Dear Family and Friends,
Zimbabweans are
notorious, possibly even world famous, for their ability to
"Make A Plan." It
is because we are so ingenious, creative, versatile and
adaptable that the
country has held together for the last seven years. Life
shouldn't be like
this in the first decade of the 21st century but we have
learnt to cope with
almost every deprivation that has been forced upon us.
In every home we have
a botched up emergency plan for electricity and water
cuts, fuel and food
shortages, non existent municipal services and
crumbling infrastructure. As
individuals, however, as our hold on normal
life grows ever more tenuous, so
does that of the State. Every month there
are less and less taxpayers as
companies continue to cut their costs,
reduce their workforce or close down
altogether. As our economy shrinks,
there is less and less money and
resources available to keep the government
going and so they cast their nets
further afield.
This week the bands of financial control got much tighter
in Zimbabwe and
it is hard to see how ordinary people will be able to make a
plan to
survive the new rules. For a few weeks you have not been able to cash
a
cheque for more than one hundred thousand dollars in a bank. No reason
is
given. If you ask, the tellers just shrug their shoulders and say they
are
following orders from above. For over a month investment and
savings
institutions have been refusing to accept any new customers.
Existing
customers can only make deposits if other customers have made
withdrawals
for similar amounts. This week 16 Money Transfer Agencies were
closed down
without any warning by the Governor of the Reserve Bank. In an
unexpected
swoop, the Governor said the operating licences were withdrawn
with
immediate effect for what he called "non performance and
deviant
behaviour."
Almost all Zimbabweans who have left the country
but still have family or
friends here, send money home every month through
these Money Transfer
Agencies. This is how families who have been split up by
economic necessity
have survived for the last seven years. One family member
goes and earns
outside the country, sending money home to support the rest of
the family.
It is not money for luxuries but for survival. It is money which
pays
school fees, bills, rentals and medical expenses. People have being
using
Money Transfer Agencies rather than government channels because they
get up
to five times more money on the exchange rate. If a relation overseas
was
sending say 100 American dollars a month it translated into 130
000
Zimbabwe dollars through a Money Transfer Agency. Now that same 100
US
dollars sent through the government, will only realise 25 000 dollars.
This
is a dramatic difference which is going to have a devastatingly
cruel
effect on hundreds of thousands of people. It means that relations
abroa d
will have to send five times as much money home for their families
every
month just to maintain the same level of support.
Undoubtedly
some people will be able to "Make a Plan" to get around the new
ruling but
many will not. Many hundreds of people are already illegally
crossing
Zimbabwe's borders every day for a better life in neighbouring
countries, the
numbers are bound to rise now. Until next time, thanks for
reading, love
cathy
Copyright cathy buckle 14 October
2006.
http:/africantears.netfirms.com
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
13 October
2006
Agriculture Minister Joseph Made this week assured farmers
that fertilizer
needed for their upcoming maize planting season could be
obtained at depots
of the state Grain Marketing Board across the country.
But a number of GMB
depots in Mashonaland East, Masvingo and Manicaland said
Friday that they
had no fertilizer in stock.
A GMB official
responsible for distribution said fertilizer has not yet been
distributed to
all depots because of logistical problems, in particular a
shortage of fuel.
But she said the state grain monopoly is in the process of
supplying all the
country's depots.
Zimbabwe recently received 47,000 tonnes of fertilizer
from South Africa,
funded by a US$45 million revolving fertilizer and grain
import facility
that the central bank created in June under a financing
arrangement with
Nedbank of South Africa.
Under the fertilizer
distribution program, farmers must show a producer's
card and can only buy
from a depot in their area. Ammonium nitrate
fertilizer (top dressing) and
Compound D (artificial manure) are priced at
about half the market
rate.
Agronomist and former Indigenous Commercial Farmers Union president
Thomas
Nherera told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe
that
if farmers can get fertiliser in the next two weeks they can still
plant
maize crops on time.
Farmers in the Matabeleland South village
of Nswazi told reporter Martin
Ngwenya that the high cost of agricultural
inputs and a shortage of draught
power are hindering local efforts to meet
planting deadlines.
VOA
13 October 2006
A veteran of Zimbabwe's 1970s
war of liberation now living in the United
States has published a book that
says the late Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole,
her late husband, was the true
founder of the struggle, not President Robert
Mugabe.
Author Vesta
Sithole says Ndabaningi Sithole created the Zimbabwe African
National Union
party, but lost control of it to Mr. Mugabe in the mid-1970s
and was
eventually cut out of decision-making through 1980 when Zimbabwe
gained
independence.
Now living in the Washington area, Vesta Sithole said she
decided to make
public her recollection of events leading to the split
between ZANU and
ZANU-PF just as the Rhodesian regime of Prime Minister Ian
Smith was
entering negotiations.
Entitled My Life With An Unsung
Hero, the book is autobiographical in
approach - the author joined the
liberation struggle at 19 and spent years
in exile - but also provides many
new details on the life and career of
Ndabaningi Sithole, who died in
2000.
The author contends that following independence the Mugabe
government
stripped Ndabaningi Sithole of his political status, social
standing and
financial resources. The farm near Harare that he purchased in
1992 was
later confiscated, she writes.
Vesta Sithole told reporter
Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe
that she wanted to set the
record straight and dispel misconceptions about
the struggle for black
majority rule in Zimbabwe and her late husband's role
in that
process.
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By a Correspondent
HARARE - THE ZIMBABWE
government has jailed a top business mogul and
Warriors team liaison officer
Shariff Mussa of the Mohammed Mussa
Wholesalers empire.
Mussa
was slapped with a 30-day prison term plus a $590 000 to be paid
by his
company. He was found guilty of repackaging sugar and failing to
produce
invoices for other goods on sale in most of his popular wholesale
shops.
Among the goods the wholesaler was accused of not
producing receipts
for were 600 bags of cement.
The wholesaler
could neither produce proof of procurement nor proof
for the price he was
selling the cement at.
Thirty-seven year old Mussa, who is the son
of the wholesaler,
Mahommed, was charged with contravening sections of the
Pricing of Goods Act
in his capacity as the company representative and in
his personal capacity.
Harare Magistrate Priscilla Chigumba
dismissed his plea for a fine
saying he had lots of money and would not feel
his punishment were it handed
down in a fine only.
She also
refused to grant his application for bail pending appeal.
Mussa denied the
allegations levelled against him.
The Zanu PF government has of
late been arresting company directors
accusing them of hiking prices of
their goods without government approval.
Bakers especially have
borne the brunt of the government as it tries
to push the price of bread
down regardless of rising input costs.
VOA
By
Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
11 October
2006
Harare residents continue to grapple with water shortages
despite assurances
from the Zimbabwe Water Authority and Harare City Council
that the problem
is fixed.
Residents say burst water pipes go
unrepaired for days, while eastern
neighborhoods have had no water for four
weeks due to lower pressure at the
Letombo Reservoir.
Critics say the
national water authority's assumption of responsibility from
Harare only
made matters worse, as ZINWA has failed to provide water
treatment
chemicals.
Instead, it is asking the government for permission to raise
water charges
tenfold from Z$8 per cubic meter to more than Z$100, arguing
that water
rates are far too low to ensure the sustainable operation of the
metropolitan water supply system.
Former Harare Mayor Elias Mudzuri,
now organizing secretary for the Movement
for Democratic Change faction of
MDC founding president Morgan Tsvangirai,
said in an interview with reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that Harare should have
built the proposed Kunzvi Dam long ago to
end such problems.
Zim Standard
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
MUTARE - The Attorney General's
office has ordered the immediate
arrest of Joseph Mwale, the Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officer
accused of murdering two Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) party
activists in 2000.
Mwale has eluded the law since he allegedly masterminded the
gruesome murder
of activists Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya near
Murambinda growth
point during the run-up to the 2000 Parliamentary
elections.
Repeated efforts by international and local
human rights
organisations and the MDC to have Mwale arrested have all
failed amid
reports the dreaded CIO agent enjoyed political protection from
the highest
Zanu PF echelons.
But the AG's office appears
to have stepped up its campaign to
end Mwale's freedom once and for
all.
A senior officer in the AG's office in Manicaland,
Levison
Chikafu, ordered the police to present Mwale's docket to their
offices on or
before 6 October.
In a letter addressed to
Ronald Muderedzwa, the officer
commanding police in Manicaland, Chikafu
said: "The accused is facing a
charge of murder which was committed in the
year 2000. The docket was
referred to your office with instructions that you
arrest Joseph Mwale and
bring him for initial remand.
"To
date, we have not received any information pertaining to the
progress made
by your office. I need to go through the docket with a view of
taking up the
matter with my superiors. Submit the docket on or before 6
October
2006."
But by yesterday Mwale was still a free man despite
the
ultimatum from the AG's office. Police sources were nevertheless
confident
that one of the most wanted fugitives from justice in the country
would soon
be behind bars.
Mwale is believed to be
operating in Nyanga district where he is
occasionally seen at Zanu PF and
government functions.
Both Chikafu and police spokesperson in
Manicaland, Joshua
Tigere, could not be reached for comment on the progress
of the manhunt for
Mwale.
In April 2000, Chiminya and
Mabika were petrol-bombed at
Murambinda growth point in Buhera North, a
constituency controversially won
by Zanu PF's Kenneth
Manyonda.
The MDC, whose candidate in the constituency was
its leader,
Morgan Tsvangirai, challenged the result in
court.
The High Court nullified Manyonda's victory, citing
massive
intimidation and violence during the campaign.
Mwale and Kainos Tom "Kitsiyatota" Zimunya, a war veteran, were
named in the
High Court as the culprits behind the petrol bomb attack, but
both are yet
to appear in court.
They failed to turn up in court in 2001
where they were expected
to testify in Tsvangirai's election
petition.
Zim Standard
By Bertha Shoko
ANGRY activists living with HIV and Aids,
plan to stage a "die
in" in Harare if the government fails to provide them
with life-prolonging
ARVs in a week's time, The Standard
understands.
Led by the self-styled "General Gunpowder", the
group told The
Standard in Harare last week they planned to launch what they
called a
"chimurenga" to force the government to provide ARVs to thousands
of mostly
poor people living with HIV and Aids.
Anti-Retroviral drugs, taken regularly, can prolong the life of
people
suffering from HIV and Aids.
They are not a cure of the
disease, but have been proven to
prevent early death from the debilitating
effects of the disease for which
medical science still has no cure, more
than 25 years after it exploded onto
the scene in the early
1980s.
The activists, all with HIV and full-blown Aids,
allege the
drugs are benefiting mostly "corrupt" government officials and
their
relatives.
The group belongs to the Zimbabwe
National Network of People
Living with HIV and Aids
(ZNPP+).
They said they planned to stage their "die in" at
the Ministry
of Health and Child Welfare head office in
Harare.
The ministry estimates there are more than 1,8
million HIV-
positive Zimbabweans. Of these between 300 000 and 600 000 are
in urgent
need of the life-prolonging ARVs but only about 40 000 are
accessing the
drugs in both the private and public
sectors.
The "rebel" members of the ZNNPP+ said they were
"unhappy and
frustrated" by the government's failure to provide ARVs to all
people in
need of them.
They said they felt "betrayed and
angry" and now wanted to force
the government into
action.
The group is led by Joao Zangarat, "General
Gunpowder" to his
colleagues. He alleges that State-run ARV programmes are
benefiting corrupt
government officials and their relatives while the
majority of the people
"continue to suffer", barely able to afford a monthly
dose of Cotrimoxazole.
The drug is recommended for people
living with HIV and Aids, as
it keeps at bay such respiratory diseases as
pneumonia and others.
Zangarat said "General Gunpowder" was
his name for what he calls
the "ARV Chimurenga".
He said
if the government and the National Aids Council (NAC)
did not respond
positively to their "frustration and bitterness" at the end
of the week,
"then they must face the consequences".
He said their action
would include a "die in" at the ministry
head offices or a hunger
strike.
He said: "We will die there if we have to. The
government has
betrayed us. We PLWAs (people living with HIV and Aids) now
live like
paupers because we have no support from the government. They have
forgotten
us. We are very bitter. "
A senior NAC
official, who preferred anonymity, said the
ministry was responsible for
providing ARVs to PLWAs.
The NAC channels part of the Aids
Levy to the ministry for the
procurement of ARVs. "What happens after this
is not NAC's responsibility,"
said the official.
Zim Standard
By
Nqobani Ndlovu
BULAWAYO - Vice-President Joseph Msika
(pictured) last week
implied President Robert Mugabe was to blame for the
1980s Matabeleland
atrocities.
Msika said although Mugabe
apologised, he did not proffer an
explanation for the atrocities when taken
to task by former Zapu members.
Msika said he was not
convinced with the apology for the death
of about 20 000 men, women and
children in Matabeleland and the Midlands.
Msika was speaking
last Saturday at a ceremony organised by the
Mafela Trust to commemorate the
killing of 11 Zimbabwe People's
Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) cadres in
Jotsholo in 1979 by Rhodesian soldiers.
The cadres, all from
Matabeleland South, were killed while
travelling to an Assembly
Point.
Sources said Msika spoke in SiNdebele, in which he is
fluent. He
said: "When we asked him (Mugabe) about the disturbances, he
apologised to
me personally, but I was not convinced . .
."
Sources who attended last week's meeting said there was a
tense
silence after this remark.
The meeting was attended
by the Zanu PF national chairman, John
Nkomo, and Matabeleland North and
South governors, Thokozile Mathuthu and
Angeline Masuku
respectively.
Sithembiso Nyoni, the Minister of State for
Small and Medium
Enterprises Development, Zanu PF Matabeleland North
chairman, Headman Moyo,
and former members of the ZIPRA high command as well
as Zanu PF members also
attended the meeting.
Talking
about the 1987 Unity Accord, Msika is said to have noted
that Mugabe shot
down suggestions for a new name for the merged party.
"In the
run-up to the signing of the Accord, a serious issue
arose over which name
to use," said Msika. "Some of us in Zapu thought that
it would be wise to
come up with a neutral name . . . but those people in
Zanu said they had won
the elections and saw no need to change the name."
Msika said
for the sake of unity, the late Vice President Joshua
Nkomo had the final
say: "What's in a name?" he asked. Zanu PF was adopted
as the new party
name.
President Mugabe (82), has described the Gukurahundi
killings as
part of a dark chapter in the history of
Zimbabwe.
Recently, Zanu PF's spokesperson Nathan
Shamuyarira, sparked
controversy when he said he had no regrets over
Gukurahundi.
Zim Standard
BY VALENTINE MAPONGA
THE appeal
record of three convicted Zimbabwean spies, allegedly
working for South
Africa, has finally turned up at the High Court, 18 months
after they
appealed against the conviction and sentence at the magistrate
courts' in
February last year.
Lawyers representing former Zimbabwe
ambassador-designate to
Mozambique, Godfrey Dzvairo, former Metropolitan
Bank company secretary
Tendai Matambanadzo, and Zanu PF deputy director for
external affairs Itai
March, immediately appealed against both conviction
and sentence.
Harare Magistrate Peter Kumbawa jailed Dzvairo
for six years,
while March and Matambanadzo were each jailed for five years
for
contravening sections of the Official Secrets Act.
They were alleged to have been in the pay of the South African
government.
Human rights lawyers said last week the delay
in presenting the
court record to the High Court was a miscarriage of
justice.
Tafadzwa Mugabe of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights (ZLHR)
described the development as a clear assault on justice and a
direct
violation of the freedom to a fair trial.
"Imagine
if that trial was held in three days and they were
acquitted. What that
would mean is that they would have served 18 months for
nothing," said
Mugabe. "It is up to the courts to prepare a record within
the shortest
possible time."
He said the delay was "very unfortunate"
since the country's
laws did not have a time limit in which an appeal record
must be prepared.
The Registrar of the High Court last week
wrote to lawyers
representing the three men informing them that the court
had received the
appeal records.
"I now call upon you to
file your heads of argument within 15
business days from the date of service
of this letter. Please note that if
you fail to comply with the above, the
appeal shall be regarded as abandoned
and shall be deemed dismissed," reads
the letter.
Selby Hwacha of Dube, Manikai & Hwacha last
week confirmed he
had received the letter.
"I have
already started preparing the heads of argument," he
said. "I am sure they
will be ready any time next week."
Chief magistrate Mishrod
Guvamombe could not be reached for
comment.
The three
were convicted of breaching the Official Secrets Act
in February last year
in a high profile trial that raised eyebrows after
their relatives and the
media were prevented from witnessing the
proceedings.
Zim Standard
BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
ZANU PF
politicians are putting spanners in the works of major
water projects in
Harare, mostly for personal reasons, town planners said
last
week.
They alleged the politicians, driven by personal greed,
want to
personally benefit through tender deals at the expense of regular
water
supplies to residents.
They said the problem had
been worsened by "political meddling
and sanctioned mismanagement" by senior
government officials.
All this has placed residents at risk
of water-borne diseases,
including dysentery, cholera and
scabies.
Some Harare suburbs have gone without water for
three
consecutive months.
The creation of the Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (Zinwa)
has exacerbated the water crisis, not just
in Harare, but in other major
urban centres as well.
The
independent engineers and town planners said Zinwa staff
lacked the crucial
experience to tackle the enormous urban water crisis
facing the
country.
The president of the Zimbabwe Institute of Regional
and Urban
Planning (ZIRUP), Sasha Jogi, said "political meddling" had
drowned most
projects meant to boost water supplies in
Harare.
He said the construction of Kunzvi Dam, seen as the
panacea to
Harare's water woes, was being hampered by the bickering between
the council
and the Ministry of Water Resources and Infrastructural
Development on who
should control the project.
"Initially, the council was supposed to be in control of the dam
but it was
shifted to the ministry of water and now Zinwa is coming in as
well," Jogi
said. "We know certain individuals want to enrich themselves by
getting
involved in this project. This is not just a question of lack of
finance,"
he said.
Former Harare executive mayor Engineer Elias
Mudzuri, said
politicians were eager to control water supply in the city
because "it is a
cash cow" for most of them.
Mudzuri said
the supply of water treatment chemicals, refuse
collection and most tenders
were being awarded to Zanu PF officials and
their friends to facilitate the
"stripping" of council assets and finance.
The supply of
water treatment chemicals in Harare has been
dogged by allegations of
favouritism. There have been accusations that
Highdon Investments, owned by
McDonald Chapfika, had been allowed to keep
the chemicals supply tender
toHarare because of his links with Zanu PF.
Mudzuri also
alleged that plans to build Kunzvi Dam, the
expansion of Morton Jaffray
Water Works and the upgrading of the water
pumping system have been stalled
by politicians.
"The technical aspects of how to improve
water supply in the
city are well-documented," said Mudzuri, "but political
meddling would not
allow it to happen. Some people are benefiting from this
chaos."
Mudzuri was dismissed as executive mayor of Harare by
the
government in 2003 on allegations of mismanagement.
Mudzuri said the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and
Urban
Development, Ignatious Chombo, "must stand accused" of handpicking
Zanu PF
"faithfuls" with no idea of how to run the affairs of the
city.
Despite glaring failures to turn around the fortunes of
the
city, Chombo has re-appointed the commission running Harare, headed by
Sekesai Makwavarara, several times.
The Combined Harare
Residents' Association (Chra) has called on
Zinwa to cede to the
municipality the responsibility of supplying and
administering water because
it has failed to provide the services.
Chra spokesperson,
Precious Shumba, said the absence of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between Harare city council and Zinwa was
disastrous and is a "corrupt
business arrangement". Chra said Zinwa was a
"State project" to expand its
feeding trough. "Benefits only accrue to
selected individuals and
organisations whose allegiance is well-known," said
Shumba.
Harare City Council spokesperson Percy Toriro
said he could not
comment because construction of dams, reservoirs and
supply of chemicals was
now the responsibility of Zinwa.
Zinwa board chairman Willie Muringani last week blamed the
current water
crisis on the low water charges, which he said were
unsustainable.
Health experts say the urban centres are
sitting on a health
time bomb as the water crisis worsens. In the Harare
suburbs of Mabvuku,
Tafara, and Waterfalls residents are drinking water from
unprotected wells,
exposing themselves to water-borne diseases such as
cholera and dysentery.
Some are selling purified water to desperate
residents.
Zim Standard
BY OUR
STAFF
PROMINENT war veteran and former director of the
Zimbabwe
Liberators' Platform, Wilfred Mhanda, is facing theft by conversion
charges.
Court documents show that Mhanda, who resigned from
his position
as the director of the ZLP, was supposed to appear in court in
May jointly
charged with Wilson Nharingo, a former Programmes Co-ordinator.
The case
failed to take off due to unclear circumstances.
A fresh date has to be set but there are indications this could
be at the
end of October.
Mhanda is being accused of withdrawing money
from an offshore
account of the organisation in Botswana without the
approval of the board
between 17 and 20 November 2003.
The two are alleged to have bought vehicles and equipment using
donor
funds.
Mhanda is alleged to have bought a Toyota Corolla
while Nharingo
allegedly bought a Toyota Surf.
In papers
forming the complaint against Mhanda and Nharingo, the
ZLP says it was
prejudiced of US$15 500.
The two also stand accused of
inflating their travel allowances.
Wabata Munodawafa, the ZLP
director, and Celestino Gavhera, the
Chairman of the Finance Committee,
lodged the complaint on behalf of the
National Council.
Mhanda who resigned on 24 June 2004 has indicated the charges
were trumped
up. He is expected to plead not guilty in a case that is likely
to expose
the infighting in the ZLP.
The organisation holds a long
delayed Annual General Meeting on
28 October in Harare where a new leader
will be elected.
The AGM was supposed to be held in December
last year but was
postponed because of financial constraints.
Zim Standard
By
Deborah-Fay Ndlovu
BEING told someone you met for the
first time only a few days
before has died can be a traumatic
experience.
I was in the office last Thursday when I received
a call from
the director of Girl Child Network, Betty Makoni to say Sibonile
Moyo (not
her real name), a 16-year-old rape survivor I had interviewed a
week ago,
had died. She apparently died on Sunday and was buried last
Thursday.
Sibonile was a young, exuberant girl who had refused to give up on
life
despite her traumatic childhood.
She was lying on
her death bed at the GCN Empowerment Village
for girls in Rusape, when I met
her. She had ugly sores on her lips and
spoke slowly because of excruciating
pain in her throat and abdomen. The
matrons at the centre said she had been
diagnosed with HIV two years ago.
She had not eaten in two days and had
diarrhoea. She was vomiting and could
not drink water.
She was drifting in and out of consciousness and occasionally
muttered in
her sleep. Still, she remained optimistic that she would live. I
remember
her saying to me: "I am going to be fine tomorrow. I prayed and I
know God
will answer me."
Little did she know that her life had been
marked and shortened
by cruel relatives.
Sibonile wanted
to tell her story so Zimbabwe could hear and
sympathise with rape
survivors.
This is her story as I heard it from
her:
"I think I was about 12 years old and living with my
aunt in
Bulawayo when I was raped by her husband. It was with her consent
because
they did not have a child and hoped I would produce an heir for
them. It was
painful for me that my aunt agreed with that scheme but I had
nowhere to go;
my father died and my mother disappeared to Harare without
trace.
"After that, my aunt's gardener started forcing
himself on me. I
ran away from their house and went to Harare in search of
my brother. I did
not have his address so I stayed on the street. By then I
was ill. I decided
to go to a hospital in Harare and that was how I ended up
at Girl Child
Network, after I was referred to them by the
police."
I relate her story so that the nation can realise
the impact of
rape and see to it that justice can prevail for the sake of
our children and
our women.
After hearing Sibonile's
story I wondered what kind of a nation
this was. It has simply failed to
take care of its children, with reports
that 6 000 girls report being raped
a year. I felt angry at the justice
system. But somewhere in my heart I
prayed that I would never bear a girl
child. Sibonile's trauma was too much
to bear. Maybe nothing can be done for
her but there are other children
whose lives have been left in tatters
because of rape.
There was also 13-year-old Rutendo Nhari (not her real name),
another rape
victim, from Zvishavane who contracted HIV after being raped by
six men in
February this year. Thematrons said she had a wart removed from
her. She is
a young girl living with the shame of rape. Her self-esteem is
low and she
told me she could never play with children at her school because
she feels
they blame her for what happened.
She complains of backache
and mysterious genital discharge. The
men who raped her were sentenced to
five years each in prison. She believes
this was an injustice. Yet she
remains optimistic; she dreams of working for
Girl Child Network "so that I
can help other girls who have been in my
situation".
Visiting the village depressed me but I remember Sibonile, with
a smile. I
will always remember her as the girl who fought death and taught
me
something about life. Rest In Peace, Sibonile.
Zim Standard
By Foster Dongozi
POLITICAL
observers say postponing the presidential election
from 2008 to 2010 would
cost Zimbabwe billions of dollars in potential
revenue expected to be
generated by the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Zanu PF
spokesman, Nathan Shamuyarira, was recently quoted in
the state-controlled
media as saying consultations were in progress in Zanu
PF on the
postponement of the election.
With its two-thirds majority in
Parliament, Zanu PF can easily
push through any legislation without
consulting the opposition.
Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the
Morgan Tsvangirai-led Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) faction, told The
Standard the postponement
would be "suicidal" for
Zimbabwe.
"If the country is to benefit from the World Cup
windfall then
Shamuyarira's statement is a question of the left hand not
knowing what the
right hand is doing. Zanu PF wants to destroy any
opportunities that the
World Cup could bring to Zimbabwe and Southern
Africa."
Chamisa said holding the election in 2010 would mean
that, based
on Zanu PF's history, there would be violence after the
election.
"Tourists who would want to visit Zimbabwe during
the football
tournament are unlikely to come to a country suffering from the
after-effects of a violent election campaign," he said.
Chamisa said his party was against the postponement of the
election,
insisting the only priority was a new constitution produced by all
stakeholders.
Gabriel Chaibva, spokesperson for the
Arthur Mutambara-led MDC
faction, said: "The Zanu PF government obviously
has no strategic economic
thinkers. What this might mean is that there will
be zero tourists if they
go ahead with their politically criminal agenda to
extend the president's
mandate.
"It will depend on when
the World Cup will be staged in 2010 but
it will be difficult to convince
tourists to visit the Victoria Falls."
The acting Minister of
Information and Publicity, Paul Mangwana,
said as far as he was aware,
nobody had linked the holding of the
presidential election to the World
Cup.
"I had not thought about it," he said. "I don't think
anybody in
political circles had thought of that. But we as a government
have since
1980 held our elections in line with our constitution all the
time. On a
lighter note, maybe those who would have lost the election can
always go
next door to South Africa and watch the World Cup to drown their
sorrows."
Since the 2000 election, tourists have shunned
Zimbabwe, after
an orgy of violence before and after that
election.
A number of embassies advised their citizens not to
visit
Zimbabwe, for their own safety.
Celebrities who
used to visit Zimbabwe regularly have kept away.
Pop queen Madonna was in
Malawi while Hollywood's Angelina Jolie and her
husband Brad Pitt recently
stayed in Namibia where their child was born.
After the
birth, they thanked the Namibian people for their
hospitality and urged
other Americans to visit the country.
Talk show hostess,
Oprah Winfrey is a regular visitor to South
Africa.
Several years ago, such international stars would have included
Zimbabwe in
their itinerary. Michael Jackson once made a surprise visit to
Zimbabwe.
Givemore Chuma, a football fanatic says because
of the pariah
label attached to Zimbabwe, World Cup teams which would have
in the past
preferred to be based in this country for the tournament might
opt to go to
other countries, including Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and
Malawi.
"Based on the friendliness of the people of Zimbabwe,
I am
convinced that countries like Cameroon, if they qualify for the finals,
Brazil, Argentina and England would have wanted to train and be based in
Zimbabwe. But I doubt they will now want to use our facilities because of
the tense political climate."
A member of the
Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on 2010,
Enivah Mutsau, said they were
"upbeat" about reaping profits from the World
Cup.
"We
cannot afford to be negative all the time; we want to assume
that things
would have become more stable, by that time, including the
political
situation. If there are elections, it does not necessarily mean
there will
be a negative outcome because elections happen all the time
around the
world."
Zim Standard
By Nqobani Ndlovu
BULAWAYO -
Villagers in Matabeleland North have appealed to
donor agencies to resume
food handouts, saying they face starvation after
last year's poor
harvest.
Despite the average rains last year, some areas in
the
drought-prone south-western part of the country are affected by serious
food
shortages.
Villagers who spoke to The Standard
during a recent visit said
their children were dropping out of school
because of hunger as they spent
hours searching for food.
"We did receive some rain," said Nollen Tshuma, a mother of five
at
Mahlabathini, "but we recorded poor harvests after some of the crops were
destroyed by the rains.
"Our children cannot attend
school as they cannot concentrate on
empty stomachs."
Another villager, Hezekiah Mahlangu, said: "We are crying for
donors to
assist us with the little supplementary feeding programmes as we
face
starvation."
Some villagers claimed hunger sometimes forced
them to eat wild
fruits.
Some of the worst hit areas are
Mahlabathini, Jiba-Jiba, Gomoza,
Maname, Gwampa, Silwane, Ndibimbili and
others near the Gwayi-Shangani
River.
The food crisis,
according to the villagers, has been worsened
by crippling water
shortages.
A recent report by the World Food Programme
confirmed the crisis
in Matabeleland North.
"Teachers and
local leaders interviewed in Matabeleland North
and South expressed
apprehension for the coming months due to insufficient
food at household
level resulting from poor harvests in the 2005/06
agricultural season," read
the report.
MP for Lupane, Njabuliso Mguni, confirmed there
was a food
crisis in some areas due to poor harvest.
Mguni also confirmed the worst-hit areas faced water shortages
as well.
"There is no water as most of the boreholes are broken down and
need
repairing.
"There is a food crisis as most villagers recorded
poor
harvests. The worrying situation is that villagers have to drink water
from
dams used by cattle and other animals, thereby exposing themselves to
diseases."
This is at a time when some parts of the
country, such as
Bulawayo, have been hit by maize-meal
shortages.
But the government insists the country recorded a
bumper harvest
through the success of the army-assisted agriculture project,
Operation
Maguta.
The WFP, according to reports, ended
its Vulnerable Group
Feeding programme last April after the government
indicated there was enough
food for the nation.
But on
Wednesday last week WFP said 1.4 million people in
Zimbabwe will need food
aid in the six months until the next summer harvest.
Zim Standard
BY VALENTINE MAPONGA
HARARE
Polytechnic College's dean of students, Taurai Gavi,
convicted recently by a
Harare magistrate of smearing acid on students'
clothes, has appealed
against both conviction and sentence to the High
Court.
Harare Magistrate Chipo Matibiri recently convicted Gavi of
smearing acid on
clothes belonging to Student Representative Council (SRC)
president Stephen
Matenga and his secretary, Taurai Machekeche.
Gavi, according
to papers filed at the High Court last week,
argues that Matibiri erred and
misdirected herself in convicting him on the
basis of the evidence given in
court.
He has challenged the sentence imposed on him as
excessive and
out of proportion to the offence.
Matibiri
had initially sentenced Gavi to 16 months in jail
before she conditionally
suspended three months on condition he performed
420 hours of community
service at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
But Gavi through
his lawyers, Chinamasa, Mudimu, Chinogwenya &
Dondo, alleges Matibiri
failed to appreciate the fact that from the evidence
produced, the State
failed to discharge the burden of proof required in
criminal matters to
convict an accused person.
The lawyers also argue that the
magistrate erred and misdirected
herself by convicting Gavi on the basis of
"speculative reasoning and
conjecture without making specific findings of
fact" to justify a
conviction.
"The learned magistrate
ought not to have rejected the applicant's
(Gavi's) version of events since
that version was reasonably possibly true.
More particularly the magistrate
did not give due regard to giving the
benefit of the doubt to the
appellant," wrote the lawyers.
They also argue that the two
complainants (Matenga and
Machekeche) might have other enemies, who took
advantage of the situation
between Gavi and the students who are members of
the SRC.
Contacted for comment, College principal Stephen
Raza last week
said they were still to decide on Gavi's fate following his
conviction.
Zim Standard
BY
OUR STAFF
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA)'s capacity
to promote the
country's image as a safe tourist destination is hampered by
a shoestring
budget, the agency's boss said last week.
Shingi Munyeza was speaking on the sidelines of the official
opening of the
Zimbabwe International Travel Expo 2006 last week.
He said,
by contrast, Zimbabwe's neighbours have given their
tourism promotion bodies
enough resources to market their countries as safe
tourist
destinations.
Munyeza said: "ZTA has less than US$500 000.
South Africa has
budgeted US$60 million, Botswana US$10 million and Zambia
US$6 million to be
used for image building."
He said when
equipped with adequate resources, the ZTA had the
capacity to generate the
recovery of the country's image. Munyeza said
tourism was now on the
upswing, as exemplified by the number of buyers at
this year's Expo. Over
350 buyers from 35 countries took part at this year's
Expo which ends
today.
"This is a significant jump, the perception is thawing
and we
are establishing relationships with our traditional markets. Our new
markets
have responded in a meaningful manner," said
Munyeza.
The 2006 Expo was elevated to national status
following
recommendations from the Tourism, Image and Communications
Taskforce of the
National Economic Development Priority Programme (NEDPP)
launched early this
year.
The NEDPP is a new economic
model envisaged to have input from
all stakeholders to bring the economy, in
free-fall over the last six years,
to a better footing.
The industry is picking up its pieces after suffering a downturn
in the
aftermath of the 2000 land reform exercise.
The sector
employs 200 000 in both the direct and ancillary
industries. Its
contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stands at 6%
from a peak of
12%. GDP is the market value of all final goods and services
produced within
a country in a given period of time.
Last year tourism earned
Zimbabwe US$98 million, with
anticipated receipts of US$1 billion in
2010.
Zim Standard
BY A CORRESPONDENT
MUTARE - A
leading black commercial farmer has attacked
newly-settled farmers for
wasting vast tracks of land acquired under the
controversial 2000 land
reform programme.
Wilson Nyabonda, president of the Zimbabwe
Commercial Farmers'
Union (ZCFU) said last week most of the newly-acquired
farms were now
"derelict" because the new farmers were not using them
productively.
Nyabonda told a farmers' fundraising dinner at
Odzi Country
Club: "After touring farms here in Odzi, I got very
disappointed because
there is no production. Our people are not doing
anything at the farms.
Something must be done because we cannot allow things
to continue like
this."
The club is a few kilometres from
Kondozi Farm, which was seized
by the government-owned Agricultural and
Rural Development Authority (ARDA)
but remains
underutilised.
Nyabonda's organisation represents mostly
black commercial
farmers. Before attending the dinner, Nyabonda,
vice-chairman of Tanaka
Power, a major producer of agricultural equipment,
toured several farms in
the Odzi area, a bastion of commercial farming
activity before the farm
invasions in 2000.
"The
government should repossess all under-utilised commercial
farms because we
want people who produce for the good of the country," he
said.
Even President Robert Mugabe has berated the new
farmers - now
dubbed "cellphone farmers"- for turning the once productive
commercial farms
into weekend braai resorts.
At the
Manicaland Agriculutural Show in Mutare recently, several
residents
complained at the conspicuous absence of agricultural produce at
the annual
showcase.
The absence of agricultural produce at the show was
blamed on
little output from commercial farms, most of which are now owned
by the
newly settled farmers.
Most of them are Zanu PF
party politicians.
Since 2000, Zimbabwe - once the
breadbasket of the southern
African region - has faced serious food
shortages, particularly in dry parts
of the country such as Masvingo,
Manicaland and Matabeleland.
But government officials have
remained defiant - blaming
successive droughts for the serious decline in
agricultural productivity.
Zim Standard
By DEBORAH-FAY NDLOVU
PRESIDENT Robert
Mugabe gave his seal of approval to the
controversial National Biotechnology
Authority Act, paving way for the
establishment of an authority to regulate
the activities of the industry.
The Act, which came into
effect last month, has sparked heated
debate, with questions being raised
about the government's about-face on a
policy to embrace
biotechnology.
A Harare scientist was concerned that
biotechnology could
increase the probability of developing new diseases and
activate genes for
plant toxins causing allergic
reactions.
The business community is worried that
agricultural exports
could decline.
But, Biosafety Board
registrar Abisai Mafa has dismissed
criticism and believes biotechnology is
"the way to go" if the gap between
developing and developed countries is to
be bridged.
"The gap between rich and poor countries is a
result of applying
technology in whatever form. Developing countries have
the resources but
cannot exploit them and biotechnology will help Zimbabwe
overcome this
challenge," Mafa said.
His organisation is
due to be transformed to the National
Biotechnology Authority under the Act.
The authority shall be tasked with
the drafting of a policy to guide
research and approve imports and exports
of biotechnology products, among
other things.
Mafa said the policy, which should also provide
incentives such
as tax rebates for researchers, has been
drafted.
"The National Policy on Biotechnology is still to be
launched.
It was developed simultaneously with the Bill in 2004 but I am not
at
liberty to talk about it until it has been launched."
Biotechnology refers to a science of manipulation of living
organisms. It
covers cloning and the development of genetically modified
organisms, among
others.
The government will also appoint a board to oversee
the
operations of the authority while Biosafety committees shall be
established
at every biotechnology research centre.
The
Act also stipulates that the government will impose levies
on producers,
processors and buyers of biotechnology products.
A National
Biotechnology Fund shall also be set up in response
to concerns raised by
scientists that the government and industry have not
been contributing
enough funding to encourage research.
The research, Mafa
said, shall be regulated in response to
safety concerns.
"A laboratory will be registered to make sure there are no
fly-by-nights and
permits would be valid for a year. Risk assessment shall
be done to
determine the impact on the environment," said the registrar.
Zim Standard
BY NDAMU SANDU
HISTORY has a tendency of repeating
itself. In November 2002,
the then Minister of Finance and Economic
Development, Herbert Murerwa,
shocked Zimbabweans when he closed bureaux de
change, saying they were
fuelling the black market.
Four
years down the line Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor
Gideon Gono
cancels the licences of Money Transfer Agencies (MTAs) citing
non-performance and defiant behaviour by most players in the
sector.
Gono on Monday introduced a raft of measures designed
to
stimulate the economic turnaround. In his Memorandum to Financial
Institutions: Fine-Tuning of Monetary Policy, Gono said the new measures
were designed to fight the inflation scourge and stabilise the economy,
which has been in meltdown for seven years.
"With
inflation reduction remaining the overriding objective of
the central bank,
it has become necessary that additional measures be
implemented, so as to
stabilise the economy in the medium term," Gono said.
He
announced that financial institutions should partake in the
five-year
stabilisation bond which each licensed institution will hold as a
performing
asset in its books with effect from tomorrow.
The bond counts
as a collateral asset for accommodation purposes
and it has an annual coupon
rate of 500% (year 1) 250% (year 2), 100% (year
3), 25% (year 4) and 10%
(year 5).
Gono hiked the accommodation rates to 500% from
300% for secured
lending and from 350% to 600% for unsecured
lending.
Economic commentators interviewed last week said
policy shifts
by monetary authorities highlighted the difficult situation
the country was
operating under.
"As an economy we find
ourselves to be in a difficult situation,
hence the continuous changes in
policies to address outstanding problems
like inflation," said David
Mupamhadzi, an economist with the Zimbabwe
Allied Banking Group
(ZABG).
Mupamhadzi defended the rate hike, saying there was
an increase
in speculative purposes as people were borrowing on the money
market and
reinvesting it on the stock market.
"There was
a strong performance of the stock market against
reduced performance of the
economy. The only way out was to increase
interest rates in order to curtail
credit creation," Mupamhadzi said.
He said the significant
reduction of interest rates in the mid
term monetary policy review, although
a noble gesture to avail cheap money
to finance production, had
backfired.
"We have structural rigidities; even if money is
available, it
will not mean an increase in production," he
said.
Economic analyst James Jowa agreed: "The real issue was
low
production, not because of the unavailability of cheap loans but of the
environment, which is not conducive to business growth.
"The environment is not conducive for people to engage in
serious
production. There is political uncertainty and macro-economic
variables such
as inflation (and) foreign currency are affecting
production."
Jowa said the measures implemented were
coming too late "unless
they were making wholesale changes to the political
environment".
"Politics is stifling whatever chances are
there for economic
revival, especially if you don't have support from
international financial
institutions," he said.
Mupamhadzi said the closure of MTAs would not kill the parallel
market. "The
parallel market reflects the acute shortages on the ground
although it does
not reflect on the actual price. Closing MTAs won't kill
the parallel
market."
Jowa blasted the closure of MTAs as an action which
would
backfire as it would result in activities going underground and the
parallel
market rates running further away.
He said the
closure of MTAs would send wrong signals to
potential investors, especially
those who wanted to invest because they
would not be sure whether their
industry would be spared.
Eddie Cross, an economic adviser in
the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) had reservations on the
stabilisation bond, saying
the government was "trying to force the private
sector to fund government
activities".
"Who on earth is
going to lend money to people without
securities such as leases?" he asked,
referring to the 99-year leases the
government is still to
issue.
Acknowledging that 99-year leases were an incentive to
long-term
investment, Jonathan Kadzura said the leases should be selectively
given,
based on performance. Kadzura said financial incentives given to
agriculture
should be complemented by the availability of policy incentives,
such as the
pre-planting prices to boost productivity.
Zim Standard
Comment
THIS year's Travel Expo is a great idea
but, like so much else,
it is hostage to the crisis blighting the
country.
It is indisputable that Zimbabwe has numerous areas
of tourist
attraction, but before any significant efforts to lure back
international
visitors can produce results, there is need to understand why
previous
efforts at promoting tourism have not yielded the desired
results.
Any long-term solution to reclaim the favoured
tourist
destination status that Zimbabwe enjoyed must begin by recognising
factors
that led to the flight of major airlines from this country and with
it the
decline in the flow of tourists. Pretending that these factors have
no
bearing on tourism - or that Zimbabwe is the victim of a foreign
conspiracy
to "tarnish" its image - is to miss the point and consequently
any attempt
at resuscitating significant tourist traffic is an exercise in
futility.
The turning point in the flow of tourists to this
country was
when major international airlines decided to give Zimbabwe a
wide berth. The
flight of tourists from Zimbabwe was accompanied by the
relocation of the
gateway to the region from Harare to South
Africa.
The exodus of airlines was determined by the volumes
of air
travellers to this country, which suffered the serious effects of the
political crisis and the on-going problems of fuel for both airlines and
motorists. The crisis appears to have worsened in recent weeks. This in part
is the background against which Travel Expo that ended yesterday was
held.
Organisers of Travel Expo have to tackle several major
challenges. The current fuel crisis is not the best form of advertising for
the country. Shortages of commodities - partly the product of ill-advised
price controls - and daily power cuts are major deterrents. There is also a
human rights dimension.
A nation that persecutes its
citizens makes tourists nervous
because they could find themselves being
caught up as law enforcement agents
charge at, assault and arrest people at
gatherings. Tourists watching in
amazement or found taking pictures of such
scenes could pay dearly. Pictures
of trade unionists being assaulted in the
back of police trucks have been
broadcast around the world giving the
impression of a brutal dictatorship.
Tourists do not want
destinations where they are pestered by
swarms of street urchins and
beggars. Soaring unemployment that gives rise
to crime is a bad
advertisement for tourism.
Apartheid South African never
attracted as many tourists as
democratic South Africa does because of world
revulsion towards its
policies.Zimbabwe needs to appreciate the world's
concerns over issues of
good governance. It also needs to understand that
each day presents new
competitive destinations, and that once lost a market
is difficult to
recapture.
Zimbabwe has embarked on
several marketing campaigns but it is
critical that an audit be undertaken
in order to gain an appreciation of the
little progress that is being
made.
In the absence of major airlines that used to fly into
Harare
more than a decade ago, the burden is on the national airline to
ensure that
it has a record of reliability. Its performance in this respect
is common
knowledge, even though a reliable and efficient service would make
a
significant contribution to foreign currency
generation.
But much progress could be made if the industry
stopped
pandering to the whims of politicians and playing political
correctness.
Real long-term solutions will rise from the
ashes of the demise
of tourist traffic over the past decade once we
acknowledge and rectify the
factors that led to the collapse of the industry
in the first place.
Zim Standard
Sunday Opinion By Itai Zimunya
THE talk of the town in
business circles is the recent arrest
and detention of business leaders by
the police on charges of "illegal"
price increases.
The
police operations were authorised by the Ministry of
Industry and
International Trade.
The arrests and detentions invited the
ire of industry as
represented by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry
(CZI) including the
Employers' Confederation of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe
Council for Tourism,
Bakers' Association of Zimbabwe and the Chamber of
Mines.
This article seeks to match the inconsistencies of the
position
of Zimbabwean business leaders with the broader environmental
factors that
affect their drive for normal profits.
Specifically, the greatest controversy came when business
leaders celebrated
the arrest and described the torture of leaders of the
Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade Unions on 13 September as "expected". Within a
week, the same business
leaders shed crocodile tears over the arrest of
their "holy" servants. It
seems that business takes the arrest and detention
of labour leaders as
"normal" and the arrest of business leaders as
"illegal". This is rank
hypocrisy, lack of principles and testimony of the
existence of poor
corporate governance in Zimbabwe.
It is our prime argument
that police brutality and illegal
arrests remain the same, irrespective of
the class, colour and religion of
the victim. This is what the Zimbabwean
business community lost sight of.
Their ideology is based on very selfish
and outdated concepts of slavery:
"you are not human until you are a
business leader". This is a shame.
It is clear there is a
stalemate at the Tripartite Negotiating
Forum. Labour is advocating for the
minimum wage to be pegged at par with
the Poverty Datum Line (PDL). But
business is arguing that such a move would
be disastrous to their
entrepreneurial objectives. Yet there was need to
separate contentions at
the TNF and issues of State terrorism.
The militarisation of
the State must be seen as part of the
factors that have made Zimbabwe a
rogue State. The welfare issues raised by
labour and the price increases by
business were and are supposed to be the
agenda of the relevant
ministries.
But because the various ministers are too busy
with "farming",
they do not respect dialogue as a way of solving problems,
hence the resolve
to use force, even where it is not
necessary.
In their joint statement the business leaders note
on point one:
"We condemn unreservedly the manner in which the police have
gone about
arresting and incarcerating our managers. There are clearly laid
out
procedures that respect the rights of citizens."
Point four states that, "as key players in the economy we should
focus our
attention on inflation and speedy implementation that guarantees
the
reversal of the downward trend and change our fortunes".
These statements confirm our position that the business
community have
alienated themselves from the Zimbabwean community and have
given themselves
a demi-god status; they want to entice favours from the
government by
promising "to reduce inflation and turn around the economy".
This is a lie,
from an economic and political stand point.
The Zimbabwean
business community is not the sole key player in
the economy; the government
and labour are equally key players. The rise of
the Asian economies was not
necessarily because of an eminent business class
in that region, but the
availability of highly trained and relatively
cheaper labour was a
significant factor.
The Asian governments played significant
roles in the rise of
their economies too. To suggest that the "private
sector can resolve the
Zimbabwean economic crisis" is a fallacy that must be
dismissed with the
contempt it deserves.
The economic
crisis in Zimbabwe is a microcosm of the broader
political demise. The
economy will not fix the political crisis, but the
political settlement will
help create an environment where the economy can
be
kick-started.
In brief, while the business community have
every right to
defend their minority turf, they should end there and not go
to the puerile
extent of celebrating labour's suffering.
The government's method of fixing prices does not make any
economic sense.
It is simply a security strategy to ward off civic protests.
Under such
circumstances, we advise business not to comment.
It is
important to highlight the point the Zimbabwean government
is the chief
author on the Zimbabwean crisis. The use and belief in a
military-style of
governance and the adoption of a command economy is
detrimental to labour,
industry and the government itself.
Present-day Zimbabwe is a
military state. Industry is aware of
this, and it is time they became clear
that foreign currency does not follow
commands but quality of goods and
services, and a politically peaceful
environment.
* Itai
Zimunya is a socio-economic researcher.
Zim Standard
SundayView
THE Domestic Violence Bill is being introduced
because there is
no law at present governing domestic violence. Victims of
domestic violence
rely on common law.
The police were
inactive as they always referred even the worst
cases of Grievous Bodily
Harm (GBH) as domestic. A victim of GBH at best (if
entertained) could be
asked to go and get the perpetrator so that the matter
could be discussed as
civilised beings.
Here a crime of assault has been committed
but because the
accused is someone who has a duty to take care and love you,
the police
would not treat it as criminal. I have never been able to
understand the
logic behind this.
Now imagine if the
police had problems in arresting someone who
had just punched you in the
face in the name of love, what fun they would
have with you if you were to
report that your estranged husband has just
raped you. I can hear the charge
office buzzing with one constable shouting
on top of his voice: "Hey John,
come and listen to this!"
And another officer saying: "Ambuya
muri serious here murume
wenyu akakubhadharirai lobola? (Are you serious
this is your husband who
paid dowry for you?)"
Never mind
that this man had gone to live with a small house
that is known to be
HIV-positive and has sent more men into the ground than
the bubonic
plague.
Secondly, there has been an escalation in the number
of domestic
violence cases. Musasa Project in recently updating its 1996
findings
discovered that one in every four women experiences actual physical
violence
during her lifetime that 99% of perpetrators are men and 99% of the
victims
are women.
The purpose of the Bill therefore is
to seek to protect and give
relief to people living in violent
relationships. It seeks to try and
prevent, as far as possible, domestic
violence. It also seeks to provide a
clear definition of what will
constitute domestic violence. In addition, it
will provide a more harmonised
procedure.
The Bill will protect men, women, children (born
in or out of
wedlock, adopted and stepchildren). It will protect domestic
workers,
boyfriends and girlfriends, as well as former
spouses.
It is important to define what constitutes domestic
violence. It
is physical abuse, such as beating up, punching, pushing or a
threat of such
assault. It is sexual abuse, such as rape, indecent assault,
unwanted sexual
touching or exposure. It also encompasses emotional, verbal
and
psychological abuse such as repeated insults likely to cause mental
injury.
Economic abuse such as unreasonable disposal of
economic
resources or assets and maintenance is also a form of domestic
violence.
Intimidation or causing fear in another person, as well as
harassment,
stalking and damage to property are other forms of domestic
violence.
Entry into another's residence without consent of
the other
party; deprivation of reasonable use of home; abuse caused by
cultural
practices that discriminate or degrade women such as virginity
testing,
forced marriages, pledging women and girls in order to appease
avenging
spirits; as well as abuse of a person because of their age,
physical or
mental incapacity such as unsubstantiated rumours of old women
being witches
constitute domestic violence.
It is
important to consider how the Bill proposes to protect
victims of domestic
violence. The police have a special duty to advise and
assist victims of
domestic violence and also there will be a special
domestic violence section
at every police station with trained personnel to
deal with domestic
violence.
The Bill will provide for stiffer penalties, while
there is an
aggravating feature when a crime such as assault has been
committed by
someone who has a duty to take care of you and love you. It
also provides
for a protection order.
A protection order
covers the difference that exists at the
moment between a peace order and
protection. The special feature of a
protection order, apart from directing
the perpetrator to stop the violence,
it is issued with an arrest
warrant.
It may be applied for by the victim.
Zim Standard
Sundayview By Mfandaidza Hove
WE are
surprised that the latest statement by the Central Bank
does not discuss the
achievements or shortcomings of its penultimate policy
statement. Such a
review would have helped to contextualise the latest
statement in terms of
what the new policy interventions are aimed at.
Furthermore, as the latest
statement does not specify its goals and
objectives, we are convinced that
this statement is another attempt to
harass the productive sectors of the
economy.
Even where claims of harassment are denied, one
cannot fail to
see that these latest statements, like the previous ones, are
based on wrong
premises. It is wrong to believe that the reduced inflows of
foreign
currency into the Central Bank and the hyperinflationary trends are
due, in
the main, to speculation and corruption.
We
continue to point out these problems originate from the
systematic
disruption of the productive activities in the economy coupled
with policies
that condone corruption designed to reward Zanu PF's
sycophants for their
support.
In addition, the poor performance of the economy
emanates from
the unwarranted interference of the State in the management of
productive
institutions in the country. Until both the government and the
Central Bank
are prepared to commit themselves to addressing these
fundamental issues,
the high level of inflation, the high incidence of
corruption, and the
adverse effects of speculation will continue to haunt
the economy.
In his monetary policy statement on 9 October,
the Governor of
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Gideon Gono, appears to
have accepted
the unconstitutional nature of his quasi-fiscal
activities.
In this regard, he states: "It has become
necessary to institute
stringent measures that restrict and forbid
non-performing parastatals and
local authorities from accessing Central Bank
support. Parastatals and local
authorities are hereby advised that their
first port of call for financial
assistance shall be their parent
ministry".
We commend him for finally realising that he is
not the Minister
of Finance in this country. However, we wish to remind him
that his
intention to continue to print money in support of Zanu PF's
discredited
"land-grab" exercise through the so-called Agricultural Sector
Productivity
Enhancement Facility (ASPEF) is clear evidence of his continued
misuse of
the office of the Central Bank Governor. Clearly, this practice
does not
only fuel hyperinflationary conditions in the country, but also
perpetuates
the corruption attributable to Zanu PF cronies involved in the
acquisition
and sale of agricultural inputs.
In addition,
we hope that his statement that "parent ministries
and management
responsible for these institutions are hereby advised to
seriously take note
of this position", is not issued as part of a public
relations exercise in
advance of the International Monetary Fund's proposed
consultative visit to
this country.
More importantly, we are persuaded to believe
that the Central
Bank has now accepted the fact that the dismal performance
of most
parastatals is not due to undercapitalisation, but to the high
levels of
mismanagement and the blatant exploitation of these institutions
by
government and its high profile politicians
We note
with interest the Central Bank's contrived see-saw
movement of the interest
rates in the country. While the newly introduced
interest rate regime is
still negative in the context of the high levels of
inflation, we continue
to be confounded by the Central Bank's motives in
hiking and lowering the
rate willy-nilly whenever they issue a policy
statement. Investment
decisions take a long time and hence changing interest
rates haphazardly
every two or three months, cannot be of any assistance to
the prospective
investor.
It is not the business of the Central Bank to
determine the
"lending asset orientation for commercial banks". Such
decisions must be
left to these institutions. In a functioning market
economy, commercial
banks routinely make these decisions, and are guided by
the need to maximise
shareholders' wealth within the constraints imposed by
acceptable corporate
governance practices and their corporate social
responsibilities.
Recent examples of the so-called
"unacceptable face of
capitalism" in this sector were in direct response to
a dysfunctional
economic environment emanating from an illegitimate national
government, a
pariah State, endemic corruption, a seriously compromised
national integrity
and persistent political
intransigence.
The situation in the petroleum fuel industry
has been
characterised by gross inefficiency serious shortages and endemic
corruption
since the establishment of the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe
(NOCZIM).
The parastatal has long been one of the sources of the patronage
system in
this country. A lasting solution to the problems in this sector
will have to
include a thorough review of the role and need for an
organisation such as
NOCZIM in a country where its predecessor, private
enterprise, was clearly
capable of procuring and marketing petroleum
products.
Clearly the Governor's involvement here is yet
another
demonstration of his dominance of all fields of economic activity in
this
country. Herbert Murerwa is reduced to a glorified book-keeper of the
nation
but only in so far as it relates to transactions which pass through
his
Ministry. If those passing through the Central Bank are included (as
they
should), the country's budget deficit increases to well over 60% of our
Gross Domestic Product and not the farcical 3% frequently
claimed.
We are also surprised that the Governor has the
nerve to state
that the nation's productive sectors are adequately supplied
with fuel. Any
casual observer will attest to the serious shortage of the
commodity
throughout the economy, and that its shortage is seriously
constraining
productivity and contributing to the unacceptable inflationary
trends
assailing the economy.
With respect to electricity
generation and supply in the
country, The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority (ZESA) is broke and has
been for a very long time now. The
principal cause of this is the authority's
unviable tariff structure. The
present position is that ZESA finds itself
between a rock and a hard
place.
On the one hand, it urgently requires substantial
amounts of
foreign currency to maintain and update its plant and equipment
(generators
and related equipment) to enable it to generate the 60%
component of energy
that it is capable of producing locally; and on the
other it needs equally
large amounts of foreign currency to pay for the 40%
that it has to import.
This is against the backdrop of severe foreign
currency shortages throughout
the economy.
These problems
have resulted in economically crippling power
outages that have further
reduced the operating capacity of commerce and
industry notwithstanding the
fact that these sectors are already operating
at an average of 25% of
capacity.
All in all, the problems in the energy sector also
emanate from
the country's national governance crisis. Until this is
resolved, the much
needed capital investment will not be forthcoming both
domestically and
through foreign direct investment.
If
the decision to close Money Transfer Agencies (MTA) was due
to their corrupt
and gross indiscipline as claimed, surely the sensible
action to take is to
develop supervisory mechanisms that lead to acceptable
corporate governance
practices. This, of course, assumes that these agencies
were a reliable
avenue for the inflow of significant levels of foreign
currency. Given the
extent to which the exchange rate which they are
permitted to use is
seriously overvalued (Z$250 to the US$1), this is
unlikely to have been the
case. Their closure therefore, is of no
consequence to the level of foreign
exchange earned by the country.
As we have argued before,
foreign exchange shortages are a
symptom of the economic meltdown that our
country has been plunged into by
this illegitimate
government.
Once again the Governor continues to stray into
territory that
is not constitutionally under him. The management of the
Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange (ZSE) falls under its Registrar who in turn reports
to the Minister
of Finance. The Governor states that ".the ZSE has become a
platform for
creating vast amounts of paper -wealth without real productive
activities on
the ground". In this regard, the Governor continues to address
symptoms
rather than causes of the country's economic meltdown. He needs to
be
reminded that the stock exchange "bubble" will persist for as long as
Zimbabwe's economic fundamentals continue to be seriously compromised. Among
others, the economic mismanagement of the country has resulted in negative
real interest rates on the money market; as a result, rational investors
will continue to prefer to invest in equities simply because these are
likely to offer them greater returns.
With respect to the
Governor's measures related to revenue
collection, once again we remind him
that this is the responsibility of the
Minister of Finance to whom the
Director-General of the Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority reports. In any case,
measures to withhold capital gains tax are
already in place at the ZSE and
we are not aware of anything new in his
statement other than
overzealousness.
In conclusion, the sum total of the Central
Bank Governor's
statement is that it amounts to an admission of the
inflationary effects of
the worthless money that he continues to print for
the short-term benefit of
loss-making state-owned
enterprises.
With respect to his support of the Zimbabwe
National Water
Authority (ZINWA), he recently declared that "we will print
money as a
quasi-fiscal operation to allow ZINWA and Harare City Council to
deal with
their immediate local currency challenges". Clearly, the Governor
is totally
oblivious of the hyperinflationary consequences of his actions,
and yet he
claims to be fighting the country's number one
enemy-inflation!
*Mfandaidza Hove is the Secretary for
Economic Affairs for the
Movement for Democratic Change (Morgan
Tsvangirai).
Shamuyarira defence of 'genocide' provocative
NATHAN Shamuyarira
is a provocative, tactless, reckless and
tribalistic person and he has
always been so.
I'm responding to the interview Shamuyarira
gave to The Standard
(01 October 2006 to 07 October 2006, headlined
"Gukurahundi remarks spark
fresh uproar. No regrets on 5 Brigade:
Shamuyarira") pertaining to the
atrocities they committed against the
defenceless citizens of Matabeleland
and the Midlands.
Shamuyarira is quoted as having said: "It was because the
dissidents were
killing people that Gukurahundi went to correct the
situation and protect
the people." He further says: "We killed vana Gwesela
in my own province in
Mashonaland West, in Sanyati. We killed him because he
played havoc. In
Matabeleland, they killed Shona-speaking teachers; it's not
true that
Ndebeles were the only victims. Europeans in Mat South fled their
farms and
went to hide in the city."
This is a tired argument that has
long lost the propaganda
relevance it may have held in the 1980s. Not even
one sane Shona-speaking
person believes this nonsense. Now everybody knows
what victims knew then:
that the Gukurahundi atrocities were an act of
genocide and crimes against
humanity. The intention was genocide and
genocide is what they committed.
The intention was ethnic cleansing in
Matabeleland and the Midlands. The
world now knows.
Shamuyarira will very soon know that the world is no longer
fooled by racial
and tribal propaganda. There will soon be an International
Tribunal for
Zimbabwe and Shamuyarira and his criminal gang will be in the
dock. Such
defences as Shamuyarira tries to advance have been tried before.
They have
never worked. And they won't work.
The Nazis said they
committed genocide to defend the Aryan race.
Slobadan Milosevic said he was
defending Serbs. The Hutus said they were
defending themselves. Sudan says
it is defending innocent civilians. Zanu PF
says it committed genocide and
crimes against humanity to defend Europeans
and Shona-speaking
people.
None of these defences has ever worked and none will
ever work.
You may have had good intentions when you moved in militarily,
but if you
later change to acts that constitute genocide and crimes against
humanity,
you are guilty of genocide and crimes against
humanity.
You may have gone to a shop to (lawfully) buy your
groceries,
but if you are in the shop and you decide to steal, it is your
latter
intention that has any relevance in a court of law. If a police
officer,
well-intentioned in attempting to stop a crime of shoplifting being
committed by an old woman forms an intent to rape the woman as punishment,
only a moron will suggest that rape is not punishable.
As
for Dumiso Dabengwa and his fellow shameless Zanu PF
mandarins, he is right
in saying he cannot speak on behalf of the people of
Matabeleland and the
Midlands on genocide or any other conceivable subject
on earth. Dabengwa and
his colleagues don't represent us in government;
rather they represent
President Mugabe in Matabeleland and the Midlands.
Cain
Mathema, Thokozile Mathuthu, Cephas Msipa and Angeline
Masuku are no
different from ancient colonial governors who represented
British interests
in our country. I'm happy that Dabengwa is waking up to
the reality of his
uselessness. He and others from Matabeleland who are in
Zanu PF are
hostages; and they know it. Pretending is not going to solve
anything. I'm
only disappointed that it has taking the former Zipra supremo
this long to
wake up to reality.
Effie
Mazilankatha-Ncube
Executive Director &
CEO
Matebeleland Empowerment Services
Association.
-----------------
Envoy's defeatist
remarks will not help Zimbabwe
IT is very common for
twitchy diplomats to sing a
different tune when a new government in their
respective countries is
appointed. We know Sweden has a new government, and
a new foreign affairs
minister who may have a different stance on Zimbabwe
to the one presented by
the previous regime's trusted representative to
Zimbabwe.
That said, the basis of my argument is to
challenge the
envoy to swallow his pride and start working. His previous
remarks presented
him as an opportunist keen to take full credit for any
reforms the Zanu PF
government would institute in the name of "bridge-
building" with the West
and its people.
But
diplomacy is much more complicated than just
piggy-backing on opportunistic
remarks by a tired president.
Being a seasoned
diplomat, the Swedish envoy should know
that this is where his job begins.
Defeatist remarks can never be tolerated.
When President Robert Mugabe's
head appears harder than the soft stance he
presented during the time the
British diplomat presented his credentials, it
is when real diplomats should
speak out, engage and move the difficult
situation backward. Not cowardly
remarks about withdrawing and giving up.
Ambassador
Sten Rylander must continue to seek a solution
to Zimbabwe's woes. If you
cannot engage, then you will go nowhere. After
all, it gets more exciting
when the challenge is insurmountable.
Pretty
Maminza
Bindura
--------------
This reasoning defies
logic
I was one of the fortunate people who went
through
the education system when our school standards were very high and
our
teachers trained students to world-class
standards.
However, having said that I don't have
any amazing
academic qualifications or letters behind my name. It is
frightening to
think that my logic and understanding of economic issues
seems to be far
superior than that of our government and the governor of the
Reserve Bank.
I have read with much interest in
The Herald of many
reports - nay, indeed threats - against company
executives who dare to
ignore the "price control crack-down" imposed by the
government and the
central bank. It is amazing to see that other supposedly
"learned" men such
as the national police spokesperson and the Minister of
International Trade
are also condemning the increases being experienced
because of the cost of
living, especially since the introduction of our new
"monopoly" currency.
Could one of these educated
people enlighten me? How
does one sell a commodity (say a litre of petrol)
for $320 when they have
initially paid $650? The same applies to the bread
problem that we
experienced recently and a million other
things.
How are companies expected to cover
running costs,
pay employees, purchase raw materials, sell at controlled
prices and remain
in business?
Logic and
mathematics tell me that no one can
continue in business if they sell their
goods at half the price they paid
for them. Does the government intend to
subsidise these companies?
Surely the government
and the governor should be
able to work out that this practice does not make
for good business sense.
Sooner, rather than later companies will go
bankrupt.
Come on, the country's top economists.
Let's look at
things logically and instead of throwing insults and threats
around, let's
get together and find a
solution.
R
Martin
Harare
------------
Mhlauri let the nation
down
THE recent downfall of the Warriors at
Kamuzu
Stadium in Malawi left all the supporters of the national soccer
team,
"shell-shocked".
My question is:
Can we still trust Charles
Mhlauri, the national team coach? Supporters are
baying for his blood, which
is an indication that Mhlauri's marriage with
the Warriors has hit a brick
wall.
How
can a coach of Mhlauri's calibre bring
home poor results, especially given
the fact that he was recently in Germany
on a refresher course? The
supporters expected nothing but victory. He let
Zimbabweans
down.
Under the mentorship of Sunday
"Mhofu"
Chidzambwa the Warriors played against Algeria, Cameroon and Egypt
in
Tunisia two years ago. While they fell to Cameroon and Egypt, they
trashed
Algeria, through goals from Joel Luphahla and Adam
Ndlovu.
However, under the guidance of
Mhlauri, the
boys played against Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana in a group of
death. They
fell to the Eagles and the Lions of Teranga but outplayed the
Black Stars of
Ghana.
This shows that
Chidzambwa was better than
Mhlauri because under him the Warriors were able
to score six goals but
under Mhlauri they only managed two
goals.
If we continue under Mhlauri's
leadership we
will never make it to Ghana for the continental showcase. I
believe Rahman
Gumbo and Moses Chunga can do a better job for us in Ghana in
2008.
Warriors'
fan
Mufakose
Harare
------------
Who changed street
name?
I had always known that as Chair of the
Commission
running Harare, Sekesai Makwavarara, carried some clout. But I
was not aware
the powers she wielded extended to changing names of streets
without due
process.
We have relatives in the
Harare suburb of
Marlborough. They live in Colleen Crescent. But not anymore
if Makwavarara
and her merry-making band have their
way!
On a recent visit to our relatives I
discovered that
the street has been renamed Collen
Crescent!
Such arbitrary action or incompetence
characterises
the level of chaos at Town House and yet it is on this kind of
performance
that one minister believes the commissioners are doing well.
Doing what
well? Is there something we don't know? No wonder people continue
to spurn
Zanu PF.
Dumisani
Mpofu
Waverley
Kadoma
----------
No diplomacy to talk
about
A letter in your 1 to 7 October
2006 issue
by Godwell Manyangadze headlined "Opposition must consolidate now
or
disintegrate" cannot go
unchallenged!
For Manyangadze to allege
that Professor
Arthur Mutambara is now defending the Central Intelligence
Organisation
(CIO) is a dangerous allegation and gross injustice, thought up
by people
with sinister motives such as the CIO
itself.
For the record, Professor Arthur
Mutambara
has never and will never support and let alone defend the CIO.
But, that's
not to say he will either just keep quiet when someone is
deliberately keen
to present himself as squeaky clean to the world and wants
to hide behind
the name CIO for his well-known and well-documented acts of
violence.
It is indisputable that those
who attacked
Trudy Stevenson belong to Morgan Tsvangirai's camp. If ever
they are CIOs,
as alleged by Tsvangirai, then, they are CIOs born and bred
by him.
That a more diplomatic way should
have been
chosen for cleansing both sides is a question that will continue
to
challenge us. But there is absolutely no diplomacy to talk about here:
let
the truth, no matter how painful, be
said.
As for seeking help from outside
which the
writer suggested Tsvangirai should do - he has always been seeking
help from
outside!
Lovemore
Machengedzera
Glen
Norah
Harare
------------
Some musicians are authors of
their own
misfortunes
THE fate of showbiz
personalities in
Zimbabwe has, since independence, been a sad one, with a
good number of them
seemingly able to defy gravity. But their staying power
was only interrupted
when fate decided to intervene. They died veritable
paupers. Tales abound of
one-time hit machines dying as paupers not only in
the rich countries but
here in
Zimbabwe.
This is recalled after a call
during last
week's meeting, for musicians to have some arrangement that will
see them
come to each other's rescue when the hard times befall their kind.
While
this is not the first time such a call has been made, one still has to
ask
why some musicians have seemingly made it without the "beneficence" of
their
colleagues.
While unions of any
sort are laudable, it
still has to be asked who is responsible for the
welfare of showbiz
artistes? Would it be fair to appeal to a musician who
has struggled to
build a small empire to meet the expenses of the funeral of
a hard-living
urban grooves artist all in the name of "solidarity" and
industry empathy?
I believe these are
important questions
because they are pertinent in the Zimbabwean society
whereby folks expect to
have it easy through the sweat of
others.
There are a number of musicians
who have
made a difference in their lives and surely they cannot be held to
ransom so
that when the bowl is passed around they are expected to give
generously.
The question is: who is responsible for an adult's
behaviour?
There has always been the
issue of artistes
not earning enough from their royalties despite their
popularity. Yet one
still gets the impression some are not so worse off
because they have made
the transition from the ghetto to low-density
suburbs.
While one would choose to invest
and build a
nest for their children, others however elect to wait for galas
and then
blow the largesse. When misfortune strikes, it finds them in deep
slumber
and then the bowl is passed around for
alms.
Marko
Phiri
Bulawayo
Bulawayo
------------
SA is going the same route as
Zimbabwe
LISTENING to the British
Broadcasting
Corporation broadcast the other day; I was astounded by what
Archbishop
Desmond Tutu said about South Africa. One would be forgiven for
thinking
that Tutu was talking about
Zimbabwe.
The events in South Africa,
according to
Tutu are chillingly similar to events in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe
went to war in
order to right a historic wrong. The citizens of the country
supported the
war wholeheartedly in the belief that life was going to
improve. The
morality of the war was never questioned because the colonial
rulers were
ruthless - they raped our children, they beat up our parents,
they destroyed
our homes, they brooked no opposition from any quarter and
their hallmark
was murder and mayhem. For this, Zimbabweans had no choice
but to wage war
against the
colonialists.
Zimbabwe has gone full
circle to yesteryear.
Values of human life have been discarded into the
dustbin of history. For
the past six years or so, human life has become
worthless. Our leaders have
become so self-centred and callous. Inflicting
pain or killing an opponent
has now become a game to be enjoyed by the
perpetrators. Raping of women and
minors is now the norm throughout the
country.
Zimbabweans have lost their
respect for the
laws of the country because they see the laws being flouted
by those in
authority. Political opponents are being burnt alive and their
homes
vandalised yet the perpetrators are not apprehended and brought before
the
courts.
Property is no longer
safe or protected by
law, human rights are ignored and the most powerful man
in the country, the
President, openly encourages violence against
Zimbabweans while his
supporters ululate and cheer him on. What is happening
to Zimbabwe? Have we
now become so barbaric and bloodthirsty as to cheer the
President when he
tells the police to attack us when we protest? What type
of Zimbabwe is the
President going to leave us, including his own family,
when he preaches
mayhem and murder in the
country?
People used to say that age
mellows
grown-ups - alas, I cannot say this for our President, who seems to
have
become more cruel than ever. He respects no one in the country, let
alone
the world. Is it a surprise then when Zimbabweans have become so
immoral?
Our leaders have completely forgotten what they fought for. They
have
transformed themselves into the old colonial masters. Reminds one of
George
Orwell's Animal Farm.
South
Africans no longer have any respect
for life, the law and humanity,
according to Tutu. The people of that
country have become frighteningly
materialistic and greedy. What South
Africans have become, sadly, fits
Zimbabweans. South Africa could be going
down the same route as Zimbabwe.
The mere thought of this is very
frightening. People of goodwill like Tutu
should be courageous enough to
stand up and fight tyranny in South
Africa.
The poverty which has gripped
Zimbabwe is
mainly on ethnic grounds because the majority of the
impoverished people are
the ones who were deprived of their livelihood on
the nationalised
commercial farms.
The ululating ethnic group is better off
because they can pick up crumbs
from the leaders' sumptuous table. This is a
recipe for a national
disaster.
Prophetic
Tutu
Masvingo