http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 14:55
BY OWEN GAGARE,
KHOLWANI NYATHI AND KHANYILE MLOTSHWA
BULAWAYO — Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai’s was set to tighten his grip on
the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T) after heavily contested elections
at the party’s
3rd national Congress that ended last night.
Tsvangirai seemed to
have closed ranks with his secretary general Tendai
Biti to fight a faction
allegedly led by national organising secretary Elias
Mudzuri.
Voting was still underway at the time of going
to press but Tsvangirai and
Biti’s supporters had already swept the
strategic posts in women and youth
assemblies in earlier
polls.
Theresa Makone, whose family had been one of Tsvangirai’s
major pillars of
support, shrugged spirited challenge from Editor Matamisa
to retain her post
as the chairperson of the women’s assembly on
Friday.
Solomon Madzore succeeded Thamsanqa Mahlangu as the new youth
chairperson.
Madzore is said to be close to Biti.
After the
congress was officially opened by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila
Odinga the
previous day, early Saturday saw all the candidates engaging in
frenetic
campaigns outside the venue.
But indications were that Thokozani
Khupe who was slugging it out with
Norman Mabena and Thabitha Khumalo for
the vice-presidency and secretary
general Tendai Biti pitted against Eliphas
Mukonoweshuro were set to retain
their posts.
However, there were
also indications that Mukonoweshuro would not go down
without a
fight.
Tsvangirai was also said to have favoured Lovemore Moyo
(chairman), Nelson
Chamisa (organising secretary), Tongai Matutu
(spokesman), Abedinico Bhebhe
(deputy organising secretary), Roy Bennett
(treasurer) and Elton Mangoma
(deputy treasurer). Bennett and Tsvangirai
were elected unopposed.
Matutu was however facing a real fight from
Douglas Mwonzora, who also has a
lot of support despite not being nominated
by his province.
There were small incidents that marred the voting
process with Matabeleland
North province initially refusing to take part in
the voting process after
the names of some of their delegates were missing
on the voters roll.
The names of the ward chairpersons were later
added allowing the voting
process to go ahead.
Nominations for
Bulawayo province were also not publicly announced following
confusion,
which started well before the congress.
The post of organising
secretary had also been left out of the ballot paper
sparking complaints
from the contestants.
Tsvangirai was the first to cast his vote just
before lunch but the process
dragged on until late in the night. Results
were only expected around
midnight. The congress was also set to come up
with resolutions.
The PM, who is facing President Robert Mugabe in
elections expected next
year, had gone to the congress seeking to strengthen
his party’s leadership
in the face of emerging
factionalism.
MDC-T spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the congress went
well and showed that
there was internal democracy within the
party.
“There was excellence in the campaigns, people were free and
the campaigns
were done peacefully,” he said.
“This shows that
there is rich internal democracy and team spirit. Delegates
were allowed to
vote freely and our emphasis of the secrecy of the ballot
shows that we are
world class.” he said.
Tsvangirai declared at the congress that the
MDC-T will win the next
elections and form a government
alone.
There was a small incident where Tsvangirai was briefly locked
out of the
stadium by security details claiming that they had not been paid
for their
services.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 14:48
By Nqaba
Matshazi
Hawks within Zanu PF and securocrats have reportedly
demanded that President
Robert Mugabe defer elections and immediately
appoint a successor, as time
was not on his side.
Sources said Mugabe and
the security chiefs held a teleconference last week,
when the veteran leader
was in Singapore, where the president was told to
tone down on talk of
having an election this year.
He was also told to instead direct his
energies to appointing a successor in
an effort to prevent further fissures
within the party and the country.
The sources revealed that the hawks
and securocrats told Mugabe that if need
be, he had to dictate a successor
to his party and they would support that
person.
“He was told
that he was no longer marketable as a candidate,” an informant
revealed.
“Zanu PF’s best chance was in identifying a successor
who would be sold to
the electorate between now and 2013.”
It was
not immediately clear what Mugabe’s response was, but the insider
said Zanu
PF’s attitude to the poll roadmap indicates that the president
agreed that
it could be time to appoint a successor.
Questions have been raised
about Mugabe’s health and whether he was prepared
for the rigours associated
with another election, the fourth in nine years.
Mugabe’s health has
for decades been a matter of speculation and conjecture
and interestingly
the teleconference was held while he was in Singapore,
where he has
previously sought treatment and at a time when the veteran
leader had gone
to collect his stricken wife, Grace.
Mugabe has been demanding an
election this year to end what he describes as
an impasse in the inclusive
government.
The uneasy coalition government was created by his Zanu
PF party and the two
MDC formations in 2008 after an inconclusive
election.
In recent days Zanu PF has changed its tune on elections,
saying the
dictates from the poll roadmap made it impossible for a vote to
be held this
year, with 2013 being the most likely date.
Then,
Mugabe would be 89 and too old to embark on an exhaustive electoral
campaign.
“It is my own opinion that it is not possible to hold
elections this year.
We need to start talking about elections next year or
2013, assuming that
the (constitution) referendum is completed in September
as we have been
advised by Copac (Constitutional Parliamentary Committee),”
Chinamasa told
the state media last week.
This indicates a major
climb down from Zanu PF, which had claimed they would
have polls whether a
new election had been approved or not.
Security chiefs are said to
have warned that going for elections was likely
to mirror the 2008 polls,
where Mugabe lost the popular vote.
He only maintained power by
holding a much condemned election re-run, after
neither he nor his long time
nemesis, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai were
unable to pass the 50%
threshold to be declared outright winner.
The Zanu PF succession
debate has been a thorny issue in the last two
decades, amid claims of a
widening rift between two factions, one led by
retired army general Solomon
Mujuru, whose wife, Joice is the vice-president
and another led by Defence
minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Zanu PF spokesman, Rugare Gumbo declined
to comment, claiming he was in a
meeting.
“No, no, you are
disturbing me, I am in a meeting,” he said, before curtly
terminating the
call.
Mugabe’s spokesman, George Charamba was unavailable for
comment, as his
number was unavailable.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:25
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has pledged to set up a team to discuss
the
controversial issue of Gukurahundi and map the way forward after the
matter
split Cabinet along regional and political lines last week,
authoritative
sources said.
The sources said Mugabe told Cabinet that the
team, which will comprise of
representatives of the three political parties
in the inclusive government,
will be smaller for easier management of the
controversial topic.
Mugabe said the issue of Gukurahundi, during
which an estimated 20 000
people in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces were
murdered, was divisive
and had the potential of wrecking the inclusive
government.
He suggested that the matter be taken out of
Cabinet.
“He said why don’t we take it out of cabinet and select a
few to discuss the
issue and map the way forward,” said one minister who
attended the meeting.
“Cabinet agreed but many believe it was a diversionary
tactic by the old
man.”
He continued, “People must be careful of
this old fox because he tries to
divert anything that faces him personally.
How many commissions have been
set and nothing happens after
that?”
The minister said Mugabe wanted to defer the issue until after
the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) extra-ordinary summit
slated for May
20, which is going to discuss problems bedevilling the unity
government.
The sources said the contentious issue cropped up after
the Minister of
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Advocate Eric
Matinenga questioned
why National Healing and Reconciliation Minister Moses
Mzila-Ndlovu was
being brought to court in leg-irons as if he was a hardcore
criminal.
Mzila-Ndlovu was arrested for failing to notify the police
when he addressed
a memorial service for Gukurahundi where he allegedly said
the late Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO) boss Mernard Muzariri did
not deserve a
national hero status as he was guilty of killing a PF-Zapu
official in the
1980s.
“We had finished all items on the agenda
when this was raised under any
other business,” said a Cabinet minister who
attended the meeting. “The
discussion then became passionate and heated to
the extent that
Vice-President (Joice) Mujuru almost failed to control
it.”
Mujuru was chairing the meeting because Mugabe had left the
venue but was
later spotted at the Medical Chambers in the avenues in
Harare.
When Mugabe returned after about an hour, said another
minister, Mujuru
refused to continue chairing the meeting even after the
insistence of the
President because she detested the controversial nature of
the subject that
was being discussed.
During the meeting Mugabe
was blamed for all the violence by the army and
the selective application of
the law by police as he is overly in charge of
all security
organs.
Sources said MDC-T ministers accused Mugabe of blessing the
operations of
the police under Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri
and those of
the army under Zimbabwe Defences Forces Commander Constantine
Chiwenga.
“If Chihuri continues to behaviour the manner in which he
is doing it means
he has the blessing of Mugabe. The same goes to the
service chiefs. These
serve at the pleasure of the President,” said another
source.
Article 7 of the Police Act says the commissioner can be
removed from office
for any reason after consultation with Cabinet. “The
President shall cause
parliament to be informed as soon as practicable of
any such removal.”
Said another Cabinet Minister said: “So the buck
stops with Mugabe. All the
blame lies squarely on him.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:23
BY JENNIFER
DUBE & SIMBARASHE MANHANGO
EMPLOYERS have castigated the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)’s
“name and shame campaign”, where the
labour body will make salaries of
senior managers public, describing the
move as retrogressive.
The labour body will today launch the controversial
campaign where it would
disclose company executives’ salaries together with
the earnings of the
lowest paid workers.
Confederation of
Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president Joseph Kanyekanye said
the campaign was
a “retrogressive move” that would create unnecessary
friction between
employers and employees.
“This campaign is retrogressive considering
that issues of salaries and
wages are a function of productivity, in this
economy there is no capacity
to increase salaries and wages,” said
Kanyekanye.
He added, “However, it should not be a question of
workers earning the same
salaries but there is always room for designing a
scheme of rewarding
incentives for workers’ good
performances.”
ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe said the
trade union will disclose
executives’ salaries to force companies to improve
workers’ conditions.
“All along, we have been generalising our talk,
disclosing salaries
according to sectors but tomorrow (today), we are going
to name one company,
disclose its executive’s salary together with that of
the lowest paid
worker,” Chibebe said. “This will be followed with more
names as we go
forward.
“For a long time now, we have been urging
executives on the need to share
the burden of economic recovery but they
continue to enjoy obscene salaries
and allowances while workers bear the
burden alone.”
The international community today commemorates the
Workers’ Day. The High
Court on Friday granted the ZCTU an order allowing
marches to go ahead in
all the 38 centres where Workers’ Day is being
commemorated. The police had
earlier banned the marches.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:22
BY OUR
STAFF
BULAWAYO — Co-Minister in the Organ on Healing and
Reconciliation Moses
Mzila Ndlovu was on Friday given his passport back by
the Hwange magistrates
court to enable him to attend the inter-party talks
set for South Africa.
Ndlovu surrendered his passport as part of his bail
conditions following his
arrest on April 19 together with Roman Catholic
priest Marko Mnkandla over
the Gukurahundi disturbances.
The
charges arose after the duo attended a memorial service for victims and
survivors of the Gukurahundi massacres in Lupane without police
clearance.
They were also ord-ered to pay US$500 bail.
Ndlovu’s
lawyer Matshobana Ncube confirmed the release of the passport but
said they
would be challenging some of the conditions imposed on the use of
the travel
document.
The minister is supposed to surrender the passport on his
return. Ndlovu and
Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga are the two MDC
negotiators while MDC-T is
represented by Tendai Biti and Elton
Mangoma.
Zanu PF has Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas
Goche.
Negotiators from Za-nu PF and the two MDC formations will meet
in South
Africa ahead of the South African Development Community emergency
summit on
May 20 in Namibia.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011
17:20
BY PATIENCE NYANGOVE
NDEBELES must not blame all Shonas for
the Gukurahundi genocide that saw
thousands of people killed by President
Robert Mugabe’s North Korean-trained
5 Brigade in the 1980s, analysts
say.
The analysts’ comments come in the wake of increased levels of hatred
exhibited to all Shonas especially at online news sites and social
networks.
One comment on an online newspaper read: ”But today, whilst
we had countless
Shonas condemning the burning of the Gukurahundist flag of
Zimbabwe, today
they are heaping praise on Gukurahundist policemen and women
for such a
barbaric act. God will punish all of you Shona animals one day,
you wait. In
the meantime, let's burn the Gukurahundi flag of
Zimbabwe.”
Analysts said Mugabe must unconditionally apologise for
the genocide that
saw an estimated 20 000 innocent people from Matabeleland
and Midlands
killed.
Historian Pathisa Nyathi said it was wrong
for all Shonas to be accused of
being responsible for the genocide as many
had no clue as to what was
happening.
“What is happening now is
the same as during Gukurahundi where all Ndebeles
were being accused of
being dissidents,” said Nyathi. “It’s wrong to paint
all Shonas with one
brush and one wrong can’t correct another wrong.”
He said arresting
those who dared talk about Gukurahundi will not solve any
problem but rather
continue raising emotions.
“When people are quiet it does not mean
they are satisfied,” said Nyathi.
“When people start talking, those
responsible become jittery because the
culprits are alive and are
known.”
Nyathi said the old wounds are still festering, people are
boiling within;
there is that bitterness even when they zip up their mouths,
the heart
speaks.
He added, “You can arrest people but you can’t wish it
away. They need to be
very simple, humble, and honest and accept
responsibility for the good of
Zimbabwe, for us to have meaningful unity,
for us to have genuine
reconciliation.”
Political Science
lecturer John Makumbe concurred with Nyathi reiterating
the need for an
apology, pay compensation to victims of surviving families
as well as
identifying and reburying those killed.
“That way they may appease
families that lost their loved ones. The unity
government should also take
it upon itself to go and talk to those who were
affected by Gukurahundi on
what they want done,” said Makumbe. “If they want
secession then the issue
should be brought up for national debate with its
pros and cons
discussed.”
Executive Director for the Bulawayo Agenda Anastacia Moyo
said it was wrong
to blame the whole tribe for a sin committed by a few
individuals.
“It will be wrong also to put a blanket that all
Ndebeles have a blanket of
hatred for Shonas,” said Moyo. “There are
Ndebeles related to Shonas, who
stay with Shonas and those people do not
hate Shonas and vice versa.”
Zanu PF politburo member Sikhanyiso
Ndlovu said he did not want to comment
on the matter because it would open
old wounds especially after the signing
of the Unity Accord in 1987. He
accused The Standard of having a hidden
agenda.
“What is the
purpose of you writing this story?” asked Ndlovu. “Are we
building the
nation or you want us to live in the past? When the Unity
Accord was signed
you were not there, this issue ended there. I was involved
in negotiations
to end the atrocities. I can’t go back into history when
that part was
concluded.”
Mbuso Khuzwayo secretary for Ibhetshu likaZulu said while
Shonas might have
indirectly benefitted from the atrocities of Gukurahundi,
it was wrong to
blame all of them for the genocide.
He said there
are many Shonas that are as much victims as the Ndebeles.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:17
BY KHOLWANI
NYATHI
BULAWAYO – The United States last week met a high powered Southern
African
Development Community (Sadc) delegation to discuss concerns about
mounting
politically motivated arrests and violence in Zimbabwe.
The
meeting on Thursday between the officials from the US’s National
Security
Staff, Department of State, Department of Treasury and the US
Agency for
International Development and senior officials from Namibia,
Zambia,
Namibia, South Africa and the Sadc secretariat was specifically on
the
Zimbabwe situation.
It also came a few days before the forthcoming
emergency Sadc summit and a
few weeks after the regional body came hard on
President Robert Mugabe over
the violence and arrests of his
opponents.
The US officials who attended are some of President Barack
Obama’s senior
advisors on African affairs.
South African
President Jacob Zuma’s international relations advisor Lindiwe
Zulu who is
also one of the facilitators in the Zimbabwe inter party talks
was among the
officials who attended as well as Tanki Mothae, the Sadc organ
on politics,
defence and security cooperation director.
“The United States
affirmed the importance of Sadc’s role as guarantor of
the 2008 Global
Political Agreement and lauded Sadc’s recent announcement
that it would
support Zimbabwe’s efforts to formulate guidelines for
peaceful, free and
fair elections,” the US State Department said in a
statement.
Johnie Carson, the senior advisor for African Affairs
at the National
Security Staff “emphasised concern over the recent increase
in politically
motivated arrests, harassment and violence throughout
Zimbabwe.”
Police have been accused of targeting Zanu PF opponents
following the
arrests of Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma
(MDC-T) and
co-minister in the Organ on National Healing and Reconciliation
Moses Mzila
Ndlovu (MDC) recently.
Civil society activists and
MDC supporters have also been targeted in a
campaign that has been linked to
elections now expected next year.
The Sadc summit is expected to
reiterate the tough stance taken by the organ
on politics, defence and
security at the Livingstone summit, which stunned
Mugabe and Zanu PF.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:16
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
ZIMBABWEANS have received with a sigh of relief news that
elections, which
are usually violent and fatal, could be deferred to next
year or a later
date to enable government to institute electoral reforms
before the vote.
But political analysts said this development was a blow to
Zanu PF
hardliners and some senior security officials who were calling for
early
elections under the current conditions that favours the former ruling
party.
It was almost certain that elections would be held this year
after President
Robert Mugabe declared that polls would be held with or
without the new
constitution.
But Zanu PF negotiator Patrick
Chinamasa last week made a U-turn indicating
the unlikely probability of the
polls being held this year as the crafting
of a new constitution was still
in process.
“It is my own opinion that it is not possible to hold
elections this year,”
said Chinamasa who is the Justice minister. “We need
to start talking about
elections next year or 2013 assuming that the
referendum is completed in
September as we have been advised by
Copac.”
Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (Copac) is
mandated with
spearheading the constitution-making process in the
country.
The business community, political parties, churches and
individuals had
expressed grave concern over an early poll saying it would
dampen prospects
of economic recovery.
The polls would also open
wounds of the violent 2008 elections, in which the
MDC-T claims that at
least 200 of its party activists were murdered by Zanu
PF militia and state
security agents.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president
Joseph Kanyekanye
applauded the decision to delay election saying this would
give the economy
time to recover and stabilise.
He said during
election time politicians tend to utter populist statements
that would have
a direct bearing on the performance of the economy.
“The uncertainty
that comes with elections is usually not good for the
economy,” said
Kanyekanye. “The economic progress that we have made since
February 2009 is
a testimony to what we can achieve as a country if
elections are delayed
until an appropriate time.”
The business community has been on record
as saying that they see no reason
for elections at this critical stage in
Zimbabwe’s economic recovery. They
even met Vice President Joice Mujuru to
lobby her to influence the
postponement of elections.
The
National Constitution Assembly (NCA) has also applauded the postponement
of
polls but added that the Copac-driven constitution-making process must be
abandoned for a people-driven one.
NCA national spokesperson
Madock Chivasa said, “I think this is good, but
the next thing is to engage
all the people so that we come up with a
people-driven
constitution.”
He said Zimbabwe must only hold elections when a
people-driven constitution
is in place, violence halted; and electoral
reforms instituted to enable a
level playing field, among other
issues.
Harare transporter Johnson Dube said elections must be held
in 2013 when the
economy has stabilized. He said the country must
concentrate on reviving its
economy than squandering scarce funds on
elections because they will not
only be a sham but will halt the economic
recovery that is beginning to bear
fruit.
“We cannot be a
perpetual electioneering country, we must be a productive
country,” said
Dube. “Mugabe and Tsvangirai must work together until 2013 so
they
experience first had how hard it is live or work with your adversary as
people in rural areas are doing.”
Moses Mazhande of Chitungwiza
also lauded the postponement of elections
saying polls must be held when all
outstanding issues of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) are addressed to
make sure no party will dispute
the results.
“I feel elections
must be held in 2015 on condition that issues such as
sanctions, political
violence, electoral and security sector reforms are
addressed so that no one
will dispute the results claiming the playing field
was not level,” said
Mazhande.
Efforts to get a comment from Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare
Gumbo were
fruitless last week.
The two MDC formations are on
record saying they will only participate in
elections when they playing
field is level.
But sources in Zanu PF said several hardliners in the
former ruling party
are infuriated with the prospect of the postponement of
elections.
But others said the postponement of elections is a change
of strategy by
Zanu PF as it is buying time trying to sort out the
succession issue in the
heavily divided party.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:14
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
A political analyst once remarked that while President Robert
Mugabe’s reign
was nearing its end it was important for people to divest
themselves of the
ideologies of the veteran leader.
Abstract as it
may he sound, he was warning future leaders to be wary of
resorting to
violence, intolerance and corruption to cling onto power.
Mugabe’s 31
year reign has been punctuated with allegations of bloodshed and
dishonesty
and resorting to these may now seem to be the norm rather than
the
exception, with politicians from most parties resorting to chicanery to
hold
onto power.
While the MDC-T has generally been considered to bring a
breath of fresh air
in Zimbabwe’s murky politics, events leading to the
holding of its congress
have analysts asking whether Zimbabwe was ready for
democracy or this
remained a pie in the sky.
Elections in most of the
provinces have been blighted by violence, with the
most striking picture
being of a youth running away with a ballot box in
Midlands before votes
could be tallied.
Bulawayo province has seen the worst political
violence, with opposing
candidates, Gorden Moyo and Matson Hlalo trading
accusations of being the
masterminds of the bloody orgy.
Mashonaland
has also had its fair of confusion and violence, raising fears
that
elections and constitutionalism were far from being the determinants of
how
the country or political parties would be governed.
Media scholar,
Brilliant Mhlanga claims violence in the country is a result
of a bad
birthmark and an inheritance from the way Zanu PF has been
conducting its
politics.
“It is in fact my contention that the violence in MDC -T be
understood as a
symptom of a massive political tumour that has been
affecting our national
psyche as Zimbabweans for a while,” he said.
“It
speaks about Zimbabwe's bad birth mark which mark has continued to taint
any
project that people seek to push, hence the pitched battles we have seen
leading to the MDC T Congress.”
Mhlanga said a glance at the MDC-T’s
history revealed that it was a party of
massive violence and political
upheavals rather than a peaceful party, as
its spokesman, Nelson Chamisa
regularly claims.
“As a revelation, people should be very much afraid,
that if members of a
party are prepared to subject each other to this form
of violence, what of
ordinary citizens who have no political affiliation
whatsoever,” he
continued.
Last week, Chamisa claimed that his party
could have been infiltrated by
Zanu PF and the violence was as a result of
that infiltration.
The party’s chairman, Lovemore Moyo also blamed Zanu
PF tendencies, within
the party, claiming they were responsible for the
chaos.
In the long run, Mhlanga said these incidents of violence were
likely to
create discontent, while fomenting factionalism and heightening
infighting,
much to the detriment of the party.
“This is a clear sign
that democracy in Zimbabwe remains a seriously elusive
pipedream.
“This violence within the so called change agents shows
the extent to which
Zimbabwe's wound has festered,” he said.
The
media scholar said this was an indication of the huge task that lay
ahead if
Zimbabwe was to finally taste the promise of democracy.
Political
analyst, Trevor Maisiri said the violence within the MDC-T was
incomparable
to Zanu PF because of difference to access to power, but warned
that the
infighting could be foreboding of worse things if the party was to
rule.
“The danger is that if the MDC-T does not exterminate even the
small
instigations of violence in its structures, there will always be
possibilities of its amplifications if the party comes into power,” he
warned.
Maisiri claimed infighting within the MDC-T was being
worsened by that the
party lacked a “coherent value system or [an]
ideological persuasion” that
holds the party together.
“So what you
will realise is that the MDC is still in a movement status and
has not fully
transformed into a political party,” he said.
“Movements bring people
together based on common issues whereas parties
bring people together based
on common values, so this infighting is very
characteristic and expected due
to the particulate nature of the MDC's
issues-based agenda which has,
therefore, brought all these supporters
together.”
Maisiri of the
African Reform Institute added “what you will see is that
there are varying
and divergent value systems in the MDC and this normally
leads to
uncontrollable tension and ultimately violence.”
He, however, was
optimistic that after the congress, MDC-T would find common
ground and aim
all their ammunition at Zanu PF.
However, the analysts agreed that
violence had become an ideological tool in
the country and getting rid of it
would be a difficult task.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 17:10
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
THE roadmap to elections drafted by representatives of the three
parties in
the unity government recently is a rushed document that falls
short of
finding an uninterrupted path to a free and fair poll, political
analysts
said last week.
The document, described by analysts as a
shortened version of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA), does not spell
out what actions would be taken
against parties that fail to adhere to or
implement agreed electoral issues.
It will certainly end up in the
political dustbin, they said.
The roadmap was crafted after a no-nonsense
Southern African Development
Community (SADC) summit held in Zambia at which
the three principals were
ordered to find an uninterrupted path to free and
fair elections.
Political analyst Charles Mangongera said the roadmap to
Zimbabwe’s
elections is just a shortened version of the GPA signed in
2008.
Despite agreeing on a number of issues, Zanu PF has steadfastly
refused to
implement them even though it claims publicly to be doing
so.
He said there was no need for a roadmap as the GPA and the Southern
African
Development Community (Sadc) guidelines on elections are clear about
what
has to be done to have a free and fair election.
“My sense is
that we are going round and round in circles,” Mangongera said.
“What is
lacking is political will and commitment on the part of the
principals. We
all know what needs to be done.”
Even the International Crisis Group
(ICG) has also criticised the
signatories to the GPA for lacking the
political will to reform the country’s
security sector.
In a report
titled “Zimbabwe: The road to reform or dead end” the
organisation lambasted
Mugabe and Tsvangirai for failing to address the
issue of public violence
which has become pervasive in both parties.
Mangongera said the
outstanding issues of the GPA are the same contentious
matters in the
roadmap document.
Zanu PF and the two MDC formations have failed to agree
on major issues
which have a direct bearing on the holding and outcome of
the elections.
These include security sector reform, recruitment of the
Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC), deployment of the military in rural
areas, the amendment
of the notorious Public Order and Security Act (Posa)
and the time frame for
observing the polls by regional
monitors.
Mangongera firmly believes that Mugabe will not reform the
security sector
and ZEC as they are the key institutions that enables him to
hold on to
power.
Zanu PF has vowed not to reform the commission
arguing that determination of
staff suitability was the work of the
commission itself.
“Without these reforms we will be running a military
election,” he said.
“Zanu PF will not budge on security sector
reform.”
University of Zimbabwe political scientist John Makumbe
described the
roadmap draft as apartially useful half-backed
document.
He criticised the document for failing to spell out what action
the Sadc,
the guarantor of the GPA, will take in the event that one of the
parties
refuse to implement the agreed reforms as has been the case
before.
“It does not give a time limit for the implementation of some of
the
issues,” Makumbe said. “It’s a foot-dragging tactic by Mugabe and
unfortunately the MDC formations are failing to see the
trick.”
Another analyst said while Mugabe appears reconciliatory to
rivals, his
actions on the ground shows that the 87-year-old leader is far
from
embracing far-reaching political reforms.
Zanu PF youth militia
and soldiers deployed in rural areas continue to
intimidate and beat up
people with impunity.
The police, who have been accused of being too
partisan in favour of Zanu
PF, also continue to selectively apply the law
while the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and the public media
persist to openly churn
out propaganda and propping up Mugabe.
Ever
since the formation of the unity government two years ago, about 30 MDC
MPs
have been arrested at one point or another, with some of them being
taken
into court shackled in leg irons.
Makumbe urged the SADC extraordinary
summit to be held in Namibia on May 20,
to take firm stance against Mugabe
to implement the reforms totality.
“This is the time for SADC to show its
teeth," he said.
He said Mugabe can only implement electoral reforms only
if he gets real
pressure or practical signs that the region no longer
tolerates his
“intransigence”.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 15:57
BY NDAMU
SANDU
TROUBLED Air Zimbabwe is sinking deeper into problems as it has
emerged that
it risks losing an engine for one of its planes and has fallen
behind on
quarterly insurance payments.
Confidential papers seen by
Standardbusiness show that the engine of a B767
could be auctioned if the
airline fails to pay a monthly installment of
US$500 000 beginning next
month to Lufthansa Technics, to offset a US$2,5
million
debt.
Lufthansa Technics is one of the few companies in the world
which can do
engine overhaul and maintenance on B767 planes.
“The
airline (Air Zimbabwe) managed to stop Lufthansa Technic from
auctioning the
B767-200 engine which requires US$2,5 million for repairs, on
condition that
we sign an agreement whereby we shall make US$500 000 monthly
payments from
May 2011 to redeem the debt,” the documents said.
“Failure to honour
this agreement will result in Lufthansa Technic
auctioning the engine
without further notice.”
Experts say US$500 000 monthly installment
is too much for an airline which
is failing to generate enough revenue due
to a poor business model.
In addition, analysts say, the airline’s equipment
is antiquated and this
means the cost of running an airline is high as
compared to regional
counterparts.
On insurance, the airline is behind on
quarterly payments.
It is supposed to pay (Euro) 1 036 092,88 (about
US$1,5 million) for the
quarter ending June 30 2011.
The money
was due on April 1.
In addition, the airline owes South African
creditors US$1 million and the
reprieve ended yesterday.
It was
not clear whether the airline had paid the creditors and the
insurance cover
as the acting group chief executive officer, Innocent
Mavhunga was said to
be in a meeting when this paper called on Friday.
Jonathan Kadzura,
the airline’s board chair was unavailable for comment as
he was in a
meeting.
According to confidential documents seen by
Standardbusiness, Air-Zim paid
Zambezi Air-lines US$40 000 towards aircraft
hire in the week ending April
13. It paid US$20 000 the following week for
aircraft hire.
The documents paint a gloomy picture of the airline as
they showed that its
debt was US$94,40 million at the end of the week ending
April 20.
“Air Zimbabwe Passenger has a creditor’s balance of
US$91,39 million, NHS
US$2,53 million and Galileo US$470 575,” the documents
said.
Pilots at AirZim went on strike on March 22 demanding their
outstanding
salaries. They resumed work on April 22 after the Ministry of
Transport
bailed out the airline by providing US$3,8 million.
The
money was allocated to salaries (US$2 million); US$101 190 towards
hand-ling
charges; US$74 286 for Jet A1 fuel; US$57 143 for navigation fees
and US$20
000 towards aircraft hire.
As a result of the strike, the airline
could have lost over US$20 million in
potential revenue since it was making
an average loss of US$5 million a
week.
The airline usually flies
at least 4 000 passengers per week. As a result of
the strike, the airline
ended up flying 820 passengers affecting the revenue
of the
company.
This means a big financial hole was left in the airline’s
coffers which,
according to aviation experts, will be there for a long
time.
Air Zimbabwe has over the years deteriorated into a museum of
mismanagement
attributed to government interference.
According to
sources, the airline’s board has become redundant as it is
being bypassed by
the Ministry of Transport in making crucial decisions.
Analysts say
government has to move out of the airline to stop the financial
hemorrhage.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 15:55
BY NDAMU
SANDU
FOREIGN-owned mining houses have submitted plans on how they
would embrace
locals ahead of the May 9 deadline amid indications that
government is going
ahead with the programme to empower locals.
According
to an extraordinary government gazette published last month, a
controlling
interest or 51% of any foreign-owned mining company with a net
asset value
of at least US$1 is required to be held by either the National
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB), or the Zimbabwe
Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC); or any company or other entity
incorporated by the ZMDC or NIEEB; or a statutory sovereign wealth fund that
may be created by law.
It can also be transferred to an employee
share ownership scheme or trust,
management share ownership scheme or trust
or community share ownership
scheme or trust.
Information
obtained on Friday shows that mines have pledged to support
government’s
indigenisation programme though some are prepared to give the
shareholding
in phases until it reaches the desired threshold.
Saviour Kasukuwere,
Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment
minister told
Standardbusiness on Friday the response by mining houses was
encouraging and
they were working on the issue of compliance with the
regulations.
Kasukuwere said NIEEB would ensure that empowerment
is broad based and that
powerful people won’t take away
everything.
NIEEB would then brief Kasukuwere, who would then take
the matter to the
country’s leadership.
Chamber of Mines
president Victor Gapare in written responses to
Standardbusiness said the
mining body “believes a solution which satisfies
the twin objectives of
growing the mining industry and Zimbabwe’s economy
and indigenisation and
economic empowerment can be achieved”.
“The chamber and its members
support the policy of indigenisation and
economic empowerment provided it is
done in a way which will meet the two
objectives mentioned above,” Gapare
said.
Mining is capital intensive and according to Gapare requires up
to US$5
billion over the next five years and most of this money has to come
from
foreign direct investment.
“We need to ensure that the
indigenisation imperative can co exist with the
need to raise this kind of
capital from investors,” he said.
Kasukuwere believes capital is not
racist and locals can raise money to
finance the
projects.
Standardbusiness is reliably informed that of the 51%
shareholding, more
than half of it would be housed in a sovereign wealth
fund to be used for
future generations.
The remainder would be
sold to locals and the money raised would be lent out
to finance projects
run by locals.
The plans, if approved, should be achieved within a
period of 6 months, that
is, issue of shares or interests to the designated
entities.
The minister responsible for indigenisation may however
grant a three months
extension for compliance.
The mining
industry is projected to grow by 33% this year buoyed by firming
commodity
prices on the world markets.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 15:52
BY
KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
Zimbabwe’s banking sector has continued to
underperform owing to
undercapitalisation and macro-economic pressures, the
Minister of Finance
Tendai Biti has said.
Following the inception of the
inclusive government in 2009, which ushered
in economic reforms and a
sustainable multiple currency regime, the banking
sector witnessed a crisis
of depositor confidence and capitalisation, as the
Zimbabwe dollar was
rendered worthless.
However, despite a modicum of economic stability
being restored, the banking
sector has been affected by a liquidity crunch
that has led to short-term
lending with concomitant high interest
rates.
“The banking system remains vulnerable with weak
capitalisation, raising
non-performingloans and tight liquidity situation,”
Biti said in a statement
on the state of the economy last
week.
“Furthermore, non-compliance to the minimum capital adequacy
threshold
requirement by some small banks is worsening vulnerabilities in
the sector.”
He said government would strengthen supervisory efforts
and enforcement of
compliance with prudential requirements.
Biti
said that transferring non-core assets and liabilities into a Special
Purpose Vehicle would restructure the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s balance
sheet.
The minister noted that on one hand, interest on savings
deposits remained
“pathetically low” at around 1% although savings for
deposits of one month
and three months have improved to around 9% and 12%
respectively.
On the other hand, lending rates remain very high
ranging from 15% to 30%,
with over 90% of the total lending being
short-term, a scenario that he
described as
unsustainable.
Economist John Robertson described the adverse
situation as a reflection of
scarcity in the market, low levels of economic
activity and investor apathy.
“Most of the money in banks is on call basis
rather than fixed deposit.
“Banks cannot lend money that urgently
needs to be withdrawn,” he said
adding that government needed to urgently
reform its indigenisation policies
in order to lure the much-needed
capital.
“Banks are also being targeted by the indigenisation
act.
“The lack of investor interest will naturally translate into
lack of money
in the banks eventually leading to banks charging high
interest rates on
loans.”
However, total deposits during the
first quarter grew with January recording
US$2,36 billion while February
recorded US$2,4 billion.
“In line with the increase in the deposit
base, lending also increased from
US$1,81 billion in January to US$1,88
billion in February, translating into
a loan deposit ratio of 76%,” Biti
said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 15:50
BY
KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
THE influx of unregistered tobacco farmers has been
blamed for the
congestion at the auction floors.
James Mutambanesango,
the Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF) managing director said
the auction system had
changed substantially over the years as more
small-scale farmers have
ventured into tobacco farming.
He said in the past, the tobacco
season usually commenced in April while the
floors dealt with individual
farmers who had large commercial plots as
opposed to hundreds of small-scale
farmers.
“There is an outcry because we are simply enforcing
legislation.
“We are cracking the whip for the sake of those farmers
who are legitimately
booked into the system,” Mutambanesango
said.
He said TSF would not accept tobacco from farmers who were not
booked into
the system until all procedures had been
followed.
Mutambanesango said bookings would continue until
Thursday.
A number of farmers eager to sell their crop could be seen
queuing outside
the floors.
Some said they had spent several
nights outside the floors despite being
advised to follow registration
procedures.
Mutambanesango said the farmers had to provide
information on the size of
the land where tobacco was produced and the
estimated crop size to enable
buyers to raise appropriate amounts of money
from their offshore accounts.
“The floors are designed to accommodate
a certain volume of crop on any
day,” he said.
“Right now we are
conducting five sales per day translating into roughly 2
500 bales going
under the hammer.”
He said space at the floors was
limited.
This, he said, could see the selling season stretching into
August if the
number of auction floors did not
increase.
Mutambanesango said Timb, as the regulator, should bring
together all
relevant stakeholders in the tobacco industry in order to
address the
challenges in future.
Compounding problems at the
auction floors is the fact that merchants are
rejecting some of the tobacco,
as it may be mouldy or mixed.
Figures from Timb show that on
Wednesday the country’s three operating
tobacco auction floors—TSF, Boka and
Millennium rejected 1 535 bales,
bringing to 39 844 the number of bales that
failed to meet the mark since
the marketing season commenced in
mid-February.
Mutambanesango said many farmers are inexperienced in
terms of grading and
packaging their tobacco and urged government to provide
more training and
extension services for this agricultural
sector.
“Timb-licensed re-handlers deal with rejected tobacco,” he
said.
“The re-handler may fail to bring back the tobacco on time or
may overcharge
for service rendered but all this has nothing to do with the
floors.”
Vendors selling wares and foodstuffs just outside the TSF premises
have
added to the confusion at the floors as they are in constant running
battles
with the municipal police.
However, Boka Floors CEO, Matthew
Boka said the floors were coping very well
with the farmers and expressed
optimism that the selling season will
gradually improve as more farmers are
attended to.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 16:29
By
Alexander Rusero
One of the greatest tenets of freedom in any
given democracy is for the
people to be given an opportunity to write the
supreme law that will govern
them. In contrast, the ongoing
constitution-making process is nothing more
than a formality. It appears as
if the responsible authorities for this
project already have a document they
want, but the most worrying aspect is
to call that exercise
people-driven.
In 2005, President Mugabe once described the Lancaster
House Constitution as
home- grown and sacrosanct.
However the
so-called “homegrown and sacrosanct” constitution had to be
amended a
world-record of 19 times.
At a public lecture with trainee journalists in
Harare last year, Professor
Lovemore Madhuku, a firebrand constitutional law
expert lamented Copac’s
professed ignorance on proper procedure of writing a
constitution. Professor
Madhuku defined a constitution in the best simplest
terms: a document that
defines how a country should be
governed.
In this regard we may ask ourselves whether the current
process determines
the way we and future generations will be governed. In
other words, a
constitution is not in any way a product of legal genius, it
is just a
document that seeks to depict the values, norms, and beliefs of a
country
and how best such may be safeguarded today and tomorrow. It should
be an
answer to any prevailing generational crisis.
The
constitution-making process by the Copac leaves a lot to be desired. The
mistake from the onset was to engage political parties who formed the
“shaky” coalition government to decide upon the destiny of the
country.
The process is being undertaken by the gate-keepers who will
ensure that at
the end of the day interest of their masters will be
protected. In such a
case one would point to the fact that the process is
segregatory in nature
as it is exclusive of other political parties outside
government as well as
other groups. Exclusion of other minority groups or
political parties
negates the aspect of a people- driven process. The
Copac-led constitution
is far from being people-driven.
We only
hear of Copac when it is in need of money, or when legislators are
threatening to boycott the exercise because they have not been paid. A
people-driven process of constitution writing does not necessarily mean
hordesof people have to gather to conduct that exercise.
Again
politicians may not be allowed to dominate in such a process. It
should be
put in place by a collective group of people who are independent
of the
politics of the day, who do not have any interest to protect nor
sideline at
the end of the day.
If it goes unchecked, the current process will
produce a document far short
of the constitutional expectations or one that
is even worse than the
Lancaster House Constitution. The other dilemma that
the country will be
faced with is that the current process is going to be
hijacked by both Zanu
PF and MDC to flex their muscles on each other and
prove the other who is
capable of influencing public opinion more than the
other.
In 2000 the Chidyausiku Constitution faced a major rejection from
an
ill-informed people who voted against it without properly comprehending
the
contents. Most of the people did not know why they were voting
No.
The popular “No” vote engineered by the NCA was used more as a
political
barometer to measure MDC’s election readiness one year after its
insurrection as a political party ahead of the general election that was
scheduled for June 2000.
What was supposed to be a national consensus
became an MDC consensus and
this reversed the country’s early attempts to
author its own constitution.
All the three parties in the Inclusive
Government should have known from the
start that article six of the Global
Political Agreement stipulated the
“acknowledging that it is the fundamental
right and duty of the Zimbabwean
people to make a constitution by themselves
and for themselves.”
This clause did not literally mean that only Zanu PF
and the two MDC
formations had an explicit right to craft the constitution.
Other sectors of
the society were supposed to be represented by the civil
society.
However, MDC’s continued mistake was its blind belief that its
presence
automatically meant the representation of all Zimbabweans who were
anti-Zanu
PF and more directly who were anti-Mugabe.
That is
a hallucination and fallacy that the MDC formations need to urgently
readdress.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011 16:28
The
MDC-T congress held in Bulawayo over the past few days has exposed the
darker side of a political party that has given hope to millions of
Zimbabweans desperate for change.
When congresses are held, the usual
assumption is that delegates freely
elect their leaders and come out of
these political gatherings more united
and energised. They burst at the
seams with enthusiasm and exhibit the signs
that they are ready to
govern.
Sadly, the party has emerged from the Bulawayo congress
weaker, more divided
and resembling the very same Zanu PF political system
it is fighting to
abolish.
There were reports of candidates
pulling out of races after money exchanged
hands and threats were
issued.
It’s strange when party cadres who express interest in
contesting posts and
go through the nomination process all of a sudden
withdraw their candidacy
amid reports of threats, intimidation and vote
buying.
These dirty tricks are synonymous with Zanu PF and are
inimical to a clean
electoral process. Again in typical Zanu PF style, the
run-up to the
congress was characterised by factional fights, which turned
bloody in
Bulawayo two weeks ago.
Godfathers emerged in MDC-T and
fuelled factionalism in the provinces in
broad daylight as they tried to
outdo each other. Tribalism and regionalism
reared their ugly heads and
officials were manhandled for the simple reason,
that they had come from
another province.
All along, the MDC-T has been in denial of the
existence of these factions
that have adopted crude Zanu PF campaign
tactics. The party had argued the
divisions showed that the party was
democratic and encouraged health
competition for positions.
But
party president Morgan Tsvangirai can no longer pretend that all is well
in
his party. He denounced the sponsors of factionalism and threatened to
expel
those behind violence in the party.
By castigating violence,
Tsvangirai struck the right note but the problem is
that Zanu PF’s culture
of violence has established roots in his party and
nothing short of an
aggressive process to cleanse the party will produce
desirable results.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011
16:10
By Charles Ray
World Press Freedom Day, observed
annually across the world on May 3, was
established by the United Nations to
celebrate the principle of press
freedom and to commemorate those who died
in trying to exercise it. For
these reasons, the United States has
partnered with Unesco to host the
official global commemoration of World
Press Freedom Day in the US for the
first time.
Zimbabwe has seen
some real progress for press freedom in the print media
sector with new
players receiving permits and entering the market.
Zimbabwean media
consumers can now choose from seven different daily
newspapers, each
striving to make its mark in a dramatically more
competitive print market.
This is good for the average citizen, who can now
choose, compare and
contrast among print news sources.
However, these developments stand
out in an environment that is still
dominated by legal restrictions on media
reporting and a closed, ideological
broadcasting sector monopolised by one
political party. The mobile
telecommunications sector offers consumers an
exciting new alternative as it
starts to open access to the internet via
cellphones.
One can easily see that Zimbabwe will follow South
Africa’s lead in rapidly
developing an active online community and media
environment. Due to the
lack of innovation and modernisation in the
broadcast sector, online media
is playing a more and more critical role as
an information source and debate
platform for engaged
Zimbabweans.
The theme for this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “21st
Century Media, New
Media, New Barriers”, is very apt in Zimbabwe and across
the continent of
Africa. The world has witnessed dramatic change recently
thanks to social
media users and followers in the Middle East and North
Africa.
In many countries in the region — including Tunisia, Egypt,
Libya, Yemen,
and Syria — the internet is serving as a catalyst for
journalists,
activities, and citizens alike to connect with each other and
share their
stories and call for change with the world.
The
internet is the global gate which has amplified demands for freedom of
expression, facilitated vibrant and open discussions on a wide range of
topics and connected citizens with each other around the world. Indeed,
access to information has been profoundly altered with the arrival of the
digital age.
In this new public space crowded with news and
chatter, journalists play an
essential role in searching for truth,
analysing trends, maintaining
credibility and providing reports to serve the
public good.
Undoubtedly, the arrival of the digital age — the evolution
of the internet,
the emergence of new forms of media and the rise of online
social networks —
has sparked debate as to what it means to be a journalist,
what role
bloggers play, and what the effect of a blurring of lines between
citizen
journalists and professionals will be on the media of today and
tomorrow.
Zimbabwe, and indeed the world, is facing a critical
transformative moment
in its history. Around the world people are calling
out for freedom,
transparency, and self-determination. New digital tools are
supporting this
cause in a way that is faster and more widespread than ever
before, and
journalists are playing a central role in this
effort.
Unfortunately, many of them have been killed or injured as
they’ve sought to
report on the grave challenges facing our world today. It
is up to each of
us to honour their legacy and do all we can — both
virtually and in
reality — to support press freedom as a fundamental right
to be enjoyed by
everyone, everywhere.
Charles Ray is the US
Ambassador, in Harare.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 01 May 2011
16:14
What has become of Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika? He is the
second
president to rule Malawi after the demise of strongman Hastings
Kamuzu
Banda. The world would have expected that Malawi would now be a
beacon of
the democratic movement in Africa.
Malawians, everyone hopes,
do not collectively have a short memory. Banda
was arguably the most odious
ogre to emerge on the African continent in
modern times. Few Malawians, and
for that matter Africans, would have
forgotten already the suffering he
visited upon his people. Banda suppressed
dissent and used a paramilitary
force, the Young Pioneers, to intimidate,
harass and eliminate political
opponents.
When Bakili Muluzi took over from Banda in May 1994, the
world heaved a sigh
of relief. The relief was even more satisfying because
that was also the
year that South Africa, only a month earlier, had held
its first non-racial
democratic elections preaching peace, unity, the
preservation and the
restoration of human dignity.
Nelson Mandela
had, after 27 years of incarceration, been released from
Robben Island and
later Victor Verster prison on February 11 1990. The 1990s
therefore marked
a new beginning for Africa. It was also the same decade
when Zambia had
peacefully transitioned from Kenneth Kaunda’s dictatorship
to multiparty
democracy.
Towards the close of the same decade Zimbabwe saw the
emergence of credible
opposition to Robert Mugabe’s own
dictatorship.
To his credit, Banda did not blame his country’s woes
on foreigners as has
become the catchphrase among the new generation of
African despots.
Banda had diplomatic relations with some of the most
villainous regimes in
the world. When everyone else was shunning relations
with apartheid South
Africa and Zionist Israel, Banda had diplomatic ties
with them.
In a leaked cable former British High Commissioner to
Malawi Fergus
Cochrane-Dyet is alleged to have said of wa Mutharika that he
was “becoming
ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism”. The irony
is completely
lost on wa Mutharika that by sending the British envoy packing
he was
confirming what the diplomat had averred in the leaked
cable.
Cochrane-Dyet said in the cable that local civil society
activists were
afraid after a campaign of threatening phone calls and said
the government
was restricting the freedom of the media and
minorities.
Reports indicate that the deterioration of media freedoms
and minority
rights, and the perennial lack of fuel and shortage of foreign
exchange had
exposed the government to criticism from local non-governmental
and civil
society organisations. Two colleges of the University of Malawi
were closed
after a stand-off between the government and academic staff. The
stand-off
began after a lecturer was detained by police for allegedly
discussing the
North African uprisings with his students. The lecturer and
some of his
supporters lost their jobs a few weeks later.
But wa
Mutharika, by causing the severance of diplomatic ties with the UK,
has cut
his nose to spite his face. A whopping 40% of Malawi’s budget comes
from
abroad and the UK just happens to be the largest donor. Of course wa
Mutharika has strengthened his country’s ties with China and Iran in a kind
of “Mugabesque Look-East Policy”. His admiration of Zimbabwe’s President
Robert Mugabe is an open secret. He named one of Malawi’s most important
roads after Mugabe.
But the recent turn of events in Malawi
should be worrisome for the rest of
the continent. The fact that Malawi is
turning back the hands of time and
throwing the southern African
sub-continent back to the Kamuzu Banda days
should worry not only Malawians
but everyone else in the region. The
democratic movement has suffered a body
blow and in countries such as
Zimbabwe where steps towards democratic change
have met intractable hurdles
the blow cannot be more
debilitating.
When perceived advocates of democratic change turn into
despots all those
who believe in the democratic process not only lose their
morale but feel
betrayed by pretenders masquerading as champions of people’s
rights.
Wa Mutharika is hardly the only pyseudo-democrat in
sub-Saharan Africa who
has betrayed his own people when the democratic
process turns against him.
We saw recently how the Ivory Coast’s Laurent
Gbagbo was pulled like a mouse
out of a bunker for refusing to surrender
power after losing an election.
It must be remembered that Gbagbo
was the staunchest advocate of democracy
in fighting the entrenched
dictatorship of the Ivorian founding father Félix
Houphouët-Boigny who ruled
the country from independence in 1960 to 1993.
According to biographers
Gbagbo was imprisoned in the early 1970s and again
in the early 1990s, and
he lived in exile in France during much of the 1980s
as a result of his
union activism.
His about-turn therefore can only be described as
shocking.
Wa Mutharika has never really been democratic but fate
thrust democracy upon
him. Historians say wa Mutharika was actually a
beneficiary of Banda’s
development programmes. In 1964 — shortly after what
was dubbed Cabinet
Crisis, wa Mutharika was one of the 32 Malawians,
selected by Banda to
travel to India on a scholarship for “fast track”
diplomas and possible
posting into the then white-dominated civil service.
In other words, wa
Mutharika did not go into exile in reaction to the
political crisis in
Malawi but as a beneficiary of it.
According
to online publications wa Mutharika has upheld the memory of Banda
as a
national hero, saying that he would continue Banda’s work. In September
2004, he restored Banda’s name to the national stadium, the central
hospital, and the international airport; Muluzi had removed Banda’s name
from all three places. Wa Mutharika was present at the May 2006 unveiling of
a mausoleum for Banda that cost US$620 000.
He also has his own
delusions of grandeur. He has built a white marble
mausoleum for his late
first wife Zimbabwean-born Ethel Zvauya in imitation
of Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his third
wife, Mumtaz
Mahal.
The lesson to learn from the Malawian debacle is that there
are many false
prophets on the road to true democratisation. Checks and
balances should be
put in place to prevent them from assuming power.