http://www.newzimbabwe.com
08/10/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
HARARE police on Monday arrested two journalists from the
privately-owned
Daily News following a criminal defamation complaint by the
former Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe adviser, Munyaradzi Kereke.
Kereke,
who is also the founder of the Rockfoundation Medical Centre, told
police a
report in the newspaper – also carried by New Zimbabwe.com – that
police had
found no evidence that his wife was abducted could jeopardise
efforts to
find her.
Daily News editor, Stanley Gama, and his deputy, Chris Goko,
were
interviewed for four hours at the Harare Central Police Station in the
company of their lawyer, Alec Muchadehama.
Police recorded statements
from the journalists before they were released.
Kereke says his wife,
Joseline, and four-year-old daughter, Tashinga, “just
vanished” on September
13. In a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, he
claimed that “indications
so far suggest that foul play looms large.”
But a spokesman for Harare
police said they had found no evidence of an
abduction after establishing,
from several witnesses, that Joseline and her
daughter left by taxi for the
Harare International Airport where they caught
a flight to South
Africa.
Kereke has strongly hinted that his former boss, Reserve Bank
Governor
Gideon Gono, had something to do with his wife’s
disappearance.
The two men are caught up in a vicious legal battle after
Gono sued him for
US$25 million, claiming defamation. Kereke, meanwhile, has
sent letters to
Parliament, President Robert Mugabe and the Anti-Corruption
Commission
trying to get Gono arrested for what he claims is large scale
corruption at
the apex bank.
In June, Kereke got two Reserve Bank
security guards – whom he said were
acting on Gono’s instructions – arrested
on charges of assaulting his
driver. They were acquitted after a magistrate
found Kereke had fabricated
evidence.
A spokesman for the Daily News
said they would fight the charges. Kereke
already has a $45 million lawsuit
pending against the newspaper for
reporting allegations that he raped his
13-year-old niece in 2010.
“We are not intimidated, we are aware that
Kereke is trying to scare us from
reporting the allegations of rape against
a minor but these arrests will not
deter us,” a spokesman for the newspaper
said.
“But what we want to understand is who is protecting Kereke and
why? We will
not stop protecting vulnerable groups in our society,
especially the girl
child.”
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
09
October 2012
The editor of the Daily News newspaper in Zimbabwe has
slammed what he calls
deliberate intimidation by some “hardliners” in the
country, after he and a
colleague were arrested on Monday.
Stanley
Gama and his deputy Chris Goko were both arrested and detained after
being
called in by Harare police officers, and told they were to be charged
with
criminal defamation. The charges stem from a story the newspaper had
published, claiming the alleged ‘disappearance’ of businessman Munyaradzi
Kereke’s family was a hoax.
The two spent four hours at a Harare
police station and were released after
signing warned and cautioned
statements, in which they denied Kereke’s
criminal defamation
charges.
The article, sourced from the New Zimbabwe website, said that
Kereke’s
recent report on his missing family was designed to mislead the
public and
support his claims that his life is in danger. Kereke says the
article is
based on falsehoods and could jeopardise the hunt for his wife,
Joseline,
and their four- year old daughter Tashinga.
Kereke has also
accused the Daily News of defamation in a separate case,
regarding the
newspaper’s publication of a series of articles linking him to
the rape of a
minor two years ago.
Daily News Editor Gama told SW Radio Africa on
Tuesday that he believes the
arrest Monday is linked to this rape
case.
“Kereke phoned us and intimidated us last week….we believe it (the
arrest)
is a way of intimidating us to stop publishing the stories about the
rape.
But our motto is ‘tell it like it is’ and we’re not going to stop
reporting
on this,” Gama said.
Gama meanwhile said that the arrest
highlights how a “clique of hardliners”
with powerful connections in
Zimbabwe still pose a threat to the safety of
independent journalists. He
said it is “dangerous” dealing with this
“mafia.”
“Journalists still
live in fear. They still face intimidation. These people
use their
connections any time and they can use it against you at anytime,”
Gama
said.
The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe also criticised the arrest
of the
two editors, calling it “a perpetuation of the harassment of
journalists in
the country, and is therefore undemocratic and inimical to
freedom of
expression.”
Media watchdog group MISA Zimbabwe echoed
these concerns, saying the arrests
“proves the criminalisation of journalism
in Zimbabwe under the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform)
Act and
vindicates MISA-Zimbabwe’s strident calls for the repealing of the
law which
infringes on media freedom.”
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
09/10/2012 00:00:00
by Everson
Mushava I NewsDay
RESERVE Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon
Gono’s tiff with his former
advisor Munyaradzi Kereke has sucked in Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
Finance minister Tendai
Biti.
According to court papers and a letter written to Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission (Zacc) chairperson Denford Chirindo, Kereke
sensationally claimed
Gono, Tsvangirai and Biti fleeced the country of
millions of dollars.
Gono’s former advisor claimed that he was fired by
the central bank governor
when he insisted that the RBZ should co-operate
with police investigations
against Tsvangirai and Biti.
Kereke
claimed that Tsvangirai prejudiced the country of $1,5 million on the
Premier’s official residence in Highlands, Harare while Biti allegedly
withdrew $150 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s Special
Drawing Rights (SDRs) account at the RBZ. He did not disclose what happened
to the money.
All the clandestine activities were sanctioned and
protected by Gono,
alleged Kereke.
“On 11 November, 2009, Dr Gideon Gono
casually wrote on a scrap piece of
paper an instruction to a lower level
Reserve Bank staff member to hurriedly
make a transfer from the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe of $1,5 million into an
account at ZB Bank called TWRE Zim (Pvt)
Limited, account number
4112-049163-200,” Kereke claimed.
“This
amount was duly transferred from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on 13
November
2009 and after the Reserve Bank lost control over this money, the
funds were
later abused by the Prime Minister and his cousin Hebson Makuvise
(Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Germany).
“As of today, the RBZ has not
recovered its money. Dr Gideon Gono
frantically refused to co-operate with
the Zimbabwe Republic Police who were
and are still investigating this
serious fraud under reference number CID HQ
ER 31/11.”
Kereke claimed
that instead of co-operating with the police, Gono cooked up
documents to
protect both Tsvangirai and Biti, with the latter’s matter
being
investigated under reference CID HQ ER 03/2011. “The matter, which is
under
active investigation by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, is being
frustrated by
Dr Gideon Gono’s refusal to co-operate with the Zimbabwe
Republic Police,”
he alleged.
“During their audit of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for 2009,
BDO Kudenga
and Co (chartered accountants) picked the irregularities on the
IMF account
in the books of the Reserve Bank, but still Dr Gideon Gono
incomprehensibly
brushed this serious matter aside.”
He added Gono
and Biti were also failing to lobby for the removal of
sanctions yet the
country no longer owed the IMF any money.
“When Zimbabwe was allocated its
Special Drawing Rights (SDR) in the
equivalence of around $520 million in
2009, the IMF deducted SDR66 402 156
and stashed them in an escrow account,
which amount is, in fact, equivalent
to Zimbabwe’s total arrears with the
IMF of around $140 million,” Kereke
said.
He also made a litany of
accusations against Gono and other senior RBZ
officials.Gono has since sued
Kereke for defamation.
Meanwhile, Kereke has also written to Central
Intelligence Organisation boss
Happyton Bonyongwe seeking an appointment
with him to raise complaints
against State spies, register his complaints
against Gono and discuss his
report to ZACC.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
09 October 2012
The drama in the ongoing case of the
murdered Glen View cop, Petros Mutedza,
continued Tuesday as police arrested
another MDC-T official in connection
with the death.
Jackson Mabota,
the MDC-T Youth Assembly deputy Chairperson for Glen View
South
Constituency, was arrested Tuesday morning after police raided his
home. He
becomes the 30th MDC-T member arrested in connection with the case,
which
the party has dismissed as “political”.
Promise Mkwananzi, Secretary
General of the Youth Assembly, said the arrest
reaffirms their belief that
this is a political case targeting the key
leadership of the MDC-T,
particularly the Youth Assembly.
“The police are working in cohorts with
ZANU PF functionaries to arrest
people, to intimidate people. There is
clearly no pursuit of justice
whatsoever by the state in this case. It is
clearly political,” Mkwananzi
told SW Radio Africa.
He added that
something more needs to be done by the party, as the police
are “becoming
more desperate” in their campaign against MDC-T members.
“As you heard
the Prime Minister speaking in Zaka, where we witnessed
horrendous acts of
violence, he did say he would convene an urgent National
Council to reflect
whether it is still worth it to remain in this coalition
government,”
Mkwananzi said.
The case has dragged on since last May when officer
Mutedza was killed at a
local pub. The state claims he was murdered by MDC-T
members who held a
meeting there. The police rounded up MDC-T members
randomly soon after the
incident, claiming to be investigating.
But
the MDC-T insists many of the accused are party officials who were not
at
the scene the night Mutedza died. Some of the accused members have been
in
jail for over a year, with the courts repeatedly denying them bail.
After
several delays the trial was due to continue on Monday but was
postponed
until Wednesday, because both the Judge and state prosecutor
excused
themselves to attend the funeral of the late Higher Education
Minister, Stan
Mudenge.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, October 09,2012 -
Police have refused to grant permission for a
peaceful march organised by
the People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) aimed at
handing over a petition to
the National Aids Council (NAC) offices over the
lack of access to life
prolonging anti-retroviral drugs by people living
with HIV and AIDS.
The
police dismissed the march that was scheduled for Wednesday citing
reasons
such as the fear of the march being hijacked by political parties as
well as
the disrupting of traffic along Nelson Mandela.
The march also came
at a time when the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights
(ZLHR) petitioned NAC
challenging Section 6 Chapter 10 of the Access to
Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (AIPPA) demanding that the
HIV/AIDS body releases critical
information related to how funds are being
administered for the benefit of
HIV/AIDS patients.
According to the advocacy chairperson for Harare,
Joao Zangareti they
intended to handover the petition to NAC expressing
PLHIV anger towards what
the organisation said was unfair treatment in
accessing critical drugs and
other benefits that are critical in fighting
the disease.
“The NAC is taking solace in a hole infested NAC act
which allows for other
speculative activities, for example lending trust
funds to employees and
investing on the money market. The thematic
allocation for ART and drugs
remain pegged at 50% regardless of the
fluctuation of numbers who need
ARVs," he said.
"In conclusion we
the people living with HIV note and demand that the AIDS
levy is a national
resource contributed by all working people."
However,Sarongeti added
that they will handover the petition together with
the Coalition Against
Corruption (CAC) tomorrow together with the ZLHR.
“We have partnered
CAC and ZLHR in handing over the petition tomorrow,”
concluded
Zangareti.
CAC director Terry Mutsvanga confirmed that CAC had been
approached over the
proposed petition.
He said: “As CAC we feel
that the plight of people living with HIV/AIDS is a
national agenda hence it
requires urgent attention.NAC has to answer the
demands that are being
levelled by the PLHIV as this brings out
accountability and
transparency."
Police spokesperson for Harare Province Inspector
Tadius Chibanda could not
be reached for a comment since he was not picking
up his phone.
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Gibbs
Dube
08.10.2012
The deputy president of the chiefs’ council has
castigated traditional
leaders who are allegedly misappropriating community
ownership trust funds
sourced from foreign mining companies under Zimbabwe’s
controversial black
empowerment program.
Chief Mtshana Khumalo of
Bubi communal lands said it is disheartening that
some chiefs in Zimbabwe
are looting funds meant to benefit communities.
He said the ministry of
indigenization should tighten accountability
procedures in order to block
local indigenization boards headed by chiefs
from abusing the funds totaling
$40 million.
Some chiefs in Shurugwi, Midlands province, currently
administering a $2
million community share ownership trust fund, recently
awarded themselves
sitting allowances of $5,000 each.
Chief Khumalo
told VOA Studio 7 these traditional leaders are a national
disgrace. “They
should always think about the needs of their communities
instead of
enriching themselves.
Economist Rejoice Ngwenya of the Liberal Market
Solutions said such looting
is being encouraged by the Zanu PF system of
political patronage.
Youth and Indigenization Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere was not immediately
available for comment.
The
Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act allows the minister to set
up a
national and local empowerment board tasked with administering funds
sourced
from the foreign-owned companies.
The funds are supposed to be used for
the construction of roads, clinics,
dams, schools and other community
infrastructure.
Indications are that these funds are being diverted for
personal use by some
chiefs, headmen and local villagers linked to President
Robert Mugabe’s Zanu
PF party.
The two formations of the Movement for
Democratic Change in the shaky
coalition government have already indicated
that the indigenization program
is a Zanu PF scheme for disempowering whites
associated with Western nations
that imposed targeted sanctions against the
president and his inner circle.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Rowdy Chinese workers at Sogecao
Construction Company in Harare yesterday
ganged up and assaulted two police
officers after they came to investigate a
case in which a local construction
worker was bashed by his Chinese
superiors.
09.10.12
by
Jeffrey Moyo
The Chinese company was contracted to build a five-star
hotel near the
National sports stadium outside the capital.
Langford
Sibindi, a labourer at the construction company said he was
attacked on
Monday night after complaining to one of the Chinese that he
needed to rest
as he was having some back pains.
“I was beaten up by my boss with a
shovel after I complained of a back ache
and I went and reported the matter
to the police, but even the two police
officers whom I had brought were also
assaulted”, he said.
Sibindi said the cops received a thorough bashing
after they attempted to
handcuff one of the Chinese.
“One officer
tried to apply handcuffs on one of the Chinese, but the police
officer was
shoved and beaten up by the Chinese man who teamed up with his
colleagues,
subsequently tearing the cop’s uniform,” said Sibindi.
Sibindi claimed
that the cops called for back-up from Milton Police Station,
but nothing
happened to the Chinese assailants although he was taken to
Milton Park
police station, where a police was written, authorizing that he
gets free
medical examination.
Part of the document read: “The complainant was
assaulted by a booted leg at
the back and a shovel on the right hand, the
complainant is experiencing
internal injuries to the right
hand.”
Harare provincial police spokesperson inspector Tedius Chibande
could
neither confirm nor deny the incident, claiming he was yet to receive
the
report.
“I am not sure about that because I have spent most of my
day locked up in a
workshop, I will try to find out when I am free”, he
said.
Suspicion is rife that the Chinese businessmen are being protected
by
influential Zanu PF politicians with contracts of supplying services at
the
construction site.
Reports gathered from workers at the
construction site showed that they were
exposed to brutality by their
Chinese superiors, who they said were not
facing prosecution.
http://www.bdlive.co.za/
BY RAY NDLOVU, OCTOBER 09 2012,
06:19
HARARE — Zimbabwe’s fuel, retail and tyre manufacturing
industries are
buckling under pressure from the freight workers’ strike in
South Africa.
Trade between South Africa and Zimbabwe hinges mainly on
moving goods by
road and accounts for 70% of Zimbabwe’s
imports.
Industrialists in Zimbabwe warned on Monday that the country
stood to lose
as much as $100m a day as a result of the truck drivers’
strike, which has
affected the flow of goods through the Beitbridge border
post — Southern
Africa’s busiest inland port. Zambia, Malawi and the
Democratic Republic of
Congo also use the Beitbridge border post to
transport goods from South
Africa.
Eric Bloch, an economist at
H&E consultancy, said a meltdown could occur in
Zimbabwe in a matter of
weeks unless the strike was resolved.
"Many of the service stations are
fast running out of fuel and the strike
has affected our exports to South
Africa," he said.
"The repercussions are very significant as the strike
will bring everything
to a standstill, a situation Zimbabwe cannot afford,
given the shrinking
economy."
Lucky Mlilo, chairman of the
Association for Business in Zimbabwe, said the
strike would result in
increased congestion at the Beitbridge border post as
the festive season
rush began, placing the onus on the Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority to find
"possible solutions to the anticipated build-up at all
borders".
Kennedy Mandevani, MD of Dunlop Zimbabwe, which sources all
of its raw
materials from South Africa, said the company currently had
"reasonable
supplies" but was concerned that, if the strike continued, they
might not be
able to satisfy the market.
The Consumer Council of
Zimbabwe said that the strike had had a positive
effect, because in the
short term it had boosted factory capacity
utilisation, currently at 52%,
according to the industry and trade ministry.
"Ironically, if the strike
persists it will afford a chance for capacity
utilisation to improve as it
has been severely affected by the sheer number
of imports, especially in the
retail industry," the council’s executive
director, Rosemary Siyachitema,
said on Monday.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
09 October 2012
Lawyers representing three former MDC
legislators, who are seeking to have
by-elections held in their
constituencies immediately, are now planning to
appeal an extension granted
to Robert Mugabe at the High Court last week.
The Supreme Court had
ordered Mugabe to call the by-elections by October 1st
after an original
extension. But just before the new deadline, Mugabe’s
lawyers appealed at
the High Court on the grounds that too many
constituencies were vacant, and
the by-election would amount to a
mini-general election.
In court
papers, the lawyers argued that Mugabe was planning to hold
harmonized
elections in six months, which would include presidential,
constituency and
local authority elections at the same time.
Last week the High Court
Justice George Chiweshe granted Mugabe his wish,
postponing the elections
deadline until March next year. But he gave no
explanation for the decision.
He simply said that reasons would follow.
Representing the three former
MPs, Tawanda Zhuwarara from the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
explained that their appeal is being delayed
by the absence of a reason for
the extension granted by Chiweshe. He said
they have now written to the
registrar of the High Court seeking to have
Chiweshe’s reasons
revealed.
Zhuwarara said: “Without being furnished with how the judge
reasoned, it is
extremely difficult to draft what is called a notice of
appeal. The High
Court did not have jurisdiction, in our view, to even
entertain the
amendment of a Supreme Court confirmed order. So that in
itself can be
easily dispensed with.”
The lawyer said there is no
statutory provision stipulating a specified
period of time within which a
judge must issue his reasons. The defence
team, led by Beatrice Mtetwa, are
also considering other ways to try to get
the High Court to issue Justice
Chiweshe’s reasons.
The case started last October when MPs Abednico
Bhebhe, Njabuliso Mguni and
Norman Mpofu were fired as MPs for Nkayi South,
Lupane East and Bulilima
East by the Welshman Ncube-led MDC. They had been
accused of cooperating
with the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.
The death of the Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Stan
Mudenge last
Friday increased the number of vacant parliamentary seats to
28. And the
death last month of MDC-T Senator Josiah Rimbi from Chipinge
raised the
number of vacant constituencies to 39. In addition, more than a
160 local
authority seats are reportedly empty.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
09 October 2012
There has been huge outcry from ZESA consumers
countrywide following the
power utility’s ongoing program to cut off
supplies from those with
outstanding bills.
Two months ago, Energy
and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma ordered
ZESA to stop
disconnecting all consumers with unpaid bills, until it had
installed
prepaid meters. It is hoped that the meters will put an end to
ZESA’s
estimated billing system that thousands of consumers have said do not
reflect their actual power usage.
The power utility is in the process
of rolling out prepaid meters in all
domestic and business premises, and it
expects that in 10 months time 600
000 customers will have the meters
installed. Currently only 19 000
customers have the new service.
But
in apparent defiance of the minister and government’s directive, ZESA
has
been disconnecting power to thousands of defaulting domestic and
commercial
consumers in the past few weeks. The state controlled Herald
reported that
several households and businesses countrywide, including those
at growth
points, have been disconnected.
Mangoma has urged those being
disconnected to report to his ministry.
Customers owe the power utility
more than $600 million. Many have bills
averaging between $500 and $1 000,
accumulated since the introduction of
multiple currency system.
SW
Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa reported that despite Mangoma’s
directive, ZESA has not stopped disconnecting power to consumers with
outstanding bills.
He said the problem is that consumers with
outstanding bills have not taken
up ZESA’s advice to negotiate methods of
payment with the power utility.
“This is nothing new in Harare, ZESA has
not stopped cutting off power for
months, they do it everyday as long as you
owe them money in unpaid bills,”
Muchemwa reported.
“But if you
approach the company and work out a repayment plan, they will
not cut off
power to your household or business premise,” Muchemwa added.
Muchemwa
said that such arrangements are understood to have been made by
high level
government defaulters, who were singled out in a report this year
as not
paying their bills. This information was received with anger by
regular
consumers, who complained that the power utility was only
disconnecting them
and not government officials.
http://www.kubatanablogs.net/kubatana/?p=9990
In the words of the Kubatana community:
The Fix
It sticker that I have is too small to stick where there is water
running
just opposite the Southerton police station. There is now an
artificial
river yet there are people without water. My heart bleeds. –
Kubatana
subscriber
I am writing to you because I don’t know where else to write.
Please is
there anyone out there who can remind ZESA that when people pay
bills in
full they deserve electricity. Its so disturbing that the power
cuts in
ZIMRE are almost unbearable. We pay more than 100usd dollars but
nearly
every day we have no power. Would it be better for not sending bills
if they
cannot supply any electricity.
- Kubatana subscriber
As
residents of Hatcliffe we’ve had it to the bream. The City of Harare has
completely failed us as they have failed to deal with the shortage of water
for over a decade now. The situation has worsened as most wells and
boreholes have dried up in the past 2 months resulting in people having to
rely on contaminated water for house hold purposes. If possible we would
like to hear what the mayor thinks about this and how he wants us to
react.
- Kubatana subscriber
The whole of Harare is a death Trap. We
are all too meek and mild to do
anything about it. One day we must all stand
up and fight and get ALL this
Government out. – Kubatana
subscriber
This entry was posted on October 9th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
by Bev Clark
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona
Sibanda
09 October 2012
The MDC-T has described as ‘nonsensical’
reports that the Joint Monitoring
and Implementation Committee (Jomic)
business in Mashonaland West Province
has been thrown into turmoil. This
after ZANU PF withdrew its structures in
protest over alleged bias towards
the MDC and so called ‘western influence’.
The ZANU PF chairperson for
the province, John Mafa, has written to Phylis
Musasanure, the Jomic
provincial administrator, saying the party has
resolved to stop
participating in Jomic activities.
Mafa accused Jomic of bias towards the
MDC-T members when it reimbursed
their travel allowances following a Jomic
visit to Murombedzi. He claims
members of other parties did not get the
refunds.
The Daily News newspaper quotes Mafa accusing Jomic of seeking
to effect
regime change in the country by engaging western-sponsored
non-governmental
organizations such as Zimcet to conduct peace building
workshops in the
province.
Charlton Hwende, the MDC-T national
executive member in charge of
Mashonaland West, categorically refuted the
allegations describing them as
‘preposterous’ and ‘baseless’.
“These
allegations of bias towards the MDC and western influence are
unfounded,
baseless and nonsensical. What we see in ZANU PF is a party
running scared
of an impending electoral defeat in next year’s elections,”
Hwende
said.
He told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that since they launched a
mobilization
exercise in the province three months ago, to galvanize support
for their
party, ZANU PF has visibly looked uncomfortable with the inroads
they’ve
made.
“In the last three months we have been to areas that
the MDC has not
accessed since its formation in 1999. We’ve been to areas
like Kanzamba in
Hurungwe West were it was virtually impossible for us to
visit,” Hwende
said.
He added: “These were no-go areas for us but now
we can criss-cross the
entire length and breadth of the province thanks to
the efforts of Jomic to
minimize violence and allow all parties political
space.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Tuesday, 09 October 2012
11:53
HARARE - A constitution Select Committee (Copac) finance and
administration
manager has appeared before a Harare magistrate on corruption
charges.
Gift Marunda, 46, who is also Copac’s acting national
coordinator is accused
of depriving the constitution-making body of over $18
000 after awarding a
contract to a non-befitting company.
The court
heard that Marunda approved a contract for African Legend
Investments
Private Limited for a printing job between July 20 and July 31
this
year.
African Legend Investments is a marketing consultancy company owned
by
Clemence Guta, according to court papers.
Marunda allegedly
awarded the company a contract to supply Copac’s All
Stakeholders meeting
with materials including badges, pads, pens and
folders.
Copac paid
$8 740 for the job on August 1, but according to state papers,
the materials
have not yet been delivered.
It is alleged that Marunda contracted the
company again to print the Copac
draft constitution in which a deposit of $9
982 was paid on September 25
from $13 200 required for 1 200
copies.
According to state papers, African Legend Investments does not
have printing
machines and relies on subcontracting other companies for jobs
that they
secure.
Marunda authorised the release of $18 722 to
African Legend Investments, yet
the company is not listed on the approved
list of the State Procurement
Board (SPB), hence it was not supposed to
provide printing services for
Copac, the court was told.
He also did
that without first seeking approval from SPB. According to state
papers,
Marunda showed “favour” in contracting African Legend Investments at
the
expense of other companies which have the capacity to do the
job.
Magistrate Tshuma released Marunda on $500 bail.
He will be
back in court on October 19. - Tendai Kamhungira
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Gibbs Dube
09.10.2012
Zimbabwean
lawmakers say ministers who are failing to attend crucial
parliamentary
debates should have their salaries cut or be expelled by the
government as
they are derailing development activities in the country.
Some of the
legislators, who convened their sessions Tuesday in both
chambers following
a three-week adjournment, said they spoke with one voice
in parliament in an
attempt to tame some of the rogue ministers.
Gwanda North lawmaker
Thandeko Zinti Mnkandla said they agreed that
President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should
intervene and punish the ministers
who are crippling Zimbabwe’s growth.
The parliamentarians were debating a
motion introduced by Silobela lawmaker
Anadu Silulu calling for the severe
punishment of truant ministers earning
more than $1,000 a
month.
Mnkandla said there are high hopes that principals of the unity
government
will take action against the ministers. “They should punish them
for the
benefit of the public.”
Parliament is set to deal with
several outstanding motions including the
$750 million deal signed by the
government and Indian firm, Essar Africa
Holdings, for reviving the
collapsed Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company.
The deal nearly collapsed
after the Ministry of Mines blocked the handing
over of iron ore reserves to
Essar claiming that the government was set to
lose millions of dollars in
potential revenue.
Various House of Assembly and Senate committees also
resumed business with
the Water, Lands and Resettlement portfolio committee
investigating the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s Farm Mechanization Program
conducted before the
formation of the unity government in
2009.
Problems bedeviling Green Fuel (Pvt) Limited currently holding over
10
million liters of ethanol and operations of Shabanie Mashaba Mine will
also
be top on the agenda of the lower house.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Tuesday, 09 October 2012 09:57
HARARE -
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has met Nigerian president
Goodluck
Jonathan in Abuja for bilateral talks.
Tsvangirai is in Nigeria as a
guest of honour at a conference for orphans
being held in the Imo
State.
He is a guest of the governor of the State of Imo, Owelle Rochas
Okorocha.
A governor since May 2011, Okorocha is the head of the
executive arm of the
Imo government and is a unique Nigerian, a great
philanthropist, teacher and
educationist.
Luke Tamborinyoka,
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson said the PM was in Nigeria at
the invitation of
Okorocha, who is also a law professor.
He confirmed to the Daily News
that the PM met briefly with Jonathan on
Sunday.
“Yesterday he had a
brief stopover in Abuja where he met with president
Goodluck Jonathan. They
discussed issues of mutual concern,” Tamborinyoka
said.
Nigeria is
among the world’s top 10 oil exporters and a key supplier to the
United
States, China and Europe because its light, sweet crude is ideal for
making
motor fuel. It is home to the world’s seventh-largest fuel reserves
and has
more proven oil in the ground than the rest of sub-Saharan Africa
combined.
Zimbabwe has diplomatic relations with Nigeria, with both
countries having
embassies in Abuja and Harare.
However, the PM is on
a private visit to Imo, one of the 36 states of
Nigeria which lies in the
south, with Owerri as its capital and largest
city. - Gift Phiri
http://www.globaltimes.cn
Xinhua | 2012-10-9
10:41:21
By Agencies
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe left Harare
on Monday for Uganda to attend
the 50th independence anniversary of the East
African country, which was a
former British colony and attained independence
in 1962.
Mugabe will join other Heads of State and Government in the
Ugandan capital
for the golden jubilee commemorations. Other leaders
expected in the Ugandan
capital include Democratic Republic of Congo
President Joseph Kabila, South
Sudanese President Salva Kiir and Perrre
Nkurunziza of Burundi.
Defense Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and his State
Security counterpart
Sydney Sekeremayi, service chiefs and other senior
government officials saw
President Robert Mugabe off at the Harare
International Airport.
The celebrations will be held under the theme
"50-year journey since
independence 1962-2012, a good foundation for social
and economic
transformation."
Most of the dignitaries are expected to
start arriving in the Ugandan
capital Kampala this Monday for the
celebrations. More than 15 heads of
state and government are expected to be
in Uganda for the celebrations.
Zimbabwe will be participating in the
golden jubilee celebrations because of
the cordial relations that exist
between the two countries.
Ugandan President Yowere Museveni visited
Zimbabwe in 2009 on a three-day
state visit. Museveni and Mugabe share the
same views on many issues in the
international society.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Amnesty
International marks World Anti-Death Penalty Day in
Zimbabwe
09.10.12
by Amnesty International
December
10 marks World Anti-Death Penalty Day. To mark the day in Zimbabwe,
Amnesty
International is presenting ten reasons why the government should
abolish
the death penalty through a document called ‘Time to Abolish the
Death
Penalty in Zimbabwe’.
Launching the document, Cousin Zilala, Amnesty
International Zimbabwe’s
Executive Director said:
“Amnesty
International opposes the death penalty in all cases as the
ultimate cruel,
inhuman and degrading punishment. It is the ultimate breach
of the right to
life as enshrined in the in the Universal Declaration of
Human
Rights.”
“It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human
being by the
state and it is unacceptable regardless of the nature of the
crime, the
characteristics of the offender or the method
used.”
“Amnesty International welcomes Zimbabwe’s efforts to reduce the
application
of the death penalty in the draft constitution but calls on the
government
to ensure equality for all by abolishing the death penalty in all
cases.”
Bulawayo Help Network is one of the
Bulawayo charities supporting elderly
people who have been so badly impacted
by the economic turmoil of the last
10 years. Many had sold houses, moved
into smaller homes and invested the
proceeds expecting to be financially
secure for the rest of their days.
However when hyper-inflation hit, they
lost everything. Many lost their
pensions and what they receive today is
totally inadequate for their modest
needs; all lost their medical aids; and
many lost their children who left
for greener pastures.
2013 is
obviously going to be a year when food shortages rear again.
Although food
is available in our local shops its cost has risen above the
means of many
pensioners and the viability of Retirement homes is
threatened. We face
another desperate situation similar to 2008.Our current
appeal is for food
which will be distributed both to carefully selected
people in their private
homes and to the retirement homes:
Bartley Block
Bulawayo Society for
the Adult Blind ( Barbara Burrell)
Coronation
Cottages
Entembeni
Ephukumuleni Geriatric Centre
Edith Duly Nursing
Home
Garden Park Trust
Moth Kinghaven
Salvation Army Ralstein
Home
Rhodes Jubilee Cottages
Queen Mary House
We also support a
feeding scheme for elderly people and orphans in Pelandaba
.
If you
would like to help feed pensioners in Bulawayo and Gweru the best way
would
be to send money to Bulawayo Help Network.You can do this by emailing
us and
we will provide you with our bank details.
Contact us at:
Bulawayo
Help Network
130A Jason Moyo ,
Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe
+263-9-67085
Email: byohelp@netconnect.co.zw
I wanted to alert your attention to a new Kumarian Press
publication on land reform that I feel you and your readers will find of
interest entitled Zimbabwe
Takes Back Its Land. The book is set to release next month and is
currently available to pre-order through our website. Zimbabwe Takes Back it
Land offers a positive and nuanced assessment of land reform in Zimbabwe
while not minimizing the depredations of the Mugabe regime. The authors show how
“ordinary” Zimbabweans have taken charge of their destinies in creative and
unacknowledged ways through their use of land holdings obtained through land
reform programs.
Click here to read a press release about the book and
contact me if you express an interest in reviewing this publication or including
it in your plans for feature coverage.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Kern
Marketing
Associate
Stylus
Publishing
Kumarian Press,
WHO
22883 Quicksilver
Dr.
Sterling, VA
20166
Ph:703-996-1022
Fax:
703-661-1547
By HRT Communications Department
9 October
2012, Harare- So much has been said about what makes a good
governance
system for Zimbabwe. In the process there has been so much
confusion that
residents and other ordinary citizens no longer understand
what is right or
wrong. A decentralised system of governance provides a
clear platform for
public participation within clear systems and
institutional mechanisms,
which are put in place to foster genuine public
participation.
Public
participation in governance issues is not a piecemeal exercise where
a group
of individuals further their interests over the general populace.
Citizens
should be given a platform to fully participate in governance
issues
particularly in issues that affect their entire livelihood and
broadly
proffer solutions to the identified challenges within their
communities.
This model is being reviewed against a devolved state which
increases the
burden on the citizens through a bloated government at
provincial council
level and in the House of Assembly. These dual existences
of both elected
and appointed members at the provincial and national levels
provide
unnecessary pressure on an already ailing economy. Zimbabwe at this
juncture
is experiencing unprecedented levels of economic meltdown coupled
with
political uncertainty.
The “public outcry” on the need for devolution is
ironically resonating from
one region which the HRT strongly believe is not
the conviction or
understanding of the generality of Zimbabwe. The failure
by COPAC to clearly
and exhaustively define the mechanics surrounding the
devolution model to
the residents is one element which shows that the model
is not being
introduced in good faith and for the benefit of the ordinary
Zimbabwean but
it is being driven by a group of elites who are only pursuing
their selfish
political agendas, despite the huge cost to the nation and the
welfare of
ordinary people.
The HRT prefers a decentralised model of
governance over devolution. Our
understanding of these two structures is
that they are not totally different
if taken at face value. The English
meaning of decentralization and
devolution of power seem very similar when
looked at superficially. However
the important fact that needs to be
realized when it comes to the governing
power of a country is that
decentralization amounts to the transfer of that
power from the central
government to a local authority be it a region, a
province or a district
while devolution is on the other hand the removal of
central government
power and handing that power over to a region, a province
or a district.
Decentralized power, if misused by a region, a province and
or a district,
could be recalled by Central Government while devolved power
cannot be
recalled by Central Government if misused by a region, a province
and a
district.
In the same vein COPAC has been trying to convince people to
advocate for
devolution but the HRT does not think our country can sustain
that system of
governance. At the moment the country needs governance
structures that are
ultimately accountable to Central Government in a
decentralised model. With
the rampant corruption across the nation, the
situation will explode out of
anyone’s control if the regions have absolute
powers over their citizens and
resources. Decentralisation is the way to go
at the moment, considering the
size of Zimbabwe. In an article in the
Newsday of 19 July 2012 titled
“Groups decide on Devolution, “the
Matabeleland Civic Society Forum opined
that: “For us, we want to address
devolution of power, public finances and
the truth commission.”
While
this view might be shared by the majority in civil society in
Matabeleland,
it has to be examined from a national perspective, rather than
from a
regional perspective, as part of promoting national cohesion within
the
civic society movement and the generality of the population. In our view
this view has trappings of elitism, and not championing the aspirations of
the people in the whole Matabeleland region. As a residents movement our
conviction is that there is need for a clear policy framework addressing
decentralised governance through which the central government retains some
power and authority over the operations of both the provincial and local
government in order to maintain checks and balances of the lower tiers of
governments’ activities.
Presently, in the democratic discourse the
country is grappling with corrupt
councillors within urban and rural local
authorities, including the City of
Harare. There have been claims and
allegations of massive corruption
exhibited by councillors who have over a
short period of time become
excessively rich without any tangible
investments to support their new
statuses. This level of kleptocracy and
lootocracy, being witnessed today,
will be massive and uncontrolled in a
devolved state. Surely this country
will be taken aback with warlords and
individual power havens being
prevalent. It is a well known fact that
devolution is an intermediary phase
from a unitary state towards a federal
state.
Looking across the continent Nigeria is gripped with widespread
destabilisation as a result of the insurgent group Boko Haram which demand
insists on declaring independence from the Nigerian National Government. The
residents demand a free and prosperous state habitating in peace
tranquillity and harmony. Productive engagement among citizens, their
elected representatives and service providers is still achievable under a
decentralised governance system. What is needed is the complete opening up
of government structures through a genuine political commitment from the
politicians and the general change of the ethos and mindsets of bureaucrats
to view residents as strategic partners in decision making, and projects
implementation. This development will indeed go a long way in redefining the
governance discourse in order to improve the delivery of public goods and
services to the residents. This bickering over who does what in the
constitution making process is not being premised on the wishes and
aspirations of the heterogeneous citizenry but solely aimed at promoting and
protecting individual interests and positions. Such a development has
disastrous implications on the welfare of the residents as the generality of
the residents do not benefit from the process.
Chapter 5 of the COPAC
proposed draft Constitution from Subsection 1 to
Subsection 7 it is not
clear what is supposed to be done to an errant
provincial government. There
is no clear provision on who has the authority
over the provincial
government thereby making it wholly autonomous. This
arrangement will leave
the central Government with no authority over the
provincial assemblies. In
this vein there is an only subsection 1, 5, 7
which empowers “the joint
sitting of the senate and the Parliament by
affirmative of at least two
thirds may nullify provincial legislation”. This
provision allows parliament
and senate to nullify pieces of legislation
which is not in line with
national interests however the Parliament does not
have absolute power to
dissolve provincial government except to nullify the
legislation. The
central government will lose its oversight role in a manner
which the
provincial and local government operates, leaving the entire
citizenry at
the mercy of the provincial and local governments who have
perennially
failed to deliver the basic services to the heterogeneous
citizenry.
The policy direction governing local government should be
very clear;
articulated and demystified to ensure the genuine involvement or
participation of the residents. Citizens should be objective and
non-partisan, conscious of Zimbabwe’s socio-political and economical
dynamics prevailing in our country before advocating for a model that
creates disharmony among the citizenry. Citizens should be empowered to make
independent decisions without being coerced into supporting or endorsing
models of governance they do not understand. There is an urgent need to
reorient our focus towards genuine nation building and desist from elitist
and sectoral approaches to governance which may have disastrous consequences
in the not so distant future. Ends
……………………………………..
HRT
Communications
5 Tudor Gardens,
Corner Mazowe Street and Josiah Tongogara
Avenue,
P. O. Box HR 2686
Harare
Website: www.hrt.org.zw
Landline: 04- 797357/ 790394
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Eddie
Cross
08 October 2012
Eddie Cross says the
Zuma ANC has taken a dim view of that party's efforts
to destabilise South
Africa
A Game Changer
If you were watching
the Ryder Cup golf competition in the USA last week you
will know that on
the second last day it looked as if the US team was going
to win by a wide
margin. They had the advantage of playing at home and a
very partisan crowd
and I think the victory parties had begun. It was not to
be and the European
team went into the last day and took victory out of the
hands of the US
team, eventually winning the Cup by a tiny margin.
I have no idea
what triggered the victory, but I am sure that the turning
point would have
taken place sometime in the previous 24 hours. Politics is
much like golf;
victory does not come quickly or easily and very often the
lead moves from
one player to the other and back again.
In Zimbabwe over the past
three weeks the game has changed and we need to
ask why? Three weeks ago it
looked as if the whole constitutional process
was going to be gutted by the
actions of the hard liners who had struggled
to find a response to the COPAC
draft that was finalised in July. They
produced a new draft and declared
with supreme arrogance that their draft
"is not negotiable". Since then the
draft prepared by the hard liners has
been virtually dumped and the COPAC
process restored to its central role
with the next "All Stakeholders
Conference" now scheduled for later this
month.
Certainly the
new impetus given to the process must have an origin and I
suspect it lies
within the SADC structures. Clearly this can only come from
a quarter that
holds real power and influence here, no western State has
such leverage and
therefore it must be regional in origin. The President of
South Africa,
speaking as the facilitator, stated quite clearly the position
of regional
States when he said that an election in Zimbabwe without the
required
reforms to make such an event acceptable to the global Community,
would be a
futile exercise.
This strong stance sets the stage for what comes
next. It is now very clear
that Zanu PF is not going to be allowed to avoid
the GPA reform process and
hold a violent and manipulated election that they
can manage and control.
Just to remind people of these required reforms they
are as follows:
1. Negotiate, agree and adopt a new
constitution;
2. Prepare a new voters roll based on new
constitutional provisions;
3. Restructure and reorganise the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission so that it
is not partisan, totally
professional and independent;
4. Establish conditions for a
totally free election campaign process,
supported by a free media and the
removal of undemocratic restrictions on
political
activity;
5. Create the conditions for people to cast their votes
without fear and
without any restrictions and hindrances;
6.
Provide for regional and international supervision of the whole process,
starting well before the election and continuing until the results are known
and implemented.
The demand for the full implementation of
this programme of reform means
that if it is pursued it will take a time. It
is unlikely that the
referendum can now be held in 2012. It may be possible
if there are no new
obstacles, to hold the referendum in November but this
is unlikely. We may
therefore have to hold the referendum in February 2013.
The voters roll will
take another 4 to 5 months and the legislation changes
will also take time
but could be done in tandem. Restructuring the ZEC would
take time but again
could be done in parallel with the other
reforms.
However you look at it, the next elections cannot be
held until late in
2013, if they are to be a credible test of national
public option. For the
State President who will be nearing his 90th year, it
will be too late for
any serious attempt to secure a final five year term as
President. We are
therefore now in a transition from the Mugabe era to a new
leadership
dispensation. This plunges Zanu PF into an internal crisis as
they now have
no choice but to choose a successor in circumstances where
they are divided
into two clear factions under different
leadership.
For the hard liners in Zanu PF this is all bad news.
They have been trying
to mount a number of different efforts to find a
solution that would offer
them a chance of holding onto power and protect
their essential interests.
Their last shot is an election under conditions
where they can use the
present voters roll with 6 million voters on it, 3
million ghost voters and
a totally skewed and false voter
distribution.
A carefully manipulated delimitation exercise
supported by probably 200 000
voters newly settled in peri urban slums
controlled by Zanu PF thugs. Then a
campaign where only Zanu has any access
to radio or TV, meetings are tightly
controlled and movement restricted.
They will use their financial resources
to get millions into their regalia -
they have just ordered 2 million caps
from Johannesburg. Their campaign will
have no financial constraints -
already they have bought hundreds of
vehicles for the campaign.
Then they will use an emasculated ZEC
under ineffective leadership and total
Zanu PF staff to allow the Registrar
Generals Office to control the ballot,
to supervise the count and then
control and manipulate the reporting. To
back this formidable machine they
have mobilized and deployed the Joint
Operations Command with activated
structures at national, provincial and
district level throughout the
country.
Would they have a party if that were possible! They have
been trying to get
this through the system but have been foiled at every
point by a stubborn
MDC and a recalcitrant Zuma and the SADC. They are stuck
with the GPA and
the SADC and I think they are now close to understanding
that they have
nowhere to go, but down.
A real game changer
in all this is the fact that the South Africans now know
that elements in
Zanu PF supported Malema in his efforts to destabilize the
country and to
try and force Zuma from the Presidency. It's had the opposite
effect to that
intended, probably confirmed Zuma in his position and
strengthened ANC
determination that Zanu PF must face the music here at home
in a free and
fair election. What a game of golf this is, the Ryder Cup
pales by
comparison!
Eddie Cross is MDC MP for Bulawayo South. This
article first appeared on his
website www.eddiecross.africanherd.com
BILL
WATCH 46/2012
[9th October
2012]
Both Houses will meet today Tuesday 9th
October
No Date Yet for Official Opening of Next Parliamentary
Session
Both Houses of Parliament will meet again this afternoon. They adjourned until today when they last met
on 4th September, thinking that the next session would begin soon. But the President has still not informed
Parliament when he intends to publish a
proclamation to end this session and open the next session. Usually the one session of Parliament ends at
the end of July and the next session opens in August.
The House of Assembly’s agenda lists the following items:
· Securities Bill – first reading – if there is a Minister there to present the Bill, this will take
only a minute or two, and the Bill will then be automatically referred to the
Parliamentary Legal Committee for a report on its constitutionality, to be
provided at a later date.
· National Incomes and Pricing Commission Bill – this was introduced in the previous session, but is still awaiting
its second reading.
· Privileges Committee report on Gwaradzimba case – this will give the Committee’s findings on its investigation of
alleged contempt of Parliament by Mr Gwaradzimba, administrator of Shabani
Mashava Mines.
· Portfolio Committee reports for presentation or continued debate – these include the
controversial report on the agreement between the Government and Essar holdings
re New Zimbabwe Steel Ltd which generated much discussion when the House last
sat on 4th September.
· Motions not yet fully debated carried forward from the last sitting – these
include reviving a committee on government assurances to monitor Government
follow-up action on recommendations by House committees; the need for
public/private partnership arrangements for running the mining town of Hwange;
allegations of corruption at the Reserve Bank.
The Senate’s agenda lists Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] adverse reports on
statutory instruments. These reports
have been presented and explained, but not fully debated They
do do not require further discussion, because the PLC has agreed to withdraw
them following an agreement with the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs that
he will have the statutory instruments concerned amended to eliminate defects
pinpointed by the PLC. [See Bill Watch 41/2012 of 3rd September for details] Unless there is an addition to the agenda, the Senate is expected to
adjourn immediately after prayers and announcements, as it did in the identical
situation on 4th September.
A New Vacancy in the House of Assembly
The death on 4th October of Dr Stan Mudenge, ZANU-PF MP for the
Masvingo North constituency and Minister of Higher Education and Technology,
created another vacancy in the House of Assembly – and the need for another
by-election. ZANU-PF’s voting strength in
the House of Assembly drops from 94 to 93 compared to MDC-T’s
97 and MDC’s 8. The total number of
pending Parliamentary by-elections following the death of Senator Rimbi,
Chipinge constituency, and now Dr Mudenge, goes up from 26 to 28 [in the House
of Assembly from 16 to 17 and the Senate from 10 to 11].
ZEC
Invites Applications to Provide Voter
Education
With talk of March elections and by-elections featuring in media
headlines, the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission
last week published in the press an “Invitation to Civic Society Organisations
Interested in Conducting Voter Education”.
The invitation “requests”
interested civic society organisations to submit contact and other relevant
details about themselves, their legal status, constitution, registration as PVO
or trust, Board members, other members and contact persons, to ZEC headquarters
by today, 9th October. It also
states that “successful”
organisations will be contacted as from 12th October. This
ZEC request is designed to allow ZEC to make an assessment of whether
interested organisations satisfy the basic legal requirements. Later, when ZEC so requires, they will be
legally obliged to have their voter education programmes approved by ZEC and
prove that their individual educators are Zimbabwean citizens. [see more
below]
Comment: As ZEC’s words
“invitation” and “requests” indicate, the deadline of 9th October is
administrative, rather than a legally binding requirement. ZEC would have no legal basis for refusing to
consider submissions from would-be educators after that date. But prompt submissions would obviously be
likelier to receive earlier consideration than tardy ones, and organisations
unable to get their papers in today would be well-advised to contact ZEC for
extensions.
ZEC headquarters are at Mahachi Quantum Bilding, cnr Jason Moyo Ave
and Kaguvi St, Harare for hand delivery.
Details may also go to Mr Mashereni, Mr Pamire or Mr Ngurunga on landline
263-4-77340 and/or by email to smashereni@gmail.com, t.pamire@yahoo.com or rngurunga@gmail.com. Any enquiries should be made to inquiry@zec.gov.zw.]
Note: Civic society
organisations are not allowed to provide voter education unless they meet stringent requirements spelled out
in section 40B of the Electoral Act, as recently amended by the Electoral
Amendment Act [No. 3/2012]. These
requirements include: control of the organisation by Zimbabwean citizens or permanent residents; and
registration as a private voluntary organisation or registration in the Deeds
Registry as a trust. Doing voter
education in contravention of this prohibition is a criminal offence.
Zimbabwe
Human Rights Commission Act
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Act is due to be gazetted on
Friday 12th October as Act No 2/2012. The President signified his assent on 2nd
October. The Act will come into force
immediately.
Status of Bills as at 9th October 2012
[Available from veritas@mango.zw unless otherwise stated]
Note: There are three Private
Member’s Bills on the current Order Papers – the POSA Amendment Bill, the Urban
Councils Amendment Bill and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment
Bill. Further consideration of these
Bills is suspended pending a Supreme Court ruling in a case brought by the
Minister of Local Government and Housing for an order barring Parliament from
proceeding with the Urban Councils Amendment Bill. The Minister contends that as long as the GPA
continues in operation, the Constitution prohibits the introduction of Private
Member’s Bills. [Details and counterarguments against this contention can be found in
Bill Watch 20 and 21 of 15th May
2012.]
Bill awaiting Second Reading
National Incomes and Pricing Commission Amendment Bill
Bills gazetted and ready for presentation in Parliament
Microfinance Bill [gazetted on
31st August] [not yet available]
Securities Amendment Bill [gazetted on 10th August 2012] The Minister of Finance has given notice of
his intention to present this Bill when the House next sits.
Bills being printed
None.
Government Gazettes of 1st and 5th October 2012
Bills
No Bills were gazetted
Statutory Instruments [copies not available]
Customs duty SI 155/2012 dated 1st
October increased the rate of duty on imported wheat and wheat products from 15%
to 20%. SI 154 simultaneously provided
for a suspension of duty on wheat flour import giving “approved importers” an effective rate
of duty of 5%. The approved importers
are listed in SI 154.
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