17 killed in Zimbabwe bus crash

http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Africa News
Aug 11, 2009, 14:43 GMT

Harare - Seventeen people, including five children, were killed when a
crowded bus crashed into a ditch after being sideswiped by an oncoming heavy
truck, Zimbabwe state media reported Tuesday.

The accident in which another 49 people were seriously injured, occurred
Sunday in the remote northern Mount Darwin district, the state-controlled
daily Herald said.

It quoted passengers as saying the driver appeared drunk when he took the
wheel of the bus, and was racing other buses on the route.

It brought to 35 the number killed in accidents around the country during
the four-day national holiday weekend. Two weeks ago 41 people were killed
and 27 were seriously injured in a similar accident in the south of the
country.

Mugabe says detractors seeking to divide unity government

http://af.reuters.com

Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:52pm GMT

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe accused Western powers
on Tuesday of seeking to divide a fragile unity government he formed with
rival Morgan Tsvangirai this year.

The veteran president has been angered by Western countries who refuse to
give financial aid to the country until the new administration undertakes
political and economic reforms.

Mugabe on Monday said Harare may need to reconsider its ties with the West
for withholding financial support.

"Allegations of gross abuses of human rights or failure to respect good
governance have provided fodder for the West and its media as they
repeatedly seek blemishes to stick on to our country," Mugabe told thousands
at a gathering to commemorate Zimbabwe Defence Forces day.

"Our detractors, the same old detractors continue with their sinister
efforts to divide us."

While Mugabe continues to blame the West, his coalition partner Morgan
Tsvangirai is on a drive to restore full ties with Western governments that
are crucial for financial aid to fix the battered economy.

Tsvangirai toured Europe and the United States in June, but his efforts to
attract Western aid for the government, which needs $8.3 billion for
reconstruction, were met with calls for more reform.

The government says it has secured $2 billion in credit lines for the
private sector, mostly from Africa, but has failed to attract budgetary
support or significant foreign investment.

The unity government has suffered tensions since its formation in February
but on Tuesday Mugabe and Tsvangirai stood together at a ceremony to honour
the country's defence forces.

Senior security chiefs had previously vowed not to salute Tsvangirai but on
Tuesday, in a sign that relations maybe thawing, they rose to salute the
former trade union leader as he arrived for the ceremony.

Mugabe said the country's security services had been hit by the economic
crisis and Western sanctions but had managed to partner local firms to
manufacture equipment and spares while farms seized from whites would be
used to supplement rations.

"The defence forces are utilising their farms to supplement their ration
allocations from the fiscus (treasury). This is a positive development which
I hope will be pursued to higher levels," Mugabe said.

MDC dossier names Zanu PF 'murderers'

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com


Tuesday, 11 August 2009 16:27
A confidential dossier prepared by the MDC-T's security department has
implicated senior Zanu PF officials in cases of murder and political
violence during last year's elections amid growing fears of a repeat of the
killings.

The officials either participated in the violence themselves or
incited their supporters to kill or brutally assault their victims, the
dossier seen by The Standard last week, indicates.

The report lists names of over 200 MDC supporters allegedly murdered
during last year's election, which failed to produce a decisive winner
between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

It also lists names of senior Zanu PF officials, army officers, the
police, youth militia and members of the dreaded Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) as the perpetrators of the violence.

The dossier gives names of alleged perpetrators and victims as well as
dates and places where the murders or violence occurred.

Ironically, one of those fingered is a minister in the inclusive
government who hails from Mashonaland Central.

The other is a former deputy Minister and three are Zanu PF MPs.
Soldiers and war veterans are also on the list.

The government of national unity (GNU) was formed in February this
year after the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in September
last year.

Senior MDC officials told The Standard last week that the dossier had
already been handed over to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, whom they
accused of trying to put a lid on the controversial report.

"We want the Prime Minister to take up the issue with Mugabe," said
one of the officials. "This is because some of the murder cases were
reported to the police and none of the accused persons have ever been
questioned."

Another official said a radical group within the MDC-T wants
architects of violence brought to book insisting that the nation cannot be
healed when the perpetrators were free to roam around and continue to attack
the party's supporters with impunity.

But analysts said it was unlikely that Mugabe - even if he received
the dossier - would push for justice given that the killings seemed to have
been sanctioned from the top.

Mugabe has pardoned criminals convicted of torturing or shooting his
political rivals before.

The 85-year-old leader pardoned two State security agents convicted of
attempted murder after they shot the late businessman Patrick Kombayi who
was contesting in a parliamentary poll against the late Vice President Simon
Muzenda in 1990.

Tsvangirai's spokesperson James Maridadi on Friday said the Prime
Minister had not seen the dossier.
"We are not aware of it. I don't think he has seen it yet, if it
exists," said Maridadi.

Analysts fear that the dossier could rupture the fragile inclusive
government that has started "a painfully slow" process of national healing
and reconciliation.

Some cases, said one MDC-T official, had not been reported because
police in certain constituencies stopped recording politically-motivated
incidents for fear of reprisals from Zanu PF militia and war veterans.

Last week, the MDC urged victims of political violence around the
country to file their cases with the local police.

Hardliners in MDC last week castigated the Organ on National Healing,
Reconciliation and Integration chairman John Nkomo as well as fellow members
Sekai Holland and Gibson Sibanda for the slow pace of the national healing
process.

They queried why it took so long for the officials to visit rural
areas to douse the flames of political violence.
They said the organ had done nothing since its formation other than
organizing conferences in Harare.

"Addressing meetings on national healing will not end violence. They
must go together and meet people in Mudzi, Guruve and Muzarabani who are
being torture day and night," said a senior MDC official.

Addressing a press conference recently, Nkomo promised that the organ
would soon take the national healing campaign to the rural areas to call for
an end to violence.

The new wave of political violence has mostly affected areas believed
to be Zanu PF strongholds.

These include Mashonaland East, Central and West as well as parts of
Masvingo and Manicaland.

There are fears of increased violence after reports that Zanu PF has
deployed youth militia and war veterans to campaign for the adoption of the
Kariba Draft constitution which is at the centre of dispute between
Tsvangirai and Mugabe.

BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE

Army generals finally salute Tsvangirai

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
11 August 2008

After vowing never to salute Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's army Generals
finally saluted the Prime Minister during the Defence Forces ceremony in
Harare on Tuesday. The Generals, who had always said their loyalty was only
to Mugabe, gave what is seen as a boost to the troubled coalition government
by marking their respects, as the Prime Minister attended his first Defence
Forces Day ceremony.

Political commentator Professor John Makumbe said: "It's about time. This is
a positive moment. It is a shame they have only done this six months after
the inauguration of the inclusive government. But he (Tsvangirai) has
respected them by showing up at the Heroes celebrations and the burial of
Vice President Msika, and today at the Defence Forces Day and so they should
reciprocate."

However, observers say the significance of this act by the service chiefs
will be fully appreciated and realised in the days and months ahead. The
observers asked: "Will the selective prosecutions stop? Will the youth
militia be disbanded? Will the constitution reform process be unfettered and
free of tom-thuggery and tom-foolery and how much of this progress is a
realisation that SADC under President Zuma will not tolerate belligerence?"

Makumbe said if the abuses don't change, especially by the army, their
saluting of Tsvangirai would be just the 'height of hypocrisy.'

Meanwhile, the MDC-T called for the de-politicisation of the defence forces,
and appealed to uniformed forces to support and not undermine the coalition
government, as the country commemorated Defence Forces Day. Since the
formation of the inclusive government in February the MDC has made numerous
statements accusing members of the police of applying the law selectively,
and targeting MDC members. Only last week the MDC was accusing soldiers of
tearing down posters publicising a star rally to be addressed by party
President Morgan Tsvangirai in Mutare.

Ironically, while speaking at the Tuesday ceremony, Mugabe defended the
security forces, despite the widespread reports by human rights groups and
the MDC itself of violations committed by security forces. He rejected the
accusations that the army had committed abuses during last year's elections,
or even under the present coalition government.

The MDC, a partner in the coalition government, insists politically
motivated violence and victimisation is still continuing, especially in the
rural areas, and gave examples of places like Vhumbunu Primary School in
Mutasa Central, where soldiers are allegedly harassing and torturing
innocent villagers.

The MDC called 'upon all uniformed forces of Zimbabwe to embrace the letter
and spirit of the Global Political Agreement,' and said, 'it is vital for
our uniformed forces to support, rather than undermine, the structure and
hierarchy of the Inclusive government.'

Former freedom fighter Wilfred Mhanda says the MDC seems to be at pains to
curry favours with the defence forces, when they know they don't have their
respect. "As far as we know, our defence forces for the past ten years have
behaved in a very partisan manner. They have spearheaded bloody campaigns
against the people and have spearheaded campaigns in Chiadzwa (diamond area)
and killed hundreds of people."

The outspoken commentator said the uniformed forces have to turn over a new
leaf to prove that they are no longer Mugabe's instruments.  He said: "Right
now they are not a national defence force, but serving the interest of
Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF. So I think the MDC has to be alive to that."

Mhanda believes the MDC is a mere 'junior partner' in the inclusive
government, and therefore unable to call the shots where the armed forces
are concerned.

Mugabe dismisses Chiadzwa abuses in defence of the army

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
11 August 2009

President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday defended the role of the security forces
against charges of human rights violations, dismissing the military's role
in the rampant abuses and killings at the Chiadzwa diamond fields.

In an address to mark Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day, Mugabe accused Western
governments and rights groups of actively seeking to tarnish Zimbabwe's name
by 'falsely' claiming security forces had committed human rights abuses. He
instead praised the army and police for cracking down on illegal diamond
miners in Chiadzwa last year, a crackdown that left a trail of torture and
abuse, and hundreds of people dead.

"Allegations of gross human abuses of human rights and failure to observe
good governance have provided fodder for the West and its media as they
repeatedly seek blemishes to stick onto our country," Mugabe told a
gathering comprised mostly of members of the uniformed forces.
The government had originally illegally seized the Chiadzwa diamond claim in
2007, and set off a diamond rush when it encouraged locals to help
themselves. But the arrival of the army last year resulted in violence and
murder after the area was sealed off with military roadblocks and troops.
Accounts from survivors of the military onslaught detailed the killings,
speaking of helicopter machine-gun attacks and armed attacks by troops on
the ground. Civilians in the region also reported that anyone attempting to
enter Chiadzwa was arrested and often tortured and killed.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have said that about 5,000 people were
arrested during the army operation, with three quarters of them showing
signs of having been severely tortured. There were also claims that hundreds
of people have been buried in mass graves to hide the military's murderous
activities, and that the soldiers sent to 'guard' the fields had become
illegal diamond dealers themselves.
Human rights groups have since repeatedly called for Zimbabwe's suspension
from the Kimberley Process, the international regulatory body tasked with
ending the trade of conflict diamonds. Last month, an investigatory team
sent by the Kimberly Process to probe the accounts of human rights abuses in
Chiadzwa, declared that Zimbabwe had violated international diamond
standards. The delegation urged the government to demilitarise the diamond
fields or face suspension from the Kimberley Process, but more than a month
later, the military grip on Chiadzwa has tightened further. Human Rights
Watch last week reported that fresh troops had been rotated into Chiadzwa
where human rights violations, including child labour, are continuing.

But Mugabe, who on Monday said Zimbabwe may have to reconsider its relations
with the West, dismissed charges of rights violations as lies spread by 'our
detractors as they have sought desperately and without good reason to find
wrong doing on our part.' The ageing dictator argued that the West wants to
interfere with Zimbabwe's internal politics and to divide and weaken the
unity government in Harare. Mugabe instead praised the defence forces for
safeguarding Zimbabwe's 'national territorial integrity, national
sovereignty and national interest in line with their constitutional
obligation.'

Ironically, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, whose MDC party came under
violent attack by the defence forces last year, was also present during
Mugabe's speech. The defence forces, which have been credited with keeping
Mugabe and ZANU PF in power, last year launched a vicious campaign of
violence against opposition supporters, all in the name of 'national
interest.'

However, in a move that observers say is a public boost for the flailing
coalition government, Zimbabwean Generals saluted Tsvangirai for the first
time on Tuesday. The service chiefs led by army Commander Lieutenant General
Philip Sibanda and Air Force Commander Perence Shiri each greeted
Tsvangirai, seated in the front row of the VIP tent next to retired army
General Solomon Mujuru. The military chiefs shook hands with Tsvangirai and
then saluted him.

Call for enforced disappearances to end

http://nehandaradio.com/

Published on: 11th August, 2009

Johannesburg, South Africa

A 3-day Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) workshop organized in Johannesburg to
discuss the phenomenon of Enforced Disappearances (ED's) ended with a call
to Zimbabwe government to stop the practice.

The workshop, which was supported by Aim for Human Rights of Netherlands
attracted leading luminaries of the civil society movement from Zimbabwe and
South Africa. Some of the organizations represented included Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights, Restoration of Human Rights, Zimrights, Women of
Zimbabwe Arise as well as South African NGO's such as Khulumani.

Commending after the workshop, Mr Gabriel Shumba, the Executive Director of
ZEF and also a human rights lawyer said, "Enforced disappearances are an
international crime, yet they have been happening in Zimbabwe over the
years. They involve the recent phenomenon  of abductions, yet they date back
to pre-independence and the Gukurahundi period. We urge the government of
national unity to ratify the UN Convention on ED's, as well as to stop the
practice of ED's by the state."

The ZEF workshop which began on the 7th and ended on the 9th of August ended
with delegates receiving certificates of attendance. It also recommended
increased collaboration on this issue between the ZEF and NGO's in Zimbabwe;
the setting up of a secretariat to deal with this; the need for ZEF to raise
the issue with international and regional bodies such as the UN and the
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, and a demand that this
crime be recognized as such in Zimbabwe as well as the need to give as a
right protection from this crime by the state.

Tsvangirai Calls For An Inclusive Process To Choose Heroes

http://www.radiovop.com


Harare - Prime Minister and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday said Zimbabweans who have fought for the
unity government should also be regarded as heroes.

Zimbabwe commemorated Heroes holiday on Monday in which those who
contributed to the war of liberation that brought Zimbabwe's independence in
1980 are remembered.

"It is important that, on this our nation's Heroes Day, we recognise
the contribution of these unique Zimbabweans who, like our liberation
heroes, were guided by a vision of a country whose inhabitants could live
and prosper in a free, open and democratic society."

"As a society we have been blessed with the presence of extraordinary
individuals from all walks of life, from all races, tribal backgrounds and
religions who have put the interest and welfare of their fellow individuals
above their own needs.

" ...we acknowledge that heroes can arise in all periods of a nation's
development, in peace and prosperity as well as in times of war.  Just as
Zimbabwe today is governed by an inclusive agreement, so the definition of
our nations' heroes must also be inclusive. No one group has the right to
dictate to the nation who should be deemed a hero for this undermines the
integrity of such an institution."

"It is also on this day that we must consider what it is that makes a
hero. Just as a country's history dictates its substance, so the heroes that
that country chooses to recognise dictate the character of the nation," he
said. "Such is the turbulent history of our nation, from its birth out of
civil war towards maturity as a democratic state, that many of our heroes
rose to prominence in times of conflict and strife. Their sacrifices must be
recognised and praised."

Swine flu fears as doctors strike spreads

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
11 August 2009

A strike by doctors frustrated with their wages has now spread to most
government hospitals leaving the country vulnerable to the raging world wide
swine flu pandemic. Experts expressed concerns that with few doctors
available, the country would fail to deal with any potential disease
outbreaks as happened with the cholera epidemic that wreaked havoc last
year.

Since the formation of the unity government in February doctors agreed to
continue working, despite not being entirely happy with the US$100 offered
to all civil servants. Union leaders say they had hoped Finance Minister
Tendai Biti in his mid-term budget would raise their wages to reasonable
levels. Doctors were subsequently awarded US$70 increases which took their
salaries from US$100 to US$170 per month, but saw most of their allowances
taken away.
Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa reports that doctors are
disillusioned by what they see as a failure by government to prioritise
their welfare. The total monthly wage for doctors is currently US$390
because Crown Agents, a British relief agency is forking out an extra US$220
per doctor per month in additional allowances. The doctors say however, the
extra payments are not being made in some months and cannot be relied upon.
Muchemwa says money injected into the health system has seen the purchases
of furniture and vehicles for hospital directors instead of wages.
The strike initially started with junior doctors two weeks ago but now
senior doctors have since joined in. Reports say Bulawayo only had one
consulting physician over the long Heroes weekend, while the situation in
Harare was said to be better. Brighton Chizhanje the President of the
Hospital Doctors Association said their strike began at Mpilo and United
Hospitals in Bulawayo. Doctors at Harare Central Hospital later joined the
strike. "We began by withdrawing on-call services because we are not getting
on-call transport and housing allowances, yet patients are paying for drugs
and drip; they are even paying for gloves used by hospital staff," he said.
Chizhanje also explained that they were not happy with the flat rate being
offered by government with no allowances. He accused the government of
coming up with the new pay structure without consulting them.

Meanwhile, Muchemwa also reports that even before the strike, staffing
levels were still very low. In June this year he went on a familiarisation
tour of hospitals with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, and said
during a visit to Harare Central Hospital, only one doctor was said to be on
duty. Even then, the doctor on duty was said to have taken a 3-hour lunch.
This problem is common Muchemwa said, as doctors take time off to do work in
private surgeries to supplement their income.

City needs US$20m to replace aged sewer system

http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Lizwe Sebatha Wednesday 12 August 2009

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe's second biggest city - Bulawayo - requires US$20
million to urgently replace its aged and broken down sewer systems that now
constantly burst putting residents at risk of water borne diseases, city
fathers have said.

According to the latest minutes of the Bulawayo City Council, the entire
sewer and water reticulation system in the city is "now malfunctional".

A feasibility study of the sewer systems by the Bulawayo Sewerage Task Force
(BSTF) recently found that US$19 is required urgently to fix the sewer
systems, the minutes said.

Bulawayo Mayor Thaba Moyo told ZimOnline that the city's sewer system has
come under heavy strain due to lack of capital over the years to replace or
rehabilitate it so that it copes with the growing population.

As a result, residents especially in high density suburbs have raised fears
of an outbreak of water borne diseases like cholera due to numerous sewer
bursts resulting in raw human waste contaminating the city's water sources.

Moyo said a group of Australian engineers and the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) have pledged financial and technical support to assist the
local authority to rehabilitate its sewer systems.

"We have also appealed to the finance and local government ministries to
assist with funds so that the project kick-starts soon as failure would lead
to a disaster," Moyo noted.

Zimbabwe last year battled a deadly cholera outbreak that killed 4 288
people out of 98 592 infections largely as a result of dysfunctional water
and sewer systems in urban areas.

International relief agencies and local health officials who coordinated
efforts to combat the outbreak say the southern African country remains at
risk of a fresh and more deadly outbreak of cholera once the next rainy
season starts in about three months time chiefly because underlying causes
remained unattended to.

The United Nations has warned that a fresh outbreak of cholera in 2009/2010
could see up to 125 000 people affected by the deadly disease, or about 25
percent more than the number of infections in the previous outbreak. -
ZimOnline

Zimbabwe Fails To Meet UN Landmine Clearing Deadline

http://www.radiovop.com


HARARE, August 11, 2009 - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on
Tuesday said Zimbabwe had failed to meet the United Nations landmine
clearing deadline, 29 years after the country attained its independence.

Zimbabwe got its independence from British colonial rule in 1980 after
a protracted war.

Addressing thousands of people at Gwanzura Stadium, the 85 year old
leader who has been at the helm of the country's leadership since 1980, said
he was thankful the UN had extended the deadline.

"I am pleased to note that the UN has agreed to grant us an extension
to our 2009 landmine clearing deadline under the Ottawa Declaration," Mugabe
said.

The President shifted his failure to meet the set deadline on the
settler colonial regime that planted the landmines.

 "The landmines show the cold-heated nature of the brutal settler
regime that was meant to stop the Zimbabweans from fighting them in our
quest to gain our independence. 29 years on, they are still planted, posing
a threat to people and livestock. We hope to clear the landmines so that we
may open up areas for tourism," he said.

  Political analysts however blamed Mugabe for having inverted
priorities set for the army, which spend most of its years beating up people
and quashing political opponents, as well as grabbing land, instead of
concentrating on other developmental issues expected in a non war zone.

 "It shows that Mugabe dedicated the army to other duties only for his
benefit, like participating in the political violence of last year. Those
are upside-down priorities. The army should concentrate on other projects
like building bridges, de-mining, among others in a non-war zone, not to be
used by one person to strengthen his grip on power," said Progressive
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou.

 Last year, the army has been blamed for the political violence among
the then opposition Movement For Democratic (MDC) party during the run-up to
last year's sham June 27 presidential runoff polls that saw Mugabe retaining
power by force.

Mugabe however on Tuesday he rejected accusations that soldiers had
committed abuses, either during last year's campaign and voting or more
recently under the unity government. He lauded the military for keeping law
and order.

"Allegations of gross abuses of human rights or failure to respect
good governance have provided fodder for the West and its media," said
Mugabe, who remains commander in chief in the unity government. "The peace
and stability have over the years angered our detractors as they have sought
desperately and without good reason to find wrongdoing on our part as the
defense forces."

  According to the MDC, more than 100 of its supporters were murdered
while more than 5 000 people were displaced internally and externally,
leaving hordes injured and homeless.

Private imports easing food shortages

Photo: Antony Kaminju/IRIN

More food available

JOHANNESBURG , 11 August 2009 (IRIN) - Zimbabwe's food insecurity is being eased by private imports but prices remain high, making basic commodities unaffordable to many of the few people who have a job, said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Food Security Outlook released on 7 August.

Food security has greatly improved since the 2008/09 season, when nearly 7 million people were receiving food assistance, compared with projections for the 2009/10 period, when an estimated 2 million to 2.4 million people will require aid.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and UN World Food Programme Crop and Food Assessment Mission forecast the 2009 cereal harvest at 1.3 million tons, compared to 690,000 tons in 2008.

A better harvest, lifting import duties on basic commodities, and the dollarization of the economy have ameliorated food scarcity, the FEWS NET report said. The Zimbabwe dollar, which was fuelling hyperinflation, was discontinued earlier his year.

The use of multiple currencies - South African rand, Botswana pula and US dollar - coupled with the introduction of an across-the-board US$100 monthly wage for government employees in February 2009, has seen market-driven forces providing the impetus to fill shop shelves. Donor organizations are also paying medical staff a US$100 monthly stipend.

According to the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, in June 2009 the US$100 monthly salary was only sufficient for 20 percent of a family's monthly requirements; even if other essentials, such as health, education, clothing and housing were discounted, it would only cover about 70 percent of household food expenses.

Zimbabwe's economy has been in recession for a decade and around 94 percent of the population are unemployed; many rely on remittances from family members working in neighbouring states or further afield in Britain and the US.

Between January and June 2009, some basic food items fell by between 30 [percent] and 60 percent, but prices still remain between three and six times higher than the five-year average for June

"Between January and June 2009, some basic food items fell by between 30 [percent] and 60 percent, but prices still remain between three and six times higher than the five-year average for June [2009]. Between April and June 2009, maize grain price dropped by 31 percent and maize flour went down by 15 percent," the report said.

"This decline was attributed to both improved supply on the market and the good harvest. In the rural areas, grain prices are even lower than those in urban areas, with grain selling at US$0.17/kg on average, and between two times and three times less than urban prices," FEWS NET noted.

The tax holiday on imported basic commodities has been extended to the end of the 2009, however; should the duty be reimposed, this could mean a "reduced supply of maize-meal on the market lead[ing] to increased prices and reduced purchasing power for market-dependent households."

Between 500,000 and 900,000 of Zimbabwe's urban population are viewed as food insecure, the report said, while "about 1.4 million rural people will not be able to meet their cereal requirements during the 2009/10 consumption year."

GNU Watch by Idasa

Click here to read the July 2009 GNU Watch by Idasa

Zim students in algeria

To: His Excellency The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe
The Honourable Prime Minister
The Honourable Minister of Finance
The Honourable Minister of Higher and tertiary Education
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs
All other responsible Authorities and The Nation at Large

This letter serves as a desperate plea from the students in Algeria to the
responsible authorities in Zimbabwe as all other means of formal
communications have received no response. Circumstances here are very bad ;
these circumstances have risen because we have only received ten percent of
our annual stipend as from last November which is vital for our survival
here.

Currently we are on a four months summer holiday in which we do not have
subsidised food so we are starving. We are supposed to buy our own food and
cooking utensils as stoves, pots e.t.c. We used to borrow money from other
nationalities that are in the same scholarship programme and receiving their
stipend in time but they are no longer willing to lend us money because we
have failed to repay them our outstanding debts and we have become nothing
but a burden to them.
Our image as Zimbabwean students has been tarnished, as we are associated
with poverty and suffering, borrowing and begging. It is hard to imagine
that at one point we had to do with food handouts from our fellow Zambian
students and other nationalities. Since there are virtually no job
opportunities here, there is no other means of survival other than the
stipends from our government. In addition due to lack of resources we have
no access what so ever to medical health care.
Our applications to our programmes of study to various universities have
been jeopardized owing to lack of money to process the papers and transport
costs to the concerned universities some of which are as far as six hundred
kilometres. The last nine months have been a period of torment and untold
suffering which has produced an adverse effect towards our studies.
 We have numerous problems here; these are only but a few. We have been
enduring hoping that the situation back home will stabilise but now living
conditions in Algeria are now unbearable.

We feel we have been left alone as all our means of formal communication at
our disposal have recieved no response from the responsible authorities. The
Honourable Deputy Minister of Education, The Permanent Secretary of
Education, The Diplomatic Mission of Zimbabwe in Libya and the Z.B.C news
journalist Mr.T. Mapurisana were in Algeria a few weeks ago and we believe
they can bear testimony to the enormous suffering we are enduring here.
We are very grateful for this scholarship, but with all things said and done
our suffering in a foreign land is different from suffering at home as we do
not have parents, relatives, nor an embassy here and the fact that we are
seven thousand miles away from home. With all these problems and others we
kindly ask the government to fulfil its obligations as best as it can. If
due to any reasons the responsible authorities are unable to send us our
stipends then we kindly ask our government to send us back home immediately.

The Zimbabwe Student Community in Algeria.

To come home or not to come home…?

Hijacker Apologises to Victims on Facebook

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/277424

By Christopher Szabo.
Published 1 hour ago

The only man ever to hijack a South African Airways aircraft has
apologized for the deed - 37 years after the incident. The former diamond
investigator apologized to flight crew, passengers and "all South Africans"
on Facebook.
Fouad Kamil (Flash Fred) 83, said on the social networking site that
he didn't know how long he had to live and wanted to ask for forgiveness and
clear his conscience, according to News24.
Former cabin crewmember Jopie Niemand said Kamil's apology came at an
appropriate time, as Blake Flemington, the captain of the South African
Airways Boeing 727, Letaba at the time, was in currently South Africa.
Flemington lives in New Zealand. The Letaba was hijacked on May 24, 1972 on
a flight from what was then the Rhodesian capital, Salisbury (now Harare,
Zimbabwe.) to Johannesburg.
Shortly before arrival, Kamil, formerly a diamond investigator for the
vast conglomerate Anglo American and Abou Yaghi, a Libyan policeman, stood
up and began packing dynamite onto shelves in the passenger cabin. The armed
themselves and told a flight attendant to inform the captain the plane was
now in their hands.
Kamil demanded that Anglo American's Harry Openheimer, said to be the
richest man in South Africa at the time, meet him at the airport at
Blantyre, Malawi. Kamil claimed he had retrieved millions of dollars worth
of diamonds from illegal buyers, but had never been paid. He thought Gordon
Waddell, Oppenheimer's son-in-law, was on board, but he was mistaken.
The plane landed back in Salisbury very short of fuel, and then took
off, accompanied by jets of the Rhodesian Air Force.
Niemand told the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld that the South African
government wanted the plane shot down, but that Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian
Smith refused.
The plane did arrive at Blantyre, but after a standoff, Malawian
soldiers fired on the aircraft, deflating the wheels and damaged the
steering mechanism.
Kamil and Yahgi were both sentenced to ten years, but only served
eight months, after which Kamil fled to Spain, then on to Brazil. His wife,
Meloni, stayed in Johannesburg with their children.
The report said Oppenheimer later paid 115 000 dollars into Kamil's
bank account after he corresponded Kamil.
Beeld says Kamil lives alone in Brazil, where he writes books and
paints.

Bill Watch Special of 11th August [Portfolio Committees]

BILL WATCH SPECIAL

[11th August 2009]

Notices of Parliamentary Committee Meetings Open to Public

Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development

     Hearing of oral evidence from Ministry officials

     Committee Room No. 1, Thursday 13th August, 10 am

Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture

     Hearing of oral evidence from the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture

     Committee Room No. 4, Thursday 13th August, 10 am

Members of the public wishing to attend are advised to first telephone Parliament [700181] to check with the appropriate committee clerk.

House of Assembly Portfolio Committees

Brief History

Portfolio Committees were first set up in 2000 following Parliament’s adoption of the Parliamentary Reform Committee’s Report, which recommended their establishment.  At that time there was no Upper House, so they were known as Parliamentary Portfolio Committees [PPCs].  An Upper House, the Senate, was introduced in November 2005 by Constitution Amendment No. 17 in the middle of a Parliamentary session when the PPCs had already been set up and were functioning.  Senators were allocated to the Portfolio Committees which continued as joint committees of both Houses.  With the beginning of the 7th Parliament [the current Parliament] it was decided to discontinue this joint committee system and to have separate House of Assembly Portfolio Committees and Senate Thematic Committees [which have slightly different terms of reference]. 

Setting up of Portfolio Committees

Portfolio Committees are set up by the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders [CSRO] according to parameters laid down in Parliamentary Standing Order 159.  The CSRO decides on the number of portfolio committees and the Ministerial portfolios to be covered by each committee, and also appoints the members.  This is done at the commencement of each session of Parliament, which is usually in July or August.  Only back-benchers are appointed as members of portfolio committees – Vice-Presidents, Ministers and Deputy Ministers cannot serve on them, as it is their work that will be under scrutiny by the committees.  In making the appointments the CSRO must take into account the expressed interests or expertise of members and the political and gender composition of the House.  In practice the CSRO tends to rubber-stamp the nominations put forward by the political parties represented in the House.  [Note:  the present committees were not set up at the beginning of the first session of this Parliament in August 2008 – they were only set up in early April, shortly after the long-delayed setting up of the CSRO.]

Purpose of Portfolio Committees

They are there to "shadow" or monitor the activities of the government Ministry or Ministries assigned to them.  The general idea is that the committees [representing the Legislature, which votes the funds Ministries need to operate] will provide a constant check on the way Ministries [constituting the Executive] carry out their functions. 

List of Committees

There are nineteen Portfolio Committees, but thirty-two Ministries, so some committees are shadowing more than one Ministry.  The committees are:  [1] Agriculture, Water, Lands and Resettlement; [2] Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion; [3] Education, Sport, Arts and Culture [4] Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade; [5] Health and Child Welfare; [6] Higher Education, Science and Technology; [7] Home Affairs and Defence; [8] Industry and Commerce; [9] Justice, Legal Affairs, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs; [10] Local Government, Rural and Urban Development; [11] Media, Information and Communication Technology; [12] Mines and Energy; [13] Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism; [14] Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; [15] Public Works and National Housing; [16] Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development; [17] State Enterprises and Parastatals Management; [18] Transport and Infrastructure Development; [19] Women, Youth, Gender and Community Development. 

Functions of Portfolio Committees

Scrutiny of Bills

Every Bill sent to Parliament by a Minister is automatically referred to the relevant portfolio committee as soon as it has been gazetted [published in the Government Gazette].  The committee then has at least fourteen days in which to consider the Bill and to prepare a report on the Bill.  It may call on the sponsoring Minister or his officials to appear before it to explain and justify the Bill. 

Holding Public Hearings on Bills

The committee has the power to hold public hearings on a Bill in order to give stakeholders and members of the public a chance to state their views on the Bill and make representations for changes to it.  In the past this power has been used quite regularly, particularly for important or controversial Bills.  Public hearings will not necessarily be restricted to Harare; funds permitting, public hearings will be held in other centres also.  These hearings provide an opportunity for members of the public and civil society to play a part in the legislative process, especially where the sponsoring Ministry has not consulted sufficiently widely in the course of preparing a Bill. 

The committee's views on a Bill will be presented as a report to the House by the chairperson of the committee during the Second Reading debate.  If there has been a public hearing the views of the public should be incorporated into the Committee’s report so that all members of the House become aware of public feeling about it.

Other Public Input into Portfolio Committees

It is also open to members of the public and civil society to submit written representations on a Bill or any other matter falling within a committee’s terms of reference even where a public hearing is not held or there has been no invitation for representations.  Letters for a committee should be addressed to the Clerk of Parliament and marked for the attention of the relevant committee. 

Public Admission to Meetings

"Members of the public, the media and interested parties (stakeholders) are free to attend any committee meetings except deliberative meetings" [Committee Operations Manual, 2.4].  Deliberative meetings are those at which a portfolio committee discusses its work-plans, deliberates on oral evidence or considers the wording of a report

Other Functions of Portfolio Committees

A Portfolio Committee must also:

·    "monitor, investigate, enquire into and make recommendations relating to any aspect of the legislative programme, budget, policy or any other matter it may consider relevant to" the Ministry or Ministries assigned to it;

·    consider or deal with all international treaties, conventions and agreements relevant to the committee which are from time to time negotiated, entered into or agreed on by the Government [Standing Order 158].

Collection of Information by Portfolio Committees

A committee can collect information in four ways:

·   by requesting written information from Government Ministers and officials, stakeholders, civil society organisations and members of the public

·   by requesting oral evidence to be given to the committee

·   by making field visits in order to establish facts or to authenticate information already given to it [e.g., to hospitals when investigating the state of the health delivery system]

·   by holding public hearings at which stakeholders and members of the public can express their views and convey information to the committee about the matter concerned [whether it be a Bill or any other matter the committee is looking into].

Powers to Subpoena Witnesses

A Portfolio Committee has the power to subpoena anyone, except the President, to appear before it to give evidence on oath on a matter it has under consideration.  It also has the power to require the production of relevant documents.  What a witness says in evidence to a committee is protected by Parliamentary privilege, and he or she cannot be prosecuted or sued in civil court for any statements made in the course of that evidence.  This does not, however, mean that a witness before a committee cannot subsequently be prosecuted for perjury if he or she lies under oath. 

Reports of Portfolio Committees

The reports of Portfolio Committees are presented to the House of Assembly.

Although the First Session of the present Parliament has produced no Portfolio Committee reports, in normal times there is a steady flow of reports during a session, ranging from regular routine reports on every Ministry's Budget Performance [usually quarterly] to reports on matters specially investigated.  It is hoped that the forthcoming Second Session will see Portfolio Committees returning to a more normal cycle of activities.

Portfolio Committee reports become public documents once tabled in the House of Assembly.  Copies of reports are available from Parliament's Papers Office once tabling has taken place – and Veritas is usually able to offer electronic versions within a day or two of tabling.

Comments on delay in setting up Portfolio Committees

From the last sitting of the 6th Parliament in January 2008 right through to July this year, when the Portfolio Committees started their work, Parliament effectively ceased to monitor the activities of the Government – a period of almost 18 months.  From March last year to February this year “de facto” Ministries continued to operate with no accountability to the Legislature.  It should have been especially important to set up the Portfolio Committees and for them to start their work of shadowing the “executive” as soon as Parliament was sworn in in August.  There had already been an abnormally long gap between Parliaments – over seven months.  By not setting up Portfolio Committees Parliament let the de facto government continue for almost another six months, unshadowed and unmonitored and unaccountable by Parliament.  This has been a discouragement for those working for more transparent and accountable government.

Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal responsibility for information supplied.

Shakib ton too much for Zim

Press Association, UK

(UKPA) - 3 hours ago

An explosive century from Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by
49 runs in a high-scoring second one-day international in Bulawayo.

Shakib Al Hasan's 104 and 79 from Tamim Iqbal saw Bangladesh set the hosts
an imposing target of 321 - and despite a brave effort, it proved a hurdle
too far as Zimbabwe were all out for 271 with 23 balls to spare.

Bangladesh's aggressive style was clear for all to see as four of the eight
wickets to fall were run-outs, including both openers.

But it was Al Hasan who brought the real fireworks, smashing 10 fours and
four sixes as he reached 104 off just 64 balls - before he too was run out
attempting to squeeze a third run.

Tamim was unlucky to be run out by a direct hit, while fellow opener Junaid
Siddique was looking for a quick single to add to his 27 when he went.

Of the Zimbabwe bowlers, Elton Chigumbura emerged from the onslaught with a
little credit - taking three for 59.

Zimbabwe kept up the scoring rate, but early wickets proved their undoing as
openers Mark Vermeulen and Hamilton Masakadza failed to get going.

Charles Coventry came in at number three and made 61, and Sean Williams was
part of a 78-run sixth-wicket partnership with Stuart Matsikenyeri before
departing for 75.

Bangladesh lead the five-match series 2-0.