Zimbabwe power-sharing deal faces disaster

The Times
September 26, 2008

Martin Fletcher and Jan Raath in Harare
Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal is close to collapse after only 12 days
because Robert Mugabe and his generals are determined to thwart it, Western
diplomats said yesterday.

"We are looking at the possibility of this thing failing," a senior diplomat
told The Times as Mr Mugabe demanded an end to sanctions at the UN General
Assembly in New York last night.

Another gave the deal a mere 25 per cent chance of survival, saying Mr
Mugabe had entered it in bad faith and duped the opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.

Both gave warning of catastrophe if the deal collapsed. One spoke of
Zimbabwe's "final implosion", with "Ethiopian-style" mass starvation and
another million desperate people flooding into neighbouring countries.

They said Mr Mugabe believed he could flout the agreement with impunity
because the world was distracted: the West was facing economic meltdown,
Washington had a presidential election looming, Gordon Brown was fighting
for survival and Thabo Mbeki, the former South African President who
brokered the deal, had been ousted.
Nearly two weeks after the agreement was signed, to great fanfare, Mr
Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party and Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
have failed even to agree a division of ministries, with Zanu (PF) demanding
every key portfolio.

Mr Tsvangirai told Western officials in Harare yesterday that the MDC had
ceded the Defence Ministry, which controls the Army, and the dreaded Central
Intelligence Organisation to Mr Mugabe. Zanu (PF) is also demanding the Home
Affairs ministry, which would give Mr Mugabe control ofthe police, and the
Finance Ministry, which would leave it in charge of Zimbabwe's devastated
economy.

"Zanu wants everything," said one of those present, adding that the
officials had urged Mr Tsvangirai to show less trust and "more spine".

Mr Mugabe told the Associated Press that negotiations were continuing during
his ten-day stay (with an entourage of 54) in New York, but one of the
diplomats denied that.

They accused him of using the same delaying tactics he employed in March,
when the regime suppressed the presidential election results for weeks while
it worked out how to overturn Mr Tsvangirai's victory.

Mr Mugabe and his party have shown contempt for the deal from the outset. In
a televised speech, the octogenarian President insisted that Zanu (PF)
remained in the driving seat and "would not tolerate any nonsense from our
new partners".

In a pseudonymous newspaper column George Charamba, his spokesman, insisted
Mr Mugabe remained head of state and government, said Zanu (PF) had to learn
to govern with "the enemy now within" and spoke of war if the MDC tried to
reverse land seizures.

The diplomats said Mr Mugabe was under pressure from his generals, who felt
he had sold out. However, one added: "Mugabe was never going to give up
power quietly. He wants to die in office."

Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
have asked Mr Mbeki to continue monitoring the agreement. However, while
some observers believe his removal from the presidency has robbed Mr Mugabe
of his protector, the diplomats say it has neutered the one man who could
have forced Mr Mugabe to honour the deal.

Unless Mr Mugabe cedes real power the West will not give Zimbabwe the
billions of dollars it needs to rebuild an economy crippled by inflation
running at 40 million per cent, the flight of four million of its citizens,
and a desperate food and fuel shortage.

Yesterday Save the Children said that Zimbabwean children were eating rats
and inedible roots riddled with toxic parasites to stave off hunger. A
diplomat said the Government needed 850,000 tonnes of grain to avert famine
but had just 75,000 tonnes left.

Mr Mugabe told Associated Press the West should lift its "demonic" sanctions
against his regime, and accused Britain and America of "waiting for a day
when this evil man called Robert Mugabe is no longer in control".

Had he thought of resigning? "No - or of dying."

The long negotiation

September 9 Thabo Mbeki mediates in new round of talks between MDC and
Mugabe

September 11 Tsvangirai says that a power-sharing deal is reached

September 15 The power-sharing deal is signed officially

September 17 The Parliamentary Affairs Minister announces that
constitutional changes are needed before deal can come into effect

September 18, 19 Zanu (PF) attempts to hold all key ministries

September 19 Joseph Msika, the Vice-President, left in charge when Mugabe
attends UN meeting

September 20 The state-owned newspaper The Herald suggests that Mugabe still
holds power

September 21 Mbeki resigns as President of South Africa

Source: Times archives

Unrepentant Mugabe addresses the UN

http://www.independent.co.uk

By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor, in New York
Friday, 26 September 2008

The Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe pledged to respect the "spirit and
the letter" of a power-sharing deal with the opposition, in his first formal
public appearance since the signing of the 15 September pact.

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Mugabe said "we are
prepared to co-operate with all countries which also respect Zimbabwe's
sovereignty" as he called for the lifting of "illegal sanctions".
Negotiations on completing the cabinet, to be shared between the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) and Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party are continuing in
Harare while the President is in New York.

But Mr Mugabe gave no indication in his speech that he intended to set his
country on a different course. It was marked by characteristic accusations
against Britain, the former colonial power, and the US, accused of imposing
the sanctions "which have brought untold suffering to our people". The
European Union, however, has never halted humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe, once
the bread basket of Africa, where food production has halved in the past
decade. Western donor countries are waiting for the formation of a
government and a sense of reform before injecting aid to boost the economy.

Earlier, the President, 84, mocked suggestions that human rights groups
would be allowed to return to his stricken country.

Asked by the Associated Press whether Amnesty International and Human Rights
Watch would be allowed to enter Zimbabwe, he said: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Let them keep out."

Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe accuses Britain of genocide in UN

Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has used an address to the United Nations general assembly to accuse Britain and America of genocide.

 

Last Updated: 12:15AM BST 26 Sep 2008

Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe speaking in UN Photo: GETTY

In an angry diatribe delivered to the assembly hall, the veteran African leader brushed off accusations he has badly damaged his country and blamed Western countries for Zimbabwe's problems.

"By the way, those who falsely accuse us of these violations are themselves international perpetrators of genocide, acts of aggression and mass destruction," Mr Mugabe said in his speech.

"The masses of innocent men, women and children who have perished in their thousands in Iraq surely demand retribution and vengeance. Who shall heed their cry?"

Mr Mugabe demanded that the sanctions imposed on his country by Britain and America - which he says destroyed the country's economy - should be lifted.

"Once again, I appeal to the world's collective conscience to apply pressure for the immediate removal of these sanctions by Britain, the United States and their allies, which have brought untold suffering to our people," he said.

The sanctions, designed to press Mr Mugabe into making his country more democratic, were tightened after disputed elections earlier this year.

Power sharing talks between him and the country's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai still hang in the balance amid disagreements in appointing key cabinet members.

The talks were brokered by the outgoing South African president Thabo Mbeki, who was forced to resign early this week and left office yesterday.

Mr Mugabe praised the South African leader, who was sometimes criticised for taking too soft a line on human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

"His patience, fortitude, sensitivity, diplomatic skills and painstaking work made it possible for the Zimbabwean parties to overcome what had appeared to be insurmountable and intractable difficulties to reaching agreement," Mr Mugabe told the assembly hall.

Zimbabwe's economy has collapsed over the past decade since land redistribution policies disrupted farming - the country's largest economic sector.

In an earlier interview, Mr Mugabe dismissed suggestions that he should allow human rights monitors into the country. "Let them keep out," he said, laughing.

 

 

Zimbabwe's Mugabe calls for removal of sanctions

http://www.iht.com

The Associated PressPublished: September 25, 2008

UNITED NATIONS: Zimbabwe's president lashed out at Western powers in a
speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, accusing them of genocide
and calling for the removal of U.S. and British sanctions.

Robert Mugabe slammed Western-led efforts earlier this year at the United
Nations to step up punitive measures against his regime, and he praised
Russia and China for blocking them.

"By the way, those who falsely accuse us of these violations are themselves
international perpetrators of genocide, acts of aggression and mass
destruction," Mugabe said in his speech.

"The masses of innocent men, women and children who have perished in the
thousands in Iraq surely demand retribution and vengeance. Who shall heed
their cry?" Mugabe asked.

The United States only had a note-taker present for Mugabe's speech.

Mugabe did not specifically mention Zimbabwe's disputed election earlier
this year, but he thanked South Africa's former President Thabo Mbeki for
his mediation efforts that led to a power-sharing deal.

Mugabe praised Mbeki, "whose patience, fortitude, sensitivity, diplomatic
skills and painstaking work made it possible for the Zimbabwean parties to
overcome what had appeared to be insurmountable and intractable difficulties
to reaching agreement."

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the most votes in March presidential
polling, but not enough to avoid a runoff against Mugabe. An onslaught of
violence against Tsvangirai's supporters led him to drop out of the
presidential runoff and Mugabe was declared the overwhelming winner of the
second vote, which was widely denounced as a sham.

Under the power-sharing deal signed Sept. 15 with his rivals, Mugabe is
supposed to cede some of the powers he has wielded for nearly three decades
in the southern African country.

Western sanctions have targeted individuals and companies seen to be
supporting Mugabe's regime. They were tightened after elections this spring
and the European Union recently added an arms ban.

"Once again, I appeal to the world's collective conscience to apply pressure
for the immediate removal of these sanctions by Britain, the United States
and their allies, which have brought untold suffering to our people," Mugabe
told world leaders.

Mugabe blames the sanctions for the collapse of Zimbabwe's economy, but
critics point to his 2000 order that commercial farms be seized from whites.
Mugabe says the land reform program was meant to help poor blacks.

Food, fuel, hospital supplies and other necessities are scarce as prices
skyrocket in the region's former breadbasket. Zimbabwe now has the world's
highest inflation rate even by the official figure of at 11 million percent,
and independent economists put it much higher.

On Thursday, Mugabe praised his land reform program, saying "the majority of
our rural people have been empowered to contribute to household and national
food security and, indeed, to be masters of their own destiny."

"However, the effects of climate change that have included recurrent
droughts and floods in the past seven years, and the illegal,
unilaterally-imposed sanctions on my country have hindered Zimbabwe's
efforts to increase food production."

Mugabe's party is broke

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Cuthbert Nzou Friday 26 September 2008

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party is broke and has failed to
pay workers for the past two months, in the latest crisis to hit the once
formidable party whose fortunes are on the wane following its defeat in
elections last March.

Sources, who are senior officials in ZANU PF, said the party was in the red
after committing its funds to the violence-marred June presidential run-off
election won by Mugabe and that it had failed to pay salaries to its
300-plus workers as well as other bills.

ZANU PF also does not have cash to finance its annual December conference.
The conference is expected to inject new life in the party after its poor
showing in the March 29 polls in which the party lost its parliamentary
majority, leaving it weakened and with no viable option except to agree a
power-sharing government with the opposition MDC party.

According to our sources, Mugabe's party had tasked its national fund
raising committee to mobilise ZW$50 billion to cover recurrent expenditure,
employees salaries and for the annual conference to be held in Bindura town
in Mashonaland Central province.

But they said it was unclear whether the committee would be able to raise
the amount or even enough to pay workers' salaries this month.

"The workers have gone for two months without salaries," one of the sources
said. "In August every employee was given 25 litres of petrol to sell and
sustain their families, we could resort to this option again to pay workers
this month because the party is broke."

ZANU PF has a credit facility with the government-owned National Oil Company
of Zimbabwe and tapped this facility last month for fuel to give to
employees in lieu of cash.

Party finance secretary David Karimanzira confirmed that it was facing
serious financial problems, but was optimistic they would be overcome.

He said the party had financed recurrent expenditure over the past few
months through overdrafts but was confident that its fund raising committee
would mobilise enough cash to pay for all party business including the
annual conference.

He said: "The major challenge still remains on the funding of salaries of
the party workers, other party programmes, especially those initiated by the
commissariat, for example, the ongoing restructuring exercise, 2008 annual
conference in Bindura and the day-to-day administrative expenditure.

"So it is upon all provinces' fundraising committees and the national
fundraising committee to redouble efforts in fundraising activities. The
national fundraising committee is expected to raise $30 billion and the 10
provincial committees $20 billion."

In addition, Karimanzira's department has increased party membership fees
with members of the top politburo committee now required to pay an annual
membership fee of $5 000 each up from $3 000.

Members of the central committee now pay $3 000 up from $2 000 while annual
fees for members of the national consultative assembly have been reviewed to
$2 000 and $1 000. Ordinary party members pay an annual fee of $1 000.

ZANU PF has ruled Zimbabwe since taking power at the country's independence
from Britain 28 years ago.

But the party saw its grip on power severely weakened after managing to win
only 99 seats against 110 won by the two factions of the MDC in the March
elections. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai also defeated Mugabe in a parallel
presidential election although the opposition chief failed to secure the
margin required to takeover power.

Tsvangirai later withdrew from a June 27 run-off election in protest against
state-sponsored violence against his supporters and leaving Mugabe to win
the vote uncontested.

However the West and some African governments refused to recognise Mugabe's
controversial re-election and the veteran leader was forced to agree last
week a power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai under which he ceded some of his
powers to the MDC leader who will serve as prime minister in the new
government of national unity. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe is running out of food: USAID

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Own Correspondent Friday 26 September 2008

JOHANNESBURG - A United States aid organisation on Thursday said Zimbabwe
could run out of food by early November because the southern African country
has failed to import adequate quantities of basic cereals to make up for a
poor harvest this year.

"Given the current pace of imports, Zimbabwe could face a critical shortage
or exhaustion of cereals as early as the first week of November," said the
United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Famine Early
Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) in a statement to the media.

FEWSNET said a crop assessment carried out by the Zimbabwean government and
food aid groups in April showed that the country required grain imports of
1.164 million tonnes and added that food imports needed to be tripled
between now and March 2009 from the current rate of 8 786 tonnes a week to
avoid massive shortages.

Once a net exporter of the staple maize grain, Zimbabwe has had food
shortages since 2001 after President Robert Mugabe's controversial land
reform programme that saw experienced white farmers replaced by either
incompetent or poorly funded black farmers resulting in a massive drop in
food crop production.

The government planned to import 600 000 tonnes of maize from South Africa
this year but only 175 000 tonnes had been bought by the end of August.

"To meet the country's estimated consumption needs for the remainder of the
marketing year, excluding carryover, an estimated additional 788 719 tonnes
of cereals are needed," FEWSNET said.

In addition to food shortages, Zimbabwe is also grappling with its worst
ever economic crisis that is shown in the world's highest inflation of more
than 11 million percent, deepening poverty and shortages of every basic
survival commodity.

A power-sharing deal between Mugabe and opposition leaders Arthur Mutambara
and Morgan Tsvangirai is seen as the best opportunity for the southern
African country to begin work to end its long running political and economic
crisis.

But the three leaders failed last week to agree on how to share key posts in
the new government, stocking up skepticism over whether the power-sharing
deal clinched after seven weeks of tortuous negotiations could stand the
strain given deep seated mistrust especially between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

The European Union, US and other major Western donor nations have welcomed
the signing of the power-sharing agreement but say they want to see how it
is implemented on the ground before they could commit more resources to the
reconstruction of Zimbabwe's shattered economy. - ZimOnline.

We can no longer afford to fund the corrupt

The Times
September 26, 2008

The UN rails against the banks, but the aid industry has been just as
reckless in its lending and spending
Camilla Cavendish
Biting the hand that feeds the world doesn't seem like a great strategy. But
at the United Nations, it's normal. Last year, in a masterstroke, the UN
General Assembly put Zimbabwe in charge of Sustainable Development.
Yesterday, the world leaders who gathered at the UN in New York found a new
excuse to rage against America, the world's biggest aid donor, for having
the cheek to try to save the West from recession.

"Using the bailouts of the international banking system," the Chilean
President said, "the scourge of hunger on the planet could have easily been
eliminated." She moved straight on to complain that "financial instability
is threatening to generate a worldwide recession in which, as always, those
most affected will be the world's poorest". Yup. The world is a complicated
place. Sadly, you can't keep economics and poverty in separate compartments.

Aid officials understandably worry that wealthy nations are falling behind
in their promises. But they need to remember the terms of the deal that was
done at the G8 three years ago. A doubling of aid to Africa was supposed to
be contingent on clean government, and respect for democracy. That deal has
not always been honoured. Last November, to take one example, Britain
announced a new partnership with Uganda worth "at least" £700 million. This
is the country whose President changed the country's Constitution, so that
he could stand for a third term. Who jailed the opposition leader. Who has
been bankrolled by the West for so long that half of his Government's budget
is now foreign aid. It beggars belief that we are still pumping money into
the Swiss bank accounts of his cronies. But we are, because we fear it will
hurt the poor more if we withdraw. Or is it because it will hurt the aid
industry?

The past few years have been boom years for aid, just as they have been for
banking. The aid industry has not been entirely free of reckless lending,
nor even from moral hazard. When we wrote off Nigeria's debt in 2005, did we
really want that country to think of debt as a free lunch? Did we know that
it was about to become the world's sixth-biggest oil producer? If so, how
could anyone have thought that a $1 billion write-off was value for money?
Or was value for money not an issue?

When I graduated in the 1990s, I thought that my career would be in aid. I
studied development economics in America. I did stints at the World Bank and
in Bangladesh. I left the aid industry because I feared it was just that -
an industry weighed down by vested interests.
In Bangladesh I met Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank, which
gave small loans to poor women to start businesses. It has since given eight
million of the poorest people in the world the means to build and control
their own lives. I naively offered some of my agency's cash. But Yunus
didn't want my money. He didn't need our staff. He clearly thought it would
be corrupting. And I feared he was right.

Humanitarian aid is different. In situations of desperate extremity,
long-term economic considerations, or the morality of a country's leader,
must be put aside. And humanitarian aid is relatively effective, because
Oxfam, Save the Children and the World Food Programme distribute aid
directly to those who need it. Yet only 16 per cent of Britain's aid
spending is humanitarian. Most of the £5 billion spent by our Department for
International Development each year goes to governments. Some of it is
working - in places such as Zambia and Mozambique - but some is not. We need
to ask why. And if we can justify nearly doubling the budget to £8 billion
by 2010.

In recent years, British aid spending has shifted away from infrastructure
projects towards health and schools. Vaccinations against malaria and
treatments for HIV have a demonstrable and dramatic impact. They are
powerful emblems of our obligation to our fellow human beings. They also
offer the real hope of eradicating disease - one of the Millennium
Development Goals set by the UN in 2000.

But when it comes to eradicating poverty, there is only one answer. That is
to create jobs. For that you need to create businesses, which need access to
credit, non-punitive tax regimes and recognition of contract law. If those
conditions do not prevail, we should be calling governments' bluff rather
than throwing in more cash.

The statistics on economic growth are staggering. The rise of China has
lifted 400 million people out of poverty, more than have been helped by any
aid programme. That is why the number of people below the poverty line is
falling even while the world's population is booming. The average rate of
growth in poor countries is now outstripping that of rich ones.

China is transforming the landscape that has dominated aid thinking for
decades. Its hunger for natural resources is pushing growth in many African
countries to unprecedented levels. In 2006, the Chinese President hosted the
largest Africa summit held outside the continent. He promised to double aid
to Africa, cancel much of its debt and - crucially - to lift trade
restrictions, which will do more to help than any other single measure

Fareed Zakaria, in his book The Post-American World, tells an instructive
story about the Nigerian Government negotiating a $5 million loan for
railway systems with the World Bank. Before the deal was done last year the
Chinese Government stepped in and offered $9 billion to reconstruct the
entire rail system with no strings attached. That means no impact
assessments or capacity-building workshops. It cuts the rug from under the
World Bank. It also suggests that Nigeria should no longer be among the top
ten recipients of British aid.

We can do a great deal to save people from starvation and infectious
diseases. But we need to demand the same stringency about aid that we do
about other government spending.

Zimbabwe NGOs Confirm Bleak Forecast By Famine Warning Network

VOA

By Patience Rusere
Washington
25 September 2008

Following the issuance of a warning on Wednesday by the Famine Early Warning
Systems Network that Zimbabwe could run out of cereals by November if the
pace of imports by the government and commercial players is not stepped up,
food experts in the country confirmed Thursday that the food security
situation is cause for concern.

Agriculture Secretary Renson Gasela of the Movement for Democratic Change
formation of Arthur Mutambara said projections should take into account
growing need in the cities and not only in rural areas that traditionally
need help through the hunger season.

The U.S.-based FEWSNET said combined commercial and humanitarian cereal
imports must triple from their current rate between now and March 2009 to
meet the country's requirements for the rest of the so-called marketing
year - that is until the next maize harvest starts to come in as of March or
April, depending on conditions.

FEWSNET said the Zimbabwean had planned to import at least 600,000 metric
tones of maize from South Africa but by late august had only imported
175,000 tonnes.

"At the current rate, Zimbabwe could run out of cereals by November," said a
food security alert issued Wednesday by FEWSNET, which is U.S. based and
operates under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International
Development.

Spokesman Fambai Ngirande of the National Association of Non-Governmental
Organizations told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe
that while humanitarian organizations are trying to make up for time lost
between June and August when the government banned NGO aid activities, the
need for food keeps growing.

Some good news emerged within a generally bleak picture: the European Union
said on Thursday that it is providing 10 million euros or some $US15 million
to bolster the country's health care, water and sanitation systems in the
poorest areas.

Ten-year drought to blame for food shortages -- Mugabe

http://www.hararetribune.com

Thursday, 25 September 2008 23:52 Tawanda Takavarasha

In his speech at the United Nations in New York City, Robert Mugabe made the
case that the economic turmoil in Zimbabwe was caused by the 'illegal'
sanctions that have been 'unilaterially' imposed on his government by
countries 'hostile' to his land policies.

Mugabe spoke as Zimbabwe remains at a standstill following a deadlock over
the sharing of cabinet posts between the MDC and ZANU-PF following the
signing of  the GNU deal September 15.

While the parties remain deadlocked, the country continues to slip further
into economic turmoil, with the Zimbabwean dollar losing 100% of its value
in one day this week.

Mugabe appealed for the removal of the 'illegal' sanctions in a wide ranging
speech that attacked his perceived enemies, the United States and Britain.

"I would like to appeal to those members of the international community who
have imposed illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe to lift them so that my
country can focus, undisturbed, on his economic turn-around," Mugabe said.

The sanctions imposed on Mugabe's government affect only his cronies from
ZANU-PF who have aided him in human rights abuses in Zimbabwe over the last
ten years.

The targeted sanctions forbid ZANU-PF leaders from doing business with and
from travelling to western countries. Canada two weeks ago imposed
additional sanctions on Mugabe and all his cabinet ministers.

Refusing to acknowledge that it was his disastrous land policies that has
destroyed the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe, Mugabe claimed that the food
shortages in the country were a result of drought.

He told the UN General Assembly that for the past ten years, Zimbabwe has
been under a relentless drought.

Noting that effects of climate change have included recurrent droughts and
floods over the past seven years, he said the "illegal, unilaterally-imposed
sanctions" on his country "have hindered Zimbabwe's efforts to increase food
production."

"We deplore the vindictive approach which often is characterized by
self-righteous finger-pointing, double standards and the imposition of
unilateral sanctions to coerce smaller and weaker countries to bow to the
wishes of militarily stronger states," Mugabe added.

Farmers have indicated that Zimbabwe is headed for yet another disastrous
agriculture season as the ZANU-PF government has failed to import the
relevant quantities of seed and fertilizer, having opted instead to buy top
of the range cars for judges, MPs and other civil servants.

A former exporter of grain, Zimbabwe is now dependent on food aid to feed
its people. Out in Masvingo  Province at Bondolfi Mission, nurses reported
last week that five children had died of hunger.

Zimbabwe's economy has been in decline for a decade with sky-high
unemployment (85%), devastating food shortages, fuel crisis, crippling
poverty , out of control HIV/AIDs infection rates and the world's highest
rate of inflation.

Zimbabwe's inflation rate is conservatively estimated at 300 000 000%.
Mugabe has refused to take the blame for all this calamity, preferring
instead to accuse the British and his other enemies who he says are bent on
seeing him ousted from power.

Zimbabweans Forced to Stalk Basic Commodities

OhMyNews

Food security has become a major issue in people's lives

Masimba Biriwasha

     Published 2008-09-26 10:52 (KST)

It is scorching midday at the western edge of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital;
hordes of people crisis-cross (patters of feet leave plumes of dust in their
wake) as they go in and out of a chain of little shops filled to the brim
with an assortment of basic commodities.

The air is clogged with dust; men pushing wheelbarrows filled with boxes of
soap, cooking oil, or sugar etc. loudly motion to the crowd to give way.
Vehicles bringing goods to the shops momentarily disperse the crowd further
increasing the amount of dust in the air. The ground is matted with dusty
remains of cardboard boxes, and vehicle tires have eaten into the soil
creating groves.

It is literally a dusty affair at Harare's outskirts, but no one seems to
care as everyone is heavily engrossed in seeking what they have come to hunt
and gather for the time being.

Women and little children stand at the little doors of the congested shops
selling paper bags. Some sell ice cream at give-away prices, and a stone's
throw away, a dreadlocked man selling cigarettes screams into the air:
"Bacosi! Bacosi!", a play on a failed government initiative to provide basic
commodities at cheap prices.

Certainly, Harare's western edge has been transformed into a real
marketplace (forget the dust) where you can find any basic commodity.

The little shops, commonly referred to as "tuck shops" are cashing in on
Zimbabweans' quest to hunt and gather basic commodities such as soap,
cooking oil, and sugar.

What is surprising is that while the supermarket shelves in the city are
empty, the tuck shops are always well-stocked, and there is never a shortage
of either basic goods or customers.

Every day, the tuck shops are always busy with customers trooping to look
for hard-to-come-by basic goods.

Unfortunately, the hygienic standards are very poor with clouds of dust
choking customers. It is only a wonder whether city authorities are aware of
the existence of these tuck shops, and if they do, why they are not allowed
to operate at a more accessible section of the city.

Whatever the case, there is no doubt that the seemingly intractable
socio-economic crisis in the country has reduced Zimbabwe to
hunter-gatherers of basic commodities.

Throughout the city, people can be seen going about carrying loads of basic
goods (imported or local) with the mantra being "if you have money, buy it
wherever you can find it."

Even among professional workers, work days are spent bartering, buying or
selling basic food items. Each purchase is somewhat a representation of
success.

The need to struggle to purchase basic commodities is so widespread that it
has infiltrated every level of society.

Although the national political scene still captures the collective
imagination, it has indeed become secondary to politics of the stomach.

Many ordinary people are very happy to ensure that the short-term need to be
fed is adequately fulfilled before they can devote their attention to any
other matter.

Meanwhile, there is a highly well-networked elite feeding off the crisis
through the supply of basic goods of Zimbabwean origin that cannot be found
in the major supermarkets.

Doctors warn of looming health disaster in Zim cities

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Wayne Mafaro Friday 26 September 2008

HARARE - A Zimbabwe doctors' organisation has warned of a looming health
disaster in the country's cities and said a new power-sharing government to
be formed by the country's rival political leaders should act urgently to
provide clean water in urban areas.

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said in
statement this week that a government body charged with providing water in
urban areas had failed to do so forcing many resident to rely on unclean
water.

"This coupled with a breakdown in the sanitation system (burst sewage pipes
and lack of refuse collection and proper disposal) is threatening the health
of millions of Zimbabweans," the ZADHR said in a statement this week.

The doctors group spoke as the Ministry of Health confirmed the death of
three people this week because of cholera in Harare's dormitory city of
Chitungwiza.

The deaths bring to 16 the number of people who have succumbed to Cholera
since an outbreak of the water borne disease in Chitungiwza last month.

The ZADHR said in addition to the outbreak of cholera in Chitungwiza, public
health facilities in the capital Harare and in the second largest city of
Bulawayo were also recording numerous cases of diarrhea on a daily basis. It
was most likely that the number of deaths due to cholera in Chitungwiza may
be much higher than what had been, the group said.

"The new government must address this crisis as a matter of urgency. It is a
matter which cannot wait for the resolution of differences and sticking
issues," the ZADHR said referring to a deadlock over distribution of Cabinet
posts that has stalled formation of the new power-sharing government.

President Robert Mugabe, opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur
Mutambara signed an agreement to form a power-sharing government to tackle
Zimbabwe's long running political and economic crisis.

But the three leaders have so far failed to appoint a new Cabinet to run the
country because they cannot agree on how to share key posts in the new
government.

Zimbabwe's recession marked by the world's highest inflation of more than 11
million percent, has hastened the deterioration of key infrastructure needed
for economic activity and public health such as adequate power and water
supplies.

The country public health sector, once lauded as one of the best in Africa,
has been one of the hardest hit by the economic crisis with the government
short of cash to import essential medicines and equipment, while the country
has suffered the worst brain drain of doctors, nurses and other
professionals seeking better opportunities abroad. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe's MDC Challenges Mugabe Reassurances On Power-Sharing

VOA

By Blessing Zulu
Washington
25 September 2008

President Robert Mugabe has moved to calm apprehension that the
power-sharing accord he signed September 15 with the rival Movement for
Democratic Change is unraveling over the issue of what ministries will be
controlled his ZANU-PF and the MDC.

Mr. Mugabe on Wednesday told the Associated Press in New York that
negotiators for the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and the
MDC have agreed on all but four cabinet appointments, adding that he
believes he can work with MDC founder and prime minister-designate Morgan
Tsvangirai.

A spokesman for Tsvangirai's MDC formation accused Mr. Mugabe of
grandstanding and trying to play down the first major crisis of the
power-sharing process.

Mr. Mugabe dismissed reports that the accord could fail, saying "I don't
know of any hitch." He told AP that he hopes the deal will lead the West to
ease the targeted sanctions he blames for the country's profound economic
distress.

A senior ZANU-PF official told VOA that the as-yet-unassigned ministries
include finance, home affairs, local government and foreign affairs.

He said negotiators have referred these back to the principals as there were
concerns some of the negotiators might have a personal stake in the outcome.

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of Tsvangirai's MDC formation told reporter
Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Mr. Mugabe is making light
of serious problems.

Chamisa accused ZANU-PF of attempting to seize all the key ministries and
that this flies against the spirit of cooperation in which the accord was
signed.

Trade Union Sets Ultimatum For Zimbabwe Central Bank Over Cash Crunch

VOA

By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
25 September 2008

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has warned the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe that it will launch an unspecified national labor action if the
central bank does not take action by Oct. 1 to relieve consumers strapped by
cash withdrawal limits at banks.

The ZCTU, Zimbabwe's main labor confederation, said it wrote to RBZ Governor
Gideon Gono expressing concern that Zimbabweans and workers in particular do
not have access their own money but face a daily limit on withdrawals of
Z$1,000.

The union noted in a statement that this was not enough to buy two loaves of
bread.

It added that members of the armed forces and some bank employees have not
faced the same constraints on access to more cash as ordinary Zimbabweans.

ZCTU Secretary General Wellington Chibebe declined to specify what "national
action" the union threatened, but told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's
Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that workers belonging to his union understood what it
meant.

MDC accuses Chombo of interference

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=4773#more-4773

September 25, 2008

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai
has accused outgoing local government minister Ignatius Chombo and Zanu-PF
officials of interfering with operations of councils now dominated by
opposition councillors.

The MDC said its newly-elected urban and rural councillors had become
victims of undue political interference from Zanu-PF officials in various
parts of the country

Sessel Zvidzai, the MDC secretary for local government, said: "The MDC is
disturbed that this is against the spirit of national engagement, which
culminated in the political settlement signed by the three leaders of the
three political parties in Harare on September 15, 2008.

"In Harare, the MP for Zvimba North Ignatius Chombo continues to override
council decisions yet he is not a substantive minister. As far as the MDC is
concerned, cabinet ministers have not yet been announced and Chombo has no
right to be interfering with council operations.

"In any case, it is a subversion of democracy to manage councils through
ministerial directives rather than council resolutions."

Zvidzai said in some urban councils such as Chinhoyi, Bindura and Kadoma,
the town clerks were uncooperative; they were blocking councillors from
holding council meetings. He said such meetings were important considering
how previous administrations had run down the councils' infrastructure and
failed to deliver basic services to the people.

"These disruptions have affected the operations of both urban and rural
councils, as they need to periodically meet and steer growth and development
in local authorities," he said

The MDC controls more local authorities than Zanu-PF.

Zvidzai said Zanu-PF was using a dubious quota system to bring in "special"
councillors, especially Zanu-PF losing candidates. As such, Zanu-PF had
managed to reverse the MDC's majority in most rural council chambers.

He accused Zanu-PF of using subtle measures to frustrate the MDC. In
Mhondoro Mubaira in Mashonaland West province, the government had delayed
the swearing-in ceremony, further hampering service delivery in the
district, he said

"In the three Mashonaland provinces, councillors are being denied the right
to hold ward consultative meetings and meet with the people who voted for
them," said Zvidzai.

"Zanu-PF continues to abuse chiefs and traditional leaders by forcing them
to impose Zanu-PF structures as ward development committees to frustrate the
elected MDC councillors in their duties.

Zvidzai said despite the serious humanitarian crisis in the country, Zanu-PF
was also interfering with food distribution programs in the rural areas.

"In Mashonaland provinces, the GMB is currently working with losing Zanu-PF
councillors in the distribution of food thereby ensuring that only Zanu-PF
members have access to food handouts," he said.

"The MDC views these acts by Zanu PF officials as a violation of people's
rights to choose representatives of their choice. It is a violation of the
Memorandum of Understanding signed by the leaders of all the major political
parties on 21 July 2008. It is a violation of the political settlement
signed in public and underwritten by both SADC and the AU.

"Zimbabweans deserve a better deal. They want elected people to be allowed
to discharge their duties without undue interference. Any meddling with
democracy is unwelcome in the new Zimbabwe that is now upon us."

Sugar Cane Fields Torched

http://www.radiovop.com

CHIREDZI, September 26 2008 - Enraged cane cutters, who were
protesting low salaries and poor working conditions - torched 1 000 hectares
of ripe sugarcane, prejudicing the country of close to US$ 20 000 in export
revenue.

Mkwasine Mill Group area chairman, Star Dengende revealed in a
telephone interview that more than 30 farmers lost close to 500 tones of
sugar from fires that destroyed their cane following a misunderstanding with
cane cutters over payment.

"About 1 000 hectares got burnt, with some farmers getting nothing out
of the crop they sweated for. We suspect sabotage on the part of the
underpaid workers who were protesting over poor salaries," Dengende said.

"Some farmers lost their whole fields to the fires, recording many
losses. There were no labour reinforcements, and tractors were also not
available. The millers did not in any way help us," he said.

The cane cutters get Zd 1 000 per square metre.

Some farmers were forced to throw away their ripe product as they
failed to get adequate labour to cut the cane, as well as transport to ferry
it to the mills within the prescribed time.

Hippo Valley and Triangle sugarmills prescribe that the cane be taken
for processing after two days of harvesting.

Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers Union (ZISMIWU) secretary
general, Admore Hwarare, however distanced the lowly paid cane cutters from
the arson attacks.

"The workers have a diplomatic way of negotiating for better salaries,
other than torching fields. Some of the fires were caused by recklessness on
the part of smokers, while in other instances, we saw Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party fliers in the fields," Hwarare said.

Mkwasine A2 farmers comprises more than 200 war veterans, soldiers,
police, ex-detaines who grabbed the land from former white commercial
farmers.

Mugabe Mobbed at UN, Nigeria Not Adverse to Sanctions on His Zim

VoIP Is Now Legal in Zimbabwe ?  Econet International Calling Card

It may appear that some sense has finally been knocked into
telecommunications regulation body of Zimbabwe POTRAZ ? If developments at
Econet wireless are anything to go by, VoIP is now legal in Zimbabwe. Or Is
it ?

VoIP - Voice Over Internet Protocol is the sending of voice calls over
Internet Protocol as opposed to GSM or traditional switched network like
PSTN that are relatively expensive.

Zimbabwe allows only local VoIP traffic. Which means a person in Bulawayo
can call someone in Harare over the Internet. But up to now it was illegal
for anyone in Zimbabwe to make or receive international calls over the
internet.

The Chronicle in Zimbabwe  , carried an article recently  to the effect
that, giant Econet was granted a "go ahead" by POTRAZ to operate an
international calling card platform in Zimbabwe. This so called ICC runs on
VoIP using session initiation platform (SIP) as the signaling protocol.

He said the mobile telecommunications provider was last week granted
authority to sell the cards in foreign currency under its new International
Calling Card (ICC) platform.
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe finally
gave the nod more than a year after Econet submitted an application to
implement the system.

"The ICC system is one of our innovative products, developed in partnership
with a United Kingdom-based provider where subscribers can purchase recharge
cards in foreign currency and use the system to make international calls,"
[Econet CEO - Mboweni -  www.chronicle.co.zw - September 19, 2008]

For what we know Econet is a GSM wireless , 3G operator and an Internet
service provider via Ecoweb in Zimbabwe based on the licenses it was granted
by POTRAZ.

The three IAPs - Telecontract, TelOne and Ecoweb - hold the IAP Class B
licence, which is an internet licence that allows them to only transmit data
using the internet and not voice. Was Econet now granted IAP license class A
which allows for VoIP ?

The recent announcement by Econet on their new calling card platform implies
that VoIP has been legalized in Zimbabwe. That would be great news indeed .

But is that the case? Is that official? Or it's only for Econet?

  a.. This ICC platform uses routing of calls over Internet Protocol.
  b.. Outgoing VoIP is illegal according to POTRAZ in Zimbabwe
  c.. Companies in Zimbabwe can call each other over the Internet as LONG as
the calls do not leave Zimbabwe.
  d.. When was Econet granted a VoIP license?
  e.. Does this mean companies like Telco with a VoIP license can now
originate international traffic ?

VoIP Lawsuit - Econet vs Easi-E-Connect - July 2007

Sometime last year Econet took Easi-E-Connect directors Herbert Rinashe and
Irfaan Valera based in Harare to court saying that they had defrauded Econet
up to US $ 77,000. Econet claimed that this company was defrauding them by
terminating VoIP traffic using the internet and Econet SIM cards. Apparently
this company beat Econet in implementing International Calling Card platform
and the poor fellows were arrested for being innovative. Easi-E connect did
not defraud Econet but were innovative enough to reduce the cost of calling
from outside Zimbabwe using intuitive and smart VoIP / GSM technologies
.[Source www.thezimbabwean.co.uk - July 7 , 2007 ]

Let me explain what this company was accused and charged of.

Easi-E-Connect  used the Internet to receive telephone calls from say UK
onto a GSM modem located in Harare. This GSM modem contained multiple SIM
cards from Econet. So an overseas a caller calls a certain access number in
the UK that will prompt the user to enter a PIN. After a correct PIN has
been entered, the system will then prompt the caller to enter a destination
number e.g. 0912 444 666, then the call will be routed over IP (internet)
directly to a GSM modem connected to the Internet in Harare. Bear in mind
this GSM modem in Harare has several SIM cards, legally sourced by the
company from Econet. Then after receiving that call over IP the SIM then
calls the desired number and the call is connected and people start talking.

This means the call from the SIM card in the GSM modem to any number in
Zimbabwe is literally a local call. The time used by these SIM cards was
prepaid or post paid for. And Econet felt they had been defrauded !

Call Synopsis - 3 legs

Leg 1 ó Caller in UK calling a local access number, entering PIN, and then
entering destination number (the caller has paid local telephone service
that he/she pays for monthly)

Leg 2 ó Call travels over the internet from UK and hits GSM modem in
Zimbabwe (The calling service provider is connected to the Internet via an
ISP and pays for the bandwidth it uses)

Leg 3 ó SIM card in GSM modem then calls the destination number. (The GSM
modem owner in Harare pays for his Internet service with his/her ISP and
also pays for his/her airtime to the SIM card provider)

"This caused prejudice of US$77 000 to Econet in unlawful converted
international incoming calls terminated minutes for the month of June 2007
alone . . . and nothing yet has been recovered," a Harare Magistrates' Court
document read.

Illegality of VoIP

Which of the call legs illustrated above  is illegal?

Now Zimbabwe imports diesel from say Saudi Arabia via NOCZIM . In order to
reduce the cost of diesel to the end user, NOCZIM will add ethanol to the
fuel. This is called blending. Jatropha or ethanol is used for this. This
helps cut the cost of the fuel by 20 % and is indeed a great innovative use
of technology to reduce fuel costs and also use bio-friendly green fuels !

Now how would you react if BP or Shell in Saudi Arabia takes you to court
for diluting their fuel with jatropha or ethanol to produce blend?

 I don't see anything illegal when a company such as Easi-Connect , route
voice calls over an IP network in order to cut down origination and
termination costs. Hopefully Econet now understands this. By embracing a
technology that they took someone to court for, Econet and POTRAZ have sent
a good signal to all VoIP practitioners to leverage on the VoIP platform.

This is good news for Zimbabwe as that move will encourage technology
companies based in and outside Zimbabwe to aggressively deploy VoIP based
services which include but not limited to , Calling card services , Call
centers , Virtual telephone numbers , Internet Fax , call conferencing etc.

We live in an extremely dynamic and competitive global village where
regulations and fear of competition have been noted as clear obstacles to
ICT development and progress in Africa.

Potraz must come clear about VoIP because if they don't well people will
still use it .If Potraz tries to force ISP to block VoIP traffic on their
networks , well people can always install VSAT dishes.

Call Centers

Blind restrictions on part of POTRAZ are seriously stifling progress and
employment creation opportunities in this fast moving telecoms lane . In
Africa countries like SA and Kenya are now new targets for US based
companies to provide customer services over the phone by using
VoIP.Availability of a call centers is going to play a pivotal role for the
tourism industry come SA 2010 FIFA to be held in SA.To be able to handle
millions of calls before and during the soccer show case, VoIP enables
operators to access cheap and reliable calling plans to contact their
potential customers in Europe, Americas and the like.

Zimbabwe is an ideal destination for customer support service centers over
the phone as the country has a high literacy rate and people in Zimbabwe
have a very high command of the English language. Call center software is
available in free open source versions and can be downloaded for free from
thousands of websites like www.asterisk.org. Advances in ICT in Zimbabwe can
not remain a domain of a special few because of protective and restrictive
conditions imposed by a body which has little understanding  that
restricting VoIP will not work. VoIP runs on open protocols like
(IP/UDP/SIP/RTP) and trying to restrict their use will be tantamount in
trying to ban technological progress and development in Zimbabwe.

Prohibitive License Fees

This discussion would be incomplete if no mention is made to the prohibitive
licenses that POTRAZ is demanding for data licenses and ISP licenses.

POTRAZ is demanding  millions of USD $ for one to secure a data license as
of February 2007. Surely this is a clear message to prospective telco
providers to look elsewhere. Yes they are looking elsewhere by erection of
satellites for use for both voice and data. The size of some VSAT is about
the same size as the TV satellites that have been deployed all over Zimbabwe
to watch outside TV broadcasts like SABC. If POTRAZ continues to make entry
into data and voice in Zimbabwe business prohibitive, the mushrooming of
data and voice satellites, which cost about $ 2000, will continue
unabated.All one needs is a satellite dish installed on site pointing in the
right direction into the sky and then activating the data and voice with the
service provider.

Flow of information is fundamental to any country's serious economic growth.
But in Africa it appears authorities put all measures they can , to stifle
technological innovation.

Zimbabwe is set to witness some very interesting scenarios when returning
residents from diaspora, used to high speed access abroad, will be faced
with communication challenges on their return. It must be remembered that
some of these returning residents have been away from Zimbabwe for more than
10 years and in that period , they have moved in sync with global
telecommunications trends.

ICT Penetration Indicators  (July 2007 Figures)

Population                          12 .2 million (est.)

Fixed telephone lines             343,200

Fixed line density        2.81 %

Mobile lines                        1, 001 ,000

Mobile line density        8.2 %

Internet users                      1,200,750

Internet penetration             9.84 %

It is clear from the statistics above that fixed line development has not
progressed as fast as mobile wireless and internet growth. So there is NO
rocket science needed to figure out that any work to increase tele-density
in Zimbabwe will revolve around wireless and internet based technologies.
Progress is already being made in that direction with Econet being granted a
3G license. Telone has also made moves to increase phone line delivery by
use of CDMA wireless solutions as the last mile to connect end users to the
Telone telephone network. For now this service is restricted to Harare and
Chitungwiza only.

Conclusion & Economic Challenges

Is VoIP now legal in Zimbabwe? By giving a go ahead to the SIP based
International Calling Center to Econet; Potraz has sent strong messages to
businesses - that yes its OK to implement VoIP in Zimbabwe.

POTRAZ needs to explain to us the criteria used to allow Econet to use VoIP.
Because I don't see any reason why ZOL , Mweb , Telconet , Africaonline and
other ISPs can not do VoIP. I used to think that Telco was the one awarded
the IAD license A ?

The deregulation of VoIP is long overdue and inevitable .The sooner this is
done the better. Other wise the high costs of making calls will force
business and organizations alike to adopt other alternatives that
authorities might deem illegal. Of course this already happening. Don't ask
me who and where !

Also this time around I am confident that Econet will not take anyone to
court for using a technology that they themselves are without a VoIP license
for that matter!

We are talk about indigenizing our economy .We can not promote this process
of indigenization on one hand and prosecute those who come up with creative
solutions on the other.

People do not stop planning because the country is facing an unprecedented
economic challenges highlighted by six figure inflation highs and near zero
productivity levels. The onus is upon us come up with solutions that relate
to our unique position. Nobody but us can help ourselves. Now that it seems
political sanity is prevailing with the powers that be, we hope this will
translate to deliverables.

Let's walk the talk.

I have been out of Zimbabwe for a while now and so I would appreciate
corrections and pointers to facts that I have raised in this article
regarding the legality of VoIP in Zimbabwe.

Comments and questions most welcome.

Robert Ndlovu (IT & Telecoms Consultant)

ndlovu@ifoni.net

New York - USA