The ZIMBABWE Situation
An extensive and up-to-date website containing news, views and links related to ZIMBABWE - a country in crisis
Please note: You need to have 'Active content' enabled in your IE browser in order to see the index of articles on this webpage
Magistrate cancels Tsvangirai’s marriage
certificate
Morgan Tsvangirai and Elizabeth
Macheka
By Tichaona Sibanda
14
September 2012
A Harare Magistrate on Friday
dealt Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai a blow when he cancelled his marriage
licence to Elizabeth Macheka. This put his wedding on Saturday on hold, pending
a High court appeal which was immediately lodged by Tsvangirai’s legal team. At
the time of writing late Friday, the appeal was still to be
heard.
Magistrate Munamato Mutedzi’s
judgement came as Heads of State and invited guests were making their way into
Harare for the MDC-T leader’s big day. Media reports said Botswana President Ian
Khama and the Swazi Prime Minister jetted into Harare on Friday
afternoon.
Our Harare correspondent
Simon Muchemwa told us his sources are claiming the wedding will continue,
without the signing of certificates. On Thursday the Prime Minister’ spokesman
Luke Tamborinyoka accused the state media of embarking on a smear campaign
against the MDC President.
This was after a South
African woman emerged on Thursday objecting to his wedding. Nosipho Regina
Shilubane, claimed Tsvangirai had in January promised to marry her in December
this year.
She filed an objection at the
Harare Magistrates’ Court against Tsvangirai’s wedding with Macheka. But before
the papers had been filed, the state media had already got copies and were
leaking out the information.
‘Today’s claim was lodged
with the newspapers before it was served on the PM’s lawyers and with the
magistrates’ court. There are those who have obviously sought to dip political
fingers in a social pie,’ Tamborinyoka said in statement.
Political analyst Pedzisai
Ruhanya told SW Radio Africa the relentless campaign against Tsvangirai is
testimony of an intimidated ZANU PF, using state institutions like the
CIO.
‘This is clearly coming from
organizations suffering from misplaced priorities and whose past time is
peddling rumours, half truths and disinformation,’ Ruhanya
said.
In a Statement on Friday
evening the MDC said:
Tsvangirai
‘ceremony’ to go ahead: MDC-T
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
14/09/2012 00:00:00
by Gilbert
Nyambabvu
A DEFIANT MDC-T has vowed that Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s
‘ceremonies’ will go ahead Saturday despite a Harare magistrate
ruling that
his planned wedding was illegal since he is still married to an
ex-flame.
Tsvangirai, 60, had invited a number of regional leaders for
his lavish
wedding to Elizabeth Macheka, 35, but the planned nuptials were
thrown into
disarray after an ex-lover approached the courts the block
ceremony.
Locardia Karatsenga insists she is married the MDC-T leader
under customary
law and the court ruled in her favour after she produced
video evidence of
the traditional marriage ceremony where Tsvangirai's
emissaries are shown
paying the bride price on his behalf.
"The
marriage licence that had been issued to the premier has been
cancelled.
There is in existence a customary law marriage between the prime
minister
and Locardia Karimatsenga," her lawyer Everson Samukange said.
"If he
(Tsvangirai) goes ahead with the wedding he will be committing
bigamy.”
But the MDC-T vowed that the planned ceremonies would go ahead
despite
threats by Karimatsenga’s lawyers to have Tsvangirai
arrested.
“The MDC family has received the decision of the Harare
Magistrate to cancel
the marriage licence of the Prime Minister. The MDC
respects the ruling of
the court,” the party said in a statement
Friday.
“However, (the party) respectfully disagrees with this ruling and
is happy
that Tsvangirai’s lawyers have taken this matter up on
appeal.
“The party is happy to announce that the ceremonies set for
tomorrow at
Raintree and Glamis Stadium (in Harare will go) ahead as
planned.”
The court however, dismissed a related case by a South African
woman who
claimed the MDC-T leader promised to marry
her.
Tsvangirai’s lawyers said they would challenge the annulment of his
marriage
licence at the High Court.
"The court made its ruling and now we
don't agree with it," Thabani Mpofu,
one of the lawyers, told reporters. "We
are going to launch an urgent High
Court application, which will be heard
either tonight or tomorrow morning
before the wedding."
But
Karimatsenga’s attorneys have since warned they would seek to have the
MDC-T
leader arrested if he goes ahead with the wedding.
"It has now been
brought to our attention that the Honourable Prime Minister
has committed a
criminal offence by contravening Section 104 of the Criminal
Law
(Codification and Reform) Act,” Jonathan Samukange of Venturas and
Samukange
law firm wrote in a letter to the Attorney General Thursday.
"In the
circumstances, we request you in terms of the Constitution of
Zimbabwe to
direct and order the police to arrest Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai for
contravening the said section."
He added: "Could this matter be attended
to urgently as we understand that
the Honourable PM intends to persist in
this criminal conduct on Saturday
September 15, 2012.
"It is
important in this case that the PM be made to answer to these
criminal
charges. He is a leader of a political party and leader of this
country and
which he took oath to obey and respect the laws of Zimbabwe.
"The oath
that he took during swearing in as Prime Minister is that he must
obey all
the laws of Zimbabwe and he has actually committed a criminal
offence.”
The MDC-T says the court interdict is “part of a grand
political scheme to
besmirch, to malign and to soil the image of the Prime
Minister for
political gain.”
“Prime Minister Tsvangirai will brave
these political machinations and he
gives his assurance that they will not
sway him from his goal of bringing
real change and transformation to the
people of Zimbabwe,” the MDC-T leader’s
spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka,
said in a statement Friday.
Smear campaign against PM intensifies
http://www.mdc.co.zw
Friday, 14
September 2012
In
the past week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has faced two interdicts
to
stop his wedding in what is clearly a well-choreographed move replete
with
malice and vindictiveness.
It is evident these are not normal claims, but
nevertheless, the Prime
Minister’s lawyers have opposed them, including
another one curiously lodged
soon after Ms Lorcadia Karimatsenga had had her
application dismissed by the
High Court.
As you are aware, the Prime
Minister lost his wife of 31 years through a
fatal accident in
2009.
The Prime Minister would like to thank Zimbabweans across the
political
divide and across the social spectrum for their support since his
bereavement until the latest tribulations.
As a widower, he has
sought to move on and in the process there have been
several claims, some of
which are out-rightly malicious.
The latest claim, for example, has
sought to wrongfully allege that the
complainant had engaged with Prime
Minister Tsvangirai. This is false.
Some of the claims are part of a
grand political scheme to besmirch, to
malign and to soil the image of the
Prime Minister for political gain.
Today’s claim was lodged with the
newspapers before it was served on the
PM’s lawyers and with the
magistrates’ court. There are those who have
obviously sought to dip
political fingers in a social pie.
Zimbabweans are pleased that the PM
has now found a rightful companion with
whom he publicly engaged; a loved
one he will publicly wed on Saturday.
The past week alone has seen an
outpouring of messages of support and
prayers to the PM and his wife from
Zimbabweans of many political shades.
The PM and his family are humbled by
the support, which has also come from
the region and the international
community.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai will brave these political
machinations and he
gives his assurance that they will not sway him from his
goal of bringing
real change and transformation to the people of
Zimbabwe.
Luke Tamborinyoka
Principal Director of Communications and
Spokesperson
Office of the Prime Minister
Zimbabwe’s
president says he has turned to China for military defense
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
By Associated
Press, Updated: Saturday, September 15, 4:40 AM
HARARE, Zimbabwe —
Zimbabwe’s president says his country turned to China to
beef up its
military training capabilities after what he called threats of
an invasion
from Western countries intending to lead to “regime change.”
President
Robert Mugabe said Friday at the opening of a Chinese-built
military
training academy north of Harare that “hate-filled tactics” by the
West have
acted as a “wake-up call” for the country to strengthen its
defense.
Zimbabwe received a $98 million loan from China to build the
sprawling
complex.
China wants the loan repaid over 13 years from diamonds being
mined by
Chinese companies in eastern Zimbabwe.
Mugabe said the new
National Defence College will act as a “think tank” on
security matters
under threat from Western enemies whose “adventurism went
to the extent of
seeking a military invasion of Zimbabwe.”
Mugabe
‘disrespectful, misguided’: Jamaica PM
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
14/09/2012 00:00:00
by
Jamaica-gleaner.com
JAMAICAN Prime Minister, Portia Simpson
Miller, has dismissed as
"disrespectful and misguided" controversial
comments made by President
Robert Mugabe about Jamaican men while the
country’s opposition is demanding
a full apology from the Zimbabwean
leader.
A week after Mugabe's comments triggered intense public debate,
Simpson
Miller hit back saying the Zimbabwean leader's remarks were
untrue.
Mugabe had last week Wednesday labelled Jamaican men as
underachievers who
get high on ganja, drunk on alcohol, refuse to go to
college and spend time
twisting their hair.
Simpson Miller said
Thursday Mugabe's statement was disrespectful to the
hundreds of thousands
of Jamaican men who are excellent fathers,
professionals and outstanding
citizens.
In a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, Simpson
Miller said
Mugabe's remarks, "regardless of whether they were spoken 'in
jest' as was
stated" in Wednesday's edition of NewZimbabwe.com, "were
grossly
unfortunate, misguided and untrue".
It took eight days, since
the president's controversial remarks, for Jamaica
House to confirm through
"exhaustive checks" by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade
that Mugabe made the uncomplimentary comments
about Jamaican men at the
launch of a 2012 Research and Intellectual
Institute Expo in,
Harare.
Said Simpson Miller: "We are confident that the remarks of
President Mugabe
do not represent the sentiments of the people of Zimbabwe,
other African
countries and the rest of the world."
She added: "Our
confidence is predicated on the fact that there are many
outstanding and
globally accepted examples of the character and contribution
of Jamaican men
who have set the benchmark as exceptional achievers."
However, opposition
leader Andrew Holness suggested that the prime
minister's statement on was
inadequate.
"We should send an official letter of protest and ask for an
apology in
expressing our disgust and dissatisfaction at the statement," the
opposition
leader insisted.
He argued that Mugabe's utterances could
have international implications,
noting that people who read his comments in
the Zimbabwean press could form
a particular view about
Jamaicans.
"We have Brand Jamaica to protect and that statement is
certainly not
helping Brand Jamaica," Holness stressed.
He said at
the time Mugabe's comments were made, there was no clarification
to suggest
they were made in jest.
"If it were said in jest and there is an
acknowledgement that the comments
created, 'to use a euphemism, discomfort'
for Jamaicans or were untrue, then
it should not be a difficulty for Mugabe
to apologise. Indeed, the apology
should be automatic."
Holness said
the prime minister should also consider reviewing the
membership in the
Order of Jamaica given to Mugabe.
"I think the PM should take a look at it
... the terms on which the order
was given and to see whether or not his
record actually deserves having the
order."
Amnesty says Zimbabwe police detained 300
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
HARARE —
Amnesty International said on Friday Zimbabwe police had
indiscriminately
detained over 300 people this week and randomly beaten
people in an
crackdown on gangs in the capital.
The arrests in Harare came amid high
tensions between security forces and
violent gangs of mini-bus touts who
enjoyed relative impunity because of
their ties with President Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party, Amnesty said.
Police were "roaming the streets, carrying out
random beatings and
whippings, which is absolutely unacceptable," said Noel
Kututwa, southern
Africa director for the London-based human rights
group.
He urged the government to "act immediately to bring the police under
control".
Amnesty said witnesses had reported that riot and military
police had beaten
"innocent" people this week as they sought to arrest touts
at mini-bus
stations after clashes with the police and the army.
"The 308
people already detained must be brought before a court
immediately," Kututwa
said of those locked up Wednesday.
"Innocent members of the public also
arrested during the police action must
be released immediately and
unconditionally."
He said the police attempt to restore law and order "has
resulted in further
chaos".
Amnesty said mini-bus touts had beaten two
soldiers, and this had prompted
revenge attacks by a group of about 20
soldiers early this week.
Kututwa called the recent events the "tip of the
iceberg".
"Gangs linked to President Mugabe's ZANU-PF party have been
enjoying total
impunity for human rights abuses against their political
opponents and
members of the public," said Kututwa.
"The culture of
impunity that permeates Zimbabwe's security forces needs to
be urgently
addressed.
"In the run-up to the constitutional referendum and elections,
when tensions
are high, it is imperative that Zimbabwe is policed by a body
that upholds
the highest standards of impartiality."
Zimbabwe is this
year expected to hold a referendum on a proposed
constitution to pave the
way for elections next year.
The police were not immediately available to
comment.
Media
groups slam establishment of ‘disciplinary’ council
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex
Bell
14 September 2012
Media groups in Zimbabwe have slammed the
establishment of a Media Council
that they have warned will further restrict
the work of independent
journalists and press houses across the
country.
The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), whose board includes
notorious media
‘hangman’ Tafataona Mahoso, launched the new media council
on Thursday. The
commission appointed 13 councillors, including the
Zimpapers CEO Justin
Mutasa and Happison Muchechetere, the CEO of Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Holdings.
Journalist Henry Muradzikwa chairs the council and
he has pledged to close
the gap between the state and private
media.
“There is a dichotomy between the state and private media. We must
play our
part not to perpetuate that division,” he said at the launch of the
council
on Thursday.
Also speaking at the launch, ZMC chairman
Godfrey Majonga said media
stakeholders had called for the inclusion of
specific clauses that
guaranteed freedom of expression and access to
information in the new
Constitution.
But independent media groups,
like the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe,
have raised concern. The MMPZ
said in a statement that it is “opposed to the
establishment of this council
on the grounds that it is an instrument of the
notorious Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which
continues to be
used to stifle all media activity in Zimbabwe.”
“This Act purports to
regulate media activity, but in fact controls who can
and cannot practice
journalism and criminalizes offenders. The establishment
of the media
council will give the Commission additional powers to punish
registered
journalists and media houses who violate an as-yet-to-be-declared
Code of
Conduct. Such a repressive law severely diminishes Zimbabweans’
rights to
freedom of expression and is unnecessary in a democratic society,”
the MMPZ
said.
These concerns have been echoed by the Voluntary Media Council, an
independent group set up by media players in Zimbabwe. The Voluntary group’s
Executive Director, Takura Zhangazha, told SW Radio Africa that the new
council was “established in terms of AIPPA and therefore its role is to
criminalise media.” He said they “do not, in any way, recognise the
legitimacy of this council.”
He said the ZMC, together with
repressive laws like AIPPA, “only limit and
do not expand freedom of
expression.”
“The concerns are that the media reform programme of the
unity government
has been primarily cosmetic and it has not dealt with
fundamental issues of
true democratic reform. That means that ahead of
elections, the fundamental
attitude of the security services will be the
same, seeking to arrest
journalists, seeking to criminalise the media
profession, because the laws
are still the same,” Zhangazha said.
ZANU
PF cannot set agenda for COPAC—Mwonzora
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
14
September 2012
MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora has said ZANU PF cannot
set the agenda for
COPAC by telling them what documents to bring to the
Second All Stakeholders
Conference.
Following the party’s politburo
meeting on Wednesday ZANU PF resolved that
the national report, based on the
outreach program, be published and
accompany the COPAC draft to the Second
All Stakeholders’ Conference.
This, the party said, was the only way
Zimbabweans could compare what they
said during the outreach with what is in
the draft.
But speaking to SW Radio Africa’s Election Watch program on
Friday, the
Nyanga North MP and COPAC co-chairman said Article VI of the GPA
makes it
clear that the constitution making process is a parliamentary
one.
‘For that reason the Speaker of Parliament appointed COPAC, so the
only
person who can direct us in this case is the speaker and not MDC-T,
MDC-N or
ZANU PF. Therefore demanding a national report at this stage is
clearly to
undermine parliament which is legally mandated with receiving the
report
from COPAC,’ Mwonzora said.
Mwonzora also dismissed as
ridiculous attempts by the Federation of
Non-Governmental Organisations
(FONGO) to use the Supreme Court to force
them to release the outreach
National Statistical Report to the public.
FONGO president Goodson Nguni,
a well known ZANU PF fanatic, said the draft
constitution that was released
by COPAC is a violation of the people’s
freedom of expression. He added that
political parties should not speak on
behalf of the people but that the
national statistics report should be
released so that the views of the
people can be made known.
Mwonzora said: ‘That is a skimpy application.
After dismally failing to
convince all right thinking Zimbabweans to back
it’s amended draft, ZANU PF
has turned its machinery into demanding a
national report.
By definition a national report is a record of
everything that happens in a
process. That means in the case of COPAC the
national report must record
among other things, what happened at the First
Stakeholders Conference, the
public outreach, the drafting stage and what
will happen or be resolved at
the Second All Stakeholders Conference,’
explained Mwonzora.
He added: ‘The demands for the national report at
this stage are premature,
misplaced and meant to mislead the people.
Further, the reliance on figures
in the national statistical outreach
report, without any accompanying
information on the atmosphere of the
meetings, is basically meaningless. It
is being resorted to by people
fetching for reasons to discredit the
process.’
Mwonzora was
referring the many reports of blatant intimidation at the
outreach meetings
and the fact that ZANU PF supporters were often bussed in
and told what to
say.
ZPF
linked parastatal to prospect for more diamonds
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex
Bell
14 September 2012
A government investment parastatal with strong
ZANU PF links has been
granted special permission to prospect for more
diamonds, amid ongoing
concern about illicit activity in current diamond
mining operations.
The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has
been handed a special
grant from the government, with the intention to
prospect in an area
covering 1.8 million hectares. The area is believed to
be rich in diamond
and gold deposits. ZMDC chairperson Goodwills
Masimirembwa, a legal expert
linked to ZANU PF, confirmed the
development.
“The 1.8 million hectares cover Marange, Chimanimani and
Checheche, right up
to the point where Save River goes into Mozambique. They
are all highly
prospective for diamonds,” Masimirembwa was quoted by the
state media as
saying.
Political analyst Clifford Mashiri said that
the ZMDC is “an arm of ZANU PF
which is being used as if it is a government
venture to acquire shares in
international ventures.”
“The ZMDC is a
fishing line used to hook big fish and those who consume the
fish are ZANU
PF themselves,” Mashiri said.
He said this was clearly revealed in the
Chiadzwa diamond mines, where the
ZMDC was originally touted as the state
arm of joint venture operations
there. This was mean to ensure that the
national Treasury received
remittances from the joint ventures. But it has
since emerged that the ZMDC
is no longer involved in at least two of the
three ventures the government
was meant to be a part of.
“This is why
we are arguing that ZMDC is arm of ZANU PF and used to reach
out for
something it values in the areas of mines and minerals. That is a
worrying
factor because these are not resources going to rest of the
country,”
Mashiri said.
Magura
son sentenced to community service in Mudzi North
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
14 September 2012
Mike Magura, the son of murdered MDC-T
ward chairman Cephas Magura, has been
sentenced to perform community service
at Nyamapanda Clinic, as punishment
for defending himself against two ZANU
PF thugs who attacked him on
Wednesday.
Magura was attacked by two
thugs known as Kambambaira and Bhobho, who were
part of a group of nine
arrested after Mike’s father Cephas was murdered at
Chimukoko Business
Centre in May.
The attack was instigated by a ZANU PF mob that disrupted
a rally being held
by the MDC-T at Chimukoko Business Centre in Mudzi North.
The others remain
in detention, but Kambambaira and Bhobho were later
released.
It was later revealed the two thugs are lackeys of Mudzi North
MP Newton
Kachepa, who allegedly used his truck to transport ZANU PF
supporters to
Chimukoko on the day Magura died. Reports say they were
rewarded by the
party with jobs at a parking bay.
It was while they
were working at the parking bay Wednesday that Kambambaira
and Bhobho
spotted Mike Magura and began poking fun at him, taunting him
about his
father’s death and support of the MDC-T. A physical fight broke
out and all
three were rounded up by the police. But the ZANU PF members
were released
without charge.
The partisan behavior by police, where they arrest the
victim of a crime
because they support the MDC-T, has been documented on
many occasions and
continues to be one of the contentious issues in
negotiations for a roadmap
to free and fair elections.
Committee
Tasked with Writing New Constitution Dragged To Supreme
Court
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Blessing Zulu & Mark Peter
Nthambe
14.09.2012
The Zimbabwe Supreme court is expected Monday to
hear a case compelling the
country’s Parliamentary Select committee tasked
with writing a new
constitution to avail within 10 days a detailed report
with views of the
people gathered in the outreach phase of the
constitution-making process.
A Zanu-PF linked group - the Federation of
Non-Governmental organizations
filed papers in the court
Thursday.
The group’s president, Goodson Nguni in his founding affidavit,
argued that
he and other citizens were bein, “hindered in the enjoyment of
their
constitutional rights to freedom of expression by COPAC’s failure or
refusal
to publish the national statistical report on the outcome of the
outreach
programme.”
The court action follows a similar resolution by
the zanu-pf politburo that
the national report be published and tied to the
copac draft constitution to
the second all-stakeholders’
conference.
Analysts have accused Zanu-PF of trying to frustrate the
constitution-making
process. But Nguni told VOA that COPAC is deliberately
ignoring people’s
views.
COPAC spokeswoman Jessie Majome dismissed the
court case as a waste of time.
WOZA
leaders walk out on cops
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
AT noon on 12th September 300 members of Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were
prevented from conducting a peaceful protest
to The Chronicle in Bulawayo.
Three small groups that managed to arrive at
the Chronicle but were quickly
dispersed by Riot Police with raised baton
sticks. In 5 parts of the Central
business district Riot Police were
standing in groups of 4 carrying baton
sticks and obviously ready to stop
the protests as they began.
14.09.12
01:02pm
by Staff
Reporter
A block away, WOZA national coordinator, Jenni Williams was
standing alone
when 4 police officers surrounded her. One of these police
officers had
arrested Williams on 21 September 2011 while shopping in an
Electrical shop.
On that day, 30 minutes previously he had also arrested
Magodonga Mahlangu.
Both activists were then charged with Kidnap and
Theft, charges that are
still being prosecuted in 2012.
On the 12
September, he once again refused to give his name but asked,
"Jennifer what
are you planning here?" To which Williams replied, "What are
you doing here
beating people?" The other police officers then started to
lecture Williams
on the need for WOZA to notify police before any protest. A
legal argument
ensured. One the officers then announced that the Officer
Commanding of
Bulawayo, Central Assistant chief Inspector Rangwani wanted to
see Williams.
The police officers then escort her to the station on foot.
As they began
to walk, Magodonga Mahlangu arrived and asked Williams what
was happening.
It was at this point that a further legal argument ensued.
Williams
advised Mahlangu that it seemed she was under arrest.
The officers said
she was not but then refused to allow her to go and
reschedule the meeting
with the chief Inspector.
As the two arrived at the police station, eight
members entered the station
in solidarity bringing the number 'arrested' to
10. They were taken to the
chief inspector Rangwani's office and they were
told he would be arriving
shortly. Lawyers were deployed to represent the
activists but were denied
access. A two and a half hour circus then ensued
with the activists being
told they were being charged but some officers
refusing to charge them,
mentioning the letter of complaint filed the week
before. The arresting
officers then stage-managed the separation of Williams
and Mahlangu from the
other 8. The 8 and other activists outside were
rounded up by a Riot squad
and force marched to the bus terminus.
The
WOZA leaders who were now back in the OC Rangwani office were still
unable
to access their lawyers. Finally two senior officers seated
themselves in
the OC chair and surprisingly asked the two if they had wanted
a meeting
with the OC. Williams then asked the whereabouts of OC Rangwani,
the
officers admitted he was on leave. The WOZA leaders then stood up and
said,
'as we are told we are not formally under arrest we are now leaving
and will
be submitting a further letter of complaint." Williams then left
her phone
number for a meeting to be scheduled and the two activists walked
out of the
police station.
WOZA wish to draw attention to the disparate police
response between the
police at Parliament in Harare and the Bulawayo police.
On 12 September it
was obvious that the WOZA leaders were arrested to
prevent their exercising
their right to protest. This right is provided by
constitutional law
buttressed by Supreme Court ruling of
2010 after
legal action taken by Williams and Mahlangu. 'Once again police
in Bulawayo
have acted overzealously and acted to discriminate against WOZA
members from
Bulawayo which is regional and tribal discrimination.
See the complaint
against the police at
http://wozazimbabwe.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/WOZA-complain-of-police-h
arrasment-ZRP-Jomic.pdf
Ends
14
September 2012 For more information, please call Jenni Williams on
+263
772 898 110 or +263 712 213885 Magodonga Mahlangu +263 772 362
668. Or
email info@wozazimbabwe.org or wozazimbabwe@yahoo.com or
wozazimbabwe@googlemail.com. Visit
our website at www.wozazimbabwe.org.
You
can also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/wozazimbabwe or like us on
Facebook.
MDC-T
want SADC and A.U. to supervise Constitutional Conference
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
14 September 2012
The MDC-T has called for regional and
international supervision of the
Constitutional reform process, following a
deadlock between the MDC
formations and ZANU PF, over which draft of the new
charter to proceed with.
A statement from the MDC-T said they feared a
faction of ZANU PF is planning
to “cause chaos and mayhem at the Second All
Stakeholders Conference so as
to collapse the process”.
They also
claimed that the police, led by Commissioner Chihuri, “would be
too glad to
watch idly while the ZANU PF thugs harass the delegates to the
conference”.
As a result the party said they insist that the
executive, meaning Robert
Mugabe, “ensure that satisfactory mechanisms are
put in place to stop the
criminal elements from disturbing the
conference”.
In addition, the MDC-T insists that SADC, the African Union
and the
international community supervise and monitor the Second All
Stakeholders
Conference, with assurances that all the necessary security
arrangements
have been made.
The party’s secretary for elections,
Seiso Moyo, told SW Radio Africa that
it is public knowledge that elements
within ZANU PF tried to disrupt the
first All Stakeholders Conference in
2009 and the party is seeing the same
signs of resistance and refusal to
follow the GPA.
“Our concern now is really from the point of view of
elections. We want a
free and fair process. And this conference being part
of that electoral
process, if it is disturbed, then we don’t see a Zimbabwe
in which people
can make those kinds of decisions freely and fairly,” Moyo
explained.
Meanwhile there continues to be confusion over what the ZANU
PF politburo
has decided to do about the deadlocked Constitutional
process.
According to the Herald, the Politburo resolved to take the
COPAC draft to
the Second All Stakeholders Conference and also want the
national report,
based on the outreach program, to be published. They insist
this is the only
way people could see if their views are represented in the
draft.
But ZBC reported that the Politburo ‘resolved’ to stand by its
amended
draft, even though there was no consensus among the Principles. ZBC
quoted
ZANU PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Rugare Gumbo,
saying:
“Failure by the principals to come up with a consensus will result
in a
stakeholders meeting deciding on the COPAC or the audited draft.”
Zanu
PF, MDC-T clash over economy
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
14/09/2012 00:00:00
by Moses
Chibaya
EMPOWERMENT Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has
dismissed the MDC-T’s new
economic blue-print as a half-baked political
gimmick aimed at hoodwinking
Zimbabweans ahead of next year’s
elections.
The MDC-T is planning the launch of its JUICE (Jobs,
Upliftment, Investment,
Capital and Ecology) blueprint which the party
insists will help take the
country’s economy out of the woods.
But
Kasukuwere said: “The MDC-T is fooling the people of Zimbabwe; you
cannot
come up with a policy which is half baked and planned for you by
foreigners
to compromise the aspirations of our people.
“We have a government policy
(Indigenisation and economic empowerment); it
came as a result of years of
discussions. But nNow they tell us that they
have their JUICE
policy.
“What they are simply saying is that they continue to oppose the
empowerment
of our people. They continue to send a message that they do not
believe in
this policy.”
However, MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora
retorted: “Firstly, Kasukuwere
is intellectually unsuited to evaluate an
economic document.
“The MDC thrust on its economic blue print is to put
an emphasis on the
creation of jobs because the unemployment rate is more
than 80 per cent.
“We need policies that lead to the opening of mines,
revival of industry as
well as bring in international businesses; that way
we will create
employment.
Still, Kasukuwere countered: “The MDC will
never come up with policies that
make sense because we know they are not
genuine. How will they convince
their whites that we want to empower our
people?
“We will not change (our policies) we already have instruments
that carter
for foreigners who want to come and invest in Zimbabwe - we are
talking
about entrepreneurs who create the jobs.”
Zimbabwe’s economy
has enjoyed steady, if marginal, growth since the
formation of the coalition
government in 2009 and the adoption of foreign
currencies in place of a
virtually worthless local unit.
But the recovery has not come with jobs
and unemployment remains high with
most companies still operating at levels
well below capacity due to the lack
of capital.
Again, the growth
registered over the last few years has begun to falter
with Finance Minister
Tendai Biti recently admitting that projections for
the year would not be
met on the back of poor revenue inflows and the lack
of international
budgetary support.
Top economic analyst John Robertson said Zimbabwe
needs to concentrate on
ensuring the operating environment was encouraging
of new investment.
“To fix the deeply entrenched problems, we have to
deal with the basic
issues, so the required recovery plans should, first,
concentrate on the
policy changes needed to place the Rule of Law onto a
sound footing and to
repeal all laws and regulations that discourage
investors,” he said.
“The important point here is that job creation
depends upon investment.
Investors can go anywhere in the world, so we have
to make them want to stay
here, or come here.
“We therefore need to
get rid of any laws or attitudes that interfere with
the acquisition,
ownership and marketability of property. In this regard,
all forms of
property count, whether these are areas of land, mining claims,
financial
instruments or company shares,” he said.
Robertson added: “If Zimbabwe
had forward-looking policies that showed a
commitment to restore an
attractive investment climate, its officials would
have no difficulty
inviting experts to make estimates of the time and
funding that would be
needed to restore each utility and service.”
R1-billion Zimbabwe loan
controversial but strategic
http://mg.co.za/
14 SEP 2012 07:31 - LYNLEY
DONNELLY
Zimbabwe's appeal for financial assistance puts South Africa in
a position
to make requests for political change in the cash-strapped
country.
It follows a request from Swaziland for a loan of
R2.4-billion that was
first mooted in 2011. This was after its main source
of revenue, payments
from the Southern African Customs Union, fell sharply
during the economic
recession. The tiny kingdom has also faced financial
administration
problems, which contributed to pro-democracy challenges to
billionaire King
Mswati III's rule.
Whether Zimbabwe succeeds in its
plea will only be revealed following a
meeting later this month between
Gordhan and his Zimbabwean counterpart,
Tendai Biti. The situation in the
country is fraught under the coalition
government of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) and Robert Mugabe's
Zanu-PF.
Media reports
suggest that Biti is looking for nearly R1-billion from South
Africa, but
neither the treasury nor the department of international
relations and
co-operation would confirm this.
Civil society organisations and trade
union federation Cosatu have
criticised assistance for
Swaziland.
Potential aid to a second neighbour with a questionable human
rights and
governance record is bound to raise eyebrows. But given that
Zimbabwe is in
a critical transitional phase, "hopefully" towards a
post-Mugabe governance
arrangement, support at this time could constitute a
strategic investment in
a more democratic future, said Peter Draper, senior
research fellow at the
South African Institute for International
Affairs.
Losing substantial credibility
Failure to secure funding
could mean the MDC, which is responsible for the
country's finances, could
lose substantial credibility domestically if the
government went technically
insolvent, said Draper. "Zanu-PF would be
encouraged to ramp up off-budget
revenue sources, with all that implies for
democratic
governance."
Any proposed loan could come with political conditions,
although it was not
clear what these would be, he said. At a minimum, he
posited that South
Africa might want to corral Zanu-PF back into
constitutional negotiations.
"Their reaction to potential conditions
would be another interesting
dimension that could undermine South Africa's
mediation effort," said
Draper. "These are hard choices for the South
African government, which
should not be trivialised into black-and-white
categories."
The loan to Swaziland is yet to be finalised, despite a
memorandum of
understanding signed in June.
In response to a
parliamentary question in early August, Gordhan said
assistance to Swaziland
would take "the form of a conditional loan from the
South African Reserve
Bank to the Central Bank of Swaziland".
The memorandum, which outlined "a
set of political, fiscal, collaborative
and capacity-building measures that
the respective parties must pursue",
governed the Swaziland loan, he
said.
Still negotiating
Two agreements needed to be signed. The first
is the loan agreement between
the respective central bank governors and the
second is the financial
conditions agreement between the respective
ministers of finance. Neither
has been finalised and the financial
authorities of the two countries were
still negotiating, the treasury
said.
Loan repayments are intended to begin in 2015 with a debit order
that is
placed on Swaziland's Southern African Customs Union revenue shares,
according to the treasury.
It is not clear what the obstacles in
negotiations are.
The state has not outlined the detailed terms of the
recently signed
memorandum of understanding, but in its responses to
requests for comment
the international relations and co-operation department
indicated that
Swaziland had to fulfil conditions articulated in a statement
the treasury
made in 2011.
These included confidence-building
measures such as promoting economic and
social development, multilateral
co-operation, democracy, human rights and
good governance, as well as
instituting fiscal and related technical reforms
that the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) requires. Swaziland is also
expected to receive
capacity-building support from South Africa and
cooperate in multilateral
engagement with institutions such as the World
Bank and the African
Development Bank.
Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the international
relations and
cooperation department, confirmed that no payments had been
made to
Swaziland.
Monyela said there was no decision on whether
South Africa would grant the
loan to Zimbabwe or apply any conditions to
it.
In 2008, South Africa loaned Zimbabwe R300-million through the
African
Renaissance Fund to support agricultural development. The department
manages
the fund and, according to Monyela, it is part of a series of
packages
granted to boost sustainable development on the
continent.
"The funded projects are being monitored and evaluated on a
continuous basis
to ensure that the objectives of the renaissance fund are
achieved and that
the finances are applied in the manner for which they were
intended," he
said.
A budget support grant of R300-million was
granted to Zimbabwe in 2009 to
pay for the rehabilitation of municipal
infrastructure, including water
reticulation, health services and education.
Zimbabwe:
$1bn bailout bet baffles Harare bankers
http://blogs.ft.com/
September 14, 2012 10:58 am by Tony
Hawkins
Since dollarisation in 2009, policymakers in Zimbabwe have failed
to solve
the problems created by weak banks in a bankrupt econokmy with an
overcrowded financial sector. Policy – driven by politicians not
technocrats – has been decidedly populist.
It is familiar bank-bashing
(over excessive charges, punitive interest rates
and a reluctance to lend to
SMEs) and politicians demanding rescue packages
for banks that get into
trouble. Four banks including the country’s biggest
have turned to the
government for help in the last two years. Now there’s a
new plan to set up
a fund for bad loans with a Dubai investment company’s
help.
Government’s
finances are under intense strain – so much so that last week
finance
minister Tendai Biti appealed to South Africa for a $100m loan. As a
result
it has had to fall back on unconventional means to keep troubled
banks
afloat. One soft touch has been to resort to the state-owned National
Social
Security Association (NSSA) which has helped rescue two banks; a
third was
bailed out temporarily by some of the healthy banks.
Now Biti is trying to
put a long-term bailout fund together in partnership
with a Dubai-based
private equity fund, Global Emerging Markets. The plan is
to set up a $1bn
fund, the Zimbabwe Resolution Corporation, financed by a
ten-year bond issue
backed by a government guarantee. Banks would be
required to support the
fund with a 2 per cent levy on their risk-weighted
assets.
The ZRC would
then purchase the bad loans of the banking system – that are
heavily
concentrated in the hands of locally-owned or indigenous banks. In
mid-
year, non-performing loans were $350m or 12.3 per cent of total bank
lending. Eight of the country’s 24 banks had NPLs in excess of this average
including six where bad loans exceeded a quarter of total lending.
The
plan is getting a mixed press. Critics say the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s
call for a radical increase in bank capital from $12.5m now (for commercial
banks) to $100m by mid-2014 is the way to go. They point out that the weak
banks have been under strain for years and should either be merged with, or
taken over by, the stronger units. “This rescue fund is just postponing the
inevitable,” said one leading banker this week.
Others ask how an
insolvent state – Zimbabwe’s external debt exceeds 110 per
cent of GDP, with
arrears of 70 per cent of GDP – can guarantee the ZRC
bonds, especially at a
time when the government is asking South Africa for a
loan. Does that mean –
they ask – that the South African Reserve Bank has
now taken on the role of
Zimbabwe’s lender of last resort?
The financial rational behind GEM’s plan is
unclear to many banking
observers. The fund is based on the optimistic
assumption that today’s bad
bank loans will become tomorrow’s good ones –
that somehow bank creditors
will be able to repay the ZRC so that the
Zimbabwe government – and other
investors, including the unfortunate NSSA,
will not have to pick up the tab
at some time in the future.
Hard-headed
bankers are deeply cynical, especially so since a disturbingly
high
proportion of the bad loans is made up of insider lending to friends,
family, employees and bank-owned businesses. The suggestion mooted by
officials that local investors, including pension funds, will buy the bonds
looks fanciful, and is unlikely to be realised unless the bonds pay a
minimum of ten per cent.
The disappointment is that Zimbabwe needs bank
restructuring, not a bailout
fund to keep alive those whose life-support
systems should have been
switched off months, if not years, ago.
The
Chinese, prisons and unrest
http://www.cathybuckle.com/
September 14, 2012, 1:58 pm
The news
that the Chinese are set to take over several prisons in Harare,
including
Chikurubi, the maximum security prison, came as quite a shock. The
impression given by the headline was misleading, it’s not the prison
buildings the Chinese want but the sites with their proximity to population
centres and trading opportunities where the Chinese will build shopping
malls and hotels and, much more sinister, an arms factory. In return, the
Chinese have pledged to build new prisons and in view of the appalling state
of Zimbabwe’s prisons, that might not be a bad thing. AIDS campaigner
Douglas Muzenenanamo who is himself HIV positive is taking the police chief
and the prison commander to court to force prisons to give AIDS patients
their medication. Muzenanamo describes how when he was in prison he only
received medication after his lawyer intervened and even then he was not
given the tablets at the correct time. Failure to take the medication on
time and in the correct order may lead to severe complications in the
patient’s condition, leading even to death. The truth is that conditions are
so bad in Zimbabwe’s prisons with severe over-crowding that it is possible
that a whole range of diseases are contracted inside prisons. We know from
the general population in Zimbabwe that understanding how the AIDS virus
works requires a robust information campaign. Perhaps prison guards are
unaware of the importance of regular medication for those unfortunate
prisoners who are suffering from AIDS?
The state of the prisons and
the danger of contracting diseases can only
worsen the plight of the 29 MDC
activists who have been in prison for over a
year on charges of having
killed a policeman. The lawyer of the Glen View 29
as they are called
presented a fresh application for bail to the High Court
this week. The
recent unrest on Harare’s streets will no doubt mean an
increase in prison
numbers. It is reported that the police have taken it
upon themselves to
attack suspects in an attempt to extract the names of the
people who beat up
two police officers last week. In all probability it was
the notorious
Chipangano gang who assaulted the police officers but
Chipangano are, as we
know, unlikely to be prosecuted for their crimes; they
are supporters of
Zanu PF. In fact, four soldiers are currently under arrest
for assaulting
members of the gang while other soldiers mount revenge
attacks on commuter
bus touts.
It is not only the capital that is experiencing unrest in
Zimbabwe. Remote
places such as Mudzi North in Mash East are also involved
in disturbances.
In Bulawayo, once the industrial heartland of the country,
firms are closing
all the time and the city centre is crowded with vendors
selling anything
they can lay their hands on to earn some cash. With the
economy teetering on
the edge of bankruptcy, the Finance Minister, Tendayi
Biti is desperately
trying to borrow money to pay civil servants. Now comes
the news that
unemployment is calculated to be an unbelievable 95% of the
population.
True or not, the situation is dire and it is hardly surprising
that no one
wants to lend money to a collapsing state. South Africa has
apparently
refused and are themselves under attack for selling arms to
Zimbabwe.
Tendayi Biti was apparently on his way to Australia to see if
Julia Gillard
would be more receptive to his pleas for help. The fact that
Zimbabwe has
the second biggest diamond field in the world means that no one
quite
believes the government claims that they are broke.
Some
comfort might be gained from the fact that at least we now have a free
press
– or do we? Webster Shamu is on record saying that newspapers will be
closed
if they continue to denigrate Mugabe. “There is no need of attacking
the
president or the leadership for no reason,” he said, “This is an abuse
of
freedom.” Shamu’s definition of freedom applies only to those who approve
of
Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe while prison is reserved for opponents, such as
the Woza women arrested this week or MDC supporters arrested on trumped-up
charges.
Yours in the (continuing) struggle Pauline Henson
Bill Watch 43/2012 of 14th September [Current Representation in Parliament - Impact if Vacancies are Filled]
BILL WATCH 43/2012
[14th September 2012]
Current
Party Representation in Parliament
Impact
if Vacancies are Filled
Could one party alone
get the draft constitution they want through Parliament? A constitutional change must be approved by
“the affirmative votes of not less than
two-thirds of the total membership of each House” [Constitution, section
52(3)]. “Total membership” means the numbers in
each House specified in the Constitution, i.e., 215 in the House of Assembly and
99 in the Senate. This has raised
questions about voting strengths in Parliament and if by-elections would make a
significant difference.
Current Party Representation in Parliament
[For details of vacancies see further below]
House of Assembly
16 vacant seats, leaving 199 MPs out of a possible 215.
The breakdown by party is:
ZANU-PF
94
MDC-T
97
MDC 8
A two-thirds majority in the House of Assembly would be 144
votes. This means that the MDCs voting
together [105] would have to get 39 ZANU-PF MPs to vote with them for a
two-thirds majority. Conversely, for ZANU-PF to get a
two-thirds majority for the constitution they want, they would have to get 50
MDC votes.
Senate
14 vacant seats, leaving 85 Senators out of a possible 99.
The breakdown by party, with Senator Chiefs listed separately,
is:
ZANU-PF 38 [including 9 governors and 5 appointed
Senators]
Chiefs
16
MDC-T 23 [including 3 appointed
Senators]
MDC 8 [including 2 appointed
Senators]
A two-thirds majority in the Senate would be 66 votes. The chiefs
have always voted for ZANU-PF, which would give that bloc 54, meaning they would
have to get 12 MDC votes for a two-thirds majority. If the MDCs vote together they have 31 votes
and would have to win over 35 chiefs and ZANU-PF Senators for a two-thirds
majority. [As parties
have a strong Party Caucus and Whip system, winning over votes from an opposing
party is highly unlikely on so important a matter as a constitution, especially
if it is one on which ZANU-PF and the MDCs have taken strongly opposing views.
Consensus on which draft goes to Parliament is
essential.
Would holding all 26
by-elections currently in the news enable either ZANU-PF or the combined MDCs to
muster a two-thirds majority in both House?
Voting Strengths if 26 By-Elections Held and Other Vacancies
Filled
How would party strengths change if the potential 26 by-elections all
go ahead and the 4 non-constituency Senate vacancies are filled? That is a question that can only be answered
precisely after the by-elections, if they are ever called, and much would depend
on whether the GPA agreement not to contest seats won by a party in the 2008
elections is observed. What can be said
at this stage is this that it is extremely unlikely that either ZANU-PF and
Chiefs together, or the MDCs voting together, would end up with a two-thirds
majority in either House. In fact the
only two-thirds majority that could possibly be achieved is for ZANU-PF/Chiefs
in the Senate if ZANU-PF won every single by-election for that
House.
House of Assembly – a two-thirds majority would be 144 votes out of
215
If the GPA parties hold to the no-contest pact, or, if contested, the
by-elections result in each party winning the same constituencies as they did in
the 2008 elections, the end result would be ZANU-PF 102; MDC-T 102; MDC 11. Neither ZANU-PF nor the combined MDCs would
have a two-thirds majority. Nor would
either bloc, even in the unlikely scenario of one camp winning all the
by-elections. [If ZANU-PF won all 16 by-elections they
would then have110 seats to the combined MDCs 105. If the combined MDCs were to win all
by-elections they would have 121 to ZANU-PF’s 94.]
Senate – a two-thirds majority would be 66 votes out of
99
Under a no-contest pact, or, if contested, the by-election results follow the 2008 pattern, and
assuming the 2 seats due for appointment and the 2 chiefs’ seats were filled,
the ZANU-PF/Chiefs bloc would have 63 to the MDC bloc’s 36, not a two-thirds
majority. If the MDC bloc were
successful in all the by-elections they would still only have 42 votes to the
ZANU-PF bloc’s 57; not a two-thirds majority.
In the event of ZANU-PF winning all the by-elections in the Senate ,
ZANU-PF and Chiefs together would have a very narrow two-thirds majority in the
Senate [67 votes to the MDC bloc 32].
But for one party to win
all the by-elections is a very unlikely outcome, and it still would not get the constitution through as
it has to have a two-thirds majority in both Houses.
The
26 Vacant Constituency Seats Due for By-Elections
As the media are
continuing to give a variety of different numbers of vacant seats requiring
by-elections, Veritas is again outlining the correct situation. Out of a total of 30 vacant Parliamentary
seats, there are 26 vacant constituency seats for which by-elections are
overdue, 16 in the House of Assembly and 10 in the Senate. The constituencies concerned, and which party
and individual previously held each seat, are listed below. These details have been verified with
Parliament and they are the figures agreed by the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission which is responsible for conducting by-elections. Whether
by-elections will ever be held is a separate question.
Vacant House of
Assembly Constituency Seats for By-Elections [Total
16]
[in
alphabetical order by constituency]
ZANU-PF [8]
Reason for
vacancy
Bindura North [Mash
C]
Elliot Manyika
deceased
Gokwe-Gumunyu [Midlands]
Ephrem Mushoriwa deceased
Guruve North [Mash C]
Cletus Mabharanga deceased
Marondera East [Mash
E] Tracy Mutinhiri expelled
from party
Mount Darwin East
[Mash C] Betty Chikava deceased
Mutare North
[Manicaland] Charles Pemenhayi deceased
Mwenezi West [Masvingo]
Neddie Masukume deceased
Shamva South [Mash C]
Samuel Ziteya deceased
MDC-T
[5]
Emakhandeni Entumbane [Byo] Cornelius Dube deceased
Gutu South
[Masvingo] Eliphas Mukonoweshuro deceased
Mabvuku-Tafara [Harare] Shepherd Madamombe
deceased
Makoni Central
[Manicaland] John Nyamande
deceased
Matobo North [Mat S]
Lovemore Moyo
elected Speaker
MDC
[3]
Bulilima East [Mat S]
Norman Mpofu
expulsion from party
Lupane East [Mat N]
Njabuliso Mguni
expulsion from party
Nkayi South [Mat N]
Abednico Bhebhe
expulsion from party
Vacant Senate
Constituency Seats for By-Elections [Total 10]
[in
alphabetical order by constituency]
ZANU-PF [6]
Reason for
vacancy
Bindura-Shamva [Mash
C] Misheck Chando deceased
Chegutu [Mash W]
Ednah Madzongwe elected Senate
President
Chiredzi [Masvingo]
Titus Maluleke
appointed Governor
Gokwe South
[Midlands] Jason Machaya
appointed Governor
Kadoma [Mash W] Chiratidzo Gava
deceased
Mberengwa [Midlands]
Richard Hove
deceased
MDC-T
[4]
Gweru-Chirumanzu [Midlands]
Patrick Kombayi deceased
Hwange [Mat N] Jabulani Ndlovu
deceased
Mabutweni [Byo] Gladys Dube
deceased
Masotsha-Ndlovu
[Byo] Enna Chitsa deceased
MDC
[0]
There
are Also Vacant Non-Constituency Seats Not Requiring By-Elections
The
other 4 vacant seats, all in the Senate, are listed below for the sake of
completeness. They do not have to be
filled by calling by-elections. These
non-constituency vacancies were caused by the deaths of the incumbents.
2
chiefs seats: These seats are for particular provinces, but
are not constituency seats in the ordinary sense. Vacancies must be filled by the provincial
assemblies
of chiefs in the provinces concerned, sitting as electoral colleges.
There
is 1 vacant seat for Manicaland, formerly held by the late Chief Chimombe, and 1 for Matabeleland South, formerly
held by the late Chief Bidi.
2
appointed seats: One of these seats is the MDC-T appointed
seat formerly occupied by the
late Dr Tichaona Mudzingwa,
waiting to be filled by an MDC-T
nominee. The other is an ex officio provincial governor’s seat
formerly occupied by the late Harare Provincial Governor Dr David Karimanzira,
waiting to be filled by the President’s appointment of a new Harare Provincial
Governor.
Clarification of
Common Misconceptions About Vacancies
Figure of 38
vacancies wrong the figure 38 seems
to have stuck since Minister Chinamasa,
speaking off the cuff in the Senate, said
he thought there were about 38 Parliamentary vacancies, but warned that he
needed to confirm the figure. He later
gave the correct number as 26.
Vice-President
Mujuru’s Mount Darwin West seat not vacant V-P Mujuru kept her House of Assembly seat
when she was elevated to Vice-President.
Misconceptions may have been prompted by a misreading of Article 20.1.8
of Schedule 8 to the Constitution: “20.1.8 Parliament
Persons appointed to the posts of Vice-President, Prime Minister and
Deputy Prime Minister and who are not already Members of Parliament, become
ex officio members of the House of Assembly. Should persons so appointed be already
members of Parliament, then the Party of which that person is a member or
nominee shall have the right to nominate a non-constituency member of the
relevant House.”
ZANU-PF
did
this, belatedly, in March 2011, when Ms Oppah Muchinguri was appointed a
non-constituency MP by President Mugabe.
Senator
Bennett’s appointed Senate seat not vacant Although Senator Bennett has not been seen in
the Senate since he left the country in September 2010, the Senate has never
invoked its power to unseat him for absenteeism in terms of section 41(1)(d) of
the Constitution. While he stays away, MDC-T’s Senate strength on paper is effectively
reduced by one.
Temporary suspensions no longer in force 4 MDC-T MPs were under suspension after being sentenced to imprisonment for
committing criminal offences, but they retained their seats and were all fully
reinstated after having their convictions overturned on appeal.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information supplied
The love scandals that rocked Zanu PF: Part
4
HEADLINES, LEST WE
FORGET, NEWS, RELATIONSHIPS, SCANDAL — BY ADMIN ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2012 9:24 AM 2126 20 2253
By Lance
Guma
Those who live in glass
houses should not throw stones, but obviously someone forgot to tell the folks
inside Zanu PF. In this expose, we look at the love scandals that have dominated
Mugabe’s party since independence in 1980.
James Makamba (Former
Zanu PF MP)
Businessman, Radio
Presenter and former Zanu PF MP for Mt Darwin James Makamba fled to the United
Kingdom in 2005 after rumours of his alleged affair with First Lady Grace Mugabe
threatened to complicate his defence of ‘dodgy’ charges that he had externalised
millions of dollars in foreign currency.
James Makamba and Grace Mugabe
A US diplomatic cable
titled “First Boyfriend Released” and ‘Wiki-Leaked’ in 2009 suggests the late
army General Solomon Mujuru ‘weighed in’ to support Makamba during his
incarceration. The cable quotes Makamba family sources who also say Grace Mugabe
repeatedly called Makamba’s wife to apologise.
The reason for the
apology was never fully explained.
Makamba denied both
allegations but after more than 6 months in custody, decided to flee the country
when he was out on bail. Last year Makamba and businessmen like him who were
facing charges of externalising foreign currency were ‘de-specified’ and told
they were free to come back.
But rumours of
Makamba’s affair with First Lady, Grace Mugabe appeared to complicate his
position. In 2005 Mugabe had ordered that the Central Intelligence Organisation
(CIO) do a ‘sweep’ of Makamba’s Johannesburg home in South Africa after hearing
claims that he was secretly seeing his wife.
One report said
“Makamba did himself great harm by sending flowers and presents to Grace Mugabe
through intermediaries. Some of the flowers were received on behalf of the First
Lady by the CIO security men. Grace justified the meetings as being related to
‘business and agricultural’ matters.”
According to the
report, in one incident “Makamba visited Mrs Mugabe in a Johannesburg hotel for
a long period one night. Her security detail recorded the incident and later
advised her husband.” Makamba has remained media shy and refuses to discuss the
matter with journalists up to this day.
When Makamba’s daughter
Chiedza died in a tragic car crash last year in December, Makamba was not able
to attend the funeral in Zimbabwe and told his colleagues in Zanu PF to help
with the funeral. He explained that he could not attend “due to his invidious
position”.
Roger Boka (Late
businessman aligned to Zanu PF)
Business tycoon Roger
Boka, one of the pioneers of black empowerment in Zimbabwe, had a soft spot for
the ladies. He successfully wooed and had a long running affair with then ZBC TV
presenter Nanette Silikhuni. Boka died in February 1999 after a “long
illness”.
Dr. Andrew Matibiri, the late Roger Boka (in portrait) and his
daughter, Rudo Boka
Boka bought Silikhuni a
Mazda 626 Executive vehicle when she was still a student at the Harare
Polytechnic and her children were also well looked after by the businessman. One
of Silikhuni’s friends recounted how she had a “beautiful Samsung mobile phone —
a rare luxury for college students.”
Another report on the
New Zimbabwe.com website recounted testimony from a witness who said “I used to
be Silukhuni’s neighbour in the late 90′s at Zambezi Flats on Quendon Road in
Malbereign. I would see Boka in a white vest relaxing at Silukhuni’s
balcony.”
Another friend of the
presenter told the website that “At around the same time she was running off
with Boka, we had Lydia Mavengere (former ZBC TV presenter) confronting her over
Myethi Mpofu (Natbrew MD). She (Nanette) just has an uncanny predilection to
sleep walk into love triangles.”
As reported before
Silukhuni was to later have another affair with Local Government Minister
Igantius Chombo which resulted in a nasty divorce between the Minister and his
wife Marian Mhloyi. Marian sued Silikhuni for Z$2 billion dollars blaming her
for the breakdown of her marriage to Chombo.
Join me tomorrow
(Friday) for Part 5, the last in this series. You can also follow me on
twitter @LanceGuma