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Air Zimbabwe fires striking pilots

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

12/09/2010 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

AIR ZIMBABWE has told its striking pilots to consider themselves sacked
after they ignored a 24-hour deadline to return to work.

The airline's chairman, Jonathan Kadzura, insisted the company was not going
to entertain the pilots' demands adding the board of directors would meet on
Tuesday to discuss the way forward.

Air Zimbabwe pilots and cabin crew walked out on Wednesday over US$ 3million
in unpaid allowances and were subsequently ordered to return to work by
Friday.

Chief Executive Peter Chigumba told the pilots they had made their point and
pleaded with them to return to work.

However his plea was ignored in a job action that is proving costly for the
cash-strapped carrier and inconveniencing hundreds of passengers.

Meanwhile Kadzura said the job action was unprocedural and accused the
pilots of greed.

"They were striking because they want their salaries paid up, but sadly what
we do not seem to appreciate is that in our country at the moment, the
average salary is around US$260 and US$300.

"Our pilots are earning between US$1 300 and US$1 500 at the end of every
month and they accrue the rest as a debt that we promised to pay and has
since accumulated to US$3 million," he said.

He insisted that by refusing to return to work the pilots had in fact "fired
themselves".

With talks between the workers and management failing to breach their
differences the labour dispute is now expected to land in the courts.

Air Zimbabwe has been forced to cancel several flights leaving up to 1000
passengers stranded.

The airline is said to have hired planes from South Africa to ply some of
its regional and domestic routes.


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Police fail to take US doctors to court

http://www.zimeye.org/?p=22002

By Gerald Chateta

Published: September 12, 2010

Harare  -  The Zimbabwe Republic Police on Saturday failed to take the six
arrested American doctors to court citing in-completion of investigations.

Police on Thursday arrested six American HIV/AIDS doctors for allegedly
operating an unlicensed clinic in Belvedere, Harare, and dispensing
medicines without a pharmacist's supervision and were expected to appear in
court on Saturday.

Jonathan Samukange of Venturas and Samukange Legal practitioners
representing the arrested doctors told journalists Saturday evening that he
spent the whole day waiting for the police to complete their papers that
they were supposed to file to the courts.

"Superintendent Njodzi who is the chief investigating officer in this case
wasted the rest of the day saying he was finalising documentation. We are
worried because the offence our clients are facing has an option of a fine.
There is no reason why they should continue to be in custody. We are
challenging their incarceration " he said.

Samkange said his clients who were 'unfairly' treated are expected to appear
before the court on Monday adding that their detention was going to affect
patients the doctors were attending to.police

"Our main worry is on the over 1000 HIV and AIDS patients they have been
attending to. Their further incarceration means loss of life to some the
patients," he pleaded.

American Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray said he was closely monitoring
the outcome of the arrested six American doctors by the police for allegedly
operating without license.

The doctors comprising five males and a female doctor had been working in
Zimbabwe for many years and were even given a farm to operate from in Mutoko
at a place now known as Mother Faith Mission.

"The doctors have been working in Zimbabwe for a long time now on HIV/AIDS
projects and have a lot of patients most of whom are AIDS orphans. They are
in police custody at Harare Central Police Station."

The American doctors also operate an AIDS clinic in Hatfield Harare.


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US Church To Continue Work In Zimbabwe

http://news.radiovop.com

12/09/2010 15:36:00

Johannesburg, September 12, 2010 - A California church wants to get back to
helping Aids orphans in Africa, once it resolves questions over licensing
that led to the arrests of six of its workers in Zimbabwe, a minister said
on Sunday.

The six - five Americans and a Zimbabwean - were arrested on Friday and have
been held at Harare Central police station. They will appear in court on
Monday on charges of operating without proper medical licenses, according to
their lawyer in Zimbabwe.
Theophous Reagans, a minister at the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland,
California, said by telephone on Sunday the church has been working in
Zimbabwe for more than a decade and that this is the first time questions
over licensing have been raised.

He said one of the Americans lives in Zimbabwe, while the others are among
church members who visit three or four times a year, paying their own way to
help at a home for Aids orphans the congregation has adopted.
"Our prayer and our hope is that they will be released," (after Monday's
hearing), Reagans told The Associated Press.
The church's work in Zimbabwe was started in 2000 by Robert C Scott, an
Allen Temple member, Aids activist and doctor. Scott died last year.
"Dr Scott worked diligently for 10 years to build that ministry and serve,"
Reagans said. "We want to continue."

Reagans said most of Allen Temple Baptist Church members are black and feel
a strong connection to Africa.
In 2008, at the height of a political crisis in Zimbabwe, the government
accused independent aid groups of supporting opposition activists and barred
them from distributing aid for three months.
Reagans said his church had not been affected by previous problems
encountered by international aid workers in Zimbabwe.
"We really believe that for the last nine-10 years, we have been working in
consort with the authorities in Zimbabwe," he said.
Police say the church workers were being questioned about operating an
unlicensed clinic and dispensing medicine without a pharmacist's
supervision.
"It is our duty to ensure that all clinics and medical institutions are
registered for easy monitoring," police spokesperson Augustine Zimbili told
The Herald. "There is a risk of dispensation of expired drugs. When premises
are not licensed, it is difficult to check if (the law) is being complied
with."
Jonathan Samukange, the lawyer in Zimbabwe representing the detained church
workers, said they have proper licenses and were only supervising a pharmacy
that mainly gave out Aids medications. - AP
 


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"National healing organ unconstitutional"

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Silas Nkala
Sunday, 12 September 2010 17:54

HARARE - The organ on National Healing, Integration and Reconciliation is an
illegal institution which has no Act of Parliament constitutionalising its
existence, a human rights lawyer has said.

Speaking during the official launch of the Zimbabwe Victims of Organised
Violence (ZIVOV), a newly formed civic organization, Human Rights lawyers
Matshobana Ncube said there were no legal backing to the organ on national
healing, hence that meant it remained a mere agreement by the parties in the
Government of National Unity (GNU), which was totally illegal in terms of
the laws of the land.

The Minister of State for the Organ of National Healing, Integration and
Reconciliation, Sekai Holland was present at the launch.

Ncube said the fact that the organ had no Act of Parliament that
constitutionalised its existence, meant that it could not bring about
significant healing, justice and reconciliation as it was bound to have
partners in the organ disagreeing with some issues.

"In our view, the organ on national healing was a good initiative or
undertaking by the political parties, but lack of legal connotations or
backing by an Act of Parliament makes it lose its value," Ncube said.

"There should have been an Act of Parliament with set chapters and articles
which may be used as points of argument if any member s of the organ decides
to deviate from the proper set rules.

"As of now, it is just a mere agreement by politicians and its findings and
its efforts are subject to being thrown out on the grounds that it was just
a mere agreement which is not legalised legislatively," he said.

He said Zimbabwe had gone through various forms of violence acts which
needed addressing for the nation to have proper healing. He said even the
political parties knew that, hence the formation of the organ.

"The government has to show its seriousness by enacting an Act of Parliament
which will set parameters which the organ of national healing should follow.

"This law will give credibility to the organ so that even as it does its
work, people do not see it as a waste of time," Ncube said.

He also called for the establishment of a Truth and Justice Commission "so
as to allow for proper national healing".

"This commission will be a point of confidence for the victims where they
will be free to confide their experiences," he said. "As long as the
environment does not allow victims to open up and disclose their experiences
and feelings, the national healing and reconciliation will remain a dream."

Ncube said the perspectives of the victims were the major aspects to be
considered if national healing had to be attained. The identification of
perpetrators was the justice and truthful process of national healing.

He said when the truth and justice were done, offenders had to be
prosecuted.

"Those who fit to have amnesty will be freed, while those who do not qualify
for amnesty must be sent to jail for crimes against humanity," he said.

"ZIVOV is also adamant that since the organ on  national healing's
formation, almost two years ago, it has done nothing significantly in
connection with the national healing process, except going around making
promises which have never been fulfilled."

The Organ comprises three ministers from the three political parties in the
GNU, who are Holland of the MDC-T, vice President John Nkomo of Zanu PF and
the late Gibson Sibanda of MDC-M.

 


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Gono clashes with key Central Bank Board member

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

12 September, 2010 01:14:00    By ZOLI MANGENA and STAN GAMA

A war of words has broken out between Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor
Gideon Gono and deputy board chairman Charles Kuwaza over how to run the
central bank.

Tension between the two has been mounting in recent months. Kuwaza warned
Gono in a memo to avoid turning the bank "into a red-light district" and a
place for looting. Kuwaza said printing money caused hyperinflation.

Zimbabwe has a multi-currency regime and can no longer print money. In 2008,
hyperinflation scaled 500 billion percent due to printing money.

In his memo, Kuwaza said as a former senior secretary in the Ministry of
Finance before 2000 he needed to warn Gono about the challenges of running a
central bank and how to avoid repeating the problems of the past.

Kuwaza, who is also chairman of the bank's audit and oversight committee,
said he did not want to see the Reserve Bank under Gono turned into what it
became under former governor Leonard Tsumba.

He said that in the Tsumba era, when government was pursuing economic
reforms, the Reserve Bank was unhelpful and spent wastefully.

"We observed that the Reserve Bank was not tightening its belt like
everybody else. Instead, it was building a sports club in Mabelreign,
procuring expensive cars, carving out mansions from Harare's hills and
generally living large.

"A senior officer reportedly collapsed after a drinking binge at a birthday
party. We heard that the corridors of the Reserve Bank resembled red-light
districts, and with the incidence of HIV/Aids a lot of officers perished. A
Sodom and Gomorrah of sorts indeed! This was happening when hospitals had
virtually no drugs, schools were without textbooks and roads collapsing
etc."

Documents show that Gono and his adviser, Dr Munyaradzi Kereke, reacted
angrily to Kuwaza's "trivial" but "outrageous" claims.

Kuwaza said the Reserve Bank should not become a "gravy train" as that would
"explode the fiscus". He said finance ministers who came after the late
Bernard Chidzero lacked "fiscal discipline" and compounded the situation.

Kuwaza said the central bank had a long history of printing money, and that
should be avoided in future as it had proved wasteful. "Instead of passing
the profits of printing money to Treasury, the Reserve Bank spent this money
on white elephants. I ended up briefing President (Robert) Mugabe on this
source of revenue in the past, and he said I was the first person to ever
advise him on this matter."

He complained about the building of the bank's HQ, saying it was a "white
elephant". The building is one of the tallest and most modern in Zimbabwe.
Gono's offices are on the top floor.

Kuwaza said he had tried to get tender documents for the building without
success.

He said he suspected irregularities because he had checked records and
failed to find ministerial approval for the building. - Sunday Times


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Call for Gukurahundi monument

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by The Zimbabwean
Sunday, 12 September 2010 09:29

HARARE - A leading Zimbabwean social commentator has called on Harare's
coalition regime to aid the national healing process by erecting a monument
in Bulawayo in remembrance of victims of the 1980s atrocities allegedly
committed by the army in Matabeleland and Midlands.

In a blog posted on the website for pressure group Kubatana last Friday,
Rejoice Ngwenya said Zanu (PF) should erect the monument in Bulawayo's
Entumbane suburb as a way of showing remorse for the massacre of more than
20 000 civilians by members of the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade in the
early 1980s.

"I would therefore like to propose that Zanu (PF) show their remorse by
acknowledging that they were wrong, and instead of concentrating on further
violating the liberties of white commercial farmers and black human rights
defenders, invest money and time in financing a monument at Entumbane,
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe so we can forever remember those whose lives they
needlessly took," the commentator said.

At least 20 000 innocent civilians form the Ndebele ethnic minority were
reportedly killed in the early 1980s during a bloody counter-insurgency
drive by the army in Matabeleland and Midlands.

Mugabe - who some say personally ordered deployment of the army's North
Korean-trained 5th Brigade in Matabeleland and Midlands ostensibly to stop
an armed insurrection against his rule - has called the killings an "act of
madness".

But he has never personally accepted responsibility for the civilian
murders or formally apologised.

The Zimbabwean strongman has also not yielded to calls by human rights
groups for his government to compensate the victims of the brutal army
operation popularly known as the Gukurahundi massacres.

Mugabe has conveniently avoided raising the issue fearing a backlash from
disgruntled Ndebele members of his divided Zanu (PF) party - all in hope of
maintaining a fragile 1987 Unity Accord he signed with the then PF Zapu led
by the late Joshua Nkomo.

The Ndebele group within Zanu (PF) has long been disappointed by what they
see as the apparent sidelining of their region from national development
issues. - VUSIMUZI BHEBHE


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Tsvangirai Nearly Barred

http://news.radiovop.com

12/09/2010 15:28:00

HARARE, September 11, 2010 - The co-Minister of Home Affairs Theresa Makone
has revealed that a junior ranking police officer wrote to Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai ordering him not to attend the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC-T) 11th anniversary celebrations at Gokwe Center on Saturday.

Makone who recently came under fire for claiming that police had reformed,
said she was shocked by the junior officer's courage.  "Some of the police
officers have changed and I don't know where this one got the power to do
so." she said.

About 5 000 people attended the celebrations in front of the shops at Gokwe
center where again Tsvangirai told supporters to prepare for elections next
year.

He said he had reached an agreement with President Robert Mugabe that
whoever wins the next elections should be allowed to rule the country.

This was the second time police have attempted to stop the Prime Minister
from addressing his supporters in the last three months.

Tsvangirai had to defy another ban by Matabeleland North police who wanted
to prevent him from addressing provincial MDC celebrations in Hwange.

On the new constitution, the Prime Minister warned that it was guaranteed
that his party would support the draft at the referendum.

He said if the people's wishes were ignored they will tell them to reject
the draft as it happened in 2000.

Zimbabweans are likely to vote in a referendum for a new constitution before
the general elections are held next year.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Tendai Biti says Mugabe recently ordered him to
budget US$200 million for the referendum and the elections.

Despite the insistence by to political parties that there must be elections
next year, critics say the country's is not ready for polls anytime soon
because government is yet to deal with the issue of national healing.


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Zimbabwe eyed as mine hub

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

12 September, 2010 01:35:00    By BARNABAS THONDHLANA

THE country has historically been seen as prime mining turf. This is the
time to take advantage of Zimbabwe's mining opportunities, says an
investment banking group.

Zimbabwe has been trailing behind the rest of the world in terms of mineral
exploration and development and has lost out on the major "commodity booms"
enjoyed elsewhere, mainly as a result of the "lost decade" of 1998-2009.

In its Zimbabwe Mining Sector Review, investment group Imara Capital said
while the country had a lot of potential, now was the opportune time to take
an in-depth look at the mining sector in Zimbabwe, which has large deposits
of coal, gold, platinum, asbestos, base metals and diamonds.

Some of the mining houses which are operating or have set up shop in
Zimbabwe include Bindura Nickel Company, Falgold Zimbabwe, Hwange Colliery
Company, New Dawn Mining Corporation, RioZim, and Zimplats Holdings.

According to Imara Capital, Africa was known as a mineral-rich continent,
with a close analysis of African economies revealing that minerals and oil
have been the engines driving development and a pillar for sustainable
growth.

For example, about 35%-40% of Botswana's GDP consists of mining revenue,
while in Zambia mining contributes up to 10%-15% of GDP and constitutes 80%
of export earnings.

"At its peak in 1986, the Zimbabwe mining sector contributed about 7% to
GDP," said Batanai Matsika, an investment analyst at Imara Capital.

"It is also worth noting that mineral shipments for 2008 amounted to
US$676-million, which represented about 51% of total export shipments and
3.8% of GDP. Undoubtedly, there has been a significant change in the sector,
having evolved through hyperinflation and periods of foreign currency
shortages."

The dollarised economy had also changed the face of the mining sector.

To date, more than 40 different minerals have been extracted, and mining has
remained an important cog in the Zimbabwean economy: creating jobs, earning
foreign currency and diversifying the economic base.

With relative political and economic stability around 1999, mineral exports
accounted for about 45%-51% of Zimbabwe's foreign currency earnings.

In addition, mining was a direct employer of up to 60 000 people, with
numerous others in support industries.

Mining activities also stimulated the development of towns such as Hwange
and Kadoma, and were a catalyst in the development of basic infrastructure,
such as road, rail and telecoms.

The sector's contribution to GDP has remained at an average of 7%. The
liberalisation measures introduced in 2009 have restored confidence in the
mining sector.

Matsika said the total value of minerals produced in Zimbabwe was poised to
increase in the near future, and that the main pillars of growth would be
increased investment in the form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI),
improved liquidity in the financial sector and a reduction in local input
costs.

However, he said the key constraints within the sector would be: how the
continued political uncertainty affects the sector's ability to attract
capital (FDI); government dragging its feet on issues that affect
investment, such as amendments to the Mines and Minerals Act and
Indigenisation and economic empowerment regulations; the release of ground
for Exclusive Prospecting Orders (EPOs), which has been sluggish, inhibiting
progress in mineral exploration; and electricity supply constraints, which
would take time to resolve.

Matsika said he has been asked on numerous occasions why one should invest
in the Zimbabwe mining sector.

"Zimbabwe is a mineral-rich country with very great potential for further
discoveries (prospectivity). It offers security of minerals tenure; it has a
well-established mining tradition regulated by an effective Ministry of
Mines and supported by an active Chamber of Mines; it is well served by
road, rail, telecommunications and power; the government is and always has
been pro-mining; and the investment climate has historically been
reasonable," Matsika said.

Around 1996, the mineral industry in Zimbabwe was a major contributor to the
world supply of chrysotile asbestos, ferrochromium, and lithium minerals.
Gold production was the leading sector in 1996 with output exceeding 24
metric tonnes.

Matsika said the suspension of the granting of EPOs in 2005 crippled
exploration activities, the effect of which was to slow future mineral
recovery. The upshot of this suspension was a serious impact on the future
of the industry.

Other factors that adversely affected the general economy included a lack of
balance of payments support and a rapid depreciation of the local currency
unit.

Gold miners and all other exporters were in a quandary as a result of
exchange rate misalignments and the government-imposed price
controls. -Sunday Times


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Rape and plunder of DRC: How EAC states betrayed a wounded neighbour

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke
 
 
Soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The war sucked in Congo's EAC neighbours. File photo.

Soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The war sucked in Congo's EAC neighbours. File photo. 

By Jeff Otieno  

Posted Monday, September 13 2010 at 18:01

In Summary

The Hotspots

North Kivu and South Kivu (Gross human rights violations on civilians, mainly killings and rape in all the four stages of war)
Forces involved: Zairean armed forces, rebels faithful to Laurent Kabila, anti Rwanda and Uganda rebels and Allied forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire comprising Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda soldiers.

Katanga also a hotspot in all the four stages (rape, killings, maiming and wanton destruction of property)
Forces involved: Zairean armed forces, anti Rwanda and Uganda rebels and Allied Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire

Kinshasa hotspot in first, third and fourth stages (killings and rape)
Forces involved: Congolese armed forces, Allied Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire,

Orientale Province, Equateur, Maniema and Bas-Congo Hotspot (Gross human rights violations mainly killing, rape and maiming)
Forces involved: Congolese armed forces, Allied Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire and Soldiers from Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia.

The Congo war that sucked three East African Community member states had four conflict stages, all playing a major role in the catalogue of gross human rights violations.
The stages are summarised below:

First Stage; March 1993-June 1996: Failure by the Mobutu regime to initiate the democratisation processes in Congo and the larger regional crisis.

The first period covers human rights violations committed in the final years of the regime of President Mobutu Sese Seko, as a result of its authoritarian rule and dismal performance in the democratisation process.

During this period, the unstable Central African state also experienced devastating consequences of the Rwandan genocide, particularly in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

Second Stage: July 1996-July 1998: First Congo War and the Allied Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL) regime.

The second period concerns gross human rights violations committed during the First Congo War and the first year of the regime established by President Laurent-Désiré Kabila.

This period had the greatest number of incidents in the whole of the decade under investigation, with 238 listed incidents.

The report says the information available confirmed the significant role of other countries in the First Congo War and their direct implication in the war, which led to the overthrow of the Mobutu regime.

At the start of the second stage period, serious violations were committed against Tutsi and Banyamulenge civilians, 19 principally in South Kivu.

This period was then characterised by the relentless pursuit and mass killing (104 reported incidents) of Hutu refugees, members of the former Armed Forces of Rwanda (later "ex-FAR") and militias implicated in the genocide of 1994 (Interahamwe) by the Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Congo-Zaïre (AFDL) or Allied Forces for the liberation of Congo-Zaire.

The report adds that a proportion of the AFDL's troops, arms and logistics were supplied by the Armée Patriotique Rwandaise or Rwanda Patriotic Army (APR), the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Forces armées Burundaises or Burundian Armed Forces (FAB) throughout the Congolese territory.

This period was also marked by serious attacks on other civilian populations in all provinces without exception.

Third stage. August 1998-January 2000: Second Congo War
The third period involves a catalogue of violations committed between the start of the Second Congo War in August 1998, and the death of President Kabila.

This period included 200 incidents and was characterised by the intervention on the territory of the DRC of the government armed forces of several countries, fighting alongside the Forces armées Congolaises or Congolese Armed Forces (FAC) or against them.

There was also involvement of multiple militia groups and the creation of a coalition under the banner of a new political and military movement, The Gathering of Congolese for Democracy (RCD), which later split into smaller groups.

Fourth Stage: January 2001-June 2003: Towards transition

This final period lists 139 incidents committed, in spite of the gradual establishment of a ceasefire and the speeding up of peace negotiations in preparation for the start of the transition period on June 30, 2003.
During this period, fighting that had shaken the province of Ituri, in particular the ethnic conflicts between the Lendu and the Hema, reached an unprecedented peak.

The period was marked by clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC) and the Mayi-Mayi forces in Katanga province.



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Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – 11th September 2010

Vigil supporters will wear mourning bands next Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the signing of the abortive Global Political Agreement. The demonstration will also mark the failure of the Mugabe regime to meet the 30 day deadline set at the SADC summit for a settlement of the outstanding issues in the GPA.

 

The Vigil had hoped to be redundant by now but this dysfunctional ‘unity’ government has produced nothing but new life for Mugabe.  Vigil supporters will carry posters to the South African High Commission to underline our demand that President Zuma should take the gloves off in dealing with Mugabe. If South Africa is serious about   booting out Zimbabwean refugees at the end of the year it will have to ensure they have a homeland safe to return to.

 

‘They chopped at my leg as if it was firewood. I remember seeing my leg where they threw it, the shoe still on it’. This was the testimony of an MDC activist featured in an exhibition of photographs in London taken by an award winning Getty Images photographer who traveled anonymously to Zimbabwe last year. See: www.prisonersofconscience.org.

 

The first photograph shows: ‘This young burns victim sits alone in his room. He is a former MDC activist who now has limited use of his hands and is blind in one eye’.

 

Another photograph was accompanied by the caption: ‘He was taken with 4 men and a woman to a Zanu-PF militia base where the female captive was gutted with a knife in front of their eyes, her corpse tossed into the cells with the remaining captives. Each was told the day they were going to die. They were each made to drink 750 mls of liquid glue every day which caused chronic diarrhoea and poisoning. Another man was stabbed to death and when one of the remaining captives refused to cut up the dead bodes so that they could be disposed of, the torturers cut off his feet’.

 

Have you got the message President Zuma? A brochure produced by the Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund, which organised the exhibition, says: ‘Zimbabwe is a ruined land. A formerly thriving breadbasket of African opportunity, its leaders have reduced it to a failed state of mass exodus to the South and mass poverty and brutality within. There is no state structure for her people, only dictatorship and repression by Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party cronies. Zanu PF has been careful to hold onto absolute control of the army, the police, the banks and the mines. These give Mugabe control and allow for the brutalisation of the Zimbabwean people to continue despite the supposed changes this transition period is meant to bring’.

 

This is the Zimbabwe that Zuma wants to send exiles back to: ‘A week later his body was discovered in the bush. The government post-mortem recorded ‘decomposition’ as the cause of death’. Decomposed . . . that’s Zimbabwe alright. Another picture: ‘A severely ill HIV positive young woman alone in a one bedroom shack in an township in Harare. She says “my parents are dead, my brother and everyone I know is unemployed. I have nothing. That is why I am dying now”.’

 

One of the people President Zuma proposes to deport is picture number 042: ‘This crippled man aged 32 stands on crutches outside his room in Johannesburg . . . ‘ This was his last experience of Zanu PF: ‘he managed to drag himself off the road despite his two broken legs, multiple other broken bones and 3 shattered vertebrae.’

 

This is what the Vigil wants from South Africa: African solidarity. What we mean by that is not African dictators’ solidarity but help so that we can have free and fair elections. Mugabe says he wants elections next year because he thinks he can bludgeon his way to another victory. South Africa must insist that violence should not determine the outcome of the next elections or we will have more pictures like the ones in the exhibition.

 

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check the link at the top of the home page of our website.  For earlier ZimVigil TV programmes check: http://www.zbnnews.com/home/firingline.

 

FOR THE RECORD: 186 signed the register.

 

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

·       The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe.

·       Ministering to the Diaspora: a case study of Zimbabweans in Britain. Wednesday 15th September from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Venue: Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, SS Philip & James Church, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HR. A conference to help identify unique needs, the services Christian organizations are offering and can offer (but are not), identifying what more needs to be done and how this might be achieved, and drawing up a co-ordinated action plan. For more information, contact: Clayton Peel, capeel@ocms.ac.uk or phone 01865 882 421.

·       Protest to mark the second anniversary of the signing of the Zimbabwean Global Political Agreement. Saturday 18th September from 2 – 6 pm.

·       ROHR Bristol demonstration. Saturday 18th September from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: 10 St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol BS1 4ZU. Opposite the Hippodrome by the water sprinklers. ROHR President attending. Contact: Ronald Oputeri 07799893695, Bridgita Mubaiwa 07789084534, Emelia Sydney 07733816947, Cecelia Ndhlovu 07545118593, Agnes Chidhakwa 07838773268, P Mapfumo 07915926323.

·       ROHR Derby general meeting. Saturday 18th September from 2 – 5.30 pm. Venue: St Augustine’s Church, Upper Dale Road, Derby DE23 8BP. ROHR executive members present so those with questions here is your chance. Contact Tsitsi Razawe 07773649330, Wonder Katurura 07858699224, P Chibanguza 07908406069 or P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070

·       ROHR Stoke-on-Trent general meeting. Saturday 18th September from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: Christ Church, Tunstall High Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 5XG.  ROHR executive members present. For info contact David R Mugwira 07833943494, Maxwell Dube 07533349840, Pauline Mtema 07850462301, Faith Pemba 07780594852, P Chibanguza 07908406069/07534626040 or P Mapfumo on 07915926323/07932216070

·       ROHR Yorkshire general meeting. Saturday 18th September  from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Dock Green Inn, Ashley  Rd , Leeds LS9 7AB. Contact Chinofunga Ndoga 07877993826, Prosper Mudamvanji 07897594874, Wonder Mubaiwa 07958758568,Donna Mugoni 07748828913 or R Chifungo 07795070609

·       IOM Live Video Conference with Returnees in Zimbabwe. Wednesday 22nd September from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm. Venue: International Organisation for Migration, 21 Westminster Palace Gardens, Artillery Row, London SW1P 1RR. Attendance is free, but registration is required. To confirm your attendance or for more information about the event, please call 020 7808 1083 or email infouk@iom.int.  Lunch will be provided.

·       ROHR Coventry general meeting. Saturday 25th September from 1 – 5 pm. Venue: 90a Paynes Lane, Coventry CV1 5JH. ROHR National Executive and a well known lawyer present. Contact V.J Mujeye 07534034594, Matambanashe Sibanda 07886660392, Pauline Makuwere 07575265710, P. Mapfumo 07932216070/07915926323 or P Chibanguza 07908406069.

·       ROHR Basildon and Thurrock general meeting. Saturday 25th September from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: WRVS, Richmond Road, BenfleetEssex. ROHR executive members present. Contact Tobokwa Malikogwa  07865156381, Nhamo E Kumumvuri 07623337115 or P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070.

·       LoveZim International Prayer Day. Sunday 26th September. LoveZim is asking that people join them in prayer for Zimbabwe on this day. For more information check: www.lovezim.com.

·       Zimbabwe Vigil’s 8th Anniversary. Saturday 9th October from 2 – 6 pm.

·       Vigil Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts

·       Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil

·       ‘Through the Darkness’, Judith Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe.  To receive a copy by post in the UK please email confirmation of your order and postal address to ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level students in Zimbabwe

·       Workshops aiming to engage African men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the Terrence Higgins Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the co-ordinator Takudzwa Mukiwa (takudzwa.mukiwa@tht.org.uk) if you are interested in taking part.

 

Vigil Co-ordinators

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.

 

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