The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
Zimbabwe's Mugabe visits Egypt
October 3,
2003
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak discussed the
situation in Liberia
and developments in Sudan with his Zimbabwean
counterpart Robert Mugabe, the
official al-Gumhuriya newspaper
reported.
In its Friday edition, the newspaper said Mugabe had
stopped over in
Cairo on his way back from New York, where he addressed the
United Nations
General Assembly.
Mugabe has been widely
criticized for his rule of Zimbabwe, which was
suspended from the
Commonwealth over its poor human rights record and the
president's
contentious re-election in a vote widely condemned as rigged.
However Mugabe still has some support in Africa.
He made a private
visit to Egypt in June, when he also held talks with
Mubarak
ABC News, Australia
Friday, October 3, 2003. 9:15am (AEST)
Zimbabwe
court sets date for paper to challenge closure
A court in Zimbabwe says it
will begin in two weeks hearing a challenge by
the country's only independent
newspaper, the Daily News, against the
state's refusal to grant it a license,
which led to the paper's closure.
The court ruled that it would start
hearing the Daily News's case on October
16, after lawyers for the paper
applied to the court for the matter to be
heard urgently.
"The
application is granted," the magistrate said in his ruling.
Last month
the Supreme Court ruled that the paper, a fierce critic of
President Robert
Mugabe's government, was operating illegally because it had
not registered
with a state-appointed media commission as required by law.
The Daily
News had challenged the law on the grounds it was
unconstitutional, but the
court ordered the paper to comply with the Access
to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) before challenging it.
The paper's
subsequent application to register with the commission was then
rejected, and
the paper immediately appealed to the country's administrative
court for an
urgent hearing, which was granted Thursday.
The paper's lawyers argued
that the paper was losing millions of Zimbabwe
dollars in revenue every day
following its closure by the authorities on
September 12.
"This is one
very important step towards final victory," Gugulethu Moyo, the
paper's legal
director told reporters outside the court.
The media commission had
opposed the paper's application, saying the Daily
News had deliberately
defied the law by refusing to register with them.
Media freedom in the
southern African country was thrust into the
international spotlight last
month when armed police raided the Daily News
offices and seized
equipment.
The forced closure caused an outcry both at home and
abroad.
Days later the High Court ordered that the paper should be
allowed to reopen
and that police should return the confiscated
equipment.
Some of the seized equipment was returned but police occupied
the paper's
offices and prevented staff from producing a paper, as the
government
prepared to lodge an appeal against the High Court
ruling.
Police returned to the paper's offices after that rejection and,
armed with
a warrant, which they did not have during earlier raids, took away
more
equipment.
Thursday's ruling in favour of the Daily News comes a
day after the Harare
High Court quashed an application by the paper to have
equipment returned
that had been seized during the succession of police
raids.
--AFP
UN 'letting torturer escape'
Andrew Meldrum in Pretoria
Friday October
3, 2003
The Guardian
The United Nations broke its own anti-torture
convention by allowing a
Zimbabwean police officer accused of torture to
leave its peace force in
Kosovo and return to Zimbabwe where he will probably
not face investigation.
Henry Dowa, a Zimbawe chief inspector, was named by
several victims as
having directed their torture, which included prolonged
beatings on the
soles of their feet and electric shocks causing convulsions.
The victims'
allegations were backed by medical examinations.
Human
rights groups urged the UN to arrest Chief Insp Dowa and put him on
trial for
torture. The UN declined, citing a lack of funds, and sent him
back to
Zimbabwe.
There had been plans to get Mr Dowa extradited to stand trial
in Britain
where some of his alleged victims now live.
Redress, the
London organisation which works for justice for survivors of
torture, claimed
that the UN had managed to break its own treaty by allowing
Mr Dowa to evade
arrest.
The group said yesterday it was unlikely Mr Dowa would be "held
accountable
for his alleged crimes, as torture is endemic and part of the
Zanu-PF
government's strategy to stay in power".
Last week Mr Dowa was
seen driving a police Land Rover in Harare.
"What is the UN doing? By
sending him back here they are allowing him to
torture another day. If the UN
does not help us, who is going to protect us
from known torturers?" a
Zimbabwean journalist said.
03 Oct 2003 00:47:00
GMT World Vision supplementary feeding eases child malnutrition |
The White House (Washington,
DC)
INTERVIEW
October 2, 2003
Posted to the web October 2,
2003
Washington, DC
9:30 A.M. EDT, The Roosevelt Room
THE
PRESIDENT: Listen, thanks. Just a couple of thoughts and then I'll
answer
your questions.
I'm really looking forward to welcoming President Kibaki
here to Washington
for a State Dinner. It's quite a dramatic event, I think
the President will
really enjoy the ceremony we have. My first hope is that
the weather
accommodates the arrival, because it is impressive. And it's a
way for us
to send a strong message, not only to the President, but to the
people of
Kenya, that, one, we respect the friendship; two, we like the
cooperation
that we have, particularly on counter-terrorism; three, we
respect democracy
in our country, and we like leaders who uphold the
democratic traditions --
the President has done that, it was a good, clean
election, he won
overwhelmingly. He is following through on some of his
campaign pledges,
which is an important part of democracy. One of the
campaign pledges, as
you know, is he's interested in fighting corruption.
And he's taking
action.
Our visit is a chance to signal clearly that
our strategy on the continent
of Africa to work with nations to help solve
regional disputes, and
particularly in this case, the Sudan, where the Kenyan
government has been
most helpful and very constructive. So this is an
important visit for us.
It comes on the heels of my trip to the continent.
It was an impressive
trip for me; I remember it, and will remember it for a
long time.
There are issues on the continent that are important for
America, and there
are opportunities on the continent that are important for
the people on the
continent and the world. And Kenya is a key player and a
leader in East
Africa. So that's why he's coming, and I look forward to it,
it's going to
be a grand day.
Let me answer a couple of questions,
we'll go around and save Charlie until
the last here. Martin.
Mr.
President, it's a pleasure to be here. Overall -
THE PRESIDENT: Please
don't take it personally, Charlie. (Laughter.)
- Overall, how does Kenya
rank on your scorecard, since a new government
took over in January? And in
that light, how do you -- what would you say
about recent events where three
journalists were arrested and intimidated
into talking about, you know, where
they got a source. Kenya has a leak
issue of it's own. (Laughter.) That
kind of seemed to --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. I'm against leaks, Martin.
(Laughter.) And I would
suggest all governments get to the bottom of every
leak of classified
information. (Laughter.) And, by the way, if you know
anything, Martin,
would you please bring it forward and help solve the
problem? (Laughter.)
In this particular case, it's actually the method
with which they went
around dealing with it. That kind of, like, sent a
chilling message.
THE PRESIDENT: No, I understand. First, the fact that
Kenya is coming, the
President is coming for a State Dinner, as I say, is a
sign of our respect
for the President and for the importance of Kenya, and
meeting common goals
and common objectives.
Our country believes in a
free press, a free, unfettered press. And we
believe that part of having a
society which is able to battle corruption is
a society in which the press
flourishes. And I must say, I don't know all
the particulars, so it's hard
for me to comment about this particular
incident -- but I will make the case
that a free press is essential to a
democratic and free and honest
government. The press, you know, has got the
capability, a very powerful
capability of holding people to account and I
respect that element in the
press.
So, again, I don't know the particulars, but the President will
hear me talk
about all aspects of democracy.
Kevin.
Yes. Mr.
President, thank you very much for inviting me. I appreciate it
very
much.
You mentioned in your opening remarks about Kenya's cooperation
with the
United States on counter-terrorism matters. You're, no doubt, well
aware,
too, that Kenya has been harmed, economically harmed by the many
travel
advisories -- both by the United States and Britain that have been
issued --
no doubt for warranted reasons. But, at the same time, is there a
way that
the United States can be helpful to Kenya in this
respect?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, a lot of Americans love to
travel to
Kenya. It is a spectacular destination spot. We have an
obligation as a
government to call it as we see it, though, when it comes to
security
matters. It's very important for us as a government to maintain
our
credibility with the American people and to say -- you know, to
make
assessments. And we have made the assessment that at the moment, Kenya
is a
place where our citizens should be wary of traveling. And the bombing
of
Mombassa is clearly an example of what we're talking
about.
However, we also believe it's important to work with Kenya to
relieve the
situation. It's not only for our own national interests, it's
for Kenya's
interest that we mutually deal with terrorists. That's why we
put fort the
$100 million on the East African Counter-terrorism initiative.
Kenya will
be a key player in that. Kenya has been very cooperative on
intel, we're
sharing intelligence.
The intent of the terrorists, of
course, is to spread fear. That's one of
their weapons, in that they're
willing to kill innocent people; in that,
they're willing to murder anybody
who is convenient to murder, they then are
able to spread fear. And one of
the consequences of terrorist activity is
to create an environment of fear.
We're working with Kenya to relieve the
environment.
And, you know, we
had a restriction on our families at the embassy -- that
has been changed.
So in other words, things are improving. And at some
point in time,
hopefully, soon, we'll be able to make a declaration about
Kenya. But we
will do so, you know, by keeping, kind of, the real situation
in mind. And I
do want to emphasize, though, that, obviously, we don't
believe that the
situation is permanent. Otherwise, we wouldn't be dealing
with the President
like we are, in kind of a very public way. And we
believe that together we
can change circumstances. We have seen
circumstances change from lack of
security to security, a place where it was
hard to travel, to a place where
it's easy to recommend travel. And I
believe that can happen here in
Kenya.
But I understand fully the concerns of people who make a living as
a result
of U.S. citizens and citizens from Great Britain
traveling.
Right, right. And if I may, I mean, the government -- the
Kenyan government
obviously looks to the United States to be supportive and
helpful. And the
advisories have had the opposite effect. I recognize that
you're trying to
do what you can --
THE PRESIDENT: No, actually, I'm
sure the President will bring this up. I
hope he does bring this up because
we will be able to explore ways to work
to create the conditions so that the
advisories can come off.
And we just want -- but we err on the side of
caution when it comes to
issuing advisories. You know, we'd all like to --
we certainly don't want
to damage our friend, unnecessarily damage our
friend. On the other hand,
we have an obligation to be frank and honest with
the American people. So
we'll work through it.
Thank you
THE
PRESIDENT: Thank you, Kevin. Esther.
Thank you, Mr. President, for this
opportunity to talk to you this morning.
Looking back, Mr. President, you've
talked about your trip in Africa. And
I'm wondering whether there's anything
that you look back and say the U.S.
did not involve itself with Africa and
which you would like to do now, when
you're in the office?
THE
PRESIDENT: Well, I felt like we needed to expand the AIDS Initiative.
But I
felt that way before I want. And so when I went, I was, one,
delivering the
message that we will help. We will help to the tune of $15
billion over five
years. There's been, you know, debate about whether or
not I meant $15
billion over five. I do mean it. But some have suggested,
well, maybe the
best way to spend that money is divide $15 billion by five,
and it will be $3
billion a year. We think there's a better way to do it,
and we're working
with Congress to get the appropriations out as we speak.
The judgment
from the administration's perspective and listening to the
experts is it's
best to ramp up, start slower and end up with more in the
end, in order to
make sure the dollars are spent efficiently and that help
is delivered in a
way that saves lives. And that's what we're working
through with the
Congress right now, through the appropriations process.
But my message was is
that we're very sincere about this program, and that
the United States must
expand its efforts.
I also was really, as best as I could, calibrating
the delivery systems in
some of the countries we went to. In other words,
it's one thing to provide
the aid and the money and the medicines. The other
question is, can they
actually get to the people that need help? The
vibrancy of the faith-based
programs or the charities or the NGOs -- how
strong are they in these
receptive countries? How receptive is the government
to receive the help?
Will the government be counterproductive to our
efforts?
And, you know, look, admittedly, I didn't go to every single
country that's
going to receive help from this Emergency AIDS Initiative.
But it gave me a
sense to then be able to listen to others who had been to
the countries and
to calibrate and to get a sense of what the infrastructures
look like.
Kenya is a part of this initiative. And I look forward to talking
to the
President about this initiative. It is a vital initiative.
Mr.
President, I'm wondering about the 58th session of the U.N. General
Assembly,
where you talked about illegal trade of human trafficking, which
is rampant
in West Africa, like Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. And I'm
wondering what
the U.S. government is doing in collaboration with the Africa
n governments
to eradicate this problem, which also comes about because of
poverty -- some
parents willing to give out their children to go and work as
sex slaves or do
cheap labor, because they have no money.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, no, I
appreciate that. It's hard to believe a parent
would be willing to send
their daughter into sex slavery, willingly. But
in -- yes, I mean, as a dad,
it's just hard for me to fathom.
They probably won't know what happens to
their children, but they give them
for money.
THE PRESIDENT: Well,
yes, they're not specifically -- that's what I
thought. I mean, I doubt that
they would -- you know, I don't know. Look,
first, it's to improve the
economic of the continent by trade. AGOA is a
real opportunity, and we're
sincere about AGOA, and we believe in AGOA, and
we're leading the way on
AGOA. And that will help, hopefully, alleviate the
poverty that sends people
into such desperate straits that they're willing
to sell their child -- in
essence, is what you're saying.
Secondly, in terms of the role of the
United States in terms of sex slavery,
it is very essential for the United
States to start with the big megaphone,
which is what I did. And I called
upon the Security Council, kind of the
collection of nations to speak with
one voice. And then we can start
working bilaterally. It's not just in
Western Africa where there's an
issue, there's an issue in parts of Europe,
there's an issue in parts of the
Far East. And I intend to bring this issue
up as I meet with leaders,
particularly in affected areas.
I've met
with -- gosh, I don't know how many leaders of African nations I
have met
with. I would say, a lot.
DR. FRAZER: Over 26.
THE PRESIDENT:
My only point is, is that I'm constantly meeting with
leaders, which will
give me an opportunity to bring this issue up. In order
to solve the
problem, it's not only the need to address poverty, it's also
the need for
governments to deal with those who are the slave traders, or
the slave
masters, however you want to call them. We've dealt with this
issue once in
our civilized history. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, we need
to deal with
it again.
So this is an effort where it's going to take a collective
effort around the
world. The United States alone cannot change. We can do
our part about
sending signals. We can do our part about helping alleviate
poverty. We
can do our part about -- and by the way, we've got a program,
one of the
most active programs -- we're the active nation in the world when
it comes
to helping alleviate hunger, for example. Maybe that's part of the
root
cause of -- I know it's part of the root cause of desperation, as well
as
disease. But we also pass laws and hold people to account. In other
words,
it's one thing to call for action, but then we must do it ourselves.
And
we've got the laws on the books to do so, and will.
Charlie, it's
about time. (Laughter.)
Yes, sir. On your trip to Africa, after your
meeting with President Mbeki
in South Africa, we felt that your attitude or
stance was that you would let
President Mbeki and the regional leaders in
Southern Africa take the lead on
Zimbabwe.
THE PRESIDENT: Zimbabwe,
yes.
Yes. Zimbabwe, if anything, has gotten worse. Are you satisfied
with the
kind of pressures that Mbeki has -- President Mbeki has placed, or
the
countries of the neighborhood has placed on Zimbabwe, some
additional
pressures?
THE PRESIDENT: Let me review the history of
this. I did speak very clearly
to President Mbeki about Zimbabwe. I said,
you and the neighborhood must
deal with this man, you're sending a bad signal
to the world. Along with
Prime Minister Blair, we've been the two most
outspoken leaders on this
issue. And then our Secretary of State has followed
up consistently.
I know there was an impression at the press conference,
where I publicly
said, Mr. Mbeki assures me he'll deal with this issue, in
essence is what I
said. But, no, our government has not changed our opinion
about the need
for the region to deal with Zimbabwe and the leadership
there. In order for
there to be a country, a prosperous country, it is --
this is a country
which was a food exporter, in a region that needs food.
It's a country
where the economy has fallen apart as the result of bad
governance.
And we're constantly making the point to leadership that
comes in. I made
the point in New York to the leader of Mozambique, who is
in the
neighborhood.
Oops, my tape -- don't worry.
THE
PRESIDENT: I'm just getting -- cranking up, Charlie. (Laughter.)
I will
remember. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: No, you won't remember. It's
impossible to remember
eloquence. (Laughter.) You must capture it.
(Laughter.) No, nobody should
read any -- look, we are pressing the issue
regularly.
Are you satisfied, though, with what Mr. Mbeki and the other
people are
doing?
THE PRESIDENT: The only time that this government
and I, personally, will
be satisfied is when there is an honest government,
reformed government in
Zimbabwe, that's our goal. That's the definition of
satisfaction. And that
hasn't happened yet; therefore, we're not
satisfied.
With Mr. Mugabe or Mr. Mbeki?
THE PRESIDENT: With the
process. Well, certainly not with Mr. Mugabe. And
when President Mbeki says
they are working on it, to achieve this goal, I
take him for his word. And I
am going to remind all parties that the goal
is a reformed and fair
government. And that hasn't been achieved yet. And
we'll continue to press
the issue, both privately and publicly, which I just
did.
Mr.
President, can I ask about --
THE PRESIDENT: Not yet. (Laughter.)
We're having an orderly discussion.
It reminds me of an American press
conference. When I ask the journalists,
please ask one question, and they
ask four or five at the same time, in the
same breath. It's hard to believe
-- there's a tremendous lack of
discipline in the U.S. press corps.
(Laughter.) Like the other day, I was
embarrassed when the AP -- a fantastic
organization, a wonderful reporter --
was able to ask four questions in one
breath -- (laughter) -- setting a
terrible precedent for the Russian press
that followed up.
I have four today, sir. (Laughter.)
THE
PRESIDENT: I'm sure you do. You've already asked one, "how's
the
knee?"
Three, then. (Laughter.) Mr. President, you mentioned AGOA
and how it's
anticipated that it will help alleviate poverty in Africa.
However, most
countries in Africa are still struggling just to begin to
export products
and don't seem to have the capacity to fully exploit what
AGOA promises.
And that seems to be an ongoing issue. If it's textiles,
there's no
capacity to reach the maximum quotas reserved for Africa. And
by
extension --
THE PRESIDENT: So far.
Right. And AGOA seems
to be Africa's stepping stone to globalization. Now,
just recently, the World
Trade Organization meeting collapsed, and that
seemed to symbolize a growing
frustration among most developing countries,
and particularly in Africa, that
globalization and AGOA in the same -- is
not really fair, it's not a level
playing field. Does this whole process
need to be rethought to try to give
them a little more capacity, to probably
go in and try and build structures
so that they can compete?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, listen, here -- we've got
a full-scale strategy on
dealing with economic opportunity. First let me
talk about the Millennium
Challenge Account, which is a central part of the
strategy, which basically
says we're willing to add aid if countries develop
the habits necessary to
be able to develop a just and honorable society:
transparency,
anti-corruption, focus on the people, a market orientation to
their economy.
Secondly, AGOA creates opportunity. It's up to the
nations to seize the
opportunity. Our aid will help. We're more than
willing to work with
nations to help develop an entrepreneurial class that is
able to seize the
moment. And AGOA treats African nations fairly when it
comes to our
markets. And so our strategy is to help African nations develop
the
infrastructure necessary to achieve the markets.
And it starts
with good governance, in our judgment. That's the best thing
we can affect
-- and fight corruption, going to insist upon transparency,
insist upon
education practices that will help and we provide help for this.
On a wide
range of areas we help nations help themselves develop the economy
necessary
to take advantage of trade.
I believe that trade is the only way to help
nations grow out of poverty.
And so we've been open with our markets. The
bilateral relationship between
the United States and the continent of Africa
is a strong relationship. I
was sorry to see that there was a setback at the
World Trade Organization,
because I think that global trade will benefit the
African continent, as
well. It's important to open up markets, and that will
provide opportunity
for the African business sector.
And there's been
good progress in many countries, by the way, as a result of
AGOA. The amount
of trade that is coming to the United States from the
continent is dramatic.
I can't cite the statistic exactly right this
second. If I'm not mistaken,
the trade from Kenya to the United States is
upward of $400
million.
Yes, it's up substantially.
THE PRESIDENT: That's
substantial. Martin, that's good progress. I think
expectations ought to be
realistic that market-oriented economies aren't
going to happen instantly.
It takes -- there's a process that will help,
but the fact that trade is up
$400 million in Kenya is very positive. It
means there's more activity, more
jobs, more hope, more opportunity, all of
which can be fostered by good,
honest government, by the way. Or it can be
squandered by corrupt
government. And that's one of the reasons why the
Millennium Challenge
Account is part of our strategy on the continent, is to
promote the habits of
good and honest, decent government.
Kevin.
Yes, thank you, Mr.
President. You mentioned Sudan at the outset and the
importance of Kenya and
moving negotiations forward. Kenya has often seen
itself as an island of
stability surrounded by countries that have had
serious conflicts and
continue to have. Is the United States going to be
discussing that with Mr.
Kibaki and perhaps offering some specific
assistance as Kenya tries to bring
peace to Somalia, Sudan and the Great
Lakes region?
THE PRESIDENT:
Yes, interesting. Absolutely, we'll be talking about this,
because I view
that the best role the United States can play is be
supportive of regional
leaders and/or the capacity, for example, of African
peacekeeping forces to
carry the task of dealing with civil dispute. And
Kenya is playing a vital
role in the Sudan, along with former Senator Jack
Danforth. They work
closely together. It's a vital role to play.
And we will be encouraging
President Kibaki to continue on being a regional
leader. We will discuss
it. If he has got suggestions about how our State
Department and AID
programs can help him do a better job as a regional
leader, we're interested
in listening.
We also believe that we ought to continue training forces
such as ECOWAS, as
an example, to be prepared to take on peacekeeping
missions on the
continent.
Liberia is another -- am I answering your
question, Charlie? (Laughter.)
No, I've got it in my head here.
(Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I'll save it. That way I won't force you to
have to think
of another question. (Laughter.) You might have to slip into
the baseball
playoffs. (Laughter.)
Anyway, yes, we will talk about
that. It's a key role. You see, I believe
that Africa is plenty capable --
African nations are plenty capable of
dealing with dispute. I believe there
are very capable leaders on the
continent who are good, strong leaders. And
the role of the United States
is not to supplant them as problem-solvers, but
to help them solve problems.
And one of the reasons why I think AGOA is such
a strong statement by the
United States is it says we have faith in the
capacity of the people to take
advantage of this opportunity.
I talked
about the potential of the African continent. It's way beyond --
oftentimes
people talk about the potential of Africa as resource potential.
I view it as
people potential. And so this country takes a supportive role
in dealing
with the leadership, and recognizing that there are some strong
leaders that
are capable of handling the problems, as opposed to
supplanting
them.
Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Esther.
Mr.
President, I'm wondering, as Africa joins the rest of the world in
fighting
terrorism, whether there are any plans to involve not only the
governments,
but also the civil society and religious leaders who reach the
common
man?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. You know, the answer is, of course. And let
me put it
this way to you -- and I say this a lot, Esther, as I explain to
the
American people why we make the decisions we make. Free societies
are
societies which will not support terror. Free societies are societies
which
aren't at war with their neighbors. I mean, freedom has the capacity
to
change the behavior of the people.
So, you bet. I mean, a free
society is a society which, in itself,
recognizes the value of civil
society. Free societies are societies in
which the civil society is the
strength of the society. And to the extent
that there are religious leaders
preaching hatred that go beyond the scope
of free speech and free religion,
we try to work with leaders to work with
their religious counterparts not to
preach hatred and violence. But the
United States is committed to the
overall spread of free, honest, open
government. That's the heart of the
Millennium Challenge Account.
The Millennium Challenge Account -- again,
this is -- I'm trying to share
with you as much of my philosophy about
dealing with the continent as
anything else. I believe -- obviously, I
believe that people are plenty
capable of developing honest government and
transparent government, and
focusing resources where they need to be
focused. That's why we have laid
out the initiative. That's why we've
created this entirely new approach to
foreign aid on the continent -- and
elsewhere, by the way.
It essentially says, I believe in the inherent
goodness of men and women and
their capacity to govern themselves. And,
therefore, we want to work with
governments that make that choice. I
recognize not everybody is going to
make that choice, and I recognize
sometimes the path of least resistance is
corruption. And it's very tempting
to take -- you know, the head of a
government to be corrupt, as Kenya has
learned. And you've got a leader now
who is willing to stand up and fight
corruption. You've got an
anti-corruption czar in Kenya, which is a positive
development. Now the
person must do their work. You've got anti-corruption
legislation, which is
positive development.
And so one of the key
messages from this visit is, Mr. Kibaki, you're
proving our point. You're
leading. You're showing what is possible. And
to the extent that we work
with civil -- that in itself spurs a civil
society which is vibrant and
strong. A civil society -- kind of the
underpinnings of a free society as
opposed to a centralized government. And
the habits of freedom change the
attitudes of people.
Now, look, I readily concede there must be economic
vitality and growth
along with that in order to alleviate poverty. And part
of the central
component of our AIDS initiative is recognizing that a
pandemic that sweeps
through a continent will destroy the hopes of people.
It's incredibly
debilitating to the spirit when kids grow up as orphans after
their parents
have died a tough death. And this pandemic is wiping out a
generation.
And that's why I feel so passionate about leading the world
-- not just the
United States, but the world must step up and help in a way
that actually
works, in a way that changes the attitudes toward AIDS and save
lives.
Charles.
Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: They ever call you
"Charles"?
I had a school teacher once call me Charles.
(Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I'll join the crowd. Charles, what's on your
mind.
I'm open to learning. (Laughter.) I do, indeed, have a Liberia
question.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir. I was hoping you would bring
it up. This
isn't the first time you've asked me about Liberia.
No,
nor the last.
THE PRESIDENT: Nor the last, yes, I was about to say.
(Laughter.)
There was gun play in Monrovia, I guess,
yesterday.
THE PRESIDENT: There was.
There's deep suspicion of
this process in the sense that -- among
Liberians -- that these rebel groups
aren't much better than Charles Taylor.
And without getting some significant
control of the country, independent, if
you will, anything free and fair
seems remote. And there's puzzlement --
which is my question to you, at the
-- well, what one Liberian characterized
as the aloofness of this
administration toward the Liberian situation in
terms of concrete people on
the ground. There's puzzlement over this. How
do you respond?
THE
PRESIDENT: Yes, I respond this way, Charles.
Go ahead.
THE
PRESIDENT: I made it very clear from the beginning our strategy in
Liberia.
Now, remember, I have just told you that I believe on the
continent of Africa
is -- African nations are plenty capable of dealing with
issues such -- of
civil unrest, like in Liberia.
And I believe it's very important for our
government to be consistent in our
message, that we will help, we will help
train troops. And I said from day
one, Charlie, that we would provide help
to ECOWAS. By the way, a group of
folks we helped train in the past, and we
would provide enough presence to
enable ECOWAS to come in and do their job.
And we moved a Marine group of
troops in, secured the port. Remember the
first issue was the port? Would
the United States act to secure the airport
and port? Yes, we did. Would
we create the conditions necessary for ECOWAS
to move in, and then
eventually blue helmet the operation, which happened
yesterday, and that
encouraged others to participate along with the United
Nations? You bet we
did.
Now, we've kept a presence there. We've
kept a presence there to help
ECOWAS. So we've done everything we said we
would do. And the strategy has
worked. I recognize there was sporadic fire,
or however you want to
describe it, yesterday. And I suspect that that may
happen on an infrequent
basis.
But the process is working. The United
Nations will move in. They will
help supervise the elections. Hopefully,
they will be free and fair. This
is a good role for the United Nations. And
in the meantime, more troops
will be coming in. We worked collaboratively
with the United Nations to
help sign up nations to blue helmet -- to be blue
helmeted. And so I'm
pleased with the progress we have made in Liberia. We
have kept our word.
We have done exactly what we said we would
do.
Just not exactly what you were asked to do.
THE PRESIDENT:
Well, sometimes, Charlie, we don't do exactly what everybody
asks us to do.
We get a lot of requests. And, in this case, it fit -- the
strategy was a
part of a larger strategy on the continent to help people
help, in this case,
the regional situation to resolve it.
Ecowas has done a very good job.
President Obasanjo gets a lot of credit
for responding and moving Nigerian
troops in and providing the command
structure along with our help. I think
the situation has turned out a lot
better than people assumed it was going
to, and there's progress still to be
done. And the United Nations is now in
charge of the process, but we're
keeping people there to help with our
Nigerian friends.
Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank
you all, yes. I guess it's over. (Laughter.)
END 10:03 A.M. EDT
The Herald
14 police recruits discharged for mutinous
behaviour
Chief Reporter Lovemore Mataire
FOURTEEN police recruits at
Morris Depot in Harare were recently discharged
from the Zimbabwe Republic
Police for engaging in mutinous behaviour and
refusing to take lawful orders
from their superiors.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Wayne
Bvudzijena confirmed the
dismissal of the officers saying none of the
recruits had appealed against
the discharge.
"The fourteen were
discharged for inciting or joining in a mutiny, or
conspiring to cause
mutinous behaviour," said Asst Com Bvudzijena.
He said this was the first
time since independence that a whole squadron of
university graduates had
been dismissed for behaviour deemed unfit for
police officers.
The 14
recruits were University of Zimbabwe graduates and had just been left
with a
few months to complete the one-year training programme.
They were just
about to go on attachment at various police stations before
returning to the
Depot for the final examinations.
Asst Com Bvudzijena said refusal to
take lawful instructions and engaging in
a mutinous act were serious offences
that usually call for automatic
dismi-ssal.
He said after refusing to
take lawful orders, the recruits had to appear
before a police administrative
court where they were charged for inciting
mutinous behaviour under the
Police Act and Regulations.
Although each of the trainees was charged
separately, they were all found
guilty and later issued with dismissal
letters.
"Some people are beginning to insinuate that the officers were
victimised
but the truth of the matter is that we cannot tolerate such kind
of
behaviour in the ZRP.
"We have people who joined the force with
doctorate degrees but they had to
adhere to the norms and values of the ZRP,"
said Asst Com Bvudzijena.
After completing the course, the trainees were
supposed to start as
constables before being promoted.
The requirement
was in line with the ZRP’s single entry point adopted in
1989, which
stipulates that all police officers start at the rank
of
constable.
President Mugabe has in the past urged police to remain
alert and firm in
safeguarding the peace and stability in the country in view
of the threats
posed by internal and external forces.
In July, the
President told 478 graduating new police recruits at Morris
Depot that they
should continue being loyal to the Government, the law and
the country for
which many people lost their lives during the liberation
struggle.
He
said unlike the British South Africa Police which was an avowed enemy of
the
people, the birth of the ZRP in 1980 signaled the end of the
heartless
colonial system.
"The Zimbabwe Republic Police, as
protectors of a once dispossessed people,
should not dither in its support
for Government and the administration of
the laws of the country," Cde Mugabe
said.
He said police should be honest in discharging their duties and
those found
guilty of dishonesty should face stiff penalties.
The Herald
Zupco to lose 200 new buses, $7bn
Herald
Reporter
THE future of the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company now hangs in the
balance
following its failure to finance the acquisition of imported new
buses which
were expected to turn around the fortunes of the bus
company.
Zupco stands to lose over 200 new buses and $7 billion advanced
to Pioneer
Motor Company as cash cover for the purchase of its fleet of 250
Marcopolo
buses following the expiry on Wednesday of the deadline to raise
the foreign
currency required for the transaction. The new buses were key to
the
turnaround of Zupco since most of its buses had either been run down
or
grounded.
Although no comment could be obtained from Zupco, it is
understood that the
foreign currency repayment has been bogged down in
bureaucracy and heavy
lobbying by some local bus manufacturers and their
"agents" to stop the bus
deal from going through.
The passenger bus
company has only taken delivery of 48 buses that were
currently plying
Zimbabwe’s roads, including the one that was burnt down
during the riots
early this year.
A report compiled by an independent investigator
appointed by the chairman
of the State Procurement Board to look into the
procurement of the 250
Scania buses by Zupco last year, noted that the supply
agreement for the
buses required that Zupco should have paid Scania/Pioneer
Motor Company for
the buses in foreign currency.
"If by September end
2003, this payment has not been effected, then Zupco
stands to lose over $7
billion advanced to PMC as cash cover for the buses.
"This development is
prejudicial to the financial and operational interests
of Zupco," said the
report.
According to the report, the cost of the 48 buses that were
delivered to
Zupco was US$4 685 000, which would translate to Z$257 675 000
at a
concessionary rate of Z$55 to the US dollar.
At the export
support rate of Z$824 to the US dollar, Zupco would be
required to pay $3,86
billion to finance the 48 buses.
"The current option based on the cash
cover concept means that Zupco was
bound to part with $7,2 billion for the 48
buses.
"In this event, Zupco will not be able to turn the corner because
the number
of buses available have no capacity to service interest
repayments," said
the report.
The bus company’s recapitalisation plan
assumed a cost of $40 million per
bus and 250 buses in operation inorder to
finance the loan.
It is understood that the State Procurement Board,
which initiated the
investigation was refusing to condone the transaction
arguing that the
procurement of the buses was done irregularly by Zupco as it
did not go
through the tender board.
However, the report noted that
the green-light to purchase the buses was
given by a Cabinet Action Committee
at its meeting of August 5, 2002 where
it was reiterated that this issue was
a "matter of urgency to avoid the
total collapse of the transport
sector."
Although there was a standing Government requirement that
Government
organisations should procure vehicles from local assemblies, Zupco
sought
assistance from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to
obtain
authority from the President’s Office in procuring the Scania buses
from
South Africa.
According to the report, Zupco was advised through
a letter from the
Ministry of Transport which said: "Having given due
consideration to this
request, and with the concurrence of the Office of the
President and
Cabinet, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has in
terms of
Cabinet Circular No.2 of 2002, authorised Zupco to purchase the
first 70
buses from South Africa."
The investigator cleared Zupco of
any criminal intention and recommended
that the bus company be condoned to
the extent of the 48 buses purchased so
far.
"Since the agreement with
Scania covers 250 buses, it is important that all
the other intended
purchases should be done through the State Procurement
Board.
"It is
further recommended that to the extent of the US$4 million due to
Scania,
Government through the Reserve Bank should provide foreign currency
at a
concessionary rate or at most at the export support rate of Z$824 to
the US
dollar.
"Failure to bail out Zupco on this aspect implies that each bus
would cost
Z$150 million in terms of the agreement between Zupco,
Metropolitan Bank and
Pioneer Motor Company, such cost would not be
sustainable.
"Even though the current market cost of buses is well above
the $150 million
range, Zupco needs to capitalise on the fact that their deal
with Scania is
pegged in foreign currency and it can be possible to source
this foreign
currency cheaper.
"Another practical option is for the
Reserve Bank to pay for the buses and
consider the payment as a long-term
loan which Zupco will gradually
liquidate using forex earnings from the
company’s cross border activities,"
said the report.
News24
Deal with Zim, Bush tells SA
03/10/2003 08:43 -
(SA)
Washington - US President George W Bush on Thursday declared
himself "not
satisfied" with efforts so far to promote human rights and
political reforms
in Zimbabwe and urged its neighbours to keep up pressure
for change.
"The only time that this government and I, personally, will
be satisfied is
when there is an honest government, reformed government in
Zimbabwe," he
told African reporters. "That hasn't happened yet; therefore,
we're not
satisfied."
Prodded, Bush said he was not pleased "with the
process" and "certainly not"
with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, whose
country lies in the grips of a
festering political and social crisis, with
the economy in chaos and more
than five million people in need of donated
food.
He also indicated he hoped South African President Thabo Mbeki -
with whom
he met during a July trip to Africa - would continue to lead
regional
efforts to put pressure on Mugabe.
'Deal with it'
"Our
government has not changed our opinion about the need for the region to
deal
with Zimbabwe and the leadership there," said Bush, who added that he
had
sent the same message to Mozambique's President Joaquim Chissano when
they
met last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New
York.
"When President Mbeki says they are working on it, to achieve this
goal, I
take him for his word. And I am going to remind all parties that the
goal is
a reformed and fair government. And that hasn't been achieved yet.
And we'll
continue to press the issue, both privately and publicly," said
Bush.
The US president was speaking at a roundtable with African media to
set the
stage for Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's October 6 state visit to the
United
States.
IOL
Suspended Zim journos 'didn't show respect'
October 03
2003 at 04:25AM
By Basildon Peta
Two
journalists at the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation have
been
suspended because they were not solemn enough after the death of
President
Robert Mugabe's deputy, Simon Muzenda.
The Financial Gazette reported on
Thursday that the ZBC's acting head of
radio and television services, Susan
Makore, and head of production
services, Douglas Dhliwayo, had been
suspended.
"After the president had announced the death of Vice-President
Muzenda, ZTV
(the television station) and radio stations did not immediately
switch to
solemn programmes and music," one ZBC staffer told the
newspaper.
"This is what led to their suspension."
Efforts to get
comment from the ZBC and the two suspended staffers failed.
Muzenda was
declared a national hero and buried last week. The death of a
senior
government minister in Zimbabwe is often treated as a very
solemn
matter.
During the mourning and burial period, the
government-owned ZBC was expected
to switch to revolutionary songs and omit
hip-hop, soul and other music that
is considered
disrespectful.
Shortly after Mugabe announced the death of his other
vice-president, Joshua
Nkomo, in July 2001, the ZBC began airing
revolutionary songs and repeated
several speeches made by Nkomo during the
liberation struggle. - Independent
Foreign Service
Zim Independent
Moyo fraud case opens
Dumisani Muleya
MINISTER of
State for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo's fraud case
in Kenya,
where he stands accused of siphoning US$108 000 from his former
employer, the
Ford Foundation, has finally got under way.
The hearing into
the case began on Tuesday before the Kenyan High Court but
Justice Onesmus
Mutungi postponed the matter to allow parties involved to
prepare for four
consecutive days of trial, reports from Nairobi say.
Four witnesses
are expected from the United States, where the Ford
Foundation is based, to
testify in a civil action filed on January 22, 2001.
The Ford Foundation
has been suing Moyo and five others for allegedly
misusing US$414 000
advanced to the Series on Alternative Research in East
Africa Trust (Sareat)
for studies on policy issues.
Others sued in the case include Sareat
director Mutahi Ngunyi, Joshua
Nyunya, Milka Wanjiru Njuguna-Okidi, Monicah
Wanjiru and Talunoza Trust.
Talunoza, an organisation named after
Moyo's children, was allegedly used as
a conduit to transfer funds that the
minister later used to buy a house in
South Africa. Moyo has strongly denied
the allegations.
Moyo was a programme officerat the Ford Foundation
in Nairobifrom September
15 1993 to Dece-mber 31 1997 before he moved toSouth
Africa's Witwatersrand
University in 1998.
Ford Foundation alleged
Moyo, in collusion with Sareat trustees and an
accountant at the donor
agency's Kenyan office, received US$108 000 either
in person or through his
nominee.
Moyo was said to have later set up Talunoza Trust to siphon
funds from
Sareat for his personal use.
Ford has alleged Moyo
received US$10 000 from Sareat directly into his
personal bank account
through a bank telegraphic transfer dated January 23,
1998. On February 4,
1998 he is said to have obtained US$58 000 through a
"nominated account" in
South Africa. On the same date, Moyo also received
US$40 000 by bank
telegraphic transfer, it was claimed.
Ford alleged that Moyo
"unlawfully" received in total US$108 000either by
himself or through his
nominee. It also claimed Moyo, either in collusion or
partnership with Sareat
and Ngunyi, directed US$98 000 to be paid to his
nominated account in South
Africa.
Moyo in 2001 failed in a court bid to prevent the Zimbabwe
Independent
reporting on his case in Kenya.
Justice Chinhengo
ruled that whatever the merits of the case, the Kenya
summons clearly alleged
fraud and misappropriation.
Zim Independent
Mugabe/Tsvangirai close to
meeting
Staff Writers
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
leader Morgan Tsvangirai are close to a
face-to-face meeting ahead of the
resumption of talks between the ruling
party and the opposition.
Sources close to the talks said church
leaders had secured a meeting
with Mugabe, expected to take place as early as
next week.
After meeting Mugabe, the church leaders also expect
to meet
Tsvangirai before the leaders of Zimbabwe's main political parties
come
together.
"The church leaders are very close to having
Mugabe and Tsvangirai
meet as there is now clear interest from both sides to
talk," a source said.
The meeting would break the ice for the
resumption of the inter-party
talks that collapsed in May last year. There
have been various initiatives
to resuscitate dialogue ever
since.
The church leaders, Bishop Sebastian Bakare, Bishop
Trevor Manhanga
and Bishop Patrick Mutume, have been meeting Zanu PF leaders
over the past
couple of weeks in a bid to convince the ruling party to return
to the
negotiating table.
Talks between Zanu PF and the
church leaders suffered a setback in
August when the ruling party's head of
delegation to the talks with the MDC,
Patrick Chinamasa, accused them of
being opposition agents.
Manhanga yesterday could not give details
but said: "We are very happy
with the progress that has been made to
date."
MDC and Zanu PF leaders have reportedly been meeting to
clear
obstacles to dialogue.
Opposition leaders two weeks
ago demonstrated their commitment to
talks with Zanu PF by attending the late
Vice-President Simon Muzenda's
funeral. Mugabe appreciated the MDC's gesture
and made conciliatory remarks
during Muzenda's burial.
Sources say the church leaders have so far managed to push Zanu PF to
submit
its agenda document after the ruling party showed signs of reluctance
to do
so. The MDC submitted its position paper in July and has been waiting
for
Zanu PF to do the same before talks can resume.
Dialogue was
initially expected to restart last week but is now
anticipated to resume
anytime now.
Zim Independent
Zvinavashe to quit top military post
Dumisani
Muleya
THE commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) General
Vitalis
Zvinavashe, one of only three commissioned full generals after
Independence,
is expected to retire at the end of the year after more than 10
years at the
helm, it emerged yesterday.
Official sources said
Zvinavashe, who replaced General Solomon Mujuru as
army commander before he
was elevated to head both the Zimbabwe National
Army and Airforce of
Zimbabwe, would quit in December after two decades of
service in the
military.
Zvinavashe, retired ZNA commander Solomon Mujuru and former
Rhodesian army
chief Peter Walls are the only commissioned full generals
since
Independence.
News of Zvinavashe's pending retirement comes
against a background of
controversy in which he was earlier this year
implicated in a soft-landing
plan to ease Mugabe out of office in a
power-sharing deal with opposition
Movement for Democratic Change leader
Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zvinavashe and Zanu PF secretary for
administration Emmerson Mnangagwa were
named as the hidden hand behind
retired Colonel Lionel Dyck's approach late
last year to Tsvangirai over the
initiative.
Both Mnangagwa and Zvinavashe have denied allegations of
an attempted palace
coup.
Zvinavashe was also embroiled in
controversy last year before the disputed
presidential election in March when
he announced at a press conference that
the security agencies - the army,
airforce, intelligence and police - would
not salute an elected president who
had no liberation struggle credentials.
President Robert Mugabe is
understood to have referred to Zvinavashe's
departure during his recent visit
to Havana, Cuba, for the sixth session of
the Conference of Parties to the
United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification and Drought. Mugabe was
in Cuba on September 1-6.
A diplomat who closely followed Mugabe's
trip said the president indicated
that Zvinavashe was going during a meeting
with Zimbabwean embassy staff and
students at the ambassador's house in
Havana.
Zimbabwe's ambassador to Cuba, retired Major-General Jevan
Maseko,
Environment and Tourism minister Francis Nhema, CIO
director-general
Happyton Bonyongwe, Information and Publicity permanent
secretary George
Charamba, and other members of the presidential entourage
were present when
Mugabe reportedly suggested Zvinavashe would be
leaving.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Zvinavashe said he was not
in a position to
comment on the issue.
"If you heard the rumour
just write but as you know I don't determine that.
Ask those at the top. If
there is nothing official, then it means there is
no substance to that," he
said. "It's just like in a football match, players
don't determine the time
of play, the referee does. I'm a player and not the
referee."
Zim Independent
Govt asked to probe torturer Dowa
Blessing Zulu
THE
United Nations has asked the government to investigate a senior member
of the
Zimbabwe Republic Police who was serving in Kosovo for his
alleged
involvement in torture, the Zimbabwe Independent has
learnt.
Henry Dowa, a chief inspector in the Criminal Investigation
Department (Law
and Order Section) at the ZRP Harare Central Police station,
is reported to
be back in Zimbabwe.
In a press statement, Redress,
a group which helps to seek justice for
torture victims, said it had put
pressure on the United Nations Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) to act on Dowa. Dowa was seconded
to Kosovo as part of the Zimbabwe
contingent to UNMIK to help train the
local police force.
"It is
alleged that in 2001 and 2002 he was directly involved in serious
acts of
torture, including the use of electric shocks and beatings on the
bare soles
of the feet," Redress said in a statement.
Redress has expressed
concern that the Zimbabwe government would not take
appropriate action
against Dowa.
"Redress submitted that if Dowa was allowed to return
to Zimbabwe, he would
not be held accountable for alleged crimes as torture
is endemic and is part
of the Zanu PF government's strategy to stay in
power," the statement says.
Redress said after it had complained to
UN secretary-general Kofi Annan it
received a letter from the Department of
Peace-Keeping Operations at the UN
in New York acknowledging that it had
taken note of the allegations against
Dowa.
The letter confirmed
that the UN Convention against torture was part of the
applicable law in
Kosovo. An internal inquiry was launched in Kosovo, which
included an
interview with Dowa, and it was forwarded to the Kosovo
Department of Justice
as the competent authority in Kosovo to investigate
and possibly prosecute
him.
The UN Department of Justice said it "lacked the necessary human
and
financial resources to conduct a satisfactory investigation". It also
noted
that though Redress had asked for a third country to extradite Dowa,
no
request for this had been received and it said only Zimbabwe could do
this.
The UN formally requested the government of Zimbabwe to withdraw
Dowa from
service in Kosovo.
Police spokesperson Assistant
Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said it was
difficult for him to comment on the
matter.
"If the UN has written to the government it would be improper
for me to
comment on the matter," Bvudzijena said.
Zim Independent
Peer review in December
Shakeman Mugari
NIGERIAN
president Olusegun Obasanjo says the New Partnership for Africa's
Development
will launch the first phase of its peer review mechanism
sometime in
December.
"The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) panel held its
inaugural meeting
in July and is now preparing for the first reviews to be
initiated,
hopefully in the next three months," said Obasanjo.
He
said 16 African countries had already voluntarily acceded to the APRM
and
that efforts were under way to seek and encourage more
accessions.
Speaking at the Third Tokyo International Conference on
African Development,
Obasanjo also emphasised the need for good governance to
enhance African
development through the New Partnership for Africa's
Development.
"The Nepad leadership has launched the African Peer
Review Mechanism in
pursuance of the governance agenda," said Obasanjo. "It
is a unique
development in African politics and represents a renewed
commitment to good
governance, transparency and
accountability."
It was however the thorny issue of peer review that
took centre stage at the
meeting. The United Nations Development Programme,
the World Bank and other
key donor countries emphasised the need for African
countries to show
commitment to the mechanism to develop a solid democracy
and human rights
which they said were at the core of Nepad's
success.
Obasanjo's remarks come at a time when Zimbabwe's political
situation has
deteriorated, with the government pursuing its crackdown on the
media and
the opposition.
Zim Independent
Tutu urges action
LEADING South African cleric,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has called on African
leaders to increase pressure
on Robert Mugabe.
Speaking to the IPS news service earlier this week
during a visit to Malawi,
Tutu said: "The time has come for African leaders
to stand up and express
their concern over deteriorating human rights abuses
in Zimbabwe.
If human rights abuses continue to worsen, the political
and economic crisis
in Zimbabwe will be difficult to heal."
While
commending Malawian president Bakili Muluzi for the interest he was
taking in
the deteriorating political and humanitarian conditions in
Zimbabwe, Tutu
stressed that more needs to be done. "The Zimbabwe crisis has
affected the
entire southern Africa region and there is need for African
leaders to find
quick solutions to the crisis," he said.
"When things are going
wrong, we should be able to stand up and say that
this is going wrong."
Muluzi, along with Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and
Thabo Mbeki, are the main
regional brokers in the Zimbabwean crisis. - IPS.
Zim Independent
Obasanjo calls for 'sea change' in Zim
Dumisani
Muleya
NIGERIAN president and incoming Commonwealth chair Olusegun Obasanjo
says
President Robert Mugabe will not be invited to the club's summit in
Abuja in
December unless there is a positive "sea change" in
Zimbabwe.
Obasanjo said in New York on Monday there has to be
fundamental and
far-reaching changes in Zimbabwe if Mugabe was to be
invited.
So far Nigeria has said Mugabe and Pakistan President
General Pervez
Musharraf who seized power through a military coup in 1999 are
not welcome
at the meeting.
Obasanjo was responding to a question
as to whether he would reconsider
Mugabe's ban as South African President
Thabo Mbeki had initially urged.
"Well, it's a decision for me but it's
not really a decision for me alone,"
Obasanjo said. "It's a decision for me
with the Commonwealth leaders and for
now, after appropriate consultations, I
believe there has to be a sea change
in Zimbabwe for an invitation to be
sent."
Asked about the sea change represented by the closure of the
Daily News,
Obasanjo said: "I would say if that qualifies to be called a sea
change at
all, then it's a negative sea change."
Despite South
Africa's initial protests over Mugabe's exclusion, Mbeki's
spokesman Bheki
Khumalo was this week quoted in the press accepting
Obasanjo's
decision.
Khumalo said Mbeki was among those consulted by Obasanjo
over the Mugabe
issue.
"The president accepts President Obasanjo's
decision," he said "It is up to
Nigeria to decide whether or not to invite
President Mugabe."
Outgoing Commonwealth chair John Howard of
Australia said inviting Mugabe to
the Abuja summit when he was in blatant
breach of the Commonwealth Harare
Declaration principles on democracy, human
rights and elections would be a
"tragedy".
South Africa initially
protested over Mugabe's exclusion before realising it
was fighting a lone
battle. Its official position on the issue has so far
shifted no less than
three times. But now Pretoria has accepted it is
unlikely to change the
club's stance on Mugabe.
On suggestions that Mbeki could boycott the
summit over Mugabe's ban,
Khumalo said: "There is no question of the
president boycotting the event.
That notion is a dead duck. He will be there
with the other Commonwealth
leaders to engage the issues."
The
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which met on September 27
in New
York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly said
Zimbabwe's
suspension from the Commonwealth for electoral fraud would be
reviewed in
Abuja.
But CMAG said Zimbabwe was still suspended and would not be
invited to the
meeting. Mbeki recently claimed in parliament that Harare's
ban ended in
March.
CMAG members, Botswana, Malta, India,
Bangladesh, Bahamas, Samoa, Nigeria
and Australia, said there was little
chance of Zimbabwe rejoining the
councils of the Commonwealth because it
remained in material breach of the
club's principles and has failed to
address key issues of concern.
Instead, they said Pakistan stood a
better chance of bouncing back to the
club earlier than
Zimbabwe.
Australian Foreign minister Alexander Downer, who has taken
a tough position
on Mugabe, prepared a document for CMAG showing that
Zimbabwe has not
measured up to the Commonwealth "benchmarks" for its
readmission.
He circulated the document demonstrating Zimbabwe's lack
of progress in
meeting Commonwealth benchmarks for democratic reform and
insisted Mugabe
has to comply with the club's principles.
Howard
has made it clear Zimbabwe should not be readmitted until "the
disappearance
of Mugabe's government".
Zim Independent
Plans afoot to fill Daily News void
Itai Dzamara
IN
a bid to fill the void created by the banning of the Daily
News,
pro-government individuals and institutions have made overtures to
revive
the publication.
Media industry sources this week said the
government wants to see the
revival of the Daily News, but in different
hands, for the sake of appearing
to promote media diversity and avoiding
international censure.
"There is therefore manipulation for
politically correct individuals to bid
for the takeover of ANZ," said a
source following the moves.
Another alternative, the source said, was
to push the Media Africa Group
(MAG), publishers of the Business Tribune and
Weekend Tribune, to turn one
of their titles into a daily
paper.
Strive Masiyiwa, owner of Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe
(ANZ),
publishers of the Daily News and the Daily News on Sunday, wrote to
his
employees last week stating that he would resist offers by a consortium
of
business people who are interested in ANZ. It is understood that
the
consortium comprises prominent bankers Gideon Gono and Enock Kamushinda
who
have close links to the Zanu PF government.
Gono has denied
any interest in ANZ whilst Kamushinda wasn't available
for
comment.
MAG is believed to be considering starting a daily
paper to fill the void
left by the Daily News.
"They (management)
said that they were contemplating starting a daily
paper," said an insider at
MAG. "They said consultations were being carried
out after which a definite
decision would be reached."
MAG is linked to business magnate Mutumwa
Mawere, a Zanu PF sympathiser.
Efforts to obtain comment from MAG chief
operating officer, Kindness
Paradza, were unsuccessful as he was said on
several occasions to be out of
his office and didn't return
calls.
Meanwhile, as the race to fill the daily paper's void
intensifies, Ibbo
Mandaza's Daily Mirror is understood to be making a
comeback, but with a
change in ownership and editorial
leadership.
Former Daily News editor Geoff Nyarota yesterday strongly
denied reports
linking him to moves to revive the Daily Mirror. "Not only
have I not
accepted any such appointment," he said in a statement from
Harvard in the
US, "I have not in any way communicated with either of the two
entrepreneurs
concerned. I therefore wish to make it known that I
categorically deny this
malicious fabrication."
Mandaza confirmed
on Wednesday that efforts to revive the Daily Mirror were
at an advanced
stage.
"Preparations are at an advanced stage," said Mandaza. "It is
not true that
Nyarota will be coming in. The paper will still be under Sappho
and the
previous editorial leadership."
Mandaza's Southern African
Printing and Publishing House, publishers of the
Daily Mirror and the Sunday
Mirror, had difficulty sustaining the daily
issue.
Zim Independent
Police harass Woza over cash protest
Loughty
Dube
POLICE in Bulawayo have launched a crackdown on members of Women of
Zimbabwe
Arise (Woza) who staged a demonstration over the persistent cash
crisis
outside the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) branch in the city, the
Zimbabwe
Independent has learnt.
The women, numbering over 200, on
Tuesday demonstrated briefly outside the
RBZ and chanted slogans denouncing
government's failure to deal with the
cash crisis bedevilling the
nation.
Woza national spokesperson, Patricia Khanye, confirmed the police crackdown.
"Since Tuesday police have been visiting some of
our members at their homes
but have not found them. As it is, we are waiting
for them to strike at any
moment," Khanye told the
Independent.
The women took mid-day shoppers by surprise when they
pulled out banners and
posters and started denouncing the decision to
introduce travellers' and
bearer cheques instead of bank notes
The
women quickly dispersed before armed riot police arrived at the
scene.
Police spokesman in Bulawayo, Smile Dube, said the police wanted
to find out
the motive for the demonstration.
"Police are
investigating the women to find out who organised the
demonstration and what
the motive was," he said.
But Khanye said her organisation would
continue the demonstrations until the
government acted on the four-month cash
crisis that has affected both
businesses and consumers across the
country.
"What we are saying is that we want a lasting solution to
the cash crisis
and travellers' and bearer cheques are temporary measures
that have had no
impact on the availability of cash in the country since they
were
introduced," Khanye said.
This is not the first time women
from Woza have found themselves in trouble
with the police. In May armed
police broke up a peaceful demonstration
called to commemorate World Women's
Day in Bulawayo.
Zim Independent
ZCTU mulls mass protest
Blessing Zulu
THE Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on workers to
prepare for a mass
protest against the government's failure to address the
country's economic
crisis.
ZCTU president Lovemore Ma-tombo said in a statement to the
Zimbabwe
Independent that the economic crisis was a cause for deep
concern.
"We are aware of the dangers of this protest, yet the
suffering now demands
that we act together," he said.
Matombo
accused the government of lacking seriousness in addressing the
economic
meltdown.
"The government should by now know that Zimbabweans can no
longer tolerate
mischievous and childish propaganda.
"The protest
is a day in which all Zimbabweans remember and mourn the crisis
of our
economy and seek invigorated inspiration to change the behaviour of
our
government," he said.
Matombo said the government had reduced the country to a "taxation state".
"If a union negotiates for a 100% wage
increase, in reality people get 60%
and 40% goes to the
government."
He said the protest was also against the cash crisis,
hikes in fuel and the
violations of trade union rights.
Matombo
said trade unionists were now living in fear and cited the case of
the
general-secretary of the Railway Artisans Union, David Sambare, who
received
death threats "from suspected government operatives".
The country is
in its fourth year of recession, unemployment is over 75% and
inflation
around 427%.
Zim Independent
Muzenda's business empire faces test
Augustine
Mukaro
SURVIVAL of the late veteran nationalist Vice-President Simon
Muzenda's
business empire hangs in the balance following his death two weeks
ago.
Muzenda, who has been a sole-proprietor in his ventures, left
behind
businesses dotted across the country trading as Murefu Investments
and
Chekesai Transport.
Without the political influence which had
spared it from collapse over the
years the business empire now faces a real
test of a crumbling economy under
the management of his
children.
Even during his heyday Muzenda struggled to keep his
businesses in tact and
had to be dragged before the courts for failing to
repay loans advanced by
banks. In April 1999 he was sued by Zimbank as it
tried to recover $3,3
million relating to his three businesses in
Masvingo.
In February 2000 Muzenda was ordered by the High Court to
service his debt
of $912 798 owed to the Central Africa Building Society. The
terms of the
court were that Muzenda should pay $19 500 a month and his
property stand,
subdivision A of Chomfuli farm, be auctioned.
The
bulk of his businesses are concentrated in and around Gutu-Mpandawana
Growth
point, his home area.
Muzenda was the owner of Chekesai Goods
Transporters (Pvt) Ltd, which was
incorporated in 1991. The haulage company
transports goods throughout the
Sadc region. Currently his haulage trucks are
involved in the transportation
of fuel to Murefu service stations along Simon
Mazorodze Way.
The late vice-president also owned other filling
stations and shops at
Zvavahera and Chinyika business centres in
Gutu.
He had purchased a filling station in Beatrice 55 km from the
capital along
the Harare-Masvingo highway to service his haulage
trucks.
Over the past five years Muzenda had expanded his business
operations in
anticipation of retirement from active politics after the
disputed 2002
presidential election. His bid to leave office was however
rejected by
President Robert Mugabe last year on the pretext of needing to
ensure that
the chaotic land reform programme was completed.
As a
way of expanding his business holdings in preparation for retirement,
Muzenda
opened shops in the Soti-Source resettlement areas which include
Chitepo and
Tongogara resettlement scheme, north-east of the growth point,
which sold
agricultural inputs to the resettled farmers.
He had also formed a
security company registered as Experts (EGGS)
Securities run by businessman
Sam Mabika. The company has taken over
virtually all security work at
Mpandawana growth point.
In Mpandawana Muzenda had renovated his
Paradise Park Motel to modern
standards. He had also upgraded a service
station, which he established at
the peak of the fuel crisis in 2000, and
built several houses in the
low-density residential area of the growth
point.
The biggest property development is the outstanding
green-tiled
multi-million dollar "retirement village" built in
2001.
At his rural home in Zvavahera village, 15 km east of
Mpandawana, he had
upgraded his pig-rearing project. The project supplies an
average of 50
animals a fortnight to butcheries in Masvingo.
Zim Independent
MDC mayors ready for Chombo
Itai Dzamara
A CLASH
looms between Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo and Movement
for
Democratic Change mayors who he has summoned to a meeting to lay down
the
law.
Sources in Chombo's ministry revealed that the minister would be
holding
meetings with the newly-elected mayors to give them guidelines on how
he
expects them to manage municipal affairs.
"The minister plans
to hold meetings with all the newly-elected mayors,
probably starting this
weekend," said a source.
"The intention is to provide them with
guidelines on how he expects councils
to be run."
MDC Local
Government spokesman Gabriel Chaibva said the mayors were ready to
resist
Chombo's attempts to interfere in council affairs as he had done in
Harare
and Chegutu.
"We are equipping our mayors on how to handle Chombo,"
said Chaibva.
"They (the mayors) will attend the meetings called by him,
but will resist
his attempts to incapacitate their election. It would be
unfortunate if
Chombo wants to meet the mayors outside the premises of the
Urban Councils
Act, and we will not accept that."
Harare mayor
Elias Mudzuri was in April suspended by Chombo on allegations
of
insubordination. Chombo's interference in the running of Harare has
hampered
the turnaround strategy launched by Mudzuri and the predominantly
MDC Harare
City Council.
Chaibva blames Chombo for the chaos that prevails in
the Chegutu council,
where an MDC mayor, Francis Dhlakama, has escaped
several attempts on his
life by the ruling party.
"The Chegutu
case is a clear sign of what Zanu PF intends to do in towns and
cities in
order to prevent its collapse," said Chaibva.
"The MDC mayor in
Chegutu has been harassed, and actually survived attempts
on his life in
order to scare him into capitulating to Zanu PF's
intentions," he
said.
"In the August elections, Zanu PF prevented our candidates from
reaching the
nomination courts so the Chegutu council is controlled by
their
councillors."
Meanwhile, Chaibva said the MDC would file an
appeal to the Supreme Court
soon against the ruling made by High Court judge
Ben Hlatshwayo on the
Chegutu nomination process.
Hlatshwayo
dismissed an application by 11 members of the MDC challenging the
nomination
process in Chegutu where they were barred by a Zanu PF mob. Zanu
PF
subsequently won the 11 wards in Chegutu unopposed.