The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
Searching for Uncle Bob. Where is the President of Zimbabwe?
According
to media reports in South Africa, Mugabe is in a ward in a hospital in Gauteng,
convalescing after a stroke.
According to the Zimbabwean government,
their president is at work in Harare, where he chaired a cabinet meeting on
Tuesday morning.
However, no one could confirm that they had actually
seen the president.
'We have no knowledge of this development' |
'Absolute hogwash' |
"Quiet diplomacy has been partially successful
but I would like
to see some movement there," he said.
"Zimbabwe is growing at a rate of -15 percent because there is
no rule of
law. What we need there is partnership with labour, government
and
businesses.
We need a partnership that is built on trust not
on suspicion,"
he added.
He said in contrast to what is
happening in Zimbabwe, Botswana
is a great example of good relations between
government and the private
sector. He said the relationship has enabled the
country have the fastest
growing economy on the continent.
He further praised the Kimberly Process -- an agreement between
the industry
and government aimed at eliminating conflict diamonds from
the
market.
"There has been phenomenal progress with the
Kimberly Process.
De Beers is working with several countries to develop a new
phase of the
Process," he said.
The conference is
scheduled to end on Thursday.
JAG HUMAN RIGHTS COMMUNIQUÉ October 24,
2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incident
report.
16/10/03 a farmer in Mashonaland central visited his farm to collect
a
driver and some of his personal possessions. On arrival he was
approached
by a group claiming to be the new owners of the farm (no previous
notices
to acquire had been served). The farmer was then beaten with a
sjambok all
over the body, punched in the face smashing his glasses, all the
while
having racial abused hurled at him. Identities of assailants are
known.
Police were very reluctant to accept a report of Assault GBH saying
that
they would determine the crime committed.
END THE SILENCE
RALLY
March to DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ZIMBABWE this SATURDAY 25th October,
12PM
WESTMINSTER, London. Tell the South African Government that their
refusal
to speak out whilst Zimbabweans slip further every day into poverty,
fear
and despair is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. New starting point. Meet at the
Queen
Elizabeth Conference Hall, Broad Sanctuary-adjacent to Westminster
Abbey.
Speakers there will include Eldridge Culverwell whose Dad was Joseph.
The
marchers will procedd to the SA High Commission. For more details
visit
www.endthesilence.com
Wednesday 22nd NCA Peaceful Demonstration.
78 people have been charged
and are in custody at Harare Central Police
Station following the
demonstration in Africa Unity Square at lunchtime
today. Lovemore Madhuku is
amongst those arrested as is Newton Spicer who
was filming the demo in his
private capacity as a Zimbabwean citizen. At
least two hundred people were
picked up by armed riot police and some were
reportedly dumped on the airport
road. The demo was peaceful except for
some isolated incidents when riot
police dispersed onlookers. One woman was
hit to the ground but the extent of
her injuries is not known. Human rights
lawyers are to be commended for their
strong turnout at the charge office.
Access to those arrested was denied. The
78 activists arrested yesterday
have been charged under POSA Section 19
[1]a(i) which reads 19 Gatherings
conducing to riot disorder or
intolerance
(1) Any person who, acting together with one or more other
persons present
with him in any place or at any meeting- (a) forcibly- (i)
disturbs the
peace, security or order of the public or any section of the
public; or
(ii) invades the rights of other people; intending to cause
such
disturbance or invasion or realising that there is a risk or
possibility
that such disturbance or invasion may occur; or
(b) performs
any action, utters any words or distributes or displays any
writing, sign or
other visible representation that is obscene, threatening,
abusive or
insulting, intending thereby to provoke a breach of the peace or
realising
that there is a risk or possibility that a breach of the peace
may be
provoked; or
(c) utters any words or distributes or displays any writing,
sign or other
visible representation- (i) with the intention to engender,
promote or
expose to hatred, contempt or ridicule any group, section or class
of
persons in Zimbabwe solely on account of the race, tribe,
nationality,
place of origin, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion or
gender of
such group, section or class of persons; or (ii) realising that
there is a
risk or possibility that such behaviour might have an effect
referred to in
subparagraph (i); shall be guilty of an offence and be liable
to a fine not
exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding
10 years or
to both such fine and such imprisonment.
(2) An offence under
subsection (1) is committed whether the action
constituting it is spontaneous
or concerted, and whether the place or
meeting where it occurred is public or
private. Newton Spicer has also been
charged In spite of the fact that he was
not part of the demo but merely
filming for his own records. Additionally he
has been accused of
distributing a newspaper which came out on Tuesday called
'street sheet' -
apparently two people who were arrested for distribution in
Mabvuku
yesterday stated that they received copies from Newton. The Street
sheet is
a two page tabloid-sized free sheet put out by Zvakwana a group
of
activists. Email news@zvakwana.org
for details or go to the zvakwana
website www.zvakwana.org A freelance photographer
(non-journo) who works in
Africa Unity Sq was also arrested and continues to
be held. Two Herald
journalists and one from the Independent were held
briefly yesterday but
released without
charge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
JAG TEAM
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
JAG
Hotlines:
(011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need advice,
(011)
205 374
(011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us -
(091) 317 264
(011) 207 860 we're here to help!
(011) 431 068
JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject line.
Letter 1:
Re: Compsensation
communiqué
THIS KIND OF SCORNFUL OFFER IS INSULTING AND ALSO
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND
SHOULD BE CHALLENGED AS SUCH. FARMERS NEED TO ENSURE
THE SUMS THEY ARE
OFFERED ARE ACTUARLY VIABLE EVEN IF THERE IS NO PRESENT
HOPE OF PAYMENT.
MIKE WATSON
Letter 2.
Dear Sirs,
Re: Ben
Freeth "The Real Enemy" 21/10/03
The society that elected zanupf in 1980 was
corrupt in the first place.
P.L.Mackie
Letter 3.
I thank you
for your updates and letters and wish the community everything
for safety and
blessing for their crusade for freedom.
I'm here in Christchurch, just had
breakfast, toast and marmalade, Listened
to the news and I even had a plate
of Maltabella porridge. Bought it in the
Pak-and-save supermarket here in New
Zealand, there were plenty of other
things too, mealy meal, Pronutro, Koo
tinned fruit, Mrs Ball's chutney,
Five roses tea etc etc. But it also came
with a lump in my throat as I know
only too well that others in the very land
that it came from don't have the
choice of three meals a day. The other fact
is that the infrastructure to
get these goods here will eventually also
disappear, the commercial
farmers, Lever Brothers, Olivine industries, and
the like.
The news is very saddening, I did participate in the week of
fasting, it
reminded me all day what others are suffering, the difference
being I could
still have tea with milk and one or two sugars to stir in,
others did not
even have that choice and that is a part of their normal
life.
Why is it some will detest from cohabitation with the world, are
the first
to spread the word of communism, socialism, then blame misfortunes
on
others but will gag opinions (free speech) and not take heed from others.
I
remember when we were scared of the words Marxism, Socialism, but
didn't
imagine that the current governing body would go this far, and it
is
tribalism, a custom of a bygone era, a primitive society
where
international trade, technology exchange and education were not at
the
forefront (they didn't know of such things), plunder of another's land
and
home (kraals) was the daily activity. A true reflection of ignorance and
of
a one eyed leader living the past leading the supposedly blind who in
fact
are blind folded. Take that blind fold off the nation and they will
be
dazzled from having it on for so long. This cycle must be
broken,
gradually, or chaos will erupt. They will be hungry for knowledge, a
better
life, what they have lost, some have been blind folded since childhood
and
will not know right from wrong. It is important who removes these
blind
folds be recognised as the person who didn't put the blinds on, but
the
one who helped the nation see the light again, and the nation are
wise
enough to make their own assumption of who put the blind fold on them
in
the first place. They must forget about the past, get on and make
things
better, catch up with things they have missed, make the nation prosper
by
pulling together with enthusiasm in one direction, there being no
whips
needed this time.
This kind of dream can become reality, it was
only made into a dream by one
man who denied the reality of freedom to the
nation through his own lust
for more freedom for himself.
Yes the
fruits from Africa tastes better than any other I have tasted, I
treasure it
and thank the right person when the blind fold is taken off.
John
Baldwin
Letter 4.
Dear Mr. Taylor-Freeme,
Clem Sunter writes about
scenario planning - looking at possible scenarios
in the future. He is
Chairman of Corporate Affairs for Anglo American.David
Saul writes about the
past. He is an author on Military History.
At some stage in the future a
military historian is going to write about an
event known to us as the "Third
Chimurenga." David Saul could well consider
doing it because he has written a
book about Military Blunders. There are
many players in the Third Chimurenga,
just as there were many in the Third
Reich and there will be a lot of
interesting material to cover. Mr.
Henwood, Mr. Cloete, Mr. Hawgood and
yourself will have invaluable
information to impart because you were very
much "in the ring" to use Mac
Crawford's words. The Honourable Minister of
Agriculture will probably have
a fascinating variety of material. It is
possible that Mr. Hasluck, Mr.
Olivier and maybe Mr. Swanepoel could make
some very useful contributions
to an historical account. Sadly, Dr. Hunzvi's
input will have to be second
hand, but the historians could possibly
interview Mr. Chinotimba. Mr.
Gavin Conolly and his cousin Mr. David
Conolly, along with Mr. Worswick and
Mr. Crawford will probably assist in
piecing together a very important
period in the history of Zimbabwe.I think
it would be most valuable for the
historians, if you could keep a diary of
events - so that a modern day
Arthur Bryant could use it in the
future.
Moving on to the Scenario Planning. Could you perhaps impart to
farmers,
and ex-farmers (mainly) how you and your colleagues envisage
commercial
agriculture over the next three years. Along with Mr. Cloete, you
and
Council openly supported the Government Land Reform Programme as far
back
as August 2002, and it would be most interesting to be fully briefed
on
your dreams for the future of commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe, and
the
way forward. I look forward to your reply at
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
at your convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Willy
Robinson.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice
for
Agriculture.
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE COMPENSATION COMMUNIQUE - October 24,
2003
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
REPORT
ON COMPENSATION.
JAG has got hundred and ten documents that have been
handed in to our
offices. These documents were handed in from the first
original printed
version that has evolved to the present electronic form. The
result has
been that we have documents in various stages and of varying
quality. There
are some that contain 100% information but I the wrong format
and there are
those that contain very little facts but have been handed in
good faith.
We will be implementing a second phase to get these documents
upgraded and
standardized so that all the documents we receive will be in the
updated
standardized format.
The facilitators have been busy in the
last three weeks and more and more
farmers have now seen that the
compensation process needs the Loss document
as a tool to achieve maximum
returns on their claims. The average number of
documents that the
facilitators are working with are 25 farmers and it
seems that in some cases
they will end up finishing between 30 to 60
documents per facilitator. The
number of facilitators active up to this
standard are 10. A number of farmers
have collected the software from the
office and are doing the documents on
their own. I would estimate that a
total of 100 farmers could do it this way.
There are a number of farmers
that are in the region or in other countries. I
believe that these people
could be more computer literate and that they could
be better equipped to
do the documents on their own we have to find a way of
ensuring that they
can become members and can benefit even if they have left
the country. If a
further 50 people become involved in this process then the
total farmers we
can involve are 500 to 600. It has always been my argument
that there are
only about 600 to 650 proactive farmers that will actually get
involved in
any process in time for action and to ensure any form of results.
The
counter argument to this would be that the valuators consortium have got
1
400 farmers on their books. If we argue that there are 400 farmers still
on
their farms and a further 400 still farming then this brings us to
the
total of 1 400.
There is a target group of three thousand farmers
Zimbabwean Commercial
farmers that are not actively involved in ensuring the
future of commercial
agriculture in Zimbabwe.
Where are they and why
are they not responding. How are we going to get
them to make the first
move.
Ends.
Snippet.
A Mash. East farmer went to Ministry
of Agriculture this week and was
offered the equivalent of US$40,000 for
their farm improvements, which have
been valued at US $680,000 !!! Something
wrong, somewhere !?
The Herald
UZ students fight running battles with riot
police
Herald Reporter
STUDENTS at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ)
yesterday fought running battles
with riot police after they marched to the
Vice Chancellor’s office
demanding an explanation for the late disbursement
of their payouts.
The students said they were also protesting for an
increase of their
payouts, which is currently pegged at $300 000.
They
said they had decided to demonstrate because it was now more than four
weeks
after the new semester began but they had not yet received
their
allowances.
"We are demonstrating because first, we want our
payouts and secondly, an
increase of our payouts from $300 000 to about $500
000 or alternatively
subsidise our food or bring back the catering division,"
said one student.
"We buy a meal for $2 500 and we have three meals a
day…we can’t survive
with this meagre payout we are given. If we take for
instance a student from
Chitungwiza he would need about $5 000 for transport
only," said another
student.
The students said no explanation had been
given for the delay in
disbursement of their payouts.
They said they
were experiencing a number of problems and the Government
needed to address
the issue urgently before the situation gets out of
control.
‘‘At the
moment there is no bond paper and we are not getting course
outlines. We have
to photocopy on our own for about $100 a copy."
The students said they
would continue demonstrating until their grievances
were addressed.
It
is understood that the demonstration began on Sunday after students
marched
around the university campus singing revolutionary songs.
The students
broke into a grocery shop at the campus and looted various
goods. Yesterday
riot police were called in and they dispersed the students.
When The
Herald visited the campus at around 6pm the college was deserted
with only
some riot police milling around.
No comment could be obtained from the UZ
authorities.
Business Report
Zimbabwe's white farmers settle and invest in
Zambia
October 28, 2003
By Reuters
Lusaka -
Growing numbers of white farmers had settled in Zambia after
fleeing
Zimbabwe's land seizures, bringing more than $100 million in
investments with
them, Richard Chavula, the acting director of operations of
the Zambia
Investments Centre (ZIC), the county's official investment
promotion agency,
said on Friday.
Zambia is emerging from a severe food shortage and
has put agriculture
at the top of its agenda, seeking to boost output and
farming skills.
Chavula said:
"Zimbabwean farmers have
collectively invested a total of $107.6
million from 1993, of which $46.3
million has been invested from 2002 to
September 2003."
Government officials say some Zimbabwean farmers have bought farms for
as
much as $1 million.
Chavula said Zimbabwean farmers would bring in
much-needed expertise
and help boost production, especially in tobacco. He
estimated that
Zimbabwean investments would raise tobacco production from 4
million
kilograms a year to 20 million kilograms within five
years.
Chavula said no virgin land had been allocated to the
farmers, who
were buying or leasing farms from Zambian farmers. But the
Zimbabwean
farmers were free to apply for state land, he said, adding that 70
percent
of Zambia's arable land was not being used and was available
for
acquisition.
Chavula said 10 farmers settled in Zambia
between 1993 and 2002, and
31 moved in between 2002 and
September.
In March, the ZIC said it had received 125 applications
from Zimbabwe
farmers seeking to settle in Zambia. The white farmers have
also fled to
other nearby countries, notably Mozambique, and helped shore up
their rural
economies.
From The Sunday Mirror, 26 October
A2 multiple farm owners exposed
Provincial governors worst culprits
Innocent Chofamba-Sithole
An addendum to the Presidential Land Review
Committee’s report shows that
nearly 200 influential individuals have
violated the land reform programme’s
one man, one farm policy and are in
control of hundreds of thousands
hectares of commercial farmland, the Sunday
Mirror can reveal. While the
government last Thursday made public the
findings of the committee, which
was led by former secretary to the President
and Cabinet, Charles Utete, it
has however emerged that the report released
for public consumption does not
contain the annexure chronicling violations
of the cardinal one man, one
farm rule. Although the release of the report to
the public has brought to
an end months of speculation on the special
committee’s findings, it has
also engendered disappointment among many who
expected an expose of the
widely alleged corrupt acquisitions of multiple
farms under the A2 scheme,
mostly by powerful Zanu PF politicians and senior
government officials.
However, a confidential source has told the Sunday
Mirror that the multiple
farm ownership issue is dealt with in detail in a
separate addendum to the
report, and that only President Mugabe and land
review committee chairman,
Utete, are in official possession of it. The
addendum, which is understood
to be circulating freely within senior
government and ruling party circles,
lists 178 individuals as having acquired
more than one farm under the A2
commercial farming model during the
fast-track land reform programme.
The total area under the control of
these individuals is 150 000 hectares.
Two provincial governors, whose names
are in the possession of this
newspaper, top the list of avaricious "chefs"
who looted the land reform
programme. One of the governors is in possession
of nine prime commercial
farms while the second has about 75 000 acres of
land under his name. The
latter also enjoys concessions to grant hunting
licences on his vast ranch.
Presidential spokesman, George Charamba could not
be reached for comment
yesterday as his mobile phone rang without being
answered. Following
President Mugabe’s order, made during a Zanu PF politburo
meeting, the
government recovered about 30 000 hectares from influential
individuals who
had acquired more than one farm under the A2 resettlement
model. Special
Affairs minister, John Nkomo, told state radio in September
that some
officials had responded to the President’s directive to multiple
farm owners
to choose one holding and give up their excess land. "I can
confirm some
people have responded to the call to give up excess land," Nkomo
said at the
time. President Mugabe’s order came after a preliminary report by
the Utete
committee had indicated that a number of high-ranking officials in
the party
owned multiple farms.
Although the deadline for
surrendering excess farms has since expired, some
errant individuals are
understood to have still not done so. The issue of
multiple farm ownership
has contaminated the entire land reform programme
and given the government’s
detractors ammunition with which to discount the
historic exercise as a sham.
Analysts have warned that unless conclusively
resolved, multiple farm
ownership stands to smudge President Mugabe’s
legacy, who has otherwise
weathered domestic and external opposition by
drastically changing the
historically skewed land ownership structure in the
country in favour of the
black majority. This prospect is further heightened
by the fact that a number
of communal areas in such provinces as Manicaland,
are still in dire need of
decongestion. The Utete committee also notes that
thousands of A2 applicants
have still not received any land one and half
years after their names
appeared in the press declaring their applications
successful. Some have
suggested that President Mugabe fire those of his
lieutenants who have abused
the land reform programme for self-enrichment in
order to show that he does
not condone corruption and also to instil public
confidence in the
programme.
Comment from The Mail & Guardian (SA), 27 October
The power of political ideas
Tony Fluxman and Peter Vale
Little has
been written about political change in unjust political systems
such as
Zimbabwe. Attention should fall on those at the sharp end of
oppression - a
country’s people. It is their support, or compliance, that
enables oppressive
minorities to sustain their power. Two conceptual
approaches help to explain
the relationship between people and oppressive
regimes. In the first, the
authority is maintained by force or coercion -
the threat of force. Its
operation is as simple as it is brutal. When any
individual, or group, acts
against power they are met with costly sanctions.
Given this, only a minority
are prepared to suffer the costs involved in
challenging a repressive regime.
The second approach argues that coercive
rule is insufficient to maintain a
regime because even a powerful minority
can never contain subversion by the
majority. What maintains a regime, in
these circumstances, is that the
oppressed believe that rule over them is,
in some sense, justified. So, for
instance, the ruling elites deserve to
rule because they come from noble
stock - Swaziland is a case in point. Or,
they are divinely sanctioned to
rule as in the case of theocracies such as
Iran. In modern times elite rule
is more often justified by the argument
that holds that inequalities are
essential to uphold the living standards of
the majority. Without wealth
differentiation things would be infinitely
worse because there would be no
inducements to create wealth. Other
variations of the same idea abound - for
instance, the superiority of
racially based fitness to rule was used to
justify apartheid. So, how is
rule in Zimbabwe maintained - by coercion or by
ideology?
Take the first. Even though it is in the interest of the
majority to revolt
against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, it is not
rational for any
particular individual to do so without an assurance that
equally oppressed
fellow citizens would do likewise. In the face of a
well-organised security
apparatus, the risk to an individual is not worth it
unless the vast
majority of Zimbabweans also act. On this interpretation, the
Zimbabwean
case seems to be a classic case of a coordinated minority facing
an
uncoordinated majority. But there is more to the argument. Consider
this:
Zimbabwean repression - brutal though it undoubtedly is - is not the
worst
case of repression in history. In more brutal regimes there has often
been
strong resistance. While the South American dictatorships stand out,
there
is much evidence of resistance in Cold War Eastern Europe and even
earlier,
during the Nazi period. Given the awful everyday treatment of the
Zimbabwean
state to its citizens and their decline in living standards, not
to mention
the absence of social welfare, should one not expect more
resistance? One
possibility for this lack of resistance is the so-called
"whining
mentality" - a tendency to blame all the ills of Africa on
colonialism,
imperialism and the like. This results in a passive acceptance
of immediate
circumstances because contemporary social conditions are held
hostage to an
awful past. The problem with this account is that it fails to
explain the
capability of Africans to wage wars of liberation against their
colonial and
apartheid oppressors. In fact, nation-building, political
struggles in
Africa are said to be synonymous with overcoming colonial
oppression. So
why, then, have Zimbabweans acquiesced to their oppression?
The answer lies
in the power of political ideas.
Liberation is an
effective weapon in the hands of post-liberation
governments. This is
powerfully shown in Zimbabwe where the ruling Zanu PF,
and Zanu PF alone,
carries the mantle of liberation. The ruling party’s
interests and those of
the masses are claimed to be identical, even when
there is patently a gulf
between them. As the gap widens even further,
ideological appeal takes on a
negative tone. So, as Zimbabwe’s president
emphatically claims with each
speech, his country faces a threat from its
old enemy, the British
colonisers. In this characterisation of their
destiny, embattled citizens are
presented with only two political options -
the return of colonial domination
or the status quo. And here, the power of
memory is central. Oppressive rule
is constantly buttressed by simple
contrasts between secure insiders and
hostile outsiders. The final years of
apartheid South Africa present a
powerful example of this phenomenon. Given
the power of this discourse, if
liberation is to be successful and, most
importantly, sustainable, then
Africans need to develop a new alternative
progressive ideology, one that can
create a third alternative to which the
oppressed can give their allegiance.
What exactly the content of this is is
for the oppressed and their leaders to
determine. The above ideas indicate
that the management of political change
in a country like Zimbabwe, as often
suggested by pundits — who habitually
resort to stylised answers informed by
a narrow understanding of democracy -
is problematic because it fails to
deal with the more fundamental processes
at work in the society. These need
deeper understanding and critical
inquiry.
Tony Fluxman a is senior lecturer in the politics department of
Rhodes
University and Peter Vale holds the Nelson Mandela chair in that
department
BBC
Jailed Zimbabwe news chiefs 'suffering'
A
lawyer representing four directors of Zimbabwe's only independent
daily
newspaper has complained that they are being imprisoned in
inhumane
conditions.
The directors were arrested on Monday after the
paper, the Daily News,
was closed down over the weekend.
Their
lawyer, Gugulethu Moyo, told the BBC that the four - Samuel
Nkomo, Rachel
Kupara, Michel Mattinson and Brian Mutsau - were being held in
a tiny,
unsanitary prison cell and had been denied medicines.
Ms Moyo, who
is the newspaper's legal adviser, said the director of
public prosecutions
had told her they would appear in court on Wednesday,
charged with operating
without a licence and of contempt of court.
Latest
setback
The closure of the Daily News at the weekend came after the
paper had
reappeared on newsstands for the first time in six
weeks.
With a front-page headline saying "We're back", the daily
went on sale
on Saturday, following a court ruling that the authorities were
wrong to
refuse it a licence.
But the resumption of publication
turned out to be short-lived as
police shut the newspaper's offices and
detained one director, Washington
Sansole.
The authorities said
Friday's court ruling did not give them
permission to start
publishing.
The paper's lawyers disagreed, saying the ruling
rendered media
regulations invalid.
On Monday, chief executive
Mr Nkomo and three other directors were
arrested and charged with publishing
without a licence, bringing the total
in custody to five.
This
is the latest setback for the Daily News, which is known for
being highly
critical of President Robert Mugabe and his government.
Legal
dispute
Under controversial legislation introduced last year, all
newspapers
must apply for a licence through the state's Media and
Information
Commission (MIC).
In September, police
seized computer equipment and closed down the
Daily News offices after a
ruling by the supreme court that the paper was
operating without a
licence.
The commission then denied the paper a licence, saying it
had missed
the deadline for applications and failed to supply the commission
with free
copies of the paper, as required under the law.
In
Friday's ruling, the judge said the commission had not been
properly
constituted invalidating all its actions to date.
The court has now
ordered the MIC to issue a licence by 30 November.
VOA
Zimbabwe Nurses Join Doctors' Strike
VOA News
28 Oct 2003,
16:39 UTC
Nurses at Zimbabwe's largest state-run hospitals have
walked off the job,
joining doctors in a strike for higher wages.
Nurses
say the government has not yet responded to their pay proposals from
last
year. The striking nurses are quoted by the state-run Herald
newspaper
Tuesday as saying they will not go back to work until they hear
from the
government. They made the decision to strike on Monday.
The
Herald reports the nurses are paid the equivalent of US$170-270 per
month at
the official exchange rate. But the salaries are worth about seven
times less
at the black market rate for the Zimbabwean dollar at which most
goods are
priced.
Junior and mid-level doctors in Zimbabwe also complain the
government has
ignored requests to review their wages. They say they will
continue their
strike until their demands for a large pay increase are
met.
It is not clear what impact the work stoppage is having on medical
services
in Zimbabwe.
But one senior doctor told VOA on condition of
anonymity that only a
skeleton staff and student nurses are working at one of
the country's
leading hospitals.
The doctor also says the emergency
section of the hospital was closed, and
patients who can afford it are going
to private hospitals.
The Herald report says the combined strike has
paralyzed operations at
hospitals in Harare, Mpilo and
Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic crisis in more than 20
years, with
soaring inflation and chronic shortages of fuel and
cash.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
Act On Human Rights Violators, World Churches Say
Catholic
Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
October 28, 2003
Posted to
the web October 28, 2003
Nairobi
The World Council of Churches
(WCC) has expressed grave concern over the
assault of human rights activists
in Zimbabwe, and called on the government
in the Southern African country to
prosecute those responsible.
In an October 28, 2003 letter addressed to H
E Honourable Patrick Chinamasa,
Zimbabwean Minister of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs, the world
church body cited violations committed
against members of the judiciary and
defenders of human rights between
January and October 2003.
"The World Council of Churches," the letter
said in part, "is deeply
concerned at the deteriorating law and order
situation in Zimbabwe.
During the year 2003, there [has] been an
unprecedented increase in
incidents of police harassment and brutality
against human rights defenders
and members of the Judiciary."
The WCC
urged the government "to take immediate steps to restore the rule of
law and
put an end to arbitrary arrests, torture and killings."
"The most recent
of such incidents took place on the night of 12th October,
when Mrs Beatrice
Mtetwa, a renowned human rights lawyer, was assaulted by
the personnel of the
Zimbabwe Republic Police stationed at Borrowdale Police
Station. The security
personnel have the duty and responsibility to protect
the citizens of
Zimbabwe," said the letter, signed by Peter Weiderud,
Director, Commission of
the Churches on International Affairs at WCC.
"On behalf of the World
Council of Churches, I call on Your Excellency to
order an immediate enquiry
into the case of Mrs Mtetwa and others who have
been the subject of police
brutality, and ensure that justice is done to
them. Those responsible for
such reprehensible acts must be brought before
the court of law for trial,"
Weiderud said.
Other victims include Mr Gabriel Shumba (January 2003),
Justice Benjamin
Paradza (February 2003), Mr Alec Muchadehama (March 2003),
Mr Reginal
Chidawanyika (June 2003), and Mr Dumisani Kufaruwenga and
Mpokiseng Dube
(August 2003).
The WCC observed in August/September
2003 that "We share the pain and
suffering of the people of Zimbabwe as a
result of escalating violence and
repression of fundamental human rights by
the state and groups encouraged
and supported by the government. The
violence, intimidation, unlawful arrest
and torture perpetrated by the
police, ruling party militia and other state
agents must come to an
end."
Formally inaugurated in 1948, the WCC is a fellowship of 342
churches in
more than 100 countries, in all continents and from virtually all
Christian
traditions. It enjoys close cooperation from the Roman Catholic
Church.
Save Schools From Collapse
The Herald (Harare)
October 28,
2003
Posted to the web October 28, 2003
Ruth
Butaumocho
Harare
A DANGEROUS wave of violence in the form of
demonstrations has hit a number
of schools in the country, placing the
education system under scrutiny.
Several schools have in the past few
weeks staged protests in what many
critics have described as a "wave of
revolution" that seems to be taking
place in schools, particularly in high
schools.
There seems to be a similarity in the causes of the unrest -
alleged
ill-treatment by teachers, poor and inadequate facilities and
alleged
embezzlement of funds by school authorities.
Disgruntlement by
teachers is also said to be very high since school heads
were given the power
to hire school staff.
Morale is allegedly very low and teachers were
spending the better time of
their working hours doing nothing.
Last
month, Mufakose 1 High pupils went on the rampage and destroyed
school
property worth millions of dollars protesting against alleged misuse
of
funds by school authorities.
During the demonstration, the pupils,
who were singing revolutionary songs,
shattered windows in classrooms and
threatened to beat up the headmaster who
sought refuge at a nearby
school.
Two weeks ago, Dzivaresekwa High 1 and its annex, Nhamburiko
Primary School,
were plunged into a state of confusion as students, parents
and teachers
protested against alleged abuse of funds and harassment of
teachers by the
headmistress.
At the beginning of this month, Lower
and Upper Sixth boarding pupils at
Chipindura High School in Bindura went on
the rampage and destroyed property
worth millions of dollars in protest
against inadequate food.
The pupils started the violent protests during
supper after they had not
been served with potatoes, which is part of their
supper.
Last week, pupils at St Augustine's Mission in Penhalonga
boycotted lessons
and threatened to march into town in protest against a
school official they
alleged sexually harassed girl pupils.
Normalcy
only returned to the school after the diocesan education secretary
addressed
the students and promised them that the matter would be
looked
into.
The streak of violence has not been confined to pupils
alone, but also to
some parents who have had to resort to demonstrations as a
way of airing
their grievances at school heads.
When Mufakose 1 High
pupils were engaged in running battles with school
authorities, most parents
withdrew children attending Nyabira Primary School
protesting against alleged
misuse of funds and maladministration by school
authorities.
The
school is said to have obtained a peace order from the magistrates'
court
against some parents.
What has taken place in schools is a clear
indication of collapsing
structures within the education system.
While
authorities feel that demands were getting out of hand, observers say
the
demonstrations could be justified and could be a pointer to
serious
maladministration practices currently taking place in these
institutions.
A teacher from Mufakose 1 High who refused to be named for
fear of
victimisation said although there is an element of violence when
students
demonstrate, their grievances should not be dismissed
lightly.
"Some of the complaints that students raised when they went on
strike were
very genuine, although they were put forward in the wrong
context.
"For instance, the parents and the school administration agreed
that the
school bus could be used to generate income by hiring it out, but it
is not
clear how the money is being used.
"In fact, there is no
accountability of the income that is being generated,"
the teacher
alleged.
He said all this rot was taking place in full view of the pupils
who
resorted to a demonstration with the hope that the Ministry of
Education,
Sport and Culture would quickly move in and investigate the
issue.
"Sadly, the education ministry and the School Development
Association have
decided to sweep these concerns under the carpet," he
said.
Some Harare parents have had to transfer their children from a
Government to
a private school owing to declining standards.
The
problems besetting schools were largely due to the "usurping powers" of
the
School Development Associations (SDA) that have apparently been given to
them
by the education ministry.
It is alleged that headmasters, with the
blessing of SDAs, were now behaving
as gigantic monsters whose authority is
beyond check, hence the
demonstrations by students to express their
displeasure.
Teaching staff, on the other hand, no longer had a say in
school operations,
as they feared reprisals.
Most parents interviewed
acknowledged the fact that morale on the part of
teachers, especially in
Government schools had plunged to an all-time low.
Because the teachers
have failed to channel these grievances, they were now
inciting students to
protest against authorities.
"There is a high degree of abuse of funds,
serious cases of
maladministration being perpetuated by headmasters acting in
connivance with
SDA members.
"More often than not the school
administrators often handpick these SDA
members, and as such they have no say
when such shady activities occur.
Vanenge vachiguta (they also benefit," said
a parent.
The parent had to transfer her daughter, who had been
constantly harassed
for complaining of declining standards at the
school.
"I was labelled a rebel parent because I would take the
school
administrators to task on the standards of the school.
"It is
also amazing how docile parents are when it comes to such issues. One
day we
will wake up to no school at all because the fact remains that
teachers are
not performing and there is no one checking on that," said an
irate
parent.
Echoing the same sentiments was another Harare parent who said it
seemed
school operations were now detached from the parent
ministry.
"Some schools are being run like autonomous bodies, where
decisions are
being made between SDAs and school authorities, bypassing the
parent
ministry," said the parent.
These perennial revolutions rocking
secondary schools seem to suggest the
absence of dialogue between pupils and
school administrators.
Secretary for Education Dr Thompson Tsodzo said
demonstrations in schools
were normal, particularly during the final term, as
students try to "steam
off" the tension that is created by examination
preparations.
"There is really nothing unusual with the recent
demonstrations that have
rocked secondary schools in the country, with the
exception of Mufakose 1
High.
"There are serious problems at the
school, and we have since instituted
investigations to try and get to the
root of the problem at the school.
There are some elements within the SDAs
which are using the school as a
platform to campaign for a council position
in the area," said Dr Tsodzo.
Dr Tsodzo lambasted the teaching staffers
for being too casual in executing
their duties.
"Teachers are becoming
more irresponsible, and we are beginning to think
that the teaching course is
getting more lax."
He promised that his ministry would flush out elements
bent on
revolutionising the teaching profession in an unacceptable
manner.
However, some analysts have indicated that all is not well in the
education
ministry and only time will tell.
This constant disruption
of lessons is set to have long-term implications to
the educational standards
in this country.
During these demonstrations, classes are disrupted and
students who would be
studying for technical subjects which require a lot of
practicals and
experiments tend to lose concentration.
It is,
therefore, incumbent upon the ministry to seriously address
problems
besetting schools to avoid a total collapse of the country's once
vibrant
education system that was regarded as one of the best in the
region.
The ministry is faced with a crisis, which, if not arrested now,
might never
wake up from its deep slumber.
"It would be interesting to
find out how many Government officials have
children attending these
schools.
"We believe their children are in private schools and they could
not be
bothered about standards at Government schools where every Tom, Dick
and
Harry goes to," said a parent.
Education in Zimbabwe is definitely
in intensive care and the responsible
minister should do something urgently
to save the schools from collapse.
Education is a right, not a
privilege.
Korea Herald
Last straw for Zimbabwe?
The
solidarity among African leaders that has sustained Robert Mugabe's
brutal
regime in Zimbabwe may be on the verge of disintegrating and his
decision to
shut down Zimbabwe's only independent newspaper, The Daily News,
could prove
to be crucial in weakening the support that he still enjoys in
the
region.
Three years ago a truck packed with explosives careened
into the
building housing the newspaper and its printing press was destroyed.
With
the assistance of foreign donors, The Daily News acquired a new press
and
managed to keep publishing a first-rate newspaper.
Despite
government attempts since then to shut the paper down -
arresting and even
torturing some of its staff, as well as tampering with
its circulation and
newsprint supply - The Daily News adhered to its slogan
of "telling it like
it is." As Zimbabwe plunged into economic chaos and
Mugabe stepped up his
repression circulation, once around 100,000 a day,
fell by roughly a
third.
Last month, Mugabe's riot police, armed with AK-47 rifles,
raided the
paper, halting production and looting much of its equipment -
though not the
new printing press, which was too big to carry
away.
The purported reason for closing The Daily News is that the
paper
refused to register under the bizarrely named Access to Information
and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) of 2002 on the grounds that it
violates
Zimbabwe's constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression. Under
the
AIPPA, reporters are required to file their home addresses with
the
government; presumably this is what the word "privacy" in the law's
title
means. Reporters may face criminal prosecution for publishing
inaccurate
information; apparently, this is the basis for the reference to
"access to
information."
At least a dozen journalists have been
arrested under AIPPA, including
the only foreign correspondent permanently
based in the country, Andrew
Meldrum of the British newspaper The Guardian.
Meldrum was subsequently
deported.
The Mugabe regime has
committed outrage after outrage. Its catalogue
of crimes includes: stealing
the 2002 elections that enabled Mugabe to hold
on to power; torturing and
murdering supporters of the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change;
transformation of a fertile, prosperous country once
considered Africa's
breadbasket into a place where half the population
barely survives on foreign
food handouts; and, as exemplified by its attacks
on The Daily News, the
suppression of critical voices. Yet Zimbabwe's
neighbors, particularly those
in Southern Africa, have defended President
Mugabe.
In late
August, the heads of state of 13 members of the Southern
African Development
Community (SADC), including Mugabe and President Thabo
Mbeki of South Africa,
the leading regional power, met in Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania, to consider the
challenges before them.
Among the 54 paragraphs of the Summit Final
Communique, two dealt with
Zimbabwe. One proclaimed "solidarity with Zimbabwe
to encourage and sustain
the positive developments that are taking place."
The other condemns "the
Commonwealth, the European Union (EU) and the United
States of America
sanctions, as they hurt not only ordinary Zimbabweans but
also have profound
social and economic implications on the region as a
whole."
The suggestion that international sanctions are a cause of
Zimbabwe's
economic woes is ludicrous, as the measures that have been imposed
have
nothing to do with trade. Indeed, it is the governments cited in
the
communique that are donating the food that keeps Zimbabweans alive.
The
targeted sanctions address such matters as the foreign bank accounts
of
Mugabe and his associates and their right to travel to Europe and the
United
States on holidays and shopping trips.
Yet the closing of
The Daily News seems to have prompted the first
signs that things may be
changing. Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo
responded to the paper's
closure by announcing that Mugabe would not be
invited to the December
meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting scheduled to take
place in his capital, Abuja. President Mbeki
reacted to Obsanjo's
announcement with what South Africa's business weekly,
The Financial Mail,
described as "surprise and consternation."
Much depends on whether
Africa follows the path now being charted by
Obasanjo or whether the
continent's leaders stick to the line of SADC and
Mbeki. It is not only the
future of Zimbabwe that is at stake. Also at issue
is whether the rest of the
world takes seriously the commitments to
democracy and good governance in the
New Economic Partnership for Africa
Development (NEPAD) and the Constitutive
Act for the new African Union.
Mbeki and Obasanjo took the lead in making
these commitments. Zimbabwe tests
whether they will
deliver.
Aryeh Neier, president of the Open Society
Institute and a founder of
Human Rights Watch, is the author most recently of
"Taking Liberties: Four
Decades in the Struggle for Rights." -
Ed.
By Aryeh Neier
Copyright: Project
Syndicate
2003.10.29