Soldiers arrested over stolen AK 47s

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24368

November 2, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is said to have detained a group
of soldiers accused of stealing guns from Pomona Barracks in Harare two
weeks ago to the Chikurubi Maximum Prison for interrogation. Zimbabwe Prison
Services (ZPS) sources said the 13 soldiers are accused of stealing 20 AK 47
rifles and three shotguns from the armoury at the barracks two weeks ago.

Sources within the army told The Zimbabwe Times over the weekend that the
soldiers were initially thrown into the Harare Remand Prison by a joint
group compromising members of the army's military intelligence, the military
police and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) two days after the
guns disappeared.

The senior army officers are said to be arms specialists and hold the ranks
of lieutenant to lieutenant colonel.

According to prison officials the soldiers are being denied access to their
families.

"When the soldiers were detained here we were ordered that they should not
be visited by anyone," said a highly placed source. "On Sunday they were
taken away by the CIO and other military people who did not specify where
they were taking them and the reasons for doing so. Under normal
circumstances prisoners taken out of prison for investigations are signed
out by the detail specifying the reasons and destination, which in this case
did not happen."

The soldier's are Sungiso Musa, Darlington Kanyingwe, Nyaruwata Lawyers,
Charles Muzondo, Dzingai T Chibutwaka, Stanley Mvindwa, Chamunorwa Chinyere,
Maxwell Samudzi, Cosmore Mangenda, Misheck Kangwa, Callistus Mutero, David
Hamandishe and Farai Chitsiko.

"The detained soldiers said there are 10 more junior officers who were
arrested for the same case whose whereabouts are not known. They said their
juniors could have been taken by members of the Central Intelligence
Organization," said a prison official.

The police last week raided a house belonging to Movement Democratic Change
secretary general and Zimbabwe's Finance Minister, Tendai Biti in search of
the stolen guns.

The MDC said the debacle was a plot by Zanu-PF to frame MDC party officials.

The police have also mounted road-blocks with the assistance of the military
police on major roads leading into Harare where motorists are being heavily
searched.

236 arrested, 12 soldiers tortured to death in CIO search for weapons

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

     
      Written by BRADSHAW MUZANENHAMO
      Saturday, 31 October 2009 18:25
      HARARE -- At least 12 soldiers died last week after they were brutally
tortured by military intelligence agents following the disappearance of an
assortment of guns and bombs from Pomona barracks, we can reveal.

      Unidentified people, according to our military sources, more than a
week ago used blowtorches to break into the amoury at Pomona and made off 20
brand new Chinese-made AK 47 rifles, five motor bomb launchers, a light
machine gun and a pistol.
      The dozen soldiers, who were in a coma, died at Two Medical Company
Hospital at KGV1 in Harare while soldiers are still admitted at the hospital
and in a coma after undergoing what some soldiers described as 'robust and
intense' interrogation at the hands of the Military Intelligence Division.
      The torture sessions were conducted at Two Brigade by Field Security
Unit, a section of the Military Intelligence Division, headed by an officer
identified only as Major Kembo.
      The bodies of the murdered soldiers have been sent to One Commando
Regiment, along Airport Road which stores bodies of soldiers who die in
military hospitals.

      Angolans or Congolese
      A total of 236 soldiers and support staff based at Pomona Barracks
were arrested on Thursday night and detained at different locations.
      "Pomona Barracks was overrun by Presidential Guard which is now in
charge. Everybody who was around was arrested while those who had just gone
away on annual leave have been ordered to return and surrender.
      "Females based at the Barracks have been detained at Chikurubi Maximu
prison while their male counterparts are at Harare Central Remand Prison," a
senior officer revealed.
      Soldiers who spoke to this newspaper revealed that although Major
Kembo, the only known Zimbabwean, led the torture sessions the beatings were
being done by foreigners.
      "The detained soldiers are being taken to Two Brigade in batches for
sessions of torture but we have received information that the torture is
being done by either Angolans or Congolese, nobody has been able to verify
that," a soldier said.
      The torture sessions took place as the government last week barred
United Nations torture Manfred Nowak from visiting the country on a mission
to probe torture and the treatment of prisoners.
      A South African Development Community ministerial delegation was also
in the country to assess implementation of the Global Political Agreement
that among other key objectives calls for upholding of human rights in the
country.

      More guns stolen
      According to our sources, more weapons were stolen from ZNA armouries
with 15 AK 47 rifles were stolen from One Brigade in Bulawayo recently but
were discovered hidden under a bridge last month but the issue was quietly
swept under the carpet.
      After the Pomona break in, Zanu (PF) tried to implicate the Movement
for Democratic Change party by raiding one of its houses in Chisipite last
Friday.
      However observers said the raid on the MDC property was diversionary.
      "The theft of arms is part of the Zanu (PF) internal struggles in
which the factions fighting to one day succeed Robert Mugabe have now
resolved to eliminate opponents using stolen and untraceable weapons," said
a Harare based political journalist.
      Other analysts argued that the theft of weapons was a plan to
crackdown on the MDC but added that the vicious reaction  against the
soldiers could be the clearest sign that suspicions were high that one of
the Zanu (PF) factions was behind the theft.
      Another Harare based analyst said the theft of arms of war was a
reflection of the internal fights between Retired Army General, Solomon
Mujuru and Defence Minister, Emmerson Munangagwa.
      "What is happening is that the two, Mujuru and Munangagwa are flexing
their muscles within the military ranks and the negative effect is that
there could be hired snipers to eliminate real and imagined opponents in the
race to succeed or remove Mugabe.
      "Another very strong possibility is that junior and middle ranking
officers are disgruntled against their leaders and are preparing to fight
their leadership."
      A government audit of employees employed by the ministry of youth has
revealed that between April and June 2008, more than 10 000 Zanu (PF) youth
militia and graduates from Border Gezi Youth Centre were employed under
mysterious circumstances without the jobs being advertised.
      There are no records or files for those who were employed. War
collaborators, mujibhas,  have also been mobilised with two big meetings
having been held in the Midlands and Manicaland.
      Last week, a soldier from Mbalabala Infantry Battalion,  Lieutenant
James Kambarume told a Bulawayo magistrate that he had stolen an AK 47 rifle
and sold it for US$25 to supplement his income.

ACTION ALERT: Continuing violence, property destruction and animal cruelty on Friedewal Farm

Kabila In Zimbabwe

http://www.radiovop.com

     
      Harare, November 01,2009 - Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC) chairman, Joseph Kabila, is in Zimbabwe for talks with the country's
political leaders.

      The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) president's visit comes just a
day after the visit of the SADC ministerial task-force country to evaluate
the country's unity government. An official at the Ministry of Information
told Radio VOP that Kabila arrived on Sunday evening from South Africa.
      "He is in the country on a state visit," said the official.
      Kabila is expected to hold talks with both President Mugabe and Prime
Minister Tsvangirai on the on-going political impasse which saw Tsvangirai's
MDC partially pulling out of the inclusive government.
      Tsvangirai accuses Mugabe and his party of refusing to implement the
political agreement signed last year in full.
      The head of the ministerial task-force, Olderio Baloi, told Radio VOP
that the SADC troika will recommend to the SADC heads of states that a
summit on Zimbabwe be convened within the next 14 days most likely in
Maputo, Mozambique.

      "We are going to do our best to convene a summit of the troika as soon
as possible," said Baloi. "There are serious problems and we can not hide
that, we still consulting the heads of states who have heavy agendas but
trust  me the summit will be there very soon and very very soon almost
immediately."
      The SADC Troika review mission came to Zimbabwe last Wednesday
following Tsvangirai's decision two weeks ago to partially disengage his MDC
party from the coalition government.
      SADC, that brokered the power-sharing agreement between the Zimbabwean
political leaders tasked its security organ, also known as the Troika, to
monitor Zimbabwe's global political agreement (GPA) that set up the February
unity government. The disengagement has seen the MDC boycotting two
successive weekly Cabinet meetings. This has paralysed government operations
and threatens to collapse the eight-month-old coalition administration.

      In response, President Mugabe has threatened to replace the MDC
ministers who are not turning up for work.
      Tsvangirai and Mugabe met last Monday, after the premier's turned from
a regional tour to drum up support to try to exert pressure on Mugabe and
his party to implement the GPA but the meeting failed to yield any results.

Charity group blasts proposed UK deportation of Zimbabweans

http://www.apanews.net

APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) A charity working for Zimbabwean asylum seekers and
refugees in the United Kingdom has criticised the planned deportations of
failed asylum seekers by the British government, saying Sunday that such a
move was counter-productive and would cause stress among the Zimbabwean
community.

Britain announced last week that it was moving to resume flights deporting
failed asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe, citing a political power-sharing
agreement in the troubled state.

UK Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said he was looking at "normalising"
returns to Zimbabwe because the situation was "improving" after opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai was appointed prime minister in February.

Returns were halted three years ago in the wake of the violence and crisis
that gripped the country under President Robert Mugabe.

Woolas also announced money and aid repatriation packages worth 6,000 pounds
(or US$9,900) to asylum seekers who volunteered to go home.

But the Zimbabwean Association said the threat of enforced removals meant
that those thinking of returning home voluntarily would now be suspicious
about the British government's voluntary return package.

"It is counter-productive and will result in much stress and anxiety among
the Zimbabwean community in the UK," the association said.

It questioned the timing of the repatriation programme, saying conditions in
Zimbabwe had not yet returned to normal and some of the returnees faced
serious risk of persecution for supporting the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

  JN/ad/APA 2009-11-01

Diamond sales ban mooted for Zimbabwe

http://www.businessday.co.za

     
      BRIGITTE WEIDLICH  Published: 2009/11/02 06:31:50 AM

WINDHOEK - Calls for an international ban on Zimbabwe's diamond sales are
set to dominate this week's meeting of the global body that was created to
prevent trade in "blood diamonds", in a test for the regulatory regime.

Civil society groups who form part of the Kimberley Process demand the
suspension of Zimbabwe's international diamond trade, citing human rights
abuses in the eastern Marange diamond fields.

A Kimberley investigation in July documented "unacceptable and horrific
violence against civilians by authorities" in Marange, after months of
reports of killings, forced evictions and other abuses by the army in the
region near the Mozambican border.

The Kimberley Process, named after the Northern Cape mining city, was
created in 2003 with the aim of curbing the flow of conflict diamonds into
the mainstream market.

About 70 diamond-producing countries, industry groups and civil society
organisations form part of the Kimberley Process, which tries to stop
diamond sales from arming and enriching armed groups.

In Zimbabwe's case, the military had taken control of the Marange fields,
which is believed be an important source of revenue for President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Global Witness, which monitors exploitation of natural resources, said
Zimbabwe was in violation of Kimberley Process rules - even though its
diamond sales were not funding a war.

"You have a situation in which the exploitation of diamonds is accompanied
by and very directly linked to human rights abuses the Kimberley Process was
designed to prevent," campaigner Mike Davies said.

But countries such as Namibia, chairing the four-day meeting that opens
today in the coastal town of Swakopmund, have so far opposed suspending
Zimbabwe.

After the Kimberley investigation, Namibia went on its own mission to
Zimbabwe and indicated that suspension was not an option - only to be
reprimanded by fellow members of the process for acting without the group's
mandate.

Namibia now faces pressure to agree to suspend Zimbabwe or risk undermining
the effectiveness of the entire diamond control regime, said Human Rights
Watch researcher Dewa Mazhinga.

"Namibia is quite close . to Mugabe, but they are also under serious
pressure because the credibility of the Kimberley Process is at stake. This
could be make or break for the Kimberley Process," he said.

Members of the process take decision by consensus, a system blamed for
hampering its decision- making. Proposed reforms to give the regime more
teeth are also set to be discussed at the meeting, according to Mazhinga.

The meeting will also review the findings of a team sent to Angola to
investigate claims of rape and other abuses committed against foreign
workers there, as well as claims that diamonds are being smuggled from Côte
d'Ivoire to Israel.

Botswana caught in Zim blood diamonds crossfire

http://sundaystandard.info  Botswana

by Sunday Standard Reporter
01.11.2009 11:12:49 A

Botswana may be caught in the crossfire of plans by the Kimberly Process to
suspend Zimbabwe from the world diamond market.

Zimbabwe is likely to be banned from the world diamond market because of
human rights violations and other irregularities at the country's notorious
Chiadzwa Diamond Fields in Zimbabwe's Marange district, it emerged on
Thursday.

The ban has been recommended by a Kimberley Process (KP) review mission,
which visited the country in July and which has just released its final
report on the state of diamond mining in Zimbabwe.

The mission has called for a temporary ban of six months or more to allow
Zimbabwe time to comply with KP standards.

It also recommended that the KP undertake necessary processes to implement a
self-suspension, should the country opt to suspend itself from the KP,
because Harare could not be trusted to implement recommendations without
supervision.

Zimonline, which carried the full text of the report on the planned ban,
stated that Southern Africa's main diamond producers, Botswana, Namibia and
South Africa may find their otherwise excellent reputation undermined if
they continue to be a destination for diamonds from Marange.
The report by the Kimberly Process review mission also suggested that other
KP participants in the region, particularly Botswana, South Africa and
Namibia, should take coordinated action to act against smuggling.

At the time of going to press, it was not clear if recommendations that
Botswana should beef up its security against possible smuggling would affect
plans to relocate the aggregation of De Beers diamonds from London to
Gaborone.
The relocation from London to Gaborone was set back by the collapse of the
diamond market amidst the global economic meltdown.

Aggregation is the process where diamonds from all De Beers mines in
Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Canada are matched.

The process is currently being done at the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) in
London.

De Beers CEO in Botswana, Sheila Khama, told the media recently that there
are possibilities that aggregation could be relocated to DTC Botswana next
year, but said it depended on whether all outstanding issues have been
resolved.
She said one of the requirements for a successful relocation is good
security, adding that it is important to have safe channels for the physical
movement of diamonds. Ms Khama also noted that a secured transfer facility
is currently under construction.

Police: Zimbabwe man kills 3 children with ax

Associated Press

Nov 1, 7:14 AM EST

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwe's state media say a man allegedly killed
three of his children with an ax and wounded two others in what police
describe as Zimbabwe's most brutal crime in recent years.

The Sunday Mail newspaper quotes police as saying Elmon Mupombwa, 41, also
torched his home in eastern Zimbabwe on Thursday and killed his livestock -
five cattle, 20 goats and 17 chickens - before hanging himself.

It said the dead children were aged 11, 7 and 5. Their two siblings were in
critical condition at a local hospital.

Police said Mupombwa had attended a tribal ritual conducted by a spirit
medium, also known as a witch doctor.

The nation's economic and political turmoil has seen a rise in the use
witchcraft and tribal sects to allay hardships.

Zimbabwe is gateway for China's colonization of Africa

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=10046

By John-Chimunhu

Published: October 24, 2009

Harare  "We are enjoying Chinese food," says the caption on a photograph of
Zimbabwean children eating rice with potatoes and drinking Coca Cola at the
recent Tianjin international arts festival in China.

Posted outside the old Chinese embassy building here, this is the image
Beijing wants the world to see. It is the story they want people to believe.
That of China as the benevolent 'co-operating partner' filling the shoes of
the 'evil' West that has imposed personal sanctions on Zimbabwe's ruling
elite and withdrawn its investments after exploiting the country's wealth
for more than a century.

All over Africa, the story is the same. Overly polite Chinese diplomats
taking part in small functions, giving teddy bears to children and trying
hard to please the locals. This is what they do in public. In private,
however, the story is entirely different.

The recent announcement by China that it is providing $7.9 billion in 'loans'
to the Camara military junta that recently took power in Guinea through a
coup d'etat has re-ignited debate  about China's real intentions in Africa.

"Blood and money in the streets" screams a headline on the investigative
website Africa-Asia-Confidential.com. The story is all too familiar: China
using its financial might to prop up and abet an unelected, unpopular
military regime in exchange for the country's fabulous oil wealth.

The pattern is familiar and it has been repeated many times across Africa.
Unelected officials are by nature jittery. They are not popular at home, so
they need weapons to pulverize the local population and keep themselves in
power. They are under constant pressure internationally, so they need
diplomatic support at the United Nations. A 'friend' like China can provide
all that. For a price.

Official statistics show that 800 Chinese state firms are managing some 900
projects in Africa, mostly in oil production and mining. China's trade with
Africa is expected to rise to $100 billion annually in 2010, a significant
part of that involving the exploitation of Zimbabwe's platinum mines.
Sources say the Chinese military has a special interest in Zimbabwe's
aluminium and zinc.

But the big question is, why is China so enthusiastic about a continent in
turmoil, where corruption, mismanagement and political strife have forced
even the most resilient Western firms to give up? Zimbabwe in particular is
littered with failed deals and broken promises for international investors.
Having failed to honour international investment agreements, the regime of
Robert Mugabe has developed a standard strategy for dealing with the
disgruntled investors: kick them out, using violence and threats!

So why are the Chinese rushing in where angels fear to tread?

The answer, though speculative, may lie in China's own plan, which may be
more ruthless than what the most ruthless of African leaders, like Mugabe
can conceive.

Pinning down a dictator

After Mugabe was defeated by arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement
for democratic Change at the polls in March 2008, his most trusted aide,
Emmerson Mnangagwa devised a new survival plan. Instead of giving up power
as expected, Mnangagwa and a small band of senior army officers known as the
Joint Operations Command (JOC) took over the running of the country. They
deliberately delayed announcing the results while figuring out what to do
next. They told Mugabe to stay put until their plan came together.

In the meantime pressure was mounting all over. The United States and other
members of the UN Security Council were demanding tough action on Harare. In
essence some people were calling for Mugabe's removal by force and a swift
trial at the Hague - Saddam Hussein-style.

The Chinese could help. And the Russians. Provided there was sufficient
incentive for it.

In 2007, the Chinese government had been forced to abandon a deal to supply
a consignment of weapons to Harare due to international pressure. The
Beijing Olympics were looming. China was in no position to be seen violating
international codes, in particular an arms embargo against Zimbabwe. China
was forced to issue a statement re-affirming a commitment to only supply
'humanitarian assistance' to Harare.

However, in the confused and confusing atmosphere following Mugabe's defeat,
Harare became desperate and some say, China was tempted by the offers made
by Mnangagwa.

In exchange for F-1 jetfighters, vehicles and an assortment of weapons,
Mugabe would give the Chinese platinum, lithium, aluminium, zinc and
diamonds.

Above all the Chinese could actually get farms, which they had been promised
for many years but which had never been delivered. With a worldwide food
crisis looming, China could use Zimbabwean land to grow food crops. They had
tried Zambia, with a measure of success after Mugabe failed to deliver in
2004, but Zimbabwe's infrastructure offered better prospects for commercial
agriculture in the long run, at lower cost since many of the people required
to run the enterprises were already well-trained by the British. So the
weapons came, amid much controversy and Zimbabwe is now at the mercy of the
Chinese, who now control most facets of business in the country.

Platinum and diamond mines have been seized from their owners and given to
the Chinese. Farms and even buildings have been mortgaged for weapons.

Fake goods

The Chinese have courted controversy after taking over most retail outlets
vacated by their Western owners who fled persecution by Mugabe. 'Zhing zhong'
is a derogatory term referring to the flood of second-rate and fake Chinese
goods flooding the Zimbabwean market. Black empowerment advocates are
furious that Mugabe could chase out the British only to hand the country on
a silver platter to the Chinese.

This is seen as the new face of colonialism, this time sugar-coated with
patriotic language and coming from the east.

Workers complain that the Chinese employers either do not pay them or pay
them a pittance with no prospects of ever holding management positions that
are reserved for fellow Chinese.

All over Africa, the story is the same: The Chinese are getting much more
than they are giving, with the active help of the continent's corrupt
leaders.

Zim faces hunger, farmers unable to plant

http://www.zimonline.co.za

Monday 02 November 2009

HARARE - Zimbabwe faces another lean agricultural season with the majority
of the country's large-scale producing white commercial farmers saying they
are unable to plant crops due to ongoing disturbances on farms.

The mainly white Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said the majority of its
members were yet to plant crops for the forthcoming 2009/10 season and may
fail to do so due to farm invasions that have continued despite formation of
a coalition government nine months ago.

CFU president Deon Theron at the weekend said a surge in violence against
the few remaining Zimbabwean commercial farmers and their workers was cause
for great concern both for food security in Zimbabwe and for the region.

He noted that the CFU has recorded a steady continuation, and in some cases
escalation of state-sponsored violence and unlawful disturbances on
commercial farms over the past 12 months.

"Owing to the ongoing violations of commercial farmers and their workers,
the prosecution threats and lack of security of tenure, the majority of
commercial farmers will not be able to plant crops this season," the CFU
chief said.

Agricultural production has plunged since 2000, when President Robert Mugabe
began seizing white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to black
farmers deprived of land under previous white minority governments.

For example an estimated tonnage of the staple maize crop for the 2009/10
season was just 500 000 metric tonnes, down from more than two million tones
at the beginning of Mugabe's controversial land reform programme in 2000.

Theron said CFU members continue to be driven from their farms by land
reform beneficiaries carrying fraudulently issued offer letters who often
take the law into their own hands.

"Last week the number of farmers who were evicted through the courts
doubled, with 152 of the estimated 400 remaining farmers currently facing
prosecution," said Theron.

Five were found guilty of remaining on their farms and ordered to vacate
their properties and were fined around US$300.

A total of 12 farmers and 34 workers have been convicted to date this year,
heightening insecurity in the agricultural sector countrywide.

The CFU chief said what made the situation in commercial agriculture
particularly unsustainable was the fact that the people who are supposed to
enforce the rule of law such as police and judicial officers were among the
beneficiaries of the free-for-all land grab.

Theron urged the government to restore sanity in the agriculture sector and
to urgently address the issue of compensation for farmers who lost their
land.

"Since the land reform programme began in 2000, compensation has only been
paid for 203 farms out of the 6 571 gazetted farms," he said.

He said the CFU was exploring potential solutions, particularly regarding
the elements of both compensation and restitution for our members and past
members.

Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – 31st October 2009

Vigil supporters were shocked at the news that the British government has apparently changed its policy on Zimbabwean asylum seekers. It now appears that the UK hopes to send home failed asylum seekers on the grounds that conditions in Zimbabwe have improved. 

We know that this is the message that Morgan Tsvangirai has been giving until recently. But the Home Office seems not to have taken into account the MDC’s recent recantation of this and the widely reported accounts of stepped-up human rights abuses – or, for that matter, the humiliating expulsion of the UN representative. 

Supporters wanted to know what the Vigil can do and the management team assured them that the Vigil would, as always, do everything it can to prevent supporters being sent home as they would be in danger because of their open opposition to the Mugabe regime.  As we point out in our letters supporting Vigil asylum seekers:

“Our supporters are easy to identify because we are an on-the-street protest constantly photographed by the passing public including unidentified people who do not join the protest and who our supporters confirm as Zimbabwean. These photos appear on many photo and video websites which can be accessed by the Zimbabwe Central Intelligence Organisation.  This was recently demonstrated when one of our reports accompanied by a photo of one of our supporters appeared in a newspaper that is circulated in Zimbabwe. Within days his family home in Zimbabwe was raided by the police who spoke angrily about Zimbabweans in the UK – check http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/ZimVigil-Diary-Entries/zimbabwe-vigil-diary-22nd-august-2009.html for more information. The Vigil website also keeps a photo archive of our protest as part of our campaign against the injustices in Zimbabwe.”

The Vigil believes that the Home Office’s attitude is untenable, especially as there is no evidence that SADC or the AU have the appetite to deal with Mugabe. They both say Zimbabweans must resolve the situation between themselves – in other words leave Mugabe to do what he wants. (See AU Chairperson Dr Jean Ping’s comments on http://www1.zimbabwesituation.com/old/oct29_2009.html#Z15).

The situation is bound to deteriorate until South Africa is forced into action.  What the Vigil wants from South Africa is simple: follow Botswana’s example and announce that South Africa will refuse to recognise Mugabe as the legitimate President if the coalition government breaks up and, in this event, demand immediate free and fair elections.

We were joined at the Vigil by Patson Muzuwa of our partner organisation the Zimbabwe Association, which deals with asylum issues. He said people worried by the Home Office announcement should contact the Zimbabwe Association

As usual we had a very lively Vigil, with the added challenge of coping with incursions by the Water Board. As one supporter said, we ended up looking like Santa Claus’s Grotto: because of various barriers protecting the water works supporters had to fit into a small corner and passers-by had to squeeze past us in the narrow passage that was left.

We were also joined by the UK Organising Secretary of our partners Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR), Paradzai Mapfumo. He was critical of the BBC coverage of the situation in Zimbabwe. Paradzai said he was puzzled by the positive spin given by the BBC and said they didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on in the rural areas.  But the BBC has shown a video of a demonstration by ROHR in Harare this week demanding action by SADC against Mugabe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8334881.stm. A report on the demonstration also appears in the Zimbabwean: http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/2009103026135/human-rights/rohr-zimbabwe-pressures-the-troika-to-take-a-tough-stance-in-pictures.html.

Still on ROHR, the organisation last week staged the first of its Vigils in Liverpool. The ROHR Liverpool Branch reports that passers-by showed great interest. 44 people signed their register.  The next demonstration is to be on Saturday, 14^th November.

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/

FOR THE RECORD: 150 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

·       ROHR North London launch meeting. Saturday 7^th November from 1.30 – 5.30 pm. Venue: Tottenham Chances, 399 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 6QN, Nearest Tube Station: Seven Sisters, then buses towards Tottenham, 3rd bus stop from 7 Sisters Station. Routes: 123, 149, 259,279, 349, 476, 341 243. Contact: Gladys Mapanda 07877670522, Collin Chitekwe  0795771269, Valerie Chengaose 0795658637, Bekithemba Nyahwa 07534905348, P Mapfumo 07915926323 or Phyllis Chibanguza 07908406069

·       ROHR Liverpool general meeting. Saturday 7th November from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Fairfield Police Club, Prescot Road, Fairfield, Liverpool, L7 0JD. T-shirts available for £10.00. NEW MEMBERS ARE VERY WELCOME. Contact: Desire Chimuka 07917733711, Anywhere Mungoyo 07939913688, Patrick Kushonga 07900857605, Trywell Migeri 07956083758.

·       ROHR Liverpool Branch Vigil. Saturday 14th November from 2 – 4 pm.  Venue: Liverpool City Centre outside Primark. 

·       Zimbabwe Association’s Women’s Weekly Drop-in Centre. Fridays 10.30 am – 4 pm. Venue: The Fire Station Community and ICT Centre, 84 Mayton Street, London N7 6QT, Tel: 020 7607 9764. Nearest underground: Finsbury Park. For more information contact the Zimbabwe Association 020 7549 0355 (open Tuesdays and Thursdays).

·       Strategic Internship for Zimbabweans organised by Citizens for Sanctuary which is trying to secure work placements for qualified Zimbabweans with refugee status or asylum seekers. For information: http://www.citizensforsanctuary.org.uk/pages/Strategic.html or contact: zimbabweinternship@cof.org.uk.

·       Vote for Betty Makoni of Girl Child Network as one of CNN’s top ten heroes of 2009 via this link: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/. 

Vigil Co-ordinators

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.

Mugabe renders United Nations useless

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24386

November 2, 2009
Tanonoka Whande

ROBERT Mugabe, like Adolf Hitler, incites research on how a simple,
nondescript individual can just melt onto a nation's psyche and make a
horrific impact on an awe-stricken world.

Decades from today, academics will still be digging to excavate explanations
as to how a man, a father, a husband, a teacher of our children in Zimbabwe
and beyond, and an aspiring liberator suddenly used his determination
against those among whom he was nurtured, educated and weaned.

Today, researchers still have field days, investigating and publishing on
the world's most infamous citizens, like Germany's Adolph Hitler, Haiti's Dr
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Uganda's Idi Amin Dada, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc"
Duvalier (like father, like son), and even another Haitian, a Catholic
priest-turned-politician, called Jean-Bertrand Aristide who, ironically, now
has sanctuary in South Africa, a nation that is propping up Robert Mugabe.

South Africa is very magnanimous with dictators.

Aristide became an honorary research fellow at the University of South
Africa. Because he learned Zulu, on April 25, 2007 Aristide received, from
the University of South Africa, a doctorate in African Languages.

Meanwhile, Mugabe himself is host to one of the world's most sinister,
vicious and notorious former presidents, Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia.

Mengistu killed thousands and is now being sheltered by Mugabe, who caused
the death of thousands and continues to do so but is being sheltered by
South Africa and SADC.

All these men should be of great concern to bodies such as the United
Nations.

I am among millions who have lost faith in the United Nations.

Political power is an extreme aphrodisiac and such organisations should be
playing a role to assist governments when their egoistical leaders deviate.

There are no punitive measures to take should a member state violate
standing UN rules and guidelines.

Zimbabwe has exposed the UN's shortcomings on "facilitating cooperation in
international law, international security, economic development, social
progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace and human rights",
the UN's stated aims.

Happily enough, the UN continues to excel in assisting refugees, the
disadvantaged, orphans, hunger relief and in fighting the AIDS scourge,
among other things.

But the UN must deal with the causes as well.

But to enforce its mandate, there has to be strict, punitive measures the UN
can employ in cases of violations.

It is appalling to see highly respected academics being appointed as UN
emissaries and dispatched to trouble spots around the world, only for them
to be humiliated by those governments that might have become a great concern
to fellow nations.

Obviously, I am personally interested in how Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe
manages to thumb his nose at every country in this world, including
organizations to which we belong, and still get away without so much as an
admonishment.

In early 2005, Mugabe shocked the world when he mercilessly unleashed
"Operation Murambatsvina".

Thousands of urban families, reportedly up to 750 000 people, were left
homeless.

Last Tuesday at Victoria Falls, Mugabe recalled Operation Murambatsvina and
said, "It was not the intention of government to deliberately deprive the
poor of their homes but the clean-up exercise was carried out in a spirit of
the desire to provide the poor with affordable, durable and better housing."

No!

The real reason behind the inhuman operation was quite clearly to disperse
urban voters who had voted for the MDC.

In June that year, Kofi Annan, then UN Secretary General, appointed
Tanzanian academic Anna Tibaijuka as special envoy to study Murambatsvina's
impact.

Tibaijuka was ill-treated and carried out her duties under the most extreme
of conditions, deliberately imposed around her by Mugabe.

At the same time, even the sleepy African Union dispatched its own envoy to
Zimbabwe and he, not as determined as Tibaijuka, had no chance at all.

He was kept under house arrest at Jameson Hotel until his visa expired.

Tibaijuka later concluded her report, saying, "While purporting to target
illegal dwellings and structures and to clamp down on alleged illicit
activities, Operation Murambatsvina was carried out in an indiscriminate and
unjustified manner, with indifference to human suffering."

Since social progress and human rights are some of the goals of the United
Nations, I want to know what the UN does when a member country abuses the
rights of its citizens.

Does the UN exist to only chronicle the evil that certain dictators commit
and then forget about it?

Surprisingly, there was nothing done about the abuse that these two
diplomats were subjected to by Mugabe.

So, in the absence of punitive measures or tough sanctioning, how does the
UN expect to rein in its errant regimes so as to achieve its aims?

The UN was founded in 1945 to, among other things, "stop wars between
countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue".

Last Wednesday, the UN's torture investigator, Manfred Nowak, was refused
entry into Zimbabwe at the last minute and was deported, although he had
been invited by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"I have never in any other country been treated in such a manner," Nowak,
who had planned a week-long fact-finding mission, told the BBC's World Today
programme.

The UN emissary went on to reaffirm that Tsvangirai does not have any power
in this government, something we have always said.

The government's excuse in deporting the UN envoy was that they were busy
with SADC Foreign ministers who were swarming into Zimbabwe to save the
unity government from collapsing.

An organization as large as the United Nations should have in place,
safeguards and punitive measures to apply on errant members.

Is it okay then for the UN to watch while a senile old goat murders people,
destroys farms and retards food production, stimulating famine, only for the
UN to go on an international campaign to raise funds to feed starving
Zimbabweans?

Sadly, disasters are a prerequisite to successful fundraising and these
organizations know that. Human rights organizations carefully pick which
persons, cases or causes to fight for.

There are some individuals and cases that generate more attention (read
funds) than others.

That is why we see lawyers for human rights putting maximum effort to defend
a particular journalist in one town while, in the same country at the same
time, another journalist languishes in jail with virtually no one, except
his mother and father, trying to assist their off-spring.

Countless times, we are told about UN, SADC and AU "observer missions" that
spend taxpayers' money to "observe" elections in some country.

Some churches and NGOs even assemble their own observer missions.

But even if all these witnesses write damning reports about those elections,
nothing is done. It is just noise until it's time for elections elsewhere.

SADC member countries have signed endless protocols, including SADC
Guidelines on Democratic Elections but how many of SADC member states
implement them?

SADC had its observers in Zimbabwe during last year's elections. They did
not find anything to praise. But later it was SADC that overturned the
people's electoral voice and forced an unworkable agreement on our nation.
They kicked away the winner, begging the loser to give a little power to the
winner.

Tsvangirai is now Prime Minister and the result of SADC's skewed and evil
agreement is what we see in Zimbabwe today.

SADC armed Mugabe with much more than moral support and Zimbabweans continue
to suffer because of that.

Zimbabwe remains sick man of the region

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24392

November 2, 2009

By Takarinda Gomo

THE constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe, which was ushered in by the partial
withdrawal of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's partial withdrawal from the
inclusive government, reached fever pitch when the Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC) responded by dispatching to Zimbabwe, a
ministerial review team, representing  the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security to intervene.

The ministerial team has now completed its review of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) and reliable sources say the Summit of the Troika, made up
of Presidents of Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia, will be convened in
Maputo next week.

Sadc Chairman, President Joseph Kabila of Congo (DRC) is expected to jet
into Harare this week, also to try and unlock the stalemate. It appears
Kabila is taking his job as chairman of Sadc very seriously compared to
Thabo Mbeki, former South African president, whose quiet diplomacy failed
dismally.

Following months of bickering between PM Tsvangirai's Movement of Democratic
Change (MDC) and President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF over implementation of
outstanding issues of the GPA, Tsvangirai announced on October 16 that his
party was disengaging from Zanu-PF until full consummation of the power
sharing agreement. MDC Ministers have since boycotted Cabinet and the
Council of Ministers meetings chaired by PM Tsvangirai. Die-hard Zanu-PF
supporters and the growing band-wagon of charlatan hangers-on dismissed the
withdrawal of MDC as a non-event.

President Mugabe had been convinced by his advisers that the partial
withdrawal of MDC had no effect on government business until after
Tsvangirai's regional diplomatic shuttle began to pay dividends.  SADC
reacted swiftly by sending the ministerial review team to Harare. The team
showed very keen interest in resolving the crisis. For the first time Mugabe
conceded and accepted a Communiqué issued by SADC in January, which
specifically mentioned appointment of  two controversial figures, the
governor of the Central Bank and the Attorney General.

During his heyday as executive President with limitless powers, Mugabe would
have send Tsvangirai and his MDC packing. But by Saturday, October 31, it
had dawned on him that he needed the GPA. His usual broadside against MDC
had toned down and he was in conciliatory mood when he spoke at the National
Heroes Acre, where a hero of the War of Liberation, Misheck Chando was being
interred.

Dictators, by nature, do not want to share power, hence Mugabe's insistence
to be addressed as Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces.  Nauseating as it is, to many people, the title is meant
to send a clear message to the international community and all Zimbabweans
that Mugabe is the one and only leader of Zimbabwe.

Unfortunately for Mugabe, the SADC ministerial team developed a very
interesting strategy during their review. They engaged each of the three
partners in the GPA with three documents:
.    The original Global Political Agreement, which is the yardstick to
determine how the parties were implementing the GPA;
.    The January 2009 Sadc Communiqué that mentioned how the issue of the
appointment  of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General,
Johannes Tomana would be resolved; and
.    Minutes of the acrimonious October 19, 2009 meeting between principals
of the GPA, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and leader of the breakaway faction of the
MDC, Arthur Mutambara.

On realizing that the approach used by the SADC ministerial team was
exposing his treachery and insincerity to the GPA, Mugabe told his party's
Central Committee on Friday 30 October that MDC were "not true and genuine
partners and could no longer be trusted".

This was preceded by the widely criticized deportation of UN torture expert
Manfred Nowak who had been invited not only by PM Tsvangirai, but also by
the Minister of Justice, Patrick Chinamasa as well.

The three events, namely, the Sadc ministerial review team's lightning visit
to Harare; the impending arrival in Zimbabwe of DRC President, Joseph Kabila
, who chairs SADC, and the summit of the Sadc Organ on Defence and Security,
commonly known as the Troika, signal real winds of change blowing in
Zimbabwe. It appears SADC leaders are now getting tired of Mugabe's antics.
All these machinations annoy Mugabe very much. He is not used to young
people telling him what to do. It pains him and smacks of disrespect.
Perhaps this young Kabila might just be Mugabe's Waterloo after all.

It is pertinent to mention that the eyeball-to-eyeball brinkmanship
displayed by Morgan Tsvangirai on Mugabe has rendered Africa's strongman
Mugabe, totally powerless. He cannot sack the errant MDC Ministers, neither
can he discipline Tsvangirai. This is sapping the energy out of the 85 year
old Mugabe.

From the foregoing, the forecast is that the inclusive government will
survive this current crisis but will continue limping from one crisis to
another until the next elections. The palpable fear is that even if
Tsvangirai wins with an absolute majority in the coming elections, Mugabe's
security organs can reject the results and install Mugabe as Head of State.
Almost all Commanders in the Army, Air Force, Police and Prison Services are
embroiled in serious cases of corruption, murder and mayhem. Tsvangirai's
accession into the executive presidency would expose the securocrats to
judiciary inquiry if not Crimes Against Humanity charges being preferred
against most of them by the Hague's International Criminal Court.

Elections, whether free and fair, or supervised by the United Nations, will
depend on the securocrats, who have the military option at their disposal.

Zimbabwe remains the sick man of the southern African region.

We are not a violent party

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

     
      Written by The Zimbabwean
      Sunday, 01 November 2009 12:26
      Addressing about 15 000 people at Rimbi grounds in Musikavanhu
constituency, VP Thokozani Khupe said they pledged to go into free and fair
election and not a war and that's why they did not participate in the last
year's June violence.
      She said although last years elections were characterized by uneven
ground, difficulties and discouragements, they were brave enough not to
falter and give up.
      "For 10 years we were in a very difficult race. Thorns were strewn
along our path, we were ensnared by foes and there were numerous dangerous
potholes. This did not however deter us; we soldiered on, never faltering,
rising swiftly whenever we were pushed down.
      "The truth of the matter is that it is our Movement that won the
election of 29 March 2008. It is however unfortunate that our opponents
could not believe it and agitated for a rerun. We knew we had won and that
our Movement was very rich in electorate power and so we were not afraid of
a rerun. The results of that rerun was further testimonial of our victory
but because of unpleasant events that followed, we justifiably and
strategically entering into the transitional government," she said.
      To this end she explained five main reasons why they had to enter into
inclusive government. She said as MDC they formed the government to draft a
new constitution, to democratize Zimbabwe, to heal the nation, to stabilize
the macro economic environment and to attract humanitarian intervention.
      "As leadership we have no power to tell you how you should be
governed. The power lies in people who elect us to represent and work for
them. The will of the people must be respected. This is the first reason why
we enered into inclusive government that we write our own constitution that
will lead to a free and fair election under international supervision.
      "We also entered in this government to democratize Zimbabwe, to set
all commissions responsible for various duties. Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission needs to be reset that it discharge its duties professionally
without any interference from political parties. We need Human Rights
Commissions that protect the rights of the people and make sure no one is
deprived of such rights.
      Zimbabwe Media Comission should allow for diversity and plurarity of
voices. They should promote media that acts as the people's watchdog, media
that celebrates different views and opinion. What are we afraid of? What are
we hiding from? The current public media, in particular The Herald and the
ZBC continue to act as an extension of Zanu Pf and as a means for their
propaganda. This is unacceptable and unethical. The air waves must be freed.
      "We want to democratize exixting institutions like the army and the
police force so that they keep law and order and make sure all citizens are
living peacefully and in an orderly manner. Police officers do not belong to
any particular political party and hence should discharge their duties in a
manner that shows professionalism without selective application of the law,"
she said.
      VP Khupe added that they entered into inclusive government to create
an environment condusive for national healing and reconciliation. She said
the people had gone through a lot with some loosing their beloved ones,
others deformed, tortured while others had their homes destroyed.
      She said: "We have a lot of untold stories that are eating the better
part of us each day. we have a lot buried in the depths of our hearts. We
have a lot of bleeding wounds hidden in our hearts and unless and until we
open up and do all the necessary requisitions for a proper and meaningful
act of forgiveness that comprise of truth, justice and restitution, there
will never be genuine national healing and reconciliation."
      VP Khupe also said Zimbabwe was once the bread basket of Africa but
now is the basket case of Africa. She said they want to make Zimbabwe a
jewel of Africa by opening up industries and freeing the markets so that
there is job creation. She also said that land should be given to people who
have the capacity to farm and boost production.
      "We are a very rich country and we can not afford to be poor. We are
endorsed with natural resources but surprisingly, we are poor, very poor. It
is now time for us to assert and take our position as the dominant party in
Zimbabwe. The people of Zimbabwe want real change. They want to see
meaningful reforms that can kick-start the economy and open a new patch of
development, freedom, hope and security," said VP Khupe.
      She concluded by saying they entered into inclusive government to
attract for humanitarian intervasion. She said they are looking into salary
scales of civil servants so that they are paid reasonably as means to make
them deliver their duties professionally.
      VP Khupe urged and encouraged the people to soldier on as the struggle
is still going on and have not yet reached destination Zimbabwe.
      Speaking at the same occasion, Deuty Treasurer General Hon Elton
Mangoma said the President and the Prime Minister share the executive powers
and there is no government without the other.
      He said: "We are disheartened by the continuous selective and unequal
application of the rule of law. Several MDC MPs have been persecuted and
convicted on shadowy charges whilst several others are on remand. We are
aware that this is to reduce our nembers in parliament.
      "I would want to however assure you that there is no government
without MDC. We can not pull out from the inclusive government because we
are the government. How can we pull out from ourselves?
      "We are sick and tired of being treated as inferior partners in this
government. We are equal partners and we are worried about the unjustified
delay of implementing outstanding issues in the GPA," he said.
      Deputy Secretary General also present at the rally, Hon Tapiwa
Mashakada explained why they disengaged from Zanu Pf and said they want to
see the inclusive government work again with the full implementation of all
issues in the GPA.
      He added that they are looking into the land reform programme so that
there is production and that the distribution is done according to
capability.

Bob Marley’s Song – Zimbabwe’s history repeating itself

Bob Marley performed this song for Zimbabwe’s Independence celebrations in 1980 and how pertinent these lyrics are to our nation’s predicament today. In a few short months it will be thirty years and we have yet to find out who is the real revolutionary.

Zimbabwe lyrics
Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny,
And in this judgement there is no partiality.
So arm in arms, with arms, we'll fight this little struggle,
'Cause that's the only way we can overcome our little trouble.

Brother, you're right, you're right,
You're right, you're right, you're so right!
We gon' fight (we gon' fight), we'll have to fight (we gon' fight),
We gonna fight (we gon' fight), fight for our rights!

Natty Dread it in-a (Zimbabwe);
Set it up in (Zimbabwe);
Mash it up-a in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate (Zimbabwe), yeah.

No more internal power struggle;
We come together to overcome the little trouble.
Soon we'll find out who is the real revolutionary,
'Cause I don't want my people to be contrary.

And, brother, you're right, you're right,
You're right, you're right, you're so right!
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), we gonna fight (we gon' fight)
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), fighting for our rights!

Mash it up in-a (Zimbabwe);
Natty trash it in-a (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
I'n'I a-liberate Zimbabwe.

(Brother, you're right,) you're right,
You're right, you're right, you're so right!
We gon' fight (we gon' fight), we'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight),
We gonna fight (we gon' fight), fighting for our rights!

To divide and rule could only tear us apart;
In everyman chest, mm - there beats a heart.
So soon we'll find out who is the real revolutionaries;
And I don't want my people to be tricked by mercenaries.

Brother, you're right, you're right,
You're right, you're right, you're so right!
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), we gonna fight (we gon' fight),
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), fighting for our rights!

Natty trash it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Mash it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Natty dub it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe).

Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Every man got a right to decide his own destiny.

Phil Matibe – www.madhingabucketboy.com

JAG open letter forum - No. 675- Dated 1 November 2009

Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw

Please send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM - No..zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject line.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  J.L Robinson - Legitimacy and Justice

2.  The Wheels fell off - Cathy Buckle

3.  SADC in the Firing Line - Ed Cross

4.  Stop living the Lie - Robb WJ Ellis

5.  South African experience

6.  True Colours - Cathy Buckle

7.  WHERE ARE WE HEADING, WE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION !

8.  ARROGANCE & IGNORANCE - MUGABE'S MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPONS

9.  Comment from a correspondent

10.  Kadoma Westview Old People Home

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  J.L Robinson - Legitimacy and Justice

Dear Jag

A daily read of the Zimbabwe situation and the Zimbabwe Times - has
become a "ritual of daily horribilis" and can only make one
think long and hard about the GNU's interpretation of "Pro
Lege, Pro Populi, Pro Patria."

I might have some errors on facts, but I gather that when UDI was
declared some of the High Court Judges of the day resigned because the
entire Colony had now become illegitimate within The Empire's
system - and their interpretation of the law caused them to tender their
resignation. Other Judges stayed on to "maintain law and
order" - under the new dispensation - to keep a beady
eye on cycle theft in `Selukwe' or housebreaking in Hatfield,
or a brawl in Bulawayo.

Attempting to consider the all embracing and holistic assault by Zanu on
both the country and people of Zimbabwe really makes one think about
legitimacy and justice. Just today there was a very heart to heart
message from Laura Freeth about the goings on in Chegutu, and a very
blunt statement from the CFU President.

I find myself seriously questioning the judgement of the Minister of
Education for opting to remain part of such a form of governance. I do
not question his integrity or his good intentions at all - only his
judgement. After considerable thought, I believe that the events of what
happened in 1965 could well be repeating themselves - where the
focus is perhaps placed on cross country at the College of Knowledge,
toilets at The Tech or swimming at Springvale.

As a casualty of the Third Chimurenga I think I do understand the process
of an "escapism activity" - but one has to ask oneself
if elected, or SADC appointed political leadership in Zimbabwe do
genuinely have the right or luxury to indulge themselves in such
behaviour. I might be wrong, but I doubt that it is effectively assisting
the Zimbabwean journey to a democratic society. In Clem Sunter's
words - for as long as the politicians and civilians choose to give
credence to the "Wizard of Oz" - who has stolen numerous
elections - he will continue retain his magic rather than be seen
to be the evil "avuncular old man talking into a microphone."

Like Dorothy, I have become "very irritated by the Wizard of
Oz," but am now questioning the wisdom of his
"reluctant" assistants or mujibas.

In five years or ten years time we will be able to consider the honour
attached a person saying "I served as Minister/Mujiba under Robert
Mugabe."

Just tonight an 88 year old man is being brought before the Court in The
Hague for alleged war crimes some 65 years ago - justice can take
time.

For one Senator not to be sworn into the Government as a Deputy Minister
could well be a blessing in terms of retaining his integrity.

J.L. Robinson.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.  The Wheels fell off - Cathy Buckle

Dear Family and Friends,

A little before midday on the second last day of October it rained for
the first time in six months in my home town. The rain was neither heavy
nor prolonged but just enough to wet the dust and cut through the searing
heat which had reduced most of us to melting pools. The delicious smell
of African rain in the air and the first sighting of a Burchells Coucal
in the garden bought a moment of sanity into what is fast becoming a
crazy and frightening time in Zimbabwe.

Just when we had dared to hope that perhaps we could stagger on in this
lopsided unity government until we got a new constitution and a new
election, the wheels fell of completely. Most ordinary people only
realized that something was going on when suddenly there were police
roadblocks everywhere. Gone was the usual bored interrogation of
motorists by painfully young police details, watched by even younger
uniformed chaps standing nearby in the bush with AK 47's.

Suddenly this was a serious business: open the trunk of the car, open
your suitcase, what's in the bag, what's behind your seat? They wouldn't
say what they were looking for but it turned out to be arms and
ammunition which had apparently disappeared from Pomona Army Barracks in
Harare.

Then we heard the frightening news of the armed abduction of an MDC
employee from Mufakose and the attempted armed abduction in the centre of
Harare of the MDC's security administrator, Edith Mashayire which was
foiled after she repeatedly screamed for help. MDC spokesman Nelson
Chamisa then told us exactly what we feared. he said:

"What we are beginning to see is the genesis of a political storm of
persecution, abductions, and even murder."

Then came the own goal everyone's been waiting for Zanu PF to score, and
they did, in classic style. After ten months of posing as new improved,
reformed leaders, everything fell apart at Harare airport.

Manfred Nowak, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, was denied entry into
Zimbabwe. Despite having been invited, and then un-invited by the
government, and then re-invited by no less than the Prime Minister of the
country, Mr Nowak wasn't allowed out of the airport and was later sent
back to South Africa.

Suddenly after months of silence, Zimbabwe was back in the world news.
"Totally unacceptable, unprecedented, a major diplomatic incident," said
Mr Nowak. And so, here we are, back in this grim place where it's
Zimbabwe against the world. It was like being back in time this week when
a BBC reporter speaking about a recent interview in Zimbabwe used phrases
including: "increasingly tense...

safe house .... in hiding ...make sure we're not being followed..."

The rain storms haven't started but the political and human rights ones
sure have. Until next week, thanks for reading, love Cathy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.  SADC in the Firing Line - Ed Cross

SADC in the Firing Line

It is a month since I last wrote one of these weekly letters and I do
apologise for the gap but we have been flat out here and a lot of what is
going on is very sensitive. But despite all the nonsense being talked
about in the State controlled press, I think we have made progress.

I think people have short memories and it is important to keep recent
events in perspective when trying to interpret what is going on. In
February 2007 the South African Cabinet met in Cape Town to consider the
decision by Mr. Mugabe to shift the March 2008 elections to June 2010.
They decided two things - firstly, that the new election date was
unacceptable and, secondly, that the March elections should be held on a
basis where no one could dispute the outcome.

As a consequence, the President of South Africa (Mr. Mbeki) met with Mr.
Mugabe on the 6th March in Ghana and secured agreement to reverse the
decision to defer the election and obtained his agreement to start
negotiations with the MDC on the conditions under which the March 2008
elections would be held.

The rest is history - the talks started in June, struggled on to
the end of the year when Mr. Mugabe stopped the process saying they had
done enough. The elections were held and although they were by no means
free and fair, the MDC won convincingly and after 5 weeks of trying to
reverse the loss, Zanu simply falsified the results of the Presidential
election and Mr. Mbeki approved a run off between the two leaders.

The subsequent election campaign was so violent and one sided and so
manipulated that no SADC or African country was prepared to say that the
election of Mr. Mugabe with 85 per cent of the vote was legitimate. That
gave rise to a further round of negotiations and the imposition by the
region of an inclusive government to manage the country while a new
constitution was drafted and fresh elections held.

The path towards the instillation of the new Transitional Government was
not easy or straight forward. Zanu had lost the election but was not
prepared to relinquish power and control. SADC wanted a government that
included the three parties but was not prepared to enforce power sharing
on the basis of the outcome of the March elections.

Eventually when it became apparent that Zanu was not prepared to concede
more to MDC, the region persuaded MDC leadership to go into government
and promised that they would ensure the signed agreements and the
amendments to the constitution were respected and enforced. They also
agreed to review this arrangement after six months.

MDC went into the new government with its eyes wide open and fully
understanding the nature of the organisation we were dealing with.
However, out of respect for the region, the MDC leadership lent over
backwards and tried to make the government work. Despite this Zanu PF has
steadfastly refused to cooperate in those areas that affect the conduct
of future elections or in any way inhibit the residual power and
influence of the hard liners in the JOC.

The list of violations of the signed agreements between the three parties
grows by the day, but there are several hundred at this stage and as a
result the process of economic stabilisation and recovery is being
retarded and the restoration of constitutional and written law is
completely stymied. No progress has been made in the restoration of basic
freedoms and in violation of the agreements all senior appointments to
government have been made unilaterally and in the majority of cases been
used to entrench the power and influence of Zanu PF in the State.

Calls for the MDC to withdraw became more and more strident and
eventually the Party called for a period of national consultation with
its grass root structures on the issue. As this consultation nears its
conclusion the results are overwhelming - from Beitbridge to Binga,
people have said stay in the government to protect the gains made but
fight on for the full implementation of the GPA and the holding of new
elections as soon as conditions exist for a free and fair contest.

When the State moved to imprison Roy Bennett ten days ago and then put
him in shackles it was a move too far for the leadership. The President
of the MDC called for talks with the other principals to the agreement
but was refused by Zanu PF. He then decided to disengage from Zanu PF in
the inclusive government, virtually paralysing the State in the process.

During all this, the guarantors of the deal, SADC remained silent and
disengaged. The originators of the whole process, South Africa was also
silent. SADC failed to hold the planned review of Ministerial portfolio
allocations as promised and instead requested the Troika on politics and
security to handle the problems in the Zimbabwe government. When the most
recent crisis in the State arose, Mr. Tsvangirai decided the time had
come to take the case to regional decision makers.

He did that last week and today meets with the other two Party leaders in
the GPA while we wait for the Troika to come to Harare on the 29th to
hold joint consultations with the leadership of the Parties to the
agreement on the way forward. I do not think the agreement is threatened
but there is no doubt in my mind that the region should insist on all
parties to the deal meeting their obligations.

This past weekend has seen a flurry of activity driven by the JOC -
dozens of homes torched in rural areas, people beaten and injured -
some very severely and leadership of MDC and civil society arrested and
imprisoned on flimsy grounds. A guest house owned by MDC in Harare was
raided on Saturday night by 50 armed men and trashed in the process. Road
blocks searching for "arms" were thrown up throughout the
country - I was in Lupane 172 kilometres from Bulawayo on Saturday
and went through 5 road blocks on the main road.

While all this was going on Mr. Mugabe was outside the country and when
he came back he made a clear statement saying that they were not going to
move on any of the issues raised by the MDC. He made the tired and
puerile claim that MDC has not delivered on the lifting of
"sanctions" and the banning of "illegal" radio
stations and therefore Zanu was not obliged to adhere to the agreement
either.

The fact is we have no influence over who is subjected to a travel ban by
certain countries or restrictions on certain companies that are
considered to be part of the problem of the rogue elements in the State
in Zimbabwe. These restrictions have no influence over the economy and do
not affect the great majority of our people. As for the argument on
"illegal" radio stations - that is a laugh. For a start
they are not illegal, they are also the most popular media in Zimbabwe
and are the main source of information for the majority. That is
precisely why Zanu wants them banned.

Eddie Cross

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4.  Stop living the Lie - Robb WJ Ellis

STOP LIVING THE LIE

Speaking with a friend on the telephone the other night, we discussed
just how difficult it is to maintain a stand against Mugabe's
brutish rule in Zimbabwe - and we also agreed that whilst we may be
divorced physically from events on the ground, at least we have the
freedom to write (within reason) about the warped situation in Zimbabwe.

And for that, I am profoundly thankful.

And, as I got to thinking along those lines, I began to focus on the
comments and emails I get from anonymous readers who belittle me for what
I have to say, for my opinions and my stance.

Interestingly, the majority of these comments which tell me to back off,
and leave the idea that I might be in some danger, come from Mugabe
apologists who live in the Western world. My stock reply to them is:
"Go home to Zimbabwe and see what it is like to live in a country
ravaged by the rule of one man."

But I gave the situation in Zimbabwe further thought and I realised that
ZANU PF seem to think that if they say it is so, then it is so. Little
regard is given to the truth, and little regard is given to the
consequences of that action.

Just recently, Didymus Mutasa, a senior figure within ZANU PF, denied
that a warrant for his arrest had been issued by a magistrate as Mutasa
had failed to appear in court having been subpoenaed to appear.

On a radio interview with SW Radio Africa, Mutasa became quite vocal in
his responses to presenter Violet Gonda, and he decided to terminate the
call.

Typical ZANU PF.

I see that the magistrate in the case has recused himself.

A court recently ordered the police chief and the army chief to
discipline a senior army officer who was intent on taking over a farm
which was protected by a court order. The order was defied and we sort-of
expect the Judge President to issue a warrant of arrest for Sibanda and
Chihuri - and if that happens, it will be ignored.

And nothing will happen in response to that defiance.

Mugabe repeatedly tells the world that the West is seeking to re-colonise
Zimbabwe - but he fails to substantiate that claim. He claims that the
West is seeking `regime change' in Zimbabwe, but fails to
substantiate that claim.

He sells the land grab to the world as a return of the land to the
`landless black' and then gives the seized land to his
loyalists.

He offers no explanation, and maintains that what he and his band of
brigands have done is for the good of the country.  And expects the
nation to accept his word on the exercise - whilst his government
continue to excuse the lack of a land audit on lack of finance. They say
that a land audit will cost in the region of US$30 million.

And now that financing has been offered, we hear nothing further.

He and his ministers claim that Zimbabwe can feed itself and that this
season will see a bumper harvest. How so, when the land is in the hands
of ZANU PF bigwigs who have done nothing with it?

He and his close advisers, ministers and supporters may be able to feed
themselves - financed by money taken from public and private coffers.

Mugabe lies to the people of Zimbabwe, lies to the international bodies
and expects everyone to believe it - because Mugabe said so.

But his lies are proving his undoing - and as he lies himself into a
corner, less and less people believe him and more and more people enter
the fray pitted against him and ZANU PF.

If ever he wanted to make a comeback, then the answer is simple.

Stop living the lie.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man

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5.  South African experience

SIR: On Thursday October 1, 2009, the National Chairman of our great
party Chief Bisi Akande; the Lagos State Chairman of the Party in Lagos,
Chief Dele Ajomale; his wife; the representative of the
Governor and my humble self left for South Africa to inaugurate the
chapter of our party. Business finished on Saturday October 2 and 3, 2009
in both Pretoria and Johannesburg. We had Sunday October 4
to look around. It was my first visit to South Africa and what I saw
stunned me.

Am I in Africa or Europe? Am I in America? Is this another Singapore?
Could this be true? Where was Nigeria when South Africa was putting all
these structures in place? If the white man did all these in South Africa
why were the Nelson Mandelas of this world complaining? If South Africans
got their independence on a platter of gold the way Nigeria got hers in
1960, would there have been all these structures I am seeing here today?
Impossible! From what I saw on ground in South Africa, it looked as if
all the companies and industries all over the world are physically
present there. Ah! Nigeria has been left behind. South Africa is the
potential and undisputable leader in Africa. Thanks to the white South
Africans. I came to the unhappy conclusion that the mosquitoes that drove
the whites away from Nigeria in 1960 did a colossal and unmitigated
damage to Nigerians. I again asked myself these questions: How many black
Africans did the whites kill before surrendering power to them? How many
Nigerians have been killed by Nigerian leaders since they took over power
from the whites in 1960? Let us compare the figures. I am sure the supreme
prize South Africans paid to have the South Africa I see today will be so
infinitesimal compared with what our leaders have killed to remain in
power in Nigeria.

What I am saying is that God should have allowed the whites to tarry for
at least more 30 years in Nigeria and we would have been better for it.
Mandela survived 27 years in prison because the whiteman
was a better person. He could not have survived 10 years in prison in
Nigeria. My conclusion after seeing what I saw in South Africa is that
the whites left Nigeria in a hurry, and that is why we are suffering
today. Had the whites tarried in Nigeria, Nigeria would have been like
South Africa today. I want the whites back in Nigeria!

Joe Igbokwe,

Lagos.

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6.  True Colours - Cathy Buckle

Dear Family and Friends,

ZBC have been having a field day this week. It's almost like it was
before the 2008 elections: elections in which the MDC won a parliamentary
majority and the MDC leader won the first round of the Presidential
ballot. Every day ZBC have produced another commentator or analyst who
has been given air time to condemn, criticise or denigrate the MDC and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai. ZBC's very thin veil of impartiality
has blown away in the slightest of summer breezes!

All week, however, we waited for comment from Mr Mugabe and it came on
Friday night - a week after Prime Minister Tsvangirai's announcement of
disengagement with Zanu PF. Just back from an AU meeting and waiting to
get into the Presidential limousine, Mr Mugabe said that he would not
give in to pressure. He said that Zanu PF had done everything that was
required of them in the Global Political Agreement while the MDC had, in
his words: "done nothing about sanctions," or about silencing radio
stations who were continuing to broadcast anti Zimbabwe reports every
day.

Mr Mugabe did not mention that SADC were concerned enough to be sending a
fact finding mission to Zimbabwe in the next few days. Nor did he say
anything about Roy Bennett whose arrest was the straw that broke the
camel's back and brought this whole mess to a head. As to the other
outstanding issues of Governors, Ambassadors, the Attorney General and
the Reserve bank head, these, Mr Mugabe said, would be dealt with by him,
as was his prerogative. Mr Mugabe did not say when he would deal with
these matters - now outstanding for nine months.

For most Zimbabweans it's going to be very hard to follow what happens
during the SADC visit because we are again being plunged into 15 hour a
day electricity cuts. Apparently this is due to maintenance at the Kariba
power turbines. We do wonder, however, just what it is that SADC fact
finders will see.

Will they see the supermarkets overflowing with food that just nine
months ago were full of empty, rusty shelves.

Will they see the now empty banks that nine months ago were crammed with
thousands of people trying to withdraw the daily limit of their own
money; a day's maximum withdrawal which was enough to buy half a
bar of soap on the black market.

Will SADC fact finders see the mayhem still occurring on Zimbabwe's farms
despite their very own SADC tribunal rulings which have been ignored.
Will they see MDC Deputy Minister of Agriculture Roy Bennett sworn in and
working or still being hounded?

Will they get to read the Auditor Generals report on Ministerial accounts
which has just been released? A report which says in part that: " US$21
738 for the Agricultural Revolving Fund was used for minister (Joseph
Made)'s business cards, Internet router, head office provisions and hotel
bill." The Auditor General went on to state that: "Accordingly, the
minister should consider making arrangements to refund to the fund the
monies thus spent."

Being one of millions who went hungry and malnourished last year, and the
year before, and the year before that, I think that asking the Minister
to 'consider' refunding the money is being far, far too nice. How many
people was it died of hunger these past few years?

Will SADC Ministers see ZBC TV news reports in the time they are finding
facts in Zimbabwe or, more likely, will ZBC have picked up their disguise
again and hidden their true colours once more?

Until next week, thanks for reading, love Cathy

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7.  WHERE ARE WE HEADING, WE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION !

Where are we heading we people of this nation? Militia camps have been
revived, young men of below the age of 35 have been recruited in areas
like Mutoko, Mudzi for what apparent reason? I Feel pit for us
Zimbabweans but not only Zimbabweans but Africans. We are heading for
self destruction, killing one another, destroying your brother's home
burning it down with all its belonging s inside, because you want someone
to rule? Hey you church leaders and Chiefs, in order to be recognised you
should refrain from politics. If you are a church leader, you serve one
master and in this case is God. If you are a traditional Chief, guide
your people (as a traditional shepherd) traditionally without
politicising them. Let us learn to be civilised you people of this
nation. Stop killing one another like what is happening in Chiweshe
district this week as 50 homes belonging to known MDC supporters were
burnt down by ZANU PF militias.

Expressing concern over the situation the MDC MP for Mazowe central,
Shepherd Mushonga, told SW Radio Africa that their supporters and
activists were being driven out by the militias, led by a well known
district coordinating committee chairman named as Gatsi.

The MP said over 80 teachers had also fled the violence that erupted soon
after the MDC announced it was disengaging from ZANU PF a week ago.
Chiweshe lies about 60km north of Harare and is traditionally known as a
ZANU PF stronghold.

'The situation is grave. Our supporters are being driven out by ZANU PF
militias. Through a well-timed brutal assault unleashed over the weekend,
many MDC activists have fled their homes and have taken refuge in
neighbouring areas. These militias again remind us that they will stop at
nothing to maintain their empires of doom,' Mushonga said.

The violent offensive against known MDC sympathizers has also seen
militias publicly and coldly beat up teachers and headmasters and chasing
them away from their schools.

Mushonga, whose constituency borders the affected areas in Chiweshe, said
teachers and headmasters had fled mostly from Chaona primary school and
Dzingamvura primary and secondary schools.

'We are talking of three schools with an intake of close to 1000 students
each and a staff compliment of 30 teachers each. They are being told that
their principal (Tsvangirai) has disengaged from ZANU PF and that they
too (teachers) should also disengage from the schools,' Mushonga said.

Mushonga, a lawyer by profession, said he was worried the absence of
teachers would affect students who are due to write their final
examinations beginning Monday next week. He has also raised the issue
with the ZANU MP for the area, Retired Major Cairo Mhandu.

'Mhandu cannot control the situation and it's now free for all as he's
powerless. The militias now operate with impunity, arrogance and blatant
violence,' added Mushonga.

The people of Chiweshe are being punished for voting for the MDC during
last year's harmonized elections, especially those from Chaona village.
It has been a flashpoint between MDC activists and ZANU PF militias since
then.

Chaona has witnessed some of the bloodiest scenes of political violence
in Zimbabwe in the last decade. On the evening of May 5th, 2008, three
days after Mugabe's government finally released the official results of
the March 29 election, 200 men from the ZANU PF militias rampaged through
the village.

By daybreak ten people lay dead and the injured bore the hallmarks of a
new kind of political violence. Mushonga said women were stripped and
beaten so viciously that whole sections of flesh fell away from their
buttocks.

Apart from forcing people to drink paraquat, a deadly herbicide, the
militia and soldiers inflicted serious injuries by dipping their
knobkerries and sticks into the chemical, before beating their victims.
This caused the serious wounds not to heal and many of those beaten died
months later, in agony.

Those who recovered had to lie face down in hospital beds for many weeks,
and sometimes months. The militias also used genital mutilation in their
attacks. The official post-mortem report on the Chaona MDC activist Aleck
Chiriseri, listed crushed genitals among the causes of death. Many other
men died the same way.

SHAME TO YOU AFRICANS !

MADZIBABA

HWANGE

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8.  ARROGANCE & IGNORANCE - MUGABE'S MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPONS

Arrogance - overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward
inferiors.

Ignorance - the lack of knowledge or education.

Mugabe is a very well educated man - but he is arrogant to the point of
it being sickening. He has the attitude that he is untouchable, can do no
wrong, and he cannot be criticised.

An arrogance that frankly stinks of corruption, intimidation and
oppression.

And his style of rule is contagious - as we see with his senior
apologists and loyalists failing to see anything amiss with
Mugabe's rule.

His habit of withholding the truth, re-engineering the facts is
legendary. His ability to exercise complete and total rule over the long
suffering people of Zimbabwe is very well known.

Is it any surprise that an estimated one quarter of the population has
seen fit to leave that country for greener pastures?

All we have to do is cast an eye over the state of affairs in the country
- even leaving out the politics

The people have not got adequate housing - made worse by Mugabe's
ill thought out Operation Murambatsvina in 2005 which saw an estimated
1,1 million people removed from their established homes and communities.

Health services are no longer affordable, and even if they were, there is
a distinct lack of medications and qualified people to administer it.

Education - the one thing that Zimbabweans had to be proud of - has
become a joke. Many schools which no longer function are the homes of
bands of ZANU PF youth, who have little or no respect for the buildings -
or, indeed, the institutions that they now call `home'.

Unemployment in Zimbabwe is a huge problem, running at about 95% - and
family upon family have no bread winner in the family to sustain their
lives. People are dying of hunger in their droves.

The financial market is no better. ZANU PF will point a finger at the MDC
minister of finance, Tendai Biti, alleging that the current problems are
in his hands, but they forget that this is a problem that he inherited
from numerous bumbling and ineffectual finance ministers coming from the
ranks of ZANU.

These are just a few of the problems which face Zimbabweans today, but
Mugabe continues to live in disgusting opulence, brandishing his own form
of arrogance upon the people - and the international community.

Barely a day goes by without him telling the world how great he and ZANU
PF are, and how the woes in Zimbabwe are caused by `illegal
economic sanctions'.

There was a time when Zimbabweans were the most literate in the region
and we all had a very good education. But with the demise of the economy,
very few people can now afford that education any more (even if it were
available), and with Mugabe tightening the news base in that country,
people live in ignorance.

Mugabe relies on the likes of The Herald, ZBC and ZTV (all ZANU PF
mouthpieces) to relay the `news' which is almost always of
ZANU PF `successes' - whilst he tells the world that foreign
newspapers and radio station are attempting to foment regime change.

He relies on the ignorance of the people - a trait caused by his own
hazardous rule - to keep the ZANU PF ship steady.

Little does he realise that his ZANU PF ship has sprung an irreparable
leak and slowly, but surely, it is sinking - and when it does, I
sincerely hope that it sinks too deep to be reclaimed from the ocean
floor.

Arrogance and ignorance - two weapons that Mugabe uses quite well to his
own advantage...

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9.  Comment from a correspondent

- It appears Morgan and company don't get it. They are doing the same
thing every time expecting a different thing. They are dump!! How many
times have they tried to have Sadc and au intervene? They have done
nothing and will do nothing. Mugabe knows that. More than ten times they
have not been able to get help from Sadc or AU. To hell with these
organizations, they will never do anything and yet Morgan and company
still think they get help. Before MDC wakes up, they will be running
around as they are doing now and nothing will change. If you want change,
you should change your strategy.

Quit this so called "unity nothing" and leave those morons to fall. In
fact when MDC joined these murderers, Zanu was almost down and they were
not going to survive even for six months. But you jumped onto the
bandwagon and bailed them out of the hole. Did you not get this earlier
on? Now they have little that you actually looked for and want you out.
They will come again when they need you Morgan and you will become so
fascinated by this thug that you tell people that you are in "good books
"and there is stability in the country. What really hurts me is
that old people like you do not even have the common sense to know
exactly what is happening. Shame on you!

Again quit, you are not the people to turn around the lives of
Zimbabweans, you are becoming part of the problem and not part of the
solution. Quit and pick up anything that is harmful from stones, shovels,
knives, knobkerries, ANYTHING and pile in the house. People stop going to
work,  that is if there is still any going to work. Stay home and be
ready. Remember in any revolution there are bound to be casualties.
People will die for sacrificing just like we did when got this country;
it was not easy, a LOT of people died and NOT for this BS that we are in
right now. Remember the army they rely on, not all the soldiers are going
to be against the people.

They are also people and are being affected; these will be on our side.
So we are not alone. The big day that this revolution starts, you will be
surprised by the outcome. Remember also that this army is not as strong
as you think, how can they be when they are hungry? Think of it.

So what I am saying is that now is the time to RISE and fight, there will
never be a time when you live in peace without any bloodshed. Just
watching and hoping things will change for the better without a fight is
a DREAM. If the people in power do not want to go, who should take them
out? YOU!!  If you rise up now, everyone sitting on their butts will
rise. Rise up now and the so called Sadc, AU and UN will rise. After our
revolution they will probably WAKE up. Do nothing and they will do
nothing those morons.

How can millions of people be controlled by a few who are in the process
of milking the country right in front of your face. They are amassing
illegal wealth right in front of your face. Why. Because they have guns.
History has shown that even a stronger man can be conquered by a small
man. Remember David and Goliath.

Food for thought!!

Chex.

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10.  Kadoma Westview Old People Home

Dear Jag

Westview Old People Home is in Kadoma.  This is a community run home and
unfortunately it is a very small community and Westview are facing huge
difficulties.  We have been asked to please assist them in raising funds
to get the home up and running again.  They are about to have their ZESA
disconnected due to lack of funds, they are battling to meet the payment
of the initial conversion.  They also need water.

We are therefore appealing to you to please dig deep into your hearts and
pockets and let's make this Home a liveable one for these little
old people who don't have much left for them.

Their needs are as follows :

ZESA BILL TO BE CLEARED -     875.00 (Can be paid direct to ZESA account
details on request)

ONE LITLE OLD DEAR NEEDS RENT PAID - 370.00 (OCT 100.00 NOV 135.00 DEC
135.00 -) We will collect on a daily basis for her once arrears are
paid.  This can be paid straight into the account for her.  Account
details on request

QUOTE FOR DAY/NIGHT SWITCH AND STOVE AND FRIDGE TO BE REPAIRED - $ 150.00

90 LITRES PAINT (IF POSSIBLE ACRYLIC OR EGGSHELL)

40 LITRES CEILING PAINT

30 LITRES RED STOOP PAINT

40 LITRES WHITE GLOSS ENAMEL

THEY HAVE WATER TANKS AND ARE WAITING FOR QUOTES TO ERECT AND INSTALL
THEM THEY WILL NEED ASSISTANCE FOR THIS TO.

WE ARE ALSO COLLECTING FOR THEIR CHRISTMAS PARTY WHICH WE ARE HOPING WILL
BE HELD ON SATURDAY 12 OR 19 DECEMBER 2009.

Amongst the Old Age Home there are 8 families who cannot afford to the
Home and who have no who are in desperate need of assistance and as
mentioned the community is too small to sustain all these needs.  Please
guys if you can help in any way to assist these people please do.  10.00
goes a long way for them.  Let's stand together as a community who cares
about the needs of our fellow Zimbabweans.

If you can help please email Debbie at pa@zas.co.zw or phone me on 0912
603 847

Kind Regards

Debbie Victor
Marketing Manager

Bill Watch Special of 30th October 2009 [ParliamentaryCommittee Meetings 2nd to 5th November]

BILL WATCH SPECIAL

[30th October 2009]

House of Assembly portfolio committees and Senate thematic committees will be meeting in the coming week.

The meetings listed below will be open to the public.  

Members of the public wishing to attend any of these meetings should telephone Parliament first [on Harare 700181], to check with the relevant committee clerk.  Entry to all meetings will be through the Kwame Nkrumah Ave entrance and IDs must be produced.

Monday 2nd November at 10 am

Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs

Briefing from the National Archives Department

Committee Room No. 2

Portfolio Committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism

Oral evidence from National Parks officials

Committee Room No. 311

Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy

Oral evidence from Ministry of Mines and Mining Development

Committee Room No. 413

Monday 2nd November at 2 pm

Thematic Committee on Gender and Development

Briefing on international agreements on gender and development

Committee Room No. 3

Thematic Committee on HIV/AIDS

Further discussions with organizations and people living with HIV and AIDS

Government Caucus Room

Tuesday 3rd November at 10 am

Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Water, Lands and Resettlement

Oral evidence from Ministry of Agriculture

Committee Room No. 4

Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade

Oral evidence from Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Committee Room No. 3

Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Welfare

Oral evidence from CAPS Holdings, Pharmaceutical and Chemical Distributors, VARICHEM Pharmaceuticals, Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe and the Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Welfare

Committee Room No. 1

Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Rural and Urban Development

Review of Traditional Leaders Act

Committee Room No. 413

Thursday 5th November at 10 am

Thematic Committee on Human Rights

Briefing by Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum

Committee Room No. 2

Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth, Gender and Community Development

Oral evidence from Research and Advocacy Unit on International Agreements on gender and development

Committee Room No.  3

Portfolio Committee on  Education, Sport and Culture

Oral evidence from Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture

Committee Room No. 4

Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technology

Oral evidence from POTRAZ and TelOne

Committee Room No. 413

Thursday 5th November at 11 am

Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment

Oral evidence from Minister of Agriculture

Government Caucus Room

Constitution Watch 12 of 31st October 2009 [FurtherDelays in Constitution-Making Process]

CONSTITUTION WATCH 12

[31st October 2009]

Implications of MDC-T Disengagement from ZANU-PF

for the Constitutional Timetable?

On Friday 16th the Prime Minister and President of MDC-T announced that his party would “disengage from Zanu PF and in particular from Cabinet and the Council of Ministers”.  The work of Parliament continues as normal as does the work of individual Ministers carrying out their Ministerial functions outside Cabinet and the Council of Ministers.  This means the Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs is continuing his work on the Constitution.  As will Ministers involved in the new Management Committee [see below].  The Select Committee is continuing to meet under the co-chairs, MPs Mangwana and Mwonzora [who are not Ministers] and Senator Coltart [MDC-M Minister ] or his alternate, MP Mkhosi. 

What is the Timeframe Now?

The Prime Minister stated on 20th October that the constitutional timetable will remain the same.  In fact there is no chance of sticking to the GPA timetable [under the Article 6 timeframe the outreach should finish by 13 November].  Nor is there any possibility that the new Management Committee’s revised timetable can be kept – it had resolved that the outreach exercise should start not later than 1st November.  It is now hoped that training of the outreach teams will start on Monday 9th November, but that depends upon funds becoming available in time.

The co-chairs of the Parliamentary Select Committee have said recently that eleven weeks will be needed to complete the outreach exercise – so, making allowance for the teams to break briefly at Christmas and New Year, it seems unlikely that the exercise can be completed before late January at the earliest. 

The next GPA deadline is 13th February – this is when the drafters should have finished a draft constitution ready to be tabled at the Second All Stakeholders’ Conference to be held by that date.  But after the public consultation the data that is brought in will have to be sorted into thematic committee reports to be passed to the drafters.  The GPA allowed three months for this stage.  Minister Matinenga has said previously that this stage could be compressed, but it is highly unlikely that it could be satisfactorily finished in two to three weeks.

Select Committee’s Work Plan for the Outreach Programme

This work plan was drawn up by the by the Select Committee, as the Steering Committee has not been formed.  It provides for an eleven week programme:

Week 1:               Training of thematic committees and outreach teams

Week 2:               Deployment of the teams

Weeks 3 to 11:   Collection of the public’s views by the outreach teams throughout the country’s 1958 wards.  The programme allocates 65 working days for this stage.

Impact of New Management Committee on Constitution-Making Process

The introduction of the new Management Committee set up to “provide leadership and policy direction to the constitution-making process” has resulted in the following significant changes:

Composition of the Management Committee

In a shift from the position originally announced by the Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs in his statement of the 18th September that the Management Committee would consist of “a negotiator or a representative of the negotiator from each of the parties to the Interparty Agreement”, the three co-chairs of the Select Committee and the Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs”, it now includes all six GPA negotiators – Ministers Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma of MDC-T, Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga of MDC-M, and Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche of ZANU-PF

Party Distribution of Thematic Sub Committee Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons

The three political parties will now chair 5 committees each and chiefs 2.  The Minister reported that this change flowed from a meeting of the three principals to the GPA.   [Under the Select Committee’s original allocations ZANU-PF and MDC-T chaired 7 committees each, MDC-M chaired 2 and 1 was chaired by a chiefThe changes will also affect the allocation of deputy chairs – as each party selects its quota from the lists of non-parliamentarians that have been put forward. .]  The revised lists of chairpersons and deputy chairpersons have not yet been released, but is expected to be made known on Monday 2nd November.   [It has, however, been confirmed that a ZANU-PF nominee for a deputy chairperson position, Brigadier-General Nyikayaramba, to whom MDC-T objected as being a  serving member of the Army, is not on the new list.]  

Thematic Sub-committees

These remain unchanged and will number 17.  The number of members of each thematic committee remains at 25 per committee [giving a total of 425].  The representation in the committees will remain the same – parliamentarians 30%, non-parliamentarians 70% - in practice 8 to 17.  These thematic committees  will also form part of the outreach teams and will lead the consultative phase of drawing up a new constitution.  [Comment: In view of budget constraints it does seem odd that the number of thematic committees has not been reduced – South Africa’s constitution-making process had 6 thematic committees, the Government Chidyausiku Constitutional Commission of 1999 had 8 thematic committees – see Constitution Watch 9 of 24th September Bill Watch for details.]

Budget

The Management Committee reduced the budget to US$11.4  million [from the Select Committee Budget of $15 million.]  Mr Biti was in attendance and agreed to that figure.  It is likely that Government will fund 25% of that itself, with the rest coming from development partners through UNDP.  But so far no funds have actually been made available – which makes even the new target date of November 9th for starting outreach training unlikely to be achieved.  Funds will go to the Select Committee through the Ministry of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs and be managed by the Independent Secretariat.

Numbers in Outreach Teams Reduced

Because of the reduced budget, each outreach team will now have 8 members instead of 12.  There will still be 70 outreach teams.  This means instead of a total of 860 members there will be 560.  The Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs has assured us that the proportion of 30% Parliamentarians to 70% non-Parliamentarians will be maintained – in a typical 8 member team this will in practice mean 3 parliamentarians and 5 non-parliamentarians.   The 70 teams will cover 1958 wards in 210 constituencies and each team will need support staff, vehicles, etc. 

The Steering Committee

Next in the chain of command in the constitution-making process is the Steering Committee – “the implementing committee responsible for managing the operations of the constitution-making process”.  It will consist of the Select Committee co-chairpersons with Minister Matinenga and two persons who are supposed to be representing civil society [although not selected by civil society], Dr Sadza and Dr Makhurane.  This committee is expected to meet for the first time next week. 

In the meantime implementation work is being carried out by the Select Committee.

Independent Secretariat Still to be Formed

Offices for the Independent Secretariat have not yet been found and staff have not yet been employed.  Meanwhile a senior clerk in Parliament has been seconded as Acting Co-ordinator in an interim secretariat consisting of himself and a stenographer.   And the co-chairpersons of the Select Committee advertised for applicants for four senior posts in the Independent Secretariat – Project Co-coordinator, Finance and Administration Manager, Media and Communications Manager and Data Collation Manager.  Friday 30th October was the last day for submission of applications.  Short-listing of applicants by the Select Committee will be on Monday 2nd November and interviews will be held on Thursday 5th November.

Select Committee’s Autonomy from Parliamentary Bureaucracy

The co-chairpersons of the Select Committee have explained that its autonomy under the new arrangements means it is no longer “hamstrung” by the parliamentary bureaucracy.  The Select Committee now has its own bank account which will permit prompt disbursement of funds for the outreach exercise, in accordance with the approved budget – once sufficient funds have actually been transferred into that account. 

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Zimbabwe clinch Cosafa title

 

Sunday, 1 November 2009

By Steve Vickers BBC Sport, Harare Zimbabwe fans are happy after winning their fourth Cosafa title Hosts Zimbabwe won Southern Africa's Cosafa Senior Challenge for a record fourth time after a 3-1 victory over Zambia in Harare on Sunday. The Warriors gave a five-star performance in front of a 30,000-strong crowd that included President Robert Mugabe. Zambia went ahead on 25 minutes with 19-year-old midfielder Henry Banda scoring from inside the penalty area. But Zimbabwe struck back three minutes later when tall striker Nyasha Mushekwi fired in from close range. Mushekwi headed in his second on 36 minutes, and Cuthbert Malajila made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time after exchanging passes with Mushekwi. Zimbabwe played with confidence in the second half, and goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda made two good saves in the dying minutes. The contract of Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa had expired the previous day, but he still led his team to a comfortable victory despite uncertainty over his future. "I can't say much, but if I stay in the job I'd like to use these players to build a strong squad for the future," he said. Zambia coach Herve Renard told BBC Sport that the tournament was a useful developmental exercise. "Only three of these players will be in the squad for the Nations Cup qualifier against Rwanda in two weeks time, but I hope a lot of these will play for the Chipolopolo in the future," he said. "But today we were not strong enough defensively and Zimbabwe deserved to win." Zimbabwe's fourth title moved them above Zambia, South Africa and Angola, who have each won the Cosafa Cup three times. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Mozambique beat a developmental South Africa side 1-0, with a late goal from Hagi. Mozambique midfielder Josemar Machaisse was voted player of the tournament.