical gala in honour of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
The
witnesses in other local bands, who witnessed Chipanga's brush
with the CIOs
during the gala held in Kwekwe city to commemorate heroes of
Zimbabwe's
1970s independence war, said intelligence officers dragged the
musician
backstage and sternly warned him to stop being critical of Mugabe
and his
government or he and his music would be made to disappear.
Chipanga, who sings in Shona and whose music is laden with social and
political messages, confirmed the CIO had confronted him about his music but
downplayed the matter which he said had been resolved.
The song
that appeared to have irked the state police the most was a
track titled
"Ndarota Mambo Afira Pachigaro", which literally means "I
dreamt the king
had died on the throne". In a thinly veiled reference to
Mugabe, Chipanga
sings of an ageing leader of an unnamed country, who vows
to rule until he
drops dead despite calls by his people to step down because
of old
age.
After being manhandled at in Kwekwe by the CIO, Chipanga could
this
time not gamble with his life after the persistent threats so he will
not
perform at the May Day celebrations today.
In a rare
display of bravado, the sungura music icon was at it again
this year when he
mustered the courage to take his crusade against the
burgeoning rot
obtaining in the country to the highest echelons of
government. He sang
against corruption in the government at a
pre-Independence Day ball thrown
for diplomats, the inner circle of
President Robert Mugabe and other
cherry-picked guests at the Harare
International Conference
Centre.
The performance by the sungura icon all but dispelled
illusions that
the top man presiding over the fate of the country was so
insulated from his
people that he was unaware of the unbecoming errant
behaviour of his
cabinet.
The langy musician from Manicaland took
his crusade into overdrive
with his song Kutendeuka, which is laced with
lyrics lashing out at the
self-serving reminders of the exploits of those in
government in the
liberation struggle.
After the reminders of what
people on the grassroots level are
feeling, Chipanga showed he had actually
saved his best for the last in a
new song, Gushungo, which opens with
praises for the President Mugabe who he
said is lampooned for other people's
sins.
Chipanga takes potshots at leaders privileged to access maize,
flour
and fuel among other essentials, but who prejudice the country by
diverting
these to the black market and other markets across the borders.
Many such
culprits have never been sent to prison, chief among them,
Mugabe's nephew,
Leo Mugabe and his wife for allegedly smuggling flour out
of the country.
Chipanga did not spare the greedy who have amassed for
themselves
multiple farms in breach of government's stated position and
bankers who
have since taken flight after their nefarious activities were
exposed.
The musician, a rare breed in the face of a deteriorating
economy, has
been hailed as a voice for the voiceless. And it seems the
state security
agents could not bear him belting it out to thousands of
workers at
Gwanzura stadium, reminding them of their continued suffering
under a
corrupt and inept leadership in the country.
Chibebe
said there was little he could at this eleventh hour to
persuade Chipanga to
come to the stadium since his life was more important.
"In normal
circumstances we are supposed to sue Chipanga. We had a
contract with him
but he has been forced to breach by the regime and we had
already paid part
of his money to his account. However, this will not dampen
our spirits to
commemorate the May Day because we understand that it is not
his own making
but the regime's," added Chibebe.
Speaking from Harare Chipanga said:
"I was supposed to perform at
Gwanzura today but won't be due to the threats
I have been receiving through
my phone. I'm not quiet sure who is phoning me
but I have been phoned by
three different voices warning me not to perform
or else loose my life."
"This is not the first time that I have
performed at ZCTU organized
functions but I'm wondering why these threats
are coming to now. Though I
know I would be safe during the performance my
life would at stake
afterwards this is why I have decided to
withdraw."
It is reported that the CIO told Chipanga at one stage that
he would
die for nothing if he continued playing anti-Mugabe music, let
alone
government-sponsored galas.
"I think who ever had been
phoning me meant every word when they asked
me where was I losing it. I have
heard these words before and they bring
shivers to my spine, money is
nothing but my life is worth more than
everything else," said
Chipanga.
Other planned activities for May Day will go ahead as
planned. For the
past few years the day has turned from May Day celebrations
to
commemoration. "We are not in a mood to celebrate, Workers are under
siege,
and we need to organise, unite and fight on with workers' standards
of
living continuing to slide there is really nothing to celebrate," said
the
ZCTU.
Mugabe and his government, wary of rising public
discontent because of
the worsening economic and political crisis in the
country, have in the past
few years been clamping on independent voices in
the country and anyone
perceived to be an enemy of the state.
The state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, the only television
and
radio broadcaster in the country, has also banned music perceived as
anti-government, especially music by one of the country's music gurus,
Thomas Mapfumo.
New Zimbabwe
By Staff
Reporter
Last updated: 05/01/2006 13:34:42
ZIMBABWEAN opposition leader
Arthur Mutambara says Zimbabweans based outside
the country should be
allowed to vote.
Addressing cheering supporters in Manchester Sunday, the
swaggering former
NASA rocket scientist said it was a "generational mandate"
to push for the
exiles to be allowed to vote.
"We are saying no to
taxation without representation," said Mutambara,
leader of the fractious
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
He added: "The denial of
voting rights to the millions of Zimbabweans based
in foreign countries is a
travesty that needs generational intervention.
That generational mandate
falls on us."
Mutambara was in England as part of a tour of several
European countries. He
was expected to leave for Norway on
Monday.
The MDC leader also spoke about his attempts to re-brand the MDC
since his
election in February. The MDC, he said, is need of an image
make-over to rid
it of its "jacket of puppetry" -- reference to fears
expressed by some
African governments that the MDC was too closely supported
by Britain and
the United States.
He said: "We are trying to build a
principled, patriotic political party. We
are not going to accept any
(foreign) assistance that compromises our
dignity and
sovereignty.
"Zanu PF will soon discover that they can no longer win
elections by simply
claiming credit for the liberation struggle. We have
pulled the rug from
under their feet."
Mutambara said the re-branding
was necessary in order for the party to gain
acceptability from African
governments which remain firmly behind President
Robert Mugabe.
He
said: "There was a perception that the MDC was a puppet party and that
was
very damaging. As a party, we are throwing away the jacket of puppetry.
It's
a new day. We come to you on the shoulders of Nikita Mangena, Josiah
Tongogara and others."
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The
Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2006-May-01
TALKS in the Tripartite
Negotiating Forum (TNF) have resumed and the social
partners are expected to
finalise the long-awaited incomes and price
stabilisation protocol soon, the
Minister of Public Service, Labour and
Social Welfare, Nicholas Goche, said
last night.
The negotiations for the protocol collapsed in February
after labour and
employers failed to agree on the former's demands that
workers be paid in
tandem with the poverty datum line (PDL). PDL is
currently pegged at $35
million.
In his message to mark Workers' Day,
Goche said tripartite consultations
based on a deliberate policy of
cooperation among the government, the
private sector and labour aimed at
transforming the country to prosperity,
were imperative.
"To this end I
wish to inform the nation that dialogue in the spirit of
working together
and commitment towards developing a common shared vision is
continuing in
the TNF," Goche said.
"Social partners have realised that the socio-economic
problems currently
confronting the country can only be resolved through
collective work and
effort.
"The TNF policy makers, in this regard,
tasked the TNF technical committee
to look into measures that should
stabilise our economy."
He said the issue of incomes and price stabilisation
was agreed to be of
paramount importance and to take first
preference.
"In discussions that are currently taking place, tremendous
progress has
been made and finalisation of the matter is envisaged soon,"
Goche added.
He said the only way in which real wages can grow substantially
in the long
run was by increasing the production of wealth.
National
wealth, he added, could only be increased if there was a
synchronisation of
ideas, sharing of common values and oneness of purpose.
"This can only be
achieved through a focused approach to the challenges that
confront us as a
nation, especially those challenges that occur in the
labour market," he
explained.
"Not only should we be limited to the compelling issue of incomes
and
prices, but also examine topical issues relating to transport, energy,
housing, health and various items which the TNF has already highlighted for
urgent attention."
Turning to the Workers' Day, Goche said it was
important for employees to
remember their colleagues who lost their lives
while at work.
In Zimbabwe there have been a number of work- related
disasters.
In 1972, 427 employees died at Hwange Colliery after an explosion
at the
mine.
Fifteen workers perished at CABS Millennium Towers in Harare
in 1999 when a
lift they were in plunged from the 14th floor. Five years
later, 23 farm
workers died when the lorry they were travelling in plunged
into a dam over
a bridge in Shamva.
"On our part as the government, we
wish to assure the workers and the nation
that we shall endeavour at all
times to make sure that all workplaces are
monitored through inspections to
minimise such hazards that may injure or
kill workers," Goche said.
"My
government wishes to associate itself with this very important
occasion -
May Day celebrations - which we believe gives the workers and
some of us
valuable opportunity to reflect on what role each of us played in
the past
years in the economic development of our country and future plans
to improve
our lives."
Goche bemoaned economic challenges facing the country and urged
Zimbabweans
to remain united.
"It is well known in the country that our
economy is facing formidable
challenges emanating from a number of factors
such as the increase in
international oil prices, the drought we experienced
in the last three years
and the current hyper-inflationary environment,"
Goche said.
"I must emphasise that Zimbabwe is part of the global village and
as such
requires concerted effort among all of us to face the
challenges."Inflation
was last month pegged at 913 percent.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The
Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2006-May-01
FARMERS could fail to
produce in the 2006/07 farming season if the
government fails to provide
attractive incentives, an official said at the
weekend.
Zimbabwe
Farmer's Union vice president, Edward Raradza, said the recent 700
percent
hike in the price of fertiliser called for a review of producer
prices.
"The new price of fertiliser has affected us so much that farmers
might not
be able to produce for the nation in the upcoming farming
season.
We need government to give a producer price of between $40- 45
million per
tonne for maize and $180 000 per kilogramme for tobacco," he
said.
Raradza said the hike in fertiliser was justified as the manufacturers
imported the ingredients to produce fertiliser, which was costly.
The ZFU
vice president said the government should adjust the exchange rate
which is
currently pegged at $99 000 to the United States dollar.
Indigenous
Commercial Farmer's Union (ICFU) president, Davison Mugabe, said
the recent
hike in fertiliser prices, though justified, would be detrimental
to
farmers.
"It (the increase in fertiliser prices) is a big setback for us. We
want
government to take into account these costs when they are pegging the
producer price. This is to prevent a situation where the farmer's income is
eroded," he said.
Mugabe said that they were still assessing the effect
the new fertiliser
price would have on farmers before they could recommend
new producer prices.
The ICFU president said government should resume
announcing producer prices
during the pre-planting process to allow farmers
to prepare adequately for
the upcoming farming season.
Meanwhile, our
correspondent in Masvingo reported that
farmers have been warned against
buying seeds from unregistered dealers.
Marketing manager of a leading seed
company in the province, Ivan Craig,
said: "You should desist from buying
seeds whose origins are not known, some
of which come from outside the
country."
Graig was speaking at a field day in Gutu.
He said it was always
important for farmers to buy seeds that were tried and
tested in order to
avoid unnecessary losses.
He added that locally produced seeds were the best
as they were designed
according to each region's specifications.
"Local
seeds are produced by Zimbabweans who know the types of climate in
each
region, thus they know which seed type is viable in Mutoko, Rusape,
etc," he
said.
Craig assured farmers that the country had enough seed this year and
did not
need to import any.
"We have farms and skilled personnel to
produce enough seed, and we also
have seed from last season," he
said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Councillor for Ward One, Eastdale, David
Mudziwapasi, advised farmers to buy seeds in time and not wait for hand-outs
from the government.
"A wise farmers buy their inputs as soon as they
get proceeds from the
previous season's crop and we must try hard to do away
with the dependency
syndrome," he said, adding that the government was
overburdened and could
not afford to help everyone.
Zimbabwe Farmers
Union president, Silas Hungwe, urged farmers to form groups
so they could
tackle common problems.
"It is easier to source inputs when you are a group
and it also helps reduce
transport costs," he said.
Hungwe said farmers
had a role to play in order to make the land reform
exercise a success and
prove to the world that President Robert Mugabe was
right when the
government embarked on the exercise six years ago.
He called on resettled
farmers to strive to produce more than just for
subsistence.
The farmers'
leader emphasised the need for resettled
farmers to use farming
methods
that protect the environment
and called for stiffer penalties
against those that destroyed it.