Zim Online
Wed 16 November 2005
HARARE - Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
(ZIMRA) Commissioner General Gershem
Pasi allegedly used his influential
position to import goods over the past
three years without paying full duty
or paying nothing at all,
investigations by ZimOnline have shown.
Pasi,
in charge of customs and excise collection, is together with Finance
Minister Herbert Murerwa being investigated by the police over allegations
that they illegally converted to personal use tax money collected in hard
cash from foreign motorists entering Zimbabwe mainly from South Africa
through Beitbridge border post.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon
Gono is also being probed because
the police believe he may have helped
Murerwa and Pasi siphon money from
ZIMRA when he was chief executive officer
the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe.
Police sources who spoke to
ZimOnline said the law enforcement agency
believed that a large part of the
goods - said to be worth over 4.5 million
South African rands - that were
imported by Pasi may have been bought with
money stolen from
ZIMRA.
Neither Pasi, Murerwa nor Gono had as of last night responded to
attempts by
ZimOnline to get comment from them on the matter.
But an
independent probe by ZimOnline revealed that Pasi imported a wide
assortment
of goods over the past three years. The goods included building
material for
a home the ZIMRA chief is building in Harare's Borrowdale
suburb of the
rich, farm equipment and household furniture.
Most of the goods were
allegedly either undervalued so as to attract lower
duty or in some cases
Pasi is said to have never paid duty at all.
Pasi, who according to some
ZIMRA officers interviewed by ZimOnline,
sometimes raided the revenue
authority's cash office at Beitbridge for
foreign currency to use on
personal trips to South Africa, is said to have
imported goods worth about
800 000 South African rands so far this year
alone.
For example, in April
this year, Pasi imported 50 beds and mattresses, each
set with a shop value
of 250 rands. But the beds, which Pasi was importing
for his lodge in Gwayi
safari area, were valued at 109.50 rands per set for
purposes of declaring
duty at Beitbridge.
According to our sources a ZIMRA officer who cleared
Pasi's beds, one Mbuso
Mahlangu queried why the goods were being undervalued
but he was allegedly
cautioned by the ZIMRA chief and told to allow the
goods to pass.
Four months later, in July, Pasi allegedly imported a Toyota
Liteace vehicle
together with some tyres and several other vehicle
accessories and spares.
The Bill of Entry for the goods was recorded as
C29204/2July 2005.
The goods were cleared under the name of a company called
Oppecott, which
however does not appear to be registered with the Registrar
of Companies.
The company's postal address is listed as Box CH 626, Mgaca
Mbinga Harare,
an address that Zimpost said did not exist.
An official
with Mitchell Cotts, an agent that facilitated clearance of the
car and
other goods confirmed that they in fact cleared the goods on behalf
of
Pasi.
In August, Pasi imported farm and irrigation equipment said to have
been
worth about 350 000 rands. The goods were kept at ZIMRA storage rooms
for
about three weeks before a worker at the revenue body, Maison Phiri,
ferried
the goods to Pasi's farm in Shamva district north of Harare.
Our
sources say no duty was paid for the equipment.
Pasi is said to have last
month imported lubricating oils for farm machinery
valued at 10 000 rands
which he ordered a junior clearing officer to list as
private goods
allegedly in order that he would not have to pay duty.
Farm equipment and
accessories should be declared as business products and
therefore attract a
higher duty.
It was not immediately clear whether police authorities will
order the team
investigating Pasi, Murerwa and Gono to also probe the ZIMRA
chief for
allegedly breaching duty laws when he allegedly undervalued his
goods in
order to pay less duty or in some cases none at all.
The police
only began probing Pasi and Murerwa - and later Gono - after
junior workers
at ZIMRA arrested under an internal campaign to weed out
corrupt elements in
the revenue body blew the whistle on Pasi and Murerwa,
telling the police
that the two had stolen tax money paid by foreign
motorists.
But several
cases in which top officials of President Robert Mugabe's
government or
ruling ZANU PF party were accused of mainly corruption have in
the past been
quietly swept under the carpet. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Wed 16
November 2005
HARARE - Zimbabwe is among nine countries with the worst
macroeconomic
environment in the world according to the World Economic Forum
(WEF).
In its latest Global Competitiveness Report made available to
ZimOnline this
week, the Switzerland-based forum rated Zimbabwe at number
109 out of 117
countries polled.
Zimbabwe, grappling severe economic
decline described by the World Bank as
unseen in a non-war situation, was
ranked number 99 last year.
Among other countries lumped in the same bracket
with Zimbabwe are countries
such as Bangladesh (110), Cameroon (111),
Cambodia (112) and the north
African state of Chad which anchors the
list.
But some southern African countries faired relatively well with for
example,
South Africa placed on number 42 while Botswana is on number 48
and
Mauritius is perched on position 52.
Finland remains the world's most
competitive economy for the third year
running. The Nordic country is
followed by the United States, Sweden,
Denmark, Taiwan and Singapore
respectively.
The WEF report forms part of key data foreign investors consult
before
deciding where to place investments.
Among crucial indicators
examined by the WEF when compiling the report are
issues such as the
soundness and consistency of economic policy, economic
and political
stability, levels of corruption, observance of the rule of law
and respect
for property rights.
Zimbabwe is in its sixth straight year of a bitter
economic recession that
has seen inflation shooting beyond 300 percent while
food, essential medical
drugs, electricity, fuel and just about every other
basic commodity is in
critical short supply.
Critics blame the crisis on
mismanagement and repression by President Robert
Mugabe, who has presided
over the country since independence from Britain 25
years ago.
Mugabe
denies ruining Zimbabwe and says its economic problems are because of
sabotage by Britain and its Western allies out to fix Harare for seizing
land from whites and giving it over to blacks. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Wed 16 November 2005
HARARE - Police are said to be
keen to know how Zimbabwe Cricket
chairman Peter Chingoka used the 50 000
pounds honorarium he received from
the union last year amid allegations of
serious financial misappropriations
at the circket body.
Sources told ZimOnline that the police suspect that Chingoka might
have
invested his "fortune" in property in South Africa, a development that
could see him facing foreign exchange externalisation charges.
Chingoka was controversially paid the honorarium from proceeds
Zimbabwe got
for co-hosting the 2003 World Cup with South Africa.
A white
provincial administrator is believed to have instigated
Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono to launch an investigation
into foreign
currency transactions at the cricket body.
"The police, we
understand, want to know how Chingoka might have used
the pounds he
controversially got as a honorarium last year," a police
source said
yesterday.
Former finance minister Chris Kuruneri, who spent close
to a year
remanded in custody, is facing trial over charges of
externalising foreign
currency when he bought luxurious property in South
Africa.
Police last week descended on the beleaguered Zimbabwe
Cricket -
embroiled in a bitter row with disgruntled administrators over
maladministration and financial mismangement - to investigate allegations of
irregular hard cash dealings at the union.
Chingoka and
Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Ozias Bvute were
picked up last Thursday
and grilled by central bank officials.
There were reports
yesterday that police had once again raided offices
at the Zimbabwe Cricket
Academy after a similar raid at the union's
headquarters last
week.
"The police came to the Academy and searched, but we don't
think they
found anything," a source close to the union said. "They are not
discussing
their probe but we are sure they are looking for hard cash that
they suspect
might be stashed at the offices."
Zimbabwe
Cricket generates millions in foreign currency from
television rights as
well as lucrative sponsorship deals.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's
international cricketers have finally accepted
revised contracts for the
current season, but the development is far from
thawing relations between
the players and the game's administrators.
Zimbabwe Cricket
yesterday announced it had made progress in
negotiations over "improved"
contracts after meeting the players'
representative, Clive
Field.
"It was a positive meeting," Wilfred Mukondiwa, Zimbabwe
Cricket's
human resources manager, said. "We were in agreement as far as
those were
concerned."
The players had been refusing to accept
new performance-based
contracts the union had offered. They were demanding
higher retainers and
payment in foreign currency, among other
things.
It could however not be established on what the union and
the players
had compromised. The players last week issued an ultimatum
demanding that
Chingoka dn Bvute stand down over allegations of mismanaging
the game. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Wed 16 November
2005
By Grace Kwinjeh
I remember once just after
the MDC was formed, there was a big debate
in the MDC's National Executive
Committee, on what the purpose or use of
the 'Top 6' was. Many of us who
were opposed to the creation of this
creature, already had the prescience
of the dangers of placing too much
'power' and 'responsibility' in these
six men.
I recall, President Morgan Tsvangirai, singling me out as
he asked,
'Grace what do you understand by the top six?' I said, 'Mr
President I
think it is six men who are illegally acquiring power for
themselves at the
expense of the NEC.' We lost that battle.
The 'top six' was subsequently constituted to be the 'management
committee',
of the party. Many of us have over the years lamented at the
concentration
of so much power in the hands of these 'six men', questioning
the
undemocratic nature of such a structure, in which we are not
represented as
women, worse still how it restricts grassroots
participation and
mobilisation in the party's decision-making processes.
Thus, the
root of some of the problems and the impasse that exists
amongst members of
the 'top six' today.
The ever thorny question of intra-party
democracy has always been a
contested one in the MDC.
A
gendered analysis, of the current problems in the MDC, gives room
for
another perspective and deeper understanding of the some of these
battles
or struggles that have suddenly been brought into the public
domain. The
war in the MDC is as much about power as it is an ideological
one.
Depending on which side you are looking at it
from.
You have two male led factions that promote different types
of power
structures and ideologies. The pro-Senate faction is led by
individuals
whose leadership, as far as I am concerned, is patriarchal and
hierarchical.
Beyond understanding the acquisition of power be
it in the party, in
parliament, or even the drive to go into the Senate; it
does not have any
connection with the needs of the people around them or
the supporters on
the ground for that matter.
So even if God
smiles on them and they 'get' or 'win' 20 seats next
week, they will never
be identified with peoples struggles or politics,
within the MDC or
Zimbabwe.
It is not a surprise, that even if it is dominated by the
Matebeleland
male leadership the faction, has failed to attract even the
support of the
two most senior women and founders of the MDC in
Matebeleland, namely,
Thokozani Khupe and Gertrude Mtombeni.(Well including
other males). For me
this tells a story.
Subsequently, all
the women founder members of the MDC have remained
inside the party, except
for Harare North Member of Parliament, Trudy
Stevenson, who has opted out
to join the pro-senate faction.
Taking this argument further, you
find that the structure emerging in
the anti-senate group, which has
remained in the party, has the distinct
and visible participation of
women; thus the ideological aspect becomes a
reality.
We have
argued as MDC women over the years that the liberation project
must go hand
in hand with our emancipation. This is measured by our level
of
participation in any given issue.
In the past weeks the
previously marginalised women in the MDC
leadership have suddenly risen to
prominence, as they took on the
principled fight against participation in
the senate.
They have become the conscience and the voice of reason
in the MDC in
their different portfolios, locations, each one of them
taking a stand to
save the party, from political oblivion.
The
media has created so many myths around the current problems in the
MDC, that
make it impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
One such myth is that this is a tribal war, with the people of
Matabeleland
being more inclined towards participation in the senate
elections, than
the other regions.
I will let you know, that Makokoba Member of
Parliament and MDC,
founder member Thoko Khupe, moved the motion for the
party not to
participate senatorial elections, during a NEC meeting well
before the
issue even became a public matter.
Khupe gave a
very passionate address, reminding the party of its
founding values and
principles, explaining why the party must not let the
people down by going
into this election.
Khupe one of our most senior leaders from
Matabeleland reminded the
NEC of things they promised the electorate, when
the party was formed six
years ago, one of them being a people driven
constitution.
'We made a promise to the people, we must not break
it,' she said.
Following this it was resolved that consultations take place
through out
the party structures before a decision was arrived at, on
whether or not to
participate in this election. The rest is
history.
Lucia Matibenga also became more prominent over the past
weeks, 'as
the powerful Women's Assembly chairperson'. She moved from
province to
province explaining why the party was not going into this
election, 'joining
the Zanu PF gravy train', she advocated for 'people
power,' to remove the
regime.
In its life time the MDC has
never invested in the Women's Assembly or
its chairperson. Even with the
risk to her personal life Matibenga to this
day still commutes from Gweru
where she is resides to Harare.
Such has been the nature of the
women's struggle in MDC.
That our structures have risen again, the
soul of the party speaking
through the women, cannot be doubted. Single
handedly Gertrude Mutombeni
and Khupe mobilised for the Bulawayo rally to
succeed.
Albeit, with threats to their lives by known, senior party
officials.
The MDC boasted of a 10 000 plus crowd at the White City
Stadium, last
Sunday. Issues discussed that resonate with the day to day
struggle for
survival by all Zimbabweans, where ever they are located and
what ever
their tribe.
Others who have also played prominent
roles are war veteran and
journalist Sekai Holland, Lawyer Yvonne Mahlunge
and trade unionist
Pauline Mupariwa.
Collectively, as the
women's leadership we are mobilised once again to
working for the future of
the party on a fresh agenda. The strategising and
re-organisation currently
taking place in the party is an opportunity to
reform the MDC once again
into a people centered party in which men and
women move hand in
hand.
There is a 'new deal' in the making for MDC and Zimbabwean
women as a
whole, as the party embarks on this radical paradigm shift.
There has to
be a difference in our power relations, giving a better deal
to women.
I talk of a 'new deal', because our male counterparts
have to realise
that we want to be more than just 'caterers' and
'mobilisers', there has to
be a redefinition of our new roles as party
leaders, adorned by the
necessary respect and dignity.
As the
party embarks on the next if not most difficult phase of the
struggle, we
have learnt in the most difficult manner leadership strengths
and
weaknesses that will build or kill a party.
There will certainly
never be a 'top six' in the MDC again. Povo
yaramba.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the
United Nations]
KWEKWE, 15 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - She's a sex worker, but
not many passers-by
would suspect that the slight figure standing in a
narrow street opposite a
nightclub in Zimbabwe's gold mining town of Kwekwe
is also a university
student.
Tracy Bunjwali, a second-year business
studies scholar and part-time
prostitute, says her biggest fear is that she
might bump into somebody she
knows while out on the streets waiting to be
taken to a nearby
hotel-cum-brothel.
She has little choice, she says.
Orphaned during the last term of high
school two years ago, the 23-year-old
has to support a brother and sister
still at school.
Despite a
government-run education assistance programme for vulnerable
children and
those orphaned by AIDS, the grant falls well short of needs in
a country
weighed down by triple-digit inflation.
"My uncle, a municipal general
hand, took us in when both our parents died,
despite that he was struggling
to feed, clothe and send his own six children
to school," Bunjwali
said.
"I don't come here often. I only do so when hard times befall the
family,"
she explained. "I have to take the risk so that my brother and
sister remain
at school."
Bunjwali has to compete with full-time sex
workers attracted to the small
mining town in Midlands province, about 225
km southeast of the capital,
Harare, which is enjoying a mini-boom as a
result of illegal gold panning.
Gangs of youths, with almost zero
prospects of a formal sector job in
Zimbabwe's shrinking economy, blow off
steam in the nightclub after long,
frustrating hours spent clawing for gold
underground.
"This is something I never imagined I would do," said
Bunjwali. "I am aware
of the risks and have decided to take a routine
monthly visit to the
voluntary counselling centre for an AIDS
test."
She has been tested three times so far, and all have been
negative. "I have
overcome the fear of visiting the centre," she
added.
According to the national census, Zimbabwe had 50,000 child-headed
households in 2002; three years later the figure has jumped to
318,000.
New statistics released by the National AIDS Council (NAC) show
that 1.3
million children under the age of 15 years have lost one or both
parents due
to the virus, and an estimated 240,000 children are believed to
be infected.
Despite government efforts to help child-headed households
through the NAC
and initiatives such as the Basic Educational Assistance
Module (BEAM),
officials admit their efforts, though well-meaning, have only
limited
impact.
Through BEAM, NAC assists orphaned children with
school fees, school
uniforms, stationery and their general upkeep. But the
available funds are
being overwhelmed by demand, and a soaring cost of
living has worsened
vulnerability.
NAC is funded by a monthly income
tax levy, but unemployment is estimated at
70 percent and rising, reducing
revenue. According to the latest audit, NAC
has incurred a budget deficit of
Zim $41 billion (US $3.5 million) on its
projected earnings.
The
slightly more than 50 registered child-care centres nationwide can only
cater for a total of about 5,000 children at any given time.
NAC
executive director Tapuwa Magure said his cash-strapped agency had
turned to
mobilising communities to strengthen the extended family and
encourage
fostering children orphaned by AIDS.
But this is far from easy, as seven
years of unrelieved economic crisis has
taken its toll on the resilience of
family ties in Zimbabwe.
"My mother's brother is struggling to cope with
his own family and,
naturally, his children take precedence," said Bunjwali.
"He is doing his
best, but I have to come in and assist."
[ This report
does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 15 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - A split in Zimbabwe's
opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) will effectively derail
opposition politics in
the country for some time to come, say
analysts.
Divisions in Zimbabwe's official opposition looked poised to
degenerate into
a permanent split on Sunday when MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai accused
members supporting the party's participation in this
month's senate
elections of working in cahoots with the ruling ZANU-PF to
destroy the
party.
The labour-backed MDC is entangled in a bitter
wrangle over the 26 November
election, with Tsvangirai calling for a boycott
while other top officials -
including Gibson Sibanda, a former fellow trade
unionist and the party's
vice-president, and party secretary-general
Welshman Ncube - are for
participation.
"A split is inevitable," said
an insider close to mediation efforts to
resolve the differences. "It will
considerably weaken both sides - both
factions are going to lose
out."
Tsvangirai is seen as the man with the mass support and the
national
profile, while Sibanda and Ncube, who are elected members of
parliament,
also represent the MDC's valuable Ndebele bank of votes in the
Matabeleland
provinces of southern Zimbabwe.
The MDC is the most
serious opposition ZANU-PF has faced since independence
in 1980. A year
after its formation, the broad based party ran ZANU-PF a
close second in
parliamentary elections in 2000, securing a political lock
on Matabeleland
and urban centres that it has managed to retain, despite
levels of political
violence.
The crisis in the MDC followed Tsvangirai overruling a national
council
decision in October to participate in the senate election. He argued
the
MDC's agreed position had been to ignore the poll on the grounds that it
would be a waste of tax-payers money, and the senior chamber would be
dominated by the ruling party.
The pro-election faction argued that
by boycotting the MDC would hand
ZANU-PF control of constituencies it could
not win through the ballot box,
and Tsvangirai had torn up the party's rule
book by ignoring the national
council's verdict.
The majority of MDC
MPs are in the pro-senate faction. However, they would
not be able to
survive politically without the support of the women's and
youth wings of
the party, who have sworn allegiance to a beleaguered
Tsvangirai, several
analysts commented.
But Chris Maroleng, an analyst from the Institute for
Security Studies, a
Pretoria-based think-tank, took a more optimistic view
of a possible
breakaway faction.
"We must not consider the women and
youth wings as a homogenous entity - the
[MDC] provincial bodies,
particularly in the south, will naturally align
themselves with Ncube and
Sibanda," he noted.
MEDIATION ATTEMPTS
He also believed a division
between Tsvangirai and the pro-election faction
could give renewed impetus
to possible talks between parts of the opposition
and a reform-minded
ZANU-PF - an outcome that neighbouring South Africa has
tried to
encourage.
"Ncube did share a rapport with Justice Minister Patrick
Chinamasa
[representing a technocrat wing in ZANU-PF] in inter-party talks
in the
past," he noted.
Dialogue in 2002 ended over MDC's refusal to
withdraw a legal challenge to
the presidential elections, which it claimed
had been rigged. Subsequent
efforts by the South African government to get
the two parties to form a
government of national unity were also plagued by
mistrust, and attempts to
revive the talks failed.
After winning
legislative elections earlier this year by a landslide,
President Robert
Mugabe would be even less inclined to talk to a divided
MDC, Zimbabwe-based
analysts noted.
Pro-democracy activist Brian Kagoro dismissed suggestions
of an alliance
between any members of the MDC and ZANU-PF. "I do not think
it is possible,
or they [opposition members] will be writing their own
political epitaphs."
But Kagoro also suggested an MDC breakup was not
inevitable. "Relationships
have been shelved for strategic reasons ... not
buried," he said, citing the
20-year alliance between Tsvangirai and Sibanda
in the Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade Unions.
Describing the feud as "a
result of deep-seated personality differences",
Kagoro predicted that
tensions were going "to boil over" near the senate
elections and "then
simmer down as they realise they cannot survive without
each
other".
MASS APPEAL
However, Maroleng and other analysts felt the
party was unlikely to last as
a united entity until the MDC convention in
February next year, but all
believed that should a split occur, the key
battle would be over who
retained the name of the party.
"Anyone who
has to deal with Zimbabwe's opposition has to deal with Morgan
Tsvangirai,
who represents the opposition," said an analyst who wished to
remain
anonymous.
This was also acknowledged by the pro-senate faction. MDC's
spokesman Paul
Themba-Nyathi told IRIN on Monday that while the party had
grounds to move
against Tsvangirai legally for defying its constitution, "we
still have to
look at it politically".
"We do have to take cognisance
of the fact that Tsvangirai does have support
[within and outside the MDC] -
he has stood up against Mugabe, faced treason
charges, survived
assassination attempts - he does enjoy a lot of sympathy,"
Themba-Nyathi
pointed out.
However, a court ruling could sweep that power and
popularity aside and
deprive Tsvangirai of his post, some commentators
noted.
In the meantime, insults continue to fly between the two warring
factions.
Addressing rallies over the weekend in Bulawayo, in
Matabeleland North
province, and Gweru, in Midlands province, Tsvangirai
urged supporters to
shun the November polls and also announced the expulsion
from the MDC of 26
senate hopefuls contesting the election in open defiance
of his call for
them to withdraw their candidature.
"One clear thing
is that those who favour participation were bribed by
ZANU-PF to destabilise
the opposition. The evidence is there for everyone to
see, otherwise why
would they - our trusted friends - all of a sudden rebel
against me as the
party president and want to legitimise the senate
elections, which are in
fact a ZANU-PF project?" Tsvangirai asked the crowd.
At a press briefing
after the rally Themba-Nyathi responded: "People of
Zimbabwe now know that
Tsvangirai is not fit to lead this country. Everybody
is left with no doubt
whatsoever that Zimbabwe is one country, which should
not be burdened with
this man as its president."
Speaking to IRIN, Themba-Nyathi denied
Tsvangirai's claims that the current
leadership "is being coaxed by the
ZANU-PF. Our leaders [Sibanda and Ncube]
are people with high principles and
integrity - the gap between us [ZANU-PF
and MDC] is too
wide."
Tsvangirai ended his weekend speeches in a conciliatory mood,
calling for
the pro-senate group to abstain from the election and reconcile
with him.
"All those who defied the directive are no longer members of
the party -
that's a simple issue - but it is our hope that Sibanda and his
group will
finally reason and part ways with ZANU-PF. We sincerely hope that
they will
come back and be part of us," he said.
Themba-Nyathi
dismissed Tsvangirai's claims, saying, "The purported
expulsion of those who
stand as senators is null and void - that is vintage
Tsvangirai, breaking
the constitution yet again; breaking the procedures
within the MDC."
As famine hits countries in southern Africa, aid
organisations are at odds
over a pilot scheme that is giving cash instead of
food
John Vidal
Wednesday November 16, 2005
The
Guardian
Over the next few months, more than 10 million hungry people
in six southern
African countries will need western help to stay alive after
their crops
failed disastrously earlier this year. A massive humanitarian
effort is
getting under way, led by the UN's World Food programme. Ships
full of
American and Canadian grain will soon be crossing the Atlantic,
lorries of
maize will thunder up from South Africa to Malawi and Zimbabwe,
and
desperate people will be queueing everywhere for handouts of maize,
wheat
and beans.
But in southern Zambia, one of the worst hit of the
regions most affected by
this year's unreliable rains, some families will
not get food. A pilot
project funded by the Department for International
Development and run by
Oxfam has just begun to hand out to households the
equivalent of about $20
cash a month - roughly the price of a 50kg bag of
maize and some beans.
With this they will be able to buy the food that
they want from local
traders, or use it to stimulate their economies. As the
food crisis grows,
Oxfam expects people will be given more money and the
programme will be
expanded to about 86,000 people by the end of March. It is
expected to be
one of the biggest "cash transfers" ever tried in a
humanitarian crisis.
The world's largest food-exporting nations such as
the US and Canada, the
UN's World Food Programme (WFP) and many
non-governmental groups will be
watching closely to see how well the Zambian
experiment works. The idea of
giving money rather than food or other
commodities is still politically and
socially controversial. Give people
cash, say the sceptics, and you risk
increasing insecurity and corruption,
upsetting local economies, fuelling
conflicts and excluding the most needy.
Because of these and other fears,
the overwhelming form of help by the west
in third-world emergencies for the
past 30 years has been "in kind" help
with commodities.
Inherent dangers
The WFP, which traditionally
delivers food aid, says it is not convinced by
the cash arguments. "We're
not against the transfer of cash per se, but
there are inherent dangers,"
says Neil Gallagher, WFP communications
director in Rome. "If donor agencies
have a hard time controlling cash given
to governments, how can they be
confident they will get it to poor people?
Why we like food 'in kind' is
that we can target the isolated and the
vulnerable, especially the
women."
But Oxfam, based on its own experiences and those of others
handing out cash
to Ethiopian, Somalian and tsunami-hit people, is pretty
confident that the
money will get to the right people. "We have worked out
who are the poorest
and most vulnerable and we are assuming that most
people, if they're hungry,
will spend money on food," says Ric Goodman,
Oxfam country director in
Zambia. "Giving cash gives people the flexibility
to pay for other things,
such as tea and oil, or they can keep their
children in school, and retain
their access to credit. They have a whole
range of options."
Potentially, Goodman says, it is a lot cheaper. WFP
food deliveries cost
about $7 per unit a month. Oxfam reckons it can get the
price down to about
$4, but will be watching very closely to see if food
prices rise as a result
of cash injections.
A growing body of
evidence suggests that most of the sceptics' fears are
myths, and that
people given cash or vouchers overwhelmingly spend it on
basic essentials,
says Paul Harvey, a research analyst at the Overseas
Development Institute
in London. He says there is a growing move to give
money rather than food
and that it has the potential to help development as
well as relieve
suffering. He says: "Cash approaches remain largely
underutilised in the
humanitarian sector, which still largely provides
people with food, seeds,
plastic sheeting and water containers, rather than
giving them the money to
buy these items themselves."
Harvey, who underlines that cash transfers
work only if there is food to be
bought in the region and the market can
respond, says that almost a third of
the money spent on getting food to the
needy goes on transport, and that
there are many vested and cultural
interests in keeping food aid. Besides,
he says, many people receiving food
handouts sell it on to the open market
at a price less than it cost to get
it to them.
Loss of control
"Many governments tie emergency aid to
their own goods," he says.
"Organisations such as the UN can be
institutionally incapable of delivering
cash, and many people find cash
threatening. It implies a loss of control
and power. Cash provokes this
visceral response. People say it might create
dependency."
The debate
about food or cash is taking place on a high political level,
too. Food aid
is big business, worth $3-4bn a year to rich countries, and
the US in
particular has traditionally sent its heavily subsidised grain
surpluses to
countries in need in order to boost their own exports. This is
a key
unresolved issue in the WTO talks with the EC, which has all but
phased out
food aid in favour of cash grants, arguing that food aid "in
kind" should be
phased out, along with agricultural subsidies.
This leaves the WFP
fighting for its life. "Developing countries, as a
group, are in favour of
keeping 'in kind' donations," Gallagher says. "Food
aid is one resource that
we can demonstrate actually reaches the poor.
Several donors that have
switched from 'in kind' to cash have delivered
sharply less food
assistance."
The arguments are irrelevant to the poor in Zambia, Malawi,
Zimbabwe and
southern Africa. They do not much mind where the food comes
from, as long it
gets there quickly.
Cape Argus
November 15, 2005
By David Yutar
Chance led
Zimbabwean Tariro Masayiti into the world of wine - first
by finding
pocket-money work at a Zimbabwean winery while He was a student,
then being
persuaded by a friend to actually taste the stuff, reports
Features Writer
David Yutar
'I suppose you could call me a black white wine maker!"
says Tariro
Masayiti with a broad smile.
Nederburg's newly
appointed wine maker finds the oxymoron amusing and
apparently he's not
alone.
Chatting away outside the manor house of the historic estate
outside
Paarl, the 33-year-old Zimbabwean-born viticulture graduate tells me
an
anecdote.
"I was buying a car.
"The application
form I filled in asked for my occupation. I wrote
'white wine
maker'.
"The salesman seemed a bit surprised, asking 'But aren't
you black?' "
Masayiti is the first to admit that wine isn't
something that one
usually associates with Zimbabwe, but it was on a winery
at Marondera, 70km
south-east of Harare, that the young man learned the fine
art of wine
making.
"We were producing around two million
litres a year, which is a huge
surprise to most people, as few even know
Zimbabwe has any wine industry to
speak of.
"By South African
standards it's small but it is certainly an
important part of the economy
with wine grape cultivation taking place over
the last decade or
so."
A dapper, boyish-looking natty dresser, Masayiti could be
mistaken for
a banker. But that's where the similarity ends.
He
laughs when he recalls that he came from a family where drinking
any kind of
alcohol was taboo.
"I had never touched the stuff let alone
developed a taste for wine,"
he confesses.
Even after he had
spent several vacations on his brother's winery,
Mukuyu (Shona for fig
tree), he still hadn't succumbed to temptation.
While studying for
his BSc at the University of Zimbabwe, Masayiti
earned some much-needed
pocket money working in the winery's laboratory and
it was there that he was
influenced by his co-workers, German and New
Zealander expats who lived for
wine and wine making.
"In the evening I would join them for a braai
but I still didn't enjoy
wine and had still never tasted
alcohol."
But it wasn't long before Masayiti changed his abstemious
ways.
His fate was sealed when, inspired by a colleague and friend,
a New
Zealander by the name of Brent King, he fell prey to the seductions of
wine
making.
After moving through the ranks to become a cellar
supervisor, he
decided to enrol for a degree in viticulture and oenology at
Stellenbosch
University.
"It was a big step for me because
I had never travelled too far from
Masondera, let alone outside
Zimbabwe."
The year was 1999 and five years of democracy hadn't
done much to
redeem South Africa's reputation among its neighbours as a land
of racial
conflict and danger.
"All we knew about South Africa
was negative.
"We had heard about people who came to live here and
had come home in
coffins.
"But stepping on to the tarmac at
Cape Town, I saw little sign that
this was a country which at some point had
been at war."
Stellenbosch didn't exactly rush out to welcome the
newcomer.
"When I first attended lectures I couldn't understand a
word because
it was all in Afrikaans and I thought 'Oh no! I should have
chosen
California or Australia!' "
But it was too late to turn
back. Living up to his name, which is
Shona for "hope", Masayiti was
determined to make it work.
When money was short, he took a job as
a security guard at the
university and later was fortunate to benefit from a
generous bursary.
Initially, says Masayiti, he had not intended to
immigrate to South
Africa but that's what happened.
His young
wife, Mercy, and their year-and-a-half-old son, Valiant,
soon joined him in
his modest Stellenbosch apartment.
Hope is a good thing but good
luck is better.
"Just before I wrote my final exam, someone from
Bergkelder phoned me
and offered me a job as assistant wine
maker."
He stayed there for four years, earning the respect of his
peers and
superiors alike.
"But I have always believed that one
can never improve or better
oneself if one stays in the same place for too
long."
When the opportunity arose, Masayiti grabbed
it.
On the first of August he walked up the avenue of gracious oak
trees
to become Nederburg's first "black, white wine maker".
"This is a multifaceted job but more than that it is a lifestyle too,"
he
says.
When, in April, Masayiti returned to his home in Zimbabwe for
the
first time in five years, he was dismayed by what he saw.
"Everything was different, upmarket places were in tatters and nothing
looked beautiful any more."
But home is home and Masayiti
confesses to his fair share of
homesickness.
"I always intended
to return to Zimbabwe one day and even now I never
stop thinking about what
it would have been like had I gone back.
"But I won't," he says
smiling.
Vanguard, Nigeria
By Jimoh Babatunde
Posted to the
Web: Monday, November 14, 2005
Governor Bukola
Saraki of Kwara State has said that the
commercial farming initiative
embarked upon by his government was designed
to drive the revolution in
agriculture that must happen in the country. He
made this known while
declaring open the fouth Agricultural Summit organised
by the Nigerian
Economic Summit Group (NESG) in collaboration with the state
government in
Ilorin, Kwara State.
Governor Saraki noted that his state
like most other states in
the country, is endowed with large expanse of
arable land , significant rain
and vast water resources that make the
condition suitable for agriculture.
"It is no wonder then that most of our
people , especially in the rural
areas, are engaged in farming, albeit at
subsistence level. We realised that
if we can enhance the capacity of our
farmers to increase their production
and add value to their produce, we
would at the same time be increasing
their capacity to earn more money
through agriculture, drive economic
activities in the urban areas and lift
the majority of people out of
poverty."
He said that
informed the need for the commercial farming
culture to fully harness the
enormous potentials of agriculture in the
state. "That experience was the
inspiration behind our commercial
agriculture initiative in Songai, which is
piloted by some expatriate
farmers from Zimbabwe." He added: "The commercial
farming initiative was
designed to drive the revolution in agriculture that
must happen in this
state and in this country. I am humbled by the national
and international
excitement and hopes that this initiative has generated.
However, my
happiest days would be when I see our educated young men and
women learning
the practices from the expatriate farmers and replicating
these practices in
their farms and when I see our financial institutions
supporting
agricultural ventures with the same enthusiasm as they show to
other
profitable ventures." Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian
Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Mohammed Hayatudeen said that the policy
thrust of the Kwara State Government under the leadership of Dr. Bukola
Saraki should be commended. According to him, what the state government has
done in attracting the Southern African experience of industrial farming to
transform the agricultural investment climate in Nigeria, will change the
face of agricultural entrepreneurship in Nigeria for ever. "We therefore
encourage the Federal Government and state governments to continuously
improve the overall investment climate to enable local investors emulate
this worthy example." The chairman of NESG noted that the operating
environment that will boost the confidence of the private sector to invest
massively in the agricultural sector needs to be sustained. He disclosed
that the summit is about creating the interface to bring about the needed
dialogue platform for the relationships and support building as they believe
that as Nigeria's investment climate brightens up, local and foreign direct
investment will jump-start agricultural business in Nigeria.
VOA
By Chinedu
Offor
Washington
15 November 2005
Elements of
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change are
proposing binding
arbitration to resolve serious differences within the
party's leadership
over the question of whether to take part in this month's
senate elections,
among others.
Sources close to the situation say the new reconciliation
initiative
involves recruitment of neutral arbiters whose conclusions will
be binding
on both sides - one led by MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai, the
other by
Secretary General Welshman Ncube.
The effort follows an
unsuccessful attempt to organize a parley between the
two sides on Nov. 5,
which failed to bring the pro-election Ncube faction to
the
table.
The crisis within the opposition has been festering since
mid-October but
has grown deeper in recent days with reports of violent
clashes between
supporters of the two factions. Sources said a man lost an
eye in weekend
fighting in Bulawayo.
Mr. Tsvangirai sought to
convince party leaders to boycott the senate
election and on Oct. 12
overrode a close vote by the MDC National Committee
for participation in the
election of a reconstituted upper house. But the
faction led by Mr. Ncube
objected to Mr. Tsvangirai's effective
nullification of the vote, calling it
a violation of the party's
constitution, and the pro-election side has
fielded 26 senate candidates.
While the pro-election faction moves ahead
with senate campaigns,
particularly in the southern Matabeleland region
which is a traditional MDC
stronghold - and therefore has a good chance of
electing some MDC senators -
the anti-election faction has been urging
rank-and-file opposition members
to stay away from the polls.
Mr.
Tsvangirai on Sunday told a rally in Bulawayo, the capital of
Matabeleland,
that the pro-election faction was serving the interests of
President Robert
Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party. The MDC's nominal
spokesman, Paul
Themba Nyathi, who has joined the pro-election faction,
responded that Mr.
Tsvangirai was unfit to lead.
The Nov. 5 mediation effort was organized
by an ad hoc reconciliation panel
including party executive member Eddie
Cross, chairman Isaac Matongo,
Mashonaland Central official Shephard
Mushonga and Bulawayo parliamentarian
Thokozani Khuphe.
Mr. Cross, an
economist, said his panel met with Mr. Tsvangirai to discuss
where he stood
on the crisis, and attempted to meet with MDC Vice President
Gibson Sibanda,
a leading figure in the pro-election faction, as well as
with Mr.
Ncube.
"I'm afraid we have got nowhere with Gibson Sibanda or the
others," Mr.
Cross said. "In fact they have steadfastly refused to speak to
us." He said
the pro-election camp at first cited the demands of election
campaigning,
then refused outright to meet on grounds that its members
regarded his
reconciliation committee as partisan.
"Morgan
(Tsvangirai) expressed willingness to meet the other side anywhere,
any
time," Mr. Cross said, adding that Mr. Tsvangirai, while in Bulawayo on
the
weekend, had said he was available to meet with his opponents who were
also
in town. But the pro-senate elections faction refused to meet with Mr.
Tsvangirai, he said.
Mr. Cross said the arbitration proposal was
brought forth "by a colleague of
mine" who suggested an investigation by two
arbiters, both legal
practitioners, whose conclusions would be binding upon
both camps of the
now-bifurcated opposition party.
He said Mr.
Tsvangirai had accepted the arbitration proposal in principle,
and that it
was currently being discussed with the group favoring election
participation.
But he was not optimistic as to the possibility of a
positive outcome.
"To be honest, I think the split is probably going to
be irreconcilable, and
that we're going to have to wait for the outcome of
the senate elections
before any follow-up action can take place," Mr. Cross
said.
Mr. Cross tells reporter Chinedu Offor of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe about
his committee's efforts to bring the two MDC factions
together.
News24
15/11/2005 18:51 -
(SA)
Harare - A total of 33 firms, or about a fifth of Zimbabwe's
export
companies, have closed shop during the first six months of the year
due to
the economic crisis and land seizures, according to a government
agency.
Of the 33, 12 agro firms stopped operating after their farms were
acquired
by the government under the land reform programme, the Export
Processing
Zone Authority of Zimbabwe (EPZ) said in a report obtained by AFP
on
Tuesday.
"A total of 33 companies have ceased operations ... due
to a humber of
factors, among them, the impact of the land reform programme
and the general
macro-economic environment," the EPZ report
said.
"Twelve companies stopped operations after the farms they were
operating on
were taken for redistribution.
"An additional 12
companies have closed shop, citing inter-alia,
unfavourable foreign exchange
rate and loss of international markets as
Zimbabwe is considered a risk
country to do business with," said the report.
Zimbabwe's land reforms,
launched in 2000, have seen some 4 000 white
farmers lose their properties
as part of a policy that President Robert
Mugabe maintains will correct
imbalances created under British colonial
rule.
Fewer than 500 white
farmers still own land in Zimbabwe although the
government has vowed to take
action against them also.
The company closures resulted in a loss of
export revenue totalling US$17.6m
(?15m) in the cash-strapped southern
African country, according to the
report.
Close to 7 000 jobs were
lost due to the closures in the export sector,
which employs 26 000
people.
There were 183 companies licenced for export in Zimbabwe at the
start of the
year. Earnings from these firms totalled US$220m in
2003.
EPZ chief Walter Chidakwa nevertheless expressed optimism that the
relaxation of foreign exchange regulations last month would allow some firms
that put their operations on hold to resume business.
Chidakwa said:
"Our expectations are that following the introduction of the
new interbank
foreign exchange management system, companies that had closed
or suspended
operations will now resume as many had cited viability issues
as the reasons
for closures or suspension."
EPZ said companies operating on farmlands
still face uncertainities due to
the land reforms and urged relevant
authorities to ensure that the
environment was conducive to long term
planning.
EPZ said: "Companies still operating on farms continue to
receive threats,
which make their operation difficult and thus inhibiting
expansion and
reinvestment as they are faced with an uncertain
future."
Central bank chief Gideon Gono last month deplored the continued
invasion of
farms describing it as "economic sabotage".
He said
"tolerance of such retrogressive acts only go to condemn and limit
our
capacity to attract investment."
New Zimbabwe
By
Lebo Nkatazo
Last updated: 11/16/2005 06:24:51
THE deputy minister of
Economic Affairs, Samuel Undenge, has evaded paying
school fees for his two
children this term after threatening school
authorities from sending them
home, New Zimbabwe.com can reveal.
His refusal to own up is in defiance
of a maintenance court order directing
him to do look after the children
following a divorce.
Sources at the government run, Blackiston Primary
School in Harare said the
deputy minister who sired the children with former
wife, Angeline, has not
paid the fees less than 10 days before the closure
of the school term on
November 24.
Undenge and Angeline were granted
a divorce order by the High Court last
month, six months after the
Magistrate Court had ruled that Undenge should
pay for his children's
fees.
Sources said when judgment was made; Undenge who is also Zanu PF's
Chimanimani MP transferred the children from the prestigious private
educational institution, Eaglesvale.
His children Bongai and Kumbirai
are in grade 4A and 3B at the school
respectively.
"Other pupils were
sent home but he has made it clear to the school's
hierarchy that should his
children be sent home, the school staff would
suffer the consequences. They
are scared stiff. He even ignored the deadline
for November 5 that he was
given," said a source.
Angeline's lawyer in the divorce case, Lewis Uriri
of Harare law firm, Honey
and Blackenberg, confirmed that the fees had not
yet been paid despite the
court order, but refused to comment
further.
However, documents in our possession reveal that Angeline has
since written
to the deputy minister's lawyers Muzangaza, Mandaza and Tomana
legal
practitioners demanding that Undenge pays up.
Part of
Angeline's letter reads: "You were supposed to pay school fees for
the kids
and you did not. I wonder why. I am sure when the president gave
you that
job he did not give you the right to take the law into your own
hands".
The East African
November 14 - 20, 2005
By Peter Kagwanja
On the sidelines of the United
Nations World Summit in New York, Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe
announced he will retire when his term expires in
2008, and has called for
elections to fill a newly created senate in
mid-November 2005.
This
has intensified the succession race within the ruling Zimbabwe African
National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), already divided along ethnic,
ideological and generational fault-lines.
It might also stiffen the
backbone of party officials to resist Mugabe's
economic stewardship, which
has made a third of the country's citizens
dependent on food aid, left its
foreign reserves running nearly empty, while
pushing the inflation to a
staggering annual rate of 359 per cent.
Already food shortages and
delayed salaries are making the military restive,
forcing the regime to send
at least 2,000 of its 30,000 regular soldiers on
forced leave in early
October.
Unfortunately, Zimbabwe's democratic forces seem powerless: the
opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and civil society lack the
muscle to
edge out Zanu-PF and chart a course for a post-Mugabe
transition.
THE RULING party is digging in, passing new restrictive laws
on top of
existing controls on basic liberties, such as the Public Order and
Security
Act (POSA), which bars the opposition from holding meetings without
police
clearance. On September 9, Mugabe signed into law his 17th set of
constitutional changes, tightening the regime's grip on power at three
levels:
First, the changes create a 66-seat senate as part of a
two-chamber
parliament, designed to expand the ruling party's extensive
patronage
network.
Elections for the senate, scheduled for
mid-November 2005, are already
generating a great deal of controversy amid
speculation that Zanu-PF is
scheming to move forward the 2010 parliamentary
elections to coincide with
the presidential elections in 2008. This is
taking place with little or no
consultation with other stakeholders to
ensure Zanu-PF victory in future
polls.
Second, they empower the
government to strip its critics of their passports.
Additional changes,
requiring Zimbabweans to obtain exit visas to travel
abroad, are now in the
pipeline. This will further erode freedom of movement
and enable the regime
to crack down on those it suspects of travelling
abroad to highlight the
country's repression.
FINALLY, THESE changes allow the state to
nationalise land without
compensation - and not only the 5,200 white-owned
farms. Coming after
Murambatsvina, which forcibly displaced over 700,000
black Zimbabweans,
Zanu-PF is poised to take land belonging to black critics
by claiming it is
underutilised. This latest assault on property rights has
not only nullified
all pending appeals, but has launched a fresh round of
forced land seizures
just before the senate elections.
The opposition
and civic groups are fighting back and rallying for a new
democratic
constitution. But on the whole, civil society remains too weak,
too
ideologically divided, too poorly co-ordinated, too cash-strapped and
too
urban-based to forge real change. Its elite prefer the courtrooms and
parliament over street protests, despite obvious gridlocks to getting a fair
deal in these politically-dominated institutions. Activists and politicians
spend valuable time preaching to the converted in urban areas where the MDC
controls well over 90 per cent of the vote.
The now palpable tension
within the MDC between supporters of party
president Morgan Tsvangirai and
its secretary general, Welshman Ncube, is
further dividing the movement. The
power wrangle is also inflaming ethnic
divisions, with most Shona speakers
rallying behind Tsvangirai and the
Ndebele backing Ncube.
Ahead of
the March 31 elections, the two camps disagreed on whether to take
part in
or boycott the polls, and there is a similar situation today: the
Ncube
faction is back battling Zanu-PF in the senatorial polls now fixed for
November 26, while the Tsvangirai camp has hit the road on a
no-participation campaign.
The battle for the soul of the MDC has
cost the opposition crucial allies in
the civic realm, its traditional
reservoir of expertise.
Key opposition underwriters and strategists are
beginning to explore the
idea of a "Third Way" - an alternative party
between the high-handedness of
the Mugabe regime and the inertia of the
opposition. But with the dearth of
credible leadership, the "Third Way" is a
perilous experiment. For now,
revamping existing opposition structures by
staging internal elections is a
more prudent option.
THE OPPORTUNITY
for a brokered deal to end Zimbabwe's impasse is fast
disappearing. Mugabe
has flatly rejected mediation by former Mozambican
president Joachim
Chissano, who was appointed by AU chairman Olusegun
Obasanjo, President of
Nigeria.
To their credit, some international actors are stepping up the
pressure for
change. On September 20, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for
African Affairs
Tom Woods said that his government is tightening sanctions
against Harare's
ruling elite to include members of their families as well
as new Cabinet
ministers. In February, the European Union renewed its
targeted sanctions
for another year.
Zimbabwe's international friends
must also boost their support for
pro-democracy forces. The outside world
can and should help, but ultimately,
Zimbabweans must take responsibility
for restoring their own democracy.
Peter Kagwanja is Southern Africa
project director of the International
Crisis Group.
As a JAG member or JAG Associate member, please send any classified
adverts
for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG Classifieds: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Offered for Sale Items
2. Wanted Items
3. Accommodation
4.
Recreation
5. Specialist
Services
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
GERMAN
SHEPHERD MISSING FROM HIGHLANDS on 29 October 2005
Chaka went missing on
Saturday night and was last seen at about 23h00 on
Kensington Road. If anyone
has seen, or happens to see her, her owner would
be grateful if you would
call him ASAP. Reward offered for her safe return.
Please call KEVIN on 011
607 913 or 757536 at work or email
khillman@finhold.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
OFFERED FOR
SALE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1
Car For Sale (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
A Ford Ranchero for sale. Good
condition. 4.1 Litres, strait 6. $250 000
000-00.
Please contact Carmen
on 091 615 656 or Ron on 775
795/213/212.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
1.2
Motor car for sale (Ad inserted 01/11/05
BMW 2800 for sale; rebuild
including new tyres and respray.
For details contact Paul:
09-64727
:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3
For Sale (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
"THE WEAVERY."
Phone your orders
to--Anne--011212424 or 332851.
Email joannew@zol.co.zw
Fax--332851.
SUPER
GIFT IDEAS FOR LOCAL OR OVERSEAS FRIENDS AND FAMILY. LIGHT,EASY TO
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Prices:
Small
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Small woven bags--$110,000 each.
Large
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Large woven bags.--$225,000
each.
Table Runners.--$165,000.
Set of 4 Fringed Table mats +
serviettes--$460,000.
Fringed mats only(4)---$335,000.
Set of 6 Fringed
mats+ serviettes--$690,000.
Set of 4 Bordered table mats+
serviettes---$550,000.
Bordered mats only(4)--$425,000.
Set of 6 Bordered
mats + serviettes--$825,000.
Set of 8 Bordered mats +
serviettes---$1,100,000.
2m
Throws--$600,000.each.
Traycloths--$80,000.
Jug
covers--$45,000.
Tea cosy(L)--$80,000.
Tea cosy(m)--$75,000
Tea
cosy(s)--$70,000.
Crocheted oven gloves(pair)--$220,000.
Oven
gloves(pair)--$125,000.
Oven
gloves(single)--$60,000.
Aprons--$225,000.
Decorated cushion
covers--$225,000.
Plain cushion covers---$155,000.
Round crocheted
cushions--$185,000.
Scarves--$220,000. each.
Hats--$122,000
each.
Ladies jerseys(med.)--$985,000 each.
Woven
waistcoats--$520,000.
Large plain cotton rug--$500,000.
Med. plain
cotton rug---$325,000.
Small plain cotton rug.---$205,000.
Cotton Rag
Rug--$205,000.
Med. plain mohair rug--$375,000.
Med.patterned mohair
rug.--$475,000.
X Large plain mohair rug.--$1,500,000.
and lots
more.
Wholesale prices available for orders(over 6 of an article) or
large
purchases.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.4
Motorbikes for Sale (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
BEAT THE FUEL
CRISIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NEW ENDURO XY 125 - 10 MOTORBIKES FOR
SALE
(Averages 50KM/LT)
PHONE: 790266/ 011
414050
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.5
For Sale (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
Digital Gram Scale measures up to
200grams used for gold etc - brand new -
$5 million
English made 17"
Fan - $4 million
Plastic Sealing machine (foot operated ) hardly used -
$5m
White wooden baby cot - $4 million
Please phone 744397 for
further
details
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.6
Household Goods for Sale (Ad inserted 01/11/05
1 x Hostess Trolley
1 x
Double Bed (Mattress and Base)
1 x 2 drawer Dressing Table with Mirror
(Saligna)
1 x medium fridge (Ocean)
1 x Monarch 390 3 plate stove
1 x
Belling Mini Stove (oven/warming drawer/Hot plate and Grill)
If
interested please contact linda@gekko.co.zw with realistic
offers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.7
GOODS FOR SALE (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
Various Burma Teak furniture (this
wood is now extinct I am told).
Chest of drawers
Breakfast
table
Side Table
Many beautiful solid wood bookshelves -
(The new
year is coming and then everyone will be looking for a bookshelf
which will
be out of stock in Jan 2006).
Several solid wood good bedroom chairs.
2 x
OLD OAK Bookshelves.
2 x Dark Oak Dining Room Chairs.
1 x OAK drop leaf
table.
1 x Oak Chest of Drawers (4 x drawers).
1 x Oval oak table - medium
size.
2 x Panga Panga Dining Room Chairs.
1 x Nursing Chair.
2 x Office
chairs Mid - condition - but also a fair price - bit of
attention.
1 x
Mahogany drop leaf table (square - perfect for cards or a
sewing
table).
Various strong large tables (dining and kitchen)
One
veneer table large for a Site office/back verandah -old and
reasonably
priced.
1 x round Mahogany (1.25) - dining table.
1 x
Humungous Heavy Dining Room table (Cottage style - very heavy).
In fact -
tables for Africa!! (these tables do not have chairs.
Tables with chairs
:
1 x Old shaped Table (very good wood - not sure of type) - with 6
Oak
chairs (colours matching fine).
1 x Antique round dining room table
with 5 chairs (large).
1 x Burmese teak table with 4 chairs - a beauty and
very beautifully
covered.
1 x Petrol lawnmower FROM GERMANY.
1 x
electric lawnmower (field flight).
Set of (metal) garden table with 4
chairs.
2 x garden chairs metal with 2x small side tables.
9 Plastic
garden chairs excellent condition.
3 Garden benches (rustic type).
1 x
Garden Bench PICNIC STYLE.
Steel Lounger - A true beauty ! (No
cushions).
1 x Single Bed - base and mattress (mint condition) plus headboard
covered
in draylon.
1 x double mattress.
2 x 3/4 beds in really good
condition.
Bunk beds with mattresses. Can be used as a unit or the 2
beds
side-by-side PRISTINE CONDITION.
Some computer desks without
drawers - great size enough space for
printer, scanner etc.
Computer
trolley for top of desk or to be used on the side.
Various smalls: too many
to list.
Lots of Kenwood parts - come and scrounge.
2 x watercolour
paintings.
Cups and saucers 2/3 sets.
2 x sets coffee cups small and
beautiful.
Glasses galore.
Oldish Dinner service - not the full
set.
CASH CRUSADER TEL : 302 081
86 EAST ROAD
AVONDALE
(Just
down the road from Reps Theatre, and the same road as the
Trauma
Centre)
Wilma 091 237
216
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.8
For Sale (Ad inserted 14/11/05)
2 Man tent with stretcher
Satellite
dish
Workshop
2 work benches
1 metal shelve (+ 3mtrs long, 2 mars
high, 1/4 mtre wide)
1 metal folding table
2nd Hand domestic sewing
machines + spares
1 boot sewing machine
Household
1 Dining room
suite wrought iron with formica top
2 Sets of draws (4 or 5)
1 Linen
cupboard
2 Wardrobes different sizes
1 Single bed
1 small office desk
with 3 draws
1 Kudu horn lamp and shade
Various sets of shelves, wood
covered with formica
1 Tea set
+15 years of readers digests aprox 180
copies in good condition
Please call Grace or Steve, Ruwa 073 2847/2850
or 023 516
290
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.9
For Sale (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
GAS STOVE FOR SALE, PARKINGSON COWAN
PRINCE TWO, WITH 3 GAS BOTTLES : 2 X
14KGS AND 1 X 4.5KGS.
$25 000
000.00 O.N.C.O.
Please call Shelley on 490684 or 091
264361
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.10
(Ad inserted 01/11/05)
Located at Haddow House 10 east Road Belgravia are
the following shops.
· Gallop Gear, has clothes and accessories for all
ages.
· Stable Mates, is stocked with Crazy Cutlery and Laura's
Linen.
Haddow House is a wonderful place for Christmas Shopping.
kilbride@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.11
For Sale (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
1) Full sized pin pong tables and
trestles. Z$ 12, 000,000 delivered
Harare.
2) Children's coloured
chairs. Z$ 250,000 each
Contact: mnmilbank@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.12
Plants for Sale (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
FERNATIC NURSERY
Now that
the weather has warmed up and the rains are almost here, it's time
to garden
again! For a variety of FERNS, PINK ARUMS & various other plants
visit
FERNATIC Nursery on Crowhill Road. (1,8km past the Brooke on the left
just
before Hoggerty Hill Drive.)
8-12noon, 3-6pm. Closed
Sundays
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
1.13
PIANO FOR SALE (Ad inserted 02/11/05)
J & J HOPKINSON walnut upright
piano for sale. $50 million. Just been
tuned and serviced. Anyone
interested please phone Mandy Gilmour 011
204680 or 069
3878.
--------------------------------------------------------------
2
WANTED
ITEMS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1
Pets (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
I am looking for 2 jersey dairy cows and 2
children's ponies. Contact
Charlotte Wood phone 091 235 700 or email msitwe@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2
Pets (Ad inserted 02/11/05)
Wanted - one dachshund puppy for a young boy.
Please quote for both male
and
female. Phone evenings Pam Shaw
04-301031.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.3
Pets (Ad inserted 11/11/05)
Wanted: a large breed bitch puppy or possibly
a mature bitch, but
preferably not Rottweiler.
Contact Jocelyn Ricquebourg
04-344009 or Cell
011-406611
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.4
Pets - Home Wanted - (Ad inserted 04/11/05)
Two Jack Russells looking for
kind and loving home. Tiger and Tina both 6
years. House trained, good little
watchdogs. Owner can't keep them as he
has moved into a flat. Tel Michelle on
884294 or e-mail gandami@mweb.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.5
Pets - Home Wanted - (Ad inserted 04/11/05)
Home wanted for young dog
with super nature. He is about 18 months and is a
boerbull/Labrador, cream in
colour. Found abandoned, longing to be loved.
Tel Michelle on 884294 or
e-mail gandami@mweb.co.zw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.6
Car Wanted (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
Motor Vehicle Wanted - Small to medium
sized late model car, Mazda 323 or
similar type. Must be in good condition
Sale could suit someone planning
to emigrate. Please e-mail owen@zol.co.zw or phone (069) 8 441
or
011201797.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.7
Houseboat to Buy (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
Looking for Houseboats to
purchase
We have a client who wants to purchase a houseboat. He wants to
use it on
the Gariepdam in South Africa. If you have any available please
send us
the details plus photo.
Contact H A Coetzee, P O Box 207,
BURGERSDORP, 9744
Contact number 051 6531794 or 082 774
3406
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.8
Houseboat Wanted to Hire (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
HOUSEBOAT WANTED TO HIRE
for period December 27th - 3rd January for 11 pax.
Contact Pat Townsend 011
208836 townsend@zol.co.zw
I can
supply fuel if
necessary...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.9
Wanted (Ad inserted 14/11/05)
Piranha Fisherman or similar with 85hp
Yamaha. Also looking for a separate
motor.
250mm VJ couplings for ac
pipe
7.5KVA, 4 POLE MOTOR
TESS KAGELER 011 607466 ; 302909; or jtkageler@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.10
Fluepipes Wanted (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
33 m of tobacco flue pipes - old
or new
Patrick
Mobile + 263 91 274327
Tel/Fax + 263 4 495
433
email - tpc@mweb.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.11
Generators (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
10 MW Diesel Generators
requirement
Large Diesel Generators - Power Plant with power ratings of 10 MW
x 2 units
each firing HFO fuel for continuous duty to operate in tropical
desert
climate.
Offer package should include accessories, civil works
and connection to the
national grid
Immediate Requirement 10 MW x 2 units
Total 20 MW
Future requirement 10MW x 3 Units Total 30
MW
Total altogether -
50
MW
Supply Chain, Dubai,
UAE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.12
Wanted (Ad inserted 15/11/05)
Greenhouse plastic, any size, used, less
than 2 years old
Contact
stangers@mweb.co.zw
cell; 011
717975
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.13
Deep Freeze (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
We are looking for an "Engel" camping
deep freeze - medium size - 40 to 50
litre or something similar? If anyone
has one to sell please contact
Bridget Holland at holland@zol.co.zw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.14
(Ad inserted 26/10/05)
WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH. Any old editions of
Wisden Cricketers Almanack.
Contact mnmilbank@zol.co.zw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.15
(Ad inserted 01/11/05)
WANTED. Cattle salt.
Contact mnmilbank@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.
ACCOMMODATION WANTED AND
OFFERED
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.1
House Offered (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
Available from 1st November for rent
.......
Buddlia free standing house in Dandaro Village Borrowdale... Phase
5.
Please phone 091602033 or 497095 evenings. Failing that 011608715
email
heathmoore@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.2
House Sit (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
We are looking for a farming couple to
house sit and look after our
seedling nursery in Marondera for a period of
six months. Please contact
Andy - email walton@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.3
FOR RENT (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
DOUBLE STOREY THATCHED COTTAGE ON
MSASA-CLAD HILL TOP IN KAMBANJI. 2
DOUBLE EN-SUITE BEDROOMS, SITTING
ROOM/DINING AREA, EQUIPPED KITCHEN,
SCULLERY, UPSTAIRS LANDING AREA (IDEAL
FOR TV ROOM, STUDIO OR OFFICE
SPACE), WOODEN DECK VERANDAH ON BOTH LEVELS.
COVERED PARKING. ELECTRIC
GATE, FENCE, NIGHT GUARD. FURNISHED OR
UNFURNISHED. AVAILABLE
IMMEDIATELY. MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED! CONTACT
499119 or
091248330.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4
For Rent (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
Bromley (55km outside Harare)
Large
airy two bedroomed self contained flat furnished or unfurnished,
attached to
farmhouse. Animal lover essential. Handyman a huge asset.
Available
now.
$1,500,000.
200 Acres grazing partly burnt with green grass.
Fences need attention
after fire. 6 stables in paddock. Rent neg.
Tel
073-3399
011-423
614
333852
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.5
For Rent (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
Lovely furnished and equipped house to
rent in Ballantyne Park area of
Harare
A must-see fully furnished and
equipped house comprising three large double
bedrooms all with build-in
cupboards and en suite bathrooms, a fully
equipped kitchen, pantry, dining
room, living room with fire place, large
terrace, garage, swimming pool,
satellite dish and borehole. The house is
situated in a quiet close, well
secured and fully alarmed, fully walled and
it has an electric gate. All
furniture and furnishings are provided,
washing machine and tumble dryer,
crockery and cutlery * down to towels and
bed sheets.
The house is a
well-maintained golden oldie with wooden floors and wooden
beams on the
ceiling, lots of original fittings and furnishings, just
breathing old
English style. The garden is huge with sprawling lawns, a
large variety of
trees and lots of flowering plants. Presently, the old
jacaranda trees are
in full bloom and by April the entire garden will smell
of roses.
A
reliable gardener will remain to look after the garden and swimming
pool.
There are three domestic quarters, several storerooms and there is
a
vegetable garden. For the bird lovers, there are plenty of indigenous
birds
that live on or visit the garden.
Sounds enticing? Well, it is.
The house is available for a fixed period
only, short or long term, so ideal
for expatriates. Rental is negotiable.
Ballantyne Park is an upmarket leafy
neighbourhood of Harare, about 20"
drive from the city centre, near to
schools and shopping centres.
For more information or viewing, call + 263
4
882170
-------------------------------------------------------------
3.6
Accommodation offered (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
Flat with own bathroom and
kitchen. Furnished. Electric gate and fence.
Use of pool. Electricity,
water, cleaning and laundry included. $6m p.m.
Contact Bown 023 316 739
(cell) 702402 (working
hrs).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.7
Accommodation offered (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
Cute house in Imbeza Valley,
Mutare for rent. Would suit a person who
wants to grow stuff and chill.
Please make contact through this email
address pollyanna@comeone.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.8
Accommodation offered (Ad inserted 04/11/05)
Free Accommodation offered
to displaced farmers - 16km from Mutare on main
Vumba Rd.
Contact:
Colleen Taylor
c/o Leopard Rock Hotel 020-60115
Home 020-81061
e-mail
lrock@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.9
Accommodation offered (Ad inserted 11/11/05)
Two bedroom garden flat,
Greendale, easy walking to shops, with carport,
available end of November.
Please phone Mr Wallis
023894597.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.10
Accommodation Wanted (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
SINGLE MATURE LADY LOOKING
FOR UNFURNISHED GARDEN FLAT OR COTTAGE (EITHER
ONE OR TWO BEDROOMS WILL BE
SUITABLE) AND URGENTLY REQUIRED.
CAN BE IN AVONDALE, MARLBOROUGH, MT
PLEASANT AREAS OR SURROUNDING SUBURBS.
HIGHLANDS OR BORROWDALE AREAS WILL
ALSO BE SUITABLE.
PLEASE CONTACT 091-704-066 REGARDING THIS
MATTER.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.11
Accommodation Wanted (Ad inserted 26/10/05)
Looking for affordable
accommodation from the end of December. A cottage,
small house or garden flat
(in good condition, child friendly environment).
To be occupied by a couple
with a child and four kittens/cats. Please
contact Carmen Van Wyk on 091 615
656 or (work) 575
431-3.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.12
Accommodation Wanted (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
URGENT!
ACCOMMODATION TO
RENT
SINGLE MOM WITH TWO CHILDREN DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR 3
BEDROOMED
UNFURNISHED GARDEN FLAT, HOUSE OR COTTAGE. CAN BE IN HIGHLANDS,
GREENDALE,
AVONDALE, MARLBOROUGH, MT PLEASANT AREAS ETC
CONTACT CAROL 091
603847 OR EMAIL vanessas@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.13
Accommodation Wanted (Ad inserted 11/11/05)
Small house or cottage.
Preferably with own entrance and garden & good
security. Suitable for
young married couple with dogs. Areas:
Borrowdale/Greystone park/Glen
Lorne/Helensvale or close. Unfurnished.
Needed from beginning of
January.
CONTACT tourleaders@zol.co.zw or phone 091208836
or
091289345.
---------------------------------------------------------------
4
RECREATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1
HOLIDAYS (Ad inserted 01/11/05)
Savuli Safari, self catering chalets in
the heart of the Save Valley
Conservancy. Game watching, fishing, horse
riding, canoeing, walking trails
and 4x4 hire. Camp fully kitted including
cook and fridges. Just bring
your food, drinks and relax. $500 000 pppn,
1/2 U/12.
Booking at Off2Africa, phone 498480, or 091-943195 email:
emma@off2africa.co.zw
or direct 091
631 556 or savuli@mweb.co.zw
John
Tayler
Singisi Farm
Pvt. Bag
7011
Chiredzi
Zimbabwe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2
Ad inserted 01/11/05
GACHE GACHE LODGE - Kariba
With the weather now
nice and hot, it is time to go up to Kariba! Book for
this ideal family
holiday now, especially if you like to catch a fish!
(Xmas & New Year
full, sorry)
Contact tourleaders@zol.co.zw for more info
today!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5
SPECIALIST
SERVICES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.1
(Ad inserted 14/11/05) Care Management Services. Formerly called
"Substitute
Daughter."
Have you left Zim? Are worried about a remaining relative? For
a modest fee
our service will monitor the well being - physical, mental and
emotional -
of those
who might be in need. The service is run by
qualified, experienced,
registered nurses of "the old school". We ensure that
health needs are
being met and that if your relative needs any other sort of
care -
nursing, financial services, transport, domestic aid, medical
visits
etc... - we will arrange for these needs to be met. We visit regularly
and
keep you informed with reliable, accurate reports of all developments.
24
hour call available.
Want to know more? e-mail: brumarlow@mango.zw
Ph.: 00-263-4- 302518
(after hours) or 00-263-91-603621.
References will be supplied on
request.
Margaret Low. SRN.
SCM.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.2
(Ad inserted 11/11/05)
Harare SPCA Boarding Kennels
Harare SPCA is
under new management. Mrs Mary Toet is the Administrator
and Mrs Yvonne Rose
(ex Mutare SPCA) is the Animal Welfare Officer.
We have recently
consolidated our operations, and constructed some new
kennels at the Boarding
Kennels Site. With these now complete, we can now
reoffer a boarding service
for dogs, and will be open for business on 1
December, in time for the
Christmas holidays.
Please phone 576356/7 for details and
bookings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3
(Ad inserted 11/11/05)
Harare SPCA Charity Shop
The Charity Shop
is still operative, but needs stock urgently. As I live
just off Ridgeway
North I am in a position to be able to collect to take
delivery of goods
which can include virtually anything and everything.
Harare SPCA is under
new management and as a result it has undergone a
considerable change for the
better, and we feel that our service to animal
welfare is now worthy of the
aims of the SPCA.
We would be grateful for any donations of any kind to
help us keep going.
Funding is an eternal problem, as sadly we are all too
aware.
Vicki Campbell (Treasurer)
Phone: 851115 Cell 091
256554
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.4
(Ad inserted 26/10/05)
ZEB Water Back-up Systems
Tired of erratic,
unreliable water supplies or low water pressure? Invest
in a reliable water
back-up system. We supply, install and maintain water
back-up systems to
all areas in and around Harare.
WE ARE NOW ABLE TO DELIVER UP TO 7000
LITERS PER DROP OFF to fill your tank
if you have been off municipal for some
time!
For more information please contact us on 011-424712 or 011-806525
e-mail
bowen@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.5
Ad inserted 26/10/05
Oxford IT
A leading IT professional recruitment
firm, with specialized staff, are
ready to meet your recruitment needs. Give
us a call today to secure top
calibre personnel for all your IT
requirements.
Don't Hesitate - IniTiate!
Call : Monique Fachet or
Melissa Ricardo on 309274 (Direct) or via
Switchboard on 309800 - 17 (Ext 270
or 272)
Oxford IT
Agriculture House
South East Wing
Cnr Adylinn
Road/Marlborough
Drive
Marlborough,
Harare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.6
(Ad inserted 15/11/05)
ROOF LEAKS / RISING DAMP
WE SPECIALISE IN
WATERPROOFING, DAMPPROOFING, WALL AND ROOF COATINGS.
WE MAY BE LOCAL, BUT
OUR PRODUCTS ARE NOT!!!!
FOR ALL INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL
PROPERTIES.
CONTACT: 882511, 091 261 741 or 011 420
003
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAG
Hotlines:
+263 (011) 205 374 If you are in trouble or need advice,
please
don't hesitate to contact us - we're here to help!
+263 (04) 799 410 Office
Lines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice
for Agriculture mailing list
To advertise (JAG Members):
Please email
classifieds to: jag@mango.zw with subject
"Classifieds".