http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 21:52
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will not intervene in the acrimonious
battle between Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Reserve Bank Governor Gideon
Gono (pictured) because the MDC-T does not recognise his controversial
re-appointment.
Gono recently wrote to Tsvangirai a
15-paged letter of complaint
against Biti, which was leaked to the media a
day after the MDC-T referred
the dispute over his re-appointment and that of
the Attorney-General
Johannes Tomana to Sadc for arbitration after almost
100 days of
negotiations.
Sadc and the African Union are the
guarantors of the September 15
power-sharing agreement signed by President
Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai and
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to end
a decade of economic and
political turmoil.
In the letter,
which was still to be delivered to the Prime Minister's
office yesterday,
Gono accuses Biti of waging a personal crusade against him
because of an RBZ
investigation into alleged money laundering by the
ministeri's law firm,
Honey & Blackenberg.
However the MDC-T, as a party took a
position last year that Gono must
be removed from his post for contributing
to the country's economic meltdown
through the RBZ's quasi-fiscal
activities. The operations were blamed for
fuelling
inflation.
Gono and Tomana's re-appointments on February 24 -
11 days after
swearing in of the inclusive government - are now the only
outstanding
issues from the September 15, 2008 power-sharing agreement after
Mugabe,
Tsvangirai and Mutambara last week reached an agreement on permanent
secretaries, ambassadors and provincial governors.
Sources
said although the Prime Minister was angry that the letter
appeared to be
part of a calculated media campaign to scupper the coalition,
he was not
bothered by the contents.
"The Prime Minister is not happy with
Gono's latest stunt but he will
not respond because the man is as good as
gone," said a senior MDC-T
official. "He is no longer consulted on crucial
monetary issues and he is
just fighting a losing battle."
The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, Gorden Moyo said
the
letter would not have any "impact" on the operations of government
because
it had not been delivered to Tsvangirai.
"We have not received
the letter from Gono and we only read it on the
online publications and the
newspapers," Moyo said. "As far as we are
concerned there won't be any
response because there was no communication
between the governor and the
Prime Minister.
"It (the letter) has no impact on the
operations of government because
it has not been received."
Other
sources said the letter would not have an impact because the
fate of Gono as
well as that of Tomana had been referred to Sadc.
Biti has
dismissed the accusations that his differences with the
governor were
personal.
Mugabe has insisted that Gono would not be forced to
step down because
his appointment was in line with statutory
provisions.
There are fears the bad blood between Gono and
Biti, which ensued soon
after the formation of the inclusive government in
February was hurting
efforts to mobilise donors and
investors.
The World Bank last week revealed that funds meant
for the country's
reconstruction were bypassing the government because of
concerns that the
coalition has not demonstrated that "it can manage the
economy with prudence
and transparency".
Gono claims that
his quasi-fiscal activities were meant to tackle the
so-called sanctions and
were endorsed by Mugabe's previous regime.
BY KHOLWANI
NYATHI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 21:44
DESPITE
the euphoria and optimism that followed the formation of the
inclusive
government, which has just gone past its first 100 days in office,
service
delivery remains woefully inadequate and a distant dream for a vast
majority.
Rosemary Motsi's plight illustrates the dilemma of
many Zimbabweans.
Her day begins as early as 4am in order to ensure she is
among the first at
the communal borehole.Dreading what has become her
routine for more than a
year, Motsi picks up two 20-litre containers to go
and fetch her daily
ration of water. Motsi says she wakes up earlier in
order to beat the long
queues that normally form at the
borehole.
One would be forgiven for assuming Motsi, a mother of
three, is a
hard-working rural woman who must make the early morning trip to
the
borehole some kilometres away from her homestead, a routine commonly
associated with rural life.
But that is not the case. Motsi
is a marketing officer with a
reputable company in Harare and a resident of
East View Gardens in Harare's
medium-density suburb of
Eastlea.
In her two-bed roomed well-furnished flat, where she
has stayed for 12
months with her three children and husband, Motsi has not
seen a drop of
water coming out of the stylish silver taps in their
flat.
For more than a year now, residents of East View Gardens
which has
six blocks of flats comprised of Odzi, Zambezi, Manyame, Gwayi,
Mupfure and
Bubi have not had water supplies for more than a year. They are
among scores
of other victims suffering the consequences of failed service
delivery by
local authorities.
"There is only one borehole
here and if you wake up late you will
find the queue very long or the
pressure of water so low that you will spend
much longer waiting to fetch
water," Motsi said.
"That's why I have to wake up that early.
If I don't get up early
the children will be late for school and I will
get to work late."
Motsi is among thousands of Harare residents
in areas such as Ruwa,
Hatfield, Budiriro, Glen View, Msasa Park, Mabvuku,
Chitungwiza and
Greendale who are fast losing hope the new political
dispensation will bring
an end to their long wait for clean and safe
drinking water.
But the problem seems to have worsened in
recent weeks, with residents
complaining that the city council is failing to
justify the inordinately
high bills it is demanding in foreign
currency.
While in areas such as Msasa Park, Greendale and
Hatfield residents
are able to resort to boreholes for clean water, those
facing the same
problem in the high-density areas are worse
off.
When the government the management of water from the
Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (Zinwa) and returned it to the council
early this
year, there was hope that the water supply situation would
improve. That has
not happened.
Combined Harare Residents'
Association of Zimbabwe (CHRA) chief
executive officer Barnabas Mangodza
last week asked the government to
intervene to help restore Harare's water
problems.
Mangodza said since transfer of water management from
Zinwa there had
been no significant improvement in water supplies to
Harare's suburbs.
He said in areas "lucky" to have normal
supplies the water was "always
dirty."
Mangodza said
problems of leakages in the water infrastructure and
lack of manpower were
some of the many reasons why the affected areas
continued to go without
water for prolonged periods.
"There is a lot of infighting at
Town House to the extent that some
people have suggested that an independent
body be brought in to manage
Harare's water," Mangodza said. "But CHRA is
against this because once this
happens you have commercialised water. This
is not in the best interests of
residents.
"Bringing in an
independent body to manage Harare's water will be
like bringing in another
Zinwa. It is not advisable to give people who have
no idea of Harare's water
systems the responsibility to manage water."
Water Resources
Minister, Sipepa Nkomo said the Harare City Council
needs at least US$46
million to rehabilitate the Morton Jaffray and Prince
Edward water works
that supply water to the Greater Harare area.
Nkomo said
government was relying on donors to undertake this exercise
but warned the
country was racing against time to restore normal water
supplies to most of
the affected areas before the rainy season starts and
avoid another cholera
outbreak.
Nkomo said the short-term objective was to
significantly improve water
operations in Harare over the next six
weeks.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the
cholera
epidemic that claimed more than 4 200 lives has been brought under
control
in all parts of Zimbabwe except Harare.
WHO said
although the epidemic is now past its peak, the cases being
reported in
Harare remain a cause for concern, particularly as the root
causes of the
disease have not been addressed fully.
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 21:40
FINANCE Minister Tendai Biti has finalised work on proposed amendments
to
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act which will see a non-executive director
taking over as chairperson of the central bank board, well-placed sources
told The Standard yesterday.
The amendments are aimed at
ensuring the bank reverts to its core
function of price and financial sector
stability and stops quasi-fiscal
operations that saw inflation reaching 231
million percent.
However evidence of more quasi-fiscal operations
by the RBZ have
resurfaced.
Court documents seen by The
Standard show that a company registered in
the British Virgin Islands has
approached the High Court to force the RBZ to
pay it almost US$5 million for
buses it delivered to the central bank only
late last year.
The RBZ ordered 1 000 Swaraj (model ZT54-D-ELWB) buses from Alshams
Global
Limited, linked to local businessman Jayesh Shar of Gift Investments
Ltd on
May 23.
Information contained in court documents show that by
November 24,
Alshams, which had delivered 89 buses was forced to stop its
deliveries
after the bank failed to pay.
Alshams has hired
lawyers Atherstone & Cook in its bid to recover US$
4 580 162.50. It is
also claiming interest from the central bank.
It remains
unclear if the RBZ whose head Governor Gideon Gono is
fighting a turf war
with Biti, is opposing the application.
Gono, who has been
under fire for the past few weeks for spearheading
quasi-fiscal operations,
has removed his gloves in his fight against Biti.
He alleged last week that
Biti was pursuing a personal vendetta against him.
The Finance
Minister has however denied the allegations insisting he
is simply
fulfilling a mandate set by the inclusive government, charged with
reviving
the economy among other things.
Sources told The Standard
Gono's campaign had not distracted Biti from
his quest to reform the central
bank. They said he had finalised work on the
principles of the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill 2009.
The amendments are aimed at
addressing corporate governance issues at
the RBZ which is not financially
sound.
The bank's indebtedness to local and international
bodies is in excess
of US$1 billion.
It holds no reserves,
yet its gold and foreign assets must be around
40% of its liabilities.
Experts say this compromises the RBZ's position as
the lender of last
resort.
Biti wants Section 6 of the Act to be revisited so
there is a clear
demarcation between functions of the government and those
of the bank. The
amendments will ensure that the bank never embarks on
quasi-fiscal
operations again.
Biti considers the
digressions by the bank from its core function
resulted from inadequate
supervision by the board. He believes the current
structure does not provide
for the separation of powers between the Governor
and the
board.
Biti proposes that the Governor no longer chairs the
board. He wants a
non-executive director to take over the leadership of the
board which should
have a minimum of five but not more than seven
directors.
Like in most banks in East and Southern Africa, the
Secretary for
Finance will become one of the board members. Biti believes
that the
inclusion of the Secretary for Finance on the board will enable
fiscal and
monetary policies to be complementary of each
other.
The RBZ Act will have to be amended to ensure that a
Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) is established. The MPC would be chaired by
the Governor
who, however would not do as he pleases.
Section 20 of the RBZ Act would have to be amended to ensure that the
Governor carries out his work in compliance with the board's
directives.
The bank's deputy governors will be removed from
the board and be part
of the MPC. The board will have a supervisory role but
would leave technical
matters to the MPC.
Biti believes
this arrangement is enough to ensure separation of
powers between policy
makers and implementers.
Biti also wants, in line with Section
29 of the RBZ Act, to establish
the audit, loans review, human resources,
assets and liabilities and risk
management committees. These committees
would strengthen the board's policy
oversight role on the bank's
activities.
In order to avoid scenarios where the bank exposes
the government to
huge debt, the bank would need express approval from the
Minister and
Parliament before it contracts any
obligations.
Biti also wants the Minister of Finance to have
powers to make
regulations prescribing circumstances in which foreign
currency may be used
as legal tender. He also wants the bank to ensure
foreign reserves are 40%
of its liabilities.
BY WALTER
MARWIZI
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 21:28
MORE
than 10 000 people attended a memorial service for Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai's wife Susan in Buhera yesterday in what the MDC-T said
was a
humbling show of support by Zimbabweans.
Tsvangirai's wife died
on March 6 after the vehicle they were
travelling in was sideswiped by a
truck about 100km south of the capital
along the Harare-Masvingo high
way.
High-ranking MDC-T officials including Deputy Prime
Minister Thokozani
Khupe and Finance Minister Tendai Biti addressed the
service organised by
the Methodist Church, where the Prime Minister's wife
was a leading member.
Tsvangirai thanked the people who
gathered at the memorial service and
those who attended the funeral in
March,where people used their own
resources to travel.
and
solidarity had helped lessen the pain of losing his wife.
"It was a
massive yet humbling experience," said MDC-T spokesperson,
Nelson Chamisa.
"It was massive yet humbling turn out considering that most
people used
their own transport to flock to Buhera."
Chiefs and diplomats also
attended the service. The MDC-T will also
hold a major rally at Murambinda
Growth Point today.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009
20:38
AT least 850 Zimbabwe Prison Services (ZPS) officers who
completed
training at Ntabazinduna Training Depot outside Bulawayo last
month were
allegedly forced to contribute nearly half their salaries towards
hosting a
pass-out parade party that never took place, the officers
said.
Some of the affected officers say they were ordered to
contribute
US$40 each towards the hosting of the party that was supposed to
be held on
completion of their training at the end of last
month.
Those who tried to resist, the officers said, were told that
they
would not be assigned to stations on completion of their
training.
About US$34 000 was raised from the officers who each
earn a US$100
allowance a month.
"We were told that those
who do not contribute would not be assigned
to any station so everyone paid
but the party never took place," one of the
officers told The Standard last
week.
The officers said they had raised the issue with
management at ZPS
headquarters in Harare.
Chief
Superintendent Muzanechita, who headed the Ntabazinduna depot
when the money
was raised, has since been transferred to Harare.
But The
Standard last week could not establish the circumstances
surrounding
Muzanechita's transfer.
The officers said his position has been
taken up by one Assistant
Commissioner Dhenya.
"When we
raised the issue with the authorities we were threatened and
some were
accused of indiscipline. There are attempts to sweep the case
under the
carpet," said another officer.
Contacted for comment
Muzanechita denied forcing the officers to
contribute
money.
"There is nothing like that. These statements are coming
from
disgruntled trainees whom we fired for indiscipline," Muzanechita said,
without indicating how many had been fired and when.
He
said the officers were on their attachments at different prisons
across the
country for three months after which their pass-out parade would
be
held.
He said the officers will form a committee which will
organise the
logistics of the party.
"Nothing of that sort happened
yet," he said.
The prison officers however insisted that they
were forced to pay for
the party that never took place.
"All what he told you are lies. We completed our training and we have
already been deployed to various stations across the country," said a prison
officer now stationed at one of Harare's five major
prisons.
Efforts to get a comment from ZPS spokesperson
Granitia Musango were
fruitless last week.
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009
20:38
AT least 850 Zimbabwe Prison Services (ZPS) officers who
completed
training at Ntabazinduna Training Depot outside Bulawayo last
month were
allegedly forced to contribute nearly half their salaries towards
hosting a
pass-out parade party that never took place, the officers
said.
Some of the affected officers say they were ordered to
contribute
US$40 each towards the hosting of the party that was supposed to
be held on
completion of their training at the end of last
month.
Those who tried to resist, the officers said, were told that
they
would not be assigned to stations on completion of their
training.
About US$34 000 was raised from the officers who each
earn a US$100
allowance a month.
"We were told that those
who do not contribute would not be assigned
to any station so everyone paid
but the party never took place," one of the
officers told The Standard last
week.
The officers said they had raised the issue with
management at ZPS
headquarters in Harare.
Chief
Superintendent Muzanechita, who headed the Ntabazinduna depot
when the money
was raised, has since been transferred to Harare.
But The
Standard last week could not establish the circumstances
surrounding
Muzanechita's transfer.
The officers said his position has been
taken up by one Assistant
Commissioner Dhenya.
"When we
raised the issue with the authorities we were threatened and
some were
accused of indiscipline. There are attempts to sweep the case
under the
carpet," said another officer.
Contacted for comment
Muzanechita denied forcing the officers to
contribute
money.
"There is nothing like that. These statements are coming
from
disgruntled trainees whom we fired for indiscipline," Muzanechita said,
without indicating how many had been fired and when.
He
said the officers were on their attachments at different prisons
across the
country for three months after which their pass-out parade would
be
held.
He said the officers will form a committee which will
organise the
logistics of the party.
"Nothing of that sort happened
yet," he said.
The prison officers however insisted that they
were forced to pay for
the party that never took place.
"All what he told you are lies. We completed our training and we have
already been deployed to various stations across the country," said a prison
officer now stationed at one of Harare's five major
prisons.
Efforts to get a comment from ZPS spokesperson
Granitia Musango were
fruitless last week.
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 19:38
PROMINENT
lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has won two prestigious international
awards for her
outstanding work in representing human rights defenders
during Zimbabwe's
political turmoil.
Mtetwa will in July receive the Sydney and
Felicia Kentridge Award
given by the General Council of the Bar of South
Africa and the
Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize from the
Paris Bar
Association in October.
The Sydney and Felicia
Kentridge Award is given annually to
individuals or institutions adjudged to
have made an outstanding
contribution to law in southern Africa. Previous
winners include South
African Chief Justice Pius Langa.
The
Ludovic-Trarieux is the oldest and most prestigious award reserved
to a
lawyer in the world, finding its source in 1898 with the action taken
by
French lawyer, Ludovic Trarieux, who founded the League for the Defence
of
Human Rights and Citizens.
Mtetwa, who becomes the 14th winner
of the award, said she felt
honoured by the recognition.
South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela was the inaugural
winner
of the award in 1985.
BY MOSES CHIBAYA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May
2009 17:05
FARMERS' representatives have accused the inclusive
government of
failing to protect commercial farmers from fresh farm
invasions which have
brought agricultural production on many farms to a
standstill.
The Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) last week said the
principals, who
signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA) last September
agreeing to the
security of tenure of all land holders, had done very little
to stop
disruptions to farming activities across the country.
According to the CFU, most of the farm invasions are taking place in
Karoi
and Chegutu in Mashonaland West and Kwekwe in the Midlands. There have
also
been reports of invasions in Headlands, Nyazura and Chipinge in
Manicaland
as well as Chiredzi and Mwenezi in Masvingo.
They said
invasions will have serious implications for the country's
food security
situation, which is already relying substantially on
international
goodwill.
CFU president Trevor Gifford said at least 170
commercial farmers were
being prosecuted for remaining on their properties
since the signing of the
Global Political Agreement last
September.
Most of those causing disruptions on the farms were
officials in
President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party, and senior army and
police
officers, he said.
The fresh wave of land invasions
has forced many remaining commercial
farmers into hiding while their farm
workers have been assaulted.
Others have been chased away from
the farms - the only place they have
known as home since
childhood.
"How can we as a country which has vast tracts of
unused land continue
to persecute Zimbabwean citizens for trying to produce
both foreign currency
and food for the nation when the three signatories to
GPA agreed to ensure
security of tenure to all land holders," Gifford
said.
Mugabe, Prime Minister Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur
Mutambara signed the GPA last year which among other things
calls for the
restoration of the rule of law to ensure the restoration of
full
productivity on the land.
Justice for Agriculture
(JAG) said it was shocked by the inclusive
government's silence and failure
to put an end to farm invasions.
JAG president John
Worsley-Worswick called on the government to put a
moratorium on the
invasions and immediately embark on a full land audit.
"It
(government) should put a moratorium on interference on the farms
and focus
ourselves on production," said Worsley-Worswick. "However, there
must be a
land audit as soon as possible to flush out multiple land
owners."
He said several senior army and police officers, who
do not want to
see the success of the inclusive government were holding on
to multiple
farms as well as causing chaos in the farming
community.
On several occasions, the farmers have pleaded for
help from
Tsvangirai but they say he has done nothing more than condemning
the fresh
invasions.
Last week, Tsvangirai only expressed
concern about the continued land
invasions saying they "represent obstacles
to the full implementation of the
GPA".
The "new land
owners" are reaping summer crops they did not sow while
some crops are
rotting in the fields after the owners were prevented from
harvesting
them.
Gifford said farmers who had managed to harvest their
crops were being
prevented from exporting the crops while others were sold
on the local
market to the account of the new farmers.
"It
seems extremely coincidental therefore that most of the new
appearances of
the new beneficiaries coincides with this time of harvest,"
Gifford
said.
In a confidential report dated May 20 circulated among
the farmers,
the CFU accused the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs and
the
Attorney-General's office of ordering prosecutors and magistrates to
fast-track the prosecution of farmers and rule out accepted
defences.
Efforts to get a comment from the Minister of Justice
Patrick
Chinamasa and A-G Johannes Tomana were fruitless last
week.
While the farm invasions continue unabated, Sadc last
week indicated
that food insecurity was worsening in the
country.
"In spite of the expected improvement in cereal
production, food
insecurity and malnutrition among the vulnerable groups
remains high," Sadc
said in the agenda of a regional agriculture ministers'
meeting in South
Africa.
"The increase is attributed to a
rise in the number of food-insecure
people in Zimbabwe," it
added.
The country has recorded a decline in maize production
due to
shortages of seed and fertiliser and has been forced to rely on
imports and
food aid since 2002.
National agricultural
output has plunged since 2000 when war veterans
spearheaded the invasion of
commercial farms ostensibly to resettle landless
blacks.
BY
CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 16:56
MIDRAND, South Africa - The New Partnership for Africa's Development
(Nepad)
will this week dispatch a delegation to Zimbabwe to explore areas of
partnership with the inclusive government in agriculture and related
investments, officials said last week.
The consultations will
look at funding opportunities and ways of
salvaging the country's
agricultural sector, which has suffered a decline
over the last decade
following violent farm invasions.
Although members of the
delegation preferred to keep details of their
visit under wraps, sources
within the Nepad secretariat confirmed the
delegation would spend two days
in the country consulting with the
government and others.
The delegation will comprise mostly experts from the body's
agriculture and
capacity building departments.
The visit is part of Nepad's efforts to
help African governments boost
agricultural production, which the
organisation views as one of the ways of
shielding the continent from the
effects of the global financial and food
crises.
"This is
our first mission in a long time," said an official at the
Nepad
secretariat. "The delegation will basically be consulting with the
relevant
ministries involved in agriculture and investment."
Austin
Mwape, the senior agriculture investments and resource
mobilisation advisor
at Nepad, said Africa was better placed to improve its
agricultural
production through increasing involvement of the private
sector.
"The global experience has shown that governments
are not good at
running both factories and farms," Mwape said. "They should
allow the
private sector including the local businesspeople to make money in
these
fields and tax them to improve services to the poor.
"Look at the example of South Africa who are now taxing these people
to
address the imbalances of the apartheid era."
Mwape also gave
the example of Zambia where the government once took
over all mines but
failed to run them. The mines only started performing
well after they were
sold back to the private sector.
"Local private sectors have
played a big role in the growth and
development of agriculture in such
countries as China, India, Brazil, Latin
America and Australia," he
said.
Many countries in Africa, Mwape said, were still failing
to implement
the African Union's 2003 resolution that member states should
make 10%
budget allocations to agriculture and grow the sector by 6% per
annum.
He said although Zimbabwe had reached 15% budget
allocation by 2007,
the country's case had proved that more funding was
needed to achieve growth
in agriculture.
In most cases, the
funds allocated to agriculture were eroded by
inflation as soon as they were
announced.
The country's political crisis, he said, had stifled
the great
potential in Zimbabwe's agricultural sector.
But with
the advent of the new government comprising former foes,
hopes of
collaboration in the sector had increased.
"The problem for
Zimbabwe is that the macro environment, business
environment and policy
environment have not been very conducive for growth.
There is
general agreement that most of these were a result of the
political
environment," Mwape said.
"We are hopeful that with the new
developments Zimbabwe will get back
on its feet.
It has the
infrastructure, skills and a good climate among other
requirements."
Since its establishment in 2001, Nepad has
been playing more of a
facilitatory role in development initiatives on the
continent, but following
the organisation's recent integration into the
African Union, it is now
getting more involved in implementation of
projects.
Among other ways of improving agriculture, Nepad has
tabled
suggestions for member countries to support small-scale farmers,
engage such
countries as China, Brazil and South Africa which successfully
turned around
their agriculture, improve South-South co-operation and seek
low interest
funding with favourable borrowing conditions.
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009
16:53
GWERU - A Gweru headmistress and her deputy will perform 840
hours of
community service after they were convicted of contravening section
7(1) of
the Children's Act.
The headmistress Idah Mutuswa and
her deputy Munyaradzi Murenga of
Cecil John Rhodes Primary School were found
guilty by Magistrate Douglas
Chikwekwe although they tendered a plea of not
guilty.
Prosecutor Donald Chashaya told the court that the two
punished pupils
from Grade III-VII who had not paid a levy of US$80 by
making them stand
while lessons were being conducted.
Their
chairs had been removed from the classrooms.
Chashaya said that
this was done after the headmistress announced
during assembly on March 6
that children whose parents had not paid the levy
would have their chairs
removed from the classrooms.
The court heard that on March 8,
Murenga started moving around Grade
III -VII classes identifying pupils
whose parents had not paid the levy.
The court heard that 239
pupils were ordered to carry their chairs to
the storeroom and surrender
them to the caretaker.
They would only get the chairs back after
paying the fees, the pupils
were told.
While the defence
counsel had argued that removing the chairs was
necessitated by a shortage
of chairs at the school and that the two had only
devised the method of
taking chairs from the non-paid pupils as a
rationalising measure, Chikwekwe
told the court that he found the two guilty
of ill-treatment of children and
neglect by making pupils learn from 7:30am
to 1:00pm while
standing.
"The two are guilty as charged . . . The two created
an unfavourable
learning environment for the pupils and this conduct was
unjustified.
From a psychological point of view standing for
prolonged hours, isn't
that punishment? If there was a shortage for sure why
didn't the accused
make students alternate rather than use this
discriminatory method?"
Chikwekwe said.
Chikwekwe said the
two had abused the position of trust from children
and
parents.
In his mitigation, defence Lawyer, Brian Dube of
Gundu, Mawarire and
partners told the court that the punishment that the
pupils suffered was not
intended and also pleaded with the court to give his
clients a lenient
punishment since they were first offenders and also that
they had already
suffered isolation after the case was widely covered by the
media.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 16:46
MIDRAND, South Africa - Zimbabwean MPs taking part in the ongoing 11th
Ordinary Session of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) last week joined forces
with their regional counterparts to push for regime change at the
continental body.
Zanu PF's chief whip Joram Gumbo and Chief
Fortune Charumbira together
with MDC-T's Editor Matamisa on Wednesday joined
forces with other regional
legislators in denouncing tendencies by leaders
who cling to power and
successfully pushed for a formerly unscheduled
election at the ongoing
session.
The three are part of
Zimbabwe's five-member delegation at the PAP.
The other two are MDC-T's
Kokerai Rugara and MDC's Patrick Dube.
During a heated debate
on a motion calling for an election of the
leadership of the PAP, Gumbo and
Charumbira, who is the president of
Zimbabwe's Chiefs Council, said it was
unhealthy for leaders to hang on to
their positions when their mandates
expire.
They were referring to the term of office of the
various bureaux of
PAP, which expired on March 18.
"I do
not have the slightest doubt that despite the poor way PAP's
protocol and
other related documents have been drafted, the bureau's first
term expired
on March 18," Charumbira said.
Charumbira took a swipe at the
bureaux for failing to invite the
chairperson of the African Union to
preside over the possible election, yet
they had invited officials for the
budget.
Although African Heads of State at the 12th Ordinary
Session of the
AU earlier this year directed PAP to renew its bureau, which
includes the
president, Getrude Mongella from Tanzania and her four
deputies, the
institution's programme for the current session only provided
for the
election of the fourth vice-president, much to the chagrin of
legislators
who are members of the continental parliament.
Gumbo, who is the vice-chairman of the Southern African caucus,
called for a
renewal of all structures of the continental parliament saying
he was one of
those who did not want to cling to power.
"Some members of
this house have been at the forefront, battering us
as Zimbabwe left, right
and centre, accusing us of clinging to power," Gumbo
said. "I am one of
those people who do not want to cling to power so I would
suggest that we
renew all the structures including the regional caucuses.
"We
should remind ourselves that we are a parliament still in the
making and we
need to embrace democratic principles.
"We have been given an
order to immediately hold elections for a new
bureau or renew the mandate of
the current one.
"I think our terms of office in our different
committees expired on
March 18," Gumbo said.
Matamisa said
PAP should not have waited until the heads of state
proposed the need to
renew its leadership.
"We stand guided by democratic
principles," she said.
"This item of term limits should not
have been brought by the AU, but
as a matter of procedure it should have
been brought by members (of PAP).
"If things are dictated to us
from above, as an August house we lose
relevance.
"It is
time we came up with term limits for this parliament."
The
debate to renew PAP's leadership, which has been in office since
the
organisation's establishment five years ago ensued on Tuesday forcing
the
house to shelve debate on other issues to concentrate on the motion
moved by
Ugandan legislator Mary Mugyenyi.
Two camps emerged with one
pushing for elections "now", while others
said there was need to hold an
extraordinary session of the PAP.
On Thursday, all the members
sat as a committee and unanimously
resolved that elections be held on May
29.
Although some MPs seemed convinced that she was against
the motion to
renew leadership, Mongella said whatever position the MPs took
it was
supposed to be in line with the relevant rules and
regulations.
"It is not that we are objecting; if we were to
object we would have
done so at the Heads of State summit because we (the
bureaux) always attend
their meetings," Mongella said.
In
an earlier address at the opening session of the meeting, Ghanaian
Vice-President John Mahama said there was need to rid African institutions
of "political dinosaurs" who do not want to leave positions.
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009
16:44
GOING around the streets of Harare's Glen View and Budiriro
suburbs
where the devastating cholera outbreak began last year, it is
incomprehensible that the areas are still struggling to deal with the
epidemic.
Other than the trucks owned by relief
agencies that are providing
water to the two affected suburbs, there is no
sign the city council is in
an emergency mode.
Piles of
uncollected garbage at shopping centres and on street corners
around the two
suburbs remain uncollected.
Residents in Budiriro told The
Standard that council last cleared the
garbage dumping sites in January and
in the absence of a reliable waste
disposal system, the garbage keeps piling
up.
Health experts last week warned that if the problems were
not
addressed, Harare could soon be faced with an epidemic of larger
proportions.
United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
communications officer, Tsitsi
Singizi said Budiriro and Glen View were
recording an average of three to
six cases of cholera a
day.
Singizi said although cases of the disease in the two
suburbs had gone
down significantly, the remaining cases were still a cause
for concern.
"While cholera seems to be under control, which is
a positive
development, it is important that communities and health
authorities remain
on high alert and maintain vigilance because what drove
the outbreak in the
first place has not been addressed," she
said.
"This is why our focus as Unicef has shifted to medium to
long-term
activities to avert another outbreak.
"Some of
these activities include the distribution of hygiene kits and
drilling of
boreholes.
"But as aid agencies, we can only come in to a
certain extent. We urge
government to urgently address other pressing
issues."
Community Working Group on Health director, Itai
Rusike said the
sanitation problems in Budiriro and Glen View were a sign of
lack of a
political commitment to deal with the epidemic
decisively.
Rusike said although it was understandable that
sewer and water
infrastructure required a lot of money to rehabilitate, the
authorities did
not have an excuse for their lethargic approach to the
problems in areas
like Glen View and Budiriro.
"People are
paying rates to the city council and it is therefore hard
to understand why
they cannot remove the piles of dirt in Harare's suburbs,"
Rusike
said.
"It is some of these sanitation issues that caused the
cholera
outbreak in the country but there is no sense of urgency by local
authorities in addressing these problems, particularly in Budiriro and Glen
View where we know the disease is not yet under control."
The Chairman of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights
Dr
Douglas Gwatidzo said cholera was preventable and the government had an
obligation to provide clean water and ensure high levels of hygienic
standards in the city.
"There is no reason why people
should continue dying of a preventable
and treatable disease like
cholera.
"It is nothing short of criminal because it is the right of
every
sitting government to protect and take care of its
people.
"A government that fails to protect its people and
exposes them to
disease is not a government at all," Gwatidzo
said.
As if that was not enough, the local authority is also
failing to
ensure constant water supplies to these suburbs and repair burst
sewer pipes
at most homes despite numerous calls from residents to attend to
them.
These are some of the problems identified by the World
Health
Organisation (WHO) as the major drivers of the epidemic that has
killed more
than 4 200 people countrywide.
According to the
WHO, cholera is now under control in other parts of
the country except for
Harare.
The organisation blames the continuing crisis on poor
water supplies
and sanitation problems in Budiriro and Glen View, suburbs
accounting for a
large proportion of the cholera cases and deaths in the
capital.
Since the cholera epidemic began in August last year
the cholera
epidemic has so far claimed more than 4 264 people while another
9 624 cases
have been recorded countrywide.
From the total
cases and deaths reported nationwide Harare accounted
for about 19 232 of
the cases and 653 deaths with Budiriro and Glen View
recording the highest
cases.
The United Nations has warned of another cholera
outbreak later in the
year if problems of water and sewer infrastructure are
not addressed.
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009
16:17
VICTORIA FALLS - Potential investors have expressed concern over
the
failure by the country's political leaders to conclude outstanding
issues
from the September 15 power-sharing agreement saying the disputes
were
discouraging businesses.
The MDC-T last weekend resolved
to refer the disputes over the
re-appointment of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor Gideon Gono and
Attorney-General Johannes Tomana to Sadc after the
principals to the GPA
declared a stalemate.
President Robert
Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy
Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara only agreed on the appointment of permanent
secretaries,
provincial governors and ambassadors after almost 100 days of
negotiations.
Responding to questions from potential
investors at the conference
organised by the Development Enterprises African
Trust, PG Industries group
chief executive officer and one of the presenters
at the conference, Nyasha
Zhou said the failure to fully implement the GPA
had created an atmosphere
of anxiety among businesses intending to invest in
the country.
The failure to resolve these issues, Zhou said,
had also raised fears
that policies that were in place to promote investment
under the Short Term
Emergency Recovery Programme formulated by government
would be short-lived.
"Policy consistency is still edgy and is
on the rocks. Is what is
there today likely to be there the day
after?"
But Zhou said he was confident that the new political
dispensation
would succeed despite the teething problems because both Zanu
PF and the MDC
formations did have other options.
"The
political changes that are there are genuine because there is no
other way.
Zanu PF cannot continue printing money and the MDC cannot
continue
boycotting forever," he said.
Zhou said there was need to also
address other issues such as the
restoration of an effective civil service,
eradication of institutionalised
corruption and an investor friendly climate
before the country could instill
confidence.
The Zimbabwe
Investment Authority chief executive officer, Richard
Mbaiwa said there were
plans to transform the authority into a one-stop shop
where investors could
begin and finalise the process of beginning operations
instead of the
current system where they had to go to several government
departments,
slowing down the injection of much needed capital into the
economy.
The three-day conference is being held to find
ways of rehabilitating
the private sector which is a vital cog in the
revival of the economy. It is
estimated that at least US$900 million is
needed to breathe life into the
private sector.
BY KUDZAI
KUWAZA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009 16:09
THE Zimbabwe
Investment Authority (ZIA) says it is working on
streamlining the processes
prospective investors undergo in order to set up
business in Zimbabwe in a
bid to promote the free flow of investments into
the country.
Under the One Stop Shop (OSS) concept, ZIA proposes that all processes
that
investors follow must be conducted under one roof in order to reduce
red
tape.
This means that all the necessary paper work - company
registration;
investment licensing; immigration permits; labour tax issues;
obtaining
land; and industrial space; business licenses and permits; and
access to
utilities such as water electricity and telecoms would be under
the One Stop
Shop concept.
"There is need for Zimbabwe to
come up with an investment project that
will see investors gain their
confidence in investing in Zimbabwe again
because all the trust had been
lost because of the political situation that
had been prevailing as well as
the ever changing policies," Richard Mbaiwa,
the ZIA chief executive officer
said.
The OSS model comes at a time when investors have raised
concern that
doing business in Zimbabwe is long and
tedious.
According to the World Bank Doing Business Report
2009, Zimbabwe was
ranked 158 out of 181 countries on environment conducive
to doing business.
In some developing countries investors have
to wait for a year for
various permits and in most cases they end up bribing
their way.
The long and winding processes has resulted in some
files being lost
and investors walking away frustrated by the
bureaucracy.
The One Stop Shop concept has been experimented on
the continent with
great successes.
Rwanda set up the
Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Authority
whose major function is to
assist investors to secure all certificates
approvals, authorisation and
permits required to set up and operate business
enterprises in the
country.
In Mauritius, the Board of Investments provides the
link between the
investor and other stakeholders.
In Egypt the 33
departments the investors have to go through are
housed under one roof -
Egypt's General Authority for Investment.
The ultimate role of
the OSS is to identify shortcomings in the
administrative implementation of
the country's investment policy and to
remove all those barriers that
inhibit investors.
Mbaiwa said the authority had received
numerous enquiries from
investors since the formation of the inclusive
government in February.
He said ZIA hoped that more investors
would come and invest in
Zimbabwe.
Investment by both the
domestic and foreign investors as well as by
non-resident Zimbabweans has
been identified as the key to achieving an
economic turnaround and
sustaining economic growth.
Analysts say Zimbabwe has to create
a conducive environment to attract
investors who have lost confidence over
the past decade.
Under the new revival plan, the Short Term
Emergency Recovery
Programme, the government pledged to restore property
rights and enforcement
of the rule of law in order to lure
investors.
BY ROBINA MANGADZE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23
May 2009 16:09
AIR Zimbabwe is planning to send half of workforce on
forced leave as
it struggles to survive without Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
handouts, sources
revealed last week.
The national carrier - a
longstanding beneficiary of the RBZ's
quasi-fiscal activities that were
suspended at the end of last year - is
also planning to stop servicing some
of its unprofitable routes as part of
the desperate cost-cutting
measures.
Sources said Air Zimbabwe management tried to lock out
the affected
workers from reporting for duty last monthend but were thwarted
by alert
unions who threatened legal action after they got wind of
management's
plans.
"The original plan was that the chief
executive officer (Patrick
Chikumba) will draft the names of people to be
sent on leave and order the
human resources people to write letters with the
aim of ambushing the
workers on Thursday April 30 at the main gate while
they were coming to
work," said the source.
"It was
expected that the workers would then be given the letters
before they were
sent away but the human resources people leaked the
information to the
workers who rushed to hire lawyers.
"The workers confronted the
company on its intentions to flout labour
regulations which state that no
employee can go on unpaid leave for more
than a month."
They said Air Zimbabwe, which has not been paying salaries since
November
last year, cannot afford the half salary provided for in the law
for workers
put on forced leave.
The airliner has reportedly been paying
workers allowances, which were
cut by 70% with engineers, pilots and senior
staff being the most affected.
Acting Air Zimbabwe public
relations manager, Gertie Banda confirmed
the cost-cutting measures but
vehemently denied reports that sending workers
on forced leave was one of
them.
"Air Zimbabwe is implementing a cost-cutting exercise
aimed at
aligning its production levels to the available business and has
not sent
any of its employees on unpaid leave", she said.
"The airline has never failed to pay its workers as you
allude."
Banda said the global economic meltdown and the
outbreak of swine flu
had worsened the business environment for most
airlines.
"Airlines in Africa are among the worst affected and
in Air Zimbabwe's
case, its situation is exacerbated by falling tourist
arrivals, which has
been the case for the majority of the past
decade."
The national carrier's woes have also been worsened by
the government's
failure to make good its promises to pay the International
Transport
Association (IATA)'s clearing house.
Air Zimbabwe
was suspended from the house in February over the
outstanding
debt.
The airliner has abandoned loss-making routes such as
Guangzhou in
China and Kinshasa in the DRC and sources said plans were
underway to drop
Beijing, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Dubai.
According to the sources only Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, London
and
the local routes would be retained.
Ironically problems at the
airline are surfacing less than a month
after its Group CEO was named
Tourism Manager of the Year in the Public
Sector at the Zimbabwe National
Tourism Awards.
Chikumba was also recently awarded a
Certificate of Merit for the
"Director of the Year 2008". Air Zimbabwe was
the First Runner-Up in the
Best Airline Category at the same Tourism
Awards.
Last year, Chikumba said the airliner would consider
engaging private
investors to ensure its survival following the RBZ's pull
out.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
Saturday, 23 May 2009
16:05
A four-member delegation from the Nordic development finance
institutions, which ended its one-week tour of Zimbabwe, last week said it
was impressed by the positive business environment created by the formation
of the inclusive government.
The visit by the technical team
was a follow-up to the March tour by
the two ministers from Denmark and
Norway who were on a fact-finding mission
following the formation of the
inclusive government in February.
Danish Minister of Development
Cooperation Ulla Tornaes and Norwegian
Environment and International
Development Minister, Erik Solheim, led the
first European delegation to
Zimbabwe to explore ways in which the two
Nordic countries could help
Zimbabwe recover from decades of economic ruin.
The mission,
made up of representatives from four Nordic countries
Sweden, Norway,
Denmark and Finland was headed by economist and former
senior counsellor at
Norway's Harare Embassy, Kjartan Stigen.
Other members were
Jaakko Kangasniemi representing Finnfund, Lena
Algerin (Swedfund) and Kim
Gredsted from Danish firm Industrial for
Developing Countries
(IFU).
Stigen, an investment director at the Olso-based Norfund
said they
were on a fact-finding mission to assess the economic situation
and the
environment for investments including the level of reforms being
implemented
and the durability of these changes.
The
delegation met Finance Minister Tendai Biti; Economic Planning and
Investment Promotion Minister, Elton Mangoma and Industry and Commerce
Minister Professor Welshman Ncube.
Standardbusiness learnt
that the team met officials from the financial
services sector where they
deliberated on ways of bringing in funds to
assist Zimbabwe's distressed
banking sector.
Among the financial institutions visited by the
investors included
regional banking group BancABC, Premier Finance Group,
Tetrad and Merchant
Bank of Central Africa.
The delegation
also had meetings with private equity houses such as 4D
and
Imara.
After the visit, the team will make recommendations to
their
respective governments on the areas to invest in especially in the
private
sector.
"Each individual fund will decide what
investment opportunity they
want to pursue," Stigen said. "Within a few
months, there would be a
decision."
Asked how the fund
would assist the private sector, Stigen said the
institutions can provide
lines of credit or direct investments.
"Many industries are
starved of long term credit to import raw
materials. There is lack of money
and the 90 days money is what people can
get from banks," he
said.
Zimbabwe's banks are offering short term loans as they do
not have
adequate money to finance long term projects.
A
fortnight ago, two regional banks, Afreximbank and PTA availed lines
of
credit to Zimbabwean companies amounting to over US$500
million.
Stigen said he had been impressed with what the GNU
had achieved so
far.
"There is growing evidence of a
positive business environment emerging
in Zimbabwe," he said adding that the
reforms should continue particularly
the enforcement of the rule of
law.
He said the enforcement of the rule of law would encourage
foreign
investors to return. Before the formation of the unity government,
Zimbabwe
had gained notoriety for failing to enforce rule of
law.
An executive at Premier Bank said last week the group had
briefed the
Nordic delegation on their status, where they were going and how
the
Scandinavian investors can fit in their strategy.
At
the end of last year, the four Nordic finance institutions had a
portfolio
of US$2.2 billion.
The institutions are owned by respective
governments and invest in the
private sector in the developing countries
motivated by the fact that
private sector creates
development.
Norfund has two joint ventures with one dedicated
to working with the
energy sector in developing countries and the other set
up to establish and
manage local and regional development
funds.
The fund structures joint ventures with struggling firms
in the
developing countries. It exits when the firms are on a sound
footing.
Swedfund has been operating for 30 years and done over
200 investments
in more than 60 countries.
BY NDAMU
SANDU
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
21
May 2009
By Martin
In a
statement to the ongoing 45th ordinary session of the African
Commission on
Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) the Zimbabwe Human Rights
NGO Forum (the
Forum) called upon the Commission to urge the Zimbabwe
government to ratify
the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) and to
domesticate the African
Charter and to observe article 5 which proscribes
torture.
Statement:
The practice of torture in Zimbabwe remains rampart. Torture
remains the
preferred method of investigation by the Zimbabwe Republic
Police; it is
used against suspects in the process of interrogations in a
bid to extract
evidence and/or confessions.
Torture is also used against human rights
defenders and (former) opposition
political activists. The recent cases of
the arrest and torture of Jestina
Mukoko, a board member of the Forum, and
other activists substantiate these
averments. Common methods of torture used
in Zimbabwe include Falanga
(beating on the soles of the feet), mock
drowning, and whipping among
others.
Unfortunately, torture is not
criminalised under Zimbabwean law. This leaves
victims
of torture with no
recourse or effective remedy at the domestic level, hence
the various
Communications lodged with this Commission on this aspect.
The
perpetrators are also charged with lesser offences, if at all. Zimbabwe
has
also not taken any steps towards the ratification and domestication of
the
United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment despite the repeated assurances that have
been given to this Commission.
The Forum calls upon the African
Commission to urge the government of
Zimbabwe to take steps to ensure the
respect, promotion and protection of
the best practices enshrined in the
Robben Island Guidelines. The Forum also
calls on the African
Commission
to urge the Government of Zimbabwe to ratify and domesticate CAT,
to
domesticate the African Charter and observe article 5 therefore which
proscribes torture.
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
22
May 2009
By
The Zimbabwean
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - John Bredenkamp, the South
African billionaire
accused of bankrolling Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe, has won an
interim order preventing Standard Bank from closing his
bank accounts.
In December, Standard Bank wrote to Bredenkamp, who holds
several accounts
with it, notifying him of its decision to close his
accounts.
The bank's action followed a decision by the US Treasury
Department's Office
of Foreign Assets Control to list Breedenkamp and his
associated entities as
"specially designated nationals" on November
25.
This meant Bredenkamp and his companies became subject to the sanctions
imposed and enforced by the US office.
'Standard Bank faced material
business risks'
Standard Bank became aware of the listing and that the US
office suspected
Bredenkamp of "being involved in illicit business
activities, including
tobacco trading, arms trafficking, oil distribution
and diamond extraction,
and of being a confidant and financial backer of
Mugabe".
In their papers before Judge Mahomed Jajbhay of the Johannesburg
High Court,
Standard Bank argued that it was worried about its
reputation.
The bank believed domestic and foreign business partners "might
believe or
suspect that accounts held at Standard Bank would or could be
used to
facilitate unlawful or unethical acts".
"An association with a
conductor or a financier of allegedly illegal or
improper transactions might
well undermine a bank's hard-won and fragile
national and international
reputation in the eyes of regulatory bodies,
financial institutions, media
organisations and members of the public
worldwide," the bank argued.
"In
addition to the risk of harm to its reputation, Standard Bank faced
material
business risks to its relationship with foreign banks."
Bredenkamp challenged
the bank's decision in the high court, saying he had
lodged appeals against
the US office's decision to impose sanctions on him.
He also argued that if
Standard Bank closed his accounts, none of the other
banks would want to
have any dealings with him.
Yesterday was the date set down by Standard Bank
to implement its decision,
but Judge Jajbhay granted Bredenkamp an interim
order blocking it from
closing his accounts.
Bredenkamp denied
allegations that he was a Mugabe crony. He said he had
been imprisoned by
the "Mugabe regime" and it had taken his Zimbabwean
passport, but he had won
the case.
Judge Jajbhay said the termination by of Bredenkamp's accounts
would be
"oppressive" because, in the circumstances, Bredenkamp and his
companies
would be unable to find other banking facilities.
"A business
entity must, to carry out its objects, have one or more bank
accounts. This
is not simply because transactions through a bank are
convenient."
Zimbabwe Mail
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
22
May 2009
By The
Zimbabwean
Finance Minister Tendai Biti (R) and Africa Export and
Import bank president
Jean-Louis Ekra
HARARE - Analysts say Zimbabwe
will have to negotiate for debt restructuring
or forgiveness if it is to win
back economic support from multilateral
lending institutions-but warned that
lenders were likely to insist on more
political reforms before considering
easing the country's debt burden.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
and other multilateral lending
institutions such as the World Bank and the
African Development Bank (ADB)
have told Harare to first settle its arrears
before they can entertain its
request for budgetary
assistance.
Zimbabwe owes about $1.2 billion to the three institutions
while total
arrears to official and private creditors amount to about $3.8
billion.
The southern African country, still smarting from nearly a
decade of
international isolation and poor policies, desperately requires
international support for reconstruction and the sooner it gets into the
good books of the IMF, World Bank and ADB, the better for its
fortunes.
Viable option
Economic analysts believe that negotiating for
debt restructuring or
forgiveness would be the only viable option available
to Finance Minister
Tendai Biti and his team as they try to reengage the
international community
for economic aid.
"Zimbabwe will have to
negotiate with the IMF in terms of a programme that
would open the door for
debt restructuring or forgiveness," University of
Zimbabwe business lecturer
Tony Hawkins told The Zimbabwean On Sunday last
week.
Whether Biti
and his team will manage to win debt relief or forgiveness from
the lending
institutions ultimately depends on developments on the political
front.
Western nations and lending institutions have cast a jaundiced
eye on the
unity government formed in February in which President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu
(PF) party has maintained a sizeable grip on power while
allowing cosmetic
political reforms.
Positive change
The main
donors are aware that Zimbabwe is not in a position to pay off its
arrears
under the present circumstances but want to see positive change in
the
country's governance, the analysts said.
"They are waiting for the right
cue in the form of positive movements in the
implementation of the
(power-sharing) agreement between Zanu (PF) and the
two MDC (Movement for
Democratic Change) formations before easing their
demands and possibly
approving debt relief for the country," said an analyst
with a Harare-based
financial institution.
Sharp differences over key government
appointments, continued invasion of
white-owned commercial farms by Mugabe's
supporters and harassment of the
85-year-old leader's critics have dominated
the first three months of
Zimbabwe's unity government.
Unilateral
appointments
Mugabe has refused to bow to pressure over his unilateral
appointments of
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono,
Attorney General
Johannes Tomana and provincial governors despite protests
from his unity
government partners - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the
main MDC wing
and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, leader of a
splinter MDC
faction.
Analysts say Zimbabwe must take full advantage
of a visit by an IMF team
from May 18-29 to impress the Fund whose cue holds
the key to opening the
donor floodgates.
An IMF team is in Zimbabwe
on a mission to review the operations of the RBZ
and the country's payment
systems.
Two other missions from the IMF are due to visit Zimbabwe within
the next
three months as part of a pledge by the Bretton Woods institution
to offer
technical assistance to the southern African
country.
African countries
Zimbabwe has so far received US$1 billion
from African countries and banks
but the amount is a far cry from the more
that US$8 billion that the country
requires from the international community
to rebuild an economy ravaged by
hyperinflation and business
contraction.
Western donors have been wary of committing funds until it
is clear the
government is working effectively and have set up a Multi-Donor
Trust Fund
to mobilise resources via the humanitarian-plus
initiative.
The fund would be driven by the World Bank, ADB, United
Nations Development
Programme and Biti's ministry.
It would be used
as a vehicle through which the World Bank, ADB and UNDP
would coordinate
money received from donors under the humanitarian-plus
initiative.
Under this initiative, donors would finance specific
projects previously not
considered humanitarian but which affect the lives
of ordinary Zimbabweans.
Included under this initiative are projects such
as power generation
programmes.
Funds for these projects would be
handled by embassies of the donor
countries or at bilateral instruments to
be created by Biti's ministry and
the individual funders.
This
vehicle is essential because the donor community has not yet
re-established
trust with the transitional government.
It is envisaged that the
Multi-Donor Trust Fund would eventually handle all
budgetary assistance
given by Western countries.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
22
May 2009
By Martin
The decision last
week by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur
Mutambara to agree to permanent secretaries of ministries -
the key
functionaries of the old regime - keeping their jobs is probably the
most
dangerous gamble the two men have ever
taken.
It
is a gamble with their own political careers, the future of their
political
parties and like the whole unity government experiment itself, it
is a
gamble with the future of us all Zimbabweans.
Yet the unity government -
notwithstanding the very justifiable doubts about
Mugabe's commitment to the
project - may have stood a better chance of
succeeding had Tsvangirai and
Mutambara insisted on thorough reform and an
infusion of new blood at that
critical level in the government structure,
the permanent secretaries who
are the chief executives of ministries.
In choosing to trust President Robert
Mugabe's appointees, we earnestly hope
the two gentlemen know something we
ordinary folks don't!
Defending their decision to go along with Mugabe's
unilateral appointments -
which appointments Mutambara and Tsvangirai had
previously opposed - the
Prime Minister said the Cabinet executive committee
had agreed to retain the
current office bearers because of "experience and
qualifications".
In his own words Tsvangirai said: ?"We do not believe that
civil servants
should be appointed on a partisan basis, so there will be no
civil servant
from the MDC or Zanu (PF). Any civil servant who participates
in partisan
politics will have no place in our public service."
We would
suggest that instead of merely inspecting the "impressive" CVs of
these
non-performers - as CEOs of ministries permanent secretaries are to
blame
for much of the mess that we are in - maybe the two MDCs should have
asked
themselves why Mugabe was so keen to retain these people in their
positions.
The reason is clear to all except the politically brain dead.
Permanent
secretaries have the biggest say - much more than ministers who
are mere
political appointees in many cases with little or no knowledge of
what goes
on in their ministries - on what gets done or not done in
government.
Have your ally sitting in the permanent secretary's chair and the
whole
ministry is under your control - regardless of who the minister is.
This,
dear Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, is the reason why
Mugabe was
prepared to compromise on all the other positions except
permanent
secretaries. It gives him - and him alone - effective control of
the whole
government machinery.
It is for the same reason that he will
not shift an inch on the issue of
Gideon Gono at the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe and Johannes Tomana at the
Attorney General's Office because they
too are like permanent secretaries in
those offices.
And to suggest that
permanent secretaries like "Comrade" George Charamba -
to name one we know
best because he oversees the media sector - are nothing
else but apolitical
professionals is, honestly speaking, to take Zimbabweans
for fools.