http://www.apanews.net
APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) The Washington-based Genocide
Watch said on Saturday
that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his top
army generals must be
tried for genocide and crimes against humanity for the
1980s massacre of
20,000 civilians in the south of the country.
Human
rights groups have accused Mugabe, who was then Prime Minister of
Zimbabwe,
of unleashing the army between 1983 and 1984 into the volatile
Matabeleland
regions to crush a rebellion.
The North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade
allegedly killed an estimated 20,000
civilians and displaced thousands
more.
Genocide Watch president Gregory Stanton said the United Nations
High
Commission for Human Rights should conduct a full investigation of the
killings, popularly known as the Gukurahundi massacres.
"We call upon
the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights to conduct
a full
investigation of the Gukurahundi, with the aim of establishing a
mixed UN-
Zimbabwean Tribunal to put Mugabe and his co-perpetrators on trial
for their
crimes," Stanton said.
Genocide is a special crime against humanity
because it must be
intentionally carried out against a national, ethnic,
racial or religious
group.
Several ministers and top army officials
in Mugabe's side of Zimbabwe's
coalition government are accused of direct
involvement in the atrocities and
are believed to be hanging on to power to
prolong their freedom.
JN/daj/APA
2010-09-18
http://www.apanews.net/
APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) The
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
said Saturday that it was
resettling more than 340 Zimbabwean families
displaced by farm violence in
the east of the country last year.
The organization said in a statement
that the 342 families have been living
in two emergency displacement
settlements in Chipinge since October 2009.
In a joint programme with the
Zimbabwean government, IOM has been moving the
displaced families and
providing them with alternative accommodation in
another village in Chipinge
district.
IOM assistance includes transportation to the village of
Mugondi, the
construction of community-based shelters and water and
sanitation facilities
such as temporary latrines and sinking boreholes and
the rehabilitation of
classroom blocks.
IOM said it was also working
with the Zimbabwean government to ensure that
sufficient land tenure
documentation is provided to the families being
resettled.
Zimbabwe's
fast track land reform programme which began in 2000 has led to
widespread
land disputes in many farming communities across the country.
The
families were displaced following clashes between newly resettled
small-scale farmers and tenants in the Chipinge farming areas after labour
disputes on the farms.
The result was a wave of farm evictions,
displacements and the destruction
of more than 400 houses, leaving almost
1,700 individuals homeless.
JN/daj/APA
2010-09-18
http://www.voanews.com/
The workers have given
government one month to adjust their salaries or face
a mass job
action
Thomas Chiripasi & Brenda Moyo | Harare/Washington DC 17
September 2010
Zimbabwe's civil servants staged a march in the
capital Harare Friday
protesting poor salaries and demanding improved
working conditions.
Numbering about 300, the demonstrators sought
audience with Public Service
Minister Eliphas Mukoweshuro who promised to
convene a meeting to discuss
their wage grievances.
State workers are
demanding a pay rise, arguing government should be able to
pay them from
proceeds realized from the Marange diamonds. But government
says it is
broke.
Chief Executive Officer Sifiso Ndlovu of the Zimbabwe Teachers
Association
told VOA Studio 7 reporter Brenda Moyo that civil servants want
a minimum
salary of US$500 in line with the national food basket
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Tobias Manyuchi Saturday 18 September
2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe should first clean up the voters roll and
implement
proposed electoral reforms and ensure they have taken root before
calling a
new vote, the country's elections body has said, appearing to
rebuke
political leaders who are calling for polls next year.
Both
President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have said
Zimbabwe will hold elections next year to choose a new government to replace
their coalition administration.
But Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
chairman, former Harare High Curt Judge
Simpson Mutambanengwe said rushing
to hold a new vote before thorough
preparations will inevitably result in a
disputed outcome.
"The timing of elections will also influence the
prospects of any future
election," Mutambanengwe said while addressing
participants at a civil
society meeting held in Harare last Thursday night
to discuss elections in
the country.
Mutambanengwe said: "Problems
could arise if elections are proclaimed before
proper preparations can be
made and electoral reforms have been passed and
have taken hold.
"The
prospects for next elections are dependent on a number of factors. Some
of
the factors may be within the control of the commission provided it is
sufficiently funded, but many are out of the commission's
control."
Mugabe and Tsvangirai were forced to form a power-sharing
government after
disputed elections in 2008 and were supposed to terminate
the union after a
referendum on a new constitution. That process is already
a year behind
schedule.
Mutambanengwe said the electoral commission
had to first grapple with a
voters' roll that is in shambles and also lacked
enough financial resources
to hold elections which would not be
challenged.
He said: "commissioners were appointed on the 31 of March
2010 which is
almost six months since their appointment, but they still not
have received
their conditions of service.
"Conditions of service for
the secretariat staff are poor and not in line
with the conditions of other
election management bodies in the region."
Zimbabwe's elections have in
the past been blighted by violence and charges
of vote rigging, which saw
the European Union and United States slapping
sanctions on Mugabe and senior
members of his ZANU-PF party. - ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
18 September, 2010 04:27:00 By Staff
Reporter
ZIMBABWE has filed a complaint with the United Nations
Secretary General
after the US Government barred CIO boss Happyton Bonyongwa
from attending
the UN General Assembly in New York.
Bonyongwa was
supposed to be part of President Robert Mugabe's delegation to
the UN's 65th
Ordinary Session but was refused a visa by the US embassy in
Harare along
with ZBC Chief Correspondent, Reuben Barwe.
Both are on the list of
individuals barred from travelling to the US under
sanctions imposed by
President George Bush in 2002.
However the Zimbabwe government argued
that the UN Headquarters was
international territory to which no country or
individual should barred
unless they were under UN sanctions.
"The
Zimbabwe Government has reached the UN Secretary-General's Office for a
formal complaint in what amounts to a breach by the United States government
of its status, conditions and commitment for hosting the United Nations," a
senior Government was told state media on Friday.
Bonyongwa was also
barred from travelling to the US for UN meetings last
year.
Meanwhile
the US has invited the Zimbabwe government for talks on the
sanctions.
Energy and power development Minister, Elton Mangoma will
lead the Zimbabwe
delegation while the US will be represented by Assistant
Secretary of State
for African Affairs Johnny Carson.
The talks are
expected to begin next Wednesday.
The Zimbabwe government is pushing for
the removal of the sanctions which it
blames for the country's economic
problems.
However the US and the European Union are demanding more
reforms and full
implementation of the Global Political Agreement before
they can lift [ends
here]
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Energy Bara
Saturday, 18
September 2010 16:07
MASVINGO - The unstable political situation in
the country has impacted
negatively on the country's economy since no
investor would pour money in a
country dogged by political instability, the
Minister of Finance Tendai Biti
said on Friday.
Addressing people
at a 2011 national budget consultative meeting in
Masvingo,Minister Biti
described the country's economy as a "prisoner of
politics."
Biti
said since the inclusive government was a temporary arrangement
investors
and the donor community have not provided the country with the
necessary
financial support because of the current uncertain political
situation.
"The economy of this country is a prisoner of politics,"
said Biti. "We have
failed to get financial support from donors or other
financial institution
because they are uncertain of the political
environment."
"Foreign direct investors would want to know if we are
holding elections
next year. And they also want to know what will happen
after the
elections. Therefore, the unstable economic climate has made it
difficult
for the economy to grow in a way that we expected."
Biti
said the country has an external debt of USD 7 billion while the
internal
debt stands at USD 1,1 billion
"The huge domestic and external debt has
been a big burden to the country,"
said Biti
Turning to the issue of
civil servants salaries Biti said while the
government appreciates that
every worker has to be properly remunerated the
country has no money to
increase salaries of the civil servants.
The finance minister said
preliminary reports have indicated that there are
over 45 000 ghost workers
in the civil service and the country will only be
able to increase salaries
of its workers once the issue has been dealt with.
"We appreciate the
plight of civil servants and that every worker should be
properly
remunerated but the country has no money,"said Biti
"The country is
getting USD 140 million every month but over 70 percent of
this goes to
salaries."
Turning to the issue of diamond sales from Chiadzwa Biti said
USD 56
million was realised from the sale of the first batch of
diamonds.
According to Biti of the USD 56 million only USD 17 million
was received by
treasury.
The country's civil servants have given the
government 14 day notice to
engage in industrial action as a way to
pressurise their employer to
increase their salaries.
Most government
workers are currently earning money ranging from USD 150 to
USD
200.
Teachers unions have for long been calling on the government to
increase
salaries for teachers arguing that the state was now realising
proceeds from
the sale of diamonds in Chiadzwa.
Delegates at the
budget consultative meeting called on Biti to deal with the
persistent power
cuts and also unrealistic billing from parastatals.
http://www.voanews.com
Briefing
the media Thursday South African International Relations Minister,
Maite
Nkoana-Mashabane said Pretoria will ask the West to remove the
so-called
targeted sanctions on Zanu PF officials.
Blessing Zulu | Washington 17
September 2010
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is expected to leave
for New York on
Saturday to attend the 65th session of the United Nations
General Assembly.
The president, who will be accompanied by first lady
Grace Mugabe and a
large number of senior government officials estimated at
over 70, is
expected to join other world leaders at the UN
summit.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has previoulsy threatened to
crackdown on
spendthrift foreign travels that gobbled US$30 million in six
months when
the nation is struggling to raise funds.
Sources in the
foreign affairs ministry told VOA that senior pilots were
asked to fly the
president to the UN since the national airline's pilots are
on
strike.
Harare had considered chartering a South African airways plane to
ferry the
president to New York, sources say. The annual UN session opens
Wednesday
next week and runs until Septermber 30.
Topics to be
discussed include climate change, development and
counter-terrorism
strategies. But on the sidelines of the UN summit,
president Mugabe, backed
by Pretoria, is expected to lobby for the removal
of targeted sanctions
imposed on him and 200 members of his inner circle.
The United States and
European Union imposed a travel ban on Mr Mugabe
following the disputed 2002
presidential elections. He is only allowed to
attend UN
meetings.
Briefing the media Thursday in Pretoria, South African
International
relations and cooperation minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane,
said South
Africa will ask the West to remove the so-called targeted
sanctions.
"Whenever weget an opportunity, we will be lobbying for the
removal of these
restrictions against certain individuals or institutions in
Zimbabwe,
because we think it's not necesarily helping in making sure
Zimbabwe moves
forward," she said.
Political analyst Trevor Maisiri
says Mr Mugabe's 70 member entourage is
just too big for a poor nation.
18 September
2010
HRD’s
Alert
MAGISTRATE
REFERS MASEKO’S APPLICATION TO SUPREME COURT
Bulawayo Magistrate Ntombizodwa
Mazhandu on Saturday 18
September, 2010 granted an application filed by lawyers representing visual
artist Owen
Maseko seeking a referral of his matter to the Supreme Court to
determine whether criminalising creative arts infringes on freedom of expression
and freedom of conscience.
In her ruling
Magistrate Mazhandu referred the application filed by Maseko’s lawyers Lizwe Jamela, Nosimilo Chanayiwa and Jeremiah Bamu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights (ZLHR) to the Supreme Court after accepting that the application
was not frivolous and vexatious.
The Magistrate
said it was a fact that Gukurahundi-military killings of over 20 000 civillians
in Matabeleland and
Magistrate
Mazhandu said the Supreme Court should decide on the points that were raised by
the lawyers in their application.
The ruling means
that Maseko’s trial will be postponed sine die until the finalisation of the
case in the Supreme Court.
The lawyers filed
their application before Magistrate Mazhandu last Wednesday. State prosecutor Tawanda Zvekare was opposing the
application. Maseko’s lawyers stated that the artist’s fundamental rights, provided for in the Constitution of
Zimbabwe and other International Human Rights Instruments to which
The Supreme Court will now make a determination on the violation of
the protection of the artist’s freedom of expression as enshrined in Section 20
(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the protection of freedom of conscience,
particularly freedom of thought guaranteed in terms of Section 19 (1) of the
Constitution and the protection of the law as provided in terms of Section 18
(1) of the Constitution.
The Constitutional court will now determine whether or not bona fide
works of artistic creativity can be subjected to prosecution under Section 31
and 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23) without
infringing on the provisions of Sections 18 (1), 19 (1) and 20 (1) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe.
In their application Jamela, Chanayiwa and Bamu argued that Maseko’s
freedoms of expression and thought as guaranteed by Sections 20 (1) and 19 (1)
of the Constitution of Zimbabwe respectively were violated repeatedly at various
stages when he was arrested in March after the police outlawed his art works and
when the government recently invoked the Censorship and Entertainment Control
Act to ban his paintings at the Bulawayo National Art
Gallery.
The lawyers alleged that these rights were still being violated and
continued to be violated through pressing fresh charges against the
artist.
The
lawyers stated that art was a professional trade that could never lend itself to
one conclusive interpretation and was an idea or thought that was developed over
time, and then presented in visible form for public
scrutiny.
ENDS
Kumbirai Mafunda
Communications
Officer
6th
100 Nelson Mandela Av
Tel
Email
“We Need
Generational Change”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Maxwell Sibanda
Saturday,
18 September 2010 16:29
HARARE - Education, Arts, Sports and Culture
minister Senator David Coltart
has urged political parties and rural
communities to stop violence against
teachers during campaigns like the
current constitutional making programme.
"All those responsible for
violence and killing in rural communities are
actually killing the teaching
profession and destroying the education of our
children.Teachers are
perceived as opposition party supporters and most
rural communities have
always turned against them," Senator Coltart said.
The Minister was
speaking in Harare recently during a discussion of the
Bill of Rights for
Education with various stakeholders including artists.
He said it was
difficult for the government to lure back qualified aned
experienced
teachers to rural areas because of violence and poor housing
that is why the
quality of education in those communities has drastically
deteriorated
lately.
"We must look into the security concerns of teachers in rural
communities
and as a ministry we have realised that teh greatest drop in
education is in
violent prone provinces,"Senator Coltart said.
He
said there is need to democratise education in Zimbabwe to get it back to
its excellent status of the 1980s.
This, he added, could only be
achieved through the democratisation of the
education content and the
teaching process itself.
"There is no civic education in the current
school curriculum and my
ministry is working hard so that this is included.
We need to teach
democracy in schools," said Coltart, a lawyer by
training.
Raymond Majongwe, the president of the combative Progressive
Teachers
Union who attended the function said while the minister's call to
democratise the education system was a good idea, it would be difficult to
implement as people in his ministry were working against him. "Ninety
percent of the people under his ministry are against him.
He is the
only education minister who has phoned me so we could discuss
about
teachers, not the likes of former Minister Aeneas Chigwedere,"
Majongwe
said.
Majongwe said democratisation and fair distribution of resources
was
critical for the education sector. He blamed influential politicians for
allocating themselves grants and resources to build good schools in their
areas at the expense of other provinces.
He said: "They donate
computers in schools that have no use of them, yet
there are schools already
teaching computers who have no access to them. All
they want is to appear in
newspapers and television."
Majongwe said the distribution of qualified
teachers to the country's
various provinces was politically
biased.
In rural areas, while trying to work with parents Majongwe noted
that the
District Administrators and even Chiefs were having a say in the
running of
schools.
He said: "Several Parent Teachers Assocaitions
have been formed to
administer schools in rural areas and this has brought
chaos to the
administration of schools. The chairpersons of these committees
are now
always at the school, they want to buy the footballs, the books and
so on,
clearly jobs that should be done by school heads."
He said
during political party campaigns, local rural bullies chased away
qualified
teachers and at times ended up taking the teachers' posts.
Majongwe
welcomed the proposal by Minister Coltart to launch a Teachers
Council as a
way towards self regulation of the teaching profession
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Sidney Saize
Saturday, 18 September
2010 16:21
MUTARE - Manicaland provincial administrator Fungai Mbetsa
has warned 44
families in Chiadzwa's Marange that are resisting relocation
from their
villages to be resettled in Odzi that the government programme
was
irreversible and continued refusal would be "folly".
In an
interview with the The Daily News this week Mbetsa revealed that there
was
some political influence from those families that are refusing to be
relocated unless they are paid full compensation for their
properties.
"We know there are political people behind this action by
these families to
resist the relocation. But one thing for sure is that the
programme is
irreversible and there is no going back on this one," said
Mbetsa, without
naming whom he suspects of influencing the villagers to be
relocated unless
they are paid compensation first.
On Tuesday the
families snubbed Mutare district administrator, Cosmas
Chiringa's call for
them to pack their things and leave for Arda Transau in
Odzi where they are
set to temporarily stay until their permanent structures
are fully
constructed.
Chiringa had reportedly gone to the families with trucks
ready to move them
to Arda Transau but the families insisted on being paid
first.
In an interview this week, Mutare West Member of Parliament Shuah
Mudiwa
confirmed the families had shrugged off Chiringa's initiative to be
moved to
Odzi on Tuesday.
"The families told the new Mutare DA
Chiringa that they cannot go anywhere
before they are given their
compensation. So Chiringa and his four trucks
ready to take the families for
Odzi returned without taking anyone," said
Mudiwa.
But Mbetsa said
the government was still trying to negotiate in good faith
and explaining to
the villagers how the issue of transport is being handled
without using any
force.
He would not reveal what the government would do given the
continued
defiance from the villagers to move to the prescribed
area.
"The issue of compensation has been discussed with the leaders of
the
Chiadzwa Community Development Trust. They were informed full
compensation
would be paid when they are at permanent structures, for now
they will be
paid disturbance allowances," explained Mbetsa.
Each
family is paid US$1 500 in disturbance allowance and compensation would
depend on the individual property one has and what the evaluators got from
their evaluation.
He said evaluation of the properties of the
affected families had been
completed and he had the list.
"As soon as
Mbada Diamond Mines finishes the construction of the houses and
the families
move into them the families would get their compensation.
Mbetsa said it
was improper to pay for compensation now when the families
are not yet
properly settled since Arda Transau Farm in Odzi is only a
provisional
settlement.
At least 12 families initially settled at Arda Transau Farm
complain of
inadequate housing for their families.
The families say
because of a shortage of accommodation grown up girls and
boys are sharing
the same rooms as they wait for the completion of permanent
structures to
move in.
The families also want the issue of farming land resolved
promptly so they
begin land preparation ahead of the rainy season.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by VUSMUZI BHEBHE
Saturday, 18
September 2010 13:11
HARARE - Zanu (PF) is going to church - literally -
as the party leaves no
stone unturned in its attempt to reverse the
humiliating loss to Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's former opposition
MDC-T in Zimbabwe's last
general elections held in 2008. (Pictured:
President Robert Mugabe (second
from left) attends an apostolic church
session)
Two years after its land reform mantra failed to convince a restive
populace
to vote for it, President Robert Mugabe's party appears to have
struck
another winning formula - this time in the form of a captive audience
and
potential voters offered by submissive church groups. The flurry of
"church
activities" by Zanu (PF) bigwigs during the past month has betrayed
the
party's motives.
In the past week alone, Zanu (PF) chairperson Simon
Khaya Moyo and Vice
President Joice Mujuru have led the party's latest
marketing strategy,
reminding hapless churchgoers of the sacrifices made by
Mugabe and others to
liberate Zimbabwe from colonial bondage.
Mujuru told
thousands of the Apostolic and Zion followers on September 12
that the
freedom of worship Zimbabwe presently enjoys was a result of the
sacrifices
of those who died to liberate the country. Speaking at the launch
of the
Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe, the Zanu (PF) and national
Vice
President said the "government" is more than prepared to take on board
and
support the apostolic sect in empowerment projects considering that they
are
well known for self reliance.
Salvation Army
On the same day Moyo was
addressing members of the Salvation Army during a
ground-breaking ceremony
for the new church building for the Crowborough
North congregation. This
particular event gave away the motive behind Zanu
(PF)'s sudden interest in
the church, according to political analysts. "The
fact that Mujuru appointed
Moyo to represent her at the Salvation Army event
instead of another
government official tells a story of its own. Remember
that this guy (Moyo)
is not a member of the current government. He
represents a party," said
Harare-based political analyst Donald Porusingazi.
Mujuru is a member of the
Salvation Army and has regularly officiated at
functions organised by the
church. She allegedly delegated to Moyo an
invitation to participate at the
Crowborough North event instead of
seconding someone from the
coalition
government. And Moyo did not disappoint, using the function to
campaign for
Mugabe and Zanu (PF).
He told Salvation Army youths to emulate Mugabe and
other members of the
party who fought for the country's
liberation.
Several other senior Zanu (PF) officials have also addressed
churchgroups
since the beginning of the year as the party readies itself for
the country's
next polls. Mugabe's party will be hoping to wrestle back
parliamentary
seats it lost to the MDC-T during the last polls held in March
2008.
The polls saw the former ruling party losing its parliamentary majority
for
the first time since independence from Britain in 1980. It also saw Zanu
(PF) being forced by the Southern African Development Community and African
Union to enter into a power-sharing arrangement with Tsvangirai's
party.
No date is given for the next elections in the power-sharing agreement
-
commonly known as the global political agreement (GPA) - signed by Mugabe
and Tsvangirai in September 2008 or in the implementation matrix for the 24
contentious issues agreed by the leaders in July.
Voters roll
But
there has been a general assumption that they will be held sometime in
2011.
Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have also talked of elections in 2011, with
the
former allegedly ordering Finance Minister Tendai Biti to set aside
US$200
million for polls when he presents next year's national budget. But
in a
recent radio interview Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara
- who is the
third signatory to the GPA - branded the election talk as
political
grandstanding, saying it was not possible to put the voters roll
in order in
time for elections in 2011.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson
Simpson Mtambanengwe has
also cast doubt on ZEC's ability to conduct
elections in 2011, citing
financial constraints and the fact that the voters
roll is in "disarray".
Critics say the voters' roll is outdated with
thousands of dead people still
appearing on the voter's register and have
accused Zanu (PF) of
benefiting from the shambles.
A respected former High
Court judge, Mtambanengwe said ZEC was also in the
process of carrying out
reforms that would end past disputes. Zimbabwe's
elections have in the past
been blighted by violence and charges of vote
rigging, which saw the
European Union and United States slapping sanctions
on Mugabe and senior
members of Zanu (PF).
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Edward Jones Friday 17 September
2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe's inflation rate has retreated for the third
straight
month and is set to fall within the official target by the end of
the year
but analysts said the fall in the consumer price index is not being
felt by
consumers, adding that the government may need to review the
calculation of
its figures.
Annual inflation slowed further to 3.6
percent in August, from 4.1 percent
the previous month but the month on
month figure remained flat at -0.1
percent for the third straight
month.
But most Zimbabweans are not feeling the fall in prices, instead
poverty
continues to bite with unemployment still high in the
country.
"Some things have come down but the major problem is that there
is no real
growth in the economy, so there are no jobs," John Robertson, a
Harare based
consultant economic analyst said.
"What that means is
that there is a greater dependency burden in the country
where few people
are sharing their income with the bigger extended family.
So even if prices
are not going up, the cost of living is."
Finance Minister Tendai Biti
said in July that annual inflation would
average 4.5 percent by December
this year but that growth would slow down as
the southern African country
struggle to attract foreign investment and
donor funds.
The coalition
government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
last year discarded use of the Zimbabwean dollar, made
worthless by
hyper-inflation, in favour of foreign currencies such as the
U.S. dollar and
South African rand.
Basic goods, which had disappeared during the
hyperinflation period, are
back on the supermarket shelves but many
Zimbabweans, with an average
monthly salary of $170 are struggling to make
ends meet.
Tony Hawkins, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe's
business school
said the spending patterns in the country had changed since
1995, the last
time a new calculation for the price index was
introduced.
"Things have changed dramatically since then. I think
inflation is much
higher than the official figures because if you ask the
business leaders
they tell you costs are going up and they are passing this
to consumers as
well," Hawkins said.
"So there is a distortion there
but it is not deliberate. This is why the
ordinary person can not feel the
slow down in inflation."
Civil servants, who still make up the largest
bloc of workers in the country
have threatened to go on strike to push for
higher wages.
Most people say they are spending most of their income on
school fees,
rentals and utility bills, but these make up a smaller
component of the
consumer price index basket, which is used to calculate
inflation.
The coalition government says it needs at least $10 billion to
revive an
economy that was in recession for a decade.
Critics say
potential foreign investment has taken a hit after government
threats to
force foreign owned companies to sell their majority shares to
local
blacks.
"The momentum that was built last year has evaporated because of
the threat
of indigenisation and so you have a decrease in inflows also
having an
impact on incomes in the economy," Robertson said.
"But we
also need to be aware that Diaspora inflows have diminished
somewhat, which
has taken an important income for many families."
Zimbabwe registered its
first expansion in a decade last year when the
economy grew by 5.7
percent.
The International Monetary Fund has painted a dim economic
outlook and has
forecast that growth will be below 2.5 percent this year. --
ZimOnline.
Dear Family and Friends,
Every year it seems the changing leaves on the Msasa
trees are more
beautiful than theyve ever been before and this year is
no
exception. In the last couple of weeks the Msasas have shaken off
all
their old dusty leaves and given us an African extravaganza.
From
bright shiny red to deep dark port wine, the leaves have turned
then
to soft orange and caramel, then a tinted pinky brown before
finally
turning pale green and darkening as they prepare to face the
summer
sun. The display has been so beautiful this year that it had to
be
seen to be believed. On stretches of road where there are valleys
or
kopjes, the trees have appeared as rich Persian carpets and left
you
feeling as if you have walked into a childs exotic painting.
At
ground level its been a completely different sensation with the
days filled
with the noise of falling Msasa pods. As soon as the sun
hits the trees in
the morning the pods begin exploding and the
intensity increases with the
temperature. From every direction comes
the click, crack sound of pods
splitting open and spitting out their
shiny brown seeds as they fall to the
ground. Underfoot is a maze of
pods, some flat and velvety on the underside
but most curled and dark
brown with sharp tips.
As if the colours, noises
and falling pods werent enough, this is
also the time of year when the
summer birds start reappearing.
Babblers and Thrushes running on the ground
feasting on worms in the
fallen pods; Drongoes and Bulbuls swooping down to
spear termites
newly emerged from the baked ground in their millions and
hungrily
devouring every blade of dry grass. The Flycatchers and Bee-
eaters
are back and the mocking calls of the Go Away birds all add to
the
spectacle of Zimbabwe at this time of year. A spectacle where
every
day ends with a bright red sun slipping into the horizon through
the
smoke, dust and haze.
This week it hasnt just been the beauty of
nature which has lifted
our spirits in Zimbabwe but also two pieces of news.
The first is
that a woman who took part in a number of violent farm invasions
here
has been denied asylum in the UK. She must return to live in
the
country which she helped turn into a begging bowl. She must return
to
be amongst people who saw her, know what she did and to whom.
The
second piece of good news is that Genocide Watch have announced
that
the Gukurahundi mass killings in Matabeleland in the 1980s have
been
classified as a genocide. With the official classification comes
the
fact that there is no Statute of Limitations and for the rest of
their
lives the perpetrators of mass murder can be held to account
for their
actions. So, at last, there is nowhere to hide and
accountability becomes
reality. Until next week, thanks for reading,
love cathy. Copyright Cathy
Buckle 18th September 2010.
www.cathybuckle.com
CONSTITUTION WATCH 19/2010
[17th
September 2010]
Outreach
Meetings: Harare, Chitungwiza & Ruwa:
Saturday
18th, Sunday 19th and Monday 20th September
This is the Schedule now agreed on after the meeting yesterday to
finalise the Outreach Meetings for Harare, Chitungwiza and Ruwa. It has been released this morning by
COPAC and replaces the schedules published in the press
yesterday.
Please circulate this revised schedule widely so as many people as
possible get to the right places at the right time and can participate in the
process
All Meetings will start at 10 am.
Saturday
18th September
DISTRICT |
WARD |
MEETING
POINT |
TEAM
|
REMARKS | |
CHITUNGWIZA |
1 |
ZENGEZA
MAIN SCHOOL |
Team
1 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
2 |
SHINGAI
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
2 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
3 |
CHAMINUKA
PRIMARY |
Team
3 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
4 |
DUNGWIZA
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
4 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
5 |
AREA
F CRECHE |
Team
5 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
6 |
TADZIKAMIDZI
PRIMARY |
Team
6 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
7 |
TANGENHAMO
PRIMARY |
Team
7 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
8 |
PFUMO
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
8 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
9 |
MBERI
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
9 |
MASH
EAST | |
|
10 |
ZENGEZA
MHURIIMWE SCHOOL |
Team
10 |
HARARE | |
|
11 |
ZENGEZA
4 PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
1 |
MASVINGO | |
|
12 |
ZENGEZA
8 PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
2 |
MASVINGO | |
|
13 |
NDANGARIRO
PRIMARY |
Team
3 |
MASVINGO | |
|
14 |
ZENGEZA
4 HIGH SCHOOL |
Team
4 |
MASVINGO | |
|
15 |
SEKE
1 HIGH SCHOOL |
Team
5 |
MASVINGO | |
|
16 |
SEKE
8 PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
6 |
MASVINGO | |
|
17 |
SHARON
COHEN SCHOOL |
Team
7 |
MASVINGO | |
|
18 |
UNIT
.L COMMUNITY HALL |
Team
8 |
MASVINGO | |
|
19 |
FARAI
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
9 |
MASVINGO | |
|
20 |
SEKE
2 HIGH SCHOOL |
Team
10 |
MASVINGO | |
|
21 |
CHINEMBIRI
PRIMARY |
Team
1 |
MASH
WEST | |
|
22 |
SEKE
5 HIGH SCHOOL |
Team
2 |
MASH
WEST | |
|
23 |
SEKE
4 HIGH SCHOOL |
Team
3 |
MASH
WEST | |
|
24 |
SEKE
3 HIGH SCHOOL |
Team
4 |
MASH
WEST | |
|
25 |
CHIEF'S
HALL DDF |
Team
5 |
MASH
WEST | |
RUWA/EPWORTH |
|
|
|
| |
|
1 |
MUGARA
SECONDARY SCH |
Team
6 |
MASH
WEST | |
|
2 |
MAKOMO
SECONDARY SCH |
Team
7 |
MASH
WEST | |
|
3 |
ZINYENGERE
PRIMARY SCH |
Team
1 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
|
4 |
CHIZUNGU
PRIMARY SCH |
Team
2 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
|
5 |
EPWORTH
SECONDARY SCH |
Team
3 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
|
6 |
KUBATANA
PRIMARY SCH |
Team
3 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
|
7 |
CHINAMANO
PRIMARY SCH |
Team
5 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
MABVUKU/TAFARA |
|
|
|
| |
MABVUKU |
19 |
AREA
D |
Team
6 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
|
21 |
MABVUKU
HALL |
Team
7 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
TAFARA |
20 |
TAFARA
HALL |
Team
8 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
|
46 |
TAFARA
COMMUNITY CENTRE |
Team
9 |
MASH
CENTRAL | |
Sunday
19th September
GREENDALE |
9 |
COURTNEY
SELOUS SCHOOL |
Team
1 |
MASH
EAST | ||
HIGHLANDS |
8 |
LEWISAM
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
2 |
MASH
EAST | ||
WATERFALLS |
|
|
|
| ||
HARARE
SOUTH |
1 |
ST
JOHN RETREAT |
Team
3 |
MASH
EAST | ||
|
|
KUTSAGA
HALL |
Team
4 |
MASH
EAST | ||
SUNNINGDALE |
10 |
SUNNINGDALE
2 HALL |
Team
5 |
MASH
EAST | ||
|
|
SUNNINGDALE
1 PRIMARY |
Team
6 |
MASH
EAST | ||
HATFIELD |
22 |
HATFIELD
HALL |
Team
7 |
MASH
EAST | ||
|
|
MASASA
PARK CRECHE |
Team
8 |
MASH
EAST | ||
WATERFALLS |
23 |
WATERFALLS
HALL |
Team
9 |
MASH
EAST | ||
|
|
FRANK
JOHNSON PRIMARY |
Team
10 |
HARARE | ||
HIGHFIELD
CONSTITUENCY |
| |||||
USHEWEKUNZE |
1 |
USHEWEKUNZE
COOPERATIVE |
Team
1 |
MASVINGO
| ||
GLENVIEW
SOUTH |
31 |
GLEN
VIEW 1 NEW HALL |
Team
2 |
MASVINGO
| ||
GLENVIEW
SOUTH |
32 |
GLENVIEW
3 COMMUNITY HALL |
Team
3 |
MASVINGO
| ||
GLENVIEW
NORTH |
30 |
GLENVIEW
HIGH 1 |
Team
4 |
MASVINGO
| ||
GLEN
NORAH |
28 |
CHEMBIRA
HALL |
Team
5 |
MASVINGO
| ||
GLEN
NORAH |
27 |
GLEN
NORAH NEW HALL NO 2 |
Team
6 |
MASVINGO
| ||
HIGHFIELD
WEST |
24 |
ZIMBABWE
HALL |
Team
7 |
MASVINGO
| ||
HIGHFIELD
WEST |
25 |
C.J
HALL |
Team
8 |
MASVINGO
| ||
HIGHFIELD
WEST |
26 |
ZORORO
CENTRE CRECHE |
Team
9 |
MASVINGO
| ||
HIGHFIELD
WEST |
29 |
COMMUNITY
HALL |
Team
10 |
MASVINGO
| ||
KUWADZANA
EAST |
38 |
KUWADZANA
HIGH 2 |
Team
1 |
MASH
WEST | ||
KUWADZANA |
37 |
KUWADZANA
COMMUNITY CENTRE |
Team
2 |
MASH
WEST | ||
KUWADZANA |
44 |
KUWADZANA
8 PRI SCH |
Team
3 |
MASH
WEST | ||
KUWADZANA |
45 |
FUNDO
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
4 |
MASH
WEST | ||
MUFAKOSE |
34 |
AREA
J.HALL |
Team
5 |
MASH
WEST | ||
MUFAKOSE |
35 |
RUTENDO
HALL |
Team
6 |
MASH
WEST | ||
WARREN
PARK |
15 |
MAGAMBA
HALL |
Team
7 |
MASH
WEST | ||
KAMBUZUMA |
36 |
AREA
E |
Team
1 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
WARREN
PARK |
5 |
BELVEDERE
TEACHERS COLLEGE |
Team
2 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
KAMBUZUMA |
14 |
KAMBUZUMA
HIGH 1 |
Team
3 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
BUDIRIRO |
33 |
COMMUNITY
HALL |
Team
4 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
BUDIRIRO |
43 |
OK
SHOPPING CENTRE |
Team
5 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
HARARE
NORTH |
| |||||
AVONDALE |
7 |
AVONDALE
PRI SCHOOL |
Team
6 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
MABELBREIGN |
16 |
ALFRED
BEIT PRI SCHOOL |
Team
7 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
MT
PLEASANT |
17 |
MT
PLEASANT HALL |
Team
8 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
BORROWDALE |
18 |
GREYSTONE
PARK PRIMARY |
Team
9 |
MASH
CENTRAL | ||
DZIVARASEKWA |
39 |
DZIVARASEKWA
HALL 3 |
Team
1 |
MASH
EAST | ||
DZIVARASEKWA
EXTENSION |
40 |
DZIVARASEKWA
2 COMMUNITY HALL |
Team
2 |
MASH
EAST | ||
MARLBOROUGH |
41 |
AVONLEA
PRIMARY |
Team
3 |
MASH
EAST | ||
HATCLIFFE |
42 |
OPEN
SPACE EXTENSION |
Team
4 |
MASH
EAST | ||
HARARE
CENTRAL |
|
|
|
| ||
MBARE |
3 |
MAI
MASODZI HALL |
Team
5 |
MASH
EAST | ||
MBARE |
12 |
STODART
HALL |
Team
6 |
MASH
EAST | ||
ARCADIA/BRAESIDE |
2 |
MOTH
HALL |
Team
7 |
MASH
EAST | ||
Monday
20th September
MBARE/INDUSTRY |
11 |
NETBALL
COMPLEX |
Team
8 |
MASH
EAST |
CENTRAL
BUSINESS DISTRICT |
4 |
ST
PETER’S SCHOOL |
Team
9 |
MASH
EAST |
LOCHNVAR/SOUTHERTON |
13 |
SOUTHERTON
PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
10 |
HARARE |
HARARE
CENTRAL |
6 |
SELBOURNE
ROUTLEDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL |
Team
1 |
MASH
EAST |
|
|
|
|
|
HARARE |
40 |
DZIVARASEKWA
2 COMMUNITY HALL |
Team
2 |
MASH
EAST |
|
|
|
|
|
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