(AFP) – 5 hours
ago
HARARE — Foreign banks operating in Zimbabwe have missed a deadline
to hand
in plans to cede their majority shares under a new equity law, a
cabinet
minister said on Thursday.
"We have our Standard (Chartered)
Bank who still show a lot of disrespect of
our laws," indigenisation
minister Saviour Kasukuwere told journalists.
"Barclays Bank is still
trying to find all excuses that they can and Stanbic
Bank which ignores its
own commitments to the people of this country."
"It must be clear to them
that they will not escape the law."
Zimbabwe gave foreign companies until
September 25 to submit plans on how
they will sell 51 percent shares to
local blacks as required under new
equity rules meant to benefit local
blacks.
Kasukuwere said most major foreign mining companies have
complied.
"The major firms that control the entire mining industry have
largely
complied with the indigenisation and economic empowerment
programme," he
said.
Kasukuwere's statement comes as Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai on
Wednesday said the indigenisation regulations were
eroding investor
confidence in the country, which is battling to secure
investment after
years of economic decline.
The regulations have been
met with resistance with 700 companies failing to
meet the deadline,
officials said this week.
"You would expect that when you are
implementing such a programme there
would initially be resistance by those
who probably who are benefiting in
the main," Kasukuwere said.
"We
have to remain firm and steady," he added.
Kasukuwere said companies
could comply with the law by awarding shares to
employees, but said Zimbabwe
also wants to set up a sovereign wealth fund.
He did not explain how the
cash-strapped government would start a fund.
http://www.reuters.com
Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:57am
EDT
* Analysts say law to benefit politicians, not people
*
Chinese firms not exempt, minister says (Adds details, background)
By
Nelson Banya
HARARE, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Mining firms in Zimbabwe have
mostly met a
September deadline by which they were required to submit plans
to transfer a
51 percent stake in their operations to locals, empowerment
minister Saviour
Kasukuwere said on Thursday.
The heavily criticised
law is aimed mainly at mining firms and banks
operating in a resource-rich
state that has become an economic basket case
because of what analysts say
are years of mismanagement by President Robert
Mugabe's
government.
"I am pleased to say that the deadline we set has been
largely met by mining
firms," Kasukuwere told journalists.
"I'm happy
that the bulk of the major players are engaged with us and are
complying.
Areas of disagreement are being handled between the mining firms
and
ourselves. What is left now is the implementation."
The world's leading
platinum producer, Anglo American Platinum , number two
producer Impala
Platinum and Rio Tinto , which operates a diamond mine, are
some of the
major foreign mining firms with assets in Zimbabwe.
Critics said a major
reason for the law is to allow Mugabe's ZANU-PF party
to build up a war
chest ahead of national elections that could come as early
as next
year.
They say Zimbabwe, which is emerging from a decade-long slump, has
no
capacity to raise the funds needed to take over the mining assets and the
cash generated by the firms would go to top officials, not ordinary people,
who rank among the poorest in the world.
Mugabe was forced to share
power with his rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime
minister, two years ago
after disputed elections in 2008. The two have sharp
differences over the
ownership policy.
Tsvangirai said this week the law was hurting investor
confidence and
threatened Zimbabwe's economic recovery.
Kasukuwere
says Chinese investment is not exempt from the empowerment law.
China has
become an increasingly important player in Zimbabwe, which has
been shunned
and sanctioned by global powers for suspected human rights
abuses under
Mugabe.
Answering a question on the ownership plans for the Zimbabwe
Mining and
Smelting Company, the country's largest ferrochrome producer
wholly owned by
China's Sinosteel, the minister said: "Every company must
follow the
policies and laws of this country. There's no exception, no
sacred cows."
http://af.reuters.com
Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:37pm
GMT
By MacDonald Dzirutwe
HARARE (Reuters) - Government
spending in Zimbabwe is a big concern while
disunity regarding black
empowerment is discouraging investment, Finance
Minister Tendai Biti said on
Thursday.
Biti briefed the media ahead of the 2012 budget he will present
to
parliament in mid November.
He said the government was on target
to raise $2.7 billion in revenues but
was struggling to put brakes on
spending.
"It is the expenditure side that is a nightmare. There is need
for a
paradigm shift, that ... we have to live within our means," Biti
said.
The government is expected to run a budget deficit of $700 million
this
year. A July salary rise for state workers would require extra funding
of
$260 million.
Government had spent $40 million on foreign travel
by the end of August at a
time the government owed farmers $35 million for
maize delivered to the
state grain agency.
Biti said the 2012
national budget would seek to grow the economy while
creating jobs in a
country where one in eight people are unemployed but
added that the
government was failing to contain spending.
The southern African
country's economy rebounded in 2009, emerging from a
decade of recession
thanks to the formation of a unity government between
rivals President
Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The growth has,
however, not created jobs and poverty levels remain high as
the country
still grapples with shortages of clean water, electricity and
ageing
infrastructure.
"Our people want to be economically active so we are
going to pay special
attention to this issue of jobs in this budget," Biti
said.
Biti also said tension in the unity government was also clouding
the
economic outlook, adding that discord over an economic empowerment
programme
was discouraging investment.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party is
behind the drive to force foreign-owned firms,
including mines and banks, to
surrender at least 51 percent shares in their
local operations to black
investors.
Tsvangirai has said the programme is scaring investors and is
meant to
benefit Mugabe's allies.
Biti would also have to contend
with scant aid flows as donors withholds
funds crucial to boosting the
economy.
Thursday, 29 September
2011
Finance Minister and MDC Secretary General, Hon. Tendai Biti has
said the
biggest challenge to Zimbabwe’s economic growth is the slow pace in
adopting
various reforms that have been agreed to in the Global Political
Agreement.
He was addressing a press conference in Harare today where he
launching the
2012 Budget Roll out Plan.
Hon. Biti said the
conflicting statements on politics, elections,
indigenisation and farming
were seriously affecting the economy.
Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF have been
uttering inflammatory statements in
recent weeks on the holding of elections
before a clear roadmap for free and
a fair election is adopted. The party
has also been inciting its youths to
invade private owned companies and
commercial farms.
Hon. Biti said such acts could only be done by
stakeholders of the past and
called for an end to this impunity that Zanu PF
has enjoyed for too long. He
said there is need for a common vision in order
to move the country forward.
He said politics had to be saner and have
less noise.
Minister Biti said another challenge facing the country was
the lack of
human development capacity that the country was experiencing
mainly due to
the flight of experienced personnel abroad. He said the
country was
operating at a capacity of 35 percent.
He said the 2012
budget should be underpinned by reality and pragmatism.
“We have to live
within our means and cut our cloth according to size. The
budget has to be
relevant to the needs of the people. Our people need jobs
and economic
stability. Therefore, the 2012 budget should be a sound budget.
Our duty is
to balance the unbalanceable but we are very confident that we
will be able
to meet our fiscal target,” he said.
The Ministry of Finance’s roll out
plan will start tomorrow with a retreat
for specialist associations in
Harare. Some of the organisations that will
attend the retreat are; the
Bankers’ Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
Manufacturers Textiles
Association and the Confederation of Zimbabwe
Industries. The first
provincial consultative meeting will take place in
Gwanda, Matebeleland
South.
Together, united, winning, ready change!!!
--
MDC
Information & Publicity Department
http://www.voanews.com
September 29,
2011
Peta Thornycroft | Johannesburg
South Africa,
which mediates the Zimbabwe crisis on behalf of the Southern
African
Development Community or SADC, says a small regional team arrives in
Harare
in the next two weeks to help establish conditions for free and fair
elections.
Lindiwe Zulu, President Jacob Zuma’s international
advisor, and part of his
Zimbabwe mediation team, said Thursday that the
last hurdles had been
cleared for establishment of this oversight
mission.
Lindiwe Zulu said there had been several hitches and
inefficiencies in
establishing this three-person regional team to assist in
the three-year-old
political agreement which brought the inclusive
government to power in
Zimbabwe.
In March a summit of the
three-nation Southern African Development Community
(SADC) decided that a
permanent group was needed in Harare to assist the
Joint Operations and
Implementation Committee known as Jomic.
The three-person team is now
being sent to Harare to help Jomic and set the
stage for
elections.
However, President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party objected to
SADC’s decision
to send the team saying its sovereignty was
threatened.
It demanded terms of reference for the mission, which had to
be negotiated,
but Lindiwe Zulu said the way was now cleared for the team to
begin work in
about two weeks and she hoped that in time this team would be
expanded to
include more people from SADC countries.
“So when the
three starts the work with Jomic it will be based on those
terms of
reference. Let us have more people from SADC who will reinforce the
process,
reinforce us as a facilitation team,” she said.
Zulu said that there are
still grey areas in implementation of the political
agreement to ensure
Zimbabwe never again has elections as in 2008 when
hundreds were killed.
Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democrat Change party
narrowly won that
election.
She said that SADC, which guaranteed the political agreement,
should become
ever more involved in the long road to Zimbabwe’s next
elections.
“As we move closer to the issues of elections for instance, we
need to even
have more people from the SADC who are going to be able to
assist and make
sure ultimately SADC itself is comfortable not just leaving
it to South
Africa, but it’s an addition, and the more hands you have the
better in this
situation,” said Zulu.
Mugabe says he wants elections
next March but most political analysts
believe implementation of the
political agreement, which includes
substantial electoral and political
reforms, means there will be no
elections until at least 2013.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
29
September 2011
The return of Lovemore Mukandi, a former CIO deputy
director-general, may
have been facilitated by someone very senior in ZANU
PF, a highly placed
source said on Thursday.
Although media reports
suggested Mukandi was deported from Canada, sources
told us he could have
challenged the deportation order in court, fuelling
suspicion he may have
struck a deal with the Attorney-General’s office to
voluntarily return
home.
The former spy chief fled Zimbabwe 11 years ago after he allegedly
defrauded
the CIO of millions of Zimbabwe dollars. He was arrested on
arrival at the
Harare International Airport last week.
But on
Wednesday a Harare magistrate cancelled the arrest warrant and he is
a free
man. He is now presumably waiting for the courts to drop the fraud
charges.
A retired senior CIO operative told us from Harare that
Mukandi still has
many friends in both ZANU PF and the spy agency who have
welcomed his
return. The former CIO boss is well known in intelligence
circles for his
penchant to send spies to infiltrate and cause mayhem in
political parties
opposed to Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF.
‘He was the
chief architect in the demise of ZANU Ndonga. He was the head of
an
operation that saw countless operatives infiltrate the late Ndabaningi
Sithole’s party and destroy it from within. I guess his experience in that
type of work might be of a great value to ZANU PF,’ our source
said.
Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme said since Mukandi can
no longer
work in the civil service, there is a strong feeling he might be
contracted
by the former ruling party to do some ‘dirty work’ for them in
their
desperate bid to retain power in the next poll. Before he fled the
country,
Mukandi was strongly linked to a faction led by ZANU PF strongman,
Emmerson
Mnangagwa, his former boss when he was Minister of Security after
independence.
‘People in ZANU PF are suspicious that he has come back
to work for that
faction to destroy the other led by the late General
Mujuru. Only a person
with authority like Mnangagwa can give orders to the
AG’s office to allow
Mukandi to be allowed back home and be set free without
a trial,’ Saungweme
said.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Tobias Manyuchi Thursday 29 September
2011
HARARE – Discord within Zimbabwe’s unity government over
when to hold new
elections and how to carry out black economic empowerment
has become a major
worry to investors wishing to start businesses in the
country, Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said.
The unity
government, whose establishment helped easy political tensions in
the
country to stabilise the economy, is bitterly divided over the timing of
polls to choose a new government to replace the coalition formed by
Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe in 2009 following inconclusive
elections the previous year.
“The key issues of concern to investors
is the uncertainty about elections
and election dates,” Tsvangirai told
journalists in Harare on Wednesday.
The former opposition leader said
investors were also worried over
disagreements within the government over
economic empowerment as well as
over the way Indigenisation and Economic
Empowerment Minister Saviour
Kasukuwere has so far gone about trying to
force foreign-owned businesses to
transfer majority shareholding to local
blacks.
“The issue of indigenisation is a matter of conflict, it has
caused discord
(within the government) not only the principle itself, but
the
implementation,” said Tsvangirai, who has opposed the economic
empowerment
drive saying it is a ploy by the powerful elite around Mugabe to
loot
thriving private businesses.
Under the controversial economic
indigenisation and empowerment law that
came into force last year
foreign-owned firms must sell at least 51 percent
shares to indigenous black
Zimbabweans or face a host of punitive measures
including fines or
withdrawal of operating licences.
A deadline for companies to submit
their share transfer plans to Kasukuwere
expired last Sunday and the
National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment
Board said on Tuesday that
it would soon probe foreign owned firms to
establish those that had failed
to comply with the law with a view to taking
punitive
measures.
Mugabe’s previous government used its majority in Parliament in
2007 to ram
through the indigenisation law requiring all foreign-owned
companies to cede
at least 51 percent of their shares to black
Zimbabweans.
Analysts say concerns by foreign-owned firms that they could
lose their
operating licences for failure to comply with the empowerment law
as well as
fears of renewed electoral violence should the country rush to
elections
have combined to once again make Zimbabwe a dangerous destination
for
investment.
Under a political pact known as the global political
agreement that gave
birth to the unity government, Zimbabwe must first write
a new constitution
and implement several electoral reforms before holding
new polls.
A multi-party parliamentary committee leading the writing of
the new
constitution expects to have a draft charter ready to be taken
before
Zimbabweans in a referendum by year-end.
The time need to
adopt the new charter as well as implement all relevant
reforms makes a new
ballot possible at the earliest by mid-next year.
But Mugabe says the
second quarter of next year is too far and has hinted he
could call polls by
next March even without the consent of his coalition
partners.
Tsvangirai has warned that a rushed ballot will lead to
violence, while
saying he would boycott any election hastily called either
without a new
constitution or without giving the proposed new governance
charter time to
take root.
Any election boycotted by Tsvangirai – the
analysts’ favourite to win the
next presidential poll if held under free and
fair conditions – would be
rejected by the international community to plunge
Zimbabwe back into
political crisis and the economy back into turmoil. --
ZimOnline
http://www.radiovop.com
James Kunofiwa,
Masvingo, September 29, 2011 – Retired Major General- Kudzai
Mbudzi‘s life
is in danger after calling for Zimbabwe’s ageing President,
Robert Mugabe’s
exit.
Mbudzi a Zanu-PF’s prodigal son and probably the most outspoken
politician
from Masvingo was part of the infamous Mavambo/Kusile project
said Mugabe
was no longer giving positive image of Zanu-PF due to his old
age.
However, Zanu- PF youths in Masvingo have come out with guns
blazing
demanding for Mbudzi’s head on the cross saying it was an
abomination and
highly rebelliousness of Mbudzi to call for Mugabe’s
exit.
Zanu-PF national deputy youth commissar Talent Majoni said they
will not
rest until justice is done to Mbudzi.
“He has gone to the
deep end of the pool and he just deserves a lesson that
others would
understand that it is not good to say such utterances against
the President.
In fact, Mbudzi must go not Mugabe.
Who is Mbudzi to challenge Mugabe in
public?
“We know Mbudzi as a frustrated gold digger who tried his luck in
politics
and failed. Now that he has also failed to impress in politics, he
is trying
to paint everyone black – we then want to punish him for that,”
said Majoni.
Before doing anything physical to Mbudzi, Majoni said they
were planning for
a massive demonstration against him soon.
Although
he confirmed that his life was now in danger, Mbudzi said he would
rather
die than retracting his statement.
“I am still Zanu-PF and I shall never
be intimidated to the extent of
retracting my statements. I am simply saying
the old guard in Zanu-PF
including Mugabe must go so that they pave way for
the young blood.
Only focused youths will appreciate what I am saying because
we can only
call ourselves future leaders if the older men and women are
willing to cede
power and allow new minds to lead.
“They are
threatening me with unspecified actions but I will stand for what
I
believe,” Mbudzi said.
Mbudzi is a war veteran who once became very
powerful in the party when he
acted as its think tank before he left to join
Simba Makoni in 2008.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The South African Department of Home Affairs has
confirmed that there will
be no deportation of Zimbabweans until the
documentation of Zimbabweans
project has been officially
completed.
27.09.1105:26pm
by Regina Pazvakavambwa
The DHA was
responding to questions fielded by various civil society
groupings
representing Zimbabwean interests in South Africa who had attended
an all-
stakeholders meeting with the department as part of an on-going
documentation project targeting Zimbabweans living on the other side of the
Limpopo.
The civil society groupings had raised the concern that it
appeared the
South African Police Service was deliberately targeting
Zimbabweans for
arrest and consequent deportation.
“We will implement
the Immigration Act after the project is finished,” said
the Department’s
Chief Director of Operations, Jack Mnedi. Zimbabweans who
took advantage of
the DZP will not be deported.
He further reiterated that the agreement
between the Zimbabwean and South
African governments did not support the
deportation process. He also
observed that there would be administrative
problems if deportations were to
commence before the documentation project
was finalised because SAPS would
not be able to tell who was waiting for
their permit to come out and who was
not.
Exasperation
Many
Zimbabweans have expressed exasperation over delays in permits being
issued.
However, the DHA also revealed that no progress was made throughout
July as
the department brought in new staff to address capacity shortages in
the
process of adjudicating applications. With the new staff having
undergone
training, the process took off again in August and is expected to
run
smoothly until completion.
In an interview, Gabriel Shumba, Executive
Director of the Zimbabwe Exiles
Forum, said his organisation was happy with
the way the process had been
managed and the involvement of the civil
society organisations. However, he
expressed concern over some ‘grey areas’
which needed clarification such as
the issue of appeals and the review of
more than 11,000 applicants that have
so far been rejected by the
department.
Conflicting instructions
The DHA said it would reject
applications of people with criminal records.
Shumba further stated that
there was confusion on the status of children, in
particular children born
in South Africa. There was also a consensus between
the DHA and the civil
organisations that there seemed to be miscommunication
between the
department’s Head Office and its local branches which were
issuing
conflicting instructions to Zimbabweans who had been notified to
tender
supporting documents such as passports or letters of employment in
order for
their applications to be advanced to the next stage.
Since the closing of
the application process in December 2010 the DHA
received 275,762
applications in total under the DZP, and have approved and
issued almost
142,732 permits.
In a related matter, the Zimbabwe Consulate says it has
processed 69,875
passports that were applied for under the DZP and of that
total only 1,829
passports are still being expected from Zimbabwe. The
numbers of the
passports does not match the number of the permit applicants
who applied
without a passport. According to DHA figures, not more than
32,500
applicants stated they had no passports.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
29
September 2011
Civil society members of the international diamond trade
watchdog, the
Kimberley Process (KP), are set to boycott the group’s next
plenary session
over its failure to end diamond fuelled human rights
abuses.
The KP, which was created in 2003 to curb the trade in ‘blood
diamonds’, has
faced serious criticism over its inability to end diamond
related human
rights abuses.
This has been particularly evident
in Zimbabwe’s controversial Chiadzwa
diamond fields, where violence and
rampant smuggling have continued with no
decisive action from the
KP.
Zimbabwe was suspended from international trade in 2009 over human
rights
concerns, but the KP has fallen short of ensuring that these concerns
are
fully addressed. Instead the group, now led by the DRC’s Mathieu Yamba,
has
been trying to bring Zimbabwe back into international trade circles,
despite
the local industry still not meeting international
standards.
Yamba has said twice this year that Zimbabwe has the green
light to resume
trade, despite a lack on consensus from the rest of the KP.
These unilateral
decisions have been slammed as an attempt to whitewash the
issues at
Chiadzwa, said to be the richest alluvial deposit of diamonds to
be found in
recent history.
The KP’s civil society wing, which
includes Partnership Africa Canada (PAC)
and Global Witness, is now making
steps to distance itself from the main
group. In June the civil society
groups walked out of a meeting on Zimbabwe’s
trade future, which ended with
no decision. The groups have now indicated
that they will boycott the KP’s
next plenary in November.
In a note emailed last week to KP Chairman
Yamba and other KP members, the
NGO coalition said the decision to boycott
the meeting was based on several
factors.
“We have grave concerns
about the ability of the Kimberley Process to
respond effectively to
situations where diamonds are fuelling armed violence
and gross human rights
violations,” said the email, signed by the PAC’s Alan
Martin. “We remain
particularly concerned that this plenary will likely end
all meaningful
oversight of (Chiadzwa) Marange, despite ongoing and credible
concerns about
its compliance and cooperation with the KP in meeting minimum
standards.”
Martin told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that he hopes
their refusal to take
part in this “sham” meeting will force the KP
membership to revaluate its
role.
“The entire diamond supply chain is
infected by stones from Chiadzwa. But
the KP has displayed an inability to
effectively deal with this,” Martin
said.
He added: “We don’t want to
be part of a plenary where these issues are
thrown aside as part of some
expedient attempt to ignore the issues and make
face-saving attempts to get
Zimbabwe back onto the market.”
The decision comes as another death has
been reported at the controversial
diamond fields. According to NewsDay 39
year old Tsorosai Kusena died last
week after being assaulted by police.
Kusena, of Betera village in the
diamond-rich Chiadzwa area, died last
Friday allegedly in police custody.
His two brothers are reportedly still in
hospital after they were also
assaulted.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai Karimakwenda
29 September,
2011
Thousands of employees at the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)
went on
strike Wednesday, demanding payment of outstanding salaries and
improved
safety conditions at work. All four unions are taking part in the
strike
action.
Shadreck Mutakura, President of the Railway Artisans
Union, said most rail
services have ground to a halt nationwide as unions
await a response from
the Ministry of Labour, who had been warned of pending
action since August.
Mutakura explained that salaries have consistently
been paid months behind
schedule since 2009, after Zimbabwe switched to an
economy based on the US
dollar.
Since June 2011 some workers have
been paid allowances on time but salaries
continue to be 2 to 3 months late.
Many are still owed between $5,000 and
$9,000 for the period starting from
2009 up till now.
|
“Workers cannot keep carrying the burden,” Mutakura
said, adding: “Their
medical aid is also not acceptable. This is causing
much suffering,
especially to those who have lost loved ones and to some who
are ill.”
The union leader explained that workers contribute to a health
fund run by
the railways company, which in turn is supposed to make payments
to health
service providers. But this has not been done and workers are
being denied
treatment.
“We also have reports about some areas which
are unsafe to work in,
workshops and locomotives that are old,” Mutakura
added.
This was confirmed by SW Radio Africa’s Bulawayo correspondent
Lionel
Saungweme, who said railway drivers have to improvise in order to
avoid
accidents because signals do not work. “Baton sticks are used by
drivers who
pass them to each other to avoid congestion,” Saungweme
explained.
Our correspondent said like most state-run parastatals, the
national
railways has been crippled by mismanagement, corruption and lack of
maintenance on their equipment.
“This is characteristic of
institutions run by the ex-army generals who have
taken over in Zimbabwe,
especially at the railways,” Saungweme said. He
added that NRZ general
manager, Mike Karakadzai, a former Air Force chef,
has been known to use
money from ticket sales as personal petty cash.
Union leader Mutakura
said the contentious issues were submitted to a
“principal officer” at the
Ministry of Labour, who then referred the case to
Labour Minister Paurina
Gwanyanya-Mupariwa. Unions are currently still
awaiting a response.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
29 September
2011
Two Harare city councillors, Warship Dumba of Ward 17, Mt Pleasant
and
Casper Takura from Ward 20, Tafara, were granted US$100 bail each on
Wednesday following their arrest last week.
The two councillors were
arrested in Mabvuku on trumped-charges of fraud.
The complainant in the
case, Josephine Ncube, is a Harare city council
chamber secretary. Dumba and
Takura earlier this year reported Ncube to the
police for stealing council
land.
The MDC-T strongly denounced the arrest of the councilors
saying that they
are being persecuted for fighting corruption in Harare city
council.
Dumba and Takura were part of the eight-member team that
investigated and
exposed local government Minister Ignatius Chombo and
businessman Philip
Chiyangwa’s alleged land theft, in a damning 54-page
report.
MDC-T spokesman for Harare province, Obert Gutu, says the
crackdown on the
two councillors has nothing to do with fraud but is an
attempt by Chombo and
Chiyangwa to settle old scores.
When Dumba and
his team gave the incriminating report to the police to
investigate, the
police instead arrested them and the journalists who
covered the story. In
March Chombo claimed to have sacked Dumba and Casper
Takura, accusing them
of dishonesty, fraud and mismanagement of council
funds.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
29
September 2011
The MDC Women’s Assembly has called for the immediate
release of the leaders
of pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), who
have been jailed for
more than a week.
Jenni Williams and Magodonga
Mahlangu are still being held in custody at
Mlondolozi prison after their
arrest last Wednesday. The pair was arrested
along with 10 other WOZA
members during a peaceful march, which was
violently disrupted by riot
police.
The 10 other women were released last Thursday after ‘criminal
nuisance’
charges against them were dropped.
But Williams and
Mahlangu have been charged with ‘kidnapping’ and ‘theft’,
which WOZA have
called ‘malicious’ and ‘spurious’ allegations.
This sentiment has been
echoed by the MDC’s Women’s Assembly, which said in
a statement on Thursday
that it “stands firmly behind our sisters from WOZA
and support their
principled and peaceful methods of exposing the vicious
dictatorship that
the people of Zimbabwe are living under.”
“As the Women’s Assembly we
dare ask what harm can these poor women cause by
marching for peace? The
same women have been arrested in the past for
dishing out red roses on
Valentine’s Day! This would have been funny if it
was not tragic,” the
Women’s Assembly said.
Williams and Mahlangu have been denied bail and
have been remanded in
custody until next month.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, September 29, 2011 - The MISA
Zimbabwe Chapter is today holding a
half-day indaba on "media ethics in
Zimbabwe".
The move comes amid reports that journalists are wondering
exactly when the
draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the
Access to Information
and Public Accountability Act (AIPPA) will be
completely removed from the
statutes.
POSA and AIPPA were introduced
by former Zanu-PF spokesman and Minister of
Information and Publicity,
Professor Jonathan Moyo, to try and curtail media
freedom and expression in
Zimbabwe before elections.
Moyo was, however, later kicked out from
President Robert Mugabe's "gravy
train" after he tried to organise a revolt
in Tsholotsho, his constituency.
He is now an independent Member of
Parliament (MP).
Several journalists, especially from the independent
media, have been
arrested for allegedly not adhering to stringent POSA and
AIPPA regulations
in Zimbabwe.
Misa Zimbabwe National Director,
Nhlanhla Ngwenya, said: "The ethics indaba
will discuss the state of media
ethics in Zimbabwe with the aim of
instilling and fostering adherence to
ethical and professional journalism
with the media".
Senior
journalists, including editors, have been invited to attend the
half-day
event being held in Harare.
The MISA Zimbabwe Chapter, currently led by
Financial Gazette Assistant
Editor, Njabulo Ncube, regularly holds workshops
and conferences in various
parts of the country in their bid to ensure that
the local media is free and
fair to everyone.
http://www.voanews.com
28 September
2011
A shortage of sugar looms because some invaded farms are
sugar-cane
plantations in the national sugar-producing region of
Chiredzi
Chris Gande
Some 5,000 families in Zimbabwe's
southeast province of Masvingo have
invaded farms and wildlife
conservancies, among them thousands of members of
an apostolic sect, and
refused to budge despite pressure from police and the
national Land
Inspectorate.
A recent visit to Chiredzi by Land Inspectorate officials,
led by Deputy
Commissioner of Police Godwin Matanga, failed to convince the
invaders to
move off the properties – most of which are sugar cane
plantations in the
tropical lowveld part of Zimbabwe.
Chiredzi West
lawmaker Moses Mare told VOA reporter Chris Gande the farm
invasions have
reduced national sugar production by more than 70 percent.
Edward Mkhosi,
a member of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee
set up to
track compliance by Zimbabwe political parties with the 2008
Global
Political Agreement for power sharing, said JOMIC has urged an
immediate end
to such invasions.
There were 4,000 mainly white-owned commercial farms
in Zimbabwe when
President Robert Mugabe launched a disorderly and often
violent land reform
program that most observers say devastated the country's
agricultural
sector. Today there are a few hundred white-owned commercial
farms, many of
them still under pressure from invaders.
http://www.voanews.com
28 September
2011
The International Bar Association said the Zimbabwean political
environment
is “gravely polarized and characterized by a resurgence of
violence,
arrests, intimidation and hate speech” running counter to the
spirit of the
GPA
Blessing Zulu | Washington
The International
Bar Association has issued a report saying hardliners in
the ZANU-PF party
of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe are using the state
apparatus to
frustrate political reforms, rendering it almost impossible to
hold a free
and fair elections.
The IBA report, entitled “Zimbabwe – Time for a New
Approach,” says Harare
remains in crisis three years after the September
2008 signature of the
Global Political Agreement for power sharing, basis of
the unity government
formed in February 2009.
The London-based IBA
said the Zimbabwean political environment is “gravely
polarized and
characterized by a resurgence of violence, arrests,
intimidation and hate
speech” running counter to the spirit of the GPA.
The lawyers called on
the United Nations and European Union to remain
diplomatically engaged to
support efforts by the Southern African
Development Community and the
African Union to promote broad-based
democratic reforms in
Zimbabwe.
ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told VOA reporter Blessing Zulu
that
organizations such as the bar association are in business to criticize
ZANU-PF.
Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the Movement for Democratic
Change formation
of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said ZANU-PF has indeed
frustrated
reform.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
The new British
Ambassador to Zimbabwe Deborah Bronnert met with Vice
President Joice Mujuru
in Harare Thursday where she reiterated the UK's wish
for free and fair
general election, which President Robert Mugabe is aiming
for by-early
2012.
29.09.1103:50pm
by Chief Reporter
Despite accusations by
President Mugabe's party that Zimbabwe's former
colonial master Britain was
undermining the unity government in Harare,
Ambassador Bronnert said that
the UK believes it is for Zimbabweans to
choose their own government and
that the UK would work with any party or
parties that form a government
based on a genuine mandate from the
Zimbabwean people, which includes Zanu
(PF).
Mugabe has shot down a request by the Madam Ambassador for a
British mission
to observe the forthcoming crunch polls.
The UK has
noted that although the economy was improving, Zimbabwe needed
more time to
work on political reforms, including repealing repressive
legislation,
opening up the media, introducing new electoral laws, and
updating the voter
register.
Ambassador Bronnert updated the Vice President on the
development programmes
the UK is undertaking in Zimbabwe and the growing
trade relationship between
the two countries. London was helping to revive
essential services in
health, education, water and sanitation, and had spent
millions in these
sectors since last year.
Ambassador Bronnert said:
“The UK is a friend of Zimbabwe and will continue
to support initiatives
that raise the living standards of ordinary
Zimbabweans. This is
demonstrated by DFID’s support to the recently launched
Child Protection
Fund, to which $35 million has been committed over a period
of four years.
This support will reach over 300,000 children and 80,000
households
countrywide.
"In 2011, the UK will channel $130 million towards projects
in Zimbabwe
which is the UK’s largest support to Zimbabwe ever. This support
will reach
millions of Zimbabweans particularly women and
children.”
Ambassador Bronnert noted that trade between the UK and
Zimbabwe has
increased by 85% in the first half of 2011 against the
comparative period
last year. She said: “I’m delighted to see that trade is
growing between
Zimbabwe and Britain. This shows there is a healthy and
strengthening
working relationship between the two countries that benefits
both our
economies.”
The Ambassador also expressed her condolences to
Vice President Mujuru,
following the death of her husband, the late Retired
General Solomon Mujuru
who perished in a mysterious inferno at his farm in
Beatrice. The VP has
said she suspects foul play, and police say an inquest
is still to return
conclusive results.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org
Posted On : September 29, 2011 1:21 PM
Southern
Africa’s Bishops have reaffirmed their support for Anglicans in
Zimbabwe, as
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba prepares to accompany the Archbishop
of Canterbury
on his pastoral visit there next month.
At their twice-a-year meeting
held in Benoni this week, the Synod of Bishops
repeated their concerns at
the difficult situation faced by Anglicans in
Zimbabwe, and voiced their
continuing support and prayers. Dr Makgoba will
travel at the invitation of
Dr Rowan Williams, who will also go to Malawi
and Zambia during his visit to
the Church of the Province of Central Africa.
Dr Makgoba commented ‘I am
glad of this opportunity to be able to
demonstrate in person our support for
and solidarity with Bishop Chad of
Harare, and the wider Anglican Church in
Zimbabwe. In Southern Africa’s
troubled past, our Church was enormously
strengthened and encouraged by the
continuing expressions of support we
received from around the Anglican
Communion.’
In response to a
presentation by the Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori,
Presiding Bishop of
the Episcopal Church (centred mainly on the USA), the
Bishops acknowledged
some deep differences, including over human sexuality,
but affirmed the
value of continuing dialogue, in a spirit of truthfulness
and sensitivity.
The Bishops also underlined their African heritage and
commitment to
continuing engagement with the Church in the rest of the
continent, and
welcomed the participation in their meeting of Canon Grace
Kaiso, General
Secretary of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa.
The Bishops
stressed the need for considerable sensitivity in the cultural
expression of
the Christian faith, and for vigorous debate around inherited
cultural
values ranging from the ethos of ubuntu to honouring God,
respecting the
elderly and virginity testing. They noted that some
practices, such as
isangoma training, were incompatible with Christian
beliefs.
Other
matters which the Bishops discussed included a range of pastoral and
theological issues. Among these was a recent CCMA ruling affirming that in
South African law, licenced clergy are not viewed as employees of the
church, as such, but in line with their vocation as ‘servants in God’s
vineyard’. Other visitors to the Synod included theologians Professor Denise
Ackerman and Dr Nomboniso Gasa, and Mrs Jeanette O’Neill, the first woman
and layperson to be appointed General Secretary of USPG, the Anglican
mission agency based in Great Britain and Ireland, which this year
celebrates the 300th anniversary of its founding
The full text of the
Synod of Bishops’ Statement follows below:
Statement by the Synod of
Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa
“The Signs of the
Times”
“… Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance,
gentleness.
Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal
life, to which
you were called ...” (1 Tim 6:11-12)
28 September
2011
We, the Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa,
gathered
from 26 to 28 September, 2011, at the Kopanong Conference Centre,
Benoni,
East Rand, for a time shaped by prayer, and by theological and
pastoral
reflection.
Presentations were made by Professor Denise
Ackerman and Dr Nomboniso Gasa,
which provided a context for reflection
upon, and dialogue and engagement
with, our formal agenda. We became aware
of the need for a more
contemplative spirituality, given expression in
diaconal service in and to
the world. We were also challenged to become
interpreters of the signs of
the times, analytically discerning the course
of events in Southern Africa
and the wider world. In this respect, we noted
the challenges the media
pose, through rapid and effective communication,
which sometimes causes the
churches’ voices to be drowned out.
True
expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ within our cultures must be
exercised graciously and with great carefulness, for example, in the
pastoral care given to those claiming to have a call to Isangoma training –
recognizing that these two worlds, of Christianity and this aspect of
African traditional life, will never meet. Other inherited cultural values
(such as giving honour to God; respecting grey hair; virginity testing for
young people; upholding honesty, and the values enshrined in the philosophy
of ubuntu) need to be vigorously debated as Bishops continue to speak to
society.
The theme of leaders as enablers of the people of God
entrusted to them was
a thread running through the presentations. This means
enabling through
assessment, discerning and auditing gifts, and putting
these gifts at the
service of God’s mission. We were reminded of Jesus’
leadership, shown in
taking a towel and washing his disciples’ feet. We also
acknowledged the
challenges that leadership poses for exercising episcopacy,
management and
vision.
We received with great regret the news that
Archbishop Ian Ernest of the
Indian Ocean and Chairperson of the Council of
Anglican Provinces in Africa
could not be with us, incapacitated by illness.
Our prayers are with him at
this time, and we wish him speedy recovery and
the Lord’s anointing healing.
Our relationship with other Anglicans in
Africa was nonetheless reinforced
by the welcome presence of Revd Canon
Grace Kaiso, the General Secretary of
CAPA. We hope that CAPA will be more
fully informed about us, and how we
pursue our life and mission, as Bishops
of ACSA. For our part, ACSA must
give expression to its heritage and
historical connection with the Church in
the rest of Africa. We need
constantly to bear in mind our role within the
African continent as a
whole.
We were encouraged and energised by the presentation from the Most
Revd
Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church,
centred
mainly within the USA. She shared insights emanating from the
colonising
history of the Episcopal Church, which gave rise to the
continuing
re-expression of the phrase ‘We do not have Missionary Societies
– we are a
Missionary Society.’ While we acknowledge some differences
between TEC and
ACSA (for example, with respect to human sexuality),
nevertheless we affirm
the value of ongoing dialogues, exercised through
truthfulness and
sensitivity towards one another.
We also welcomed
Mrs Jeanette O’Neill, the first woman and layperson to be
appointed General
Secretary of USPG, the Anglican mission agency based in
Great Britain and
Ireland, which this year celebrates the 300th anniversary
of its
founding.
The situation within Zimbabwe continues to pose a great
challenge to our
engagement with and support of Christians there. Canon
Kaiso affirmed that
this is also a priority for CAPA. We are praying for our
Archbishop as he
accompanies the Archbishop of Canterbury to Zimbabwe next
month, as part of
Dr Rowan Williams’ pastoral visit to the Church of the
Province of Central
Africa.
Through all these discussions, we were
reminded again of our vocation to be
apostolic in our ministry and to be
pastors in the Church of God. As we
joined in worship together, daily
homilies brought the Scriptures to life
and shed light on our deliberations.
We shared the need for prayers for
Angola and Swaziland, as well as
Zimbabwe.
The Synod of Bishops is a unique opportunity for Bishops to
gather to engage
in dialogue to foster the deepening of relationships which
sharpen the focus
for ministry, recognising the call always before us to
energise mission and
ministry in our Dioceses and Province. We noted that
our understandings of
ecclesiology and episcopacy are being appreciated,
strengthened and
celebrated in all that is happening in Mozambique to extend
God’s kingdom,
sometimes despite the heat of the day. We applauded the
growth of the
Province, and considered the possibility of additional Bishops
to provide
episcopal ministry through new episcopal areas, as a necessary
act of faith,
despite envisaged financial constraints. We were also inspired
and
encouraged by the presentation of a Lent Study for 2012 from the Diocese
of
Johannesburg, focussing on discipleship.
It has been very
satisfying to see the depth of gifts amongst our clergy and
young laity. The
role of believers in leadership within Dioceses,
particularly participation
in diocesan administration, needs careful
consideration. Another challenge
is to look again at clergy stipends, and to
explore further the new system
which the Diocese of Pretoria has put in
place. We note with love and
appreciation that our understanding of the call
to serve God’s church has
recently been vindicated again, through the CCMA
affirming that all licensed
clergy are servants in God’s vineyard, rather
than employees as such, in
terms of the law within South Africa. Other
pastoral matters we considered
included baptism; pastoral guidelines in
relation to civil unions; lawsuits
involving clergy; and vocations and
theological education.
Issued by
the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town
Public Affairs
Section
Harare, September 28,
2011: The United States
Government takes note of recent judicial verdicts and sentences holding
accountable the perpetrators of political violence in 2008 and 2009. The U.S.
commends the police officers, prosecutors, judges, and magistrates who serve
their country through diligent investigations and due process to ensure the
integrity of the rule of law in such cases.
At the same time, the
United States is concerned by other recent cases that suggest excesses and a
continued partisan bias on the part of law enforcement officers and prosecutors
in the conduct of their duties.
ˇ
The U.S. is alarmed
by the September 23 death of Tsorosai Kusena and the beating of three other
individuals allegedly at the hands of police officers at a police base in
Marange after having been taken from their village by private guards from a
local diamond concession.
ˇ
The unrestrained show
of violence and extortion along political lines around Harare by the
ZANU-PF-allied Chipangano gang fosters an unacceptable environment of fear and
intimidation that will only perpetuate violence and undermine the peace and
stability which the police are sworn to protect.
ˇ
The U.S. is concerned
about persistent reports of harassment, targeting, and heavy handed tactics used
by police officers in arresting civil society activists– most recently leaders
from Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) on September 22– and MDC leaders and
supporters as they conduct civil demonstrations or peaceful political
activities.
ˇ
The reported
occupation of city council or privately owned properties in Harare and Bulawayo,
and of foreign owned companies in Masvingo, by youths acting in the name of
ZANU-PF fundamentally undermine constitutionally-assured property rights,
investor confidence, and Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
ˇ
The routine
invocation of Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to hold
politically-oriented and civil society detainees despite judicial rulings
granting them bail nullifies judicial checks on the excesses of the executive
and suggest a strong partisan bias from the Attorney General’s
Office.
If left unchallenged,
actions such as these lend credence to public perceptions of ZANU-PF as a party
committed to violence and intimidation unconstrained by the laws of the land.
They further paint the police force and prosecutors as serving the interests of
that party, rather than the Zimbabwean people or the state.
The United States
calls on the ZANU-PF leadership to insist that party members and supporters
abide strictly by the laws of the country and to hold accountable those members
who violate President Mugabe’s directive against violence. We further call on
the Government of Zimbabwe– particularly the Zimbabwe Republic Police, state
prosecutors, and judicial officers- to investigate scrupulously and accord
expeditious due process in these and all cases of alleged abuse or violations of
the rule of law.
As the Government of
Zimbabwe is scheduled to appear before the Human Rights Council’s Universal
Period Review from October 13-14, we ask that it honor the pledge made in its
submission, namely to uphold and protect human rights principles and to promote
international and domestic instruments in the advancement of these principles.
# #
#
Comments and queries
should be addressed to Andrew Posner, Acting Public Affairs Officer. E-mail: hararepas@state.gov Tel. +263 4 758800-1,
Fax: 758802.
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Remarks by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Right
Honourable Morgan Tsvangirai, following his visit to the United
States,
Harare
Wednesday, 28 September
2011
Introduction
Good afternoon everyone.
We meet today
after a long time and a lot of events have taken place in the
country and
elsewhere.
However, today I wish to talk about my recent visit to the
United States
where I attended the highly successful summit of the Clinton
Global
Initiative from the 20th to the 23rd of September.
My visit
followed an invitation by former US President Mr Bill Clinton. For
three
successive years, I had turned down the invitation But this year, I
decided
to attend this important platform where business leaders and
entrepreneurs
across the world meet to exchange ideas and discuss global
matters affecting
business and the ordinary person.
The issues we discussed included
generating employment for the 21st century,
the Arab spring revolutions and
their impact, sustainable consumption and
ensuring long term prosperity on a
finite planet, advancing the cause of
women and the girl child as well as
some bilateral meetings with prospective
investors, fund managers and
influential global players.
The CGI meetings
Our discussion on
employment showed that some 205 million people are
unemployed worldwide
while another 1, 5 billion are informally employed. As
these workers seek
stable employment in the wake of global recession, they
face serious
challenges in accessing jobs. The good news is that the world’s
strongest
economic growth is occurring in the developing world which has
become a
major driver of the production and consumption of global goods and
services.
Across the world, the promise for economic opportunity has
stimulated
migration of people to urban centres.
The 2011 summit highlighted the
need for effective workforce training
programmes and government incentives
that could catalyse job creation and
create an environment for increased
profits, productivity and prosperity
around the world.
Micro-finance
institutions were also called upon to reform and accommodate
rural farmers,
women and the girl child.
The summit noted that the world is living
beyond its means in a way that
endangers the environment and ecological
systems around the world.
Furthermore, major corporates have seen that
reducing packaging, waste,
water and energy consumption can improve
profitability, create new marketing
opportunities and entice new
customers.
The issue of climate change came up for discussion and arid
nations such as
Mali gave a sad story of how their economies are reeling
under the effect of
climate change as temperatures are rising beyond
habitable levels leading to
a massive exodus of skilled personnel in the
country.
For other countries, the threat of extinction is real and it is
in this
context that the forthcoming summit in Durban on climate change
would be an
important platform and Zimbabwe should be part of these critical
deliberations.
The Chicago leg
Before attending the CGI
meetings in New York, I was in Chicago from 15-19
September to meet with
business people, potential investors and to
officially open the Zimbabwe
Travel Expo, an initiative of young Zimbabwean
entrepreneurs.
I
toured Luster Products, held meetings with renowned businessman Jim
Reynolds
and other black business people, met with management at plane
manufacturers
Boeing and had bilateral discussions with prominent people
such as Reverend
Jesse Jackson and the deputy governor of Chicago.
Mr Reynolds and his
team are likely to be in Zimbabwe around March to
explore investment
opportunities and to visit some of our tourist
destinations.
Throughout these meetings, the flawed nature of the
current indigenization
policy and our toxic politics proved to be major
issues affecting investor
confidence.
Key issues that were of concern
to investors, Heads of State and all the
prominent people I engaged with
included the following:
1. The continued violence in the country where
even elected MPs are beaten
up in Parliament and no one is
apprehended,
2. The warped indigenization policy that has eroded investor
confidence and
created a skeptical international business community that has
developed a
wait-and-see attitude.
3. The uncertainty about elections
and election dates. I learnt from the
Sunday Mail that I had a major boob in
Chicago. I want to say it is not
criminal for me as Prime Minister to
support the initiative of young
Zimbabweans keen to promote their country.
The only boob that was exposed in
Chicago was our implementation of the
indigenization regulations which has
tarnished the image of the country and
chased away investors.
International diplomacy
Apart from Reverend
Jackson and other business people in Chicago, I also met
with several
African Heads of State in New York who expressed similar
concerns about our
toxic and poisonous political environment.
It was clear that the world is
ready to do business with us as long as we
stopped violence, developed a
clear indigenization policy that empowers
ordinary people without punishing
investors and adopted a clear roadmap to
free and fair elections that would
lead to a legitimate government.
And on Friday, 23 September, I had a
fruitful meeting with the United
Nations secretary-general, Mr Ban Ki-Moon
who pledged to leave no stone
unturned in ensuring that Zimbabwe holds a
peaceful, violence-free election.
He said the country should not hold
elections similar to the one-man event
of June 2008 which was characterized
by violence, coercion and intimidation.
We are heartened by his position
that the UN was fully behind the SADC
effort for free and fair election and
would move in to ensure that the will
of the people of Zimbabwe is protected
and respected.
The Zambia elections
While I was in New York, the
people of Zambia opened yet a new chapter and
voted in for a new President.
I have since sent my congratulatory message to
President Michael Sata
following his victory in that election.
It is indeed a major lesson for
Zimbabwe, SADC and the rest of Africa that
it is possible to respect the
will of the people and to effect transfer of
power.
President Banda
did not abuse his incumbency to stand in the way of the
people’s will. State
institutions, including the security sector, quickly
respected the people’s
testament and as we speak, Zambia has set yet another
record for the
region.
Conclusion
This trip showed that it is possible to rebuild
this economy. There is a lot
of goodwill out there to do business with
Zimbabwe as long as we have policy
consistency and as long as we come up
with an investor-friendly model that
balances the interest of investment and
the need to empower the ordinary
person and not a few, well connected
elite.
It is also true, from my engagements with African leaders and
other global
players that the world is ready to stand by us in ensuring that
we have a
credible election which will lead to a legitimate government in
Zimbabwe.
We will not walk alone.
I Thank You
--
MDC
Information & Publicity Department
http://www.insiderzim.com/
Thursday, 29
September 2011 07:03
President Robert Mugabe is keeping his lieutenants
in line because he has
dossiers on their illegal activities which he can use
to get them arrested
should they challenge him.
According to a cable
released by Wikileaks a lot of heavyweights in the
Zimbabwe African National
Union- Patriotic Front really wanted Mugabe to go
before the 2008 elections
but they could not openly challenge him because of
fear of the
repercussions.
The cable says when former Finance Minister Simba Makoni
announced his
candidacy for presidency in the 2008 he had a lot of support
from these
heavyweights.
The Independent newspaper said Makoni had
the support of Vice-Presidents
Joseph Msika and Joice Mujuru, party chairman
John Nkomo, Defence Minister
Sydney Sekeramayi, Women’s Affairs Minister
Oppah Muchinguri, Youth Minister
Saviour Kasukuwere, Solomon Mujuru, retired
general Vitalis Zvinavashe, and
Mashonaland East governor Ray Kaukonde, but
none of them crossed to join
him.
“While numerous ZANU-PF
heavyweights in addition to Mujuru would undoubtedly
like to see Mugabe go,
they are afraid to challenge him openly. First, they
continue to enjoy
ZANU-PF patronage, and a challenge to Mugabe would result
in an immediate
end to their benefits,” the cable says.
“Secondly, many, including
Mujuru, are corrupt, and they know Mugabe has
dossiers on them documenting
their illegal activities. A challenge to Mugabe
could result in their arrest
and prosecution. Therefore, these individuals
are hoping to ease Mugabe out
without a direct challenge.”
http://www.insiderzim.com/
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
19:06
Though most members of the Zimbabwe African National Union-
Patriotic Front,
especially those from the Mujuru faction, have wanted
President Robert
Mugabe to go for some time, Mugabe has managed to maintain
his control over
the party through patronage and fear, according to
Wikileaks.
A cable dispatched by the United States embassy in Harare on 8
November
2007, just a month before the crucial extraordinary congress which
had been
called by the Mujuru faction ostensibly to force Mugabe to step
down, said
although the shrinking economy had reduced the benefits that
could be
parcelled out to the party faithful, there was still enough in the
trough to
produce loyalty.
“Perhaps more important is the fear
engendered by Mugabe that his departure
could result in internecine party
struggle jeopardizing the relative
stability of Zimbabwe and the ill-gotten
gains of party members; and that
anyone challenging him will be
marginalized,” the cable says.
The cable said Solomon Mujuru, because of
his stature, had challenged Mugabe
but had failed. Former Finance Minister
Simba Makoni was afraid to openly
oppose Mugabe.
“With the exception
of a handful of ZANU-PF dissidents such as publisher and
businessman Ibbo
Mandaza and Mugabe's former comrade in arms Edgar Tekere,
there has been no
public criticism of Mugabe from ZANU-PF.”
It added: “As part of his
sidelining of erstwhile allies Solomon Mujuru and
Vice President Joice
Mujuru, Mugabe rehabilitated Emmerson Mnangagwa who had
fallen out of grace
after the alleged Tsholotsho plot against Mugabe in
2005, and stirred
rumours that Mnangagwa might be his anointed successor.”
By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 29/09/11
The report about a Chiadzwa family
demanding justice from Police over the
alleged fatal assault of one of their
members and serious injury to two
others over suspected illegal diamond
panning (NewsDay, 29/09/11) deserves
urgent attention from the Zimbabwean
authorities.
The tabloid’s online news says a post-mortem conducted at
Mutare Provincial
Hospital on Monday by a Dr Kasongo, the alleged victim,
Tsororai Kusena (39)
succumbed to traumatic shock due to
assault.
Kusena, of Betera village in the diamond-rich Chiadzwa area,
died on Friday
23 September allegedly in police custody while his two
brothers are battling
for life at Mutare Provincial Hospital following the
alleged assault.
The distressing news comes in the wake of the discovery
by a BBC Panorama
programme last month of a torture camp run by Zimbabwe’s
security forces in
Marange diamond fields (BBC, 08/08/11).
Witnesses
talked of beatings and dog maulings. A man who still could not use
one of
his arms after the beatings told the BBC: “They beat us 40 whips in
the
morning, 40 in the afternoon and 40 in the evening.”
Although, the
European Union which was suspected of pushing for the lifting
of a ban on
Marange diamonds said it would consider the evidence produced by
the BBC
programme, it is not clear if it has taken any action, while
Zimbabwean
authorities were dismissive of the report.
However, Human Rights Watch
has condemned Zimbabwe for failing to prosecute
killings and
torture.
Last week’s tragic incident also comes at a time when Kimberley
Process
Certification Scheme (KPCS) Chairperson, Mathieu Yamba has
reportedly
expressed disappointment at the civil society’s decision to
boycott the
forthcoming plenary scheduled for Kinshasa, DRC.
Unless
human rights abuses committed by Zimbabwean security forces in
Chiadzwa and
Marange areas are addressed, the KPCS will remain deadlocked on
the way
forward as far as the certification of the country’s controversial
diamonds
is concerned.
It is hoped that the KPCS will exert pressure on the
Zimbabwean authorities
to cooperate fully with investigations surrounding
the tragic death of
Tsororai Kusena and the serious injuries sustained by
his two brothers from
the alleged police assault at
Chaidzwa.
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London,
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com