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EXCLUSIVE-INTERVIEW-Mugabe dismisses rumours of poor health

http://af.reuters.com

Thu Sep 9, 2010 10:38am GMT

* Mugabe, 86, appears fit and lively

* Says God helping Zimbabwe with mineral discoveries

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Thursday
dismissed rumours of ill-health, laughing off suggestions that he was dying
of cancer and had recently suffered a stroke.

In an interview with Reuters at his official Zimbabwe House offices, Mugabe,
86, said he was surprised by speculation over his health, saying this had
become a perennial issue and he hardly paid any serious attention to it.

"I don't know how many times I die but nobody has ever talked about my
resurrection," he said at the end of an hour-long interview.

"I suppose they don't want to, because it would mean they would mention my
resurrection several times and that would be quite divine, an achievement
for an individual who is not divine.

"Jesus died once, and resurrected only once, and poor Mugabe several times,"
he said, clapping his hands loudly, laughing and rocking in his chair.

He did not say whether he planned to stand in the next presidential ballot
after his disputed re-election in 2008.

Without getting into details on whether he had any serious health problems,
Mugabe -- who appeared fit and lively for his age -- said only God could
decide issues of life and death.

Although there have been reports over the last 10 years on Mugabe's health,
the veteran Zimbabwean leader has no publicly known serious ailment.

DIVINE HELP

"My time will come, but for now, 'no'. I am still fit enough to fight the
sanctions and knock out (my opponents)," he said in reference to sanctions
imposed on his ZANU-PF party while former U.S. President George W. Bush and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair were in office.

"It is Bush who is out, Blair out, and the others are persons of no
consequence any more. They are inheritors of a situation," he said in an
interview in which he called for improved relations between Zimbabwe and
Western powers.

"These (Bush and Blair) were the major arch enemies, they are the ones who
brought this on us."

Mugabe said Zimbabwe would continue to do its best even with sanctions in
place.

"God is there. He showers his blessings on us. We continue to discover a
number of resources, platinum, diamonds and gold and uranium.

"Those are recent ones, perhaps others will be coming, we don't know. So God
is not there for one nation, just for the Europeans, God is there for
everybody, so God is great," Mugabe said.

Mugabe has been in power for Zimbabwe's 30 years of independence from
Britain since 1980.

Although Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing government with his
arch-rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last year after a disputed
re-election in 2008, he has said he may run for office again at the next
election.

No date has been set for the poll, but many expect the unity government to
last to 2012, by which time Mugabe will be 88.


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Mugabe says wants closer ties with West

http://af.reuters.com

Thu Sep 9, 2010 10:47am GMT

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe wants normal ties with Western powers critical
of its policies but will press ahead with a plan to hand control of foreign
companies to local blacks, President Robert Mugabe said.

Mugabe told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that his government was
waiting for positive movement from the United States and European Union to
mend ties soured over the last decade by rows over the seizures of
white-owned farms for landless blacks and charges of rights abuses and
election fraud.

"We never refuse to talk to anybody," he said when asked whether he was
prepared to talk to Washington and Brussels.

"But what I don't understand about the Europeans and the Americans is the
negative attitude. How do they expect the kind of cold war they decided to
wage on us, how do they intend it to end?"

Talks to improve ties with the EU have stalled over slow political reforms
in Harare while U.S. President Barack Obama said last month he was
"heartbroken" by Zimbabwe's decline.

Mugabe -- who last month told Western powers to go "to hell" over sanctions
imposed on his ZANU-PF party -- said on Thursday: "They have imposed
unjustified and illegal sanctions on us. The sanctions are comparable to the
military aggression in Iraq".

IMPROVING RELATIONS

Mugabe said some Western countries had hoped that sanctions on Zimbabwe
would help push him out of power.

"That kind of regime change is the exclusive right of the people of Zimbabwe
... I am born here and if my people want me to go, I go."

The 86-year-old leader said he hoped Obama and new British Prime Minister
David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg would move to mend ties between
Harare and the West.

"We are waiting to see what Cameron and Clegg will do and Obama also will do
in regard to our situation and our relations," Mugabe said.

"If they decide the relations should remain what they are, then we will know
that they too are aggressors and not different from their predecessors, but
we are giving them a chance."

The United States and European Union imposed sanctions on state firms and
travel restrictions on Mugabe and dozens of his associates nearly 10 years
ago after a violent re-election campaign and at the start of often violent
commercial farm seizures.

Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing pact with his rival, Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, more than a year ago after a crisis over a 2008 national
election that local and foreign observers say was marred by violence and
vote-rigging.

LOCAL OWNERSHIP

Although the unity government has stabilised the economy and Zimbabwe
registered its first growth in a decade last year, it has struggled to
attract foreign aid and investment because of Mugabe's policies.

Mugabe told Reuters the government would proceed with a plan for local
blacks to acquire 51 percent shares in foreign-owned firms, including mines
and banks, despite criticism it will hurt investment flows into the country.

"It has always been our aim to have control of our resources ... and I don't
think the private sectors of the Western countries would, in toto, decide to
stay away," he said.

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, says his policies
are meant to correct colonial injustices and on Thursday he dismissed fears
that the local ownership drive would be implemented haphazardly.

Mugabe also dismissed rumours of ill-health, laughing off suggestions that
he was dying of cancer and had recently suffered a stroke .

He expressed frustration with Zimbabwean middle class blacks who criticise
his empowerment plans to give them a stake in an economy in which the
majority are workers and managers.

"We are saying to them you are like an eagle brought up among chickens, an
eagle that doesn't know that it can do more than chickens and fly," he said.


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Mugabe required to consult PM on elections under GPA

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Lance Guma
09 September 2010

The chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) this week told the
Bulawayo High Court that only Robert Mugabe as President can call for an
election. The ZEC chief was responding to a court application by three MP's
expelled from the Mutambara MDC.

Abednico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East) and Norman
Mpofu (Bulilima East) lost their parliamentary seats when the Mutambara MDC
sacked them. They responded by filing an application with the High Court to
compel ZEC to call for by-elections to fill up the vacant seats.

But ZEC chief Justice Mutambanengwe, through his lawyer George Chikumbirike,
told the High Court that if Mugabe doesn't call for an 'election' the ZEC
cannot do it themselves. Although the court case continues, the remarks by
Mutambanengwe generated headlines that suggested only Mugabe had the power
to call for all types of elections in the country.

Dr Lovemore Madhuku who chairs the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)
told SW Radio Africa on Thursday 'I think that statement by Justice
Mutambanengwe was referring to by-elections. It's very clear under the
Electoral Act that by-elections are called by the President. There is no
question of the Prime Minister coming into it.'

There was confusion in political circles as people remembered that a few
months ago Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Mugabe had to consult him
before he can call for elections. We asked Madhuku to clarify the confusion;

'What the MDC is referring to would be General Elections. If there ought to
be elections during the 5 year period that these guys have an inclusive
government, then off course the President is expected to consult the Prime
Minister, but only for that period (GPA).'

Madhuku added that; 'If for example the inclusive government falls apart or
it goes beyond the 5 year mandate, Mugabe remains the only person who can
call for elections under the law.'

There has also been intense debate over what it means for the President to
make decisions 'in consultation with' the Prime Minister.

'Those people who drafted the GPA are good English speakers and they know
that there is a difference between the word consultation and the word
agreement. All lawyers know that where you want agreement you would say
either with the approval of or with the consent of.' As currently defined
Madhuku says the clause gives Mugabe the ultimate power to go ahead,
disregarding Tsvangirai's views.

SW Radio Africa also asked Madhuku about the contentious issue of whether
the coalition government had a time frame. 'There is no time frame specified
in the GPA itself but the time frame is clearly stipulated by law. A
government elected in Zimbabwe serves for a maximum of 5 years. The GPA is
simply an agreement of the political parties who were elected in 2008 to
govern the country together.'

'So the GPA must come to an end on the 28th June 2013. That is the maximum
because Mugabe took oath on the 29th June 2008 and under our constitution
the term of office of any government is determined by the office of the
President. So that is the legal limit of the GPA.' Madhuku however said
there was a 'political limit' for the GPA based on an understanding by the
political parties that the coalition government was temporary.
 


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COPAC Rapporteur Assaults Team Leader

http://news.radiovop.com

09/09/2010 19:00:00

A Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) rapporteurs this
week assaulted a COPAC team leader and Bindura South Member of Parliament
Bednock Nyaude outside the offices of the District Administrator for Kadoma
in Mashonaland West Province.

ZZZICOMP, a tripartite coalition of organisations shadowing the constitution
making process said Nyaude and Editor Matamisa, the legislator for Kadoma
Central, who is one of the COPAC supervisors in Mashonaland West Province,
confirmed the assault.

ZZZICOMP said Nyaude was punched on his chest by Beauty Zhuwao, a rapporteur
for COPAC, who accused him of insinuating that she had personal problems, a
charge which Hon. Nyaude denied.

Nyaude reported the assault case at Kadoma Central Police Station and to the
two COPAC team supervisors Matamisa and Walter Chidhakwa, the MP for Zvimba
South.

Matamisa travelled to Harare on Wednesday, where she delivered the report
done by Nyaude detailing his assault to COPAC co-chairperson Paul Mangwana
at his Milton Park offices.

Zhuwao is part of the team of rapporteurs who are capturing the public
sentiments expressed during the constitution making outreach process.
 


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Harare to document illegal immigrants in SA

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

by Tobias Manyuchi Thursday 09 September 2010

HARARE -- Zimbabwe will send officials to South Africa to document all
Zimbabwean immigrants living in its giant neighbour, the Ministry of Home
Affairs said on Wednesday.

The announcement by Harare comes a week after Pretoria officials indicated
that all illegal foreign migrants including Zimbabweans should regularise
their documentation or face deportation by December 31.

Home Affairs Minister, Kembo Mohadi said the decision to deport illegal
Zimbabweans was not new.

"It's not a new position at all," Mohadi said at a joint-press briefing with
by co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone.

"This was agreed on May 4 last year and we were given a six month
moratorium .. it is now up to us to send people to Johannesburg, Pretoria,
Durban and Cape Town and other places to regularise (provide registration
documentation) those people."

Mohadi and Makone could not be drawn into commenting how soon this could
happen.

There are no exact figures of how many Zimbabwean live in South Africa but
recent estimates put the figure at around 1.5 million or nearly a sixth of
Zimbabwe's total population of 12 million people. - ZimOnline.


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Sales of beer surge 50 per cent in Zimbabwe as people turn to liquor amid ongoing woes


Associated Press

By Angus Shaw (CP) - 6 hours ago

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Sales of beer have surged by 50 per cent in Zimbabwe over
the past year amid the misery of daily power and water outages and ongoing
economic woes.

Health authorities also are reporting increases in illnesses linked to the
consumption of illegal, homemade drinks with a high alcohol content made
from potatoes, rags, chemicals, rotting vegetables and sugar.

One illegal liquor distilled over wood fires in the bush around Harare is
known as "Take Me Quick."

"You can't plan ahead, not much further than a few days at a time, so why
not have a beer?" said Stanley Chida, the owner of two discotheque clubs in
downtown Harare.

The international Chronic Poverty Research Center said the temptation to
escape into alcohol has only deepened the plight of impoverished communities
across Africa.

Zimbabwe's market was liberalized after the country's coalition government
abandoned the local currency in early 2009 and adopted the U.S. dollar,
improving the world-record inflation that had decimated Zimbabwe's economy.

Before that, store shelves were bare of basic goods, and acute beer and
liquor shortages even shut down some bars.

Economist John Robertson said the reappearance of ample alcohol supplies
meant the country's biggest formal brewer and soft drinks maker, Zimbabwe's
Delta Corp., was recapturing its market. The company reported a beer sale
increase of 50 per cent in its latest annual report.

This new abundance of beer and other drinks is giving cash-strapped
consumers the dilemma of buying alcohol "or shoes for their children,"
Robertson said.

President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe's independence
30 years ago, signed a coalition deal with longtime opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai, who is now prime minister. But Zimbabwe's unity government has
been split by disputes over power-sharing since it was sworn in in February
2009.

While Zimbabwe no longer suffers from world-record inflation, the economic
misery continues for many and the Red Cross estimated earlier this year that
as many as one-fourth of the country's population is in need of food aid.

Financial consultants Imara Asset Management Zimbabwe note that Zimbabweans
are spending more on drinks than their northern neighbours in Zambia, a far
more stable and economically strong country.

Despite Zimbabwe's economic meltdown, residents there spent $324 million on
drinks in the same yearlong period that Zambians spent $230 million. The two
countries have roughly the same size population - around 12 million.

Bar owners say many appear to be taking their alcohol home to consume.
Francis Zengeni, a patron at Harare's Balcony Bar, said he didn't have the
money more than "one or two beers after work." He earns $190 a month as an
accounts clerk.

"There isn't a lot of money around," said Chida, the discotheque club owner.
"It is cheaper to buy a six- pack from a store and take it home to retreat
from your troubles. That's what's happening."


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Air Zimbabwe pilots and cabin crew go on strike over pay dispute

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
9 September 2010

Thousands of air travellers face lengthy delays and cancellations after Air
Zimbabwe pilots and cabin crew went on strike on Wednesday over pay and
conditions.

The national carrier was forced to cancel all its domestic and international
flights while the Harare-Johannesburg route remained open, though with
limited flights, owing to a leased aircraft servicing the route.

'The airline is in the process of trying to lease a much bigger aircraft to
operate the Harare-London route in an effort to minimise disruptions for the
travellers,' a source told us. The Harare-London route is the airline's most
lucrative followed by the Harare-Johannesburg one.

The highly placed source told us the pilots were protesting what their union
called the lowest wages among the major airlines in the region. Before the
dollarisation of the economy, a captain at the airline was getting an
equivalent of between US$5000-7000 while first officers were getting a
salary of between $3000-5000 a month.

The troubled airline could not sustain these salaries in U.S. dollars and
decided to cut them in February to $1,200 a month. The country's sole
airline is reportedly broke and running on deficit and it is reported the
airline owes its pilots $1,2 million in salary arrears as they never agreed
to the cuts.

The national airline is a perennial loss-maker weighed down by an ageing
fleet, debt and the effects of a decade-long economic crisis in the country.
The airline operates two long haul Boeing 767 planes and three Boeings' 737
for domestic and regional flights, all purchased in the 1980's.

Representatives of the pilots, cabin crew and top management were locked in
a series of meetings in Harare on Thursday. When SW Radio Africa contacted
the office of the Chief Executive Officer, Peter Chikumba, we were told he
had gone for a meeting with Transport Minister Nicholas Goche.

Air Zimbabwe has long exhausted the good credit rating it inherited from Air
Rhodesia in 1980 after independence. It has, in the past decade, relied on
government handouts, mostly from the controversial Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor Gideon Gono, to run its ageing fleet after the hostile
macro-economic conditions hit hard on its coffers.

In a bid to cut costs the airline has indicated plans to lay off over 500 of
its workers, with whom it currently is locked in a bitter labour dispute.
The workers are fiercely resisting involuntary leave ranging between three
to 12 months.


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Tensions In Smaller MDC Faction

http://news.radiovop.com

09/09/2010 12:35:00

Masvingo - September 9, 2010- The indications by the secretary general of
the smaller faction of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-M) Professor
Welshman Ncube that he might want to campaign for the presidency in the next
party elective congress has created divisions which threaten to split the
party in Masvingo.

Professor Ncube who is no longer eligible to be reelected as the party's
secretary general early next year has recently indicated that he might
challenge the hired leader Professor Arthur Mutambara.

As the preparation for the congress gains momentum in Masvingo, party
supporters have started to blackmail each other for supporting either
Mutambara or Ncube.

Radio VOP was reliably informed that top provincial members can no longer
see eye to eye because of the tensions created by Ncube's indications.

"There is chaos in the party as we speak. There is a danger of a split of
the party because already top members can no longer see eye to eye," said
party official who preferred anonymity.

MDC-M national chairman Joebert Mudzumwe could neither deny nor accept that
there party is faced by imminent split due to the tension between the two
professors.

"Its not official, no one is fighting each other in our party. Who said we
are fighting, I think they are exaggerating," said Mudzumwe.

Masvingo provincial chairman and ex-soldier Robson Mashiri refused to
comment saying he was very busy with Constitutional Parliamentary Committee
(COPAC) business.

"I don't want to be disturbed. I am busy with COPAC right now. What does our
fighting has to do with newspapers?' asked Mashiri before switching off his
mobile.

However, sources in the party insisted that the situation in Masvingo is a
true mirror image of what is happening in all provinces.

Sources say Ncube is being given green light by members who are anti
Mutambara.

"It is true; there is a real danger of further split. People are just fed up
by Mutambara and they want to give Ncube a chance. However, Ncube is still
testing the waters but from the look of things, he might win at the end of
the day," said the source.

Supporters in Masvingo once demanded that he (Mutambara) be fired after
showering praises on President Mugabe early this year.
 


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Angry vendors assault municipal workers for destroying stalls

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tererai Karimakwenda
09 September, 2010

Riot police are reported to be protecting the premises of Chitungwiza's
municipality from angry flea market vendors whose stalls were demolished in
a clampdown that started last week. The heavily equipped riot squad was
deployed Wednesday morning after a truckload of people, suspected to be the
flea market vendors, drove by the offices chanting intimidating slogans
aimed at the town clerk Godfrey Tanyanyiwa.

The vendors assaulted the Mayor and several senior council members soon
after the demolitions last week Tuesday. It was feared that they were
planning another attack and officials were moved to vacate the municipal
buildings and send the workers home.

Personal bodyguards are reported to have been hired for the town clerk
Tanyanyiwa after last week's incident. This has further strained relations
between top officials and municipal workers because the municipality is
short of money and many workers are complaining that they have not been
paid.

Simbarashe Moyo, chairperson of the Combined Harare Residents Association
(CHRA), compared last week's demolitions to "Operation Murambatsvina", when
nearly one million innocent Zimbabweans were displaced after the government
bulldozed their homes and businesses back in 2005.

The Chitungwiza council said that the stalls had been erected at
undesignated sites but Moyo explained: "These people were trying to find
home grown solutions to the problem of unemployment, which is over 90%,
without resorting to any illegal means. Their property was destroyed and
they were left with no option."

Moyo said the Chitungwiza council had set aside land for the purpose of
establishing a flea market so that they could collect some revenue, but had
not built anything there. "The vendors could not be expected to wait while
their families starved. It was an organized response to a crisis. You can
understand their anger," he added.

Chitungwiza Mayor Philemon Chipiyo told the press on Wednesday that he had
been out of the office and did not know enough about the current situation
to comment. He is quoted as saying he "wouldn't want to engage in gossip"
and he referred reporters to the town clerk.


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Makone, Mohadi urged to clarify involvement in deportation plan

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
09 September 2010

Co-Ministers of Home Affairs, Theresa Makone and Kembo Mohadi, are being
urged to clarify their involvement in South Africa's plans to resume
deporting Zimbabweans, amid widespread shock that they endorsed the plan.

South African authorities announced last week that the deportations would
begin as of the 31st December this year, warning that all undocumented
Zimbabweans have until that date to sort out their paperwork. A moratorium
on Zimbabwean deportations was announced in May last year, at the same time
that the South African government announced it intended giving Zimbabweans a
special dispensation permit.

That permit was meant to assist Zimbabweans in regularising their stay in
South Africa, as technically, with the special permit, they no longer had to
apply for refugee status to work or receive support. But that permit was
never rolled out, and the paperwork crisis that epitomises South Africa's
Home Affairs department means most Zimbabweans in the country remain
undocumented.

The announcement that deportations will resume has since been greeted with
shock and anger. South African authorities have attempted to quell any panic
by announcing a 'Documentation Project' that will endeavour to get all
Zimbabweans in South Africa some form of permit.

But according to the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, the Zimbabwean authorities also
need to provide some clarification to its millions of citizens in South
Africa. The group's director, Gabriel Shumba, told SW Radio Africa that the
Co-Minister of Home Affairs in particular need to explain why they endorsed
the decision to resume deportations.

"We want them to clarify what exactly has changed in Zimbabwe to support a
decision to deport people," Shumba said. "Our ministers, who have never
bothered to speak to us in the Diaspora, have now made this life-changing
decision."

"It is maybe not so surprising, but it is very disappointing," Shumba added.

The Exiles Forum and a number of other rights groups have this week written
to the Zimbabwean ambassador in South Africa, trying to get a meeting with
the authorities. Shumba said they hope to have the meeting before South
Africa launches its 'Documentation Project' in two weeks time, adding that
the logistics need to be explained.

Shumba warned that this project could leave hundreds of thousands of
Zimbabweans vulnerable to deportation, saying that the documentation process
would take many months. In order to qualify Zimbabweans must have a valid
Zimbabwean passport, a letter from their employer for a work permit, a
letter from their school or college for a study permit, while those seeking
a business permit must produce a registration certificate and proof of tax
compliance. Shumba said these are unrealistic expectations.


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MPs Hold Onto RBZ Vehicles

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

9 September 2010

Harare - Members of Parliament who benefited from the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe vehicle scheme are likely to end their term of office without
paying a cent for the cars.

The legislators who took delivery of the vehicles from the central bank
almost two years ago are still holding on to them. This is despite the fact
that they each now have an additional vehicle from the traditional
parliamentary vehicle loan scheme.

The MPs were given the vehicles from the central bank after Treasury had
delayed in giving them cars to use for their parliamentary duties. RBZ
Governor Dr Gideon Gono had responded to their request for vehicles after
they had approached him. Dr Gono made it clear the MPs could use the
vehicles while they waited for their vehicles from Parliament.

Legislators from the MDC-T who had initially been reluctant to take the
vehicles in fear of a backlash from their party later joined the rush for
the vehicles. But two years down the line, the vehicles have not yet been
surrendered while the central bank has not charged the legislators.

With the talk that general elections are likely to be held next year after
the expiry of the Global Political Agreement, some MPs could end their term
without paying anything for the vehicles.

Legislators who spoke to The Herald yesterday said it was legitimate for
them to continue holding on to the vehicles as a way of compensating them
for their low salaries and erratic payment of their allowances by
Parliament.

"We spent almost eight months without a single cent from Parliament when we
were elected. It took five months for us to be sworn-in after we were
elected and during that time we were not being paid anything," said one
legislator.

Chairperson of the welfare committee Cde Makhosini Hlongwane said the fate
of the vehicles from the central bank had not yet been discussed.

"MPs are at the moment busy with the constitution-making outreach programme.
There is no other issue that we are seized with. Only after we are through
with the outreach programme will we sit down to discuss any other issue,"
said Cde Hlongwane.

Cde Hlongwane is the Mberengwa East Member of House of Assembly (Zanu-PF).
He said it was prudent for legislators to remain focused on the
constitution-making outreach programme.

Another legislator noted that it was now difficult for the central bank to
reclaim the vehicles as some had already been damaged in accidents.

Other legislators said they had reconditioned the vehicles at their personal
expense and it was unfair to surrender them to the RBZ. "The only reasonable
thing to do is to bill us and not to take them away from us," said another
legislator who preferred anonymity. At least 100 legislators received
vehicles from the central bank.


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Bread price increase unjustified: Biti

http://www.theindependent.co.zw/

Thursday, 09 September 2010 18:50

Finance minister Tendai Biti has described recent bread price increases  as
unjustified, while the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) has begun
investigations into possible price fixing by bread industry players.
Bread producers two weeks ago announced at a press conference that they were
increasing prices in response to the decision by Russia - one of the world's
biggest exporter of wheat - to limit exports of the cereal to avert domestic
shortfalls.
The National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBA) agreed to increase bread
prices by 10%, with the price for a loaf increasing to between 90 US cents
and US$1, 10, sparking widespread condemnation.
But government and other players are questioning the producers' decision to
make uniform increases, arguing that this could result in a bread cartel
whose influence could spread to other sectors of the economy if left
unchecked.
"We have traditionally imported wheat from South Africa, which was not in
any way affected by developments in Russia," Biti told the Zimbabwe
Independent.
"If millers and bakers cite this scenario for their price reviews, they are
being dishonest... It is no longer the hyperinflationary era of 2008 where
you just dream of a new price the next day. Shareholders would be happy with
a 8%, 10% or 15% increase not over 70%," Biti said, equating millers and
bakers' behaviour to the black market foreign currency dealings phenomenon
that characterised the economy in 2008.
The CTC, which began investigations last week, said it was taking the matter
seriously.
"The media has been accusing us of doing nothing when in actual fact we are
still carrying out investigations as it is a serious matter. We will take
the approach we did with Zesa (on electricity tariffs)," said the CTC in a
response to inquiries from the Zimbabwe Independent. The National Incomes
and Pricing Commission (NIPC), the country's prices regulator, has said it
has also opened investigations into possible collusion.
Zimbabwean businesses, market observers say, are quick to review prices
upwards whenever there is a movement on the international market, but adopt
a "see no evil, hear no evil standard when the opposite happens".
The behaviour by bread producers had left the misleading impression that
bakers and millers in the country had similar production costs with Russia
and the rest of Europe and North Africa, they said.
"When the situation stabilises in Russia, people will expect the price to go
down and this should apply to all like-minded entrepreneurs," said an
economist who did not want to be named, adding that the move to uniformly
increase bread prices raised fears about the return of industry cartels.
Recently, the CTC ordered state power firm Zesa Holdings to desist from
abusing its monopoly to overcharge consumers after widespread complaints
that Zesa was charging exorbitantly for an erratic service.
Since 1998 when the Competition Act (Chapter 14:28)  came into effect, the
CTC involvement in regulating competition and unfair trade practices was
largely restricted to mergers and takeovers, an area that the ordinary
person had very little interest in.
Analysts say a standard loaf of bread, priced at US$1, 10, will effectively
cost US$2 because most retailers do not have coins to use for change,
forcing consumers to choose between a box of matches, sweets, bubble gums or
candles readily available at tills in lieu of the 90c change.
A cost build up study done by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe last year
showed that bread was supposed to cost between 85 US cents and 95 US cents
but was priced at US$1 to avert the attendant headaches associated with
small denominations in the economy. Analysts say this makes the US$1,10
currently being charged after the price increases unjustifiable.
In neighbouring South Africa, where the bulk of local players source their
wheat from, a loaf of bread costs between 7-9 rands (an average of 90 US
cents).
In US dollar terms, a standard loaf in Namibia costs 85 US cents, Botswana
90 US cents and Zambia 89 US cents. In Mozambique, fatal bread riots only
ended on Wednesday after the government agreed to scrap a 25% increase that
would have resulted in the price of a bread roll, that country's bread
staple, going up to 20 US cents.
Consumer Council of Zimbabwe CEO Rosemary Siyachitema told the Independent
on Tuesday that her organisation was working with the NIPC on research
regarding the pricing of bread and other basic commodities prices.
"It (research) is a long procedure. We are liaising with NIPC, they are the
ones with a statute that allows them to request invoices and receipts from
retailers and manufacturers," Siyachitema said.
Consumers this week said it seems the deep-seated mistrust between
government, business and consumers has simply been inherited from the old
political and economic dispensation by the new one.
"We are seeing the return of super profits. Companies should not rip us off
but the bread issue shows that producers, who should in fact be competing,
are colluding to increase prices," said Shuwai Makate, an accounts clerk
with a Mutare local clothing retail shop.
Biti in his mid-term fiscal policy in July this year branded sections of the
business community as "economic gangsters" who cling to the profiteering
mentality of old. The minister said this in the wake of price increases
which were beginning to filter through the market and negatively impacting
on the country's efforts to rein in inflation.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono had earlier waded into the
argument, saying that "money illusions and psychological hangovers where
sellers of goods and services are taking time to appreciate the true value
of hard currencies, and hence escalate prices disproportionately" would
affect inflationary pressures.
The NBA and the Grain Millers Association are, however, digging in, telling
the Independent this week that it was wrong for the NIPC to demand a
reduction in prices without looking at the global picture.
"They (NIPC) said they are carrying out their investigations. But it is
common knowledge and there is enough evidence to prove that wheat prices on
the world market went up," the NBA said.

Paul Nyakazeya/Benard Mpofu
 


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MP in Sim card scandal

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

Written by Zwanai Sithole
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 13:39

MBERENGWA - Scores of villagers in Mberengwa West are up in arms with their
local Zanu (PF) MP, Jorum Gumbo whom they accuse of swindling them.
In May this year villagers in the area were made to pay $10 each by Gumbo in
order for them to access the Netone lines. After collecting the money Gumbo
went to Harare, promising to secure the lines in two weeks time.
"When the two weeks elapsed, we contacted the MP and he told us that the
lines were scare and said we should be patient with him. What angered
everyone is that the MP only resurfaced last month with the lines when
everybody had already acquired the lines at US1 each," said Charles Hove, a
teacher who contributed money towards the deal.
"We feel cheated by the MP. He took our money in May and now he is refusing
to give us the difference. What was he doing with our money all this time?
We suspect he knew that the prices of the lines were going to go down and
that is why he was doing these delaying tactics," said another villager who
refused to be named for fear of victimization.
The villagers said when they demanded a refund they were told by Gumbo's
polling agent, Peter Sinyolo, that the MP was robbed of the money. This is
not the first time that the Zanu (PF) chief whip has clashed with the
villagers over monetary contributions in the constituency.
About three months ago, three youths in the area were recently severely
assaulted by  Gumbo after the youths accused the MP of abusing villagers
money meant for rural electrification programme.
The three youths who are Trust Shoko, Menard Gumbo and Tafara Zhou were
assaulted by Gumbo at Mupesi business centre where he runs a bottle Astore
and a grocery shop. Efforts to get a comment from Gumbo were all in vain.


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USAID Promotes Good Governance in Zimbabwe with a Major Donation of Audio Equipment to Parliament

Harare, September 10, 2010:  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), working with its partner PACT and the Southern Africa Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST), funded the purchase and installation of audio and other equipment to the Parliament of Zimbabwe as part of an ongoing effort to boost the capacity of parliamentarians and promote good governance.

 

Worth approximately $500,000, the donation consists of a new sound system, and equipment to facilitate voting, provide simultaneous translation, and permit digital archiving.  The equipment will allow the Parliament to make official proceedings more accessible to the media and the general public.

 

Thanks to the new equipment, parliamentary and committee debates can now be digitally recorded onto a computer, providing an archive for public discussion, as required by law.  The new system will also speed publication of the daily record of parliamentary debate and proceedings.

 

The equipment was made available under a Memorandum of Understanding with Parliament signed in May 2010. “USAID has had a long standing relationship with the Parliament of Zimbabwe and this donation is symbolic of our wishes to continue to work with Parliament to expand its capacity,” said USAID Director Karen Freeman.  “We are delighted to provide equipment to support and improve the daily function of this fundamental branch of government.”

 

 U.S. Ambassador Charles Ray and USAID Director Karen Freeman will officially announce the donation on September 21 at public ceremony at the Parliament inaugurating the systems.

 

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information on USAID programs in Zimbabwe, please contact Cary Jimenez.  E-mail: cjimenez@usaid.gov  Tel. +263 4 250992 or visit www.usaid.gov/ .

 

http://harare.usembassy.gov         Become a Fan on Facebook!          Follow us on Twitter!

 

 


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Taken Question: U.S. government participation in the COPAC process

U.S. Embassy Harare

Public Affairs Section

Taken Question: U.S. government participation in the COPAC process

 

Question:  How does the U.S. government participate in the COPAC process?

 

Answer:  The U.S. Embassy, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is a contributor to the UNDP-led funding mechanism for COPAC.  USAID is not a member of the COPAC project board and does not participate in COPAC project board meetings, except occasionally as an invited observer. No USAID representative attended the August 30 COPAC project board meeting cited in the September 5 Sunday Mail article. Although the U.S. is not on the project board, it remains committed to the overall process of transition and the full and transparent implementation of the Global Political Agreement, including the COPAC process. 

 

Issued by the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section

Harare, September 9, 2010

 

 

 


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BOOK REVIEW: The Other - without fear, favour or prejudice

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

Written by Chris N Greenland
Monday, 06 September 2010 14:20

Written by a former Zimbabwean High Court Judge, this is a biography
spanning the southern African region during a time of momentous change. As
well as being intriguing, absorbing and informative, it is also
thought-provoking on critically important issues such as justice, ethnicity,
xenophobia, affirmative action, the death sentence, rape and patronage.
This book is very different from the many books that have come out of the
Zimbabwe situation. It is written with intent to set out truth based on
authentic experiences of a "Coloured" person, in particular.
The outcome is also quite brutal on a number of levels. It is a unique
biography that fascinates and provokes. Although the story starts in
Zimbabwe, it spans the whole region in a quest to answer the central
question - "what has liberation actually done for ordinary human beings -
especially Zimbabweans?" And how are we treated in other countries?
A whole gamut of issues are traversed, including racism and xenophobia, with
subsets like the death sentence, rape and the rights of an accused person.
This is a biography that is both enthralling and educative whether you are a
judge, a human rights activist, one of the millions in the Zimbabwe Diaspora
or just someone who is concerned that for, whatever reason, you are
sometimes treated differently - as "the Other".
No punches are pulled about "inconvenient truths" and "convenient untruths".
Included is an exposé on the Edgar Tekere trial and the stance of Ian Smith's
military commanders during the liberation war. Characters who are honourably
featured include Richard Brown, the late Danny Pillay, Vernon Bowers, the
late Sister Mare Nujent, Edgar Rogers, Minister Dullah Omar, among many
others.
Given that the world comprises a multi racial, multi ethnic mix concerned
with truth, happiness and justice, "The Other - Without Fear, Favour or
Prejudice " is a must-read.
Buy it at:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-other---without-fear-favour-or-prejudice/12436032
if you want to order a printed version or download a pdf version
or if you want an eBook version: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003XNTKZ2[for
UK] or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XNTKZ2[for US]
If you don't have an eBook Reader you can download a PC version FREE from
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/downloadsoft/default.asp?Language=EN; or
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

About the Author
Greenland made history when, in 1973, he became the first non-white person
in the region to be appointed to the magisterial bench. In 1980 he served on
the "politically correct" constituted court that tried Edgar Tekere. Again
history was made when, as an assessor, he wrote the judgment that overruled
the judge and Tekere was acquitted of murder.
Later, as an Advocate, he defended Samson Nhari and nine other ZAPU cadres,
accused of attempting a coup and plotting to murder then Prime Minister
Robert Mugabe. Also notable was his successful defence of Gertrude Paweni
and acting for the late Edson Zvobgo in a defamation suit.
He was appointed as a judge in 1987, which office he carried with
distinction until taking voluntary retirement at the end of 1991. Since then
he has worked in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia in the road crash
compensation system. He is proud of the fact that Namibia now has an
internationally unmatchable compensation system.

Excerpts from the book

The Tekere Trial
That the trial was to be sensational was guaranteed firstly on account of
the fact that Tekere, was the president of the Zimbabwe African Union. The
man was the leader of the majority component of the victorious liberation
forces. Secondly was the fact that he had killed a white farm manager.
During the only recently ended war such people were routinely targeted by
the guerrillas and many lost their lives. Now the killing of such a person
was to be visited with a trial in which conviction exposed Tekere to a
sentence of death by hanging.
On the already known facts Tekere had not behaved as a criminal. He had not
killed a man during the course of a robbery or over a woman or for any of
the usual criminal motives. The man had been killed by a member of his
uniformed platoon as he was embarked on a security sweep of a farm from
which gunfire had emanated the night before. Why was Mugabe putting the
president of his party on trial in such circumstances? If convicted would
Tekere hang? These questions loomed large in the minds of an intrigued new
society.
...
About two weeks before resumption Judge Pittman phoned me to say he had
changed his mind and would be sending me a draft judgment to that effect,
convicting Tekere of murder. The document never arrived .

True Life
It is a warm November evening. The shapely form of a woman stands on the
kerbside. Car after car stops next to her. In each case she waves the driver
off. Loveness Chipisa [name altered] is in a good mood. She is expecting
someone special. She is quite sure that in their last encounter she had
given him more than he had expected. That he would return for more she had
very little doubt. As she walks slowly down Charter road she surveys each
approaching vehicle with heightened anticipation. "My rich Jew boy client is
bound to come back for me" she had boasted to her friends - "It was his
first time to taste chikapa". Chikapa is sex involving serious hip gyrations
in which only black girls are reputedly skilled .
Don't miss further excerpts from The Other in the next issue of The
Zimbabwean.


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Facebook friends 'Tapestries of Hope'

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com
 

How site got involved in human rights activist's documentary

By Alex Ben Block

Sept 8, 2010, 11:14 PM ET

 
Brainstorm is backing the one-night showing, which will be distributed electronically via Screenvision's in-theater video network (it usually only plays ads before a movie). Shwarzstein also is working on sales for TV, VOD and video. After those are set, the documentary will air free on a Facebook page as well.

Facebook execs got involved after hearing how their social media network helped in Risley's release. Besides the streaming presentation, there are articles and promos on numerous Facebook corporate and networking pages, messages to members and more.

"A lot of people think of Facebook as a place to connect to all the people in their lives they care about," said Nicky Jackson Colaco, public policy manager for Facebook. "We think of Facebook as a place where you can also connect to the causes you care about. This is a reflection of what is going on in the real world every day, women fighting for human rights. It's absolutely natural they should also be doing it online."

Suzanne DePasse, who is exec producing the documentary with her partner Madison Jones, said there is no way they could get the level of promotion necessary if they had to rely on traditional paid media and advertising.

"What is beautiful about today's world is you can literally sit at your desk and reach hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, by virtue of the Internet and new media," DePasse said.

While the promos will flash through cyberspace and on TV and movie screens, the message also will be reinforced at some 500 house parties (with eight to a dozen people at each) in the week leading to the screening. They are being organized and hosted by Pink Papaya, a direct sales company with 1,200 sales consultants in 35 states that sells aromatherapy, body and bath and other products.

Pink Papaya got involved several years ago with Betty Makoni, the woman who founded the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe and is featured in the documentary. "We're going to have a 'synergy week' leading up to the movie to promote awareness," said Susan Huneke, Pink Papaya founder and CEO.

Each attendee will get a flyer with info on the nearest theater showing the doc, sign-up sheets to pledge they will attend, prizes for party hosts and an offer to donate a package of merchandise to a girl in Zimbabwe for each "Pinkyini" package of products sold in the U.S. The company also will provide a $10 gift certificate for its products to anyone who pays to see the movie.

Ruth Sharma, founder and president of Women Thrive Worldwide, said this documentary might be what is needed to get legislation -- which would involve the U.S. in supporting women's human rights globally -- passed by Congress. More than 10 members of Congress were solicited and signed up over Facebook.

" 'Tapestries of Hope' is really important because it makes the issues real, connects with people and talks about what can be done," Sharma said. "Legislation can seem dry and arcane, but when you see what Betty has done, it really brings this home to people."


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Zimbabwe – full of life, hope and promise

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by COLIN & LAURA SHREENAN
Monday, 06 September 2010 14:

We recently spent two months in Zimbabwe – and there was not a day when were
we were not amazed and blessed by the people of this wonderful country.
From going shopping down Chinhoyi Street to taking your life into your hands
as you negotiate the traffic down Mbuya Nehanda - the sights, the sounds,
the vibrancy of life is exhilarating. (Pictured: Part of the crowd at Joyce
Meyer Ministries (JMM) Festival of Life.)
In July we attended the Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM) Festival of Life. It
was awesome –a crowd of 210 000 people all singing and praying to God for
Him to do a mighty work in the land. We visited Chikirubi Prison Farm along
with part of the JMM Team and handed out hygiene gift packs and books to the
inmates on behalf of her Hand of Hope ministry.
We also visited several other farm prisons to minister with people from the
Foundations for Farming (formerly Farming God’s Way) project, Alpha Zimbabwe
and The Michael Project which operates out of Greystone Park Fellowship, as
well as a youth centre for those who are orphaned, abandoned, unwanted
and/or vulnerable. The youth were hungry for companionship and a hug.
We visited numerous children’s homes – many of them battling a serious lack
of even the most basic resources. It is very sad indeed to look into the
eyes of a child, whether the very young or those at the end of their high
school career, and see the hopelessness that comes from lack of choice!
Speaking to the children and youth – they each have a dream. We listened to
the dreams of those wishing to become pilots, doctors, lawyers,
accountants…if only.
We went along with a lady to visit patients at Parirenyatwa Hospital. She
was distributing knitted goods, made by the ladies in her community women’s
group. There are no words to describe the connection one human being makes
with another in those circumstances.  A child with a neuroblastoma, awaiting
surgery where her eyeball was to be removed, holding out her little hands to
receive a knitted teddy bear and then hugging it close for comfort. A man
with most of his face burned away by fire eagerly thanked us for handing
over a knitted beanie which would help keep his head warm during the cold
winter nights. Many people happy for just a smile and the comfort of a hand
placed on theirs.
There were very sad times, a young father dying of HIV/Aids, his relatives
taking away all his worldly possessions as soon as news of his death was
made known and leaving his wife and children with little if anything. News
that maternal mortality is the highest in the world and that more than a
third of all children suffer from chronic under-nutrition. We heard tell of
high rates of prostitution in the schools - sugar-daddies seducing young
girls and they giving away their innocence for a few dollars.
Heartbreaking stories like that of a stillborn baby whose mother had
undiagnosed pre-eclampsia - undiagnosed because of a lack of equipment such
as blood pressure cuffs and urine testing kits. Or the story of a baby born
in a distant rural location whose mother had no one except the traditional
birth attendant to help her and the baby not breathing at birth and being
left for dead. We will never know if perhaps all that the baby required was
some simple resuscitation. Her mother has subsequently died of HIV/Aids and
has left behind another daughter.
Statistics that now say the average life expectancy of adults in Zimbabwe
has fallen below 35 years of age! We heard a doctor pronounce that for men
it is 34 and for women 32 – the lowest in the world.
However, for every sad story one heard more stories of hope, of miracles, of
strength and fortitude in the face of mountainous challenges, of communities
working together and taking care of each other. Of humanity doing what it is
supposed to do – loving one another.
We felt overwhelmed by the confidence that the people of Zimbabwe are a
mighty people, a victorious people, a people belonging to God. They have
discovered what is important, they have found that they can have all
material goods stripped away and still smile, still laugh, still sing and
dance and be full of joy. They have discovered the truth of the scripture in
Nehemiah 8:10b: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
They survive, they are joyful, they are resilient, they are focussed and
determined. They have learned to forgive and they have learned to extend
grace. They are committed to their God and their nation and they are making
a difference.

Make a difference
For one child or young person in Zimbabwe it may take just one other person
in the world to say ‘I will!’, “I will sponsor someone’s education!” In some
cases this may cost a mere £5/US$8 per month – less than the price of a
movie ticket! If you would just go a step further you could ensure that
child could even buy a school uniform and be able to see a doctor when
necessary.
It really doesn't take much from those of us living in the developed world -
but to the child in Lupane it means the world. Benefitting from all that the
first world has to offer, you may decide that you would like to fund a
community library in a rural village to help the rural school children. If
you would like to help please contact: ColinandLauraShreenan@yahoo.co.uk

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