More teeth for 'already bad press law' - MISA
[ This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 10
Nov 2004 (IRIN) - New amendments to Zimbabwe's press laws,
including
penalties of up to two years in jail for unaccredited journalists,
have been
slammed by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA).
Rashweat
Mukundu, acting national director of MISA Zimbabwe, told IRIN on
Wednesday
that the newly passed Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy Act
(AIPPA) Amendment Bill "added further repressive clauses to an
already bad
law".
The new legislation calls for a penalty of up to two years in jail
or a fine
of Zim $200,000 (US $35.50), or both, for journalists caught
working without
accreditation from the state appointed Media and Information
Commission
(MIC).
The official Herald newspaper quoted Information
and Publicity Minister of
State Jonathan Moyo as saying that the penalties
stipulated in the amendment
were not unique to Zimbabwe "but was the norm
worldwide", and that
"irresponsible journalism" could be used to undermine
Zimbabwe's
sovereignty.
The Amendment Bill scraps an earlier
requirement that nominations for MIC
commissioners should come from both the
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ),
and an association of media houses. As
no nominations for commissioners were
made by media houses, the MIC was at
risk of having its decisions on the
registration and de-registration of
journalists and newspapers invalidated,
Mukundu explained.
"So the
minister [Moyo,] is giving the commission a new lease on life by
doing away
with that illegality," Mukundu added.
According to news reports,
opposition lawmakers had complained that the ZUJ
was dominated by
journalists from the official media.
With regard to the new penalties for
journalists working without MIC
accreditation, Mukundu said it was a clear
indication of the lengths to
which the state would go "to intimidate
independent journalists".
"Such repressive legislation is meant to target
those independent
journalists not accredited by the MIC. If you are denied
accreditation, it
means you cannot work as a journalist and feed your family
- if you are
caught, you go to prison. We have a number of freelance
journalists writing
for local and foreign media organisations, and this
[act] does away with
that. We've had three papers closed down since last
year, and we have
hundreds of journalists out on the streets," Mukundu
commented.
The penalty provisions also extend to licensed journalists who
contravene
the terms of their MIC accreditation.
"Local journalists
are accredited only to work for a certain media house -
even as a freelancer
you have to say who you will be writing for [in your
application for
accreditation]. Yet most journalists in newsrooms do
freelance work for
other media, either locally or internationally, and the
new clauses mean
they could face two years in jail," Mukundu said.
The original AIPPA made
it illegal for foreign journalists to work in
Zimbabwe. Foreign media houses
operating in Zimbabwe thus relied on local
journalists.
conservatives.com
Another banned Mugabe Minister allowed into the
EU
In spite of strong protests, the Dutch Government has today
granted a
visa to Kumbirai Kangai, a Zimbabwean Minister, to attend the
forthcoming
EU-ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific countries) Joint
Parliamentary
Assembly in The Hague, despite the fact that he is banned from
entering the
country under EU sanctions.
Geoffrey Van Orden
MEP, Conservative Spokesman on Human Rights and
Vice-Chairman of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the European Parliament,
said:
"Kangai is
banned from travelling to the European Union. His
nomination by Mugabe is a
direct challenge and insult. The decision to grant
him a visa makes a
nonsense of the EU's sanctions policy and sends a clear
message to the
Mugabe regime, and to Zimbabwe's neighbours, that the EU is
not
serious.
"The Dutch Government has ignored our calls to keep banned
Zimbabweans
away from the JPA. Once again it will be left to Members of the
European
Parliament to take action. The EU seems to have lost sight of the
urgent
need to remove Mugabe's boot from the neck of the oppressed
Zimbabwean
people."
Martin Callanan MEP, Chairman of the EU-ACP
Political Committee, said:
"This is a shameful decision. I shall
not sit down with Kangai and I
know that other MEPs from many countries will
refuse to have dealings with
him. This time next year, when it is the
British Government's turn to host
the JPA, I trust it will ensure that no
banned Zimbabweans set foot on
British soil."
Urban poor take to farming cemetry plots
[ This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
HARARE, 10 Nov
2004 (IRIN) - It is midday at the Mabvuku cemetery on the
eastern outskirts
of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, and a funeral is in
progress. A few
metres away, groups of people are preparing patches of land
for planting
maize and sweet potatoes.
Farming in cemeteries has been a lifeline for
many Harare residents
struggling to cope with the ongoing economic crisis
and spiraling prices.
Lucky Marime, one of the cemetery farmers, told
IRIN it was common practice
to grab unused council land for farming, which
then remained "in the family"
until the council claimed it back.
At
Mabvuku, most idle land outside and inside the cemetery had already been
claimed for urban farming. "There is no space for newcomers here. If you see
a piece of land not yet prepared, it does not mean it is free - it has
already been booked but the owner has just not started his preparations
yet," Marime explained.
Although he did not have any land in the
cemetery himself, he was often
hired to prepare and till land for others, he
added.
Similar land encroachment is evident at two larger cemeteries in
the
capital, Warren Hills on Bulawayo Road and Granville on Harare's
southern
edges, despite the presence of council officers at all burial
grounds.
Council spokesman Leslie Gwindi told IRIN that the practice of
cemetry
agriculture would no longer be tolerated. "What they are doing is
illegal.
We do not care if it has been happening for 10 years, we will nip
it in the
bud - cemeteries are not for agriculture. Culturally it's not
right to grow
foodstuffs where there are dead people," he
said.
Keeping the cemeteries free from intrusion and "beefing up
security" would
be part of a general "cleanup" campaign currently underway
in Harare's
central business district, he said.
Policing large
far-flung cemeteries with little or no security fencing is
likely be a
mammoth task - Grenville cemetery, the country's newest and
largest, stands
on 250 acres of former farmland, most of it unprotected.
Land grabbers
and other intruders, including vendors, gain access through a
number of
entry points. The vendors can be seen trotting after a funeral
cortege and
then waiting at a respectful distance to be approached for
service.
"Sometimes the council workers chase us away, but we keep
coming back,"
Mavis Garande, an 18 year-old vendor told IRIN.
Dr
Gordon Chavunduka, president of the Zimbabwe Traditional Healers'
Association, described cemetery agriculture as "culturally wrong", but added
that simply flushing out the farmers was not the answer. "People are
desperate - council must assist them to look for alternatives. The
government and the people, together, must deal with the economic problems,"
he told IRIN.
A survey conducted by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe
in September revealed
that a low-income urban family of six needed Zim $1.5
million (about US
$266) a month for basic commodities, and a number of
low-income workers,
many of them living in areas bordering the cemeteries,
earned less that Zim
$750,000 (about $133) per month. Unemployment in
Zimbabwe currently stands
at 70 percent.
But the HIV/AIDS pandemic
may eventually force the cemetery farmers out.
According to recent
estimates, more than 2,500 people die every week of
AIDS-related causes in
Zimbabwe and the cemeteries are filling up fast.
"Last year some people's
maize had grown a metre tall when it was destroyed
to make way for the
graves," Marime at Mabvuku cemetery told IRIN.
Grenville opened less than
10 years ago and was expected to provide
sufficient burial space for 40
years but is already more than half full.
Zim online
STATE OUT TO EMBARRASS JUDGE FOR ACQUITTING TSVANGIRAI
Wed
10 November 2004
HARARE - The government has allegedly ordered the
Attorney General's
office to speedily bring to court a matter in which Judge
President
Paddington Garwe is a respondent in what insiders said was an
attempt to
embarrass the judge for acquitting opposition leader, Morgan
Tsvangirai, of
treason.
Garwe is named as one of the
respondents in an application filed with
the High Court last month by white
farmer, Christopher Geoffrey Tracey, who
accuses the judge of illegally
occupying his 57 267-hectare Mount Lothian
Estate in Goromonzi district in
Mashonaland East province.
Retired army colonel Godfrey
Mutemachani, a business partner of the
judge with whom he is sharing
Tracey's farm, is the first respondent in the
matter.
The AG's
office, which would not normally handle such a civil suit, is
involved
because Tracey also named Lands Minister Joseph Made as a
respondent.
The farmer accuses Made of wrongfully issuing a
letter offering his
farm to Garwe and Mutemachani which he says the two have
used to take over
the farm.
And Special Lands Minister in
President Robert Mugabe's office, John
Nkomo, is also cited as a respondent
after he allegedly refused to assist
Tracey get his farm and property back
from the judge and his partner.
Apart from unlawfully occupying his
farm, Tracey alleges that Garwe
and Mutemachani failed to pay for equipment
which their company, Hallamshire
Trading Company (Pvt) Ltd, purchased from
him.
The farmer claims he sold the equipment for US$30 000 to Garwe
and
Mutemachani and was to be paid in hard currency.
Tracey
alleges in his court affidavit that Garwe had expressly told
him that he had
no money to pay for the equipment while Mutemachani told him
that he had no
intention to pay for the equipment. He says the judge and
Mutemachani told
him that they were going to take
whatever equipment they wanted without
paying for it.
A senior law officer at the AG's office, who did not
want to be named
for fear of victimisation, said: "We are under orders from
the government to
use this matter to put severe pressure on Garwe and punish
him for freeing
Tsvangirai.
"The instructions were that we
should ensure the matter was heard this
month but because of the backlog of
cases this is impossible. But the matter
will certainly be heard in
December."
Tracey's application is not listed as an urgent matter
and would
ordinarily have been heard sometime next year given the backlog of
cases at
the courts, the law officer said.
In a surprise
judgment last month, Garwe exonerated Tsvangirai of high
treason saying the
state had failed to prove that the opposition leader had
plotted to
assassinate Mugabe ahead of the March 2002 presidential election.
Many had expected Garwe, widely seen as sympathetic to the government,
to
convict Tsvangirai and to sentence him to at least a lengthy jail
term.
But acting AG, Bharat Patel, who has said he will appeal
Tsvangirai's
acquittal, last night denied his department was under pressure
to bring the
farm wrangle to court in order to embarrass or punish Garwe
over the
Tsvangirai judgment.
Patel said: "Any suggestion that
this matter is being pushed to court
to victimise the judge is utter
nonsense. This is a civil matter which has
nothing to do with the
government.
"We are seeking instruction from the government
departments mentioned
in the matter as to what their positions are but our
position (as the AG's
office) is that this matter has nothing to do with the
interests of the
government."
Since his acquittal on 15
October, Tsvangirai, who until then was
unable to travel because his
passport had been seized by the government, has
launched a diplomatic
offensive visiting key African capitals mobilising
pressure on Mugabe to
uphold human rights
and democracy.
The Zimbabwean
opposition leader was yesterday in West Africa where he
is visiting heads of
state after meeting with the leaders of South Africa,
Botswana, Mauritius
and Lesotho since being freed by Garwe last month. -
ZimOnline
Zim online
Parliament wants probe into looted agriculture funds
Wed 10
November 2004
HARARE - Parliament's Portfolio Committee on
Finance has called on
financial authorities and the police to probe the
looting of a government
agricultural fund allegedly by mostly ruling ZANU PF
party politicians,
military officials, their friends and
relatives.
The report is expected to be tabled in Parliament
today.
Confirming reports by ZimOnline last week that a Z$50
billion fund
created with taxpayers' money to help poor villagers buy farm
inputs was
looted dry by ZANU PF and military officials, the committee said
financial
authorities and the police should probe corruption at Agribank,
which
administered the fund.
Agribank is wholly owned by the
government and is tasked with
mobilising financial resources to support
black peasants resettled on former
white-owned farms seized by the
government under its controversial land
reform programme.
The
parliamentary committee that is headed by ZANU PF legislator, Ray
Kaukonde,
noted: "The committee is calling for thorough investigations on
the
corruption at Agribank.
It has emerged that there was abuse of
funds (agricultural support
fund) as well as a lot of unclear practices in
the handling of those funds.
We are recommending that police also conduct
investigations into this
matter."
The agricultural support fund
is now empty after senior government
politicians and military commanders
raided its coffers.
Agricultural Minister Joseph Made, under whose
portfolio the fund
falls, indicated last week that the government was
already probing the
administration of the fund.
An
investigation by ZimOnline has established that among senior
government and
military officials who benefited from the fund are
Information Minister
Jonathan Moyo, Local Government Minister Ignatius
Chombo and Transport and
Communications Minister Chris
Mushowe.
Matabeleland North
provincial governor Obert Mpofu and former
Mashonaland West provincial
governor, Peter Chanetsa, also received large
sums of money from the
fund.
Philip Chiyangwa, who is chairman of the quasi-government
National
Economic Consultative Forum's anti-corruption committee, also took
money
from the fund.
Zimbabwe National Army Commander
Constantine Chiwenga and his wife,
Jocelyn, also benefited from the fund and
so did Air Force Commander,
Perence Shiri.
Agricultural experts
say production on former white farms has
plummeted by as much as 80 percent
chiefly because the peasant families
settled there by the government did not
have money to finance large-scale
and commercial production on the farms. -
ZimOnline
Zim online
Deportation of illegal immigrants costs Botswana US$360
000
Wed 10 November 2004
GABORONE - Botswana says it is
spending up to US$360 000 per year
repatriating illegal immigrants from
neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Chief immigration officer Roy Sekgororoane,
told the Press here last
weekend that the department was deporting at least
30 000 Zimbabweans every
month at a cost of about US$30 000 in food and
transport.
He said: "Illegal immigrants have become a big issue
between the two
countries. We deport about 30 000 Zimbabweans every year and
this has proved
costly."
An estimated 1 000 Zimbabweans fleeing
home because of hunger and
political violence illegally cross into Botswana
every day.
The influx of immigrants has strained relations between
the two
countries with Zimbabwe accusing Botswana of ill-treating its
nationals
visiting that country. Gaborone denies the charge.
An
electric fence which Botswana is constructing on its frontier with
Zimbabwe
further worsened relations between the two countries with Harare
accusing
Gaborone of targeting its nationals with the Gaza-style fence.
Botswana says
it is building the US$700 000 fence to control movement of
livestock across
the border.
More than 4 million or about a third of Zimbabwe's
population of 12
million live in Botswana, South Africa, Britain, United
States, Canada, New
Zealand and other countries after fleeing economic
hardships and political
violence in their country. - ZimOnline
Zim online
Mayor faces the boot
Wed 10 November 2004
BULAWAYO - The government is understood to be considering dismissing
Bulawayo Executive Mayor Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube for revealing that 162 people
had died of hunger-related illnesses in the city so far this year, it was
learnt last night.
Ndabeni-Ncube belongs to the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) party and has since his election three
years ago battled with the
government for control of Zimbabwe's second
largest city.
Well-placed sources said two committees, one set up
by Local
Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, and another by state-appointed
governor
of Bulawayo, Cain Mathema, had recommended that the mayor be
suspended and
eventually dismissed for claiming people had died of hunger in
the city.
"The reports (by the committees) are damning to say the
least and the
government is already moving to suspend the mayor and
eventually dismiss him
either by the end of the year or early next year,"
said one source, who did
not want to be named.
Chombo, who
under the Urban Councils Act can fire city mayors, could
not be reached for
comment on the matter last night. Chombo earlier this
year restored
government control of the capital, Harare, after dismissing
opposition
mayor, Elias Mudzuri.
Mathema refused to speak on the matter saying
he would only do so
after reviewing the report compiled by his
team.
Ndabeni-Ncube told ZimOnline he was right in revealing that
people
were dying of hunger and vowed to resist attempts to dismiss him from
his
job.
"I am ready to fight them over that, I cannot be
victimised for doing
my job, there is no room for that ouster," he
said.
About three months ago, Ndabeni-Ncube told the Press hunger
was
worsening in Bulawayo contrary to claims by the government that Zimbabwe
had
enough to feed itself.
The mayor, who said the information
was obtained from the government's
own death registry office, said more
people could die because of
hunger-related sicknesses unless food agencies
stepped in with food
donations. - ZimOnline
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:38 PM
Subject: There comes a time when people get tired: the Zimbabwe
situation
The general lack
of fuel that characterized the country yesterday and that will continue to
characterise the country in short to medium term is yet another fine example of
the gross mismanagement and misgovernance of this once great country by those at
Jongwe house. Since coming to power in 1980, the ZANU PF government has
systematically decimated this once great country: its formerly robust economy is
in intensive care; its citizens have been tortured, raped and beaten to silence;
its justice system is one that protects the robber and punishes the robbed; the
education system once the pride of Africa is in tatters and the health system is
on the brink of collapse. To add insult to injury, we are told ad nauseum that
that the cause of the country’s current malaise is Tony Blair and George Bush-
As if it were Blair and Bush that made the disastrous decision to go to War in
the DRC, as if it were the two who were party to the politburo decisions to
embark on land invasions with no thought to the consequences on agricultural
production, as if it were the two who made poor socio-economic decisions that
have left the Zimbabwean economy in the precarious state that we find it today.
ZANU PF’s admission of failure to govern Zimbabwe is evidenced by their total
silence on the immense challenges facing this once great country. The president
has failed to engage with his colleagues in cabinet to effectively address the
root of the problems facing Zimbabwe today.
In the meantime, the ordinary long suffering
citizens of this country have been helplessly watching as these shocking events
have rapidly unfolded before their very eyes. Those who have been courageous
enough to apply their citizenship to the fullest of its meaning in a bid to
offer constructive criticism have been branded ‘sell-outs, traitors, uncle
toms,’ and all sorts of other terms not fit to published in any paper worth its
salt . They have also been
systematically and brutally denied their inalienable entitlements to freedom of
speech, expression and association by the very government whose principal
duty is to uphold and protect those rights.
Through ‘rule by law’, ZANU PF has propagated
unjust laws that have made it near on impossible for Zimbabweans to lawfully
express their disquiet at the status quo in the streets as well as the press. To
parody Mugabe’s own words, the citizen’s of this country have been terrorised
and coerced into the political-cum-religious doctrine that there is but one God
in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe and that Jonathan Moyo is his prophet. As I write the
government is in the process of legislating to ban civil engagement in all
aspects of governance and rights through its draconian NGO bill.
However, such coercion and oppression can only be
tolerated for so long: As the great American civil rights leader Martin Luther
King once said, ‘there comes a when people get tired of been trampled by the
iron feet of oppression’. Zimbabweans are tired of the ZANU PF government using
their hard earned tax dollars to fund the beating, torture and incarceration of
their brothers and sisters; to travel to talk shops in New York, Addis Ababa and
Mauritius to pontificate ad nauseum on the so called hypocrisy of Tony Blair and George Bush instead of exercising their minds to address
the fundamental issues that concern the citizen’s of Zimbabwe today: social
justice, corruption, rampant crime, abuse of human rights, food, shelter,
HIV/AIDS and a functioning economy. They are tired of their hard earned tax
dollars been abused by the likes of Jonathan Moyo and propaganda machinery (it
would be a lie to call ZBC, the radio stations and Zimpapers anything else) to
brainwash into believing that the immense challenges we face in Zimbabwe are to
blamed on Bush and Blair when it is as clear as day that they have come about as
a direct result of the gross negligence and incompetence of a political party
that has been in power and no one else. They are tired of their hard earned
funds used to maintain the upkeep of a police force and military machine that
protects the robbers, instead of them the robbed. They are tired of been told by
the powers that be in Jongwe house that they are ‘colonised’, or ‘stooges’ of
imperialist governments when they have openly cried out at the litany of abuses
perpetrated by ZANU PF. They are tired of the selective application of unjust
laws by ZANU PF.
It is common knowledge that was the MIC an
impartial entity, Zimpapers would have been shut down for sort of 'articles'
that are published in its presses on a daily basis. ZANU PF claims that there is
rule of law and justice for all. What rule of law is there when the Supreme
Court has failed to deliver judgements on over 20 pending election petitions
that were made over 5 years ago by the opposition party? What rule of law is
there when the government does not follow rulings of the courts that it finds
unpalatable to its taste? There have been hundreds of judgements made against it
by the courts that it has not bothered to uphold. What rule of law exists when
they imprison an MDC member of parliament for one year with hard labour for a
petty crime as common assault, when the minister who taunted him and also threw
a punch is left to go unpunished? What rule of law exists when the same
government that imprisons this MDC Member of Parliament for a simple crime of
common assault, illegally takes over his farm despite several lawful judgements
against them doing so? What rule of law
exists when the police fail to carry out orders of the courts or punish members
of the government? What rule of law exists when innocent people are thrown in
jail for crimes that they they did not commit?What rule of law exists, when the
government ignores a court order not to deport the COSATU officials that were in
the country a few days ago? Zimbabweans are tired of the nonsense emanating
from the government that there is rule of law in Zimbabwe when we all know,
that no such thing as rule of law exists in Zimbabwe.The South African foreign
minister should know better as well and desist from making foolish pronoucements
concerning the rule of lawi in Zimbabwe. As Mark twain said "tis better
to remain quiet and be called a fool, then to speak and remove all doubt".
The incumbent president and his party are
campaigning to remain in power for another 5 years. If ZANU PF was as confident
of winning as it says it is, many of the SADC guidelines on free and fair
elections would have been put in place a long time ago, but they actually have
to be brow beaten into putting them into place. The fact of the matter is that
ZANU PF knows that it cannot win an election under conditions that are conducive
to free and fair elections even in a constituency like Zvimba where Mugabe hails
from hence why they will not implement these guidelines. It is wishful thinking
on the part of the MDC if they think that lobbying Mbeki and others to force
ZANU PF to comply will change the status quo come election time next year. The
‘thugocracy’ that is ZANU PF cannot shoot itself in the foot by implementing
these guidelines, that is ludicrous and it is naïve on the part of the MDC or
any 'quiet diplomat' to believe that it would. It is far better for MDC not to
participate in any election until ZANU PF is forced by civil disobedience to
create democratic space in this country.The ZANU PF government is desperate for
legitimacy so that international aid can begin to flow into the country, they
cannot earn any legitimacy if the MDC does not participate in next year’s
election.
For several years since this crisis began
Zimbabweans have been told ‘wait’, ‘chete!’, ‘chilla kani!’ Mbeki is exercising
‘quiet diplomacy’ (I did not know such diplomacy existed until Mbeki came into
power. The long suffering citizens of Zimbabwe certainly did not exercise ‘quiet
diplomacy’ when it came to supporting the ANC against Apartheid in South Africa,
a fact Thabo Mbeki has chosen to conveniently forget) to end the crisis. “Wait!”
MDC is in informal talks about formal talks with ZANU-PF to end the crisis,
“Wait! “Don’t leave the country yet, zvinhu zvichanaka! For several years
now they have heard the word “Wait” .It rings in their ears with piercing
familiarity. This “Wait!” has almost always meant “Never’. Like Martin Luther
King, they have come to see that justice too long delayed is justice denied.
The fact of the matter is that Zimbabwe simply
cannot survive another year, let alone another 5 years of more and the same from
a ZANU PF led government. Perhaps it is easy for Thabo Mbeki to tell Zimbabweans
to “Wait!” for the dividends of his ‘quiet diplomacy’. But I put it to Mbeki and
his ANC government, that when you have seen vicious mobs torture your mothers
and fathers at will while the “police” stand by watching; when you have seen
thugs rape your sisters and aunts; when you have seen the vast majority of your
fellow Zimbabweans smothering in an airtight cage of poverty; when you find it
necessary to pay bribes to government officials for services that are meant to
be provided gratis; when you cannot leave your money in a bank account because
it becomes more worthless each and every hour that it remains there; when you
can no longer afford to put your children through school; when you have to wake
up early in the dawn of the day to queue for bread, water, fuel and the Lord
knows what else; when you have to sit and watch ZBC spew out its propaganda
telling you to stay determined for entertainment; when you go to a hospital
and it has no drugs or doctors; when you are harried by day and haunted by
night by the mere fact that you support a political party of your choice, living
constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect perhaps then
Mbeki will understand why Zimbabweans are increasingly finding it difficult to wait.
Zimbabweans have failed to get rid of Mugabe and
his government because they have been incapacitated by fear. From now on they
need to stick together as citizens of this once great country and say with
boldness and determination and one voice to Mugabe and his government- go! Unity
is the greatest need of this hour and if are united they can get many of the
things that they not only desire but which they justly deserve. Do not let
anybody frighten you. You should not be afraid that what you are doing is wrong
when you protest. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting together and
organising and protesting for your rights. Your true liberation heroes
Tongogara, Moyo, Chitepo, Mangwana and other glorious dead sacrificed their
lives for these very rights; your war veterans fought for these very rights
(though one cannot tell given their recent behaviour over the past few years).
There is never a time in Zimbabwe’s history that you must ever think you are
wrong when you protest. You reserve that right. Have the moral courage to stand
up for your rights. God grant that you do it before it is too late.
..........................
Richard Gonzo
London
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 11:31 PM
Subject: Church on Trial - Noel
Scott
Friends,
News from Zim: an Anglican priest,
Noel Scott, is
going on trial next week in Bulawayo. The gov't has
gone
completely over the top in the last few days,
since they successfully voted
to throw the opposition
MP, Roy Bennett, in jail for a year. Now they
are
willing to try to get anything past -- through the
courts, the
legislation, by whatever means. Throwing
the COSATU delegation out by the
scruff of their necks
is a dramatic escalation of how bold they have
become
in the last few week. Things are getting worse by
the
day.
I can get the details from the Rev. Graham Shaw, but
what
I remember is this: Rev. Noel Scott's case has
been dragging on now for two
and a half years. He led
a church service (perhaps one of the justice and
peace
services at St Mary's but it may have been at his own
Anglican
church). At the time, food was very scarce
and the people were really
suffering. Noel Scott led
a service that spoke out about God's suffering
people.
The service was attended by the CIO, the secret
police.
The
upshot was that the police arrested Noel Scott.
Other clergy, including
Graham Shaw, went down to the
jail to register their concern by praying.
Graham
Shaw and several others were then also arrested and
thrown in jail
for the weekend.
I spoke to Graham Shaw last night. He was
very
concerned that the flimsy case against Noel Scott,
postponed over and
over again for the last two years,
is actually coming to trial. Noel has had
to go to
court ELEVEN times, each time costing him money to
defend
himself. His lawyer finally demanded that
either the case be brought to
trial or that it be
dropped. The general expectation was that the
case
would be dropped. But in light of the increasing
boldness of the
kangaroo justice system in the last
few weeks, Noel Scott's trial could be
yet another
chance for the government to crack down on the
church,
especially in Bulawayo.
As general Secretary of Christians
Together for
Justice
and Peace, Graham may be able to attend the trial
next
week. Often trials are closed: the government doesn't
want anyone to
know what is going on. Noel Scott is
one
of the leaders of Christians
Together , whose
meeting at the Archbishop Pius Ncube's offices was
broken
up two weeks ago by the secret police. The two
priests leading the meeting
were taken to police
headquarters and threatened with jail, if the
meeting
wasn't abandoned. When Christians Toghether
reconvened their
planning meeting last week, the CIO
sent police to spy on their internal
church meeting.
The effect is like Hilter's Germany: even in a
private
ecumenical church meeting, people have to be
really careful about what they
say.
The church, especially Bulawayo Cathedral, has been
the last open
space for public protest.: it was the
one place where people could hear the
truth about the
repression, and hear voices raised in the name of God
to
say: 'this is evil. It must cease.' Even though
the atmosphere in those
services was thick with fear,
the voices of the brave could be heard. That
last
public space is closing . . . and people outside Zim
are unaware it
is happening.
Please be aware of what is going on. 2.5
million
people in Zimbabwe, especially vulnerable women and
children, are
on the verge of starvation. Where is
the justice in that?
Pray for
peace and justice,
Martine
Revd Dr Martine Stemerick
Talks held between rebels and board
Wisden Cricinfo staff
November
10, 2004
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has been in discussions with the
rebel players in a
bid to end the seven-month dispute which has left
Zimbabwean cricket in
chaos.
A report in the Zimbabwe Independent
claims that two board members - Ozias
Bvute and Tavengwa Mkuhlani -
approached Ray Gripper, one of the leading
critics of ZC, at the end of
October in a bid to kick-start talks between
the two factions. A result was
that meetings were held which put forward
proposals aimed at reworking the
board's constitution, drafting new
contracts and holding fresh
elections.
"Initially I was approached by Mkuhlani, who brought up the
suggestion. I
agreed with him and raised the matter with the players who
also agreed,"
Gripper told the paper. "We later held meetings with Mkuhlani
and Bvute and
we came up with proposals."
The paper added that it had
seen minutes of the meetings, which referred to
the rebels being brought
back into the fold. "The qualification criteria for
selectors as put forward
by the players is accepted in total and not only
partly," the minutes
stated. "The players who do agree to come back will be
valued by [Zimbabwe's
coach] Phil Simmons. The only criteria to be used in
this assessment are
cricket skills and value, nothing else. Maybe any
rejections could be
supported by a report from Phil as to how he arrived at
his
assessment.
"There is to be no interference by board members in selection
or cricketing
matters and their contribution should be largely restricted to
the boardroom
and committee meetings."
Bvute confirmed to the paper
that there had been meetings. "Gripper made
some suggestions to Mkuhlani. I
met with Gripper, Mkuhlani and Pichanick and
agreed that we had to take the
suggestions to the board."
But Gripper warned that there was a long way
to go, adding that the lack of
any feedback or official response from ZC
indicated that it might not be
willing to agree to the proposals.
©
Wisden Cricinfo Ltd
SABC
Zimbabwean opposition MP Bennett applies for bail
November
10, 2004, 09:00
Roy Bennett, a Zimbabwean opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC)
member of parliament, has applied to the high court
today for bail.
Bennett was sentenced by a parliamentary committee to 15
months hard labour,
with three months suspended, for being involved in a
scuffle in which he
pushed Patrick Chinamasa, the justice minister, to the
ground.
Meanwhile Eric Matinenga, Bennett's advocate, said yesterday
evening that
"parliament had to work within certain limits". "If it does
something that
is irrational, then it will be denying liberty to an
individual in
circumstances where it is plain that nobody acting rationally
would have
come to that decision and the court must interfere," Matinenga
said.
Bennett's sentence was recommended by a parliamentary committee
dominated by
Zanu PF legislators. Relatives of the popular politician, who
represents the
rural Eastern Highlands district of Chimanimani, said he was
being kept in
filthy conditions in an over-crowded cell.
In his
defence, the MDC is arguing that Bennett was provoked into assaulting
Zanu
PF MPs when they told him his ancestors were "thieves and murderers." -
Sapa
Recent Developments.
There is so much going on at present that it is
quite difficult to keep up
with what is happening and to consider just how
all these developments feed
into the crisis in Zimbabwe. Lets just take a few
and examine how they are
likely to impact on our immediate future.
The
governing alliance in South Africa is made up of three organizations -
the
Confederation of South African Trade Unions and the South African
Communist
Party as well as the African National Congress. Of the three, the
ANC has the
smallest direct membership, Cosatu, the largest, with its
membership running
to millions of workers. The SACP is a relic of the past
but still commands a
significant following - probably larger than the Pan
African Congress. It
also supplies some of the main players and thinkers in
the SA
government.
Both Cosatu and the SACP have been moving away from support
for the position
of Zanu PF in Zimbabwe for some time. They have developed a
better
understanding of the position of the MDC and are now actively
supporting
political strategies that will secure some form of democratic
transition
here. The recent visit to Zimbabwe by senior delegations of
both
organisations were undertaken in the spirit of fact finding tours to
confirm
their own understandings of the situation here. The SACP visit went
off
without hitch, but the Cosatu delegation was given the boot -
literally.
As a consequence of these developments the two major players
in the ANC
camp, are now firmly committed to supporting the effort to secure
free and
fair elections next year. How the South African government will play
this
new development is difficult to see through the mist of all the spin
that is
going on, but there can be no doubt that this represents a major
diplomatic
set back for the Zanu PF and for those who support them in the
SA
administration.
Mbeki will have to take these developments into
consideration or face the
prospect that he will lose some control over events
as they affect the
SA/Zimbabwe relationship. Cosatu has the power to put
significant autonomous
pressure on Zimbabwe and the SACP simply cannot be
ignored inside the South
African corridors of power. The recent improvement
in the relationship with
the MDC has shown that Mbeki is moving his own
position. The treatment of
Morgan Tsvangirai when visiting African Heads of
State in Africa is also
revealing. These things do not happen in Africa
without serious decisions
being taken. In South Africa Morgan was given
substantial status for the
first time - and Mugabe was furious. Morgan has
now been received by the
Presidents of 6 countries, with full honors that
such visits normally
attract to significant visitors and this again reveals a
changing climate in
Africa.
Commentators in South Africa who have
criticised Morgan's diplomatic
offensive are simply mouthing the views of the
Zimbabwe propaganda machine
who are enraged that having let the lion out of
the cage, he has gone
hunting.
There can be no doubt that we are now
in for a second Bush term - one in
which the conservatives in the US will be
very much in the driving seat.
Regime change in Afghanistan is now almost
complete and represents an
astonishing military and diplomatic achievement.
The Iraq situation is
getting the same treatment. In the Ivory Coast, the
French are doing their
own bit of political surgery.
There are no
signs of any shift in the Bush administrations strategies in
Africa. This
means that although we will not be a top priority, we will not
be ignored.
Just look at the global team that now confronts the Mugabe
regime. In the
USA, Bush; in the UK, Blair; in the SADC, Mauritius and
Botswana hold the key
leadership positions. In the AU, Obasanjo of Nigeria
is in charge. In the G8,
and the EU, Blair will be in the key leadership
role next year - when it
matters. Heavens, if the MDC was to choose a team
to confront the regime here
diplomatically, we could not have done a better
job.
This translates
into even more pressure on Mbeki. How he will react is
difficult to tell, but
he has moved his position and it is difficult to see
how he cannot keep on
moving if he is to maintain his own position as the
major crime buster and
fixer in Africa.
Next week on Tuesday the Agriculture Portfolio committee
in Parliament is
going to table a report which we understand will completely
contradict
Mugabe's claim that "we have grown 2,4 million tonnes of maize and
do not
need your food." The committee was the product of a slip up by the
Zanu whip
who failed to get a majority into parliament when the debate on the
food
situation initiated by the MDC shadow Minister of Agriculture Rensen
Gasela
took place. The resolution proposed by Rensen was passed and the
Committee,
chaired by a rather decent Zanu MP, has now completed its
investigations -
with the grudging participation of the Ministries and the
GMB.
The committee concluded that only 600 000 tonnes of maize was in
fact
produced this past season - less than in 2003 and only a quarter of
the
Mugabe estimate. With opening stocks of about 200 000 tonnes we had
enough
food for about 5 months. Since then we have been importing steadily
from the
region and further abroad. Fortunately for us, South Africa has a 2
million
tonne surplus and if we need food in a hurry it is not far away.
Maize is
also a cheap product and we can always find the money to import
stocks if
the need is there.
But what this confirms is that it is the
objective of the Mugabe regime to
restrict basic food supplies to government
controlled channels. This
situation will be in place by the end of the year
and the whole system is
ready to be used in the Zanu campaign in 2005. We
have seen some signs of
how they will do it - in Chipinge they stopped all
stores carrying the basic
staple, maize meal. Then they allocated maize to
the Zanu PF candidate for
the area (Zanu has not won a seat in Chipinge in
recent years) who sold it
through groups of young Zanu thugs who took a
margin. Both the candidate and
the "Green Bombers" made money. If you wanted
maize, you had to become a
member of Zanu and attend Zanu
functions.
If anyone wanted confirmation that the Mugabe regime was not
wiling to
change its ways in any way, you only have to read Hansard, the
daily
verbatim record of proceedings in Parliament. The action taken against
Roy
Bennett - a clear violation of the regulations controlling Parliament
and
also Zimbabwe law, just to remove a political thorn in the flesh of Zanu
PF,
is a clear indication of how far they are prepared to go. Chinamasa's
remark
to Dave Coltart the "he was next." Is a chilling reminder of just
how
narrow-minded and vindictive these people are. Well, they need to
remember
"what goes around, come around."
But if you examine the
proceedings right now - the Zanu machine is in full
swing - changes to AIPPA
to give the Minister more power, Changes to the
electoral Act to further
entrench the Zanu monopoly of control over the
whole process - deliberately
flaunting the agreements Mugabe signed just 2
months ago in Mauritius. Then
the statements by Ministers in response the
MDC questions - "we will never
allow the MDC access to the State controlled
media, never!" Democracy, they
do not understand the word, let alone the
practice.
So what does this
all mean for those of us on the ground in this firefight?
The Bennett story
plus the failed votes in Parliament and the tightened grip
on food, shows
that we continue to lose battles, but the overall message is
that we are
winning the war. And in the longer term, that is what counts.
The Chinese
saying "he who rides a Tiger, cannot get off!" Certainly applies
to the
Mugabe regime. It's good to belong to the Tiger.
Eddie
Cross
Bulawayo, 10th November 2004.
From: "Trudy Stevenson"
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 5:22 AM
Subject:
Parliament: Announcement of Adverse Reports, presentation of
Reports on Food
Stocks and NSSA
Today the Speaker announced Adverse Reports received
from the PLC on NGO
Bill, Electoral Bill and Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Bill. The
House has adjourned until Tuesday, when the Reports may be
presented and
debated. Meanwhile debate on the Adverse Report on the
Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission Bill has not yet resumed.
Committee
Reports on Food Stocks and NSSA were presented this afternoon.
Government is
criticising the Food Stocks report, which warns that "the
country is likely
to stock out before the next harvest" and that in fact we
have maize for only
3 months. Matabeleland South was forecast to produce
109 178 tons of maize,
but GMB had only received 362 tons by 10 September,
ie 0.3% of the forecast.
GMB had only received 1.3% of the forecast from
Masvingo, 1.4% from
Matabeleland North and 3.9% from Midlands.
From The Daily Mirror, 10 November
Pandemonium in
parliament
Clemence Manyukwe
There was chaos in parliament
yesterday after Zanu PF and MDC legislators
clashed on the appropriate
voting procedure on the despised Access to
Information and Protection of
Privacy Amendment Bill. The legislative
assembly's business came to a halt
for close to 30 minutes as legislators
traded insults before the Bill
finally sailed through, with 41 Zanu PF
legislators voting in the favour,
while 37 MDC members voted against the
amendment. Trouble started when
opposition members demanded that voting
should commence at a time when Zanu
PF members appeared to be out numbered -
a development that would have
resulted in the amendment being rejected -
soon after dividing the house.
The majority of Zanu PF members were still
outside the legislative assembly,
well after the bells summoning them to
come into the house and vote had
stopped toiling. According to Parliamentary
procedures, those in the House
within a stipulated time after the bells have
rung can vote, while those
outside should not be allowed in. When Parliament
staff stood at the three
entrances to block those who were outside,
pandemonium broke out - Zanu PF
MPs charged that they had not been given
enough time to troop in.
Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo could be seen
pointing and shouting at
close range to Parliament clerks, responsible for
ringing the bells, a
development that drew the ire of Harare South
legislator, Gabriel Chaibva.
"Don't threaten employees of Parliament. Why
are you threatening them?"
asked Chaibva. Moyo shot back: "I will threaten
you also. What can you
do?"
Harare Governor Witness Mangwende, who was in the chair, said the
correct
procedure had not been followed and that there had been a mistake
which had
resulted in ruling party members being trapped out. When calm
returned, the
MDC chief whip, Innocent Gonese said they were voting in
protest as Zanu PF
members who were not supposed to vote, had been brought
in. "There are
members who were not present. They came into the House after
four minutes.
Even you (Deputy Speaker of Parliament Edna Madzongwe) should
have remained
outside, and Mangwende should have proceeded with the vote,"
Gonese said.
Gonese and the ruling party's chief whip, Joram Gumbo went on
to submit a
list of names of MPs they said should not have voted. The three
amendments
to AIPPA seek to provide a penalty provision to the principal
act, which is
presently absent. Under that provision anyone who practices
without
accreditation "shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine,
imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or both." The other clause
seeks to set up a disciplinary committee to determine whether any member of
the Media and Information Commission who would have been suspended by the
Information Minister should be dismissed. The other amendment seeks to amend
Section 40 (2) of the principal act, which deals with the appointment and
composition of the MIC. The AIPPA Amendment Bill now waits presidential
ascend to become law.
Chitungwiza Nurses Go On Strike
The Herald
(Harare)
November 10, 2004
Posted to the web November 10,
2004
Harare
NURSES at Chitungwiza Municipality's four clinics went
on strike on Monday
to press for a 50 percent salary increment backdated to
May 2004 and
improved working conditions.
The strike has resulted in
most patients being turned away while those whose
condition was deemed
serious were being referred to Chitungwiza General
Hospital.
The
nurses were also unhappy about not getting their October salaries
despite
assurances by council officials.
Yesterday, Seke South, North and St
Mary's clinics were deserted as patients
were being turned away while at
Zengeza 3 Clinic only a few nurses were on
duty. There was a long queue of
patients in the afternoon.
"As you can see there are no nurses here and
there is no one to attend to
patients. Patients are being turned away or
referred to Chitungwiza (General
Hospital)," said a source at Seke North
Clinic who preferred anonymity.
The nurses met Chitungwiza mayor Mr
Misheck Shoko shortly before lunch
yesterday to air their grievances and
were expected to resume the meeting in
the afternoon.
"He seemed very
accommodative and showed a willingness to address the
problem, but we do not
know if that was meant to cool down our tempers,"
said one disgruntled
nurse.
Mr Shoko denied claims that council nurses had not been paid last
month
saying the only council employees who have not received their salaries
were
those with accounts with a certain commercial bank, which he did not
name.
He said the nurses had been put on the same salary scale as
Government
nurses.
"We put the nurses on the same salary scale as
those in Government as they
have always wished for and now we don't know
what the problem is unless they
are saying the Government salaries levels
are also low," said Mr Shoko.
The nurses also complained about council's
failure to provide them with
adequate protective clothing.
"Most
nurses are leaving council clinics for Government and other private
institutions where conditions of service are better. They are leaving every
month and we are aware of some leaving next month. We fear for our lives
because we are constantly exposed to health risks due to inadequate
clothing," said one nurse.
Mr Shoko said the issue of protective
clothing had come to his attention and
he had directed the chairperson of
the health committee to ensure that it
was addressed.
"Yes, that is
very dangerous and when it came to my attention, I immediately
directed the
chairperson of the health committee to tour all the council
clinics so that
the situation on the ground could be established and
addressed," he
said.
Stakeholders Assessing State-Drafted Tourism Policy, Master
Plan
The Herald (Harare)
November 10, 2004
Posted to
the web November 10, 2004
Martin Kadzere
Harare
STAKEHOLDERS in
the tourism industry are still assessing the National
Tourism Policy and
Master Plan, which was drafted by the Government early
this year.
The
policy was expected to have been launched in May this year but delays
were
experienced in thedrafting process and stakeholder assessments which
are
said to be progressing very slowly.
This is despite the great need to
revive the sector which has not been
performing well over the past six years
as a result of adverse publicity
Zimbabwe received from the international
media.
Zimbabwe Council of Tourism (ZCT) chairman Mr Paul Matamisa
confirmed the
document has been delayed as it was supposed to have been
launched about six
months ago.
"We, as the council and other
stakeholders are still in the process of
scrutinising the document and we
are not in a position to comment now.
"The document is expected to be
finalised within the next few weeks and will
be presented to the Cabinet for
approval.
"We have made several recommendations and we are hoping our
input as a
tourism council is going to have a positive contribution towards
the revival
of the sector," Mr Matamisa said.
The new policy with
input from both the Government and stakeholders from the
sector, is aimed at
harmonising the activities in the sector and to align
operations within the
sector.
Viewed as the launch pad for the revival of the sector, the
document is
currently being scrutinised by companies before
finalisation.
ZCT has been active behind the scenes in the process of
developing the
tourism policy and the preparation of relevant and suitable
topics for
consideration at a convention of stakeholders held in
May.
The Ministry of Environment of Tourism spearheaded the convention
with the
support from all stakeholders in the tourism industry.
The
policy plan seeks to address problems, which had been besetting the
sector,
and these include marketing initiatives, human resource development,
product
pricing, infrastructure development, taxes and other facets that
drive or
hinder the development of tourism.
It would also provide direction and
guidance to every individual and
organisations either directly or indirectly
involved in tourism, which would
provide groundwork for future
developments.
The document also focuses on the need to rebuild confidence
not only in the
source markets, but also among Zimbabweans.
Although
domestic tourism has improved significantly over the past three
years, much
is needed to be done to factor in tourism within the local
culture.
To show its commitment in the revival of tourism, the
Government deployed
three tourism attaches to South Africa, France and
Malaysia from where the
country anticipates a significant number of
arrivals.
Zimbabwe needs to come up with more aggressive marketing
strategies to
attract visitors from such areas and consolidate traditional
markets such as
Europe.
New Zimbabwe
Business mogul Mutasa held on new forex charges
By
Agencies
Last updated: 11/10/2004 21:08:04
ZIMBABWEAN police have arrested
prominent businesswoman Jane Mutasa as part
of a clampdown on foreign
currency dealings.
Mutasa, director of the mobile telephone company
Telecel, was placed under
arrest after she turned herself in to Harare
Central Police Station on
Tuesday, the state-run Herald newspaper
said.
Police had said at the weekend they were looking for
her.
She is accused of funnelling US$4.5m (R28m) outside the country, in
violation of Zimbabwe's strict foreign exchange control
regulations.
Three other Telecel directors are already in police custody,
including James
Makamba who is a member of Zimbabwe's ruling
party.
Four senior officials from another mobile telephone provider,
Econet
Wireless, have also been arrested on the same charges.
The
southern African country has been hit by critical shortages of foreign
currency in the last few years, with serious effects on the
economy.
Zimbabwe's laws stipulate that all foreign currency earned by
resident
Zimbabweans must be repatriated. Foreign currency can only be
purchased
through authorised dealers.
This year, police have waged a
tough war on corruption, netting several
high-profile figures for alleged
foreign currency offences.
Finance Minister Christopher Kuruneri is in
prison on charges of moving hard
currency out of the country, though he has
still not been tried.
This is the second time this year Mutasa has been
arrested for alleged
illegal foreign currency dealings. In April she was
fined Z$8.5m (R9 574) by
a Harare court after she pleaded guilty to similar
charges.
Sapa
The Scotsman
City charity charged with a tough job
ADRIAN
MATHER
FROM a helicopter 100 feet above the African plains, a lone
gunman takes aim
at the stampeding wild rhino in his sights.
The
mighty animal charges across rivers and crashes through trees as the
marksman tracks it with the telescopic lens of his rifle before firing a
single shot.
The rhino bucks from the impact and ploughs onwards,
gradually slowing
through exhaustion until it finally slumps on the dusty
ground. The
helicopter lands beside it and the gunman steps out from beneath
the
whirring blades to inspect his prize.
But this isn't a dramatic
case of big game hunting, or even an example of
the lengths that poachers
will go to in order to seize illegal, but
valuable, rhino
horn.
Rather, it is the work of conservationists and vets who have to
fire
tranquilliser darts at the rhinos in order to perform vital medical
work on
them and fix tracking devices to monitor their movements.
And
the work which is performed in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe is
being
funded by, among others, the efforts of a small Edinburgh-based
wildlife
charity.
The Hwange Conservation Society, a British-registered charity
based in
Sighthill, is attempting to protect the future of wild animals -
including
black and white rhinos - at the park, which is situated between
the
world-famous Victoria Falls and the Kalahari desert.
Originally
set up in Zimbabwe by residents who felt that there wasn't enough
national
funding being provided for their park, the charity has spread
globally and
its UK branch, which was established in Aberdeen in 1992, is
now run from
Edinburgh.
It was set up by chairman Alan Main, from Aberdeen, who was
talked into
starting the UK office whilst on holiday in Zimbabwe by some of
the
residents who had originally established the charity. But after Main
moved
to South Africa eight years ago, the position of chairman was
transferred to
John Gillon, from Sighthill, who had previously lived in
Zimbabwe.
Gillon left Scotland in 1969 and moved to Johannesburg, South
Africa, to
take a job in publishing before moving to Zimbabwe - then called
Rhodesia.
He spent six years living in the capital, Salisbury, until
escalating
political unrest and the war of independence forced him to return
to
Scotland in 1976.
But during his time in Zimbabwe he was a regular
visitor to the Hwange
National Park and often travelled for more than 500
miles in order to see
elephants, rhinos and buffalos in the wild and to spot
exotic species of
birds.
After the Hwange Conservation Society was
set up in the UK in the early
1990s, he quickly joined up and started to
fundraise for the park before
taking over the society eight years
ago.
And he and his wife Sandra are still regular visitors to the park,
aiming to
go over to Zimbabwe every two years to see the work that the
charity is
helping to fund.
The society currently funds sponsorship
projects such as research into wild
dog populations and hyenas as well as
aiming to promote a wealth of
conservation programmes at the African
national park.
And, working together with global wildlife organisations
such as the World
Wildlife Fund and Save the Rhino, the charity is also
involved with attempts
to conserve the park's rhino population and assist
veterinary experts who
monitor the animals' movements.
Now, as part
of its current fundraising efforts, the society has invited one
of
Zimbabwe's leading veterinary researchers to put on two special talks in
Edinburgh about the future of the country's rhinos.
Dr Chris Foggin,
who is the principal scientific research officer with the
national parks of
Zimbabwe, has already completed one talk at Edinburgh Zoo
on Monday, and
will deliver his second lecture tomorrow at the Royal (Dick)
School of
Veterinary Studies.
"Our charity is aimed at combating poaching and
protecting the wildlife in
Zimbabwe," says Gillon. "We run on a voluntary
basis so that all of the
money we receive can go straight to the park and
help their conservation
projects.
"We sponsor some of the research
programmes and have donated money towards
providing piping for water
supplies for some of the animals. But we have
also donated money to help
provide vehicle maintenance and tools, as well as
helping to establish
anti-snaring and anti-poaching projects by donating a
dart rifle,
range-finder and immobilising drugs.
"We try to help fund as much as we
can and to help conserve all the
different species at the park - whether
they are lions, hyenas, zebras or
rhinos. But as Chris is a rhino expert, we
decided to focus the talks on the
plight of wild rhinos in Zimbabwe. We're
trying to let people know what is
going on and give them information about
endangered rhinos and what they can
do to help.
"He's doing seven
talks across the UK and hopefully we'll be able to raise a
lot of money for
the park."
DR Foggin has been involved with wildlife conservation across
Zimbabwe for
more than 15 years, but this is his first promotional visit to
the UK to
talk about the national parks and the plight of the country's
rhinos.
He has previously appeared on BBC series such as Vets in the Wild
and Vets
on the Wild Side as an on-location wildlife expert.
He says
that the team at the Hwange park have to deal with a range of issues
including the dangers of ivory poaching and the use of snare traps, and he
adds that he has personally spent the past six years working to protect wild
rhinos in the country.
But although he and his team are involved in
hands-on work to protect and
treat the animals in the wild, they are
dependent on vital funds from
wildlife organisations from across the globe
to continue their conservation.
And despite the Sighthill charity only
having 150 members worldwide, its
fundraising is providing vital help to
protect a number of animal species in
the Zimbabwean plains. "Between the
1980s and early 1990s, we lost more than
70 per cent of all rhinos in
Zimbabwe," Dr Foggin says.
"There was a lot of poaching going on at that
time and rhinos were being
caught and slaughtered for their horns. At one
point there were only about
200 rhinos left in the whole country. But from
1993 to about 2003, there was
virtually no poaching and the rhino numbers
steadily built back up. There
was a lot of conservation work set up to
protect the rhinos and we were able
to see both white and black rhino
populations improve.
"However, in 2003 there was a resurgence of poaching
and rhino numbers began
to fall again. Although there is a mandatory
custodial sentence for anyone
caught poaching in Zimbabwe, the practice
started to become popular once
more, which was a worry.
"But it is a
problem which is currently in the process of being sorted out,
and poaching
levels have dropped over the past year." However, Dr Foggin
adds that the
number of rhinos in Zimbabwe is still currently at a critical
level.
Although he does not give an exact figure - as it could potentially
attract
poachers to take advantage of the number of animals or affect the
amount of
funds that rhino conservation projects are awarded - he says that
the figure
is "well below 1000".
But he does add that it is not only poaching that
is threatening the rhinos.
"What we also see a lot of in the park are
animals being caught in snare
traps set by hunters. Sometimes the snares are
made of solid steel wire and
cut deeply into the rhinos' legs, and our job
is to release them from the
snares.
"But that can be difficult.
Rhinos often just pull away from the traps and,
if the snares are attached
to something heavy like a tree trunk, they end up
dragging the trunk along
with them, which makes the wire cut deeper into
their flesh.
"If
those wounds are left untreated then it can lead to infection and death.
We
can track the animals, but we have to take a helicopter out into the park
if
we are to treat them. We usually fire a tranquilliser dart at the rhino
from
the air and then wait for the drugs to take effect before landing.
"But
sometimes the snares are so strong that we have to use a hacksaw rather
than
wire cutters, and there have been times when the initial wounds have
healed
and we have had to cut into the rhino's skin to get the wire out. We
also
have to treat rhinos that have been injured in fights, and sometimes
have to
remove horns that have been damaged by poachers."
He adds that the team
at the park, which consists of conservationists, vets,
scouts and rangers,
tags every rhino by cutting a unique pattern on their
ears. They also fit
radio transmitters to some of the animals in order to
monitor their
movements. But, he says, the work they do at Hwange is
expensive and the
park is reliant on donations from local authorities and
charity groups to
continue its work.
"Our helicopter alone is a constant drain on our
finances, but there is no
other way of tracking long distances to treat the
animals safely.
"We don't transport the rhinos to a special surgery, so
all of the work has
to be performed at the scene, which means we have to
take the helicopter out
to get to the injured animals.
"We also have
to look at the problem of poaching and the measures we take,
such as
monitoring the rhinos on the ground and using radio transmitters,
are also
quite expensive to run. The park is 15,000sq km big - which is
about the
size of Scotland - so it's a fairly large area to monitor, and the
only way
we can do that is with expensive aircraft, helicopters and Land
Rovers.
"But it isn't just the rhinos that the park deals with. There
are people who
work with the 45,000 elephants that we have and others who
deal with animals
such as lions and zebras.
"Although we work closely
with 'well-known' groups such as the WWF, Save
Australia and Save the Rhino,
the park also gets funds from smaller groups
such as the Hwange Conservation
Society. What I hope that these talks will
achieve is to make people aware
of the work we do and raise the profile of
the charity here in
Edinburgh."
. Dr Chris Foggin will be making his speech, Rhinos and other
wildlife
veterinary work in Zimbabwe, at the Royal (Dick) School of
Veterinary
Studies tomorrow at 7pm. There is no set price for tickets but
donations are
welcome.