Drastic food aid cut for Zimbabwe, southern Africa

Zim Online

Friday 27 October 2006

      JOHANNESBURG - The World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said a
massive funding shortfall was forcing it to make drastic cuts in food aid to
4.3 million hungry southern Africans - nearly half of them Zimbabweans.

      The WFP, which is a major relief provider to hungry and vulnerable
communities in seven southern African states, said the US$60 million funding
shortfall was coming just as the region was facing its food supply
      "lean period" when most people have to wait for the next harvest to
begin around next March or April.

      Apart from hunger, southern Africa is also ravaged by HIV/AIDS which
for example kills an estimated 3 000 people every week in Zimbabwe.

      The WFP said after relatively good harvests were reported last season,
it had "scaled down general food assistance to concentrate on the people
with the most chronic needs - such as those with HIV/AIDS."

      But the United Nations food relief agency said it had now instructed
its offices across southern Africa to begin reducing support to even these
most vulnerable groups because of the lack of donor support.

      Countries like Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland were facing cuts in
assistance of as high as 80 or even 100 percent, the WFP said. Other
countries under the operation - and facing similar shortfalls - include
Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zambia.

      In Zimbabwe - once able to feed itself and its neighbours before
President Robert Mugabe's chaotic and often violent land reform disrupted
the mainstay agricultural sector - a May 2006 vulnerability assessment had
identified 1.4 million people as needing food aid.

      But the WFP was forced to scale assistance to roughly half of the 900
000 people it was originally targeting. Funding shortages forced cuts in the
urban feeding and school-feeding programmes, and a suspension of mobile
feeding in rural areas.

      "Further reductions may have to be imposed unless resourcing
improves," WFP regional director for southern Africa Amir Abdulla said.

      According to revised figures, WFP needs at least US$17 million just to
get Zimbabwe through the lean season, when it expects to target some 1.9
million people.

      Hunger coupled with HIV/AIDS will certainly condemn many Zimbabweans,
also grappling with their worst ever economic crisis since independence from
Britain, to a slow but sure death.

      WFP regional director for southern Africa Amir Abdulla said: "Hungry
people are less able to cope, they succumb more quickly to chronic disease.
Young children who are poorly nourished are more likely to die before
reaching their teens."

      Southern Africa, which also suffers from grinding poverty, received
good rains last season but harvests remained poor due to a variety of
reasons among them poor planning by governments that failed to ensure
availability of inputs, seeds, fertilizer and other chemicals for farmers to
grow enough food. - ZimOnline

Jury still out on effectiveness of Zimbabwe's electoral reforms

Zim Online

Friday 27 October 2006

      MUTARE - As voters go the polls this weekend to elect councillors for
rural district wards, Zimbabweans are wondering whether the recently enacted
reforms are improving the conduct of the electoral process and practice.

      The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Act and the Electoral Act (2004)
were successfully passed by Parliament in 2004, while the Constitution of
Zimbabwe Amendment Act sailed through last year.

      Promulgation of these legislative pieces were part of concerted
efforts by various sections of the Zimbabwean society in a bid to help
improve several constitutional, institutional and procedural aspects of the
country's electoral process, amid growing contentions that the entire
process was hopelessly skewered against opposition politics and in favour of
the status quo.

      Thus, the express purpose of the electoral reforms have been to level
Zimbabwe's political playing field, although officials in the ruling ZANU PF
party have consistently denied it was unbalanced to the opposition's
disadvantage.

      Now, during the polls in which a total of 863 rural ward seats are
being contested countrywide, the issue of whether a level playing field is
being achieved remains in abeyance.

      "These reforms mean nothing to me when election procedures keep
favouring those of one party, ZANU PF," says Getrude Sithole, a supporter of
the main wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

      When the nomination court for the rural elections opened last month, 1
326 seats were up for grabs. By the time it closed, however, 463 seats had
been won unopposed - 454 by ZANU PF candidates, eight by the MDC and one by
an independent.

      Over 500 MDC candidates were disqualified for various reasons,
including having their names missing on voters' rolls or the aspiring
candidates' failure to timeously produce police and ratepayers' clearance
certificates on nomination day.

      Sithole, who is visiting relatives in the city, says no polling is
taking place in her rural ward in Chipinge because a ruling party candidate
waltzed in unopposed, following disqualification of his MDC opponent.

      "Why waste time talking about reform when one party gets nearly half
the seats before the voting starts?" she asks angrily, her voice quivering
with emotion.

      But Charles Pemhenayi, a member of the central committee of ZANU PF,
is convinced a relative peaceful atmosphere and unhindered mobility in rural
areas by candidates of both parties campaigning in the poll are directly
attributable to legislative electoral reforms.

      "It's commendable that Zimbabweans are beginning to display this level
of political maturity, no violence and respect for your opponent, which were
not so common in previous elections," says Pemhenayi, a former ZANU PF
provincial spokesperson who now runs a private labour and human resources
consultancy in the city.

      Adds Pemhenayi, who also farms tobacco in the Odzi area, west of here:
"ZANU PF has been able to lead in rural areas because the electorate can see
the party's tangible programmes, such as land redistribution, and its
political history is well known. The MDC offers neither of these."

      Doreen Nelson, a board member f the Zimbabawe Election Support Network
(ZESN), a non-partisan organisation established six years ago to uphold the
principles of a transparent and fair electoral process, welcomes the reforms
but insists more needs to be done.

      "The network commends the relatively peaceful atmosphere that
prevailed in most areas during the pre-election period," Nelson says.

      She is speaking to members of the media fraternity in this eastern
border city, part of her organisation's media and information networking
activities. ZESN, she says, was one of the organisations that forwarded
proposals to amend electoral laws to responsible authorities in 2003-4.

      "I'm glad to report that some of our proposals were accepted and
incorporated into the new electoral reform laws," she tells the scribes,
proudly noting that one of them was the introduction of translucent ballot
boxes which has since been adopted.

      She says ZESN will continue to lobby for the inclusion of those
aspects of its proposals that were left out of the amended legislation.
Among other suggestions, her organisation is calling for the
newly-established Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to be granted "full and
sole" responsibility over the management of all elections.

      ZESN is also pushing for constitutional amendments to create a
two-tier system for the election of legislators. One group will be elected
through the constituency system, which is currently the case, and another
through proportional representation, it suggests.

      In addition, the ZESN seeks the abandonment of presidential
appointments and the introduction of a postal voting system for Zimbabweans
in the diaspora, as long as safeguards for transparency and fairness are put
into place for the latter.

      It also wants the appointment of election observers and monitors -
both local and international - to be guaranteed by a legislative Act.

      The ZESN, whose membership comprises at least 35 civic groups and
non-governmental organisations based in Zimbabwe, is deploying 520 observers
in at least 450 wards in Saturday's election.

      "We hope the prevailing peaceful environment shall continue to prevail
during and after the elections," says Nelson, before she and her team drove
up Mutare's panoramic Christmas Pass to begin the 270km journey to the
capital Harare.

      For many Zimbabweans, however, the jury is still out on whether or not
the electoral laws are contributing meaningfully to the country's
much-maligned electoral process. - ZimOnline

MDC candidate assaulted as violence flares up ahead of poll

Zim Online

Friday 27 October 2006

      HARARE - Zimbabwe's main opposition on Thursday accused ruling ZANU PF
militants of severely beating up its candidate in Makoni East district as
violence flares up ahead of low-key rural district elections tomorrow.

      The latest attack on the candidate of the main faction of the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) came ironically on the same day the police said
they were launching a campaign code-named Operation Dzematunhu/Yezigabha to
deal with cases of political violence.

      A spokesman of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC, Pishai Muchauraya, said
ZANU PF youths severely beat up the party's candidate, Loveness Makaure,
yesterday as she rounded up her campaign for the weekend poll.

      Another party member, Elizabeth Fundisai who was with Makaure at Jani
resettlement centre in the district, was also beaten up.

      Muchauraya said the two, who sustained head injuries, were later
ferried to hospital by passers-by and a report on the assault had also been
lodged with the police at Nyazura.

      "We cannot have a free and fair election when our candidates are being
beaten up," said Muchauraya.

      Gabriel Chaibva, who is spokesman of the smaller faction of the MDC
led by prominent academic Arthur Mutambara, said candidates of his party
were also being harassed and intimidated particularly in some rural areas
which ZANU PF militants have declared no-go areas for the opposition.

      "The situation is bad in the rural areas. Our candidates are having a
torrid time. We are having problems with campaigning in certain so-called no
go
      areas," said Chaibva.

      Meanwhile in Harare, Senior Assistant Commissioner Josephine Shambare,
dismissed charges of political violence by the MDC saying the situation was
under control in most rural areas where polls will be conducted.

      "We are surprised to hear from the opposition that there is violence,"
said Shambare. "The situation is calm as far as we are concerned from the
reports we have been getting from the provinces," she added.

      Contacted for comment yesterday, spokesman for the Morgan
Tsvangirai-led MDC, Nelson Chamisa insisted that violence was on the rise
ahead of polling saying some of their candidates had been hounded out of
their homes around the country.

      "In Kadoma we have not been allowed to hold even house meetings.
Police cancelled twelve meetings which were intended to be house meetings
while the town council has refused us permission to use their public halls
and grounds," said Chamisa.

      "In the rural areas most districts where we are fielding candidates
have been declared no go areas," he added.

      The MDC said 25 of its supporters had been arrested between Monday and
Thursday this week for allegedly putting up campaign posters in Kadoma
alone, a claim that could not be immediately verified with the police.

      Out of the 1 326 seats that were up for grabs country-wide, ZANU PF
has already bagged 454 after winning the seats unopposed.

      ZANU PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira could not be reached for comment
on the matter last night.

      But the ZANU PF information chief has in the past denied that his
party uses violence to win elections saying the charges are trumped up to
soil the party's good name. - ZimOnline

Patients demand anti-AIDS drugs

Zim Online

Friday 27 October 2006

      HARARE - At least 35 people living with HIV/AIDS demonstrated in
Harare on Thursday demanding access to life-prolonging anti-retroviral
(ARVs) drugs.

      The protesters said they were frustrated by the National AIDS Council
(NAC)'s failure to roll out an effective ARV supply programme for the poor.
The NAC is in charge of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes in
Zimbabwe.

      The protesters, from a group called Grassroots Movement for People
Living with HIV and AIDS, besieged the NAC offices in Harare vowing not to
leave until they handed over a petition to NAC director, Dr Tapuwa Magure.

      In the petition, the protesters demanded that the NAC provides
treatment to all people living with HIV/AIDS around the country. They also
wanted the waiting period before one could access ARVs reduced from one year
to three months.

      Joao Zangarati, who led the demonstration, told ZimOnline: "Many of
our colleagues have died while still on the waiting lists and we are saying
enough is enough.

      "We want treatment as a matter of urgency and we will not let those
responsible (for administering the AIDS programme) off the hook until we
have achieved this."

      Earlier this year, ZimOnline reported that President Robert Mugabe's
ministers were using their powerful positions to grab ARVs meant for public
hospitals leaving millions of poor citizens without access to the drugs.

      According to United Nations figures released last year, one in every
five Zimbabweans is infected with HIV.

      The Harare authorities last year said they were providing ARVs for
free to about 20 000 but HIV/AIDS experts say about 300 000 more AIDS
patients have no access to the drugs.

      The AIDS pandemic, which is mowing down at least 3 000 Zimbabweans
every week, has been worsened by a seven-year old debilitating economic
crisis rocking the country that has reduced most state hospitals to shells
that only offer nothing more than just pain killers. - Zimonline

More children dying in Zimbabwe during first month: UNICEF

Zim Online

Friday 27 October 2006

      HARARE - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says far too many
children were dying in Zimbabwe during their first month of life because of
deteriorating standards in health care.

      UNICEF spokesman in Harare, James Elder said there has been a serious
deterioration in obstetric care in Zimbabwe resulting in the death of many
children under the age of five.

      "Far too many children die during their first month of life (where we
need more and better interventions related to pregnancy).

      "There has been deterioration in critical obstetric care and recent
reports show the number of Zimbabwean women attending ante-natal care
classes is falling," Elder said.

      The UNICEF spokesman said there was great need for a combined effort
between the government and health care workers to focus on maternal and
neonatal care to reduce the number of child deaths.

      "There must be an improvement in care for pregnant women during
pregnancy and delivery; improved primary prevention of HIV and paediatric
AIDS, greater work on nutrition at community level, and scaling up PMTCT
(prevention of mother-to-child transmission)," said Elder.

      Zimbabwe's health delivery system, which was one of the best in
sub-Saharan Africa has crumbled after years of under-funding and
mismanagement by President Robert Mugabe's government.

      A severe seven year old economic recession has also worsened the
crisis with most people scrounging to put enough food on the table for their
families. - ZimOnline

Time South Africa Acted On Zimbabwe - Judith Todd

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By Judith Garfield Todd

      Sir/Madam

      In 1980 veteran Zimbabwean Aaron Mutiti warned, unheeded: "Unless the
people of this country are vigilant they are in for a rude shock.  Family
life, religious life and economic life as we know it will progressively
disappear if Mugabe gets to power."

      Last 13 September in Harare union leaders were viciously beaten and
seriously hurt.  South Africa's Foreign Affairs spokesman Vincent Hlongwane
reacted:  "We are monitoring developments with interest, but we always
maintain that Zimbabwe needs to address its own problems ..."

      This 19 October during a House of Lords debate on Zimbabwe the
distinguished former intelligence operative Baroness Park of Monmouth
detailed how even agriculture in communal areas is being destroyed by
Mugabe's army.

      "In Matabeleland the brutality of the soldiers and their absolute
power has brought back memories of the murderous destruction wrought by the
Fifth Brigade in the 1980s.  Once more the people are entirely at the mercy
of the troops, they are starving ...... 364 000 school children and 190 000
of the chronically ill are expected to die.  We are looking not at the death
of a nation but at its murder by its own rulers.".

      There is only one entity, the Government of South Africa, in concert
with anyone it chooses - SADC, the African Union, the United Nations,
whoever - which can stop this calculated and escalating genocide.

      The previous South African regime halted Ian Smith in his tracks.  The
present South African government certainly has the brains and the power to
swiftly bring Mugabe to heel just as the ANC and colleagues successfully
plotted the overthrow of apartheid.

      How can South Africa any longer tolerate the anguished deaths by
starvation, brutality and disease of hundreds of thousands of their
tormented neighbours?  Can dying school children really be expected to
address their own problems?

      Judith Garfield Todd
      P. O. Box 27206
      Rhine Road 8050
      Cape Town
      jtoddsa@mweb.co.za

Zimbabwe Court Rules Police, Army Lied

Houston Chronicle

Oct. 25, 2006, 7:28PM

By ANGUS SHAW Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwean labor leaders, some still cast in bandages
from alleged police and army assaults last month, accused the government
Wednesday of systematic violence and intimidation against labor
organizations.

The main labor federation, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, released
an official court ruling Wednesday saying police and army troops lied about
their action against strikers at a central Zimbabwe steelworks in which
three strikers died in gunfire and 22 were injured.

The Defense Ministry and police officials claimed the strikers were victims
of accidental fire in an incident at the state Iron and Steel Co. in 2001 as
police and soldiers shot into the air with automatic rifles to disperse
4,000 protesting strikers.

But evidence accepted by the Harare High Court rejected government claims
the strikers tried to disarm police and troops, according to the court
ruling.

It said the strikers were "seated and unarmed" and did nothing to provoke
security authorities.
"Riot police officers started firing tear gas all over the place and the
workers started running away and as they did so the soldiers were
indiscriminately assaulting people and randomly firing their guns," the High
Court ruling said.

Wellington Chibebe, secretary general of the labor federation, told
reporters the ruling was proof of one of a litany of cases of brutality
against labor groups in Zimbabwe going back at least a decade.

Chibebe's left hand and arm were still in a cast after he and a dozen other
labor leaders were arrested Sept. 13 for attempting to stage a march in
Harare protesting the nation's deepening economic woes and spiraling
unemployment declared illegal by police.

The government claimed the labor activists were resisting arrest and police
used "reasonable force" to restrain them. But independent medical reports
said at least seven of the protesters suffered broken bones in brutal
assaults once they were jailed in Matapi police cells in western Harare, one
of the capital's harshest jails.

"We can't wash away such facts from our history. Our recent experience is
not the only case of government brutality," Chibebe said.

Labor activists had been targeted since the labor federation broke away from
its traditional alliance with President Robert Mugabe's ruling party in 1992
and later backed the formation of the main opposition Movement for
Democratic Change in 1999, Chibebe said.

The 2001 steelworks shootings in the central town of Redcliffe, 220
kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Harare, were covered up by the
government and the state steel company, who refused to allow an independent
commission of inquiry, said Lucia Matibenga, a federation vice president.

The civil court hearing was brought with the help of labor groups by a
relative of a victim shot dead during the action.

The federation "will not hesitate to take such cases of gross human and
trade union violations to the courts and the international community in its
efforts to bring justice and equality to the workplace and Zimbabwe
society," she said.

Chibebe said the Sept. 13 assaults of he and his colleagues "add to the
cases we will bring against the government."

On Sept. 13, police sealed off streets and thwarted labor protests across
the country, arresting nearly 200 activists nationwide.

Zimbabwe is reeling from runaway inflation, record unemployment and acute
shortages of food, gasoline and imports, along with an HIV/AIDS epidemic
that kills at least 3,000 people a week. The agriculture-based economy
collapsed after the seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms
began in 2000.

Chiefs pushing Zanu PF agenda, says election group

zimbabwejournalists.com

      By Dennis Rekayi

      MUTARE - A pro -democracy organisation in Zimbabwe has blasted
traditional chiefs for allegedly blocking several opposition candidates from
standing as candidates in the weekend rural district council elections.

      The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) said some traditional
chiefs allegedly refused to issue written confirmations of residence to
opposition candidates. About 446 candidates from the two factions of the MDC
failed to register as candidates during the nomination court last month.

      Most of them were allegedly denied written confirmations from the
chiefs to prove their residence in the areas they wanted to contest.
      Prospective candidates had to produce written confirmation from a
local chief that they resided in the respective ward before they could be
allowed to register to stand in the poll.

      The opposition MDC has, however, said it looks set to cause a major
upset in the weekend elections around the country's rural communities, long
perceived to be Zanu PF strongholds.

      Piniel Denga of the MDC in Mashonaland East yesterday said his party
was confident it will cause a major upset for Zanu PF despite excessive
violence that has seen some supporters' houses being burnt to ashes in the
run-up to the rural polls.

      "We have shaken Zanu PF to its foundations by successfully registering
candidates in areas where they never thought the MDC would make inroads. In
retaliation Zanu PF has in the last two weeks waged a relentless terror
campaign against our supporters. We have members who have sustained broken
limbs and the police have been powerless to anything," said Denga.

      ZESN thinks the obstacles placed in the path of opposition candidates
are insurmountable.

      Addressing journalists here on Wednesday, Doreen Nelson, a ZESN board
member, said: "It has been alleged that some traditional leaders were
instructed to refuse to give letters to opposition candidates confirming
that they resided in wards in which they wished to stand for election. The
MDC candidates were disqualified in most cases after failing to get of
confirmation from local chiefs."

      Nelson said her organisation was deeply concerned by the allegations
against the chiefs. She said such behaviour undermined efforts to promote
democratic elections.

      "ZESN notes with concern that many traditional leaders (chiefs and
headmen) have abandoned their neutrality in the community and have now
assumed immense partisan influence over their subjects in rural areas
whenever there are elections," Nelson said.

      ZESN's primary concern is to promote democratic elections in Zimbabwe.

      Allegations against chiefs come amid reports the leader of Zimbabwe 's
traditional chiefs, Fortune Charumbira, at the weekend threatened villagers
with forcible eviction from their homes as punishment for not backing
President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU PF party in the rural council
elections.

      Charumbira, president of the pro-ZANU PF Chiefs' Council and a former
junior member of Mugabe's Cabinet, made the threat at a function organised
by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation in rural Masvingo
province to mark World Food Day.

      The opposition and pro-democracy groups blame chiefs and headmen for
abandoning their traditionally neutral role in the community to side with
Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.
      ZESN said some candidates fell foul to the new provisions of the
Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act and failed to be nominated because they were
regarded as aliens.

      There is little or no education about provisions of the Citizenship of
Zimbabwe Act, the organisation said.

Lack of inputs threatens next year's harvest - experts

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

BULAWAYO, 26 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Zimbabwean agricultural experts have warned
that the prohibitive cost and non-availability of farming inputs like
fertiliser could affect next year's harvest.

Thulani Mkhwananzi, spokesperson for the government's Agricultural Research
Extension in the western province of Matabeleland North, told IRIN: "The
situation is really bad here, especially considering that the farmers have
little support from government. What they need most is seeds at relatively
low prices, because most of them are poor and unemployed.

"It is just a few who rely on remittances from their relatives outside the
country who manage to secure all the necessary implements," he added.

Seed Co., the country's main seed supplier, has warned of a serious deficit
and was quoted in the official Herald newspaper as saying that the country
needed to import 10,000mt of maize seed to meet the demand in the current
planting season.

Two months ago, the agricultural ministry also terminated a three-year old
policy of providing free fertilisers and seeds to farmers who had been
allocated land under the fast-track land reform programme that began in
2000.

Most agricultural inputs are imported and beyond the financial reach of many
farmers, who are suffering the combined effects of Zimbabwe's steadily
deteriorating economy and last season's low yields after widespread
shortages of chemicals, fertilisers and seed. Independent estimates suggest
only 800,000mt of maize was harvested this year, or about two-thirds of the
country's annual requirement; the government has insisted that around 1.8
million mt were produced.

Despite denials of a shortfall by government officials, a recent
USAID-funded report on informal trade in Southern Africa said Zimbabwe would
have to import cereals. According to the South African Grain Information
Service, Zimbabwe has imported nearly 100,000mt from South Africa since
April this year.

The May 2006 Zimbabwe Vulnerability assessment, yet to be released,
identified 1.4 million people as critically in need of food assistance.

With less than a month before the farming season starts, Thandolwenkosi
Nkomazana, a subsistence farmer in Matabeleland North, is still battling to
secure seeds, fertiliser and spare parts for his worn-out ox-drawn plough.
His main problem, he said, is not necessarily the availability or
non-availability of the inputs, but the cost.

"Seeds are available at the shopping centre, including spares for a plough,
but the problem is that I don't have money to buy them. They are just too
expensive. In fact, many villagers here can barely afford [the inputs], and
the worry is that planting will be starting very soon," said Nkomazana.

His dilemma is shared by subsistence farmers across the country. Despite an
attempt by government to impose price controls on agricultural inputs,
producers have repeatedly hiked prices, arguing that they want to keep pace
with inflation, currently at over 1,000 percent annually.

A 10kg bag of maize seed costs an almost unaffordable Z$10,000 [about
US$40], and the same amount of fertiliser goes for Z$40,000 [about US$160].
Surveys by IRIN in revealed that seeds were still available in most shops in
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, and in rural areas.

Agriculture minister Joseph Made told IRIN that the government was aware of
the problems farmers were facing, and said his ministry, Seed Co. and other
related companies were discussing the issue of prohibitive prices.

"We are working towards the harmonisation of prices, so that all farmers,
peasant or commercial, can buy all the implements they need without forking
out a lot of money," he said. "We are not neglecting any farmer."

SA demands 'security deposit' from Zim visitors

Mail and Guardian

      Harare, Zimbabwe

      26 October 2006 11:28

            South Africa has toughened its requirements for Zimbabweans
wishing to travel to the country, demanding a Z$108 000 ($432) security
deposit, it emerged Thursday.

            The state-controlled Herald newspaper said the fee was
refundable and would be used to cover the costs of repatriation should the
need arise.

            "This is a repatriation guarantee," an employee at the South
African High Commission's visa section confirmed in response to a telephone
enquiry.

            The employee stressed that the fee was not a new development and
would not be demanded from Zimbabweans who could provide proof of steady
employment back home.

            But speculation will be high in Zimbabwe that Pretoria is
enforcing the regulation in a bid to stem the influx of impoverished
Zimbabweans trying to find economic solace in their country's southern
neighbour.

            The deposit -- which represents about three months' salary for
the average Zimbabwean -- must be handed over as a bank-guaranteed cheque.

            Zimbabweans wishing to cross legally into South Africa already
have to show they have R1 000 in travellers' cheques when they apply for a
visa.

            With inflation at more than 1 023% and prices rising daily, life
is getting less and less attractive in Zimbabwe, prompting many to attempt a
perilous crossing of the Limpopo River into South Africa.

            South Africa is reported to be deporting at least 265 illegal
Zimbabwean immigrants a day. -- Sapa-dpa

Zim government in chaos, says secret report

IOL

          October 26 2006 at 01:37PM

      By Basildon Peta

      A confidential report prepared by Zimbabwe's Ministry of Economic
Development paints a grim picture of a government in chaos, torn apart by
infighting and clueless about how to end the six-year-old crisis.

      The report, seen by the Independent Foreign Service, highlights the
dysfunctional nature of the government of President Robert Mugabe.

      It is also of immense significance as it demonstrates that there are
members of the government who are realistic about the causes of Zimbabwe's
crisis, in sharp contrast to Mugabe's knack for blaming an array of external
enemies.

      The report acknowledges the lack of co-ordination among critical
government departments in Zimbabwe and the overall lack of commitment to end
the crisis.

      The report was prepared by mandarins in the Ministry of Economic
Development for the National Security Council, a powerful committee of
police and army commanders, a few selected cabinet ministers and Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono.

      The council is chaired by Mugabe and has replaced both the cabinet and
the ruling party's Soviet-style Politburo in the government's
decision-making processes.

      The report, entitled Memorandum to the National Security Council on
the National Economic Development Priority Programme, criticises the Mu-gabe
government's "business as usual" approach in the face of an escalating
economic crisis underlined by inflation in excess of 1 000 percent, 85
percent unemployment and widespread hunger.

      The report is a virtual admission of opposition charges that the
Zimbabwe crisis is one of governance and not of land redistribution and
sanctions as Mugabe regularly claims.

      The report acknowledges that sanctions imposed by Western nations are
only partly to blame.

      Mugabe claims the sanctions are Western retribution for his efforts to
redistribute white-owned land to blacks.

      "Lack of urgency to resolving the crisis (and the government's)
'business as usual' approach, lack of effective policy co-ordination and
implementation, lack of an over-arching monitoring mechan- ism, mistrust
within the government which is resulting in conflicts over turf, mistrust
between public and private sectors, lack of commitment and above all the
absence of shared national vision among stakeholders, have exacerbated the
economic situation," the report noted.

      The report says a massive brain-drain is also to blame for lack of
progress in ending the crisis.

      The report implies that the infighting in Zanu-PF over Mugabe's
successor was also hurting policy formulation and consistency in
implementation.

      There are two factions vying to succeed Mugabe.

      This article was originally published on page 18 of Cape Argus on
October 26, 2006

Arms-cache accused denies trying to topple Mugabe

Mail and Guardian

      Godfrey Marawanyika | Mutare, Zimbabwe

      26 October 2006 06:23

            A white former police reservist on Thursday pleaded not guilty
to charges of hoarding arms as part of an alleged plot to topple veteran
President Robert Mugabe as he went on trial in Zimbabwe.

            Lawyers for Peter Hitschmann, arrested in March with seven
others after police said an arms cache had been found in his home, told the
court in Mutare, 270km east of Harare, that an initial confession had been
forced out of the defendant while he was tortured by security agents.

            Hitschmann, who faces life imprisonment if convicted, is charged
with breaching an Act outlawing "possessing weaponry for insurgency,
banditry, sabotage or terrorism".

            State prosecutor Levison Chikafu said Hitschmann was working for
a shadowy organisation called the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement based in
Britain, the country's former colonial power, which he claimed was seeking
to oust Mugabe.

            He claimed the group had links with the opposition Movement for
Democratic Chnage (MDC), often castigated by Mugabe as stooges of his
arch-enemy, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

            In March, state television aired reports claiming that
Hitschmann told his interrogators that opposition lawmaker Giles Mutseyekwa
and former opposition MP Roy Bennett were the organisation's local
coordinators.

            Bennett was not charged as he fled the country and has since
applied for political asylum in South Africa, but it has been turned down.

            The state said the arsenal found comprised an AK-47 assault
rifle, seven Uzi submachine guns, four FN rifles, 11 shotguns, six CZ
pistols, four revolvers, 15 tear-gas canisters and several thousand rounds
of ammunition.

            Police nabbed Hitschmann in March, leading to the arrest of
opposition MP Mutseyeka and six others who were charged but later cleared by
the High Court.

            Defence attorney Eric Matinenga told the court Hitschmann had
been tortured at an army camp after his arrest, and forced to admit to
plotting to assassinate Mugabe by spilling oil on the road in front of his
motorcade.

            During the interrogation the defendant was "viciously kicked
twice in his testicles", said Matinenga.

            "He felt searing pain and realised that he was blacking out.
While going in and out of consciousness he felt that somebody had pulled his
trousers and underpants.

            "He smelt burning flesh. Someone was burning him with a
cigarette or cigarettes on his buttocks. Then he passed out."

            Judge Alphus Chitakunye later adjourned the trial to Monday
after Hitschmann's lawyers protested over some arms brought to court as
exhibits, saying they were not part of the cache alleged to have been found
at their client's home.

            "It's unfortunate we only got these arms of war today [Thursday]
in this court," Matinenga told the court.

            "I would have wanted to proceed with the trial today but we can
only do so on Monday. We need to get as many experts as possible to inspect
the arms." -- Sapa-AFP

Minister: Zim arms-cache saga 'far from over'

Mail and Guardian

      Harare, Zimbabwe

      31 March 2006 12:43

            Zimbabwe's arms cache saga is "far from over" even though the
state has dropped charges against eight of the nine accused, a cabinet
minister was reported as saying on Friday.

            "People should not read anything into the state's withdrawal of
charges against [opposition] Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists
before plea," said the Manica Post newspaper, quoting Home Affairs Minister
Kembo Mohadi.

            Nine people, including four members of the MDC, were arrested in
the eastern city of Mutare early this month after weapons were found at the
home of white security expert, Michael Hitschmann.

            State media claimed the MDC was behind a plot to unseat the
government and cause President Robert Mugabe's official motorcade to have an
accident.

            But it later emerged that Hitschmann was a registered arms
dealer. The state went on to drop terrorism charges against the MDC members
and four police officers who had also been arrested.

            Only Hitschmann remains in custody.

            "A lot of stories are now being told but the truth is that the
state just withdrew charges before plea and will proceed by way of summons
when the cases are ready for prosecution," the minister told the Manica
Post, which is published in Mutare.

            "Our investigations are in progress and I am not at liberty to
disclose how far we have gone, but I want to assure you that more suspects
will soon appear before the courts," said Mohadi.

            The MDC says it has no plans to remove Mugabe violently. -- 
Sapa-DPA

Zanu (PF) unleashes violence ahead of weekend elections

      By Tichaona Sibanda
      26 October 2006

      MDC supporters in Mudzi West in Mashonaland East have been forced to
stay indoors following an orgy of violence unleashed by local Zanu (PF)
candidates before the forthcoming rural district council elections.

      In Manicaland, police details are reportedly disrupting MDC meetings
and arbitrarily arresting and beating up senior party officials in the
province. The attacks on the MDC supporters in Muzavazi area have resulted
in a number of houses being burned to the ground and several activists
sustaining broken limbs.

      MDC youth chairman for Mashonaland East Samuel Kamundarira said a
delegation from his party has been to Nyamapanda police station where they
lodged reports and requested that police there investigate the incidents..

      'We saw the member-in-charge there and told him of the beatings and
burnt houses. He knew of the incidents but from what we could see, he was
powerless to rein in the culprits, the majority of whom are the candidates
in the district,' Kamundarira said.

      Meanwhile police in Harare said Wednesday they would be geared up to
deal with elements bent on fanning violence. The state controlled Herald
reported yesterday that police had put measures in place to ensure peaceful
elections while the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said preparations for the
polls scheduled for the weekend were on course.

      Despite these assurances, their officers have taken over the duties of
Zanu (PF) militias by intimidating and beating up MDC supporters. According
to MDC spokesman in Manicaland Pishai Muchauraya, police officers called off
a meeting in Nedziwa in Chimanimani and arrested two officials who they
detained at Cashel police station.

      The two officials were tortured behind bars, according to Muchauraya.
The same has happened in Makoni West where several MDC meetings have been
cancelled by the police.

      'What is surprising us is that we were given permission by police
commanders to have these rallies but we've seen that in the last hours
before the rallies we get policemen in uniform calling off these rallies.
They are now Zanu (PF) functionaries,' Muchauraya said.

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

Zimbabwe looks East for beef exports

People's Daily

      Zimbabwe is set to resume its beef exports to the potentially
lucrative East Asian market as the European Union (EU) continues to tighten
its stringent export conditions for the country, Daily Mirror reported on
Wednesday.

      The country's Look East policy got further impetus following the
acquisition of a consignment of vaccines assisted by the Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO).

      The department's Principal Director Stuart Hargreaves confirmed the
latest move saying the focus was now on the big Asian market as the EU was
taking time granting Zimbabwe its export quota.

      "We are making significant progress with other markets that we have
identified, especially Malaysia. We meet their standards and I am positive
we will make it," he said.

      He said the EU was dragging its feet because of illegal economic
sanctions it imposed on Zimbabwe.

      About 9,100 tons of beef were exported to the EU market, but all that
was lost to widespread and repeated outbreaks of highly contagious diseases
such as anthrax and foot-and-mouth disease, the vet department is struggling
to contain.

      However, in a development set to curb cattle deaths during the coming
rainy season, the organization has made adequate preparations to control any
major outbreaks by acquiring vaccines to control foot-and-mouth and other
livestock diseases.

      Hargreaves said tick-borne diseases, anthrax and foot-and-mouth are
the major causes of cattle deaths in Zimbabwe during the rainy season.

      Hargreaves said the arrival of the vaccines was a major boost to the
animal health program because every year herds of cattle are lost to
diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.

      Source: Xinhua

Over 3,000 polling stations set up for Zimbabwe district election

People's Daily

      More than 3,000 polling stations have been put in place in agreement
with contesting candidates, in readiness for the rural district council
elections to be held in more than 800 wards in Zimbabwe on Saturday, Newsnet
reported on Thursday.

      The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said deployment of polling officers
commenced on Thursday and accreditation of observers and the media is in
progress in Harare and Bulawayo.

      Nationwide rural district council elections are set for this Saturday
in more than 800 wards. Mayoral elections will also be held on the same day
in Kadoma as well as urban council polls in Plumtree and Chiredzi.

      Candidates who will emerge as victors during Saturday's rural district
council elections will serve a four-year term.

      The ruling party ZANU PF has already won in 464 wards uncontested
while MDC won in one ward in Chikomba. ZANU PF has fielded the largest
number of candidates followed by the MDC.

      A few independent candidates have also joined the race while
opposition parties, the United People's Party and PAFA have also fielded
candidates in some districts.

      Source: Xinhua

Free-Zim youths embarrass Zuma during her London public address

       By Lance Guma
        26 October 2006

      South Africa's foreign affairs minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma had
a night to forget in central London on Wednesday. Pressure group Free-Zim
Youth UK made sure they expressed their displeasure with her government's
handling of the Zimbabwean crisis. Dr Zuma was addressing the London School
of Economics on possible reforms for the United Nations following her
country's election to a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. The
youths repeatedly disrupted her lecture with chants of "ANC betrays black
Zimbabwe."

      Five minutes into Dr Zuma's lecture Alois Mbawara who leads Free-Zim
stood up to challenge her asking, "Why are you doing nothing to help
Zimbabwe? The ANC called for solidarity against apartheid. But the ANC
government is showing no solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe." When asked
by Howard Davies the chair of the meeting to keep quiet, Mr Mbawara replied,
"We can't keep quiet while Zimbabwe is suffering." Stewards were called in
to usher him outside.

      Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell then walked onto the stage with a
placard reading "Mbeki's shame. ANC betrays black Zimbabwe." Security
officials wrestled Tatchell out of the venue only for another activist
Wellington Chibanguza to stand up from the balcony shouting "Why do you (Dr
Zuma) and your government persist with quiet diplomacy when it has failed to
deliver?' Chibanguza was also ejected from the meeting. Four women activists
from the Free-Zim youth then started making catcalls during Dr Zuma's speech
resulting in their removal from the venue.

      Zuma looked rattled and courted even more controversy by saying
Zimbabweans were sitting in London doing nothing instead of taking matters
into their own hands. She said 'Zimbabweans in Britain have no right to
speak out about the situation Zimbabwe.' This did not go down well with the
activists who pointed out that Dr Zuma herself had spent much of the
apartheid era in exile in the United Kingdom. Tatchell said in a statement
"Given the level of the audience disquiet, the organisers curtailed the
promised question and answer session and Dr Zuma was humiliatingly smuggled
out of a side exit to a waiting unmarked car. She scuttled away like a rat
from a sinking ship.'

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

The neighbourly-burden that is Zimbabwe

Mmegi, Botswana

      EDITOR
      10/26/2006 3:35:15 PM (GMT +2)

      In the 1970s, at the height of the southern African liberation wars,
Botswana was one of the countries in the frontline of the region's political
heat. It was the only country in independent Africa surrounded by three
hostile white racist regimes. But with Zimbabwe's independence in 1980,
Namibia in 1990 and South Africa in 1994, Batswana rightly hoped for
prosperous and peaceful neighbours. However, Zimbabwe has totally dashed
this dream.

      Since 2000, the Zimbabwean economic, social and political crisis has
given Botswana a hard knock, straining resources meant to meet the needs of
a paltry population of 1.7 million. This is in contrast to our neighbour's
12 million people. Botswana's immigration officials have previously put the
costs of repatriating illegal Zimbabwean immigrants at more than P1.7
million a month. The latest figures from the Francistown police indicate
that almost 30,000 illegal Zimbabwean immigrants have been deported between
April and September this year. This figure obviously does not include
thousands of illegals who escape the dragnet. The police have charged that
most Zimbabwean illegals come into Botswana for the wrong reasons, primarily
crime. They are estimated to account for more than 50 percent of criminal
activity in the country.

      Botswana, together with South Africa, has borne the full brunt of the
Zimbabwean crisis. At most, Botswana has been unsure how to handle this
volatile situation. For fear of being labelled xenophobic, the Botswana
authorities have paid more attention to the rights of the illegal immigrants
to the detriment of those of Batswana.

      This is evident in the fact that Botswana authorities are prepared to
keep local inmates in outdated, run-down and overcrowded prisons, while the
illegal Zimbabwean immigrants had to be built a state-of-the-art facility in
Francistown known as the Centre for Illegal Immigrants, "in keeping with
international standards." The Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Moeng
Pheto, recently confirmed that overcrowding stands at 53 percent in
Botswana's prisons.

      Botswana is quick to cite unavailability of funds to carry out
projects. Yet the government expeditiously avails funds for illegal
immigrants' transport. In fact, it is an open secret that with year end
festive season approaching, most of these illegals will happily hand
themselves over to the police or immigration officials so that they could be
transported together with their loot for free back home.

      In May this year, Botswana had to abandon the near complete 500km,
multi-million electrified fence project along the common border with
Zimbabwe. The fence was meant to prevent interaction between the two
countries' cattle herds and control the spread of the deadly Foot and Mouth
Disease. While the human rights lobbyists won when the fence was abandoned,
the poor Motswana farmer lost.

GMB Gets $20bn for Wheat

The Herald (Harare)

October 26, 2006
Posted to the web October 26, 2006

Harare

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has loaned $20 billion to the Grain Marketing
Board to buy wheat from farmers.

GMB acting chief executive officer Retired Colonel Samuel Muvuti confirmed
that RBZ had provided the funding, and as usual, expected more funding from
the central bank to maintain positive deliveries to depots throughout
Zimbabwe.

The GMB is looking forward to a promising season as farmers have so far
delivered 20 000 tonnes of grain and the parastatal has managed to import 30
000 tonnes.

Meanwhile, GMB has increased its allocation to millers from 4 000 tonnes to
5 500 tonnes a week.

Bakers are being urged to concentrate on baking bread rather than cakes to
ease shortages.

Farmers are required to deliver maize and wheat within 14 days after
harvesting.

The winter wheat marketing season closes on March 31 2007.

In August the Government increased the producer price of wheat from $9 000
to $217 913 a tonne to ensure that farmers got a reasonable return on their
investment.

This year's season is expected to produce 220 000 tonnes from 60 000
hectares under cultivation.

Bread price scandal - Minister Mpofu sucked in

From The Daily Mirror, 25 October

Fortune Mbele

Norman Chakanetsa, the top government official accused of usurping
ministerial powers and inflating the price of bread last month, told a
Harare magistrate on Monday that the Minister of Industry and International
Trade Obert Mpofu, authorised him to order the increments. Chakanetsa (57),
the director of research and consumer affairs in Mpofu's ministry, was
charged under Section 174 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act, Chapter 9: 23. It is alleged that his actions breached
statutory requirements regulating that price increases of basic commodities
such as bread should be effected by the relevant minister only. Francis
Chirimuta, Chakanetsa's lawyer, argued that his client held a meeting with
Mpofu and Christian Katsande, the ministry's permanent secretary, where a
decision was reached to increase the interim prices of bread which are then
tabled before Cabinet for approval. Chirimuta said on the day when
Chakanetsa was arrested, Katsande wrote a letter to the police advising them
that the suspect's actions were above board.

However, the investigating officer in the matter, Superintendent Peter
Magwenzi, accused Katsande of attempting to circumvent the course of justice
by trying to exonerate Chakanetsa. "On September 29, the accused, with the
permanent secretary (Katsande), held a meeting with the minister (Mpofu) to
decide on the price increases proposed by the bakers association for interim
price increases," Chirimuta said. "In the meeting, accused was authorised by
the minister to grant the application by the bakers that the retail price of
bread not exceed $295, 00 whereas the wholesale price should not exceed
$280, 00," he added. "He went on and carried out the mandate. He negotiated
with the bakers association at a meeting, which was chaired by the accused.
Members present were from (the) Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI)
and (the) Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) and agreed on the parameters
set out by the minister. After the agreement, it was the accused's mandate
to put this in writing to ZRP and the bakers association." He said the
police went ahead and detained Chakanetsa for 48 hours even after the
permanent secretary's intervention.

Responding to the suggestion that Katsande had written the letter,
Superintendent Magwenzi said: "The letter was trying to defeat the course of
justice. The permanent secretary is the principal at that ministry and is
aware of Statutory Instrument 125/03 and its context and he is aware that
the accused is not entitled to write letters and by trying to exonerate
accused .the accused is not a minister (sic). There is no correspondence
from the minister that he delegated accused in the case." Chirimuta then
questioned why the police had not arrested minister Mpofu since Magwenzi had
admitted in cross-examination that the minister could delegate duties to his
subordinates. Magwenzi said the minister could delegate duties, but not in
the circumstances. Prosecutor Servious Kufandada also said Chakanetsa had a
case to answer arguing the said letter from Katsande was written as an
afterthought. "The definition of minister is clear. Unless the accused was
assigned as the minister and if the accused had taken over as the minister.
The minister is nowhere near authorising these letters. The letter (by
Katsande) was written in retrospect on October 17. The minister is receiving
the letter instead of authoring the letter. I submit that provisions of
Section 9 of Statutory Instrument 125 of 2003 were clearly violated. The
document is not authentic," Kufandada said.

The letter by Katsande to the Officer Commanding CID Serious Frauds was
copied to Mpofu, the Deputy Minister of Industry and International Trade,
Phineas Chiota and to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet,
Misheck Sibanda. It read in part: "This letter serves to confirm that the
director of Research and Consumer Affairs in the ministry (Chakanetsa), now
chairing the Price Stabilisation Committee, sought approval from the
Minister of Industry and International Trade, Hon. O.M. Mpofu (MP) before
communicating the interim relief bread prices to the National Bakers
Association.. I hereby request your urgent intervention by clearing the
director on allegations of unilaterally increasing the price of bread."
Chakanetsa was making an application for refusal of placement on remand on
Monday but magistrate Olivia Mariga dismissed it ruling that there was a
nexus between the suspect and the commission of the offence and reasonable
suspicion that a crime had been committed. Chakanetsa is out of custody on
free bail and will be back in court on November 13. Allegations against him
are that he seized Minister Mpofu's powers and approved an increase in the
retail price of bread from $200 to $295 a loaf on September 30. The State
contends that what Chakanetsa did contradicted his official duties as a
public officer.

Zimbabwe plagued by governance woes

Business Report

October 26, 2006

Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's corporations are failing that country's
deteriorating economy through bad corporate governance practices, which have
seen 11 banks placed under curatorship in 2004 and high profile criminal
cases involving senior corporate leaders, Deposit Protection Institute chief
executive John Chikura said this week.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Chikura said: "We have a corporate
governance crisis in both private and public sectors stemming from what Bob
Garratt calls a complex mixture of directoral ignorance, strategic
incompetence and greed."

This was despite the country boasting of robust and highly educated boards
as well as a high literacy rate in Africa. It continued to experience bad
corporate governance, according to Chikura.

"We seem to play the tick box corporate governance game. If you look beyond
the glorious statements on corporate governance made in glossy financial
reports, you will observe practices that defy principles and values of good
corporate governance," he stated.

Chikura was speaking at a workshop jointly organised by the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (Icaz) and Institute of Directors on
Corporate Governance.

The workshop, which attracted 39 participants including chartered
accountants, directors, other professionals and business executives, took a
detailed look at corporate governance issues and their relevance for
Zimbabwe.

Icaz said it was important for local business executives to consider
seriously what good corporate governance or good governance meant for
business in Zimbabwe and demonstrate their commitment to it, not just in
principle, but also in their day-to-day business practices.

Participants at the workshop said that in the past being a director of a
company was a status symbol with most people not doing a due diligence on
whether they had what it took to add value to an organisation or company.

They called for the introduction of corporate governance studies at schools
so children could be taught the value of honesty. They also called for the
introduction of a professional qualification for directorship at tertiary
and other levels. - I-Net Bridge

Zinwa Gets Ultimatum

The Herald (Harare)

October 26, 2006
Posted to the web October 26, 2006

Harare

THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority has been given a month to sort out the
perennial water problems in urban areas after the Zinwa board was reshuffled
yesterday.

The Minister of Water Resources and Infrastructural Development Engineer
Munacho Mutezo ordered Zinwa to come up with a strategic plan to address the
current water woes particularly in the greater Harare area.

Board chairman Mr Willie Muringani and three others were re-appointed while
five board members were dropped in the reshuffle.

Eng Mutezo said the board should pay attention to the current water woes
faced by Harare and other urban centres.

The board must come up with a turnaround strategy to re-brand Zinwa into a
vibrant and self-sufficient water authority rather than rely on handouts
from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

The board was also urged to come up with a financial plan to rehabilitate
all water supply infrastructure throughout the country, develop and instill
a business culture in Zinwa and improve billing and revenue collection.

"The Cabinet has given a directive that parastatals should stand on their
own and Zinwa should also come up with initiatives that will make it
self-reliant," he said.

Eng Mutezo said Zinwa should source money and complete outstanding dam
construction as well as advance corporate partnership to widen its revenue
base.

The minister noted that although the board was made up of businesspeople,
finance and farming experts and those with backgrounds in human resources,
marketing and public relations, it faced a mammoth task to deliver.

"I know the task before the new board is challenging but with such a strong
and balanced board with different backgrounds, I am confident that they will
measure up to the challenge before them," Eng Mutezo said.

Those retained together with Mr Muringani were Zinwa chief executive
Engineer Albert Muyambo, Engineer Vavarirai Choga and Mr Jerry Gotora.

The five new members are Mrs Tabeth Matiza-Chiuta, Mrs Rosemary Mazula, Mrs
Maria Dube, Mr Peter Munetsi Pswarayi and Mr Leonard Magara.

A 10th board member will be appointed soon.

Those dropped from the board, which was dissolved after its tenure of office
expired in April this year, are Mr Mike Lotter, Mr Peter Sibanda, Engineer J
M Makado, Mr M N Mutede and Mr Z Murungwenzi.

Zinwa is a corporate body established with a mandate of ensuring the
country's water resources are used optimally and remain accessible to all
Zimbabweans.

It is also tasked with advising the minister on the formulation of policy
and standards on water resources planning, management and development, water
quality and pollution control, among other functions.

Churches Present Draft Document to President

The Herald (Harare)

October 26, 2006
Posted to the web October 26, 2006

Harare

CHURCH leaders yesterday handed a draft document -- to be used to attract
contributions from all Zimbabweans towards formulating a National Vision -- 
to President Mugabe at State House in Harare.

The churches will launch the document titled "The Zimbabwe We Want: Towards
a National Vision" at the University of Zimbabwe tomorrow.

The document was presented by the heads and general secretaries of the three
main Christian groupings in Zimbabwe: the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops'
Conference, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the Evangelical Fellowship
of Zimbabwe.

EFZ president Bishop Trevor Manhanga, ZCBC president Archbishop Robert
Ndlovu, ZCC president Bishop Wilson Sitshebo, ZCC general secretary Mr
Densen Mafinyane, ZCBC general secretary Fr Frederick Chiromba and EFZ
general secretary Rev Andrew Muchechetere presented the document to Cde
Mugabe and invited him to attend the launch.

"The church leaders have reduced (the document) to an opinion, which must
interact with other opinions, the outcome of which will be used towards
formulating a National Vision," said an official who attended the closed
meeting between the clergy and Cde Mugabe.

The officials said all Zimbabweans -- from Government, political parties,
business, civil society, traditional leaders, workers and farmers -- will
give their responses to the draft.

Some of the highlights of the document are Zimbabwe's achievements in the
first 15 years of independence and the challenges that followed.

"It (the draft) proffers ideas the church leaders think will go towards
formulating a National Vision. The launch will be a hand-over of the
document to the Zimbabwean public for their reactions," said the official.

According to officials, the church leaders reaffirmed their commitment to
Zimbabwe as a sovereign country and expressed their opposition to illegal
regime change.

They emphatically distanced themselves from Reverend Levee Kadenge's
Christian Alliance, describing it as a "fringe" organisation in the church.

The Christian Alliance has been trying to counter the work of the main
church bodies, who have set themselves to promote dialogue and find
homegrown solutions to Zimbabwe's problems.

According to the officials, the church leaders also undertook to engage
Britain and the European Union over the illegal economic sanctions imposed
on Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe welcomed the draft document and said the Government would
offer its own considered view after the launch.

"We express the hope as Government that the document itself will uphold the
position of the bishops that they are non-partisan and that their document
doesn't vindicate any political group to allow for a neutral entry point,"
the Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde George Charamba told
journalists.

Churches came up with the draft document after consulting various Zimbabwean
groups including the Government, political parties, business, and civil
society, among others.

This followed a meeting they held with Cde Mugabe in May this year to
promote dialogue in Zimbabwe.

South Africa Tightens Visa Requirements

zimbabwejournalists.com

      By Kholwani Nyathi

      SOUTH Africa has further tightened its visa requirements for
Zimbabwean travellers, a development that is set to negatively impact on
thousands of crossborder traders who travel to the neighbouring country
regularly.

      A number of distraught crossborder traders who failed to meet the new
requirements and were denied visas thronged the South African embassy visa
agents, Swift and FedEx, in the city yesterday.
      According to a circular from the South African embassy, posted at its
visa agents in the city, Zimbabweans applying for travel visas now have to
pay a security deposit of at least $108 000 (Johannesburg only) in addition
to a host of other requirements.

      The security deposit, which is refundable at the expiry of the visa or
once one returns to Zimbabwe, used to be applicable to firsttime visitors
only, but it has been extended to all travellers.
      Other requirements include original travel cheques amounting to 1 000
Rand, a letter of invitation and that from an employer as well as two
passport size pictures.

      "The South African Embassy confirms that the amount of $108 000 used
to be paid by firsttime applicants only, but now it has to apply to regular
applicants/travellers who, if they so wish, can demand refunds of their
deposit upon their return to Zimbabwe or when the visa expires," read the
circular.

      "In cases where they demand the refund before the visa expires, they
will have to lodge the deposit with the embassy before they can travel.
      "This deposit is held by the embassy in case the applicant has to be
repatriated for various reasons."

      South African visas are valid for between three and six months.
      The amount that has to be paid as deposit varies from one destination
in South Africa to another, with those going to Durban expected to fork as
much as $148 000.

      "The deposit has to be paid through a bank cheque and those travelling
to destinations other than Durban and Johannesburg have to inquire about the
fee from the embassy," read the circular.
      Although South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Professor Mlungisi
Makhalima, was not available for comment yesterday, embassy staff in the
visa section confirmed the latest developments.

      Crossborder traders described the new requirements as hostile and said
their only source of income was under threat.
      Xolani Dube, of Bulawayo, said the new requirements had not been
communicated well to potential travellers who were denied visas.

      "I sent my wife's passport with the old requirements only for it to be
returned without the visa.
      "When I inquired they said I must also include a bank certified cheque
of $108 000, which is refundable after six months.
      "But my concern is that if I pay the money it will lose its value
because of the economic situation in the country and the South African
embassy can not pay me any interest because they are not a bank," Dube
complained.

      He said the new requirements had also been poorly communicated,
thereby inconveniencing a number of people who sent their passports to the
embassy through agents.
      "This is the most emphatic message that South Africans do not want us
in their country," said Pauline Ncube, who travels to sell curios in South
Africa every three months.

      "Some of us have been travelling to South Africa regularly and we have
never overstayed in that country.
      "Even if one is able to raise the $108 000 by the time the refunds are
made in three or six months' time, the money will have lost its value
because of the inflationary environment."

      The crossborder traders appealed to the South African government to
come up with better ways of controlling illegal immigration at the same time
promoting trade between the two countries.
      However, crossborder transport operators, popularly known as
omalayitsha, said the new requirements had not impacted negatively on their
business.

      This could be explained by the fact that the transporters carry both
illegal and legal travellers.
      They charge those without passports or visas 1 200 rand or $120 000 to
cross the border.
      Despite the tough visa conditions, South Africa continues to deport
thousands of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe every year.
      Some risk their lives by swimming across the crocodile-infested
Limpopo River.