Zimbabwe
have shocked the Black Caps with a memorable victory in the third and final
one day cricket international in Bulawayo.
With the last pair at the
crease, the home side achieved a demanding target of 329 in the final over,
sparking wild celebrations among the small crowd.
Highlights of New
Zealand's batting effort were 119 from captain Ross Taylor and an unbeaten
100 of 94 balls by Kane Williamson in their 328 for 5.
The home heros
were captain Brendan Taylor with 75, and later in the innings Malcolm
Waller, who kept his head as wickets fell around him and hit the winning run
off the second-to-last ball to end the match on 99.
The New Zealand
captain Ross Taylor, normally outstanding in the field, put down two catches
in the final over.
Zimbabwe
329/9 (49.5) v New Zealand 328 (50) [Zimbabwe
win by 1 wicket, New Zealand win series 2-1]
ZIMBABWE made
history at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday as they chased down their
biggest total ever to beat New Zealand by one wicket in their third and final
ODI series match.
Captain Brendan
Taylor claimed his third consecutive half century before departing for 75.
Impressive batting performances by Tatenda Taibu (53), Elton Chigumbura (47) and
Malcom Waller’s unbeaten 99 all contributed to a memorable victory in sweltering
heat in Bulawayo.
Here are some of
the reactions to the win:
Man of the
Series Brendan Taylor: "Awesome
feeling. Nice to end the way we did. Nice to salvage a bit of pride. All credit
to New Zealand. We will take a lot out of this. We have a little bit of momentum
now.
“From start to finish the guys were positive in their approach. No
nails left. The crowd always turns up, this one is for them, and everyone who
has shown up in the past."
Man of
the Match Malcolm Waller: "Feeling
really good. Good to come out winning this game. Great. To take it right through
the end was very good.
“Having Elto
[Elton Chigumbura] striking it as well was great. I was a bit nervous at times,
but Elton took the pressure off with the big hits, and Razor in the end was
great."
Elton
Chigumbura: “It was a good effort
by the guys. It’s always good to score runs and be positive.
“Waller was very
calm, I thought he played well. We were communicating very well and that helped
us. Bowling first in this ground it’s always hard to defend the score, and we
had to dig in. It was a good effort by the batters.”
Sports
Minister David Coltart on
Twitter: “I am so
very very proud of Zimbabwe’s captain Brendan Taylor. Well done leading from the
front in such exemplary fashion.
“What a match!
Shouts of joy all the way from Paris.”
Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Senegal Trudy
Stevenson on Twitter: “Heart still thumping
here in Dakar. Congratulations, Makorokoto, Amhlophe Zimbabwe
Cricket!”
Econet
Wireless Corporate Communications ManagerRangarirai Mberi on
Twitter: “Zimbabwe have chased
down a 328 score in Bulawayo! In my lifetime? Well, turn me over, smack me and
call me Sheilla!”
New
Zealand Captain Ross Taylor: "I
thought 320 was a par score. It was a pretty good wicket. The way Kane batted
was fantastic, but Zimbabwe batted superbly. The story of this series has been,
if you drop catches, you lose matches.
“I was a bit rusty
and enjoyed some luck with the bat. Kane was outstanding. We could have bowled a
bit straighter, but I am going to put my hand up. I dropped two easy catches,
and if you do that you are going to lose
matches."
Zimbabwe has experienced some of the hottest weather
recorded for October in almost 50 years, with temperatures soaring to 42
degrees Celsius on Monday.
The highest temperatures were recorded in
Lupane, where record highs of 41 degrees Celsius were last seen in October
1962.
Temperatures in Plumtree and Tsholotsho also rose above the
previous October records in 1962, with the mercury hitting 39 degrees in
Plumtree and 42 degrees in Tsholotsho.
Rusape and Harare meanwhile
maintained record highs for this time of year of 35 degrees.
The Met
Office meanwhile has warned that the temperatures could remain high for
several days and has further warned the public to stay hydrated.
The
warnings come as severe water shortages in Harare and surrounding areas have
seen fights break out between residents. The heat and lack of clean water
means fears are increasing daily about a recurring outbreak of cholera.
Charity Mukwambo, Binga,
October 2011 - Zanu (PF) politburo member and Minister of Local Government
and Urban Development, Ignatius Chombo left Binga a bitter and disappointed
man over the weekend after villagers here failed to agree with the
minister’s call for the grabbing of white owned companies along the Zambezi
river.
Speaking at the Kujatana Nkubotu Peace Half Marathon Peace race on
Saturday , Chombo who was the guest of honour at occasion took advantage of
the large crowd who attended the function to campaign for Zanu (PF), much to
the disappointment of the predominantly Tonga tribe at the
function.
“You people here have not been voting well during the previous
elections. My party want you to take and own all those white fishing
companies along the Zambezi River. That other party is protecting the whites
and they do not want indigenisation,” said Chombo amid murmurs of
disapproval from the crowd.
Chombo who was apparently expecting
ululations and hands clapping from the crowd also tried to please the Tonga
people by thanking them for contributing “positively “ during the
constitutional outreach programme.
“..Cde Munyaradzi Mangwana has briefed
us that you people from Binga did not disappoint the party in your
contributions. We are very happy and as a party we expect you to support the
new constitution during the forthcoming referendum,” said Chombo.
The
MDC –T councillor for ward 24 Luckson Ndlovu took a swipe at Chombo for
politicising the function.
“This is a marathon and I do not know why
Chombo choose the occasion to attack my party. I think you have seen for
yourself the body language which people here displayed. People should never
take people here for granted.” said Ndlovu.
Chinhoyi, October 25, 2011 - A former
Zimbabwe Republic Police officer on Monday afternoon caused a stampede at a
shopping centre here when he tear gassed unsuspecting shoppers.
The
man who is now in police custody, is suspected to have wanted to use the
teargas on the till operator so he could escape with cash but misfired,
causing a commotion among shoppers who were scurrying for cover.
The
incident happened soon after lunch on Monday at Edmag Enteprises retail shop
within the town's central business centre.
The man had been standing in a
queue as a prospective buyer before he decided to fire the
teargas.
An eye witness, Joyce Maitise, from Mhangura described the
incident as a 'near death' as shoppers crammed in a small place as they
tried to escape from the tear smoke.
The man was however, unlucky as
the mob turned against him assaulting him before he was rescued by police
who arrested him.
A shop assistant said:''We suspect he wanted to direct
the teargas to the till operator so that he could get away with
cash..."
Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence
Mabweazara confirmed the incident and said investigations were
underway.
Shoppers said they did not understand how the man who is
believed to be a former police man managed to have the teargas in his
possession.
Parliamentary security officials issues strong warnings to those
attending the hearing that they would be arrested if they made any attempt
to disrupt it
Most of those who testified in Parliament on
Monday agreed that the new electoral law must bar Zimbabweans in the
diaspora from casting ballots, saying those who want to vote must return
home
Zimbabwe's Parliament on Monday completed a cycle of public hearings
on the Electoral Amendment Bill that was marked by the disruption of
numerous meetings in provincial centers including Marondera, Mutare,
Masvingo and Kadoma.
Following the disruptions, which most accounts
attributed to militants of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF, the Committee
on Justice, Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs held its final
hearing at the Parliament building in Harare without
incident.
Parliamentary security officials issues strong warnings to
those attending the hearing that they would be arrested if they made any
attempt to disrupt it.
Suspected ZANU-PF supporters disrupted a
similar meeting in Parliament in July called by the committee on the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill.
Legislator Innocent Gonese of the
Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
said participants in Monday's meeting showed tolerance of opposing points of
view. But he said the meeting was unfortunately quite different from most of
the hearings held outside the capital beginning on October 17.
Some
of the provincial meetings were violently disrupted, but ZANU-PF legislator
Dorothy Mhangami for Gokwe Central, Midlands province, said a number were
abandoned simply because members of the public were not aware they had been
scheduled.
Most of those who testified in Parliament on Monday agreed
that the new electoral law must bar Zimbabweans in the diaspora from casting
ballots, saying those who want to vote must return home. There was agreement
that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission must have sole powers to run
elections and should the funds it needs to do that.
ZANU-PF spokesman
Rugare Gumbo said his party is opposed to the diaspora vote because the
process may not be waterproof enough to prevent election fraud.
"How
do we know the diaspora people have not voted multiple times? Gumbo
demanded. "They should come and vote here, no one will be
arrested."
Election Resource Center Director Tawanda Chimhini sand
language in the amendment bill requiring voters to cast ballots only where
they are registered - and not at any polling station in a ward as currently
- would leave rural voters vulnerable to intimidation.
The measure
was introduced to prevent the casting of multiple ballots.
The former President of the Affirmative Action Group (AAG), Supa
Mandiwanzira, has defended the group’s support of ZANU PF, saying they share
the same indigenisation objectives.
The AAG, which was founded by
Robert Mugabe’s nephew Phillip Chiyangwa, has been described as nothing more
than a platform for ZANU PF functionaries to take over businesses, under the
guise of ‘affirmative action’. Leading analyst Professor John Makumbe has
said the relationship is so intertwined that the AAG “is more or less the
business wing of the party.”
Mandiwanzira told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday
that the relationship with ZANU PF is rooted in sharing the same
goals.
“The AAG supports ZANU PF’s position of black economic
empowerment. It would be folly for anyone in the AAG not to support the
position of ZANU PF in terms of black economic empower and indigenisation, a
position that has been criticised by the MDC-T,” Mandiwanzira
said.
ZANU PF has spearheaded the controversial indigenisation campaign,
which calls for foreign owned companies to cede 51% of their shareholding to
Zimbabweans. The MDC-T, along with many analysts and economists, have warned
that the campaign will drive away potential investment and that there is no
sign of genuine empowerment in the ZANU PF led campaign.
But
Mandiwanzira insisted that the plan reflects the AAG’s own plans for
empowerment in Zimbabwe.
“So as a matter of fact and principle, only
stupid people would want to support a political party that does not support
the objectives of an organisation. As an organisation our objectives are
supported by the actions of ZANU PF and this is where the relationship comes
in,” Mandiwanzira said.
Mandiwanzira meanwhile dismissed reports that he
was involved in a violent altercation with his former AAG colleague, Temba
Mliswa, at a meeting on Monday. The meeting was called to discuss the state
of affairs of the AAG, after some provincial members passed a vote of
no-confidence in the national executive.
Some media reports said
Mandiwanzira was left “bloodied” after a physical fight with Mliswa, who
voiced a number of allegations against the Mandiwanzira-led
executive.
But Mandiwanzira said on Tuesday that there was no physical
violence, saying he was “stunned” by the reports.
“I can confirm that
there was a heated exchange because I challenged Mr. Mliswa on the
allegations he made. These are allegations based on rumour and hearsay and
not on any facts, and I warned him very seriously about making allegations
that will tarnish other people’s image without the facts to back up the
claims,” Mandiwanzira explained.
He added: “Any allegations against me of
misuse of funds are simply propaganda and an attempt to tarnish me and my
reputation.”
Mliswa had previously raised concerns about misuse of funds
and made calls for an investigation. A probe is reported to now be underway,
although Mandiwanzira has said this is just a “fact finding
mission.”
Mandiwanzira and four national executive members all announced
that they were stepping down from the group’s leadership last week. This
followed a vote of no-confidence in the executive, apparently because the
leadership was sidelining grassroots members.
But Mandiwanzira said
there was no vote of no-confidence, and said his decision to resign was
because he “did not want to be involved in a side show of power struggles.”
Defence lawyers representing former MDC-T MP Munyaradzi
Gwisai, who is accused of plotting against the government, are to begin
cross examining the ‘star’ witness for the state on Wednesday.
The
University of Zimbabwe law lecturer is jointly charged with Antoneta Choto,
Tatenda Mombeyarara, Edson Chakuma, Hopewell Gumbo and Welcome
Zimuto.
Gwisai was arrested in February after showing students and
activists’ videos of the Arab uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. He was
initially charged with treason and plotting to overthrow Robert Mugabe but
that has been downgraded to ‘conspiracy to commit public
violence’. Proceedings in court on Wednesday will focus on the witness,
described as police detective sergeant, Jonathan Shoko. The defence has
lined up witnesses who will testify that Shoko is not what he claims to
be. A highly placed source told SW Radio Africa that this so-called star
witness is a dodgy character who has disrupted the flow of the trial, at one
time absenting himself from court resulting in the state applying for his
warrant of arrest.
‘In the last week alone he could not attend court
as he said his wife had been admitted in hospital, then the following day he
could not spend the day at court because he had to pick his wife from
hospital.
‘Yesterday (Monday) he could not continue in the afternoon as
he was no longer feeling well. Suspicions are rising that he is not what he
claims but a ZANU PF loyalist or CIO operative bent on serving Mugabe and
his cronnies,’ our source said.
It is alleged the witness has been
misleading the court since the trial began, giving false testimony of what
transpired during the February meeting.
‘Defence lawyer Alec
Muchadehama is going to expose this guy for what he is. A lot of information
has been dug up about this Shoko to prove that he is not a police officer as
he claims but something else. There will be fireworks in court and there are
concerns he might not even turn up for the cross examination, fearing that
he is going to be exposed,’ our source said.
Despite what many took to be a tight relationship, the
state-controlled Herald this week quoted Mugabe spokesman George Charamba as
saying his boss and Gadhafi had sharp differences 'founded on
principles'
Violet Gonda | Washington
Journalist Basildon Peta
said: “Everything he is saying now should be taken with a drum of salt, not
a pinch of salt. I cannot imagine any difference of principle between Mugabe
and Gadhafi because they were all the same on many issues."
Many
considered the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to be a close African ally
of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, but a spokesman for Mr. Mugabe now
says the 87-year-old president had some "serious differences" with his
erstwhile comrade.
At the height of its economic and political crisis
Zimbabwe turned to Libya for fuel, and Gadhafi openly denounced Western
sanctions against President Mugabe and many other members of his ZANU-PF
party. Libya firmly backed Zimbabwean land reform.
Despite what many
took to be a tight relationship, the state-controlled Herald newspaper this
week quoted Mugabe spokesman George Charamba as saying the Zimbabwean leader
and Gadhafi had sharp differences “founded on principles.”
Charamba
says Mugabe thought Gadhafi's plan for a “United States of Africa” was “too
idealistic” and disagreed with Gadhafi when he sought Western
rehabilitation.
Charamba added however that that despite
disagreements, Zimbabwe cannot accept summary execution as a model for
political change, saying it was up to the people of Libya, and not NATO, to
change the political system in that country.
But commentator and
South African-based journalist Basildon Peta says “many lies” are now being
told by African leaders now that Gadhafi is dead, telling reporter Violet
Gonda that whatever differences Robert Mugabe and Moammar Gadhafi may have
had were insignificant in comparison with their comradeship as fellow
African dictators.
“Everything he (Charamba) is saying now should be
taken with a drum of salt, not a pinch of salt. I cannot imagine any
difference of principle between Mugabe and Gadhafi because they were all the
same on many issues," Peta said. "It’s just jumping onto the bandwagon to
try and disown this very discredited ally of theirs."
Political
commentator Charles Mangongera said Mr. Mugabe may not have approved of
Gadhafi's eccentricities, but never objected to human rights abuses in
Libya. Whatever policy differences existed, ZANU-PF was ideologically in
tune with Gadhafi, he said.
Harare, October 25,2011 - Prominent
journalist-cum entrepreneur Supa Mandiwanzira’s alleged links to ZANU PF
haunted him on Tuesday during a public hearing conducted by the Broadcasting
Authority of Zimbabwe for aspiring commercial radio broadcasters at the
Harare International Conference Centre.
Mandiwanzira, the chief
executive officer of AB Communications which is seeking a licence to operate
Zi FM battled to cleanse himself from accusations that he had been endorsed
to represent ZANU PF in pending elections scheduled for next
year.
ZANU PF secretary for administration Hon. Didymus Mutasa recently
anointed the former ZBC, SABC and Al Jazeera news anchor and correspondent
to contest for a parliamentary seat in Nyanga under a ZANU PF ticket in
planned parliamentary elections scheduled for 2012. The State-run Manica
Post newspaper made the disclosure in a report carried early this month
claiming that Mutasa backed Mandiwanzira’s bid to challenge the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) legislator for Nyanga South Hon. Willard Chimbetete.
But on Tuesday Mandiwanzira attempted to distance himself from the media
reports and argued that he had not yet proclaimed his interest to stand for
political office.
“I haven’t announced any intention to join politics.
The people of Nyanga want me to join politics but I haven’t announced that,”
said Mandiwanzira who fielded questions from the Tafataona Mahoso led
BAZ. The BAZ conducted its third public hearing where Mandiwanzira told BAC
commissioners and members of the public that as chief executive officer of
Zi FM, the trading name of AB Commnucations, he holds 70 percent
shareholding in the new prospective broadcaster, while interim chairman and
former Rainbow Tourism Group chief executive officer, Hebert Nkala, holds 15
percent. A Mr Mandinyenya holds 5 percent shareholding while Urban Brew, a
South African company, which is Zi FM’s technical partner, holds 10 percent
equity. Youth empowerment outfit Upfumi Kuvadiki supported Mandiwanzira’s
bid to run a radio station during the hearing which was attended by
broadcasters Bridgette Gavanga and artists such as Stunner and Audius
Mtawarira. In response to a question from BAZ chairperson Tafatona Mahoso
about his “understanding of national events” Mandiwanzira said Zi FM would
“pay attention and celebrate national events such as independence day,
defence forces day, deaths of national heroes and other heroes outside the
political realm such as arts and sports luminaries. On Thursday,
Voxmedia Private Limited trading as VOP FM will appear before the BAZ panel.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa is in a bitterly
divided coalition government
Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa has
rejected calls by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to enshrine gay rights in a
new constitution.
Mr Chinamasa told
the BBC that gay rights could not be "smuggled" into the constitution because
most Zimbabweans opposed it.
Earlier, Mr
Tsvangirai told the BBC that gay rights were a "human right" that should be
respected.
Mr Tsvangirai and
Mr Chinamasa are from rival parties in a fractious coalition.
Their parties -
the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Zanu-PF respectively - are drafting
a new constitution, which will be put to a referendum ahead of elections next
year.
'Tsvangirai propaganda'
Homosexual is
currently illegal in Zimbabwe, as in most African countries where many people
view gay rights as un-Christian and un-African.
Last year, Mr
Tsvangirai said "the ancestors would turn in their graves" if gay rights became
enshrined in a new constitution.
“We all know what people
said about gay rights - it's a total no; an almost 100%
no” Patrick Chinamasa
Justice minister
But Mr Tsvangirai signalled a shift in policy in an
interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme.
"It's a very
controversial subject in my part of the world. My attitude is that I hope the
constitution will come out with freedom of sexual orientation, for as long as it
does not interfere with anybody," Mr Tsvangirai said.
"To me, it's a
human right."
In his reaction,
Mr Chinamasa said Zimbabweans had firmly rejected gay rights when they were
consulted on a new constitution during the government's outreach programme.
"We all know what
people said about gay rights - it's a total no; an almost 100% no," he told the
BBC's Network Africa programme.
Mr Chinamasa said
Mr Tsvangirai made the comments for "propaganda" purposes, contradicting the
position he had adopted in the cabinet.
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in gay
rights U-turn
"We can't smuggle
[into the constitution] the views of a prime minister who wants to please a
certain audience basically, I suppose, to mobilise resources for his party."
"I know personally
he doesn't believe it. He has said so many times in the cabinet," Mr Chinamasa
told Network Africa.
The election due
next year will be the first since the MDC and Zanu-PF - led by President Robert
Mugabe - formed a unity government after polls in 2008.
Those elections
were marred by widespread violence and rigging, with Mr Tsvangirai boycotting a
run-off vote.
The coalition -
formed under pressure from regional leaders - has stabilised the country, but
tension has been rising ahead of next year's vote.
The two parties
are yet to agree on political and security reforms to guarantee a free and fair
poll.
Amos Chibaya, the MP for Mkoba and the MDC Youth
Assembly Midlands South provincial treasurer, Livingstone Chiminya who were
arrested on Sunday on false charges of public violence have been granted
bail. 25.10.1102:17pm by MDC Information & Publicity
Department
They were granted a US$50 bail each today when they
appeared at the Gweru Magistrates’ Court. The two arrested at the Gweru
Central Police Station on Sunday after they had gone to make a report of the
damage made to Chibaya’s vehicle. The vehicle was stormed by Zanu PF youths
at Guinea Fowl business centre just outside Gweru Town.They were remanded
out of custody to 8 November.
Meanwhile, Clarkson Makwara, a
councillor in Mazowe South, Mashonaland Central was arrested in Bindura
yesterday, Monday by three police officers in plain clothes.
They
accused him of chanting slogans that were derogatory to Zanu PF’s Robert
Mugabe at an MDC Youth Assembly meeting at Glendale Hall last Sunday. He is
currently detained at Bindura Central Police Station.
The
Zimbabwe Football Association has appointed a former supreme court judge and
international cricket match referee to lead an independent investigation
into a lingering match-fixing scandal.
ZIFA on Monday named Ahmed
Ebrahim as head of a disciplinary committee which will conduct hearings and
determine punishments for players and officials accused of throwing games on
Zimbabwe national team tours to Asia between 2007 and 2009.
Some
players admitted their guilt as far back as 2010 in a ZIFA report - which
was sent to world body FIFA - but cases have still not been
concluded.
ZIFA President Cuthbert Dube said the committee would operate
"in terms of FIFA and ZIFA statures."
"This (committee) is
independent in the correct sense of independence. We would like them to
execute their duty as freely as possible," Dube said.
Ebrahim has worked
for the International Cricket Council as a match referee and in 2004 handed
a five-year ban to Kenyan cricketer Maurice Odumbe for links with known
bookmakers.
On Monday he promised to bring Zimbabwe's football fixing
shame to an end.
"I want to assure everyone that this committee will not
shun its responsibility in bringing all those who transgressed to book,"
Ebrahim said.
Harare, October 25, 2011 -
High court judges who recently received a hiding over shabby dressing and
absenting themselves from work are now demanding suits from the government
to give a face lift to their dressing.
In a memo dated 7 October written
to Chiweshe by Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, who is the chairman of the judges'
workers committee, the judges implored their employer, the Judicial Services
Commission to supply them with three suits, five shirts or five blouses and
three pairs of shoes per year.
Judge President George Chiweshe recently
berated and accused judges of violating their dress code which entails
dressing conservatively by wearing dark suits, white or lightly coloured
shirts and dark shoes and wearing creased jabots.
Chiweshe hit out at
judges for breaching the legal profession’s etiquette, which prescribes
black, navy and charcoal grey suits as court colours.
The Judge president
also accused judges of absenting themselves from duty without seeking leave
and of switching off their cell phones, resulting in them being unreachable
to attend to urgent chamber applications heard after hours and during
weekends.
But in response to Chiweshe’s rebuke, the judges held a meeting
and demanded to be supplied with suits to improve their shabby
dressing.
Bhunu said the provision of clothing to the country’s 26 high
court judges will cost a total of US$27 560 per annum at an individual cost
of US$1 060.
“At that meeting it was resolved that the norm and customary
practice is that whenever the employer prescribes a dress code or uniform,
the employer must provide or finance the acquisition of such clothing as
part of the tools of trade. Judges have it on good advice that senior
parliamentary officers are provided with appropriate clothing commensurate
with their positions to portray and maintain the dignity of parliament. The
meeting then resolved that JSC be implored through your good offices to
provide judges, who are the embodiment and personification of the superior
courts, with appropriate clothing as part and parcel of their tools of trade
and profession,” reads part of Bhunu’s memo entitled “dress code”.
In
2008, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono spoiled judges with
presents such as vehicles, plasma television sets, generators to beat power
outages and laptops.
ZIMBABWE'S
fertiliser industry is reportedly stuck with 300 000 tonnes of the commodity
as farmers do not have money to buy. Many farmers are preparing for the
summer cropping season, but there has not been any meaningful change in the
uptake of fertiliser. Fertiliser sales peak as the farming season draws near
but this time this has not been the situation on the ground. Fertiliser
industry representative, Mr Herbert Chakanyuka, said farmers were failing to
buy fertiliser because they did not have money. "The Government through its
various input schemes has become our sole customer. Besides Government,
there is no significant moving of stocks of fertilisers," he said. Mr
Chakanyuka said the industry used to export excess fertiliser to Zambia and
Malawi. "Malawi used to be the major buyer but that country's budget is donor
funded and this year they do not have funds to buy the fertilisers," he
said. He said the industry could only make profits if the fertiliser was sold
in huge volumes. Mr Chakanyuka said fertiliser companies have credit
schemes for trusted farmers. However, these farmers need bank guarantees for
them to benefit from the scheme. Depending with the soils, a local farmer
requires between 300 to 350 kilogrammes (six to seven bags) of compound D
fertilisers per hectare and 250kg to 300kgs (five to six bags) of ammonium
nitrate, which cost US$416 at most to grow maize. A 50-kg bag of
fertiliser costs between US$28 and US$32. Regional prices of fertiliser range
between US$850 to US$900 per tonne although the fertiliser compounds are
different from the local ones. Windmill chief executive, Mr George Rundogo,
said in a normal situation the country required 560 000 tonnes of
fertilisers per year. "We cannot talk of shortages at the moment as we are
stuck with the available stock. Last year, we faced the same situation and
we had to carry over the stocks to the following year," he said. Mr
Rundogo said fertiliser prices in the region were difficult to compare, as
the fertiliser components were different. Most local farmers are failing to
buy fertilisers since the introduction of the use of multiple currencies in
the economy and now heavily depend on input schemes. Some farmers have,
however, blamed the Grain Marketing Board for failing to pay them their
money for the grain delivered on time. GMB takes long to pay farmers as it
receives money from Treasury, which only releases the funds for grain
already delivered.
Hundreds of Zimbabwean asylum seekers who have
been left exposed to arrest and detention following the expiry of their
permits are being frustrated by corrupt personnel at the Department of Home
Affairs. 24.10.1104:19pm by Chris Ncube
Disgruntled asylum
seekers who spoke to The Zimbabwean, most of them on condition of anonymity,
said such officials were working in cahoots with security guards and charge
them up to R500 to extend the validity of their Section 22
permits.
Home Affairs grants an asylum seeker a Section 22 permit while
it processes their application for refugee status. The document’s validity
is extended every six month.
However, the permits of some Zimbabwean
asylum seekers recently expired but they could not manage to extend their
validity owing to congestion at the two Home Affairs refugee reception
centres in Pretoria.
The closure of the sole reception centre in
Johannesburg recently and the demand for the Section 22 permit ahead of the
resumptions of the deportations of undocumented Zimbabweans sparked the
congestion, leading to Home Affairs struggling to cope.
An asylum
seeker said he had been approached by a security guard who offered to help
him extend his expired permit.
“He said he would assist if I paid R500.
That is a ridiculous amount of money considering that I am not working,” he
said.
During an investigation at the Marabastad Refugee Reception Centre
by this reporter, a Home Affairs ‘agent,’ believing this reporter was an
asylum seeker, pledged to help if parted with a similar amount of cash if
this reporter’s permit had expired.
Home Affairs have not responded
to questions sent to them by The Zimbabwean.
Some Zimbabwean asylum
seekers fear the possibility of arrest and possible deportation.
“I
am now an illegal immigrant, which paves way for my arrest,” said Buhle
Ndlovu of Johannesburg.
Human Rights Watch pledged with the South
African government not to deport these.
“South Africa may not deport
registered asylum seekers or newly arrived Zimbabweans arrested in South
Africa,” said Gerry Simpson, Senior Researcher and Advocate, Refugees
Program.
Undocumented
migrants apprehended by South African troops at the Zimbabwe
border
HARARE, 25 October 2011 (IRIN) - Doreen Sibanda, 27, was
among the first undocumented Zimbabwean nationals to be deported in early
October 2011 after South Africa apparently lifted its more than two year
moratorium on expulsions imposed following widespread xenophobic violence in 2008.
“I was on my way to the shops to buy
porridge for my four-year-old son when I was stopped by the police [in the inner
city Johannesburg suburb of Berea] who asked for my passport and residence
permit. I lied to them that I had forgotten them at home but they never gave me
a chance,” Sibanda told IRIN.
“They took me to a police station where
they locked me up. I begged to be accompanied to go and collect my son but none
of the police officers took me seriously. The only thing they told me was that
they were deporting me because I was living in South Africa illegally,” she
said.
Sibanda, who earns a living as a hair braider, failed to take
advantage of a window of opportunity presented by the South African government
to regularize her status in the country, because she feared it was a ploy to
identify undocumented foreign nationals and expel them.
The South
African Home Affairs department introduced the moratorium, through the Zimbabwe
Documentation Process (ZDP) in April 2009, to allow undocumented Zimbabweans
living in the country a chance to formalize their stay by applying for, and
being issued with, residence and work permits.
The International
Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 1-1.5 million Zimbabwean
migrants are living in South Africa, but only 275,000 had applied to be
regularized through ZDP by the 31 December 2010 deadline, and the department has
so far only issued permits to just over half of them.
South Africa’s
director-general of home affairs, Mkuseli Apleni, had told parliament that
deportations would not resume until the ZDP was completed.
Police appear
to be acting on an internal directive sent by Apleni on 27
September 2011 (IRIN has a copy), instructing the police service, as well as the
defence force and home affairs offices to start deporting undocumented
Zimbabwean nationals.
Braam Hanekom of People Against Suffering,
Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP), a Cape Town-based refugee rights NGO, told IRIN
his organization had lodged a complaint with the parliamentary portfolio
committee for Home Affairs, because of the “underhand method” used for the
resumption of Zimbabwean deportations.
In a statement PASSOP said: “We
cannot believe that the same week that the director-general briefed the
[portfolio] committee on the Zimbabwean Documentation Project, he failed to
mention that he was about to sign a directive that ordered the resumption of
deportations of Zimbabweans. This directive essentially ended a moratorium on
deportations of Zimbabweans and authorized the first sizable deportations of
Zimbabweans in over two years.”
Apleni said at a Cape Town press
conference on 12 October that about 55,000 undocumented foreign nationals were
deported in 2010 and “the top five groups of nationalities were from Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.”
Hannekom
said with Zimbabweans now eligible for deportations, this number was “likely to
increase three-fold.”
After Sibanda spent two
days at a Johannesburg police station, where she said visitors were forbidden,
she was transferred to the Lindela Detention Centre in Krugersdorp and joined
hundreds of other Zimbabwean nationals awaiting deportation.
Since
arriving back in Zimbabwe she has been in regular contact with her roommate in
Johannesburg who is looking after her son, but since her deportation the toddler
has fallen sick.
“I am worried about my son’s health and have no choice
but to go back. Besides, I don’t see how I can earn a living here,” said
Sibanda, who is raising the money selling second-hand shoes with her sister at a
market in Chitungwiza, about 30km south of the capital Harare.
In recent
years South Africa has redeployed troops
along the Zimbabwe border to try and stem the flow of undocumented migrants, but
Sibanda said she would return the same way she did two years ago - by bribing
immigration officials.
Zimbabwe’s decade long economic malaise and
political violence has acted as a spur for migrants to seek employment in
neighbouring states, as well as Europe and the USA, but South Africa remains the
destination of choice for most, because of its large economy and easy access.
IOM assistance
Vincent Houver,
the IOM chief of mission in Zimbabwe, told the media recently at an event
marking UN Day that IOM was providing deportees with transport, psychosocial and
medical support assistance.
“From October 7 to yesterday (19 October
2011), the IOM has assisted 530 Zimbabwean deportees but the figure of people
who have been deported is obviously much higher than that,” Houver said.
Dickson Mukamba, 30, from Chitungwiza, who worked as a car washer in the
Johannesburg inner city suburb of Hillbrow, told IRIN he was deported despite
applying for a residence permit through the ZDP.
The police did not give
me a chance to prove that I was waiting for my permit. I was busy washing cars
when they raided us and they would not allow me to go and get my
passport
“The police did not give me a chance to prove that I was
waiting for my permit. I was busy washing cars when they raided us and they
would not allow me to go and get my passport and the papers showing that I had
applied for the permit, even though we were just a few metres away from where I
lived,” Mukamba told IRIN.
He alleged one of the police officers
assaulted him after he had insisted on fetching his documents and was also
denied a chance to appeal against his deportation after arriving at Lindela.
“I left my passport, clothes and money behind and it will be difficult
for me to go back, unless one of my friends manages to send me my travel
document,” Mukamba said, adding that during his return to Zimbabwe, other
deportees had told of how they had left behind medication, or had been unable to
inform their families of their predicament.
However, he said some of the
deportees “have themselves to blame because they did not bother to apply for the
permits, probably because they are criminals or just did not trust the Home
Affairs department.”
[This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
The late General Solomon Mujuru was well known for his
diverse business ventures, which included mining, agriculture, transport,
tourism and investment in the construction industry.
This probably
puts him as one of Zimbabwe’s richest individuals but it is a secret the
former army commander seems to have taken to his grave. He died in a
mysterious farm house fire in August that is still under
investigation.
There is no doubt Mujuru and his wife Vice President Joice
Mujuru used their position in ZANU PF and government to build up a
substantial business empire.
They became one of the richest families
in Zimbabwe, with a portfolio of business enterprises and 16 commercial
farms. The retired general once declared he didn’t fight the liberation war
to end up a poor man.
Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us
Mujuru was a multi millionaire and a smooth operator who ran his business
empire from behind the scenes.
‘He was very wealthy but lived an
ordinary life. He never showed off or lived an extravagant lifestyle. He was
a simple businessman who used his position in ZANU PF to acquire his wealth
silently because no one dared challenge his business deals,’ Muchemwa
said.
The only person to ever challenge the late General’s business
dealings is the powerful Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who years ago
blocked Mujuru’s bid to take over the huge Zimasco chrome smelting
operation. From that time the two became fierce political and business
rivals, with some suggesting they never really liked each
other.
Mujuru was also a director of the River Ranch mine, which is
alleged to be a money laundering set up for illegal ‘blood diamonds’ from
the DR Congo. Mujuru was also accused of using his daughter Nyasha Del Campo
to sell Congolese gold on his behalf.
The interesting question now is
who will inherit Mujuru’s huge fortune. Most probably his four daughters
with his wife Joice, but a rift is brewing among his children born out of
wedlock, over how to share his vast estate. Mujuru is believed to have left
a will with his lawyers, detailing how the wealth should be shared among his
children.
15 children have reportedly knocked on the doors of the Mujuru
family home claiming to have been fathered by the late General.
MISA-Zimbabwe Communiqué 25
October 2011 Africa should take protection of human rights
seriously
Gambian Attorney General and Minister of Justice Edward Gomes
has implored African governments to take the promotion and protection of
human and people’s rights on the continent seriously.
Speaking during
the opening ceremony of the 50th Session of the African Commission on Human
and People’s Rights [the African Commission] in The Gambian capital, Banjul,
on 24 October 2011, Gomez emphasised that violations of human rights are
closely linked to situations of war.
He said there should therefore be
increased efforts towards reconciliation, peace ,tolerance and
democracy.
“Any system of government which not only denies but makes the
protection of human rights impossible, is clearly inviting a situation in
which the use of violence is inevitable,” said Gomez citing the political
upheavals that in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria.
He also acknowledged the
important role that the legal fraternity and human rights defenders play in
the fight for the protection and promotion of human rights,
saying: “There is need for a courageous, vigilant and outspoken legal
fraternity and defenders in many parts of the continent, that is to say,
people who are not afraid to speak out against human rights abuses in order
to protect the weak and the vulnerable.”
Gomez officially opened the
50th Session of the African Commission, which ends on 7 November 2011 at the
Sheraton Resort and Spa, in Banjul.
End
For any questions, queries
or comments, please contact:
MISA-Zimbabwe Media Alert 25 October
2011 Journalists’ trial deferred
The trial of The Standard
journalists, editor Nevanji Madanhire, reporter Patience Nyangove and Alpha
Media Holdings (AMH) group human resources manager Loud Ramakgapola —
representing the company on 24 October 2011 — failed to take off
again.
as the trial was about to commence, the defence argued the State
was wrongly prosecuting Ramakgapola, who was being cited as representing
“The Standard”, in both the charge sheet and the State outline.
The
defence argued that “The Standard” was the newspaper’s name and Ramakgapola,
a company representative, could not represent a newspaper’s name which was
not a company.
However, the State insisted the charge sheet and State
outline were both correct since a letter which authorised Ramakgapola to
represent the company was referring to The Standard as a company. There were
further contentions as regards the date to which the case was supposed to be
remanded with both the defence and the State seeking each party’s
compromise.
The State proposed the matter be postponed to any date in
November or December, but the defence opposed saying both months had busy
schedules and suggested any date next year.
“The fabric of society is
not going to crumble because somebody is alleged to have used the word
‘notorious’,” the lawyer said.
He was addressing the court after the
State objected to remanding the matter to next year insisting that it wanted
the matter to be dealt with urgently.
Provincial magistrate Kudakwashe
Jarabini intervened and remanded the matter to 27 October
2011.
background
Madanhire, Nyangove and Ramakgapola are being
charged with criminal defamation as defined under Section 96 of the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act and section 31, which criminalises the
publishing or communication of false statements prejudicial to the
State.
The sections also deal with statements “undermining public
confidence in a law enforcement agency, the Prison Service or the Defence
Forces of Zimbabwe”, as contained under section 31(a) (iii) of the same
law.
The three were arrested following the publication of a story carried
in the weekly Standard issue of June 26 – July 2, titled: “MDC-T fears for
missing Timba”.
End
For any questions, queries or comments,
please contact:
Fremantle action to free the Zimbabwe political
prisoners
When we march on
CHOGM on Friday 28 October 2011 let us not forget Munyaradzi Gwisai, Ms Tafadzwa
Choto and 4 others who are on trial in Zimbabwe.
They where
arrested early this year along with 39 others for showing a video of the Arab
Spring protests. They were all severely tortured and one of them David Mpatsi
has since died from illness due to his solitary confinement.
Gwisai, Choto and
4 others were initially charged with treason which has the death penalty but
they are now on trial for conspiracy to commit public violence which has a
sentence of up to 10 years.
Munyaradzi Gwisai
is married to a Western Australian woman and has family and friends in
WA.
This political
showtrial is symptomatic of what is occurring in Zimbabwe where there is
supposed to be a Unity Government between Mugabe’s ZANU-PF and Tsvangarai’s MDC.
But Mugabe loyalists still control the military, the police, the judiciary, the
secret service and a brutal youth militia. Mugabe has lost all legitimacy
amongst the Zimbabwean people and can only use terror to remain in
power.
When South Africa
and the other Southern African states brokered the unity deal in Zimbabwe in
2009 they promised to stop the political violence, uphold human rights and
ensure a fair and free election in Zimbabwe. This has not
occurred.
When the Southern
African leaders come to CHOGM this month the Commonwealth and the Australian
Government and people must call for action to protect the Zimbabwean people from
Mugabe’s terror.
Mugabe may have
taken Zimbabwe out of CHOGM but the majority of the Zimbabwean people did not
leave the Commonwealth.
Let us stand up
loud and clear for Munyaradzi Gwisai, all political prisoners and the people of
Zimbabwe during CHOGM.
Paul Kaplan,
Convenor Zimbabwe Information Centre (Western Australian
Branch)
While the burial of Muammar Gaddafi at
an unidentified desert location early Tuesday 24/10/11 might bring closure
after unease in the West over the display of his decomposing body in
Misratah, the real drama is arguably only beginning.
Media reports
suggested that that the former first family of Libya intends moving to South
Africa prompting concerns if the Gaddafis will eventually settle in
Zimbabwe.
Despite repeated demands by Libyan’s National Transitional
Council that Gaddafi’s family including his widow Safia, daughter Aisha and
sons Muhammad and Hannibal who fled to Algeria be extradited to Libya and
stand trial, the family plans to travel to South Africa.
Ironically,
also expected to travel to South Africa are the former dictator’s two sons -
the ‘enigmatic and elusive’ Seif al-Islam and Saadi who are both on the
Interpol most wanted list. We remember Saif vowing on live television to die
fighting in Libya.
While Algeria has said it will not extradite Gaddafi’s
family to “Libya or any other country”, it is not clear what has caused it
to change its position. Some analysts believe the move to South Africa was
influenced by security concerns with Libya.
However, the real drama
surrounds tracking down Gaddafi’s staggering estate which is estimated at
more than US$200 billion spread across at least 35 nations on four
continents comprising hidden cash, gold reserves and
investments.
According to the Los Angeles Times (21/10/11), the money
was secretly salted away into banks accounts, real estate and corporate
investments, about US$30,000 for every Libyan citizen and double the amount
that Western governments previously had suspected.
The astonishing
wealth of the late dictator and his family was laid bare in March as Western
countries began freezing his assets. The UK’s Daily Mail reported on
02/03/11 that he U.S. alone froze US$30 billion (£18.5bn) of their
investments, while Canada froze US$2.4bn (£1.5bn), Austria, $1.7bn (£1bn)
and the UK, $1bn (£600m).
The assets which were believed to be just the
tip of the iceberg include properties in London’s West End theatre and
shopping district worth US$455m (£280m) as well as US$325m (£200m) in shares
in Pearson, the owner of the Financial Times and Penguin books.
In
2009, Gaddafi’s son, Saif reportedly bought a US$15 million (£10m) London
home boasting a swimming pool, eight bedrooms, a sauna and a Jacuzzi. The
assets also include a US$15million luxury mansion with an electricity
operated rubbish store in an affluent suburb of North London. When he was in
Vienna, Saif Gaddafi lived in a luxury villa and his pet tiger was allegedly
housed in the city’s zoo.
Gaddafi’s assets in Zimbabwe are believed
to include, several commercial farms, a Harare villa known as Gracelands,
bought from Mugabe’s wife, investments in Zanu-pf companies and at least a
14 percent stake in the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ
Holdings).
Contrary to denialsby CBZ, international investigators
reportedly concluded that the Libyan Arab Foreign Bank (LAFB) through which
Gaddafi bought shares in CBZ was the former dictator’s personal tool (The
Zimbabwean, 31/08/11).
It is also strongly-held that title deeds to
Zimbabwe House which accommodates the country’s embassy in London were
surrendered as surety to Gaddafi by Mugabe in 2002 after Zimbabwe failed to
meet its US$90million quarterly payment as part of a US$360 million oil deal
with the Libyan State Oil company Tamoil (SW Radio Africa,
27/09/11).
If it is rue that the Gaddafi family will be moving to South
Africa, at least not within striking distance of the NTC, that would
inevitably put Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-pf party in panic mode amid fears
that some of Gaddafi’s investments were allegedly being siphoned according
to court reports.
For instance the former ZBC staff, Stanley Masendo
was accused of defrauding the Libyan government of US$4million from a
company known as Crieff investments which later changed its name to Aldawila
Investments (Zimbabwe Independent, 11/03/11). But that is not all. More
drama will be on the NTC’s response.
The last thing Harare’s
coalition government wishes to entertain is the prospect of hosting another
VIP family after Mengistu’s. But Mugabe always gets his way.