JONATHAN MOYO IN FRESH BID TO SHACKLE JOURNALISTS Fri 3
September 2004
HARARE - Information Minister Jonathan Moyo plans to
tighten further Zimbabwe's already restrictive media laws by banning local
journalists from working for foreign media, according to proposed new
legislation gazetted by the government last week.
Journalists
carrying out their work without being registered with
the government-appointed Media and Information Commission will be fined
or jailed for not more than two years under the proposed new regulations.
The new regulations will be tabled in Parliament when it resumes
next month.
Section 83 of the Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act that governs the operations of journalists and media companies
only prohibits journalists from working without being licensed by the
government commission.
The section will be amended to provide
for a penalty of a fine or imprisonment not exceeding two years.
A new section will be added to the media Act which will read: "Registered
journalists will only work for media houses under which they are registered
and are not allowed to work for outside media."
Moyo also wants to
amend Section 40 of the Act which requires an association of journalists and
another one of media companies to nominate a representative each to the
seven-member state media commission.
Under the new changes either
the journalists or media companies could nominate the two members of the
commission. Media companies could nominate the two members of the commission
sidelining journalists or vice versa.
Banning local journalists
from working for foreign media could finally impose a blackout on Zimbabwe.
The government has already expelled from the country all foreign
journalists.
International news agencies Reuters, Associated Press
and Agence France Press still have bureaus in Zimbabwe. The South African
Broadcasting Corporation also has a correspondent in the country. But all of
the international media have small teams of one or two people and nearly
all depend on local journalists to cover the entire country.
Media organisations and journalists' unions castigated the proposed new
regulations saying they imposed further hurdles on an already
severely shackled media.
The Zimbabwean chapter of the Media
Institute of Southern Africa said: "We have been hoping for amendments that
would make the (media) law fair and create a conducive environment for
journalists to work in. But these amendments rather make the law more
draconian."
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary general,
Forster Dongozi, said: "What we have been calling for, is a total change to
the draconian media law. There must be broader involvement of the
stakeholders if any changes to it are going to be meaningful and beneficial
to the media, which is currently in a bad state."
In a statement
the Independent Journalists Association of Zimbabwe said: "These amendments
will make the media law more sinister and therefore are against our calls for
consultation in efforts to save the media fraternity currently under
siege."
The government has shut down three newspapers over the past
year for breaching its media laws. ZimOnline
ZANU PF set for a walkover in Seke by-election Fri 3
September 2004
HARARE - The Nomination Court sits today to accept
candidates for a by-election in Seke constituency scheduled to take place at
the end of this month.
The court is likely to award the seat to
the ruling ZANU PF party if the main opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party sticks to its decision not to participate and if none of
the other minor parties decides to take part in the poll.
The
seat fell vacant following the death of the MDC's Ben Tumbare-Mutasa two
months ago. The MDC has said it will not participate in elections including
next year's parliamentary ballot unless Zimbabwe's undemocratic electoral
laws were genuinely reformed.
MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi
said: "We are not participating in the Seke by-election because it will be
held under the current flawed electoral framework."
Meanwhile,
the ZANU PF women's league meets in Harare today for its congress. The
congress is expected to nominate state and party President Robert Mugabe as
its candidate for the party's leadership when it meets for its main congress
in December.
The December congress, which is held after every five
years, will select a new leadership for ZANU PF. ZimOnline
More filling stations run dry across the country Fri 3
September 2004
HARARE - Fuel supplies remained erratic across the
country with some filling stations in Harare saying they were selling their
last stocks of the product.
An attendant at a Total filling
station along Chinhoyi Street, in Harare said they had gone for days without
supplies. A senior official at Country Petroleum's Willowvale Road filling
station said they still had few stocks of petrol while diesel had run
out.
In Zimbabwe's second largest city of Bulawayo, several
filling stations visited by ZimOnline said they were only left with petrol in
stock.
In the Midlands city of Gweru, a long queue of motorists
waiting to fill up their cars could be seen at Wedzera Service Station along
Robert Mugabe Road.
A senior manager at the filling station,
which is one of the biggest in the city, said: "Supplies have been erratic.
There is this long queue outside because we are the only filling station with
fuel in Gweru."
The situation was the same in the other major
cities such as Mutare and Kwekwe toured by ZimOnline reporters.
Meanwhile, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono yesterday sought to
reassure Zimbabweans that there was enough fuel as more filling stations ran
dry across the country.
Gono told ZimOnline: "I have issued an
assurance to the public that the fuel situation is under control." He added
that the central bank was working hard to ensure that there was enough
foreign currency for oil companies to import more fuel into the country. He
did not elaborate. ZimOnline
Protesters back at SA embassy Fri 3 September
2004
HARARE - An alliance of local civic and political groups for
the second time yesterday demonstrated at the South African embassy here
calling on Pretoria to help end Zimbabwe's crisis.
The National
Constitutional Assembly, which is a coalition of churches, labour, opposition
political parties, and human rights groups, on Wednesday handed a petition to
South Africa's ambassador to Zimbabwe, Jeremiah Ndou, calling on Pretoria to
throw its weight behind the search for democracy in its northern
neighbour.
Yesterday more than 400 placard-waving members of the
civic alliance were back at the embassy. Alliance chairman Lovemore Madhuku,
said: "We are indebted to the embassy for giving our delegation an
opportunity to hand our message yesterday.
"It is important to
show that this message is not just an invention of the National
Constitutional Assembly leaders. It is a reflection of the views of thousands
of ordinary members and the only way of showing this is by a peaceful
demonstration at the embassy. This is why the demonstration is going on
today."
Police armed with guns and batons dispersed the
demonstrators from the embassy. There were no reports of assaults or
arrests.
The alliance, which is pushing for a new and democratic
constitution for Zimbabwe, said this week's demonstrations were to voice
Zimbabweans' objections to a proposed new law that will severely restrict the
operations of non-governmental organisations in the country.
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing activists arrested during
Wednesday's protest Alec Muchadehama, said seven of them had been released by
the police without being charged.
Four other activists are to
appear in court today to answer to charges of contravening Zimbabwe's strict
Public Order and Security Act. The law prohibits Zimbabweans from holding
political meetings or demonstrations without prior approval of the police.
The alliance's protests were not approved by the police. ZimOnline
Mujuru guns for vice-presidency Dumisani Muleya THE
influential Zanu PF Women's League has entered the ruling party's succession
race and is now lobbying for politburo member Joyce Mujuru to be nominated as
vice-president during the party's forthcoming
December congress.
Official sources said the Women's League, headed by
Thenjiwe Lesabe, who is seen as close to President Robert Mugabe, is
vigorously pushing for Mujuru to fill the post left vacant by former
vice-president Simon Muzenda's death last year. Joseph Msika remains as the
other vice-president.
Sources said the Zanu PF women were planning to
come up with a key resolution after their congress, which will be opened by
Mugabe today at City Sports Centre in Harare, backing Mujuru.
The
congress is being held under the banner of "Total Empowerment of Women in
Zimbabwe".
It is understood that the women will insist on the
overhaul of the archaic Zanu PF constitution - which was tailor-made to suit
Mugabe's failed one-party state project of the 1980s - to allow their
candidate to be elevated to the party's top hierarchy through affirmative
action.
Sources said the outdated Zanu PF constitution would be
amended to take into account present political realities and discard the
structures of the past.
"The women want Mujuru to be one of the two
vice-presidents because of the key role they played in the liberation
struggle and after Independence," a source said."Mujuru is seen as the most
suitable candidate because the Women's League chairperson Lesabe is now
rather old. Lesabe could have been vice-president in 1999 if the women had
pushed harder for her elevation."
Lesabe almost became vice-president
during the 1999 Zanu PF congress but was blocked by the hierarchical
impediments in the ruling party.
However, sources said Mujuru could
come unstuck in her bid because there were other stronger forces gunning for
the same job. Zanu PF secretary for administration Emmerson Mnangagwa and
foreign relations secretary Didymus Mutasa have been mentioned as
candidates.
Mnangagwa is said to command a majority of provinces
through the chairmen of Midlands, Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland
East, Matabeleland North and Bulawayo. He is also said to be backed by
retired General Vitalis Zvinavashe. Mutasa is thought to have only an outside
chance due to his lack of political clout.
However, Mnangagwa, who
lost the chairmanship to John Nkomo in 1999, is said to be highly unpopular
with the grassroots and his political record is seen as tainted by
allegations of corruption which he has strongly denied.
Nkomo has been
named as a successor to Msika and possibly Mugabe.
Sources said the
only blot on Mujuru's record was her insult of Joshua
Nkomo during the
Econet saga in 1996. She later apologised. Besides that, she is seen as in
with a chance due to Women's League's support.
Zanu PF has been
making much of its newly-discovered gender-sensitive role after Thabo Mbeki
appointed women to top jobs in his party and government.
Last
Thursday a Women's League delegation, led by Lesabe, met Mugabe to raise
concerns over the current infighting in Zanu PF. It is said the group also
discussed other issues.
After that Lesabe lambasted Zanu PF
"mafikizolos" - newcomers - in the ruling party mouthpiece, The Voice, who
she said were engaged in attempts to discredit the party's leadership through
vitriolic calumnies in anonymous columns in the state
media.
Lesabe was last month reported to have raised concern over
Zanu PF deputy Information secretary Jonathan Moyo's conduct. She was said to
have been supported by party heavyweights, including Nkomo, spokesman
Nathan Shamuyarira and politburo bigwig, retired General Solomon
Mujuru.
Mugabe is expected to meet senior party members over the issue.
He is understood to have raised the matter in cabinet last
week.
Sources said Msika's attempt to be reelected could falter
because there is growing internal resistance to his comeback.
The
increasingly intricate situation leaves Mugabe in a fix over the simmering
succession issue at congress.
Govt probes TeleAccess Shakeman Mugari DANIEL
Shumba's TeleAccess risks losing its operating licence after revelations this
week that the government has launched investigations into the company's
failure to roll out its network.
Shumba, who was awarded the second fixed
network licence after a protracted battle with government in January last
year, has been promising that his company would roll out phones. But his
failure to do so has prompted the current investigations which started in
July.
A report is expected next week.
Transport and
Communications permanent secretary Karikoga Kaseke last week confirmed that
TeleAccess was being probed by government to establish why it had failed to
start operations within the given period.
Kaseke said the government has
instructed the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe
(Potraz) to carry out the investigations.
"We want to know why they
(TeleAccess) are not operating. They have been having this licence for a long
time now," Kaseke said. "We instructed Potraz to start the investigations in
July and we are expecting the report any time now." Potraz should have
presented its findings to the Ministry last week.
Kaseke said
government is concerned with TeleAccess' failure to roll out the network.
Regulations say a company is required to start up a network within six months
of getting a licence.
"Because this is a national asset, we need to
know their problem," said Kaseke. The government wants to verify Shumba's
claims of having state-of-the-art equipment and financial muscle to start up
the network.
Shumba, who is also the Zanu-PF chairman for Masvingo, has
in the past told Potraz that his equipment was being shipped from China. The
inquiry would also seek to establish reasons why TeleAccess is not operating
despite having been give the licence 18 months ago.
The
investigations, sources at Potraz say, have been triggered by the growing
number of companies that have applied to Potraz for a fixed network licence.
Afritell, a telecoms company backed by Transmedia, Powertel and Africom, has
applied for a fixed network licence. Experts say the company already has the
primary infrastructure to start operations.
The Zimbabwe Independent
has since established that Shumba does not have the basic equipment to start
a fixed network. Contrary to his claims that his C&C08 line exchange in
Newlands has 112 000 lines, it has been established that the equipment housed
at Central Films Laboratory can only hold just over 100 lines.
Water project row looms Gift Phiri LONG-STANDING
plans by government to draw water from the Zambezi River to supply
drought-prone Matabeleland region risk igniting "hydro-politics" that could
end up degenerating into a serious conflict in the sub-region.
Diplomats,
international lawyers and hydrologists said government could not draw water
from the 3 000-kilometre river to Bulawayo without the approval of eight
Southern African Development Community (Sadc) countries whose territories lie
in the Zambezi basin.
"There is combustible hydro-politics
surrounding that river," one diplomat said.
The Zambezi River,
Africa's fourth longest river after the Nile, Congo and Niger, drains off
eight of the 13-member Sadc states - Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi,
Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
International legal
experts and diplomats said the question of negotiating with other states was
very pertinent, adding that if Zimbabwe failed to handle the issue with
caution it could lead to a serious conflict in the region.
The Zambezi
River has been utilised for hydro-electric power (HEP) generation at Kariba,
Cahorra Bassa and the north bank of the Victoria Falls.
A number of
riparian states - countries from which the Zambezi River drains - are
understood to be working out plans to exploit the large
river's hydro-electric potential.
Zambia is understood to be
planning to develop a 450 megawatt (MW) HEP station at Lower Kafue, 1 600 MW
station at the Batoka Gorge and a 1 240 MW station at the Devil's Gorge at
Victoria Falls. The country is also understood to be working out plans to
develop a 1 000 MW station at Mupata Gorge.
Mozambique is planning
to exploit the hydro-electric potential of the river by building a 1 200 MW
station at Cahorra Bassa, 1 600 MW station at Mupanda Uncua, 444 MW station
at Boroma and another 654 MW station at Lupata.
Sources said that
plans by Zimbabwe to draw water from the river would badly affect the
downward flow trends of the Zambezi River - a potential source of conflict
with other states with plans to set up HEP stations
downstream.
Prominent hydrologist Sir Mott McDonald, speaking on the
sidelines of the just-ended Harare Agricultural Show, said already the
average inflow of water into the river had been drastically
reduced.
"Competition for the increasingly limited resource whose
supply continues to
diminish and is uncertain should serve as a wake up
call for states such as Zimbabwe to pursue its national interest cognisant
that there are other competitors," warned McDonald. "There is great potential
for conflict in the proposed Matabeleland Zambezi Water
project."
Namibia is reportedly planning to expand the Lonrho
operated sugar irrigation project in eastern Caprivi from the current 40 ha
to 140 ha. The country is reportedly working out plans to channel Zambezi
water from Katima Mlilo to Lake Liambezi to irrigate several thousand
hectares of cane.
Botswana is also envisaging draining from the
Zambezi to meet expected demand for water in eastern Botswana and the greater
Gaborone region. Botswana has already expressed interest in joining either
Zimbabwe or South Africa in drawing water from the Zambezi.
Zambia
is also understood to be making plans to extract water from the river to feed
the planned Kafue-Kariba and the Mambova irrigation project. South Africa,
although not a riparian state, plans to draw from the Zambezi between 2,5 to
4 billion cubic metres annually when the Lesotho Highland Water Project is
fully developed.
"This raises questions of whether or not there is
enough water in the Zambezi after all for the simultaneous satisfaction of
non-consumptive use (HEP) and expected consumptive use," a Sadc envoy
said.
The diplomat said there were serious ramifications over plans
by Zimbabwe to unilaterally draw water from the river. The envoy said there
is a regional protocol on shared watercourse systems produced by Sadc, but
not all riparian states had signed it.
"This means that Zimbabwe
cannot extract water from the river without negotiations with all riparian
states and this may take a very, very long time," the diplomat said.
Bulawayo council owed $25b in rates Staff
Writer THE government and city residents now owe the cash-strapped Bulawayo
city council a whopping $25 billion in unpaid rates and supplementary charges
as the local authority steps up measures to curb the escalating
debt.
Council documents obtained this week from the municipality indicate
that both the government and local residents now owe a combined total of
$25,5 billion as at the end of July.
Residents owe the council
over $18,5 billion. The largest chunk of the amount is in unpaid water
charges that constitute about $8,5 billion while supplementary charges and
rates are next with $6,3 billion owed.
Government departments owe
council a total of $6,8 billion in unpaid bills for water, sewerage and
refuse removal.
The new figures, submitted to council by city
treasurer Middleton Nyoni, indicate that the Ministry of Home Affairs is the
biggest debtor, owing council over $29 million closely followed by the
Ministry of Education and Culture which owes $414 million while the Ministry
of Higher Education owes a further $408 million.
Other debts are
spread across land sales, refusal removal, rent, loan repayments, legal
charges and developments permits.
Bulawayo city council has over the
last six months failed to source $180 billion on the open money but has
recently benefited from an $18 billion Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
facility that would enable the local authority to resuscitate capital
projects that have been in limbo for a long time.
'Chindori violated undertakings' Augustine
Mukaro/Godfrey Marawanyika FORMER Mines minister Edward Chindori Chininga is
alleged to have violated High Court orders and government directives not to
interfere with Export Processing Zone (EPZ) activities when he moved onto
Bally Carney Farm in Mashonaland West.
Chindori Chininga, the MP for
Guruve South, forcibly evicted farm owner, Simon Philp, violating the EPZ
regulation which stipulates that the two should co-exist.
The
seizure forced the multi-billion dollar horticultural concern to fold, thus
losing lucrative European markets and foreign currency. Bally Exports used to
enjoy a 38% market share in Europe and was the world's largest grower of
passion fruit.
In a letter to Philp in October last year, Chindori
Chininga made an undertaking not to interfere with the farm's EPZ
horticulture pack house and associated infrastructure.
"The EPZ
horticulture pack house and associated infrastructure at the pack house
facility will not be interfered with by the new land owner,"
Chindori Chininga wrote in his letter.
"The pack house manager can
stay on the farm to manage the facility and we can negotiate the terms under
which the manager can remain managing the EPZ pack house operations. On EPZ
fixed infrastructure facilities, I am prepared to make a special arrangement
through joint venture or other accepatble options to allow the facilities to
operate and be accessed by other farmers."
Chindori Chininga
initially agreed that Philp's foreman and workers would continue to maintain
the passion fruit and exports after special negotiations and arrangements
between the two.
On top of Chindori Chininga's undertaking, Philp
also obtained two High
Court orders barring the former minister from
taking over the farm but these were ignored.
A visit to the farm
by the Zimbabwe Independent revealed a completely different picture to
Chindori Chininga's undertaking. The workers who spoke to the Independent
said infrastructure on the farm was crumbling.
"The first indication
that all is not well can be seen from the reduction of the
workforce
from around 660 workers to the current 120 people," one worker said. "Exports
of passion fruit have stopped, rendering over 85 permanent packaging workers
jobless."
Another worker said: "As you can see the pack house is
closed. It has been closed since Chindori Chininga took over in October last
year. The Balley juice processing section has also closed
down.
"In the passion fruit fields it looks like everything is going
on well but the truth of the matter is that we are just reaping fruits
planted by the previous owner. Stubs of the old crop, which the new owner is
trying to resuscitate, won't work because the quality of the fruit will not
meet export quality," he said.
Under normal circumstances, new
seedlings should be developed each year and transplanted into trellised land.
The passion plant for export produce should be in the ground for 20 months
with its production having commenced at month six.
Chindori
Chininga defended his position saying he was fully utilising the farm. "This
winter I have done 100 hectares of wheat, 12 hectares of cabbages,
granadillas and avocados," he said. The granadillas for export were removed
to plant cabbages for the local market.
Other than taking over Bally
Carney Farm, Chindori Chininga is also accused of grabbing two other farms.
He is understood to have taken over Wilderness in Mhangura and Kodzwi in
Banket.
"I do not know anything about those farms. The two farms
belong to Jenita and Victor - vana vababa vangu vese (Both my father's
children). In fact, they have been on those farms since the 1980s," Chindori
Chininga said.
"I cannot be fighting in the press everyday. I am busy
doing my farming and it does not help anyone to continue fighting in the
press. This case has gone to the courts and decisions were made. Please, I
cannot continue fighting I am now tired of this."
The High Court
ruled in Philp's favour on two occasions, issuing eviction notices which
Chindori Chininga ignored.
Philp said Chindori Chininga had barred
him from taking his movables valued at around $11 billion.
These
include irrigation equipment, fresh produce storage facilities, diesel tanks
and tractors, fuel, chemicals, farm machinery as well as
personal effects.
Zanu PF women petition Mugabe over Chiyangwa Conrad
Dube/Ndamu Sandu ZANU PF women from Mashonaland West Pro-vince last week
petitioned President Robert Mugabe to probe senior party officials over
allegations of vote buying and irregularities in the running of the
province.
The women have sent a petition to the Zanu PF Women's League
leadership and to Mugabe's office complaining about the conduct of the senior
party officials.
Former Women's League chairperson in the
province, Chipo Chakweza, last Wednesday confirmed that a petition had been
handed in.
The women accuse provincial chairman Phillip Chiyangwa and
his
executive of paying members to influence the election of certain
women to represent the province on the central committee.
The
money, according to the petition, was released on June 19 to influence the
election of central committee members.
The women said Chiyangwa's
team wanted to fast-track Bybit Tsomondo to represent Mashonaland West on the
central committee. The women contend that Tsomondo had only been on the
provincial executive for a year.
The women last week presented the
petition to the national Women's League who assured them that the cases would
be investigated.
The national executive also showed the women a
circular written to provinces that only cadres who have served for at least
five years at provincial level would be considered for national
posts.
An official in the Women's League confirmed last week that
Mashonaland West women handed over their petition to the national
executive.
She said they met Muchinguri, national secretary for
women's affairs Thenjiwe Lesabe, secretary for administration Tsitsi Muzenda,
and Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku who is also a politburo
member.
Muchinguri last week would neither confirm nor deny receipt
of the petition saying she did not talk to the press. Muchinguri is the
party's deputy secretary for women's affairs.
The women, drawn
from Chinhoyi, Makonde, Chegutu, Mhondoro and Norton, expressed their
discontent with the leadership of Chiyangwa, politburo member Edna Madzongwe,
deputy provincial chairman John Mafa and Local Government minister Ignatius
Chombo in the province.
Meanwhile, the Zanu PF Womens Congress kicked
off yesterday.
Ministries still to submit audited accounts Shakeman
Mugari GOVERNMENT ministries have not submitted to the Parliamentary
Public Accounts Committee audited accounts they tendered to the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe (RBZ) on behalf of parastatals they control.
The
submission of the accounts to the RBZ is a prerequisite to access money from
the bank's Productive Sector Fund (PSF). But the committee wants
to scrutinise the accounts before the central bank doles out billions
of dollars of public funds to the debt-ridden state
entities.
Ministries or departments which have not submitted reports
to the committee
include Information and Publicity, Local Government and
Transport and Communications.
The chairperson of the committee,
Glen Norah MP Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga confirmed that the ministries
had not yet submitted accounts to her committee.
She said the
committee should scrutinise the accounts before parastatals access cheap
funds from the central bank.
"We want to have a look at the accounts
before RBZ releases even a cent to these parastatals," Misihairabwi-Mushonga
said.
"We believe that there are serious holes in the accounts.
Otherwise why are they (ministers and parastatals) suddenly producing
up-to-date accounts when they have not been doing so for
years?"
The Department of Information has not yet submitted audited
accounts for debt-ridden ZBH Holdings to parliament for inspection. The
company has also not submitted its annual report to the
committee.
The Ministry of Local Government is still holding on to
Zupco's audited accounts despite having been directed by parliament to submit
the documents. Transport and Communications is also sitting on audited
accounts for CMED, Net*One and Air Zimbabwe.
Governor Gideon Gono
has said parastatals that wanted to access cheap funds from the PSF should
have externally audited accounts and a turnaround plan.
A number of
cash-strapped parastatals hurriedly submitted their audited accounts to the
central bank in a desperate bid to get the lifeline from
the bank.
Ministers are required by law to submit to the
parliamentary committee financial and annual reports of parastatals falling
under their ministries.
Companies that have submitted accounts to the
central bank include Zesa Holdings, ZBH Holdings, TelOne, Zimpost, Industrial
Development Corporation (IDC), Air Zimbabwe, National Railways of Zimbabwe
(NRZ) and the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority
(Arda).
However, only Zesa, TelOne, Arda and IDC offered their
accounts to parliament for inspection.
"It is not all about
reports. We want these companies to address issues of corporate governance
that have been outstanding for sometime. Until those issues are addressed
there is no reason why they should get the money," Misihairabwi-Mushonga
said.
There is also concern over RBZ's move to approve a $50 billion
payout to Zesa Holdings.
"These are the same issues that we have
been talking about. We have genuine fears about these parastatals getting
billions when we have issues against them," said Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
Kondozi workers rue farm takeover Roadwin Chirara in
Odzi BARELY three months after the Agricultural and Rural Development
Authority (Arda) took over operations at Kondozi, employees at the estate
have downed tools pressing for better wages and working
conditions.
Workers at the estate are complaining about their current
living conditions which they said have worsened since Arda took
over.
The workers are currently getting $3 250 a day which they say
is totally insufficient in view of the current economic
situation.
They said management of the estate had promised to revise
their wages to $5 000, an amount which many still felt was not
enough.
"I have been working here for a long time but these people
are using us and paying us nothing for it. How can they say they are doing us
a favour by paying us that amount," said a disgruntled worker.
"We
are made to work hard but they seem not to be interested in giving
us anything for the extra effort that many of us put in. I used to get a
bonus but from my understanding this has been removed by these people for
reasons I really do not understand."
However, estate officials
threatened to cut their pay to $2 800 if the employees continued with the
industrial action.
One employee, who claimed to be part of the
workers' committee, said the atmosphere had become tense after graduates from
militia camps were brought onto the estate.
"They were brought
here about a month or so ago and things have really changed because we no
longer feel we can express ourselves without fear of being attacked by them.
I can tell you, these boys are rough and they really will deal with you,"
said one of the employees.
Workers said Arda was failing to grow some
of the produce the former owners were growing.
"You can see for
yourself, how can you be planting these kind of beans at this time of the
year? We told them that it should have been done in winter, but they didn't
listen," said an employee.
"We no longer have any exports because we
have been told that our quality was not up to standard."
The
worker said they no longer had shifts at the sorting shed because there were
no markets for the produce. He said before Arda came the produce was boxed
and coded for the export market.
"We are currently just packing them
in plastics and I understand it's being consumed locally. You have seen for
yourself that some of the trucks used to transport the produce are grounded
at the workshop," he said.
"We used to run a 24-hour sorting
operation, employing hundreds of people but right now we are only operating
one line out of five and its currently manned by less than 20
people."
Another worker said most of the produce on the estate was
what Arda inherited from the former owners.
Govt wants 'mercenary' plane Godfrey
Marawanyika THE government wants to keep the plane that flew suspected
mercenaries into the country and the US$200 000 the men had on them when they
were arrested in Harare in March. It is also after their boots.
Chief
Law Officer Stephen Musona last week made a formal application to Magistrate
Mishrod Guvamombe to enable the state to forfeit the plane and the money. The
plane is valued at between US$3 million and US$5 million.
While
outlining the role played by Simon Mann in recruiting the men and his alleged
role in the coup plot in Equatorial Guinea, Musona said that the accused
should face a stiff penalty for his role.
"From the evidence we have
it is clear that he had a role to play in the coup in Equatorial Guinea,"
Musona said. "We also apply that there be forfeiture of the plane, money and
the boots."Before Musona could finish his submissions, Jonathan Samkange,
representing Mann and another 66 men, objected saying there was no indication
that Mann was going to Malabo.
"There is no basis whatsoever for what
my learned friend is saying. In fact even from the submissions that were made
by your (state) witness there is no indication that he was going to
Equatorial Guinea."
Samkange told the court that it was not
procedural for the state to take his clients' goods. He also disagreed with
the state on the value of the plane.
The defence was of the opinion that
the plane was valued at US$3 million whilst the state said it was worth US$5
million.
"We cannot get the value of the plane, but I think it is
valued at around US$3 million, but our friends are of the opinion that it is
valued at US$5million. I think on the actual value we should get it from
Reserve Bank Governor (Gideon) Gono," he said.
"On the plane alone
we will end up looking at $3 trillion depending on the auction rate being
used. It is also completely outrageous to take everything away from
him."
Mann was last week convicted of contravening the Firearms Act
by conspiring to purchase dangerous weapons without an end-user
certificate.
He also pleaded guilty to contravening the Public Order
and Security Act, for attempting to possess dangerous weapons. Mann will be
sentenced next Friday.
Masawi 'unleashes terror' Itai Dzamara MASHONALAND
Central governor Ephraim Masawi has been accused of unleashing a reign of
terror in the province in a bid to win the forthcoming Zanu PF Bindura
primary election.
Masawi is allegedly trying to wrestle Bindura from
former Minister of Youth, Gender and Employment Creation and Mashonaland
Central governor Elliot Manyika although he denies it.
The
Zimbabwe Independent visited Bindura last week to monitor the situation in
the area. People who spoke on condition of anonymity said political tension
was rising in the constituency. Masawi's supporters are said to have set up
bases and have been attacking opposition supporters.
MDC Chitungwiza
executive council member Claudius Marimo said he lost goods valued at about
$1 million and about $3 million in cash last month after Masawi's supporters
raided his general dealer shop and grinding mill
in Musana.
"Masawi initially approached me and urged me to defect
to Zanu PF, which I openly said was impossible," Marimo said. "He then told
me that he was going to deal with me and that my plans to contest against
Herbert Murerwa in the Goromonzi constituency were
unacceptable."
"He started sending chiefs to persuade me to join the
ruling party before his youths attacked me on several occasions, at one time
looting goods and cash worth over $4 million," Marimo said. "Now I can only
go to my business at night and cannot spend more than 30 minutes
there."
However, Masawi denied the allegations that he was
perpetrating violence.
"I don't normally speak to newspapers. Just write
Masawi says its rubbish. Who is he? Who is Marimo? He is running a grinding
mill and I am running a farm. So that is damn bulls..t," Masawi
said.
"He was attacked because he is a problem. If he wants, he can
come and get his money," Masawi said.
Pius Ncube in talks with Prince Charles over Zim Gift
Phiri OUTSPOKEN Bulawayo Archbishop Pius Ncube secretly met Prince Charles
and briefed him about Zimbabwe's deepening economic and social crisis,
the Zimbabwe Independent heard this week.
Archbishop Ncube, a fierce
critic of Mugabe, met the Prince of Wales in July at his London residence
where he told the heir to the British throne that Mugabe was slowly joining
the elite squad of tragi-comic African dictators.
Prince Charles was
told about Mugabe's obsession with arming soldiers to fortify his rule when
Zimbabwe was mired in unprecedented poverty, hunger and
disease.
The meeting was kept under wraps by the British Foreign
Office ostensibly because of its potential to spoil relations between the
Royal Family and Harare.
Ncube this week confirmed the meeting but
emphasised that Prince Charles did not want the get-together to be
publicised.
"It's true I did meet him but he did not want it reported
on," said Ncube. "I told him about the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe
but he was well informed. He expressed his sadness and stated that he was the
one who handed the leadership to Mugabe (at Rufaro Stadium in April
1980)."
Mugabe has accused Archbishop Ncube of joining hands with the
former colonial power in a "satanic" double effort to oust him from
power. Addressing mourners at the funeral of former governor Mark Dube last
month, Mugabe said:
"Dube would never have gone to Britain to
invite Blair to please come and invade his motherland, in the same satanic
way Archbishop Pius Ncube and his opposition colleagues are doing repeatedly
today."
However, Ncube said he was prepared to die defending the
rights of the voiceless in the country.
"People are suffering and
as long as they continue suffering I am going to talk," Ncube said. "I can't
stop talking because it is a God-given duty that the Church must talk when
people are suffering. But I have never advocated violence."
Ncube
said he told the Prince of Wales about inflation, high unemployment,
a burgeoning HIV/Aids crisis and hunger.
The cleric also told
Prince Charles about Mugabe's misplaced priorities such as equipping the army
instead of ensuring that people are well fed. He also briefed him on the
lawlessness currently pervading the country.
Air Zim go-slow disrupts schedules Itai Dzamara AIR
Zimbabwe flight schedules have been experiencing disruptions since last week
due to disgruntlement in the workforce over unfulfilled pay
increments.
The national airline has been incurring extra costs in
parking expenses because its planes are overstaying at international airports
due to long departure delays.
The workers at the national airline
received their pay slips for the month of August a fortnight ago, only to
discover that the 80% increment promised by management in July had not been
effected. A full-scale strike has been planned for Monday and is likely to
further disrupt operations at the beleaguered airline.
Air
Zimbabwe acting managing director Tendai Majuru this week referred
all questions to the Transport and Communications permanent secretary,
Karikoga Kaseke.
Kaseke this week said the issue of wage and
salary increments at Air Zimbabwe was being looked at. However, he admitted
there were problems in securing the money for increases.
"That
issue is being looked into and management at Air Zimbabwe has
to appropriately communicate with the workers in order to avoid the
situation whereby operations will be disturbed," said Kaseke.
"But
for such increments to be effected, the money has to come from somewhere and
that is what we have been working on."
Mugabe accepts US envoy's credentials Gift
Phiri PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday accepted the credentials of US
ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell after negotiations between the United
States government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A diplomatic row
erupted last month over remarks by the incoming US ambassador at his Senate
Foreign Relations Committee hearings.
Mugabe had said Dell would not
be welcome to Harare after the remarks which had been spun in the official
press to look like demands for regime change.
"I don't think he is
admissible as he is, if that is his state of mind," Mugabe told the
state-controlled Sunday Mail. "He certainly is not one we should receive here
but the matter is being addressed I think."
A US embassy spokesman
yesterday said Dell presented his credentials to Mugabe at State
House.
"Yes he is in the country, he arrived over the weekend," the
spokesperson said. "We can confirm that the president accepted his
credentials today," (Thursday).
Mugabe yesterday also accepted the
credentials of Britain's new ambassador, Dr Roderick Pullen who has been in
the country for almost a month.
Political Secretary at the British
Embassy, Sophie Honey, confirmed yesterday that government had accepted the
new ambassador's credentials.
"Yes he presented his credentials
today," Honey said.
There were fears that Pullen would be made to
wait much longer considering that his predecessor, Sir Brian Donnelly, had
fierce run-ins with Mugabe's embattled government during his three-year
tenure. It appears that Pullen is headed for a stormy tenure after Mugabe
declared that he was running an "anti-Blair" election.
Western
ambassadors have been facing difficulties securing their accreditation from
their hosts before commencing duties. When diplomats arrive they are only
accredited after presenting their credentials to the head of
state.
Mugabe is yet to accept credentials for the new Nigerian
ambassador who was reportedly posted to the country some four months ago.
Relations between Zimbabwe and Nigeria have not been the warmest since
President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to invite Mugabe to the Chogm meeting in
Abuja last year that resulted in Zimbabwe pulling out of the
Commonwealth.
Mugabe is yet to accept the credentials of Australian
Ambassador designate, Jon Sheppard, who came to the country in mid-July.
Paradza to appear before disciplinary
committee Augustine Mukaro ZANU PF's Makonde MP Kindness Paradza is on
Monday expected to appear before the party's national disciplinary committee
on allegations of undermining party and government policies.
The
committee led by John Nkomo will also probe Paradza's alleged disrespect for
the party leadership and the president, insubordination, gross indiscipline
and fanning disunity among cadres in the district and province.
Other
members of the committee are Security minister Nicholas Goche,
Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa and politburo member Angeline
Masuku.
Paradza, publisher of the Tribune Newspapers whose licence was
suspended three months ago, has already been found guilty by the Mashonaland
West province disciplinary team. The team recommended his expulsion from
the party. The decision of the provincial team is however subject to review
by the national disciplinary body.
The charges of undermining
party and government policies stem from an alleged trip to London to solicit
funding for his publishing company.
The disrespect charges arose
after Paradza criticised Mashonaland West provincial chairman Philip
Chiyangwa and Zanu PF deputy secretary for information and publicity Jonathan
Moyo.
The hearing comes at a time when Paradza and members of the
Women's League in Mashonaland West wrote to President Robert Mugabe
protesting against the provincial leadership. Paradza is seeking Mugabe's
intervention against top politburo members ganging up to wrestle the Makonde
constituency from him.
The Women's League is complaining against the
local leadership imposing their own candidates without elections.
THE decision last
week by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to boycott elections until
government adheres to the electoral standards laid down by Southern African
Development Community (Sadc) heads in Mauritius last month has generated
debate both inside the party and within civil society.
The MDC was
obviously justified, many observers say, in claiming that any future election
would place them at an unfair disadvantage given the ruling party's refusal
to do anything more than submit to pressure from Sadc for technical reforms
in the conduct of polls. While those reforms, providing for independent
electoral institutions, non-discriminatory voters' registration and
accessible voters' rolls, will do much to improve the electoral process in
Zimbabwe, they don't address the wider context.
Mauritian premier
Paul Berenger spelt out that wider context when he said "really free and fair
elections mean not only an independent electoral commission but also include
freedom of assembly and absence of physical harassment by the police or any
other entity, freedom of the press and access to national radio and
television, and external and credible observation of the whole electoral
process".
The MDC argues that none of those broader, but essential,
requirements are in place. More to the point, Zanu PF appears to have no
intention of putting them there.
Southern Africa Publishing House
chief Ibbo Mandaza said the boycott was a smart tactic.
"It's a
smart election campaign tactic," Mandaza said. "I think they are trying to
put Zanu PF on the spot. It's not a pullout. They have put the election on an
upbeat. Zanu PF needs to take note."
Human Rights Trust for Southern
Africa deputy director Noel Kututwa however said the decision was
premature.
"As a political party they did not adequately consult
their own membership," Kututwa said. "The decision was supposed to be taken
to congress. By pulling out of elections what message are they communicating?
Democracy entails standing in elections. Yes the issues they raise about the
electoral playing field not being level are valid but now there was a Sadc
protocol and they were supposed to hold Zanu PF accountable."
The
MDC points out that even before the ink was dry on the Grande Baie protocol
ministers were planning new ways of closing democratic space. The draft
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Bill plans to further close democratic
space by refusing registration to foreign-funded civics.
Both Sadc
and the African Union share a commitment to popular participation in the
political process. That in turn enables citizens to make an informed choice
at the ballot box. But voters cannot make an informed choice if they are
denied access to competing views or don't know what their rights
are.
NGOs say they perform a vital public service in telling voters
what rights they have under the law. Now they will be excluded from that role
leaving the electoral field open to Zanu-PF's coercion.
There is
not much likelihood of equal access to the media either. Never has the
so-called public media been more an instrument of the ruling party than now.
As Welshman Ncube pointed out in this paper last week, it has been "wholly
appropriated not just by a political party but by an individual within that
party". Far from tolerating dissent, it pours forth a daily lava of lies,
hate-speech and deceit that is the very antithesis of what the Sadc accord is
designed to establish.
Berenger referred to the need for freedom of
assembly and for voters to be free from police harassment. Posa makes that a
pipe dream.
It is therefore understandable that the MDC should wish
to draw a line in the sand. It must also be said that this was not an
arbitrary decision but one that emanated from the party's district assemblies
which concluded that while they could take a bashing from Zanu PF's armed
thugs, electoral manipulation - in other words being cheated - was
intolerable.
Refusing to provide a veneer of legitimacy to the ruling
party's electoral chicanery was the most logical decision. In response to
claims that the pull-out was mistimed, political analyst Professor Elfas
Mukonoweshuro said the timing was perfect.
"We have a situation
where election management has been mired in irregularities," Mukonoweshuro
said. "It does not make any sense to participate in an election whose outcome
is always predetermined. We have the Sadc protocol as an indication of
sincerity and good faith, but government did not assure the nation that the
upcoming by-election would be held in the spirit of the new regional
dispensation."
Whatever can be said about the reluctance of Sadc
leaders to make a stand against misrule in Zimbabwe over the years, the fact
is they have now finally succumbed to patient prodding from Thabo Mbeki and
set down benchmarks on electoral reform that are unambiguous.
We
can comfortably abandon the fiction that these were not directed at any one
state. These were all about Zimbabwe and everybody present understood that.
President Mugabe's pretence on his return from Mauritius that he had always
favoured electoral reform told us all we needed to know.
What was
required, civic players insist, was for the MDC to test the water in the wake
of the Mauritius accord. They could have exposed Zanu PF's insincerity by
using debate on the NGO Bill to reveal how far it departs from the Sadc
principles. And then explained to the country and the region the implications
of stunted electoral education ahead of a general election.
The MDC
could have applied for access to ZBC and monitored professional standards in
the broadcaster's coverage of the early stages of the election campaign. It
should have above all waited to see who Mugabe appointed to head the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission.
This was an ideal opportunity to test the
government's commitment to the electoral principles as set out by the heads
of state with each new travesty documented. As it is, Sadc heads will feel
their efforts were ill-rewarded. But worse still, they now have the perfect
excuse to nod through the March outcome however un-free and fair it turns
out.
The MDC has let them off the hook just as they were showing a
hint of firmness. And it is very doubtful that Zanu PF will feel
sufficiently impressed by the MDC's boycott to introduce anything but the
most superficial reforms. If the MDC decides to re-engage it will be on Zanu
PF's terms. The ruling party has made it quite clear it favours a one-party
race as in the 1980s with Zanu Ndonga lending a figleaf of
credibility.
Despite occupying the moral high ground, the MDC has in
tactical terms lost an opportunity to expose the face of the beast of
misrule. It is not clear when they will get another chance as important as
this one. - Staff Writers.
Zim must guard against money laundering, says
Bloch Staff Writer IT is important that Zimbabwe is not allowed to become
a country that can be used for money laundering, Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Zimbabwe (Icaz) president Eric Bloch told participants at an
anti-money laundering workshop this week.
Speaking at the end of a
three-day workshop organised by Icaz, Bloch said the world had become more
conscious of the evils of money laundering than it once was, particularly
following the September 11 attacks in the United States.
Money
laundering could be used, he said, to finance a wide range of
illegal activities including terrorism, revolutions, drug trafficking, tax
evasion and other crimes.
A recent International Monetary Fund
(IMF) report said the illicit economy could account for as much as 2-5% of
gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide although no one knew exactly how much
money was laundered every year.
If one country had a weakness in its
system then there was a risk that terrorist finance could be channelled
through it and that it could be used for money laundering.
"We
must not allow Zimbabwe to become that country," he said.
In the light of
international developments it was vital that Zimbabweans had a deep awareness
of the disastrous consequences of money laundering and the need to ensure
Zimbabwe did not become an enabling environment for it,
he said.
It was in that context, he said, that Icaz had decided to
organise the anti-money laundering workshop.
The workshop was also
part of the institute's drive to promote good corporate governance issues.
More were planned on a number of issues including the monetary
policy.
The next workshop would be on information
security.
Vulnerability in the present information technology age to
distortion and corruption of information was frightening, as was the lax
attitude that many companies and organisations had towards information
security measures, he said.
Icaz would initially hold a breakfast
meeting on this and then follow it up with a full-scale
workshop.
The anti-money laundering workshop facilitator was South
African Institute of Corporate Fraud Management president Bart
Henderson.
Henderson has also facilitated Icaz workshops on corporate
fraud management in the past and has become a regular contributor to the
welfare of orphans in Zimbabwe.
He has been donating $1 million a
month to Alpha Cottages in Masvingo since January and is increasing that to
$2 million a month from this month.
Briefing journalists on the workshop,
Henderson said he had been surprised to discover that in terms of up-to-date
legislation regarding money laundering, Zimbabwe was among the
best.
There was need, however, to promote awareness among those who
were not legislators.
The workshop had been helpful, he believed,
to officials of banks, government organisations and various companies.
RBZ in ambitious alliance Godfrey Marawanyika THE
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) in conjunction with tobacco growers has come
up with Vision 160, a policy meant to increase tobacco production from this
year's paltry 65 million kg to an ambitious 160 million kg next
year.
Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA) chief executive officer Rodney
Ambrose said the industry was working towards stabilisation before tobacco
output could increase again, adding that farmers were behind with
land preparations.
He said the tobacco industry had the potential
to produce a huge crop if farmers received adequate
funding.
"There is need for financing to rehabilitate some
infrastructure which has been left idle over the years. The Vision 160 has
been put in place by the Reserve Bank and I must say it has given us
tremendous support this year," Ambrose said.
"We have had at least
four or five years of decline. So this vision will result in some sort of
stability. Next year will be a rebuilding exercise, where we hope the
production will be around 160 million kg."
Tobacco is Zimbabwe's
largest foreign currency earner, accounting for about a third of the
country's earnings.
However, due to the fast-track land resettlement
programme in which tobacco farmers were removed from their farms, production
has gone down from the high of about 250 million kg three years
ago.
By Tuesday afternoon the 2003/04 flue-cured Virginia tobacco
crop had reached about 64,3 million kg when the sales floors closed from the
previous season's 82 million kg.
Ambrose said at most Zimbabwe was
expecting at least 65 million kg for this year.
The irrigated
tobacco crop, which accounts for 40% of output, was being planted as of this
week while the dryland crop is expected in the ground
by October.
Ambrose said judging by the number of sold seeds, next
year's production could increase.
Analysts, however, dispute this
saying tobacco production could be reduced even further next year judging by
the land preparations and the fact that banks were not lending commercial
farmers money citing the great risk associated with lack of
security.
To accommodate extra tobacco which might not have found its
way onto the floors during the normal marketing season, Ambrose said mop up
sales would be held on October 14 and 18.
He said Vision 160 was
made up of an RBZ advisory task force, adding that he was confident that
production would increase next year.
During the past years Zimbabwe
stood among the top five tobacco growers
and exporters but has lost the
title due to the controversial land programme.
Tobacco production
has continued to decline resulting in low foreign currency earnings.
Govt, input suppliers' meet flops Staff
Writer GOVERNMENT has failed to meet seed and fertiliser manufacturers
to deliberate the issue of price controls.
Minister of Industry and
International Trade Samuel Mumbengegwi was supposed to meet Seed Co and ZFC
Ltd this week.
Mumbengegwi said he did not meet the seed houses
because he was in Mutare.
He refused to comment further on the
issue.
Fertiliser and seed manufacturing firms are facing viability
problems as government is imposing prices on their
products.
Fertiliser manufacturer, ZFC Ltd said it did not perform to
its best in the six months ended June 30.
Executive director
Shingai Mutasa said ZFC was facing viability problems because government was
controlling their product prices.
ADDRESSING his
party's zealots a few years ago, I distinctly remember the words: "We must
strike fear in the hearts of the white man" being uttered with venom by
President Mugabe.
This year he is the same man singing praises for
swimming sensation Kirsty Coventry. This confirms the old adage that
politicians do not have permanent friends but permanent interests - to remain
in power. As I am one of those "totemless people from Mbare" I understand the
hurt which the whites have suffered at the hands of President
Mugabe.
The grapevine is full of rumours that the Coventrys were
offered a farm with a large farm house which they politely
refused.
I am also told that they refused the police and CIO details
who had been dispatched to provide "security".
I am sure that the
Coventrys, like us without totems, will never forgive those very hurtful
words.
"Robert Mugabe the third greatest man in Africa, after Nelson
Mandela and the late Kwame Nkrumah", read the findings of a recent survey.
Where is all this rubbish coming from?
Whether he lies first, last or
middle of the rankings does not matter. We don't eat greatness. We are the
victims of his ego and know him better than most of these protestant, cheer
figures who buy this nonsense and vote freely on cyberspace surveys to make
him "great" at the expense of Zimbabweans.
He is the same Mugabe
who cannot allow his subjects to aspire to greatness.
I think this is
the work of a discredited minister and his former colleagues doing
consultancy work during their academic escapades. I mean the Ari Ben-Menashe
type. A political party that is hollow on policy can go that extra mile to do
the unorthodox.
The timing of these polls and surveys on the
"popularity and greatness" of President Mugabe coincides with the clampdown
on non-governmental organisations which have been doing surveys since 1980,
thereby raising eyebrows.
This is President Mugabe elevating
himself by scheming and puffing!
They can give him all the accolades
which we dismiss with contempt because President Mugabe was great and is not
now.
The so-called anti-graft exercise seems to be not yielding
desired results as victims like James Makamba and Mbedzi are detained while
Philip Chiyangwa pompously displays his expensive houses to the poor
public.
The late Eddison Zvobgo could have been my witness. After
crafting a constitution that makes one "great", he died a redundant and
useless man because he said "every teacher would like to be a headmaster,
every lawyer would like to be a chief justice and every policeman would like
to be a police commissioner", when asked about his presidential
ambitions.
An ageing leader with no succession plan, who believes
opposition parties are enemies in the real war sense, is the problem we have
on our hands.
"Frustrated",
who wrote the letter "Probe scam at Beitbridge border post" (Independent,
August 27) pointing out shortcomings in the customs management and customer
care departments, was cautious, considerate and polite about his/her
comments.
In my view, management, motivation and supervision are nothing
short of non-existent, inexcusable and disgraceful for a national gateway
into any country.
In fact, if your sense of humour is working
overtime and you're not in a hurry you might just break out
laughing.
To seasoned travellers there is no need to point out what
the issues are. They are self-evident. The uninitiated will be appalled at
the confusion, unhelpfulness, lack of information and chaos - any combination
of which might lead to panic.
The order of events can cause delays
from one, if you are lucky, to five hours or more.
Mention should
be made of the "unofficial clearing agents". These people target anybody they
think might be giving up hope, have foreign currency, foreign number plates
on their vehicles or foreign identities.
They will probably be
off-duty staff who for a fee of R200 and upwards will, with the nod of a head
and a wink, negotiate with on-duty staff to have your passport stamped for
easy passage.
Here are a few tips that the officer-in-charge of
customs might need. And, shortage of staff is not in the armoury of defence
options.
Here goes:
Big visible signs from the bridge exit
indicating car, taxi, bus or lorry parking areas, entry, exit,
etc;
Actual vehicle search area after clearing customs desk staff.
This is another shambles arena with no staff and plenty of
customers;
Entrance/exit doors to building with customs declaration
forms available given out to each family or individual at entry by an alert
security or customs man who would also offer information and directions if
necessary;
Vehicle bridge payment revenue desks manned with adequate
change to prevent 10, 20, or 30 minute delays;
Immigration.
Normally no delays; and
Appropriate declaration routes for
pedestrians, collective taxi, or bus declarations, visitors (not returning
residents), green route fast service (nothing to delare or under limit); red
route declarations over the top; payment counter, etc.
Most of
these desks are available but never manned.
One could argue that
management is encouraging mismanagement because, as we know, where there's
chaos there's cash. And, if there's something in it for the staff, we are
unlikely to see any improvement.
ZIMBABWE has over the past four years been locked in election
mode. A referendum was held in 2000 and a general election later the same
year. Then there was the presidential poll in 2002 which was followed by at
least half a dozen by-elections. In six months' time Zimbabweans will go to
the polls again to elect a new parliament.
Zanu PF has often tried
to convince the world that there is democracy in Zimbabwe because elections
are held regularly notwithstanding the criminally flawed
process.
A democratically held election engenders a culture of unity
in a country, which is crucial to achieving political stability, a
pre-requisite in turn for investment and growth in all sectors. The perpetual
state of electoral combat has drained the country of its energy to be
creative and to expand industry and commerce, create jobs and ultimately
reduce poverty.
Elections are important so long as they are held in a
positive spirit. Other than effecting a change of leadership, elections are
important as agents of social and political renewal. The pre-election period
in most societies creates anxiety and tension, which is expected to evaporate
after results are announced and the country accepts the popular verdict.
Businesses wait for that period to pass before making crucial
decisions.
The 2005 general election is just six months away. But
given the poisoned political climate, the ruling party's paranoid intolerance
of opposition, and endemic violence, there is little likelihood of national
consensus that is vital to recovery.
Zimbabwe will not weather its
current political storm and move ahead to economic growth if the poll leaves
the community fractious and hurting. Elections since 2000 have been held in
an atmosphere of threats and coercion. The guiding principle for the ruling
party has been to subjugate the opposition at all costs on the fatuous
pretext that it is plotting to restore colonialism but in reality to teach it
a lesson for winning votes in 2000.
Speaking at the burial of
veteran nationalist and lawyer Eddison Zvobgo at the Heroes' Acre last
Sunday, President Mugabe swore that there would be no regime change in
Zimbabwe. He qualified this by saying that change should only come from the
people of Zimbabwe but we all remember the 2002 presidential bluster:
"Tsvangirai will never, ever rule this country".
That position has
not changed and has become a major factor in determining electoral policy.
Zanu PF is now pretending that Tony Blair is a candidate.
The drive
by Zanu PF for political hegemony has vitiated the need for healing and
attendant pluralism in the pre- and post-election period. The politics of
elections has become the Achilles heel of economic recovery impacting on
direct foreign investment and industrial growth.
Our elections have
been characterised by lawlessness, violence, looting, and insecurity. With
it, investors have taken flight and expansion projects have been mothballed.
Unemployment has climbed while poverty and disease stalk the land. Any plans
for social or economic progress have been sacrificed on Zanu PF's altar of
political survival and, with it, access to the public feeding
trough.
Elsewhere in this paper we carry the story of hotel
properties listed firm Dawn which fears there will be a slump in business in
the period leading up to the 2005 poll. Businessmen know exactly what is
hurting their businesses. Zimbabwe is carrying the bad-boy tag with uncanny
pride. There is no need to drop the notoriety as long as the bad boy remains
the talk of the town. But industry has suffered as a result and more people
will be without jobs.
Dawn's fears reflect the concerns of the entire
hospitality sector. Economists forecast that Zimbabwe will again register
negative growth in the year ahead. The election will, it seems, be a
contributory factor in that slide as Zanu PF puts its followers on a war
footing.
It was reported last week that Zanu PF politburo member and
Anti-Corruption Programme mini-ster Didymus Mutasa led his supporters in
attacking a rival who was hospitalised. He boasted to the press that his
rival deserved what he got. What would a potential investor make of
that?
In this unsavoury environment where key fundamentals are
negative, Mugabe's government has tried to create the myth that economic
turnaround is possible in an environment of political uncertainty and social
decay. There is a firm belief in official circles that that central bank
governor Gideon Gono's monetary policy has beaten a path to recovery and
ultimately to prosperity.
While the Gono plan may work up to a
certain point, prudent political decisions are required to attract
balance-of-payments support, obtain grants and secure export markets. A
government which does not demonstrate commitment to the tenets of good
governance, including the rule of law and security of property, will
invariably come short when it comes to implementing economic policies, even
plans of its own.
We have to ask whether the Zimbabwe government was
ever serious in implementing Zimprest, the New Economic Revival Programme and
the Millennium Economic Recovery Programme?
Demagoguery has never
been a tonic for sustained recovery. Any economic revival plan would turn to
dust if it was not built on the pillars of trust, transparency, freedom and
tolerance.
Zanu PF has sacrificed recovery for votes. But what will
it do with the election victory it so brazenly touts? More of the
same?
TWO weeks ago this column bewailed the devastating consequences of
Zimbabwe' s pronounced brain drain upon an already greatly distressed
economy.
In doing so, and wholly unintentionally, various
sensi-tivities of some of the Zimbabweans abroad were pricked and caused them
undeserved distress. Albeit that it was only a miniscule number of the
millions of Zimbabweans who have left the country and sought employment or
other income-generating activities elsewhere, a few construed the column to
be critical of them for having departed for pastures new.
To a
major extent it was the column's headline that particularly provoked the
reaction of being unjustly accused, for that headline intimated that economic
recovery was hindered by the brain drain. The Zimbabweans abroad perceived
that headline and, therefore, the underlying article, to be a criticism of
them for having left Zimbabwe and thereby harming the economy.
That
was certainly not the case. The intent, and substance, of the column was that
because so many skilled people had departed, Zimbabwe no longer possessed a
sufficiency of the skills necessary for economic recovery.
However,
it in no manner blamed those who had, for a variety of reasons, left
Zimbabwe. In fact, the reverse was the case, for it greatly regretted that so
many had gone. But it attributed the mass exodus to the
catastrophic environmental circumstances creat-ed by an uncaring, autocratic
and domineering government.
There have been several different
reasons that have motivated, and continue to trigger, the exodus of the
skilled from Zimbabwe. First and foremost has been the abysmal erosion of the
economy.
From 1994 to 1997, Zimbabwe was enjoying an economic
trans-formation. Very belatedly, thegovernment facilitated progressive
deregulation of the economy, created an investment-conducive environment,
interacted construc-tively with the international community and pursued many
of the other measures necessary to develop a virile economy.
By
mid-1997 there was strong indication of economic growth and a
positive prospect of markedly improved circumstances for most Zimbabweans.
And then the government took a 180-degree about-face.
First it
made it clear, in August 1997, that it was going to implement the Land
Acquisition Act that had been promulgated four years earlier. That in itself
was not negative, but it was made radically apparent that the implementation
would be without regard for equity and justice, without consideration for
redistribution and resettlement to those able and willing to work the land,
and with no consideration as to the preservation of agricultural
viability.
Less than two months later, the government inflicted its
next body-blow to the economy, granting irresponsibly great compensation
packages, far beyond Zimbabwe's means, to war veterans - genuine and
imposters - which in turn triggered a cataclysmic collapse of Zimbabwe's
currency.
Over the next six years the government continued
relentlessly along its self-created path of economic destruction. It
arrogantly alienated much of the international community, thereby deterring
investment and forfeiting developmental and balance-of-payments support. It
was profligate in its spending, fuelled inflation, progressively created more
and more back-breaking taxes (direct and indirect) and intensified regulation
of the economy.
The result was greater numbers of unemployed and
an increasing inability for many to provide much-needed support to not only
their immediate families and dependants, but also to their destitute extended
families. The pressures to support ever greater numbers of dependants
impacted even upon those fortunate enough to be in employment, for many of
them found that their earnings were insufficient to support all that were
reliant upon them.
Eventually the circumstances became increasingly
untenable, motivating tens of thousands to depart Zimbabwe to seek employment
incomes in hard currencies which, via a very virile black market, they could
internalise into Zimbabwe at very favourable exchange rates, thereby yielding
the funds necessary to maintain or, at the least, assist their families still
living in Zimbabwe.
So, very simply, the government's disastrous
destruction of the economy initiated much of the brain drain. And who can
credibly blame those who left, being effectively forced to do so out of
desperation?
None can justifiably state that they were wrong to leave
Zimbabwe in such circumstances. They were not, and certainly are not, to
blame for Zimbabwe's economic morass. In fact, by way of their support for
their extended families, they injected some life into the almost lifeless
economy.
The second key factor that has been the cause for much
emigration has been concern at the declining health services and education
resources.
Insofar as the health services are concerned, there has
been an ongoing and escalating emigration from Zimbabwe by doctors,
radiologists, physiotherapists, nur-ses and many others within the healthcare
profession, denuding Zimbabwe of many of the specialist skills that are
prerequisites of a sound health care resource.
Moreover, a
combination of grossly inadequate funding of hospitals, clinics and
like-institutions by the government, and of an inadequacy of foreign currency
to fund essential imports of healthcare inputs, has further demolished the
infrastructure intended to be the support for the wellbeing of the Zimbabwean
people.
As a result, many reluctantly concluded that in the best
interests of their families and themselves, they had to relocate to other
countries where good and sound health services are readily
available.
Similarly, tens of thousands have left, and even greater
numbers are planning to leave, because of the dismal lowering of standards in
government schools, and the war of attrition being waged by the Education,
Culture and Sport minister upon private schools.
Government
schools accommodate any number up to well over 40 pupils in a class,
notwithstanding that its is recognised worldwide that classes should not, for
effective education, be more than 24. Moreover, the schools have a chronic
lack of textbooks - often only 5 to 10 copies for more than 40 scholars -
computers, science laboratory equipment and other teaching aids.
And
now the minister is vigorously striving to reduce the private schools to the
same appallingly low levels by constraining them from charging
fees realistically required, and which most parents are willing to
pay.
These developments are occasioning a great sense of insecurity
among teachers, resulting in many leaving Zimbabwe. That sense of insecurity
is only exceeded by the depths of fear and concern of parents who
foreshadow, with justification, a total collapse of Zimbabwean education, and
therefore they have been, and are, departing Zimbabwe in droves in order to
assure their children of an acceptable education.
Who can justly
blame them for doing so?
Only years of developing a new pool of
essential skills will rectify the harm that the government has wreaked upon
the economy, upon Zimbabwe and upon its people.
THERE were a number of letters and articles in independent
newspapers last week commenting on Zanu PF's exploitation of Kirsty
Coventry's success in Athens. The writers pointed out that Kirsty would never
have been able to benefit from mosquito-infested swimming pools at government
schools in Zimbabwe or the Chitungwiza aquatic black hole.
One of
those hoping to acquire a little political lustre from Kirsty's parade was
that Sunday News vulture Mzala Joe who is in reality
nobody's cousin.
He spotted a placard at Harare airport last week
on Kirsty's homecoming which said "Our Kirsty is our
Prosperity".
Muckraker should "eat his British heart out", Raptor Joe
suggested, "because the message that 'our land is our prosperity' has gone
down well with Zimbabweans of all races and is now in the swimming
pools".
We're glad to hear there's something in the swimming pools
because it's certainly not water!
But we did like the report in
the Sunday Mail which told us how the "first family" had been following
Kirsty's success on TV.
President Mugabe said he had watched Kirsty
clinch the silver in the 100m backstroke and then the bronze in the medley
race a day later.
But he was unable to watch live the gold-winning
event on Friday, August 20 because he was having a bath.
Grace and
the kids were watching, however. "My wife suddenly gave a shout. 'She has
done it. She has done it.'
"I asked what she had done and learnt that
she had finished first to win gold."
That meant both Kirsty and
himself were "in the waters" at the same time, he joked. But he warned
Zimbabwe's dolphin that his totem in Zvimba was Garwe - the crocodile! Quite
what we were supposed to conclude wasn't clear. But we know how he feels
about totemless citizens.
Mugabe, who managed to produce US$50
000 faster than you can say "Gono", promised to do more for sport and
"hinted" at creating a separate ministry.
"This is a golden country
so what stops us from winning gold," the president asked?
The
answer should be self-evident. First get rid of Aeneas Chigwedere. He has
been an unmitigated disaster in the job.
Secondly, stop the campaign
against private schools that want to uphold sporting standards. Thirdly,
maintain facilities at government schools that enable pupils to
excel.
Why doesn't he know what needs to be done?
Finally,
Muckraker was struck by the wonderful irony of it all. Here is a regime that
has been preaching a diet of unadulterated racism for over four years telling
whites to "go back to Britain".
Yet whites who have not been driven
out hold the country's flag aloft in Athens while Britain's medal-winning
black athletes and Asian boxers have been draping themselves in the Union
Jack.
The world it seems is no longer amenable to Zanu PF's
simplistic racial theorising. And despite last week's attempts to have some
of Kirsty's glory rub off on the ruling reptiles, what the whole country was
saying was how those Zimbabweans who succeed in sport do so without official
sponsorship of any kind and from their campuses deep in the heart of "enemy"
territory.
Minister for Policy Implementation Webster Shamu
appears to have excited the wrath of his home-boy rivals with comments made
in the Independent last week suggesting there should be a probe into how some
party leaders became so rich so quickly.
His remarks were subject
to "deliberate distortions", he claimed. What he said was "Zanu PF does not
want to see greedy people in its structures who use money to buy their way
into the party structures".
So what did we quote him as
saying?
"Corrupt officials have tried to usurp the restructuring
process in order to appoint their henchmen to ensure their
re-election."
Sounds pretty much like what he admits to
saying!
"Problems within the party," Shamu told our reporter, "are
caused by people who want everyone to know that they drive a Mercedes Benz ML
or the size of their mansion. They have destroyed the party in the province.
Such people buy their way into office and hence cause conflict with genuine
party members."
Now did he say that or not? What does it look
like?
His complaint in the Herald the next day appeared to focus on
our reluctance to include his remarks in full about the need for a "holistic
approach" to tackling problems within the party.
As a former
editor himself, Shamu will appreciate that not all of what he says can be
included, especially when it becomes a tad long-winded. He will also
appreciate that it is unprofessional, when you have a complaint about what is
carried in one paper, to complain to another that is not a party to the
dispute. And trying to discredit the journalist who wrote the story
by revealing details of a pre- or post-interview discussion is not the best
way to endear yourself to readers!
Webster: when you speak to a
journalist the next time try and understand that it is all on the record
unless you say otherwise. And however much your comrades may howl the next
day, try not to be a political coward by running away from the very pertinent
remarks you made. Nobody likes a politician who, like Sekesai Makwavarara,
bears the impression of the last person to have sat on
them!
Muckraker was interested to note a report carried in the
Herald on Saturday saying Odzi commercial farmer Peter Spero Landos had been
granted bail. Justice Tedias Karwi said in view of the forensic, ballistic
and post-mortem reports, it was accepted that the state's case was
weakened.
The evidence, the Herald reported, seemed to support the
defence contention as to the circumstances leading to the commission of the
offence and contradicted the state's case that Landos had fired his gun
indiscriminately at the crowd and shot the victim unprovoked from a long
distance.
Charges against Landos arose after he allegedly shot dead a
war veteran and injured another in a boundary dispute on Riverside
Farm.
According to the reports submitted in court, the victim could
have been shot from close range as he tried to wrest the pistol from Landos
who was allegedly lying on the ground.
Now don't we recall at the
time of Landos' arrest police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka speculating that
"the misunderstanding emanated from Landos' attitude towards the government's
resolution to have new families on Riverside Farm as he wanted the whole farm
to himself . . . Some newly resettled farmers who witnessed the shooting
tried to disarm him. He was injured in the process."
In fact he
had both legs broken.
"We would like to advise white farmers,"
Mandipaka said, "to desist from taking the law into their own hands by
shooting, injuring or killing some people who were legally resettled by the
government."
Does that include defending themselves from
attack?
On the subject of premature declarations, we were
interested to note that 66 detainees who the Zimbabwean state media, bowing
to the dictates of their political masters, had been referring to as
"terrorists" implicated in a coup plot against the president of Equatorial
Guinea, had on Saturday been transformed into "suspected mercenaries" after
the state failed to provide any clear evidence to link them to the purchase
of firearms - the key charge against them.
Simon Mann was the only
member of the group to be convicted. The men had earlier pleaded guilty to
lesser charges of violating immigration and aviation
regulations.
"The state has failed to discharge its onus of proving
the accused (66) persons guilty beyond reasonable doubt," the magistrate
declared.
But that didn't stop the state incarcerating them in
appalling conditions for six months while, as with James Makamba, it tried to
fish for a case against them. And it didn't stop government spokesmen and
newspapers assuming their guilt - including the two exonerated on Friday of
all charges - in violation of elementary professional procedure that you
don't convict somebody before the court has.
At least from
evidence provided in the Nkala case we know who the real terrorists are:
those who tortured suspects who were subsequently found innocent. But that
didn't stop the state holding them for two-and-a-half years and directing the
government media to broadcast their "guilt". It didn 't stop President Mugabe
declaring their party to be a terrorist organisation on the basis of evidence
which the judge called a "work of fiction".
Needless to say, the
state has learnt no lessons whatsoever from these cases except perhaps to
squeeze their victims harder in future. The two "suspected mercenaries"
released last Friday are busy telling the international media how they were
tortured and abused during their stay in Zimbabwe. The country is
increasingly resembling Equatorial Guinea.
We liked the report in
the Standard about only nine cattle being exhibited at this year's Harare
Show. There were also two East African goats and three sheep.
The
Herald's business supplement last Thursday showed a spectator asking a cow
from Henderson Research Station to smile for him. It seemed reluctant to do
so, having lost all its relatives. But at least it had all four of its legs
still attached.
In this context it is surreal to see ZTA chief
Tichaona Jokonya and Tourism minister Francis Nhema talking blithely about
community-based tourism as a "sustainable livelihood" when some 60% of our
wildlife has been destroyed over the past four years.
They were
speaking at a cocktail party to launch a community-based
tourism initiative.
Nhema spoke about the "empowerment of our
marginalised African majorities", "poverty reduction" and
"self-sufficiency".
What planet do these guys live on? Is Nhema
completely unaware of the destruction of forests, the poaching of game that
has seen some species decimated, and the illegal hunting that is now endemic
in some areas?
Zimbabwe has never been less self-sufficient as a
direct result of the mayhem unleashed by the party to which these professed
advocates of "community-based tourism" belong.
Jokonya and Nhema
should tell us what they are doing to stop the slaughter that has deprived
Zimbabweans of one of their richest resources. Cocktail parties are one
thing. Getting real is another.
The Herald carried a story last
Friday headed "Public scoffs at MDC poll boycott".
But readers
hoping to find the views of the public were disappointed. The "snap survey"
of "Zimbabweans from different walks of life" included Professor Claude
Mararike who despite being a professional researcher appears determined to
ignore the statement of Nigeria's foreign minister that reports of Nigerian
support for the MDC were "ludicrous and false". Let 's hope his disregard for
this key evidence is not because it might get in the way of his
conclusions!
Also among the cross-section of the Zimbabwean public
interviewed was a certain William Nhara who said the MDC had pulled out
because it had failed to deliver on its election promises.
Nhara
didn't say how he had managed to deliver on his by-election
promises!
Exactly what are Nhara's qualifications as a "political
analyst" and who funds the research agency he heads? Does anybody else work
there?
If anybody knows, will they please tell
us.
Mzala Joe, not content with keeping his dim light under a
bushel, is intent upon advertising how little he knows. He claims that in the
Zimbabwe Independent of Friday, August 27, our reference to a statement by
Patrick Chinamasa in parliament "last Wednesday" was inaccurate because
"last Wednesday" would have been two days earlier, on August 25, not the
week before.
In fact, as any student of journalism could have told
the Sunday News ignoramus, from the standpoint of Friday, August 27,
Wednesday, August 25 was simply "Wednesday", as in "this
Wednesday".
"Last Wednesday" was the previous week.
This
is elementary stuff for journalists with some grasp of English usage. Which
excludes the dead-beats at the Sunday News who in all seriousness think they
can talk about "MDC officials taking their instructions from imperialist
overlords at 10 Downing St" without readers laughing out loud.
How
many people, with the possible exception of Tafataona Mahoso, do you hear
using that redundant language in Zimbabwe today? Now we understand why their
editor is called Brezhnev. They are all living in the 70s. But very soon the
Bulawayo Wall will have to come down!
We were interested to note, by
the way, that Mzala Joe uses identical language to Nathaniel Manheru and
Lowani Ndlovu when hurling abuse at the Zimbabwe Independent. They also seem
to have difficulty spelling Kansteiner the same way twice.
Is this
just a coincidence or is the same multiple-farm-owning big head imposing
himself on the Bulawayo Bore as well as the two Harare papers he effectively
edits?
This may also explain why his columnists can't understand why
the Zimbabwe Independent may not want to carry the same lead story as another
paper appearing the day before. Evidently, nobody in the Zimpapers stable,
where repetition is a much-prized virtue, understands the logic of
that!
So everything is looking up in the parastatals sector, New
Ziana tells us, because the Ministry of State (sic) for State Enterprises and
Parastatals in the President's Office is "spearheading turnaround
strategies".
These strategies will see parastatals play their
rightful roles in the development of the country's economy, Secretary for
Finance Willard Manungo assured a workshop on public policy.
He
didn't say why nothing had been done to "turnaround" these
parasitic non-performers earlier or what magic panacea government had
suddenly discovered to break with the record of failure over the past 24
years. Sydney Gata showed us what they might have in mind when he suddenly
started talking about George Bush and Tony Blair at the CZI congress last
month. Even funnier, the Herald carried a picture of Noczim House saying
the useless corporation "is one of the key parastatals expected to benefit
from turnaround strategies being managed by the Ministry of State Enterprises
and Parastatals".
How naïve can a paper
get?
'Vindictive" and "out of control" were just two of the more
printable things said about a certain spin doctor in the British press last
weekend. "Deranged" and "political thug" were others.
It must have
been a Zimbabwe story, we naturally assumed.
No, it was ex-BBC head
Greg Dyke talking about Tony Blair's former media advisor Alistair
Campbell.
Dyke should consider himself lucky. At least Campbell
didn't get to lock up his critics!
Then we had Thejiwe Lesabe
making curious disclosures in The Voice last weekend. She said party members
should submit their CVs because after the liberation war some members had
tended to "relax without being reactionary", while others "really turned
reactionary and issued reactionary statements".
Who could she be
referring to? "We are not convinced those people have now changed," she said,
"given what they are now doing and the statements they are now uttering in
the press."
All very mysterious. But as with the Soviet Union in the
70s, you have to read between the lines.
Lesabe said there were
"some individuals in the party who criticised others when it suited them, but
frowned upon those who criticised them for the
same things".
THE times when optimism really pays off are when you
are faced with a life problem, challenge or setback. An optimistic thinking
mode at these times will increase your resilience, maintain hope and improve
your chances of a successful or acceptable outcome.
In
Zimbabwe's current political environment, optimism has become a virtue not
possessed by many. There are not enough positives around to spur positive
thinking in a society tortured by imprudent political
decisions.
The decision by the MDC last week to suspend
participation in all elections created an interesting scenario for both the
optimists and pessimists. The optimists believe President Mugabe will buckle
under pressure and effect the requisite reforms envisaged by the opposition.
The pessimists are despondent. They see the opposition playing into
President Mugabe's hands as the decision was bound to kill political
momentum.
The argument here is that the face of the Zanu PF
beast will not be revealed if the quarry recedes into its shell. For the
world to see the election rigging machinery in play, the MDC has to
participate in the poll. Only then can observers witness the opposition being
denied access to the public media and opportunities to hold rallies. This
would bring about greater pressure on the incumbent than watching from the
sidelines.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in his Tuesday
message this week struck a chord rich in optimism. I am not sure whether he
was trying to be deceptive or genuinely forward looking. Tsvangirai spoke of
a turnaround plan for Zimbabwe which he said "remains
intact".
"It is clear we shall, once again, get everything we
envisage before the next parliamentary election," he said. "We are very clear
about the success of the route we have chosen to restore legitimacy to
Zimbabwe.
"We know of attempts to confuse the people, push them
further into despair and spawn a despondent and hopeless electorate," he
said. "We are finalising the selection of our candidates, consolidating our
campaign teams and engaging various community leaders in their
constituencies.
"In the spirit of Mauritius, you shall soon be
hearing our voices on radio, on television and other public media. We shall
share ideas openly at our workplaces and in our villages.
"The political electric fence that denied you access to the watermelon has
rusted away. A new Zimbabwe is within sight. Together, we have managed to
overcome a main barrier - a vital part of our struggle for freedom
and choice," he said.
To the uninitiated the party's
position sounds convoluted. The MDC is pulling out of all polls because it is
sick and tired of Mugabe's refusal to embrace electoral reforms that would
ensure free and fair elections. At the same time the party sees a window of
opportunity in which Sadc heads would chaperone President Mugabe into
implementing the Sadc protocol which would open the way for free and fair
polls next year.
This may be rich in optimism but it can be
heavy going for an unsophisticated electorate, especially if the party
leadership were to take the podium to explain this at a rally. At rallies the
party's stratagem and policies for the 2005 elections looks set to be
superseded by the need to explain the decision to suspend participation in
elections.
Tsvangirai's message to the electorate is phrased
thus: "Any election conducted without a new Zimbabwe in mind shall yield a
flawed result and perpetuate our misery for a long time to
come.
"It is far better to delay such an election until our
national poll management structures are ready to take on such a watershed
assignment. We are better off without participating in an election than to
endorse a senseless orgy of violence and murder."
The
party has to mollify a section of its supporters who wanted to participate in
the poll at all costs. The rest of the party has to be kept engaged and
psyched up for the election in the hope that circumstances will change for
the better. This will not be a walk in the park for the opposition as, in the
meantime, the government propaganda machinery is being honed to "push them
(voters) further into despair and spawn a despondent and hopeless
electorate".
Tsvangirai's Tuesday message envisioned a
Nirvana-like new Zimbabwe in which tyranny, repression, election manipulation
and political intolerance would be replaced by "a haven of peace, a place
where our diversity becomes our strength. A new Zimbabwe shall respect your
rights, your divergent opinions, your freedoms and your creative
initiatives".
Does he know something we don't?
Tsvangirai has said he is clear about the success of the route the party has
chosen to restore legitimacy. Let's hope he's not taking us down the garden
path!
Please send any
classified adverts for publication in this newsletter to: JAG Job
Opportunities jag@mango.zw --------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Advert Received 29th August 2004
Wanted. Two managers. 1. Experienced
tobacco manager to run Section. 2. Experienced irrigation crop section
manager, some dryland with tobacco experience. Please phone T I Beattie on
011 404 297 or home 053 2448 or office 053
2573. ______________________________________________
2. Advert
Received 30th August 2004
House maid required for family in Harare.
Housing, good salary offered. Must have traceable references. Phone 091 292
949, 091 235 197. _______________________________________________
3.
Advert Received 30th August 2004
Teaching opportunity at Once Upon a Time
Nursery School
Once Upon a Time Nursery School is looking for a lovely,
fun-loving but gentle, qualified Infants or Junior School trained teacher for
January 2005. We would also be interested if you are a Nursery School
trained teacher.
We are all ex-teachers and work well together. It is
a very happy school and we are well equipped and have a good infrastructure.
We provide a well organized working environment and good conditions of
service.
The school has four classes and the teacher who we need to
replace is emigrating at the end of the year. We are trying to find the right
lady, one who is dedicated and enthusiastic in her approach.
We try to
match the pay package to that of teachers at Infant and Junior School level
at any of the private schools.
This is an ideal job, if you have small
children, or if you are looking for total job satisfaction.
Please
phone Rosy van der Westhuizen (Headmistress) 091 216 730
or Andy Kristiansen (mother) 091 315 455 or School
premises (answer/fax) 776470 e-mail rosyv@zol.co.zw _______________________________________________
4.
Advert Received 31st August 2004
Situation Vacant
An elderly lady
living in Harare is looking for a responsible couple with good references.
The man is required to be an experienced driver, willing to assist with
gardening, and the wife to help in the house.
- a mature maid/housekeeper who can do some cooking
- and a
mature gardener who has had experience of looking after a largish garden with
pool [if he has a driving licence this would be a plus factor].
Must both
be of proven responsibility prepared to live in and have traceable
references. A husband and wife team would be ideal.
Please contact Val at
794478. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw