http://www.herald.co.zw/
Saturday, 06 April 2013
00:00
Takunda Maodza Senior Reporter
THE US has officially written
to Zimbabwe applauding the Government for
holding a successful referendum in
a major climbdown from its openly hostile
partisan politics of the last
decade.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie
Carson, wrote to
Vice President Joice Mujuru and Foreign Affairs Minister
Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi on March 21 acknowledging the country’s technical
ability to
hold elections.
“The United States Government will respect
and work with any government in
Zimbabwe that is chosen through credible and
violence-free election.
“Domestic and international observers can play a
positive role in helping
Zimbabwe ensure a free and fair environment for
elections and lending
credibility to the results and legitimacy to the
elected government.
“For that reason, I urge you to welcome a wide range
of domestic and
international observers . . . Among these are Electoral
Institute for
Democracy in Africa, National Democratic Institute,
International Republican
Institute, and the Carter Centre,” reads Mr
Carson’s letter.
He added: “I am prepared to seek funding for Zimbabwe’s
harmonised national
elections the moment Zimbabwe opens its doors to
independent,
non-governmental observers from these and other similar
institutions.
“Moreover, if Zimbabwe is willing to welcome international
observers during
the upcoming election period, I am prepared to review our
targeted sanctions
and recommend action to roll back these restrictions. The
modalities and
timing for when we lift sanctions can be discussed. This is a
pivotal moment
for Zimbabwe and I believe it offers a unique opportunity for
our nations to
return to the kind of normal, mutually respectful
relationship we enjoyed
previously.”
The development is a major
diplomatic victory for Zimbabwe as the Americans
have conceded that they
recognise the country’s capacity and competence to
manage its political
processes without interference.
It is also a shift from their original
position of preferring one political
player, the MDC, to that of seeming
indifference to the political outcome.
It further shows that the Americans
have moved from regime change to
unconditional outcome
acceptance.
Secretary for Media, Information and Publicity Mr George
Charamba yesterday
said the Americans were feeling the pressure to lift
their illegal economic
sanctions and were looking for a pretext by putting
some electoral
conditions.
Mr Charamba, however, said Mr Carson
should not think that Zimbabweans “are
simpletons” by suggesting that he has
powers to remove sanctions.
“He has no power to remove sanctions which were
put by a parliamentary
system. It will take congressional processes to
remove them. There is a
perception of Zimbabweans as simpletons. He is a
midget in relation to
processes required for sanctions to be removed. He is
also a man on the
exit. He is outgoing. Sanctions are beyond Carson,” Mr
Charamba said.
On why Mr Carson did not write to the President directly,
he said: “Mr
Carson is not a penpal of President Mugabe. The two had a very
rough
encounter in Libya a few years back. I do not expect him to want to
communicate with President Mugabe but that is immaterial. The point is, he
has recognised the Government that the President leads and that is good
enough.”
Mr Charamba dismissed some attempts by the US to observe the
forthcoming
elections.
“The letter tries to set conditions which
Zimbabweans find obnoxious. You
cannot at one level hail Zimbabwe’s capacity
to handle a national process
while at another level demanding that it be
observed, itself an intimation
of inadequacy. In any case, the Americans
have taken a partisan position on
Zimbabwean politics and we will not let
them on the basis of pious
declarations.
They have undermined their
eligibility and in any case they come from
another hemisphere which has
nothing to do with us,” he said.
Mr Charamba said Zimbabwe was fully aware
that American foreign policy is
pursued through a number of agencies and
proxies including pseudo
independent observation missions like the NDI, IRI
and EISA.
“All these are mere mutations of the state department which
Carson is a
part. So he should not try to be clever,” he said.
The US
congress passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act in
2001 to
back the sanctions which it later changed to Zimbabwe Transition to
Democracy and Economic Recovery Act in 2010 after the formation of the
inclusive Government.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
06.04.13
by Edgar Gweshe
High
Court Judge President, Justice George Chiweshe has granted President
Robert
Mugabe reprieve form complying with a High Court Order compelling him
to
proclaim dates for by-elections in three constituencies of
Matabeleland.
Justice Chiweshe however said that reasons for his ruling
will be handed
down on Monday.
Part of the ruling read: "It is
ordered that the applicant be and is hereby
excused from the performance of
this honorable court granted on 2 October
2012 under case number
HC11222/12."
Mugabe was ordered by the High Court to announce by-election
dates in the
three constituencies of Nkayi South, Bulilima East and Lupane
East by March
31.
This followed an application by three former MDC
legislators, Abednico
Bhebhe, Njabuliso Mguni and Norman Mpofu who were
dismissed from their party
in 2009.
However, Mugabe filed two urgent
chamber applications seeking an extension
of the 31 March deadline to 29
June this year, when harmonised elections
will be held saying the move made
political and economic sense.
The deputy Attorney General, Advocate
Prince Machaya, who stood for Mugabe
Mugabe argued that it was no longer
feasible to call for by-elections in the
three Matabeleland constituencies
as general elections were around the
corner with Parliament set to be
dissolved on 29 June.
Lawyer for the three former legislators, Advocate
Thabani Mpofu had
submitted in court that the lifespan of Parliament can be
extended to
29 October hence the by-elections can be held before that
period.
Justice Chiweshe said that if Parliament can be extended to 29
October, then
it will be feasible for the by-elections to be held. He said
that if the
lifespan of Parliament cannot extend beyond 29 June, then the by
elections
will no longer be feasible.
http://www.sokwanele.com/
AUTHOR:SOKWANELE
DATE:APR 05, 2013
Cross-posted from the RFK
website: A delegation organized by the Robert F.
Kennedy Center for Justice
and Human Rights (RFK Center) recently concluded
its mission to Zimbabwe.
The delegation was comprised of Kerry Kennedy
(United States), President,
RFK Center; Santiago A. Canton (Argentina),
Director, RFK Partners for Human
Rights; Alfre Woodard (United States),
actor and activist; Maureen White
(United States), former Senior Advisor on
Humanitarian Issues in the Office
of the Special Representative to
Afghanistan and Pakistan; Jorge Taiana
(Argentina), Director General of the
International Centre for Political
Studies at the San Martin University in
Argentina and former Minister of
Foreign Affairs; Scott and Christy Wallace
(United States), Co-Chairs,
Wallace Global Fund; Jeffrey Smith (United
States), Advocacy Officer, RFK
Center; and Stephanie Postar (United States),
Advocacy Assistant, RFK
Center.
The purpose of the RFK Center delegation was to assess the human
rights
situation in the current political environment, and in so doing,
identify
ways to assist the country's stakeholders to ensure the active
participation
of civil society in a peaceful election. The delegation met
with a range of
civil society leaders, legal practitioners, human rights
defenders, and
government officials, including Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-N) President Welshman
Ncube. Outreach to
leaders from the Zimbabwe African National Union –
Patriotic Front
(ZANU-PF), including President Robert Mugabe, the Co-Home
Affairs Minister,
and the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC), was
unsuccessful. "The RFK Center delegation extends our sincere
thanks to
everyone who took the time to speak candidly about the prevailing
conditions
in Zimbabwe," said Kerry Kennedy. "We hope that our visit will
positively
contribute to the ongoing discourse about the country and help to
ensure the
conditions for credible elections later this year."
First
and foremost, the RFK Center recognizes the significant advances made
towards the protection of human rights in Zimbabwe's new constitution. A
progressive Bill of Rights that accurately reflects international consensus
on the importance of both protecting and promoting human rights – from
political to socio-economic and the right to development – is particularly
encouraging and most welcome. The RFK Center looks forward to the timely
implementation of the rights guaranteed in this important
document.
During the visit, several concerns arose with regularity,
including: 1) a
general lack of progress on reforms outlined in the Global
Political
Agreement; 2) increased intimidation, threats, and violence
against civil
society; and 3) violations of the rights to freedom of
expression and access
to information.
The main purpose behind the GPA
was to both induce and establish necessary
reforms in Zimbabwe, thereby
avoiding a repeat of the bloodshed witnessed in
2008–9 and lay the
foundation for credible elections. Though the agreement
was signed over four
years ago, the necessary reforms that were expected to
address a host of
pressing institutional and human rights issues have either
not been
introduced or are not being implemented. The president continues to
command
an unchecked monopoly on the military and security forces. In
addition,
amendments to repressive laws – including the Access to
Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA); the Public Order and
Security Act (POSA);
the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act; and the
Private Voluntary
Organization Act (PVO), which places onerous registration
requirements on
NGOs – have stalled, with little chance of reform before
elections.
The work of civil society in Zimbabwe is critical for the
upcoming
elections. Civil society allows coordination of public interests
and
concerns and also helps to maintain the free flow of information and
association. These elements of society are essential building blocks for
political freedom and integral to foster a sustainable democracy. The RFK
Center considers the pattern of intimidation, violence, and detention
against ordinary employees of civil society organizations and human rights
leaders to be a serious obstacle that undermines the current electoral
process. Since August 2012, upwards of twenty civil society organizations
have been targeted by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). Together with
ZANU-PF, the ZRP has threatened to deregister organizations that “deviate
from their mandate.” Some of the organizations that have been recently
targeted include Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), National Youth Development
Trust (NYDT), Counseling Services Unit (CSU), Zimbabwe Electoral Support
Network (ZESN), Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), Zimbabwe Human Rights
Association (ZimRights), and Radio Dialogue.
The clampdown on civic
organizations that are engaged in voter registration
and mobilization
campaigns is particularly worrisome. Organizations such as
ZimRights and
youth groups like NYDT have been continuously raided, their
meetings
disrupted, and their leaders arrested on spurious grounds, often on
the
pretext of "fabricating voter registration documents" and for conducting
"activities that threaten national security."
The RFK Center would
like to specifically highlight the arbitrary arrest and
unlawful detention
of renowned lawyerBeatrice Mtetwa on March 16 as an
example of the
deteriorating rule of law in Zimbabwe. Ms. Mtetwa was charged
with
obstruction of justice after demanding a search warrant at a client's
home.
Ms. Mtetwa would ultimately spend eight days in a cramped cell,
despite a
High Court ruling that ordered her release. Ms. Mtetwa was
ultimately
granted bail on March 25. "The fact that the police are targeting
these
vital and necessary organizations in the months leading up to the
elections
should be of international concern," said Santiago A. Canton,
Director of
RFK Partners for Human Rights. "This systematic assault must
cease
immediately so as to guarantee the active participation of civil
society
organizations during this critical point in time."
The violations of the
rights to freedom of expression and access to
information are an ongoing and
grave concern in Zimbabwe. Last month, the
ZRP "banned" shortwave radios,
prompting raids on private homes and
community radio stations like Radio
Dialogue, which is working to raise
levels of civic and political awareness
in the lead up to elections. Radio
Dialogue was accused of "smuggling
illegal goods" and for allegedly using
radios to incite violence and
disseminate propaganda. ZPP was also raided by
armed police, who confiscated
a number of solar-powered, handheld radios and
other office equipment,
stating that ZPP was engaging in "espionage" and
"activities that threatened
national security."
"This unequivocal attack on grassroots organizations
that simply mobilize
voters is astounding, due to both its brazen nature and
the relentlessness
with which the authorities have pursued its leaders,"
said Kerry Kennedy,
President of the RFK Center. “Together, broad-based
civic organizations,
youth groups, and independent media, including
community radio stations, are
necessary to cultivate a democratic conscience
and instill democratic values
throughout the world. It is reprehensible and
highly unfortunate that
authorities in Zimbabwe are actively working to
counteract this necessary
building block for long-term, genuine
democracy."
The RFK Center is profoundly concerned about the systematic
repression of
civil society in violation of its international human rights
obligations
under the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the
International
Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The pattern
of suppression,
including the criminalization of human rights defenders,
represents clear
violations of the rights to freedoms of expression,
assembly, and
association, and imperils the rights of all Zimbabweans to
participate
freely in the government of their country. The RFK Center
respectfully
reminds authorities in Zimbabwe of its commitments under the
Southern
African Development Community (SADC) Principles and Guidelines
Governing
Democratic Elections, specifically Article 4, which stipulates
that "human
rights, democracy, and the rule of law are principles guiding
the acts of
its members." The African Commission on Human and People’s
Rights (ACHPR)
recently called upon all states parties to "[r]espect their
obligations
under the African Charter, in addition to other regional and
international
human rights conventions, and take all necessary measures to
preserve and
protect the credibility of the electoral process." The ACHPR
specifically
called upon Zimbabwe "to give effect to its obligations under
the African
Charter in accordance with Article 1, including in areas of free
participation in the government." Similarly, a group of three UN Special
Rapporteurs in late February urged Zimbabwe to "ensure everyone’s voice is
heard, in view of the recurrence of acts of intimidation and harassment
against those exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of
association, which are essential components of democracy."
The lack
of compliance with GPA agreements, the increased systematic
intimidation,
threats, violence, and arbitrary detention of human rights
activists and
civil society leaders, and the violations of freedom of
expression and
access to information has severely compromised the electoral
environment in
Zimbabwe. The RFK Center strongly urges the international
community and SADC
leaders in particular to engage the inclusive government
and civil society
to expedite the implementation of agreed GPA reforms and
actively cultivate
an electoral environment that is consistent with the SADC
Principles and
Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
In the coming months, the RFK
Center will take stock of the many lessons
learned during the delegation and
produce a comprehensive report that will
assess the overall human rights
situation in Zimbabwe.
www.newzimbabwe
06/04/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
JUSTICE Minister Patrick Chinamasa has denied
allegations President Robert
Mugabe and his family own 14 farms totalling
16,000 hectares around the
country.
Chinamasa was challenged about
the number of properties owned by the First
Family and his own seizure of a
600 hectare farm when he appeared on the BBC’s
Hardtalk programme on
Thursday.
Asked whether he could confirm reports Mugabe owned 14 farms,
Chinamasa
said: “To be honest I do not know what land His Excellency owns …
but a lot
of the land that he occupies … for instance, they are running a
foundation
for children and that requires some land.”
The Zanu PF
minister was recently in London with MDC Cabinet colleagues for
meetings
with British government officials and donor agencies.
He dismissed as
inaccurate reports a well-connected elite of about 2,000
individuals now
owned about half of the land acquired under the land reform
programme
“No one was complaining in the same terms when 15 million
hectares of land
was owned by 4,000 white farmers,” he
added
Chinamasa also confirmed Zimbabwe’s new Constitution restricts
compensation
for land acquired under the land reforms to indigenous
Zimbabweans.
Asked clarify the meaning of “indigenous” and whether this
was not racist,
Chinamasa said: “Indigenous means black people; it is in the
Constitution
and it has come from the people.
“When it comes to the
question of land, ownership was racial for over a
century. Blacks were not
allowed to own land in Zimbabwe.
“So (land ownership) was racially skewed
in favour of whites and when you
seek to address the land question you would
then be perceived as attacking
race when, in fact, that is not the
case.
“The whole idea is to redistribute that asset which was previously
owned …
15 million hectares of it previously owned by just 4,000
people.”
Chinamasa also defended his actions when forcing white ex-farmer
Richard
Yates off a 600 hectare property and insisted there was no conflict
of
interest in the manner he took-over the property and his role as Justice
Minister.
“We all applied for land and I was given a letter of offer.
I legal terms I
had the right … I followed the procedures. The land is our
entitlement; the
war of liberation was basically to reclaim our land,” he
said.
“My fore-fathers were kicked out of all that land; it’s our
entitlement and
I have no (problem) with that especially when we know the
history of how
that land was (taken) from our forefathers. All my
grandfathers died crying
over the manner, the brutality of the dispossession
so I make no apologies
at all.”
Challenged on whether President
Robert Mugabe - at 89 and having been in
power for more than three decades –
should be seeking another term in office
Chinamasa said: Please let me say
this (the question of) who rules Zimbabwe
is a problem for
Zimbabweans.
“And when we go to the elections as we will do shortly, it
will be up to the
people of Zimbabwe to decide which leader to vote for.
(With regard to) how
long President Mugabe will remain a leader of Zanu PF …
that is an issue for
Zanu PF.
“It is up to us, as Zanu PF, to deal
with that issue. What we will not allow
is basically for other people to
tell us who our leader should be.”
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
Jonga
Kandemiiri
05.04.2013
WASHINGTON DC — The executive committee of the
Southern African Development
Community Forum is meeting in Windhoek, Namibia
to review the successes and
shortcomings of the parliamentary forum and
chart the way forward.
Zimbabwe is represented at the 3 day 14-nation
meeting by MDC-T
parliamentary Chief-Whip Innocent Gonese who says
Zimbabwe’s forthcoming
elections have also come under discussion.
The
SADC Parliamentary Forum is expected to observe the country’s general
elections after being snubbed by Harare following its negative report on
Zimbabwe’s 2002 polls.
But it was back again in the country following
an invitation by the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission to observe the 16th March
2013 Constitution Referendum
in Zimbabwe.
The 40-Member Mission that
composed of Members of Parliament, staff from
SADC Parliaments and officials
from SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Secretariat
was in the country from 11th to
19th March 2013.
In its report after the Zimbabwe mission, the forum said
the Zimbabwe
Constitution Referendum was historic as it marked the first
Referendum ever
to be observed by SADC Parliamentary Forum since its
formation and therefore
presented it with opportunities for
learning.
The 2013 Zimbabwe Constitution Referendum Observation Mission
is the 29th
Observation Mission to be deployed by SADC Parliamentary Forum
since 1999
when the Forum started observing elections in SADC Member
States.
The SADC Parliamentary Forum is a Regional inter-parliamentary
forum that
was established in 1996 and was approved by the SADC Summit as a
consultative and deliberative body in accordance with Article 9 (2) of the
SADC Treaty.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
TIM JOHNSON
Hwange
National Park, Zimbabwe — Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Saturday,
Apr. 06 2013, 6:00 AM EDT
Hunkered down in the hot African midday sun
– crouching low behind a spindly
little bush – I felt rather exposed.
Earlier that day, I had embarked upon
this walking safari with great
enthusiasm, embracing the opportunity to
encounter at least one of the Big
Five animals in its own natural
environment, away from the impediments (and
safety) that come with the
customary, open-backed safari Jeep. After a short
walk down a narrow path,
my guide, Calvet Nkomo – armed with a large rifle –
spotted a six-ton
elephant about 100 metres away. He expertly led me
downwind of the animal;
if he smelled us, Nkomo said, all bets were off, and
big bulls like him
could easily charge.
We took up a position and,
soon enough, as Nkomo had accurately predicted,
the elephant came to us,
lumbering through the foliage and settling in just
few metres away – upwind.
Nkomo repeatedly signalled with one hand that I
should crouch even lower.
“He cannot see us,” Nkomo assured me in an
almost-silent whisper. But then,
all of sudden, we had a problem. The
elephant began making a low, guttural
noise – an invitation, Nkomo said, to
a fellow bull somewhere behind us to
come and join him. We were caught
between the two animals, running the very
real risk of being trampled.
I was in Zimbabwe, a country that has, in
recent history, made more
headlines for economic hardship and societal
unrest than for thrilling
safari experiences. The past decade has not been
kind to Zimbabweans: Under
Robert Mugabe, the country’s leader since its
independence in 1980, the
economy more or less collapsed. The currency spun
out of control. Violence
and human-rights abuses made headlines. But, since
the nadir of “the chaos”
around 2008, the country has experienced a steady
recovery. Mugabe agreed to
a power-sharing arrangement with opposition
leaders, and the adoption of the
U.S. dollar helped stabilize the economy.
Last month, the country approved a
new constitution (although the vote was
not without incident) that includes
a strengthened bill of rights and
presidential term limits, leading the
European Union to lift most of its
sanctions. Tourism is coming back, too,
making Zimbabwe – a country that
until recently was all but off limits – one
of Africa’s next great
destinations.
The day before my walking safari, I travelled to Somalisa,
a luxury tented
camp deep in the heart of Hwange National Park, with Nic
Polenakis,
part-owner of the camp and an experienced wildlife guide. Hwange
is more
than 14,000 square kilometres, roughly half the size of Belgium, and
we
bumped along for hours through the savannah in his weathered Jeep. We
passed
scores of animals, from timid impalas to playful baboons, majestic
giraffes,
quirky little warthogs and more zebra than I could
count.
Polenakis said that it wasn’t always so. “At the height of the
chaos, it was
a nightmare. There was no money in the country at all.” Both
humans and
animals suffered. For the former, inflation spiralled to levels
that would
have been comical, if they weren’t so tragic: Banknotes were
printed in
denominations of up to $100-trillion.
The animals in
Hwange faced a twofold crisis. The lack of hard currency
meant that wildlife
camps and lodges, many of which closed during this
period, could no longer
afford to maintain watering holes fed by pumps that
required costly fuel to
operate. As well, desperate locals resorted to
poaching for meat. It would
have been far worse, Polenakis said, were it not
for the vigilance of the
park rangers (some of whom went months without
being paid): They patrolled
the extensive Hwange perimeter for weeks at a
time, fed and aided by the
remaining lodges along the way.
With the end of the crisis, previously
shuttered camps are reopening their
doors, new ones are springing up and – a
sure sign of good things –
international airlines such as Emirates and KLM
have resumed service to the
capital, Harare. The country’s wildlife guides,
who are required to undergo
a rigorous four-year certification process, are
recognized as some of the
best in the world, and going on a walking safari
is a true Zimbabwean
experience. Despite the inherent risks of approaching
wild animals on foot,
guides keep guests safe, and it has been years since
anyone was injured
inside Hwange. Even on game drives, the guides here got
me much closer to
wildlife than those in the many other safari destinations
I’ve visited. On
one outing, I could hear the purrs and miniature roars of a
lioness and her
cubs as they nursed and played.
Which, obviously, was
far less terrifying than being trapped between the two
elephants.
“When he looks away, crawl on your hands and knees over
there,” Nkomo
croaked into my ear, pointing to a nearby bush. I quickly
complied. Soon we
had crawled far enough to walk in a low, silent stoop. A
few minutes later,
we were back upright and Nkomo, feeling at ease again,
hoisted the gun back
onto his shoulder. We arrived back at our Jeep,
climbing into the back to
enjoy a couple cold ones. Within half an hour, the
bull we had furtively
viewed sauntered through the bushes and walked across
the dirt road in front
of us, turning to take us in as he headed to a
watering hole.
“He has not seen us,” said Nkomo, twisting his lips into a
slightly
mischievous smile. “He thinks he is seeing us for the first
time.”
IF YOU GO
What to see
Victoria Falls One of the
world’s largest waterfalls (its white curtain of
water is larger than any
other), Victoria Falls is amongst the mightiest and
most breathtaking sights
on Earth. It is split between Zambia and Zimbabwe;
the latter arguably has
the better views. If you’re visiting during the
rainy season (November to
May), bring or rent a raincoat – a walk along the
Zimbabwean side brings a
good, thorough soaking.
Hwange National Park This giant wildlife preserve
is home to more than 100
different mammals and 400-plus types of birds. The
animals that roam its
vast, subtropical plains include cheetah, wild dog,
hyena, giraffe and
zebra, plus all of the Big Five – white rhino, Cape
buffalo, leopard, lion
and the world’s largest concentration of elephants
(more than 30,000). Many
lodges, with varying levels of luxury and
amenities, are located around and
even inside the park.
The Great
Zimbabwe Located in the country’s southeast, this UNESCO World
Heritage Site
is one of Africa’s greatest historical and architectural
treasures (and the
place from which the modern country takes its name). The
site preserves the
legendary city of the Queen of Sheba, and was built by
the Shona
civilization between 1100 and 1450 AD. It is divided into three
sections
(the Hill Ruins, the Valley Ruins and the Main Enclosure) that
spreads over
almost 800 hectares.
Mana Pools National Park Set on the Zambezi River,
this reserve offers both
aquatic adventures and wildlife viewing. On
“canoeing safaris,” you can
paddle past elephants, hippos, buffalo and
crocs. The park’s pools are one
of the few sources of water during
Zimbabwe’s dry season (June to October),
meaning that an array of wildlife
can be viewed here during these months.
Matobo Hills National Park
Inhabited since the Stone Age, the park is
renowned for its rock paintings,
which date back as far as 13,000 years, and
beautiful hills of granite.
Matobo is also home to a wildlife reserve and
serves as the final resting
place of Cecil John Rhodes.
Expert Africa This U.K.-based tour operator
offers tailor-made itineraries,
including transfers, lodging and other
arrangements. expertafrica.com;
1-800-242-2434
Where to
Stay
Somalisa Camp This luxury tented camp is surrounded by Hwange
National Park
and features just 12 beds. Tented rooms include full-size
beds, wardrobes,
ensuite bathrooms and some electricity. On the edge of the
camp, a watering
hole draws elephants each day, affording amazing
opportunities for up-close
viewing. Rooms start at $330 (U.S.) in low season
and include meals and
daily game drives. africanbushcamps.com
Camp
Amalinda Nestled into the granite of Matobo Hills National Park, rooms
in
this unusual hotel are built into the rock. While the overall effect is
definitely “cave,” accommodations are comfortable and include beds with
mosquito nets, ensuite bathrooms and even small patios equipped with outdoor
furniture. There’s also a pool, spa, and opportunities for game drives and
guided hikes. Rooms start at $280 (U.S.) per person in low season and
include drinks and full board. campamalinda.com
Illala Lodge Located
just steps from Victoria Falls, this boutique hotel is
also within easy
walking distance of the shops in town. Rooms are
comfortable and include
WiFi and satellite television. Excursions can be
booked through the hotel’s
activities office; the Ra-Ikane, a sunset cruise
up the Zambezi River, is
definitely recommended. Rooms start at $160 (U.S.)
per person, including
breakfast. ilalalodge.com
SAFETY TIPS: The government of Canada has no
nationwide advisory in place
for Zimbabwe, but advises travellers to
“exercise a high degree of caution
due to the unpredictable security
situation.” The next election is expected
to take place in July, which could
lead to violence in some parts. In
general, the country is safe to visit.
Street crime is common, however, and
avoid travelling alone. Use a
trustworthy tourist operator to arrange
airport transfers, and stay at good
hotels and camps. For more information,
visit
travel.gc.ca/destinations/zimbabwe.
Tim Johnson spends most days on the
road. He visited Zimbabwe courtesy of
Expert Africa. The company did not
approve or review this article.
http://www.cathybuckle.com/
April 6, 2013, 2:19 am
The news that
Mugabe has dropped the court case over the June election
date raises all
sorts of questions. It was a surprising decision, given that
we all know him
to be a fairly intransigent sort of character, not given to
changing his
mind – in public at least. Perhaps he really has listened to
the analysts
who have been saying for some time that June elections were
just not
feasible since the reforms laid down in the GPA are not in place.
More
likely, it is the view being expressed by political analysts that Zanu
PF
would not win a free and fair election that has persuaded him to drop his
demand for a June election. Mugabe has to win this election, the alternative
is unthinkable. Instead of ending his political career on a victorious high,
he would be forced to retire from the scene as a defeated candidate.
Obviously he can’t see what the rest of us can: that it is Mugabe himself
who is making a Zanu PF defeat more likely.
Whenever the election
is to be held, all the signs are that it will be
sooner rather than later.
Both main parties are going all out to win voters
over to their side before
the actual poll. There was a report last week of
Zanu PF ferrying people in
Chimanimani around to register in areas which are
normally regarded as Zanu
PF strongholds, thus strengthening their numbers
on the voters’ roll. We
hear too that the so-called ‘alien vote’ is being
wooed by Zanu PF and the
MDC. The ‘alien vote’ refers to people whose
parents were born outside
Zimbabwe; people from Malawi, Zambia and
Mozambique and presumably the few
Europeans left in the country whose
parents came from Europe during the wave
of immigration in the fifties.
Mugabe’s party is busy telling these people
that it is only through Zanu PF’s
efforts that they have the vote at all.
And in Chisumbanje, the Vice
President claimed that the Ethanol Project was
in fact the brain child of
Zanu PF. In short, all that is good in Zimbabwe
has come from Zanu PF! As
for the call by President Zuma and other southern
African leaders that
reforms must be put in place before elections, Zanu PF
hardliners say it’s
all part of a plot to overthrow the regime. There will
be no security
reforms says Minister Sekeramayi, adding that the reason the
west are
opposed to the security chiefs – who are still on the sanctions
list – is
that they were all war veterans who helped to overthrow the
colonial regime.
The argument goes that Zanu PF won the Liberation War
through the ‘barrel of
a gun’ so that is presumably the justification for
the increasing political
violence in the country. The dreaded Youth Militia
has already been deployed
in Zanu PF strongholds, such as Mbare. “Nothing
but media falsehoods” says
Chief Superintendent Mandikapa. It is the private
media who are spreading
all these false reports, “the country enjoys
wholesome peace” he said.
Meanwhile the thousands of Zimbabweans outside the
country are still not
sure if they will be allowed to vote. Minister
Chinamasa said while he was
in London that his party does not support the
diaspora vote because
sanctions will prevent Zanu PF from ‘interfacing’ with
Zimbabweans in the
diaspora. I’m not sure how the Minister arrives at that
conclusion – unless
he means that the party bigwigs will be prevented from
entering the UK to
campaign. Even that argument does not stand up since
there are only ten top
‘chefs’ on the sanctions list. One sure sign that
elections are not far off
is the purchase of 40 new machines to grade rural
roads. We can’t have the
candidates’ posh cars ruined on rough dirt roads
even though the ‘povo’
bounce around in country buses on rough dirt roads
all year round!
Yours in the (continuing) struggle, Pauline Henson.
http://www.cathybuckle.com/
April 6, 2013, 8:47 am
Dear Family and
Friends,
When the mists are slow to lift out of the riverbeds in the
mornings you
know that winter is near in Zimbabwe. In the deep green foliage
of the
Musasa trees the young Sparrowhawk screams, urging you to stop and
watch as
it prepares to pounce, while down in the vleis and along the
streambanks
the Red Hot Pokers are a mass of warm, fiery orange flowers; all
are signs
of the approaching cold.
This Easter with a couple of
friends there was nothing nicer than sitting
under a big shady tree near a
stream, water spilling over rocks on one side
and a three legged black pot
bubbling gently on the other. We call it a
potjie here, a strange Afrikaans
word of Dutch origin pronounced poy-key
that translates into long, slow
cooked lunch the African way – meat,
vegetables and gravy all in the same
pot over a fire. Apparently the rule is
not to stir the pot once you put the
lid on, hard at first as your suppress
your instincts, easier later as the
surroundings soak into your senses. A
fish eagle flies overhead, far away
from the big wide dams and lakes where
you most expect to see the huge
eagles and hear their haunting cries.
Conversation slows and then stops as a
female Kudu walks quietly through the
golden grass a little distance away.
She sees us long before we see her and
all too soon the kudu disappears, her
colours perfectly camouflaged in the
dappled sunlight and shadows that
flickers between the trees.
That was one face of Zimbabwe this Easter but
not very far away, in the
straight line of a fish eagles’ flight, something
very ugly had just been
going on. It took a couple of days after Easter
before the attack on Wilson
Anderson became common knowledge. According to
the MDC provincial secretary
in Zvimba who took the victim to hospital,
Wilson was set upon by eight
Zanu PF youths who had been hiding in a maize
field near his home. “They
attacked him when he was about to enter his
kitchen. They accused him of
being a sell-out after they saw his picture in
the Daily News at the burial
of Christpower,” (the little boy who was burnt
to death in Headlands a month
ago) the MDC official said. Wilson Anderson
had apparently gone to the
funeral of Christpower to show support to the
Maisiri family as he and his
children had also been victims of politically
motivated arson in the period
around the 2002 elections. At first it seemed
there was no attempt to deny
or ‘sanitize’ what had happened to Wilson
Anderson just before Easter and
the Mashonaland West police spokesman
Clemence Mabweazara was quoted as
saying: “I can confirm that there was
political violence in Zvimba East.”
But then came the third face of
Zimbabwe this Easter. Despite police
confirmation of the political violence
in Zvimba , the ZBC posted a story on
their Facebook page contradicting the
statement by the Mashonaland West
police spokesman. The ZBC wrote: “ In the
Zvimba story, a local daily
reported that Wilson Anderson was allegedly
attacked by Zanu PF militia when
in fact he was attacked after a
misunderstanding with Moses Sande over a
girlfriend when the two were
drinking beer.”
From the land of contrasts and contradictions, truths,
half truths and
‘sanitized’ news, until next time, thanks for reading, love
cathy.
