http://www.globalpost.com/
It would be a joke, but too many
people's lives depend on free elections.
Andrew MeldrumJune 18, 2011
13:09
The Mugabe regime is shameless.
President Robert Mugabe and
his ruling cronies have been documented carrying
out torture, murder and
mayhem. Yet the police, army and CIO baldly deny the
proof and carry on with
their abuses.
Blatant vote rigging has been proved in Zimbabwe's courts,
as far back as
Margaret Dongo's case, but Mugabe just keeps holding
fraudulent elections
that are marked by violence, intimidation and ballot
stuffing.
It is a well known fact that the roll of Zimbabwe's registered
voters is
riddled with dead voters, ghost voters, double entries and just
about any
kind of false entry that can be imagined. A partial audit in 2003
showed
that 25 percent of the voters listed on the roll in one constituency
were
non-existent.
With a voters' roll so full of errors, vote
rigging is easy. Especially for
a regime that has its military control the
voting and counting process.
The latest exposure was provided by the
respected South African Institute
for Race Relations which found that the
voters' roll includes an impossible
number of people over 100 years old.
More than 40,000 centenarians, 16,800
of them born on Jan. 1, 1901. This in
the country that has one of the
world's lowest average life expectancies at
37 years.
So today Zimbabwe's registrar general, Tobaiwa Mudede, flatly
denied the
reports that the electoral register is flawed. Mudede said that
no country
“in the world” has a better voter registration system. Mudede,
who has
publicly stated that he is a supporter of Mugabe and his Zanu-PF
party,
spoke to the state-controlled Herald newspaper.
Mudede's
outrageous posturing would be comical, if people's lives weren't
being
destroyed by the Mugabe regime.
South African President Jacob Zuma is
wise to the Mugabe's tricks. And Zuma
called Mugabe on it at the March 31 at
the summit of the security troika of
the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) in Livingstone, Zambia.
Mugabe succeeded in getting SADC to
go softly on him at the most recent SADC
summit on Zimbabwe in Johannesburg
last week.
Mugabe is preparing to hold elections this year. With the same
voters' roll
and the same crooks in charge.
The neighboring countries
of southern Africa are going to find it harder and
harder to ignore Mugabe's
abuses to the democratic process. When are they
going to stop endorsing
Mugabe's blatantly fraudulent elections? When will
neighboring leaders
insist on internationally supervised elections? That is
the way to restore
Zimbabwe's democracy and put the country back on the path
to prosperity and
respect for basic rights.
http://www.iol.co.za
June 18 2011 at 04:53pm
There was
no other country in the world with a voters' roll that was as 100
percent
perfect as Zimbabwe's, says the country's registrar-general. Photo:
Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters
There was no other country in the world
with a voters' roll that was “as 100
percent perfect” as Zimbabwe's, the
country's registrar-general has said,
the state-run Herald newspaper
reported on Saturday.
Tobaiwa Mude-de said Zimbabwe's electoral register
had “nominal percentage
error margins” and said his office was happy to
allow critics to inspect the
roll.
Critics have accused President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party of manipulating
the list for political
advantage and say it includes children and people who
have long since
died.
A report published earlier this month by the South Africa-based
Institute of
Security Studies (ISS) said there 41,119 centenarians
registered to vote in
the country.
There were officially four times
as many centenarians in Zimbabwe as in
Britain, the report, titled
Preventing Electoral Fraud in Zimbabwe said,
despite the European nation
enjoying a much higher ife expectancy than its
former
colony.
Zimbabwe's average life expectancy is just 34 for women and
37
for men, according to the World Health Organisation.
“You don't
want these people to attain 100 years, you don't want them to be
alive?”
Mude-de said. “The law does not say once one attains 100 years
he/she should
be removed. It is their right to vote unless they come to say
they want to
be removed. We will, however, still advise them that it is
their right to
vote,” he said.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, whose Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC)
is in a power sharing government with Zanu-PF, has
insisted on a fresh
voters' roll before the next elections.
“I am not
sure why he would want to defend such a shameful document,” said
MDC
spokesman Douglas Mwonzora. “No one serious person will spend a second
defending it. How can you allow ghosts to be on a voters' roll?”
“As
a party, we have no issues with the voters roll,” Zanu-PF spokesperson
Rugare Gumbo said. “We can win an election with it or after it has been
re-done.” -
Sapa-dpa
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
18/06/2011 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe left Harare on Friday for Malaysia
where he will
attend an international dialogue on “smart partnerships”
shrugging off
renewed media speculation over his health.
A privately
owned daily newspaper claimed Mugabe’s huge motorcade was seen
outside the
Medical Chambers clinic in Harare’s Avenues area on Thursday,
the second
time the 87-year-old has been to the clinic in the recent past.
Mugabe
was also reported to have had a rare mental lapse while attending the
recent
SADC meetings in South Africa where he reportedly referred to
President
Jacob Zuma as Nelson Mandela and then appeared to think that South
Africa’s
first black President was dead.
The Zimbabwean leader has, this year
alone, made at least five trips to the
Far East – a favourite destination
since he was banned from travelling to
Europe -- with officials claiming he
was receiving treatment over a cataract
complaint.
Meanwhile, Mugabe
said Zimbabwe has benefitted from the Lankawi
International Dialogue series,
which was started by his friend and former
Malaysia Prime Minister, Dr
Mahathir Mohamad.
Several leaders are expected to attend this year’s
three-day event which
will focus on advancing the “Smart Partnership”
dialogue and enhancing
socio-economic development in participating
countries.
The dialogue seeks to promote the principles and practice of
“smart
partnership” and enhance cooperation between governments and other
sectors
in pushing economic growth.
Meanwhile, arriving at Kuala
Lumpur International Airport on Saturday,
Mugabe said Zimbabwe had
capitalised on the ideas and principles of the
smart partnership in charting
its programmes and policies.
"The ideas (of smart partnerships) must be
backed by quite a number of
things... you need capital, you need expertise
and you need technology. And
all these come in as input," he said.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
18/06/2011 00:00:00
by Gilbert
Nyambabvu
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe says the country’s economic
recovery – driven
largely by agriculture and mining -- has helped prove
wrong the perception
that black farmers are not as productive as white
counterparts.
Zimbabwe’s agriculture-based economy hit the skids over the
last decade with
critics blaming Mugabe’s seizure of white-owned farms which
they say
resulted in a catastrophic collapse in agricultural
productivity.
The government counters that sanctions imposed by the West
as punishment for
the land seizures caused the economic hardships.
The
economic decline was reversed in 2009 however, with the country
recording
positive growth since, largely driven by the recovery in
agriculture.
"They (blacks) are the main players in agriculture. That
means, we are as
productive as them (white commercial farmers), whether big
or small
farmers," Mugabe said on arrival at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur
International
Airport (KLIA) on Saturday.
The Zimbabwean leader is in
Malaysia to attend the three-day Lankawi
International Dialogue series which
seeks to enhance “smart partnerships”
between governments and the private
sector in promoting development.
Mugabe said the government has focused
on increasing production of food
crops as well as tobacco, once a major
export for the country.
In 2010 tobacco deliveries to the auction floors
topped 122 million kgs
after collapsing to less than 50 million kgs in the
last decade.
Officials say the country is now on course to hit the 200
million kgs
achieved during peak production periods before implementation of
the land
reforms.
Meanwhile, Mugabe also dismissed claims that key
regime figures had largely
benefitted from the land reforms instead of the
country’s previously
landless majority.
"How can land just go to
Mugabe's friends and relatives? My friends are my
people and those are the
people who fought with us to drive out the
British... therefore, the
beneficiaries,” he said.
"Anyway, the land belonged to the people...we
have a customary system of
chiefs in various areas, and chiefs being
custodians of lands in various
areas on behalf of the people. We have
maintained that all land is state
land.”
He also said the mining
sector had helped reboot the economy but emphasised
the need to invest in
value edition.
"Thank, God... this shows the British that we have
other minerals like
diamonds, platinum and uranium...perhaps, we continue to
discover more and
these had helped (the economic growth)," he added.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Annual beef production, which in 2005 stood at more
than 90 000 tonnes, has
nose-dived and only 63 breeders are left, says
National University of
Science and Technology Professor Themba
Dlodlo.
18.06.1112:51pm
Ngoni Chanakira Harare
"In 2000 we also
had 250 breeders with 20 000 head of cattle but in 2011 we
only have 12
breeds and three active societies. We also have only 63
breeders and 5 000
head of beef cattle in Zimbabwe today,” said Dlodlo, who
is one of the
country’s most prominent commercial beef producers
"We have a serious
loss of 13 well-established breeds and 187 experienced
and dedicated
breeders in Zimbabwe. Our beef herd stands at a mere 15,000
and this is
selectively bred herd of pedigree cattle."
He told a conference last week
that the country needed new brains to run the
Ministry of Agriculture. "You
need mentorship to do commercial beef
agriculture," said Dlodlo.
"In
2000 it is estimated that there were six million beef cattle in the
communal
areas," Dlodlo said. "In 2011 it is estimated that there are five
million.
The number is on the increase again after reaching a low of about
four
million.
"Some of the challenges facing the commercial beef cattle sector
include
lack of veld and herd management skills, lack of farming and
business
skills, as well the absence of capital for infrastructural
development in
the country.
"Hand-outs have been given annually with
no evidence of progress. We need to
rid ourselves from this dependency
syndrome,” he said.
Dlodlo said the collapse of Zimbabwe's "grading
system" had resulted in a
"free for all" for commercial and communal beef
cattle producers.
"You can't find 'Super Beef' or 'Choice Beef' anymore
in local
supermarkets," he said.
http://www.radiovop.com/
10 hours 51 minutes ago
Gweru, June 18,
2011-Industries in Zimbabwe are collapsing due to
uncertainty posed by
threats of expropriation, a liquidity crunch and
massive power
outages.
Captains of industry and business leaders in Kwekwe and Gweru
pleaded with
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to intervene and halt the
rot.
Tsvangirai is in the Midlands touring companies on the invitation of
the
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI).
On Friday, Tsvangirai
toured Sables Chemicals and Steelmakers both in Kwekwe
and Bata Shoe Company
and Anchor Yeast in Gweru.
At all the stops he made, the Prime Minister
was told how emissaries of
senior Zanu (PF) officials were threatening to
take over private owned
businesses under the guise of
indigenisation.
The officials requested for protection from Tsvangirai
following the threats
of illegal raids by Zanu (PF) officials.But Tsvangirai
said indigenisation
will not be used to wrestle businesses from rightful
owners.
On its part the CZI said indigenisation should not be used a
vehicle to
enrich a few elite but should be broad-based. The companies asked
Tsvangirai
for help in finding investors to bring new money into the
struggling
companies.
“From your illustration your problems are quite
wide,” Prime Minister
Tsvangirai told Bata Shoe Company
officials.
“You are aware that as politicians we are trying to solve the
political
problem. We hope that political problem will be resolved so that
there’s
stability in the country. Once you have stability you have policy
predictability which will give potential investors confidence,” said
Tsvangirai.
He added: “It is sad that in the past Bata was employing
5000 but is now
down to 1500 people. That’s an indictment of social and
economic contraction
that we want to address.”
Some of the problems
that were affecting companies had to do with policy
inconsistencies for
instance where imported raw materials are being charged
duty while imported
finished products are not being charged duty.
On power, the company
leaders said the high price of electricity is
affecting
profitability.
Tsvangirai said as Head of Government, he will follow up
on the issues
raised by the business leaders.
The Premier will visit the
Zimbabwe Iron and Smelting Company (ZIMASCO) on
Saturday before addressing
an MDC provincial rally at Mkoba Stadium in Gweru
on Sunday.
http://www.radiovop.com
10 hours 52 minutes
ago
Gwanda, June 18, 2011- The Matabeleland South capital faces a
cholera
outbreak due to collapsing water and sewer
infrastructure.
“The Municipality of Gwanda has resolved to apply to the
Ministry of Local
Government, Rural and Urban Development for the granting
of Borrowing Powers
in the sum of US$720 000 under the Public Sector
Investment Programme (PSIP)
facility.
“The funding is required to
undertake capital development works related to
water and sewer
rehabilitation,” Gwanda Mayor, Lionel De-Necker told Radio
VOP in an
interview.
De-Necker said Ignatius Chombo, the Local Government Minister
has not
responded to the local authority’s application.
Chombo when
contacted for comment said: “We have received application but we
are yet to
make a decision,” adding that a decision “might be made next
week.”
Gwanda is sitting on a health time bomb that might result in
cholera
outbreaks due to constant sewer bursts as the city’s sewerage and
reticulation services have outlived their lifespan and need urgent
replacement.
A cholera outbreak swept through the country in 2008,
leaving thousands
dead.
Gwanda council intends to replace raw water
pumps, rehabilitate raw water
storage dams, repair water treatment plants
and complete the installation of
booster pumps.
http://www.radiovop.com
10 hours 42 minutes ago
Chivi, June
18, 2011- Zanu PF legislator, Irvene Dzingirai, pleads for
legalisation of
radio stations operating from outside the country. Member of
Parliament (MP)
for Chivi South constituency said jamming Radio VOP and
Studio 7 was an
expression of violation of freedom of choice for citizens.
Dzingirai
becomes the first Zanu (PF) MP to reveal that the people in his
constituency
are benefitting more from Studio 7 and RadioVOP as compared to
the state run
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
“We are unfair to the people in
rural areas who only get vital information
from Studio 7 and RadioVOP. A
survey that I carried in my constituency
reveals that more than 60 percent
of the people dependent on pirate radio
stations for information.
“We
see no reason for not fastening our pace in legalising these radios when
all
top government officials including politburo members such as Rugare
Gumbo
are speaking to these media houses every day. My argument is that if
these
radios are illegal, then why are some of us then giving exclusive
interviews
to these radios,” said Dzingirai.
Dzingirai said he will not leave any
stone unturned to fight for the
legalisation of these radios.
“I want
to see a situation whereby exiled journalists would be recalled to
operate
at home – this way, they will certainly help a lot in reporting
issues which
will build our country. These radios are discussing national
issues; I have
heard people like (Paul) Mangwana giving out vital
information about COPAC
to these radios.
“In fact, I have realised that I am the only Zanu (PF)
MP who was not
speaking to these radios and starting from now onwards I will
award any
journalist an opportunity to talk to me for national building
issues and I
will inform the people in my constituency to tune to these
radios for
crucial information and updates,” added
Dzingirai.
Dzingirai told RadioVOP that people in his constituency had a
habit of going
into secret places to listen to these radios but often they
are shocked to
get exclusive interviews from top Zanu (PF)
officials.
“The multimillion dollar question is why you would speak to
illegal media
houses?” he asked.
Dzingirai has gradually managed to
become popular in his constituency for
giving independent views about
topical issues affecting people directly
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
18/06/2011 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
CIVIL service unions have blasted reports the government
splashed US$10
million on luxury off-road vehicles for cabinet ministers
while insisting it
does not have the money to increase their
salaries.
The government is understood to have recently taken delivery of
40, 2110
Limited Edition Jeep Grand Cherokees for cabinet ministers, 40 Land
Cruisers
V8 SUVs for deputy ministers and 50 Prados for permanent
secretaries.
The development has riled civil servants who are battling to
have their
conditions of service improved.
Civil servants, who take
home between US$150 and US$200 per month, want
their salaries increased to
at least achieve parity with the country's
poverty datum line which is
estimated at US$502 but the government says it
does not have the
money.
But Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Sifiso Ndlovu
said the
government cannot continue to plead poverty while buying luxury
vehicles for
ministers.
"We received information about these Grand
Cherokees from our sources in
Government and this is why we have maintained
that Government has the
capacity to review our salaries,” Ndlovu told the
state-run Herald newspaper
"No one can fool us now saying this economy is not
performing."
Public Service Association chief executive Emmanuel
Tichareva weighed-in
saying: "This information will not augur well with our
members who were
expecting something in June.
"It shows that Government
is not concerned with the plight of its workers."
However, Finance
Minister Tendai Biti said acquisition of vehicles for
government was the
responsibility of CMED Pvt Ltd, a parastatal.
"The Ministry of Finance
has not bought cars for anyone. CMED Pvt Ltd is the
institution that
provides vehicles to Government,” he said.
"Whether they have done so or not
I don't know ask the Minister of
Transport, (Communication and
Infrastructural Development).”
The issue of civil servants salaries has
divided the coalition government
with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF
party pushing for an increase while
officials from Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party insist there
is no money.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
There are only 300 white commercial farmers
actively engaged in farming in
Zimbabwe, the former President of the
influential Commercial Farmers Union,
John Laurie, has
confirmed.
18.06.1101:26pm
Ngoni Chanakira Harare
In an
exclusive interview on the sidelines of the recent agriculture
workshop
Laurie said others were doing contract farming, which is more
lucrative.
"I stopped because of the problems facing commercial
farmers in Zimbabwe,"
he said.
"In Zimbabwe there were about 4 5000
white commercial farmers before 2000.
This has continued to dwindle to about
600 and then 400 and now about 300
are left practicing their
trade.”
A senior CFU official said some farmers were available to train
new
commercial farmers who had been given large farms by the Mugabe regime
under
the controversial Land Resettlement Programme undertaken in
2000.
"I think they would be interested in training the new farmers. In
fact, they
are very keen on being mentors for the country. But maybe we need
to train
them first - because some of them can farm but they can't
train."
He confirmed Laurie’s estimate saying, "We have between 30 and 40
farmers
per province right now so 300 would be a correct figure for the
whole
industry to-date. Some are, however, not farming so you can see how
difficult it is to place a finger on the exact numbers.
Former
Indigenous Commercial Farmers Union President, Davison Mugabe, said
some
former commercial white farmers were returning to Zimbabwe.
"They were
given farms from collateral guaranteed by the Government of
Zambia at good
inflation rates," Mugabe said.
"However, things have now changed and some
of them are returning to Zimbabwe
especially after dollarisation. I do not
know the number but I can tell you
that indeed some white former commercial
farmers are coming back to Zimbabwe
from Zambia".
The Zimbabwe
Investment Authority, the nation's investment scrutiniser, said
it could be
true that the commercial farmers were indeed returning to the
country.
"Zimbabwe farmers are allowed special deductions over and
above the normal
deductions," the ZIA said. "Examples include expenditure on
fencing,
clearing and stamping land, sinking boreholes and wells and on
aerial and
geophysical surveys."
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
GWERU - The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation has slapped the
COPAC with a
bill of $861,000 for adverts.
18.06.1101:11pm
Brenna
Matendere Munyati
Jessie Majome, the Media and Publicity subcommittee
chairperson, said during
the time of outreaches held to gather views of
Zimbabweans on what they
wanted included in the new constitution, ZBC
refused to air Copac adverts
making information dissemination to masses
difficult.
“Now they have aired our adverts but the charges they have put
on us are too
much to handle at a time when we are driving a noble thing
that, as a
national broadcaster, they should feel obliged to support by all
means,”
Majome said.
“Maybe it’s because they felt uncomfortable to
fund the state run
broadcaster but that is the position they have
communicated to us,” Gift
Marunda, Copac’s acting national coordinator and
Finance and Administration
Manager told The Zimbabwean.
ZBC is led by
Happison Muchechetere, a war veteran who has not hidden his
allegiance to
Zanu (PF).
Sources said the state broadcaster which boasts of its
monopoly of the
airwaves, is on a mission to derail the constitution-making
process. Efforts
to reform the broadcaster’s board are being strongly
opposed by recalcitrant
hardliners in President Mugabe’s party.
http://www.radiovop.com
10 hours 44 minutes ago
Bulawayo, June 18,
2011---Zimbabwe’s Deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe
is down with breast
cancer and has taken an indefinite leave from
government.
Khupe
confirmed to Radio VOP on Wednesday that she is not well and her
doctors had
advised to take a rest.
“Yes, I was not feeling well, but I think I am
getting better now, my doctor
has advised me to take some rest. But please
tell me, who told you about all
this,” asked Khupe.
Breast cancer is
a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. Most
women have a higher
risk for breast cancer if they have a close relative who
has had breast,
uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. About 20 - 30% of women
with breast
cancer have a family history of the disease.
Khupe has been the Deputy
Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity
since 11 February 2009.
She is the first woman appointed to this post since
Zimbabwe’s
independence.
In 2010 she was elected as the President for the United
Nations Aids/Global
Women Power Network for Africa.
The network is
responsible for creating a new and sustainable network of
female legislators
and ministers from Africa to fight HIV/Aids and implement
the agenda for
accelerated country action at national and regional levels.
Since 2000,
she has been also the deputy chairperson of the Zimbabwe
Parliamentary
Women’s Caucus and has recently been appointed Humanitarian
Coordinator.
Thokozani Khupe has three children.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Zimbabwe seriously needs politicians
who give top priority to agriculture
say Professor Mandivamba
Rukuni.
18.06.1101:25pm
Ngoni Chanakira Harare
He told a
three-day workshop in Harare last week, organised by The Mandi
Rukuni
Seminars, that the country's administrators should pave the way
forward for
the once-thriving agriculture sector to return to the heights it
achieved
during the 1980s and early 1990s.
"This economy catches a huge cold when
agriculture coughs. Look at the last
50 years. If agriculture ticks, you
sell more bread, people buy more suits
and women more dresses and the
economy ticks. It can all work if you have
the right practice and both
private as well as public sector support."
Rukuni said technically
speaking, there were no economies of scale in
agriculture.
For the
sector to regain its financial muscle seven steps needed to be taken
urgently.
1. "We need better farm management skills," he said. "We
need professionals
who not only can run companies but also commercial farms
and who have
invested in farming. Human resources assets require revamping
various
institutions so that the brain drain is stopped."
2. Better
land distribution techniques. "Land users not only need access to
land but
to soil and water conservation."
3. Better technological products and
services support, including improved
seed, better methods, improved animal
husbandry, research, processing and
value addition.
4. Long-term
finance to purchase land and equipment, medium-term finance for
machines and
irrigation and short-term finance for seasonal finance.
5. Physical and
biological infrastructure - "There is need to invest heavily
in roads,
reticulated water for irrigation and domestic use, as well as
access to
electricity and telecommunication services," Rukuni said.
6. Better
farmer support institutions - "We have brilliant technical
advisory services
but we do not have good business advisory services.
Farming must be viable
and can do business with better institutions.
"I think we must adopt the
former Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) Model. They
had a strong union with
political power, commodity associations, and Clubs
for get-togethers to
address their issues," he said.
7. A conducive economic and political
environment. "You need politicians who
give top priority to agriculture.
Agriculture is an important sector because
the majority of the people are
still rural," he said.
The "very quiet" Zimbabwe Investment Authority,
currently led by Richard
Mbaiwa, said there were a wide "array of investment
opportunities" in
agriculture that have the potential to boost the sector's
viability.
Production increase
Maize: 2010, 1,3 million tonnes
2009, 575 000 tonnes
Tobacco: 2010,123 million tonnes 2008, 45 million
tonnes
Cotton: 2010, 260,000 tonnes
2009, 235,000
tonnes
Sugar: 2010 350,000 tonnes
2009, 298,000 tonnes
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
That torture is the standard ‘form of
investigation’ in political cases,
with the police utilizing brutal
beatings, detention under inhuman
conditions and denial of basic necessities
such as food and water to extract
information from political suspects (read
Zanu (PF)’s opponents) is so
well-known it is not worth repeating
here.
17.06.1105:25pm 0 0
Editor
But we never thought the
day would come when Police Commissioner Augustine
Chihuri and his officers
would virtually embrace torture as the once
respected Force’s official
tactic to obtain confessions and information on
cases - all cases, whether
political, social or economic.
The case of former police detective,
Farayi Bazil Nyapokoto, that came to
court last week illustrates how
misplaced is our optimism that the police,
despite their total Zanufication,
still cared to be seen, at least by the
outside world, as a professional law
enforcement agency.
For the record, we regard Chihuri as the worst police
commissioner Zimbabwe
has ever had. But we must admit, we never thought he
could drag down the
Zimbabwe Republic Police to the extent that the force
not only tries to
cover up the illegal use of torture by its investigators,
but even goes to
the extent of persecuting those who dare expose the evil
practice.
Some time last year, Nyapokoto witnessed two suspected armed
robbers -
Andrew Jabulani Quinton Sibanda and Nehemiah Vumbunu - tortured to
death by
police detectives in Bulawayo.
At the inquest, Nyapokoto did
the right thing. He refused to lie - as his
superiors had instructed him to
do – that the suspected criminals died in a
shootout with the police. He
told the truth of what he had seen: that the
alleged robbers were tortured
to death. Elsewhere in the world he would have
received a medal and a
promotion. But not here, not when Comrade Chihuri is
the Police Commissioner
General!
Instead, Nyapokoto’s reward for blowing the whistle was
immediate detention.
Then he was evicted from his official residence at Ross
Camp before being
dismissed from the police force altogether. So much
punishment and
humiliation for daring tell the truth!
Of course
Justice Lawrence Kamocha, who last Thursday heard Nyapokoto’s
application to
have this gross injustice overturned, had little option but
to grant the
request, ordering Chihuri, the two home affairs ministers and
six other
defendants named in the matter to pay the former policeman $50 000
in
damages as well as his legal costs of $6 400. Justice was done.
But the
lesson to draw from the case of Nyapokoto is not just that torture
has
become firmly entrenched within the police and the security forces in
general.
The lesson is that the most vital institutions of state such
as the police,
the army, the CIO, the civil service - have all been so
thoroughly corrupted
by Zanu (PF) that any plan to rebuild Zimbabwe must
begin with a major
overhaul of these institutions. Without this it is doomed
to failure.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Harare used to be known as the 'Sunshine
City', reputed for its clean
streets, colourful jacarandas and low crime
rate. Years of neglect by the
Mugabe regime, corruption, mismanagement,
ministerial interference by
Ignatius Chombo and overpopulation, has reduced
it to squalor. Despite the
best efforts of the MDC-T-led council to sort out
the mess, huge problems
persist, writes JOHN
CHIMUNHU.
16.06.1103:42pm
John Chimunhu
The putrid smell of
urine greets the visitor to the Matapi Hostels, the
dilapidated, filthy,
overcrowded, crime-ridden former single men's
apartments in the capital's
oldest township of Mbare.
In the corridors and outside, hard-faced youths
smoke marijuana, drink beer
and gamble away the day as skimpily dressed
women offer their bodies to
passing men. This is inner-city decay at its
worst, the kind described so
effectively by the prize-winning writer,
Dambudzo Marechera, in Mindblast.
Nearby is the Mupedzanhamo market, a
source of livelihood for thousands, but
also a recent flashpoint for battles
between traders and local residents. So
sensitive has the issue of
Mupedzanhamo become that Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai had to personally
intervene to end the conflicts there after
local government minister
Ignatius Chombo fuelled the fire by politicizing
the disputes to benefit his
party, Zanu (PF).
According to a recent report by the Harare Residents
Trust, an independent
lobby group, the issue of toilets has been one of the
major causes of
conflict between traders and local residents as the Harare
City Council has
apparently failed to provide sufficient ablutions in the
market.
Chalk and cheese
But, say experts, the problems
experienced in Mbare are a symptom of much
greater challenges facing Harare,
which cannot be resolved by just painting
old buildings, patching up
potholed roads or drawing up expensive plans.
“You've got to realise that
Harare has become a primate city, that is a
capital city which is also the
largest city in the country,” said Dr Sasha
Jogi, an urban planner who is
director of Arup and also a special interest
councillor.
“The
population of Harare is more than half the urban population of
Zimbabwe.
That's a very difficult thing. At the end of the day, the city of
Salisbury
and Harare are like chalk and cheese. In addition, we have a new
wing in an
old city. The city planner is not doing enough. Mupedzanhamo is a
good
example. Mbare is a hotspot as far as business is concerned: that's
where
the people are, that's where the people live. We should cut off some
of
council's money and put it into that. I'd suggest this is the number one
project in the city,” said Jogi.
“In light of the new developments,
those flats (Matapi) are an insult to us.
It's not good enough to paint
fancy murals on them. This is a business hub,”
he
said.
Corruption
Harare's worst problem has to do with corruption.
From the municipal cops
who clamp wrongly parked vehicles only to be bribed
to free them, to
business managers running down once viable enterprises like
Rufaro
Marketing, the city appears to be neck-deep in the
muck.
Recent revelations that Chombo was involved in land-grabbing within
the city
using his ministerial portfolio to intimidate officials and cover
up his
tracks have shocked the public.
Last week, mayor Muchadeyi
Masunda presented councillors with a report on
suspected land theft in the
city by high-profile individuals linked to Zanu
(PF). Sensational details of
the land scandal are still being discussed by
the relevant committee with a
view to taking action against the named
individuals. What has shocked the
public, however, is the amount of
confusion Chombo has created by displacing
elected officials, especially
those from MDC-T, in order to facilitate dirty
deals.
Investigations by this newspaper have shown that most illegal land
deals
took place when unelecte commissions appointed by Chombo were in
office.
Property mogul Phillip Chiyangwa obtained vast tracts of municipal
land and
built his famous 18-bedroom mansion in Ballantyne Park during the
tenure of
one such commission.
Tenders
The commission took
over when then mayor Solomon Tawengwa was fired after
granting himself prime
council land to build a service station along Simon
Mazorodze Road. Tawengwa
was sacked but allowed to keep the land. Chiyangwa
then built a house for
the commission chairman next to his own, according to
well-placed sources.
The two are related.
There has also been more than a whiff of smoke over
tenders. For example,
former Zanu (PF) mayor Tony Gara gave his own company
a contract to
transport garbage, without going to tender and against all
ethical norms.
When Elias Mudzuri took over as mayor and tried to reverse
the garbage deal,
he was instantly kicked out by Chombo, who imposed the
turncoat Sekesai
Makwavarara, who has been accused of running the city into
the ground.
While the big fish have obtained vast amounts of city land
for a song,
millions of ordinary people remain homeless. The issue came to a
head
recently when councillors told Masunda that they wanted municipal land
rates
in the townships reduced from the current $10 per square metre to
about $3.
One councillor expressed shock that land in the elite Gunhill
suburb was
being sold for $7 per square metre, less than that in Budiriro.
Masunda,
however, told the councillors that the matter could not be decided
by a
simple resolution, as the councillors had demanded, as there were
revenue
implications to be considered.
Stands grabbed
“The
council is always giving excuses,” said Renson Mpindu, an unemployed
business graduate in Budiriro, where 4 000 stands await allocation amid
fears they will be grabbed by top civil servants and army officers as in the
past. “What we need is land. We voted for MDC-T because we thought that as a
social democratic party they'd understand that even the poor need
houses.”
Said Clr Peter Moyo: “We've discussed this in the finance
committee. These
cheap stands are bought by the rich. They come to the poor
areas and buy
stands, build houses and then let them out to us. Our priority
should be to
give poor people houses.” – Don’t miss Part 2 next Sunday, when
we expose
Chombo’s interference and hair-raising mismanagement.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
I cannot believe the world is allowing this to happen!
It’s the 21st
century - freedom of expression is paramount. When surely good
must triumph
over evil? We ordinary Zimbabweans surely are eligible for
rights and
freedoms to which all humans are
entitled.
17.06.1105:30pm
Mother Duck
On Friday the police
raided the headquarters of WOZA in Zimbabwe. I hesitate
to use useless
phrases like CIO, Police Support Unit, Law and Order, because
Zimbabwean
police are just plain thugs. And the world allows it?
WOZA is a group of
women in the first instance, joined by men in later
years, which has stood
up against oppression in Zimbabwe since 2003. Our
manifesto is to provide
women, from all walks of life, with a united voice
to speak out on issues
affecting their day-to-day lives.
It seems the average Zimbabwean has now
become indifferent to his/her
pitiful plight. We DO NOT CARE any more what
happens. We have fought against
tyranny, toiled against misery, and ruined
ourselves financially fighting
against the ridiculous situation we have
found ourselves in for so long.
Our lives have become meaningless, devoid
of pride, devoid of democracy. We
have fought against this dictator for so
long, we no longer know what is
right and what are our rights.
We do
not have the guts to stand up for ourselves any longer. We take what
we are
given; we meekly accept our lot, our beatings, invasions of our
rights, and
intrusions into our homes. We are reduced to snivelling curs,
begging for
the smallest piece of the pie. We have become dehumanized.
We have our
backs against the wall for so long, we do not even know who we
are as a
nation. We take degradation, humiliation, disenfranchisement, we
are robbed
of our property, we are thrown out of our homes, robbed of our
farms, we
have no livelihood, no means of survival…
But one sector of our populace
has never given up the struggle - Women of
Zimbabwe Arise - WOZA. Yet,
sadly, we have now become a mockery, people
snigger at us, they admire us,
but they cannot understand why we have not
given up our quest for justice.
People cannot understand our constant
invitation to beatings, to jail terms,
to inhuman sufferance.
Last week our headquarters, which we have kept
secret from officialdom for
many years, was raided.
Why, why are
there police surrounding the house, why are there men loitering
on our
verandas, confiscating our property our vehicles, our meagre
possessions?
Why is the rest of the world allowing a total invasion
of our human rights,
our dignity as mothers, as women, as wives and as
husbands?
What have we ever done to the authorities apart from undertake
peaceful
protests against our lot as totally suppressed human
beings?
Why have we been jailed, beaten, whipped, tortured? We are women,
the weaker
sex? The mothers of Zimbabwe’s children. We have never lifted a
finger
against society. We have never advocated terrorism, brutality, never
incited
violence or mayhem but we are treated with such repression and
violence.
For years we as Woza have moved from safe house to safe house,
avoiding
authority. Why have we hidden ourselves, debased ourselves, livid
in squalid
surroundings, moving by darkness, talking in shackle, living like
dogs to
conceal ourselves from the authorities?
Our voices have been
heard far above any other civil group. We have
continued alone and unaided
in our struggle for freedom and we will continue
to struggle for peace and
justice in our beloved Zimbabwe.
Surely someone in the world can assist
us to free our country in order that
we might live in peace with our
families again?
Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango.zw with "For Open Letter Forum" in the
subject line.
=================================================
DEON
THERON - RESPONSE TO LETTER IN
OLF
=================================================
JAG
Allow
me to reply to the following that was forwarded to me. My answers are
all in
bold.
Deon Theron
President CFU
3. TO THE PRESIDENT AND
HIS MEN - CFU/ARAC
OLF - (written by Cautious and conservative
fellow)
I read with interest all your newsletters, press releases and all
else, very
gungho I must say, but being a cautious and conservative fellow, I
would
like the following points clarified in this forum, for all to see, so
we can
avoid the wood, and see the trees, so to speak.....
DEON
THERON
I do not receive the JAG open letters, so thank you to Mike and
Marc that
alerted me to the following letters, otherwise they would have
remained
unanswered as I was unaware of their
existence.
OLF
1. How many past presidents/vice presidents of the
CFU, past and present
members of the CFU Council, etc., are still
farming?
DEON THERON
I really don't know. I have never tried to
count, as I believe there are far
more important things to do than
investigate and see which farmers need to
be "cussed."
OLF
When
you consider that there were 4500 of us farming ten years ago, most
were
members of CFU, not many of them are left now, and yet I hear
alarming
stories of how many farms these past presidents, other office
holders and
current incumbants, are actively farming, hopefully with due
diligence and
process in place, but nevertheless - they are farming, we are
not.
DEON THERON
I would have preferred it if you were more
specific and named people
mentioned in the "stories." That would have made it
so much easier to answer
your question.
Firstly, you should check out
the "stories" you hear to make sure whether
they are factual or nothing more
than "stories."
The mere fact that someone is farming while you are not
does not necessarily
mean they are guilty of committing some crime. If you
were still farming,
would that make a difference to your perception? The hurt
for most of us is
the fact that we are unable to farm and not that someone
else is still able
to farm.
Listen, we all know that a few folk out
there invest heavily in Vaseline,
but we need to be careful before we start
making allegations. Not all
farmers that have managed to survive the
onslaught are collaborators.
Although there are still some ex presidents
/ councilors (and others)
farming, I do not know of any ex president or
council members that have
access to more than one farm. Most that have
managed to survive have been in
and out of court on numerous occasions,
fighting for their right to continue
farming (on farms they legitimately
bought and paid for) while many are
farming on small portions of their
original farm.
There are exceptions. One that I receive most queries
about is a very
visible ex vice president that still has access to his full
farm, does not
have any squatters on the farm, has never been summoned to
court for still
occupying his farm, and is expanding his farming operations
at an amazing
rate. I do not know how he has managed to do this. I am sure
that at some
stage someone will seek answers as to how he has managed to do
this. I am
sure he is not the only one whose prosperity is being
queried.
OLF
Perhaps this is just plain good luck, or is there
something else we are
missing?
DEON THERON
It is a combination.
Some farmers have been lucky, others not. Some were
targeted early and
kicked off early, others were targeted and kicked off at
a later
stage.
Are you guilty of being a collaborator if you survived one year,
two years,
three years or more after others were kicked off? (When were YOU
targeted
and kicked off? Did you manage to survive longer than 2000 when most
were
kicked off? If so, does this mean you collaborated in any way? Where do
you
draw the line of being lucky/guilty of still farming while others
were
kicked off?)
Some have fought hard to remain on their farms, some
decided to call it a
day and others preferred the Vaseline
route.
Without a doubt there are some brave and determined farmers out
there that
are standing up against the onslaught against them. We should be
proud of
them and support them. However, as I have mentioned - we also have
Vaseline
investors out there. (This is definitely not restricted to CFU, ex
CFU or
farmers only.)
OLF
And, please don't tell me its their
private business, it very much affects
the perception of an impartial and
unbiased organisation supposedly
representing all farmers in their best
interests.
DEON THERON
It probably is their business, but I know
where you are coming from.
Talking of perceptions is dangerous as what
you hear is not always the
truth, but often only a perception. I would
suggest that if you have any
suspicions, then have it investigated, be
specific and then expose it
backed up by facts if found to be the
truth.
OLF
2. Democratisation of the CFU - how is that going
gentlemen? Do the
members of ARAC (mainly displaced farmers) still have
only one vote (the
Chairman, as a commodity) on CFU Council, or is your
organisation now truly
democratic, with all farmers both farming and
displaced equitably
represented - some information please.
DEON
THERON
Democratization is going well, as we are as inclusive as
possible.
To address non farmers concerns we established ARAC, and
increased the
number of councilors on Council so that each Region can have a
farming
representative as well as a non farmer on Council. By doing this we
have
ensured greater transparency as members from all the regions (both
farming
and no longer farming) can have input as well as insight as to what
is being
done or decided at Council.
Democracy is about everyone's
rights and not necessarily about the majority
dominating or overruling the
minority, and the minority having to accept it.
If you believe that as ex
farmers (majority) we should overrule those still
farming (minority), then we
should accept that the majority of Zimbabweans
(blacks) believe the minority(
whites) should not own farmland, and not be
compensated for the loss of such
land. Democracy is about equal opportunity
for all.
If you feel
aggrieved you should mobilize for democratic change and make
sure you elect
people that will fulfill your expectations.
OLF
My understanding
is, and I stand to be corrected and hence this letter, that
subsequent to the
November 2010 CFU Special Congress there now exists a CFU
Council comprising
20 voting entities. 18 votes from the 9 provinces (2
per province, 1
delegate farming and 1 delegate non-farming) and the
President and Vice
President each with a vote. Given the hypothetical
scenario of 100-150
members of CFU farming and 400-450 members of ARAC,
displaced farmers, factor
in the current President and Vice President on the
actively farming side, the
voting power in the CFU is split 55%-45% in
favour of farmers still
farming. This is hardly, in my mind, proportional
representation and
democracy, but it is the crux of the matter given that
95% of commercial
farmers are displaced and dispossessed.
DEON THERON
Part of this
question has been answered above. You are correct in saying we
have
increased the number of councilors. If a president or vice president is
not
prepared to represent the best interests of both groups in an unbiased
way,
then they should be given the boot.
If we do not like what our
constitution says, we need to change it in a
democratic way, adhering to the
rules and regulations of our constitution.
If we simply ignore the rules and
simply change the sections of the
constitution we do not agree with, we are
no better than some of the corrupt
politicians out there.
Most of us
have been dispossessed, so the issues you raise are just as
important to
us.
For your information I bought three farms after Independence, and I
have
lost all three.
Farm one I lost during the violent phase in 2000.
We had running battles
with Hitler Hunzvi and his merry men, and many of them
ended up in hospital.
Unfortunately it cost my foreman his life. I fled for
my life and went into
hiding for nearly 2 months. I lost nearly everything on
this farm. After
more than 50 court appearances I eventually managed to
secure my weapons and
most of my cattle. I lost all my plant, equipment,
crops, chemicals, a fully
furnished 4 bedroom house etc. and to date they are
still eating out of our
plates and sleeping in our beds.
I fought a
long and hard legal battle to remain on the other two farms, but
eventually
had to vacate after being handed a 6 month suspended jail
sentence for
refusing to vacate. I feel I fought to the end, but it was a
case of "vacate
within 30 days or go to jail." Three days before the
deadline I was persuaded
by family and friends to vacate. I managed to
remove most of my belongings,
but subsequently lost most of my livestock.
During my final legal battle
the State was allowed to present all their
documents and witnesses. I was not
allowed to present certain crucial
documents, I was not allowed to call any
witnesses, when my lawyer was
unable to represent me because of other
commitments the trial continued and
I ended up using 8 different lawyers
during this trial (meeting one of them
for the first time in court.)
I
had 2 magistrates recused, I was denied my right to make closing
submissions,
or calling witnesses for mitigating circumstances etc.
Fortunately for me the
sentence was suspended for 5 years. I have taken
government on in the
Magistrates Court, High Court, and my application to
the Supreme Court has
been turned down.
I took government on in the SADC Tribunal as the first
Intervener in the
Campbell Case. Others followed my lead and the case was
known as Gideon
Stephanus Theron & 77 others versus the Government of
Zimbabwe & others SADC
T 2,3 & 4 2008. When our application to become
Interverers was accepted it
became known as Campbell and 78
others.
Like many others I could probably write a book on the
intimidation, physical
and legal battles I have endured and fought. I am sure
we could compare
notes on how many times we have been jailed, how many times
we have been in
court or how much we have spent on legal fees.
I have
made these short comments merely to illustrate that you are not alone
and
perceptions are not always correct. Because I had the courage to try and
make
a difference by becoming involved in CFU instead of merely writing
critical
emails does not make me some kind of thug or collaborator.
OLF
Factor
into this absurd scenario the continuing falling number of farmers
actively
farming against a potential 4500 displaced farmers (all potential
members of
ARAC) and we could soon be faced with a situation wherein 11
residual farming
CFU members control the CFU against the expressed wishes of
4489 displaced
farmers. ARAC members, like myself, need to ask the CFU
President exactly
what is the extent of our voting power as displaced farmer
member of CFU
through membership of ARAC and why is it substantially diluted
in favour of
those few farmers still farming.
DEON THERON
We do not favor
anyone.
The CFU is an agricultural Union with loci standi, passed in
Parliament.
Although we are doing everything possible for dispossessed
farmers, we still
have a responsibility towards farmers, no matter how
few.
Like any Farmers Union we are bound by our Constitution and need to
act
accordingly. If we want to change it then we need to do it according to
the
rules of the constitution otherwise we are no different to thugs
that
operate as they see fit regardless of any rules or regulations. Because
of
our unique circumstances we are allowing displaced farmers the same
number
of seats on Council as active farmers. I do not know of any
other
Agricultural Union in the world that has ever done
this.
OLF
It is my understanding also, and again correct me if I
am wrong, that even
if a resolution is passed at CFU Council, it can and
often is, overturned by
a smaller exclusive President's Council. Answers and
clarification please,
Mr. President.
DEON THERON
Not true.
Council is the ultimate authority, and what they say stands. If
you believe
otherwise, please don't waffle. Be specific.
After the Extraordinary
General Meeting we proposed a trial run of replacing
the old Financial
Committee and Management Committee with one Executive
Committee . It
certainly is not exclusive. Rather it is inclusive, including
the president,
vice president, crops, livestock, regions, ARAC as well as an
additional
member elected by council, and members of staff (head of finance
and CEO.) To
address your concern over dispossessed farmers, they can have
up to 5 of the
9 members. Eg president, vice president, regions, ARAC and
additional
member.
The reason I proposed this committee was to cut down on
bureaucracy, as
management issues had to be referred by the Management
Committee to the
Finance Committee then back to the Management Committee
again. By combining
the two committees decisions could be made timorously,
without referring
issues back and forth.
This is still in the
experimental phase, and will be democratically ratified
or rejected at
Congress. To date this has worked much better than the
old
format.
OLF
3. And now the real doozie.......it seems to me,
and others, that CFU/ARAC
are far too closely aligned and involved with
Valcon for their own good and
the preservation of Valcon's essential
independence and objectivity.
DEON THERON
Let's get something
straight here. The motivation of our association with
Valcon was never for
the good or benefit of CFU, but for the benefit of all
our farmers. I agree
with you that Valcon's independence may have been
compromised, but how were
we to establish a database with credible
valuations of ALL farms without
involving them?
There was a real danger of 9 different organizations
representing us, all
with different values. Surely uniting them to work
together as one unit
increases uniformity and credibility? We are locked in a
battle against our
own government and need all the horsepower and assistance
we can get.
The involvement of Graham Mullet in the Dutch case was to our
advantage, not
disadvantage.
OLF
Is there something there we
don't know about? What financial gain, if any,
do CFU/ARAC accrue from this
close association with a commercial
organization under contract to farmers to
professionally value their farms
and working on a success fee
basis?
DEON THERON
You keep on saying CFU/ARAC as if they are two
different entities. It is
CFU. Just as CFU established NADF to look after
dairy farmers interests, so
we established ARAC to look after dispossessed
farmer's interests. (Everyone
sitting on NADF is a dairy farmer, and everyone
sitting on ARAC is
dispossessed, so if you do not trust them to look after
your best interests,
then who do you trust?)
We are doing everything
we can to resolve the conflict, one of these being
compensation. The
financial gain is about you as a farmer, and not CFU or
ARAC. On the
financial side we have proposed a reduced commission for
farmers, depending
on the compensation they receive (ie. YOU as the farmer
benefit, not CFU or
ARAC.)
Should Valcon be successful in obtaining compensation for our
farmers (us),
then we have an agreement that the money we assisted them with
(our money -
not donor funding) could be claimed back.
OLF
I am
told that there is and has been donor funding for farm valuations, and
yet
this is channelled through the CFU office directly to Valcon. Surely
the
donor funding should be made available to farmers, to go to whom they
choose
for their valuations to be done, in order to preserve Valcon's
independence.
Why the exclusivity, gentlemen? Is there more here than meets
the eye?
Again some answers please, Mr. President.
DEON THERON
I really am
amazed at your skepticism.
We worked tirelessly to unlock this funding so
that no farmer would be
excluded because they do not have the funds to have
valuations done. Farmers
are now able to come onto the database at no cost to
themselves.
The EU will not fund individuals. They would not even fund
Valcon directly.
They work through recognized structures such as registered
Unions, and every
cent must be properly accounted for.
There is
absolutely nothing stopping you from going it on your own and using
a company
of your choice.
Including 8 different companies can scarcely be called
exclusivity, but
rather inclusivity.
OLF
Too many coincidences
here, gentlemen, too much said without saying much. We
would just like to
know the in depth facts, the truth, and not particularly
just what you want
us to hear. Giving us the answers, Mr. President, is
not just an obligation
of the office you hold, we as farmers have the right
to know.
DEON
THERON
Of course you have the right to know. I am not sure what
coincidences you
are referring to. Be specific, and I will give you a
specific answer. It may
not mean anything to you, but as a Christian I am not
afraid to speak the
truth or reveal anything.
I am a displaced farmer
that has lost virtually everything I have worked for
over 30 years. I was
also a critic of CFU. Rather than writing "open
letters" I chose to roll up
my sleeves and get involved to see if I could
make a difference. If I have
been prepared to sacrifice my personal life to
fight on behalf of others, and
not just myself, why would I try and hide
something?
I knew it would
be a thankless task, but in all honesty I was not prepared
for the
negativity, suspicion and infighting between farmers. Due to what
has
happened to all of us the level of mistrust is huge, and you easily
get
"grouped" because of perceptions people may have, irrespective of what
you
do. This concerns me as I will be stepping down in less than 2 months,
and
Charlie Taffs (my VP) is finding it difficult to find anyone willing to
step
forward and take on a leadership role with him for fear of being
"grouped"
or associated with something that they had nothing to do
with.
OLF
I would like to avail myself of the opportunity here, to
take my hat off and
make a deep bow to the President of Zimbabwe Tobacco
Association who, when
faced with similar controversial and challenging
questions raised on this
forum, took it as an opportunity to set the record
straight and enlighten
tobacco farmers and all others.
Your turn, Mr. CFU
President, I await your response with bated breath.
DEON THERON
If
I have not answered your questions to your satisfaction, and you are
not
afraid to reveal yourself, then please feel free to come and see me. I
do
not mind responding to your open letter, but we need to be careful that
it
does not degenerate into a meaningless accusation or gossip session,
washing
old laundry in public. This is usually unproductive and rather
than
resolving issues it often raises more conflict.
It's good to be
cautious and conservative, but beware of becoming a
pessimistic
critic.
Deon Theron
I now respond to the other letter forwarded to
me.
4. Letter from Sarah - Australia
DEON THERON
Hi
Sarah.
This letter of yours was also copied to me, so please allow me to
comment
briefly on some issues you raise at the end of your
letter.
Dear Jag
I have been an avid reader of JAG's Open Letter
Forum. Thank you for
giving us an insight on the everyday problems etc of
life in Zimbabwe.
I especially enjoy reading Cathy Buckle's weekly
stories. We also followed
the debate with Dave Joubert and the recent debate
with the ZTA president,
which gave us a better understanding of what's really
going on.
Our family have now settled in Australia after losing our farm
in Zimbabwe,
so keeping in touch with the land issues is very important to
us.
The concerns we have are, that we were visiting friends recently back
from a
holiday in Zimbabwe, who mentioned that there are certain individuals
who do
or have held senior positions in farming organizations who continue to
farm
unaffected.
DEON THERON
(It would assist if you named them
to establish whether that is true or not.
I know of one, but I also know of a
few others that never held any positions
in CFU.)
OLF
it seems
and protected by their current or past positions.
DEON THERON
(I
do not believe that any position has protected anyone, rather the
reverse.
What you do or say has an effect.)
OLF
One example is a past
president of the CFU now operating, allegedly, on 17
farms.
DEON
THERON
(Absolute nonsense. Whoever said this is either gullible or
malicious.)
OLF
My question is, how is it possible for this to
happen,
DEON THERON
(believe me, it is not
possible)
OLF
I'm appalled that 95% of farmers have been illegally
evicted and yet certain
people are exploiting our demise.
DEON
THERON
(There are a few - not necessarily CFU members - that certainly
are
exploiting the demise of others. I am just as appalled, and condemn it
in
the strongest terms.)
OLF
Another question is, have these
deals been made with the original farm
owners consent or have these deals
been made with the "new" illegal owners?
DEON THERON
(Both are
happening. Some deals have been made with the consent of the
original owner -
ie give me a percentage and you can go onto my farm, while
others are supping
with the devil on your farm without your knowledge.)
OLF
Whichever
way, it can only be happening with patronage to and political
blessing from
the regime.
DEON THERON
(Not true. Although I am sure there is
sometimes political blessing, I
believe this mostly happens with deals being
struck between individuals on
the ground. However, I stand to be corrected as
this is my own personal
view.)
OLF
I am absolutely appalled
that there are so many destitute farmers who are
still battling to make a
legitimate living in Zimbabwe and yet this is
happening right on their
doorsteps.
DEON THERON
(Well said. In fact, it is an absolute
disgrace, and a sad reflection on our
once proud race.)
OLF
I am
looking forward to hearing from people with similar concerns. Keep up
the
good work JAG and thank you for giving us this excellent forum.
Sarah -
ex Zimbabwe farmer
Australia
DEON THERON
I now answer the last
"open letter" forwarded to me.
OLF
2. TO THE CFU PRESIDENT AND
HIS MEN - CFU / ARAC....(continuation)
A few weeks ago now I raised
certain concerns about the CFU in general, and
some points specifically
requiring clarification, explanation and
transparency from you as the CFU
President...to say the least your silence
is now deafening Mr.
President.
DEON THERON
If you had sent it directly to me as well
as to the open letter forum I
would have been aware of your letters. I cannot
presume that everyone reads
what we send out, nor can you presume everyone
reads the open letter forum.
OLF
Whilst all farmers wait with
bated breath, are we all to assume that either:
1. .you do not have the
answers, in which case, as a start, I can supply
farm names and CFU present
and past hierarchy names to jog your memory - my
list will obviously not be
complete or up to date but a mere soupcon as a
starting point. I am sure
many other ex-farmers will contribute with
alacrity if asked to or will
merely feel compelled to do so.
DEON THERON
Don't dilly dally!! Do
it!! For goodness sake, have the courage to back up
your
accusations.
OLF
The other important issues that were raised in my
letter also require
answers. I can help open those cans of worms if you
prefer me to do so.....
DEON THERON
I do prefer it. Don't make
idle threats. Please, do it.
OLF
a) democracy and proportional
representation in the CFU and the voting
rights of displaced
farmers
DEON THERON
Answered in previous letter.
OLF
b)
CFU's commercial relationship with Valcon
DEON THERON
Answered in
previous letter.
OLF
OR
2. .you do not wish to reply for whatever
untenable reason - which in
itself will be damning, if not more so, than your
full disclosure, as
subscribers to this forum can take it as read the various
issues raised and
any more to follow. Farmers need to know and have a right
to know, Mr
President and not all of us are able to attend your Harare
meetings.
DEON THERON
Sure. However lack of funds and manpower
prohibit us from travelling all
over the country on a regular basis. We have
travelled the whole country
more than once in the past year. At least we are
being transparent by having
monthly meetings in Harare that are open to all
where any questions can be
asked by anyone.
OLF
The majority of
farmers anyway, tragically, now live outside the country and
this forum is
one of their only means of having their issues addressed and
of being kept
informed and updated.
DEON THERON
I am not sure whether you are in
Zimbabwe or not, but you raise a very valid
point here. If there is one area
that we need to give more attention to, it
is how to keep everyone well
informed and updated.
We have our weekly CFU Calling that goes out every
Friday, as well as our
monthly AgriZim farming magazine, but not everyone
receives or reads them.
We are so busy fighting for farmer's rights to farm
or be compensated, that
we have no funds or personnel to sit in front of a
computer all day sending
or answering letters. Whenever someone manages to
attend one of our meetings
they are usually hugely complimentary of what we
are doing on their behalf.
OLF
So, please do let me know through
this forum, so that all farmers can be
informed as to the calibre and
character of the point men at CFU/ARAC.
DEON THERON
You are very
judgmental. Do you even know the names of the "point men" at
CFU/ARAC? Do you
know what they have lost or been through?
It would be difficult to form
an opinion of someone by what they write. It
is always better to form an
opinion of someone by what they do rather than
by what they say. You are
welcome to come and visit and spend time with each
of the "point men" to form
your opinion.
OLF
One point of interest to readers I am sure is
that, at the most recent SACFA
meeting in Matabeleland, (which you attended
and addressed), when asked as
to the financial arrangements brokered in the
MOU between CFU/ARAC and
Valcon, you did admit that there was a financial
return to the CFU/ARAC from
compensation through Valcon.
DEON
THERON
I answered this in your previous letter.
OLF
One
can't help now but wonder as to the impartiality, objectivity,
independence
and commitment of all those concerned in this unholy and
unethical deal,
especially given your lack of transparency to date and more
so
now.
DEON THERON
Lack of commitment? Unholy? Unethical? What the hell
are you talking about?
OLF
I continue to await your detailed
response to my letter, Mr. President. I
will not go away, nor be ignored -
either deal honourably with me through
this transparent and open forum or
face the consequences that I can assure
you will follow.
DEON
THERON
How honourable is it to attack someone of not being transparent
and hiding
stuff while hiding your own identity? I look forward to you
revealing
yourself.
OLF
We live in a country today that
continues to be beset and destroyed by a
lack of good governance, no
accountability and no democracy. I find it
totally deplorable and
unacceptable, given that we have become destitute
victims of this, that the
same shortcomings may be prevalent in our
"representative" union. Your
continued silence, Mr President, on these
fundamental issues would certainly
indicate such.
DEON THERON
I can only respond to something if I am
aware of it. Feel free to approach
me directly. I do not believe that open
letters are very productive as they
usually end up as a public bun fight. It
would be more productive if you
came up with productive suggestions, or even
better - stand up, sacrifice
your own ambitions for a few years and offer
your services to the Union for
the benefit of all.
Deon
Theron
====================================================
All
letters published on the Open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice
for
Agriculture.
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