http://www.timesonline.co.uk
April
17, 2009
Jan Raath in Chitungwiza
Harry is a former torturer. He
is also at the heart of an experiment to
bring peace and reconciliation to
Zimbabwe.
Ten months ago, in the bloody run-off to the Zimbabwean
presidential
elections, he was a commander of a torture base for President
Mugabe's Zanu
(PF) party in the sprawling township of Chitungwiza, 20 miles
(30km) south
of Harare.
He was one of thousands of previously
"untouchable" Zanu (PF) thugs who
murdered as many as 180 people and
tortured thousands to make sure that the
election went Mr Mugabe's way. He
controlled mobs of rampaging youths who
sought out supporters of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and
subjected them to unspeakable
torture.
Now, seven weeks after the establishment of the coalition
Government between
Zanu (PF) and the MDC, he cannot sleep at night for fear
that his house will
be burnt down in retribution. He says that he is so
racked with guilt that
he contemplates suicide. He is frightened to go to
the grocery store. He
will not accept a meal from anyone in case it is
poisoned and often spends
the night in the bush.
Harry talks only
when we drive to a secluded spot far from the crowded,
garbage-strewn street
that he lives in. "Maybe one morning, I will wake up
murdered," he says. "I
know other people won't forget what happened."
They may never forget but
there is some hope that they may forgive, thanks
to a new reconciliation
effort. Last October three researchers from the
Catholic Commission for
Justice and Peace (CCJP) in Zimbabwe began
interviewing hundreds of torture
victims. "It was just horrible," said Joel
Nkunsane, a co-ordinator. "We
were reopening the wounds. We were listening,
then we would leave them in
pain, without giving any help."
The church-funded organisation set up a
reconciliation process in
Chitungwiza, starting with a three-day group
therapy workshop involving 17
victims. Getting Zanu (PF) perpetrators to
attend was far more difficult but
they managed to attract seven - one of
whom was Harry.
"He was sweating and shaking when he started," said Mr
Nkunsane. "The guilt
with him is still there. He said what he did was evil,
that he caused death
and suffering. He and the others said they wanted to
look into the eyes of
their neighbours and stay in harmony. They want to go
back and talk it out."
George Simango, 28, is the head of the MDC in one
of the wards in
Chitungwiza. On the night before the election, he was
dragged out of his
home and beaten and had boiling water poured over his
back. Red-hot embers
were shovelled into the T-shirt that he was wearing and
he was forced to lie
on it.
Mr Simango has kept the burnt T-shirt.
"For the time, I cannot forgive," he
said. "But revenge is not the way. The
only thing I want is a law that they
should confess, give details of what
they did and who sent them."
Mr Nkunsane also believes that a public
acknowledgement of the acts of
violence - that goes right to the top of the
political parties responsible -
is critical for a process of reconciliation
across the country, along the
lines of the post-apartheid Truth and
Reconciliation Commission in South
Africa.
"I fear they may go for a
process of blanket amnesty, call it a time of
madness and say let bygones be
bygones," he said. "If that happens, there is
never going to be a time that
we can have another election without
bloodshed."
http://www.voanews.com/
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
16 April
2009
An attempt Thursday by Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai to take
President Robert Mugabe to task on issues causing
friction within their
unity government was deflected by Mr. Mugabe who said
such discussions
should only involve signatories of the September 2008
power-sharing
agreement which is the basis for their co-governance,
political sources
said.
Such vexed questions include ongoing
invasions of white-owned commercial
farms, President Mugabe's recent
unilateral reassignment of some ministerial
portfolio responsibilities, and
a wide range of top-level appointments
including that of the central bank
governor. Those appointments have been an
issue since before the
government's formation in February.
The meeting called Thursday by Mr.
Tsvangirai involved not only himself and
Mr. Mugabe but also Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara, the third
power-sharing signatory, plus Mr.
Mugabe's two vice presidents and Deputy
Prime Minister Thokozane
Khupe.
Mr. Mugabe deferred the discussion, saying only the power-sharing
principals
can resolve such fundamental disputes. Political sources said Mr.
Tsvangirai
and Mutambara were trying to schedule a meeting of the
power-sharing
principals on Friday or Monday.
But sources in Mr.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said the president was not likely
to budge on the
various issues brought up by Mr. Tsvangirai.
Despite Thursday's setback,
Mr. Tsvangirai appointed a ministerial team, led
by Mutambara, to look into
the farm takeovers, which Mr. Mugabe and ZANU-PF
characterize as land reform
"mop-up" or consolidation operations rather than
new farm
invasions.
The team includes Co-Home Affairs Ministers Kembo Mohadi of
ZANU-PF and
Giles Mutsekwa of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
(Mutambara
heads a rival grouping of the MDC), Agriculture Minister Joseph
Made and
Lands Minister Herbert Murerwa, both of ZANU-PF, and Minister of
State
Gorden Moyo, who is attached to Tsvangirai's office.
Sources
said the ministerial team starting Friday will start making
unannounced
visits to three farms caught up in the alleged takeovers, and
report to Mr.
Tsvangirai on Monday.
Responding to Mr. Mugabe's call for the government
to speak with a single
voice about lifting Western sanctions against the
president and his inner
circle, Mr. Tsvangirai responded in a statement that
there is a "more urgent
need to condemn farm invasions with one
voice."
The prime minister said the farm invasions are counterproductive
and condemn
Zimbabweans to perpetual hunger by undermining the country's
agricultural
capacity.
Tsvangirai spokesman James Maridadi told
reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's
Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that although the
meeting did not address Mr.
Tsvangirai's agenda, the top six officials
engaged a discussion on how they
might work together more effectively.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15255
April 17, 2009
By Our
Correspondent
GWANDA - Soldiers banking with Agribank here received a
pleasant surprise on
Wednesday after an error in the banking system resulted
in their getting
double their allowance of US$100 per month.
The bank
has now demanded that the soldiers refund the excess payment.
The
soldiers discovered that a US$100 windfall had been deposited in their
accounts, along with their $100 regular monthly allowance only to be told
the extra deposit had been made in error.
The soldiers, who have been
clamouring for a monthly payment of US$500, had
earlier in the week
threatened a wave of unrest unless their allowances were
reviewed
upwards.
Member of the armed forces last year went on a rampage in
protest over poor
salaries as the result of a generally collapsed
economy.
When they found US$200 had been deposited in their accounts this
week the
elated soldiers assumed that the government had finally succumbed
to their
demands in order to avert a threatened uprising.
A soldier
who spoke to The Zimbabwe Time on condition of anonymity said bank
authorities called later notifying him that his account had been overdrawn
by US$100 following a bank system error.
A teller at Agribank said
the salaries of an undisclosed number of soldiers
had been punched into the
system twice in error, resulting in the
overpayment. He said those who
benefited from the error had since been asked
to redeposit the excess. It
was not clear whether any had done so by
Thursday.
The government
faces the prospect of an uprising by civil servants who have
complained that
the US$100 allowance they are currently receiving per month
is grossly
inadequate.
School teachers, who are currently on holiday, have
threatened not to return
to class at the beginning of the new term unless
their demands for a hefty
salary increase are met.
Earlier this
month, Finance Minister Tendai Biti disclosed that government
was
experiencing a serious shortage of funds and could, therefore, not
increase
the allowances of civil servants.
He said the financial system was
operating on a "we eat what we gather"
basis with government expenditure
being determined by its revenue receipts.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by
Cuthbert Nzou Friday 17 April 2009
HARARE - Zimbabwe's
Ministry of Agriculture has requested two United Nations
agencies to carry
out crop and food supply assessments later this month
ahead of the annual
harvest season.
According to ministry sources, the Food Agricultural
Organisation (FAO) and
the World Food Programme (WFP) have been invited to
the country to carry out
the exercise amid reports of hunger in some parts
of the country.
"FAO and WFP officials will soon be in the country to
carry out crop and
food supply assessment exercises from April 27 to May
15," said the source.
"The mission comprises of experts from Rome (Italy)
who will work with
Agritex officials in carrying out the field assessments
across the country."
Minister of Agriculture Joseph Made could not be
reached for comment
yesterday as his mobile phone continued to ring
unanswered.
Last month, Made declined to forecast the expected yield for
the 2008/9
cropping season before government carries out what he termed a
secondary
crop assessment.
The assessment comes at a time when a WFP
last week said Zimbabwe's
humanitarian situation was likely to improve after
the annual harvest.
The programme's information officer Richard Lee
however said the situation
would continue to be dire for people with limited
access to foreign
currency, following the introduction of a multi-currency
national payment
system.
Following shortages of agricultural inputs
last year and reported cases of
farm disruptions targeting white commercial
farmers, the Commercial Farmers
Union (CFU) last month projected a drop in
maize production from last year's
output.
Maize production is
expected to drop to 397 000 tonnes. - ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by
Andrew Moyo Friday 17 April 2009
HARARE - The United States
(US) has lifted crippling travel warnings slapped
on Zimbabwe nine years
ago, Harare tourism officials said Thursday.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
(ZTA) chief executive Karikoga Kaseke told
reporters that travel warnings
officially lifted on April 8 2009.
Kaseke said the decision to lift the
warnings followed months of months of
discussions between the ZTA and US
embassy officials in Harare who in turn
advised President Barrack Obama's
administration to give the all clear to US
nationals wishing to visit the
southern African country.
"It is the best thing that has happened to us,"
said Kaseke, who spoke told
reporters after a meeting at the ZTA offices
with US consul in Harare, James
Jimenez.
There was no immediate
confirmation by the US mission the claims by Kaseke
that would represent a
small but positive shift in relations between
Washington and
Harare.
In addition to regular travel warnings, the US and its Western
allies also
cut direct support to the Harare and imposed visa and financial
sanctions
against President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle as punishment
for
failure to uphold democracy, the rule of law and human
rights.
The sanctions against Mugabe and his top lieutenants remain in
place and
direct financial aid also stays blocked.
The US and the
European Union have said they want a unity government formed
by Mugabe and
longtime opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai last February to
implement
genuine and comprehensive political and economic reforms before
they can
lift sanctions and provide direct support to Harare
But the lifting of
travel warnings to Zimbabwe will assist the country's
once vibrant tourism
sector rebound after years of decline due to political
violence and
humanitarian crisis that scared away visitors.
The US and rich Western
countries have been the traditional source market
for Zimbabwe's tourism
sector even after Mugabe's government promoted a new
'Look East' policy
after his quarrel with America and Europe.
Kaseke expressed hope that the
lifting of US travel warnings would influence
other Western nations to
follow suit.
"There will be no more warnings against US citizens
travelling to Zimbabwe
but just guidance .. and we hope we will see more of
these warnings being
lifted," he said.
Zimbabwe's new unity
government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai has placed the tourism industry at the core of
its efforts to
turnaround the economy after years of a political stalemate
and economic
decline affected arrivals from Western countries.
However, the country
faces major challenges in refurbishing airports, roads,
telecommunications,
hotels and other related infrastructure, as well as
repairing the tainted
image before arrivals can hit South Africa's levels of
11 million. -
ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15242
April 17, 2009
By Mxolisi
Ncube
JOHANNESBURG - A branch of the revived ZAPU in South Africa will
this
weekend hold two mass meetings in Johannesburg aimed at drumming up
support
for the party.
According to party sources, the meetings to be
held at Booysen's Hotel, will
be addressed by ZAPU's interim national
chairman Dumiso Dabengwa.
ZAPU is also seeking to re-establish links with
South Africa's ruling
African National Congress (ANC) and its former
military wing, Umkhonto
Wesizwe.
"The meetings will discuss ZAPU and
ZIPRA properties and how they can be
resourced so that they can become good
fundraising projects," said a source
from within the party.
ZAPU
announced it was ending the unity agreement signed in 1987 with
President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
"Dabengwa will be the guest of honour and main
speaker at the Saturday
meeting, which will culminate in a solidarity march
with the ANC, in a bid
to drum up support for the South African party as it
goes to elections on
April 22."
The meeting is expected to take place
between 1pm and 3pm, while the
following day, most of the party's members
are expected to join hands with
the ANC during its Siyanqoba election
campaign rally at Ellis Park Stadium.
"Our relationship with both the ANC
and Umkhonto Wesizwe dates back to our
days of formation and the liberation
struggle and we would want to
re-establish that relationship," added the
party source.
ZAPU's interim chairman for the South African province,
Dubizizwe Joli, also
confirmed the meeting.
He said Dabengwa would be
the guest speaker, adding that the ZAPU leader was
expected to spell out the
party's agenda. "I can confirm that Dabengwa will
be our guest speaker at
the Saturday meeting," said Joli.
"
He will present himself to the people
and explain the reasons behind the
revival of ZAPU and how the party should
participate in solving the current
problems that are bedevilling
Zimbabwe.
"He will also advise people on ZAPU's stance on the current
political
situation and how members can contribute in the writing of the
country's
constitution."
Themba Khanye, the organizer of the former
ZIPRA forces, also confirmed that
the former freedom fighters would hold
their meeting at Booysen's Hotel
Sunday.
"The first meeting will be
for the ZAPU party and we (ex-ZIPRA) will attend
it as part of the party's
members," said Khanye Thursday evening.
"On Sunday, while other ZAPU
members join hands with the ANC in its
Siyanqoba march, former ZIPRA members
will then hold their own meeting at
the same hotel."
Khanye said they
expected a massive turnout of the ex-combatants in a venue
with an estimated
capacity of 500 people.
He also confirmed that the meeting would discuss
ZIPRA properties that have
been regained from various companies. The
properties were being run by a
joint membership of the ZAPU military wing
and ZANLA - the former military
wing of ZANU.
"We want to raise funds
that will enable us to resource those properties and
fund the two bodies -
the party and ex-ZIPRA membership," added Khanye.
He said that the
meeting would also be attended by some former ZIPRA members
who are resident
in Zimbabwe.
"Most former ZIPRA members are now resident here in South
Africa and have
all been invited to the meeting, while we also expect a huge
turnout from
those that are based in Zimbabwe, some of whom have already
begun to
arrive."
ZAPU received a boost at the beginning of last
month when about 1 000 people
converged at Hillbrow Theatre central
Johannesburg to witness the official
launch of its structures in South
Africa.
ZAPU was revived last year when some disgruntled former leaders
pulled out
of a 1987 unity accord signed between President Robert Mugabe and
former
ZAPU leader, the now late Joshua Nkomo.
They accused Mugabe of
deliberately ignoring some of the requirements of the
accord.
http://www.thetimes.co.za/
Moses Mudzwiti Published:Apr 17,
2009
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party will
come down hard
on its MPs who joined the scramble for used cars belonging to
the central
bank.
On Thursday state owned media reported that
parliamentarians from President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF and Tsvangirai's MDC
"scrambled" for cars on offer.
Zimbabwe has 210 MPs - all
entitled to government subsidised vehicles. In
the past MPs preferred Isuzu
4X4 twin cabs.
But a few hours later Tsvangirai's party,
which had cautioned its MPs
against accepting the cars, said stern action
would be taken against
offenders.
"The central bank cannot be
allowed to corrupt and poison the legislature,"
said the MDC.
"We
do not have any report as a party that any of our MPs has collected a
vehicle from the RBZ (Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe) but if there is any that
have done, then they have acted against the party
position.
"Their case will be brought before the National Executive
and the National
Council and these party organs will take a final decision
on the matter,"
said the MDC.
The central bank under maverick
governor Gideon Gono shoulders most of the
blame for the demise of the local
currency and record inflation which peaked
at 2.3 million
percent.
"It is disturbing to note that the RBZ continues to be
abused and to abuse
itself by continuing to engage itself in quasi-fiscal
operations," said the
MDC.
"Such operations should migrate to the
government through the ministry of
finance. "
"The MDC believes
that national institutions must refrain from those
activities that have run
aground our economy."
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=15250
April 17, 2009
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - The United States government has insisted on a
return to the rule
of law in Zimbabwe before it can heed calls by government
to lift targeted
sanctions against Harare.
American ambassador to
Zimbabwe, James McGee called on Deputy Prime Minister
Arthur Mutambara at
the latter's Munhumutapa offices Thursday morning to
emphasise Washington's
concerns.
McGee, who refused to address journalists after his meeting
with Mutambara,
was accompanied by Dr Pearl-Alice Marsh of the United States
House of
Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He however
described his brief session with the deputy premier as
excellent.
Briefing journalists soon after his meeting with McGee,
Mutambara said the
US had insisted on government meeting specific benchmarks
before it could
lift its sanctions on targetted Zimbabwean
leaders.
The US wants government to put meaningful progress on its
pledges as
prescribed in a unity deal by Zanu-PF and the two Movement for
Democratic
Change (MDC) parties last September.
"We had a very
fruitful exchange but they still insist they want to see
tangible, even
small outcomes around rule of law, around inclusiveness,
around democracy on
the farms," Mutambara said.
"The Americans are concerned about our
misbehaviour, about transgressions
against ourselves.
"They are very
keen to see results around the inclusive nature of this
government. They
want to see an effective implementation of the outstanding
matters in the
Global Political Agreement."
Fresh farm invasions instigated by
influential government and Zanu-PF
officials have hit the country in recent
weeks.
Dozens of white farmers have been prosecuted for refusing to
vacate farms
designated for redistribution while arrests and prosecutions on
political
opponents continue.
President Robert Mugabe has openly
refused to abide by a November 2008
ruling by a SADC tribunal barring his
government from grabbing the less than
400 commercial farms which still
remain in the hands of white citizens.
Mutambara, who leads the smaller
MDC party, maintains the US should lift its
sanctions against Zimbabwe even
before the latter has met the conditions set
by the United
States.
"The collapse of this government will benefit those who are
undermining this
government," he said.
"So I told McGee and his
friend that you must be careful as you deny us
assistance, as you deny us
credit line and investment, you are actually
playing into the hands of those
hawks and those foolish people who are
undermining this government because
their desire is to see a collapse.
"The biggest loser in a collapse
situation are the people of Zimbabwe. The
biggest losers in a collapse are
Morgan Tsvangirai and Mutambara.
"Mugabe has failed already. Fifty
quintillion percent inflation, 10 years of
destroying the economy, how can
he fail more than that?"
Mugabe, in power since independence in 1980, has
been pleading for the
lifting of the sanctions imposed by the West against
government leaders,
saying they are hurting the ordinary citizens of
Zimbabwe.
Mugabe has invited his MDC partners to join him in condemning
the sanctions.
He believes the voices of the MDC, which enjoys a fair
amount of goodwill
within the international community, would leverage the
eventual lifting of
the embargo.
Tsvangirai has, however, refused to
condemn sanctions primarily targeted at
Mugabe and his inner
circle.
Thrust at the deep end of efforts to reverse 10 years of economic
recession
and unbridled corruption, Tsvangirai insists that Mugabe, now 85,
should
instead join him in condemning the renewed farm invasions which he
blames
for continuing to erode the credibility of the unity government.
Please see the attached file for details of the new edition of this book
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effectively once Independence was gained. In the event, the very short time
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This new edition has been published
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BELOVED
AFRICAN
Author:
Jill Baker
web:
www.belovedafrican.com
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/blog/?p=526
Posted By Alex Magaisa on 16
Apr, 2009 at
7:24 pm
THIS weekend, Zimbabwe celebrates her 29th birthday rather sadly,
as a mere
shell of what it used to be; a shadow of what it could have been
but for
inept management.
But make no mistake about it, the
day of independence remains a national
occasion. It is a national day, one
that cannot and should not be privatised
by individuals.
We
may differ on the politics, the economics and many other indices but the
day
of the nation's founding must not be denigrated. It is to that day to
which
we must return to recover the values and aspirations that have been
eroded
over the last 29 years.
It might seem odd to be in celebratory
mood at a time when Zimbabwe is
literally on its knees, begging from whoever
cares to listen. Indeed, at the
time of our independence, one of our great
supporters, Mwalimu Julius
Nyerere, then President of Tanzania is said to
have remarked to President
Mugabe, "You have inherited a jewel. Keep it that
way."
To be sure, the liberated Zimbabwe was far developed than
most of its
neighbours, except South Africa. It was the envy of most of
Africa. But
looking at it now, it seems Mwalimu's words went
unheeded.
It is not too difficult to understand those who view
the day of independence
with scepticism. Indeed, one ironic circumstance is
that in Ian Smith's
jails, President Mugabe and his comrades gained several
academic degrees yet
in present-day jails, even a petty thief is literally
condemned to die a
slow and painful death. Such is the gap in the way the
colonial state and
the post-independence state treats the weakest members of
society.
Yet, to my mind, the failures of individuals should not
be allowed to
overshadow the sacrifices of the many men and women who gave
life and limb
to overcome colonialism. It was a fight that needed to be
pursued given the
circumstances of the time and they fought the good
fight.
Indeed, it's a shame that they had to fight at all and in
the process cause
more pain and suffering - the wounds of which have yet to
heal. That their
surviving comrades have trampled on their sacrifices is
cause not to
denigrate their efforts but to reflect on what needs to be done
to fulfil
their dreams.
In my view, perhaps the biggest
shortcoming is that Zimbabwe has never gone
through a process of what may be
referred to as 'national healing'. National
healing defies easy definition;
indeed, it is one of those phrases that are
used so often on the assumption
that everyone knows what it means but upon
asking, no one can actually give
a coherent answer! It could mean so many
things to so many people. I suspect
there are many doctoral theses on the
subject!
To my mind,
however, it symbolises a process, not a single event. At
independence,
politicians gathered at Lancaster House in London, made a
political deal
which they called the Constitution and exchanged seats, with
the new
replacing the old and no more.
Although there was a lot of
rhetoric about reconciliation, it never quite
translated into practice.
There was nothing concrete done to heal the wounds
of the past. Too many
things were swept under the Lancaster carpet.
Our politicians got
back home and locked skeletons in the cupboard hoping
that no-one would
discover them. In doing so, a bad precedent was created.
Over the years,
more and more skeletons have been added into more and more
cupboards. That's
because perpetrators have long known that there is no
accountability for
wrongful actions or omissions. They have the mentality of
the jungle
creature which survives simply because it is the fittest and can
trample
upon the weakest, with no reason whatsoever to account for its
actions. Not
surprisingly, over the years, the house of stones has become a
house of
skeletons.
It is for this reason that the new inclusive
administration needs to
seriously begin a process of national healing. How
shall that be done?
National healing has to begin with the acknowledgement
and acceptance that
there exists what may be termed a 'national wound'. This
symbolises the
wrongful acts (or omissions) that have been committed against
individuals
and communities over the years.
There has to be a
process of identifying this national wound - these
wrongful things that have
happened in the past. Some are obvious and
well-known such as the
Matabeleland atrocities, others less so and perhaps
forgotten such as what
happened during the colonial era and the war years.
This,
therefore, raises the question of time-frames. At what point do you
begin to
identify these wrongful acts? To my mind, this identification
process has to
be extensive and comprehensive. It is not for me to set a
time-frame but it
is plain that some of the problems that we have faced more
recently, around
the land question for example, are manifestations of these
attempts to
redress what are considered to be wrongs of the colonial era.
Clearly the
government has for the past decade been guided by this memory of
the
wrongful acts committed during colonialism.
Lancaster did little
to address this matter. Instead it sought to maintain
the status quo, which
was always going to be unsustainable in the long run.
The result has been
disastrous, given the farm seizures that took place in
the last decade to
the detriment of agricultural production. Yet what has
happened has also
opened new wounds, upon those whose property was forcibly
taken this time
around. This too, is a wound that will not go away. It has
to be attended
to.
The liberation struggle of the 1970s was a valiant effort but
it also
brought untold suffering among the people. Lives were lost and limbs
were
broken on either side. But these wounds were not dealt with at
independence
and they have continued to fester over the
years.
Indeed, the atrocities committed against the people of
Matabeleland opened
up a great wound upon the body of the nation. The memory
of those atrocities
will not simply evaporate with time. It is a deep wound
on the national
psyche and one that needs
attention.
Likewise, the wrongful acts visited upon citizens
under the guise of
Operation Murambatsvina in 2005. Then there is the
violence, the killings
and torture, loss of property and various other
wrongful acts committed
against individuals, especially during election
periods.
Independence is as much about freedom as it is about
putting minds to rest.
Zimbabwe is plagued by too many restless souls it's
not surprising that it
continues to be mired in difficulty. The skeletons in
the cupboard will
continue knocking.
I hope there will come a
day when it will be universally recognised that
each one of us, that each
tribe and race, despite our differences and
difficult past, has played a
part in building Zimbabwe.
Each one of us, black or white has
left an imprint on the body of the
nation. It is not because we choose to be
Zimbabwean; it is because we are
Zimbabwean and can never be anything else
however much we travel the world
and find new homes.
Many
will testify, black or white, that however beautiful the grass appears
elsewhere, there is only one place we call home. It is the place that
carries our umbilical cords. It is the place to which we were joined at
birth.
Alex Magaisa is based at, Kent Law School, the
University of Kent and can be
contacted at wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by
Crisford Chogugudza Friday 17 April 2009
OPINION: I, like
many progressive minded Zimbabweans at home and in the
diaspora, was very
excited following the grand decision by then opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to join
a unity
government with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party.
For once, l
thought the opportunity had come for Zimbabwe to sort out its
mess and move
forward from the double axis of evil and poverty.
It is true that many
people received the news of this "arranged marriage"
with a degree of
scepticism and a sense of betrayal. However, the most
important thing was
that a new chapter in Zimbabwe's politics had been
opened and the country
was never going to be the same again.
It must be stated in very
categorical terms that Zimbabwe's transition to
full democracy and eventual
economic recovery does not lie in the realm of
foreign aid
alone.
Yes, foreign aid is urgent and very necessary but other aspects of
democratic transition deserve equal importance.
It is heartening that
Prime Minister (PM) Tsvangirai, who now leads the
biggest coalition in
government, agreed to join government in a fairly
junior but not necessarily
inferior position, as people look up to him with
more reverence and hope
than Mugabe.
The truth about this marriage of convenience is that there
are many hurdles
ahead and overcoming them will be such a Herculean task;
difficult but not
insurmountable.
Tsvangirai himself mentioned during
his inauguration speech in February that
the road he had chosen to walk was
not an easy one and he appealed for
patience from the people.
This
was an exemplary statement which promotes reconciliation not reprisals
as is
the case with ZANU PF, which continues to cause pain and mayhem in the
country even when they are expected to show a spirit of openness and
cooperation.
The pockets of resistance to the inclusive government
that Tsvangirai has
recently mentioned are real and threaten the nature and
pace of transition
in Zimbabwe.
What ZANU PF is doing is nothing new
in situations similar to ours. ZANU PF
has never really experienced
democracy within itself and let alone co-exist
with a democratic force. It
will always try to use each and every tactic in
the book to frustrate those
who believe in democracy.
But its success will depend on how far the MDC
resists as the de facto
ruling party and how much confidence and support
they receive from the
democracy-starved people.
Democracy will be
elusive to Zimbabwe if there is no commitment to create
and strengthen
institutions that support its existence. This is the major
challenge facing
the unity government in Zimbabwe. The earlier these
institutions are
strengthened or created the better.
Democracy is essentially not a simple
action by any measure. It is a process
not an event. It is a state of mind
that takes years to develop and mature.
Presuming that through a simple
act of marking an X on a ballot sheet people
have arrived at a democracy is
only a foolish assumption.
Democracy is measured by more than simply the
right to vote, and not all
electoral democracies extend full democratic
rights to their citizens. Full
democracies are defined as granting a range
of rights and institutions, such
as elections, competitive political
parties, the rule of law, independent
media, limits on the power of
government officials, and an independent
judiciary.
These mechanisms
allow citizens to communicate and organise among
themselves, choose their
leaders freely, and participate in government
decisions'.
According
to the Freedom House (2003); "The transition from autocracy to
democracy is
often marked by political instability, rapid internal change,
and even civil
conflict. In many cases, political crises cause newly
established democratic
regimes to fail. In fact, during the second half of
the twentieth century,
about one quarter of all newly established
democracies lasted for less than
five years."
It is the above and other issues facing our fragile
democracy that
constitute the greatest challenge to the Zimbabwe's unity
government.
Some analysts have already said that the two MDC formations
should not
contemplate resigning from the unity government because that
would give
Mugabe and ZANU PF the mandate they so desperately need. If
anything, those
rogue elements within ZANU PF who constitute pockets of
resistance and
dictatorship should be frustrated themselves to leave
government sooner
rather than later with their tails down.
The
opposition party was not invited into a ZANU PF government but the
inclusive
government is a result of a tortuously negotiated settlement that
created a
new coalition government altogether, comprising three parties as
"equals".
It is important for the new government to prioritise
overcoming the
deteriorating humanitarian situation, democratisation,
economic recovery and
initiating a national healing process.
The
humanitarian situation will require colossal financial resources and
revival
of an effective logistical network to enable the smooth distribution
of aid
to the needy and this hinges on effective communication with donors,
honesty, respect for others and sense of responsibility on the part of both
Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
The democratisation agenda is an inevitable
process, which should be
completed as soon as possible to ensure that
Zimbabwe becomes a democracy
again. This will not be an easy feat and may
require further conflicts and
fighting between the main
parties.
However, there is no going back on democratisation and those who
seek to
complete this agenda should not be allowed to fail. The success of
this
process requires the effective use and fair management of state media
and
information, as well as unity of purpose from all democratic forces in
the
face of adversity from rogue elements in ZANU PF.
Lastly, the
healing process requires the creation of a Truth and
Reconciliation
Commission where all crimes of brutality committed since 1980
are publicly
heard (including the release of the Catholic Commission for
Justice and
Peace's full report on the Matabeleland civil unrest of the
1980s) followed
by a general amnesty where necessary.
Once again, l wish to remind
Zimbabweans that financial aid alone, crucial
as it may be, is not enough to
repair the damage that Zimbabweans suffered
under decades of ZANU PF
misrule. In this vein, it is important for the
unity government to confront
the other challenges with the same tenacity and
eagerness as that of
reviving the economy. - ZimOnline
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.
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1.
THE GRIEF OF ALL ZIMBABWEANS WHO HAD TO LEAVE THEIR BELOVED COUNTRY
2.
The Power of
One
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.Dear
JAG,
THE GRIEF OF ALL ZIMBABWEANS WHO HAD TO LEAVE THEIR BELOVED
COUNTRY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I
grieve for the deep grip Zimbabwe has on my heart
For the life we had,
beautiful farm, children living a wholesome healthy
life, the green wheat
fields, cotton fields, labourers picking the cotton
counting cotton bales,
tractors stuck in the muddy lands, motorbike rides
round the farm every
afternoon, dogs and all trailing after us. Visits
from next door farmers,
parties on the farm, the feeling of complete
happiness, safeness and planning
a forever life on the farm, hoping that
maybe one of our daughters will
marry a farmer and take over the farm.
And we would build a house on the farm
an life our old age out. The
trips to Harare to get supplies and catching up
with friends in other
towns, visits to Kariba with friends having a complete
gas on a houseboat
or at a local Harare restaurant, even meeting at a tobacco
sale. I miss
that wholesome feeling of feeling so complete in my life I miss
knowing
that my girls will be educated at a good secure school, school runs
with
my friends to Barwick, chatting to all the parents, fetching my
child
from school on a Friday knowing the weekend would be filled with
horse
riding swimming, good meals, good friends and loving parents.
I
grieve for all the farm workers we had to leave behind destitute and
sent off
the farm.
I grieve for my maid who brought up my two girls.
I
grieve for my otter, duikers and birds I had to give away when we left.
I
grieve for my cattle, horses and wonderful old house we had to leave.
I
grieve for all the material memories we had to leave photos etc.
I grieve
for the separation of a family and friends split up due to
leaving Zimbabwe
not only for the fact that my husband had to work in
another country whilst
we had to move to another country to educate our
girls.
I grieve for
the immense change my girls had to endure, the crying to go
back home the
missing their father and friends.
I grieve for my poor husband who had to
make an alternative plan to make
money for us to live.
I grieve for al
the stress we had to take on especially my husband who
eventually died of
cancer.
I grieve for the strength he tried to endure to conquer his
disease
his desperateness at leaving us in a country foreign to us with
no
family.
I grieve for his complete feeling of being betrayed by the
only country
he knew.
I grieve for the struggle we have now to survive
without a husband, a
farm and a once secure life.
I cry often at how
wonderful our life was and what we have gone through I
often ask why and
Guess we will never know.
I still deep in my heart have a slight sparkle
to one day return to the
country of our birth right and oh how I prey. I
left my husband ashes
in Kariba knowing how he loved that place.
Have
you ever felt like everything has been taken away from you and you
are left
so vulnerable trying so hard to keep strong for two growing
girls who need
you to be strong, yes I know every Zimbabwean who has been
displaced feels
like me. I just needed to get it out.
God be with us all and maybe one
day we will all reunite back home.
Sharon
Barton
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.
Dear JAG,
The Power of One
All of us have at sometime been faced
with a task or obstacle that seems
so big that we are threatened with being
overwhelmed. When that happens
it's good to be reminded of three truths: How
do you eat an
elephant? One bite at a time; never underestimate the power of
one person
determined not to be overawed or intimidated who simply gets down
to work
and then plugs away until its done; and, we are never alone in
these
things, God is with us when we are doing what He approves of and if
that
is the case - we are the majority, even if we are only
one.
Anyone who studies world history will know of countless examples
of
individuals who have made a difference. President Ronald Reagan,
during
his time in the White House tried to identify such people and he
called
them "stars" in the heavens of life. In the long struggle
for
decent government and freedom in Zimbabwe I know of many who would
fit
that description.
An elderly retired couple who, after visiting a
hospital in Bulawayo,
started to foster babies who had lost both their
parents. We have 1,5
million orphans - perhaps the highest ratio of orphans
to
population in the world. That is just a statistic until you encounter
a
tiny baby whose mother has just died in childbirth and who has
nobody.
This couple have fostered dozens and the older children are now in
school
and being fostered as a family by another couple who have taken this
on
as a personal mission.
Cecil John Rhodes is another astonishing
figure. He lived just 49 years,
spent 23 of those in Africa and yet in that
short space of time he drew
the boundaries of 7 countries, started 70
companies, two of which stand
today as among the largest companies on the
earth, became Prime Minister
of the Cape, built thousands of kilometres of
railway track, started and
stopped at least two wars. All without a telephone
or Internet or the
benefit of air travel.
All based on 6 000 English
pounds borrowed from a maiden aunt and all the
while suffering from poor
health.
We have just celebrated Easter and with it the story of one man
who stood
against time, spent just three years tutoring a small group of men
and
was then condemned by a corrupt and inept Court and executed on a
cross.
"Well that's that!", the authorities must have felt.
300 years
later the Empire that carried out the execution bowed to his
memory and
worshiped him as God.
No man in history has had such an impact on the
globe.
But we do not have to be Christ or a Rhodes to make an impact on
our
world.
All it takes very often is a small gesture or act and you
can help change
the world. I used to take 60 small boys out to camp twice a
year when I
was younger. We did that for nearly 10 years and many of those
kids can
remember those camps as if they were yesterday. What fun we had! I
have
no idea how many lives we changed but I know it was many as they
still
write and call to say that those camps had a deep impact. I think
that
had more significance for me than winning "businessman of the
year"
when I was 40 years old and the CEO of a major local
corporate.
You
also need to be careful. It was the action of a Deacon in a Methodist
Church
in South Africa who denied Ghandi the right to worship there when
he was
looking for answers to the deepest questions in life. He probably
never
realised what an impact he had on the world just at that moment.
Never
underestimate the impact of your words when you are dealing with a
child. I
have known many whose sense of self has been destroyed by a
careless
adult.
We have to constantly strive to reinforce people's sense of
worth
and being.
I remember being on a plane coming back from an
overseas trip with a
number of young people who had been to the Special
Olympics. What an
experience that was to see these teenagers with such
disabilities yet
such confidence and behind it all the power and influence of
a handful of
people who made it all happen. One of the images of the Bush era
that
will always remain with me was when George Bush senior was
introducing
his family to the Republican Convention, he had on the stage with
him a
young boy who was handicapped - what impressed itself on me was
that
the boy showed no sense that he was in any way different or not
special and I
thought what a testimony that was to the Bush family.
When the MDC set
out on this journey in 1999, we had no money, no army or
police, no weapons
except our pens and our votes and our capacity to
speak for the have not's.
The wealthy despised us and the powerful
dismissed us as being insignificant.
Yet the powerful unassailable Zanu
PF has been forced over time to accept
that they cannot run the country
without us. The region has been forced to
acknowledge that we cannot be
ignored and the people have remained faithful
to our pledge to work for
them without violence or terror, simply using the
power of one -
one person's right to speak, one persons right to associate
with
another, one persons right to vote in secret.
In many respects
this is the achievement of one man - Morgan
Tsvangirai. He would never say
that because it's also true that we
are many, but the MDC was his vision and
its basic tenants have been his
and in many cases he has taken decisions
alone and then stood by them in
the face of severe criticism. The power of
one.
It is tough and lonely when you are at the top of an organisation.
Your
have to make decisions that are subject to scrutiny and criticism. It
is
especially tough when those decisions affect the lives of your
colleagues
and friends and you are in rough waters. Yet even there never
forget the
power of one. The capacity of one person to make a difference when
it
matters. We all need to ensure that if the ball falls into our hands at
a
time like that, that we do our part and help the team win the move
that
might lead to victory.
We are in a tough spot right now, cannot
do much of what is demanded of
us and facing almost insurmountable odds. Our
enemies and many of our
friends are demanding that we quit the race. We do
not agree, no matter
what it takes we are in this deal to make it work and if
that is not
enough, to then to go on to fight another election in two years
when
hopefully there will be a more democratic dispensation. You can help
us
by simply exercising the power of one.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo,
15th April 2009