http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai Karimakwenda
15
September, 2011
This week marks the third anniversary of the signing of
the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) that created Zimbabwe’s unity
government, and the majority
of the issues that were agreed to by the
political parties have still not
been implemented.
The agreement was
facilitated by the Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC), with the
hope of ending political violence, stabilising the country’s
battered
economy and creating a roadmap to credible elections.
Yet three years
later, negotiations are still moving at a snail’s pace and
it has become
clear that ZANU PF is blocking progress. Their campaign of
arrests, violence
and intimidation of MDC loyalists and civic groups has
continued.
Media
and electoral reforms mandated by the GPA have not been made. And
oppressive
legislation, such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and
the Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) have not
been
repealed.
Elections are expected in the country in 2012, as announced by
Robert Mugabe
recently, without consultation of the MDC formations. This was
a
continuation of unilateral decision making by Mugabe, which has
characterised the unity government for three years.
SADC leaders,
acknowledging that progress has been too slow, resolved to
appoint a three
–member team months ago, to assist the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation
Committee (JOMIC) in moving the process forward. That team
has yet to be
appointed and there appears to be no urgency.
McDonald Lewanika, director
of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, told SW
Radio Africa that the GPA was
meant to be a transitional mechanism, and
three years ago it was
“inconceivable” the arrangement would last so long.
“It’s disappointing
but we Zimbabweans are to blame. As long as we act as
though everything is
fine and we do not protest or register our discontent
with the status quo,
the world will not assist us,” Lewanika explained.
He pointed to the
recent hikes in power charges from the Zimbabwe Electric
Supply Authority
(ZESA), the lack of running water, poor service delivery
and high
unemployment that ordinary Zimbabweans struggle with daily, as
incentives to
speak out.
Asked why there are no protests in Zimbabwe similar to those
that toppled
dictatorships in North Africa, Lewanika said people are
suffering and sooner
or later they will say enough is
enough.
“Catalytic events are not predictable. It can still happen in
Zimbabwe,” he
added.
Innocent Gonese, the MDC-T parliamentary chief
whip, said they expected some
problems at the outset but did not expect so
much resistance to change from
their partners in the unity
government.
“We have had lots of problems and at times it seemed on the
brink of
collapse,” Gonese explained.
He added that the country is
moving in the right direction and significant
progress has been made towards
the drafting of a new constitution. But he
admitted the environment for
peaceful, free and fair elections does not
exist.
The MDC-T
legislator referred to a recent attack by ZANU PF thugs, who
terrorised
people outside parliament while Robert Mugabe called for an end
to violence
during the opening ceremonies.
The Mugabe regime has remained in control
of the security sector, whose
chiefs continue to publicly declare their
support for ZANU PF and refuse to
acknowledge Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and his party.
“That is a grave concern. There seems to be no
genuine intention to change
that,” Gonese said. He insisted that SADC, as
guarantors of the GPA, need to
ensure that it is respected and fully
implemented ahead of elections.
“It is the only way that the outcome will
be respected and reflect the will
of the people of Zimbabwe,” Gonese
insisted.
You can hear more on the third anniversary of the signing of
the GPA on the
programme Crisis Analysis.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
15
September 2011
A high-stakes fight over how to handle the issue of the
so-called WikiLeaks
‘sell-outs’ in ZANU PF forced the party to postpone
tackling the highly
contentious topic at its politburo meeting in Harare on
Wednesday.
There were reports Wednesday’s politburo meeting would see a
group of
officials, led by Didymus Mutasa, the party’s secretary for
administration,
calling for the ouster of the ZANU PF officials exposed in
the leaked
diplomatic cables, as punishment
The WikiLeaks
revelations were reportedly put on the agenda of the meeting.
But party
sources told SW Radio Africa correspondent, Simon Muchemwa that
the issue
was considered too explosive to be discussed while emotions were
still “too
high.”
Other observers say that this is a sign of a party in ‘paralysis’,
who have
been left numbed by shock and confusion following the damning cable
reports.
“It was felt the WikiLeaks topic and the call by some senior
members of the
party to punish those implicated could easily tear the party
(apart), which
is just hanging by a thread since the death of General
Solomon Mujuru in a
suspicious farm house fire,” Muchemwa said.
SW
Radio Africa is reliably informed that not many members of the Politburo
and
other influential party cadres were keen to see those mentioned in the
cables punished.
The Wikileaks reports, released by the
whistle-blowing website, exposed top
ZANU PF officials in sharing sensitive
information about their party and
apparent plots to dislodge Robert Mugabe
from power, during meetings with
American diplomats in Harare.
“I
think for now the issue has just been shelved to give the party ample
time
to see how they deal with the explosive subject. Others are saying it
is
wrong for people like Mutasa to consume the reports wholly without
interrogating them,” Muchemwa said.
He added: “Some are arguing that
so far there has been no attempt to
interrogate the reports to check if what
was reported is true or not.”
Many people captured in the reports,
including Reserve Bank governor Gideon
Gono and Saviour Kasukuwere the
Indigenisation and Youth Minister, have all
come out to deny what has been
attributed to them in the leaked cables.
Others like the ZANU PF
propaganda chief, Jonathan Moyo have however
confirmed the reports,
admitting they did speak to the American diplomats.
The timing of the
release of the cables, however, could not have come at a
worse time for ZANU
PF or those mentioned in the communications. The
revelations have damaged
the image of the party, rattled the rank and file
members, raised public
doubt over its ability to win any elections, and
placed at least the
positions of some of those implicated on the line.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Thelma Chikwanha, Community Affairs Editor
Thursday, 15
September 2011 11:54
HARARE - Zanu PF sell-outs were yesterday left
guessing on their future
after President Robert Mugabe railed off discussion
on WikiLeaks exposures,
which show most of the party’s top officials told
United States diplomats
they wanted him out.
Yesterday’s politburo
meeting was supposed to discuss the WikiLeaks but
sources told the Daily
News yesterday that Mugabe is still weighing the
advantages and
disadvantages of taking action.
“President Mugabe is in a tight
situation. If he endorses a WikiLeaks probe,
he risks amputating his party
and if he ignores it, he will be seen as a
coward who has resigned to fate.
At the moment, he is an angry man and
people are scared of even approaching
him.
“At the same time, the sell-outs group is reeling and confused. It
would
have been better if the issue had been discussed, at least they would
have
come up with some defence.
“But now, they don’t know what
President Mugabe is thinking. They now
believe he will deal with them one by
one. The sell-outs are now scared more
than ever before,” said a
highly-placed politburo member yesterday.
Another source said the
politburo meeting was tense with everyoneSell-outs
kept hangingexpecting
Mugabe or some other member to introduce the WikiLeaks
debate but the
87-year-old leader stunned them with his silence on the
issue.
“Either
Mugabe is too devastated to speak on the cables or he is planning
something
extra-ordinary.
Remember this is a man who has in the past dealt
ruthlessly with people who
plan to remove him from power.
“But maybe
this time he can’t accept the reality that his top aides in the
party are
actually working with Americans to remove him from power. So many
things are
troubling the old man and he is suffering quietly,” said the
source.
One of Mugabe’s fiercest loyalists, Didymus Mutasa, who is
the Zanu PF
secretary for administration, had told the Daily News that the
politburo
meeting would discuss the exposures which exposed the “loyalists”
as regime
change merchants.
Yesterday’s meeting was the politburo’s
first realistic chance to deal with
the exposures since they became public
information two weeks ago.
But Mugabe, surrounded at the meeting by
“allies” described by Mutasa as
sell-outs, chose to fight his internal
rivals on another day.
Insiders said Mugabe’s decision left the
“sellouts” in a much deeper
quandary as they would have to keep guessing
what the 87-year-old’s next
move could be.
A devastated Mugabe, who
even confided to his arch-rival and uneasy
coalition government partner
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that he felt
betrayed, chose not to discuss
the matter in the meeting held at the party’s
headquarters in Harare,
according to party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo.
“Nothing was said about the
WikiLeaks. It was just an ordinary meeting,”
said Gumbo, who has so far been
untouched by the exposures.
US diplomatic cables leaked by whistleblower
site WikiLeaks showed that most
of Mugabe’s inner circle secretly met
officials from Washington and
expressed their impatience at Mugabe’s
continued stay despite failing
health, old age, and dwindling public
support.
Politburo members named in the cables as having either plotted
the “Mugabe
must go” campaign or implicated by association are Vice
Presidents Joice
Mujuru and John Nkomo, Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere,
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu,
Dzikamai Mavhaire, Cephas Msipa and Emmerson
Mnangagwa.
The politburo members took advantage of Mugabe’s advanced age
to manipulate
him through lies and deception that they supported him while
pushing plots
to fast-track his ouster from power behind his
back.
The leaked US cables lay bare that most Zanu PF bigwigs, like most
Zimbabweans and the rest of the world, are tired of Mugabe.
Mujuru,
who is gunning to replace Mugabe, held a secret meeting with US
ambassador
Charles Ray at an obscure location at a time when she was acting
president,
according to the leaked cables.
According to the cables, Mujuru wanted
the meeting to be “private an
confidential” and even requested for more such
clandestine meetings.
Vice President John Nkomo is alleged to have
confided in late politburo
member Edson Zvobgo in 2003 that the country’s
economic woes could be solved
once Mugabe was removed from
power.
Kasukuwere, who was described by diplomats as “dangerous”, told
the US
diplomats he too wanted Mugabe to go.
“He also stated that
President Robert Mugabe and his cronies must be phased
out of their
leadership role and some in his party had proposed that the two
vice
presidents (the late Simon Muzenda and Joseph Msika) should step down
as a
first step,” wrote former US ambassador Tom McDonald after meeting
Kasukuwere in 2000.
Moyo, whom US officials said was a useful
messenger for extracting data from
Zanu PF, told US diplomats that Mugabe
had throat cancer. He even gave
advice on how to infiltrate Zanu PF to
weaken Mugabe.
The serial political flip-flopper, who is now suing the
Daily News for
stories published from the leaked cables, defended his
position saying by
then he was in political wilderness and was not a member
of Zanu PF.
Moyo however, admitted that the leaked cables came as a
blessing in
disguise. He confirmed that his plots on Mugabe were true as
exposed by the
exposures.
Mutasa, who has publicly stated his
ambition to be the Zanu PF and country’s
vice president, had before the
politburo meeting demanded action.
“I am not the one who wrote the Zanu
PF constitution. If one has breached
it, he must be brought before a
disciplinary committee.
“This is democracy. I believe in democracy and
let’s discuss this issue. I
addressed this issue in Mutare last week at our
party meeting and our
supporters agreed with it,’’ said
Mutasa.
“Those implicated should go through normal disciplinary
procedures of the
party and if anyone is found guilty of having sold out, he
must be punished
accordingly,’’ said Mutasa.
“If some party members
were punished in the past for selling out, the same
should happen to those
implicated in the WikiLeaks,” he added.
http://af.reuters.com
Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:29am
GMT
HARARE, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's state electricity
company (ZESA) said
on Thursday it wanted to raise power output by 400 MW by
refurbishing a
large thermal plant and two smaller power stations at a
combined cost of
$245 million.
Zimbabwe produces around 1,000 MW of
electricity against peak demand of
2,200 MW due to ageing power
plants.
ZESA manager for business planning and development Patrick
Chivaura said low
tariffs were discouraging independent power producers from
entering the
market.
"We have engaged a technical consultant and
financial advisor to help us
approach the market to finance these projects,"
Chivaura told a mining
conference.
He said Zesa had struck an
agreement to supply uninterrupted power to mines
because they are now paying
higher tariffs. The source of this electricity
is from imports and some
smaller power stations.
This has reduced power outages, which have
previously affected Zimbabwean
mines, Chivaura said.
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, September 15, 2011 - Zimbabwe year on year
inflation for the month
of August rose to 3,5 percent from the rate of 3,3
percent in July, the
Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency announced on
Thursday.
"The year on year inflation rate for the month of August 2011
as measured by
the all items Consumer Price Index stood at 3,5 percent,
gaining 0,2
percentage points on the July 2011 rate of 3,3 percent,"
ZimStats said in a
statement released to the media.
"This means that
prices as measured by the all items CPI increased by an
average of 3,5
percentage points between August 2010 and August 2011."
ZimStats said the
monthly inflation rate for August was 0.1 percent compared
to that of 0.3
percent in July.The rise in flation was necessiated by the
rise in transport
costs, education costs and miscelleneous goods and
services.
Finance
Minister Tendai Biti presenting his mid-term budget said inflation
will
remain in single digits till the end of the year.
The introduction of the
multiple currency system in the country reduced
inflation from the all high
over one billion percent during the
hyper-inflation days when the country
used to use the Zimbabwean dollar.
Despite having lower inflation rate
Zimbabwe still faces high unemployment
rates of over 80 percent as the
country is battling to secure foreign direct
investment. An indigenisation
law that requires locals to get at least 51
percent in all foreign owned
companies has resulted in investors boycotting
to invest in the country.
http://news.yahoo.com
AFP
By Christophe Beaudufe | AFP – 1 hr 29 mins
ago
Leaders of the European Union and South Africa on Thursday ended
summit
talks that sought to bridge differences over Libya and Zimbabwe and
reaffirmed their goal of reaching a regional trade deal.
Despite a
sometimes bitter divide over the conflict in Libya, EU President
Herman Van
Rompuy declared that both sides were ready to put the past behind
them.
"Even if we had differences in the past, I think we share the
future," he
said after the summit, held in the safari paradise of Kruger
National Park,
famous for its herds of elephants and other big
game.
"We both agree that the future of Libya belongs to the Libyan
people."
But their "past" differences are dogging the present, with South
African
President Jacob Zuma refusing to recognise the National Transitional
Council
in Libya, even as the leaders of Britain and France visited the new
leadership in Tripoli on Thursday.
"The NTC is the legitimate
representative of the Libyan people for the time
being," Van Rompuy said.
"They have to broaden as soon as possible the
government to make it more
representative of the Libyan people."
Zuma has fiercely criticised the
NATO bombing campaign that helped the
rebels' military victory over Moamer
Kadhafi, and has insisted on an
"inclusive" government that includes all
parties.
Differences over Zimbabwe remained as well, although both sides
agree on the
need to end the political crisis in Harare.
Zuma has
urged the West to lift its asset freeze and travel ban on Zimbabwe
President
Robert Mugabe and his inner circle, but the EU wasn't ready for
new
concessions.
"We lifted already some restricted measures a few months
ago," Van Rompuy
said. "A credible road map for elections is of utmost
importance. It will
facilitate for the EU a review of restricted
measures."
South Africa brokered the accord that led to a unity
government in 2009
between Mugabe and his archrival Morgan Tsvangirai, but
the two parties have
yet to agree on a plan for new elections, possibly next
year.
Zuma avoided any public show of disagreement.
"On global and
regional issues, we discussed developments in Africa,
including north and
South Sudan, Zimbabwe and the Arab spring. On the whole
we are very happy
with the content and depth of discussions," Zuma told
reporters.
"Indeed, today's meeting has helped to further consolidate
our continued
dialogue and engagement with the European Union."
But
the two sides did appear willing to revive long-stalled trade talks
between
the EU and seven southern African nations.
"There is an agreement that we
need to find an agreement. We are both very
optimistic that the negotiations
are going to go forward," Zuma said.
A source close to the talks said
that they had cleared the main hurdles to
concluding a trade deal, though no
signing date could be set.
Despite South Africa's economic might on the
continent, it remains a major
beneficiary of European aid, notably a
126-million-euro grant to the health
ministry to bolster the public health
system, especially in the fight
against AIDS and tuberculosis.
During
2007-2013, South Africa is set to receive 980 million euros from the
EU, or
an average of 140 million euros a year.
http://af.reuters.com
Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:45pm
GMT
HARARE, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe again hinted it might
show flexibility
in its stance towards foreign mining companies, with a
government official
saying a law forcing them to surrender 51 percent stakes
to local people was
"an aspiration", not a hard target.
The remarks
at a mining conference on Thursday by Prince Mupazviriho, the
permanent
secretary in the mines ministry, follow comments by other
officials
suggesting a softer tone.
"This is a negotiated process, it is not an
issue that is dictated to
companies. It is more to deal with evaluating and
negotiating with each
company," Mupazviriho said.
"The issues that
affect each company are different. What has been of concern
to investors is
the 51 percent (equity) but it is only an aspiration," he
said.
Some
analysts see the drive for local ownership as designed chiefly to drum
up
votes ahead of elections next year that President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party is desperate to win. .
The government until recently acted like
the 51 percent requirement was set
in stone and had threatened to cancel
mining licences over the issue from
companies like Zimplats , the local unit
of Impala Platinum .
But on Tuesday Zimplats was given an extension to
come up with an acceptable
plan by Nov. 15 and the government has since
sharply altered its tone on the
issue.
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu
told the same conference on Wednesday that the
government would not cancel
licences for mining companies that have not
complied with the local
ownership laws.
http://af.reuters.com/
Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:12pm
GMT
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Impala Platinum , the
world's
second-largest producer of the precious metal, said on Thursday a
Zimbabwe
government threat to remove the licence of its unit in the country
Zimplats'
had "fallen away".
The government and Zimplats said on
Tuesday they had agreed to produce a
revised plan for a law requiring
foreign mining firms to turn over a 51
percent stake to local blacks.
http://www.citizen.co.za
Although a costs order of less than R200 000 was at
stake, Judge Claassen
said the case was important as it involved various
issues in international
relations.
15 September 2011 | ILSE DE
LANGE
The Zimbabwe government was yesterday given leave to appeal
against a North
Gauteng High Court ruling in favour of dispossessed
Zimbabwean farmers,
despite being accused of coming to court with “hands
dripping in blood”.
Judge Roger Claassen, who earlier refused the
Zimbabwe government’s
application to set aside three rulings in favour of
the farmers, yesterday
granted that government leave to appeal to the
Supreme Court of Appeal
against his ruling.
Although a costs order of
less than R200 000 was at stake, Judge Claassen
said the case was important
as it involved various issues regarding
international relations.
He
said it was possible that a higher court could have a different take on
the
issues. Willie Spies argued on behalf of civil rights organisation
AfriForum, which assisted three of the dispossessed farmers, that the
Zimbabwe government did not come to court with clean hands, but “with hands
dripping with the blood of people who were being actively persecuted”.
He
said one of the farmers involved, Mike Campbell, had already died as a
result of the injuries he sustained.
Spies pointed out that numerous
judges in various courts had already ruled
in favour of the farmers, adding
that it was unlikely that the Appeal Court
would intervene in a case
revolving around a cost order of less than R200
000.
Judge Claassen
ruled in favour of the farmers in June this year that writs
issued by the
court for the seizure of Zimbabwean assets in South Africa
could not be
attacked on any grounds.
He also ruled that the High Court had the
jurisdiction to register rulings
by a Southern African Development Community
Tribunal that Zimbabwe’s land
reform programme was racist and unlawful and
that the farmers should have
been compensated for their
losses.
AfriForum assisted three of the dispossessed farmers, Louis Fick,
Richard
Etheredge and the late Mike Campbell, to have the SADC ruling
registered in
a South African court and seize local properties owned by the
Zimbabwean
government.
http://www.herald.co.zw/
Thursday, 15 September 2011 02:00
Martin
Kadzere Senior Business Reporter
AIR Zimbabwe planes remained grounded
yesterday after the airline failed to
secure funding to settle debts that
include outstanding salaries for pilots.
The national airline, previously
known for excellence in service provision,
was forced to suspend flights in
July due to protracted labour disputes.
Acting chief executive Mr
Innocent Mavhunga confirmed yesterday that the
embattled national carrier
failed to resume flights yesterday.
"The plan was to resume flights today
(yesterday) but this arrangement has
not been realised because we failed to
access the amount that we require to
enable us to resume flights," said Mr
Mavhunga.
"We were hoping that bankers who were working with our parent
ministry would
have released the money so that the flights can
resume."
On the amount required, Mr Mavhuga referred questions to the
Ministry of
Transport, Communications and Infrastructure
Development.
Permanent secretary Mr Partson Mbiriri refused to
comment.
Air Zimbabwe is saddled with huge domestic and external debts, which
have
paralysed its operations.
Apart from debts, the airline is also
dogged by high operational costs
emanating from the inefficiency of its
aircraft and a bloated workforce. Its
planes are operating at less than 40
percent efficiency as a result of their
ageing state.
Before the strike,
Air Zimbabwe was plying Harare-London,
Harare-Johannesburg, Harare-Victoria
Falls and Harare-Bulawayo routes.
A report by the National Economic
Consultative Forum revealed that Air
Zimbabwe could be losing US$8 million
in potential revenue to foreign
airlines per month.
Competing airlines
such as South African Airways, British Airways, Zambezi
Airlines and Kenyan
Airways are currently plying most of the routes
previously serviced by Air
Zimbabwe.
This is tantamount to exporting jobs by a country with an
estimated 80
percent rate of unemployment in the formal sector.
Concerns
have already been raised that this year's growth projections of the
tourism
sector might not be achieved as visitor arrivals in Victoria Falls,
the
country's prime destination, have drastically declined as a result of
limited access.
The grounding of Air Zimbabwe planes has resulted in
massive cancellation of
bookings by tourists who had planned to visit the
Victoria Falls.
According to estimates, at least 80 percent of bookings have
been cancelled
so far since the national airline's pilots went on strike in
July.
However, business for operators of small planes has marginally improved
due
to the absence of Air Zimbabwe.
Aviation sources said some
operators have increased flights on the
Harare-Bulawayo, Harare-Victoria
Falls and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls routes.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com
Sep 15, 2011,
12:30 GMT
Harare - Hundreds of companies have applied to mine in
Zimbabwe's Chiadzwa
diamond fields, which were marred in recent years by
human rights abuses,
media reported Thursday.
'We have received 400
diamond mining applications and we are processing
them,' said Mines Minister
Obert Mpofu. Only five companies reportedly have
licences at
present.
Mpofu, a close ally of President Robert Mugabe who has so far
handpicked the
companies allowed to mine the Chiadzwa diamond fields in
Marange district,
defended gems mined in the area, in comments quoted by the
private Newsday
newspaper.
Zimbabwe's diamond industry was badly
tainted by allegations of rights
abuses in 2008, when up to 200 miners were
reported killed by Mugabe's
military in Chiadzwa.
The globally
respected diamond watchdog, the Kimberley Process Certification
(KPC)
Scheme, has been racked by squabbles over whether Zimbabwe should be
legally
allowed to export its gems.
'We will not pull out of the KPC,' said
Mpofu, adding, 'There is nowhere in
the world where systems are as
impeccable as Marange.'
However, human rights groups say that Zimbabwe
has failed to put an end to
malpractice which allegedly includes police and
military abuses in the
fields, involving killings, beatings, forced labour
and smuggling.
According to official figures, Zimbabwe exported 716,958
carats of raw
diamonds from January to June 2011, raising 103.9 million
dollars. Critics
say many more gems are being smuggled out of the
country.
In separate comments, Mpofu said the authorities did not intend
to cancel
any mining licences for foreign companies engaged in extracting
other
minerals in Zimbabwe.
His comments contradicted earlier threats
from Indigenisation Minister
Saviour Kasukuwere, who last week announced
that he wanted to cancel
operating certificates for more than 50 firms that
had allegedly not
complied with new black empowerment
regulations.
'We have no intention of cancelling any licences,' Mpofu
told delegates at a
conference in Harare. 'There are some negotiations
taking place with some
parties.'
http://www.monstersandcritics.com
Sep 15, 2011, 12:31 GMT
Harare -
Game rangers in Zimbabwe killed three rhino poachers in an exchange
of fire
in the country's south-east, official media reported Thursday.
The three
were part of a group of poachers who resisted arrest after being
confronted
by rangers in the Chipangayi Safari Area early Tuesday, said the
Herald
newspaper. Two other poachers were arrested while a sixth got away,
it
added.
A rifle, ammunition, knives, cellphones and a vehicle were also
seized in
the raid.
National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
Spokeswoman Caroline
Washaya-Moyo told the paper that the poachers had been
under surveillance
and rangers were tipped off by an informant that the gang
wanted to 'enter
the Chipangayi Safari area for the purposes of poaching
rhinos.'
Zimbabwe is battling to conserve its dwindling population of
black and white
rhinos. At least 14 have been killed so far this
year.
Earlier this month a magistrate in the southern town of Masvingo
sentenced
two rhino poachers from neighbouring Mozambique to 21 years each
in jail.
http://www.radiovop.com
Nkosana Dhlamini, Harare, September 14, 2011 –
Embattled Centre for Research
and Development director Farai Maguwu on
Monday sneaked out of the country
for Ireland after suspected state agents
had barred him from flying out for
a scheduled human rights meeting in
Dublin over the weekend.
Sources close to the diamond rights researcher
revealed Wednesday that
Maguwu sneaked out of the country after it had
become apparent the State was
intent on barring his participation in the
meeting.
“He left the country two days ago and as I am talking he is in
Dublin,” said
a source that cannot be named, “He deliberately avoided using
the Harare
International Airport where he was prevented from
travelling.”
Efforts to reach Maguwu through his mobile were fruitless as
it was not
reachable.
Maguwu was on Saturday prevented from boarding
a Kenyan Airways at Harare
International Airport en-route to Amsterdam where
he intended to connect to
Dublin.
He was going to attend the Sixth
Dublin Platform, a conference organised by
Frontline an international
organisation for human rights defenders.
The meeting starts on Wednesday
and will end on Friday.
Suspected state agents pounced on Maguwu as he
was going through the flight
check in formalities and confiscated his HP L25
laptop, power pack, wallet,
Olympus digital camera, business cards, US$2000
and bank cards, notebook and
laptop bag.
The incident led to Maguwu,
through his lawyers, to file an urgent chamber
application seeking to compel
the authorities to release his property.
The High Court has ordered the
immediate release of his belongings but an
enquiry with his lawyers on
Wednesday indicated that he had not yet received
it.
Maguwu is
considered a threat to national security after he has been
instrumental in
publishing rampant human rights violations at the diamond
rich Chiadzwa area
in Marange, Manicaland.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn
(Xinhua)
16:06, September 15,
2011
BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China announced Thursday that it will
offer
emergency food aid worth 90 million yuan (14 million U.S. dollars) to
Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Commerce said.
The food assistance will be
provided to ease starvation caused by drought in
the country, the ministry
said in a statement on its website.
The move came after China offered
nearly 70 million U.S. dollars in
emergency food aid to drought-hit
countries in the Horn of Africa.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
President Robert Mugabe this week
welcomed the second top-level European
Union delegation to visit Zimbabwe in
nine years and pleaded for the lifting
of targeted measures on him and his
cronies.
15.09.1108:40am
by Chief Reporter
Mugabe's change in
tone suggested he may be more willing to cooperate with
Western powers
crucial to Zimbabwe's efforts to secure billions of dollars
in aid and
foreign investment.
The visit by European Union Managing Director for
Africa, Nick Westcott is
the second since the EU began targeted sanctions in
2002 against members of
Mugabe's government for human rights violations. It
follows hard on the
heels of another visit by a top level delegation in 2009
headed by EU Aid
and Development Commissioner Karel De Gucht and the Swedish
EU presidency.
Westcott also met Mugabe's long-time foe Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
and his Minister of Finance Tendai Biti, to discuss about
the situation in
the country and the way forward to consolidate the
democratic and economic
progress of Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai, widely
respected in Western circles for standing up to Mugabe,
said his discussion
with the EU focused on reforms and economic
co-operation.
"We
discussed ... issues around the constitutional reforms and other
reforms,
that's what the EU is legitimately concerned about,"
Tsvangirai said
after meeting.
"We also raised the issue of economic
co-operation."
Westcortt also discussed re-engagement in a meeting with
the Minister for
Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, in particular the
preparation of
the next Ministerial Political Dialogue.
A meeting
with Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Obert Mpofu,
enabled a
discussion of how consensus could be reached on the export of
diamonds
produced in the Marange area which are compliant with the Kimberley
Process
(KP). Westcott stressed the importance of maintaining the KP as a
guarantee
of a transparent and reliable framework for the international
trade of
diamonds.
In his two days in Harare, Westcott held meetings with
representatives of
the civil society and of the business community and with
the heads of the
multilateral organisations present in Harare, in which he
was briefed about
the views and expectations of these groups. He informed
about the EU
priorities in respect of the cooperation with
Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe says it needs $10 billion in foreign reconstruction
aid.
Western nations are reluctant to release cash without further
political and
economic reform promised as part of the power-sharing deal,
called the
Global Political Agreement (GPA).
Tsvangirai added that
the political agreement also came up for discussion.
"We said that there are
issues with the political agreement, regarding
implementation," he
said.
"However, there has been progress, but we are disappointed that the
pace of
implementation has been slow."
The GPA has been beset with
problems as the parties accuse each other of not
fully implementing the
agreement, which Zimbabweans hoped would end daily
hardships. Mugabe said
after Saturday's talks that the deal was being
implemented.
"It would
be fair to say that if the people of Zimbabwe and the parties here
achieve
full implementation of the (coalition deal) and there are elections
held
that are free, fair, transparent, peaceful, then I can see no reason
why
sanctions should continue," Westcott said.
The EU remains the largest
single donor to Zimbabwe, having provided over
$1billion in humanitarian aid
since 2002, despite the targeted sanctions.
To date, 203 people and 40
companies linked to the Mugabe government face
travel and some financial
restrictions within the 27-nation bloc.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
15 September
2011
A former commercial farmer from Raffingora, Mashonaland West, was
shot and
killed in Banket on Tuesday, while trying to rescue a neighbour who
had been
abducted by armed men.
Keith Nicholson, who left Raffingora
to farm in the DRC and Zambia, had
returned to Zimbabwe to retire at
Mazvikadei Dam.
It’s understood that a group of four armed men gained
entry to the Gold Dust
Village at the Dam on Tuesday, pretending they were
visiting a employee of
Nicholson’s neighbour, Tim Morgan.
The men
then managed to get inside Morgan’s house, where they tied up all
the staff
and ransacked the house. When Mr and Mrs Morgan returned home in
the evening
they were ambushed and tied up.
Mr Morgan was then forced into his Toyota
twincab, apparently because his
attackers wanted him to get them money from
the local garage he owns.
While this was happening, Morgan’s wife was
able to alert her neighbours,
including Nicholson, who followed the stolen
Toyota.
Charles Taffs, the president of the Commercial Farmers Union
(CFU) told SW
Radio Africa on Thursday that a “gun battle” then ensued with
the thieves.
Three of the group then ran into the bush away from the
Toyota.
Nicholson, thinking that everyone had run from the vehicle,
rushed forward
to release Morgan. But he was shot dead by the fourth armed
attacker, who
then ran away. Morgan was uninjured.
“This is very
tragic, but we feel it is a purely criminal act and not in any
way related
to the problems facing the farming community currently,” Taffs
said.
Nicholson’s death comes weeks after Mvurwi farmer Colin
Ziestman was beaten
to death in his home, in an attack which Taffs has said
is “more than just
mere robbery.”
“We have a very heavy wave of
intimidation against our members, and it gives
the perception that things in
Zimbabwe won’t improve,” Taffs said, adding
that the lawlessness across the
country is making matters worse.
He continued: “Behind the frontline
politics is a desire to sort this all
out and create a stable environment.
This is a desire across all sectors. We
are appealing for the politicians to
deal with this, because the situation
can’t carry on like this.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Tendai Kamhungira, Court
Writer
Thursday, 15 September 2011 14:11
HARARE - The trial of two
Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) journalists and a
company representative who are
being charged with criminal defamation has
been set for October
25.
The three were picked up by police in June and charged with
publishing in
the Standard, an article allegedly criminally defaming the
person of
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) homicide section’s boss,
Crispen
Makedenge.
Nevanji Madanhire, the Standard newspaper editor,
Patience Nyangove, a news
reporter, and Loud Ramakgapola, who is the
company’s human resources
manager, are being charged with criminal
defamation as defined under Section
96 of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act.
The charge allegedly arose from the three’s contravention of
the Act’s
Section 31 which criminalises the publication or communication of
false
statements prejudicial to the State and statements “undermining public
confidence in the police, the Prison Services or the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces” as contained under section 31(a) (iii) of the same law.
The
state alleges that the Standard newspaper published a story headlined,
“MDC-T fears for missing Timba’s life” on June 25.
In the article,
the state claims that the writer, Nyangove, falsely claimed
that the
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jameson Timba was
taken by
officers, including Makedenge to Harare Central Police Station.
The state
told the court that on the day in question, Makedenge was off-duty
and was
nowhere near minister Timba, rendering the newspaper’s article
false.
It is alleged Nyangove sent the story to Nevanji, who verified
and approved
the final story before publication.
It is the state’s
contention that the publishers had no right to publish a
false statement
that undermines public confidence in the law enforcement
agency or intend to
harm Makedenge’s reputation.
Linda Cook, of Atherstone and Cook Legal
Practitioners, who represented the
trio, told the court that the matter was
more of a civil matter than
criminal.
The lawyers said that the
charges were misguided and incorrect.
Madanhire is out of custody on a
$100 bail, while the other two were
released on free bail.
Over the
years, journalists have always been subjected to harassment by
state
security agents over various reports on the situation obtaining in the
country.
The harassment of journalists dates back to 2002 when the
government,
through the then information minister, Jonathan Moyo, enacted
the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act
(Aippa).
Since then, hundreds of local and international journalists have
been
dragged before the courts charged with flimsy allegations that the
state has
failed to secure convictions on.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
"My dream is that somehow South Africans and
Zimbabweans create
relationships of such a nature that the Limpopo river is
no longer a border,
but is a source of water and
food.”
14.09.1110:07am
by Regina Pazvakavambwa
These were the
words spoken by Bishop Paul Verryn as he received his award,
a recognition
for his work on Democracy and Human Rights in Zimbabwe
presented to him by
the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition last Friday in Musina.
CiZC hosted the
awards ceremony to honour and acknowledge human rights
activists who have
who have worked tirelessly to ensure that Zimbabweans in
South Africa are
respected.
Bishop Verryn, who attended the colourful ceremony, received
the award along
with renowned author and activist, Elinor Sisulu. Since 2003
Elinor Sisulu
has been advising on projects on democracy and human rights in
Zimbabwe.
She is a Zimbabwean-born writer, human rights activist and
political analyst
and was also pivotal in establishing the presence of the
Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition in South Africa Bishop Verryn, in his
acceptance speech, began by
apologising for the criminalisation of
Zimbabweans and the xenophobic
attacks they have suffered at the hands of
some South Africans.
"I want to apologise for what [other] South Africans
have done in
criminalising Zimbabweans and further traumatising an already
traumatised
people,” he said.
He stressed the need to continuously
restore and re-affirm the dignity of
people, especially the poor and the
downtrodden in society, saying without
that, we could never comprehend what
it is like to be part of a nation or
broader society.
At the Central
Methodist Church, Bishop Paul Verryn has for years provided a
haven
Zimbabwean exiles.
Various representatives from leading civil society
organisations which work
closely with CiZC, gave moving testimonies of the
work carried out by the
two activists. Although she did not speak
officially, the mayor of Musina,
Councillor Carol Phiri attended the event
in support of the recognition of
both Verryn and Sisulu.
Perhaps the
most earnest statement of the night was uttered by the Bishop
himself when
he stated that he viewed his opening up of the Central
Methodist Church as a
privilege because he had met so many needy people. He
urged South Africans
to open their eyes and accept the skills Zimbabweans
have brought to the
country.
"One of the most profound ways of abusing human rights is not to
expose the
gifts that are in people,” he said.
http://www.abc.net.au
Updated September 15, 2011 05:58:50
Pakistan
won the one-day international series against Zimbabwe with a 3-0
whitewash
by taking the closing match with 28 runs to spare at Harare Sports
Club.
Pakistan, having been put into bat by captain Brendan Taylor,
set a target
of 5 for 270 with Zimbabwe making 9 for 242 in
reply.
Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq said afterwards that Pakistan's
policy of
sending out a young and relatively inexperienced team had paid off
and he
was delighted with their overall performances.
"This is all a
good sign for the future of Pakistan cricket and from that
viewpoint alone
it was worth coming," he said.
Pakistan, which had scrambled to a
five-run win in the opening match and
took the second by 10 wickets, was
always the dominant side.
Man of the series was Younis Khan, who went
about his business with polished
calm and took the catch of the match on the
boundary.
The Pakistan tour continues with two Twenty-20s at Harare on
Friday and
Sunday.
AFP
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
15/09/2011
16:03:00 Staff Reporter
Zimbabwe's senior Jesuit priest, Father
Fidelis Mukonori, met with then US
Ambassador Christopher Dell and
recommended western re-engagement, including
a secure "way out" for
President Mugabe.
In a wikileak cable released by the whistle-blower
website, Father Mukonori
allegedly met and told the Ambassador on 10 January
2006 that the ZANU-PF
leadership around President Mugabe lacked the
political clout, intelligence,
experience or vision to lift Zimbabwe out of
the hole they had dug.
Father Mukonori is also alleged to have told
the US envoy that he would be
open to discussing with government leaders the
post-Mugabe reforms needed
for re-engagement -- in confidence if they so
desired.
He added that the presence of some of the current leadership
in a
post-Mugabe government would make re-engagement far more
difficult.
Says Dell, “Mukonori agreed the transition was underway,
said the most
objectionable ZANU-PF leaders would not survive politically,
and promised to
consider arranging private meetings. He also recounted his
successful
efforts against the education bill and his efforts to broker a
GOZ-UN
compromise over temporary shelter for the victims of Operation
Murambatsvina.”
Mukonori asked whether the US government and the
UK could not develop a
"joint approach" to Zimbabwe, arguing that President
‘Mugabe was serious
last August when he said he would rather talk to Tony
Blair than Morgan
Tsvangirai.’
Dell also says, ‘Mukonori agreed
with the Ambassador that Zimbabwe already
had a foot in the post-Mugabe era,
rendering the octogenarian leader
increasingly irrelevant to the country's
future. He added that the people
would never acquiesce to Mugabe's
replacement by any of the worst ZANU-PF
aspirants and he promised to give
the matter further thought and get back to
the Ambassador on arranging
confidential meetings with elements of the
leadership that might be pen to
discussing the future.”
However, Dell comments that the United States
government was skeptical that
a more engaging posture on their part would
prompt President ‘Mugabe to
confront the country's deep political and
economic problems more sensibly.’
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Bridget Mananavire, Staff
Writer
Thursday, 15 September 2011 16:15
HARARARE - Tourism
minister Walter Mzembi believes neither Defence Minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa
nor Vice President Joice Mujuru can win an election
against the MDC if they
replace President Robert Mugabe.
In a US diplomatic cable leaked by
whistle-blower WikiLeaks, Mzembi met with
the US embassy in March 2009 and
said: “Neither Mnangagwa nor Mujuru can win
an election against the MDC. If
Zanu PF is to win the next election, it
will need to divorce itself from the
past and develop new, younger
leadership.”
He also added that Mugabe
is aware of the divisions within the party and is
afraid the party will fall
apart in his absence.
“Mugabe will not step down at the Zanu PF
conference in December,” Mzembi
said.
“He will not support either
Emmerson Mnangagwa or Joice Mujuru to succeed
him but is fostering a
stalemate between the two with the hope that a
younger successor will
emerge.”
Mnangagwa lost the parliamentary elections in 2000 but Mugabe
gave him the
powerful position of Speaker of Parliament. He lost again in
2005 and was
appointed the minister of Rural Housing meaning he was a Mugabe
favourite.
According to the leaked cable, Mzembi is considered a “young Turk”
within
the party.
“He is close to Mugabe, but at the same time is one
of the few Zanu PF
officials who was confident enough to speak openly with
the embassy without
fear of repercussions from hardliners,” reads part of
the cable.
Zanu PF is plagued by a succession battle involving two main
camps; one led
by the now late General Solomon Mujuru and the other by
Mnangagwa, the
minister of defence.
Analysts said Mujuru’s death, in
a mysterious fire at his farm in Beatrice
last month, could be related to
the Zanu PF succession issue, which is being
debated outside the formal
structures of the party.
Mujuru was reported to have wished to propel his
wife to the top position in
Zanu PF in the event that Mugabe decides to pass
the baton but she had other
contenders to beat.
Mzembi’s observations
in the leaked cable are that: “If Zanu-PF is to win
the next election, it
will need to divorce itself from the past and develop
new, younger
leadership. It is unlikely elections will take place in the
next two years;
Zanu-PF needs time to regroup and settle the succession
issue.”
In
the same cable, Mzembi also raised concern on the continuing farm
invasions
which he said were unfortunate and unhelpful to tourism.
He said the
Ministers of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone should
take the
lead in forestalling invasions and arresting those who
participate.
Mzembi also made remarks on Zanu PF officials, who are
fixated on the
lifting of sanctions: “They need to understand, however, that
the lifting of
sanctions will be a more complicated process than was their
imposition and
should focus on other issues,” he said.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Xolisani Ncube, Staff Writer
Thursday, 15 September
2011 16:16
HARARE - Former Zanu PF MP Pearson Mbalekwa has admitted
telling a top
United States (US) diplomat that politburo member Jonathan
Moyo and Defence
Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa planned to form a new political
party to fight
President Robert Mugabe.
Mbalekwa, a strong
Mnangagwa ally before defecting to Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s MDC,
told the Daily News yesterday that he had concrete
information about the
aborted plan and said the diplomatic cables in
WikiLeaks on the issue were
true.
Mnangagwa is one of the senior officials in Zanu PF that have
waited over
three decades to take over party leadership from
Mugabe.
However, Mugabe showed no willingness to retire, forcing
Mnangagwa and Moyo
to moot a breakaway party, according to
Mbalekwa.
Mbalekwa is mentioned in a leaked US diplomatic cable as
telling Eric T
Schultz, the US embassy’s charge d’ affairs in 2005, that he
was part of a
plot to forma new political party in which Mnangagwa and Moyo
were major
players.
In an e-mail sent to the Daily News yesterday,
Mbalekwa said Moyo and
himself were frustrated by the failure by their
fellow party members to
openly support the project, which they stood by
secretly.
According to the recent leaked US diplomatic cable, Mnangagwa
and Moyo in
2005 were at an advanced stage in preparing for the launch of a
new
political party called United People’s Movement (UPM) after the failure
of
2004 plot to effect internal leadership changes.
Zanu PF officials
allegedly aligned to Mnangagwa held a meeting in
Tsholotsho in 2004 to plot
leadership renewal in Zanu PF. Mugabe later
described the meeting as a
coup.
“Firstly, I should unequivocally admit that I indeed met the said
diplomat
and many others from different countries, including ordinary
citizens to
espouse on the UPM agenda,” Mbalekwa said.
“It is again
true that the coming up with an idea of forming a Third Force
or a third
viable political party came on the heels of the purging of party
members
after the so-called Tsholotsho debacle,” said Mbalekwa.
“Jonathan (Moyo)
and I found ourselves betrayed by our colleagues whose open
support we so
desperately needed in order to move forward,” said Mbalekwa.
In a
November 22, 2005 cable dispatched to Washington, Schultz described
Mbalekwa
as a “principal” of the UPM.
Mbalekwa’s admission comes at a time when Mugabe
is reportedly seething with
anger and failing to come to terms with the
reality that he is no longer
wanted by most of his “close
allies.”
Even the 87-year-old’s two deputies, Joice Mujuru and John
Nkomo, told US
diplomats of the need for leadership renewal. “The quest for
democratic
changes within Zanu PF drove me and those of the same mind and
thought, to
think of coming up with a political party to challenge the
autocratic and
oppressive leadership,” said Mbalekwa in his communication to
the Daily
News.
Mbalekwa said plans to have Mugabe ousted were a
topical issue with
parliamentarians discussing it at their “private”
meetings.
“Prior to this, a group of parliamentarians used to meet and
discuss the
need for leadership renewal and there was a collective agreement
that
President Mugabe needed to retire if the party was to remain relevant,”
he
said.
Kubatana.net has compiled a series of short clips and interviews with change
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Protection Intern – United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees
(UNHCR)
Deadline: 21 September 2011
Location:
Harare, Zimbabwe with some travel within Zimbabwe.
Duration of
assignment: 3-6 months, starting end of November 2011.
Compensation:
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN UNPAID INTERNSHIP. There is no
possibility of
compensation or reimbursement of expenses. Interns are
expected to cover all
travel costs to and from Zimbabwe (if based abroad) as
well accommodation,
living, and other related costs once they are in the
country. The Office
will provide documentation of the Internship to
educational institutions and
other appropriate bodies, as needed.
Note Well: There should be no
expectation of employment at the end of
the Internship, and per UNHCR rules,
an intern may not apply for a position
with UNHCR until six months have
elapsed from the end of their internship.
Supervision: The Intern
will be supervised by an international staff
member in UNHCR’s Protection
Unit in the Branch Office Harare.
Duties and
Responsibilities
To support the Office in implementing the UNHCR
protection and durable
solution activities in Zimbabwe for refugees, IDP’s
and refugee returnees
by:
* Assisting UNHCR staff with individual
counseling of urban refugees and
ensuring appropriate follow-up after
counseling sessions;
* Assisting in updating files and profiles in UNHCR
computerized
database system;
* Drafting relevant communications with
UNHCR partners and government
counterparts under the direction of UNHCR
staff;
* Conducting visits to Waterfalls Transit Center in Harare to
follow-up
on cases of refugees with special protection needs;
*
Assisting with durable solutions reviews of and recommendations for
refugees’ cases;
* Assisting with legal review of individual refugee
claims;
* Assisting with identification of refugees with special needs
and
profiling exercises;
* Occasionally undertaking field missions to
the Tongogara Refugee Camp;
* Assisting the office with training for
beneficiaries, authorities and
partners on Refugee Law, Human Rights,
Resettlement and other related
topics;
* Assisting with IDP issues as
required and
* Performing other duties as may be required by the
Office.
Qualifications
Required:
* A university
degree in Law, Human Rights, Forced Migration/Refugee
studies or other
related field, including social sciences.
* A basic working knowledge of
Refugee law;
* Fluency in spoken and written English, including excellent
English-language writing skills;
* The adaptability to work in an
international and multicultural
environment;
* The ability to work
with vulnerable and victimized individuals;
* The ability to act
professionally and to deal with confidential and
sensitive information;
and
* The availability to work in Zimbabwe for a minimum of three (3)
months.
Desired:
* Advanced degree in a relevant
field;
* Work experience with refugees and/or IDPs;
* Knowledge of
French, Swahili, or languages from the Great Lakes Region
and local
Zimbabwean languages.
* Female candidates are encouraged to
apply
To Apply: Please send an updated CV, a current writing sample
(maximum 5
pages), and a cover letter stating your reasons for applying for
the
internship to DAUN [at] unhcr [dot] org
Please note that only
complete applications will be considered and only
candidate(s) selected for
interviews will be contacted.
Deadline: The deadline for applications
is 21 September 2011. No
applications after this date will be
considered.
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This entry was posted on September 15th, 2011 at
3:03 pm by Bev Clark
