MEDIA
STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Submitted by
AfriForum
22 November
2010
Auctioning of Zimbabwe government property in Cape Town
to proceed
The South Gauteng High Court in
Johannesburg today ruled that the Zimbabwe government-owned property situated at
28 Salisbury Road in Kenilworth, Cape Town, is of a commercial nature and may
therefore be attached and auctioned to satisfy part of the Zimbabwe government’s
debts.
Zimbabwean
commercial farmers Louis Fick, Mike Campbell and Richard Etheredge attached the
property in March this year following an order of the North Gauteng High Court
enforcing a ruling by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal
against the Zimbabwe government.
After the
attachment of four properties by AfriForum’s lawyers on behalf of the Zimbabwean
farmers, a German banking group, KFW Bank Gruppe, also attached the properties
and went ahead with arrangements for an auction.
The Zimbabwe
government brought the court application against KFW Bank Gruppe as well as the
three farmers. The banking group is owed more than €40 million by the Mugabe
government.
The
farmers and their workers have suffered relentless victimization and the
destruction of their farms and livelihoods, despite the SADC Tribunal ruling
that they should be allowed to continue farming operations unimpeded by the
Zimbabwe government.
The significance of
today’s judgment is in the fact that once the Kenilworth property has been
auctioned, a proportional part of the proceeds will go to the Zimbabwean
farmers.
Although their
claim has been diluted as a result of the huge judgment debt enforced by the
German banking group, the sale in execution will have significant symbolic
meaning for the beleaguered farmers.
ENDS
Submitted
by:
Willie
Spies
Legal representative:
AfriForum
Cell: 083 676
0639
E-mail: willie@hurterspies.co.za
For further
information:
Willie
Spies
Legal representative:
AfriForum
Pretoria, South
Africa
Cell: +27 83 676
0639
E-mail: willie@hurterspies.co.za
Deon
Theron
President
Commercial Farmers’ Union,
Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 309
800
Zim cell: +263 912 246 233
SA cell: +27 72 109 0125
(only works when in South Africa)
E-mail: dtheron@cfuzim.org and pres@cfuzim.org
Vice
President
Commercial Farmers’ Union,
Zimbabwe
Zim Cell: +263 773 434
924
SA Cell: +27 82 628 8127
(only works when in South Africa)
E-mail: lfick@cfuzim.org
Note: AfriForum is an
independent initiative of the South African trade union Solidarity. AfriForum
offers a forum
for the constructive activation of minorities to participate in public debate
and action, in order to ensure a future for all in Africa. www.afriforum.co.za
http://www.voanews.com
Scott Bobb | Johannesburg 22
November 2010
South African President Jacob Zuma is reportedly to visit
Zimbabwe later
this week to try to resolve disputes within Zimbabwe's
power-sharing
government. The president said during a trip to Botswana that
Zimbabwe's
leaders must implement all the measures in their power-sharing
accord before
elections can take place.
Senior officials of the
Southern Africa Development Community told reporters
in Gabarone that
President Jacob Zuma would travel to Harare to hold talks
with the three
parties in Zimbabwe's unity government.
After these consultations, they
said, the South African president would
likely recommend a date for another
SADC summit on Zimbabwe.
The SADC committee on Politics, Defense and
Security, known as the Troika,
was due to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis
Saturday, but failed to do so when
two members of the panel, the presidents
of Zambia and Mozambique, canceled
their visits citing business at
home.
Under an agreement brokered by SADC mediators, two factions of the
formerly
opposition Movement for Democratic Change joined the government of
President
Robert Mugabe.
But the head of the larger MDC faction,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsangirai, has
accused Mr. Mugabe of failing to fully
implement the political agreement and
of violating the accord by appointing
ambassadors and provincial governors
without consulting him.
The
prime minister said on South Africa's national television that he was
frustrated by the lack of progress on the impasse.
"There is no
implementation of agreed positions. So, if there is no
implementation, what
is the way forward? And that's what SADC has to
tackle," said Tsvangerai.
"You can't be a guarantor, unless you are able to
intervene in order to
unlock those obstacles that you face."
Mr. Mugabe has said the unity
government will come to an end on its second
anniversary in February and has
told his supporters to prepare for elections
next year.
Mr. Zuma said
on national television that SADC must help the Zimbabwean
leaders because
they have shown that, without regional pressure, they are
not able to
resolve their differences.
And he reiterated SADC's position that the
political agreement, which
includes a referendum on a new constitution, must
be fully implemented
before any new election can be held.
"Part of
the reason we have to come back to the Troika as well as SADC is in
fact to
say what is it that we need to do to guarantee and ensure that by
the time
we get to [the] election there is less tension, there is more
atmosphere
that will lead to free and fair elections," said Zuma.
Popular
consultations on a new constitution ended recently and legal experts
are
beginning the process of drafting the document.
But civic groups say an
atmosphere of fear and intimidation prevails in the
country, especially in
rural areas, and fair elections cannot be held under
these circumstances.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
22 November,
2010 12:17:00 Staff Reporter
ZAMBIA’s president Rupiah Banda has
been blamed for conniving with Robert
Mugabe causing Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC)‘s failure to
discuss the worsening political
crisis in Zimbabwe.
SADC leaders met in Botswana last Friday to open the
new SADC headquarters
in the capital Gaborone.
The SADC organ on
Politics, Defence and Security is currently chaired by
president Rupiah
Bnada.
The organ was supposed to meet before the official opening of the
new SADC
headquarters to discuss problems that have threatened to split
Zimbabwe’s
shaky coalition government.
But the chairman, Zambia’s
president Rupiah Banda under the influence of
Zimbabwean President Mugabe
did not show up. The organ therefore did not
meet. Rupiah is also facing
elections in the coming year.
Botswana’s Foreign Affairs minister Phandu
Skeleman has been quoted saying
that because this crucial meeting failed to
take place, leaders asked
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma to go to
Zimbabwe where he would hold
talks with the three leaders of the coalition
government.
Zimbabwean media reported that the Zimbabwean inclusive
government has been
limping since President Robert Mugabe made unilateral
appointments of
ambassadors and judges a few months ago.
A day before
the SADC meeting, president Banda was touring Brazil. Before he
left for
Brazil, his mouth-piece, Dickson Jere issued a statement that from
Brazil,
president Banda would fly to Botswana.
“After the State Visit to Brazil,
President Banda will proceed to Gaborone,
Botswana where he is due to chair
the Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC) Troika Heads of State
Meeting of the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security Cooperation to be
held on November 19, 2010.
“The following day, President Banda and other
SADC Heads of State and
Government, will officially commission the new SADC
Headquarters in Gaborone
and thereafter attend the Extra-Ordinary Summit,
which has been called to
discuss the political situation in the region.
President Banda, as chairman
of the Troika Organ, will present his first
report to the Heads of State and
Government Summit”’ Jere had said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex
Bell
22 November 2010
Leaders in the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) have again
shown their allegiance to Robert Mugabe, after a
planned security summit to
discuss Zimbabwe’s worsening political crisis
failed to take off this
weekend.
The summit of the regional bloc’s
security organ, the Troika, was meant to
end on Saturday in Botswana’s
capital Gaborone. But the meeting was
cancelled after Zambian President
Rupiah Banda, who currently chairs the
SADC Troika on Politics, Defence and
Security, pulled out due to “pressing
national commitments.” Also missing
was Mozambique President Armando
Guebuza, which left only South Africa, the
other member of the organ, which
was represented by its President Jacob
Zuma.
A day before the SADC meeting was meant to start last Friday, Banda
was
touring Brazil. But his spokesperson Dickson Jere issued a statement
that
from Brazil, Banda would fly to Botswana.
“After the State Visit
to Brazil, President Banda will proceed to Gaborone,
Botswana where he is
due to chair the Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC) Troika Heads
of State Meeting of the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security Cooperation
to be held on November 19, 2010.
“The following day, President Banda and
other SADC Heads of State and
Government, will officially commission the new
SADC Headquarters in Gaborone
and thereafter attend the Extra-Ordinary
Summit, which has been called to
discuss the political situation in the
region. President Banda, as chairman
of the Troika Organ, will present his
first report to the Heads of State and
Government Summit”’ Jere had
said.
It was hoped the summit, the most recent in a long list of
fruitless
meetings called to ‘solve’ Zimbabwe’s political crisis in the past
two
years, would make some headway on the deadlock in Zimbabwe’s crumbling
coalition government. Instead, South Africa’s Zuma as the appointed mediator
will reportedly be back in Zimbabwe this week for more talks with the
principals to the unity government, before reporting back to Banda on a
possible date for yet another summit.
The cancelled meeting plays
straight into ZANU PF’s hands because the issues
that critically need to be
dealt with arise from the party’s refusal to
honour the terms of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA). Both formations of
the MDC on the other hand have
accused SADC of being a toothless bulldog for
blatantly refusing to deal
with the matter.
MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti and party
spokesperson Nelson Chamisa
said over the weekend that they were
disappointed by the way SADC was
handling the Zimbabwean crisis, adding that
the regional body’s capacity was
being tested.
“The credibility and
legitimacy of SADC is certainly put in jeopardy with
such developments. Our
leader was invited only to be told that the chair was
not there. This matter
deserves urgency and seriousness because there is a
risk of a political
slide which is not good for the people of Zimbabwe,”
said Chamisa. “Rome is
burning and we don’t want to be consumed in the fires
of violence and
acrimony.”
Biti said they attended the meeting after being invited by the
SADC
secretariat and were therefore shocked when members of the Troika
failed to
attend.
“If what happened is a reflection of SADC and
Africa, then we have a long
way to go. We were extremely disappointed with
SADC’s capacity or lack
thereof, because the confusion that was there is
unparalleled,” said Biti.
“The critical question is whether people are
able to stand up to the truth.
Is SADC able to stand up to bullies? Is SADC
able to stand up to errant
members?” Biti added.
At the same time
MDC-M spokesperson Edwin Mushoriwa said his party would
have been surprised
if anything positive had come out of Gaborone, given
what had transpired at
previous SADC and Africa Union (AU) meetings. He said
Zimbabweans should not
put their hope in SADC or the AU and instead fight
their battle
alone.
“This is not new. As a party we were going to be surprised if
there was any
action. Maybe people are now tired of our problems and even
Mugabe now knows
that and is not worried about the SADC and AU meetings,”
said Mushoriwa.
Observers have commented that SADC’s obvious refusal to
take the ongoing
crisis in Zimbabwe seriously shows their allegiance to
Mugabe. The bloc has
never taken a stand against Mugabe, regardless of the
destruction of
Zimbabwe at his hands, and pleas for intervention by
desperate Zimbabweans
have repeatedly fallen on SADC’s deaf
ears.
Political commentator Professor John Makumbe told SW Radio Africa
on Monday
that MDC must stop having so much faith in SADC to put things
right, when
they are “so clearly in Mugabe’s corner.”
“This whole
situation is embarrassing to the MDC, and SADC has demonstrated
time and
again they don’t their concerns seriously,” Makumbe said.
He added: “The
MDC must stop waiting on SADC to do something and go back to
doing things
that can be done by Zimbabweans to make a change.”
http://www.radiovop.com
22/11/2010 15:25:00
Harare,
November 22, 2010 - At least 43 families believed to be Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) supporters have fled their homes and are living in
the mountains after marauding Zanu (PF) youths burnt their houses and
assaulted them near Mhangura.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has
announced that villagers at Gambuli
Farm were subjected to a series of
attacks on their homes by well known
supporters of President Robert Mugabe’s
Zanu (PF).
The marauding youths are said to be moving in the company of
police
officers.
“Some of the villagers now spend their days in the
mountains and only come
back to the village to sleep in the roofless huts.
Only two homesteads
belonging to Zanu (PF) supporters were spared.
“A
well known Zanu (PF) supporter and headman from the nearby farm known as
Mesmar has been reported to be moving around the farms in the company of
police officers and a group of the party’s youth league demanding offer
letters from villagers. Failure to produce the offer letters has resulted in
the villagers’ houses being razed to ground while others burn the thatched
roofs of the huts.
“In a Murambatsvina-style destruction that has
left many villagers shocked,
the group at times asks the victims to destroy
their own houses. Some of the
houses have been left with only walls while
others have been razed to the
ground level.
“Some of the affected
villagers said they were forced to destroy their
properties and those who
tried to resist the move were severely beaten up
including the headman of
the village only identified as Manhenga,” reads
part of the statement from
ZPP.
According to ZPP, the police officers allegedly fired gunshots in
the air to
threaten the villagers.
The villagers are said to have
moved to stay on the farms at the height of
the farm invasions in 2000 led
by war veterans and Zanu (PF) officials.
The violations were reported at
Chemagamba Rural Police Station in Chinhoyi
but no one has been arrested.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
by Irene Madongo
22 November
2010
Last week was a difficult for the independent paper, the Standard.
On
Tuesday police detained their Bulawayo bureau chief, Dumisani Sibanda,
who
is also the president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists. He was
released
after being questioned about a story written for the paper by
journalist
Nqobani Ndlovu. He had alleged that promotional exams in the
Zimbabwe
Republic Police had been scrapped, to accommodate retired police
officers
and war vets ahead of the 2011 elections.
On Wednesday
Ndlovu was arrested and charged with criminal defamation of the
police. Also
on Wednesday, lawyers for the Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani
Khupe, sent a
summons to the paper, suing them for US$500,000 over an
article which
claimed she was pregnant. Khupe says the article is
defamatory. Then on
Friday the newspaper was informed of legal action
against it by the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation, which is demanding
US$10 million for an article
claiming that the broadcaster was collapsing.
Nevanji Madanhire, editor
of the Standard said: “We have known that we are
working under siege, so
it’s something we expected in a way. The media
situation hasn’t really
improved. Now because of elections coming up there
is a new crackdown on the
media.”
“When Zimbabwe goes to elections there is a lot of blood and
thunder, so
there will be a crackdown,” he added.
At the time of his
arrest last Wednesday, Ndlovu was charged with
contravening Section 96 (1a)
of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform)
Act. On Friday he was refused
bail and our Bulawayo correspondent reported
that the magistrate admitted
that she was not comfortable granting him bail
because of the sensititivity
of the case.
But on Monday he was granted bail of US$100, yet the state
used another
law – section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act –
to quash this
and keep him jailed for another seven days.
The state
wants Ndlvou to reveal his source, but he has refused to do so.
Madanhire
said he could not rule out the worst happening to the source if
the person
was revealed and that it would also be unethical for his
journalist to
reveal him.
“I wouldn’t know what actions would happen to the source. But
you never
know, there have been a lot of killing that has happened, a lot of
torture,”
Madanhire said, “If he is a member of the uniformed sources they
have a code
of conduct. One of the issues is that they do not speak to the
press. If he
is revealed that might endanger him.”
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
22
November 2010
MDC activists have gone into hiding in some areas of
Chipinge East after
armed soldiers went around the constituency flushing out
known opponents of
ZANU PF and beating them up.
The soldiers, camped
at Suwesu farm in Chipinge, have been on a rampage
since last week forcing
villagers to chant ZANU PF slogans. Those that
failed to chant the former
ruling party slogans were deemed to be pro-MDC
and faced the wrath of the
marauding soldiers.
‘There is pandamonium here as most young people are
fleeing their homes
fearful of the soldiers who are terrorising anyone
thought to be MDC. You
cannot challenge them because they are roaming around
the area in uniform
and carrying guns,’ an MDC-T official who asked not to
be named said.
He told us that Suwesu farm, which the soldiers are using
as a base camp,
was sold to Tanganda holdings by its origional owner some
years ago but was
recently taken over by some elements in the
military.
‘Recently we heard that Tanganda holdings was forced to remove
some of its
livestock that was still on the farm. But who owns the property
now still
remains a mystery because the area is a no go area for most
individuals,’
the source said.
What is clear he added, was that the
soldiers were working hand in hand with
ZANU PF people in Chipinge East.
ZANU PF activists are the ones that
identify known MDC supporters to the
soldiers.
‘As a precaution, most people are spending time in hiding in
far away areas
from their homes. People are scared and the soldiers are
promising worse
atrocities that those witnessed in 2008,’ our source
added.
SW Radio Africa could not get comment from the MDC-T MP for the
area,
Mathias Mlambo, who was reportedly visiting Nyanga on party business.
Neighbouring MP for Chipinge South, Meki Makuyana, confirmed reports of the
beatings.
‘I was in the area over the weekend and I got to hear of
the beatings by the
soldiers. Mlambo is aware of the situation and I know he
has briefed the
party leadership about the issue,’ Makuyana said.
Two
weeks, the same group of soldiers launched a lunchtime raid on Green
Valley
farm in Chipinge East and took away some MDC officials.
One of those
‘abducted’ by the soldiers, who were brandishing AK47 rifles,
was Solomon
Mazvokwadi, an MDC-T ward youth chairman for the area.
Mazvokwadi was badly
tortured by the soldiers and is still recuperating.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
22 November
2010
Zimbabwe has snubbed an invitation to be part of a meeting to try
find a
solution to the country’s diamond saga, which is set to take place in
Brussels on Tuesday.
The meeting of members of the diamond trade
watchdog the Kimberley Process
(KP) comes as the Mines Ministry has pushed
forward with plans to export
diamonds from the controversial Chiadzwa
diamond fields, without
international approval. Mines Minister Obert Mpofu
confirmed last Friday
that a consignment of diamonds from the Chiadzwa
fields was sold recently,
despite the fact that a recent KP meeting did not
give a green light to
future sales. It is understood that US$160 million was
raised in the sale of
rough diamonds to Indian buyers.
The stones
were cleared for sale, unilaterally, by the KP appointed monitor
to Zimbabwe
Abbey Chikane. This action, which has been slammed by rights
groups, was
overruled by KP Chairman Boaz Hirsch. He put KP members on alert
last
Thursday, saying Chikane had certified the diamonds without approval by
the
organisation as a whole.
He said no trade in Chiadzwa diamonds can take
place until Zimbabwe has
fulfilled its commitments under a work plan, agreed
at a meeting in Namibia
in late 2009. Among these commitments was the
withdrawal of the military
currently still controlling Chiadzwa, despite its
involvement in ongoing
rights abuses and smuggling syndicates.
But
Mpofu has insisted that Zimbabwe has met all the standards laid down by
the
KP and has accused Hirsch of not having the authority to issue his
statement
about the situation. He again said that Zimbabwe will continue to
sell its
diamonds, with or without KP approval; a situation that rights
groups have
warned puts the entire diamond industry at risk. Mpofu said the
country
would not attend the Brussels meeting, writing in a letter that
Hirsch
“yielded to political schemes disingenuously devised by NGOs and the
participants opposed to our export of diamonds.”
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
22 November, 2010
05:06:00 M&G
Judgement was reserved at the Supreme Court of
Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein
on Monday in the Presidency's attempt to stop
the Mail & Guardian from
obtaining a confidential report on the 2002
Zimbabwe presidential election.
President Jacob Zuma's office appealed
against the June 2010 judgement in
the North Gauteng High Court which
ordered the government to release the
report to the M&G.
In what
was widely hailed as a victory in the struggle for state
transparency in
South Africa, Acting Judge S Sapire then ordered the
government to hand over
the report within 10 days. As the deadline was due
to expire, the Presidency
announced that it would seek leave to appeal.
The 2002 report was
compiled by judges Dikgang Moseneke and Sisi Khampepe,
acting as special
envoys to Zimbabwe for then-president Thabo Mbeki.
The M&G contends
that the report is of public interest, given the widespread
view that the
2002 Zimbabwe election, culminating in a victory for President
Robert
Mugabe, was marred by vote-rigging, intimidation, violence and
fraud.
Despite the reserved judgement, M&G editor, Nic Dawes, was
confident of the
strength of the newspaper's case.
Going
well
"The Judges of the SCA gave the counsel for president Zuma a very
difficult
time" said Dawes after the case. "They had numerous questions
about his
argument that the judges' report ought to remain confidential
because it
contains secret diplomatic information that would jeopardise
relations
between the two countries if it were revealed.
"While I
obviously can't prejudge the way that they are thinking, we were
very
pleased by the way things went."
When the Presidency rebuffed the
M&G's initial attempts to gain access to
the report, the newspaper
lodged an application under the Promotion of
Access to Information
Act.
Dawes maintained that the case helped to vindicate important freedom
of
information principles. "Crucially, that if a state agent wants to refuse
access to information they have to give very clear and good reasons for
doing so, and those reasons have to be adequately in keeping with the
Promotion of Access to Information Act. In our view in this case we haven’t
been given those reasons."
Access to the report was also critical as
it speaks to the separation of
powers between the judiciary and executive,
Dawes said.
"If these judges went there to conduct an independent enquiry
into those
constitutional and legal questions than clearly that ought to be
public
information," said Dawes. "If they went there as representatives of
[then]
President Mbeki that would raise very serious questions of the
separation of
powers."
Mbeki at the time sent the two South African
judges to the neighbouring
state to obtain information on the constitutional
and legal problems
emerging in Zimbabwe at the time of the 2002
elections.
Mbeki's office and the Zimbabwean government facilitated the
mission.
The state's argument
The presidency argued that the
report was Mbeki's, as head of state and head
of the national executive, to
utilise at his discretion.
One of the purposes which the then president
intended to put the report to
was that of formulating policy and taking
decisions pertaining to the
situation in Zimbabwe.
The President's
office's papers said that the mission of the justices was
undertaken within
the context of advancing continental, regional and
interstate
relations.
It was submitted that the mechanism of dispatching envoys to
assist with the
gathering of necessary information to "infuse into the
strategies" to be
adopted in promoting dialogue in Zimbabwe, forms part of
the conduct of
foreign relations.
It was also argued that this made
the matter "the type of exceptional case",
where the court should exercise
judicial restraint in refraining from
intruding into the domain of the
government.
It was submitted that the observations of the two judges were to
be
communicated directly and exclusively to the President and that their
mission should be distinguished from other missions such as the 50-person
election observer mission that was also sent.
M&G's
papers
The M&G argued that although some years have passed since the
judges' report
was compiled and submitted, it remained a matter of great
public interest
and importance for several reasons.
It was submitted
that the report may provide important information relevant
to the question
whether the 2002 Zimbabwean Presidential elections "was
stolen".
Whether or not that was so, was a matter of importance to an
accurate
contemporary historical record of the region.
It was also
submitted that it was central to the legitimacy of the
continuation in the
presidential office in Zimbabwe of the present
incumbent, Robert
Mugabe.
In papers, the newspaper argued that with new elections coming up
in
Zimbabwe it was important to see whether Mugabe continues to hold office
by
virtue of alleged illegalities and irregularities stretching back to at
least 2002. -- Sapa and the M&G
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
22 November, 2010
06:54:00 By Blessing Chapwati -
Harare- Robert Mugabe's State
media editors and business reporters were on
Friday summoned to the Ministry
of Information for instructions on
castigating finance minister’s 2011
budget to be presented on Thursday.
A business reporter from one of the state
newspapers who attended the Friday
meeting said they were given instructions
to negatively attack finance
minister Tendai Biti’s budget.
The
instructions have been initiated by ZANU PF’s functionaries’ feelings
that
Biti did not address their interests in the economic blue print.
“We were
told to write in attack of minister Biti’s failure to address
sanctions,
opening of credit lines, resumption of vote of credit with
international
financial institutions, and failure of his much hyped support
from
international donors in the 2010 budget.
It seems ministry officials
already have the budget document to be presented
on Thursday,” said the
source.
The state media has already opened attacks on him with The Sunday
Mail
November 21 business headline screaming “Biti’s 5 loaves and 2
fish”.
Biti faces a Herculean task to appease various sectors of the
economy and
his opposite counterparts in ZANU PF who feel he has not done
enough to
attract foreign credit lines.
In his 2010 budget, Biti had
stated that the international community was
going to pour in $800 million
for the fiscal year but this has not
materialized due to Zimbabwe’s
political situation and high credit risk.
Neighbors Botswana and South
Africa had pledged credit support but this has
not
materialized.
Civil servants are also expectant for the change of
fortunes in their paltry
salaries ranging between $150 and
$200.
Efforts in raising funds from the domestic markets are being
scuttled by
industry under utilization standing at between 30 to 45
percent.
Observers say solutions are premised on the stability of the
political
situation in Zimbabwe which has in recent past reneged due to
tensions in
the inclusive government.
The credit crunch and
government bankruptcy could also be overcome if
resources from the sale of
Chiadzwa diamonds were being managed
transparently.
Diamond mining at
Chiadzwa has been dogged by controversy with a lot of
hawks wanting to deep
their mouths in the precious resource thereby
prejudicing the country of
much needed revenue. -Zimbabwe ZimEye
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Guthrie Munyuki
Monday, 22
November 2010 16:48
HARARE - Professor John Makumbe says Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai must
not put faith in SADC but instead revive
demonstrations led by his
supporters to force President Robert Mugabe to
respect the political
agreement which brought the unity
government.
Makumbe said the people of Zimbabwe have the power to
test Mugabe and his
allies in Zanu PF to the limit as happened in March
2007.
“The MDC and Tsvangirai must focus on what the people of Zimbabwe
can do and
this demands mass mobilisation of people in preparation for
elections and
demonstrations that can force the intervention of the
international
community,” said Makumbe.
He said SADC mediation has
not produced the desired results as evidenced by
the continued violation of
the Global Political Agreement (GPA) by Mugabe
against the letter and spirit
of the pact which was brokered by former South
African President Thabo
Mbeki.
“To be where we are today, in an inclusive government, it was a
result of
mass mobilisation of Zimbabweans for a local event which provoked
the
strongest repression from Mugabe, but we know that this action forced
SADC
intervention.
“This can be done locally. There is no need for
taking too much time trying
to engage SADC when people can demand change and
show this by demonstrating
against Mugabe and his repressive machinery,”
Makumbe told the Daily News.
Tsvangirai and leaders of the civic society
on 11 March 2007, organised
prayer marches in Highfield under the banner of
Save Zimbabwe but the event
was violently broken up by police and armed
soldiers.
Both Tsvangirai and deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara were
viciously
attacked by security agents at Machipisa Shopping Centre before
they were
thrown into custody.
Among those savagely assaulted on that
fateful day were Tendai Biti,
Lovemore Madhuku, Sekai Holland, Grace Kwinjeh
and other influential civic
society leaders.
Former ZBC cameraman
Edward Chikomba who filmed the assaults was abducted by
five gunmen at his
Glen View home and found murdered near Mapinga, Banket,
days
later.
MDC supporter, Gift Tandare, a cobbler by profession was shot and
killed
during the demonstrations.
Tsvangirai’s assault and subsequent
arrest forced an emergency meeting by
SADC which forced a raft of electoral
changes and inter party dialogue in
the run up to the 2008
elections.
“Tsvangirai must organise people to demonstrate against
unilateralism.
He can continue engaging SADC but he must not forget that
the real work
must be done here. Mass mobilisation is his biggest option at
the moment,”
said Makumbe.
Makumbe’s remarks come in the wake of the
aborted SADC organ on Defence and
Security meeting which was supposed to
deliberate on the deteriorating
political environment in Zimbabwe which both
Tsvangirai and Mutambara blame
on Mugabe.
Both formations of the MDC
were left fuming after the organ’s chairman,
Zambian President Rupiah Banda
and Mozambican leader Armando Gebuza failed
to attend the meeting in
Gaborone, Botswana.
According to reports, Banda had an engagement in
Brazil and could not make
the meeting on time, leaving both Tsvangirai and
Mutambara seething at the
regional body which had invited them to the
‘summit’.
Both leaders accused SADC of shortchanging them and not
treating the
Zimbabwe situation with the urgency that it deserves.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
22 November
2010
Two weeks ago the country was stunned by the revelations centred on
the
spectacular personal wealth of Local Government Minister Ignatius
Chombo. In
response an award winning and internationally acclaimed actor
will, on
Wednesday, hold a one man demonstration, demanding that MP’s, civil
servants, mayors, councilors and other elected officials must declare their
assets before taking office.
Silvanos Mudzvova told SW Radio Africa
the demonstration will take place in
Harare from the corner of First Street
and Nelson Mandela up to the
Parliament building, at the corner of Third
Street. Mudzvova wants to give a
petition to the Clerk of Parliament,
calling for all the MP’s to craft a law
that will make it mandatory for
office bearers to declare their assets.
The police have sanctioned the
demo, on the condition that Mudzvova gives
them advance copies of the
petition and placards he wants to use. A defiant
Mudzvova however said he
would not be doing this. ‘What will be the essence
of the demo if I release
the information to them before the demo,’ he
queried. His lawyers have also
advised him that he does not require police
clearance, as the Public Order
and Security Act (POSA) only covers
demonstrations by over 15
people.
A determined Mudzvova said it was important for the electorate to
know about
the personal wealth of the people they are voting for, as this
would make it
easier in future to make them accountable for any ill-gotten
wealth. He made
particular mention of politicians involved in shady diamond
deals, saying a
law for assets to be declared would be crucial in tackling
corruption and
other forms of looting.
Monday 22 November 2010
The MDC condemns the dismissal of Bindura
mayor, Daniso Wakatama and another councillor, Christopher Mazembe by Ignatius
Chombo, the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development after a
magistrate’s court acquitted the two on similar charges. What the MDC finds
shocking is that Chombo decides to uphold a ruling from a kangaroo court
presided by a handpicked commission, throwing out a ruling of a competent and
legally constituted court.
If there is anyone who must be fired for
corruption, it is Chombo himself following the recent publication of massive
wealth and property which could only have been corruptly acquired. Chombo’s
dubious commission found Mayor Wakatama guilty of a truly administrative issue
such as collecting revenue from ratepayers and failing to bank it. There is no
way a Mayor of a town can move around the town collecting money from
ratepayers. This is purely a fabricated charge, which should be dismissed with
the contempt it deserves.
After years of Zanu PF maladministration,
corruption and embezzlement of council resources, Chombo and Zanu PF continue to
meddle in the affairs of local authority with limited resources. No amount of
firing and setting up of commissions of inquiries for democratically elected
councils will cleanse Chombo of his grime. His actions are not only politically
motivated, but are a clear evidence of abuse of office to further the interests
of the opposition Zanu PF. He should be stopped immediately from manipulating
the law for selfish Zanu PF projects that affecting service delivery.
The
MDC calls for a spirited campaign against Chombo by all progressive forces. It
is an affront to democracy when Chombo, a senior member of a losing party, Zanu
PF, continues to abuse a public office. Zimbabweans deserve real change. They
want the councillors they elected to deliver quality service and not to be
interfered with by a top politician who is facing serious enquiries on how he
acquired his vast nauseating wealth.
Together, united, winning,
ready for real change!!
--
MDC Information
& Publicity Department
http://www.ipsnews.net
By Ignatius Banda
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Nov
22 , 2010 (IPS) - South African retail giant Pick-‘n-Pay
increased its stake
from 25 to 49 percent in TM Supermarkets – Zimbabwe’s
largest grocer – in
October in a deal worth about 13 million dollars. But,
while the champagne
corks pop in the boardroom, employees are not upbeat.
Companies investing
in Zimbabwe have been met head-on with demands for
salaries that are above
Zimbabwe’s poverty datum line of 462 dollars per
month for a family of five,
as calculated by the Zimbabwe National
Statistical Agency.
While the
Zimbabwean government welcomes South African retail giants’
investments as
"employment creation vehicles", shop assistants and floor
managers working
for these companies say these investments are tainted by
unfair employment
conditions and labour practices.
In 2009, Shoprite employees in Bulawayo
– Zimbabwe’s second largest city and
home to the only Shoprite outlet in the
country - went on strike demanding
salary increases.
Earlier in
November a former manager at Makro retailers won a suit against
his
erstwhile employer for unfair dismissal dating back to 2005.
A retailer
such as Shoprite, with stores in 15 African countries outside
South Africa,
has provided Zimbabwean consumers with fully stocked shelves
and
squeaky-clean aisles during the country’s slow economic
recuperation.
However, its hiring of Zimbabwean workers has not been
characterised by
competitive salaries, workers who spoke to IPS
say.
"Many of us imagined that working for a South African company would
mean
salaries better than workers in other supermarkets but we had to face
the
facts," exclaims Duduzile Moyo*, a Shoprite shop assistant.
"It
is difficult to live on this salary, especially when you know that a
person
doing the same job in South Africa can survive on their salary," Moyo
says,
expressing a common sentiment here among employees working for South
African
firms based in Zimbabwe.
The average salary for a shop assistant in
Zimbabwe is 150 dollars, while
remuneration for the same job reportedly
stands at about 500 dollars in
South Africa.
This discrepancy has
employees here pushing for salaries that meet regional
standards, or at
least those of the country from where these grocery
retailers
originate.
A shop assistant in Bulawayo needs about 100 dollars to cover
transport and
housing per month, compared with the 150 dollars they
earn.
"There is no (adherence to) best practice here. We are happy to
have jobs
because of these South Africans, but that is where it ends for me
because I
still work long hours for low wages," Gill Dube*, a shop assistant
at TM,
points out.
With Pick-‘n-Pay’s recent investment the company
promised to inject new
capital into TM Supermarkets and to do much needed
refurbishment, including
new fittings, generators and point of sale
equipment.
Casual and permanent employees who spoke to IPS however noted
that nothing
was mentioned about improving their working conditions,
ensuring fair labour
practices and paying them a living wage.
It has
been particularly tough for casual workers who complain they have
little or
no protection when facing dismissal. Their contracts can be
terminated
without warning and they also do not enjoy benefits such as
medical
aid.
"There is no pension for casual workers so, if your contract is
terminated,
that is it. You are just as good as someone who never worked,"
Dube laments.
Economist Bernard Guruve says, "it is a difficult line that
these South
African investors have to walk as their employees expect to be
paid the
equivalent of what their colleagues are getting in South Africa but
Zimbabwe
offers a difficult and also different macro-economic
interpretation.
"While the economy itself is stabilising, companies find
they still cannot
match salary demands that meet the poverty datum line --
despite doing
relatively well both here and in the countries where they are
headquartered," Guruve adds.
Many Zimbabwean consumers contend that
the presence of South African grocery
retailers has given them an
opportunity to not only sample South African
products that are cheaper, but
that these retailers offer shoppers choices
that had disappeared during the
country’s recent past of price controls.
"We are happy these South
Africans have been allowed to come in as things
like chicken coming from
South Africa are cheap," insists Duke Banda, a
secondary school
teacher.
"We now get anything from shops like Shoprite that we cannot get
in other
supermarkets, which I think is a positive thing -- for consumers
who have
the money," Banda adds with some circumspection.
However,
local poultry producers have complained, saying they are being
pushed out of
business by cheap South African imports. They continue to
lobby the
government to ban the importation of certain goods, which include
genetically modified products.
*Names withheld due to fear of
reprisal. (END)
http://www.radiovop.com/
22/11/2010
08:47:00
On Saturday we reported that former Daily News Editor Geoff
Nyarota clashed
with the deputy Reserve Bank Governor, Charles Kuwaza over a
story which was
published in The Sunday Times newspaper recently alleging
that Kuwaza's boss
Gideon Gono was involved in an affair with First Lady
Grace Mugabe.
Radio Vop has since established that the man who confronted
Nyarota at the
Quill Press Club was a Mr Gwinyai, the young brother to the
United Kingdom
based journalist Peter Gwinyai not Kuwaza as we reported in
our Saturday
story headlined ‘ Nyarota Clash With Kuwaza At Press
Club.’
We sincerely apologise to both men, Kuwaza and Nyarota for the
error and
embarassment caused to the two men.