Govt criticised for spending more on defence than education

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

Minister David Coltart

By Alex Bell
17 September 2012

Zimbabwe’s education minister has decried his government’s decision to spend more of the national budget on defence than education, saying the country’s leaders need to change their priorities.

Minister David Coltart has previously raised concern that Zimbabwe’s defence budget is significantly higher than the money allocated for the education sector. He said this was one of the reasons why many schools have been unable to accommodate students returning for the third term.

Students from primary and secondary schools in Bulawayo were turned away last week over nonpayment of fees. Coltart told SW Radio Africa that, while he did not condone the situation, it was not surprising.

“The non salary expenditure that has been allocated to education is the second worst. This is the money we need to run and maintain schools. As of the mid year, we have only received 6% of our budget ($5 million) while defence has been allocated US$35 million,” Coltart said.

He added: “We are spending so much on defence and only a pitiful amount on education. If we don’t address these issues then the education of an entire generation will be lost.”

Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge has also raised concern that only a small percentage of the money budgeted for his sector has been released so far this year. He said only US$1 million of the required US$42 million has been availed.

Coltart said that the priorities of government must change

“We have to cut back on defence. We have to cut back on the size of government. We have to cut back on the travel and the lifestyles, the buying of Mercedes Benz cars for ministers. We have to change if we are to make education a priority,” Coltart said.

Listen to the interview: Click here

Diaspora vote put aside by government

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
17 September 2012

A “unanimous” decision by the parties in government has been made which puts
aside the voting rights of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, allegedly over
concern that a postal vote could be rigged.

The MDC-T’s deputy national organising Secretary, Abednico Bhebhe, last
Friday revealed that this decision had been made in an attempt to curb
potential vote rigging. Speaking at a Zimbabwe Election Support Network
(ZESN) meeting in Bulawayo, Bhebhe said the partners in government had
agreed that only Zimbabweans outside the country on diplomatic and official
government duties would be allowed to cast their postal votes.

“It is not clear how the government would allow the generality of
Zimbabweans outside the country, some of whom are illegal immigrants, to
vote. The parties (in government) agreed that the rest of the Diasporans
should be left out for now,” Bhebhe said.

He added that while the MDC-T agrees “in principle” that citizens in the
Diaspora should be allowed to vote, there are “united liberation movements”
in Southern Africa that will do anything to support their counterparts in
elections.

“These liberation movements cannot be trusted on how they handle postal
votes,” Bhebhe said.

The unity government has already been seriously criticised since agreeing on
the Electoral Amendment Bill in July. The Bill fails to ensure the Diaspora
vote despite promises by the MDC formations in government to fight for the
rights of their supporters and other Zim citizens outside the country.

The MDC-T’s spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora had told SW Radio Africa in July
that there was no reason for concern, because the Bill would be revised to
be in line with the draft constitution when it is in place. But that draft
has since been released and it also does not ensure the voting rights of
Zimbabweans in the Diaspora.

Den Moyo, the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Diaspora Vote Campaign, told SW Radio
Africa that they will still push for the inclusion of the Diaspora vote,
come election time, saying the adoption of a new constitution is a critical
point for the country’s future.

“We are waiting for the adoption of the constitution and then we will use
this constitution as the framework within which we will lobby for the
Diaspora vote,” Moyo said.

He explained that if the new constitution is adopted, there will be
provisions in place that help them reach their goal, calling it a “mere
issue of logistics.” He added that they are also concerned that postal
voting can be rigged by ZANU PF, and a different method would need to be
used.

But other Zimbabweans in the Diaspora are less optimistic, telling SW Radio
Africa that ZANU PF will do whatever it wants, and will not relent by
allowing the Diaspora a chance to vote. Other observers have said that the
MDC formations in government have failed the Diaspora by not campaigning
more strongly for their rights.

MDC-T admits blocking diaspora vote

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

17/09/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party did not push for voting
rights for Zimbabweans based abroad over rigging fears, a senior official
said.

The shock admission by the party’s deputy organising secretary Abednico
Bhebhe flies in the face of previous claims by senior party figures –
including secretary general Tendai Biti – that it was Zanu PF which was
blocking the Diaspora vote.

An amended Electoral Bill which sailed through parliament in July last year
and a draft constitution published in July this year both offer no electoral
participation for Zimbabwean expats.

Bhebhe told a meeting organised by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network
(ZESN) in Bulawayo last Friday that there was agreement between his party
and Zanu PF that voting should only be limited to Zimbabweans on diplomatic
and official government duties.

“It is not clear how the government would allow the generality of
Zimbabweans outside the country, some of whom are illegal immigrants, to
vote,” he is quoted as saying by the NewsDay newspaper.

“The parties agreed that the rest of the Diasporans should be left out for
now. While it bothers many of us that people in the Diaspora should be
allowed to vote, it is important to know that in Southern Africa we are
dealing with the united liberation movements that can do anything to support
their counterparts during elections.

“These liberation movements cannot be trusted on how they handle postal
votes. It is not necessary to say all the people in the Diaspora should be
allowed to vote.”

An estimated two million Zimbabweans are resident in South Africa alone,
with former colonial power Britain hosting as many as 600,000 Zimbabweans
according to recent estimates.

UK campaigners led by New Zimbabwe.com CEO Jeff Madzingo petitioned the
Supreme Court seeking a right to vote for millions of Zimbabweans outside
the country, but the application was rejected as “without merit” by Chief
Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.

Bhebhe, however, insisted that in principle his party supported the Diaspora
vote.
Meanwhile, Bhebhe said people’s hopes that a new constitution would ensure
free and fair elections were misplaced.

“Even the Lancaster House adopted constitution did not condone violence, but
some politicians chose to violate it,” he said.

“A new constitution is only important to enable people to deal with those
who violate the rights of others, but still the problem will be those who
say their interests supersede laws of the land.

“Some people have a habit of not following the laws. Even the GPA signed by
three political parties, some of us, do not want to follow though they
signed it. Even if we have good laws, if some players want to play wearing
iron boots those laws will not work.”

Parliament at standstill as GPA has 4th Anniversary

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
17 September 2012

Parliamentary business is reported to be at a standstill as legislators wait
for Robert Mugabe to declare the fourth session closed and to open the fifth
and last session of the current parliament. Meanwhile the coalition
government reached its fourth anniversary on Saturday, faced with a deadlock
in negotiations for a new draft charter.

Parliament has only met for two days since July.

Conflicting statements regarding the procedure for opening the parliamentary
session have also been reported by the local press. There is also
speculation that Mugabe is delaying, in order to call an early general
election.

According to the Independent newspaper, the Clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma
said the legislature was waiting for Mugabe to issue the necessary notices
to open parliament. But his spokesperson George Charamba insisted Mugabe
“can only open parliament at the invitation of the House’s administrative
staff”, which he said had not happened yet.

The MDC-T Chief whip in parliament, Innocent Gonese, agreed with the
parliamentary Clerk Austin Zvoma, insisting that “the ball lies squarely in
Mugabe’s court”.

Gonese said: “What transpired is that there was a date that had been
proposed by parliament and that date was the 24th July. Mugabe indicated
that this date was not suitable for him in which case he should have come up
with a suitable alternative but to this day he has not done so.”

Gonese said it is not clear whether Mugabe is delaying the parliamentary
session in order to call for by-elections or a snap general poll. But the
MDC-T legislator insisted their party would not participate in any elections
if the conditions are not free and fair.
This chaotic situation has characterized the life of the coalition
government, which reached it’s milestone fourth anniversary on Saturday
faced with a deadlock in negotiations for a new draft constitution.

Assessing the coalition’s performance, Chief Whip Gonese said there had been
“some positives” but he admitted the political parties had failed to
complete the reform agenda set out by the GPA. He said it was meant to be a
“means to an end and not the end itself”.

The director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Abel Chikomo, agreed
that there have been some positives, including the re-opening of many
schools and hospitals that had been closed. But he added that ZANU PF saw
the GPA as an opportunity to regroup and rebuild their party after the 2008
elections.

“ZANU PF has never been interested in free and fair elections for obvious
reasons. They know that if people were allowed to vote freely it would mean
an end to them in office. And some in the former opposition party, who have
tasted what power is like, have also changed their tune,” Chikomo told SW
Radio Africa.

He added that the Mugabe regime still controls the security sector, violence
has not stopped and repressive legislation still exists. Asked whether SADC
holds the key to resolving the crisis, Chikomo said: “SADC remains very
critical. However the ultimate answer lies with us Zimbabweans.”

The GPA was facilitated by SADC leaders with the aim of stabilizing the
country’s shattered economy, ending political violence and setting up a
roadmap to credible elections. But four years later most of the agreement
has not been implemented.

Media and electoral reforms are still being resisted by ZANU PF and
oppressive legislation, such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and
the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), have not
been repealed.

Four years: GPA fails to restore economic stability

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Taurai Mangudhla, Business Writer
Monday, 17 September 2012 13:19
HARARE - The Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed exactly four year ago
in September 2008, is yet to bear much fruit economically.

The GPA was to give birth to an inclusive government four months later in
February 2009 and try to turn around the country’s economic and political
fortunes following a disputed run-off election in June 2008.

It was also meant to halt subsequent multiple threats to Zimbabwe’s
socio-political and economic environment, after a decade of economic
stagnation and hyperinflation.

According to Article 3 of the GPA, the agreement gives priority to the
restoration of economic stability and growth in Zimbabwe.

“The government will lead the process of developing and implementing an
economic recovery strategy and plan. To that end, the parties are committed
to working together on a full and comprehensive economic programme to
resuscitate Zimbabwe’s economy, which will urgently address the issues of
production, food security, poverty and unemployment and the challenges of
high inflation, interest rates and the exchange rate.”

To date, the inclusive government has managed to stabilise inflation at
below five percent per annum as well as a stable exchange rate, largely due
to adoption of a multiple currency regime that is largely dominated by the
United States dollar.

In terms of economic growth, real GDP growth stood at 5,7 in 2009, estimated
around 8,1 percent and 9,3 in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

The growth is expected to slowdown in 2012 on account of poor performance in
agriculture and the diamond industry with government recently revising it to
5,6 from the initial projections of 9,4 percent.

Despite operating in a stable currency regime with stable inflation,
interest rates on loans average 20 percent and go as high as 50 percent,
according to Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono.

Government is yet to secure significant investment to increase power
generation capacity which industry says is a key enabler to recovery.

Currently the country generates about 1 400MW against rising demand of above
2 200MW.

As a result of a slowdown in agriculture after incessant droughts to an
extent the country is relying on imports and food aid.

Recently the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee on rural livelihood
assessment revealed the number of people in need of food assistance
increased by 600 000 from last year to 1,6 million this year.

Due to erratic power supplies local industry capacity utilisation averages
60 percent.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Kumbirai Katsande said while
capacity utilisation in the local industry had picked from 30 percent in
recent years to over 50 percent last year, manufacturing is in a crisis and
in need of government intervention.

Companies are also struggling to secure capital to retool after a decade
long of economic stagnation largely due to an unpredictable policy
environment, with particular fear of the indigenisation act.

Foreign investors are wary of losing their capital under indigenisation,
which compels all foreign-owned firms to cede majority shareholding to
locals Zimbabweans.

Economic Planning minister Tapiwa Mashakada recently said government had
approved projects worth more than $6 billion by December 2011, but were
still on hold as investors have adopted a wait-and-see attitude citing
possible acts of expropriation.

Currently Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere is pushing for
compliance in the banking sector after he completed implantation in the
mining and manufacturing sectors.

Efforts to attract foreign investment have also been hindered by differences
in government, with the three political parties being accused of pursuing
narrow party interest at the expense of national good.

The country’s major investment since dollarisation, Essar Africa Holdings’
$750 million steel production partnership is yet to take off as government
remains divided on whether or not it should relinquish Mwanesi iron ore
claims, a key enabler to the steel venture, to the new company.

Another state ethanol production partnership with private investors, Green
Fuel, is still to take off as the inclusive government remains divided on
proponents of the deal, with others pushing for majority state ownership, as
well as policies to support the venture.

Economists argue a decisive election could end bickering in government and
bring policy certainty.

Anthony Hawkins, a top Harare-based economist, said while the impact of
elections on the country’s economy depends on the conduct, a peaceful and
well-represented polls could be a blessing for Zimbabwe.

“Elections may be able to give the country a government that is able to make
decisions, unlike the current situation that we have and obviously investors
will respond,” said Hawkins, who is also an Economics Professor at the
University of Zimbabwe.

Papers slate Zim PM’s ‘mock wedding’

http://www.iol.co.za/

September 17 2012 at 01:44pm
By Peta Thornycroft

“Nothing’s safe about sex, Morgan,” was one headline in the pro- Zanu-PF
Sunday Mail newspaper.

Two more in the same paper declared that his “marriage” on Saturday was a
“mock wedding” and that he had lied under oath.

Even newspapers that usually support him have carried critical reports
claiming Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, 60, has let his supporters down.

The cause of the upheavals in the Tsvangirai family and within the Movement
for Democratic Change centred on whether he paid lobolo for Locardia
Karimatsenga, 40, last year. She has a daughter, 19, from a previous
relationship and owns houses in upmarket suburbs of Harare, Joburg and
Dubai.

The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation has repeatedly shown film clips of
Tsvangirai’s retinue, including a brother, paying lobolo to the Karimatsenga
family.

She claimed she was pregnant, miscarried, and is now an abandoned wife in a
customary marriage. She sued for damages and maintenance and,
extraordinarily, persuaded the magistrate’s court to cancel Tsvangirai’s
marriage to Elizabeth Macheka, 35.

The high court declined to set aside that order on the eve of Tsvangirai’s
wedding on Saturday.

Now some lawyers say Tsvangirai’s affidavit last week to try to reverse the
decision could see him charged with lying under oath.

His statement said he was never married to Karimatsenga.

The lavish, colourful but subdued wedding on Saturday has no status in
either customary or civil law, lawyers said.

Macheka’s Roman Catholic parish priest, Father Patrick Makaka, blessed it
but there was no official marriage document to sign as Tsvangirai’s lawyers
were unable to find a magistrate to marry the couple even under customary
law or provide stationery to register the marriage.

Chief magistrate Mish-rod Guvamombe said: “I’m out of town. I cannot find
anyone to help.”

There are about 1 000 magistrates in Zimbabwe.

Makaka told hundreds of mainly MDC supporters at the wedding that the couple
can get formal proof of their union at a later stage, when the “climate is
clearer”.

A lawyer at the wedding said: “As they cannot prove they are married, either
by civil or customary law, this will affect protocol. She will not be given
any privileges as wife of the prime minister. She is, at present, his
girlfriend.”

The pro-Zanu-PF media has played the Tsvangirai marriage drama front page
and on all news bulletins on television.

Photos of some of his recent girlfriends have been splashed on front pages
in the lead-up to his wedding.

Tsvangirai’s wife Susan died in a car crash in 2009. The couple were married
for 31 years, but Tsvangirai had a second wife and children, who kept a low
profile.

One of the women in the newspaper photos yesterday is a South African,
Nosipo Shilubane, who Tsvangirai met in Joburg.

She was, the Zanu-PF stable of newspapers said, living in Yeoville, and
Tsvangirai financed her move to a flat in the smarter northern suburbs. He
also took her on an expensive cruise to the Seychelles.

She also tried to stop his marriage via the high court last week, but her
application played no role in his marriage licence withdrawal

. - Pretoria News

Plans For Anti Mugabe Demo AT UN Head Quarters

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, September 17, 2012 - Zimbabweans in the US are being urged to turn
up at the UN Headquarters to demonstrate against Robert Mugabe on Saturday.
According to the organisers of the demonstration, the 21st Movement Free
Zimbabwe Global Protest, the protest is to show the world that Mugabe "is
now an illegitimate leader who should not be welcomed by the United Nations
for the General Assembly".

Denford Moyo, the Global Coordinator 21st Movement, Free Zimbabwe Global
Protest, said the march, dubbed Operation Take Back Zimbabwe (OTBZ), will be
joined by other demonstrations being organised in London and other centres.

The demonstrators will also be thanking the Southern Africa Development
Community (SADC) Organ Troika on Defense and Security Co-operation for
taking a bold stance to give Mugabe a deadline of October 7 and 8 to resolve
the impasse in the constitution process in Zimbabwe.

The organisers also urged the rest of Zimbabweans in the world to do
whatever they can to support the demonstration.

"Just take time at your work (even if it is ten minutes), at your homes, at
your schools, at your universities, or at your churches, on Face Book, on
Twitter, and even personal press statements to newspapers and websites -
just send the message."

The 67th General Assembly is opening on Tuesday and Moyo said the 21st
Movement would be there in full force to let the world 'know of Mugabe's
brutality and his madness".

..."we will hound him (Mugabe) wherever he goes in New York to let him know
that the people of Zimbabwe are sick and tired of his tyrannical rule and we
want freedom now...we can send a united message to the world that we want
our country back."

Moyo said because Zanu (PF) party had shown that it had no real interest in
following the civil process, which had been put in place by the African
Union and the SADC regional bodies, "we will stop at nothing to bring public
awareness to Mugabe's lawlessness and brutality against the Zimbabwean
people".

He said the International Criminal Court should be brought against Zanu (PF)
for the 80's genocide, the political murders in 2000, 2002, 2008, Marange
murders and corruption and Murambatsvina, which displaced 700 000 people
and affected 3.1 million people.

"Enough is enough; we will embarrass him to a point that he will regret ever
attending the 2012 UN General Assembly in the first place."

Teachers stranded as ZOU diploma rejected

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

17/09/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

THOUSANDS of teachers are threatening to sue the Zimbabwe Open University
(ZOU) after they were left stranded when the Public Service Commission (PSC)
refused to recognise a diploma qualification granted by the institution.

Launched some five years ago, the programme has benefitted thousands of
people, many of them temporary teachers who had failed to secure places at
the country’s teacher training institution.

But the PSC has refused to recognise the qualification, forcing the
graduates to resort to their ordinary and advanced level qualifications in
order to secure employment as temporary teachers when schools opened this
term.

Higher education deputy minister, Lutho Tapela, said they were aware of the
problem but referred questions to the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr
Washington Mbizvo who was not available for comment.

In a petition to Kurasha, teachers who qualified under the three-year
programme said: “We hereby forward our petition seeking permission to hand
over our grievance to the Chancellor himself (President Robert Mugabe).

“It is a great concern to note that our issue has not been solved for over
one and half years after the first graduates to the course.

“We therefore seek the Chancellor’s intervention in order to rest all the
conflicts surrounding the issue. We have endured the pain for long, (it’s)
depriving us of our social, professional and economic status within the
society.”

The first group to undergo the programme graduated in 2010.

ZOU was established 1993 as a centre for distance education but later
transformed into a fully-fledged university.

‘Zanu PF buying arms to prepare for violence’

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

Monday, 17 September 2012 10:41
HARARE - The clandestine purchase of arms is a sign that Zanu PF intends to
use violence in the forthcoming elections, Welshman Ncube, leader of the
smaller MDC has said.

Ncube told the Daily News yesterday in a telephone interview that the
acquisition of arms under a veil of secrecy was evidence that they are
intended for “undemocratic use”.

“The very fact that we and the other MDC were not informed about the
purchase tells us that something is definitely amiss,” Ncube said.

“It is clear that the parallel government used diamond money to empower the
security apparatus for reasons which are not democratic. Remember, the
security apparatus were involved in the violence that rocked the run-off in
2008 and as such we are forced to conclude that there is a link to the
clandestine purchase of the arms to the forthcoming elections.”

South Africa recently sold weapons worth $276 000 to Zimbabwe’s defence
forces, according to Pretoria’s latest quarterly report of the National
Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC).

The arms sale to Zimbabwe was between April and July this year, according to
the report which has been extensively published in the South African media.
During the same period, the South African government approved contracts to
other countries worth R2,8 billion.

“The parallel government should stop diverting diamonds money to purchase
arms because the money is needed in key critical areas,” Ncube added.

The mainstream MDC slammed the purchase of arms last week and said it is
highly alarmed by the pointless purchase of arms. - Lloyd Mbiba

Preserve the aura of Mana Pools

http://www.thestandard.co.zw

September 16, 2012 in Environment
“HERE is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural
resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your
children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy
interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”Report
by Chipo Masara

The above quotation, by Theodore Roosevelt, might be beginning to gain
relevance in Zimbabwe.

A conflict is currently brewing over what environmental conservationists
perceive to be an ongoing system that fulfils economic needs at the expense
of the environment and tourism.

There is growing concerns that conservation and biodiversity areas that had
for long been set aside for not only the financial benefit of the country’s
tourism industry, but especially for the posterity of present and future
generations, may be facing serious dangers, which many fear may spell out
their demise.

The current bone of contention is a Unesco World Heritage Site, which
encompasses Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari areas.
A locally-owned company was allegedly issued with a licence last year in
September to undertake exploration activities for heavy mineral sand
deposits (HMSD) in Ruckomechi and Chewore rivers. The extracted sands would
consist of ore deposits yielding minerals such as thorium, titanium,
tungsten and zirconium. Diamonds and other gems may also be discovered.

To get the deposits, experts believe two mining methods would most likely be
employed; either dredging or suction (sucking up of the sand), or earth
moving, which would involve actually moving the sand and trucking it away.
The licences are said to have covered an area from the escarpment to the
Zambezi River (65km from Chewore and 45km from Ruckomechi).

Besides the unavoidable damage to the flora and fauna that tends to take
place when a project of such a nature is undertaken, mining in the area
presents many problems.

The human traffic in the area, besides that of tourists and the Heritage
Site employees, is bound to intensify the already problematic human/wildlife
conflict as wildlife still thrives in the area.

There are currently serious fears that poaching activities may have greatly
decimated the country’s wildlife, with elephants and rhinoceros being the
main targets.

Mining activities in the rivers will also result in the water getting
heavily polluted.

Furthermore, if mining activities in this area were to be given the green
light by responsible authorities, it is bound to compromise the area’s
standing as a World Heritage Site.

A place is considered a World Heritage Site if “it is a property of
outstanding universal value because of its cultural and/or natural
significance, which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries
and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all
humanity . . .”

There are 962 properties from all over the world on the Unesco World
Heritage List.

By being on the list, it means the Mana Pools area is not important only to
Zimbabweans, but to the whole world. This explains why there has been an
outcry from people from different parts of the world concerning the intended
mining venture and a plea to the government to put an immediate halt to it.

A Facebook page, which has since gained popularity (currently with more than
2 000 likes), has been created, called Save Mana Pools. Many that have been
commenting on the page said they had visited the World Heritage Site and
cherish the area. They expressed hope that their children would also be
allowed the chance to enjoy the God-given natural resource.

But according to a well-placed source, the explorations, and possibly even
the actual mining, might have long begun if it wasn’t for a late request for
an environmental impact assessment (EIA). This brings us to the issue of
EIAs.

According to the country’s environmental laws, any activity of such impact
cannot be carried out before an EIA is conducted, to ensure that the
potential impact of a proposed action upon the environment is identified and
disclosed prior to a decision.

It then makes one wonder how it would be that a company that plans to mine
in a World Heritage Site may be handed a licence to explore before an EIA is
conducted and the results are available.

For the sake of preserving the World Heritage Site, its environment and the
tourism benefits to be reaped through its thriving, I hope there is no truth
to the allegations!

Drivers used during census not paid

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

Monday, 17 September 2012 10:35
MUTARE - Private drivers engaged by the government to provide transport
services during the 2012 census period who have remained unpaid have taken
their case to the lawyers for redress.

The 14 drivers who provided transport services to the CMED Private Limited
between 18 and 27 August 2012 in Manicaland Province have not been paid $600
each for the services rendered.

Through their lawyer Passmore Nyakureba, the drivers said they had been
promised a daily allowance of $50 for 12 days and they have not been paid to
date.

Nyakureba confirmed he was handling the matter and had written a letter to
the director general of the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat)
Dzinotyiweyi Mutasa.

In the letter which is in the Daily News’ possession Nyakureba said the 14
drivers had been engaged by Zimstat as private contract drivers attached to
operation centres around Manicaland Province during census.

He said the concerned drivers among their duties were transporting census
material, chauffer-driving supervisors and enumerators.

Nyakureba said numerous efforts have proved fruitless as he has advised that
they no longer have anything to do with the hired private drivers as the
programme has since been completed.

Zimstat director general Mutasa could not be reached for comment. - Sydney
Saize

DCCs disbandment haunts Chipangano

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Richard Chidza, Staff Writer
Monday, 17 September 2012 12:57
HARARE - President Robert Mugabe’s shock June decree to disband the Zanu PF
District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) has returned to haunt the party’s
Mbare- based vigilante group known as Chipangano.

Information gleaned from highly-placed insiders by the Daily News shows that
the crackdown on Chipangano in the last few days is an extension of the
factional turmoil rocking Mugabe’s former guerrilla movement.

“Chipangano represents the last vestiges of the Harare DCC and those who
fought to have the mechanism disbanded realised that if the terror group is
left intact it was as good as having left Harare untouched.
“Mugabe cannot do anything but agree to this because he had already exposed
himself by agreeing to the dissolution of the DCCs,” an insider said on
condition of anonymity.

Mugabe surprised all and sundry by ordering the dissolution of the DCCs in a
move that was seen as a blow to a faction of the party led by Defence
minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, battling to control the party and ultimately
succeed Mugabe as party supremo.

Mnangagwa is reportedly engaged in a war of attrition with Vice President
Joice Mujuru in a bid to take over from Mugabe as the 88-year-old battling
chronic ill-health and old age grapples to find a solution to the emotive
issue.

Zanu PF secretary for administration two months ago confronted the party’s
Harare provincial chairperson Amos Midzi over Chipangano.

“Cde Midzi if you tell me that you know nothing about this group
(Chipangano) that is terrorising people in Harare it would be a lie. I will
not believe that,” Mutasa said demanding something be done.
Insiders now say that was a direct order and had to be complied with.

“It was an order that needed no other communication. The first step was the
suspension of former DCC Harare chairperson Onesimo Gore two weeks ago on
the pretext that he was collaborating with an MDC agent Alex Mashamhanda. It
was all a cover-up job and one that smacks of hypocrisy, they knew what they
wanted,” said the source.

The Daily News was shown the judgement by an internal party Disciplinary
committee that presided over Gore’s case.

“That the party had decided to go against the establishment of a business by
Mashamhanda and the accused went against policy to negotiate for the
employment of party activist in order to allow the MDC activist to establish
the business,” part of the summons read.

An MDC councillor in Mbare, Friday Muleya told the Daily News it is common
knowledge that Tendai Sanvanhu (Zanu PF deputy secretary for indeginisation
in the politburo) and Midzi are the Chipangano godfathers.

“It is not a secret Savanhu and Midzi bankroll the group and give moral
support. They guaranteed the protection of the terror group and gave them a
free hand to operate without limits. Some of us now wonder whether this has
anything to do with Zanu PF or it is just abuse of people in the name of
politics,” Muleya said.

Police descended on touts reportedly working under the guidance of
Chipangano netting almost 500 by Thursday evening with at least 300 still
detained.

Harare woke up to a different scenery of order and calm in the capital’s bus
termini in direct contrast to the chaos that is usually associated with all
ranks across the city amid the touting even along the road passing through
Mugabe’s office.

The crackdown was precipitated by the alleged savage attack on two members
of the army attached to the elite One Commando regiment two weeks ago.

On Monday last week soldiers staged a revenge attack that resulted in the
arrest of four of their colleagues.

Soldiers then reportedly turned on the police late on Tuesday angered by the
arrests and accused the police of siding with Chipangano.

Then all hell broke loose with reported injuries as the police launched a
blitzkrieg that was only short of gunfire.

By Friday all those that had been released after admission of guilt fines of
the 308 that had been arrested on Wednesday only 83 had remained but another
158 had joined them according to police spokesperson James Sabau.

The modus operandi that has developed is that all public transport operators
pay some money to alleged Zanu PF leaders.

While youth leader Jim Kunaka, Fanuel Mutasa, and Wilbert Zhakata front a
litany of names leading the operation, they have been off the hook as Zanu
PF benefited in sharing of the proceeds from these illegal activities.

Under these leaders is a group known as Mandimbandimba that collects money
and makes sure part of the cash collected finds its way to the party’s
Fourth Street provincial offices.

Proceeds are shared every Friday or Thursdays with the party taking four
days of receipts, Chipangano leaders two and the touts a day’s proceeds.

Chipangano leaders, now cruise around in top of the range BMW X5s, Grand
Cherokees and Mercedes Benz MLs.
Repeated efforts to get comment from Savanhu, Midzi yesterday hit a brick
wall while Kunaka was picking up his phone and just kept quiet.

Party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo professed ignorance.

“I know nothing about what is happening in Harare. Why don’t you call Midzi
and Savanhu they know better and should be able to comment,” Gumbo said.

Provinvial spokesperson Claudius Mutero denied Zanu PF has ever benefited
from Chipanagano activities.

“As far as we are concerned there is no Chipangano, it is a figment of other
people’s imagination. If we had benefited we would be rich. The
Zhakata-Mutasa fiasco happened but Zhakata was lying that he had been
attacked or kidnapped, its internal politics,” Mutero said.

Children at Hopley in need of proper education facilities

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/

September 16, 2012 in Local
THE sight of toddlers sifting through heaps of rubbish for toys and
occasional left-over food greets visitors to Hopley farm resettlement.

Report by Our Staff
But one would also not miss cardboard box-roofed and rickety wooden cabins
where children from the community conduct their school lessons.

The camp, a creation of government’s violent Operation Murambatsvina
(Clean-up) in 2005, is home to over 22 000 people uprooted from in and
around Harare.

People at Hopley, some 15km south of Harare, still live in very squalid
conditions -— without running water, proper shelter or electricity — nearly
a decade after they were displaced from their homes.

But it was the children in dire need of education that caught the attention
of Rotary Club Hunyani, a local charitable organisation.

Last week, it came to the rescue of Tariro Hopley School, which has an
enrolment of 1 200 children, where it donated some textbooks.
The children had no textbooks and relied on newspapers to improve their
literacy skills.

Speaking at a handover of the books to the School Development Committee
(SDC), Rotary Club of Hunyani president, Ray Mawerera emphasised the
importance of education to children as they are the future leaders.

“We hope that this batch of books will assist with the development of
children’s literacy,” said Mawerera.

Rotary Club Hunyani works in co-ordination with Rotary International in its
efforts to improve the provision of clean water, combating hunger,
supporting education as well as improving health and sanitation.

SDC vice-chairperson Mavis Bosha said the community had resorted to pooling
their meager resources to educate their children.

“Children in this community have no access to proper education,” said Bosha.

“Over the years we have witnessed a lot of fatalities as children had to
cross traffic laden roads to gain access to schooling in nearby suburbs of
Waterfalls and Glen Norah.”

“Children have to sit on the ground as we have neither furniture nor
learning material,” she said, pointing at a big blackboard affixed to a
garage door.
The children also do not have access to sanitation facilities.

Bosha said of all the parents that sent their children to the school, less
than a quarter could afford the US$10 monthly fees used to pay the teachers.
Out of the 24 teachers at the school, only four are qualified.

Mugabe's nephew in land wrangle

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

By Richard Chidza, Staff Writer
Monday, 17 September 2012 10:37
HARARE - President Robert Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwawo is at the centre
of a wrangle in which a private property under dispute is being parcelled
out to Zanu PF supporters.

The land at the centre of the controversy, Whitecliffe Farm, was
compulsorily acquired under the controversial land reform exercise.

The property belongs to property tycoon Eddies Pfugari who is making frantic
efforts to repossess it as he was also parcelling it to would-be home
seekers.

Sources privy to the goings-on at the contentious piece of land said Zhuwawo
with support from Zanu PF bigwigs has embarked on a campaign akin to the
Harare South project at Hopley Farm where the party has been giving away
residential stands without proper infrastructure.

“They just want to boost numbers for election purposes. That place
(Whitecliffe) lies within his constituency and he wants to lure voters using
private land. The owner is a private citizen with no political
inclinations."

“They are victimising him because he has refused to fund their activities —
now he is paying for it,” an insider said.

Pfugari refused to comment.

“Please talk to my lawyers they are handling the matter. I am happy that
way,” he said. His lawyers also refused to comment claiming the matter is
sub-judice.

Zvimba East legislator Zhuwawo laughed off the claims.

“The people who are giving you such information have no other agenda but to
tarnish my name and that of Zanu PF. I am a clean politician and I will give
you a bull worth $5 000 if you find anyone who will indicate that I
facilitated their acquiring of a stand. Everything is being done either by
the ministry of Housing or the City of Harare,” Zhuwawo said.

The Daily News visited Whitecliffe at the weekend and noticed earthmoving
equipment parked on site for the weekend, showing that work was going on.

National Housing minister Giles Mutsekwa confirmed the political mudslinging
and bribery going on and also the involvement of Zhuwawo.

“People like Zhuwawo got involved because there was haphazard allocation of
stands and they wanted to benefit politically. Zhuwawo came to my office
twice and I told him anybody who wants to politic with Whitecliffe will fall
face down and I am very clear about that. I am the authority and will make
sure the right people benefit,” Mutsekwa said.

He also confirmed the existence of a committee which he said he had since
summoned and gave a tongue-lashing.

“I summoned those people who are fleecing people and giving them fake offer
letters we are on the ground now and putting up civil works. There are
people whose structures will be destroyed in the process and those will
benefit first."

‘Our people must understand that anything being done outside the ambit of my
ministry is fake, illegal and will not be sanctioned,” Mutsekwa said.

Most of the people living on Whitecliffee according to Mutsekwa are victims
of Murambatsvina a massive clean-up operation that left almost a million
people homeless in 2005.

Mutsekwa could not comment on Pfugari’s challenge and referred the Daily
News to Lands minister Herbert Murerwa who was not available for comment
yesterday.

Political play banned from Intwasa

http://www.thestandard.co.zw

September 17, 2012 in Entertainment
The High Court has dismissed an urgent chamber application that sought to
interdict the banning of the play, No Voice, No Choice.

REPORT BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
The play was banned two weeks ago by the Board of Censors of Zimbabwe after
it was deemed “inciteful and against the spirit of national healing and
reconciliation”.

The producers of the play were preparing for their maiden performance at
Intwasa Festival, which kicks off in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

High Court Judge Justice Gurainesu Mawadze ruled that the matter was not
urgent, thus effectively ruling out the play’s much anticipated performances
at the festival.

In a statement, Tawanda Zhuwara of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said:
“The judge did not dismiss the case on its merit but rather that it could
not be heard on an urgent basis, so we are now proceeding in terms of
Section 19 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act to appeal the
decision of the Censorship Board”.

Producer, writer and director of the play, Tafadzwa Muzondo, expressed
disappointment at the development.

“We had hoped that the urgent application would help us get our concerns
heard in time for Intwasa, but unfortunately this has not been successful,”
said Muzondo.

“It is unfortunate that the play is being given a distorted meaning and the
whole affair has been blown out of proportion. We are victims, at the end of
the day, since we have been stopped from practising our source of livelihood
(theatre).

“We are consulting other relevant authorities and getting guidance from our
lawyers as we seek to have our case heard and the ban lifted.”

He said he had spoken to Raisedon Baya, the director of Intwasa Festival,
who said the play had a slot at the festival, hoping it would get the High
Court nod.

“He had kept our slot open, pending the outcome of the application, but it
is clear the performances cannot go ahead as the Censorship and
Entertainments Control Act spells out clearly the consequences of staging a
banned play,” he said.

“From a producer’s point of view, this renders 150 full-colour A2 posters
promoting the play at Intwasa useless.

“It also means adjustment of prior agreements and all efforts that had been
made in preparation for our participation at Intwasa are going down the
drain … not to mention the loss to eight artists and two crew members, who
were expecting some income from the performances.”

Mugabe’s CIO: Is it a criminal enterprise, gang or syndicate? Part 2

By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 17th September 2012.

In this 2nd instalment we, would like to explore the possible implications
of money laundering on Zimbabwe. In the first article dated 11 September
2012, we noted the growing mystery surrounding Zimbabwe’s diamonds revenue.

However, there is no suggestion of any wrong doing on the part of any
individual or organisation/s mentioned in the stories referred to in this
article until formal charges are preferred against them in a properly
constituted court of law.

What makes the story not to go away includes remarks made by Zanu-pf Mines
Minister Obert Mpofu in June during debate on transparency and
accountability, when he reportedly maintained that his ministry would not
disclose information regarding the country’s diamond production and sales,
arguing that this was a sanctions busting strategy.

“Why do you want to know who we are selling our diamonds to and for how
much?” Asked Mpofu who added:” This information may fall in the hands of our
detractors and jeopardise our buyers, who are afraid of getting
blacklisted.”[1]

But civil society dismissed the paranoia about sanctions arguing: “Right now
we are debating on speculation because the information is not there. We have
a right to question,” said Transparency International Zimbabwe executive
director, Mary Jane-Ncube.

It is worth noting that Mines Minister Obert Mpofu in June 2010 filed a
US$25million lawsuit against the Standard newspaper for alleged defamation
after reporting his alleged ‘buying spree” following his purchase of 27
properties in Victoria Falls.[2] Mpofu has reportedly not denied having
bought the 27 properties.

In July MDC-T Deputy Minister for Justice Obert Gutu questioned Obert Mpofu’s
source of wealth after the Minister concluded the acquisition of the then
troubled ZABG bank.[3]

“How a government Minister in a struggling economy like Zimbabwe can ‘raise’
US$22 million and buy a whole bank surely boggles the mind…Am I missing
something here? Whither the diamonds of Marange and Chaidzwa. I will call
this a festival of looting,” Gutu wrote on the social networking site.

Concerns have been increased further by reports that the Zanu-pf aligned
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has been handed a special
grant to prospect for more diamonds in an area covering 1.8 million hectares
although its track accountability record leaves much to be desired.

Despite the official reduction of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO’s)
budgets, the organisation was last December reportedly flush with cash and
had bought hundreds of vehicles and weapons from China, while salaries were
increased and thousands of new officers were put through training, raising
concerns that they would be used to intimidate voters in forthcoming
elections.[4]

US experts, John McDowell & Gary Novis (2008), point out that money
laundering has a “corrosive effect” on the country’s economy, Government,
and social well-being).[5] In their view, unchecked, money laundering can
erode the integrity of a nation’s financial institutions.

“Money laundering is a problem not only in the world’s major financial
markets and offshore centres, but also for emerging markets,” caution
McDowell and Novis (2008, 2).

According to the World Bank [6], adverse implications for developing
countries include increased crime and corruption, international consequences
and foreign investment, weakened financial institutions, compromised economy
and private sector and damaged privatisation efforts.

Economic analysts in Zimbabwe say the country’s economy is in state of limbo
as growth projections made by Treasury are not likely to be achieved. [7]
This comes after Treasury earlier this year revised the national budget
downwards from US$4billion to US$3.4billion after receiving insufficient
remittances from diamond sales.

Meanwhile, MDC-T fears that the high unemployment rate among the youths
could soon spark riots in the country. The United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said at the close of 2008, only
6 percent of Zimbabwe working population was formally employed, down from 30
percent in 2003. [8]

The World Bank adds that if money laundering is prevalent in a country, it
enhances the use of bribery in “critical gateways” to make money laundering
efforts success, such as employers and management of financial institutions,
lawyers and accountants, legislators, enforcement agencies, supervisory
authorities, police authorities, prosecutors, and courts.

It is worth noting that parastatals continue to perform dismally with the
majority of state-controlled entities making losses amounting to millions of
US dollars in 2011, with the Grain Marketing Board having failed to make
profit in the past decade while Agribank struggled [9]

Professor Dr Brigitte Unger and others (2006) analysed different techniques
of money laundering and identified sectors where the money laundered in the
Dutch economy is most likely located.[10] Drawing on Pauw (2005), they
believe 1.5 million Euros are likely to be laundered through Holland Casino.

Despite failing to review public service salaries, last month the
cash-strapped Zimbabwe government reportedly bought a new fleet of V6 Toyota
vehicles, each estimated to cost US$70,000 for the president’s office.[11]

The level of food security is at its lowest in Zimbabwe with about 1.6
million currently relying on food aid and the situation not expected to
improve in the 2012/13 agricultural season because of poor harvest. [12]

The clandestine purchase of R2.7billion worth of military equipment by
Zimbabwe from South Africa, with R18.1billion in arms contracts still
pending has sparked outrage amid poverty in the country and denial by
Welshman Ncube leader of a faction of the MDC that the purchase was ever
discussed nor agreed to by the government of national unity.

“The very fact that we and the other MDC were not informed about the
purchase tells us that something is definitely amiss,” Ncube told the Daily
News.[13]

In the next instalment we will be looking at what the literature says on how
money laundering can be countered.

Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com

List of references:

1. The Standard, “Civil society obsessed with diamonds,” 17/06/12.
2. Gerald Chateta, “Minister sues paper for his 27 property super
purchase story,” ZimEye, 20/06/10.
3. Greatindaba, “MDC T queries mines minister Mpofu’s acquisition of a
bank,” 17/06/12.
4. Tracy McVeigh, “Mugabe’s election terror campaign, campaigners warn,”
The Guardian, 17/12/11.
5. John McDowell & Gary Novis (2008) The Consequences of Money Laundering
and Financial Crime, 05/09/08,
http://usinfo.gov/journals/ites/0501/ijee/state1.htm.
6. World Bank, Money Laundering Impacts Development,
http://www1.worldbank.org/finance/html/amlcft/docs/Ref_Guide_EN/v2/02-Ch02_EN_v2.pdf
7. The Standard, “Treasury growth projections unlikely to be met:
Analysts,” 16/09/12.
8. Nqobani Ndlovu, “Unemplyment could drive youths into the
streets-MDC-T,” The Standard, 16/09/12.
9. Brian Chitemba, “ Parastatals perform dismally,” 14/09/12.
10. Brigitte Unger, et al. (2006) The Amounts and the Effects of Money
Laundering,” Report of the Ministry of Finance, 16/02/06, Utrecht School of
Economics, The Netherlands, p.12 of 187.
11. Everson Mushava, “Mugabe splashes on new motorcade,” Newsday,
07/08/12.
12. The Zimbabwe Independent, “Two million face starvation,” 14/09/12.
13. The Daily News, “Zanu-pf buying arms to prepare for violence,”
17/09/12.