Police block MDC rally and offer venue to ZANU PF

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
12 November 2010

Police in Manicaland have blocked the MDC-T from holding their 11th
anniversary rally in Musikavanhu, saying the same venue had also been booked
by ZANU PF.

The rally was scheduled to be held on Saturday in an open space just next to
Manzire business centre. MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti, his deputy
Tapiwa Mashakada and deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma, were penciled down as
speakers at the rally.

The MDC-T MP for the area, Prosper Mutseyami, told us he notified the police
of the rally on Tuesday but was shocked to be informed Friday that the rally
cannot go ahead as planned.

‘They informed me this morning (Friday) that ZANU PF has booked the same
venue so we will have to cancel our rally. But on enquiring from ZANU PF
officials in the constituency, no one from their party is set to hold a
rally on Saturday,’ Mutseyami said.

Instead of calling off their rally, Mutseyami said they’ve decided to switch
venues and move to Matezwa business centre, which is 5km away from Manzire
centre.

‘Our preparations are so advanced we cannot afford to cancel the rally. We
know the police, chiefs and headman have orders to ban all MDC rallies in
Manicaland as orderrd by the commander of 3 brigade in Mutare,’ Mutseyami
added.

Two weeks ago, Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba told over 200
traditional chiefs from Manicaland’s seven districts that no leader without
war credentials will rule Zimbabwe and that Robert Mugabe will remain in
office for life.

‘From today, no one will come in your communities to hold political meetings
or rallies without your blessings. Those who defy such orders will be dealt
with. Only war veterans and chiefs have the right and powers to hold rallies
and meeting because they fought for this country,’ Nyikayaramba told the
chiefs.

But Mutseyami said they will not be deterred by such statements from
misguided members of the military who are pushing the ZANU PF agenda. He
said the MDC will continue to engage with its supporters, despite attempts
by the police to block them.

Robert Mugabe's aides praise David Cameron and the Coalition

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Robert Mugabe has sought a meeting with the British ambassador to Harare as
aides to the octogenarian Zimbabwean leader heap praise on David Cameron and
the Conservative-led Coalition.

by Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent 5:06PM GMT 12 Nov 2010

Officials said that a deterioration in Zimbabwe's internal politics -
including the recent resumption of land seizures and political violence -
had scuppered attempts to arrange a meeting between Mark Canning, the
British ambassador and Mr Mugabe before the end of the year.

But Mr Mugabe's senior lieutenants in ZANU PF have lobbied with undisguised
eagerness for a meeting. Walter Mzembi, the tourism minister, met Henry
Bellingham, the junior Foreign Office minister for Africa, in London this
week. Afterwards he said that Mr Cameron had made a positive impression on
the Zimbabwean ruling party as "constructive and refreshing" and said
Britain had deep, binding ties to Zimbabwe that could not be wished away.

" I have no doubt in my mind that they find a generational connection with
some of us and we must leverage that to advance our own interests," he said.

Mr Bellingham told a meeting at Chatham House this week that British
officials were willing to meet any Zimbabwean minister who was willing to
promote reform.

Mr Mugabe took spectacular umbrage against Britain in 1997 after Clare
Short, the Development Secretary, rejected his pleas for London to fund the
transfer of 4,000 white-owned farms to the black majority. He then oversaw a
forced seizure programme that destroyed the country's economy. "Down with
the British" became his favourite catchcry as he accused white Zimbabwean
landowners of being a front for perpetuated colonial power.

It was only the establishment of a coalition with the Movement for
Democratic Change opposition in 2009 that pulled Zimbabwe out of its
tailspin and British officials are keen to ensure that foreign pressure is
exerted on Mr Mugabe to maintain the power-sharing structure until fresh
elections can be held under a new constitution.

Mr Canning was lectured on British colonial wrongs when he presented his
credentials to Mr Mugabe last year. But there has been a gradual thaw in a
decade freeze in contacts with Mr Mugabe's regime. Simon Khaya Moyo, the
national chairman of Zanu PF, met with Mr Canning in March.

British aid to Zimbabwe exceeds £66 million and helping to fund a scheme to
give new school books to every child in the country.

Victoria Falls heritage status threatened

http://www.mg.co.za/

RAY NDLOVU - Nov 12 2010 03:00

One of Africa's most famous landmarks, Victoria Falls, is in danger of
losing its status as a world heritage site following the construction of a
restaurant and curio shop in the ­adjacent rainforest, which has sparked
loud protests from Zimbabwean environmentalists.

Zambian authorities have also been dragged into the fray, as Zambia and
Zimbabwe jointly administer the site under a management plan signed in 2007
that set guidelines for the management and protection of the rainforest and
prohibits new development there.

According to the NGO Environment Africa (EA), a Zimbabwean company,
Shearwater Private, started developing the zone, building a kitchen,
restaurant, bar and curio shop, after getting the green light from the
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

Charlene Hewat, the EA's chief executive, said: "We support new and
sustainable development but not at the expense of the environment. The issue
with this particular development is that national and international laws
governing the sanctity of a world heritage site have been breached."

Legislation governing such sites prevents new developments taking place to
prevent congestion and the overstay of visitors.

Unesco first listed the falls as a world heritage site in 1989. Its status
came under threat in 2007 when the United Nations agency accused Zimbabwe of
"mismanagement and overdevelopment" of the site.

"A world heritage site is governed by very strict laws and, if they are
transgressed, Unesco certainly has the right to revoke the status … Once
again there is a very real ­possibility of that ­happening," said Hewat.

Political deals
It is understood that Shearwater, in partnership with the wildlife
authority, initially proposed upgrading only existing facilities, which
comprise an information centre, ablution blocks and food and beverage
amenities. But green activists say the company has built new infrastructure.

Speculation is mounting that Zanu-PF bigwigs, known to have a large
portfolio of businesses in the resort town, may have influenced the
authority's decision to allow Shearwater to build, contrary to regulations.

"This matter smacks of political dealing, with someone high up trying to
strengthen his or her hand in business," said one environmentalist, who
requested anonymity.

Asked for comment, Francis Nhema, Zimbabwe's environment minister, said:
"I've sent my officer to check on what's happening in the Victoria Falls, as
I'm also anxious about developments there and will issue a response when the
official has given me feedback."

Local stakeholders and residents of Victoria Falls said they were not
consulted about the development.

At a crisis meeting at the offices of the municipal board in October, the
Environmental Management Authority of Victoria Falls decided to mount a
legal challenge to force the government to cancel Shearwater's operating
licence.

Nhema said: "All stakeholders have to be involved. If that wasn't the case
then there's definitely a problem."

Foreign Banks in Zimbabwe Offer 29 Percent Indigenization Counter-Proposal

http://www.voanews.com

Sources said some banks have offered detailed indigenization plans to the
sectoral committee governing financial services offering a 29 percent stake
for indigenous or black Zimbabweans instead of a targeted 40 percent

Gibbs Dube | Washington 11 November 2010

Foreign-owned banks in Zimbabwe have tabled counter-proposals to
indigenization or black-empowerment saying the financial sector still faces
too many constraints for strategic stakes to be divested.

Sources said some banks have offered detailed indigenization plans to the
sectoral committee governing financial services. Under these proposals, the
stake of indigenous or black Zimbabweans would be just 29 percent.

Other banks are proposing to invest in local community programs instead of
selling shares.

The financial services sectoral committee has recommended banks sell 40
percent of shares to indigenous people.

Economist Godfrey Kanyenze agreed that banks are not ready for an
indigenization shock.

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe's deputy sheriff raided Air Zimbabwe headquarters on
Wednesday and seized property in a bid to raise about US$500,000 to pay
wages and bonuses owed to the state carrier’s workers.

The state-controlled Herald newspaper said the deputy intended to take
possession of 26 vehicles and machinery in Air Zimbabwe maintenance shops,
but only claimed a 75-seat staff bus and two minibuses before airline
management filed an urgent application in High Court to block the seizures.
A hearing is expected soon.

Labor expert Davies Ndumiso Sibanda told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube
that the airline could have avoided the court order for attachment of
property if it had moved to settle outstanding worker claims.

Battle is on for Zim gems

http://www.mg.co.za/

JASON MOYO - Nov 12 2010 12:34

As big Indian and Chinese money vie with increasing intensity for access to
Zimbabwe's resources, wealthy members of the Zimbabwean elite are battling
to get their snouts into the trough.

A contest is emerging between Indian and Chinese capital for control of
Zimbabwe's vast diamond and steel resources.

The rich pickings are said to be at the centre of a battle in which
executives of the state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC)
have landed in jail and new criminal charges have been brought against a
company that opposes the government takeover of the rich Marange diamond
fields.

This week six ZMDC executives appeared in court facing charges of fraud and
smuggling. While the government said the arrests showed a crackdown on graft
in the diamond industry, many view them as the start of a struggle between
influential figures for the control of the billion-dollar industry.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change said the
arrests barely concealed "the real powers" involved in a tussle for
dominance.

"The party feels the officials arraigned so far are 'small fry'. The real
powers behind the deals, supported by the military junta, remain in the
shadows," the MDC said.

False claims
The arrested mine officials are alleged to have created a fictitious company
and awarded it lucrative diamond licences, falsely claiming the company
would invest $2-billion in Marange.

According to police, the company used the claim to smuggle out diamonds
worth more than $10-million.

Eight of the country's best known lawyers appeared for the executives in
court on Monday October 8. Police outside the courtroom screened people,
including journalists, trying to get into court.

A report by investigators claims the mine executives are associated with men
variously described as South African "drug cartel bosses and a notorious
illegal diamond dealer", and "apartheid-era mercenaries".

Investigators have also named a man called Marco Chiotti, who they describe
as "an Italian-South African", who has allegedly had dealings in Angola, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone. But many top
officials have kept their interests well concealed.

Licences
The only political figure with known interests in diamonds is Solomon
Mujuru, a long-time investor in a diamond mine near Beitbridge.

Amid the controversy, the government announced it was giving new mining
licences to China's Anjin Corporation and Sino-Zimbabwe, the latest
China-Zimbabwe joint venture, allowing them to exploit Marange diamonds.

Another licence was issued to Pure Diamonds, believed to be Canadian.

In addition, a consortium of wealthy Indian diamond buyers signed a deal,
said to be worth $1.2-billion, to buy rough diamonds for India's
diamond-cutting city of Surat.

The Surat Rough Diamond Sourcing (India) will buy a minimum of $100-million
of rough diamonds every month from the Zimbabwe Diamond Consortium (ZDC),
which includes some backers of Zanu-PF.

The deal would be worth almost half Zimbabwe's 2010 budget, totally
overshadowing current trade between Zimbabwe and India, which stands at
about $80-million a year.

If the deal goes ahead it will suggest Zimbabwe could now be dumping the
diamond auctions that began this year under the Kimberley Process, which
monitors the world diamond trade.

Fending of Chinese competition
Indian investors in Harare said Surat, with 80% of the world's
diamond-cutting business, will invest more in Zimbabwe to fend off Chinese
competition.

As part of the $1, 2-billion deal 1 000 Zimbabweans will be sent to India to
train as diamond cutters. A group of war veterans also claims to have
clinched an agreement to have its members sent to India to be trained in
cutting and polishing.

A meeting of the Kimberley Process last month failed to agree on whether
Zimbabwe should sell Marange diamonds, but the growing interest from China
and India could be encouraging Zimbabwe to go it alone.

Zimbabwe has just announced it would sell the country's largest steelmaker
to India's Essar Group, ahead of ArcelorMittal SA and Jindal Steel of India.

The Essar deal could be worth up to $500-million.

Mines Minister Mpofu accused of soliciting bribes

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tererai Karimakwenda
12 November, 2010

The Chiadzwa diamonds saga has taken on a dramatic twist after the daily
paper Newsday reported that Lovemore Kurotwi, the director of Canadile
Miners, told Robert Mugabe that Mines Minister Obert Mpofu solicited bribes
from him in order to ensure the smooth running of their diamond mining
company. According to Newsday, Kurotwi made the accusations while Mpofu was
present during a meeting with Mugabe.

The newspaper also said that earlier on it had been Mpofu who recommended to
Mugabe a partnership deal between Core Mining and the ZMDC, allegedly in
order to exploit diamonds in Chiadzwa. In the recommendation letter that he
wrote to Mugabe, Mpofu signed off as “your ever obedient son”.

Newsday editor Kelvin Jakachira told SW Radio Africa that the allegations
are contained in a document that was prepared by the Zimbabwe Mining
Development Corporation (ZMDC), ‘after Robert Mugabe raised concerns over
the operations and shareholding structure of Core Mining, which went into
partnership with the ZMDC to form Canadile Miners.

Jakachira said the ZMDC board came to hear of Kurotwi’s accusations during a
meeting with Minister Mpofu at his offices on September 20th. He explained
that Newsday has a copy of the minutes from that meeting because “a lot of
people are very disappointed by the manner in which diamonds are being
handled.”

“A lot of people are disgruntled so it is easy for them to pass on the
information to the press so that it is exposed,” he added.

Minister Mpofu told the ZMDC that Kurotwi had accused him and the board
members of working against Canadile Miners. He also said that Kurotwi had
complained to Mugabe that the Minister was a stumbling block” in the
construction of the Zimbabwe Diamond Technology Centre.

Mpofu claimed that Kurotwi had failed to provide credible answers to Mugabe
regarding his company Core Mining, his education and experience in Mining.
This had prompted Mugabe to call for an investigation into the structures of
Core Mining.

Observers have said they find it curious that Mugabe would get involved in
such detail regarding mining operations and suggest this is indicative that
the ZANU PF leader himself is illegally profiting from the Chiadzwa
diamonds.

The Newsday report said Mpofu repeated to the board members that he has been
‘demonised’ and ‘falsely accused’ but he assured them that good shall
prevail.

The board members and Kurotwi were arrested last week, on charges of fraud
and abuse of office. They were released on bail but suspended ZMDC chief
executive Dominic Mubaiwa is still in jail.

Zimbabweans have little idea of who exactly is involved in this plunder of
one of the richest alluvial diamond fields in the world, and it looks as
though that situation is unlikely to change.

Magistrates scared of presiding over Matutu trial

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Godfrey Mtimba
Friday, 12 November 2010 10:06

MASVINGO - The trial of Deputy Minister of Youth and Employment Development
,Tongai Matutu who is accused of assaulting Chief Serima Gutu,  believed to
be President Robert  Mugabe’s relative failed to kick off Thursday at the
Masvingo magistrates courts after magistrates refused to preside over the
case citing political pressure and interference from Zanu PF officials.

Masvingo magistrate, Jabulani Muzinyati who sat over the matter on its
initial appearance in court on Monday recused himself saying he had worked
with Matutu but investigations by the Daily News indicate that he opted out
because of mounting pressure from Zanu PF leaders who had instructed him to
nail Matutu.

There was chaos at the courts as senior justice officers locked themselves
up in a meeting for close to four hours trying to find a magistrate who
could kick start Matutu’s trial but the magistrates who were at work refused
to handle his case saying it was highly political and feared  victimization
if their judgment could not please members of a certain political party.

Mazinyati was however persuaded  to handle the case and remand Matutu to 18
November while the court organizes to bring a magistrate from outside
Masvingo province to handle the case.

“The magistrates here are reluctant to take Matutu’s case. They alleged that
the case was highly political and fear to be victimized by Zanu pf members
who have since started to interfere. They have also sent threats to judicial
officers if the outcome of the case would not be favourable to them and they
put it clear that they want him jailed,” said an official who declined to be
named.

Prosecutor Frank Chirairo told the court that on 25 September this year,
Matutu and some MDCT youths arrived at Matizha business centre where they
met  Chief Serima , popularly known as Gushungo in Gutu district. The chief
was drinking beer with his aides at Mupariwa bottle store.

The court further heard that the Chief accused Matutu and his colleagues of
failing to greet him as the area’s traditional leader, as they passed him,
leading to a heated altercation resulting in allegations that the deputy
Minster poked the chief on the forehead with his finger.

Matutu and his youths  were later briefly arrested and questioned but were
released without charges after police failed to find evidence of the assault
but he was re- arrested on Sunday after Zanu PF Politburo members and  the
chiefs council pleaded with president Mugabe to take action against the MDCT
legislator for Masvingo Urban.

SADC accused of appeasing Robert Mugabe

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
12 November 2010

Leaders in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been
accused of unlawfully undermining the regional human rights Tribunal, and
appeasing Robert Mugabe, over their decision to review the role of the legal
body.

SADC leaders at a Summit in August resolved to review the role, functions
and terms of reference of the Tribunal, over Zimbabwe’s refusal to honour
its rulings that Robert Mugabe’s land grab campaign is unlawful. By doing
this the regional leadership resisted applying any pressure on Mugabe for
ignoring the rulings made by Tribunal in 2008, despite warnings that
Zimbabwe’s contempt of the regional court was a threat to SADC’s
credibility.

In a legal opinion drafted and endorsed by seven leading national, regional
and international legal organisations, SADC leaders have now come under fire
for having “deliberately undermined the Tribunal by violating regional laws
and acting unconstitutionally.”

“SADC leaders have unlawfully ensured that the Tribunal can no longer
function, leaving citizens without legal remedy at the regional level,” said
Nicole Fritz, Director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre.

Fritz told SW Radio Africa on Friday that “instead of abiding by SADC laws,
our leaders have willingly and unanimously violated them, and violated our
right, as citizens to access justice as well.”

According to the legal opinion, SADC leaders have acted unlawfully by making
sure that the Tribunal is not properly constituted and is unable to operate.
SADC has insisted that the decision to review the legal body is not a
suspension, but Fritz explained the Tribunal “no longer has enough judges to
hear new cases, and this is effectively tantamount to suspension.”

SADC laws require that the Tribunal be comprised of no fewer than ten
judges. Fritz said that the leaders have violated these laws “by failing to
renew the terms of those judges eligible for reappointment or to appoint new
judges to fill any vacancies.”

The organisations that endorsed this legal view also believe that SADC
leaders have acted beyond their constitutionally given powers and violated
judicial independence and the right to effective legal remedy.

“We are also very concerned that the decision to sabotage the Tribunal was
taken in bad faith, to appease Zimbabwe and to ensure that it did not have
to comply with a series of rulings related to land seizures,” said Fritz.

However, the legal NGOs have said that SADC’s leaders could remedy this
decision. Fritz said the matter needs to be dealt with “immediately and
urgently,” by way of an extraordinary SADC Summit. Fritz continued by saying
that SADC leaders must “renew the terms of those Tribunal judges eligible
for reappointment or appoint sufficient new judges to ensure the proper
functioning of the Tribunal.”

She added that it is imperative that SADC respects international and its own
domestic laws, and ensure that all SADC citizens have access to justice and
legal remedy.

“Even outside the legal context, the repercussions of this decision are
grave, because the assumption is that SADC has no respect for the rule of
law,” said Fritz. “The consequences cannot be taken lightly and SADC needs
to address the issue as soon as possible.”

SADC’s decision to suspend the Tribunal has come as a serious blow to
Zimbabwe’s commercial farmers who continue to face persecution under Mugabe’s
land grab campaign. The farmers were left with no choice but to turn to the
SADC Tribunal for justice, after losing farms and property as a result of
the land grab. The Tribunal ruled in 2008 that the exercise was unlawful and
discriminatory, and ordered the Zimbabwe government to protect the farmers,
their rights to their land, and pay compensation for land already seized.

But in Zimbabwe the Tribunal has been openly snubbed by the government, with
Mugabe and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa declaring that the Tribunal’s
rulings were ‘null and void’. The High Court then ruled that the Tribunal’s
orders on land reform have no authority in Zimbabwe, despite the country
being a signatory to the SADC Treaty.

Former Chegutu farmer Ben Freeth who, along with his father-in-law Mike
Campbell, led the farmers case in the SADC Tribunal, told SW Radio Africa on
Friday that SADC cannot ignore the warnings made by the legal NGOs.
“If SADC leaders don’t take civil society seriously then in essence there is
a dictatorship within SADC,” Freeth said, adding: “SADC leaders cannot be
allowed to let this keep happening, if they are to be respected
internationally.”

SADC’s long time support for Mugabe has also been witnessed in its decision
to lobby on the ageing leaders behalf, for the removal of targeted western
sanctions still in place against members of the regime. This week, Botswana’s
leader Ian Khama also called for the measures to be lifted, in a complete
u-turn of his usual criticism of the Mugabe regime. He insisted that this
change of tune was part of his role as a SADC leader.

Four SADC heads of state are now set to travel to western capitals later
this month to pursue the aim of lobbying for the sanctions to be removed,
clearly demonstrating their ongoing support for Mugabe.

SADC to hold indaba with Zim Civil Society Organizations

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
12 November 2010

The country’s civil society organizations are set to hold an Indaba with the
SADC secretariat, to specifically discuss ways of finding a solution to the
crisis in Zimbabwe.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional coordinator, Dewa Mavhinga, confirmed
that a date has been fixed for the CSO’s to engage with the regional bloc’s
secretariat, which is headed by Mozambican Dr Tomaz Salamao.

‘We are meeting with Salamao and his team on Monday 22nd November in
Gaborone. It will be the first of three meetings we will have in Botswana,’
Mavhinga said. The other two meetings are with that country’s civil society
organizations and government officials.

The CSO’s regional engagement comes at a time when SADC mediator, South
African President Jacob Zuma, said he would not support an election in
Zimbabwe that is marred by violence, intimidation and a suppressed media
environment.

Zuma’s international affairs advisor Lindiwe Zulu told the media this week
that the mediator wanted to see a conducive environment for free and fair
elections, before the polls are held.

The CSO's, under the banner of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, last month
held 'ice-breaking' consultative talks with Zuma's three member facilitation
team in Pretoria.

The meeting was the first time under South Africa’s mediation role that CSO’s
had been given an opportunity to contribute to what a roadmap to solve the
Zimbabwe crisis should look like.

‘We are going to meet the secretariat and present them with workable ideas
on how the crisis in Zimbabwe can be ended. The key issues will focus on a
roadmap that will ensure there is prevention of violence and intimidation by
the security forces,’ Mavhinga said.

The pro-democracy activist said that for that to happen, they will need to
have SADC’s presence in Zimbabwe in the form of a peace monitoring force to
counter threats from Robert Mugabe’s use of the military in electioneering.

‘We have always said the security forces in Zimbabwe are not independent or
impartial. They are partisan and extremely politicized,’ said Mavhinga.

Poachers kill 20 rhinos in Zim

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Tobias Manyuchi     Friday 12 November 2010

HARARE -- Armed poaching syndicates have stepped up activities in the
southern African region killing 20 rhinos in Zimbabwe so far this year
despite increased operations to curb illegal hunting, National Parks and
Wildlife Management director Vitalis Chadenga said on Thursday.

Chadenga said poaching gangs – that killed 42 rhinos last year -- were most
active in Zimbabwe and neighbouring South Africa, which are among four
countries in the world that still have significant populations of rhinos.
The other two are Kenya and Namibia.

“Rhino poaching has become a region-wide problem, with poachers targeting
South Africa, Zimbabwe and other southern African countries,” Chadenga said.

South Africa has so far this year lost more than 150 rhinos to poachers said
Chadenga, who added that the illegal hunters had become more sophisticated
over the years, and were in some cases using aircraft to hunt animals.

He said his department has intensified patrols to curb poaching, while also
calling for regional governments to coordinate anti-poaching operations to
ensure success

Chadenga said a taskforce comprising Zimbabwean police, army, wildlife
investigators and police units from neighboring countries as well
representatives from Interpol has launched investigations into operations of
tightly-knit poaching syndicates.

Rhinos are mainly poached for their horns that are suspected to have
aphrodisiac and medicinal qualities that include curing cancer, fevers and
enhancing sexual drive.

The main markets for rhino horns are in Asia.

Southern African countries have begun de-horning rhinos over the years in an
effort to discourage poaching.

Chadenga’s department that is in charge of wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe
has found it hard to contain poaching in national parks especially after
landless villagers began invading – with the government’s tacit approval –
white-owned farms and game conservancies 10 years ago.

There have also been widespread reports of illegal and uncontrolled trophy
hunting on former white-owned conservancies now controlled by powerful
government officials and members of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.

The government however denies that politicians are illegally hunting game
and insists it still has poaching under control.  – ZimOnline

Zimbabwe victims of 2008 political violence threaten lawsuit

http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Nov 12, 2010, 13:49 GMT

Harare - A group of Zimbabwean survivors of political violence carried out
by supporters of President Robert Mugabe in 2008 have ordered the
authorities to take action against the perpetrators by next week or face a
lawsuit.

Rights groups say the violence perpetrated mainly by supporters of Mugabe's
Zanu-PF and the military between March and September 2008 left over 200
people dead.

Most of the victims were supporters of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who
were attacked by Mugabe supporters after Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the
first round of voting for president. The attacks ceased when Tsvangirai
signed a power-sharing deal with Mugabe.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), which is representing a group of
12 survivors of the campaign from Muzarabani, a rural area 300 kilometres
north of Harare, says the fact that the attacks have gone unprosecuted has
left survivors fearing for their lives.

'Failure to show any real progress in this regard, with a first report being
expected by the 15th November 2010, shall result in our clients seeking the
best possible legal remedies against the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Ministry
of Home Affairs and Government of Zimbabwe,' ZLHR warned in a letter to
government.

The letter was sent to police chief Augustine Chihuri, home affairs
ministers Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone, and attorney- general Johannes
Tomana.

In a report the lawyers document several cases of murder, torture, assault,
arson and theft by mainly Zanu-PF supporters in Muzarabani. All the attacks
were reported to the police but none investigated.

Mohadi confirmed receiving the letter.

'Our lawyers are still looking at it,' he told the German Press Agency dpa.

Many ordinary Zimbabweans fear that some of Mugabe's supporters could resort
to violence again to try to clinch a win when the country goes back to the
polls.

Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been talking up the prospect of having
elections next year.

'With the real possibility of elections being held in 2011, it remains a
serious concern that the same perpetrators of the gross human rights
violations will repeat their criminal acts against the survivors of the 2008
election violence, encouraged by the failure of the ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic
Police) to bring them to account for their past violation of human rights,'
the ZLHR said.

'For any future free and fair election to be held in Zimbabwe, it is
imperative that members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police fulfill their lawful
obligations and protect all persons within Zimbabwe from violations of their
rights.'

War veterans threaten Coltart

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

12/11/2010 00:00:00
    by Staff Reporter

WAR veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba has demanded that Education Minister
David Coltart apologises within seven days for calling Gukurahundi a
“genocide”.

“We cannot continue folding our hands and watch former Rhodesians insulting
us,” Chinotimba, deputy chairman of the Zimbabwe Liberation War Veterans’
Association, declared on Thursday.

The public threats against Coltart, who is white, came as the minister
posted a letter he received from the chairman of the Harare Province of the
war veterans’ association, and his reply to it, on his website.

Chinotimba is incensed that Coltart, whom he erroneously called a former
‘Selous Scout’ – the special forces regiment of the Rhodesian army – used
the annual Lozikeyi Lecture on October 29 to state that the first 30 years
of Zimbabwe’s independence had been marked by “serious and consistent human
rights abuses, including a politicide, if not genocide, which occurred in
the mid-1980s in the south-west of the country.”

The minister’s lecture, reproduced on New Zimbabwe.com in full, was reported
in a news story by the NewsDay newspaper which used the headline: ‘It was
genocide – Coltart’.

"It is quite preposterous in the extreme for Coltart to preach about human
rights violations and post-independence disturbances when taking into
cognisance his background as a former member of the brutal and murderous
Rhodesian Selous Scouts,” Chinotimba blasted.

He claimed Coltart’s comments were a “despicable attack” on the war
veterans, adding: "The utterances are unacceptable and an insult to our
country’s liberation struggle, national reconciliation and the legacy of
national independence.

“Coltart owes us and the rest of the nation an apology within seven days. We
cannot continue folding our hands and watch former Rhodesians insulting us.

"Your utterances have given us second thoughts on those white farmers who
are still on our land yet you benefited from the reconciliation policy."

Coltart has now released a letter he sent to Charles Mpofu, the Harare
province chairman of the war veterans’ association, explaining his comments.

Coltart said: “I was misquoted by NewsDay in so far as their headline is
concerned. In this regard, I attach a copy of the actual speech I gave which
I trust will set the record straight.

“Amongst other things, you will note that I made reference in it to the
Nyadzonia Massacre and to my concern that human rights violations of the
past, including the colonial era, have not been adequately dealt with in my
view.

“… human rights are universal, eternal and sacrosanct and whenever they are
breached, men and women of goodwill have a duty to speak out against such
breaches.”
Coltart, a respected human rights lawyer, used his letter to clarify his
role in the white minority Rhodesian government.

“For the record, I was never a member of the Selous Scouts or any unit of
the army,” Coltart said. “I was a member of the British South Africa Police
(BSAP) having been conscripted by the Rhodesian government (as applied to
all white 18 year old men).

“As my speech (and many others I have given) makes clear, I strongly believe
that racial discrimination and many other actions of the Rhodesian Front
government were unjust and wrong.

“However, we now all have an obligation to reconcile and move forward in the
best interests of our beloved nation and her future -- which predominantly
rests in all our children.

“As my speech makes clear, if we do not deal with the mistakes we have all
made in the past in different ways, then our nation will be doomed to repeat
them in future.”

Former Minister Matongo facing jail in farm case

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tererai Karimakwenda
12 November, 2010

The former Deputy Minister of Information, Bright Matonga, is facing
imprisonment in a court case in which he is accused of refusing to return
farming equipment that he seized from a white commercial farmer in Chegutu.
A warrant of arrest was issued by a Chegutu magistrate in August, but
according to the farmer, Thomas Beattie, the messenger of court has not
executed the order.
Matonga, who is currently the MP for Mhondoro-Ngezi, claims the case was
dismissed a long time ago. He is quoted as saying: “I was at COPAC when the
matter went to court and I do not know how I was tried and decisions made in
my absence. You can speak to my lawyer and he will confirm to you that this
case was solved.”

Matonga’s lawyer, Walter Bherebhende, reportedly claims that he appealed
against the judgment at the magistrates’ court and the case is now being
considered at the High Court.
SW Radio Africa spoke to Beattie’s son, Douglas, who was also illegally
removed from the same Chegutu Estate, and he confirmed that Matonga has
still not been arrested. He said the deputy sheriff, Biggie Kanyangarara,
could not be reached to explain why.

Douglas Beattie explained that Minister Matonga is one of several top
officials who illegally took over their family’s estate without. The list of
beneficiaries included Matonga’s brother Sam and Obert Masiyiwa, who is
known to be a top official at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. The estate was
carved up into at least 26 smaller plots.

According to Douglas, Matonga used the magistrate’s court to undervalue the
equipment that he had taken, which the owners valued at over $30 000. The
Beattie family won the case to get it back and Matonga immediately appealed
that decision, but lost. This led to a long-running court case that led to
the magistrate issuing the warrant.

But until the messenger of court decides to follow the rule of law and
executes the order, Matonga and his cronies will continue to occupy Beattie’s
Chigwell Estates and profit from the large citrus fruit crop grown there and
exported to the Middle East, Europe and Russia.

National Museums ordered out of Vic Falls rainforest

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
12 November 2010

The inclusive government on Thursday ordered the National Museums and
Monuments of Zimbabwe to vacate the Victoria Falls Rainforest and allow its
management to revert to the National Parks and Wildlife Management
Authority.

The state media reported on Friday that following consultations that
involved Vice-President John Nkomo it was decided that National Museums
should vacate the rainforest and stop collecting cash from tourists.

The National Museums took control of the world famous rainforest last week
Friday, reportedly to stop the National Parks and Wildlife management
Authority from what was alleged to be destruction of the world heritage
site.

Museums officials enlisted the help of armed police to elbow out long-time
managers, National Parks, to allegedly stop corruption. The saga centred on
allegations that National Parks clandestinely allowed Shearwater Adventures
to construct a new development within the core zone of the Victoria Falls
rain forest.

Environmentalists had suggested this week that the Victoria Falls was under
threat due to the new development in the highly ecologically sensitive core
zone. They said the development violated national, regional and
international regulations under which a World Heritage Site is governed. But
Paul Connolly, a legal advisor to Shearwater, told us it was incorrect to
suggest the company broke any laws.

He said Shearwater simply improved and developed infrastructure within the
physical parameters of the buildings that have been in existence in the
rainforest for a long time

ZANU-PF rejects UK offer for Mugabe asylum

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

12 November, 2010 10:10:00    Daily News

HARARE - Zanu PF says its ageing leader, Robert Mugabe does not need a home
in the UK as suggested by a former British minister this week whom the
revolutionary party accuses of being silly and naïve to think the “warrior”
would leave his territory.

Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said suggestions by Lord Renton to give
Mugabe a home in the UK as part of efforts to resolve the Zimbabwe economic
and political situation were a joke.

“It’s silly. President Mugabe does not need a home anywhere other than
Zimbabwe. He was born here, fought here and he is still fighting and from
here the illegal sanctions imposed on the country,” Gumbo told the Daily
News.“You can’t expect a warrior like President Mugabe to leave his
territory and accept a home in the UK. It’s a joke made in poor taste.”

Gumbo said Mugabe would always be a Zimbabwean first and any suggestion that
he be given a home in the UK was stupid.

Former British Minister for the Home Office and Foreign Office, Lord Renton,
told the House of Lords during question time on Tuesday that offering Mugabe
a home would be the best way for the British government to help the people
of Zimbabwe.

Renton said: "Would you agree that the best way for us to help and assist
the economic recovery of Zimbabwe would be to offer President Mugabe a safe,
comfortable and well looked after home in Britain?"

Renton was Margaret Thatcher's chief whip between 1989 and 1990 and served
in John Major's government as minister for the arts between 1990 and 1992.

Mugabe and his allies in Zanu PF have been slapped with travel bans by the
UK and the European Union in response to Harare’s flagrant violations of
human rights and lack of respect for the rule of law.

A former darling of the West and the UK, in particular, the 86 year-old
Zimbabwean leader’s relations with London are now very frosty.

Mugabe has not been to the UK in almost a decade since former premier Tony
Blair imposed targeted sanctions on him and colleagues in Zanu PF.

But Mugabe has consistently and spiritedly accused both the UK and US of
using sanctions to hurt his administration as a punitive measure for
embarking on  the agrarian reforms in 2000 which drove white commercial
farmers off prime farming land.

Zanu PF and Mugabe accuse Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of taking
instructions from the West and of being “used” as their agent to topple the
aged President. - Daily News

Harare to brace for water cuts... as a haulage truck hauls the Alex main pipeline

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by CHRA
Friday, 12 November 2010 10:15

Harare residents will have to brace up for worse water woes after a haulage
truck hit the Alex pipeline along Josiah Tongogara which supplies the city
centre as well as the western suburbs that include  Dzivarasekwa,
Mabelreign, Kuwadzana, Westlea, Warren Park and Kambuzuma. The accident
occurred around 6am this morning after the haulage truck veered off the
road, hit the pipe and overturned. Tens of thousands of cubic meters of
treated water were gushing out of the dislocated pipe while a number of
residents helplessly looked on.
CHRA spoke to the Director of Harare Water, Engineer Zvobgo, who pointed out
that water would be disconnected from the main reservoirs so as to pave way
for the repair of the damaged pipe. He said that a lot of water had already
been lost and it is going to take some time for the reservoirs (especially
the one at Warren Hills) to be re-filled. This means that most suburbs in
Harare, including the city centre, will have to go without water supplies
for the next few days. The Harare Water Engineers were still trying to close
the reservoirs and stop pumping of water to the damaged pipe; two and   half
hours after the accident took place.
The incident comes at a time when most residents were already complaining of
water shortages with suburbs like Mabelreign getting erratic supplies
usually during the late night hours. The City of Harare has also been
complaining of the high costs of treating water and the loss of the tens of
thousands cubic meters of treated water is nothing short of a disaster for
both the Harare Water and residents.
The Combined Harare Residents’ Association urges the City of Harare to step
up its efforts to rectify the problem so as to save residents from prolonged
water cuts. CHRA remains committed to advocating for good, transparent and
accountable local governance as well as lobbying for quality and affordable
municipal services on a non partisan basis.

SADC Delegation to Lobby for Removal of Zimbabwe Sanctions

http://www.voanews.com

Namibian Foreign Minister Utoni Nujoma told journalists in Harare that
sanctions were not only hurting Zimbabwe but the Southern African region as
a whole

Tatenda Gumbo | Washington 11 November 2010

Four Southern African Development Community heads of state will travel to
Western capitals later this month to lobby for the removal of sanctions
against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and members of his inner circle.

Namibian Foreign Minister Utoni Nujoma told journalists in Harare on
Wednesday that sanctions were not only hurting Zimbabwe but the Southern
African region as a whole. The United States, Europe, Australia and other
countries have continued to renew the travel and financial restrictions
imposed in 2002 over alleged human rights violations.

Political analyst David Munyae told VOA Studio 7 reporter Tatenda Gumbo the
sanctions have deterred international investment in Zimbabwe. Economist
Proper Chitambara said the West will continue to weigh Zimbabwe's government
policy choices and the state of Harare's national unity government in
considering the future of sanctions.

The Southern African Development Community stands as a guarantor of the 2008
Global Political Agreement on the basis of which Zimbabwe's national unity
government was established in February 2009.

Speculation that Mutasa leaked Chombo asset details

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
12 November 2010

Last week the state owned Herald newspaper published sensational details of
the properties and vehicles owned by local government Minister Ignatius
Chombo. The Minister is locked in a bitter and messy divorce with his wife
Marian and her claim for a share of the wealth is opening a can of worms and
exposing him as corrupt.

According to the article Chombo accumulated a spectacular list of assets
that includes 15 cars, 14 houses, 75 commercial and residential stands, 4
flats and interests in numerous companies, including a mine and a farm.

This week the matter took a new twist after the Zimbabwe Mail website
reported that the editor of the Herald ‘received death threats and an
envelope package with a live bullet, fresh human blood stains’ and a
chilling warning that he should not to be involved in ZANU PF power
struggles.

The pick of the revelations contained in the letter was that the Herald
story ‘was influenced by Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa in his
revenge mission, following the arrest of his nephew Temba Mliswa and son
Martin Mutasa.

In the past Mliswa and Chombo are said to have clashed in their bid to
wrestle control of ZANU PF’s Mashonaland West province. Mliswa has also
accused Chombo and Information Minister Webster Shamu, along with other
party officials, of leasing out over 30 farms in the province to former
white commercial farmers.

Sources who spoke to the Zimbabwe Mail said Justice Minister Patrick
Chinamasa, a close associate of Mutasa, took a direct interest in Chombo’s
divorce case and sometime this year instructed officers at the Deeds
Registry to compile a dossier of all properties registered in Chombo’s name.
He is also alleged to have had secret meetings with Chombo’s estranged wife
Marian, giving her legal advice.

Even Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba has been roped into the saga, with
speculation that he met Mutasa and Chinamasa soon after the judge ordered
the divorce case to go to trial. It’s claimed the three ‘drafted an article
which Charamba took to the Herald where he ordered its immediate
publication.’

Meanwhile Chombo’s lawyers have written to the Herald claiming 90 percent of
the properties listed do not belong to him. ‘We humbly request a retraction
of the publications falsehoods which basically served to embarrass the
Honourable Minister and to cause other hurts to his person, family and those
who he loves as a normal being,’ the letter said.

Whatever the truth of the matter, it’s clear the state owned Herald
published the story only because of the fierce internal power struggles in
ZANU PF, with corrupt officials turning on each other for many different
reasons.

Chinese Doctors to Perform Cataract Operations in Zimbabwe

http://english.cri.cn/

    2010-11-13 00:47:53     Xinhua

A group of Chinese doctors is expected in Zimbabwe next week to perform
cataract operations on at least 300 patients in the Southern African
country, Chinese Aambassador to Zimbabwe Xin Shunkang said on Friday.

The ambassador told journalists at a media briefing that the visit dubbed
"Brightness Trip" will be the first by the group in Zimbabwe and Africa.

"I am sure the 300 people with this eye disease will be able to see once
again after the operations," Ambassador Xin said.

He hoped the trip will open avenues for further medical cooperation between
the two countries.

Dr Han Demin, the director of Beijing Tongren Hospital will lead the Chinese
group of doctors set to arrive in the country on Nov. 19 and leave after
about a week.

Ambassador Xin said from Zimbabwe the group will proceed to Malawi to
perform a similar task.

He noted that blindness due to cataracts was a huge health problem in China
where approximately more than 5 million people are blind and account for 18
percent of global blind people.

"So this problem is not only for Zimbabwe to solve but is also a heavy task
for the Chinese government," he said.

Eye specialist at Sekuru Kaguvi Hospital Boniface Macheka said the Chinese
doctors will work in partnership with Zimbabwe's eye specialists to carry
out the operations on patients who will be drawn mostly from rural areas.

The operations will be done at Chitungwiza General Hospital about 30
kilometers south east of Harare.

"We have made arrangements to start screening patients and most of them will
come from Sekuru Kaguvi Hospital and others," he said.

Sekeuru Kaguvi is located in Harare and is the country's biggest eye
referral hospital.

According to Macheka, there are at least 100,000 people suffering from
cataracts in Zimbabwe, most of who fail to access treatment due to
prohibitive costs.

A cataract operation costs between 800 U.S. dollars and 1,500 dollars in
Zimbabwe.

Media watchdog demands withdrawal of arrest warrant against Zimbabwean editor

http://www.apanews.net

APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Friday
called on the Zimbabwe Republic Police to withdraw an arrest warrant issued
last week against the exiled editor of a Zimbabwean weekly who is wanted in
connection with a 2008 story about the murder of an election official.

The ZRP launched a manhunt for Wilf Mbanga, the London-based editor of The
Zimbabwean newspaper, over allegations of publishing “falsehoods” following
the article which implicated President Robert Mugabe in the murder of former
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission official Ignatius Mushangwe two years ago.

The police allege that the story “undermined” Mugabe by insinuating that
Mushangwe was murdered at the Zimbabwean leader’s instigation for allegedly
leaking the results of disputed presidential elections held in March 2008.

Mbanga has denied that there was ever such a story published by his
newspaper.

"We condemn the police warrant against Wilf Mbanga as a form of intimidation
distracting from the unsolved slaying of Ignatius Mushangwe," CPJ Africa
Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita said.

While Mbanga would not face immediate arrest, the warrant would be an
impediment to his return to Zimbabwe.

"We call on the power-sharing government to move forward by implementing
promised media reforms, ones that are essential to a credible election in
2011," said Keita.

The CPJ noted with concern the increase in the harassment of journalists in
Zimbabwe since Mugabe announced last month that a new general election would
be held in mid-2011.

JN/ad/APA
2010-11-12

Soccer-Zimbabwe coach faces axe after work permit denial

http://af.reuters.com/

Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:05am GMT

HARARE Nov 12 (Reuters) - Belgian Tom Saintfiet, who signed a four-year
contract to coach Zimbabwe in August, appears set to lose his post in a
country he was forced to flee three days into the job after he failed in his
bid to obtain a work permit.

On Friday, the Zimbabwe Football Association confirmed the 37-year-old had
been refused a work permit after several weeks waiting for word on his
application.

Despite the setback, the organisation's chief executive officer Jonathan
Mashingaidze said he would look to re-apply to Zimbabwe's immigration
officials in the coming weeks.

"We have contract with him we need to honour," he told reporters.

Saintfiet had resigned as coach of Namibia to take up the higher profile
position in Zimbabwe and was appointed a week before last month's African
Nations Cup qualifier against the Cape Verde Islands.

However, he was forced to flee Harare within days of his arrival in early
October after being told during his second training session that police were
seeking to arrest him because he had started his new job without necessary
documentation.

"It was one of the scariest moments of my life," Saintfiet explained in an
interview with Reuters.

"I couldn't get my luggage from the hotel but drove straight to the border.
I had no idea why this all happened or where it all ends. I have been
shocked."

Saintfiet said he presumed approval for the work permit was a formality and
would have been issued without delay while he got on with the task of
preparing the team for an important qualifier.

Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper suggested on Friday that the decision
had been motivated by political infighting within the association, with top
officials split on the appointment of a foreign coach over a local.

Makoni’s party hits back at MDC-T

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

12 November, 2010 10:39:00    Staff Reporter

HARARE – Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn (MKD), the party let by former Zimbabwe Finance
Minister Dr Simba Makoni, has reacted angrily to MDC-T’s statement following
President's address at the Gweru Press Club last week.

In a statement issued to the media Dr Makoni’s party said, "We would like to
correct malicious statement made by MDC information and Publicity regarding
statement made by our interim President Simba Makoni at the Gweru Press
Club.

"In their article, they claimed that MKD is a one man-person political
outfit. It is very unfortunate that MDC is still stuck in the past and are
forgetting that Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn was transformed from a project to a
fully fledged party on the 1st of July 2009. It is not surprising that the
MDC has decided to use this kind of cheap politics to denounce MKD because
they know that their support base is dwindling by each sunrise. They are
seriously intoxicated with power and think that they are immune to any form
of criticism."

"To make the record straight, Dr Makoni said most of the outstanding issues
in the GPA were centred on power and control and not improving the lives of
the people. In that regard, Dr Makoni did not say that all outstanding
issues must not be fully addressed, but he said the issues had nothing to do
with improving the lives of the ordinary Zimbabweans."

"In light of that, MKD was going to be happy if the MDC was pushing for a
specific policy which is aimed at improving the lives of the electorate as
opposed to party centred issues such as ensuring that jobs are created for
their loyal minority boys."

"On the issue of POSA and AIPPA, MDC’s immediate priority, if elected in
government was to repeal all repressive legislation such as POSA, but to my
surprise it’s now two years since the signing of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) and such draconian laws are still haunting even those who
voted them into power."

"We don’t know whether the MDC is serious about these issues or have some
unknown hidden party agenda. MKD and other progressive forces feel that
legislation such as POSA and AIPPA must be repealed as a matter of urgency."

"On the issue of being a spoiler, Dr Makoni did not spoil the 2008
Presidential race as claimed by MDC. Those who have sharp memories remember
that when Dr Makoni announced that he was going to join the 2008 harmonized
election on February 5, 2008, many people came out to register because they
had faith in him. So the misconception that he came as a spoiler is a pure
indication of MDC’s political immaturity, and there is no basis that the 8%
which Dr Makoni got was going to be in their favour.

"It is such a political myopia that has seen the MDC make such utterances
when in actual fact they have failed to dwell on core issues of governance
as they promised in their political manifesto. In that short space of time,
Dr Makoni strategically manoeuvred in the political arena and managed to get
a significant share of the electorate, a clear sign that he has the ability
to deliver and get this country working again."

"It’s quite a shame that a party like MDC thinks a political intellectual
like Dr Makoni can follow misconstrued political blueprint drawn by
incompetent MDC party legislators to the summit of his political career."

The statement was issued by Silver Bhebe who claims to be the party’s
Secretary for Communication, a position many remembers has been held by
Denford Magora.

One of top 5 underfunded appeals

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Own Correspondent     Friday 12 November 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe is one of the top five underfunded humanitarian appeals
for 2010 amid indications that donors have largely continued shunning the
politically volatile southern African country.

UN agencies and their humanitarian partners have requested a total of US$478
million to support those in need in Zimbabwe in 2010

With just over a month to go before the end of the year, the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said only US$223
million had found takers as of November 11.

Only the appeal for food assistance, estimated at the beginning of the year
at US$138 million, was significantly supported by donors, with 96 percent of
the funding covered as of this week.

According to OCHA, Zimbabwe is ranked fourth among the underfunded appeals,
after the Central African Republic, Pakistan and Guatemala.

Uganda completes the group of top five underfunded humanitarian appeals.

The UN is expected to launch the 2011 humanitarian appeal at the end of
November or in early December.

Relief agencies say Zimbabwe’s overall humanitarian situation remains acute
despite the flicker of hope caused by February’s formation of a coalition
government by President Robert Mugabe and arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

A substantial number of Zimbabweans are said to require food aid this year
while the infrastructure for delivering basic social services is in serious
need of rehabilitation.

High vulnerability levels, coupled with one of the world's highest HIV
infection rates of 15.6 percent, deepen the population's vulnerability.

Not knowing when to plant

http://www.irinnews.org/

 

 

Photo: Kate Holt/IRIN

Maize, the staple grain in Zimbabwe under pressure

Harare, 12 November 2010 (IRIN) - When light rain fell for two consecutive days in late October 2010, Gabriel Musonza, a 65-year-old farmer in a village about 70km northwest of Harare thought the main farming season had begun.

With the help of his three teenage grandsons, he began tilling his 12-hectare plot. However, two weeks later the rain had stopped and the planted seeds had not germinated. Then temperatures began to soar.

"Unlike in the past when we knew the middle of September signalled the beginning of serious farming activities, it is now extremely difficult to tell when you should start planting," Musonza told IRIN.

He has had poor yields in the past three years. The lack of fertilizer and prolonged dry spells have not helped.

In 2009 the rain started in early November in his area and then stopped around mid-December only to return in the second week of January 2010, but it did not develop into a steady downpour.

Musonza is by no means the only farmer struggling to plan - in the face of erratic rain - for the main farming season which runs from September till harvesting time in March.

Most small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe depend on regular rainfall patterns, and this is also true of commercial farmers because much of their irrigation equipment was either vandalized or stolen at the height of the land redistribution programme in 2000.

"It is no longer possible to predict with accuracy when to start planting and in most cases, farmers end up replanting," Denford Chimbwanda, president of the Grain and Cereal Producers Association (GCPA), told IRIN.

In its report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Zimbabwean government said it expected climate change to affect the main staple crop, maize, cultivation of which might have to be abandoned in some low-lying southern areas.

“Forced to gamble”

Between 1900 and 2000, 51.4 percent of all the rainy seasons experienced below normal rainfall

Washington Zhakata, national coordinator for climate change in the Ministry of Environment, said rainfall had declined in Zimbabwe over the years and was one of the causes of food shortages, while water-related diseases such as malaria and cholera were on the rise. "Between 1900 and 2000, 51.4 percent of all the rainy seasons experienced below normal rainfall, and natural disasters such as droughts and floods have been on the increase," he told IRIN.

He said his office was designing a national adaptation framework: Projects had been launched in selected rural areas to assess the level of vulnerability among farmers, and to educate them on how to adapt to climate change. "The level of awareness regarding climate change is still very low.”

GCPA’s Chimbwanda said the government's failure to educate farmers on how to adapt to changing weather patterns meant farmers did not know which seed varieties to use. "Farmers are forced to gamble because they do not know whether to plant long-season seed varieties or short ones."

Chimbwanda has been urging farmers to plant drought-tolerant small grains such as millet, but admitted that because most people have traditionally grown maize, the idea had not yet caught on.

Climate change is expected to pose a serious threat to maize production, said a September 2009 report by the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC), a UK-based consortium of 12 organizations. It said declining maize yields would affect agriculture-based industries and the economy as a whole. The report also noted that little research had been carried out on climate change in Zimbabwe in the past five years.

Self-help initiatives

With relatively few government-funded agricultural programmes, some self-help initiatives have begun to take root in Zimbabwe.

Kuziva Chiriga - a 62-year-old village head, former school teacher and part-time farmer - lectures residents of his village (about 50km south of Harare) on climate change after himself benefiting from an NGO awareness-raising programme.

Read more

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Thirty percent less maize by 2030

AFRICA: What will we eat in the future?

The impact of grey literature on climate projections

ZIMBABWE: More food production, but not enough

"Most people still think the changes in rainfall patterns are a result of a curse put on us by the traditional gods," Chiriga told IRIN. "They are convinced the best way to get back dependable rains is to appease our ancestors, but even though they have been doing that, the results are not pleasing, hence the cycle of hunger."

Chiriga teaches villagers about crop diversification methods and soil conservation, but preparations for the 2010-2011 farming season are in disarray because of unpredictable rain and the lack of inputs.

"Most of the villagers here say they do not have the money to buy enough seed and fertilizer," said Chiriga. A 25kg bag of maize seed costs about US$25 and the same quantity of fertilizer about $40 - prices considered exorbitant by the villagers.

Government efforts

The Ministry of Environment is running some programmes to help people to adapt to poor rains. One such programme in Mashonaland East Province taught farmers about rainwater harvesting and farming methods which have helped boost yields, said the ministry's Zhakata.

"We are encouraging farmers to go back to traditional safety nets such as `zunde ramambo’ [farming, harvesting and storage of crops for collective use by communities] and intercropping… The government is also revising school curricula to ensure that students learn about climate change from the primary level to college," said Zhakata.

Dry spells in the latter half of the 2009-2010 planting season have compromised food security, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS-NET). At least 600,000 people are the beneficiaries of food aid programmes as of October 2010.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

 

Demystifying Chiyangwa’s pledge of US$200 million to Zanu-pf

by Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London

What could be described as, ‘the delusions of a Zanu-pf fanatic’, one of
Mugabe’s  scores of filthy rich relatives, Philip Chiyangwa has offered
US$200 million for what he said was “to keep the Movement for Democratic
Change out of power in Zimbabwe” (New Zimbabwe 10/11/10).

"I have assets with a value of about US$200 million and if it means selling
everything to ensure that the MDC [Movement for Democratic Change] does not
get into power, let it be,” Chiyangwa declared this week as he pledged
US$100,000 for Zanu PF’s annual conference set for Mutare in December. The
gentleman is not new to talking big about money. In January, Chiyangwa said
he parted with US$1million to secure his company, Native Investment s Africa
Group (NIAG) the 2010 World Cup soccer agent rights for Zimbabwe.

“Some leading businesses that you know all failed to raise the amounts that
Match required and we realised an opportunity which we took, as we know we
are in business of making money,” he told the press (New Zimbabwe,
13/01/10).

It is common knowledge that party political funding has always been a very
contentious subject the world over, least of all in Zimbabwe, therefore it
would be illusionary to assume that the problem will not overshadow the
forthcoming elections.   However, Chiyangwa’s pledge sounds more like
betting which is generally riskier and associated with bookmakers e.g. on
which horse, dog or team is going to win. Even then, betting is also based
on certain assumptions such as the previous performance of the contestants
over a period of time and their present state of health.

In the case of politics, the previous electoral performance of Zanu-pf’s
Robert Mugabe in spite of additional funding through parliament still faired
badly vis-a-vis MDC’s Morgan Tsvangirai, which means Chiyangwa could be
putting his money on the wrong horse! Predictions of electoral success are
sometimes based on opinion polls like the recent results which showed that
Mugabe has lost the female vote (The Zimbabwean, 31/05/10).

According to a poll conducted by non-governmental organisations, the
International Centre for Transitional Justice, IDASA, the Research and
Advocacy Unit and the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe will win
only 9 percent of women’s votes in a future election. The pollster predicted
that Morgan Tsvangirai would come first with 51 per cent of the female vote.

To make matters worse for Zanu-pf, the poll results tally with those of
another survey by Zimbabwe’s Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) which
showed Mugabe would get only 10 per cent of the vote in Mashonaland East.
That should in part explain the increased hostility against by Zanu-pf
against the MDC apart from Mugabe’s frustration with targeted sanctions. It
is therefore significant that Zanu-pf’s so-called reinvigoration document is
said to view churches as future vehicles of its propaganda machinery in
addition to the military, war vets, youth militia and the notorious CIOs.

Signs that Mugabe had embarked on an early election campaign trail, was when
in he reportedly visited a Johanne Marange apostolic sect annual Passover
meeting in July dressed in a white garment wielding a long stick in his
hand, “yet without a bold head” and urged them to resist calls for gay
rights in the proposed constitution (Zimeye, 19/07/10). As for Chiyangwa, he
is allegedly visiting members of the apostolic faith sect “around the
country” giving them a “loan” of US$300 for ‘income generating projects’
Zimdaily (02/11/10), while M’nangagwa (code-named Ngwena or The Crocodile)
has reportedly made a startling confession that he was taught to destroy and
kill but has found comfort in the arms of God (Zimbabwe metro, 10/1110).

Another major setback to Chiyangwa’s political fortunes is the news that
Zanu-pf propaganda jingles on radio and television are not helping the party
but rather alienating it from the public according to a study by University
of Zimbabwe lecturer Nyasha Mboti (The Standard ZW, 07/11/10). Mboti, who
graduated with a doctorate from UZ recently, claims the ZBC’s strategy is
based on repetition in the hope that this will get the audience to support
the constant themes on TV, but this had failed spectacularly. It remains to
be seen what values Mugabe’s rap video is trying to promote.

“At 86,” says David Smith, “Africa’s oldest leader, Robert Mugabe is the
improbable star of music videos in which he chats with a teenage rapper,
uses urban slang  and mocks “old white folks’ behinds” (Guardian UK,
05/11/10).

On realising poor poll ratings, Zanu-pf has reportedly launched various
distressing campaigns. In response, poor villagers in Muzarabani in
Mashonaland Central have pledged their chickens and goats to help finance
foreign election observers for next year’s elections (SWRadio Africa,
10/11/10). The villagers could not be more precise amidst press reports of
soldiers wielding AK47 rifles allegedly going on a rampage in Chipinge East
intimidating MDC supporters.

Furthermore, the launch of  Zanu-pf’’s Operation ‘Headless Chicken’ which
will reportedly see MDC supporters being beheaded in the forthcoming
elections (Radiovop, 11/11/10) are some of the reasons why UN and EU
election are needed now in Zimbabwe.

“What is going to happen is that supporters of the puppet MDC party will be
beheaded and their families will be handed over the body without the head
for burial,” says the chilling report. Zanu-pf’s scare tactics are not new.

In an interview with BBC’s Channel 4 television which was screened on Sunday
9th Sept 2001 at 7 p.m British time, at the height of farm seizures in
Mashonaland West, when he was Chinhoyi Member of Parliament, Philip
Chiyangwa accused white farmers of perpetrating violence on the farms and of
being behind the burning of farm workers’ houses.

After the interview, Chiyangwa met a group of Zanu-pf youths and started
addressing them in Shona, without knowing that the reporter was still
recording him saying: “Mukabata veMDC rovayi kudzamara vafa. Mapurazi
nedzimba dzevashandi pisai mokasika kutiza tozoti varungu vapisa misha yeva
sevenzi vavo. Mhanyai munomhangara kumapurisa nekuti ndevedu.”

(If you get hold of MDC supporters, beat them until they are dead. Burn
their farms and their workers’houses, then run away fast and we will then
blame the burning of the workers’ houses on the whites. Report to the
police, because they are ours.) (Zimbabwesituation.com 14/09/01).

Sadly, the latest white farmer to be murdered in Zimbabwe is 67 year old
Kobus Joubert of Scotsdale Farm in Chegutu, west of Harare who was
reportedly shot in the head by attackers who accused him and his wife Marian
of being members of the MDC (SW Radio Africa 27/10/10). Such cruel acts are
disgusting and must be deplored in the strongest terms by all peace loving
people.

On a different note, ghost columnist Woodpecker said: “What has made some of
us turn against Chiyangwa is the interview he supposedly gave to British
trash tabloid The People last week over his relationship with Zimbabwean UK
Big Brother contestant Makhosi Musambasi. In the interview published Sunday,
Chiyangwa reveals intimate details of his love life with the former model.
Shame on you Pfidza. Is it just the money that is so important?” (The
Standard, 07.07.05).

Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com

A letter from the diaspora

Friday November 12th 2010

“Well, it’s not as bad as Burma!” was the reply I got from an acquaintance
the other day when I was doing my usual one-woman attempt to spread the word
about what is happening in Zimbabwe. In 1990 the junta in Burma allowed free
and fair elections for the first time since they seized power. The junta
conclusively lost the elections but refused to step down. In the twenty
years since then thousands of pro-democracy activists have been killed or
imprisoned. Last Sunday, the regime announced that the military junta had
once again ‘won’ the latest elections. The opposition did not contest so the
result was hardly surprising.
Zimbabwe by contrast is in a coalition government, a so-called partnership
with the Movement for Democratic Change. Things are getting better in
Zimbabwe say western observers, like the peeress who declared in the House
of Lords just the other day that Zimbabwe’s economic condition had “improved
considerably” I don’t know what criteria the Right Honourable Lady used to
make such a judgement but it bears little resemblance to the situation on
the ground in Zimbabwe. Take the example of pensioners who receive just $25
a month from their NSSA pension fund. As all Zimbabweans know, monthly
payments to NSSA are compulsory; you have no choice, the money is deducted
from your salary at source. NSSA receives $9 million a month from these
‘contributions’ and after years of paying into the fund a pensioner receives
the princely sum of $25 paid direct into the Post Office. Deduct from that
the $10 fare to travel to the nearest Post Office if you live in a remote
rural area, and you are left with $12 to last you the month.

ompare that pensioner’s plight to the unbelievable wealth accumulated by top
‘chefs’ like Ignatious Chombo, whose wife is suing him for divorce and wants
a divorce settlement of $2.000 a month. The list of Chombo’s assets, all
revealed in court papers, includes farms. mines, hunting safari lodges,
properties in South Africa and in Zimbabwe residential and commercial
stands, houses and flats not to mention countless top-of-the-range vehicles.
Indeed, ‘things have got better’, substantially so for the like of Chombo
and his other Zanu PF comrades assisted by the military and now by the
diamond wealth that is flooding into their bank accounts.

It is no coincidence that soldiers are rampaging through the country, in
Masvingo, Chipinge and this last week in Marondera town to pick off MDC
supporters. There are reports of top army personnel being rewarded with
money paid direct into their banks for seeking out villagers sympathetic to
the MDC. Villagers are once again being forced to buy Zanu PF cards before
they can get desperately needed food. Even resettled black farmers in
Masvingo are being punished by Zanu PF youths for not attending Zanu
rallies.
As the MDC spokesperson, Naison Chamisa, said this week, the MDC does not
want to see a repeat of the recent elections in Myanmar (Burma) ‘where it’s
a charade’. Westerners who often have little understanding of Africa or
Zimbabwe may say that ‘Things are getting better’ but the reality on the
ground for ordinary people tells a very different story. If we are not yet
‘as bad as Burma’ all the signs are pointing in that direction. Like the
Burmese generals, Robert Mugabe seems impervious to criticism from the
outside world. Unlike his Burmese counterparts, Mugabe can claim that he
regularly holds elections but the way they are conducted is remarkably
similar to the Burmese ‘charade’.

Aung San Su Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, has spent
much of the last twenty years under house arrest. She is due for release
tomorrow; whether that will happen or not is still in doubt. What we can be
sure of is that if ‘the Lady’ attempts to re-enter the political arena she
will once again be put under house arrest. The remarkable courage of this
woman is an inspiration to the whole world and not least to Zimbabwe where
an 86 year old dictator clings to power. Like the generals he shares the
dangerous delusion of immortality.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson.