The ZIMBABWE Situation
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Zim
inflation eases to 4.2%
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Tobias Manyuchi Wednesday 16 November
2011
HARARE -- Zimbabwe’s annual inflation rate eased to 4.2
percent in October
down from 4.3 percent recorded the previous month, the
Zimbabwe National
Statistical Agency (ZIMSTATS) has said.
During the
period under review, month-on-month inflation also eased to 0.1%
shedding
0.7 percentage points on the September rate.
Inflation, which Finance
Minister Tendai Biti forecasts to end 2011 on 4.5
percent year-on-year, has
been on a general downward trend since the unity
government of Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe
took office in
February 2009.
The decision by the administration to dump the Zimbabwe
dollar for a basket
of foreign currencies helped douse hyperinflation to
allow the economy to
grow by 4.5 percent in 2009, the first time it had
expanded in a decade.
Biti has predicted the economy to grow 9.3 percent
this year, while slowing
down to between 7.8 and 9 percent in
2012.
However there are renewed fears that the economic gains could be
reversed if
elections expected next year, which Mugabe and Tsvangirai say
are needed to
end their uneasy coalition, degenerate into violence and
lawlessness.
Zimbabwe’s elections have always been marked by violence
since independence
in 1980 and there are fears any political instability
would knock the
economy again.
There are also fears a controversial
economic empowerment programme being
pushed by Mugabe could scare foreign
investors whose cash the economy needs
to grow.
Under the empowerment
regulations, foreign-owned firms are required to cede
significant stake to
local blacks by 2015 and those failing to comply risk
losing their operating
licenses.
Large multinational corporations such as cigarette manufacturer
BAT
Zimbabwe, which is 80 percent British-owned; UK-controlled financial
institutions Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, food group Nestlé
Zimbabwe and mining giants Zimplats are some of the big foreign-owned firms
targeted under the empowerment programme. – ZimOnline.
Fresh
Abduction Fears For Mukoko
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, November 16, 2011--- An
unidentified man on Tuesday stalked
prominent human rights campaigner
Jestina Mukoko in central Harare raising
fears of surveillance on the
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) director who was a
victim of abduction three
years ago.
Human rights group, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights on
Tuesday disclosed
that an unidentified man, who was driving a Black Rhino
double-cab vehicle
trailed Mukoko who was exercising her right to
freedom
of movement around greater Harare city.
ZLHR said while it was not
able to ascertain the identity of the
unidentified man in the Black Rhino,
such cars are known to be owned by, or
linked to, state security agents
.
ZLHR said similar acts of surveillance targeting human rights
defenders in
the past have culminated in serious life-threatening security
incidents such
as abduction and enforced disappearance, and that Mukoko was
also a victim
of such surveillance that ended up in her being disappeared on
3 December
2008.
The influential human rights organisation, which
represented Mukoko when she
was abducted by state security agents in 2008
for allegedly plotting to
unseat President Robert Mugabe’s administration in
2008, deplored the
surveillance of Mukoko which the organisation said
amounts to scare tactics
aimed at silencing the human rights campaigner from
carrying out their
legitimate activities in Zimbabwe.
“ZLHR
condemns these renewed attacks on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs)
especially
with the anticipation of elections in the near future. ZLHR is
also greatly
concerned given the upsurge in cases of violence that have been
witnessed in
the last few weeks in Harare as well as other parts of the
country,” said
ZLHR in a statement.
ZLHR implored the government to respect the work
of human rights defenders
in the advancement of human rights promotion and
protection in Zimbabwe.
“ZLHR urges the government of Zimbabwe to
forthwith take concrete measures
to ensure that the security of HRDs is
protected at all times in Zimbabwe by
fully implementing the provisions of
the United Nations Declaration on Human
Rights Defenders,” said ZLHR.
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority Says No End to Blackouts in
Sight
http://www.voanews.com/
15 November
2011
Zesa increased tariffs by 31 percent in September and recent
reports said it
was planning another increase of 47 percent on top of
that
Jonga Kandemiiri
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority warned this week that consumers
and businesses should must brace
for more load-shedding over the next three
to four years as it faces major
challenges including massive financial debt
and vandalism.
Appearing
before the Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Zesa Chief Executive
Officer
Josh Chifamba said Monday that vandalism alone is costing the
utility around
$800,000 a month while increased scarcity of power in the
region is
contributing to load-shedding.
Zesa increased tariffs by 31 percent in
September and recent reports said it
was planning another increase of 47
percent on top of that. Projects to
bolster production at Kariba and Hwange
won’t deliver results until 2015 and
2016, respectively.
The Kariba
plant is hydro-electric. Hwange is coal-fired.
Energy Committee Chairman
Simbaneuta Mudarikwa of ZANU-PF told reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri that the only
way Zesa could properly serve the country
would be if the government assumed
its debts.
China urges
Zimbabwe's Mugabe to expand economic ties
http://www.reuters.com
BEIJING | Wed Nov 16, 2011
8:58am EST
Nov 16 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe won
praise on
Wednesday as a great African figure and "old friend" of Beijing,
underscoring China's commitment to boosting business ties to a leader
shunned by Western governments.
China's Vice President Xi Jinping
told Mugabe, 87, that China wants to
expand farming, mining and
infrastructure projects in Zimbabwe, where a
campaign to transfer ownership
of land and mines to locals has caused
widespread economic hardship and
deterred Western foreign investment.
Xi, likely to succeed Hu Jintao as
China's president from early 2013, voiced
no such criticisms, according to
an account of his meeting by the Chinese
Foreign Ministry (www.mfa.gov.cn).
"His excellency the
president is a famed leader of the national liberation
movement in Africa,
and also an old friend whom the Chinese people know
well," said Xi, whose
name is pronounced "Shee".
"China is willing to join hands with Zimbabwe,
enhance friendly exchanges,
and expand practical cooperation," he
added.
The report did not say whether the two leaders reached any
commercial
agreements.
Shunned by the West, Mugabe has increasingly
sought help elsewhere,
especially in China, whose companies covet the
mineral resources of the
southern African country.
Zimbabwe has
demanded that most foreign mining companies in Zimbabwe
surrender 51 percent
of their local equity to blacks in the country.
But Zimbabwe has excluded
Chinese mining firms from the demand, sending a
signal to foreign miners
that if they do not agree to the demands, they
could lose their prospecting
rights to Chinese competitors.
In March, China signed nearly $700 million
in loan deals with Zimbabwe, and
urged the government to protect Chinese
firms from nationalisation plans.
China's investments have been growing
steadily in Zimbabwe and include
diamond and chrome mining, platinum
concessions, road construction, cotton
and tobacco companies as well as a
cement manufacturing plant.
In the first nine months of this year, trade
between China and Zimbabwe grew
to $717.3 million in value, a rise of 62.2
percent on the same period last
year, according to Chinese customs
statistics.
Chinese
to invest US$700 million in Zimbabwe mineral processing
http://www.miningreview.com/node/20209
Harare,
Zimbabwe --- MININGREVIEW.COM --- 16 November 2011 - As the Chinese
appetite
for natural resources continues to grow, the Zimbabwe Government
has secured
deals worth over US$700 million with various Chinese investors
who are
interested in the extracting and processing of minerals in Zimbabwe.
In
an interview with New Ziana after his trip to China, mines and mining
development permanent secretary Prince Mupazviriho said his delegation had
been overwhelmed by the enquiries from investors willing to invest in the
mining sector.
“We signed transactions estimated at between US$700
million and US$750
million with investors eager to do mineral extraction and
beneficiation,” he
said, adding that Zimbabwe's vast mineral wealth could
help invigorate the
fragile economy.
He did not, however, divulge in
which minerals the investors’ interest lay.
Mupazviriho added that the
Chinese investors were also keen to extract
alluvial diamonds in Zimbabwe,
following the decision by the Kimberley
Process and Certification Scheme
(KP) to allow the Southern African country
to market its gems without
restrictions.
Chinese investment in the mining sector of Zimbabwe is
largely focused on
extraction of chrome and alluvial diamonds.
Standard
journalists bailed after spending night in cells
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
16 November 2011
Two Zimbabwe Standard journalists, arrested
in Harare on Tuesday and charged
with theft, unlawful entry and criminal
defamation, have been bailed after
spending a night in police
cells.
Nevanji Madanhire the editor of the weekly paper, and reporter
Nqaba
Matshazi, appeared before Harare magistrate Sandra Mupindu on
Wednesday and
were granted US$100 bail each. Madanhire and Matshazi were
asked to
surrender their passports. Their next court appearance is 20th
December for
trial.
The two scribes were arrested over a story
Matshazi wrote on 6th November
that claimed a new health insurance firm,
Green Card Medical Society, was on
the brink of collapse. The story claimed
that the company’s expenditure
outstripped its income.
Matshazi’s
article was based on leaked documents, which the company founder
Munyaradzi
Kereke claims were stolen from his offices to cast his firm in
bad
light.
Kareke, through state prosecutor Tapiwa Kazema, had applied to the
court to
ban the Standard newspaper from covering any stories relating to
his
company. This request was however shot down by the magistrate.
SW
Radio Africa is reliably informed that Kereke, who is Reserve Bank
Governor
Gideon Gono’s advisor, is also a major sponsor of the journalists
awards run
by the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists. It is believed Kereke has
strong links
to ZANU PF and wields so much power that at times he gives
instructions to
state security services.
Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us
Green Card Medical Society
has in the last two years sponsored the National
Journalistic and Media
Awards (NJAMA).
‘There are journalists right
now who are calling for ZUJ to cut its ties
with Kereke because of his
attempts to muzzle press freedom in Zimbabwe,’
Muchemwa said.
On
Wednesday, the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai condemned what
it
called the ‘irrational arrests’ of the two Standard journalists.
In a
statement the MDC said they are concerned by the behaviour of the
police in
treating and arresting Madanhire and Matshazi as if they were
common
criminals.
‘As a party we condemn the arrests as they are clear
instructions of a ZANU
PF hawk who wants to target and silence independent
journalists for exposing
his underworld operations,’ the statement said.
Code
of Conduct ‘not enough without reform’
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
16 November
2011
A Code of Conduct, drafted as part of efforts to end politically
motivated
violence, has been handed to the principals in Zimbabwe’s shaky
coalition
government. But according to a leading human rights group, the
Code will not
be enough without key, practical reforms.
The Code has
been drafted by the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation
and
Integration, amid worsening violence against members of the MDC-T. The
violence, perpetrated almost entirely by ZANU PF members, last week resulted
in a ‘violence indaba’, where Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman
Ncube all ‘agreed’ to end violence.
The Code of Conduct presented at
the indaba, calls on the leaders of the
country’s political parties to lead
the way in ending violence, and ensuring
that the upcoming elections are
free from bloodshed. Under the code,
inter-party committees will be set up
at national, provincial and district
levels to deal with political violence,
while national peace and
reconciliation council will be established to
resolve political disputes.
“The leader of a party that has subscribed to
this code will instruct the
party’s officials, candidates, members and
supporters that no weapon of any
kind, including any traditional weapon, may
be brought to any political
rally, meeting, march or other demonstration,”
the code says.
“A party that has subscribed to this code will not engage
in or permit any
kind of violent activity to demonstrate party strength or
to prove
supremacy,” it adds.
According to the Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition, the Code is a “breakthrough”.
But the group’s regional
coordinator Dewa Mavhinga stressed that on its own
“it is not
enough.”
“It must be viewed holistically, in that it is part of a series
of critical
reforms required to achieve real transformation to a democratic
and violence
free state,” Mavhinga said.
He added: “It is a symbolic
gesture. It is more ceremonial, not practical.”
Mavhinga also agreed that
more attention needs to be focused on ensuring
that the perpetrators of
violence are brought to book, to ensure that the
cycle of impunity in
Zimbabwe comes to an end. He also explained that there
are concerns that the
Code could be an attempt to “hoodwink” people, with
ZANU PF pushing for an
election as soon as possible.
“The political leadership is insisting on
an early election and they would
want to how there is some movement in
ending violence without the practical
steps. The fear is that the code might
be a smokescreen behind which
violence will still take place,” Mavhinga
said.
He added: “But we want to give the Organ and the government the
benefit of
the doubt and we will have to wait and see what happens.”
Madzore’s
fresh bail application postponed
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
16 November
2011
A fresh bail application for the MDC-T Youth Assembly chairperson,
Solomon
Madzore, was on Wednesday postponed, with the State arguing it was
not ready
to file a response.
The application is not expected to be
heard in the High Court on Thursday.
Madzore is part of a group pf 28
MDC-T activists who are facing trumped-up
charges of murdering a police
officer in Glen View, Harare in May. Madzore
was arrested last month and has
already been denied bail. He is being
detained at Chikurubi Maximum Security
prison.
Meanwhile seven other MDC-T members, who were part of the 27
originally
arrested in May, have all now been in custody for more than six
months. They
are Tungamirai Madzokere (the Glen View Ward 32 councillor),
Rebecca
Mafikeni, Phenias Nhatarikwa, Lazarus Maengahama, Stanford
Maengahama,
Yvonne Musarurwa and Stanford Mangwiro.
High Court judge,
Justice Tendai Uchena, turned down their bail application
in July, saying
they were a flight risk. The seven then approached the
Supreme Court,
appealing the High Court’s bail refusal.
But last week Supreme Court
judge and the Deputy Chief Justice, Luke Malaba,
referred the matter back to
the High Court saying that the seven have to
first notify the High Court of
their intention to appeal at the Supreme
Court.
MDC
officials arrested in Masvingo
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Godfrey Mtimba
Wednesday, 16 November
2011 16:24
MASVINGO - Masvingo police have arrested MDC provincial
chairman Wilstaff
Stemere and Mwenezi district secretary Fortune Makonzo in
circumstances
described by their lawyer as politically
motivated.
Police officers picked up Stemere on Monday morning at his
workplace. He is
accused of ferrying party youths to assault a Zanu PF
supporter at a plot in
Morningside in the city.
Makonzo is in trouble
for allegedly commenting that President Robert Mugabe
is too old to rule.
This was after the 87-year-old appeared on television
during the evening
news hour at eight last Friday.
Makonzo is languishing in Mwenezi police
cells while Stemere was detained
for over seven hours. Both are expected to
appear in court today.
Their lawyer, Martin Mureri of Matutu and Partners
confirmed the arrests.
“I am still trying to get hold of the guy in
Mwenezi but Stemere is facing
assault and unlawfully entry charges,” said
Mureri.
He said Stemere never went to the plot as claimed by the Zanu PF
supporter.
“This is political and the charges are cooked up. The
complainant alleges
that Stemere came to his plot at midnight. He said it
was dark and I wonder
how he identified Stemere in the dark. It is just
political victimisation of
my client,” he said.
MDC Mwenezi chairman
Brian Nhachi told the Daily News that Makonzo was
languishing in police
cells after he was picked up on Sunday for allegedly
insulting Mugabe in a
bar at Rutenga Growth Point in Mwenezi.
“He was arrested after some
suspected members of the intelligence reported
him to police alleging he had
insulted the president who had appeared on
news hour launching the inputs
scheme last Friday. He is currently in police
cells in Mwenezi,” said
Nhachi.
“As MDC we think he was targeted because he is our party
official. There has
been a crackdown on our people. The comments he made did
not have anything
to do with the president’s age but these guys cooked it
all up,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Masvingo police
spokesperson Inspector Tinaye
Matake were fruitless as his phone was not
reachable.
Plot
to unseat Mugabe gathers pace in Zanu PF
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
KELVIN JAKACHIRA 6 hours 46
minutes ago
THERE is a plot to oust President Robert Mugabe from
the helm of the party
during the forthcoming annual conference in Bulawayo,
a senior Zanu PF
official has confirmed.
Didymus Mutasa, the Zanu PF
politburo secretary for administration, told
NewsDay in an interview
yesterday the party was aware of the individuals
clamouring for President
Mugabe’s ouster, but declared the conference would
not give anyone any
opportunity to do such a thing.
President Mugabe was aware of the plot to
unseat him, but Mutasa said the
party leader was not bothered because that
was unlikely to happen because of
his grip on power.
“We know them
(plotters) because you write about them,” Mutasa said. “How
could we not be
aware of that when it is being written left right and
centre? We are not
paying attention because it’s rubbish, rubbish, rubbish.
We have better
things to do than attend to that rubbish.”
Mutasa spoke amid reports of
growing evidence some in the Zanu PF top
echelons were plotting to block
President Mugabe’s imminent endorsement as
the party’s presidential
candidate in elections likely to be held next year.
The reports said
President Mugabe had been alerted to the internal plot to
force him to step
down at the December conference, but was unfazed.
Mutasa was adamant the
plot would be squashed ahead of the conference.
He said the Zanu PF
chairman, Simon Khaya Moyo, who would be in control of
proceedings during
the conference, would not allow discussions to deviate
from its prepared
agenda.
“The agenda is done before the meeting and at the present moment
we are
actually looking at the agenda and the programme,” Mutasa
said.
“There is nothing like that (ouster),” he said. “That is rubbish.
There will
be no such opportunity.”
“We have been with President Mugabe
right from the founding of Zanu PF and
who could be so stupid to desire to
remove him from the party he founded?”
Reports suggested some senior Zanu
PF officials were of the opinion
President Mugabe was no longer able to
stand the rigours of a tough election
given his advanced age and reported
failing health.
President Mugabe has been to the Far East on several
occasions this year
reportedly to seek medication.
The alleged plot
against President Mugabe comes a few months after leaked
United States
diplomatic cables exposed several top Zanu PF stalwarts and
government
officials telling US diplomats of their desire to have President
Mugabe
leave office and active politics.
Reports suggested some top Zanu PF
officials were worried about President
Mugabe’s health, and also that of
Vice-President John Nkomo, who sources
said was also
unwell.
President Mugabe’s political nemesis, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, has
joined in the fray urging the 87-year-old strongman to
rest.
“The question of age is catching up, the question of health is
catching up,”
Tsvangirai said recently.
“I am sure that advisably he
would be in a position for the sake of the
country, for the sake of his
legacy, for the sake of his children, to
consider stepping down.” - NewsDay
No
trees in 50 years
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Time to take action
16.11.1101:27pm
by Fungai
Kwaramba Harare
A cocktail of power cuts, ad hoc deforestation and
veld fires has seen the
loss of 330 000 hectares of trees annually, while
Forestry Commission
sapling nurseries wither through lack of investment from
the cash-strapped
parastatal.
Philip Mataranyika, from Friends of the
Environment, told The Zimbabwean
this week that the current rate of
deforestation could see the complete
destruction of trees in just 52 years.
The Friends plan to raise awareness
of the importance of trees by walking
from Harare to the Eastern Highlands
on November 27 - December
2.
“Our situation is desperate. Factor in the debilitating power cuts and
you
have a cocktail for disaster,” said Mataranyika.
Since the land
reform programme began, Zimbabwe has been losing trees at an
accelerated
pace as new farmers, particularly the 62,000 small-scale tobacco
producers,
use firewood as a source of energy. It takes 11kg of firewood to
cure 1kg of
tobacco and small-scale farmers are producing an average of 1,5
tons a year.
Others cut wood for resale in light of frequent power cuts.
“A quick
drive on our national highways will give you an indication of how
far we
have gone in using wood as an energy source. Creating nurseries in
rural
communities is vital if people in the rural areas are to replenish
their
energy sources, preserve the environment and restore our rural
beauty,”
added Mataranyika.
Alarmed at the trend of deforestation, some tobacco
companies have started
re-forestation nurseries. Farmers contracted to them
are required to replace
all the trees they use by planting saplings every
year. However, only 12,000
tobacco farmers have signed up to the
initiative.
Friends of the Environment intend to plant millions trees in
the next 20
years to replenish the dwindling forests.
“I am happy to
report that we received a resounding yes from Zimbabweans
across the
economic, cultural and social divide and now we are now at the
implementation stage. It is a collective responsibility to get Zimbabwe
green again,” he said.
With the Forestry Commission struggling to
maintain existing forests and
plant new ones, Mataranyika said the corporate
world should adopt trees.
“Our plan is to get Corporate Zimbabwe to adopt
all the nurseries, and I can
tell you the buy in has been tremendous. We
plan to create another 52
nurseries by 2015 to bring the total to a hundred.
This will build capacity
to 500 000 seedlings per year and ultimately 500
million trees should be
planted by 2025,” he said.
Govt
rejects EU observers
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
As Zimbabwe prepares for presidential elections, the
government has set
itself up for a showdown with the West by rejecting
offers to send poll
observers.
15.11.1112:51pm
by Chief
Reporter
Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said the government
had refused the
EU request, saying there was "poison" in it and that
Zimbabwe needed to
preserve its "sovereignty", but Zanu (PF)'s political
opposition said the
party wanted to rig the ballot.
MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai said: "It means they want to control the
process and the outcome.
They want a predetermined outcome. I think they
want to demonstrate they
don't want to run a clean election".
The Zimbabwean understands EU Africa
Chief Nick Westcott made the offer to
President Mugabe when they met at
State House two months ago. That was
followed by an offer to send election
observers by new British envoy,
Deborah Bronnert, amid fears that the
presidential election would be a
repeat the June 2008 run-off ballot. Mugabe
again turned down the offer.
Harare's decision breaches Cotonou accords
with former European colonies in
Africa, the Caribbean and south
Pacific.
"It's a bad sign and a missed opportunity for Zimbabwe to
restore good
relations with the EU," said a western diplomat.
Police
demand ‘permit’ for birthday party
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
16 November
2011
A Harare family had the shock of their life last Friday evening
after an
overzealous policeman demanded that they produce a ‘permit’ for the
birthday
party they were hosting. The party, attended by 40 to 50 people,
was
interrupted when a senior policeman driving a BMW arrived at the
property
and demanded a permit, claiming it was a public gathering of more
than 5
people.
Many people at the party expressed surprise since they
were on private
property. Even the repressive Public Order and Security Act
(POSA) which is
used to crack down on political activity does not cover
activities on
private property. But the policeman was not bothered by this
and spent an
hour demanding a permit, at one time even insisted on taking
the home owner
to Borrowdale Police Station for questioning.
It was
only after one of the revellers called up someone in the police force
and
handed over the phone to the officer on site, that the matter was
eventually
resolved. Under POSA there is no requirement for notice to be
given for
gatherings held exclusively for “bona fide religious, education,
recreational, sporting or charitable purposes, baptisms, weddings, funerals
and cremations.”
Additionally POSA does not say that police
permission is required for any
meeting, procession or demonstration, but the
police have taken advantage of
the general lawlessness in the country to do
as they please. The incident
only highlights the growing paranoia gripping
Mugabe’s regime and suggests
that an instruction has been issued to clamp
down on any gatherings, to
create increasing intimidation.
In a
related issue the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition on Wednesday reported
that
police in the Midlands city of Kwekwe arrested two of their employees,
Beloved Chiweshe and Maureen Gombakomba, for convening a public meeting. The
two are said to be in police custody in the town facing as yet unclear
charges. The Coalition said: “The harassment of civil society activists is
rising sharply.”
In addition to the arrests of Chiweshe and
Gombakomba the Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights have also raised alarm
“over the unlawful surveillance on”
former TV presenter and human rights
activist Jestina Mukoko “by unknown
individuals.”
In December 2008
Mukoko was abducted in the early hours of the morning by
six men and a woman
who did not identify themselves. In her testimony she
said they forced her
into a Mazda Familia vehicle and ordered her to lie low
on the seat of the
car. Once at a torture base they put her in solitary
confinement for 19 days
while torturing her to try to force her to admit to
recruiting youths for
military training.
City
of Harare called upon to scrap residents’ debts
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona
Sibanda
16 November 2011
Poor accounting practices within the City of
Harare are costing the capital
city millions of dollars in revenue per
month, the Harare Residents’ Trust
claimed on Wednesday.
Precious
Shumba, HRT’s coordinator, told SW Radio Africa that the council
was now
embarking on a program to punish residents for the council’s
incompetence
and failure to sort out their bookkeeping problems.
The City of Harare
has warned residents who owe money to settle their
accounts, or risk losing
their homes if they fail to do so. But HRT said it
has not been explained
how residents were left with huge debts when the
country ditched the
Zimbabwe dollar and started trading in US dollars two
years ago.
‘We
have asked to see the books to see how residents ended up with debts of
over
$2,000 but because the accounting system is in shambles the council has
failed to produce any papers at all.
‘What you see now is a daily
practice where officials are referring
residents to different departments
within the council in an effort to
frustrate their enquiries,’ Shumba
said.
He added: ‘If they cannot explain or show us the accounts, we are
saying to
them, let’s turn over a new leaf and start on a clean slate by
scrapping all
debts accrued from 2009 to December 2010.’
Shumba
explained that instead of trying to engage residents in this
proposal,
council has enraged its members by using ‘bullying’ tactics and
threatening
to repossess homes. He said council must tell residents why the
poor
accounting practices have continued unabated for so many years and why
there
is no indication that anything has been done to clean up the
system.
‘Most residents in Harare earn a meager $100 or $200 a month and
council
expects them to settle debts that they don’t even know were they
came from.
We will not relent in our efforts to force council to scrap the
debts even
if it takes us to hit the streets and demonstrate,’ according to
Shumba.
Africom
espionage case drags on
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai Karimakwenda
16 November,
2011
The drama in the case of three telecoms executives accused of
espionage has
continued to drag on this week, strengthening suspicions that
the case is
not about spies and satellites but more about political
retribution and
factionalism within ZANU PF.
Banker Farai Rwodzi, who
is a non-executive director at Africom Holdings,
acting chief executive
Simba Mangwende and Oliver Chiku from Global
Satellite Systems were arrested
last month and accused of spying for
theUnited States, Canada and
Afghanistan.
The three executives were released on bail with strict
conditions two weeks
ago, after the State failed to produce any evidence
showing that hostilities
exist betweenZimbabweand the countries they
allegedly spied for. They
appeared in court on Tuesday, to apply for refusal
of remand, but the
magistrate remanded the case to Wednesday in his
chambers, without any
explanation for the postponement.
The charges
stem from a satellite system that was set up at the company
offices,
allegedly in contravention of the Posts and Telecommunications Act,
which
was then used to send information to the three countries named.
But as we
reported, the case has more to do with factionalism within ZANU PF
and
Rwodzi’s close ties to the family of the late Solomon Mujuru, who led a
powerful faction within ZANU PF.
Professor Ken Mufuka of the Global
Zimbabwe Forum said the case is not about
guilt or innocence, but a ZANU PF
way of punishing opponents by tying them
up in legal expenses. “The idea is
that Rwodzi cannot leave the country. He
has to hire an expensive lawyer and
report to the police all the time. He
cannot attend to his usual business,”
Professor Mufuka explained.
He added that this same strategy has been
used against Morgan Tsvangirai and
theMDCas well as several other opponents
of ZANU PF. “The charges will
eventually be dropped or the case will fall
apart for some other reason,”
the professor said.
As we reported, SW
Radio Africa received allegations that the arrest was
engineered by the
members of the other faction, led by Emmerson Mnangagwa,
as a signal to
alert Mujuru’s widow and Vice President Joice Mujuru, that
her faction no
longer had the upper hand and they can do whatever they want.
A source
close to the faction told SW Radio Africa that Rwodzi’s banking
experience
helped him gain influence and he ran the finances of the vast
Mujuru
business empire, which included mining, agriculture, transport,
tourism and
construction. The source said Rwodzi even calls Joice Mujuru
‘mainini’,
meaning auntie, as he is a close relative and is trusted.
British
ambassadors to deliberate on Sadc developments
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Bridget Mananavire, Staff
Writer
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 16:17
HARARE - Britain's
ambassadors from southern Africa are meeting in Zimbabwe
starting today to
deliberate on political developments affecting the region.
The meeting
will end on Friday, Keith Scott, First Secretary Political
Communications at
the British embassy told the Daily News.
“They will discuss political
developments across the region, including
Zimbabwe, as well as a range of
corporate and international issues such as
the build-up to the 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games in London and climate
change,” Scott said.
Scott
said the meeting is usual practice for British ambassadors in any
given
region to meet for discussions.
Political relations between Zimbabwe and
its former colonial master have
been on ice for almost a decade after
Britain joined other European
countries in imposing travel and financial
sanctions on President Robert
Mugabe and his inner circle for human rights
abuses.
Mugabe accuses the British of using sanctions to destroy
Zimbabwe’s economy
in retaliation to Harare’s decision to evict white
farmers and replace them
with landless blacks.
Britain says it will
normalise relations with Zimbabwe once the country
successfully implemented
democratic reforms negotiated by Sadc under the
Global Political Agreement
(GPA).
The GPA is the founding accord to the country’s shaky coalition
government.
Part of the reform agenda includes a roadmap to free and fair
elections
being crafted under Sadc’s watch.
British Minister of State
(Foreign and Commonwealth Office) Lord David
Howell and Government Whip and
Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office
(International Development and
Equalities and Women's Issues), Baroness
Verma told the House of Lords on
Tuesday that London stood ready to fund the
roadmap.
“The (British)
government recognises Sadc’s important role as the guarantors
of Zimbabwe’s
Global Political Agreement and we endorse its current efforts
to create a
roadmap leading to credible and properly monitored elections.
“We also
continue to look for ways of using UK funding to strengthen
regional forums
to increase pressure for free and fair elections in
Zimbabwe, for example
through civil society,” said Baroness Verma.
Typhoid
cases rise in Harare
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Gugulethu Nyazema, Senior Writer
Wednesday, 16
November 2011 16:12
HARARE - Typhoid cases in some high density areas
of Harare have risen from
99 to 193 over the past two days, as fears worsen
that the number could
spike even further given Harare’s erratic water
supplies.
Typhoid fever is a bacterial disease, caused by Salmonella
typhi. It is
transmitted through the ingestion of food or drink contaminated
by faeces or
urine of infected people.
Health experts say symptoms
usually develop 1–3 weeks after exposure, and
may be mild to severe. They
include high fever, malaise, headache,
constipation or diarrhoea,
rose-coloured spots on the chest, and enlarged
spleen and
liver.
Typhoid fever can be treated with antibiotics. However, resistance
to common
antimicrobials is widespread and carriers should be excluded from
handling
food.
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) representatives say
the water situation in
Harare’s high density areas has not helped the
situation with residents
reportedly getting water at night only.
“To
contribute in averting the typhoid scare, the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society
donated water treatment detergents and other materials that go with curbing
typhoid outbreaks.
“The total donation is made up of 240 bars green
soap, 480 units of regular
jik, 120 000 water maker sachets and 52
blankets.
This donation was handed over to the City of Harare’s Rujeko
Clinic in
Dzivaresekwa 3,” said a ZRCS representative.
Please read
tomorrow’s Daily News for an in-depth coverage of the typhoid
spate.
ZANU-PF Chairman Under Fire for Alleged Inflammatory
Remarks
http://www.voanews.com
15 November
2011
Major General Martin Chedondo called the former opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change party a "Trojan horse" and vowed there would
be bloodshed
if anyone tried to remove ZANU-PF from power
Violet
Gonda & Blessing Zulu | Washington
Simon Khaya Moyo said: “I
said there must be no violence. If of course you
are attacked yourself what
else should you do? Do you pray?”
Zimbabwean human rights groups have
expressed grave concern at remarks made
by ZANU-PF chairman Simon Khaya Moyo
and an army general seemingly
advocating violence shortly after leaders of
parties in the unity government
advocated peace.
President Robert
Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Industry
Minister Welshman
Ncube urged their supporters in a large meeting of party
officials on
Friday, November 11, to be tolerant and to halt mounting
political
violence.
But later that same day Army Chief of Staff Major General
Martin Chedondo
addressed the Presidential Guard and vowed there would be no
security sector
reform.
Chedondo called the Movement for Democratic
Change party of Mr. Tsvangirai a
"Trojan horse" and vowed there would be
bloodshed if anyone tried to remove
ZANU-PF from the power it held for
decades before the advent of power
sharing in 2009.
Khaya Moyo
instructed ZANU-PF supporters at Mkoba Teachers College on Sunday
in Gweru,
Midlands province, to retaliate if they were attacked.
Khaya Moyo told
VOA reporter Blessing Zulu that he does not expect ZANU-PF
supporters to
wait for the police to intervene if they are attacked.
“I said there must
be no violence. If of course you are attacked yourself
what else should you
do? Do you pray?” Khaya Moyo said.
When asked if people should go to the
police when attacked, Khaya Moyo
responded: “Why should you go to the police
when you are down and you are
being beaten. Why do you go to the police? The
rule of law says you must die
and then go to the police?"
The Joint
Monitoring and Implementation Committee has promised to act on
complaints
about the army, the police and political parties regarding
political
violence.
JOMIC Co-Chairwoman Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga said the
panel has
instructed Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to communicate to
Defense
Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Police Commissioner General
Augustine
Chihuri that the committee wants to speak with them about the
conduct of the
army and police.
JOMIC Co-Chairman Elton Mangoma,
representing the Tsvangirai MDC formation,
said Khaya Moyo's statement was
unfortunate as it promoted vigilantism.'
“From a senior member of a
political party that only last week on Friday was
calling for peace it is
very irresponsible, if he has said so," Mangoma
said.
Zimbabwe Human
Rights Association Director Okay Machisa said the principals
in the
country's national unity government must sanction the perpetrators of
violence.
“You find the chairperson of ZANU-PF, Mr. Khaya Moyo,
saying hit back when
you are attacked. We should not be saying any words
like attack, hit back
because we should be singing the same hymn which the
leaders are saying in
the forum," Machisa said.
The comments by
General Chedondo followed a statement last week by US
Ambassador Charles Ray
that Zimbabwe needs a professional army which stays
out of
politics.
"In general the Zimbabwe military is quite skilled but I'm
troubled at times
that many in the senior ranks do take very partisan views
and positions
which body on interference on the nation's political life,"
Ray told VOA in
an interview.
Indian
diamantaires rush to Zimbabwe
http://www.business-standard.com/
Dilip Kumar Jha / Mumbai November 17, 2011,
0:50 IST
With UN lifting the ban on rough diamond imports from there,
supply booking
starts ahead of the wedding season.
Within a week of
the first of Zimbabwe’s diamond mines getting an okay from
the United
Nations’ certification process for eligibility to be marketed,
Indian firms
have rushed there to book supply.
According to an industry source, around
half a dozen Surat-based importers
of rough diamonds (‘roughs’) are in
Zimbabwe, wishing to book at the current
low prices, ahead of a possible
upsurge due to the wedding season in
December. And, it appears, leading
Indian diamantaires based out of Belgium
have already booked roughs worth
$500 million from the region.
The sales of diamonds thought to finance
conflicts and human rights abuse is
banned by the UN. In 2003, it
established what is called the Kimberley
Process (KP) certification scheme
to ensure this. Any raw (rough) diamond
without KP certification is
considered a ‘blood diamond’ and Zimbabwe, the
subject of global focus over
many years for human rights abuses of its
citizens, is considered a
particular problem. It has been a long time since
any of its roughs have had
the KP label.
However, two mining operations from Zimbabwe’s Marange
region (it has a
tenth of the world’s reserves) have finally got KP
certification. Last week,
an agreement was ratified by KP members at the
organisation’s plenary
meeting in Kinshasa, Congo, to enable export of
roughs from these two
KP-compliant operations. More exports from other
mining operations in the
area are expected to follow, after the KP
monitoring team says so.
India’s gross import of roughs, says the Gems
and Jewellery Export Promotion
Council (GJEPC), rose by 31.2 per cent in
2010-11 to $11.9 billion. India,
and Surat in particular, is the world’s
biggest diamond cutting and
polishing centre, handling 70 per cent of all
roughs mines across the world.
the rough diamonds mined across the world and
processes India’s 90 per cent
of rough imports.
With increased supply
from Zimbabwe, the diamond cutting and polishing
centres in the world —
mainly India, Israel and Belgium — are expected to
process $17 billion worth
of roughs this year, a 27 per cent increase over
the $13 bn in
2010.
“This is a real milestone and demonstrates categorically that the
KP
provides the framework through which the integrity of the rough diamond
chain of distribution can be protected, while enabling producing countries
to benefit from their natural resources,” said Eli Izhakoff, president of
the World Diamond Council.
Praveen Nanavati, joint secretary of
Gujarat Heera Bourse, said, “The miners
and Indian manufacturers are going
to benefit a lot from this decision (KP
okay for Zimbabwe). Mining is costly
and selling the mined goods is
necessary to generate a cash flow. In India,
factory owners want large
quantities of low-cost roughs to keep their
operations running, as well as
being able to offer products to
price-conscious buyers.”
A majority of mines in these regions are owned
by Chinese, who are not
interested in investing in the region’s actual
growth. They are willing to
stockpile the roughs only to sell at a higher
price, he said.
“(India) processors are keen to get roughs from Marange
and any such deal
would be welcome,” said Rajiv Jain, chairman of GJEPC.
Eviction
threatened
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
MDC-T supporters here have been threatened with eviction by
Zanu (PF)
officials, if they continue to accept donor food at the expense of
President
Robert Mugabe’s followers.
15.11.1112:57pm
by Tony
Saxon
Most MDC-T supporters have been victimized by Zanu (PF) thugs
and have been
told to choose between accepting donor food and eviction
unless they give
Zanu (PF) supporters exclusive access to the food
handouts.
“We are in a serious situation as notorious Zanu (PF)
supporters’ threats
are real. They said that if we are spared death, we will
be booted out of
the village,” said an elderly villager.
Villagers
identified those tormenting them as: Vimbai Chatyoka, Amos
Samanga, Julias
Nyabereka, George Chivese, James Nemaunga and Titos
Dzemhere.
The
villagers in Samanga area expressed despair at the reluctance of police
at
Ruda police station to arrest the thugs who were threatening them.
Libraries
abandoned…
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Despite the standard of education having been affected by the
political
turmoil of the last decade, many believe it is still the highest
in the
continent. Zimbabwean professionals are regarded highly, not only in
Africa,
but the world over.
14.11.1101:19pm
by Talent
Bhachi
Educational institutions such as libraries have facilitated
this sterling
reputation, but a visit to some of those institutions today
shows that
unless something is done soon, they could become
obsolete.
Libraries, like many other public facilities, have been
abandoned by
responsible authorities. The windows have been broken and, in
the majority
of cases, the toilets are in sorry state.
Surfers
replace readers
Books hang precariously on the disjointed shelves
gathering dust. Many of
them are worn and torn, or they are missing pages.
Some of the academic text
books have been replaced by later editions which
the authorities are failing
to stock. Glen Norah library used to be full of
students from surrounding
schools. The library has sections for adults and
children and it was common
to see people queuing all day for their turn to
use the facility. Today this
is far from a reality.
The perimeter
fence has been vandalised and the stench from the nearby bush
is
overwhelming. One official, who has worked at the library for more than
15
years, attributed the library’s decline to a new generation of students
who
were shunning the facility. “Many students no longer use the library.
They
prefer to go to the internet cafe and surf rather than using hard
copies of
books. We are no longer as busy as we used to be, even the records
show that
we are operating at less than 20 percent capacity,” he said.
Students
confessed that they no longer used the libraries. A form six
student from
Glen View High said he used the library once when he was at
Ordinary
Level.
“I went to the library to prepare for my examination, but I was
disappointed, the library had no adequate books and I had to patch the book
that I was using together because it was torn,” he said.
Preserve
culture
Veteran Educationist, Lisbon Mhonda, urged the government and the
city
council to revamp libraries country wide to preserve a culture of
reading.
“These facilities are our educational heritage. They are there
for a purpose
and relevant authorities should provide money to cater for the
institutions
as they save the community,” said Mhonda.
He added that
the state of the libraries was just an epitaph on the death of
quality
education in the country.
“It is common knowledge that Zimbabwe’s
education was a model for the rest
of Africa. However, the economic meltdown
affected every sector, including
education. The decay of libraries is just
the tip of the ice-berg,” he said.
Mhonda encouraged the authorities to
make use of the subscription fee paid
by members each month for upkeep and
maintenance of the libraries. He noted
that the subscription fee ranged from
$5 to $10 and, if put to good use,
could help to renovate the library and
stock new books.
The Harare City Council Spokesperson, Leslie Gwindi, is
on record saying
that the council was facing man power shortages and could
not afford to
improve service delivery.
Ncube Is
Being Used By Zanu-PF: Bhebhe
http://www.radiovop.com
Bulawayo, November 16, 2011--- Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC-T) deputy
national organising secretary,
Abedinico Bhebhe who was expelled from the
smaller faction of the MDC led by
Welshman Ncube said, Ncube is a desperate
mad-man who has run out of ideas
and being used by Zanu-PF and spends time
attacking Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai instead of talking about his
party policies.
“What
Zimbabweans should understand is that Welshman has run out of ideas,
he is
just greedy and power hungry. Instead of telling us about his party
policies
he now spends time insulting the Prime Minister,” said Bhebhe who
is also
former Nkayi South parliamentarian before expelled by Ncube in
2009.
Bhebhe accused Ncube of being a Zanu-PF messenger who is trying to
weaken
Tsvangirai’s support base in Matebeleland region.
“We know
that he is being used by Zanu-PF and only campaigns in
Matebeleland region
and attacking Tsvangirai. Why is he not doing that in
other parts of the
country? It is very funny that he is talking about
Tsvangirai being a
ceremonial leader when its actually him who is a
ceremonial Minister, since
he lost parliamentary elections but went ahead
to appoint himself as an
Industry and Commerce Minister,” he said.
In the past weeks Ncube has
been blasting Tsvangirai at his rallies
describing the premier as a useless
leader who has betrayed Zimbabweans by
allowing the powers bestowed upon him
upon signing the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) to slip away to President
Robert Mugabe.
Only on Sunday Ncube told his supporters at Nketa Hall in
Bulawayo that
Tsvangirai’s book “At the Deep End” which was published some
few months ago
is “full of lies”.
When contacted for comment smaller
MDC faction spokesperson in
Matebeleland region Edwin Ndlovu said: “Bhebhe
is still excited by being
appointed MDC-T deputy national organising
secretary so he feels he must
speak even though he has nothing to speak,
typical of an empty vessel.”
Welshman
sees ghosts where none exist
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Staff Writer
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
16:27
HARARE - It is very difficult to say what it is that Welshman
Ncube, the
leader of the smaller faction of the MDC, wants to achieve as he
ill-advisedly goes on the war path against the private media, and the Daily
News in particular.
What is clear is that the “learned”
professor is upset by our coverage of
his former political boss, Morgan
Tsvangirai — which he mistakes for support
for the Prime Minister, as well
as a vote of no confidence in him (Ncube).
Nothing could be further from
the truth.
We wish to state unequivocally that it is Ncube’s inalienable
right to say
what he wants to say on any subject and wherever he wants to,
including
criticising the Daily News. We would never be the media house that
would
want to see him censored, whatever the circumstances or the naivety of
the
substance of his utterances, because that is his democratic
right.
We believe in democracy where freedom of speech, no matter how
disagreeable
the baloney being espoused, is affirmed all the time. Our
guiding vision is
to be Zimbabwe’s most reliable source of news and
information; broadest
platform for the free exchange of ideas and opinions;
and to be the clearest
voice for democracy and an open, plural
society.
We also wish to state very clearly and openly that we have no
beef with
either Ncube personally or his fledgling party. He, indeed, has a
right to
start and lead his party.
These are the reasons why we have
chosen to carry his unprovoked and
gratuitous attacks on us in our paper
over the past few weeks.
So, to the critical question: Why is Welshman
joining the likes of serial
political flip-flopper Jonathan Moyo, a
notorious anti-private media yob, in
attacking the independent media
violently and at every turn? Are we really
his political problem?
As
the saying goes, you can take the man out of the bush but you can’t take
the
bush out of the man.
Similarly, a man may advance his education to PhD
level, and even be
honoured by his peers as a professor, but you can’t make
him learned. One
needs only look at how many so-called professors have not
got the faintest
clue where they are coming from or going!
Here is
media theory 101 for the “learned” professor and his ilk, for their
own
benefit. We do not make or create news, we only carry it. We do not make
political leaders either (Zimbabweans do), we only cover them. If you say
anything half interesting or useful we will cover it — no matter who you
are.
Even if we attempted to favour any one political player or party
— as many
media houses sought to do over the past decade during our forced
closure by
the government — it would not influence who Zimbabweans want to
lead them.
We hope this little lecture assists Professor Ncube.
MDC disturbed over the continued persecution of scribes
Wednesday, 16
November 2011
The MDC once again condemns the irrational arrests of two
Standard newspaper
journalists yesterday on charges of criminal defamation
and theft of
documents. The MDC is concerned by the behaviour of the police
in treating
and arresting the Editor, Mr Nevanhi Madanhire and reporter, Mr
Nqaba
Matshazi as if they are common criminals and we call for their
immediate
release. What is worrying is that the arrests came only a few days
after the
police had raided and ransacked The Standard newsroom.
As a
party we condemn the arrests as they are clear instructions of a Zanu
PF
hawk who wants to target and silence independent journalists for exposing
his underworld operations.
The MDC notes with concern that the
continued arrests in the country are
only targeted at private media
reporters while those writing for the State
media have an open approval to
do as they wish by going on a campaign of
writing entire falsehoods against
elected officials who are not from Zanu
PF.
The MDC’s position is
that freedom for all media practitioners should be
guaranteed. Zanu PF
supported by its rogue elements in State security should
know that; “the pen
is mightier than the sword”.
The MDC believes in the free flow of public
information. Giving citizens the
right to know and to be heard – is a
hallmark of a functioning democracy. We
therefore condemn the police for
using outdated laws in arresting and
bullying innocent journalists. The MDC
believes a law that criminalises
journalism and tries to block the free flow
of information is an affront to
democracy and must be repealed.
The
people’s struggle for real change: Let’s finish it!!
–
MDC Information
& Publicity Department
ZLHR
strongly condemns the acts of surveillance and intimidation of Jestina
Mukoko
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) advises that on 15
November 2011
between 08:10 and 08:45hrs an unidentified man who was driving
a Black Rhino
double-cab vehicle stalked Jestina Mukoko who was exercising
her right to
freedom of movement around greater
Harare.
16.11.1110:47am
by ZLHR
ZLHR recalls that similar acts
of surveillance targeting Human Rights
Defenders (HRDs) in the past have
culminated in serious life-threatening
security incidents such as abduction
and enforced disappearance, and that
Jestina Mukoko was also a victim of
such surveillance that ended up in her
being disappeared on 3 December
2008.
ZLHR deplores such acts of surveillance which amount to scare
tactics aimed
at silencing HRDs like Jestina Mukoko from carrying out their
legitimate
activities in Zimbabwe.
While ZLHR was not able to
ascertain the identity of this unidentified man
in the Black Rhino, such
cars are known to be owned by, or linked to, state
agents and have in the
past been associated with the state.
ZLHR condemns these renewed attacks
on HRDS especially with the anticipation
of elections in the near future.
ZLHR is also greatly concerned given the
upsurge in cases of violence that
have been witnessed in the last few weeks
in Harare as well as other parts
of the country.
Other than condemning these renewed attacks on Jestina
Mukoko, ZLHR implores
the state to respect the important work that is played
by HRDs in the
advancement of human rights promotion and protection in
Zimbabwe. ZLHR urges
the government of Zimbabwe to forthwith take concrete
measures to ensure
that the security of HRDs is protected at all times in
Zimbabwe by fully
implementing the provisions of the United Nations
Declaration on Human
Rights Defenders.
Resistance and Denial: Zimbabwe's Stalled Reform Agenda
