http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Politics
ZANU PF has started
preparing for its primary elections amid reports that
several party bigwigs,
among them cabinet ministers, will be forced to
retire ahead of polls that
may be held in March next year.
Report by Patrice Makova
Sources
said the party was planning to hold primary elections soon after the
referendum on a new constitution scheduled for November after this month’s
Copac Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference.
A Politburo member said
while Zanu PF had endorsed 88-year-old Mugabe as its
presidential candidate,
a proposal had been made, which could see many of
the old and those who are
sick being retired. This would make way for new
and energetic candidates to
contest the elections, said the official.
“The party strategists have
already put forward the proposal and it is now
entirely up to the President
(Mugabe) to endorse this idea,” said the senior
Zanu PF official.
The
strategists include the securocrats seconded to the party to spearhead
its
election campaign and re-organisation. A few months ago, the securocrats
succeeded in having the divisive District Coordinating Committees (DCCs)
dissolved in the wake of serious internal squabbles.
The source said,
under the proposal, most of the old and ailing party
members would not be
allowed to contest the party primary elections, as
there was a view that
this could prove costly to Zanu PF, come national
polls.
“The retired
party gurus will be given new responsibilities within the
party, not only as
a way to appease them, but to also ensure that they will
not starve, as they
will continue earning some income,” said the senior
party
official.
However, the official said Vice-President John Nkomo, who is
not well would
not be affected if the decision to retire the old party
bigwigs was adopted.
But the likes of Lands and Rural Resettlement
minister, Hebert Murerwa, who
has been in and out of hospital for the past
two years, were unlikely to be
spared. The late Higher and Tertiary
Education minister, Stan Mudenge, who
collapsed and died last week, was also
tipped for “retirement”.
Another official said although the older members
of the party could be swept
aside, it would not be a “walk over” for the
party’s “Young Turks”, as some
of them were suspected to be working with
fellow “Young Turks” from the
MDC-T.
“There are fears that our rivals
are going to sponsor some of our ‘young
Turks’ so that they win the party
primary elections, but go on to lose
parliamentary elections,” said the
official. “They are being watched and
some of them may also fall by the
wayside.”
Another senior Zanu PF and government official said when Mugabe
returned
from the recently held United Nations General Assembly in New York,
he was
widely expected to make a mini-cabinet reshuffle.
“Zanu PF is
weighing everything possible to strengthen the party ahead of
elections and
that includes filling vacant posts,” said the official.
He said former
information and publicity minister, Jonathan Moyo, had been
tipped to take
over his previous position. The current holder, Webster
Shamu, who is Zanu
PF’s national commissar, was expected to have been moved
to the Organ on
National Healing and Reconciliation to enable him to have
more time to
re-organise and campaign for the party ahead of elections.
Another
vacancy has since fallen since the death of Mudenge.
Zanu PF
spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo refused to comment saying the party was
currently
in mourning following the death of Mudenge.
The High Court last week
agreed to Mugabe’s application seeking a
postponement of three House of
Assembly by-elections in Matabeleland. He
argued that harmonised polls would
be held the last week of March 2013.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Community
News
RESTORATION of Human Rights vice-president, Sten Zvorwadza was
involved in a
tiff with some members of Chipangano last week.
By Tawanda
Marwizi and Joseph Murambiwa
Zvorwadza, who has in the past clashed with
members of the terror group
which has since been disowned by Zanu PF, was
barred from buying fruits at
Mbare market.
“I was told by the youths
to go and buy bananas from Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s office,” said
Zvorwadza.
“I told them that I would buy them here (at the
market).”
The youths then beat up the defiant Zvorwadza, who made a
report at Matapi
Police Station.
The youths followed Zvorwadza to the
station where a senior police officer
intervened and told the two parties to
settle their differences.
“Look, we are living in a world of peace where
the prime minister and the
president are preaching peace, so there is no
need to fight, its
old-fashioned,” he told the group.
The Chipangano
youths, however, reiterated that they needed to be informed
first before
Zvorwadza could buy anything from the banana vendors who come
from different
parts of Manicaland.
“He was supposed to come and tell us first because
we never knew that he is
a human rights activist. He started asking some
questions to the people and
we thought he was preaching MDC-T politics to
them,” one of them shouted.
Later, the youths started begging for
assistance from Zvorwadza.
“We are sorry about that (beating) but can you
give us money so that we can
start our projects,” begged one of the
youths.
“As you can see, things are not going well for us and if you get
funds out
there please remember us.”
Chipangano’s fortunes are now on
the wane after senior Zanu PF officials
denounced the group’s activities in
the suburb.
Apart from Zvorwadza, the group barred businessman Alex
Mashamhanda from
constructing a US$1,2 million service station near Matapi.
It has also been
extorting money from traders at the market and demanding
protection fees
from businesses.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Local
BULAWAYO —
Local residents’ associations have resolved to support the Copac
draft
constitution during the Second all-stakeholders’ conference set for
October
21 to 23.
Report by Nqabani Ndlovu
The associations last week
formed an 11-member taskforce that would push for
the inclusion of complete
devolution of power, among other demands, during
the conference. This came
out at a one-day national residents’ association
conference held in Bulawayo
last week.
The conference, attended by 30 residents associations from
across the
country, was organised by the Combined Harare Residents
Association (CHRA),
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) and
the Zimbabwe Institute
(ZI).
“The conference resolved to adopt and
defend the Copac draft, but called on
the select committee to address the
identified content gaps within the draft
constitution,” reads part one of
the resolutions adopted by the residents‘
associations after their
conference.
“The conference elected a national taskforce composed of 11
members selected
from the 10 provinces. The conference tasked the residents’
national
taskforce to present the identified gaps to the all-stakeholders’
conference.”
Copac has said the purpose of the conference was to
allow delegates to make
comments and recommendations on the draft. Their
input would be recorded and
considered by the select committee, who would
then make appropriate
adjustments to the draft.
The residents
associations said the taskforce would push for the total
inclusion of
devolution of power, creation of a local government commission,
recognition
of residents’ associations.
“The role of the national taskforce will be
to defend the residents’
interests at the second All-Stakeholders Conference
and to popularise the
position of residents’ associations on the
constitution.”
The two MDC’s have already said they supported the Copac
draft constitution.
Zanu PF is however, against the Copac draft and is
pushing for its
amendment, among them, the removal of clauses that limit the
powers of the
President.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in
Politics
Zanu PF youths around the country are up in arms with the
Ministry of Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment.
Report
by Nunurai Jena
They are accusing the ministry of favouritism and lack of
transparency in
dishing out loans meant for youth empowerment.
The
youths said they were scheduled to meet President Robert Mugabe this
week to
voice their concerns after other senior party officials allegedly
ignored
their complaints.
The youth leaders last week wrote to Zanu PF youth
chairperson, Absolom
Sikhosana threatening to besiege Youth Empowerment
minister Saviour
Kasukuwere’s office demanding transparency in the manner in
which loans were
being disbursed.
One youth leader from Mashonaland
West province said the empowerment
programmes were mainly benefiting youths
that hailed from the minister’s
province.
Kasukuwere comes from
Ma-shonaland Central province.
Reached for a comment, Sikhosana first
professed ignorance about the
complaints but later lashed at Zanu PF youths
who leaked party issues to the
press.
“You can get more information
from those youths who leak such information to
newspapers like The Standard
who always lie about me,” fumed Sikhosana.
Kasukuwere dismissed the
allegations saying he would not be deterred in his
fight to empower the
youths in the country.
“I don’t care whom they see and what they do,” he
said. “I won’t be
blackmailed by a few misguided party youths. This is a
national programme
that is meant to benefit the youth from across the
country, not from Zanu PF
only. The resources are few and we cannot satisfy
everyone.”
Kasukuwere added that like any programme of such magnitude,
the empowerment
drive had some challenges.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Local
Gweru – Former
tourism permanent secretary, Sylvester Maunganidze was
redeployed for
trivialising the United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) after
making comments that reduced it to a “sex expo”, a Cabinet
minister has
said.
Report by Blessed Mhlanga &Rutendo Mawere
Tourism and
Hospitality Industry minister, Walter Mzembi said Maunganidze’s
remarks that
delegates to the UNWTO would be angered if they came to
Zimbabwe and failed
to find licensed prostitutes was an insult to the event
and
women.
“Maunganidze insulted world leaders by trivialising the UNWTO,
seeing it as
a platform for them to go around shopping for prostitutes,” he
said.
“Even my wife was taken aback and asked me if we were given
prostitutes at
every other world leaders’ meeting we attended … he even
insulted ladies by
saying all they could offer was prostitution, but
surprisingly, women’s
organisations have remained silent. Instead of seeing
the bigger picture,
Maunganidze saw the need to license prostitutes. He had
simply lost vision
and that is why we redeployed him.”
Mzembi
dismissed allegations that Maunganidze was targeted for exposing the
ministry’s lack of capacity and preparedness to host the UNWTO.
“The
things that Maunganidze spoke about are not even part of the bid but as
a
leadership we have a vision of surprising our guests with infrastructure
that will last generations, like the Rainbow Towers,” he
said.
“Maunganidze had lost vision; that is why he was redeployed and we
are now
in the process of rehabilitating him because we love
him.”
Maunganidze told Parliament that Zimbabwe and Zambia were not ready
to
jointly host the event and that the two countries had lied to win the bid
to
host the event in August next year.
He could not be reached for
comment.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Local
Some
parastatal bosses are reportedly contemplating suing the government
over a
Ministry of State Enterprises and Parastatals directive that salaries
be cut
by up to 75%.
Report by Nqaba Matshazi
There are reports that some
parastatal bosses were reportedly paying
themselves up to US$20 000, but
they have been ordered to cut that down to
US$5 000, triggering the threats
of lawsuits.
State Enterprises minister, Gorden Moyo, said he had heard
of the threats,
but maintained that most of the lawsuits had little chance
of success, as
most parastatal bosses had awarded themselves illegal
increments.
“There can be no litigation in this case,” he
said.
“The initial salaries were illegal and there is no way the
government should
be dragged down by companies that are not
performing.”
Moyo said parastatals were initially supposed to present
proposals for their
salaries and allowances to their respective boards, then
ultimately to the
minister who made the approval.
He said, with the
directive to cut salaries, the government was looking at
the enterprises on
a case-by-case basis and did not have a one-size-fits-all
policy.
Moyo said the government had come up with a template to
determine allowances
and salaries of parastatal bosses, with revelations
that most were overpaid
and were bleeding the fiscus.
This comes as
the comptroller and auditor-General is scouring through
financial statements
of most parastatals, a process expected to reveal the
extent of bloated
salaries state enterprise bosses were awarding themselves,
at the expense of
loss-making firms.
“We have studied the salaries of the private sector,
local authorities and
the informal sector,” Moyo explained.
“From
there, we compared them with parastatals in the region and we came up
with
this formula.”
He said, in crafting the policy, they had also looked at
the state of the
economy and it did not make sense that people were awarding
themselves huge
salaries, while the country and the rest of the citizens
struggled to get
by.
Moyo said there had been a review of the revenue
generated by each state
enterprise and that this would determine the
salaries of the top bosses. “We
compared the salaries and there was an issue
of sustainability and
reasonability, given our economic situation,” he said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Local
THE death
of Higher and Tertiary Education minister, Stan Mudenge has
reignited debate
on why Zanu PF officials cling onto power until their
death, instead of
retiring when they are ill.
Report by Nqaba Matshazi
Mudenge had
been ill for some time and at one stage was walking with the aid
of a cane,
yet President Robert Mugabe kept him at the helm of the ministry
until his
last breath.
He died in his room at a Masvingo hotel where he was due to
deliver a
speech.
Mudenge joins a long list of Zanu PF officials, who
despite ill health have
held onto power until their eventual
death.
Zanu PF member and former Mavambo front man, retired Major Kudzai
Mbudzi
said the death of Mudenge in office was an indictment on the Zanu PF
leaders
who continued to cling onto power even though age or ill health had
taken
their toll.
“Mudenge has died without handing over the
revolutionary baton to his
revolutionary colleagues despite having had ample
time to do so,” he said.
“Now in his death, we have to start the journey
and process of trying to
discover what exactly was the revolutionary
strategy, which in the past 32
years, he had been trying to
execute.”
Mbudzi said despite Mudenge being declared a national hero,
this status was
somewhat diluted by the failure to hand over the reins both
in government
and Zanu PF to a younger generation, who would then continue
with the
revolutionary ethos.
“Even if we have some questions that
require his critical reflection, he can
no longer respond to them,” he
said.
Mbudzi said Zanu PF should not only seek to regenerate and look for
a
younger crop of leaders, but rather succession should a well-controlled,
managed and deliberate process, acted out in ample time.
“My colleagues
in Zanu PF must also acknowledge the fact that people do not
only
rest-in-peace in death, but can in serenity also do so in ill health or
old
age,” he added.
This view was shared by academic Ibbo Mandaza, who
together with Mudenge,
were the first crop of senior civil servants at
independence in 1980.
“He should have retired long ago and not die in
office,” Mandaza opined.
Mandaza said Mudenge’s continued stay in power
was a reflection of Mugabe’s
style of management in government, where
ministers stayed in power until
they died.
Mugabe, who turns 89 next
year, is reported to be ill but he has resisted
calls to retire.
Some
of the senior government officials who died after lengthy illnesses
include
Vice-Presidents Joshua Nkomo, Simon Muzenda and Joseph Msika. They
all died
in office.
Some of Mugabe’s ministers are reportedly ill, with some of
them having
spent months on sick beds in various hospitals.
However,
both Mbudzi and Mandaza said they had had a cordial relationship
with the
late minister, whom they spoke glowingly of.
Mudenge’s body was taken to his
rural Zimuto home, where it lay in state
last night. Today it will be taken
to his Borrowdale home, ahead of burial
at the National Heroes’ Acre
tomorrow morning.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Community
News
SEVERAL schoolchildren fell ill in Chiredzi last week after they
were
administered with some tablets during the on-going national treatment
against bilharzia and intestinal worms programme in the
district.
REPORT BY PATRICK CHITONGO
The programme was targeting
children from one to 15 years for intestinal
worms control and three to
15-year-olds for bilharzia.
Health officials at Chiredzi General Hospital
told Standardcommunity that
the programme was conducted after a recent
research showed that there was
high prevalence of bilharzia causing
parasites and intestinal worms in
Chiredzi and Gutu districts.
The
research was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in
conjunction with the University of Zimbabwe.
But several parents
complained that their children experienced some ailments
ranging from
stomach ache, vomiting, nausea and headaches soon after taking
the
tablets.
One of the parents, Farisai Mautama, who has children at
Chiredzi Primary
and Hippo Valley Secondary schools, said her children came
home from their
respective schools complaining of a fever- like
disease.
They had running stomach and were also vomiting.
She said
the children told her that they had started feeling the discomfort
after
taking the tablets.
“My children are part of several pupils who were
affected by these tablets
which they were given at school,” she said. “I
heard that several pupils
were picked up along the way from school after
failing to walk to their
homes. I feel the school authorities should have
told us of the impending
medical exercise so that at least we are not caught
unawares as is the
case.”
Another woman, Joice Mugiviza also said
her child a pupil at Tshovani
primary school came home complaining of chest
pains, head ache and was also
vomiting.
A senior teacher at Shingai
Primary school confirmed that one of their
pupils experienced difficulties
soon after taking the treatment.
“We are not allowed to talk to the media
but I can confirm that a boy at
this school had some difficulties walking
home after taking the tablets,”
said the teacher. “We referred the boy to
the hospital for medical
attention.”
Efforts to get a comment from
Chiredzi General Hospital medical
superintendent Doctor Paul Ngere where
fruitless as he was said to be in a
marathon meeting last
week.
However, a senior Pharmacist at Olives Pharmacy in Chiredzi urged
parents
not to panic because the drugs that were used in the exercise were
not
harmful.
He said Abendazole, which was administered against
intestinal worms, had
very minimal if side effects, if any.
The
pharmacist also said Praziquantel, which was also used for the
prevention of
bilharzia, had an unpleasant smell that upsets the nostrils
leading to
vomiting.
He said the drug must be given to patients at bed-time to avoid
vomiting,
suggesting that it could be the reason several pupils reacted
because it was
administered at the wrong time.
“Praziquantel is very
safe drug just like Abandazole but that drug must be
given to patients when
they are going to bed because of its unpleasant
smell,” he said.
Efforts
to get a comment from the Minister of Health and Child Welfare,
Henry
Madzorera were fruitless last week.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Business
THE National
Social Security Authority (NSSA) last year wrote off US$18,1
million after
operating expenses shot up by 43% to US$43,5 million,
following actuarial
advice given to the institution.
REPORT BY KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
NSSA general
manager, James Matiza, attributed the huge rise in expenses to
once-off
activities.
These include the computerisation project costs write-off of
US$759 000,
contractual damages following an arbitration award on the
computerisation
project amounting to US$1,285 million and debtors provision
on money market
investments totalling US$16,1 million.
“The total
write-off of US$18,153 million impacted negatively on the bottom
line,
coupled with the low performance on contributions and premiums,” he
said.
“However, it has to be noted that the US$16,1 million debtors
provision on
money market investments can still be recovered in full, as
there is
security to this effect.”
Matiza said although the money had
been written off for accounting purposes,
the majority of it would come back
to the institution.
Pursuant to its investment drive, NSSA had US$15
million deposited with
Interfin, which went under curatorship for abuse of
depositors’ funds and an
additional US$800 000 with Genesis Bank, which also
surrendered its licence
earlier this year.
The bank had failed to
raise the central bank’s minimum capital requirement
of US$12,5
million.
“We agreed to write-off exposure to these banks, thereby making
a provision
of US$16,1 million. However, we had security against those
deposits and
there is a high likelihood of us recovering the money,” said
Matiza.
The authority already holds US$3 million worth of Interfin’s
bonds.
NSSA also holds investment in AICO at 22%, 26,4% in FBC Holdings,
40% in FBC
Building Society, 28% in hospitality concern RTG, 24,1% in
StarAfrica and
37,9% in ZB Bank.
The authority, which is mandated by
government to administer social security
schemes in Zimbabwe, has over the
years been criticised over apparent lack
of due diligence in risk and
protection measures, following the inception of
the multiple currency regime
in 2009.
The institution is presently exposed to the tune of US$140
million to
indigenous-owned banks spread according to the size of individual
banks’
balance sheets.
Matiza said the idea behind injecting money in
local banks was to assist
them to lend money out to the productive sectors,
while the institution gets
a reasonable return on investment.
NSSA
pursues investments with public interest: Chagonda
NSSA board chairman,
Innocent Chagonda, said the authority would pursue
investments that were in
the interests of the public.
“We had to liaise with the RBZ (Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe) to find out which
banks were sufficiently capitalised before
depositing money. Those are the
banks we would deal with. We would also rely
on audits done by auditors for
these financial institutions,” he
said.
“The StarAfrica deal came through to us. It was a decision (to
invest in
StarAfrica) made by the previous board. Although the share price
went down,
we want to ensure that it comes up again. our investment is
long-term and we
will make money out of it,” he said.
The authority
has significant exposure to the money market and shareholding
in various
investment vehicles on the market.
In its financials for the year 2011,
investments income went up 21% from
US$19,7 million in 2010 to US$23,2
million in 2011.
The income was mainly made up of money market interest
and rental income, as
equities remained subdued.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Opinion
Very soon the
Christmas holiday will be upon us and apart from worrying
about what
presents to buy your nearest and dearest, a big worry for some is
how and
where to spend the holiday.
Report by Grace Mutandwa
I get tired of
the usual domestic, regional or international tourism
destinations. It is
always more fulfilling to stumble on a new and exotic
place.
A random
Google search on local tourist destinations led me to the Zimbabwe
embassy’s
website in Stockholm, Sweden. It gives an interesting account of
our
history, the news page still has two stories from 2009 and the financial
services page needs updating. According to the financial page, foreign
investors can have anything from 70% to 100% ownership in mining,
manufacturing, agriculture and tourism!
It also says that there are
sectors of the economy reserved for locals and
in these sectors foreigners
can have a maximum 35% shareholding. These
reserved sectors are primary
agricultural production, livestock breeding and
transport.
While some
tourists just pack bags and try their luck on some countries,
some people do
try to establish more about the country they are about to
visit. Now if you
are a tourist and you read newspapers and watch television
news, you might
end up struggling with what the news says and what a
particular website
claims. People live in an era where they want to make
informed
decisions.
The embassy’s website lists the usual Zimbabwean tourist
destinations and
this is not entirely their fault. There is a ministry
charged with the
promotion of tourism that should be keeping Zimbabwe’s
embassies throughout
the world with all the destinations — old and
new.
We have a lazy way of looking at tourism — Victoria Falls, Kariba,
Nyanga,
Matopos, Great Zimbabwe and Gonarezhou. Next year we have tied
ourselves to
hosting the biggest world tourism shindig and yet we are not
even making an
effort to ensure that it will truly benefit Zimbabwe’s
tourism industry.
Why don’t we have tourism scouts and writers who can go
out there and
sample, photograph and document some of those places we know
exist but are
rarely featured in our tourism promotion.
Not every
tourist is content with just game watching or bungee jumping. Some
also want
to take geographical and geological tours.
Let’s market Chilojo
cliffs
I would really like to see the Chilojo cliffs featured as a selling
point on
its own or as part of an attractive package tour. Rising 558 feet
from the
south bank of Runde River, the Chilojo cliffs are one of the most
spectacular features of the Gonarezhou National Park. There are stunning
colour variations along the cliff faces which make for very good
photography. The cliffs look even more amazing just as the sun sets and are
enchanting in a full moon.
The cliffs are also close to the famous
Chipinda Pools. You have the chance
to visit the Chipinda Pools or
Gonarezhou and also take in the cliffs. So
many things have happened in the
country so I don’t know if the walking
trails still exist and I am also not
so sure about the game variety and
population.
Gonarezhou should be
more aggressively marketed than it is currently. I had
tried to convince a
friend from overseas to visit Gonarezhou without success
until I emailed her
a picture of the Chilojo cliffs. Gonarezhou has so much
more to offer than
just game viewing or bird watching. Everything around and
within it should
be fully exploited to lure tourists.
Tourists need to be assured of
safety
We need to get our politics right and make it safe and secure for
international tourists to want to visit. News of conservancies being
parcelled out and game butchered at will does not make Zimbabwe a tourism
destination of choice.
Tourism minister Walter Mzembi is right to
point out that the current
lawlessness at the Save Valley Conservancy smacks
of: “A psychology-driven
by the ‘last harvest’ mentality before a
drought.”
Mzembi, who seems to be fighting a lone battle, is correct when
he says the
Save saga has a deeper political meaning.
While those who
think they must have a finger in every pie feel they are
entitled, they must
also realise that their decisions will decide whether or
not Zimbabwe will
be able to lure tourists and strengthen that sector of the
economy that
relies on tourism.
Good business sense should trump selfish greed but it
takes real leaders to
accept that impunity has consequences. We have become
a country that excels
at sending mixed messages to the world. We want the
benefit of harvesting
from tourism but we also have some among us who cannot
resist destroying the
very resources the current and future generations of
this country should
hope to benefit from.
Those who rule must know
that to get good press, the media needs to have
something good to write
about. We have a major tourism event coming up next
year and this is right
after the proposed general elections. Judging from
past experience, before
and the aftermath of elections in Zimbabwe is marred
by violence. We have no
reason to expect a violent-free election. Depending
on just how much
blood-letting the next election is going to be, it will be
very hard for any
normal journalist to ignore the story and the result of
any bad publicity is
that tourists and investors from democratic and sane
countries will give
Zimbabwe a wide berth.
Mudiwa2002@yahoo.com/GraceMutandwa1@twitter
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in
Opinion
Almost a decade ago, the consensus-based Kimberley Process (KP)
certification scheme established minimum requirements for global rough
diamond production and trade.
Report by Ambassador Gillian
Milovanovic
Today, to keep pace with a changing world, the KP’s 77
participant
countries, observers from industry and civil society, must
ensure the KP
evolves with the global marketplace.
The KP’s founders
agreed unanimously that diamonds must stop funding rebel
movements’
violence. Recognising that millions of people depend on diamonds
for their
livelihood, they also sought to keep demand for legitimate
diamonds strong
by preserving the gems’ reputation.
The KP set a benchmark — and a level
playing field —for the diamond trade
worldwide. No matter where rough
diamonds are produced or traded, the KP
certificate assures consumers they
have not funded rebel groups’ abuses.
Though the KP has much to be proud
of, a critical touchstone, its definition
of a “conflict diamond”, no longer
meets today’s challenges. It does not
adequately address rough diamonds
linked to other types of conflicts.
Diamonds’ attractiveness depends on
their association with purity.
Other industries have suffered due to the
loss of consumer confidence. There
is concern that the association of some
diamonds with violence risks
infecting the entire diamond market with a
negative image.
Consumers want the assurance that their diamond is
untainted by any kind of
violence.
Now is the time for
action.
Consensus on a KP definition that addresses these concerns,
preserves
confidence, and forestalls the erosion of sales is the ideal
outcome for all
from producers through to consumers. Failing KP action, some
countries or
some elements of the diamond industry may move to independently
address
evolving consumer expectations.Consultations with government,
industry and
civil society suggest KP reform should focus on these key
elements:
KP certificates must continue to ensure freedom from conflict;
certification
need not address human rights, financial transparency and
development, which
are better advanced through the exchange of best
practices;
KP certification should apply only to conflict/violence that is
demonstrably
related to rough diamonds and independently verified and not to
isolated,
individual incidents;
KP safeguards should be implemented
site-by-site, consistent with systems
for other conflict minerals such as
the International Conference of the
Great Lakes Region certification
system.
The governments of the Kimberley Process, encouraged and supported by
industry and civil society, have the capacity to manage these risks and take
the evolutionary steps required to ensure a solid future for diamonds. They
must now develop the will to reach consensus on what defines a conflict
diamond. Failure to do so is a losing proposition as reform is an issue
that will not go away.
The loss of consumer confidence in diamonds
could severely impact nations
whose citizens are most dependent on the
diamonds in their soil or on the
millions of jobs created by the diamond
value chain.
In the long run, the true cost of failing to tackle this
challenge will be
far greater than the effort required to forge a consensus
on an updated
definition for the Kimberley Process conflict
diamond.
Gillian Milovanovic is Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP)
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in
Opinion
Between the last week of September and October 1 2012, dominating
media
head-lines pointed to the effect that general elections have been set
for
March 31 2013.
On closer reading, it turned out that the
“declaration of an election date”
had been the statement of “a wish” by
President Robert Mugabe, as part of
his court submissions to postpone the
holding of by-elections for three
vacant parliamentary seats in
Matabeleland. The wish was granted by the High
Court, which ordered that
“the period within which to comply with the order
(to hold by-elections) be
and is hereby further extended to the 31st of
March 2013”.
In my
humble opinion, Mugabe’s “wish” is setting us on a good path. We need
to
know as an electorate and as citizens when we will be able to vote for a
national leadership of our choice. We need to know when key political
processes that are significant markers towards our democratic transformation
will take place. The voting public must be kept in the loop.
It is
important to do the right thing, but it is best to do the right thing,
the
right way. The President and those who support him, are constantly in
the
habit of subverting due process and pretending that they are living in a
pre-2008 Zimbabwe.
The reality is that this is 2012, and the three
political parties, all have
to weigh in, especially at executive level, on
key issues like when the next
elections will be held, share incumbency in
government. It doesn’t matter
whether the President likes the Industry and
Commerce minister or not
(Welshman Ncube), the reality is that Mugabe has to
consult Ncube on these
key issues and both of them have to agree with Morgan
Tsvangirai.
All of them have to make an effort to ensure that elections,
whenever they
agree to hold them, are not a façade, but a real opportunity
for people to
exercise their freedom in choosing who governs
them.
Having said that, you will be hard pressed to find any other
country where
the citizens are kept in the dark about critical democratic
processes where
people decide their destiny and hold their leaders to
account.
You would think that a country which spares no blushes in
bringing out the
private sex lives of consenting adults would have no qualms
with bringing
out critical information of public interest and concern. The
people have a
right to know when critical processes that have a bearing on
the country’s
political and economic prospects will take place.
The
argument has been made that the Zimbabwean transition, is pegged, not in
terms of time but in terms of steps to be taken before an election can take
place. This is good, but the challenge that we have seen in Zimbabwe is that
when politicians are given such a blank cheque, they have no imperative to
perform and or deliver. They will constantly push to see the depth of the
account that they have to draw the blank cheque from.
It is precisely
because of this false impression that the inclusive
government seems to
exist in perpetuity that has seen little to no progress
taking place in
terms of some of the key steps that need to be taken before
an election
takes place.
The inclusive government was established on the strength of
a Global
Political Agreement (GPA), which was pitched as a high-level
solution to the
political malaise that had become the order of the day in
Zimbabwe. By its
own admission, as cited in the GPA, the inclusive
government was intended
to:
“Create a genuine, viable, permanent,
sustainable and nationally acceptable
solution to the Zimbabwe
situation.”
Sponsored and guaranteed by the Sadc and the AU as an
“African solution to
an African problem”, the inclusive government was meant
to be an experiment
in national stability and democratisation, with the GPA
providing the theory
of change that propelled and dictated how the
government would operate and
what it should have achieved.
In short, the
GPA was predicated on the hypothesis that, an inclusive
approach to
governing and problem-solving by the three major political
parties
represented in parliament, with the GPA as a guide, would result in
the
reduction of political instability, arrest of the economic free-fall,
halt
the humanitarian crisis and institute democratic reforms — generally
providing an inclusive approach to the resolution of the Zimbabwean
crisis.
What the GPA provided for was a clear entry into the inclusive
arrangement
and a roadmap on how to navigate in the maze of reform. What it
didn’t
clearly spell out, outside providing a map, was how long these
parties had
to navigate the maze of reform. The GPA provided an entry, but
was very
unclear with regards to an exit.
Our political leaders need to
sit down and discuss two critical issues.
Firstly, they should posit what
they think is a realistic electoral calendar
for the two critical electoral
processes, the Referendum on the Constitution
and general
elections.
In other countries that have undergone transitions like ours,
the calendar
was always clear and stakeholders had a clock to race. Kenya,
which mirrors
the GPA and inclusive government, is a good
example.
They had their political disputes on the eve of 2008 and
eventually agreed
on a GNU. They had their constitutional reform process
concluded in 2010. As
of now, Kenyans know that they have a general election
on March 4 2013, and
that if those elections are not conclusive, there will
be a run-off election
on April 10 2013.
Secondly, once an agreement
has been reached on a clear and dated electoral
calendar, there is need to
reiterate the things that need to be done by way
of concrete electoral
reforms to facilitate that the two critical processes
are carried out in a
free and fair manner.
The actual issues to be dealt with are: keeping the
military out of
politics, cleaning up the voters’ role, instituting an
impartial arbiter in
elections through a professional elections management
body, expressing a
disdain for the use of violence in elections and the need
to have these
elections internationally observed and monitored.
These
things need to be done within a realistic time frame that is cognisant
of
our realities as a country if we are to have an environment conducive to
free political expression, free political activity and subsequently the
holding of free and fair elections.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in Opinion
The current
bickering between the Harare City Council and government over
the scrapping
of maternity fees is emblematic of how bureaucratic inertia
has become a
major threat to the well-being of this country.
Deputy-President Joice
Mujuru and Deputy Prime Minister DPM Khupe have been
leading the government
charge to have maternity fees scrapped. They have
argued that this is
feasible because government has been fundraising for
that.
Harare
mayor Muchadeyi Masunda on the other hand is adamant that scrapping
the fees
would be fatalistic as council requires money to run maternity
facilities
efficiently. He wants council to retain the fees because
government, which
is pushing for the plan, owes council US$40 million.
The squabbling over
maternity fees has however negated the very good
intentions of offering free
medical services to expecting mothers. Women in
Zimbabwe are dying in large
numbers during childbirth largely because they
cannot afford maternity fees.
There is a shortage of experienced midwives in
medical institutions which
are poorly equipped to deal with emergencies.
In 1994, according to the
Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey, maternal
mortality was 283 deaths per
100 000 live births and in 2005/6 it was
estimated at 555 deaths per 100 000
live births. In 2010/11, it was
estimated at 960 deaths per 100 000 live
births.
Almost 10 women are dying every day in this country due to
pregnancy-related
complications. That is an unacceptably high figure which
can easily be
reversed with improved awareness and ante-natal
care.
Offering free ante-natal services at municipal and state hospitals
is a
noble idea which however requires judicious mustering and
administration of
financial resources. It requires clearly-defined
guidelines on how the
process works to ensure that service is not
compromised once it is offered
for free.
The current wrangling
between the government on one side and the city of
Harare on the other, is
not helpful. Instead of working towards building
consensus on the best way
to implement measures that would reverse the
worsening trend in the care of
expecting women, bureaucrats have elected to
score political
points.
This is misrule writ large.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
October 7, 2012 in
Opinion
I am concerned with social media and Zanu PF supporters who are
trying their
best to decampaign the Movement for Democratic Change leader,
Morgan Richard
Tsvangirai, on the basis of his troubled love
life.
Report by Kizito Mupunga
The Prime Minister’s sexual
escapades will not damage his political career
even if Zanu PF supporters
engage in a smear campaign through the media.
It is only in the western
culture, where if a public figure or leader is
involved in a sex scandal,
that leader is expected to automatically step
down since he/she would have
violated the western norms and values. In our
African culture, marrying
another wife is very African.
The ruling party is against the western
countries, accusing them of aiming
to recolonise Zimbabwe, but they are now
borrowing values from the western
culture, simply because it is convenient
to them now that they want to use
it against Tsvangirai.
What the
Prime Minister did is done by almost every man in this country or
Africa.
The incumbent president of Zimbabwe’s unflattering love life was
disclosed
by the late Edgar Tekere in his book called A Lifetime of Struggle
released
on January 14 2007.
The book has intimate details of how Mugabe nearly
ditched his popular first
wife Sally. However, none of the social media
talked or wrote about him —
they remained quiet and I can’t understand
why?
According to the African culture, a man is allowed to have as many wives
as
he wants, as long he can fend for them.
I am aware that there are
other MDC-T members who are also commenting,
chastising the Prime Minister,
but I suspect those members are being
sponsored by certain individuals who
are eyeing Tsvangirai’s position. I
doubt they will succeed.
It has
been suggested around that it is the work of the state security or
central
intelligence organisation who pushed Locardia Karimatsenga to expose
the
Prime Minister, just to damage his political career.
How can a lady
complain about a man who promised and failed to marry her?
Isn’t it rare
that a lady sues a man after she has been turned down? Does
she not also
have men that she promised and then let down? Can they also sue
on the same
grounds? Many men and ladies have been let down by their lovers
but they
have not approached the courts.
Where is Grace Mugabe’s first husband
right now? But no one is talking about
it. Why just Tsvangirai? Leave him in
peace.
Why not trace the marriage profiles of most political leaders? What
the
Prime Minister did is not out of this world and he is not the only
public
figure who has been overly involved with women.
Why can’t we
talk of Zanu PF politicians’ marriage profiles?
MDC-T fans are happy that the
Prime Minister has formalised his marriage and
now we have a mother in the
party. Locardia and Zanu PF fans are out to
tarnish Tsvangirai’s
image.
Why was Locardia silent all along, only to claim maintenance from
Tsvangirai
when he was about to marry someone else?
This clearly
shows that the whole thing is a planned smear campaign to try
to damage the
Prime Minister’s political career as enemies are aware that
only a few years
are left for him to be the President of Zimbabwe.
Let me tell those who
are plotting against the PM, that MDC-T fans are
turning a blind eye to his
personal life to focus on his leadership
qualities.
Let me list only
five major points why Tsvangirai will remain immensely
popular in Zimbabwe
despite his private life scandals.
After the GPA, Tsvangirai has
succeeded in:
Resuscitating the economy of Zimbabwe.
Removing the
Zimbabwean dollar – valueless currency.
Doing away with ghost
workers.
Reviving transport sector.
Power load-shedding is now at least
better.
Some people who tend to criticise Tsvangirai have some questionable
sexual
tendencies.
The more the CIO try to damage and decampaign
Tsvangirai, the more he
becomes popular. Most Zimbabweans will sympathise
with him and wonder why
other political leaders’ lives are not being
scrutinised?
Morgan is more. You can’t be a leader without followers and
Morgan has
followers, so he is a leader.
Let’s finish what we started
by voting “YES”’ in the forthcoming Second
All-Stakeholders’ Conference.
