By Africa correspondent Zoe
Daniel The Zimbabwean Government has launched a new urban crackdown,
arresting almost 15,000 people who have returned to the streets since its
Operation Restore Order blitz. State media in Zimbabwe is reporting that
14,700 people have been arrested in a new crackdown the Government is calling
Operation Siyapambili, meaning 'no going back'. Most of those arrested were
illegal street vendors and foreign currency and fuel dealers driven out of the
cities during Operation Restore Order. That campaign demolished homes and
businesses and left hundreds of thousands without work or shelter. Those
arrested in the latest blitz were fined and released. Police say they are
using the follow-up campaign to make sure that shady dealers are not returning
to Zimbabwe's streets.
Mugabe's government has
defended the original crackdown, saying it was meant to root out black market
trade in foreign currency and other scarce commodities
5.53PM, Mon Oct 3 2005
Zimbabwe police have arrested 14,706 people in a
follow-up to this year's urban slum demolitions that left around 700,000 without
homes or jobs.
"Police have arrested street people, touts, illegal
vendors, illegal foreign currency and fuel dealers who had crept back into
Harare's Central Business District since the launch of Operation
Siyapambili/Hatidzokereshure (No Going Back) two weeks ago," the official Herald
newspaper said.
The arrests in Harare follow a two-month nationwide
drive to destroy shantytowns which the United Nations estimates left 700,000
urban dwellers without homes or livelihoods or both, and affected another 2.4
million Zimbabweans.
Those arrested were each fined a statutory Z$25,000
(54p) and then released.
"(The latest drive) aims to make follow-ups to monitor
the city so that we deal with any of those who are returning to the city and
conducting shady dealings," police spokesperson Loveless Rupere told the Herald.
Rupere and other police officers were unavailable for
comment on Monday.
President Robert Mugabe's government has defended the
original crackdown, saying it was meant to root out black market trade in
foreign currency and other scarce commodities, which it says thrived in
shantytowns.
But critics have said that it has worsened the plight
of Zimbabweans already struggling with an economic crisis many blame on
government mismanagement, whose most visible signs have been unemployment of
over 70 percent, soaring inflation and chronic shortages of food and fuel.
Zimbabwe has been ranked among
the world's worst performing economies, a sad case overall of the development
process having gone sharply awry. Owing to economic mismanagement, Harare was
bestowed with the world's worst ranking (117) for the quality of its
macroeconomic environment on the back of a worsening economic crisis that has
reached catastrophic levels.
The Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006 --- released Wednesday by the
World Economic Forum (WEF) - says the southern African country, which is going
through its worst economic crisis since 1980 typified by record inflation as
high as 265%, energy constraints and a critical hard cash squeeze has the lowest
rankings among 117 countries covered.
"Zimbabwe is a particularly sad case, whose quick descent to the bottom of
the world's competitiveness rankings reflects the continued deterioration of the
institutional climate, including the disappearance of property rights, the
corruption of the rule of law, and the implications these and other factors have
had for macroeconomic management," noted Klaus Schwab, founder and Executive
Chairman of WEF.
On the WEF's Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), Harare is ranked 109, 10
points low from 2004 and falling even further. Completing the bottom rankings in
Zimbabwe's class are strife-torn Ethiopia at 106, newly independent East Timor
108, Bangladesh 110, Cameroon 111 and Kyrgyz Republic.
The poor ranking is despite claims by Harare that its economy is turning the
corner. At 265%, Zimbabwe's stubborn inflation is one of the worst in the world
while a critical foreign currency crisis has throttled the southern African
country.
But Zimbabwe's peer neighbour South Africa, which appears to be profiting
from the crisis, outperformed the rest of Sub Saharan Africa confirming its role
as one of the few success stories in a region, which lags behind the rest of the
world in terms of competitiveness. Pretoria is ranked 42, an improvement from 41
in 2004 while Botswana is ranked 48 up from 45.
Finland remains the most competitive economy in the world and tops the
rankings for the third consecutive year in the Global Competitiveness Report
(GCR). The United States is in second position, followed by Sweden.
Nqobani Ndlovu Bulawayo A member of
the recently appointed Anti-Corruption Commission and Zanu PF activist, Alice
Nkomo, faces possible arrest and prosecution for allegedly failing to pay US$8
600 ($230 million) to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). The Anti-Corruption
Commission, chaired by former Comptroller and Auditor General Eric Harid, was
appointed last month by President Robert Mugabe to "fight graft".
In a
public notice published by the RBZ, Nkomo is among 1 000 authorised dealers and
exporters who were expected to have settled their outstanding export receipts by
30 September or face stern measures from the RBZ, including being handed over to
the police. The RBZ has threatened those who fail to pay their debts with
"punitive action, including forfeiture of entitlement to Foreign Currency
Accounts retention until such a time that amounts outstanding have been paid
up". Contacted for comment, Nkomo said: "Why are you interested in me as an
individual when big companies owe the RBZ hundreds of millions of dollars? You
are just being unfair to me! "I believe that this case was closed last year
after I paid what was due to the RBZ." Nkomo declined to say what she exported
resulting in her owing the RBZ $230 million. The Anti-Corruption Commissioner
owns Mzingeli Safaris and Tours in Bulawayo and is a board member of various
companies in Zimbabwe. Efforts to get a comment from the RBZ on claims that
Nkomo had settled the debt were fruitless as officials at the central bank were
reportedly attending various meetings and seminars in Harare.
The
non-remittance of the export receipts into the country within a period of 90
days is a violation of Section 5 (i) (a) of the Exchange Control Act (Chapter
22:05). Since Dr Gideon Gono was appointed RBZ Governor, he has tightened the
noose on banks, companies and individuals dealing in foreign currency, with some
skipping the country to avoid arrest after being accused of externalising the
much-needed forex.
ZIMBABWE: Queuing becomes essential skill as shelves
empty
> [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
BULAWAYO, 3 October (IRIN) - Three hours of standing in a
queue for maize-meal looked like it was about to pay off when the line suddenly
disintegrated amid despairing groans and some furious name-calling - the
supermarket had just run out of Zimbabwe's staple food.
Shoppers in
Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, are rationed to 10 kg of maize-meal per
person, but finding it - and indeed most other basic essentials - on the shelves
is no easy matter.
To get anywhere near a bottle of cooking oil, a bag of
rice, a tube of toothpaste, a carton of milk, a packet of sugar, a box of
washing powder or even a bar of soap, you need a reliable rumour, an eye for a
queue worth joining and, above all, patience.
This IRIN reporter had
heard the night before that maize-meal was on the shelves at a local
supermarket, and got there first thing in the morning. Seventy other people were
already waiting, and the line looped round the aisles - a shuffling, irritated
testimony to Zimbabwe's economic woes.
Conversations inevitably revolved
around the current hardships - water rationing in the city, the lack of basic
items, the exorbitant prices when they did become available, and President
Robert Mugabe's recent response to the crisis: that people had the option of
eating potatoes.
"Nowadays we eat just one meal a day, at supper," one
elderly man informed anybody in the queue ready to listen. "During the day we
have nothing at all and I have heard my two grandchildren joke that they had air
pies for lunch. The only time we have managed at least two meals is when my son,
who is in South Africa, sends us some groceries."
Three hours later,
tantalisingly close to the tiny storeroom from where the maize-meal was being
sold, supplies ran out. As incensed shoppers accused the supermarket staff of
hoarding - "You want us to die, what kind of people are you?" yelled one young
man - riot police, on the spot for just such an eventuality, stepped in and the
trouble was over.
Plan B was a supermarket in the town centre, but this
time only 30 people were waiting in line outside, suggesting that whatever was
being sold could not be that important. It turned out to be bread rather than
the maize-meal, rice or macaroni Zimbabweans look for to fill their
stomaches.
Not much was available in the supermarket - even beverages
were scarce because plastic bottles are in short supply - but shop attendants
were busy marking up shockingly high new prices.
"It's inflation and the
economy that pushes us to increase our prices. In a way we are trying to cushion
ourselves against the odds, otherwise we will collapse as a business," explained
one shop worker.
In the last few weeks maize-meal has shot from the
equivalent of US 50 cents for 10 kg to US $2.5, and rice up from $3 for a 2 kg
bag to $7 - in part as a result of the government's easing of price
controls.
The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) regards the current
predicament facing shoppers as the result of greed by some business people and a
standoff between government and producers over input costs.
The producers
say the government's prices are unrealistic, while the authorities insist they
are trying to protect consumers from profiteering and blame private business for
fueling the parallel market.
"Currently there is no maize-meal in shops,
not because the country has totally run out of maize but because millers are no
longer doing their job, the reason being that government has denied their
request to effect a huge increase in producer prices," said CCZ's spokesman in
Bulawayo, Comfort Muchekeza.
"As the CCZ we are also worried about the
price increases, which now seem to be coming every week," he said. "Many people
are not working and the majority of those who have employment earn absurd
salaries that cannot sustain them."
The current food basket for a family
of five costs Zim $6 million (US $230) a month, yet an average worker takes home
about Zim $5 million ($192) - nowhere near enough to pay for rent, school fees
and other essentials, besides buying food.
September's 130 percent fuel
price hike - the second increase in three months - is set to further stoke
inflation, as will a 17.5 percent Value Added Tax on certain goods and services,
the CCZ warned in a statement.
Agriculture has traditionally been the
engine of the economy. Between 1999 and 2003, maize production fell by over 60
percent as a result of "shortcomings" in the government's land reform programme,
erratic rains and regulated producer pricing that did not reflect market prices,
according to the World Bank.
Real gross domestic product has declined by
30 percent in the last five years, accompanied by triple-digit annual inflation
and a crushing foreign exchange shortage.
The World Bank has cited poor
economic policies and sharply reduced development aid flows among the reasons
for this, while the government insists it faces sanctions by western nations
over its controversial fast-track land reform programme.
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ZIMBABWE: MSF gets go-ahead to help victims of urban
cleanup
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 3 October (IRIN) - The government of Zimbabwe
and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Holland have signed an agreement allowing the
international NGO to provide medical assistance to people displaced two months
ago during Operation Murambatsvina ('Drive out Filth'), the government's
controversial clean-up campaign.
Health minister David Parirenyatwa told
IRIN that the agreement would allow MSF medical and relief teams to begin
operations in the Whitecliffe, Hopely and Hatcliffe areas around the capital,
Harare. He said the government was aware that many displaced families were
facing problems and lacked access to food, water and sanitation
facilities.
"The agreement allows MSF to work in conjunction with the
Harare city council's health department. Staff from the department will be
attached to MSF health teams in the affected areas," Parirenyatwa told
IRIN.
Steve Hide, the MSF head of mission in Zimbabwe, said he expected
conditions similar to those in camps around Epworth and Chitungwiza, also near
Harare, where MSF had ongoing programmes.
"We have not been allowed into
the new areas as yet, but we expect the situation to be equally bad: poor
sanitation, the lack of ablution facilities and the absence of basic healthcare
services are still the major challenges in any displaced people's camp," Hide
commented. "We will be providing clean water, ablution facilities and mobile
clinic services for five days every week."
MSF already had two mobile
clinics offering basic medical care to an estimated 200 people a day in the
Chitungwiza and Epworth areas.
Hide said MSF was expecting to find
between 700 and 1,000 families in each of the displaced camps. The offer of
assistance came in the wake of reports that homeless families were returning to
the high-density surbubs from where they had been evicted.
In Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe's second largest city, over 200 displaced people had reportedly
returned to informal settlements in the Richmond and Cowdray Park areas. The
government-run housing programme to accommodate victims of Operation
Murambatsvina was lagging far behind its stated targets because of serious cash
flow and material constraints.
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Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) October
2, 2005 Posted to the web October 3, 2005 Caiphas Chimhete
AN
outbreak of water borne diseases looms in Harare's high-density areas because of
prolonged water rationing which, at times, lasts for more than five days, The
Standard has been told. Diseases such as dysentery and cholera are associated
with poor water supply.
The situation is most worrying in crowded
high-density areas where several families use communal toilets. In some
cases, toilets are not flushed for the whole day, resulting in human waste
piling up, creating a breeding ground for flies - an optimum environment for the
transmission of diseases. Veronica Phiri of Rugare high-density suburb, one
of Harare's oldest townships said they feared for their health, especially that
of children. The threat of diseases is more pronounced in areas such as
Matapi and Nenyere Flats, in Mbare, where residents still use communal toilets
and water taps. A pre-school in Kambuzuma Section 5 has been without running
water for the past two weeks. The authorities are asking parents with children
at the centre to assist with water. Residents of Hatfield suburb are also
experiencing water cuts. A visit by The Standard to the suburb last week
established that residents were drawing water for domestic use from unprotected
wells. Mercy Moyo (21) said for every five days, two of them were spent
without water, making it difficult to maintain hygienic standards in their
homes. A senior medical consultant at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Dr
Chris Mushonga, said reported cases of diarrhoeal problems have increased in the
city because of water rationing. He said apart from possible disease out
outbreak, water rationing had also affected the sterilization of surgical
equipment at Parirenyatwa, one of the country's biggest referral
hospitals. "Some cases are cancelled because we will not have clean water. We
need clean water, which we boil for steam that is used for sterilization of
equipment" Mushonga said. The president of the Zimbabwe Medical Association
(Zima), Billy Rigava, expressed concern over the prolonged water rationing
saying it was a threat to the public health system. Combined Harare Residents
Association (Chra) chairman, Mike Davies, said the on-going water rationing was
a direct result of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa)'s
inefficiency. He said about 30% of Harare's water was wasted through pipe
leakages when it is being pumped from Morton Jaffray Water Works. In Belvedere,
there were several areas where water has been leaking for days. The leaks near
the Exhibition Park and at Corner Glamorgan/ Snowdon have not been attended to
for days, wasting away valuable water. Zinwa, which took over purification
and water supply from the city councils four months ago, has conceded that it
has no capacity to supply purified water to Harare. Zinwa board chairman, Willie
Muringani, said the water crisis had been necessitated by takeover
complications. As if the water crisis was not enough, some residents of
Hatfield went for five consecutive days without power after thieves vandalized a
transformer.
The suburb was plunged into darkness on a Saturday but the
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) only reconnected power on the
following Wednesday. Zesa general manager (corporate communications), James
Maridadi, confirmed the problem, saying preference was being accord to new
installations.
VOA By Carole Gombakomba and
Blessing Zulu Washington 03 October 2005
Zimbabwe’s ruling party
has announced that it will not hold internal primary elections before the
national senate elections that President Robert Mugabe has directed be moved up
to the end of November from mid-December as earlier scheduled. Amid reports
of factional divisions within theZimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic
Front, party officials said candidates will be chosen at district and provincial
levels. But one Zimbabwean elections expert warns that bypassing primaries
will diminish the transparency of the process, and lead to heightened
factionalism in the party. Zimbabwe Election Support Network Chairman
Reginald Matchaba Hove further said advancing the election date complicates
preparations for the ballot, as the Movement for Democratic Change opposition
party has yet to decide if it will field candidates. It questions the legitimacy
of the senate, and the good faith of the government. Fifty members of the new
senate will be directly elected in the ballot, while President Mugabe will
select another 16 for a total of 66 seats. Mr. Hove’s organization mustered
up some 6,000 poll monitors in the March 31 general election, but he said it
will only monitor the senate vote if the MDC takes part in it. Beyond this, Mr.
Hove said that the current economic crisis in the country, where fuel and food
are in critically short supply, further complicates matters. Reporter Carole
Gombakomba of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe spoke with ZANU-PF senior official
William Nhara, principal public affairs director in the president’s
office. Mr. Nhara said the only major challenge facing the ruling party is
candidate selection, but added that this should be completed within the next two
weeks. A senior opposition official said the opposition won’t be pressured
into contesting the senate election election simply because the president has
moved up the date. Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu asked MDC Legal Affairs
Secretary David Coltart if the new proposed election date seems intended to
force the MDC’s hand. Elsewhere, a Finance Ministry official says the
president has demanded Z$200 billion ($2.65 million) funding by the end of this
month for the senate elections – significantly more than the Z$30 million which
was initially budgeted when the ruling party revived the senate with one of
several constitutional amendments passed in August. Speaking on condition of
anonymity, this ministry source said most of the money would be spent on fuel
and other logistical expenses. The official said the government will also spend
heavily on media ads to encourage a strong popular turnout. Reporter Blessing
Zulu asked Zimbabwe Election Support Network Chairman Reginald Matchaba Hove if
such costs are warranted under current economic conditions.
Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) October 2, 2005
Posted to the web October 3, 2005 Valentine Maponga
GOVERNMENT
employees say they are reducing the number of days they report for work because
transport fares and food prices continue to soar. The workers, mostly urban
teachers who stay far away from their respective schools, say they are finding
it difficult to commute to and from work daily.
Investigations by The
Standard revealed that many teachers had resorted to going to work a few days a
week in order to save on transport costs. One teacher from Mabvuku High
School said he could no longer afford to go to work everyday because of the high
transport fares. "I have to board two buses before I get to work. I spend
over $60 000 everyday on transport alone. Life has become unbearable and I am
now contemplating leaving the profession to start something else," said the
teacher, who declined to be named. The lowest paid civil servant earns a
gross monthly salary of $1.4 million, far below the poverty datum line, which is
now above $7million. "I think the government is not serious if they expect
one to live on a salary of just $1 million. This amount is not even enough to
cover the transport fares," said one civil servant working in Harare. The
workers' representative organisations have since rejected an across the board
transport allowances increment that was awarded to its members by the
government. The associations warned that the meagre transport allowance
increments could trigger demonstrations by civil servants. George Nasho
Wilson, the secretary general of the Civil Service Employees Association of
Zimbabwe, said their members were very disgruntled after the government failed
to respond to their grievances. "If the salaries are not revised soon, we are
going to witness some disruptions," he said. The government awarded $45 9104
transport allowance a person a month effective from the beginning of
September. Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general, Raymond
Majongwe, said civil servants were on an unofficial strike. "Most civil
servants are managing to pull through these hardships by borrowing to make ends
meet. As I am speaking to you right now most civil servants who are going to
work are already on strike but it's another thing to declare a strike," Majongwe
said. Initially the workers were demanding a cost of living adjustment (COLA)
of 150%, a housing allowance of 300% and a basic $7 million salary for the
lowest paid civil servant.
The executive secretary of the Public Services
Association, in letter addressed to the association's provincial executives and
affiliates on 22 September, said the amount was not enough to meet the daily
transport costs incurred by the workers. "The government position on
announcing the mid-term fiscal policy review last week, Finance Minister Herbert
Murerwa deferred the general public service salary reviews to the 2006 budget."
Angry Doctors Plan Next Move After Govt Offers Peanuts
Zimbabwe Standard
(Harare) October 2, 2005 Posted to the web October 3, 2005 Caiphas
Chimhete
MORALE among doctors has reached rock bottom after government
awarded them a paltry $98 000 transport allowance instead of the 800% salary
hike they were demanding, The Standard has been told. The doctors were last
week awarded $98 000 transport allowance on top of the $880 000 they were
getting before the increment.
Zimbabwe Medical Doctors' Association
president, Takarunda Chinyoka, said the doctors were "angry" and currently
holding "consultative" meetings on what actions to take to force the government
to accede to their demands. "I cannot say what we (doctors) will do because
we are still discussing and consulting. But what I can tell you now is doctors
are frustrated, in fact, they are angry and this could affect their
performance," said Chinyoka, who did not rule out industrial action. A doctor
who requested not to be named, said some of the junior doctors were already on
"a sort of a go-slow" because of frustration and disgruntlement. "It's
unannounced but you can see from how they work that everything is not normal. If
this issue of salaries and allowances is not resolved urgently it could
degenerate into a strike," said the middle-ranking doctor. In the past two
months, at least 21 junior and middle-ranking doctors left the public sector to
seek better-paying jobs elsewhere after the government failed to increase their
pay. Over the past few years, strikes by doctors and nurses for better pay
and improved working conditions have become common in the country and as a
result the health service delivery has collapsed. The doctors staged a
crippling strike in July demanding an 800% salary increment and better working
conditions. The junior doctors, who earn a basic of $5.7 million a month,
went on strike in August demanding that their salaries be increased to $47
million. Apart from the paltry gross monthly salary, the junior doctors get
$440 000 housing allowance, $50 million in the form of a car loan and $10
million housing loan. The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe says a family if six
will soon require about $10 million a month. Because of poor salaries and
working conditions, doctors are leaving the country in droves in search of
greener pastures in countries such as Botswana, Canada South Africa, the United
Kingdom and the US. Others have joined the private sector where salaries and
working conditions are far much better than those in government
service.
There are 300 junior doctors, 150 middle ranking and well below
100 specialist doctors in the country. But the country needs at least 2 000
general medical practitioners and 500 specialist doctors for government central
hospitals, estimated Chinyoka. The crisis in the health sector, which is
experiencing a serious shortage of drugs and equipment, is felt more acutely in
government health institutions. Last week Chinyoka said less than 100 specialist
doctors are serving the whole country.
The Herald (Harare) October 3, 2005
Posted to the web October 3, 2005 Harare FUEL supplies started
trickling in over the weekend with all Total service stations in Harare and
Bulawayo receiving allocations since Saturday. A survey by The Herald showed
that both petrol and diesel were delivered to Total filling stations over the
weekend and long queues of motorists had formed.
Petrol attendants
interviewed said that Total service stations received each between 8 000 and 17
000 litres of diesel and petrol. The fuel inflows come in the wake of
assurances given by President Mugabe on the sidelines of a Politburo meeting
held on Wednesday last week. Addressing hundreds of war collaborators and
Zanu-PF supporters at the ruling party's national headquarters, President Mugabe
said fuel supplies were expected to improve shortly as Government was fighting
to mitigate the socio-economic challenges facing the country. "Fuel supply is
expected to increase in the next few days and will gradually improve in the next
few weeks," the President said. Zimbabwe is facing an acute shortage of fuel
owing to the unavailability of foreign currency arising mostly from the
constraints of the illegal sanctions imposed by Western countries. A fuel
attendant at a service station in Glen Norah suburb said they had received 10
000 litres of diesel and 8 000 litres of petrol on Saturday and were expecting
more deliveries today. Motorists began getting fuel on Saturday evening and
yesterday morning and long queues of vehicles could be seen at Total service
stations throughout Harare. The queues, however, disappeared when stocks ran
out in the afternoon. One motorist, who only identified himself as Mr
Sithole, thanked the Government for the measures being taken to improve the
availability of the commodity and expressed hope that more would be done to
address the fuel situation. "We are extremely grateful for the Government's
efforts, but more has to be done to ensure consistent availability of this
precious and essential commodity," he said. The Secretary for Energy and
Power Development, Mr Justin Mupamhanga, said Government was leaving no stone
unturned to ensure the availability of the commodity. "We are working flat
out to ensure that the fuel situation improves in the country. As you know,
President Mugabe promised that the fuel situation is going to get better and
this is part of the effort to fulfil that objective. "The Government has
always been consistent in its efforts to ensure the ready availability of the
commodity," he added. The Government is also working on a feedstock project
to generate biodiesel and 10 percent of sugarcane production has been earmarked
for this purpose.
There are also plans to import crude oil for refining
within the country. At present, Zimbabwe imports refined petroleum
products. The shortages have been worsened by irregularities in the
allocation and transportation of fuel from the Port of Beira in Mozambique,
where millions of litres have been diverted to other markets even after
Zimbabwean importers paid for them.
Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) October 2, 2005
Posted to the web October 3, 2005 Bertha Shoko
THE continued loss
of skilled and experienced medical staff at St Giles' Medical Rehabilitation
Centre in Harare is one of the major problems that the health institution is
facing, a senior official at the organisation has said. St Giles', is one of
the country's largest medical rehabilitation centres offering, among other
things, physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, psychological and
counselling services to those with various natural or accident induced
disabilities.
Speaking on the sidelines of the institution's 41st
anniversary, William Nsangwe, chief executive officer (CEO), of the
rehabilitation centre, said the problem of brain drain in the health sector
remains a major challenge, not only for St Giles', but the rest of the
country. Nsangwe lamented how the rehabilitation centre was losing young and
experienced staff whose services are in demand overseas and in the region
because as most of their medical staff had specialised skills. "We at St
Giles have done reasonably well to retain our medical staff but because we are
donor-driven organisation it is difficult to satisfy most of them. The young
generation doesn't stay that long. They are restless and want greener pastures,"
Nsangwe said. St Giles' rehabilitation centre was established in 1964 but was
formally registered as a medical centre in 1966. Since then the centre has
expanded to at least nine departments involved in the rehabilitation of people
with disabilities. Nsangwe said the medical centre now has a staff complement
of about 110 medical staff and another 60 supporting staff. At the 41st
anniversary celebrations 10 days ago, the institution held an open day where it
exhibited the work of its various departments, in an effort to educate the
public on it operations.
The centre offers education to children with
disabilities and special needs and boarding facilities are available to children
who cannot commute to and from the centre. During the anniversary
celebrations, which were graced by Miss Zimbabwe Oslie Muringai and patron of
the Miss Zimbabwe Trust, Kiki Divaris, visitors were treated to songs, drama and
dance from students at St Giles'.
THE cash-strapped Zimbabwe government is reducing the number
of soldiers in barracks in an effort to cut on expenditure amid reports of
severe shortages of food and other rations in the camps, The Standard has been
told.
Sources last week said the army had directed some soldiers to
leave the barracks while others have been asked to take leave days, as it
emerged that the government was failing to provide for them.
"Quite a number of soldiers have been asked to take days off while others
were told to commute from their homes to cut on costs, especially food," said a
soldier stationed at the Presidential Guard, just outside Dzivarasekwa suburb in
Harare.
But Army spokesperson, Aggrey Wushe, said the soldiers were not going on
leave due to shortage of food but because they had accrued a lot of days during
their tour of duty in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Wushe said most of them wanted to "encash their days" but failed because they
could only do so at the beginning of the year.
"We have food to feed them until the next financial year. We can keep them in
the barracks but mazuva avo anozorasika manje (but the days they accrued will be
forfeited)," Wushe said.
The Army spokesperson said after Zimbabwe's withdrawal from the DRC at the
end of 2002, the soldiers were given a grace period, between 2003 and 2005, to
take off days or get paid for them.
He said some soldiers managed to take their days off but for those who did
not "we are saying take them now or they get forfeited".
Military personnel in barracks eat and drink from the "mess", where food and
drinks are heavily subsidised by the government.
A parliamentary committee on Defence and Home Affairs in 2003 discovered that
the army was sourcing its goods at parallel market rates, although its budgets
were based on gazetted prices of goods.
Zimbabwe boasts of an estimated 34 000 soldiers, a figure which in military
circles in considered too high for small country with no external threat.
RESERVE Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Gideon Gono awarded
himself a loan under the Productive Sector Facility but last week refused to say
how much he received.
Many A2 farmers have complained to The
Standard newspaper, accusing the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe of only giving loans
to well-connected people such as Government ministers, senior civil servants,
Zanu PF stalwarts and captains of industry.
Gono was speaking on Wednesday afternoon during a tour of Bevking which is
one of the plots at Kintyre Estates owned by Joe Mutizwa, the chief executive
officer of Delta.
Although Gono was happy to divulge that Mutizwa had received a total of $7.5
billion to build green houses and to start his fresh roses export programme, he
was evasive when cornered on how much the RBZ, which he controls, awarded him.
"Yes, I received a loan for my farming activities but I can not say how much
I received," Gono said.
Gono, who has become the darling of Zanu PF politicians, said he used the
loan for rose production at his farm near Norton.
"I am growing roses on 10 hectares, tomatoes and maize seed."
He denied allegations that only the elite were benefiting from the loan
scheme.
The governor said it had been established that many A2 farmers were
under-utilizing large tracts of land which were parcelled out to them under the
land reform programme.
Most of the A2 farm beneficiaries are senior Zanu PF officials, senior civil
servants and captains of industry.
"When we approve loans, we are neutral. We are blind to the fact that the
applicant is connected. We don't look at the person's status. We only look at
how impressive the proposal is."
Gono also used the opportunity to condemn the fresh farm invasions being
spear-headed by senior Zanu PF officials and the Central Intelligence
Organisation.
"The economy is about to take off but some people want to pull us down. They
want to invade farms when the rains are about to fall. How can you invade farms
when tobacco has just been planted? Where were you when others were getting
land?" asked the governor.
He described those spearheading fresh farm invasions as criminals.
"That can not be condoned. The people doing that are criminals and that
should be stopped. I am saying this without fear or favour and that is what
Minister Didymus Mutasa wants."
When The Standard reminded him that Mutasa was recently quoted saying more
farms would be taken, Gono shot back: "I don't know about that."
Bitter war of words erupts as Sibanda attacks Nkomo
Zimbabwe Standard
By Foster Dongozi
BELEAGUERED War Veterans
Association chairperson and former Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial chairperson,
Jabulani Sibanda, has challenged the ruling party's national chairman, John
Nkomo to resign from the party.
The prickly Nkomo was equally
combative when asked about Sibanda's brazen challenge.
"We insist on discipline," Nkomo said testily before switching off his
cell-phone.
In an interview with The Standard last week, Sibanda said Nkomo's continued
stay in Zanu PF was unhealthy for the ruling party. Nkomo is also the Speaker of
Parliament.
Sibanda has had turf wars with the ageing former PF Zapu old-guard, including
Vice President Joseph Msika, Nkomo, former Zipra supremo and cabinet minister,
Dumiso Dabengwa and Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Dr
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu.
He accuses the Zanu PF leadership in Matabeleland of laziness and corruption,
and insists the party has lost almost all Parliamentary seats to the Movement
for Democratic Change because of their failure to deliver.
Nkomo chairs the ruling party's disciplinary committee, which last week
resolved to expel Sibanda from the party.
In the expulsion letter, Nkomo wrote: "Following that decision (to suspend
you) from Party activities for a period of five years, you continued to carry
out anti-Party activities in that you were quoted in the press extensively
making disparaging remarks against the Party leadership including the
Presidency.
"The National Disciplinary Committee unanimously agreed at its meeting on 11
August 2005 to rescind your suspension and decided to confirm its earlier
decision to expel you from the Party with immediate effect."
The letter says Sibanda made the "disparaging remarks" in interviews he
granted to The Standard newspaper.
Sibanda was breathing fire when he learnt of his suspension.
"My suspension is a non-event. I joined Zanu PF voluntarily after the 1987
Unity Accord after so many ugly things had happened and it follows that if I
leave Zanu PF it would be voluntary. If John Nkomo is allergic to criticism or
does not like criticism, then he must resign from the party and not go on a
spree to suspend members."
Sibanda said there were attempts to hound him out of the party as the
leadership regarded silence and docility as signs of loyalty.
"Cde Edgar Tekere spoke out against corruption in the party and he was
expelled. Cde Eddison Zvobgo spoke out and he fell on hard times. The same also
happened to the late Chenjerai Hunzvi who fought for the rights of war veterans.
It is not in me to be meek when people are making mistakes and destroying the
party."
Sibanda said he still believed the Zanu PF presidium had usurped the powers
of congress by imposing unelected leaders on party members.
"People have been denied the right to elect their own leaders. There are a
lot of people in Zanu PF and government who have not been elected by the people
but by a few individuals at the top.
The majority fought for freedom but now a tiny minority is ruling on behalf
of the majority. My problems are not just with John (Nkomo) because he is also
representing those that think like him."
He said when he was local government minister, Nkomo had presided over the
expulsion of local authorities in Harare, Binga and Lupane.
He said the Zanu PF leadership also wanted to banish him from the war
veterans' association so that they could control it.
"Nkomo and company feel threatened when popular figures want to contest
elections because they know they would lose their legitimacy if some people are
elected into power.
"They are always appointed into positions of authority and yet their
counterparts, President Robert Mugabe and Joice Mujuru are always subjected to
elections. Even the late Vice President Muzenda, as old as he was, he died when
he was the Member of Parliament for Gutu North. Msika and Nkomo don't want to go
for elections because they know that they are not popular and would therefore
lose."
He said some leaders in Zanu PF shied away from elections, alleging that they
could not be subjected to elections because they were national leaders.
Sibanda asked: "But if the President of the country can go for elections, why
would his juniors be afraid to go for elections?"
Sibanda's political fortunes have nose-dived after he was alleged to be
behind a powerful group which wanted former Speaker of Parliament, Emmerson
Mnangagwa elevated to the position of vice president, ahead of Mujuru.
Mnangagwa had commanded the backing of six out of the 10 provinces in the
country.
However, the Presidium moved in quickly to pave way for Mujuru by suspending
the six ruling party provincial chairpersons.
Asked to comment on the ill-fated Tsholotsho meeting, Sibanda said: "I did
not attend the meeting, but there was nothing wrong with it. Is there anything
wrong with people attending a prize-giving ceremony? Is there anything wrong
with people discussing political and business developments in their country?"
HENRY Hamadziripi, the late veteran nationalist who
was denied hero status by the ruling Zanu PF last week, was punished for being
openly critical of President Mugabe when he began to consolidate his grip on the
party, about 30 years ago.
Veterans of the liberation struggle,
irked by the way Zanu PF snubbed Hamadziripi, bared their souls to The Standard
last week, revealing intricate details of alleged rebellions and counter
rebellions that characterised the last stages of the war of liberation.
These had largely been forgotten 25 years after independence, but a short
statement from Mugabe was enough to rekindle memories of the dark days of the
struggle when the leaders turned against each on ethnic lines, in purges that at
times turned bloody.
Mugabe said Hamadziripi differed with the party in a major way in 1977
resulting in an armed revolt that "he masterminded".
After the statement, no meeting was convened by the Politburo to consider a
request for provincial hero status that came from Masvingo province, leaving
relatives to bury him without any honours, set aside for heroes of the struggle
against colonial rule.
Cautioning The Standard to refrain from publishing details that implicated
either dead or surviving leaders of Zanu PF in often bloody or embarrassing
encounters for unity's sake, the veterans said after looking back at these "dark
days", they were not surprised at the way Hamadziripi had been treated.
They said Hamadziripi, who was part of a select few, charged with prosecuting
the war, had questioned the wisdom of allowing Mugabe to take over the party
after the death of Herbert Chitepo.
He had also openly challenged Mugabe in various meetings held in Mozambique
and was seen as leader of a faction keen to see a Karanga taking charge of the
struggle.
Together with other members of the Dare reChimurenga (war council),
Hamadziripi was thrown into detention in Zambia following Herbert Chitepo's
assassination, which created a leadership vacuum in Zanu PF on 18 March 1975.
Realising the dangers of a leadership vacuum, the Dare agreed that Mugabe,
third in line as secretary general, should takeover the leadership of the
struggle since Ndabaningi Sithole had fallen out of favour after reports that he
had denounced the struggle.
However, The Standard was told, Hamadziripi openly questioned the idea of
letting Mugabe takeover the leadership without consultation.
A veteran of the struggle, Happison Nenji known by his Chimurenga name,
Webster Gwauya, said Hamadziripi expressed reservations about allowing Mugabe to
take over.
"He (Hamadziriripi) said to his colleagues in the Dare that what they had
done was alright but that the best way was for them to come out of detention and
discuss the issue together. Two members of the Dare must have leaked this
information to Mugabe," said Nenji who hand-delivered a letter from the Dare to
Mugabe, giving him the green light to lead the revolution.
Another veteran, Mapiye Gasvo Wekwete, said a rift developed between Mugabe
and Hamadziripi after other cadres he named, impressed upon Mugabe the need to
do away with Hamadziripi whom they said was a threat to his leadership.
"Hamadziripi had more roots with the forces than Mugabe. Remember he had been
in the Dare. These people kept on telling Mugabe that there was need to uproot
Hamadziripi using (Josiah) Tongogara. Things went bad thereafter…," Wekwete
said.
He said it was no surprise that Hamadziripi and several others accused of
trying to overthrow Mugabe's leadership, ended up being arrested and thrown into
the pits in Mozambique. A year later they were subjected to great suffering for
months. They were only released in December 1979 and Hamadziripi and the other
victims went on to contest the 1980 elections under Zanu.
Tongogara, the commander of the Zanla forces who was to die in a
controversial car accident in Mozambique shortly before independence, was said
to have been heavily involved in the purges that occurred as Mugabe
consolidatted his power.
"These people (Hamadziripi and others) would have died if Samora Machel had
not insisted that he did not want to see blood being shed in his country.
Vaikandirwa sadza sembwa (they were treated like dogs)," Wekwete said.
Nenji, who was several months in the pits with Hamadziripi said: "Takaonda
zvokuonekwa mugogodya." (We became very, very thin).
Rugare Gumbo, who has joined Mugabe's government, said on Friday: "We want to
build the nation. We don't want to open old wounds unnecessarily."
Zanu PF spokesperson Nathan Shamuyarira could not be reached for comment
yesterday.
CHIRUMHANZU - The British embassy on Friday commissioned a
new mortuary and a classroom block in Chirumhanzu, but Edwin Muguti, the MP for
the area, seized the opportunity to blame the British government for Zimbabwe's
problems.
Reacting to reports of drug shortages and deaths of
patients who can not access anti-retroviral drugs in the district, Muguti, who
is the Deputy Minister of Health, said: "A lot of people are dying from HIV and
Aids because the country cannot buy these drugs from outside. This (suffering)
is all because of the sanctions that the British government has imposed on us."
Officials at Holy Cross Mission Hospital where the mortuary was constructed
at a cost of $100 million confirmed the drug shortages and said the situation
was affecting service delivery.
"There are a number of problems that we have. Among these are the staff
shortages. There is one doctor in Mvuma and he last visited us in March. Above
all there is a critical shortage of all drugs and among these are anti-
retrovirals and most people need them," said an official at the hospital.
The official also added that there was no ambulance to ferry people to its
major referral hospital, St Theresa's Hospital, situated 38 km from Holy Cross
Mission Hospital.
However, Chief Chirumhanzu thanked the British embassy for their support
saying the mortuary would go a long way in helping his people.
"Today we give thanks to the British embassy. This mortuary means that people
no longer rush to bury their relatives or take dead bodies to Hama while waiting
for burial." Hama Mission Hospital is 40km away.
The classroom block at Chengwena School was constructed at a cost of $200
million and was fully furnished by the British embassy.
The headmaster at Chengwena School, Alexander Mauto, expressed gratitude to
the British embassy for its assistance, saying all their pleas to the corporate
world had fallen on deaf ears.
The embassy has also helped the school by roofing five classrooms whose roofs
were blown away by a hailstorm in 2002.
The First Secretary at the British embassy, Gillian Dare, said the British
embassy was happy to help and that all the projects were genuinely funded and
meant to benefit the society.
"We will fund all projects irrespective of the political orientations of the
communities and organisations from which they come," Dare said.
By
our staff CASES of political violence increased considerably
from January to June, reveals a human rights report.
The report,
Political Violence Report June 2005, compiled by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO
Forum notes that 439 people were assaulted and 17 abducted in cases related to
political violence perpetrated by security officers.
Also 518 cases of unlawful arrest, 488 incidents of illegal detention and
four of rape were recorded during the period under review.
Most of the political violence occurred in the run-up to the parliamentary
elections in March and after the polls, which were also followed by "Operation
Murambatsvina".
In March alone, there were 259 cases of assaults, six of abduction and 86 of
unlawful arrests while in May, 34 cases of assault, three of abduction and 315
of unlawful arrests were recorded.
There were also reported deaths.
One of the deaths recorded in March, was that of Zanu PF supporter and war
veteran, Gift Chimbandi, who was burnt to death under unclear circumstances.
During the month of June, another person was allegedly tortured and left for
dead by five soldiers for calling "Operation Murambatsvina" a "Tsunami".
"In the above instance, it is reported that the soldiers refused to take the
victim to the police," reads the report.
About 20 members of Women Of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested in June for
holding a demonstration against the clean-up operation as well as commemorating
World Refugee Day in Bulawayo.
Ironically, the demolitions of people's houses, which started in May,
continued in June, the same month that the world commemorated World Refugee Day
and the International Day against Torture, which are on 20 June and 26 June
respectively.
"The Human Rights Forum deplores the heavy-handed manner in which the
demonstration was quashed and urges state agents to respect the peoples' right
to freedom of expression," said the report.
The Forum also says the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) also
threatened a student activist and his family at their rural home in Goromonzi.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) intervened, taking the matter to
the courts, where an order was issued barring the CIO and Zanu PF supporters
from harassing him or evicting his family.
But the threats continued despite the order.
"These are disturbing reports in light of the fact that the government has
been on record many times ignoring court orders. The Human Rights Forum urges
the government to respect judgments of the courts and demonstrate that the law
applies to every Zimbabwean," says the report.
RUSAPE - The High Court has dismissed a bail
application by Albert Nyakuedzwa, a top Zanu PF official in Rusape who is facing
charges of murdering a war veteran, on the grounds that he has pending cases of
political violence.
Nyakuedzwa is the Zanu PF district chairman in
Rusape and campaigned for Joseph Made, the agriculture Minister, during the Zanu
PF primaries for Parliamentary elections last year. .
He is also the regional manager of the Grain Marketing Board in Manicaland
and distributed grain and farming inputs to villagers in Makoni West encouraging
them to support Made ahead of the late Gibson Munyoro.
High Court judge, Justice Udya dismissed the bail application saying
Nyakuedzwa and two Zanu PF supporters had a pending case of violence and
kidnapping. Nyakuedzwa was arrested together with five other ruling party
activists who were, however granted $500 000.
The five are Blessing Kanombirira, Maruwa Kurira, Samson Chari, Delta
Mandibaya and Fungai Murisa. They were ordered to report at Rusape Police
Station every Friday before 6PM.
Allegations against Nyakuedzwa and his accomplices are that they fatally
assaulted Tina Wilson Mukono at Atlas Crusher Farm in Makoni District, after
accusing him of stealing metal roofing sheets and electric cables from Muhonde
Farm.
Mukono was declared a provincial liberation war hero and was buried at the
Manicaland Provincial heroes' acre in Mutare a recently.
Tapiwa Godzi of the Attorney-General's Office opposed the application saying
Nyakuedzwa was unrepentant and likely to commit similar offences.
Nyakuedzwa, allegedly at Didymus Mutasa's behest, led a group of 27 people
that severely assaulted a provincial war veterans' leader, James Kaunye who had
expressed his desire to challenge Mutasa in Makoni North. Mutasa is the Zanu PF
secretary for administration. They were arrested and brought to court where they
were granted $300 000 bail each. They were ordered not to engage in acts of
violence before their case was finalised.
Their trial on this case is still to come before the courts.
CAIN Mathema, the Resident
Minister of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, is unhappy with non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) for sinking boreholes in remote areas as they step up
efforts to solve the water problems rural communities are facing.
Speaking at a Matabeleland North Development Committee meeting held
in Bulawayo last week, Mathema said the NGOs should build roads and desist from
sinking boreholes stressing "we want metered water".
"Why don't we have tarred roads in the province? Why should the NGOs not come
and construct roads? Why should they put more emphasis on hand pumps and
boreholes?
"There are no hand-pumps in Europe. We want metered water. Boreholes must
go," Mathema said.
Several NGOs have been in the forefront of helping disadvantaged people solve
their problems in most of Zimbabwe's remote areas. Water has however, remained a
critical area, prompting donor agencies to channel resources towards the
construction of boreholes in dry areas.
The purpose of the Matabeleland North Development Committee meeting was to
discuss, among other issues, the implementation of provincial programmes,
receive reports on progress and to address constraints faced in their
implementation.
Government fails to deliver Asia tsunami donations
Zim Std
By our
staff
MORE than seven months after officials mobilised
resources in cash and kind worth over $6 billion to assist victims of the
devastating Asian tsunami disaster, the government is yet to transport the
remaining batch of donations to the affected, The Standard has established.
At the beginning of this year, government set up the Zimbabwe
Tsunami Disaster Fund to help the victims of the disaster, which affected
Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and the Maldives on 26 December last year.
Sources at Air Zimbabwe last week said the remaining donated goods were still
stored at the national airliner cargo warehouses awaiting dispatch.
The fund's target was to raise $20 billion and an account in its name was
opened at one of Zimbank branches with President Robert Mugabe as the patron.
The first consignment of donations, a planeload of water and other donations
in kind was sent to Indonesia in February.
Many Zimbabweans responded promptly to the fund.
Deputy chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Ray Ndhlukula who is also
the chairperson of the fund confirmed to The Standard that the goods were still
in Zimbabwe.
"Nothing has happened so far but we are still trying to organize transport.
We have also approached the Indonesian Embassy for transport support but nothing
has materialised," Ndhlukula said.
He said most of the goods were non-perishables and these included books and
blankets.
Indonesian Embassy secretary for the information, Sukando Sukando, said they
were trying to find the best and cheaper way of transporting the goods.
"It is now very expensive to transport donated goods to the affected areas.
Now the people in need of the donations are from Aceh, which is very far away
from the capital Jakarta, and therefore it would be very expensive," Sukando
said.
He added that the people who urgently require aid were school children and
the old people around areas near the Singapore border.
Air Zimbabwe cargo officials also confirmed that the goods were still under
their custody.
"There have been frantic efforts to transport the goods and some were being
flown to Indonesia via Singapore," said an official.
Malaysia, Myanmar and Somalia were also affected by the Tsunami, although the
effects were not as devastating as in Indonesia and surrounding areas.
BULAWAYO'S
water crisis is well documented. It was therefore particularly striking to hear
to a government minister professing ignorance of the predicament facing the
country's second largest city.
Anyone who has been around and
has lived in this country and cared enough about the welfare of Zimbabweans
would know.
When it suits it the government it is in charge, but when it does not, it
distances itself, practising benign neglect.
In September 32 schools in Bulawayo faced closure, a few days after the
beginning of the third term. The threatened closure was triggered off by water
shortages in Bulawayo.
When the Minister of State for Water Resources and Infrastructural
Development, Engineer Munacho Mutezo, visited Bulawayo in August, the State-run
Chronicle newspaper quoted him saying there was nothing the government could do
to alleviate Bulawayo's water crisis that has, predictably, impacted negatively
on the city's high-density suburbs and industrial activities because the
ministry had not been formally approached.
It is unclear whether the minister was speaking in his personal capacity or
on behalf of the government, because as early as 1997/98 a $25 million budget
was drawn up - by the then ruling party dominated Bulawayo city council for a
pipeline to convey water from two dams in the area to the city's main water
reservoir. But there has been little political will to proceed with the
construction of the pipeline.
The proposal for a 25 - 30km pipeline between Ncema Water works - where
Bulawayo draws its water supplies - and Mtshabezi and Mzingwane dams was
presented to Vice President Joice Mujuru. Construction of the pipeline is one of
the immediate responses the government can make if it is committed to addressing
the plight of the people and industries in Bulawayo.
Another immediate possible response lies in rehabilitation of boreholes
drilled to draw water from the Nyamandhlovu aquifer. Seventy-eight boreholes
were drilled to supply water to Bulawayo, but the lawlessness that accompanied
the much celebrated but chaotic "agrarian revolution" saw the bulk of the
boreholes being vandalised to the extent that only eight remained functional.
Fourteen more have since been repaired by the Bulawayo City Council, bringing
the total of those working to 22. But 56 of the 78 boreholes still require
repairing.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority has taken over the provision of water
for Harare and has been promised support in this endeavour by the central bank.
To the best of our knowledge, the decision did not follow a formal request to
the government. In fact, the government intervened, citing concerns by residents
of Harare and health implications. Bulawayo should benefit from similar
treatment from both the central bank and the government.
The differences in the manner in which the government reacts to Bulawayo's
water problems stoke suspicions of neglect. If there was desire to treat the
same problem afflicting the two cities equally, the government would have moved
to address the problems simultaneously.
The tardy response to Bulawayo's water crisis has forced companies to close,
costing many jobs, yet Bulawayo used to be the industrial hub of this country.
Last year the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries published a report on an
estimated 1 000 company closures throughout the country because of reasons
ranging from water, viability and foreign currency problems. A sizeable number
of these were in Bulawayo.
Unless the water crisis is addressed it will be a struggle to attract
investment to the area. Yet Bulawayo's proximity to Botswana and South Africa
make it an ideal investment destination.
Harare is already talking about fast-tracking the construction of Kunzvi Dam,
which will become the new water supply source for the capital city in the next
three years. Bulawayo instead is fed promises of Shangani-Gwayi Dam, when the
immediate response should be the 30km pipeline, which would also bring
much-needed contracts and employment to the companies and workers respectively.
The perception of neglect is in part responsible for the ruling party's
rejection by Bulawayo residents, with the first spectacular protest against Zanu
PF being its loss in the 2000 parliamentary elections. The rejection was the
least Bulawayo could do to show displeasure at what - in the view of the
residents - appears a pattern of systematic neglect of the city and the region,
leading to the collapse of many industries.
The establishment of the office of metropolitan governors was intended to
superintend the activities of executive mayors, because the government was
unhappy with the powers of mayors. It thus created a superstructure to oversee
executive mayors and areas under their jurisdiction. One of the supposed
functions of the office of metropolitan governors is to alert central government
to the requirements of areas under their authority. This does not appear to have
happened in the case of Bulawayo. Otherwise the minister would not have
professed ignorance of the water crisis in Bulawayo.
Hypocrites WHY do I get the impression that the State media
is clamouring for Welshman Ncube to take over the leadership of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)?
Week in, week out we are being
nauseated by so-called authoritative reports - quoting never-to-be-acknowledged
sources - that the good professor, who really is quite a capable and likeable
fellow in his own right, is gunning for Morgan Tsvangirai's job. Even if
that was true, isn't it what democracy is all about? Why are we not being told
who is gunning for Uncle Bob's office now that the great leader has said he is
not standing for the presidency after 2008? Is it because it is much easier
to trash the MDC than to discuss the thorny issue of the Zanu PF succession
battle? The greatest tragedy to Zimbabwean journalism is that after the
Nutty Professor assumed control of Zimpapers in 2000, many reporters in the
State media abandoned all ethics and were content to lie everyday if that would
make them remain in the good books of one Jonathan Moyo. (By the way why is he
so quiet? Hey wena Jona, what happened to the Third Force?) Needless to say,
the trend has continued, even when Moyo has been relegated to the political
wilderness. And like parrots who have learnt a particular tune, some
journalists at the State media continue to lie blatantly hoping that such lies
would endear them enough with senior Zanu PF officials to get promoted. Take
for example the story about the MDC's participation in Senate elections.
Tsvangirai has come out against his party's participation because he says
nothing has changed since 2000 when - to him and his supporters - Zanu PF stole
the ballot. Tsvangirai says the Senate election will be pre-determined just as
the March 2005 poll was. Welshman Ncube, on the other hand, merely told this
newspaper that the MDC's national council reached a decision before the March
election to force change by contesting every election and by-election, a
position now being bandied about in the State media as Welshman challenging
Morgan! And if the MDC's national council has yet to meet, where did The
Herald get the "sources" who told them that the council met and "snubbed"
Tsvangirai as reported in the paper? Are those "analysts" and "sources" not just
a figment of the reporter's fertile imagination? The MDC's top team
(including both Tsvangirai and Ncube) has been meeting its provincial structures
country-wide to sound them out on the Senate issue. The party's position on
whether or not to participate should, therefore, be only known when the national
council finally meets, in a week's time. Anything else is pure fiction.
Eagle lands SO the Eagle has finally landed and a good time was had by
all. Delta Beverages' new lager - aptly named Eagle - swooped onto mother earth
to quench the thirst of hungry and Zimkwacha-challenged Zimbabweans who can no
longer afford other costly waters of immortality. The long awaited beer,
which is to be priced for the down market, is made of sorghum. One journalist
who tasted it at its launch at Borrowdale Race Course on Friday night says it
reminds him of the pre-Independence Chibuku! But so tasty was the brew to
the palates of a group of young entertainers hired by Delta for the night's
entertainment that they decided to take some home without permission. An
alert security official, with strict orders not to allow anyone to take the beer
out of Borrowdale, couldn't exactly tell whether one of the young musicians was
struggling to lift a ngoma because of the effects of the Eagle … that is until
he peeped into the hollow back of the ngoma. Lo and behold, the "talking drum"
was packed to the brim with enough Eagles to make a crate! More butter A
WIFE was calmly making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly,
he burst wildly into the kitchen. "Careful ... CAREFUL! Put in some more
butter! Oh my! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM
NOW! We need more butter." Gasp. "WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER?
They're going to STICK! Careful ... CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER
listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! HURRY UP!! Are you CRAZY?
Have you lost your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget
to salt them. Use the salt. QUICK, USE THE SALT! THE SALT!" The wife stared
at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry
a couple of eggs?" The husband looked at her and calmly replied: "I just
wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving." The log in your eye
Zimbabwe has been ranked among
the world's worst performing economies, a sad case overall of the development
process having gone sharply awry. Owing to economic mismanagement, Harare was
bestowed with the world's worst ranking (117) for the quality of its
macroeconomic environment on the back of a worsening economic crisis that has
reached catastrophic levels.