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Rio surrenders 51 pct stake in Zimbabwe unit-paper

http://af.reuters.com

Sat Oct 8, 2011 11:54am GMT

* Rio first foreign miner to comply with law

* Empowerment drive seen linked to elections

* Foreign mines must choose local partners from govt list

* Miners want to sell up to 30 percent stakes

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto has told Zimbabwe's government it will
give up a 51 percent stake in its local diamond unit Murowa, state media
reported on Saturday, making it the first foreign-owned firm to voluntarily
comply with the country's local ownership law.

"Murowa Diamonds wrote to us (on Thursday) saying they have given up 51
percent of shares and these would be given to our people," Kasukuwere told
the official Herald newspaper.

Murowa officials were not available for comment.

The heavily criticised law is aimed mainly at mining firms and banks
operating in the resource-rich country, which has become an economic basket
case because of what analysts say are years of mismanagement by President
Robert Mugabe's government.

Last month, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said
mining firms had mostly met a September deadline by which they were required
to submit plans to transfer a 51 percent stake in their operations to
locals.

The world's number one and two platinum producers, Anglo American Platinum
and Impala Platinum are also major foreign mining firms with assets in
Zimbabwe.

Critics have said a major reason for the law is to allow Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party to build up a war chest ahead of national elections that could come as
early as next year.

They say Zimbabwe, emerging from a decade-long slump, can not raise the
funds needed to take over the mining assets and the cash generated by the
firms would go to top officials, not ordinary people, who rank among the
poorest in the world.

Regulations supporting the empowerment law require miners to choose local
partners from a government approved list, which Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party says is meant to
benefit Mugabe's allies.

Mugabe was forced to share power with Tsvangirai two years ago after
disputed elections in 2008. The two have sharp differences over the
ownership policy.

"My overall assessment is that over 90 percent of the submitted proposals do
not meet the minimum requirements (of choosing partners from a government
list) and there seems to be an element of resistance," Kasukuwere was quoted
as saying.

Kasukuwere also said plans submitted by foreign mines generally show the
companies want to sell a maximum of 30 percent of shares while the remaining
21 percent would be made up of empowerment credits awarded for social
investments made in infrastructure, health and education facilities.

Implats unit Zimplats , which is the largest platinum producer in Zimbabwe
was given up to next month to fully comply with the empowerment law.

Zimbabwe has the world's second-largest known platinum reserves after
neighbouring South Africa and market watchers and investors are therefore
keen to see how the situation unfolds against the backdrop of red-hot
commodity prices.


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Gov’t told to change police leadership

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Edward Jones     Saturday 08 October 2011

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s unity government should appoint a new neutral police
leadership and consider establishing a constitutional court and an
independent public prosecutor’s office, the International Bar Association’s
Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) said in a report following an earlier visit
to the country.

The southern African country, which had a tumultuous decade of economic and
political crisis until the formation of a unity government between President
Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in 2009, has been heavily
criticised for failing to uphold the rule of law.

Police, together with the military have been singled out for partisanship,
selective application of the law and targeted harassment of Mugabe’s critics
especially Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters.

“The police should be put under a new, non-partisan and professional
leadership, itself accountable to a politically neutral, citizen-based,
supervisory board,” IBAHRI said in a report. “All allegations of human
rights abuses by members of the police force should be impartially
investigated.”

Security service chiefs in the country publicly dabble in politics and have
suggested that they will not accept a President other than the 87-year-old
Mugabe.

The MDC accuses the police of standing by when they are attacked by ZANU-PF
supporters but are quick to arrest the MDC members for retaliating.

IBAHRI said the government should quickly conclude the constitution making
process, which is more than a year behind schedule, adding that the new
charter should have provisions securing the independence of the judiciary.

The new constitution should also consider creating a constitutional court,
which would be higher than the Supreme Court, currently the country’s top
court.

Critics say most members of the current judiciary are compromised, after
having been handed out choice commercial farms often violently seized from
former white farmers and other handouts like cars, televisions and satellite
dishes sourced by the central bank at the height of Zimbabwe’s economic
crisis.

“A code of conduct for judges and magistrates should be introduced providing
for, inter-alia, full and frank disclosure of the assets of the judges of
the High Court and the Supreme Court,” IBAHRI said in its recommendations.

IBAHRI also said the Judicial Service Commission, which currently owes its
existence to Mugabe and is headed by the Chief Justice, should be
independent and be empowered to discipline judges and magistrates for
misconduct.

Under the current constitution, the President handpicks a tribunal made up
of retired judges to determine whether a sitting judge should be dismissed.

The Directorate of Pubic Prosecution should be hived off from the Attorney
General’s office, which itself falls under the Ministry of Justice, the
institute said. The AGs office, like the police, has been accused of
selectively prosecuting Mugabe’s critics.

Mugabe has used tough policing to cling to power for the last 32 years and
attempts by the MDC to amend the Public and Order and Security Act used by
the police to ban demonstrations have so far failed.

According to IBAHRI, regional and African leaders should press Zimbabwean
leaders to fully implement a 2008 power-sharing agreement and ensure that
future elections fair and free from political violence as stated in the
election road map agreed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai. -- ZimOnline


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State agents step-up terror campaign

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

08/10/2011 00:00:00
    by Barnabas Thondhlana

RIGHTS abuses by state security agents are likely to worsen following an
escalation of threats, intimidation and harassment against perceived
opponents of President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party, civil society
organisations have warned.

Opponents also claim that Zanu PF has already activated its terror machine
with incidents of violent attacks increasing across the country as the party
readies for elections which Mugabe insists must be held by March next year.

Civic society organisations have thus declared that the country puts off
plans for the 2012 poll and, instead, concentrate on instituting much-needed
reforms to ensure credible electoral processes.

This is the position that the civic organisations have taken to Geneva,
Switzerland, for the United Nations Human Rights council’s 12th session of
the universal periodic review where Zimbabwe will on October 10, 2011
present its report on the human rights situation in the country.

Over a dozen civil society leaders are on an advocacy mission in Geneva and
some of the groups represented include Zimbabwe Human rights Association,
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO forum.

Irene Petras from the Lawyers for Human Rights said it was imperative that
government addressed the issue of what measures could be taken to protect
the voter and the vote before, during and after the next elections.

“What reform measures have been or will be taken to ensure that the
Electoral Commission (EC) is independent, efficient and transparent,” asked
Petras.

“Is government taking steps to facilitate voting for everyone including
Zimbabweans living outside Zimbabwe (as well as) those people living with
disabilities?”

She called on government to adopt a hybrid electoral system, reform
institutions that play a role in elections, develop, implement an Electoral
Code of Conduct that is legally enforceable in order to promote free and
fair elections and establish a permanent independent Electoral Court to
preside over all electoral matters.

“The government must take the necessary legislative and administrative
reforms for the Electoral Commission (EC) to be independent, efficient,
transparent and accountable with adequate human and financial resources,”
Petras said.

“The EC must clean up the voters roll before the next elections. Necessary
administrative and legislative measures that facilitate the right to vote
freely and fairly of people in the Diaspora, people living with disabilities
must be embraced.”

Zimbabwe has conducted regular elections using the First-Past- the-Post
electoral system, but the last general elections in 2008 proved
inconclusive, leading to the formation of the Inclusive Government (IG).

Said Dhewa Mavhinga, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional co-ordinator:
“The key message is broadly that 2012 is not an election year but must be a
year for credible electoral reforms.”

This is in sharp contrast to the Zimbabwe government’ s 17-page report to
the UN Human Rights Council UPR, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which
paints a picture of a country desirous of promoting and upholding human
rights for all despite the illegal sanctions’ induced challenges.

The report paints a rosy picture of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.
But it ascribes some glaring human rights anomalies to the “illegal
sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe”.

The 15-page document, prepared by the Ministry of Justice and to be
presented by Patrick Chinamasa, is starkly different from what civil society
leaders will tell the UN.
“We seek to show that the reality is a far cry from what is contained in the
government report,” said Dhewa.

“Different organizations will focus on their areas of expertise to
demonstrate the true state of human rights in Zimbabwe and to show how the
country is not prepared to hold democratic elections in 2012 as president
Mugabe and ZANU-PF would want.”

Said Petras: “The government is encouraged to consider reforms of laws such
as AIPPA, POSA, Criminal Law Code and the Broadcasting Services Act and
other measures to prevent hate speech, violations of freedom of expression,
assembly and association in line with the ICCPR.”
But the government has come out guns blazing, beating its chest on what it
says are human rights positives in Zimbabwe.

Paragraph 82 of the government report reads: “Government opened up
communication platforms in the broadcasting sector through the licensing of
commercial radio broadcasting services and satellite-based subscription
services.”

However, Mavhinga said: “No independent commercial radio licences have ever
been issued and there has been no movement at all on issuing community radio
licences.

“It’s now five months since the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ)
finally called for applications for two commercial radio licences. Just a
few days ago, BAZ announced they would start holding public hearings on
October 18th to determine the suitability of applicants for the two
licences.

“The authority received an estimated 15 applications from aspiring
broadcasters. On 18th October only one of those will be looked at. If they
look at one a month we would be 15 months away from the process being
completed,” he said.

Petras called on government to criminalise torture in all its national laws
and policies, and consider creating an independent civilian oversight body
for the police and other security operatives and adopt other measures to
prevent incidents of torture.
Zimbabwe has created Commissions on Human Rights, Media, Anti-Corruption and
Elections.

The police, army and Central Intelligence Organisation has for long been
associated with fighting from Mugabe’s corner in the electoral process and
going all out to ensure that the 87-year old leader stays in office.

The CSO’s called on Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai to fulfil their
promise to reform state institutions, in a bid to end human rights
violations that have continued in the country since the formation of the
unity government two and half years ago.

Torture, harassment and politically motivated prosecutions of human rights
defenders and perceived opponents have persisted, while villagers in many
parts of the country have suffered ceaseless intimidation by supporters of
the former ruling ZANU PF party.


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Zimbabwe would need huge sum to compensate local currency holders

http://www.timeslive.co.za

Sapa-dpa | 08 October, 2011 09:27

The Zimbabwean government would need 54 billion dollars to compensate people
who lost their savings when the country abolished its own currency two years
ago, a state-owned newspaper reported Saturday.

The Herald quoted Finance Minister Tendai Biti saying the huge figure would
"choke" the poverty stricken country which needs about 10 billion dollars if
it is to recover from a decade of economic decline.

Two years ago, the southern African nation abolished the virtually worthless
Zimbabwe dollar.

Last year, Biti allocated about 7 million dollars to pay off some Zimbabwe
dollar accounts at the United Nations, although no payments have been made
so far.

Biti said the government would impose a cut-off point for compensation.

"We protect the poor people and so forth. We might come up with that
(cut-off) because a lot of our people who have quintillions (of Zimbabwe
dollars) and so forth do not have audit files," Biti told the newspaper.

"If you review their tax files, they have not paid their tax. It will be
meaningful if one gets something like 200 dollars," he said.


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Tsvangirai's movements curtailed

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw

Thursday, 06 October 2011 13:15

Njabulo Ncube, Assistant Editor

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has complained bitterly to President Robert
Mugabe over what he views as machinations by his main rival to create no-go
areas for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) in perceived ZANU-PF
strongholds ahead of fresh polls.
The premier, who has been on a whirlwind tour of the country to assess the
levels of poverty as well as the state of development, has been prevented
from venturing into some parts of Mashonaland by ZANU-PF agent provocateurs
at the behest of their provincial leadership.
Last Friday, a mob of ZANU-PF supporters blocked the MDC-T leader from
visiting market stalls at Murehwa Shopping Centre in Mashonaland East amid
threats of violence and physical harm targeting the premier and members of
his delegation.
The premier had visited Murehwa Centre as part of his countrywide tour to
assess the needs of the people ahead of the National Budget presentation by
Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, later this month or early next month.
Biti, the MDC-T secretary-general, is currently living in fear of his
personal security after a mob of youths linked to ZANU-PF, picketed outside
his ministry's offices demanding funds to bankroll income-generating
projects.
In Murehwa North, the ZANU-PF leadership mobilised villagers last week
against meeting the premier. The villagers, still smarting from the last
violent elections in 2008, were allegedly threatened with dire consequences
in the event that they disregarded orders from their leaders.
When Prime Minister Tsvangirai visited Mudzi and Mutoko districts last week,
he was shunned by villagers while senior civil servants fled for fear of
victimisation post the visit by the MDC-T president.
Some senior civil servants in the two districts reportedly sent juniors to
represent them for fear of being linked with the MDC-T leader.
But with fresh elections on the horizon, panic is said to have set in the
premier's election machinery amid suspicions that ZANU-PF wanted to create
no-go areas for its opponents countrywide ahead of the polls.
MDC-T insiders said the premier had raised the issue with President Mugabe
when they met on Monday to discuss the goings-on in the coalition
government.
While Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba, could not immediately
confirm this, the Prime Minister's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, said the
issue was indeed discussed on Monday.
"It is true that the Prime Minister spoke to the President about it. It is
also pertinent to note that the Prime Minister would be in these provinces
as head of government and notpresident of the MDC. When you have District
Administrators and some senior government officials shying away from the
Prime Minister, it does not bode well for the political environment in this
country," he said.
Charles Mangongera, a political analyst, said it was awkward for a Prime
Minister of a country, who is supposed to oversee the implementation of
government policy, to be barred from visiting certain areas in his country.
"It just underscores what some of us have said time and again that the
government of national unity is unworkable because you have one party in
control of the security apparatus of the State and doing everything it can
to stifle progress and another party that was given responsibility to
deliver services, but without the authority to do so," said Mangongera.
Pedzisai Ruhanya, a political analyst, said the barring of the Prime
Minister from entering certain parts of the country showed that ZANU-PF was
already in an election mood.
"And one of its strategies is to create electoral buffer zones or electoral
hotspots where they use violence to intimidate citizens and stop its
political opponents from campaigning," said Ruhanya.


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Strike paralyses Harare

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Saturday, 08 October 2011 00:00

Felex Share Herald Reporter
HARARE City Council workers went on strike yesterday demanding improved
salaries and better working conditions,  paralysing service delivery in
nearly all critical departments.
The workers are planning a massive demonstration at Town House on Monday
morning.

They are also demanding an end to "secretive" payrolls and incentives to
senior managers they claim were bleeding council resources at the expense of
their welfare and service delivery.
The strike comes after the workers got an arbitral award of a 16 percent
salary increment effective January this year.
However, council unilaterally decided to give each worker a top-up of US$20.
The least-paid council worker in grade 16 now earns US$150 after the US$20
adjustment.

This grade includes cleaners and all general staff.
Most council operations came to a standstill with the health department,
refuse collection and cleaning services being the most affected.
Toilets and streets in the Central Business District were not cleaned
yesterday as the workers heeded calls by their unions to strike.

The situation was worse in Mbare and health experts fear a disease outbreak
if no solution is hammered.
Council employees could be seen sitting under trees while others decided to
go home.
Residents who wanted to pay bills were in most cases turned away as there
was no one to attend to them.

Council spokesperson Mr Leslie Gwindi yesterday said they were negotiating
with the workers.
"We are negotiating and I can tell you that the whole of this morning
(yesterday) we were negotiating. We hope to come up with a solution very
soon," he said.
However, Harare Municipal Workers Union chairperson Mr Cosmas Bungu said
efforts to engage management failed to yield positive results.

He said workers would only return to work after a "reasonable" salary
increment.
"They have failed to honour the arbitral award and the workers have resolved
that enough is enough. They should observe the dictates of social justice.
The executive payroll should be made public because we believe 60 percent of
the total budget is for them.
"When we had our manpower audit we participated but surprisingly we were
never consulted on the consolidating process and we believe there are
thousands of ghost workers and someone is benefiting from that," he said.

Mr Bungu added: "There is no politicking here. What we are doing is just the
wishes of the people as evidenced in our balloting. The people have spoken."
Interviewed workers accused the management of neglecting them.

"Some of us are lodgers and we have to pay rentals but how does the
management expect us to survive. We have children who need school fees and
this has to come from the US$150 I am getting.
"They should be sensitive to our plight because we also deserve better
treatment," said one worker.
Another worker at Wilkins Hospital said nurses had reported for duty but
were not attending to patients.

"People are here, but nothing is being done in terms of working. We were
just seated since morning, joining our fellows in the job action. We are
waiting for Monday when we will all invade Town House to confront the
management," the worker said.

The situation was the same at the Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases
Hospitals where workers said they had joined the strike.
"We believe in collective job action and that's why we have heeded calls by
the union leaders to down tools," he said.

Others complained council was paying more money to ghost workers.
"They don't want to release the report on the ghost workers and it means
people on the payroll are much more than the touted 10 000," added another
employee.

Apart from failing to increase workers' salaries, council has also come
under fire from residents for poor service delivery despite the high revenue
it collects.
The council gets revenue from beerhalls, clinics, commercial and residential
properties.

Most residents in high-density areas rely on council clinics and maternity
facilities.


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2012 not an election year: civic society

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

Zimbabwe’s civic society organisations have declared that 2012 is not an
election year, but a year for credible electoral reforms.
06.10.1101:17pm
by OWN CORRESPONDENT

This is the position that the civic organisations have taken to Geneva,
Switzerland, for the United Nations Human Rights council’s 12th session of
the universal periodic review where Zimbabwe will on October 10, 2011
present its report on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Over a dozen civil society leaders are on an advocacy mission in Geneva.
Some of the groups represented are the Zimbabwe Human rights Association,
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO forum.

A year for reform

Said Dhewa Mavhunga, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional co-ordinator:
“The key message is broadly that 2012 is not an election year but must be a
year for credible electoral reforms.”

President Robert Mugabe is on record as saying he is keen to see elections
taking place next year, and has even said the polls should be over and done
with by March.

This is in sharp contrast to the Zimbabwe government’ s 17-page report to
the UN Human Rights Council UPR, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which
paints a picture of a country desiring to promote and uphold human rights
for all.

The report paints a rosy picture of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.
But it ascribes some glaring human rights anomalies to the “illegal
sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe”. The 15-page document, prepared by the
Ministry of Justice and

to be presented by Patrick Chinamasa, is starkly different from what civil
society leaders will tell the UN.

“We seek to show that the reality is a far cry from what is contained in the
government report,” said Dhewa. “Different organizations will focus on their
area of expertise to demonstrate the true state of human rights in Zimbabwe
and to show how the country is not prepared to hold democratic elections in
2012 as President Mugabe and Zanu (PF) would want.”

Irene Petras from the Lawyers for Human Rights said it was imperative that
government looked at what measures were being taken to protect the voter and
the vote before, during and after the next elections.

“Is the government taking steps to facilitate voting for everyone including
Zimbabweans living outside Zimbabwe or those living with disabilities?”

Hybrid electoral system

She called on the government to adopt a hybrid electoral system, reform
institutions that play a role in elections, develop, implement an Electoral
Code of Conduct that is legally enforceable in order to promote free and
fair elections and establish a permanent independent Electoral Court to
preside over all electoral matters.

“The government is encouraged to consider reforms of laws such as AIPPA,
POSA, Criminal Law Code and the Broadcasting Services Act and other measures
to prevent

hate speech, violations of freedom of expression, assembly and association
in line with the ICCPR,” said Petras.

However, the government has come out all guns blazing on what it says are
human rights positives in Zimbabwe.

Paragraph 82 of the government report reads: ‘Government opened up
communication platforms in the broadcasting sector through the licensing of
commercial radio broadcasting services and satellite-based subscription
services.”

Said Mavhunga: “No independent commercial radio licences have ever been
issued and there has been no movement at all on issuing community radio
licences.

“It’s now five months since the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe finally
called for applications for two commercial radio licences. Just a few days
ago, BAZ

announced they would start holding public hearings on October 18th to
determine the suitability of applicants for the two licences,” he said.

Criminalise torture

Petras called on government to criminalise torture in all its national laws
and policies, and consider creating an independent civilian oversight body
for the police and other security operatives.

Zimbabwe has created Commissions on Human Rights, Media, Anti-Corruption and
Elections.

The CSO’s called on Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai to fulfil their
promise to reform state institutions, in a bid to end human rights
violations that have continued in the country since the formation of the
unity government two and half years ago.


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MDC dismisses Chinamasa human rights report



Saturday, 08 October 2011

The MDC dismisses the appalling report on the human rights situation in
Zimbabwe that will be presented by Patrick Chinamasa at the United Nations
Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday. Chinamasa is not a
suitable candidate to make any submissions on human rights in Zimbabwe as he
is one of the leading human rights abusers in the country.

In the late 1990s when Chinamasa was appointed the Minister of Justice, one
of his first moves was to preside over the destruction of the judiciary
system in Zimbabwe. Since then thousands of MDC and human rights activists
have been arrested and brought before the courts of law facing various false
charges as the judiciary system became compromised.

At the same time known Zanu PF criminals have been left scot free due to
interference by Chinamasa and other Zanu PF politicians in the country’s
judiciary system. The MDC would like to know why there has been no progress
in the arrest of known murderers of Tonderai Ndira, Better Chokururama,
Godfrey Kauzani, Rwisai Nyakauru and hundreds of MDC members.

In 2002, following what Chinamasa considered a lenient conviction of three
US citizens who were caught and convicted of smuggling arms in an aircraft,
Zimbabwean High Court judge Fergus Blackie brought successful charges
against Chinamasa for a conviction of contempt of court.

Chinamasa had Blackie immediately arrested on charges of “corruption,” on
the grounds of having decided the case of a white woman improperly (on the
basis of an alleged adulterous relationship and racist bias), and without
the support of the other judge who was sitting with him on the matter.

At the end of the trial, Chinamasa declared various non governmental
organisations (NGOs) illegal and closed them leaving thousands of people
including children in the country to starve.

Chinamasa is an illegal beneficiary of multiple farms following his violent
grabbing of farms despite calls for one man one farm.  Some of these farms
are; Tsukamai in Headlands and Nyamazura in Rusape.

In his periodic report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, on
Monday, Chinamasa will do nothing but misrepresent facts on the pathetic
human rights situation in Zimbabwe to the world.

In his report Chinamasa claims Zimbabwe has made progress in improving its
human rights situation, citing treaties and international instruments signed
and ratified by the government such as the Convention Against the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child and
International Convention on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

However, the Zanu PF report does not explain why Zimbabwe has not ratified
outstanding human rights treaties such as the UN Convention Against Torture,
Cruel or Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and International
Convention for the Protection of all persons Against Enforced
Disappearances.

Further Zimbabwe has not ratified protocols such as the Convention Against
the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

As Chinamasa would be reading his Zanu PF report, the MDC has in 2011 alone,
recorded that 335 MDC and human rights activists have been arrested by Zanu
PF supporters or state security agents. This translates to more than one
arrest per day. Thousands others have been harassed and intimidated across
the country. The army is patrolling in the villagers harassing innocent
villagers.

Chinamasa claims that Zimbabwe’s Constitution guarantees freedom from
inhuman and degrading treatment; that there is a police complaints desk at
every police station in Zimbabwe and that the country has incorporated the
rights to a fair trial and access to justice in the legal system.

On the ground, we have reports from Mbare in Harare, where MDC activists and
members have been arrested making reports to the police after being
assaulted by Zanu PF thugs. MDC members continue to be remanded in custody
on trumped – up charges. On Friday, 7 October, the MDC Youth Assembly
chairperson, Solomon Madzore was remanded in custody on false charges of
murdering a police officer in May. A total of 27 members have been arrested
on the same allegations.

In August this year, Chinamasa caused the premature end to the debate on the
Public Order and Security Act (POSA) Amendment Bill in the Senate when he
lied to the legislators that the matter was being negotiated as part of the
Global Political Agreement (GPA).

As the MDC, we dismiss with the contempt it deserves attempts by Chinamasa
and Zanu PF to claim that the report to be tabled in Geneva on Monday is a
government report. As part of the inclusive government, the MDC ministers
were never consulted about the report which glosses over the real situation
of what is happening in Zimbabwe.

Together, united, voting for real change!!!

--
MDC Information & Publicity Department


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Chindori Chininga Suspended Over Draft Constitution Leak

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, October 8, 2011 – Former Mines Minister and Parliament led
Constitution making body COPAC stakeholders subcommittee Chairperson,
Chindori Chininga, has been suspended for allegedly leaking Zanu-PF’s draft
constitution to the Movement for Democratic Change led by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T).

The MDC-T though denying its origin has confirmed unearthing of the
document.

“There is a certain document that our party the MDC intercepted that is
alleged to have been generated by Zanu-PF purporting to be a draft
constitution. We intercepted the document in Mutare and we have since taken
Zanu-PF to task over the document.

“We have the machinery as a people’s party to intercept anything that
affects the credibility of the process. Right now we have not yet written
the constitution but at the process of extracting constitutional issues and
there should be no political party which should come up with a document
purporting to be the draft constitution.We will reject it and we have
rejected it,” MDC-T spokesperson and the party’s COPAC co-chairperson
Douglas Mwonzora confirmed to Radio VOP in an exclusive interview Friday in
Harare Mwonzora denied that Chininga leaked the fraudulent draft
constitution to his party.

“We are not saying Zanu-PF should not suspend its members from COPAC but we
never received anything from Mr Chininga,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Zanu-PF’s spokesperson Rugare Gumbo over the
suspension of Chininga proved fruitless as his mobile phone was not
reachable.

Zanu-PF at the initial stage of the constitution making process insisted
that the Kariba draft which its members and some of the MDC officials
clandestinely crafted in 2007 should be adopted as the country’s
constitution.


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MDC- T Launches Presidential Election Campaign

http://www.radiovop.com/

Bulawayo, October 07, 2011- Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party is
set to launch its presidential election campaign on Sunday in Bulawayo, the
country’s second largest city, party officials told Radio VOP.

MDC T Vice President, Thokozani Khuphe will launch Tsvangirai’s presidential
election campaign that will be held at Induba grounds, Pelandaba suburb.

The campaign has been organised by the party’s youth league Bulawayo
province executive.

“This launch is to show and send a message to Zanu (PF) that our party is
ready for the presidential elections. We are ready to remove Mugabe from the
State House and usher in Tsvangirai.

“We are ready for the elections and we are ready to defend the results
should Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party attempt to rig the elections.

“We will not allow Zanu (PF) to steal the elections like they have done
before. Tsvangirai is the party’s presidential candidate and we believe in
his leadership qualities,” Bekithemba Nyathi, the MDC T Bulawayo provincial
youth chairman told journalists on Friday in Bulawayo.

Although no dates have been set, Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party have said
elections should be held before March 2012, but civic groups want reforms to
ensure a level playing field before the polls.

Mugabe has said he will not invite election observers from Britain and the
European Union because they imposed sanctions against his Zanu (PF) party.

Deborah Bronnert, the new British envoy after meeting Mugabe recently said
her government was happy that "the (Zimbabwean) parties in the inclusive
government were working together towards greater reform and credible
elections" and the Zimbabwean leader was quick to say that Zimbabwe did not
want the West to meddle in the polls.


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Prosecutors’ strike paralyses courts

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

08/10/2011 00:00:00
    by Staff Reporter

THE government has pleaded with striking prosecutors to return to work as
the job action has left the courts system in paralysis with no trials taking
place and hundreds of suspects stranded in remand prisons.

The prosecutors went on strike last Tuesday demanding an improvement in
conditions of service and parity with magistrates who had their salaries
increased in July with most now taking home more than US$500.

Acting Justice and Legal Affairs permanent secretary, Maxwell Ranga, urged
the prosecutors to call off the strike saying the government had approved a
US$156 representation allowance for principal law officers and prosecutors
in Grade One.
He said efforts were underway to address other grievances.

“Payment of representation allowance to principal law officers/prosecutors
Grade One has been resolved and payment is being processed. The ministry is
still working on the remaining issues pertaining to salaries, again with the
relevant stakeholders,” Ranga wrote in a letter to the Zimbabwe Law
Officers' Association (ZLOA).
However, ZLOA chairman Leopold Mudisi blasted the offer as inadequate and
divisive insisting the strike would continue.

"We are not going back to work until they pay us or until the Public Service
Commission commits itself in writing that it will pay us what we are
demanding," Mudisi said.

"We are eager to go back to work any minute as long as there is an
obligation in writing. We sympathise with the suspects in remand prison, but
we can not go back to work on empty stomachs."

Prosecutors currently earn between US$200 and US$300 monthly and are
demanding parity with magistrates who paid between US$500 and US$730.

“Magistrates and prosecutors are all employed by the Judicial Service
Commission... but there is a serious salary and benefits discrepancy despite
having similar qualifications, experience and the fact that we do the same
work,” Derek Charamba, secretary general of the ZLOA said last week.


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Youths target empty buildings in Bulawayo

http://mg.co.za

RAY NDLOVU BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE - Oct 07 2011 14:51

Zanu-PF youths -- in collaboration with senior party bigwigs -- are
spearheading the illegal invasion of buildings and properties in Bulawayo
under the guise of empowerment.

A resolution passed in Bulawayo last week by Indigenisation Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere, Zanu-PF national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo and Information and
Publicity Minister Webster Shamu will now pave the way for Zanu-PF youths to
take over nearly 70 unoccupied buildings in the city. Since August Zanu-PF
youths have started invading buildings and property owned by Indians,
Italians and the European community in Bulawayo. Invaded properties include
the Italian-owned Pizzaghetti and the Maggos, Elons and Centenary buildings.
Among these are some owned by the Esats family, a wealthy Indian family
involved in textile and clothing businesses in the city.

Amen Mpofu, the deputy mayor of Bulawayo, said: "These invasions are making
it really difficult for the city council to attract investors. The city
council, in partnership with various stakeholders in the city, is working
day and night trying to address the issue of company relocations in the
city, but it seems other people have their own political agendas."

Police have been criticised for treating the youth invaders with kid gloves,
leaving scores of property owners crying foul. The owner of Maggos building,
David Naidoo, said: "I was in South Africa when my caretaker informed me
that my property had been invaded by Zanu-PF youths. After that I was forced
to abandon my business in South Africa and flew back to sort out the issue.
The youths refused to vacate my property and as I speak they are still
camping on my premises."

Despite repeated attempts by Naidoo to speak to Zanu-PF's provincial
leadership about the invasion of his property, the party's leadership has
maintained there will be no "backtracking" on the invasions. Meanwhile, a
court judgment last week ordered the arrest of 10 Zanu-PF youths for
invading several properties in the city.

It is understood from Zanu-PF insiders that companies which have shut down
their operations in Bulawayo have been earmarked for seizure by the Zanu-PF
youths.

According to the industry and trade ministry, nearly 87 companies have shut
down in Bulawayo since 2010 and an estimated 20 000 workers have been
affected by the closures. With Zanu-PF's December congress scheduled for
Bulawayo, party hawks are said to be increasingly pushing for quick action
for company takeovers and have issued "a two-week ultimatum" to the
leadership in Bulawayo to provide a comprehensive list of companies that can
be reopened.


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MPs flex muscles

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Members of Parliament have flexed their muscles and refused to ratify a
bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement with Iran.
07.10.1109:10pm
by Staff Reporter

For years Zimbabwe’s Parliament has been nothing but a rubber stamp for
presidential and ministerial edicts. Even the arrival of MDC MPs in the
House, with a simple majority over Zanu (PF), failed to make much of a
difference.

But at last MPs seem to be taking their responsibilities seriously.

The Zanu (PF) deputy minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion,
Sam Undenge, tabled the BIPPA in Parliament this week.

But MDC legislators are ambivalent about ratifying it without full
information about what they were signing up to, amid fears the treaty could
be for Tehran's uranium enrichment programme.

Undenge deftly skirted the uranium enrichment programme in his presentation
and told the House that the treaty was to protect Iranian investments,
including the tractor manufacturing plant set up by Iranians in Zimbabwe a
few weeks ago, and a joint venture with IDC in the Modzone textile industry.

"I would like to recommend the House to ratify the BIPPA agreement with Iran
because of the benefits which are going to accrue to us, not only in terms
of investment but in terms of trade," he said.

Legislators questioned why the agreement, signed in 1999, was being brought
to the House for ratification now, when Iran’s enrichment programme has
provoked a diplomatic tiff with Washington.

The United States warned Zimbabwe in March there would be grave
ramifications if it cooperated with Iran’s nuclear programme in violation of
United Nations resolutions.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley was concerned over recent statements
by Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi that UN sanctions on Iran were
unfair and hypocritical.

It is believed Iran is interested in uranium deposits that lie in the
Zambezi River valley but were not exploited over the past few years due to
low uranium prices. It is estimated that the country’s Kanyemba Mine holds
more than 45,000 tons of uranium ore with over 20,000 tons extractible.

Gokwe Zanu (PF) MP Dorothy Mangami was the only legislator who backed the
ratification of the BIPPA.

Kambuzuma MDC MP Willias Madzimure said it was pointless to ratify the BIPPA
given the contempt Zimbabwe has for its international commitments.

"We have signed several BIPPA agreements but we have violated those
agreements," Madzimure said. "We have dragged ourselves before various fora
where the country is debated. Are we a suitable candidate to enter into some
of these agreements?"

The government has expropriated several farms protected under similar
BIPPAs.

Madzimure said Zimbabwe must first learn to respect the rule of law.

In the past Didymus Mutasa, the Zanu (PF) secretary for administration, has
said BIPPAS were “not worth the paper they were written on”.

Masvingo Central MDC MP Jeffryson Chitando said the 7th Zimbabwe Parliament
could not be forced to ratify an agreement "which is not of this
Parliament."

"It should have been ratified during that period (1999)," Chitando said.
"Madam Speaker, personally when I look at this agreement in relation to the
people I represent, the people of Mapanzure, Chatikobo and Masarasara in
Masvingo, what exactly are they going to benefit from this agreement? If
there is nothing to benefit, it means this agreement is not of importance."

Chitando surmised that the BIPPA had been dusted off because ZBC wanted
antiquated broadcasting equipment from Iran in exchange for access to
minerals.

It was finally resolved that the debate on this motion be adjourned.


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ZBC brings in the big guns

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

The state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation has engaged the
services of overzealous junior police officers to harass residents into
paying their radio and television license fees, despite its perennial
failure to transmit a reliable signal.
06.10.1102:46pm
by Tony Saxon

Residents here interviewed by The Zimbabwean last week said they do not
receive ZBC signal transmission in their area.

"We do not listen to any ZBC radio stations because there is no signal at
all," said David Furanera. "For television some rich people watch programmes
through the

satellite decoders. Many people watch television at the local shops and bars
where there are decoders and people do not watch ZBC," said Hebert Tuwani
from the same area.

"We have had no ZBC signal transmission here in a long time, though
surprisingly some ZBC and police officers force us to pay radio and
television licenses, which are exorbitant," said Tuwani. Radio licences cost
$10 and a television license costs $50.


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Government Sets US$40 Million Credit for Matabeleland Industry

http://www.voanews.com/

07 October 2011

Industry Minister Welshman Ncube, head of a task force of the 'Let Bulawayo
Survive' campaign, said more funding to support Matabeleland businesses will
be authorized by the Cabinet in due course

Sithandekile Mhlanga | Washington

The Zimbabwean government has set up a US$40 million line of credit for
struggling businesses in Bulawayo and the Matabeleland region, which has
been in decline.

Industry Minister Welshman Ncube, head of a task force of the “Let Bulawayo
Survive” campaign, said more funding will be authorized by the Cabinet in
due course.

ZANU-PF Chairman Simon Khaya-Moyo told VOA reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga
that the funding plan will encourage development and restore Bulawayo's
industrial vigor.

Meanwhile, business leaders in Bulawayo on Friday met in conference with
ambassadors and envoys from Tanzania, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Angola, and Botswana to promote Bulawayo as a trade source and
destination.

Matabeleland Regional Manager Bulisani Ncube of the National Chamber of
Commerce said envoys invited local business people to explore opportunities
in their countries.


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Money for GMB goes to civil servants

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

The Finance minister says the government has failed to pay farmers for
produce they delivered to the GMB because money budgeted for that purpose
has been diverted to bankroll the unbudgeted civil servants increase.
07.10.1108:20pm
by Chief Reporter

Betty Chikava, Mt Darwin East MP, put Finance minister Tendai Biti on the
spot in the House of Assembly after relentless State Press accusations that
the MDC secretary general was refusing to pay farmers as a means of
sabotaging agriculture.

Biti told the House of Assembly that under the 2011 grain procurement
scheme, the government set a producer price of $285.00 per metric tonne this
year, up from the $275.00 per metric tonne of last season.

Three problems

"However, we have had three problems. The first one is an obvious one, the
problem of money and fiscal space," Biti said. "As I reported in this House
in July, our budget for the year 2011 is $2.7 billion. The budget of $2.7
billion presupposes that we have to collect $229m per month, and as I
reported in the first half of the year, there were only two months that we
were able to exceed $200 million never mind $229million.

“Those were the months of March and June and these are the months that
corporates/companies pay their corporate taxes. In July 2011, we had a
salary increase of $260 million, which requires that the government has to
find an additional $42 million per month, bringing the paradox and
contradiction of increased expenditure on the basis of reduced revenue."

Biti said when the government set the producer price of $285, Cabinet had
agreed that payment to farmers would be made 10 days after delivery.

"But the tsunami of the $260 million then came, and in every country you
must pay wages first, other wise you will have a civil commotion," Biti
said. "As I said in the mid-term statement, wages are now taking 67 percent
of our expenditure which means that out of every $1 that we receive US$0.67c
is going towards wages with US$0.33c going to hospitals and other budget
areas."

Under pressure

Biti said he was under pressure from several sectors who all want money.

"The Minister of Health wants $33million from me because he wants to make
user fees free, the minister of Agriculture wants $45million for the
vulnerable sector, minister Mzembi wants $20 million to support the
re-branding of Zimbabwe as he calls it – so there are numerous demands on
the fiscus.

“Members of Parliament want motor vehicles and they also want CDF money. So
all these need fiscal space, but we do not have fiscal space," Biti said.

The Finance minister said Zimbabwe was the only country in Sub Saharan
Africa, which does not have direct donor assistance.

"We therefore have to deal with our debt question," he said.

Zimbabwe owes more than $7billion to Bretton Woods institution that has
precluded the country from accessing lines of credit. But Biti said he had
plan.

"We have agreed on the following: we owe farmers $35 million and we paid $10
million last week, but because we realised that rains are going to be early
this year, we are in the process of gathering inputs, seed and fertilizer
that is going to the Grain Marketing Board to the tune of $30m. This will
enable the farmer to swap his

payment with the available seed and fertilizer," Biti told the House of
Asssembly.

Price distortions

Biti said price distortions were also to blame for the current scenario.

"Made (Agriculture minister), you are to blame for continuing to set
producer prices of maize," Biti said. "The price that the GMB is selling is
$285 per metric tonne, Malawi has overproduced and has surplus of 700 000
metric tonnes of maize, Zambia 400 000 metric tonnes, Republic of South
Africa has 9 million metric tonnes surplus,

though part of it is GMO. The region has got surplus. What is happening is
that you can buy maize from Malawi or anywhere between $175 to $190. So now
makoronyera nemagumaguma are importing maize from neighbouring countries. We
do not have a mechanism of preventing that cheap imported maize going to
GMB, so as government we need to revisit our systems."

Biti said the second problem was that when millers go to the GMB to buy
maize, GMB is selling maize at $325 per tonne.

"So you will be made to buy maize at $325 per tonne when you can import it
at $190. GMB is now sitting at huge maize stocks which it can not sell to
anyone, yet the government is just buying and buying. So we need major
policy reviews," he said.

Chikava insisted that Biti must pay the farmers in cash and not in farming
inputs.


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Zanu infiltrates apostolic sects

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

The Africa Apostolic Faith Mission has criticized Zanu (PF) political
leaders of invading their church operations and interfering with their
worship.
07.10.1107:44pm
by Tony Saxon

Zanu (PF) political leaders in Manicaland have been targeting the apostolic
sects in the province as platforms from which to sell their political ideas.
Zanu (PF) heavy weights: Oppah Muchinguri, Didymus Mutasa, Chris Mushohwe,
Mandy Chimene and Mike Madiro, among others, have been attending various
church services held by the apostolic sects that include Johanne Marange,
Masowe eChishanu and Africa Apostolic Faith Mission in order to spread Zanu
(PF) political messages.

"We worship God and not politicians. Our church has no room for politicians
we are apostles of God and not apostles of Zanu (PF)," said a senior member
from the Africa Apostolic Faith Mission.

"I would like to strongly condemn what other apostolic sects are doing who
are blindly glorifying Zanu (PF) and the biased traditional leadership,"
said the senior member of the church. God has a way of doing things. He
hears our prayers for a better Zimbabwe," he said.

Noah Taguta a faction leader of Johanne Marange, has openly showed his
allegiance to Zanu (PF) after he invited President Robert Mugabe to the
church's Passover last year.


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Maize production to increase

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

Zimbabwe’s maize production is expected to increase this year, but it will
still fall short of the required amount, The United nations has confirmed.
06.10.1102:48pm
by Ngoni Chanakira Harare

In a report made available to The Zimbabwean, the UN said the area planted
for the 2010/2011 season was 2 096 035 hectares with an average yield of
0,69 metric tonnes per hectare.

"The increase in maize production is mainly attributed to more hectares put
under the crop and better yields in the high potential producing areas," the
report said.

After assessments conducted in April this year, estimates for the national
cereal production for the 2010/2011 season stood at 1 607 700 metric tonnes
against an estimated national requirement of 1 717 800 metric tonnes.

"Maize production increased by nine percent in 2010/2011 compared to the
previous season," the report said.

However, food security remains a pressing issue for the GNU with
achievements at risk from a protracted "dry spell which affected six out of
the 10 provinces early this year".

It said the increasing attention that humanitarian players were giving to
agriculture "is demanding an even stronger and more effective coordination
structure".

"Continuous monitoring of the agricultural sector, with technical
assessments are key components of the co-ordination," the report said.


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Desist From Hate Speech: MISA Urges Media

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, October 7, 2011 – The Media Institute of Southern Africa- Zimbabwe
chapter has appealed to the country’s media to desist from using hate
language and insults in its reportage.

Sources said the appeal by Misa-Zimbabwe followed what is perceived as crude
insults and inflammatory reports by journalists and politicians in
newspapers.

“MISA-Zimbabwe is appealing to the media, politicians and Zimbabwean
citizens in general to desist from abusing the right to freedom of
expression and media freedom as evidenced by some of the personal
vilifications and vile name-calling that is manifest in the
opinion-editorial (op-ed) pages of both private and public newspapers,” said
Misa Zimbabwe chairperson, Njabulo Ncube in a statement.

“The right to freedom of expression and journalistic privilege demands
greater responsibility and integrity on the part of editors and
 journalists,” said Ncube.

MISA-Zimbabwe’s concerns come on the backdrop of the Media Ethics Indaba
held in Harare on 29 September 2011, almost a week after the International
Media Ethics Day which is commemorated annually on 23 September.

Delegates at the indaba acknowledged the decline in journalism ethics and
professionalism in Zimbabwe and agreed that corrective self-regulatory
measures needed to be instituted as a matter of urgency.

Ncube noted that it was important to retain respect of the profession
through strict adherence to the rules of reporting truthfully, without bias
and avoid personal vilifications.

“This calls for journalism that eschews hate speech, xenophobia, tribalism,
gender discrimination, racism and vile name calling and intemperate
language. MISA-Zimbabwe is therefore urging publishers, editors and
journalists to seriously reflect on their professional conduct as dictated
by the codes and ethics of journalism in order to retain and maintain the
integrity and respect of the profession,” he added.

On Wednesday one of the privately owned daily newspapers compared former
information minister Jonathan Moyo to a skunk and also referred to him as a
political harlot and a baffon.


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Ncube Laments Decay Of Journalistic Values

http://www.radiovop.com

Charity Mukwambo, Harare, 8 October 2011- Minister of Industry and Commerce,
Professor Welshman Ncube has urged journalists to report the truth and
report accurately.

Ncube made these remarks addressing journalists at this year’s National
Journalistic and Media Awards (NJMA) held at a local hotel on Friday evening
where he was a guest of honour.

“Regrettably our media like the rest of our society is polarised .When the
media is polarised the first casuality are facts .Facts are sacrosanct and
opinion is free. This dictum is extremely crucial,” said Ncube.

Ncube said both state and independent journalists should be guided by facts
in their reports.

The Minister also lamented lack of progress by the inclusive government in
opening up new players in the broadcasting sector.

“As we desire to have elections early next year we need to move with great
speed in licensing other players in the electronic media. Reach of
electronic media is the most comprehensive in this country. If we are to a
have free and fair elections the same plurality in the print media should
also be reflected in the electronic media,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) also strongly warned organisations
and individuals who experiment with the welfare and lives of journalists by
starting newspaper organisations without the necessary capacity to run them
to desist from such activities.

Speaking at this year’s NJMA, the ZUJ Secretary General Foster Dongozi said
the media industry is a very serious business hence individuals and
organisations should make appropriate plans and strategies before operating.

“The Mail has stopped operations, throwing a lot of uncertainty among
journalists and media workers. ZUJ would like to take this opportunity to
strongly warn organisations or individuals that would like to experiment
with the welfare and lives of journalists by going into operation while
taking the exercise as some form of adventure.

“The union will not hesitate to take on, individuals or organisations that
would want to embark on experiments using journalists as guinea –pigs,” said
Dongozi.

Dongozi said while the union acknowledges the granting of licences to
newspapers, the union is equally concerned by the non-licensing of more
independent broadcasters, the continued arrests of journalists and poor
salaries as well as inadequate resources which is breeding corruption and
unprofessionalism in the industry.

“Professional, quality and ethical journalism cannot flourish in an
environment characterised by fear, poor salaries, inadequate resources,
unfair labour practices, sexual harassment and gender based discrimination.

“The continued arrest of journalists is also very distressing and we call on
the inclusive government to intervene and bring this to an immediate stop,”
said Dongozi.

Some of the dignitaries who attended the colourful ceremony are Minister of
Information technology Nelson Chamisa and Peter Primus, the deputy Germany
ambassador.


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Ministers strike it rich in conservancies: WikiLeaks

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw

Thursday, 06 October 2011 13:13

Staff Reporter

CABINET Ministers and other senior ZANU-PF officials are reportedly making a
killing from wildlife conservancies seized from former white-commercial
farmers, according to the latest salvo from international whistle-blower,
WikiLeaks.
A classified United States cable named ZANU-PF ministers, senior party
officials as well some of the party's sympathisers of making a killing from
the conservancies. The information was leaked to American diplomats by a
former National Parks and Wildlife Authority official and professional
hunter, Don Heath.
One of the individuals named, Dumiso Dabengwa, has since left ZANU-PF and is
now leader of the revived ZAPU.
The cable said targeting ZANU-PF members with interests in the hunting
industry would be difficult, but possible.
It added that one way would be to "eliminate" US hunters from Zimbabwe, but
there were reservations on that route due to fears that it would potentially
cause the collapse of the hunting industry and negatively impact on
conservation efforts, including the survival of specific endangered species
and poor communities.
"Establishing a connection between Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) and
their safari interests is difficult because these individuals are often
careful to hide their direct involvement in the business. According to
Heath, the following OFAC (Office of Foreign Accountant Control)-sanctioned
individuals are known to have a stake in a safari area concession, safari
operator and private land/ private hunting reserve: Edward Chindori-Chininga
(Gwaai Valley Conservancy); Jocelyn Chiwenga (Matetsi Unit 6 Safari Area);
Ignatius Chombo (Chiredzi River Conservancy); Dumiso Dabengwa (Gwaai Valley
Conservancy); Joseph Made (Gwaai Valley Conservancy)," reads part of the
cable.
"Amos Midzi (Gwaai Valley Conservancy); Kembo Mohadi (Gwaai Valley
Conservancy); Simon (Khaya) Moyo (Gwaai Valley Conservancy); Obert Mpofu
(Gwaai Valley Conservancy); Webster Shamu (Chirisa Safari Area and 51
percent stake in Famba Safaris), wife also has a separate interest in Chete
Safari Area, but she is not on the SDN list; Charles Utete (Gwaai Valley
Conservancy); Paradzai Zimondi (Charara Safari Area); Lovemore Chihota
(Matetsi Unit 7), brother of SDN Phineas Chihota; Thandi Nkomo (Tuli Safari
Area), sister of SDN Louise Nkomo who is the spouse of SDN Francis Nhema."
The cable added that despite a 50 percent decline in receipts, the safari
hunting business remains an important source of foreign currency for
Zimbabwe.
Prior to the start of the fast-track land reform programme in 2000, the
commercial wildlife industry, including hunting and eco-tourism, was
growing, but adverse international publicity about declining socio-political
conditions and controversial hunting practices were said to be taking a toll
on the sector.
Controversial hunting practices that were said to be prevalent were listed
as high quotas, poaching and poor wildlife management on private land, among
others.
"In recent years, there have been reports that several lucrative safari
areas concessions were awarded without being offered for public tender to
allow regime insiders to gain control of concessions at below market
prices," reads part of the cable.
"Sally Bown, a SOAZ (Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe)
representative, stressed that there have been problems in the past, but the
most recent concession allocations have been done in a fair and open manner.
"George Pangeti, chairman of Parks and the Africa representative for Safari
Club International (SCI), told Poloff (Political Officer) that Parks now
insists on public auctions specifically to avoid undue political
interference and to ensure Parks receives the full value of the offering.
(Note: Parks is a financially self-sufficient parastatal that receives no
funding from the government except for a specific allocation for development
in Gonarezhou National Park."


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Sen. Inhofe Introduces Bill to Repeal Zimbabwe Democracy, Economic Recovery Act of 2001

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.1646:#

S.1646 -- Zimbabwe Sanctions Repeal Act of 2011 (Introduced in Senate - IS)

S 1646 IS

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1646

To repeal the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

October 4, 2011

Mr. INHOFE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To repeal the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the `Zimbabwe Sanctions Repeal Act of 2011'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:

        (1) Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe and leader of the Zimbabwe
African National Union-Patriotic Front, has ruled Zimbabwe for 31 years.

        (2) During President Mugabe's regime, Zimbabwe has gone from being
the `bread basket' of Africa to the world's fastest shrinking economy.

        (3) In 2000, the Government of Zimbabwe initiated a farmland
redistribution program, designed to reallocate foreign commercial farmland
to poor and middle-class citizens of Zimbabwe.

        (4) The farmland redistribution program--

            (A) led to the confiscation of industrial, fertile, and
previously settled lands, and mass chaos;

            (B) undermined the Constitution of Zimbabwe; and

            (C) caused more than 400,000 farmers to lose their homes and
livelihoods.

        (5) In 2005, President Mugabe implemented a project known as
Operation Murambatsvina, translated into English as Operation `Clean Out the
Filth'.

        (6) Under Operation Clean Out the Filth, the Mugabe regime bulldozed
and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, leading to an estimated
700,000 internally displaced persons, of whom 569,685 are still displaced.

        (7) The majority of the people of Zimbabwe live on less than $1 per
day.

        (8) The 95 percent unemployment rate in Zimbabwe has forced an
estimated 3,000,000 of the people of Zimbabwe, representing 25 percent of
the overall population, to migrate to neighboring countries.

        (9) All of these actions by President Mugabe's regime have caused
significant and persistent economic hardships in Zimbabwe.

        (10) On March 29, 2008, a presidential election was held between
President Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition party,
the Movement for Democratic Change.

        (11) Of the votes cast in the presidential election--

            (A) Tsvangirai received 47.9 percent;

            (B) President Mugabe received 43.2 percent; and

            (C) Simba Mankoni, of the Mavambo Kusile Dawn Party, received
8.3 percent.

        (12) Because Tsvangirai failed to achieve 50 percent of the votes
needed to win outright, a run-off was scheduled for June 27, 2008.

        (13) President Mugabe--

            (A) declared that he would not relinquish power regardless of
the election outcome;

            (B) directed a crackdown on opposition parties; and

            (C) stated, `Only God, who appointed me, will remove me.'.

        (14) As many as 400 members and supporters of the Movement for
Democratic Change were killed during the run-off campaign period.

        (15) Tsvangirai dropped out of the run-off race, and took refuge in
the Embassy of the Netherlands, stating that he could not ask people to vote
`when that vote could cost them their lives'.

        (16) The violence surrounding this unfair election came to the
world's attention and specifically to that of the Southern African
Development Community, compromised of 15 southern African countries, and the
United States.

        (17) Pressure from the Southern African Development Community and
the United States led to the creation of a power-sharing agreement between
Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and Tsvangirai and
Mutambara's respective wings of the Movement for Democratic Change Party.
This agreement, which is known as the Global Political Agreement, became
effective on September 15, 2008.

        (18) The Parliament of Zimbabwe amended the Constitution of Zimbabwe
to allow for the creation of the power-sharing government.

        (19) While Mugabe retained the office of President, Tsvangirai was
sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on February 11, 2009, and Tendai
Biti was appointed Minister of Finance by Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

        (20) Since the appointment of Biti as Minister of Finance, the
economy of Zimbabwe has seen remarkable recovery in a short period of time.
Minister Biti dollarized the Zimbabwean economy to combat inflation. By
using stable foreign currencies, the 2008 annual inflation rate of
15,000,000,000 percent was reduced to the current 2011 rate of 2.5 percent.

        (21) During Biti's tenure as Minister of Finance, the real gross
domestic product (GDP) of Zimbabwe has also improved. In 2008, the real GDP
in Zimbabwe was contracting at a rate of negative 14.4 percent. Current
projections estimate that the real GDP in Zimbabwe will increase by 9.3
percent during 2011.

        (22) The salaries of government employees have also been reissued,
allowing those employed in basic government services like medicine,
education, and transportation to return to work.

        (23) The overall economy and well-being of the citizens of Zimbabwe
have made tremendous advances since Tsvangirai and the Movement for
Democratic Change gained power-sharing authority in the Government of
Zimbabwe.

        (24) The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001
(Public Law 107-99; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), which was enacted into law in
2001, imposed sanctions on the Mugabe regime and members of the Zimbabwe
African National Union-Patriotic Front.

        (25) Section 4(c) of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery
Act of 2001 specifically directs the United States Executive Director to
each international financial institution to oppose and vote against--

            (A) any extension by the institution of any loan, credit, or
guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe; or

            (B) any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the
Government of Zimbabwe to the United States or any international financial
institution.

        (26) Repealing the sanctions imposed under the Zimbabwe Democracy
and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 that burden the power-sharing government
in Zimbabwe is necessary--

            (A) to fully restore the economy of Zimbabwe; and

            (B) to assist Zimbabwe in transitioning to democracy.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT OF 2001.

    The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (Public Law
107-99; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) is repealed.


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A single bolt of lightning

Dear Family and Friends,
Despite past records indicating that it was too early for rain and
international long range forecasts predicting that rain was still some
weeks away, the heavens opened over much of Zimbabwe this past week.
It didn’t just drip or drizzle, but absolutely pounded down. Thunder
and lightning came cavorting in on a high wind, the sky went deep
purple, lit with an ominous orange glow, and then the hail rattled
down. Small icy balls bounced on the baked ground, clattered on roofs
and windows and knocked on doors. When the strange orange light in the
clouds disappeared, hail was replaced by torrential rain. That first
storm gave us 25 mm (one inch) of rain and in the next two days
another 63 mm fell in my home town.

Months of choking dust and wind blown ash were washed from trees and
roofs and everything looked instantly cleaner. You could almost see
the trees and plants breathing again! The rain brought to life the
‘goodies,’ in the form of Kingfishers, Coucals and Flycatchers,
and the ‘baddies’ in large numbers: water scorpions, rain spiders
and a plague of very hungry mosquitoes.

The Met Department made an announcement on ZBC TV and Radio news
bulletins. “This is NOT the start of the rainy season,” they said
but no one paid them any attention. Three inches of rain led to an
immediate flurry of ‘mealie madness.’ Everywhere you looked people
were digging up roadsides, verges and empty spaces in order to plant a
few rows of maize seeds. It’s all illegal cultivation in our urban
areas but with authorities perpetually engaged in fighting for their
own political survival, the enforcement of many laws remains non
existent.

Not long after the first torrential storm I received a call from a
family in a village 20 kilometres away. The rain hadn’t got to them
but the lightning had. Without warning and from an almost clear sky
came one single bolt of lightning. It struck the new, shiny tin roof
on the extension to their house that they had finished building just a
week before. Bricks fell off one of the newly plastered walls; a solar
panel mounted on the roof shattered; wiring from the satellite dish
started burning; electric cables leading into the house caught fire; a
battery used to power lights and TV melted and smoke rose from the
radio as internal circuits burnt out. In a split second their precious
assets had been destroyed by a single lightning strike and the family
were in deep shock, not quite able to believe that no one had been
electrocuted.

As the shock receded, the reality of the loss sunk in. Without their
satellite dish and battery powered electricity, the family had lost
their ability to receive international news. They wouldn’t hear the
horrific news that children playing football in the grounds of St Paul
Secondary School in Lupane had just stumbled upon a mass grave. The
ground had caved in at two points revealing human bones. The Minister
of National Healing rushed to the scene and described a mass grave
five metres wide and five metres long which is thought to contain
between thirty and sixty bodies. Local villagers in the areas said
these were victims of the Gukurahundi, a massacre to silence
opposition, which was conducted in the early 1980’s by the army’s
Fifth Brigade. A massacre which human rights organisations say claimed
as many as twenty thousand lives, people whose bodies still remain in
mass graves in Matabeleand and other areas.

Hard to believe that thirty years later this national tragedy has
still not been dealt with. Perpetrators have not been held to account,
victims have not been identified and families have been unable to find
peace. The MDC National Healing Minister Moses Mzila Ndlovu said:
“We must allow our people to tell the story as they saw and lived
through it, followed by reburials which should come as a package of
national healing.”

How much longer must Zimbabwe wait, is the question we all ask. Until
next time, thanks for reading, love cathy Copyright � Cathy Buckle 8th
October 2011. www.cathybuckle.com


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Where did it all go wrong?

http://www.cathybuckle.com

October 8, 2011, 1:35 am

Recently I have been reading some of the many books written about Zimbabwe.
The question posed by all the recent publications is: after such a brilliant
start for independent Zimbabwe, where did it all go wrong? Was it Zimbabwe’s
colonial history that laid the foundation for the troubles or was it the
British government’s failure to keep its promises. Perhaps it was the nature
of liberation ideology and its inability to adapt to changing circumstances
that caused the problems. The top/down, centrist nature of Zanu PF certainly
did not encourage easy relationships with the west, or, and this is the one
that most authors are unsure about, was it the personality of Robert Mugabe
himself that caused things to go so wrong in Zimbabwe?

Reading Robert Mugabe’s recent speech to his Zanu PF party, one is
immediately struck by the fact that in Mugabe’s mind, nothing has gone wrong
in Zimbabwe. But then he is still in power and for Mugabe that is all that
matters. All he has to do is demonstrate to the world that all is well in
Zimbabwe and anyone who says anything to the contrary is, quite simply wrong
or in his words, a liar.

“They say there is violence, where there is none, fighting where there is
peace, dictatorship when we are ruling together…they are peddling lies.”
says Mugabe. He is speaking about Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC but in fact
it could be anyone who disagrees with him, including Amnesty International,
the Human Rights Forum or the 17 NGOs who this week signed a letter of
protest about the ongoing harassment of Woza.

From a very young child (according to Heidi Holland’s Dinner with Mugabe,
published by Penguin Books) Robert Mugabe was led to believe that he was
special. He was told as much by his fanatically religious mother: he was
‘the special one’, chosen by God for high position. Consequently, he grew up
with the deeply rooted conviction that he was special and whoever opposed
him was simply wrong. Holland demonstrates what a complex character Mugabe
is; extremely intelligent but totally lacking in what psychologists call
‘emotional intelligence.’ He is incapable of relating to others, has few
close friends and only his first wife, Sally, ever really understood him or
was able to soften his rigid personality.

While the west condemns him as a heartless monster who  inflicts terrible
suffering on his people, Mugabe the man, cannot relate to the pain he causes
others. If Heidi Holland’s analysis is correct and I believe it is, then it’s
not difficult to see how Mugabe’s complex personality contributed, at least
in part, to Zimbabwe’s downfall. His inability to accept criticism of any
kind meant that he surrounded himself with ‘yes’ men who would never
disagree with him or criticise him in any way, and if they did then he would
simply get rid of them. So Zimbabwe has ended up with a cabinet of mediocre
ministers, incapable of independent thought. One example is Saviour
Kasukuwere. He is the man who is running the ‘Indigenisation’ programme and
this week he is on record as admitting that it is Zanu PF members who will
mostly benefit from indigenisation – but, he says, that’s only right because
the other parties disagree with the policy! With this one observation,
Kasukuwere destroyed any moral justification that indigenisation was meant
to benefit all Zimbabweans.

The people who knew Mugabe when he was first in power all say how much he
has changed since then. He was, they claim, genuinely interested in the
welfare of the common people. Was he a racist? It seems not, he even had
white men in his cabinet when he first came to power.  I believe the change
came about with the rise of the opposition. Mugabe simply cannot tolerate
opposing views and that famous image of the white farmer handing over a
cheque to Morgan Tsvangirai was the start of it all. Mugabe was threatened
where he is most vulnerable: his inability to accept criticism and learn
from it. It is, as Heidi Holland observes, a sign of emotional immaturity.
Seven university degrees may prove to Mugabe how intellectually superior he
is but they do not make up for plain common sense or the ability to feel
others’ pain, qualities which are essential to true leadership.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH.

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