The ZIMBABWE Situation
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Zimbabwe tobacco output rebounds, up 100 percent

http://af.reuters.com/

Fri Sep 3, 2010 12:25pm GMT

* Output hits 119 mln kg vs 58.6 mln kg in previous season

* Country earns $327 million from sales

* 2011 yield seen at 200 million kg

* Production still below record of 236 million kg

By Nelson Banya

HARARE, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe produced 119 million kg of tobacco in
the 2009/10 season, double the previous year's output, an official said on
Friday, as the sector recovers from the damage to commercial farming
associated with land seizures.

The southern African country's tobacco yield plunged from a peak of 236
million kg in 2000, before President Robert Mugabe embarked on a drive to
take white-owned commercial farms to resettle landless blacks, to 48 million
kg in 2007/08.

Zimbabwe's economy, devastated by hyperinflation which peaked at 500 billion
percent in December 2008, has stabilised since last year when Mugabe was
forced into sharing power with bitter rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime
minister, after disputed elections.

Zimbabwe Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) chief executive officer
Andrew Matibiri told Reuters total sales could rise to 120 million kg at the
end of the tobacco-selling season on Friday.

"As of yesterday, 119.4 million kg of tobacco had gone through the auctions,
compared to 58.6 million kg last year," Matibiri said.

"The sales have realised $347 million, at an average of $2.91 per kg."

Matibiri said output was projected to be higher next year.

"For the next season we have recorded seed sales enough for 105,000 hectares
and from that planting area, if everything goes well, we can get anything up
to 200 million kg," Matibiri said.

"But that's assuming the rains and other conditions are favourable."

Western firms were formerly the main purchasers of Zimbabwean tobacco but
Chinese interests have emerged as major financiers and buyers in recent
years. Industry officials estimate that a third of the tobacco crop was
taken up by China.

According to official figures, over 40,000 small-scale black farmers
produced 70 percent of the tobacco crop. The remainder was from large-scale
commercial farmers, of whom just over 120 are white farmers. In all, about
400 white farmers remain.

Critics accuse Mugabe of destroying the economy through his farm seizures.
The veteran ruler -- in power since independence from Britain in 1980 -- 
accuses Western governments opposed to his rule of plotting to unseat him
through economic sanctions.


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No food aid in Matabeleland South due to ZANU PF violence

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
03 September, 2010

The Governor's office in Matabeleland South has reportedly said that 300,000
villagers in four districts urgently need food supplies, but they are
getting no assistance from donors. Serious food shortages have hit the
drought stricken province, and villagers say organizations that usually
provide them with food left the area, due to interference by ZANU PF
officials and their violent thugs.

The situation has become so dire that last week the provincial governor,
Angeline Masuku, summoned leaders from all political parties and civic
groups and made an urgent appeal to donors for food supplies.
The one name that always comes up in discussions on this situation is,
Andrew Langa, the ZANU-PF chairman for Matabeleland South, whose vicious
acts became notorious during the 2002 elections.
According to reports Langa claims that aid agencies pulled out "for reasons
only known to themselves". But local villagers, when they are not too
fearful to comment, point to Langa as the ringleader in a violent ZANU PF
campaign against the MDC and any perceived supporters.

Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme, said Langa has an elaborate
history in terms of violence. He believes the Filabusi and Insiza areas of
Matabeleland became impossible for donors to assist because of violence
perpetrated by Langa, with the backing of central intelligence agents.
Saungweme recalled some incidents from Langa's sordid past.

He said: "In 2002 about 5 to 10,000 rand worth of Zimbabwean dollars were
taken forcibly from a MDC vehicle by ZANU PF youth in that area, and those
youth were operating under the command of Andrew Langa."

In the same year Langa shot Darlington Kadengu, an MDC activist who is now a
personal assistant to the deputy Prime Minister Thokozane Khupe. Saungweme
said the bullet is still lodged in Kadengu's spine, as doctors fear he may
become immobilized if they were to remove it.

Our correspondent said he went to Filabusi this year to report on a meeting
of ZIPRA war veterans, that was held in Langa's territory. He said the
veterans were stalked by vehicles belonging to CIO agents and they ended up
changing the venue for their meeting, to try to escape the intimidation.

MDC MP Siyabonga Ncube, popularly known as Malandu in Insiza, has also
blamed Langa for driving away the donor agencies that used to assist with
food in the area. Ncube reportedly said that the agencies were accused of
working for the MDC by Robert Mugabe himself, and they left soon after.

Matabeleland South has always been a low rainfall area and the province has
relied on food aid since 2000. In many areas people survive on just one meal
a day, even though there is plenty of food in the shops. The problem is that
villagers cannot afford to buy it and unemployment in Zimbabwe is over 90%.
An estimated 2.1 million people are in need of food aid around the country.


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More corruption ahead for diamond industry

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
03 September 2010

Corruption in the already tainted diamond industry is set to deepen, as
known ZANU PF aligned businesses are set to venture into diamond processing.

The Affirmative Action Group (AAG) has announced that it has ten members
lined up to venture into diamond cutting and polishing, at a multi million
dollar diamond plant under construction in Harare. The Zimbabwe Diamond and
Technology Centre is set to be fully operational in the next six months, and
will be the central hub for Zimbabwe's diamonds to be cut and polished.

The Centre is being constructed by Canadile Mining, one of the government
approved firms illegally mining in Chiadzwa. Once fully completed, the US$20
million centre will have, among other things, banks, a diamond processing
college and even insurance firms.On the surface, the Centre has the chance
to create massive employment opportunities and lead the way in
indeginisation and economic empowerment. But critics are warning that the
involvement of the AAG will merely see more corruption take root in the
diamond sector.

Commentator Professor John Makumbe told SW Radio Africa on Friday that the
public must be concerned that AAG members are being funneled into diamond
processing, under the guise of empowerment and indiginisation. Makumbe
warned that the AAG is "a well known group of mainly ZANU PF aligned
business people," who have been "looting the economy for several years."

"It is likely that these groups are flooding into the (Diamond Technology)
Centre to have unbridled access to diamonds," Makumbe said. "The state is
unlikely then to benefit significantly from these diamonds until proper
legislation is put in place to stop this kind of corruption."

Zimbabwe is pegged as becoming the number one diamond producer in the world,
with a Belgian expert this week saying that the Chiadzwa alluvial fields
could produce up to 40 million carats of diamonds a year.
International diamond consultant Fillipe van Laere said, on the sidelines of
a ceremony to mark the establishment of the Diamond Technology Centre, that
Zimbabwe will be "propelled to the number one spot as the world's most
important diamond producer in the next two or three years."

But there is growing scepticism that any profits from diamonds sales will
benefit the state in any significant way, as currently no legislation exists
on how diamond profits will be handled. Over the past year US$30 million
dollars worth of diamonds were sold illegally, despite a ban on
international trade over rampant human rights abuses in Chiadzwa.

Those profits were never seen by the Treasury. Finance Minister Tendai Biti
has proposed a Diamond Law, to be debated in parliament, that will try and
end corruption in the sector and ensure that diamond proceeds benefit the
country. Biti has said that the diamond profits will rescue the shattered
economy if they are steered into the State coffers. But there is no policy
in place on how this will happen.
 


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Zuma put under pressure to find lasting solution in Zimbabwe

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
3 September 2010

A public sector strike in South Africa has put President Jacob Zuma on the
spot to find a lasting solution to the Zimbabwe crisis, due to the
resentment against immigrants, many of them from Zimbabwe, for taking jobs.

Radio talk shows and newspaper columns have been awash with speculation that
one of the problems that triggered the strike in South Africa lay squarely
with that country's failure to deal with the crisis in Zimbabwe.
South Africa is host to an estimated three million Zimbabweans, many of them
living there illegally or as refugees, after fleeing the political and
economic meltdown at home. Political analyst Luke Zunga said there is hardly
a day that passes without negative comments about Zimbabweans in South
Africa.

'Whether it's true or not, some South Africans complain that Zimbabweans are
stealing their jobs and overloading government's service delivery to its
citizens. But the truth of the matter is, Zuma has been put so much under
pressure to ensure things return to normal in Zimbabwe,' Zunga said.

It has been up to Zuma, the SADC facilitator on Zimbabwe, to keep the
pressure on the three principals to the Global Political Agreement to meet
the 30-day timeline set by a Troika summit held in Windhoek, Namibia last
month.

Lindiwe Zulu, the international relations advisor to Zuma, said the
facilitator has been in regular contact with the three leaders in the
inclusive government since the summit. But indications are that, 19-days
after the ultimatum, there is no visible movement to suggest the principals
are implementing any of the 24 agreed to issues in the GPA, that are
supposed to be dealt with.

Media reports quote Zulu saying the South African facilitation team will be
travelling to Zimbabwe soon, and that they were working within the 30-day
period that President Zuma pledged.

'Resolving the impasse between ZANU PF and the two MDC parties remain
President Zuma's top priority. The president and the people of South Africa
will not rest until a solution has been found. The consultations are
expected to culminate in a roadmap to elections,' Zulu said.

During the SADC Troika, Zuma recommended that the regional bloc should help
Zimbabwe come up with guidelines for violence-free elections, which are
expected anytime after the drafting of a new constitution.

Many civil society organizations and the two MDC formations, are calling for
a roadmap that will involve SADC and the African Union in the supervision of
elections, to ensure full compliance with their principles and guidelines
governing democratic elections.

Recently the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition co-ordinator in South Africa, Dewa
Mavhinga, told us that SADC and the AU must guarantee the democratic
transfer of power to the eventual winner of the proposed elections.

'Any roadmap to an election in Zimbabwe should ensure that there is security
sector-reform to prevent the security forces from blocking the transfer of
power as has happened in the past,' Mavhinga said.

So far there has been no word from SADC about any 'roadmap' for elections
and analysts remain concerned about SADC's apparent support for Robert
Mugabe.


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Chipinge Man Jailed For Insulting Mugabe

http://news.radiovop.com

03/09/2010 11:01:00

Chipinge, Sept 03, 2010 - A provincial magistrate here has sentenced a
23-year old man from Gaza Township here to one year in jail with hard labour
for insulting President Robert Mugabe.

Gift Mafuka was found guilty of contravening Section 33 (2) (B) of the
Criminal Codification and Reform Act, Chapters 9-23, when he appeared before
provincial magistrate, Samuel Zuze.

Two months were suspended on conditions he does not commit a similar offence
in the next five years.

The State, led by Last Goredema said Mafuka saw two young boys aged between
12 and 13 wearing t-shirts with President Mugabe's images and asked why they
were putting on t-shirts with the image of an old person with wrinkles on
the face.

The court heard Mafuka then told the two boys that President Mugabe was on
his way out and that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was the
president-in-waiting.

The court heard that Mafuka went on to threaten the juveniles before the
minors ran away.

Mafuka ran after them and caught one of them. He whipped him.

 In passing sentence Zuze said Mafuka committed a very serious crime in
insulting the person of the president.

Zuze condemned Mafuka's actions saying they were coming at a time when the
country was making progress in promoting national healing, reconciliation
and tolerance.
 


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Churches call for opening of Airwaves

http://news.radiovop.com

03/09/2010 21:35:00

HARARE- Father Oskar Wermter, the social communications secretary of
Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference who is also the Vice Chairperson of
the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe says he is worried about leaders who
continue to suppress information dissemination.

Wermter said this at Radio Voice of the People 10th anniversary
celebrations.

"Every society needs free media and free communication.......this is
unfortunately the basic wisdom some of our leaders have not understood,"
said Wermter.

Wermter said there was need to open media space to allow for plurality of
voices to avoid media being a preserve of the elite.

He added the church will not stand-by while leaders abused power.

"We all of us have responsibilities we all of us have people at our care and
what the big ones decide affects the little ones in our care and therefore
we cannot be empathetic to what the big ones say," said Wermter.

President Mugabe has in the past told bishops to stay out of politics
accusing them of supporting the MDC and calling for his ouster.

However Wermter believes they have an obligation to intervene as the church.

"Some time ago someone said to me leave politics to the politicians, I'm
afraid in my view that is simple not an option," said the Priest.
 


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Feisty Coltart 'boots' ZTA out of football

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Chris Goko and Enock Muchinjo
Friday, 03 September 2010 15:39

HARARE - Sports minister David Coltart has ordered the Zimbabwe Football
Association (Zifa) to cut ties with non-sports actors such as the Zimbabwe
Tourism Authority (ZTA), in the aftermath of the Brazil/Zimbabwe friendly
match debacle, marked by allegations of shady commercial arrangements.

The minister's letter, coming after spirited attempts by Harare businessman
Phillip Chiyangwa to promote a high-profile international friendly between
Zimbabwe and World Cup quarter finalists Ghana, effectively shuts out
non-football agents from involvement in the game.

Zifa, still reeling from salacious allegations over the misappropriation of
funds as caused by suspended chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya's conduct
and exposed by Kentaro's cash demands after the ZTA-organised match, has
been given a hand by Coltart's intervention, as it seeks to clean up its
act.

"I have raised similar concerns in the past with Zifa. The last Zifa board
on a number of occasions sidelined the SRC (Sports and Recreation
Commission), which was very unhealthy for sports," Coltart told the Daily
News.

"There was a very close relationship between Zifa and the ZTA, which I found
unusual," the feisty minister said.

Crucially, Coltart argues that Zifa needs to forge "closer ties" with
associations such as the SRC instead of "loose alliances" with
non-commissioned organisations like the ZTA and individual promoters,
including Chiyangwa.

"I had deep concerns about the way Zifa was run. In this regard, I wrote to
Mr (Cuthbert) Dube (Zifa board president) to say we need to have a special
indaba to look into the financing of football. Zifa have replied, saying
they are happy to have a preliminary meeting with us. I hope this will open
a new chapter in our relationship with Zifa," he said.

Kentaro, a Switzerland-based sports management firm also representing Brazil's
Samba Boys, worked with the government in staging the historic match, but it
is now threatening to sue Zifa over unpaid "gate takings" and television
rights revenue totaling US$650 000.

While Dube claimed he had not seen Coltart's letter, attempts to secure
Karikoga Kaseke on the latest development were fruitless.As Coltart and
Dube's new board rails at Rushwaya, and Kaseke's ZTA, other regulatory
bodies such as the Public Works ministry and SRC are also coming hard on the
beleaguered football governing body with demands for unpaid dues.

In a July 28 letter, George Mlilo, the Public Works permanent secretary,
issued a "formal demand" to his Tourism and Hospitality counterpart
Sylvester Maunganidze for a US$10 000 stadium hire fee, while the SRC is
also baying for its mandatory six percent of gate takings from the match.

In the dispatch, sources said, the SRC quotes a figure of US$650 000 as
total revenue from the match.

While the new Zifa board is distancing itself from the June 2
Brazil-Warriors fiasco and Kaseke's ZTA is accusing Kentaro of tampering
with the "final contract" over match rights, the flurry of demand letters
and Zifa's inability to pay the SRC funds, for instance, also strengthens
fears of the mishandling of such by the characters involved.

Also on July 28, Dube's board told Kentaro by letter that Rushwaya did not
represent Zifa when she entered into the controversy-ridden contract with
them.


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MDC-T is united - Mudzuri

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Energy Bara
Friday, 03 September 2010 10:45

MASVINGO - No one within the MDC harbours ambitions to topple the party
leader Morgan Tsvangirayi from his position because he has the mandate of
the people and has become the party's most loved choice, a senior party
official has said.

Addressing party supporters Thursday night at the official launch of the
party's new membership cards in Masvingo, MDC-T national organising
secretary  Elias Mudzuri  said  he was only hearing it from other people
that there were factions in the party.

"No one is harbouring ambitions to topple the president because he has
become our top selling brand", said Mudzuri. " In addition he has the
mandate of the people and commands  a large following  and no one  in the
party wants to remove him".

"We just hear from other people that there are factions in the party yet
this is not true". Some have gone to the extend of labelling our supporters
as Mudzuri's people or Biti's people but this is not true".

"No one owns an individual; we all belong to one party which is the MDC", he
said.

Tendai Biti is the  party's secretary general  and there had been reports
linking him to a faction  which wants to wrestle power from Tsvangirai.

Turning to the issues of violence ,Mudzuri said the party 's standing
committee had agreed to fire anyone who is involved in violence.

"We have no room for violence in our party", he said . "The standing
committee has agreed that all those who engage in violence at our meetings
should automatically be expelled from the party".

"If we  engage in violence it means we are not different from Zanu -PF "he
said.

On outstanding issues  in the Global Political Agreement (GPA ) Mudzuri said
it was a blatant attempt by Zanu PF to violate the agreement  by  linking
the appointment of provincial governors to  the so called restrictive
measures.

"We cannot link the appointment of provincial governors to the restrictive
measures because on governors we agreed that we should share them, our party
getting five, Zanu PF four and MDC-M one.

"Any move to link the two is a blatant attempt to violate the GPA", he said
"We are saying lets stick to what we agreed upon and things will move in the
right direction".

President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF has made it clear that it will not make
any more concessions unless sanctions or restrictive measures have be
removed.

The sanctions were imposed by  Western  countries on President Mugabe and
his cronies for failure to restore the rule of law and gross human rights
abuses.

The West has vowed not to remove the sanctions unless the GPA, which ushered
in the country's inclusive government  between MDC-T , MDC-M and Zanu Pf is
fully implemented.


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Chicken to change? Robert Mugabe mocked in pop video

http://www.guardian.co.uk
 

Video by World Cup group Freshlyground challenges Zimbabwe dictator to 'become the hero he used to be' - and step down

 
Freshlyground claim the song is not an attack on Mugabe, but 'a tongue-in-cheek challenge for him to reflect on things'

Robert Mugabe has never been known for his sense of humour. So you wouldn't want to be the apparatchik at Zimbabwe's State House explaining to the president how a music video that lampoons him as a chicken is threatening to go viral.

A latex puppet of Mugabe, redolent of 80s TV satire Spitting Image, is the star of a slick video by multinational African group Freshlyground, best known for their collaboration with Shakira on the official World Cup song Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).

The song, Chicken to Change, has a bouncy and upbeat feel that belies its serious political message. The video depicts an aloof Mugabe riding in the back of a chauffeur-driven presidential car and reading a newspaper, "Bob's Times", with the front page headline: "Glorious victory for Zanu-PF". It cuts to Freshlyground singing in a shebeen, dancing like chickens and challenging Africa's oldest leader to relinquish his 30-year grip on power.

At first lead singer Zolani Mahola pays tribute to the 86-year-old veteran's part in the struggle for Zimbabwe's independence, describing him as a "supernova". Her lyrics continue: "An iridescent example of honour for the coming generation/ You promised always to open the doors for us/ Indeed it is you and only you who sleeps with the key/ You are chicken to change!"

Mugabe's car comes to a sudden halt and some chicken feathers flutter in front of the windscreen. He looks out at an impoverished couple clutching chickens, but chooses to ignore them and drive on. Chickens have become used as barter trade, including as bus fares, in rural areas of Zimbabwe where cash is scarce.

At the end of the video, the Mugabe puppet transforms into a chicken with suit and spectacles intact.

The video also features puppets of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu playing dominoes, polygamous president Jacob Zuma flirting with women, former president Thabo Mbeki and other leading South African figures.

The puppets are designed by Jonathan Shapiro, alias Zapiro, a political cartoonist, whose provocative oeuvre includes an image of Zuma poised to rape Lady Justice.

Zapiro told the Times in South Africa: "I've been doing cartoons of Mugabe for years. Working with Freshlyground gave us the opportunity to finally add him to our cast of latex characters.

"Although I positively love this puppet, I truly hope we can retire him sooner rather than later."

The video was directed by Thierry Cassuto, executive producer of satirical internet show ZA News. It was filmed in Cape Town with the band dressed in Zimbabwean-style 80s fashion.

Freshlyground's seven members are a racial mix hailing from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Sarah Barnett, a spokeswoman for the group, said they "believe in freedom of speech and that people should be able to talk about topics that affect many civilians".

She added: "The video is not an attack on Mugabe at all. It is a tongue-in-cheek challenge for him to reflect on things and become the hero he used to be, to consider his actions and surprise us. We are not afraid of his reaction. Why should we be in a democratic world?"



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Government says artists now need entertainment licences

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
03 September 2010

A few weeks before the second anniversary of the signing of the power
sharing deal all signs are that the coalition government remains determined
to control freedom of expression. Two days after jamming the frequencies of
SW Radio Africa's shortwave broadcasts it's reported the country's
censorship board has declared it will now be a crime for artists to perform
without an entertainment licence.

Solomon Chitungo, an official with the Censorship Board, is quoted as
saying; 'This is not a new thing it has always been there but it's just that
it was not applied strictly and artists have been performing illegally. The
certificate will be valid for 12 months. It's just like a drivers licence,
we are also just issuing a licence to provide entertainment and if one is to
be found without the certificate we will stop the show and confiscate their
equipment,' he said.

In March this year Bulawayo based artist Owen Maseko was arrested following
an exhibition depicting the Gukurahundi Massacres and decades of oppression
under Mugabe's regime. He was eventually released on US$100 bail after 4
days in custody. Last Friday his exhibit was officially banned by the
censorship board and on Monday he was charged with 'obscenity and ethnic
bias.' A few days later he was charged with 'making false statements to
incite violence'.

Newsreel has been told artists like Maseko will now need to pay US$25 a year
while institutions will have to cough up US$155 a year to get the
entertainment licence. While the law is not new, as the censorship board
official admitted, their motivation in dusting-off an outdated law from Ian
Smith's Rhodesian regime is meant to find yet another way of controlling
free expression. The Censorship and Entertainment Act has been amended since
the Rhodesian days, but still retains a lot of its previous repressive
clauses.
Top selling musician Leonard Zhakata, who songs have been banned by the
state broadcaster, told Newsreel on Friday that he knew about the licencing
requirement from a few years back.

He said although he was not against the law per se, he was concerned that it
would be used to target individual artists and musicians. He said the
licencing requirement should not be used to 'take our freedom.'
So is his music still banned by the ZBC? Zhakata said he does not bother
listening to them, since they 'make me out to be a bad person.'

 


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Zimbabwean Government Takes Flak for Introducing Maternity Leave for Students

http://www.voanews.com/

The previous government policy automatically expelled girls who became
pregnant, completely disrupting their education.

Tatenda Gumbo | Washington 02 September 2010

The Ministry of Education in Zimbabwe is drawing criticism from conservative
groups after announcing a policy halting expulsions of girl students who
become pregnant.

The recent policy framework grants students maternity leave of up to three
months, after which they can return to their studies. It also entitles male
students responsible for the pregnancies to paternity leave.

Authorities say the law is designed to give pregnant students a chance to
finish their education. Critics however, believe the policy encourages
teenage pregnancies.

Education Minister David Coltart is defending the plan saying instead it
will "remove the discriminatory factors and give young women who fall
pregnant the chance to continue their education."

The previous government policy automatically expelled girls who became
pregnant, completely disrupting their education.

But critics of the new regulation say they doubt it will lessen the stigma
of pregnancy. Government says it is working to combat such skepticism.


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Teams for Zimbabwe's Constitution Revision Press on Despite Funding Hiccups

http://www.voanews.com/

The government this week appealed for some US$8.2 million to fund the
finalization of consultations after being snubbed by the UNDP

Brenda Moyo | Washington DC 02 September 2010

Zimbabwe's constitution revision teams appeared unfazed Thursday by a
critical shortage of funds affecting the process as they went about
consultations across the country.

The government launched an US$8.2 million appeal this week for finalization
of the outreach phase of the constitution revision exercise.

Sources said though some outreach team members complained over nonpayment,
public consultations were held and the process went smoothly in many places.

In Matabeleland South Province meetings were held at Embakwe Mission,
Plumtree where turnout is reported to have been very high.

But authorities said there were no youths in attendence. Parliamentary
select committe co-chairman Edward Mkhosi told VOA Studio 7 reporter Brenda
Moyo his panel was greatly concerned by the nonattendence of youths in their
meetings.


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U.S. Embassy Statement on COPAC support and funding

Public Affairs Section

U.S. Embassy Harare

 

Press Statement: COPAC support and funding
 
The United States government strongly supports the constitutional outreach process currently underway in Zimbabwe.  This consultative process is an important step in the development and implementation of an inclusive, forward-looking constitution that will contribute towards the establishment of democratic norms and institutions in Zimbabwe.  The United States is a contributor to the UNDP-led funding mechanism for COPAC and remains committed to the overall process of transition and the full and transparent implementation of the Global Political Agreement.  As future funding needs for the process become known and are evaluated, the United States will work with other donors and the Government of Zimbabwe to develop strategies for addressing these needs.  The United States is committed to helping build a better future for the Zimbabwean people. 

 

Issued by Sharon Hudson- Dean, Public Affairs Officer

September 3, 2010


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Divided opinions over potential Zimbabwe mining boom

http://platinum.matthey.com/

  3rd September 2010

Zimbabwe may not be on the verge of another mining industry boom, according
to one company with several interests in the country.

With rich deposits of platinum and other minerals, government departments
and investment firms have been trumpeting Zimbabwe's potential explosion as
a production hub.

However, DRA Mineral Resources, a South African project management and
engineering group involved with the Unki, Mimosa and Ngezi mines, has
offered a more cautious assessment.

Director for Project Services Rodney Drew explained that it is not clear
whether a boom will happen in the near future as Zimbabwe's policy and
revival strategy following its financial crisis are "still on the drawing
board".

"The Zimbabwe government is still getting back on its feet after the turmoil
of the 2006 to 2008 economic meltdown," he said in an interview with Mining
Weekly.

"But, since Zimbabwe has decided that the mining industry is key to its
recovery, we don't think it will be too long before everything falls into
place, opening the way for new mines to be constructed."

Mr Drew also explained that a number of bureaucratic hurdles are impacting
on companies' plans to expand or bring their mining operations to Zimbabwe.

He noted that the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the Zimbabwe Immigration
Ministry are putting pressure on both indigenous firms and their foreign
contractors.

And with taxes remaining sky-high in the country - it has not signed a
double tax agreement with South Africa since 1965 - Mr Drew claimed that
mining projects are less appealing at present.

"DRA used to be able to brag that it could build a process plant more
cheaply in Zimbabwe than it could in South Africa, but this is no longer the
case," he added.

Meanwhile, a more bullish assessment was offered by Victor Gapare, President
of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines, who predicted that the country's mining
industry could grow by as much as 30 per cent in 2010.

He also suggested that this figure could increase in 2011, assuming the
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority does not experience problems and more
power plants are constructed.

"As much as $160 million was spent by mines on local procurement in 2009 and
this is projected to increase threefold in 2010 and significantly more in
2011 and beyond," he told the news provider.

"The mining industry is on the verge of a mining boom, particularly if
government retains the current mining fiscal regime and improves the
investment climate, which is competitive and can attract the risk capital
for exploration that is key for mining development."

Mr Gopare also claimed that the easing of the economic restrictions in
Zimbabwe should allow it to properly capitalise on favourable international
pgm prices for the first time.

Meanwhile, Zimplats, which is operated by Impala Platinum, revealed last
month that its pgm output in concentrate increased from 93,845 oz to 95,144
oz in Q2 2010 on a quarter-on-quarter basis.
 


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OPINION: Zanu must conclude succession debate ASAP

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by PSYCHOLOGY MAZIWISA Friday 03 September 2010

While everyone else concentrates on putting into effect the so-called
'implementation matrix', salvaging the now doomed constitution making
process and considering the feasibility of holding an election next year
among other things, Zanu (PF) needs to preoccupy itself with one thing- and
one thing alone- namely the completion of the succession debate within that
party.

To tiptoe around the issue and pretend it is of no consequence is to
deliberately put the future of this country and its people in harm's way.
Mugabe's health is swiftly deteriorating and his journey into the unknown
has noticeably begun. Time is of the essence.

The moment has come for Zimbabwe to attain its political maturity, with
power changing hands and life going along. After all it is not the state of
the leader that matters, but the state of the nation. As a matter of urgency
Zanu PF needs to make up its mind. Only then can the voters remember them
and have a clear picture of their intentions.

Guaranteed instability

As it stands Zanu (PF)'s conservative old guard remains intact, and they
fight amongst themselves not over policy but purely for power and prestige.
They have an enduring desire to maintain the status quo at any cost.

The fact is that the upheavals of the past will continue so long as these
dinosaurs remain in charge of operations.

Here is the crux of the matter though: Our country's political instability
is guaranteed to worsen should President Mugabe die in office -especially if
there is no succession plan in place acceptable to the two well-known
factions within Zanu (PF). The decision must be made without delay. Everyone
who cares about this country knows it.

It is cause for considerable heartache, therefore, that there seems to be
such a striking lack of preparation for a Zimbabwe after Mugabe. Not enough,
if anything at all, is being done by the relevant people to show that they
understand what could befall Zimbabwe if the President dies before the
succession debate in Zanu (PF) has been completed.

The reality is that no one lives forever and we are witnessing the effects
of old age compounded by ill health and the exacting demands of public
office as Mugabe approaches the inevitable.

Saluting Tsvangirai

Zanu PF has had plenty of time to think about it but still bears a stark
resemblance to Ethelred the Unready.

Let me not be misconstrued as condoning or in anyway seeking to entrench the
dictatorship and the now irretrievably damaged legacy of Mugabe and Zanu
(PF). Far from it! I beg instead to be regarded as a realist and a
peace-loving Zimbabwean democrat who loves his country too much to foresee a
potentially devastating political crisis without alerting his fellow
citizens to it.

Nor can the MDC be relied upon to single handedly avert what could easily
develop into an aggravation of our political woes. It is a matter of public
record, for instance, that some of Zanu (PF)'s notorious Joint Operations
Command members have stated unequivocally that under no circumstances will
they salute Morgan Tsvangirai should he attempt to wield any kind of
authority as Commander in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

Whereas Mugabe was sensible enough to invite the MDC- by all accounts the
outright winners of every election this country has held since 2002- it can
be assumed that neither Mujuru nor Mnangagwa will be willing to recognise
them as the people's party of choice or even their very existence as a
political player.

Absurd though it may seem, therefore, the reality is that with the right
ingredients the MDC stands a much better chance of forming a substantive
government while Mugabe is still in politics than after his exit.

There is a better chance of Zimbabwe becoming a democratic country, a
prosperous nation and a land of limitless opportunities with a living and
breathing Mugabe still around than when his body lies at what has become the
Zanu (PF) Heroes Acre.

Succumbed to temptation

If you sense, dear reader, that I am fed up with the MDC you are dead right.
Of course I am! Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC loudly proclaimed all sorts of
policies and promises before joining the inclusive government. Every right
thinking Zimbabwean looked to him and his party to make things better.

Alas, MDC officials, like their Zanu (PF) counterparts in the inclusive
government, have quite evidently succumbed to the temptation that comes with
power and the greed that can accompany bureaucratic privilege.

Consequently, they have killed whatever momentum was gathered against the
tyranny of Mugabe. By so doing they have afforded him and his men with much
needed time to re-group.

In the circumstances, if the MDC is not going to realise and correct the
mistakes made during the tenure of the inclusive government. If it is not
going to insist on genuine and lasting political reforms. If they are going
to ignore the lessons of the past in shaping the future. If they choose to
continue to put faith, and so responsibility, on SADC and not themselves,
then they ought to go to hell and stop wasting our precious time.  The
future does not belong to the timid. They do not deserve it.

Meanwhile, and in the interest of averting a possible civil war after Mugabe's
demise, Zanu (PF) needs to urgently conclude any further debate and set a
succession strategy in place. If in the process of doing so Zanu (PF)
officials see the benefit in reforming their outmoded movement to become a
relevant and credible political party then that will truly be a huge step
forwards.

As the country anxiously waits for the MDC to regain its old self and for
Zanu (PF) to stop fudging, we all must welcome and enjoy Akon and hope that
he finds our otherwise beautiful country as 'free and uplifting' a world as
the United States of America.

Psychology Maziwisa is a member of the Union for Sustainable Democracy.

 


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FEATURE: The men never saw it coming

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Edward Jones Friday 03 September 2010

HARARE - Zimbabwean men are a proud lot, but they are slowly taking a
bruising with increasing reports of women raping men, in a bizarre trend
that appears driven more by superstition, and which social commentators say
reflects a more serious underlying problem - total moral decay of the
nation.

Admitting to rape by a woman is as embarrassing as it gets for a Zimbabwean
man. But an increasing number have in recent weeks found themselves doing
the unthinkable - going to the police to report being raped by a woman!

Last week a Chinhoyi man was abducted at gunpoint by three women who forced
him to have sex with them, the latest in a string of such incidents which
started last year and which police are investigating countrywide.

"This shows you that society has completely broken down," Gordon Chavunduka,
a social commentator and former vice chancellor at the University of
Zimbabwe said.

Zimbabwe is a largely christian conservative society but also highly
superstitious, which could explain the new rape phenomenon, analysts said.

In most cases, unsuspecting men are offered a lift, only to find themselves
being driven to secluded bushes where they are forced to have sex at gun
point.

But it can be in the form of abduction as happened to one man from the
farming town of Chinhoyi, who was forced into a car by the three women after
refusing to voluntarily accompany them.

Ritual purposes

The prowling women usually carry condoms, which they take away after
intercourse, ostensibly to use the semen for ritual purposes.

"We are a very superstitious country and I suspect people who do this (rape)
may want to use the male semen for some rituals," Claude Mararike, sociology
lecturer at the UZ.

Only five years ago, it was not a crime for a woman to rape a man and it was
not even considered possible that a woman could rape a man until cases of
cases of women sexually abusing young boys started to increase.

No wonder when the initial incidences were reported there were doubts to the
veracity of the stories, with the odd joke that these were men making
excuses for their philandering activities to avoid conflict at home.

But increasingly men are alarmed and wonder whether women are turning the
tide against them.

Rituals are not new in Zimbabwe, but there have for long been confined to
the business sector where murders were carried out for body parts, with the
belief that this would make a business flourish.

In the last decade there has been an escalation in incidences of men raping
young girls, believing this would cure the deadly HIV scourge.

Smoke-filled hut

But for a patriarchal society like Zimbabwe, where men still dominate
everyday life, a woman raping a man was just taboo. In fact men did not see
it coming.

"I still don't believe these stories. I suspect that these are men just
making up such stories when they stay out from home," said Faith Chinomona,
a vegetable vendor in Harare said. "There is no way you can force a man to
have sex, its impossible. I don't believe but this."

There is always a lighter, if somewhat crude, side to the rape cases though.

Last year a man reported to the police that he was raped after spending a
week in a smoke-filled hut in Lower Gweru in the Midlands Province after
what started as a harmless offer for a lift by two women turned into
abduction.

The married man and father of three said he was given a daily dose of
porridge laced with an unknown powder to enable him to have sex with the two
armed women. He was later dumped on the roadside with little energy after
the weeklong ordeal.

"I don't know what is happening in our society. Maybe this is God's curse
for shunning our customs in favour of the Western culture," Tsitsi
Murindagomo, a 63-year-old traditional healer from Mabvuku said.

Two weeks ago two armed women forced a 44-year-old man into having sex with
them while another man stood guard after giving him a lift to Karoi town
from Westgate in Harare.

In July a Mwenezi man was reportedly drugged and forced to have sex with two
women who had offered him a lift along the Masvingo-Ngundu Road.

Get rich quick

Chavunduka said the cases could be a reflection of the degeneration of
Zimbabwean culture after a decade of economic collapse.

While the economy has stabilised, poverty remains rampant in the southern
African country and most people go to the extreme just to make money.

"These are people who want to make money because of poverty. The women will
have been instructed by a traditional healer to collect semen and the only
way is to rape an unsuspecting man," said Chavunduka, a former head of the
Zimbabwe National Association of Traditional Healers.

"I don't think it works. But more importantly this is a signal that we need
to look at how to strengthen our culture. It is very worrying, our society
is in trouble."

In July police reported that four women forced themselves on a 25-year-old
Masvingo man at gunpoint after forcing him to drink an unknown substance
that afterwards made him pass out for eight hours.

Some men believe the women force the men into having sex just for fun and
dismissed that this was driven by superstition or desire to get rich
quickly.

"This is just publicity seeking. There are some people who get an adrenalin
rush by doing very odd things and I believe this is the case here," Stanley
Jena, business studies student at a Harare college said. - ZimOnline.


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A letter from the diaspora

http://www.swradioafrica.com

September 3rd 2010

Tony Blair's memoir titled 'A Journey' stormed into the best-seller lists
this week selling hundreds of thousands of copies within minutes of going
onto the shelves. Critiques and commentaries of the book have dominated the
news media in the UK all week. 'A Journey' was published on the eve of the
Labour Party's leadership vote and has raised quite a storm. Tony Blair UK
Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 came in on a wave of euphoria; this was to
be a brave new beginning for the UK. Ten years later, Blair left office with
the bitter legacy of Iraq and countless other foreign interventions. Two
million people took to the streets to demonstrate their opposition to the
Iraq war but still Blair and Bush went ahead and invaded anyway. In his
memoir Blair claims, once again, that he 'did what he thought was right'. He
makes no apology for the countless dead Iraqis or the human misery that
followed the invasion. The US and UK with the help of other western powers
mounted the invasion of Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was a wicked
dictator who deserved to be overthrown. Zimbabweans at home and in the
diaspora wondered why Mugabe was being let off the hook since he so clearly
qualified as another 'wicked dictator'.

Perhaps Zimbabweans might one day read a politician's memoir which exposes
the inside story of what went on in the country over the last twenty years
of Mugabe's dictatorial rule. Censorship laws in Zimbabwe being what they
are, that's not very likely. If Owen Maseko's example is anything to go by
this paranoid government will not even allow images of the Gukurukundi
atrocities back in the eighties to see the light of day. The news that Owen
Maseko is to face trial after the Censorship Board banned his work does not
suggest that the Inclusive Government cares any more for artistic and media
freedom than the former ruling party. Maseko has revealed that in addition
to the original charge of 'obscenity and ethnic bias' he now faces the
criminal charge of 'communicating falsehoods in order to incite violence' -
a charge which carries a twenty year prison sentence. SW Radio is itself
being jammed presumably with the knowledge of the Inclusive Government.
'Pirate radio stations' and sanctions continue to be Zanu PF's excuse for
their failure to implement the GPA that could bring an end to Mugabe's
'oppressive and dictatorial rule'

It is just such a rule, Tony Blair claims in his memoir that justifies
foreign intervention. "People often used to say to me: If you got rid of
gangsters in Sierra Leone; Slobodan Milosevic, the Taliban and Saddam, why
can't you get rid of Mugabe?"

Blair's answer to the question is that "it just wasn't practical" in Mugabe's
case because Africa would have opposed any such action strenuously. Whether
that was the real reason for the UK's failure to intervene we will probably
never know for sure though there is evidence that New Labour under Tony
Blair was initially quite prepared to do business with Robert Mugabe in
return for certain trade considerations.

What is clear is that despite the formation of an Inclusive Government,
Mugabe has continued virtually unimpeded to go his own way. Speaking at
Reward Marefu's funeral last Sunday, he declared that he will defy the SADC
Tribunal or any other International Court's rulings on the matter of farm
ownership. It is hardly surprising that law and order have collapsed in
Zimbabwe when the country's president states publicly that he has no
intention of abiding by court rulings. The Police Commissioner's term of
office expired this week and it will be interesting to see who replaces
Augustine Chihuri or whether Mugabe will extend the Zanu PF loyalist's term
in office for a third or is it a fourth term.
Ironically the UK also has a coalition government now but as yet we have had
no clear indication as to what their attitude will be to Zimbabwe. Mugabe
has said he thinks he can do business with a Tory led government but it is
unlikely that David Cameron will be any more popular than Tony Blair unless
he gives Robert Mugabe uncritical support and public acclaim.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson.

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