http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Politics
THE outcome of the forthcoming Copac Second all-stakeholders’
conference
largely depends on the will of the three principals of the
Global Political
Agreement, particularly President Robert Mugabe, analysts
and political
parties have said.
Report by Patrice
Makova
The conference, which was supposed to be held this week, was
postponed to
the third week of October due to logistical and financial
problems.
It is the next step before a referendum is held.
The
conference had been in doubt after Zanu PF rubbished the Copac draft and
made wholesale amendments to the document. The party recently made an
about-turn, allowing the event to go ahead.
However, questions
still persist whether or not Zanu PF is going to allow
the conference to go
ahead without any problems. The first all-stakeholders’
conference in July
2009 was marred by chaos and violence. It had to take the
intervention of
Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC-T and deputy
premier Arthur
Mutambara — then MDC leader — for the meeting to proceed.
University
of Zimbabwe Political Science lecturer Shakespeare Hamauswa said
Mugabe,
Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube of MDC have to take decisive action to
ensure
that shadowy organisations like Chipangano will not cause
disturbances
again.
“The whole process has been shrouded in serious political
struggles and
controversies,” he said. “The principals, in particular
Mugabe, who controls
the state security machinery, have to stamp their
authority if normalcy has
to prevail.”
Hamauswa said it was clear
delegates would be powerless and it would be
entirely up to the principals
and their negotiators to decide on the way
forward.
Political
analyst Ernest Mudzengi said a deadlock was likely because of lack
of
consensus between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations.
He said the
National Statistical Report, which Zanu PF insists on using,
should have
been published before the conference to allow delegates to
thoroughly
scrutinise the document before it was discussed. The report
captures the
views gathered during the Copac outreach programmes.
“The success of
the conference is in limbo because I foresee the political
parties playing
hide and seek,” said Mudzengi. “The best they can do is to
present the
agreed draft before the all-stakeholders’ conference.”
Zanu PF’s Copac
technical adviser Godwills Masimirembwa said the Copac draft
would be
subjected to scrutiny.
“Let not anyone daydream that the proposed
amendments have fallen away,” he
said. “Zanu PF will be out in full force to
put forward its amendments and
Copac is obliged to capture them in the
report which will be presented to
the principals,” Masimirembwa
said.
He said the conference would be forced to look at whether the
draft was
consistent with what the people said, as captured in the National
Statistical Report.
But MDC director for policy and research,
Qhubani Moyo, said if the
conference was to discuss the report, it should
then follow that provincial,
district and ward reports should also be put
into consideration.
“The politicians have spoken and the only logical thing
is to allow people
to decide through a referendum,” he
said.
MDC-T secretary-general and Finance minister Tendai Biti said
it was not
practical for the conference to renegotiate the Copac draft as
demanded by
Zanu PF.
“Anyone nursing the ideas that over 1 000
delegates can debate the draft
constitution obviously wants to kill that
conference,” he said. “The
National Statistical Report which Zanu PF wants
is not a true reflection of
what people said. It was based on how many
people one party managed to bus
and intoxicate.”
Zanu PF has made
several amendments to the Copac draft, but the two MDCs
have rejected them
insisting the proposed draft charter was final, as all
three political
parties appended their signatures to the document.
Among its
amendments, Zanu PF retained Mugabe’s “imperial powers” and
removed
devolution entirely from the draft, while introducing mandatory
national
youth service.
The party also removed a provision for an Independent
Prosecuting authority,
separate from the Attorney-General. The party also
banned dual citizenship
and put provisions that specifically criminalise
homosexuality.
Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said the conference was
going to sail
smoothly, predicting that the event would be stage-managed,
with delegates
carefully chosen.
Mandaza said this was meant to
ensure that elections would be held on March
23 next year as insinuated by
Mugabe in a recent High Court application
seeking an extension of dates for
by-elections in vacant constituencies.
“The second all-stakeholders’
conference is simply going to rubber-stamp the
Copac draft,” he said at a
“New Zimbabwe Lecturer series” on Thursday.
“The likes of Goodson
Nguni, who are making noise, have been overtaken by
events because the three
parties have already agreed on the draft and a
referendum which will be held
21 days after the Second all-stakeholders’
Conference.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Community News
A local lobby group, Coalition Against Corruption (CAC), last
week
petitioned the Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri to declare
all
money the police collect on roadblocks.
Report by Tawanda
Marwizi
Speaking just after handing over a letter to the Police
General Head
Quarters in Harare last week, CAC director Terry Mutsvangwa
said the
petition was designed to ensure transparency and accountability in
the
force.
“The Finance minister (Tendai Biti) is on record
saying the money is not
being remitted to the treasury, so we have seen it
proper to ask them to
tell us where the money is going,” said
Mutsvangwa.
The petition was handed over to Chihuri’s
secretary.
Mutsvangwa said the public had the right to know where the funds
were being
channelled to.
“As CAC, we are not saying Commissioner
Chihuri is abusing the funds, but we
are just demanding to know where the
money is going,” he said.
The former journalist said they were expecting a
quick response from Chihuri
to make the information available to the
public.
“As you might be aware that on a daily basis the police
traffic section
collects a reasonable amount of revenue from motorists, yet
it is not going
to the treasury. we consequently hereby demand the following
information or
records held by your authority,” reads part of the
petition.
Efforts to get a comment from Chihuri were fruitless last
week.
CAC, which was formed last month, has been holding awareness
campaigns in
Harare.
They recently visited Makombe Government
offices, where people obtain birth
certificates and passports, telling
people to desist from engaging in
bribery activities.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September
30, 2012 in Community News
MASVINGO — The European Union (EU) is funding a
four-year water, sanitation
and hygiene project in Chivi district that would
see 50 boreholes drilled
and over 350 repaired.Report by Tatenda
Chitagu
The project, dubbed “CHIWASH” (Chivi, water, sanitation and
hygiene) would
be implemented by the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) at a
cost of over
US$3,2 million.
The project also involves the
construction of 3 400 latrines in the
district.
ZRCS acting
secretary-general, Lucky Goteka told reporters at a handover
ceremony of 180
bicycles to community health and hygiene promoters at
Maringire business
centre last week that the programme was part of the
nationwide humanitarian
effort to promote the quality of life in vulnerable
communities.
“The ZRCS is currently implementing integrated
humanitarian programmes that
provide a holistic approach to the diverse
humanitarian needs of the
vulnerable groups,” said Goteka. “This integrated
project is both emergency
and developmental, so that while addressing
current challenges, it also
incapacitates communities to develop
community-based solutions to their
everyday challenges.”
A total
of 100 000 people in 400 communities in Chivi district, mainly
vulnerable
groups such as people living with HIV, orphans and single-parent
households,
would be targeted. Goteka said Chivi district was chosen because
of its poor
sanitation.
“As an impartial, neutral and independent voluntary
humanitarian
organisation, we are there to complement government efforts in
saving lives
and alleviating human suffering wherever it may be and however
it is
caused,” he said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30,
2012 in Community News
BUHERA — Ten police officers who were lodging at a
complex owned by an MDC-T
official at Muzokomba business centre were
recently ordered to vacate the
place by their superiors. Report by Our
Correspondent
The officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of
retribution,
said the message was conveyed to them by a senior officer who
told them that
the directive was from the top authorities.
“We
were told to vacate from our lodgings because of the political
affiliation
of our landlord and we had to rush to find alternative
accommodation,” said
one of the officers.
MDC-T chairman for ward 24, Robson Masaiti owns
the complex.
Masaiti said he was shocked to hear that the officers had been
ordered to
leave his property with immediate effect.
“They told
me while packing their belongings that they were leaving and I
couldn’t ask
more questions,” he said.
MP for the constituency, Naison Nemadziva,
also confirmed the story adding
that he would engage the responsible
authorities to have the issue resolved.
“The police are supposed to
be a non-partisan force. They should be free to
live where they want and
after all, the camp has insufficient
accommodation,” said
Nemadziva.
Manicaland Police spokesperson Inspector Enock Chishiri,
however, professed
ignorance on the matter.
“We are getting it
from you. I don’t think there is any one of us here who
knows that incident.
What I only know is that members of the police force at
Muzokomba stay at
the camp,” said Chishiri.
The two MDC formations have been advocating
for a non-partisan uniformed
force in the new constitution.
The
two parties have on several occasions accused state security agents of
selectively applying the rule of law in their efforts to prop up President
Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF, especially during elections.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012
in Community News
Tongaat Hullets Zimbabwe recently bailed out Chiredzi
General Hospital which
was on the verge of collapse.Report by Own
Correspondent
The company donated 158 hospital beds to the
institution. The donation,
which is part of Tongaat Hullet’s corporate
social responsibility programme,
came at a time when the only big hospital
in Chiredzi district was faced
with serious challenges in its quest for a
good health delivery system.
Apart from donating beds, Tongaat
Hullets donated two water tanks, each with
a carrying capacity of 5 000
litres, replaced all damaged windows at the
hospital and re-painting all the
walls of every structure in the hospital.
The donation from Tongaat
was handed over to Chiredzi General Hospital by
its managing director
Stanley Mutsambiwa. Mutsambiwa challenged the hospital
staff to work
together with his company in providing top-class health
facilities.
“This is one of our good gestures towards our social
responsibility as a
company, and I urge hospital management to tell us what
you want in time and
we can help you in the best possible way we can,”
Mutsambiwa said.
Present at the colourful event was Masvingo governor
and resident minister
Titus Maluleke who was also the guest of
honour.
Maluleke challenged Tongaat Hullets to equip Chiredzi General
hospital in
the same way they had equipped Collin Saunders, a private
hospital owned by
the giant sugar manufacturing company.
Colin
Saunders, located in Triangle, is one of the best hospitals in the
country
offering top- class heath facilities and services. Maluleke said he
would be
more than happy to see the twinning of the two hospitals in the
near
future.
“I am happy because of this gesture, but I challenge
management at this
company to consider twining the two hospitals so that
they complement each
other,” the governor said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012
in Community News
DOMBOSHAVA — The recent murder of six men from Chinamhora
community in
Domboshava has sparked a backlash on prostitutes.
Report
by Jennifer Dube
Villagers in the area are now calling for a clean-up
campaign to weed out
all suspected sex workers who lodge in the surrounding
communities.
villagers last week said there was a proliferation of
“strangers”, mostly
prostitutes, in Domboshava, whom they suspected of
luring dangerous
criminals into the area.
“Our community has
always had its share of prostitutes, but it is now too
much,” said Yvonne
Johannes, whose 65-year-old father Clemence Parirewa was
murdered
recently.
“A lot of illegal structures are mushrooming in people’s
backyards and
rented out to people from outside Domboshava, whose
backgrounds no one has a
clue about.”
Residents said shop-owners
were at the centre of the controversy, creating
residential quarters at
backyards of their business premises and renting
them out to “questionable
characters”.
“Thieves and prostitutes are collaborators, so we
believe that the many
prostitutes staying in this area give thieves space to
come here and monitor
how people live, allowing them to plan heinous
activities,” said Tichaona
Parirewa.
Six men were recently
murdered in Domboshava, five of them using the same
method, raising
suspicions that a gang of dangerous criminals was on the
prowl.
The five, four of them murdered as they left Showgrounds
business centre on
September 7, are believed to have been hit with blunt
objects on their heads
while their bodies had bruises.
There are
allegations that there was no blood on two of the bodies at the
murder
scenes, raising speculation the killers were drawing blood from their
victims.
As a result, security has been tightened, with police
establishing a post at
the business centre. security details are now a
common sight in the area.
There are reports that traditional leaders
have been selling residential
stands to people from Harare and other areas
and “original” residents
suspect that some of these “foreigners” could be
behind the killings, which
are suspected to be linked to
rituals.
Chinamhora police officer-in-charge Lameck Mtetwa would not
comment as his
mobile went unanswered last week.
Officer
commanding police in Murehwa district, Simon Mwatsikesimbe referred
questions to acting police spokesperson, Charity Charamba who was said to be
out of office.
Disruption to business
residents said they
now retired from the growth point before sunset for
safety reasons, driving
night club owners out of business.
“Business is not doing very well as police
can come in any time looking for
the criminals, but we are not complaining
since it is for a good reason,”
said one bartender.
Beauty
Muvirimi, mother to Casper Muvirimi who survived an attack by three
men on
the same night of the murders, said she and other vegetable traders
now
waited for sunrise instead of going to the local market before dawn as
they
used to do.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Community News
TWO Air Force of Zimbabwe officers, who were accused of
assaulting a
policeman who wanted to arrest their friend for driving without
a licence,
were recently acquitted due to lack of evidence.Report by Silas
Nkala
Promise Makaza (21) and Tafadzwa Maida (22) both of
Emakhandeni, Bulawayo,
pleaded not guilty, to assault charges and defeating
the course of justice
when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore
Mushove.
The court heard that on August 16 this year, Edson
Dzinavanhu of Ross Police
Camp in Bulawayo arrested a man in the city who
was driving a vehicle
without a licence.
The man, whose name was
not mentioned in court papers, was a friend of the
two officers. When
Dzinavanhu was taking the suspect to Bulawayo Police
Central Station, Makaza
and Maida allegedly assaulted him all over the body.
They
allegedly wrestled the police officer pulling away their friend to
enable
him to escape. Dzinavanhu, however, managed to arrest the two
soldiers for
obstructing the course of justice. Jeremiah Mutsindikwa
prosecuted.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30,
2012 in Community News
THERE is urgent need to expand Chitungwiza General
Hospital to meet the
increasing number of patients that throng the hospital
for treatment, a
senior official with the institution has
said.
Report by our Staff
Addressing the media recently, the
hospital’s chief executive officer
Obediah Moyo said the institution’s
catchment area was continually growing,
presenting serious challenges to the
hospital.
The hospital used to cater for Chitungwiza’s 1,5 million
population, but now
caters for patients from Harare, Epworth, Ruwa, Chihota,
Seke Rural and
Marondera in Mashonaland East Province.
“There is an
urgent need to expand the hospital to meet the ever-increasing
number of
patients. A good number of health professionals are needed to help
the
hospital live up to its mandate of offering quality health to the
community,” said Moyo.
He lamented the impact of erratic power
supplies and water problems that are
affecting the hospital’s ability to
deliver quality services.
So far, the hospital has sunk boreholes and
acquired generators in an effort
to ensure smooth operations at the
institution.
President Robert Mugabe, who officially opened the hospital
in 1986, is
expected to officially launch its jubilee celebrations on
October 25 this
year. The event coincides with a two-day exhibition by
suppliers to the
hospital, partners and other stakeholders.
The
hospital will be celebrating 25 years of existence.
Moyo said before the
hospital commenced operations, Chitungwiza was served
by four municipal
clinics that referred patients to Harare Central and
Parirenyatwa
hospitals.
In its attempt to stay abreast with contemporary technological
trends, the
hospital last year embarked on a computerisation programme and
also
introduced an Internet Global Village for research
purposes.
This was above providing general internet access to both staff
and patients
at the hospital.
The hospital was this year selected to
run a pilot project for the
e-governance programme. Training of staff on
digital literacy is ongoing.
Moyo, however, said the hospital’s success
were affected by political and
economic developments that triggered the
brain drain. Currently, the
institution has a staff complement of around 1
300 employees.
Staff shortages have also been compounded by a huge number
of patient
turn-over and increased demand for HIV and Aids and tuberculosis
services.
The hospital’s on-site Opportunistic Infections Clinic caters for
more than
14 000 patients that are on anti-retroviral drugs.
The
institution has also managed to get services from expatriate
professionals
to boost its staff levels.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30,
2012 in Business
ZIMBABWE’s current account deficit is projected to narrow to
20,5% of gross
domestic product (GDP) in 2012, as last year’s import spike
is reversed and
exports continue to expand, the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) has
said.Report by Kudzai Chimhangwa
A current account is the
difference between a nation’s total imports and
exports of goods, services
and transfers.
The multilateral institution’s executive directors
said despite higher
exports, the current account deficit widened to 36% of
GDP in 2011 from 29%
of GDP in 2010, partly due to a sharp increase in
imports.
“The deficit was financed by debt-related flows, arrears,
and a drawdown of
special drawing rights (SDR) holdings, as uncertainties
regarding policy
implementation continued to affect foreign investment
flows,” reads part of
an Article IV consultation report by the
IMF.
Under a current account deficit situation, the country’s local
industry
loses aggregate demand to foreign countries. Such demand could
stimulate
employment opportunities and higher growth in the concerned
country.
Following the inception of the multiple currency regime and
trade
liberalisation in 2009, the current account deficit stood at 22,2% of
GDP
before spiralling to 36,2% of GDP as imports continued to flood the
domestic
market.
However, under the Medium-Term Plan, the
government plans to grow the export
base and curtail imports in order to
avert the negative effects of a
broadening current account
deficit.
In his state-of-the-economy report for August, Finance
minister Tendai Biti,
said exports and imports maintained an upward trend,
cumulatively reaching
US$2,16 billion and US$5,1 billion respectively by the
end of August 2012.
This scenario led to a half-year trade gap of US$3
billion, reflecting
faster imports growth during the period under
review.
Economist Witness Chinyama said in order to address the
perpetual current
account deficit, there would be need for the country to
implement measures
aimed at recapitalising and modernising local industries
in line with
technological developments.
“This will go a long way
towards capacitating local industry to produce more
at lower unit costs,
thereby becoming more competitive. At the moment,
industry is using an
antiquated plant and equipment,” said Chinyama, adding
that some industrial
structures had been built well before Independence.
IMF directors
underscored that improving the business climate would be
necessary to
strengthen competitiveness, build investor confidence and boost
the growth
potential.
“The medium-term outlook, under an unchanged policy
scenario, is for growth
to moderate to average some 4%, although constraints
on energy supply and
weak competitiveness may pose a challenge to achieving
these rates,” IMF
said.
“Foreign investment is likely to be
hampered by a poor business climate,
uncertainties over the implementation
of the indigenisation policy and
political instability, while domestic
investors may face difficulties
accessing long-term credit,” reads the IMF
report.
Economist Prosper Chitambara said the government would have
to implement
structural reforms that particularly address competitiveness,
the business
environment, infrastructure rehabilitation and the cost of
doing business,
as this is too high in comparison to other countries in the
Southern African
region.
“The political environment is placing a
premium on the country in terms of
potential investment inflows. There is
also a critical need to ensure that
business has cheap access to energy as
part of export regeneration
measures,” he said.
Chitambara
concurred with IMF that refraining from non-concessional
borrowing was
critical, but presently a difficult task as the liquidity
crunch was not
getting any better while Treasury had limited options.
Economic
commentator Eric Bloch said with forthcoming elections parties in
the
government would be desperate to raise money in order to pay civil
servants
with the hope of garnering votes, irrespective of the consequent
negative
after effects.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Business
DTZ-OZGEO, a joint venture between a Russian company OZGEO and a
Zimbabwe
firm, Development Trust of Zimbabwe, recently discovered diamond
deposits in
Chimanimani district. The Standard News Editor Caiphas Chimhete
(CC)
recently spoke with DTZ-OZGEO director Ismail Shillaev (IS) (pictured
right)
about the company’s diamond mining operations, the size of the
deposits and
other issues. Below are excerpts of the
talk.
CC: When did DTZ – OZGEO start diamond mining operations in
Chimanimani
district?
IS: In 2007 there was a gold rush in Taka
Forest and after the rush, we
applied for a Special Grants for gold mining
in the Charleswood Farm that
was granted the same year. Early 2008 within
our special grant, our
geologist discovered diamond-bearing stones and in
October 2008 we applied
for addition of diamonds on our Special Grant which
was granted. In April
2011, we installed a pilot plant and commenced
comprehensive exploration in
our Special Grant.
CC: How much
diamonds are you extracting per month and of what value?
IS: From June last
year we have been producing on average 250 carats per
month which has
improved and as of June this year, we have reached a 1 000
carat mark per
month. The highest price achieved on the market for our
diamonds has been
US$120 per carat.
CC: How big are diamond deposits in
Chimanimani and the area you are
mining?
IS: We are still in the
exploration phase meant to determine the available
resources and will be
able to quantify the size of the deposits when we are
through. The
preliminary results of first stages have shown deposits of
about 80 000
carats.
For the pilot mining we are currently doing, we occupy an area of 3km
perimetre.
CC: There have been reports that diamonds found in
Chimanimani are of much
better quality than those found in Chiadzwa and
Marange. Can you please
explain this? Are they not in the same geological
vein?
IS: The diamonds in our concession are of better quality, but
they are small
in size and of low concentration as compared to the Chiadzwa
diamond area.
We have a different geological structure and different mineral
age as
compared to the Chiadzwa area. Our geological structure is of the
upper
layers of the Umkondo stratigraphy, unlike the Chiadzwa that lie above
a
granite.
CC: There have been reports that your company was
allegedly smuggling
diamonds from Chimanimani to Mozambique. Can you please
respond to these
allegations?
IS: DTZ-OZGEO has Kimberley Process
Certification (KPC) which it obtained
after complying with minimum
requirements. We safeguard this certification
and we would not like to lose
it. Having said this, we will not do anything
to have it cancelled. In
short, we have put all security systems in place to
make sure there are no
leakages within the system and we work on a
day-to-day basis with ZRP
Minerals Unit whose interest is to ensure there
are no leakages of the
precious stones.
CC: What other security measures have you put in place
to avoid diamond
leakages at the diamond fields in Chimanimani?
IS:
Unfortunately, for security reasons I cannot disclose the security
measures
in place, but can only confirm we have high security in place
commensurate
with the mineral we are mining and KPC requirements.
CC: Your
mining operations in Chimanimani are said to have displaced a
number of
families that were resettled there a few years ago. What sort of
help have
you given the affected families?
IS: I would like to say we have not
yet displaced many families at the
moment, as we are at the exploration
stage with a pilot plant in place. Only
one family has been affected to date
and we have built the family a
state-of-the-art home a few kilometres from
our concession on the land
allocated by the Lands ministry. When we expand
the project we expect about
15 families to be affected by our operation and
we have already engaged the
Lands ministry to allocate us land where we will
build state-of-the-art
houses for the affected families.
CC: What
sort of social responsibility, if any, have you carried out in the
community
in which you operate?
IS: DTZ-OZGEO found it appropriate to support
such a worthy cause of
educating Zimbabweans, as we also need an educated
workforce. In
Chimanimani, as we conclude exploration of diamonds in the
area, we have
found it appropriate to plough back to the community through
education. We
have donated 31 pupil desks to Charleswood School. We have
also provided
materials for construction of a block of
toilets.
We have maintained the road from Chimanimani to Chikukwa
and other various
roads around Chimanimani through assistance given to
District Development
Fund. We have made it a company recruitment policy to
recruit within the
communities we operate from where skills available match
requirements. To
date we employ more than 400 from Penhalonga and
Chimanimani where we are
mining.
CC: What impediments do you face as
a mining company in the country?
IS: Just to mention a few, we have power
challenges as we are affected by
load-shedding by Zesa; have working capital
challenges especially at the
moment as we move from the exploration phase
and prepare on project
expansion. The changing regulations have not spared
us either.
CC: Your company has also been accused of polluting
Mutare River in
Penhalonga where you are involved in alluvial gold
extraction. What measures
have you put in place to avoid siltation of the
river and destruction of the
ecosystem?
IS: There has been a fair
share of reports in different media, both local
and international, on this
subject, with specific allegations on water
pollution in Mutare
River.
There are no reactants or chemical additives used in the
production
pipeline. The concentration processes are carried out only using
clear
water. Water supplies for processing are conducted according to the
closed
reverse scheme where the regenerated water returns to production
pipeline
(recycling). Technical water supply is not connected in any way
with the
Mutare River or Haruna River in Chimanimani or other natural water
sources.
CC: As one drives past your operations in Penhalonga,
there is massive land
degradation taking place. What are your plans in terms
of land
rehabilitation?
IS: Environment protection and land
rehabilitation takes centre stage in our
operations and our promise to
communities where we operate from is to
restore environment to its original
state, if not improved. Rehabilitation
and restoration of the soil surface
is conducted in accordance with
developed plan of rehabilitation works. For
the execution of the
rehabilitation plan, the company has employed the help
of an ecology
specialist who works in conjunction with State organs such as
Agritex to
design befitting reclamation plans.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Business
THREE regional economic communities (Recs) have taken the lead as
Africa
seeks to remove trade barriers by 2017.
Report by Ndamu
Sandu
The establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) was
endorsed by
African Union leaders at a summit in January to boost
intra-Africa trade.
Sadc, Common Market for Eastern and Southern
Africa (Comesa) and the East
African Community (EAC) have combined forces to
establish a tripartite FTA
by 2014.
Willie Shumba, a senior
programmes officer at Sadc, told participants
attending the second Africa
Trade Forum in Ethiopia last week that the
tripartite FTA would address the
issue of overlapping membership, which had
made it a challenge to implement
instruments such as a common currency.
“…overlapping membership was
becoming a challenge in the implementation of
instruments, for example,
common currency. The TFTA is meant to reduce the
challenges,” he
said.
Countries such as Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya have memberships
in two
regional economic communities, a situation that analysts say would
affect
the integration agenda in terms of negotiations and policy
co-ordination.
The TFTA has 26 members made up of Sadc (15), Comesa
(19) and EAC (5).
The triumvirate contributes over 50% to the continent’s
US$1 trillion Gross
Domestic Product and more than half of Africa’s
population.
The TFTA focuses on the removal of tariffs and non-tariff
barriers such as
border delays, and seeks to liberalise trade in services
and facilitation of
trade and investment.
It would also
facilitate movement of business people, as well as develop and
implement
joint infrastructure programmes.
There are fears the continental FTAs
would open up the economies of small
countries and in the end, the removal
of customs duty would negatively
affect smaller economies’ revenue
generating measures.
Zimbabwe is using a cash budgeting system and
revenue from taxes, primarily
to sustain the budget in the absence of
budgetary support from co-operating
partners.
Finance minister
Tendai Biti recently slashed the budget to US$3,6 billion
from US$4 billion
saying the revenue from diamonds had been underperforming,
among other
factors.
Experts said a fund should be set up to “compensate”
economies that suffer
from the FTA.
Shumba said the
Comesa-Sadc-EAC FTA would create a single market of over 500
million people,
more than half of the continent’s estimated total
population.
He
said new markets, suppliers and welfare gains would be created as a
result
of competition.
Tariffs and barriers in the form of delays have been
blamed for dragging
down intra-African trade. Stephen Karingi, director at
UN Economic
Commission for Africa, told a trade forum last week that trade
facilitation,
on top on the removal of barriers, would see intra-African
trade doubling.
“The costs of reducing remaining tariffs are not as
high; such costs have
been overstated. We should focus on trade
facilitation,” he said.
“If you take 11% of formal trade as base and
remove the remaining tariff,
there will be improvement to 15%. If you do
well in trade facilitation on
top of removing barriers, intra-African trade
will double,” Karingi said.
He said improving on trade information
would save 1,8% of transaction costs.
If member states were to apply an
advance ruling on trade classification,
trade costs would be reduced by up
to 3,7%.
He said improvement of co-ordination among border agencies
reduces trade
costs by up to 2,4%.
Karingi called for the
establishment of one-stop border posts.
Participants at the trade forum
resolved that the implementation of the FTA
be an inclusive process
involving all stakeholders.
They were unanimous that a cost-benefit
analysis should be undertaken on the
CFTA to facilitate the buy-in of member
states and stakeholders for the
initiative.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September
30, 2012 in Business
BUHERA — A Chinese company that won a tender to
construct Marovanyati Dam in
Buhera district has failed to complete the
project citing funding
constraints.
Report by Clayton
Masekesa
The dam was earmarked to be a source of livelihood for
hundreds of
households in the district that suffers perennial drought due to
poor rains.
The company, Jiangxi International Corporation, began the
construction of
the dam in 2003 and was expected to complete it in 2009.
However, the
company has since stopped work because it has run out of
funds.
An official from Jiangxi International Corporation, who chose
to remain
anonymous for protocol reasons, said: “I do not see the
construction of the
dam continuing anytime soon. There is no money at all.
We are grounded and
we are ready to continue with the construction if we can
get more funding.”
Buhera district chief executive officer Kingstone
Matsinde urged the
government to intervene and prioritise the construction
of the dam.
“The government should now prioritise this project
because there is an
increasing demand of water because as we speak right
now, the district has
already stretched its limit,” he said. “It is sad
because if there is no
funding injected in this project, the money that was
poured into the project
would go to waste.”
The dam was supposed
to provide domestic and industrial water to people at
Murambinda growth
point and surrounding areas. The project was also
earmarked to irrigate 3
650 hectares of land. The failure to complete the
dam has resulted in
about 1 000 people losing their jobs while 10 families
were relocated to
facilitate the construction of the water reservoir.
Residents of
Murambinda last week called on the government to prioritise the
issue.
“This is a very serious issue. There is continuous hunger
in Buhera and the
provision of water would have helped people to embark on
irrigation
projects, but now we are stranded,” said Kenneth
Masomere.
Residents urged the responsible authorities to partner with
non-governmental
organisations and the private sector to ensure the
completion of the
project, seen as the panacea to hunger and poverty in the
district.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Opinion
LAST week President Robert Mugabe hinted at the possibility of
holding a
referendum and harmonised elections — set for November this year
and March
next year respectively.
Report by
ZESN
Logistically, the timing of the elections is impossible given a
number of
fundamental issues that need time, resources, commitment and the
political
will to ensure that these elections are conducted in an
environment that
promotes democracy.
Zimbabwe has always had
periodic elections as provided for in its statutes.
Nonetheless, these
elections have been characterised by allegations of
electoral fraud,
violence and a contestation of the outcome, both locally
and
internationally, resulting in questions around the legitimacy of the
government.
The 2008 Presidential elections were inconclusive
hence the subsequent birth
of the Government of National Unity (GNU). Sadc
has also shown its desire to
see the full implementation of the GPA and the
finalisation of the
constitution-making process.
South Africa as
the facilitator and negotiator of the GPA has also voiced
its support for
the full implementation of the GPA processes with the
current South African
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane,
earlier this year
suggesting that elections in Zimbabwe would only be held
after the
finalisation of the constitution-making process.
Zimbabweans still
carry vivid memories of the last elections. Citizens still
remember the
extensive and systematic political violence that claimed lives
and a media
that spewed hate speech.
Others still remember the elections were
mismanaged. The March 2008
elections saw unprecedented delays in the
announcement of the results,
reinforcing the idea that the entire process of
election management has been
characterised by lack of transparency and
accountability.
The voter’s roll has also presented another challenge
in ensuring the
conduct of free, fair and democratic elections in
Zimbabwe.
A 2011 audit of the voters’ roll by ZESN which tested for
the accuracy,
currency and completeness revealed a number of imperfections;
27% of entries
in the voters’ roll constitute dead voters, 41% of voters no
longer reside
at the address in the voters’ roll while 97% of the
respondents had changed
residential status, something that was not
reflected.
The above mentioned problems and others that have not been
explored here,
make it imperative that a solid foundation for the creation
of an enabling
electoral environment be established before any elections can
be held.
ZESN believes that elections must not be called for before
substantive
electoral reforms take place.
This includes the
reforming of repressive legislation such as Posa and Aippa
that hinder on
respect and upholding of fundamental freedoms (freedom of
movement,
association, expression and assembly).
In addition, there is need to
ensure that Presidential Powers are removed in
respect of elections. Another
critical issue is an end to violence and
intimidation, in particular the
dismantling of all structures of violence in
all
communities.
With the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference scheduled
for mid to end of
October, there is need for adequate publicising of the
draft constitution to
ensure that the electorate is well informed about the
document before they
vote for or against it.
There is also the
issue of the Referendum Act which needs to be examined to
see whether it is
still an appropriate legal instrument that can give the
citizens of this
country an unencumbered platform for direct participation
in decision-making
on critical questions of the day that entirely affect
current and future
generations of this country.
Given the issues that were raised
earlier on in this article regarding the
problems that were observed in
relation to the management of elections in
previous years, specifically in
2008, there is need for a truly independent
Electoral Commission, fully
responsible for all electoral-related
activities, accountable to the people
through Parliament.
Thus, ZEC should be in charge of inviting and
accrediting observers (local,
regional and international). In addition, ZEC
should be provided with
adequate resources drawn from a consolidated fund
for running elections
including preparation, voter education and voter
registration.
ZEC should also be open and communicate timeously with
the public and other
stakeholders and ensure that they earn the electorate’s
confidence, way
before elections are conducted. Apparently, ZEC has not been
given a budget
to start preparations for these elections.
On the
issue of observers (international, regional and local), these should
be
invited early to enable deployment, three months before and one month
after
the elections. This is recommended again against a background of
violence
which in Zimbabwe happens mostly before polling day and after
polling, as
witnessed in the previous elections.
Thus preliminary assessment
teams should be allowed access now to assess the
political environment and
to do a post-election follow-up, hence the need
for observers to be invited
and accredited on time and decentralisation of
accreditation.
Previously we have noted the cherry-picking of
observers and this again
should be avoided. ZEC should be mandated to invite
observers and give them
full access to all electoral processes especially in
the rural areas, as
well as to ensure that their (observers) security is
guaranteed by the
state. In addition, clear guidelines for the observers
should be drawn up by
the management body in consultation with its key
stakeholders.
In order to instill confidence in the electorate with
regards to the
management of elections, there is need for proper mechanisms
that would
ensure transparency in all processes including printing,
distribution of
ballot papers, processing of special votes, postal votes and
results
management. One cannot ignore the need for a timely announcement of
results
within the confines of the law and punitive measures to be enforced
for
non-compliance. In addition, timely dispute resolution mechanisms
including
the speedy resolution of election-related litigation should also
be put in
place.
With a vision of improving future elections,
failure to implement any
significant reforms will have damning effects on
peace and security in
Zimbabwe and the region at large. —
ZESN
Media reforms of critical importance
An informed
electorate is an empowered electorate that’s why the issue of
media reforms
is of critical concern. There is need for equitable access to
the public
media by all political parties and candidates including
reasonable charges
for airtime for contesting political parties especially
during prime time
viewing.
There is therefore need for the election management body
to enforce
advertising ethics-code of conduct for political parties and the
public
broadcaster (content and structure of adverts and political messages)
including to monitor public media to observe non-partisan reportage during
elections.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September 30, 2012 in
Opinion
The post-colonial state in Africa was in the main founded on
negotiated
constitutions that by and large, were Westminster in
construction. Report by
Tendai Biti
The typical Westminster
constitution provided for standard constitutional
provisions such as the
bill of rights, the separation of power between the
judiciary, legislature
and executive and to some extent the creation of some
minimalist oversight
bodies, the office of the ombudsman and that of the
comptroller and
auditor-general being the most common.
In these constitutions,
although a bill of rights exist, to the extent that
Parliament is largely
allowed to derogate on the same, it is fair to say
that the Westminster
constitution establishes a Parliamentary hegemony as
opposed to
constitutional hegemony.
Despite the existence of these constitutions
and despite the fact that every
post-independent African state has had a
constitution, the constitutions
have not established or reproduced any
sustainable legal order or social
contract.
The record of Africa
in the last 40 years has been that of constitutional
abuse, privatisation,
militarisation and criminalisation of the state,
reflected through military
coups, corruption, patronage and clientelism.
The biggest failure of
the African constitution has been its failure to curb
power and perpetuity.
Thus Africa has been dominated by little tin-pot
dictators that have
absolutely monopolised the state. This includes the
likes of Félix
Houphouët-Boigny, Mobutu Sese Seko, El Hadj Omar Bongo
Ondimba, Teodoro
Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Daniel Arap Moi, among others.
In all these
African countries, a charade of the law exists; regular
elections are in
fact, held.
In short, every effort to adhere to formal legalism and
constitutionalism is
made. In the case of Zimbabwe, in per capita terms,
more elections have been
held since 1980 than in any other country, but
everyone knows that democracy
is in the intensive care unit.
The
critical question to interrogate then is; what is the problem with
African
constitutions and what explains Africa’s predatory and altered
state? There
are many explanations to Africa’s failure, but it is
uncontestable the fact
that the African legal order has failed and African
constitutions have not
delivered, primarily because they have been
constitutions without
constitutionalism. Constitutionalism goes beyond the
mere constitutional
text passed and adopted by Parliament.
Constitutionalism refers to a
set of rules, written and unwritten, standards
and traditions that must be
located inside and outside that constitution.
Constitutionalism refers to
constitutional safeguards and the existence of
constitutional roadblocks and
humps that prevent abuse.
Unfortunately, given the existence of weak
economies characterised by huge
levels of poverty, the absence of
institutions, in particular, weak and
subordinated judiciary and
legislature, press, trade unionism and civic
society, the African
constitution has been a paper tiger.
It has failed to curb the excess
of predatory and imperial presidents such
as Nguema and others. For many of
these tin-pot dictators, legitimacy is not
derived from the people or from
some constitution that in any event was
negotiated with the colonial power.
that fact alone makes the dictator
regard the constitution as an irritant
and an inconvenience to be discarded
at any convenient political
opportunity.
In a mere 32 years, the Zimbabwean constitution has been
amended 19 times.
The only other law which has been amended more times, is
the Finance Act. By
far, the majority of these amendments have not been
based on the need to
preserve and improve on the constitution, but on the
contrary desecration
and weakening of the same. Put simply, the
constitutional amendments have
been motivated by politics, power and control
almost without exception.
In the case of Zanu PF, its disdain for
constitutions does not start with
the national constitution.
Let
us examine Zanu PF’s encounters with its own internal constitution. It
is
unclear when the first Zanu PF constitution was written, but what is
self-evident is the fact that the constitution has always been and will
always be what President Mugabe wants and does not want.
One can
make reference to the dubious manner in which Mugabe assumed
ascendancy over
Ndabaningi Sithole and other senior members of the Dare.
This
breach of internal constitutional rules has been brilliantly captured
by
Wilfred Mhanda in his autobiography; Dzino: Memories of a Freedom
Fighter.
Mugabe wields too much power: Biti
As
recent as November 2004, Mugabe simply got out of an aeroplane and
announced
that one of the Vice-President positions was now reserved for a
woman. The
Zanu PF constitution had not been amended, but what he said
became law and
the “Dinyane” faction of Zanu PF was dealt with a timely but
illegal
blow.
More recently, a simple politburo meeting had the audacity of
dissolving
constitutionally-established district co-ordinating committees,
not
withstanding that only the Zanu PF congress has the power to amend the
constitution.
Years back, Mugabe made the decision that Politburo
members, contrary to the
provisions of the Zanu PF constitution, would be
handpicked by the
President, a position that still prevails up to
date.
How does one individual in a huge political organisation have
the sole power
and right to choose members of the most important political
organ of the
party in between congresses?
The above examples
reflect the fundamental position this party, Zanu PF, has
always been driven
by predatoriness and “thugocracy” .
Respect of the rule of law and
order and constitutions is not in its DNA.
The constitutions, laws and
systems are acts of inconvenience.
It is law of the jungle. I am not
a moviegoer, but recently I have been most
impressed by Johnny Depp’s
portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates
of the Caribbean movies.
These movies capture periods where high seas were
rife with lawlessness,
aggrandisement and greed.
Zanu PF and its captain Mugabe would have
found themselves in good company
in the high seas among its legendary
citizens, than Captain Barbossa and
Davy Jones, the mighty “Long John
Silver”.
‘Let’s rebuild Zimbabwe’
This country has
suffered as a result of omissions and commissions of a
leadership that had
no vision, no plan and no strategy. Most importantly, an
exhausted
leadership that regards the truth, laws and rules as irritants.
Three
things have driven Zanu PF. These are, one, the pursuit of power and
power
alone, two, self-aggrandisement and self-enrichment and three, power
retention and perpetuity. A typical Machiavellian mindset; get power, hold
on to it and never let go.
As I indicated in my previous
articles, the above three matrixes are the
dominant fingerprint in the Zanu
PF constitutional draft. The same is a
charade of constitutionalism. It’s a
bastardised document, a constitution
without
constitutionalism.
It is an obligation of all democrats and
peace-loving Zimbabweans to ensure
that we liberate ourselves from the
shackles of exhausted nationalism and
neopatrimonialism. That we redefine a
new social and legal order, where our
children and future generations can
live in triumph and in pursuit of its
happiness is imperative.
It
is important that we settle the constitutional question once and for all
and
in this regard the forthcoming second all-stakeholder’s conference is
key.
Our hope and prayer is that this conference will be a success and that
it
must pave way for Zimbabweans to go to a peaceful referendum. Evil must
not
be allowed to triumph over good and we know that the majority of people
in
Zanu PF are decent people who would want to see the agreed Copac draft
triumph over the Zanu PF’s manual.
It is time we rebuilt this
country. We graduate from cyclical politics of
destruction, uncertainty and
poverty. It is time to make Zimbabwe work
again.
We cannot continue to be
denigrated, abused and assaulted by essentially one
person. We are too
blessed, too gifted and too intelligent for this. Wake up
Zimbabwe! Wake
up!
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
September
30, 2012 in Opinion
There is a reticence among academics and social
commentors in Zimbabwe to
wholeheartedly endorse the principles and practice
of large-scale commercial
farming.Sunday View by Bruce
Gemmill
This can, in large measure be attributed to a lingering
belief that
large-scale commercial farming was a colonial construction
favouring whites.
Denying black Zimbabweans the right to own land in areas
designated
commercial was driven by racist politics. This aberration does
not in any
way contaminate or detract from the proven superiority of
combining freehold
title with market-guided production.
Where
large- scale commercial farming prevails, it is rare that food will be
in
short supply.
Nevertheless, there is a notion that a more egalitarian
method of land
holding should apply in Zimbabwe. This bias is understandable
if one’s main
concern is social equity. After all, can one justify creating
a land-owning
elite?
An attractive and easy argument to
defend? If on the other hand, one’s main
concern is to optimise agricultural
production and conservation, then one is
bound to support the notion that
land is more productive and better looked
after when held under freehold
title and farmed commercially.
Food security is of rising concern on
the agendas of many governments around
the world. Surprisingly and
alarmingly, the least concerned seem to be in
Africa. Regionally, there is
an estimated four million tonnes of maize
deficit this year. When food gets
scarce, prices rise automatically and the
problem becomes twin-tracked,
availability and affordability.
In the 1960s India was agriculturally
backward and unable to feed its
burgeoning population. Mass starvation was
averted by initiatives led by
Norman Borlaug an American agronomist, “the
father of the Green Revolution”,
credited with saving over a billion people
from starvation.
He led to the development of high-yielding
varieties of cereal grains,
expansion of irrigation infrastructure,
mordenisation of management
techniques, distribution of hybridised seeds,
synthetic fertilisers,
herbicides and pesticides to
farmers.
In the 1960s, rice yields were about two tonnes per
hectare, but by the
mid-1990s they had risen to six tonnes per hectare. In
the 1960s, rice cost
about US$550 per tonne, in 2001 rice cost under US$200
per tonne. India
became a major exporter of rice.
We in Zimbabwe
need to learn the lessons offered to us by the “Green
Revolution”. For the
past 10 years, Zimbabwe has relied on grain imports,
either donated as aid
or purchased on the world market.
This year our grain production
falls short of the amount needed to feed
ourselves; this is the 11th
consecutive year we have not been able to feed
ourselves. We are in a
similar situation that India was in the 1960s, albeit
at a reduced
scale.
Time is not on our side, the food supply situation in Zimbabwe
is precarious
and getting worse. We can rescue ourselves. All that is
required is the
political will. Revive large-scale commercial farming in the
still existing
commercial farming areas and start the process of converting
subsistence
farming into small-scale commercial farming in the existing
communal farming
areas.
Hardliners say whites have no right to
own land in Zimbabwe — racist
politics intruding again. I am confident that
when we have a democratic
non-racist government, white farmers in
partnership with black farmers will
build a new, modern and prosperous
agricultural industry.
It is perhaps worth recalling the
memorable observation made by Deng
Xiaoping, the Chinese communist party
leader: “It doesn’t matter if a cat is
a white cat or a black cat, if it
catches mice, it is a good cat”
