http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 12:02
BY KHOLWANI
NYATHI
NEGOTIATORS to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) last
week agreed to ask
South African President Jacob Zuma to engage principals
in the unity
government over the stalled security sector reforms.
The
negotiators met between Thursday and Friday in Cape Town South Africa to
discuss the new election roadmap and concerns over the conduct of the
police, army and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) topped the
agenda.
MDC formations argue that partisan security forces are a
major threat to any
credible election.
The MDC, MDC-T and Zanu PF
negotiators agreed to strengthen the Joint
Monitoring and Implementation
Committee (Jomic) so that it can effectively
deal with cases of politically
motivated violence.
Talks around the roadmap will continue in Harare
this week ahead of the
extraordinary Southern African Development Community
(Sadc) summit in
Namibia on May 20.
But the negotiators agreed to
leave the matter of the security forces to
Zuma, President Robert Mugabe,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman
Ncube because “it is a
sensitive issue.”
One of the MDC-T negotiators, Energy and Power
Development Minister Elton
Mangoma said Zuma was expected in the country
anytime soon.
“President Zuma should be able to talk to the
principals on the security
sector,” Mangoma told the Voice of America after
the negotiations.
“We agreed that given the sensitivity surrounding
the issue it must be left
to the principals.”
The MDCs want the
army, the police and intelligence to operate within the
limits of the
constitution and stop dabbling in politics.
Service chiefs have in
the past declared that they will not salute
Tsvangirai if he beats Mugabe in
presidential elections.
They were accused of spearheading the 2008
violence when it looked certain
that Tsvangirai would beat Mugabe in the
June 27 run-off poll.
Mugabe went on to run unchallenged after
Tsvangirai pulled out citing the
deadly violence against his
supporters.
The 87-year-old ruler’s poll victory was rejected even by
usually uncritical
African leaders.
Mangoma said the negotiations
in Harare would focus on time lines for the
referendum on the constitution
and the next elections.
Zanu PF has already lost its battle for the
elections to be held this year
and indications are now that the poll would
be held either next year or in
2013.
The negotiators also agreed
that they would meet commissioners of the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC) to discuss staffing concerns raised by
the MDCs.
The
MDCsargue that ZEC, which is supposed to be independent, is dominated by
former members of the security forces who are known to be loyal to Zanu
PF.
ZEC was previously headed by former soldier and now High Court
Judge
Preisdent George Chiweshe who was a central figure in the controversy
surrounding the delayed March 2008 presidential election
results.
Critics believe the results were delayed to facilitate
rigging in favour of
Mugabe.
Zanu PF has been accused of stalling
the implementation of the GPA signed in
2009 but the tough stance taken by
the Sadc organ on politics, defence and
security at its summit in
Livingstone, Zambia last month appears to have
jolted the party into
action.
Finance minister Tendai Biti is the other MDC-T negotiator
while Moses
Mzila-Ndlovu and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga represent the
MDC led by
Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube.
Justice
minister Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche represent Zanu PF.
Zuma’s
facilitation team is made up of his international advisor Lindiwe
Zulu and
former ministers Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 11:55
BY
PATIENCE NYANGOVE
POLICE are investigating allegations that Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s
two official luxury vehicles that were
impounded in February were smuggled
into the country from South Africa, it
has been confirmed.
The two Prados were impounded by the police in Beitbridge
and Tsvangirai’s
drivers were initially charged for allegedly installing
sirens and beacons
on the cars.
But in a dramatic turn of events
Beitbridge police last week arrested Norest
Murara who was sent to buy the
cars by Tsvangirai.
He was questioned about the smuggling
allegations. Murara was not among the
drivers arrested in
February.
Chief Superitendent Hosiah Mukombero, the officer
commanding Beitbridge
district confirmed the arrest on Friday but said
Murara had since been
released on bail.
“Yes I can confirm we
picked up Norest Marara in Harare and he was brought
here to answer
questions on how he cleared the two Prados at the border,”
Marara
said.
“We wanted to find out how he processed the import of the cars
into the
country as he did not follow the required procedure when he brought
the cars
into the country.”
Tsvangirai’s two drivers Clifford
Sanyika and Joshua Mhuriyengwe were
arrested on their way back from South
Africa.
Police said the beacon lights and sirens were for police or
military escort
vehicles.
The case is pending. This is the second
time Tsvangirai is being
investigated over the importation of cars from
South Africa.
In the run up to the controversial June 27 2008
presidential run-off
election, the MDC-T leader’s armoured BMW X5 vehicle
was impounded by the
police in Lupane on accusations he violated customs
regulations.
The vehicle donated to Tsvangirai by a South African
businessman is
gathering dust at the rural police post.
The
businessman, identified as Adrian Espag had brought the vehicle – a
bullet-proof BMW X5 registered in South Africa – into Zimbabwe before
handing it over to Tsvangirai.
Police confiscated the vehicle
from Tsvangirai claiming that in the absence
of Espag it was illegal for the
MDC-T leader to use it.
Efforts to get a comment from Tsvangirai’s
spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka on
the latest developments were fruitless as
he was said to be in South Africa.
But at the time of the two
drivers’ arrest Tamborinyoka said the case was
only meant to embarrass
Tsvangirai.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:55
BY
CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
Harare City councilors and a pressure group have made
complaint to police
against Psychology Chiwanga, the director of urban
planning services
alleging his actions in the transfer of city land
prejudiced the local
authority of nearly US$1 million.
The Elected
Councillors Association of Zimbabwe (Ecaz) and the Combined
Harare Residents
Association (Chra) last week told police Chiwanga should be
charged for
fraud.
In letter dated May 3, to Officer Commanding CID Serious Frauds,
the
councillors said they had evidence that Chiwanga committed fraud when
“he
deliberately forwarded false double land transfer information” to a
local
law firm that resulted in council land being transferred to a Mr Alois
Chimeri without anything paid to the local authority.
The
controversial piece of land, Lot K of Ntaba of Glen Lorne, was then
transferred to Harvest Nest Enterprises, a company linked to the Minister of
Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Ignatius Chombo
Council
records show that Chombo has acted on behalf of the Harvest Nest.
The
land was later transferred to Chimeri without following requirements of
Section 152 (2) of the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15, says the
letter.
“Mr Chiwanga’s actions effectively prejudiced the City of Harare
approximately US$900 000 using the prevailing market rates of prime land in
Glen Lorne,” says the letter signed by Ecaz president Warship Dumba and Chra
chairperson Simbarashe Moyo.
The two residents’ representative bodies
allege Chiwanga used the annual
rent price from the lease agreement entered
between Harare City Council and
Chombo to represent the purchase price of
the piece of land.
“The date of the commencement of the lease agreement
was also used in the
papers to the lawyers as the date of purchase of this
piece of land,” says
the letter.
Dumba last week confirmed reporting
the matter to police.
“Yes, we did and they gave us IR050251 (case
number) and we will soon be
making some follow-ups.”
Chiwanga on
Saturday reacted angrily when contacted for comment.
“I don’t know what
you are talking about. Talk to the CID or our public
relations department.
You just want to trouble us,” said Chiwanga before
ending the
conversation.
Efforts to get a comment from CID national spokesperson
Augustine Zimbili
were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable while
Chombo was not
answering his phone.
Meanwhile, Chombo intends to
surrender another controversial prime land in
Helensvale, Harare, which he
is accused by Harare City Council of allegedly
illegally acquiring through
his company, Harvest Nest Enterprises.
The committee, headed by Dumba
ruled that Chombo had used his influence to
acquire the land without
following proper procedures.
Chombo denied the accusations.
A
letter written by the secretary for local government dated March 16, to
Town
Clerk Tendai Mahachi, says the land is being surrendered because it
falls
within the Presidential security zone.
“Stand 61 Portion of Helensvale
measuring 193 716 square metres in extent,
falls within the security of the
Presidential residence as prescribed in the
security zone radius,” says the
letter.
It adds, “Pursuant to the above, the state through the Ministry
of Local
Government, Rural and Urban Development is therefore requesting the
city of
Harare to facilitate the transfer of the above mentioned piece of
land from
Harvest Nest Enterprise (Pvt) Ltd to the state as a matter of
urgency.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:52
BY OUR
STAFF
THE unity government principals will soon meet with senior
police officers
in an effort to stem what the two factions of the MDC claim
are partisan
arrests.
Recently, National Healing Minister, Moses
Mzila-Ndlovu was arrested for
allegedly addressing unsanctioned meetings,
while Elton Mangoma was
incarcerated on allegations of fraud.
The
MDCs claim the arrests are one sided with Zanu PF ministers being left
untouched. Others claim the arrests are deliberately meant to whittle down
the MDCs’ numbers ahead of crucial votes in parliament.
An
insider revealed that Eric Matinenga raised the issue at the last cabinet
meeting about a fortnight ago, saying the government ought to do
something.
“The main issue was that police were now being viewed as a
law unto
themselves,” the source revealed.
Ministers from the two
MDCs warned that the actions of the police could be
undermining the
inclusive government, with one minister describing the law
enforcement
agents’ actions as provocative.
During the discussions, MDC leader
Welshman Ncube narrated the events that
led to the arrest of Mzila-Ndlovu,
while Mangoma’s arrest was also
discussed.
The source said
President Robert Mugabe had gone out during the discussions,
and when he
returned he advised that a meeting between the police and GPA
leaders was in
the offing.
“He said the meeting with the police should have taken
place earlier and
there was no reason why it was being delayed,” the source
said.
Mugabe is reported to have said the meetings with the police
were also meant
to give context to the arrest of the ministers and other
politicians.
Zanu PF ministers, the source said, were quiet during
the meeting, but a
heated debate ensued, when Tourism Minister, Walter
Mzembi claimed that
Mzila-Ndlovu had crossed a “red
line”.
However, the source said, Mzembi did not elaborate on what he
meant, as
ministers from the MDCs debated fiercely.
“It was an
emotional meeting, that’s what I can say,” the source said.
Webster
Shamu, the Minister of Information was not available for comment.
Initially
he set an appointment at his Munhumutapa offices, but did not
honour
it.
Later he claimed he was at a function and could not take calls.
Efforts to
contact him later were futile as his phone went
unanswered.
Since the formation of the inclusive government, two
years ago, a number of
politicians from the MDCs have been arrested but none
from Zanu PF.
MDC-T has retaliated by calling for the arrest of
Ignatious Chombo, the
Local Government Minister, but so far these calls have
not been heeded.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:51
BY NQOBANI
NDLOVU
BULWAYO – The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) ended
yesterday with
Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube describing it
as a resounding
success.
Over 96% of the exhibition space was taken
up in an indication of a major
improvement from the past decade of subdued
activity.
Ncube said this year’s trade showcase was a return to the
business approach
of hosting such events as flea market stand owners who had
become part of
the regular exhibitors at ZITF were not invited this
time.
Daniel Chigaru, the ZITF general manager said they had banned the
selling of
products during the exhibition to ensure that the event meets
international
standards.
“It is certainly bigger than last year in
terms of the space covered,” Ncube
said.
“The space taken this year
is around 96 and 97% of the space available.
“It is 3 000 square metres
bigger than the space taken up last year.”
Organisers said this year’s
event was anchored on sectors such as
agriculture, tourism, mining and
manufacturing which are expected to drive
the country’s economic
revival.
This year’s showcase was held under the theme “Optimising
Business
Synergies, Now and Beyond” and 13 countries
participated.
The countries include Turkey, Germany, Botswana, Egypt,
Iran, India, Malawi,
Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia, among
others.
Khumbulani Maphosa, an analyst with Habakkuk Trust, a
non-governmental
organisation also hailed the trade showcase as a success in
terms of
business but noted that it shut out ordinary people because of high
entrance
fees.
The charges were set at US$3 and US$5 for children and
adults respectively,
a figure Maphosa said was unaffordable in light of the
fact that school fees
is required this week when schools open.
A
survey of the stands by The Standard showed a marked improvement compared
to
previous years.
One such improvement was the cattle exhibition that a CC
Sales auctioneer,
Richard Wakefield described as a success in
years.
The cattle exhibition - which was almost scrapped because of an
outbreak of
the Foot and Mouth Disease - had suffered a knock at the turn of
the
millennium after the eviction of mostly white farmers under the land
reforms.
Wakefield said the cattle exhibition recorded 160 entries
compared to less
than 100 entries of last year.
“This year’s
exhibition has been good and it’s the best that we have had in
years,”
Wakefield said, adding that the breed of cattle on show was mainly
Beefmaster and Brahman cross.
President Robert Mugabe also toured the
stands on Friday after the official
opening and revealed that he loves
Indonesian goods.
For the first time a non head of state, Africa Import
and Export bank
president Jean Louis Ekra officially opened the
showcase.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:49
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
WORKERS at a local construction company in Harare are
up in arms against
their Chinese employer whom they accuse of ill-treating
them.
Shanxi Corporation workers are accusing their employer of charging them
exorbitant rentals for sub-standard company accommodation.
“There
are between 40 and 50 resident workers at the company’s headquarters
in
Whitecliffe,” one worker said. “A married employee is given one room for
use
with his family while two or three singles share one room.
The worker
added, “Our employer deducts US$15 from each employee as rent for
the houses
which are made of wooden blocks and are in very bad condition as
they do not
have enough space for occupants and some are cracked while
others are
shaking.”
The workers said when their employer started deducting the
rentals a month
ago; he claimed it was for repair work on the sewer system
which had been
blocked for a long time.
They said they had been
without running water since February this year while
the toilets remained
blocked despite the fact that the company was deducting
money from the
workers’ salaries to rectify the problem.
“This is not the first time
that our money has been deducted but not used
for our benefit,” said another
worker. “All along, the employer has been
deducting pension and some
National Social Security Authority (NSSA) money
from our earnings but when
we inquired with the relevant authorities, we
were told that there was no
record of the company or its workers.”
The workers also complained of
poor pay. Professionals like mechanics
andplumbers were getting a general
hand wage of US94 cents per hour, paid in
fractions, they
claimed.
They said those assigned duties out of Harare were not given
any allowances
despite working outside normal hours.
“We also do
not have protectiveclothing,” another employee said. “You can
find someone
moulding bricks in their own slippers or shoes.”
The workers have
requested protective clothing such as overalls, helmets,
gloves and safety
shoes, among other things, but to no avail.
At one time, the workers
weresaid to have been supplied with stale
mealie-meal after labour
organisations recommended a US$1 per day lunch
allowance.
Another
recommendation that each worker be given 1kg soap per month was
being
implemented piecemeal, with each worker getting a small piece of bar
soap,
they claimed.
“Our government should protect us against such abuse
because if we complain,
we are threatened with being fired or simply told to
leave,” another
employee said.
“Are there no laws to protect
vulnerable people in this country?” he wanted
to know.
Elson
Madhombiro, a manager at the company, refused to comment referring all
questions to a human resources officer Rumbi Sakabuya.
Sakabuya
said she would prefer to discuss the matter in a meeting but was
not in the
office when The Standard visited the company offices.
The National
Union of Quarry Workers of Zimbabwe early this year accused
Chinese
employers at Ngezi Mine in Zvishavane of allegedly ill-treating and
underpaying their workers.
Union leader Onias Munenga said:
“Chinese miners are not abiding by the
country’s labour
laws.
Last year, government said it was probing Chinese companies for
ill-treating
workers and violating health and safety regulations.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:49
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
CHIPINGE — The town council and residents from the
oldest suburb of Gaza are
embroiled in a row over non-payment of water bills
despite improvements on
water delivery and sewer reticulation.
Residents
from the sprawling high-density suburb last week said they were
happy to
have access to clean water after many years but were not ready to
settle
bills amounting to US$200 per household.
Some residents said their
taps had been dry since 2003 and only started
getting water again sometime
last year after some non-governmental
organisations
intervened.
Action Contre Lafaim (Action Faim), an NGO last year
embarked on a US$700
000 water and sewer rehabilitation project to ease the
suburb’s problems,
which exposed over 18 000 residents to cholera and other
water related
diseases.
“There was a time when sewage flowed
freely in the streets of Gaza as
council struggled with burst sewer pipes,”
a resident, Abigail Kasuso said.
“This was happening when all the
water we had to use to make the sugar and
salt solution for emergency
diarrhoea cases was from unprotected springs.
Back then, council sent us
bills for a service not rendered.
“Today, donors have come to our
rescue and council still demands large
amounts of money saying we are in
debt.”
But John Muranda, the council’s water superintendent said the
debts were
accrued when services were being rendered. “The reason why
service
deteriorated during those years is that council did not have money,
partly
because people were not paying their bills.”
Muranda said:
“The donors have done us a big favour and to show our
gratitude, we have to
maintain this new system they have rehabilitated.
“But we can only do
that as council if the people help us by settling their
bills otherwise we
may find ourselves in the same situation of water and
sewer
problems.”
Action Faim deputy program manager Jackson Mungoni urged
council and the
residents to find a solution to the outstanding bills.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:48
BY KUDZAI
CHIMHANGWA
THE Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) has postponed
the
introduction the proposed new levy for domestic and international
travelers
at the country’s airports citing logistical and administrative
challenges.
CAAZ introduced the Aviation Infrastructure Development Fund
(AIDEF) last
month to raise money from travellers for infrastructure
development and
equipment modernisation.
Under the proposed levy,
which was supposed to be introduced on May 1
Zimbabwe’s domestic and
international air travellers would pay an extra
US$10 and US$30 in levies
respectively.
Diplomats, direct transit passengers and children under two
were exempted
from the tax.
The money raised would have been used to
upgrade the country’s airports.
Treasury has inadequate funds to channel
towards the upgrading of airports
and the introduction of the levy was meant
to plug that gap.
In a notice yesterday, Caaz said that “due to
unforeseen logistical and
administrative challenges, the implementation of
the Aidef levy has been
postponed.
“Passengers who have been charged
the levy in May 2011 should approach the
relevant airline, travel agent or
airport authority for a refund,” Caaz CEO
David Chawota
said.
“Airlines and travel agents who have collected Aidef levies should
not remit
the funds to Caaz but refund the passengers.”
He said the
authority would inform stakeholders of the implementation date
in due
course.
The introduction of the AIDEF levy had been condemned by
operators in the
tourism industry who said it was an extra burden on
passengers and that Caaz
had not consulted stakeholders.
Victoria
Falls based tourism operator, Shearwater expressed concern over the
sudden
turn of events saying Caaz should come clean on its intentions.
“We need
administrations that are predictable and facilitate the growth of
the
tourism industry,” said Shearwater public relations manager, Clement
Mukwasi.
“If the fee is to be introduced, it will certainly make
Zimbabwe an
expensive tourism destination.
“We need them to advise us
as to when exactly they will introduce the fee so
that we can plan and
adjust our prices accordingly,” he said, adding that
the tourism sector in
Victoria Falls may suffer a huge blow if the move were
to pass.
The
country’s tourism industry is on a revival attributed to stability on
the
political front since the formation of an inclusive government in 2009.
A
number of countries lifted the travel warnings that they had placed on
Zimbabwe as political and economic stability was restored.
The
tourism sector is expected to make a substantial contribution towards
the 9,
3% economic growth rate expected this year.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:45
BY
PATIENCE NYANGOVE
ROGUE police officers are taking as much as US$300
each from road users
every day as corruption in the force continues
unabated, an investigation by
The Standard has revealed.
Posing as part
of a commuter omnibus crew, this reporter saw firsthand
police officers
openly demanding bribes on the Harare-Mt Darwin and the
city-Epworth routes
over the Easter holidays.
The public transporters now refer to the
roadblocks as “toll gates” because
they have to part with money each time
they pass through.
For the Mt Darwin trip, the first stop was just
outside Marlborough near the
new Zimbabwe Military School being built by the
Chinese.
As soon as the crew saw the roadblock, the conductor
immediately fetched
US$2 and remarked that it was enough for that day since
he had given the
police officers US$10 the previous day.
This
journalist was advised to remain in the car while the conductor went to
pay
the bribe as the crew feared she would unsettle the officers who might
charge even more for the inconvenience.
Within minutes, a number
of public transport vehicles had arrived at the
roadblock and money
continued to exchange hands.
A striking phenomenon was that the
police officer who had the ticket book
pretended to be issuing out tickets
but the conductor returned empty-handed.
It was later explained that
the officers pretended to be issuing out tickets
to avoid raising suspicions
among travellers.
The second roadblock was about 2 km from Blue Ridge
Spar where the same
scenario as in Marlborough played out. But this time the
officers demanded
US$4 for the crew to pass the “toll gate”.
The
crew had parted with US$12 by the time the bus reached Bindura after
passing
through two other “tollgates.”
Luckily for them there were no
roadblocks between Bindura and Mt Darwin.
On the return trip at the
Bindura-Mvurwi turn off, the conductor asked this
journalist to pretend to
be stretching her legs as he went to pay the bribe.
The process appeared
routine for the officers and the crew.
The next day the reporter
spent the day on the city-Epworth route where the
crew was forced to pay
US$3 at a roadblock near Chan’s Shopping Centre for
the
day.
According to the two crews the journalist worked with, the
bribes have now
become normal practice.
Conservative estimate of
100 public transport vehicles that pass through the
Epworth roadblock each
day, the police officers can get up to US$1 000 a
day.
The crew
said in highways the police get much more than that.
“If you don’t
give them the bribe or choose to be stubborn they can give you
a US$20
ticket.
“It is better to pay them either US$6 or US$9 a day to avoid
any hassles,”
one conductor said.
One transport operator said the
business had become unviable because bribes
had become a major
cost.
Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Andrew Phiri admitted
that there
was corruption in the force but accused transport operators of
abetting the
crime.
“We are not denying that there is corruption
not only on the roads but
everywhere,” he said.
“Some police
officers have been discharged from the force. However it’s just
a handful
accepting bribes and we are saying no to that.”
Transport operators
have urged Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri
to stop the
rot.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:44
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
THE relevance of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation
Committee (Jomic)
and the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and
Integration came under
scrutiny last week as cases of politically motivated
violence escalated.
There was no record of arrests of the alleged
perpetrators who continue to
roam around freely even in cases where they
have been identified by victims.
The two institutions are a creation
of the Global Political Agreement (GPA),
signed by the three political
parties in the unity government, to ensure
issues that were agreed under the
pact are implemented as well as to promote
peace and tolerance in a country
ravaged by years of political violence.
Political violence
contravenes the GPA which states that “there should be
free political
activity throughout Zimbabwe within the ambit of the law in
which all
political parties are able to propagate their views and canvas for
support,
free of harassment and intimidation.”
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas
Mwonzora said the two institutions needed “teeth”
if they were to
successfully carry out their mandates.
Apart from being heavily underfunded,
said Mwonzora, they also lacked the
mandate to enforce their
decisions.
“It is necessary and important to make them functional,”
Mwonzora said. “So
far, Jomic has not succeeded in curbing politically
motivated violence.”
Mwonzora’s comments come in the wake of reports
that at least 20 families in
Chimanimani fled their homes last week after
they were attacked by suspected
Zanu PF youth militia.
MDC-T’s
Manicaland provincial spokesperson Pishai Muchauraya said some
victims fled
into Mozambique while others were being sheltered in Mutare and
Chimanimani
towns.
“At least 20 families have been displaced,” Muchauraya said.
“Some are
housed at our offices while others are being assisted by churches
which we
shall not mention for security reasons.”
Political
violence has also been reported in almost all provinces including
Harare,
Masvingo, Bulawayo and Mashonaland provinces.
MDC-T supporters said
they no longer reported such cases to police because
they refuse to attend
to their complaints claiming the matters are
“political.”
Zanu PF
also blamed the MDC-T for spearheading political violence. On Friday
police
released a report claiming MDC-T was responsible for most of the
violence.
Several MDC-T activists are currently facing charges of
violence against
Zanu PF supporters although the labour-based party claims
they are actually
the victims.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:42
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
NYANGA – Gogo Rosina Tsara has seen almost all her children
die and is
caring for seven orphaned grandchildren, most of them still at
school.
Getting food and school fees for them are among her major
challenges.
But instead of retiring to an old people’s home, the aged
woman, who says
she does not know her age but claims to be old enough to
have seen the
Second World War, slowly walks around her yard singing a
church hymn “Mwari
Mubatsiri Wedu”, which means God is our
helper.
“God continues to do great things for me,” she says with a broad
smile
exposing her toothless gums.
“There was an agricultural show
here recently and I emerged as number one,
beating everyone in the whole of
Nyanga.
“I could not have done it without the help of these young
ones.”
As she speaks, three youths in green t-shirts walk into her
yard.
“These are the helpers which God sent me,” she says.
“They
are not like other children who waste their lives away doing all sorts
of
bad things.”
The three youths are members of the Nyanga Urban Young
People We Care (YPWC)
group, mainly comprising of school children who
volunteer to help needy
members of the society during holidays.
After
exchanging greetings and a few jokes with the old woman, Basil Hondo
(20)
quickly goes out to fetch firewood, Admire Ndoro (20) takes a 20-litre
bucket to fetch water while Walter Sibanda (16) remains behind doing
household chores.
Gogo Tsara, who says she is unhappy with her
incomplete houses and wishes
for better shelter temporarily forgets her
worries as she chats away with
the boys.
Roars of laughter punctuate
the atmosphere so much that the boys’ one hour
visit is extended by another
one and half hours.
An almost similar scene unfolds in Village 24 Dombo
Resettlement Area in
Nyanga South’s Ward 23.
Gogo Sylvia Nyawera (80)
says had it not been for members of the YPWC clubs;
she would have starved
to death because she could not till her fields on her
own. She has sight and
hearing problems.
“I never cease to thank God for sending these young
people to assist me with
my work which has become difficult to do,” she
said. “I cannot even see you,
what more a small plant.”
Most of the
YPWC members in the rural area are school-leavers who dropped
out of school
for various reasons including lack of fees.
They assist the aged, ill and
orphans with various household chores and also
run errands for them on a
voluntary basis.
The chores they do include assisting in farming,
fetching water and
firewood, cooking, sweeping and washing
dishes.
They sometimes visit the needy just to keep them company and also
comfort
the vulnerable.
In cases involving HIV and AIDS patients, the
youths complement care givers’
efforts.
The volunteers selflessly
serve their society despite challenges of their
own.
Some of them are
variously affected by HIV and Aids, with many having lost
parents to the
pandemic.
“I was ill for a whole year when I was supposed to be doing
Form III so when
I recovered,
“ I decided to drop out of school so as
not to burden my grandmother with
school fees requirements as she is already
struggling to raise the US$16 I
need monthly for my health care,”
19-year-old Hilda Matanhire said.
“I spend US$6 to travel to and from the
nearest hospital and US$10 for my
card to be stamped at the hospital for me
to be attended to.
“After staying at home for some months, I later
decided to positively
while-up time by interacting with other
youths.
“I am happy I did because together with my colleagues, we have
assisted
needy members of our society in various ways which they
appreciate.”
Hilda said through the YPWC club, she has learnt to
appreciate that one can
still have a lasting healthy positive life even if
they are infected with
the HIV virus.
She is a strong advocate for
elimination of stigmatisation of HIV and Aids
issues.
Explaining the
YPWC concept, Family Aids Care Trust (Fact Nyanga) programme
manager Daniel
Mudzinge said the programme, which his organisation is
implementing in
partnership with donors, was aimed at empowering the youths
with life
skills.
He said it was also meant to ensure that needy and vulnerable
people get
help from within their communities.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 12:10
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
ENERGY saving bulbs, which power utility Zesa wants to
distribute, could
cause cancer, a study revealed.
Zesa claims that it
wants to distribute six million bulbs in the next three
months, but studies
have revealed that the bulbs contain mercury, which
could cause breast
cancer and migraine headaches among a number of ills.
A study carried
out in Germany warns that the energy saving bulbs should not
be left on for
extended periods, as they emit poisonous materials when
switched
on.
“For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept
as far away
as possible from the human environment,” Peter Braun, who
carried out the
tests revealed to The Telegraph.
The bulbs
reportedly emit a number of carbolic acids, which the researcher
claims
could directly lead to cancer.
Another researcher claims that
electric smog develops around the bulbs and
this could be detrimental to
health and the environment in the long run.
The researcher said she
only used the bulbs economically, saying she always
left her windows open
when the energy saving bulbs were on.
The latest report follows
claims by Abraham Haim, a professor of biology at
Haifa University in
Israel, that the bulbs could result in higher breast
cancer rates if used
late at night.
He said that the bluer light that bulbs emitted
closely mimicked daylight,
disrupting the body’s production of the hormone
melatonin more than
older-style filament bulbs, which cast a yellower
light.
The Migraine Action Association has warned that they could
trigger migraines
and skin care specialists have claimed that their intense
light could
exacerbate a range of existing skin problems, The Telegraph
said.
Zimbabwe faces biting power shortages and Zesa claims it will
be able to
save power by introducing these energy savers.
Zesa
spokesman, Fullard Gwasira conceded that the bulbs carry mercury, which
is
detrimental to health, but said the contents were too small to cause a
health scare.
“For there to be a health problem you need at least
50 bulbs and they are
only a problem when they are broken,” he
said.
Gwasira said the power utility will engage local authorities on
disposal of
the bulbs, so they would not cause environmental harm when
disposed off.
He accepted international research into the issue, but
said Zesa had also
done its own research and were following in the footsteps
of Namibia, Angola
and Europe in rolling out the energy savers.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 13:54
BY NQOBANI
NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — One of Zimbabwe’s black empowerment lobby groups
has accused
foreign-owned companies of sabotaging the controversial
indigenisation
policy by deliberately closing shop and stripping assets to
avoid being
taken over.
Affirmative Action Group (AAG) regional
treasurer, Elias Mashava, on
Wednesday said the indigenisation drive faced a
set back if no action was
taken against the companies.
“We have a
situation here where some companies are deliberately closing
down, stripping
assets and selling machinery so that they are not included
when the
indigenisation drive is in full swing.
“The government should take action
against such companies which are
sabotaging the black empowerment policy,”
Mashava told business leaders
attending a business conference at the just
ended Zimbabwe International
Trade Fair.
Prince Mupazviriho, the Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment
permanent secretary said the
ministry had received information on companies
that were closing shop to
evade the empowerment laws. Mupazviriho and
Mashava could, however, not name
the “culprits”.
The one-day conference on Wednesday was held alongside the
country’s annual
premier trade showcase.
The conference, opened by
Vice-President Joice Mujuru, was held under the
theme “Optimising Growth
Synergies in an Emerging Investment Destination:
Turning Opportunities Into
Value.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe, among other government
ministers,
attended the conference.
President Mugabe has vowed to forge
ahead with plans to hand-over 51% of
shareholding of white- owned companies
to blacks in a drive he says will
enable locals to own the country’s
resources.
Mugabe, at the launch of the anti-sanctions campaign, urged party
supporters
to seize foreign-owned companies as a way of pushing the West to
remove
sanctions slapped on him and his close allies.
The veteran ruler
argues that seizures of white-owned farms and now the
indigenisation
programme serve as concrete and living examples of
empowerment programmes
designed chiefly to redress the historic imbalances
in ownership of the
economy.
The MDC-T and critics have expressed concern that the black
empowerment
programmes will chase away the much needed investment and fear
that, like
the land reform programme, only Mugabe’s loyalists would
benefit.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 13:50
BY
NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — The country’s business leaders have called
on the United States
and the European Union to remove economic sanctions
slapped on Zimbabwe
saying the embargoes are retarding economic
growth.
They cited the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zdera)
slapped
on the country by the United States in 2001 as the main reason for
the
nation’s slow economic recovery process because of failure to access
credit
lines.
Zdera empowers the United States officials on various
international finance
organisations like the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and World Bank to
vote against any financial assistance to
Zimbabwe.
“Zdera should be removed because it is to blame for the failure of
the
country to speed up the economic recovery process because of failure to
access credit lines for industry,” Joseph Kanyekanye, the Confederation of
Zimbabwe Industries president told a business conference on
Wednesday.
The conference was running alongside the country’s annual premier
trade
showcase — the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
Kanyekanye
added: “Zdera should be dealt with and removed so as to unlock
real economic
growth.
“As long as there is Zdera, it will be difficult for the country to
achieve
quick economic growth.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe
told delegates that the inclusive
government was “working hard to push for
the removal of Western embargoes”.
“Zdera is a global political agreement
(GPA) issue. It is being dealt with
by the political parties and as I speak,
our negotiators are meeting in
South Africa so as to deal with that and
other issues. It is being attended
to,” Khupe said.
The business
conference was held under the theme Optimising Growth Synergies
in an
Emerging Investment Destination: Turning Opportunities into Value.
The West
imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe after violent elections in 2000 and
2002 which
resulted in scores of MDC supporters being killed, while hundreds
were
beaten up, tortured or subjected to other forms of abuse.
However, the US and
EU insist that there are no sanctions but targeted
measures imposed on
individuals and companies.
The EU renewed its sanctions in February for
another year, but removed 35
people from the sanctions’ list, mainly wives
of top Zanu PF officials.
President Robert Mugabe claims sanctions have
destroyed Zimbabwe’s economy.
Zanu PF has since launched an anti-sanctions
campaign, saying it can be used
as a legal basis for Zimbabweans to sue
countries that have imposed the
economic embargo.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 13:44
BY NQOBANI
NDLOVU
BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe’s black empowerment lobby group has accused
foreign
owned companies of sabotaging the controversial indigenisation
policy by
deliberately closing shop and stripping assets to avoid
take-over.
Affirmative Action Group (AAG) regional treasurer, Elias
Mashava on
Wednesday said the indigenisation drive faces a setback if no
action was
taken against the companies.
“We have a situation here
where some companies are deliberately closing,
stripping assets and selling
machinery so that they are not included when
the indigenisation drive is in
full swing.
“The government should take action against such companies who
want to
sabotage the black empowerment policy,” Mashava told business
leaders
attending a business conference at the just ended Zimbabwe
International
Trade Fair.
Prince Mupazviriho, the Youth Development,
Indigenisation and Empowerment
permanent secretary said the ministry had
received information on companies
that were closing shop to evade the
empowerment laws.
Mupazviriho and Mashava could however not name the
“culprits”.
The one day conference on Wednesday was held alongside the
country’s annual
premier trade showcase.
The conference, opened by
Vice President Joyce Mujuru, was held under the
theme “Optimising Growth
Synergies in an Emerging Investment Destination:
Turning Opportunities into
Value.’
Deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe among other government
Ministers
attended the conference.
President Mugabe has vowed to
forge ahead with plans to handover 51% of
shareholding of white owned
companies to blacks to enable locals to own the
country’s
resources.
Mugabe at the launch of the anti-sanctions campaign urged
party supporters
to seize foreign owned companies as way of pushing the West
to remove
sanctions slapped on him and his close allies.
The veteran
ruler argues that seizures of white-owned farms and now the
indigenisation
programme serve as concrete and living examples of
empowerment programmes
designed chiefly to redress the historic imbalances
in ownership of the
economy.
The MDC-T and critics have expressed concern that the black
empowerment
programmes will chase away much needed investment and fear that
like the
land reform programme, Mugabe’s loyalists would benefit.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 13:23
BY
CHIPO MASARA
SINCE people are an essential part of the ecosystem,
ecological problems and
their possible solutions are issues that need to be
shared among all.
It is of great importance that everyone be initiated in
every single
environment management policy that the governments of the day
implement.
Despite the fact that ecological issues have become a major
concern for
nations the world over and is the subject of much debate in many
agendas,
most Zimbabweans remain pretty much in darkness as far as issues to
do with
the environment are concerned.
Looking at Zimbabwe, any
ordinary person would be more than forgiven for
thinking that there is
nothing worth noting that is happening as far as
strides towards better
environmental management are concerned.
This, I can assure you, is quite
far from the truth.
Zimbabwe has for a very long time now been quite
involved in environmental
world forums that have continually been seeking to
reach consensus on better
and improved ways to achieve sustainable
development.
For instance, Zimbabwe has so far ratified treaties such as
the Conventions
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (1973),
The Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Importation into
Africa of Hazardous
Waste (1991), Conventions on Biological Diversity and
the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought in
countries experiencing
desertification and drought, particularly in Africa
(1994), among many
others.
While ratifying most of these conventions
was a definite step in a positive
direction for a country like Zimbabwe that
is embroiled in a myriad of
environmental problems, the country has failed
to realise any noteworthy
results.
I believe this is primarily
because the government of Zimbabwe has for a
long time now chosen to tackle
the environment issues without any clearly
outlined guidelines of how
citizens can give their input before the
ratifications.
The
responsible individuals in government have always taken it upon
themselves
to represent the people at the conventions where it is supposed
that their
stance is that which is representative of the whole country,
something that
we should indeed start to question and dispute as a nation.
The very
truth of the matter is that there is absolute lack of information
flow to
the different Zimbabwean publics on the exact state of the
environment in
the country, something that makes it rather difficult to make
contributions.
As a direct result, most ordinary folk seem to have s
resigned to the
misconception that issues to do with the environment are the
government`s
preserve.
According to a local textbook entitled The
State of Zimbabwe`s Environment
1998: ``To improve decision making on
matters affecting ecosystems and
people, there is a need to compile-and make
accessible-factual, accurate and
timely information.
“State of the
Environment Reporting (SOER) becomes a useful instrument in
advancing
knowledge on the condition of ecosystems and people.``
Since it is
virtually impossible to separate the environment from all major
facets of a
human`s life, issues to do with a country`s ecosystem are of
tantamount
importance and need everyone`s involvement.
It is definitely about time
that the government involved people in the
formulation of the environmental
policies that greatly impact them.
For a start, people need to be supplied
with credible information to empower
them as they give their
input.
The SOE reports should be made a priority and after compilation,
should be
made accessible to even the most ordinary of people.
This
is the only way to increase people`s awareness and understanding of the
country`s environmental issues after which it is hoped people would
facilitate in the progress towards real sustainable development.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011
17:40
Negotiators of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) continued to
make
meaningful progress last week in their quest to find common ground on
outstanding issues that have threatened the existence of the unity
government.
Important to note is that an agreement was reached by
the parties on the
need to strengthen the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Commission
(Jomic).
The multi-party body,
set up to monitor the full implementation of the
provisions of the GPA, was
in theory the panacea to problems that would
arise in the life of the
inclusive government that brought strange fellows
to one
bed.
However, in practice the 12-member body with neither legal basis
nor the
muscle to force parties to the GPA to comply with the agreement was
nothing
more than a paper tiger.
For example, it could not force
President Mugabe to swear-in Roy Bennett as
Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
It could not stop marauding Zanu PF youths
from beating up suspected MDC
supporters in Mbare. The carnage on the farms
continued under the body’s
watch.
In short, Jomic was reduced to a mere spectator as the
political
environment, characterised by violence, political arrests and
general
insecurity continued to deteriorate.
Its apparent
weaknesses were clear for all Zimbabweans to see and happened
at a time when
contentious issues threatening the GPA needed to be resolved.
It is
against this background that the realisation by negotiators that Jomic
needs
to be revamped should be welcomed.
This may be the beginning of
meaningful dialogue by the parties that can
correct the ills that continue
to incessantly plague the country after the
signing of the
GPA.
An empowered Jomic could start to effectively monitor the
implementation of
the agreement and to promote an atmosphere of mutual trust
and understanding
between the parties.
Negotiators however need
to do more. They also need to amend restrictive
electoral laws and ensure
that the broadcasting space is freed. The security
forces’ involvement in
Zimbabwe’s elections should also be made a thing of
the past.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:35
By Andrew
Masuku
Recently, a friend confided in me that she had never cast
her ballot in any
election and does not envisage any value in doing
so.
Another one joined in that conversation to state that he would also
never
waste time going to the polls, as he believed that Christians should
never
participate in politics. I instinctively felt compelled to give a
lecture to
convince those two “religious” friends that voting ought not to
be viewed as
necessarily participating in political
activities.
However, I quickly became conscious of the
fact that attempting to convince
such people out of such myopic viewpoint
would be a futile endeavour.
Having done some study of religion, I fully
recognise that there is no need
to waste time trying to reason with a
religious person, as religion and
logic do not seem to necessarily go hand
in hand.This is why we hear of
people volunteering to take part in suicide
bombings, in the name of
religion.
However, I am slightly
encouraged in that not all religious people carry
such garbage in their
doctrinal beliefs.
My encounter with these two friends served only to
help me identify and
fully understand the real source of all the problems
bedevilling our
country.
Zanu PF has often been vilified for being
undemocratic and President Mugabe
seen as a dictator who does not entertain
the surrender of power. While it
may be possible that there could be some
truth in that viewpoint, those who
stand to defend Zanu PF need to be
forgiven, in light of there being people,
with the calibre of my two
“religious” friends in our society.
History has it that President Robert
Mugabe never reneged taking us through
the voting processes, throughout the
entire period that he has been in
power. An interesting question arises; who
then has been voting him and his
party into power, throughout that
period?
The answer remains to be that Zanu PF members have been doing so;
on behalf
of those people who thought voting should be left to those who
were to be
viewed as politicians, though that stand does not mean that such
“religious”
people would necessarily subscribe to Zanu PF policies, as
supported by
their vociferous followers.
Statistically, it is
well-documented that only a small percentage of people
have been known to
cast their ballots, on behalf of the entire population.
The majority of
such non-voting populace comprise those who view themselves
to be too
religious to go to the polls.
It may, however, be true that in the last
decade, climaxing in the previous
elections that produced the inclusive
government, there was some improvement
in that trend, but still, a big chunk
of the potential voters who stayed
away from the ballot boxes, caused the
problems that we are experiencing
with the inclusive government, right now,
as it appears that none among the
supporters of the two major political
parties feels comfortable with the
inclusive government, even though the
business community says otherwise.
The interesting thing about
business people is that their interests seem to
be anchoredonly on making
profit and not necessarily on the welfare of
people in
general.
Some people may want to entertain the aspect of rigging to
justify reason
for invalidating the need to go to the elections, but that
could not stand,
if people understood the significance of taking the voting
responsibility
seriously. Still others site violence to justify staying away
from the
ballot boxes, yet no-one can effectively prove that a level-headed
person
who keeps the voting preference to him or herself can be affected by
violence.
We cannot get anywhere, as long as we have people who
believe good things
will just come automatically, without them doing
anything about that
development. Others are also known to take comfort in
blaming the opposition
parties for not doing enough in the political games,
yet without showing the
path that needs to be followed for better results,
or even offering
themselves to lead the way.
The reason why
elections are viewed as terrifying in this country is that
there remains to
be a lot of misunderstanding of what elections entail,
confusing them with
the political confusion that prevails. Those advocating
the avoidance of
polls, in preference of the status quo, are like a doctor
who prescribes
panadol tablets to a patient suffering from a headache, who
desperately
needs a cure to the cause of the headache.
The panadol tablets would be
designed to tranquilise the pain, which would
be the effect, leaving the
cause unattended to. Elections should be decisive
in enabling us to
effectively move forward as a nation, as long as people
take seriously the
need to go in huge numbers to vote.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May 2011
17:34
By Nevanji Madanhire
In Zimbabwe poor people can
become not only rich, but stinking rich, when
they enter politics. In other
countries one has to be rich first before
seeking public office; often
becoming poorer for it.
Public office is a burden which only a few
individuals are willing to carry;
most of us would rather live in the
comfort of our poverty, just managing to
get by.
At Independence
in 1980 rich black people were few and far between; that was
because the
colonial system intended it to be so.
The only people we
considered rich were probably not rich at all. They were
small traders
owning small dealerships in rural outposts or in locations
dotted around
urban centres. Some had bus fleets which carried us to and
from our rural
homes.
They drove cars and had all the trappings of the rich such as
big radiograms
and television sets. They also had several wives each. These
were the status
symbols we associated with the rich. In fact they were not
rich at all, only
abusing the little loans they got from friendly
banks.
So it can safely be said in 1980 all black people — except a
handful — were
poor.
In the first decade of Independence public
office was not rewarding.
Government officials’ dealings were always under
public scrutiny. There was
also a leadership code that Zanu PF sought to
impose on its leaders.
There were scandals of course as the former
leaders of the liberation
struggle sought to live in some comfort after
years of penury in exile.
There was the Sampson Paweni scandal and also
Willowgate. Many others such
as the War Victims’ Compensation Fund and the
VIP Housing Scandal came and
went.
But as the millennium turned,
it came with a new bug named PMM (politics
means money).
Public
office became a means for self-aggrandisement. The motivation for
joining a
political party was the possibility of making not just money but
megabucks.
Ironically the desire for riches had been the same
motivation that had
driven some highly-qualified individuals to join the
struggle in the 1950s
and 1960s.
The colonial system had ensured that
no matter how educated an African could
become he never got the money.
People with doctorates in their chosen fields
only became civil servants.
Even when they became medical doctors or lawyers
the rewards were
poor.
They joined the liberation struggle to correct this but they never
really
wished to be obscenely rich.
But why did the PMM bug take
root? By the 1990s the then ruling party Zanu
PF was living in a comfort
zone. It had achieved a pseudo-one-party-state
system, so it was going to
rule forever. Most prominent Zanu PF politicians
of the 1990s — especially
the true veterans of the struggle — were and still
are poor. They were
prepared to continue to survive until the end on the
pittances they
earned.
The coming of the MDC and its victory in the constitutional
referendum of
2000 rocked the boat. Suddenly these politicians realised they
had all along
been living in a fool’s paradise. Their cheese could be eaten
by someone
else.
This gave rise to a new breed of “evangelical”
politicians. This breed did
not understand why the veterans were poor when
there were so many
possibilities in government; and time was running
out.
I call them “evangelical” for their crusading nature. They coin
great-sounding phrases and turn them into slogans which they shout at the
top of their voices using all means necessary to convert or coerce the
common people to support them. All the time they won’t be meaning what they
are preaching.
They have preached land reform and indigenisation
saying we would all
benefit and we all supported them but as it turned out,
they were the sole
beneficiaries of these grandiose projects. The people’s
support, voluntary
or forced, became the tithes that the “evangelists”
reaped.
While the people were shouting their slogans, these
politicians were looting
left, right and centre. Soon they splashed their
megabucks around and
changed the culture of hard work that had been the
backbone of the
Zimbabwean psyche. The new culture they introduced was
called kiya-kiya or
runnings which both mean “shortcut to wealth”. Street
lingo changed. “How
are the runnings” became the common
salute.
But no matter how good the “runnings” were, the real money
was in politics.
Ask the MDC!
Just as evangelical churches
compete for congregants to reap more tithes,
politicians of both camps were
also campaigning for the rich pickings of
public office.
There
are rich people in the MDC already. Ten years ago they had nothing to
their
names. Most of them were students wearing the same underwear without
change
for a week. They have never been formerly employed; they know not the
Zimbabwean culture of hard work and honesty. Some of them have outdone their
Zanu PF counterparts in spite of the fact that the latter had a head
start.
For the past decade or so Zanu PF has been known for
factionalism and
intra-party violence. The reason for this has been pretty
obvious — those
who control government also control the purse strings. The
dog-eat-dog
culture in Zanu PF is singularly motivated by this
philosophy.
The MDC has joined the bandwagon; why else were they at
each other’s throats
before and during their elective congress held in
Bulawayo recently?
The party rank and file have seen how former
comrades-in-penury have arrived
at the gleam. They want to get there
too.
They see Zanu PF’s demise as being just around the corner.
They are already
anticipating the time — not very far off — when their party
will be
populating the corridors of power and hence pulling the purse
strings. No
one wants to be left out. That’s the motivation of the
skirmishes we
witnessed recently around the country and in
Bulawayo.
As long as our politics are driven by individual pursuit
for riches that
come with public office, political violence will remain at
the core of our
cultural psyche.
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai
says he will do something about the violence
that stained his party
congress. “We know those people causing violence …
we don’t tolerate
violence and party leaders sponsoring it face expulsion
and will be
investigated thoroughly,” he said.
But he ought to honestly
investigate what drove the MDC-T leadership away
from its founding ideals
into the PMM rat race.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 08 May
2011 17:33
By Ocean Marambanyika
A nation with a robust
economy celebrating the diversity of its people,
languages, cultures,
environments, friendliness, natural resources; this is
the real Zimbabwe
that can emerge from a truly democratic system.
Let Zimbabweans not despair.
The national struggle is nearing the finishing
line — a line of relief when
one was almost contemplating capitulation.
Despite the image of current
agonies the motherland is facing, it is true
that sooner rather than later
the third republic is within sight. It will be
a republic consolidating the
gains of the first and second republics. It
will be a republic which will
throw horrors of the erstwhile republics in
the dustbins and modernise the
fatherland towards greater heights.
All the years in Zimbabwe’s history from
1890, the time of colonisation can
be constituted as the first republic.
This era was characterised by peaceful
co-existence of our peoples to
acceptable levels suitable to those times.
The second republic came about
with the attainment of independence in 1980.
The colonial era was a time of
sorrow; a time of continuous struggle for
freedom which finally came in
1980. Now we await the Third Republic.
The achievements and happiness
brought about during the post-independence
era are fast eroding as the
nation approaches the era of the next republic.
The outcome of the next
presidential and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe
will definitely lead to
the birth of the next republic, the third republic.
The post-independence
government formed the second republic which is certain
to be transformed
into a third republic at the next internationally
supervised and recognised
election.
International supervision does not necessarily mean Western or
United
Nations supervision. It first and foremost means Sadc and African
Union
supervision and recognition. The next presidential election will
probably be
the second most defining moment since 1980. In that election it
is beyond
doubt that the third republic will witness a government headed by
new blood
and a younger generation.
This might sound like day- dreaming
to some, but this is fortunately the
reality that awaits. Sooner rather than
later, the birth of a third republic
will proclaim itself. The moment a free
and fair election is announced will
herald an automatic birth of a
rejuvenated third republic born through the
democratic wishes of the people
of Zimbabwe.
This republic will be any government other that the current one.
This
government will be forced to be democratic and start to care for its
people
once more. In this era that is around the corner, Zimbabwe will once
again
assume her status as a giant among giants. Zimbabwe will modernise her
economy, her roads, railways, schools, shops, industries, farms and national
parks. Zimbabwe will export again to the European Union, the US, Australia,
Africa, Asia and the rest of the world.
Zimbabwe will have friends again
— friends from the West, East, South and
North. Teachers will be back in
class. Mothers will stand on the fences and
chat with their neighbours.
Young boys and girls will freely play games in
the streets again without any
fear. Crime will vanish. Corruption will be
ruthlessly crushed and Zimbabwe
will emerge more gigantic than ever before.
The motherland will remain with
its people and her natural resources will
once again send folks of all
colours and all races rushing to the Hwange
National Park, to Victoria
falls, Murambinda, Matusadona, Karoi, Hot
springs, Harare and Bulawayo. Let
the sons and daughters of this land not
lose hope because the struggle is at
a truly turning point. People, the long
awaited freedom is about to be born.
Let’s stand together and victory will
not elude us. A free and democratic
Zimbabwe is now near.