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Mugabe keeps Kabila waiting in hotel

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24445

November 3, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe reluctantly received DRC President and SADC
chairman Joseph Kabila in Harare Monday, after he kept him waiting in a
Harare hotel for a full day without giving him an audience.Mugabe, 85,  also
refused to receive Kabila, 38, who holds the rotating chairmanship of the
15-nation Southern African Development Community, at the Harare
International Airport when he arrived in the Zimbabwean capital around 7 pm
Sunday.

Mugabe, who just an hour earlier had been handing out medals to the senior
soccer national team, the Warriors, after it clinched the COSAFA Cup title,
refused to proceed to the airport from Rufaro Stadium to reportedly receive
the DRC President.

There was no senior official to receive Kabila at the airport and he
proceeded to his hotel in the company of a low-key protocol officer.

Prior to Kabila's visit, Mugabe had told mourners at the burial of a senior
member of his Zanu-PF on Saturday that the stand-off prompted by the partial
boycott of the government by the MDC must be addressed as a domestic issue.

Mugabe said he was glad the principals were talking about it, adding he was
treating it as a domestic political problem, "and our attitude is that
ultimately it is up to us as Zimbabweans to sort out our problems," he said.

Mugabe therefore saw the visit by Kabila as outside interference in the
resolution of a problem he insists did not need outside mediation, senior
government sources told The Zimbabwe Times.

The state-run Herald newspaper described the visit as a "working visit" with
DRC's ambassador to Harare, Mwanananga Mwawampanga, claiming Kabila's visit
was a follow-up to the meeting he held with President Mugabe on the
sidelines of the SADC summit held in Kinshasa in September.

Mugabe finally met with Kabila in the afternoon of Monday and later met with
Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

"I am here to visit friends," Kabila said as he arrived Sunday, careful not
to contradict official policy in Harare.

Prior to his visit to Zimbabwe, he had met with President Jacob Zuma in
Pretoria. At the end of that meeting, he told reporters: "There is a problem
within the Zimbabwe government. That is a fact. But the situation has not
gotten out of hand. As the region we believe that the agreement signed last
year is still binding. Any amendments must be made within the framework of
that agreement."

Zuma met Kabila just after holding a meeting with Zimbabwe Vice President
and Tsvangirai's deputy Thokozani Khupe.

Khupe flew to South Africa after a meeting by the SADC ministerial troika on
Friday, which recommended that a special summit be convened to unlock the
deadlock.

Apparently angered by outside mediation in a problem he has dismissed as a
storm in a tea cup, Mugabe labelled Tsvangirai's party untrustworthy.

"They can never be true and genuine partners and they have proved to be
dishonest," Mugabe said at the Heroes Acre.

On Monday SADC was to further infuriate Mugabe by calling for a special
summit of the SADC troika in Maputo, the Mozambican capital, Thursday, to
deal with issues of Mugabe's non-compliance with the power-sharing
agreement.

Mozambique, head of the SADC Troika Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security, had invited Swaziland and Zambian heads of State to make a new
push for a resolution in Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, and
negotiators from the three parties were expected to attend the Maputo
summit.

Mugabe goes to the summit after the ministerial troika forced his party to
accept as binding, the SADC communiqué of January 27, 2009, which states
that there must be new appointments for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor and the Attorney General.

Besides refusing to swear in some of its members into government, the MDC
accuses Zanu-PF  which it calls an "arrogant and unreliable partner" of
persecuting its officials and delaying media and constitutional reforms that
will be key to holding free and fair elections in about two years.

Mugabe says he has met his side of the power-sharing deal and insists the
MDC must campaign for the lifting of Western sanctions against his Zanu-PF,
including travel bans on him and more than 200 of his officials and an arms
embargo.


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Man who disappeared surfaces in court

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24440

November 3, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) man who disappeared from
his home two weeks ago after he was abducted by state security agents
appeared in court over the weekend facing charges of stealing guns from the
Pomona Barracks in Harare.

Twenty guns and a shotgun were stolen from barracks in an incident that is
now believed to have been stage-managed by the state.

The abducted man, MDC transport manager, Pascal Gwenzere, appeared in public
for the first time on Saturday when state security agents brought him to
court. They were armed with a list of charges.

According to court papers seen by The Zimbabwe Times Monday, Gwenzere, 36
and a father of four, faces charges of unlawful entry and theft under the
Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act and contravening a section the Law
and Order Maintenance Act in that he allegedly underwent military training
in Uganda in 1999.

Gwenzere's charge sheet reads, "On the night of 20/10/09 at Pomona Army
Barracks, Harare, the accused, acting in concert with Gertrude and army
officers who are still at large proceeded to One Engineers Support Regiment
Armoury where they cut the hinges of a screen door to the armoury before
proceeding to force the armoury twin metal doors open using an iron bar.
They then entered the armoury and stole twenty AK 47 rifles and a shotgun.
They took the firearms to an unknown destination.

"On July 1999 to 13 October 1999 at Soroti Training Camp in Northern Uganda
the accused who is MDC -T activist, acting in concert with Ernest
Chihombori, Matthew Musokeri and Thandiwe who are also MDC-T activists, went
to undergo military training in order to destabilise the government of
Zimbabwe upon their return."

Gwenzere had no legal representation during the special court session which
was attended by officers from the police, the CIO and military intelligence.
He was remanded in custody to November 12 but his lawyers will on November 5
ask the court to remove him from remand.

According to his lawyers Gwenzere was tortured while in the custody of
security agents. They said his back had been broken while suffered ear
injuries. The lawyers said Gwenzere could not walk properly because of the
falanga type of beating under his feet. They said his private parts had been
pulled until they bled.

Magistrate Edith Mushore ordered that the injuries be examined by prison
doctors although Gwenzere had applied for permission to have that done by
doctors of his choice whose findings would be admissible in court.

Gwenzere was abducted almost at the same time as the foiled abduction on
another MDC official while she was on her way to the party's headquarters in
central Harare.

In a press statement released at the time, the MDC said four armed men had
tried to kidnap party security administrator Edith Mashaire on her way to
work at the Harvest House, the party's headquarters in Harare.

The police and secret agents have on numerous occasions in the past been
accused of abducting and holding human rights activists and political
activists incommunicado for long periods during which they sometimes beat or
tortured them in a bid to break them.


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Simon Mann pardoned over role in Equatorial Guinea coup plot

http://www.guardian.co.uk

 British mercenary pardoned on humanitarian grounds
 Simon Mann had served one year of 34-year sentence

Haroon Siddique and Giles Tremlett
guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 November 2009 23.23 GMT

The British mercenary Simon Mann, who was sentenced to 34 years in prison in
Equatorial Guinea in 2008 for plotting to overthrow the country's
government, has been given a presidential pardon.

The Equatorial Guinea information ministry said that the president, Teodoro
Obiang, had already signed the pardon which was "a complete pardon for
humanitarian grounds".

Mann, an Eton-educated former SAS officer, was arrested in Harare, Zimbabwe,
in 2004 with dozens of mercenaries when their private plane landed. He
acknowledged knowingly taking part in the attempt to topple the government,
but his lawyer argued Mann was a secondary player.

Mann was also ordered to pay a fine and compensation to the Equatorial
Guinea state totalling around $24m (£14.6m).

The decree issuing the pardon said that Mann had been released taking into
account his state of health and given his need "to receive regular medical
treatment and to be with his family".

The decree also said that Mann's "attitude during the investigation . and
his behaviour during the trial and while being held in prison . showed
sufficient and credible signs of repentance".

Sentencing Mann, the presiding judge, Carlos Mangue said that Mann had
failed to show "an attitude of regret", despite his apology before the
court. But there was speculation at the time that he would be pardoned by
Obiang.

Diplomatic sources said that he had told the court what the regime wanted to
hear, implicating individuals and foreign governments blamed by Equatorial
Guinea for the plot.

In court Mann claimed that Spain and South Africa had supported the plot.
From the Pentagon in Washington, and from the CIA and the big US oil
companies, came tacit approval for regime change, according to Mann. He said
that in retrospect he was relieved the coup had not succeeded because he now
realised Equatorial Guinea was not such a bad place.


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Kimberly Process Officials Meet Under Pressure to Ban Zimbabwe Diamond Sales

http://www.voanews.com

     
      By Sandra Nyaira
      Washington
      02 November 2009

Officials of the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme opened a four-day
meeting in Windhoek, Namibia on Monday to decide among other matters whether
to bar the sale of Zimbabwean diamonds on world markets due to alleged human
rights violations.

The Kimberly Process was under intense pressure from non-governmental
organizations in Southern Africa and elsewhere who were urging the
international organization to halt diamond exports charging rights abuses in
the eastern Marange diamond fields.

Harare's star witness in Windhoek was to be Chief Norman Chiadzwa of the
diamond-bearing area, said to have recanted earlier testimony saying the
government destroyed his property after he spoke out against brutality in
local diamond fields. Sources said Chiadzwa would apologize to the Kimberly
Process for "lying" to its investigators in July.

Advocacy groups were divided as to whether a ban on exports should be
imposed, some arguing that such a move would only funnel diamonds into
illegal smuggling channels to the world market. They said Kimberly's job is
to ensure that diamonds do not fund conflicts.

From Johannesburg, Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Tiseke Kasambala
told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sandra Nyaira that the campaign to ban Zimbabwean
diamonds from the international marketplace is gathering momentum in
Windhoek.

Human Rights Watch said last week that the Zimbabwean government has not
responded to Kimberly Process recommendations which include the
demilitarization of the Marange diamond fields, now under the control of the
Zimbabwean Defense Forces.


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Army brutality exposed

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

     
      Written by Tatenda Marowa
      Monday, 02 November 2009 15:20
      CHIADZWA - In an incident that exposes the extent of the army's
brutality at the Chiadzwa Diamond Fields; three men were reportedly asked to
carry corpses as punishment for entering the highly secured area.
      The corpses are understood to be some of people who are reportedly
killed on a daily basis by the army.  "We travelled to Chiadzwa from Harare
to see if there were any prospects of getting the precious mineral," said
one of the men. "We managed to pass through all the highway checkpoints, but
we ran out of luck when the soldiers caught us walking to the mountains."
      The three men were taken to the army base where they say, after a
night of severe beating, they were later taken to the minefields and as
punishment, were made to haul four corpses from the mines dug up by illegal
miners back to the base.  After the punishment, the men were released.
      Asked if they went to the police to report the incident, the men said
they were not sure if the police were going to help them in any way.  The
police have been accused of paying a blind eye to the atrocities committed
at Chiadzwa and this has been seen as an attempt by government to gloss over
the murders and human rights abuses.
      An army official in the Chiadzwa area who talked to The Zimbabwean on
condition of anonymity confirmed the incidents and said this was a 'proper
way of punishing people' trespassing on government property. Asked if his
superiors knew about these incidents, the officer said they were told to do
anything necessary to stop people from trespassing into the minefields.


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Abuse scandal exposes Murambatsvina

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

     
      Written by Tapiwa Zivira
      Monday, 02 November 2009 16:10
      BULAWAYO - The social crisis caused by the infamous Operation
Murambatsvina has created a child abuse scandal, a controversial documentary
will reveal. According to the unreleased documentary, over 106 orphans at
Lockview Primary School were sexually abused. 15 of them tested HIV positive
after they were allegedly raped by close relatives.
      The documentary is a brainchild of Bulawayo film maker, Thandazani
Nkomo, who has indicated that his idea is to prompt authorities into action
through the production. Lockview draws its pupils from the nearby peri-urban
plots where victims of the government-sponsored Operation Murambatsvina of
2005 are taking refuge. Under Murambatsvina illegal houses and structures in
urban and peri-urban areas were destroyed and the occupants were left
homeless, resulting in many of them finding their way to the illegal
settlements outside towns where they had no access to health and sanitary
facilities.
      It is also understood that the cholera pandemic which swept across the
country late last year and early this year, leaving nearly 4000 dead, was a
result the manifestation of these settlements, among other things.
Co-ordinator of the Coalition Against Child Labour Zimbabwe, Pascal Masocha,
said the findings were just the 'tip of the iceberg' as there were likely to
be more of such cases among the displaced people both in urban and farming
communities. "Such incidences are to be condemned in the strongest terms;
there is need to ensure mechanisms to provide decent accommodation for
people in these communities," said Masocha.
      "We fear these children are likely to drop out of school where they
become more vulnerable to further abuse and this is the last thing that we
want to happen," added Masocha. "It is our hope that the new constitution
must incorporate children's rights such that we do not have continuous cases
of the children's future being jeopardised by loose policies."  According to
the findings, 350 of the 366 pupils come from families that shared a single
room, which might explain the abuse.

      Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle
      African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse
and Neglect (ANPCCAN) Director, Aaron Zinyanya, castigated the government
for its Operation Garikai/ Hlalani Kuhle which he says did not benefit those
with genuine need for accommodation. Operation Garikai was a housing project
which came as a response to over 700 000 people who were displaced under
Operation Murambatsvina.
      "We call for these abusers to be brought to book as soon as possible
and we also need to see the Victim Friendly Unit's being capacitated to
handle such cases," said Zinyanya. Justice for Children Trust (JCT)
Programmes Director Caleb Mutandwa implored the government to allow Non
Governmental Organisations speedy access to deal with the cases. Last week
Tabitha Khumalo, who is Member of Parliament for the area, said there were
"a lot of child-headed families, children staying with relatives and most of
these children have confirmed that they were sexually abused at one point or
another".
      According to Khumalo some of the children do not report the cases of
sexual abuse because the perpetrators are the providers of accommodation,
food and school fees. Childine Public Relations Officer Patience Chiyangwa
said the cases of child sexual abuse are 'deplorable and unacceptable'. She
urged NGOs dealing with child rights issues to come up together to stand up
against any forms of abuse.


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Chinamasa says UN official over-reacted

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24429

November 3, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa says the
United Nations torture investigator deported by government last Thursday
kicked a storm over a trivial matter.Chinamasa accused the envoy of causing
bad blood between the UN and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe deported the UN special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak,
citing concerns over a meeting of Southern African Development Community
(SADC) troika leaders in the capital, Harare. Nowak was detained Wednesday
evening and placed on a flight back to Johannesburg, South Africa, the
following morning.

Nowak was invited by minister Chinamasa, to conduct a fact-finding mission
to the country from October 28  to November 4. While in transit in
Johannesburg from Vienna on October 27, he was informed that the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, had decided on October 26 to
postpone his mission.

Waiting in Johannesburg, the special rapporteur was informed by letter dated
October 27, that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, wished to meet him in his
office in Harare at 10:00 am on October 29.

He was also informed that he would be picked up at Harare Airport by an
official of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Consequently, the special rapporteur flew to Harare in the evening of
October 28, to meet the Prime Minister and discuss with various members of
the government how best to conduct such a mission in the changed political
circumstances of Zimbabwe.

Upon arrival at Harare Airport at 9:20 p.m. on October 28, the special
rapporteur and his team were not met by a Protocol Officer, but by the dead
of Immigration at the airport, one Mabika.

Although Nowak and his delegation had valid visas, he was told that his
entry had not been cleared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and that, in
the absence of such clearance, he would have to fly back to Johannesburg the
next morning.

He spent the night at the airport and was put on the 7:20 am flight to
Johannesburg on 29 October.

All efforts by the United Nations, the Prime Minister, his secretary and
both Co-Ministers of Home Affairs to facilitate Nowak's entry were
unsuccessful. A high level delegation sent by the Prime Minister to the
airport was denied access and told that the special rapporteur was no longer
being held at the airport.

On Arrival in Johannesburg Nowak expressed anger at being expelled from the
country, stating that he had been singled out for vindictive treatment even
though he had an invitation from Prime Minister Tsvangirai. He said his
deportation showed that Mugabe called the shots in the unity government.

Chinamasa however, criticized Nowak's own conduct in refusing to alter his
travel plans after being asked to delay his visit by two days. Chinamasa
said he was miffed that Nowak had taken the postponement of his visit in bad
spirit.

"When we conveyed to him that the trip has been cancelled, he should not
have come," Chinamasa said. "I think his insistence to come and that he was
coming at the invitation of the Prime Minister is introducing a very bad
spirit into our relationship. It is not good that he should come (to be)
hosted by the Prime Minister when originally I am his host.

"I am the minister responsible for human rights in this country. He should
come at my invitation, because I am the minister responsible for that area
in government."

Nowak said after his deportation that he had never been treated so badly by
any government in the world.


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Mujuru camp backs Mutinhiri VP candidature

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

     
      Written by Staff Reporter
      Monday, 02 November 2009 15:27
      HARARE - The Zanu (PF) faction led by retired army-general Solomon
Mujuru (pictured) is allegedly sponsoring the candidature of former youth
minister Ambrose Mutinhiri for the vacant vice-presidency position.
      This has been hailed as a tactical move that party insiders say is
meant to give the Mujuru group a head-start in its battle to succeed
President Robert Mugabe. A rank outsider, Mutinhiri surprised many in the
party and outside when he last month tossed his hat into the race for the
Zanu (PF) second vice-presidency which was left vacant following the death
of Joseph Msika in August.
      As a legislator in Mashonaland East, Mutinhiri capitalised on the
claim that PF-ZAPU - for which he fought - was never a regional party. Zanu
(PF) sources said the Mujuru camp saw in Mutinhiri an opportunity to
consolidate its position in its turf war against another faction led by
defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
      The Mnangagwa camp is fighting to succeed Mugabe and take charge of
Zanu (PF) while Mujuru is pushing for his wife to take over from the
85-year-old Zimbabwean strongman when and if the veteran leader leaves
office. The Mnangagwa faction reportedly has the support of seven provinces
which are more than enough to decide the party's presidium. But the entry of
Mutinhiri into the fray is expected to take the sting away from the
Mnangagwa campaign.


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Magistrate suspended over bribery charges

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=24433

November 3, 2009

By Owen Chikari

MASVINGO - Gutu resident magistrate Musaiona Shortgame has been suspended
pending investigations into allegations of bribery in that he received a
US$400 kickback from a convict in return for the prisoner's freedom.

Shortgame who has already been arraigned before the courts to face charges
of contravening a section of the Prevention of Corruption Act, however,
denies the charges.

Masvingo provincial magistrate Golden Mandityira on Monday confirmed
Shortgame's suspension, saying the ministry was conducting its own
investigations.

"I can confirm that the Gutu resident magistrate has been suspended to pave
way for internal investigations", said Mandityira. "The police are doing
their own work and as a ministry we also have to conduct our investigations.

"Once investigations have been completed, and he is cleared of the charges
then he is free to resume his duties."

Since his suspension Shortgame has been barred from visiting his workplace
for fear his presence would prejudice investigations.

It is alleged that relatives of the prisoner alleged to have bribed
Shortgame met the magistrate and raised their concern over the continued
incarceration of the convicted man.

Shortgame allegedly demanded US$400 from the relatives in return for the
convict's release.

It is alleged that Shorgame received the US$400 and went on to pull the
prisoner's court record and signed for his release without the knowledge of
the state.

The state prosecutor who represented the state in the case then raised the
alarm over the intended release of the convict without the state's
knowledge. The prosecutor reported the case to the police, resulting in the
magistrate's arrest.

The magistrate is currently out of custody on free bail after Mandityira,
who is also the presiding magistrate in the case, dismissed the State's
request to have Shortgame remanded in custody.


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ROHR confront SADC

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

     
      Written by Staff Reporter
      Monday, 02 November 2009 13:32
      HARARE - A group from Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe
activists yesterday convened in the city centre to send a clear message to
the Southern African Development Committee (SADC)  Troika to take up a hard
stance against Zanu (PF) and President Robert Mugabe. In carrying out its
fact finding mission, ROHR called on the SADC Troika to take note of the
following fundamental issues of concern:
      1) The uniformed forces should execute their duties professionally
without discriminating on the grounds of political affiliation.
Investigations should be made on the fresh reports on the abduction of MDC
supporters by armed police officials.
      2) Draconian media legislature POSA and AIPPA should be repealed as a
matter of urgency.
      3) The office of the attorney general should immediately cease
intimidation campaigns that are targeted at harassing human rights defenders
and political activist.
      4) Zanu (PF) should demobilize and disarm the militia.
      5) Known perpetrators of violence must face the law regardless of
political affiliation and rank in society.


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Zimbabwe: House of Lords Debate

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

2nd Nov 2009 20:31 GMT

By a Correspondent

UK Parliament
House of Lords
Monday 2 November 2009
Zimbabwe
Question

Asked By Lord Avebury

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with
the Southern African Development Community concerning implementation of the
global political agreement in Zimbabwe.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, in the unfortunate absence of my noble
friend Lord Avebury, and with his permission, I beg leave to ask the
Question standing in his name on the Order Paper.

Lord Brett: My Lords, everyone in the House will join with me in wishing the
noble Lord, Lord Avebury, a successful recovery from his broken leg and a
speedy return to the House. He demonstrates great wisdom and experience on
the Liberal Democrat Benches and great wisdom and effectiveness in debates
in the Chamber.

The Southern African Development Community, as sponsor and guarantor of the
global political agreement - GPA - has a key role to play in this matter. We
regularly discuss Zimbabwe with SADC Governments and a SADC troika visited
Harare on 29 October to discuss developments. We will closely monitor the
outcome of that and continue to make our priority working with the region to
promote reform in Zimbabwe.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, while recognising the difficulties the
British Government face in openly criticising the Zimbabwean Government and
attracting ire from Mr Mugabe in return, what channels do the British
Government find most useful in pressing SADC to act to bring the parties
back together again in the rapidly deteriorating political, and therefore
economic and security, situation within Zimbabwe?

Lord Brett: My Lords, the Government use all channels available, including,
of course, bilateral channels with countries in SADC. My noble friend Lady
Kinnock is in South Africa this week and I have no doubt that Zimbabwe will
not be without note in her discussions with the South African Government. We
also work with our European Union colleagues, who have a major part to play
in bringing that country back to normality. We support the Unity Government,
particularly those parts which favour reform. However, we cannot but condemn
the henchmen within that Government who seek to continue what went before
and to avoid returning to a democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe.

Baroness D'Souza: My Lords, the current chair of SADC, President Kabila of
the Democratic Republic of Congo, relies on Zimbabwean guards for his
personal safety. Do the Government agree that this compromises his authority
in dealing with the current upsurge in human rights violations in Zimbabwe?
What diplomatic pressure will the Government exert on this issue?

Lord Brett: My Lords, I listened with care to the noble Baroness but I am
not sure that I agree with her. SADC is a major geographical and regional
power with lots of member Governments with considerable reason to hope that
Zimbabwe will return to its prosperity of yesteryear. I do not think that
the provision the noble Baroness asks about, though it might cast doubt in
people's eyes, is likely to be a major feature within SADC's decisions.
However, I take her question on board.

Lord Elton: My Lords, given the power and spread of SADC to which the noble
Lord has just referred, and the fact that it is meeting in Mozambique on
Thursday to consider this issue, how does he interpret the fact that Mugabe
has already said that the SADC tribunal ruling on land reform was of no
consequence, that land issues are not subject to the SADC tribunal, and that
he is already ignoring, and has long ignored, the undertaking he gave to
swear in MDC district governors and Ministers on the instructions of SADC?
What steps can SADC be encouraged to take that will bring him to his senses,
or will it remain completely powerless?

Lord Brett: My Lords, I have every sympathy with the noble Lord's points.
The issues that President Mugabe seeks to deny are part of the global
political agreement, which SADC produced in 2008. Therefore, we should ask
SADC how it will implement the GPA and persuade and advise those in breach
of it. I am sure that my noble friend and other Ministers in the Foreign
Office are doing everything possible through all channels earnestly to
advise SADC member states. One hopes that Thursday's meeting and the troika's
efforts will pressure Zimbabwe to achieve what the Unity Government should
be about; namely, to restore democracy, bring forward development and rescue
the Zimbabwean people from a decade of desperate mismanagement.

Lord Acton: My Lords, my noble friend said that the noble Baroness, Lady
Kinnock, was going to South Africa. We wish her very well in her diplomatic
efforts. What is the current position of South Africa on the Zimbabwean
situation? I do not ask this just to monitor how good the noble Baroness,
Lady Kinnock, is at diplomacy.

Lord Brett: My Lords, we will have to see the outcome of the discussions
that are taking place in Mozambique on Thursday to know that. Certainly,
President Zuma has made clear his rather more urgent requirements of the
Government of Zimbabwe, more than perhaps his predecessor has done. There
are those in SADC - Botswana is one and there are many others - who can see
why a solution to Zimbabwe is in everybody's interests in the region.

I am pretty sure that my noble friend Lady Kinnock has arrived in South
Africa by now - if she has not, she is on the longest flight that has ever
taken place from the United Kingdom - and I hope that she will be using her
influence in all quarters to ensure that we bring about the policy, not that
we want to see, or that Europe wants to see, but that the world wants to
see.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My Lords, the UN torture expert Mr Nowak said
that, when he was denied entry into Zimbabwe the other day, he was going to
complain to the UN Commissioner on Human Rights. Can the commissioner do
anything about it? Are we backing his complaint? Is anything going to happen
at all?

Lord Brett: My Lords, those who listened to the rapporteur's interview on
Radio 4 will have no doubt how badly he was treated in contravention of
international law and in contravention to the invitation already issued. In
that sense, we are totally supportive that international law has to be
applied. We have heard nothing since from the UN about how the rapporteur
will take that forward, but clearly it will be an issue and not one on which
we are likely to find ourselves in sympathy with the Zimbabwean Government.

Lord Anderson of Swansea: My Lords -
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): Sorry, my Lords, our time is up.


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SADC must push Mugabe harder: Analysts

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Edith Kaseke Tuesday 03 November 2009

HARARE - The SADC troika will hold a summit this week, in a sign of growing
pressure against President Robert Mugabe but analysts said regional leaders
would need to press hard the obstinate octogenarian to fully implement terms
of last year's Global Political Agreement (GPA) and save a fragile unity
government from collapse.

Zimbabwe's nine-month-old unity government is rocked by disputes between
erstwhile rivals Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe on how to share
executive power and was plunged into crisis after Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party boycotted Cabinet, a decision that may has
hastened SADC action.

Last week, the two men and their negotiators met a Southern African
Development Community (SADC) ministerial team, which was in the country to
review the coalition and there was no doubt it was Tsvangirai who emerged
from the meetings more satisfied with the summit decision.

The summit will be held on Thursday in Mozambique and will be chaired by
Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and attended by Zambian leader Rupiah
Banda and Swaziland's King Mswati II.

Tsvangirai had travelled around the region two weeks ago, meeting leaders to
explain his party's decision to boycott Cabinet citing Mugabe's ZANU PF as
an unreliable coalition partner.

Troika summit

"I have no doubt SADC is now turning the heat on Mugabe, what he did not
want was a summit to deal with Zimbabwe but this is exactly what he has
 got," John Makumbe, a political analyst and Mugabe critic said.

"They (SADC) have an opportunity to tell Mugabe to meet his side of the deal
or that he will be left on his own, I believe the summit will deliver a
strong message to him."

MDC officials have in the past expressed disquiet and exasperation over SADC
for failing to tackle the 85-year-old Mugabe, one of the oldest African
leaders.

The convening of the troika summit is seen as acknowledging that much more
action is needed to bring Mugabe and ZANU PF to adhere by the spirit of last
year's agreement while securing the MDC's continued participation in the
unity government, whose formation has stopped Zimbabwe's economic
haemorrhaging and political violence.

But political analysts said SADC would need to lean more on Mugabe to fully
meet his party's side of the political agreement and its February
communiqué, which among other things, requires the unity government to deal
with the appointment of a central bank governor and attorney general and
senior government officials.

Mugabe has of late insisted that he has met all obligations under the
power-sharing pact and maintains the MDC should campaign for the lifting of
Western sanctions against ZANU PF, including travel restrictions and a
freeze on general financial aid to Zimbabwe.

The analysts said Mugabe was likely to dig in for now, especially ahead of
his party's congress next month when ZANU PF would elect a new leadership.

Some concessions

"Mugabe is somehow contemptuous of SADC leaders, that he has made clear
through his actions, but at the same time he can not spit in their face
because they did help him secure legitimacy through the coalition government
at a time of increased pressure for his ouster from the West," Eldred
Masunungure, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe
said.

"So SADC is likely to wring some concessions from the old man, reminding him
that a stable Zimbabwe is better for the region but he is unlikely to give
in to all MDC demands because you don't want to go to congress appearing
weak and giving in to your rivals," he added.

Western diplomats said South African President Jacob Zuma has been working
hard behind the scenes to end the current political impasse and in his
meeting with Democratic Republic of Congo President and SADC chairman Joseph
Kabila last week, discussed Zimbabwe's political problems at length.

Kabila yesterday met Mugabe for more than five hours as the young Kabila
told Mugabe of the region's fears of instability in the country if the unity
deal collapsed.

But it was not clear what the two men discussed as their talks stretched
into the evening.

"You need to understand that South Africa is the mediator in Zimbabwe and so
they want to see this agreement fully implemented and working," a Western
diplomat who declined to be named, who closely monitors the political events
in the region said.

"The reason Mr Kabila is here is because he has sought and received advice
and guidance from Pretoria on how to make the GNU work, but at the same time
it is really up to Mugabe whether he wants this thing to work or not," the
diplomat said.

Ball in Mugabe's court

The MDC says Mugabe has refused to swear-in its treasurer general Roy
Bennett, one of the few high ranking white party officials who will next
week stand trial on terrorism charges that carry a possible death penalty.

The ageing leader says Bennett, a former white commercial farmer whose
incarceration two weeks ago triggered the MDC boycott, will only be sworn-in
if he is acquitted.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed to swear in five provincial governors from
Tsvangirai's main MDC and another from Arthur Mutambara's smaller splinter
MDC group by September this year, something the veteran leader has reneged
on.

Analysts said the MDC was likely to continue with its boycott until Mugabe
implemented some parts of the agreement.

"Going back to Cabinet right now without any concessions would seriously
undermine the MDC and I don't think they would do that," said Masunungure.
"But the ball is firmly in Mugabe's court now and this is what the MDC
wanted." - ZimOnline


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Zim Unity govt: Demanding the impossible

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Mutumwa Mawere Tuesday 03 November 2009

OPINION: On Monday, March 24 1980, the Time Magazine published an article
entitled: "Zimbabwe Rhodesia: Demanding the impossible":
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921867,00.html that
captured the complexity and challenges of constructing a government in a
post-conflict situation.

The then Prime Minister-designate, Right Honorable Robert Gabriel Mugabe,
had no choice but to put the interests of Zimbabwe first in the face of what
seemed to many an impossible task of satisfying black aspirations, retain
white confidence and keep peace and security.

At the time, there was intense interest not only in the region but also
globally about how the former leader of a liberation movement would
construct a government that responded to the demands of the time while
providing hope to many about a future that was uncertain.

Even Mugabe had this to say: "Why are you asking so much from my poor little
Zimbabwe?" to a journalist who was anxious to know the thinking of this
untested leader.

The former revolutionary leader surprised many when he appointed his first
Cabinet, leading Bernard Miller, white editor of the Rhodesian Farmer to
remark: "We were all wrong about him. Everyone's got egg on his face."

This was 29 years ago and it is appropriate that we ask whether Miller was
correct in his assessment of Mugabe.

Was the concern about the future of Zimbabwe misplaced? What did Mugabe do
right to convince people like Miller that the future was secure for all?

In 1980, Mugabe was the undisputed leader and in 2009, this is not the case.
ZANU PF was acutely conscious that "white" interests had to be factored into
the national question.

The national democratic revolution required the buy-in of all and more
significantly there was a recognition that any attempt to strengthen the
historically weak by weakening the strong would not work.

ZANU PF was dominant as a political institution but in 2009 it has been
forced to share state power with the two MDC formations.

After 28 years of monolithic hegemony on state power, one can appreciate the
adjustment challenges that confront ZANU PF?

Zimbabwe like South Africa inherited a sophisticated industrial, mining and
agricultural economic base.

The economy was still intact and the key players were white compelling
Mugabe to acknowledge the futility of pursuing policies designed to alienate
this key constituency.

The world responded favourably when Mugabe included two prominent whites,
David Smith, a Zimbabwean of Scottish heritage who was Rhodesia's Finance
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Ian Smith, and Denis Norman, leader
of the country's 5 300 commercial white farmers.

The key ministry of agriculture was entrusted to Norman, an English-born
Zimbabwean, who came to Rhodesia in 1953.

Even Smith was not born in the then Rhodesia.

Norman was the president of the Rhodesian National Farmers Union. For him to
be elected in 1978 as the president of this important platform of white
power meant that his views on black economic empowerment could not have been
different from the widely held view in white circles that black economic
advancement was not in the national interest.

Notwithstanding, Mugabe believed then that it was critical that his
government be inclusive. In choosing Norman, Mugabe must have considered the
fact that he had not been active in politics.

Norman was in Mugabe's Cabinet for 12 years. He was not the only white
person to find favour with Mugabe.

When the MDC was formed, the party managed to attract white members
including Roy Leslie Bennett who was one of three white parliamentarians
elected in the 2000 election.

He is currently the treasurer of the MDC-T and is the deputy
minister-designate for agriculture.

The fact that he was a former colonial policeman and an activist has given
Mugabe a reason to deny him the appointment.

Although Mugabe accepts that for Zimbabwe to move forward, targeted
sanctions must be removed he still would want to reserve the right to decide
on the kind of white persons that must be part of the Zimbabwean democratic
revolution.

In 1980, the challenge was to build a new nation founded on new values,
principles and beliefs. In 2009, the challenge ought to be to move Zimbabwe
from the failed policies of the past.

A view is held that Zimbabwe's condition in 2009 is a direct consequence of
sanctions and, therefore, what is required is simply to remove sanctions.

However, the land reform programme has dislocated many Zimbabweans and
regrettably the majority of the key players in the farm sector have left the
country and it must be accepted that even if the political players were to
establish a sound working relationship it is unlikely that we will witness a
mass return of this key resource.

Commercial agriculture has been disturbed and to restore some semblance on
normality will require a new approach.

It is clear that Zimbabwe will not be able to move forward without the
support of the West and yet Mugabe still holds the view that white people
should not be trusted.

The only white people that can be trusted must be those who like former
health minister Timothy Stamps and Norman were able to appreciate the
dangers of aligning with any so-called regime change agenda.

Mugabe is yet to be convinced that the freedoms enshrined in the
constitution of Zimbabwe can be valid for whites, especially those whose
hands can be considered as contaminated by the colonial order.

Was Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai naïve in appearing to link the decision
to temporarily disengage MDC-T from the inclusive government with the
re-arrest of Bennett?

Mugabe at independence selected his own white colleagues in Cabinet and yet
29 years later, he would not want Tsvangirai to exercise the same right to
bring into government his party lieutenants.

One would have expected that the wounds caused by the colonial order would
have healed but clearly this is not the case.

Black people are in the majority and it is inconceivable that a diminishing
minority group could pose so much threat to a government that has been in
power for such a long period.

Why would Mugabe appear to be scared of Bennett's presence in government
when it is common cause the land reform has forced many white Zimbabweans to
emigrate? It is unlikely that those who have emigrated will return even if
normalcy is restored.

What the crisis has exposed is that without the support of the Anglo-Saxons,
the future of Zimbabwe is challenged. We have not seen the East come in to
fill the gaps.

What is evident is that white people will have to be part of the solution
and there is no better place to start the process than accepting that people
like Bennett are part of the solution.

Unlike Norman and Smith, Bennett has carved his own constituency to the
extent that he can stand his own ground.

By accepting Norman as critical in assuring white farmers that they were
needed in post-colonial Zimbabwe, Mugabe understood the need to reach out to
those who hold a different worldview.

What is now required is a new thinking accepting that Mugabe's worldview is
not original given that for the last 29 years he has been a prisoner locked
in the corridors of power.

Mugabe's worldview has been and continues to be shaped by his handlers who
benefit politically and economically from manufacturing so-called enemies of
the state.

What complicates the situation is that its detractors have framed the MDC-T
as a surrogate of the West and so-called Rhodesian interests.

Mugabe believes this to be the case and when MDC-T took the decision to
suspend its involvement in the inclusive government, it was just another
example of a party pandering to the whims of white interests.

At independence the nation demanded the impossible and Mugabe was able to
respond positively. However, 29 years later, the impossible is no longer
possible and the future remains as uncertain as it was when Norman decided
to pack his bags and leave the country for good. - ZimOnline


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Bangladesh humiliate Zimbabwe to seal series win

http://in.reuters.com

Tue Nov 3, 2009 11:51am IST

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Bangladesh dismissed Zimbabwe for just 44
runs before easing to a six-wicket victory and an unassailable 3-1 lead in
their five-match one-day international series on Tuesday.

Pacer Nazmul Hossain and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak shared two wickets
apiece to reduce the visitors to 8-4, a position from which Zimbabwe could
never recover.

Left-arm spinners Enamul Haque Jr and Shakib Al Hasan took over as chief
tormentors, grabbing three wickets each to bowl out Zimbabwe, who had won
the toss and opted to bat, for the lowest total by any team against
Bangladesh.

Hong Kong held the previous mark of 105 in a 2004 Asia Cup match in Colombo.

Bangladesh were on course for a first 10-wicket victory at 33 without loss
before Zimbabwe snared four wickets in quick succession on a batting surface
that provided sharp turn for the spin bowlers.

Raymond Price and Graeme Cremer each claimed two wickets for Zimbabwe before
middle-order batsman Roqibul Hassan finished the match with a huge off six
over long to take the hosts to 49-4 in 11.5 overs.

The final match of the series will be held at the same venue on Thursday.

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