Reuters
Tue 25 Sep
2007, 17:18 GMT
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush
on Tuesday rallied
fellow U.N. members to what he called a mission of
liberation and named
Belarus, Syria, Iran and North Korea as "brutal
regimes" that deny people
their rights.
With national representatives
seated before him on the opening day of the
U.N. General Assembly, Bush also
scolded the governments of Myanmar,
Zimbabwe and Cuba as he called for the
spread of democracy, a consistent
theme of his U.N. speeches.
"This
great institution must work for great purposes: to free people from
tyranny
and violence, hunger and diseases, illiteracy and ignorance and
poverty and
despair. Every member of the United Nations must join in this
mission of
liberation," he said.
Bush said Americans were "outraged" over human
rights abuses in Myanmar and
announced new U.S. sanctions on its military
rulers who are facing the
biggest anti-government protests in two
decades.
He criticized the Zimbabwe government headed by President Robert
Mugabe as
"tyrannical" and an "assault on its people."
"The United
Nations must insist on change in Harare and must insist for the
freedom of
the people of Zimbabwe," Bush said.
Critics accuse Mugabe of sending
Zimbabwe's once-thriving economy to a
crisis of widespread food shortages
and soaring inflation. Mugabe accuses
Western countries of sabotaging the
economy as punishment for his seizure of
white-owned farms to resettle
landless blacks.
Alluding to Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who has been ill,
Bush said his rule
of the island was "nearing its end" and said free speech
and elections
should follow a transition in power.
The comment
prompted Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque to walk out
of the U.N.
General Assembly hall in protest. Cuba's U.N. mission called
Bush's speech
"arrogant."
PROTESTERS OUTSIDE
Addressing the crisis in Sudan's
western Darfur region, which has been
ravaged by violence, Bush said the
United Nations must follow through on a
pledge to deploy peacekeeping
forces.
"In Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Iran, brutal regimes deny
their people
the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration
(of Human
Rights)," he added.
Bush praised some countries as having
"taken strides toward liberty,
including Ukraine and Georgia and Kyrgyzstan
and Mauritania and Liberia,
Sierra Leone and Morocco."
Bush repeated
U.S. criticism of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council, which he
said "has been
silent on repression by regimes from Havana to Caracas to
Pyongyang and
Tehran while focusing its criticism excessively on Israel."
U.S. foes see
Bush's "freedom agenda" as a way to bully countries which the
Bush
administration opposes.
They say that while Washington is pointing the
finger at others, it has
faced widespread condemnation for its treatment of
prisoners in Iraq and
Afghanistan and terrorism suspects at the U.S.
military prison at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba.
Outside the United Nations,
around 700 protesters chanted, "Bush and Cheney
out the door, stop the
torture, stop the wars." Many wore orange to
symbolize action, and some
carried coffins to highlight opposition to the
Iraq war.
IOL
September 25 2007 at 08:32PM
US President George Bush on Tuesday
called for increased pressure from
the international community on the
current leadership of Zimbabwe, where
millions have been forced to flee
their homes amidst a continuing oppressive
crackdown.
In
Zimbabwe, "ordinary citizens are suffering under a tyrannical
regime," Bush
told the United Nations General Assembly as it opened its main
debate
session in New York.
"The government has cracked down on peaceful
calls for reform and
forced millions to flee," Bush said.
The
leadership of President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the country
since its
independence from Britain in 1980, was "an affront" to the
principles of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 upon which
the UN was
founded.
"The United Nations must insist on change in
Harare and on freedom for
the people of Zimbabwe," Bush said. - Sapa-dpa
Reuters
Tue 25 Sep
2007, 14:25 GMT
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's parliament began debating
an empowerment bill
on Tuesday that would give blacks majority ownership of
foreign companies,
including mines and banks, a move analysts fear could
deepen the economic
crisis.
The government's introduction of the bill
in parliament last month raised
concern that it could scare away the few
foreign investors left in the
impoverished southern African
country.
Legislators from the main opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC)
kicked off debate on the bill, saying it was designed to enrich
a few
powerful individuals and win votes for President Robert Mugabe's
ruling
ZANU-PF party in parliamentary and presidential elections due next
March.
"What we are seeing is an attempt obviously to use this as a
campaign tool
to woo voters for the elections and to give money to a few
people," the
MDC's Paul Mushoriwa said at the start of the
debate.
Mugabe's government -- which critics accuse of plunging Zimbabwe
into
turmoil by seizing white-owned farms and handing them to inexperienced
black
farmers -- says the bill is part of its drive to empower the country's
poor
black majority.
Mugabe, 83 and in power since independence from
Britain in 1980, denies
mismanaging the economy and accuses the MDC of
supporting Western efforts to
topple his government in retaliation for the
land seizures.
Yahoo News
HARARE (AFP) - A Zimbabwean opposition lawmaker warned
Tuesday that a
proposed law allowing locals a majority stake in
foreign-owned firms would
further ruin the tattered economy and benefit only
the tiny elite.
"What we are seeing is that the government is
systematically destroying the
economic foundation which we inherited at
independence," from Britain in
1980, opposition Movement for Democratic
Change MP Willias Madzimure said.
"The moment this law is passed, it will be
used to enrich those already
rich. With this law we are not going to attract
foreign investment," he said
during a parliamentary debate on the
bill.
Zimbabwe's economy has steadily declined over the past seven years,
characterised by inflation running well past the 6,000-percent mark, with at
least 80 percent of the population living below the poverty
threshold.
The draft Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Bill has
raised fears
among foreign-owned companies operating in Zimbabwe that they
will lose
control of their firms.
Indigenisation and Empowerment
Minister Paul Mangwana told parliament: "We
are simply redressing colonial
imbalances.
"When our people participate in the mainstream economy they
will stick it
out no matter the hardships. They will not go
anywhere."
He said the indigenisation programme would not be done
haphazardly but said
the process would be gradual and in consultation with
businesses.
Multi-national firms which may be affected by the new policy
include
Barclays Bank, Bindura Nickel Corporation and mining giant Rio
Zim.
President Robert Mugabe has warned that his government would seize
and
nationalise firms he said were profiteering excessively in a bid to
incite
Zimbabweans to revolt against the state.
allAfrica.com
25
September 2007
Posted to the web 25 September 2007
South Africa's
Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Tuesday made a new attack on human
rights
violations in Zimbabwe. He said in a statement he was "devastated" by
the
"horrific" conditions in the country.
Citing low life expectancy,
deteriorating health facilities, hunger, and
joblessness, Tutu called on
Africans and the world to pay attention to the
situation in the troubled
country.
Reports of torture, unlawful detentions, and attacks on
political opponents
are "reminiscent of our experiences at the hands of
apartheid police," Tutu
said.
Referring to recent attempts at peace
talks led by South African President
Thabo Mbeki, Tutu said "The extent to
which the crisis could have been
mitigated through more efficient economic
management is a matter for debate
by people better-qualified than me" but
that there is "no debate" that
"human rights violations. are on the
increase." The rights violations "must
stop now."
The world must act
on the African concept of ubuntu, or "inter-dependency"
by working to end
the crisis, he said. "Zimbabwe's plight is all of our
plight. To ignore its
suffering is to condone it."
Mail and Guardian
Ignatius Banda
24 September 2007
06:00
Sithabile Khuzwayo is one of many women who bring
groceries and
clothing from across the borders of neighbouring Botswana and
South Africa
to sell at the flourishing flea markets of Zimbabwe's
second-largest city,
Bulawayo.
She said the hostility of
Botswana's locals to Zimbabwean
traders has made buying wares in Botswana
risky. ''Before the problems began
in Zimbabwe, we could move around without
attracting any trouble, but now we
have become targets. Some traders are
mugged and their goods taken by the
Batswana.''
The
30-year-old Khuzwayo complains that ''the exchange rates are
so volatile it
has become difficult to price my wares to, at least, show a
bit of
profit''.
The city's markets have become centres of trade and
finance
where cross-border traders sell their wares and also source foreign
exchange. For many residents struggling in a harsh economic environment amid
growing shortages of basic commodities, cross-border traders have become the
only suppliers of food.
Apart from groceries, cheap
clothing from Botswana is the other
essential product being sold in
Bulawayo's flea markets.
The dire economic circumstances have
attracted thousands of
women to informal trade in Bulawayo, a city of more
than two-million people.
Recently even professionals such as teachers and
nurses have joined in to
survive.
The scarcity of foreign
currency in Zimbabwe has meant that
these small enterprises operate below
capacity. It has forced cross-border
traders to turn to the thriving illegal
parallel market.
At the Plumtree border post, where thousands
of Zimbabweans
cross into Botswana each week, traders say it is becoming
increasingly
difficult to move goods. Groceries are now in short supply
after a
government decree forced retailers to slash prices by half. This has
left
supermarket shelves empty.
There was panic last
month when the Zanu-PF government announced
it was banning the importation
of groceries from neighbouring countries as
part of its price blitz against
retailers. Without explanation, the
government accused traders of fuelling
the shortages of scarce basic
commodities.
The
authorities reversed the directive after a public outcry.
The selling of
commodities such as cooking oil, maize meal, shoes and
clothing from
Botswana in the streets of Bulawayo shows that informal
cross-border trade
continues despite the hardships faced by the thousands of
women who have
found a lifeline in this sector.
Traders point to the high
import tariffs charged by Zimbabwean
customs as one of the reasons for
bringing limited volumes of goods into the
country.
Zimbabwe and Botswana have signed a bilateral agreement on the
avoidance of
double taxation as part of what Zimbabwe sees as a move to
bolster trade
across the borders. However, Zimbabwean authorities are still
making life
difficult for small-scale cross-border traders.
From VOA News, 24 September
By Carole
Gombakomba
Washington - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe will make
use of his
opportunity to address the United Nations General Assembly on
Wednesday to
tell the gathering that Western targeted sanctions on his
government are
illegal and should be lifted. Zimbabwe's UN ambassador,
Boniface
Chidyausiku, said President Mugabe will make the case to the
assembly that
the US Zimbabwe Democracy Act has prevented international
institutions and
private investors from bringing capital to Zimbabwe.
Chidyausiku said that
if the United States, Britain and other Western
nations sincerely want to
help the Zimbabwean people, they should stop
shedding "crocodile tears" and
lift the sanctions, which he said are the
main cause of growing poverty. US
and other Western officials have often
stated that the sanctions target
President Mugabe and senior officials of
his government and the ruling Zanu
PF party, barring them from travelling in
countries setting such sanctions,
and allowing assets in those countries to
be frozen if identified. The
sanctions also prohibit commerce with
Zimbabwean companies controlled by
individuals on the sanctions
list.
US, British, Australian and other officials are also at pains to
note that
their countries provide millions in food assistance and help in
fighting the
HIV/AIDS pandemic. Mugabe's critics say misgovernance and
corruption led to
economic collapse, more specifically chaotic land
redistribution that
destabilized the key farming sector. Chidyausiku told
VOA that his country
will present its case against the sanctions alongside
Cuba when Havana
addresses the impact of the US embargo on commerce with the
island nation.
Zimbabwean analyst Chido Makunike said Mr. Mugabe and his
government need to
move beyond blaming the problems in the country on the
Western sanctions and
focus on the reasons for the sanctions and ways in
which they can work
around them. Makunike said that urging the UN to lift
the sanctions "is a
waste of time" as it is not in a position to so so, thus
the appeal is a
mere "emotional sounding board." UN sources said President
Mugabe arrived in
New York on Sunday. He left Harare late Friday and had
been scheduled to
make a stopover in Cairo.
I have received a number of enquiries
over the past week, asking if
I am about to enter into politics, or if I am
considering standing
for the Presidency of Zimbabwe.
I should like to
make it clear that in the Catholic Church we have
a rule against the clergy
getting into party politics or taking on
civil duties.
Moreover, I
personally have not the slightest interest in entering
into politics, and I
know nothing about politics. I am a clergyman,
and my passion is to work for
the Church. As such I shall continue
to stand up in defence of human rights
which are part of the gospel
of Christ.
We have had bad experiences in
Zimbabwe when clergy become
politicians. When they have to follow a
particular party political
line, their Christian values become compromised.
Also, I have seen
that many politicians are concerned chiefly with the
accumulation
of power and wealth, rather than with alleviating the suffering
of
their people.
My passion is for evangelisation, and as such, Fr
Martin Schupp,
Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo, has
asked
me to take up the role of Pastoral Director in the Archdiocese.
This
includes coordinating pastoral work, pastoral structures,
training and
courses for pastoral workers. In this work I shall
work to assist people in
coming closer to God, and this includes
promoting human rights and defending
the disadvantaged.
I shall continue to speak out for human rights – that
is non-
negotiable. Come rain or high water, in a situation where there
is
gross oppression, as in Zimbabwe, I shall continue to speak out.
This
is part of the prophetic role of the Church – to stand up and
strongly defend
the human rights of the poor and oppressed people.
Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe 25 September 2007
===================
Fr Nigel Johnson
SJ
on behalf of the Social Communications Office, Archdiocese
of
Bulawayo
Tel/Fax + 263 9 884858 / 881009 / 881020
mobile: + 263
11 209718
home: + 263 9 242857
http://www.morningmirror.africanherd.com
I do not think anyone can really
understand the seriousness of Bulawayo's
water problems,
until they see
for themselves one of the queues at the water bowsers, like
the one
in
Emakandeni on Saturday.
We drove past an Ingwebu Bowser at 2 p.m.
The queue snaked across the bare
sandy
soccer field, like a lazy boa
constrictor. Women, men and children were
walking towards
the field from
every which way. Hundreds of them, thousands of them. Each
carrying
as
large a bucket as one could possibly carry.
Ingwebu Breweries was
once a popular Bulawayo City Council beer outlet. The
Council
boasted a
number of Beer Tankers which would deliver copious quantities of
the
popular
thick rich potent liquid to beer halls across the city.
Now
the tankers carry something much more precious, - water - destined for
the
City's
high density suburbs, where there is no water at all, for days on
end.
Beer sales have come to an end, largely because the people can no
longer
afford this
luxury but mainly because the City's five supply dams
have all but dried up,
and without
the bowser water deliveries, people
would simply die of thirst.
Bulawayo has a population of one and a half
million people. It is not a
rural village, it is a
large sophisticated
industrial, city with sophisticated water needs.
It is possibly a
blessing that the City's industry and economy is virtually
at a
standstill
since the price freeze two months ago, as there is not enough
water to
quench the thirst
of the people, let alone quench any sort of
heavy industrial thirst.
Water supplies have dried up to twice a week in
the eastern suburbs, to
almost a trickle in
other suburbs like Tshabalala
where bore-holes have been drilled by the
European Union,
and pumps have
been installed. However water supplies are just non existent
in
suburbs
like Emakandeni, Nketa, and Nkulumane.
On our way back past
the Ingwebu Bowser some three hours later, we saw the
most
incredible
sight. The bowser had gone for re-filling, but there snaking
across the
dusty
playing field, like a giant anaconda, was a bucket snake. A solemn
queue of
buckets,
placed neatly in line, like tiny round colourful cars
in a fuel queue.
There must be honour amongst buckets as few of them were
manned, over a
kilometre of
blue, yellow, red and green buckets, waiting
patiently, neatly, thirstily
for the Ingwebu
Bowser.
The line at
the Tshabalala pumps were as long if not longer. Swarms of
children
would
happily volunteer to man the pumps ....... up down up down, water
gushing
into buckets,
containers, drums and pots. The line of women
swaying with that elegant
balancing gait,
to and from the pumps was
endless, disappearing into the distance, as the
pumps are few
and far
between.....
I wondered sadly, as I drove back to my haven in the Eastern
Suburbs, where
our borehole
is prolific if unpalatable, if the water from
the bowsers tasted of beer ?
I also wondered how these folk were managing
to flush their toilets......
The majority of the
people of the City of
Bulawayo live in the western areas where there is no
water at all
coming
out of the taps, and none at all to flush down the sewers ......
Twenty
litres per family per day, for drinking, bathing, washing, and
cooking is
surely
hardly enough to maintain even the slightest semblance of
hygiene.
Our life expectancy has dropped sharply since "Independence"
from 65 to 39
years !!
Can you imagine the awful, terrible havoc this
lack of water is going to
cause amongst a
people already weakened by HIV
AIDS, lack of proper nutrition, and right
now. lack of food
of any sort
at all, since the government crackdown on prices.?
The Scotsman
Tue 25 Sep 2007
SOUTHERN African countries yesterday lined up behind Robert Mugabe
in a row
over whether the Zimbabwean president would be invited to an
EU-Africa
summit in December, saying they would boycott the event if he is
banned.
The meeting in Lisbon would be the first in seven years. Plans
for an
EU-Africa summit in 2003 were put on hold after Britain and other EU
states
refused to attend if Mr Mugabe did. They accuse him of rights
abuses.
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said last week it would be
inappropriate
for him to attend if Mr Mugabe were present because the
Zimbabwean leader
would divert attention from important aspects of the
agenda.
But leaders of the African Union (AU) and the Southern African
Development
Community (SADC) have warned the summit could be scuttled if the
Zimbabwean
leader is not invited.
The Mozambican foreign affairs
minister, Alcide Abreu, said her government
agreed that Mr Mugabe must be
invited. "We support the position taken by the
leadership of these bodies
[SADC and AU]," she said.
"The SADC position is that of non-participation
if one of the region's
leaders, namely president Robert Mugabe, is not
invited," said an SADC
spokeswoman, Leefa Martin.
Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET)
Date: 25 Sep
2007
Executive summary
- Food security has deteriorated in most of
the country, particularly in the
southern and western areas worst affected
by drought during the 2006/07
agricultural season (Figure 1). In addition to
drought, hyperinflation,
price controls, fuel shortages, and economic
collapse underlie Zimbabwe's
worsening food crisis.
- Over the next
six months, the most likely food security scenario is a
worsening of the
crisis, affecting increasing numbers of people through the
hunger season
(October 2007 to March 2008). But, the combination of
government imports,
international food aid and a normal 2008 agricultural
season will likely
mitigate the worst consequences of the crisis, preventing
widespread
starvation.
- However, if the government is unable to address the
national food deficit
and food aid deliveries are limited, a worst case
scenario with more
widespread and extreme food insecurity, affecting a large
proportion of
rural and urban populations of the country will quickly
emerge.
Current food security situation
A combination of drought,
lack of irrigation, seeds and other inputs, spare
parts for machinery and
fuel resulted in an inadequate and poor harvest from
the main 2006/07
agricultural season. This harvest provided only 45 percent
of Zimbabwe¡¯s
cereal needs, leaving the country with an import requirement
of over 610,000
MT. Every province in the country is expected to face a
cereal deficit this
year. The worst-affected provinces are the traditionally
grain-deficit
provinces of Matabeleland and Masvingo ¨C both hard hit by
drought. Most
households in these areas have run out of their own food
stocks and are
already reliant on inadequate and erratic maize supplies
through the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB), the government parastatal with a
monopoly on maize
sales and distribution.
The Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ), as well as
humanitarian organizations are
making efforts to close this cereal gap. A
contract of 400,000 metric tons
(MT) of maize has been secured with the
Government of Malawi. About 29
percent of this had been delivered by late
August 2007. Humanitarian
organizations also plan to import 352,000 MT of
food. While so far only six
percent of this humanitarian food aid has been
delivered, the bulk of it is
expected to arrive between September and
December 2007. With these food
delivery mechanisms, the country still faces
a cereal gap of 111,135 MT,
which, given the GoZ¡¯s past performance, is
likely to be filled ¨C
especially since there are elections in early
2008.
Hyperinflation continues to erode the purchasing power of most
households in
urban and rural areas, putting food prices out of reach for
most households.
In April 2007, inflation stood at over 3,700 percent; by
the end of June
2007 it was about 7,250 percent and in July it had reached
7,630 percent.
Economists predict that the rate of inflation will continue
to rise for the
rest of the year.
Until July 2007, maize grain prices
on the open market and in
farmer']to']farmer transactions increased
gradually, but in July maize
prices shot up because of increased demand and
diminished supply. In August
2007, the highest maize prices were recorded in
Matebeland, Masvingo and
Manicaland provinces, where supplies of maize were
most limited.
Urban populations continue to face higher prices than rural
populations.
Unlike Harare, which is in close proximity to surplus supply
areas, the
cities of Bulawayo, Hwange, Kariba and Tsholosho recorded
dramatic increases
in open market maize grain prices between June and August
2007. Maize prices
rose by between 20 and 33 times during this period in
these urban areas,
compared to a national average maize price increase of
just 8 percent.
In an attempt to slow inflation, the GoZ implemented
price controls on an
array of basic commodities in June 2007. The result was
a dramatic decline
in food availability and access, particularly in urban
areas. Prior to the
price controls, most basic goods, including maize meal,
were available on
formal and parallel markets, albeit at exorbitant and
rapidly rising prices.
Since the implementation of the June price controls,
however, markets
throughout the country have experienced serious shortages
of basic
commodities, including bread, maize meal, cooking oil, rice, beef,
chicken
and milk. These shortages have been most profound in urban markets,
where
sporadic deliveries of basic goods are met with long lines, and not
everyone
makes it into stores before stocks run out.
Price controls
have significantly reduced, and, in some cases, wiped out
profit margins for
producers of the controlled products, making these
enterprises nonviable.
While the GoZ made some upward revisions of
controlled prices in August
2007, these revisions have not increased
supplies of the targeted
commodities.
Shortages of basic commodities are having the biggest impact
on the poor,
who, because of their limited purchasing power, are forced to
make frequent
purchases of smaller amounts of food, and are not able to buy
in bulk when
commodities become available. While basic goods can still be
found on the
parallel markets at a substantially higher cost, these markets
are
constantly disrupted by more frequent police raids. Not only is the food
crisis in urban areas one of access, it has now become an availability
crisis as well.
Protracted economic decline has taken its toll on the
country'fs
infrastructure. The national road network continues to
deteriorate. Water
and electricity supply cuts are increasingly frequent,
with some sections of
major cities like Harare and Bulawayo going for more
than one week without
electricity or water.
Consequently, the use of
wood for fuel and untreated water collected from
makeshift wells has
increased. Issues such as uncollected refuse, burst
sewage pipes and
untreated sewage flowing in the open in densely populated
residential areas
are increasingly common in all the major urban areas of
Zimbabwe. As a
result, the risk of serious health epidemics is increasing to
alarming
levels.
The Herald (Harare) Published by
the government of Zimbabwe
25 September 2007
Posted to the web 25
September 2007
Harare
AT least 1 000 tonnes of wheat, the first
consignment of the 36 000 tonnes
that was being held in Mozambique, has
arrived in Zimbabwe after Government
secured foreign currency to pay the
supplier.
This arrival of the wheat is expected to significantly improve
supplies and
ease shortages of bread and confectionery.
Chairman
of the National Taskforce on Food Procurement and Distribution and
Minister
of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement Cde Didymus Mutasa yesterday
said the
wheat had arrived in the country.
"I confirm that the first batch of 1
000 tonnes has arrived at the Grain
Marketing Board Grain silos and we are
expecting more deliveries soon," Cde
Mutasa said.
Cde Mutasa said GMB
should today start distributing the wheat to millers
across the
country.
"We expect the GMB to start distributing the wheat so that
milling starts as
soon as possible to ease bread shortages," said Cde
Mutasa.
National Railways of Zimbabwe -- which is transporting the grain
--
confirmed the arrival of the consignment, adding that it would play its
part
by expediting the transportation of the wheat to ease bread
shortages.
"I confirm that we are transporting the wheat from Mozambique
to GMB grain
silos in Chegutu. So far we have moved at least 1 000 tonnes,"
NRZ public
relations manager Mr Fanuel Masikati said.
The 36 000
tonnes of wheat have been held in Beira, Mozambique, while the
international
grain supplier awaited payment.
Zimbabwe is presently facing foreign
currency shortages owing to the illegal
economic sanctions imposed by the
West that have seen lines of credit and
balance of payment support being cut
off.
Wheat shortages had forced some of the major bakeries such as
Lobel's Bread,
Bakers Inn and Marondera-based Proton Bakers to scale down
operations,
worsening bread shortages in the process.
A Lobel's Bread
official yesterday said they were expecting deliveries by
tomorrow in line
with promises by Government.
"We are expecting deliveries by Wednesday.
So call on Wednesday we will give
you an update," Lobel's operations manager
Mr Lemmy Chikomo said.
Zimbabwe consumes at least 400 000 tonnes of wheat
annually but yields have
been declining in recent years, forcing Government
to import the bulk of the
wheat to meet national
requirements.
Government last week increased the producer price of wheat
from $217 933 to
$42 million per tonne as it seeks to bring back viability
to wheat
producers.
The new price will be effected on all deliveries
beginning this marketing
season, which begins in October.
Jamaica Observer
Editorial
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
When
Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks, people listen. For, aside from being
the
1984 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, he is widely regarded, and
respected, as the moral conscience of South Africa, a country that for
decades subjected the majority of its people to apartheid, one of the most
dehumanising systems of government.
Archbishop Tutu, given his
respect for the right
of individuals to choice and free speech, as well as
his unwavering belief
that every human being is born equal, played a pivotal
role in the anti-
apartheid struggle.
His was one of the unyielding
voices challenging the evil regime, eventually
forcing White Pretoria to
dismantle its repressive policy of racial
segregation.
Of course,
Archbishop Tutu and his countrymen, particularly those who formed
the
African National Congress, who waged this unrelenting battle against
apartheid, received considerable help from the international community,
which maintained sanctions against South Africa, even in the face of strong
opposition from the United States and Britain.
We raise the
archbishop's antecedents in the context of his call last week
for Britain to
toughen its stance against President Robert Mugabe who,
through his despotic
rule of Zimbabwe, has plunged that country into its
worst humanitarian,
political and economic crisis ever.
"Quiet diplomacy", Archbishop Tutu
quite rightly told Britain's ITV
television network in an interview, has
failed to bring an end to the misery
President Mugabe has brought to his
very own people.
The archbishop was very critical of his own president,
Mr Thabo Mbeki, and
other African leaders who have used this 'soft
diplomacy' as an excuse for
their vacillation on the question of
Zimbabwe.
For the truth is that President Mbeki and his counterparts have
stood by and
allowed Mr Mugabe to abuse Zimbabweans' human rights,
crackdown
on dissent and run the Zimbabwean economy into
the
ground.
Last week, an Associated Press story informed us that the
International
Crisis Group, an organisation based in Brussels, reported that
Zimbabwe "is
closer than ever to complete collapse" as four out of
five
of Zimbabwe's 12 million people live below the poverty
line.
Inflation, which in July was estimated at 7,600 per cent, has been
projected
to hit 100,000 per cent by the end of this year, according to the
International Monetary Fund.
Add to that huge power and fuel
shortages, Government-introduced price
controls that have done nothing more
than leave supermarket shelves empty
and an exchange rate of 30,000
Zimbabwean dollars to one US dollar and one
gets a picture of the hardship
that the Mugabe administration has brought on
this country.
The cruel
irony is that during the iniquitous rule of the racist Ian Smith
Government
over the then Rhodesia, Mr Mugabe was a champion of the very
freedoms that
he now represses with an iron fist.
We in Jamaica feel betrayed by Mr
Mugabe, as this country was vocal in its
support of what he and his freedom
fighters stood for, so much so that our
very own Bob Marley was invited to
perform at Zimbabwe's Independence
celebrations.
Last month, we
commented on Caricom's timidity to speak out against what is
happening in
Zimbabwe. Since then, we still have not heard a single word on
this issue
from the region.
It is important, we believe, that Caricom takes
a
leaf out of Archbishop Tutu's book and clearly states its position on
Zimbabwe before the Caribbean/African Union summit scheduled for South
Africa next month.
New Zimbabwe
By Staff Reporter
Last updated: 09/25/2007
19:40:22
ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe last Tuesday cancelled a
scheduled
official visit to Bulawayo, the country's second largest city, due
to
"security reasons", Zanu PF and intelligence sources confirmed.
He
was scheduled to officially open a small to medium scale enterprise
development centre along George Silundika Street, between Sixth and Leopold
Takawira Avenues, on Wednesday morning.
Two big tents were pitched
along G. Silundika Street on Monday and Tuesday,
and the roads in adjacent
avenues were closed to traffic for the two days.
Sources said an
instruction came at about 7pm on Tuesday that the event had
been cancelled,
but could not be relayed to all stakeholders on time,
resulting
in some
of them making it to the venue on Wednesday morning.
Others proceeded to
the airport to "welcome" the President, only to be told
that he was no
longer coming.
A high ranking Zanu PF official in Bulawwayo said the
Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) had ordered the event to be
cancelled over security
issues which they did not disclose.,
"We
don't know really what those security issues are," the official told The
New
Zimbabwe.
A security source said the "safety of the President could not
be guaranteed",
but would not say more.
There are reports that there
were plans by a faction of the feuding Zanu PF
executive in Bulawayo
province to demonstrate against Mugabe over his
alleged "soft spot" for
Jabulani Sibanda, the controversial leader of the
war veterans who was
expelled from the party but now seems to have been
given a prominent role by
the 84-year-old leader to drum up support for his
re-election next
year.
Another Zanu PF official said: "Some people planned to demonstrate
against
that. If that failed, they planned to cause drama at the President's
pre-event briefing by speaking up against the President's co-operation with
Sibanda."
The source added that the mood in the party over the
Sibanda issue was so
tense that the Zanu PF old guard in Matabeleland is
saying Mugabe must
choose between them and Sibanda.
"The CIO sensed
that the President could find himself in an embarrassing
situation and
advised him not to come."
Sibanda was expelled from the party for his
involvement in the infamous
so-called 'Tsholotsho Declaration' where a group
of politicians aligned to
Emmerson Mnangagwa were accused of plotting a
"smart coup" to remove some
top leaders at the party's December 2004
conference.
Sibanda is now back in Mugabe's favour, and recently led
pro-Mugabe
demonstrations by war veterans in Harare.
Analysts say
Mugabe has patched up his differences with the Mnangagwa camp
to shield him
from another faction led by Vice President Joice Mujuru.
Several cabinet
ministers and other high ranking government officials had
already arrived in
Bulawayo from Harare for the event.
Police officers had spent most of the
previous week rehearsing traffic
control at intersections all the way from
the airport to town, while
security agents also perfected their
operations.
The exhibition centre is housed on the first floor of a
building which used
to be owned by Geddes Ltd, a division of pharmaceutical
giant CAPS Holdings.
The company has scaled down operations in the
city.
The centre accommodates 60 back-yard companies who manufacture an
assortment
of items such as clothing, bed linen, furniture, washing
detergents,
crochet, curios, among others.
It is the brainchild of
Sithembiso Nyoni, the Minister responsible for SMEs.
It has been operating
for about three months.
"We were all happy that the President would
officially open the centre. That
would give the centre publicity and attract
customers. Right now we are
struggling
because people don't know about
the centre," said an operator interviewed on
Sunday.
Sources said
Mugabe also cancelled the opening of a national SMEs expo in
Harare, which
was supposed to be done on Thursday.
"The idea was that he was supposed
to open the Bulawayo one and then proceed
to open the Harare one. We are
told he is going to do the ceremonies in the
near future," said a
source.
Islamic Republic News Agency
UN Headquarters, New York, Sept 25, IRNA
President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad of Iran and his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert
Mugabe here on
Monday reviewed avenues to bolster all-out bilateral
relations.
The
meeting was held on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the United
Nations
General Assembly.
Underlining the need for unity of the developing states
against the US and
British neocolonialism, he called for further activiation
of various groups
such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Group 15 and Group
77 in order to
develop the United Nations.
The Iranian president
further appreciated the active presence of Zimbabwe in
the NAM Ministerial
Meeting on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity held in
Tehran early
September.
For his part, President Mugabe, criticized the unilateralist
approach and
misuse of the UN Security Council by the bullying powers, and
urged the
developing states to confront such approaches by the big
powers.
The two presidents underscored the need for formation of a joint
economic
commission.
Ahmadinejad, heading a high-ranking delegation,
arrived in New York on
Monday to take part in the UN General Assembly
session.
During his stay in New York, the president is scheduled to
address the
assembly and hold talks with the UN secretary general as well as
presidents
and senior officials of several countries on the sidelines of the
UN
meeting.
Ambassador-Designate to the Republic of
Zimbabwe
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Mr.
Chairman, Members of the Committee:
It is an honor and a
privilege for me to appear before you today as
President Bush's nominee to
be Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe. I
appreciate the confidence that
the President and Secretary Rice have in me
by putting my name forward for
your consideration. If confirmed, I look
forward to working with the
administration, this Committee, and the Congress
in advancing U.S. interests
and in helping our efforts to put Zimbabwe back
on the path of democracy and
economic prosperity.
Although Zimbabwe once enjoyed a sound
economy and vibrant democratic
institutions, the country today is suffering
under authoritarian misrule.
The Government continues to commit unspeakable
human rights abuses while
enforcing policies that have produced economic
collapse, food shortages, and
the destruction of once strong judicial,
financial, health and educational
institutions. Regional stability is
threatened as the people of Zimbabwe
flee their rapidly disintegrating
country to neighboring countries. If
confirmed, I would continue our
government's efforts in assisting the people
of Zimbabwe in their pursuit of
a democratically elected government that
respects human rights and the rule
of law. Such a government could promote
the welfare of its people by
implementing the economic reforms needed to
bring prosperity to Zimbabwe and
contribute to regional growth and
stability.
In
undertaking this assignment, I would call on my years of experience in
Africa and elsewhere, representing the United States and working to promote
democratic values. During my 26 years in the Foreign Service, I have served
as Ambassador to Swaziland, Madagascar, and the Comoros. In these and other
assignments, I sought to strengthen our bilateral relations while advancing
U.S. interests by pressing for democratic reforms. I worked closely with
pro-democracy civil society organizations in Swaziland to help write and
eventually enact the first constitution that country had seen in over thirty
years. In Madagascar, I helped the country to prepare for and implement
successfully free and fair elections following the election crisis of 2001.
I would work diligently to strengthen pro-democracy organizations in
Zimbabwe. I strongly believe that there is a deep reservoir of democratic
knowledge, capacity, and desire in Zimbabwe that needs continuing support to
challenge the government to enact democratic reforms and to keep hope alive
that change is possible.
Mr. Chairman, it must be stated
that while the prospects for democratic
transformation in Zimbabwe are very
challenging, we remain strongly
committed to facilitating peaceful change.
Our goal must be that the
presidential and parliamentary elections take
place as scheduled for next
year and meet international standards. However,
unless the Government of
Zimbabwe quickly establishes conditions for a free
and fair election and
rigorously implements a level playing field, the
presidential and
parliamentary elections scheduled for next year will not
reflect the will of
the Zimbabwean people. It is imperative that there be a
substantial period
of time for all candidates to campaign on a level playing
field.
Still, we must continue our efforts. Abandoning the
people of Zimbabwe to
the worst effects of their government's misrule is not
in America's
interests. Returning Zimbabwe to a democratic state with a
strong economy is
necessary to promote regional stability and economic
growth. Therefore, we
must use the tools at our disposal to achieve the
results we seek. The
Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act and our
targeted sanctions
program have increased the pressure on those individuals
that have
undermined democracy and prosperity. We are working with
like-minded members
of the international community to increase this
pressure. We must continue
to lend our support to regional efforts to
pressure the Government of
Zimbabwe to enact needed reforms. The United
States strongly supports the
Southern African Development Community's (SADC)
initiative to resolve the
political and economic crisis, but the Government
of Zimbabwe continues its
repression and intimidation of civil society,
religious organizations,
businesspeople, and political groups. It is
essential now more than ever for
the United States to continue its support
for civil society and
pro-democratic elements in Zimbabwe. We need to play a
major role in
ensuring that these organizations survive the current
repression to
participate in Zimbabwe's eventual
recovery.
We must also continue our humanitarian assistance
to the Zimbabwean people
and ensure that it reaches the people in need. In
fiscal year 2007, United
States food aid amounted to over $170 million.
Today the United States is
helping to feed nearly one-in-five Zimbabweans.
Non-food aid humanitarian
assistance is approximately $5.1 million, and
HIV/AIDS programs were
increased to $31 million in fiscal year 2007. This
funding is helping to
deliver anti-retroviral treatment to 40,000
Zimbabweans. These actions
demonstrate the generosity and compassion of the
American people.
Resolution of Zimbabwe's political and
economic crisis would stem the flow
of migrants seeking a better life
outside Zimbabwe. It would restore
Zimbabwe's contribution to regional
economic growth and enable the country
to feed itself, rather than depending
on international handouts. With a
democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe, SADC
could be a stronger instrument of
regional economic development, providing
opportunities for African growth
and for U.S. private
investment.
Zimbabwe is at an increasingly difficult point in
its history. I welcome the
opportunity to take on the challenges that will
be faced by the next U.S.
ambassador to Zimbabwe. If confirmed, I will do my
best to protect Americans
and American interests while working to help the
people of Zimbabwe restore
their country to a democratic and prosperous
member of the international
community. Mr. Chairman and Members of the
Committee, I thank you for this
opportunity to appear before you today. I am
happy to answer any questions
you might
have.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
The Zimbabwean
A trip to the rural areas in
Mashonaland East last week was yet another
shocking reality check on the
human suffering caused by One Man and His
Party. I saw so many thin people
with dull eyes and dull skins, children not
in school because there is no
money for fees.... and so their suffering
continues.
I would like to
draw attention to two articles in the Genocide Convention -
Zimbabwe is a
signatory to this Convention! My comments are in brackets.
There are two
salient articles in the Convention:
Article II: In the present
Convention, genocide means any of the following
acts committed with intent
to destroy, in whole or in part, a national,
ethnical, racial or religious
group, as such:
Killing members of the group; (over 300 MDC members
murdered since 1999)
causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the
group; (it is
estimated that approx. 70% of Zimbabweans are acutely
stressed)
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated
to bring
about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (Gukuruhundi
Genocide
Matabeleland 1982 over 25,000 people brutally tortured and
murdered;
Operation Murambatsvina where over 700,000 peoples homes were
raised to the
ground; the mass evictions of farmers and their
employees)
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the
group;
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. (forcing
young
people - some as young as 15 - into Militia camps for training in
violence
and torture).
Article III: The following acts shall be
punishable:
Genocide;
Conspiracy to commit genocide; (Zanu PF Minister
Didymus Mutasa's infamous
quote that "we would be better off without those 6
million people who don't
support the party".
Direct and public incitement
to commit genocide; (Pres Mugabe "go out and
bash them" the oppostion,
students, unions)
Attempt to commit genocide;
Complicity in genocide.
The following are acts of genocide when committed as part of a policy to
destroy a group's existence:
Killing members of the group includes
direct killing and actions causing
death.
Causing serious bodily or
mental harm includes inflicting trauma on members
of the group through
widespread torture, rape, sexual violence, forced or
coerced use of drugs,
and mutilation.
Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to
destroy a group
includes the deliberate deprivation of resources needed for
the group's
physical survival , such as clean water, food, clothing, shelter
or medical
services.
Deprivation of the means to sustain life can be
imposed through confiscation
of harvests, blockade of foodstuffs, detention
in camps, forcible relocation
or expulsion into deserts.
Prevention of
births includes involuntary sterilization, forced abortion,
prohibition of
marriage, and long-term separation of men and women intended
to prevent
procreation.
Forcible transfer of children may be imposed by direct force or
by through
fear of violence, duress, detention, psychological oppression or
other
methods of coercion . The Convention on the Rights of the Child
defines
children as persons under the age of 14 years.
It is must be
noted that only the "prevention of births..." second last
bullet point has
not applied in Zimbabwe. ALL THE OTHERS HAVE, AND ARE
STILL TAKING
PLACE.
So why may I ask, is SADC, especially South Africa, as well as the
rest of
the supposedly civilised world, standing back while this is taking
place?
Where is the black brother/sisterhood? Does it only apply President
to
President? Does it matter not that a conservatively estimated 3500
Zimbabweans are dying every week, HIV and starvation.
I sincerely
hope that the current UN Secretary General will not have to make
the same
apology, to Zimbabweans, as his predecessor did over the Ruwanda
Genocide.
Perhaps the apology could be made now, as the Genocide in Zimbabwe
is an
ongoing exercise.
By Henry Makiwa
25 September
2007
Bulawayo's water crisis has continued to worsen following
revelations
Tuesday that Zimbabwe's second largest city has been hit by a
diarrhoea
outbreak.
New figures released by Bulawayo's authorities
indicate that the city has
recorded 431 diarrhoea cases since the beginning
of this month, up from 350
diarrhoea and two dysentery cases in August. The
outbreak has been
attributed to the acute water shortages that are
aggravating the health
problems of the city's 1.5 million
residents.
Bulawayo Mayor, Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube, insisted Tuesday that
the council is
making "every effort" to ensure those who have contracted
diarrhoea receive
treatment, and he took a swipe at government for
neglecting the city.
Ndabeni-Ncube said: "We are hoping to avoid cholera
because its difficult to
control, but as of now we are doing everything to
contain the diarrhoea
cases. The situation is critical and as water levels
deteriorate, residents
will be getting water once in every eleven days, and
we expect that to
happen as from the beginning of October.
"The main
bone of contention between us and government is that they want to
impose
ZINWA (the Zimbabwe National Water Authority - to run the city water
management system) on us but we refuse. Our people have worked hard to earn
and own the city's water management system and it is also the source of 40 %
of council's revenue, so we can't give it up. Government will not assist us
in any way, they don't give us any grants, let alone loans, so we will
rather go it alone," he said.
Stringent water rationing has been
introduced in a bid to make the contents
of the fast-dwindling dams last
until the onset of the expected rains in
November, but the council
acknowledges that the poor inflows of water into
the southern city's
reservoirs has led to an increase in waterborne
diseases.
The city's
authorities announced in the state-run Chronicle newspaper
Tuesday that they
have cut the bowser water supply to schools from
4 000 litres per day to 1
000 litres, citing "abuse of the facility by some
learning
institutions".
This comes as the water shortage continues to worsen with
some suburbs going
for up to three weeks without running water.
Some
residents are resorting to fetching water from unprotected sources,
hence
the diarrhoea outbreak that has hit Bulawayo.
Residents in the city have
been extremely tolerant in dealing with the
crisis. One resident reported
how a bowser had gone to be refilled and the
people had gone away, but left
a one kilometre line of colourful buckets
snaking across a dusty playing
field, waiting for the bowsers return.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Henry Makiwa
25
September 2007
Members of the National Constitution Assembly (NCA) caught
the police by
surprise in Harare late Tuesday evening when they demonstrated
in Zimbabwe's
capital, Harare.
At least 200 activists of the civil
society organisation that is calling for
a new "people-driven" constitution
made a brief but marked appearance in
central Harare before the police
dispersed them. The sloganeering group
denounced both the ruling Zanu PF
party and the opposition MDC for
"conniving to patch up" the constitution
following last week's endorsement
by parliament to amend, Amendment
18.
One activist who refused to be named described how the police were
caught
napping when they converged on the capital.
She said: "We
marched for not more than 100 metres, chanting slogans and
singing while
distributing leaflets with our messages, before the police
started showing
up.
"Knowing what they are capable of inflicting on us if arrested, we
had a
strategy of quickly dispersing and that is exactly what we did. The
most
important thing is that we had aired our views and sent the message
across.
We do not want this patched up constitution, we need a whole new
one," the
activist said.
The NCA last week officially cut ties with
the MDC, accusing it of "selling
out" and "abandoning the principle of a
people-driven constitution" after
the opposition endorsed an amendment of
the contentious Amendment 18.
The amendment, once turned into law by
Robert Mugabe's signature, will give
Mugabe powers to appoint a successor
and boost parliamentary seats.
SW Radio Africa
Zimbabwe news
The Zimbabwean
Staff
reporter
The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) coordinator - South
Africa Office
last Thursday called all progressive civic society movements
in South Africa
to express their dissatisfaction over the recently passed
18th amendment Act
as it Zimbabweans in the constitutional making
process.
Addressing over 400 demonstrators at the Zimbabwe consulate in
Johannesburg,
Tapera Kapuya said the NCA remained resolute on its opposition
to the
constitutional amendment on the basis of principle and
morals.
"We as the NCA oppose the ammendment of the constitution as it
directly
descriminates the entire Zimbabwe populace on participating in the
constitutional making process.
"The NCA opposes the move taken by the
Movement for Democratic Change to
back an immoral way of writing the
country's constitution," said Kapuya to a
rapturous applause from the
protestors.
Kapuya said in order for Zimbabwe to have democracy they was
an urgent need
of having a home grown constitution that would see every
Zimbabwean
participating in its making process.
NCA national
spokesperson, Maddock Chivasa who also addressed the gathering
said it was
only through a people driven constitution that would see
Zimbabweans having
free and fair elections.
"Its sad to note the MDC has endorsed the 18th
Amendment Bill as this will
see next year's elections being not free and
fair as the new Act gives more
room to Zanu PF to entrench its power,"said
Chivasa.
Zimbabwe is holding presidential, parliamentary and council
elections in
March 2008.
zimbabwejournalists.com
25th Sep 2007 15:21 GMT
By Socialist Worker
HARARE - For the first or
second time, at least known publicly, the two main
political parties agreed
on constitutional amendments supposedly meant to
resolve the crisis in the
country. The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment
Bill, No 18 was
unanimously
passed by, "amid thunderous applause from both Zanu -PF
and
MDC legislators."
The Bill harmonises presidential, parliamentary
and local authority
elections next year to be done in one day, increases the
number of MPs and a
few other cosmetic changes.
111 MPs voted for the
Bill and none voted against. Speakers
from ZANU PF and MDC spoke
vociferously, applauding the coming together of
the enemies for a decade.
The ZANU PF chief Whip Joram Gumbo had this to
say, "We from this side of
the House want to say the chickens have come home
to roost. We realise now
that we are
Zimbabweans. We, as Zimbabweans, are able to come together
and
solve our issues."
The MDC (Tsvangirai) deputy president, Thoko Khupe
stated:
"We supported the Bill because we do not want to see
Zimbabwe
burning.. It does not mean we have abandoned our demand for a new
people-driven Constitution. It is our understanding that this will be
delivered in due course."
Welshman Ncube, of the MDC (Mutambara) was
even more forthright .
"Zimbabweans are faced with a national crisis. We may
differ, but we agree
there is a crisis. Some where along the way we lost
each other. This is our
attempt to find each other."
Another
opposition leader stated - "Today is the beginning of a
historic moment in
this house....We are in the process of making
history and finding solutions
to the crisis."
Quiet stunning from viciously warring parties in the last
few years,
including in the opposition. Tuesday the 18th of September
was
the outcome of the secret ongoing Mbeki talks between the two MDC's and
ZANU
PF led by Chinamasa and Goche for ZANU PF and Tendai Biti and Welshmen
Ncube
for the two MDC's.
"Treachery" - varombo kuvarombo vapfumi
kuvapfumi.
This deal is not for the poor and oppressed who have bravely
withstood the
hard times we have been going through and have been the
necessary fuel to
the existence of the MDC. Now the last decade of inspiring
work by labour,
civic society and social movements has been sacrificed by
leaders only
interested in getting into power and accumulating wealth.
Indeed on that
Tuesday 18 September 2007, while 'they' took Zimbabwe through
this 'historic
moment', labour and students activists were in police cells
over the ZCTU
stayaway. Truly the moment was historic.
A turn in the
direction of where the struggle for liberation is going.
Yesterday showed us
that "varombo kuvarombo, vafumi kuvafumi," must now be
the slogan of the day
and that the opposition leaders have accepted Mugabe's
invitation at the
tractor feast that "Nyaya yekudya inyaya yedu tose . kana
toita politics
tinenge taguta." The ideological mist that masked a false
unity of purpose
in the opposition forces has now been blown away.
Virtually all key civic
society groups and the ZCTU have rightly
denounced it. Arnold Tsunga, the
chairman of Crisis Zimbabwe
Coalition and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
director said - "We think
the MDC has sold out, and it will be very
difficulty to work with them in
future, taking into perspective the minor
adjustment they and ZANU PF have
agreed to."
Lovemore Madhuku and the
NCA were even more blistering in
their attack: We are disgusted by the MDC. I
don't see myself sitting under
the same tent with both Morgan Tsvangirai and
Arthur Mutambara discussing
the future of this country. We are severing ties
with the MDC over their
going into bed with ZANU PF... The MDC's decision to
abandon the principle
of a people driven Constitution and opting for a
process driven by political
parties in Parliament is an act of
treachery."
The NCA gave other reasons to reject the deal, including
that: (1)
it allows Mugabe to appoint his own successor through
Parliament,
instead of there being elections; (2) the size of parliament has
been
massively increased beyond the capacity of the country and economy, from
150
to 210 MPs and Senate from 66 to 93 - all these will be given brand new
4 x
4 double cabs! (3) it does not provide Zimbabweans in the Diaspora with
the
right to vote as in other SADC countries; (4) the appointment of the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission remains under the control of Mugabe, who also
retains his massive executive presidency powers and control of the state,
courts, security arms and media; (5) the Bill of Rights remains the same not
guaranteeing the rights of workers, the poor and oppressed or effective
freedoms of movement, association and expression. There can be no free and
fair elections under such conditions yet the MDC did not even bother to
consult its members and civic society before agreeing only consulting the
British Ambassador!!
(6) All elections are being reduced to one day ,
which is impossible
logistically. As some have already commented, this is a
sick deal in
which the MDC has got even less than Muzorewa got from
Smith!
Like Smith, Mugabe is today in a tight corner as the economy
collapses, and
instead of escalating resistance with other forces as
the
Patriotic Front did in 1978, the MDC is giving the Mugabe regime a
life-saving boat!
Reasons behind Betrayal
However, progressive
Social Movements, Labour and Civil Society,
must celebrate this event as a
refreshing moment which has vindicated a
whole decade of ideological
analysis of how to deal with the Mugabe
dictatorship. Since at least 2001,
we in the ISO have warned about how the
opposition MDC has been hijacked by
elitist capitalist forces and the need
to construct an autonomous
alternative anti-neoliberal united front to carry
on the struggle, with the
MDC, but independent of it if need be.
We argued - "Thus any strategy of
fighting the dictatorship based on a
movement dominated or controlled by the
MDC will remain prisoner to the
glaring ideological and strategic confusion
it has shown since 2000 and is
bound to fail. its primary preoccupation is
towards reaching a sell -out
settlement with the Zanu PF dictatorship that
will not benefit the poor and
working people. The possibility of
an elite
political settlement between the ruling party and opposition
around a western
supported full neo-liberal programme is thus real. This
will be centred
around the neo-liberal economic turnaround
programme of ESAP 2 that has been
spearheaded by Gono since 2003. The drive
towards a settlement is driven by
several factors including the ruling
classes' fear of an economic-social
implosion because of the worsening
economic crisis with unforeseeable
political implications, and the fact that
both parties are now dominated by
elites who subscribe to neoliberalism and
are exhausted and fearful of the
crisis of the last decade.. (ZANU PF)
elites now want the peace to grow and
launder the wealth acquired in the
last decade but cannot do so in the
context of a crisis ridden state under
siege from the west.
But to
ensure that Zanu PF elites do not relapse as they did in 1997, the
forces of
global neo-liberalism demand a political guarantee in the form of
co-option
in government of their trusted agents in Zimbabwe, the MDC and
(the exit of
Mugabe). On the other hand, the opposition is dominated by the
petite
bourgeois elite, who long ago prostrated themselves before western
neoliberal political and economic forces and are now eager to get into state
power, even as junior partners, and accumulate property as a neo-colonial
dependent capitalist class"
It is such elitist settlement to pre-empt
social-revolution, that the
Mbeki Talks and Const Amendment 18 are designed
to achieve
supported by Mbeki and the west, with, as Mukundu of MISA aptly
puts it -
Tsvangirai likely to be "the unwilling sacrificial lamb,
sacrificed at the
altar of quiet diplomacy and the quest for power by those
inside his
'cabinet," and as a price for Mugabe to agree to retire - a price
not only
the opportunist elites in MDC will be willing to pay but also the
west, who
have always seen Tsvangirai as naïve and dispensable. The West's
interests
in Zimbabwe may be summarised simply - Re-launch of the Free
Market
dictatorship in Zimbabwe.
The West would want to be vindicated
that the SAP's under the IMF work but
were mismanaged in Zimbabwe, besides
banishing forever the "bad precedent"
set by Mugabe on the land question.
Mbeki wants to ensure that Tsvangirai
does not set an example for
COSATU/SACP to follow as Chiluba did in Zambia.
So they will be prepared to
ooze from all their financial tanks into the
"New Zimbabwe" as soon as the
new deal succeeds. SAP's have had a history of
dismal failure and in the
Latin Americas they have been shoved off by
resurgent anti-neoliberal
forces. It will only be wise to sanctify them with
a Zimbabwe renewed and
reengaged.
This explains the ICG, EU and McKinnons of the Commonwealth
now wanting
dialogue with Mugabe.
Working People Convention and
Jambanja now!
But the elites in power and in opposition may not have it all
their way. Now
that the talks have been lubricated by the Number 18
Amendment, and vice
versa, the driving seat seems to have been secured. But
the major question
remains the destination. Number 18 represents a political
crisis and storm
coming down. This is however still veiled by an
unpredictable Mugabe
trajectory, momentarily shrouded in speculation. It
remains to be seen how
Mugabe will manage his political campaign for the
coming elections. The
economic crisis that has threatened Mugabe's political
power is still
pending. Price hikes may be well on their way back to
madness. So the
economic crisis resolution is yet to be propounded. Neither
is it all clear
in MDC (Tsvangirai). There are stirrings of serious
opposition, with reports
that the youths, the women section, key provinces
like Harare and Bulawayo,
the Diaspora and other radicals are opposing the
sell - out deal, with
support coming mainly from the self-seeking MPs.
Indeed over the week-end,
Mugabe's spokesperson, George Charamba, had
revealed such stirrings and
predicted that whilst the MDC (Mutambara)
executive would easily support the
deal, it was
going to face stiff and
insurmountable resistance in the Tsvangirai
one, sending Biti into
oblivion.
The above provides a historic moment for the progressives in
labour, civic
society, revolutionary socialists and MDC radicals to reclaim
the
initiative, smash this sell -out neoliberal elitist deal and re-launch
the
struggle to smash the dictatorship and the attempts at accelerating
ESAP.
These forces must urgently convene a 2nd Working People's Convention
which
will discuss the treacherous Mbeki Talks and Amendment 18 and the way
forward. Central will be that harmonised elections be done in 2008 but only
under a democratic, people driven and anti-ESAP constitution. If the regime
rejects this, then the struggle must be shifted to all out mass action -
jambanja or civil disobedience in which there is no co-operation whatsoever
with the regime but a determined struggle to throw it out as has happened
elsewhere.
The ZCTU has already started the ball rolling, but to
succeed we need united
action of labour and civic society. Like Smith in
1978, the regime is
nowcornered, which is why its making concessions.
History teaches us that
success is possible. For instance the March 1961
Zhii -Zhanda strikes forced
Nkomo to abandon the sell -out constitutional
deal he had made with the
British giving blacks 15 out of 65 parliamentary
seats. In 1978, after ZANU
refused to accept the Internal Settlement deal,
Nkomo also withdrew from
any further deals with the Smith- Muzorewa regime
and opted for continuing
with the struggle under the Patriotic Front. In
2005 Tsvangirai gave in to
pressure not to go into the Senate
elections.
The same can happen today if we are resolute!
Jambanja
Ndizvo!
Mail and Guardian
Mail &
Guardian reporter
24 September 2007
06:00
Zimbabwean businesses have warned Robert Mugabe's
government
that legislation allowing for the seizure of foreign-owned
companies will
have dire consequences on an economy that already is ravaged
by crisis.
Anxiety is rising after the government moved
closer to passing
the law with a second reading of the Bill in Parliament
this week. Business
leaders, desperate to stop the Bill, have warned
government to concentrate
on economic recovery, instead of pressing for
expropriation of foreign
assets.
Foreign investment in
Zimbabwe would plunge by up to 30% upon
enactment of the Bill, while the
economy -- which has shrunk 50% since
2000 -- will face further ruin, they
said.
Two of the largest foreign-owned banks, Standard
Chartered and
Stanbic, have warned that they could be forced to withdraw
from the country
if they lose their majority stakes.
"Removal of the possibility to hold a controlling interest might
make it
difficult for existing companies or potential new investors being
able to
justify their continued interest in the country," Standard Chartered
said in
a report prepared for three parliamentary committees examining the
legislation.
Standard Bank, which has announced a plan to
sell up to 30% of
its business in Zimbabwe to black staff members, said
foreign banks would
not allow the use of their corporate identities by
businesses in which they
no longer held majority control.
"International banks who see their shareholding cut to 49% would
refuse to
allow the new entity to use their brand name and other
intellectual property
belonging to the international group, requiring that
the new bank develops
its own brand identity, which would not be immediately
recognisable to the
outside world," Stanbic warned in its own submission.
"Acquisition of equity in foreign-owned entities, without
sufficient
funding, has the danger of being seen negatively as
expropriation."
Seizing 51% of foreign assets in Zimbabwe
"would make our
country relatively less attractive to foreign investors when
compared with
countries with significantly lower thresholds", Standard Bank
said.
Foreign banks have provided much of the support for
agriculture
and their withdrawal would further weaken what was once the
mainstay of
Zimbabwe's economy. Barclays and MBCA, which is owned by
Nedbank, are the
two other major foreign-owned banks in
Zimbabwe.
Jack Murehwa, president of the Chamber of Mines,
said the
proposed legislation was vague on how government intended to treat
existing
agreements and would further weaken Zimbabwe's international
standing.
"Zimbabwe is now seen as a high-risk destination
because of
uncertainty over security of tenure and lack of confidence in the
rule of
law," he said.
Mugabe has been increasing his
control of the economy in recent
months, ordering price cuts and threatening
the takeover of private
businesses, which he accuses of undermining his
rule. His policies have
worsened the crisis and raised
tension.
This week government cheered official data showing
that
inflation had dropped to 6 592% from 7 600% in July. But the figure is
still
the highest in the world and critics point out that real inflation is
probably much higher.
From The Herald, 25 September
Herald Reporter
The army must use the two
options it has to defend the sovereignty and
independence of Zimbabwe - the
ballot box and the gun should it be
necessary, a senior officer has said.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for
47 soldiers who completed a sergeant's
platoon course at 22 Infantry
Battalion in Mudzi District last Friday,
Commander of the Mechanised Brigade
in Inkomo, Brigadier General David
Sigauke said the army's core business was
to defend to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Zimbabwe. He said
the army does not only attach
importance to monetary gains but had added
responsibilities and there was
need for them to discharge their duties
diligently. Brig Gen Sigauke said
this calls for selfless, loyal, dedicated
and principled soldiers. "It
therefore remains our duty to defend our
rightful heritage. As soldiers, we
are privileged to be able to pursue this
task on two fronts, the first being
through the ballot box and the second
being the use of the barrel of the gun
should the worse come to the worst,"
he said. "I may therefore urge you as
citizens of Zimbabwe to exercise your
electoral right wisely in the
forthcoming elections in 2008, remembering
that 'Zimbabwe shall never be a
colony again'," said Brig Gen Sigauke. The
army should remain focused,
resilient and vigilant especially this time when
the economy was on a slide
and conflicts are the order of the day on the
political front, he said. The
graduates - who were sergeants and corporals -
underwent a 22-week course
covering subjects such as weaponry, field craft,
tactics, communication, map
reading, military law, military civic education
and administration. Brig
General Sigauke said the course had prepared the
soldiers to withstand any
future challenges and ensure the army prevailed in
any campaigns. "This
course is a career course, hence besides preparing you
for future
deployments, it also prepares you for promotion and career
guidance," he
said. He said the prevailing economic hardships and shortages
of basic goods
were as a result of the illegal regime change inspired
sanctions imposed by
the British and their allies in response to the land
reform
programme.
[Do you detect a veiled "vote for Mugabe or else"?]
By Henry Makiwa
25
September 2007
Police in Masvingo arrested two student leaders at the
weekend following a
resolution by Zimbabwe's main students union to rebuff
proposals by
government to introduce a cadetship programme to tie all
university students
into the civil service after graduation.
Whitlow
Mugwiji, President of Great Zimbabwe University who spent three
nights in
police cells last week, and Courage Ngwarai, a Student
Representive Council
member, were arrested by campus security Saturday for
"criminal nuisance."
The two are still detained at Masvingo Central Police
Station.
According to sources, the two student leaders were in the
company of other
general council members from the Zimbabwe National Students
Union (ZINASU)
when campus security guards threatened the student leaders
with violence,
apparently because they were coming from a ZINASU meeting.
The other student
leaders, including Mehluli Dube and Zwelithini Viki,
escaped but were
briefly detained on Sunday after they had taken food for
the incarcerated
colleagues.
The Students Solidarity Trust
spokesperson, Masimba Nyamanhindi, said the
student leaders had been long
targeted by the secret police, especially
after the leadership resolved they
would oppose the government proposal to
retain all graduates into the civil
service.
Nyamanhindi said: "We had held discussion about the government
proposal for
cadetship and we had all resolved that we should make out a
political
programme to protest it.
"It is quite apparent that the
government wants to curb the brain drain that
is happening and they want to
do so by tying all graduates into civil
service for three years, which we
are refusing. This is tantamount to
slavery because we all know that civil
servants are the lowest paid and
their salaries are not consummate to their
skills. Mugwiji and Ngwarai were
against this and are targeted by the secret
service."
Mugwiji, who is currently on suspension, is being charged with
trespassing
while Ngwarai is being charged with causing malicious
injury
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe Levy
Nyagura,
has suspended UZ Students Executive President, Lovemore Chinoputsa
and
Secretary for Legal Affairs Fortune Chamba, over the peaceful
demonstration
the two led last week at the campus.
They were
subsequently arrested and beaten by campus security and sustained
injuries
in the process. The two have been suspended for 'unbecoming
behaviour and
damage to property,' pending a disciplinary committee hearing
on a date to
be advised.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
The Zimbabwean
- 25-09-07
HARARE
In a
very strange and interesting twist, Zanu (PF) is agreeing to get
rid of
President Robert Mugabe as part of concessions made with the
opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the SADC initiated
negotiations
aimed at finding a solution to Zimbabwe's serious political
crisis,
this paper can exclusively reveal.
Details hidden from the
media and the public about the negotiations as
well as agreements from
meetings between Zanu (PF) and MDC officials in
South Africa have been
leaked to this paper. They show that Mugabe was
identified as a serious
problem in the national crisis as well as the
chaotic
issue of
succession in Zanu (PF) by South Africa, which is succeeding
together
with MDC to convince the ruling party to agree to a deal that
would see
Mugabe stepping down and not contesting next year elections. In
return,
the
MDC is making an undertaking to exempt Mugabe from
prosecution for human
rights and political abuses, widely believed to have
been the source of his
major
fear that has made him fight hard to cling
onto power all along despite
failing to stop unprecedented economic
recession. Mugabe has also been
guaranteed by President Thabo Mbeki of South
Africa that the international
community
would spare him prosecution
whilst he chooses where and how he goes into
retirement, with the possibility
of going into exile. Mbeki has been
racing against time and reportedly set
himself a June next year deadline
for
having the Zimbabwean political
crisis solved and its economy starting to
mend
in order to have his
country's hosting of 2010 soccer World Cup finals
safe (see a related story
on page**). He managed to convince the MDC to
settle for a piecemeal 18th
amendment to the constitution instead of a
whole
new one. "Yes part of
the deal, and which became the catch for the MDC, is
Mugabe will be going," a
highly placed source said. "He will not
contest next year's elections and
this will be managed at the Zanu (PF)
special
congress later this year.
SA has managed to convince senior officials
in Zanu (PF) and Mugabe himself,
who is expected to announce his
retirement at the special congress together
with (Vice President) Joseph
Msika. A
candidate will be chosen to
represent the party at next year's
elections."
A senior official in Zanu
(PF) confirmed that the decision to hold the
special congress was a result of
the negotiations and the lobbying
following massive resistance from a
faction that has been pushing for
Mugabe to
stay put and contest next
year's elections. "The special congress is for
electing a new leader and
Msika will be retiring as well unless
something changes or someone
backtracks on this agreement," the official
said.
It is said that Mugabe
initially tried to resist the massive lobbying
for him to go but was
eventually convinced by Msika and his other advisors,
themselves admitting
that the aging dictator has failed to solve his
mess of economic
mismanagement. Msika told parliament last week following
the
passing of
the amendment bill that "this is the legacy I want to leave
you with" which
sources said was an indication that he will be retiring at
the special
congress. Justice and Parliamentary Affairs minister Patrick
Chinamasa and
Zanu (PF) secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa
both declined to
comment on this matter. - By Itai Dzamara
The Zimbabwean
( 25-09-07)
By Bayethe
Zitha
BULAWAYO - Police authorities are reportedly shielding junior
officers who
shot and killed two innocent civilians in Zimbabwe's biggest
city of
Bulawayo this month, amid revelations no dockets have been opened
against
them.
Two Bulawayo men, Collin Siziba (23) and Misheck Gumbo,
died recently after
they had been shot by police on different occasions in
the city.
Siziba was the first to be shot by members of the Criminal
Investigation
Department's (CID) Vehicle Theft Squad, who said they
suspected him to be an
armed robber.
The police officers, who were
driving a Toyota double cab vehicle with South
African numbers, blocked
Siziba's vehicle, a BMW, also bearing South African
registration numbers, in
the high-density suburbs of the city on September
6.
Most armed robbers
drive South African numbered vehicles.
Siziba and his United Kingdom-based
brother, who had both travelled Bulawayo
to visit their relatives, suspected
that the lawmen were armed robbers and
quickly drove off, trying to
flee.
After a high-speed chase, which took them to the city centre, police
shot an
unarmed Siziba on the neck while he was sitting on the passenger
seat of the
vehicle, after his brother, who had been driving, had abandoned
the vehicle
and fled.
Siziba died at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo,
where he underwent a
five-hour operation after having initially been
admitted at Mpilo hosptial
under police guard for more than a week.
His
relatives accuse the lawmen of having resisted to have Siziba transfered
to
Mater Dei in time, despite having the bullet still lodged in his neck.
When
police realised that they had made such a mistake, they tried to charge
Siziba's brother, Prince with reckless driving, but the prosecution refused
to handle the case, saying the slain man's brother had a valid
argument.
A few days later, on Friday 15 September, police again fatally shot
Misheck
Gumbo (31) a reveller at a shebeen in Pumula high-densiyt suburb,
after he
had allegedly made a comment that he could pay them a bribe equal
to their
salaries, in trying to bribe his way out of arrest.
An angry
police officer is said to have taken out his gun and shot Gumbo on
the
chest, killing him instantly.
Gumbo's relatives are now suing police for Z$30
billion for the cold-blooded
murder of their relative.
"We cannot just
sit and watch while police behave like a Mafia gang. They
have to meet the
costs we incurred in burying our relative and also
compensate us for that
loss," said a Gumbo family spokesman on Monday.
Police sources this week
revealed to The Zimbabwean that no docket had been
opened by the lawmen
against the killer cops, after authorities directed
that they should not be
taken to court.
"The two boys were arrested and detained for three days and
released at the
instigation of the provincial commanders. The chefs are
guarding against a
situation whereby these officers will be prosecuted and
found guilty. This
will then mean that their families can successfully sue
the organisation, so
the decision is a financial rather than a legal one. I
can safely tell you
that nothing will happen to any of the concerned
members. Remember there is
another Z$20 billion civil suit for the death of
Artwell Magagada after he
was shot by a Superintendent early this year,"
said a senior police officer
who is stationed at the Bulawayo provincial
headquarters.
He identified the two junioir police officers who killed Gumbo
as Constables
Zivago and Arutura, both of whom have two years service with
the police,
while an Assistant Inspector Frank Mbano killed
Siziba.
Police national spokesman, Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka,
confirmed
that the three police officers were still active in their duties,
claiming
that police were still investigating the two cases.
This is the
third such killing of an innocent individual by Zimbabwe's
trigger-happy
police officers in Bulawayo, after Superintendent Milos Moyo
shot and killed
Magagada, a fast food outlet worker while shooting at people
who were
celebrating in the city centre in the early hours of New Year's
day.
Moyo
is set to appear in court on Thursday.
Sources at the police headquarters in
Harare have revealed that more than 15
such murders have been recorded
conutrywide and swept under the carpet, as
the cash-strapped organisation
tries to save its pockets at the expense of
innocent blood.
"Including
Gift Tandare, we have recorded about 15 such murders in the whole
country,
with Harare (7) and Midlands (5) provinces recording the highest
number.
Nothing has been done to the offending officers and they are still
serving.
Some of these are mere gold panners who will be fleeing arrests,"
said a
source.
africasia.com
PRETORIA, Sept 25 (AFP)
Nearly 60 percent of the refugees who have
poured into South Africa from
neighbouring Zimbabwe say they have left their
homeland for political
reasons, a report found on Tuesday.
The
Institute for Democracy in South Africa's survey found 58 percent were
motivated into leaving by political concerns such as rights abuses and
attacks by the security services while 51 percent cited economic reasons in
a country which has the world's highest inflation rate and widespread food
shortages.
Daniel Makina, the lead author of the report by the
Pretoria-based institute
which questioned 4,654 refugees in Johannesburg,
estimated that the total
number of Zimbabwean refugees who could be
classified as resident in South
Africa was between 800,000 and one
million.
The figure is considerably less than the two to three million
estimate put
forward by the South African government, a disparity Makina
suggested could
be explained the fact most Zimbabweans only cross over for a
temporary
period.
The survey also found 85 percent of the Zimbabwean
refugees are less than 40
years old and that some 60 percent had received a
college education.
The majority of refugees want to regularise their
situation but do not
necessarily want to settle in South
Africa.
"Should the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe
stabilises, the
majority of the migrants (66 percent) intend to go back,"
said the report.
The Zimbabwean
(25-09-07)
The MDC President, Professor Arthur G.O. Mutambara,
Deputy President,
Gibson Sibanda, Secretary General Welshman Ncube,
Treasurer General,
Fletcher Dulini Ncube and other senior party's officials
were in Bulawayo
over the weekend during which they met party members. The
MDC leadership
addressed three public meetings in the second capital of
Zimbabwe over two
days. Very successful meetings were held in Pumula/Luveve
and Lobengula/
Magwegwe constituencies. Constitutional Amendment Bill No 18
and voter
registration and education for the March 2008's harmonized
elections
dominated the discussions at all the meetings.
On the
issue of Constitutional Amendment 18, the Party Secretary General,
Professor
Welshman Ncube explained to members that they had reached
consensus on
Amendment 18 to go through Parliament as the first step towards
resolving
the national crisis in the country. The Secretary-General said by
agreeing
to Amendment 18, the opposition had paved the way for the
likelihood of a
new constitution.
The Official Leader of the Opposition and MDC Deputy
President Gibson
Sibanda explained that the opposition had concurred with
Amendment 18
because ZANU PF had agreed to take out sections that the MDC
was opposed to.
He noted that the approved Amendment 18 did not have
provisions that would
make it easy for ZANU PF to rig the polls. He
highlighted the fact that
there will not be any appointments to the House of
Assembly as all members
will now be directly elected. The Presidential
appointees have been a thorn
in the flesh as it gave the incumbent President
a head start of 30 unelected
MPs before the elections have even begun. These
have now been whittled down
to 5 only in the Senate. More importantly, the
management of elections will
now be conducted by ZEC from start to finish
dealing a heavy blow to Zanu PF's
rigging mechanism which relied heavily on
Mudede. The Deputy President went
on to explain that it was not a new
phenomenon that a President is elected
by Parliament to complete the tenure
of an elected one in the event of a
resignation or for some other reason.
The British and the American have such
similar provision with the South
Africans even electing their President in
Parliament. He cited the recent
changes in leadership in Britain . He urged
people to study the Amendment
and make informed debate before rushing to
make commentaries that the
Opposition has sold out!
President Mutambara said there should not be
any confusion over the week's
events in Parliament. He urged supporters to
brace for a tough election
campaign to remove Robert Mugabe and the ZANU PF
led government from power
in the March 2008's harmonized elections. "We are
on a war for democracy.
Don't be confused about what happened in Parliament.
It's a process to
ensure there are free and fair elections to fight it out
and defeat Mugabe.
Don't get any illusions. It is not the time for
celebrations; it's time to
fight the democratic war in Zimbabwe ." The MDC
President warned supporters
against relying on the coalition to deliver
democracy. "Don't count on
coalitions. We are alone in this fight. We must
strengthen our party
structures. We must have our own candidates
countrywide. Let's not depend
on others. We must depend on ourselves." The
President urged supporters to
go and register in their large numbers for the
March polls saying that it
was the only viable option available to start
resolving the country's
economic and political crisis. He urged members to
educate friends and
relatives on how voting would be conducted to reduce
spoilt ballot papers.
During question and answer sessions, supporters
wanted to know what the
party was doing to ensure that people would not be
harassed and tortured by
the notorious ZANU PF youth militia. Others wanted
the voting conditions of
the visually impaired to be reviewed so that blind
and illiterate voters are
assisted by people of their own choice and not
police officers. The
Leadership responded by saying that all these concerns
shall be addressed in
discussions around the electoral laws.
Gabriel
Chaibva
MDC Information and Publicity Department
inthenews.co.uk
Tuesday, 25 Sep 2007
15:13
When the first 200,000 Zimbabwe dollar banknote was released earlier
this
summer, it was a stark reflection of how far the economy of this
southern
African nation has fallen.
Though blessed with natural
resources that would be the envy of any nation
in the world, Zimbabwe has an
inflation rate of 7,638 per cent and its
people are literally
starving.
There are few that would blame any other factor than Zimbabwe's
long-time
president Robert Mugabe, and his Zanu-PF party.
Dr Sentamu
recently said of Mugabe: "Like Idi Amin before him in Uganda,
Mugabe has
rallied a country against its former colonial master only to
destroy it
through a dictatorial fervour."
Though reviled by many today, there was a
time when Mugabe was regarded as a
freedom fighter.
Mugabe's rise to
power
Mugabe emerged as a leader during the Chimurenga, the bloody
Rhodesian bush
war fought against Ian Smith's regime during the 1960s and
70s.
He was arrested in 1964 and spent the next decade behind bars, not
even
being allowed out to attend the funeral of his four-year-old son. While
behind bars he completed three degrees by correspondence, including a law
degree.
This time spent in prison cemented Mugabe's place as a leader
and increased
the esteem in which he was held worldwide. When elections
finally took place
in Zimbabwe in 1980 he was swept to power.
During
the 17 years that have passed since that time, Mugabe's reputation
has
suffered badly as his country has been transformed from one of the
richest
in Africa to arguably the most poverty-stricken.
Race, farms,
poverty
Much of the antagonism during the war centered on the fact that
white
farmers owned most of the arable land. Though Mugabe vowed to change
this,
the situation remained the same for the next decade after he came to
power.
However, in 1997, Mugabe announced that the white-owned farms
would start to
be acquired and that Britain should pay compensation to their
owners, as
originally the land was stolen by British colonists.
Then,
in 2000, the Zimbabwe parliament passed a ground-breaking amendment
allowing
for the seizure of all white-owned farms without the permission or
reimbursement to their owners.
Since then thousands of farms have
been occupied and agricultural output has
plummeted drastically.
The
cost
In his book The Shackled Continent: Africa's Past, Present and
Future,
Robert Guest, the Africa editor of the Economist for seven years,
wrote: "In
1980, the average annual income in Zimbabwe was $950, and a
Zimbabwean
dollar was worth more than an American one.
"By 2003, the
average income was less than US$400, and the Zimbabwean
economy was in
freefall. [Mugabe] has ruled Zimbabwe for nearly three
decades and has led
it, in that time, from impressive success to the most
dramatic peacetime
collapse of any country since Weimar Germany".
The mismanagement of
Zimbabwe's farms has led to an agricultural crisis in
the country. Zimbabwe
is blessed with thousands of acres of arable land and
was once regarded as
the "bread-basket" of southern Africa, but now cannot
feed its own
population.
Unless massive aid is given, it has been estimated that up to
six million
people are in danger of starvation.
An ongoing
crisis
Renson Gasela, the shadow agriculture minister for Morgan
Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition party in
Zimbabwe, recently
told SW Radio Africa: "They [Zimbabweans] will be slain
by one of the
cruelest weapons of any era, starvation. They will die slowly
and painfully.
They will die hungry.
"People might say we are
exaggerating but I can see many deaths happening
this year. There is
absolutely no food. Individuals have no food."
The UN's high commissioner
for refugees chief, Antonio Guterres, recently
estimated that over three
million Zimbabweans have fled the country.
Among these have been many of
the country's most badly-needed professionals.
Both the leadership of
Britain and South Africa have been criticised for
their seeming inaction on
the situation in Zimbabwe.
In the past there have been many instances of
the world ignoring crises on
the dark continent. The question now is whether
the world can afford to
ignore the increasingly worsening crisis is
Zimbabwe. The only certainty is
that this question will soon be
answered.
Joseph Corcos