Tsvangirai rallies Zimbabweans for protests

Zim Online

Wed 13 September 2006

      HARARE - Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday urged
Zimbabweans to turn out in their millions for union-led street protests
today and promised his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party was ready
to begin its own protests to demand political change.

      The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) protests today are a
meant to pressure the government and business leaders to accept adjusting
wages and salaries to the poverty datum line (PDL) or breadline. The PDL is
pegged at Z$96 000 which is many times more than the average take-home pay
of most workers.

      The government has put armed police on the streets in Harare and other
cities in a bid to thwart the protests which it claims are an attempt by the
ZCTU and political allies in the opposition to topple it from power hiding
behind worker grievances.

      "Zimbabwean workers have a right to demonstrate and express
themselves. In a situation where their condition and the cost of living
continue to sky-rocket, the people have to exercise their democratic right
to show their displeasure," Tsvangirai said in his statement exhorting
Zimbabweans to turn out in large numbers for the ZCTU protests.

      The MDC leader warned President Robert Mugabe and his government from
using force to crush protests today and almost begged security commanders to
refuse to use force against civilian protests, reminding them Zimbabweans
had no grievance with the army or police but with their rulers.

      He said: "May I extend a plea to our security forces to refrain from
acts that shall put them on a collision course with the people.

      "We respect the Constitutional and professional mandate of our
security forces to protect the people and we look forward to working with
you in this regard. We harbour no grievances against you. What we face is a
crisis of governance."

      Mugabe has promised to ruthlessly crush any mass action against his
government and last month boasted that the security forces would "pull the
trigger" on protesters.

      Yesterday, there was all the evidence to show the government planned
to live to its word with more armed police put on the streets in Harare in a
show of force, while authoritative sources maintained the army was on
standby for any eventuality.

      In Harare, armed police maintained vigilance around Construction House
in the central business district where workers are to gather in the
afternoon before marching across town to the Ministries of Finance and
Labour to present petitions to demand PDL-linked salaries.

      The worker petitions will also demand that people earning below the
breadline be exempted from paying tax and that the government should ensure
ready availability of anti-retroviral drugs to combat a burgeoning HIV/AIDS
pandemic, killing at least 3 000 Zimbabweans every week.

      The ZCTU has said it will not back down despite clear indication the
government will use force against workers and the union has vowed to
intensify protests by the week until the government and business acceded to
their demands.

      Tsvangirai said his party would be closely watching the government's
reaction to worker protests as it prepares to launch its own programme of
mass action.

      He said "Our preparations for sustained resistance are complete. We
are ready to roll out our programme. We are watching the regime's response
to the ZCTU action with a keen interest."

      Tsvangirai and his MDC have promised Ukraine-style mass protests to
force Mugabe to give up power to a transitional government that would be
tasked to lead the writing of a new and democratic constitution for
Zimbabwe. The transitional authority would also be asked to organise free
and fair elections under international supervision.

      Political tensions have been rising in Zimbabwe as the country
grapples with an economic meltdown blamed mainly on state mismanagement.
Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate at just under 1 000 percent,
skyrocketing unemployment, shortages of foreign currency, food, fuel and
power and increasing poverty levels.

      Mugabe, in power since Zimbabwe's 1980 independence from Britain,
denies mismanaging the economy and instead accuses the West of slapping
sanctions on Harare to punish his government for seizing land from whites
for redistribution to landless blacks. - ZimOnline

Army to use force against villagers over grain

Zim Online

Wed 13 September 2006

      HARARE - Zimbabwe army soldiers will use force to arm-twist villagers
to give up grain to the state-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB), Agriculture
Minister Joseph Made told ZimOnline yesterday.

      Made said he did not expect the army to "shoot anyone" in order to get
maize. But he emphasised that the government was not taking chances over
food security and had given soldiers the "green light" to use force if they
met resistance from farmers.

      He said: "This is not a war so we don't expect them (soldiers) to
shoot anyone. But, we also don't expect resistance (from farmers). Where
there is resistance, then the army has a green light to use force.

      "The law is clear about where to put grain, and the army will simply
enforce that law if some people don't want to follow the law. We cannot
leave anything to chance on food security matters."

      Made, considered among the hawks in President Robert Mugabe's Cabinet,
did not clarify exactly the nature and extent of the force soldiers, some of
them seen carrying guns while checking villagers' granaries for maize, will
be allowed to use.

      The GMB last weekend announced it was enlisting the help of the
country's defence forces to collect grain from farmers in a bid to boost
lagging deliveries.

      Maize is a controlled commodity in Zimbabwe and is sold only to the
wholly state-owned GMB, which distributes it to private firms for milling
into mealie-meal, the main staple food for more than 90 percent of
Zimbabwe's 12 million people.

      But Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, has since 2001 faced a
severe shortage of maize which critics say was partly because of erratic
rains and mainly because of disruptions on the mainstay agricultural sector
after Mugabe drove off whites and parcelled out their farms to landless
blacks.

      The new black farmers have failed to maintain production because the
government failed to support them with inputs and farming skills training.

      Mugabe, desperate to project his controversial farm reforms as having
successfully expanded food production, resorted to command agriculture
sending out the army last year to cultivate former white farms. But the
army-run farms also failed to produce much food because of a shortage of
seeds and fertilizers.

      The latest move to use the army to force villagers to surrender maize
which many had retained for consumption until the next harvest in April next
year is seen as yet another desperate bid by the Harare administration to
boost stock figures at the GMB.

      Harare will also continue buying maize from South Africa to build up
stocks but aid agencies warn that the cash-strapped government will not cope
and Zimbabwe will need more food aid again this year to stave off hunger. -
ZimOnline

Tobacco farmers hope to push output to 70 million kgs

Zim Online

Wed 13 September 2006

      HARRAE - Zimbabwe's tobacco farmers, battling inputs shortages and
continuing instability on farms, say they are looking to increase production
to 70 million kilograms next year from 50 million kilograms produced this
year.

      "We are now focusing on producing 70 million kilograms during the next
farming season," Andrew Ferreira, Zimbabwe Tobacco Association vice
chairman, said on Tuesday.

      "This year, we had always anticipated our production to be around 50
million kilograms," he added.

      Tobacco, known as the golden leaf in Zimbabwe and  for many years the
country's single largest foreign currency earner, has fallen on hard times
since President Robert Mugabe began in 2000 seizing farms from whites for
redistribution to landless blacks.

      White commercial farmers were the largest producers of tobacco.

      Production of the crop, which hit 220 million kilograms in the
1999/2000 agricultural season before farm seizures, has continued to tumble
despite efforts by the government and farmers to revive the sector.

      Ferreira said this year's production had been dogged by perennial
problems such as fuel shortages, lack of fertiliser, lack of finance and
other essential inputs. "We hope the next season will be a far much better
year, as we have been promised essentials on time," he said.

      Zimbabwe has so far this year earned US$108.7 million from the sale of
54.2 million kilogrammes of flue cured tobacco.

      This year's crop, which was estimated at between 50-55 million
kilograms, is 15 percent down from last season's 74 million kilograms.

      This year's average price for the golden leaf stood at US$2 compared
to US$1.59 per kilogram last year. - ZimOnline

MDC legislator sues state newspaper, police chief

Zim Online

Wed 13 September 2006

      HARARE - Zimbabwe opposition legislator Timothy Mubhawu has filed a
Z$20 million lawsuit against police chief Augustine Chihuri, police
spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena and the state-owned Herald newspaper over
allegations that he organised the brutal assault of fellow legislator Trudy
Stevenson.

      Mubhawu, who belongs to a faction of the splintered Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai, was hauled to court last
July following allegations that he was the brains behind the assault of
Stevenson.

      But two weeks ago, Harare magistrate Olivia Mariga, dismissed the case
against Mubhawu citing lack of  evidence.

      Zimbabwe Newspapers, which publishes The Herald is the first
defendant, while Bvudzijena and Chihuri are second and third respondents
respectively.

      "In the issue of The Herald of 10th July 2006, the 2nd defendant
(Bvudzijena) uttered the words to the effect that Plaintiff (Mubhawu) had
planned, orchestrated or organised the attack on the member of Parliament
for Harare North one Mrs Gertrude Stevenson . . . ," reads part of the
summons which were served the three parties.

      "The words were understood by those who read them to mean that
Plaintiff is a man of violent disposition who does not hesitate to use
violence against fellow opposition members and fellow members of
 Parliament," added the summons.

      Lawyers representing Mubhawu said the words were malicious, false and
defamatory to Mubhawu.

      Chihuri and Bvudzijena were not immediately available for comment on
the matter last night. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe hope for morale-boosting start of SA tour

Zim Online

Wed 13 September 2006

      HARARE - Zimbabwe today face Eagles in a Twenty20 encounter at
Kimberly, the first match of their 10-day tour of South Africa.

      The youthful Zimbabwe hope for a morale-boosting start to their tour
after watching the country's Board XI, which included several senior team
players, ruthlessly whitewashed by Australia's visiting Commonwealth Bank
Centre of  Excellence academy in a one-day series that ended in Harare on
Sunday.

      Zimbabwe have retained almost entirely all the players who were part
of the team that defeated Bangladesh in a one-day international series last
month, with the only new faces being Tafadzwa Kamungozi and Timycen Maruma.

      Skipper Prosper Utseya hopes key players Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart
Matsikenyeri, Brendan Taylor, Vusumuzi Sibanda and Elton Chigumbura as well
as Chamunorwa Chibhabha and Terrence Duffin hit top form against Eagles
before facing the daunting test against the South African national team.

      Seamers Tawanda Mupariwa and Edward Rainsford are back from injury and
hope to prove they can perform against top-notch opposition.

      Zimbabwe face South Africa in the first ODI at Goodyear Park in
Bloemfontein.  The second ODI will be on September 17 at East London and the
last one on September 20 at Potchefstroom.

      Both Zimbabwe and South Africa are using the ODI series to fine-tune
for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in India.

      South Africa are among the six top sides automatically in the ICC
Champions Trophy, set for India, while Zimbabwe will have to battle with Sri
Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh for the other two berths. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe Police Vow to Stop Anti-Government Protests

VOA

      By VOA News
      12 September 2006

Authorities in Zimbabwe have warned they will stop anti-government protests
that the country's largest labor union plans for Wednesday.

A VOA reporter in Harare says youths and war veterans who support the
government are deploying around the capital, while police are setting up
roadblocks on all the major roads.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has called for the demonstrations to
protest low wages, high taxes and workers' lack of access to anti-retroviral
drugs that fight AIDS. The unions plan to defy sweeping security laws that
ban virtually all protests not approved by the government.

On Monday, the government said it is not opposed to raising wage levels, but
that the planned demonstrations are unjustified and are political, not
economic, in nature.

The unions are allied with Zimbabwe's splintered opposition party, the
Movement for Democratic Change. Tuesday, the leader of that party's main
faction, Morgan Tsvangirai, accused the government of planning to use
brutality and massive arrests to quash Wednesday's planned demonstrations.

Earlier this year, the Movement for Democratic Change made its own call for
anti-government protests that have yet to materialize.

Zimbabwe is reeling under the effects of high inflation, record unemployment
and severe shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency. The nation's
agriculture-based economy has been in a freefall since the seizure of
thousands of white-owned commercial farms beginning in 2000.

Zim union: Government is shaken

Mail and Guardian

      Harare, Zimbabwe

      12 September 2006 03:21

            A senior Zimbabwe labour official dismissed on Tuesday
government threats to crush street marches planned for Wednesday by the main
trade union, saying the authorities were panicking.

            President Robert Mugabe's government has been shaken by the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) plans to hold the processions,
judging by the prominence the proposed action has been given in state media,
said ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe.

            "They are very much shaken. It's not often that we get headline
news [in state media]," he told said on Tuesday. "They have reacted in a
panicked manner."

            The security and labour ministers, as well as police, have all
warned the ZCTU not to go ahead with the marches in statements carried on
the front pages of the main government-run newspapers.

            The marches -- which have already been declared illegal by the
police -- will protest low wages, a fast-deteriorating economic situation
and lack of access to anti-retroviral drugs for those living with HIV, among
other issues.

            Labour Minister Nicholas Goche was quoted as saying in Tuesday's
Herald newspaper that the marches were not justifiable.

            He said it was not workers alone who were suffering from the
lack of antiretrovirals (ARVs) in Zimbabwe, claiming it was a national
problem.

            The minister also accused the union, an ally of the main
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), of having a hidden
political agenda.

            But Chibebe alleged that the government, which is the biggest
employer in Zimbabwe, was one of the worst violators of workers rights.

            The union boss said that the government was still paying some of
its workers a monthly wage of Z$9 000 ($36).

            "They are not paying. They should not fool the world," he said.

            "And they said the scarcity of ARVs was very much a labour
issue," Chibebe said.

            Workers who contribute 3% of their salaries to a government Aids
levy were seeing no benefit in the form of free ARV treatment, the ZCTU boss
noted.

            Only 33 000 people living with HIV are currently receiving
life-prolonging ARVs, out of at least 340 000 in need, according to official
figures. Around one in five adults are infected with HIV.

            Police on Tuesday said that the situation across Zimbabwe was
calm, warning that the long arm of the law would deal with any malcontents,
state radio reported. -- Sapa-dpa

Mugabe offers talks, vows to stop protests

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By Chris Chinaka

      HARARE - President Robert Mugabe's government said on Tuesday it was
ready to talk with Zimbabwean unions over their social grievances, but
renewed its vow to stop nationwide street protests planned for Wednesday.

      The opposition-allied Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has
called for the demonstrations to protest poor wages, high taxes and workers'
lack of access to anti-retroviral drugs to fight HIV/AIDS, which kills an
estimated 3,000 people in the southern African nation each week.

      While Harare described the demands as reasonable, it said the protests
were unnecessary because unions could discuss their issues under an existing
Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) that incorporates representatives of
government, industry and labour.

      The government is not opposed to minimum wage negotiations that take
poverty and other factors into consideration, Labour Minister Nicholas Goche
said in a statement.

      "What it means is that the ZCTU is directing their protest to
government over issues that the government is not opposed to," he said,
accusing the unions of pursuing a "hidden agenda" through the protests.

      The ZCTU, however, says the TNF has become a useless forum.

      In a separate statement, chief police spokesman Assistant Commissioner
Wayne Bvudzijena said security authorities had banned Wednesday's planned
demonstrations over fears they could turn violent and lead to looting.

      Mugabe, accused by critics of plunging Zimbabwe into a deepening
political and economic crisis, has long warned that his forces will not
hesitate to shoot opponents who take to the streets, a pledge reiterated by
police on Tuesday.

      "Any demonstration would be unlawful and the police would treat it as
such," Bvudzijena said, refusing to provide additional details.

      There was no sign on Tuesday of an unusual deployment of riot police
in central Harare despite speculation that the government had deployed many
plain-clothes security officers to major towns ahead of the demonstrations.

      Political analysts said the ZCTU has been forced to scale down its
threats of major anti-government protests over fears that expectations of a
heavyhanded response by authorities might keep many protesters at home.

      The analysts noted that the unions have quietly scrapped a proposed
one-day national strike in favour of two-hour street marches across the
southern African nation.

      But even a series of small protests this week could keep the focus on
Zimbabwe's crisis, which is highlighted by chronic shortages of foreign
exchange, fuel and food, skyrocketing unemployment and an inflation rate
close to 1,000 percent, the highest in the world.

      Mugabe, 82 and in power since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain,
has used the police as well as security laws barring unapproved protests to
keep opponents of his 26-year-old rule in check.
      Reuters

Arrested WOZA woman gives birth

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By a Correspondent

      HARARE - A BABY has been born to one of the 91 women arrested by riot
police here yesterday, WOZA has reported.

      A WOZA spokesperson said: "News from the sisters in custody indicate
that a pregnant woman amongst those arrested yesterday went into labour and
has since been rushed to Parirenyatwa Hospital where she has given birth. We
are trying to follow up and ensure that mother and baby are well cared for.
The lawyer tried unsuccessfully to gain access to her this morning but was
this afternoon advised that she was rushed by ambulance to hospital."

      She said only 83 of the 107 have so far managed to obtain something to
eat in the cells as no food was available other than that taken in by WOZA
representatives.

      "After a frustrating day, lawyers have finally been advised that a
docket has been handed over to the
      Police Law and Order Department and will advise in due course of the
way forward. WOZA would like to acknowledge that commitment shown by
Tafadzwa Mugabe of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights in trying to ensure
members gain access to their right to representation."

      The 91 people were rounded up outside the offices of the city council
in the central business district and taken to Harare Central Police Station
following a demonstration yesterday.

      At least four of the women were carrying babies, WOZA coordinator,
Jenni Williams said. In an earlier statement WOZA put the figure of arrests
at 30. However, others including bystanders were picked up during the police
swoop, Wiliams told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "We don't know that all of
those people arrested are our people," she said. The women had planned to
stage a sit-in at Town House, but were arrested as they tried to enter the
premises, she said.

      Conditions in towns and cities across the country have taken a sharp
turn for the worse in recent years amid a worsening economic crisis and
allegations of incompetence on the part of the authorities. Harare used to
be known as the Sunshine City, but now residents have to contend with burst
water and sewage pipes, uncollected refuse and broken streetlights, despite
paying large sums for water and rates.

      Three years ago the government suspended the popular opposition mayor
of Harare, Elias Mudzuri, and appointed a commission to run the affairs of
the city in his place. Civic groups and even members of Mugabe's party have
called for an end to the commission's tenure, and for fresh elections to
appoint a new mayor.

      Meanwhile members of WOZA went to police stations to try to determine
if members were in custody there and numbers. This search revealed 63
members at Central,10 in Chitungwiza and 10 in Mbare. No one was found at
Highlands or Glen Norah. We are still trying to check on Braeside and
possibly at Rhodesville, said Williams.

Top ZCTU officials picked up by the police in Rusape

      By Tichaona Sibanda
      12 September 2006

      Two senior Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union officials based in Rusape
have been picked up by the police as authorities begin their crackdown on
leaders of the planned anti-government protests, scheduled for Wednesday.
The two ZCTU officials, both National Railways of Zimbabwe employees, were
picked up on Monday and Tuesday respectively from Vengere suburb in the
town. There are reports other ZCTU officials in the province have gone
underground to avoid being arrested by state agents.

      A source who phoned us from Rusape on Tuesday said he witnessed at
least five security agents bundling one of the ZCTU officials into a police
truck before driving off at high speed to an unknown destination. The source
added that some of the agents in the town spent the last two days
intimidating shop owners by enquiring if they would open their businesses on
Wednesday.

      'This action is meant to intimidate the shop owners. Some of them are
obviously developing cold feet over this but the majority of people here are
raring to go. Everyone is suffering and we need to point this out to the
government,' said our source who asked not to be named. He said they were
still in the dark about the whereabouts and safety of the two officials as
the regime has promised to crush the protests. The country's security agents
were put on high alert over the weekend with security minister Didymus
Mutasa warning that 'various arms of the state responsible for security are
ready for them.'

      Rusape is Mutasa's home town and he is well known in the area for
crushing any dissent against the government. But the ZCTU secretary-general
vowed that the protests would go ahead despite the threats from Mutasa.

      We got reports that on Tuesday evening police in trucks and
accompanied by water cannon patrolled the high density areas in Masvingo
Town. They reportedly used loud hailers to instruct businesses not to close
on Wednesday and for workers to ignore the call by the ZCTU to march to the
Town Centre. The town is reported to be tense.

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

Zimbabwe tense as unions plan protest

IOL

      Basildon Peta
          September 12 2006 at 08:14AM

      The political temperature in Zimbabwe has risen markedly as the
country's main labour federation prepares for protests on Wednesday over the
country's political and economic meltdown.

      President Robert Mugabe's government has reiterated its determination
to crush the protests after civic groups announced that they would join the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) in the countrywide action.

      Leaders of the opposition, labour movement and other civic groups have
complained that they had been placed under 24-hour surveillance. Some
expressed fears that they could be harmed as the government made good on its
vows to thwart the planned mass action.

      Witnesses from Harare said heavily armed police were manning
roadblocks around the city and were ready to pounce on anyone suspected of
mobilising for the protests.

      The army has reportedly been put on standby and Home Affairs Minister
Kembo Mohadi warned that the organisers would face the full wrath of the
law. Mohadi said the security forces would remain on high alert to deal with
"malcontents".

      ZCTU President Washington Matombo said the protests were going ahead,
regardless of the government's threats.

      He said the ZCTU had learned that apart from the police and army, the
government had also mobilised the Zanu-PF party youth militia.

      "But we won't be cowed. Enough is enough and it's our right to voice
our concerns," said Matombo.

      This article was originally published on page 2 of The Mercury on
September 12, 2006

Zimbabwe sinking into the quagmire of dictatorship

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By Bill Saidi

      ONE of my assignments at The African Daily News in the late 1950s was
to prepare the Letters to the Editor page. I think I did the job with
distinction, if I might say so myself - except once when I landed the paper
into a heap of trouble.

      Around this time, most nationalists had been rounded up and jailed by
the government of Southern Rhodesia, under the bachelor prime minister,
Edgar Whitehead, an implacable enemy of African advancement.

      On that platform, he had defeated, in the 1958 general election, the
progressive party of the former prime minister, R. S. Garfield Todd. One of
Whitehead's first acts was to ban the nationalist movements, after
countrywide disturbances in the townships.

      At the newspaper we had gleaned disturbing reports of SERIOUS
differences among the imprisoned politicians. In fact, our impression was
that there were squabbling, either over leadership or the next strategy of
the struggle - which is a syndrome of Zimbabwean politics even today.

      On that day, I discovered we had no more readers' letters. The culture
of writing letters to the editor had been well-established by this time,
since the paper had been in existence for three years. Some letters you
could not publish, for the language against the racist regime could be so
inflammatory there was no way you could publish them without removing the
essence of the message. Others were so badly written, it was hopeless to try
and understand what the topic was.

      I brought this to the attention of the senior editors, among them
Nathan Shamuyarira, the editor and his assistant, Kelvin Mlenga. I am not
sure which one of them suggested a unique solution to my dilemma: if there
was a matter I felt very passionate about, I could cause a letter to be
written ventilating it thoroughly.
      "Under my own name?" I asked.
      "Of course not, stupid."

      So, I sat on my typewriter and wrote a letter _expression disquiet at
the reports of differences among the nationalists in prison. I suspect I may
have used some pretty strong language. Years later, when we were working
together in Lusaka on The Central African Mail, Mlenga told me that African
Newspapers had been sued for libel over that letter. I was shattered: my
intention had been to contribute meaningfully to the struggle by urging the
nationalists to maintain unity, even in prison.

      Mlenga comforted me by saying the matter had not gone to court: the
paper had settled it out of court. That was a relief.  The politicians in
prison at the time included James Chikerema and George Nyandoro, known to me
personally.
      Mlenga assured me there was no way they could know the identity of the
letter writer.

      A few years later, while on assignment for The Central African Mail, I
was on my way from Malawi and stopped over in Salisbury. After a few
inquiries and interviews, I did a story for the paper on my return to
Lusaka, on the state of the political parties, which were banned at the
time.

      Again, Kelvin confided to me years later that the paper had been sued
for libel by either Zapu or the people who ran the Highfield Community
School. I was astonished: for heaven's sake, why? I asked.  In my article, I
had included a fact which everyone in Salisbury knew - that the school
supported Zapu or was supported by Zapu. It was run the Chinamanos, Josiah
and Ruth, Josiah was deputy president of Zapu.

      Again, the matter was settled out of court.
      Mlenga gave me the impression that no money changed hands as such. A
charity of one kind or another seems to have benefited.
      Years later, working for The Herald, after it had been taken over the
government through the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust, I accompanied Chinamano on
a tour of Harare, when he was Minister of Transport. We talked of old times,
but not about the Highfield Commuinity School. I was massively relieved.

      The laws of libel and defamation in this country have always been
tough on the media, as they are in many other countries using Roman Dutch
law.

      Yet for the acting Minister of Information and Publicity, Paul
Mangwana, to say the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
(AIPPA) was introduced because there had been a flood of libel cases is
being utterly ill-informed. AIPPA was introduced, not because there were too
many libel cases or because "the media fraternity could not regulate
themselves", another unsubstantiated claim made by Mangwana at the opening
of the AGM of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists in the Midlands recently.

      AIPPA was introduced in spite of the existence in our Statute books of
laws which adequately catered for libel and defamation. Before AIPPA was
introduced in 2002,

      The Standard newspaper's duo of Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto had been
tortured by soldiers over a story alleging there had been an attempted
military coup. The government could have used the laws to force the
newspaper to publish a retraction and an apology, as others have done in the
past in such cases.

      But what the government wanted to do was to "teach these people a
lesson", to scare them into never publishing such stories again, even if
they obtained solid evidence of their truth.

      In the end, it wasn't the story of the alleged attempted coup, but the
torture of the two journalists which made the headlines around the world.
Mark Chavunduka died later, at a very young age. Ray Choto is still out of
the country. He and Mark spent time being treated for the trauma resulting
from their torture.

      Elias Rusike and Trevor Ncube, publisher and editor respectively of
The Financial Gazette, were thrown into jail over the publication of a story
relating to the marriage of President Robert Mugabe and the then Grace
Marufu.
      The law used in their case was one relating to criminal defamation.
According to John Manyarara, a former judge of the High Court and a former
journalist, that archaic law was used in England to punish subjects who were
disrespectful of the ruling class.

      The laws of libel in Zimbabwe had been applied in a number of cases
against newspapers, including The Herald and the other newspapers taken over
by the government from the Argus Group in 1981. Yet the campaign has been
more vicious and intense against the independent or privately-owned media.

      The Daily Gazette, born out of the Financial Gazette after Elias
Rusike bought Modus Publications from Clive Wilson and Clive Murphy, was so
overburdened with libel claims, Rusike warned, at one time, that he would
have to take a tough stance against editors who landed the company into such
revenue-draining cases.

      In so many words, he warned the editors themselves might have to
shoulder the financial burden of their "irresponsible" actions.
      Modus Publications published The Financial Gazette, The Daily and
Sunday Gazette, and reeled under the heavy weight of libel suits to the
extent that even the editors could feel the heat every time they were
summoned to the publisher's office.

      One of the most instructive libel cases involved the former army
commander, Solomon Mujuru and Horizon magazine, the radical monthly edited
by the former editor of Parade, Andrew Moyse.
      In the 1990s, again long before AIPPA came on the scene, Horizon
carried a story of the businesses  run by Mujuru  in Mashonaland Central,
and included the phrase "goings-on", over which Mujuru sued the magazine.

      Initially, the general won the case, with the court sentencing Horizon
to a fine heavy enough for the shoe-string budget of the magazine to cringe
with fear. They decided to appeal and won - the Supreme Court stating that
it was "fair comment' for the magazine to use the phrase "goings-on".

      It is not entirely fanciful to suggest that, at some point, the
government and Zanu PF deliberately set out to flood the independent media
with libel suits, their overall game plan being to bankrupt them into
shutting down

      During Jonathan Moyo's tenure as Minister of State for Information and
Publicity, there were so many suits against the staff of The Daily News,
management felt constrained to warn the editors: Please, take it easy!
      Moyo filed libel suits against Geoff Nyarota and myself, in our
personal capacities. The company, on principle, decided to file a libel suit
of its own against Moyo.

      Sandra Nyaira, then the political editor of the paper, filed a suit
against Moyo, after he had called her something with which she was appalled
enough to call his bluff.

      In some respects, the government may have felt that the courts were
being too lenient with the journalists, or that the laws were not
"Stalinist" enough for their purposes - to frighten the journalists into
being "patriotic", which translates into sycophancy and bootlicking.
      So, AIPPA was finally introduced.  But it now turns out that AIPPA, as
far as the government is concerned, has not displayed the kind of
viciousness that would shut out any and all in-depth probes of the ruling
oligarchy.

      This conclusion is inescapable when you consider the implications of
the Interception of Communications Bill. There is not one decent newspaper
today which does not use the internet for all its work. All this will be
subject to the evil, eagle eye of the agents of the government, once the law
is passed.

      What all decent, loyal, law-abiding citizens who dearly love their
country ought to know is that there was never any conscious plan to promote
freedom of _expression in Zimbabwe once Zanu PF and PF Zapu came to power.

      We should be grateful to the likes of Edgar Tekere, with his memorable
jibe at his own party - "democracy is in the intensive care unit" - for
reminding Marxist-Leninists such as his old comrade-in-arms, Robert Mugabe,
that the independence for which so many thousands died must entail the
freedom of _expression.
      If it does not, then it is no better that what obtained during
colonialism.

      Logically, the people should wage another "chimurenga" against that
system.
      Any support of AIPPA is a direct rejection of the concept of freedom
of _expression, hence of independence itself. The Zanu PF secretary for
information and publicity, Nathan Shamuyarira, has in the past spoken openly
against AIPPA.

      Recently, however, he has joined the bandwagon of those calling for
"patriotic journalism".
      There is always something vicious in calling for people to perform
their duties with "patriotism". It suggests if you don't, you could be
performing a treasonable act. Only in vicious dictatorships (Hitler's,
Mussolini's, Idi Amin's) are citizens who criticise the regime called
traitors.
      We are slowly sinking into that quagmire, in Zimbabwe.

Kwara to invite more Zimbabwean farmers

The Tide, Nigeria

      . Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006
      The Kwara government says it is inviting more Zimbabwean white farmers
to join the 13 families to boost agricultural activities in the state.

      The state government and commercial farmer's union from that country
in July 2004 signed a collaborative agreement on agriculture. In pursuance
of that agreement the government undertook to grant a leasehold of
agricultural land of approximately 1,000 hectares to each of the 13 farmers.

      The farmers were also given loans by the government for their projects
which would be paid 'back after five years.

      The government further assisted in sourcing and securing additional
loans from financial institutions among others for the farmers.

      The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji
Saka Onimago, made these known in Ilorin to newsmen in an interview.

      He said that activities of the white farmers in Tshonga, Edu Local
Government Area, had brought a lot of changes to the economic development of
the area.

      Onimago said that the project had been of immense benefit to both the
people and government, adding that there was urgent need to replicate what
was happening in the area to other local government areas of the state.

      He said that government would secure more than 20,000 hectares of land
in Onire/ Alapa District of Asa Local Government Grea before the end of the
year for the prospective farmers. "The idea of having Zimbabwean farmers is
becoming competitive among the local government areas, individuals in the
state and even some state governments," he added.

      "The project is becoming more interesting as it has changed the
perception of most traditional farmers about mechanised farming," he added.

      The commissioner said that Nasarawa government had also invited some
of the farmers from Zimbabwe and that they had commenced agricultural
production in Panda development area.

      Kaduna and some other state governments had planned a similar exercise
which would come on before the end of the year, he said. Saka said that
government had no plan to review the memorandum of understanding it entered
into with the farmers .

      One of the farmers, Mr Paul Retziaff said the projects were in
different stages and the turn around period would be in a few years.

      He said that they were now dealing with consortium of banks within the
country to put in place system of "equity and borrowing interest rates".

      "As far as we the 13 families are concerned we are not expecting any
free meal ticket so all the money involved would be paid back with
 interest," he said.

      Paul said that under the memorandum of understanding the state
government agreed to give the 13 farmers 1,000 hectares of land each,
construct good road network and introduce them to banks.

      He said that it has been a good deal at the moment and that they had
received more than 4,000 hectares of open land to be increased to 7,000
hectares by 2007. He said the plan was to have 700,000 hectares by the end
of 2008.

      Paul said that it was anticipated that the project world enhance food
production, encourage skills and technology transfer, generate export
earnings and stimulate local agro-allied industries.

Message from Hannes Botha

Zimbabwe Pensioners Support Fund
P.O.Box 1349
Malelane 1320
South Africa
Tel : 013 790 0934
Cell: 084 589 3221
E-Mail: pensupzim@telkomsa.net

Greetings to you

This is an appeal for assistance by the Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund
(ZPSF). The Z.S.P.F was started in 2002 and supplies white pensioners in
Zimbabwe with food hampers, medicine and good used clothing. The hampers
are given directly to the Pensioners therefore no middleman. Presently a
truck and trailer travels up to Zimbabwe every three months. A letter of
rebate is obtained from ZIMRA therefore no duty is payable at the
border.

The fund has the use of clearing agents on both sides of the border who
assist with the clearing of the truck and the parcels for us.

Pensioners in the following towns and homes are assisted by the fund:

Fort Victoria - Pioneer Trust Buddy King 09263-39-265784,
Enkledoorn - Brocklehurst Trust Jenny Campbell e-mail
261509@ecoweb.co.zw,
Gatooma - Westview Trust Pamela Marneweck 09263-86 23553,
Gwelo Boggies Trust - Mavis D'Hotman e-mail mdhotman@mango.zw,
Gwelo - Huisvergesig Rachel Smith 09263-54-224100,
Selukwe - Muus Lodge Fred Vermaak 09263-52-6656,
Shabani - Zvishavane Cottage Trust Lettie Ugalitti 09263-51-13914,
Essexvale - Kinghaven Moth Cottages Jenny Hoffman e-mail cmannin@zol.zw,

Bulawayo - S.O.A.P. Louise Campbell soap@netconnect.co.zw,
Bulawayo - Edith Duly Nursing Home Valarie Frankl e-mail
valbern@netconnect.co.zw,
Flame Lily Foundation - John Redfern e-mail rasa@iafrica.com.

Please do not write this appeal off as a scam. Any of the
above-mentioned persons/organisations can be contacted for verification
on what exactly the fund does.

The fund was started by myself (Hannes) and my wife Edith. We are both
ex Rhodesians, I was born in Gwelo and Edith in Bulawayo. Our last five
years in Rhodesia were spent in Triangle where I worked at the sugar
mill. In July 1980 we left and moved to South Africa. We now live in
Malelane, which is on the Southern tip of the Kruger National Park where
I am employed by T.S.B the local sugar mill. All my annual leave is used
to take the hampers up to the various Pensioners and homes.

The fund has applied to be registered as a Non Profit Organisation.

Currently we are assisting 300 (Three Hundred) Pensioners directly and
another 190 (One Hundred and Ninety) through S.O.A.P Bulawayo. We have
also been asked to add the Old Age Home in Que Que.

Should you wish to support the fund by becoming a donor our banking
details are as follows:

Account Holder   : Zimbabwe Pensioners Support Fund
Bank           : First National Bank
Branch          : Malelane
Branch Code        : 27 09 52
Account Number     : 62058668230

Should you need any further information, please contact me at the
above-mentioned contact details.

Kind Regards

Hannes Botha
Chairman
Zimbabwe Pensioners Support Fund

Zim mass protest deemed 'unjustifiable'

IOL

          September 12 2006 at 08:12AM

      Zimbabwe has rejected as "mind-boggling" reasons given by trade unions
for a mass protest planned for Wednesday, Harare's Herald newspaper
reported.

      Its website on Tuesday quoted a cabinet minister as saying the
demonstrations organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
were not justifiable.

      "ZCTU are directing their protest to government over issues that
government is not opposed to," said Public Service, Labour and Social
Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche.

      "It is, therefore, mind-boggling to note that ZCTU have a hidden
agenda."

      Goche said the issues cited as reasons for the proposed mass action
fell within the purview of the social dialogue institution, the Tripartite
Negotiating Forum (TNF).

      "I wish to put it very clearly that the government, as a party to the
TNF, is not opposed to minimum wage negotiations that take into cognisance
poverty datum levels and internal relativities."

      The government and labour were in agreement on the poverty datum line
(PDL) and minutes of the TNF bore testimony to that, said Goche.

      He said the availability of anti-retroviral drugs could be a subject
for demonstrations as the situation was not peculiar to workers only.

      "There are several programmes underway in terms of mitigating HIV and
Aids at the workplace, some being sponsored by the International Labour
Organisation and other United Nations agencies."

      The ZCTU's complaints over income tax could also be tabled at the TNF,
Goche said. - Sapa

Oil Thieves Spawn Power Outages

The Herald (Harare)

September 12, 2006
Posted to the web September 12, 2006

Noah Pito in Hurungwe
Harare

THIEVES have stolen at least 1 575 litres of oil from 26 Zesa Holdings
electricity transformers in Mashonaland West in the past three weeks,
plunging the province into intermittent power outages.

Out of the 26 vandalised transformers, 18 had their oil drained and as a
result, nine of them were burnt after running dry.

Police have since arrested three suspects in connection with the theft.

Police spokesman Superinten-dent Oliver Mandipaka yesterday said the three,
who included a taxi driver, were arrested by policemen following a tip-off.

Two other suspects are still at large.

A total of 26 transformers were vandalised in Chikangwe, Mwami, Tengwe in
Karoi, Chitimbe, Zvipani and Karambazungu, among others.

The three suspects took police for indications to 18 transfor- mers where 1
575 litres of oil were stolen.

Nine of the transformers were burnt as a result of the oil drainage causing
blackouts in surrounding areas.

Supt Mandipaka warned gangs in such a habit that the police would deal with
them ruthlessly.

He also warned the public to desist from buying fuel from the illegal market
as the culprits were mixing the transformer oil with diesel and selling the
mixture as diesel to unsuspecting clients.

"Motorists should be wary of such activities as they may fall victim to
these culprits. They should in fact desist from buying fuel from the illegal
market. Currently, we are continuing with thorough investigations in order
to bring all culprits to book," said Supt Mandipaka.

Power cuts, fuel shortages hurt Zimbabwe wheat harvest

From The Cape Times (SA), 12 September

Harare - Hopes of a bumper wheat harvest in crisis-ridden Zimbabwe have been
dashed by repeated power cuts and fuel shortages, a newspaper reported
yesterday as a cabinet minister promised to step up white farm evictions.
Irrigation systems have been running on reduced capacity because of the
frequent cuts. Farmers are unable to manage the outages because the
state-run power utility Zesa does not stick to its blackout schedule, said
the state-controlled Herald. Commercial farmers here have traditionally
cultivated a wheat crop over the winter months of May to August to
complement maize crops that are grown during the rest of the year. But
President Robert Mugabe's controversial programme of white land seizures
launched in 2000 has seen agricultural production slashed by at least 40%
and left the cash-strapped government forced to import staple foods. The
Herald said an invasion of quelea birds, a local pest that destroys wheat
when it is nearly ready for harvesting, had also compromised wheat yields.
One new farmer complained that she was incurring more costs because she had
to pay wages to people to scare away the birds. Meanwhile, State Security
Minister Didymus Mutasa has said evictions of the remaining white farmers
will be stepped up so that the land reform programme is completed before the
rains begin, official radio reported yesterday.

Member countries reminded of Non-Aligned Movement's goals as Cuba takes over presidency and hosts summit

IFEX

  Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

  (RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

CUBA REMINDED OF GOALS OF NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AS IT TAKES OVER PRESIDENCY
AND HOSTS SUMMIT

Reporters Without Borders said today that it hoped UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan will remind Cuba of the goals of the Non-aligned Movement in relation
to human rights and fundamental liberties as the country took over the
Movement's three-year rotating presidency and began hosting its five-day
summit.

Fifty heads of state and government, 3,000 delegates from 116 member
countries (soon to be 118 with the forthcoming membership of Haiti and St.
Kitts and Nevis) and representatives of several observers countries, such as
China, are expected in Havana for the movement's 14th summit from 11-16
September, in the presence of the UN Secretary General.

The worldwide press freedom organisation said it was determined to point out
that several heads of state who hold press freedom and pluralism in
contempt, such as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf
and Vietnam's Nguyen Minh Triet, will be greeted in the Cuban capital by
another predator of free expression in the person of Fidel Castro.

"This summit should not be used as a screen for governments for whom the
imbalance between North and South justifies dictatorship, oppression and the
absence of a state of law", said the organisation, stressing that, "The
protection and promotion of human rights are among the objectives in the
draft final document which will be submitted to member countries for
approval during the summit."

"The Ministers reaffirmed the significant importance attached by the
Movement to the promotion and protection of human rights and commitment to
fulfill obligations to promote universal respect for, and observance and
protection of, all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in
accordance to the UN Charter, other instruments relating to human rights as
appropriate and international law", says paragraph 193-1, ratified on 30 May
2006 in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

We can unfortunately expect that countries such as Iran, Uzbekistan,
Zimbabwe, Libya and Belarus will sign a promise that they have no intention
of honouring, not forgetting Cuba, which as president of the Movement, is
supposed to see that it is respected. References to the UN Charter and
international laws with which these countries adorn themselves, logically
obliges them vis-à-vis the UN and the international community. We hope that
the Secretary General Kofi Annan will remind them of this.

The Cuban authorities have already shown signs of bad faith on the eve of
the summit, of which it is doing its utmost to limit coverage, by expelling
foreign journalists. Cuba is the second biggest prison in the world for
journalists, after China, with 23 journalists behind bars.

The Non-aligned Movement was founded in Belgrade in September 1961 under the
auspices of Yugoslav President Marshal Tito, whose objective at the time was
to gather countries refusing to take either the US or Soviet side in the
cold war.

Zimbabwe's National AIDS Council Accused of Mishandling Funds

VOA

By Carole Gombakomba
      Washington
      11 September 2006

A plan to battle HIV-AIDS put forth by Zimbabwe's National AIDS Council has
come under attack by activists who say that while the strategy looks good on
paper it may not be feasible in practice. The four-year plan aims to make
existing programs more effective in delivering anti-retroviral drugs and
supplementary nutrition.

The National AIDS Council is the main beneficiary of the country's national
AIDS levy which deducts contributions from payrolls to fund the fight
against the disease. But it has been criticized for misusing funds - the
state-run Herald newspaper on Saturday quoted Deputy Health Minister Edwin
Muguti as accusing the council of paying high salaries to its officers and
splurging on luxury cars at the expense of the sick.

Zimbabwe National Network of People Living With AIDS Chairman Benjamin
Mazhindu told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that
he doubts the new strategic plan will do much for those living with
HIV-AIDS.

Let's not turn into a Zim replica

The Star

Editorial

South Africans should exercise their constitutional rights to protect the
democracy we enjoy

September 12, 2006 Edition 1

Patrick Laurence

South Africa has the potential to become a "bigger and more significant
version of Zimbabwe" 20 years down the line, warns American scholar Louis
Picard in the concluding chapter of his study of contemporary South Africa,
The State of the State.

Picard a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, is not predicting that
it is an inevitable outcome. He is merely cautioning that the fear of South
Africa going down the same path as Zimbabwe is not without substance.

Noting that "many observers" hold that apprehension, Picard states that it
will be "a tragedy of monumental proportions for all the people of Southern
Africa" if South Africa mutates into a larger Zimbabwe replica.

Trepidation of South Africa degenerating into an Afro-fascist state
resembling Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, with hallmarks of election chicanery,
political oppression and economic collapse, is not confined to intellectual
observers. It is in the minds and on the tongues of politicos themselves,
including those aligned to the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Jeremy Cronin, deputy general-secretary of the South African Communist Party
(SACP) and national executive member of the ANC, has spoken in the past
about the "Zanu-fication of the ANC", an allusion to what he sees as the
appearance of disquieting similarities between the ANC and the governing
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) in Zimbabwe.

Reinforcing that view is the contention of Zwelinzima Vavi, general
secretary of Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), that there are
disturbing parallels between the centralisation of power in South Africa
under President Thabo Mbeki and the dictatorial concentration of power in
Zimbabwe.

Linking these two perceptions are the concerns expressed in the SACP
discussion document published in a special edition of Bua Komanisi.

One of the issues agitating the SACP is the emergence in the ANC and,
through it, the ANC-led tripartite alliance, of "Bonapartism". As the most
famous members of the Bonaparte dynasty, Napoleon I and Napoleon III, were
emperors, to detect Bonapartism in the ANC is tantamount to categorising it
as a potential incubator of dictators.

Moving beyond the ANC and its allies, there are the anxieties of the
opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), as well as three or four smaller
parties, on several issues. One of the most important of these issues is
what they see as the blurring of the distinction between party and state
under the ANC governance.

Developments cited as evidence of the growing conflation of party and state
include:

nThe deployment of party cadres to head supposedly neutral institutions
dedicated to protection of the constitutional democracy (the appointment of
former ANC legislator Lawrence Mushwana as public protector comes to mind).

nThe transfer of public money to the ANC coffers (exemplified by the
documented flow of R11-million of public money from PetroSA to the ANC via
Imvume Management a few months ahead of the April 2004 election ).

Over and above these fears are the anxieties of predominantly white
commercial farmers, particularly since the announcement by the department of
land affairs of its intention to make use of legislation empowering it to
expropriate farms in order to speed up the process of land restitution.

Talk about expropriation conjures up images in the minds of many established
farmers of Zimbabwe-style land seizures, however much the forewarnings may
be hedged with official qualifications and assurances.

If, however, there are reasons for concern over and scrutiny of government
actions, there are counter-arguments not to over-react and "cry wolf"
prematurely and unnecessarily.

Even taking account of the threatened use expropriation to speed up
restitution and anticipating the possibility of the new minister of land
affairs, Lulu Xingwana, extending it to accelerate redistribution of land to
achieve a better racial balance of land ownership, South Africa's policy
cannot be equated with Zimbabwe's land grabs.

Whereas in Zimbabwe land was arbitrarily seized from farm owners without
payment of compensation, in South Africa land has to be expropriated
according to due process of law and compensation has to paid to the
incumbent owner. The compensation amount has either to be agreed between the
relevant parties or decided by a court according to constitutionally
approved criteria, including current market value.

South Africa's constitution, moreover, guarantees a range of liberties and
protections against abuse of human rights and, as important, of an
independent judiciary that is sworn to uphold the constitution.

Though there has been consternation over the past year or so over proposed
laws to increase the power of the justice ministry at the expense of the
judiciary, President Thabo Mbeki has had wisdom - for which he deserves
credit - to order a moratorium on plans to press ahead with the bills while
further discussions take place to address the concerns of the judges.

Where Mbeki has sought to accommodate the distress of the judges at aspects
of bills, Mugabe simply went ahead with a campaign to rid himself of
independent judges and replace them with his cronies.

While there is growing pressure for reform of South Africa's electoral
system through the introduction of a constituency component to increase the
accountability of members of parliament to the electorate, the rights of
citizens to form, join or support opposition parties are intact. All major
elections since 1994 have been monitored and adjudged broadly free and fair,
though, of course, losing parties have had minor complaints here and there.

While there is reason for concern about the ANC's de facto control of the
South African Broadcasting Corporation, South Africa's print media and the
privately owned electronic media are independent and frequently critical of
government.

Most of Zimbabwe's print media and its entire electronic media are firmly
controlled by the government. Those newspapers that are privately owned are
liable to be closed down under Zimbabwe's draconian laws, as the independent
Daily News was as soon as it proved its viability and popularity with
ordinary Zimbabwean citizens.

It is worth quoting Pulitzer prize-winning author Samantha Power on the
issue at hand. In a monograph on Zimbabwe, published in the Atlantic Monthly
magazine, she identifies an outspoken press, a healthy opposition, regular
elections and an independent judiciary as crucial impediments to what she
terms Zimbabwe-style "top down demolition".

As she notes, again with Zimbabwe in mind: "When a ruler operates without
constraint, he can institute a tyranny of the minority, and he can plunder
his country's economy and starve his people without potential corrective".

A corollary follows: South Africans should exercise their constitutionally
enshrined rights to protect their democracy and prevent it from being
subverted into a form of authoritarian rule in which elections are a
meaningless charade.

a.. The Star's contributing editor Patrick Laurence is the editor of Focus,
journal of Helen Suzman Foundation. He writes in his personal capacity.

Zimbabwean civic leader refused entry into Britain

Press Release
Raymond Majongwe, one of the speakers invited to
address the forth-coming  Open Forum on Zimbabwe, has
been refused an entry visa for the UK.  Organisers of
the event learned about the visa refusal from
Majongwe`s organisation, the Progressive Teachers
Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), on Friday and are deeply
concerned by the decision.

Raymond Majongwe, who has frequently come into
conflict with authorities in Zimbabwe, was due to
address the UK forum on issues such as the need for
skills in the promotion of democratic governance,
human rights and socio-economic recovery in Zimbabwe.
For the UK authorities to deny such a prominent civic
leader the chance to be heard seems totally
counterproductive.

The rationale behind the refusal is unclear as
Raymond`s circumstances are very similar to those of
other invited speakers who have been granted a visa.
Whatever the reasons, his contribution to the debate
on skills and reconstruction in Zimbabwe will be
sorely missed by many in the diaspora.

Open Forum 2006, which will take place at University
of London Union, Malet Street, London WC1 on Saturday
16th, is the third in a popular series of networking
events held annually in the UK.  The Open Forum brings
civic leaders and commentators from Zimbabwe to
analyse and debate key issues with Zimbabweans and the
wider Southern African community in the UK.  This
year's forum will focus on the loss of skills in the
diaspora, especially in the health and education
sectors as well as the wastage of human resources
through inappropriate employment, the flight of
urgently needed skills from Zimbabwe and the potential
of the diaspora to promote and support reconstruction.

Back Story:-
Similar line-ups of civic players from Zimbabwe, the
region and the wider international constituency of
support have spearheaded previous Open Forums.  In
2004 Moeletsi Mbeki director of one of South Africa's
leading television production companies and Thoko
Matshe, women's activist and former National
Constitutional Assembly chair were amongst those who
addressed a debate on the relationship between
Zimbabwe and South Africa and last year author and
academic, Elinor Sisulu joined Ahmed Motala, Director
of the Centre for the Study of Violence and
Reconciliation in South Africa, in contributing to a
discussion on supporting human rights in Zimbabwe.
----------------------------------------------
Open Forum 2006 'Zimbabwe: Skills and Reconstruction'.
Saturday 16th September   2pm - 5.30pm University of
London Union, Malet Street, London WC1 - to arrange
interviews with the speakers on the day or with
spokespeople in advance of the event please contact
07811452030 or e-mail zimforum2006@yahoo.co.uk