View from the Pan.
This week Mugabe took himself off to Malaysia for a
short break and then on
to Vietnam for an official visit. He was due to go on
from Vietnam to
Brisbane but that has been cancelled on security grounds
following the
terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Prior to leaving
Harare he
sent George W Bush a note of condolences and an offer of help to
find the
perpetrators. I wonder in which side of his cheek he held his tongue
as he
did that? Just a week before he had praised Bin Laden in Libya and
poured
scorn on the anxiety of the USA about the capacity of this “small man
with a
gun”.
Mugabe must have been delighted with the cancellation of
the Brisbane
meeting as he had a real reception waiting for him there. I
heard that the
Australian Unions were going to protest his presence and you
can be sure
that the thousands of former Zimbabweans who live in Australia
were not
going to throw rose petals in his way.
The new mayors of
Masvingo and Bulawayo are just getting down to business in
their respective
cities. In the case of Masvingo good progress has been made
in the first two
months and this should start being felt on the ground
shortly. In Bulawayo,
the second city with a population of over a million
people, the task ahead is
intimidating. Just to help the new administration,
the Minister of Local
Government drew a line through Bulawayo in a list of
cities that had been
proposed by USAID for help from the Agency. In its
place he proposed the
third city – Gweru. He must be very dumb if he does
not understand what that
sort of thing will achieve – politically and even
in terms of US aid to the
City of Kings. It will do nothing to stop aid
reaching the City and may even
encourage greater assistance.
The Supreme Court has sat and heard the
case for the farmers and we now
await their decision. This is expected
shortly and will be closely watched
by everyone concerned as well as the
international legal fraternity. If it
goes the way that is expected it will
signal the end of Zimbabwe’s proud
record of legal and judicial
professionalism. Mugabe will use the outcome to
shamelessly promote his land
reform programme. All you need to judge the
legal position of the government
is to ask what would the decision be of the
International Court of Justice in
the Hague if they were asked to judge the
legality of the farmers case. Just
list a few of the fundamental strengths
of the farmer’s position: -
1.
They are bona fide citizens of the country.
2. They are genuine investors
holding legal freehold rights to the land they
use.
3. They are protected
by international agreements covering investments of
this nature.
4. Over
80 per cent have made their investments since 1980 when this
government came
to power.
5. The majority of them have purchased their properties with a
legal
certificate of “no interest” issued by the Ministry of Agriculture on
behalf
of the government.
6. They owe creditors money against which their
land is the main form of
collateral.
7. The government already controls 80
per cent of all land in Zimbabwe
including over 55 per cent of the “most
productive” farm land and has yet to
use productively the majority of the 4
million hectares purchased from
commercial farmers since 1980 using foreign
funds donated for this purpose.
8. They have no plans for the proper
settlement of these illegally acquired
farms or for the subsequent support of
the new farmers.
9. No selection is being applied to the new settlers and
they are not being
obliged to accept liability for the assets they are
illegally taking over
from the current owners.
10. No satisfactory forms
of compensation have been agreed or even the
method by which such
compensation will be established and paid.
What do you think a panel of
elderly Judges, selected from the best in the
world, would rule in this case.
It’s silly even to ask the question. Should
the Zanu PF selected panel of
Judges rule otherwise in the Zimbabwe case,
they will bring themselves and
the legal system they represent into total
disrepute. They will not be able
to hide behind their political masters when
they are eventually asked to
justify their actions. Perhaps they will do the
right thing; we have been
surprised before.
Prices and Incomes.
Looking at a list of basic
commodities recently I noticed the following
increases since September 2000:
- Bread – 213 per cent, Cooking Oil – 141
per cent, Bar Soap – 262 per cent,
Bath Soap – 304 per cent, Toilet Paper –
175 per cent, Margarine – 143 per
cent.
Pretty tough on the consumer. The inflation has been especially
rapid in the
past two months and is putting impossible pressure on the
budgets of low
income and middle income families.
Children are going to
school without breakfast, men are sleeping at their
places of work because
they do not have the fare to go home at night,
students are resorting to
prostitution to pay their fees. Rural families who
in the past have been able
to rely on their relatives in the cities to help
support basic needs with
money transfers now face requests for food to be
sent to town to help feed
families and relatives. On a very basic level,
this is the face of the
economic crisis in Zimbabwe.
In the middle of this deteriorating
situation, the government is playing
with paper politics. On the 11th
September the Secretary for Labour sent out
a letter instructing the
Employment Councils to increase wages by over 100
per cent in the private
sector and to backdate the increases to the 1st of
July. Then they “reduced
the price of fuels” by about 3 per cent in response
to the demands from the
Trade Unions and promptly told the private sector
that they expect prices to
come down as a result and bus fares to decline.
What they did not say was
that international oil prices are down 20 per
cent. The fact that half the
pump price in Zimbabwe is made up of corrupt
payments to cronies and
suppliers also went unsaid.
Civil Servants are still expected to get by
with a 15 per cent increase in
their salaries and government trumpeted that
the “budgeted deficit was down
60 per cent” – at whose expense?
The lower
budget deficit is at the expense of every person with savings and
every
person working for government. Now they expect, at the stroke of a
pen, to
force all private sector employers to pay for their folly and help
them win
the presidential election next year.
To cap it all they are now going to
monitor price increases – this means
that a group of civil servants and
others will sit in judgement on producers
who want to raise their prices when
their costs go up. Manufacturers will be
required to submit requests for
price increases to this august body who will
then sit on the applications for
weeks and months before grudgingly granting
increases when its too late to
save the industry concerned. Thousands of
workers will loose their jobs and
relocate to the rural areas where they can
be conscripted into the army of
unemployed, willing to do anything to
survive, including beating up workers
and farmers and looting their property
as a reward. It’s devilishly simple
and effective – just like the attack on
the World Trade Centre in New York,
and just as damaging to Zimbabwe and the
region.
M Ngwenya
30th
September 2001.
Please note that this note is personal and does not
necessarily reflect the
views of the Movement for Democratic Change.
COMMERCIAL FARMERS' UNION
Farm Invasions and Security Report
Thursday
4 October 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This report does not purport to cover all the incidents that are taking
place in the commercial farming areas. Communication problems and the fear of
reprisals prevent farmers from reporting all that happens. Farmers names, and in
some cases farm names, are omitted to minimise the risk of reprisals.
NATIONAL REPORT IN BRIEF:
Nyamandhlovu farmer badly burnt in fire and
requires hospitalisation
Kromkloof dam (100 megalitre capacity) drained
Food shortage for cattle imminent in Figtree
Figtree -movement of cattle
had been denied by Veterinary Services
Chinhoyi - 24 farmers remanded out of
custody again until 1st Nov 2001
Selous - homestead and cottage burnt to the
ground
Marondera - upsurge in snaring
MASHONALAND WEST
Cleeve Farm - A war vet' by the name of Nyamziwa
stopped work on this farm following an altercation with the foreman. After he
had left, work continued but he returned and pulled the irrigation pipes a part.
One of the settler houses burnt down last night when a lamp was knocked over by
one of the occupants - this was witnessed by the farm guard.
MANICALAND
Correction to last Sitrep - In Chipinge the the farm with
20ha of 2yr Coffee plants had some plants pulled up not the entire 20 ha.
Kromkloof Farm - The harvesting of unripe coffee (green) by illegal
squatters continues. Kromkloof dam (100 mega litre capacity) drained by illegal
squatters to harvest fish stock. Vaal Koppies - Illegal squatters continue hut
building, land clearing and burning around coffee lands and in workers village.
Lot 12A of Newcastle - A DDF tractor ploughing on illegal squatter's plot. There
has been continued burning of bush by illegal squatters and continued work
stoppage on 15 ha coffee block planting (2 ha were completed, but now
wilting).
Chipinge - On Lettiesville which is not listed, the DA has told the
owner that they want the farm and all work should be stopped. The DA told the
owner that if he willingly gave up Lettiesville the farmer could keep his other
farm.
Middle Save - The evaluators were evaluating farms in the area
yesterday.
Rusape - Lionshead Farm had two cattle hacked, one is being
treated and the other had to be destroyed.
Headlands - On Longfield last
week there was a semi work stoppage and the farmer received a death threat, the
situation has since been resolved.
Nyanga - The labour problems on Claremont
Estates are ongoing.
MATABELELAND
Nyamandhlovu Matabeleland Concession Farm - In a
runaway veld fire suspected to have been started by War Vets burning their lands
in preparation for planting, the farmer and one of his assistants and two farm
workers were caught in the fire. They were in a Land Cruiser and were trapped
against the electrified game fence while trying to backburn to stop the fire.
They were forced to drive through the fire and the flames were so high that they
came into the passenger cabin where the assistant was scalded and the farmer
received severe burns. He is currently in hospital. He is awaiting the
doctor's decision to do skin grafts or to transfer him to South Africa. The
vehicle was badly damaged. The two workers were not hurt, except that one's
woollen cap melted and fused with his "afro" style hair, necessitating a
haircut. On Bonisa Douglas Dube has now claimed the farm for himself and is
harassing the elderly owners to leave. He has also put a barbed wire fence
across the road leading to the house to deny the owners access. Two further
fires were deliberately started. Cattle are being driven into maize lands
reserved for cattle fattening. Pontneywydd Farm - There have been fresh
invasions this week. Settlers were delivered on a DDF truck and they brought
chickens with them and have settled next to the ostriches. There is a worry that
this may cause an outbreak of Newcastle Disease.On Mindoro/Taradale the poaching
and snaring has been horrific. Tree cutting continues unabated with some 200 Ha
of indigenous woodlands having been chopped, stacked and burned. Building
continues unabated with permanent structures being erected. Drysdale has been
pegged and settled, now a Mr Makwena from DDF is pegging Kenelly's for
resettlement and would not have his authority questioned by the farm manager,
Andy Kemp.
Bubi/Insiza On Meikles Ranches there have been further farm
invasions occurring on a daily basis with new settlers arriving on every
property in both districts. On average five or more settlers being added to
each property each week. Dysart Farm - The property was listed with a Section 5
notice on 7th Sept. Miss Siwela is organising rapid pegging of the property
and re-settlement has commenced. The Police are not getting
involved.
Bulalimamangwe On Sandown South a National Parks officer arrived
to evaluate the property. Officer was very polite. No explanation could be
given as to why a Parks officer was sent.
Insiza - At Fountains a police lady
continues to build her bottle store next to the butchery and vegetable outlet,
coming out at weekends. Beer sales commenced this weekend with the sale of
scuds which were stored in the public toilets. Although Riverside Estate is not
listed, the Lands committee have instructed the owner to remove his cattle with
immediate effect as the farm has been Agritex pegged under model A2 scheme and
allocated to five recipients getting 500 Ha each.
Umguza - On Standish
Estates occupations are occurring daily with trees being destroyed. The farm is
nearly completely overrun and permanent buildings of brick under asbestos and
iron are going up all over the farm. The intention appears to be to establish a
new squatter township in close proximity to town where they can live for free
and commute to work.
Inyati Gravesend Farm - The DA has made it clear that
the farm has been designated. Agritex has pegged, but settlers have been told
not to interfere with current farming activities. Both parties co - operating
with access, water supplies etc. Further resettlement activities will only be
allowed when legal procedures have been completed. However, the following
incidents have been reported (culprits well known to ZRP Mbembesi): 4 padlocked
gates and 2 windmill brake cables vandalised; 1 corrugated iron shed stolen; 2
cows missing from camp 5.1; fence cutting and at least 140 snares set from this
wire - settlers' and farmer's cattle snared; vast quantities of dead and live
wood cut and sold off the property; fencing standards stolen; cattle water point
ball valves vandalised; huge areas of winter grazing destroyed by arson (one
settler admitted to setting fire to 2800 Ha in 7 camps and land on two
neighbouring properties; another settler ran away after setting fire to 2 camps
(900 Ha)); gates are being left open to allow free cattle movement in
contravention of Veterinary regulations. Where gates are closed and padlocked
they are destroyed. Gravesend is being used as an access route to Horseshoe
farm where numerous reports of illegal cattle movement are being received.
Owner has written letter to the Member in Charge at Mbembesi ZRP asking for
assistance.
Figtree - On Woollandale Farm attempts to fight fires on rented
NRZ property stopped by settlers who claimed they were burning to clear
cultivation lands. Member in Charge ZRP Figtree reluctant to get involved
claiming it is political. He referred farmer to Kezi DA who was away for an
extended period. The farmer's brother was instructed to remove 700 head of
cattle, as the land now belonged to the settlers, courtesy of the DA, Agritex
and the Notopos police. The properties involved have NOT been listed and no
notice of intention to acquire the properties has been served. They are 3km
from the nearest Communal Land, the property is being fully utilised, and much
of the grazing has been destroyed. Food shortage for cattle imminent, and
movement of cattle had been denied by Veterinary Services. Settlers have
informed owner of their intention to take over irrigation lands that were
recently planted with paprika (for export) and tomatoes.
MASHONALAND WEST (NORTH)
Chinhoyi - 24 farmers were remanded out of
custody again until 1st Nov 2001.Longmead Estate -Early in the morning several
War Vets came and said their pegs in the compound had been moved so they did not
know where their plots were. They said there was a fine of $1500 for removal of
pegs. The Farmer knew nothing of this. Mid morning there was a work stoppage.
War Vets were threatening to burn the tractor that was trying to ridge. They
said the driver was a good friend of a neighbour and they wanted to beat him
up. During the afternoon 8 war vets told the seedbed workers that they were not
allowed to work. They said that the pump engine and seedbeds were theirs and
they were going to plant maize in the seed beds tomorrow. In the early evening
War vets started a fire. On the way to put out the fire the farmer was stopped
and told that the land and pegs belonged to Mr Mugabe and that if the fire was
put out there was going to be war, they told the farmer to go. 20 ha burnt. The
workers are not allowed to fish in the dam. On East Range building continues at
a pace. The farm is not listed, but the farmer cannot plant his crop. The REO
spoke to the DA who said they would go out there. At Portelet Farm the farmer
attempted to go to Lands Committee but as they were not there he was unable to.
His father remains in the ICU and is still in a coma, and in a stable
condition.
Karoi - Work stoppages on 34 farms in the area. This amounts to
1286 ha of tobacco which cannot be planted. Seed beds have been trashed at
Dixie Farm.
Tengwe - 17 farms cannot plant. An unlisted farm was yesterday
settled by the ADA (Chiweshe). Illegal invaders have moved into the house on
Parrondale Farm. Datenda Farm
has been having trouble with pegging and work
stoppages. All the lands were prepared before they were pegged. Makorokoto has
been stopped from ridging and illegal invaders would not allow his tractor back
to the farmstead. Police defused the situation and the tractor was retrieved,
however, the illegal invaders now want to use the tractor for their ploughing.
Rugare Farm had people at the gate at lunch time making a noise and banging
drums. Threats were made to the farmer to move his cattle off the farm and he
was told he had to sell all his cattle. The illegal occupiers wanted to burn the
farm and they wanted him to plough for them. ZRP reacted. Chobeni Farm - A
couple of vehicles were seen driving around in the coffee and when approached by
the farmer they drove off.
MASHONALAND WEST (SOUTH)
Norton -
Minister Chombo stated at a meeting at Selous Club on 3 October 2001 that the 48
Grey Scouts in full combat kit with AK47s who are currently stopping farming
activities were not military, but were merely people dressed up and that they
should not be doing this. These people are based at Norton Police Station and
Tilford Police Post.
Selous - On Exwick Farm which was delisted nearly three
months ago, Wing Commander Mazambani together with a lot of other occupiers,
continue commercial wood cutting and illegal ploughing as well as building
permanent brick structures on the property. On Garamwe Farm where the owner has
had to move off recently, veld fires were started. Illegal occupiers had
intimidated the caretaker into not living in the homestead. In what looks like
an arson case, both the homestead and the cottage were burnt to the ground.
None of the illegal occupiers' houses were burnt in any way. On Mount Carmel
Farm one illegal occupier has threatened to cut the plantation of citrus
down.
Chegutu/Suri-Suri - On Farnham Farm which is unlisted, illegal
occupiers barricaded the owner in and prevented him from leaving the farm.
Police responded and appear to have resolved the situation. On Eastbourne Farm
Agritex officials have started pegging and have said that the cattle should all
be removed otherwise there will be problems. On Riversdale there is a new work
stoppage where the owner is unable to even start a tractor.
Chakari - Farmers
are still unable to prepare for any crops in this area. Even on Chevy Chase
Farm which is not listed, planting is not allowed to
proceed.
Kadoma/Battlefields - On Alabama Farm intimidation continues despite
the owner having taken the decision to stop the 500 ha cropping programme for
this season. One of the workers, who was chased out of his house by the illegal
occupiers previously and is no living in the workshop area, had a large group of
illegal occupiers threatening him again. On Inniskillen Farm the owner has
reported whole scale thieving of potatoes on 18th, 27th and 30 September and 1
October. He has also had two cattle axed and one snared. Assaults have been
on-going on his work force and his work force have now been intimidated into not
working for the last few days. The cattle were chased into the yard after the
yard fence was cut, they have since been allowed to be moved into a 2 ha paddock
where 460 of them have been for the whole week. The owner has been forced to
withdraw charges regarding potato theft as police have told the owner that it is
the owner's problem and it is up to him to negotiate. On Umsweswe Rive Block
10A illegal occupiers are putting in a grinding mill and have stolen a leopard
skin belonging to a foreign client who has paid a two thousand US dollar trophy
fee for it.
General - At a meeting at the Selous Club at which Minister
Chombo, MP Chiangwa, MP Shamu, MP Sabena Mugabe and the Governor of Mashwest, Mr
Chanetsa, the farmers were told that illegal occupiers on unlisted properties
would be removed and that anyone that could not plant should be allowed to do
so. The Governor has aid that there will be meetings every Tuesday in Chinhoyi
to sort out all work stoppages if these had not been resolved at district
level. Minister Chombo undertook to get back to the farmers in writing
regarding Section 5 notices and their implication regarding farming
operations.
MASHONALAND EAST
Beatrice - Work stoppages over the last few days on
Alamein, Maasplein, Nengwa. Grading can continue on these farms. Local war
veteran Chiramba, who has recently completed community service, together with
Maxwell, accompanied valuators when they came to Goldilands. On Altrina an
assailant came into the owner’s house at night after he had gone to bed and
pointed his pistol at him (pistol had been placed next to the bed). Keys were
demanded, which he handed over, and whilst the criminal was trying to rob the
safe, the owner got away. He later returned to the house to find his handset
radio and pistol missing. The police were informed and did a follow up but
never made it to the house as they had an accident on the way. The assailant is
suspected to be a thatcher on the farm. The case has not gone any
further.
Enterprise - Farmers have been trying to get their farms delisted
but have not had much help from the DA. They just get sent from one office to
another. In general the situation has not improved.
Featherstone - Kuruman A
and De la Quellerie have had their cattle locked up. They had to negotiate with
settlers to release them in order to graze. On the latter farm this was forced
by 10 very aggressive individuals. A farmer was called to answer to allegations
that he had an arms cache, when in fact the subject of the allegation was a gun
safe. He was nevertheless charged for contravening the Firearms Act. 20-30
Hereford-type cattle have been found on Charter Estate, believed to have been
stolen, possibly from Wedza.
Harare South - On Auk’s Nest war veterans told
workers to demand termination pay from the owner, and leave the farm by 4
October 2001. Workers reacted angrily and told them to leave, which they did.
Subsequently people in a white Toyota Hilux arrived at the farm and questioned
workers when grading was to be completed. On Walmer war veterans locked the
owner’s homestead gate with their own padlock and chain and threatened to put up
roadblocks. Police were informed. On Dunottar 5 illegal invaders arrived and
told the manager that they had been sent by a soldier and told to resettle the
farm. Settlers demanded electricity be put up in the area that they are settled
in. If their demands were not met they were going to set up more roadblocks on
the farm roads. Assistant Inspector Chibanda had a meeting with them and the
situation is under control.
Marondera South - General - the widespread work
stoppages in the Ruzawi and Wenimbi areas remain. On Arcadia illegal settlers,
who have been building huts on a land to be used for a late tobacco crop,
stopped land preparation. These would-be settlers had previously been told by
the authorities to leave the farm. Wenimbe had 10 workers’ houses occupied by
illegal settlers after the Abuja talks and they remain occupied in spite of
repeated calls to authorities to address the problem.
Marondera North - On
Chiparawe they have had an upsurge in snaring the police have been very helpful.
Chinwiri had two cows killed , one was shot in the leg , the other one
slaughtered. The police reacted. Lekkerwater had an all night pungwe with farm
labourers being forced to join them. As of yesterday they are still waiting for
police and DA to react.
MASHONALAND CENTRAL
Bindura - On the morning of the 3rd of October the
owner of Bourtonvale Farm was prevented from leaving his home when the gates to
his homestead were locked after a dispute with illegal settlers. The DA was
called but he only arrived late in the afternoon of the same day. The owner of
Duiker Flats was forced to cease all operations on his farm after an altercation
with illegal settlers who had demanded that he grow and supply them with maize.
On Ledbury Farm the labourers have been prevented from working with the
tobacco. More illegal settlers have arrived on Guittingwood Farm and the owner
feels that the dry land crop is now in jeopardy. The work stoppage on Chivuri
and Condwalani Farms is continuing. The DA has been notified but the outcome of
the subsequent meeting held on these farms is unknown.
Centenary - The owner
of Kenilworth Farm was locked in his office by his labourers who were demanding
that they be paid gratuities. The Police were called and the situation was
resolved.
Glendale - There have been reports of attempted extortion by the
labourers of Hermiston Farm who have demanded that vast sums of money be paid
to them in the form of gratuities. The illegal settlers on Duncan Flats have
demanded that all farming operations cease and there have been several instances
of harassment from the labourers demanding to be paid gratuities.
Horseshoe -
The illegal settlers and 8 labourers from Ternanog Farm have made aggressive
demands for gratuities before they would be willing to negotiate with the owner
to allow farming operations to begin again. The labourers of Mangondo Farm who
have been retrenched, have made aggressive demands for compensation from the
owner of the farm. Seventeen farms in the area have now been affected by work
stoppages, whilst the building of houses by the illegal settlers
continues.
Mazowe/ Concession - There has been a steady increase of illegal
settlers on Pentland Farm and on Warmingdale Farm. The planting of the irrigated
maize crop on Tavydale has come to a halt after illegal settlers demanded that
all farming operations cease. The labourers on Normandale Farm have approached
the owner and demanded that he pay them higher wages.
MASVINGO -
Apologies for no sitrep today, but there has been a break down in landline
communications which it is hoped will be rectified by Monday when the next
sitrep will be forwarded.
US$256 Million Disappears From Reserve Bank
Financial Gazette
(Harare)
October 4, 2001
Posted to the web October 4,
2001
Harare
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is investigating
the disappearance of
over US$256 million meant for pre-shipment financing of
tobacco and input
support for the growers, it was learnt this
week.
Authoritative sources this week said the missing funds were part of
a US$381
million offshore pre-shipment financing deal struck by the
government early
this year to finance tobacco purchases by merchants during
the 2000/01
marketing season.
According to our sources, only US$125
million had so far been used and the
remainder of the funds is unaccounted
for.
The sources said efforts to get clarification from the RBZ on
the
whereabouts of the money have so far proved fruitless and that the
central
bank has made an undertaking to investigate the matter.
"We
are saying more than two-thirds of the crop has been sold and we expect
that
more than US$250 million should have come into the country but it has
not,"
said a tobacco industry official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
RBZ spokesman Ignatius Mabasa this week however said only
US$308 million had
been negotiated by the External Loans Coordination
Committee (ELCC) with
foreign financiers for use in buying tobacco.
He
said as of September 11 2001, tobacco merchants had used US$135.4
million,
suggesting that there was a balance of US$173 million.
"For 2001, ELCC
approved total offshore finance facilities amounting to
US$308 million,"
Mabasa said, responding to questions from this newspaper.
"As at 11
September 2001, cumulative drawings by tobacco merchants amounted
to US$135.4
million, suggesting that there was a balance of US$173 million
still
available."
The Financial Gazette had seen correspondence to the RBZ and
the Ministry of
Finance by some farmers who wanted to know the whereabouts of
the money.
The sources said the RBZ was also probing the disappearance of
another
US$12.8 million from the Tobacco Trust Account, a facility set up
last year
to help tobacco growers access hard currency to import
inputs.
Mabasa did not respond to questions sent to him on this
issue.
Under the terms of the pre-shipment arrangement, about 20 percent
or US$25
million of the offshore funds were supposed to have been deposited
into the
trust account to finance input purchases by the farmers.
"We
were supposed to have had US$25 million in the Tobacco Trust Account but
when
we checked on the account on September 12 we were shocked to learn that
there
was only US$12.8 million," one source told the Financial
Gazette.
From the Daily News
Chinamasa dares Britain to freeze Mugabe’s
assets
10/5/01 8:36:54 AM (GMT +2)
Political Editor
THE
British government can go ahead and freeze President Mugabe’s assets
and
those of his “henchmen” if they find them, Parliament heard on
Wednesday.
The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs, Patrick Chinamasa,
said foreign governments should not just talk of
freezing assets they allege
are owned by Mugabe and senior government
officials, but should act. He was
responding to a question from Priscilla
Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC, Glen
Norah) who had said the British Prime
Minister, Tony Blair, was quoted on
CNN as saying his government would soon
freeze “certain assets of people
that are in government”.
She said
Blair had “harsh words” for “Mugabe and his henchmen” in a speech
to the
Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton this week.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga
wanted to know whether the government would renege on
the Abuja agreement if
the British proceeded to seize the assets. Chinamasa
retorted he was not
aware of the statement alleged to have been made by
Blair.
He said of
Misihairabwi-Mushonga: “The sort of talk from the honourable
member is very
reckless and careless. It assumes we have assets all over.
Please let them go
ahead. Why do they have to talk of intentions? We don’t
have assets and
they’re free to freeze them, to acquire and do what they
want.”
The
British Broadcasting Corporation quoted Blair as having said the world
as a
community should focus on Africa for it “to be healed”. Blair called on
the
international community to back a partnership for Africa, between
the
developed and developing world, based on the New African
Initiative.
“This would offer greater investment, aid and debt relief for
Africa,” he
said. “But it’s a deal: on the African side, true democracy, no
more excuses
for dictatorship, abuses of human rights, no tolerance of bad
governance,
from the endemic corruption of some states, to the activities of
Mr Mugabe’s
henchmen in Zimbabwe, proper commercial, legal and financial
systems.”
Chinamasa angered the opposition MPs when he attacked them,
especially
Misihairabwi-Mushonga for “parroting what the enemy says”.
“It
is not fair for MPs on the other side to report over and over lies about
the
leadership of their country to a point where these allegations achieve a
life
of their own. Come forward, if you have evidence that we have assets
all
over,” he said.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga shouted “I’m not a parrot!” to
Chinamasa as he replied
“Yes, you are!” with Paul Themba Nyathi (MDC, Gwanda
North) objecting to the
Speaker, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who overruled his point
of order saying “to
parrot is to repeat”, and, thus, was not derogatory
Zimbabwe's Mugabe
gets a tuk-tuk
BANGKOK - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe yesterday wrapped up a five-day
tour of Thailand after receiving an unusual gift from his hosts - a
three-wheeled motorised rickshaw known as tuk-tuk.
In a ceremony at the Government House, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
presented the Zimbabwe President the key of the rickshaw taxi before both
leaders boarded the Thai-made violet-coloured vehicle.
It was driven around by Deputy Industry Minister Pichet Satirachaval inside
the compound.
The tuk-tuk, so called because of the putting sound of its smoky two-stroke
engine, has long been a symbol of Bangkok's traffic-clogged streets. But Thai
manufacturers have refined the vehicle's engine and are hoping to export it.
A tuk-tuk, which is open at the sides and has a canopy on top, seats three or
four people in the back besides the driver in front.
The deputy industry minister said the gift is for the President to test the
vehicle on Zimbabwe's streets. The Thai government hopes that Zimbabwe will soon
place orders for tuk-tuks, he said.
Bilateral trade between Zimbabwe and Thailand has dropped this year,
totalling 483.4 million baht (S$19.3 million) in the first half, compared with
2.07 billion baht last year. --AP
Zimbabwe President Takes a Taxi Home From Thailand
Updated: Fri, Oct
05 8:23 AM EDT
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Visiting Zimbabwe President Robert
Mugabe who got a test
ride in one of Thailand's noisy three-wheel taxis, or
tuk-tuks, on Friday is
now taking it home.
Mugabe, who sat alongside
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the
backseat, was presented with
his brand new 500cc ride after the test drive.
And officials of the
company who gave him the tuk-tuk hope it can soon make
inroads into
Africa.
"We are expanding fast and our new plant being opened later this
year would
raise our monthly production to about 800 units from 200 units
now," said
Sakda Sangsawaet, marketing executive of Pholasith Tuk-tuk
International
Ltd.
Mugabe ends his five-day visit on
Monday.
Sakda's firm now sells tuk-tuks to more than 30 countries,
exporting around
2,000 of the vehicles a year, each priced from $1,900 to
$2,500.
Mugabe Mortgages Country - Libya to Cream Off
Assets
Zimbabwe
Independent (Harare)
October 5, 2001
Posted
to the web October 5, 2001
ZIMBABWE is to pay a heavy price for loans from Libya with
farms, hotels and oil installations pledged to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime
as payment for his help, the Zimbabwe Independent learnt this week.
The Libyans, who recently provided a US$90 million line of
credit to supply fuel to Zimbabwe, have cast their eyes on stakes in two
financial institutions and a major hotel group as well as oil facilities and
land as payment, government sources reveal.
President Mugabe was recently in Tripoli to conclude the
fuel deal. Sources said the Libyans were eyeing a stake in two commercial banks
in which the government has a shareholding. Although it was not immediately
clear what the Libyans proposed to do with their stake, there are suggestions
that the banks would form part of a broad-based Libyan investment drive in
Zimbabwe which will require local capital as well as external sourcing.
The Libyans also want to run safari operations in Zimbabwe,
specifically designed for rich Arab tourists who want to come here to shoot
game.
The sources said under the deal, the Libyans would be
apportioned 8 000 hectares of industrial and farming land. The sources said
Libyan entrepreneurs would produce fruit and food crops on the land, solely for
the Libyan market. The North African country would also use part of the land to
set up industries to produce goods for their market. The industries, the sources
said, would use as much local raw materials as possible to manufacture
goods.
The sources said the Libyans were interested in land in
Mazowe Valley and Nyanga. They had also indicated an interest in setting up a
fruit canning plant or going into partnership with an established local fruit
and vegetable conglomerate.
"What this does is to set up a little Libya in Zimbabwe
because these guys want to come in a big way," a source close to the
arrangements said.
"They want the land to be fenced off so that Zimbabwe will
not have access to the plants and there is this unfortunate possibility that
they will bring in their own work- force," the source said.
"The major worry is that such a huge undertaking is being
done without the full knowledge of parliament.
"Fuel is an important resource for use but I am not sure
whether this will be for the good of the country in the long run," the source
said. The Libyans were in the country last month to inspect facilities in the
fuel industry and areas of possible investment in tourism.
In terms of the fuel agreement, Tamoil, a Libyan-owned
company, will supply a total of US$360 million worth of fuel to the National Oil
Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim).
Nicholas Kitikiti, permanent secretary in the Ministry of
Mines and Energy, was quoted as saying that the fuel deal would meet 70% of
Zimbabwe's normal requirements. He said negotiations were also under way between
Noczim and a Monaco-based Libyan company, Oil-Invest, to form a joint-venture
oil company which would be involved in fuel imports and the retail trade in
Zimbabwe.
The Libyan Arab Foreign Bank would finance the deals with
the two Libyan companies and Noczim. Zimbabwe would be paying in Zimbabwe
dollars.
Fuel industry sources said the Libyans' quest for control of
the Mutare to Harare oil pipeline and underground storage tanks in Mabvuku had
been blocked by senior politicians who felt the facilities were too strategic to
let go of.
There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity between
Harare and Tripoli since the visit to Zimbabwe by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in
July and subsequent visit to Tripoli by Mugabe the following month.
From the Daily News
Makoni blames the rich for forex
crisis
10/5/01 8:38:06 AM (GMT +2)
Political
Editor
BUSINESS people and the rich and famous are worsening the
country’s
precarious foreign currency situation by borrowing from cheap
government
facilities and using the money to invest in shares on the Stock
Exchange,
buying luxury cars or foreign currency which is then traded on the
parallel
market, Parliament heard yesterday.
The Minister of
Finance and Economic Development, Simba Makoni, said such
behaviour by people
who borrow under the pretext of investing in their
businesses was worsening
the foreign currency shortage.
“Businesses borrow from the Reserve Bank and
then invest in shares that are
fundable on the Stock Exchange or luxury
vehicles you park in front of the
House,” he said. “It is behaviour of this
kind which is undermining the
impact of the measures which we took to
stimulate the growth of the
economy.”
Makoni said the government had
last year agreed on the use of a credible,
rational and predictable exchange
rate policy but this had not been
implemented. His colleagues in the
government had not supported his
intention to devalue and stabilise the
dollar, he said. Makoni said he had
consulted widely and would soon announce
measures to mitigate shortages of
foreign currency. He said the answer to the
problems, especially
unemployment, lay in restoring stability and
predictability in the
macro-economic sector.
Makoni said it was
regrettable that inflation had soared to over 76 percent
due to, among other
things, the overpricing of goods and services, high
electricity tariffs and
petroleum products, high supply of money, huge wage
increases in the private
sector and the contraction of the productive sector
From the Daily News
Ex-CIO boss to stand trial for $17m
fraud
10/5/01 8:13:33 AM (GMT +2)
By Luke
Tamborinyoka
LOVEMORE Mukandi, the former deputy director-general of the
Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO) now living in Canada, is to be
extradited to
stand trial for a $17 million fraud.
Patrick
Chinamasa, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,
on
Wednesday told Parliament Mukandi would face trial in Zimbabwe
next
month.
“Mukandi was removed from remand by the presiding
magistrate in his case and
was granted freedom. Efforts are under way to
extradite him to stand trial,”
said Chinamasa. He was responding to a
question from Pearson Mbalekwa (Zanu
PF Zvishavane) on why he was reluctant
to prosecute Mukandi, David Nyabando
and other CIO officers accused of
fraud.The officers allegedly defrauded the
CIO of more than $17 million
through a scam involving the construction of
five safe houses. Mbalekwa asked
why Mukandi was allowed to go to Canada
while his case was pending.
“I
am unaware of the reluctance on the part of my ministry. Sufficient
evidence
was obtained after thorough investigations and the matter has been
set down
for hearing in November 2001,” said Chinamasa. He said he did not
know who
had given Mukandi permission to leave the country when he had a
pending case.
He said there was no visa requirement for visiting Canada and
Mukandi could
have taken advantage of that.
Earlier, Nicholas Goche, the Minister of
State Security, denied Mbalekwa’s
allegation that Mukandi had deposited £400
000 (Z$32 million) into the
personal account of a senior CIO officer serving
in London. He had later
transferred it into an account belonging to the late
Teddy Jamu, another CIO
officer in London. Mbalekwa, a former CIO officer,
alleged that Mukandi
later withdrew the money for his personal
use.
Goche said he was only aware of £135 000, deposited by Mukandi in
two
batches of £60 000 and £75 000 in 1996. He said the money was used to
buy
seven Land-Rover vehicles for security operations.
“The officers in
London produced documentary evidence for the transaction,
and if the
honourable member has more information, he is free to give it to
me so that I
can order fresh investigations,” said Goche.
Mukandi and his boss,
Shadreck Chipanga, now the Zanu PF MP for Makoni East,
were dismissed in 1999
after repeatedly clashing. They were replaced by
Happyton Bonyongwe and
Retired Brigadier Elisha Muzonzini, respectively. In
1998, media reports
alleged that the First Lady, Grace Mugabe, had built a
multi-million dollar
mansion in Chivhu, her home town, and registered it in
Mukandi’s name. Both
denied the allegations with Mrs Mugabe saying if the
house belonged to her,
she would have had it registered in the names of her
relatives.
From Zim Independent
EU gives Mugabe breather
Godfrey
Marawanyika
PRESIDENT Mugabe has temporarily survived the 60-day European
Union
ultimatum issued in June demanding an end to political violence and any
new
farm occupations, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt. It has now
been
postponed to the end of October.
The June ultimatum also required
the president to uphold court rulings and
stop harassment of the
media.
The European Union was due to review Zimbabwe’s case on Monday but
has since
deferred consideration to October 29.
Brussels sources said
the signing of the Abuja agreement last month caused
the deferral to a later
date. The 15-member grouping decided to temporarily
defer the hearing to give
Mugabe time to adhere to the Abuja agreement.
“We decided to postpone the
meeting to a later date during the month so that
President Mugabe and his
government try to adjust to the agreement,” said a
Brussels
source.
“What we have done is to give him (Mugabe) more time to get
his
administration in order to make the Abuja agreement
workable.”
Last month, Nigeria brokered a deal between Zimbabwe and
former colonial
master Britain where it was agreed Harare would restore the
rule of law in
land redistribution with London providing financing for the
purchase of
legally acquired land. The agreement came ahead of a new wave of
farm
invasions that have seen the level of violence increasing.
The
source said unless there was significant change in the environment the
EU was
not going to change its stance towards Harare.
“We are still assessing
the situation in Zimbabwe, but from information we
are getting, we are very
concerned about the level of violence,” said the
source.
The latest
development also means that until the EU resolves the issue no
form of aid
will be forthcoming from Brussels.
The EU has since last year taken a
stronger stand against Zimbabwe, citing
the breakdown of law and order in the
country.
Last month in one of their strongest attacks the EU condemned
President
Mugabe’s government for not putting an end to political violence.
The
322-strong EU parliament put Zimbabwe on its urgencies list.
The
MEPs also heavily lobbied for cancellation of the £65 million allocated
in
development assistance to Zimbabwe.
From The Zimbabwe Mirror
UNDP to hold consultative meeting in
Harare
Herbet Zharare
THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
in conjunction with the
United States -based Bureau for Development Policy
(BDP), Regional Bureau
for Africa (RBA) and representatives from 20 African
governments, will this
month convene a consultative meeting in Harare in
preparation for next month
’s World Trade Organisation conference
(WTO).
The meeting, which runs under the theme Trade and Sustainable
Development,
will run from October 17-19 this year.
A UNDP official
told The Zimbabwe Mirror that the objective of the meeting
was to prepare
African Governments and their private sector partners for the
WTO ministerial
conference to be held in Doha, Qatar between November 9-13
this
year.
The official said Zimbabwe was the first African country to be
approached by
the UNDP to host the meeting to be attended by participants
from Southern,
Central and North Africa.
The official said the Harare
meeting would help start and sustain a process
in which the human dimensions
to trade are made an integral issue of concern
in the WTO
negotiations.
The UNDP will sponsor two participants from each of the
invited countries,
while the other participants would be sponsored by their
respective
countries.
The official said that similar meetings would be
held in other continents in
preparation for the WTO conference.
“This
process is intended to allow greater regional representation
and
participation at WTO negotiations. “The country or region’s specific
trade
concerns and the building of solidarity and cohesion among
appropriate
groupings will be facilitated. This should promote a greater
potential to
influence the discussions through a “bottom-up” approach from
country to
regional and global levels,” said the official.
The Harare
meeting will draw participants from 20 African countries that
made proposals
to the 3rd WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle and
participated in post
Seattle trade initiatives for Africa. The invited
countries will be
represented by participants from a government ministry
responsible for
international trade while others would come from private
sector institutions,
such as Chambers of Industry, Commerce or Trade
Promotion Agencies. The
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNTAD), Common Market for
East and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern
Africa Development Community
(SADC) and the Africa Union (AU) have been
invited to give panel
presentations on trade policy issues in Africa.
The events surrounding
the WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle in 1999 and
follow up meetings as well
as the development perspective to global trade
will be featured prominently
in the Harare meeting deliberations. “The main
audience of the report will be
global trade policy decision makers and
institutions such as the WTO and
UNCTAD, developing countries trade
negotiators, influential trade experts,
the media, private sector and civil
society organizations involved in or
concerned about trade issues” said the
official.
Over the past two
years, successive WTO meetings have been marred by violent
anti-globalisation
protests. In Seattle in December 1999, police had to be
called to contain the
sporadic and violent demonstration, and the same
happened in Genoa, Italy
this year. The WTO meetings have been attacked by
sceptics who view them as
grand showcases for global capitalists.
Japan Cancels Loan
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare)
October 5,
2001
Posted to the web October 5, 2001
Augustine Mukaro
THE
Japanese Bank of International Co-operation has cancelled the $5
billion
concessionary loan to Zimbabwe meant for the Tel* One
digitalisation
programme, citing gross corruption which saw the disappearance
of tender
documents in March this year, it has been learnt.
The tender
documents disappeared from the tender board offices in unclear
circumstances.
Although two former tender board employees have appeared in
court over the
issue, nothing has been recovered.
The phase two digitalisation project,
which would have seen the creation of
87 500 new telephone lines on
completion, has now officially been cancelled.
The government failed to
present a report on the disappearance of the
documents forcing the financiers
to refuse to extend the sponsorship period.
As a result, Nippon
Telecommunications Consulting Co Ltd, a Japanese company
working for Tel*One
on a consultancy basis, is closing shop. Nippon provided
the technical
engineering services on the digitalisation programme
to
Tel*One.
Yausaki Kawabata, Nippon Telecommunications Consulting
(NTC) managing
director, confirmed his company would be closing operations by
the end of
this month.
"We received the official notification that
Japan Bank for International
Co-operation (JBIC) has cancelled the $5 billion
concessionary loan to
Zimbabwe for gross corruption and irregularities in the
tender procedures,"
he said adding that: "Just like in any other cases which
are happening with
donors, Japan is not going to extend their sponsorship of
the phase two
digitalisation project because your government has failed to
give a report
on the missing bids by the given deadline.
"It has also
failed to pay back the grant it was given by Japan," he said.
"By October
25, we are abandoning the project and going back to Japan
because of the lack
of finance to continue with the exercise," Kawabata
explained.
He said
the government of Zimbabwe on behalf of the PTC, the forerunner of
Tel*One,
should inform the tenderers that the project would no
longer
proceed.
Kawabata said the cancellation of the project would
force a number of
Japanese companies operating in Zimbabwe to drastically
scale down their
operations.
"Most Japanese firms were not
concentrating on one business but had
diversified into mining and farming;
but the biggest project they were
eyeing was to win the digitalisation
project," Kawabata said.
"Two Japanese companies, Itochu and Mitsubishi,
had tendered for the
project, so the cancellation means there will be no jobs
for them and they
might be forced to close down (in Zimbabwe)."
Movement for Democratic Change
Press Release
September 27th
2001.
Wheat Price Increases.
The news that the Grain Marketing
Board has agreed new prices for wheat with
the Grain Producers Association is
welcome. The previous price set by the
Ministry of Agriculture was well below
the level of market prices prevailing
at the time and below farmer’s
production costs. This decision will prevent
any delays in the delivery of
the crop to the GMB and all we have to be
concerned about now is that the GMB
has the funds to pay for the product on
delivery. Delays in farmer’s
payments were a serious problem last year.
However as a result of this
decision, the new selling price of wheat to the
millers will be some Z$4 000
a tonne higher than the producer price –
representing the GMB’s margin, and
this will also be significantly higher
than the price that was being paid by
millers direct to farmers. The
reintroduction of the GMB as the sole buyer
has therefore brought into the
market an extra stage in the system, which
must be financed. As a direct
result of this measure, the price of wheat
flour to the bakers has risen to
Z$65 000 a tonne and the price of bread will
rise again next week – probably
to over Z$60 per 700 gm loaf. A year ago the
same product was selling at
Z$15 per loaf. This is a 4-fold increase in price
in 12 months.
The reaction of the Ministry of Industry and International
Trade to the
increase in bread prices will inevitably be that the producers
of bread are
“profiteering” and that “price controls will be re-introduced to
protect the
consumer”. The Consumer Council will then threaten a boycott and
this
combined with the harsh reality that bread is now beyond the budget of
most
families, bread sales will plummet and the jobs of the 14 000 personnel
in
bakeries around the country will be under threat.
All of this will
only serve to disguise the real reasons for this situation.
In 1999 the
country was essentially self sufficient in wheat production for
the first
time in our history. This was a success story attributed to the
ingenuity of
our crop breeders who have produced new varieties that will
grow under
irrigation in the winter. It was also a tribute to our farmers
who were able
to produce the crop at prices competitive with those of the
major wheat
growing countries in the world. In addition to becoming
self-sufficient we
were able to export over 100 000 tonnes of wheat products
to our neighbours.
While this was happening over 800 new bakeries – the
great majority owned and
operated by indigenous black Zimbabweans were
established and the quality of
bakery products improved and prices became
more competitive on the local
market.
In the past two years all of these gains have been lost to a
senseless,
illegal and irresponsible attack on the food system. This attack
has as its
main goal to ensure that Zanu PF retains its power in March 2002.
Wheat
production has declined by a third, necessitating imports; rising costs
have
forced hundreds of new bakeries out of business. The cost of raw
materials
to the industry have increased so much that bread – a basic staple
in the
diet of the majority of the urban population and an important
component in
rural diets, is now simply too expensive to eat.
The
private sector is struggling to maintain supplies to the industry by
buying
foreign exchange in the free market that is the only source of
foreign
exchange today and this has increased wheat flour prices from Z$20
210 per
tonne a year ago to Z$65 000 a tonne today.
At the beginning of 2001 the
MDC warned of this impending disaster and
called for the international
community to make foreign exchange available
for wheat imports at a
reasonable price. It was argued that if the donor
community made funds
available to the millers at a reasonable exchange rate
(we suggested at the
time 90 to 1 for US dollars) then the millers could
hold the price of wheat
flour steady until the new crop came in in October
and November. Because
this would have resulted in food supplies reaching
Zimbabweans outside of the
Zanu PF controlled system, the Ministry of
Agriculture refused to request
this assistance and the offer by donors to
fund wheat and maize imports
remains stalled by government refusal to meet
the condition of political
neutrality in its distribution and sale.
It is this government that is
therefore responsible for the current food
crisis. It is this government that
has consistently claimed that “there was
no need to import food”. It is this
government that has undermined the
countries food system and then refused
offers of help – simply on the
grounds that they wanted to control the supply
of food to the people.
When prices of bread products rise in your local
supermarket next week,
understand what is causing this rapid rise in our
basic food items. The
only solution to this crisis is to complete the
changes we started to
implement two years ago this month. Put the blame
squarely where it lies –
at the feet of a corrupt and irresponsible regime
that has lost its right to
govern this country.
E G Cross
Secretary
for Economic Affairs, MDC.
ZIMBABWE: Agricultural authority sued over tobacco sales
JOHANNESBURG, 5
October (IRIN) - Zimbabwe's Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA)
and Manicaland governor Oppah Muchinguri are being sued by an Odzi company after
they allegedly illegally sold over US $ 3,000 worth of tobacco from Tara Farm,
owned by farmer Philip Bezuidenhout, who faces murder charges, the 'Zimbabwe
Independent' reported on Friday.
Bezuidenhout was in the news in July
when he ran over a resettled farmer in Nyazura and is currently facing murder
charges. He is out on bail and is expected to appear in court on 28 October,
according to the report. The farmer vacated the property after the incident,
leaving behind the tobacco, which has now been sold by ARDA. Nashrite Services,
the company which filed the suit in the High Court, through its lawyer Chris
Ndlovu of Ndlovu & Gonese in Mutare, wants ARDA to stop selling tobacco from
Tara Farm and to allow the farm owner to return and collect his equipment.
From the MDC Mailing list
Speech delivered by MDC President Morgan
Tsvangirai on the occasion of the
launch of MDC's health policy in Masvingo
at Charles Austin Hall on Thursday
October 4 at 5.30pm.
MDC's Health
Policy: Putting life back into our hospitals
Ladies and gentlemen we
welcome you to yet another MDC policy launch. To
date we have launched our
economic and education policies. These policies
explain the joy and relief
that awaits the people of Zimbabwe should they
vote for MDC in the coming
presidential elections. We promise the people of
Zimbabwe a new kind of
politics that delivers results.
Today we launch our health policy. The
Movement for Democratic Change
believes that the health of Zimbabweans takes
precedence over everything
else. We will put life back into our hospitals and
clinics. The health of
Zimbabwean citizens is not merely of some importance,
but it is of
fundamental importance. To no one will we refuse or delay the
right to good
health.
The MDC takes seriously the importance of the
health sector and recognises
its centrality to national development. No
prospects for development will be
realised if the population suffers from ill
health. It is against this
background that an MDC government will provide
sound health services that
are equally distributed and directed towards
priority problems.
An MDC government will provide for smooth
co-ordination of the three pillars
of health providers -- public, private and
the traditional health services.
The promotion of health will be
prioritised within all spheres of social and
economic activities through
provision for and enforcement of standards for
safe water, sanitation,
housing, waste disposal and food hygiene across
rural, urban and in the
resettlement areas.
The MDC will improve the working conditions of all
health workers. We will
recruit and train more nurses and doctors, above all,
we will keep and value
them.
MDC recognises the role of traditional
health services and will legislate to
protect the country's plant species for
medicinal purposes.
Public funds for health will be mobilised in the
short-term from funds
released from restraint on borrowing and from reduced
executive/cabinet
spending; from increased charges and levies on private
services and from
internalising health costs into private sector development
projects.
Greater finances and health care resources (including drugs and
staff) will
be directed to the primary care clinics and district
hospitals.
MDC will audit the public health infrastructures within local
authorities to
ensure capital investment to all urgent areas relating to
water treatment,
waste disposal, sewage, ambulance services, mortuary
services and other
public health services.
The MDC understands AIDS to
be a national disaster in terms of the Civil
Protection Act, with mandatory
integration of AIDS into all ministry and
private sector programmes,
including public and private budget provisions
for this. The MDC will
recognise through budget allocations the increased
demand on health and
social welfare services. It will also establish a
voluntary action fund to
support community based programmes on AIDS.
The MDC will give and
mobilise strong leadership to the implementation of an
effective national
response to AIDS that intensifies and sustains awareness,
promotes openness
and effective support for victims and AIDS orphans.
The MDC will take the
lead role of co-ordinating stakeholders (NGO's,
churches, traditional
healers, schools etc) working on HIV/AIDS to ensure
that priority areas are
addressed and that no duplication occurs without any
gaps to ensure an
effective and sustained co-ordination mechanism.
AIDS has taken
advantage of fault lines in our societies, political, social
and other
inequalities, hence the MDC realises the need to come up with a
multisectoral
approach for effective prevention and effective care in
dealing with these
fault lines.
There is a need to increase the financing of health care
and social support
services. It is the responsibility of the government to
protect people who
are vulnerable and to ensure that the rights of the
children and young
people with, or affected by HIV/AIDS are protected and
respected.
There is a need for the provision of free air-time and other
media coverage
for AIDS/STD educational programmes through government
supported print and
electronic media. Education on HIV/AIDS must be
introduced from primary to
tertiary level.
The MDC will promote a
framework of human rights in relation to HIV/AIDS
that ensures that HIV
status won't prejudice constitutional rights or
opportunities for employment,
housing, and other basic needs.
As MDC we are committed to providing an
excellent health care to all
Zimbabweans. We will pay our health services
workers better, we will provide
more hospital beds and more doctors and
nurses. There is no reason at all
why Zimbabwean citizens will have to sell
their houses just to get medical
treatment. We want to create a climate where
Zimbabweans are not just heard,
but listened to.
In conclusion, allow
me to say to you my dear colleagues and fellow
countryman, together we will
complete the change that we started in the 2000
elections. This change will
ensure that these policies become a reality. The
power to complete this
change is in our hands so let's use it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you
for your time.
Morgan Tsvangirai,
MDC President.
4
October 2001.
From the MDC Mailing list
I have just come in from another rally at White
City Stadium. This was to
commemorate our 2nd anniversary and was attended by
our National leadership.
It was a beautiful day for the rally and by my best
estimate there were
between 18 and 20 thousand people present. The grounds of
the stadium were
full - many more than those who attended the last meeting at
this venue when
we were campaigning for the mayoral elections.
Again I
was struck by the fact that everybody except the few who came in
their own
vehicles, came on foot - there were no busses and the use of the
mini taxis
was minimal. The crown was 90 per cent men and the majority were
quite young.
It was very disciplined and there were no Police present at
all. Our own
security looked very tight.
The only whites at the meeting were Trudy and
myself, apart from a young
lady who sang a song in Ndebele and English at the
start. Prayers were taken
by a Minister from a local Church. Entertainment
was by a number of groups
and individuals. I was impressed by the poetry
which was very good.
We were addressed by the top leadership, both Morgan
and Gibson spoke and
these speeches were very powerful. I was taken by the
amount of humour in
all that went on and what a contrast with the Zanu
rallies which are so
menacing and humourless. The contrast with Mugabe could
not be greater.
Morgan got a lot of laughs and it was also very clear that he
is totally
accepted as the next President of the country. Mugabe is finished
- he said,
to a roar of assent from the crowd.
The event was very well
organised and controlled and at the end they fed 20
000 people in an hour and
a half - no mean feat. The music and the sound -
so often less than
satisfactory, were excellent and professionally managed.
I think we may, just
may, be growing up - impressive for a two year old. I
had 15 young people on
my pickup going to the rally and coming home and we
rocked and rolled through
town. One person gave us the Zanu clenched fist
and I was glad they felt free
to do so. But for the rest, it was the "chisa
mpalma" all the way
home.
The next six months are going to be tough. Much tougher than the
last two
years, but what a team and what a great bunch of people. I am so
glad I am
in the midst of this movement and grateful for the chance to share
their
enthusiasm and commitment to changing this situation in which we
find
ourselves. I am looking forward to this scrap and cannot wait to get
stuck
into the campaign. If you feel down about the situation, then this is
an
indication that you are not involved. Its the last turn of the circuit
in
the particular race - lets give it all we have got.
Eddie
Cross
30th September 2001
From the ZHR NGO Crisis Conference Co-ordinating Committee, 1 October
Abuja - a briefing paper
Overall
The Abuja Agreement is an
important first step towards the resolution of
the
crisis in Zimbabwe.
It requires that land reform in Zimbabwe be orderly,
transparent, fair,
just, in the interests of all the people and that the
rule of law must be
restored to the process. This is effectively an
acknowledgement that the
process of land reform previously has been
disorderly, unfair, not in the
interests of Zimbabweans as a whole and not
within the framework of the
rule of law.
Whilst the Agreement is welcome in setting proper
standards for land
reform,
some of the terms of the Agreement are
extremely hazy. A more concrete
plan
of action, with target dates for
completion, will need to be drawn up if
the
present violent, chaotic and
destructive land acquisition process is to be
replaced expeditiously with a
fair and orderly programme.
Before there can be peace and stability in
Zimbabwe, there will also be a
need to address urgently a whole range of
issues outside the area of land
reform. The main issue is the gross misuse
of power. Political violence
will
have to stop and functional democracy
will have to be restored. Unlike at
present, Zimbabweans must be free to
support the political party of their
choice and to express their opinions
freely, political parties must be
allowed to campaign freely, there must be
freedom of the press, and the
rule
of law and the independence judiciary
must be upheld. The Agreement refers
obliquely to these other important
issues by stating that the "crisis in
Zimbabwe also has political and rule
of law implications.
The focal point of the Abuja Agreement
The Agreement focuses upon ways to resolve the land issue. It
states:
"land
is at the core of the crisis in Zimbabwe." This is not
correct assertion.
The main cause of the crisis in Zimbabwe is bad
governance. There has been
serious misrule of power. This has consisted of
systematic, violent
intimidation of opponents of the Government, gross
mismanagement of the
economy and endemic corruption by Government
officials. This led to
catastrophic economic decline and, in turn, to
rapidly diminishing popular
support for the ruling party. When it was faced
with the prospect of
losing
power, the ruling party embarked upon ever
more desperate and destructive
measures to cling to power.
No
sensible person disputes that major land reform must take place in
Zimbabwe. The only dispute is how land reform is to be achieved.
After
years
of failing to address the land issue properly, the
Zimbabwean Government
chose to orchestrate a sudden, massive, violent land
grab of white owned
farms. The land invasions were not a spontaneous
popular uprising by
landless peasants. They commenced days after the people
rejected the
Government sponsored draft constitution in a referendum. They
were carried
out on a large scale. Government vehicles were used to
transport the
occupiers. Once on the farms, Government agencies provided
some of the
occupiers with money and food. As occupations spread ZANU (PF)
officials
and
State security agencies played a prominent role in
encouraging, organising
and co-ordinating the invasions.
It is
clear that the Zimbabwean Government has used the whole land issue
to
deflect attention away from its violent onslaught against political
opponents and critics, and its subversion of the rule of law, the
independence of the judiciary, the freedom of the press and the political
neutrality of law enforcement agencies.
Land
The Zimbabwean
Government has agreed to the following:
1. Land reform must be
implemented in a fair, just and sustainable manner,
in the interest of all
the people of Zimbabwe, within the law and
constitution of
Zimbabwe.
Comment
The commitment to fair, just and sustainable
land reform is to be
welcomed,
although the Zimbabwean Government's
interpretation of what is fair and
sustainable is likely to be radically
different from that of the
international community.
The reference
to carrying out land reform within the law and constitution
has opened the
way for the Zimbabwean Government to claim that it has
previously been
carrying out the programme within these laws. It must be
remembered that
the constitutional provisions and laws in terms of which
it
is
purportedly acting are those passed by it to allow for its
wholesale
land
grab.
In 2000 it amended the Constitution to
insert s 16A. (Inserted by Act 15
of
2000.) This provides that if
Britain fails to establish an adequate fund
to
pay compensation for
compulsorily acquired land, the Zimbabwean Government
will not be obliged
to pay nay compensation for agricultural land acquired
for resettlement. It
further provides that where compensation is payable,
a
variety of
factors that will be taken into account in assessing the amount
of
compensation payable. These include the history of the occupation of
the
land, the price paid for it and the value of improvements. Another
factor
is
the resources available to the acquiring authority in
implementing the
programme of land reform.
In 2001 the Zimbabwean
Government passed the Rural Land (Occupiers
Protection from Eviction) Act.
This Act prevents a farm owner from
obtaining
a court order to evict
land occupiers who have occupied that land in
anticipation of being
resettled on that or other land by the land
acquisition authority and who
qualify to be resettled.
On the other hand, the provision in the
Agreement in terms of which
Zimbabwe
commits itself to restoring the
rule of law to the process of land reform
programme is an admission that
land reform has not previously been carried
out in accordance with the rule
of law.
2. It will ensure that there are no more occupations of
farmlands.
Comment
The Zimbabwean Government must show its
good faith in relation to this
provision by instructing all war veterans
and ZANU (PF) supporters not to
invade any more farms. The law enforcement
agencies must be given
instructions to prevent further farm invasions and
to evict immediately
any
persons invading new farms. It should be noted
that over 1700 farms are
already occupied.
3. It will speed up the
process by which farms that do not meet set
criteria
are
de-listed.
Comment
This is a very vague provision. The "set
criteria" should have been
spelled
out and some target timetable should
have been drawn up for the completion
of this process. There should be
public disclosure of what the criteria
are
so that farmers can apply for
de-listing where the criteria for
acquisition
are not met.
4.
It will move occupiers from farms that are not designated to farms that
have been legally acquired.
Comment
This is a vague provision.
Again no time period is given within which this
will be done. Regarding
this provision, Foreign Minister, Stan Mudenge,
has
already said: "We
will be dealing with land which has not been designated
and which the
Government has no plans to acquire. The majority of the
occupiers are
occupying land that has been designated." Interpreted in
this
way, it is
estimated that as little as 5% of commercial farms would be
affected by
this provision.
5. It will try to reach an agreement as quickly as
possible with the UNDP
on
a fair and sustainable programme of land
reform
Comment
Whilst it is appreciated such an agreement
cannot be arrived at overnight,
there have already been past discussion
between the UNDP and the
Zimbabwean
Government and the UNDP has already
put to the Zimbabwean Government a set
of proposals in December 2000. Given
the urgency of restoring order to
land
resettlement in Zimbabwe, some
time frame should have been set for these
discussions to be finalised.
However, there is another provision which may help to move the process
forward, namely the provision calling on Zimbabwe's international partners
to engage constructively with the UNDP and the government of Zimbabwe in
pursuing an effective and sustainable land reform programme on the
basis
of
the UNDP proposals of December 2000
Comment
The UNDP December 2000 proposals are contained in a letter to President
Mugabe from Mark Malloch Brown dated 15 December 2000. In this
letter
Brown
says that the Zimbabwean Government has two options. The
first option is
to
continue with the current internal Fast Track land
reform programme. This
"offers early speed and the possibility of nominal
resettlement in 2001."
But "immediate resettlement with investment and
services to follow is
unlikely to succeed in achieving its goal of viable,
long-term
resettlement,
particularly in the current economic
environment."
The second option, and the one favoured by the UNDP, is a
more systematic,
investment-backed approach. He goes on to point out that
their consultants
who have many decades of experience in land reform, have
no doubt that the
second approach would "deliver the ultimate victory."
This latter approach
would ensure "a well established successful community
of new Zimbabwean
farmers, the minimum disruption to the agricultural
sector as well as the
broader economy, fair compensation to the current
owners and support for
displaced farm workers." Although this approach
would lead to a slower
start
and "delay of resettlement until the first
confidence building steps have
helped to secure a resumption of donor
funding," it would avoid the real
risks of the first approach and result in
a much more comprehensive and
sustainable outcome."
In the
aftermath of the Abuja agreement, however, the Zimbabwean
Government
shows little signs of being prepared to pull back from Fast Track
resettlement and to adopt a slower, more planned and sustainable scheme of
resettlement.
6. Financing
The United Kingdom reaffirmed its
commitment to make a significant
financial
contribution to such a land
reform programme and undertook to encourage
other international donors to
do the same.
Comment
Once agreement upon a fair and
sustainable land reform programme has been
arrived at, the United Kingdom
and the international community must be
prepared to donate substantial
funding to ensure the success of the
programme.
Other aspects of
the crisis
Violence
Contrary to the assertion by Professor
Jonathan Moyo that the Agreement
does
not have any condition requiring
the Zimbabwean Government to curb
violence
on commercial farms, the
Agreement expressly states that the Zimbabwean
Government commits itself to
"take firm action against violence and
intimidation." This must be taken to
cover both political violence and
violence on the farms.
Freedom
of expression and freedom of the press
Over the last few years freedom
of expression has been seriously curtailed
and the Government has mounted a
concerted campaign to harass the
independent press.
The agreement
states that the Zimbabwean Government commits itself to
freedom of
expression as guaranteed by the Constitution.
Areas not covered by
Agreement
There are a number of areas not covered or not adequately
covered by the
Agreement.
It does not contain provisions to
prevent the Zimbabwean Government from
continuing to undermine the
independence of the judiciary by packing the
High and Supreme Courts with
judges who are likely to biased in favour of
Government;
It does
not contain provisions to prevent the incitement of racial hatred
by
members of the Zimbabwean Government.
It does not contain any explicit
provisions requiring the Zimbabwean
Government to ensure that the law will
offer protection to all people and
that the law enforcement agencies apply
the law impartially to everyone
instead of selectively against opponents of
Government.
It does not contain any explicit provisions requiring the
Zimbabwean
Government to hold free and fair elections and to allow all
political
parties to campaign freely in advance of these elections. The
only
provision
is a very weak and nebulous one that Zimbabwe's
international partners
would
"respond positively to any request from the
Government of Zimbabwe in
support of the electoral process."
All
these issues are only covered indirectly by the reference to the
Zimbabwean
delegation giving a commitment to the Harare Declaration. The
Declaration
encompasses rights such as democracy, democratic processes and
institutions, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary,
fundamental human rights, individual liberty under the law,
non-discrimination, and freedom from racial prejudice and intolerance. The
problem with this commitment is that the Zimbabwean Government has
repeatedly denied that it was violating the Declaration in the face of
overwhelming evidence that it was.
Although these issues are not
explicitly covered in the Agreement, it is
clear that the leaders involved
in the quest to resolve the crisis in
Zimbabwe are fully aware of the need
to deal with these issues. President
Mbeki has often referred to the need
for the need for respect for rule of
law, human rights and core democratic
values. In opening the meeting of
the
SADC leaders in Harare, President
Muluzi expressed the leaders concern
about
the increasing political
instability in Zimbabwe. We are grateful to these
leaders for their deep
understanding of the broader problems and for their
vigorous efforts to
have these matters properly addressed.
CHOGM Protests
The
CHOGM meeting in Brisbane may have been postponed, but the two
simultaneous
protests in London and Pretoria are very definitely still on.
On
Saturday 6 October, there will be two large, colourful, and peaceful
demonstrations - one in London, and one in Pretoria. It is very important
that a strong protest is registered, to make sure that the delegates to
CHOGM fully appreciate the importance of holding the government
of
Zimbabwe
to the public promises it recently made in Abuja and Harare.
Please make a
HUGE effort for this one. We cannot emphasise this strongly
enough.
London : Starts at noon on Saturday 6 October outside the
Zimbabwe High
Commission in the Strand, followed by a march to Trafalgar
Square. Tel
01765
607 900 for details.
Pretoria : Starts at
noon at the Union Buildings (corner Vermuelen and
Leyds
Streets),
followed by a march to the Zimbabwe High Commission at 798
Merton
Street, Arcadia. Tel 082 885 0771 for details.
- First loot the central
bank...FinGaz
- ...then ask Malaysia for more -
FinGaz
- Monitors, voter education a pre-condition
for fair poll - IRIN
- Muluzi blasts continued violence -
FinGaz
- UN warning on DRC forests -
IRIN
From The Financial Gazette, 4
October
US$256 million disappears from
RBZ
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is investigating the
disappearance of over US$256 million meant for pre-shipment financing of tobacco
and input support for the growers, it was learnt this week. Authoritative
sources this week said the missing funds were part of a US$381 million offshore
pre-shipment financing deal struck by the government early this year to finance
tobacco purchases by merchants during the 2000/01 marketing season. According to
our sources, only US$125 million had so far been used and the remainder of the
funds is unaccounted for. The sources said efforts to get clarification from the
RBZ on the whereabouts of the money have so far proved fruitless and that the
central bank has made an undertaking to investigate the matter. "We are saying
more than two-thirds of the crop has been sold and we expect that more than
US$250 million should have come into the country but it has not," said a tobacco
industry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
RBZ spokesman Ignatius Mabasa this week however said only
US$308 million had been negotiated by the External Loans Coordination Committee
(ELCC) with foreign financiers for use in buying tobacco. He said as of
September 11 2001, tobacco merchants had used US$135.4 million, suggesting that
there was a balance of US$173 million. "For 2001, ELCC approved total offshore
finance facilities amounting to US$308 million," Mabasa said, responding to
questions from this newspaper. "As at 11 September 2001, cumulative drawings by
tobacco merchants amounted to US$135.4 million, suggesting that there was a
balance of US$173 million still available."
The Financial Gazette had seen correspondence to the RBZ and
the Ministry of Finance by some farmers who wanted to know the whereabouts of
the money. The sources said the RBZ was also probing the disappearance of
another US$12.8 million from the Tobacco Trust Account, a facility set up last
year to help tobacco growers access hard currency to import inputs. Mabasa did
not respond to questions sent to him on this issue. Under the terms of the
pre-shipment arrangement, about 20 percent or US$25 million of the offshore
funds were supposed to have been deposited into the trust account to finance
input purchases by the farmers.
"We were supposed to have had US$25 million in the Tobacco
Trust Account but when we checked on the account on September 12 we were shocked
to learn that there was only US$12.8 million," one source told the Financial
Gazette. "We then approached the RBZ but they said they were investigating. We
were surprised because they are the ones in charge of the account and, if they
do not know where the account is, then who else is supposed to know?" The trust
account is jointly administered by the central bank and tobacco growers. About
170 million kilogrammes out of a possible 193 million kgs of the golden leaf
have so far been sold at Zimbabwe’s three tobacco auction floors.
From The Financial Gazette, 4
October
RBZ chief courts Malaysia on forex
crisis
Leonard Tsumba, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
(RBZ), is in Malaysia to discuss various bilateral issues, including Zimbabwe's
crippling foreign currency and fuel crises and revival of a stalled trade and
payments arrangement between the two countries. RBZ spokesman Ignatius Mabasa
this week confirmed Tsumba's visit to Kuala Lumpur and said the central bank
chief would hold meetings with Bank of Malaysia governor, Malaysian bankers and
business leaders whose companies export to Zimbabwe during a visit that ends
tomorrow.
During his stay in Malaysia, Tsumba is expected to hold
discussions with representatives of Malaysian oil company Petronas on ways of
improving fuel supplies to Zimbabwe. "He is going to negotiate with them on
other ways they can assist Zimbabwe in the procurement of fuel," Mabasa told the
Financial Gazette. He could however not go into the specifics of what the
discussions would centre on but sources said Tsumba might take the opportunity
to negotiate a facility under which Zimbabwe would pay Petronas in local
currency for fuel imports.
Zimbabwe, short of foreign currency as its exports collapse in
the face of biting economic hardships at home and a boycott of the country by
international lenders, has been plunged into a fuel crisis in the past two
years. Mabasa said Tsumba would also discuss Zimbabwe's foreign currency crisis
with his Malaysian counterpart. The fuel and foreign currency shortages are the
most visible signs of Zimbabwe's three-year-old economic crisis – the worst
since the country gained independence from Britain in 1980 - which many blame on
21 years of gross mismanagement by President Robert Mugabe. Economists and
industry groups have warned that the fuel and hard cash crises could decimate
Zimbabwe's manufacturing industry, which has so far lost more than 600 firms in
less than two years.
The Zimbabwe-Malaysia Trade and Payments facility, abruptly
suspended by the Zimbabweans earlier this year, is also expected to come up for
discussion during Tsumba's visit. "The governors will review the performance of
bilateral trade and will look for ways to revive the facility," Mabasa said. The
Zimbabwe-Malaysia Trade and Payments facility, which became operational in
August 2000, was officially suspended by the RBZ in July, although banking
industry sources said the pact had not been in operation since early this year.
Under the agreement, imports and exports were paid for in the local currencies
of the countries, with imports by Zimbabwe being offset against proceeds from
exports by local firms to Malaysia and vice versa. The difference would be
settled in hard currency after three months. The decision to suspend the
facility on the Zimbabwean side was caused by the lack of interest in the
arrangement by local exporters, which resulted in a huge trade imbalance between
the two countries.
From IRIN (UN), 4
October
Civic Groups Want Independent Poll
And Right to Educate Voters
Civic organisations in Zimbabwe told IRIN on Thursday that for
next year's presidential poll to be free, voter education should be encouraged
and a genuinely independent electoral commission established as soon as
possible. Local human rights watchdog ZimRights this week announced it had
produced a manual on voter education which could be used as a guide by
organisations and individuals involved in preparations for next year's
presidential election. "We've done lots of research and it's clear that many
Zimbabweans do not vote because they are afraid of the process," David Jamali of
ZimRights told IRIN.
ZimRights was trying to get to poorly-educated rural
Zimbabweans who, Jamali said, had "been the victims of government
misinformation". He said rural people told ZimRights that the government had
informed them that by using computers they could tell who had voted for who. The
decision to go ahead with the manual is seen as defying a planned move by the
government to ban civic organisations from carrying out voter education ahead of
the poll which pits President Robert Mugabe against opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai. "We have been working on this manual for more than six months and we
tried to answer most of the practical questions on voter education," Jamali told
IRIN. The manual, "You And The Vote", provides information on the importance of
voting and urges Zimbabweans to exercise their right to choose by participating
in elections. Distribution of the manual was being held up by lack of funds,
Jamali said.
Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has said the government is
considering banning civic groups, churches and aid agencies from conducting
voter education programmes because they have "hidden agendas". The Zimbabwe
Election Support Network (ZESN), a coalition of 38 civic organisations, told
IRIN it was concerned by ruling party statements in parliament in August
suggesting that civic organisations be barred from conducting voter education.
"We will continue to maintain a dialogue with government and lobby for the
constitutional right to educate our people about why voting is important,"
Rindai Chipfunde of ZESN told IRIN.
Mugabe's government had ruled out the establishment of an
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to conduct next year's presidential
election and was instead formulating a code of conduct to clamp down on
activities of Zimbabwean and foreign election observers, the 'Financial Gazette'
reported on Thursday, quoting official sources. "The issue of the IEC is out," a
senior cabinet minister told the newspaper. The action could set the government
in direct confrontation with opposition and civic organisations demanding the
formation of a genuine IEC as a minimum condition under which a free and fair
ballot can be staged.
"Without an IEC the (presidential) elections will be a foregone
conclusion," Lovemore Madhuku, chair of the National Constitutional Assembly
(NCA), another influential civic coalition, told IRIN. Madhuku dismissed the
Electoral Supervisory Commission (ESC), which has conducted elections since
independence, as "an arm of the civil service totally under government control".
Government wants the ESC to stage the presidential poll, which must be held by
the end of March. The NCA also wants international and Zimbabwean election
observers to be deployed across Zimbabwe well ahead of the ballot. But the
government wants the work of election observers, both local and foreign, to be
regulated because it accuses them of interfering with Zimbabwe's internal
politics. "We have held parliamentary and presidential elections since
independence using the system which we have in place and these have been
successful. So what is new about next year's election?" a minister, preferring
not to be named, told the 'Financial Gazette'. He added: "As for election
observers, we do not have problems with them, but we will put in place rules to
monitor their conduct so they will not interfere with the electoral
process."
One international election observer body contacted condemned
the possibility of government regulation of election observers, but declined to
be quoted for fear of souring relations. "At the end of the day we have to be
invited in by Zimbabwe's government to monitor, so a relationship has to be
maintained," the source said. The US and the 15-nation European Union have
demanded the deployment of poll observers to check on the validity of the
presidential election. But David Pottie of the Johannesburg-based Electoral
Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) told IRIN that regulation of election
observers could be a positive step if it was part of an overall strategy to make
the poll more transparent and better organised.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was among the top 10
countries with the highest net loss of forest area between 1990 and 2000, the UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned in the 'State of the World's
Forests 2001' (SOFO), published on Wednesday. The findings are based on FAO's
Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000, its most recent and comprehensive
assessment of the status and trends of forest resources worldwide. FAO said that
the major causes for the loss and degradation of forests were conversion to
other land uses (mainly agriculture), pests and diseases, fire, overexploitation
of forest products (industrial wood, fuelwood), poor harvesting practices,
overgrazing, air pollution and storms.
Efforts to improve forest management will only be successful if
forest crime and corruption can be reduced, FAO reported. "Illegal and corrupt
activities threaten the world's forests in many countries, particularly but not
exclusively in forest-rich developing countries." Commenting on forest-based
wildlife in developing countries, the FAO noted that "unsustainable hunting,
especially commercial hunting, is the major cause of what is known as the 'empty
forest syndrome' - the elimination of most of the animal life by hunting". The
meat of wild animals, widely known as bush meat, has long been a staple of rural
people in many parts of the world but, with urbanisation, the demand for the
commodity is increasingly being met by commercial hunters and traders.
Among existing regional intergovernmental initiatives related to forests,
recent developments have occurred in the Congo basin. Two initiatives to enhance
cooperation in forestry among central African nations include the Conference on
the Central African Moist Forest Ecosystems, a multi-stakeholder, governmental
and non-governmental process; and the Yaounde Declaration and its related
efforts, which are essentially governmental. "These two processes are mutually
reinforcing and have the potential to coalesce in the future," FAO
reported.
