Coal-rich Zimbabwe faces acute coal shortages, imports coal

International Herald Tribune

      The Associated Press

      Published: September 23, 2006

      HARARE, Zimbabwe Drastic coal shortages despite massive natural
deposits have had a ripple effect throughout Zimbabwe's economy and ruined a
deal to renovate the country's biggest steelworks, the government has
acknowledged.

      The energy crisis adds to the economic woes of Zimbabwe, which is
already suffering from acute shortages of fuel and many basic commodities.

      Industry Minister Obert Mpofu told a panel of lawmakers in Harare on
Wednesday that Indian steelmaker Global Steel Holdings pulled out of an
investment deal at the Zicosteel steelworks in central Zimbabwe because of
concerns about lack of coal supplies.

      The steel maker needed 60,000 tons of coal a month but earlier this
year received just 14,000 tons monthly - "enough to keep the furnaces on,
but without production," Mpofu told a parliamentary inquiry at a hearing
Wednesday.

      Zicosteel was once prosperous but has declined because of
mismanagement and corruption and is now on the verge of collapse.

      In its latest company report available Friday, main coal producer
Hwange Colliery said coal mining declined from 1.4 million tons last year to
883,000 tons so far this year. It blamed shortages of equipment and spare
parts, breakdowns of existing machinery and what it called "cash-flow
challenges" in buying new materials.

      Zimbabwe has estimated reserves of 30,000 million tons of coal, enough
to last the nation 6,000 years at self-sufficient 1995 consumption of 5
million tons a year, according to geological studies. The deposits are the
biggest in quality coal in southern Africa.

      Daily power outages in homes and industries have been worsened by the
closure of coal-fired generators across the country. Zimbabwe imports 40
percent of its power from its neighbors.

      The broke state railroad company, also suffering breakdowns and
shortages of replacement equipment, failed to deliver available local coal
to industry and business, with even brewers in Harare saying they were
forced to import coal by road from neighboring South Africa at three times
the cost in scarce hard currency to keep their boilers fired up.

      Lager beer prices rose by nearly 50 percent this week, the latest in
almost monthly hikes this year that turned many impoverished Zimbabweans to
traditional home brews.

      Zimbabwe's National Breweries reported last month they installed new
gasoline-fueled power generators to maintain production but noted growing
consumer resistance to rising prices that ranked Zimbabweans the lowest per
capita lager consumers against their regional neighbors. Zimbabwe drank five
times less lager than South Africa, three times less than Namibia and about
half Botswana's consumption.

      Zimbabwe is suffering record inflation of 1,204 percent, the highest
in the world, in its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980 blamed
on land seizures, mismanagement and corruption.

      Bread disappeared from most shelves this week after the government
ordered bakers to slash their prices. At least six senior executives of food
and food-related companies were arrested for allegedly overcharging on their
products.

      A Harare magistrate criticized arresting officers for being
"overzealous" and business leaders condemned the arrests as harassment of
key players working to find solutions "to our persistent and very serious
economic problems."

      "Businesses are already operating under extremely difficult conditions
... We expect the authorities to fully respect and protect legal rights to
conduct business without fear of intimidation," said the country's seven
main independent business associations in a joint statement Friday.

      Bakers argued soaring prices of ingredients, packaging and coal,
gasoline and wheat shortages forced them to increase prices to stay in
business. The Bakers Association said members had imported South African
wheat for more than double the local price in efforts to keep at least some
production lines rolling.

      Managers at one Harare bakery said a cycle of 19 round-the-clock daily
bakes was routinely disrupted, spoiling dough already in the ovens, by power
outages affected by the closure of a nearby state-owned coal-fired power
facility.

Zimbabwean unionists return home

IOL

          September 23 2006 at 05:08PM

      By Denise Williams

      Two Zimbabwean unionists, badly beaten by police in Harare have
returned home from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu)
congress to face charges for planning a peaceful demonstration.

      "They left Milpark Hospital and flew back to Zimbabwe yesterday,"
Richard Smith a member of the secretariat of the Zimbabwean Solidarity Forum
confirmed on Saturday.

      While attending the congress, Lucia Matibenga, vice-president of the
Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and a fellow union leader were
admitted to Milpark Hospital because of their severe injuries.

      Matibenga suffered a perforated eardrum, severe bruising and possibly
a crack in her arm, Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told the
congress, explaining that she had been admitted to hospital and would not be
speaking on the final day of the conference.

      The two were granted 20 000 Zimbabwe dollars bail shortly before
leaving for the Cosatu congress and had to report to police in Harare by
Friday evening.

      Meanwhile, on the same day five US trade unionists were denied access
to Zimbabwe, according to reports.

      The delegation from the Coalition of Black Trade Unions' (CBTU) visit
to Zimbabwe was planned after the suppression of the countrywide protests by
Matibenga and her fellow union leaders in the ZCTU earlier this month.

      The State-controlled Herald newspaper quoted a statement from the US
embassy in Harare saying that the delegations entry was denied because of
the events of September 13, when security forces brutally suppressed planned
protests by the ZCTU for higher wages and access to antiretrovirals.

      "As a country, we have the right to admit or bar certain visitors, and
I am sure the immigration authorities looked after our national interest in
coming to that decision", acting information minister Paul Mangwana was
quoted as saying to the Herald.

      Harare police arrested Matibenga and her fellow union leaders after
stopping a demonstration from starting in central Harare last Wednesday.
Milpark Hospital could not comment on the health of the two unionists when
they were discharged on Friday.

      This month has also seen South African youth leaders from
organisations including the Young Communist League, refused entry into
Zimbabwe. - Sapa-dpa

Abuses of power

The Guardian

To stop the torture by police in Zimbabwe, it must be documented - and
victims want the world to know their story.

Andrew Meldrum

September 23, 2006 10:30 AM
Broken bones, head injuries, battered feet, beatings to the point of
unconsciousness - these forms of torture were inflicted by Zimbabwean police
on 15 Zimbabwean trade union leaders last week (13 September), according to
their lawyers and doctors.

"We were taken to the cells in pairs and five young men with batons beat us
for about 15 to 20 minutes each," said Lucia Matibenga, vice president of
the Zimbabwe congress of trade unions. Mrs Matibenga, 52, suffered a
fractured arm, perforated eardrum and possible kidney damage from her
beating. "Seven of us have broken arms. Others have internal injuries. We
want the world to know what is going on in Zimbabwe," she said.

The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, blithely dismissed the abuse as the
work of "one or two overzealous" officers, in a rare interview while at the
United Nations on Thursday. Significantly he did not say that any police
would be punished for the torture.

Tragically, the brutal police treatment of the labour leaders is only the
latest of hundreds of cases of torture by Zimbabwean state agents. According
to a growing dossier compiled by human rights groups, Zimbabwe's police,
army and secret service - the Central Intelligence Organisation - have
tortured people with electric shocks, genital mutilations, near-drownings
and gang rapes in the past.

In recent months the use of torture has increased, according to statistics
from Zimbabwe's Human Rights Forum, which reported 68 cases of torture in
August. The group concluded that torture has become "widespread and
systematic" against those identified as opposition or critics of the Mugabe
regime.

"The Zimbabwe government is one of the most persistent and brutal torturers
in all of Africa today," said Zimbabwean lawyer Gabriel Shumba, himself a
torture survivor now in exile in South Africa. "But Zimbabwe is a silent
atrocity because African leaders do not want to say anything, even though
they know what is going on. The South African government and the African
Union should condemn the use of torture and violence in Zimbabwe."

What can be done about Zimbabwe's torture? Considerable effort is needed to
understand the roots of the abuse, how to help the victims and how to stop
it. Torture was used in the country in the years of white minority-ruled
Rhodesia. Once Zimbabwe won majority rule, the police continued to use
beatings as a form of interrogation.

Mr Mugabe employed agents from East Germany's Stasi and Romania's Securitate
to train the security forces. North Koreans trained the Fifth Brigade of the
Zimbabwean army, known as Mr Mugabe's Praetorian guard, which carried out
widespread torture and mass killing in the southern Matabeleland region
between 1983 and 1987, during which an estimated 20,000 civilians were
murdered.

Torture grew alarmingly in 2000 when Mr Mugabe faced a serious challenge
from a new opposition. Camps were established across the country where
police, Mr Mugabe's youth brigades and others inflicted savage violence upon
supporters of the opposition.

With Zimbabwe's economy in freefall, inflation above 1,200% and hunger
growing, even the aloof and isolated Mr Mugabe has become aware of the
restiveness of the population and is resorting to intimidation by his
security forces to maintain his control. This has led to the increase in
torture reported by local organisations. Consistently, the Mugabe government
has refused to take action against perpetrators of abuse. State torturers
know they enjoy impunity from prosecution for their crimes - at least for
now.

How can the victims be assisted? There are dedicated doctors inside Zimbabwe
who are providing medical treatment and counselling to torture victims, at
considerable risk. Hundreds of survivors have fled to South Africa where the
Zimbabwe Torture Victims Project provides assistance.

I have interviewed many survivors including a teenager who survived electric
shocks that caused him to bite through his tongue and a policeman whose
penis was skinned. These people want to tell their stories so the world will
know the atrocities being committed in Zimbabwe. These brave survivors
compile the facts of their cases with affidavits from lawyers, doctors and
the victims themselves. A growing number of offenders in the security forces
have been identified.

This is how to stop the torture: document the abuse and hold the
perpetrators accountable. Government agents must know that the impunity they
currently enjoy will not last forever. The cases must be publicised across
Africa and throughout the world. The AU's commission on human and peoples
rights has already written a damning report on human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe, although the Mugabe regime succeeded in getting it pushed to the
side of the AU's July summit in Banjul, Gambia. The soon-to-be-launched
African court of human rights already has a list of Zimbabwean cases to be
heard.

Other international bodies are becoming involved. The London-based
anti-torture group Redress and Amnesty International have produced
compelling reports on the extent of torture in Zimbabwe. The International
Bar Association has urged the international criminal court to press charges
against Zimbabwean torturers, from Robert Mugabe on down.

The South African government has so far avoided publicly condemning the
Mugabe regime. But recently President Thabo Mbeki has spoken out against
human rights abuses in Africa and he could be moving towards condemning
torture in Zimbabwe.

The UN has not been effective on this front. Zimbabwe has been shielded from
rebuke by nations still friendly with Mr Mugabe. When a known Zimbabwean
police torturer was exposed in a UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia, the UN
refused to arrest the man and put him on trial. Shamefully, he returned to
Zimbabwe where he has been identified in new abuses.

In a symposium held in Johannesburg scores of Zimbabwean civic leaders said
the country needs a thorough process of truth, justice and reconciliation
where crimes dating back to the Rhodesian days are exposed, perpetrators
taken to trial and only then can lasting reconciliation be achieved.

Robert Mugabe wants the world to view him as the scourge of white farmers,
but he does not want to be revealed as the torturer of black Zimbabweans. It
is time that his filthy secret is exposed and that African leaders condemn
it.

UN Speeches signal move to realign the world

http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=4634   Posted by: McQ on Saturday, September 23, 2006 The UN, at least during the tenure of soon to depart Kofi Annan, has become nothing more than a third-word debating club, long on meaningless resolutions and very short on any action. But this week's meetings at the UN found significant demands being made of the world body by nonaligned nations. During the week members of the bloc of Nonaligned nations (G77) made their presence known with a direct attack on the power of the G8 nations (generally and the US specifically) calling for significant structural changes in the world body and how it functions. As an example, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe - a man who has presided in one of the worst economic trainwrecks in history highlighted by his cronyism and assaults on property rights - had this to say [pdf] to the UN last week: The status quo in the Council, where a few powerful countries hold the world to ransom is no longer tenable. There is therefore a strong case here for addressing the core issue of the democratisation of international governance. Africa remains the only continent which does not have a permanent seat with veto power in the Security Council. That situation is unacceptable. It needs to be corrected and corrected now. The position of the African Union on this issue is very clear. Africa demands two permanent seats, complete with veto power, plus two additional non-permanent seats. We will not compromise on this matter until our concerns are adequately addressed. And of course he wasn’t the only one. Having just left the summit of the Nonaligned Movement, in Cuba, as had Zimbabwe, the presidents of Iran, Venezuela and Bolivia used their speeches to make the same point. William H. Luers points out: The polarized atmosphere at the UN has grown in the past year between the so-called Group of 77—a block of 132 developing nations also known as the G77—and developed nations, in particular the US. The increased level of rancor was revealed most recently at the meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana on the eve of the general debate at the UN. As the anti-US rhetoric grows, it is clear that the larger and more vocal presence of new powers including China, India and Brazil—each of which has important relations with the G77 and the US—has increasingly tended to moderate the shriller voices. Once again, however, the potential for anti-US rhetoric is disturbing as leaders of that movement including Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran seek a larger voice within the G77 and on the world scene. This goes back to my point yesterday about the US taking Chavez more seriously than it seemingly has in the past. In fact, just as seriously as it takes the president of Iran. Chavez is the heir apparent in Latin America when Castro dies, but he wants more than that. And the G77 is the perfect vehicle. Chaves wants to be a member of the “axis of evil” because, in the sphere in which he seeks power, that is a badge of honor. His speech this week was his coming out party in his quest for the leadership of the G77 bloc. 0ne of the places in which he will attempt to increase their power is in the UN. There are a couple of ways he’ll attempt that: Iran's nuclear program is one of the hottest topics before the UN Security Council as the US and its European partners seek to move toward a sanctions regime if Iran does not cease its enrichment of uranium. Many of the G77 member states are likely to express support for Iran's program at the UN General Assembly and in the corridors, while China and Russia on the sidelines seem inclined to delay sanctions. Iran's seeming willingness to reach a middle ground in order to continue negotiations is likely to be the subject for debate in many of the bilateral and multilateral gatherings in and around the General Assembly. But Chavez, like Mugabe, knows such support depends on attracting the support of one of the permanent members on the Security Council with veto power. So the real power lays not in such demonstrations of support, but by getting a piece of the real nexus of power in the UN: the Security Council. Speaking to the General Assembly, Chavez said: But we, the assembly, have been turned into a merely deliberative organ. We have no power, no power to make any impact on the terrible situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes, here, today, 20 September, that we re-establish the United Nations. Last year, Madam, we made four modest proposals that we felt to be crucially important. We have to assume the responsibility our heads of state, our ambassadors, our representatives, and we have to discuss it. The first is expansion, and Mullah (ph) talked about this yesterday right here. The Security Council, both as it has permanent and non-permanent categories, (inaudible) developing countries and LDCs must be given access as new permanent members. That's step one. Second, effective methods to address and resolve world conflicts, transparent decisions. Point three, the immediate suppression — and that is something everyone's calling for — of the anti-democratic mechanism known as the veto, the veto on decisions of the Security Council. Let me give you a recent example. The immoral veto of the United States allowed the Israelis, with impunity, to destroy Lebanon. Right in front of all of us as we stood there watching, a resolution in the council was prevented. Fourthly, we have to strengthen, as we've always said, the role and the powers of the secretary general of the United Nations. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran also made the same points in his speech [pdf], an apparent result of talking points developed at the summit of Nonaligned nations: The present structure and working methods of the Security Council, which are legacies of the Second World War, are not responsive to the expectations of the current generation and the contemporary needs of humanity. Today, it is undeniable that the Security Council, most critically and urgently, needs legitimacy and effectiveness. It must be acknowledged that as long as the Council is unable to act on behalf of the entire international community in a transparent, just and democratic manner, it will neither be legitimate nor effective. Furthermore, the direct relation between the abuse of veto and the erosion of the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council has now been clearly and undeniably established. We cannot, and should not, expect the eradication, or even containment, of injustice, imposition and oppression without reforming the structure and working methods of the Council. Is it appropriate to expect this generation to submit to the decisions and arrangements established over half a century ago? Doesn't this generation or future generations have the right to decide themselves about the world in which they want to live? Today, serious reform in the structure and working methods of the Security Council is, more than ever before, necessary. Justice and democracy dictate that the role of the General Assembly, as the highest organ of the United Nations, must be respected. The General Assembly can then, through appropriate mechanisms, take on the task of reforming the Organization and particularly rescue the Security Council from its current state. In the interim, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African continent should each have a representative as a permanent member of the Security Council, with veto privilege. The resulting balance would hopefully prevent further trampling of the rights of nations. This is a serious and popular movement within the body of the UN. And, in my opinion, it reflects a serious realignment within the world (driven by the demise of the USSR and, as strange as this may sound, the actual stability Cold War politics and diplomacy gave the world). But while I have some sympathy with both the movement and their demands, I have to admit reluctance to cede to them what they want at this time given those vying for leadership within the bloc. Perhaps it is time to consider a restructuring of the UN and especially the Security Council. Like him or not, Chavez has a point when it comes to the General Assembly. It is nothing more than a deliberative body with no real power. I can certainly understand the demand of other nations who feel excluded from the inner circle of the Security Council and thus virtually powerless. But - and you knew it was coming – I question the usefulness of such reform, at this time, given the emerging leadership of the G77 and it’s intent. So I would guess that the US will fight such restructuring for the time being until it is assured more moderate leadership among the G77 is prevalent. That is why I feel Chavez’s “threat level” has just risen in terms of how he’s viewed by the US and other G8 powers. When you see the same talking points - such as those from Mugabe, Chavez and Amadinejad – presented at the UN, you begin to understand that the G77 is an organization to be taken seriously. It is no longer a lose confederation of what many would term the “have-nots” in the world. It is a growing and more tightly bound association of states that want a share of the power in the world and intend to attempt to get it, starting in the UN. Part of that is due to Chavez and Amadinejad. The polarization within the UN which William Luers notes above is the result of a power realignment that is underway. The Cold War is finally truly over (that being especially evident now that China has chosen its path) and the vacuum left by the USSR is finally being filled (since China seems reluctant to do so and the EU and Russia have been unable to do so). The world seems most comfortable with (or at least used too) the tension a bi-polar power arrangement brings. Chavez and Amadinejad seem determined to take the lead in providing that second pole through the G77. That obviously means, given their ideologies, that the nation to which they will direct most of their attention and enmity, the nation most unlike them and a perceived threat to their goals, is the US. What role Russia, China, and the EU will end up having in this global realignment is still open to question. But it could be significant. Watch for the G77 nations to push very hard for the structural changes they talked about in their speeches, especially with a new General Secretary coming on board (and, I would assume they’d try to ensure a GS who is from their bloc and sympathetic to their cause is appointed - see Chavez's "point four"). Should they manage to somehow to get what they demand, and find themselves on the Security Council, all manner of mischief is possible with the type leadership now emerging. Given that possibility, it can be said without fear of contradiction, we live in interesting times. And they'll only get more interesting.

West accused of interfering in Zimbabwe internal affairs

Xinhua

      www.chinaview.cn 2006-09-23 19:46:58

          HARARE, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Cabinet minister has accused
Western powers of using the issue of human rights as an instrument to
interfere in the affairs of Zimbabwe.

          Some Western countries are using the human rights concept as an
instrument to interfere in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe and peddle an
illegal regime change agenda, said Didymus Mutasa, minister of state for
national security, lands, land reform and resettlement.

          Mutasa said Western powers had poured huge amounts of money in
creating non-governmental organizations and supporting political parties
like the opposition party MDC whose objective was to effect illegal regime
change.

          He was presenting a lecture on state security to soldiers from
various countries attending a joint command course at Zimbabwe Staff College
in Harare on Friday.

          "Additionally, to the extent that the Western powers are using
human rights as an instrument to interfere in the internal affairs of
Zimbabwe, the issue underscores the relationship between power, policy and
human rights," he said.

          Mutasa said unilateralism could be viewed as a legitimate state
security threat when considered against the background of the use of
sanctions as a tool to coerce specific policy postures from some states.

          Poverty levels in Third World countries, yawning development gap
between the rich and poor and the struggle for control over resources, were
equally significant security challenges.

          "These challenges assume worrying dimensions, particularly when
viewed within the context and content of the unilateralist doctrine of the
sole super power which argues the right to take military action to address
perceived threats to its hegemony," he said.

          The minister said the land reform program, meant to correct
historical imbalances, had provoked an international backlash, driven by the
Anglo-Saxon international fraternity, to try to force a policy climb-down by
the Zimbabwean government.

          It is noteworthy that efforts have been made to portray the
sanctions regime as limited in scope, targeting the leadership of the ruling
party Zanu-PF and the government, but with a larger objective of effecting
regime change," he said.

          Zimbabwe has already enunciated and is actively pursuing a Look
East Policy and a South-South economic and diplomatic cooperation strategy.

          "In terms of Zimbabwe's international networks, it became
necessary for the country to leave the Commonwealth, while emphasizing on
its relations with other regional networks like the SADC (Southern Africa
Economy Community), the African Union and inter-governmental and global
networks like the United Nations system," said Mutasa.

          The government had put in place policy instruments to support and
enhance agricultural productivity, as the restoration of food security was
imperative within the context of international sanctions.

          "Efforts have been made by our detractors to cite the recent
decline in agricultural productivity, which was a result of a variety of
factors including weather, to vilify the land restitution and reform
program. The efforts to seek a reversal of restitution will fail," he said.
Enditem

IMF official predicts 4,200% inflation in Zimbabwe

Angola Press

Harare, 09/23 - An official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
predicted a 4,200% inflation in Zimbabwe next year, up from the current
world record of 1,200%. The Fund`s Africa Department deputy director,
Siddharth Tiwari said inflation would keep rising in the country, contrary
to government projections, unless the authorities changed economic course.

Zimbabwe has been accused of refusing to implement internationally-
acceptable economic reforms to tackle corruption, and of ruining
agriculture, its economic mainstay.

"The country is in a difficult situation and has faced six years of
continuous output decline, rising prices, increasing poverty and a decrease
in public services," Tiwari said. "It`s a tragic situation frankly, and the
prospects are grim."

Inflation was 1,204.6 percent in August, and is expected to rise again this
month on the back of sharp price increases for food and other commodities.

While the Central Bank has predicted that the rate will start falling by the
end of the year, the IMF projects it will top 4,279% in 2006.

Court grants Bredenkamp reprieve

From The Herald, 23 September

Court Reporter

Tycoon John Bredenkamp will temporarily have his passport back after the
High Court ordered Registrar-General (RG) Mr Tobaiwa Mudede to immediately
return his travel document pending the finalisation of his case. Justice
Bharat Patel yesterday granted Mr Bredenkamp a provisional order after he
appealed to the higher court for restoration of his nationality and the
immediate return of his passport that was withdrawn by the RG last week. "It
is ordered that the first and fourth respondents (being Mr Mudede and the
clerk of the criminal court, respectively) . . . return applicant (Mr
Bredenkamp) his passport," read part of the amended order. "The applicant is
accorded all rights and privileges of a Zimbabwean citizen including
re-entry into Zimbabwe." The court, however, ordered Mr Bredenkamp to
furnish documentary evidence proving that he is no longer a citizen of South
Africa, which is a requirement for the purpose of confirming the provisional
order. Justice Patel said the terms of the provisional order should remain
in full force notwithstanding an appeal that may be filed against the order.
The urgent application was brought before Justice Patel on Wednesday
afternoon, but the judge deferred the hearing to yesterday to consider a
section of the South African law related to the Zimbabwe Citizenship Act
presented by the defence lawyer.

Mr Bredenkamp's passport was withdrawn last week after his acquittal in a
criminal case in which he was accused of illegally using a South African
passport on his international trips on 65 occasions. Soon after the
acquittal, the clerk of court refused to return his passport, which had been
surrendered as part of his bail conditions, as per the instruction of Mr
Mudede. This prompted Mr Bredenkamp (66) to challenge the RG's decision,
saying this had left him "stateless" and that he faced deportation. The
tycoon cited the RG, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the chief immigration
officer and the clerk of the criminal court as first, second, third and
fourth respondents respectively. The wealthy businessman - who has vast
commercial interests in the country - contended, in his papers filed with
the court, that he is a Zimbabwean citizen by registration and argued that
Mr Mudede does not have any power to strip him of his citizenship. He said
at law, the RG had no power to deprive him of his citizenship in Zimbabwe
and argued that he was entitled to a passport only issued to him by the
Government of Zimbabwe. He accused Mr Mudede of making a decision that
sought to render him stateless, saying such a decision not only offends
Zimbabwean law, but international law as well.

In his counter argument, the RG said Mr Bredenkamp had lost his citizenship
by default after he failed to comply with the renunciation procedures. He
said Mr Bredenkamp did not present the declaration confirming his
repudiation of South African citizenship as required by the law. "Formal
renunciation was never brought to first respondent (Mr Mudede) within the
prescribed period and to date I have not had sight of such documents," he
stated. "Applicant (Mr Bredenkamp) can't be stateless as he is South African
as evidenced by his South African passport which is current and will expire
in 2011 after which he can renew it." Mr Mudede denied that he deprived the
tycoon of his citizenship but rather had confirmed loss of citizenship in
terms of the Act. Mr Bredenkamp, who was born on August 11, 1940 in the
Kimberly district of South Africa, assumed Zimbabwean citizenship in 1958 by
registration. In 1984, he lost his citizenship by default but had it
restored four years later. Advocate Chris Andersen yesterday acted for Mr
Bredenkamp, while Mrs Virginia Mabhiza of the Civil Division in the Attorney
General's Office appeared for the State.