International Herald Tribune
The Associated
PressPublished: November 27, 2007
HARARE, Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe
is so short on consumer goods, the government
can't even calculate
inflation, the chief statistician said Tuesday.
Chief statistician Moffat
Nyoni said goods used in calculating the average
inflation basket were not
available in stores across the country and so the
figures, usually issued at
the beginning of each month, would be delayed.
The official inflation was
given last month as 7,982 percent, by far the
highest in the
world.
"There are too many data gaps," he told the state
media.
His office was "now trying to find ways of coming up with the
missing
figures," the daily Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece,
reported.
Zimbabwe suffers runaway prices, chronic unemployment and acute
shortages.
Unofficial estimates say that true inflation based on the
government's
basket of goods at around 15,000 percent and that - taking into
account a
broader range of goods - is closer to 40,000 percent. The
International
Monetary Fund has forecast it reaching 100,000 percent by the
end of the
year.
Corn meal, bread, meat, cooking oil, sugar and other
basic staples used to
measure inflation largely disappeared from stores
after a government order
in June to slash prices of all goods and services
by about half. Producers
said they could not afford to sell their goods at
below the cost of
producing them.
About the only meat-based product on
the shelves is sausages composed of
about one-fourth low grade pork and the
rest cereal. A package of six rose
thirty-fold in price in the past month,
to 20 million Zimbabwe dollars.
Most scarce products are available in
limited quantities on the illegal
black market at up to 10 times the
government's fixed prices. If inflation
was calculated on black market
prices alone it would reach the IMF's
prediction of at least 100,000
percent.
Last month, the central bank offered loans to businesses at 25
percent
interest to restore supplies to shops. Interest of about 500 percent
is
charged on routine commercial bank loans.
But central bank loans
have made little difference to the availability of
basic goods so far, store
managers say.
A strike by court magistrates and state prosecutors
demanding more pay was
in its fourth week Tuesday.
New York Times
By REUTERS
Published: November 27, 2007
Filed at 12:32 p.m.
ET
LISBON (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will attend
a European
Union-Africa summit in December in Lisbon, a spokesman said on
Tuesday,
triggering a boycott of the meeting by British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown.
"We got the invitation last week and we are going," George
Charamba,
Mugabe's spokesman, told Reuters in Mozambique.
Brown told
reporters in London nothing will be gained from dialogue between
Britain and
Mugabe and that the Zimbabwean leader must "take full
responsibility" for
the collapse of his country's economy and society.
"We will not be
prepared to sit down at the same table as Mugabe," Brown
said.
Charamba, Mugabe's spokesman dismissed Britain's objections,
saying: "The
British fear a handshake. We can't expect timid characters to
be where men
are."
The dispute between cast a shadow on the first
meeting between the
continents' leaders in seven years.
Previous
EU-Africa efforts to meet have foundered over whether Mugabe,
accused by the
West of widespread human rights violations but who Africa
sees as an
independence hero, should be invited.
Pressed by rising competition from
China in Africa, the EU is determined
that this year's summit on December
8-9 should take place, in part to
solidify its position as Africa's largest
trading partner.
A spokesman for Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said
he would fly to
Zimbabwe on Wednesday to meet Mugabe to try to resolve the
dispute between
Harare and London.
"President Wade's visit is in the
framework of the Lisbon summit because in
order for the summit to be a
success, it is necessary for everyone to be
there," presidential spokeswoman
Fatou Tandian told Reuters in Dakar.
TOUGH MESSAGE
Portugal has
come under fire from human rights activists for the invitation
to Mugabe,
but African leaders have said they would not attend the Lisbon
meeting if
Zimbabwe were excluded.
Western critics accuse Mugabe of ruining
Zimbabwe's economy, rigging
elections and violently suppressing
opposition.
Mugabe denies he has wrecked the economy with policies such
as seizing
white-owned farms for blacks with little experience, and he
blames Western
pressure -- notably former colonial power Britain -- for
hyperinflation and
hunger.
The EU agreed earlier this month to send a
"clear and tough" message to
Mugabe on human rights at the summit.
In
Brussels, an EU source said Portugal would formally notify member states
this week that it would waive an EU visa ban to enable Mugabe and his senior
aides to travel to Portugal.
Under a deal agreed in the EU, no member
state was expected to object
despite Britain's misgivings, he
said.
Only Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek would join Brown in
staying away.
Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, which had hesitated, have
informed the
Portuguese presidency that their prime ministers will attend,
the EU source
added.
The EU presidency spokeswoman, who confirmed
Mugabe would attend, said the
full list of attendees was still not
available.
The EU source said a plan to send an EU special envoy to study
the situation
in Zimbabwe would not be carried out until after the summit to
avoid any
risk of undermining South African President Thabo Mbeki's efforts
to broker
a deal between Mugabe and opposition parties on holding free
elections next
year.
Portugal's Foreign Minister Luis Amado, who
invited Mugabe, recently said he
would prefer him not to come because his
presence could distract from the
essential point of the summit.
"We
deeply regret that what is being done to innovate and truly transform
the
relationship between Europe and Africa is being dampened by some
obsession
by the media around the president of Zimbabwe," Joao Cravinho,
Portuguese
secretary of state for foreign affairs, told TSF radio in
Lisbon.
(Reporting by Paul Taylor in Brussels, Axel Bugge in Lisbon,
Sophie Walker
in London, and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Mozambique, editing by
Mary Gabriel)
Reuters
Tue 27 Nov
2007, 17:03 GMT
By Diadie Ba
DAKAR, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Senegalese
President Abdoulaye Wade will fly to
Zimbabwe on Wednesday for talks with
President Robert Mugabe in an attempt
to resolve a row between Harare and
London which threatens to derail a
EU-Africa summit next month.
Wade
will fly to Zimbabwe for a 48-hour visit after British Prime Minister
Gordon
Brown said on Tuesday he would boycott the planned Dec. 8-9 Lisbon
summit
because Mugabe would be there, a spokeswoman said.
"President Wade's
visit is in the framework of the Lisbon summit because in
order for the
summit to be a success, it is necessary for everyone to be
there,"
presidential spokeswoman Fatou Tandian told Reuters on Tuesday.
The
Senegalese leader, a critic of South African efforts to resolve the
political crisis in Zimbabwe, has called for an active role for other
African leaders in negotiations between Mugabe and his domestic opponents.
Wade had originally planned to visit Zimbabwe last month, but the trip was
postponed.
A grouping of southern African nations has mandated South
Africa's Thabo
Mbeki to secure a deal on constitutional reform between
Mugabe and the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) ahead of
presidential and
parliamentary polls in March.
However Wade, who has
sparred with Mbeki for leadership on continental
issues, said the whole of
Africa shared the responsibility to prevent the
collapse of
Zimbabwe.
Once the bread basket of southern Africa, the country suffers
chronic food
and fuel shortages, 80 percent unemployment and the world's
highest
inflation rate, topping 8,000 percent.
Mugabe accuses the
West, and particularly former colonial power Britain, of
conspiring to ruin
his government as revenge for Zimbabwe's seizure of
white-owned
farms.
Brown, a leading advocate of debt-relief to Africa, has sharply
criticised
Mugabe for rights abuses during his 27-year rule and said he
would boycott
next month's EU-Africa summit, the first in seven years, if
the Zimbabwe
leader attended.
The dispute raises heckles in Africa,
where many still regard Mugabe as an
independence hero for his part in
toppling the white-minority government of
Ian Smith, who died last
week.
Mbeki, who praised Mugabe's support for the struggle against
apartheid in
South Africa, said recently he was very confident his mediation
would
resolve Zimbabwe's crisis. The MDC, which has accused Mugabe of
intimidation
and election rigging, also expressed optimism last week that
the talks could
succeed.
Wade's announcement of his mediation trip
comes a week after Mbeki cancelled
a working visit to Senegal at the last
minute, citing a diary clash with a
Commonwealth summit in Uganda. (Writing
by Daniel Flynn; editing by Alistair
Thomson and Mary Gabriel)
Reuters
Tue 27
Nov 2007, 13:45 GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE, Nov 27 (Reuters) -
Zimbabwe will present its budget on Thursday, an
annual ritual which
analysts say is an increasingly futile attempt to halt
an economic crisis
blamed on President Robert Mugabe's policies.
The southern African nation
is caught in an economic meltdown that has left
four of five adult
Zimbabweans jobless, battling the world's highest
inflation rate and
shortages of fuel, electricity, foreign currency and
food.
United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN World Food
Programme
have said at least four million Zimbabweans -- a third of the
population --
will require food aid early next year.
Finance Minister Samuel
Mumbengegwi returns to parliament on Thursday with
the 2008 budget, just two
months after unveiling a supplementary budget for
2007 to augment earlier
allocations eroded by rampant inflation.
He added 26.4 trillion Zimbabwe
dollars ($880 million at the official
exchange rate but $18.9 million on the
black market) to the initial Z$6.2
trillion budget that was exhausted by
June. Ministries had asked for Z$255
trillion.
Zimbabwe's inflation
is nearly 8,000 percent. Economic analysts say the
budget has ceased to have
any real impact on the economy -- which has shrunk
by over 40 percent since
2000 -- and was now merely an event to dole out
funds to
ministries.
"One can certainly expect them to come out throwing money in
all
directions," economic consultant John Robertson said.
"Success
doesn't materialise simply because you're throwing money at your
problems.
We need a radical change in policies that restore investor
confidence and if
I were the minister I'd urge government to abandon its
recent political
decisions."
EMPTY SHELVES
Robertson said it was almost
impossible for the government to reverse the
decline, with investor
confidence further dented by the proposed transfer of
foreign-owned firms,
including mines and banks, to black Zimbabweans.
The move follows a
disastrous attempt to curb runaway prices in June.
Mugabe imposed a
freeze on prices, resulting in empty shelves in shops and
shortages of basic
goods, while several businesses drastically reduced
operations to avoid
losses.
Robertson added the government could not continue trying to dig
its way out
of the crisis by printing money.
Central bank governor
Gideon Gono has said printing money was the country's
"last line of defence"
in the absence of external sources of funding for a
government that has
faced international isolation over charges of human
rights abuses and
economic mismanagement.
Critics say the government set itself overly
optimistic targets in previous
budgets, making official forecasts
meaningless.
In the last budget the government predicted inflation would
decline from
above 1,000 percent to between 350 and 400 percent.
In
contrast, record inflation has helped raise social tensions.
The
country's main labour body, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU),
has called two nationwide strikes this year, while government
employees have
repeatedly downed tools to demand higher wages.
The ZCTU wants tax cuts
to ease pressure on hard-pressed workers.
"We also propose that the
maximum tax rate be pegged at 30 percent (from 47
percent)," the ZCTU said
in a statement.
Mugabe, who denies mismanaging the economy and says
western nations opposed
to his rule have sabotaged it, has staked recovery
on the agriculture
sector, which his government has extensively supported
through special loans
and subsidies.
Analysts say the veteran leader,
who is running for re-election next year
against a weak and divided
opposition, is under pressure to stop the
economic slide and placate an
increasingly restive population ahead of the
vote
Yahoo News
By ANGUS SHAW, Associated
Press Writer 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's
government newspaper offered a chilly,
racially tinged welcome Tuesday to
the new U.S. envoy.
In his column in The Herald, a government mouthpiece,
political editor
Caesar Zvayi said James McGee had criticized Zimbabwe's
democratic and human
rights record in statements to the U.S. Senate before
his arrival and, as an
appointee of U.S. President George W. Bush, was
likely "to turn out to be
the house Negro." McGee is black.
McGee, who
began his assignment in Harare last week after formally
presenting his
diplomatic credentials to President Robert Mugabe, declined
to respond to
Zvayi's remarks.
Though "one of our own, at least as far as skin color is
concerned," McGee
was a Vietnam veteran who earned three flying medals for
"bombing hapless
villagers" there, Zvayi wrote.
But "Zimbabwe
welcomes the Son of McGee and hopes he will not shame the
ancestors in whose
loins he crossed the Atlantic to his adopted home," Zvayi
continued.
During his Senate confirmation hearings in September,
McGee said Zimbabwe
was "suffering under authoritarian misrule," and said he
would work for
peaceful change.
"Abandoning the people of Zimbabwe to
the worst effects of their
government's misrule is not in America's
interests," he said.
McGee's predecessor, Christopher Dell, also had been
a sharp critic of
Mugabe's government.
In a farewell interview before
taking up a post in Afghanistan after three
years in Zimbabwe, Dell told an
independent newspaper that the government
was "doing regime change to
itself" through economic mismanagement.
Mail and Guardian
Johannesburg, South Africa
27 November
2007 08:47
Cross-border traders from Zimbabwe intending to
travel to South
Africa for business may now be eligible for a 12-month
multiple entry
permit, the state controlled Herald reported on
Tuesday.
A permit would be granted as long as they belonged
to a bona
fide association or a body representing small and medium-scale
enterprises,
the newspaper said.
"They must also have
proof of sufficient financial means
equivalent to R2 000, and a passport
valid for not less than 30 days after
the expiry of the permit," the
newspaper said.
Each visit should not exceed 30 days for
permits valid for
entries of more than 12 months.
If the
stipulated requirements are met, the permit may be
acquired within five
working days, the Herald reported.
Before this arrangement,
cross-border traders were being treated
as ordinary visitors and were
finding it difficult to conduct their
business, the report
said.
"But this multiple entry permit gives them a status
better than
that of an ordinary visitor."
Principal chief
immigration officer Clemence Masango told the
paper that he had received
official confirmation from SA.
"As immigration officials, we
are, however, yet to meet the
South African officials to discuss the
implementation modalities of this
cross-border traders' facility," he
said.
A letter written by the South African national
immigration
branch to Masango read, in part: "Please be informed that in
consultation
with head office [national immigration branch in Pretoria,
South Africa], it
has been agreed that the following requirements will
suffice to issue
permits to members of the Zimbabwe Cross-border Traders'
Association and/or
SMEs [small and medium enterprises].
"In the absence of proof of membership [of the Cross-border
Traders'
Association or an association of SMEs], every person in the street
will
declare themselves as ware traders. In order to curb abuse of this
dispensation, please furnish us [South African embassy] with a list of names
and membership numbers.
"Your register should collate
with records to suit the embassy."
The development followed
talks between the two countries two
weeks ago under the Joint Permanent
Commission on Defence and Security in
South Africa, the paper said. -
Sapa
Afrique en Ligne
Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's state-owned power utility
company said
on Monday it had paid Mozambique USD28 million in electricity
debt,
prompting the country to increase supplies.
Ben Rafemoyo,
Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority (ZESA), said
the debt was cleared recently, and as a result
Mozambique had increased
power supplies by 100 megawatts.
Mozambique and other regional
countries supply 35 per cent of
Zimbabwe's electricity needs, but are not
paid promptly due to the economic
crisis in the country.
The
slow payment has forced some countries, including South Africa and
Mozambique, to reduce electricity supplies to Zimbabwe.
"It's
true, we have reduced the debt substantially as of last month
and currently
we are working on doing the same with South Africa, Zambia and
the
Democratic Republic of Congo," Rafemoyo said.
He said ZESA was
negotiating with Mozambique to increase supplies by
another 100
megawatts.
The country is experiencing severe power shortages and
carries out
extensive rationing.
Harare - 26/11/2007
Panapress
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
26 November
2007
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono has
announced that he will
soon impose a limit on the amount of cash which
individuals and businesses
can deposit in bank accounts in a move seen as
preparatory to issuing a new
currency.
Gono said he wants cash to
flow out of parallel markets for currency and
goods back into the banking
system, which in recent days has experienced
cash shortages.
The
state-controlled Herald newspaper said that that effective December 1,
individuals will be allowed to deposit just Z$50 million (US$35) in cash per
day without explaining its source, while small businesses will be allowed to
deposit Z$200 million a day.
Businesses which handle large amounts of
cash will be allowed to deposit Z$1
billion dollars a day. Businesses
seeking to deposit more than those
prescribed amounts will be asked to
submit evidence to prove the excess
arose from legal
activities.
Central bank sources said some Z$30 trillion, or 51% of the
total cash in
circulation, is held outside the banking system in which some
Z$28 trillion
in cash is held.
Gono has warned time is running out
for the "cash barons" he accuses of
withholding cash from the banking
system, but has refused to say when a new
currency will be launched. A
previous currency exchange took place in August
2006, but inflation running
at some 15,000% annually has made ordinary
transactions
arduous.
Director Godfrey Kanyenze of the Labor and Economic Development
Research
Institute told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that
Gono should not attack the so-called cash barons as his own
monetary
misdeeds are greater.
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
26 November
2007
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF
party is staging what it
calls a "million-man march" on Friday in support of
his re-election, taking
charge of a campaign that was previously in the
hands of liberation war
veterans.
ZANU-PF Political Commissar Elliot
Manyika announced that Mr. Mugabe will
address the marchers at the Zimbabwe
Grounds in Highfield, a populous suburb
of Harare that in March saw a deadly
confrontation between the opposition
and police, leading to the arrest and
beating of opposition leaders,
sparking international outrage.
It was
unclear whether those in the ruling party who selected the venue
appreciated
the symbolism of staging the Mugabe re-election rally in
Highfield.
Though the march is intended to prove Mr. Mugabe is
strongly supported,
sources in the ruling party say he was obliged to give
way to fierce
internal pressure for the party to take over organization of
the march from
the war veterans who have been staging such demonstrations in
the provinces
under the leadership of Jabulani Sibanda.
Sources in
the ruling party said a number of top ZANU-PF officials told Mr.
Mugabe they
would refuse to join the rally if it was directed by Sibanda,
who has
acquired numerous political enemies, especially in the Matabeleland
provinces.
Analyst Glen Mpani told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's
Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that President Mugabe had to acquiesce as he is
fighting for his
political survival.
Financial Times
Published: November 27 2007 02:00 | Last updated: November 27 2007
02:00
From Geoffrey Van Orden MEP.
Sir, President Thabo Mbeki of
South Africa could give Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe no better piece of advice
(report, November 23) than to stay away
from the European Union-Africa
summit on December 8. Every year since 2002
the European Union Council has
voted unanimously to ban him and more than
100 other key regime figures from
setting foot in Europe. But the Portuguese
tell me that their government
invited President Mugabe to the summit last
week. When he replies, they will
then try to find a way round the ban.
This is a disgraceful approach. It
sets at nought the terrible sufferings
imposed by a despotic regime on a
helpless people. It ignores the very
crimes that made sanctions necessary in
the first place, and contradicts the
EU's own position.
There is
little point in even thinking of an EU-Africa summit if the
overriding
necessity of promoting good governance in Africa is so casually
cast
aside.
It is not surprising that many in Britain regard the EU's efforts
at
assuming a meaningful role on the world stage as at best empty posturing,
at
worst cynical pursuit of someone else's foreign policy
interests.
Geoffrey Van Orden,
Conservative Spokesman on Defence and
Security,
European Parliament
By
Tichaona Sibanda
27 November 2007
The country is far away from staging
free and fair elections because voters
in Zimbabwe still don't enjoy broad
freedom to criticize government, to
publish their criticism and to present
alternatives, according to a
political analyst.
The government
recently published new electoral laws that it said would
provide a better
electoral framework. But Cape Town based political analyst
Glen Mpani said
only when the ruling Zanu-PF regime guarantees basic human
rights, values
tolerance, allows equality before the law and the due process
of law, will
people talk of free and fair elections.
Mpani told Newsreel on Tuesday that
despite a glimmer of hope resulting from
the ongoing SADC sponsored talks
there was still a dangerous climate of
hatred between Zanu-PF and MDC
leaders and their respective supporters to
allow for a political climate
conducive of elections. He said politicians
should instead tolerate one
another and acknowledge that each has a
legitimate and important role to
play.
'Whatever happens at the talks, we would still fall short of holding
free
and fair elections. There is little time left to implement the new
electoral
laws. The problem in the country is we have a regime that wants to
rush to
stage an election to give its rule the aura of legitimacy. In such
elections, you get only one candidate with no alternative choices from a
failed government. And through intimidation or rigging that candidate is
chosen. That's not what you call a democratic election,' Mpani
said.
He explained that opposition parties and candidates must enjoy
freedom of
speech, assembly, and movement and be allowed to voice their
criticisms of
the government openly. This provides alternative policies and
candidates to
the voters.
In Zimbabwe's case simply permitting the
opposition access to the ballot is
not enough. An election, in which the
opposition is barred from the media
and has its rallies banned, is not
democratic.
'To be fair to the mediation process, on paper the electoral
laws have
improved but we still have to witness any changes in the political
climate
on the ground. The violence is still there, the opposition is not
being
allowed to hold rallies and they are not getting any coverage from the
state
media,' Mpani said.
SW Radio Africa
Zimbabwe news
By
Tererai Karimakwenda
27 November, 2007
In a surprise move that caught
the police unaware, about 1,000 members of
Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise
marched through the central district of
Bulawayo on Tuesday to mark the
beginning of '16 Days of Activism Against
Gender Violence.' This is a global
event commemorating the rights of women.
The world theme for 2007 is
"Demanding Implementation, Challenging
Obstacles: End Violence Against
Women."
WOZA coordinator Jenni Williams said there were no police officers at
the
Bulawayo High Court, which was their starting point, and due to the
element
of surprise they completed their route to the Government Complex at
Mhlahlandlela before a senior police official approached.
The Officer
Commanding Bulawayo Central Station ordered the group to
disperse saying the
official government launch is on Wednesday and they
should come back then.
But he did not give any details as to where this
official launch was due to
take place.
Williams said: "We would want to know what exactly is going
to be discussed
at the official launch when we didn't know about it
beforehand and whether
we will be allowed to address people and speak the
truth about this violence
in different forms, including the violence of
refusing to allow people to
buy food. The price controls is another form of
violence. We would want to
speak about all those issues."
Jenni said
despite the fact that the Zimbabwe government has passed a
Domestic Violence
Bill, it becomes meaningless when it does not translate
into action. She
added: "Our members are continually harassed. They continue
to visit me at
my home. They continue to follow me around town. These things
end up
meaningless if they are not going to give activists like myself space
to
work on the ground."
The occasion coincided with the anniversary of the
group's launch of the
People's Charter on 29th November last year. On that
day riot police
brutally assaulted hundreds of WOZA at Mhlahlandlela. One of
the founders of
WOZA, the late Maria Moyo, was a leaders of this protest
last year. Sadly
she passed away recently due to ill health, exacerbated by
the trauma of
being abducted and tortured by
police.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Henry
Makiwa
27 November 2007
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has
accepted a mediatory role in the
diplomatic impasse between Britain and
Zimbabwe, his office has said.
Museveni assumed the responsibility
following a request from British Prime
Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday.
Brown reportedly made the request during a
meeting on the sidelines of the
just-ended Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) in Uganda's
capital, Kampala.
Observers have however expressed doubts that the
proposed initiative will
yield anything, given the warm friendship between
Mugabe and Museveni, with
many questioning his impartiality in handling the
issue.
Museveni is largely dismissed as a dictator by the opposition in
Uganda. He
has been pushing for the establishment of a de facto one-party
state system
called "the Movement".
We are reliably informed that
Museveni promised to facilitate talks between
Zimbabwe and Britain and
ensure that Robert Mugabe restores democracy and
the rule of law. Museveni
made the assertions as he assumed his new role as
the Commonwealth
chairman.
Nonetheless, history rules against investing much hope in the
arrangement
given Mugabe's track record as a man who does not negotiate and
one who is
intent on holding on to power.
Speaking from Kampala,
Museveni's spokesman Tamale Mirundi said British
Premier Brown promised to
assist Mugabe in repairing the country's destroyed
economy, if he observed
democratic principles.
He said: "The President (Museveni) said that in
his capacity as Commonwealth
chair, he can influence President Mugabe
because previously he had no
capacity to involve himself in Zimbabwean
politics. The plus in all this is
that Mugabe is good friends with Mr.
Museveni as well. Mr. Brown told us
that Britain was willing to participate
in the rehabilitation of Zimbabwe's
economy if Mr Mugabe restores order in
Zimbabwe. But Mr. Museveni also
pointed out that Zimbabwe's concerns need to
be appreciated."
Mugabe blames Britain for the country's crisis, accusing
the former colonial
power of reneging on its role to facilitate land
redistribution and
sabotaging industry and commerce. But it is well
documented that Zimbabwe's
current crisis has been created by nothing more
than bad governance and
endemic corruption.
SW Radio
Africa Zimbabwe news
Business Day
27 November 2007
Tendai
Tangireni
CAJ News
HARARE - Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu (PF) party still
manipulates
food supplies for political gain, says a nongovernmental
group.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), a coalition of civic
groups,
says the government uses traditional leaders to deny suspected
members of
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) access to
grain.
The ZPP says in a report, Partisan Distribution of
Food and
Other Forms of Aid, that people without Zanu (PF) cards are
routinely denied
food from the state-controlled Grain Marketing
Board.
"Traditional leaders, councillors and community food
committees
mostly recommended by Zanu (PF) leaders orchestrated the removal
of
nonruling party members from the list of beneficiaries." Beneficiaries
had
to "chant ruling party slogans and to produce party affiliation cards
before
receiving food".
ZPP recorded 267 cases of
partisan food distribution. About 70%
of those denied food were members of
the MDC, 8% from Zanu (PF), and 19%
were not affiliated to any political
party.
The Famine Early Warning System Network says nearly
4,1-million
people will need food aid in the 2007-08 agricultural season
before the main
harvest next year.
Even Zanu (PF)
supporters are falling victim to partisan food
distribution. Those not
attending political gatherings are dropped from
beneficiary lists. "Some of
the victims from Zanu (PF) were mostly
victimized by fellow Zanu (PF)
supporters on allegations of nonattendance at
meetings," says the
report.
Other forms of aid, says the report, have focused
on provision
of antiretroviral drugs for people living with HIV/AIDS and
education
assistance for orphaned and vulnerable children.
VOA
By Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye
Washington
26
November 2007
Some HIV-positive Zimbabweans fending off AIDS
with the help of
antiretroviral drugs say they have started to receive
pharmaceuticals whose
expiration date has passed, and express concern that
such drugs may
undermine their struggle to survive.
Justice Mapfumo
of Bulawayo said he and others in the government program in
which he is
enrolled have been receiving expired antiretrovirals since last
month.
He told reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye of VOA's Studio 7
for Zimbabwe
that he hopes officials will address this issue as he fears his
health may
be on the line.
Washington-based HIV/AIDS research and
policy consultant Frank Guni said it
would be of considerable concern if
Zimbabweans were receiving outdated
drugs.
Taking antiretroviral
drugs which have lost potency could promote the
emergence of HIV strains
which are resistant to those particular drugs, said
Guni, urging those who
are given outdated pharmaceuticals to seek the advice
of a qualified
physician.
zimbabwejournalists.com
26th Nov 2007 23:46 GMT
By Chenjerai Chitsaru
YOWERI Museveni,
the president of Uganda, is probably not every African's
favourite
leader.
To some, his record is comparable to that of our own president.
In fact,
when Museveni visited Zimbabwe, the two leaders seemed to enjoy a
particularly close relationship.
Last week, Museveni hosted CHOGM,
the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting, attended by most members
through their presidents.
The Queen and her son, Prince Charles, graced
the occasion and were feted
lavishly by Museveni.
What political and
economic benefits Uganda reaped from hosting this
glittering occasion may
yet be determined. But it would be amazing if, on
both fronts, Uganda and
Museveni did not gain something tangible.
It's now four years since
President Robert Mugabe, in what his critics have
called a fit of rage or
pique, pulled the country out of the Commonwealth.
In Abuja , the
multiracial group had decided to lift its suspension of
Zimbabwe "from the
councils" of the Commonwealth over its
"anti-Commonwealth" conduct of the
presidential election in 2002.
"We don't need you, anyway," Mugabe is
said to be snorted after declaring
his country out of the so-called "Club".
Yet there are reports that there
have been overtures on either side for a
dialogue that could lead to the
re-admission of the delinquent Zimbabwe into
the 53-member group, which
represents two billion people around the
world.
Looking at Museveni and Uganda, some critics of the Commonwealth
might
conclude that the reason for Zimbabwe's suspension were distinctly
lightweight when juxtaposed with the political situation in
Uganda.
For decades, Museveni has waged a bloody war against his
compatriots, known
as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRS). To this day,
attempts at ending the
conflict through dialogue have proved
fruitless.
Even during the summit itself last week, opposition groups in
Uganda staged
protests against Museveni and there were injuries.
But
not one African member has as much as expressed disquiet over Museveni's
running of his country.
There has been no public criticism of the
Commonwealth by the Zimbabwe
government so far, which itself could be
indicative of a reluctance to muddy
the waters, in case there is an attempt
at reconciliation.
There is now no doubt that even Mugabe appreciates
that Zimbabwe needs the
Commonwealth more than the multiracial body needs
it. Not one African or
Asian member has left the group since 2003, in
solidarity with Zimbabwe.
So, politically, Zimbabwe has gained nothing
from the pullout.
Economically, it cannot have escaped Mugabe and Zanu PF's
attention, in many
ways, that the economic problems they have inflicted on
the country with
their bull-in-a-china-shop policies would have been dealt
with positively if
they had called for help from fellow members of the
Commowealth - if they
had not pulled out.
The Commonwealth has
many
councils dealing with almost every sector of the economy and politics.
All
members are entitled to seek the help of these councils, whether it is
medicine, agriculture, the law, science, education, the media and
sport.
For instance, the seemingly endless problems with electricity and
water
would have been tackled diligently if the country had appealed to
fellow
members of the group for assistance.
It is ironic that,
although there must have been similar appeals to fellow
members of the
Southern African Development Community, on these specific
fronts, we still
remain mired in darkness and thirst.
There have been minor improvements,
but the overall picture remains bleak.
There has never been any doubt that
membership of the Commonwealth is of
great benefit to its
members.
Apart from the political clout of belonging to a grouping
representing two
billion people in the world, there is the opportunity to
interact with both
developed and developing countries.
Worthwhile
lessons in politics, economics and the development ethos can be
gleaned from
such regular contacts.
International advances in medicine, law, science,
architecture and
agriculture can be at members' disposal as the Commonwealth
boasts of
citizens who have won Nobel prizes in all those fields.
Of
course, there has always been the criticism that the Commonwealth is no
more
than "a club", during which heads of state exchange ideas or even make
decisions on weighty matters, but are not bound by any written convention to
abide by them.
But it is more than just the camaraderie stemming from
the usage of one
language, English, among the member-states. It surely must
be the
recognition of the strength in numbers and the fact that there are
members
on every continent.
CHOGM has been held in every continent in
the world, including Zimbabwe in
the mid-1980s, during which there was
crafted the Harare Declaration.
Incidentally, there was a time when Zimbabwe
was proud of this declaration,
which bore the name of its
capital.
What soured relations between the country and its fellow members
was the
impunity with which Zanu PF cheated its opponents in the elections,
beginning with the watershed one in 2000. Not many neutral observations have
argued against the charge by the opposition and others that had the 2000
election campaign and the poll itself been free and fair, Zanu PF would have
lost.
It is quite often forgotten that there were 40 deaths during
that election
campaign, two of the most prominent casualities being Talent
Mabika and
Tichaona Chiminya.
The 2002 presidential election was no
better.
After the suspension from the Commonwealth, the government was
expected to
take measures to indicate that it appreciated the criticism and
was
determined that, in future, it would rectify the
anomalies.
Unfortunately, Zanu PF reacted with customary arrogance: "go
to hell" was
its unmistakable response. It is also true that Mugabe had no
idea of the
extent of the embarrassment and disappointment among erstwhile
supporters
over the contempt with which the government reacted to the
suspension.
If he and Zanu PF had expected a lifting of the suspension in
Abuja in 2003,
then it is fair to say that they were so wrapped up in their
own sense of
self-righteousness they were blinded to the reality of
bitterness among
former colleagues.
Zimbabwe should return to the
Commonwealth. It belongs to the Commonwealth
and, in the proper
circumstances, would be a model member: it is still a
multiracial society
and can still channel the energies of all its citizens
towards the
construction of a democratic, prosperous, self-respecting and
respectable
nation.
Looking at what tragedy has befallen the country since 2000, it
is difficult
to perceive of such a transformation taking place for it to be
recognized as
the same politically and economically stable country that it
was before
2000.
The economic and political turmoil has had a
tremendous impact on the people's
spirit. In all sectors, there is a feeling
of despair, in spite of the
constant calls for solidarity and unity by
Mugabe himself and even the
governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,
Gideon Gono, whose role is
increasingly becoming more and more political
than economic.
Where Murambatsvina was the nadir of the government's
contempt for urban
dwellers, perceived as supporters of the opposition
parties, the price blitz
was another example of how contemptuous the
government is of industry and
commerce and every potential
entrepreneur.
What that reckless and impotent endeavour to fight the
curse of
hyperinflation did to the country's potential to attract foreign
investment
is probably incalculable.
For Mugabe and Zanu PF to even
contemplate a return to the Commonwealth
would entail an acceptance of a
change in leadership and a change in the
style of governance. If the
elections in 2008 bear the true hallmarks of a
free and fair choice by the
voters, there could be a chance of change.
Yet knowing how Zanu PF is
frightened of losing power, particularly to what
they believe to be a
"British puppet" party, the MDC, another rigged poll
seems inevitable -
unless people like President Thabo Mbeki now accept that
Mugabe and Zanu PF
can now make not one contribution to Zimbabwe's return to
what it was before
2000.
27 November 2007,
The Combined
Harare Residents Association (CHRA) rejects with contempt the
ongoing
cosmetic budget consultations being carried out by the Commission
running
the City of Harare. It is folly for the City of Harare to conduct
budget
consultations when it is already implementing its 2008 budget. The
Association will participate in these consultations and will mobilize its
members to do so. The Association will however only participate to emphasize
that the process is flawed and illegitimate. Our members will send a clear
message to all the delegations from the Commission that they are opposed to
the process.
We reject the consultations for the following
reasons.
The Association is convinced on the illegality of the
Commission. It has
been reappointed over six times against the law. The
Urban councils Act
(Chapter 29:15) stipulates the maximum period a
commission can serve. The
courts of law have on various occasions declared
it illegal. Note the
Justice Sandura case, the Justice Kamocha case
etc.
The City of Harare is already implementing its proposed rates.
Several CHRA
members have reported cases in which municipal clinics are
charging the new
fees. It was also reported that the new parking fees of
$100 000 was already
being implemented. It is useless then to consult
residents on a budget that
is already in implementation.
The
Commission running City of Harare has a history of implementing its
budgets
without taking due cogniscence of process. In the last two years
budgets
have been implemented well before the lapse of the mandatory 30 day
consultation period. Consultations are now more of a formality as opposed to
being part of the entire budgetary process.
There is no taxation
without representation. CHRA demands the holding of
free and fair elections
for the Mayor and Councilors. We demand leaders who
are accountable to the
people and who will monitor how residents resources
are properly
spent.
The Association is mobilizing and conscientising its membership to
reject
the illegal commission and its illegitimate budget processes. CHRA is
also
running budget literacy workshops which aim at capacitating residents
with a
better understanding on the due process of budget formulation. CHRA
continues to advocate for effective, transparent and accountable local
governance. We seek to enhance the participation of residents in the
formulation of local governance policies and in the public budget making
process.
Farai Barnabas Mangodza
Chief Executive
Officer
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
145 Robert Mugabe
Way
Exploration House, Third Floor
Harare
ceo@chra.co.zw
www.chra.co.zw
Landline: 00263- 4-
705114
Contacts: Mobile: 0912638401, 011443578, 011862012 or email info@chra.co.zw,
programs@chra.co.zw and admin@chra.co.zw
26 November 2007,
In the past week CHRA focused more on the
2008 City of Harare budget
consultations. CHRA mobilized its members to
participate in the ongoing
budget consultations by the Commission running
the City of Harare. The
participation will however be meant to send a
message that the commission is
illegal and has no mandate to budget on
behalf of residents. The budget
making process is flawed as the Commission
is already implementing the
proposed rates.
In view of the local
governance situation CHRA reports deterioration in the
electricity power
situation in Harare. Most suburbs continue to be hit by
daily power cuts, a
situation that has made life difficult. Residents around
Mount Pleasant
report daily cuts while Mbare reports daily 15 hour power
cuts. Generally,
most residential suburbs continue to report deterioration
in the power
situation. This is however in contrast to reports by ZEDC
(Power Company)
that over 28 million United States dollars in debt had been
paid resulting
in increases in power supplies. CHRA will continue to monitor
the power
situation to see if there are any improvements.
The water situation has
also worsened especially in Mabvuku and Tafara. Some
areas that were
receiving erratic supplies of bi-weekly are reporting that
there has been no
water in the past week. The current rains will not improve
the situation as
the water problems result from shortages in purification
chemicals. ZINWA
has no financial capacity to purify sufficient water to
cater for the
residents in Harare. The City of Bulawayo has threatened to
decommission one
of the dams supplying Bulawayo owing to low levels of
water. The rain
situation is expected to improve the water supply in
Bulawayo.
The
waste management system in the City of Harare continued on a downward
trend.
There are numerous reports of uncollected refuse in most parts of
Harare.
More reports are coming from Mbare, Glen View and Kuwadzana.
Residents fear
that there might be disease outbreaks as the rain season has
started in
earnest.
In the past week CHRA compiled these stories that reflect the
local
governance situation. We continue to welcome your comments on how we
can
improve this weekly update.
zimbabwe: agency irrelevant if it is not
pro-active
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
the harare city council is not
doing a very good job of adhering to its own
by-laws. a few weeks ago, the
local authority was fined an undisclosed sum
for ...
See all stories on
this topic
Zimbabwe: Pollution Sees Water Treatment Costs
Rise
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
In addition to this, pollution of Lake
Chivero has compromised the quality
of the water consumed by Harare
residents. However, in early October, ...
See all stories on this
topic
Zimbabwe: landlord demand groceries as rent
www.thestandard.co.zw
Landlords in
the Midlands have devised new forms of rent payment for their
tenants as a
way of beating the continued erosion of the Zimbabwe dollar:
groceries.
Zimbabwe: Bulawayo warns it could decommission dam.
www.zimonline.co.za
BULAWAYO - Bulawayo
city council says it could be forced to decommission one
of last two dams
supplying water to city
Zimbabwe: Zesa reduces debt
www.herald.co.zw
ZESA holdings has
substantially reduced its debt..
Farai Barnabas Mangodza
Chief
Executive Officer
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
145 Robert
Mugabe Way
Exploration House, Third Floor
Harare
ceo@chra.co.zw
www.chra.co.zw
Landline: 00263- 4-
705114
Contacts: Mobile: 0912638401, 011443578, 011862012 or email info@chra.co.zw,
programs@chra.co.zw and admin@chra.co.zw
Magamba! & LNM
Entertainment
Present
MAKE SOME NOISE! A Concert For Freedom In
Zimbabwe
Press Release
Saturday 8th December
7pm till
late
Bassline, Jo'burg
CC: R30
On Saturday 8th December Jo'burg
will see the explosion of MAKE SOME NOISE!
The Concert aims to raise
awareness about the crisis in Zimbabwe and the
suffering that South Africa's
neighbours are going through. The Concert aims
to galvanise the South
African public into putting pressure on their
government to be a positive
force for change in Zimbabwe. The Concert also
hopes to bring together the
many asylum seekers and human rights defenders
in the country to strengthen
their networks. The Concert is a joint
initiative between Magamba!, a
Zimbabwean network of artists struggling for
freedom, and LNM Entertainment,
one of Jo'burgs top musical promotion
companies.
Being held at the
Bassline, one of Joburg's premier live music venues, MAKE
SOME NOISE! will
feature some of Zimbabwe and South Africa's most explosive
artists. From
South Africa there will be top names such as the popular rap
poet, Lesego
Rampolokeng and the emerging Reggae Rock sensation, Steady
Rock. Also
confirmed to grace the stage is South Africa's new Hip Hop
maestro,
Blindfold, who's hit song has been number one on YFM for three
weeks. To
round up the South African team is DJ Kenzero, one of Jo'burg's
finest Hip
Hop DJs who always brings a crowd with him.
The Concert will be blessed
by the performance of Chiwoniso, one of
Zimbabwe's most popular artists.
Chiwoniso has toured the world with her
powerful mbira music and has won
numerous international music awards
including the Radio France Award and the
International Song-writing
Competition Award. Also from Zimbabwe will be
Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka,
Zimbabwe's leading protest band. Comrade
Fatso has performed his rebel
poetry across the world and has built up a
following in South African poetry
circles. The controversial poet will be
performing with his band Chabvondoka
which is stirring up the dance floors
of Harare with their insurrectionary
blend of poetry, hip hop, chimurenga
and jazz. The event will also be graced
by Outspoken, a rising voice in the
Zimbabwe poetry scene. So come in your
numbers and MAKE SOME NOISE!