Mugabe succession splits ZANU-PF

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/

Friday, 19 April 2013 13:27

Clemence Manyukwe, Political Editor

THE possibility of President Robert Mugabe exiting the political stage
before serving his full term should he win the forthcoming elections has
intensified jostling for the high-pressure job within ZANU-PF resulting in
widespread divisions and infighting that may cost the party at the pol-ls,
The Financial Gazette can exclusively reveal. The succession issue has
refused to die down despite it being clear that it now presents the greatest
threat to ZANU-PF’s continued survival. Essentially, it has created sworn
enemies among party cadres, some of whom would rath-er put up with a
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) administration than having their
internal rivals within the cusp of succeeding President Mugabe whose tribal
balancing has been credited for keeping the party intact thus far.
A few months before the elections, the rivalry that once rocked the party’s
District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) last year, is rearing its ugly head
again, this time at the provincial levels.
But instead of disbanding the provincial structure like they did with the
DCCs, the ZANU-PF leadership has started restructuring the provincial
executives, a decision that has not gone down well with those being pushed
out.
The restructuring, which started in Bulawayo last week, has done very little
to stop opposing ZANU-PF factions from throwing mud at each other in a bid
to be in a position of strength should the need for the incumbent to pass on
the baton arise.
There is a speculation doing the rounds in ZANU-PF that President Mugabe
(89) might step down from his government post after winning the next
elections, but remain the party’s President and First Secretary which would
still allow him to pull the levers of State power.
Another five-year term would end when the ZANU-PF leader is 94 years.
President Mugabe has hinted before that he will not handpick a successor,
but would allow the party to choose his heir apparent.
As per the tradition, each province would be required to nominate  a
candidate for selection at the party’s elective congress should President
Mugabe’s wish prevails. With the next elective congress scheduled for next
year, ZANU-PF bigwigs are now using every trick in the book to strengthen
their positions.
Just like what happened with the aborted DCC elections, ZANU-PF heavyweights
are strategically positioning their lieutenants in the provincial executives
so that they could influence the voting patterns at the elective congress
should President Mugabe decide to call it a day.
The new constitution is also behind the political gamesmanship playing out
in ZANU-PF and to some extent in the MDC party, led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.
There is a provision in the new charter under the sixth schedule which  says
should a President retire or fail to continue in office for any reason,
there would be no fresh elections, but the governing political party would
choose whom to thrust to the top post.
To those in ZANU-PF eyeing the top post, it has become so critical to be in
control of the provinces in case there might be need to apply the sixth
schedule.
But while ZANU-PF found it easy to deal with the DCCs by disbanding them, it
cannot do the same with the provincial executives as that would disconnect
its national leadership from the grassroots since provincial executives now
act as the bridge between the grassroots and the national leadership in the
absence of the DCCs.
ZANU-PF insiders said whoever prevails in the current power matrix stands a
good chance of succeeding President Mugabe.
President Mugabe is however, concerned that the infighting is now
interfering with his poll plan. He had hoped to push for an election by June
29, but now finds himself in a catch-22 situation.
He is now likely to climb-down from his position to have harmonised polls by
June 29 to give ZANU-PF more time to put its house in order although his
major concern at the moment is that the MDC-T, which is currently in sixes
and sevens, could be thrown a lifeline if elections are pushed beyond June.
Last week’s decision by the party’s Politburo, the supreme decision-making
body in-between congresses, to defer discussions on the holding of primary
polls has had the effect of delaying the elections while exposing the
absence of consensus in ZANU-PF over this emotive issue.
There is a school of thought that seems to be gaining sway in the party that
says rushing into polls when the house was on fire would be tanatamount to
committing political suicide.
This school of thought would want the warring factions in ZANU-PF to find
each other before the primary elections could be held. That the party now
has many centres of power competing for President Mugabe’s ear is also
worrisome. Nearly all of President Mugabe’s close allies he depends on for
feedback and strategy are eyeing the top job.
Besides the traditional factions led by Vice President Joice Mujuru and
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, there is another camp of young Turks
building around the persona of Saviour Kasukuwere, the party’s secretary for
youth.
As a result, infighting has reached fever pitch. To paper over the cracks,
President Mugabe dispatched a high-powered probe team to deal with widening
rifts in the country’s 10 political provinces. But the team is finding the
going tough.
Led by the party’s national chairperson, Simon Khaya-Moyo, the team has been
to Bulawayo where they elevated Callisto Ndlovu to the position of interim
provincial chairperson and demoted Killian Sibanda, who previously held the
position to deputy chairperson. Those who are not happy with the decision
are currently agonising on how they should respond.
And on Friday, the probe team was in Manicaland to deal with the political
tensions that have torn the party apart ahead of harmonised elections.
This week, Rugare Gumbo, the party’s national spokesperson, said the probe
team does not have any deadline in addressing the problems bedevilling
ZANU-PF.
Also comprising of national political commissar Webster Shamu, secretary for
administration Didymus Mutasa and Kembo Mohadi who stood in for Sydney
Sekeremayi, the probe team held a 14-hour-long meeting on Friday last week
with members from the provincial leadership in Manicaland, the Politburo,
the Central Committee and the National Consultative Assembly at Marymount
Teachers College. The meeting spilled into the following day.
Factionalism in Manicaland has been worsened by the suspension of Mike
Madiro, a close ally of Mnangagwa, the party’s secretary for legal affairs
who was once touted as President Mugabe’s heir apparent, from the position
of provincial chairperson.
The Mnangagwa faction, according to party insiders, comprise Oppah
Muchinguri, the ZANU-PF Women’s League boss, who is fighting in Madiro’s
corner. Muchinguri and her colleagues were not amused by the inclusion of
Mutasa in the probe team. They argued that Mutasa was part of the problems
bedevilling the party in Manicaland and therefore it was illogical to
include him in the probe team.
No consensus was reached during the marathon meeting which began on Friday
and ended on Saturday morning. The hiatus has led party insiders to
speculate that another “bhora musango” could be in the offing whereby party
cadres peeved by the goings on in the party might end up voting for ZANU-PF’s
rivals as was the case in 2008.
The rift in Manicaland has split the provincial structure into two camps.
Muchinguri, senator Monica Mutsvangwa, Justice and Legal Affaris Minister
Patrick Chinamasa, governor Chris Mushohwe, Madiro, Mandi Chimene and war
veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba are squaring up against Mutasa whose
backers include Basil Nyabadza and Members of Parliament Freddy Kanzama and
William Mutomba.
Mutasa who is now said to be aligned to the Mujuru camp, was said to be the
whistleblower in the case leading to the suspension of Madiro and his
executive for allegedly using the name of the party to swindle diamond
mining firms in Chiadzwa of over US$700 000.
Madiro and his deputy chairperson, Dorothy Mabika are currently in court for
allegedly stealing 10 beasts meant for party activities. But those close to
them claim the charges were trumped up to malign the duo.
Chinamasa, a Mnangagwa ally, has demanded that the party drop the charges
immediately. But Mutasa, a godfather of ZANU-PF’s politics in the province,
is not having any of it.
Mutasa is now pushing for the disbanding of the provincial executive to pave
way for new structures, where he is likely to use his political muscle to
arm-twist events and push for his loyalists.
Mutasa is further believed to be pushing for Nyabadza to stand against
Chinamasa in Makoni Central constituency ahead of the party primaries, a
move that has further soured relations between the two.
Mutasa’s rivals have drawn out daggers against him. They now want him
prosecuted along with former Manicaland Provincial chairperson, Nyabadza for
corruption.
The Financial Gazette can reveal that the sensational claims of corruption
against Mutasa and Nyabadza would be revealed in the trial of Madiro
expected to start next week at the Mutare Magistrates Court.
Madiro stands accused of stealing beasts donated for President Mugabe’s
birthday last year. When he was arrested last year, he warned that “those
who live in glass houses must not throw stones.”
His statement now rings true as his trial is likely to open a can of worms.
Mutasa could not comment on the allegations saying he was in a meeting, but
Nyabadza dismissed the claims.
“People always allege, but facts are stubborn. I will challenge anyone in
Zimbabwe who alleges that to show any cause. My hand has not been involved
in that,” said Nyabadza.
Gumbo said he was still to hear of the allegations against Mutasa and
Nyabadza.
Analysts said it was unfortunate that the party was immersed in internal
power struggles when it should be concentrating on how it could reclaim the
seats it lost to the MDC-T in 2008.
Andrew Mugari, a political analyst, said the divisions were a recipe for
disaster.
“If they approach elections in this mode, they are going to face another
‘bhora musango’ protest if they do not put their house in-order,” he said.
Political Scientist, Boniface Mahambe, said ZANU-PF need not risk heading
for elections with other party members feeling short-changed by their
leadership.
Muchinguri, who was among those who petitioned President Mugabe recently to
rein in on Mutasa, said her plea for the party was for it to go for credible
primary elections and “not injure each other.”
She said senior party members must protect their juniors and the juniors
must respect the latter.
“Insulting each other, lying is not helpful. You can see that these are
contestations for elections,” said Muchinguri. — Additional Reporting by our
Mutare Correspondent.

Grain shortage pushes up maize-meal prices

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

20.04.13

by Rebecca Moyo

POOR harvest and lack of fertilizer in the last season left the country with
severely depleted grain reserves African Development Bank (AfDB) said in its
Zimbabwe monthly economic review for March.

According to the report released this week, AfDB reported that the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) had 92 000 tonnes of maize in its reserves and has
since stopped selling it to millers, reserving it for the grain loan scheme.

The millers require 150 000 tonnes to meet the consumer demand before the
new harvest lands on the market.

“This grain shortage has pushed up maize-meal prices. The supply of grain
under the grain loan scheme is erratic and inconsistent. This is because the
reserved grain is insufficient and transporters are not willing to move it
to the affected areas, as they are not paid on time,” said AfDB.

Usually, Zimbabwean traders import maize from Malawi, South Africa and
Zambia, but transport costs involved in moving the grain from these
countries to Zimbabwe make it expensive compared to buying it from the GMB.

Further, Zambia is currently facing food shortages and has imposed temporary
export restrictions on grain.

“The crop situation in the current season, particularly in the southern
parts of the country, is poor due to recurring droughts. Seventy-five
percent of the crop in Masvingo was written off last season due to the dry
spell,” said AfDB.

The Government of Zimbabwe estimated that at least 1,6 million people would
face food insecurities between January and March 2013.

The Famine and Early Warning Systems Network revealed that this represents a
60 percent increase in the number of people in need of food compared to the
same period last year. AfDB said government needs to come up with strategies
to ensure that grain reserves are well stocked and that transporters are
paid on time so as to avoid unnecessary food shortages in some parts of the
country.

“Government needs to not only intensify the presence of extension service
officers but also their interaction with farmers in drier areas to encourage
them to grow drought resistant crops, such as small grains,” AfDB.

AfDB said there was need to invest in research and development to come up
with new drought resistant crops that adapt well to the changing weather
conditions in these drier parts of the country.

“There is further need for long-term solutions to deal with food insecurity
problems in these parts of the country. These could be the resuscitation of
silted dams and construction of new ones, investment in community gardens,
revamping irrigation schemes and livestock dip tanks, improving livestock
practice and promoting conservation agriculture, the bank said.

Poverty datum line increases by 1%

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

20.04.13

by Rebecca Moyo

THE Zimbabwe Statistical Office (Zimstats) said the National Food Poverty
Line for March as measured stood at US$34,84 per person, an increase of 1
percent from US$34,5.

The International Labour Organisation recommends that the PDL should be used
as a benchmark or reference point in determining minimum wages.

This means an average person in Zimbabwe survives on US$1,16 per day.

The World Bank defines poverty in absolute terms and extreme poverty as
living on less than US$1,25 per day, and moderate poverty as less than US$2
a day.

The country’s poverty datum line for an average of five persons per
household stood at US$541 in March, a growth of US1,14 percent from the
February figure of US$535 and shows an increase of 1,2 percent from US$534
in the comparable year ago period.

The poverty line is the threshold below which families or individuals are
considered to be lacking the resources to meet the basic needs for healthy
living; in other words, having insufficient income to provide the food,
shelter and clothing needed to preserve health.

The total consumption poverty line (TCPL) for an average household in the
period ranged from US$473 in Mash Central to US$618 in Mat South. Zimstat
says this is explained by the differences in average prices in the
provinces.

The TCPL for one person stood at US$108, an increase of 1,14 percent from
February and a 1,2 percent increase year on year after food prices rose
following the increase in fuel duty by the Finance minister. This means that
an individual required that much to purchase both non-food and food items as
at March 2013 in order not to be deemed poor

The Food Poverty Line (FPL) for a family of five was at $174, a decrease of
1 percent on a monthly basis and an increase of 5,5 percent on annual basis.

No details of the items included in the index are provided in the ZimStat
figures, but the differences in costs between different parts of the country
are shown. Compared to US$541,04, the average cost for the basic
requirements for a family of five for the whole country, the figure for
Harare is US$571.94, for Bulawayo US$538,82, for Masvingo US$561,38 and for
Manicaland US$510,42. The highest figure for the country is Matabeleland
North at $618.14, followed by Mat South at US$588,43 and the lowest is
Mashonaland Central US$472,62.

Generally, consumption is the preferred welfare indicator for a number of
reasons. Income is generally more difficult to measure accurately. For
example, the poor who work in the informal sector may not receive or report
monetary wages; self-employed workers often experience irregular income
flows; and many people in rural areas depend on agricultural incomes.
Moreover, consumption accords better with the idea of the standard of living
than income, which can vary over time even if the actual standard of living
does not.

Zinwa clarifies position on Bulawayo water

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Friday, 19 April 2013 00:12

Bulawayo Bureau
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority will not charge Bulawayo for the bulk
water that the parastatal has been pumping to the city from Mtshabezi Dam
during its trial period that began in January. Zinwa chief executive
Engineer Albert Muyambo said the authority

will only start billing the local authority when Zesa connects power to the
dam.  Water is being pumped from Mtshabezi using diesel-powered generators.
“The Mtshabezi project is still at a trial stage; therefore council will not
be charged for the water that they are getting now. We will only start
billing them when Zesa has connected power to Mtshabezi,” said Eng Muyambo.

Councillors had demanded that Zinwa set tariffs for water the city is
extracting from Mtshabezi Dam to avoid altercations in future. Zinwa is the
entity that is in charge of all bulk water sources in the country. Local
authorities buy water from Zinwa.  At a recent council meeting, councillors
were concerned that when Zinwa finally announces the tariff, it would date
it back to January and might be so high that the city would not afford to
pay it. The latest council report confirmed that Zinwa was yet to set a
charge for the water.

“Pumping from Mtshabezi commenced on 11 January 2013. To date the city has
received a total of 85 680 cubic metres of water at an average of 1 904
cubic metres per day. This is still far below the target of 17 000 cubic
metres which is expected to be attained once power is connected. Currently,
Mtshabezi project is still on testing stage. Zinwa is yet to establish the
tariff to use when charging council for this water,” read the report.

Clr James Sithole of Ward 7 called for a memorandum of understanding,
detailing how the issue was to be dealt with.
“The water issue is a very serious one. We cannot afford to leave things to
chance. This is a very scarce commodity, affecting the lives of everyone in
Bulawayo. Water shortages have been worsened by global warming that has
changed rainfall patterns and left us in this mess. We need an agreement to
be worked out to avoid conflict,” said Clr Sithole.

Councillors agreed that the issue had to be taken up with Zinwa.  Eng
Muyambo said if Zinwa were to set a tariff now, it would be abnormally high
because it would be based on diesel consumption by generators on site. At
maximum operation, the generators guzzle a massive 2 170 litres of diesel
daily.
“When power has been connected, we shall call council and discuss the
tariff, which will then be payable starting from the day of reaching an
agreement,” said Eng Muyambo.
Mtshabezi Dam has long been touted as a short term solution to Bulawayo’s
perennial water problems.

Ncube abusing Zuma family ties: Moyo

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

19/04/2013 00:00:00
     by Staff Reporter

MDC leader Welshman Ncube has been accused of using his family ties with
South African President Jacob Zuma to steal a march on rivals as parties to
the coalition government continue to bicker over the timing of elections due
this year.

Ncube met with members of Zuma’s facilitation team in Harare this week and
accused President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of
side-lining his party and disregarding SADC resolutions.

The regional grouping played mid-wife to the formation of the unity
government after violent elections in 2008 and has been facilitating
negotiations for the holding of new polls with Zuma as he point-man.

Zuma’s team was in Harare for meetings with GPA negotiators but also met
Ncube separately in a development that appeared to rattle Tsvangirai’s MDC-T
and Zanu PF.

Said Tsvangirai’s spokesman, Luke Tamborinyoka: “The Prime Minister never
got the information that the facilitation team wanted to meet him.  He knows
they had a meeting with Jomic officials only.”

Zanu PF politburo member, Jonathan Moyo, said Ncube was taking advantage of
his family ties with Zuma. The MDC leader’s son is married to one of Zuma’s
daughters.

“I agree with those people who are saying he is trying to use the
facilitation team to influence the poll dates in his favour. He is trying to
abuse his family relationship with President Zuma,” Moyo told the Herald.

“While the people can meet and talk about what they want, it raises
speculation when he meets behind everyone else’s backs. It raises eyebrows
and brings to the fore his intensions and the role of the facilitation team.

“Why is he operating at the level of the negotiators, while he claims to be
a principal? Zimbabweans by the end of the day are entitled to think the
facilitation team is favouring him

“The elections in Zimbabwe are determined by the law and not political
negotiations. When Parliament is dissolved, it does not require political
negotiations because there will be nothing to negotiate. (Ncube) wants the
elections by October so he is trying to sell that idea to the facilitation
team.”

But Ncube, who is also Industry and Commerce Minister, dismissed the
allegations, insisting that his party had every right to hold meetings with
the facilitation team when-ever necessary.

“It is foolish for someone to raise such matters . . . We have every right
to push for our agenda with the facilitation team . . . it’s our right to
meet the facilitation team. We cannot all of a sudden, not have that right,”
he said.

“In fact, we had written to President Zuma raising our complaints (against
Mugabe and Tsvangirai). The facilitation team requested for a meeting with
the three principals and it was agreed that those meetings be held.

“(President) Mugabe said he would not be available for a long time, while
(Prime Minister) Tsvangirai said he was busy. I was the only person
available and they said they would meet us and would not wait for those who
were busy.”

Campaigners press for gay rights

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

19/04/2013 00:00:00
     by Staff Reporter

AS Zimbabwe marked 33 years of independence this week, campaigners used the
anniversary to urge the country to move towards securing basic rights for
its LGBT citizens.

Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) said in a statement: “We remain on
course in our quest to achieving equality for our lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and intersex communities.”

The group added: “We are concerned that the state continues to vilify our
kind and actively violates and harasses our kin. As a result our community
lives in fear of violence and abuse because they have witnessed abuse or
encountered violent homophobic slurs.

“The law facilitates harassment of LGBTI individuals because of their real
or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Along with most African countries homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe,
based on remnants of sodomy laws introduced during the British colonial era.

President Robert Mugabe is seen as a staunch promoter of homophobic
persecution in the country.
Mugabe previously referred to gay people as being “worse than dogs and
 pigs,” and has repeatedly been accused of inciting homophobic hatred
against LGBT Zimbabweans.

He marked his 88th birthday celebrations last year by urging gay people to
go to “hell” in a public speech.
And in March, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai also came under fire for
denouncing homosexuality and reportedly saying marriage “should be between a
man and a woman.”

Exports worry securities chief

http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 18:19

Staff Reporter

A SECURITIES Commission of Zimbabwe (SEC) non-executive director has added
her voice to growing disquiet over failure by the country to process its
natural resources before exportation.
SEC chairperson, Willia Bonyongwe, warned last week that the country was
losing significant amounts in potential revenue through trade in primary
products, which are later processed in developed countries and exported back
to Zimbabwe at extremely high prices.
She said Zimbabwe should learn from developments in the mining sector where
exported chrome ore is sold at only US$40 per tonne, yet the processed
product fetched over US$1 000 per tonne on the international commodity
markets.
“Value addition should be done in Zimbabwe,” the SEC boss told guests at an
awards ceremony for university students organised by Platinum Investment
Managers in Harare last week.
“As Zimbabweans, we are doing ourselves a disservice by not adding value to
our products before they are put on the market,” she said.
“Our mindset needs to change in this regard. Chrome (ore) is being bought
for US$40 per tonne (on the export markets) but once value is added it is
sold for about US$1 000 per tonne, a value that we can add in Zimbabwe if we
change our mindset and approach,” Bonyongwe said.
She said in a free market system, customers would generally be prepared to
consider paying more for better products.
“Exports cannot generate productive jobs,” said Bonyongwe.
“We should opt for value addition, which has a higher potential for
employment creation and better returns on exports,” she said.
Apart from chrome, government is also concerned that the country could be
losing millions of dollars annually through the exportation of semi
processed platinum.
Final processing of Zimbabwean platinum is done in South Africa amid fears
that platinum mines operating locally were not accounting for several
by-products from platinum processing, such as gold.
Platinum mines have denied the existance of any leakages.
Government is also worried about the continued exportation of raw materials
by other local industries.
Deputy Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Samuel
Undenge, said it was high time the country exported finished goods produced
from its raw materials.
“We should move away from exporting raw materials and do value addition,” he
said recently.
“By exporting raw materials, the country would be exporting jobs and wealth
to other countries,” said Undenge, an economist.
Economic experts say a raw material worth US$1 exported for processing in
other countries sells at a price 10 times higher than its original value.
Undenge said local industries should be innovative and come up with ways to
maximise profits from their raw materials. Analysts say while exporting raw
products was worrisome; the growing import dependence was also a  major
cause for concern.
Tobacco is one of the products that Zimbabwe exports in its raw form.

The Rededication of St John The Baptist Cathedral in Zimbabwe

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/

Posted On : April 20, 2013 6:35 AM | Posted By : Admin ACO

Report by the Revd Fr Abel Joseph Waziweyi, Rector of Mufudzi Wakanaka
Parish in the city of Mutare. Fr. Waziweyi and Communication Officer of the
diocese of Manicaland.

On the April 6, 2013, all roads in the Zimbabwean city of Mutare led to the
cathedral of St John the Baptist in the center of the city, as over 3,000
Christians marched to witness the cleansing and rededication of the
cathedral after years of defilement and abuse by the excommunicated bishop
Mr Elson Madhodha Jakazi.

Anglicans from all over the diocese came to witness this memorable event.
Some came from as far as Nyamaropa, a town which is over two hundred
kilometers north of Mutare. Others came from churches dotted around the
city. It was a marvel to watch the sea of blue, white and black which is the
trademark Mothers’ Union uniform walking up Mutare’s main thoroughfare
Herbert Chitepo street.

The rededication service started with an early morning procession at 6am,
from the Meikles Park up Herbert Chitepo Street to the Cathedral of St John
the Baptist. There was however a lighter moment to the procession as the
police tried to stop the procession forgetting that they had granted the
church permission to undertake the procession.

The procession was accompanied by lively singing from our diocesan choir
made up of choristers from the different congregations in the diocese who
had practiced for a month. It was an electric atmosphere as people
celebrated the end of a long struggle that had drained the diocese of its
resources and spirituality.

When the precession reached the cathedral, the Vicar General, Canon Kingston
Nyazika, ably assisted by the two churchwardens, presented the Bishop’s
Cathedra chair which had been kept in exile. After the bishop accepted the
chair, it was time for a brief history of the Anglican Diocese of
Manicaland. It was presented by the diocesan registrar Mr. Ashel Mutungura
who touched on how the whole sad episode started with Mr. Jakazi withdrawal
from the province of Central Africa in September 2007. Among many other
areas, he also touched on the election of the Dr. Julius Makoni as the
Bishop, his consecration as well and the challenges that he faced.

According to Mr. Mutungura, the people of the diocese of Manicaland had gone
through a lot over the past five years with some becoming permanent guests
of the police on a weekly basis as they were being arrested for refusing to
vacate their churches. Mr. Jakazi went on the rampage with the assistance of
the police in chasing bona fide Anglicans out of their churches. The lawyers
of the diocese spent a lot of time in courts and police fighting for the
release of those who would have been arrested.

The bishops who attended the rededication service also had an opportunity to
offer solidarity messages to the diocese of Manicaland. There were also
solidarity messages from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of
Cape Town Thabo Makgoba.

The other bishops who offered solidarity messages where bishops Derrick
Kamukwamba of Central Zambia, William Mchombo of Eastern Zambia, James
Tengatenga of Southern Malawi, Ishmael Mukuwanda of Central Zimbabwe and
Chad Gandiya of Harare.

Two retired bishops who had served the diocese of Manicaland in the past the
Rt Rev. Dr. Sebastian Bakare and Dr Ralph Peter Hatendi also offered
messages of solidarity. The bishops exhorted the faithful in the diocese to
unite and focus on their main agenda of rebuilding the diocese after years
of plunder.

After the solidarity messages, the bishops were led inside by the choir for
the rededication of the church and its vestments for God’s use. The
rededication was led by the Bishop of the Diocese of Manicaland and Dean of
the Province of Central Africa, the Revd Dr Julius Makoni and the Archbishop
of the Province, the Most Reverend Albert Chama.

In his sermon the Archbishop of the Church of the Province of Central
Africa, The Most Reverend Albert Chama chronicled how he learnt the hard way
in 2008 when he was arrested at the enthronement of the of the Right
Reverend Dr Ralph Peter Hatendi and "for the first time discovered that it
had become a criminal offence in Zimbabwe to be a Christian". This is after
the excommunicated bishop had filed an urgent court application seeking to
bar the caretaker bishop from being enthroned. His main message was on the
need to work for reconciliation for the diocese of Manicaland.

The Archbishop challenged those who had been arrested and harangued by the
excommunicated bishop and his followers to forgive those who had persecuted
them for it is one of the Christian principles preached by Jesus Christ. He
said that some of the people who persecuted the Christians did not know what
was happening for they were fed with wrong information meant to mislead
them. He used a quotation from church history which says that “the blood of
the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

According to the Archbishop, the church had been blessed during its years in
exile as people have been made stronger and new members added and there was
need to maintain that momentum. He urged the faithful to continue to work
for the good of the kingdom and thanked those who had persevered throughout
the difficult years that the diocese has gone through.

The service marked the climax of the victory that has been won by the
Diocese of Manicaland in the courts in which Mr. Jakazi was trying to hold
on to the property of the church. This means that the Diocese of Manicaland
will from now on concentrate on its core business of running its
institutions like schools, hospitals, clinics and orphanages.

The resources that have been wasted on fighting court cases will now be
channeled to develop the church. The members of the church who have been
chased out of their church buildings now have access to their church
buildings and no longer need to rent buildings for worship or meet in the
open under trees at the mercy of the vagaries of nature like rain, sun or
the cold weather that is associated with the Manicaland province.

The Diocese of Manicaland now has control of its education institutions
which have been plundered over the past years but left to deteriorate. The
diocese will have to work hard so that these schools regain their former
glory for they are well known for producing a lot of students who have
succeeded in different aspects of their lives. Our schools have produced
politicians, academics and business people who have excelled in their areas
of expertise.

There is also need to work hard to change the attitudes of individuals
especially after the five years in which there were a lot of accusation and
lies being spread by Mr. Jakazi and his group, which lies where meant
portray the Church in bad light so that they are able to forgive and move on
with their lives.

Zimbabwe complete massive win

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/

 

3 hours ago

 

 

Harare - Zimbabwe lifted themselves above Bangladesh's international stature with the whopping 335-run win in the first Test in Harare. Brendan Taylor's twin centuries and skillful swing and seam bowling finished off the game inside four days, as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

The game ended when Kyle Jarvis took a magnificent catch at deep fine-leg to give Graeme Cremer his fourth wicket, that of Robiul Islam, to bowl out Bangladesh for just 147. Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe declared their second innings on 227 for 7, setting Bangladesh an improbable 483.

Bangladesh, a long-time rival at the bottom of the world rankings, brings out the best in Zimbabwe, who came into this series on the back of five consecutive Test defeats. This time, Zimbabwe were far ahead mentally as they used their familiarity with the conditions in Harare to mighty effect. It was a crushing loss for the visitors who are at the backend of a much better season, and it will set them back a few steps as they head into the second Test in a must-win situation.

Taylor made 171 and 102 not out in a Test match that, till date, has been his most prolific. He was almost a one-man show, especially in the second innings when one wrong shot from him could have given Bangladesh a sniff. Zimbabwe were 84 for 6 in the second innings, but Taylor took Graeme Cremer under his wing as they staved off a rampant Robiul Islam.

He broke several records on the way too. He became the first Zimbabwe captain to have scored two hundreds in a Test and also has the highest score for a Zimbabwe captain. He also beat his previous best of 117 in the first innings, and added the highest score against Bangladesh under his belt.

With the ball, Zimbabwe were led by the impressive Jarvis. It was a complete domination of the Bangladesh batsmen as he, Shingirai Masakadza and Keegan Meth kept the ball up and used excellent lines. Jarvis finished with figures of 7 for 115 in the match, doing justice to the hype around him. Masakadza took five wickets in the game while Meth kept one end quiet as the other two went about knocking the batsmen over.

Cremer too played a useful hand with the bat, scoring 42 and 43. These were vital runs, as he added two big seventh-wicket partnerships with Taylor that frustrated Bangladesh greatly. He ended the game with four cheap wickets, capping off a fine all-round display. If Bangladesh's first-innings collapse of 9 for 32 was bad enough, their second-innings showing was equally poor. Shahriar Nafees' extra keenness at the start of Test innings cost him yet again. After scoring two consecutive boundaries, he created a big gap between bat and pad, played all over a full delivery from Jarvis and lost his off stump.

After the lunch break, Ashraful hardly got out of his self-induced shell as he looked to drag the game for as long as possible. Mahmudullah at the other end went after the bowling, and soon enough, perished. Whether he had seen substitute Sean Williams stationed at deep square-leg cannot be a valid point for a batsman at this level of cricket, but his innocuous pull shot said much about his muddled mindset. His dismissal again triggered a collapse as Shakib Al Hasan and captain Mushfiqur Rahim fell soon after. Similar to the first innings, Shakib was caught at gully but this time he wasn't fending. He has a unique way of playing a late cut which he guides past gully and point, but this time he couldn't keep the Jarvis delivery down.

Luck too wasn't on Bangladesh's side as two of the dismissals showed. Jahurul Islam was given out caught behind when the ball had appeared to flick his shirt on the way to the wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami. A prolonged appeal from the slips created enough pressure on the umpire Tony Hill.

Mushfiqur was brilliantly caught at second slip by Taylor, who jumped to his right and grabbed it one-handed. The Bangladesh captain's dismal Test was in far contrast to his opposite number.

Mohammad Ashraful's dim-witted run-out close to the tea break rounded off a forgettable session for the visitors. Cremer spun one past Ashraful's bat and wicketkeeper Mutumbami's gloves, but Taylor saved the ball at slip. Ashraful, thinking it had beaten Taylor, went off for a run and was duly run out amid loud laughter among the Zimbabweans, as he wasted another opportunity and the home side basked in the glory of a great performance.

Texted, tweeted and twiddled their fingers

http://www.cathybuckle.com/

April 20, 2013, 10:18 am

Dear Family and Friends,

As we draw ever closer to elections in Zimbabwe and despite not yet knowing
when they’ll  take place, the rhetoric is already growing . Top of the list
is the embarrassing incident  concerning the UN and the 132 million US
dollars we apparently need to hold elections. After a joint request was made
in writing for financial assistance from the UN by the MDC’s Finance
Minister Tendai Biti and Zanu PF’s Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, a
team of UN assessors headed in our direction but didn’t quite make it all
the way into Zimbabwe.  Stranded across the border in South Africa for
nearly a week it seemed that Zimbabwe had changed its mind – not about
wanting money but about who they’d let the UN team meet with once they got
into Zimbabwe. For days the embarrassing arguments went on while the world
watched and the UN team undoubtedly texted, tweeted and twiddled their
fingers over the border, not allowed in. Zimbabwe it seemed were perfecting
their well practised art of scoring own goals.

Confirming that the UN team were stuck across the border, Finance Minister
Biti said: “one section of government decided it was not in the best
interest of the UN to come to Zimbabwe.”  Meanwhile Foreign Minister
Simbarashe Mumbengegwi held a meeting with diplomats in Harare and said the
UN had shown hostility in previous fact-finding missions. "They wanted to be
involved in our domestic political affairs,"  he said.

The arguments continued and just when we began to hope that this shamefully
embarrassing situation had been resolved, Minister Biti said:  “We
eventually panel-beat an agreement in our ugly handwritings to allow the
mission to come. As far as we are concerned, the mission should come, and
there is nothing that should stop it from coming.”  We had no idea what the
terms ‘ugly handwriting’ or ‘panel beating’ really meant  but by then that
the UN  assessors had been sitting in Joburg for four days, stuck in limbo.
Later we learnt that the MDC and Zanu PF had apparently agreed to only allow
the UN assessors to meet with some of the people on their original list of
appointments when they got to Zimbabwe.

It wasn’t that simple though. Believing we were back on track it came as a
shock when Minister Chinamasa suddenly announced that the UN team weren’t
going to be allowed in after all, and that was final.  "It was clear that
the U.N. team wanted a broader mandate. They kept talking about the security
sector and media reforms, all sorts of euphemisms ... and that we reject,”
Chinamasa said. “We remain alert to any attempts to manipulate, infiltrate
and interfere with our internal processes and we are happy we have parted
ways with them. The U.N. avenue for sourcing resources for the election is
now closed."

Wading through a week’s worth of shameful reports, our confusion grew over
just how much we actually need for the 2013 general election. The original
request for election funding to the UN was for 254 million US dollars but
that dropped to 132 million dollars after we paid for our own constitutional
referendum. Did the referendum really cost a whopping  122 million dollars
we wondered or had we lost the plot somewhere along this murky road? And
while we were mulling over that question, another puzzling statement came
along. Finance Minister Biti said the 132 million they were now asking the
UN for, was expected to be “rationalized” downwards to 100 million. Biti
said:“…most of the equipment, the vehicles and the computers we acquired for
the referendum are going to be used for the elections as well. I have
absolutely no doubt that we will reduce this budget significantly…”

The mind boggles. Until next time, thanks for reading,  love cathy.