The ZIMBABWE Situation Our thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe
- may peace, truth and justice prevail.
Back to Index
Back to the Top
Back to Index
From IOL

'Zimbabwe made no deal to stop violence'

September 26 2001 at 07:05AM



Harare - Zimbabwe did not agree to curb violence on white-owned farms under
a Commonwealth-brokered deal on the land crisis here, said government
spokesperson Jonathan Moyo on Tuesday.

Asked if the agreement reached in Abuja has a requirement for Zimbabwe to
crack down on violence, Moyo said "Not in the agreement. This is not a
secret agreement. There is no such condition in the agreement."

He said the deal only required the government to implement land reforms
within its laws and its constitution.

Moyo also described the widespread violence in the countryside as a side
effect of the land crisis that would disappear on its own once the
government resettled white-owned farms with black farmers.

"Once there is recognition of the fundamental problem, the symptoms will
disappear," he said.

Under the agreement reached on September 6 in the Nigerian capital, Zimbabwe
agreed to curb violence on the farms in exchange for British financing of
its land reform scheme.

The text of the agreement specifically said that Zimbabwe gave the
Commonwealth team assurances of its "commitment to freedom of expression as
guaranteed by the constitution of Zimbabwe and to take firm action against
violence and intimidation."

The farm violence has been closely tied to intimidation of opposition
supporters, who have suffered beatings, kidnappings and killings since the
farm invasions began in Febraury 2000.

The Commercial Farmers' Union said in a statement on Tuesday that 20 new
farms have been invaded since the Abuja deal, while 900 farms are unable to
operate normally because of the occupations. - Sapa-AFP
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe made no deal to stop violence - Moyo

JOHANNESBURG, 26 September (IRIN) - Zimbabwe did not agree to curb violence on white-owned farms under a Commonwealth-brokered deal on the land crisis, government spokesperson Jonathan Moyo was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

Moyo said there was no requirement in the agreement for the Zimbabwean government to end the violence. "Not in the agreement. This is not a secret agreement. There is no such condition in the agreement," Moyo said.  He said the deal only required the government to implement land reforms within its laws and its constitution.

He said the violence was a "side effect" of the land crisis and that it would disappear "on its own" once the government resettled black farmers on white-owned farms. "Once there is recognition of the fundamental problem, the symptoms will disappear," he said. Under the Commonwealth-brokered agreement reached on 6 September, Zimbabwe agreed to curb violence on the farms in exchange for British financing of its land reform scheme.
Back to the Top
Back to Index

Transparency International - Zimbabwe

A civic initiative is being undertaken by the above group.  Their
Chairman is Dr John MAKUMBE who is currently in Australia with a further
eight members of his committee.  The team members are:-

· Ian and Kerry Kay
· Lazarus Salizani
· Teachwell Mashonganyika
· Vemon Nicolle
· John Robertson
· Benhilda Chinetsa
· Noma Nabanyama

All of the above persons are eloquent speakers and victims of the brutal
atrocities condoned and promoted by 2ANU P.F. headed by Robert Mugabe,
President of Zimbabwe.

In Australia the delegation will take advantage of the presence of world
media coverage at C.H.O.G.M.  The delegation's mandate is to tell the
"TRUTH" about the atrocities taking place in Zimbabwe.  They will be
addressing meetings in:-

Canberra - 24th  - 28th September
Melbourne - 2nd - 5th October
Brisbane - 6th - 8th October

They intend visiting Perth for 24 hours arriving at 1230 hrs on 10th
October and departing for Johannesburg at 1200 hrs on 11th October.
Peter Nilson is co-ordinating the Perth visit.

Pete can be contacted on (08) 9350 2103 or mobile phone 0412 952 174.
His e-mail address is pnilson@iinet.net.au.  If you are interested and
able to help in any way, Pete would be most grateful if you contacted
him.  It is intended to hold a Bar-B-Q at Kings Park on the evening of
10th October at 6.30pm.  Please ask Peter Nilson for details.  It will
be an opportunity to meet these people and provide them with some
support and solidarity.  This is not a political stunt but a question of
human rights.  Further, it is not an MDC initiative.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards,




GRAHAM BLICK
-----------------------------------------------

TIZ applauded


9/20/01 8:35:36 PM (GMT +2)

EDITOR - The move by the Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) chapter
to engage civic society in dialogue on the way forward should be regarded as
a milestone towards reconstructing Zimbabwe.


The Zimbabwe National Debate Association salutes the initiative by TIZ and
condemns the government's failure to engage civic society in dialogue for
the benefit of the nation.

There is need for any government to work collectively with civic society on
issues of national interest.

The government lacks tolerance and does not want to accept divergent views
from sections of civic society.


Agnes Hagah Chigumbura,

ZINADA Secretary For Information and Publicity,

Harare.




Back to the Top
Back to Index
Zim is $53M in the hole - IMF bars funding
Washington | Wednesday

------------------------------------------------------------------
THE International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday it had barred Zimbabwe from
IMF loans or use of its general resources as the country's overdue payments
mount.
The IMF executive board "declared Zimbabwe ineligible to use the general
resources of the IMF and removed Zimbabwe from the list of countries
eligible to borrow resources under the poverty reduction and growth
facility," it said in a statement.
"The declaration of ineligibility to use the general resources of the IMF is
one of the remedial measures taken to encourage members to settle overdue
financial obligations to the IMF."
Since mid-February, Zimbabwe has fallen $53-million behind in its payments,
the IMF said.
IMF directors urged Zimbabwe to make full and prompt settlement of its
overdue payments, and said they would review the country's overdue financial
obligations within three months.
"The executive board acknowledged the authorities' intention to initiate
quarterly payments to the IMF as a first step of cooperation with the IMF,
but regretted that those payments would fall far short of the amount
required to stabilize the level of arrears to the IMF," the IMF statement
said.
The IMF suspended loans to Zimbabwe in October 1999 after government efforts
to liberalise the economy went off-track, prompting most other lenders to
pull out and leaving the country with little credit and practically no
foreign currency.
In May, the fund said Zimbabwe had stopped payment on its loans.
The government was $690-million behind on its foreign debt payments by the
end of July, according to the finance ministry.
Zimbabwe's total foreign debt is estimated at four billion dollars.
Starved of IMF support, the Zimbabwean economy has in the past two years
been in free-fall, with foreign exchange critically short, inflation at
about 70% and unemployment hovering at more than 50%.
The foreign currency shortage has left the government frequently unable to
maintain an adequate supply of electricity and fuel, with other essential
imports such as medicines also in short supply.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has criticized the fund as a tool for
western countries to deprive developing nations of much-needed support on
political grounds, such as a country's human rights record. - Sapa-AFP
Back to the Top
Back to Index
Zimbabwe farm talks collapse

Talks between white farmers and the Zimbabwe government over land seizures
have collapsed.

Union officials representing 4,000 farmers hoped to discuss efforts to
implement a deal brokered earlier this month by mediators in Nigeria, to end
violence and restore the rule of law in farming districts.

But Adrian De Bourbon, lawyer for the Commercial Farmers Union, told the
Supreme Court in Harare that no progress had been made.

The court had adjourned a hearing on Friday in which the government sought
to overturn a ruling that the government's programme to seize white-owned
farmland for redistribution to landless blacks was illegal.

It asked both sides to hold talks on the Nigerian deal as a way of resolving
their differences.

But State attorney Bharat Patel said: "It seems there is a divide that
cannot be bridged."

Story filed: 14:03 Wednesday 26th September 2001
Back to the Top
Back to Index
ZIMBABWE: MDC threatens to boycott future by-elections

JOHANNNESBURG, 26 September (IRIN) - The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has threatened to boycott future by-elections because of violence and intimidation, news reports said on Wednesday. "Given the murder of our organising secretary in Chikomba and the continued beating and harassment of our supporters, most members are of the view that we should stop taking part in these elections if there is violence and intimidation," MDC spokesman Learnmore Jongwe was quoted as saying in a BBC report.

The ruling ZANU-PF party on Monday retained their majority in Chikomba. The by-election was held following the death of Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzvi, former war veterans leader and the man behind the invasion of white-owned farms.

Jongwe said: "No decision has been made yet, but a majority of our members want to look into it ... The feeling is that we have been giving legitimacy to these elections which are being stolen by ZANU-PF." In a report last week, a coalition of Zimbabwean human rights groups alleged that one opposition supporter, a school headmaster, was murdered and several others tortured in the run-up to the poll.
Back to the Top
Back to Index
From Business Report

Investors await Zimbabwe's action on land agreement

Francois Ebersohn and Bloomberg
September 26 2001 at 07:55AM

Johannesburg - The bond market is expected to mirror the movements of the
rand in the absence of major domestic economic indicators this week.

Whereas local financial markets responded warily on Friday to news that
Zimbabwe had agreed to halt farm invasions, a definite resolution of a
crisis which has been taking a heavy toll on investor sentiment towards
South Africa would spark widespread euphoria, Reuters reported at the
weekend.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's public approval of the deal was seen as
crucial to the credibility of the agreement reached in talks in Abuja
between senior Commonwealth political envoys.

The volatile rand closed trading on Friday 3,5c better at R8,48 to the
dollar after reaching a record low of R8,53 on Thursday.

In after-hours trading the currency firmed further to R8,46. The rand also
regained some of its losses against the pound, firming to R12,37 after
closing 4c weaker at R12,39.

Dwyfor Evans, a currency analyst at Bank of America Securities in London,
told Bloomberg that without concrete evidence that the Zimbabwean government
was going to act, the rand would drift back to Thursday's low.

Analysts said failure of the accord would deepen the country's economic and
political crisis and hurt investor confidence in southern Africa.

Bonds, which strengthened on the reported land agreement, held on to most of
their gains.

The yield on the most liquid government bond, the R150, firmed as many as 13
basis points to 10,1 percent before closing at 10,13 percent. The yield on
the longer dated R153, due in 2010, firmed 14 basis points to 10,73 percent
before closing at 10,77 percent.

A Reuters survey last week had analysts running to catch up with recent
losses. It predicted the rand would end the year at R8,32 to the dollar,
before slipping to R8,58 by the end of next year.

The benign inflation and interest rate outlook were forecast to whet
investors' appetite for bonds, with the yield on the nine-year R153 bond
dipping to 10,67 percent by the end of the year before ticking up to 10,78
percent next year. - Francois Ebersohn
Back to the Top
Back to Index
ZIMBABWE: Violence continues to shut down farms - CFU

JOHANNESBURG, 25 September (IRIN) - Some 350 mainly white-owned farms have shut down because of occupation by pro-government militants, while another 550 are only able to function partially, Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) said on Tuesday. AFP reported that according to new figures from the CFU, 900 of the 1,150 farms under occupation were unable to continue normal operations.

According to the report, the CFU said 20 farms were invaded after the Zimbabwean government signed a Commonwealth-brokered deal in Abuja, Nigeria, on 6 September, and 25 farmers had been forced off their property. The CFU also said another five farmers had either been kidnapped or barricaded in their homes, while beatings and evictions of farm workers, extortion, arson, poaching and theft had continued. The Zimbabwean government agreed during the Abuja talks to end farm invasions and violence in return for financial help from Britain for its land reform programme.

Meanwhile, state television reported on Tuesday night that President Robert Mugabe was on his way to Singapore, from where he would head to Vietnam and then onto the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Australia.
Back to the Top
Back to Index
ZIMBABWE: ZANU-PF wins by-election

JOHANNESBURG, 25 September (IRIN) -
Ruling party candidate Bernard Makokove won a weekend by-election in Zimbabwe, beating Oswald Ndanga of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) by 15,570 votes to 5,207, state television reported on Monday. Two candidates from smaller parties secured a total of 512 votes, the report said.

The poll on Saturday and Sunday in the district of Chikomba, about 200km south of Harare, was conducted to replace Chenjerai Hunzvi of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front(ZANU-PF), who died in June. The controversial leader of Zimbabwe's war veterans had spearheaded a campaign of occupations of white farms, which began in February 2000.

The independent 'Daily News' reported on Tuesday that the weekend election had been marred by violence and intimidation, with MDC members claiming that ZANU-PF supporters forced village headmen to take their people to polling stations. The MDC also claimed that a school principal killed ahead of the election was murdered because he supported the party.

ZANU-PF won three by-elections this year, while the main opposition MDC won two mayoral elections, including one this month in the second city of Bulawayo. Reuters reported on Tuesday that with its weekend victory, ZANU-PF would hold 63 parliamentary seats, the MDC 56 and ZANU-Ndonga one. Zimbabwe's parliament has 150 seats. Only 120 are contested, while the others are reserved for presidential nominees. According to the report, 12 of the 30 seats are reserved for traditional chiefs, eight for provincial governors and 10 for anyone else that the president may wish to appoint.
Back to the Top
Back to Index
The damp squib : For those who missed Professor Moyo's discussion on the Abuja agreement on ZTV last night, don't worry - the 'phone-in' wasn't. Having shifted the start time of the broadcast twice - from 7:00pm to 6:45pm and back to 7:00 pm, and changing the phone number for callers, no live calls were taken at all. Around half-a-dozen pre-prepared questions were taken in the entire hour's programme. And the programme makers seemed to have lost about two-thirds of the text of the Abuja agreement. The only parts that were mentioned were those relating to the importance of land reform, and Britain promising money to fund it. All the rest - about the restoration rule of law and human rights abuses - never surfaced. Strange, that...
 
In this issue :

From BBC News, 25 September

From The Daily News, 25 September

Zanu PF youths demand money for Makoni campaign

Mutare - Scores of Zanu PF youths, credited with helping spearhead the party’s by-election victory in Makoni West, have vowed to stay on campaign bases until they are paid money promised them. The youths remain camped at bases in Tsanzaguru, Tandi and Nyazura. Some of the youths, in interviews last week with The Eastern Star, said senior ruling party officials had promised to pay each of them between $2 000 and $4 000 for their effort in ensuring that Gibson Munyoro, the party’s candidate, was elected. The Zanu PF officials were now backtracking on their earlier promise, said the youths, who asked not to be identified. Munyoro romped to victory in the election, garnering 10 610 votes against the Movement for Democratic Change candidate, Remus Makuwaza, who received 5 841 votes.

The youths said they were due to receive the payments last week at Munyoro’s offices at the Self Help Development Foundation in Rusape but were told there were no funds for their assignment. Munyoro was unavailable for comment. Robert Gumbo, the Zanu PF provincial secretary for the commissariat and a war veterans’ leader, said funds for the youths were left with the party’s District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) in Rusape, headed by businessman Nathaniel Mhiripiri. "We gave the money to the DCC chairman, Mhiripiri," Gumbo said. Contacted for comment, Mhiripiri said: "You do not ask me about important matters on the phone." He then slammed the phone. The youths, meanwhile, said Mhiripiri had told them not to expect payment because the assignment was party work on a voluntary basis". Zanu PF provincial spokesperson, Charles Pemhenayi, said he was unaware youths from his party were still camped at bases. If they were still at the bases, they were "probably still celebrating our election victory", Pemhenayi said.

From The Daily News, 25 September

Police won’t probe MDC shooting

The police in Bulawayo said yesterday they were not investigating a shooting incident at the MDC offices on 9 September where senior officials, including the deputy president, were alleged to be the targets. Three gunshots were fired at the officials, who included Gibson Sibanda, Morgan Tsvangirai’s deputy in the MDC. Police Superintendent Absaih Nyandoro, the acting officer commanding Bulawayo central district, said yesterday the police had "no records" of the shooting incident. "This is my first time to hear about it," said Nyandoro. The MDC secretary-general and shadow minister of home affairs, Professor Welshman Ncube, said yesterday a report had been made at the Bulawayo Central police station a few minutes after the shooting.

"It was clear to us then that the police were not eager to investigate the matter because the next morning they were reported in government newspapers to have dismissed the attack," said Ncube. Several MDC officials, among them Ncube, national treasurer Fletcher Dulini, elections director Paul Themba Nyathi and publicity and information secretary Learnmore Jongwe survived the attack which they said was an attempt on Sibanda’s life. Senior Assistant Commissioner Albert Mandizha, in charge of Bulawayo province, declined to comment on the matter yesterday, referring all questions to his subordinate, Nyandoro. A day after the attack, the police in Bulawayo said the presence of journalists from the independent Press during the shooting raised suspicion that it was "stage-managed". The attack was the second inside two months on a senior MDC official after a convoy of vehicles, including that of Tsvangirai, was attacked outside Bindura during a by-election campaign marked by violence and won by Zanu PF.

From The Star (SA), 25 September

350 Zim farms shut down

Harare - About 350 mainly white-owned farms have shut down because of occupation by pro-government militants, while another 550 are only able to function partially, Zimbabwe's farmers said on Tuesday. The new figures from the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) mean that 900 of 1 150 farms are unable to continue normal operations, still under occupation by activists who back government land redistribution plans. The agricultural slowdown comes despite a severe shortage of grains and despite a Commonwealth-brokered deal reached on September 6 in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Under that agreement, Zimbabwe's government said it would end lawlessness on the farms in exchange for British financing of President Robert Mugabe's land reforms. But since the Abuja deal, the CFU said 20 new farms have been invaded, while the occupiers have forced 25 farmers off their property. Another five farmers have either been kidnapped or barricaded in their homes, while beatings and evictions of farm workers, extortion, arson, poaching and theft have continued, CFU said. The farm violence has had a strong political colouring since the invasions began, with the occupiers closely tied to intimidation of the opposition and other perceived opponents to Mugabe.

From The Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust, 26 September

An appeal for assistance for the beleaguered farm workers of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is in crisis. The country is inches away from economic collapse and a massive humanitarian disaster is about to unfold. This could cause the demise of Zimbabwe as we know it. The Zimbabwean Government have paid lip service to the requirements of the Abuja Accord (as expected) and have continued to harass farmers and displace thousands of farm workers. 25 000 have been dislodged in the last 5 weeks alone. And yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Since February 2000, about 500 commercial farmers have been unable, under threat of death or violence to themselves and their workers, to continue normal farming operations. It is under these circumstances that at least 350 large-scale commercial farms, representing over 15 000 farm worker families (approx. 75 000 men, women and children), have had to shut down. The self-styled war veterans have subjected farm workers to the most appalling indignities. Many have been physically assaulted or tortured and have had to watch as others are attacked in front of them as an example. A large number of the women and girls have been beaten and raped. By mid September 2001, an estimated 30 farm labourers had been killed since the onset of the farm invasions. The majority of displaced farm workers have nowhere to go. Many have been on the farms for generations. Countless thousands are now scattered widely around the farming areas, sometimes simply encamped along the roadsides with no facilities whatsoever.

The Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust is a recently established non-political, non-profit organisation designed to provide some of that much-needed charity. We fully recognise the need for fundamental land reform in Zimbabwe. However, whatever the outcome of this future land reform, these internally displaced people need support now. The obvious interim position prior to such reform is therefore to keep these workers on the farms where they have access to shelter, medical assistance and schooling for as long as possible. We would like to do as much as we possibly can to help. Could you help too?

There is much that can be done to assist. For example:

Helping struggling farmers to pay wages, thus keeping the farm workers active and in employment where possible.

Helping displaced workers to relocate back to their original homes on the farms where possible.

Providing subsistence maize meal, dried fish and vegetable seeds to tide them over.

Providing funds for the continued education of the farm children.

Providing basic medical supplies and living requirements i.e. blankets and cooking utensils.

It only takes a little to make a real difference. £5.00 has the power to buy food for a family of 5 for an entire month at current rates. Such a small amount can achieve so much. We would like to suggest that a donation of £5.00 a month by standing order to ZAWT would give us an excellent start. It is, after all, the cost of a round of three beers. Our bank details can be found on our website at http://www.zawt.org/ and a bank instruction slip can be printed off and sent - with your instructions - to your bank manager.

For those who would prefer to make a one-off donation, may we suggest a donation of £52.00. That would be a donation of £1.00 a week for a whole year although any greater or lesser contribution would of course be much appreciated. If 2000 people were to donate this small amount, we would achieve a figure of £100 000 this year. There is so much we can achieve with this amount of money. Please give us a hand. If you would like to help, please forward a cheque to:

Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust, P.O. Box 168, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 8WE, United Kingdom

Yours sincerely,

Charles Boscawen, on behalf of the Trustees

Please visit our web-site for a more in depth look at who we are: http://www.zawt.org/

Back to the Top
Back to Index
Back to the Top
Back to Index