Radio Netherlands
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by Eric Beauchemin, 19 September
2003 | |
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For the past three years, Zimbabwe
has been in crisis. The battle between the increasingly dictatorial and
repressive President Robert Mugabe and the opposition has had disastrous
economic consequences, with unemployment and inflation running out of control.
While Zimbabweans suffer, all of southern Africa is feeling the
repercussions. Trade with what was Africa's breadbasket has come to a standstill
and hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans have fled to neighbouring countries.
The question now is why South Africa ? the regional power and widely seen as the
only country that can end the impasse - has so far resisted a strong
intervention.
South African
President Thabo Mbeki and his government have been following events in Zimbabwe
closely since the crisis began in 2000, when so-called war veterans, with
government support, invaded white-owned commercial farms. President Mbeki meets
regularly with Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party. He also holds talks,
albeit less frequently, with Zimbabwe's main opposition group, the MDC. But
according to Tom Lodge, professor of political studies at the University of
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa's involvement has been largely
behind the scenes.
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Tom
Lodge | | "Mr Mbeki is reluctant to use
straight-forward coercion ? sanctions - because he's frightened of the effect
they'd have not just on the Zimbabwean economy but also indirectly on South
Africa as well. Zimbabwe remains or was until recently a very important trading
partner. But at the same time, he has a belief that these matters can be settled
discretely, out of the public eye, through negotiations."
Money, no leverage
South Africa is the major player in the
region. Its gross domestic product is twice the combined GDP of the other 13
countries of SADC, the Southern African Development Community. But that doesn't
necessary translate into political leverage, according to Chris Landsberg,
director of the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg:
"The outside world might think that because they see us as the hegemon and
the giant, we can act like that. There's a different reality that prevails in
southern Africa. Because of the destabilisation role played by the apartheid
state prior to 1989, they are suspicious of South Africa . . . they typically
believe we do the bidding of the West."
Robert Mugabe has adroitly exploited the region's fears about South Africa.
The Zimbabwean president has also repeatedly voiced a view that many leaders in
the region hold: that South Africa owes the former Frontline States for their
support in the struggle to end apartheid. It's a debt many of the region's
ageing leaders won't allow President Mbeki to forget, according to Dr
Landsberg.
"All these liberation movement leaders ? whether it's Dos Santos or Nujoma or
Mugabe ? belong to the same generation. They are all 70 years old. They
literally treat Mbeki like the upstart, the new kid on the block . . . like the
young boy whom we've groomed and who spent time at Sussex while we were
liberating our countries."
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Canny
old soldier:
leaders like Robert Mugabe are fond of reminding South African president Thabo
Mbeki of their freedom-fighter past |
| | | Shared problems
President
Mugabe has also made skilful use of the dilemmas facing his South African
counterpart. He knows that some of the most contentious issues facing Zimbabwe ?
such as unequal access to land and deep social inequality ? also trouble South
Africa. It's been a game of one-upmanship played out both in public and in
private.
But no matter how difficult it may prove for the South African leadership,
solving the Zimbabwean crisis remains crucial. Adam Habib, the Director of the
Centre for Civil Society at the University of Natal in the port city of Durban,
says what is happening to South Africa's northern neighbour is affecting the
reputation of the entire region.
"We can't afford it for economic reasons. We can't afford it for social
reasons like the refugee crisis, etcetera, and we can't afford it for political
reasons, because so long as Zimbabwe exists, NEPAD [the African development
partnership] and the AU [African Union] are non-starters because nobody takes
them seriously . . . we can't afford Zimbabwe to continue in the way that it
is."
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Chris
Landsberg | | President Mugabe is only prepared to
go on his own terms. It's a reality, says Dr Landsberg of the Centre for Policy
Studies, which South Africa and the rest of the world cannot simply ignore.
"We're dealing with a leader who has reached the level of thinking, an
attitude, that ?go ahead, make my day, push me and I'll show you how much damage
I can cause'. So there's a brinkmanship game that he loves playing. He knows
he's going down."
Quietly incomprehensible
Human rights organisations and many
Zimbabweans are determined that the veteran leader should not walk scot-free.
They are calling not only for a peace and reconciliation commission - based on
the South African model - but justice as well. Many find it incomprehensible
that President Mbeki is continuing his policy of "quiet diplomacy".
Many analysts suspect that President Mbeki's reluctance to act more
aggressively towards the Zimbabwean president is because of his own ambivalence
about the Movement for Democratic Change.
"I think Mbeki is uncomfortable with MDC. He thinks it's an amalgamation of
lefties, nationalists and right-wing Rhodesians if you like, and he's
uncomfortable with that. He's uncomfortable with an element in the MDC that he
says as wanting to turn the clock back."
The consequences of the failure of the political process in Zimbabwe have
been disastrous for the entire region. The international community has stood by
as the crisis has deepened, and according to Dr Habib, even though the big
powers must take a large share of historical responsibility for the situation,
it's an issue that South Africa must deal with.
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Adam
Habib | | "It's something that South Africa
has got to confront, no question. Whoever has been the cause of it, we might
lament it. The point is that it's at South Africa's door. We are the strongest
power in the region. It's our obligation, if you like, to address it and I don't
believe we have. That's the second tragedy. The first is what the Europeans
forced on Zimbabwe. The second is what the South Africans are refusing to
do."
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ZIMBABWE: Daily News staff shut out despite court ruling
JOHANNESBURG, 19 Sep
2003 (IRIN) - Employees of Zimbabwe's Daily News were
prevented from entering
their offices on Friday, despite a court ruling
allowing the newspaper to
resume publishing, news reports said.
The High Court on Thursday granted
an order sought by the Daily News, the
country's only independent daily
newspaper, barring police from seizing
equipment and giving it permission to
continue operating while its
registration was being processed.
But on
Friday police reportedly prevented the newspaper's staff from
entering the
building.
"Police are still denying us access. What they are doing is
illegal in terms
of the court order," Associated Press (AP) quoted chief
executive of the
Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) group, Sam Sipepa
Nkomo, as saying.
ANZ is the publisher of The Daily News and The Daily News
on Sunday.
Meanwhile, government lawyers told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation
(ZBC) that preparations were underway to appeal Thursday's order
by High
Court Judge Younis Omerjee. "We will be seeking suspension of the
order,
pending appeal," acting attorney-general Bharat Patel told ZBC,
Agence
France Presse (AFP) said.
The Daily News was shut down last
week after the Supreme Court dismissed an
application by the ANZ, challenging
the constitutionality of the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy
Act (AIPPA). The Court ruled that the
ANZ had to register under the act
before its petition could be heard. The
newspaper group argued that the law
infringed its constitutional right to
freedom of expression and filed an
urgent application to resume operations
on grounds that the closure was
illegal.
The decision to close the newspaper has been met with widespread
disapproval
by media rights groups. Amnesty International this week condemned
the
action, saying the move "sends a strong and clear signal to regional
and
international leaders that human rights are under siege in
Zimbabwe".
Since its opening in 1999 the Daily News has on several
occasions received a
tongue-lashing from authorities for its perceived
support for the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change.
[ENDS]
From Business Day, 19 SeptemberZimbabwe can attend summit, says
Mbeki
Cape Town - There was no additional sanction barring Zimbabwe
from attending
the Commonwealth summit to be held in Nigeria in December,
President Thabo
Mbeki said yesterday. Mbeki reminded the National Assembly
that Zimbabwe's
suspension from the Commonwealth had been for a period of a
year, which had
passed in March. He said the decision to suspend Zimbabwe for
a year was
taken within a very specific mandate. "The troika decided to
impose a
maximum sentence of suspension for a year and that has been served.
I am not
aware of any additional sanctions." Mbeki and Nigerian President
Olusegun
Obasanjo sit on a troika chaired by Australian Prime Minister John
Howard
and charged with overseeing the Commonwealth's response to alleged
human
rights violations in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was suspended from the
Commonwealth
in March last year over its poor human rights record and
President Robert
Mugabe's re-election in a vote that was condemned as rigged.
When the
initial 12-month suspension ended in March this year, the
Commonwealth
announced that Zimbabwe's suspension would remain in place until
December.
Nigeria has indicated that it may issue an invitation to Zimbabwe.
Mbeki
said a country's attendance at the summit was based on an invitation
from
the host country. "The invitation will come from Obasanjo. This is a
matter
he will deal with. So I think we will await a decision from the host
on
whether certain recommendations will be accepted." French news agency
AFP
quoted a spokesman for the Commonwealth saying that Zimbabwe would
not
attend the summit even if other African nations wanted it to attend.
Sydney Morning Herald
Zimbabwe says Howard has 'lost his senses'September
20, 2003
The Zimbabwe government has hit out at
Australian Prime Minister John
Howard, accusing him of having lost his senses
by trying to bar Zimbabwe
from taking part in Commonwealth activities, state
media said yesterday.
This week Howard told Australian radio that
Zimbabwe was a "human disaster"
and that the southern African country should
be barred from participating in
Commonwealth activities until President
Robert Mugabe left power.
"Mr Howard has been abandoned by his senses. It
is not for Mr Howard to
decide who governs Zimbabwe. It is for the people of
Zimbabwe," Zimbabwe's
foreign minister, Stan Mudenge, told state
television.
Zimbabwe was suspended from the 54-member group of mainly
former British
colonies in March 2002 following presidential elections won by
Mugabe but
widely viewed as fraudulent.
The ban was extended in March
this year, and Howard said that this meant
Mugabe would be barred from
attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in
Nigeria in
December.
Mudenge said that Howard should focus on resolving racial
disharmony in
Australia, which he claimed was "worse than apartheid", instead
of telling
African countries "which government may or may not be under
the
Commonwealth".
"That would have been okay at the time of the
British Commonwealth. This is
not the British Commonwealth," Mudenge
said.
This week South Africa said it would fight the move by Howard
and
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon to bar Mugabe from the
December
summit, setting the stage for a dispute between Australia and
African states
over the issue.
AFP
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE
PR COMMUNIQUE - September 19, 2003
Email:
justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
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Letter
1
Justice for Agriculture (JAG), a signatory of the CRISIS
Coalition's
Freedom Charter, joins Zimbabwe's Civil Society in condemning the
banning
of the Daily News and the raiding of the newspaper's offices by
Police and
Militia. JAG encourages all Zimbabweans to press for the repeal
of AIPPA
and POSA with immediate effect. The use of selective justice
and
repressive legislation can no longer be
tolerated.
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Letter
2
CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE COALITION
CLOSURE OF DAILY NEWS A DISGRACE
The
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is dismayed but not surprised by the
forced
closure of the Daily News on Friday September 12, 2003.
On Thursday
September 11, the Supreme Court ruled that Associated
Newspapers of Zimbabwe
(ANZ), publishers of the Daily News and the Daily
News on Sunday was
operating illegally, and required the organisation to
register as a mass
media house in accordance with the provisions of the
widely contested Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
(AIPPA) before ANZ's case on the
constitutionality of AIPPA would be heard.
In statements published in
both the Daily News and the state-controlled
newspaper The Herald, ANZ
officials were quoted as intending to respect the
judgement by registering
the paper. However, it was noted that the process
of registration itself can
be time consuming, and might take several
months.
Despite these
intentions, armed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and
the Zimbabwe
Republic Police arrived at the offices of the Daily News on
the afternoon of
Friday September 12 and evacuated the staff from the
offices. They did not
present a court order, but instead declared that the
paper would not be
publishing, in either print or electronic form, for the
following
day.
The police have since sealed off the building both for office
and
production work, effectively incapacitating even ANZ staff members
from
preparing the paper work necessary for registration. However, officials
of
the Daily News report that they have not even been given access to
the
Supreme Court ruling, further comprising their ability to comply with
the
judgement
The Crisis Coalition is concerned by the above-described
events for several
reasons:
1. The swiftness of the Supreme Court's
ruling is surprising. In November
2002 the case of the Independent
Journalists Association of Zimbabwe (IJAZ)
challenging AIPPA was heard, but
judgement still has to be handed down. In
contrast, the Supreme Court
hastened to make a ruling on the ANZ
application. Typically, if the
constitutionality of a law is being
questioned from several quarters, it is
standard practice to stay all
judgements until each aspect of the law has
been heard, and the judgements
can be made concurrently.
2. The forced
closure of ANZ by the army and police demonstrates an
excessive use of force
by the state machinery. Moreover, it is
unprocedural for the police to enter
a building, detain several officials
for questioning and close down a
business without producing a Court Order
or explaining the legal foundation
for their actions.
3. If the Daily News is not allowed to operate or
publish, Zimbabweans will
be deprived of an alternative source of
information. Free media access is
a cornerstone of a democratic society.
The silencing of the independent
press is a blatant attempt by the ruling
party to further consolidate its
stranglehold on people's access to
information. Also, if only one paper is
in circulation, this will further
contribute to the polarised and
dichotomous reporting of the news - both
about the ANZ story and more
general issues - to the Zimbabwean
people.
4. The Supreme Court judgement represents a worrying endorsement
of AIPPA,
a law whose constitutionality has been questioned by journalists
and civil
society actors both within Zimbabwe and across the
region.
5. The objectivity of a government run Media and Information
Commission
(MIC) in debating the operations of the press in Zimbabwe contains
both
regulatory and financial biases. The government has clear
political
interests in ensuring a monopoly on the print media^×to complement
its
control on the broadcast sector - in order to narrow public awareness
of
current issues. In addition, the state has a financial conflict
of
interest, which prevents it from being an impartial referee in the
question
of newspaper publication. There is no doubt that the growing
popularity of
the Daily News - and its expanding market share - have had
financial
implications on the viability of state-owned ZimPapers.
The
Crisis Coalition is stunned by the irregularity with which this case
has been
handled, and the perverted sense of justice demonstrated by the
Supreme Court
in this instance. In a democracy, citizens should be allowed
to challenge
the constitutionality of a law before having to comply with
it, without being
accused of subverting the legal process.
The Coalition demands that ANZ
immediately be permitted to resume
operations. It calls for the repeal of
AIPPA, and the return to
non-partisan application of the rule of law in a way
that is consistent,
fair and procedural.
14 September
2003
Information Department
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
Box CY 434
Causeway, Harare
+263 4 747
817
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Letter
3
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
16 September 2003
STATEMENT
BY THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM ON THE BANNING OF THE
DAILY
NEWS
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum joins its peers in Civil Society
in
condemning, unreservedly, the banning of the Daily News following a
Supreme
Court ruling on 11 September 2003 that the paper was operating
illegally
and in defiance of the draconian Access to Information and
Protection of
Privacy Act (AIPPA).
This diabolical piece of
legislation was clearly promulgated to constrain
freedom of expression, a
right protected, if only on paper, under Section
20 of the
Constitution.
The Daily News had declined to register with the Media and
Information
Commission alleging that the legislation, under which this
requirement
existed, was in itself unconstitutional. The Supreme Court
ruled
otherwise.
The Daily News is the only independent daily
newspaper in the country and
as such has provided differing viewpoints from
these of state- owned
newspapers. In perceived reprisal, it has been
subjected to three
bombings, none of which has been resolved, arrests of
editors and staff and
destruction of newspapers by ruling party militias,
none of whom were
arrested.
Despite lip service being given to the
possible repeal of this draconian
and repressive press law by the President
himself to the Commonwealth
Troika, it remains in place in defiance of
domestic and international law
and continues to contribute to the
undemocratic environment in
Zimbabwe.
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Letter
4:
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN
ZIMBABWE UNDER SIEGE
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is gravely
concerned at the impact
on the right to freedom of expression of the forced
closure of the
privately owned Daily News following the recent Supreme Court
ruling in the
matter involving the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ)
and the
Minister of Information & Publicity and the Media and
Information
Commission. The ANZ are the publishers of the Daily News, which
is the only
independent daily newspaper in Zimbabwe. This is not the first
time that
the employees and the newspaper itself have come under attack for
their
efforts to disseminate information to the public about affairs
affecting
their day-to-day lives.
ZLHR has always maintained that the
Access to Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (AIPPA) is a repressive
piece of legislation that was enacted
primarily to undermine the right to
freedom of expression and stifle the
exchange of ideas and information by the
people of Zimbabwe. AIPPA,
together with the Public Order and Security Act
(POSA), the Broadcasting
Services Act, the Miscellaneous Offences Act (MOA)
and the Labour Relations
Act (LRA), amongst others, form an axis of
repression in Zimbabwe,
assaulting the epicentre of the freedom of
expression. The latest attempt
to utilise AIPPA to effectively shut down the
private media should leave no
person in doubt as to the intentions of those
who crafted the legislation
and their desire to suppress freedom of
expression in the country. The
Supreme Court Ruling
Whilst
reservations have been previously expressed about the independence
of the
Judiciary in Zimbabwe, ZLHR has remained fairly confident for some
time that
the bench would remain the final protector of universally
recognised human
rights and fundamental freedoms. In addition to the
Constitution, Zimbabwe is
bound by a number of international instruments
that oblige it to conform with
minimum standards in terms of promoting and
protecting the right to freedom
of expression which includes the right to
impart and receive information. We
have no doubt that the Supreme Court is
aware of the obligations that
Zimbabwe has in terms of such international
instruments as The African
Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights which guarantee the
right to freedom of
expression.
Even though ZLHR has not yet been able to obtain a copy of
the Supreme
Court's judgement in the ANZ matter in order to express a
technical
opinion, we are able to comment on the impact of the ruling on the
right to
freedom of expression as a fundamental human rights
issue.
ZLHR notes with grave concern that the Supreme Court ruling
effectively
resulted in the biggest assault on the right of freedom of
expression in
the history of our Independence. It is indeed regrettable that
the
ambitious thrust by the Minister of Information and Publicity to enact,
by
any means, unconstitutional legislation designed to arrest expression,
has
now been given judicial approval by a court entrusted with the
protection
of fundamental freedoms and universally recognised human rights to
ensure
justice and freedom in Zimbabwe. Repression may therefore have sadly
found
itself an ally against human rights defenders, in the form of
the
Judiciary.
The forced closure of the Daily News
It came as
no surprise to ZLHR that the police acted with apparent haste
and enthusiasm
to close down the Daily News on 12 September 2003 once the
Supreme Court had
made its pronouncements. This effectively put the final
nail in the coffin of
the right to expression. ZLHR is also deeply
concerned about the impact of
the police conduct consequent to the Supreme
Court ruling on the investment
climate in Zimbabwe at a time when our
economy is in serious
disarray.
It is time for the Ministry of Information and Publicity to
cease utilising
repressive and unconstitutional pieces of legislation to stem
the free-flow
of information and ideas in Zimbabwe. We continue to call for
the immediate
repeal of AIPPA and POSA and the drafting of appropriate and
lawful
legislation after considered debate and input from all
stakeholders.
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE
SECURITY UPDATE - September 19,
2003
Email: justice@telco.co.zw;
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOPEFUL
OR HOPELESS?
"Operation Clean Sweep", code name for the illegal taking
over and looting
of the last vestiges of commercial farming in Zimbabwe is in
progress. Top
ruling party officials, loyalists, and their wives who evicted
farmers and
their employees at the beginning of last season, have reaped the
profits of
their stolen crops and are now moving onto farms whose lands are
fully
prepared and planted. There is definitely method in their madness!
One
wonders what they intend to do next season when there will be
literally
nothing left? The country's wild life is being decimated, in
many
instances by the very people employed to protect their
heritage.
Hopeless? Definitely not! No situation is ever permanent.
The
overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans want an end to the current chaos,
they
want employment, food, shelter, access to reasonable health
services,
freedom of association and speech, they want a return to the rule
of law
and they want peace. They want to know that when they seek the
protection
of the Police they will not be beaten and tortured or handed over
to the
militia. The women of Zimbabwe want their children back from the
militia
camps. They want them returned to them, not as trained torturers
and
rapists, but as the children they brought up to respect their parents
and
God.
The people of Zimbabwe want justice. Their country has been
looted and
their friends and families beaten, murdered, raped, displaced
and
dispossessed. The perpetrators of these crimes will be held
accountable.
That time is not far off.
Despite all this Zimbabweans
have remained remarkably peaceful and resolute
under extreme
circumstances.
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi " The force generated by
non-violence is
infinitely greater than the force of all the arms invented by
man's
ingenuity".
JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject
line.
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Letter
1: Old Lady
FELLOW CITIZENS
I believe that it is my duty to report
the following shocking incident if
we are ever to stand up and take note of
the appalling incidents taking
part in our once beloved country,
Zimbabwe.
It was Sunday the 7th September 2003. That morning, a few
friends and
myself were travelling along the Bulawayo Road towards Lake
Chivero when we
heard the familiar sound of Mugabe's entourage approaching us
from behind.
As always, we immediately slowed down and pulled of the road
allowing them
to pass. Police cars and motorbikes flanking the black
Mercedes, sirens
blaring, rushed by and all but one continued their journey.
As we watched,
from over the rise ahead the last police car appeared,
reversing towards us
again at high speed. It stopped a few metres from us and
a man got out and
approached another car parked in front of us. At the
window, he reached in
and started punching the driver. After a minute or so,
he left to catch up
with his fellow policemen so naturally we got out of our
car to see if the
other person was all right. As we got to the car, we looked
inside only to
see an old white woman (about 70) sitting alone in the
driver's seat. We
were horrified!!!!! We had seen her car pull over when the
sirens were
heard; she had done nothing wrong. This was clearly an act of
pure hatred
on the part of the policeman towards a woman who was obviously
defenceless.
These are the people we look up to protect us; there are no
rules or
justice in this country anymore. Shaken up, and clearly upset the
old lady
turned and headed home to Harare.
No matter what colour you
are or what political standing you choose, nobody
has the right to beat up an
old woman in any circumstance. Fellow
citizens, I leave this horrifying
truth in your hands.
K &
C
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Letter
2: Re Open Letter Forum No. 145 dated 16 September 2003
Dear
Sir,
With reference to the JAG Open Letter No 145 of the 16th September
2003
I would like to challenge John Kinnaird's bald insinuation that a
great
deal of the problems the Country is facing have been exacerbated by
the
farming community as a whole, due to their failure to stand up to
the
intimidation and violence perpetrated against themselves and their
labour
forces.
Not knowing John Kinnaird, I wonder if he resides in
the secure confines of
Borrowdale Brooke, or some other similar residential
area.
He very obviously has never experienced the blood chilling fear of
having
250 crazed and fired up locals who casually invade the environs of
one's
home and garden, construct fires on the front lawn, destroy
outdoor
furniture, defecate in the garden and swimming pool, urinate against
house
walls, copulate openly in the shrubbery, raid fruit and vegetable
patches,
and carry out any other debasing action they can think of, all the
while
beating drums and singing wildly to keep up extreme noise levels
calculated
to further intimidate the two people, and their children, in the
isolated
farmhouse, having first felled several trees across access roads to
ensure
no-one could either enter to assist, or escape to safety.
I
would suggest he has also not had the opportunity to face, totally alone,
a
gang of thirty to fifty labourers who have been worked up by a
political
commissar to threaten, rant and rave, resisting all reason, against
the
very person, himself, who has employed and housed, educated and
helped
these same workers and their families for the past thirty odd years,
and
who now show not one jot of loyalty to him, the farmer.
He has not
experienced his family being attacked in his house - the
terrified children
screaming for help whilst he and his wife were being
physically beaten, or
even shot at.
Or was ever forced to stand helplessly by and watch whilst
exultant gangs
stole his equipment, burnt tractors, trashed buildings, shot
his dogs,
drove his cattle into dams to drown - and then have the arriving
police
force accuse him of inciting violence and breaking the law!
Or,
to know the anguish of being completely unable to assist whilst all
these
terrible things were happening to close neighbours and long standing
dear
friends, for fear of arrest and persecution by the armed forces
guarding the
perpetrators.
Or to know the trauma of being forced to hastily pack and
load household
goods, personal belongings, valuable heirlooms, years of
carefully
accumulated farm equipment, whilst being subjected to threats,
insults,
taunts and disgusting behaviour from supposed loyal
employees.
Or to know that these same employees will now suffer hardship,
hunger,
disease and death, and that, despite their recent actions, this
suffering
will weigh heavily against the heart of the farmer they have
betrayed.
Or to know the ultimate despair and heartbreak of being forced to
leave the
beloved home that has taken thirty years of blood, sweat and tears
to build
into a viable, successful and beautiful unit, and thus to know
the
desperate, soul crushing sadness of leaving the Country of one's birth
and
ancestors in order to salvage what is left of one's health and
sanity.
Yes, we all know that one day things will change.
Yes, we all
know that Mugabe and his henchmen have a dreadful list of
crimes against
their own people to answer for.
Yes, we hope that retribution will occur in
time.
But for now, John Kinnaird, never, ever, presume to judge your
fellow
Countryman's actions in a severe and extreme situation not of his
making,
unless you have truly walked in his shoes.
Jean
Bonsor
formerly Mvurwi
District
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter
3:
Dear All,
I am chuffed that some people actually read my letter
to the forum.
I had 3 positive responses and 2 negative, in a democracy
that would mean
that most people agree with me!!
I would like to take
this opportunity to thank Mrs Bonsor & Mrs Doggrell
for their replies and
acknowledge their criticisms.
Please allow me to reply to both of
them.
First Mrs Bonsor.
It is a pity that she did not actually
read the letter before going off
half-cocked. Through her whole letter there
is not one constructive point.
She has missed the gist of my letter
completely. I am a big boy and can
take criticism of my point of view. What
is irrelevant is for her to attack
me personally.
To make it simple
for her
If all the farmers had acted decisively and unanimously after
David Stevens
was murdered, she and the rest of the farmers who were
brutalised would not
have had to be subjected to savagery that she was
subjected to!! The people
who murdered David Stevens are still terrorising
people.
The Farmers Leadership should have and still should lay down the
gauntlet
to the Ruling party by demanding that the perpetrators of all these
crimes
should be arrested and punished.
The farmers representatives
should demand that their members rights are
upheld by the ZRP and the courts.
Instead they are like Nero who fiddled
while Rome was burning around
him.
There must have been a decision made by her and her husband to stay
put on
the farm thereby putting themselves in a position where they were
subjected
to that brutality.
The intention of the mob was to get the
white farmer off the farm for
political reasons so that the farm workers
could be terrorised.
The fact that you educated, fed & employed your
workers was why you were
attacked. This was to show your workforce that
ZANU-PF is more powerful and
influential than you are.
I did not make
assumptions on your character Mrs Bonsor, as you did on
mine!!! I merely
expressed an opinion on why you were terrorised and why
your whole world has
been destroyed.
Do I have to be terrorised in order that I may express an
opinion?? What
you are saying is that the people who were not personally in
the Aushwitz
death camps should not comment on them?? The world would be a
sad place if
that were the case.
60 years after the fact, the German
people are still trying to come to
terms with the fact that many of their
Fathers and Grandfathers turned a
blind eye and stood idly by whilst the Nazi
Party killed 6 million Jews,
Gypsies and anyone who didn't agree with
them.
The farmers' leadership took the option that they would go the
dialogue
route.
I am saying that this is the wrong option.
Brave
people need to stand up and say that this brutality will not be
tolerated.
You will say that it is easy for me to say this because I am not
in a
position of vulnerability.
Am I really in a position of security?? Am I
not putting myself and my
family in danger merely by expressing my views?? Do
you think for a moment
that Mugabe and his Thugs do not tap my telephone and
monitor my emails??
Does this mean that I must say nothing and watch from the
sidelines???
The hundreds of other farmers who were terrorised and are
being terrorised
put themselves at risk by staying on the farms.
By
the way I live in a small rural town. Everyone in the town knows my
political
views including the CIO and the ZANU-PF thugs. I drive a stuffed
out 1984
Land cruiser. I have just bought my first and probably only house
after 30
years of work. I really do not even know how to get to Borrowdale
Brook as Mr
Mugabe lives close by and I do not want to go anywhere near
him!
I
have not made the assumptions that you live in your Mediterranean Villa
bear
Port Shepstone with your New Merc parked outside.
I don't assume that you
use your Pajero to go to Durban once a wek to do
the shopping, living off the
money that you made when you were tobacco
farming in Mvurwi, so do not make
assumptions about someone you do not
know.!!!!
I will make my views
known to whoever wants to listen and will accept any
criticism on my views,
and I will be prepared to argue my views with anyone
who feels that they have
a better point of view..
Angela, your letter is more constructive, but
once again what is your
point?? You are still in a position of vulnerability.
I hope that if one of
my friends or neighbours is attacked I will have the
courage to come
forward and assist them.
I hope that this madness will
end soon.
I hope that when the local war Vet comes to bum a donation off
you or asks
you to plough his field that you have the courage to tell him to
push off.
What kind of life do you have when you are surrounded by people
who have
been told that you are the enemy?
These poor people will only
know who the real enemy is after once he has
been removed from the
scene.
I hope that when the next election comes around that you are not
anywhere
near your property because if you are the militia will be back to
show your
workers how powerful they are and how they are able to beat up
white
farmers with impunity.
I hope that you are not there because
your workers will be forced to kill
your thoroughbred horses. If they do not
they will be branded sellouts and
they themselves will be
brutalised.
We live in towns because it is our choice. You live on a farm
because it is
your choice.
I hope & pray that you are still around
when this madness ends.
John
Kinnaird.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice
for
Agriculture.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Updated September 19, 2003
Please send any job
opportunities for publication in this newsletter to:
JAG Job Opportunities
<justice@telco.co.zw>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(ad
inserted 16 September 2003)
We have a vacancy for a
receptionist.
Applicant must be MS Word/ Excel/ e-mail literate and of a
cheerful manner.
Salary on application.
Phone Carol Livingston 305613/4
Harare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(Glen Lorne)
(ad inserted 04 September 2003)
Position for a 5-day week
mornings only handyman at Imba Matombo Hotel will
be available from 14
September 2003. Please contact Julie Webb
499013.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(ad
inserted 03 September 2003)
Wanted: Trial Balance Bookkeeper to join a
dynamic team. We are looking
for someone who is computer literate, familiar
with Excel and Word.
Knowledge of Quickbooks would be an advantage. The
person will handle all
accounting functions for the company. Duties would
include the
following: -
- Cash Book
- Daily Banking
-
Creditors
- Debtors
- Monthly Profit & Loss
- Salaries
-
Personnel Records
- Produce Sales and Finance reports
- Sales Tax, Nssa,
PAYE and other
- Stock reconciliation
- Update price lists
-
Miscellaneous typing and filing
If you are interested please contact
Trish on 703903/704008 or email
chairs@ecoweb.co.zw. Package
negotiable.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(ad
inserted 21 August 2003)
PART TIME SHOP MANAGERS REQUIRED FOR ELEMENTS
HOME AND LINEN.
PLEASE CONTACT SIAN OR TARRYN 252710-3
OR EMAIL - elements@off2africa.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(ad
inserted 21 August 2003)
Do you love children and have a passion for
teaching?
Highlands School SDA is looking for mature Junior and Infant
School
Teachers either full or part time for 2004.
We have a
reputation for providing a high standard of education in a
relaxed, fun and
lively atmosphere. We strive to maintain this excellence
and will pay top
salaries for the right people.
Please email your cv with contactable
references to bartay@mweb.co.zw with
a
brief description about yourself and why you would like to work
at
Highlands.
Alternatively post your application to
Highlands
SDA,
Highlands School,
P O Box HG 691,
Highlands,
Harare.
We
regret that we can only contact applicants who fulfill our criteria.
Help
us to educate our precious
children.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(ad
inserted 06 August 2003)
A post for a trial balance bookkeeper has become
vacant and we are
currently looking. If you know of anyone interested, I'd be
grateful if
you'd ask them to contact me on my landlines 481822/873/894/918
or by
email tanya@indigotree.co.zw to discuss.
Details of the position outlined
below.
We are looking for a Pastel
Bookkeeper to run the accounts department for
our small but busy group of
companies based in Msasa. The position would
include the following:-
*
Cash books
* Trial balance
* Profit & Loss
* Salaries monthly
(Belina)
* Wages weekly (Belina)
* Personnel records
* Sales Tax recon.
and payment
* PAYE recon. and payment
* NEC
* NSSA
* Pension
*
CIMAS
* Creditors recon. and payment
* Debtors (overseeing)
*
Filing
* Preparing books for year end
Details of package to be
disclosed on
application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(Ad
inserted 30 July 2003)
BUSINESS TO LEASE..........SMALL BUSY TEA-ROOM IN
NORTHERN SUBURBS, FULLY
EQUIPPED AND SELF CONTAINED, TO LEASE TO SOMEONE WITH
A PASSION FOR FOOD
AND PEOPLE, AND VERY LITTLE RISK INVOLVED. IDEAL TO SHARE
WITH SOMEONE.
PLEASE CONTACT JANE CALDER
04-499119.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(Ad
inserted 21 July 2003)
Personal Assistant to Managing Director of an
Accounting Company.
Very busy position. Min 5 years experience in
similar position, must be
organised and computer literate. Friendly
atmosphere and conveniently
situated offices in Mount Pleasant. Competitive
salary. Contact Bill
Ferris on
335252.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARARE
(Ad
inserted 16 July 2003)
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER with some knowledge of
photographic and hunting
tourism wanted for Associations. Varied,
interesting work. Basic computer
skills and common sense main
requirements.
Contact Mrs. S. Bown, ZATSO, Box 7241, Harare, with CV, or
e-mail to
bown@zct.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEAR
HARARE
(ad inserted 13 August 2003)
Farm to lease or
sell:
478ha (1180 acres) 55 km from Harare. Listed in Herald 9th May
2003. No
sections, invaders or settlers.
2 spacious homes, 1 with
self-contained cottage, pool and granny flat.
Store, workshops,
storerooms and facilities for tobacco / paprika / maize /
seed
maize.
Tractors, trailers, ploughs, harrows, water carts etc.
included.
No equipment for sale individually. No chancers.
Replies
by e-mail only please, to impey@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ad
inserted 05 June 2003
I own a 40 Ha smallholding with 1.6 Ha roses (new
Meilland varieties) and
some field crops.
The project has an EPZ
Licence and is in the process of being developed to
4 Ha of rose
production.
The existing manger is, sadly, migrating to South Africa and
I am therefore
looking for a suitable replacement within the next 4-6 weeks.
Rose growing
experience is strongly preferred but not necessarily a
pre-requisite.
A partnership with the right manager would be considered
in the medium
term.
Could interested applicants please contact me on
091 61 62
63.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BULAWAYO
(ad
inserted 26 July 2003)
Caretaker - Manager required for Bulawayo Power
Boat Club based at Lower
Incema Dam approx 65km's from Bulawayo on the
Johannesburg Road. Position
requires a person who can supervise labour,
attend to maintenance of water
reticulation and electrical supply, run and
man the club bar primarily over
weekends. The position comes with
accommodation and services. Interested
parties to contact the following
numbers for further details: -
R Jardin on 09880181
R Robinson on
023460817
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHEGUTU
(ad
inserted 02 September 2003)
Farm sitter urgently required from 16-30th
September 2003. Duties to
include looking after tobacco grading shed and
possible ridging to be done.
Please contact 091 321
406.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EASTERN
DISTRICT
(ad inserted 19 August 2003)
Position Vacant.
Estate
Manager for large company, Eastern Districts, to control fields,
office and
factory. Duties entail learning and enforcing all present
practices, maintain
and improve standards of production and quality. Good
prospects for the right
person seeking long-term commitment.
Qualifications: BSc Agriculture /
Horticulture; plus 8 years experience at
senior level; may consider Diploma
plus track record.
Conditions:
o Normal farm perks;
o Double-cab
with free fuel; may qualify car purchase scheme.
o Company share scheme.
o
Annual Commission on performance.
o Competitive Salary.
o Assistance with
school fees.
o Company pays 75% of CIMAS.
o Generous
Leave.
Appointment on probation for 4 months.
Submit CV to "The
Director" tangeao@samara.co.zw.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EASTERN
DISTRICT
(ad inserted 06 August 2003)
Position Vacant
A large
company in the eastern districts seeks to fill the post of Estate
Manager on
the following general terms. Appointment may be subject to a
satisfactory
report from an Industrial Psychologist.
Duties: To take control of the
estate, reporting to the overall
agricultural manager, being responsible for
field supervision, for office
control and planning, and for factory
production. These duties will entail
learning and enforcing all present
practices to maintain and improve
standards of production and quality. Later,
we would expect initiatives to
lead this enterprise to even greater
heights.
This post has good promotion prospects for the right person, as
the
incumbent gains experience and responsibilities. These duties require
a
high level of commitment and long hours of work at busy times. The
Company
works a 6-day week.
Qualifications: A BSc in Agriculture or
Horticulture; plus at least 8 years
of relevant experience, recently at a
senior management level; Capable of
commanding a large workforce through the
department managers and with
assistance from the service departments; Aged
between 32 and 45 years. A
Diploma plus excellent track record may be
considered, but demonstrable
technical and managerial expertise is
essential.
Conditions:
o Subsidised housing with lights and water, and
2 gardeners;
o A double-cab vehicle with free fuel within reason; may qualify
for the
car purchase scheme after the probation period.
o Company share
schemes allow participation in the company's fortunes.
o Annual Commission on
performance against targets of production, quality,
profitability, and
tasks.
o Competitive Salary, commensurate with qualifications and
experience.
o Pension Scheme. Employee contribution is 8%. Must meet medical
standards
in this respect.
o Schooling: assistance with school fees for up
to four children.
o Company pays 75% of CIMAS monthly rates on any scheme
level.
o Leave: 36 calendar days; plus 1 day per month `occasional'
leave.
Appointment would be on probation for 4 months, during which one
month's
notice applies. The company is looking for a long-term commitment by
a
professional seeking a career.
Suitable candidates should submit CVs
marked for attention "The Director",
to tangeao@samara.co.zw.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHIPINGE
(ad
inserted 12 July 2003)
A vacancy exists for 2 teachers - preferably a
couple at Mvurachena Primary
School in Chipinge from next term. This is a
delightful little school with
a great track record in the education and
sporting field. On campus
accommodation would be available.
For more
information please contact the headmistress on mchena@mango.zw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHIPINGE
(ad
inserted 04 July 2003)
MANAGER REQUIRED FOR COFFEE FARM IN CHIPINGE - All
coffee is under a drip
scheme and there are further plans to produce cash
crops. Knowledge of
coffee would be an advantage. Good Salary with normal
farm perks to the
right person, to start as soon as possible. Please reply
to "The
Advertiser", 31 Pendennis Road, Mount Pleasant, Harare or
616010@ecoweb.co.zw or phone
011402607
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GWERU
(ad
inserted 18 September 2003)
SITUATION VACANT / EMPLOYMENT
A very
exciting and challenging opportunity for a financial controller /
accountant
in the tourism industry
IDEALLY: We require: A couple who can both become
involved in the
business and who do not still have children at
school.
Either the husband or wife should have extensive accounting
experience and
be able to manage the accounting staff.
The company is
also involved in Christian mission and overseas student
tours throughout
Africa, conducting hunting safaris and has an export
orientated weavery
business.
The company offices, homesteads, extensive workshops and very
busy Safari
lodge/camp are based on a game park 10 kms out of
Gweru.
Enthusiastic and committed couples interested in joining us should
please
forward details to or phone me directly on 091-205956
The
position is available immediately and really is an exiting one.
We
offer:
· Company vehicle
· Company house on the game park
·
Competitive salary
· Lots of perks
ANDREW CONOLLY
ANTELOPE PARK /
AFRICAN ENCOUNTER SAFARIS
P O Box 1218, Gweru, Zimbabwe
Phone/Fax: +(263
54) 52172, 50919
E-Mail: antelope@mweb.co.zw
Web-site:
antelopepark.co.zw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
KARIBA
- TIGER BAY
(ad inserted 16 September 2003)
Lake Fresh Fisheries in
Kariba has a vacancy for the position of General
Manager with the core
business being Kapenta Fishing. Ideal for successful
farmer - minimum age 30
years. The company offers a very attractive Salary,
free vehicle for company
use, plus free house, lights and water, with 21
working days leave p/a.
Genuine applications only please
Phone 011 608 782 or 308960, or email conquest@mweb.co.zw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
KARIBA
(ad
inserted 09 September 2003)
A General Manager is wanted in Chalala,
Kariba to start work immediately.
Skills to include:
1. diesel
mechanic,
2. must be a hard worker,
3. is familiar with boats and
equipment,
4. good at labour relations,
5. preferably married as social
life is limited.
A 3-bedroomed cottage is offered for
accommodation.
Salary is substantial but negotiable.
Please
contact 061 2523 or 011 715 425 for further
information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MASVINGO
(ad
inserted 16 September 2003)
Wanted:
A farm manager / assistant for
a horticultural project situated 25 km from
Masvingo.
Please contact Mr.
P. Buchan on Buflower@zol.co.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUTORASHANGA
(ad
inserted 13 August 2003)
MATRON/NURSING SISTER FOR BARWICK
SCHOOL.
Barwick School is situated in the peaceful countryside of
Mutoroshanga
about 100km north of Harare. The school itself faces the
beautiful hills of
the Great Dyke and surrounded by the Caeser mining village
and Barwick
farming community.
We require the services of a matron, as
of the Third Term preferably
someone who has nursing experience and who has a
lot of drive, to look
after the Grade 5----7 and maintain law and order in
the top hostels.
Please contact the Headmaster on phone
no:066-8-285/091345352 or
e-mail-BarwickTrust@mango.zw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTH
AFRICA
(ad inserted 02 July 2003)
We have an immediate opening for a
Citrus Farm Manager in the Nkwaline
Valley, Natal (Empangeni area)
RSA.
We seek to recruit a dynamic person for our Citrus Production
including
general Estate matters.
The position will report to the
Managing Director of the Company and will
be part of the senior management
team.
The ideal candidate should be a team player with good
interpersonal
relationship skills who is able to make decisions and get on
with the
day-to-day business of farming. The candidate should also have the
ability
to be allowed to reside and work in RSA.
The varieties of
citrus produced on the farm are Marsh and Texas Star Ruby
Grapefruit and
Valencia oranges. It would be preferable to have citrus
experience but not
absolutely necessary, however a minimum of five years
farm management
essential.
Interested parties please contact Shaun Dearlove so that we
can discuss in
depth the position, the responsibilities and the package being
advertised
(supply a contact telephone number please).
Kindly send
your CV and a list of references, to
the following email address; postbus@ricoff.demon.nl
Marked for
the attention of Shaun
Dearlove.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOTSWANA
PRIME
CATTLE FARMS FOR SALE IN BOTSWANA
Cattle farming business in Ghanzi District,
Northwest Botswana for sale.
(The owners moving for kids schooling.)
Comprises 2 well-developed freehold
farms, measuring 10 112,06 Morg (8 660
Ha) in total, 1050 head of cattle
(cross Santa-Sussex), all necessary farming
equipment, lighting-plants,
gensets, inverter equipment managers residence,
main farm residence, staff
accommodation, workshops and storerooms etc, etc
Walk-in / walk-out deal
BWP4 500 000-00 (Approx US$ 775 000-00). All serious
offers will be
considered.
Contact Mike on (267) 72290622 or e-mail airfield@it.bw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MALAWI
(ad
inserted 03 July 2003)
A commercial Enterprise in Malawi is looking for
the services of General
Manager with the aim of establishing and developing
large scale plantation,
including cotton, seed maize, burley tobacco, and
wheat.
A successful applicant must have:
1) Extensive agricultural and
technical skills and experience in the
sub-region.
2) Experience in
greenfields establishment and development, irrigation,
3) Strong
organizational and administration skills.
4) Individual must possess
leadership and negotiating skills in line with
the running of a large-scale
agricultural business.
5) Formal qualifications essential.
Please
contact the managing director on dgiannakis@farmersworld.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MALAWI
- TOBACCO MANAGERS
Tobacco managers wanted in Malawi: 2003/4 seasons
100ha Flue cured 100ha
Maize African tobacco managers of Malawian extraction
wanting to relocate
with costs paid and paper work facilities. Malawian
Passport Holders will
obviously be given preference. Respond to JAG's email
address and we
will
forward.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOZAMBIQUE
(ad
inserted 06 July 2003)
CHIMOIO
Shareholder/s sought for farming
venture. Export fresh produce production
and potential for other cropping
activities.
· 500ha, 180ha cleared.
· Excellent water supply
· Uniform
Class 1 soils throughout
· Existing house and buildings
· Equipment
Included
Email: mahnoro@zol.co.zw
Tel: 091
602815
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NIGERIA
(ad
inserted 19 August 2003)
A cellular company is looking for a Manager for
their operations in
Nigeria. This post would suit a single male with no
children between the
ages of 30-40. This is a hostile business environment
so it requires
someone of tough character and with good business acumen as
well as the
ability to manage himself.
The salary is payable is USD
with two home return trips per year.
Accommodation is provided as well as the
use of a company car and driver.
Further details provided on application to
the candidates who fit the
company's criteria.
Applicants to email
their most current cv and a brief description of one's
capabilities to
Barbara Taylor at this address: bartay@mweb.co.zw. Or
apply in writing
to Box MP 1270, Mount Pleasant,
Harare.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UGANDA
(ad
inserted 08 September 2003)
I have been in Uganda for the last six weeks.
Whilst there, I met a Ugandan
who is a lawyer by profession, who owns three
pieces of land and who is
looking for someone to run farming operations for
him. He has 800 acres
between Entebbe and Kampala, where he is doing maize
and cattle and two
other properties of 10 square miles and two square miles
respectively, both
with potential for irrigation if necessary.
Should
you know of anyone who might be interested, I would ask that they
send
responses to the Ugandan email address for more information:
marcr@spacenet.co.ug
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZAMBIA
(ad
inserted 09 September 2003)
Mechanical Engineer required for a large
engineering firm in Lusaka. All
enquiries contact Diego Casilli in Lusaka on
dcasilli@amanita.com.zm
or
+2601286452.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZAMBIA
(ad
inserted 05 July 2003)
Assistant Manager required for an 80-hectare
tobacco project 70 km north of
Lusaka. Position available
immediately.
Please contact Mr Mike Goodwin on +260 95 702 718 (cell) or +260
1 611 222
or Agricultural Advisors International on this mail address or
phone +260 1
290
235
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMERICA
(ad
inserted 08 August 2003)
For Attn of Mr Richard Tigner
Dear Mr
Tigner,
I am contacting you in response to information given to me, and
subsequent
to a conversation with Mr John Hanley of the University of
Exeter.
We understand that you have a dairy scheme for which you are
looking for
farmers who may wish to participate, and that there have been
various trips
to Europe to recruit farmers to become engaged in the
project.
I understand also that you have been looking for people with the
funds to
invest in the opportunity as well.
You may also be aware that
there is a particularly difficult situation in
Zimbabwe (Southern Africa)
where the Govt of the day has forced 85% of the
former farmers off their land
and as a result has all but destroyed the
farming industry.
As a
charity, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust is well connected
with many
of those deposed farmers, and it may well be that some may be
interested in
opportunities you may offer. Some may have funds they could
invest, but
others would be looking for any kind of opportunity.
Please would you get
back to me with any details you may have that could be
of some interest to
these farmers.
I am copying this email to the Justice for Agriculture
Team in Zimbabwe and
I would ask that when you reply to me, you copy your
reply to them.
Thank you for your help.
Yours aye,
James
Maberly
Chairman, Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust
Dear Mr
Maberly,
I am a farm management specialist with Iowa State University, a
land grant
university established in the mid-1800's. Iowa is an important
part of the
US dairy industry, producing just under 3% of the total US milk,
number 9
in total milk processed and number 12 in milk produced per
cow.
New dairy farmers would find available feed and dairy
production
facilities. Some local crop farmers have also indicated they are
ready to
sell land for construction of a dairy facility, sell the dairy
producer
feed and use the manure produced on the dairy for crop production.
We have
begun working with some Dutch farmers in moving to the US since they
have
limited opportunities there, but for different reasons.
The most
difficult part of the process of developing a dairy here is the
immigration
process; at this time an exemption has been applied for to the
US
government's immigration service that may make immigration easier.
There are
some financial investment requirements for one visa type that may
be eased.
There is another visa type that does not put the immigrant on a
citizenship
track. An application for citizenship could take place at some
other time
however.
It is possible that we may assist the farmers you are in contact
with, but
additional information about there needs, financial resources,
skills and
goals than I currently have. Please respond to this email at
your
convenience. Thank
you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUSTRALIA
(ad
inserted 28 July 2003)
Nurse Relocation and Recruitment Services of
Australia is wishing to
discuss nursing opportunites in Regional Australia.
Regional communities
are welcoming and supportive of overseas nurses. We have
several hospital
that are willing to offer sponsorship/contracts to nurses.
There are also
retraining/upgrading opportunites available if you have not
nursed for a
while. Please contact the Director, Margaret Gaussen at
timmarg@ansonic.com.au or phone/fax +61
3 55 743
234
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For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact
justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
(updated 19 September 2003)
Sent: 19 September 2003 10:58
Subject: Why YOU should boycott the Herald and the Sunday
Mail
According to a recent BBC report,
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change has called on all readers
of and advertisers in daily newspapers in Zimbabwe to boycott
State-owned broadsheets such as The Herald and The Sunday
Mail.
Regardless of one's political affiliation
in today's Zimbabwe, and in whatever light one views the Government's economic
policies and its land redistribution exercise, one has to come to terms with the
stark realities facing us in this country - namely that there is corruption and
graft on a grand scale. Poverty and economic ruin are staring most households in
the face, unemployment is at record levels, the education and health services
are virtually non-existent in most quarters - and becoming unaffordable to even
those fortunate enough to have access to private schools and hospitals. In
short, life is becoming untenable for the vast majority of Zimbabwe's
citizens.
Bearing in mind the above, and regardless
of where one chooses to apportion blame for the miserable situation in which we
find ourselves - be it the recent drought, EU and American sanctions against
targeted individuals in the Government of Zimbabwe, Western imperialism and
neo-colonialism, sabotage of the land reform exercise by racist Rhodesian
farmers, stooges and puppets of the West, all on the one hand; or downright
economic mismanagement through still-born and reactionary policies by a ruling
clique bent on maintaining power come hell or high water, we - as ordinary
Zimbabweans - have to ask ourselves just one question:
Are the best interests of the country
served by muzzling a newspaper that offers an alternative viewpoint to that
peddled by the Government - regardless of whether The Daily News is right or
wrong in its presentation and interpretation of the prevailing
situation?
Will the closure of The Daily News and The
Daily News on Sunday be a favourable reflection of this country in the eyes of
the international community? Can we "go it alone" indefinitely, with our
so-called nationalistic fervour as our sole "raison d'ętre" and can we determine
and chart our destinies with scant regard to the laws of economics and
prevailing world opinion? There are those in Zimbabwe today who think that we
are extremely naive or misguided to believe that we can forge ahead with
policies that take little cognisance of fundamental economic laws, or the
concerns of our main benefactors.
It is precisely for this reason that it is
absolutely imperative to have a vibrant and robust independent Press. No
Government in the world has ever been best-served by a sycophantic and adulatory
group of journalists. Recent global events have borne testimony to this
assertion. Even the most dedicated, selfless and committed of world leaders are
merely human and prone to errors of judgement, which the annals of history will
recount.
In whichever country we live, and no
matter how much we respect and admire our leaders, it is incumbent upon each and
every one of us to ensure that alternative points of view are heard. It is the
articulation and dissemination of divergent points of view that help weave the
fabric of a dynamic society. After all, freedom of expression is enshrined in
our nation's constitution. We must guard that freedom and do our utmost to
ensure its entrenchment.
It is for the reasons outlined above, and
not for the sake of advocating the MDC's political agenda that I would encourage
a total boycott of all State owned and run media - by readers and advertisers
alike - until such time as alternative voices such as The Daily News and The
Daily News On Sunday are once again allowed to publish
unhindered.
H C
iafrica.com
Hurt Zim elephant waiting for red tape
Posted Fri, 19 Sep
2003
A young elephant in Zimbabwe will have to continue enduring a wire
snare on
its front leg as the red tape holding up a rescue mission is
being
unravelled.
The Wildcare Africa Trust, an organisation which is
based outside Pretoria
and which specialises in rescuing and rehabilitating
animals, has offered to
go and help the elephant.
A reporter on a boat
trip on the Kariba dam first spotted the animal and
wrote about its plight. A
photograph showed an open wound caused by the
snare.
The trust's
director, Karen Trendler, told Sapa earlier this week that her
organisation
needed the permission of the authorities before a rescue
mission could be
undertaken.
Dr Morris Mtsambiwa, director-general of the Zimbabwean Parks
and Wildlife
Authority, told Chris Piears, the trust's head of business
development, that
he was very keen on its offer.
Mtsambiwa, who had
been attending the World Parks Congress in Durban, said
he would follow up
the matter once he was back in his office.
Piears told Sapa he could not
reach Mtsambiwa on Friday, and was asked to
phone him again on
Monday.
"We are trying to get everything ready on our side so that when
we do get
permission to go, we do not have to wait any longer," he
said.Sapa
